The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
A series of recently published stories that reflect on everyday lives across the water.
Set in the author's hometown of Spokane this sharply observed story by Jess Walter features a troubled father who frets about being a good parent as he sets a trap to catch a thief.
Thief is taken from Jess Walter's debut short story collection, We Live In Water.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
The word ‘argument’ can have negative connotations. Yet argument is a mainstay of democratic life. Mark Tully talks to prominent QC Dinah Rose about the importance of legal argument and asks whether arguing is a skill that can be taught. He examines the positive side of disputing an issue, the benefits of debate and the healthy business of enjoying a good argument.
Here is argument in all its guises –philosophy with Schopenhauer, politics with Nixon, science with Huxley, poetry with Carl Sandburg and musical argument from battling drums to Leonard Bernstein.
Ruth Sanderson visits a bee farm in Northamptonshire to see the honey being harvested. Lara Manton is learning the ropes on her Dad's farm with a view to take on and expand the business one day.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Edward speaks to the archbishop of Vienna, cardinal Christoph Schonborn about the migrant crisis in Europe.
In the second part of the series exploring the work of individuals who have devoted themselves to working for others of different faiths in their communities, there is a profile of Bradford Pentecostal pastor Benjamin Ayesu.
Pope Francis announced this week that all priests can grant forgiveness for the 'sin of abortion' during the Holy Year of Mercy. Professor Anthea Butler has been looking at the reaction in the US to Pope Francis's statement.
Rt Rev James Newcombe, Bishop of Carlisle, talks about the Church of England's opposition to the proposed change to the law on assisted dying. This is not, he says, an attempt to 'push' a religious viewpoint. He is worried that a change would have serious detrimental effects on individuals and society.
As the Queen becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history, the dean of Westminster, rev Dr John Hall, and Church historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch, reflect on how she has conducted herself in her role as supreme governor of the Church of England.
Rev. Dr Keith Clements explains how the two years spent in England by German Lutheran pastor and anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer, influenced his ministry before his execution in 1945.
This week Cardinal Vincent Nichols took the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, to meet the pope for the first time. Reporter Charles Carroll was with them.
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope 'Sustrans'.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
A live service from Albany Road Baptist Church, Cardiff, led by the Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner with the staff and students of the South Wales Baptist College. The preacher is the Principal, the Rev. Dr. Peter Stevenson. The Cambrensis Choir is accompanied by Jonathan Davies, and directed by Anne Brown.
John Gray warns about the dangers of science that attempts to enhance human abilities. He says such knowledge can jeopardize the very things that make us human.
More than 70 years after C.S. Lewis wrote "The Abolition of Man", John Gray argues that Lewis' questions are even more relevant today than they were then. "The scientists of Lewis's generation were dissatisfied with existing humankind" he writes. "Using new techniques, they were convinced they could design a much improved version of the species".
But Gray says that while the scientific knowledge needed to remould humanity hardly existed then, it is rapidly developing at the present time.
He believes that the sciences of bioengineering and artificial intelligence carry serious risks. "If at some unknown point in the future it becomes feasible to remould ourselves according to our dreams" he writes, "the result can only be an impoverishment of the human world".
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the South American hoatzin. Moving clumsily through riverside trees the funky Mohican head crested hoatzin looks like it has been assembled by a committee. Hoatzin's eat large quantities of leaves and fruit, and to cope with this diet have a highly specialised digestive system more like that of cattle, which gives them an alternative name, 'stink-bird'.
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.
Opera Singers ..... Pop-up Opera: Eve Daniell, Helen Stanley, Adam Torrance, Oskar McCarthy, Alex Learmonth, Clementine Lovell, Cliff Zammit Stevens, Una Reynolds. MD: Berrak Dyer.
Orchestra ..... Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by David Curtis: Jonathan Hill, Cathy Hamer, Adrian Turner, Bryony James, Stacey Watton, Diane Clark, Louise Braithwaite, Sally Harrop, Phil Brookes, Francesca Moore-Bridger.
The alcoholic and Godless wife of a vicar, a curtain-twitching meddler who finds happiness in prison and a timid suburban housewife who falls in love with a murderer. Three of 12 seemingly remarkable yet ordinary characters who made up Alan Bennett's two series of ground-breaking TV monologues.
Despite a script for just one voice, each play is peopled with vivid additional characters and dramatic action, so vivid that years later some viewers falsely remember seeing "off-screen" characters.
The heartbreaking and hilarious stories were a big hit with TV audiences who saw ordinary folk like them grappling with indignities, dilemmas and disasters.
In this edition of The Reunion, Alan Bennett describes who inspired his characters and why he choose the monologue form.
Penelope Wilton, who appeared as Rosemary in Nights in the Garden of Spain, explains to Sue MacGregor how it took two days to decipher Bennett's terrible handwriting before she realised that he'd written a Talking Head for her.
Tristram Powell directed two episodes and describes his less is more approach allowing the actors, and significantly Bennett's writing, to captivate viewers, rather than slick editing and eye-catching sets.
The concept of a monologue was virtually unheard of in television and has rarely been tried since. It was initially met with scepticism by some, including, actress Patricia Routledge who recalls how Bennett patiently waited for her to capitulate. She went on to appear in two episodes.
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
Arthur Smith, Jon Richardson, Susan Calman and David O'Doherty are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Pets, Bacteria, Zombies and Water.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
Dan Saladino finds out how farms confiscated from Sicily's mafia are providing food and wine, helping to fight crime and providing a future for a new generation on the island.
The project, a not for profit farming operation called "Libera Terra" (which translates as "Free Land"), was made possible by an Italian member of Parliament killed by the mafia in 1982, Pio La Torre. He was a Sicilian and communist who believed the best way of taking on Cosa Nostra was by seizing its assets, including its farm land.
Decades later that law is the way in which thousands of acres of citrus groves, wheat fields and vineyards have been placed in the hands of farming co-operatives. Libera Terra is the main organisation helping to turn this seized land into a food and wine business, create jobs and give young Sicilians a way of improving the island's future.
As John Dickie, Professor of Italian Studies at University College London, and author of Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia, food and agricultural provided the conditions necessary for the mafia's birth in 19th century Sicily.
By the 1860's the lemon groves around Palermo were among the most profitable agricultural land in Europe, that combined with the weak political and legal framework in place after the unification of Italy, provided the conditions for what became the world's most successful criminal organisation.
In the 1940's, when efforts were made to instigate land reform and give more access to farmland to Sicily's peasants, the mafia would often intervene and exert its control over this valuable resource. Dozens of peasant leaders and trade unionists were killed in the years following the second world war simply because they tried to implement these new laws.
It's this backdrop that gives the Libera Terra project added significance, but it's more than just a noble cause. As Italian wine expert and writer for www.jancisRobinson.com Walter Speller explains, some of the confiscated land is in territory that has the perfect conditions for excellent wines. Land seized from the former "boss of all bosses" Toto Rinna, is now producing excellent Nero d'Avola wine that also tell a powerful story of Sicily and its fight against the mafia.
Dan also visits people farming this land despite experience of mafia intimidation in the past, young farmers who say they want to build a future in Sicily free from the influence of organised crime.
What makes a song typically Spanish? In a country of autonomous regions and different languages, is there such a thing as a 'Spanish songbook'? Cerys Matthews travels to the capital of Catalonia to meet people who live, breathe and sing some of Spain's complex legacy of popular songs. The discussion ranges from Civil War songs such as 'Ay, Carmela' to Franco-era copla ballads, to Beatles-inspired pop songs. She discovers one Catalan protest song that started life in the Franco era; it was subsequently taken up by protesters in Poland, and then more recently in Tunisia, before returning to the streets of Barcelona amidst protests against austerity. Cerys' guests include veteran rocker and writer Sabino Mendez, musicologist Silvia Martinez, music journalist Nando Cruz and cultural historian Alex Fernandez de Castro.
Eric Robson hosts the horticultural panel programme from Liverpool. Matthew Wilson, Christine Walkden and Pippa Greenwood answer questions from the audience.
Fi Glover introduces teenagers campaigning on the issue of anorexia, and fathers and daughters dealing with the loss of a family member and the loss of a career, in the Omnibus edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Hilary Mantel's gripping account of the cataclysmic events of the French Revolution seen through the eyes of three of its most important figures, Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins and Maximilien Robespierre.
David Nicholls talks to James Naughtie and a group of readers about his enormously successful novel One Day.
The book has now sold over 5 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 2009. It's the will-they-won't they story of Dexter and Emma, who get together on their last day at Edinburgh University in the late 80s, and whom we meet in the novel every July 15th for the next twenty years. It is in turns moving, stylish and funny.
David Nicholls discusses how cinema and tv and his work as an actor influenced the writing of this novel, as well as his love of Hardy and Dickens. Looking back at the novel, having not read it for four years, he is honest about how he might write it differently, if he was allowed.
Roger McGough is back with a Poetry Please celebrating the humble bee. The stripy creatures have long been a muse to poets from Tagore to Carol Ann Duffy. With readers James Fleet and Amanda Root, and beekeeper Jeff Davey. Producer Sally Heaven.
The death of Cecil the lion was international news and a social media sensation. Yet trophy hunting of lions and other species is common in Africa. Foreigners pay big money to adorn their walls with heads and skins.
Many find it abhorrent, angry that it exists at all. Hunters claim it is vital, providing money to fund conservation. With hunters claiming that a ban would be "catastrophic" for wildlife, what's the truth?
Biologist Professor Adam Hart explores this explosively controversial subject, talking to hunters, conservationists, lion experts and those opposed to hunting.
Trophy hunting is not the major problem. Lions are persecuted because they eat livestock and threaten people. Africa is not the romantic place we might think. A hugely expanding population and development set us in conflict with wildlife.
Trophy hunting does work in places where regular tourists are few and far between. It works too in South Africa. Private ownership and fencing, which protects wildlife from people and people from wildlife, mean that hunting and tourism generate the cash needed to maintain huge numbers of animals. Wildlife thrives because "it pays it stays".
But in Tanzania lion populations are rapidly declining. Craig Packer, a world expert on lions, says "it takes $2000 annually to maintain 1km2 of lion habitat; 300000km2 of hunting blocks need $600million. Trophy hunting pays $20million with 10-15% used for conservation." It's the only source of income but it is far too little, only slightly slowing the inevitable.
