The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Livestock theft in Wales went up nearly 20% in 2014 according to new figures from insurers NFU Mutual.
Growers are concerned they may be losing the fight against the Pea and Bean Weevil, which has become resistant to the chemical used to control it. A bad weevil infestation can lead to a decrease in pea yields of up to 30%.
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the lesser black-backed gull.
These smart gulls are charcoal grey on top and white beneath. Like herring gulls, their close relatives LBBs have moved into urban areas and now breed on flat roofs in the centre of cities. It seems almost any flat surface will do. In just three hours, one bird in Gloucester built a nest on a car roof and laid an egg in.
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
TS Eliot was only 22 years old when he wrote The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - yet many people read the speaker as a middle-aged man contemplating ageing and mortality. This is one of the extraordinary features of the poem that first drew Alan Yentob to it as a teenager. To mark the centenary of its publication, Alan meets others who have found meaning in the poem - from the psychologist Adam Phillips to the singer Emmy the Great. And we hear readings by Jeremy Irons, Ben Whishaw and the poet himself.
One of the poem's most conspicuous themes is indecision, and we hear about Eliot's youthful deliberations over the kind of life he should pursue. In the aftermath of its publication, Eliot referred to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as his 'swan's song' to poetry - an indication that he anticipated he might not continue to be a poet in his later life.
Some people find the poem speaks to the trials of adolescence; some detect in it a darkness and morbidity that is disturbing. Poets Simon Armitage and Kayo Chingonyi both read the poem at school and give us their interpretations. The programme also includes literary critics Professors Sarah Churchwell and Hannah Sullivan.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is perhaps most memorable for its imagery. Some of its most quotable lines are those which paint pictures in the mind of 'sawdust restaurants', 'yellow smoke', 'coffee spoons' and 'white flannel trousers'. With this in mind, the artist Mat Collishaw has been commissioned to make a short film in response to the poem. You can hear him interviewed about it in the programme and his film will be available on BBC Arts Online from the date of the broadcast.
Rhashan Stone reads Jill Leovy's account into the high rates of murder among LA's young black men. Bryant Tennelle's parents are grief stricken following his murder. His father, an LA police detective, waits patiently for a break through as the search for his son's killers begins.
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult with her daughter Samantha on the new book they've written together. Parenting and different approaches - we talk to the authors of a book called Kids Don't Come with a Manual. Victoria Lambert talks about gender discrimination and primogeniture. Is God a he or a she? Could the language in services be more inclusive? Gossip - why we love it and the differences social media has made.
When Afiz looks to do a deal with Trench for a fake passport, her former affair with Linus comes to light, reinforcing Lollo's fears of an unavoidable tragedy.
Happy Jerry was a mandrill who found his way to London on a slave ship and ended up smoking a pipe and having dinner with the king. It is a curious tale of humanity in search of itself.
Peering into the eyes of a primate we see a reflection of ourselves and that has been an enduring fascination through time. It was thought in the 18th Century that the only reason chimps didn't talk in front of people was because they were afraid we would enslave them.
From King Kong to the PG Tea chimps, we have exploited their similarity to ourselves to create fear and humour. They are so similar yet so different, so close to our behaviour yet they shock and appal us with their distinctly animal like traits.
In Victorian times gorillas were often presented in museums in a ferocious pose charging towards the observer, a pose more reflecting the fact it was being shot at and defending itself rather than a true likeness of the reality of ape life. Today however they are seen as dignified vegetarians of the forest, huge yet gentle, demanding our hushed respect.
Documentaries on primates are always amongst the most popular as we pick apart their lives for yet ever more detailed clues about how we are alike yet still worlds apart.
Chi-chi Nwanoku has spent her career travelling and performing in concert halls the world over as the principal double bassist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. More recently, she's been on a personal journey seeking out the lives and careers of black classical musicians from the eighteenth century who like her, played and composed music at the highest levels. In some cases, slivers of their lives are on record but you have to be quite determined to find out.
Chi-chi puts the record straight and with the help of some of the finest musical researchers around, she brings to the fore the music and lives of musicians like violinist/composer Joseph Emidy, virtuoso violinist George Bridgetower and composer Joseph Bologne, aka Chevalier de St-George who not only met Mozart in his lifetime, but who was known by all those who heard his music as the 'Black Mozart'.
In today's programme she explores the remarkable life of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the son of a slave who ended up being one of the finest violinists, composers and swordsman in Europe. And he also led the first all black regiment during the French Revolution against the King, whilst teaching music to Marie Antoinette.
Chi-chi also hears about the life of the child prodigy violinist George Bridgetower who delighted all who heard him included the Prince of Wales. He went on to play with Beethoven and inspire him to write one of the most difficult violin sonatas of the period.
A day at the flapping, and Thornton has his eye on another prize in Folkestone.
Prof. Sunil Khilnani profiles the life of Malik Ambar, an Ethiopian slave who rose to become a power-broker and king maker.
Malik Ambar's story challenges some of our familiar perceptions of slavery. He was part of a tradition of military slavery which created elite warriors, educated and nurtured by their masters and treated almost like sons. Once freed, his power base grew. He took on the mighty Mughal Empire of the north using sophisticated guerrilla tactics and an ability to harass his enemy under cover of darkness.
Emperor Jahangir became obsessed with the Ethiopian, calling him "the ill-starred Ambar" and "Ambar of dark fate". A painting commissioned by Jahangir shows the Ethiopian's severed head on a spear and the Emperor firing arrows into it. However, as Prof. Khilnani reveals, all is not what it seems in that image.
Sunil Khilnani contrasts the rise to power of a black African in 16th century India with contemporary Indian attitudes towards people of African descent - a racism even shared by Mahatma Gandhi during his South African years.
As Pat catches up with an old friend in the park, it suddenly dawns on her that her four year old grandchild is no longer in the playground.
Clare Dwyer Hogg has emerged as one of Ireland's most exciting new playwrights. Her first play Farewell, directed and starring Stephen Rea, premiered in December 2012 and launched the reforming of Field Day Theatre Company. It was also broadcast on R3 in March 2013. As well as her theatre work, Clare is an award-winning journalist having received the Premio Luchetta award for Human Rights journalism. Clare grew up in Northern Ireland, studied at Cambridge and lives in London.
Writer ..... Clare Dwyer Hogg
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
Life is going fantastically well and the world is full of promise, and then it takes a dramatically different turn one day when an accident changes things for ever. This happened to the three guests in this week's programme - David broke his neck diving into a shallow ocean pool in Australia, Sian was hit by a taxi on holiday and Kelly suffered severe burns and injuries to her leg following a car crash. Their injuries were life changing. They share their experiences of dealing with the after effects with each other and host Fi Glover
Joshua Rozenberg returns with a new series of BBC Radio 4's legal magazine programme.
What does the law say about commercial ship captains' duty to help those they find in distress at sea? Captain Andy Lewington explains how he, and his 18 man crew, took aboad more than 400 migrants in the seas north of Tripoli earlier this year. And Stephen Fietta a lawyer at Volterra Fietta, explains the legal position.
How easy is it to get rid of your MP? A petition has been filed which seeks to overturn the election of Alistair Carmichael MP. Professor Bob Watt explains what the petitioners would have to prove in order to succeed.
As Michael Gove, the new justice secretary, begins work on the new British Bill of Rights that the Conservatives promised in their election manifesto, we have a guide to this fiendishly complex area of law which even a seven-year-old could understand.
And government lawyers will soon be in Strasbourg to defend the United Kingdom against a claim that it failed to respect the most fundamental right of all - the right to life. The claim has been brought on behalf of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead by police officers at a London Underground station almost 10 years ago. Solicitor Harriet Wistrich, representing the Menezes family, explains their case.
Val McDermid thinks crime writing is most definitely a suitable job for a woman. She believes women are good at observing the minutiae of life and incorporating them into clue development. Despite writing a book entitled 'An Unsuitable Job For A Woman', PD James evidently thought the same. Val McDermid discusses her life with the help of James' friend, the literary critic Peter Kemp.
Mark visits the Shropshire Town of Shrewsbury, birthplace of Charles Darwin and home to the oldest building in the world to house a McDonalds.
Mark finds Shrewsbury to be a beautiful place with an identity crisis. Once in Wales, but now in England, Shrewsbury is a peaceful town with a bloody history. As one local points out, "We killed Owain Glyndwr outside WH Smith".
An Idyllic setting in a loop of the river Severn, with its beautiful public gardens designed by Percy Thrower, patrolled daily by a Croatian nightclub bouncer.
Voted the politest town in Britain, the locals have very little to complain about. Apart from the disagreements over the buildings... and the statues... and the one-way system... and most of all, how to pronounce the name of the place.
Mark Steel's sixth series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.
Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Sterling
Producer ... Carl Cooper
A BBC Radio Comedy Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015. .
Ruth has gone up to Prudhoe to be with Heather. Meanwhile, Tom helps David sort the lambs for the abattoir. Pip has an exam today, and a second job interview tomorrow to prepare for.
