RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/
SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2022
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001fdbp)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 00:30 Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben MacIntyre (m001fdbr)
10: 'Take Colditz!'
Samuel West concludes Ben MacIntyre's astonishing true story of the most infamous prison in history
Colditz has become synonymous with daring escapes by stiff upper-lipped British soldiers, in a cat-and-mouse game against their ruthless but foolish German captors. But this is only part of the story. Here Ben MacIntyre reveals the real story of Colditz - one not only of bravery, ingenuity and resilience, but also of snobbery, racism, homosexuality, bullying, treachery, insanity and farce.
Today: April 1945, and with the SS and the US troops both advancing on Colditz, the prisoners take control...
Writer: Ben MacIntyre
Reader: Samuel West
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fdbt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fdbw)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fdby)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001fdc0)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fdc2)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
SAT 05:45 One to One (m0018ns2)
Emma Garland and Kiri Pritchard-McLean on living in Wales
Emma Garland lives in London but was born in Wales. Welsh stand up queen Kiri Pritchard-McLean has returned to her roots in Anglesey and she explores hiraeth in her latest tour ... hiraeth being Welsh for a sense of longing for your home. So what is this draw both of them clearly feel, and can you be Welsh if you don't speak Welsh?
Emma Garland was born in the valleys of South Wales and writes about culture for numerous magazines. Kiri Pritchard-McLean's latest show is called Home Truths.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001fm1w)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001fczq)
Rutland Water: What lies beneath?
Rutland Water is home to a rich array of wildlife, including osprey, but beneath the water there may be much more natural history to discover. Last year Joe Davis found the largest and most complete Ichthyosaur skeleton yet seen in the UK. This inland reservoir was once a tropical ocean and there may be many more fossilised remains that remain beneath the water. In fact, there was a recent discovery of the fossilised jaw of a Jurassic crocodile-like creature.
Today the habitat around the reservoir provides a perfect home for waders and wildfowl, as well as sand martins and other birds. Helen Mark discovers how this watery world also hides the most fascinating aquatic insects. Once the reservoir was hated by locals who lost their land and homes, but today it provides the perfect setting to make the most of our natural world and understand more about both the wildlife of today and the creatures that swam here millions of years ago.
Presented by Helen Mark. Produced by Helen Lennard and Perminder Khatkar.
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001fm1z)
26/11/22 - The eggs shortage, seasonal workers and game shooting
The difficulties in the egg supply chain continue, with some supermarkets rationing eggs while others import them from Europe. The British Retail Consortium has been saying avian flu is disrupting supply - but farmers say it's because egg producers are losing money on every egg they sell. They say the cost of the ingredients for feed alone has risen by 90% since 2019 - while they're being paid only 35% more. As a result, many are reducing the number of hens they have or even pausing production entirely. The NFU is calling for Government intervention.
It's not just the cost of producing eggs that's rising - a report from consultants, Promar International, says the cost of producing fruit and veg in the UK is up by 27% year on year. We hear from one farmer who is concerned about his labour costs for next year. The National Living Wage will be increased from April, and it's not yet clear what that will mean for seasonal workers here on temporary visas, who this year had to be paid above the minimum wage.
And the Scottish Government is consulting on plans to introduce licences for grouse moors. Under the proposals - which follow a string of illegal killings of birds of prey - there would be new rules on muirburn, or heather burning. We hear from campaigners who want reform, and visit one grouse moor to discuss the future of the industry.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
SAT 06:57 Weather (m001fm25)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m001fm2c)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001fm2k)
Emily Atack
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by the actress and presenter Emily Atack. She shot to fame in coming of age comedy The Inbetweeners when she was just 17. TV and theatre roles came her way, as well as stints on reality shows such as Dancing on Ice and I’m a Celebrity. She has since done three series of her eponymous one woman show for ITV.
Donna Freed is a writer and translator who is one half of the UK's longest running all-female podcast, Radio Gorgeous. Donna was adopted, and found out that her birth parents were involved in an infamous double indemnity life insurance scam. She joins us.
We also have: Alan Leach, formerly Shed Seven drummer turned solo artist whose latest album is I wish I knew now what I thought I knew then. He also loves pub quizzes, and his hatred of cheating led to him creating an app to help stop it.
and Dr Tim Spector whose Zoe app monitored covid cases over the country. Now he's turned his focus to nutrition, inspired by a dramatic personal experience.
Inheritance Tracks are chosen this week by ACDC's Brian Johnson: Look over yonder wall by Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Broken Down Angel by Nazareth.
And your Thank you.
Producer: Corinna Jones
SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001fm2r)
Chervona Kalyna
Powerful stories linked to this beautiful and stirring Ukrainian folk song which inspired Pink Floyd to reform so they could release their own version, 'Hey Hey Rise Up', alongside Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox.
Chervona Kalyna is a clarion call with roots stretching back to 17th century Cossack history; as meaningful now as then, this episode of Soul Music reflects how music can be a unifying force in the most dangerous and difficult of times.
Anti-Russian, it was banned prior to Ukrainian independence in 1991 with one of its lyrics calling to 'free our brothers Ukrainian from Muscovites shackles'. Its full title 'Oi u luzi chervona kalyna' translates as 'Oh the red viburnum in the meadow': red viburnum is a common plant in Ukraine and in the song it's a metaphor for the country itself.
Telling their stories on Soul Music: Taras Ratushnyy, journalist turned soldier, discusses his beloved son, Roman, and the heroic role he played in Ukrainian society both before after the war began.
Elizaveta Izmalkova is a young Ukrainian singer who now lives in Lithuania. She performed Chervona Kalyna as part of a flash-mob co-organised by Egle Plytnikaite who describes why she and other Lithuanians wanted to demonstrate their support for Ukraine.
Nadia Morykvas wrote a book about the cultural polymath, Stepan Charnetskyi, who - in the early 20th century - adapted Chervona Kalyna for one of his plays. (Volodymyr Oleyko translates for Nadia Morykvas).
Andrij Halushka is a Ukrainian who now lives in London. He describes how his family history, down multiple generations, connects with the song.
Julia and Kateryna came to England under the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme when the war began. Under the name 'Dvi Doli' they raise money for Ukraine by staging concerts where they perform traditional songs on the Bandura.
Taras Filenko is a pianist and ethno-musicologist. Originally from Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, he now lives in Pennsylvania, USA. He discusses the musicology of the song, and recalls a neighbour from his childhood who was imprisoned for performing Chervona Kalyna in the 1940s.
Myroslava Hartmond is a British-Ukrainian cultural diplomacy expert. She explains how the current popularity of Chervona Kalyna began when Andriy Khlyvnyuk, the lead singer of Boombox, recorded an a capella version in the centre of Kyiv. This inspired Pink Floyd to collaborate with Khlyvnyuk and release their own version.
Please scroll down to the 'Related Links' box on the Radio 4 Soul Music webpage for further information about some of the interviewees and the different versions of the song used in the programme. The programme image is of Taras and Roman Ratushnyy.
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Karen Gregor
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001fm2w)
Paul Waugh, chief political commentator at the i newspaper looks back at the week in Westminster. Following the Supreme Court ruling on the jurisidiction of another independence referendum in Scotland, the Scottish leaders of Labour and the Conservatives, Anas Sawar MSP and Douglas Ross MP MSP, debate its consequences with Kirsty Oswald MP, deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster.
Also on the programme., the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, Bob Seely, and Rachel Wolf, co-author of the 2019 Conservative manifesto, discuss housing targets amid party dvisions over the issue this week. Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, the former Conservative arts minister talks about her concerns over the recent funding announcement by Arts Council England. Finally, the Labour frontbencher and biographer, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, and the Sun's Harry Cole, who's biography of Liz Truss was published this week, consider timely political history.
Editor: Peter Snowdon
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001fm30)
A Bleak Future For Afghanistan's Women
Kate Adie presents stories from Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Colombia and Ireland.
The Taliban recently announced a ban on women going to parks, swimming pools and gyms this month, while maintaining its ongoing ban on girls attending secondary school. Yogita Limaye spoke to one young woman about life in Kabul, as these once cherished freedoms disappear.
The story of Gao Zhisheng, a Chinese human rights lawyer who was repeatedly detained by the Chinese government, is a cautionary tale of Xi Jinping's China - following his last detention, his whereabouts is now unknown. Michael Bristow has followed Gao's story since his initial arrest in 2006.
Iraq's two main rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, have seen their water levels drop significantly this year as the country experienced one of its worst droughts. Leila Molana Allen spoke to local farmers about the impact on their livelihoods.
Colombia's new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, campaigned on the promise of tackling inequality and switching to a greener economy. But rising inflation and a depreciation of the peso has proved a challenge to introducing his manifesto pledges. Rohan Montgomery went for a ride with motorcyclists in Medellin and heard their views on life under Petro.
The story of the Sack of Baltimore, where a village in Ireland's County Cork was ambushed by Barbary pirates, still intrigues visitors to the area - in particular, patrons of the Algiers Inn. The attack in 1631 saw pirates kidnap English settlers who were taken back to North Africa and sold into slavery. Vincent Dowd spoke to locals about their village's rich history.
Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001fm34)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001fm12)
Spray Foam, Fraud & Pay Gaps
We hear from a man whose home was valued at zero pounds which his mortgage provider said was because his loft was insulated with spray foam.
70,000 victims of fraud are sent texts by the police asking them to make contact - but will their bank text them too?
People from diverse ethnic backgrounds are paid less than people in the UK who are white. We ask why, and what can be done about it?
SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001fdb2)
Series 61
Episode 5
Hugh Dennis and Glenn Moore (standing in for Steve Punt) present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Alex Kealy, Athena Kugblenu and Ignacio Lopez.
Athena Kugblenu looks at Shamima Begum’s citizenship appeal, Alex Kealy walks us through crises in cryptocurrency and Ignacio Lopez is an England fan singing about the meaning of the World Cup.
The show was written by Steve Punt and the cast with additional material from Simon Alcock, Alfie Packham, Vicky Richards and Jade Gebbie.
Voice actors: Jason Forbes and Roisin O'Mahony
Sound: David Thomas
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 12:57 Weather (m001fm39)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001fm3n)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001fdb9)
Paul Embery, Seema Malhotra MP, Huw Merriman MP, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Gordon's School, Woking with the trade unionist and writer Paul Embery, Shadow Business Minister Seema Malhotra MP, Transport Minister Huw Merriman MP and Editor of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Liam Juniper
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001fm40)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?
SAT 14:45 39 Ways to Save the Planet (m0010pvq)
Local Wisdom
There are different schools of thought on how land (and sea) are best managed but often in the rush for economic development indigenous practices and knowledge are overlooked. Observations and understanding from living on the land can inform how to protect and preserve it . Tom Heap meets Victor Steffensen, a descendent of the aboriginal Tagalaka people and an indigenous fire practitioner. He explains how cultural burns can help manage the land, reduce the fuel load and the likelihood of destructive wildfires. Yet he feels while there are calls to incorporate this knowledge more, it doesn't go far enough. Diana Mastracci is a researcher working with groups in the Amazon and Arctic to give them equal participation and benefits from research and runs hackathons for software ideas that could use and value their knowledge more and says academics have a long way to go to fully appreciate this knowledge.
Dr Tamsin Edwards weighs up just how much carbon dioxide could potentially be saved by adopting indigenous land management practices.
Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
Researcher Sarah Goodman
Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Jem Woods and Miss Abi Croker from Imperial College London and to Dr Caroline Lehmann from the University of Edinburgh.
To find out more about Indigenous Land Management and Landcare Australia : https://landcareaustralia.org.au/
SAT 15:00 Oliver: Lagos to London (m000df93)
Episode 1
Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist is a powerful indictment of child poverty and exploitation, as relevant now as when it was written. A young orphan’s epic search for family and home lies at the heart of award-winning writer Ayeesha Menon’s radical updating of Dickens’ story to modern-day Nigeria and the refugee journey to Britain.
Directed by acclaimed theatre director Michael Buffong, this classic story is reimagined as a powerful and moving drama for today.
Episode 1:
Ogoniland, rural Nigeria. Ten-year-old Oli plays with best friend Mene. Innocent games against a background of fear because, the next day, the oil company are coming to take their land. When the villagers fight back, many of them are killed - leaving Oli and Mene as orphans who only have each other.
They have to find work to survive at a mining camp run by ruthless Tinube. Ambitious documentary-maker Jann persuades Oli to take him down the mine to film, but Tinube is furious and locks Oli away. When Oli is released, he discovers Mene has been sold and taken away, and he is left truly alone.
Oli’s journey to find his best friend leads him to Lagos where a chance meeting with streetwise Dodger and his gang sparks a series of events that none of them can outrun.
CAST:
Oli - Jordan Nash
Young Mene - Maryam Drammeh
Agnes - Bisola Elizabeth Alabi
Saro - Charles Venn
Tinubu - Danny Sapani
Pastor Solomon - Cyril Nri
Mene - Tamara Lawrance
Miss Saffron Hill - Jocelyn Jee Esien
Jann - Alexander Campbell
Kwame - Alfie Nash
Mrs Solomon -Jumoke Fashola
Noah - Samuel Adebayo
Dodger - Nifemi Bankole
Bet - Nina Cassells
The children in the mine are played by Ethan Langley, Isiah Adeyeye, Marvellous Aigbedion and Saria Joye
Adapted by Ayeesha Menon
Produced by Gill Parry
Directed by Michael Buffong
Music by Tunde Jegede
Sound design by David Thomas and Steve Bond
Photography by The Masons
Development concept written by Silas Parry
Cultural Advisor: Onassis Andem
Sound Interns: Makee Ogbon and Kairon Edwards
Production Interns: Samantha Mandaza and Jayesh Fernando
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: John Scott Dryden
A CONNECTfilm production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001fm4b)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Andrea Riseborough, stalking, long-term relationships and why they fail, women boxers, the clitoris
To mark ten years since stalking became a specific crime in England and Wales, we speak to crime reporter and presenter Isla Traquair. In her day job Isla is used to confronting murderers and travelling to dangerous places but it was in a quiet village in Wiltshire where her stalking ordeal took place. In August this year Isla's neighbour, Jonathan Barrett, was found guilty of stalking. This followed what Isla calls a 7 month period of terror from March to September 2021.
99% of all boxers are men and it remains a male dominated sport in all areas. We speak to Susannah Schofield OBE who hopes to harness the growing appetite for women’s sport with the recent successes of women’s football and rugby by convincing the BBC to show women's boxing.
New research shows the clitoris actually has over 10,000 nerve endings. 20% more than the previously suggested amount from studies on cows in the 1970s. Does this increase in number matter? We ask science journalist Rachel E Gross and Dr Brooke Vandermolen, an NHS Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar.
Why is it that we so often struggle or fail in long term relationships? We’re talking instead about unremarkable everyday behaviours that help to end a marriage. We speak to couples therapist, Joanna Harrison and relationship coach, Matthew Fray.
The actor Andrea Riseborough tells us about playing Mrs Wormwood in the new Matilda the Musical film. The film is an adaptation of Tim Minchin’s hit West End musical of the same name. It stars Emma Thompson as Mrs Trunchbull, Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey and Stephen Graham as Mr Wormwood. She talks about playing one of Roald Dahl’s most famous characters and her life off camera, meeting Patti Smith for the first time.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Surya Elango
Editor: Emma Pearce
SAT 17:00 PM (m001fm4n)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001fm4z)
The Bridget Phillipson One
Nick Robinson talks to Labour's shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, about her mum standing up to the people that burgled their house, her grandad's love of books sparking her passion for education and how she ended up as an extra on Byker Grove.
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001fm5b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 17:57 Weather (m001fm5l)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fm5v)
Author of London Fire Brigade report calls for national inquiry into workplace culture.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001fm16)
Wallace Shawn, Matthew Modine, Jasmine Naziha Jones, Zoe Lyons, Mary Gauthier, DJ Yoda, Sara Cox, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Sara Cox are joined by Wallace Shawn, Matthew Modine, Jasmine Naziha Jones and Zoe Lyons for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Mary Gauthier and DJ Yoda.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m001fm0l)
Joe Lycett
Stand-up comic, broadcaster and LGBT rights activist, Joe Lycett, appeared to shred £10,000 of his own hard-earned comedy cash in protest at footballer David Beckham’s refusal to step down as an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup - a country where homosexuality is banned.
He didn't really do it - but it's the latest in a series of stunts that have become the comedian's calling card.
Friends, relatives and colleagues reveal how Joe Lycett went from drama-loving schoolboy to 'Esther Rantzen in a sparkly jumpsuit'.
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Lucy Proctor and Diane Richardson
Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar
SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0dcn51y)
Series 25
Hunting for Exoplanets
Brian Cox and Robin Ince continue their LA science adventure as they visit Caltech in Pasadena to meet the scientists hunting for planets orbiting distant stars in solar systems far far from our own. They are joined in their quest by Python Legend Eric Idle and Exo-planet hunters Dr Jessie Christiansen from Caltech and Dr Tiffany Kataria from NASA's JPL who are using the latest telescopes to identify distant planets outside of our own solar system. Despite their distance from us, incredible new techniques allow exoplanet hunters to paint extraordinary pictures of the atmospheres and conditions on some of the 500 or so planets that have now been identified, and allow for the tantalising possibility of one day identifying other earth like planets that could even support life. Brian and Robin chat to Sean about what the discovery of life elsewhere out in the cosmos might mean for life here on planet earth, or whether the fact we haven't found any yet is evidence we are in fact all alone?
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001fm6c)
FDR's Four Freedoms
In January 1941, American President Franklin D Roosevelt delivered an epic speech about the Four Freedoms that he believed to be vital for the post-war world: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear and freedom from want. These words became the basis for a global understanding of “human rights” and they also shed light on how the United States viewed itself and its global role at the dawn of the so-called "American Century."
But could the US really live up to such lofty ideals? Do those four freedoms remain relevant as a goal for the international community? Or do they need to be reimagined for our own century?
With help from contributors such as FDR's grandson, James Roosevelt, as well as former UN Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid Ra'Ad Al Hussein, Cambridge Professor of International History David Reynolds examines the genesis of the speech, its immediate impact, and its far-reaching consequences.
