The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on R4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 10 DECEMBER 2022

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001fwjt)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Night Terrors by Alice Vernon (m001fw9k)
Episode 5

Alice Vernon often wakes up to find strangers in her bedroom.

Ever since she was a child, her nights have been haunted by nightmares of a figure from her adolescence, sinister hallucinations and episodes of sleepwalking. These are known as 'parasomnias' - and they're surprisingly common.

Now a lecturer in Creative Writing, Vernon set out to understand the history, science and culture of these strange and haunting experiences. Night Terrors examines the history of our relationship with bad dreams - how we've tried to make sense of and treat them, from some decidedly odd 'cures' like magical 'mare-stones', to research on how video games might help people rewrite their dreams. Along the way she explores the Salem Witch Trials and sleep paralysis, Victorian ghost stories, and soldiers' experiences of PTSD. By directly confronting her own strange and frightening nights for the first time, Alice Vernon encourages us to think about the way troubled sleep has impacted our imaginations.

Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Emily Raymond
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fwjy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fwk3)
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 (m001fwk7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001fwkc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fwkh)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning.

Sometimes children have a talent for asking questions that can make us think in new ways: “Where’s Jesus in your church? - I can’t see him anywhere” a little girl asked her grandmother recently while they were helping tidy up after a community event. The child spotted a picture of a baby surrounded by green, cut out, paper handprints and asked, “is that Jesus?” “No” came the answer “that’s Moses in the bulrushes, made by children from Junior Church”. The grandmother looked for a picture of Jesus; the stained-glass windows were all dark, because it was evening. She wondered about showing her a wooden carved pieta - depicting Mary cradling the crucified Christ but decided that might raise awkward questions. So, in the end she pointed to the small red candle that’s lit by the tabernacle where the Holy Communion’s kept, and she talked about a candle as a sign of Jesus, whom Christians call “the light of the world”.

The child’s question made me wonder about what it means to make our faith visible. Of course, it’s a key task of all Christians to model and represent the values and message of Christ. There’s a famous prayer that speaks of being Christ’s hands and feet today, calling believers to live out our faith each day. Maybe there’s a challenge here for all of us, whatever our beliefs about God, the world and one another. How clearly are our core values evident to others in our daily living, in the homes we make, in our relationships and in all our choices?

Gracious God, thank you for insights and perspectives of children. Help us to hear their questions and to learn new things. Gift us with imagination and integrity, so we might help and encourage others to discover hope and joy. Amen.


SAT 05:45 Four Thought (m001fw6l)
After a Parent Dies by Suicide

Anna Wardley argues that we should better support children whose parents kill themselves.

Beginning her talk in the dark waters of the English Channel as she attempts to swim non-stop around the Isle of Wight, Anna describes darkness of a different kind as she explains the need for children whose parents kill themselves to be better supported. And that should start with counting them.

Producer: Giles Edwards


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001g2vh)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001fwgn)
The Mendip Hills

The Mendip hills stretch across the landscape south of Bristol and Bath, running from Weston-super-Mare in the west to the Frome valley in the east, with views down across the Somerset Levels. More than seventy square miles are designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty, with ancient woodland rising above dramatic gorges. Beneath their beauty, the hills hide an intriguing wartime story. Black Down was one of the "starfish sites", where fires were lit at night as decoys to simulate burning cities and so trick the German planes into dropping their bombs on the countryside instead. Its physical remains can be seen in the landscape to this day.

Helen Mark explores the area and learns about its history - both ancient and more modern. Nearby Cheddar Gorge may be more famous, but Helen finds out that Burrington Combe has a fascinating past. It's home to what is believed to be the oldest cemetery in Britain, where human bones were excavated from a cave in the 19th century. Modern radiocarbon dating techniques have shown them to be more than 10,000 years old. The area is also an important haven for wildlife. Helen meets a ranger who is busy building a hibernaculum - an underground hiding place where adders and other creatures can spend the winter.

Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001g2vk)
10/12/22 Farming Today This Week; abattoirs and the challenges the sector faces.

All week on Farming Today we've been looking at the state of the UK's abattoirs - from animal welfare to the challenges of finding staff. There are about 245 abattoirs in the UK, slaughtering millions of animals. Government figures for October this year show 173,000 cattle, 1.1 million sheep and 926, 000 pigs. There used to be many more abattoirs, but tighter regulations and economies of scale have seen consolidation.

The future of small abattoirs has been a concern for many farmers for a number of years now. Farming Minister Mark Spencer has said he is actively looking at supporting smaller abattoirs, to keep them running. But it might not be in time to save some. We speak to a campaigner who's fighting to save the Tottingworth abattoir in Heathfield in East Sussex which is earmarked for closure in January.

The Food Standards Agency says it's doing all it can to support small abattoirs by cutting red tape and reducing costs, but the CEO Emily Miles said they can't have a separate regulatory system for small abattoirs, even though they are only selling meat locally, because some by-products do end up in produce destined for export, and would need to comply with those standards.

We visit a plant where Scottish salmon is slaughtered and processed, and speak to the Humane Slaughter Association about whether the stunning methods used in the slaughter of wild salmon, could be applied to fish caught at sea.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001g2vm)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001g2vp)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001g2vr)
Pattie Boyd

Pattie Boyd joins Nikki Bedi and Danny Wallace. The model, muse and photographer talks about her life, the influence of her early years and how she dealt with many years in the public eye, where relationships with George Harrison and Eric Clapton inspired songs such as Harrison's Something and Clapton’s Layla and Wonderful Tonight.

When listener Andrew Lock heard our science lesson call in it prompted him to get in touch and tell us about his surprising career as an inventor on a TV show in the late 1990s, while he was still a student. Andrew joins us to talk about his ingenious inventions and his brief taste of life as a TV presenter.

Richie Barlow’s childhood was littered with abuse and chaos, as he struggled to find his place in the world. He spent most of his childhood in care, from the age of nine. Richie talks about turning his life around and running a successful business, the women who helped him, and how Star Trek taught Richie how to survive and forgive.

Howard Blake OBE is best known for composing the music for The Snowman, which is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the film’s debut and 25 years as a stage play. Outside this festive staple, Blake has a hugely varied body of work which includes creating the music for The Avengers and a string of big commercials. He was also commissioned to write a new piece for Princess Diana’s thirtieth birthday.

Pattie Boyd: My Life In Pictures is out now.
Richie - Who Cares? by Richie Barlow – with Becky Bond is available online now. 
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of ‘The Snowman’ Sony are releasing of a newly-remastered edition of the soundtrack. The Snowman stage show is running until 31 December at the Peacock Theatre in London.

Producer: Claire Bartleet


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001g2vt)
Killing Me Softly with His Song

"Strumming my pain with his fingers... Singing my life with his words..."

Killing Me Softly with His Song is a song about the pleasure and embarrassment of being seen. The feeling that someone has reached into your deepest, most private feelings, and laid them bare: "I felt he'd found my letters, and read each one out loud". It's a song about a singer, and about what music can do. And it's a love song that feels at once happy and sad.

The song was a huge hit in two different generations. It won Grammy Awards for The Fugees in 1997 and for Roberta Flack in 1974. Ray Padgett, author of Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time, unfolds the layers of the song's history as a famous cover of a famous cover. The musicologist Nate Sloan explores what the song does harmonically, oscillating between major and minor chords to create a sense of uncertainty and longing. And Lori Lieberman tells the story of the Don McLean concert that inspired her lyrics for the song, that she was the first to record as a young singer-songwriter in 1972.

It's a song that transports Tiff Murray back to the hot New York summer of 1996, when the Fugees version blared from every car radio and shopfront. For her it was the soundtrack to falling in love while far from home. It's also a love song for Julie Daley, but now with a sharp edge. Dr Robin Boylorn listened to the Fugees version as a self-conscious teenager and felt a flush of recognition; Ben heard it the Christmas he first came to the UK from South Africa, played by a busker early one morning in Covent Garden as the first snow he'd ever seen began to fall; and Perminder Khatkar has treasured the song since it played in the delivery room during the birth of her first child.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001g2vw)
The Guardian's Political Editor Pippa Crerar looks back on events in Westminster this week. She is joined by the former Cabinet Minister, Conservative MP Kit Malthouse, and the outgoing General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O'Grady, to discuss the Government's response to the increasing number of strikes from nurses and paramedics to the ongoing dispute on the railways. The SNP's Dr Philippa Whitford MP and David Clegg, editor of The Courier in Dundee, consider the new leader of the SNP group at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, and what impact he will have on the party's prospects.

A number of MPs and peers attempted SATs tests in Westminster this week. Among them were the Conservative chair of the Education Select Committee, Robin Walker MP, and Labour's Baroness Christine Blower, a former General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers. They discuss whether or not the tests are in need of reform. Finally, the Conservative MP Duncan Baker reflects on his family's experience in hosting a Ukrainian mother and son and whether the Homes for Ukraine scheme should continue.

Editor: Peter Snowdon


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001g2vy)
'Everything that is good has been taken'

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, Iran, Niger, Bhutan and Lithuania.

Russian troops captured Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, early on in the invasion. When the satellite town was liberated, the atrocities of Russian soldiers were laid bare. Nick Redmayne spoke to the residents who returned home about how they are trying to rebuild their lives.

Following the protests which began in mid-September, after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, news of the first public execution of a protestor in Iran drew international condemnation this week - though protests show no sign of abating. Azadeh Moaveni was in Tehran when the protests began and found the desire for change runs deep in Iranian society.

Michela Wrong visits a safe house in Niamey, Niger, where eight elderly Rwandan men are being detained, having been prosecuted for their role in the Rwandan genocide. Four have now been acquitted, and four have served their prison sentences. She hears what happened to them since their trial- and the challenges posed by their rehabilitation.

Last year, Bhutan decriminalised homosexuality. Michelle Jana Chan speaks to gay activists, including Miss Universe Bhutan, about how far the population in the Himalayan Kingdom, is keeping step with political change.

Lithuania was once the heart of a large empire in the Middle Ages, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Hundreds of years ago, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania invited members of the Karaim community from Crimea to serve as guards and soldiers of an empire. Simon Broughton attended a festival celebrating their culture in Trakai.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001g2w0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001g2w2)
Where to keep warm this winter

It's going to be the coldest weekend of the year so far. We already know that typical energy bills will be double what they were last winter. So everyone is looking for ways to use less electricity and gas at the same time as trying to stay warm. One solution is being offered by so-called 'warm banks' - places where people can go to keep warm if they're struggling to afford heating costs. The Warm Welcome campaign now has more than three thousand places open on its website and says last week alone 80 thousand people kept warm in one of them - up by more than a fifth on the previous week. We visit Widnes library and speak to the organisers of the campaign. If you’re looking for somewhere to go to keep warm the website is https://www.warmwelcome.uk/

Losing your spouse or civil partner is always a difficult time financially - the funeral, paying bills and losing a second income all add to the stress. There is money from the government to help - totalling more than £4,000 for those without children and nearly £10,000 for those with. This Bereavement Support Payment was introduced in April 2017 and is paid to surviving partners who are under the state pension age of 66. We discuss how to get it and how to avoid missing out.

A third of all bank and building society branches have closed in the last decade. One solution to this is a new expansion of banking hubs. Our reporter Clare Worden visits the opening of a new hub in East Yorkshire.

And how to make sure you don’t lose out on claiming a Cost of Living Payment to help with energy bills.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Clare Worden
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Star McFarlane
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 10th December, 2022)


SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m001fwh2)
Christmas Specials 2022

Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 has a new owner, Woman’s Hour has a new host, and David Beckham gets an unusual new role. Find out what all this can be about on all new Dead Ringers.

Performed by Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, Duncan Wisbey, Naomi McDonald and Anil Desai.

Written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Sarah Campbell, Tom Coles and Ed Amsden, James Bugg, Toussaint Douglass, Robert Darke, Sophie Dickson and Edward Tew.

Produced and created by Bill Dare.
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001g2w4)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001g2w6)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001fwhv)
Baroness Chakrabarti, Lord Frost, Layla Moran MP, Sir John Timpson

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St Mary's Church, Nantwich with the Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti, the Conservative peer Lord Frost, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP and owner and Chairman of Timpson Sir John Timpson.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Owain Williams


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001g2w8)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 39 Ways to Save the Planet (m0010q9n)
The Happiness Index

How well is your country doing? The GDP - gross domestic product - has long been a measure of growth and success but some argue judging purely on economics is too narrow-sighted.
Tom Heap meets 'chopsy' Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales who will challenge if a decision being made will be detrimental for children and those yet to be born. If the cost and inheritance to them is high it risks getting kicked out. She takes him to the wetlands she helped save from a planned M4 development. Katherine Trebeck explains alternatives measures of national success, the factors they take in and why many feel happier about using them. Dr Tamsin Edwards assesses what an alternative viewpoint could do for carbon cutting.

Producer Anne-Marie Bullock
Researcher Sarah Goodman

Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Lukas Hardt from WEAll Scotland, to Dr Paul Brockway from the University of Leeds and to Dr Chris Hope from the University of Cambridge.


SAT 15:00 Oliver: Lagos to London (m000dzm9)
Episode 3

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 3:
Oli has become a hardened 20-year-old, who’s forgotten his best friend Mene and all their dreams. Saffron Hill is grooming Oli as the gang’s new leader, and persuades Bill to include him in a plan that will earn them a small fortune. But when they get to the rendezvous, Oli’s kind heart ruins the callous scheme and he pays a heavy price...

Is this the end of Oli’s last desperate hope of escape and the possibility of a new life?

Cast:
Oli - Idris Debrand
Babatunde - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje 
Nancy - Tamara Lawrance
Bill - Fehinte Balogun
Dodger - Sylvester Akinrolabu
Miss Saffron Hill - Jocelyn Jee Esien
Blessing - Marlene Madenge
Inspector Ndbuisi - Kalungi Ssebandeke 
Charlie - Samuel Adebayo 
Auntie Rosie - Bisola Elizabeth Alabi 
Waitress - Fatima Adoum
Young Agi - Sariah Joye
Other parts played by Ali Zayn, Fabio Goutet, Ewens Abid, Makee Ogbon, Samantha Mandaza, Jayesh Fernando and Kairon Edwards

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 (m001g2wb)
The Silent Twins, Beryl Cook, whistleblower Helen Evans, Kate Winslet and mothers and sons at Christmas.

Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance star in the brand new film, ‘The Silent Twins’, which tells the story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twin girls who only spoke to each other, and no one else. We hear the actors speaking about what it meant to them to play these remarkable twins. Also the former investigative journalist, Marjorie Wallace, who campaigned for the twins and wrote a book with them.

Hear from the daughter-in-law of the late artist Beryl Cook, alongside art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston, as a new exhibition of Beryl’s work opens in New York. Emma Barnett talks to them about Beryl painting women enjoying themselves in pubs and clubs, as well as why her artwork means so much to people.

Anita Rani speaks to the Oxfam GB whistleblower Helen Evans, who features in a new documentary about female whistleblowers. She discusses not only the impact the decision had on her at the time, but the consequences to her life going forwards, and what happened afterwards.

Academy award-winning actor Kate Winslet joins Emma Barnett to speak about her newest project on Channel 4, ‘I am…Ruth’. In it, she acts alongside her real-life daughter in a story that tackles the mental health issues caused by smartphones and social media. Plus, hear why she thinks women in their 40s are going into the best time of life.

How do you decide which side of the family to spend Christmas with? Krupa Padhy speaks to one mother who feels like she’ll lose her sons once their wives or girlfriends take control of the festive season, as well as a relationship psychiatrist on how to avoid these kinds of tensions.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lottie Garton


SAT 17:00 PM (m001g2wd)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m001fwfc)
Perfume

Smelling good can come with a hefty price tag with the price of perfumes often getting into the hundreds of pounds. But what if there was a cheaper alternative?

Listener Callum got in touch because his bottle of expensive perfume is about to run out. Presenter Greg Foot turns his nose to the task, testing so-called 'clone' perfumes which claim to get as close the originals as to be indistinguishable - but for a fraction of the cost. Speaking to an expert perfumer he finds out exactly how the clone houses copy the ingredients of designer perfumes and whether they last as long.

Do they pass the sniff test? Are they the best thing since sliced bread or just marketing BS?

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: Simon Hoban


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001g2wg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001g2wj)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g2wl)
Morocco become the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-final - as England get set for their quarter-final game


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001g2wn)
Martha Plimpton, Brian Bilston, Rachel Fairburn, Jimi Famurewa, The Hu, Lola Kirke, Andrew O' Neill, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Andrew O' Neill are joined by Martha Plimpton, Brian Bilston, Rachel Fairburn and Jimi Famurewa for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Hu and Lola Kirke.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001g2wq)
Oliver Dowden

Oliver Dowden, the MP for Hertsmere, has worked closely with four Prime Ministers, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and now Rishi Sunak, one of his best friends in parliament. He's made his mark quietly, mainly behind the scenes - but as Culture Secretary during the pandemic, he managed to secure extra funding to support the arts.

As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, some might argue Oliver Dowden is now the second most powerful person in government. He's been given the key job of organising the government response to the current wave of strike action.

Away from work, Dowden is a patriot, a monarchist and a man who enjoys pub lunches and walks in the countryside with his family and pet dog, Betsy.

Adrian Goldberg speaks to friends and colleagues who give us an insight into a man whose nicknames run from Olive to The Undertaker.

Contributors

George Osborne, Chair, British Museum; Former Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Sir John Hayes, MP for South Holland and The Deepings.
Annabelle Dickson, Political Correspondent, Politico.
Andrew Gimson, Biographer, Boris Johnson.
Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman, Victoria and Albert Museum.
Sean Worth, Director, WPI Strategy, Communications Consultancy.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg
Producers: Diane Richardson and Julie Ball
Editor: Simon Watts
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
Sound Production: Neil Churchill


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0dcn52l)
Series 25

The Age of Conspiracy?

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian and author David Baddiel, psychologist Prof Karen Douglas, biologist Prof Matthew Cobb and philosopher Dr Timotheus Vermeulen to discover why conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists seem to be booming. From flat earthers to moon hoaxers and holocaust deniers, is there something about society today that encourages beliefs that seem to go against all evidence and reason? Or are conspiracies just part of the human condition, and each to their own? Why do some of these alarming theories seem to hold more truth for many than overwhelming data and evidence to the contrary, and how far should we go in accommodating views that seem to have no basis in reality?

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0001pk3)
How Santa Claus Stole Christmas

Cultural historian and writer Christopher Frayling explores how Hollywood movies helped to create the modern global Christmas.

If Dickens' A Christmas Carol invented the Victorian Christmas of family, good works and good cheer, Hollywood has created its modern counterpoint - Santa Claus, elaborate presents, hummable tunes, consumer satisfaction and family tensions and reconciliations. 

From Holiday Inn and Miracle On 34th Street to It's A Wonderful Life and White Christmas, Christmas movies are designed to create a warm glow in the audience. They have helped turn Christmas into a global event, spread across cultures and religions, and rebranded for the age of mass consumption.

In the process, the meaning of Christmas has become comprehensively Americanised - complete with the ubiquitous iconography of Santa Claus, red-nosed reindeer, red costumes trimmed with white and shopping to the sound of piped seasonal muzak. A cultural critic said recently that Santa Claus is to American material faith what Jesus Christ is to the spiritual.

