SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002pfg5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Overwhelmed by Claudia Hammond (m002pfds)
5. Good Stress and Getting Over Yourself

Psychologist and presenter of BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind Claudia Hammond reads from her new book on the 21st-century phenomenon of overwhelm.

All of us know the unsettling sensation of acceleration - the feeling that there's too much to do, not enough time to do it, and the pressure is relentless. There is always something new, something more, something better. Even switching off seems impossible. This is overwhelm: that persistent feeling that you can't cope, that the demands on you are excessive, that you can't see a way out.

From perfectionism, to overconfidence, fear of regret to coping with the stress, Hammond offers fascinating personal stories, calm and convincing analysis, as well as the tools to take on everything life throws at us.

Today: good stress, and the rewards of embracing our insignificance...

Written and read by: Claudia Hammond is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. She is Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex and presenter of BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind.
Abridger: Julian Wilkinson
Producer: Justine Willett


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002pfg7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002pfg9)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002pfgc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002pfgf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002pfgh)
I am that I am

Good morning and Shabbat Shalom.
In synagogues around the world this morning we will be starting to read the Book of Exodus.
In this weekly section we read the story of the Burning Bush, where Moses, while tending his father-in-law’s sheep comes across a bush that appears to be on fire, which isn’t unusual in the wilderness, but it is not burning or being consumed.
This catches his attention and he gets closer to have a look. The text says an angel of God appears in the fire and that God speaks to Moses from the bush. The voice identifies itself as the God of his father’s house, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
This would certainly have been different and very much out of the ordinary for Moses. God tells Moses that he must go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Moses asks what God’s name is. He is simply told “Eh’yeh asher Eh’yeh”, translated as ‘I am that I am’ or ‘I will be what I will be’.
Does that help Moses? It seems to in some way! But does that help us to understand what God is? What does God mean for us? How and when do we experience God in our lives?
Well, I am not Moses and I am not looking for any Burning Bush moments in my life but I know that I do sense moments of God’s presence in my life and in our world. I have no idea when, why or how I get those moments – and I might not even be aware of them at the time.
So I pray today that I continue to experience moments of God in my life, in the ordinary and the mundane, as well as in the more special, even holy moments.
May I find God in the people I meet and the things I do and that others do. May I find God in nature and in the humanity around us and in our common desire to make the world a better place.


SAT 05:45 Materials of State (m002mmm4)
The Union Jack

In his new series, David Cannadine examines the artefacts and emblems that shape the British constitution - their origins, their meanings, and their significance today.

These ‘materials of state’ range from the parliamentary Black Rod to the ancient Stone of Destiny, the ceremonial Sword of State, to the democratic Ballot Box. They're invested with historic meanings and symbolic connotations by those who see these objects as the embodiment of history, identity and tradition. But they also provoke dissent and disagreement from those who view them in a more negative and critical light.

In this first programme, David explores the history of the Union Jack, as one of the UK’s key ‘materials of state’, an object whose significance reflects the nation’s history, identity and political debates. The flag originated in 1606 after the union of the English and Scottish crowns, later incorporating Ireland’s St Patrick’s cross in 1801. Its composite design tells the story of the Union, though modern nationalism has revived separate national flags within the UK.

Over time, the flag’s popularity has surged and waned, and the Union Jack has served variously as an imperial emblem, a commercial brand, a counter-cultural icon, and a fashion motif. Its meanings have shifted from representing empire and Protestantism, to being appropriated by far-right groups, and now symbolising a multicultural society for many citizens. Today, amid debates over Brexit, immigration and national identity, the Union Jack again provokes strong feelings. Whether loved or loathed, the Union Jack remains a contested and symbolically charged national emblem.

Contributors in order of appearance:
Professor Nick Groom, Author of ‘The Union Jack: The Story of the British Flag’
Christopher Taylor, Director of ‘Flying Colours’ Flagmakers
Sunder Katwala, Director of ‘British Future’ and author of ‘How to be a Patriot’
Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford

Presented by Professor Sir David Cannadine
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Sound Mixing: Tony Churnside

The series has been made in association with the History of Parliament Trust

A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002pptb)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002pfhb)
Walking Back to Happiness

Clare joins Glenn Meyer in Surrey’s Happy Valley for a walk that celebrates resilience and recovery. During lockdown, Glenn suffered a serious spinal injury after a simple movement on a sun lounger. Over time he lost the ability to walk and became reliant on a wheelchair. Three major operations at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital rebuilt his spine with an internal frame anchored by bolts into his hips. Against the odds, Glenn can now stand and walk and is in training for a 3 day, 37 mile hike from his home in Caterham to the hospital in Stanmore that helped him get back on his feet.

Today’s training walk with Clare is a scenic circuit of around 5 miles, starting at The Fox pub on Coulsdon Common. Glenn and his wife, Hilary, lead Clare into Happy Valley, skirt the Surrey National Golf Course, and pause at Chaldon Church, famed for its medieval mural. The walk continues across Farthing Downs before looping back to Coulsdon Common.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002pptd)
Farming Today This Week 10/01/26: The Oxford farming conferences

Thousands of people have descended on Oxford this week for two farming conferences. We report from The Oxford Farming Conference, where the Defra Secretary of State made new announcements for England's environmental farm payments, while protesting farmers in tractors hooted horns outside the hall.
We also hear from delegates at The Oxford Real Farming Conference which was opened by Charlotte Church with some improvised singing.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002pptg)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002pptj)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002pptl)
Jake Humphrey, Being a Dominatrix, Mapping Canal Towpaths, and the Inheritance Tracks of Justin Hawkins

Jake Humprhey shares the key to success, Madeline Thomas on the dangers of being a dominatrix, Dr Uy Hoang explains how he's mapping the towpaths that Google maps can't reach.


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002pptn)
Renaissance Medicine: healthcare and disease in early modern England

Greg Jenner is joined in the sixteenth century by Dr Alanna Skuse and comedian Ria Lina to learn all about medicine and medical professionals in Tudor and Stuart England. In Renaissance-era England, medicine was still based on the theory of the four humours, passed down from ancient Greek and Roman physicians like Hippocrates and Galen. But from the reign of Henry VIII, there were signs of change. The invention of the printing press led to an explosion in medical and anatomical books, and the circulation of ideas from across Europe. The College of Physicians was founded in 1518, and the Company of Barber-Surgeons in 1543. Medicine became a real business, with a range of specialists, professional bodies overseeing different kinds of healthcare, and an explosion of medical providers advertising their services to the general public. This episode explores the landscape of healthcare in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England, looking at everyone from physicians, surgeons and apothecaries to domestic healers and midwives, and even taking in quacks and frauds. Along the way, it examines the sensible social distancing measures taken during the Great Plague, the cures both sensible and dangerous offered for all kinds of diseases, and the cutting-edge experiments men like William Harvey and Christopher Wren were carrying out on the circulation of the blood.

If you’re a fan of the history of everyday life in Tudor England, petty professional rivalries, and the whacky wellness trends of the past, you’ll love our episode on medicine in Renaissance England.

