The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
In a specially-commissioned coda, the acclaimed author describes how the increasingly threatened and fragile marine ecology has turned him into an environmental campaigner in Western Australia.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
Why some listeners have been experiencing a rush of euphoria after losing their jobs. And - in Budget week - Hugh Pym reads "Your News".
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
To celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Dickens, Helen Mark visits the Medway towns to find out how important a part the Kent landscape played in Dickens' life and works. Except London - no part of the British Isles features more prominently in Dickens' life than Kent. "Kent Sir - Everybody knows Kent - apples, cherries, hops and women" Mr Jingle, Pickwick Papers. Anyone who's ever thumbed through the likes of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or The Pickwick Papers will know that the landscape and people of 19th Century Kent provided rich pickings for Dickens. In particular, the clutch of towns around the River Medway including Chatham and Rochester are referenced frequently in Dickens' works. It was growing up here that the author was at his happiest, stockpiling memories he would recycle in later years. Presented by Helen Mark and Produced by Anna Varle.
Farmers are leaving their fields empty rather than risk growing crops, as the drought means that they will not have enough water to irrigate. Anna Hill meets Suffolk farmers James Thorp who is deciding to leave 25% of his crops fallow.
Charlotte Smith visits David Shepherd, a Worcestershire farmer who is changing his business to try and mitigate against drought problems. Chris Atkinson from East Malling Research in Kent explains how intensive pear growing can be married with sustainable water use.
And Dr Adrian Charlton from the Food and Environment Research Agency is racing to develop new drought and disease resistant peas for farmers in the future.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Emma Weatherill.
With John Humphrys and James Naughtie. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Mark Miodownik, Luke Wright, literacy champion Sue Chapman, saved by a Labradoodle, Chas Hodges Daytrip, Sarah Millican
Richard Coles with materials scientist Professor Mark Miodownik, poet Luke Wright, Sue Chapman who learned to read and write in her sixties, Maurice Holder whose life was saved by his dog, JP Devlin takes a Daytrip with Chas Hodges from Rockney duo Chas 'n' Dave, and the Inheritance Tracks of comedian Sarah Millican.
John McCarthy takes a look at family travel with novelist Gill Lewis, who has taken her daughters spotting wildlife both abroad and in Scotland and Cornwall and Ben Hatch who toured Britain with his young children. And holiday lettings agent Wendy Shand explains how self-catering holidays can be more child friendly.
The Royal Collection is one of the most wide-ranging collections of art and artefacts in the world and provides an intriguing insight into the minds of the Monarchs who assembled it.
In this series, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz encounters dozens of these unique objects - some priceless, others no more than souvenirs - each shedding light on our relationship with the monarchy and giving a glimpse into the essential ingredients of a successful sovereign.
In this programme, Will looks beyond these island shores to see the Monarchy as a global force. The monarch was a symbol of imperial expansion, in the form of the British Empire, for 300 years. But Will begins with the current reign, which has seen a retreat from Empire and the development of the modern Commonwealth, exemplified in the Royal Collection by a small woven cloth made with yarn spun by Gandhi, which contains an anti-imperial message written in Hindi. Centuries ago, the Queen's predecessor and namesake, Elizabeth I, presided over the very beginning of England's experiment in empire. We see the world as she understood it, in the form of an early atlas. As he explores Britain's involvement in world affairs Will examines a shard of wood from the coffin of George Washington, a print of a merino ram which illustrates George III's impact on the Australian wool trade, and a brightly painted chess set, presented to the Duke of Edinburgh by President Mandela in 1996.
Each of these objects has its own story to tell and each reveals another aspect to the art of monarchy.
The chancellor unveiled his budget this week where unusually much of the content was leaked in advance except for the change in taxation for the over 65s which has caused a furore.
Duncan Hames Liberal Democrat and Claire Perry Conservative discuss whose ideas really won the day, while Ruth Porter from the IEA and Baroness Greengross who chairs the all party committee on Intergenerational Futures, discuss the elephant in the room -the measure affecting pensioners that didn't get leaked and has proved very controversial.
Part of government policy which did not get a mention in the budget was Quantitative Easing the process by which the Bank of England pumps money into the economy to try and promote growth. It's a technical subject not often debated, but should we know more about it given that it can have adverse effects for savers and pensioners?
Jesse Norman a Conservative member of the Treasury Select Committee and Kitty Ussher formerly on the Labour government Treasury team think the issue needs to be more widely considered.
The Scotland Bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords, but is it going to stop independence in its tracks? Lord Forsyth Conservative says it's unlikely Liberal Democrat Lord Steel thinks it will.
Afghans enjoy New Year celebrations but Lyse Doucet finds they are concerned about what the months ahead may bring
John James travels to the west African state of Guinea-Bissau and finds unexpected charms amidst its shadows
The Burmese are finding out that recent reforms in their country have encouraged tourists to return. Caroline Hawley has been seeing what it has to offer the international visitor
The Egyptians are preparing to vote for a new president and Jon Leyne has been finding out there are hundreds of people who feel they should have the job
Gavin Esler meets Chancellor Merkel in Berlin and considers to what extent Germans feel obliged to help the poorer nations of southern Europe.
On Money Box with Paul Lewis: number crunching the budget. What it means for parents and pensioners. And what about the pasty tax? Lenders have come under pressure to do more to tackle mortgage fraud by making sure that the solicitors working for them are bona fide. But new rules at HSBC are frustrating customers who claim that their bid to buy a house is being slowed down, costing more and in some cases putting the whole process at risk. Changes by some insurers over driving under the influence of drink and drugs have caused confusion. Should insurers have a zero tolerance level to alcohol or drug consumption when considering when to withdraw cover?
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis with topical, comical sketches and stand up with Jon Holmes, Nathan Caton, Mitch Benn and Laura Shavin.
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a discussion of news and politics from Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe with Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves; Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude; Editor of The New Statesman, Jason Cowley; and Editor of Conservative Home, Tim Montgomerie.
Listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?
This Simon Gray dark comedy was his most successful and - many claim - best-loved play. A London publisher tries to enjoy a Saturday at home listening to Wagner. But will his infuriating friends and relations let him? With JAMES PUREFOY, HATTIE MORAHAN & NIGEL PLANER.
Cookery writer Claudia Roden talks about her new book Food of Spain. MasterChef winner Shelina Permaloo on how it feels to be only the second female winner in a decade. Looking after the kids or going out to work - we hear from the slightly guilty, the perfectly happy and those who have to juggle just to get by. How might things change for women under a new Archbishop of Canterbury? Professor Frances Ashcroft talks about the work that's won her an award for an outstanding contribution to science. Plus music from Katy B
Producer - Ruth Watts.
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. The programme is broadcast first on BBC Radio 4 and later on BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News TV and BBC News Channel TV.
Evan's executive panel talk about decision making using examples from their professional life. A chance to see what their jobs consist of and a chance too to think about how we all make choices, for better or worse. They also swap thoughts on stress - their own and that of their employees.
Joining Evan are Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of advertising and media company WPP; David Jones, global chief executive of France-based advertising group Havas; Nicola Horlick, chairman of investment fund Rockpool Investments.
Nicholas Parsons, Eve Myles and Iain Glen. Jo Bunting chats to Gemma Malley. Music from Los Campesinos! and The Dirt Daubers
As Just A Minute celebrates 45 years Clive Anderson is joined by actor, presenter and Radio 4 darling, Nicholas Parsons. Actor Eve Myles (Former Wales on Sunday Bachelorette of the Year) offloads about her angst-fuelled new stage comedy, All New People. Iain Glen discusses frustrated longing in Chekhov's enduring masterpiece Uncle Vanya and teen fiction author Gemma Malley considers the phenomena of dystopian futures and kickass heroines with Jo Bunting . Music comes from hillbilly / hokum trio The Dirt Daubers and indie popsters Los Campesinos!
Rosie Goldsmith profiles Dame Edna Everage, one of entertainment's most colourful characters . Dame Edna stepped into the public spotlight in 1950s as a dowdy Melbourne housewife. Over the years her popularity has soared and she has turned into a flamboyant "gigastar". She is known for her outlandish outfits, her wit and her derision of the cult of celebrity. But she is soon to leave the stage - her forthcoming tour of the UK will be her last. . Her manager, Barry Humphries, the man behind the creation of Dame Edna's stage persona, said "she's a little weary of touring and strange hotels".
Tom Sutcliffe and his guests actress Fiona Shaw, playwright Mark Ravenhill and writer Susan Jeffreys review the week's cultural highlights including The Master and Margarita.
The Master and Margarita is Simon McBurney's theatrical adaptation of the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. The ambitious Complicite production at the Barbican stars Paul Rhys as both The Master - a writer driven mad by the opposition to his unpublished novel - and Satan, who visits 1930s Moscow with his demonic retinue.
In Greg Baxter's debut novel The Apartment the narrator is an American veteran of the Iraqi War who has moved to an unnamed northern European city. Over the course of a freezing winter day he and Saskia - who may or may not be his girlfriend - cross the city, trying to find him an apartment. As the day progresses his memories of his time in Iraq begin to indicate why he has moved to an unfamiliar city where he can find anonymity.
Jean- Pierre and Luc Dardenne's film The Kid With A Bike won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last year. It stars Thomas Doret as an 11 year old who is abandoned in a children's home by his father, but is befriended by a hairdresser ( Cecile de France) who he runs into by chance. He is single-minded in his desire to track down both his father and his bike.
Kensington Palace in London is a royal residence which has just reopened its public areas following a £12 million renovation programme. Among the improvements is a permanent exhibition - Victoria Revealed - which traces the monarch's life in her own words from her childhood in the house, to her first meeting with her Privy Council as monarch in the Red Saloon and her first sight of Prince Albert on the staircase. There have also been major changes to the exhibits in the King's and Queen's State Apartments.
The Syndicate is a new 5 part drama for BBC1 by Kay Mellor. It focuses on a group of five supermarket workers in Leeds who win £18 million on the lottery. It stars Timothy Spall and each of the five episodes is from the viewpoint of one of the winners.
Since Irving Teibel created his Environments label in the US in the late 1960s, recorded natural sound has been a commercial proposition, sought by city-dwellers to re-kindle elemental connections. And his recordings of rain falling in pine forests or sleepy lagoons, thunderstorms, waves crashing and birds singing were deemed significant enough for NASA to send into space on Voyager in 1977. A decade later in the UK, Duncan Macdonald launched WildSounds - initially to teach people to distinguish different birdsongs, but soon adding 'atmospheres' from the Amazon or the African veldt.
Christine Finn explores the appeal of recorded natural sound and how it's been manipulated by musicians since the first live broadcast of birdsong in 1924, when the cellist Beatrice Harrison duetted with a nightingale in her garden. When sound engineer Quentin Howard was launching Classic FM in 1992, he used a loop of birdsong recorded in his garden. Radio Birdsong drew appreciative comments from listeners who claimed it relaxed them. Psychologist Eleanor Ratcliffe is investigating why natural sounds hold this appeal.
Finn explores the boundaries between natural sound and ambient music, and hears from musician Kit Watkins how living in the mountains of Virginia caused him to use the natural sounds around him in his compositions; she meets Matthew Herbert, whose album One Pig uses natural sound of a different kind to trace the life of a pig, from birth to plate.
Finn discovers there's a lot more to recorded natural sound than just whale music, but also finds that whale music, far from simply wafting among New Age crystals, played a major role in launching the conservation movement of the 70s.
Having been forced to flee the Nazis, Anna and her family have now arrived in London.
Both Anna and her brother Max face the challenges of life as refugees rather better than their parents.
Anna ... Anna Madeley
Max ... Adam Billington
Mama ... Adjoa Andoh
Papa ... Paul Moriarty
Dainty ... Thelma Ruby
Louise ... Susan Engel
Mrs. Hammond ... Joanna Monro
Mrs. Riley ... Ann Beach
Barbara ... Tracy Wiles
Cotmore ... Gerard McDermott
George ... Harry Livingstone
Otto ... Jack Holden
Sam ... Malcolm Tierney
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
It's budget week and as usual the papers are dominated by stories of people who, depending on your perspective, are being taxed too much, or those who are not being taxed enough. How and who we tax and how we spend the proceeds is a profoundly moral equation. The current debate over tax avoidance is a perfect example. Tax avoidance (unlike evasion) is perfectly legal, but, according to many politicians and campaigners, it's immoral - a case of the very rich not paying their fair share because they can afford to hire creative tax accountants, while the rest of us good citizens struggle to make ends meet. The rich are different from you and me but why should we require some people to live by a different moral standard just because of the size of their bank balance and where will it lead if we start saying that people who obey the law are acting immorally none the less? At the root of these arguments is our attitude to wealth and with it strong undercurrents of envious wealth-bashing on one side, and contempt for benefit-scrounging underclass idleness on the other. Is wealth moral good, or morally negative? Are our taxes the legitimate price we pay for living in a civilised society that cares for the less well off or an unfair levy on hard work - a form of state sponsored altruism in the name of an artificially constructed version of social solidarity? Is the moral imperative of taxation to be compassionate through the ways in which the state disperses wealth by giving it to the less than productive, or to create as much wealth as possible in the first place without which no-one benefits?
Witnesses: Dr Jamie Whyte - former Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, now works in the financial services sector; Paul Morrison - Public Issues Policy Advisor for the Methodist Church in England; Philip Booth - Editorial & Programme Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs and Professor of Insurance & Risk Management at Cass Business School; Richard Murphy - Tax Research UK.
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Matthew Taylor, Melanie Phillips, Claire Fox and Clifford Longley.
Coming this week from Swansea University, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones. It's recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and Lady Gaga... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
Roger McGough is joined on stage by Harriet Walter, John MacKay, Guy Paul and the poet Paul Henry to read poetry requests on the theme of listening and sounds. Coming live from St George's Hall in Bristol as part of the Radio 4 'More than Words' listening festival.
Poetry is meant to be heard, and Roger has been gathering requests for poems that celebrate the wonder of listening. The results may well include favourites like The Listeners by Walter de la Mare, poems about music, birdsong and the weather. But there will be surprises and new discoveries to tantalise or please the ear, and perhaps the heart too. Paul Henry will read his moving poem The Black Guitar and hears his request 'Counting the Beats' by Robert Graves.
SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b01dn9vv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Bath Festival Stories, Series 3 (b01dtfs9)
The One I Saw
This year's Radio 4 stories from the Bath Literature Festival are all are written by women in the West Country, with women at their heart, recorded on stage on International Women's Day. They all have a slightly edgy feel to them, too, as ghosts, shadows and strange events unfold. In the final story in the series, The One I Saw, by award-winning novelist Patricia Ferguson, two strange and disturbing events separated by many years bring about a profound moment of understanding.
Producer: Sara Davies.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9vx)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 02:00 As BBC World Service (b01dtg4b)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9vz)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b01dn9w1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b01dtfsc)
The bells of St. Leonard's Church, Hythe in Kent.
SUN 05:45 Lent Talks (b01dht2t)
Martin Wroe
Writer and journalist, Martin Wroe, Martin Wroe explores the ethics of virtue where the individual is at its most divine when working in community.
In the wake of political and social reactions to the financial crisis, austerity measures and the riots of 2011, debate continues to determine the role of the individual and society. The 2012 Lent Talks consider the relationship between the individual and the collective. Is each person one alone or one of many? Is it the human condition to be self-contained or to belong to the family, the tribe, the congregation, the nation? We live in groups but our most intense experiences are incommunicable. Jesus shared a communal last supper but he died an outcast, abandoned and rejected by his people, his disciples and (apparently) his Father.
Speakers of this year's talks include Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford University, examines the philosophy of the individual and how this is neglected in many areas of Islam; Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ, explores the agony of the individual in society.
The Christian season of Lent is traditionally a time for self-examination and reflection on universal human conditions such as temptation, betrayal, abandonment, greed, forgiveness and love.
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b01dn9w3)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01dtfsf)
New Life, New Views
Kurdish poet, Choman Hardi, who has just had her first child, explores how children help us to see things in a different, more positive light in 'New Life, New Views'. Choman recalls her return to Iraq to research the effects of the gas attacks by Saddam Hussein's forces against Kurdish villagers and the torture of her brother. And she explains how, through her daughter, she hopes to make a new beginning in a broken world.
Choman reads her own poem, 'My Children', which looks at the way children adapt to new life more easily than their parents, taking on adopted homelands with shocking ease. The programme also includes a beautiful Kurdish lullaby accompanied on the harp and composed by the musician Tara Jaff. Choman talks to the Hungarian-born poet, George Szirtes, about the shift in life perspectives which he's experienced since the arrival of his grandchildren. He reads a poem on the subject, 'The pram in the hall', written especially for the programme.
A thoughtful and illuminating look at how children can help to bring hope and fresh perspectives after even the most difficult experiences.
Producer: Kim Normanton
A Loftus Audio production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b01dtfsh)
Charlotte Smith visits a family farm in the midlands which will be cut in two by the new HS2 High Speed rail link.
John Barnes' family have worked the land near Lichfield for over 90 years. After decades as tenants they saved up enough to buy the land just 10 years ago. Now all the family is involved in running a thriving wedding venue, bustling farm shop, and the farm.
When the HS2 route was first announced, it cut through the meadows; but the revised route takes it through their picturesque Georgian farm house, farm buildings and wedding venue, cutting the farm in half.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Melvin Rickarby.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b01dn9w5)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b01dn9w7)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b01dtfsk)
William Crawley with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories familiar and unfamiliar.
The results of the Apostolic Visitation to Ireland, ordered by Pope Benedict in the wake of the Child Abuse scandal was made public this week. Cardinal Sean Brady gives William his reaction to the findings of the report and Michael Kelly of the Irish Times discusses the public response.
The Church of England launches a report on the future of their schools, William speaks to Rev Jan Ainsworth Chief Education Officer for the Church of England.
After the shooting dead of three children and a teacher at a Jewish school in Toulouse, John Laurenson reports from France on how Jewish and Muslim communities in France are coping and reacting to events and journalist Angela Epstein talks to William about her reaction to the events as a Jewish parent in Manchester.
Kevin Bouquet reports on how, according to a new BBC local radio survey, significant numbers of cathedrals are concerned that they will not be able to fund Cathedral costs in 2 years.
Author Simon Jenkins and Catherine Peppinster, Editor of the Tablet, discuss how Cathedrals should generate more income whilst still being places of worship in the light of the findings of the survey.
Tweeting vicar, Andrew Alden, talks to William about why he has become the first vicar in Britain to use Twitter during a sermon.
As the Pope visits Cuba, BBC Correspondent Sarah Rainsford, reports on the significance of the trip and why this is the pontiff's second visit to Latin America, home to almost half of the world's Catholics.
Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b01dtfsm)
Sport Relief
Angela Rippon presents The Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Sport Relief
Reg Charity: 326568
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Sport Relief.
Give Online www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b01dn9w9)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b01dn9wc)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b01dtfsp)
In the fifth of the Lent series, preacher the Rev Dr Keith Clements reflects on suffering with Sue Mills who was awarded an OBE in the New Year's Honours for services to international development and disaster response. Leader: Andrew Graystone. The Daily Service Singers are directed by Justin Doyle, live from Emmanuel Church Didsbury. Producer: Philip Billson. Download web resources 'the way to freedom' specially written for the series from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website.
SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b01djsg3)
The Fashion for Westerns
David Cannadine recalls the heyday of cinema and television Westerns and wonders if the makers of a big screen adaptation of the Lone Ranger will capture a new audience when the film is released next year. Despite the decline in popularity of the Western, "the appeal of the mythical West has remained a powerful force in American political life."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b01dtfxd)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b01dtfxg)
See daily episodes for detailed synopsis
Writer ..... Carole Simpson Solazzo
Director ..... Jenny Stephens
Editor ..... Vanessa Whitburn
Jill Archer ..... Patricia Greene
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Josh Archer ..... Cian Cheesbrough
Tony Archer ..... Colin Skipp
Pat Archer .... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Debbie Aldridge ..... Tamsin Greig
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Christine Barford ..... Lesley Saweard
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Edward Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Vicky Tucker ..... Rachel Atkins
Alan Franks ..... John Telfer
Usha Franks ..... Souad Faress
Annabelle Shrivener ..... Julia Hills
Jim Lloyd ..... John Rowe
Kylie Richards ..... Leah Brotherhead
Sharon Phillips ..... Celia Nelson.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b01dtg1r)
Jamie Cullum
Kirsty Young's castaway is the jazz pianist and singer Jamie Cullum.
His interview was recorded in front of an audience at St George's in Bristol and launched Radio 4's More Than Words Festival. Despite failing his grade four piano exam and, by his own admission, barely being able to read music, Jamie Cullum has become hugely popular. He is particularly celebrated for his live shows and in this very special recording, he performed three of his musical choices.
Producer: Leanne Buckle.
SUN 12:00 Just a Minute (b01dhn6y)
Series 62
India
Nicholas Parsons takes the show to Mumbai. With Paul Merton, Marcus Brigstocke, Anuvab Pal and Cyrus Broacha. From 2012.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b01dtgbj)
In Praise of Stock
Tim Hayward is not alone in his passion for stock, but there must be few culinary adventurers who take things to the level of his highly developed home routine.
Glasses still steamy from several simmering stockpots, Tim sets off on a journey into the world of stock. On his travels he'll share precious stock secrets, learn from the masters, tell tales of nineteenth-century Uruguay and peek behind the doors of stock-cube heaven.
Producer: Rich Ward.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b01dn9wf)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b01dtgbl)
Shaun Ley presents the latest national and international news, including an in-depth look at events around the world. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.
SUN 13:30 Soul Music (b01c7pqb)
Series 13
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
The powerful song, Non, je ne regrette rien, made famous by Edith Piaf, is this week's Soul Music.
Written in 1960 by Charles Dumont, in a fit of despair, he gave the music to lyricist Michel Vaucaire, but was surprised by the words he wrote. Dumont thought the song should be about war or revolution. Vaucaire explained he wanted to give the song to Edith Piaf. She was living in Paris at the time, having recently finished her 'suicide tour' during which she had collapsed. At that time, Piaf didn't think much of Charles Dumont and tried to cancel their appointment. But on hearing the song, Piaf told Dumont that with this song, she would sing again.
Contributers include;
Charles Dumont who lives in Paris at the same apartment, with the same piano on which he wrote the song in 1960. He plays the song on the very same piano.
Lord Lamont, who became associated with the song when asked by a reporter which he regretted most - talking about the 'green shoots of recovery' or allegedly singing in the bath after the withdrawal of Britain from the Exchange Rate Mechanism. Lamont famously replied 'Je ne regrette rien.'
Christine Bovill, who tours a one-woman show about Piaf's life.
Carolyn Birke, biographer of Piaf.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b01djrpm)
Muckhart, Clackmannanshire
Eric Robson chairs a programme with guest panellist Carole Baxter.
Practical March continues with an in-depth guide to 'Sowing and Planting' ; germination, soil preparation, bare-root planting -all explained.
In addition, will the violet ground beetle help me tackle the New Zealand flatworms in my garden? How can I make use of my moss?
Questions answered in the programme:
Can I combat the New Zealand flatworm problem in my garden with violet ground beetles? How can I encourage them in my garden?
How do I best use my farmyard manure on the veg.bed, fruit trees & flowerbed: Do I dig it in or mulch? At what point do I plant?
Should I prune my Saskatoon bush otherwise known as Amelanchier?
What variety of apple tree might survive the unfavourable conditions in this part of Scotland, with gravely and shallow soil?
Suggestions included: Discovery, Sunset & Fiesta.
Why won't my Skimmia produce berries?
Can you move a well-established Edgeworthia and when?
What is the best way to cultivate an indoor Azalea?
I've a pair of standard roses. One has 5 shoots and the other has 2. Would you graft extra shoots on?
Can you compost moss? How can I keep my border moss-free?
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:45 Lent Talks (b01dht2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:45 today]
SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b01dtgp4)
Out of the Hitler Time
A Small Person Far Away
It's now 1956 and Anna is married and settled in London when she gets a worrying telegram about her mother who has been living back in Berlin for 7 years.
The third book in Judith Kerr's trilogy dramatised by Beaty Rubens.
Anna ... Anna Madeley
Mama ... Adjoa Andoh
Max ... Adam Billington
Konrad ... Simon Treves
Richard ... Carl Prekopp
Hildy ... Sara Kestelman
Nurse ... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ken ... James Lailey
Curator ... Peter Hamilton Dyer
Gunther ... Harry Livingstone
Director: David Hunter
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b01dtgp6)
Mariella Frostrup talks to Marilynne Robinson about her new collection of essays, "When I Was A Child I Read Books", about faith, fiction and what it means to be a human being - themes also present in her award winning novels Gilead and Home. Civilisation: community, justice, faith, education, democracy, care for the environment and for our fellow citizens, all come under her scrutiny and she casts a particularly critical eye over what she perceives as the "march of austerity" sweeping away all that "may be called humane"; in particular as these things are represented in the United States.
What do George Elliot, Raymond Chandler and Annie Proulx have in common? They all published their first novels in their fifties - as has debut novelist Charlotte Rogan, whose novel "The Lifeboat" is published this month to universal praise. She joins Paul Torday who published his first novel "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" when he was 61 to discuss the pros and cons of a mature debut and whether publishers are too preoccupied with the next bright young thing.
And the weird and wonderful things that customers say in bookshops from "Is this book edible?" to "Do you have any crime books involving speeding fines?" to "Do you have any books in this shade of green, to match the wrapping paper I've bought?" Writer and bookseller Jen Campbell on her humorous collection of customers' extraordinary requests - a unique and affectionate insight into the world of bookselling and bookshops.
SUN 16:30 Writing Madness (b01dtgp8)
Vivienne Parry takes her diagnoses of literary heroines into the 20th century and the age of Freud, the Great War and the explosion of the 'sciences of the mind' focusing on three great works of fiction, mixing contemporary psychiatric and literary insight.
How did modern literary and psychiatric ideas meet and how did each shape the other? Do these heroines show literature of the period to be a critical - and even emancipating - force...or is fiction really medicine's stooge? Novels on the couch include Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night and Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway....interestingly with both novels there's a tendency to base the heroines on real people - Nicole Diver is based on the case history of Fitzgerald's own wife Zelda, whereas Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway comes very close in literary terms to what Freud calls 'self-analysis' - one difference is that Woolf sometimes believed 'madness' was necessary to be creative, while Scott Fitzgerald depicted it as disastrous drain on creativity (ie. his). And both novels have the dynamic and lucrative new industry of psychotherapy in their sights. Vivienne compares fiction in the age of Freud to literary ideas of mental health in the Victorian age and in Dickens specifically, using Great Expectations' Miss Havisham as a case study.
Contributors include psychotherapist and essayist Adam Philips, leading psychiatrist Simon Wessely ,cultural historian Lisa Appignanesi and Chris Thompson, psychiatrist and medical director of The Priory
Producer: Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b01dhs17)
A Bridge Too Far?
To the west of Edinburgh, construction of the new £1.5bn Forth road bridge will use steel from Poland, Spain and China.
A local steel plant near Motherwell lost out as part of a consortium bidding for the work. It says the contract could have secured hundreds of local jobs.
Officials insist that they have to follow EU rules which state that any company across the single market can bid for public contracts. But analysts complain that UK authorities interpret these rules more narrowly than their European counterparts, to the detriment of British firms. French public spending goes outside France at only half the rate that British contracts go abroad.
With the economy struggling, the Government has pledged support for British business but accepts that public projects are too often awarded in a way that disadvantages domestic companies. So can it take action to support UK jobs without being accused of protectionism?
Reporter: Gerry Northam
Producer: Gail Champion.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b01dtdc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9wh)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b01dn9wk)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dn9wm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b01dtgpd)
John Waite makes his selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio
India, Russia, the United States.Tooting. John Waite goes globe-trotting for his Pick of the Week programmes on Sunday. He also introduces us to a new Bangladeshi detective, who's the sub-continent's answer to Columbo.
And Dudley Moore puts a British twist on Beethoven by imagining how Colonel Bogey might sound if composed by Germany's genius.
There's also a chance to hear some top Broadway musicals that the public didn't get to see - as they were meant for corporate America; a hymn to higher sales targets.
So, don't miss the showstopper about disposable hospital wear "I never enjoyed an operation more" by joining John for his Pick of the Week this Sunday evening at six fifteen.
Robert Winston's Musical Analysis - Radio 4
Afternoon Drama: The British Club - Radio 4
Just a minute - Radio 4
News Quiz USA - Radio 4
Twenty Minutes: Rainhorse - Radio 3
Open Country - Radio 4
Word of Mouth - Radio 4
Pink Mist - Radio 4
One to One - Radio 4
There is Business like Show Business - Radio 4
The Topping Tooters of the Town - Radio 4
Jonathan Cowap - BBC Radio York
Schubert Diary - Radio 3
Composer of the Week - Radio 3
Dudley Moore's World of Jazz - Radio 2
Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Jessica Treen.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b01dtgpg)
Jill's grateful for Josh's help as they make the first proper inspection of the bee-hives. Josh is growing out of Ruth's beekeeping suit. Jill reckons he'll need his own soon.
On their way to Bridge Farm, Eamon tells Rich that it's not too late to change his mind. Rich assures his dad it's ok. He wants to meet his grandparents.
Helen greets Eamon and Rich and takes them into the kitchen, where Pat and Tony wait anxiously to see Rich again. When Eamon suggests Rich would like to see some photos of his dad, Pat is only too pleased to fetch them.
On a tour of the farm, Pat tells Rich how John started up his own pig business, and shows him the barn where John kept his mobile disco equipment. As Rich goes over to meet Tom, Eamon suggests they all hold back. This is the closest Rich will get to seeing what his father was actually like.
Pat and Tony are pleased when Rich asks if he can take home a photo of his dad. Pat is overwhelmed when Rich hugs her. She and Tony insist he'll be welcome any time. The day has been absolutely wonderful.
SUN 19:15 In and Out of the Kitchen (b016x4sv)
Series 1
April 21st to 25th
Damien is reluctantly drawn into accepting a job for a supermarket's online magazine, whilst Anthony resolves to start the "courgette diet" and lose a few pounds.
More entries from the kitchen diary of cookery writer, Damien Trench - written by and starring Miles Jupp.
In a mixture of narrative, dialogue and recipes, Damien unflinchingly captures every angle of his day-to-day life, "no matter how grizzly or, indeed, how gristly".
The programme also features Damien's easy-to-follow recipes for a simple Lobster Bisque, a comforting Lardy Cake, relaxing Nettle Tea and easy Wiener Schnitzel.
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony ...... Justin Edwards
Geraldine McBeef ...... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Ian Frobisher ...... Philip Fox
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.
SUN 19:45 A Father for My Son (b01dth55)
Episode 3
Jenny Coverack's trilogy A Father for my Son is adapted from her own one-woman stage play, written with Robert Edwards, based on the autobiography and journals of the sculptor Kathleen, Lady Scott. After living in Paris as an art student, and 'vagabonding' around Europe, Kathleen has at last found the man she wants to be the father of the son she longs for: a celebrated, well-dressed, rather ugly explorer with eyes of a startling blue called Captain Robert Falcon Scott. When their son Peter is two, Captain Scott sets off for the South Pole, and Kathleen begins the journal she has promised to keep for him until his return.
With grateful acknowledgement to novelist Louisa Young, for her biography of her grandmother, Kathleen Scott, 'A Great Task of Happiness'.
Kathleen Scott: Jenny Coverack
Captain Robert Falcon Scott: Mark Meadows
Producer: Sara Davies.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b01djsfn)
Who are all those people laughing on Count Arthur Strong's Radio 4 comedy show? Not Feedback listeners who want to know why he's still on air after seven series.
Listeners find all the spin and speculation ahead of Wednesday's budget a turn-off. Can't we just wait until we actually know what the Chancellor is going to say they wonder?
Paddy O'Connell opens the doors of Broadcasting House during a special recording of the programme at the More Than Words Festival in Bristol. But does anyone want to come in?
And are the pauses in The Archers getting longer and what could you fill them with?
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producers: Karen Pirie and Kate Taylor
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b01djsfl)
Matthew Bannister on:
His holiness Pope Shenouda the third, leader of the Coptic church who had to defend his flock in Egypt from violence and persecution.
His Majesty King George Tupou the fifth - the colourful king of Tonga who trained at Sandhurst and introduced democracy to his island people.
Maurice Andre, the virtuoso French trumpeter.
Iran's first successful female novelist Simin Daneshvar
And Chaleo Yoovidhya - the Thai entrepreneur who made billions from the Red Bull energy drink.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b01dtd5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b01dtfsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (b01dhq6g)
War Gaming Iran
Could a hot war with Iran be about to start? Israel could strike against Iran's nuclear facilities; Syria is in revolt; the world is on edge. Edward Stourton probes the West's options.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b01dth57)
Anita Anand talks to the Political Editor of the Economist, Janan Ganesh, about the week ahead at Westminster. They discuss the revelations in the Sunday Times about 'cash for access to Number Ten' and the fallout from the Budget.
The MPs panel has Conservative Mark Field and Labour's Pat McFadden. They debate the 'cash for access' revelations and the Budget.
The BBC's Yorkshire Political Editor, Len Tingle, discusses the Bradford West by election which he has been reporting on.
The Lord Speaker, Frances D'Souza, talks about her role and the prospect of elections to the House of Lords. Baroness D'Souza explains why peers are concerned about the impact of elections on the role of the Lords. She also says why the law may be changed to stop peers who have been in prison returning to the Lords.
Programme Editor: Terry Dignan.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b01dth59)
Episode 96
George Parker of the Financial Times analyses how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories in Westminster and beyond.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b01djr4t)
Francine Stock meets with Jennifer Lawrence to discuss her lead role in The Hunger Games.
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne discuss their new film, The Kid with a Bike.
Director Andrew Haigh on his indie breakthrough hit, Weekend, about an intimate relationship between two men in Nottingham.
Actor Brian Cox does his best impression of Orson Welles and explains why he'll be performing the entire script of 'the greatest film never made', Welles's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Producer: Craig Smith.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01dtfsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 26 MARCH 2012
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b01dn9x8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b01dht2c)
Home at RIBA
What does the idea of home mean to us in Britain? How is that changing, and are those new needs being met? A new economic landscape and an irresistible pressure on housing are changing the way we live. For the first time since the 1980s home ownership is decreasing, more people are renting longer and people are starting to club together in bigger groups.
In a special edition recorded at the Royal Institute of British Architects, Thinking Allowed examines the concept of home and its relationship to housing. Laurie Taylor is joined by an audience of the public and an expert panel: Angela Brady, President of RIBA; the housing economist Susan Smith, Mistress of Gurton College Cambridge; sociologist Esther Dermott from Bristol University and the architectural writer Jonathan Glancey.
The event draws on a series of investigations of listeners' homes in which Laurie Taylor and a team of sociologists have explored the future of private life. It will also reflect on the RIBA exhibition on the history of the British Home, 'A Place to Call Home'.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b01dtfsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9xb)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01dn9xd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9xg)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b01dn9xj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01dtjcb)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b01dtjcd)
Can farming heritage really shape farming future? The Rare Breeds Survival Trust believes old livestock breeds could help in the drive to produce more food, using fewer resources. How dairy farmers are using hi-tech gadgetry to measure how fast the grass is growing and how long a field will feed a herd of cows. And, consumption of goats' milk is close to 20m litres a year for the first time.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling.
MON 05:57 Weather (b01dn9xl)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 06:00 Today (b01dtjcg)
Presented by Evan Davis and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b01dtjcj)
Werner Herzog on Start the Week
On Start the Week Anne McElvoy talks to the filmmaker Werner Herzog about his latest documentary which gazes "into the abyss of the human soul", in its exploration of death row. Liz Mermin delves into the world of particle physics for her latest film venture, spending a year at CERN. While work there continues to try and understand the fundamental laws of nature, Mermin attempts to understand the people behind the experiments. The writer Geoff Dyer obsesses about Tarkovsky's film, Stalker, as a means to look at his own life, and to understand how we discover our deepest wishes. While in his new collection of poetry, Paul Farley, explores 'the art of seeing': weaving the past and the present to highlight those moments glimpsed out of the corner of your eye, and what's hidden in plain sight.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b01dtkj4)
Book of the Week: Escape from Camp 14
Episode 1
Written by Blaine Harden.
Twenty six years ago, Shin Dong Hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. Camp 14 is a 'complete control district' where the only sentence is life.
Prisoners work 15 hour days mining coal, building dams, sewing military uniforms. Beatings and executions are common and they are always hungry. No one born in one of these camps has ever escaped . until Shin. This is his story.
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01dtkj6)
Marriage Week, Women of Auschwitz, Olympic Kayaker
Marriage: why do we still do it? Beginning a week in which we put matrimony under the spotlight, today we look at its history. A Russian journalist discusses the rise of Vladimir Putin, his hold on power, and the risks she is taking by speaking out. We hear from members of British Asian women's groups who are being intimidated in their work to support those affected by forced marriage or honour-based violence. Olympic medal hopeful Rachel Cawthorn goes through her paces for the 500m kayaking event. The first mass transport of women to Auschwitz-Birkenau happened 70 years ago today - we find out what is known about them and their arrival.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Jane Thurlow.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dtkj8)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 1
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Efix is a loyal servant to the Pintor sisters Noemi, Ester and Ruth, the last remnants of a noble family in decline, dishonoured by a sister, Lia, who ran away and driven to poverty by the sudden and mysterious death of their father. Only Efix knows the truth. When he discovers that the sisters have received a telegram from Lia's son, the ghosts of the past emerge.
EFIX.....John Lynch
ZUAN.....Kane Tomlinson Weaver
LIA.....Holliday Grainger
DON ZAME.....Conrad Nelson
KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Series Synopsis:
Efix is a loyal servant to the Pintor sisters Noemi, Ester and Ruth, the last remnants of a noble family in decline. For twenty five years they have lived with the dishonour of a sister Lia who ran away and the poverty brought about by the sudden and mysterious death of their father. Only Efix knows the truth but now with the arrival of Lia's son, their nephew Giacinto, old secrets and unspoken desires surface.
Grazia Deledda wrote thirty-three novels and many books of short stories, almost all set in Sardinia. In 1926, ten years before her death, she became the second woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. She wrote Reeds in the Wind in 1913.
Deledda's characteristic love of the natural landscape and fascination with the folk culture of the island underpins the novel. A dreamlike quality envelops the story where past and present merge. It is a novel full of imagery, of smells, of colour, of light and shade. The religious festivals, the music and the growing love between Giacinto and Grixenda contrast with Efix's frightening visions of the past and the repressed and austere existence of the Pintor sisters in their dilapidated home- a prison of their own making that separates them from the flow of life.
MON 11:00 The Asian Youth Movements (b01dtkjb)
Zaiba Malik tells the story of the Asian Youth Movements.
In the late 1970s, a new generation of Asian youth were coming of age in the UK. They were less prepared to tolerate the discrimination that their parents suffered. They were focused on living in Britain as British people, without the myth of return. So when the National Front told them to "Go Home" their response was "Where is home if not here?"
The murder of 18-year-old Gurdip Singh Chaggar was the impetus behind the formation of the Southall Youth Movement, which itself inspired young Asian men and women across Britain. Asian Youth Movements were formed throughout the country. They organised themselves to fight for justice, equality and for the right to live without being victimised.
Underpinning the actions of the Asian Youth Movements was the principle that Self Defence is No Offence. It's a principle that was tested in court in 1982 in the case of the Bradford 12, when members of an AYM splinter group faced conspiracy charges for making petrol bombs in order to repel racists. They faced life imprisonment. In a landmark legal case, they argued that they were acting in self-defence. And won.
Zaiba Malik hears from these now maturing youth to find out what killed the movements and what they achieved.
Producer: Martin Williams.
MON 11:30 Wordaholics (b01dtkjd)
Series 1
Episode 6
Gyles Brandreth hosts the comedy panel show in which guests are challenged to display their knowledge of words and language.
On the panel: Richard Herring, Jenny Eclair, Alex Horne and Natalie Haynes.
Letter of the week is that cheeky 5th letter of the alphabet - F.
The panellists reveal their favourite words, invent new phobias and try to guess the meaning of some words no longer in our common parlance, taken from a glossary of provincial words from Herefordshire in 1839...words such as cockshut, taplash, pulfin and giglet.
Writers: James Kettle and Jon Hunter.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b01dtkjg)
Hosepipe use and care home fees
Householders are to be encouraged to report neighbours who use hosepipes in drought restriction areas. But does the official advice need amending? When it comes to cleaning your car - does using a hosepipe with a regulator actually use less water than a bucket wash? We put both methods to the test.
Many care home residents could be paying fees that should really be covered by their Primary Care Trust. We'll hear about the deadline looming to get your money back - and how one family won a refund of a quarter of a million pounds.
And - when the Crawley News got rid of its paper girls and boys to cut delivery costs, they didn't bargain on the local backlash. We hear from the children and about the compromise agreement they've wrung out of parent company Northcliffe Media.
PET INSURANCE
If you have been affected by Lloyds TSB or Halifax withdrawing from the pet insurance market, you can contact both providers on the numbers below.
Lloyds Pet Insurance Customers 0845 6013073
Halifax Pet Insurance Customers 0845 6043122
MON 12:57 Weather (b01dn9xn)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b01dtkjj)
Martha Kearney presents the national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
MON 13:45 A Life With ... (b01dhhpz)
Series 6
Insects
A Life With.... Episode 1 of 5: Insects
Insects are not everyone's favourite part of the natural world, but a doctor in Norfolk just loves them. Dr Phil Wilkins' day job is a palliative care consultant but his overwhelming passion is insects.
Mary Colwell goes to his home to see his garden designed for insects and to try to understand what the connection is between being a doctor and an entomologist. Phil's garden is insect heaven, everything in it is there for a reason, to attract insects and give them what they need to breed, but the surrounding land is intensively farmed fields of crops with barely any insect life at all.
Dr Wilkins wants to heal the land, and bring back a healthy, vibrant natural community. This is one man's battle to save Britain's creepy crawlies for future generations.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b01dtgpg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b01dtkjl)
John Dryden - Pandemic
The Present
Written by John Dryden.
Dr Jan Roldanus (Ben Daniels) a microbiologist and WHO advisor on infectious diseases, arrives in Bangkok to give a keynote lecture at a medical conference. Whilst there, he is invited to observe the local authority's handling of an outbreak of bird flu.
But when a new virulent strain, 'Red Eye', emerges - causing bleeding eyes followed by death - he finds himself trapped in Thailand, unable to fly home to his wife and son. As the virus spreads at a terrifying pace, his investigations lead him to one inescapable and terrible conclusion...
Other parts are played by Ellie Marleen, Ulli Schneider, Chanida Yasiri, Teerawat Mulvilai, Jarunun Phantachat, Ornanong Thaisriwong, Kosin Pomiam, Soontorn Meesri, Andrea Lowe and Marene Vanholk
Production Team:
Casting: Marilyn Johnson and Nadir Khan
Production Manager: Jarunan Phantachat
Sound Recordist: Ayush Ahuja
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Music: Sacha Putnam
Producer : Nadir Khan
Executive Producer: Gordon House
Recorded in Bangkok, Thailand
Producer/Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 The 3rd Degree (b01dtkjn)
Series 2
Warwick
Coming this week from the University of Warwick, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones. It's recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and Lady Gaga... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b01dtgbj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 What the Scandinavians Know about Children's Literature (b01dtls8)
Presented by Mariella Frostrup.
Why does Scandinavian children's literature 'punch above its weight' in terms of worldwide sales, and why does it have a particularly unique voice?
From the super-human strength of Pippy Longstocking by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren to the strange Finnish animals dreamt up by Tove Jansson in the Moomin stories, and the anarchic Wild Baby created by Barbro Lindgren and Eva Eriksson.
It began with probably the best known storyteller for children - Hans Christian Andersen - continued with the work of Elsa Beskow, the Swedish Beatrix Potter, and is alive today in the books of authors like Gro Dahle.
According to Professor Maria Nikolajeva, a senior editor for the Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children's Literature, Scandinavian books are not rooted in the world of fantasy, like other children's stories. It's often grounded in a slightly skewed reality in which the childlike characters exhibit 'magical' talents. And she claims that the Scandinavian culture of respect for the child, the history of the region, and those long winters, have had a profound effect on the character of its literature.
Produced by Helen Lee.
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b01dtlsb)
Adoption
The Government is seeking to speed up the adoption process for the growing number of children being taken into care in the UK. Social workers responsible for the difficult job of matching children with adoptive parents are often criticised for focusing too much on questions of ethnicity or lifestyle. So how far should religion play a factor in the process which links children and parents? Ernie Rea discusses the issue with Raffia Arshad, a family lawyer, Ruby Clay, an author who has adopted three children with her lesbian partner, and Fiona Bowie a social anthropologist and also an adoptive mother.
MON 17:00 PM (b01dtlsd)
Eddie Mair presents full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dn9xq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b01dtlvx)
Series 62
India
Nicholas Parsons sets more challenges from Mumbai with Paul Merton, Marcus Brigstocke, Anuvab Pal and Cyrus Broacha. From 2012.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b01dtlvz)
Robert and Lynda are glad to be getting the garden furniture out. They chat about Alan doing the first green burial, and are pleased they've reserved their plots. Robert tells Lynda that James' friend Christian has offered to fly his helicopter over Ambridge so that James can photograph the village from a bird's eye view for the book. They discuss the merits of potential shots.
Brian calls at Bridge Farm to ask after Tony, and to see if he can get them anything from the farmers' co-op. They appreciate his offer.
Understanding how Tom and Helen must have had mixed feelings about inviting Rich, Pat tells Tom how much comfort it bought her and Tony. It was wonderful of them to make it happen.
Brian decides not to go with Debbie's alternative idea for a large scale pig unit. He's going to push for the original dairy plan, so needs to do some serious lobbying between now and Thursday's meeting. If the project goes down, he's not sure his position as chairman remains tenable.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b01dtlw1)
Aardman Animations' Pirate film; Jodi Picoult; Ben Okri
With Mark Lawson.
Hugh Grant leads the cast providing the voices for Aardman Animations' latest film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, which takes the lawless seafarers from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Mark Eccleston reviews.
Novelist Jodi Picoult discusses her new book, which focuses on a pair of siblings trying to decide whether or not to remove life support from their father. She reflects on her approach to fiction, and the response she received from the Christian right in the USA to her last novel.
Madonna's twelfth album, M.D.N.A, is a new collection of tracks aimed at the dancefloor, and released ahead of an international tour this summer. Rebecca Nicholson gives her verdict.
Booker Prize-winning writer Ben Okri has published his first new collection of poetry for 13 years, with many of the poems featuring dedications. He considers the process of dedicating verse, and we hear from one of his dedicatees, musician and producer Brian Eno.
Producer Nicki Paxman.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dtkj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 It's My Story (b01dtlzl)
The Long Walk
Twice awarded the George Medal for bravery, as well as an MBE for Gallantry, Peter Gurney, the former head of the Metropolitan Police Explosives Squad, was defusing bombs when international terror groups like Black September first began to use IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) as their weapon of choice.
As one of the world's top bomb disposal officers, he was in the front line as the IRA campaign spread to the mainland. He defused hundreds of bombs and saved many lives and he describes "the long walk", the journey, always made alone, by a bomb disposal officer towards the suspect device.
In "It's My Story: The Long Walk", BBC Northern Ireland's Political Editor, Mark Devenport, tracks Peter Gurney's career over forty years, as he and his colleagues played a deadly game of catch up with the bomb makers and their increasingly sophisticated devices.
Police officers, including the former head of the Anti Terrorist Squad, remember the IRA bombing campaigns in England, including the booby-trapped Wimpy Bar bomb in 1981 in London's Oxford Street. This killed instantly Peter Gurney's close friend and colleague, Ken Howarth, but after finding his body, Mr Gurney had to check for secondary devices and then go on to defuse a similar device in another building.
There are never-before-heard tapes, recorded in real time by Mr Gurney into a tiny micro-cassette strapped to his spine (the part of a person's body most likely to protect the recordings should his "luck" run out). These dramatic tapes, reveal Mr Gurney, cautious about booby-traps, discovering an IRA arms cache of guns, explosives and booby-trap devices hidden in a forest.
And 21 years after the IRA's audacious attempt to murder the Prime Minister and his cabinet, Peter Gurney returns to Number 10 Downing Street, where, in one of the last major jobs of his career, he defused one of the mortar bombs fired through the hole in the roof of a transit van, parked in Whitehall.
Producer: Fiona Hill.
MON 20:30 Analysis (b01dtlzn)
What Is Money?
We dream about it, argue about it, worry about it, celebrate it, spend it, save it, we transfer it from one emotion to another. But what exactly is money? And why do we trust it? Frances Stonor Saunders takes a journey through some of the fundamentals of money.
During her journey she dips her toe into the world of quantitative easing. How is that money invented? Is it as real as the pieces of paper in our wallets? And she explores some of the reasons for the calls to return to a gold standard. Essentially, she tries to gain a better understanding of what this stuff which we call money is really about; how and why do we maintain our faith in it, or has it just become too complicated?
MON 21:00 Material World (b01djr4w)
This week's programme features another finalist from 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' - Material World's search for the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year. Izzy Thomlinson, aged 18 from Shropshire, tests people's reactions to horrible sounds at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham. From scraping fingernails down a blackboard to squeaky polystyrene, what is the most annoying sound in the world and do the sounds that make us wince change with age? Presented by Quentin Cooper.
Producer: Julian Siddle.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b01dtjcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b01dn9xs)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b01dtlzq)
The party funding scandal: is it starting to damage the Conservative brand?
Report claims Syrian government uses human shields in its operations against rebels and protestors.
The US Supreme Court starts its deliberations on Pres. Obama's healthcare programme.
With Ritula Shah.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01dtlzs)
Stonemouth
Episode 6
Tonight the reasons for Stewart's flight from Stonemouth five years ago, and his enforced exile, are finally revealed.
Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After five years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up. An estuary town north of Aberdeen, Stonemouth, with its five mile beach, can be beautiful on a sunny day.
On a bleak one, it can seem to offer little more than seafog, gangsters, cheap drugs and a suspension bridge irresistible to suicides. And although there's supposed to be a temporary truce between Stewart and the town's biggest crime family, it's soon clear that only Stewart is taking this promise of peace seriously. Before long a quick drop into the cold grey Stoun begins to look like the soft option. As he steps back into the minefield of his past to confront his guilt and all that it has lost him, Stu uncovers ever darker stories, and his homecoming takes a more lethal turn than even he had anticipated.
Read by David Tennant.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b01dhrn1)
Michael Rosen and guests celebrate nonsense at an event recorded at Radio 4's More The Words festival in Bristol. Michael's guests include the children's writer Philip Ardagh, the actor Paul Nicholson, and nonsense experts Anna Barton and James Williams. With help from an audience of adults and children at Bristol Central Library, Michael will be filling a cauldron with nonsense poems, prose, limericks and tongue twisters, with a few nonsense sounds thrown in to bring out the flavour. And the programme will mark the 200th anniversary of Edward Lear's birth with discussion of the writer's life and work.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01dtm27)
Susan Hulme with the day's top news stories from Westminster.
TUESDAY 27 MARCH 2012
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b01dn9yc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b01dtkj4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9yf)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01dn9yh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9yk)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b01dn9ym)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01fkdvn)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b01dttz3)
Thousands of billy goat kids are put down at birth each year on farms in the UK. The young male goats, like their veal calf counterparts are viewed as a bi-product of the dairy industry. As the demand for goat milk increases, there are calls for a change to the practise to encourage goat farmers to rear the animals for meat which is popular in Caribbean, Asian and North African cuisine.
There are only around 300 of the native breeding female 'Middle White' pigs left in the world which puts them on the Rare Breed Survival Trust's watch list. 22 of the sows belong to South Cumbrian Pig Farmer Shaun Partington who says by selling the meat from their offspring - he is helping keep the bloodline alive. Caz Graham visits him on his farm.
And ahead of the Government's revised National Planning Policy Framework, Anna Hill investigates whether fears over what has been described as the most radical change to the England's planning system will help dramatically boost the rural economy or put the countryside under threat.
This programme is presented by Anna Hill and produced in Birmingham by Angela Frain.
TUE 06:00 Today (b01dttz5)
0810
The government will today reveal a new planning framework for England, which it says will help stimulate economic growth and provide much-needed new homes. Critics fear the new rules will favour development. The Today programme's Sanchia Berg spoke to a protestor and the developer of one project in Yorkshire that took nine years to work its way through the process. And Greg Clark, Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government, responds.
0817
Three men have been found guilty over a shooting in a south London shop which left a five-year-old girl paralysed. The Today programme's Andrew Hosken has been speaking to some of those close to the gang to which the men belonged.
0831
The government wants to establish a world leading "synthetic biology" industry in the UK where scientists would design and create new forms of life by making artificial DNA to produce everything from medicines to fuels to materials. Paul Martin, professor of Sociology at the University of Sheffield, reflects on the ethical questions this type of science raises.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (b01dttz7)
Angela Gallop
Jim al-Khalili talks to Angela Gallop, the scientist who provided the vital forensic evidence in the recent re-trial for the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
Angela describes the painstaking scientific detective work that led her team to find a tiny blood clot on Gary Dobson's jacket, that was not identified during the original trial in 1995; and how they proved that this evidence was not the result of contamination during the handling and storage of the clothing exhibits.
Never before in the history of criminal justice have so many cases relied so heavily on scientific evidence. Forensic scientists have ever more sophisticated and powerful techniques at their disposal but, as long as these techniques rely on human judgement (and a surprising number still do) there will be limits to their reliability. Much as we would like to believe the opposite, forensic science is fallible.
Further, even when the science is accurate, there's ample scope in a court of law for good science to be made to look bad and bad science, good. Lawyers locked into an adversarial system can all too easily cast doubt on excellent scientific evidence. Equally, Angela warns of the dangers of putting science on a pedestal .
After a brief spell studying sea slugs on the Isle of Wight, she joined the Forensic Science Service, later switched to working for the defence and is now probably the most sought after forensic scientist in the UK, involved in countless high profile cases, including the Cardiff Three, the coastal path murders as well as both the trial and retrial of Stephen Lawrence.
Producer: Anna Buckley.
TUE 09:30 One to One (b01dttz9)
Samira Ahmed with Murray Melvin
Journalist Samira Ahmed explores some missing angles for One to One.
Samira has spent 20 years reporting breaking news at home and abroad from Britain to Los Angeles to Berlin. Born to Hindu and Muslim parents and educated at a Catholic school, Samira married into a Northern Irish family. As a result, she's aware of the way news coverage can make sweeping assumptions about stories and tries to seek out the missing angles behind the headlines.
Programme 3: The golden age of cinema, from a gay perspective. Samira meets celebrated actor, Murray Melvin, best known for his role in A Taste of Honey.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b01f1p8l)
Book of the Week: Escape from Camp 14
Episode 2
Written by Blaine Harden.
From his birth in Camp 14 Shin has been taught by the guards to inform on everyone from his parents to his classmates. Then his mother and brother are caught planning an escape and Shin is taken to an underground prison within a prison, for questioning.
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01dttzc)
Karren Brady on hew book 'Strong Woman'; Joanna Blythman on what to eat and how to shop; Church v State - what makes a marriage? Anneka Rice, returning to our TV screens 20 years after Challenge Anneka.. Presented by Jane Garvey.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dy7qg)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 2
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
The Pintor sisters Noemi, Ester and Ruth are the last remnants of a noble family in decline. For twenty five years they have lived with the dishonour of a sister, Lia, who ran away and the poverty brought about by the sudden and mysterious death of their father. Now a telegram announcing the imminent arrival of Lia's son, their nephew Giacinto, causes turmoil.
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
RUTH/KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
LIA.....Holliday Grainger
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
TUE 11:00 Feathered Apes (b01dttzf)
Primates are well known as having highly developed intelligence and in recent decades researchers have looked more closely at the evolution of intelligence in groups other than primates, such as parrots, dogs and dolphins. The corvids, members of the crow family which includes ravens and jackdaws, are known by many lay people to show behaviour which can be seen as intelligent.
Joanna Pinnock has long been interested in corvids, observing their behaviour in and around the village where she has lived for many years. Recently though, she discovered that the link between crows and man is not just one of a familiar black bird foraging in fields or nesting in our chimneys, there is actually a deeper connection insofar they too have lots of social interactions with each other - something that could be key in the evolution of intelligence. Joanna heads to Cambridge University to meet Nicky Clayton from the Department of Psychology who, along with colleagues, is undertaking detailed research into what Professor Clayton calls "Feathered Apes".
Is it the challenges in the social world that are more significant than the physical world when it comes to animal intelligence?
Presenter Joanna Pinncok
Producer : Andrew Dawes.
TUE 11:30 Robert Winston's Musical Analysis (b01dttzh)
Series 3
Chopin
Professor Robert Winston brings a scientist's ear to his passion for music, exploring the medical histories of great composers and how illness affected the music they wrote.
Tuberculosis remains one of the world's most devastating diseases but in the 19th century, TB or consumption as it was known, gained a curious reputation for stimulating creativity in great artists. Professor Robert Winston looks at the story of Chopin, whose struggle with chronic lung disease has become the archetypal version of that myth, and looks for evidence to reveal the true connection between Chopin's health and his music.
Producer: Chris Taylor.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b01dttzm)
Call You and Yours
Should political parties be state funded?
Three months before becoming Prime Minister David Cameron said of commercial lobbying, "It is the next big scandal waiting to happen. It's an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long, an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money."
This weekend, his party's co-treasurer Peter Cruddas, had to resign after a Sunday Times sting caught him offering access to the Prime Minister in exchange for donations to the Conservative Party. And now the debate on how political parties are funded has reignited. The argument goes that scandals involving inappropriate connections between professional lobbyists, politicians and civil servants will continue to arise from time to time as long as we maintain a system whereby political parties are financed in the way they are.
We're going to discuss this in more detail in tomorrow's Call You and Yours when we'll be asking should political parties be state funded?
You can have your say you can email via our web page; www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours and don't forget to leave a contact number where we can reach you. Or call us on 03700 100 400. or you can text us on 84844 and we might call you back.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b01dn9yp)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b01dtv7w)
Martha Kearney presents the latest national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:45 A Life With ... (b01dhrms)
Series 6
Water Voles
A Life With... Water Voles
Water voles are famous for being Ratty in Wind in the Willows, but they are disappearing fast from our waterways. Mary Colwell meets a water vole warrior who is determined to save them. Darren Tansley fell in love with water voles as a boy, messing around on a raft his dad made from an old barn door. 40 years later he is still messing about on the river, but now he is creating new, protected homes for water voles and makes sure their sworn enemies, the mink, don't get anywhere near them.
Darren has a fascinating past. Not only has he always been monitoring and studying water voles he was a long haired eco warrior who played in a rock band and campaigned for Greenpeace. When he realised the conservation world didn't really listen to amateurs he went back to college to get the "proper" qualifications. Now his projects are paying off and Darren takes Mary to see water voles that have just returned to a water-way in Essex.
First broadcast on 27th March 2012 at
1.54pm.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b01dtlvz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b01dttzp)
John Dryden - Pandemic
The Future
Written by John Dryden.
Diane Harper (Emily Beecham), a British civil servant, is sent to the Oxfordshire countryside to investigate the suicide of a government scientist.
It is five years after a devastating pandemic that has wiped out half the world's population. Diane's young daughter died during the outbreak and she can't get over it. When she discovers that the dead scientist had been briefing a journalist who has subsequently gone missing, she absconds from her job and embarks on a desperate search for the truth about the origins of the outbreak.
Production Team:
Casting: Marilyn Johnson
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Recordist: Ayush Ahuja
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Music: Sacha Putnam
Executive Producer: Gordon House
Producer/Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 The Global Reach (b01dtv7y)
Episode 4
The Global Reach is a new weekly programme , presented by Katie Derham ,which aims to shine a light on international affairs through the personal stories of those directly involved in the making of history. It is built on the premise that participants in a happening story are more than mere soundbites and will feature voices which are simply never heard elsewhere on BBC Radio 4.
We will hear extended testimony from those on the frontline, both in the form of extended interviews with key players in global events and in a series of blogs from an international network of citizen journalists.
Featured stories will include that of King Zero, a Burmese monk at the heart of his country's struggle for democracy; the narcocorridos, or drug ballads, of Mexico, which glorify the violence which has claimed the lives of around 40 thousand people in the last 5 years and the multimillionaire rat-catcher from China.
All human life is here. Too often a foreign news story is played out without any real sense of its longer term human impact. The Global Reach will remedy that.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b01dtvk1)
Sands of Time
Britain's sand dunes are running out of time. Coastal development and well-meaning conservation plans have locked them in place, frustrating the natural ebbs and flows that attract some of our rarest birds, insects and toads.
On the coast of South Wales the conservation group Plantlife has decided to take drastic action. A fleet of bulldozers has appeared at Kenfig Sands, home of the rare fen orchid. The plan is to reconstruct this massive dune system, giving space for the natural processes of wind and wave to mould the landscape, returning the natural mobility that so many of our dune species need.
Is Mother Nature being given a much-needed helping hand or should we leave what remains of our dunes well alone? Tom Heap reports from the Welsh coast.
Producer: Alasdair Cross.
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b01dtvk3)
Textspeak
Michael Rosen on the uses and abuses of textspeak. Is the English language being abbreviated away?
Writer Will Cohu thinks texting has changed the way we communicate with each other.
Students at William Morris Sixth Form tell Michael how they use their phones to talk - exploding a few popular preconceptions along the way.
Professor David Crystal puts the use of texting language into context, and Canadian linguist Joan Lee discusses her research on the subject.
And Nick D'Aloisio talks about the mobile phone app he's created which condenses and summarises news articles for a time-poor generation.
Producer Beth O'Dea.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b01gh84k)
Isy Suttie and Beverley Humphreys
Harriett Gilbert and her guests – comedian Isy Suttie and opera singer and broadcaster Beverley Humphreys - discuss favourite books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Ian McEwan and Daniel Keyes.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which Beverly describes as a "love letter to literature."
Isy picks The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan, a sinister tale of two couples in an unnamed European town, which she admits does not have a particularly happy ending.
Harriett chooses the story of a young man with learning difficulties whose intelligence is enhanced by a scientific procedure - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
TUE 17:00 PM (b01dtvk7)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dn9yr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b01dtvk9)
Series 7
Knights of the Round Table
Returning home from Spain early, Arthur applies to join the Round Table. A bang on the head at the Mason's HQ confuses matters somewhat as a concussed Arthur steps back to the days of the Knights of the Round Table.
Count Arthur Strong - one time Variety Star, now sole proprietor and owner of Doncaster's Academy of Performance - is a show business legend, raconteur, and lecturer extraordinaire. He stars in a Sitcom with regular sidekick Wilfred Taylor, Master Butcher, and a host of other characters.
All false starts and nervous fumbling, badly covered up by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance, and an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origin of the species, everyday life with Arthur is an enlightening experience.
Cast:
Steve Delaney
Mel Giedroyc
Alastair Kerr
David Mounfield
Producer: John Leonard
A Komedia Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b01dtvkc)
The quote for a new slurry system came in at £40k - almost double the original estimate. But Ruth thinks the financial deal makes it just about manageable. David wants to look at getting planning permission sorted before he even thinks about making a decision. After talking to the Environment Agency and the planning department, he agrees with Ruth. They should go for it.
Darrell does a good job of replacing Peggy's bathroom taps, and won't accept any money. He's glad to be able to do Peggy a favour. He invites her to 3, The Green, to see what they've made of it.
Brian fails to persuade Martyn Gibson to meet for lunch. Martyn doesn't see the point, but agrees to a quick drink. Brian insists they can change people's perception of the dairy but Martyn still thinks they should consider withdrawing. He wouldn't like to see Brian step down as chair though, and admits he's genuinely undecided.
Martyn will listen carefully to both sides on Thursday, and then make up his mind. Brian hopes he realises that with so much at stake Martyn's decision may be absolutely crucial.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b01dtvkf)
Brendan O'Carroll; John Eliot Gardiner; Gillian Wearing.
With Mark Lawson.
Brendan O'Carroll, the creator and star of the comedy Mrs Brown's Boys, reflects on the genesis of his raucous alter-ego Agnes Brown and her loving but dysfunctional family.
Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner first made his name with interpretations of baroque music on period instruments, but this week he tackles Verdi's Rigoletto for the very first time. He discusses his approach to performing it at the Royal Opera House.
A major retrospective of the Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing is about to open at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, featuring her films and photographs which explore public faces and private lives. The exhibition includes her 1992 series of images in which people were offered paper and pen to communicate their message or thoughts. Sarah Crompton reviews.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dy7qg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b01dtvln)
Witness Protection
After details of people under witness protection were leaked to a private investigator, Allan Urry asks if police are doing enough to protect witnesses whose lives are at risk.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b01dtvlq)
A sneak preview into the new television sets with integrated voice guidance. Lee Kumutat went with Richard Lane to find out more about the new Panasonic Talking TVs and get a demonstration from Richard Orme, Head of Accessibility at the RNIB.
The bank that bounced one listeners cheque because they didn't recognise his signature on record. Peter White speaks to Brian Capon of the British Bankers Association regarding this matter and what other solutions/alternatives there might be for blind bank customers.
And Peter White talks to Disability Employment Specialist Brendan Magill who talks about an e-mail Job Vacancy List aimed at visually impaired Job Seekers called the VI Sector Job List.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Tony Shearman.
TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b01dtvls)
Aspirin, holiday sickness, ADHD
Aspirin is over 100 years old, but doctors still can't agree whether the benefits of taking it to prevent heart conditions or cancer outweigh the risks.Dr Mark Porter investigates. And - you've worked flat out to get on holiday, then come down with a stinking cold - is there any science behind why so many of us get sick on vacation. Plus ADHD - not in children, but ADULTS - why is it so hard for grown-ups to get a diagnosis.
Producer: Erika Wright.
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (b01dttz7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b01dn9yt)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b01dtvlv)
Major report into last year's summer riots says there are half a million 'forgotten families'. But what is the solution?
The Syrian government says it accepts Kofi Annan's peace plan - but will it stick to it?
Is the unseasonal warm weather confusing some of our wildlife?
With Ritula Shah.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01dtvlx)
Stonemouth
Episode 7
Stewart's life is inextricably entwined with the Murstons. He reveals a surprise visit in London by Ellie's sister Grier, whilst in the present day the two former lovers finally meet for the first time in five years.
Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After five years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up. An estuary town north of Aberdeen, Stonemouth, with its five mile beach, can be beautiful on a sunny day.
On a bleak one, it can seem to offer little more than seafog, gangsters, cheap drugs and a suspension bridge irresistible to suicides. And although there's supposed to be a temporary truce between Stewart and the town's biggest crime family, it's soon clear that only Stewart is taking this promise of peace seriously. Before long a quick drop into the cold grey Stoun begins to look like the soft option. As he steps back into the minefield of his past to confront his guilt and all that it has lost him, Stu uncovers ever darker stories, and his homecoming takes a more lethal turn than even he had anticipated.
Read by David Tennant
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Richard Herring's Objective (b016wzrz)
Series 2
The Golliwog
'The golliwog' has been the cause of much controversy.
Richard debates whether it's an object we should reclaim, or consign to the dustbin of history?
Series in which Richard Herring tries to see whether controversial objects we've grown to hate can be reclaimed.
With Emma Kennedy and Ava Vidal.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01dtvlz)
The Chancellor comes under pressure from MPs over how many of his Budget proposals were revealed in the media ahead of his statement in the Commons.
MPs consider the controversial subject of assisted suicide
Labour warns that new planning rules for England could lead to "chaos and confusion". Ministers insist the new guidelines will protect the countryside and create jobs.
And the House of Lords considers plans for a minimum alcohol price in England and Wales and completes its consideration of changes to legal aid.
WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2012
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b01dn9zd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b01f1p8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9zg)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01dn9zj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dn9zl)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b01dn9zn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01fkdxd)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b01dtvrg)
Tens of thousands of animals are infected with a new strain of Foot and Mouth in Egypt. Cairo Correspondent Jon Leyne tells Anna that the country is struggling to cope with the disease. The Chief Vet from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is concerned that the outbreak will spread as far as Europe.
The National Planning Policy Framework will presume that developments can take place in the countryside, as long as they are "sustainable". But does this mean that farmers will be rushing to sell off their land? Anna discusses it with Antony Oliphant from the Rural Department Team at Savills Land Agents.
And there are 57 animals on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust watchlist. But do these breeds, like Wensleydale sheep or Saddleback pigs, have any benefit to farming today? Or are they just a museum piece? Anna visits Church Farm near King's Lynn to discover that the animals can be more than just a tourist attraction.
Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Emma Weatherill.
WED 06:00 Today (b01dtvrj)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Sarah Montague, featuring:
0650
Playing music to patients undergoing surgery reduces their anxiety and could improve healing, according to new research. Apul Parikh, cosmetic surgeon at John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford, describes how the findings show that it is not just the surgeons who feel the benefits from playing music.
0750
The university admissions system, Ucas, is recommending that improvements be made to the central clearing system but steps back its initial idea of moving to a post-results admissions system. Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook and Killian Troy-Donovan, a student at Bristol University who went through the Ucas process last year, debate the implications of the decision.
0823
A report on the riots in England last summer has concluded that a lack of support for young people contributed to the unrest and that we should all be doing more to help young people develop what they call "character". Serge Cefai, headteacher at the Sacred Heart Catholic School in Camberwell, and Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of the charity Kids Company, analyse the report's recommendations.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b01dtvsm)
Alvin Hall; Alex Crawford; Benjamin Mee
Libby Purves is joined by financial expert Alvin Hall; Greek-Cypriot singer-writer Alkinoos Ioannidis; foreign correspondent Alex Crawford and the owner of Dartmoor Zoological Park, Benjamin Mee.
Alvin Hall is a financial educator and author. He presented the BBC series Your Money or Your Life, in which he offered practical, financial and psychological advice to people to help them take control of and fix their finances. His latest book The Stock Market Explained - Your Guide to Successful Investing is published by Hodder & Stoughton.
Alkinoos Ioannidis is a Greek-Cypriot singer-songwriter. He studied classical guitar and theatre before signing a record deal and has now released eleven solo albums. His influences include traditional Cypriot and Byzantine music. He has just released his first album in the UK, Local Stranger (on Wrasse Records) and is performing a five date tour.
Alex Crawford OBE is Sky News's Special Correspondent who became a household name last year when she was the first reporter to broadcast live from Green Square in Tripoli. She was praised for her live on-screen reporting of the Battle of Tripoli as the rebels advanced on the square. Her book 'Colonel Gaddafi's Hat' is published by HarperCollins.
Benjamin Mee and his family bought Dartmoor Zoological Park in 2005 shortly before his wife's death. His story of dealing with grief while taking on the responsibility for the zoo and its animals has just been turned into a Hollywood film starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. The film is based on Benjamin's 2008 memoir We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives (published by HarperCollins).
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b01f1prp)
Book of the Week: Escape from Camp 14
Episode 3
Written by Blaine Harden.
Shin has joined the ranks of prisoners working 15 hour days in the garment factory in Camp 14. When he is put in charge of a new prisoner, they get talking about life in the world outside Camp 14's high voltage fence. His imagination fired, Shin dreams of escape.
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01dtvsp)
Pink Ribbons Inc
"Unpinking cancer" the film challenging the pink ribbon campaign. The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. Should there be a financial incentive to get married? Plus are we seeing a change in tactics from anti-abortion campaigners.
Presented by Jenni Murray
Producer Sharmini Selvarajah.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dw0t7)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 3
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
The village festival, the Feast of Our Lady of Rimedio is underway when Giacinto unexpectedly arrives. Noemi finds herself overwhelmed by Giacinto's arrival and calls for Efix to take him to the festival.
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
GRIXENDA.....Holliday Grainger
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
WED 11:00 North and South: Across the Great Divide (b01dtwls)
Warwick to the Severn
Ian Marchant continues his trip along a very precise line dividing North from South to find out if it's changing.
You can walk the line that separates North from South across England, as mapped by Professor Danny Dorling of Sheffield University. Think of the border which used to separate East and West Germany: a stark division of different life chances. The line which divides the UK is just like that - it's the only comparable 'border' in Europe - according to Professor Dorling.
In these documentaries, writer Ian Marchant travels along the dividing line between North and South, zigzagging the line which runs, rather surprisingly, from Cleethorpes to Gloucester. His aim is to find out what the statistics really mean to neighbours who are separated from each other by a gulf of health, wealth, education, culture and prospects.
In programme two, Ian travels from Warwick to Cinderford and talks to accents expert Dominic Watt about the 'bath' divide (long 'a' makes you a southerner, short 'a' and you're probably a northerner). Poet and creative writing guru Professor David Morley talks about the pull of London and the joy of heading north and Ian meets geographer John Langton, who reveals the ancient origins of the north/south divide.
With his customary wit and deceptively gentle interviewing style Ian develops an understanding of what the North/South divide really means to the people who live on it. This is an under-the-skin, thoughtful interrogation of the social geography of Britain using this neat device to dig out fascinating human stories of the real - and changing - meaning of the North/South divide.
Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery.
WED 11:30 Shedtown (b011vgbz)
Series 1
Night Screams
As the Shedists settle into life under asphalt there's a strange noise coming from William's shed. Wes holds a puppet show and all are invited.
Cast:
Barry .....Tony Pitts
Jimmy & Johnny ...... Kevin Eldon
Colin ...... Johnny Vegas
Diane ...... Suranne Jones
Dave ...... Shaun Dooley
Eleanor ....... Ronni Ancona
Deborah Dearden ..... Emma Fryer
William ..... Adrian Manfredi
Carly ..... Jessica Knappett
Father Michael ...... James Quinn
Wes ....... Warren Brown
Postwoman ...... Caron May
Narrator ...... Maxine Peake
Music ....... Paul Heaton
Written and created by Tony Pitts
Directed by Jim Poyser
Producer: Sally Harrison
A Woolyback Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b01dtwlv)
Cosmetic surgery adverts, PIPS update, defibrillators in schools & Britain's oldest Butcher's shop
Could a ban on adverts for cosmetic surgery help reduce complaints? A French plastic surgeon tells us why it's worked in his country.
We take a look at one of Britain's oldest business's and speak to a butcher whose shop, R J Balson of Bridport, has been trading since 1535. He tells us how the business of selling fresh meat has changed over the past 500 years.
Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Karen Dalziel.
WED 12:57 Weather (b01dn9zq)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b01dtwlx)
Martha Kearney presents the latest national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 A Life With ... (b01dht25)
Series 6
Corals
A Life With... Corals
Corals? In Devon? Believe it or not there are lots of corals around the British coastline. Mary Colwell meets a man who has spent his life finding out about them. Keith Hiscock was inspired to find out about the hidden life of the British seas as a child when he read books by the Victorian naturalist, Philip Henry Gosse. Keith began to retrace his steps, described in detail in his books, and re-discovered many of the treasures Gosse found in the 19th Century. Years later he became a marine scientist, discovering new species and helping protect the marine life of Britain.
On a warm September day Keith took Mary to one of Gosse's favourite beaches, Tunnels Beach in Devon, to find a treasure that many pirates would covet - the Scarlet and Gold Star Coral. You don't have to go to the Barrier Reef to see beautiful sea life, it is right on our doorstep, although it has to be said, the sea is a lot colder!
First broadcast on 28th March 2012 at
1.45pm.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b01dtvkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b01dtwlz)
John Dryden - Pandemic
The Past
Written by John Dryden.
At a climate change conference in Copenhagen, a group of radical eco-warriors, led by Josh (Michael Maloney), attempt to discredit a right-wing Danish scientist, by luring him into a sex scandal.
When it all goes wrong, Richard Frankel (Paul Fox), one of the conspirators, gives up 'direct action' and returns to his life in Leeds as a teacher. But when he discovers his co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend, has given birth to a child - a child he believes could be his - he goes in search of her.
It's a journey that takes him into a dangerous world of environmental espionage and a conspiracy that will have a terrible, cruel and profound impact on the world.
Production Team:
Casting: Marilyn Johnson
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Recordist: Ayush Ahuja
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Music: Sacha Putnam
Executive Producer: Gordon House
Producer/Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b01dtwm1)
Financial phone-in with Paul Lewis.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (b01dtvls)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b01dtwm3)
Culinary Culture and Globalisation - Dignity
Britain congratulates itself on the success of its restaurants and its stable of 21 multiple Michelin-starred eateries, but how many people know that Germany has nearly double that figure? What are the Germans cooking up that leaves the Brits behind? Economic sociologist Christel Lane discusses her recent research with Laurie Taylor, arguing that, while French culture still dominates in restaurants awarded multiple stars by the 'little red book', it is a regional emphasis which sets Germany apart. Food critic and editor of Waitrose Kitchen William Sitwell joins the discussion of the extent of globalising factors in the high end restaurant industry. Does the ubiquity of lemongrass or the rise of the Othello Cake show that French influence is starting to wane?
Also in the programme: why do we show dignity towards the dead when they are not around to appreciate it? Dignity is a quality which pervades many aspects of modern life. Philosopher Michael Rosen explains the practical applications of dignity, how it forms the basis of notions like human rights and the tangles and confusions that arise from diverging notions of what dignity means.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b01dztll)
Almost a year after the furore over superinjunctions, there is a joint Lords and Commons report on what should be done to safeguard privacy. Among the recommendations is a call for search engines such as Google to do more to limit potential breach of court orders, with legislation to back that up if needed. Max Mosley has been calling for tighter control and he discusses this with John Kampfner, the outgoing director of Index on Censorship. John Whittingdale MP chaired the committee behind the report and Steve questions him over the findings on privacy and press regulation.
BBC Panorama has been reporting on claims that a NewsCorp business, NDS, hacked into rivals' software in the pay-TV business in the UK and Italy and the front page story in the Financial Times today widens this to Australia. NDS denies any wrongdoing. Stewart Purvis, formerly of ITN and Ofcom, gives his view of where, if anywhere, the story is going.
And there's a legal threat to The Only Way is Essex, ITV's "dramality" show, from the people behind a pilot programme, Totally Essex, which they say TOWIE's makers lifted from them. TOWIE's producers, Lime Pictures, say it's entirely their own work. Lawyer Rebecca Swindells outlines the issues when trying to protect any rights in a TV format.
The producer is Simon Tillotson.
WED 17:00 PM (b01dtxcl)
Eddie Mair presents full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dn9zs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b01dtxcn)
Series 1
Standing Tall
Stephen K Amos and his pick of the circuit's best stand-ups build an idiot's guide to life.
Maeve Higgins, Tom Allen and Phil Nichol join Stephen to offer a guide to standing tall.
Producer: Colin Anderson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b01dtxcq)
Alice is desperate for all the gossip, and a surprise email arrives for Pat and Tony.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b01dtxcs)
Dr John, Tim Lott, and Janet Street-Porter on British Design 1948-2012
With John Wilson,
New Orleans-born singer, songwriter and pianist Dr John reflects on the role of magic in his career, and discusses his new album Locked Down, produced by Dan Auerbach from the band The Black Keys.
Janet Street Porter reviews a new exhibition British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age at the V&A in London, which celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 'Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012. Over 300 objects highlight significant moments in the history of British design, arguing that the country continues to nurture artistic talent and be a world leader in creativity and design.
Tim Lott's new novel Under The Same Stars draws on the writer's own experience of sibling rivalry, with one 40-year-old man trying to come to terms with his troubled relationship with his older brother. Tim Lott candidly discusses the personal issues at the heart of the book, and the emotionally challenging Texas road trip he took with his brother by way of research.
With theatre increasingly experimenting with new ways of providing the live stage experience via the internet, cinema screenings and other digital media, Andrew Dickson considers the merits and disadvantages of watching stage performances on screens large and small.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dw0t7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b01dtxgs)
Morality and social networks
We all make mistakes - said and done things we regret and pray we'll be allowed to gracefully forget. Increasingly it seems this isn't an option in a digital age when virtually everyone has smart phones and few qualms about sharing images with the world online. The latest celebrity to say she's fallen victim is X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos who's accused her ex-boyfriend of leaking a sex tape recorded on a mobile phone 6 years ago when she was 17 and before she became famous. For £
3.90 you could download the six minute clip of them sharing an intimate moment. She, of course, has posted her own video in reply - showing photos of herself and then boyfriend Justin Edwards, telling her fans and anyone else who cared to take a peak, how heartbroken and violated she felt. Justin, whose stage name is MC Ultra, denies he leaked the tape and claims filming it was Tulisa's idea. She's now obtained a High Court injunction to try and stop the tape being distributed and is reported to be considering suing for £100,000 damages. This modern day morality tale tells us a lot about celebrity culture and our prurient desires, but is it also an indication of how social networks and digital technology are changing our relationships - cheapening and brutalizing them? You don't have to search very hard to know that there are countless other and many more disturbing examples of this kind of thing online. Is it just a combination of the immediacy of technology and the lack of judgment of youth, or are there another elements at work here? A desire to hurt and humiliate, a lack of compassion and empathy. Empathy is not a quality much on display among internet trolls - for example 25 year old Sean Duffy who was jailed last year after posting videos and messages mocking the deaths of teenagers and taunting their families. An extreme case, but again, not an isolated one. Is this the price we pay for freedom of speech? Are those women bloggers who've given up in the face of repeated violent and misogynistic online abuse just being thin skinned? Or have they seen more clearly that there's something dark in the heart of social networks?
Dr Aric Sigman - Child Psychologist; Dr Bernie Hogan - Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute; Caroline Farrow - Catholic blogger; Padraig Reidy - News Editor, Index On Censorship.
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Melanie Phillips, Claire Fox, Kenan Malik and Michael Portillo.
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b01dtxgv)
Prof Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford, sets out the philosophy of the individual and its absence in some areas of Islam.
In the wake of political and social reactions to the financial crisis, austerity measures and the riots of 2011, debate continues to determine the role of the individual and society. The 2012 Lent Talks consider the relationship between the individual and the collective. Is each person one alone or one of many? Is it the human condition to be self-contained or to belong to the family, the tribe, the congregation, the nation? We live in groups but our most intense experiences are incommunicable. Jesus shared a communal last supper but he died an outcast, abandoned and rejected by his people, his disciples and (apparently) his Father.
This year's series of Lent Talks concludes with Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ, who will explore the agony of the individual in society.
The Christian season of Lent is traditionally a time for self-examination and reflection on universal human conditions such as temptation, betrayal, abandonment, greed, forgiveness and love.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b01dtvk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b01dtvsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b01dn9zv)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b01dtxgx)
The government advises drivers to fill up jerry cans in case of a fuel delivery drivers' strike.Are they making matters worse?
The gas cloud surrounding the leaking Elgin platform in the North sea is building at a rate of two kilograms a second.How can the risk of explosion be tackled?
Iceland puts its former Prime Minister on trial over the banking crash
with Philippa Thomas.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01dtxgz)
Stonemouth
Episode 8
Ignoring the threats from Ellie's brothers, she and Stewart are spending more and more time together. However, when everyone gathers for Joe Murston's funeral tensions rise.
Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After five years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up. An estuary town north of Aberdeen, Stonemouth, with its five mile beach, can be beautiful on a sunny day.
On a bleak one, it can seem to offer little more than seafog, gangsters, cheap drugs and a suspension bridge irresistible to suicides. And although there's supposed to be a temporary truce between Stewart and the town's biggest crime family, it's soon clear that only Stewart is taking this promise of peace seriously. Before long a quick drop into the cold grey Stoun begins to look like the soft option. As he steps back into the minefield of his past to confront his guilt and all that it has lost him, Stu uncovers ever darker stories, and his homecoming takes a more lethal turn than even he had anticipated.
Read by David Tennant
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b01dtxh1)
Series 1
Work
In the last of the series, Tim's laid on a final episode treat: A professional musician will accompany him as he tackles the thorny issue of 'work'. Tom Basden is also present.
Written and presented by Tim Key
With Tom Basden & Isy Suttie
Producer: James Robinson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
WED 23:15 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b01dtxh3)
Series 1
About Angry Grandmas
Nathan's family plan a surprise birthday party for Grandma.
But, it's not the only surprise when the police come looking for Nathan...
This is the story of young, up-and-coming comedian Nathan Caton, who becomes the first in his family to graduate from University - only to opt for a career in comedy - much to his family's annoyance who want him to get a 'proper job' using his architecture degree.
Each episode shows the criticism, interference and rollercoaster ride that Nathan endures from his family as he pursues his career against their wishes.
A mix of Nathan's stand-up intercut with scenes from his family life.
Written by: Nathan Caton. Additional material by: Ola and Maff Brown.
Nathan ..... Nathan Caton
Grandma ..... Mona Hammond
Mum ..... Adjoa Andoh
Dad ..... Curtis Walker
PC Scott ..... Don Gilet
Supermarket Checkout Girl..... Alex Tregear
Script Editor: James Kettle
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01dtxh5)
Susan Hulme with the day's top news stories from Westminster .
Peers demand a full assessment of the impact of Scottish Independence.
Also in the programme, should it be easier to dismiss workers from their jobs?, and we hear from two members of Parliament about why there are so few working class MPs.
THURSDAY 29 MARCH 2012
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b01dnb0f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b01f1prp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dnb0h)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01dnb0k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dnb0m)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b01dnb0p)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01fkdxx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b01dvw6p)
A field trial's underway to test a genetically modified wheat variety which scares off aphids, and attracts the insects predators, by mimicking their alarm signal. Scientists at Rothamsted Research are developing the wheat. Plus, how the new National Drought Management Group hopes to share out what water resources England has this year. And, the rarest British heavy horse: the Suffolk Punch.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling.
THU 06:00 Today (b01dvw6r)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Sarah Montague, including:
0750
Ever since the budget a week ago there seem to have been a whole series of things that have gone wrong for the government: first in the coverage that it was a budget FOR the rich with that cut in the 50p rate; then the dinners for donors scandal showed how if you could afford it you could "buy" access to the prime minister and yet, if you buy a pasty from Greggs for your lunch, its going to cost 20% more. And you'll need a garage to store the fuel you're stockpiling for a strike we don't even know is going to happen. What's going wrong for the government? Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConservativeHome.com and former adviser to Tony Blair, Phil Collins, discuss.
0810
Following criticisms of the budget as "a budget for the rich", the "dinners for donors" scandal, the "pasty tax" and comments about stocking up on petrol, it is a difficult time for the government. Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConservativeHome.com and Phil Collins, a former adviser to Tony Blair, discuss.
0852
A row over David Cameron's pasty tax this week has highlighted how food can be such dangerous ground for a politician. Simon Hoggart, sketch writer for the Guardian, and Edwina Currie, former Conservative government minister, discuss if this may be because food is so wrapped up in British notions of class.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b01dvw6t)
The Measurement of Time
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the measurement of time. Early civilisations used the movements of heavenly bodies to tell the time, but even in the ancient world more sophisticated timekeeping devices such as waterclocks were known. The development of mechanical clocks in Europe emerged in the medieval period when monks used such devices to sound an alarm to signal it was the hour to pray, although these clocks did not tell them the time. For hundreds of years clocks were inaccurate and it proved hard to remedy the problems, let alone settle on a standard time that the country should follow. It was with the advent of the railways that time finally became standardised in Britain in the mid-19th century and only in 1884 that Greenwich became the prime meridian of the world. Atomic clocks now mark the passing of the days, hours, and minutes and they are capable of keeping time to a second in 15 million years. With:Kristen LippincottFormer Director of the Royal Observatory, GreenwichJim BennettDirector of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of OxfordJonathan BettsSenior Curator of Horology at the Royal Observatory, GreenwichProducer: Natalia Fernandez.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b01f1pxd)
Book of the Week: Escape from Camp 14
Episode 4
Written by Blaine Harden.
Shin has escaped from Camp 14 but having been born inside the high voltage wire, once he is out he is completely alone, with no idea what to do, and with no one to turn to. Somehow he must navigate his way to the Chinese border but he has no idea where it is.
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01dvw6w)
Why do so many of us still choose to get married, is marriage important to society and if it is, does it deserve financial support?
All this week Woman's Hour has been discussing marriage - from the history of marriage, to the role of church and state and whether there should be financial incentives to get married.
Woman's Hour wants to hear about your experiences - if you decided to marry why did you do it? And does being married, or not, make a difference to your relationship with your partner?
If you'd like to take part you can call us on 03700 100 444. The lines open at
8am.
If you'd like to take part you can email us now through the website bbc.co.uk/womanshour.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dw0wr)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 4
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Giacinto and Grixenda's love blossoms at the Festival of Our Lady of Rimedio but Ester confides in Efix her growing concern for Giacinto's behaviour which leads to a confrontation and a shocking confession.
EFIX.....John Lynch
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
GRIXENDA.....Holliday Grainger
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b01dvw6y)
Canada's prescription drug crisis
Canada's First Nations communities are in crisis. Addiction to prescription pain-killers is rife, and it's devastating the fragile communities of northern Ontario.
OxyContin - an opioid drug capable of inducing a high like heroin - is widely abused in Canada. But on isolated reserves, people talk of an epidemic. For Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly travels to Fort Hope - Eabametoong First Nation - to investigate the impact of drug use.
Fort Hope is accessible only by air, apart from a six week window in winter when you can drive across the frozen lakes on ice roads. It has a population of just 1200 people, but it's estimated up to 80% of the working-age population are abusing OxyContin.
The beauty of Fort Hope in deepest winter with its snow-covered streets conceals the fall-out from endemic drug use. This community has experienced a crime wave out of proportion to its size. Murder, theft and arson propelled the Chief to declare a 'state of emergency'. Even with police help it's hard to stop the pills getting onto the reserve. And the mark-up for the pushers - one 80mg tablet of OxyContin sells for up to $600 - means the addicts of Fort Hope are a lucrative market.
There's a glimmer of optimism. Doris Slipperjack, a 23 year old mother of three, is fighting back. She's determined to beat her addiction. She's become an inspiration to many First Nations people. But the road ahead is tough. The aboriginal people of Canada have a troubled history of addiction. Alcohol, gasoline and glue sniffing, drugs - this is a community that has experienced it all. But people will tell you that OxyContin is the worst, because it is so highly addictive. Who knows if people like Dave Waswa - a talented artist, will ever be able to kick the habit.
THU 11:30 North of the Border - The Rise of Mexican Music (b01dvw70)
Robin Denselow visits L.A., the commercial centre of the narcocorrido, or Mexican drug ballad. The lyrics celebrate the exploits of smugglers and cartels. But bizarrely it sounds like cheerful, almost comical, accordion polka.
As the Mexican drug war has spiralled out of control it has reinvigorated the music with alarming consequences for some musicians: numerous singers have been killed in unsolved cases since 2006.
The style is a legacy of German miner immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Despite it's rather quaint sound, the links with drug cartels are close. Often the first thing a trafficker does, following a successful deal, is to contract somebody to write a song about his exploit.
The music is generally not played on Spanish language radio stations in Mexico. But in the United States there's a strangely ambivalent response in the Mexican community who often appreciate the beat from home, even if they don't like the hyper violent lyrics.
What is the enduring appeal of this music? And what does it say about the Mexican migrant community? The programme visits Los Angeles - the de facto capital of Mexican music - to find out.
Producer: Chris Elcombe
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b01dvw72)
Pasties, air passenger rights and the union flag flying high
Pasties are making the front pages in the row over VAT - we hear from Greggs.
New rights for airline passengers were voted for today by the EU - might credit card charges, unexpected luggage fees and non-transferrable tickets be a thing of the past?
Post Budget will more more people buying contraband fags - Winifred Robinson speaks to a man who says it's all that he can afford.
Food, furniture and fashion - we visit the Ideal Home Exhibition to see why the Union Flag is flying high.
The government has proposed changes to how victim support is provided, but critics fear it will lead to patchy provision, and cost more. We hear from the Justice Minister Crispin Blunt and Victim Support.
Berry Brothers is the oldest wine merchants in the country - so what is the secret of their success?
And the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has issued guidance on a controversial treatment being offered privately for MS.
Producer: Rebecca Moore.
THU 12:57 Weather (b01dnb0r)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b01dvw74)
Martha Kearney presents the national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 A Life With ... (b01djny9)
Series 6
Mosses
A Life With... Episode 4 of 5: Mosses
What makes a young man forgo parties with friends to sit at home every evening and weekend and study the intricate anatomy of mosses? What is it about liverworts, best known for smothering seedlings in greenhouses that pushes the buttons of a naturalist? Mary Colwell meets Simon Bosenquet who sees the beauty and the importance of the less glamorous parts of the natural world.
Most of us would walk past these plants without a second glance, but we ignore them at our peril. The study of mosses and liverworts are a very 21st Century occupation. They are often the early indicators of change in the environment from pollution to warming temperatures. They are everywhere from city pavements to mountain gullies and each has a story to tell about the environment.
Sam takes Mary to a remote standing stone in the Brecon Beacons to show how a small plant can tell us so much about how the landscape has changed. But what makes a young man so fascinated with this area of natural history?
THU 14:00 The Archers (b01dtxcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b01dvw76)
Rachel Joyce - The Man with Wings
The Man with Wings, a new play for radio by award winning playwright Rachel Joyce, features a war-damaged man who wishes to fly, and a village boy, desperate for the return of his father.
It is 1947 and there is a gloomy and desolate feel to the small Gloucestershire village where young Jack Leach's boy lives. It is a village almost entirely populated by women and children; the men have yet to return from the war - and many will never return.
To this village comes a group of travelling nuns, who may or may not be from a religious community, but who set up a homestead in a deserted farmhouse. Then comes the man - back from the war - who is badly injured, but is nursed back to health by the women in the farmhouse. He is befriended in particular by Mireille, one of the women, and by the young boy, for whom he professes to have a secret. What this secret is, and why the man wishes to fly, is revealed as the play progresses. The boy then witnesses a scene that will live with him forever.
This epic story about faith, forbidden love, and the intoxicating power of the imagination has one foot in the poverty of post-war rural Britain, a place of bitter disillusionment that reflects part of our society today, and another in the world of the beauty where the inconceivable may just possibly happen. Niamh Cusack, Tom Goodman Hill and Ian McDiarmid star in a play, which also introduces Jo Joyce Venables as the boy.
Original Music by Lucinda Mason Brown
Produced by Gordon House
A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b01dvw78)
Flat Holm is the most southerly point in Wales. The Island sits just off the Cardiff Coast. In 1982, the Flat Holm Project was established. The aim was to manage Flat Holm as a local nature reserve and to encourage visitor access and opportunities for education. The Island has a long and varied history having been used by man since prehistoric times. It was farmed for some 800 years and stopped in 1942. It has been fortified twice, most recently during the 2nd World War. The Island has many buildings and structures of historic interest, many are listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments. In this week's Open Country, Helen Mark finds out what life is like for the wardens and volunteers who live on the Island all year round and what is done to prepare the Island for the influx of tourists in the summer. Presented by Helen Mark and Produced by Anna Varle.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b01dtfsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b01dtgp6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b01dvw7b)
In an extended interview, Francine Stock meets with Hugh Grant to talk about his new role as the voice of an incompetent buccaneer in the Aardman Animations 3-D stop-motion film, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. He also discusses his role in The Leveson Inquiry, and why he thinks the films of Jean Luc-Godard are pretentious nonsense.
Also on the programme, a profile of Jafar Panahi, one of Iran's most famous directors, whose latest work, This Is Not A Film, is an attempt to make a film under house arrest. We also investigate the routes around the censors taken by earlier filmmakers in other countries.
THU 16:30 Material World (b01dvw7d)
A leak of gas from a platform 150 miles off the Scottish coast is causing concerns, particularly over risks of explosion. We look at the environmental effects of the gas and ways of clearing it up. As with oil spills bacteria may play a role in its dispersal.
An environmental conference in London this week gave scientists the chance to get together ahead of the next round of international climate change negotiations. We look at the subject of geo –engineering. Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of using chemicals to seed clouds or reflect light back from the sun is now being seen as a serious option for dealing with climate change.
So You Want to be a Scientist. The clothes are ready for our experiment looking at the arguments over vertical versus horizontal stripes, which ones really do have a slimming or fattening effect?
THU 17:00 PM (b01dvw8r)
Eddie Mair presents full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dnb0w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00yz3hs)
Series 3
Kate Adie
Kate Adie has a reputation for fearless BBC reporting from wars zones, riots and natural disasters. But, of all things, she has a mild fear of porridge.
Marcus Brigstocke helps Kate to overcome this fear for the very first time, and has a small taste of the traditional breakfast food.
She tries some other things entirely new to her too - yoga, the TV series The Sopranos, bingo and reading Swallows and Amazons.
Created and produced by Bill Dare.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b01dvw8t)
.Lynda's anxious that Ambridge Hall be at its best for when it's photographed from the helicopter. While Robert's clearing the gutters, Lynda takes a call from Jamie, who thinks the peregrine at the church has laid eggs.
Lynda rushes over, and is pleased to see two eggs. Jamie tells Lynda that Alistair has fixed up a separate training night for the younger cricket players. It's with a coach from Westbury, called Iftikhar.
The Borchester Land board hotly debate both sides of the dairy argument. Gerry's concerned that all the negative publicity could turn people against all future developments. Martyn suggests a compromise by scaling things down but Brian insists it's the full size dairy or nothing. It's still the same, good proposition. If the planning committee turns it down, they'll concede defeat gracefully. If it's passed, the protestors will move onto something else, and BL will reap the benefit. By giving up now they lose profit and reputation, for nothing.
Brian gets his way. The plans will go to the council. Annabelle felt Brian was very persuasive but Brian wonders at what cost. He's so closely identified with the dairy now. If anything goes wrong, his neck is right on the chopping block.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b01dvw8w)
Harry Potter studio tour; unfilmed screenplays
With Mark Lawson.
A new attraction The Making of Harry Potter opens its doors this weekend. Visitors to the Leavesden film studios can look behind the scenes of the making of the most successful film series ever. Actors Rupert Grint and Warwick Davis and special effects designers take Mark on a tour which includes the Great Hall, the Knight Bus, Diagon Alley and Ron Weasley's kitchen.
Award-winning American poet Adrienne Rich has died aged 82. During a career which spanned seven decades, Rich was a pioneering feminist, who tackled topics such as racism, sexuality and economic justice. Writer Jeanette Winterson pays tribute, and we hear archive of Adrienne Rich herself.
Mark reports on the screenplays which were never filmed. On Saturday actor Brian Cox will perform Orson Welles' complete but unmade script for Heart of Darkness, based on the book by Joseph Conrad. His performance takes place inside a boat created by artist Fiona Banner, inspired by the vessel in Conrad's novella.
Fiona Banner reveals her long interest in Welles' script, and David Hughes, author of Tales From Development Hell, considers other notable Hollywood unmade screenplays. And Mark also discusses This Is Not a Film, a new release from Iranian director Jafar Panahi, which is an account of how he's unable to make a scripted film in Iran.
Producer Nicki Paxman.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dw0wr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b01dvwcx)
The Work Programme Revisited
The Report investigates the government's welfare-to-work scheme. Why are some of the organisations in charge of delivering the plans saying that the Work Programme is unworkable?
Shortly after the £5 billion Work Programme was put into place last year, The Report highlighted concerns about whether the scheme could succeed where other plans had failed in helping the long-term unemployed find jobs, through the use of charities and for-profit companies.
Hannah Barnes revisits the story and finds that despite the fact the scheme has been running for less than a year, some charities and voluntary organisations are already pulling out. They cite a lack of referrals from prime contractors - the handful of mostly private companies the government contracted with under the Work Programme - and the difficulty of helping the most difficult cases.
With the bulk of payments under the scheme linked to keeping people in jobs over the long term, some charities have struggled with cash flow problems that have threatened to put them out of business.
A National Audit Office report suggested that the government had been being overly optimistic in its estimates of the number of people who will be helped into work over the course of the Work Programme's five-year contracts. Hannah revisits some of the unemployed people currently on the scheme who spoke to The Report to in September. Six months on, have any of them found jobs?
With warning signs piling up, The Report asks why the coalition government is still pressing forward with the Work Programme.
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b01gh88h)
Ruthlessness
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies. The programme is broadcast first on BBC Radio 4 and later on BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News TV and BBC News Channel TV.
It's tough at the top, but when is it right to be tough at the top? Evan's executive panel debate the pros and cons of ruthlessness as a management style. They also talk about investing and selling in deprived areas - places capitalism often overlooks.
Joining Evan are Jasmine Montgomery, founder of Seven Brands; Michele Giddens, co-founder of Bridges Ventures; Dido Harding, chief executive of Talk Talk Group.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon.
THU 21:00 Feathered Apes (b01dttzf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b01dvw6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b01dnb0y)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b01dvwd1)
There are queues at petrol stations as demand for fuel increases after ministers advised the public to top up their cars. We'll look at the government's strategy.
Spain holds a general strike over austerity and labour reform. We hear from protestors in Madrid.
And the legacy of Earl Scruggs
The World Tonight with Carolyn Quinn.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01dvwd3)
Stonemouth
Episode 9
Joe Murston's funeral brings Stewart back to the hotel where he was photographed with Jel. As the Murstons get more drunk, tension mounts - and Stewart makes a dramatic discovery.
Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After five years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up. An estuary town north of Aberdeen, Stonemouth, with its five mile beach, can be beautiful on a sunny day.
On a bleak one, it can seem to offer little more than seafog, gangsters, cheap drugs and a suspension bridge irresistible to suicides. And although there's supposed to be a temporary truce between Stewart and the town's biggest crime family, it's soon clear that only Stewart is taking this promise of peace seriously. Before long a quick drop into the cold grey Stoun begins to look like the soft option. As he steps back into the minefield of his past to confront his guilt and all that it has lost him, Stu uncovers ever darker stories, and his homecoming takes a more lethal turn than even he had anticipated.
Read by David Tennant
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 On the Fringe with Stephen K Amos (b00tgz6f)
For more than 50 years, what is now the biggest arts festival in the world has been at the heart of British comedy.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is where our aspiring stand-ups, writers and comic actors head each August to cut their teeth, catch the eye of talent scouts and take part in a kind of comedy summer camp.
In this one-off special, stand-up comedian Stephen K Amos presents highlights from a Radio 4 comedy spectacular, recorded live on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
There are stand-up sets from Miles Jupp, Richard Herring, Susan Calman and Andrew Lawrence as well as an abbreviated round of Just A Minute, in which Stephen tries Ian Messiter's classic game for the first time, with help from Nicholas Parsons, Paul Merton, Jenny Eclair and Gyles Brandreth.
Stephen also trawls the bars and gutters of Edinburgh, talking to Fringe veterans, promoters and newcomers about their experiences of the festival, hoping to find out what draws hundreds of comedians -and almost as many audience members- up to Auld Reekie every Summer.
Interviewees include: Simon Evans, Pappy's, Tom Wrigglesworth, Mark Watson, Roisin Conaty, Karen Koren, and Justin Moorhouse.
Produced by Colin Anderson.
THU 23:30 Don't Log Off (b018wgzb)
Series 1
Episode 1
Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype - discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles across two programmes.
It's a hesitant start as Alan starts from a "Friend" count of zero, struggling to lure users away from the anonymity of the keyboard to the glare of the webcam - and engage in real verbal communication. Yet over five long late nights, he gradually builds up a circle of friends, crossing the time zones and discovering some startling stories.
In programme one, Alan's in the realm of love and loss - online and offline. He connects with a single parent snowbound in Nova Scotia, an Egyptian whose online romance turned sour and a Pakistani yearning for a girl from the wrong caste.
In programme two, he's among those dreaming of freedom, talking to a man car-jacked in Caracas, and an Iranian evading the electronic eavesdropping of the authorities.
Previously, Alan Dein brought us the acclaimed Don't Hang Up, in which he set himself the task of calling phone boxes around the world to see who picked up. This time, the project reaches a whole new scale.
Producers: Laurence Grissell and Sarah Bowen.
FRIDAY 30 MARCH 2012
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b01dnb1j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b01f1pxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01dnb1l)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01dnb1n)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01dnb1q)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b01dnb1s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01fkdy5)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Methodist minister.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b01dvwqh)
The National Trust claims UK children are experiencing 'Nature Deficit Disorder' because they have too few opportunities to play in wild places. The Trust is launching an inquiry to find ways of giving children back the freedom to climb trees, make dens, and get muddy. The Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage tells Farming Today that properly designed and sited wind turbines can improve habitats for some wildlife species. We find out why Lyme Disease, which is spread by ticks, has increased threefold in the UK over ten years. And, is the allure of rare breed meat to chefs about more than cachet and a hefty price tag? Charlotte visits London chef Martin Kroon, who is an enthusiast for Middle White pigs, among other breeds.
FRI 06:00 Today (b01dvwqk)
Presented by James Naughtie and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b01dtg1r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b01f1pym)
Book of the Week: Escape from Camp 14
Episode 5
Written by Blaine Harden.
Having escaped across the border into China, Shin looks for a job. After a lucky encounter in a Korean restaurant he finds himself on his way to South Korea and a life of freedom. But once there he has to acclimatise to a totally new way of life, first in Seoul and then in California, and he is haunted by his memories of life in Camp 14.
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01dvwqm)
Cyber-bullying, female jockeys, abortion campaigning tactics, Falklands nurse and baby manuals
Jenni Murray discusses abortion campaigning tactics with Merle Hoffman of the Choices abortion centre and Sarah de Nordwall of 40 Days for Life. Scott Freeman and his daughter talk about cyber-bullying. They have set up a new charity to combat the problem and are calling for a change in the law to make it a crime. Former army nurse Maggie Barclay-Cooke describes her work on the Falklands at the end of the fighting. Racing reporter Gina Bryce talks about the new championships for female jockeys.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dvzpc)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 5
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Giacinto's behaviour is causing trouble for the Pintor sisters. Noemi disapproves of his relationship with Grixenda and there are rumours that Giacinto is gambling. Will Efix's attempts to put things right work?
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
RUTH/KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
FRI 11:00 The Swedish Invasion (b010k2f6)
They gave us Ikea, Volvo and Abba, but now a new wave of Swedish culture is conquering the world. Swedish books, films, music and design are being lapped up in Britain and even our politicians are looking to Sweden for answers. Danny Robins, comedian and Swedophile, goes on a tour of the country to explore why we've fallen so in love with Swedishness and just what it is that we're buying into.
Sweden is the world's third biggest exporter of music, its design is coveted across the globe and, led by Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, its crime fiction is now dominating the bestseller lists. What most of us know about the Swedes though is still based on stereotypes - sexually liberated yet boring, suicidal yet happy with a perfect society - it's the land of the midnight sun, forests and lakes, few inhabitants and picturesque towns, where it feels like the most serious crime might be dropping litter. Yet, Steig Larsson's novels and Henning Mankell's Wallander series present a different vision of Sweden, as a land of serial killers, corruption and racism.
Danny speaks to Swedish rapper Dogge Doggelito to find out whether there's any truth to the fiction. Though it seems safe and well-ordered, is there a darkness lurking beneath the perfect exterior? Two of Sweden's top politicians have been assassinated; rising immigration has led to strong support for a racist political party and Sweden's egalitarian social democracy feels under threat.
But the new 'dangerous' Sweden of the crime thrillers is only part of the picture. The 'Made in Sweden' stamp is still synonymous with success, quality and cool. Danny meets young designers, chats to Swedish cultural commentators and goes in the footsteps of Stieg Larsson's characters, to explore the country's recent success.
Producer: Jo Wheeler
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Vital Statistics (b01dvwqp)
The Seven Year Itch
By Ben Ockrent.
After seven years together Amy and Sam are wondering what's missing from their relationship. Agent Y is the man in the know. It's simple, he says: start by unplugging the dishwasher. But can they rely on statistics to keep them together?
Cast:
Agent Y . . . . . Karl Theobald
Amy . . . . . Jemima Rooper
Sam . . . . . Bryan Dick
Stuart . . . . . Stephen Critchlow
Shop Assistant . . . . . Susie Riddell
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
Developed with James Robinson.
Studio managers: Caleb Knightley and Keith Graham.
Editors: Keith Graham and Peter Ringrose.
Production Co-ordinator: Jessica Brown.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b01dvzg3)
Radio 4's Consumer Affairs Programme with Peter White. As water bills go up there's a demand to know where the money is being spent. Snow White too scary and violent for children? The British Board of Film Classification is celebrating its one hundredth birthday this year. And the retail meltdown - why farmers markets are not immune?
FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b01g826g)
Destiny: Chick and Lindsay
In a new series for Radio 4, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, Fi Glover introduces the first of a series of encounters capturing the nation in conversation.
Chick is a former miner from Pontefract in Yorkshire. He discusses his life in a conversation with his granddaughter Lindsay, whose eyes are set on a very different career path.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
The next conversation is before the PM programme.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b01dnb1v)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b01dvzg5)
Shaun Ley presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
FRI 13:45 A Life With ... (b01djrph)
Series 6
Seals
A Life With... Episode 5 of 5: Seals
Grey seals are Britain's largest mammal, yet still remain a mystery. Mary Colwell Meets Sue Sayer on a windy cliff in Cornwall to view the animals she loves so much.
Sue now spends all her time discovering their lives. She used to be a teacher, but as her passion for seals grew she found herself spending more and more time with seals. Eventually she gave up her paid job and became a champion of seals.
Sue has developed a fur pattern recognition system that means she know 700 seals just by looking at them! What is it about seals that inspires such dedication? Is it their big eyes or their playful, curious character that is so alluring? Sue finds it hard to say herself, but acknowledges they have totally taken over her life.
Sue still uses her teaching skills, but this time to educate the public about seals, how to behave around them and what to do if there is a lone pup on the beach. We may take them for granted she says, but there as many grey seals an red squirrels, its time to take their welfare to heart and grey seals could have no better champion than Sue Sayer to fight their cause.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b01dvw8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b01dvzg7)
TS Eliot - The Waste Land
Eileen Atkins and Jeremy Irons read The Waste Land by T.S.Eliot introduced by Dr Rowan Williams former Archbishop of Canterbury, Jackie Kay, Matthew Hollis and Sean O'Brien
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot is arguably one of the most important poems of the 20th century . In 1921, Eliot took leave from his job in a bank for a break in Margate with his wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot. Here he began working on the poem. The Eliots travelled on to Paris where they were guests of the poet Ezra Pound. Eliot was en route to Lausanne, Switzerland, for treatment for his nervous disorder by Doctor Roger Vittoz whilst Vivien remained at a sanatorium just outside Paris. In Lausanne, Eliot produced a longer version of the poem . Pound then made detailed editorial comments and significant cuts to the manuscript. Eliot later dedicated the poem to Pound.
Eliot originally considered titling the poem He do the Police in Different Voices - a phrase taken from Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend. This would help the reader to understand that, while there are many different voices in the poem, some critics believe there is only one central consciousness.
In the end, the title Eliot chose was The Waste Land. In his first note to the poem he attributes the title to Jessie L. Weston's book on the Grail legend, From Ritual to Romance. The allusion is to the wounding of the Fisher King and the subsequent sterility of his lands.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b01dvzg9)
Crookham, Northumberland
Eric Robson and the team are joined by guest panellist Alison Pringle as guests of Crookham Gardeners' Club.
Our Practical March series concludes with expert advice on 'Weed & Pest control'.
Questions addressed in the programme:
My two year-old Magnolia isn't thriving. Could it be in the wrong place?
Which tropical plants will grow in Northumberland?
Suggestions included:
Eucalyptus globulus, Canna, Jacaranda, Phormium, Fatsia japonica, Tetreapanax & hardy Impatiens
Is my lawn feed or weedkiller destroying my 25 yr old daffodil bulbs?
How can I ward off the moles in my garden?
Can the panel suggest plants for a Peace Garden?
Suggestions included: Peace Lily, Pulsatilla vulgaris, Friendship plant or Billbergia nutans, Handkerchief tree or Davidia involucrate, Hydrangea 'Love me kiss, Hairbells, Scottish bluebells
How can I replant some 25 yr old blackcurrant & gooseberry bushes?
If I plant the top of a pineapple in a pot, how long will it take to fruit?
My Rhododendron flowers in winter. Is this normal?
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Original Shorts (b01dvzgc)
Series 5
Elevated Thoughts
Edward is fond of the little oak tree that stands near the 15th tee of his local golf course. But there are club-members who view the tree with less friendly eyes. Chief among them is the club captain. There have been complaints, he says: some branches hang far too low over the tee - the oak should be cut down. So how can the situation be resolved happily for the club and its members?
Over the months, Edward wonders whether Nature herself is becoming involved. And, he recalls, didn't Wordsworth have something to say about all nature being alive, and possessed with a presence that disturbs him with the joy of elevated thoughts? He continues to observe, and witnesses a surprising conclusion.
Broadcaster, novelist and humorist Christopher Matthew has written this story especially for Original Shorts.
Martin Jarvis reads this wry tale of Nature versus petty bureaucracy.
Director: Rosalind Ayres
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b01dvzgf)
Lord Newton, Jocky Wilson, Jennifer Longford, Earl Scruggs and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Matthew Bannister on:
The Tory politician Lord Newton - a respected Minister of Health and Secretary of State for social security. Edwina Currie tells us why she confided in him about her affair with John Major.
The darts player Jocky Wilson - a Scottish hero to the poet Ian Macmillan who pays tribute.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the warlord who became President of Somalia but couldn't stop the country's tribal and religious violence
Jennifer Longford, daughter of Lloyd George's mistress - but was Lloyd George her father?
And banjo player extraordinaire Earl Scruggs - Whispering Bob Harris pays tribute to the bluegrass pioneer..
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b01dvzgh)
Last week critics of Radio 4's Count Arthur Strong aired their views - and outraged his many fans. They contacted the programme in droves, demanding satisfaction.
So, in this week's programme the Count's supporters meet his detractors for a fight to the comedy death - well nearly. Which side will win? Is the programme Strong or weak? Roger Bolton officiates and there is a special appearance from Count Arthur himself.
Roger meets Today presenter Justin Webb and 5Live's Victoria Derbyshire to discuss the delicate art of interviewing ordinary people with extraordinary stories to tell.
And is In Our Time killing the past tense? By repeatedly discussing past events in the present tense, worried listeners feel that the programme may permanently mangle the language.
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producers: Karen Pirie and Kate Taylor
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b01dzw3f)
Maternal Love: Sasha and Paddy
In a new series for Radio 4, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, Fi Glover introduces the second of a series of encounters capturing the nation in conversation. Sasha is a mother from Berkshire whose son, Paddy has an inherited heart condition. They talk about life together at home in Marlborough.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
The next conversation is before the midnight News.
FRI 17:00 PM (b01dvzgk)
Eddie Mair presents full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01dnb1x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b01dvzgm)
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis dissect the week's news with comical precision assisted by Jon Holmes, Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin and John Finnemore.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b01dvzgp)
Jennifer and Lilian wonder if they've been called to Bridge Farm to receive bad news about Tony. Peggy's anxious too.
Pat sees them arrive, and leaves Clarrie to do the final clean round the dairy while she waits for Eddie.
Tony welcomes the family. They're relieved when he reassures them this is not about his health. When Pat comes in, they waste no time in announcing that they recently found at that John had a son. Lilian and Jennifer are thrilled. Peggy holds back on her feelings. On the way back home, she points out that Rich has a very full life in Leeds, and perhaps that's just as it should be.
Pat and Tony take an evening walk to see the cows out on grass for the first night this year. They agree that seeing Rich has given them both such a lift. It's been a good week. The bank has extended their interest-only payments on the mortgage, and Tom's delighted it will lend the money for the new polytunnel.
Pat and Tony are pleased that Tom and Helen are both so committed. Tony's buzzing. At moments like this, it's simply wonderful to be alive.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b01dvzgr)
Kirsty Lang in New York with the director of the Metropolitan Museum
With Kirsty Lang in New York.
Thomas Campbell, the British director of the vast Metropolitan Museum, talks about his plans for the future and coping with the financial restraints of a recession.
The British TV series Downton Abbey has proved to be a spectacular success in the US. Some of New York's die-hard fans analyse why it appeals to Americans.
Trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton caused a storm in a recent blog, when he wrote that the word jazz should be replaced by the term Black American Music. He feels "the J-word" has become outdated, and he explains why.
Gatz, an eight hour long stage version of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby, is coming to the UK in the summer. Director John Collins and lead actor Scott Shepherd tell Kirsty why their production is so long, and how Scott ended up learning the entire book off by heart.
Producer Rebecca Nicholson.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01dvzpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b01dvzpf)
Otley
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a live discussion of news and politics from Prince Henry's Grammar School, Otley, West Yorkshire, with entrepreneur Doug Richard; cross-bench peer and Professor of Politics and Women's Studies at the University of York, Haleh Afshar; Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young MP; and Shadow Leader of the Commons, Angela Eagle MP
Producer: Victoria Wakely.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b01dvzph)
Fat Policemen
David Cannadine reflects on the changing images of the typical policeman and our attitude towards the way they look in the light of a recent report that over half of the members of the Metropolitan Police are overweight.
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Inside the Bermuda Triangle: The Mysteries Solved (b01dvzpk)
Episode 2
In this second of two omnibus editions of his series from 2009, Tom Mangold re-enters the Bermuda Triangle in search of the truth behind the legend.
This episode he resumes his investigations by examining the work of two of the most successful authors who first wrote about the supposed mysteries of this famous piece of wet geometry. The lurid blurbs on the covers of their books often left little to the imagination, one purporting to be :
"A saga of the mysterious sea where planes, ships and doomed human beings disappear for ever - an astonishing, baffling, fully documented true life mystery of the hundreds of helpless victims, sucked up by giant water spouts, sea monsters and flying saucers."
Tom traces some of those responsible for spreading these yarns and interrogates them and their works rigorously. On the way he discovers how the myth of the triangle became entwined with that of the lost kingdom of Atlantis, how the mysterious disappearance of a plane sixty years ago turns out to be far from inexplicable, and how scientists, air traffic controllers and air sea rescue officers remain extremely sceptical that there are any anomalies in the region.
However, Tom finishes his tour on Bermuda itself and finds that some people are convinced that they have experienced something odd.
The truth is out there.
Producer: Adam Fowler
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b01dnb1z)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b01dvzpm)
Has George Galloway tapped into voter discontent with the three main parties?
Aung San Suu Kyi warns that Burma's elections won't be free and fair .But will they be free and fair enough for Western powers?
The biggest lottery rollover in the world : all $540 million of it
with Carolyn Quinn.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01dvzpp)
Stonemouth
Episode 10
Iain Banks' novel concludes tonight with a reunion of childhood friends on the beach. Stewart and Ellie think of their future, but her brother has other ideas.
Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After five years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up. An estuary town north of Aberdeen, Stonemouth, with its five mile beach, can be beautiful on a sunny day.
On a bleak one, it can seem to offer little more than seafog, gangsters, cheap drugs and a suspension bridge irresistible to suicides. And although there's supposed to be a temporary truce between Stewart and the town's biggest crime family, it's soon clear that only Stewart is taking this promise of peace seriously. Before long a quick drop into the cold grey Stoun begins to look like the soft option. As he steps back into the minefield of his past to confront his guilt and all that it has lost him, Stu uncovers ever darker stories, and his homecoming takes a more lethal turn than even he had anticipated.
Read by David Tennant
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b01gh84k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:27 Don't Log Off (b0194djf)
Series 1
Episode 2
Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype - discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles.
It's a hesitant start as Alan starts from a "Friend" count of zero, struggling to lure users away from the anonymity of the keyboard to the glare of the webcam - and engage in real verbal communication. Yet over five long late nights, he gradually builds up a circle of friends, crossing the time zones and discovering some startling stories.
In this second programme, he's among those dreaming of freedom, talking to a man car-jacked in Caracas, and an Iranian evading the electronic eavesdropping of the authorities who's determined to flee the country.
Five years ago, Alan Dein brought us the acclaimed Don't Hang Up, in which he set himself the task of calling phone boxes around the world to see who picked up. This time, the project reaches a whole new scale.
Producers: Laurence Grissell and Sarah Bowen.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b01dzw3k)
Memories: Willie and Alison
A shared moment of tenderness between Willie and Alison, a couple who have shared a rich life together, but now face the challenges of an uncertain future as old age approaches. Another conversation introduced by Fi Glover in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject.
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
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15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b01dtkj8)
15 Minute Drama
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15 Minute Drama
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15 Minute Drama
10:45 WED (b01dw0t7)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b01dw0t7)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (b01dw0wr)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b01dw0wr)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (b01dvzpc)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b01dvzpc)
A Father for My Son
19:45 SUN (b01dth55)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (b01gh84k)
A Good Read
23:00 FRI (b01gh84k)
A Life With ...
13:45 MON (b01dhhpz)
A Life With ...
13:45 TUE (b01dhrms)
A Life With ...
13:45 WED (b01dht25)
A Life With ...
13:45 THU (b01djny9)
A Life With ...
13:45 FRI (b01djrph)
A Point of View
08:50 SUN (b01djsg3)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (b01dvzph)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (b01dhq6g)
Analysis
20:30 MON (b01dtlzn)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b01dtd5n)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b01djsg1)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b01dvzpf)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b01f1nf9)
As BBC World Service
02:00 SUN (b01dtg4b)
Bath Festival Stories, Series 3
00:30 SUN (b01dtfs9)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b01dtfsc)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b01dtfsc)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (b01dtlsb)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 MON (b01dtlzs)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 TUE (b01dtvlx)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 WED (b01dtxgz)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 THU (b01dvwd3)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 FRI (b01dvzpp)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b01dnn41)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (b01dtkj4)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (b01dtkj4)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (b01f1p8l)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (b01f1p8l)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (b01f1prp)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (b01f1prp)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (b01f1pxd)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (b01f1pxd)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (b01f1pym)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b01dtfxd)
Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing
23:15 WED (b01dtxh3)
Classic Serial
21:00 SAT (b01dhcg6)
Classic Serial
15:00 SUN (b01dtgp4)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (b01dtvk1)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (b01dtvk1)
Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show!
18:30 TUE (b01dtvk9)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (b01dvw6y)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (b01dtg1r)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (b01dtg1r)
Don't Log Off
23:30 THU (b018wgzb)
Don't Log Off
23:27 FRI (b0194djf)
Drama
14:15 MON (b01dtkjl)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b01dttzp)
Drama
14:15 WED (b01dtwlz)
Drama
14:15 THU (b01dvw76)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b01dvzg7)
Excess Baggage
10:00 SAT (b01dtd5b)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b01dtd54)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b01dtjcd)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b01dttz3)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b01dtvrg)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b01dvw6p)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b01dvwqh)
Feathered Apes
11:00 TUE (b01dttzf)
Feathered Apes
21:00 THU (b01dttzf)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (b01djsfn)
Feedback
16:30 FRI (b01dvzgh)
File on 4
17:00 SUN (b01dhs17)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b01dtvln)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b01dtd5j)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b01dtlw1)
Front Row
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Front Row
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Front Row
19:15 THU (b01dvw8w)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b01dvzgr)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b01djrpm)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b01dvzg9)
I've Never Seen Star Wars
18:30 THU (b00yz3hs)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (b01dvw6t)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (b01dvw6t)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b01dtvlq)
In and Out of the Kitchen
19:15 SUN (b016x4sv)
Inside Health
21:00 TUE (b01dtvls)
Inside Health
15:30 WED (b01dtvls)
Inside the Bermuda Triangle: The Mysteries Solved
21:00 FRI (b01dvzpk)
It's My Story
20:00 MON (b01dtlzl)
Just a Minute
12:00 SUN (b01dhn6y)
Just a Minute
18:30 MON (b01dtlvx)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b01djsfl)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b01dvzgf)
Lent Talks
05:45 SUN (b01dht2t)
Lent Talks
14:45 SUN (b01dht2t)
Lent Talks
20:45 WED (b01dtxgv)
Life: An Idiot's Guide
18:30 WED (b01dtxcn)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b01dtdc4)
Material World
21:00 MON (b01djr4w)
Material World
16:30 THU (b01dvw7d)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b01dc948)
Midnight News
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Midnight News
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Midnight News
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Midnight News
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Midnight News
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Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b01dnb1j)
Midweek
09:00 WED (b01dtvsm)
Midweek
21:30 WED (b01dtvsm)
Money Box Live
15:00 WED (b01dtwm1)
Money Box
12:00 SAT (b01dtd5l)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b01dtd5l)
Moral Maze
22:15 SAT (b01dht2r)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (b01dtxgs)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b01dc94j)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b01dn9w1)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b01dn9xj)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b01dn9ym)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b01dn9zn)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b01dnb0p)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b01dnb1s)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b01dn9w3)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b01dc94l)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b01dn9w7)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b01dn9wc)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b01dc955)
News
13:00 SAT (b01dc94x)
North and South: Across the Great Divide
11:00 WED (b01dtwls)
North of the Border - The Rise of Mexican Music
11:30 THU (b01dvw70)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (b01dtfsh)
On the Fringe with Stephen K Amos
23:00 THU (b00tgz6f)
One to One
09:30 TUE (b01dttz9)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (b01dtgp6)
Open Book
15:30 THU (b01dtgp6)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (b01djr4r)
Open Country
15:00 THU (b01dvw78)
Original Shorts
15:45 FRI (b01dvzgc)
PM
17:00 SAT (b01dtdc2)
PM
17:00 MON (b01dtlsd)
PM
17:00 TUE (b01dtvk7)
PM
17:00 WED (b01dtxcl)
PM
17:00 THU (b01dvw8r)
PM
17:00 FRI (b01dvzgk)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b01dtgpd)
Poetry Please
23:30 SAT (b01dhddc)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b01djt13)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b01dtjcb)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b01fkdvn)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b01fkdxd)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b01fkdxx)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b01fkdy5)
Profile
19:00 SAT (b01dtdc6)
Profile
17:40 SUN (b01dtdc6)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:55 SUN (b01dtfsm)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b01dtfsm)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b01dtfsm)
Richard Herring's Objective
23:00 TUE (b016wzrz)
Robert Winston's Musical Analysis
11:30 TUE (b01dttzh)
Saturday Drama
14:30 SAT (b01dtd5q)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b01dtd58)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b01dtdc8)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b01dc94d)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b01dn9xd)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b01dn9yh)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (b01dn9zj)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b01dnb0k)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b01dnb1n)
Shedtown
11:30 WED (b011vgbz)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b01dc94b)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b01dc94g)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b01dc94z)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b01dn9vx)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b01dn9vz)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b01dn9wh)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b01dn9xb)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b01dn9xg)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b01dn9yf)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b01dn9yk)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b01dn9zg)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b01dn9zl)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b01dnb0h)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b01dnb0m)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b01dnb1l)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b01dnb1q)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b01dc953)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b01dn9wm)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b01dn9xq)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b01dn9yr)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b01dn9zs)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b01dnb0w)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b01dnb1x)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b01dtfsf)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b01dtfsf)
Soul Music
13:30 SUN (b01c7pqb)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (b01dtjcj)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (b01dtjcj)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b01dtfsp)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b01dtfsk)
The 3rd Degree
23:00 SAT (b01dhn6p)
The 3rd Degree
15:00 MON (b01dtkjn)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b01dtfxg)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b01dtgpg)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b01dtgpg)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b01dtlvz)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b01dtlvz)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b01dtvkc)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b01dtvkc)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b01dtxcq)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b01dtxcq)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b01dvw8t)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b01dvw8t)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b01dvzgp)
The Art of Monarchy
10:30 SAT (b01dtd5d)
The Asian Youth Movements
11:00 MON (b01dtkjb)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (b01djr5b)
The Bottom Line
20:30 THU (b01gh88h)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b01djr4t)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (b01dvw7b)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b01dtgbj)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (b01dtgbj)
The Global Reach
15:00 TUE (b01dtv7y)
The Life Scientific
09:00 TUE (b01dttz7)
The Life Scientific
21:30 TUE (b01dttz7)
The Listening Project
12:52 FRI (b01g826g)
The Listening Project
16:55 FRI (b01dzw3f)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (b01dzw3k)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (b01dztll)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (b01djsfs)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (b01dvzgm)
The Report
20:00 THU (b01dvwcx)
The Swedish Invasion
11:00 FRI (b010k2f6)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (b01dtd5g)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b01dtgbl)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b01dtlzq)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b01dtvlv)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b01dtxgx)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b01dvwd1)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b01dvzpm)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (b01dht2c)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b01dtwm3)
Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme
23:00 WED (b01dtxh1)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (b01dtm27)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (b01dtvlz)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (b01dtxh5)
Today
07:00 SAT (b01dtd56)
Today
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Today
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Today
06:00 WED (b01dtvrj)
Today
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Today
06:00 FRI (b01dvwqk)
Vital Statistics
11:30 FRI (b01dvwqp)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b01dc94n)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b01dc94s)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b01dc94v)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b01dc951)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b01dn9w5)
Weather
07:57 SUN (b01dn9w9)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b01dn9wf)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b01dn9wk)
Weather
05:57 MON (b01dn9xl)
Weather
12:57 MON (b01dn9xn)
Weather
21:58 MON (b01dn9xs)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b01dn9yp)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b01dn9yt)
Weather
12:57 WED (b01dn9zq)
Weather
21:58 WED (b01dn9zv)
Weather
12:57 THU (b01dnb0r)
Weather
21:58 THU (b01dnb0y)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b01dnb1v)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b01dnb1z)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b01dth57)
What the Papers Say
22:45 SUN (b01dth59)
What the Scandinavians Know about Children's Literature
16:00 MON (b01dtls8)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b01dtdc0)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b01dtkj6)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b01dttzc)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b01dtvsp)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b01dvw6w)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b01dvwqm)
Word of Mouth
23:00 MON (b01dhrn1)
Word of Mouth
16:00 TUE (b01dtvk3)
Wordaholics
11:30 MON (b01dtkjd)
World at One
13:00 MON (b01dtkjj)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b01dtv7w)
World at One
13:00 WED (b01dtwlx)
World at One
13:00 THU (b01dvw74)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b01dvzg5)
Writing Madness
16:30 SUN (b01dtgp8)
You and Yours
12:00 MON (b01dtkjg)
You and Yours
12:00 TUE (b01dttzm)
You and Yours
12:00 WED (b01dtwlv)
You and Yours
12:00 THU (b01dvw72)
You and Yours
12:00 FRI (b01dvzg3)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b01djt3f)