SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002pqhm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Piccadilly (m000wdgy)
Settled

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 final episode of Piccadilly Chandu, Praful and Champak reflect on the choices they made and the lives they strived so hard to achieve.

Presenter Krupa Padhy
Producer Kate Bissell
With thanks to Praful Patel for the photo. Left to right there is Champak, Fazel, Chandu, Indu and Pravin.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002pqhp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002pqhr)
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 (m002pqht)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002pqhw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002pqhy)
Fearfully and wonderfully made

Good morning! Recently, I have been reading about how some eighteenth- scholars believed the human body works. In the absence of the wealth of scientific knowledge that now attends medicine, some of our ancestors in that era had intriguing ideas about our physiology.

Franz Anton Mesmer is a prime example. An Austrian physician, his theory of ‘animal magnetism’ led to wide speculation about his bizarre medical practices among the general public, and to hysteria on the part of his patients. The terms ‘mesmerising’ and ‘mesmerism’ originate with his name, and they still hold an almost hypnotic sound in their syllables.

It is easy to look back on early efforts to scientifically understand our bodies with a sense of superiority or cynicism. But even with our amassed knowledge today, much of what makes us tick and what stops us from ticking can evade the best medical minds. We remain an enigma to ourselves.

In Psalm 139, the Psalmist marvels at our bodies and encourages us to praise God because we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’. This truth can prompt both humility and gladness in our hearts. We are creatures, loved and known by our Creator, and our very existence is owing to his power and grace. Acknowledging him as our sustainer and seeking him as our Saviour weaves theology into our biology and can lead us to true praise.

Almighty God, divine Creator, we bless you for the mystery and marvel of the human body. We thank you that we are complex beings, reflecting your image and your creative will. Teach us to praise you for the miracle of life. We pray for those labouring in research and in frontline medical care today, sustain them in the rigours of their work, and continue to use them for good in our world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.


SAT 05:45 Materials of State (m002mms9)
The Sword of State

David Cannadine continues examining the origins, symbolism and contemporary significance of the objects and emblems that underpin the British constitution.

In episode 2, David is looking at the history, symbolism and modern resonance of the Sword of State, one of the most striking items of British royal regalia. The Sword of State was made in the 17th century, after the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, who commissioned new regalia for his reign. It was brought back into the spotlight during the 2023 coronation of King Charles III, where it gained widespread attention largely because it was carried with poise and stamina by Penny Mordaunt, who was Lord President of the Council and the first woman to bear it during a coronation.

The connection between swords and sovereigns dates to the time when monarchs were expected to lead their armies into battle as ‘warrior kings’. David reflects on the tension of bringing a weapon of war into the sacred coronation setting of Westminster Abbey. Although swords have lost their practical purpose in modern warfare, renewed interest following Charles III’s coronation has ensured that the Sword of State remains a potent ceremonial symbol.

Contributors in order of appearance:
Dame Penny Mordaunt
Charles Farris, Curator and Historian at Historic Royal Palaces
Professor Kate Williams

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 (m002q23r)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002pqp2)
Adventurer Pom Oliver in the Low Weald

Clare Balding meets the adventurer Pom Oliver for a woodland wander near her home in West Sussex.

As they stroll amongst the trees, Pom recalls extraordinary chapters from her life: polar and desert expeditions, an epic hitch‑hiking journey from Cape Town to Sydney, and her time in the film industry working on much‑loved productions such as Biggles and Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Their conversation also turns to Pom’s latest adventure - a challenging three‑month trek across Saudi Arabia, tracing the footsteps of traders along the ancient incense route.

The walk begins at Pom’s home, but listeners keen to explore the woodland can enter it from The Blue Ship pub in the tiny hamlet of The Haven (postcode RH14 9BS).

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002q23t)
Environmental Regulation, Cheese, Storm Goretti

This week two watchdogs published reports on the Government's performance on the environment. The Office for Environmental Protection warned that, unless swift action is taken, the Government could miss 21 out of 43 legally set targets on biodiversity and protecting land and sea. Meanwhile, the National Audit Office published a report saying that substantial reform is needed in the way DEFRA, the Environment Agency, and Natural England operate.

Our sister programme, Farming Today, has been exploring the UK cheese industry. We visit a Somerset cheddar maker, a goat's cheese maker in Carmarthenshire, and an exporter making the most of growing demand for UK cheese around the world.

It may be more than a week since Storm Goretti unleashed hurricane force winds on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly but rural businesses are still clearing up the wreckage.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002q23w)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002q23y)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002q240)
Keith Brymer Jones, Ornithology, Royal Stonemasonry, and the Inheritance Tracks of Mark Heap

Keith Brymer Jones on pottery and restoring a Welsh chapel, Sean Ronayne has recorded the sounds of nearly all of Ireland's birds, Jennie Regan has begun stonemasonry for The King.


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002q242)
Philippe, Duc d’Orléans: in the shadow of the Sun King

Greg Jenner is joined in 17th-century France by Dr Jonathan Spangler and comedian Tom Allen to learn all about Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, Louis XIV’s younger brother. King Louis XIV is one of the most famous monarchs in French history: the man who built and presided over the glittering court at Versailles, established himself as an absolute ruler, and whose 72-year reign is still the longest in European history. But what about his younger brother, Philippe? Who was the man who grew up and lived in the shadow of the Sun King? Raised to defer to his brother at all costs, his promising military career was cut short when it seemed like he might outshine Louis. When all eyes were on him as heir to the throne, he would wear dresses to provoke shock at courtly balls. He balanced his marriage to his witty German wife, Liselotte, with a decades-long relationship with his aristocratic male lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine – and other men of the court. And he maintained an image as a louche and irresponsible courtier while increasing his personal wealth through clever financial management. This episode explores the complexities and contradictions of Philippe’s life, and examines the difficult position of second sons in royal history.

If you’re a fan of royal sibling rivalries, the gossip and glamour of the French court, and queer history, you’ll love our episode on Philippe, Duc d’Orléans.

If you want more fascinating French royals, listen to our episodes on Catherine de Medici and Marie Antoinette. And for more LGBTQ+ history, check out our episodes on heretical lesbian nun Benedetta Carlini and the Bloomsbury Group.

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: Emma Mitchell
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 (m002q244)
Cranes in the Sky by Solange

Marking 25 years of the award-winning series, Soul Music features songs from the last 25 years.

“I tried to drink it away... I tried to run it away...” Solange’s hit song, written in 2008 and released eight years later, muses on themes of isolation, loneliness, and depression. She penned the lyrics to Raphael Saadiq’s instrumental in a Miami hotel room, gazing out at the cranes filling the skyline during the onset of the housing crisis and financial crash.