If you want more from Ria Lina, listen to our episodes on pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao and medieval traveller Marco Polo. And for more on the history of health and wellness, check out our episodes on Ancient Medicine, Renaissance Beauty and the Kellogg Brothers.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Katharine Russell
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m002pptq)
Yellow by Coldplay

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you..."

True stories of what Yellow, one of Coldplay's most iconic songs, means to people 25 years on from its release.

It's December 1999 and a relatively unknown band called Coldplay are midway through recording their debut studio album, Parachutes, at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The days are long, often working late into the evening. One night after a recording session, they step outside with their producer Ken, and look up to a sky full of stars. The rest, as they say, is history...

Featuring, in order of appearance:
Dylan Bode, musician and coma survivor
Ken Nelson, music producer on Coldplay's Parachutes album
Debs Wild, fan liaison for Coldplay and author of Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay
Neil Brand, composer, writer and broadcaster
Katherine Ho, singer of the Mandarin version of Yellow for the film Crazy Rich Asians

Producer: Becky Ripley


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002ppts)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002pptv)
The rise and fall of Nicolas Maduro

Kate Adie introduces stories from Venezuela, the United States, Iran, India and Germany.

The capture of Nicolas Maduro following America’s night-time military operation in Venezuela caught the world off-guard. Quickly transported to New York, Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will now face trial. Will Grant reflects on his own encounters with Maduro and the legacy he left in Venezuela.

Miami is home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, and hundreds of people took to the streets to celebrate the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Bernd Debusmann was in Miami, capturing the mood among Venezuelans in the immediate hours after the raid on Caracas.

A wave of protests has spread rapidly across Iran over the last fortnight, fuelled by anger over the country's economy. Now the protests have taken on a stronger anti-government tone. BBC Persian’s Mahshid Hosseini has been speaking to protesters in Tehran.

Nagaland in northeast India is the scene of an annual stone-pulling festival, which brings together several of the region’s ethnic tribes. The event conveys a message of unity in a state once known for its fierce infighting. Simon Broughton watched on, while keeping a safe distance from the moving monolith.

Germany is set to double its defence spending over the next five years, and for the first time in decades arms production is to resume in Berlin. Lucy Ash investigates the row over a repurposed factory in the artistic quarter of Wedding, which has locals worried for the future.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002pptx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002pptz)
Child Benefit and Credit Cards

More than 60% of parents who lost their child benefit because the tax office believed incorrectly they'd moved abroad, were in fact eligible for the benefit, which is worth at least a hundred pounds a month. As we've reported on this programme before, the mistakes were made after travel data was used to conclude parents had permanently left the UK, but actually many of them had simply been on holiday. The scale of the mistake has been shown in a written question raised in parliament, where the government revealed that 63% of payments were wrongly suspended. HMRC has apologised to customers who had their Child Benefit suspended incorrectly. It also told us that it estimates that £270 million of Child Benefit payments were incorrectly claimed in 2024-25 – with unreported residency changes a leading cause.

Credit card borrowing rose at the fastest annual rate for almost two years in November. The new data from the Bank of England shows that outstanding credit card balances rose to nearly 78 billion pounds, which is up almost 12 per cent on November the year before. What might be behind that rise?

And the pension ruling which could help boost your pension by 720 pounds every year.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 10th January 2026)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002pffm)
Series 119

1. Red, White, Blue and Green-land

With Andy away at The Ashes, guest host Ian Smith steps in to make sense of a dramatic news week. Topics include the US capturing Nicolás Maduro and threatening to invade Greenland, new driving rules for the over 70s and the problem with Grok AI. Helping Ian decide which way to turn are Ria Lina, Hugo Rifkind, Lucy Porter and Geoff Norcott.

Written by Ian Smith.

With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Alex Kealy and Angela Channell
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002ppv1)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002ppv3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002pffv)
Gerard Baker, Baroness Fall, Andrew Fisher, Baroness Hazarika

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from M Shed in Bristol with the editor-at-large of the Wall Street Journal, Gerard Baker; Conservative peer Baroness Fall, former deputy chief of staff to David Cameron when he was prime minister; i Paper columnist Andrew Fisher, who was the Labour Party's executive director of policy during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership; and Labour peer and broadcaster, Baroness Hazarika.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Lowri Morgan
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Caitlin Gazeley
Editor: Glyn Tansley


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002ppv5)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002pffq)
Writer: David Payne
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

4th - 9th January

Helen Archer.... Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer.... Blayke Darby
Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davis
Tony Archer.... David Troughton
Brian Aldridge.... Charles Collingwood
Alice Carter.... Hollie Chapman
Neil Carter.... Brian Hewlett
Amber Gordon.... Olivia Bernstone
Clarrie Grundy.... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy.... Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Joy Horville.... Jackie Lye
Akram Malik.... Asif Khan
Jazzer McCreary.... Ryan Kelly
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen


SAT 15:00 Hardy's Women (m000wc0m)
Two on a Tower

Part 2 - Marriage

During 2021 on Radio 4, Hardy’s Women takes a fresh look at the novels of Thomas Hardy, through the eyes of some of his female protagonists

Two On A Tower

Adapted by Anita Sullivan

With the death of Sir Blount in Southern Africa, Viviette and Swithin are finally able to marry. They marry in secret, deciding to wait for the impoverished Swithin to make his name as an astronomer and for Viviette to observe a period of mourning before they share their love with the world. Tragically, the stars are not aligned. Blount's death has been mis-reported, and Swithin has a secret...

Hardy's scandalised his contemporary readers with this love story across age, class and legal barriers, settting "the emotional history of two infinitesimal lives against the stupendous background of the stellar universe."



CAST

Lady Viviette Constantine - Olivia Poulet
Swithin St Cleeve - Callum Scott Howells
Louis Glanville - Tommy Sim’aan
Tabitha Lark - Scarlett Courtney
Bishop Helmsdale and Mr Cecil - Tony Turner
Parson Torkingham - Keiron Self
Haymoss and Sir Blount - Marc Danbury
Mrs Martin and Mrs Poulter - Jane Slavin

Directed by John Norton

A BBC Cymru Wales production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002ppv7)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week


SAT 17:00 PM (m002ppv9)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002ppvc)
John Swinney: Trump, Independence and Scottish Troops in Ukraine

What is the Scottish First Minister's secret for getting Donald Trump's attention?

Nick is in Edinburgh to sit down with John Swinney, at the start of a year of big elections across the UK, including for the Scottish Parliament.

He has been at the top of SNP-led government's for almost all of the last 19 years. He is now asking for another five years, with the hope of securing a new independence referendum.

In this conversation, Swinney talks about how he charmed Donald Trump, reflects on a dangerous world, and opens up about the pressures on his family life.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Flora Murray
Sound: Fiona Fairmaner
Editor: Giles Edwards


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002ppvf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002ppvh)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ppvk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002ppvm)
Alice Roberts, Amir El-Masry, Rob Auton, Esther Manito, Cast

Joining Stuart Maconie for this week's Loose Ends are Professor Alice Roberts with her book Domination, which takes a deep dig into the heart of the Roman Empire.