Presenter: David Reynolds
Producer: Claire Bowes and Sandra Kanthal
Editor: Clare Fordham
Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
SAT 21:00 No Place But the Water (m00127ty)
Ghosts of the Future: Part 3
Second series of Linda Marshall Griffiths' climate emergency drama set in a flooded future world.
The story of a family in a hotel at the end of the world that is starting to disappear.
Jess has seen a ship approaching the island but worse than that, they saw her. Time is running out for the family and what is about to come is more dangerous than what came before.
BIRDIE....Poppy O’Brien
GABE....Gabriella Tuicicia
CAL.....Ceallach Spellman
JESSIE.....Sade Malone
MAURICE.....Pearce Quigley
GIL......Rupert Hill
LAURIE/SELENE.....Jenny Platt
LEO.....Nico Mirallegro
Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Steve Brooke
Programme Consultant: Dr James Lea - University of Liverpool
BBC AUDIO DRAMA NORTH
SAT 21:45 Stories from Ukraine (m001cq4v)
Richard the Chickenheart
A group of Ukrainian reporters reluctantly host American photographer Richard, who is always looking for tragedy and sees death as a photo op. He seems to get the perfect chance when the 2014 Odesa Clashes erupt nearby.
Read by Inna Bagoli
Written by Kateryna Babkina
Translation by Hanna Leliv
Abridged and produced by Naomi Walmsley
Taken from the anthology 'Love in Defiance of Pain: Ukrainian Stories'.
SAT 22:00 News (m001fm6m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Exchange (m001brqg)
Breaking with Tradition
Two people who share a common experience meet for the first time. Each has a gift for the other - an object that unlocks their story. With the help of presenter Catherine Carr, they exchange personal experiences and uncover the differences between them.
Emily and John both grew up in strict religious communities where centuries old traditions are preserved in the modern world. Religious laws governed everything from their clothes to their diet. Each community maintained a degree of separation from the ‘secular’ world.
John grew up in America, within the Amish community. His first language was Pennsylvanian Dutch, his clothes – simple fabric, plain coloured - were handmade. Transport was by horse and buggy instead of by car, and contact with the outside world was minimal.
Emily grew up in London’s Hasidic Jewish community, noted for its religious conservatism and social seclusion. Its members adhere closely to a traditional dress code. Yiddish is spoken and there are strict laws about physical contact between the genders.
John ran away at 17, Emily was older when she broke away. One of them has now reconnected with their old community. Together they share the challenges of growing up with rules they found impossible to reconcile with their personal needs.
They also describe adjusting to life on ‘the outside’ - learning to use technology for the first time, choosing their own clothes, adapting to manners in a secular society and embracing new freedoms that for many years were out of reach.
John’s path has taken him into a career he would never have envisaged while growing up in a community that shunned technology. Emily meanwhile has expanded her career beyond anything that seemed possible in her former life. Emily also continues to support others who have taken the decision to explore living beyond their Ultra-Orthodox communities through the charity Gesher EU.
Presented by Catherine Carr
Produced by Nicola Humphries
Executive Editor: Louise Cotton
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001fd2w)
The 2022 Final
The 2022 season of the general knowledge quiz reaches its climax, with the four most formidable of this year's contenders now within reach of the Brain of Britain title. Whether by impressive margins or by the skin of their teeth, they have seen off all comers in heats and semi-finals. Now it will be down to the breadth of their knowledge, and their reaction time on the button, as they face the final challenge before an eager audience at the Radio Theatre in London.
The contenders for the title are:
Marianne Fairthorne from London
Isabelle Heward from Goxhill in Lincolnshire
Emma Laslett from Milton Keynes
Sarah Trevarthen from Manchester.
Only one of them can take away the silver trophy as the 69th official Brain of Britain.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
CORRECTION We would like to make it clear that the Adam Smith Institute is based in Great Smith Street in London, and is not one of the organisations headquartered at 55 Tufton Street as stated in a question in today's programme.
SAT 23:30 The Language Exchange (m001fch8)
Michael Dickman and Professor Christoph Lees
The Language Exchange pairs a poet with a scientist to create a new work about their research, to explore language and bridge the supposed gulf between art and science.
Episode three sees US poet Michael Dickman visit Professor Christoph Lees. The Professor of Obstetrics at Imperial College London is at the forefront of a non-invasive method of tackling a major threat to the lives of identical twins in the womb, Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
His ground-breaking work within Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital is already changing lives, addressing a dangerous anomaly which sees one twin dominate an unequal amount of blood supply. Dr Caroline Shaw, subspecialist in fetal maternal medicine, takes Michael through the imaging system which goes on to help inspire his poem.
Abbie Hofbauer talks to Michael about the impact of a diagnosis of TTTS during her own pregnancy. It’s a particularly moving visit for Michael as he himself is an identical twin.
During the discussion Michael and the professor discuss not only the translation of necessary medical jargon into something a patient might understand, but come to realise the importance of imaginative leaps in medical innovation. Are some scientific modes of thought surprisingly close to the flights of fancy associated with the artist?
The project is delivered with the assistance of the Medical Research Council, Wiseman Trust, Focused Ultrasound Foundation and Action Medical Research, Institute for Cancer Research, the Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff and Canon Medical Systems.
More information about the condition is available from Twins Trust.
Presented by Michael Dickman
Produced by Kevin Core
SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2022
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001fm6v)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Bhopal (m001bs5c)
5. The Fatal Night
The Bhopal gas tragedy was the world's worst industrial accident. Tens of thousands of people died and many more suffered long term illnesses when lethal methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in the city in central India on 2nd December 1984.
For the previous two years one man had been predicting that Bhopal was an accident waiting to happen. Forty years ago this month the Bhopali journalist Rajkumar Keswani wrote his first article warning of the dangers posed by safety lapses at the plant. During a dogged investigation pitting him against political power, corporate money and the indifference of the media and public opinion, he never gave up. This cinematic documentary series tells his story for the first time.
Episode 5. The Fatal Night
As the city slept on the night of the 2nd December 1984, a huge leak of lethal methyl isocyanate escaped from the Bhopal Union Carbide chemical plant. Keswani realises his worst fears have come to pass. All his warnings have been ignored and now people are dying in their thousands before him. Union Carbide refuses to divulge what gas has been released and hospital doctors are helpless, not knowing what treatment to administer desperate patients.
After the tragedy, Rajkumar Keswani is honoured with India's most prestigious award for journalism. In his acceptance speech he said he was receiving this award for his greatest journalistic failure.
Narrator Narinder Samra
Written and researched by Anubha Yadav and Radhika Kapur
Music and Sound Design by Shreyan Chatterjee
Studio Mix Donald McDonald
Producer Neil McCarthy
SUN 00:30 From Fact to Fiction (m001fd9b)
The Vase
Writer and podcaster Georgina Scull creates a fictional response to a story in this week's news.
It's Black Friday this week, and Anne is ticking off her list. Her tiny suitcase will soon be full and she'll leave forty-odd years worth of stuff behind in the house. Including all the things she bought for her husband: so many thoughtful gifts.
Most of which she bought after his death.
Because in death, Michael could be all the things he wasn't in life.
Georgina Scull's first book is 'Regrets of the Dying', a powerful, moving and hopeful book exploring what people regret most when they are dying and how this can help us lead a better life. It is based on a successful podcast of the same name. Georgina's other work has been shortlisted for several awards, including the Orange Prize for Screenwriting.
Reader...Fiona Skinner
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fm71)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fm76)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fm7b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001fm7h)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001fm1b)
The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Kettering in Northamptonshire
Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Peter and St Paul, Kettering in Northamptonshire. The Grade One listed Gothic church and tall spire dominates the view across this ancient market town. There are twelve bells cast in 2004 by Whitechapel of London. The tenor bell weighs twenty one and a quarter hundredweight and is tuned to E Flat. We hear them ringing Cambridge Surprise Maximus.
SUN 05:45 Profile (m001fm0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001flz0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b03jyf67)
Anticipation
Mark Tully looks at both sides of anticipation and how we can either relish or dread what is to come. He considers the problems of anticipating too much, or too little, with the help of Thomas Hardy, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Linda Pastan and Winnie the Pooh.
Can neuroscience explain why the anticipation of something bad is often worse than the actual event or the prospect of a treat sometimes better than the treat itself? And does the anticipation of the future, either good or bad, mean that we risk squandering the present? Or as Seneca said, "Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today."
Producer is Adam Fowler.
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001flz2)
Farming in the Arctic
In this programme, Marnie Chesterton visits a sheep farm in Southern Greenland. She meets Carl and Ellen Frederiksen who farm in the small town of Qassiarsuk. It's accessible by boat most of the year, and sometimes by car - but only if the fjord fully freezes over in the winter. Marnie finds out what life is like trying to make a living from livestock on this remote farm, where the Frederiksens keep 650 ewes and 20 rams, producing around 1000 lambs a year. She discovers a beautiful landscape of mountains and brightly-coloured houses, visits the Illunnguujuk B&B which school teacher Ellen also runs on the farm, and finds out how the changing climate is affecting farmers in Greenland.
Presented by Marnie Chesterton and produced by Sam Baker.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m001flz4)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001flz6)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001flz8)
Islamic Art; Faith & Politics; Favourite Carols
Islam has given the world some exquisite and spectacularly beautiful art. Now, modern Islamic Art is being celebrated at Bayt Al Fann, a two-day international digital festival on 28-29 November. The event will showcase contemporary artists from across the world, who have been inspired by the Islamic tradition. It will also explore how Islamic art might evolve in the future. William Crawley meets two of the artists, British-Bahraini poet Taher Adel, who is a spoken word performer and Samira Mian who uses watercolours to paint sacred Islamic geometry. There are more details about the Bayt Al Fann website at https://www.baytalfann.com/
Can faith and politics really mix? William speaks to Tim Farron, the former Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party and sitting MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale about his new book ‘A Mucky Business’ Why Christians Should Get Involved in Politics.
What is your favourite Christmas carol, and why do you love it so much? During Advent, we are teaming up with the BBC Radio 3 Saturday Breakfast team to celebrate some of the nation's most popular carols. Today, presenter Elizabeth Alker meets composer and conductor John Rutter, to discuss Once In Royal David's City. Email us and tell us about your favourite carol and why it's important to you: sunday@bbc.co.uk
Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Louise Clark-Rowbotham
Presenter: William Crawley
(Image courtesy of Samira Mian)
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001flzb)
Toybox
Richard Coles makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the children's charity Toybox.
To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- 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 ‘Toybox’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Toybox’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at
23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.
Registered charity number: 1084243
SUN 07:57 Weather (m001flzd)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001flzg)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001flzj)
First Sunday of Advent
Marking the beginning of the season of Advent, with John Bell of the Iona Community and Rev Carolyn Kelly, University Chaplain.
Live from the Memorial Chapel of Glasgow University with the Chapel Choir directed by Katy Lavinia Cooper.
John explores 'The best of times and the worst of times' – what part does God play in the brokenness of the world
which so many are experiencing so painfully?
This Advent reflection invites deeper thought on how Christ’s presence unfolds that mystery.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001fdbc)
The End of the Line
Adam Gopnik, recently recovered from his first bout of Covid, explores the profound impact of the pandemic on our whole belief system.
'Covid acted as a kind of universal solvent,' Adam writes, 'dissolving pretty much everyone's expectations of what could happen in the world'.
He looks in particular at the concept of ‘trusting the science’ and argues that ‘science is not a transaction of faith but of accumulated confidence’.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkyn2)
Snow Goose
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the snow goose found breeding across Canada and Alaska. Although most snow geese are all-white with black wing-tips, some known as blue geese are blue-ish grey with white heads. Snow geese breed in the tundra region with goslings hatching at a time to make the most of rich supply of insect larvae and berries in the short Arctic summer. As autumn approaches though, the geese depart and head south before temperatures plummet, and the tundra becomes sealed by snow and ice. As they head for areas rich in grain and nutritious roots hundreds of thousands of snow geese fill the sky with their urgent clamour providing one of the greatest wildfowl spectacles in the world.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001flzl)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001flzn)
Writer, Daniel Thurman
Director, Peter Leslie Wild
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Neil Carter ….. Brian Hewlett
Vince Casey ….. Tony Turner
Ruairi Donovan ….. Arthur Hughes
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Paul Mack ….. Joshua Riley
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Julianne ….. Lisa Bowerman
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001flzq)
Baz Luhrmann, director
Baz Luhrmann is an Australian director whose debut film, Strictly Ballroom, became one of Australia’s most successful releases, and also inspired the title of the BBC’s popular Saturday night dance show. He went on to direct Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, the Great Gatsby and, more recently, Elvis starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.
Baz was born Mark Andrew Luhrmann in 1962. His friends nicknamed him Baz after the puppet Basil Brush because of his unruly hair. When he was five the family moved to Herons Creek, a remote settlement in New South Wales. Several years later Baz started ballroom dancing after he picked up a leaflet advertising classes while travelling on a bus.
At drama school in Sydney he devised a play called Strictly Ballroom with his fellow students and later wrote a screenplay with his school friend Craig Pearce. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992 where it received a rapturous response and went on to win eight Australian Film Institute awards and three BAFTAs.
Baz’s most recent film, Elvis, tells the life of Elvis Presley from the perspective of his infamous manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. The film has been a commercial success – making almost $300 million around the world to date.
In addition to making feature films Baz has directed theatre and opera productions. He lives mainly in New York with his wife and frequent collaborator, the production designer Catherine Martin, and their two children.
DISC ONE: Changes by David Bowie
DISC TWO: One by John Farnham
DISC THREE: Spanish Flea by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
DISC FOUR: Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley
DISC FIVE: Puccini: La Boheme / Act 1 - 'Che gelida manina' by Luciano Pavarotti
DISC SIX: Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack
DISC SEVEN: Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, MYA, Pink
DISC EIGHT: No Church in the Wild by JAY Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, The-Dream
BOOK CHOICE: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
LUXURY ITEM: A silk eye mask
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Puccini: La Boheme / Act 1 - 'Che gelida manina' by Luciano Pavarotti
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001fm02)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fd42)
Series 78
Episode 2
This series of Radio 4's multi-award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’ promises more homespun wireless entertainment for the young at heart. This week the programme pays a return visit to the Stockport Plaza where Jon Culshaw and Jan Ravens are pitched against Milton Jones and Andy Hamilton, with Jack Dee in the chair. At the piano - Colin Sell.
Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001flzx)
Fred Sirieix: A Life Through Food
Fred Sirieix, the French maître d’ joins Jaega Wise to share his ‘Life Through Food’ and passion for hospitality. It’s been a decade since Fred started to appear on television, and he’s best known for being the Front of House on the long-running Channel 4 series First Dates. But before that, Fred had reached the top of his profession working in some of London’s most prestigious restaurants, and has been flying the flag for Front of House roles since he left catering college.
Fred has presented and co-hosted many programmes, including Million Pound Menu, Remarkable Places to Eat, Michel Roux’s Service and Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip. In a world full of celebrity chefs, Fred has become Britain’s only famous maître d’, and his role on television is helping to raise the profile of Front of House jobs.
In this programme, Fred takes us back to his upbringing and training which installed his passion for hospitality. He discusses why he thinks Front of House roles are perceived differently in the UK compared to France, and tells Jaega more about the art of hospitality which is essential to the success of any restaurant business. Jaega also speaks to Fred’s friend and former boss, chef Michel Roux Jr, and we hear about Fred's quest to demystify wine.
Presented by Jaega Wise and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol
SUN 12:57 Weather (m001fm03)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001fm08)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world
SUN 13:30 Faith in Music (m000q3g1)
Thomas Tallis
Catholic composer Sir James MacMillan considers the faith lives of four very different composers.
Over the centuries, composers have created musical masterpieces which many listeners have come to regard as spiritual touchstones. For example, Tallis's motet Spem in alium, Wagner’s opera Parsifal, Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, Bernstein's Mass. But what did these composers actually believe about God, faith, compassion, an afterlife and redemption? And do we need to share these beliefs in any way, to have a spiritual experience as listeners to their music?
Answers to these questions are complex, fascinating and challenging.
Thomas Tallis witnessed England's faith switch four times in his life, yet he cleverly survived without persecution to live into his 80s. He composed through the reign of Henry VIII, who broke away from Rome to create the Church of England. Then, he had to totally switch his compositional style to please Edward VI. Mary I was a Catholic, which signalled a return to earlier techniques. And finally, Protestant Elizabeth I required a different type of religious music again.
James MacMillan talks with conductors Harry Christophers, Peter Phillips and Suzi Digby about the sort of man Thomas Tallis must have been to not only survive the religious and political upheavals that he witnessed throughout his life, but also to compose some of the most magnificent English choral music ever written.
The programme features the following music by Tallis:
Salvator mundi
If ye love me
Gaude gloriosa Dei Mater
Puer natus est nobis
Lamentations of Jeremiah
Spem in alium
Plus: O Radiant Dawn by James MacMillan
Produced by Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001fd98)
Bath
Do you really need to wait until the freezing depths of winter before pruning a climbing rose? How do you start a compost heap? And what exactly is Fuchsia gall mite?
Garden designers Chris Bearshaw, Juliet Sargeant, and RHS Wisley curator Matthew Pottage are ready to answer questions from a live audience in Bath. On his way to the hall, Peter Gibbs takes a stroll with historian Professor Marion Harney through Bath's historic Pleasure Gardens - gardens which often feature in Jane Austen's writing.
Also on the programme, Ashley Edwards heads to Gladstone Park in North London to speak to garden designer Antonia Couling and artist Harun Morrison about their landscape garden feature The Anchor, The Drum, The Ship.
Producer - Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 What Really Happened in the Nineties? (m00174kt)
10. No Frills Air Travel
Here we are in 2022 navigating cancel culture, Brexit, identity politics, war in Europe.
How did we get here? Did we miss something? Robert Carlyle is here to show us that we did. That the world we live in was shaped by the forgotten decade: the 1990s.
From Hong Kong to Moscow, Cool Britannia to No Frills flights, we travel back in time to key moments in the '90s that reverberate today in unexpected ways.