Solange Knowles released her debut album in 2002 at the age of 16. This single appears on her third album, A Seat at the Table. She's the younger sister of Beyoncé.

Featuring: Journalist Douglas Markowitz; music writer Kiana Fitzgerald; author of Why Solange Matters and Big Joanie guitarist Stephanie Phillips; and Rebecca McNeil.

Producer: Eliza Lomas


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002q246)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002q248)
Greenlanders reject Trump's takeover plan

Stories from Greenland, Colombia, Uganda and Greece.

President Trump has said the US needs to 'own' Greenland, to prevent Russia and China from taking it. Katya Adler has been in the capital Nuuk, speaks to Inuit women about the island's painful history of colonisation - and its now uncertain future.

Colombia has also been attracting attention from Mr Trump, following the recent US operation in Venezuela. This schism is out of step with decades of US foreign policy, but an on-going war of words between Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, and the US President on issues from migration to US strikes on fishing boats in the Caribbean, has put a strain on the relationship. Ione Wells report from Bogota.

Uganda held elections this week, in which incumbent President Museveni was seeking a seventh term after first coming to power in 1986. His opponent is the former singer Bobi Wine, who has proved popular with young voters. Reports of voter intimidation and an internet shutdown ahead of the vote, prompted criticism from the UN. Sammy Awami reports from Kampala.

And finally, a landmark court case came to a close in Greece this week, in which a group of aid workers were put on trial after rescuing migrants from the Mediterranean. The 24 former volunteers have faced a range of charges, including human trafficking, money laundering, and facilitating the illegal entry of foreigners into Greece. Tim Whewell travelled to Lesbos, where he discovered how the migrant crisis that began in 2015 has shaped an entire community.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison and Jack Young
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Image Credit: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002q24b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002q24d)
Energy Bill Battle and Restrictive Covenants

When it comes to keeping our homes warm nearly all of us rely on just a handful of big energy suppliers. And during the winter, especially with the cold temperatures, we rely on those suppliers to do their job. When they don't customers can firstly complain to their supplier but, if they're still not happy, they can take their complaint to something called the Energy Ombudsman. It's a free, impartial service and gets thousands of complaints every year. In most cases, when the ombudsman makes a decision, that decision is followed to the letter, quickly, by suppliers. But in some cases that doesn't happen - we investigate one listener's battle over a £1,700 bill.

HMRC has told MPs it's going to take more care in how it handles its effort to crack down on fraud and error, after a mistake which led to thousands of families wrongly losing their Child Benefit.

It was the Scottish government's Budget this week and there were quite a few changes promised for people's pockets, we'll round up the details.

And, there's a huge amount to think about when buying a home, from sorting the mortgage to getting quotes for removal companies, but one thing you might not be expecting is that your new home might come with rules telling you what you can and cannot do with it. Restrictive covenants are binding conditions written into the actual property deeds or contracts. What can you do to protect yourself from any financial impacts?

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

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 17th January 2026)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002pqh1)
Series 119

2. U-Turn, We Defect

Andy’s returned from The Ashes and is back in the News Quiz chair. He’s come home to a selection of defections, some serious U-turning and 30,000 properties without water in his hometown of Tunbridge Wells. He was only away for one week! Helping Andy make sense of it all is Susie McCabe, Paul Sinha, Cindy Yu and Scott Bennett.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Eleanor Morton and Dee Allum
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002q24g)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002q24j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002pqh7)
Mothin Ali, Lord Elliott, Kate Nicholls, Emily Thornberry MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Marsden in West Yorkshire, with Green Party deputy leader, Mothin Ali; Conservative peer and former Vote Leave chief executive, Lord Elliott; the chair of UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls; and the chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, Labour MP Emily Thornberry.

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


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002q24l)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002pqh3)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: David Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge.... Charles Collingwood
David Archer.... Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer.... Louiza Patikas
Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davies
Kenton Archer.... Richard Attlee
Ruth Archer.... Felicity Finch
Alice Carter.... Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter.... Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
George Grundy ... Angus Stobie
Jakob Hakansson.... Paul Venables
Kate Madikane.... Perdita Avery
Akram Malik.... Asif Khan
Azra Malik.... Yasmin Wilde
Reginald Turnock.... Trevor Fox


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0014frl)
An Artificially Intelligent Guide to Love

Experimental drama as writer Hannah Silva collaborates with a machine-learning algorithm to create an audio guide to love.

The algorithm produces poems and stories in response to the writer’s poems and stories. It answers the writer’s questions and it asks her questions.

What is love? Is it an emotion? Is it an action? How does it work? What do we feel? What do we do?

Hannah tells the algorithm that she wants to think about love because in the past she didn’t think about it, she just fell in it.

The algorithm and the writer explore the theme of love in all its forms - parental love, romantic love, friendship and loss of love. The algorithm’s often absurdist and poetic texts frame and comment on the writer’s personal story of love and loss as a queer single mum.

An Artificially Intelligent Guide to Love was developed through OKRE Experimental Stories. The consultant was Dr James Carney. The script was written using texts generated by the GPT-J algorithm, a language prediction model trained and maintained by EleutherAI, a grassroots collective of researchers working to open source AI research.

Cast:
Algorithm .…. Fiona Shaw
Writer ….. Yusra Warsama
Woman ….. Jane Slavin
Man ….. Neil Bell

Written by Hannah Silva
Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies
Production Manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans

Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams
Mix …… Steve Bond
Music …… Ioana Selaru
Director/Producer ….. Nicolas Jackson

An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002q24n)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week


SAT 17:00 PM (m002q24q)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002q24s)
The union leader who agrees with the Tory leader: Daniel Kebede

The National Education Union's general secretary on banning social media, strikes and race

Daniel Kebede says he is "completely aligned" with Kemi Badenoch on social media policy but warns that the Labour government is on a "collision course" with teachers over pay and conditions.

Why does a former minister describe him as "disarming" while the press brand him as "militant" and a "hardened protester"?

Nick also presses Kebede on the blocking of a Jewish Bristol MP from visiting a school, past comments about Israel, and whether taxpayers can afford further pay rises for teachers.

Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Sound: Stephen Pontin
Sound mixing: Robin Schroder
Editor: Giles Edwards


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002q24v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002q24x)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002q24z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002q251)
The Charlatans, Stuart Maconie, Jill Halfpenny, Ian Smith, Jess Robinson

Stuart Maconie's tiptoeing the line between dark and light in this week's Loose Ends.

When she won Strictly Jill Halfpenny got the highest ever score for her sequin studded jive, but there's not a glitterball to be seen in her latest role as the traumatised mum Eve in the dark psychological thriller Girl Taken, which also stars Alfie Allen as the creepiest teacher you'd never hope to meet.

