The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Armies have always sought to guess the enemy's next move based on past experience. Such crystal gazing took on a fresh urgency during the Cold War as the new discipline of military futurology grappled with the threat of nuclear war. Since then, military futurists have taken their imaginings into more apocalyptic realms. Charged by Western policy makers with the task of 'thinking the unthinkable', they foresee future threats which owe as much to science fiction as to real life. They anticipate cities controlled by terrorists and drug cartels, dictators who've acquired the genetic secret of longevity, even the development of a 'magic bullet' which can't be countered. But do such grim predictions provide a justification for an endless global war against enemies that may never exist? Laurie Taylor discusses a new survey of military futurism with its author, Matthew Carr, and with the geographer Stephen Graham.
Also, from Richard Pryor to Lenny Henry - how humour can reinforce or subvert racial stereotypes. The sociologist Simon Weaver tells Laurie about his research into the nature and variety of anti-racist comedy.
Fifty per cent of fish eaten in the world are now farmed, up from nine per cent in 1980. Charlotte Smith hears how the UK is cashing in, as Scottish salmon exports grow by a quarter.
Nocton Dairies, developers of western Europe's largest dairy farm in Lincolnshire, cancel a public meeting over fears animal rights activists will hijack the event. Nearly a century after the Forestry Commission was established, nearly 80 per cent of wood used in the UK is still imported. Charlotte Smith asks if more could or should be grown on home soil.
With James Naughtie and Evan Davis. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
Andrew Marr finds out what science can tell us about the human condition. Ian McEwan's new novel pits climate change against human frailty. Patricia Fara charts 4,000 years of scientific endeavour. Paul Davies, in his search for ET, asks what would it mean if we're not alone in the universe. And journalist James Crabtree talks about how political parties are using the new media techniques of the supermarkets to get our attention in the run-up to the election.
Adam Zamoyski's biography of the brief but eventful life of the great Romantic composer Frederic Chopin, from Polish child prodigy to Paris dandy, his turbulent relationship with George Sand and his early death, penniless in Paris.
Chopin's prodigious talent as a pianist is recognised early on. But despite being lauded as the great nationalist hope in his native Poland, where his polonaises and mazurkas are inspired by the harmonies of Polish folk songs, the teenage Chopin soon becomes stifled by the provincialism of Warsaw. At 19, he leaves Poland for the temptations of bohemian Paris, never to live in his homeland again.
Gordon Brown MP interviewed. Plus the etiquette of going bra-less in public; and listener feedback on the risks of homebirths.
A poem by WB Yeats holds the key to an unexpected love affair for a young British diplomat on his first overseas posting. As Daniel Maddison wanders the street markets of a town in West Africa, he sees a woman he knew five years before when he was a student at Oxford. But when he approaches her, she denies ever knowing him.
Daniel ...... Matthew Pidgeon
Rachel ...... Ruth Gemmell
Kamal ...... Raad Rawi
Alec ...... David Robb
Diana ...... Briony McRoberts
Ibraima ...... Damian Lynch
Patrick ...... Bruce Alexander
Isobel ...... Joanna Monro
Newpin ...... Nigel Hastings.
The Human Library is a ground-breaking idea from Denmark designed to get you to confront your deepest prejudices. Borrow a type of person you think you don't like, goes the strap line, take them away for a half-hour conversation, and try and get to the bottom of your preconceptions.
People who have volunteered to be 'Books' range from Muslims to transsexuals, and neo-Nazis to male nannies.
Sandi talks to those who’ve got involved, both as Readers and Books, borrows a couple of Books herself, and even lends herself out as one.
Comedy by Harry Venning and Neil Brand about a team of inept, backstabbing surveillance operatives.
Bill ...... Richard Lumsden
Sharla ...... Nina Conti
Mark ...... Daniel Kaluuya
Colonel ...... Ewan Bailey
Bristow ...... John Biggins
Sean ...... Joseph Cohen Cole
Lenny ...... Piers Wehner
Ignatius/Fuego ...... Nigel Hastings
Man ...... Rhys Jennings
From next month you can get money back for power generated through your wind turbine or solar panel. But how easy is it to get connected?
New homes are being installed with light fittings that only take special energy-efficient light bulbs. But the new bulbs are really difficult to find and they are more expensive.
Nigel Rees chairs the popular quiz involving the exchange of quotations and anecdotes.
Welcome to the wedding of Emma and Richard. This is their wedding day from the viewpoints of their respective families. The dress - the food - the speeches - the music. Who wore what, who said what, what cost what; the secrets, the lies, the smiles and the tears. From the pen of acclaimed dramatist Doug Lucie, this is one wedding you won't want to miss!
Emma and Richard have done their best to keep their respective families apart, but as their wedding day approaches it is time for the in-laws-to-be to finally meet. But how will Emma's atheist father Max and 'slightly too fond of the grape' mother Ellie (divorced, not exactly amicably!) get along with Richard's bullish and opinionated father Barry and rather put upon mother Jenny?
With Emma's grandfather Chas and Richard's grandmother Ruby both along for the ride, the stage is set for a fiery clash of personalities - and that's before we even get to the reception!
Two afternoon plays track the events of one couple's big day creating a stunning social satire on our modern-day obsession with weddings. What will the day hold for our happy couple? And, once the band strikes up and the wine is flowing will bubbling tensions and family frictions erupt and ruin this happiest of days?
'Hitched' takes us behind the scenes as one couple promise to love each other 'for better or worse'. But which will it be?
Doug Lucie has written for TV, theatre and radio. His TV credits include 'Eastenders' and 'Headhunters' while his numerous stage plays include 'Progress', 'Grace', 'The Shallow End', 'The Green Man' 'Presence' and 'Pass it On'. For radio his has dramatised 'Shut Eye' and 'Gypsy' and has written 'The Green Man', 'Hold Back the Night', 'Blind', 'Small Earthquake' and most recently 'Development' and 'Sunny Afternoon'.
Jolyon finds out why Josiah Wedgwood began to use accounting to run his business, and hears the debate about how similar Wedgwood's 18th-century cost accounting system was to our modern management accounting.
Ernie Rea and guests asks whether or not the use of apocalyptic language is helpful in the climate change debate, politics and media.
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious word game. With Paul Merton, Jenny Eclair, Pam Ayres and Gyles Brandreth. From March 2010.
Mark Lawson interviews screenwriter and producer Alan Ball, whose credits include True Blood, Six Feet Under and American Beauty.
A report on a new exhibition which aims to make us reassess the popular image of Queen Victoria.
At 106, Alice Sommer Herz still practises the piano for two and a half hours every day. She was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for two years, where she gave over 100 concerts. As a film about her is released on DVD, she talks about her memories.
Mike Thomson investigates the story behind the German prisoners of war forced to work in Britain for three years after the Second World War had ended.
The International Red Cross condemned the ongoing use of forced PoW labour after the end of hostilities and the British public and the press voiced strong opinions about the deployment of 'slave labour'. But the government had other plans: there was a drastic shortage of manpower after the war - with one million British troops still posted overseas - and the availability of nearly 400,000 PoWs in camps on British soil was seen as the quickest solution to the crisis. Before long, German forced labour made up a quarter of the nation's agricultural workforce. They were put to work on the roads and they even made up a third of the workers who prepared Wembley for the 1948 Olympics.
Mike unravels the political and moral debate about the repatriation of the Germans; he also hears some of the unintended consequences of captivity by meeting a former PoW who decided to stay behind once he fell in love with both the Scottish Borders and his future wife.
Policy-makers have long looked to science to help understand human behaviour and to influence it. But what if science could actually read people's thoughts and intentions? That's the promise of the latest research from neuroscientists, who claim to be able to scan our brains for lies, broken promises and violent intentions. But how reliable is the science of 'mind-reading'? How might it change our ideas about free will, responsibility and rehabilitation? And should we not be able to keep the thoughts in our head private? Presented by Kenan Malik.
Professor Hank Greeley, director, Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University in California
Professor Julian Savulescu, director of the Wellcome Centre for Neuroethics at Oxford University
Professor Geraint Rees, director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, London
Paul Root Wolpe, Asa Griggs Candler professor of bioethics at Emory University in Atlanta.
Tom Heap witnesses the international police operation against the trade in endangered species.
Interpol's Operation Tram has been busy across Europe, seizing traditional medicines suspected of containing endangered species. Tom follows the raids in the UK, uncovering the effects the trade has on the world's plants and animals.
British Airways publishes its 'strike' schedule as the prime minister calls Unite's action 'deplorable'.
The US defense department's 'contract killers': what an investigation might uncover.
Hugh Bonneville reads from Ian McEwan's new novel. Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose best work is behind him, and now finds that his fifth marriage floundering. But this time it is different: she is having the affair, and he is still in love with her.
An edgy three part comedy arts series starring Rory Bremner engaging topical comics, satirists and comedians from different countries about their cultures and how they relate to ours - if at all.
