The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
French and Brazilian authorities are searching an area of the Atlantic for any sign of the Air France plane which disappeared in a thunder storm. French military spokesman Commander Christophe Prazuck discusses the possibility of finding survivors.
Mark Easton explains the results of a survey into MPs' standing with the public.
The scale of the war damage to the main city in the Swat valley has become clear, as fears are expressed about the humanitarian situation in the region. Correspondent Barbara Plett looks at whether the military operation is receiving widespread support.
Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and George Pitcher, of the Telegraph, discuss if the threat of prosecution for those who help somebody to kill themselves overseas should be lifted.
Jeremy Bowen explains how US President Barack Obama hopes to bring peace to the Middle East.
Scientists have located 38 emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica by using satellites to look for stains from the animals' droppings. Peter Fretwell, lead author of the research, discusses the identification of ten previously unknown colonies.
A substantial majority of the electorate believe that MPs have forfeited the right to regulate themselves, a survey for the BBC suggests. Conservative leader David Cameron discusses how faith can be restored in politicians.
President Obama has said the US can help kick-start meaningful peace talks in the Middle East. North America editor Justin Webb talks to the US president about how the situation in the area can be stabilised.
Sir Ken Macdonald, former director of public prosecutions, discusses whether those involved in assisted suicide abroad are likely to be prosecuted.
Labour MP and Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz and Alf Hitchcock, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, discuss if there has been a kind of 'arms race' that has resulted in youngsters carrying a knife.
Correspondent Kevin Connolly discovers what happens to the car dealers GM is dumping in New Mexico.
Why did Air France's airbus disappear over the Atlantic? Kieran Daly, editor of airline news service Air Transport Intelligence, discusses what could have caused the aircraft to vanish.
Exiles from the Iranian revolution talk to British-Iranian writer David Mattin about leaving their homeland and family behind to make a new life in Britain.
David hears how women's lives changed dramatically under the Ayatollah's regime and why, with modifications to family law and enforced adoption of the hijab in public, some women felt they had to leave. That included a bookish young girl who had been educated abroad and found herself on trial when she applied for a job at the university.
Alice Krige reads from Claire Harman's exploration of Jane Austen's rise to pre-eminence from humble family scribblings to Hollywood movies.
The last years of Jane Austen's life were a period of concentrated writing and business with publishers. Though largely cut off from the fashionable literary world, her fame was nonetheless beginning to spread.
How different is life for families with disabled children compared with 30 years ago? Plus, playwright Bryony Lavery on the Cold War; and Nicola MacLeod on adventure racing.
Chris Sperring explores declining seabird numbers and asks if it represents a crisis or just a blip.
Visit any windy, spray laden seabird colony in the spring and early summer and every sense is fired by the sound, sight and smell of thousands upon thousand of birds flying to and fro with fish to feed their young that are perched precariously on every ledge.
Or that is how it should be. In many seabird colonies it is now much quieter and many traditional nesting ledges are empty. Seabird ecologists are increasingly concerned about how many species are fledging young, and in some areas none are successful in raising chicks at all.
These worrying signs are increased by looking at the number of birds that are washed up dead on beaches during the winter months. Once the seabirds have left the cliffs in the summer they spend the rest of the year out at sea. But many are now succumbing to starvation and end up washed ashore. There are definitely signs that the North Sea is changing and that seabirds are finding it harder to cope.
Tour guide Dr Brigitte Timmermann uncovers Graham Greene's Vienna and takes us in the footsteps of his classic 1949 film, The Third Man. Walking through the city, she tells the stories that have fascinated generations of film buffs, from Soviet master spy Kim Philby's role in the film to tales of Sir Carol Reed and Graham Greene's late night visits to Vienna's seediest bars. With the help of fellow devotees, Brigitte explores Vienna's hidden history and examines why The Third Man has remained largely unpopular in the place which inspired it.
Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman discusses MPs' expenses and the prospects for the forthcoming local and European elections.
Plus Peter Hodge, the General Secretary of the Normandy Veterans' Association, discusses plans to commemorate D-Day.
Terence Curran goes behind the scenes to experience the recording process as different classical performers prepare for the studio. Among them is the pianist Kathryn Stott. There are also interviews with notable performers including Emma Johnson and Stephen Hough, producers and record company executives who discuss the little-known psychological aspects behind making a classical recording.
Terence explores how performers cope with the demands of making their first recording.
Collaboration between neuropsychologist Paul Broks and theatre director and writer Mick Gordon.
Lecturer Alex is convinced that people are just a bundle of neurons. When his wife falls ill, he finds he has basic questions to answer about what it really means to be a person. But that is just part of an unfolding experience that questions not only his identity but his very existence.
Derek ...... Henry Goodman
Alex ...... Elliot Levey
Alice ...... Susan Lynch
Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.
Series of stories about farming folk by the Sicilian writer of the 1870s, laced with dry humour.
Peppa is due to marry Finu, then runs off to join some hot-shot she has never even met. Apparently it's his reputation that does it!
Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.
Truman and Stalin square off over the Berlin blockade and the Soviet Union tests a nuclear bomb.
Adam Hart-Davis explores spectacular years in the history of science. Albert Einstein develops a theory of relativity with some help from his shaving mirror and a passing train.
Kate Mosse and her guests - comedian, Natalie Haynes and and marine biologist and explorer, Monty Halls - discuss favourite books by Mark Dunn, Rowland White and Rafael Sabbatini.
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
Another chance to hear the late Sir Clement Freud entertain an audience at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with reminiscences, jokes and anecdotes.
Neil hears from Gordon Armstrong, former captain of the Ambridge Wanderers football team. He's having a reunion up in the Yorkshire Dales, and he's inviting Neil. Susan's encouraging, but Neil is sidetracked by another reminder from a feed company. He can't pay them until he gets the money for the last lot of weaners he sold. He'll have to chase up the invoice again.
Jill and Susan both put their names down for the flower festival organised by the WI in the church. Lynda is distressed to hear from Jill that she has not been successful in the first ballot for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. However, all is not yet lost as Jill will be entered automatically in the next one. Joe is unsuccessful too, and Lynda is very fed up about it. Phil suggests an idea that cheers her up. Why not have their own plinth at the village fete? People could make a donation for their fifteen minutes of fame. They'll put the idea to the committee.
Simon Russell Beale talks to Mark Lawson about playing George Smiley in The Complete Smiley, Radio 4 's new dramatisation of the John Le Carre novels, and about leading the British and American cast of two plays - The Winter's Tale and Tom Stoppard's new version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard - at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Both plays are directed by Sam Mendes in the inaugural season of The Bridge Project, which is set to combine UK and US theatrical talents in an internationally performed pair of classic plays each year from 2009 to 2011.
A new exhibition at the Design Museum in London bills itself as 'celebrating visionary design from London's creative mavericks'. Thomas Heatherwick, Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid are among the contributors to the exhibition which celebrates and examines the city of London and its wealth of talent in all aspects of design. On the outdoor terrace overlooking the Thames near Tower Bridge, Paul Smith, Wayne Hemingway and Neville Brody discuss their ideas for better urban living.