Hunting pitches emotion against evidence and sentimentality against practicality. Adam's travels reveal a complex and sometimes unpalatable tale of economics, ecology and conservation with implications that affect everyone that cares about African wildlife.
A convoy of cars has crossed from Austria into Hungary to help transport migrants.
Two people have been stabbed to death at a sheltered housing unit in east London.
Radio listeners were spoiled for choice this week with musicians Van the Man, Rod Stewart and David Bowie topping the programme charts; Donald Duck, Cecil the Lion and David Sedaris's turtles tugging at our heart strings and some intriguing surprises thrown in.
As people look forward to the Flower and Produce show, Susan and Clarrie share a joke about Joe's tomatoes. Susan's still bitter with Peggy about Hazel's plans for the village shop - and also with Pat over the new Bridge Farm shop. There could be hope for the village hall, as Neil will be meeting with Justin Elliot.
David and Elizabeth are moving Jill's things into Lower Loxley. David doesn't' think Kenton would have been keen to help - he hasn't given an answer yet about the loan offer for the Bull. David and Elizabeth talk up Jill's new room - Jill hopes there's enough light for her to write all her letters and lists etc at the writing table.
On the phone from Prudhoe, Ruth tells Pip that Heather's counting the days before moving in at Brookfield. But there's still so much to sort out with Heather's house. Pip remembers a story from when she was little about Granny Heather and one of her pictures. She glad Ruth's keeping it for Brookfield. Ruth's surprised and a bit taken aback to learn about Pip's stubble turnips and plan for ewe hogs.
David and Ruth catch up on the phone, but David's distracted as Alistair arrives to deal with a dead calf. Ruth bleakly signs off.
Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes revisit some much-loved sketch characters, with some newcomers..
This opening episode features The Stoneybridge Town Council attempting to adapt to today's technology, Denzil and Gwynedd discussing Gwynedd's plan to enter the Miss Swansea competition, The Little Girl's very personal take on Divorce and Calum Gilhooley getting some customer feedback of his own.
Plus sketches about Facebook's downside, the dangers of watching TV in middle age, vague War memories from people who were almost there and the perils of having to look after your own, ageing parents.
In 2013, the group got back together for Radio 4's Sketchorama: Absolutely Special, which won a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category.
Robert Florence reveals the dark doings of the Scottish branch of the Illuminati.
As well as his interest in secret societies, Robert Florence is the acclaimed writer and co-creator of BBC Scotland's cult sketch show Burnistoun.
Thousands of people are dying after being declared 'fit for work' by the government according to the Guardian. The figures are from a long awaited freedom of information release from the Department for Work and Pensions. But do the figures actually tell us anything? More or Less investigates.
Sugar has had a pretty bad press over the last few months and seems to have replaced fat as the current 'evil' in our diets. We look at some of the claims that have been made about rotting teeth and the justifications for a sugar tax.
The latest figures show a 20% rise - but does this really mean that more people are on zero hours contracts thab=n last year?
Britons love to queue, but have we been getting it wrong? Lars Peter Osterdal from the University of Southern Denmark discusses his theory of how to make queuing more efficient.
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu who founded the National Motor Museum, opened his estate to the public and served a prison sentence for homosexuality. His son, who has succeeded to the title, pays tribute.
Joy Beverley - one of the Beverley sisters who became close harmony singing stars in the 1940s and 50s. She married the England and Wolves footballer Billy Wright, making them the Posh and Becks of their day.
The neurologist Oliver Sacks who told his patients' extraordinary stories in books like "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat".
And Annette Worsley-Taylor who started London Fashion Week to promote young British designers.
An International Labour Organization report ranked Colombia second globally for the percentage of women in middle and senior management positions. Peter Day investigates why Colombian women have managed to advance in business and whether the figures are a true reflection of life for women in a country known for its machismo culture.
Tom Newton Dunn of The Sun analyses how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories.
Liv Ullmann discusses Miss Julie, Ingmar Bergman and Sex And The City, and why she turned down the opportunity to play George Clooney's love interest.
Brian Helgeland reveals why he decided to cast Tom Hardy to play both Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie, in his new bio-pic Legend.
Model maker Jose Granell on what it's like to see your best work blown to smithereens and how he built his own miniature submarine from a manual.
MONDAY 07 SEPTEMBER 2015
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b068s1py)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Writing a New South Africa (b053bsfm)
Page and Stage
A picture of South Africa now, as seen by a new generation of writers and poets.
In the second programme of the series Johannesburg-based poet Thabiso Mohare looks at the challenges, tensions and solutions facing South African writers. He talks to publishers, writers and poets about the issue of a small book-reading culture being exacerbated by the high cost of books in the country, and looks at how the spoken word scene has grown in the past twenty years to provide an outlet for new voices. And he travels to the University of Stellenbosch, once the intellectual engine-room of apartheid, to talk to two poets who have managed to create a rare thing: spoken word sessions in a township that are attended by a truly diverse and mixed audience of poets and aspiring poets, where poetry in any of the eleven official languages of South Africa is welcomed.
In a three part series, poet Thabiso Mohare ('Afurakan'), looks at South Africa through the themes the post-apartheid generation of writers are choosing to engage with in their work. These authors, poets and playwrights are exploring the past and present, from apartheid's legacy to political corruption, and the chaos of the inner city; some are exorcising ghosts, and some tackling current issues, or looking to an imagined future. There is plenty to write about after the end of the struggle. Other outlets for storytelling too - poetry and spoken word events, plugging into older traditions - are supporting the flowering of a diversity of voices as hoped for when the political landscape changed so radically in 1994, with writers of all ethnicities pitching in to the fray. Radio 4 explores the range of voices now being heard, some of the challenges they face, and the picture they present.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b068s44c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b068s1q0)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b068s1q4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b068s1q6)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b068s1q8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b068sqsc)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b068sqsf)
Defra Secretary Liz Truss on EU Agriculture summit, Sheep industry developments
Today, thousands of farmers converge on Brussels to lobby what's described as an Extraordinary EU Agriculture Summit. Farming ministers from across Europe will be meeting with EU Farm Commissioner Phil Hogan and the Commission President.
Among those ministers will be Defra's Secretary of State, Liz Truss, who tells Anna Hill how she'll be supporting UK farmers.
We also hear from Pekka Pesonen, President of the pan-European farming union Copa-Cogeca.
Between now and December is the time most ewes are in season. It's when they're put out with rams, or tups, for lambs to be born five months later. So, in the run up to tupping season, ram sales take place across the country and farmers plan ahead for the year to come.
However, with lamb prices having fallen, less demand for lamb from consumers, and more New Zealand lamb on the shelves, are UK producers planning on having smaller flocks in 2016? Chris Lloyd, from AHDB Beef and Lamb, the levy board that supports livestock production, responds.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Mark Smalley.
MON 05:56 Weather (b068s1qb)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwdc)
African Jacana
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the wetland loving African Jacana. Being rich chestnut coloured above, with black heads, white throats, each has a patch of blue skin above the bill, known as a shield, Jacanas are waders with very long slender toes which allow them to walk on floating plants giving them the name lily-trotters. Widespread in wet places south of the Sahara desert they may become nomadic moving between wetlands as seasonal water levels change. They have an unusual mating system. Females mate with several males, but leave their partners to build the nest, incubate the eggs and bring up the chicks. With up to 3 or 4 mates rearing her different broods, her strategy is to produce the maximum number of young lily-trotters each year.
MON 06:00 Today (b068srm9)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 The Robert Peston Interview Show (with Eddie Mair) (b05zhm88)
Denis Norden
Eddie Mair and Robert Peston jump in a taxi to record an interview with the comedy writer and TV host Denis Norden.
Denis reflects on his long and distinguished career, including 29 years of It'll Be Alright On The Night and reaching audiences of 20 million with Take It From Here.
He also remembers an early career as a cinema manager; entertaining the troops whilst serving in the RAF; being involved with D Day; and stumbling across the atrocities at Bergen-Belsen, whilst on a straightforward mission to secure some lighting.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
MON 09:30 Soundstage (b05n1dpv)
Glacial Melt
Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson first visited Antarctica in January 2010 and on his first morning, he was woken up by a howling blizzard. It's the sound of arguably the most hostile environment on the planet. Whilst Chris was in Antarctica he was really keen to record one of the greatest transitional events on the planet, the sounds of a glacier being transformed over the antarctic summer from a solid mountain of freshwater ice into the salt water of the Ross sea. The place where he began recording was Cape Evans on Ross island and by the hut 'Terra Nova' which was used by Capt Scott and his party during their ill-fated expedition to the South Pole in 1911.The cinematographer Herbert Ponting who remained at Cape Evans later produced a film called "The Great White Silence". But this landscape is far from silent. Looking west from 'Terra Nova' Chris could see the Barne glacier, a massive river of ice which flows down the slopes of Mount Erebus to the Ross sea. The recordings Chris made follow a journey which begins inside the glacier with low, deep, powerful thumping sounds before it calves and huge blocks of ice crash onto the frozen Ross sea. The sea ice buckles and cracks under the weight of these blocks producing extraordinary musical tones. Blocks of ice break off under pressure to form icebergs. Then there's a gradual reduction as the sea ice undergoes its annual melt. Standing near a patch of open water Chris has an astonishing encounter with a minke whale which surfaces unexpectedly to breathe, and records Adelie penguins and the captivating scales of weddell seals. With the transformation complete, Chris watches and listens as Orcas break the surface of the waters to breathe in the air of the 'Great White Silence'. Producer Sarah Blunt.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b068td6z)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 1
Maggie Smith gets the acting bug.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith.