Ian Smith is a comedian who mines his own anxieties for his art - be that his Radio 4 series called "Ian Smith is Stressed", the unintentionally hilarious news from his hometown in the Northern News Podcast or his new tour, "Footspa Half Empty".

The comic, actor and Dead Ringers impressionist Jess Robinson's very funny and also very sad new memoir contrasts her own twentysomething exploits as a stage ingenue with her Jewish Grandmother's diaries at the same age. Grandma Rosi loved music, boyfriends and having a laugh too but was enduring Germany during the rise of Hitler at the same time.

And as they head out on tour, we have performance from The Charlatan's new album We Are Love.

Producer: Olive Clancy
Assistant Producer: Samuel Nixon
Technical Producers: John Cole and Mark Ward
Production Coordintor: Pete Liggins


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002q253)
Mette Frederiksen

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that US President Donald Trump’s threat to take Greenland would spell the end of Nato, the trans-Atlantic defence alliance. So who is the woman standing toe to toe with Trump?

A career politician in the truest sense, she was first elected as a member of the Danish Parliament in 2001, the day after her 24th birthday. After nearly two decades at the heart of the country’s politics, where she held roles including Justice Minister and Minister for Employment, she was elected Prime Minister of Denmark in June 2019, aged 41, the youngest leader in Danish history.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing - her premiership has survived a pandemic, an early election, and inflation driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, as the jam-making mother-of-two faces her biggest international challenge to date - Stephen Smith looks back at the life and career of the woman named the ‘second most powerful person in Europe in 2026’ by Politico.

Contributors:
Magdalena Andersson, former Swedish Prime Minister
Kasper Kildegaard, Danish journalist
Kasper Fogh Hansen, friend
Ane Halsboe-Jorgensen, Danish Taxation Minister and friend
Stig Jensen, Danish academic and tutor
Tobias Hamann, Great Danish Bake Off winner

Producers: Laurie Kalus, Katie Solleveld and Keiligh Baker
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young
Sound: Gareth Jones
Editor: Justine Lang

Archive:
BBC News
Danish Presidency of the council of the EU 2025
Danish Social Democrats
Denmark Broadcasting Corporation


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002pqnk)
Annie Leibovitz

American photographer Annie Leibovitz talks to John Wilson about her career and cultural influences.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002q255)
The Narrative Trap

Philosopher Julian Baggini asks a deceptively simple question - what happens when the stories we live by start leading us astray?

Drawing on newly recorded conversations with writers and philosophers including Ella Saltmarshe, Rebecca Solnit, Reid Hoffman, James Rodgers and Galen Strawson - as well as a rich seam of archive - he examines the hidden power of narrative and asks why, in a world shaped by competing stories, that power has never been more critical to understand.

We hear how narratives can illuminate injustice and spark profound social change, from shifting cultural attitudes around equality to the hard-won battles over who gets to speak and be believed.

But Julian also explores their darker side - how deep, often unconscious, stories uphold harmful norms, how political leaders weaponise narrative to consolidate power, and how polarised debates fracture into incompatible versions of reality.

The archive reveals how such patterns recur across eras, the hero myths we cling to, the comforting endings we crave, and the seductive simplicity of stories that tell us exactly who is right and who is wrong. From personal identity to global geopolitics, The Narrative Trap uncovers how much of modern life is structured by storytelling, for better and for worse.

The programme also asks what can be done. Drawing on insights from Ella Saltmarshe’s work on “narrative intelligence”, Reid Hoffman’s reflections on self-authored identity, James Rodgers’ reporting from conflict zones, Rebecca Solnit’s studies of power and storytelling, and Galen Strawson’s challenge to our obsession with narrative coherence, Julian explores how we might learn to recognise the stories shaping us, question them, and choose those that help rather than harm.

Writer and Presenter: Julian Baggini
Producer: Jo Meek
Executive Producer: Anna Scott-Brown

An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Human Intelligence (m002q257)
Series 2

Perfectionists

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 all sought perfection in different ways. For the engineer Brunel, his work on the railways needed to be safe and reliable, but he also wanted his work to be ‘the best’ to the point that he drove his railway workers too hard. Simone Weil put her own body on the line in search of philosophical perfection; she calls on us to give perfect attention to the suffering of those around us. Mathematician Al-Khwarizmi introduced algebra to the world, and his methods in mathematics underline much of modern life. Leonardo Da Vinci was interested in everything around him, but he found it hard to declare a painting finished before it was perfect. Martha Graham was a dance genius whose choreography shows how the mind is always present in the body.

Perfectionism is a luxury commodity, one which societies can only aspire to at a certain level of wealth, with the ability to give freedom to work to their greatest minds. And there has to be a need for that kind of work. For each of these thinkers, their work endures, as does the price they and their co-workers paid for their quest for perfection.

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 (m002q259)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002pqg6)
The Science of Fermentation

Fermented foods are more popular than ever, but what's the science? Dan Saladino explores the latest research into fermentation and the many health claims made for fermented food. Featuring the gut microbiome expert Tim Spector and fermentation expert Robin Sherriff.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 Dan Does Dating (m002q25c)
Series 1

Madeline

Think of the worst date you've been on, or heard about. Now imagine having to go through that every week. That's what happens to Dan Dickerson in Dan Does Dating, a new non-audience sitcom by Michael Beck. And his dates feel the same way.

This week, Dan is persuaded to try dating again for the first time since splitting up with/getting dumped by his ex - but can he resist the urge to argue with people he disagrees with?

Dan … Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
Madeline … Lisa Livingstone
Chris … Ray Bradshaw
Jack … Stephen Buchanan
Jamila … Nalini Chetty
Diane … Zara Gladman
French Waiter … Jonny Donahoe
Linda … Tina Gray
Woman … Layla Kirk
Waiter … Sanjeev Kohli
Sales Assistant … Amy Matthews

Written by Michael Beck

Recorded and edited by Diane Jardine at Sonido Studios, Clydebank

Produced and directed by Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 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

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002q25h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 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 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002q25k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002q25m)
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 (m002q25p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002q25r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002q25t)
The church of St Michael in Framlingham, Suffolk

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Michael in Framlingham, Suffolk. The Church has been much rebuilt over the centuries but retains many original features including a hammer beam roof concealed under intricate fan tracery dating from 1521. There are eight bells including two 15th century bells by the Brasyers of Norwich foundry. The Tenor bell weighs sixteen hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Triples


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002ppxs)
Eye Tests for Driving, Sound Without Sight

Within the government's new road safety strategy, they have identified a number of areas they'd like to hear people's views on in order to make the UK's roads safer. One of these is whether or not to introduce compulsory eye testing for drivers who are over 70. In Touch discusses this idea with Lilian Greenwood, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Transport, Dr Peter Hampson who is the Clinical and Policy Director at the Association of Optometrists and with the Macular Society's Director of Services, Jessica Kirby.
To participate in the government's consultation on this issue, visit: gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-mandatory-eyesight-testing-for-older-drivers

In Touch also spotlights a project that aims to get more visually impaired people involved in the music industry, be that as performers or on the technical side of things. The project is called Sound Without Sight, and this week they are hosting a Q&A session with the highly successful blind singer, producer and campaigner Lachi. In Touch is joined by Lachi and Jay Pocknell, the project lead of Sound Without Sight and current music student Oscar King, who receives some pearls of wisdom from Lachi.