Episode 10: No Frills Air Travel
Today Robert touches down on the first days of budget air travel in the mid 90s. The industry had just been deregulated and entrepreneurial disruptors were ready to radically reinvent the way we travel. No longer the preserve of the rich or a once the year treat, soon millions of us would be taking to the skies and life would never be the same again.
Historical Consultant Simon Calder
Music and Sound Design Phil Channell
Producer Neil McCarthy
SUN 15:00 Working Titles (m001fm0d)
Microserfs: Part 1
Dan is a Microsoft employee in desperate need of ‘a life’. His world can be summed up as eat, sleep, code, repeat, and he’s not quite feeling himself.
So when the chance comes along for him and his friends to leave Microsoft to form a Silicon Valley start-up, will they take the risk and leap into the unknown?
A brand new take on Douglas Coupland’s funny, classic 1995 novel which takes a microscope to working culture in the early days of the Silicon Valley tech boom. Part of Radio 4's Working Titles season looking at the changing world of work.
CAST
Dan ….. Will Merrick
Karla ….. Samantha Dakin
Bug ….. Matthew Needham
Michael ….. Freddie Meredith
Todd ….. Chris Lew Kum Hoi
Susan ….. Chloë Sommer
Abe ….. Hughie O’Donnell
Ethan ….. Tom Kiteley
Dan’s Mum ….. Joanna Monro
Dan’s Dad ….. Roger Ringrose
Written By Douglas Coupland
Dramatised By Theo Toksvig-Stewart
Directed By Anne Isger
Sound by Cal Knightley, Pete Ringrose, David Gregory, Billy Godfrey
Production Co-ordination by Luke MacGregor
Writer and artist Douglas Coupland has written thirteen novels (including Generation X: Tales For An Accelerated Culture, JPod, Generation A). Microserfs was published in 1995.
Theo Toksvig-Stewart is a writer for stage, radio, television and film. The radio version of Theo’s acclaimed theatre play Endless Second was shortlisted for the best radio drama at the Prix Italia 2022 and received a ‘Special Mention’.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001fm0g)
Women subverting horror with Mariana Enríquez, Claire Kohda and Sophie White
Octavia Bright talks to highly-acclaimed Argentinian author Mariana Enríquez. about her unsettling new novel which addresses the horrors of her country's past through the prism of family, heritage and the occult.
And how are a new wave of women writers subverting traditional forms of horror fiction? Claire Kohda discusses the connections between mixed-race experiences and vampires, and Irish writer Sophie White explains why women have always had an affinity with the often male-dominated genre.
Book List – Sunday 27 November and Thursday 1 December
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
Dracula by Bram Stoker,
Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri
Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Leigh Allen
SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001fm0j)
The Secret of the Rocks
On a remote beach in the North of Scotland, lines of mysterious verse have been appearing. Carved into the rocks in beautiful script, the poetry is only visible for a short time at low tide. And to add to the mystery, it appears to be in Spanish. Who wrote these lines? Who has been carving them? And why here?
Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about the poems that go with us through life. She speaks to people about the poems - and bits of poems - that mean the most to them. She finds out why the poems matter, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it and in what context, and how does it work on us?
Andrew Simpson, the photographer who discovered the carvings, shows Vanessa his finds. And Dr Dominic Moran of the University of Oxford fills in the details of the poet's biography. With readings by Eduardo Bozzo.
Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio
SUN 17:00 Today (m001ffqt)
The Today Debate: Channel crossings and the asylum system. Can we fix it?
In a year that has seen tens of thousands of arrivals on the coast, Mishal Husain discusses Channel crossings and the asylum system with a panel of guests in front of an audience in the BBC's Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House, London. Joining Mishal are the Conservative Leader of Kent County Council, Roger Gough; the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Bishop of Dover; the Daily Telegraph Columnist, Sherelle Jacobs; former head of the UK Border Force, Tony Smith and the Labour Peer and former Director of the human rights organisation Liberty, Baroness Shami Chakrabati.
SUN 17:40 Profile (m001fm0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001fm0n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m001fm0q)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fm0s)
Some protesting against China's zero-Covid policy have called for President Xi to resign.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001fm0v)
Mobeen Azhar
Journalist and film-maker Mobeen Azhar with a personal selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001fm0x)
Tracy discusses Christmas with Jazzer, Chelsea and Brad. She’s buying Christmas lunch bit by bit as she can’t afford a massive food shop. When talk turns to presents, Brad and Chelsea say they don’t want any. Jazzer points out that it’ll kill Tracy not to buy presents for them. But Chelsea’s adamant she doesn’t want Tracy running up debt. Later, Tracy tells Jazzer her children deserve a proper Christmas, but she can’t afford it. Jazzer comes up with the idea of blagging a totally free Christmas by signing up for free stuff online. He’s already entered a load of competitions. He thinks it might be fun and Tracy agrees he might be onto something.
Tracy helps set up the Winter Warmer at the Bull. Kenton’s worried no-one will come, but later when lots of people arrive, including the Horrobin household, Kenton and Jolene agree that it’s been a great success. Kenton notices Jolene’s a bit down and she explains that when she took Jill Christmas shopping earlier, Jill took her to one side to say she hadn’t wanted Jolene there as she wanted to be alone with Leonard. Jill’s been feeling a bit smothered by Jolene.
Joy chats to Mick about her first choir rehearsal with Fallon this week, suggesting Mick joins too. They head to the Winter Warmer where Jolene’s looking for choir members. Thinking she’s Fallon, Mick asks Jolene if he can join her choir, and she takes him on. But when he tells Joy, she points out he’s just joined a rival choir to hers.
SUN 19:15 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001fm0z)
The Workplace Crush Problem
So - you fancy your boss but he wants to keep it casual? You've had second thoughts about joining a book club? You're convinced your dog seems to hate you? Life is addressed from every angle, with their trademark wisdom and good humour, by Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn.
From dilemmas about life, love and grief, to the perils of laundry or knowing what to say at a boring dinner, we’ll find out what Marian and Tara would recommend - which might not solve the problem exactly, but will make us all feel a bit better.
Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.
Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.
Producer: Steve Doherty.
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
SUN 19:45 Voices in the Valley (p0d8kl54)
5: Natural Remedies
Ten chilling strange tales from the British folk-horror author Andrew Michael Hurley.
Barrowbeck, in the north of England, has a reputation for strangeness. It is a place that brings out the sin in people. But despite the dark, the cold, the isolation, people have managed to live there for centuries - until the river finally got the better of them. And now the past voices of Barrowbeck want to tell their tales...
Today: In the midst of an unexpectedly fertile summer in Barrowbeck, a childless couple make an agonising decision....
Writer: Andrew Michael Hurley
Reader: Siobhan Finneran
Producer: Justine Willett
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001fd9k)
The Welsh national football team has made the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. Graham Davies, Managing Editor, Sport at BBC Wales joins Andrea Catherwood to answer listeners’ comments and discuss the challenges of reporting on football and the issues surrounding it at the World Cup in Qatar.
The Radio 4 drama Dear Harry Kane by writer James Fritz highlighted the plight of the migrant workers who built the stadiums in Qatar. The play centres around Nisal, played by Hiran Abeysekera, a life-long Spurs fan from Sri Lanka. He travels to Qatar to work on the construction of the stadiums where his hero, Harry Kane, will one day play. But nothing can prepare Nisal for the working conditions he faces. It struck a chord with many of you.
Salford flatmates Gabe Brindle and Yonna Rogers are our listeners in the Vox Box. With local radio facing new cuts to programmes, they review BBC Radio Lancashire’s Garry Scott.
And comedian turned copper Alfie Moore from Radio 4 comedy It’s a Fair Cop faces a listener interrogation.
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001fd9f)
Mehran Karimi Nasseri, Ann Savours, Sue Baker, Wilko Johnson
Matthew Bannister on
Mehran Karimi Nasseri – otherwise known as Sir Alfred (pictured). He was the Iranian migrant who lived for eighteen years in terminal one of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
Sue Baker, the motoring journalist who presented Top Gear.
Ann Savours, the archivist and polar historian who wrote books on the search for the Northwest Passage and Captain Scott’s ship the Discovery.
Wilko Johnson, the former guitarist with Dr Feelgood who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2013 and given ten months to live. He undertook a farewell tour, but then a nine hour operation changed the prognosis.
Producer: Neil George
Interviewed guest: John Shirley
Interviewed guest: Robert Headland
Interviewed guest: Michael Palin
Interviewed guest: Paul Schroeder
Interviewed guest: Martin Gurdon
Interviewed guest: Vicki Butler-Henderson
Interviewed guest: Andrew Donkin
Archive clips used: Clip from the trailer for Terminal Man, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers YouTube Channel, Uploaded 13/12/2017; Clip from the trailer for Jonathan Dove's opera 'Flight', Minnesota Opera YouTube Channel, Uploaded on 24/01/2020; BBC Archive: BBC World News - 13/11/2022: An Iranian man who lived in a Paris airport for 18 years has died; BBC Archive, Top Gear 27/09/1983; BBC Sound Archive, Mastertapes 19/05/2018; BBC Archive, World News 07/08/2013
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001fm12)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001flzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (m001fd4h)
Can we ever really tackle rising public spending?
Last week, the government unveiled around £30bn worth of cuts to public services as it attempts to plug a fiscal hole. Governments have attempted to rein in spending in the past and struggled to do so.
Philip Coggan takes a look at why public spending tends to rise in the long run and the continuing political battle to contain it.
Guests:
David Gauke, former Conservative MP and Treasury minister from 2010 to 2017
Carys Roberts, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research
Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow of the Institute for Government
Producer: Ben Carter
Production co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: James Beard
Editor: Clare Fordham
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001fm14)
Carolyn Quinn talks to the Conservative MP William Wragg about his decision to stand down at the next election and morale within his party; her panel also includes the Shadow Immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock and the political strategist and communications expert, Jo Tanner. They also discuss the small boats issue and the potential for further high-profile environmental protests.
SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001fm16)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b03jyf67)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2022
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001fm18)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Sideways (m001fcsp)
35. The Riddle
In 2113, a riddle will be solved under the Eiffel Tower. Matthew Syed tells the story of a riddle hidden in the video game Trials Evolution (Ubisoft Redlynx) that became a worldwide treasure hunt that’s yet to be solved, as he considers the role of legacy.
Matthew asks how thinking beyond our lifetimes could make life in the present more impactful and might also challenge us to consider how we meet the problems of the future.
With Antti Ilvessuo, creator of the riddle, co-Founder and ex-creative director of RedLynx; Brad Kirby, Trials Evolution super fan and expert aka Professor FatShady; Dr Philip Cozzolino, University of Essex; and Kimberly Wade-Benzoni, Professor of Management and Organizations and Center of Leadership and Ethics Scholar at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer and Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Executive Producer: Max O'Brien
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Sideways music theme by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001fm1b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fm1d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fm1g)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fm1j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001fm1l)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fm1n)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001fm1r)
There should be a national body to deliver science more quickly to farmers - that’s the conclusion of a report looking at ways to boost productivity and innovation on UK farms. The Application of Science Report says the current system is too fragmented and the UK is falling behind other countries. Lord Curry of Kirkharle who chaired the working group behind the report tells Charlotte Smith that there is an urgent need for farms to boost productivity.
Farmers, food producers and campaigners have been discussing a better food system for Wales. Farming Today has a report.
And we begin a week looking at all things equine, hearing how the cost of living crisis and the spiralling cost of keeping a horse, is making life difficult for owners of riding schools and stables.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Alun Beach
Editor: Dimitri Houtart
MON 05:56 Weather (m001fm1t)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09h6x6h)
Mark Cocker on the Short-eared Owl
Despite having a call like an asthmatic dog, for birdwatcher and naturalist Mark Cocker, the flight of a wintering short-eared owl is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see.
Producer Tim Dee
Photograph Steve Boddy.
MON 06:00 Today (m001fm6f)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001fm6p)
Faith: lost in translation?
Real faith ‘passes first through the body/ like an arrow’ so writes the American-Iranian poet Kaveh Akbar. In his collection Pilgrim Bell he plays with the physical and divine, the human capacity for cruelty and grace, and the reality of living as a Muslim in an Islamophobic nation.
The Anglican priest and biblical scholar John Barton turns his attention to the word of God as it has travelled across the world. The Bible have been translated thousands of times into more than 700 languages. In The Word he traces the challenges of crossing linguistic borders from antiquity to the present, while remaining faithful to the original.
Faith, fanaticism and fame combine in Emma Donoghue’s novel, The Wonder, now made into a film, starring Florence Pugh. It follows the story of a young girl in 1860s Ireland who stops eating, but miraculously stays alive, and the nurse sent to discover the truth.
Producer: Katy Hickman
Image: From the film, 'The Wonder'. (L to R) Florence Pugh as Lib Wright, Josie Walker as Sister Michael in The Wonder. Cr. Aidan Monaghan/Netflix © 2022
MON 09:45 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fm9x)
Episode 1
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.
In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.
Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.
'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton
'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney
'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr
The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fm73)
Ricki Lake talks about latest project. Sexual abuse in the navy. China protests. Camilla's Squad.
Ricki Lake is widely known for her American talk show in the '90s and early 2000s. She's an actor and a producer as well as an independent filmmaker. Emma talks to her about her role as Executive Producer, on a new documentary "The Business of Birth Control" which looks at the complex relationship between hormonal birth control and women's health and liberation.
The head of the Royal Navy has defended the way the service handles allegations of rape and sexual abuse. Admiral Sir Ben Key says the Navy had changed how it investigates complaints. His defence follows a very memorable interview earlier this month with a woman we called 'Catherine' . She called for the complaints process to be made independent of the Royal Navy. He gave his response on yesterday's Broadcasting House.
Over the weekend we learned that Camilla, the Queen Consort, has created a squad of her own. Rather than opting for ladies-in-waiting, she will instead be helped by "Queen's companions". Camilla has picked six of her closest friends and their role will include helping her at public events. We hear from journalist Claire Cohen, author of 'BFF? The Truth about Female Friendship.'
Extraordinary protests in China grew over the weekend as people in cities across the country demonstrate their frustration at President Xi Jinping’s zero-covid approach, with some people calling for him to resign. Noticeable among these protestors are the numbers of young women, being called the ‘prominent voices’ of the action.
Yuan Ren is a Chinese journalist and former editor of Time Out Beijing, and Isabel Hilton is the founder of China Dialogue, a non-profit independent organisation that works to promote an understanding of China's challenges,.
Presenter Emma Barnett
Producer Beverley Purcell
MON 11:00 The Untold (m001fm77)
The Prayer Wall
Richard Gamble believes God has given him a mission: to build a huge national monument, made from a million bricks, each representing an answered Christian prayer.
It seems an impossible task for a sports chaplain who has no experience of construction. And yet over the past eight years, he's managed to pull together a project team, raise thousands of pounds and launch a global design competition with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
But before a single brick can be laid, they need to secure a site to lay it. Richard hopes lie in the Edmistons - a family multimillionaires and evangelical Christians, who own extensive land in the West Midlands.
Will his hopes be realised? Will he find a home for the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer?
Producer: Becca Bryers
MON 11:30 Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys (m000nll9)
Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
The author Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, Private Peaceful) explores the ways in which folk songs have reflected timeless human experiences, both in the past and today.
With help from singers, songwriters and other passionate experts, Michael admires the indelible stories within classic songs that deal with migration, war, protest and love.
Over the four themed episodes, Michael considers the locations and historical contexts that gave rise to much-loved traditional songs, and finds out how the same topics are inspiring new folk songs in the 2020s.
In the first episode, Michael considers a song about an injured man returning from war: Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye.
With Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Karine Polwart, Ian Lynch, Georgina Boyes, Ashley Hutchings, Nancy Kerr and Ralph McTell.
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
MON 12:00 News Summary (m001fmbh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001fm7k)
Adult social care reform, Energy credit balances, Revolut fraud victims
We speak to the Government's Care Minister, Helen Whately, about the future of adult social care. We discuss ongoing problems with care home visiting bans despite all Covid restrictions in health and care settings in England having been lifted since March this year. We also ask what the Government is planning to do to reform social care and why the much awaited cap on care costs which was due to come in next Autumn has been delayed another two years until 2025.
We reveal that the amount of money energy firms are holding on to in overpayments from customers is on the rise again. The regulator, Ofgem, has told You and Yours that companies held £1.8 billion pounds in overpayments from customers for gas and electricity in the 12 months leading up to May this year. That figure is up on the previous year although not as high as in 2016 when a You and Yours investigation found companies back then were holding £4 billion of customers' money in surplus cash. We hear from a listener who is owed hundreds of pounds by his supplier. We also speak to the consumer rights expert, Martyn James, about what customers can do to get a refund if their accounts are in credit.
Our investigative reporter, Shari Vahl, speaks to three people who were conned into handing over tens of thousands of pounds to criminals. All three were customers of Revolut, a British financial technology company based in London offering banking services. We hear from Chris Helmsley, Managing Director of the UK’s Payment Systems Regulator. We also speak to Aaron Elliott-Gross, Head of Fraud and Financial Crime at Revolut, about why his organisation won't be reimbursing its customers in full.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Tara Holmes
MON 12:57 Weather (m001fm7r)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m001fm7y)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
MON 13:45 Understand: The Economy (p0df7gzl)
Series 1
The Economy: 6. Recessions
What is a recession and what causes a recession? Whether something suddenly makes you poorer or just makes you worry about becoming poorer, when you cut your spending in the shops, this affects other people and ripples through the economy. Tim Harford explains the role a government can play in pulling a country out of a recession and Cambridge University Economic Historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of one of our longest recessions that started in 1921.
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.
Guest: Professor Richard Davies, University of Bristol
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Clare Fordham
Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music
A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m001fm0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (m000m09w)
The Other Tchaikovsky
The story of self-confessed outlaw and villain, activist, fraudster, lesbian club owner and visionary, Chris Tchaikovsky - a woman who defied definition and found homes in multiple worlds.
A collaboration between writer Harriet Madeley and the Prison Radio Association, the charity that invented and runs the world's first national radio station for people in prison, National Prison Radio.
Chris Tchaikovsky's life impacted countless people and sent shock waves through the Ministry of Justice, but the details of her story are little known. Here, fragments of her story are recounted by people who knew her, voiced by actors.