Comedian and poet Rob Auton is about to tour with his show CAN: The Story of a Man Called Can...he's here to tell us all he can about that.

Actor Amir El-Masry is starring in the new film Giant as the boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, and he joins Loose Ends to talk technique, training and working with Pierce Brosnan and Sylvester Stallone.

The comedian Esther Manito drops into the studio mid-tour to bring her humorous take on what she calls a "very undignified period of life".

And there's music from Cast who are about to release their new album Yeah Yeah Yeah at the end of January.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Elizabeth Foster


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002ppvp)
Sir Christian Turner

The newly-appointed British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, is a career diplomat whose experience spans almost three decades. He was about to take up the role of the UK's ambassador at the UN but after Lord Mandelson was abruptly pulled from his ambassadorial role in the US late last year, Sir Keir Starmer diverted Turner to replace him.

Born in Crawley in 1972, Turner attended the prestigious Marlborough College, before pursuing English literature at the University of Manchester, and later a doctorate at York. After flirting with documentary-making, he pivoted to public service, entering the Cabinet Office in the late nineties. He has closely advised several prime ministers, including Theresa May with whom colleagues say he shared his love of card games.

After an initial posting to Washington ended in 2006, his career has flourished at the foreign office. Mark Coles finds out more about the UK’s new man in DC, as he prepares to navigate ties with the Trump administration in a delicate moment for the so-called ‘special relationship’.

Contributors:

Lord Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser
Sir Simon Fraser, former Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and current chair of Chatham House.
Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Rachel Barber-Mack, sister-in-law
Richard Cooke, Royal Choral Society musical director
Jerry Koehler, Royal Choral Society singer
James Perry, friend
Richard Warlow, friend
Joel Burden, friend

Production team:

Producers: Ben Carter, Katie Solleveld and Laurie Kalus
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Katie Morrison
Editor: Justine Lang

Archive:

KTN News Kenya
BBC News
APTN


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002pfgr)
Guillermo del Toro

Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences. From his 1992 debut Cronos to his recent big budget spectacular retelling of Frankenstein, del Toro’s 12 feature films mix fantasy, horror and Gothic romance to create modern fairy tales about innocence, brutality and redemption. His movies have won eight Academy Awards including three for Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006, and four Oscars for The Shape Of Water in 2017, plus seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globes.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Archive used:
Clip from Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, 2006
Clip from Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, 2025
Clip from Frankenstein, James Whale, 1931
Clip from I Confess, Alfred Hitchcock, 1953


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002ppvr)
Paris with Marianne

For journalist and writer Jude Rogers, when Marianne Faithfull died 12 months ago, the memory of one particular afternoon came flooding back - a visit to Marianne's Paris flat in the summer of 2018, where the legendary singer, actress and writer reflected on a life that had been endlessly mythologised. This Archive on 4 returns to that meeting to tell the fuller story of a woman far more complex than the clichés that followed her for decades.

Through rare interviews, music and testimony from those closest to her – including her grandson Oscar Dunbar, collaborators Ed Harcourt and Barry Reynolds, writer and performer Jennifer Saunders, and school friend Sally Oldfield – the programme traces Marianne’s journey from convent schoolgirl to 'sixties pop icon, from tabloid scapegoat to homeless addict, and from the ferocious comeback of Broken English to her late, revelatory albums.

At the heart of the programme is Marianne Faithfull’s own voice - witty, abrasive, vulnerable and fiercely intelligent. She speaks about love, loss, ageing, creativity and survival, and about the damage done by a culture that reduced her to a muse, a scandal, or a cautionary tale. This is an artist who insisted on being taken seriously – and who, against the odds, kept making extraordinary work to the very end.

Presenter: Jude Rogers
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Executive Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Human Intelligence (m002ppvt)
Series 2

Exiles

Naomi Alderman returns with her series that explores the minds of the greatest thinkers in history. From political theorists to scientists to inventors, authors and artists. Our world is based on their ideas and innovations. How did they do their work, what did they struggle with, where did they find their dedication, creativity and inspiration?

These five thinkers were all shaped by exile. Karl Marx was forced into exile more than once, pursued by governments trying to suppress his thinking, which only made him more radical. Ishi decided to exile himself among the people who had killed his family, to ensure their legacy was preserved. Marie Curie had to leave her home in Poland to be educated, which the occupying army had made illegal for girls. Sor Juana decided on an exile from court and the possibility of marriage in exchange for some intellectual freedom. And Ovid was exiled by the Emperor Augustus for writing a saucy book - but turned the tables on the Emperor when his writing exposed Augustus’ sheer vindictiveness.

Each of them did thinking in exile which they couldn’t have done at home. Each of them remained in relationship with where they’d come from, thinking perhaps always of home.

Produced by BBC Studios in partnership with The Open University.

Presenter: Naomi Alderman
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Production Co-ordinator: Amelia Paul
Researchers: Harry Burton, Martha Owen and Victoria Brignell
Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Series Producer: Anishka Sharma
Production Manager: Jo Kyle


SAT 22:00 News (m002ppvw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002pfdq)
Desi Pubs

Desi pubs, boozers run by people of South Asian heritage, have been around since the 1960s. Originally a safe haven for immigrant drinkers during a time when they were often barred or excluded from pubs, they are now celebrated as successful businesses and diverse spaces. They are also food destinations serving some of the best grills and curries in the country. In this programme, Jaega Wise visits desi pubs in London and the Midlands to talk to landlords and drinkers about why these places are so special. She also interviews author David Jesudason on his books Desi Pubs: A guide to British-Indian Pints, Food and Culture.

Pubs featured:
The Gladstone Arms, Borough in London
The Red Lion, West Bromwich
The Red Cow, Smethwick
The Regency Club, Queensbury in London

She also talks to journalist Nina Robinson and curator/historian Raj Pal. His podcast with Corinne Fowler is Only in Birmingham

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sam Grist


SAT 23:00 Time of the Week (m002ppvy)
Series 2

4. Women Drivers, the Pill, Wicker

Chloe Slack travels to Spring Island - the winner of Time Of The Week’s poll to find the best place in the UK to be a woman. Plus: items on the Pill, Women Drivers and Porn.

Sian Clifford stars as self-important journalist Chloe Slack in this comedy series parodying women’s current affairs and talk shows, surrounded by an ensemble cast of character comedians.

Chloe Slack - Sian Clifford

Ensemble cast:
Ada Player
Alice Cockayne
Aruhan Galieva
Ayoade Bamgboye
Caroline Elms
Em Prendergast
Jodie Mitchell
Jonathan Oldfield
Lorna Rose Treen
Mofé Akàndé

Additional voices: Beatrice Walker

Created by Lorna Rose Treen and Jonathan Oldfield

Writing team:
Alice Cockayne
Jen Ives
Jodie Mitchell
Jonathan Oldfield
Lorna Rose Treen
Priya Hall
Will Hughes

Script Editors - Lorna Rose Treen and Jonathan Oldfield
Photographer - Will Hearle
Producer - Ben Walker

A DLT Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m002pdyk)
Heat 1, 2026

Paul Gambaccini hosts radio's most challenging music quiz. Now in its 39th series, contestants from around the country have assembled to be tested on their knowledge of music from across the centuries, and across every genre.