Lachi will soon be releasing a new book called 'I Identify as Blind', where she discusses disability identity, neurodivergence, and embracing difference, with joy, humour, and passion. More information on her book can be found at: lachimusic.com/i-identify-as-blind

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 (m002q278)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpt)
Navigating faith on the road

Canada is home to thousands of Sikh truck drivers, crossing North America in cabs that double as kitchens, bedrooms and places to pray. In a single week, some will see more of the continent than most people will in a lifetime, from major cities to mountain ranges and endless miles of road.

But the road can be a hard place to practise faith built on family, community and a vegetarian diet. Journeys can be long, food options limited, and drivers say discrimination is rising. Yet many choose to respond with acts of kindness, carrying their faith with them.

The BBC’s Megan Lawton travels to Ontario to join Sikh truckers on the road. She stops at a local Gurdwara, where drivers reconnect with community and come together to instil the values of their faith in their children.

[Credit: Megan Lawton. Picture description: Sukhpal Singh is a long-haul truck driver, who travels across North America each week. He sits behind the wheel of his truck, during a break from driving]

Presenter: Megan Lawton
Producer: Sam Gruet
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002q27b)
From wig to wellies

Barrister Iain Colville jokes that, sometimes, when he appears in court, in his wig and gown, he's conscious of a whiff of silage or wishes he'd scrubbed his fingernails more thoroughly! That's because he's juggles his legal work in housing appeals in London alongside rearing pedigree cows on his farm in Northern Ireland. While in London, he keeps a close eye on the cameras which keep him in touch with what's going in the barns and the byres. His legal colleagues are fascinated. He says: "They compare it to Clarkson's farm!"

Iain grew up on a family farm, about ten miles outside Belfast, in County Down. The Colvilles have been farming there for generations but as a teenager, Iain decided that agriculture was not for him. He went to England, embarked on a legal career, met and married Malini, a teacher from Leicester and they settled just outside London.

The Colville's came over to Northern Ireland on family visits and Iain would help his father around the farm. Almost despite himself, he felt the lure of farming and began to breed pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows. Ten years ago the couple and their children made the decision to move to Northern Ireland and buy their own farm.

Malini says it was a huge change for her. She has no farming background. Her family, originally from India, had settled in east Africa but moved to Britain during Idi Amin's rule in the Seventies and joined the large Gujarati community in Leicester. She says: "I knew absolutely nothing about looking after animals, or living in the country but I learnt quickly and Northern Ireland is now my home,"

The couple's main focus, at Glenside Farm, is on breeding, rearing and showing their pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd, with the Colville family's Glen Cowie prefix.. They've been successful at a number of major competitions, including the Balmoral and Royal Highland shows. They also keep a flock of Blue Texel and commerical sheep.

Malini is in charge of the community and social enterprise side of the farm. She says they decided to join the social farm network during the Covid lockdown when they realised how much people benefited from being out in nature. They host regular events and visits and organise some paying activities, such as wreath making and wool workshops, which help fund the social enterprise work. One of the most recent projects is the creation of a sensory garden and allotment.

Malini says: "It goes with the seasons. At lambing time, visitors may help with feeding the lambs.. They may collect eggs, feed the goats, see the cows and whatever else is going on.

"Refugees, in particular, benefit from visiting. Many come from rural areas and enjoy being out in open spaces and seeing farm life. Just being here for a couple of hours can make all the difference to someone so far from home and uncertain about their future."

Iain travels to London several times a month for court cases. "There are very few people who can make a living solely from farming," he says, "and I enjoy the work, the cut and thrust of legal argument. "

But his hopes and dreams are focused on his Aberdeen Angus herd back at Glenside. "Every breeder dreams that one day their bull will be the best the world has ever seen," he says hopefully.

Presented by Kathleen Carragher and produced by John Deering.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002q27d)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002q27g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002q27j)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002q27l)
The Benedetti Foundation

Violinist Nicola Benedetti makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of The Benedetti Foundation. The charity helps children and young people access high quality music-making through its orchestral workshops.

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 ‘The Benedetti Foundation’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Benedetti Foundation’.
- 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: SC049688. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.benedettifoundation.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002q27n)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002q27q)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002q27s)
One Body, One Spirit

A service for the beginningof the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from St Columba’s Church, Knock in Belfast. This year’s theme is One Body, One Spirit from Ephesians Chapter 4. The service was prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.

Led by Canon John Auchmuty
Preacher: Rev Dr Karen Cambell, General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches

Ephesians 4.1-13
Blest are the pure in heart (Walford Davies)
In Christ there is no East or West
Psalm 133
Brother, sister, let me serve you
Ubi Caritas (Duruflé)
Thy hand O God has guided.

With the St Columba’s Cantors, directed by Dr Joe McKee.
Organist: Graeme McCullough
Producer: Bert Tosh


SUN 08:48 Tweet of the Day (m002q27v)
Horatio Clare on the Rook

The writer Horatio Clare has a message from the rooks, pointing out the ways they differ from crows.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SUN 08:50 In Other News (m002q760)
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 (m002q27x)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002q27z)
Adeel Akhtar, actor

Adeel Akhtar is an award-winning actor whose breakthrough role came in 2010 when he starred in Chris Morris’s black comedy Four Lions.

He won his first BAFTA for Best Actor in 2017 for his role in the BBC drama Murdered by My Father. His second, for Best Supporting Actor, came in 2023 playing Andy Fisher in the BBC series Sherwood.

Adeel was born in Hounslow in West London and grew up in Buckinghamshire. He discovered a love of acting at school when he and a group of friends put on a production of Harold Pinter’s play The Homecoming. He read law at university but in 2002 followed his true passion and took a drama course at The Actors Studio in New York.

He got his first screen part playing one of the four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 in the television docudrama Let’s Roll: the Story of Flight 93. He has gone on to stretch his talents playing roles in the television series Fool Me Once, The Night Manager and Killing Eve. More recently he appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard and a new play called The Empire.

Adeel lives in London with his wife, documentary maker Alexis Burke, and their two children.