The Other Tchaikovsky takes us from the 1950s to the 90s, from Dartmoor to gangland Soho, Holloway prison to Lombok. We hear about Chris’s creation of fraudster gang The Happy Firm in the 60s, the iconic Women’s City Disco in the 80s, and finally, Women in Prison, the charity that remains at the forefront of campaigning for penal reform for women today.
In prison herself, Chris encountered women locked in a cycle of incarceration, an overwhelming number of them victims of abuse, and a system that couldn't deal with the needs of the women in its care. During her final sentence at Holloway, a woman burned to death in her cell. It was said the alarm bell had been cut so that staff could sleep.
The story of a remarkable woman, The Other Tchaikovsky also tells the stories behind many other women in the criminal justice system.
Cast:
Sheila Atim
Harriet Madeley
Jenna Russell
John Madeley
Victoria Ebun
SCRIPT: Harriet Madeley
SOUND DESIGN: Tom Foskett-Barnes
DIRECTOR: Jessica Edwards
PRODUCER: Andrew Wilkie
Includes excerpts from 'Criminal Women' (Tchaikovsky, O'Dwyer et al), published by Polity Books. Used with permission.
A Prison Radio Association production for BBC Radio 4
MON 15:00 Nature Table (m001fm83)
Series 3
Episode 1
Join comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins as she hosts Nature Table: a comedy ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.
Nature Table has a simple, clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
Recorded at The Eden Project, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Billy Heaney (Zoologist), Holly Smith-Baedorf (RSPB & Ecologist) and comedian Anna Keirle.
Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Simon Nicholls
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin
A BBC Studios Production
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001flzx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Norwegian Hancock (m001d57l)
Its 50 years since the first broadcast of Norway’s most successful comedy - the misadventures of Marve Fleksnes (Rolv Wesenlund), a proud, arrogant storage consultant who, over 30 years, became a beloved figure for generations.
But unbeknown to the audiences in Scandinavia, this cultural icon was in fact a reimagining of Galton and Simpson’s Hancock. Four years after his death, Tony Hancock’s iconic down-at-heel comedy persona had found a new lease of life.
Culminating in 2002, the finale was watched by half the Norwegian population. While most episodes were translations of existing scripts, the finale featuring Marve’s death, was written especially for Fleksnes by Galton and Simpson - making it truly the final Hancock script.
Paul Merton investigates just how the character was transformed from Anthony Aloysius St John to become Marve Almar, what he means to Norwegian society, and why Norway was a perfect cultural fit for duo’s comic creation.
Featuring interviews with the original director and cast, as well as actor Kevin McNally and archive of Galton and Simpson.
Producer: John Wakefield
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
Photo: Marve Fleksnes played by Rolv Wesenlund (NRK TV)
MON 16:30 Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics (m001fm8m)
You Will Not Replace Us
"You will not replace us" was the battle cry of white supremacists at a rally in Charlottesville in 2017. They were expressing an old fear - the idea that immigrants and people of colour will out-breed and replace the dominant white 'race'. Exactly the same idea suffused American culture in the first decades of the 1900s, as millions of immigrants arrived at Ellis island from southern and eastern Europe.
The 'old-stock' Americans - the white elite who ruled industry and government - latched on to replacement theory and the eugenic idea of 'race suicide'. It's all there in The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel set in 1922 - which takes us into the world of the super-rich - their parties and their politics.
Amidst this febrile period of cultural and economic transformation, the Eugenics Record Office is established. Led by Charles Davenport and Harry Laughlin, it becomes a headquarters for the scientific and political advancement of eugenics.
By 1924, the eugenically informed anti-immigrant movement has triumphed - America shut its doors with the Johnson-Reed Act, and the flow of immigrants is almost completely stoppped.
Contributors: Dr Thomas Leonard, Professor Sarah Churchwell, Professor Joe Cain
Featuring the voices of David Hounslow, Joanna Monro and Hughie O'Donnell
Music and Sound Design by Jon Nicholls
Presented by Adam Rutherford
Produced by IIan Goodman
Clips: BBC News, coverage of Charlottesville protests, 2017 / CNN, coverage of buffalo shooter, 2022 / MSNBC, coverage of buffalo shooter, 2022 / Edison, Orange, N.J, 1916, Don't bite the hand that's feeding you, Jimmie Morgan, Walter Van Brunt, Thomas Hoier / BBC Radio 4 Great Gatsby: Author, F Scott Fitzgerald Director: Gaynor Macfarlane, Dramatised by Robert Forrest.
MON 17:00 PM (m001fm8v)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fm9d)
Protests against Beijing's strict Covid restrictions appear to have died down.
MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fm9s)
Series 78
Episode 3
The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. Tony Hawks and Jo Brand compete against Marcus Brigstocke and Graeme Garden with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.
Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production
MON 19:00 The Archers (m001fmb7)
Ben’s been called in for a one-to-one with his university tutor. She’s got some concerns, not only with the standard of his work but the fact that he’s not been his usual positive self. She wonders if she can help. Ben apologises and says he’s had some stuff on recently that’s been distracting but promises to improve. When she suggests the university counselling service and other support, Ben says he’s ok. The thing he was dealing with is done now.
Pip tells Stella she’s worried about Ben, and that Ruth and David still aren’t talking to Jill. And she’s dreading picking up Rosie from school; she’ll find out her school Christmas Nativity part today and she desperately wants to be a sheep. Later Pip tells Stella that Rosie’s distraught – she’s got the part of a spider. When Stella suggests finding a way to show Rosie that the spider is the star of the show, Pip agrees but wonders how?
Pip catches up with Rex, telling him Ben’s really stressed and hasn’t been out for ages. Rex suggests taking Ben fishing again and later drops in on Ben. But Ben says he’s got too much uni work to do. When Rex mentions Pip’s worried about him, Ben says he’s fine. Rex tests Ben on his coursework, but Ben’s really hard on himself. He worries he’ll be kicked off his course when it’s the one good thing in his life. He asks Rex to leave him to study. Rex says he’s there if Ben needs anything.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m001fmbl)
Turner Prize nominee Sin Wai Kin, Katherine Rundell on John Donne, Ballet Black
Author Katherine Rundell talks to Tom Sutcliffe about her book Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which has won this year’s The Baillie Gifford.
In the first in a series of interviews with the artists shortlisted for this year’s Turner Prize, Sin Wai Kin discusses how they use performance to challenge misogyny and racism.
The acclaimed dance company Ballet Black, known for giving a platform to Black and Asian dancers and choreographers, turns 20 this year. Michael McKenzie visits rehearsals to hear how they are marking the anniversary.
And as the Horniman Museum in London hands back their collection of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, Professor Abba Tijani, the Director General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, discusses what receiving the artworks means for Nigeria.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Emma Wallace
Image credit: Sin Wai Kin by Holly Falconer
MON 20:00 The New Age of Autarky? (m001fmbw)
The Future of Autarky
Whatever its economic merits, we seem to be living through an “autarkic turn” in national policymaking as the dream of globalisation sours. The shocks and anxieties spawned by the coronavirus pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the intensifying geopolitical struggle between China and the US, means many governments - from the US, to India, to China, to the UK, to the European Union - are seeking to boost national production of things like silicon microchips, food and medicines. And the climate crisis is creating an urgent new drive for energy independence, in the form of renewable power.
So what will this new age of autarky - if that’s what it is - feel like? In this final episode, Ben Chu, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, speaks to experts around the world, and visits a solar farm near Warminster, Wiltshire, to investigate the viability of energy autarky for the UK.
With contributions from:
Josh Stratton, managing partner of JM Stratton & Co farm
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy
Siddharth Mayur, CEO of H2E Power
Huiyao Wang, president of Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in China
Brad DeLong, economist and author of ‘Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century’
Journalist Cindy Yu
Presenter: Ben Chu
Producer: Anouk Millet
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001fcwv)
Trouble in Taiwan?
China’s President Xi Jinping says that Taiwan‘s reunification with the mainland “must and will be fulfilled.” The view from democratic Taiwan is somewhat different.
It’s a threat the islanders have been hearing ever since the 1949 Chinese Civil War, when the Government of the Republic of China was forced to relocate to Taiwan allowing the Chinese Communist Party to establish a new Chinese state: the People’s Republic of China.
But some sense that the increased rhetoric from China in recent months poses a real and present danger. Taiwanese billionaire Robert Tsao has pledged millions of pounds to train three million ‘civilian warriors’ in three years to defend the island should it be required. But will it come to that?
John Murphy is in Taiwan to talk to people there about what they think about the threat from China and whether they’d be prepared to fight to protect what they have.
Presenter: John Murphy
Producer: Ben Carter
Local producer and translator: Joanne Kuo
Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
MON 21:00 When Reality Breaks: Demystifying Paranoid Schizophrenia (m001fcjt)
Growing up in Canada, her father's delusions and paranoia gave Julia Shaw a front-row seat into an alternate reality Believing "they” were out to get him – including everyone from aliens to the Bin Laden family – he would later email her, warning that she too was targeted by those monitoring him. He believed that doctors too were part of the conspiracy - so has never had a diagnosis from a psychiatrist. Witnessing her father experiencing a parallel "reality" inspired Julia to look into the mind and she had a "lightbulb moment" at university studying psychology when she first heard a description of paranoid schizophrenia. We hear from Julia and her mum as they meet up, driving through Canada.
The well-known "positive" signs of a psychotic episode like hallucinations, paranoia and deluded thoughts can feel frightening to witness but Julia learns how the some families find it hardest to live with the "negative" symptoms like a Iack of motivation and difficulty in concentrating.
Julia talks to families who understand the demands of living with someone who has serious delusions – to hear what helped them to look after themselves as well as their loved one. We hear from Philippa whose son had his first episode of psychosis when he was at university. Although he now has the right medication to control his symptoms he struggles to motivate himself and a troubling side effect is weight gain which puts him at risk of physical health problems. Kate was only 11 when her cool, older brother Sean first showed the signs of schizophrenia. After numerous spells in hospital she remembers how he struggled to look after himself back in the community and became homeless, sometimes going missing Both women found support from Rethink Mental Illness, a charity which helps people severely affected by mental illness to improve their lives.
Kirsty was 8 years old when she started going to workshops with her dad at the Our Time charity, which supports any child with a parent affected by mental illness. She says that role play and talking openly with others about mental health helped to prepare her for when her dad had a psychotic episode on her 13th birthday: although it was frightening she recognised the signs and knew that they wouldn't last.
Another concern for Julia was the increased risk for family members who might inherit a disorder like paranoid schizophrenia. Dr Rick Adams explains how the risk is higher - at around 10%, it does mean there's a much higher likelihood that she hasn't inherited it.
One voice Julia feels is missing is that of the person who hears voices and believes them: she hasn't been able to reach her father. Instead she talks to Ashley who's 25 and is living with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Ashley explains how her voices were always male and it it's not a good idea for loved ones to tell a person having hallucinations that they're not real: they have to find this out for themselves. She says that educating herself about mental illness and her faith have helped her to keep calm, along with support from her family.
Like the other families she's spoken to Julia feels guilt about her father and wonders if she could have done more to help him - but hearing about support from charities makes her hopeful. And despite all the difficulties, she also recognises how he has passed onto her a love of learning and to stand up for herself.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001fm6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fmc8)
Anti-government protests in China
Also tonight:
We report on the asylum seekers living in UK hotels.
And the Iranian rapper who could face the death penalty.
MON 22:45 Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (m00101m1)
Episode 6
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s third novel published 7th September 2021 following on from the huge global success of her novels Conversations With Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018).
Niamh Algar is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed young actors. In addition to her most recent lead role in Channel 4’s Deceit, Niamh starred alongside Stephen Graham earlier this year in Shane Meadows highly acclaimed drama The Virtues. Niamh is currently filming a Netflix adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s psychological thriller The Wonder shooting in Wicklow.
Author: Sally Rooney
Reader: Niamh Algar
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Gemma McMullan
A BBC Northern Ireland Production.
MON 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001fmch)
Episode 7: A Dark Place
As the terrifying phenomena reach extreme heights, Bill and Liz are at their most desperate and scared. David Holmwood has convinced them it is the work of the Devil, but do the answers lie in the mysteries of the past? Danny learns about a violent murder that occurred 150 years ago – could it be linked to the events at Heol Fanog?
The Witch Farm reinvestigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set in the beautiful, remote Welsh countryside, this terrifying true story is told through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary.
Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit
2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into a real-life mystery.
Cast:
Bill Rich ...... Joseph Fiennes
Liz Rich ...... Alexandra Roach
David Holmwood …… Guy Henry
Liz Jones ..... Laura Dagleish
Laurence Rich ...... Jonathan Case
Ben Rich ...... Tom Barnard
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound design by Charlie Brandon-King and Richard Fox
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Gwenno
Researcher: Nancy Bottomley
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Mark Chadbourn, author of the book on the case 'Testimony'
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fmd0)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2022
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001fmdg)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fm9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fmdy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fmfd)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fmfv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001fmgf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fmgw)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001fmhf)
Pig producers are still facing difficult times. Although the price they receive has gone up, pig farmers are reported to be losing on average £33 per animal. The AHDB estimates the sector's lost £750 million over the past two years. It's now reported that major processors, Cranswick, are spending £4 million recruiting and training 400 butchers from the Philippines for their factories in Hull and Norfolk. There are also reports that the Danish pig herd has dropped to its lowest level in 22 years. and a significant amount of pork is imported into the UK from Denmark.
As Avian flu continues to hit farmed and wild birds, Wales and Northern Ireland join the rest of the UK this week, in having to house all domestic and commercial poultry.
Since the 1960's 'green revolution', farmers have been planting wheat which is shorter - or dwarfed varieties - which means they don't fall down in the field. However, climate change and lower water tables mean farmers need to plant wheat deeper in the ground and sometimes these dwarf varieties fail to emerge at all. Now scientists at John Innes in Norwich have isolated a gene which can be bred into new varieties without gene editing, which means the plants are still short but have better early growth to improve emergence.
Clydesdale horses are a native breed of Scotland, originally bred for heavy farm and industrial work. Now they're now on the Rare Breeds Survival Trusts' "at risk" register. The World Clydesdale Show in Aberdeen brought together more than 300 animals from all over the country, Europe - and even North America. An underground car park was turned into a giant livery yard and vintage machinery store for the week. Nancy Nicolson spoke to the breeders who champion Clydesdales around the world.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dx96d)
Goshawk
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes Games presents the Goshawk. A favourite bird of Martin Hughes-Games, the goshawk is a powerful deep-chested relative of the sparrowhawk: its name derives from "goose-hawk", though in practice goshawks rarely catch geese - they prefer woodpigeons, rabbits and squirrels. A female goshawk is a hefty bird, as big as a buzzard and much bulkier than her smaller mate.
TUE 06:00 Today (m001fm99)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (m001fm9n)
Political Comebacks
Jonathan Freedland sheds light on current events through stories from the past.
As Donald Trump announces he's running for President a second time Jonathan takes the Long View of political leaders who made a comeback. The 7th century Byzantine Emperor Justinian II generated enormous opposition during his first reign from 685 to 695 with unfair tax rises, military defeats and ultimately ordering mass murder in Constantinople. He was overthrown, had his nose cut off by way of punishment and banished in exile to modern day Kherson, in Ukraine. Now known as 'Slit Nose' he declared he would become emperor again and slipped back into Constantinople with a military consort and retook power. He then embarked on an even more despotic and bloodthirsty reign meting out vengeance on his enemies past and present, until his own life was brought to a violent end, abandoned by his troops.
And the only US President to ever gain office in two non consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland. In the 1880's and 1890's, the Democrat won each time on tight margins. Although he was seen as a hard working, upstanding politician of probity, scandal surrounding extra-marital relations and I child out of wedlock dogged his presidential campaign. He declared 'Reform!' on the bloated Civil Service but when the vote went against him after his first term he vowed to his support base that he may have lost the battle, but not the war and he would be back. Four years later, he was. But the second term was even less successful than the first.
With Professor Adam Smith from Oxford University and Associate Professor Rebecca Darley from University of Leeds
Readings by David Hounslow, Chloe Sommer and Roger Ringrose
Producer Neil McCarthy
TUE 09:30 Flight of the Ospreys (m001fmb0)
Into Morocco
Scotland's ospreys have started their epic Autumn migration to West Africa. A team of conservationists headed up by biologist Sacha Dench is following them all the way, aiming to discover much more about the journey that the ospreys make and the challenges they face along the way. Climate change is making weather patterns less predictable, crucial wetlands on their route are being poisoned by pesticides and depleted by drought and the birds have the unfortunate habit of electrocuting themselves when they land on powerlines with freshly caught fish.
Today, the Conservation Without Borders team discover the issues faced by migrating birds in Morocco.
Producers: Emily Knight and Alasdair Cross
TUE 09:45 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fmbc)
Episode 2
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.
In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.
Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.
'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton
'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney
'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr
The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fmbp)
Part-time work, sexual violence in conflict, graphic novel No Surrender
Today is day two of an international conference held here in the UK to prevent sexual violence in conflict and Emma Barnett will be talking to Lord Ahmad, who’s the Prime Minister’s special Envoy on this issue. It’s ten years since the conference began and Woman’s Hour will be looking at what progress has been made to date as well as hearing the testimony of Lejla Damon who was born after her mother was raped in the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s. Adopted by a British couple, she is now a campaigner raising awareness about rape as a weapon of war and the fallout for victims.
600,000 people in the UK are actively seeking jobs with part-time hours, most of them women – but just twelve percent of jobs advertised in the UK currently offer part-time hours. Those that do are mostly for low paid jobs. That’s according to new research from social enterprise & flexible working experts Timewise. Emma will be speaking to the co-founder of Timewise, Emma Stewart MBE about the impact this is having on both living standards and businesses as well as hearing from one highly successful working mum who’s desperate for more part time work whilst recovering from bone cancer, but has found it impossible to find anything that reflects her impressive skillset.
Sisters Sophie and Scarlett Rickard have brought the suffragette story to life in a new graphic novel called No Surrender. Based on the 1911 novel by the real life suffragette Constance Maud, they hope to make it accessible to a modern audience in a time when protest, and modes of protest, are being debated more than ever in the UK. They tell Emma about their creative process, being women in the world of comics, and living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore
TUE 11:00 Falling Stars (m001fmby)
In the history of science, many individuals are honoured by having technical terms named after them. To modern sensibilities, this is sometimes regrettable.