This fresh biography in five parts shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b068td71)
Women in Technology, 'Rape Culture', Amanda Foreman
Making a career in the male dominated games industry - what does it take and what are the rewards for women who do? Thriller writer Julia Heaberlin on her novel Black Eyed Susans and its exploration of the subjectivity of memory. Lawyer Luke Gittos argues that a contemporary panic about so-called 'rape culture' has led to an exaggerated concern about victims of rape failing to receive justice, a view challenged by law professor, Joanne Conaghan. Can where you live impact the health of your child? How the health and development of young children could depend on a postcode. Dr. Amanda Foreman discusses her BBC Two series on the history of women, and the often overlooked role that women have played in forging today's world.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Anne Peacock.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b068tl63)
Prayers for the Stolen
Episode 1
Prayers For The Stolen
by Jennifer Clement
dramatised by Jeff Young
Inspired by true stories, this atmospheric drama follows 15 year old Ladydi Martinez in the mountain village of Guerrero, Nr. Acapulco, Mexico, where being a girl is a dangerous thing and mothers disguise them as sons, hiding them in holes in the ground as the drugs cartels scourge the town, looking for girls to steal.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris
More Info:- A timely drama series, as drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has recently escaped a Mexican prison for the second time,. Guzman is considered by US authorities to be "the most powerful drug trafficker in the world." He is also cited as the 14th wealthiest person in the world. This lyrical and atmospheric drama explores the effects of drug trafficking through the perspective of a teenage girl, LadyDi.
Why is LadyDi named so?
MIKE: Ladydi, Ladydi...Why did your mama name you after a dead princess?
LADYDI: Because she hated what that Prince Charles did to Diana. She watched it on TV. She loves any woman whose man has been unfaithful. It's a special sisterhood of pain and hate. Patron Saint of Betrayed Women.
MON 11:00 Lives in a Landscape (b068tl65)
Series 20
The Life of Reilly
For every stand-up comedian that's a household name, there are dozens of hard-working, funny, committed comedians who haven't quite broken through into the national consciousness.
Christian Reilly is a musical stand-up, a wandering minstrel, whose comedy material is delivered through song. He's a popular and successful act who's in great demand on the comedy-club circuit. His diary is packed: Some weeks he'll do two gigs in one night, in two different cities. It's an exhausting schedule. His year, along with so many others, reaches its peak at the Edinburgh festival in August.
In this week's Lives in a Landscape Alan Dein hears Christian's story and travels with him to gigs in Manchester, Liverpool and, ultimately, Edinburgh. From behind-the-scenes at comedy venues, to the share-house Christian rents for a month in Edinburgh with fellow comedians, Alan discovers what motivates Christian, what his ambitions are, and whether he believes he can achieve them.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
MON 11:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03hwbrr)
Series 1
Out of Our Tree
Tom's father is engrossed in putting together the Wrigglesworth Family Tree which is leaving Tom's mother at a loose end. Tom suggests she gets in a lodger for company.
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups is a 30 minute phone call from Tom ringing his parents for his weekly check-in. As the conversation unfolds, Tom takes time out from the phone call to explain the situation, his parent's reactions and relate various anecdotes from the past which illustrate his family's views. And sometimes he just needs to sound-off about the maddening world around him and bemoan everyday annoyances.
A fascinating and hilarious glimpse into Tom Wrigglesworth, his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament,opinions and hang-ups.
During all this Hang Ups explores class, living away from 'home', trans-generational phenomena, what we inherit from our families and how the past repeats in the present. All in a 30 minute phone call.
'Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-ups' gets underneath the skin of Tom and the Wrigglesworth family, so sit back and enjoy a bit of totally legal phone hacking.
Cast:
Tom Wrigglesworth ...Tom
Judy Parfitt ... Granny
Paul Copley ... Dad
Kate Anthony ... Mum
David Reed ... Henry
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle
Additional Material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
MON 12:00 News Summary (b068s1qf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 Home Front (b06490tw)
7 September 1915 - Gabriel Graham (Season 5 start)
This is the opening episode of Season Five of Home Front. The Graham household mark the day, a year on, when they lost their only son.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
NOTES
Season Five of Home Front, story-led by Sarah Daniels, has at its heart a focus on Spiritualism*.
Unsurprisingly, the tide of grief and bereavement that visited Britain during the First World War brought with it a great flowering of spiritualism. Relatives wanted to be close to their loved ones in a way conventional religion was struggling to provide. For this reason many decided to extend their faith 'over the church wall', testing the waters of Spiritualism and psychical contact with the dead.
The Church was officially hostile, with the Bishop of London one of many who warned against the movement. Often the concern was less one of fraudulence - Spiritualism was compatible with Christianity - but rather that the mediums were meddling with dangerous forces and could easily be led astray. Accusations of charlatanism, pseudo-science and exploiting the bereaved were rife. It hardly helped that Spiritualism came in so many different guises. There was spiritualism as an industry, where palm-readers and mediums sold their services for profit; there was Spiritualism as a belief and philosophy; and there was the 'scientific' pursuit of psychical research, supported by leading thinkers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who referred to it as "a call of hope and of guidance to the human race at the time of its deepest affliction"
*Earlier seasons have focused on the Outbreak of War, Recruitment, Industry and Profiteering. All previous seasons are available to download from bbc.co.uk/homefront.
MON 12:15 You and Yours (b068tl6b)
Summer children and NHS 111
Phillippa Murphy's daughter Poppy was due to start reception aged just four years and two weeks. Deciding she simply was not ready, she decided to delay a year. Parents across the UK face the same dilemma - but not all councils offer the same options if you think your summer born child will struggle alongside older children. As Liverpool City Council changes its policy, and Parliament hears about the problem, we talk to a parent in Oxfordshire who says her daughter has been let down.
And access to our pension funds changed in April. Chancellor George Osborne gave us new powers to access our funds - but what did we do with them? We look at whether savers have been splashing the cash, analysing figures from the Association of British Insurers alongside Jamie Jenkins of Standard Life.
How do people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment contact the emergency services? A new trial is being carried out for the NHS 111 service using British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.
And very big architects working on some very small homes. Melanie Abbott squeezes in to a Y Cube - new accommodation commissioned by the YMCA.
MON 12:57 Weather (b068s1qh)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b068tl6f)
As David Cameron prepares to tell the Commons about the government's plans to take more refugees from camps in the countries neighbouring Syria, we report from a children's home in Kent already struggling the refugee children they are dealing with.
We also have a report from a new flashpoint in the Balkans where thousands of people who have surged into Macedonia from Greece say they are being mistreated and forced to face long delays.
The government could face a rebellion and perhaps defeat over its bill to pave the way for a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union which is being debated in the commons today. We speak to leading Tory rebel Bernard Jenkin on why Downing Street has failed to appease him.
And the BBC's Director of Strategy James Purnell on new BBC plans to work in partnership with local newspapers.
MON 13:45 The Lore of the Land (b068tl6k)
Episode 1
In the first of a five part series examining the enduring relevance of the creatures of British folklore, medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington travels to Shropshire to the foot of the mighty Wrekin in search of the most prolific landscape shapers in British folk tales - the giants.
A hill that stands tall above its surroundings, the Wrekin offers panoramic views of eleven counties. Carolyne is joined by local storyteller Amy Douglas who has lived in the shadow of the Wrekin all her life.
Walking up the side of the Wrekin, Amy tells the story of the giant who is said to have formed the hill following an attempt to drown the people of Shrewsbury. When Carolyne reaches the peak she comes across a peculiar rock formation called the Needle's Eye which was said to have been created during a violent struggle between two giants.
As well as shaping the landscape through excessive rage, giants also take on the role of oversized engineers in the folklore of Great Britain. Carolyne reveals that the Anglo Saxons had no tradition of building in stone so the Roman cities fell into disrepair. The Old English poets often remarked on these ruins as the ancient work of giants.
It's not just giants who bring about landscape features, the Devil is said to create standing stones and strange rock formations across the British Isles. In Cornwall, monoliths and stone circles are often associated with King Arthur, who has become a mythical being in our traditional folk tales. Carolyne explains that, in British folklore, these figures become a way of talking about huge processes, about geological time which slowly, but irreversibly leaves its marks on a landscape.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b068sjpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b068tmmh)
May There Always Be Sunshine
Set in August 1968, against a backdrop of worldwide popular protest, Simon and Bruce - two 16 year-old teenagers from Manchester - travel to the fabled Soviet Pioneer Camp of Artek in Russia. They're off for a week of sun, sea and international solidarity, but will their political summer be too hot to handle?
MAY THERE ALWAYS BE SUNSHINE
by Alan Pollock
Producer/Director: David Ian Neville.
MON 15:00 Quote... Unquote (b068tn6y)
Quote ... Unquote, the popular quotations quiz, returns for its 51st series.
In almost forty years, Nigel Rees has been joined by writers, actors, musicians, scientists and various comedy types. Kenneth Williams, Judi Dench, PD James, Larry Adler, Ian KcKellen, Peter Cook, Kingsley Amis, Peter Ustinov... have all graced the Quote Unquote stage.
Join Nigel as he quizzes a host of celebrity guests on the origins of sayings and well-known quotes, and gets the famous panel to share their favourite anecdotes.
Episode 1
Comedy writer and director Graham Linehan.
Sports presenter Sally Jones.
Actress and writer Morwenna Banks
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band member and Monty Python collaborator Neil Innes
Presenter ... Nigel Rees
Producer ... Carl Cooper.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b068s4qs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Spoken Image (b068tsvg)
The photographer and former Picture Editor at The Guardian, Eamonn McCabe, curates a photo exhibition on the radio, featuring images that have moved and inspired him during his 50 years in the business. Together, the images represent the power photography has to connect us to our past and our humanity - our feats and failures, our memories, emotions, and our humour.
Pictures by acclaimed war photographer Don McCullin and portrait photographer David Bailey remind Eamonn of his youth in North London. He talks to the British photographer Michael Kenna about the tricks of light and the merits of black and white versus colour prints. He also offers some very personal reflections on his colleague at the Observer, Jane Bown.
We hear from Joel Meyerowitz whose images of the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center in September 2001 offer a visceral example of photo reportage, despite being taken after the event. Joel's moving account, courtesy of The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, raises questions about whether it is right to make something aesthetic from something tragic.
Other photographers featured include French greats Willy Ronis and Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Hungarian colour specialist Nickolas Muray, the Observer sports photographer Chris Smith - famous for his pictures of Muhammad Ali, and the cult British photographer Raymond Moore.