This week contestants pick from topics including 'Vinyl And The Vietnam War', 'Together and apart - Diana Ross And The Supremes' and 'Paintings, Poetry And Performance Art In 20th Century Classical Music'.

Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002ppw0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m002pdyh)
Rónán Hession

Presented by James Naughtie, the Irish writer Rónán Hession takes questions from a Bookclub audience on his debut novel, Leonard and Hungry Paul. The book was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year 2020 and selected as one of the 50 Great Irish Novels of the 21st Century.

The story follows two single, board-game-loving men in their 30s, still living at home, as they navigate everyday life. It celebrates the ordinary, and the idea that we can learn from the people we might otherwise overlook.

This recording takes place in the BBC Scotland studios in Pacific Quay, Glasgow.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002ppw2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002ppw4)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002ppw6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002ppw8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002ppwb)
The parish church of St Luke in Milland West Sussex

Bells on Sunday comes from the parish church of St Luke in Milland West Sussex. In 1879 due to the growth in population a new church, St Luke’s, was built next to original small 11th century single-cell church that still stands. There are six bells all cast in 1886 by the John Taylor Foundry of Loughborough. The Tenor weighs eleven and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of F Sharp. We hear them ringing London Surprise Minor


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002pdvl)
2025 in Review: Sight Loss Organisations

2025 could be described as having been a rather eventful year in the world of visual impairment. In Touch has assembled a panel of guests with varying personal and professional experience of visual impairment, to discuss the events of the past year. This programme is part two of our discussion, which focuses on sight loss organisations and the direction of travel regarding representation and where the money goes.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word ‘radio’ in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002pq50)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (m002pdv4)
Prayers through the Checkpoints

Imagine being able to see your place of worship, but not be able to reach it. For many Palestinian Muslims in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, stricter Israeli security measures, rising tensions with settlers, and movement restrictions introduced after the October 7th attacks have made access to mosques increasingly challenging.

The Israeli military says these measures are essential to protect civilians after increased violence in the region. Many Palestinians argue the restrictions amount to collective punishment and fear there may be changes to long-standing arrangements at some of the area’s holiest sites, sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Reporting from Hebron and East Jerusalem, Emily Wither explores how these pressures are reshaping the spiritual lives of worshippers living at the heart of one of the world’s most contested religious landscapes.

[Photo Description: Palestinians in Hebron perform Friday prayer in the streets surrounding Ibrahimi Mosque. Photo Credit: Anadolu]

Producer/Presenter: Emily Wither
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002pq52)
Share Farming

Quentin Edwards and Tom Stinton were strangers five years ago. Now together they run Cools Farm in a share-farm operation, managing an organic herd of Red Poll cattle. When Quentin was injured on his family farm, he realised he needed help and wanted to give an opportunity to someone new in the industry. A then 20 year old young farmer Tom Stinton answered the call, and is now helping the farm grow and evolve into a thriving agricultural business. Marie Lennon met them both for a look around.

Presented and produced by Marie Lennon


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002pq54)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002pq56)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002pq58)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002pq5b)
FoodCycle

Chef Angela Hartnett makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of FoodCycle. The charity organises free community meals across England and Wales, using surplus food which is freshly made by volunteers, and free to guests.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week.
Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0755 for 7 days.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘FoodCycle’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘FoodCycle’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Please ensure you are donating to the correct charity by checking the name of the charity on the donate page.

Registered Charity Number: 1134423. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://foodcycle.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki.


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002pq5d)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002pq5g)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002pq5j)
God’s Light on the Isle of Man

In the season of Epiphany, Sunday Worship comes from the Isle of Man, exploring how God’s light is revealed in the island's mission and ministry. Through prayer, scripture, and music, we hear how faith is lived and shared in a close-knit community shaped by sea, tradition, and everyday discipleship.

Producer: Andrew Earis


SUN 08:48 Tweet of the Day (m002pq5l)
Frances Tophill on the Avocet

Gardener and TV presenter Frances Tophill celebrates the avocet, a wader she often sees whilst walking in winter along the Exe estuary. She has always enjoyed the echoes and warbles of marshland birds on the air during her walks, deriving a sense of space from the sound. But had never seen an avocet until she moved to Devon.

These birds are distinctive in their appearance, with an extensive, curved bill, white and deep brown striped plumage and long legs. The avocet is also recognisable as the emblem of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Presented by Frances Tophill and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.


SUN 08:50 In Other News (m002q75v)
Welcome to the programme which sidesteps the main news headlines and delves more deeply into what’s going right in the world.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002pq5n)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002pq5q)
Jesse Armstrong, writer

Jesse Armstrong is a British author, screenwriter, and producer.

He has written several award-winning TV comedies and satirical dramas and won many accolades for his work including two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. His hit HBO series Succession has won nineteen Emmys.

Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his Masters. After university, he worked as a researcher for a Labour Member of Parliament for a couple of years it was an experience that would later inform his time as a writer on The Thick of It.

He met his writing partner, Sam Bain, at Manchester University and together they created and co-wrote 9 seasons of Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning comedy Peep Show and 4 seasons of the student comedy Fresh Meat.

During this time, he also wrote for the political satire series The Thick of It and co-wrote the film In the Loop, the latter of which earned him Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also co-wrote the films Four Lions and Downhill and wrote and directed the television film, Mountainhead.

He was the creator and show-runner of the hit HBO TV show Succession, a drama about a fictional powerful media family with the plot centring around which child would succeed the father played by Brian Cox. Succession won a total of 19 Emmys including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for each of Succession’s four seasons.

He lives in London with his wife and has two children in their twenties.

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor

Desert Island Discs has cast many TV writers away to the island over the years including Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright and Abi Morgan. You’ll also find the stars of Peep Show, Robert Webb and David Mitchell in there too along with the actor Brian Cox who played the patriarch, Logan Roy, in Jesse’s hit TV series, Succession. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002pq5s)
Writer: David Payne
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

4th - 9th January

Helen Archer.... Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer.... Blayke Darby
Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davis
Tony Archer.... David Troughton
Brian Aldridge.... Charles Collingwood
Alice Carter.... Hollie Chapman
Neil Carter.... Brian Hewlett
Amber Gordon.... Olivia Bernstone
Clarrie Grundy.... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy.... Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Joy Horville.... Jackie Lye
Akram Malik.... Asif Khan
Jazzer McCreary.... Ryan Kelly
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002ppvp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002pf5g)
Series 32

3. Time, Paris, Bees and Dictators

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Frankie Boyle, Miles Jupp, Michelle Wolf and Celya AB are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as time, Paris, bees and dictators.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002pq5v)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002pq5x)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Assignment (w3ct6rck)
Ireland's new alcohol warning

Ireland has become the first country in the world to introduce labels linking alcohol with cancer and liver disease. Some producers began re-labelling their products this year and they're already on sale in pubs and supermarkets across the country. The rest of the drinks industry was due to follow suit next year but the Irish government has decided to delay the compulsory introduction of these labels until 2028. They blame uncertainty with world trade, but critics believe it’s the result of lobbying by the drinks industry which claims the labels are both excessive and fearmongering.