Poet Dr Sam Illingworth looks at the challenges of scientific terms named after people we perhaps wouldn't celebrate today. Who gets to choose them anyway?
It's one thing to quietly change the name of a scientific prize, a research facility or a lecture theatre. But how would you rename an element or a famous equation? With a book, a record or a painting we can choose to leave them on the shelf if we so wish, but some scientific names seem as hard-wearing as concrete...
Photo: The Pillars of Creation as captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope/JWST
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Written and presented by Sam Illingworth
Produced by Alex Mansfield
With contributions from:
Dr Emma Chapman, University of Nottingham author of "First Light"
Sam Kean, historian of science and author of "The Disappearing Spoon" and "The Icepick Surgeon".
Prof Natalie Bann, University of Victoria, British Columbia
Derek Robertson, artist, co-author of "Bho Bheul An Eòin / From The Bird's Mouth"
Derek's exhibition of the project is at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh until Dec 31st 2022.
TUE 11:30 The Exploding Library (m001fmc6)
The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks
Comedian and writer Athena Kugblenu searches for Rosemary Tonks, a poet and writer who "vanished like the Cheshire Cat" shortly after the height of her fame in the late 1960s. Changing her name and embracing a very specific form of Christianity, Tonks disavowed her previous literary life - to the point that she would visit libraries and bookshops and attempt to destroy her work.
How does Tonks' surreal, brittle, jet-black social satire The Bloater capture her world - and give us a hint of what might have precipitated her strange disappearance? More than that - can anyone ever really retract the tendrils of their creative life - even if they want to?
Featuring contributions from poet Brian Patten, editor and champion of Tonks's work Neil Astley, writer and Tonks fan Jennifer Hodgson, and New York Times religion correspondent Ruth Graham.
Reader: Beth Eyre
"Studio Producer": Tom Crowley
Written and presented by: Athena Kugblenu
Producer / Series Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
---
Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.
As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Kazuo Ishiguro, Rosemary Tonks and David Foster Wallace, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.
Featuring the comedic voices of Natasha Hodgson, Athena Kugblenu and John-Luke Roberts, and created by award-winning producers Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat) and Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), this is an arts documentary series like no other.
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001fmcj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001fmcx)
Call You and Yours - How is the current rail disruption affecting your life?
On today’s Call You and Yours we’re asking: How is the rail disruption affecting your life? Will you be driving home this Christmas?
New figures show the number of cancelled trains has reached a seven year high. According to the Office of Rail and Road, 314,000 services were fully or partially axed from the start of the year to the middle of October. That works out at roughly a thousand a day.
And those numbers don't include disruption caused by strikes - and there are more to come. The RMT union has announced a series of strikes before and after Xmas in a dispute over pay, working conditions and staffing.
So - are you abandoning trains and relying on the car - or perhaps resorting to some other form of transport?
Tell us - How is the rail disruption affecting your life?
Call 03700 100 444, lines open at
11am.
Or you can email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and don’t forget to leave us your phone number.
PRESENTER: Felicity Hannah
PRODUCER: Craig Henderson
TUE 12:57 Weather (m001fmdh)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m001fmdz)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
TUE 13:45 Understand: The Economy (p0df7j3k)
Series 1
The Economy: 7. Jobs and Unemployment
What happens when lots of people lose their jobs? Why might wages be low even though everyone who wants a job, has one? What do we mean by employment and unemployment and what does 'economic inactivity' mean? What is productivity and how does it relate to you and your job? Tim Harford explains, and Cambridge University Economic Historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of what happened when unemployment in the North East of England reached 70%.
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.
Guest: Professor Richard Davies, The University of Bristol
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Clare Fordham
Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music
A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001fmb7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (m000phxm)
Blue Thunder
Padraic Walsh’s gripping family drama about lives spinning out of control. In small-town Ireland, a father and his two adult sons are holed up in a minibus for the night. There’s no escape when the home truths start flying.
Brian ….. Gary Lilburn
Dara ….. Stephen Jones
Ray ….. Paul Reid
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
Blue Thunder won the Innovation Award at the VAULT Awards in 2019. Padraic’s debut audio drama Foxes was shortlisted for Best Original Drama at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards. He’s been the recipient of the Walter Swan Trust Playwriting Award and was writer on attachment at The Oxford Playhouse.
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001fmff)
Series 33
Intimacies
A writer discovers his digital double, the story behind a name and an erotic invitation - short documentaries about the intimate relationships between us. Presented by Josie Long.
The Double
Written and read by Joe Dunthorne
A version of this story first appeared in the London Review of Books
Intimacy
Produced by Kristina Loring
A Name That Sounds Pretty
Produced by Erisa Apantaku
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m001fmfx)
A Greener Government?
Months of governmental chaos have seen contradictory policies on the environment come and go. Tom Heap asks where the Conservative Party now stands on the environment.
Should we expect more onshore wind or a continuing ban, will farmers be paid to help wildlife? And what are the underlying trends in the Conservative Party? Are most activists and MPs signed up to a Green Growth agenda or are climate change sceptics and fossil-fuel fans still a powerful force in the party that has governed the UK for most of the post-war era?
Producer: Sarah Swadling
TUE 16:00 Casting a Wider Net (m001fmgc)
Emily Kempson grew up in Hastings, home to the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in the U.K. Her friends came from fishing families and for a long time she wanted to become a fisherman. But she never saw any women working down on the boats. She heard mutterings that it was unlucky for a woman to step aboard a boat - the industry is steeped in superstition. Drawing on its rich history and myths she sets out to find the women who have made it into the catching sector.
Out of the 12,000 people going out to sea to fish for their living, just 18 are women. The industry is at a critical point with fuel prices rocketing and people selling up and leaving. It desperately needs to recruit. Emily meets the UK’s youngest-ever apprentice skipper, Isla Gale from the Isle of Man, and follows her as she prepares for a trip north to fish for scallops. She also meets Ashley Mullenger, from Wells-next-the-sea in Norfolk, as she’s nominated for a prestigious fishing news award, and she steps on board Verity Winser’s boat as she describes how sexism and superstition have impacted her life at sea.
Finding and retaining crew generally is a challenge. In the past, entrance into the industry was generational, with opportunities and knowledge passed down from father to son. As fish stock declined in the 90s and wages fell, a career in fishing began to seem less desirable. The average age of a fisherman in England is now 50. The UK must encourage a new generation of entrants. Will those women who are keen to join the sector be welcomed in the years to come?
Produced by Sarah Cuddon
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio Four
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001fmgy)
Ellie Gibson and Frank Turner
Co-host of the 'Scummy Mummies' podcast Ellie Gibson and musician Frank Turner pick their favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert. Ellie's choice is a manifesto about the benefits of order, 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' by Marie Kondo. Frank's choice looks at mental health and addiction in the music industry, 'Bodies: Life and Death in Music' by Ian Winwood. Harriett chooses 'Indelicacy' by Amina Cain, a story about a woman searching for her place in the world which has been described by some as a "ghost story without a ghost".
Produced by Toby Field for BBC Audio, Bristol
Join the conversation on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
TUE 17:00 PM (m001fmhd)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fmhs)
Wales and England prepare to face off at World Cup, with qualification at stake.
TUE 18:30 Hennikay (m001fmj2)
Series 1
Grown-Up Stuff
Bill Bailey stars as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who, after 45 years, and for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay.
Time has passed and Hennikay is still inexplicably and maddeningly in Guy’s life. Every morning when he wakes up, his 11-year-old friend from 1976 is there, making a noisy mess, asking endless questions and generally being as annoying as all 11-year-boys were back in 1976.
And there is nothing Guy can do about it.
So, one Saturday morning, after a particularly typical Friday night out in Maidstone, a very hung-over Guy tries to lay down some adult ground rules to his unwanted housemate and educate him about life in the modern grown-up world.
But Guy’s grown-up modern world gets particularly complicated that morning when he discovers a strange woman in his spare bedroom and has no idea who she is or how she got there. Is she his imaginary girlfriend? Who keeps ordering mysterious boxes from Amazon? And when his boss’s suspicious wife turns up demanding to know where he was last night and what he was doing, why doesn’t he have a clue what to tell her?
If this is what modern life as a grown-up is really like, then young Hennikay is very unimpressed with how his old friend has turned out.
Cast:
Guy – Bill Bailey
Tony – Dave Lamb
Nikita - Polly Frame
Lyrissa - Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry - Paul Panting
Hennikay – Max Pattison
Written by David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001fmjb)
Joy chivvies Mick along to tell Jolene he signed up for the wrong choir. Before Mick has a chance to speak, Jolene hands him a rehearsal schedule and asks if he’d be interested in a solo or a duet. Mick eventually explains he wants to be on the same choir as Joy. Jolene thinks the answer is simple; Joy can join her choir. Jolene tells Mick she’s counting on him – he’s not going to leave her in the lurch is he?
Joy laughs at Mick’s predicament but then reassures him that it might be more fun that he’s expecting. Joy offers that they can practice their songs together after their respective rehearsals, which cheers Mick.
Jovial Pip, David and Ruth decorate the events barn for Christmas. Their attention turns to their own Christmas festivities, and to Pip and Ruth’s surprise, David offers to make the Christmas dinner. After teasing him they acknowledge it’s a thoughtful gesture and all agree it will be weird to have Christmas without Jill. Pip and Ruth offer to help but David is determined to cook the dinner entirely unaided.
Later, David discovers Jill has taken all her Christmas recipes with her while researching what to make for Christmas Day. Ruth updates David on the land sale – she hopes it should be complete by the end of next week. Ruth has also heard from Jolene that Jill has been regaling Lynda with tales of Brookfield Christmases past. David is keen to look forward rather than back – surely a happy family Christmas this year is achievable?
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001fmjk)
Clint Dyer on Othello, Turner Prize nominee Ingrid Pollard, should museums close controversial galleries?
Clint Dyer discusses directing Othello starring Giles Terera at the National Theatre, the first Black director to do so. He talks about how he is approaching the racism and misogyny in the play, and the history of previous productions.
In the second of Front Row’s interviews with the artists nominated for this year’s Turner Prize, Ingrid Pollard discusses her work, Carbon Slowly Turning, and how she explores themes of nationhood, race, history and identity through portraiture and landscape.
And as the Wellcome Collection decides to close an exhibition described as sexist, racist and ableist, Front Row discusses whether museums should display historical objects that may offend gallery visitors.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Eliane Glaser
Image: Giles Terera as Othello and Rosy McEwan as Desdemona. Image credit: Myah Jeffers
TUE 20:00 Four Nations Four Schools (m001fmjp)
Education journalist, Laura McInerney, explores the different systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s been more than two decades since the devolution of education in the UK. Laura visits four state secondary schools in the four nations to find out how they are tackling teaching, assessment and student well-being. How is education pulling apart, and what can the nations learn from each other?
Producer: Joanna Jolly
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001fmjt)
What You're Entitled To; Access to BBC Sounds
Following on from last week's discussion about whether you can prepare for sight loss, we've been asked to provide further information about the type of services you are entitled to. Simon Labbett is a rehab officer and Chair of the Rehab Workers Professional Network and he provides details of changes that can be made in the kitchen, what you should be asking for and from whom.
If you own an older internet radio streaming device, you may have heard a recent announcement from the BBC stating that it will no longer be streaming on select devices, as of mid-2023. We investigate why this is and what can be done about it.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking through at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001fmjz)
Devices to aid our memories and safe music for driving
With busy lifestyles many turn to devices for aide memoires. Claudia discusses new findings with Dr Sam Gilbert who studies so called ‘offloading’ and gives tips on how best to remember the important things. And a visit to Manchester’s Turn it Up exhibition reveals what psychological research can tell us about the safest music to drive to; while guest Professor Catherine Loveday unpicks this year's trend, 'Dopamine Gifting'.
TUE 21:30 The Long View (m001fm9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fmk3)
Ukraine’s First Lady speaks out on sex crimes in war
Also tonight:
Oath Keepers Leader found guilty of seditious conspiracy
And a glimmer of hope for people with Alzheimer’s
TUE 22:45 Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (m00100b7)
Episode 7
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s third novel published 7th September 2021 following on from the huge global success of her novels Conversations With Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018).
Niamh Algar is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed young actors. In addition to her most recent lead role in Channel 4’s Deceit, Niamh starred alongside Stephen Graham earlier this year in Shane Meadows highly acclaimed drama The Virtues. Niamh is currently filming a Netflix adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s psychological thriller The Wonder shooting in Wicklow.
Author: Sally Rooney
Reader: Niamh Algar
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Gemma McMullan
A BBC Northern Ireland Production.
TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001fm0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Sunday]
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fmk5)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as MPs debate plans for a new nuclear power plant.
WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2022
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001fmk7)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fmbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fmk9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fmkc)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fmkf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001fmkh)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fmkk)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001fmkm)
Nearly half the free-range turkeys being produced for Christmas in the UK have been culled or died because of avian flu. that was the message from the poultry industry to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs select committee which has been taking evidence about the spread of bird flu. But one turkey farmer who wants to cull his turkeys early, to avoid the risk, says he is struggling to get hold of the Animal and Plant Health Agency to ensure he can slaughter his birds in time for Christmas.
It was a year ago that Storm Arwen struck the North East of England and Eastern Scotland causing three deaths, and damaging swathes of woodland and countryside, with power cuts for hundreds of thousands of homes. The first official report showing how much damage was caused to woodland by Storm Arwen is being published by the government . The chairman of the Forestry Commission is calling for landowners to plant more diverse woodlands, that can better withstand climate change.
Conservationists are using horses to graze land and encourage biodiversity. They say ponies graze in a way which creates a perfect habitat for insects, reptiles and small mammals. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust says that by using Welsh Mountain ponies on a reserve near Cirencester, they've managed to reintroduce a rare species of butterfly.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (m0002bvl)
Trudie Goodwin on the Hoopoe
For many, actress Trudie Goodwin is best known for her television roles as Sergeant June Ackland in The Bill and latterly in Emmerdale. But during all that time Trudie has possessed a lifelong love of bird watching. At the age of ten she was given the Collins Book of British Birds, which on a well thumbed page contained occasional accidental migrants which could be found in Britain, including the hoopoe. It was not until much later in life that she finally managed to see this bird, while on holiday in Portugal.
Producer: Andrew Dawes
WED 06:00 Today (m001fmt1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m001fmtz)
The Four Freedoms
1. Freedom of Speech
Best-selling Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gives the first of four 2022 Reith Lectures, discussing freedom of speech. She argues that it feels like freedom of speech is under attack. Cancel culture, arguments about “wokeness" and the assault on Salman Rushdie have produced a febrile atmosphere. Meanwhile autocrats and populists have undermined the very notion of an accepted fact-based truth which lives above politics. So how do we calibrate freedom in this context? If we have the freedom to offend, where do we draw the line? This lecture and question-and-answer session is recorded in London in front of an audience and presented by Anita Anand.
The year's series was inspired by President Franklin D Roosevelt's four freedoms speech of 1941 and asks what this terrain means now?
It features four different lecturers. In addition to Chimamanda, they are:
Freedom of Worship by Rowan Williams
Freedom from Want by Darren McGarvey
Freedom from Fear by Fiona Hill
Producer: Jim Frank
Sound Engineers: Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Hugh Levinson
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fmvx)
Dr Rosemary Coogan, Contraceptive Pill, Failing the 11+
Dr Rosemary Coogan has been selected as a career astronaut by the European Space Agency (ESA), becoming the first British woman to join their astronaut corps. She joins Emma in her first in-depth BBC interview to discuss the tough selection process, upcoming training and hopes for her first mission.
On Monday’s Woman’s Hour, we heard from the American TV show host Ricki Lake who has produced a new documentary The Business of Birth Control. The programme looks at the side effects of the hormonal contraceptive pill and it’s relationship with women’s liberty. Today Emma Barnett is joined by Dr Helen Munro, the Vice-President of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
A cross-party coalition is launching a campaign to abolish the 11 plus entry exams. One of the members of the campaign is Jackie Malton, known for her success in the Metropolitan Police, and for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Despite getting two masters degrees and a doctorate, she still feels ashamed about failing her 11 plus exam. Jackie joins Emma Barnett.
We hear the first major speech from Camilla, Queen Consort, as she hosts a reception on violence against women and girls.
A listener we are calling Christina contacted us after she heard a recent documentary on Radio 4 about benzodiazepines or Street Valium. Christina recognised what she heard. Her daughter, who we are calling Beatrice, became addicted to Xanax after taking it to deal with the extreme anxiety she experienced after the coronavirus lockdown. Beatrice has given us permission for her story to be told. Christina joins Emma Barnett to discuss her experiences.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce
(photo credit: ESA - P. Sebirot)
WED 11:00 The New Age of Autarky? (m001fmbw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 A Charles Paris Mystery (b09v8hkm)
A Charles Paris Mystery: Dead Room Farce
Episode 4
by Jeremy Front
Based on the novel by Simon Brett
Charles Paris ..... Bill Nighy
Frances ..... Suzanne Burden
Maurice ..... Jon Glover
Suzi ..... Jan Ravens
Bernard ..... Sean Murray
Freddie ..... Philip Bretherton
Tony ..... Clive Hayward
Lisa ..... Isabella Inchbald
Gina ..... Ellie Darvill
Celebrant ..... David Reakes
Baxter/Cross Trainer ..... Adam Fitzgerald
Waitress ..... Kath Weare
Directed by Sally Avens
Charles is starring in a revival of a 70s farce; the cast record an audio promo for the show only for the producer to be found dead in his studio. The cast seem to have secrets they don't want shared but who would go as far as murder to protect themselves? Charles is determined to find out.
WED 12:00 News Summary (m001fmwg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001fmwx)
Slow Fast Food , Airport Fingerprinting and Parcel Woe League
Is fast food getting slower? Customers complain online that it is and blame the increase in home deliveries orders but is that true?
How reliable is our most reliable form of identity? As more countries ask passengers to provide finger-print identification we discover there's a risk that some prints can fade or be altered by years of working with hands. It could mean being held at the border.. it happened to Julie Jordan from Northern Ireland.