Christopher Frayling dives into the BBC archive to discover how this happened and why - with the help of filmmakers, advertisers and historians, as well as comedians, commentators and religious figures.

Interviewees:
Joe Dante, film director
Judith Flanders, historian and author
Sir John Hegarty, advertising executive
Karen Krizanovich, broadcaster and writer
Kim Newman, critic and horror writer

Producer: Jane Long

A Hidden Flack production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 No Place But the Water (m001bc1l)
The Library of Everything: Part 2

Final series of climate emergency drama set in a flooded future world written by Linda Marshall Griffiths

Birdie is having strange visions and Gil's arm is not healing - Birdie needs to find help before it's too late.
Meanwhile across the water, Caleb’s reunion with his dad has left him feeling uneasy and Jess is restless to find her mum - can they really stay in the Floating City much longer?

BIRDIE ..... Poppy O’Brien
JESSIE ..... Sade Malone
CALEB ..... Cel Spellman
GIL ..... Rupert Hill
ALEX…..William Ash
LEO.....Hamish Rush
LAURIE.....Jenny Platt
THE ANGEL.....Remmie Milner

Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths
Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes

Programme consultants: Dr James M. Lea; Dr Ian Dawson; Dr. Andrew F. Field.

A BBC Audio Drama North Production

The drama uses 3D spatial audio; please listen on headphones for a unique immersive experience.


SAT 21:45 Stories from Ukraine (m001cq8m)
How to Fall in Love with George Michael (Part 2)

Teenager and probably genius poet, Olesia has found herself in love with someone who looks nothing like George Michael and Olesia and must take drastic action to avoid becoming a social pariah.

Written by Natalka Sniadanko
Translated by Jenny Croft
Read by Vera Graziadei
Abridged and produced for radio by Naomi Walmsley

Taken from the anthology 'Love in Defiance in Pain: Ukrainian Stories'


SAT 22:00 News (m001g2wt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (m001fw6b)
Can ethics survive the death of religion?

For the first time, fewer than half of people in England and Wales describe themselves as Christian. For centuries in the West, Judeo-Christian values have underpinned moral reasoning and grounded our ethics. While ticking “no religion” on the census doesn’t necessarily mean having no religious belief, should it concern us that this central story of our culture is fragmenting?

Implicit in utilitarianism is the idea that we can do ethics without metaphysics. The Enlightenment hailed the triumph of scientific rationality over sacred revelation. Whereas, the French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that in any society in a state of ‘anomie’ – that is, lacking a shared moral code – there would be a rise in suicide.

Secularists argue that the greatest examples of social progress of the last century have come about as a result of a loss of deference to religious moral authority. Religious leaders believe that it is precisely this moral authority that makes a society cohesive. Others think it doesn’t matter where you get your moral guide from as long as you’re looking for it.

We live in an era of rapid social change, facing a new technological revolution, and all the ethical questions it poses. Does a religious-based ethics have the answers?

Can ethics survive the death of religion?

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SAT 23:00 Nature Table (m001fvzx)
Series 3

Episode 2

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 ZSL London Zoo, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Lucy Cooke (zoologist & author), Megan McCubbin (conservationist & zoologist) and comedian Felicity Ward.

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts
Additional material by: Kat Sadler

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


SAT 23:30 The Poetry Detective (m001fvq1)
Poems for Turbulent Times

The Poetry Detective is a radio show about how poetry sits in people's everyday lives. Each week the writer Vanessa Kisuule speaks to people with a poem that has been meaningful to them. She finds out why the poem matters, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it, what was the context it came out of and how does it work on us? In this episode, Vanessa speaks to people who have lived through times of crisis - finding out about how poetry has helped them navigate a world that often feels unsurvivable.

Poetry doesn’t always need to be explicitly about war, conflict or turbulence to help us better understand such circumstances. Nor does it need to give a simple message of hope and perseverance. In our first story, we hear from someone who found his own experience reflected in a surprising source. Louis Yako is an anthropologist and writer. Today he lives in North Carolina, but he grew up in Iraq. Growing up, he has always had a huge passion for languages and books, and in the year 2000 he began studying English Literature at the University of Baghdad. The course was rigorous and traditional - the students read Dickens, Austen and the Romantic poets in great depth. Louis was in heaven.

In one fellow student he immediately recognised a kindred spirit. A young woman, kind and beautiful, who shared his love of poetry. The two became fast friends and talked for hours about the poems they loved. They exchanged long, handwritten letters to continue their conversations when they couldn't speak in person.

Then in 2003 came the US invasion, and Louis was forced to put his studies on hold. When he and his friend were eventually able to resume their studies there was one poem that resonated for them especially strongly - Lord Alfred Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott. The people of Iraq were suffering after years living under UN sanctions, the effects of the war, and the outbreak of Shia/Sunni violence. Like the Lady in her tower, forced to watch the world through a mirror, Louis explains that the people of Iraq felt they too were under a curse. They were "half sick of shadows", cut off from the world, having lived under Saddam Hussein's regime and its censorship of the media. Line by line, he and his friend related the poem to their lives in Iraq. Where was their Camelot and would they ever reach it? And what would become of them both as the violence escalated?

Vanessa also speaks to lisa luxx,, a writer, performer, essayist and activist of British and Syrian heritage who splits her time between the UK and Lebanon. lisa was working on her debut collection, when in August 2020 a huge blast ripped through Beirut port. The blast destroyed entire neighbourhoods of the city. More than 200 people were killed, more than 6,500 were injured, and around 300,000 people were displaced from their homes. lisa was out on the streets, distributing aid and supporting people living in extremely challenging conditions. People needed access to electricity and sanitation, help with medical bills, basics like water and a sack of rice. Delivering the manuscript for her debut collection felt to be very far down on the list of priorities. Poetry felt luxurious, superfluous; it would feel almost inhumane to sit and write a poem while people around her were suffering. "I told my editor I don’t believe in poetry any more."

She became close to one of the families she was supporting, and they invited her to eat with them. Sitting down around a large shared dish of rice, they asked her what she did and when they found out she was a poet, asked her for a poem. She felt embarrassed that she didn't have a poem to offer in that moment. A poem that could be as useful as rice. She speaks with Vanessa about what a "rice poem" might look like - a practical poem that could be offered in the moment it is needed.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio



SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 2022

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001g2ww)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Torn (m001bbth)
The stories behind the clothes we wear

Indian chintz dress

It's 1786 in Alexandria, Virginia. An argument breaks out at the market between a black woman enslaved on George Washington’s plantation and a white woman who believes she has stolen her dress made of fine Indian chintz fabric. What the encounter reveals is a complex pattern of hierarchy within fashion and stylistic expression in which black Americans have struggled to gain recognition for centuries.

In the second episode of Torn, Gus-Casely-Hayford explores letters and extracts from the diaries of George Washington to understand the interwoven histories of both slavery and textiles in America.

By the late 18th century, chintz patterns copied from a centuries old Indian tradition were firmly established as a signifier of high rank within white society. Guy goes in search of black Americans designers who have dared to express themselves in the predominantly white world of fashion. From the enslaved seamstress Elizabeth Keckly who bought her freedom with proceeds from her dress shop situated in the shadows of the White House, to Dapper Dan’s journey from a hustler in Harlem to a designer of some of the biggest stars in hip hop.


With art historian Jennifer Van Horn, curator Elizabeth Way and letters from Charles McIver to George Washington.

Presenter: Gus Casely-Hayford
Executive Producer: Rosie Collyer
Assistant Producer: Nadia Mehdi
Researcher: Zeyana Yussuf
Production Coordinator: Francesca Taylor
Sound Design: Rob Speight

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:30 Profile (m001fvhx)
Olena Zelenska

Olena Zelenska delivered a moving speech to MPs and peers this week, calling for military support for Ukraine by describing the terror of air raids and evoking memories of World War II.

The Ukrainian first lady has also addressed the US Congress and appeared on the cover of Vogue but stepping into the limelight has not been easy for the comedy writer, who is more comfortable behind the camera.

Adrian Goldberg profiles Olena Zelenska, speaking to some of the friends and colleagues who know her best.

Contributors
Irina Pikalova, 'Kvartal 95' executive producer.
Stylist Natalya Kamenska.
Rachel Donadio, Journalist, Vogue.
Iuliia Mendel, Author The Fight of Our Lives.
Ukrainian Chef, Levgen Klopotenko.

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg
Producers: Diane Richardson and Natasha Fernandes
Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g2wy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g2x0)
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 (m001g2x2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001g2x4)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001g2x6)
St Mary’s Church in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary’s Church in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Construction of the church started in 1140 taking forty years to complete. In the 14th century, a fine 130 foot lead spire was added. The tower houses a ring of eight bells cast by five different founders in 16th, 17th and 18th century with a tenor bell weighing nineteen and a quarter hundredweight and to the key of E. In 1951, all the bells were rehung and retuned by Gilllet and Johnston of London. We hear them ringing Stedman Triples.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001g2wq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001g2yv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b041v54s)
The Elephant

Mark Tully investigates the significance of the ancient cultural and spiritual connections between humans and elephants.

Demon, god, Lord of the Jungle, beast of war and of servitude, both temple and carnival attraction, the elephant inspires awe, affection and fear in equal measure. We worship elephants and enslave them, love them and kill them in their thousands.

In conversation with photographer, conservationists and founder of The World Wide Fund for Nature, Belinda Wright, he discusses the myriad qualities of the elephants of Asia and Africa.

The programme includes literature and music from Africa, India, Europe and America, with work by D.H Lawrence, Heathcote Williams, George Orwell, Jack Mapango, Claude Debussy, June Tabor and Henry Mancini.

The Readers are Adjoa Andoh, Michael Feast and Francis Cadder.

Producer: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 Natural Histories (b08slxy4)
Starling

Every Autumn vast numbers of continental starlings migrate here to take advantage of our milder winters. Huge flocks of up to a million birds or more swirl over their roost sites before settling down for the night. These impressive gatherings, called murmurations, are both remarkable and inspiring as Brett Westwood discovers as he visits a reed bed in Somerset with Tony Whitehead of the RSPB. Brett also gets to grips with the physics of how the birds avoid each other in flight and hears from a sound artist who uses the patterns of starlings on a wire as musical staves. Beethoven was impressed by the starlings ability to mimic his music, while Brett meets a man whose starlings accompany him on the piano.

First broadcast in a longer form on 6th June 2016
Original producer : Sarah Blunt
Archive producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001g2z3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001g2z9)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001g2zh)
Warm spaces; Iranian protest; Christians in Qatar; Lords reform.

As the UK faces severe weather warnings, there are still predictions that one in four people will not be able to afford their heating bills this year. More than 4,500 religious and community organisations have signed up to the Warm Welcome campaign, offering free, safe, warm spaces for the public. Yesterday Edge Ministries, one of those organisations, held a free Christmas fair and we hear from the organisers.

In Iran, the first execution of a demonstrator has taken place. Mohsen Shekari was found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of "enmity against God", according to state media, and then hanged. Activists have described the proceedings as a "show trial without any due process". Protestors against the Iranian regime have been demonstrating since September after the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who was held in custody by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab - or headscarf - "improperly". But there's also now uncertainty over the status of this force, which enforces its dress code, after a senior official suggested that it had been disbanded

If you've suffered a bereavement, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year. But a signposting charity is training hundreds of churches across the UK to offer support courses. AtaLoss, which was set up by Yvonne Tulloch when she lost her husband, has devised The Bereavement Journey course. We hear from Yvonne, and a trainer and a participant on a course in Southport in Merseyside, and get some advice on how to help the bereaved at this time of year.

And we're following our exploration of the emotional power of your favourite carols. You may think you know the carol "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night", but think again ! We explore the countless different versions with the folk singer Kate Rusby.

Presented by William Crawley.
Produced by Julia Paul and Louise Clarke-Rowbotham.
Editor: Helen Grady


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001g2zp)
Revitalise

Actor and playwright Rory Kinnear makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Revitalise Respite Holidays.

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 ‘Revitalise'.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Revitalise Respite Holidays’.
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: 295072


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001g2zx)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001g301)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001g308)
Gaudete Sunday

A service of prayer and reflection led by The Most Reverend Mark O’Toole, the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff and Bishop of Menevia. This third Sunday of Advent is also known as ‘Gaudete Sunday’, or ‘Rejoicing Sunday’. From St David’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Cardiff, Archbishop Mark reflects on the anticipation of joy Christians experience at this particular point in Advent, as they look ahead to the birth of Christ and of God sharing in the ups and downs of our human condition.

Music will include some archive recordings from St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, including Exsultate Justi (Viadana), O admirabile commercium (Palestrina).


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001fwj0)
Chastity Belt Politics

Zoe Strimpel reflects on the new sexual conservatives changing the face of feminism.

'The sexual revolution bequeathed us choice: to shag as voraciously as we wanted or to get married and have a baby at 30,' she writes.

But, she says, the landscape of sexual politics today has changed dramatically.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mg1dc)
Song Thrush (Winter)

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

David Attenborough presents the story of the song thrush and reads a passage from Thomas Hardy's poem, The Darkling Thrush.

Written at the end of the 19th century, this poem is about the hope that birdsong can bring at the bleakest time of the year. This episode examines how often song thrushes sing in winter.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001g30h)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001g30n)
Writer, Caroline Harrington
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ben Archer ….. Ben Norris
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Leonard Berry ….. Paul Copley
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O’Hanrahan
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Mick ….. Martin Barrass


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001g30v)
Cate Blanchett, actor

Cate Blanchett is arguably the most celebrated Australian actor ever, winning two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, three Golden Globes and dozens of other honours around the world.

She grew up in Melbourne, and although she enjoyed music and drama at school, she initially had no plans to pursue a career as an actor. She started a degree course in economics and fine art, but dropped out after a year, and later won a place at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.

She found international fame before she was 30, playing Elizabeth I in the highly-acclaimed film Elizabeth, winning an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA. Since then, she has appeared in more than 70 films and 20 stage productions. She won an Oscar and a BAFTA for playing Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, directed by Martin Scorsese, and other notable roles include the elf leader Galadriel in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series and a version of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. She won her second Oscar in 2014 for her performance in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. Her TV work includes the acclaimed series Mrs America, where she played the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, and she has recently taken on the role of an internationally famous composer and conductor in the film Tár, written and directed by Todd Field.

Cate has received the Australian Centenary medal and is a Companion of the Order of Australia. She is married to the director and playwright Andrew Upton.

DISC ONE: Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor – II composed by Gustav Mahler, performed by Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Claudio Abbado
DISC TWO: Bésame Mucho by Trio Los Panchos
DISC THREE: Tannhäuser: Pilgrims' Chorus composed by Richard Wagner and performed by Norman Luboff Choir, New Symphony Orchestra of London, conducted by Leopold Stokowski
DISC FOUR: Go Tell the Women by Grinderman
DISC FIVE: Proof by I am Kloot
DISC SIX: Blow the Wind Southerly by Kathleen Ferrier
DISC SEVEN: The Little Weaver Bird by Molly Drake
DISC EIGHT: Lil' Darlin' by Count Basie And His Orchestra

BOOK CHOICE: Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
LUXURY ITEM: Time
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Tannhäuser: Pilgrims' Chorus composed by Richard Wagner and performed by Norman Luboff Choir, New Symphony Orchestra of London, conducted by Leopold Stokowski

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001g311)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fw1d)
Series 78

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. Tony Hawks and Jo Brand take on Marcus Brigstocke and Graeme Garden with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith
A BBC Studios production


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001g2y9)
The Food Books of 2022

Sheila Dillon and guests come together at Cherry Tree Library in Blackburn to discuss this year's best food books. From recipes and biographies, to food history and policy - there are choices for everyone to put on their Christmas lists, or.. check out from the library!

Cherry Tree in Blackburn like most libraries has a wealth of food books to delve into, but unlike most libraries it also has its own honey producing beehives. Local comedian and author Tez Ilyas pops in to see what books he might like to help on his next venture of learning how to cook.

While Jamie Oliver, Asma Khan, Tim Spector and many others who have featured during this year's programmes tell us what have been their food books of the year.

If you would like to recommend a food or drink book - join the conversation on social media. We are @BBCFoodProg on Instagram and Twitter. And a copy of all the books mentioned has been donated to the library in Cherry Tree.

Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001g31b)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001g31j)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Faith in Music (m000qjz6)
Edward Elgar

Catholic composer Sir James MacMillan considers Sir Edward Elgar's complex life and religious faith as an English composer living through times of great distress and turmoil.

Following the somewhat disastrous premiere of his oratorio, The Dream of Gerontius, Elgar complained, "I always said God was against art and I still believe it. I have allowed my heart to open once - it is now shut against every religious feeling and every soft, gentle impulse forever."

James talks with Em Marshall-Luck, Stephen Johnson and Joanna Bullivant about Elgar's religious upbringing and the triumphs and tragedies of his life which were reflected in his attitude towards faith and religion.

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.

Produced by Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001fwfj)
East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden: Postbag Edition

How quickly can you grow a Christmas tree from seed? When should you prune a fig tree? Why should you avoid putting mirrors in your garden? And what plants best protect your modesty when gardening in the nude?

Joining Kathy Clugston to help answer questions from the GQT inbox are garden designer Matthew Wilson, houseplant-lover Anne Swithinbank and grow-your-own expert Bob Flowerdew.

This week the team visits a 32 acre garden which was designed and built from scratch by two passionate horticulturalists -– it's the East Ruston Old Vicarage in Norfolk. They explore the vast gardens and greenhouses with co-founder and Head Gardener, Alan Gray.

Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Bethany Hocken
Executive Producer: Louisa Field

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 One Dish (p0cs5m0f)
Stuffing with Jack Rooke

In the final episode of the first series of One Dish, comedian and writer Jack Rooke brings a lovely little ramekin of one of his favourite foods: stuffing. Intended to keep meat moist, and to eke out expensive cuts so they go further, they’re now an indispensable component of a special occasion meal for many people - including Jack. He shares some of his favourite stuffing memories, and admits that when it comes to the preparation he’s very much a sous chef and it’s his mum who’s in charge in the kitchen.

Andi and Jack learn about the long and varied history of stuffing in Britain; it’s had many guises over the years, from pudding to forcemeat to the ‘just add water’ type out of a box. They find out how the popularity of sage and onion is connected to commercial chicken farming, and Jack persuades Andi to cook one of the more outlandish historical stuffing recipes she’s discovered (although not quite as outlandish as stuffed porpoise). And Kimberley Wilson has some fascinating intel on the delicate art of cooking different cuts of meat and the scientific reason why it sometimes goes dry and tough.

Food Scientist: Kimberley Wilson
Food Historian: Neil Buttery
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Exec Producer: Hannah Marshall
Sound Design: Charlie Brandon-King
Assistant Producer: Bukky Fadipe
Commissioning producer: Lynda Davies

A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Working Titles (m001g31s)
Convenience Store Woman

Keiko is 36 years old. She’s never had a boyfriend and has worked in the same Tokyo convenience store for 18 years.

Keiko’s family wishes she’d get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won’t get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she won’t let anyone come between her and her convenience store.

Adapted by April De Angelis from the international bestseller by Sayaka Murata - one of the most celebrated of a new generation of Japanese writers, who spent 18 years working part-time in a convenience store.