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

Desert Island Discs has cast many actors away to the island over the years including Cillian Murphy, Stephen Graham, Lesley Manville and Helen McCrory. Adeel’s friend Meera Syall is in our archive too. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002q281)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: David Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge.... Charles Collingwood
David Archer.... Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer.... Louiza Patikas
Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davies
Kenton Archer.... Richard Attlee
Ruth Archer.... Felicity Finch
Alice Carter.... Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter.... Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
George Grundy ... Angus Stobie
Jakob Hakansson.... Paul Venables
Kate Madikane.... Perdita Avery
Akram Malik.... Asif Khan
Azra Malik.... Yasmin Wilde
Reginald Turnock.... Trevor Fox


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002q253)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 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


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002q283)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002q285)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002q287)
Inside ARIA

ARIA is the UK government’s bold new bet on science and technology. Its mission? To chase breakthroughs so radical they could spawn trillion-pound industries and reshape everyday life.

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency was created to be fast-moving - exempt from the usual public sector bureaucracy. No slow funding rounds. No rigid procurement rules. Just speed, agility, and a mandate to take risks. It's backed by MPs across the political spectrum - but is it a smart use of public money?

The idea came from Dominic Cummings, inspired by America’s 'DARPA' - the agency behind the internet, GPS, and personal computing. ARIA launched in 2022 and has already sunk millions into 12 audacious programmes: from designing crops with massively synthetic genomes to building robots on entirely new principles, and developing cutting edge neurotechnologies for psychiatric illness.

Evan Davis goes inside ARIA to meet the people steering this high-stakes experiment and explore the frontier science they’ve chosen to back. Can ARIA deliver world-changing innovation - or will it prove an expensive gamble?

Presented by Evan Davis
Produced by Ilan Goodman and Sophie Ormiston
Research by Tabitha Taylor Buck


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002pqgn)
Clara Vale

How can I lighten my orchids? Is there a reliable mix of weed suppressants and fertilisers for growing edibles? Why have the leaves of my Camelia started turning yellow?

This week on Gardeners’ Question Time, Kathy Clugston and a hand‑picked panel of horticultural experts head to Clara Vale to tackle the green‑fingered queries of a live audience.

Joining Kathy are garden designer Matthew Wilson, botanist Dr Chris Thorogood, and allotmenteer Bethan Collerton, who bring their combined expertise, practical know‑how and good humour to the discussion.

Later in the programme, Peter Gibbs visits the renowned Snowdrop Collection at RHS Wisley, where he meets fellow Galanthaphile and Snowdrops expert Jessica Jansdotter.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Suhaar Ali

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Short Works (m002nvck)
A New Way to Live by PT McAllister

Kathleen and John, in the twilight of their long marriage, have retired to a beautiful town in the South of France. The house they spent a lifetime of summers renovating offers reminders of happy times for John as his memory begins to fail. Kathleen is sure the house keeps him grounded, happy... until one day she learns John is planning something that threatens to turn their whole world upside down.

A new short story written by P.T. McAllister and read by Helen Lloyd.

P.T. McAllister has taught Creative Writing at both Hull and Exeter University. A short story writer, he is the director of the North Cornwall Book Festival, Writer in Residence at the Morrab Library, Penzance, and editor and co-founder of Inkfish Magazine and Press.

Produced by Beth O'Dea in Bristol for BBC Audio, Wales and West of England


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002q289)
1776

Episode 2

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.

It's June 1776 and Jefferson is congratulated on writing the Declaration. Conservative Edward Rutledge of South Carolina objects to a clause condemning the slave trade. He accuses the northern colonies of hypocrisy, showing they also prosper from slavery. Rutledge insists the anti-slavery clause be removed, in exchange for the southern colonies voting in favour. Ben Franklin pleads with Adams to agree to the anti-slavery clause being removed - for the greater good. It’s vital that they must first win independence before there’s any hope of abolishing slavery. Jefferson himself, recognising this, strikes out the passage. Unreliable Judge Wilson will cast the decisive vote. July 4th is fast approaching.

“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 Adam...Ioan Gruffudd
Dickinson…Josh Stamberg
Rutledge…Steven Weber
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
Delegates: Henri Lubatti, Darren Richardson, Alan Shearman, Mark Jude Sullivan and members of the company

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 (m002q28d)
Rob Doyle

The Irish writer Rob Doyle speaks to Take Four Books about his new novel Cameo, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. Cameo is the life story of an invented Irish novelist called Ren Duka who has an unexpected and runaway success with a prolific series of autofictional novels.

Rob's three chosen influences for this episode are: Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges, from 1944; Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano from 1996; and Memoirs of Hadrian, by Margeurite Youcenar, from 1951.

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


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002q28g)
Heat 3, 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.

Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct74qj)
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away

On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK.

Two years later, the majority voted to return.

In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, Mary Swain describes what it was like to survive the preceding earthquake and landside and be relocated to the other side of the world.

Produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in collaboration with BBC Archives.

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: Evacuees from Tristan on board a Dutch liner bound for Cape Town on 21 October 1961. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 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.

In this final episode, Matthew explores a key vision of moral and political progress - the idea of a global, rules-based order to promote peace, cooperation and a shared humanity. Mapped out by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the late 18th century as the highest form of moral progress in politics, Kant's vision fuelled the 20th century architecture of global governance - the League of Nations, and after World War 2 the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the WHO and other bodies. This project, speaking as it did for the whole of 'humankind', was not without its critics - then or now. But as the world's most powerful nations turn their back on global institutions and openly flout international law, is this idea of political progress going into reverse, undoing the postwar settlement and returning us to a state of lawlessness?

Contributors this episode include political philosopher Francis Fukuyama, military historian Margaret MacMillan, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips, barrister and human rights activist Shami Chakrabarti, historian David Edgerton, barrister Ulele Burnham, political theorist Lea Ypi, author Adam Greenfield, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Cathy Ashton and director of the Climate Majority Project, Rupert Read.

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


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002q28k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002q28m)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002q28p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002q28r)
Emma Freud

This week, Emma's going on a very personal journey with her picks, revisiting the debate on war between Einstein and her great-grandfather, Sigmund Freud, opening up a “mum in a box”, and witnessing how Ravi Shankar and George Harrison met over a broken sitar string. Plus, The Food Programme takes us to Smethwick in the Midlands to understand the transformative power of Desi pubs, and we hear the truly incredible story of the soundtrack to someone waking up from a coma - which led them to join Coldplay onstage years later. Presented by Emma Freud.

Presenter: Emma Freud
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production coordinators: Caroline Peddle and Caoilfhinn McFadden


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002q28t)
Accusations fly in Ambridge and there's a shock for Brad.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002q28w)
The Metaphor Consultant

Time is a journey - the future ahead of us, the past behind.

Our burdens are a weight that we carry, our problems are a puzzle that we solve.