What's behind the shortage of eggs and why are farmers looking to dump their hens and do something else?
For years pubs struggled to sell non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits mostly because they tasted awful. But times are changing and , the Lo-no category, as it is known is improving.. we discuss the products that taste like the real thing and those that have some way to go.
A new name same old story Evri formerly Hermes are bottom of the customer satisfaction table compiled by the sector regulator Ofcom.
And more tenants are being receiving no fault evictions, so-called Section 21’s..that’s when the landlord just want’s their home back. But why are the numbers of Section 21’s rising ?
WED 12:57 Weather (m001fmx9)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m001fmxm)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
WED 13:45 Understand: The Economy (m001fxjk)
Series 1
The Economy: 8. Pensions
Why is it so hard to save for retirement? Will future generations even get a pension? Why is the pension age rising and what is the state pension age? Tim Harford explains the problem an aging population is causing for the state pension and explores the gender pension gap. Economic historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of the very first pensions in the UK.
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war hungry Kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with Silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.
Guest: Dr. Rajiv Prabhakar, The Open University
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Clare Fordham
Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music
A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m001fmjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (m001fmxx)
Good Enough
By Georgia Fitch
Christine’s always been great at keeping everyone else happy (even if she says so herself). But caring for her two elderly parents isn’t easy, especially as one is an old party animal who thinks the world revolves around him. She’s got a lot on her plate. And the plate is spinning at 300mph. It won’t be long until her grip starts to slip.
A funny, frank and moving drama about caring for the elderly in the wake of a global pandemic.
CAST
Christine ….. Monica Dolan
Charlie ….. Michael Bertenshaw
Shaun ….. David Hounslow
Kobi ….. Kwabena Ansah
Lucy ….. Ella Harding
Linda ….. Chloë Sommer
Therapist ….. Joanna Monro
Paramedic ….. Jonathan Forbes
Written by Georgia Fitch
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Pete Ringrose and Ali Craig
Production Co-ordination by Maggie Olgiati
A BBC Audio Production
WED 15:00 Money Box (m001fmyb)
Money Box Live: Cohabitation
3.6 million couples in the UK cohabit, meaning they live together in a relationship but without getting married or civil partnered. In fact, they are the fastest growing type of family in this country
If those couples break up then they usually split their shared finances without the help of courts or solicitors. In fact, splitting after buying a house or sharing bills together has become known as the ‘millennial divorce’ – only it doesn’t just affect millennials and there are none of the protections of divorce. That can make a big difference when it comes to splitting assets like the family home or pension savings.
We're talking about this today because the government has recently said it won't be addressing recommendations for cohabitation law reforms - for England and Wales.
The experts on this panel are Laura Pomfret, the founder of Financielle, an app and service focused on helping women manage their finances, and Graeme Fraser, head of family at BBS Law.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Amber Mehmood
Researcher: Star McFarlane
Editor: Clare Worden
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001fmjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Sideways (m001fmyw)
36. All in a Name
In the 1970s, Sandra Bundy was working hard at her job at the Department of Corrections in Washington DC. She loved her job, but just turning up to work was becoming unbearable.
Sandra’s male supervisors kept propositioning her for sex, asking her out on dates and making inappropriate comments. When she reported the problem to her boss’s boss, he tried to proposition her too. As the situation escalated, the language of sexual violence was used.
Sandra knew what she was experiencing was wrong, but she didn’t have the words to describe what she was going through, let alone try and seek justice.
In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed delves into the history of the anti-sexual harassment movement in the US in the 1970s to understand how finding the right words can help us tackle big wrongs.
He’ll discover how culture, politics and the law intersect to bring about new ideas, and how these ideas filter down into our everyday understanding of the world.
With Sandra Bundy, philosopher Miranda Fricker, social historian Linda Hirshman, lawyer Arthur Chotin and anthropologist Alex Bentley.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producers: Nadia Mehdi & Pippa Smith
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Special thanks to: Luke Mullins and Ellen Rolfes
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001fmz8)
China's journalism crackdown
As protests sweep China on a scale not seen for 30 years, the challenge facing journalists is to report the story for the Chinese public to get accurate information. Also in the programme, 25 years of Grand Theft Auto - a great British cultural export, or 'society's dark mirror'?
Guests: Yuan Yang, Europe-China correspondent at the Financial Times; Howard Zhang, editor of the BBC's Chinese service; Joseph Menn, technology reporter at The Washington Post; and Chris Warburton, co-presenter of Bugzy Malone’s Grandest Game.
Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry
WED 17:00 PM (m001fmzs)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fn05)
Thousands of ambulance workers in England and Wales have voted to go on strike.
WED 18:30 Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar (m001fn0n)
Series 2
Episode 2
Granny Kumar is back. After a very successful first series Meera Syal’s glorious comedy creation returns, with her great granddaughter Maya (Ambreen Razia) and arch nemesis “frenemy” Geeta (Harvey Virdi), to chat with the sisters.
"This entertaining anecdote-packed show... creating a party vibe that brings out the best in her female guests." The Observer
"It treads a fine line between the earnest and the rip-roaringly funny... It's the intimacy that makes it" Radio Times
Ummi Kumar gathers together her favourite extraordinary women at Wembley Community Centre, aided by her millennial great granddaughter Maya and her arch nemesis “frenemy” Geeta, leader of the local Asian Ladies Silver Bats community group.
The show is a women only party, where they share stories, laugh loads and chew the fat/dish the dirt/eat the laddoos… A blend of sitcom, silliness and improvised chat, led by the best kind of interviewers who know how to make anyone talk - two really nosey old Indian women.
This series, we’ll be inspired and entertained by
Episode 1: Casualty and Ackley Brisge star Sunetra Sarker, and BBC Breakfast presenter and journalist Naga Munchetty
Episode 2: Multi Olivier award winning actress Sharon D Clark, and stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza
Episode 3: Playwright and novelist Bonnie Greer, and We Are Lady Parts breakout star Anjana Vasan
Episode 4: Vigil and Sarah Jane Adventures star Anjli Mohindra, and musician and presenter Myleene Klass
Cast:
Ummi Kumar – Meera Syal
Geeta Bhandari – Harvey Virdi
Maya Kumar – Ambreen Razia
Written by Meera Syal
Music by Sanjeev Bhaskar
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production, licensed by Hat Trick Productions, for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m001fmsf)
When Ben calls round for Chelsea, Jazzer’s not sure it’s a good idea for him to see her. Ben promises he won’t cause any stress and insists he has a hairdressing question. Then, Ben talks rapidly to Chelsea about what he’s been up to – listening to classic albums and using music to keep focused while studying. The reason he’s called round is that Bess’s coat is matted and he’d like Chelsea’s advice. Chelsea states that she doesn’t do animals and Ben apologies. He then says he wants to apologise for everything. Chelsea doesn’t think he needs to and Ben is impressed with how strong she seems.
After Ben has left, Jazzer wants to know if he said anything about the abortion. Chelsea reassures Jazzer that he doesn’t have to worry about her – she’s doing fine. She’s not so sure about Ben though and she wonders if she should do something. Jazzer advises her to not get involved, it’s not up to her to worry about Ben.
Struggling with creating a spider costume for Rosie’s nativity play, Pip’s glad to see Stella who has come to help. Pip really wants to get it right and admits that sometimes she doesn’t feel like she’s managing without Toby around all the time. Together they try to make a spectacular spider costume but then resort to looking at ready-made ones online. Stella suggests that she buys it and gifts it to her nephew after Rosie’s worn it for her nativity play.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m001fn13)
Maxine Peake on Betty! A Sort of Musical, Turner Prize nominee Heather Phillipson, Signal Film and Media in Barrow-in-Furness
Maxine Peake discusses playing Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons in Betty! A Sort of Musical, which is about to open at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.
Turner Prize nominated artist Heather Phillipson, best known for her sculpture of a giant cherry topped ice cream on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth, discusses her exhibition 'RUPTURE NO 1: blowtorching the bitten peach', using recycled materials, video, sculpture, music and poetry, currently on display at Tate Liverpool.
Laura Robertson visits Signal Film and Media in Barrow in Furness to hear about how the charity has benefited from the latest Arts Council funding announcement and to find out what they have planned for the future.
The artist Tom Phillips has died at the age of 85. In a Front Row interview from 2012, he discusses his long running artistic projects as a painter, printmaker and collagist.
Presenter: Shahidha Bari
Producer: Olivia Skinner
Image: Maxine Peake as Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons in Betty! A Sort of Musical at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001fn1h)
Human Rights
The largescale protests in China are not just a response to Covid restrictions but about fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech. They follow weeks of demonstrations in support of women’s rights in Iran, and LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar.
We often speak about human rights as a self-evident truth – the right to life, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of conscience. Drafted after the Second World War, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a milestone document seeking to protect the dignity of all human beings.
Advocates argue that human rights are universal because the struggle for freedom can be found in every culture, despite being rooted in different philosophies and assumptions. They see a human rights-based approach to the world as the best way of identifying a shared humanity and improving human wellbeing. Sceptics, however, believe the global human rights movement can itself be a form of Western moral imperialism, or cite examples of atrocities justified with the language of human rights.
Some believe that in order to hold powerful corporations and regimes to account, there needs to be a more expansive view of human rights. Others are concerned about what they see as the ‘mission creep’ in extending the legal framework of rights to encompass areas of moral life that shouldn’t be a matter for the law courts.
What are human rights? Are they universal? Who should arbitrate when they are in competition?
Producer: Dan Tierney.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (m001fn1x)
Piracy on the Page
Author Joe Nutt argues we need to fight back against what he calls 'linguistic piracy'.
Joe is concerned that activists are challenging the commonly-understood meaning of words. "The trust which becomes naturally embedded over time in any shared language, is under threat," he argues, and now "the English language itself is creaking under the strain of a sustained barrage of abuse".
Producer: Giles Edwards
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m001fmfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001fmz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fn27)
Fresh strikes announced in the run-up to Christmas
Ambulance workers are latest group to announce strike action in the run up to Christmas - will the disputes bring the country grinding to a halt?
Also on the programme - how the Chinese communist party is using a combination of brute force and technology to suppress the recent protests.
We remember the songwriter Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac who's died at the age of 79.
And we celebrate the French baguette which has just been given UNESCO heritage status.
WED 22:45 Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (m001021b)
Episode 8
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s third novel published 7th September 2021 following on from the huge global success of her novels Conversations With Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018).
Niamh Algar is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed young actors. In addition to her most recent lead role in Channel 4’s Deceit, Niamh starred alongside Stephen Graham earlier this year in Shane Meadows highly acclaimed drama The Virtues. Niamh is currently filming a Netflix adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s psychological thriller The Wonder shooting in Wicklow.
Author: Sally Rooney
Reader: Niamh Algar
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Gemma McMullan
A BBC Northern Ireland Production.
WED 23:00 Believe It! (b0bkqt8l)
Series 4
Meal
A fourth series of Richard Wilson's Radiography in which writer Jon Canter delves into the true and not so true nooks and crannies of Richard's life and works.
Richard decides to invite his friends to the meal of a lifetime. But who will he choose? And will it be worth it?
Cast:
Richard Wilson - himself
David Tennant - himself
Peter Capaldi - himself
Ian McKellen - himself
Antony Sher - himself
Miriam Margolyes - herself
Jazz Vegan - Ayesha Antoine
On-line vegan - Arabella Weir
Mario - Elliot Levey
Lottie - Lotte Rice
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fn2l)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
THURSDAY 01 DECEMBER 2022
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001fn2y)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fn38)
Episode 3
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.
In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.
Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.
'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton
'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney
'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr
The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fn3l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fn3y)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fn49)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001fn4s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fn58)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001fn5m)
01/12/22 - Rural Payments Agency strikes, farriers
Staff at the Rural Payments Agency look set to strike for a month over Christmas, just as they’re meant to be sending out crucial Basic Payment cheques to farmers.
All this week we’re talking about horses. Today we hear from a farrier and discuss why some are promoting leaving horses 'barefoot'.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09gkk3p)
Michael Morpurgo on the Greater Flamingo
On a visit to the Camargue National Park in France, author Michael Morpurgo found getting close to beautiful and elegant flamingos, and hearing their call, touched his soul.
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photograph: Ashutosh Jhureley.
THU 06:00 Today (m001fmnb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001fmpd)
The Nibelungenlied
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Song of the Nibelungs, a twelfth century German epic, full of blood, violence, fantasy and bleakness. It is a foundational work of medieval literature, drawing on the myths of Scandinavia and central Europe. The poem tells of two couples, Siegfried and Kriemhild and Gunther and Brunhilda, whose lives are destroyed by lies and revenge. It was extremely popular in its time, sometimes rewritten with happier endings, and was rediscovered by German Romantics and has since been drawn from selectively by Wagner, Fritz Lang and, infamously, the Nazis looking to support ideas on German heritage.
The image above is of Siegfried seeing Kriemhild for the first time, a miniature from the Hundeshagenschen Code manuscript dating from 15th Century.
With
Sarah Bowden
Reader in German and Medieval Studies at King’s College London
Mark Chinca
Professor of Medieval German and Comparative Literature at the University of Cambridge
And
Bettina Bildhauer
Professor of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fn06)
Episode 4
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.
In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.
Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.
'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton
'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney
'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr
The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fmq8)
Rachael Watts, Danielle De Niese, Royal race row
Rachael Watts has spent her life hiding a secret. Now 40, she was seven years old when Russell Bishop - known as the Babes in the Wood murderer - abducted, attacked and sexually assaulted her in 1990. It is a crime that should never have happened, as back in 1987, Russell Bishop had been charged with the murders of two nine-year-olds, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway. But police were unable to secure a conviction when a series of prosecution blunders meant evidence and testimonies failed to stand up in court. Bishop was able to walk free and three years later he abducted and attacked Rachael, leaving her for dead. Miraculously she survived and it was her testimony which finally meant Bishop was convicted and put behind bars, despite him protesting his innocence. However, in 2018, forensic scientists presented new DNA evidence and Bishop received two life sentences for the murders of Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway. Ever since her attack, Rachael’s family have fought to protect her privacy, hoping she could lead as normal life as possible. Rachael has never done a broadcast interview about what happened to her. But since Russell Bishop’s death in January this year, she decided she wanted to tell her story.
Danielle de Niese has been hailed as 'opera’s coolest soprano' by New York Times Magazine. She has starred in the West End musical 'Man Of La Mancha' alongside Kelsey Grammar, hosted at the BBC Proms, performed on stage with LL Cool J, and sung in a Ridley Scott movie. She is now taking over the theatres in London in the build up to Christmas. She joins Emma to discuss her recent performance at the Royal Opera House in La Boheme, current role as the angel Clara in the new opera It’s A Wonderful Life at the ENO, and to perform a sneak preview from the forthcoming immersive experience of Handel’s Messiah.
'Where are you really from?' It's a question the black British charity boss Ngozi Fulani was asked repeatedly at an event earlier this week at Buckingham Palace, she's told the BBC the experience was 'abuse'. Lady Hussey has resigned since the incident. The Palace described the remarks as 'unacceptable and deeply regrettable'. A spokesperson for Prince William said 'racism has no place in our society'. We hear from Ngozi and Emma speaks to Professor Nicola Rollick, author of The Racial Code.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m001fmqk)
Cold-calling Siberia
Sasha Koltun volunteered to fight in Putin's war against Ukraine, though his mother Yelena begged him not to go. Four days later, he was dead, one of several dozen new recruits from across Russia who never even reached the battlefield. What happened to him - and will his mother, battling official indifference and obstruction, ever discover the truth?
With the Kremlin currently restricting access to Russia for Western reporters, Tim Whewell picks up the phone to talk to her and other people in and around the city of Bratsk, in central Siberia, about how the war has affected them. Many are afraid to talk. But others describe their anxiety as they wave goodbye to their menfolk, their confused feelings about the war - a mixture of patriotism and doubt - and the chaotic organisation of the call up. Some recruits have had to buy their own uniform and equipment. Others have suffered as discipline breaks down at some training camps.
Tim talks to a former policewoman determined to encourage support for the war, who makes stretchers for wounded Russian soldiers - and to a young woman who believes it was her boyfriend's duty to be a soldier. But Yelena Koltun - who lost her son Sasha - cannot understand what her country is fighting for.
Presented and produced by Tim Whewell, with additional production by Khristina Stolyarova.
Studio mix by Graham Puddifoot
Series editor Penny Murphy
THU 11:30 Girl Reading (m000h7r3)
Zoë Comyns meets painter Anastasia Pollard, writers Imtiaz Dharker, Karen Joy Fowler, Samantha Ellis, Katie Ward and art historian Riann Coulter to explore the pose of the girl reader.
What is she reading and why? What does the pose evoke in the mind of the viewer? What is going on in the girls imagination, is she reading to escape, to learn, to find a path through her own life?
This programme draws the listener into the frame of paintings by Simone Martini, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Johannes Vermeer, Gwen John, Louis le Brocquy, Henri Fantin-Latour and Harry Herman Roseland to evoke the scene and what the act of reading signifies. Art historian Riann Coulter describes the artworks and unpicks why so few seem to be painted by women.
Writers discuss what and where they read as a girl. Poet Imtiaz Dharker recalls learning the Quran and visiting her local library - she recites Beware the Books, in which a girl finds sanctuary in a book shop, but a trickier path through the books she encounters.
Writer Karen Joy Fowler knows that a book can be transformative and life changing, she transports us to her neighbour's treehouse were she read to experience adventure.
Katie Ward wrote a novel called Girl Reading in which each chapter fictionalises the story behind a painting of a girl reading. Se explores the symbolism of a girl reading and how the intimacy we all crave can be expressed in a painting.
Writer Samantha Ellis grew up in the Iraqi Jewish community in London and her family life directly influenced how and what she read - she always searched for strong heroines in novels.
Anastasia Pollard is a portrait and figure painter. She paints Zoe Comyns in the pose of the reader and, throughout the sitting, they discuss what it means if we can see the book title, how patterns of light change the scene and the psychological presence of a painting in a room.