The novel has been translated into over 30 languages with more than a million copies sold in Japanese alone, winning all of Japan’s major literary prizes.

An ode to non-conformity that subverts the status quo in modern work culture and parodies the plight of the 30-something single woman.

Cast:
Keiko ….. Yuriri Naka
Shiraha …..Will Howard
Manager ….. Luke Jerdy
Mrs Izumi ….. Clare Corbett
Sister ….. Lara Sawalha
Miho ….. Jeany Spark

Other voices played by the cast

Written by Sayaka Murata
Adapted for radio by April De Angelis from the translation by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Photocredit ….. Kentaro Takahashi

Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams & Steve Bond
Producer ….. Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies

Directed by Nicolas Jackson

An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001g31x)
Looking back at 2022 and (re)discovering Bruno Schulz

Chris Power discusses a year in books and gets some seasonal recommendations from Ellah Wakatama and Kate Mosse, as well as looking forward to new releases.

Emma Barnett, Paddy O'Connell and Ritula Shah - some favourite Radio 4 voices - share what they have been reading in 2022.

And shining a new light on Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz with the translator behind a new edition of his short stories, Stanley Bill.

Reader: Tom Kiteley
Presenter: Chris Power
Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Book List
This is Not A Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
Colditz by Ben McIntyre
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
A Pelican at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse
Putin's People by Catherine Belton
Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World by Kate Mosse
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
Desert Star by Michael Connelly
1989 by Val McDermid
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna
Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Cloisters by Katy Hays (forthcoming)
Victory City by Salman Rushdie (forthcoming)
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (forthcoming)
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo (forthcoming)
Nocturnal Apparitions by Bruno Schulz, translated by Stanley Bill


SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001g321)
Not in Love Poems

The Poetry Detective is a radio show about how poetry sits in peoples’ everyday lives. Each week, Vanessa Kisuule meets people with a story about a poem that’s important to them and then she goes digging for more information. Who wrote it and in what context, and how does it do what it does?

From weddings to Valentine’s Day cards, poetry and romance go hand-in-hand. We go to poetry to woo, to wed and to mark our love. We look to poetry not only for a reflection of how we feel but also to shape an ideal of what love could, or should be. But what about love thwarted and unrequited, love promised and never found? People living without romantic love, or finding love but struggling to accept it? Can poetry speak to the loveless as well as the lovers?

"What would it look like if we didn't place romantic love as the organising principle of our lives? Could life be good anyway?" Amy Key is the author of two poetry collections and her first non-fiction book, Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Love and Making a Life, will be published in Spring 2023. She talks to Vanessa about a treasured anthology of haiku by Japanese women. Can these tiny, potent poems - written between the 17th century and the present day - help us reckon with longing?

"I'm reading this poem, it's a sign". Audrey Lee tells Vanessa about falling for her friend as an undergraduate and yearning to be more than friends with him. She didn't want to mess up their friendship and swallowed her feelings for the duration of their time at college together. One day, she happened on a poem by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Frank Bidart that felt like a call to action. A poem of unspoken desire finally spoken. And she bit the bullet and sent it to her friend.

And Chlo Samuel talks about finding a lovely boyfriend, but then struggling to allow herself to be loved. After years of living with anorexia and life throwing its worst at her, she felt unworthy of happiness and security. She talks about a poem that came into her life at the exact moment she needed it. "It felt like permission to put the things that had happened to me in a basket, say "I'm not defined by these". I can start again,"

And we hear from Ellen Bass, the Santa Cruz-based author of that poem. She talks about the lines of Tolstoy that inspired the poem and how writing it was as transformative for her as reading it was for Chlo.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


SUN 17:00 Paradise Lost: The Rise and Fall of the Eldonian Dream (m001fwc2)
A few hundred yards from the shiny new waterfront of the City Centre, you’ll find a unique urban oasis, carved out of the post-industrial dereliction of 80’s Liverpool.

The Eldonian Village, created a community the residents would be proud to call home, to cater for their lives from the cradle to the grave. Matt O'Donoghue speaks to some of the residents, many of whom have lived there since the 1980's, to find out what has happened since

CORRECTION: SECURITY AT THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION MEETING IN SEPTEMBER 2021 WAS BROUGHT IN BY THE ASSOCIATION AND NOT BY ANTHONY MCGANN AS STATED IN THIS PROGRAMME.

The Eldonian Dream - Paradise Lost, BBC Radio 4, Produced and Presented for BBC Audio North by Matt O'Donoghue


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001g2wq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001g325)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001g32c)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g32h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001g32m)
Julie Hesmondhalgh

A selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001g2y1)
A money saving measure by Martyn Gibson at Berrow has resulted in the wrong pig feed being ordered. Neil promises to speak to Martyn and get the order revised. Jazzer wishes Martyn would up his hours. They’re interrupted by a notification from Martyn announcing an emergency staff meeting. They discover it’s to update them on a member of staff leaving. They agree this makes the staffing crisis even more urgent. All Martyn seems bothered about is that they go to the works Christmas party in their festive jumpers. They pledge to attend, and raise the issue of staffing.
It’s all hands on deck at Brookfield preparing for an event in the Barn, with Ben out of action and Pip absent caring for a poorly Rosie. Stressed Ruth has to manage vehicle congestion in the yard as party preparations begin to take a fraught turn – she needs David back with the quad bike. However David gets stuck in some mud and has to call on Pip for help. As Toby steps in with Rosie, Pip explains to worried David that she’s drafted in Ben and Josh to assist Ruth. David’s concerned, but Pip assures him Ben was up for it and is enjoying himself. The barn event goes off without a hitch and David’s proud of frazzled Ruth. The family group photo from Jill’s birthday has finally arrived. As they look at it they acknowledge Ben’s difficulties were apparent in his expression even back then. Ruth reiterates the importance of supporting his progress now he’s turned a corner.


SUN 19:15 The Confessional (m001g1nn)
Series 3

The Confession of Jessie Cave

Stephen Mangan is back with another series of his comedy chat show about shame, guilt and occasional repentance.

Each week, Stephen invites a distinguished guest into his virtual confessional box to make three confessions to him. An antidote to conventional talk shows, their stories don't reflect their proudest moments. Stephen could not be less interested in those. He wants them to open up about their darker side. Settle back for stimulating journeys through shame, regret and toe curling embarrassment.

The series begins with Harry Potter actor, writer, podcaster, cartoonist and illustrator, Jessie Cave in the hot seat.

Presenter: Stephen Mangan
Additional material by Nick Doody
Producer: Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Voices in the Valley (p0d8klvf)
7: The Haven

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...

In today's story, read by Toby Jones, it is 1899, and a traveller to Barrowbeck finds himself at the Haven Psychiatric Hospital at harvest time...

Writer: Andrew Michael Hurley
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Justine Willett


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001fwg6)
Andrea Catherwood is joined by novelist Claire Allan who has been adding her voice to the protests about the proposed cuts to Radio Foyle in Northern Ireland.

And Three Counties Local Radio presenter Edward Adoo shares his concerns that the reorganisation of Local Radio in England is going to affect programmes aimed at African, Caribbean and Asian audiences.

As the competition in Qatar pushes towards a conclusion, football fan Rob Crossan tells us why the 5 Live radio commentary has been a winner for him at the World Cup.

We hear what listeners have to say about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Reith Lecture, the first in this year’s series.

And making an impact on our inbox this week was Justin Webb’s interview with RMT leader Mick Lynch on the Today programme. Andrea hears what listeners had to say.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood

Produced by Gill Davies

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001fwfw)
Christine McVie, Jiang Zemin, Derek Granger

Matthew Bannister on

Christine McVie who wrote some of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits and was a key player in the turbulent history of the band.

Jiang Zemin, who became Chinese President after the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square and presided over the opening up of the country’s economy.

Derek Granger, the TV and film producer best known for the acclaimed adaptation of Brideshead Revisited.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Tim Sullivan
Interviewed guest: Isabel Hilton
Interviewed guest: Matt O’Casey
Interviewed guest: Anthony Andrews


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001g2w2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001g2zp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Britain's Communist Thread (m001fd8w)
Mistakes Were Made

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 crises within the communist movement in the wake of the revelations contained in Nikita Khrushchev’s ‘secret speech’ in February 1956.

Featuring:
David Aaronovitch, journalist and broadcaster, son of Sam and Lavender Aaronovitch
Lucy Gaster, former social researcher, daughter of Jack and Moira Gaster
Ben Harker, University of Manchester, author of The Chronology of Revolution
Kennetta Hammond Perry, Northwestern University, author of London is the Place for Me

Includes extracts from an interview with Eric Hobsbawm by Michael Ignatieff, first broadcast on The Late Show, 24th Oct 1994, BBC Two.

With grateful thanks to Geoff Andrews, Shirin Hirsch and Kevin Morgan.

Producer: Martin Williams


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001g32t)
Ben Wright's guests are the Conservative former Cabinet minister, Damian Green; Labour frontbencher Fleur Anderson; and Victor Adebowale - Chair of the NHS Confederation and crossbench peer. They discuss the impact of forthcoming strikes, especially on the health service. They also discuss provision of housing, with the government accused of watering down home-building targets under pressure from backbenchers. Natasha Clarke - chief political correspondent at The Sun brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001g2wn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b041v54s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 12 DECEMBER 2022

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001g330)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001fw45)
37. My Last 5p

It’s December 2013 and Toni Osborne is struggling, emotionally and financially. She’s five pence short of keeping her electricity on over Christmas.

As she heads out into the night to ask her local shopkeeper for help, a homeless man appears and asks for some change. This is Jack Richardson, and when she bursts into tears, it prompts him to give Toni his last five pence. This simple act of giving would alter both their lives in profound ways.

In this episode, Matthew Syed explores how the effects of a seemingly small moment of generosity can ripple outwards, with significant consequences. He considers where this impulse to give to other people comes from and why we go out of our way to help others, sometimes at a cost to ourselves.

With Felix Warneken, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan; Dr Michael Rees, kidney transplant surgeon and founder of the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation; and psychologist Scott Kaufman.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Eliza Lomas
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001g2x6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g334)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g338)
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 (m001g33f)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001g33k)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001g33p)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning,
My parents named me Mary, but I sometimes wonder if I’m a bit more of a Martha. There’s that famous Gospel story of two sisters who welcome Jesus into their home: Martha’s stressed and irritable, juggling too many tasks that make her fretful and cross. By contrast, Mary sits serenely, listening to Jesus, giving him her complete and full attention. Jesus commends Mary above Martha for having made the better choice. Martha tends to be remembered as a restless activist in comparison with her contemplative sister. Like many, I hear that story and can recognise in myself a tendency to try and do too much, and Martha’s grumpiness certainly feels familiar!

This feels like quite a topical theme in this season with its many opportunities to be endlessly busy, but one of the gifts I find in scripture is that the characters are often vivid and complex. If we follow the whole Gospel story, we find that Martha and Mary appear again a few chapters later, at a time of grief. This time Martha shines in her relationship with Jesus, she expresses a unique understanding of who he is, and shows complete trust in him. This time we see her in a much better light; here it’s Martha who alerts Mary to Jesus’ presence.

The story of these women reminds me of the importance of not only recognising and learning to address our own flaws and failings, but also of making friends with our whole selves and learning to act from the best of our strengths and character.

Gracious God, you call each of us with all our gifts and weaknesses. Enable us to recognise our abilities and our vulnerabilities with gratitude and humility. Help us to offer the best of ourselves to you and to others. Amen


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001g33t)
12/12/22 - Natural flood management, mounted police volunteers and cheese trading

More of the government’s £5.2 billion flood management budget is to be spent on nature-based methods of flood prevention. The Environment Agency has been trialing 60 Natural Flood Management projects over the last five years, they use techniques like targeted tree-planting and restoring wetlands to prevent flooding further downstream, and on the back of those pilot schemes Natural Flood Management is now to be more widely incorporated into flood defence strategy in years to come.

A mounted police ‘volunteer scheme’ is being trialed in Cumbria - with members of the public on horseback supporting the work of the county’s police officers. Cumbria Constabulary’s 'citizens in policing team' is working with riders in some rural parts of the county to help with crime prevention and building relationships within their communities.

And nearly a third of all the milk produced in the UK goes in to making cheese, 70 per cent cheddar. 130,000 tonnes of it is exported, worth more than half a billion pounds. But since Brexit, trade has been more complicated.

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


MON 05:56 Weather (m001g33y)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b08r1x98)
Debbie Pain on the Marsh Harrier

Debbie Pain of the Slimbridge Wetland Centre explains her joy at the return of the marsh harrier to her local patch.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Miles Warde.


MON 06:00 Today (m001g2xd)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001g2xg)
Listening in the dark

Johan Eklöf is a Swedish bat scientist on a mission. In The Darkness Manifesto (translated by Elizabeth DeNoma) he warns how light pollution is threatening the ancient rhythms of life. Many creatures across the world come to life at night – with bats specially adapted to fly using echolocation. By keeping the lights on we are disrupting entire ecosystems.

But darkness can appear alien and frightening. The writer Kate Summerscale explores the phobias that haunt the imagination as the lights go off: nyctophobia, xylophobia and hypnophobia – intense and morbid fears of the dark, of forests and of falling asleep.

But why do bumps in the night sound so much more unnerving than during the day? The neuroscientist Professor Geraint Rees focuses his research on seeking to understand the neural basis of consciousness and he explores how our different senses are integral to the way we perceive and experience the world around us.

The forces of light and darkness are pitted against each other in the classic children’s story The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, now adapted for BBC World Service radio, starting on Tuesday 20th December. Producer and co-adapter Simon McBurney creates a spine-tingling winter soundscape with the use of binaural sound, giving listeners using headphones a unique immersive experience.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g30c)
Episode 1

An intimate and unflinching account of the life and death of Rob Delaney’s young son Henry, told with honesty, humour and much, much love.

"When you’re a parent and your child gets hurt or sick, not only do you try to help them get better, but you’re also animated by the general belief that you can help them get better. That’s not always the case, though. Sometimes children die."

Written and read by Rob Delaney
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Rob Delaney is an American comedian, actor and writer who co-created and co-starred in the BAFTA-winning comedy "Catastrophe".


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001g2xl)
Marina Litvinenko, Sexual Harassment, Medieval Woman

It’s been 16 years since the fatal poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, who had exposed corruption in Russia and died in a hospital in London after ingesting tea which contained a radioactive substance. His wife, Marina Litvinenko, brought the case to the European Court of Human Rights in 2021 which upheld that Mr Litvinenko had been the victim of a FSB assassination “probably” approved by Putin. Russia denies any involvement. Marina joins Emma to discuss the upcoming ITVX drama Litvinenko.

The government has announced that street harassment will be made a crime in England with jail sentences of up to two years. The Home Secretary Suella Braverman who has backed the move says ‘every woman should feel safe to walk our streets’. But what’s the reality? Reporter Ellie Flynn recently went undercover to highlight the experience of sexual harassment experienced by girls and women in the UK today. She joins Emma to talk about her new documentary.

The discovery of an ancient female burial site in Northamptonshire has been described as one of the most important finds ever discovered in Britain. This woman is thought to be a Christian leader of significant wealth and her jewellery is considered an outstanding example of craftsmanship for this early medieval period. Emma is joined by Lyn Blackmore, from the Museum of London and Irina Dumitrescu, Professor for Medieval English Literature at the University of Bonn.

It's been revealed that the author JK Rowling is founding and personally funding a new female only service for survivors of sexual violence in Edinburgh. We are joined by the BBC's David Wallace Lockhart and The Daily Telegraph's Suzanne Moore who broke the story.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce


MON 11:00 The Untold (m001g2xn)
Life After Long Covid

Zoe’s not entirely sure how to make sense of the last couple of years. But she’s going to give it a go.

This is her story of the good, the bad and the ugly everydayness of life with Long Covid. Via life-saving phone calls, cloud-gazing park walks, homeschooling squabbles, summer holidays that don't feel like summer holidays, and lots of lying in bed.

And now it's December 2022, over two and a half years after Zoe first got ill. Life is not all Christmas chocolate boxes and Ding Dong Merrily on High. It’s still really hard sometimes. But it is getting easier. There is singing and music-making again. There is hope.

Programme image by Zoe's daughter Clara, age 9.
Produced by Becky Ripley.


MON 11:30 Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys (m000p1v3)
Ten Thousand Miles

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 third episode, Michael considers a love song, Ten Thousand Miles.

With Ashley Hutchings, Nancy Kerr, Georgina Boyes, Blair Dunlop, Karine Polwart and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh.

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001g34f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001g2xs)
Women's Football Boots, Behavioural Optometrists and Pinterest Predictions

Are female footballers getting injured because they've no choice but to play in boots designed for men and the lifestyle platform Pinterest predicts what will be hot in 2023.


MON 12:57 Weather (m001g2xv)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001g2xx)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001g2xz)
6. The Parcel

Abraham returns to Hackney, but a series of events that begin with an innocuous delivery lead him to believe that his true identity has been revealed. The family are desperate to leave the area.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale

Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001g2y1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Broken Colours (m001g2y3)
Series 2

Episode 1

At the end of Season 1 of Matthew Broughton’s thriller, young artist Jess rescued her boyfriend Dan from gang leader, Joe Magner. But in the process, she accidentally shot and killed Magner.

Dan wants to make a new start and move away from the corruption and violence of gang life. And Jess is trying to be supportive, but there’s something that keeps pulling her back to the criminal world.

As Jess learns how to tune into her synaesthesia – she sees sound as colour and pattern – it’s clear that there’s a widening perception gap between her and Dan. And no one’s talking about Ronnie Vaz. Who’s vanished from the face of the earth.

Holli Dempsey and Josef Altin star in a thriller of conflicting perception from Matthew Broughton, creator of podcast drama Tracks.

CAST

Jess…..Holli Dempsey
Dan…..Josef Altin
Molly…..Molly Pepper Tuer
Man…..Dean Rehman
Melissa…..Alexandria Riley

Directed by Emma Harding

Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales


MON 15:00 Nature Table (m001g2y7)
Series 3

Episode 3

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 ZSL London Zoo, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Yussef Rafik (Zoologist), Dr Karim Vahed (Entomologist & Conservation Biologist) and comedian Lucy Porter.

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts
Additional material by: Kat Sadler

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 (m001g2y9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Bells That Still Can Ring (m001fwcz)
John Taylor & Co in Loughborough is the only major bell foundry left in the UK. The bells it has produced ring at St Paul’s Cathedral and chime in clocks, bell towers, churches, universities, and public buildings in over 100 countries.

It is also a place full of history. The foundry moved to its current site in 1859 and, with its many Victorian workshops, is slightly reminiscent of Hogwarts. More large bells have been cast here than at any other bell foundry in Britain. And it still attracts engineers who are passionate about producing the perfect bell. In this programme, we hear from some of them, including foreman Anthony Stone and bell tuner Girdar Vadukar.

The largest church bell in Britain, Great Paul, which weighs in at nearly 17 tons, was cast at Loughborough in 1881. Three furnaces were needed to melt the metal, and the bell had to cool down in its pit for six days before they were able to lift it out and take the casings off. An agricultural steam engine then pulled the bell to London on a specially adapted cart. After adventurous months on the road, it was finally hung at St Paul’s Cathedral – and as the Surveyor of the Fabric, Oliver Caroe, explains, this took enormous ingenuity and a hefty dose of whale oil.