Ireland has a complex relationship with drinking, with its pubs venerated in many parts of the world and huge brands such as Guinness and Jamesons major exports. But alcoholism has been a long running issue putting a strain on the Irish health service. While overall alcohol consumption in Ireland is falling, binge drinking and drinking amongst teenagers and young people is increasing. Are Irish people and the country as a whole developing a new relationship with drink, and if so, which direction will win out? Katie Flannery heads out with the drinkers and non-drinkers in Dublin to find out.

Produced by Bob Howard.

(Image: Bob Howard/BBC)


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002pff9)
Firth of Tay

Do the panel have any unusual gardening habits? Can I grow a Walnut tree in Dundee?

Kathy Clugston heads to the stunning Firth of Tay with a hand-picked panel of gardening experts, ready to answer questions from an enthusiastic, plant-loving audience.

Joining Kathy are garden designers, botanists and allotmenteers Matthew Pottage, Kirsty Wilson and Neil Porteous, bringing their wealth of knowledge and practical tips to the discussion.

Also, Bunny Guinness shares her gardening resolutions for the year ahead, offering inspiration for anyone planning a fresh start in their own green spaces.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Multitrack (m002kgrz)
Song of the Deer

Song of the Deer reimagines the monumental 18th Century Gaelic poem, Moladh Beinn Dobhrain - In Praise of Beinn Dorain - a celebrated Munro in the Scottish Highlands.

We join Niall Rowantree, a modern-day forester and deer stalker, as he hunts his prey and uncovers the secrets of this revered animal. Kathleen MacInnes voices the perspective of a hind as she moves through the landscape.

The original poem was created by Duncan Ban MacIntyre and it was translated in 2021 by Gary MacKenzie. This documentary explores the relationship between highlanders, their landscape, and the ecology around them.

Producers: Uilleam MacCormaig, Flora Zajicek
Produced in Scotland by The Big Light for BBC Radio 4

Commissioned in association with the Multitrack Audio Producers Fellowship for new talent in feature-making


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002pq5z)
1776

Episode 1 (Story of America)

An award-winning two-part play with music, adapted and directed by Martin Jarvis, celebrating - sometimes irreverently - the American colonies' struggle to break from British rule. Delegates, risking hanging for treason’ carve out the Declaration of Independence - the basis of American democracy for 250 years.

A glittering US-based cast includes Alfred Molina, Ioan Gruffudd, Steven Weber, Josh Stamberg, Gregory Harrison and Erin Bennett.

“1776” - A musical play based on a conception of Sherman Edwards with book by Peter Stone. Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards

Cast
Benjamin Franklin…Alfred Molina
John Adams...Ioan Gruffudd
Rutledge…Steven Weber
Dickinson…Josh Stamberg
Jefferson…Chase Fein
Hancock…Andre Sogliuzzo
Thomson…Gregory Harrison
Henry Lee…Richard Leacock
McNair…JD Cullum
Hopkins…William Calvert
McKean…Matthew Wolf
Courier…Jack Stuhley
Abigail Adams…Erin Bennett
Martha Jefferson…Janine Barris
Delegates: Henri Lubatti, Darren Richardson, Alan Shearman, Mark Jude Sullivan and members of the company
Congress Singers: Sebastian Guerrero, Tyler Ledon, Drew Tablak, Loren Smith, Ken White

Keyboard: Noriko Olling Wright
Music director: Jason Currie
Sound Design: Neil Wogenson and Charles Carroll
Production associate: Tracy Pattin
Producers: Mark Holden and Rosalind Ayres
Adapted and directed by Martin Jarvis

Musicians: Chad Wright, Josh Brown, Mike Edwards, Taryn Spink, Jenni Asher

A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4

Story of America is a major collection of dramatisations of milestone American titles marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002pq61)
Makenna Goodman

In this episode the American writer Makenna Goodman speaks to Take Four Books about her new novel, Helen Of Nowhere, and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other literary works.

In Helen Of Nowhere, published by Fitzcarraldo, a disgraced professor is being shown around an idyllic house in the countryside by a realtor who speaks of its previous owner, the mystifying Helen. The professor is struggling with a growing sense of irrelevance and a failing marriage, but through hearing stories of Helen’s chosen way of living, the man begins to see that his story is not over – rather, he's being offered a chance to buy his way into a simpler life that until now has always been out of reach, but the asking price is much higher, and stranger, than anticipated.

Makenna's three chosen influences were: The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono from 1953; All About Love by Bell Hooks from 1999; and John, by the playwright Annie Baker from 2015.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002pq63)
Heat 2, 2026

Paul Gambaccini hosts radio's most challenging music quiz. Now in its 39th series, contestants from around the country have assembled to be tested on their knowledge of music from across the centuries, and across every genre.

This week, our three contestants pick from topics including ‘Women of new nave’, ‘It’s a kind of magic’ and ‘Electronica and synth pop’.

Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct74k3)
Orson Welles broadcasts The War of the Worlds

The night before Halloween in 1938, 23-year-old Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air performed a radio adaptation of HG Wells’s The War of the Worlds.

It would become one of the most notorious radio broadcasts in history. In their own words, from the BBC's archive, Orson Welles, producer John Houseman and writer Howard Koch describe how it was "a very boring show" until they had the idea to update the science fiction story, using reportage and the name of a real location in New Jersey in the United States, as the scene for where aliens from Mars would invade.

Up to six million people tuned in, most of whom had no idea that what they were listening to was fictional. It prompted mass panic. Orson Welles delights in recalling "Suddenly everyone started driving at 125 miles per hour," saying, "I'm going to the hills". Produced and presented by Josephine McDermott.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Orson Welles rehearsing The War of the Worlds. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 What Happened to Progress? (m002pf4t)
Payback

Matthew Sweet explores the idea of a 'polycrisis' of progress across the intertwined spheres of technology, economic expansion, climate and the global political order.

In the spheres of technology, industry, economic growth and geopolitics the notion of human progress seems to have gone into reverse. There are widespread fears that new and incomprehensible technologies will turn against us. The industrial revolutions that enabled prosperity and comfort are now fuelling our ecological self-destruction. And just when we need global institutions to help regulate technological tyranny and combat climate disaster, the postwar architecture of the UN, international law and human rights seem increasingly marginalised in a world order that itself seems to be devolving.

For centuries, technology and scientific development, economic expansion and global governance were all seen as markers of progress - the Enlightenment’s promise of endless, forward improvement. But across all these fields this narrative now seems to be in crisis.

The idea of progress is so hardwired into our culture and psychology, it's not an easy idea to give up. But is the idea of endless progress itself now part of the problem? And progress for whom? It’s a relatively new idea - older periods in human history imagined the passing of time in cyclical or seasonal terms far more attuned to sustainability and the natural world. Given our current age of ‘polycrisis’ – the interconnection of global technology, climate catastrophe and geopolitical disorder - do we need to rethink how to think the future beyond the concept of linear time, endless expansion and progress?