Recitation of the Qu’ran is by Medinah Javed recorded by Alia Cassam
Produced by Zoë Comyns
A New Normal Culture production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 News Summary (m001fn1r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001fmr6)
Gap Finders: Joanna Jensen, Founder of Childs Farm
Our Gap Finder today is Joanna Jensen, the Founder of Childs Farm, the award winning toiletries brand which makes products for babies and children with sensitive and eczema prone skin.
Joanna started the company at her kitchen table in 2010, because her two young daughters struggled with their skin, and she couldn't find products to help them.
Childs Farm is now the number 1 brand in the baby and child category, overtaking previous market leaders.
The company has recently been bought for £37million pounds by PZ Cussons, Joanna is still Executive Chairman and now hopes to expand the brand worldwide.
Joanna speaks to Felicity about the gap in the market she saw, how important it was to her to keep the brand affordable, as well as using high quality ingredients and being sustainable.
PRESENTER: FELICITY HANNAH
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001fmrj)
Razors
It’s something most of us will have used at some point, and a product that has been around for decades in various forms. But do all the advertised fancy features, pivoting heads, multiple blades and higher price tags, really make a difference to your shave?
Listener Tim got in touch, asking just that, as well as whether all the extras on razors these days also have an impact on the environment?
Greg Foot cuts through the marketing hype to find out the answers, by speaking to a leading Dermatologist, as well as one of the top scientists at one of the largest razor manufacturers, Gillette.
This series, we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our new WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.
PRESENTER: Greg Foot
PRODUCER: Kate Holdsworth
THU 12:57 Weather (m001fmrs)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m001fms3)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
THU 13:45 Understand: The Economy (m001fxjm)
Series 1
The Economy: 9. International Trade and Currency Markets
The reason we can eat pineapples and sell aeroplane parts. But why might the value of the pound fall and what does that mean if it does? Tim Harford explains who wins and who loses if the pound is cheap against the dollar and economic historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of a trade deal with Portugal that flooded England with wine and Port.
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war hungry Kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with Silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.
Guest: Professor Richard Davies, The University of Bristol
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Clare Fordham
Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music
A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m001fmsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (m000rd14)
Because I’m a Mother
Jessica Hynes and Sinead Matthews star in an original drama by Caroline Bird, about dual motherhood, cannibalising life to make art, and making babies when you and your partner are both women.
Marcie, an artist, takes a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a show in New York about motherhood, but must leave her baby son behind in the UK for ten weeks to do so. While Marcie builds the giant installation which represents the culmination of 20 years' work, her wife Dawn is back home with their little boy - child-proofing the cupboards and trying to scrape pureed carrot out of the inside of the radiator. Over a series of video calls, the couple’s relationship comes under strain, and in New York, Marcie must navigate the world of high end galleries and media calls, answering impossible questions about the nature of motherhood and art.
Caroline Bird is the author of six books of poetry, the most recent of which – The Air Year – won the Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2020. Her fifth collection, In These Days of Prohibition, was shortlisted for the 2017 TS Eliot Prize and The Ted Hughes Award. Her theatre credits include: The Trojan Women (Gate Theatre, 2012,) The Trial of Dennis the Menace (Purcell Room, 2012,) Chamber Piece (Lyric Hammersmith, 2013,) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Northern Stage, 2015,) The Iphigenia Quartet (Gate Theatre, 2016.) She was shortlisted for Most Promising New Playwright at the Off-West-End Awards, and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her new play, Red Ellen, about the life of Ellen Wilkinson, was recently featured in The Guardian’s ‘Future Plays’ series.
Marcie - Jessica Hynes
Dawn - Sinead Matthews
Evalyn - Tracy Wiles
Lucy - Haley McGee
Podcaster - Kerry Shale
With other roles voiced by members of the cast.
Written by Caroline Bird
Studio Production by Michael Harrison
Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol
THU 15:00 Open Country (m001fmsq)
Opening Up County Down
Helen Mark is in County Down, where woodland which has been in private hands for centuries is being opened up to the public. Mourne Park was owned by the same family for five hundred years, but has now been bought by the Woodland Trust. Restoration work is underway at the 385 acre site - clearing invasive plants which have smothered some of the ancient trees, and marking out new walking trails for visitors. Almost half the forest here meets the criteria to classify as ancient woodland, which is one of Northern Ireland's rarest habitats.
Helen also finds out about recovery work going on to restore the land after last year's devastating wildfires in the Mourne mountains, and learns how sheep are helping the National Trust to monitor the recovery of the landscape, by wearing GPS trackers attached to special collars.
En route she encounters St Patrick’s Way – an 82-mile walking trail which spans two counties and connects Christian heritage sites between Armagh and Downpatrick. Helen walks a section of the route, with a journalist-turned-nun as her guide.
Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Emma Campbell.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001flzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m001fm0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0dcn51y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Saturday]
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001fmtb)
Killer smog
For a week at the beginning of December 1952, London was under a blanket of deadly smog. As a result, the Clean Air Act came into force a few years later banning smoky sulphurous fuels. However air pollution researchers are now concerned that rising emissions from wood burners may be undoing many of the gains from the Clean Air Act.
We hear from Dr Gary Fuller, air pollution scientist at Imperial College London and author of The Invisible Killer, the Rising Global Threat of Air Pollution and How We can Fight Back.
We also discuss emissions we can’t see, bacteria and even microplastics which are now present in the air. Catherine Rolph from the Open University tells us where we might find them.
And we reveal the winner of the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize. You can find interviews with all the shortlisted authors in our previous programmes.
BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.
THU 17:00 PM (m001fmts)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fmvr)
The Health Secretary says the government is taking "urgent action" to tackle the delays.
THU 18:30 ReincarNathan (m001fmwb)
Series 3
Bonobo
Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife continues, starring Daniel Rigby, Ashley McGuire and guest-starring Amy-Beth Hayes and Mike Wozniak.
In episode 3, Nathan is brought back to life as a lovesick Bonobo Ape, who’s escaped from Whipsnood Zoo and made it to Paris on the Eurostar. There, his plan is to sabotage the wedding of his human girlfriend, Susan.
Cast:
Ashley McGuire - Carol
Daniel Rigby – Nathan
Tom Craine – Deliveroo Driver, Banana, Pigeon
Amy-Beth Hayes – Dr Germentrude
Henry Paker – Phil
Freya Parker – Susan
Mike Wozniak – Norman Borman
Writers: Tom Craine and Henry Paker
Producer: Harriet Jaine
Sound: Jerry Peal
Music Composed by: Phil Lepherd
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m001fmws)
Tracy is given something to think about, and Kirsty offers some romantic advice.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m001fmx6)
Veronica Ryan - shortlisted for the Turner Prize, reviews of new Stormzy album and film White Noise
Veronica Ryan OBE is shortlisted for the Turner Prize. She talks to Front Row about her Windrush Commission sculptures in Hackney that have won the hearts of both the community and critics, how she uses materials from old fruit trays to volcanic ash, and how her work contains multitudes of meaning.
Nii Ayikwei Parkes, writer, commentator and performance poet and Lisa Verrico, music critic for the Sunday Times review White Noise, an extraordinary film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and based on the novel by Don DeLillo, and the much-anticipated album by Stormzy, This is What I Mean.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Sarah Johnson
Photo of Veronica Ryan credit Holly Falconer
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001fmxl)
China's winter of discontent
Chants of ‘Xi Jinping step down’ were heard on the lips of some demonstrators in China last weekend. A rare example of dissent against the Chinese leader.
The cause of the protestors fury is pretty clear – nearly three years of the government’s zero-Covid policy has proved too much to bear for many Chinese.
The Chinese Communist Party acted quickly by sending police to protest sites and increasing online censorship. But on Tuesday some local health officials began suggesting that they needed to lift lockdowns ‘as quickly as possible’.
Will that be enough to prevent further protests in China, and how will Xi Jinping and his government respond to recent events?
Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:
David Rennie, Beijing bureau chief at The Economist
Kerry Allen, Chinese media analyst at BBC News
Dr Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House
Professor Steven Tsang, director at SOAS China Institute
Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Daniel Gordon
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio manager: Graham Puddifoot
Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed & Helena Warwick-Cross
THU 20:30 Casting a Wider Net (m001fmgc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001fmtb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001fmpd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fmy4)
In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
THU 22:45 Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (m00100df)
Episode 9
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s third novel published 7th September 2021 following on from the huge global success of her novels Conversations With Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018).
Niamh Algar is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed young actors. In addition to her most recent lead role in Channel 4’s Deceit, Niamh starred alongside Stephen Graham earlier this year in Shane Meadows highly acclaimed drama The Virtues. Niamh is currently filming a Netflix adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s psychological thriller The Wonder shooting in Wicklow.
Author: Sally Rooney
Reader: Niamh Algar
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Gemma McMullan
A BBC Northern Ireland Production.
THU 23:00 The Shuttleworths (m001fmym)
Series 6
Rusty's Party
John Shuttleworth is back on Radio 4 for a two-part series where he is once again welcoming us into the family home he shares with his wife Mary (who is not as keen on being on the radio as her husband).
John is preparing to attend a party at Joan Chitty’s house, but his spirit is dampened when his sole agent and next-door neighbour, Ken Worthington, reveals that he can’t join John at Joan’s as he has a prior invitation from Bobby Davro. This is the kind of showbiz party that John would very much like to attend but Ken flatly refuses to take John with him.
This is John Shuttleworth’s 30th year in production for radio and each episode in the series contains new songs, including Shall We Share The Shortbread Shirley, Pumice Stone and Blister Pack.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows
Produced by Dawn Ellis
A Chic Ken production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fmz9)
Sean Curran reports on testy exchanges as MPs confront the government over rail delays.
FRIDAY 02 DECEMBER 2022
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001fmzr)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fn06)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fn0l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fn11)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001fn1d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001fn1t)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fn25)
Reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Melrose
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001fn2j)
Farmers earn less than a penny a pack for much of the food they produce for supermarkets, according to a new report 'Unpicking Food'. The charity Sustain says it’s often less than one per cent. They say supply chains are too long and complex, resulting in producers losing out. For instance, the report says a 480 gram pack of supermarket cheddar costs a dairy farmer £
1.48 to produce, yet he receives less than a penny of the £
2.50 selling price.
One of the consequences of the bird flu outbreak has been a flurry of news stories about a shortage of turkeys for Christmas. 'Christmas Dinner at Risk!' warned headlines after the British Poultry Council predicted 'big big shortages', because around half of the free-range poultry grown for this year’s dinner plates has either died or been culled due to the disease. But the widespread publicity about shortages has had unintended and undesirable consequences for some small-scale turkey farmers. Paul White produces around 500 free-range turkeys near Burnley in Lancashire, but he says he's only sold 10 per cent of his birds, when normally he'd have sold half by now. He says customers are panicking about shortages and buying frozen turkeys in supermarkets.
Equine vet Emma Tomlinson runs a stud and an IVF clinic for horses in Gloucestershire, alongside a mobile equine vet service. On 150 acres of organic pasture - which was once her dad’s dairy farm - she's created an international business, collecting and storing semen from stallions, harvesting eggs and transplanting embryos in mares. It's a top-end service for top-end clients - show jumpers, polo ponies, eventers and dressage horses. She says when she started the business 20 years ago, she was the first commercial embryo transfer service in England.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09dxz18)
Dermot O'Leary on the Coal Tit
Since his early teens, presenter Dermot O'Leary has into birdlife and from his kitchen in Central London he loves gazing into the garden and watching the effort small birds like the coal tit put in as they troop back and forth from the bird feeders.
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photo: Tom McKibbin.
FRI 06:00 Today (m001fn2q)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001flzq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fn79)
Episode 5
How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.
In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.
Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.
'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton
'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney
'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr
The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.
Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fn3p)
Anoushka Shankar, UTIs, Sad Beige Children
Anoushka Shankar is a respected sitarist and composer who has just received two Grammy nominations for her new live album Between Us. She joins Anita to talk about the her new song, In Her Name, in memory of the young girl from Delhi, referred to as Nirbhaya, who 10 years ago was gang raped on a bus and was subjected to an attack so badly that she died from her injuries. The incident sent shockwaves across the world and led to the introduction of new anti-rape laws in India.
An estimated half of all women will suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime – so why has testing been such an inexact science until now? Some patients have their infections missed entirely, or, on the flipside, they receive unnecessary or incorrect antibiotics which may leave them host to an antibiotic resistant strain. But a new test could be about to change that. Dr Emma Hayhurst is part of a team of scientists developing a new test for UTIs that could provide a diagnosis in just 40 minutes. She joins Anita, along with Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who last year executive produced a documentary film on the experience of living with a chronic UTI.
Why is social media obsessed with nurseries and toys in neutral, muted colours? Anita speaks to the writer and librarian Hayley DeRoche, who coined the term ‘sad beige clothes for sad beige children’. She tells us about her viral videos which skewer the beige aesthetic. And journalist Martha Alexander explains why she has resigned herself to a life of multicolour with her daughter.
Presented by Anita Rani
Producer: Louise Corley
FRI 11:00 Britain's Communist Thread (m001fn42)
The Party's Over
Historian Camilla Schofield explores a century-long thread of communism in Britain.
Like fascism, we often think of communism as alien – as an external threat – a threat to the British way of life. But what happens if we challenge that a little, and think about communism as a British story?
Today’s programme explores the final years of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and the lingering appeal, for some, of the idea of – and the word – communism.
Featuring:
Geoff Andrews, historian and author of Endgames and New Times: The Final Years of British Communism 1964-1991
Beatrix Campbell, writer and activist
Dalia Gebrial, writer and academic
Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain
Noah Russell, student and activist
With grateful thanks to Kevin Morgan.
Producer: Martin Williams
FRI 11:30 Unite (m000xdqm)
Series 1
The Party and the Proposal
New sitcom series starring Radio 4 favourite Mark Steel (Mark Steel's in Town, The News Quiz), Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Elliot Steel and Ivo Graham.
When Tony (Mark Steel), a working class, left wing South Londoner, falls in love and moves in with Imogen (Claire Skinner), an upper middle class property developer, their sons - disenfranchised Croydon rude boy Ashley (Elliot Steel) and Eton and Oxbridge-educated Gideon (Ivo Graham) - are forced to live under the same roof and behave like the brothers neither of them ever wanted.
In this episode, Tony takes Imogen away for a romantic weekend. Gideon and Ashley take the opportunity to have a party at the house, but Gideon's pet Bearded Dragon suddenly falls ill.
Tony - Mark Steel
Imogen - Claire Skinner
Ashley - Elliot Steel
Gideon - Ivo Graham
Rebecca - Ayesha Antoine
Nigel/Dutch waiter - Simon Greenall
Tamsin - Susannah Fielding
Sarah - Ruth Bratt
Terry the vet - Kevin Eldon
Kevin/Cab driver - Kae Kurd
Marcus/ Protester - Michael Odewale
Stefan/ Rose seller - Naz Osmanoglu
Gabriel - Milo McCabe
Written by Barry Castagnola, Elliot Steel and Mark Steel
(additional material from the cast and Sian Harries)
Executive Producer Mario Stylianides
Producer/Director Barry Castagnola
Sound recordist and Editor Jerry Peal
Broadcast Assistant Sarah Tombling
Production Co-ordinator George O'Regan
Golden Path and Rustle Up production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001fnrk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Archive on 4 (m001fm6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
FRI 12:57 Weather (m001fn50)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m001fn5f)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
FRI 13:45 Understand: The Economy (m001fxdr)
Series 1
The Economy: 10. Inequality
Why are the rich, rich and the poor, poor, and was it always this way? Tim Harford explains what’s happened to inequality over the last 100 years in the UK and why things might be better than you think. Economic historian Victoria Bateman explains the surprising effect The Great Plague had on income and gender equality.
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war hungry Kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with Silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.
Guest: Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Clare Fordham
Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music
A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001fmws)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001fn5r)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall
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
FRI 14:45 Why Do We Do That? (m001fvb0)
Why Can't We All Be Morning People?
Are you one with midnight, or up before sunrise? In this episode, Ella Al-Shamahi investigates when we naturally feel tired and awake, known as our chronotype. Our chronotype depends on our lifestyle, our environment, where we live, it is also influenced by our genes. In this episode, Ella Al-Shamahi uncovers fascinating research which suggests our chronotype can be traced back over 100,000 years ago, to when our early modern human ancestors interbred with Neanderthals. She speaks to geneticist Tony Capra how DNA from our Neanderthal ancestors may be influencing our present-day sleeping habits and shares her revelations with professional early riser and BBC Radio 1 Early Breakfast presenter Arielle Free.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001fn62)
Banstead Downs
What surprises might sprout from newly laid turf? What is the best compost? And what is 'companion planting'?
Joining Peter Gibbs this week are grow-your-own expert Bob Flowerdew, garden designer Bunny Guinness and Pippa Greenwood, our expert in pests and diseases.
In 2008, a special tree was planted in Flamstead, Bedfordshire. On the surface the plane tree seems normal, but it has an inter-galactic pedigree that is far from down-to-earth. Matt Biggs takes Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society and Professor Steve Miller from University College London to visit the tree and its owner.
Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001fn67)
State of the Union
State of the Union by Rachael Fulton
42 year old Jan finds herself unexpectedly pregnant with a late baby. Her marriage is in a perilous condition but - as she tells her unborn baby about the current world and the story of the baby’s conception – Jan realises that she is going to stay with Alan.
The story is a reaction to the Supreme Court ruling last week on an Independence Referendum in Scotland.
Read by Sally Reid
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001fn6b)
Doddie Weir, Hebe de Bonafini, Irene Cara, Cornelia Schroeder
Matthew Bannister on
Doddie Weir (pictured), the leading Scottish rugby player who spent the last few years of his life raising funds for research into the causes of Motor Neurone Disease.
Hebe de Bonafini, the human rights activist from Argentina who led the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in campaigning to trace victims of the country’s so-called “Dirty War”.
Irene Cara, the singer and actor best known for her role in the film “Fame” and for co-writing the hit song “Flashdance”.
Cornelia Schroeder, the virologist from East Germany who made a significant contribution to the treatment of herpes and influenza.