More recently, the bell used for the AC/DC track Hells Bells was cast at Loughborough. The band’s ambition was to take the bell with them on their Back in Black tour in 1980 - a logistical nightmare because of the bell’s great weight. At New York’s Nassau Coliseum, still in its wheeled packing case, the bell crashed straight through the stage. We hear from Tony Platt, recording engineer on the Back in Black album, who recorded the AC/DC bell using the ‘silver bullet’ mobile studio belonging to Ronnie Lane from the Faces, parked inside the bell foundry; and Gregg Praetorius, producer of the Nassau Coliseum show and author of Babysitting a Band On The Rocks.

At St Mary’s church in Putney in South West London, in 1973, a set of Loughborough bells alerted local residents to a fire set by arsonists when they “rang themselves down” as the fire burnt through the wooden stays holding them in place.

What resonates strongly is the enormous passion everyone in this programme has for bells – not just their sound, but the entire sensuous experience of producing and using them. And the fact that they are likely to outlast the people who made them, in many cases by hundreds of years.

Presenter: Andres Williams
Producers: Caroline Donne and Ewan Newbigging-Lister
Sound Designer Calum Perrin
Editor: Kristine Pommert
A CTVC production for BBC Radio 4


MON 16:30 Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics (m001g2yc)
Rassenhygiene

In the name of eugenics, the Nazi state sterilised hundreds of thousands against their will, murdered disabled children and embarked on a programme of genocide.

Why?

We like to believe that Nazi atrocities were a unique aberration, a grotesque historical outlier. But it turns out that leading American eugenicists and lawmakers like Madison Grant and Harry Laughlin inspired many of the Nazi programmes, from the mass sterilisation of those deemed ‘unfit’ to the Nuremberg laws preventing the marriage of Jews and non-Jews. Indeed, before WW2, many eugenicists across the world regarded the Nazi regime with envious admiration.

The Nazis went further, faster than anyone before them. But ultimately, the story of Nazi eugenics is one of international connection and continuity.

Contributors: Professor Stefan Kühl from the University of Bielefield, Professor Amy Carney from Penn State Behrend, Dr Jonathan Spiro from Castleton University, Professor Sheila Weiss from Clarkson University and Dr Barbara Warnock from the Wiener Holocaust Library

Music and Sound Design by Jon Nicholls
Presented by Adam Rutherford
Produced by IIan Goodman


MON 17:00 PM (m001g2yf)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g2yk)
Three boys have died after falling through ice into a lake. A fourth is critically ill. West Midlands Police have described desperate rescue attempts by officers.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001g2ym)
Series 78

Episode 5

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Theatre Royal Newcastle. On the panel are John Finnemore, Pippa Evans, Fred Macaulay and Rory Bremner with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Colin Sell accompanies on the piano.

Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001g2yp)
George calls on Fallon, seemingly keen to go through some singing exercises. But when Harrison appears at the door over Fallon’s shoulder, George’s enthusiasm wanes. Worse, once George is in the house, Harrison volunteers to join in the exercises with them. And when Fallon has to take a call, Harrison insists on taking over, giving horrified George facial muscle moves and tongue twisters to try. George maintains it’s pointless; he’ll be rubbish no matter how many exercises he does. Ignoring Harrison’s ‘fake it ’til you make it’ advice, George announces he has to go. Before he does, Harrison asks him to keep an eye out for any strange activities after recent incidents in the village. Uncomfortable George says he will. He refuses Harrison’s offer of a lift home, preferring to walk.
Meanwhile Emma and Ed are out sporting head torches as they embark on an illegal logging venture on rewilding land. Ed squares their crime by claiming they’re just tidying up. Nervous Emma reminds him to keep his gloves on at all times. As they roll the last of the heavy logs and congratulate themselves on progress, they have a break before moving on to the smaller ones. They chat and snuggle in the romantic evening moonlight. They begin to kiss and soon the logs are forgotten. Later as they stack the final logs they agree that they’d be happy to do this every night of the week.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001g2yr)
Zadie Smith on The Wife of Willesden, David Tennant on Litvinenko and Rick Wakeman's stolen gear

Zadie Smith talks about her play The Wife of Willesden, a modern re-telling of Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath starring Clare Perkins in the title role at Kiln Theatre, London.

David Tennant discusses playing Russian Alexander Litvinenko in a new ITV drama based on the real life events of his shocking death.

Keyboard player Rick Wakeman discusses how he's having to adapt his UK tour after a load of his musical gear was stolen from his van last week.

And film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh expresses her frustration at the confusion surrounding current film releases since the start of the pandemic.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Jerome Weatherald

Image: Clare Perkins as Alvita in The Wife of Willesden by Zadie Smith at Kiln Theatre, London Photographer credit: Michael Wharley


MON 20:00 Putin (m001g2yw)
12. The Lightning Strike

On the 24th of February 2022, after months of military build-up and increasingly grave warnings, Vladimir Putin stepped over the brink and ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

In this episode, Jonny Dymond tells the story of the crucial first month of the war, as Putin’s ambitions first faltered and then collapsed in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. By examining his speeches, public appearances and the political context, this programme chronicles Putin’s first weeks as a war leader.

To dispel the fog of war and understand Putin’s role at this dramatic time, Jonny Dymond is joined by:

Bridget Kendall - former BBC Moscow and Diplomatic Correspondent, now Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
Vitaliy Shevchenko - Russia Editor at BBC Monitoring and co-presenter of Ukrainecast
Owen Matthews - Journalist, historian and author of Overreach

Production coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Siobhan Reed
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Producers: Nathan Gower
Researcher: Octavia Woodward
Series Editor: Simon Watts


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001fwck)
California's cannabis reparations

In California, cannabis is legal for recreational use and it’s created a multi-billion dollar industry. But who’s been reaping the rewards? For decades people from Black and Latino communities have been disproportionately arrested and imprisoned on cannabis drugs charges – and yet few appeared to benefit from the legal cannabis boom. So to make amends, California has been pioneering a policy to give those targeted in the war on drugs, a chance to share in the new cannabis industry. But is it working? Sharon Hemans has been to the city of Oakland to find out.

Presenter: Sharon Hemans
Producer: Alex Last
Studio engineer: Neil Churchill
Series editor: Penny Murphy
Production Co-ordinator: Iona Hammond


MON 21:00 Phantoms in the Brain (m001fw65)
'I am not mentally sick' – Hannah’s story

Every day, in every hospital, people are being admitted with neurological symptoms like seizures, paralysis, inability to speak or walk. Other patients suffer from psychiatric symptoms such as bizarre delusions or life-shattering hallucinations. Yet not all is as it first seems. Some of those with physical problems will not have identifiable physical causes, and some with apparent psychiatric disorders will have a specific and potentially treatable physical cause.

In this 4-part series, neurologist, Professor Guy Leschziner, explores the nature of the complex interactions between physical and mental health, and how the division between the two may ultimately make little sense.

We meet Hannah, a student, who's only 20 when her behaviour suddenly changes. Almost overnight, she goes from tidy to messy, becomes erratic, unable to hold a conversation; she seems lost in herself. Her family recognises she is having a mental breakdown and Hannah is admitted to a psychiatric ward. And yet, she is not just mentally ill. Her psychiatric symptoms are later found to have a very physical cause. She has encephalitis - her brain is ‘on fire’, attacked by an autoimmune disease. We follow Hannah’s progress through diagnosis to treatment and to a dramatic outcome that takes everyone by surprise.

We also hear from Kat, who’s in her twenties, with a high-powered job in the City. Out of the blue, she starts having seizures and episodes of déjà vu. Her memory, usually very sharp, is letting her down. And she is extremely anxious. At the same time, Kat’s sister is diagnosed with cancer and Kat spends every weekend caring for her young niece and nephew. Kat’s GP thinks it’s a classic case of stress and trauma and refers her to a psychologist and a psychiatrist. But, after months of talking therapy, Kat sees a neurologist who discovers that her anxiety and seizures are driven by antibodies attacking her brain. It is her body, as well as her mind, that is unwell.

We’ll hear from psychiatrists and neurologists about the challenges of diagnosing such rare autoimmune diseases and about the pioneering immunotherapy that’s helping Kat and other patients like her.

Presenter: Professor Guy Leschziner
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Sound: Neil Churchill

Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Clare Fordham

Image: Amy Hiley amyhileyart.com


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001g2xg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001g2z5)
Health Secretary meets RCN - but won't discuss pay

Also tonight:
Iran executes 2nd protester.
Lockerbie "bombmaker" appears in court.
Zimbabwe power outages.
and the next generation of weather satellites.


MON 22:45 A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (m001g2zc)
Episode 1

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Lights Out (m001g2zn)
Series 5

Accounts and Accountability

Across the course of a single day, a documentary-maker hosts an open-call audition for subjects to star in her next project. Accounts and Accountability offers a dive into the ethics of buying and selling true stories.

With music composed by Eliza Niemi
Sound Recording by Fivel Rothberg
Assistant Producers: Kristine White, Kyle Damiao, Jose Salazar and Emma Rose Brown
Special thanks to Sean Hanley, David Pavlovsky, and Kelly Anderson

Produced by Jess Shane
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001g2zy)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs tackle the government about strikes within the NHS.



TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2022

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001g306)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g30c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g30p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g30w)
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 (m001g313)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001g318)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001g31g)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning,

I’ll always remember a mesmerising sight at Liverpool Cathedral on this day some years ago. It seemed like a triumph of beauty over health and safety, when a young woman with long hair, wearing a crown of candles, led a procession by a Swedish choir honouring Saint Lucy, or Lucia of Syracuse.

The story of this saint, whose name means “light”, has a wonderful message for these darkest days of the year.

In the early centuries after Christ’s death, when it was dangerous to openly avow a Christian identity, Lucy was tortured and martyred for refusing to marry because she wanted to devote herself wholly to God and to serving those in need.

It’s said that she went to help fellow Christians hiding in the catacombs – in dark underground caves - and so that her hands could be free to carry gifts of food and provisions, she wore candles on her head to light her way. There are gruesome details in her story about her eyes being gouged out, and so she’s remembered also as a patron saint of the blind. But to me, the most compelling part of her story is about her bearing a light that enabled her to do good. This speaks to me both of the practical gift of imaginative resourcefulness that has the capacity to bring hope to others and also the inner grace of a faith and trustfulness that can overcome fear with a bright witness for the power of goodness and love.

God of grace, thank you for all light-bearers; for St Lucy, and all who inspire us and help us to find our way in life. Free up our hands today to do good. May the light of love burn brightly in our hearts that we might be re-energised as signs of hope for others. Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001g31n)
A new report by the The House of Lords Committee on Land Use is calling for a commission to be set up, to organise a framework around which all uses for land in the UK can be organised. The committee believes this would provide an overview to balance the varying pressures under which land is put: to produce food; space for homes; habitat for wildlife; and areas for green energy production. It would also provide information about how effectively land is being used, and whether some land can be used for multiple purposes.

The UK is suffering its worst ever outbreak of avian flu. Millions of commercial poultry including geese, ducks, chickens and turkeys have died or been put down and wild bird populations have been badly affected too. MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee have backed calls by farmers to change the rules on compensation, to include birds which have died before vets are able to visit the infected farms. Turkey producers are struggling and fear there may be a shortage this Christmas.

The run-up to Christmas is a key time of year for cheese makers as sales of British cheese rise significantly - at home and abroad. It’s been a mixed year for dairy exports, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, but cheese exports have remained strong. Although the figures are below where they were before the pandemic, demand for cheddar cheese in particular is growing again.  We visit Wyke Farms in Somerset, large-scale producers of Cheddar, which export to 160 countries around the world.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092f778)
Amy Liptrot on the Hooded Crow

Writer Amy Liptrot recalls seeing hooded crows while living in Berlin and reflects on their namesakes back at her childhood home in Orkney for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Mark Ward
Photograph: Paul Smith.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001g34h)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Room 5 (m001g34m)
Series 2, Episode 6: Tre

On his childhood nightmares and the diagnosis that explained them.

Tre’s lying in bed. He’s 10 years old and his heart’s racing. He’s just seen a strange figure in the corner of his bedroom, and it’s moving towards him. Tre has experiences like this all through his childhood. Nightmares. Hallucinations. Sleep paralysis. One afternoon, at school, his teacher pulls him aside. She’s spotted something in him that she recognises. And so it begins - tests, scans, until the clues come together and reveal a diagnosis that explains everything.

In Room 5, Helena Merriman shares stories of real-life medical mysteries, interviewing people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Producer: Claire Bowes
Editor: Emma Rippon

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal


TUE 09:30 Flight of the Ospreys (m001g34p)
On the Gambia River

Scotland's ospreys are on 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 follow the birds through the Gambia where local birdwatchers are fighting to save prime bird habitat from tourism development.

Producers: Emily Knight and Alasdair Cross


TUE 09:45 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g35p)
Episode 2

An intimate and unflinching account of the life and death of Rob Delaney’s young son Henry, told with honesty, humour and much, much love.

With the success of comedy series "Catastrophe", Rob’s decision to relocate his family from Los Angeles to London has paid off. But as work ramps up, the writer and comedian is about to be needed at home more than ever.

Written and read by Rob Delaney
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Rob Delaney is an American comedian, actor and writer who co-created and co-starred in the BAFTA-winning comedy "Catastrophe".


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001g34t)
Hilary McGrady DG of the National Trust. RCN's Pat Cullen. Dance like no-one's watching

Hilary McGrady, the Director General of the National Trust, one of Britain's biggest heritage organisations and the custodian of hundreds of our finest castles, great houses and beaches and countryside. They’ll be discussing some of the recent controversies that’ve left to criticisms that it’s become too politicised in recent years. Critics say that in its pursuit of becoming more accessible to more people it’s fallen short of its original remit to acquire and preserve Britain’s heritage. After four years in the job, Emma Barnett speaks to Hilary about what she sees as her greatest achievements to date and her vision for the National Trust in the future.

Thursday will see the first ever national strike action in the Royal College of Nursing's 106-year-old history. This comes after talks between the nursing union and the government dramatically collapsed last night. We hear from Pat Cullen the General Secretary and Chief Executive of the RCN.

With Christmas party season in full swing for the first time in three years, many of us will be taking to the dancefloor. But how often do we truly get to dance like no one is watching? As we get older, do the opportunities become more scarce, and the internal shame more inhibiting? What are the songs - and who are the dance partners - which force us onto the floor? Emma Barnett is joined by the queen of the kitchen disco herself, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and comedian Ania Magliano to discuss the joy of losing yourself on the dancefloor.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard on why he's determined that women are not forgotten when it comes to Formula 1.

Presenter Emma Barnett
Producer Beverley Purcell
Photo Credit. John Millar. National Trust.


TUE 11:00 Phantoms in the Brain (m001g34w)
‘I'm tired of feeling a prisoner to my thoughts’ – Moksha’s story

In this episode, we meet Moksha, a doctor so debilitated by obsessive-compulsive disorder that he drives at least 50 miles home every day to avoid using the college toilets. He won’t eat or drink anything during weekend-long shifts, so he doesn’t have to use the hospital bathroom. He scrubs his skin with toxic cleaning products to try to rid himself of germs, sustaining chemical burns. Medication provides no relief, but cutting-edge technology - electrodes implanted deep within his brain to change electrical activity - successfully treats his condition, easing his symptoms.

We also hear from Matthew, whose many years of depression have been associated with feelings of inflammation or infection in his body; and we talk to neuroscientists leading research into how the immune system may influence brain functioning.

These cases cast light on the artificial distinctions between mental and physical health, and how psychological conditions have a basis in chemical or electrical changes in the brain.

Presenter: Professor Guy Leschziner
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Sound: Neil Churchill

Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Clare Fordham

Image: Amy Hiley amyhileyart.com


TUE 11:30 Laura Barton's Notes on Music (m001g34y)
Episode 1: The Baritone Voice

The music writer Laura Barton presents a series of meditations on different facets of the music we enjoy - starting with the baritone voice.

Celebrated British singer Roderick Williams has described his role as an operatic baritone as often arriving on stage "with a frown". He shares the characterisation of the baritone voice in opera and classical concert music with Laura, and also reflects, alongside Matt Berninger of the American indie rock band The National, on the wisdom, the masculinity, the melancholy often associated with it, while John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground) meditates on the timbre - the fundamentals and frequencies - of the baritone voice.

Music:
Bill Callahan – Riding the Feeling
Leonard Cohen – Chelsea Hotel
Beethoven – An die ferne Geliebte (Roderick Williams)
Verdi – Di provenza il mar (La Traviata) (Dmitri Hvorostovsky)
The National – Sorrow
Johnny Cash – I See a Darkness
Leonard Cohen – Everybody Knows
Smog – Let Me See the Colts
The National – Light Years
John Cale – You Know More Than I Know
Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs
Mark Lanegan – Judas Touch
Gerald Finzi – By Footpath and Stile (Roderick Williams)
The National – Pink Rabbits
Bill Callahan - Pigeons

Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001g35v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001g352)
Call You and Yours: How are the strikes and threatened strikes affecting you?

On today's Call You and Yours we're asking - how are the strikes and the threatened strikes affecting you?

Between now and the New Year, millions of workers are planning strikes in both the public and private sectors. This winter is seeing one of the highest levels of walkouts in recent memory as millions of workers are demanding higher pay rises to match the soaring cost of living.

Nurses, ambulance workers, rail workers, postal workers, baggage handlers, Border Force staff, driving examiners, teachers in Scotland, university lecturers and some bus drivers have all scheduled strikes.

How are strikes disrupting your life or business? If you're going on strike we'd like to hear from you too.

Call us on 03700 100 444. Lines open at 11 am on Tuesday December 13th. You can also email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk. Don't forget to leave a phone number so we can call you back.


Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001g354)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001g356)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


TUE 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001g358)
7. Just Pray

They remember it in vivid detail. The images have stayed in their minds for years. Abraham’s friends and family come together to retrace the events of a night that changed all of their lives.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale

Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001g2yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Broken Colours (m001g35b)
Series 2

Episode 2

Jess and Dan try to piece together what happened at the supermarket shooting. Cracks appear in the relationship and they don't see eye to eye. When an injured man appears at her door, Jess lets in more than she expected.

Holli Dempsey and Josef Altin star in a thriller of conflicting perception from Matthew Broughton, creator of podcast drama Tracks.

CAST

Jess…..Holli Dempsey
Dan…..Josef Altin
Gina.....Suzanne Packer
Anthony Wheeler.....Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong

Directed by John Norton

Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001g35d)
Series 33

Expression

The secret language between partners, the melody of the voice, laughter from your belly and permission to scream - Josie long presents short visceral documentaries about how we express ourselves.

Belly Laugh
Featuring the voices of Jane Watson, Jean Mcglashen and Sue Relf with her husband Willy, and the laughter yoga session run by Brighton Laughter Club.
Produced by Jodie Taylor

AAAAH!
Produced by Jesse Lawson

Anatomy of a Voice
Produced by Ellie Lightfoot and Spencer Fox

Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand (m001g339)
Series 2: Can I Change?

2. Does our birth order affect our personality?

Most of us would like something about ourselves or our lives to be different, but how easy is it to actually change?

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are looking at whether people can change and how they do it. Exactly how much of any aspect of personality is genetic destiny and how much are we shaped by the world around us?

Chris wants to be a better doctor, friend, husband and father. But most urgently he wants to be a better brother, and is determined to improve his relationship with Xand. They’re best friends and talk to each other every day, but they are also business partners who find it very hard to work together without having a visceral row.

Chris wants to change how he relates to his brother and believes it is possible, but Xand is less convinced that we can or that he needs to change. In this series, Chris confronts that pessimism.

In episode 2 - Does Our Birth Order Affect Our Personality? - the twins find out whether the order in which we’re born has any bearing on our personality. They call their little brother J who lives in New York and reminisce about their childhood. Chris’ wife Dinah and her older sisters debate whether showing off is the reserve of the youngest sibling. And psychologist Laura Botzet shares her findings from studies on the effect of birth order on personality. Does it have any credibility?

Presented by Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Produced by Hester Cant and Alexandra Quinn
Series Editor: Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media and van Tulleken Brothers Ltd production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 Will Bird Flu Steal Christmas? (m001gmgw)
The UK is suffering its worst ever outbreak of avian flu. Wild birds are being badly hit and are spreading the virus to farmed poultry. Once bird flu gets on a farm, the entire flock must be culled. Turkey producers are struggling and fear there may be shortage at Christmas. The poultry industry is in crisis, with farmers going out of business. Charlotte Smith investigates why the outbreak has got so bad, why vaccines are not being used, and if bird flu will steal Christmas.

Produced by Beatrice Fenton.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001g35g)
Olivia Laing on Christopher Lloyd, Gardener and Writer

Known to his friends as Christo, Lloyd spent his whole life, from childhood until his death aged 85, at work in the same garden: Great Dixter in East Sussex. He wrote a weekly column for Country Life for 42 years and was the author of 25 books, including The Mixed Border in the Modern Garden (1957) and The Well Tempered Garden (1970).

Christo is the choice of the writer Olivia Laing, herself a passionate gardener. She and Matthew Parris go to Great Dixter to meet Head Gardener Fergus Garrett, who worked alongside Christo for many years and was one of his closest friends.

Olivia Laing is the author of five works of non-fiction and a novel. Her books include To the River (2011), The Trip to Echo Spring (2013) and The Lonely City (2016). Her books have been translated into 19 languages. She writes on art and culture for the Guardian, Financial Times and New York Times, among many other publications and a book of her collected essays on art, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency, was published in 2020. Her most recent book is Everybody: A Book About Freedom (2021) and she is currently working on a book about gardens and paradise.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

Photograph of Christopher Lloyd used by kind permission of Jonathan Buckley


TUE 17:00 PM (m001g35j)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g35q)
It's hoped it could one day lead to a near-limitless source of clean power


TUE 18:30 Hennikay (m001g35x)
Series 1

Going Home

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.

Things have come to a head for Guy. He has lost his job, he’s running out of money and, most worrying of all, his 11-year-old imaginary friend, Hennikay, is still a very permanent – and annoying – fixture in his life. No matter how hard he tries to persuade him that he doesn’t exist, he just can’t get him to leave.

And so in a last-ditch attempt to understand why his old friend has returned from his childhood and just what he wants, Guy decides to go back home to where it all started and see his Mum – who unfortunately for him, is not imaginary.

Over the years Guy has found that trips back to his boyhood home never go smoothly, but this one becomes spectacularly rocky. As mother and son share some uncomfortable home truths, family skeletons are dragged out of cupboards and Guy gets stuck in a bush.

As always, Hennikay is there to save the day and this time in the most unexpected way. Because, as he tells Guy, just because he’s imaginary, doesn’t mean he’s not real.

Cast:
Guy – Bill Bailey
Tony – Dave Lamb
Marika – Elizabeth Carling
Sheila - Miranda Richardson
Hennikay – Max Pattison

Written by David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001g316)
It’s the Berrow Christmas party and Neil admires Jazzer’s festive jumper. Martyn’s busy congratulating himself and the Board on what a great job they’re doing, sweeping Neil aside when he tries to pin him down on the staffing crisis. Jazzer gets more drinks in, hoping to ease the pain of the evening’s events. As they become tipsy they play a truth and lie parlour game, and well-oiled Martyn admits to having been on a TV dating show. Jazzer encourages him to tell all. Neil finds this all a distraction from his desire for a staffing chat – getting the boss drunk isn’t a great negotiating tactic. But Jazzer counsels Neil to wait and see.
Tracy delivers some wine to Brookfield for a barn event, and asks after Ben. Ruth’s evasive at first, but then admits she’s tired and the two of them sit down. Ruth fills Tracy in on Ben without going into details. Ruth feels she should have seen it coming, but Tracy sympathises. Kids aren’t always the best at sharing, especially when they’re caught up in their own emotions. Ruth’s finding it hard to be optimistic. It’s exhausting trying to prop up anxious David too, who seems to be overcompensating all the time. Tracy suggests Ruth doesn’t let herself get overwhelmed. She’s not Superwoman. Their kids aren’t perfect either, but they love them with everything they’ve got, and that has to count for something.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001g360)
Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody; Qatar art, architecture & the World Cup; Hannah Khalil

Director Kasi Lemmons discusses her new film, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, a biopic of the performer Whitney Houston, whose unmatched vocal power saw her become one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She talks about exploring the darker sides of Whitney’s life and working with British actor Naomi Ackie who stars in the title role.

Hannah Khalil, writer-in-residence at Shakespeare's Globe theatre, tells Luke about her retelling of the classic 1001 Nights story cycle - Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights, which reimagines Scheherazade's storytelling feat as a team writing effort.

Plus, in the final week of the World Cup in Qatar, we look at the new art and architecture in the country: the huge public art programme featuring the work of over 100 artists, including Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, and Olafur Eliasson, plus new galleries, museums, and stadiums. To discuss Qatar’s cultural ambitions, and the question of culture washing in the face of rights concerns, Luke is joined by Hannah McGivern of The Art Newspaper, and Rowan Moore, architecture critic at The Observer.

Presenter: Luke Jones
Producer: Julian May


TUE 20:00 What’s a Tory? (m001g362)
In just three years since Boris Johnson’s landslide election victory in 2019, the Conservative party has descended into turmoil and division. After months of turbulence, the UK’s historically most successful party faces a challenging winter, with polls suggesting it’s headed for defeat at the next election. Lewis Goodall talks to insiders and party figures about the ideological tensions underlying the party’s struggles. Why has the party burned through so many prime minsters in 12 years? Why are Conservatives so divided about the post-Brexit future? Why are there such wrangles over issues like housing and planning?

What do Conservatives stand for and who are they for?

Guests include former Cabinet ministers William Waldegrave, David Gauke and David Frost, historians Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite and Robert Saunders and activists in key battleground seats.

Producer: Leala Padmanabhan


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001g364)
The Eye Clinic Liaison Officer; Visually Impaired Netball

The Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) has an important part to play when being diagnosed with an eye condition, during later prognosis and treatment. We invited Paula Thomas onto the program, who is visually impaired and is currently working as an ECLO at Great Ormond Street Hospital, to tell us more about what her role entails and the kinds of things ECLOs can offer help with.

We often report on In Touch about sports that have been adapted to be played by blind and partially sighted people... but never netball. That's because, for the first time, it is being adapted to be played by partially sighted people. We hear from Sam Bird, who is CEO of Netball Superleague club London Pulse, about their upcoming netball festival that is encouraging new visually impaired players to join in.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

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


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001g31r)
The sudden rise in teenagers developing tics during the pandemic

A new study highlights the increase in the number of teenagers - especially girls - developing involuntary physical and vocal tics during the pandemic. Neurologist Professor Jon Stone from the University of Edinburgh explains how they differ from those seen in patients with Tourette's - which come on very gradually are most often seen in eight to ten year old boys. One of his patients Beth first had tics four years ago, starting with spasms in her abdomen which pulled her upper body forwards. Prof Stone says that functional tics are caused by the brain not working properly and that it's an oversimplification to say they are the result of young people watching too many Tiktok videos.

Professor Tamara Pringsheim is a neurologist in Calgary, Canada, who's just published a study showing how widespread they are across the world. She says that almost overnight her clinic was filled with teenage girls - after years of only seeing younger boys with Tourette's. She says the outlook for teenagers with tics is good - they usually get better, often within 6 months. Treatment can include cognitive behavioural therapy and it's also useful to involve the whole family - relatives should be discouraged from using humour to diffuse tension when a teenager tics, as it can make them last longer. Beth has just started university and is learning to live with her tics - and finds important social support from online communities of others who have tics.

Professor of health psychology at the University of Leeds, Daryl O'Connor shares Professor Stone's scepticism about the role of Tiktok in rise in the number of tics. He also explains how a study where girls were encouraged to pretend they were scientists resulted in them playing a science game for longer.

Dr Carolin Schuster from Leuphana University in Germany has published a study showing that encouraging messages to HR professionals can help to cut the gender pay gap - but it's yet to be seen if the intervention would work in real-life not just the lab.


TUE 21:30 Room 5 (m001g34m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001g366)
Rishi Sunak sets out new plan to curb Channel migrants

Rishi Sunak has outlined measures aimed at deterring migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats - including plans to send back thousands of Albanians within months. We assess the proposals with a former Border Force official and a lawyer.

Scientists hail a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion - but what is it and how could it help our thirst for clean energy?

And we speak to a former member of Twitter's Trust and Safety Council about why Elon Musk disbanded it.


TUE 22:45 A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (m001g368)
Episode 2

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Rhys James (m000c4qk)
Rhys James Isn't...

Rhys James Isn’t… 'A'

In an attempt to become more politically engaged, comedian Rhys James tries on opinions like clothes to see how they fit. This week he’s putting his left leg in first.

Dressed as a wishy-washy liberal Rhys asks: why are we not doing more to save the planet… Why is it taking so long to teach LGBT+ issues in schools… Why doesn’t everywhere have gender-neutral toilets… And why are we letting Facebook spy on us?

This is what he thinks this week, but next week he’ll be a week older and more right wing…

Written and performed by – Rhys James
Produced by – Carl Cooper

Production Co-ordinator – Gwyn Rhys Davies

A BBC Studios production


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001g36b)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.



WEDNESDAY 14 DECEMBER 2022

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001g36d)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g35p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g36g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g36j)
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 (m001g36l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001g36n)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001g36q)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning,

An extraordinary privilege of priesthood is the opportunity to hear from others about their struggles with faith and doubt. I recently spoke with a bereaved woman who shared with me her anger towards God and her experience of losing her faith. At the same time, she told me about her longing for God and for a reconnection with a spirituality that was once a great comfort. Her desire for God even during an experience of loss and separation reminded me of the legacy of a great Christian mystic remembered today.

St John of the Cross was a 16th century Spanish friar from a poor background. He died in what looked like total failure, poverty and disgrace after a long history of bitter relations with his religious order. And yet, after his death, he came to be recognised as a saint and one of the greatest mystics the church has ever known. As a priest, a poet and an artist he testified to his experience that God acts through vulnerability, failure and contradiction. His life was continually marked by periods of intense struggle that he famously described as “a dark night”, and yet he found that in these times God’s presence can be found even in the bleakest moments. His poetry, writings and sketches continue to inspire and help many, pointing towards the possibility of finding meaning in, through and beyond suffering.
He lived extremely simply, and was noted for his kindness towards others, his whole life offering a wonderful scaffold to any seeking to discover fresh hope in hard places.

O Lover of Souls, whenever we feel alone, bless us with hope that we may find courage to live with gentleness and to be signs of your love for others. Amen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001g36s)
A new report just published by the Migration Advisory Committee has highlighted agricultural workers as being severely vulnerable to exploitation. The M.A.C. also says immigrant workers with little or no English are more likely to be exploited and this is why it advised the government to include an English language requirement in its visas for butchery workers last year. 800 visas were granted to help ease a bottleneck of pigs being processed, because of a shortage of workers. The report also details how Brexit and Covid have both had an impact on the availability of labour, from home and abroad. We ask committee chair Professor Brian Bell whether safeguards, such as the Gangmasters Licensing Authority are working well enough to protect vulnerable workers. We also ask the NFU for their response and ask what they make of plans to pilot a rural visa, to help stop depopulation in more remote communities.

A cheesemaker in one of the most remote parts of England has been celebrating the seal of approval after winning gold at the World Cheese Awards. Doddington Dairy, in the Glendale Valley in Northumberland has had a turbulent 12 months. This time last year, they lost power for 11 days following Storm Arwen, and when the back-up generator broke down, the owner had to drive miles overnight to get a replacement, so they could milk the cows. However, owner, Neil Maxwell, says getting the seal of approval from experts is priceless for a small cheesemaker.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dx98q)
Little Auk

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 Little Auk. Little auks are black and white relatives of the puffin but only about half the size. They're one of the most numerous seabirds in the world, with around twelve million pairs of birds. In autumn and early winter we see them in the UK as they head south into the North Sea.


WED 06:00 Today (m001g2z1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m001g2zf)
The Four Freedoms

3. Freedom from Want

Author and musician Darren McGarvey gives the third of four BBC Reith Lectures on the theme of liberty, addressing "Freedom from Want." McGarvey argues that the present system isn't working for many but that it is incumbent on citizens to confront that and rise to the challenge of what inequality means. Individuals, he says, need to take personal responsibility and reject the apathy which many working-class communities experience.

The lecture and question-and-answer session is recorded in Glasgow in front of an audience. The presenter is 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:
Freedom of Speech by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
Freedom to 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 (m001g2zt)
Baroness Cumberlege, Nurses' strike, Balaclavas, Iran diaries, Whistleblowing

Two and a half years ago Baroness Cumberlege wrote a report looking at two drugs and a medical device which caused women or their babies harm. She made a list of recommendations to support victims and prevent future, avoidable damage. Yesterday she appeared in front of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and expressed her frustration at the slow progress of the Department of Health on this issue. She updates Emma Barnett about her concerns.

Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to start strike action tomorrow. Since we spoke to the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen yesterday on this programme, the RCN has been urged to do more to 'avoid patient harm' and 'alleviate unnecessary distress' for dying patients on strike days by the Chief Nursing Officer for England Ruth May, and the chief nursing officers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the NHS's head of cancer care. Emma is joined by BBC health reporter Jim Reed and then Baroness Watkins, cross bench peer and a nurse for 50 years. She's also Visiting Chair of Nursing at Kings College London, and is hoping that the strike will be called off.

In this cold weather, we’re all reaching for our winter woollies. One of the things you may be wearing is a balaclava, that piece of headwear that covers your head and chin traditionally knitted by your grandma. These winter warmers originated during the Crimean War and they’re having a moment this year, thanks to big name fashion brands, Gen Z’s and Tik Tok and Instagram influencers. Fashion writer Tiffanie Darke is here to tell us how we can be warm and stylish.

Protests have been taking place across Iran since mid-September after the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini who had been detained by Iranian morality police for not wearing her headscarf correctly. Over the last two and a half months, women living in Iran have been sending their thoughts and diaries in secret to the BBC’s Saba Zavarei. They come in the form of voice notes, writings, videos and drawings, which the women then destroy on their phones in case they are searched. These diaries show the everyday risks and dangers that women face, as they continue to protest in Iran.

We speak to the Elizabeth Gardiner the CEO of the Whistleblowing charity Protect about what protection is available for women who do put their careers on the line to report malpractice and wrongdoing.


WED 11:00 Putin (m001g2yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Oti Mabuse's Dancing Legends (m001g302)
Debbie Allen

Oti Mabuse continues her celebration of the dancers and choreographers who have made an impact on the world of dance.

In today’s episode, the actor and singer Todrick Hall joins Oti to reminisce on his career and nominate his dancing legend. Todrick has starred in stage shows including Kinky Boots and Chicago. He has performed around the world with his own tours and his TV appearances include RuPaul's Drag Race and The X Factor.

Todrick champions the life and work of Debbie Allen.

Debbie Allen has a career which spans more than four decades and the talented choreographer has starred in roles on stage and screen which have captivated audiences around the world. The Emmy award winning actress is best known as Lydia Grant in the TV series Fame and she has been at the helm of major TV shows as an Executive Producer as well as establishing her dance academy for the next generation of dancers.

Todrick and Oti explore her multifaceted career with archive clips and the expert help of dance scholar Dr Takiyah Nur Amin.
Oti also heads to the dance studio to learn a dance routine inspired by the style of Debbie Allen with the help of dancer Jazmine JT.

Presenter: Oti Mabuse
Producer: Candace Wilson
Editor: Chris Ledgard
A BBC Audio Bristol production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m001g35w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001g30f)
New Bailiffs Regulator, Financial Abuse, Diverse Decorations

Peter White talks to Catherine Brown, the chair of the Enforcement Conduct Board, a new body that's been set up to protect people in debt from being treated unfairly by bailiffs. We also hear one woman's account of bailiffs and the intimidation she experienced as a result.

Charities and banks are reporting a spike in economic abuse cases this winter. Peter hears from someone who's lived through this kind of abuse and he talks to Carol Anderson from TSB, about the banks new Emergency Flee Fund and to Patrick Ryan, chief executive of the domestic abuse charity Hestia about the kind of help that's needed to tackle the issue.

And we speak to the co-founder of March Muses, Alison Burton, about tackling the lack of diversity in Christmas decorations.

Producer - Catherine Earlam
Presenter - Peter White


WED 12:57 Weather (m001g30m)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m001g30t)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


WED 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001g310)
8. Silence

The police launch an investigation for answers, but four years on, the person who shot Abraham hasn’t been brought to justice

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale

Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


WED 14:00 The Archers (m001g316)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Broken Colours (m001g31d)
Series 2

Episode 3

Dan has disappeared in mysterious circumstances and Jess is contending with the gallery opening for her new artwork

Jess is being torn in different directions and with Dan gone, she doesn't know who she can trust.

Will Jess's synaesthesia help her connect the dots to find Dan? And can a meeting with Melissa's father shed light on the family dynamic at the source of Melissa's problems?

Holli Dempsey and Josef Altin star in a thriller of conflicting perception from Matthew Broughton, creator of podcast drama Tracks.

CAST

Jess…..Holli Dempsey
Dan…..Josef Altin
Melissa…Alexandria Riley
Vic…David Sterne
Ronnie Vaz….Alun Raglan
Anthony Wheeler.....Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Maggie – Ashleigh Haddad
Molly – Molly Pepper Tuer

Directed by Phillipa Swallow

Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales


WED 15:00 Money Box (m001g31l)
Money Box Live: Bereavement Finances

At some point in our lives, we all experience the death of family, friends or partners, and it is never easy.

It's made worse - by what can feel like an uncaring and unnecessarily complex bureaucracy which can make dealing with your family finances difficult, draining and confusing.

In this podcast, we hear the experiences of some who have gone through these problems and we look at strategies to help.

On the expert panel are, Nick Hill, Senior Advice Manager at Money and Pensions Service, and Melinda Giles, Council Member for Private Client Solicitors at The Law Society.

Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Amber Mehmood
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 14th December, 2022)


WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001g31r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 A Bad Guy with a Gun (m001g31w)
A bad guy with a gun.

At 09:30am on the 14th December 2012, the staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School locked the school's doors, a security precaution they took every day. At 09:35 a gunman shot his way through a glass panel and entered the school. By 09:40am twenty children and six adults were dead.

Surely something so horrific must be an isolated incident?

It wasn’t.

Since that day there have been active shooter incidents at almost 1000 schools and colleges across the US. In 2022 alone 47 people have been killed and 118 wounded by gunmen in American schools.

We’ve all seen the aftermath of the shootings, the grieving families, the marches, the vows of ‘never again’ yet it does happen, again and again.

America has a complicated relationship with guns, less than half of households claim to own one yet there are estimated to be 393 million firearms owned by American civilians. That’s a lot of guns.

So where did it all start and why does the threat of gun violence provoke some politicians to loosen gun restrictions rather than increase them?

It all starts and ends with a bad guy with a gun.

Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Narrator: Alison Shultes
Editor: Penny Murphy
Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar

Thanks to the follow for the use of their archive:

The Revolutionary Institute
The Nation Rifle Association
TED x Boulder, Aaron Stark.
Tiktok Cassie Walton


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001g320)
Read All About It... in America?

Newspaper group Reach has announced plans to launch US operations for the Mirror, Express, and Irish Star. But can these British brands really succeed in America? Also in the programme, Google's UK boss, Matt Brittin.

Guests: Liz Hazelton, Editorial Director, Express.co.uk, David Yelland, Former Editor of The Sun, Christina Garibaldi, Correspondent, Us Weekly, Claire Atkinson, Chief Media Correspondent, Insider, and Matt Brittin, President of EMEA Business and Operations, Google.

Presenter: Katie Razzall

Producer: Dan Hardoon


WED 17:00 PM (m001g326)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g32j)
More than forty migrants were plunged into freezing waters when their boat capsized


WED 18:30 Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar (m001g32n)
Series 2

Episode 4

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 Bridge 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 (m001g32s)
As Rex and Kirsty dismantle their Christmas trail wicker animal displays on the rewilding land, Kirsty notices one of the strategically stacked log piles has been disturbed. It’s definitely smaller, and there are tyre tracks on the ground. It’s clear there’s a thief. Kirsty’s keen to report it, but Rex thinks it would be low priority. Kirsty feels it could be the thin end of the wedge – they need to catch the thieves red-handed. Later they set up a wildlife camera, trained on a woodpile. Trap set, they agree to check back in a couple of days.
Neil and Jazzer update Hannah on the details of last night’s drunken confessions of Martyn Gibson. Jazzer discloses he’s found the episode of the eighties dating show Martyn had been on. The girl choosing on the show was none other than Martyn’s now wife, Pam. She’d detested him on site, rejecting his sleazy lines. Jazzer laughs that this doesn’t tally with Martyn’s account, in which they didn’t go on a date due to ‘an unforeseen complication’. As they laugh at the episode a hungover Martyn approaches and Jazzer puts his phone away. Jazzer and Hannah make veiled references to the show, and Martyn realises they’ve seen it. Neil’s quick to make use of their knowledge, and hints at the importance of maintaining staff loyalty and the dangers of material going viral. Before Martyn rushes off Neil secures a pledge of full-time work for Jazzer, and consultation on future cost-cutting suggestions. Jazzer’s delighted, and can’t wait to tell Tracy. He reckons he’ll propose to her at Hogmanay.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m001g32x)
Neil Gaiman, China's art censorship in Europe, Decline of the working class in the creative industries

Neil Gaiman reflects on The Ocean at the End of the Lane as the stage adaption of his award-winning novel begins a nationwide tour.

A new report investigating China's art censorship in Europe has just been published. Jemimah Steinfeld, Editor-in-Chief of Index-on-Censorship, and art journalist Vivienne Chow, discuss its findings.

Professor Dave O'Brien from the University of Sheffield and poet and trustee of the Working Class Movement Library, Oliver Lomax, discuss the decline of the working-class in the creative industries.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Image: Neil Gaiman


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001g331)
What do we work for?

Forget the advent calendar, it’s a ‘strike calendar’ we need to prepare for Christmas this year. Behind today’s window lurks not a festive chocolate but a list of public service stoppages; not a robin on picket fence, but a postie on a picket line.

Seasonal jokes aside, perhaps the heavy flurry of industrial action is a symptom of a deeper unease about the value we place on work.

Critics of the strikes believe we have lost a sense of duty in our public services, that the public service ethos no longer means very much, and that work today is largely contractual rather than covenantal. Supporters of the strikes say there is nothing self-interested about wanting to earn a fair wage and that it’s about recognising the value of public servants, over and above symbolic gestures like doorstep clapping.

Some think we’ve placed too much emphasis on wealth as a measure of worth and that work should be about seeking to do something well, regardless of the monetary reward. Others believe that argument is laden with class-based assumptions and point to the disproportionately high salaries of bosses compared to their low-wage employees who don’t have the choice to be romantic about the idea of a vocation.

What do we work for?

Producer: Dan Tierney.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (m001g335)
On Regret

Author Rachel Genn describes her fascination with regret. Rachel tells stories of regret, beginning in her earliest childhood. “An early adopter of regret,” she says, “I was displaying the prodigy’s irritating flair for it.”

Producer: Giles Edwards


WED 21:00 A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand (m001g339)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001g320)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001g33d)
EU Qatar scandal: 3 men appear in court

Also tonight:
France beat Morocco to reach World Cup Final again.
The RCN talk ahead of tomorrow’s strike by nurses.
And South Korea’s dire record on women’s rights.


WED 22:45 A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (m001g33j)
Episode 3

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 Sandi Toksvig's Hygge (m000q3tm)
Series 1

Bridget Christie and Clive Myrie

‘Hygge’ (pronounced hoo-ga) along with ‘tak’ (the word for ‘thank you’ that we learnt from watching Borgen and other Scandi dramas) is one of the few Danish words to have become known to us in the UK.

It’s a word that means comfort, contentment and cherishing the simple pleasures in life. In lifestyle magazines it’s faux fur throws, cups of hot cocoa and scented candles; but to the Danish it has simpler and less commercial roots. As these cold Winter nights draw in after a difficult year of scant comfort, it feels like we all need some hygge and legendary Dane, Sandi Toksvig, will do her best to bring it to you.

Deep in the Danish countryside in her cosy wood cabin Sandi will explore the concept of hygge and the Danish way of life and welcomes celebrity guests who join her in front of the open fire to explore what brings them hygge. In this episode BBC News Broadcaster and Foreign Correspondent Clive Myrie talks about finding respite in Opera and Poetry, while comedian Bridget Christie talks about the joy of running and her comforting but miss-shaped radishes.

Guests for the series are Grayson Perry, Alan Davies, Sindhu Vee, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Bridget Christie, Clive Myrie, Professor Brian Cox, Zoe Lyons and presenters and podcasters Rose and Rosie . We look forward to you joining Sandi in her cabin (please bring biscuits).

Host...Sandi Toksvig
Producer...Julia McKenzie
Material for Sandi's script opening script... Charlie Dinkin and Simon Alcock
Production Coordinator...Carina Andrews
Sound Recordist and Editor...Rich Evans
A BBC Studios Production


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001g33n)
Sean Curran reports on Prime Minister's Questions and the government's response to the news of more deaths in the Channel.



THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2022

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001g33s)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g33x)
Episode 3

An intimate and unflinching account of the life and death of Rob Delaney’s young son Henry, told with honesty, humour and much, much love.

While Rob shares an American's astonishment at the NHS, Henry makes friends across his ward in Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Written and read by Rob Delaney
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Rob Delaney is an American comedian, actor and writer who co-created and co-starred in the BAFTA-winning comedy "Catastrophe".


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g341)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g343)
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 (m001g345)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001g347)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001g349)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning,

At a recent local Christmas fair someone had the brilliant idea of setting up a large nativity scene under a gazebo, and offering a big box of costumes, so that anyone could dress-up and take “selfies” of their family or group around a cardboard manger.

This was offered as a free attraction and drew quite a bit of interest. People of all ages seemed grateful for the opportunity to take part in something fun that didn’t cost money. There was quite a queue around the dressing-up clothes. And there were touching moments as some of the adults remembered how as a child they’d been eager to be allowed to be an angel with tinsel wings, or perhaps to be Mary, or some other character - but often they’d had to make do with a humbler role instead. It was great to see them finally getting the part they’d wanted, and it was wonderful to see different people inhabiting the story and bringing their own personality to the traditional scene. It seemed to bring a lot of happiness.

What struck me as so clever about this activity is the way it mirrors what the whole Christmas message seems to say: ultimately for Christians the birth of Jesus is all about inclusiveness and participation. The nativity has a strong message about a God who longs for connection, who comes to be fully part of the story of humanity in an unexpected way, so that each of us can know that we’re loved and accepted, and all can find our place in helping to tell God’s story of hope, joy and peace.

God of all, as we prepare to celebrate the good news of the birth of Jesus, help us to find and take our part in sharing the message of your generous love and welcome for all. Amen


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001g34c)
15/12/22 - ELMs, rolling in the frost, Guernsey glyphosate ban and cheese making

Supermarkets, banks, farmers and environmental groups are calling for more ambition and "bold, decisive action" on Environmental Land Management Schemes - the new payments which will replace the EU subsidy system in England. In a joint statement, organisations ranging from Tesco to the World Wildlife Fund warned that farmers and land managers urgently need "vision, clarity and detail" on the roll out of the new schemes. The Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has promised details of DEFRA’s ‘rapid review’ in the New Year.

The cold and frosty weather has been creating the perfect conditions for farmers to try a novel technique of killing off cover crops - crushing them with a large roller pulled on the back of a tractor. We join one farmer as he gives it a go for the first time.

Guernsey could become the first part of the British Isles to ban farmers using the herbicide glyphosate. Across the UK, a number of councils have stopped using the chemical – but the plan to completely ban the product from the island is facing strong political opposition, while the island’s farming community is also lining up against the scheme.

And we catch up with a farming family in Suffolk, 10 years after they set up a cheese making business.

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


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0sqd)
Greater Roadrunner

Michael Palin presents the greater roadrunner of south western North America. A cuckoo that can run at 20 miles per hour and snap up venomous reptiles might not seem destined for cartoon fame, but that's exactly what happened to the Greater Roadrunner.

The loud "beep-beep" call of the Warner Brothers cartoon creation, always out-foxing his arch-enemy Wile-E. Coyote brought this very odd member of the cuckoo family racing into the living rooms of the western world from 1949 onwards . Greater roadrunners live in dry sunny places in the south western states of North America, where their long-tailed, bushy--crested, streaky forms are a common sight. They will eat almost anything from scorpions to rats, outrunning small rodents and lizards and even leaping into the air to catch flying insects.

As it runs across the desert, the roadrunner's footprints show two toes pointing forward and two backwards. The "X" shape this forms was considered a sacred symbol by Pueblo tribes and believed to confound evil spirits because it gives no clues as to which way the bird went.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


THU 06:00 Today (m001g37g)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001g37l)
Citizen Kane

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Orson Welles' film, released in 1941, which is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, films yet made. Welles plays the lead role of Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper magnate, and Welles directed, produced and co-wrote this story of loneliness at the heart of a megalomaniac. The plot was partly inspired by the life of William Randolph Hearst, who then used the power of his own newspapers to try to suppress the film’s release. It was to take some years before Citizen Kane reached a fuller audience and, from that point, become so celebrated.

The image above is of Kane addressing a public meeting while running for Governor.

With

Stella Bruzzi
Professor of Film and Dean of Arts and Humanities at University College London

Ian Christie
Professor of Film and Media History at Birkbeck, University of London

And

John David Rhodes
Professor of Film Studies and Visual Culture at the University of Cambridge

Producer: Simon Tillotson


THU 09:45 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g37q)
Episode 4

An intimate and unflinching account of the life and death of Rob Delaney’s young son Henry, told with honesty, humour and much, much love.

As Henry's chemo course comes to an end Rob and Leah face an uphill struggle to bring their son home to be with his brothers.

Written and read by Rob Delaney
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Rob Delaney is an American comedian, actor and writer who co-created and co-starred in the BAFTA-winning comedy "Catastrophe".


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001g37w)
Claudia Winkelman, Kate Bingham, Baroness Kidron, Helen Whately

Strictly Come Dancing’s Claudia Winkelman in conversation with Emma Barnett about the domestic tasks that need to done a certain way in the home; starting with how to hang a toilet roll.

Health Minister Helen Whately is questioned about the historic strike by members of the Royal College of Nursing.

Dame Kate Bingham the woman who led the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce talks about her concerns regarding our readiness to tackle the next pandemic. She says the UK’s going 'backwards' in this area and is 'baffled' by the decisions to 'dismantle' many of the capabilities she helped set up.

And Baroness Beeban Kidron, the founder of the 5Rights Foundation which campaigns to make the digital world safer for children and young people brings us the latest on the online harms bill.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Bob Nettles


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m001g384)
Hungary’s power dilemma

Paks, a small Hungarian town on the shore of the River Danube an hour or two south of Budapest has prospered from its nuclear power station, built by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. Hungary has prospered too. Paks provides some 40 per cent of the country’s power requirements. But the four reactors are now approaching the end of their lives and are scheduled for closure in 2032; so in 2014 agreement was reached with Russia to build two more, with the help of a Russian loan, Russian engineers, and a small army of Ukrainian welders.

But the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army in February 2022 has thrown these plans into disarray. Construction has begun, in the sense that bulldozers have been clearing the ground. But the project is already delayed, and there are those who believe that the new reactors will never be built. As Nick Thorpe discovers, people who thought they had a job for life in Paks are worried about their future and the future of a town whose lively shops and restaurants owe everything to the nuclear industry. Now the centre-piece of prime minister Viktor Orban’s energy empire, Paks may soon become the country’s rustbelt.

Presenter: Nick Thorpe
Produced by Tim Mansel
Studio mix by Neil Churchill
Production coordinator Iona Hammond
Series editor: Penny Murphy


THU 11:30 The Susurrations of the Sea (m00193ng)
The Susurrations of the Sea is a collaboration between the poet Katrina Porteous, who lives right next to the North Sea in Beadnell, Northumberland; radio producer Julian May, who grew up close to the Atlantic in Cornwall; and with the sea itself. They gather the variety of its sounds, from gentle susurrations as the tide moves over mud, to the steady roar of surf and mighty waves crashing onto rocks.

They weave these with the words of people who, more than most of us, listen to these sounds. Melissa Reid is a visually impaired competitive surfer at Porthtowan in Cornwall. The writer Lara Messersmith-Glavin grew up on a salmon seiner, fishing out of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Lara recalls how the sounds of the sea brought fear as well the comfort. David Woolf, in Orkney, who works on wave energy projects, tells the life story of a wave, and considers the role of the oceans in the climate crisis. Stephen Perham, rowing his picarooner out of Clovelly harbour, shows how, when fishing for herring without an engine or any modern equipment, learning the sounds of the sea is essential.

The susurrations of the sea are culturally important, finding their way into language and music. At his piano the musician Martin Pacey illustrates how Benjamin Britten captures these in his Sea Interludes, and how these reflect mood and character. For Stephen and Katrina the words people use to describe that sea are themselves sea susurrations.

Katrina writes a new sequence of poems in response to the sounds of the sea and these run through the programme like breaking waves, a choppy sea and an ocean swell.

Producer: Julian May


THU 12:00 News Summary (m001g38b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001g38j)
The Energy House

Shari Vahl visits the Energy House 2.0 research facility at The University of Salford where two of the biggest housebuilders in the UK- Barratts and Bellway have built two new houses inside an environmental chamber.

Bellway, Barratts and Saint Gobain (a leading building materials company) have built the two houses using new building materials and high spec insulation, but also have innovative technology inside - heat pumps, infra red heating, batteries, solar panels, even heating in the skirting boards. House builders are in a race against time to build new homes that meet strict energy efficiency rules that come into force in two years - known as the Future Homes Standard.

The houses will then be subjected to extreme heat of +40 and -20, as well as wind, rain and snow to see how effective they are at keeping us warm in cold weather, and also deal with extreme heat.

Shari looks around the two new houses with the housebuilders to find out what our new homes will look like in two years, and speaks to the academics at Energy House about the innovative research that happens there.

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001g38n)
Batteries

In the run up to Christmas, many parents will be checking on their battery supplies ahead of Santa bringing gifts that require them. But do branded batteries, that promise more power and longer life at a higher price point, really deliver it?

Listener Peter got in touch asking just that, as well as whether batteries have an expiry date?

Greg Foot recruits some year 7 pupils and their teacher to help him perform a test to find out, and speaks to one of the country’s leading scientists about what gives a battery more power, or helps it store more energy.

You can also hear more about the difference between single use, and rechargeable batteries in our longer podcast episode on BBC Sounds.

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 (m001g38s)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m001g38x)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


THU 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001g391)
9. Inquest

A letter out of the blue informs Ronke that - four years on - an inquest will take place looking at how Abraham was killed. For the first time, documents from the police and council are released.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale


Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (m001g32s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Broken Colours (m001g394)
Series 2

Episode 4

Jess and Dan work out what really happened on the night of the attack by Magners' gang. Jess finally meets the Blue Rider, and Dan has to face a life changing decision. Will he have the strength?

Holli Dempsey and Josef Altin star in a thriller of conflicting perception from Matthew Broughton, creator of podcast drama Tracks.

CAST
Jess…..Holli Dempsey
Dan…..Josef Altin
Melissa….Alexandria Riley
Gina.....Suzanne Packer
Anthony Wheeler.....Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Blue Rider….Olivia Vinall
Ronnie Vaz….Alun Raglan

Directed by John Norton

Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales


THU 15:00 Open Country (m001g398)
Belfast's Alleyways and Orchards

Arts consultant Amberlea Neely and architect Aisling Rusk are on a mission to re-imagine Belfast's residential alleyways. Originally built over a century ago to allow access for coal deliveries, sewage systems and bin collections behind the city's high-density red-brick terraces, the alleys became neglected and derelict - spaces for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. In recent years, residents of some streets have got together and turned their back entries, as they are often known, into pleasant lanes, festooned with flowers and used for neighbourhood parties and even arts events. The movement grew during the Covid lockdowns when people became aware of the value of the fresh air in the open spaces just beyond their back doors.

There have been similar alleyway greening transformations in other British cities, like Manchester and Liverpool, but Amberlea and Aisling have a more ambitious vision. They're campaigning for these hidden thoroughfares to become a vital part of Belfast's green infrastructure - safe play areas and traffic-free walking and cycling routes. They set up a project called "9ft in Common" – the average width of a typical Belfast alleyway - and spent months walking the city's entries to draw up a digital map of the network.

In this unlikely setting for Open Country, Helen Mark explores the momentum behind the movement. She talks to Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland about planting apple “orchards” in the alleyways and giving residents horticultural advice. She visits Wildflower Alley, one of the city's first and most successful neighbourhood projects, which now features in tourist trails, and hears from residents about what these once neglected spaces now mean to them.

Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Kathleen Carragher


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001g2zp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (m001g31x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0dcn52l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001g39g)
Cancer cure, Strep A research and hopes for biodiversity

Base editing is a technique for substituting the building blocks of DNA. It has only been around for a few years, so its use to apparently cure cancer was all the more remarkable, as BBC Health Correspondent James Gallagher tells us.

We take a trip down the river Wye with ecologist Steve Ormerod who tells us why the river is a microcosm for some of the global issues being discussed at the UN Biodiversity summit in Montreal. BBC Environment Correspondent Victoria Gill gives us the latest on the state of negotiations there.

And the current surge in infections associated with the streptococcus bacteria has led to deaths in a few cases. It is usually a seasonal infection, worse in the spring. We ask microbiologist Dr Claire Turner from Sheffield University why we seem to be seeing a surge of infections now and her research on strep vaccine targets.

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.


THU 17:00 PM (m001g39l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g39r)
The change will see Scotland move further from the tax policies of the rest of the UK


THU 18:30 ReincarNathan (m001g39w)
Series 3

Cleaning Wrasse

Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife returns for a third series, starring Daniel Rigby, Ashley McGuire and guest-starring Hammed Animashaun and Hugh Dennis.

In episode 5, Nathan is brought back to life as a Cleaning Wrasse fish on a coral reef. He’s shocked to find out his dad (Hugh Dennis) has also been reincarnated on the same reef and is desperate to win his approval. So he and his friend Anwar (Hammed Animashaun) set about trying to impress his father. Will Nathan get his respect? And will he ever learn to do the right thing and make it back to human again?

Cast:
Ashley McGuire - Carol
Daniel Rigby - Nathan
Hammed Animashaun - Anwar
Hugh Dennis - Robert Blakely, Nathan's Dad
Tom Craine - Colin the Crab
Henry Paker - Shark

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 (m001g381)
Pip and Toby watch Rosie’s school Nativity performance. As long as she’s not upstaged by Madison the sheep, Pip will be happy. They spot Madison’s mum arriving late and Pip can’t hide her disapproval of this. However she introduces herself afterwards as Lottie, one of Pip’s old schoolfriends. The two swap costume stories and reminisce gleefully about their schooldays. Lottie wonders whether Rosie would like to play with Maddie in the holidays. Pip’s cautious after the spat over the Nativity roles, but Lottie assures her everyone’s moved on. Later Toby laughs at Pip’s U-turn over Maddie and her mum – maybe being a little less judgy might be a way forward!
Eddie and George are out selling the logs that Emma and Ed have misappropriated. George reckons he’s giving up Fallon’s choir to help his granddad with shifting them. He practices his sales technique on Eddie, who isn’t impressed, and shares his own wisdom on the subject. He reckons George needs to try out on someone who’s easy to sell to. They land on Tracy, but she proves a tricky customer, having called Emma to secure her first batch of logs free of charge as they’re so wet. George growls that his mum’s a soft touch. Eddie points out she’s not the only one: George didn’t get his money up front, which is a big mistake especially when it’s family. Disgruntled George apologises reluctantly for his blunder.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m001g3b0)
Quentin Blake discussion, reviews of Avatar and Magdalena Abakanowicz

For our Thursday review, film critic Leila Latif and art critic Ben Luke join Samira to discuss the much anticipated release of the Avatar sequel, The Way of Water and the exhibition of the late Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle Of Thread And Rope at Tate Modern in London.

The much-loved and much-celebrated illustrator and author Sir Quentin Blake will be 90 on December 16th. He is well known for his collaborations with Roald Dahl, Michael Rosen and many others as well as for his own stories such as Cockatoos and Mrs Armitage on Wheels. Fellow illustrators and writers Lauren Child and Axel Scheffler join Front Row to celebrate the work and influence of this distinctive artist as plans proceed to open The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in 2024.

Image: courtesy of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001g3b5)
Strikes: How can we avoid a return to the 1970s?

In the 1970s the UK was gripped by double-digit inflation driven by energy price shocks. Inflation was controlled by raising interest rates as a recession raged. And that prompted workers to demand higher wages. Sound familiar?

This week and next will see rail workers, ambulance staff, nurses, bus drivers, baggage handlers, highway workers, Border Force, driving examiners and the Royal Mail all striking on various days. As things stand, the prospects of a resolution don’t look promising. So are we heading back to the 70s and another "Winter of Discontent’?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Keith Laybourn, Professor of History at the University of Huddersfield
Alex Bryson, Professor of Quantitative Social Science at UCL's Social Research Institute
Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
Chris Giles, Economics Editor at the Financial Times

Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio manager: Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed


THU 20:30 Only After Dark (m001g3bc)
On the Streets

The Borough of Westminster in London has the highest number of homeless people in the UK. The charity, St Mungo's, provides a nightly outreach service with teams walking the streets each night in search of rough sleepers in an attempt to offer help and support, with the ultimate aim of getting them off the streets. In October 2022, Dan Richards accompanied one such team in the north of Westminster on their nightly rounds as they searched the dark corners for people sleeping on the streets. What he discovered was a tragically vulnerable world which exists almost in full view within one of the wealthiest parts of the country.

Presented by Dan Richards
Produced in Aberdeen by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music Composition by Anthony Cowie


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001g39g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001g37l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001g3bk)
Iran's doctors are targeted during protests

We have a rare interview with an Iranian doctor who's been treating wounded anti-government protestors - and hear about the lengths he's gone to help them.

Also on the programme: As nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland go on strike - we hear more about the woman leading their cause - Pat Cullen. And the US government releases thousands of official documents about JFK's assassination for the first time.


THU 22:45 A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (m001g3bp)
Episode 4

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 Michael Spicer: Before Next Door (m001g3bt)
Series 2

Water Slide

Room Next Door Man, Michael Spicer, charts his real-life progress to global internet stardom. However, this rags to riches story is still lacking in riches so Michael has accepted a promotion at work and continues to plug away on Twitter.

We re-join the story in December 2019 on a family swimming trip that is as damp and disappointing as Michael’s comedy career to date, but the impending general election coverage provides an opportunity for media attention.

Meanwhile, an office workshop led by Conservative-supporting, communications guru Benjamin Cruz (Sanjeev Bhaskar) provides extra stress. Cruz thinks Michael's comedy should be more politically balanced, something the BBC echoes by interrupting the episode to ensure Michael is performing with total impartiality.

To further fuel Michael's anxiety, his wife Roberta wants him to stuff the day job and go on tour - with her as his full-time manager.

Can Michael seize the day while also holding onto the job that pays his mortgage?

Cast: Michael Spicer with Ellie Taylor, Joanna Neary, Jamie Borthwick, Alison Ward, Greig Johnson, Jason Forbes, Peter Curran, and guest starring Sanjeev Bhaskar

Writer: Michael Spicer
Producer: Matt Tiller

A Starstruck and Tillervision Production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001g3c0)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.



FRIDAY 16 DECEMBER 2022

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001g3c4)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g37q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001g3c8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001g3cd)
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 (m001g3ch)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001g3cp)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001g3cw)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning.

Chris Rea’s “Driving home for Christmas” seems to me to put a rather cheerful gloss on what can be a challenging aspect of the season. Christmas travel in our household is at the best of times complex and stressful, with family members scattered across the UK, and everyone having competing schedules. This year holiday travel seems even more difficult, with plans having to take account of the possibility of industrial action on the rail network or elsewhere. There are always big expectations at Christmas that friends and families will try to visit each other, especially now this is possible again, and despite the challenges of winter weather. However, most of our travel woes are as nothing compared to sisters and brothers elsewhere: we’re conscious at this time of the plight of so many refugees and asylum-seekers, looking for respite from situations of unrest, threat, or conflict. We’ve been hearing increasingly also of those displaced or forced to leave their homes, because of the impact of climate change.

For such people travel is a much more urgent and risky process than I have ever experienced.
And the Christmas story speaks directly into this reality: the accounts of the birth of Jesus are peppered with stories of perilous journeys: At the centre are the holy family who depend on the welcome they receive from strangers, far from their home. Ultimately the story is about a God who comes to us, accepting uncertainty and danger in an act of complete self-giving. A God who takes the risk of being born amongst us, showing us the joy of costly love.

God our hope, we remember how in Jesus you come into our lives in a new way. Fill us with courage in all the journeys we undertake. Open our hearts to receive your presence, and help us to be signs of your welcome to others. Amen


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001g3d0)
16/12/22 - Labour shortages, farmhouse cheese and phosphorous

“Please work with us!” That’s the message to the Government this morning from labour providers who say there are severe staff shortages in food and farming and 60 per cent of farmers and manufacturers expect they won’t have enough workers next year. Tis the season for an announcement on seasonal worker visas - last year it came on Christmas Eve, heralding 40,000 6-month visas for people coming from abroad to work on UK farms and in poultry processing this year. We understand the exact numbers for NEXT year are currently being discussed by the Home Office and DEFRA. The National Farmers Union have called for 55 thousand visas - but the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, recently told the House of Commons that he felt 40,000 a year “is approximately the right number” and pointed out that this year there were 1,400 visas left unused.

Our week long travel through the world of cheese culminates in a trip to the Yorkshire dales where it’s believed versions of Wensleydale were first made a thousand years ago. Farmhouse production came to an end after the second world war but it’s making a come-back and bringing benefits to smaller farm businesses.

And the UK needs to reduce its reliance on ‘risky import markets’ for phosphorous and instead develop innovative ways of recovering it from animal manures and wastewater. That’s the advice in the UK Phosphorous Transformation Strategy, which has just been released. Phosphorus is needed for biological processes in plants and animals. At the moment the UK imports 174,000 tons a year - mainly from Russia, China and Morocco - and prices have been impacted by the war in Ukraine.

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


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0ptz)
Adelie Penguin

Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.

Liz Bonnin presents the adelie penguin on a windswept Antarctic shore. A huddle of braying shapes on a windswept shore in Antarctica reveals itself to be a rookery of Adelie Penguins. These medium sized penguins whose white eye-ring gives them an expression of permanent astonishment were discovered in 1840 and named after the land which French explorer Jules Dumont d'-Urville named in honour of his wife Adele. They make a rudimentary nest of pebbles (sometimes pinched from a neighbour) from which their eggs hatch on ice-free shores in December, Antarctica's warmest month, when temperatures reach a sizzling minus two degrees. In March the adult penguins follow the growing pack ice north as it forms, feeding at its edge on a rich diet of krill, small fish and crustaceans. But as climate change raises ocean temperatures, the ice edge forms further south nearer to some of the breeding colonies, reducing the distance penguins have to walk to and from open water. But, if ice fails to form in the north of the penguin's range it can affect their breeding success, and at one research station breeding numbers have dropped by nearly two thirds.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


FRI 06:00 Today (m001g373)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001g30v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (m001g3c1)
Episode 5

An intimate and unflinching account of the life and death of Rob Delaney’s young son Henry, told with honesty, humour and much, much love.

Reunited, the Delaney family make the most of the time they have left at home with Henry.

Written and read by Rob Delaney
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Rob Delaney is an American comedian, actor and writer who co-created and co-starred in the BAFTA-winning comedy "Catastrophe".


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001g379)
Playing Whitney - Naomi Ackie; Sarah de Lagarde; Being Cared for at Christmas; False Eyelashes

Sarah de Lagarde was commuting home on the London Underground when she slipped through the gap between the platform edge and the train at High Barnet station. She was run over by two tube trains. She lost her right leg and arm as a result and spent two months in hospital before being discharged on December 1st. She is now learning how to walk again and is fundraising for a new bionic arm. Sarah joins Anita to share her extraordinary story of survival and recovery.

British actor Naomi Ackie takes centre stage in the new biopic, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance which comes out on 23 December. Naomi spent a year learning to talk, sing and move like Whitney for the blockbuster film which documents the life and career of the woman who became one of the bestselling music artists of all time, known simply as ‘The Voice.’

We’re getting into the swing of the Christmas party season now with many of us making up for lost time during the pandemic, glamming up with false eyelashes. According to a recent poll, eyelash extensions are one of the top beauty treatments requested by consumers - for example, there was a 795% increase on searches for Russian Lashes in 2019. But how can we best wear and care for false eyelashes? And what are the alternatives? To find out more Anita is speaks to the columnist Sali Hughes and Consultant Ophthalmic and Oculoplastic Surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Hawkes.

Over the Christmas period, it is estimated that more than 950,000 disabled people across the UK will need paid in-home care. The narrative surrounding carer workers has often been one of self-sacrifice and pity for having to work over Christmas - but what is it like as the person who needs care to share your Christmas day with people who aren’t your family? Lady-Marie Dawson-Malcom was a physical training instructor in the British army, a mother to a six-month-old daughter and was preparing to take part in her first London marathon, when she sustained a C5 complete spinal cord injury after a fall – meaning she requires 24/7 in home care. She joins Anita to describe her experience.

Presented by Anita Rani
Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Beverley Purcell


FRI 11:00 The Truth about Jazz (w3ct43qp)
Jazz and diplomacy

Clive Myrie charts how jazz became a tool of protest, politics and subtle US diplomacy. He hears about Louis Armstrong's struggle with racism and meets musician Charles McPherson, who worked with the legendary jazz composer Charles Mingus - and discusses Fables of Faubus, one of Mingus's most explicitly political works. The song was written as a direct protest against Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, who in 1957 sent out the National Guard to prevent racial integration at Little Rock Central High School.

Clive also remembers the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which killed four children in September 1963. Veteran jazz musician Reggie Workman tells him how the attack led John Coltrane to write Alabama two months after the bombing. Clive also looks at how America's global radio service Voice of America began using jazz as a way of improving US diplomatic relations.

The Truth About Jazz was produced by Ashley Byrne and Wayne Wright.
The series is a Made in Manchester Production which was originally produced for the BBC World Service.


FRI 11:30 Unite (m000xr90)
Series 1

The Wedding

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 Oxbridge-educated crypto currency king Gideon (Ivo Graham) - are forced to live under the same roof and behave like the brothers neither of them ever wanted.

In this episode, on the day before Tony and Imogen's wedding, Gideon is adding the finishing touches to his "masterpiece" of a speech (four months in the making), Ashley needs to try and complete his driving test before the ceremony, Tony is struggling to pay an overdue car fine and Imogen's mum takes her to a spa hotel to relax, but instead tries to convince her she's marrying the wrong man.

Cast:
Tony - Mark Steel
Imogen - Claire Skinner
Ashley - Elliot Steel
Gideon - Ivo Graham
Rebecca - Ayesha Antoine
Geraldine - Isla Blair
Nigel/Automated phone - Simon Greenall
Tamsin - Susannah Fielding
Customer Services operator- Ruth Bratt
Car clamper/ Registrar - Marcus Brigstocke
Hotel Manager - Simon Humphreys
Driving Examiner/ MC/ Policeman - Stefano Paolini
Young wedding guest - Nessa Eriksson

Written by - Barry Castagnola, Elliot Steel and Mark Steel (additional material from the cast)
Executive Producer - Marios Stylianides
Producer/Director - Barry Castagnola
Sound Recordist and Editor - Jerry Peal
Production Co-ordinator - George O’Regan
Runner - James Potter

A Golden Path/ Rustle Up production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001g3dw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Archive on 4 (m0001pk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


FRI 12:57 Weather (m001g37k)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m001g37p)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


FRI 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001g37t)
10. Justice

Those who knew Abraham want further investigation work to take place to try to identify his killer and bring them to justice. Experts say Abraham’s story opens up questions about how suitable the current system is for protecting witnesses.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale


Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001g381)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001g389)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Firewall, Episode 3

Based on the novel by James Swallow
Dramatised by Paul Cornell

Episode 3

A thrilling landmark adaptation set in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell universe. Veteran Fourth Echelon agent Sam Fisher, and his daughter Sarah, are tasked with a simple extraction mission. But they picked the wrong night for an easy capture. Will they secure the asset in one piece? Meanwhile, Charlie Cole meets with an old colleague.

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
Andriy Kobin ..... Riad Richie
Nabil ..... Ali Gadema
Delim ..... Lloyd Thomas

Sound design by Steve Brooke
Directed by Jessica Mitic
Series Co-Produced by Jessica Mitic, Nadia Molinari, Lorna Newman

A BBC Audio Drama North Production


FRI 14:45 Why Do We Do That? (m001g38h)
Why Do We Wear Make-Up?

Make-up has a long history - from the surprising use of lipstick in ancient Greece to today's Tiktok trends - and though fashions may have changed, some things, like red lips, cheeks, and defined eyes, keep cropping up. So in this episode, Ella Al-Shamahi investigates if there is any biological basis to make-up? Joined by Journalist and BBC Radio 1 presenter Katie Thistleton, and psychologist Professor Richard Russell, Ella discovers fascinating research on how make-up can change the way we perceive faces and ponders on a slightly strange theory about make-up and orgasm.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001g38m)
B&NES

How can we prepare our green spaces for the next two decades of climate change? What is regenerative gardening? And is there a plant that causes disagreements in your household?

Joining Peter Gibbs on the panel in Bath this week are curator Matthew Pottage and garden designers Juliet Sargeant and Chris Beardshaw.

Also on the programme, we visit the calm and reassuring solitude of the potting shed, where Matt Biggs offers a masterclass in dividing a mint plant to guarantee you get the most out of those fragrant shoots.

Producer - Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
Executive Producer - Louisa Field

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m001g38r)
Angels on Regent Street by Christine Dwyer Hickey

An original short work for BBC Radio 4 by the Irish author Christine Dwyer Hickey. As read by Stuart Graham

Christine Dwyer Hickey is an award winning novelist and short story writer. Twice winner of the Listowel Writers' Week short story competition and a winner of the Observer/Penguin short story award, her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies world-wide. Her most recent novel The Narrow Land was awarded the prestigious 2020 Walter Scott Prize as well as Novel of the Year at the Dalkey Literary Awards. Her novel Tatty was also selected as 2020 Dublin One City One Book Choice. She is an elected member of Aosdana, the Irish academy of arts.

Reader: Stuart Graham
Writer: Christine Dwyer Hickey
Producer: Michael Shannon
Executive Editor: Andy Martin

A BBC Northern Ireland production.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001g38w)
Joyce Bryant, George 'Johnny' Johnson MBE, Dame Clare Marx, Joseph Kittinger

Matthew Bannister on

Joyce Bryant (pictured), the American singer who was named by Ebony magazine as one of the five most beautiful black women in the world.

Squadron Leader George 'Johnny' Johnson MBE, the last surviving airman who took part in the Dambuster raids.

Dame Clare Marx, the first woman to be elected President of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Joseph Kittinger, who held the record for the world’s highest skydive for over 50 years. He jumped from 19.5 miles above sea level.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Jim Byers
Interviewed guest: Andrew Reed
Interviewed guest: John McDonald

Archive clips used: Metromedia Television, WNEW-TV interview with Joyce Bryant; Benedict Bogeaus Production, Mr Ace (1946) film clip; BBC News 24, HARDtalk- George ‘Johnny’ Johnson interview 05/01/2018; Associated British Picture Corporation, The Dam Busters (1955) film clip; BBC Radio 3, Private Passions 24/04/2022; BBC One, Hi-De-Hi! 26/02/1981; BBC Radio 4, The Men Who Fell to Earth 31/03/2009; 1895 Films, Apollo – Missions to the Moon (2019) documentary clip.


FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001g390)
BBC News International Editor Jeremy Bowen joins Andrea Catherwood to talk about his experiences reporting in Ukraine and respond to listener comments on how the BBC is covering the conflict.