Metaphor is at the heart of how we understand our existence. In a period of huge change and global uncertainty, are we outgrowing the metaphors we have lived by?

The poet Jack Underwood is offering his services as a metaphor consultant, for a very reasonable fee.

Featuring conversations with poet and psychoanalyst Nuar Alsadir; Dr Stephen Flusberg, the Director of the Framing, Reasoning And Metaphor (FRAME) Lab at Vassar College; computer scientist Melanie Mitchell; the philosopher Dr Julia Ng; and the linguist and author of Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff.

Location recording by Mitra Kaboli, Kristina Loring, Gustavo Martinez and Donelle Wedderburn

Produced by Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m000vgf0)
Learn a New Skill

From easing your nerves to improving concentration, in this episode Michael explores the hidden brain benefits of taking up a new hobby. He finds out why learning a new skill is one of the best things you can do for mental agility and speaks to Professor Alan Gow at Heriot-Watt University to discover the best - and most fun - ways to keep your brain active, and how taking on a new challenge could help build new connections in your brain, whatever your age!


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002pqp4)
Scouse

As a port city Liverpool has long been open to a wide variety of global influences and languages that developed into a way of speaking that's termed 'Scouse' - from a word that probably originates in the Baltic region derived from the word 'lobscouse'.
Tony Crowley grew up in the heart of Liverpool. When he left home and went to Oxford University he became increasingly aware of his accent and his interest in the way his fellow Liverpudlians use language grew. He has written two books on the subject. He and Michael Rosen discuss the rich and humorous language of the city.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Maggie Ayre in partnership with the Open University.
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002pqgs)
Claudette Colvin, Ian Balding, Gerry Gable, Bob Weir, Juliet Robertson

Matthew Bannister on

Claudette Colvin the American civil rights campaigner who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated protest.

Ian Balding, the racehorse trainer who saddled many winners for Queen Elizabeth II.

Gerry Gable, the anti-fascist activist and co-founder of Searchlight magazine, who wasn’t afraid to break the law in his relentless pursuit of the far right.

Juliet Robertson, the Scottish educationalist who was a passionate advocate for outdoor teaching.

And a tribute to Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir from Don Felder of The Eagles.

Interviewee: Brough Scott
Interviewee: Andy Bell
Interviewee: Don Felder
Interviewee: David Cameron

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jazz George
Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used:
Claudette Colvin interview, Outlook, BBC World Service, 23/02/2018; The Epsom Derby, Commentary, BBC One, 02/06/1971; Ian Balding interview, A View from the Boundary, BBC Radio 4, 26/07/2003; Gerry Gable, Witness History, BBC World Service, 12/10/2021; The Light and The Darkness War - documentary, BBC Radio 4, 16/03/1995; Life, Death and the Outdoors with Juliet Robertson, Scotland Outdoors, BBC Radio Scotland, 24/09/2025;


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002q24d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002q27l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002q248)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002q28y)
The future of the political right

Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002pqnc)
On Liberty

Journalist, author and historian Misha Glenny presents his first edition of In Our Time, succeeding Melvyn Bragg who retired from this role last summer. Misha and his guests discuss the landmark work On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, published in 1859 and the increasing recognition for his wife Harriet Taylor Mill's contribution. The subject matter of the essay is ‘civil or social liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual’ and it argues that the sole end for which mankind may interfere with the liberty of action of anyone is self-protection and even then only to prevent harm to others. This essay became enormously popular and a foundational text for liberalism.

With

Helen McCabe
Professor of Political Theory at the University of Nottingham

Mark Philp
Emeritus Professor of History and Politics at the University of Warwick

And

Piers Norris Turner
Associate Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Jo Ellen Jacobs (ed.), Harriet Taylor Mill, Complete Works (Indiana University Press, 1998)

Bruce L. Kinzer, Ann P. Robson and John M. Robson, A Moralist In and Out of Parliament: John Stuart Mill at Westminster, 1865-1868 (University of Toronto Press, 1992)

Christopher Macleod and Dale Miller (eds.), A Companion to Mill (Wiley, 2016)

Helen McCabe, John Stuart Mill, Socialist (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2021)

Helen McCabe, Harriet Taylor Mill (Cambridge, 2023)

Piers Norris Turner, ‘The Arguments of On Liberty: Mill’s Institutional Designs’ (Nineteenth-Century Prose 47 (1), 2020)

Piers Norris Turner et al (eds.), John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill, On Liberty with Related Writings (Hackett Publishing, forthcoming 2026)

Mark Philp (ed.), John Stuart Mill: Autobiography (Oxford University Press, 2018)

Mark Philp and Frederick Rosen (eds.), John Stuart Mill: On Liberty, Utilitarianism and other Essays (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Frederick Rosen, Mill (Oxford University Press, 2013)

Alan Ryan, The Philosophy of John Stuart Mill (Palgrave MacMillan, 1998)

Ben Saunders, ‘Reformulating Mill’s Harm Principle’ (Mind 125/500, 2016)

John Skorupski, Why Read Mill Today? (Routledge, 2006)

William Stafford, John Stuart Mill (Red Globe Press, 1998)

C. L. Ten (ed.), Mill: On Liberty: A Critical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Nadia Urbinati and Alex Zakaras (eds.), John Stuart Mill’s Political Thought: A Bicentennial Reassessment (Cambridge University Press, 2007)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002pqgq)
A Creature of Habit by Joanna Cannon

In her specially commissioned story Joanna Cannon, the best-selling writer, introduces us to Barbara who is making a new start.

Joanna Cannon best-selling novels The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things about Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. Her first non-fiction book, Breaking and Mending, is a memoir about her experience as a junior doctor, and was published in 2019 to critical acclaim. Joanna's writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Times, Good Housekeeping Magazine and The Observer. She co-wrote and presented BBC Radio 4's Papageno and the Poetry of Disquiet, about the relationship between poetry and mental health.

The producer is Elizabeth Allard

MONDAY 19 JANUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002q290)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002ppxv)
The Netherlands - ten new cities?

'Start by lighting a candle every morning.’ In other words, pray. That’s the advice on one social media platform to those looking for a rented property in the Netherlands. The pressure on housing is immense: an estimated shortage of 400,000 homes. It was the number one issue in the recent Dutch general election, with the winning D66 party promising to build '10 new cities'.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Squatting was made a criminal offence over a decade ago, but with an estimated 90,000 homes standing empty, the squatters – krakers – are back. And there are thousands of people breaking the law by living year-round in holiday or recreation parks deep in the Netherlands’ countryside.

The authorities are trying to change the dynamics. The city of Amsterdam is cracking down on second homes and owners who leave a property vacant. And last year, in an effort to cool an overheated market and limit the exploitation of tenants, the national government strengthened rent controls. But this has only encouraged landlords to throw in the towel and put their properties up for sale.