Ahead of Open Farm Sunday, Charlie butters Susan up, mentioning her local knowledge. He'd like Susan to make a display board for Berrow Farm , all about the values of a community shop.
Toby plays it cool with Pip, teasing her that he may not make the pub quiz tonight. But then he shows up and they flirt a bit. Pip enjoys learning about Toby's farming plans - they can talk more on Friday.
Jolene worries what David will think about she and Kenton doing the bar for Berrow Farm on Open Farm Sunday. Kenton couldn't give a flying fig.
Hanif Kureishi, Agnes Martin Exhibition, Tristan and Isolde at 150, Queen and Country
Playwright, screenwriter, novelist and film-maker Hanif Kureishi explains his rediscovery of the essay form as he discusses his new book of short stories and essays, Love and Hate. The collection includes the account of how he was cheated out of his life savings by his financial advisor.
A new exhibition at Tate Modern traces the career of the minimalist artist Agnes Martin, best known for her understated abstract paintings. Charlotte Mullins reviews.
Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde changed the course of music history, with its explosion of harmony and sensuality. To mark the 150th anniversary of its premiere, composer Julian Anderson and Wagner expert John Deathridge reflect on the impact of this operatic classic.
Queen and Country is the sequel to writer and director John Boorman's 1987 classic Hope and Glory, set in WW2. The film picks up the story nearly a decade later during the Korean War. Jason Solomons reviews.
Next month the National Audit Office is due to report on the outcomes for young people leaving care. There are claims that, under financial pressure, local authorities are pushing too many teenagers into independent living before they're ready. File on 4 investigates new figures that suggest many young care leavers are failing to cope - with large numbers ending up in custody, homeless, sexually exploited or pregnant. Social services chiefs say the welfare of care-leavers must be a key priority for the new government. But who holds them to account when they fail those they are meant to have looked after? And, with more cuts on the way, can the system cope? Fran Abrams reveals how hands-off caring can have tragic consequences.
College disability officer Mike Lambert describes his personal struggle against discrimination in the workplace and his recent employment tribunal victory.
And as Blind Veterans UK prepares to mark its centenary with a party at Buckingham Palace, British and American former soldiers share stories of being blinded in battle, learning to walk on prosthetic legs while coping with sudden sight loss and some innovative rehabilitation techniques.
More and more of us work in open plan offices, which can be noisy and lead to strife between those staff who are tidy and their neighbours who like to leave papers and dirty plates on their desks and between those who are quiet and their colleagues who talk loudly on the phone.
Claudia Hammond explores what the perfect office would look like if the latest psychological research was applied. She discovers that it is possible to work in open plan spaces and be able to concentrate, be creative and communicate well with colleagues. And she asks why many architects aren't aware of the research of psychologists or ignore it.
Michael and Caroline start a new life together in Wales, but Caroline feels the pull of her old foreign reporting life.
'The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door.'
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
Owen Sheers' compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
John meets a disengaged charity worker, before challenging some relationship problems.
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
Winner of Best Scripted Comedy in the BBC Audio Awards 2014, poet and playwright Richard Marsh fuses poetry and prose to tell a heart-breaking and witty tale of losing love, falling for a seductive-looking lady called Sorrow, and learning to put himself back together.
Richard's marriage has fallen apart, and he's a broken man locked in a flat full of memories, rattling around like sweets in a bowl. Siobhan's moved out; the flat, half-full, is the emptiest thing. On the plus side, his friends cook him a lot of meals - but there's only so much consolation chicken a man can eat.
When moping at the pub, Richard meets the seductive Sorrow, who tries to stop him recovering or moving on with his life. Will she succeed, or will Richard learn to love again?
Written and performed by Richard Marsh.
Sean Curran reports on tributes to Charles Kennedy who's died. MPs debate the government's health reforms. There's a host of maiden speeches. And peers sound the alarm over the new 'right-to-buy' scheme.
WEDNESDAY 03 JUNE 2015
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b05wndrn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b05wxzxx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05wndrq)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05wndrs)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05wndrv)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b05wndrx)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05wy74t)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sister Jane Livesey CJ.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b05wy74w)
Coffee Shop Chain Stops Using Milk From Badger Cull Zone, Mangold Fly Infestations, British Wool Scouring
Coffee shop chain, Caffe Nero has said that it will no longer use milk from the badger cull areas, following a campaign run by the pressure group Stop the Cull. Farming Today reports on the reaction.
Farmers on the east coast are struggling with infestations of the mangold fly on their sugarbeet crops, Anna Hill visits the affected area.
Some of our British wool is sent all the way to China to be washed, but 100 tonnes a week are still scoured in West Yorkshire. We visit the plant.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tycf8)
Black-browed Albatross
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the black-browed albatross.
Although they're residents of the Antarctic seas , black-browed albatrosses have turned up in the UK many times. For a while, Albert-or Albert Ross as he was christened by birdwatchers- was one of the most well-known birds in the British Isles. He was first spotted in the gannet colony on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth in 1967. Sadly he failed to find a mate among the masses of gannets there.
WED 06:00 Today (b05wyhnd)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b05wyhng)
Graham Fellows, Matthew Oates, William McLellan, Kate Waters
Libby Purves meets Graham Fellows and his alter ego John Shuttleworth; poet and naturalist Matthew Oates; artist and writer William McLellan and fight director Kate Waters.
Graham Fellows is an actor and musician who is best known for creating the character John Shuttleworth. John is a fictional singer and songwriter from Sheffield whose back catalogue includes the track Pigeons in Flight. Graham is also the man behind Jilted John who had an eponymous hit in 1978. John Shuttleworth hosts A Knight At the Palladium in aid of multiple sclerosis charities. Guests include Chas and Dave and Sooty and Sweep. A Knight At the Palladium is at the London Palladium.
Matthew Oates is a naturalist, writer and poet who has been obsessed by Britain's butterflies since childhood. He has studied many butterflies but no butterfly has entranced him so much as the elusive purple emperor. In his book, In Pursuit of Butterflies, Matthew recaps on a lifetime of butterfly observation with the help of the detailed diaries he has kept since 1971. In Pursuit of Butterflies - A Fifty-Year Affair is published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
William McLellan is an artist, writer and musician. His memoir How I got into Art School (and out of prison) tells the story of his imprisonment in the notorious Modelo jail in Barcelona in 1972. During his incarceration he contemplated the activities that led him to prison and his difficult childhood. It is only when he began to sketch in prison that he confronted his troubled past. How I Got Into Art School (and out of prison) is published by Old Street Publishing.
Kate Waters - also known as Kombat Kate - is a fight director. She directed the fight choreography for Peter Pan at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and previously worked on the Old Vic's revival of Michael Frayn's farce Noises Off and the National Theatre's One Man, Two Guvnors. She is also a regular fight director for Coronation Street. Peter Pan is at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b05wyhnj)
Ghettoside
A Breakthrough
Rhashan Stone reads Jill Leovy's account into the high rates of murder among LA's young black men. The ferociously driven detective John Skaggs takes on the investigation into the murder of Bryant Tennelle, the son of a fellow detective. Finally, there is a major break through as efforts to track down the killers continues.
Written by Jill Leovy
Abridged by Miranda Emmerson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05wyhnl)
Why are older women in Denmark the happiest in Europe?
Danish women top the polls for being the happiest in Europe. What's their secret? What impact is the Everyday Victim Blaming campaign having on the portrayal of domestic and sexual violence and abuse in the Media. A celebration of Pippi Longstocking at 70. Plus the first Women's Equality Select Committee what difference could it make.
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b05wyhnn)
Chronicles of Ait - Magpie
Episode 3
Linus remains bitter over what he sees as Alice's betrayal of their affair, unaware of the developments in her relationship with Afiz.
Cast:
Linus Scott..........Greg Wise
Alice Pyper..........Amanda Drew
Lollo...................Gina Abolins
Jason..................Joe Claflin
Marlene..............Heather Craney
Trench/Stanley...Christopher James
Afiz.....................Stewart Scudamore
Mac.....................Mihai Arsene
Writer: Michael Butt
Produced and directed by John Taylor
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:56 The Listening Project (b05wyhnq)
Leo and Mary - A Model Patient
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a brother and sister recalling the third degree burns he suffered in his teens and how Airfix kits helped him to recover. 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 Shadow of the Sun King (b05wyhns)
Episode 1
As we approach the 300th anniversary of the death of Louis XIV, Professor Julian Swann assesses the Sun King's life and achievements - and also examines his key role in unwittingly spurring Britain to become a global super-power.
In the first of two programmes, Swann travels to Paris to visit many of the sites that can claim to be haunted by Louis XIV's legacy - from Versailles and the Louvre to the Palais Royal and Les Invalides.