Author, historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet asks what happened to progress – has it stopped? Are we going backwards? How have our ideas about progress themselves changed? With the help of thinkers, historians, writers and activists, Matthew asks if the concept can be re-imagined to give us newfound agency, shared humanity and most of all, hope.

In this episode Matthew explores ideas of economic progress that drove the Industrial Revolution - progress as expansion, extraction, endless energy and constant growth - and the consequences this has had for the planet. The climate crisis is a huge rebuke to the idea of endless forward progress. Do we need to discard the idea and return to older models of cyclical time? Or are there new ways of thinking about progress if we open ourselves to non-human intelligences, both artificial and from the web of nature itself?

Contributors this episode include cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, economist Kate Raworth, environmental philosopher and director of the Climate Majority Project Rupert Read, artist and writer on technology James Bridle, science writer Angela Saini, author Adam Greenfield, classicist Edith Hall, novelist and author John Lanchester, science writer Philip Ball and Google's CTO of Technology and Society, Blaise Aguera y Arcas.

Producer: Eliane Glaser and Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002pq66)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002pq68)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002pq6b)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002pq6d)
Rajan Datar

This week, Rajan is making sure that the January blues don't get you down with his selections, including Claudia Hammond's tips on avoiding being overwhelmed, a rapper dropping the mic for rural Cambridgeshire, and some wassailing for apple orchards from Goblin Band on Front Row. Plus, we witness the generational change coming to one Nairobi neighbourhood with the help of ballet, and the power of the bass note with Jah Wobble.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production coordinators: Minnie Harrop and Caroline Peddle


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002pq16)
Helen makes a surprising offer, and Azra offers the benefit of experience.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002pq6g)
Into the Owambe

For decades, Nigerian hall parties have been the hub for communities in the UK, it was the place where they could bring a little bit of home and be transported through music, food and fashion. Full of extravagance, warmth and culture, the word Owambe, both noun and adjective, directly translates to ‘everything is there’. Now, first generation British Nigerians continue this tradition, their way.

Presenter Bisi Akins takes us on a journey through an Owambe, exploring what that “everything” really means. We dive into the key elements of a successful Nigerian hall party, immersed in the sounds, smells, music, and traditions that bring an Owambe to life. We’ll hear from those who lived it, loved it, and how the next generation are keeping the tradition alive.

Bring your big beats, bold outfits, and dancing shoes – Into the Owambe for BBC Radio 4.

A Hill 5.14 production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m0011405)
Stand Up

We are sitting more than ever before - and our sedentary lives are having a big impact on our long term health. In this episode, Michael stands up to the allure of the couch and reveals the science behind how just standing up - without even doing any exercise - can burn more calories and lower blood sugar levels. With Dr John Buckley, Michael explores how the experience of astronauts in space proves how important the force of gravity is on our bodies - and how standing up can help keep our bones and muscles strong.


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002pfhd)
The Story of A-Z

Michael Rosen goes on an alphabetical odyssey with linguist Dr Danny Bate, author of the book 'Why Q needs U: A History of Our Letters and how We Use Them'. From A through to Z, where did all our letters come from, and how have they changed over time?

Produced in partnership with the Open University by Becky Ripley.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002pfff)
Molly Parkin, Kristina Gjerde, Michael Barton, Eva Schloss

Matthew Bannister on

The colourful life of artist, fashion editor, sex columnist and bonkbuster author Molly Parkin. Her daughter shares the highs and lows of living with Molly.

Kristina Gjerde, the maritime lawyer who fought to protect the high seas.

Michael Barton, the BBC executive who oversaw the expansion of English local radio

Eva Schloss, the holocaust survivor who became Anne Frank’s stepsister.

Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used
Breakfast Time, BBC 1, 12/02/1986; Outlook, BBC World Service,27/01/2022; BBC Sound Archive, Murrow, Edward R, CBS Recording, 13/03/1938; BBC Sound Archive, Sinclair W.A.,19/05/1940; Learning about the Past to Make a Better Future, YouTube Upload, Anne Frank Trust UK, 24/03/2021; News – Gulf War special, BBC 1, 20/01/1991; Neighbours Shall Speak, BBC Archives; Archive on 4 : Close to Home - The Story of Local Radio, BBC Radio 4, 12/11/2017; The Time of your life – Molly Parkin, BBC 1, 08/06/1984; Molly Parkin – Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 13/05/2011; The Seven Ages of Man : Molly Parkin, BBC 2, 12/08/1996; Wogan, BBC 1, 03/12/1990; Dr Harriet Harden-Davies’ personal recording of Kristina Gjerde, 2024


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002pptz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002pq5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002pptv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002pq6j)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 Archive on 4 (m002pj27)
Robert Graves and 'I Claudius', L years on

It’s 50 years on from the first screening of the TV series I, Claudius - the hugely popular and perhaps surprising cultural phenomenon that brought the story of a lesser-known Roman emperor into the living rooms of millions of families across the world. The person who wrote the novels that the series was based upon was the high-minded lyric poet Robert Graves, who was always quick to dismiss his achievements in prose, saying he’d knocked the books off as means of paying a bill.

Graves was a survivor of the Somme, with a pedigree background and a cut-glass English accent - but he was deeply connected to Wales, Germany and Ireland and spent most of his adult life living in Mallorca, have said goodbye to all that class-ridden England had to offer. He developed an elaborate personal pagan mythology of muse worship that made him hugely influential on a generation of mid-century poets like Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath - and had, across the course of his career, four women who served as muse to his poetic efforts.

The poet Michael Symmons Roberts was too young to see I, Claudius on its first outing, and is only now catching up. Through exploring the rich archive of Graves himself, along with conversations with members of his family and his fourth and final muse, Michael investigates Graves’ extraordinary life and literary legacy. He seeks to discover whether, despite Graves’s desire to be remembered as a poet, he will instead be chiefly known for his war memoir Goodbye to All That and the imperial intrigues of I, Claudius.

Presented by Michael Symmons Roberts
Produced by Geoff Bird
Executive Producer - Jo Meek
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4

MONDAY 12 JANUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002pq6l)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002pdvn)
South Africa and the fight against TB

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, TB is humanity’s oldest contagious disease. It has become something of an afterthought in rich nations, but remains the world’s most deadly infectious disease. In 2024 it killed more than 1.2 million people.

South Africa has one of the highest TB burdens in the world, but it has also developed one of the most sophisticated scientific ecosystems for the study of the disease. Clinical trials conducted in the country have been crucial to the innovation of TB treatments, vaccines, diagnostics and prevention strategies.

Much of the funding for this research comes from American institutions. But since early 2025, streams of that money have been withdrawn due to a series of decisions by the Trump administration.

For Crossing Continents, Sandra Kanthal visits Cape Town and discovers the story of two intertwined landscapes: the people in local communities struggling with the burden of tuberculosis, and the scientific institutions embedded in them trying to tackle the disease - and why at the moment both are struggling.

Presenter/Producer: Sandra Kanthal
Producer in South Africa: Isa-Lee Jacobson
Editor: Penny Murphy
Sound Design: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002ppwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002pq6n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002pq6q)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002pq6s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002pq6v)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Westminster as the House of Lords continues to debate plans for assisted dying in England and Wales.