There’s also a question mark over plans to build thousands of homes - and new cities - because of an obstacle few seem to have foreseen... Electricity. The Netherlands has enough power, but it doesn’t have the infrastructure to transport it to proposed new developments. The Dutch are known for innovation – especially in their management of water. Could floating apartment blocks be one of the answers? Linda Pressly meets both those at the sharp end of the Dutch housing crisis, and those working to mitigate its fallout.

Presenter: Linda Pressly
Producer: Tim Mansel
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Studio Mix by: Duncan Hannant
Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002q25t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002q292)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002q294)
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 (m002q296)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002q298)
News, views and features on yesterday's stories in Parliament


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002q29b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002q29d)
Blue and Brew

Good morning! Less than a month since Christmas week was promising us merriness and brightness, and the 31st of December was holding out hope of a New Year, New You, we have reached what has become known in some circles as Blue Monday. This is the day that is said to be the most depressing of the whole year, combining factors such as poor weather conditions, high debt levels, and the disheartening effect of broken resolutions and hopes.

It's debatable how wise it is to label one particular day as being depressive, especially given how much of a struggle life can be for so many of us throughout the year. In a counter to the idea of ‘Blue Monday’, the Samaritans have pioneered what they call ‘Brew Monday’, this very day in January to intentionally reach out to others, put the kettle on and have good conversations. I don’t know about you, but ‘Brew Monday’ sounds like the better option to me, helping us to find agency for ourselves and empathy for others when the going is tough.

The book of Lamentations is one of the darkest spots in the whole Bible, with a distraught prophet pouring his heart out about the hardship he and his contemporaries have faced. In the middle of this bluesy book, there is an affirmation that there is mercy available from God every morning, even when things are bleak. Jeremiah’s boast is that God’s faithfulness is great and steadfast, and therefore he can hope, even when his heart is broken. That’s a promise to cling to even on our darkest of days.

God of compassion and grace, we bless you for your new mercies that are available to us each day. Thank you that you love us when we feel at our best and when we are at our lowest. This morning, we pray for your strength to carry on and to help carry the burdens of others. May this be a day of mutual hope and shared burdens, a day when we know new and sweet mercy from you and from each other. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002q29g)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002q29j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002q2qk)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002q2qm)
Rethinking politics

If trust in politicians is broken and the political system isn't delivering, then how might we go about fixing things? Can we revive faith in democratic government by doing things differently?

The political scientist Hélène Landemore argues that electoral politics is broken and that the answer lies in doing away with career politicians. She imagines dismantling a system that is biased in favour of the special interests of big money, propelled by the constant quest for re-election and the jaded proffering empty promises. In her new book, Politics without Politicians she posits that, among other solutions, we need Athenian style participation through mechanisms such as civic lotteries. More people need to be involved first hand in decision making if everyone is to feel heard.

Author and broadcaster Phil Tinline explains why he thinks politicians need to start thinking and talking about power again if they are to stand a chance of delivering on their promises. He argues that if nothing ever changes, then we need to understand who has too much power and who has too little and be prepared to do something about it.

Michael Gove is the editor of The Spectator and a member of the House of Lords. He has extensive experience of government, serving in cabinet under four prime ministers between 2010 and 2024. It is widely acknowledged among, both his admirers and his critics, that he rapidly got to grips with his department's brief and knew exactly how to drive an agenda for change. He reflects on his experiences.

Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002q2qp)
Change Please

Cemal Ezel, from Change Please, tells Rachel Burden how they help address homelessness by selling coffee. The social enterprise trains homeless people for employment through the sale of coffee, offering them a living wage, housing and therapy support.

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 easier. And the key here is in the trying. 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 (m002q2qr)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 11:00 An American Journey (m002q2qt)
The Pursuit of Happiness

James Naughtie examines the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States.

In this major new series marking America's 250th anniversary, James travels through time and across the landscape to discover how the Declaration of Independence embedded the idea of a country founded on what its authors described as 'self-evident' truths – that everyone’s inalienable rights included ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’

In this first episode James begins with the 'pursuit of happiness' – the American search for opportunity. He begins on the site of the original gold rush in northern California, before journeying to farms and factories; small towns and big cities across the American Midwest. As he does, he reveals how from Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, Americans have always seen the connection between economic and democratic freedom - the ability to choose their own fates, and the fate of the country.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


MON 11:45 The Trust Shift (m001xlvz)
Local Trust

Across five episodes, Rachel Botsman traces the intriguing history of trust.

Rachel looks back on what she sees as the three major chapters of trust in human history. In the broadest terms, these are Local Trust, Institutional Trust, and Distributed Trust. As we’ve moved from one to the next, we've experienced, what she calls, ‘Trust Shifts’.

These shifts have happened because humans took a risk to try something new. To innovate in ways that have shaped our behaviours, for better or worse. Rachel reflects on how each trust shift has profoundly changed the dynamics of our lives; whether that’s how we bank or buy goods, vote, learn, travel, date, and importantly, find and consume information.

In Episode 1, Rachel takes us right back to 11th century medieval Europe, where the 'Maghribi traders', a tight-knit group of Jewish traders, made a leap of trust. They are the main characters of our first trust shift, when we began to trust outside of our local communities for the first time.

Featuring Avner Greif, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Stanford Univeristy and MacArthur Genius.

Rachel Botsman is the author of Who Can You Trust? and What's Mine Is Yours. She was Oxford University’s first Trust Fellow and has worked with world leaders, the Bank of England, CEOs and financial regulators.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol.
Editor: Chris Ledgard.


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002q2qx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002q2qz)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m002q2r1)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002q2r3)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


MON 13:45 Understand (m002qmyp)
US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines

1. The Monroe Doctrine

Justin Webb looks back at the five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe Doctrine to Donald Trump. Over five episodes he and his guests look at how America’s approach to the world has constantly changed over time. This may help answer a really big question - how radical is the way Donald Trump deals with the world? Is he really an outlier in US history? Or do his actions reflect the changing patterns of American power?

In this episode Justin discusses The Monroe Doctrine with Jay Sexton, Professor of History and Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri.

Presenter: Justin Webb
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Jon Bithrey
Sound engineer: Tom Brignell


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002q28t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Disordered (m002q2r7)
Series 2

4. Fathers, Urinal Cakes and Decisions

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 Four, Fathers, Urinal Cakes and Decisions, Hector faces up to his dad, with William acting as a buffer between them, and is then thrown by an unexpected romantic offer. His suddenly messy love life forces Hector to face up to a huge decision, that will affect his, and William’s, future.