This is a series of unique and insightful comic encounters into the humour of other nations presented by one of Britain's most significant topical comedians.
Barry Murphy of Ireland. Described as the Don of Irish comedy by the Irish Times, Barry Murphy has, with his Comedy Cellars club in Dublin watched as his protégé Eddie Izzard, Tommy Tiernan and Dylan Moran have gone on to international fame. Barry Murphy is the most respected topical comic/satirist in Ireland and gives Rory a unique insight into the rich world of Irish satire. With contributions from Mario Rosenstock.
TUESDAY 16 MARCH 2010
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00r9154)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00r93pj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00r919n)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00r926d)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00r9286)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00r92jc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00r92ph)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Gordon Gray.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00r9347)
The sheep that shear themselves...well, almost! Farming Today reports in the cross bred sheep that sheds its own fleece. And a major study is launched to find ways to reduce river pollution from farm run-off.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00r93b1)
With James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (b00rb1zt)
British brands, American takeovers: Boots and Cadbury
Jonathan Freedland takes the Long View of the recent purchase of Cadbury by Kraft, comparing the deal with the takeover of Boots the Chemist by an American company in 1920.
When the founder of the chain, Jesse Boot, put it up for sale it prompted a storm of controversy in the local and national press. A rival chain responded by marketing itself as the 'biggest British chemist', playing on the idea that Boots had betrayed their national roots. The takeover prompted a period of austerity in the company as the American owners embarked on an efficiency drive.
Jonathan draws on the lessons of the Boots takeover, asking how important it is for national brands to remain in British hands. Guests include Lord Digby Jones and Stefan Stern of The Financial Times, and readings are provided by James Coombes, former Milk Tray Man.
Image: Man unloading goods from a cart in front of a Boots store, 1915.
TUE 09:30 When I Grow Up (b00rb1zw)
Episode 5
Forty years ago 14,000 youngsters across Britain were asked to write about where they saw themselves in the future - their jobs, family lives, belongings, living environments and leisure pursuits. Those essays have now been followed up by the Nuffield Foundation as a way of finding out how far ambition at an early age shapes what happens in later life.
This is the first time that media access has been granted to those who have taken part in their research. As well as evidence of ambition the essays offer lovely detail about how the eleven year olds imagined life would be at 25, with one writing: "my husband would have just won £200 so we decided to go to the moon for our holiday while we had not got any children."
The series covers the following five areas: jobs, family lives, living environments, leisure pursuits and belongings that they imagined owning when first studied. The findings suggest that children who are ambitious go on to enjoy greater success than those with lower aspirations. Once background and ability were accounted for, children did better if they set themselves lofty goals.
It reveals that, even if a child is economically disadvantaged or less able, having high ambitions at around the time they leave primary school means that they are significantly more likely to have a professional job, though not necessarily the one that they predicted.
Producer: Sue Mitchell.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00r93pg)
Chopin: Prince of the Romantics
Episode 2
Adam Zamoyski's biography of the brief but eventful life of the great Romantic composer Frederic Chopin, from Polish child prodigy to Paris dandy, his turbulent relationship with George Sand and his early death, penniless in Paris.
The young Chopin arrives in bohemian Paris, capital of the artistic world and home of the Romantic movement. Before long he becomes one of the most celebrated figures in Parisian society, and something of a dandy. But he longs for Poland, realising that it is unlikely he will return to his homeland again.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00rghs1)
Sian Phillips; Female jockeys; Politics in glossy magazines
Actress Sian Phillips talks about playing Juliet at 76. Plus, female jockeys at Cheltenham. And how powerful are women's magazines in influencing women voters?
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq2)
The Cloths Of Heaven
Episode 2
Sue Eckstein's dramatisation of her own novel, set in West Africa.
After witnessing an argument between Rachel and a rich Lebanese businessman, Daniel tries again to approach her, but she still refuses to acknowledge him.
Daniel ...... Matthew Pidgeon
Rachel ...... Ruth Gemmell
Kamal ...... Raad Rawi
Alec ...... David Robb
Diana ...... Briony McRoberts
Ibraima ...... Damian Lynch
Patrick ...... Bruce Alexander
Isobel ...... Joanna Monro
Newpin ...... Nigel Hastings.
TUE 11:00 The Alps (b00rb298)
Episode 2
The Alps form a vast mountain barrier stretching from Vienna to Nice, dividing German north from Latin south. Misha Glenny tackles our shared European history in a totally unexpected way, exploring the impact of the Alps on our culture, our economy and the formation of eight European states.
Why are the Alps riddled with frontiers, and how have so many countries managed to take a bite of this famous mountain range? Misha reveals how areas such as Savoy and Tyrol were ripped apart by competing powers, and why Switzerland - which has no real reason to exist - has managed to survive.
With contributions from nationalist leader of La Ligue Savoisienne Patrice Abeille, author of the White War Mark Thompson, and Jon Mathieu, the founding director of the Institute of the Alps.
TUE 11:30 A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto (b00rb29b)
Rory McGrath explores the origins of gothic horror, manifest in the first ever novel about a haunted castle, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.
The book, published in 1764, became the first gothic novel and heralded the start of a new literary genre.
From 2010.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00r97pn)
Spring is traditionally a time to start house hunting. But despite a steady rise in house prices last year the figures from the Halifax and Nationwide last month showed a drop.
Has it put you off buying or selling? Or are you a first time buyer who can't get a mortgage? Are you desperate for house prices to fall further so you can at least get on the housing ladder? Do you want to move and can't? Or is there no sign of a recession in your area?
Perhaps you think our economy relies too heavily on house prices. We want to hear your views for our phone-in.
Julian Worricker chairs our phone-in every Tuesday. To take part on the day call us on 03700 100 444. (Calls are answered between
10am and
1pm every Tuesday: standard geographic charges apply and calls may be included in your telecom provider's call package. Calls from mobiles may be higher.).
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00r97vf)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00r97x8)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
TUE 13:30 Soul Music (b00rb2sv)
Series 9
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands is a spiritual song originating in the United States, but it first caught the public's attention when Laurie London took it to the top of the charts in 1958. In this programme, people describe the place that the song has in their lives. Including the conductor of a choir for refugees and asylum seekers and the minister who led prayers on President Obama's first day in office.
The programme also includes a performance from Washington Performing Arts Society's Children of the Gospel Choir. They sang an arrangement of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands made by their conductor and Artistic Director Stanley J Thurston at the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on January 21, 2009. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and their families attended this service and the sermon was given by the Reverend Sharon E Watkins.
Contributors:
John Copley
Ian Bradley
Amy Mclean
Philip Wright
Sharon Watkins
Mike McGrother
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00r9syq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b00rb2sx)
Doug Lucie - Hitched
Episode 2
Welcome to the wedding of Emma and Richard. This is their wedding day from the viewpoints of their respective families. The dress - the food - the speeches - the music. Who wore what, who said what, what cost what; the secrets, the lies, the smiles and the tears. From the pen of acclaimed dramatist Doug Lucie, this is one wedding you won't want to miss!
Emma and Richard have done their best to keep their respective families apart, but as their wedding day approaches it is time for the in-laws-to-be to finally meet. But how will Emma's atheist father Max and 'slightly too fond of the grape' mother Ellie (divorced, not exactly amicably!) get along with Richard's bullish and opinionated father Barry and rather put upon mother Jenny?
With Emma's grandfather Chas and Richard's grandmother Ruby both along for the ride, the stage is set for a fiery clash of personalities - and that's before we even get to the reception!
Two afternoon plays track the events of one couple's big day creating a stunning social satire on our modern-day obsession with weddings. What will the day hold for our happy couple? And, once the band strikes up and the wine is flowing will bubbling tensions and family frictions erupt and ruin this happiest of days?
'Hitched' takes us behind the scenes as one couple promise to love each other 'for better or worse'. But which will it be?
CAST:
Chas William Gaunt
Ruby Sylvia Syms
Emma Lydia Leonard
Richard Joe Armstrong
Max Stephen Moore
Ellie Frances Barber
Barry Ian Reddington
Jenny Cheryl Campbell
Frankie Michael Colgan
Roy Nicky Henson
Bill Michael Shelford
Peter Guy Henry
Doug Lucie has written for TV, theatre and radio. His TV credits include 'Eastenders' and 'Headhunters' while his numerous stage plays include 'Progress', 'Grace', 'The Shallow End', 'The Green Man' 'Presence' and 'Pass it On'. For radio his has dramatised 'Shut Eye' and 'Gypsy' and has written 'The Green Man', 'Hold Back the Night', 'Blind', 'Small Earthquake' and most recently 'Development' and 'Sunny Afternoon'.
TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00rb2sz)
Each year anglers await the annual salmon run. Thousands of magnificent fish forsake the bounty of the sea and head inland to their ancestral spawning grounds. But as any keen fisherman will tell you, some mature salmon are there to be caught from the spring time onwards. This week on Home Planet, you ask why a small number of salmon make the trek up river months before their fellow fish. If the advantage is so great, why don't they all do it? Then there's the mysterious black and white bird seen but not identified in Dorset; what is it and why does it have such unusual markings? Why, you ask, do chimpanzees still exist when there cousins, us humans, have clearly outstripped them in evolutionary terms? What happens underneath a frozen river as the tides ebb and flow beneath? And we continue the discussion on collecting wild plants and animals; just when is it acceptable to kill a specimen for science?
Join Richard Daniel and his guests marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; conservationist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00rb372)
Petina Gappah - An Elegy for Easterly
The Mupandawana Dancing Champion
The Mupandawana Dancing Champion is the first of three stories selected from An Elegy for Easterly, Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah's debut collection and winner of the Guardian First Book Award for 2009. Today - just outside Harare, in Mupandawana, a nimble footed coffin maker enjoys a little local celebrity, and some relief from the daily struggle to make ends meets. However, a political intervention cramps his style.
Each of the three stories selected from An Elegy For Easterly are acutely observed, powerful and poignant. They are populated by characters struggling to live in Mugabe's Zimbabwe, who despite the hardships of their everyday lives, are also resilient and imaginative, and not without a wry sense of humour.
Writer: Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer with law degrees from Cambridge, Graz University and the University of Zimbabwe. Her short fiction and essays have been published in eight countries.
Reader: Reader: Lucian Msamati has been appearing in Clybourne Park in London's West End.
TUE 15:45 A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping (b00r9ts3)
Episode 7
Jolyon Jenkins investigates how accountants shaped the modern world.
How the 'railway mania' of the mid-19th century led to dodgy accounting and outright fraud. Investors demanded 10 per cent returns on new lines, even when the profits just weren't there to pay the dividends. The only way to keep everyone happy was to cook the books. But then, no-one was ever going to look at the books - or were they?
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00rbky7)
The Dangerous Dogs Act
The International Criminal Court has been criticised for lacking teeth, dealing with too few cases and concentrating too much on Africa. Clive Coleman speaks to the Court's president and others to consider those claims.
The government has finally reacted to widespread criticism of the Dangerous Dogs Act with a consultation. But how do you balance the rights of animals with the safety of humans?
Plus the surprisingly intense relationship between poetry and the law.
Interviewees include President Sang-Hyun Song, Philippe Sands and Tod Lindberg.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00rbky9)
John Oxford and Dorothy Crawford
Sue MacGregor is joined by two leading virus experts, John Oxford and Dorothy Crawford to discuss favourite paperbacks by Ken Kesey, Daniel Defoe and Simon Armitage.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
Publsiher: Penguin Classics
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Simon Armitage
Publisher. Faber and Faber
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00r9tvf)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00r9vz4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00rbkyc)
Series 3
Jon Culshaw
Marcus Brigstocke invites his guest Jon Culshaw to try five things he's never done before, including visiting a casino.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00r9sys)
Jill and Usha join forces.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00r9xbf)
Jeremy Irons returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company after a gap of 20 years to lead the cast in Dennis Kelly's new play, The Gods Weep, about a corporate tycoon in crisis. The star of Brideshead Revisited and Dead Ringers talks to Mark Lawson about the challenge of new works, ageing as an actor and regurgitating porridge on stage.
Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor play gay lovers in the film I Love You Phillip Morris. Ryan Gilbey reviews.
As Jackie Chan, John Travolta and Robin Williams star alongside child actors in two new films out this week, actor Michael Simkins reflects on his own experience of flouting WC Fields's advice never to work with children or animals.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00rbkyf)
Children who abuse children
Around a third of all youngsters who have been abused are victims of other children and young people. Jackie Long investigates what is done to help young abusers stop offending and asks why so many are slipping through the net.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00rbkyh)
Feedback from listeners to Kevin Cary's article in Ability Magazine.
Richard Lane is totally blind and a keen cook. He wants to find other people who are blind or partially-sighted people who enjoy cooking to share their ideas, tips and recipes with other listeners.
Richard tells Peter about his favourite gadget - his chef's cooking pan - and offers his advice on how best to chop parsley wearing thin surgical gloves, which save his fingers taking on the aroma of garlic, and give him another layer to protect himself from potential cuts.
TUE 21:00 Am I Normal? (b00rbkyk)
Series 7
Health Anxiety
At what point does a reasonable concern about our wellbeing become an anxiety that actually affects our health? If you discover a bruise on your arm and become convinced you have leukaemia. Or you're a woman who's breast examinations are so frequent, you make them tender and then decide that the soreness means you have breast cancer. You make frequent doctor's appointments, demand unnecessary tests and never seem satisfied with a diagnosis, then it's likely you have some form of severe and persistent health anxiety.
Health anxiety in its most severe form, the diagnosis hypochondriasis, has been recognised for centuries. It's a fear or belief that real or imagined symptoms are signs of a serious illness, despite medical reassurance and other evidence to the contrary. The anxiety can take over your life, drive your family - and your GP - to distraction and can cause a great deal of distress.
But is it an illness in itself? Many psychiatrists and psychologists now prefer to describe hypochondriasis as a health anxiety. It is similar to both obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders. It's starting to be recognised as a serious psychological problem that can be helped with cognitive behaviour therapy.
Almost everyone has health worries from time to time, triggered by variations in their body, inexplicable physical symptoms and health information from doctors, health screening programmes and the mass media, and many people experience a moment of worry that their odd rashes, bumps or pains are signs of real trouble. But an official diagnosis of hypochondria, according to the psychiatric authorities, is reserved for patients whose fears that they have a serious disease persist for at least six months and continue even after doctors have reassured them that they are healthy.
In patients with hypochondria, ordinary discomforts are paid much more attention and appear to register more intensely than they do for other people. But where do you draw the line? When does healthy concern become a psychological problem, and what are the implications for the health industry?
With more and more people looking up symptoms and health advice on the internet, the result can be that you feel empowered and informed about your health. But for others, will they develop what is being hyped as 'cyberchondria', where every twinge and symptom is searched online, leaving them convinced that they definitely have the rarest and deadliest of diseases?
Many experts think that terms like 'cyberchondria' and the book-related 'bibliochondria' are just catchy terms concocted by the media which only exacerbate the negative stigma and cruel humour associated with hypochondria. It's a tricky issue to deal with; the patient sees physical illness, the doctor sees a psychological problem, and frustration rules on both sides of the examining room.
This programme asks how doctors assess levels of heath anxiety, how they decipher the sinister from the benign real through the imagined symptoms, and if they think increased access to health information is making the problem worse.
TUE 21:30 The Long View (b00rb1zt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00r9xs4)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00r9xv2)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.
Hillary Clinton says the ball is in Israel's court, if it wants to repair relations.
Are older people being pushed into the dole queue?
Why marine power could be on the verge of a breakthrough.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00rm4bd)
Solar
Episode 2
Hugh Bonneville reads from Ian McEwan's new novel.
Michael Beard, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose best work is behind him, has been humiliated to discover that his fifth wife, Patrice, is having an affair with their builder, Rodney Tarpin.
Abridged by Barry Johnston.
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Showstopper! The Improvised Musical (b00yb422)
Comedy in which the Showstopper musical improvisation group create a musical on the spot, with the songs, plot and characters based entirely on suggestions from the studio audience.
With Pippa Evans, Ruth Bratt, Dylan Emery, Lucy Trodd, Philip Pellew, Oliver Senton, Julie Clare and Adam Meggido. Music by Duncan Walsh-Atkins and Chris Ash. Created by Dylan Emery and Adam Meggido.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00r9y6y)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Susan Hulme.
WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 2010
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00r9156)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00r93pg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00r919q)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 As BBC World Service (b00r926g)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00r9288)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00r92jf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00r92pk)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Gordon Gray.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00r9349)
Butterflies are under threat, according to a new report. The European red list of endangered species says that one third of butterflies are in decline and one in ten types are under threat of extinction. Anna Hill finds out whether UK farming practices are helping or hindering.
Honeybees are starting to emerging from the hive but what will the year bring for them? Two years ago, one in every three hives died out over winter.
Anna Hill explores Thetford Forest as part of a series examining the uses and roles of British forests.
WED 06:00 Today (b00r93b3)
With James Naughtie and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00rbl6g)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests including Frederic Raphael.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00r93vv)
Chopin: Prince of the Romantics
Episode 3
Adam Zamoyski's biography of the brief but eventful life of the great Romantic composer Frederic Chopin, from Polish child prodigy to Paris dandy, his turbulent relationship with George Sand and his early death, penniless in Paris.
Chopin meets the most notorious woman of the day, the cigar-toting, cross-dressing writer George Sand. Not long after, the two raise eyebrows in Parisian society when they become lovers. The unlikely couple set out for Majorca where ill health and the suspicions of the locals almost result in Chopin's early demise.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00rghqk)
Maggi Atkinson; Victimhood and Feminism; Divorce in older women
Children's Commissioner Maggi Atkinson talks about her role. Plus, has being a 'victim' become an aspiration? And what makes long term marriages break down?
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq4)
The Cloths Of Heaven
Episode 3
Sue Eckstein's dramatisation of her own novel, set in West Africa.
Rachel sets off on a trek up country to a small village, where she has a fateful encounter with self-styled entrepreneur Bob Newpin.
Daniel ...... Matthew Pidgeon
Rachel ...... Ruth Gemmell
Kamal ...... Raad Rawi
Alec ...... David Robb
Diana ...... Briony McRoberts
Ibraima ...... Damian Lynch
Patrick ...... Bruce Alexander
Isobel ...... Joanna Monro
Newpin ...... Nigel Hastings.
WED 11:00 Cadbury is Our Longbridge (b00rblc1)
Episode 1
Miles Warde tells the inside story of the closure of Cadbury's Somerdale factory near Bristol. Two years in the making, the series reveals how Somerdale became caught up in a global story.
Cadbury first announced the closure of this historic site at the end of 2007. Miles follows the protests, the frustrations, and the raised hopes of a workforce who believed that Kraft's takeover meant their jobs could be saved. Production is now largely moving to Poland instead.
WED 11:30 Fags, Mags and Bags (b00rblt5)
Series 3
The Fall of Phallon and the Rise of Bugatox
The hit Radio 4 series 'Fags, Mags & Bags' returns to the airwaves of Radio 4 with more shop based shenanigans and over the counter philosophy, courtesy of Ramesh Mahju and his trusty sidekick Dave. Originally broadcast in February 2010, this series 3 repeat enjoys a run in the
6.30pm comedy slot.
Written by and starring Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli 'Fags, Mags & Bags' has proved a hit with the Radio 4 audience with the show also collecting a Sony nomination and a Writers' Guild award in 2008. This series features guest appearances from Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor Who) and Ron Donachie (Titanic).
In this episode: Ramesh takes it upon himself to reunite a local couple who've split up, and he has to get busy after the latest kids toy craze sweeps Lenzie.
Cast:
Ramesh ...... Sanjeev Kohli
Dave ..... Donald Mcleary
Sanjay ..... Omar Raza
Alok ..... Susheel Kumar
Father Henderson ..... Gerard Kelly
Ted ..... Gavin Mitchell
Gay Alan ..... Tom Urie
Phil ..... Stewart Cairns
Mrs Gibb ..... Marjory Hogarth
Keenan ..... Max Merrill
Producer: Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00r97pq)
Winifred Robinson talks to Sir Alan Sugar about building a successful business and what it takes to be a young entrepreneur nowadays.
The Yellow Pages: do you still use it or have phone directories had their day?
WED 12:57 Weather (b00r97vj)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00r97xb)
National and international news.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00rblt7)
Are train carriages in London really infested with thousands of cockroaches, as reported in several newspapers recently? Dr Ben Goldacre thought the figures looked odd and tells us what he found when he questioned them.
The Digital Economy Bill may give public service broadcaster status to Channel 4's More 4, E4 and Film 4. Peter Bazalgette and Maggie Brown discuss whether or not public service broadcasting still has value in the age of digital channels.
The coverage of the kidnap of Sahil Saeed: Ruhubia Akbor reports for the Manchester Evening News and she was the first to interview Sahil's family in Oldham, while Aleem Maqbool has been reporting for the BBC on the story from Pakistan. They discuss the challenges of covering this story.
And why is March such an important month for sport on TV? Owen Gibson gives his views on what will be on our televisions, radios and online once all the rights issues have been resolved.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00r9sys)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00rblt9)
Walking on Sunshine
Comedy by Leah Chillery. Why do you rarely see a black face in the country - apart from the sheep?
Elijah is a black man who likes to go for lovely walks in the countryside. One day his girlfriend points out the obvious - that he was the only black face she saw all day.
Elijah ...... Nicholas Bailey
Tina ...... Nadine Marshall
Vernon ...... Dermot Daly
Malachi ...... Marcus Hercules
Boasie ...... Marlon G Day
Frank ...... Lloyd Peters
Producer Gary Brown.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00rbltc)
Vincent Duggleby and a panel of guests answer calls on pensions.
Guests:
Malcolm McClean, chief executive of the Pensions Advisory Service
Michelle Cracknell, strategy director at investment group Skandia
Billy Burrows, Burrows and Cummins.
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00rb374)
Petina Gappah - An Elegy for Easterly
My Cousin-Sister Rambanai
My Cousin-Sister Rambanai is the next selected story from An Elegy for Easterly, Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah's debut collection and winner of the Guardian First Book Award for 2009. Today - when Rambanai returns from Dallas to Harare her exuberant sparkle is irresistible, but a new search for a bigger world has unexpected outcomes.
Each of the three stories selected from An Elegy For Easterly are acutely observed, powerful and poignant. They are populated by characters struggling to live in Mugabe's Zimbabwe, who despite the hardships of their everyday lives, are also resilient and imaginative, and not without a wry sense of humour.
Writer: Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer with law degrees from Cambridge, Graz University and the University of Zimbabwe. Her short fiction and essays have been published in eight countries.
Reader: Chipo Chung appeared in the National Theatre's 2009 production of Phedre, currently she can be seen in the television series, Camelot.
WED 15:45 A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping (b00r9ts5)
Episode 8
Jolyon Jenkins investigates how accountants shaped the modern world.
The role played by accountants in the Holocaust, the Irish Potato Famine and the Highland Clearances. The Nazis stole money from the Jews, and were meticulous in recording the theft - by accounting for it they hoped to cleanse it. Accountants may have a reputation for dullness, but can that mask a moral agenda?
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00rbltf)
The latest British Crime Survey statistics show 744,000 domestic burglaries in England and Wales. This may seem a lot, and though it is no consolation to anyone who had their house ransacked last year, it actually represents a drop of more than a million since 1995. So why is burglary less appealing to criminals? Are they turning to a life without crime or are they simply taking up something else? Laurie Taylor hears from James Treadwell, whose ongoing research seems to present the answer, and it is part of a story involving the plummeting cost of a DVD player and the rising popularity of the iPod.
Also on the programme: milk and modernity. What part has the wonderful white nectar had in the development of cities, the separation of urban and rural and our notions of what is pure and natural? It is a surprising story in which ideas of what is natural are constantly being inverted. Laurie speaks to Peter Atkins and Harry West.
WED 16:30 Am I Normal? (b00rbkyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00r9tvh)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00r9vz7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Party (b00rblxx)
Series 1
Episode 2
The Party sets out to clarify its policies on climate change whilst Duncan deals with the aftermath of under-cooked chicken sausages from a BBQ.
Before long, murder is committed and the young idealists are placed in a compromising position.
Tom Basden’s sitcom satirises their ambitions, hypocrisy and naivety - based on his 2009 Edinburgh play which won a fringe first.
Simon ...... Tom Basden
Mel ...... Anna Crilly
Duncan ...... Tim Key
Jared ...... Johnny Sweet
Phoebe ...... Katy Wix
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00r9syv)
Kate catches up with an old comrade.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00r9xbh)
Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti explains why the controversy around her play Behzti (Shame), which was dropped by The Birmingham Repertory Theatre following riots, has inspired her to write another play, Behud (Beyond Belief).
Lorraine Heggessey, CEO of Talkback Thames, and director of programmes at Sky One Stuart Murphy discuss the art of giving TV shows their titles
The past and future of the pop-video as Rosie Swash and Jacqueline Springer discuss Lady Gaga's 10 minute film for the single Telephone, set in a women's prison and featuring Beyonce Knowles.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00rblxz)
How much choice should people undergoing IVF have in the background of the donors of eggs and sperm? Patients at clinics in America can choose on the basis of ethnicity, hair colour, education and even hear interviews with the donors. Is this inherently immoral? The heart of this issue is that demand for eggs and sperm outstrips supply. So if altruism and generosity aren't solving the problem, why not let the market do the job and pay people the going rate for their gametes?
Witnesses:
Professor Gedis Grudzinskas, ex-medical director of the Bridge Centre Fertility Clinic; now a consultant in infertility and gynaecology
Dr Alexina McWhinnie, ex-senior research fellow at Dundee University Department of Social Work and writer on the subject of the long-term effects of donor insemination. Author of a book called Who Am I?
Professor Janet Radcliffe Richards, professor of practical philosophy at Oxford University
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association.
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b00rbly1)
Sr Elizabeth Obbard
Series of six talks by eminent thinkers exploring how faith and religion interact with a variety of aspects in society.
Sr Elizabeth Obbard, a Carmelite solitary at Aylesford Priory in Kent, explores how people's personal faith is affected and shaped by formal religion.
WED 21:00 Revealing the Mind Bender General (b00jd5pw)
Reporter James Maw reveals what was happening in Ward Five at London's St Thomas' Hospital in the 1960s and 70s. There the man in charge, Dr William Sargant, developed his controversial Deep Sleep Treatment which took place in the hospital's Sleep Room. Sargant's work has been much admired in many quarters and yet some allege it turned some of those under his care into zombies and caused the deaths of four of his patients.
In the early 1970s one of these, Anne, was admitted suffering from post-natal depression. In the Sleep Room she says she was placed under 'continuous narcosis' - a drug-induced sleep - for six weeks. Each day, remembers Anne, in a semi-woken state she was given food, water and regular sessions of ECT. Sargant claimed his treatment was the ultimate cure for depression, Anne says she still suffers from depression and the treatment resulted in her memory being wiped clean; she still can't remember the birth of her children or the day she got married.
James Maw talks to supporters and detractors of Sargant: fellow professionals who worked under him in the late 1960s and to some of Sargant's former patients who say they are still suffering from his treatment to this day.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00rbl6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00r9xs6)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00r9xv4)
National and international news and analysis with Carolyn Quinn.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00rm49w)
Solar
Episode 3
Hugh Bonneville reads from Ian McEwan's new novel.
Professor Michael Beard, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, has been away for a week on a climate change expedition in the Arctic Circle. He returns home early to find an unexpected visitor - with shocking consequences.
Abridged by Barry Johnston.
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Earls of the Court (b00rbmgt)
Downward Inflection
Johnno's so sick and tired of London that he's even lost his upward inflection. If only Lloydie could make the city more like Australia.
Comedy drama series by Will Adamsdale and Stewart Wright about two Australians down on their luck in London.
Lloydie ...... Stewart Wright
Johnno ...... Will Adamsdale
Reporter ...... Keely Beresford
TV Anchor ...... David Seddon
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
WED 23:15 Nick Mohammed in Quarters (b00h3612)
Episode 2
Energetic sketch comedy from Nick Mohammed. With guests Anna Crilly and Colin Hoult.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00r9y70)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
THURSDAY 18 MARCH 2010
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00r9158)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00r93vv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00r919s)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00r926j)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00r928b)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00r92jh)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00r92pm)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Gordon Gray.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00r934c)
Scottish farmers speak out against a campaign to put the clocks forward by two hours in summer. Charlotte Smith hears that what could be good for south-west tourism may be bad news for northern farmers.
Charlotte also hears that the UK is in real danger of running out of home-grown timber in 10 years time.
THU 06:00 Today (b00r93b5)
With Evan Davis and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00rbmrx)
Munch and The Scream
Melvyn Bragg and guests David Jackson, Dorothy Rowe and Alastair Wright discuss the work of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, focusing on his most famous painting, The Scream.First exhibited in 1893 in Berlin, The Scream was the culmination of Munch's magnum opus, a series of paintings called The Frieze of Life. This depicted the course of human existence through burgeoning love and sexual passion to suffering, despair and death, in Munch's highly original, proto-expressionist style. His titles, from Death in the Sickroom, through Madonna to The Vampire, suggest just how directly and unironically he sought to depict the anxieties of late-19th century Europe.But against all Munch's images, it is The Scream which stands out as the work which has seared itself into the Western imagination. It remains widely celebrated for capturing the torment of existence in what appeared to many in Munch's time to be a frightening, godless world.Munch himself endured a childhood beset by illness, madness and bereavement. At 13, he was told by his father that his tuberculosis was fatal. But he survived and went on to become a major figure first in the Norwegian, then the European, avant-garde. He became involved with two of the great playwrights of the period. He collaborated with his fellow countryman Henrik Ibsen and became a close friend of the tempestuous Swede August Strindberg. He admired the work of Post-Impressionist painters such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, all of whom influenced his art. Munch's own influence resonated through the 20th century, from German Expressionism to Andy Warhol and beyond. His work, particularly The Scream, remains powerful today.David Jackson is Professor of Russian and Scandinavian Art Histories at the University of Leeds; Dorothy Rowe is Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Bristol; Alastair Wright is University Lecturer in the History of Art at St John's College, University of Oxford.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00r93vx)
Chopin: Prince of the Romantics
Episode 4
Adam Zamoyski's biography of the brief but eventful life of the great Romantic composer Frederic Chopin, from Polish child prodigy to Paris dandy, his turbulent relationship with George Sand and his early death, penniless in Paris.
Though Chopin is at the height of his musical powers, he is constantly plagued by ill health. And when his relationship with the notorious George Sand breaks down, he begins to lose his inspiration.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00rghqm)
DIY smear tests; Sandy Powell; The first female Apache pilot
Will DIY smear kits encourage more women to test for cervical cancer? Plus, costume designer Sandy Powell on her third Oscar, and the first female pilot of Apache helicopters.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq6)
The Cloths Of Heaven
Episode 4
Sue Eckstein's dramatisation of her own novel, set in West Africa.
Daniel finds Rachel's missing diary and discovers the tragic reason for her uneasy relationship with Kamal.
Daniel ...... Matthew Pidgeon
Rachel ...... Ruth Gemmell
Kamal ...... Raad Rawi
Alec ...... David Robb
Diana ...... Briony McRoberts
Ibraima ...... Damian Lynch
Patrick ...... Bruce Alexander
Isobel ...... Joanna Monro
Newpin ...... Nigel Hastings.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00rbn86)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature (b00rbn88)
Small Wars
Mark Lawson tells the story of how American writing became the literary superpower of the 20th century, telling the nation's stories of money, power, sex, religion and war.
As America enjoyed the peace and wealth resulting from victory in a Second World War which had affected its homeland security directly only at Pearl Harbour, the Pentagon and the State Department constructed a new foreign policy: major international conflicts would in future be avoided by 'small' or 'proxy' wars or 'police actions', aimed at neutralising ideological threats abroad.
Vietnam combatants David Rabe and Tobias Wolff dramatised their experiences on stage and in fiction, while EL Doctorow used historical parallels to reflect on recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Former CIA man Charles McCarry used his time in deep cover as material for a series of espionage masterpieces, and Jay McInerney - who had chronicled the wealthy recklessness of boom-time 1980s New York in books including Bright Lights, Big City - now turned to the very different mood of the city after 9/11.
Authors including Norman Mailer, Jay McInerney, Jonathan Safran Foer and EL Doctorow discuss the way American literature reflected these decades of theoretically small wars, and Mark Lawson reveals his candidate for the most unfairly neglected modern American writer.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00r97ps)
Sticky keys, voice recognition and tracker balls - all tools to make the internet more accessible for people with disabilities. But do they work and how easy is it get online?
More about plans to clamp down on dodgy deals in the second hand car market.
Would you like to buy your gas and electric at COST price? You may get the chance if entrepreneur and millionaire Matt Stockdale gets his way.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00r97vn)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00r97xd)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b00rb1xw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00r9syv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00rbn8b)
Final Demands
Black and White
Series of plays by Frederic Raphael reuniting the characters from his novel The Glittering Prizes, which followed the fortunes of scholarship boy Adam Morris and his contemporaries at Cambridge University in the early 1950s.
An old friend invites Adam on to his radio programme to talk about his new book - and incidentally to make an uncharacteristic revelation. Having decided to walk home, Adam has serious cause to regret the decision. A visit from the police is anything but reassuring.
Adam Morris ...... Tom Conti
Barbara Morris ...... Barbara Kellermann
Rachel Morris ...... Flora Montgomery
Alan Parks ...... Alistair McGowan
Derek Morris ...... Adrian Lukis
Inspector Siddons ...... Ben Onwukwe
Josiah Idun ...... Kobna Holdbrook Smith
Leila ...... Georgina Rich
Produced by Jo Wheeler
Directed by Pete Atkin
An Above the Title production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Ramblings (b00r8b15)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00r8d91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00rb376)
Petina Gappah - An Elegy for Easterly
Our Man in Geneva Wins a Million Euros
Our Man in Geneva Wins a Million Euros is the next selected story from An Elegy for Easterly, Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah's debut collection and winner of the Guardian First Book Award for 2009.
Today an embassy official posted to Geneva sets out to claim his lottery winnings.
Each of the three stories selected from An Elegy For Easterly are acutely observed, powerful and poignant. They are populated by characters struggling to live in Mugabe's Zimbabwe, who despite the hardships of their everyday lives, are also resilient and imaginative, and not without a wry sense of humour.
Writer: Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer with law degrees from Cambridge, Graz University and the University of Zimbabwe. Her short fiction and essays have been published in eight countries.
Reader: Lucian Msamati has been appearing in Clybourne Park in London's West End.
THU 15:45 A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping (b00r9ts7)
Episode 9
Jolyon Jenkins investigates how accountants shaped the modern world.
He examines the military's sometimes uncomfortable relationship with accountancy, from the 17th century to the present day. In the Crimean War, 90 per cent of the near 20,000 men killed died from starvation and exposure. Soldiers were allocated one coat to last them three years, even though there were warehouses full of replacements. Accounting decisions were being made in Parliament rather than on the battlefield.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00r90cd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00rbn8d)
With more and more doubts being raised about climate research. Quentin Cooper asks, 'how does science handle the issue of uncertainty?' How do different branches of research quantify what they can't be sure of? The Royal Society is to hosting a special meeting - Handling Uncertainty - to discuss these issues, and Quentin gets a foretaste.
Artificial photosynthesis makes biofuels better than plants do. Quentin talks to its inventor
The UK is finally getting its first space agency; what will be its purpose?
THU 17:00 PM (b00r9tvk)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00r9vzb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Another Case of Milton Jones (b00rbnmk)
Series 4
Travel Mogul
In this episode, Milton's a world-famous Travel Entrepreneur who builds the world's most Extreme Sports Hotel and crosses the Atlantic in a rather unusual way... So if you like bungee ropes, grizzly bears, bright blue aliens and mosquito nets designed to keep the mosquitoes in, then you might just want to catch yourself "Another Case Of Milton Jones"
He's joined in his endeavours by his co-stars Tom Goodman-Hill ("Camelot"), Dan Tetsell ("Mongrels") and Lucy Montgomery ("Down The Line").
Britain's funniest Milton and the king of the one-liner returns with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes for a series of daffy comedy adventures
Each week, Milton is a complete and utter expert at something - Top Gun aviator, Weatherman, Billy Elliot-style dancer, World-beating cyclist, mathematical genius and Extreme Travel Entrepreneur ...
... and each week, with absolutely no ability or competence, he plunges into a big adventure with utterly funny results.
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
Written by Milton with James Cary ("Think The Unthinkable", "Miranda")
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00r9syx)
After yesterday's success at Willow Farm, Kate feels back to square one after Phoebe eschews a night at Home Farm in favour of a sleep-over with a friend.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00r9xbk)
Twenty years ago to the day, two thieves entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, USA, and seized art including a Vermeer, three Rembrandts and a Manet, with a total current value of about £350 million. John Wilson reports from the Museum on this audacious robbery, which remains the single greatest property theft ever. Empty frames on the gallery walls remain a sad and constant reminder of the crime.
John talks to investigators from the Museum and the FBI still on the trail of the missing art, and hears the many theories about the possible perpetrators. Novelist Tracy Chevalier, who saw the Vermeer in the Museum before it was stolen, reflects on the part this painting played in her novel Girl With A Pearl Earring, and crime writer David Hosp discusses his fictional account of the crime and its aftermath in his new novel Among Thieves.
And despite the two decades since these art works disappeared from public view, John discovers that a happy ending is not out of the question.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 Law in Action (b00rbky7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00rbnmm)
Evan Davis is joined by a panel of top executives from the worlds of house building, drinking and gambling to find out what they think of their rivals. They also talk about annoying regulations: what would they change if they had the chance?
Evan is joined by Pete Redfern, chief executive of the house builders Taylor Wimpey, Andrew Morgan, president of drinks manufacturer Diageo Europe, and Mark Davies, group director of the betting exchange Betfair.
THU 21:00 Peer Review in the Dock (b00ctk01)
Mark Whitaker investigates the tarnished image of a flawed process. Peer Review is supposed to be the keystone of quality control for research projects and academic studies, yet evidence of its many deficiencies has been building up for over 20 years. American lawyers have started challenging expert witnesses on the basis that peer review no longer guarantees their expertise. Yet accurate peer review in fields such as medicine can be a matter of life and death.
Contributors:
Prof Drummond Rennie, deputy editor Journal of the American Medical Association (OCNF)
Sir Iain Chalmers, director, James Lind Library (OCNF)
Fiona Godlee, editor British Medical Journal (OCNF)
Doug Altman, Centre of Statistics in Medicine, Oxford (OCNF)
Stephen Lock, retired editor BMJ (OCNF)
Richard Smith, retired editor BMJ (OCNF)
Prof David Rosner, City University New York
Prof Gerald Markowicz
Ray Persons, senior attorney, King and Spalding, Atlanta GA (OCNF)
Paul Green (OC) and Roy Carruthers (OC), actors, RBA Management
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00rbmrx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00r9xs8)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00r9xv6)
The EU's foreign policy chief visits Gaza as Palestinian militants fire a rocket into Israel - can the Middle East Quartet meeting in Moscow revive the peace process in the region?
Universities in England are told they have to cut their budgets - we report from the University of Sussex on how it's likely to affect the future of higher education.
The British boy kidnapped in Pakistan is back home after his father paid a ransom in Paris.
And the military muscle behind Brazil's emergence on the world stage - we go to a training camp outside Rio de Janeiro.
The World Tonight with Roger Hearing.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00rm49y)
Solar
Episode 4
Hugh Bonneville reads from Ian McEwan's new novel.
Michael Beard, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, has covered up the accidental death of his young colleague, Tom Aldous, and planted evidence to frame his wife's lover, Rodney Tarpin.
Abridged by Barry Johnston.
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 Scrooby Trevithick (b00rbnmp)
Entrepreneur
Comedy series written by and starring Andy Parsons, following the exploits of hapless Scrooby, an enthusiastic but flawed wannabe who is desperately trying to find himself by zealously posting his web diaries online.
Scrooby tries to become an entrepreneur by mis-spending his inheritance on the horses, the dogs and the 'Fruit on a Pizza' company.
With Kerry Godliman, Dara O Briain, Russell Howard, Hugh Dennis, Russell Kane, Rufus Hound, Alun Cochrane, Dominic Frisby, Paul Thorne, Martin Coyote and Barunka O'Shaughnessy.
An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00r9y72)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
FRIDAY 19 MARCH 2010
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00r915b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00r93vx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00r919v)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00r926l)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00r928d)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00r92jk)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00r92pp)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Gordon Gray.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00r934f)
The RSPCA says animal welfare should be considered by council planners debating the dairy in Lincolnshire that could be home to 8,000 dairy cows. Also after 15 years, and seven million trees, The National Forest has been hailed a success.
After farmers voiced their concerns about a change to British Summer Time, an expert from the Greenwich Observatory gives Charlotte Smith a potted history of daylight saving.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00r93b7)
With John Humphrys and Sarah Montague. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00r8h99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00r93vz)
Chopin: Prince of the Romantics
Episode 5
Adam Zamoyski's biography of the brief but eventful life of the great Romantic composer Frederic Chopin, from Polish child prodigy to Paris dandy, his turbulent relationship with George Sand and his early death, penniless in Paris.
As Paris is shaken by revolution, Chopin seeks refuge in Scotland, where he is forced to fend off the attentions of several well-meaning 'Scottish Ladies'. Returning to Paris, his health deteriorates rapidly and, relying on the benevolence and support of his friends, he retreats to his apartment, where he begins to make plans for his own sumptuous funeral.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00rghqp)
Celibacy in the Catholic Church; Jesca Hoop
A discussion on the allegations of abuse within the Catholic Church. Plus songwriter Jesca Hoop, and novelist Patricia Duncker on The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq8)
The Cloths Of Heaven
Episode 5
Sue Eckstein's dramatisation of her own novel, set in West Africa.
After a fleeting but cathartic affair, Rachel returns to face her lover, Kamal.
Daniel ...... Matthew Pidgeon
Rachel ...... Ruth Gemmell
Kamal ...... Raad Rawi
Alec ...... David Robb
Diana ...... Briony McRoberts
Ibraima ...... Damian Lynch
Patrick ...... Bruce Alexander
Isobel ...... Joanna Monro
Newpin ...... Nigel Hastings.
FRI 11:00 China, Britain and the Nunzilla Conundrum (b00rbpb4)
China - manufacturer of Nunzilla the fire-breathing nun, the Egyptian mummy-shaped elastic band holder Mummified Mike, and the Dashboard Jesus.
Britain - home of the creative types who send these ironic, sometimes blasphemous, novelty gift designs to the Chinese for manufacture.
What do these throwaway gifts tell us about our own society and our relationship with China? While our economic relationship flourishes, our respective cultures remain poles apart.
Writer and comedian Anna Chen follows a novelty toy from design through manufacture to the gift shops. Workers on the production lines in a south Chinese factory give their take on what on earth it is they're making and British designers try their best to deconstruct the joke.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
FRI 11:30 Jeeves - Live! (b008hz76)
Series 1
Fixing It for Freddie
Martin Jarvis plays Bertie Wooster, Jeeves and an array of other PG Wodehouse characters.
Bertie describes his attempts to reunite his chum Freddie with ex-fiancee Elizabeth. When things go wrong, will Jeeves shimmer to the rescue?
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00r97pv)
Ever hired a car and had your credit card hit with extra charges long after the holiday? The EC tells us that it's clamping down on sharp practices in the industry.
Blockbuster video is up for sale - could the chain disappear from the UK altogether?
Bournemouth's artificial surf reef. Surfers say the waves aren't rolling in - and nor are the tourists.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00r97vq)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00r97xg)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00rbq34)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00r9syx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00rbq36)
Final Demands
The Distinguished Thing
Series of plays by Frederic Raphael reuniting the characters from his novel The Glittering Prizes, which followed the fortunes of scholarship boy Adam Morris and his contemporaries at Cambridge University in the early 1950s.
Adam and the friends and enemies who started out together as Cambridge undergraduates find that it's now 50 years since they set out on their winding, interlocking paths. But it's Adam's brother Derek who holds the key to how the story ends.
Adam Morris ...... Tom Conti
Barbara Morris ...... Barbara Kellermann
Rachel Morris ...... Flora Montgomery
Alan Parks ...... Alistair McGowan
Derek Morris ...... Adrian Lukis
Mike Clode ...... Mark Wing-Davey
Lars Waring ...... Ian Kelly
Terry Slater ...... Stephen Mangan
Tom Morris ...... Rupert Degas
Bernice ...... Georgina Rich
Anna Cunningham ...... Emily Richard
Produced by Jo Wheeler
Directed by Pete Atkin
An Above the Title production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00rbs13)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.
Bob Flowerdew, Bunny Guinness and Matthew Wilson answer questions posed by the gardeners in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.
The programme visits the UK's first commercial olive growers, and report on new plant varieties from the British Plant Fair.
Includes gardening weather forecast.
FRI 15:45 A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping (b00r9ts9)
Episode 10
Jolyon Jenkins investigates how accountants shaped the modern world, and looks at accountancy as obfuscation.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00rbs15)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00rbs17)
Francine Stock travels to Ealing studios to visit the set of Gurinder Chadha's new film, It's a Wonderful Afterlife.
Australian Aboriginal director Warwick Thornton on his debut film Samson and Delilah.
A tour of the oldest working cinema in the UK, The Electric in Birmingham.
Colin Shindler looks back at a key year in British cinema, 1960, which saw the release of films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Peeping Tom.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00r9tvm)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00r9vzd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00rbs19)
Series 30
Episode 3
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present a satirical review of the week's news, with help from Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, Mitch Benn and Marcus Brigstocke.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00r9syz)
After Kate comments on how grown up Pip looks these days, David is shocked to find a bottle of vodka in Pip's bag. Pip protests that she's going to a party and has to take an offering, but David's furious that she's buying (or being bought) strong alcohol at such a young age. He stops her allowance immediately.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00r9xbm)
In the Land of the Free is a new documentary film which examines the story of three inmates of Angola Prison, Louisiana. One has now been released, and the remaining two are in their 38th year of solitary confinement for a crime the film claims they didn't commit. Director Vadim Jean and the released prisoner Robert King discuss the case of the 'Angola 3'.
The director Rupert Goold made his name directing Patrick Stewart in Macbeth and is the director of Enron and Oliver!, both currently running in London's West End. Now he is making his RSC debut with a production of Romeo and Juliet. Sarah Churchwell reviews.
The Fluid Piano is an acoustic piano that can be tuned, even while it is being played, to use all sorts of musical intervals that have not been possible on the normal piano for the last 250 years. Jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph tries out this new instrument and meets its inventor Geoff Smith.
The rise of the celebrity writer - and authors becoming celebrities in their own right - mean book signings can attract thousands of people. Booksellers now have to handle paparazzi, crowd control and diva demands. Front Row goes behind the scenes at book signings with Sharon Osbourne and Jacqueline Wilson.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00r9xq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00rbs1c)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Leeds.
The panellists are associate editor of the Daily Telegraph Simon Heffer, secretary of state for children, schools and families Ed Balls, shadow foreign secretary William Hague and Green Party Parliamentary candidate Bea Campbell.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00rbs1f)
Simon Schama looks forward to spring with personal reflections on the changing seasons, and commends Geoffrey Chaucer's upbeat opinion of April compared with TS Eliot's more pessimistic view.
FRI 21:00 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00rbs1h)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)
Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum, presents an omnibus edition of five further items in his history of humanity as told through the objects it has made. Today he investigates the impact on human society of large numbers of people coming together in the world's first cities between 5000 and 2000 BC. As they did so, they developed new trade links, the first handwriting, and new forms of leadership and beliefs.
All of these innovations are present in Neil's first object; a small label made of hippo ivory that was attached to the sandal that one of the earliest known kings of Egypt, King Den, took his grave. The label not only depicts the king in battle against unknown foes but also boasts the first writing in this history of the world - hieroglyphs that describe the king and his military conquests. Is this just the first indication that there would never be civilisation without war
For his second item, Neil considers a set of mosaics from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, now in Southern Iraq. The Standard of Ur shows powerful images of battle and regal life and remains remarkably well preserved given its fourand a half thousand year old history. Contributors include sociologist Anthony Giddens, on the growing sophistication of societies at this time, and the archaeologist Lamia Al-Gailani who considers what Ancient Mesopotamia means to the people of modern day Iraq.
Neil then moves on to the ancient city of Harappa which lies around 150 miles north of Lahore in Pakistan. It was once one of the great centres of a civilisation that has largely disappeared, one with vast trade connections and boasting several of the world's first cities. At a time when another great civilisation was being forged along the banks of the river Nile in Egypt, Neil MacGregor investigates this much less well-known civilisation on the banks of the Indus Valley. He introduces us to a series of little stone seals that are four-and-a-half thousand years old, covered in carved images of animals and probably used in trade. The civilisation built over100 cities, some with sophisticated sanitation systems, big scale architecture and even designed around a modern grid layout. The great modern architect Sir Richard Rogers considers the urban planning of the Indus Valley, while the historian Nayanjot Lahiri looks at how this lost civilisation is remembered - by both modern India and Pakistan.
In Britain, at that time, life was much simpler, although trade links with Europe were well established. For his next item, Neil tells the story of a beautiful piece of jade, shaped into an axe head. It is about 6000 years old and was discovered near Canterbury in Kent but was made in the high Alps. He tells the story of how this object may have been used and traded and how its source was cunningly traced to the heart of Europe
And for his final item in this programme, Neil celebrates the arrival of writing into our history - with a 5000 year old clay tablet from Mesopotamia that deals not in poetry but in describing the local beer. The philosopher John Searle describes what the invention of writing does for the human mind and Britain's top civil servant, Gus O'Donnell, considers the tablet as an example of possibly the earliest bureaucracy
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00r9xsb)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00r9xv8)
National and international news and analysis with Carolyn Quinn and Robin Lustig.
Strikes by BA cabin crew will go ahead, as last-ditch talks fail.
Robin Lustig reports from Rio's favelas and talks to Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim.
How Rome is responding to the mounting problems of the Catholic Church.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00rm4b0)
Solar
Episode 5
Hugh Bonneville reads from Ian McEwan's new novel.
After the accidental death of a colleague, Professor Michael Beard has stolen the young scientist's files on solar energy and framed his ex-wife's lover for murder. It is now five years later.
Abridged by Barry Johnston.
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00rbky9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00r9y74)
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
10:45 MON (b00r9xs2)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b00r9xs2)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 TUE (b00r9xq2)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (b00r9xq2)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 WED (b00r9xq4)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b00r9xq4)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (b00r9xq6)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b00r9xq6)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (b00r9xq8)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b00r9xq8)
A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping
15:45 MON (b00r9ts1)
A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping
15:45 TUE (b00r9ts3)
A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping
15:45 WED (b00r9ts5)
A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping
15:45 THU (b00r9ts7)
A Brief History of Double Entry Book-keeping
15:45 FRI (b00r9ts9)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (b00rbky9)
A Good Read
23:00 FRI (b00rbky9)
A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto
11:30 TUE (b00rb29b)
A History of the World in 100 Objects
21:00 FRI (b00rbs1h)
A Point of View
08:50 SUN (b00r7rg8)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (b00rbs1f)
Afternoon Reading
19:45 SUN (b008kf0m)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 TUE (b00rb372)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 WED (b00rb374)
Afternoon Reading
15:30 THU (b00rb376)
Am I Normal?
21:00 TUE (b00rbkyk)
Am I Normal?
16:30 WED (b00rbkyk)
Americana
19:15 SUN (b00r90fm)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (b00r5g6x)
Analysis
20:30 MON (b00rb1xt)
Another Case of Milton Jones
18:30 THU (b00rbnmk)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b00r8b20)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b00r7rg6)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b00rbs1c)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b00rl155)
Archive on 4
15:00 MON (b00rl155)
As BBC World Service
01:00 WED (b00r926g)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b00r8d5h)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b00r8d5h)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (b00rb1xm)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 MON (b00rggyv)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 TUE (b00rm4bd)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 WED (b00rm49w)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 THU (b00rm49y)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 FRI (b00rm4b0)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b00r3yk8)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (b00r93pj)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (b00r93pj)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (b00r93pg)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (b00r93pg)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (b00r93vv)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (b00r93vv)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (b00r93vx)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (b00r93vx)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (b00r93vz)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b00r8h95)
Cadbury is Our Longbridge
11:00 WED (b00rblc1)
Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature
11:30 THU (b00rbn88)
China, Britain and the Nunzilla Conundrum
11:00 FRI (b00rbpb4)
Classic Serial
21:00 SAT (b00r33y7)
Classic Serial
15:00 SUN (b00r907w)
Costing the Earth
21:00 MON (b00rb1xw)
Costing the Earth
13:30 THU (b00rb1xw)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (b00r8h99)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (b00r8h99)
Document
20:00 MON (b00rb1xr)
Drama
14:15 MON (b00rb16l)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b00rb2sx)
Drama
14:15 WED (b00rblt9)
Drama
14:15 THU (b00rbn8b)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b00rbq36)
Earls of the Court
23:00 WED (b00rbmgt)
Excess Baggage
10:00 SAT (b00r8b1h)
Fags, Mags and Bags
11:30 WED (b00rblt5)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b00r8b17)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b00r934h)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b00r9347)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b00r9349)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b00r934c)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b00r934f)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (b00r7rft)
Feedback
13:30 FRI (b00rbq34)
File on 4
17:00 SUN (b00r66v2)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b00rbkyf)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b00r8b1p)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:00 THU (b00rbn86)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b00r9xq0)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (b00r9xbf)
Front Row
19:15 WED (b00r9xbh)
Front Row
19:15 THU (b00r9xbk)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b00r9xbm)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b00r7rfy)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b00rbs13)
Home Planet
15:00 TUE (b00rb2sz)
I've Never Seen Star Wars
18:30 TUE (b00rbkyc)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (b00rbmrx)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (b00rbmrx)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b00rbkyh)
Jeeves - Live!
11:30 FRI (b008hz76)
Just a Minute
12:00 SUN (b00r5fk4)
Just a Minute
18:30 MON (b00rb1xp)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b00r7rg0)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b00rbs15)
Law in Action
16:00 TUE (b00rbky7)
Law in Action
20:00 THU (b00rbky7)
Lent Talks
00:30 SUN (b00r7lpv)
Lent Talks
20:45 WED (b00rbly1)
Living Books
11:00 MON (b00r9yd8)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b00r8bl1)
Material World
16:30 THU (b00rbn8d)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b00r7s9g)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (b00r8cxw)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (b00r919l)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (b00r9154)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (b00r9156)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (b00r9158)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b00r915b)
Midweek
09:00 WED (b00rbl6g)
Midweek
21:30 WED (b00rbl6g)
Money Box Live
15:00 WED (b00rbltc)
Money Box
12:00 SAT (b00r8b1r)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b00r8b1r)
Moral Maze
22:15 SAT (b00r7lps)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (b00rblxz)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b00r7s9q)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b00r8d5f)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b00r92jp)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b00r92jc)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b00r92jf)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b00r92jh)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b00r92jk)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b00r8d5k)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b00r7s9x)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b00r8d8x)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b00r8df0)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b00r8bmr)
News
13:00 SAT (b00r8b1w)
Nick Mohammed in Quarters
23:15 WED (b00h3612)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (b00r8d8s)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (b00r90cd)
Open Book
16:00 THU (b00r90cd)
PM
17:00 SAT (b00r8bks)
PM
17:00 MON (b00r9tvr)
PM
17:00 TUE (b00r9tvf)
PM
17:00 WED (b00r9tvh)
PM
17:00 THU (b00r9tvk)
PM
17:00 FRI (b00r9tvm)
Party
18:30 WED (b00rblxx)
Peer Review in the Dock
21:00 THU (b00ctk01)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b00r90cq)
Poetry Please
23:30 SAT (b00r341v)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (b00r90cg)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b00r7s9s)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b00r92ty)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b00r92ph)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b00r92pk)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b00r92pm)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b00r92pp)
Profile
19:00 SAT (b00r8bl3)
Profile
05:45 SUN (b00r8bl3)
Profile
17:40 SUN (b00r8bl3)
Quote... Unquote
23:00 SAT (b00r5dlm)
Quote... Unquote
13:30 MON (b00rb16j)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:55 SUN (b00r8d91)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b00r8d91)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b00r8d91)
Ramblings
06:07 SAT (b00r8b15)
Ramblings
15:00 THU (b00r8b15)
Revealing the Mind Bender General
21:00 WED (b00jd5pw)
Rory Bremner's International Satirists
23:00 MON (b00rb1xy)
Saturday Drama
14:30 SAT (b00pn34n)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b00r8b1f)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b00r8bl5)
Scrooby Trevithick
23:00 THU (b00rbnmp)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b00r7s9l)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (b00r8d59)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b00r926q)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b00r926d)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b00r926j)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b00r926l)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b00r7s9j)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b00r7s9n)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b00r8bkv)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b00r8d57)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b00r8d5c)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b00r90cj)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b00r91mx)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b00r92j9)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b00r919n)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b00r9286)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b00r919q)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b00r9288)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b00r919s)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b00r928b)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b00r919v)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b00r928d)
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
23:00 TUE (b00yb422)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b00r8bkz)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b00r90cn)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b00r9w44)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b00r9vz4)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b00r9vz7)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b00r9vzb)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b00r9vzd)
Sneakiepeeks
11:30 MON (b00pfv03)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b00r8d8q)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b00r8d8q)
Soul Music
15:30 SAT (b00r6029)
Soul Music
13:30 TUE (b00rb2sv)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (b00r9y85)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (b00r9y85)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b00r8dfz)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b00r8d8z)
The Alps
11:00 TUE (b00rb298)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b00r8h97)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b00r90fk)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b00r90fk)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b00r9syq)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b00r9syq)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b00r9sys)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b00r9sys)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b00r9syv)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b00r9syv)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b00r9syx)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b00r9syx)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b00r9syz)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (b00r7n2r)
The Bottom Line
20:30 THU (b00rbnmm)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b00r7rg2)
The Film Programme
16:30 FRI (b00rbs17)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b00r8h9c)
The Food Programme
16:00 MON (b00r8h9c)
The Long View
09:00 TUE (b00rb1zt)
The Long View
21:30 TUE (b00rb1zt)
The Media Show
13:30 WED (b00rblt7)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (b00r2fh8)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (b00rbs19)
The Secrets of the Art and the Artist: Caravaggio
14:45 SUN (b00r8jcx)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (b00r8b1m)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b00r8h9h)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b00r9y21)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b00r9xv2)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b00r9xv4)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b00r9xv6)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b00r9xv8)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (b00r7l7g)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b00rbltf)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (b00r9y76)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (b00r9y6y)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (b00r9y70)
Today in Parliament
23:30 THU (b00r9y72)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (b00r9y74)
Today
07:00 SAT (b00r8b1c)
Today
06:00 MON (b00r93pd)
Today
06:00 TUE (b00r93b1)
Today
06:00 WED (b00r93b3)
Today
06:00 THU (b00r93b5)
Today
06:00 FRI (b00r93b7)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b00r7t9k)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b00r8b19)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b00r8b1t)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b00r8bkx)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b00r8d8v)
Weather
07:58 SUN (b00r8ddy)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b00r8h9f)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b00r90cl)
Weather
21:58 SUN (b00r90hs)
Weather
05:57 MON (b00r9y83)
Weather
12:57 MON (b00r97x6)
Weather
21:58 MON (b00r9xv0)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b00r97vf)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b00r9xs4)
Weather
12:57 WED (b00r97vj)
Weather
21:58 WED (b00r9xs6)
Weather
12:57 THU (b00r97vn)
Weather
21:58 THU (b00r9xs8)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b00r97vq)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b00r9xsb)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b00r90hv)
When Cassius Met The Beatles
10:30 SAT (b00r8b1k)
When I Grow Up
09:30 TUE (b00rb1zw)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b00r8bkq)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b00r97nt)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b00rghs1)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b00rghqk)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b00rghqm)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b00rghqp)
Women of the New Wave
13:30 SUN (b00r8hhz)
World at One
13:00 MON (b00r97xj)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b00r97x8)
World at One
13:00 WED (b00r97xb)
World at One
13:00 THU (b00r97xd)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b00r97xg)
You and Yours
12:00 MON (b00r97qc)
You and Yours
12:00 TUE (b00r97pn)
You and Yours
12:00 WED (b00r97pq)
You and Yours
12:00 THU (b00r97ps)
You and Yours
12:00 FRI (b00r97pv)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b00r7s9v)