As the recession deepens and the supermarkets' battle for customers becomes ever more cut-throat, new Channel 4 series I'm Running Sainsbury's follows shelf-stackers who are given the chance to trial their own big ideas about how to give the supermarket the edge. Critic Rachel Cooke reviews.
Series exploring the 20th Century through diaries and correspondence of real people, dramatised by Vanessa Rosenthal.
Returning to the 1950s diaries of Linton Andrews, editor of The Yorkshire Post.
Linton has an important engagement in London, and hearty celebrations are in order.
Linton ...... Russell Dixon
Pinkie ...... Alexandra Mathie
Renate ...... Szilvi Naray-Davey
The Queen ...... Victoria Brazier
Edith/Mrs Mann ...... Martine Dunn
Arthur Mann/Hugh Cudlip ...... Martin Oldfield
Courtier ...... Matt McGuirk
Jenny Cuffe asks if the government policy of tightening immigration rules to help preserve jobs for British workers is being undermined by employers who are intent on bringing overseas workers as a way of driving down pay.
Is public transport getting better for blind and visually impaired people? Peter Barker, Professor of the Inclusive Environment at Reading University, talks to Peter White. Australian visitor Lee Kumutat give us her impression of the London Underground.
Mani Djazmi reveals good news on the availablility of accessible books for children, and talks to Simon Jackson who won two gold medals in cycling at the recent Paralympics World Cup.
Claudia Hammond speaks to the UK's first Mental Health Liaison Officer to see how he can help those with mental health problems have better experiences when dealing with police.
Jacqui Smith is to step down as home secretary; is the government losing control only two days before the elections?
As President Obama prepares to address the Islamic world, a report on the search for Pakistan's soul.
Denica Fairman reads from the novel by Gil Adamson, set in Canada in 1903. With horse dealers from Montana in town, Mary and McEchern hit upon a new business venture.
The comedian examines the virtue of holding your horses. With poetry and songs by Tim Key and Tom Basden. From August 2008.
WEDNESDAY 03 JUNE 2009
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00kmz58)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00kvg9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz6n)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00kmz9c)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz7y)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00kmzbs)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00kmzd3)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Katherine Meyer.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00kmzjp)
Anna Hill looks at a booming future for UK-produced wine. It could become one of the biggest wine producing countries in Europe within the next 70 years, according to some scientists. At the moment, wine production in this country is a drop in the global wine lake, but as climate change warms the UK, grape production could significantly increase.
Anna finds out why the Director of Animal Health in Wales is shocked at the increase in the amount of bovine TB, after returning to work in the country from a four year absence.
WED 06:00 Today (b00kmztg)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.
Correspondent David Loyn considers if multinational US companies can be held responsible for human rights abuses overseas.
The Green Party is hoping the current political turmoil will cause voters to turn away from the big parties in the European elections. Party leader Caroline Lucas discusses the party's prospects.
Correspondent Quentin Sommerville reports on how the Chinese are remembering the events at Tiananmen Square.
Publisher Mark Holland describes a new online service which gives easy access to historical literary works.
The family found dead under the cliffs at Beachy Head in Sussex has been named. A friend of the family, Hugh Huddy, talks about the tragedy.
Historian Richard Holmes gives a tour of Winston Churchill's secret World War II bunker in London.
Thought for the day with Akhandadhi Vas, a Vaishnav Hindu teacher and theologian.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg discusses the elections and expected government re-shuffle.
The prime minister needs to 'take control' of his party ahead of the European elections, the party's former deputy leader Roy Hattersley says. Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer considers how Gordon Brown can demonstrate his authority.
Labour's Deputy Leader Harriet Harman says that Labour has work to do and 'we are going to do it' - and rejects suggestions that the government is in chaos.
Correspondent Frank Gardner reports that an al-Qaeda cell is believed to have killed a British hostage.
Great tits change their voice in urban areas, scientists at Aberystwyth University have discovered. Animal behaviour expert Dr Rupert Marshall, the leader of the research, explains how this can be proved.
Political editor Nick Robinson analyses if Gordon Brown will remain Labour party leader.
Kate Adie, a BBC correspondent in Beijing at the time of the Tiananmen protests, and Jonathan Fenby, China director at the research service Trusted Sources, discuss if the slaughter could have been prevented in 1989.
Correspondent Bob Walker visits Derbyshire, where Labour has held power for almost thirty years but faces the prospect of losing overall control.
Political commentator Anthony Howard, political columnist Steve Richards and Julia Clark of Ipsos Mori, discuss why protest votes might be used in the European elections.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00kpw1x)
Libby Purves is joined by Lawrence Anthony, Jerry Springer, Marty Portas and Sebastian Brooke.
Lawrence Anthony is a conservationist and founder of The Earth Organisation. In his book The Elephant Whisperer, he tells the story of how he took on a herd of traumatised elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. He was their last chance of survival, battling to create a bond with the elephants and save them from execution. The Elephant Whisperer is published by MacMillan.
Jerry Springer is known throughout the world for his television show, The Jerry Springer Show. He has also been the Mayor of Cincinnati, a political pundit, lawyer, award-winning newscaster, country recording artist and progressive talk-radio broadcaster. He is about to make his West End debut playing Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago for six weeks at the Cambridge Theatre.
Mary Portas is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communications, known in the trade as The Queen of Shops. In a new three-part series for BBC Two - Mary Queen of Charity Shops - she tries to change the nation's attitude towards charity shops and prove that they can be a good place to shop. Mary is opening a Living and Giving Shop at the Westfield Centre in London.
Sebastian Brooke is a sculptor and the founder of The MEMO Project (Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory). It will be a stone monument bearing the images of all the species of plants and animals known to have become extinct in modern times. It will incorporate a bell to be tolled for all extinct species, including the great many 'unknown' species which it is believed perish each year, unseen by scientists.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00kvg9d)
Claire Harman - Jane's Fame
Episode 3
Alice Krige reads from Claire Harman's exploration of Jane Austen's rise to pre-eminence from humble family scribblings to Hollywood movies.
The 19th century taste for the great, sprawling novels of Dickens, Thackeray and others left Jane Austen in relative obscurity for some decades. But public interest flared up again with her nephew's publication of the first biography in 1870, and gained a momentum that was now unstoppable.
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00kn0gf)
George Eliot: her life and work
A special programme celebrating the life and work of the writer George Eliot. Contributors include Brenda Maddox, Kathryn Hughes, Ruth Livesey and Zoe Heller.
WED 11:00 The Race to Dover (b00kpw1z)
BBC cricket correspondent and keen pilot Jonathan Agnew tells the story of the competition held in July 1909 to become the first pilot to fly across the English Channel.
Louis Bleriot, a 37-year-old engineer with a badly burned foot, took the prize offered by Lord Northcliffe, owner of the Daily Mail. Jonathan finds out what happened to the favourite, the young international playboy and sportsman Hubert Latham, and climbs into the cockpit of the first flying machine to make the crossing, the Bleriot XI.
WED 11:30 Spread a Little Happiness (b00knp6s)
Series 1
Episode 2
Comedy by John Godber and Jane Thornton, set in a Yorkshire sandwich bar.
Another day at the breadface, but now Jodie's anxieties aren't just about her sandwich business. Though she rather likes having Hope around, her husband Dave isn't so keen.
Hope ...... Suranne Jones
Jodie ...... Susan Cookson
Dave ...... Neil Dudgeon
Milkman ...... Shaun Prendergast
Workman ...... Ben Crowe
Directed by Chris Wallis.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00kn0kn)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00kn0qw)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00kn1bg)
Reaction to the resignation of the communities secretary Hazel Blears, and Jacqui Smith tells the programme why she wanted to step down as home secretary.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00kpw5b)
Steve Hewlett is joined by Ben Brown, the BBC's veteran war correspondent and presenter who has just written his first novel, Sandstealers. Set in Bosnia, Chechnya and Iraq, it is a fictional account of issues facing foreign correspondents, including the addictive nature of war reporting and the psychological effect it can have on journalists in later life.
Following the news that Britain's Got Talent runner-up, Susan Boyle, has been admitted to a private London clinic suffering exhaustion and feeling 'emotionally drained', we look at the vetting process contestants go through before they are allowed to appear on reality programmes and the duty of care they are owed after they sign on.
And as a new feature-length documentary about the impact of overfishing on our oceans is released in cinemas, we discuss the future for funding this kind of journalism.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00kn2w5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00jz0xj)
Places Where They Sing
Written and directed by Ellen Dryden.
Thomas has composed his first work for the amateur choir he founded. The performance is imminent. Thomas' unpredictable behaviour is upsetting the choir - and his wife Joanna.
Thomas ...... Anton Lesser
Joanna ...... Phoebe Nicholls
Vicky ...... Claire Rushbrook
Angela ...... Abigail Thaw
Matthew ...... Jonathan Dryden Taylor
Music composed by Derek Bourgeois.
A First Writes Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00kpw5d)
Vincent Duggleby and a panel of guests answer calls on financial issues.
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00kvh1x)
Three Stories By Giovanni Verga
Getting to Know The King
Series of stories about farming folk by the Sicilian writer of the 1870s, laced with dry humour.
It should be an honour taking the King in your wagon, but after the fireworks and trumpets die down and the journey beckons, Cosimo begins to worry. Read by Dermot Crowley
Read by Dermot Crowley.
WED 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00kn2ym)
The Suburban Republic
By David Reynolds. After the war, Americans turn their attentions back home, building homes and highways and creating suburbs.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00kpw9j)
British Constitution - Anciet Rome and Modern America
Leading constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor tells Laurie Taylor that the age of the mass political party is over, but it still rules in our system of government.
Mass political parties started in the 1870s as a response to the advent of mass suffrage. 50 years ago, nearly one in ten people belonged to a party; it has now declined to one in 88, yet they still have a huge role in administering power in our democracy. It is that anomaly which constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor claims lies behind the frustration and disillusionment that so many people feel towards our political system. He discusses his book, The New British Constitution, with Laurie.
Also, why is the idea of Rome so powerful in the American imagination? How is Roman politics used to play the political game in the US? Laurie talks to Margaret Malamud, author of Ancient Rome and Modern America.
WED 16:30 All in the Mind (b00kpvfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00kn303)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00kn32j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
WED 18:30 Elvenquest (b00kpw9l)
Series 1
Episode 6
Finally the Sword of Asnagar is found. But is Sam a traitor? Fantasy comedy starring Darren Boyd and Dave Lamb. From June 2009
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00kn2w7)
Concerned that Eddie and Joe are sneaking up to Grange Farm to uncover their supposed hoard with the metal detector, Clarrie tips Ed the wink. So when Joe and Eddie are busy digging, Oliver arrives with Ed. Since they thought he was away at a conference, this is a bit of a shock.
Ed explains that, just as Eddie suggested, he told Oliver all about the tump and the coins they found there. So Oliver has come to see what they find. Cornered, and well aware that he and Ed had no such conversation, Eddie can only agree. Unfortunately, all they find is some old machinery. Clarrie apologises to Oliver, but he's not angry. In fact, he says they can dig on the farm any time and they'll split the findings between them.
Mike is courting Vicky enthusiastically, bringing her flowers and taking her to Grey Gables for lunch. Vicky is delighted that Tom and Brenda are engaged. She loves a happy ending. By the end of the day she has invited herself to the engagement meal at Bridge Farm on Friday.
Episode written by Simon Frith.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00kn346)
Marilynne Robinson, the winner of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction, talks live from the ceremony at The Royal Festival Hall in London. The other shortlisted authors were Ellen Feldman, Samantha Harvey, Samantha Hunt, Deidre Madden and Kamila Shamsie.
Based on the hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, the musical comedy Sister Act has opened on the London stage, starring Sheila Hancock as Mother Superior and Patina Miller in the lead role. Goldberg is co-producer of the stage version of the story of a club singer who witnesses a murder and is placed in protective custody in a convent, where she disguises herself as a nun. Novelist Sarah Dunant was at the opening night and delivers her verdict.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind was a global best seller and one of the most successful books in Spanish publishing history. His latest novel, The Angel's Game, revisits some of the characters and gothic detail which helped make The Shadow of the Wind such a success. John Wilson talks to the author about how to follow up such a publishing phenomenon.
This year's Venice Biennale features artists from more countries than at any time in the event's 104- year history. The United Arab Emirates are among the newcomers, with an exhibition entitled It's Not You, It's Me. John Wilson talks to UAE pavilion curator Tirdad Zolghadr and to Dubai-born artist Lamya Gargash about her photographs of one-star hotels in the Emirates.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00kn4kp)
Writing the Century 9
Episode 3
Series exploring the 20th Century through diaries and correspondence of real people, dramatised by Vanessa Rosenthal.
Returning to the 1950s diaries of Linton Andrews, editor of The Yorkshire Post.
Linton is insensitive about Pinkie's loss, which creates tension when they visit Downing Street.
Linton ...... Russell Dixon
Pinkie ...... Alexandra Mathie
Renate ...... Szilvi Naray-Davey
Dr Hawbrook ...... Malcolm Raeburn
Edith/Mrs Mann ...... Martine Dunn
Anthony Eden ...... Martin Oldfield
Lady Eden ...... Victoria Brazier
Directed by Gary Brown.
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00kpw9n)
Michael Buerk is joined by Claire Fox, Melanie Phillips, Clifford Longley and Kenan Malik to consider what has become of moral authority.
It doesn't just apply to MPs; the moral authority of the institutions and professions that we used to turn to as a source of wisdom and guidance has been undermined, or even fatally flawed. And now it seems we cannot even trust our poets to be true prophetic voices. So where do we look to for moral authority now, and does it even matter? Did any of these bodies ever truly deserve our trust? Is it better to rely on our own moral judgement, rather than abdicating it to something or someone else?
Witnesses:
Esther Rantzen, journalist and television presenter
Dr Catherine Cowley RA, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life
George Monbiot, environmental campaigner
John Lloyd, author of What the Media are Doing to Our Politics.
WED 20:45 Bong! The Condensed History of Big Ben (b00ksk4j)
The Great Clock of the Palace of Westminster is celebrating 150 years of almost continuous time telling. To mark the occasion Adam Long, co-founder of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, and his two friends Simon Jermond and Giles Terera, take a whirlwind musical tour of all things Ben.
It is a story of arduous neo-Gothic design, bells that kept cracking and the invention of something called a double three-legged gravity escapement mechanism.
WED 21:00 Nature (b00kp9jc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00kpw1x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00kn53l)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00kn5zh)
News from a global perspective with Ritula Shah. In this edition
Another cabinet resignation. How long can Gordon Brown last, and is it now time for an election?
Twenty years after Tiananmen, what young Chinese want now.
President Obama arrives in the Middle East. We hear what the Arab world hopes from his visit.
Should the MMR vaccination be compulsory?
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00kn6fc)
The Outlander
Episode 8
Denica Fairman reads from the novel by Gil Adamson, set in Canada in 1903. The landslide has left the town in ruins; who has survived and who has perished?
WED 23:00 Self-Storage (b01gykv4)
Series 1
Job Hunting
Living in a storage unit and separated from his wife, Dave tries to get his life back on track by getting a job.
But help from fellow Storage Garden tenant Geoff means it's harder than he expected...
Stars Reece Shearsmith and Mark Heap.
Sitcom written by Tom Collinson and Barnaby Power.
Dave ...... Reece Shearsmith.
Geoff ...... Mark Heap.
Ron ...... Tom Goodman-Hill.
Judy ...... Rosie Cavaliero.
Sarah ...... Susan Earl.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
WED 23:15 Peacefully in their Sleeps (b007ycdm)
Sister Cecilia of Caracas
Spoof obituary series by Chris Chantler and Howard Read.
Roydon Postlethwaite charts the many munificent achievements of the lifelong humanitarian peace worker who campaigned tirelessly against landmines yet smoked like a chimney.
Roydon Postlethwaite ...... Geoff McGivern
Sister Cecilia ...... Liza Sadovy
Actor ...... Chris Chantler
Colin ...... Dan Antopolski
David Something ...... Howard Read
Gloria Blamly ...... Janice Connolly
Stanley Cashew ...... Geoffrey Whitehead.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00kn7v2)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
THURSDAY 04 JUNE 2009
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00kmz5b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00kvg9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz6q)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00kmz9f)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz80)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00kmzbv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00kmzd5)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Katherine Meyer.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00kmzjr)
With more than one in three sawmills closing and England's foresters receiving less than all their European colleagues, there are calls for government to ease regulation to revive Britain's dying woodland industry. Charlotte Smith investigates.
THU 06:00 Today (b00kmztj)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.
Middle East expert David Makovsky discusses whether Barack Obama's speech in Cairo will arouse expectations that cannot be fulfilled.
A round-robin letter demanding Gordon Brown's resignation has been seen by journalists. James Naughtie reports on the mood in Westminster after recent events.
Solicitor Astrid Coates explains the case of a patient who died after mistakes during treatment for throat cancer.
Science correspondent Pallab Ghosh reports on how Neil Armstrong's famous moon landing words may have been wrongly quoted.
The BBC has been attacked by the Public Accounts Committee for not releasing the information on how much it pays its top radio presenters. Committee chairman Edward Leigh and Jeremy Peat of the BBC Trust discuss whether the information should be released.
Arts correspondent Rebecca Jones visits an exhibit by artist Steve McQueen and former Velvet Underground member John Cale.
Thought for the day with Dr David Wilkinson, principal of St John's College, Durham.
It is 20 years since tanks crushed protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Correspondent John Simpson was reporting for the BBC that day and Andrew To was in Tiananmen just before the massacre. They discuss the events and how the anniversary is being commemorated.
'You can best serve the country by stepping down as party leader', a draft email to Gordon Brown signed by MPs says. Political editor Nick Robinson reports on how many Labour politicians could sign it.
Madeleine Albright, secretary of state under President Clinton, and Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, discuss President Obama's speech in Cairo and his prospects for the Middle east.
The BBC is launching an online collection of George Orwell's work to mark the 60th anniversary of the publication of his novel 1984. Jean Seaton, the BBC's official historian, talks about the collection.
Dr Kelly Berube and Dr Peter Kohl discuss if there is still a need for animal testing.
Nicola Stanbridge investigates whether the music label Factory Records contributed significantly to the regeneration of Manchester.
Ever heard of thriller writer Eric Ambler? Mark Mazower, professor of history at Columbia University, and Joyce Fowell, Eric Ambler's sister, discuss why he has virtually disappeared.
Author Reza Aslan and Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, discuss the high expectations of President Obama's speech.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00kpzd6)
The Trial of Charles I
Melvyn Bragg and guests Justin Champion, Diane Purkiss and David Wootton discuss the trial of Charles I, recounting the high drama in Westminster Hall and the ideas that led to the execution.Begun on 20th January 1649, the trial culminated in the epoch-making execution of an English monarch. But on the way it was a drama of ideas about kingly authority, tax, parliamentary power and religion, all suffused with personal vendettas, political confusion and individual courage. It was also a forum in which the newly-ended Civil War and the events of Charles's reign were picked over by the people who had experienced them. Melvyn and guests recount the events of the trial, explore the central arguments and see whether, 350 years later, we can work out who really won.Justin Champion is Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London; Diane Purkiss is a Fellow and tutor at Keble College, Oxford; David Wootton is Professor of History at the University of York.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00kvg9g)
Claire Harman - Jane's Fame
Episode 4
Alice Krige reads from Claire Harman's exploration of Jane Austen's rise to pre-eminence from humble family scribblings to Hollywood movies.
By the early years of the 20th century, the cult of 'Divine Jane' had seized Britain and America. For the soldiers of the First World War, she came to represent an Englishness that was far removed from the terrible realities of life in the trenches.
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00kn0gh)
Sarah Waters; George Orwell's women
Author Sarah Waters on the possibility of ghosts. Plus, the women in the life of George Orwell; and Anne Owers on the role gender plays in staff-prisoner relationships.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00kpzd8)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 Scum (b00kpzdb)
Critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode examines the history of and controversy surrounding the film Scum.
Originally made by the BBC in 1977, its brutal depiction of life in the borstal system was deemed to be too controversial for broadcast and it was banned by the Corporation. However, it was then re-made for the cinema two years later and became one of the most infamous British films of the 1980s. Mark investigates the accuracy of the film and offers a portrait of its uncompromising director Alan Clarke.
Featuring new interviews, including screenwriter Roy Minton, actor Mick Ford, former director of BBC television Alasdair Milne and the producers of both the BBC and theatrical versions.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00kn0kq)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00kn0r0)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00kn1bj)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
THU 13:30 Off the Page (b00kpzdd)
Welcome to the Real World
Dominic Arkwright is joined by clinical psychologist Oliver James, author of The Selfish Capitalist and Britain on the Couch; French journalist Agnes Poirier; and Annie Caulfield, creator of the Radio 4 series Reasons to be Cheerful, to discuss why people avoid confronting reality, and what happens when they do.
Produced by Miles Warde
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00kn2w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00kpzdg)
Avenues of Eternal Peace
By Lucy Caldwell. Kai-Liang and Chang Li meet and fall in love in their first year at university. Becoming increasingly involved in the world of student politics, they join the protests in Tiananmen Square, where their passions and ideas are put to the ultimate test.
Kai-Liang ...... David Tse
Student Kai-Liang ...... David Lee
Chang Li ...... Ping Ping Wong
Xie Huan Yue ...... Gabby Wong
Zhao Ziyang ...... Richard Woo
Mother/Woman ...... Su Lin Looi
Grandmother ...... Pik-Sen Lim
Young Kai-Liang ...... James Ang
Documentary Producer ...... Nick Hardin
Students played by May Chan, Jonathan Chan-Pensley, Steven Lim, Monica Sayer, Alan Wai
Directed by Heather Larmour.
THU 15:02 Ramblings (b00kmg2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00kmndk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00kvh1q)
Three Stories By Giovanni Verga
Wolf-hunt
Series of stories about farming folk by the Sicilian writer of the 1870s, laced with dry humour.
Lollo says he is setting a trap for a local animal but really it will be for a human, someone close to his heart.
Read by Dermot Crowley.
THU 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00kn2yp)
Korea - The Cold War Turns Hot
Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.
The US army clashes with Chinese and Soviet-backed forces in Korea, while Senator Joseph McCarthy stokes up fears of communist spies back in America.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00kmw7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00kpzdj)
Archaeologists have, for the first time in 150 years, presented a crudely-fashioned hand axe that helped change our view of human origins. Last seen just a few months before Darwin published On Origin of Species, the stone axe showed that humankind had been on the planet far longer than anyone had ever realised. This artefact was lost among hundreds of similar prehistoric tools in the vaults of the Natural History Museum in London, until it was rediscovered by Clive Gamble. Clive showed it to Quentin as enthusiasts arrived to see it.
Should we be able to test ourselves instead of going to a doctor? It is now easy for us to get hold of self-test genetics kits over the internet for conditions like Alzheimer's or breast cancer. At the Cheltenham Science Festival, consultant clinical geneticist Professor Peter Farndon talked about their reliability and what problems self testing can lead to, when we get potentially life-changing results without professional support.
Quentin also visits Tewksbury to talk about the flooding of Gloucestershire rivers with Professor Lindsey McEwen of the University of Gloucestershire. She looks at historical records to understand the patterns of floods on the Severn and Avon.
And science writer Simon Singh tells Quentin about his hopes for changing the English libel laws to allow more freedom for science journalists.
THU 17:00 PM (b00kn305)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00kn32l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 Hut 33 (b00wbkxg)
Series 2
Where Boffins Dare
The codebreakers are threatened with being sent to Burma after making yet another mistake with a message.
In an attempt to redeem themselves before their superiors, they set out to capture a German spy.
James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.
Charles …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Minka …. Olivia Colman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley
Gordon …. Fergus Craig
Joshua … Alex McQueen
With Ben Willbond.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00kn2wb)
Jennifer is very concerned about Lilian, who is still not speaking to her. She asks Adam to see if he can intervene, and he promises to try. On his way, he makes a point of speaking to David about the cricket. Adam isn't happy with the way the team are shaping up this season. He thinks it's all too friendly and they ought to get a bit more competitive. David isn't sure. After all, the cricket is supposed to be fun. But Adam thinks that as captain, Alistair should sharpen things up.
When Adam calls on Lilian he finds her extremely worried about Matt, who keeps disappearing without telling her where he's going, and won't talk to her. She feels very lonely. Adam tells her that Jennifer would love to be more of a support, but Lilian gives the idea short shrift.
Tom meets Brenda after her exam. She's very concerned about Vicky, who it appears is coming to the engagement meal tomorrow. She's finding it hard seeing her Dad so besotted with someone Brenda doesn't really like. Tom distracts her by stopping outside a jewellers, then taking her in and buying her a beautiful sapphire engagement ring.
Episode written by Simon Frith.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00kn348)
Arts news and reviews.
Jude Law is the latest actor to take on the role of the Danish prince in Hamlet, in a new production directed by Michael Grandage of the Donmar Warehouse. David Tennant got rave reviews for his interpretation, but is Jude Law a worthy successor? Critic Peter Kemp gives his verdict.
The controversial former footballer Eric Cantona recently appeared in French Film and he returns to the big screen in Ken Loach's latest film, Looking for Eric, in which the footballer plays himself. The hero of Manchester United in the 1990s appears at a crisis point in the life of Steve, a depressed football fanatic postman, to offer some of his trademark philosophical life coaching. Eric Cantona and the film's writer Paul Laverty talk to Mark Lawson about making the transfer from pitch to screen.
Novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls has written widely for television, with credits including Cold Feet and Tess of the D'Urbervilles with Billie Piper. Following the success of his 2004 novel Starter For Ten, he discusses the TV-influenced structure he created for his third novel, One Day.
Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson play two strangers whose chance meeting in an airport bar leads to an unexpected day of romance in Last Chance Harvey. Writer Gaylene Gould reviews.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00kn4kr)
Writing the Century 9
Episode 4
Series exploring the 20th Century through diaries and correspondence of real people, dramatised by Vanessa Rosenthal.
Returning to the 1950s diaries of Linton Andrews, editor of The Yorkshire Post.
Linton worries about the situation in Hungary and Suez, while Pinkie argues for his retirement from The Yorkshire Post.
Linton ...... Russell Dixon
Pinkie ...... Alexandra Mathie
Dr Hawbrook ...... Malcolm Raeburn
Annie ...... Ann Rye
Scott ...... Lloyd Peters
Directed by Gary Brown.
THU 20:00 The Report (b00kq560)
Somali Pirates
Rob Walker travels to Somaliland to uncover the truth behind the hijack and ransom of a Danish ship, and asks who benefits from modern-day piracy.
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00kq562)
Evan Davis and guests consider whether we have entered a new era of austerity. Are we growing vegetables in our gardens at home, instead of dining out at expensive restaurants? Are we turning up our noses at gas-guzzling cars, not just because we can't afford them, but because they offend our new sensibilities of prudence and caution?
Evan talks to Dr Shumeet Banerji, chief executive of management consultants Booz and Co, Rita Clifton, chairman of Interbrand London, and hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry, founder of Eclectica Asset Management, about whether they believe we are in for a long, hard slog or if they can see light at the end of the economic tunnel.
They also discuss the subject of consultants; with two of them on the panel, Evan quizzes them about why they have such a bad name. Is there really any justification for highly-paid senior executives to pay someone else to help them make their decisions?
THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00kq564)
Attitudes to Darwin
Geoff Watts examines attitudes to Darwin and his theory of evolution, both during his own time and now. Even today, 150 years after it was first published, Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection arouses passions. Indeed, for some it seems just as controversial now as it was in Victorian times.
Geoff is joined by Dr Eugenie Scott, Director of the US National Center for Science Education, which has challenged attempts to teach creationism in American schools, and by Dr Denis Alexander, Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge. He is co-author of a recent report in which he seeks to 'rescue Darwin' from the crossfire between atheists and creationists.
Dame Gillian Beer, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and author of Darwin's Plots: Evolutionary Narrative in Darwin, George Eliot and Nineteenth-Century Fiction, describes how Darwin's own cautious attitude to human evolution and the value of religion changed over the years.
Plus a report from a Darwin exhibition in Turkey and a creationist museum in the USA, highlighting the front line in the battle for public acceptance between evolutionary science and creationist religion.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00kpzd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00kn53n)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00kn5zl)
The World Tonight
Robin Lustig in Gdansk marks the 20th anniversary of the day in which voters in Poland brought down the communist government and set all of eastern and central Europe on a path which, within just a few short months, swept away the Iron Curtain, the Berlin Wall and Soviet hegemony.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00kn6fh)
The Outlander
Episode 9
Denica Fairman reads from the novel by Gil Adamson, set in Canada in 1903.
The railroad is up and running again after the landslide and, rifles across their backs, Mary's brothers-in-law are in town.
THU 23:00 Down the Line (b012xpl8)
Series 3
Bad Manners and Modern Liberal Parenting
Britain's got bad manners - should we bring back hanging? Gary Bellamy takes the calls. Stars Rhys Thomas. From February 2008.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00kn7v4)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.
FRIDAY 05 JUNE 2009
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00kmz5d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00kvg9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz6s)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00kmz9h)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00kmz82)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00kmzbx)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00kmzd7)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Katherine Meyer.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00kmzjt)
Nearly 2,000 dairy farmers have lost out on thousands of pounds and face an uncertain future following the collapse of the Dairy Farmers of Britain milk co-operative. Charlotte Smith finds out what went wrong.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00kmztl)
With John Humphrys and Evan Davis. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00kmndy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00kvg9j)
Claire Harman - Jane's Fame
Episode 5
Alice Krige reads from Claire Harman's exploration of Jane Austen's rise to pre-eminence from humble family scribblings to Hollywood movies.
The use of Jane Austen's name knows no generic boundaries. At the beginning of the 21st century we are witness to the spectacle of the young woman who happily limited her scope to 'three or four families in a country village' being marketed as a global brand.
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00kn0gk)
Violence within the family; Avocados
The violence that some older Asian women use to control the younger female members of their family. Plus, women in the early Christian church; and the history of the avocado.
FRI 11:00 The Shock of the Knee (b00gmdxp)
Fashion writer Colin McDowell recalls the rise of the miniskirt and Yves Saint Laurent's 1959 House of Dior collection, which introduced hemlines above the knee, and the shocked reactions of society.
The press were agog at these developments, and even some Dior staff thought that Saint Laurent's designs had gone too far. At the same time in Britain, short skirts became increasingly popular with young women.
McDowell talks to one of the most important designers of the period, Mary Quant, as well as representatives of today's fashion industry, and wonders if womenswear will ever be as shocking again.
An All Out production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Electric Ink (b0116gvm)
Series 1
Episode 1
Maddox is an old school journalist struggling to keep up with new technology.
He feels the art of finding stories is being forgotten and he is not about to let that happen.
Old hacks meet new media in Alistair Beaton’s satire set in the changing world of the newspaper industry.
Maddox ...... Robert Lindsay
Oliver ...... Alex Jennings
Amelia ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Tasneem ...... Zita Sattar
Masha ...... Debbie Chazen
Freddy ...... Ben Willbond
Announcer ...... Matt Addis
With additional material by Tom Mitchelson.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00kn0ks)
Consumer news and issues with Peter White.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00kn0r6)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00kn1bl)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00kn2wb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00kr6hj)
Series 2
Top Dog
Series of four plays by Nick Warburton, set in an idiosyncratic restaurant in the Fens.
A well-dressed stranger turns up with an unusual request. He is a rough diamond, the salt of the earth, but Jack doesn't like the look of him.
Warwick ...... Trevor Peacock
Jack ...... Sam Dale
Marcia ...... Kate Buffery
Samuel ...... John Rowe
Zofia ...... Helen Longworth
Mulloway ...... Malcolm Tierney
Bernard ...... Paul Rider
Directed by Claire Grove.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00kr7bc)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.
Bob Flowerdew, Matthew Biggs and Pippa Greenwood answer questions sent in by post and email.
Including
3.40 Gardening weather forecast.
FRI 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00kn2yr)
Defended to Death
Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.
In the 1950s the country enters a period of unprecedented prosperity, despite the growing threat of nuclear war.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00kr7bf)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00kr7bh)
Francine Stock talks to Stephen Daldry, the director of Billy Elliot, about his adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's novel, The Reader, which garnered an Oscar for its star Kate Winslet.
The American duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, whose films tackle social issues, discuss their latest film Sugar, about a young basketball player from the Dominican Republic trying to break into the American league.
Plus a tribute to a great British star, Stanley Baker, dubbed the first working-class hero of British cinema.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00kn307)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00kn32n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00kr7bk)
Series 68
Episode 6
Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz. Panellists are Jeremy Hardy, Francis Wheen, Andy Hamilton and Sue Perkins.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00kn2wf)
It's the meal at Bridge Farm to celebrate Tom and Brenda's engagement, and Vicky is in party mood. As soon as she arrives she's flirting with Tony. When Tom and Brenda arrive, she welcomes them with such enthusiasm that Mike can barely get past her to see the ring for himself. Meanwhile, Annette - who didn't actually have anything better to do - is sitting on her own in the pub. It's her lucky day, says Jazzer, coming to sit beside her. He doesn't have anything else to do either...Taking her courage in her hands, Annette agrees to go and see the Borchester nightlife with him - and stay over at his flat to save the cost of a taxi home.
Tom and Brenda escape from Vicky for a bit to make the coffee after the meal. Brenda assures him that Vicky isn't spoiling the evening for her - she just wishes she'd let Mike get a word in edgeways occasionally. Helen comes in, exercised by a text she's just had from Annette. She's staying over with a friend and won't be back tonight. Helen wonders where she could be.
Episode written by Simon Frith.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00kn34b)
Arts news and reviews.
A new documentary on TS Eliot promises fresh insights into the poet's life and work, after his second wife Valerie granted the filmmakers access for the first time to her personal archives. Poet Peter Porter discusses whether this new access really offers a more revealing take on the man and his work.
The impressionist and satirist Rory Bremner is returning with a new series of Bremner, Bird and Fortune. After the recent events in politics, he is unlikely to be short of material. Rory Bremner discusses the ebb and flow of subjects ripe for satire.
John Wilson reports from two schemes in the UK - Big Noise in Scotland and In Harmony in England - which give children in deprived areas the chance to learn a musical instrument and be part of an orchestra. The schemes are modeled on the hugely successful El Sistema project from Venezuela, which in the past 34 years has rescued thousands of children from extreme poverty and, under conductor Gustavo Dudamel, produced the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.
Author Melvin Burgess is well known for his controversial novels for young adults, including Junk and Doing It, which feature drug taking and underage sex. His latest novel, Nicholas Dane, is no exception: a modern-day take on Dickens' Oliver Twist which exposes the brutal sexual abuse that took place in some children's care homes in the UK in the 1980s. He discusses what he learned from Dickens and why he felt the story had to be told.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00kn4kt)
Writing the Century 9
Episode 5
Series exploring the 20th Century through diaries and correspondence of real people, dramatised by Vanessa Rosenthal.
Returning to the 1950s diaries of Linton Andrews, editor of The Yorkshire Post.
It is 1957 and Linton is finally resigned to retiring. Pinkie is delighted and relieved, but then something happens to ruin their plans.
Linton ...... Russell Dixon
Pinkie ...... Alexandra Mathie
Dr Hawbrook ...... Malcolm Raeburn
Commander Colville ...... Martin Oldfield
Directed by Gary Brown.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00kr7bm)
In the wake of the local and European elections, Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Billingshurst, West Sussex. Panellists are Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee, Northern Ireland secretary and former Conservative MP Shaun Woodward, shadow local government spokesman Caroline Spelman and Liberal Democrat peer, Jenny Tonge.
FRI 20:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00kr7bp)
Series 1
Sloths
Sir David muses on the natural history of the sloth - perhaps the most lethargic beast in the animal world, and one that he has admitted to wanting to be.
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.
FRI 21:00 America, Empire of Liberty Omnibus (b00kr7br)
Red or Dead?
Omnibus edition of the series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.
After Second World War, America rebuilds its economy and moves out into the suburbs, while facing up to Soviet communism and the threat of nuclear war.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00kn53q)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00kn5zn)
Gordon Brown reshuffles his Cabinet.
Labour lose seats in local government.
Labour backbenchers call for the Prime Minister to resign.
All the latest political news and analysis of the bigger picture.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00kn6fk)
The Outlander
Episode 10
Denica Fairman reads from the novel by Gil Adamson, set in Canada in 1903. Pregnant, arraigned for murder and certain to hang, surely Mary is beyond help?
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00kpvbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00kn7v6)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b00kn3s7)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (b00kn4km)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b00kn4kp)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b00kn4kr)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b00kn4kt)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (b00kpvbq)
A Good Read
23:00 FRI (b00kpvbq)
A Guide to Water Birds
14:45 SUN (b00kmv8q)
A Point of View
08:50 SUN (b00kkdqb)
Afternoon Reading
00:30 SUN (b007s1vf)
Afternoon Reading
19:45 SUN (b0082b6y)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 TUE (b00kpv72)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 WED (b00kvh1x)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 THU (b00kvh1q)
All in the Mind
21:00 TUE (b00kpvfx)
All in the Mind
16:30 WED (b00kpvfx)
America, Empire of Liberty Omnibus
21:00 FRI (b00kr7br)
America, Empire of Liberty
15:45 MON (b00kn2xs)
America, Empire of Liberty
15:45 TUE (b00kn2yk)
America, Empire of Liberty
15:45 WED (b00kn2ym)
America, Empire of Liberty
15:45 THU (b00kn2yp)
America, Empire of Liberty
15:45 FRI (b00kn2yr)
Americana
19:15 SUN (b00kmz2r)
Analysis
20:30 MON (b00kp7yg)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b00kmgs9)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b00kkdq8)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b00kr7bm)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b00kmhl4)
Archive on 4
15:00 MON (b00kmhl4)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b00kmn39)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b00kmn39)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (b00knv8q)
Beyond Westminster
11:00 SAT (b00kmgrz)
Bong! The Condensed History of Big Ben
20:45 WED (b00ksk4j)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 MON (b00kn6hb)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 TUE (b00kn6f9)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 WED (b00kn6fc)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 THU (b00kn6fh)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 FRI (b00kn6fk)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b00klbsg)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (b00kmzyv)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (b00kmzyv)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (b00kvg9l)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (b00kvg9l)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (b00kvg9d)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (b00kvg9d)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (b00kvg9g)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (b00kvg9d)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (b00kvg9j)
Britain in Their Sites
13:30 SUN (b00kmv8n)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b00kmndt)
Classic Serial
21:00 SAT (b00khky8)
Classic Serial
15:00 SUN (b00kmw7b)
Counterpoint
23:00 SAT (b00kj2f2)
Counterpoint
13:30 MON (b00knqp7)
David Attenborough's Life Stories
20:50 FRI (b00kr7bp)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (b00kmndy)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (b00kmndy)
Down the Line
23:00 THU (b012xpl8)
Drama
14:15 MON (b00knv8n)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b00kphpk)
Drama
14:15 WED (b00jz0xj)
Drama
14:15 THU (b00kpzdg)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b00kr6hj)
Electric Ink
11:30 FRI (b0116gvm)
Elvenquest
18:30 WED (b00kpw9l)
Excess Baggage
10:00 SAT (b00kmgrv)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b00kmg2t)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b00kmzk2)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b00kmzjl)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b00kmzjp)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b00kmzjr)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b00kmzjt)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (b00kk36n)
File on 4
17:00 SUN (b00kjjpf)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b00kpvfs)
From Fact to Fiction
19:00 SAT (b00kmh80)
From Fact to Fiction
17:40 SUN (b00kmh80)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b00kmgs1)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:00 THU (b00kpzd8)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b00kn34g)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (b00kn344)
Front Row
19:15 WED (b00kn346)
Front Row
19:15 THU (b00kn348)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b00kn34b)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b00kkd91)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b00kr7bc)
Governors Needed
11:00 MON (b00knpcc)
Hearts and Minds
20:00 MON (b00knxmx)
Hunting Haydn's Head
10:30 SAT (b00kmgrx)
Hut 33
18:30 THU (b00wbkxg)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (b00kpzd6)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (b00kpzd6)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b00kpvfv)
Inside the Virtual Anthill: Open Source Means Business
21:00 MON (b00kp806)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b00kkd93)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b00kr7bf)
Leading Edge
21:00 THU (b00kq564)
Letters to Mary
05:45 SUN (b00kjk4b)
Living World
06:35 SUN (b00kmn3h)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b00kmh7y)
Making History
15:00 TUE (b00kpjhs)
Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better
23:00 TUE (b00d0sjl)
Material World
16:30 THU (b00kpzdj)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b00kkfq6)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (b00kmkp2)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (b00kmz6j)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (b00kmz56)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (b00kmz58)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (b00kmz5b)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b00kmz5d)
Midweek
09:00 WED (b00kpw1x)
Midweek
21:30 WED (b00kpw1x)
Money Box Live
15:00 WED (b00kpw5d)
Money Box
12:00 SAT (b00kmgs3)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b00kmgs3)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (b00kpw9n)
Nature
11:00 TUE (b00kp9jc)
Nature
21:00 WED (b00kp9jc)
Newfangle
11:30 MON (b00knpvw)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b00kkfqg)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b00kmmf1)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b00kmzcy)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b00kmzbq)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b00kmzbs)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b00kmzbv)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b00kmzbx)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b00kmn3c)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b00kkfqn)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b00kmn70)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b00kmndp)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b00kmhl6)
News
13:00 SAT (b00kmgs7)
Off the Page
23:00 MON (b00cm9p8)
Off the Page
13:30 THU (b00kpzdd)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (b00kmw7d)
Open Book
16:00 THU (b00kmw7d)
PM
17:00 SAT (b00kmh7p)
PM
17:00 MON (b00kn32d)
PM
17:00 TUE (b00kn301)
PM
17:00 WED (b00kn303)
PM
17:00 THU (b00kn305)
PM
17:00 FRI (b00kn307)
Peacefully in their Sleeps
23:15 WED (b007ycdm)
Performing to the Red Light
13:30 TUE (b00kp9jy)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b00kmz2m)
Poetry Please
23:30 SAT (b00khm90)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (b00kmz2c)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b00kkfqj)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b00kmzdb)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b00kmzd0)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b00kmzd3)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b00kmzd5)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b00kmzd7)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:55 SUN (b00kmndk)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b00kmndk)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b00kmndk)
Ramblings
06:07 SAT (b00kmg2r)
Ramblings
15:02 THU (b00kmg2r)
Saturday Drama
14:30 SAT (b00kmh7k)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b00kmgrs)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b00kmh82)
Scum
11:30 THU (b00kpzdb)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b00kkfqb)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (b00kmkp8)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b00kmzbn)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b00kmz99)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (b00kmz9c)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b00kmz9f)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b00kmz9h)
Self-Storage
23:00 WED (b01gykv4)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b00kkfq8)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b00kkfqd)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b00kmh7r)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b00kmkp6)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b00kmkpb)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b00kmz2f)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b00kmz7t)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b00kmz97)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b00kmz6l)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b00kmz7w)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b00kmz6n)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b00kmz7y)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b00kmz6q)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b00kmz80)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b00kmz6s)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b00kmz82)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b00kmh7w)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b00kmz2k)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b00kn342)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b00kn32g)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b00kn32j)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b00kn32l)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b00kn32n)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b00kmn3f)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b00kmn3f)
Spread a Little Happiness
11:30 WED (b00knp6s)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (b00knpc9)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (b00knpc9)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b00kmndr)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b00kmn72)
That Reminds Me
18:30 TUE (b00ks4hl)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b00kmndw)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b00kmz2p)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b00kmz2p)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b00kn2wk)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b00kn2wk)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b00kn2w5)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b00kn2w5)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b00kn2w7)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b00kn2w7)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b00kn2wb)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b00kn2wb)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b00kn2wf)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (b00kk226)
The Bottom Line
20:30 THU (b00kq562)
The Eureka Years
16:00 TUE (b007yvyq)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b00kkd95)
The Film Programme
16:30 FRI (b00kr7bh)
The Flight from Tehran: British-Iranians 30 Years On
09:30 TUE (b00gkrty)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b00kmv0x)
The Food Programme
16:00 MON (b00kmv0x)
The Media Show
13:30 WED (b00kpw5b)
The Museum of Curiosity
12:00 SUN (b00kj9yv)
The Museum of Curiosity
18:30 MON (b00knwyq)
The News Quiz
12:30 SAT (b00kkd97)
The News Quiz
18:30 FRI (b00kr7bk)
The Race to Dover
11:00 WED (b00kpw1z)
The Report
21:30 SUN (b00kk0xr)
The Report
20:00 THU (b00kq560)
The Shock of the Knee
11:00 FRI (b00gmdxp)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b00kmv8l)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b00kn62h)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b00kn5zd)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b00kn5zh)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b00kn5zl)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b00kn5zn)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (b00kjjyw)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b00kpw9j)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (b00kn7ty)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (b00kn7v0)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (b00kn7v2)
Today in Parliament
23:30 THU (b00kn7v4)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (b00kn7v6)
Today
07:00 SAT (b00kmg2y)
Today
06:00 MON (b00kmztq)
Today
06:00 TUE (b00kmztd)
Today
06:00 WED (b00kmztg)
Today
06:00 THU (b00kmztj)
Today
06:00 FRI (b00kmztl)
Unreliable Evidence
22:15 SAT (b00kjk0p)
Vienna and the Shadow of The Third Man
11:30 TUE (b00kp9jk)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b00kkg60)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b00kmg2w)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b00kmgs5)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b00kmh7t)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b00kmn6y)
Weather
07:58 SUN (b00kmndm)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b00kmv8j)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b00kmz2h)
Weather
21:58 SUN (b00kmz3s)
Weather
05:57 MON (b00kn8vw)
Weather
12:57 MON (b00kn1bb)
Weather
21:58 MON (b00kn54c)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b00kn0qm)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b00kn53j)
Weather
12:57 WED (b00kn0qw)
Weather
21:58 WED (b00kn53l)
Weather
12:57 THU (b00kn0r0)
Weather
21:58 THU (b00kn53n)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b00kn0r6)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b00kn53q)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b00kmz3v)
What's the Point of...?
09:00 TUE (b00kp822)
What's the Point of...?
21:30 TUE (b00kp822)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b00kmh7m)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b00kn0kj)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b00kn0gc)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b00kn0gf)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b00kn0gh)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b00kn0gk)
World at One
13:00 MON (b00kn1bq)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b00kn1bd)
World at One
13:00 WED (b00kn1bg)
World at One
13:00 THU (b00kn1bj)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b00kn1bl)
You and Yours
12:00 MON (b00kn0kv)
You and Yours
12:00 TUE (b00kn0kl)
You and Yours
12:00 WED (b00kn0kn)
You and Yours
12:00 THU (b00kn0kq)
You and Yours
12:00 FRI (b00kn0ks)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b00kkfql)