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002pq6x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002pq6z)
Caring for the world

Good morning.
Today is Plough Monday, which is celebrated on the first Monday after Epiphany. In some communities, people participate in "plough plays," which narrate the story of a farmer and his plough. Others may partake in folk dances and indulge in traditional dishes.
Plough Monday fosters a sense of unity and appreciation for the hard work of those who work the land. It emphasizes the critical role that farming plays in our lives, providing food and sustenance.
It feels to have a similar theme to the next Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat, that occurs three weeks today. It is the New Year for Trees, the Jewish festival that celebrates the first blooms on the trees and the importance of nature and seasons in our lives.
Three major Jewish festivals were originally harvest festivals – Passover, the Feast of Weeks and Tabernacles; although now we focus more on other aspects of the festivals.
But reminders of the importance of nature, the agricultural cycle and care for our planet are important. Especially now, when we know the damage we have done and are doing to our planet, it is vital we have ways of addressing that.
A midrash, a rabbinic homily, tells us that when God made Adam, He showed him all of creation and said to him: "See all My works, how beautiful they are. All I have made, I have made for you. Take care, therefore, that you do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one left to mend it.”!
So today I pray that I am always mindful of the importance of our world and what we do to it. I pray that I always act responsibly, helping to repair our world for future generations. I ask God to help me to remember that we have a sacred responsibility to care for this fragile planet.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002pq71)
12/01/26 New approach to upland farming, vintage Land Rovers, cheese

A new approach to working with England's upland communities has been announced by the Government, starting with Dartmoor and then Cumbria.
Clubs have been formed so farmers and other enthusiasts can come together to enjoy repairing and maintaining old Land Rovers.
This week we're focusing on cheese, from the very big brands you find in the supermarkets to the small artisan producers.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002pq73)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002pq0k)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002pq0m)
The arts and health

What is the purpose of the Arts? Can music, literature and visual art change our lives physically and socially, as well as personally? Adam Rutherford explores the power of the arts and how it might be defined and explained.

Engaging with the arts is one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness argues Daisy Fancourt. She is is Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London and Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. In her new book, Art Cure, she shows how songs support the development of children's brains; how dance can build neural pathways; how theatre and exhibitions can decrease pain, stress and depression and how the arts can improve the functioning of every major organ system in the body. Drawing on the latest research research in a range of scientific fields, she traces a connection between the arts and human flourishing.

Earliest Stories: Stories, Novellas, Humoresques, 1880-1882 is a collection of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov's work while he was still a student of medicine. In his juvenilia we see flashes of insight alongside comedy, compassion and a developing narrative voice. Rosamund Bartlett, translator, biographer and cultural historian writes about how stories have long been dismissed, but written as his family faced financial crisis, reveal much about the threads that connect together in his life and work.

BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service explores how music transports and defines us in his new book. In A History of the World in 50 Pieces, he examines how classical music reflects our changing politics, society and technological advances - and how composers, musicians and listeners have shaped history. From Bach to Beethoven via the Happy birthday song, he explores the power of music to connect and and challenge us.

Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002pq0p)
Pet Blood Bank

Lara Howe, from the Pet Blood Bank, tells Rachel Burden how dogs are helping to save the lives of their fellow canines by donating blood. The charity runs donation sessions across the country and the blood is stored at a processing centre, separated into different products and distributed to vets when required.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café , cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.

We're all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it's always worth a go.

You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Nicky Edwards
Editor Clare Fordham


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002pq0r)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 11:00 What Happened to Progress? (m002pq0t)
Global Visions

Matthew Sweet explores the idea of a 'polycrisis' of progress across the intertwined spheres of technology, economic expansion, climate and the global political order.

In the spheres of technology, industry, economic growth and geopolitics the notion of human progress seems to have gone into reverse. There are widespread fears that new and incomprehensible technologies will turn against us. The industrial revolutions that enabled prosperity and comfort are now fuelling our ecological self-destruction. And just when we need global institutions to help regulate technological tyranny and combat climate disaster, the postwar architecture of the UN, international law and human rights seem increasingly marginalised in a world order that itself seems to be devolving.

For centuries, technology and scientific development, economic expansion and global governance were all seen as markers of progress - the Enlightenment’s promise of endless, forward improvement. But across all these fields this narrative now seems to be in crisis.

The idea of progress is so hardwired into our culture and psychology, it's not an easy idea to give up. But is the idea of endless progress itself now part of the problem? And progress for whom? It’s a relatively new idea - older periods in human history imagined the passing of time in cyclical or seasonal terms far more attuned to sustainability and the natural world. Given our current age of ‘polycrisis’ – the interconnection of global technology, climate catastrophe and geopolitical disorder - do we need to rethink how to think the future beyond the concept of linear time, endless expansion and progress?

Author, historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet asks what happened to progress – has it stopped? Are we going backwards? How have our ideas about progress themselves changed? With the help of thinkers, historians, writers and activists, Matthew asks if the concept can be re-imagined to give us newfound agency, shared humanity and most of all, hope.

Producer: Eliane Glaser and Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


MON 11:45 Piccadilly (m000wccn)
London

The photo is sepia tinged. Five men, leaning against railings in Piccadilly Circus. The men are all in their twenties and they look sharp, hopeful. They can't quite tear their eyes away from what's going on around them to look at the camera. One of them is presenter Krupa Padhy's dad, Chandu. It's 1965 and Chandu had just arrived in London from Tanzania. The other men come from Kenya, Malawi and even Yemen countries which all experienced extraordinary social change as British rule came to an end.

The five men met while staying in the Central YMCA on Great Russell Street, London. Little did they know then that they would weave in and out of each other's lives for the next five decades. Scattered job opportunities, racism and economic hardship lay ahead - but the support network they created was to be a formidable force in helping them survive. The photograph captures a particular moment in history for a particular generation: one which experienced a double diaspora. In this five part series Krupa Padhy tells a very personal story of the men she grew up calling 'uncles'. We'll explore the lives of the five men; their hopes, their early experiences and the lives they went onto live, propelled by a desire to integrate into British society, and supported by life-long friendship.

In the first episode we hear about their arrival in London. Krupa's dad Chandu arrived dressed in a suit on a cold winters day with very little except his accountancy bible. He described himself as so 'green' having grown up in Dar es Salaam where life was so simple and relaxed.

Presented by Krupa Padhy
Produced by Kate Bissell

With thanks to Praful Patel for the photo. Left to right there is Champak, Fazel, Chandu, Indu and Pravin.


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002pq0w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002pq0y)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m002pq10)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002pq12)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


MON 13:45 Human Intelligence (m002pq14)
Series 2

Perfectionists: Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Naomi Alderman returns with her series that explores the minds of the greatest thinkers in history. From political theorists to scientists to inventors, authors and artists. Our world is based on their ideas and innovations. How did they do their work, what did they struggle with, where did they find their dedication, creativity and inspiration?