Louis has often been portrayed as a kind of totalitarian dictator within France and a triumphant warlord abroad. Swann argues that he was neither. As King, he was dependent on negotiating power-sharing with France's nobles - the splendour of Versailles was a political honey-trap, designed to entice the nobility rather than intimidate them. The glorious, glamorous picture we have of Louis was largely the result of frighteningly modern PR on the part of his right-hand man, Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
Abroad, the Sun King's obsessive military adventurism all but bankrupted the country, leaving Louis deeply regretful on his deathbed. His persecution of France's Huguenot Protestants was an appalling own goal, alienating other European powers and seriously harming the French economy.
However, Louis remains one of the most significant monarchs in European history, not least as he embedded a sense of France's greatness into the national consciousness.
It's intriguing to reflect then that the Sun King's birth was the result of a very rare liaison between his parents, that France was in utter chaos when he was a child - and that his coronation was a fiasco.
Produced by Andrew Green
A Singing Wren production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 11:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05wyhnv)
Series 10
Joan of the Junction
Week four of Ed Reardon's 'No Fixed Abode' status finds him tramping along the canal trying to find someone to take him, and Elgar, in. When he fortunes upon the somewhat colourful Joan he hits the jackpot in more ways than one as not only does he gain a rather comfortable cabin bed, but as the pair chat about Joan's rather picaresque life over a can of cider, Ed discovers she has lived her life in the manner for a perfect Sunday night TV drama. Cue a call to his agent, Ping.
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 (b05wnds2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 Home Front (b05wyhnx)
3 June 1915 - Florrie Wilson
A succession of visitors to the Wilson household can't tempt Florrie out of doors.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Lucy Collingwood
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole.
WED 12:15 You and Yours (b05wyhnz)
Charity Fundraising, Buying Breast Milk Online, Pet Treats
Some of the most well known UK charity brands have told You & Yours they buy files containing thousands of names and addresses to help with their charity appeals. We look into the companies that compile and manage the files, and how they know who is most likely to donate.
You can buy anything online these days - including breast milk. Winifred Robinson hears from one woman who can make £50 from half a pint of breast milk. Public health experts are saying the industry needs more regulation.
Plus when did you last check the calories on your pets treats? Research suggests some leading brands of chews and biscuits can be more fattening than human hot dogs.
Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Natalie Donovan.
WED 12:57 Weather (b05wnds6)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b05wyhp1)
Rigorous analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Martha Kearney.
WED 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05wyhp3)
Dara Shikoh: The Meeting Place of the Two Oceans
Prof. Sunil Khilnani profiles one of the most beguiling intellectual figures of his age, a man whose story resonates today as one of India's great 'what if' moments. Dara Shikoh was the scholar and heir to the Mughal throne whose war against his brother Aurangzeb ended in humiliation, the prince condemned to death and paraded through the streets of Delhi on a miserable, worn-out elephant.
Dara was the eldest - and favourite - son of Emperor Shah Jahan. He became known in the Mughal court as Baba Dara - a Mughal Daddy's Boy - and spent his princely allowance pursuing his passion for religious ideas and translating scriptures. In doing so he opened a door to Indian religion and philosophy for later Western scholars.
Dara believed that all religions converged to a single monotheistic truth, like rivers meeting together in the ocean. This was enough for his brother to label him an apostate and to wage a war of succession for the Mughal throne. Sunil Khilnani is in Delhi where, after his capture, Dara Shikoh's public humiliation and execution were played out. He considers how different the course of Indian history might have been if Dara had been victorious and Aurangzeb had been the one paraded through the city dressed in rags.
Producer: Jeremy Grange.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b05wy64l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b01rgj1b)
The Manhattan Bee Testimonials
For as long as anyone can remember, there have been rumours of a man living somewhere on the island of Manhattan and keeping 250,000 bees in his apartment. Max Callaghan is obsessed with finding him and has spent 15 years building up an audio library of sometimes contradictory accounts - The Manhattan Bee Testimonials.
When Daisy Lucas overcomes a severe case of meningitis thanks to a pot of honey left anonymously by her hospital bed, she tries to find the donor, her father, who she believes to be the Manhattan Bee Man.
Featuring the real voices of New Yorkers describing their version of the story, alongside original drama written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.
Written by Sebastian Backiewicz
Sound design: Eloise Whitmore
Producer and Director: Joby Waldman
Executive Producer: Polly Thomas
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box (b05wyhp6)
Money Box Live: Mortgages
With fixed rate mortgages hovering just above 1% and others offering cash back or fee free deals it could be a great time to get a mortgage, but how do you choose between them and what's the true cost?
We'll have three mortgage advisors waiting to answer your questions on Money Box Live, so why not call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
What type of mortgage should you consider?
How much can you borrow and what will you have to tell your lender?
Does a fix, a variable or an offset mortgage make sense?
Or perhaps you need help from a family member?
Whatever your question, whether you're a first time buyer, moving house or trying to remortgage you can talk to the team on Wednesday.
Joining presenter Sarah Pennells to tackle your mortgage questions will be:
Simon Collins, Mortgage Technical Team, John Charcol.
David Hollingworth, Associate Director, London & Country Mortgages.
Tracey Peden, Mortgage Adviser, Aspire 2011.
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 The Search for the Perfect Office (b036wfzv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b05wyhp8)
Anthropology - The Future of the A-level; Crime and Blame
Anthropology: the future of the A level. Laurie Taylor talks to Joy Hendry, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, about the proposed cancellation of this course. At a time of global conflict, is it the right time to axe a discipline which allows insight into cultures and ideas very different from our own?
Also, 'blame' in the criminal justice system. Tim Hillier, Associate Head of Leicester de Montfort Law School, De Montfort University, Leicester, explores the role and parameters of culpability within the legal system. He's joined by Lord Ken Macdonald QC and former Director of Public Prosecutions.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b05wyhpb)
Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief, Britain's Hardest Worker, Disabled people in TV
Charlie Hebdo, the satirical French magazine, was attacked in January over its cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Two gunmen stormed its offices shooting dead several people including the magazine's editor Stephane Charbonnier and four of its cartoonists. Witnesses said they shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "we have avenged the prophet". The attack followed a number of serious threats and a 2011 firebombing for Charlie Hebdo's satire on Islam. Gérard Biard has worked at the magazines since 1992, and has been editor in chief for the past 10 years. Steve talks to him about how the magazine can continue to publish in the same way, and whether free speech can exist alongside the threat of extremism.
A petition calling on the BBC to abandon its plans for a series, 'Britain's Hardest Worker' which will pitch unemployed and low paid people against each other for a cash prize, now has over 25000 signatures. It's been dubbed by critics as 'poverty porn' and a 'Hunger Games style game show'. Steve Hewlett talks to Labour MP Louise Haigh who fears the programme will demonise working class people, and to executive producer Tim Carter from Twenty Twenty.
A workforce survey by Creative Skillset, the creative industry skills body, has found that just five percent of the TV workforce considers themselves to have a disability, compared to eleven percent of the wider UK working population. It's calling on broadcasters and indies to 'urgently' improve the number. Amongst its other findings, it revealed a marked rise in the number of people doing unpaid work in the creative industries. Steve talks to Dr Kion Ahadi, Head of Research at Creative Skillset about the findings and what needs to be done.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b05wyhxk)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05wndsj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Clare in the Community (b03ts6jg)
Series 9
Come Dine With Me
Clare has finally managed to find some time for romance.
Meanwhile Brian discovers that a cheap flat comes with some unusual conditions and Nali has an eventful first day in her new job.
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
Nali ...... Nina Conti
Leonard ...... Richard Lumsden
Howard ...... Richard Lumsden
Simon ...... Andrew Wincott
Libby ...... Sarah Kendall
Joan ...... Sarah Thom
Miss Braithwaite ...... Carolyn Pickles
Mrs Scudimore ...... Carolyn Pickles
Producer: Alexandra Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b05wykhn)
Pip has her second job interview for the technical manager role today, sent on her way with lots of encouragement from David and Jill. Jill notices how tired David looks, but he's not keen to get a relief milker in. Ruth's still away, so David struggles on alone with his list of jobs to do before Open Farm Sunday. David has left it too late to borrow Adam's combine - Adam's sorry but he's promised it to Berrow Farm. Adam doesn't seem too happy that Rob will probably be selected for the next cricket match - he's not Adam's favourite person, but Adam admits he's a good player. David reports that Heather's frail, so Ruth may not be home for a bit.
Eddie plays the eccentric entrepreneur in front of a businessman, Vince, he meets at the Bull. Vince seems impressed that Eddie lives full time in a hotel. Sensing opportunity, Eddie grabs his stash of beer and party food, offering to undercut the Bull and feed the Vince's group of delegates.
Pip's delighted to be offered the job at Agri Webster. David's really pleased for her, but privately to Jill he admits he'll miss Pip terribly.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b05wykhq)
The winner of the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction joins Samira live from the awards ceremony.
In Liverpool The Cunard Building becomes a liner itself in a new play based on a recently discovered short story by George Garrett. He was a working class writer - he guided George Orwell around Liverpool when he was researching 'The Road to Wigan Pier' - who was almost forgotten but whose reputation is growing again. 'The Maurie' is set in the opulence of the Mauretania, and the somewhat less luxurious conditions below decks, where Garrett slaved as a stoker. Joe Riley reviews 'The Maurie'.
Dark comedy 'Listen Up Philip' stars Jason Schwartzman as a narcissistic young writer who flies into furious rages against his girlfriend, friends and publishers as he struggles to write his next book. He is offered a country retreat by his literary hero Ike Zimmerman, played by Jonathan Pryce, but it's not the restful stay that Philp hopes for. Catherine Bray reviews.
Samira also meets the author Jonathan Ames, best known for his revealing and deeply personal essays, has written a novel based on Jeeves and Wooster. Fusing Wodehouse's set up with Woody Allen's New York humour, Wake Up, Sir! follows the trials of young writer Alan Blair, who turns to his manservant Jeeves when he meets with disasters.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05wyhnn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 What's Left? (b05xxqb2)
Andrew Rawnsley chairs a debate on the future of the Labour Party, following its devastating defeat at the General Election. Despite 5 years of austerity and UKIP eating into the Tory vote, Labour lost more than twenty seats and were two million votes behind the Conservatives. Majorities were overturned across the country: MPs with strong local followings lost their seats. Most significantly, the party was virtually routed in Scotland in perhaps the most significant electoral change in Britain for a generation. Now Labour is looking for a new leader, but there is a wider debate to be had. Where does it - and the wider centre-left - go from here? Do they make a clear pitch for the disaffected voices of their traditional working class supporters? Do they return to Blairism, triangulating between left and right? How do they confront the nationalist surge in Scotland? And how do they deal with the legacy of their own past? Those taking part: Jon Cruddas MP, Hilary Wainwright, Tristram Hunt MP, Torcuil Crichton and Professor Tim Bale.
Producer: Simon Coates.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b05wykhs)
Tim Meek
In the first of four editions from this year's Hay Festival, Tim Meek explains why he and his family have left their old life behind them for a year of adventure on the road.
"We believe that the real measure of modern success is nothing to do with your bank balance or the size of your house, but instead, the amount of free time you have at your disposal."
Producer: Lucy Proctor.
WED 21:00 The Mother of the Sea (b04g7rd5)
Every year in Uto, a remote town at the Southern tip of Japan, a festival is held to celebrate a woman known locally as the Mother of the Sea.
She's not a figure from folklore, or an ancient goddess, but a British scientist, who never even visited Japan.
She was Kathleen Drew, and her work studying the lifecycle of edible seaweed on the North Wales coastline in the 1940s revolutionised the Japanese production of nori – that dried edible seaweed you find wrapped around sushi in high-end restaurants and convenience stores around the world.
Her discovery, picked up by chance 6000 miles away from her lab in Manchester, enabled nori farmers in Japan to turn this nutrient rich food stuff from a gambler's harvest to a reliable large scale crop.
Now they gather each year on 14th April at the Drew Monument, inscribed with Kathleen's image, to give thanks to her with Shinto prayers, offerings and specially composed songs. Looking out over the nori fields of the Ariake sea they ask Kathleen, who died not long after publishing her ground breaking study, to watch over them and increase their yields.
Quentin Cooper has been fascinated by Kathleen's remarkable story since he heard about it by chance several years ago. He travels to Uto to celebrate the Drew Festival with the fishermen there and to hear why a scientist all but forgotten in her home country means so much to them.
Producer: Hannah Marshall
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2014.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b05wyhng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b05wykhv)
One of the world's best known athletics coaches is at the centre of doping allegations
We'll hear details of a major BBC investigation.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05wykhx)
Owen Sheers - I Saw a Man
Episode 3
Michael receives devastating news from Caroline's colleague.
"The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
Owen Sheers' compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
Written by Owen Sheers
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Mark Bazeley
Producer: Mair Bosworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
WED 23:00 John Kearns (b05wykhz)
Episode 3 - Lunch Break
John and his work colleagues test each other's patience at the Dinosaur Museum.
The third of four 14-minute vignettes in a series from John Kearns, the winner of the main prize at the 2014 Edinburgh Comedy Festival, as well as the Best Newcomer Award in 2013.
Producer: Arnab Chanda
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
WED 23:15 Before They Were Famous (b05wykj1)
Series 3
Episode 3
Ian Leslie presents the show which brings to light the often surprising first literary attempts of the world's best known writers.
In this episode, we gain some understanding of the force that was to be reckoned with in the case of William Blake, and how his spiritual leanings came to bear on his copy for public signs in London parks.
We also hear the beginnings of Will Self's acerbic style in his submission as a child, re-working a classic fairy tale for an adolescent magazine.
There's also the much loved poet Pam Ayres and her sadly unused submission for a reworking of the 3 minute warning in the event of a nuclear bomb.
Finally, we hear another of the questionable offerings from Henrik Ibsen to the joke department of a Christmas cracker manufacturer.
Producer: Claire Broughton
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2015.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b05wykj3)
David Cameron faces his first Prime Minister's Questions of the new Parliament.. and warm tributes are paid to the former Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy.
THURSDAY 04 JUNE 2015
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b05wndtq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b05wyhnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05wndts)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05wndtv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05wndtx)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b05wndtz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05wylp0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sister Jane Livesey CJ.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b05wylp2)
Tackling sheep rustling; Bird flu in America
Lancashire police are working with the NFU to train its officers to be able to spot and tackle sheep rustlers. Livestock theft costs around two million pounds a year.
Nearly 45 million birds have now been affected by a serious bird flu outbreak in America. The number of birds - and US states - affected has doubled in a month. There are no reports of the infection being passed to humans.
Presented by Sybil Ruscoe and produced by Sally Challoner.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03zrcnt)
Red-throated Diver
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Kate Humble presents the red-throated diver. The eerie wails of a red-throated diver were supposed to foretell rain. In Shetland the red-throated diver is called the "rain goose" but anyone who knows the island knows that rain is never far away. Like all divers, red-throats are handsome birds with sharp bills, perfect for catching fish. In summer they have a rusty throat patch and zebra-stripes on the back of their neck but in winter they're mainly pearly grey and white.
THU 06:00 Today (b05wyq5k)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b05wyq5m)
Prester John
In the Middle Ages, Prester John was seen as the great hope for Crusaders struggling to hold on to, then regain, Jerusalem. He was thought to rule a lost Christian kingdom somewhere in the East and was ready to attack Muslim opponents with his enormous armies. There was apparent proof of Prester John's existence, in letters purportedly from him and in stories from travelers who claimed they had met, if not him, then people who had news of him. Most pointed to a home in the earthly paradise in the Indies, outside Eden, with fantastical animals and unimaginable riches. Later, Portuguese explorers thought they had found him in Ethiopia, despite the mystified denials of people there. Melvyn Bragg asks why the legend was so strongly believed for so long, and what facts helped sustain the myths.
With
Marianne O'Doherty
Associate Professor in English at the University of Southampton
Martin Palmer
Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture
And
Amanda Power
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield.
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b05wyq5p)
Ghettoside
A Witness
Rhashan Stone reads Jill Leovy's account into the high rates of murder among LA's young black men. Today, detective John Skaggs's dogged determination to track down Bryant Tennelle's killers starts to pay off.
Written by Jill Leovy
Abridged by Miranda Emmerson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05wyq5r)
Marilyn Monroe, Revenge Porn, Book of Breasts
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world. Presented by Jenni Murray.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05wyq5t)
Chronicles of Ait - Magpie
Episode 4
While Lollo is convinced that events are moving inexorably towards a tragic conclusion, Linus desperately seeks to stave off the inevitable.
Cast:
Linus Scott..........Greg Wise
Alice Pyper..........Amanda Drew
Lollo...................Gina Abolins
Jason..................Joe Claflin
Marlene..............Heather Craney
Trench/Stanley...Christopher James
Afiz.....................Stewart Scudamore
Mac.....................Mihai Arsene
Writer: Michael Butt
Produced and directed by John Taylor
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b05wyq5w)
Context and colour. In today's edition: Turkey at the crossroads ahead of Sunday's election; the Spanish city where there's only one Christian family left in a neighbourhood of 12-thousand people; the farmers of Namibia are being urged to go easy on the big cats they feel threaten their livestock. Why the picturesque but cash-strapped Darjeeling Himalayan Railway won't be receiving private investment any time soon and why the followers of the controversial Reverend Moon believe they might hold the formula which could ensure a peaceful future for north east Asia?
THU 11:30 Notes From a Northern Irish Childhood (b05wyq5y)
Amidst the violence and bloody conflict of the early 1970s, youth orchestras sprang up across Northern Ireland.
Aged 7, Marie-Louise Muir took a bus to orchestra practice every Saturday morning, carrying her cello across a landscape marred by bomb blasts, riots and civil unrest. While the violence raged, she met children from other religious backgrounds for the first time. She formed friendships - and a love of music - that would endure long after the sound of gunfire had faded.
But life moved on for Marie-Louise. Her cello was set aside in her attic where it languished for 25 years. Even her own children never heard her play.
Now Marie-Louise dusts down her cello and allows it to reverberate with memories of a troubled but life-changing period.
She joins young musicians on stage for a grand concert in her home town of Londonderry, a city once gripped by some of the worst violence of the Troubles. In between lessons with her cello teacher David, struggling to play John Williams' classics, Marie-Louise meets old friends and tutors to discover the true impact of music on their lives. In Omagh, she revisits the school assembly hall where they used to practice with Mary Scully, now one of the world's top double bass players. Paul Cassidy, of the world famous Brodsky Quartet, recalls carrying his violin through riots in Derry and the impact of hearing Grieg's piano concerto for the very first time. John, Frank and Gordon came from different religious backgrounds but found a shared love of music amid hormones and sneaky cigarettes on the bus to orchestra practice.
For Marie-Louise Muir, this is a personal and emotionally charged journey, taking her back to a time when her cello, the orchestra and music provided protection, friendship and hope.
THU 12:00 News Summary (b05wndv2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 Home Front (b05wyq60)
4 June 1915 - Howard Argent
Ralph is impressed by Howard's different approach to treating the wounded.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Lucy Collingwood
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole.
THU 12:15 You and Yours (b05wyq62)
Tesco revival, Social care, Drum pants
New Tesco boss on the challenge of guiding the UK's biggest grocer back to growth.
Crisis in social care; budget cuts in England pushing system to the brink warns report.
The man who turned his pants into a drum machine and wants the world to 'feel the rhythm'.
Penalty ticket chaos on Britain's busiest toll bridge.
Call to boost bank account switching by allowing customers to'port' their account number.
Government takes control of controversial pension scheme if you are affected you can find out more here: piu.north@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.
THU 12:57 Weather (b05wndv4)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b05wyq64)
Rigorous analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Martha Kearney.
THU 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05wyq66)
Shivaji: Dreaming Big
Shivaji was the 17th century warrior-king who challenged the Muslim Moghul Empire and today stands as a symbol of Hindu pride. Prof. Sunil Khilnani explores Shivaji's multiple incarnations, the latest of which is as a role model for corporate networkers and deal-makers.
Shivaji is the presiding spirit of the state of Maharashtra and its capital, Mumbai. The city's airport and main railway station are named after him and there are plans for a statue of Shivaji, twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, to be built out to sea from the city. His martial image, sword in hand, is a symbol of regional and Hindu identity. But Sunil Khilnani argues that Shivaji was a self-made man, the product of relentless self-improvement: "From relatively small beginnings, he plotted, sweated, and traded up to glory."
Prof. Khilnani discovers Shivaji's legacy in a gym in a working class neighbourhood of Mumbai and among career-minded pilgrims on a corporate bonding trip to the mountaintop site of Shivaji's coronation.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
Original music composed by Talvin Singh.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b05wykhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Stone (b05wyq68)
Series 5
Broken
The final drama in the crime series Stone created by Danny Brocklehurst.
In Broken by Vivienne Harvey, when a heavily pregnant woman goes missing fears grow for her safety and DCI Stone finds himself dealing with a life and death situation.
Sound design by Steve Brooke
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 15:00 Ramblings (b05wyq6b)
Series 30
Lyke Wake Walk
Clare Balding undertakes a section of the Lyke Wake Walk on the North York Moors. The route was originally devised sixty years ago by a local farmer who issued a challenge in the Dalesman magazine. He thought it might be possible to cross 40 miles of the Moors from near Osmotherley to Ravenscar in 24 hours, crossing only one or two roads. A club was formed following the first successful crossing, and with a blackly humorous nod to the pain and suffering endured by walkers, a tradition grew of reciting an ancient song known as the Lyke-Wake Dirge which tells of the soul's journey from earth to purgatory. The route was named after this dirge. Clare is joined by veterans and newcomers to the walk, who are known - depending on the number of crossings they've made - as Dirgers, Witches, Doctors of Dolefulness, Masters of Misery or, the most senior of all, Past Masters or Mistresses.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b05wnlyz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b05wnx4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b05wyq6d)
Jonathan Pryce; Paul Feig; The Misfits
With Antonia Quirke.
Jonathan Pryce discusses his film career as his latest movie Listen Up Philip is released.
The director of Bridesmaids, Paul Feig, on his latest comedy Spy
The Misfits was the last film for stars Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Continuity supervisor Angela Allen was on set the whole time and reveals some of the bad behaviour she witnessed.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b05wyq6g)
Origins of life, Earthquakes in London, Frog plague, Ancient pollen
Think of earthquake cities and places like San Francisco or Los Angeles spring to mind. But London is also seismically active. 200 years ago, there was an earthquake under Trafalgar Square. Dr Richard Ghail from Imperial College London meets Adam Rutherford on the banks of the Thames to discuss the fault lines under their feet and what engineering challenges this poses.
In the beginning, there were chemicals. A geological blink of the eye later, there was LUCA, the last universal common ancestor; a complex cell. How the chemistry became biology is one of the biggest mysteries in science. New studies from University of North Carolina researchers chips away at this unknown, offering evidence on how the genetic code developed in two stages. Adam meets Dr Matt Powner, a chemist at University College London studying the origins of life, to find out how researchers try to answer this fundamental question.
How do we know what our landscape used to landscape? Pollen, from buried mud layers, offers a picture of sorts. By gathering tiny pollen grains, and identifying the plant species at different ages, Dr Ralph Fyfe from Plymouth University builds up a picture of European landscapes thousands of years ago. Peak deforestation happened several thousand years ago, as our pyromaniacal ancestors started forest fires to clear land for agriculture. Roland Pease reports.
A plague is killing thousands of common frogs in ponds across the UK. Ranavirus causes ulcers on the skin and haemorrhaging. A team at Exeter University has noticed that ponds with fish are more likely to have an outbreak of this virus. Amber Griffiths urges Radio 4 listeners to leave their ponds to the wildlife, and keep frogs and goldfish apart.
THU 17:00 PM (b05wyq6j)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05wndv7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Best Behaviour (b05wyq6l)
Episode 5
Holly Walsh presents the comedy panel show that defines the do's and don'ts of modern manners.
The guest panellists are comedians Sarah Kendall, Justin Edwards and Phil Wang, who are all competing to deliver the best new ideas for navigating the minefield of modern manners.
In this edition, the etiquette of new technology comes under comic examination - from emoticons to mobiles in theatres - and there are tips on how to compliment your friend's new tattoo. The panel also tackles a problem from a member of the studio audience: 'How can I tell my co-worker that they have really bad breath?'
Produced by Aled Evans
A Zeppotron production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b05wyq6n)
Hungover Eddie is late for work - he has made Clarrie late for work at Bridge Farm too, as she tried to wake him. Eddie has to work late, and gets an earful from Clarrie back at home, who insists he gets rid of the leftover food. Lilian ribs Eddie over his pretence last night in the bar. Eddie ruefully remarks that Tom's pigs will be getting a treat in the morning.
Helen and tom have had no joy selling the Organics shop - the woman who made an offer has pulled out. Helen's worried about Anya, given the uncertainty. Tom has made some sketches of renovation plans for the old parlour. They should talk to an architect, but obviously want Pat and Tony to be on board.
There's a big advertisement in the Echo for Open Farm Sunday, with posters all over the village too.
Lilian accompanies Peggy to The Laurels, where Peggy spots Christine. Peggy's there catching up with her friend Ted, whose wife Violet is a resident. Meanwhile, Lilian's happy to be avoiding Martyn Gibson - he and Pam are having dinner with Brian and Jennifer. Peggy's shocked when Christine says she's thinking of moving in to The Laurels. Chris feels so lonely at home and Peggy understands. However, this isn't the Christine she knows. Chris admits that the woman Peggy knows might not exist anymore.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b05wyq8m)
Malorie Blackman, Stonemouth, Louise Welsh, Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat
As she comes to the end of her tenure as Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman reflects on the experience and discusses how the racist abuse she received made her more determined to push for greater diversity in children's books.
The first TV adaptation of an Iain Banks novel broadcasts next week on the BBC. Stonemouth is a romantic mystery delving into love, loyalty and vengeance. Stuart Kelly, who reviewed the book when it came out, and also interviewed the author shortly before his death, reviews the drama.
Louise Welsh's latest novel, Death is a Welcome Guest, portrays Britain devastated by a plague in which there are very few survivors. It explores what happens to those left alive and what sort of society might emerge. Louise Welsh explains her fascination with this subject.
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat are Iranian sisters who live in Tehran but must pursue their musical careers abroad. They sing, but although the lyrics are from classical poets - Rumi and Hafez - they can't appear in Iran as women are banned from singing on television and radio. They tell Kirsty about their lives and music - and sing.
Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Sarah Johnson.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05wyq5t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 Law in Action (b05wy648)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b05wyqqq)
Failure
If your business venture doesn't succeed, how can you be sure it's worth trying again before admitting defeat? More than 50% of businesses fail within 5 years, yet for many, failure is a necessary part of success. Even Bill Gates and Steve Jobs didn't get it right first time. Evan Davis's guests discuss the important lessons they've learned from their business mistakes and speak candidly about the personal and financial impact of failing. How do you overcome the stigma of failure and what skills are required to bounce back when your business has bombed?
Guests:
Bill Cullen, Chairman, Bill Cullen Motor Group
Katarina Skoberne, Co-founder and former CEO, OpenAd
Stuart Miller, Co-founder and CEO, ByBox Group
Producer: Sally Abrahams.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b05wyq6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b05wyq5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b05wyqqs)
Ukraine's President warns armed forces of full-scale invasion from Russia.
Poroshenko warns of possible large-scale offensive by rebel groups -- says military "must stand ready"
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05wyqqv)
Owen Sheers - I Saw a Man
Episode 4
Michael grows closer to his new neighbours. Finding their back door open one day, he steps inside.
"The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
Owen Sheers' compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
Written by Owen Sheers
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Mark Bazeley
Producer: Mair Bosworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
THU 23:00 Seekers (b05wyrqg)
Series 2
So What Did I Miss?
Stuart is back from America, and there's been big changes at the Essex job centre while he's been away.
Series 2 of the job seeking sitcom starring Mathew Horne, Daniel Mays, Tony Way and Zahra Ahmadi.
Written by Steve Burge.
Stuart ------ Mathew Horne
Joseph ------ Daniel Mays
Terry ----- Tony Way
Nicola ------ Zahra Ahmadi
Vanessa ----- Natalie Walter
Gary Probert ----- Steve Oram
Ralph ------ Ian Conningham
Mr Thompson ------ Sam Dale
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2015.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b05wyrqq)
Sean Curran and the BBC's parliamentary team report as MPs conclude their Queen's Speech debate with clashes over the Government's economic plans.
Labour hits out at new plans to turnaround failing health authorities in England. And the Culture Secretary backs calls for re-runs of the World Cup bids for 2018 and 2022.
FRIDAY 05 JUNE 2015
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b05wndw8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b05wyq5p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b05wndwb)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b05wndwd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b05wndwg)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b05wndwj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b05wys85)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sister Jane Livesey CJ.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b05wys87)
World Environment Day
The Department of Food and Rural Affairs is facing an extra £83 million pounds of cuts this year. Where will the axe fall?
Today is United Nations World Environment Day - what are the environmental challenges facing British farmers as the world tackles climate change?
All this week we're looking at British wool. Today - wrapping up food in waste wool. We've been to Staffordshire to find out about a new way of using one of our oldest farm products.
This Sunday is Open Farm Sunday when farmers open the farm gate to the public. Sophie Anton is at Fosse Farm, near Bath, where they're gearing up to welcome 3,000 visitors.
Presenter Charlotte Smith.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03zrcq9)
Fulmar
Series of stories about British birds, inspired by their calls and songs. Kate Humble presents the fulmar.
FRI 06:00 Today (b05wz0k7)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b05wnqwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:16 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b05wz0k9)
Ghettoside
The Trial
Rhashan Stone reads Jill Leovy's account into the high rates of murder among LA's young black men. The long awaited Bryant Tennelle murder trial opens. The detective John Skaggs who was instrumental in tracking down the suspects looks on hopeful that justice will prevail.
Written by Jill Leovy
Abridged by Miranda Emmerson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b05wz0kc)
Anita Dobson, Mary McCartney, Eugenia Cheng
Anita Dobson talks about her latest film, London Road. Eugenia Cheng explains why it's worth persevering with difficult maths. The story of Mr Muruga's nine year quest to develop a low cost sanitary pad for the women of India. There's an interview from the Woman's Hour archive with Linda McCartney discussing her photography. And, her daughter Mary McCartney cooks the perfect pea and watercress soup and talks photographing food.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Ruth Watts.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b05wz0kf)
Chronicles of Ait - Magpie
Episode 5
Events in Ait have persuaded Lollo that her predictions of disaster are about to be fulfilled and that Linus' reunion with Alice is about to come to a tragic theatrical conclusion.
Cast:
Linus Scott..........Greg Wise
Alice Pyper..........Amanda Drew
Lollo...................Gina Abolins
Jason..................Joe Claflin
Marlene..............Heather Craney
Trench/Stanley...Christopher James
Afiz/Lee..............Stewart Scudamore
Mac.....................Mihai Arsene
Writer: Michael Butt
Produced and directed by John Taylor
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 11:00 China's Football Revolution (b05wz0kh)
Episode 1
China may be the most populous country in the world with growing importance on the global stage but, as football fan Clive Anderson discovers, international success at the world's most popular sport has eluded this vast country.
In Beijing and Guangzhou, Clive explores why China ranks only 82nd in the world and has only qualified for one World Cup, despite the huge popularity of football among fans.
Football in China has been plagued by years of corruption scandals, match fixing and bribery, and over 50 football officials were imprisoned in a crackdown in 2012. Clive speaks to a former Chinese player who found himself involved in the scandal, discussing how it has affected the game.
Does football really matter when the country is becoming so successful economically? The country's President Xi Jinping thinks it does. A football fan himself, he's issued a major reform to try and turn the game around and put China on a course to win the World Cup. He's even invited stars such as David Beckham to become an ambassador for the game.
Clive visits clubs, matches, and the largest football academy in the world, built by a multi-billion dollar property tycoon, to find out whether efforts to improve the national game are paying off.
The European leagues are also keen to get in on the Chinese game by training coaches. In the second programme, Clive considers what impact China's desire for football success has had on its relationship with the rest of the footballing world.
Produced by Jo Wheeler
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Gloomsbury (b05wz0kk)
Series 3
A Slanging Match Made in Heaven
Vera Sackcloth-Vest has promised her husband Henry, that her affair with Venus Traduces is at an end - but when Venus writes Vera a secret billet-doux, Vera is powerless to resist and makes hurried plans to meet Venus in London.
However, before she can leave Sizzlinghurst, Lady Utterline Amoral and Lytton Scratchy arrive unexpectedly to take a tour of the garden. Keen to see them leave, Vera's patience is put to the test in the face of Lady Utterline's snobbishness, insisting that Vera should follow her example and hold an annual garden party to raise money for the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, Henry is chased round the sofa by Lytton who, as an irrepressible gossip, lets slip that Vera and Venus are back together. His suspicions now confirmed, Henry insists on accompanying Vera down to London.
Produced by Jamie Rix
A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (b05wndwm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Home Front (b05wz0km)
5 June 1915 - Jessie Moore
Even Folkestone's younger residents make the most of the Canadians being in town.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Lucy Collingwood
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole.
FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b05wz0kp)
Commissioning.gp, Cannabis farms, Scented candles
We investigate the website Commissioning.gp who persuaded counsellors to sign up to their register with the promise of more work. But the therapists say they don't receive any work and they can't get their money back.
A leading insurer warns landlords about the rise in cannabis farms and the costs you can end up liable for.
Leading health experts are coming together to stop people paying to use online allergy testing kits. They're not recommended by the NHS and the results are not scientifically proven.
Private Clubs - They were once the haven for Edwardian Gentleman to drink and smoke, but their numbers declined in the 20th Century. They're now making a comeback with female members.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b05wndwp)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b05wz0kr)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b05wz0kt)
Nainsukh: Owner Transfixed by Goose
Prof. Sunil Khilnani profiles Nainsukh, the 18th century artist whose intimate and engaging portraits of a prince's life created a new vision for Indian art.
In his paintings of his patron, Balwant Singh, Nainsukh departed from the rigid formality of traditional Indian painting. Instead he showed the prince in his most unguarded moments: having his beard trimmed by a barber, being mimicked by a performer, huddled ill and depressed under a bulky quilt, and writing a letter bare-chested in his tent. "It's an almost modern, instagram-esque familiarity" says Sunil Khilnani.
The artist Howard Hodgkin, an appreciator and collector of Nainsukh's work, describes Nainsukh as "the first great modern artist of India". In his favourite painting, Balwant Singh and his pet goose stare at each other, both bird and prince transfixed.
Prof. Khilnani tells the story of two men: one a painter with a unique talent to express humanity and individuality, warmth and humour; the other a prince who unreservedly, unselfconsciously gave himself to the artist as subject.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
Executive Producer: Martin Smith.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b05wyq6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b05wz0kw)
The Man Who Wore Sanitary Pads
Mr Muruga is a builder from Tamil Nadu who wants to send a rather curious love letter to his wife: a low cost sanitary pad. But when his desire to help his countrywomen turns to obsession, his community and even his family turn their backs on him. Can he achieve his taboo-breaking mission? A compelling, real-life story of a great man, told with humour and admiration by Jon Sen.
Other voices.....the BBC Tamil Service
Cultural and language consultants.....Sangeetha Rajan, Sivaramakrishnan Parameswaran, Jagadheesan Leklapoodi
Directed by Sarah Bradshaw
Notes
Jon Sen began his professional career as a documentary editor, making his break into drama as writer/director of the award-winning comedy short The Love Doctor (BBC Films/BBC2). He has subsequently worked for all the major terrestrial channels, directing high-profile shows such as the British Asian drama Second Generation (Channel 4), Frances Tuesday (ITV), Stan (BBC2/BBC4). He has also directed serial drama including 55 degrees North and Waterloo Road (BBC1).
His first play for Radio 4 was 4.
4.68 about the assassination of Martin Luther King - a part of the Sony award winning 1968 season. He has also written The Prospect, The Phone, an adaptation of Hardy's Two on a Tower and Vanunu - A Time To Be Heard. His TV writing credits include Touching Infinity a biopic about of the mathematical genius Ramanujan and series drama including Casualty, Holby and Waterloo Road (BBC1).
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b05wz0ky)
Isle of Wight
Eric Robson hosts the show from Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Bunny Guinness, Anne Swithinbank, and Bob Flowerdew answer audience questions.
Eric visits the rural retreat of Queen Victoria and Matthew Pottage provides the ultimate guide to hanging baskets and window boxes.
Produced by Howard Shannon
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Shorts (b05wz908)
Welcome to Your Holiday!
Namaste by Deepti Kapoor
Three specially commissioned stories in which writers from around the world explore the idea of getting away from it all. What do we experience as tourists dabbling in the lives of others? How do those who host these fleeting visitors regard them and is there any way in which it is genuinely possible to find ‘the real thing’?
In the first story, Namaste, Deepti Kapoor considers the Western tourists who have long headed to Goa for a dose of healing spirituality - and an Indian woman tries to find a solution to her own troubles by offering the visitors what they seek.
Deepti Kapoor lives in Goa and published her first novel, A Bad Character, in 2014.
Reader: Tania Rodrigues
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b05wz90b)
Tariq Aziz, Charles Kennedy, Julie Harris, Alan Bond, Peter Cropper
Andrea Catherwood on Iraqi politician Tariq Aziz, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy; Oscar winning costume designer Julie Harris; flamboyant Australian property developer and entrepreneur Alan Bond and violinist Peter Cropper who founded the Lindsay Quartet.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (b05wz90d)
World Cup Migrant Deaths
Qatar migrant worker deaths.
Is the World Cup really responsible for the deaths of 1200 migrant workers in Qatar? We talk to the International Trade Unions Confederation who first published the figure.
The Independent on Sunday had a front page splash this week making a link between the HPV vaccine and one girls serious illness. They article also says that the number of cases of serious side-effects from the HPV vaccine being reported to the MHRA are much higher compared to other vaccines. The Independent have defended their journalism but we have spoken to a doctor who says the article cherry picks data and should be withdrawn.
We tell the story behind the chocolate experiment designed to deliberately fool the press.
And we solve the fiendish GCSE question that perplexed students so much it became a trend on Twitter.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b05wz90g)
Helen and Roger – Feeding the 5000
Fi Glover with a conversation between the manager and a volunteer at a Birmingham Foodbank, reflecting on the generosity of donors and the dignity of those who use their service. 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 (b05wz90j)
News interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b05wndwr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b05wz90l)
Series 87
Episode 4
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, with regular panellist Jeremy Hardy and guests Fred Macaulay, Justin Moorhouse and Lucy Porter.
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.
A BBC Radio Comedy Production.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b05wz90n)
Adam accepts Charlie's offer to help move the combine for Open Farm Sunday - Jennifer was going to help but it's the least Charlie can do. Charlie admits he's nervous about OFS- ambitious Justin wants to make it a big success.
It's the day of the Young Farmers' treasure hunt, followed by a party at Home Farm. Pip's disappointed to be paired up with Rex to find the clues (she was hoping to get Toby). Toby's paired up with Kate, who's pretty flirty. Rex and Pip do well finding clues but Toby and Kate ditch the hunt and head to the party early.
As things get more raucous, Toby and another young farmer pick Kate up and throw her into Brian's pool. She loves the attention, but Pip looks on embarrassed and slightly hurt. Toby then pours sheep dye into the pool, turning everything purple - including Kate's hair. She laughs it off - she's had purple hair before. Rex is very apologetic, admitting that Toby isn't one for making apologising. Adam suggests Toby should think about offering one to Brian.
As the party continues, Pip gets a call. Her Granny Heather has had a massive stroke.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b05wz90q)
Composer Nico Muhly, Greek drama, Four Corners
The classical composer Nico Muhly has worked with Philip Glass, written film scores including The Reader, collaborated with Björk and Antony and the Johnsons, and written a full-scale opera, Two Boys. Muhly discusses Sentences, his new song cycle on Alan Turing with a libretto by Adam Gopnik.
Recently Kristin Scott Thomas has played Electra, Juliette Binoche, Antigone and Helen McCrory, Medea. Tonight The Oresteia opens at the Almeida Theatre in London - one of four productions of the trilogy this year - which opens a festival of Greek drama at the theatre. Kirsty Lang talks to Rupert Goold, the artistic director responsible for the festival, Blanche McIntyre, who will be directing The Oresteia in Manchester, and Paul Cartledge, the distinguished scholar of Greek drama, about the power of these plays written millennia ago and their relevance today.
A new film Four Corners is a drama set against a backdrop of gang culture and violence in South Africa's Cape Flats. Writer Lindsay Johns reviews.
And Kevin LeGendre considers the art of the spoken interaction between the musical performer and the audience in a live show.
Presenter Kirsty Lang
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b05wz0kf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b05wz90s)
Rushanara Ali MP, David Davis MP, Lord Hennessy, Tommy Sheppard MP
Ritula Shah chairs political discussion and debate from from Marden High School in Cullercoats, Tyne & Wear, with Rushanara Ali MP who is standing as a candidate for Labour Party deputy leader, the Conservative back bencher David Davis MP, cross bench peer and constitutional expert, Lord Hennessy, and the new Scottish National Party MP for Edinburgh East Tommy Sheppard.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b05wz90v)
AL Kennedy: Creamola Foam remembered
"I'm getting old. Not older, just old" begins AL Kennedy. Through childhood memories of drinking Creamola Foam, her grandfather's voice ...and being kicked by a boy in the shin during playtimes, she reflects on how age changes our perception of the past and the future.
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
FRI 21:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b05wz90x)
1-5 June 1915
Second omnibus edition of Season 4 of the epic drama series set in Great War Britain. Folkestone is making the most of the influx of Canadian troops.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Consultant Historian: Professor Maggie Andrews
Music: Matthew Strachan
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Directed by Lucy Collingwood
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b05wndwt)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b05wz90z)
Opposing sides in Yemen have agreed to UN-brokered peace talks.
We hear how the country is struggling to cope
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b05wz911)
Owen Sheers - I Saw a Man
Episode 5
On a Nevada air base, Major Daniel McCullen is given a new mission. One which will have shattering consequences for the Turners.
"The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
Owen Sheers' compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
Written by Owen Sheers
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Mark Bazeley
Producer: Mair Bosworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b05vy6f2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b05wz913)
Mark D'Arcy and the BBC parliamentary team report from Westminster.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b05wz915)
Sarah and Rhian - Reconstructing Ourselves
Fi Glover with a conversation between an artist and clinical anthropologist, comparing notes on the project they run for breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction. 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.
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 (b05wq18p)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b05wq18p)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 TUE (b05wy1bn)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (b05wy1bn)
15 Minute Drama
10:41 WED (b05wyhnn)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b05wyhnn)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (b05wyq5t)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b05wyq5t)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (b05wz0kf)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b05wz0kf)
A Father for My Son
00:30 SUN (b01d28pq)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (b05w8dnz)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (b05wz90v)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (b05vx63j)
Analysis
20:30 MON (b05wxx6z)
Another Time, Another Place
16:00 MON (b05wq2bw)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b05wn7sm)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b05wn7sk)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b05wz90s)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b05wnb7g)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (b05wyq6g)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (b05wyq6g)
Before They Were Famous
23:15 WED (b05wykj1)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b05wnjjh)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b05wnjjh)
Best Behaviour
18:30 THU (b05wyq6l)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (b05wxx6d)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 MON (b05wxx76)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 TUE (b05wy6wm)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 WED (b05wykhx)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 THU (b05wyqqv)
Book at Bedtime
22:45 FRI (b05wz911)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (b05wp70d)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (b05wp70d)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (b05wxzxx)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (b05wxzxx)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (b05wyhnj)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (b05wyhnj)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (b05wyq5p)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (b05wyq5p)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (b05wz0k9)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b05wnmgg)
China's Football Revolution
11:00 FRI (b05wz0kh)
Clare in the Community
18:30 WED (b03ts6jg)
Desert Island Discs
11:16 SUN (b05wnqwm)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (b05wnqwm)
Drama
21:00 SAT (b05vsyz1)
Drama
14:15 MON (b01p7ddf)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b05qjs7r)
Drama
14:15 WED (b01rgj1b)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b05wz0kw)
Ed Reardon's Week
11:30 WED (b05wyhnv)
Every Case Tells a Story
20:00 MON (b05wxx6x)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b05wn34m)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b05wp0y3)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b05wxxkc)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b05wy74w)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b05wylp2)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b05wys87)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b05wy64q)
Four Thought
05:45 SUN (b05w3wl5)
Four Thought
20:45 WED (b05wykhs)
From Fact to Fiction
19:00 SAT (b05wn91p)
From Fact to Fiction
17:40 SUN (b05wn91p)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b05vrj3p)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:00 THU (b05wyq5w)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b05wxx6v)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (b05wy64n)
Front Row
19:15 WED (b05wykhq)
Front Row
19:15 THU (b05wyq8m)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b05wz90q)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b05w8dnb)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b05wz0ky)
Gloomsbury
11:30 FRI (b05wz0kk)
Great Lives
16:30 TUE (b05vy6f2)
Great Lives
23:00 FRI (b05vy6f2)
Home Front - Omnibus
21:00 FRI (b05wz90x)
Home Front
12:04 MON (b05wq1bn)
Home Front
12:04 TUE (b05wy63y)
Home Front
12:04 WED (b05wyhnx)
Home Front
12:04 THU (b05wyq60)
Home Front
12:04 FRI (b05wz0km)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (b05wyq5m)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (b05wyq5m)
In Search of the Black Mozart
11:30 TUE (b05wy63w)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b05wy6wg)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 MON (b05wq1fh)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 TUE (b05wy644)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 WED (b05wyhp3)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 THU (b05wyq66)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
13:45 FRI (b05wz0kt)
John Kearns
23:00 WED (b05wykhz)
Just a Minute
12:04 SUN (b05vx639)
Just a Minute
18:30 MON (b05wxx6n)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b05w8dng)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b05wz90b)
Law in Action
16:00 TUE (b05wy648)
Law in Action
20:00 THU (b05wy648)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b05wn91m)
Mark Steel's in Town
18:30 TUE (b05wy64j)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b05vrj34)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (b05wndhb)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (b05wndkp)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (b05wndp4)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (b05wndrn)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (b05wndtq)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b05wndw8)
Midweek
09:00 WED (b05wyhng)
Midweek
21:30 WED (b05wyhng)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (b05wn7sh)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b05wn7sh)
Money Box
15:00 WED (b05wyhp6)
More or Less
20:00 SUN (b05w8dnj)
More or Less
16:30 FRI (b05wz90d)
Natural Histories
11:00 TUE (b05w99gj)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b05vrj3f)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b05wndhl)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b05wndl3)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b05wndpg)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b05wndrx)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b05wndtz)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b05wndwj)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b05wndhn)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (b05vrj3r)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (b05wndhz)
News Summary
12:00 MON (b05wndlk)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (b05wndpr)
News Summary
12:00 WED (b05wnds2)
News Summary
12:00 THU (b05wndv2)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (b05wndwm)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b05vrj3h)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b05wndhs)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b05wndhx)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b05vrj45)
News
13:00 SAT (b05vrj3w)
Notes From a Northern Irish Childhood
11:30 THU (b05wyq5y)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (b05wnlyv)
On the Rocks
11:30 MON (b05wq1bl)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (b05wnx4p)
Open Book
15:30 THU (b05wnx4p)
PM
17:00 SAT (b05wn91k)
PM
17:00 MON (b05wxx6l)
PM
17:00 TUE (b05wy64d)
PM
17:00 WED (b05wyhxk)
PM
17:00 THU (b05wyq6j)
PM
17:00 FRI (b05wz90j)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b05wnxgb)
Poetry Please
23:30 SAT (b05vt6gk)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (b05wnx4r)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b05w8f0b)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b05wxqk7)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b05wxxk9)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b05wy74t)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b05wylp0)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b05wys85)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (b05wnlyz)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b05wnlyz)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b05wnlyz)
Ramblings
06:07 SAT (b05w4dpr)
Ramblings
15:00 THU (b05wyq6b)
Richard Marsh
23:15 TUE (b01rlswh)
Saturday Drama
14:30 SAT (b01shqcf)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b05wn7s9)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b05wnb7d)
Seekers
23:00 THU (b05wyrqg)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b05vrj39)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (b05wndhg)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b05wndky)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b05wndpb)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (b05wndrs)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b05wndtv)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b05wndwd)
Shadow of the Sun King
11:00 WED (b05wyhns)
Shared Experience
15:30 TUE (b05wy646)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b05vrj37)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b05vrj3c)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b05vrj3y)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b05wndhd)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b05wndhj)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b05wndj4)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b05wndkw)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b05wndl0)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b05wndp8)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b05wndpd)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b05wndrq)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b05wndrv)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b05wndts)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b05wndtx)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b05wndwb)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b05wndwg)
Shorts
19:45 SUN (b05wny9j)
Shorts
15:45 FRI (b05wz908)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b05vrj42)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b05wndj8)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b05wndlv)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b05wndq0)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b05wndsj)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b05wndv7)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b05wndwr)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b05wnjjk)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b05wnjjk)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (b05wp3l1)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (b05wp3l1)
Stone
14:15 THU (b05wyq68)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b05wnlz1)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b05wnlyx)
The 3rd Degree
23:00 SAT (b05vx4dx)
The 3rd Degree
15:00 MON (b05wq1jc)
The Affordable Housing Crisis
17:00 SUN (b05vzysp)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b05wnmgj)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b05wny9g)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b05wny9g)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b05wxx6s)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b05wxx6s)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b05wy64l)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b05wy64l)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b05wykhn)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b05wykhn)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b05wyq6n)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b05wyq6n)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b05wz90n)
The Barchester Chronicles
15:00 SUN (b05wnx4m)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (b05w4jxk)
The Bottom Line
20:30 THU (b05wyqqq)
The Business of Genetic Ancestry
21:00 MON (b05vy4kb)
The Dark Side of Buddhism
13:30 SUN (b05wnrkx)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b05w4j0w)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (b05wyq6d)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b05wnqwp)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (b05yx3by)
The Hotel Suite
11:00 MON (b048jmy7)
The John Moloney Show
23:00 TUE (b05wy6wp)
The Kitchen Cabinet
10:30 SAT (b05wn7sc)
The Kitchen Cabinet
15:00 TUE (b05wn7sc)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (b05wns1z)
The Listening Project
10:56 WED (b05wyhnq)
The Listening Project
16:55 FRI (b05wz90g)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (b05wz915)
The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock
09:00 TUE (b05wxzxv)
The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock
21:30 TUE (b05wxzxv)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (b05wyhpb)
The Mother of the Sea
21:00 WED (b04g7rd5)
The News Quiz
12:30 SAT (b05w8dnq)
The News Quiz
18:30 FRI (b05wz90l)
The Rivals
19:15 SUN (b03bdw8c)
The Search for the Perfect Office
21:00 TUE (b036wfzv)
The Search for the Perfect Office
15:30 WED (b036wfzv)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (b05wn7sf)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b05wnrkv)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b05wxx73)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b05wy6wk)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b05wykhv)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b05wyqqs)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b05wz90z)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (b05w3wfc)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b05wyhp8)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (b05wxx78)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (b05wy6wr)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (b05wykj3)
Today in Parliament
23:30 THU (b05wyrqq)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (b05wz913)
Today
07:00 SAT (b05wn3x8)
Today
06:00 MON (b05wp3cn)
Today
06:00 TUE (b05wxzxs)
Today
06:00 WED (b05wyhnd)
Today
06:00 THU (b05wyq5k)
Today
06:00 FRI (b05wz0k7)
Tom Fort - Channel Shore
00:30 SAT (b05w84zh)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b03bkfhy)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b02txxkl)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b02ty530)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b02tycf8)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b03zrcnt)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b03zrcq9)
Unreliable Evidence
22:15 SAT (b05w3wkt)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b05vrj3k)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b05vrj3m)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b05vrj3t)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b05vrj40)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b05wndhq)
Weather
07:57 SUN (b05wndhv)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b05wndj1)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b05wndj6)
Weather
05:56 MON (b05wndl5)
Weather
12:57 MON (b05wndlm)
Weather
21:58 MON (b05wndm1)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b05wndpw)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b05wndq3)
Weather
12:57 WED (b05wnds6)
Weather
12:57 THU (b05wndv4)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b05wndwp)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b05wndwt)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b05wp0ft)
What the Papers Say
22:45 SUN (b05wp0fw)
What's Left?
20:00 WED (b05xxqb2)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b05wn7sq)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b05wpmkn)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b05wxzxz)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b05wyhnl)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b05wyq5r)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b05wz0kc)
Word of Mouth
23:00 MON (b05vy6f0)
World at One
13:00 MON (b05wq1bs)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b05wy642)
World at One
13:00 WED (b05wyhp1)
World at One
13:00 THU (b05wyq64)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b05wz0kr)
You and Yours
12:15 MON (b05wq1bq)
You and Yours
12:15 TUE (b05wy640)
You and Yours
12:15 WED (b05wyhnz)
You and Yours
12:15 THU (b05wyq62)
You and Yours
12:15 FRI (b05wz0kp)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b05w8f0g)