Producer: Neil George
Interviewed guest: Prof Kai Simons
Interviewed guest: Jill Douglas
Interviewed guest: James Grainger
Interviewed guest: Paul Schroeder
Archive clips used: Dr Ludwig/YouTube channel, ‘Der heimliche Aufmarsch‘ 22/08/2021; British Pathe/YouTube channel, Soviets close off East Germany 1952 10/11/2020; British Pathe/YouTube channel, Berlin riots in 1953 13/04/2014; BBC ARCHIVE: rugby commentary, BBC Scotland TX 04/03/1995; M P YouTube channel, Jim Telfer’s tribute to Doddie Weir 26/11/2022; British and Irish Lions YouTube channel, Doddie’s ‘mistaken identity’ 04/07/2020; Lorraine YouTube channel, Doddie Weir interview 29/11/2018; Rugby Republic YouTube channel, Doddie honoured NZ rugby stadium this autumn 13/11/2022; lozleo/YouTube channel, Irene Cara performs on ‘The Original Amateur Hour’ in 1967 29/08/2011; BBC ARCHIVE: Pebble Mill, BBC Two TX 27/02/1996; PROFILES Featuring Mickey Burns channel, Profiles host Mickey Burns interviews Singer, Songwriter and Actress Irene Cara 14/01/2014; Al Jazeera/YouTube channel, Tribute to Hebe de Bonafine 22/11/2022; BBC ARCHIVE: International Assignment, Radio 4 TX 4/9/1981
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001fn6d)
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, and Jamie Oliver will be among seven guests to edit Radio 4's Today programme over Christmas. Listeners give their reaction to the line up and previous guest editors digital entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox and journalist Charles Moore tell Andrea about their experiences at the helm.
Since former Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills replaced Steve Wright on the Radio 2 afternoon show, some of you have been in touch to say the playlist has changed. Head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas said she wanted to do something different with the afternoon show. Helen joins Andrea to talk about music policy and answer listeners’ comments.
Musicians and Jimi Hendrix fans Rik Evans and Paul Tasker are in the Vox Box this week to tell us if the Radio 4 Archive Hour Hendrix: Everything But The Guitar struck a chord with them. To commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday, the documentary features fans from music, literature, and academia who consider all the things that should be celebrated about Jimi, but so often are not.
And former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s appearance on a reality TV show caused a rumble in our inbox this week. Listeners give us their views on how the BBC reported the MP for West Suffolk’s time in the jungle.
Presented by Andrea Catherwood
Produced by Gill Davies
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 17:00 PM (m001fn6g)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fn6l)
Three unions announce strike dates in a dispute about pay and conditions.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m001fn6n)
Series 61
Episode 6
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Jamie MacDonald, Lucy Porter and Ed MacArthur.
Jamie MacDonald shares his experience of Disability History Month, Lucy Porter examines our increasingly secular population and Ed MacArthur is a PR consultant, rebranding famous faces.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Aidan Fitzmaurice, Zoe Tomalin, Rachel E. Thorn and Cameron Loxdale.
Voice actors: George Fouracres and Lola Rose Maxwell
Sound: David Thomas
Sound assistant: Guy Marley
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001fn6q)
Writer, Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director, Julie Beckett
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Ben Archer ….. Ben Norris
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Mick ….. Martin Barrass
Paula ….. Therese Collins
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001fn6s)
Isobel Waller-Bridge and Mikey J Asante round off the series
Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and producer and composer Michael 'Mikey J' Asante take us from a club in Istanbul to a classic grime track via a cigarette factory in Seville, as they add the final five tracks to the current playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also hear from the Lebanese-born trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and Professor Alkis Raftis, a leading authority on Greek dance.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Will Soon be a Woman (live at the Babylon Istanbul) by Ibrahim Maalouf
Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen
Carmen, Act I, Sc 4, Havanaise/Habanera by Georges Bizet
Eskimo by Wiley
Deck the Halls by Nat King Cole
Other music in this episode:
Trace by Isobel Waller-Bridge
Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.’s
Goldberg Variations BWV 988: Aria by JS Bach, played by Glenn Gould
Niandou by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Zorba The Greek: Zorba's Dance by Mikis Theodorakis
Hasapiko performed by Christina Pluhar
Popcorn by Hot Butter
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001fn6v)
Nazir Afzal, Baroness Chapman, David Davis MP, David Kerfoot
Alex Forsyth presents political debate and discussion from the Plaza Cinema, Skipton, with the Chancellor of the University of Manchester and former Chief Prosecutor for North West England Nazir Afzal, the Labour peer and Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chapman, the Conservative MP and former Brexit Secretary David Davis MP, the businessman David Kerfoot.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Owain Williams
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001fn6x)
On Being Tall
Will Self says there are distinct downsides to being tall.
At six foot, four and a half inches, Will ponders the drawbacks of a lofty stature.
'The very ideal of beauty is the small', writes Will, 'so how awful it is to realise that you will never fulfil this artistic ideal with your enormous person which, far from being an artwork, is simply a scale model of gigantism!'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
FRI 21:00 Past Forward: A Century of Sound (m001fn6z)
Omnibus 2
Marking the centenary of the BBC, Past Forward uses a random date generator to alight somewhere in the BBC's vast archive over the past 100 years. Presenter Greg Jenner hears archive clips for the first time at the top of the programme, and explores the changes between then and now.
In this omnibus edition, Greg is presented with five fragments of archive. The first is of Ernest Marples, transport minister in the 1960s, discussing the emerging challenges of car congestion and pollution in Britain’s cities, and Greg speaks to the writer Lynsey Hanley and historian Joe Moran about the rise of car culture since then. On 30th June 1998 the news featured the build up to a certain FIFA World Cup football match – England v Argentina – on which the life and career of a young David Beckham would turn. Greg talks to Liza Betts and Jonathan Hirshler about the aftermath and how much we’ve moved on. Then Greg seeks the help of Professor Steven Fielding and Sathnam Sanghera to navigate his way around a short news item from 1977 which concerns a businessman in trouble, and a scandal about racist slurs recorded in secret. A slither of archive from 1935 references triple Wimbledon champion Fred Perry, and to find out more about him Greg talks to writer and inveterate tennis fan Geoff Dyer. Finally Greg listens to an archive interview with the veteran Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon and then speaks to Kitty herself, now aged 95. They reflect on human brutality, human survival and the importance of preserving Holocaust memories.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fn71)
In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (m00100k2)
Episode 10
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s third novel published 7th September 2021 following on from the huge global success of her novels Conversations With Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018).
Niamh Algar is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed young actors. In addition to her most recent lead role in Channel 4’s Deceit, Niamh starred alongside Stephen Graham earlier this year in Shane Meadows highly acclaimed drama The Virtues. Niamh is currently filming a Netflix adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s psychological thriller The Wonder shooting in Wicklow.
Author: Sally Rooney
Reader: Niamh Algar
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Gemma McMullan
A BBC Northern Ireland Production.
FRI 23:00 Americast (m001fn73)
The Growing Legalisation of Marijuana in the US
As more states legalise marijuana, the team explore how America's relationship with the drug has changed. They interview a drug historian and a former adviser to Clinton, Bush Jnr and Obama on drug policy.
Americast is presented by North America editor Sarah Smith, Today host Justin Webb, the BBC's Social Media and Disinformation Correspondent Marianna Spring, and North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.
Find out more about our "undercover voters" here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63530374
Email Americast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments and send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to 03301239480.
This episode was made by Phil Marzouk, Alix Pickles, Cordelia Hemming and Paige Neal-Holder. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham. The senior news editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fn75)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
39 Ways to Save the Planet
14:45 SAT (m0010pvq)
A Charles Paris Mystery
11:30 WED (b09v8hkm)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (m001fmgy)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (m001fdbc)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (m001fn6x)
Add to Playlist
19:15 FRI (m001fn6s)
All in the Mind
21:00 TUE (m001fmjz)
All in the Mind
15:30 WED (m001fmjz)
Americast
23:00 FRI (m001fn73)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (m001fd4h)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (m001fm40)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (m001fdb9)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (m001fn6v)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (m001fm6c)
Archive on 4
12:04 FRI (m001fm6c)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (m001fmtb)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (m001fmtb)
Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics
16:30 MON (m001fm8m)
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
22:45 MON (m00101m1)
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
22:45 TUE (m00100b7)
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
22:45 WED (m001021b)
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
22:45 THU (m00100df)
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
22:45 FRI (m00100k2)
Believe It!
23:00 WED (b0bkqt8l)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (m001fm1b)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (m001fm1b)
Bhopal
00:15 SUN (m001bs5c)
Brain of Britain
23:00 SAT (m001fd2w)
Britain's Communist Thread
11:00 FRI (m001fn42)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (m001flzl)
Casting a Wider Net
16:00 TUE (m001fmgc)
Casting a Wider Net
20:30 THU (m001fmgc)
Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben MacIntyre
00:30 SAT (m001fdbr)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (m001fmfx)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (m001fmfx)
Crossing Continents
20:30 MON (m001fcwv)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (m001fmqk)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (m001flzq)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (m001flzq)
Drama
14:15 MON (m000m09w)
Drama
14:15 TUE (m000phxm)
Drama
14:15 WED (m001fmxx)
Drama
14:15 THU (m000rd14)
Faith in Music
13:30 SUN (m000q3g1)
Falling Stars
11:00 TUE (m001fmby)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (m001fm1z)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (m001fm1r)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (m001fmhf)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (m001fmkm)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (m001fn5m)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (m001fn2j)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (m001fd9k)
Feedback
16:30 FRI (m001fn6d)
Flight of the Ospreys
09:30 TUE (m001fmb0)
Four Nations Four Schools
20:00 TUE (m001fmjp)
Four Thought
20:45 WED (m001fn1x)
From Fact to Fiction
00:30 SUN (m001fd9b)
From Fact to Fiction
15:45 FRI (m001fn67)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (m001fm30)
Front Row
19:15 MON (m001fmbl)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (m001fmjk)
Front Row
19:15 WED (m001fn13)
Front Row
19:15 THU (m001fmx6)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (m001fd98)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (m001fn62)
Girl Reading
11:30 THU (m000h7r3)
Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar
18:30 WED (m001fn0n)
Hennikay
18:30 TUE (m001fmj2)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
09:45 MON (m001fm9x)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
00:30 TUE (m001fm9x)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
09:45 TUE (m001fmbc)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
00:30 WED (m001fmbc)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
00:30 THU (m001fn38)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
09:45 THU (m001fn06)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
00:30 FRI (m001fn06)
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
09:45 FRI (m001fn79)
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
12:04 SUN (m001fd42)
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
18:30 MON (m001fm9s)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (m001fmpd)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (m001fmpd)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (m001fmjt)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (m001fd9f)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (m001fn6b)
Limelight
14:15 FRI (m001fn5r)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (m001fm16)
Loose Ends
23:00 SUN (m001fm16)
Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys
11:30 MON (m000nll9)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (m001fdbp)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (m001fm6v)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (m001fm18)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (m001fmdg)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (m001fmk7)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (m001fn2y)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (m001fmzr)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (m001fm12)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (m001fm12)
Money Box
15:00 WED (m001fmyb)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (m001fn1h)
Nature Table
15:00 MON (m001fm83)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (m001fdc0)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (m001fm7h)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (m001fm1l)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (m001fmgf)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (m001fmkh)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (m001fn4s)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (m001fn1t)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (m001fm34)
News Summary
06:00 SUN (m001flz0)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (m001fm02)
News Summary
12:00 MON (m001fmbh)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (m001fmcj)
News Summary
12:00 WED (m001fmwg)
News Summary
12:00 THU (m001fn1r)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (m001fnrk)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (m001fm1w)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (m001flz6)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (m001flzg)
News and Weather
13:00 SAT (m001fm3n)
News
22:00 SAT (m001fm6m)
No Place But the Water
21:00 SAT (m00127ty)
Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn
19:15 SUN (m001fm0z)
Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn
23:00 TUE (m001fm0z)
Oliver: Lagos to London
15:00 SAT (m000df93)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (m001flz2)
One to One
05:45 SAT (m0018ns2)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (m001fm0g)
Open Book
15:30 THU (m001fm0g)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (m001fczq)
Open Country
15:00 THU (m001fmsq)
PM
17:00 SAT (m001fm4n)
PM
17:00 MON (m001fm8v)
PM
17:00 TUE (m001fmhd)
PM
17:00 WED (m001fmzs)
PM
17:00 THU (m001fmts)
PM
17:00 FRI (m001fn6g)
Past Forward: A Century of Sound
21:00 FRI (m001fn6z)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (m001fm0v)
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
17:30 SAT (m001fm4z)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (m001fdc2)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (m001fm1n)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (m001fmgw)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (m001fmkk)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (m001fn58)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (m001fn25)
Profile
19:00 SAT (m001fm0l)
Profile
05:45 SUN (m001fm0l)
Profile
17:40 SUN (m001fm0l)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (m001flzb)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:25 SUN (m001flzb)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (m001flzb)
ReincarNathan
18:30 THU (m001fmwb)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (m001fm2k)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (m001fdbw)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (m001fm76)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (m001fm1g)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (m001fmfd)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (m001fmkc)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (m001fn3y)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (m001fn11)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (m001fdbt)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (m001fdby)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (m001fm5b)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (m001fm71)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (m001fm7b)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (m001fm0n)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (m001fm1d)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (m001fm1j)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (m001fmdy)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (m001fmfv)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (m001fmk9)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (m001fmkf)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (m001fn3l)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (m001fn49)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (m001fn0l)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (m001fn1d)
Short Cuts
15:00 TUE (m001fmff)
Sideways
00:15 MON (m001fcsp)
Sideways
16:00 WED (m001fmyw)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (m001fm5v)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (m001fm0s)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (m001fm9d)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (m001fmhs)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (m001fn05)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (m001fmvr)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (m001fn6l)
Sliced Bread
12:32 THU (m001fmrj)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b03jyf67)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b03jyf67)
Soul Music
10:30 SAT (m001fm2r)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (m001fm6p)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (m001fm6p)
Stories from Ukraine
21:45 SAT (m001cq4v)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (m001flzj)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (m001flz8)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (m001flzn)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (m001fm0x)
The Archers
14:00 MON (m001fm0x)
The Archers
19:00 MON (m001fmb7)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (m001fmb7)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (m001fmjb)
The Archers
14:00 WED (m001fmjb)
The Archers
19:00 WED (m001fmsf)
The Archers
14:00 THU (m001fmsf)
The Archers
19:00 THU (m001fmws)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (m001fmws)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (m001fn6q)
The Briefing Room
20:00 THU (m001fmxl)
The Exchange
22:15 SAT (m001brqg)
The Exploding Library
11:30 TUE (m001fmc6)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (m001flzx)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (m001flzx)
The Infinite Monkey Cage
19:15 SAT (p0dcn51y)
The Infinite Monkey Cage
16:00 THU (p0dcn51y)
The Language Exchange
23:30 SAT (m001fch8)
The Long View
09:00 TUE (m001fm9n)
The Long View
21:30 TUE (m001fm9n)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (m001fmz8)
The Media Show
21:30 WED (m001fmz8)
The New Age of Autarky?
20:00 MON (m001fmbw)
The New Age of Autarky?
11:00 WED (m001fmbw)
The Norwegian Hancock
16:00 MON (m001d57l)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (m001fdb2)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (m001fn6n)
The Poetry Detective
16:30 SUN (m001fm0j)
The Reith Lectures
09:00 WED (m001fmtz)
The Shuttleworths
23:00 THU (m001fmym)
The Untold
11:00 MON (m001fm77)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (m001fm2w)
The Witch Farm
23:00 MON (m001fmch)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (m001fm08)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (m001fmc8)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (m001fmk3)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (m001fn27)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (m001fmy4)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (m001fn71)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (m001fmd0)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (m001fmk5)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (m001fn2l)
Today in Parliament
23:30 THU (m001fmz9)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (m001fn75)
Today
07:00 SAT (m001fm2c)
Today
17:00 SUN (m001ffqt)
Today
06:00 MON (m001fm6f)
Today
06:00 TUE (m001fm99)
Today
06:00 WED (m001fmt1)
Today
06:00 THU (m001fmnb)
Today
06:00 FRI (m001fn2q)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b04hkyn2)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b09h6x6h)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b03dx96d)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (m0002bvl)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b09gkk3p)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b09dxz18)
Understand: The Economy
13:45 MON (p0df7gzl)
Understand: The Economy
13:45 TUE (p0df7j3k)
Understand: The Economy
13:45 WED (m001fxjk)
Understand: The Economy
13:45 THU (m001fxjm)
Understand: The Economy
13:45 FRI (m001fxdr)
Unite
11:30 FRI (m000xdqm)
Voices in the Valley
19:45 SUN (p0d8kl54)
Weather
06:57 SAT (m001fm25)
Weather
12:57 SAT (m001fm39)
Weather
17:57 SAT (m001fm5l)
Weather
06:57 SUN (m001flz4)
Weather
07:57 SUN (m001flzd)
Weather
12:57 SUN (m001fm03)
Weather
17:57 SUN (m001fm0q)
Weather
05:56 MON (m001fm1t)
Weather
12:57 MON (m001fm7r)
Weather
12:57 TUE (m001fmdh)
Weather
12:57 WED (m001fmx9)
Weather
12:57 THU (m001fmrs)
Weather
12:57 FRI (m001fn50)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (m001fm14)
What Really Happened in the Nineties?
14:45 SUN (m00174kt)
When Reality Breaks: Demystifying Paranoid Schizophrenia
21:00 MON (m001fcjt)
Why Do We Do That?
14:45 FRI (m001fvb0)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (m001fm4b)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (m001fm73)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (m001fmbp)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (m001fmvx)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (m001fmq8)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (m001fn3p)
Working Titles
15:00 SUN (m001fm0d)
World at One
13:00 MON (m001fm7y)
World at One
13:00 TUE (m001fmdz)
World at One
13:00 WED (m001fmxm)
World at One
13:00 THU (m001fms3)
World at One
13:00 FRI (m001fn5f)
You and Yours
12:04 MON (m001fm7k)
You and Yours
12:04 TUE (m001fmcx)
You and Yours
12:04 WED (m001fmwx)
You and Yours
12:04 THU (m001fmr6)