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
Dad – Peter Mullan
Sally – Amy Conachan
Peter Krysler – Kal Sabir
Simon – Gordon Kennedy
Police Officer – Moray Hunter

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 (m001xfgd)
Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness remains one of the most enigmatic works of 19th Century literature, charting as it does the story of Marlow, the captain of a steamboat heading up an unnamed river in the employ of an unnamed organisation described simply ‘the Company’. He becomes fixated on tracking down the figure of Kurtz, a company agent in charge of a trading post - but this is no action adventure so typical of the time. John asks what the phrase Heart of Darkness - and Kurtz’s famous epigram ‘The horror. The horror’ might actually represent, and also attempts to reconcile the racism many critics have accused the book of containing with its staunch attack on imperial barbarity; Conrad himself had previously worked on a boat going up the Congo river where he witnessed for himself the atrocities carried out by the Belgian colonisers on the local people.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for thirty 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 dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. 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 (his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone).

Contributors:
Anita Sullivan - writer and adapter of ‘Heart of Darkness’
Maya Jasanoff, Professor of History at Harvard University - and author of the much acclaimed book ‘The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World’

Credits:
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 1899

Reader: Paul Dodgson
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Producer: Geoff Bird
Executive Producer: Sara Davies

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002q2r9)
Pianist and broadcaster Keelan Carew nominates Russian composer Nicolai Medtner

Matthew Paris is joined by the pianist and broadcaster Keelan Carew, who nominates the Great Life of the early 20th century composer Nicolai Medtner.

It’s often the case that in a world of strong contenders, there are 'Great Lives' hidden by the scale and success of their contemporaries. That’s certainly a case that can be made in the case of Nicolai Medtner. Born towards the end of the 19th century in Moscow he followed in the immediate footsteps of Sergei Rachmaninov who would state later in life that 'in my opinion, [Medtner] was the greatest composer of our time.' Many have begged to differ since, but Medtner's was undoubtedly an extraordinary life and he has a particular hold over pianists stretching back over the last hundred years. After the Russian revolution Rachmaninov himself would help and support Medtner as he tried to establish himself in the west. However, where Rachmaninov acceded to the requests made of him, Medtner was fiercely conservative in his tastes at a time when modernism held sway in Europe.

To help tell his story Matthew and Keelan are joined by pianist and composer, Francis Pott, another Medtner enthusiast who has explored a life that took Nicolai from pre-revolutionary Russia to a house in north London where he eventually settled in the 1930s. His reputation and output might have languished were it not for the support of the Maharajah of Mysore, who founded the Medtner society and funded the recording of many of Medtner's works including his piano concertos and songs, the former played by the now elderly composer.

As well as the music, illustrated from the keyboard by Keelan himself, Nicolai's personal life involved marrying the wife of his brother. The three lived together for many years. We also hear from the last person who knew Medtner and recalls taking the composer on countryside trips in the 1950s where he loved nothing better than to sit by the river Thames eating ice-cream.

Producer: Tom Alban


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002q242)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002q287)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (m002q244)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002q2rc)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002q2rf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002q2rh)
Series 32

5. Sugar, Saints, Spiders and Heavy Metal

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.

Holly Walsh, Henning Wehn, Zoe Lyons and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as sugar, saints, spiders and heavy metal.

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 (m002q2j8)
There's worry at Meadow Farm, and David attempts a negotiation.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002q2rk)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 20:00 Rethink (m002pfhg)
Rethink...middle age

People are living longer and delaying life's milestone moments. How does this affect our middle years and should we be paying more attention to people in this phase of their lives?

For some, middle age can be a very challenging period in their lives. Today, people are postponing the milestones in life that traditionally signified a change in priorities. People are having children later in life meaning parents in their 40s or even 50s are looking after small children. Jobs for life no longer exist and housing is so expensive that many have no choice but to pay costly rents.

All of these phenomena have given rise to the so called “sandwich Generation” – simultaneously looking after children but also elderly parents. Many experience multiple roles- worker, parent, carer, spouse and friend – and juggling the demands of all of those roles can lead to burnout.

Academic literature on happiness has until recently suggested that our satisfaction with life as we age is hump shaped. When we're young, we're happy — and then that declines, bottoming out in middle age. As we pass middle age and get older, we get happier again. But is that still the case? Is mid-life a uniquely unhappy place to be?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Tom Gillett
Editor: Lisa Baxter

Contributors:

Ben Akers - Co-founder and co-CEO of Talk Club
David Blanchflower - Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
Jane Green - Professor of Political Science and British Politics at the University of Oxford
Andrew G Marshall - Marital therapist, communications trainer and author
Les Mayhew - Professor of statistics at Bayes Business School, City University, London
Kate Muir - Journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txv)
Why is Nasa sending people around the moon?

The space science world is buzzing. In the next few days, NASA is expected to begin the rollout of its Artemis II rocket to the launch pad with the launch itself expected as early as February. Science journalist Jonathan Amos explains why NASA is interested in travelling around the moon now? And what we will learn from sending humans further into space than ever before.

Penny Sarchet, Managing Editor at New Scientist brings Tom Whipple her pick of the best new science this week.

And why are scientists shipping ice cores from around the world to a frozen cave in Antarctica? Dr Liz Thomas, head of ice core research at the British Antarctic Survey explains the science behind the Ice Memory Sanctuary as it officially opens.

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: Kate White, Katie Tomsett, Tim Dodd and Clare Salisbury
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002q2qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002q2qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002q2rm)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002q2rp)
Episode 1

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 1
On the island, things disappear and the people forget. But the narrator’s mother remembers everything.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001fn5r)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall

Episode 1

Based on the novel by James Swallow
Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Episode 1

A thrilling landmark adaptation set in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell universe. Veteran Fourth Echelon agent Sam Fisher has a new mission recruiting and training the next generation of Splinter Cell operatives for the National Security Agency's covert action division. But when a lethal assassin from Fisher's past returns from the dead on a mission of murder, he is thrust into a race against time as a sinister threat to global security is revealed.

Recorded in 3D binaural audio; please listen on headphones for a more immersive experience.

Sam Fisher ..... Andonis Anthony
Sarah Fisher ..... Daisy Head
Anna Grímsdóttir ..... Rosalie Craig
Charlie Cole ..... Sacha Dhawan
Brody Teague ..... Will Poulter
Samir Patel ..... Nikesh Patel
Stone ..... Mihai Arsene
Eighteen ..... Olga Fedori
Jan Freling/Kathy ..... Rina Mahoney
Buzzard ..... Tijan Sarr
Gator/Gary Borden ..... Tom Kiteley

Sound design by Sharon Hughes
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Series Co-Produced by Lorna Newman, Jessica Mitic, Nadia Molinari

A BBC Audio Drama North Production


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002q2rr)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament