SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m00268y3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:15 Bunk Bed (m0013jfc)
Series 9

2. Peter Curran, Patrick Marber and Simpson's star Harry Shearer reflect on life's wonder and woes

The Simpsons' Harry Shearer relives working show business at seven years old with Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and scores of other cartoon characters.

Produced by Peter Curran

A Foghorn Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 The Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg (m00268vx)
Episode 5: The Christmas Witches

When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there’s something much darker lurking in the shadows.

In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions.

Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories.

In this episode, mingling with the candle-crowned young witches of Finland's St. Lucy Festival, the author captures the revelry at the heart of the winter madness.

Reader: Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Pippa Vaughan
Abridger: Elizabeth Burke
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00268y5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00268y7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00268y9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m00268yc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00268yf)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day Krish Kandiah


SAT 05:45 Something to Declare (m00268x2)
How to Take a Break

Jack Boswell explores Sweden’s cherished tradition of fika and its lessons on the art of taking a break.

Joining him is Anna Brones, author of Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, who shares how this ritual goes beyond coffee and pastries to create intentional moments of connection and reflection. Anna explains how fika encourages us to pause, savour a sweet treat, and enjoy meaningful conversations - whether with colleagues, friends, or family.

Reine Eriksson, CEO of a Swedish telecommunications company, adds insight into how fika transforms workplaces, fostering creativity and collaboration. He reveals how this simple practice, embedded in Swedish culture, builds stronger relationships and a positive work environment by creating a level playing field, where all voices are heard.

Together, Jack and his guests uncover the roots of fika - from its social dimension, to its modern global appeal as a counterbalance to our fast-paced lives. They reflect on how fika’s emphasis on connection can combat isolation, nurture creativity, and remind us of the joy in everyday moments.

This episode celebrates fika as more than a coffee break - it’s a philosophy that shows how taking time for others and ourselves can enrich our lives.

Host: Jack Boswell
Producer: Emma Crampton
Senior Producer: Harry Stott
Executive Producer: Sandra Ferrari
Production Coordinator: James Cox
Audio Supervisor: Tom Biddle
Sound Editor: Alan Leer and Lizzy Andrews

A Message Heard production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002690w)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m00268jq)
Martin Clunes

Martin Clunes is best known for his roles in the long-running TV series Doc Martin and the 1990s sitcom Men Behaving Badly. He's also known as an animal lover, but few people are aware of the wider importance of nature for him. In this programme Martha Kearney travels to his Dorset farm to meet Martin and find out more about his love of the natural world. She learns of the sanctuary it provides for him from the hectic life of an actor. Together they take his five dogs for a walk, including the retired guide dog Martin gave a home to after hearing about her on a radio programme. He introduces Martha to his horses, as he prepares one of them for a show the next day, chatting to her while on his hands and knees shampoo-ing the horse's fetlocks. He explains how horses were the reason why he came to buy a farm by chance.

Producer: Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002690y)
28/12/24 The bogs of the Flow Country - a peatland that is now a World Heritage Site.

The biggest peat bog in Europe, in Caithness and Sutherland, has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, putting it on a par with Tanzania's Serengeti and the Eiffel Tower. It's the first such designation for a peatland site, and is expected to have an impact on the local economy, boosting tourism and peatland restoration work. What is so interesting and important about this vast wet desert of undulating brown hills in the UK's far north? Is the new tag helping the region, or as some fear, hindering development? Richard Baynes has been talking to those who live and work in the wild natural world of the Flow Country.

Produced and presented by Richard Baynes.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m0026910)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m0026912)
Simon Jack and Sean Farrington are joined by Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as she guest edits Today.

Professor Tracey, a neuroscientist, will take hope and kindness as a theme as she reflects on her own research field in understanding and treating pain. Her programme will also look at the broader role that Universities play in society.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0026914)
Tiffany Murray, Sam Oladeinde, Mared Pugh-Evans, Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Tiffany Murray grew up watching legendary rock stars eat her mother’s food...David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Ozzie Osbourne and Siouxsie Sioux, to name but a few. She shares what it was like to grow up at the iconic Rockfield Studios.

Actor Sam Oladeinde gave up a career in law to become Aaron Burr, Sir, in the UK and Ireland tour of Hamilton. But what has he taken from his previous profession into life on the stage.

Mared Pugh Evans is the seventh official harpist to His Majesty the King, her sound is so sublime it could summon the angels but she’s also an innovator...and passionate music evangelist for in the community.

All that, plus the Inheritance Tracks of Sophie Ellis Bextor as she prepares to sing us into the New Year.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Huw Stephens
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m0024050)
Series 1

13. The Fastest Fly

The buzz of a fly hovering just above your head has got to be one of the most irritating sounds around, but this week we try to work out just how fast they could be flying. Could a claim horseflies reach speeds of up to 90 mph possibly be true, and Dara wants to know if this is what makes them so difficult to swat?

Entomologist Erica McAlister is better known as the ‘fly lady’ and speaks up in defence of these tiny creatures, explaining there are 7,000 known species in the UK alone. Which makes it all the more shocking there are several that don’t have wings.

For Professor Graham Taylor the question of speed comes down to a simple calculation, and the team try to work out whether a horsefly beats its wings fast enough relative to its size to travel so rapidly. He explains horseflies aren't clever, but scientists are interested in their simple brains and are studying them to use as models for drones and mini robots.

Contributors:

Dr Erica McAlister, Natural History Museum
Professor Graham Taylor, Oxford University

Producer: Marijke Peters
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 10:30 Rewinder (m0026917)
Mystery Voices and the Millennium Bug

Greg James searches through the BBC Archive to track down audio gems, using listener requests, overlooked anniversaries and current stories to guide the way.

It’s 25 years since the world braced itself for the arrival of the Millennium Bug, so Greg goes off in search of how we managed to escape with our lives – and toasters – intact. When midnight strikes, will Peter Snow and The Corrs be swallowed up by the BBC’s giant Bug Watch screen?

Listener emails to the Rewinder inbox send Greg on the trail of Mystery Voices and Michael Bond, creator of Paddington and finds out how the BBC tied itself in knots trying to find a real life bear for the lead role.

And in the year when darts prodigy Luke Littler was searched more on Google than the King and Prime Minister, Greg steps up to the oche on board HMS versatile in 1941 as it takes a barrage of German bombs.

Producer: Tim Bano

An EcoAudio certified production


SAT 11:00 On Your Farm (m0022c06)
On Your Farm at 60

Sixty years ago a new weekend farming programme was launched by the BBC. On Your Farm started with an early morning outside broadcast from a family farm in Rutland as the day’s harvesting got underway in the surrounding fields. To mark the programme’s diamond anniversary, Vernon Harwood visits that same farm at Barrowden to check on today’s harvest and discover what’s changed over the past six decades. In 1964 Rowland and Dennis Tyler described themselves as traditional arable and sheep farmers but in 2024 is that the case for Dennis’ sons, Richard and Charles?

On Your Farm was created by producer Anthony Parkin as a way for the nation to eavesdrop on farmers discussing the highs and lows of their industry. Parkin always considered it to be "a breath of fresh farm air" but the national newspapers preferred to call his regular breakfast table debates "Bacon and Eggs Radio". The first programme was introduced by David Richardson, a Norfolk pig and arable farmer who went on to host hundreds of editions over the following two decades. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I suppose," says David, who shares his memories in this anniversary episode. "I learned on the job, I liked asking questions and that’s really what broadcasting is all about."

On Your Farm was described by the former Sunday Times columnist, Paul Donovan, as "one of radio’s great treats." It once claimed to have Radio 4’s catchiest theme tune and the programme even had a spin-off recipe book called 'The Best of Breakfasts'. Now as it enters its seventh decade, On Your Farm remains a weekend must-listen, the perfect accompaniment to bacon and eggs. and it’s still doing what it does best – eavesdropping.

Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002691b)
A Song for Valentina

Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, Mayotte, Liechtenstein and France.

BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg is regarded as a 'propagandist' by some Russians, but a song he wrote about a Russian friend seemed to thaw the ice, and unexpectedly struck a chord with fellow Muscovites.

France held a day of national mourning this week in tribute to those who died after Cyclone Chido devasted the remote Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month. Mayeni Jones describes the challenges of trying to reach the island when she was deployed there, and meets those affected by the storm.

Liechtenstein lays claim to being one of the worst football teams in the world. It was recently on a 40-game losing streak, until it recently faced Hong Kong on its home turf. Jacob Panons - a loyal supporter of the Hong Kong team - witnessed the stand-off between the two minnows.

Thanks to his Christmas stories, Charles Dickens is often associated with this time of year. But our Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, has come to discover more about another passion in the Victorian novelist’s life – his love of France.

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


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002691d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002691g)
The Cost of Having a Pet

There are 36 million pets in the UK, which doesn't include fish and other aquatics, and the cost of owning one can add up.

One of the biggest bills a pet owner can face is the price of taking their animal to the vet.

The Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation earlier this year into whether people are paying too much and whether they are getting information about treatment options. It says the 'unprecedented response' it's had shows the strength of feeling.

Aside from that, there's the general cost of care like food and heating bills.

This week Felicity Hannah is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux, dog owner, vet and current president of the British Veterinary Association and by Lisa Webb, dog and cat owner and senior lawyer at the consumer organisation Which?

We also hear from an award winning dog breeder, a cat and rabbit rescue centre and even head to a dog Christmas party - although we must point out, a pet is for life, not just for the festive season.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This episode was first broadcast on Saturday the 28th of December 2024).


SAT 12:30 The Naked Week (m00268b2)
Series 1

The Naked Christmas Week: Books, Trump, and When Is Bins?

Landing slap-bang in the no-man’s land between Christmas and New Year, the Naked Week team will be heading out of the trenches to challenge the news to a game of football. This week, we find out which of the year's political memoirs passes our special test, and we ask the big Christmas question 'When Is Bins?'

Expect festive advice, guests full of joy and wonder, and a little drummer boy (budget depending), as the show sticks its hand into all the Christmas current affairs, pulls out a bag of news-giblets and stuffs the airwaves with irreverent features, mischievous set-pieces and more jokes than you can shake a seasonal stick at.

Presenter of Presents: Andrew Hunter Murray

Chief Christmas Correspondent: Amy Hoggart

Written by:
Jon Holmes
Jason Hazeley
Katie Sayer
Sarah Dempster
Gareth Ceredig
Adam Macqueen
Louis Mian

Produced by Jon Ho-ho-ho-Holmes.

Production Team: Katie Sayer, Phoebe Butler, Laura Grimshaw, Jerry Peal, Tony Churnside.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002691j)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m002691l)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 The Today Podcast (m00268xq)
News Review of the Year 2024

Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson are joined by Today programme colleague Justin Webb to discuss a bumper election year that saw the UK elect a new prime minister and the US re-elect a president. Plus, Emma Barnett looks back at her first few months as a Today presenter and Garry Richardson returns to pick out his sporting moments of 2024.

To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you subscribe to The Today Podcast on BBC Sounds. That way you’ll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won’t miss our extra bonus episodes either.

GET IN TOUCH:
* Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346
* Email today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Nadia Gyane and Grace Reeve. The technical producers were Ben Andrews and Mike Regaard. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


SAT 14:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0025dvv)
Series 31

An Unexpected History of the Body

Brian Cox and Robin Ince uncover the unexpected history of the body in the archives of the Royal Society with special guests Prof Helen King, Sir Mark Walport, Keith Moore and Ed Byrne. Together they dissect some of the most surprising and peculiar beliefs that have been held about the body over the last 500 years, from wandering-womb hypotheses to tobacco-enema resuscitations. They unearth how scientific discoveries have often originated from brave individuals, willing to volunteer their own bodies in the pursuit of science. Our panellist Sir Mark Walport has continued in this tradition of self-experimentation, and has with him x-rays of his own faeces for show and tell!

Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani

BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m00268xl)
Alice invites Brian to join her, Martha and Chris at Ambridge View. As Brian admires the garden layout he and Alice reminisce about their old home. The garden was Jennifer’s pride and joy. Kate’s efforts on Christmas Day has made Brian realise you don’t have to do Christmas the same way every year. As Brian observes how well Alice is doing, they discuss the potential new job on offer. Alice is tempted but despite the allure, staying at the Stables will give her more control over rebuilding her relationship with Martha. And she really loves the work.
Joy brings Rochelle to the Bull. Jolene offers them all champagne on the house to say congratulations, but Joy hurriedly stops Jolene saying any more. She quietly explains the non-proposal to Jolene, who realises Rochelle’s arrival scuppered Joy’s plan. Jolene agrees to bring the bubbly over and just say congrats on Mick and Joy moving in together. Over lunch, Rochelle finds out more about Mick and Joy. She also realises Joy has talked her up to Jolene about her majorette days. When Joy’s away from the table Mick and Rochelle start to bond. He feels lucky to have Joy; Rochelle feels that Joy is also a lucky woman. Mick encourages Rochelle to stick around, as Joy would love it. Joy returns and presses Rochelle on her lack of news. Rochelle agrees to stay around only if Joy stops asking questions. She just wants to enjoy a Christmas together like they used to. Of course they can, agrees Joy.


SAT 15:00 The Ambridge Mystery Plays (m00132cg)
Episode 2

2/2 The Passion
Queen of Ambridge amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, takes charge of this adaptation of the Mediaeval dramas. Join the cast of The Archers for the second part of this unique promenade production around Ambridge, portraying the life of Jesus from baptism through to the Resurrection.

Adapted by Nick Warburton
Director …. Kim Greengrass
Executive Editor …. Jeremy Howe
Technical Producers …. Andy Partington & Vanessa Nuttall
Production Coordinators …. Sally Lloyd & Andrew Smith

Jesus …. James Cartwright
Mary …. Alison Dowling
John the Baptist …. Ian Pepperell
Peter …. Charlotte Martin
John …. Nick Barber
Andrew …. Ryan Kelly
Judas …. Ian Pepperell
Caiaphas …. Paul Copley
Annas …. Katie Redford
Pontius Pilate …. Nick Barber
Malchas …. Alison Dowling
1st Torturer …. Annabelle Dowler
2nd Torturer …. Charlotte Martin
1st Soldier …. Katie Redford
2nd Soldier …. Ian Pepperell
Mary Magdalene …. Annabelle Dowler
Joseph of Arimathea …. Paul Copley

Other parts played by members of the company.

A BBC Audio Drama Birmingham production.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002691n)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Michelle Yeoh, SEND system, Friends 30th Anniversary, Living in a van

Oscar-winning Michelle Yeoh’s career has spanned four decades. Starting out as a martial arts actor, she became a key figure in the Hong Kong action scene. But it was her role in James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies that catapulted her into Hollywood. She's since starred in many hits including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the multi-Oscar winning movie - including for her own performance - Everything Everywhere all At Once. Now, she’s in the film adaptation of the musical Wicked. She joined Nuala McGovern live in the studio to discuss it.

We look back at a special programme, that came live from the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House in London, looking at the support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – or SEND as it’s often known in England. Nuala heard from guest panellists including Kellie Bright, an actress in EastEnders but also a mum to a child with SEND, Katie, who is 17 and says she was completely failed by the SEND system, and the Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell.

On 22 September 1994, the American TV show Friends premiered on NBC and the characters Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross became household names. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Anita spoke to one of the show’s writers and producers, Betsy Borns and the journalist Emma Loffhagen about why the show still resonates today.

We hear from listener Siobhan Daniels. She wrote to us on Instagram: 'I would love you to talk about van life and an alternative way of living.' Siobhan is 65 years old and after selling her home and possessions has lived in her motorhome for the last five years.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal deaths in the UK. Last month the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee published a report calling on the government to do more to reduce the risks of babies being born prematurely and to improve the lives of those families who are affected. Anita discussed the proposed changes with Nadia Leake, who gave birth to twins eleven years ago at just 22 weeks and is the author of 'Surviving Prematurity,'

Corinne Bailey Rae's latest album is a complete departure from her previous work. Black Rainbows is inspired by a trip to Stony Island Arts Bank, a Chicago-based archive of black art and culture. The record spans punk, rock, experimental jazz, electronica and more. She joined Anita for a very special performance live from the Woman's Hour Glastonbury picnic table back in the summer.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Emma Pearce


SAT 17:00 PM (m002691q)
Ukrainians hope for a New Year prisoner exchange

We hear from Ukrainian POWs who have spent their first Christmas freed in two years. Plus, 80 years since its Broadway debut, we celebrate Bernstein's musical On The Town.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m0020xzb)
DNA Ancestry Tests

Listener Chris from Suffolk recently took a DNA ancestry test, and after getting some interesting results back, he wondered how accurate they really were?

Greg Foot finds out by taking two tests himself – and has the results and his family tree revealed to him by DNA Genealogist from Finding Families, Louise Baldock.

He also speaks to Professor of Genetics at Leicester University Mark Jobling to find out what these companies are looking for, what they can or can’t determine from our DNA in terms of where we came from, and asks the question – is sharing our DNA with these companies safe?

All of the ideas for our investigations come from you, our listeners, and we’re always on the lookout for more. If you have seen a wonder product that claims to make you happier, healthier or greener, and want to know if it is SB or BS, then please do send it over on email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or drop us a message or voice note on WhatsApp to 07543 306807.

PRESENTER: Greg Foot

PRODUCER: Kate Holdsworth


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002691v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002691z)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0026923)
A rare apology from Vladimir Putin for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0026927)
Wayne Sleep, Ben Miller, Rosalind Eleazar, Lou Conran, The Lottery Winners, Stuart Maconie

Wayne Sleep, Ben Miller, Rosalind Eleazar and Lou Conran join Stuart Maconie for this week's Loose Ends, with music from The Lottery Winners.

Dance icon Wayne Sleep waltzes in to tell us stories of his life - all detailed in his new autobiography, Just Different. Tales of his friendships with Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury, David Hockney and fellow ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev intermingle with insights into his working-class upbringing and the difficulties of trying to make it as the shortest principal dancer ever to get into the Royal Ballet. Told he would always have to spin twice as fast and jump twice as high to succeed, Stuart hears all about the trials, tribulations and backstage gossip that make up Wayne’s world.

With notable appearances in Slow Horses, Howards End, Rellik and the Personal History Of David Copperfield, as well as striding such prestigious stages as the Royal Court and the National Theatre, Rosalind Eleazar is set to return to the small screen this New Year. Starring in the Netflix production of Harlan Coben’s Missing You, filmed across the north west of England, she’s here to tell us all about her new role as Detective Kat Donovan.

Award-winning comedian and writer Lou Conran has been storming stages up and down the country since 2005 with her innate brand of sharp wit and honest and open humour. 2025 will see her twenty year anniversary as a performer and off the back of a sold out UK tour, she’s about to embark on a tour of New Zealand, and joins Stuart to tell us about the year ahead.

The actor and comedian Ben Miller is of course known for The Armstrong & Miller Show, the Johnny English and Paddington films, Death in Paradise, Bridgerton - but over recent years has turned his hand to writing children’s books. From his Elf series to the recent The Night I Met Father Christmas, he joins Stuart to talk about his new character – Robin Hood…aged 10¾. And we’ll hear all about his new TV series Austin which will be on our screens in 2025.

Robbie Williams, Noel Gallagher, Boy George, Shaun Ryder and Frank Turner are just some of the huge names The Lottery Winners have in their phonebook. Formed in the mining town of Leigh 15 years ago, The Lottery Winners set out to work the UK gig circuit and perfect their now acclaimed stagecraft. And it all paid off when their last album went to No.1 in the UK. Their fourth original album KOKO is due out in February with a tour closely following…and another one with Robbie Williams following that! They join Loose Ends to play two songs - Superpower and Worry.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002692c)
Ruth Jones

Oh! What’s occurrin'? Good question…

This week’s Profile, with Stephen Smith, is focusing in on a woman born in Bridgend in south Wales, who loved to participate in musical theatre as a child – and went on to create one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.

With a degree in drama under her belt from the University of Warwick, Ruth Jones initially found work at BBC Wales in both TV and radio comedy. She soon branched out into theatre, before gaining a role in the popular ITV series Fat Friends.

It was there that she would work with James Corden for the first time. But not the last. The pair went onto create BBC Three hit, Gavin & Stacey in 2007. Seventeen years on, the sitcom has just provided us with one last trip to Barry Island and Billericay.

So grab a chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna, prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan, nine poppadoms and listen to this episode of Profile on the woman known for her iconic role as Nessa.

Production Team

Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson
Editors: Ben Mundy and Sarah Wadeson
Sound: John Scott
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits

Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas Special: BBC / Baby Cow Productions
Little Britain: BBC
Barry Islands In The Stream: BBC / Comic Relief / Mercury Records


SAT 19:15 Punt & Dennis: Route Masters (m0023zjh)
Series 1: From Beer to Eternity

10 – From Flying Reindeers to Eternity

This series of Route Masters has seen Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis make a grand journey from Beer to Eternity. In this festive finale, they reach their end goal, with stop-offs including flying reindeer, Quality Street, Home Alone and Christmas Island.

They're joined in this extended special by Zoe Lyons, who not only helps find random connections of her own, but gets to judge whether Steve or Hugh’s final link is the most impressive.

Written and hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis
With Zoe Lyons
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
Mixed by Jonathan Last

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002692h)
The Dome

Paul Merton explores the extraordinary story of the Millennium Dome, from its initial conception to its grand opening on January 1st, 2000. Along the way, he provides valuable insights into the British politics, culture, and national identity of the late 1990s.

In Y2K-era Britain, the Millennium Dome stood as an iconic time capsule of big dreams, substantial budgets, and the dawning of a new century., The programme offers a wry retrospective on the ambitious and controversial creation of the Dome.

Through a blend of archive recordings from the 1990s as well as new interviews, Paul revisits the political wrangling, soaring visions, and public scepticism that defined this monumental project.

From the optimism of Tony Blair's government to the biting critiques of the media, Paul unpacks the highs and lows of Britain's most audacious turn-of-the-millennium statement, not only recounting the history of the Millennium Dome but also reflecting on what it reveals about the political and cultural climate of late 20th-century Britain.

A Yada Yada Audio and Up and Away Studios production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Pick of the Year (m00268sx)
Pick of the Year 2024

As the year begins to draw to a close, veteran sports broadcaster Garry Richardson selects some of the best pieces of audio across the BBC in 2024. From classic comedy with Michael Palin, to jaw-dropping interviews with a pair of twins about facing off a crocodile, as well as a rendition of the Hokey Cokey that you've never quite heard before. Plus, we look back at the life of the late broadcaster Dr Michael Mosley and revisit some of the news stories of the year, portrayed by Radio 4 in a different light.

With thanks to all the Pick of the Week presenters of 2024.

Presenter: Garry Richardson
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News (m002692p)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m00268vs)
The Dickens Effect: How the Writer Influenced Food at Christmas.

Dan Saladino explores the impact a Christmas Carol and other Charles Dickens novels have had on festive eating, with food historian Ivan Day and food writer Penelope Vogler.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 Wing It (m00268bw)
Series 1

4. The Cage of Curiosities

In the series 1 finale, Alasdair Beckett-King gets the players to display the importance of 'remembering your Club Card', 'reading the room at a dance lesson', and 'what you need to be willing to do to get on the property ladder.'

"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."

Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King.

Starring Monica Gaga, Steen Raskopoulos, Amy Hoggart, and Thomas Mayo.

Devised by Shoot From The Hip

Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Joe Bayley

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Brain of Britain (m00268td)
The 2024 Final

(17/17)
For the four competitors in today's edition it has all been leading up to this, as they line up to find out which of them will become Brain of Britain 2024. The winner becomes the 71st official Brain of Britain champion since the title was inaugurated in the 1950s. Russell Davies tests them with questions on science, cinema, history, art, the natural world, and music with a distinctly seasonal ring for this festive Final.

The Finalists are:
Andrew Fanko from Market Harborough in Leicestershire
Anthony Fish from Pontypool in south Wales
Alan Gibbs from St Helens in Lancashire
Tim Hall from Kidlington in Oxfordshire.

The Brains will also be asked to tackle a pair of challenging questions set for them by last year's Brain of Britain champion.

Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria

SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002692t)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m00268t8)
Nick Harkaway

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks the writer and son John Le Carré - Nick Harkaway - about his new book Karla's Choice and its connections to three other literary works. The books Nick Harkaway chose were: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré (1974); The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (2011); and The Passion by Jeanette Winterson (1987).

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Annie Maguire
This was a BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND PRODUCTION


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002692y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0026932)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0026936)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m002693b)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002693g)
The Breslin Tower at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, America.

Bells on Sunday comes from the Breslin Tower at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, America. There are some 7000 towers with English style full circle rings around the world and only forty eight in the United States. In 2004 a ring of eight bells cast at Whitechapel foundry in London was installed in the University’s Breslin Tower. The tower was built in 1886 and is modelled after the tower of Magdalen College Chapel in Oxford. The tenor bell weighs eleven and a quarter hundredweight and tuned to the note of G. We hear them ringing Yorkshire Surprise Major by members of the North American Guild of Change Ringers.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m00268qg)
Christmas Eve: With Chris McCausland and Betsy Griffin

What a year it has been for blind comedian Chris McCausland. Having just been crowned Strictly Come Dancing's 2024 winner, Chris joins the In Touch team for a very special Christmas edition of the programme, co-hosted by 11-year-old author and YouTube star Betsy Griffin.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley

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


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002696w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m00268ph)
Blue Christmas

Mona Siddiqui and guests hear from Rev Denzil Larbi. He reflects on his cousin, Elianne Andam, who was 15 when she was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Croydon, South London, in September 2023. He discusses their Christmases together and how the family mark Christmas without her.

The panel of guests explore the complexities that often come with religious festivals especially those that come with an expectation of jollity.

Do religions do enough for those who are grieving or isolated at times of collective merriment? Should religious leaders and communities be more responsible and nuanced in their approach? And, are some religions better at dealing with grief than others?

To discuss Mona is joined by Jasvir Singh, from the Department of Theology and Religion at Birmingham University, Chair of City Sikhs, and the founder and Chair of the British Sikh Report, the Revd Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James's, Piccadilly, and Priest-in-Charge of St Pancras's Church, Euston Road, and Remona Aly, British Muslim journalist, commentator and broadcaster with a focus on faith, identity and lifestyle.

Producer: Alexa Good
Assistant Producer: Linda Walker
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002696y)
Dairy Goats

On a small farm in West Wales, a love affair with raising goats has become a big business producing kefir, a drink made up of proteins, sugars and bacteria. Alun Beach went to visit the farm, run by husband and wife Richard and Shann Jones, with a small workforce including milker Ellie Ludgate.

Produced by Alun Beach.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m0026970)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0026972)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0026974)
‘Coolcation’ pilgrimages; The Catholic author who inspired Wicked; Faith in Space

In this last ‘Sunday’ of the year, Emily Buchanan looks back at 2024 and forward to 2025.

2024 has been a record breaking year for one of the world's busiest pilgrimage routes - the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The rising numbers of pilgrims, as well as the soaring summer temperatures, mean more people are considering ‘coolcation’ pilgrim trails in countries like Norway. Will they catch on?

‘Wicked’ has been one of the biggest movies of the year. Emily speaks to Gregory Maguire, the Catholic writer whose novel inspired the hit stage musical and new start-studded film. What was it like writing the backstory of the notoriously evil Wicked Witch of the West?

And astronaut Barry 'Butch' Wilmore will be seeing in the New Year in space, having been stranded on the International Space Station since June. He won’t return until well into 2025, and worshippers at his Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas have been keeping a close watch on the situation.

Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Dan Tierney and Saba Zaman
Editor: Tim Pemberton.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002693f)
The Mango Tree

Actress and comedian Jennifer Saunders makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of The Mango Tree charity.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘The Mango Tree’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Mango Tree’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1095767. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://themangotree.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites


SUN 07:57 Weather (m0026976)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0026978)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002697b)
Notre-Dame de Paris

Earlier in December the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris opened its doors for the first time since the devastating fire of April 2019. In this season of Christmas, French theologian and Anglican priest Rev Dr Isabelle Hamley reflects on the cultural, historical and theological significance of one of the world's most famous religious buildings.

Producer: Andrew Earis


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m00268xs)
On Resolutions

Megan Nolan rediscovers a childhood diary with her first New Year's Resolutions.

She was fascinated and appalled, she says, by what she read:. The final resolution, underlined, read simply 'be a better person!'

These days, Megan looks on self-improvement in a rather different way - less an attempt at perfection and more 'an attempt to courageously embrace living in all its chaos.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002697d)
Anneka Rice on the Canada Goose

A new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories from some fresh voices who have been inspired by birds, their calls and encounters.

Broadcaster Anneka Rice enjoys watching Canada geese flying to and from their feeding areas near to her home. Geese have a number of words associated with their flight, however when flying very close together the the collective name is a plump - a plump of geese. To help reduce wind drag on an individual bird as they fly geese will regularly change the lead bird at the head of the flock, which as Anneka suggests reminds her of classic banter from early flying squadrons.

Producer: Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio Bristol
Studio engineer : Ilse Lademann


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002697g)
The government prepares parents for private school fees VAT

The Education Secretary says the upcoming tax rise has been welcomed. Plus we look back on the year that was 2024, and 25 years of Putin in power.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002694v)
Marianela Núñez, ballerina

Marianela Núñez is a Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet and Opera. Born in Argentina in 1982, Marianela knew she wanted to be a ballet dancer from the age of five and joined the Teatro Colón Ballet School in Buenos Aires when she was eight.

She dedicated herself to becoming a professional ballerina and had the full support of her parents despite having to leave home at fifteen to join the Royal Ballet in the UK. After spending a year at the Royal Ballet School and learning English from watching episodes of Friends, she joined the corps de ballet and worked her way up the company to become Principal Dancer.
She has danced the lead roles in the ballet repertoire on the London stage and around the world as a guest artist. In 2018, she celebrated her 20th anniversary with the Royal Ballet with a performance of lead roles in Giselle, The Winter’s Tale, Manon, Marguerite and Armand, and Swan Lake in her anniversary year. Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’Hare called her “one of the greats of her generation”.
Marianela has many awards for her dancing including the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2013. She lives in London with her two cats.

DISC ONE: Adíos Nonino (“Goodbye Grandad”) - Astor Piazzolla
DISC TWO: Hoy Puede Ser Un Gran Dia (“Today Could Be a Great Day”) - Joan Manuel Serrat
DISC THREE: Dancing Queen - ABBA
DISC FOUR: Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen
DISC FIVE: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, TH 13 / Act 1: 8a. Pas d'action: Introduction (Andante) - Adagio ("Rose Adagio") Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Mark Ermler
DISC SIX: Adam: Giselle / Act 2: Lever du soleil et arrivée de la cour. Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Richard Bonynge
DISC SEVEN: Count on Me - Bruno Mars
DISC EIGHT: I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash

BOOK CHOICE: The Collected Works of Jorge Luis Borges
LUXURY ITEM: A cashmere blanket
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, TH 13 / Act 1: 8a. Pas d'action: Introduction (Andante) - Adagio ("Rose Adagio") Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Mark Ermler

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002697j)
WRITER: Avin Shah
DIRECTOR: Jess Bunch
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Alice Carter…. Hollie Chapman
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Eddie Grundy…. Trevor Harrison
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Jakob Hakansson…. Paul Venables
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Paul Mack…. Joshua Riley
Kate Madikane…. Perdita Avery


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002692c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002689w)
Series 82

Episode 3

The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke. Marcus Brigstocke and Henning Wehn take on Miles Jupp and Rachel Parris, with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002697l)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002697n)
What will Trump's return mean for the UK economy in 2025?

Looking ahead to Donald Trump's return to the White House, Ben Chu examines what the economic impact on the UK might be. He speaks to trade expert David Henig, economist Mohamed El-Erian, journalist Anne McElvoy and we hear from the former British Ambassador to Washington, Lord Darroch.


SUN 13:30 Whisky Galore No More? (m0026jv5)
The Scotch whisky industry is facing growing pressure, both domestically and internationally.

The golden elixir accounts for over 70% of Scotland's food and drink exports, and is a major tourist draw across the country. But with increasing production costs, changing drinking habits, and a challenging international market, have the good times run dry?

Kirsty Wark visits the makers and sellers of Scotland's national drink, investigates the concern of whisky lochs, and asks "what is the future of the dram?"

Presented by Kirsty Wark
Produced by Emily Esson

A BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00268x4)
From the Archives: Christmas

Peter Gibbs digs, rakes and mulches through the GQT archive to uncover some much needed gardening advice, providing you with knowledge to aid you in the new year.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the perfect period to get ahead with maintaining you garden during the harsh winter months to come.

GQT’s various horticultural experts from over the years share their tips and knowledge on what to do with wonky veg, what to do with an Amaryllis bulb after it’s finished flowering, and which plants are deer proof.

Later, we listen back to when Chris Beardshaw visited Tenby Wells to learn all about mistletoe, its origins and the significance it has on the festive period.

Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002697s)
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

In the series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work, John Yorke takes a look at Rumer Godden’s children’s book Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, with the help of Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

We meet two tiny Japanese dolls - Miss Happiness and Miss Flower – delivered as a Christmas present. They are strangers in a strange land, subject to social forces and customs they don’t recognise, desperately trying to find a way to fit in. The same is true of Nona – the eight-year-old protagonist who receives the dolls and takes them into her care. For all of them it’s a tale of not belonging, of wishing and hoping, and working out just how to fit in.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless.  As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names.  He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.

Contributors:
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, legendary children’s author and former Children’s Laureate.
Rumer Godden, author, discussing her work and writing process in an archive interview

Credits:
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden, 1961
Desert Island Discs, 1996. Desert Island Discs was presented by Sue Lawley and created by Roy Plomley.
Rumer Godden: International and Intermodern Storyteller, 2010

Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Readings: Ruth Sillers
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Sound: Sean Kerwin
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002697v)
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

‘Is it another country?’ asked Miss Flower, and she cried, ‘Oh, no one will understand us!’
But Miss Happiness was more hopeful and more brave. ‘I think they will,’ she said.

Rumer Godden’s beloved children’s Christmas classic is dramatised by Kate Clanchy.

Starring Sudha Bhuchar, Haruka Kuroda, Lydia Wilson and Togo Igawa.

Set in the 1950s, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower shows, in tender miniature, a nervous post-war Britain squaring with its colonial past and making a space for difference.

No one had asked Nona if she wanted to be sent from India to live with her uncle and aunt in chilly, grey Topmeadow. Then, on the fifth day of Christmas, a mysterious late present arrives – two antique Japanese dolls – and Nona decides they need their own specially made Japanese dolls house. As Nona learns to reach out to those around her, even envious cousin Belinda will have to succumb to the dolls’ magic and learn new ways - or will she?

Narrator ….. Sudha Bhuchar
Miss Happiness ….. Haruka Kuroda
Miss Flower ….. Yuriri Naka
Mother ….. Lydia Wilson
Mr Twilfit ….. Togo Igawa
Nona ….. Niti Rowdur
Belinda ….. Astrid Palfreeman
Tom ….. Samuel Logan
Melly ….. Florrie-May Wilkinson

With specially composed and performed koto music by Melissa Holding.

Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: David Thomas

Director / Producer: Amber Barnfather

A Flare Path production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002697x)
Rachelle Atalla

Presenter James Crawford speaks to the writer Rachelle Atalla about her new novel, The Salt Flats, and explores its connections to three other literary works. The books that Rachelle chose were: Women With Men by Richard Ford (1997); Wake In Fright by Kenneth Cook (1961); and Oryx And Crake by Margaret Atwood (2003).

Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie Maguire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002697z)
Series 38

Heat 1, 2025

(1/13)
The quest for Britain's musical mastermind of 2025 gets under way, with the first of this year's contests coming from London's Radio Theatre. Paul Gambaccini puts questions to three music lovers hoping to be in with a chance of becoming the 38th Counterpoint champion. The questions cover everything from Bach to Bob Marley, Puccini to Pet Shop Boys, classical ballet to Spandau Ballet. The competitors also have to select a topic on which to answer specialist questions, without having had any warning of the categories on offer.

Appearing in Heat One are
Antony Cruddas from Gosport in Hampshire
Charlotte Martyn from Bath
Rebecca Pasha from Buckinghamshire.

Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yfn)
Dinner for One: How an English comedy became a German tradition

Every New Year’s Eve, millions of Germans turn on their TVs to rewatch an old favourite – the comedy Dinner for One.

The black and white sketch is in English and features a British cast but is virtually unknown in the United Kingdom.

The two-hander starts with butler James laying a table for five people for dinner.

Then Miss Sophie arrives. It's her 90th birthday and she wants to celebrate with four friends: Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr Pomeroy, and Mr Winterbottom.

The only problem is they’re all dead so James must impersonate the guests – and drink on their behalf – with hilarious results.

The late German entertainer Peter Frankenfeld first saw the show in the theatre during a trip to Blackpool.

He wanted to record it in Germany but Freddie Frinton, who played the butler and owned the copyright to the show, initially refused to take part because of his experiences during World War Two.

Peter’s son Thomas Frankenfeld tells Vicky Farncombe how his father’s own war story, involving snipers and a Nazi surgeon, persuaded Freddie to change his mind.

The programme is now shown on TV every New Year’s Eve in places including Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland.

“We watch it every year,” says Thomas. “It's really funny. Still after all this time.”

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Dinner for One. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 On the Run (m0023g63)
At Their Feet

Writer, Poet and Runner Helen Mort tracks a history of running, from prehistoric times to present day to chart the development of humanity's relationship with running.

In this episode, Helen examines the role running played in societies from Europe's Dark Ages to the early 20th century. She'll be finding out who the runners were, what inspired them to ran, and the impact it made on their social status.

Helen will discover the surprising religious origins of Britain's modern-day position in global athletics. She'll chart the ups and downs of the participation and perception of women runners. And she'll learn how 17th century foot messengers became a powerful tool in the struggle between indigenous North Americans and European colonisers.

Interviewees:
Neil Baxter - Sociologist and running historian
Sam Edwards - Historian, Loughborough University
Bill Hillmann - Bull runner and writer
Katie Holmes - Women's running historian
Dustin Martin - Executive Director of Wings of America
Peter Radford - Olympian and sports historian
Roger Robinson - Runner and author of 'Running in Literature'

Thanks to Thor Gotaas, author of 'Running: A Global History'

Producer: Becca Bryers


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0026983)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m0026985)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0026987)
A South Korean passenger jet has crash-landed -- killing almost everyone on board.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0026989)
Listeners' Special - Anita Anand

This week, Anita may be in the presenting chair but all of the picks are chosen by you over the course of 2024. From hot sauce hijinks on The World Tonight to impersonations of short-lived political appointments, we reveal the programmes that you loved and lauded - including some clips that Pick of the Week never got the chance to play. As well as this crowdsourced curation, Anita is joined by some special guests to help showcase what listeners' said was their audio highlights of the year.

Presenter: Anita Anand
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4. If you’ve been affected by some of the issues featured in this programme, details of organisations offering information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002698c)
Susan and Neil catch up with Emma and commiserate that George didn’t get in touch over Christmas. Susan invites Emma, Ed and Keira over for New Year but Emma turns it down, as well as the next option, lunch today at the Bull. A dejected Susan speculates to Neil that Emma thinks it’s their fault George won’t accept visitors. But Emma avoiding them isn’t good, surely. Emma apologises. She feels hopeless and explains why she can’t celebrate with her family at New Year without George there. Susan and Neil remind Emma how much they love her and she thanks them and reciprocates.

Joy wants to have a proper chat with Rochelle, who she’s worried about. But Rochelle doesn’t want to rake up the past. They’re interrupted by a visit from Lynda. She takes an instant liking to Rochelle, who twigs that quite a few people seem to have heard a lot about her, courtesy of proud Joy. Lynda stops for a cup of tea, keen to learn everything about Rochelle. Lynda gushes about Joy who does the same about Lynda and her community role and achievements. Lynda's popped round to request two tickets for the panto Joy’s organising. But when she hears where it's being held, changes her mind as she's not a fan of the venue. Lynda realises that Joy hasn’t shown Rochelle the local sights yet, so takes it upon herself. As they explore, Lynda finds out a bit about Rochelle who’d enjoyed meeting her mum’s friends. Rochelle reckons Joy’s really landed on her feet moving to Ambridge.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002698f)
My Night With Tracy - How the Darwin Cyclone Made a Man of Mike Thomson

What drives us? What makes us who we are? For one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents, the multi-award-winning Mike Thomson, it was a near-death experience in Australia’s worst natural disaster this century. Having been kicked out of school at 17 for refusing to cut his hair, Mike opts to go travelling. With an older family friend, Mick Kendall, he journeys overland from Ivybridge in Devon to Australia’s 'top end' via Turkey, Afghanistan, India, Burma and Indonesia. Mike arrives in Darwin in December 1974. However, the search for fun and adventure with Mick and their new friend, Daryl Johnson, turns to terror when an “evil wind” known as Cyclone Tracy strikes on Christmas Eve and flattens the city in one night. For days Mike’s parents think their youngest child is "presumed dead" His name is on a list of causalities when in fact Mike was being well looked after as a refugee and evacuated to a farm in Western Australia. Why the confusion? Who is this ‘other’ Thomson? Now, 50 years on, Mike returns to Darwin to answer these questions and search for the two friends who helped him through the ordeal that shaped him.

For more stories like this, search for Illuminated on BBC Sounds. It was produced by Ed Prendeville for BBC Audio Wales and Jane Ray for Cat Flap Media. Sound design is by John Wakefield, original music by Ben Goodman. This edition of ILLUMINATED was written and presented by Mike Thomson.

With thanks to Rod Louey-Gung on behalf of the Northern Territories Museum for use of their archive.


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001ryhr)
Embrace the Rain

Get that brolly out! It may feel deeply counter-intuitive - but rainy days could offer a host of health and mood-lifting benefits. Rain improves air quality, literally washing fine particulate pollution away, and rainfall also releases Geosmin, a fragrant compound which is linked with relaxation and increased serotonin levels. What’s more, Professor Michael Terman, from Columbia University in New York, introduces Michael to negative air ions created after rainfall. He is researching how high levels of negative ions could potentially reduce stress, stave off depression and maybe even boost your immune system. Meanwhile, our volunteer Dennis steps outside and embraces the rain.

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB

Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer:: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m00268jv)
Interview of the Year

Andrea Catherwood announces the results of Feedback's Interview of The Year.

"It’s been a long process, beginning right back in January," says Andrea. "We've been asking you all year to tell us about exceptional interviews anywhere on BBC Radio or podcasts that have really stopped you in your tracks, made you think again about something or showed off the exceptional skill of an interviewer."

From listener suggestions and comments, the Feedback team compiled a short list of ten interviews, which was then handed to a jury made up of Feedback listeners to decide on the winners. They were asked to base their scores on insight, impact and interviewer skill.

In this programme, we'll hear extracts from all ten shortlisted interviews, speak to the top three finalists, and at the end of the programme, Andrea will reveal the listeners choice of the overall winner of The Feedback Interview of the Year.

Producers: Rebecca Guthrie and David Prest
Judging panel co-ordinator: Mike Hally
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m00268x8)
Nikki Giovanni, Gerd Heidemann, Cherry Hill, Sir Richard Carew Pole

John Wilson on Nikki Giovanni, a leading poet in the 1960s Black Arts Movement who is hailed as one of the most important artist-intellectuals of the 20th century.

Gerd Heidemann, the German journalist who found himself at the centre of one of the greatest journalist scandals of the 20th century, the Hitler diaries hoax.

Cherry Hill, the award-winning model engineer who created detailed, functioning scaled-down models of Victorian traction engines.

Sir Richard Carew Pole, the aristocrat who was a driving force behind the creation of Cornwall's Eden Project and Tate St Ives.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Industrial Nation, BBC Two, 2003; Heidemann arrested, BBC News, 1983; Forged Hitler diaries, Newsnight, BBC Two, 1985; Nikki Giovanni, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 2024; Nihal Arthanayake: Sara Cox and Nikki Giovanni, BBC Radio 5 Live, 2024; Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, HBO, 2023; Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin: A Conversation, Soul!, 1971, Uploaded to Youtube 09.09.2022; The Black Woman, Stan Lathan, Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive, 1970, Uploaded to Youtube 30.09.2017; Nikki Giovanni Interviewed And Reads "Revolutionary Dreams"- February 1974, SMU Jones Film, Uploaded to Youtube 11.10.2023; Opening of the new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, The Late Show, BBC, 1993; Prince of Wales officially opens new Tate Gallery in St Ives, Cornwall, BBC News, 1993; Upcoming opening of the Eden Project, BBC News, 2001; The Karen Hunter Show, SiriusXM Urban View (1993), Internet Archive, 12/05/2017


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002691g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002693f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002691b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Short Cuts (m00268zb)
Earth

A friendship forged working the land, memories of volcanic eruptions from 800,000 years ago frozen in Antarctica’s ice cores, and the importance of wild, patient gardens. Short documentaries presented by Josie Long that rise up from the earth.

Wintering
Music by Jules Bradley
Produced by Jules Bradley

Melt Tones
Featuring Dr Dieter Tetzner
Produced by Anton Spice

Sue’s Garden
Featuring Sue Trolle
Music by Sóley
Produced by Rikke Houd

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


SUN 22:30 Echo (m002698h)
Elephants never forget.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, elephant populations were mercilessly persecuted. But one individual would rise to stardom.

Echo, the bold and fiercely loyal matriarch, was fitted with a radio collar by Cynthia Moss in 1974, embarking on a 50-year journey that has revolutionised not only our understanding of elephants but also that of wildlife research itself.

At the heart of Echo's world, where the lines between humanity and the animal kingdom blur, unearth the universal language of emotion.

Elephants remember, as should you.

Photo credit: Martyn Colbeck

Sound effects: ElephantVoices ethogram


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m00268hz)
Vase-mania

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss eighteenth century 'vase-mania'. In the second half of the century, inspired by archaeological discoveries, the Grand Tour and the founding of the British Museum, parts of the British public developed a huge enthusiasm for vases modelled on the ancient versions recently dug up in Greece. This enthusiasm amounted to a kind of ‘vase-mania’. Initially acquired by the aristocracy, Josiah Wedgwood made these vases commercially available to an emerging aspiring middle class eager to display a piece of the Classical past in their drawing rooms. In the midst of a rapidly changing Britain, these vases came to symbolise the birth of European Civilisation, the epitome of good taste and the timelessness that would later be celebrated by John Keats in his Ode on a Grecian Urn.

With

Jenny Uglow
Writer and Biographer

Rosemary Sweet
Professor of Urban History at the University of Leicester

And

Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth
Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Edinburgh

Producer: Eliane Glaser

Reading list:

Viccy Coltman, Fabricating the Antique: Neoclassicism in Britain 1760–1800 (University of Chicago Press, 2006)

David Constantine, Fields of Fire: A Life of Sir William Hamilton (Phoenix, 2002)

Tristram Hunt, The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain (Allen Lane, 2021)

Ian Jenkins and Kim Sloan (eds), Vases and Volcanoes: Sir William Hamilton and his Collection (British Museum Press, 1996)

Berg Maxine, Luxury and Pleasure in Eighteenth-Century Britain (Oxford University Press, 2005)

Iris Moon, Melancholy Wedgwood (MIT Press, 2024)

Rosemary Sweet, Grand Tour: The British in Italy, c.1690–1820 (Cambridge University Press, 2012)

Jenny Uglow, The Lunar Men: The Friends who Made the Future (Faber and Faber, 2003)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m00268x6)
Shopping All the Way by Karen Quinn

An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the writer Karen Quinn. Read by Beccy Henderson.

Karen Quinn is an award winning writer and educator based in Donegal. She is one of BBC Writersroom's Belfast Voices 2022. She was longlisted for the Mammoth Screen TV Writer’s Award 2021, and twice shortlisted for the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting award run by the International Emmy Committee, in both 2014 and 2015. She was also the winner and recipient of the Northern Ireland Comedy Writers programme in 2016, organised by Grand Scheme Media, and a shortlisted writer and director for Jameson First Shot 2016. She has toured her writing both nationally and internationally. She is also a published children’s writer, with her work broadcast on television and published in short story collections. At the moment, she is completing her PhD in Creative Writing with Ulster University.

Writer: Karen Quinn
Reader: Beccy Henderson.
Producer: Sylvie Conway

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.

MONDAY 30 DECEMBER 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002698k)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m00268qj)
Poland's Ghosts, Ukraine's Heroes

Ukraine and Poland are neighbours and close allies in today’s conflict with Russia. But the ghosts of victims of an earlier war have returned to divide them. Tens of thousands of Poles were murdered by Ukrainians in Volhynia, in what's now western Ukraine, in 1943. Most of the victims still lie in unmarked graves, and Ukraine has only just lifted a ban on exhuming the bodies.

That followed heavy diplomatic pressure by Poland, which threatened to block moves towards Ukrainian integration with the EU unless the ban were lifted.

But Poland’s demand has stirred a controversy inside Ukraine about one of the darkest periods of its history. Ukrainian nationalists who were involved in the massacre - and their leader Stepan Bandera - are regarded by many Ukrainians as heroes.

Reporter Tim Whewell travels through Poland and western Ukraine to try to find out what really happened in 1943, and ask whether Poland and Ukraine can ever lay a fiercely-contested history to rest. And can the record of Ukraine's Second World War nationalists be openly discussed without giving a propaganda victory to Russia, which has tried to use the subject to vilify Ukraine?

Produced and presented by Tim Whewell
Sound mix: Rod Farquhar
Research by Grzegorz Sokół, Taras Shumeiko and Serhiy Solodko
Translation by Eugenia Maresch, Grzegorz Sokół and Serhiy Solodko
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

Wild bird recordings by Izabela Dłużyk
"Lecieli Żurawie" (Cranes Were Flying) sung by Franciszka Bydychaj
"Ave Maria" from "Kres Kresów" oratorium, composer Krzesimir Dębski
"Siadła Hanula Na Posażeńku" (Hanula Sat on her Dowry) sung by Olga Kozieł and Anna Jurkiewicz, of the "Wołyń w Pieśniach" ("Volhynia in Song") project


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002693g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002698m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002698p)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002698r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m002698t)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002698w)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Krish Kandiah.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002698y)
30/12/24 - The Otter Estuary

Sarah Swadling is on the Otter estuary in Devon where the clock has been turned back 200 years to tackle climate change challenges of the present, and of the future. The sea has been allowed back onto farmland that had been reclaimed during the Napoleonic war era. The result is a new salt marsh and mudflat nature reserve. It's hoped letting the estuary return to its natural course will reduce the risk of flooding for homes and businesses. As Sarah hears, the ambitious project also meant raising a road, moving the local cricket club, and making an historic landfill safe. She asks the landowner, Clinton Devon Estates, how they weighed up climate change mitigation against food security, in deciding to flood the farmland.

Produced and presented by Sarah Swadling.


MON 05:57 Weather (m0026990)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m00269bl)
Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan hear from Baroness Floella Benjamin, in this guest edited episode of Today.

After being awarded the BAFTA fellowship this year for her contribution to television, Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE will focus on the importance of childhood for her programme. Her guest edit also looks at the impact of children moving away from consuming content from public service broadcasters to unregulated online platforms.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m00269bn)
Human intelligence and imagination

Tom Sutcliffe and guests discuss how we solve problems and imagine the future. While many people now point to the potential of AI, the prize winning writer Naomi Alderman is interested in the messy magic of human thinking. In the forthcoming BBC Radio 4 series, Human Intelligence she tells the stories of the people – with all their ingenuity and foibles – who built the modern world.

Across history human cultures have devised a wide range of practices to understand, and discover, the mysteries of the past, present and future. The exhibition Oracles, Omens and Answers (at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, until April 2025), co-curated by Dr Michelle Aroney showcases the art of divination. From the use of cards, beads and spiders, to studying the stars, weather and palm lines people have sought ways to clarify and predict the world around them.

Human imagination is not just the tool of fiction writers, but something that’s vital to navigate the world; to reminisce, anticipate and plan for the future. But how does it work? The neurologist Adam Zeman explores the very latest scientific studies in the world of the imagination, in his new book, The Shape of Things Unseen.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Dementia: Unexpected Stories of the Mind (m001kxf2)
Jo

In the last episode of their series uncovering rare dementias, neurologist Jules Montague and William Miller meet Jo, who has primary progressive aphasia (PPA). A novelist, she is losing her ability to speak, read and write.

PPA (previously called semantic dementia) usually affects people in their 50s and 60s. This condition erodes vocabulary. People with PPA have difficulty finding the right word. They also lose knowledge of what words mean and what objects are for.

Details of organisations offering information and support with dementia are available at the BBC Action Line here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Y8B7y39T07GnTlMsLPJG2S/information-and-support-dementia

Producer: Eve Streeter
Original music: A Brief Encounter by Max Walter
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00269bq)
Joan Smith, Parenting adult children, Dolly Parton musical

‘Unfortunately, she was a Nymphomaniac’ – that’s the title of a new book written to debunk the misogynist myths of Imperial Rome and to put the record straight about the lives and fates of Roman women. Its author, the journalist Joan Smith, joins Clare McDonnell to give us a fresh perspective on the ancient world.

Many people will have visited or been visited by their adult children over the holidays. Being a parent to adult children, as well as being the adult child, can be complicated. What are the pitfalls? How can we ensure that relationship stays strong? Clare is joined by psychotherapist Dr Julia Samuel and actor and author Helen Lederer to discuss.

Nearly half the world's population had major elections in 2024, but it was also a year that saw the slowest rate of growth in female representation for 20 years. The BBC has crunched the numbers from 46 countries and found that in nearly two-thirds of them the number of women elected fell. BBC Population Correspondent Stephanie Hegarty explains the findings.

New Dolly Parton musical Here You Come Again is packed with the biggest and most rhinestoned hits from the country legend, and is currently playing at the Riverside Studios in London before it heads on tour across the UK next month. Actress Tricia Paoluccio joins Clare to discuss what it’s like becoming Dolly in the show – and gives a special live performance in the studio.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell
Producer: Lottie Garton


MON 11:00 The Patch (m00269bs)
Gendros, Swansea

One random postcode and a story you probably haven't heard before.

Today, the random postcode generator lands producer Polly Weston in an industrial estate in Gendros, Swansea. Gendros sits outside the centre of Swansea, on the main road out to the M4. The industrial estate looks just like any other. McDonalds, Home Bargains, Costa and Matalan. But just behind there, are a whole row of independent businesses, with pounding house music drifting out of one of the units, from 5am until 10pm every day.

It's called The Ware-House gym. Opened in 2021, inspired by the clubs of Ibiza, its Instagram feed looks a little... intimidating. But on Polly's first visit, the manager Hayley - "I'm a hugger, I don't do shaking hands" - is insistent there's more to it than its image. Astonishingly, she says members are in here 80 times a month, nearly three times a day, "and it's very unusual for people to be in here less than twice a day".

How is that possible? And who is here? Polly arrives at 5am, to bear witness to a day in the life of the gym.

Inside are parallel stories of the struggles of modern life, of ritual, and of how this city's culture has radically changed. Owner Chris Ware was a professional boxer and doorman in the heyday of Swansea's most famous nightclub, Escape. Eighteen years ago he realised the club was empty during the daytime, and so he started fitness classes in there, using the sound system. "It's dark so no one can see you, loud so no one can hear you." All those big clubs have gone now. The world famous Kingsway where they all sat is set to be developed into offices. But the embers of those old days can be found here, at 5.30am on a Monday, in an industrial unit behind Home Bargains.

"For a lot of people here, this is our church now" - but what does that really mean?

Produced and presented in Bristol by Polly Weston
Editor: Chris Ledgard
A BBC Audio Bristol production


MON 11:45 Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (m00269bv)
A Winter Leveret

Raising Hare is Chloe Dalton’s memoir of caring for an abandoned leveret – and how the bond that grows between them changes her perspective on life.

Lockdown leads Chloe away from her demanding London job as a political advisor and back to the countryside of her childhood, where she stumbles across a lone baby hare - defenceless on an open country road. Against her better judgment, she feels compelled to take the tiny creature in and give it a chance at survival.

In the weeks and months that follow, a bond grows between hare and human as Chloe cares for the animal and prepares for it to return to the wild - the outcome she had always planned. The story grants us a rare insight into the lives of these elusive creatures, once thriving in the UK and now increasingly dwindling as their habitats recede and man-made threats advance.

In this first episode, Dalton discovers the tiny creature that will set her life on a different course. Offering it a makeshift nest in her spare room and muddling through bottle feeds with kitten formula, she shelters the leveret as it grows.

Read by Lisa Faulkner
Produced and abridged by Jo Rowntree and Heather Dempsey
Sound Design by Dan King

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Illustration by Denise Nestor

This is an EcoAudio certified production.


MON 12:00 News Summary (m00269bx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 The Reith Lectures (m0025cmg)
Gwen Adshead - Four Questions about Violence

Is Violence Normal?

In her 2024 Reith Lectures, Dr Gwen Adshead, addresses four questions that she has most commonly faced in her work as a therapist with violent perpetrators in secure psychiatric units and prisons:

Is Violence normal?
What is the relationship between trauma and violence?
Is there such a thing as Evil?
Can we change violent minds?

In this first lecture, using data and real-life stories from nearly 40 years’ experience as a forensic Psychiatrist working inside institutions such as Broadmoor, she asks if violence is normal.

Is violence unnatural? Or is it normal because, deep down, we are all capable of cruelty and can experience, even briefly, the urge to hurt others? What then are the tipping points, what are the factors that drive some to kill?

The programme was recorded at Broadcasting House in London in front of an audience and is presented and chaired by Anita Anand.

Producer; Jim Frank
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 12:57 Weather (m00269c0)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m00269c2)
British teenager begins his year long sentence in Dubai.

Marcus Farkana has abandoned his appeal over sex conviction and has been taken to a Dubai prison. We hear his hopes of a pardon. And one of Jimmy Carter’s close friends pay tribute to the former President.


MON 13:45 My Poetry and Other Animals (m00269c4)
Flies and Crickets

Insects are often seen as pests, rather than poetic. Is it possible to write a poem that does flies or crickets justice?

In this episode, Simon Armitage, the poet laureate asks whether fruit flies get lonely and whether crickets have character - as he continues to explore what it means to capture other creatures in poetry.

In this episode Simon meets crickets at Queen Mary University of London (in the Chittka Bee Lab), and gets to know the fruit flies in a poem by Imtiaz Dharker.

Contributors:
Imtiaz Dharker shares extracts from her poem 'The Host' from 'Shadow Reader'
Philosopher Jonathan Birch is a Professor at the London School of Economics, working on animal sentience, and the relation between sentience and welfare.
Dr Sarah Skeels is a zoologist at Queen Mary University of London
Crickets at the Chittka Bee Lab

The haiku in this episode are all translations into English of haiku by the Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa

Produced by Faith Lawrence
Mixed by Sharon Hughes (Shush)


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002698c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Hennikay (m00269c6)
Series 2

3. The Jet Set

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.

Tony’s big brother is getting married. Again. And Tony, as the best man, has arranged a big, drunken, debauched stag do in Ibiza and invited Guy along. And even though Guy has never met Tony’s big brother, Tony is Guy’s boss and so Guy has to accept.

And where Guy goes, Hennikay, his 11 year old imaginary friend from 1976, goes too. And even though Hennikay doesn’t know anything about drinking, debauchery or Ibiza, he is wildly excited at the thought of going anywhere on an aeroplane. Because to a 1970s schoolboy, nothing can be more exotic than joining the Jet Set of intercontinental sophistication, full of smartly uniformed pilots and cool sexy air hostesses.

Guy tries to warn him about the modern horrors of budget air travel but Hennikay is not put off. Flying in an aeroplane for the first time is the most exciting thing in the whole world to him.

Except, the stag do never takes off. An increasing series of disasters leave the party stranded in the airport and it looks like Hennikay is never going to fulfil his childish dream of joining the Jet Set.

Bill Bailey stars in the second series of this this warm, funny look at childhood, adulthood and the follies of modern life.

Written by David Spicer

Guy: Bill Bailey
Hennikay: Max Lester
Tony: Tony Gardner
Dom: Marcus Brigstocke

Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Marple: Three New Stories (m001g9kl)
Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware

Miss Marple's Christmas (Part 1)

Agatha Christie’s iconic detective is reimagined for a new generation with a murder, a theft and a mystery where nothing is quite what it seems.

Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware
All Miss Marple wants for Christmas is a quiet, peaceful celebration. Accepting her friend Dolly Bantry's invitation to Gossington Hall puts paid to that. A crime will be committed and as the guest list grows, the mystery deepens.

Read by Georgie Glen
Abridged and produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Almost 50 years since the publication of Agatha Christie's last Miss Marple novel, 'Marple: Twelve New Stories' is a collection of ingenious stories by acclaimed authors who also happen to be Christie devotees.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m00269c8)
Pen Hadow nominates Sir Peter Scott

"Make the boy interested in natural history," wrote Captain Scott from his tent in the Antarctic. He was talking about his son, three year old Peter Scott, whom he never saw again and who went on to found the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust and campaign against the hunting of whales. The son also designed the panda logo for the Wold Wide Fund for Nature and was its first chairman. David Attenborough called Scott the patron saint of conservation and he appears in this programme. Nominating him in studio is the adventurer Pen Hadow, whose father knew Scott and with whom he shared a nanny. The programme also features two of Scott's children, Dafila and Falcon, as well as some rarely heard archive.

From his early years as an arctic adventurer, Pen Hadow has developed into an ardent conservationist with the 90 North Foundation. He describes this programme as an enormous responsibility and wonders why Sir Peter Scott, the founder of Slimbridge, is not better known today.

The producer for BBC Audios Studio in Bristol is Miles Warde


MON 15:30 History's Heroes (m00269cb)
History's Youngest Heroes

History's Youngest Heroes: 4. Audrey Hepburn’s Teenage Resistance

Before she became a Hollywood star, how did the young Audrey Hepburn take on the Nazis in the Netherlands?

Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya
Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby
Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts


MON 16:00 Whisky Galore No More? (m0026jv5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Rewinder (m0026917)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m00269cd)
Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners

Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners, in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. We ask what the deal tells us about the state of the war as it nears its three-year mark.

Also: as the Welsh government presses ahead with its plan for a visitor tax, we hear a dispatch from the Pembrokeshire coast.

In South Korea, relatives wait for answers on their loved ones following the Jeju Air plane crash - thought to be caused by a bird strike. We speak to one pilot about his own memories of flying into birds.

And as the world's top chess player is given the green light to wear jeans to tournaments, we ask whether a pair of denims is now considered smart.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00269cg)
Ukraine and Russia exchange hundreds of prisoners of war


MON 18:15 The Wombles to the Rescue (m00269cj)
Episode 6: Cousin Botany's Secret

The Wombles live under Wimbledon Common, and it is their special responsibility to 'tidy up' everything that untidy human beings leave behind.

In this series, the Wombles are back at their old burrow underneath Wimbledon Common. There's a Womble world shortage of 'this and that' and Great Uncle Bulgaria is called over to America to attend a crisis summit. Back home, a visit from Cousin Botany is full of surprise and new invention.

Full of fun and warmth, with an underpinning environmental message, The Wombles to the Rescue is based on the original books by Elisabeth Beresford, performed by Richard E Grant, directed by Johnny Vegas and nestled in a new soundscape for all the family to enjoy.

Episode 6: Cousin Botany's Secret
Tomsk has an idea and The Wombles put a new plan into action.

Cast and Credits:
Performed by............ Richard E Grant
Written by.................. Elisabeth Beresford
Abridged by.............. Sally Harrison and Susan Vale
Script Consultant..... Kate Robertson
With thanks to.......... Marcus Robertson

Music: The Wombling Song, composed and recorded by Mike Batt

Produced by.............. Sally Harrison
Sound Engineer........ Wilfredo Acosta
Sound Designer........ Alisdair McGregor
Directed by................. Johnny Vegas

A Woolyback Productions and Mrs Mellor's Cellar collaboration for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m00269cl)
Series 82

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke. Marcus Brigstocke and Henning Wehn take on Miles Jupp and Rachel Parris with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m00268z6)
Pat senses things are tense between Helen and Tom and Natasha over the sale of the Beechwood house and her living arrangements. Pressed on her long-term plans, Helen sees herself and the boys living in the Bridge Farm farmhouse – she wants both boys to grow up farming. Pat points out Tom may have a similar vision for his own children. They discuss the subject of Pat and Tony properly retiring, and potentially making way for Helen. Helen doesn’t want them to feel she’s edging them out, and apologises for bringing up the subject. When she’s gone, Pat and Tony admit to one another that they knew this conversation was coming, from one of their children, but feel rather shell-shocked and discuss what they might do. Tony still dreams of building an eco-house, and Pat insists she isn’t past it herself.

Rex picks up Rochelle in his taxi and quickly realises who she is when she mentions Beechwood – she wryly comments that he’s probably heard lots about her. At Joy’s they get chatting as Rex waits to catch up with Mick and Joy about coming to his narrow boat party tomorrow. Rochelle is also pleased to be invited. Joy’s concerned about Rochelle, turning up after so long and acting like everything’s normal, when they know it’s not. But Rochelle won’t engage. Later, Joy presses Rochelle on how she should be trying to make things right with her kids, but all Rochelle cares about is that they are fine, with their Dad, and she doesn’t want to go there.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m00269cn)
Bradford UK City of Culture 2025

As Bradford limbers up for its year as UK City of Culture, in a special edition of Front Row, Nick Ahad meets:

Steven Frayne, the award-winning Bradford-born magician formerly known as Dynamo. Frayne's magic skills have brought him success in arenas and television studios worldwide and his biography Nothing is Impossible: My Story became a bestseller. He returns to Bradford in the ultimate homecoming gig as co-creator of RISE - the opening show for Bradford's year as UK City of Culture.

The 2022 documentary film, A Bunch of Amateurs, charmed critics and audiences alike. This portrait of one of the oldest amateur film societies in the world, Bradford Movie Makers, was the work of filmmaking duo Kim Hopkins and Margareta Szabo. On the set of their latest project, The Local, about another Bradfordian institution, the Jacob's Well pub, one of the oldest Beerhouses in Bradford, they discuss capturing the spirit of the community who walk through the pub doors.

Shanaz Gulzar is the Creative Director of Bradford 2025 and she's also the curator of one of the year's public art events, Wild Uplands. She talks about her vision for celebrating culture in her home city, and the four visual artists that she's selected to create work in the moors landscape she grew up with.

RISE co-creator and theatre director Kirsty Housley is known for the innovation that she brings to the stage in a wide variety of acclaimed productions including for the National Theatre. In poems such as BFD, poet, playwright, and cultural mentor Kirsty Taylor, has turned her home city into alluring verse. Kirsty H and Kirsty T talk about their work on RISE to create an opening show that reflects Bradford to its people and the rest of the world.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m00268jx)
Why we need to care about the Arctic

The Arctic is going through changes to its climate, economics and geo-politics. What does it mean for the region and the rest of the world?
The fact that glaciers are melting and the white landscape is turning green is bad for climate change but could it also bring economic benefits?

Guests:
Jennifer Spence, director of the Arctic Initiative at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Heidi Sevestre, glaciologist and member of one of the Working Groups to the Arctic Council.
Heather Conley, senior advisor to the German Marshall Fund's (GMF) board of trustees.
Pavel Devyatkin is a Senior Associate and Leadership Group member at The Arctic Institute.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m00268jz)
Board Game Science

It’s that time of the year when many of us are at home with friends and family, losing track of time, eating leftovers, and, of course, playing games.

This festive season, we look at the science of games and, of course, play some ourselves.

It’s presenter Marnie Chesterton versus producer Florian Bohr at Marnie's kitchen table.... Who will win the Inside Science games special?

Irving Finkel from the British Museum tells Marnie about the Royal Game of Ur, one of the most ancient board games which is strikingly similar to more modern examples of race games. Also, why we play games with author and neuroscientist Kelly Clancy, and why we struggle to comprehend the randomness of dice with author Tim Clare.

To finish it off, mathematician Marcus du Sautory explains the geometry behind the game Dobble and leaves listeners with a Christmas puzzle: Can you figure out the symbols on the two missing Dobble cards?

If you think you’ve found the solution, please email insidescience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Florian Bohr
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth 
 
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m00269bn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Mythical Creatures (m001tqrz)
9. Banshees

Fantasy writer Rhianna Pratchett takes us across an enchanted British Isles to discover mythical creatures that lurk in all corners of the land. She uncovers what they can tell us about our history, our world and our lives today.

In this episode, Rhianna is on a quest to find out about an Irish death omen, The Banshee. Rhianna explores the importance of this creature’s cry, the significance of her haggish female form, and why the belief of her remains strong today.

Storyteller: Liz Weir
Other Contributors: Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald, Sharon Blackie

Presenter: Rhianna Pratchett
Producers: Lorna Skingley and Sarah Harrison
Executive Producer: Mel Harris
Production Manager: Nikki Cannon
Original Music by Ben MacDougall
Sound Design and Mixing: John Scott

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m00269cq)
Hogmonay celebrations cancelled amid UK-wide weather warnings

The traditional Hogmonay celebrations in Scotland's capital have been cancelled as wind, rain and snow are forecast to batter the UK in the coming days. Yellow weather warnings are in place between Monday and Thursday, while flood alerts and flood warnings - including a rare severe flood warning - are in place across Scotland.

Grief is turning to anger for families of those who died in South Korea's worst ever plane crash. They're demanding more communication from the authorities.

And we reflect on a quarter of a century of Vladimir Putin in charge of Russia, as New Year's Eve marks the anniversary of his takeover.


MON 22:45 Seaborne by Nuala O'Connor (m00269cs)
Episode One

Bestselling and award-winning Irish author Nuala O’Connor returns with the intimate and thrilling portrayal of the life of 18th-century pirate, Anne Bonny. Shortlisted for Novel of the Year at The An Post Irish Book Awards 2024.

1703, Kinsale, County Cork. Anne Coleman is the illegitimate child of a local lawyer and his maid; disguised as ‘Anthony’ to protect reputations, the mask suits Anne just fine. But, fixated on boats and the sea, she struggles to fit in, and her devoted mother fears for her fiercely independent and impulsive daughter.

When their secrets are exposed, the family emigrates to the new colony of Carolina, but this fresh start will bring devastating loss and stifling responsibilities. Lonely and transgressive, Anne finds comfort only with Bedelia, servant and intimate friend. However her craving for the sea-wandering life and a misjudged marriage to young Gabriel Bonny will compel Anne to take to the sea again, this time around the islands of the Caribbean, famous for plunder and piracy.

The Author
Nuala O’Connor is a novelist, short story writer and poet, and lives in County Galway with her family. She is the author of four previous novels and six short story collections. She has won many prizes for her short fiction including the Francis MacManus Award, the James Joyce Quarterly Fiction Contest and the UK’s Short Fiction Journal Prize. Nuala’s work has also been nominated for numerous prizes including the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award and the International Dublin Literary Award.

Reader: Ayoola Smart
Author: Nuala O’Connor
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001b4fs)
Exemplar - Series 1

Exemplar - Episode 1

A modern day thriller set in the North East of England. Starring Gina McKee as Jess, a lone wolf scientist with a troubled past whose passion for sound makes her the UK’s leading audio forensic examiner. Together with her new trainee, Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode.

In Episode 1 Jess attends the scene of a young woman’s apparently accidental death to create an audio exemplar to match a recording from a voice activated speaker. Mysterious voice messages about the past from her mother Judith add to the tension.

Exemplar is rooted in factual research and based on an idea from Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato.

Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case

Jess ..... Gina McKee
Maya ..... Shvorne Marks
Aoife ..... Fenella Woolgar
Judith ..... Barbara Marten
Nathalie ..... Chetna Pandya
Dylan ..... Don Gilet

Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato
Showrunner: Dan Rebellato
Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe
Production coordinator: Darren Spruce
Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton
Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby Waldman

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:30 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m00269cv)
The Upstairs Neighbour Problem

Neighbours - you can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em. This week, one of our askers is having trouble with the mysterious noises from upstairs, another is feeling increasingly awkward when sex scenes pop up on tv, while a third is toying with the idea of an affair with an old flame.

All this while Marian has fun with her new metal measuring tape. Truly, all walks of life are given the Marian and Tara treatment once again.

We are always looking for situations Marian and Tara can get stuck into. Everything gets read and considered. We can't include all the questions but do our best to provide as wide a cross-section as we can.

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

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