A highly skilled engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was driven by a desire to be the best, to achieve perfection in everything he built. From the Clifton Suspension Bridge to Paddington Station, Brunel’s work left indelible stamps on Britain. Unconcerned with cost and willing to put himself and his workers at risk to achieve his goals, his need for perfection perhaps went too far, by today’s standards. He had a vision for a future that, in his own time, seemed impossible: one where people could travel by smooth, comfortable, fast railways.

Special thanks to Tim Bryan Brunel curator at the SS Great Britain in Bristol.

Produced by BBC Studios in partnership with The Open University.

Presenter: Naomi Alderman
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Production Co-Ordinator: Amelia Paul
Researchers: Harry Burton, Martha Owen and Victoria Brignell
Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Series Producer: Anishka Sharma
Production Manager: Jo Kyle


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002pq16)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Disordered (m002pq18)
Series 2

3. Chaos out of Order

A comedy drama, written by Magnus Mackintosh and starring Jamie Sives as Hector, an optimistic but struggling 43-year-old single father, with long-term mental health issues, who lives in Edinburgh with his unusually bright 11-year-old son William. He is aided by kindly friend and neighbour Susan and hindered by acerbic ex-partner Amanda.

In Episode Three, Chaos From Order, Hector and Susan are now an item and all is going well, until the appearance on the scene of an ex-boyfriend and a new friend for Hector raise trust issues between them. Then a surprise visitor from his past completely knocks Hector sideways.

The writer, Magnus Mackintosh, has personally struggled with mental health issues over 27 years. He openly discusses his own mental health issues on social media in the hope he can help others and raise awareness.

Created and Written by Magnus Mackintosh

Cast
Hector - Jamie Sives
Susan - Rosalind Sydney
William - Raffi Philips
Amanda - Gail Watson
Sally – Amy Conachan
Waiter and Assessor – Steven McNicoll
Simon – Gordon Kennedy
Dad – Peter Mullan

Studio Engineer and Editor - Lee McPhail
Production Manager - Tayler Norris
Title Music - Just Breathe by Police Dog Hogan
Produced and Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy

Recorded at Castlesound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Opening Lines (m002pdyc)
The Last of the Mohicans - Episode Two

In this second episode, John Yorke assesses the criticism levelled against James Fenimore Cooper’s 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans - primarily that it is responsible for the widely held, inaccurate, view that indigenous Americans were inevitably disappearing during the period the novel is set, and that that false narrative was used to justify colonisation.

Also, John delves deeper into the author’s background to understand his influences, and asks what we should make of The Last of the Mohicans today.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for Radio 4.

Contributors:
Jordan Abel, Nisga’a writer and academic.
Richard Slotkin, American Cultural Historian.

Credits:
Readings by Eric Stroud
Excerpts from The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, 1826.
Excerpt from Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses, by Mark Tawain, 1895.
Film clip from The Last of the Mohicans, 1992 Morgan Creek Entertainment /
Twentieth Century Fox.
Excerpt from Empty Spaces by Jordan Abel, 2023, read by the author.

Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Jack Soper
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002pq1b)
Comedian Helen Lederer on Joan Rivers

Born Joan Molinsky in 1933, Joan Rivers shot to fame on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, who she later infuriated by hosting a late night chat show of her own. Comedian and writer Helen Lederer, author of Not That I Am Bitter, picks Joan for her fearless ability to take on the men, particularly those who interviewed her.

"In 1984 I went to see an Audience with Joan Rivers, and she was like this angel with blonde hair and glitter ... with gags, with content, ferocious, aggressive, intelligent."

Joining the discussion from New York is the critic Joe Queenan, twice a guest on Joan Rivers' show. "She told the audience in no uncertain terms, you better laugh at everything he says. She radiated this affection, she was great."

Presented by Kirsty Lang and produced in Bristol by Miles Warde for BBC Studios.


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002pptn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Assignment (w3ct6rck)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (m002pptq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002pq1d)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002pq1g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002pq1j)
Series 32

4. Names, Rodents, Death and Chocolate

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Ian Smith, Lucy Porter, Maisie Adam and Ed Byrne are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as names, rodents, death and chocolate.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002ppx0)
Alice receives a surprising request, and Akram has a dilemma on his hands.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002pq1l)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002q7lr)
Venezuela – what now?

Following the dramatic capture of the President of Venezuela and his wife by US special forces on January 3rd, The Briefing Room asks what’s next for Venezuela? Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores have been indicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges in a New York court while in Venezuela the deputy president, Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as the country’s interim president. Meanwhile Donald Trump says he is in charge of Venezuela. David Aaronovitch and a panel of Latin American experts discuss who will actually govern Venezuela, what’s going to happen with the oil industry and what the implications are for the rest of the region.

GUESTS
Hal Hodson, Americas editor, The Economist
Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House
Vanda Felbab-Brown Senior Fellow Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txt)
How rare are Greenland’s rare earth elements?

President Trump has his sights set on Greenland. If he succeeds, what mineral wealth will he find there? Adrian Finch, Professor of Geology at St Andrews University has been visiting Greenland for more than 3 decades and explains what so called ‘rare earth elements’ are found in Greenland and why.

Professor Danny Altmann talks to Tom Whipple about a new project to understand the genetic and metabolic similarities between two illnesses; Long Covid and ME.
And Lizzie Gibney, senior physics reporter at Nature brings her pick of the best new science this week.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producer: Clare Salisbury
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002pq0m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002pq0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002pq1n)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem (m002pq1q)
Trurl's Electronic Bard

Centuries from now, inventors - and chronic meddlers - Trurl and Klapaucius roam their medieval-style universe in search of glory, riches and problems to solve. From a machine that writes poetry to a fidget toy designed to distract a despotic tyrant, their solutions cause chaos even as they invite questions about the soft boundaries between humans and technology.

Trurl, desperate to impress his friend Klapaucius, sets his considerable intellect to the invention of a machine that writes poetry.

Read by Carl Prekopp
Written by Stanisław Lem and translated from Polish by Michael Kandel
Abridged by Clara Glyn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Stanisław Lem (1921-2006) was born in Lviv, then part of Poland. He is probably the most original and influential European science-fiction writer since H.G. Wells. Best known in the West for Tarkovsky and Soderbergh’s filmed adaptations of his novel Solaris, Lem wrote novels and stories that have been published all over the world. His comic parables The Cyberiad, first published in the 60s, anticipate nanotechnology, our ambivalent relationship with the internet and debates around AI and creativity. Michael Kandel’s lauded translation was first published in 1974.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Wild Inside (m001vs99)
The Aphid

The tiny sap-sucking aphid, at just a few millimetres long, is the scourge of many gardeners and crop-growers worldwide, spreading astonishingly rapidly and inflicting huge damage as it seeks to outwit many host plants’ natural defences. With insights and guidance from aphid expert George Seddon-Roberts at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, some delicate dissecting tools, and a state of the art microscope, Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside this herbivorous insect to unravel the anatomy and physiology that’s secured its extraordinary reproductive success, whilst offering new clues as to how we could curtail its damaging impact in the future.

Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French
Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne
Producer: Ella Hubber
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002pq1s)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament