SATURDAY 09 MAY 2015
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b05srzft)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b05t67cg)
Antony Sher - Year of the Fat Knight
Episode 5
Antony Sher recounts the year in which he created and performed his version of Shakespeare's Falstaff - despite never intending to undertake such an iconic role.
Thirty years ago, a promising young actor published his account of preparing for and playing the role of Richard III. Antony Sher's Year of the King has since become a classic of theatre literature.
In 2014, Sher - in his 60s - was cast as Falstaff in Gregory Doran's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the two parts of Henry IV. Both the production and Sher's Falstaff were acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, with Sher winning the Critics' Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance.
Year of the Fat Knight is Antony Sher's account of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's best-known and most popular characters.
He tells us how he had doubts about playing the part at all; how he sought to reconcile Falstaff's obesity, drunkenness, cowardice and charm; how he wrestled with the fat suit needed to bulk him up; and how he explored the complexities and contradictions of this comic yet often dangerous personality.
On the way, Sher paints a uniquely close-up portrait of the RSC at work.
Read by Antony Sher
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05srzfx)
The latest shipping forecast.
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05srzfz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05srzg1)
The latest shipping forecast.
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b05srzg3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05sydqm)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
SAT 05:45 iPM (b05sydqp)
The programme that starts with its listeners.
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b05srzg5)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SAT 06:04 Weather (b05srzg7)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (b05sxx6z)
Landscape Art in Northumberland
Caz Graham visits the Northumberland countryside to discover stunning art in the landscape, produced by Iranian artist Khosro Adibi.
Khosro is a visual artist from Iran. He's lived in Europe for several years now and has created site-specific environmental sculptures and land art pieces in the landscape.
He has been artist in residence at Tarset in Northumberland since August last year. His work involves carving directly into sandstone, reminiscent of the pre-historic cup and ring marks that can be found in Northumberland.
Caz also meets some archaeologists who spot similarities in Khosro's work to the ancient markings that are found in the area.
Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer Martin Poyntz-Roberts.
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b05tbf5c)
Small Farms
Anna Hill visits Greenham Reach on the Devon/Somerset border. It's 22 acres of former agricultural land, bought up by the Ecological Land Cooperative (ELC) and divided into three smallholder plots. Three families work and live on the land - aiming to make a living growing and selling anything from medicinal herbs, to goats cheese, to specialist salad leaves.
The ELC either rents or sells them the land, and supports the families through getting planning permission for dwellings, and offering mentors to help set up their businesses.
SAT 06:57 Weather (b05srzg9)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 07:00 Today (b05tbf5f)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Thought for the Day and Weather.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b05tbf5h)
Edith Bowman
Presented by Richard Coles and Suzy Klein.
DJ and veteran festival-goer Edith Bowman on her love for the sonic boom of Green Man and Glastonbury. For the past twenty years Edith's taken in two or three festivals a year - and after attending more than 80 of them, seeing 1,500 bands and having two children she explains why her passion is as great as ever.
Grammy award winning jazz singer Gregory Porter describes how his mother inspired his move of careers, and the music that stirs his soul.
Camping fan Phoebe Smith reveals what defines a truly wild night out - and why she decided to set herself the Extreme Sleeps Challenge - from Ben Nevis to the "Middle of Nowhere." And travelling to The National Quiet Zone - photographer Emile Holba on what a world without mobile phones really sounds like.
JP Devlin meets Dr. Sandy Saunders one of the last survivors of Archibald McIndoe's Guinea Pig Club.
And 'Queen of Shops', Mary Portas shares her Inheritance Tracks: Into the Mystic by Van Morrison and Crazy on the Weekend by Sunhouse.
Great British Musical Festivals by Edith Bowman is published by Blink.
Wild Nights - Camping Britain's Extremes by Phoebe Smith, published by Summersdale.
Sandy Saunders and the survivors of the Guinea Pig Club were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Soldiering on Through Life Trust.
Welcome to the Quiet Zone - a five part series starting on Radio 4 on Monday 18 May.
A deluxe edition of Liquid Spirit includes an additional 4 tracks of collaborations and covers and a brand new remix, featuring Jamie Cullum, Ben L'Oncle Soul and Laura Mvula.
Shop Girl A Memoir by Mary Portas, is published by Doubleday.
Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Karen Dalziel.
SAT 10:30 The Lost Art of the TV Theme (b05tq6zy)
Few people who grew up in the 1960s could not now - fifty years on - hum you the tunes from The Persuaders, Crossroads, The Avengers, Blue Peter, Top of the Form, Grandstand, The Saint, University Challenge, Panorama, Dave Allen At Large, The Onedin Line, Department S, Tomorrow's World, Dad's Army, Sportsnight - the list goes on and on. The 1970s gave us Fawlty Towers, Colditz, Mr and Mrs, The Two Ronnies, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served, The Goodies, The Wombles, Blake's Seven, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads, whose theme tune perfectly captured the affectionate nostalgia of the comedy. The melodies became so iconic that those shows which survived into the 21st century - Coronation Street, Mastermind, Match of the Day - have never ditched the theme music familiar to generations of viewers. And we haven't even mentioned Dr Who, whose pulsing theme generated by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1963 has since regenerated itself many times over, and inspired enough new music to provide a programme for an entire Prom.
Rich Morton acknowledges that his age defines his taste in themes, as in so many other things. As a composer of very plausible tunes for TV shows and films which never existed, he favours the thrilling, brassy action themes of the 1960s or the jaunty hipster tunes of the 1970s. Yet his suspicion is that programme-makers in the 1980s - perhaps as a result of squeezed budgets - stopped commissioning specially-written music and turned instead to cheaper alternatives, such as adapting instrumental extracts from pre-existing pop records.
Rich argues that, while there are still memorable themes around, far too many shows now have bland or generic music which would defy most people's attempts to hum it, let alone remember it in fifty years' time. In an age when many viewers access TV shows from Netflix, iPlayer or YouTube, the need for an instantly-recognisable theme as a clarion call to gather round and watch no longer applies.
In this programme Rich sets out to ask what it was that made those old themes so memorable, and why the TV theme may have diminished in importance as an art form. He's helped in his exploration by some of the great practitioners of the classic TV theme, such as Tony Hatch and Alan Hawkshaw, and also by one of the most successful TV composers working today, Debbie Wiseman.
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b05tz5p5)
George Parker of the FT looks at the 2015 General Election results.
The Editor is Peter Mulligan.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b05srzgc)
Turning Back the Ageing Process
Now where have I put the car keys? A Japanese neuro-scientist believes a regular brain 'workout' can improve the lives, and the memories, of older people who might otherwise fall victim to dementia; Italy's planning to tell the UN Security Council next week that the country's in urgent need of more help in dealing with the tide of migrants washing up on its shores - we're in a port in Sicily where boatloads of them now arrive almost every day; the authorities in Saudi Arabia show our correspondent round a high security jail near Riyadh where, they say, they are succeeding in reforming extremists from IS and al-Qaeda; farmer suicides in India - many possible reasons are cited for their decisions to kill themselves but but it's clear that distress among the agricultural community is part of a wider malaise afflicting the countryside. And on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba we find out why boa constrictors, snakes which can grow to four metres in length, have taken to travelling by car.
SAT 12:00 News Summary (b05srzgf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (b05tbfmc)
Tax changes, Pension freedom, How safe is your vault?
On Money Box with Paul Lewis:
How safe is your vault? The owners of 56 safety deposit boxes in London's Hatton Garden met this week to see what can be done to recover their stuff - or at least its value. The safe deposit security centre was raided over the Easter weekend. So what insurance do you need to have in place to protect your valuables?
The Conservatives have won the General Election. Money Box looks at the known knowns of what tax changes we can expect in the post-election Budget, probably in June. Inheritance tax and tax allowances will be made more generous. And the Prime Minister has pledged they will take no more from us in income tax, VAT, or National Insurance. So where will the extra money needed to clear the deficit be raised from?
A new mutual insurance company has opened for business. But to use it, you must have a connection with the armed forces. The target customers for the Military Mutual are people currently or recently in the services and their close relatives. Frequent changes of address and serving abroad are inevitable aspects of military life that can make it hard to get insurance from mainstream firms. The Military Mutual hopes to fill that gap.
What are millions of over 55s doing with their new pension freedom a month after it began? How easy is it to get hold of your own cash? What barriers are being put in the way? And when people do get the money what are they using it for?
SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (b05sycdj)
Series 14
Episode 5
The topical impressions show returns just in time to reflect the build up to one of the most important and incisive votes for decades. Will Austria win again or does Britain's Electro Velvet stand a chance? Satire meets silliness in the flagship comedy for hard working families up and down the country.
Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, Lewis MacLeod, Debra Stephenson.
Producer: Bill Dare.
SAT 12:57 Weather (b05srzgh)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 13:00 News (b05srzgm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b05sycdq)
Charles Clarke, Michael Howard, Shirley Williams, Gordon Wilson
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from the Radio Theatre at London's Broadcasting House with former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke; former Leader of the Conservatives, Lord Howard of Lympne; the Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness Williams of Crosby; and former Leader of the Scottish National Party, Gordon Wilson.
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b05tbgkv)
What is the future for Labour, Lib Dems and Scotland post-election?
Alex Salmond said the Scottish lion had "roared "after the SNP recorded its historic landslide General Election victory in Scotland. Until this week, the SNP held six of Scotland's 59 seats; now, it holds 56. That victory demonstrates, and in some measure explains, the constitutional rift in the United Kingdom.
Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg resigned this week after their party's disappointing General Election. How will the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats rebuild for the future?
In the run up to the Election the Conservatives proposed cutting £12bn in welfare after the election, without specifying how. The Department for Work & Pensions proposals were canvassed the year before and those plans may include abolishing statutory maternity pay and barring under-25s from claiming incapacity benefit or housing benefit. Money could also be raised, civil servants suggested, by increasing the bedroom tax in certain cases
David Cameron reiterated on Friday that he would implement his party's manifesto in full, including an in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership in 2017. (Maybe even in 2016)
"The time has come for real, genuine, radical political reform," Nigel Farage said after losing his bid to take Thanet South from the Conservatives. The UKIP leader had increased his party's share of the vote in the seat by 27%, and nationally UKIP's vote share was up by 10 percentage points to a total of 3.9 million. Still, the party won just one constituency under the UK's first-past-the-post voting system.
The Greens' ambitions were similarly thwarted: they won more than a million votes but just one seat. Should Proportional Representation be introduced?
Presenter is Anita Anand.
Producers are Maire Devine & Alex Lewis.
Editor is Karen Dalziel.
SAT 14:30 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b041v063)
The Guts
Twenty six years on and we are back in Dublin with Jimmy Rabbitte, the ex-manager of The Commitments. Jimmy is now 47, married to Aoife and has 4 kids. Life has been rather good since we last met him, keeping a foot in the music industry and doing well during the boom. However, life is about to change for them all as Jimmy has just discovered he is ill. This is a story about friendship and family, about facing death and opting for life and maybe, just maybe, realising you can still live the dream.
Going To Hell was performed by More Than Conquerors.
Adapted by Peter Sheridan
Producer: Gemma McMullan
Directed by: Eoin O'Callaghan.
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b05tbgkz)
Women's influence on GE2015, Nancy Sinatra, Minette Walters
We discuss women's influence on the 2015 Election with Professor Sarah Childs from Bristol University and Michelle Harrison of TNS. Nancy Sinatra is interviewed by Jane Garvey and Cerys Matthews.
Crowd-funded breast augmentation - we talk to a woman who raised money for implants by chatting to men online and a man who's given money.
The Guardian's China Correspondent Tania Branigan on what's being done to reduce high levels of domestic abuse in Chinese families.
Minette Walters, 'the Queen of Crime' on her new novel The Cellar. Sheila Kitzinger's daughters Celia and Jenny discuss her legacy.
Women in Clothes - Leanne Shapton and Kira Jolliffe - on the book that asked more than 600 women why they choose to dress as they do.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed.
SAT 17:00 PM (b05tbgl1)
Saturday PM
Full coverage of the day's news.
SAT 17:30 iPM (b05sydqp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:45 today]
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b05srzgp)
The latest shipping forecast.
SAT 17:57 Weather (b05srzgr)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05srzgt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b05tbgl3)
Nikki Bedi, Mike Leigh, Stephen Mangan, Terry Waite, Sandy Grierson, Stealing Sheep, Spiro
Clive Anderson and guests - Mike Leigh, Stephen Mangan, Sandy Grierson - with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. Also round the Loose Ends table is Nikki Bedi talking to humanitarian and author Terry Waite. With music from Stealing Sheep and Spiro.
Producer: Sukey Firth.
SAT 19:00 Profile (b05tbgq1)
Sir Christopher Geidt
The last couple of weeks of the election campaign - and the erroneously narrow polls which highlighted the role of The Queen in the event of a hung parliament - brought to the attention of the public a man who has held arguably one of the most important jobs in Britain since 2007, but who remains largely unknown. He's Sir Christopher Geidt, Private Secretary to The Queen. He is her adviser on political and constitutional matters, and her line of communication to the Government. But who is he?
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Joe Kent and Charlotte Pritchard.
SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b05tbgq3)
The Vote, The Crow Eaters, Girlhood, Brighton Festival, Grace and Frankie
The Vote is a comedy set in a polling station on election night, performed live at the Donmar Warehouse and simultaneously broadcast on More4. Starring Mark Gatiss, Judi Dench, Catherine Tate and nearly 40 more actors, can it have a life after we announce our verdict?
Bapsi Sidhwa's novel The Crow Eaters is a classic of Pakistani writing; a darkly humorous tale of a family in Lahore in the early 1900s. fans include Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi and Fatima Bhutto. What will our panel make of it?
The French film Girlhood tells the story of the lives of a group of young black Parisiennes; a group notably underrepresented in French cinema. Does this film do something original with the idea?
We look at a couple of works at this year's Brighton Festival on an avian theme: Dawn Chorus, humans reproducing birdsong and Murmuration looking at birdwatching and spying
Grace and Frankie is a new comedy series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two septuagenarians who are surprised when their husbands announce that they're gay and intend to marry each other.
Image: Mark Gatiss as Steven Crosswell in The Vote, Donmar Warehouse
Photo Credit: Johan Persson.
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b05tbh5k)
The Entomology of Gregor Samsa
Gregor Samsa, as we all now know, woke up one morning to find himself transformed into an insect. But what kind of insect precisely?
Franz Kafka does not give much help to readers of The Metamorphosis (100 years old in 2015). In German Samsa finds himself transformed into an "Ungezeifer" - "monstrous vermin." Early translations identify Samsa as an insect (and the fact that he crawls over the ceiling of the Samsa family home make it easy to imagine him as a kind of man sized cockroach) but literary critics have persisted in seeing Gregor's transformation as symbolic of his alienation.
The reader though registers Samsa as very corporeal, and that body is leathery and insectoid.
The hunt is deadly serious: much of the vertiginous pleasure of reading The Metamorphoses comes from the naturalistic, physical description of the creature which Samsa becomes. We are told on the first page that his carapace is hard, convex on both sides, and that his stomach is divided into rigid banded segments. But what kind of insect this denotes has concerned Kafka scholars since the book was published.
David Baddiel travels to Prague to meet the experts at the world's largest insect fair, on the trail of the insect Gregor. Will he be able to pin the insect form down?
SAT 21:00 Drama (b05sscmc)
Evelyn Waugh - Decline and Fall
Episode 2
Captain Grimes finding himself in 'the soup' again has disappeared and Margot has invited Paul to tutor her son Peter during the school holidays. There he meets the eccentric Otto.
Conclusion of Evelyn's Waugh's fast paced roller-coaster set in the early jazz age dramatised by Jeremy Front.
Paul ..... Kieran Hodgson
Margot ..... Emilia Fox
Otto ..... Tom Hollander
Peter ..... Alex Lawther
Grimes ..... John Sessions
Prendergast ..... James Fleet
Dr Fagan ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Philbrick ..... Ben Crowe
Alastair ..... Sam Valentine
Sir Humphrey/Governor 2/Scout ..... Sam Dale
Inspector Bruce/Warder 1 ..... Stephen Critchlow
Lunatic/Warder 2 ..... Ian Conningham
Lucas-Dockerty/Chaplain ..... David Acton
Jane Grimes ..... Jessica Turner
Bessy ..... Rhiannon Neads
Directed by Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b05srzgx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
SAT 22:15 Unreliable Evidence (b05stt6d)
The Law and Parenthood
In the first of a news series, Clive Anderson and a panel of senior lawyers, judges and other experts discuss how the law balances the sometimes conflicting interests of parents and their children.
The law states clearly that the welfare of the child is "paramount", but how is this to be established and what happens when the interests of a child conflict with those of a parent? Who should decide what is in the best interests of a child in the first place - the parents or the state? What exactly are the responsibilities and rights of parents in relation to a child's education, medical care or home?
Sir Mark Potter, former President of the High Court Family Division, and senior lawyers experienced in representing children and parents shed light on the difficult decisions the courts have to wrestle with - such as the case of Ashya King, removed by his parents from Southampton General Hospital, raising a raft of legal, ethical and moral issues.
How are legal decisions arrived at when separating parents disagree about how a child should be educated, or where one parent wants to take the child to another country? And if the welfare of the child is paramount, should it be made easier for children to take their parents to court to fight for their rights?
Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 23:00 The 3rd Degree (b05tbjt2)
Series 5
University of Manchester
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Coming this week from the University of Manchester, The 3rd Degree is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners while delighting the current ones.
The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Biology, American Studies and Medicine and the questions range from the sound of bats to the films of Eddie Redmayne, via The Beggar's Opera and Morph.
The show is 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.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quick-fire 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 One Direction.
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show also delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. He has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, including The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen, as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4's Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called The Genuine Particle.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 23:30 Walt Whitman's War (b05sscmh)
Walt Whitman, the great American poet of Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself gave up poetry one hundred and fifty years ago during the American Civil War to volunteer as a wound dresser for the battle injured. What he saw in the bloody field hospitals had a profound impact on Whitman and on his poetry. He went back to words after the war and wrote some of his best poetry and prose in the grim light of what he'd seen.
An exploration of Whitman's war with archive recordings of Whitman himself, the music of John Adams and contributions from poets Allen Ginsberg, Mark Ford, Galway Kinnell and Mark Doty.
SUNDAY 10 MAY 2015
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b05tbn52)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Go West (b01r9620)
Of All the Whole Wild World
Five stories made in Bristol
3. Of All the Whole Wild World
by Kerry Hood
Jodie comes to offer her commiserations to her neighbour Peta, who has just lost her mother. She's made a card: "This comes to say I'm sad, Someone has died and that's quite bad." From this inauspicious start, things can really only improve.
Produced by Christine Hall.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn54)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tbn56)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn58)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b05tbn5b)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b05tbs6h)
Church bells from St Mary's Redcliffe, Bristol.
SUN 05:45 Profile (b05tbgq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b05tbn5d)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b05tbs6k)
Mirth of Nations
From musical jokes and harmless limericks to the offence that can be caused by religious, sexual or racist humour, Mark Tully asks what makes us laugh, when it's OK to find something funny, and when a joke goes too far.
It's not always easy to draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable humour. For many, ethnic humour is inevitably racial humour and therefore automatically forbidden. But is it always as straightforward as that? With sociologist Christie Davies, Mark discusses how different nations form their own brand of jokes, how stereotypes emerge and how some groups become targets for humour.
Gilbert and Sullivan help us to laugh at those in authority, Daphne Du Maurier makes us squirm at the cruelty of a practical joke, and Mozart's Divertimento for Two Horns and String Quartet provides the punchline.
Produced by Adam Fowler
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b05tbs6m)
James Rebanks, the Herdy Shepherd
Three years ago farmer James Rebanks got a smart phone and started taking pictures of his herdwick sheep and his life as a shepherd on the Cumbrian fells. A friend reckoned they were quite good and encouraged him to tweet them. Today sixty thousand Twitter followers from all over the world check out what he, his dogs and his sheep are up to on a daily basis. Someone suggested a book - and after bidding wars in both the States and the UK, A Shepherd's Life is has become a best seller and was recently Radio 4's Book of the Week.
Caz Graham meets the man behind the tweets and hears how James couples his passion for herdwick sheep and writing with a parallel career; he's an expert advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism advising rural communities all around the world. Caz joins James herding sheep back to the fells for summer, meets a newly born lamb and some of the UKs most famous puppies!
SUN 06:57 Weather (b05tbn5g)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b05tbn5j)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b05tbs6q)
General Election, VE Day, Real Benefits Street
What will the outcome of the General Election mean for religious people in Britain? Edward Stourton explores the issues from a cross-party and multi-faith perspective.
Ahead of the National Service of Thanksgiving to mark the 70th anniversary of VE Day, Trevor Barnes hears from two veterans of Bomber Command about their memories of the day.
The Reverend Prebendary Roderick Thomas, who led the campaign against women bishops in the Church of England, has himself been appointed as a bishop. His job will be to oversee conservative evangelical congregations who don't accept the authority of a woman on theological grounds. Edward talks to him about the new role.
Germany's Roman Catholic Church has decided lay Catholic employees who divorce and remarry or form gay civil unions should no longer automatically lose their jobs. German Catholic journalist Daniel Deckers explains why.
Of the thousands of Yazidis who have fled Iraq to neighbouring Turkey, many are shunning official Turkish state camps for those run by the country's pro-Kurdish movement. Dorian Jones reports.
And with the second series of 'Benefits Street' starting on Channel 4 on Monday, the Christian charity Church Action on Poverty is launching a rival YouTube channel called 'Real Benefits Street'. Jackie Cox from the charity explains the idea behind the project.
Producers:
Dan Tierney
David Cook
Series producer:
Amanda Hancox
Contributors:
Rev Prebendary Roderick Thomas
Dr Daniel Deckers
Tim Montgomerie
Paul Bickley
Nazir Afzal
Jackie Cox.
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b05tbs6x)
Help Musicians UK
Lesley Garrett presents The Radio 4 Appeal for Help Musicians UK
Registered Charity No 228089
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope 'Help Musicians UK'.
- Cheques should be made payable to Help Musicians UK.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b05tbn5l)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b05tbn5n)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b05tbs70)
What Kind of Victory?
To mark the 70th anniversary celebrations for VE Day, The Revd Elizabeth Adekunle, Chaplain of St John's College Cambridge and Major General (retired) Tim Cross CBE, explore the kind of victory that can bring real hope for the future. A victory that charts a path to forgiveness and restores community. With the choir of St John's College Cambridge. Director of Music: Andrew Nethsingha; Organ Scholar: Edward Picton-Turbervill. Producer: Katharine Longworth.
Major General (retired) Tim Cross CBE is a Lay Minister in the Church of England, Chairman of the Board of Theos - a public theology Think Tank - and a Visiting/Honorary Professor at three UK Universities. On the Ethics Board of a major UK technology company, he works with a number of international companies and aid agencies. He was commissioned into the British Army in 1971, led a small Bomb Disposal Team in Northern Ireland in the 1970's and commanded a Division of 30,000 in 2004/07, with further operational tours in Cyprus, Kuwait, Iraq (twice), and the Balkans (3 times). He has been an adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee for the last 7 years.
Tickets for: A Celebration for Ascension Day, Thursday 14th May, St Martin-in-the-Fields: http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/ascension_day_14may15.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b05sycds)
Election View
The American writer PJ O'Rourke gives his view of the UK election. "In the once solidly red-rosette glens and braes and lochs and heather the Scottish National Party snatched the sporran, ripped the kilt off and walked away in the ghillie brogues of Labour"
Producer: Sheila Cook.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b020xv0f)
Savi's Warbler
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Savi's Warbler. Count yourself very lucky if you hear the buzzing song of a Savi's Warbler, these are very rare birds indeed, especially breeding pairs and the nests are almost impossible to find, so their song is the best clue that they're about.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b05tbsq6)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b05tbsq8)
The plot thickens for David, and Joe speaks from the heart.
SUN 11:16 Desert Island Discs (b05tbsqb)
Sir Bradley Wiggins
Kirsty Young's castaway is the cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Winner of four Olympic gold medals, six track World Championship gold medals and the first Briton to win the Tour de France, cycling is in his blood. His parents met through the sport - his Australian father was himself a professional, his British mother a keen follower. His father left the family when Bradley was still a toddler and it was his mum, Linda, who helped him pursue his dreams of being a champion cyclist. Inspired by Chris Boardman's success at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics by the age of 16 he'd won gold, silver and bronze at the Junior National Track Championships and was called up to the National Squad. He was Junior World Champion at 18.
Knighted following his achievements in 2012, he's soon to attempt the world record for the furthest distance cycled in an hour and plans to return to the track in the Team Pursuit at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Producer: Cathy Drysdale.
SUN 12:00 News Summary (b05tbn5q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Dilemma (b05sstcb)
Series 4
Episode 5
Sue Perkins puts the big moral and ethical questions to a mixed panel to discern their own personal codes of ethics.
With comedians Nathan Caton and Celia Pacquola, historian Dan Snow, and writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes.
Up for discussion are unusual meals, lying to children, and the best way to deal with noisy, but happy, neighbours .
Devised by Danielle Ward.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b05tbsqd)
Jane Grigson - A Tribute: Part One
Jane Grigson was a unique and pioneering voice in food writing; a self-taught cook whose books and journalism changed British food culture. Twenty-five years after her death, Sheila Dillon is joined by three special guests to explore her life, food and legacy.
This is part one of a special two-part edition of The Food Programme, recorded in front of an audience at Bristol Food Connections festival on the 4th of May.
On stage with Sheila is Geraldene Holt, food writer, author of 'Diary of a French Herb Garden' and Chair of the Jane Grigson Trust, the award-winning chef Shaun Hill who has cooked his way through Jane's books and also cooked for her, as well James Beard-nominated author, Telegraph food columnist and cook Diana Henry.
From 'The Fruit Book' to 'Good Things' to 'Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery', to her long running articles for The Observer, Sheila Dillon and her guests explore a voice that, despite gradually becoming less familiar, really does still matter today.
Readings by Kerry Elkins.
Presenter: Sheila Dillon
Producer: Rich Ward.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b05tbn5s)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b05tbst1)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b05syb64)
Lewes
Eric Robson chairs the programme from Lewes, East Sussex. Matt Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden answer questions from an audience of local gardeners.
Eric goes in search of a bohemian garden and we follow Matthew Wilson's journey to the Chelsea Flower Show.
Produced by Howard Shannon
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b05tbt1l)
Sunday Omnibus
Fi Glover introduces conversations about the impact of the death of a child and about being torn between two cultures, from Edinburgh, Devon and Essex, in the Omnibus edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that 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. 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. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 15:00 Drama (b05tbw1m)
Franz Kafka - The Castle
Episode 1
In Franz Kafka’s mind-warping novel, set in a bureaucratic wonderland, the hapless land-surveyor known only as K answers a summons to work at the mysterious Castle, only to find himself drawn into a labyrinth of terror and absurdity.
K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DOMINIC ROWAN
Frieda. . . . . . . . . . . .SAMMY T DOBSON
Jeremias. . . . . . . . . .MARK BENTON
Artur . . . . . . . . . . . .DANIEL WEYMAN
Teacher . . . . . . . . . .STEPHEN GREIF
Gardena and Amalia. .RACHEL BAVIDGE
Olga . . . . . . . . . . . . VICTORIA ELLIOTT
Barnabas . . . . . . . . .NEIL GRAINGER
Chief Superintendent JONATHAN CULLEN
Hans . . . . . . . . . . . . DOMINIC DEAKIN
with the Jackie Palmer Children’s Choir
Dramatist: Ed Harris
Producer: John Taylor
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2015.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b05tbwsg)
Anne Enright on The Green Road
Anne Enright joins Mariella Frostrup to discuss her novel The Green Road, a family saga which travels from County Clare to New York and Africa, and her inaugural role as the Irish fiction laureate. And to celebrate an exciting time in Irish literature - with lots of new publishers and new writers emerging - she is joined by debut novelist Sara Baume and broadcaster Sinead Gleeson to discuss whether the new generation of young writers marks a renaissance in the country's literature.
SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b05tbxk2)
Miscellany from Persia to Eaglehawk
Roger McGough travels from Rumi's 13th century Persia to Banjo Patterson's Eaglehawk, Australia via Thom Gunn's Pacific Ocean with Poetry Please. Poetry from Carol Ann Duffy, Thomas Hardy, Edna St Vincent Millay, Felix Dennis and Michael Hamburger also features.
Producer Sally Heaven.
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b05stkrm)
Targeting the Vulnerable
It's taken a long time to break through the culture of denial, but child sexual exploitation cases from Rochdale to Oxford have shown that grooming of children can happen in any community.
There seems to be a growing acceptance that what the Deputy Children's Commissioner says is true: 'there isn't a town, village of hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited'.
Councils that thought they were immune from groomers and traffickers, are now training staff to spot child sexual exploitation. And children are being taught how to avoid falling prey.
But, as children become more aware of grooming, are abusers increasingly turning their attention to people with learning disabilities?
In the first of a new series, File on 4 hears warnings from disability workers and detectives that abusers are increasingly targeting people with disabilities - because they're less likely to know what grooming is, less likely to tell, and if they do, their case is far less likely to go to court.
Jane Deith visits the only safe house in the UK for women with learning disabilities who've been victims of rape and sexual exploitation, and hears even this secret address is now on the radar of gangs trying to groom the residents.
Women with learning disabilities tell their stories of being groomed and exploited, how they eventually broke their silence, only to be told the crimes would not be prosecuted. Of an estimated 1400 cases of sexual abuse each year, only 1% result in a conviction.
If offenders aren't being punished, can we prevent the abuse by protecting those at risk? Councils worried someone is being exploited can go to the Court of Protection for permission to restrict their relationships on the grounds they don't have the mental capacity to consent to sex. But it's a difficult thing to rule on. File on 4 hears from disability workers who say men and women are being left open to rape and abuse, but also from campaigners who say the state is denying people their fundamental human right to sexual relationships.
Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Sally Chesworth.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b05tbgq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn5y)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b05tbn60)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbn62)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b05tbxk4)
Gerry Northam
In Pick Of The Week, snooker champion Steve Davis puts aside his 'Mr Boring' image as he challenges Dominic Lawson across the chess board. There's music from Mozart; and the extraordinary delusion which makes patients convinced they are made of glass.
Shakespeare and Queen Anne together on the day The Globe theatre burned to the ground; and Sir Anthony Sher explains how hard it was to turn himself into Falstaff.
Join Gerry Northam for his Pick Of The Week at
6.15.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b05tcmhc)
Shula's feeling behind schedule and flustered, as Richard arrives promptly for lunch.
In the yard, Joe offers to take any flood damaged vaccines off Alistair's hands - Bartleby has a tetanus booster due. Alistair can't help.
Joe's surprised to see Dr Locke, who Alistair greets warmly. The two men discuss Dan. Alistair mentions he's still involved in cricket. Dan arrives home from watching banger racing and tells Richard all about his Sandhurst training.
Later, Richard talks more privately to Alistair - he knows it wasn't plain sailing for Alistair and Shula, getting together. But considering what they've achieved with Dan, Alistair must be pleased with how his life has turned out.
Ed's keen to get all his fencing finished, as he looks to running beef cattle. Rob's impressed by the new tractor - Ed's pleased to have something that can handle a large trailer.
Rob talks to Ed about his ditch clearing work - driving home the hint that Ed should keep his mouth closed about anything he sees that he doesn't understand. Ed uncomfortably agrees.
Joe gossips to Ed about Richard and Alistair's past rivalry over Shula. Joe also presses Ed on whether he has asked Will to be his best man yet.
Ed shares with Joe his unsettling conversation with Rob. Joe agrees that Ed should forget about anything he sees on the Estate - he has a wedding to think about.
SUN 19:15 The Vote Now Show (b05wpwcn)
Series 2
Episode 6
The last in a series of election specials from the Now Show team. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by special guests to give their own unique take on the week's shennanigans and the election outcome.
Episode six features John Finnemore, Holly Walsh, Isabel Hardman and Pippa Evans.
Producers; Alexandra Smith, Joe Nunnery and Rachel Wheeley.
Executive Producer Alison Vernon-Smith.
SUN 19:45 Above Ground (b05tcmhg)
The Manicure
Story series in which writers consider themes of age and ageing. The series title, Above Ground, is inspired by a quote from Carol Shields's novel The Stone Diaries: "Here's to another year and let's hope it's above ground."
In "The Manicure" by Elizabeth Buchan, forty-something Nell puts the disappointments of her life behind her thanks to the encouragement and camaraderie of her Walk And Talk group.
Read by Jane Slavin
Written by Elizabeth Buchan
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron
SUN 20:00 More or Less (b05syb68)
Election and Adultery Special
On the day after the election, Tim Harford hosts a live edition of More or Less. We bring together a panel of experts to discuss how the pre-election opinion polls tallied up to the results. Plus, researchers and journalists tell Tim about the process of fact checking the election, and give examples of some of the more dubious uses of statistics by the parties.
And, is Beeston in Nottinghamshire really the most adulterous town in the country?
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b05t6pnb)
Jean Nidetch, Baroness Ruth Rendell, Geoff Duke OBE, Katharine Worth, Errol Brown
Matthew Bannister on
The founder of Weight Watchers Jean Nidetch who turned a self help group in her basement into a multimillion dollar global business.
The crime novelist and Labour peer Baroness Rendell.
The motorcyclist Geoff Duke who won both the Isle of Man TT and the World Championships six times.
The drama professor Katharine Worth who was a close friend of Samuel Beckett and produced his work.
And the Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown, best known for hits like "You Sexy Thing" and "Everyone's A Winner".
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b05tbfmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b05tbs6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (b05sy264)
Thinking Machines
One of the most famous computer systems in the world is called Watson, developed by IBM. It's best known in for beating two human contestants to win the American game show, Jeopardy. Watson may now be leading a revolution in 'machine learning'.
Peter Day reports from New York City, fast becoming a high tech rival of Silicon Valley, to find out how smart our machines are becoming and whether we should be worried about the impact Artificial Intelligence will have our lives.
Producer: Sandra Kanthal.
Image credit: Science Photo Library
Programme includes clips from:
Clip 1
Her, director: Spike Jonze, producers: Spike Jonze, Megan Ellison and Vincent Landay, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Clip 2
Mayor Bloomberg via "We Are Made In Ny" campaign
Clip 3
Jeopardy!, Sony Pictures
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b05tcmvq)
Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b05tcmvs)
Dennis Sewell of The Spectator analyses how the papers are covering the biggest stories.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b05sy25p)
Peter Firth, Raging Bull, Celine Sciamma, The Secrets of ADR
With Francine Stock
Peter Firth talks about bringing Spooks to the big screen and a film career that's included Equus and Roman Polanski's Tess and tells Francine why his mother was proud of his nude scenes in the stage production of Equus.
Neil Brand explains why a famous Italian opera provided the unlikely soundtrack for the boxing movie Raging Bull
Director Celine Sciamma explains why she auditioned over 300 non-professional actresses to play the lead in her hard-hitting Parisian tale of gang life, Girlhood
Glen Cathard and Peter Hanson reveal some secrets of ADR (automated dialogue replacement) and why most movies are re-dubbed after shooting.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b05tbs6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 11 MAY 2015
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b05tbn74)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b05strvl)
Division of Domestic Labour - Gentrification and Working-Class Residents
Gentrification: its impact on working class residents. Laurie Taylor talks to Kirsteen Paton, lecturer in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds, about her groundbreaking research in a neighbourhood undergoing urban renewal and improvement. Many such studies have focused on middle class lifestyles rather than the experience of less well off members of the community. Are working class residents inevitably displaced by gentrification and must traditional ways of life always disappear? Or can poorer people re-work the process and gain on their own terms? They're joined by Melissa Butcher, lecturer in Human Geography at Birkbeck, University of London.
Also, 'sharing the load': the division of domestic labour amongst couples where women are the higher earners. Clare Lyonette, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, asks if men do more when they earn less.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b05tbs6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn76)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tbn78)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn7b)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b05tbn7d)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05trj60)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b05tkchc)
General Election and Farming, VE Day
The dust is still settling after the surprise General Election results of last week. As the political parties re-group, and some start the search for new leaders, Farming Today asks what the main issues are likely to be for farmers, post-election. Anna Hill speaks to Alistair Driver, chief political analyst at Farmers Guardian, and the president of the NFU, Meurig Raymond.
It's now seventy years since VE Day, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe - but the legacy of the war still lives on in the landscape to this day. When the war started, two thirds of the food eaten in Britain was imported, so the government started a massive push for the country to produce more, and the Ministry of Agriculture set up local committees to improve inefficient farms. Anna Hill has a look back through archives of the time.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell.
MON 05:56 Weather (b05tbn7g)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01slvgp)
Spotted Crake
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Spotted Crake. If it weren't for its whiplash song, the spotted crake could win a prize as our least visible bird. Unlike its showy relatives the coot and the moorhen, this polka-dotted skulker is notoriously hard to find and only rarely betrays itself by singing.
MON 06:00 Today (b05tkchf)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b05tkchh)
Values from Ancient Greece to Contemporary Harlem
On Start the Week Mariella Frostrup talks to the academic Hamid Dabashi about his critique of European intellectual heritage and identity. In his polemic Can Non-Europeans Think? Dabashi argues that those outside the West are often marginalised and mis-represented. Ancient Greece dominates the intellectual landscape in Europe and Edith Hall looks back to explore what made this civilisation so successful. The Greeks of Ancient Athens were always questioning their society and asking what makes people happy, and Douglas Murray wonders whether the secular West has stopped asking those questions, and is the shallower for it. The artist Glenn Ligon takes inspiration from black writers and abstract expressionists to give a fresh perspective on the values of contemporary America.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
MON 09:45 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05tkllh)
Stormy Weather
Peter Moore's lively account tells the story of the adventurous quest to understand the atmosphere.
Today we are never far from a weather forecast, but as meteorology evolved as a science in the 19th century, it was often controversial; reputations were made and destroyed, and bold men driven by their obsession with the laws of nature took death defying risks.
In the opening episode, the charismatic naval officer, Robert FitzRoy, confronts storms on the high seas.
Read by Tim McMullan.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05tkllk)
Emily Watson, Caroline Criado-Perez
Emily Watson and her new film 'A Royal Night Out'. Newsnight's Political Editor, Allegra Stratton and the outcome of the General Election for women. Caroline Criado-Perez & her new book, 'Do It Like A Woman'. Dr Berta Joncus talks about Women in Baroque Music. And 'Born Naughty', a new Channel 4 series that helps parents cope their children who misbehave.
Presenter : Jane Garvey
Producer; Kirsty Starkey.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tkllm)
Lunch
The Old 5:2
by Marcy Kahan
Directed by Sally Avens
Award winning comedy about two old flatmates, Bill and Bella, who meet once a month for lunch and talk about everything except how much they love each other. After a Summer which saw economist Bill retreat to Connecticut to stop his son dealing drugs he is back in London and eager to catch up with Bohemian Bella.
Stephen Mangan can currently be seen at The National Theatre in 'Rules For Living' and is about to be in Season 4 of Episodes.
Claire Skinner is best known for 'Outnumbered' she can currently be seen at The Tricycle in 'The Father' with Ken Cranham and has recently appeared on our TV's in 'Critical' and 'Inside Number 9'.
Marcy Kahan is a British playwright and radio dramatist, who is half-Canadian and half-American. She is a prolific author of urbane comedies for the BBC including Incredibly Guilty and Twenty Cigarettes.
MON 11:00 Drags to Riches (b05tkllp)
The British drag scene has moved from working men's clubs to lucrative mainstream. Kim Normanton meets three very different drag entrepreneurs, and presents an entertaining and moving portrait of a booming industry. She talks to the men behind the wigs and lashes and explores questions about gender identity in modern Britain.
Lee Sanderson, aka 'Peggy Lee', had a market stall in Blackpool but now runs a flourishing drag business with venues across the Canary Islands, which entertained 90,000 tourists last year. He was inspired to join the world of drag when he sneaked into a local pub, aged 13, and saw his first drag queen. "The pub was packed, I saw this man standing on the bar in the spotlight looking all glamorous and the audience adoring him - he was being respected and I thought I'd like some of that kind of attention. And it was the money, to be honest."
Back in the UK, Walt Utz is the founder of the Supreme Fabulettes - four young drag queens who travel the world performing close-harmony singing. One new business opportunity Walt is keen to exploit is gay weddings - but it's not just weddings which bring in the bookings. Vicki of the Fabulettes comments, "Gay weddings are fun, but we performed at four funerals last year. I was dancing round a coffin! Whenever we get invited it's a celebration."
The third entrepreneur, Amy Redmond, is the manager of a new kind of drag business Sink The Pink. She organizes huge drag balls and fills venues with 3,000 drag queens. "To physically look at there's a very strong difference from a traditional camp northern drag queen to a Sink The Pink drag queen. They have beards and a hairy leg sticking through the fishnet."
Producers: Elizabeth Burke and Kim Normanton
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 11:30 On the Rocks (b05tkllr)
Series 2
Sirens
It's 1938 and with all this talk of war, GPO man Frank Gunwallow returns to see if all is still in order at the St. Martin's Post Office.
Second series of 1930s Isles of Scilly comedy by Christopher William Hill.
Even on the remote island of St Martin's war seems inevitable, but the islanders have their own battles to contend with, stuck on a rock flung 27 miles out into the Atlantic with only their natural grit and gallows humour to see them through.
Frank Gunwallow ..... Joseph Kloska
Morwenna-May ..... Alex Tregear
Tommy Trenear ..... Stuart Fox
Ben ..... Alex Palmer
Mary ..... Bec Applebee
Len ..... Ed Gaughan
Director ..... Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
MON 12:00 News Summary (b05tbn7l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 The Thought Chamber (b05tkllt)
Grayson Perry
The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.
In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.
One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.
There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.
Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.
Presented by Sian Williams
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:15 You and Yours (b05tkvk6)
Passport Website, Mortgages for the Self-Employed, Avios Points
A judge has ruled that an unofficial passport website, which sued its own customers after they tried to cancel or refused to pay, is misleading.
The energy company that billed a customer incorrectly for 14 years.
Self employment is booming but are new mortgage rules making it harder for them to get home loans?
The Ofcom ruling on Unicom and its phone and broadband services.
First there was green electricity. Now there's 'green gas'. And it's taking off in the UK. We visit the plants that are making the most from waste products.
The changes to the Avios air miles scheme that have left regular customers unhappy; How winding back car mileage is making a comeback.
Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Jo Meek.
MON 12:57 Weather (b05tbn7p)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b05tkvk8)
Martha Kearney presents analysis of current affairs reports.
MON 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05rptcs)
The Buddha: Waking India Up
Over the course of 50 episodes, Sunil Khilnani, director of the King's India Institute in London, takes listeners on a whirlwind journey from ancient India to the 21st century through the prism of the life stories of 50 remarkable individuals. He will also explore their surprising afterlives, which illuminate both the astonishments and urgent conflicts of India today. He begins with the Buddha, exploring the story of his life and how he has been reinvented in modern India by those who oppose the caste system. "Buddha's solution to suffering lay in the individual mind. But he was also sketching a new form of society," says Professor Khilnani. "He was a moral meritocrat, and to an extent a social one too."
Produced by Mark Savage
Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b05tcmhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Tommies (b05tkvkb)
11 May 1915
by Jonathan Ruffle.
Series created by Jonathan Ruffle
Meticulously based on unit war diaries and eye-witness accounts, each episode of TOMMIES traces one real day at war, exactly 100 years ago.
Through it all, we follow the fortunes of Mickey Bliss and his fellow signallers, from the Lahore Division of the British Indian Army. They are the cogs in an immense machine, one which connects situations across the whole theatre of the war, over four long years.
Indira Varma, Danny Rahim and Avin Shah star in this story, as signaller Ahmadullah Khan is posted from the immoveable wall of the Western Front, to join the very start of the Gallipoli campaign, where the Allies will attempt to dash round the back of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and win the war from the south. But there's a steep hill to climb from Gully Beach to victory - and not all the British forces want to climb it.
Producers: David Hunter, Jonquil Panting, Jonathan Ruffle
Director: Jonquil Panting.
MON 15:00 The 3rd Degree (b05tkvkd)
Series 5
University of Essex
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Coming this week from the University of Essex, The 3rd Degree is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners while delighting the current ones.
The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Politics, Literature and 20th Century History, and the questions range from the nihilistic anarchy of both Brothers Karamazov and Chuckle Brothers to My Little Pony and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
The show is 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.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quick-fire 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 One Direction.
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show also delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. He has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, including The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen, as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4's Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called The Genuine Particle.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b05wpn58)
Jane Grigson - A Tribute: Part Two
In this, the second part of a special two-part tribute to the work of Jane Grigson who died twenty-five years ago in 1990, aged 62, Sheila Dillon and her guests examine why she still matters, and discuss Jane - the person and the cook.
Recorded in front of an audience in Bristol as part of the Bristol Food Connections food festival. Guests include chef Shaun Hill and food writers Diana Henry and Geraldine Holt.
Readings by Kerry Elkins.
Presenter: Sheila Dillon
Producer: Rich Ward.
MON 16:00 The Invisible College (b05tkvkg)
Series 1
Episode 2
Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights.
Episode Two features mini-lectures on character, plot and style. Graham Greene has a sore thumb, Baroness Orczy meets the Scarlet Pimpernel on a tube platform, and Ray Bradbury fires a (metaphorical) gun.
Original music by Joe Acheson
Producer: Cathy FitzGerald
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (b05tkvkj)
Series 7
Seduction
Aleks talks to Tinder users Harriet Southgate and Kira Cheers who speak not only about the seductive nature of the app, but how they promote the gamification of dating. Biological anthropologist, Helen Fisher argues that dating apps like Tinder and Grindr can cause cognitive overload because humans are just not used to having so much choice when it comes to picking a date. Aleks also speaks with Paul Ross, known as the Father of Seduction, about a rather chilling and systemised approach to seduction and explores whether dating apps are in fact missing out the slow play of the seduction process.
Produced by Kate Bissell
Researched by Elizabeth Ann Duffy
MON 17:00 PM (b05tkvkl)
News interviews, context and analysis.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbn7t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Dilemma (b05tkvkn)
Series 4
Episode 6
Sue Perkins poses more big moral and ethical questions to a mixed panel to see if she can wreck their moral rectitude.
With comedian Dave Gorman, actor and writer Jessica Hynes, poet and playwright Ian McMillan, and musician, writer and stand-up (and Dilemma devisor) Danielle Ward.
As well as defending something utterly indefensible. The panel also face moral problems related to fasting children and West End musicals.
Devised by Danielle Ward.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b05tkvkq)
Will's on Lynda and Robert's team for the bird spotting - he's their driver and woodland bird specialist, also advising on the routes. Robert has been following the Borsetshire Bird website, where a Firecrest has been reported. Their team name is rather a sore point for Lynda. Robert points out that in order to beat Jim they need to be serious and have a serious name - so 'Ambridge Aviators' it is.
Mike has to drop out of the team, as the house sale is starting to go through. Lynda doesn't know much about the people moving in though.
Jim has roped Kenton in to his team - mainly for the driving expertise. Jim has a challenging itinerary. Kenton has chosen their team name - the Bull Birders. Jim will pay all Kenton's costs for using the car on Monday for the race.
Jim has found an independent environment company to assess the road in light of the flood - a woman called Hattie seems helpful with information for their research.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b05tkvks)
Pirates of Penzance, Brighton Festival, Francois Ozon, New Culture Secretary
With Samira Ahmed.
With the appointment of John Whittingdale as the new Culture Secretary, critic and writer Quentin Letts assesses what lies ahead for him in the arts.
Film maker and director Mike Leigh has made his operatic debut directing the English National Opera's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. Peter Kemp reviews the production for Front Row.
French director François Ozon's films often focus on the beauty of the body, and in his latest film The New Girlfriend, the body once more takes centre stage. Following the death of his young wife, a husband and new father responds to his grief by dressing up in her clothes. Ozon reflects on the controversial subject matter of cross-dressing.
With the Brighton Festival approaching its half-way point, Samira heads to the coast to hear from this year's Guest Director - the novelist Ali Smith - and some of the artists celebrating the themes of flight and migration.
Presenter : Samira Ahmed
Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tkllm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Following the Floating Voters (b05tbt1j)
Shaun Ley follows the floating voters.
Over the past year BBC Radio 4 has been recording the political thoughts and observations of a diverse group of men and women from different parts of the country, and different walks of life, who however have one thing in common: they were uncertain about how they would vote in the 2015 General Election.
As British politics itself appears to be in a state of flux, we find out how these floating voters have followed political developments, what influences them, and what decision they eventually came to and why.
Producer: Marie Jessel.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b05sxv7p)
Georgia: Orthodoxy in the Classroom
Natalia Antelava asks if the creeping influence of the Orthodox Church in Georgia's schools is turning them into a breeding ground for radical Christianity. Georgia's liberal politicians say only alignment with Europe and US will allow Georgia to overcome its post-Soviet past and survive as an independent nation. But in the way of Georgia's pro-Western course stands its Orthodox neighbour Russia and, increasingly, the country's own Orthodox Church. Natalia Antelava visits her old school in Tbilisi to see how the country's most conservative, anti-Western institution is influencing the next generation. Wesley Stephenson producing.
MON 21:00 Forensics in Crisis (b05stg0j)
Crisis in Court
In this series, science journalist Linda Geddes investigates why forensic science has fallen into crisis, and what can be done to restore confidence in the field.
Programme 3:
In March 2015, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were finally acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher. The case hinged on DNA results that were later overturned in court.
In this episode, Linda Geddes looks at why this evidence was unreliable and how it was misinterpreted in the courtroom.
DNA testing is being increasingly relied upon by UK police to secure convictions. But leading experts such as Prof Peter Gill, who helped to pioneer DNA fingerprinting in the 1980s, are concerned that the technique is being overstretched.
As we become able to detect ever smaller amounts of DNA, from more than one person, the sources of error and uncertainty are increasing.
Defence lawyers fear that DNA evidence isn't being adequately cross-examined in court, due to complexity of the analysis needed to produce results.
Could our unwavering faith in DNA evidence be misplaced?
Producer: Michelle Martin.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b05tkchh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b05tbn7x)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b05tkw88)
David Cameron appoints his new Cabinet.
How will the Commons change with the new MP intake?
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05tkw8b)
The Green Road
Episode 6
A story of family, selfishness and compassion on Ireland's Atlantic coast, from the Man Booker Prize-winner, Anne Enright.
The children of Rosaleen Madigan leave the west of Ireland for lives they never could have imagined, in Dublin, New York and various third-world towns. In her early old age, their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she has decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for one final Christmas together in the family home, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published two collections of stories (grouped together as Yesterday's Weather), one book of non-fiction (Making Babies) and five novels, including The Gathering (which was the Irish Novel of the Year and won the Irish Fiction Award along with the 2007 Man Booker Prize) and The Forgotten Waltz (which was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction).
Read by Brid Brennan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b05stkqm)
Colour Words
Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright talk to Dr Carole Biggam about colour words. Where do they come from and how do they vary between cultures and change meanings through time? How can it be that pink used to mean yellow..
Producer Beth O'Dea.
MON 23:30 Out of the Ordinary (b01rl5r4)
Series 1
Episode 3
Who do you want to be able to read your old emails when you die? Are the dead entitled to privacy? Jolyon Jenkins reports on the increasingly contentious issue of our digital legacy.
As we lead more of our lives online, we leave behind an ever bigger digital footprint when we go. There are the public parts - the blogs, the tweets, the forum posts - but also the private things such as the emails stored on servers owned by companies like Google. Sorting out the digital legacy is becoming as onerous as being a traditional executor.
But it brings entirely new problems: in the case of people who have died suddenly or mysteriously, relatives sometimes feel that they are entitled to get access to the email accounts of dead person to try to find a clue to what was happening in their lives. But many email providers resist handing over this material because of a confidentiality clause in their terms and conditions. Jolyon Jenkins talks to the Stassen family in Wisconsin who took both Facebook and Google to court to gain access to the accounts of their son Benjamin who committed suicide. He also talks to Esther in Kenya who similarly would like to get into her dead sister's email account to try to find a clue to her unexplained death. But unlike the Stassens, Esther has had no luck.
These are uncharted waters, where analogies with old technology quickly break down, where the principles are unclear, and where important private and personal matters seem to be left to the discretion of big corporations.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
TUESDAY 12 MAY 2015
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b05tbn8y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05tkllh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn91)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tbn93)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tbn95)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b05tbn97)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05trj6j)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b05tkxq0)
Defra secretary appointment
Environmental commentator Tony Juniper and NFU President Meurig Raymond comment as Elizabeth Truss is reappointed DEFRA Secretary. A new hill farmers' organisation, the Upland Alliance, is launched today. A hundred voluntary organisations are concerned as the European Commission assesses whether the Birds and Habitats Directive is fit for purpose.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbyzk)
Guillemot
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Guillemot. Guillemots breed on cliff ledges and the chick is encouraged to make its first flight at the pointing of fledging by being encouraged to jump by its mother or father calling from the sea below.
TUE 06:00 Today (b05tky90)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Things Fall Apart (b05tky92)
WB Yeats was born 150 years ago. His biographer Roy Foster explores why The Second Coming, one of his celebrated poems, written in 1919, has continued to capture the zeitgeist. Once more, as so many times before, a beast seems to be slouching towards Bethlehem. With readings by Sinead Cusack and Stephen Rea. Producer: Tim Dee.
TUE 09:30 Witness (b05vf74p)
Iran Hostage Rescue Mission
In April 1980, the US launched Operation Eagle Claw - a daring but ultimately disastrous attempt to free dozens of hostages held captive in the US Embassy in Tehran. The rescue mission ended in chaos almost as soon as it began. Witness speaks to Mike Vining, a member of the US special forces team.
Photo credit: US Army. Mike Vining (far right) returning from the mission.
TUE 09:45 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v389v)
The Weather Report
Captain FitzRoy's star is in the ascent, and there is innovation at the observatory in Greenwich.
Peter Moore's lively account tells the story of the adventurous 19th century quest to understand the weather.
Read by Tim McMullan.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05tky94)
Liz Kendall MP, Man Up, SNP politics, Jane Squire
Liz Kendall is the first Labour MP to formally declare a campaign to became the next Leader of the Party. Jane Garvey talks to her about why she thinks the Party failed to connect with voters in last week's Election, her vision for the Party and, who's inspired her career in politics.
Man Up is a new British Rom-Com written by Tess Morris, starring Lake Bell. It's set -over the course of one manic, drunken, evening when a character mistakes Lake for his blind date. They talk to Jane about relationships, British Accents and whether there will be a happily-ever-after.
The SNP will have its largest ever tally in the new Parliament, with 56 MPs. 20 of the new MPs are women, among them is the youngest ever MP to sit at the Commons, as well as teachers and charity workers. How will they put their stamp on politics ?
Forgotten women of history - In 1714 the British parliament offered a large financial reward for finding Longitude at sea. Men from all over the world put forward their ideas, but just one woman: Jane Squire, who'd loved Mathematics all her life.
Presented by Jane Garvey
Producer Beverley Purcell.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tky96)
Lunch
Crazy Cat Lady
by Marcy Kahan
Directed by Sally Avens
Award winning Comedy: Old flatmates Bill and Bella meet once a month for lunch and clever conversation. But this month Bella needs cheering up because someone close to her has died and Bill reveals he too may be dying.
TUE 11:00 What the Songbird Said (b05tz9jr)
Could birdsong tell us something about the evolution of human language? Language is arguably the single thing that most defines what it is to be human and unique as a species. But its origins - and its apparent sudden emergence around a hundred thousand years ago - remains mysterious and perplexing to researchers. But could something called vocal learning provide a vital clue as to how language might have evolved? The ability to learn and imitate sounds - vocal learning - is something that humans share with only a few other species, most notably, songbirds. Charles Darwin noticed this similarity as far back as 1871 in the Descent of Man and in the last couple of decades, research has uncovered a whole host of similarities in the way humans and songbirds perceive and process speech and song. But just how useful are animal models of vocal communication in understanding how human language might have evolved? Why is it that there seem to be parallels with songbirds but little evidence that our closest primate relatives, chimps and bonobos, share at least some of our linguistic abilities?
In this programme, Angela Saini meets biologists and linguists investigating what research on songbirds and other species might have to say about the question of how language, with all its beauty and richness, may have evolved.
Producer: Rami Tzabar.
TUE 11:30 Soul Music (b05tkzn5)
Series 20
The Lord Is My Shepherd
This much-loved hymn based on Psalm 23 has been set to music many times, including Brother James' Air and Crimond. The Queen requested the Crimond version at her wedding. Harriet Bowes Lyon's tells the story that her mother, Lady Margaret Colville, ( formerly Lady Margaret Egerton) taught the descant to the Queen and Princess Margaret, and was summoned to sing it when, two days before the wedding, the descant music could not be found. Howard Goodall, who wrote a new setting for 'The Vicar of Dibley' describes how he composed it in a taxi. Selina Scott says that the Crimond always puts her in mind of her Scottish grandmother.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (b05tbn9c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 The Thought Chamber (b05trf7y)
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.
In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.
One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.
There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.
Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.
Presented by Sian Williams
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:16 You and Yours (b05tkzn7)
Call You and Yours: What did redundancy do to you?
MPs who lost their seats have a matter of days to clear their desks and leave their jobs. What is it like to lose your job like this? Have you been made redundant at short notice. How did you cope? Did you change your life for the better or does it still affect your confidence?
New research from the University of Manchester suggests it takes up to ten years to regain your trust and confidence after a redundancy. Was this your experience? How did it affect your family and friends? How long does it take to recover and start again?
What advice would you offer to others facing a redundancy situation?
Email us with your stories youandyours@bbc.co.uk and join Winifred Robinson at 1215.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b05tbn9g)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b05tkzn9)
Rigorous analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Martha Kearney.
TUE 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05tkznc)
Mahavira: Soldier of Nonviolence
Professor Sunil Khilnani of the King's India Institute explores the life and legacy of Mahavira Jain. Born more than two thousand years ago, Mahavira is the inspiration for millions of followers of the Jain religion. It teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of non-violence and renunciation. At its heart is a belief that the entire world, from the ground we tread on to the air we breathe, is filled with life: our duty is to protect this universe of living souls through non-violent action. Mahavira is the last in the line of Tirthankars, beings who were said to be able to cross over from the world of human suffering into the realm of spiritual liberation. Unlike the other Tirthankars, we can be certain that he existed. "Mahavira asked his followers to renounce untruths and sex, to give up greed and attachment to worldly things - and stop all forms of killing or violence," says Professor Khilnani. "In short, the normal, devious, grasping and aggressive self had to be conquered."
Produced by Mark Savage
Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b05tkvkq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b01nb1rx)
Tracy-Ann Oberman - Rock and Doris and Elizabeth
On the 15th July 1985, Rock Hudson appeared at a press call on the first day of filming for the TV show Doris Day's Best Friends as a favour to his old friend. His ravaged appearance shocked the world. At the same time another old friend, Elizabeth Taylor, was beginning a crusade to raise awareness of the little-understood AIDS.
Tracy Ann Oberman's new play is inspired by these events, imagining how they might have played out and exploring the relationships between Hollywood icons - the professional virgin, the all American man and the woman condemned as an "erotic vagrant" by the Pope.
It marks the end of one Hollywood era and the start of another, presenting a vivid snapshot of stardom and sexuality, love and loss.
Writer: Tracy-Ann Oberman
Script Editor: David Spicer
Produced by Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (b05tkzng)
Series 7
Investigation
Josie Long presents stories of investigations - both amateur and professional.
The comedian Alex Edelman describes his search for a missing cult legend, a German historian talks about the trouble of tracking down Hitler's head and a group of young mothers gather together to solve the mystery of disappearing teething powder.
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
The items featured in this programme are:
Maria
Produced by Martin Johnson
Hitler or Bust
Produced by Rose de Larrabeiti
Teething Problems
Produced by Luke Eldridge
Finding Joe Hammond
Featuring Alex Edelman
Produced by Sophie Black.
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b05tl3jk)
The Ozone Hole Thirty Years On
In May 1985 Joe Farman, Jonathan Shanklin and Brian Gardiner of the British Antarctic Survey published their paper in the scientific journal Nature. It revealed there was a large and expanding hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic and that the cause was the chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs then commonly used in aerosols and refrigerants.
The size and speed at which the hole had formed was alarming and the paper helped convince governments across the globe to take action. The resulting Montreal Treaty of 1987 has been called the most successful environmental legislation ever passed. CFCs were effectively banned and their prevalence in our atmosphere has been slowly decreasing. The ozone layer hole does appear to be healing but the process is slow and increasingly complicated.
Today the interplay between ozone and the greenhouse effect is only just becoming understood and even more worrying is new research which points to previously unknown CFCs and other ozone depleting substances accumulating in the stratosphere. BBC weather forecaster, Peter Gibbs celebrates the discovery which saved millions from skin cancer and hears about the need for continued vigilance.
Producer: Helen Lennard.
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b05tl3jm)
Young Women as Linguistic Innovators
How has Kim Kardashian influenced the way you speak? More than you'd imagine! Michael Rosen and Laura Wright discuss the role of young women in language innovation across cultures, with the help of Dr Enam Al-Wer of Essex University.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b05tl3jp)
Series 36
Antonia Quirke on Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando - greatest actor of the twentieth century?
Film critic Antonia Quirke definitely thinks he is. But the star of the Godfather, On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire divides opinion in this lively assessment of his life. With contributions from writer Robyn Karney and Joe Queenan in the United States. Matthew Parris presents.
The producer is Miles Warde.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
TUE 17:00 PM (b05tl3jr)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbn9k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Lemn Sissay's Homecoming (b05tl3jt)
London
We all leave. We all migrate from childhood to adulthood, from village to town to city, from single to married. We all hate and love where we are from. We are all immigrants of time. There are problems with home and a need to leave. There is a love of home and a need to leave. Goodbye is who we are.
Lemn Sissay explores what "home" means through stand-up, poetry and conversation. It's surely not just a physical location - it's the people, the memories, the feeling. It's not home if you don't belong there, it's just where you live.
The second of two shows was recorded in front of an audience in Lemn's adopted home of London. But he is still perhaps more closely associated with Manchester. He arrived there at the age of 18 with a birth certificate, a fist full of poems and a mouth. It was about to become Madchester. He grew into the talented adopted son of a wonderful, dysfunctional family and thrived. His poems have become landmarks throughout the city. He's tattooed its body. And then he left. He just left.
Talking to Lemn about his journey are Mancunian broadcaster Terry Christian, and artistic director of the Southbank Centre, Jude Kelly.
Lemn Sissay is the author of five collections of poetry. He has also written plays for stage and BBC radio. He was the first poet to write for the Olympics 2012 and received an MBE from the Queen for Services to Literature. He is associate artist at the Southbank Centre, and an (hon) doctor of letters. His radio documentary Child of the State was nominated for the 2010 Sony Awards. If you should google "Lemn sissay" all the returning hits will be about him. There is only one person named Lemn Sissay in the world.
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay,
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b05tl3jw)
Carol shows Peggy her new wigwams, made up by Bert, who's finding gardening therapeutic. Carol's also meeting Hilary Noakes, who wants to talk herb gardens. Bert's keen to wait until the Bull garden is tidier before planting a rose in Freda's memory.
Peggy knows that Kenton and Jolene are feeling the pinch. Kenton has had to let Callum go from the Bull. Lilian's also under pressure, running Amside alone. Peggy's not keen on Lilian's new hairstyle (a typical temporary fix).
Peggy didn't know that the Fairbrother boys were in Ambridge. Peggy and Carol discuss Elizabeth's relationship with Robin Fairbrother - also, Carol's marriage to Charles Grenville.
Kenton Skyped his daughter Meriel to wish her happy birthday. He feels a failure, having planned to start a college fund and pay for Meriel to come over to stay one day.
Pip gets some advice from Rob as she prepares for her job interview. He shows her round the dairy at Berrow and makes a point about managing people which Pip notes with interest.
The bar suppliers have agreed to extend Kenton and Jolene's credit on wine and glassware for a month. Jolene implores depressed Kenton to find the positive spirit he usually has. Kenton's angry to know that David rang. Jolene supports him - if he doesn't want to reply that's fine with her.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b05tl3jy)
Woolf Works, T C Boyle, Turner Prize shortlist, Andrew Motion, The Tribe
Virginia Woolf is the subject of a new dance piece Woolf Works, directed by Wayne McGregor for the Royal Ballet, in which each of the three acts is inspired by a different novel - Mrs Dalloway, Orlando and The Waves. Sarah Crompton reviews.
T C Boyle discusses his new novel The Harder They Come. Set in the redwood forests of California, and inspired by true events, the book examines the complexity of Americans' relationship to violence and guns.
Some critics suggested that last year's Turner Prize shortlist lacked the calibre of previous years. Will this year's choice meet with greater approval? Louisa Buck joins Samira to discuss the 2015 shortlist of four artists which was announced today.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews a new feature film The Tribe, set in a specialist boarding school for the deaf in Ukraine where violence is a constant threat, which features deaf actors who communicate by signing with no spoken dialogue.
Inspired by an object on display at Imperial War Museum North, Sir Andrew Motion (former Poet Laureate) has created a new poem in response to the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War.
Presenter Samira Ahmed
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tky96)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b05tl3k0)
Who Killed Emma?
Emma Caldwell was a young woman from a good home who developed an addiction to heroin after the death of her sister and then descended into street prostitution. When her body was found dumped in a ditch in Lanarkshire in May 2005, the police launched an unprecedented murder hunt. But ten years on, after an investigation costing millions of pounds, no one has ever been convicted of her killing. Eamon O Connor investigates what went wrong.
Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b05tl3k2)
Blindness for Beginners - Shopping
In Touch revisits its 'Blindness for Beginners' series to look at shopping. Peter White is joined by broadcaster Richard de Costobadie and Diane Roworth, CEO of the York Blind and Partially Sighted Society, who share their experiences and advice on what can make shopping trips easier.
They discuss the best way to retain your independence and choice if you're blind or visually-impaired. The emphasis is on staying in control and finding the best way to get exactly what you want without losing your autonomy .... or temper.
Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b05tl3k4)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Social Media and PTSD, Preventing Procrastination
Claudia Hammond investigates Body dysmorphic disorder and asks if social media can really cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She also talks to the psychologist who explains why describing events in terms of the number of days away they are, rather than years could help prevent people procrastinating.
TUE 21:30 Things Fall Apart (b05tky92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b05tbn9m)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b05tl3k6)
Kerry and Lavrov hold talks - but can they overcome their differences?
US and Russia urge all sides in Ukraine to stop breaching the ceasefire
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05tl3k8)
The Green Road
Episode 7
A story of family, selfishness and compassion on Ireland's Atlantic coast, from the Man Booker Prize-winner, Anne Enright.
The children of Rosaleen Madigan leave the west of Ireland for lives they never could have imagined, in Dublin, New York and various third-world towns. In her early old age, their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she has decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for one final Christmas together in the family home, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published two collections of stories (grouped together as Yesterday's Weather), one book of non-fiction (Making Babies) and five novels, including The Gathering (which was the Irish Novel of the Year and won the Irish Fiction Award along with the 2007 Man Booker Prize) and The Forgotten Waltz (which was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction).
Read by Brid Brennan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 The John Moloney Show (b05tl3kb)
Series 1
Bank Robbers and Cats
John Moloney has been headlining comedy clubs all over the world. We've captured him at his very best performing in front of an appreciative audience at The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.
Listen out for a joke about a bank robber and a story about John's cat named Edward.
Written and performed by John Moloney
Featuring Julia Sutherland, Gareth Waugh and Fred MacAulay
Producer: Alan Lorraine
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2015.
TUE 23:15 Richard Marsh (b01rl8p1)
Love and Sweets
Love From Afar
Richard Marsh plays a character called Richard ("We're not exactly alike, although we do look similar") and fuses poetry and prose to tell witty and honest tales of his whirlwind romance with Siobhan. From the excitement and silliness of young love, to cars covered in sweets, broken dreams, trans-American road trips and a seductive-looking lady called Sorrow.
Richard is an award-winning poet and playwright, and a new voice for Radio 4. He's a magnetic personality whose beautifully crafted stories are hilarious one moment and heart-breaking the next.
Richard and Siobhan meet sharing sweets at their dead-end temp job. They quickly become friends, but Richard's nervous of taking the plunge and declaring that he has feelings for her. After he finally plucks up the courage to (drunkenly) woo her, they embark on an exhilarating new relationship. Richard begins to fall for Siobhan, but he's worried - she wants to keep their relationship a secret at work. Will a grand romantic gesture in the corner shop win her heart?
Written and performed by Richard Marsh
Producer: Ben Worsfield
A Lucky Giant production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:30 Out of the Ordinary (b03wp5j4)
Series 2
Asperger's Syndrome or Not?
Why do so many women think their men have Asperger's syndrome? Is there a hidden mental health epidemic, or have the rules of relationships changed? Asperger's only entered the textbooks in 1994, but since then there's been an explosion in the number of people diagnosed. Mostly it's male children, but increasingly, women seem to be diagnosing their adult partners as being "on the spectrum".
But the diagnostic criteria for Asperger's are vague and, some argue, arbitrary. One criterion is that the person is bad at social interaction. The other is that they have to have restricted interests. In the case of the mature male, it's hard to work out what distinguishes Asperger's - which is in the textbooks as a "mental disorder" - from the behaviour of a "neurotypical" man who tends towards shyness, introversion, or selfishness. Today's men are required to be more emotional in relationships than their fathers and grandfathers. Does the fact that some struggle in this respect mean that Asperger's is being uncovered where previously it would have been hidden?
Jolyon Jenkins talks to women frustrated at their husbands' lack of empathy, sociability, and romantic impulses, and to clinicians who specialise in the diagnosis and counselling of people with Asperger's. He also talks to the man largely responsible for getting Asperger's into the psychiatric textbooks, who now regrets his role and believes that it had led to the "pathologising of normal behaviour".
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
WEDNESDAY 13 MAY 2015
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b05tbnbh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v389v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tbnbk)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tbnbm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tbnbp)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b05tbnbr)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05trbfk)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b05tllvf)
El Nino, Upland habitats, African farming course, Tansy beetles
An El Nino weather pattern is underway in the tropical Pacific for the first time in five years, and it could have a major impact on the world's food supplies. Anna Hill asks Peter Gibbs from the BBC Weather Centre what it could mean for farming.
Thirteen farmers from countries in Africa are taking part in a 10 week course at Shuttleworth Agricultural college in Bedfordshire, organised by the charity, the Marshall Papworth Fund. The students, who all work for charities based in Africa, are focussing on improving crops, selective livestock breeding, and marketing produce. We hear how they're getting on.
As Farming Today continues its week-long look at hill farming, Anna Hill talks to environmentalist George Monbiot, who believes the uplands should be allowed to revert to nature.
An endangered beetle is being bred and released on the Selby Canal in Yorkshire.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbz0y)
Storm Petrel
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the European Storm Petrel. The storm petrels as a group are the smallest seabirds in the world and called "Jesus Christ birds" because they give the appearance they can walk on water as they flutter over the sea surface dangling their legs whilst looking for food.
WED 06:00 Today (b05tllvh)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b05tlv99)
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Lucy Branch, Hoagy B Carmichael, Eddie Pepitone
Lucy Branch is a conservator. She specialises in the conservation of sculptural and architectural bronze and contemporary materials. She has worked on high-profile projects including Eros, Nelson's Column and the Queen Victoria Memorial. She has led the conservation work on some of Britain's best known contemporary sculpture including Ron Arad's The Big Blue and Wendy Taylor's Conqueror. Her novel, A Rarer Gift Than Gold, is published by Clink Street. She is director of the company Antique Bronze Ltd.
Hoagy B Carmichael - son of the composer, singer, musician and bandleader Hoagy Carmichael - is co-producer of Stardust Road, a forthcoming musical which celebrates his father's work. Hoagy Carmichael studied law before going on to write hit songs including Stardust, Georgia on My Mind and The Nearness of You. Stardust Road is at St. James Theatre, Palace Street, London.
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was cardinal archbishop of Westminster from 2000-2009. Born to Irish parents and brought up in Reading, he was 15 when he announced he wanted to be a priest. He studied at the English College in Rome and was ordained in 1956. The following year he began his ministry as a priest in Portsmouth. He was ordained bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 1977. In his memoir, An English Spring, he writes about his role in the Church during periods of turbulence and change. An English Spring is published by Bloomsbury.
Eddie Pepitone is a US comedian and actor. Born into an Italian-American family in Brooklyn, he took up improvisation in his teens and later became a full time stand-up comedian, leaving the east coast for Los Angeles. He has appeared in many US television shows including Arrested Development; Flight of the Conchords, Monk and ER. Eddie Pepitone's show, What Rough Beast, is at the Soho Theatre, London.
WED 09:45 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v38lg)
Shipwreck and Storm Warnings
Peril on the high seas leads Robert FitzRoy to devise an innovative storm warning system.
Peter Moore's lively account tells the story of the adventurous 19th century quest to understand the weather.
Read by Tim McMullan.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05tlv9f)
WH Powerlist 2015, Liz Kessler, Katherine Garrett-Cox
We launch the 2015 Woman's Hour Power List. Liz Kessler on her first novel for young adults, Read Me Like A Book. Business Woman of the Year, Katherine Garrett-Cox. What responsibilities do universities have to handle sexual assault claims? Jenni is joined by Sarah Green, Acting Director of End Violence Against Women and by the lawyer Dr Ann Olivarius to discuss.
Presented by Jenni Murray
Produced by Jane Thurlow.
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b05tlv9h)
Lunch
Fractured
by Marcy Kahan
Directed by Sally Avens
Award winning comedy about old flatmates, Bill and Bella, who meet once a month for lunch to catch up. This month Bill has had an unexpected encounter with a Romanian nymphet and Bella is worried about losing her job.
WED 10:56 The Listening Project (b05tlv9m)
Brian and Joe - It's Not About Fighting
Fi Glover with two Tae Kwon Do experts - one four-times world champion - reflecting on the attitudes of the parents of the children they teach and the misconceptions about the art. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that 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. 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. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
WED 11:00 Following the Floating Voters (b05tbt1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05tlv9r)
Series 10
The Go-To Destination
Ed Reardon returns to Radio 4 in a new series and whatever happens you can guarantee he'll be scrimping, scraping and ranting in order to keep mind, soul and cat together.
When we last met Ed he was happily involved with BBC Radio producer Laura and her BBC expenses. As we meet again, the pair seem to be enjoying a state of not uncomfortable, slightly drunken, bliss and the relationship has enabled Ed to reconnect with life in London whilst keeping a toehold, and a cat, in Berkhamsted. But good things never last for Ed and the course of the series sees him and Elgar having to take advantage of the numerous empty premises in need of temporary caretakers and live-in guardians, or guardian angels as Ed likes to think of them as Stan throws him out on the street.
Things have also changed for Ping who is suffering the biggest disaster to hit the office since they stopped making pens shaped like bananas - she has a new boss in the form of Suzan -pronounced 'Suzanne'. Ed, of course, wastes no time trying to get on the right side of Suzan in the hope of some work whilst Jaz Milvane continues to be his nemesis, plaguing his every move.
The regular cast are joined this series by guests including Raquel Cassidy, Pam Ferris, Celia Imrie and Jeremy Paxman
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas.
Produced by Dawn Ellis.
Ed Reardon's Week is a BBC Radio Comedy production.
WED 12:00 News Summary (b05tbnbv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 The Thought Chamber (b05trhpf)
Philip Selway
The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.
In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.
One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.
There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.
Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.
Presented by Sian Williams
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:15 You and Yours (b05tlv9w)
Supermarkets Special
The UK's big four supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons are all reporting a fall in profits.
Consumers are shopping differently, and Aldi and Lidl are offering great value at low cost. The supermarkets are fighting back though, slashing their prices and opening convenience shops and offering online delivery. But will that get them back on track?
Aldi and Lidl are known for their low prices, but how can they be so cheap? We speak to Paul Foley who ran the supermarket in the UK for nearly 10 years about how they do it.
The Managing Director of Iceland, Malcolm Walker, discusses the threat Aldi and Lidl place on his business, and Co-op and Waitrose tell us about their plans to get more customers shopping with them.
WED 12:57 Weather (b05tbnby)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b05tlv9y)
Rigorous analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Martha Kearney.
WED 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05tlvb2)
Panini: Catching the Ocean in a Cow's Hoofprint
Professor Sunil Khilnani, from the King's India Institute in London, looks at the life and legacy of Panini, a master of the ancient Sanskrit language who lived around two and a half thousand years ago. His grammar, known as the Astadhyayi, had a lasting impact and helped to make Sanskrit the lingua franca of much of Asia for more than a thousand years - not through conquest or colonisation but because it served a purpose. Panini's grammar relied on a system that functioned like a powerful algorithm, or a computer programme today. He created, "in a mere forty-pages, the most complete linguistic system in history and helped to make Sanskrit the lingua franca of much of Asia for more than a thousand years".
Produced by Mark Savage
With incidental music by composer Talvin Singh.
Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b05tl3jw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b01ng7s4)
Forever Mankind
It's 1973 and the American public wants to honour the bodies of the heroic astronauts who made it to the moon, but died unexpectedly, four years earlier.
After much lobbying, NASA gets the funds to launch a new mission with better technology. Three lucky astronauts are delighted that they have the responsibility of reviving popular interest in the space race. They are Clyde, Frank and Scott - three patriots who are all professionals and aware that sometimes a mission goes beyond what the public is told.
Ellen, an ambitious Houston TV reporter, documents their preparations and is convinced that this story will give her a national scoop. As the mission develops, she gets more than she bargains for.
In Jonathan Mitchell and Judith Kampfner's alternative history, all doesn't go according to plan and the second Moon expedition opens up questions about the Cold War and competing motives for space journeys, which have a sinister edge.
Recorded on location in New York City
Produced by Judith Kampfner and Jonathan Mitchell
A Corporation For Independent Media production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box (b05tlvb4)
Money Box Live: Equity Release
What do you want to know about Equity Release? Freeing up cash from the value of your home can be a way of paying for retirement when savings are gone, but there are short and long term costs to consider.
The Equity Release Council say that £325.7m was lent in the first quarter of this year alone, with customers using the money to make home improvements, pay off debt or cover an outstanding mortgage.
If you're considering equity release and want to find out about the pros and cons, you can put your questions to Ruth Alexander and guests on Wednesday's programme.
When is equity release suitable and are there alternatives you should consider first?
Will releasing cash affect your state benefits?
What's the difference between a lifetime mortgage and a home reversion plan?
Are there any set up costs and exit penalties?
How much interest will be charged and when will it be paid?
Are there any risks?
Whatever you want to know about equity release, you can talk to the team on Wednesday. Ruth Alexander will be joined by:
Tom Moloney, StepChange Financial Solutions.
Addy Frederick, Liverpool Victoria.
Dean Mirfin, Key Retirement.
Call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now. Standard geographic call charges apply.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b05tl3k4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b05tlvb8)
The Gym: A Social History; Tattoos at Work
The gym: Laurie Taylor explores the social history of the gymnasium with the writer and sociologist, Eric Chaline. Although this 'temple of perfection' appears primarily as a site for producing the 'body beautiful', this study finds it has also been a battleground in political, sexual and cultural wars. They're joined by Louise Mansfield, Sociologist of Sport at Brunel University
Also, tattoos at work: Andrew Timming, Reader in Management at the University of St Andrews, talks about prejudices towards body art in the service sector. Does possession of a tattoo impact on job prospects?
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b05tlvbd)
Election Polls in the News, CEO of All3Media Jane Turton
Research from Cardiff University shows that coverage of this election was dominated by the story of the polls, with broadcasters choosing to run stories about the 'horse-race' between Labour and the Conservatives, rather than stories about policy or issues. So, why did they decide to give poll results such prominence, and had they focused more on covering policies, would this have revealed more about the real mood of the public? Steve Hewlett talks to James Harding, director of BBC News; Jonathan Levy, head of news gathering at Sky News, and Richard Sambrook, a former director of BBC news who is now Professor of Journalism at Cardiff University. They discuss the editorial decisions around covering the election campaign, and what can be learned for next time round. Also joining Steve is David Dinsmore, editor of Britain's best-selling daily, The Sun - a paper which prides itself on being closely attuned to what the nation thinks - about his decision to go strong on coverage of the "neck and neck" race between the parties, and whether there was an over-reliance on opinion polls in this years coverage.
All3Media is Britain's biggest independent production company, responsible for content ranging from the BBC's acclaimed Wolf Hall, to Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and Hollyoaks. It was recently bought by Discovery Communications, the US media company behind the Discovery Channel, and Liberty Global - two companies controlled by American billionaire John Malone. Jane Turton, the newly appointed chief executive, talks to Steve Hewlett about the challenges of American ownership, how the indie sector can continue to foster creativity in a global marketplace, and her views on the current industry landscape.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b05tlvbj)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbnc0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Clare in the Community (b03q98yj)
Series 9
Away Day Wey Hey
Clare and the rest of the Sparrowhawk team are forced to take part in a team-building away day, much to Clare's disapproval.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Clare continually struggles to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ...... Alex Lowe
Ray ...... Richard Lumsden
Helen ...... Liza Tarbuck
Simon ...... Andrew Wincott
Libby ...... Sarah Kendall
Joan ...... Sarah Thom
Student ...... Alex Tregear
Young Clare ...... Alex Tregear
Jenny ...... Carolyn Pickles
Producer: Alexandra Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b05tlvbn)
Carol finds Jim with his binoculars, and who seems to be peering into the Dower House garden. Lynda's upset that Robert has splashed out on an expensive telephoto lens when they have so many other costs in order to get back into Ambridge Hall. However, Lynda's impressed at the detail of the birds it can capture. She spots Jim moving in the hedge, with Carol next to him. He says he was just looking at the starling on the chimney - he'd quite forgotten Lynda and Robert were still staying here.
Charlie asks Ed to patch up a fence that doesn't seem to be stock proof - he'll pay the going rate and it's just a temporary fix. Ed thanks Charlie for the work. They discuss Rex and Toby the Fairbrother, who had to turn down the rent of estate land - Ed was surprised at how expensive it has become. Ed mentions that Charlie could have offered a lower rate, then apologises for sounding off. Opening up about the wedding, Ed says that with everyone helping out there's just one thing he has to do that he's putting off. But there's no point discussing it, Ed reasons - it's never going to happen.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b05tlvbq)
Mad Max, Walter Mosley, Dark Arteries, 1864
Mad Max: Fury Road is the latest instalment in the massive film franchise. Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, the action once again takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert. Antonia Quirke reviews.
Walter Mosley, author of the Easy Rawlins detective novels, has been dubbed a Raymond Chandler for the Obama generation for his sparse prose and cool uncompromising private eyes. He discusses his latest crime novel And Sometimes I Wonder About You, which explores crime, moral ambivalence and race relations after Ferguson in America.
Dark Arteries is a new dance work which reflects upon Britain's coal industry 30 years after the miners' strike and celebrates the power of the arts to sustain communities during times of social and political upheaval. Artistic Director Mark Baldwin, and composer Gavin Higgins discuss the project.
Alex Forrest reviews 1864, the latest drama from the makers of The Killing and Borgen, set during the war between Denmark and a newly unified Germany.
Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Ellie Bury.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tlv9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b05tlvbv)
The Law and the Gender Pay Gap
Clive Anderson and a panel of senior legal experts discuss the apparent failure of the 1970 Equal Pay Act to bridge the gender pay gap.
Among those taking part is solicitor Michael Newman - currently acting on behalf of hundreds of female workers at the supermarket chain Asda, who claim they are being paid less than male colleagues for work of equal value. Since the case began last year, more than 19,000 people have approached the lawyers involved asking for their cases to be taken up.
Also taking part are lawyers who act for employers in equal pay disputes and a legal officer with the union Unison.
Equal pay is the single biggest issue facing employment tribunals, which have dealt with 700,000 claims in the past 15 years. Barrister and academic Sarah Fraser Butlin tells the programme that court actions have replaced union collective bargaining as a force for social change in this area, but believes that it is an extraordinarily inefficient way to bring fairness to the pay system.
Fighting court cases costs local authorities and business millions and the consequences of losing the litigation battle have enormous implications for the wage bill. Why is it necessary for same many individual court cases to be brought? Is there a better way of achieve payroll justice?
Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b05tlvbx)
Baraa Shiban
Baraa Shiban - stranded in London by the conflict in Yemen - describes how the revolution driven by young people in his country changed the course of his life and why he believes a revolution is just the beginning.
"Whenever a revolution forces a dictator out of power, a counter revolution will always be next. Revolutions should always have post revolution plans. The actual work should start after removing the dictator. It's a long struggle and it's our duty to keep it alive and never give up."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b05tl3jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b05tlv99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b05tlvc1)
Eurozone economy is growing - what is the cause of the upturn?
Italy, Spain, Cyprus and France perform better than expected - but Greece slips back
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05tlvc3)
The Green Road
Episode 8
A story of family, selfishness and compassion on Ireland's Atlantic coast, from the Man Booker Prize-winner, Anne Enright.
The children of Rosaleen Madigan leave the west of Ireland for lives they never could have imagined, in Dublin, New York and various third-world towns. In her early old age, their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she has decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for one final Christmas together in the family home, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published two collections of stories (grouped together as Yesterday's Weather), one book of non-fiction (Making Babies) and five novels, including The Gathering (which was the Irish Novel of the Year and won the Irish Fiction Award along with the 2007 Man Booker Prize) and The Forgotten Waltz (which was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction).
Read by Brid Brennan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Jigsaw (b01rgj27)
Series 1
Episode 6
Dan Antopolski, Nat Luurtsema and Tom Craine piece together a selection of silly, clever, dark sketches. Produced by Colin Anderson.
WED 23:15 The Music Teacher (b03c49xt)
Series 3
Episode 6
Richie Webb returns as multi-instrumentalist music teacher Nigel Penny.
As the local church's bicentennial concert bears down on all at the Arts Centre, Nigel finds himself with an interesting offer from Belinda and a room gradually filling with instruments to boot.
Audio production by Matt Katz
Directed by Nick Walker
Written and produced by Richie Webb
A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Out of the Ordinary (b04yb2x0)
Series 3
Desperately Seeking Sperm
Annie, 35, wants a baby, but she doesn't have a partner. If she could afford it, she could go down the official and regulated route to a fertility clinic and get pregnant using donor sperm. But that could cost thousands of pounds. So instead, she's gone online and entered the world of unregulated sperm donation.
Jolyon Jenkins investigates this shadowy world. It's illegal to sell sperm, but some men are making a living doing so. Others offer free sperm in return for "natural insemination", i.e. sex. Some women report that men who start by appearing to offer free sperm, gradually exert pressure on them to have sex.
But what of those who want neither money nor sex in return for their sperm? Jolyon discovers the world of the "super donor" - men who compete to inseminate as many women as possible, in an acknowledged bid to spread their genes as widely as they can. Their activity can border on the obsessive."It is a bit like stamp collecting really," says one. "I devote three hours per day to it, through travelling to donate or arranging my spreadsheets or doing my photo albums of the children".
The risks to women and their children are obvious - sexually transmitted infection, hereditary conditions unwittingly passed on, and accidental incest between half-siblings. If women could afford to use the official channels, they would be much safer. Instead, they are being driven into the hands of sexual adventurers, serial liars, and hobby eugenicists.
Presenter/producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
THURSDAY 14 MAY 2015
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b05tbncx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v38lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tbncz)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tbnd1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tbnd3)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b05tbnd5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05trj7m)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b05tlw5b)
Prince Charles' Letters
After a ten year battle the so-called 'black spider' letters have been published, and they show a Prince Charles highly engaged with and knowledgeable about farming and the environment. We get first impressions from one of the Guardian journalists who pushed for their publication.
Time's running out for farmers in Wales and Northern Ireland to submit their claims for European subsidy payments. It's been a year of enormous change - with reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, and England starting out by demanding online-only submissions. Because of the difficulties, England and Scotland have pushed the deadline back to mid June. But for Wales and Northern Ireland it's this Friday - so will they make it?
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Bristol by Sally Challoner.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbz1g)
Sedge Warbler
David Attenborough presents the Sedge Warbler. Sedge warblers like tangled vegetation near water. They're summer visitors here but seek out similar habitats in Africa where they spend the winter. Before leaving our shores in autumn, they gorge on insects, often doubling their weight.
THU 06:00 Today (b05tly3c)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b05tly3f)
The Lancashire Cotton Famine
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Cotton Famine in Lancashire from 1861-65. The Famine followed the blockade of Confederate Southern ports during the American Civil War which stopped the flow of cotton into mills in Britain and Europe. Reports at the time told of starvation, mass unemployment and migration. Abraham Lincoln wrote, "I know and deeply deplore the sufferings which the working-men of Manchester, and in all Europe, are called to endure in this crisis." While the full cause and extent of the Famine in Lancashire are disputed, the consequences of this and the cotton blockade were far reaching.
With
Lawrence Goldman
Director of the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London
Emma Griffin
Professor of History at the University of East Anglia
And
David Brown
Senior Lecturer in American Studies at University of Manchester
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
THU 09:45 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v38yp)
A Balloon Ascent
Lives are imperiled when scientific enquiry into the upper atmosphere leads to an ascent in a balloon called Mammoth.
Peter Moore's lively account tells the story of the adventurous 19th century quest to understand the weather.
Read by Tim McMullan.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05tly3h)
Frida Kahlo's style; New MP Naz Shah; Babies who survived Auschwitz
The clothes of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and the influences that led to her individual style, plus how to design and make your own Frida inspired headwear. Naz Shah defeated George Galloway in the General Election - what does the women's rights' campaigner hope to achieve as new MP for Bradford West? We hear how thousands of pregnant women in Nepal are coping with stress and complications caused by the recent earthquakes. The 'born survivors' of Auschwitz on how their mothers hid their pregnancies to avoid the gas chambers and how they were reunited sixty five years later.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Anne Peacock.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tly3k)
Lunch
The Introvert
by Marcy Kahan
Directed by Sally Avens
Award winning comedy about Bill and Bella, old flatmates, who meet once a month for lunch. Bill is grumpy due to still being on a starvation diet whilst Bella is glowing with sexual fulfillment - who is the lucky man?
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b05tly3m)
Peru's Wildlife for Sale
The global trade in wildlife is worth an estimated US$20 billion a year. Peru is one of the most biodiverse nations on the planet. But its government estimates 400 species of fauna and flora are in danger of extinction - illicit trafficking is one of the biggest threats. The illegal wildlife trade supplies live birds and animals - macaws, parrots, monkeys, turtles - for both the local market and overseas collectors. It also commercialises body parts - the rare Andean bear, and the feathers of condors. So how is Peru attempting to protect its precious resources? For Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly goes on operations with the wildlife police.
Produced by John Murphy.
THU 11:30 The Folk of the Pennines (b05tly3p)
Malham to Greenhead
In 1965, after 30 years of campaigning led by the rambler Tom Stephenson, the Pennine Way was officially opened on Malham Moor in the Yorkshire Dales. Stretching from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish borders, the 268 mile route has attracted tens of thousands of walkers over the intervening years.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary this year, Mark Radcliffe travels the route and meets up with poets, folk musicians, historians and local people along the way.
In the second of three programmes, Mark travels from Malham to the village of Greenhead near Hadrian's Wall. He visits the Wensleydale Creamery to find out how they make Wallace and Gromit's favourite cheese and goes in search of Britain's highest pub. He meets up with Teesside folk group The Young'uns, who give a rousing performance of the Graeme Miles' song 'Jack Ironside'.
Producer: Elizabeth Foster/Presenter: Mark Radcliffe.
THU 12:00 News Summary (b05tbnd7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 The Thought Chamber (b05tzdy8)
Irvine Welsh
The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.
In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.
One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.
There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.
Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.
Presented by Sian Williams
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:15 You and Yours (b05tm4db)
Rural broadband, Convenience stores, Sandwich of the Year
What's gone wrong with a flagship rural broadband scheme launched with £460k of public money.
Grocers plan big expansion of convenience stores as development of superstores goes into decline.
Good food campaigners call on sandwich makers to use their imagination.
Police forces say they no longer have the time or money to deal with lost property.
Why the NHS wheelchair policy is in a spin.
THU 12:57 Weather (b05tbndb)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b05tm4dd)
Rigorous analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Martha Kearney.
THU 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05tm4dg)
Kautilya: The Circle of Power
Professor Sunil Khilnani, from the King's India Institute in London, looks at the life and legacy of Kautilya, whose treatise on political power dates back at least two thousand years. The Indian political strategist has been compared to Machiavelli. Some say he is more ruthless. Kautilya's text, written on dried palm leaves, lay forgotten for more than a millennium until it turned up at a library in Mysore at the turn of the twentieth century, providing inspiration for early Indian nationalists. "The discovery summarily exploded a Western cliché: that Indians were primarily ethereal, spiritual thinkers," observes Professor Khilnani. "Here was a strategic text--focused on worldly ends, advocating ruthless means to achieve power."
Producer: Mark Savage
With incidental music by the composer Talvin Singh.
Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b05tlvbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Stone (b05tm4dj)
Series 5
Blood Money
The second drama in the crime series Stone created by Danny Brocklehurst.
In Blood Money by Richard Monks when DCI John Stone investigates a hit and run of a cyclist he soon realises that there are several people who wanted him dead.
Sound design by Steve Brooke
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b05tm4dl)
The ancient sport of hound trailing in Cumbria
Helen Mark visits Cumbria to watch the exciting and ancient sport of hound trailing. At the May Day races, she meets owners Wendy and Russell Dawson who treat their dogs like royalty. Cared for like athletes, they eat chicken and rabbit, and are bathed before a race. They are trained from pups to follow a scent, but it's a gamble if any will have the instincts of a champion.
Helen walks the trail, which is scented with aniseed and paraffin, and meets owner Margaret Baxter who explains why this traditional male sport is now dominated by women. The actual races can be up to 10 miles long, which the dogs run in about 35 minutes, and from high up on Kirkstone Pass, the owners and followers watch - and place bets - as the dogs speed towards the finish line.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b05tbs6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b05tbwsg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b05tm4dn)
Olivier Assayas; Mad Max; Cannes
With Francine Stock.
As Mad Max hits the road again, Kim Newman trawls through his favourite post-apocalyptic cliches.
Director Olivier Assayas discusses his drama Clouds Of Sils Maria, which he wrote for his friend Juliette Binoche, and reveals why he also cast Twilight star Kristen Stewart.
Critic Tim Robey and film buyer Clare Binns look forward to this year's Cannes festival.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh makes her pick of this month's DVDs.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b05tm4dq)
Seasonal Variation in Immunity, Chemosynthesis, Role of the ISS, Storing Digital Data in DNA
Many diseases strike harder and more often in the winter, including major inflammatory conditions such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. New research out this week has uncovered the reasons why: it turns out that our immune responses are heavily influenced by the seasons. Professor John Todd who led this new global study discusses the results and how this could influence the way we administer medicines in future.
Organisms generate energy in all sorts of ways and it can happen in all sorts of weird places, such as deep sea hydrothermal vents, where bacteria takes nasty stuff such as Hydrogen Sulphide, and turn it into useful stuff such as amino acids. This is called chemosynthesis. But it turns out that it doesn't just happen in dark corners of the ocean. As tubeworm expert Nick Higgs explains we are learning that chemosynthesis is everywhere.
Major Tim Peake begins his six-month mission to the International Space Station in November,. Ever since its inception, the question of 'what the ISS is for?' has been asked.. So, what sort of science does it deliver? Richard Hollingham reports from Alabama, in a secret NASA research bunker.
Two years ago, a team led by Nick Goldman at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge successfully took a collection of important cultural artefacts, encoded them digitally, and then wrote them in DNA. These included Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, and all the Shakespearean sonnets. He's now collaborated with artist Charlotte Jarvis to encode a new musical composition which will also form a new art installation Music of the Spheres. DNA's ability to store complex digital data appears close to a reality. Could it hold the key to permanent long term storage for anything?
Producer Adrian Washbourne.
THU 17:00 PM (b05tm4ds)
News interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbndd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Best Behaviour (b05tm8wt)
Episode 2
Holly Walsh presents the comedy panel show that defines the dos and don'ts of modern manners.
The guest panellists are comedians Mark Steel, Isy Suttie and Tom Allen - who are all seeking to supply the top tips for best behaviour in the 21st century.
In this edition, the social minefield of parties is up for debate - including the suggestion of a new rule banning all small talk, and the desperate need for the end to evening-only wedding invitations.
The panel also have the opportunity to offer advice on the social conundrum from a member of the studio audience: 'My friend has hijacked my baby-sitting job. How can I win it back?'
Produced by Aled Evans
A Zeppotron production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b05tm8ww)
Tony eagerly awaits the arrival of the new bull - just to see how it all goes. Tom and the driver will do the unloading. Tony's keen to ensure that Johnny's not too involved, although Johnny wants to help take the new bull up to the herd when the time comes.
Johnny seems to be doing ok with his studies. He mentions to Tony a girl called Kaz, who was impressed that Johnny has accepted some support for his dyslexia. Tony and Johnny agree to name the bull Cooper - after Tony's model car.
Harrison Burns is still investigating Fallon's missing bunting.
Jazzer's not keen on eating Helen's three-lentil bake back at Bridge Farm where he's grateful to be staying, so escapes to the Bull - although as they're still suffering since the flood, the food options are limited. There, Kenton and Jolene are getting annoyed by Barry, who seems to delight in bursting crisp packets. Meanwhile, Ed's fretting about organising his best man. Jazzer tells Jolene he wouldn't be keen to do it if he was asked- weddings bring Jazzer out in a rash.
Kenton bitterly turns down David's offer of financial help, offended that David has been discussing his money troubles with Jim. David will have to find another way to keep his lousy conscience quiet, says Kenton.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b05tm8wy)
David Hockney, Maria Friedman on High Society, Clouds of Sils Maria
With Kirsty Lang.
David Hockney discusses Painting and Photography as a new exhibition of his latest work opens in London, in which he explores the issue of perspective which has always troubled him as an artist.
Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart star in Olivier Assayas' film Clouds of Sils Maria, the story of an actress at the height of her fame who is asked to star in a play in which she once played the young lead. Stewart won a César earlier this year for her role in the film as Binoche's personal assistant. Hannah McGill reviews.
Maria Friedman talks about putting her stamp on a new theatrical production of High Society, based on the 1939 play The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry - later turned into two major Hollywood films - and the songs of Cole Porter; and playing Linda Carter's Mum in EastEnders.
Producer: Ella-mai Robey.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tly3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 A Celebration for Ascension Day (b05tm8x0)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev'd and Rt Hon Justin Welby preaches at a service celebrating the Ascension of Jesus Christ live from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London's Trafalgar Square. Leader: the Vicar, The Revd Dr Sam Wells. Hundreds of Radio 4 listeners gather to join the Daily Service Singers and the Choir of St Martin's, where the English Baroque architectural setting is complemented by the music of GF Handel, who inaugurated the original St Martin's organ in 1727. Excerpts from Handel's 'Utrecht Te Deum' and 'Messiah' - including the Hallelujah Chorus - reflect the majesty of Jesus' Ascension into Heaven to reign as King of Kings.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b05tm4dq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b05tly3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b05tm9c9)
Officials in Burundi say President has returned to the country and order has been restored
Announcement comes day after a senior general announced the military was seizing power.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05tm9cc)
The Green Road
Episode 9
A story of family, selfishness and compassion on Ireland's Atlantic coast, from the Man Booker Prize-winner, Anne Enright.
The children of Rosaleen Madigan leave the west of Ireland for lives they never could have imagined, in Dublin, New York and various third-world towns. In her early old age, their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she has decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for one final Christmas together in the family home, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published two collections of stories (grouped together as Yesterday's Weather), one book of non-fiction (Making Babies) and five novels, including The Gathering (which was the Irish Novel of the Year and won the Irish Fiction Award along with the 2007 Man Booker Prize) and The Forgotten Waltz (which was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction).
Read by Brid Brennan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 Two Episodes of Mash (b01mk9nz)
Series 2
Episode 2
Barricaded inside their studio, David O'Doherty is holding all the Radio 4 microphones hostage in an attempt to make the network give them the team their own radio series.
Prepare for unique versions of the news, weather, sport, traffic and a fly on the wall documentary about working behind-the-scenes on a sketch show.
Things look set take a turn for the worse with a phone call from the Radio 4 Negotiator.
An online animation of the Fishing Sketch by Tom Rourke is available via the Radio 4 Extra website.
A mix of silly, surreal sketches and banter starring Diane Morgan, and Joe Wilkinson.
With:
David O'Doherty
Paul Harry Allen
Bobbie Pryor
Gary Newman
Producer: Clair Wordsworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.
THU 23:30 Out of the Ordinary (b0505zw9)
Series 3
Esperanto
Jolyon Jenkins explores Esperanto, the language designed to bring world peace and harmony.
Invented in the late 19th century, Esperanto is simple to learn, with a logical grammar, a vocabulary drawn from European languages, and no irregularities. Its creator, Ludovic Zamenhof, hoped that it would become a second language that everyone could speak, eliminating international misunderstandings. For a while, Esperanto flourished, and there was even a tiny Esperanto-speaking state in what is now Belgium, but both Stalin and Hitler saw it as subversive and tried to crush it.
Jolyon tries to learn the language and to discover what remains of those early ideals. He finds elderly Esperantists playing word games in a Cardiff pub, Brazilian spiritists who believe that Esperanto is the language in which the dead converse, and a small Esperanto-speaking enclave in Goma, in the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (some of whom learned it under the misapprehension that Esperanto was an organisation that handed out money). Is Esperanto a blindingly obvious and sensible idea, or a ludicrously utopian one?
Presenter/producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
FRIDAY 15 MAY 2015
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b05tprzv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05v38yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05tprzx)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05tprzz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05tpsbr)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b05tpsbt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05trj8l)
A short reflection and prayer with Father Eugene O'Neill.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b05vhq8c)
Bog asphodel toxicity; Basic Payment scheme in Wales; New TB research
Why there's an increase in sheep deaths after they've eaten bog asphodel - a yellow flower - in marshy upland areas.
If you're a farmer in Wales or Northern Ireland - today's the day to get your European subsidy applications in. If you're in Scotland and England - you've still got until mid-June. In Wales nearly 90% of applications are now in - an impressive statistic given all the uncertainty over how much cash farmers will get. Sally Challoner explains why the sum could be anything from 115 Euros to more than 250 Euros per hectare - and thousands of farmers could be out of pocket.
A few weeks ago on Farming Today we brought you news of moo shoes - today our cows have got reflective collars. Cattle have been grazing on Minchinhampton Common in Gloucestershire for centuries - but they now share it with a lot of cars. Last year five cows were killed or had to be put down after accidents - so we hear why the inventive Gloucestershire Constabulary are providing hi-vis cattle collars as part of a road safety trial.
Presented by Sybil Ruscoe and produced by Mark Smalley.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbz27)
Cuckoo - Female
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the female Cuckoo. The "cuckoo" call of the male is perhaps one of the most recognisable of all bird sounds. But the sound of "bathwater gurgling down a plughole" is much familiar and is the call of the looking for somewhere to lay her eggs.
FRI 06:00 Today (b05tpwc1)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b05tbsqb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:16 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment (b05tq3y6)
Prognostications and Forecasts
The first forecasts prove controversial among the scientific community, and Robert FitzRoy's reputation is threatened.
Peter Moore's vivid account of the 19th century quest to understand the weather.
Concluded by Tim McMullan.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05tpwc3)
Garden Designer Jo Thompson
With this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show only days away, we talk to designer Jo Thompson about her all women team and her creation for this year's show, which she describes as "a retreat from the 21st century".
"Vivaldi's Women" is an all-female ensemble of singers and players which aims to recreate the sound of Vivaldi's Figlie di Choro. We discuss the history and unique vocal range of this all female ensemble.
A new BBC documentary series features the work of Detectives from the Greater Manchester Police's Serious Sexual Offences Unit (SSOU) and Major Incident Team. What is it like to tackle crimes that carry the toughest sentences but have the lowest conviction rates?
Plus how will England fare at the football World Cup in Canada this Summer? and what do we need or want from a Minister for Women.
Presenter Jenni Murray
Producer Beverley Purcell.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tpwc5)
Lunch
What a Swell Party
by Marcy Kahan
Comedy as old flatmates, Bill and Bella, meet up once a month for lunch. Following Bill's party he's keen to know whether Bella thinks his wife is having an affair but Bella has a bombshell of her own to drop.
FRI 11:00 Teatime at Peggy's (b05tpwc7)
The Alice in Wonderland world of the Anglo-Indians, a marginalised community in India, focussing around an extraordinary nonagenarian widow, Peggy Cantem. Over tea and seed cake, Clare Jenkins talks to "Auntie Peggy" at her home in Jhansi, an important railway town nearly 300 miles south of Delhi. She hears tales of moonlight picnics, pet mongooses, Mulligatawny soup - and Monsoon Toad Balls.
It's an endangered way of life - there are just 30 Anglo-Indian families left in Jhansi, and around 100,000 people throughout India. Before Partition, they were the mainstay of the Indian railways, postal and telecommunications services. Today, they are a minority community. And if Jhansi is their heartland, Peggy Cantem is at their heart.
In this town of half a million inhabitants, everyone seems to know "Peggy Auntie", daughter and widow of railwaymen, former stenographer turned English teacher, community care worker, doughty overseer of the town's large European cemetery (with its memorials to British men, women and children who died during the 1857 Mutiny/First Indian War of Independence). Having meals with Peggy is like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, a truly eccentric world and one that Clare has captured on numerous visits.
Peggy and her friends reflect on Anglo-Indian life. In its heyday, it was famous for its dances, amateur dramatics, May Queen balls (the women have always been famed for their beauty), fashion shows and country music festivals. Then there were the meals of goats' brain stew, Mulligatawny soup, toad in the hole - as well as the homes filled with mounted tiger's heads and Sacred Heart statues, aviaries of parakeets, plaster flying ducks and souvenirs of Britain.
Producer: Clare Jenkins
A Pennine production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Paul Temple (b038xx7d)
Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair
Millgate Steps
Part 9 of a new production of a vintage serial from 1946.
From 1938 to 1968, Francis Durbridge's incomparably suave amateur detective Paul Temple and his glamorous wife Steve solved case after baffling case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. Sadly, only half of Temple's adventures survive in the archives.
In 2006 BBC Radio 4 brought one of the lost serials back to life with Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson as Paul and Steve. Using the original scripts and incidental music, and recorded using vintage microphones and sound effects, the production of Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery aimed to sound as much as possible like the 1947 original might have done if its recording had survived. The serial proved so popular that it was soon followed by three more revivals, Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery, Paul Temple and Steve, and A Case for Paul Temple.
Now, from 1946, it's the turn of Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair, in which Paul and Steve go on the trail of the mysterious and murderous Mr Gregory.
Episode 9: Millgate Steps
Temple and Sir Graham take to the river in the hunt for the missing girl.
Producer Patrick Rayner
Francis Durbridge, the creator of Paul Temple, was born in Hull in 1912 and died in 1998. He was one of the most successful novelists, playwrights and scriptwriters of his day.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (b05tbndx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 The Thought Chamber (b05tzglq)
June Brown
The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.
In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.
One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.
There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.
Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.
Presented by Sian Williams
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b05tpy7y)
Holiday Refunds, The Art Of Good Manners, Leaseholds
We'll be talking about Museum Etiquette - some think too strict rules can suck the joy out of museums and galleries. But while trying to keep themselves accessible, friendly and interesting, Galleries also have a duty to protect and preserve the work on show. Where do you draw the line?
What rights do you have if you book a holiday, but your travelling companion dies before the trip? One listener tells us what happened when her husband died before their dream holiday to the Caribbean.
The biggest area of growth in the supermarket sector is in convenience stores. There are more than 50 thousand convenience stores in the UK, and by 2020 they'll account for nearly a quarter of all food and grocery sales. But an arrangement to purchase stock through a buying group means the stores are paying more than they would if they ordered directly from the suppliers - and both the supermarkets and the suppliers are losing out.
Eurotunnel finds out if it can resume its Dover to Calais ferry service. The company was told it must quit the cross-Channel ferry market earlier this year following a ruling by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
And, do you own a leasehold property? Why extending your lease without getting expert advice could prove to be an expensive decision.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Cecile Wright.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b05tbnf0)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b05tpy80)
Analysis of current affairs reports, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05tpy82)
Ashoka: Power and Persuasion
Professor Sunil Khilnani of the King's India Institute in London looks at the life and legacy of the emperor Ashoka, who ruled over a large part of the Indian sub-continent. He came to power around the time the Romans were fighting Carthage and the Chinese were building their Great Wall but faded from view over time. Rediscovered by the British, he went on to become an inspiration to India's nationalists. Ashoka's symbol of four lions, each facing in a different direction, can be found on official Indian documents and the nation's currency. His most remarkable legacy is the rock edicts, public instructions to his people on correct behaviour - including religious tolerance and his own principle of Dhamma. "Dhamma described the ruler's duty to interest himself in the welfare of his people, their health and happiness. It even committed him to planting banyan trees and mango groves along the roads, to provide water and resting places for travellers . . an early statement about the private faith of a leader and the responsibilities of public office"
Producer: Mark Savage.
Researcher: Manu Pillai
With incidental music by the composer Talvin Singh.
Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b05tm8ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b01nxwn2)
The Mysterious Case of Maria
by Florence Vincent, Emer Kenny, Corey Montague-Sholay, Wemmy Ogunyankin and Sandra Townsend.
A romantic comedy noir by a team of five young writers.
Ellie's dropped out of law college without telling her parents. She's found refuge in a down-at-heel bar where she devours thrillers featuring kick-ass detective Bianca Kane. When charismatic bartender Maria goes missing, Ellie starts her own eccentric investigation.
Directed by Abigail le Fleming
Studio production by Graham Harper and Robin Warren
ABOUT THE WRITERS
The writers met while working on the online BBC drama E20, a spin-off from BBC One's EastEnders.
Emer Kenny was selected as the youngest ever writer for the BBC Writers Academy in 2012. Her first EastEnders episode was aired in 2012. Acting credits include EastEnders and Pramface.
Corey Montague-Sholay is an actor and writer studying Arts Management at the BRIT School and developing plays for theatre. His play Aisle 26/Painrelief was performed at the Warehouse Theatre.
Wemmy Ogunyankin is at college and was the youngest writer on E20.
Sandra Townsend is working on a series of online science documentaries and has completed the Royal Court's Young Writers Programme.
Florence Vincent also worked as a story writer for EastEnders on BBC One. She completed a Creative Writing Masters at Edinburgh where she co-wrote Remember This for Bedlam Theatre.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b05tpy84)
Garden Show Ireland
Eric Robson hosts the programme from Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Matthew Biggs, Bob Flowerdew and James Wong answer audience questions.
Also this week, we go behind the scenes at Matthew Wilson's Chelsea Flower Show garden to uncover some of the secrets behind perfect planting.
Produced by Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Wish You Weren't Here... (b05tpz74)
No Mountain High Enough
Paula’s romantic weekend break in the Lake District is derailed when she meets fellow hotel guest Graham.
Written and read by Judy Flynn.
Wish You Weren’t Here is a series of three original short stories by award-winning writers about that awkward person you’d rather not meet…
Director ..... Heather Larmour
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b05tpz76)
BB King, Kenan Evren, Sir Maurice Flanagan, Maya Plisetskaya, Wally Kahn
Matthew Bannister on
B.B. King whose blues guitar took him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to international stardom.
Kenan Evran the Turkish general who took power in a military coup in 1980 and was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sir Maurice Flanagan who took Emirates Airlines from a two plane cargo operation to a multi billion dollar business.
The Soviet ballet star Maya Plisetskaya
And the glider pilot Wally Kahn who campaigned to make Lasham - an ex RAF base in Hampshire - into a world beating gliding club.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (b05tpz78)
Strokes, Teachers, Confused Computers
The news headlines this week suggested there has been an increase in the number of strokes among working age men and women. But is this true? We speak to Tony Rudd, National Clinical Director for Stroke NHS England. He says the headlines were not justified and there is actually evidence the incidence of strokes has gone down.
Are 40 percent of teachers leaving their jobs after their first year in post? Based on figures put out by a teaching union, newspapers reported the dire state of teacher retention. But we show how these figures include graduates who did not start jobs in teaching.
Big numbers do not just confuse most people - many computers struggle to process them too. Tim Harford talks to Chris Baraniuk who explains how a simple software bug afflicts computers controlling planes, spacecraft and has led to explosions, missing space probes and more.
In the aftermath of the general election, many people are calling for an overhaul of the electoral system to make it more representative of the number of votes that each party received. We take a look at how a different system may have affected the outcome. Plus - what questions might improve the quality of opinion polls asking for voter intentions?
FRI 16:56 The Listening Project (b05tpz7b)
Jodie and Rebekah - Fathers in the Forces
Fi Glover introduces two teenagers with fathers in the army and navy, sharing how they've dealt with their parents' prolonged absences and the worry that never goes away. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that 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. 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. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 17:00 PM (b05tpz7d)
News interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05tbnf3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b05tq1kh)
Series 87
Episode 1
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, with regular panellist Jeremy Hardy and guests Susan Calman, Samira Ahmed and Elis James. Zeb Soanes reads the news.
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.
A BBC Radio Comedy Production.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b05tq1kk)
Roy's letting Joe's ferrets stay at Willow Farm - he's also lent them a key. Joe talks negatively about Elizabeth and what she's done to poor sad Roy. They wonder whether to offer Roy a kit of ferrets for company- at a fair price.
Mike and Vicky are leaving Ambridge, but at least they'll be around for Ed and Emma's wedding, for which people are being generous. Tom's offering a hogroast. Clarrie and Susan are baking for the wedding - using Susan's kitchen. Eddie feels it's all coming together nicely. But Joe's aware of one thing that's still not right - maybe it never will be.
Pip tells David her job interview went ok - fingers crossed for a second interview. David and Jim are meeting their contact, Hattie, from Springhurst and Butler. If they're all happy she'll go ahead with the flood risk assessment for SAVE. Thinking about Kenton and David's squabble, Pip suggests David leaves diplomacy to Ruth.
Ed finally approaches Will and asks Will to be his best man. However, Will twigs that Ed's only asking for the family's sake. They argue and Ed tells reports back to Eddie, frustrated. Ed admits he can't stand Will... but he is his brother, isn't he.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b05tq1km)
U2's Set Design, Hepworth in Yorkshire, Cannes Film Festival, BB King
As bands find that there is less money to be made in selling their music, touring has become more important for revenue. As the stakes rise, designers are coming up with increasingly spectacular sets to impress the fans. U2's creative director Willie Williams, front man Bono and designer Es Devlin, who made her name in the theatre, discuss how the band are working with playwrights and illustrators to create a narrative for their new show.
Hepworth in Yorkshire is the name of a new show at Hepworth Wakefield. Curator Eleanor Clayton discusses how the exhibition reveals the influence that Yorkshire had on Barbara Hepworth who was born in the county and went on to establish an international reputation as a sculptor.
Film critic Jason Solomons brings news from this year's Cannes Film Festival. He discusses The Irrational Man, Woody Allen's latest film; Tale of Tales, the film that's had the critics reeling; and why it matters that at an international film festival where English has been declared the Esperanto of the film world, there are no British films in competition.
And to mark the death of the legendary BB King, Kevin LeGendre takes a look at his influence and how he was so much more than just a great Blues guitarist.
Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Sarah Johnson.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05tpwc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b05tq1s1)
Ben Bradshaw MP, Tim Montgomerie, Joan Smith, Sarah Wollaston MP
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Filleigh Village Hall in North Devon with Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, Times columnist Tim Montgomerie, Independent columnist Joan Smith, and Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b05tq1s3)
Presidents as Monarchs
David Cannadine says when Barack Obama's critics accuse him of acting like a king they're forgetting the origins of the office of President.
"From the outset, the American presidency was vested with what might be termed monarchical authority, which meant that it really was a form of elective kingship."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Voices of the First World War (b05tq1s5)
Omnibus 2
There are now no living veterans of WW1, but it is still possible to go back to the First World War through the memories of those who actually took part. In a unique partnership between the Imperial War Museums and the BBC, two sound archive collections featuring survivors of the war are brought together for the first time. The Imperial War Museums' holdings include a major oral history resource of remarkable recordings made in the 1980s and early 1990s with the remaining survivors of the conflict. The interviews were done not for immediate use or broadcast, but because it was felt that this diminishing resource that could never be replenished, would be of unique value in the future. Speakers recall in great detail as though it were yesterday the conditions of the trenches, the brutality of the battlefield, the experience of seeing their first casualty and hearing their first shell, their daily and nightly routines as soldiers, pilots or navy members of all ranks, and their psychological state in the face of so much trauma. This series will broadcast many of these recordings for the first time. Among the BBC's extensive collection of archive featuring first hand recollections of the conflict a century ago, are the interviews recorded for the 1964 TV series 'The Great War', which vividly bring to life the human experience of those fighting and living through the war.
Dan Snow narrates this new oral history, which will be broadcast in short seasons throughout the commemorative period.
This is an omnibus edition of five programmes that were first broadcast October 2014, in which soldiers recall the state of their morale in 1914, the First Battle of Ypres, the trenches, their experiences as Prisoners of War, and the much-mythologised Christmas Truce.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b05tbnf6)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b05tq1v1)
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston marathon bomber, sentenced to death by a jury.
3 people were killed in the attack two years ago. Former student, convicted last month of thirty charges, including use of WMD.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05tq34s)
The Green Road
Episode 10
A story of family, selfishness and compassion on Ireland's Atlantic coast, from the Man Booker Prize-winner, Anne Enright.
The children of Rosaleen Madigan leave the west of Ireland for lives they never could have imagined, in Dublin, New York and various third-world towns. In her early old age, their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she has decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for one final Christmas together in the family home, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published two collections of stories (grouped together as Yesterday's Weather), one book of non-fiction (Making Babies) and five novels, including The Gathering (which was the Irish Novel of the Year and won the Irish Fiction Award along with the 2007 Man Booker Prize) and The Forgotten Waltz (which was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction).
Read by Brid Brennan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b05tl3jp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:27 Out of the Ordinary (b050zpwt)
Series 3
Brain Hacking
Jolyon Jenkins meets the people zapping their brains with DIY electrical devices, lasers and electromagnets. They want to learn faster, dream better, and even have spiritual experiences.
Some of it might even work. There's evidence that putting a weak electric current through your skull can help you learn, and induce a "flow" state. The US military is experimenting with devices that seem to help snipers improve their marksmanship. One woman who tried it says that what she found was that "electricity might be the most powerful drug I've ever used in my life."
Such talk is just what the garage experimenters want to hear. Real drugs are hard to get licensed, but many of the experimenters hope that a strap-on electrical head gadget will be able to give the same kind of effects, but without having to go through the regulatory hoops. There's money to be made, they hope, from early adopters who see their brains as just another device that can be improved through a bit of hacking.
Producer/presenter: Jolyon Jenkins.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b05tq3c3)
Jeanne and Stu - Getting Checked Out
Fi Glover introduces Dave's widow and his friend, remembering the lively man who died from prostate cancer, and discussing why men seem so reluctant to monitor their own health. Dave founded ProstAid with Stu's help, and now Stu keeps it going in his memory.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that 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. 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. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 MON (b05tkllm)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b05tkllm)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 TUE (b05tky96)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (b05tky96)
15 Minute Drama
10:41 WED (b05tlv9h)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b05tlv9h)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (b05tly3k)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b05tly3k)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (b05tpwc5)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b05tpwc5)
A Celebration for Ascension Day
20:00 THU (b05tm8x0)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (b05sycds)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (b05tq1s3)
Above Ground
19:45 SUN (b05tcmhg)
All in the Mind
21:00 TUE (b05tl3k4)
All in the Mind
15:30 WED (b05tl3k4)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b05tbgkv)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b05sycdq)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b05tq1s1)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b05tbh5k)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (b05tm4dq)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (b05tm4dq)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b05tbs6h)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b05tbs6h)
Best Behaviour
18:30 THU (b05tm8wt)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 MON (b05tkw8b)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 TUE (b05tl3k8)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 WED (b05tlvc3)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 THU (b05tm9cc)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 FRI (b05tq34s)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b05t67cg)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b05tbsq6)
Clare in the Community
18:30 WED (b03q98yj)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (b05tl3jk)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (b05tl3jk)
Crossing Continents
20:30 MON (b05sxv7p)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (b05tly3m)
Dead Ringers
12:30 SAT (b05sycdj)
Desert Island Discs
11:16 SUN (b05tbsqb)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (b05tbsqb)
Dilemma
12:04 SUN (b05sstcb)
Dilemma
18:30 MON (b05tkvkn)
Drags to Riches
11:00 MON (b05tkllp)
Drama
21:00 SAT (b05sscmc)
Drama
15:00 SUN (b05tbw1m)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b01nb1rx)
Drama
14:15 WED (b01ng7s4)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b01nxwn2)
Ed Reardon's Week
11:30 WED (b05tlv9r)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b05tbf5c)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b05tkchc)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b05tkxq0)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b05tllvf)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b05tlw5b)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b05vhq8c)
File on 4
17:00 SUN (b05stkrm)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b05tl3k0)
Following the Floating Voters
20:00 MON (b05tbt1j)
Following the Floating Voters
11:00 WED (b05tbt1j)
Forensics in Crisis
21:00 MON (b05stg0j)
Four Thought
20:45 WED (b05tlvbx)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b05srzgc)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b05tkvks)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (b05tl3jy)
Front Row
19:15 WED (b05tlvbq)
Front Row
19:15 THU (b05tm8wy)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b05tq1km)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b05syb64)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b05tpy84)
Go West
00:30 SUN (b01r9620)
Great Lives
16:30 TUE (b05tl3jp)
Great Lives
23:00 FRI (b05tl3jp)
In Business
21:30 SUN (b05sy264)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (b05tly3f)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (b05tly3f)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b05tl3k2)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 MON (b05rptcs)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 TUE (b05tkznc)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 WED (b05tlvb2)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 THU (b05tm4dg)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 FRI (b05tpy82)
Jigsaw
23:00 WED (b01rgj27)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b05t6pnb)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b05tpz76)
Lemn Sissay's Homecoming
18:30 TUE (b05tl3jt)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b05tbgl3)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b05srzft)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (b05tbn52)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (b05tbn74)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (b05tbn8y)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (b05tbnbh)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (b05tbncx)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b05tprzv)
Midweek
09:00 WED (b05tlv99)
Midweek
21:30 WED (b05tlv99)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (b05tbfmc)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b05tbfmc)
Money Box
15:00 WED (b05tlvb4)
More or Less
20:00 SUN (b05syb68)
More or Less
16:30 FRI (b05tpz78)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b05srzg3)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b05tbn5b)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b05tbn7d)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b05tbn97)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b05tbnbr)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b05tbnd5)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b05tpsbt)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b05tbn5d)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (b05srzgf)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (b05tbn5q)
News Summary
12:00 MON (b05tbn7l)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (b05tbn9c)
News Summary
12:00 WED (b05tbnbv)
News Summary
12:00 THU (b05tbnd7)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (b05tbndx)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b05srzg5)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b05tbn5j)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b05tbn5n)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b05srzgx)
News
13:00 SAT (b05srzgm)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (b05tbs6m)
On the Rocks
11:30 MON (b05tkllr)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (b05tbwsg)
Open Book
15:30 THU (b05tbwsg)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (b05sxx6z)
Open Country
15:00 THU (b05tm4dl)
Out of the Ordinary
23:30 MON (b01rl5r4)
Out of the Ordinary
23:30 TUE (b03wp5j4)
Out of the Ordinary
23:30 WED (b04yb2x0)
Out of the Ordinary
23:30 THU (b0505zw9)
Out of the Ordinary
23:27 FRI (b050zpwt)
PM
17:00 SAT (b05tbgl1)
PM
17:00 MON (b05tkvkl)
PM
17:00 TUE (b05tl3jr)
PM
17:00 WED (b05tlvbj)
PM
17:00 THU (b05tm4ds)
PM
17:00 FRI (b05tpz7d)
Paul Temple
11:30 FRI (b038xx7d)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
09:45 MON (b05tkllh)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
00:30 TUE (b05tkllh)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
09:45 TUE (b05v389v)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
00:30 WED (b05v389v)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
09:45 WED (b05v38lg)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
00:30 THU (b05v38lg)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
09:45 THU (b05v38yp)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
00:30 FRI (b05v38yp)
Peter Moore - The Weather Experiment
09:45 FRI (b05tq3y6)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b05tbxk4)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (b05tbxk2)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b05sydqm)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b05trj60)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b05trj6j)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b05trbfk)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b05trj7m)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b05trj8l)
Profile
19:00 SAT (b05tbgq1)
Profile
05:45 SUN (b05tbgq1)
Profile
17:40 SUN (b05tbgq1)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (b05tbs6x)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b05tbs6x)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b05tbs6x)
Richard Marsh
23:15 TUE (b01rl8p1)
Roddy Doyle on Radio 4
14:30 SAT (b041v063)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b05tbf5h)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b05tbgq3)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b05srzfz)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (b05tbn56)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b05tbn78)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b05tbn93)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (b05tbnbm)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b05tbnd1)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b05tprzz)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b05srzfx)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b05srzg1)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b05srzgp)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b05tbn54)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b05tbn58)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b05tbn5y)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b05tbn76)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b05tbn7b)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b05tbn91)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b05tbn95)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b05tbnbk)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b05tbnbp)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b05tbncz)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b05tbnd3)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b05tprzx)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b05tpsbr)
Short Cuts
15:00 TUE (b05tkzng)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b05srzgt)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b05tbn62)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b05tbn7t)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b05tbn9k)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b05tbnc0)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b05tbndd)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b05tbnf3)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b05tbs6k)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b05tbs6k)
Soul Music
11:30 TUE (b05tkzn5)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (b05tkchh)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (b05tkchh)
Stone
14:15 THU (b05tm4dj)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b05tbs70)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b05tbs6q)
Teatime at Peggy's
11:00 FRI (b05tpwc7)
The 3rd Degree
23:00 SAT (b05tbjt2)
The 3rd Degree
15:00 MON (b05tkvkd)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b05tbsq8)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b05tcmhc)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b05tcmhc)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b05tkvkq)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b05tkvkq)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b05tl3jw)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b05tl3jw)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b05tlvbn)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b05tlvbn)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b05tm8ww)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b05tm8ww)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b05tq1kk)
The Digital Human
16:30 MON (b05tkvkj)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b05sy25p)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (b05tm4dn)
The Folk of the Pennines
11:30 THU (b05tly3p)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b05tbsqd)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (b05wpn58)
The Invisible College
16:00 MON (b05tkvkg)
The John Moloney Show
23:00 TUE (b05tl3kb)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (b05tbt1l)
The Listening Project
10:56 WED (b05tlv9m)
The Listening Project
16:56 FRI (b05tpz7b)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (b05tq3c3)
The Lost Art of the TV Theme
10:30 SAT (b05tq6zy)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (b05tlvbd)
The Music Teacher
23:15 WED (b03c49xt)
The News Quiz
18:30 FRI (b05tq1kh)
The Thought Chamber
12:04 MON (b05tkllt)
The Thought Chamber
12:04 TUE (b05trf7y)
The Thought Chamber
12:04 WED (b05trhpf)
The Thought Chamber
12:04 THU (b05tzdy8)
The Thought Chamber
12:04 FRI (b05tzglq)
The Vote Now Show
19:15 SUN (b05wpwcn)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (b05tz5p5)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b05tbst1)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b05tkw88)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b05tl3k6)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b05tlvc1)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b05tm9c9)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b05tq1v1)
Things Fall Apart
09:00 TUE (b05tky92)
Things Fall Apart
21:30 TUE (b05tky92)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (b05strvl)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b05tlvb8)
Today
07:00 SAT (b05tbf5f)
Today
06:00 MON (b05tkchf)
Today
06:00 TUE (b05tky90)
Today
06:00 WED (b05tllvh)
Today
06:00 THU (b05tly3c)
Today
06:00 FRI (b05tpwc1)
Tommies
14:15 MON (b05tkvkb)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b020xv0f)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b01slvgp)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b01sbyzk)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b01sbz0y)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b01sbz1g)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b01sbz27)
Two Episodes of Mash
23:00 THU (b01mk9nz)
Unreliable Evidence
22:15 SAT (b05stt6d)
Unreliable Evidence
20:00 WED (b05tlvbv)
Voices of the First World War
21:00 FRI (b05tq1s5)
Walt Whitman's War
23:30 SAT (b05sscmh)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b05srzg7)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b05srzg9)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b05srzgh)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b05srzgr)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b05tbn5g)
Weather
07:57 SUN (b05tbn5l)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b05tbn5s)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b05tbn60)
Weather
05:56 MON (b05tbn7g)
Weather
12:57 MON (b05tbn7p)
Weather
21:58 MON (b05tbn7x)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b05tbn9g)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b05tbn9m)
Weather
12:57 WED (b05tbnby)
Weather
12:57 THU (b05tbndb)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b05tbnf0)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b05tbnf6)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b05tcmvq)
What the Papers Say
22:45 SUN (b05tcmvs)
What the Songbird Said
11:00 TUE (b05tz9jr)
Wish You Weren't Here...
15:45 FRI (b05tpz74)
Witness
09:30 TUE (b05vf74p)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b05tbgkz)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b05tkllk)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b05tky94)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b05tlv9f)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b05tly3h)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b05tpwc3)
Word of Mouth
23:00 MON (b05stkqm)
Word of Mouth
16:00 TUE (b05tl3jm)
World at One
13:00 MON (b05tkvk8)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b05tkzn9)
World at One
13:00 WED (b05tlv9y)
World at One
13:00 THU (b05tm4dd)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b05tpy80)
You and Yours
12:15 MON (b05tkvk6)
You and Yours
12:16 TUE (b05tkzn7)
You and Yours
12:15 WED (b05tlv9w)
You and Yours
12:15 THU (b05tm4db)
You and Yours
12:15 FRI (b05tpy7y)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b05sydqp)
iPM
17:30 SAT (b05sydqp)