Listeners give us their views on Mishal Husain’s interview with RMT leader Mick Lynch on the Today programme.

We hear from Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Paul Cornell, writers of the new Radio 4 drama Splinter Cell: Firewall, set in the world of a best-selling video game.

And Mohit Bakaya, Controller of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, responds to listeners’ questions and comments on the schedule changes at Radio 4 Extra.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood

Produced by Gill Davies

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 17:00 PM (m001g395)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001g39f)
The hospitality industry says it's "devastating" for the sector ahead of Christmas.


FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (m001g39k)
Christmas Specials 2022

Episode 2

The content of Matt Hancock’s Covid diaries, the reason why Sir Keir Starmer may soon be out of a job, and a behind-the-scenes look at the King's preparations for his Christmas message.

Performed by Jon Culshaw, Lewis McLeod, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, Naomi McDonald and Anil Desai.

Written by Written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Sarah Campbell, Tom Coles and Ed Amsden, James Bugg, Cody Dahler, Toussaint Douglass, Robert Darke, Sophie Dickson, Katie Sayer, Peter Tellouche and Edward Tew.

Produced and created by Bill Dare.
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001g39n)
Writer, Liz John
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Director, Marina Caldarone

Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Neil Carter ….. Brian Hewlett
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O’Hanrahan
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Martyn Gibson ….. Jon Glover
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Hannah Riley ….. Helen Longworth
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Lottie ….. Bonnie Baddoo


FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m001g39s)
Whodunnit?

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode investigate whodunnits and murder mysteries on screen, ahead of the streaming release of new Knives Out mystery Glass Onion.

Mark talks to Glass Onion director Rian Johnson about why whodunnits are so enduring, who left him star-struck on set, and the classic films and books that inspired his new mystery.

And Ellen takes a deep dive into the camp 1973 cult whodunnit The Last of Sheila, written by actor Anthony Perkins and composer Stephen Sondheim following their own outlandish murder mystery parties. Ellen talks to writer Kyle Turner about Sondheim’s love of mysteries and the real life stories behind the film. She also speaks to the legendary Dyan Cannon about the larger-than-life Hollywood agent Sue Mengers who inspired her role in The Last of Sheila, and about the film's legacy as a cult classic.

This week's Viewing Note is courtesy of actor and director Richard Benjamin.

Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001g39x)
Mary Bousted, John Glen MP, Stephen Kinnock MP, Nick Timothy

Alex Forsyth presents political debate and discussion from Compton Verney, Warwickshire with the General Secretary of the National Education Union Mary Bousted, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen MP, the Shadow Minister for Immigration Stephen Kinnock MP and the columnist and former Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff Nick Timothy.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Tom Earle


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001g3b1)
The End of Winter

As meteorologists tell us that the chance of snow is decreasing year on year, Sara Wheeler reflects on a future where younger generations may never get to experience snow - and what that means for a season so ingrained in our lives and culture.

'Winter is deeply embedded in the English language - the white stuff of metaphor', she writes.

'But if climate change blanches the seasons, one wonders what the as yet unborn writers will reach for when they try to put the unsayable into words.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


FRI 21:00 Past Forward: A Century of Sound (m001g3b7)
Omnibus 4

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, and explores the changes between then and now.

In this omnibus edition, Greg is presented with five fragments of archive. The first is of one of the earliest editions of iconic radio show Listen with Mother from 1950, and he reflects on the ways children's entertainment has changed since then with Professor Kate Lacey and Kay Benbow. Next there’s a fragment of archive about the last working canal boatmen in the 1960s, and Greg speaks to writer Julian Dutton and boat-dwellers Jo and Vic about the new era of life on Britain's waterways. To find out more about the background to a news interview with Welsh women trying to save Ebbw Vale steelworks in 1975, he talks Professor Louise Miskell about how important women were in political activism in Wales in the 1970s, and to Sophie Williams about how she approaches activism in 2022. Then a clip from a 1963 documentary about the growth in large urban redevelopment projects in the UK prompts him to unpack the past and present of such schemes with Otto Saumarez-Smith and Andrew Carter from the Centre for Cities. Finally, Greg sees a clip from the 1970s containing dour predictions for the future of the Outer Hebrides and seeks help in explaining its prognosis from Professor of Sustainable Rural Development Frank Rennie and the co-founder of the North Uist Distillery Kate Macdonald.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001g3bd)
In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (m001g3bj)
Episode 5

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (m001g3bn)
Is Elon Musk Curing Twitter?

The online discussion continues...

Since Americast spoke to Dr Anthony Fauci, he has been the subject of Elon Musk tweets. And that’s not all Musk has been up to! The team speaks to a former member of Twitter’s now disbanded Trust and Safety Council about what Musk is doing to online safety.

And, as basketball star Brittney Griner is exchanged for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, a former White House insider takes us through the growing phenomenon of "hostage diplomacy".

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 and Alix Pickles. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham. The senior news editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

Credit: Basketball commentary provided by ESPN Productions Inc.


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001g3bs)
Mark D'Arcy reports as members of the House of Lords debate the future of the BBC.




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 (m0010q9n)

A Bad Guy with a Gun 16:00 WED (m001g31w)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 09:45 MON (m001g30c)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 00:30 TUE (m001g30c)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 09:45 TUE (m001g35p)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 00:30 WED (m001g35p)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 00:30 THU (m001g33x)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 09:45 THU (m001g37q)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 00:30 FRI (m001g37q)

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney 09:45 FRI (m001g3c1)

A Point of View 08:48 SUN (m001fwj0)

A Point of View 20:50 FRI (m001g3b1)

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand 15:30 TUE (m001g339)

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand 21:00 WED (m001g339)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson 22:45 MON (m001g2zc)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson 22:45 TUE (m001g368)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson 22:45 WED (m001g33j)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson 22:45 THU (m001g3bp)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson 22:45 FRI (m001g3bj)

All in the Mind 21:00 TUE (m001g31r)

All in the Mind 15:30 WED (m001g31r)

Americast 23:00 FRI (m001g3bn)

Any Answers? 14:00 SAT (m001g2w8)

Any Questions? 13:10 SAT (m001fwhv)

Any Questions? 20:00 FRI (m001g39x)

Archive on 4 20:00 SAT (m0001pk3)

Archive on 4 12:04 FRI (m0001pk3)

BBC Inside Science 16:30 THU (m001g39g)

BBC Inside Science 21:00 THU (m001g39g)

Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics 16:30 MON (m001g2yc)

Bells That Still Can Ring 16:00 MON (m001fwcz)

Bells on Sunday 05:43 SUN (m001g2x6)

Bells on Sunday 00:45 MON (m001g2x6)

Britain's Communist Thread 21:30 SUN (m001fd8w)

Broadcasting House 09:00 SUN (m001g30h)

Broken Colours 14:15 MON (m001g2y3)

Broken Colours 14:15 TUE (m001g35b)

Broken Colours 14:15 WED (m001g31d)

Broken Colours 14:15 THU (m001g394)

Crossing Continents 20:30 MON (m001fwck)

Crossing Continents 11:00 THU (m001g384)

Dead Ringers 12:30 SAT (m001fwh2)

Dead Ringers 18:30 FRI (m001g39k)

Desert Island Discs 11:15 SUN (m001g30v)

Desert Island Discs 09:00 FRI (m001g30v)

Faith in Music 13:30 SUN (m000qjz6)

Farming Today 06:30 SAT (m001g2vk)

Farming Today 05:45 MON (m001g33t)

Farming Today 05:45 TUE (m001g31n)

Farming Today 05:45 WED (m001g36s)

Farming Today 05:45 THU (m001g34c)

Farming Today 05:45 FRI (m001g3d0)

Feedback 20:00 SUN (m001fwg6)

Feedback 16:30 FRI (m001g390)

Flight of the Ospreys 09:30 TUE (m001g34p)

Four Thought 05:45 SAT (m001fw6l)

Four Thought 20:45 WED (m001g335)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:30 SAT (m001g2vy)

Front Row 19:15 MON (m001g2yr)

Front Row 19:15 TUE (m001g360)

Front Row 19:15 WED (m001g32x)

Front Row 19:15 THU (m001g3b0)

Gardeners' Question Time 14:00 SUN (m001fwfj)

Gardeners' Question Time 15:00 FRI (m001g38m)

Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar 18:30 WED (m001g32n)

Great Lives 16:30 TUE (m001g35g)

Hennikay 18:30 TUE (m001g35x)

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 12:04 SUN (m001fw1d)

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 18:30 MON (m001g2ym)

In Our Time 09:00 THU (m001g37l)

In Our Time 21:30 THU (m001g37l)

In Touch 20:40 TUE (m001g364)

Last Word 20:30 SUN (m001fwfw)

Last Word 16:00 FRI (m001g38w)

Laura Barton's Notes on Music 11:30 TUE (m001g34y)

Lights Out 23:00 MON (m001g2zn)

Limelight 14:15 FRI (m001g389)

Loose Ends 18:15 SAT (m001g2wn)

Loose Ends 23:00 SUN (m001g2wn)

Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys 11:30 MON (m000p1v3)

Michael Spicer: Before Next Door 23:00 THU (m001g3bt)

Midnight News 00:00 SAT (m001fwjt)

Midnight News 00:00 SUN (m001g2ww)

Midnight News 00:00 MON (m001g330)

Midnight News 00:00 TUE (m001g306)

Midnight News 00:00 WED (m001g36d)

Midnight News 00:00 THU (m001g33s)

Midnight News 00:00 FRI (m001g3c4)

Money Box 12:04 SAT (m001g2w2)

Money Box 21:00 SUN (m001g2w2)

Money Box 15:00 WED (m001g31l)

Moral Maze 22:15 SAT (m001fw6b)

Moral Maze 20:00 WED (m001g331)

Natural Histories 06:35 SUN (b08slxy4)

Nature Table 23:00 SAT (m001fvzx)

Nature Table 15:00 MON (m001g2y7)

News Briefing 05:30 SAT (m001fwkc)

News Briefing 05:30 SUN (m001g2x4)

News Briefing 05:30 MON (m001g33k)

News Briefing 05:30 TUE (m001g318)

News Briefing 05:30 WED (m001g36n)

News Briefing 05:30 THU (m001g347)

News Briefing 05:30 FRI (m001g3cp)

News Summary 12:00 SAT (m001g2w0)

News Summary 06:00 SUN (m001g2yv)

News Summary 12:00 SUN (m001g311)

News Summary 12:00 MON (m001g34f)

News Summary 12:00 TUE (m001g35v)

News Summary 12:00 WED (m001g35w)

News Summary 12:00 THU (m001g38b)

News Summary 12:00 FRI (m001g3dw)

News and Papers 06:00 SAT (m001g2vh)

News and Papers 07:00 SUN (m001g2z9)

News and Papers 08:00 SUN (m001g301)

News and Weather 13:00 SAT (m001g2w6)

News 22:00 SAT (m001g2wt)

Night Terrors by Alice Vernon 00:30 SAT (m001fw9k)

No Place But the Water 21:00 SAT (m001bc1l)

Oliver: Lagos to London 15:00 SAT (m000dzm9)

One Dish 14:45 SUN (p0cs5m0f)

Only After Dark 20:30 THU (m001g3bc)

Open Book 16:00 SUN (m001g31x)

Open Book 15:30 THU (m001g31x)

Open Country 06:07 SAT (m001fwgn)

Open Country 15:00 THU (m001g398)

Oti Mabuse's Dancing Legends 11:30 WED (m001g302)

PM 17:00 SAT (m001g2wd)

PM 17:00 MON (m001g2yf)

PM 17:00 TUE (m001g35j)

PM 17:00 WED (m001g326)

PM 17:00 THU (m001g39l)

PM 17:00 FRI (m001g395)

Paradise Lost: The Rise and Fall of the Eldonian Dream 17:00 SUN (m001fwc2)

Past Forward: A Century of Sound 21:00 FRI (m001g3b7)

Phantoms in the Brain 21:00 MON (m001fw65)

Phantoms in the Brain 11:00 TUE (m001g34w)

Pick of the Week 18:15 SUN (m001g32m)

Please Protect Abraham 13:45 MON (m001g2xz)

Please Protect Abraham 13:45 TUE (m001g358)

Please Protect Abraham 13:45 WED (m001g310)

Please Protect Abraham 13:45 THU (m001g391)

Please Protect Abraham 13:45 FRI (m001g37t)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 SAT (m001fwkh)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 MON (m001g33p)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 TUE (m001g31g)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 WED (m001g36q)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 THU (m001g349)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 FRI (m001g3cw)

Profile 19:00 SAT (m001g2wq)

Profile 00:30 SUN (m001fvhx)

Profile 05:45 SUN (m001g2wq)

Profile 17:40 SUN (m001g2wq)

Putin 20:00 MON (m001g2yw)

Putin 11:00 WED (m001g2yw)

Radio 4 Appeal 07:54 SUN (m001g2zp)

Radio 4 Appeal 21:25 SUN (m001g2zp)

Radio 4 Appeal 15:27 THU (m001g2zp)

ReincarNathan 18:30 THU (m001g39w)

Rhys James 23:00 TUE (m000c4qk)

Room 5 09:00 TUE (m001g34m)

Room 5 21:30 TUE (m001g34m)

Sandi Toksvig's Hygge 23:00 WED (m000q3tm)

Saturday Live 09:00 SAT (m001g2vr)

Screenshot 19:15 FRI (m001g39s)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SAT (m001fwk3)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SUN (m001g2x0)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 MON (m001g338)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 TUE (m001g30w)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 WED (m001g36j)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 THU (m001g343)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 FRI (m001g3cd)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SAT (m001fwjy)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SAT (m001fwk7)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SAT (m001g2wg)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SUN (m001g2wy)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SUN (m001g2x2)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SUN (m001g325)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 MON (m001g334)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 MON (m001g33f)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 TUE (m001g30p)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 TUE (m001g313)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 WED (m001g36g)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 WED (m001g36l)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 THU (m001g341)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 THU (m001g345)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 FRI (m001g3c8)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 FRI (m001g3ch)

Short Cuts 15:00 TUE (m001g35d)

Short Works 15:45 FRI (m001g38r)

Sideways 00:15 MON (m001fw45)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SAT (m001g2wl)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SUN (m001g32h)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 MON (m001g2yk)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 TUE (m001g35q)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 WED (m001g32j)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 THU (m001g39r)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 FRI (m001g39f)

Sliced Bread 17:30 SAT (m001fwfc)

Sliced Bread 12:32 THU (m001g38n)

Something Understood 06:05 SUN (b041v54s)

Something Understood 23:30 SUN (b041v54s)

Soul Music 10:30 SAT (m001g2vt)

Start the Week 09:00 MON (m001g2xg)

Start the Week 21:30 MON (m001g2xg)

Stories from Ukraine 21:45 SAT (m001cq8m)

Sunday Worship 08:10 SUN (m001g308)

Sunday 07:10 SUN (m001g2zh)

The Archers Omnibus 10:00 SUN (m001g30n)

The Archers 19:00 SUN (m001g2y1)

The Archers 14:00 MON (m001g2y1)

The Archers 19:00 MON (m001g2yp)

The Archers 14:00 TUE (m001g2yp)

The Archers 19:00 TUE (m001g316)

The Archers 14:00 WED (m001g316)

The Archers 19:00 WED (m001g32s)

The Archers 14:00 THU (m001g32s)

The Archers 19:00 THU (m001g381)

The Archers 14:00 FRI (m001g381)

The Archers 19:00 FRI (m001g39n)

The Briefing Room 20:00 THU (m001g3b5)

The Confessional 19:15 SUN (m001g1nn)

The Food Programme 12:32 SUN (m001g2y9)

The Food Programme 15:30 MON (m001g2y9)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 19:15 SAT (p0dcn52l)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 16:00 THU (p0dcn52l)

The Media Show 16:30 WED (m001g320)

The Media Show 21:30 WED (m001g320)

The Poetry Detective 23:30 SAT (m001fvq1)

The Poetry Detective 16:30 SUN (m001g321)

The Reith Lectures 09:00 WED (m001g2zf)

The Susurrations of the Sea 11:30 THU (m00193ng)

The Truth about Jazz 11:00 FRI (w3ct43qp)

The Untold 11:00 MON (m001g2xn)

The Week in Westminster 11:00 SAT (m001g2vw)

The World This Weekend 13:00 SUN (m001g31j)

The World Tonight 22:00 MON (m001g2z5)

The World Tonight 22:00 TUE (m001g366)

The World Tonight 22:00 WED (m001g33d)

The World Tonight 22:00 THU (m001g3bk)

The World Tonight 22:00 FRI (m001g3bd)

Today in Parliament 23:30 MON (m001g2zy)

Today in Parliament 23:30 TUE (m001g36b)

Today in Parliament 23:30 WED (m001g33n)

Today in Parliament 23:30 THU (m001g3c0)

Today in Parliament 23:30 FRI (m001g3bs)

Today 07:00 SAT (m001g2vp)

Today 06:00 MON (m001g2xd)

Today 06:00 TUE (m001g34h)

Today 06:00 WED (m001g2z1)

Today 06:00 THU (m001g37g)

Today 06:00 FRI (m001g373)

Torn 00:15 SUN (m001bbth)

Tweet of the Day 08:58 SUN (b03mg1dc)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 MON (b08r1x98)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 TUE (b092f778)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 WED (b03dx98q)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 THU (b04t0sqd)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 FRI (b04t0ptz)

Unite 11:30 FRI (m000xr90)

Voices in the Valley 19:45 SUN (p0d8klvf)

Weather 06:57 SAT (m001g2vm)

Weather 12:57 SAT (m001g2w4)

Weather 17:57 SAT (m001g2wj)

Weather 06:57 SUN (m001g2z3)

Weather 07:57 SUN (m001g2zx)

Weather 12:57 SUN (m001g31b)

Weather 17:57 SUN (m001g32c)

Weather 05:56 MON (m001g33y)

Weather 12:57 MON (m001g2xv)

Weather 12:57 TUE (m001g354)

Weather 12:57 WED (m001g30m)

Weather 12:57 THU (m001g38s)

Weather 12:57 FRI (m001g37k)

Westminster Hour 22:00 SUN (m001g32t)

What’s a Tory? 20:00 TUE (m001g362)

Why Do We Do That? 14:45 FRI (m001g38h)

Will Bird Flu Steal Christmas? 16:00 TUE (m001gmgw)

Woman's Hour 16:00 SAT (m001g2wb)

Woman's Hour 10:00 MON (m001g2xl)

Woman's Hour 10:00 TUE (m001g34t)

Woman's Hour 10:00 WED (m001g2zt)

Woman's Hour 10:00 THU (m001g37w)

Woman's Hour 10:00 FRI (m001g379)

Working Titles 15:00 SUN (m001g31s)

World at One 13:00 MON (m001g2xx)

World at One 13:00 TUE (m001g356)

World at One 13:00 WED (m001g30t)

World at One 13:00 THU (m001g38x)

World at One 13:00 FRI (m001g37p)

You and Yours 12:04 MON (m001g2xs)

You and Yours 12:04 TUE (m001g352)

You and Yours 12:04 WED (m001g30f)

You and Yours 12:04 THU (m001g38j)