(Photo credit: "Boats, Dingle" (c) Michael Kenna/Supervision New York)
Producer: Olivia Landsberg
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b068tsvj)
Rumi
You may be surprised to learn that one of the best-selling poets in America today is a man who lived and died 800 years ago. The Persian-born Rumi, Jalal ad-Din Muhammed Rumi, to give him his full name, was a Sufi master who wrote ecstatic poems about joy and love and separation and pain. One respected scholar compares Rumi's work to Shakespeare's for "its resonance and beauty." Contemporary artists as diverse as Madonna and Philip Glass acknowledge their debt to him. But the popular editions of his work, much edited, contain little evidence of his Muslim origins. Has he been sanitised for a sensitive modern reader? Has his religion been removed from his poetry to help him become a more universal figure?
Ernie Rea is joined by Fatemah Keshavarz, Director of the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park; Alan Williams, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester; and Shahram Shiva, a Rumi Translator and scholar
Produced by Nija Dalal-Small.
MON 17:00 PM (b068tsvl)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b068s1qm)
PM confirms RAF drone killed 2 British jihadists in Syria last month; Germany and France call for a compulsory quota system for refugees; N Ireland faces political paralysis
MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b068tsvn)
Series 15
Episode 3
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
Lloyd Langford, Henning Wehn, Sara Pascoe and Miles Jupp are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as zoos, theft, phones and hands.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b068tsvq)
Pip's grateful for Rex's help with her cow track. Rex is a bit disappointed at Reedles who only want to try a handful of geese for their Christmas menu. Keen to try Elizabeth again, Rex asks Pip to help by coming with him.
Rob gently rebukes Helen for taking Henry to school when he wanted to himself this morning (he slept in). Henry wet his bed and Rob sees that Helen looks done in. He's keen that she gets back into bed, where he'll join her - but Tom shows up for a planned (with Helen) shop meeting.
Jolene's impressed with Rob's basket as he plans to cook a posh meal for Helen tonight -could have a word with Kenton about being a New Man. Jolene asks Pip to pass on to David that Kenton is 'thinking it over'.
Tom brings Henry a toy train set as a gift for starting school, keen to give it to him right away - but Rob convinces Helen to delay this to the weekend. Without Helen knowing, Rob has organised a builder. Helen's keen to know what Rob thinks of their stock list. Rob humbly suggests that they branch out a bit, away from the very local, organic produce - but it's Helen's decision of course.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b068tsvs)
Anthony Horowitz, Danielle de Niese, This Is England, Antony Gormley
After his bid to write a James Bond screenplay was rebuffed, Anthony Horowitz decided to create his own secret agent and so Alex Rider - his most famous literary creation - was born. Now he's been given the chance to write a new Bond novel and Trigger Mortis is the result. He talks to Kirsty about finally getting his hands on 007.
Soprano Danielle de Niese will be performing at the Last Night of the Proms as well as the Proms in the Park on Saturday. The singer discusses what the Proms mean to her and her love of The Sound of Music which she'll be performing, and how she became part of the Glyndebourne family.
It's 10 years since Antony Gormley installed 100 cast-iron life-size figures on the beach at Crosby near Liverpool. The artist assesses how the sculptures in his project, Another Place, have fared after a decade of exposure to the tides.
This is England '90 is the final instalment of Shane Meadow's award-winning series about a group of troubled youths. Writer and broadcaster Andrew Collins reviews.
Presenter : Kirsty Lang
Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b068tl63)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Oil: A Crude History of Britain (b068tvkw)
Black Spring
It is 40 years since the first barrel of oil was drawn out of the North Sea, overflowing with slippery promise. That first barrel ushered in an era in which the UK dared to dream of global influence, wealth beyond measure, and an infinitely brighter future. The Prime Minister in 1977, James Callaghan, described North Sea oil as a God-given opportunity. But has Britain made the most of that opportunity?
This 3-part series, presented by James Naughtie, hears from those who were there at the beginning of Britain's 'black gold' rush, those who have wrangled over managing the industry over the last 4 decades, and those who seek now to make the best of a dwindling supply. It is the story of how our political, economic, and cultural institutions planned for and dealt with the unexpected windfall and challenge of North Sea oil.
Programme 1, Black Spring, tells the story of a technical and engineering miracle that took place against the odds, in stormy seas hundreds of feet deep, in the 1970s. We'll hear how achievement in the North Sea boosted both tax revenues and national confidence, at a time when both were in dangerously short supply.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b0680lpm)
Hodei - The Man Who Vanished
The last time anyone saw Hodei Egiluz, a 23-year-old computer engineer from Spain, was on a night out in the Belgian port of Antwerp in October 2013. Hodei is one of roughly 10,000 people who disappear in Europe every year. But his case has sparked a remarkable response. Practically his entire home town in Spain got behind the Belgian police search in one way or another. The search for Hodei triggered a campaign which eventually drew in figures such as footballer Ronaldo and the prime minister of Spain. But two years on Hodei is still missing. For Crossing Continents, Neal Razzell retraces Hodei's last hours in Antwerp and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding his disappearance. Producer: Charlotte McDonald.
MON 21:00 Natural Histories (b05w9bj5)
Birds Eggs
Beautiful, fragile, mysterious – we have always loved birds' eggs. Their colours are more of a hue, the patterning gorgeous to the eye, no wonder they have been collected from time immemorial. Eggs are a symbol of new life, a transformation that speaks to us of great truths beyond the purely biological. Easter eggs are a symbol of Christ's resurrection and were adopted from pagan beliefs about Ostara, the goddess connecting to various German Easter festivities.) The egg has been used as a metaphor for the origin of the universe in many traditions. We have used them in cooking – or eaten raw - since our time on earth. We have used the hard shell for decoration, and Faberge designed exquisite bejewelled eggs of gold and precious stones for the Tsars of Russia. A peculiar tradition of using eggs to record the varied faces of clowns arose just after WW2 when new clowns stamped their identity on the world by registering their unique features on eggs – there is now a clown egg museum. The natural variety in bird's eggs, even clutches in the same year, can be very different, is prized by collectors, determined to own the greatest diversity of any one species. Along with collecting comes money and then fraud. Pleasing to hold, beautiful on the eye, versatile in cooking, intriguing in nature, practical as well - eggs will always inspire us. From 2015
Original Producer Andrew Dawes
Archive Producer Andrew Dawes
MON 21:30 The Robert Peston Interview Show (with Eddie Mair) (b05zhm88)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b068s1qq)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b068tvky)
Two Britons killed in RAF Syria drone strike
PM says one of the IS fighters had been actively plotting terrorist attacks in the UK this summer
MON 22:45 Tessa Hadley - The Past (b068tvl0)
Episode 1
The party assembles.
Sian Thomas reads Tessa Hadley's powerful and haunting novel, a beautifully observed portrait of a family and the change wrought by time across the generations.
Three middle-aged sisters and a brother meet up in their grandparents' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. Under the idyllic surface, there are immediate tensions. Secrets, misunderstandings and passion play out as the characters shift and reappraise and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualised - winds down to its inevitable end.
While the siblings circle each other, and the adolescents approach each other, the children watch and come to their own conclusions.
Tessa Hadley is one of Britain's finest writers, an acute observer of character, time and place and the most published short story writer in the New Yorker in recent years.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
MON 23:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b0520pr1)
Series 5
Midnight Cowboy
An X-rated picture winning the Oscar for Best Picture?
It was a shock, but not a surprise when 'Midnight Cowboy' won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1969 - not to mention gongs for the director, John Schlesinger, and screen writer, Waldo Salt.
But take a fresh look at this film, 45 years later, and it's obvious why it blasted its way passed the opposition at the Academy Awards. The film was rife with acting talent; a young Dustin Hoffman, messing up his clean cut reputation by taking on the role of a down at heel New York bum; Jon Voight as a naïve but optimistic hustler; Brenda Vaccaro as a lush, fur-coated party girl and Sylvia Miles hilarious in a short but lauded sex scene. .
It also brought one of the most extraordinary scriptwriters, Waldo Salt, and one of the first 'out' directors, John Schlesinger, together with one of the least experienced, but adventurous cinematographers, Adam Holender - a moment of production chemistry.
With fresh interviews with Adam Holender, Sylvia Miles, producer Jerome Hellman, Brenda Vacaro, Waldo Salt's daughter Jennifer, and Schlesinger's long-term partner Michael Childers, Paul Gambaccini presents "And The Academy Award Goes To... Midnight Cowboy."
Producer: Sara Jane Hall.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b068tvl2)
Susan Hulme reports on a dramatic day at Westminster as MPs and peers learn of a drone strike on British jihadists. David Cameron says 20,000 Syrian refugees will be allowed to come to the UK. And the government is defeated in the Commons over Europe.
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
TUESDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2015
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b068s1rs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b068td6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b068s1rv)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b068s1rx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b068s1rz)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b068s1s1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0694rrx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b0694ss7)
Farmers Protest in Brussels, NFU Adam Bedford, Tupping Time
Thousands of farmers from across Europe protest outside the European Commission in Brussels. They're frustrated about poor farm gate prices and disrupted markets. Burning hay is fired at riot police, fire crackers exploding and piles of smouldering tyres block the streets.
It's tupping time, the time of year when sheep are mating. We hear from one Lake District sheep farmer who has spent decades working to perfect his two flocks of pedigree sheep.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwg9)
Brown Kiwi
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the New Zealand brown kiwi. A piercing wail can be heard in a forest at night. A brown kiwi is calling. Only found in New Zealand, kiwi are flightless birds and the brown kiwi, which is about the size of a domestic chicken, lays an egg weighing as much as a quarter of its own bodyweight – proportionally; the largest egg for its size of any bird. More mammal like than birds; their tiny eyes are of little use, but they have an excellent sense of smell, using their nostrils located unusually for birds near the end of the bill. Held in great affection, brown kiwi appear on coins, stamps and coats-of- arms as well as providing a nick-name for New Zealand's national rugby team.
TUE 06:00 Today (b068tz6b)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (b068tz6d)
The Living Wage
Jonathan Freedland examines current debates about the "living wage" in the light of a publication by woollen manufacturer, Sir Mark Oldroyd in 1894. As Liberal MP and the owner of a number of mills in Dewsbury in Yorkshire, he delivered a lecture to the Dewsbury Pioneers Industrial Society called "A Living Wage". It said: "A living wage must be sufficient to maintain the worker in the highest state of industrial efficiency, with decent surroundings and sufficient leisure".
Jonathan is joined by Dr Stephen Davies from the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Sheila Blackburn from the University of Liverpool, Margaret Watson, former editor of Dewsbury Reporter, Father Simon Cuff, a leader with Citizens UK and actor Barrie Rutter.
TUE 09:30 The Town Is the Menu (b047z8xc)
Barnard Castle
Stories of Dickens, Richard III, an entrepreneurial community and a unique landscape all provide inspiration for food innovator Simon Preston and local chef Andrew Rowbotham as they capture the spirit of Barnard Castle in Teesdale in a single signature dish. Local antiques expert David Harper shares stories from history; young business entrepreneur Leah Hobson gives her alternative view of the townsfolk through the clothes they buy and sell while retired vet Neville Turner provides a window into the beautiful flora and fauna that surrounds the town.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b069b4lw)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 2
Maggie Smith hits Broadway and Edinburgh, and makes her first films.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0694rrz)
Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde on her long career in rock. Jenny Downham, author of the bestselling on 'Before I Die' on her new novel Unbecoming. Bobbi Hunter was one of the founders of Greenpeace, her daughter Emily is now an activist. They talk to Jenni about how their commitment to political action shaped their family life. And as part of the BBCs Make it Digital campaign, Kathryn Parsons, CEO of Decoded talks about a career going from classics to coding.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Eleanor Garland.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b068tz6g)
Prayers for the Stolen
Episode 2
Prayers For The Stolen ep 2/5
by Jennifer Clement
dramatised by Jeff Young
An atmospheric drama with each episode immersing us into the heat and fear of Mexico, in this country ripped apart by murder, racketeering, drugs wars and political corruption, told entirely from the perspective of a teenage girl in the mountain village in Guerrera. LadyDi's mother drinks too much and steals, and now she tells her daughter the truth about her father, and best friend Maria.
Produced and Directed by Pauline Harris.
TUE 11:00 Natural Histories (b05w9dq2)
Bears
Bears (of the family Ursidae) and people go back a long way, they are disconcertingly human-like, captured in the most popular of tales, Goldilocks, Snow White and Rose Red and Winnie the Pooh. Many cultures from northern Europe to North America to China have traditionally worshiped bears, regarding them as the spirit of ancestors. In the Palaeolithic bear bones were carefully buried in unnatural poses and their skulls in a circle. In Christianity saints have tamed bears as a sign of holiness though bears were persecuted to deter pagan cults. In medieval times the cruel and gruesome sport of bear-baiting was a common pastime, enjoyed by royalty and peasant alike. Seeing a bear tormented by dogs may have been pleasurable, but it was also a physical representation of suffering and struggle at a time when bears were still part of a greater mythology. The mystical qualities of bears is reflected in our seeing them in the stars, the Great and Little Bear track their way across the heavens. The constancy of the Great Bear constellation was used by slaves in the American Civil War to guide them to safety, away from conflict; their song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" tells how to follow the lights of the constellation - the gourd being code for The Great Bear. Today the white polar bear is a potent symbol of climate change, reliant on ice covered land it is in danger of losing its habitat. As we become more removed from nature the style of the much-loved teddy bear has changed. Originally they looked like real bears, today they are pink and fluffy and short-limbed. Our relationship with bears has always been complex and still is today.
TUE 11:30 Music in the Shadow of Ground Zero (b068tz6j)
The story of two New York churches that, despite being a stone's throw from the twin towers, survived 9/11 and are now healing the community with a unique programme of music.
'People stumble on Trinity. A lot of them don't realise it's a church, they think it's a museum. And when they hear the music we offer they are shocked. I take it for granted because that's what Trinity stands for.'
(Cynthia Motten, Trinity parishioner for 40 years)
Historic Trinity Church, Wall St is only a stone's throw from Ground Zero and has turned itself into a mini-Lincoln Centre, hosting some of the best classical and contemporary music concerts in America. The church is said to be the world's richest Anglican parish - thanks to a gift of Manhattan farmland, donated in 1705 by Queen Anne, and now prime real estate. This year it's investing $2.9m in its music programme.
In the shadow of Ground Zero, New Yorkers can listen to Bach's Cantatas in their lunch break, performed by Trinity's own Baroque orchestra, or go to concerts by the church's contemporary music ensemble. The church has had jazz and hip hop masses and pushed aside the pews to host a reggae party.
Radio 4 visits the church, and its sister chapel St Paul's, during a special week of music marking 150 years since the abolition of slavery, honouring the power of black music in America featuring special guest Bobby McFerrin.
Julian Wachner, Trinity's Grammy-nominated winning music director, says: "There are people who come to St Paul's to remember someone close who was lost in the towers, and they go to the churchyard - think of the ashes and what fell on that space - and the music heals."
Producer: Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (b068s1s3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 Home Front (b06491dt)
8 September 1915 - Alice Macknade
Alice Macknade has to say farewell to the love of her life as he heads off to war, just months after saying the same to her husband.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b068tz6l)
Call You and Yours: Pension Pots
Since April, if you have a pension fund and are over 55, you can now take some or all of it in cash. The first figures on how pensioners have reacted to the new freedom to allocate their pension pots suggests around 5% have taken some cash to spend amounting to £2.7 billion in all. If you are one of those why did you cash it in and what did you spend the money on? Perhaps you have been contacted by crooks hoping to trick you out of your pension. Maybe you have handed cash over. Call You & Yours today and tell us your story.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b068s1s5)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b068tz6n)
There have been more calls today for an inquiry into the British drone strike which killed IS fighters in Syria. We discuss the legality of the action and talk to a senior Conservative who says there are questions to be answered.
After the government says it will take 20,000 refugees over the next four years we talk to UKIP about the refugees which are being resettled in the UK.
We hear why a crucial anti-snake venom vaccine will no longer be made...
And reveal who's singing the new Bond theme.
Presented by Martha Kearney.
TUE 13:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b4ly)
Episode 2
Fresh water is mysterious, springing up in unexpected places and vanishing just as quickly. Fresh water gives life, allows humans to settle and thrive. But it can also be dangerous - life-taking as well as life-giving. As a result, the folkloric creatures and spirits that are said to live within our rivers, streams and ponds are both kindly and threatening.
In the second episode of her five part series exploring the enduring relevance of the creatures of folklore that are traditionally said to have dwelt in the landscape of Great Britain, medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington visits Marden in Herefordshire. Walking along the peaceful River Lugg, Carolyne is accompanied by Sophia Kingshill who has a unique area of expertise - mermaids.
Standing by Marden Church, Sophia tells the tale of the Mermaid of Marden who is said to have stolen the church bell and dragged it down to the watery depths of the Lugg. We also hear the tales of mermaids who, when respected, offer pagan healing remedies, but who can be a malevolent force when challenged by the Christian beliefs of those on dry land.
Many folkloric creatures that live in British ponds and rivers appear in cautionary tales designed to keep children away from the water's edge. There's Peg Powler who pulls children to their watery doom and Jenny Greenteeth who lives amongst the weeds.
Carolyne explains that British folklore offers us a gendered imagining of water, feminine, refreshing and nurturing, but there's also horror and danger below the placid surface; the water-hag and her clutching fingers is never too far away.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b068tsvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b068w44s)
The Man Who Bit Mary Magdalene
David Jason stars as Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln in a comedy of secrets, sins, sex and sects - with Patsy Kensit, Robert Bathurst and Miles Jupp.
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln - the goodliest soul who ever lived, loved by princes and paupers alike - needs money to rebuild his beloved Lincoln Cathedral after it's destroyed in an earthquake. But funds are not forthcoming.
After a visitation from The Virgin Mother herself, he is shown the way to raise the much needed money - relics. She tells him of the relic of the arm bone of Mary Magdalene which lies at the abbey at Fécamp - a relic that will certainly bring pilgrims and cash to Lincoln.
But Hugh soon realises The Holy Mother may not be quite so holy as she appears, as she taunts him with an old sin that casts a very long shadow. The great man of faith is thrown into turmoil and it's only a weary, drunken old monk who can see Hugh's impending actions may destroy not only the abbey, but also one of the very foundations of Christianity.
Based on a thrilling true story, the themes and comedy are most definitely contemporary and Hugh's ultimate act is as shocking today as it was almost 1000 years ago.
A comedy to really sink your teeth into!
Historical Advisor: Sue Scott
Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (b068lsnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b068w44v)
Sounds of the Seas
How noisy is the underwater environment? Tom Heap dips beneath the surface to find out if man-made noise is affecting the marine life that lives below the waves.
Costing The Earth begins a new series with three programmes investigating the health of our oceans. The team tackles ocean acidification and how the UK plans to protect marine areas in its overseas territories but first Tom Heap delves into a mystery soundscape: one that exists underwater.
Scientists are only just beginning to study the complex noises coming from beneath the waves. All marine life depends on sound to communicate but in a world that is becoming increasingly loud, whales, dolphins, fish of all shapes and sizes, all the way down to molluscs and the smallest organisms are finding their voices lost in a sub-aqua world of rumbles and crunches from various man-made sources.
Presenter: Tom Heap
Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.
TUE 16:00 Writing a New South Africa (b0542zv2)
Cape Town: Place and Contested Space
Johannesburg-based poet Thabiso Mohare travels to Cape Town to meet a new generation of writers, poets and playwrights and look at the theme of place and contested space in their work and the history of the city. In a city dominated by the huge Table Mountain which still ensures a certain amount of segregation, he talks to Lauren Beukes, whose sci-fi visions of South African cities are internationally successful, playwright and novelist Nadia Davids about the undealt-with legacy of slavery in the city, and Thando Mgqolozana whose novels deal with a range of social issues. Thabiso explores the status of Afrikaans in the region among the younger generation now, with poet Toni Stuart and short story writer SJ Naude, uncovering the roots of a language that was appropriated as a tool of oppression but is still felt to be a language of struggle and resistance among the communities where it originated. And there is uncompromising work from Nathan Trantraal and Ronelda Kamfer.
In a three part series, poet Thabiso Mohare ('Afurakan'), looks at South Africa through the themes the post-apartheid generation of writers are choosing to engage with in their work. These authors, poets and playwrights are exploring the past and present, from apartheid's legacy to political corruption, and the chaos of the inner city; some are exorcising ghosts, and some tackling current issues, or looking to an imagined future. There is plenty to write about after the end of the struggle. Other outlets for storytelling too - poetry and spoken word events, plugging into older traditions - are supporting the flowering of a diversity of voices as hoped for when the political landscape changed so radically in 1994, with writers of all ethnicities pitching in to the fray. Radio 4 explores the range of voices now being heard, some of the challenges they face, and the picture they present.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b068w44x)
Series 37
Frances Crook on Barbara Castle
Prison reformer Frances Crook chooses campaigning Labour politician, Barbara Castle.
She was the reforming transport minister who couldn't drive, the childless woman who changed lives for mothers by paying Child Benefit directly to them, the passionate Labour cabinet minister who didn't become the first female Prime Minister but perhaps paved the way for the Conservative woman who did.
Matthew Parris explores the life of Barbara Castle with his guest Frances Crook, the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, and Roy Hattersley, who worked with Barbara Castle in the 1960s, is their expert witness.
Producer Christine Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
TUE 17:00 PM (b068w44z)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b068s1s7)
8/09/2015 Government says it could launch further drone strikes
Government says it could launch further drone strikes against militants in Syria. Germany says it can keep taking half-a-million refugees a year Man jailed for Buckley murder.
TUE 18:30 Mitch Benn Specials (b068xdrj)
Mitch Benn Has Left the Building
Elvis is one of the most impersonated men in history. But it's a surprising complex persona to inhabit.
Mitch Benn explores the man behind the phenomenon called 'Elvis'...
Humble Southern boy or bejewelled megalomaniac emperor?
Fearless rebel or gormless yes-man?
Pioneer and innovator or showbiz sell-out?
Rock and roll's greatest triumph or its most tragic waste?
From the early rock and roll years, to Mr. Presley post-army; food addiction; and his Las Vegas residency in THE SUIT...With a glorious mix of musical parodies and trivia, Mitch Benn is going to find out.
Written by and starring Mitch Benn.
Producer: Alexandra Smith/Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b068xdrl)
Jennifer's delighted that Phoebe is applying to Oxford and spreads the news around. Brian says she takes after Jennifer, who could have easily gone herself. Jenny has been researching the colleges. Meanwhile, Kate needs to talk to Brian about which plot of land he's giving her for her retreat business. There's an old stone barn down by the Am that wasn't affected by the flood - but she should speak to Adam. Kate and Lilian are planning a research trip to an alternative therapy centre in Borsetshire. Jennifer also reports that Roy and Kathy will be taking on the recruitment of a new health club manager at Grey Gables. Kate chooses her barn and Brian visits the herbal leys - he worries about a future of music festivals and tipis. Brian's not amused when Adam calls him a dinosaur.
Helen's a bit worried about the Bridge Farm shop seeming elitist, but Pat speaks up for their organic produce as Helen ponders Rob's idea to stock national brands and parrots his words about needing to make money. Helen's really missing Henry while he's at school - she wonders whether one of Henry's new friends might be affecting him (and his bed wetting). Pat remembers Helen's first day of school. Helen misses Henry so much and wants to protect him - the days seem so long and she thought she'd enjoy having time on her hands. At least you have Rob beside you, says Pat. Yes, he's great, says a sombre Helen.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b068xg84)
Woody Allen's Irrational Man, Richard Hawley, Mike Bartlett, The Chineke Orchestra
Woody Allen's latest film Irrational Man stars Joaquin Phoenix as a philosophy professor at a small New England college who enters into a relationship with a student, played by Emma Stone. Viv Groskop reviews.
Playwright Mike Bartlett, who wrote King Charles III, Bull, and Earthquakes in London for the stage, discusses his second foray into television writing - Doctor Foster. Starring Suranne Jones as the trusted GP who appears totally in control until her life changes for good when she begins to suspect her husband is having an affair.
Sheffield singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ex-Pulp band member Richard Hawley on how both nature and smart phones have inspired his lyrics, and the historic meaning behind the title of his new album, Hollow Meadows.
This Sunday the Africa Utopia festival in London sees the launch and first concert of the Chineke! Orchestra. It's the creation of the double bassist Chi-Chi Nwanoku and is the UK's first all-Black and Minority Ethnic classical symphony orchestra.
Presenter John Wilson
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b068tz6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b068xg86)
The Cost of a Cuppa
Tea is still the UK's favourite drink - but what's the human cost of a cuppa?
In the first of a new series of File on 4, Jane Deith reports from Assam on the plight of workers on tea plantations which help supply some of Britain's best known brands.
India is one of the largest tea producers in the world with an industry worth billions of pounds - but critics say pickers often have to endure long working hours and insanitary conditions, leading to poor health and high levels of maternal and infant mortality.
Producer: Sally Chesworth.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b068xg88)
Guide Dogs, When Hazel Met Elaine
Jayne George, Director of Fundraising and Marketing with Guide Dogs for the Blind, tells Peter White how the charity is responding to new research which reveals that members of the public often react to guide dogs in an inappropriate way, assuming that the dogs are the cleverer of the two in the partnership. GDBA want to demonstrate a shift in emphasis in their message to the public as to the true abilities of the dogs and remind people that the blind owner is the one in control and command of the partnership.
Almost a year ago, In Touch put Elaine Bastable in contact with Hazel Dudley, whom she had not since for some 60 years when Hazel (now blind) used to attend her Sunday School classes. Elaine is now losing her sight and has been helped and advised by Hazel since they were reunited. Peter visits Elaine at her home, along with Hazel, to see how they've been getting on. Hazel has advised Elaine on equipment, made her aware of Talking Newspapers and advised her how best to ask for help on a bus.
TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b068xg8b)
Aspirin and heart attacks, BPPV vertigo, Patronising language, Carpal tunnel sydrome, Osteoporosis treatment
Dr Mark Porter presents a programme devoted to questions from the listeners.
Dr Mike Knapton from the British Heart Foundation answers a question about whether aspirin can protect against a second heart attack.
A number of people asked about the treatment of vertigo. Vertigo is a symptom of a variety of conditions ranging from migraine and Meniere's, to strokes and tumours, but by far the most common is a condition called BPPV - benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It is caused by debris floating around in the fluid in the balance sensors of the inner ear and typically affects people over 40. And there is a relatively simple way to treat it called the Epley movement, which is much underused. Dr Louisa Murdin, consultant in vestibular and balance disorders at Guy's and St Thomas's hospitals in London, explained how she uses the technique.
Dr Margaret McCartney and Mark discuss why doctors sometimes use patronising language when talking to patients.
Carpal tunnel syndrome - which normally eventually affects both hands - is caused by pressure on the median nerve as it passes under the flexor retinaculum ligament at the wrist - close to where the clasp or buckle on your watch would sit. The classic story is pins and needles affecting the thumb side of the hand and sparing the little finger, and often worse during the early hours of the morning.
Dr Jeremy Bland, consultant in clinical neurophysiology at King's College Hospital London, and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, where he runs one of the few NHS clinics dedicated solely to carpal tunnel syndrome, explains why people wake up with symptoms and why wearing a splint can be helpful.
Osteoporosis features regularly in our in-box - particularly concerns about bisphosphonates, the gold standard treatment for the bone thinning condition. Every year in the UK around 300,000 people break a bone - such as a hip or wrist - following a relatively trivial injury because their bones are weaker than they should be. Most are middle aged and elderly.
Drugs like alendronate and etidronate are prescribed to make bones stronger after a fracture. Peter Selby, Professor of metabolic bone disease at the University of Manchester and a consultant at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, answers queries about how long these drugs should be taken.
TUE 21:30 The Long View (b068tz6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b068s1s9)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b068xg8d)
UN refugee agency says EU presiding over "dysfunctional and chaotic" asylum system.
We'll hear what forces people to flee from Syria
TUE 22:45 Tessa Hadley - The Past (b068xg8g)
Episode 2
The children make a discovery and seeing something she shouldn't, leaves Harriet disturbed.
Sian Thomas reads Tessa Hadley's powerful and haunting novel, a beautifully observed portrait of a family and the change wrought by time across the generations.
Three middle-aged sisters and a brother meet up in their grandparents' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. Under the idyllic surface, there are immediate tensions. Secrets, misunderstandings and passion play out as the characters shift and reappraise and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualised - winds down to its inevitable end.
While the siblings circle each other, and the adolescents approach each other, the children watch and come to their own conclusions.
Tessa Hadley is one of Britain's finest writers, an acute observer of character, time and place and the most published short story writer in the New Yorker in recent years.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
TUE 23:00 Gossip from the Garden Pond (b04hmrvc)
The Garden Spider and Great Pond Snail
The Garden Spider played by Amanda Root and the Great Pond Snail played by James Fleet, reveal the truth about life in a garden pond, in the last of three very funny tales, written and introduced by Lynne Truss, with sound recordings by Chris Watson and Tom Lawrence.
Hidden amongst the tall vegetation beside the pond the Garden Spider muses on her life. She suffers from arachnophobia. She note only dislikes, but fears the sight of herself; so much so that she only emerges under the cover of darkness to spin her web. She is not alone if finding her appearance quite hideous, she recalls a wasp who even as she wrapped him silk shuddered at the sight of her, rather than save his own life! Her musings are interrupted when she discovers another spider in her web; a visitor to the neighbourhood, a male, who instead of being frightened by her appearance finds her most attractive. Is her luck about to change?
The Great Pond Snail glides over the vegetation on his trail of slime, cleaning up as he goes. He's appalled when he sees evidence that another pond sail has not done the same. Great Pond Snails are excellent recyclers, even cleaning up their own waste matter. Our Snail takes great pleasure in this fact "But I'm not saying this makes us some sort of paragon. Just different". There's no getting away from it, he is self-righteous and judgmental but under the guise of political correctness. His only pleasure comes from slime. "My girlfriend used to say that my slime ropes were my best feature" he boasts. And on this subject, he has little time for the human race "All this modern talk of energy efficiency ... and you can't even be bothered to learn how to make slime". And don't get him started on sex and gender roles!
Producer Sarah Blunt.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b068xz0t)
Sean Curran and the BBC's parliamentary team report as ministers face pressure to increase the number of refugees they are prepared to take in. Labour says 4,000 a year "is not enough".
The Mayor of Calais tells MPs she is "disgusted" by David Cameron's response to the migrant crisis. The Hollywood star, Angelina Jolie Pitt, demands greater action to tackle the issue of sexual violence in conflicts.
And the Northern Ireland Secretary warns that a decision to change the welfare system in Northern Ireland could be taken at Westminster if the current standoff at Stormont cannot be resolved.
WEDNESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2015
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b068s1t4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b069b4lw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b068s1t6)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b068s1t8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b068s1tb)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b068s1td)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0694tgw)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b068vxv5)
Rural funding, Apprentice growers, Dairy inquiry and EU intervention
The Farming Minister fields MPs questions on the milk price crisis. Plus, analysis of the EU support package for the dairy industry. Also in the programme: the supermarket funding apprenticeships at its growers, and the funsing gap between urban and rural councils.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sarah Swadling.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwj9)
Shoebill
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the mysterious shoebill of Uganda. Reaching almost one and a quarter metres in height and looking like a hefty-looking blue-grey stork, ornithologists remain unsure which birds are their closest relatives. As its name suggests, the Shoebill's most outstanding feature, is its enormous clog-shaped bill. Up to 20cm long, half as wide and ending in a nail-like hook. They live in central and east African swamps where they feed on reptiles, fish, amphibians and even young crocodiles. Their bill is also useful in the baking heat of the African sun, when the adults scoop up beak-fulls of water and shower it over their chicks to help them keep cool.
WED 06:00 Today (b068vy0m)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b068s1zs)
Migration Special
The current crisis about refugees and asylum seekers hasn't erupted from nowhere: From Our Own Correspondent has been following migrant routes into Europe for years. Kate Adie introduces a selection of the programme's dispatches from correspondents who have met the migrants and heard their stories. Alan Johnson, at the quayside of a Sicilian port, and Nick Thorpe in Hungary examine the harsh economics of the migrants'' journeys; Diana Darke rejoins a Syrian friend who made it to Germany and Lina Sinjab describes some of the terrors driving Syrians from their homes; and Rob Cameron finds anti-migrant rhetoric on the rise in the Czech Republic.
WED 09:30 Four Thought (b068xjtl)
Cold Calling
Ian McDowell experiences misery working in a cold calling centre to raise money for charities and questions this method of fund-raising.
"How much of this do the charities, who spend millions of pounds every year on these dubious methods, really know, or want to know, about this sometimes sordid business? And why on earth should their supporters put up with it?"
Producer: Sheila Cook.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b069b5xj)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 3
Maggie Smith marries and wins her first major award.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b068vy0r)
Robert Winston and fertility treatment, The Hairy Bikers
Professor Robert Winston on how to navigate the world of fertility treatment.
Hairy Bikers Dave Myers and Si King Cook The Perfect Mexican steak salad and talk to Jenni about their new book, Meat Feasts, and BBC2 series Northern Exposure, which sees the bikers circumnavigating the Baltic Sea to learn about the local cuisines of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Plus, Queens of Crime - writers Sophie Hannah and Erin Kelly discuss Ruth Rendell's crime fiction and her famous Inspector Wexford mysteries.
And Women In Technology - we speak to Eileen Burbidge, one of London's most influential venture capitalists, who started her career working with many well-known technology companies in Silicon Valley
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Emma Wallace.
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b068vylm)
Prayers for the Stolen
Episode 3
Prayers For The Stolen 3/5
by Jennifer Clement
dramatised by Jeff Young
Inspired by true stories, this atmospheric drama follows 15 year old Ladydi Martinez in the mountain village of Guerrero, Nr. Acapulco, Mexico, where being a girl is a dangerous thing and mothers disguise them as sons, hiding them in holes in the ground as the drugs cartels scourge the town, looking for girls to steal.
Ladydi and Maria skip home from school but when they go into Ladydi's house, her mother drunk on beer and tequila, shoots Maria, mistaking her for one of the drugs cartel.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris
More Info:- A timely drama series, as drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has recently escaped a Mexican prison for the second time,. Guzman is considered by US authorities to be "the most powerful drug trafficker in the world." He is also cited as the 14th wealthiest person in the world. This lyrical and atmospheric drama explores the effects of drug trafficking through the perspective of a teenage girl, LadyDi.
The author, Jennifer Clement is American, was raised and lives in Mexico. She has been translated into 22 languages. She was awarded the NEA Fellowship for Literature for PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN. Clement was president of PEN Mexico during a time when Mexico became one of the most dangerous places in the world to practice journalism.
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b04pvp85)
Grace and Marie - Big Schools and Big Changes
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between eleven year olds in their first term at secondary school about the challenges of the transition to 'big school'.
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 Making Waves (b068ylrf)
Can we make better surfing waves than the wild ocean?
Marine biologist and writer Helen Scales loves surfing. She also describes it as an extreme form of delayed gratification, especially around the British coast. Nature does not make great surfing waves to order. Waiting for the perfect wave demands patience, a warm wet suit and a cool head (if somebody jumps the queue and steals your ride).
Helen goes in search of short cuts: aquatic engineering to make more and better breaks.
Her quest takes her to Boscombe, a seaside neighbourhood of Bournemouth. The council spent £3.2 million on an artificial surf reef, which was designed to boost the wave height and lengthen the ride duration of the surf there. Boscombe was already a spot known to the surfing folk of the Dorset coast but the artificial reef was going to make Boscombe a national surf destination. Unfortunately in 2010, the underwater construction (covering the area of a football field) failed to do the job and the surfing is, if anything, now worse where the reef lies. Helen talks to the surfing scientist who diagnosed the reef's ills and to local surfers for their take on the Boscombe reef. The final verdict is not as damning as you might think.
But Helen has to travel to the Basque Country in Spain to find what she's been looking for. She has the most exciting surf ride of her life in a man-made lagoon, the Wavegarden, in the foothills of the Cantabrian mountains, miles from the ocean. Over the last decade a company formed of surfing engineers has invented a machine which summons up two sizes of perfect surf waves every minute.
Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker.
WED 11:30 In and Out of the Kitchen (b068vymj)
Series 4
The Wedding
Damien recounts the events leading up to his marriage to long term partner Anthony, when not everything went exactly according to plan...
Starring:
Miles Jupp as Damien Trench
Justin Edwards as Anthony
Philip Fox as Ian Frobisher/Damien's Dad
Selina Cadell as Damien's Mum
Brendan Dempsey as Mr Mullaney
Jessica Turner as The Celebrant
and
David Acton as Gavin Fox
Producer was Sam Michell
WED 12:00 News Summary (b068s1tg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 Home Front (b06491k8)
9 September 1915 - Juliet Argent
When Juliet Argent sees her good friend Dorothea struggling to cope with impending motherhood, she has a brilliant idea.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
WED 12:15 You and Yours (b068xl1j)
Convenience stores, Everyday drinking, Older apprentices
More and more local grocery stores are opening in Britain, as shoppers move away from the weekly "big supermarket shop" to more regular trips to a convenience store. A new report says there are now more than 51,000 local grocery shops in Britain, with more opening every week. Most are independently owned and run, but the big supermarkets are keen to increase their share of an expanding market.
Think "apprentice" and you might naturally imagine a school leaver, taking their first steps into work. But increasing numbers of older people are now taking up apprenticeships. Over the last five years the number over 60 has risen fivefold and apprentices over 45 now make up ten per cent of the total.
After a recent edition of Call You & Yours, we were contacted by many listeners describing how their everyday social drinking had very gradually become a problem, often increasing slowly over the course of many years. We hear from one listener who feels unable to reduce her daily drinking and is concerned about the future effect on her health.
You & Yours has reported recently how charities and other organisations share the personal details of their donors and customers. There are concerns over whether enough care is being taken to ensure they have gained consent. We hear the experience of one listener as she follows the trail of her personal information from one organisation to the next.
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.
WED 12:57 Weather (b068s1tj)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b068vyt1)
The Queen becomes the longest serving British Monarch. We hear tributes from politicians, and ask what she means to the public.
The President of the EU has set out plans for compulsory quotas for countries to accept 160 000 refugees. His deputy tells us that Gulf states must do more to alleviate the situation, and that there will be no sanctions against states who refuse to take their quota.
Our MPs panel of Greg Clarke, Tristram Hunt and Stewart Hosie discuss the British response to the migrant crisis, and extended British military action in Syria.
WED 13:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b5xl)
Episode 3
Dark and foreboding, the dense woodland that once covered so much of Great Britain has always been populated with the creatures of folklore. In the third episode of her five part series exploring the enduring relevance of the folkloric creatures of the British landscape, medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington heads into the heart of an ancient forest in Windsor Great Park to seek them out.
Carolyne is joined on her walk by local storyteller and expert on Berkshire folktales, David England. As the pair venture deeper into the forest David tells the tale of Herne the Hunter. Herne is a mysterious figure. Once the king's head huntsman, he is gored to death by a raging stag. Brought back to life by a mysterious sorcerer, but robbed of his skill as a huntsman thanks to the dirty dealings of a horde of jealous hunters, Herne eventually hangs himself from an oak in the Windsor woods. According to local folklore, Herne still rides through Windsor Great Park with a pair of antlers upon his head, accompanied by a hunt made up of all those who wronged him.
This tradition of a 'wild hunt' has roots in earlier folkloric traditions. In the Anglo Saxon world, Woden the storm god leads a host of spectral huntsmen, and in Wales an underworld figure called Gwyn ap Nudd is said to be followed by a hunt that includes a pack of white hounds with red eyes and ears.
Carolyne argues that, while we've lost much of our medieval woodland, the forest still arouses a primeval sense of awe and terror. The woods are where we imagine the terrifying, the alluring and the uncivilised to range freely, inviting us to shed our city identities and return to a more instinctual way of being.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b068xdrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 The Interrogation (b068vyt3)
Series 4
Riz
DCI Matthews and DS Armitage are getting back into the swim after Sean's return to work. An American movie actor living in London is burgled, but the details of the case don't seem to add up. Riz's story.
DCI Max Matthews ..... Kenneth Cranham
DS Sean Armitage ..... Alex Lanipekun
Riz ..... Nabil Elouahabi
Tara ..... Joanna Horton
Derek ..... Chris Pavlo
Reporter ..... Stephen Critchlow
Director ..... Mary Peate
Writer .... Roy Williams
WED 15:00 Money Box (b068w1h0)
Money Box Live: The Bank Impersonators
How do criminals posing as your bank gain access to your cash? 'Vishing', where fraudsters make a telephone call and pretend to be a bank representative is now the most common type of phone scam. £23.6m was stolen in this way last year and over 70% of victims do not get their money back say the Financial Ombudsman Service.
So how do criminals convince us to reveal closely guarded personal details or transfer our personal savings to them?
On today's programme we'll expose the techniques, manipulation and pressures used by such criminals.
Joining presenter Paul Lewis with tips on how to beat the fraudsters and protect your identity will be:
DCI Matt Bradford, City of London Police/Action Fraud.
Terry Lawson, Head of Fraud, RBS.
Ed Wallace, MWR Info Security.
Stephen Lea, Professor of Psychology, University of Exeter.
Has this happened to you? If you have questions about fraud or experiences you'd like to share, call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (b068xg8b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Inconspicuous Consumption (b05n1dnx)
Series 1
26/03/2015
Jack Monroe delves into cupboards and kitchen cabinets to find out how we consume and care about our crockery.
This is no trivial matter. Tableware is the result of a negotiation involving your household rituals, attitudes to food and aesthetics. The relationship between cup and lip can get obsessional. It's a delicate subject and one which, as Jack discovers, goes deeper than you might imagine.
She talks to people at home in kitchens, in restaurants and in warehouses. She speaks to one man who lives in his car about his experiments with tableware when he doesn't actually have a table, and learns how the choices we make about our crockery and the way we treat it can offer vital clues to the health of a marriage.
Jack also hears how one woman turned her addiction to vintage crockery into a business venture, and meets the ceramicist Alison Britton who prefers to drink tea from a white cup.
Children are conditioned to tableware sensibility from the word go - the reward for eating it all up is the picture at the bottom of the bowl. Some stuff is too good to eat from - but in Greece they ritually smash their plates on the most important occasions. Why?
And then there's the office mug collection and the tense negotiations of personality and status - as Jack, who remembers days in the emergency services, knows only too well.
Producer: Sarah Cuddon
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b068xjtb)
BBC plans, IPSO, X Factor
The BBC outlined its vision this week for a more open and more distinctive BBC that would involve working more closely with arts and science institutions and local news services. Steve Hewlett hears from the BBC's Director of Strategy James Purnell about the plans.
A year after the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) was set up, a survey for the pressure group Hacked Off found over sixty percent of people lacked confidence in the regulator, which is backed by the majority of the UK's major newspaper publishers. A letter in this week's Guardian signed by eleven people who had taken a complaint to IPSO denounced the regulator as a sham body. Steve speaks to Evan Harris, Joint Executive Director Hacked Off, about its concerns, and to Matt Tee, Chief Executive of IPSO, about the criticisms, and gets his reflections on the last year and what's next for the regulator.
The X Factor has been criticised for scouting for contestants with a pre-existing professional pedigree rather than relying solely on genuine walk-in applicants. The show has also come under attack for contestants giving humble back stories, like this week's "I work on a farm", that do not reflect their true previous success in showbiz. So has the well of UK talent dried up? Should the X Factor format be put out of its misery? Is the audience too jaded, too cynical and too small to care anyway? Steve hears from Kevin O'Sullivan, the Sunday Mirror's TV columnist.
Producer: Dianne McGregor.
WED 17:00 PM (b068xjtd)
News interviews, context and analysis.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b068s1tl)
The Queen has become the longest reigning monarch in British history. Politicians from all sides have paid tribute to her dedication and sense of duty.
WED 18:30 That Mitchell and Webb Sound (b03k0s5j)
Series 5
Episode 2
The real point of owning a cat and a culture clash at the Proms.
Comedy from the lopsided world of David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
With Olivia Colman and James Bachman.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b068xjtg)
Jill, Carol and Bert look forward to the Flower and Produce show. Carol suggests a new category - wild flower arranging. Jill talks of Autumn and new beginnings - and worries that she has upset Bert. Carol notices that Jill has gone quiet. Jill admits it's those blessed Fairbrother boys - and the reminder of Grace and Jill and Phil's time at Hollowtree. Jill feels a stupid old woman.
Pip and David deliver a calf together and share a joke about Adam and Brian (the 'dinosaur'). David's surprised to see Ruth. Home from Prudhoe, Ruth becomes tearful, as David hadn't responded to her messages (flat phone battery) or seen her car in the yard. They're worried, but Ruth says she's just happy to be home - Prudhoe and Heather are clearly taking their toll. Ruth updates Jill - there are so many memories at her mum's house and the clearance is a slow business. Ruth really appreciates what Jill is doing for them in moving out. Discussing the loan for Kenton and Jolene, Ruth's surprised to find out that she and David are offering the lion's share. Confronting David over this, and also the new cow tracks - and Pip's stubble turnips and Welsh sheep, Ruth feels her opinions at Brookfield count for nothing.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b068xl1l)
Salman Rushdie, Pasolini, Cyndi Lauper
Samira Ahmed talks to Salman Rushdie about his new novel, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights, set in New York in the future.
Cyndi Lauper on writing the score for the Tony award winning musical Kinky Boots, based on the true story of the Northampton factory that began making shoes for drag queens.
Jenny McCartney reviews the film Pasolini, starring William Dafoe as the controversial Italian film-maker in his final days.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b068vylm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 The Migration Dilemma (b06cyg33)
As the migration crisis intensifies, Edward Stourton hosts a live debate which looks beyond the harrowing daily headlines to ask what it really means for Britain and the rest of Europe. Cutting through familiar polarised positions, a panel of experts place the current situation within its proper historical context and assess the moral obligations that face the UK. And if this is just the start of seismic population shifts, what are the long-term implications?
Producers: Jim Frank and Lucy Proctor.
WED 21:15 Drama (b06c0ch5)
Our Sea
Ronan Bennett drama about the desperate migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. Mahmoud, Yasser, Shaibul, Marwan and Letebrhane share their experiences as they fight for their lives hours after their boat is sank by traffickers. Lindsay Duncan and Stephen Rea star.
Ronan Bennett is a novelist and screenwriter who was born and brought up in Northern Ireland and now lives in London. His third novel, 'The Catastrophist' was nominated for the Whitbread award in 1998. 'Havoc, in Its Third Year' (2004) was listed for the Booker prize. His latest novel is 'Zugzwang'. His screen credits include the BBC series' '10 Days to War' and 'Hidden', as well as 'Top Boy' and 'Public Enemies'.
Writer ..... Ronan Bennett
Director ..... Stephen Wright
Producer ..... Jenny Thompson.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b068xjtn)
Europe must take in more migrants, says head of the EU Commission.
Commission president Juncker appeals for humane, dignified and fair response to influx
WED 22:45 Tessa Hadley - The Past (b068xjtq)
Episode 3
Pilar confides in Harriet and Kasim finds the children useful allies in his romantic campaign.
Sian Thomas reads Tessa Hadley's powerful and haunting novel, a beautifully observed portrait of a family and the change wrought by time across the generations.
Three middle-aged sisters and a brother meet up in their grandparents' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. Under the idyllic surface, there are immediate tensions. Secrets, misunderstandings and passion play out as the characters shift and reappraise and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualised - winds down to its inevitable end.
While the siblings circle each other, and the adolescents approach each other, the children watch and come to their own conclusions.
Tessa Hadley is one of Britain's finest writers, an acute observer of character, time and place and the most published short story writer in the New Yorker in recent years.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
WED 23:00 Elvis McGonagall Takes a Look on the Bright Side (b068xjts)
Series 2
The State of the Arts
Elvis is struggling to make ends meet and his dog Trouble likes meat. To add insult to injury everybody wants a struggling poet to work for free these days. Should he compromise himself artistically? Would anybody notice? Or should he diversify? Even if it means working for local wheeler dealer Mr. Szczypkowsky?
Elvis McGonagall's daft comic world of poems, mad sketches, satire and facetious remarks broadcast from his home in the Graceland Caravan Park just outside Dundee.
Elvis MacGonagall ...... Richard Smith
Narrator ...... Clarke Peters
Susan ...... Susan Morrison
Dexter Clarke ...... Roger Lloyd Thompson
With Lewis MacLeod and Gabriel Quigley.
Written by Elvis McGonagall with Helen Braunholtz-Smith and Frank Stirling.
Director: Frank Stirling
A Unique Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2015.
WED 23:15 The Lach Chronicles (b036vvrx)
Series 1
The Night Dylan Came
Lach was the King of Manhattan's East Village and host of the longest running open mic night in New York.
He now lives in Scotland and finds himself back at square one, playing in a dive bar on the wrong side of Edinburgh. His night, held in various venues around New York, was called the Antihoot.
He played host to Suzanne Vega, Jeff Buckley and many others, he discovered and nurtured lots of talent - including Beck, Regina Spektor and the Moldy Peaches - but nobody discovered him.
Many people came to see him in New York and, in this episode, Lach remembers the night Bob Dylan arrived.
Written and performed by Lach
Sound design: Al Lorraine and Sean Kerwin
Producer: Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b068xjtv)
Susan Hulme reports on the first PMQs since July, and the tributes paid by MPs and Peers to the Queen. Also in the programme: opposition parties join forces to pressure the Government into accepting more people fleeing Syria, and the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says air strikes in that country were the logical next step. Editor: Rachel Byrne.
THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2015
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b068s1vf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b069b5xj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b068s1vh)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b068s1vk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b068s1vm)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b068s1vp)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b068xlbj)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b068xlbl)
Women in dairy, TB research, How to compare rams
At a challenging time to be a dairy farmer Farming Today hears from women in the industry who are working to improve the situation. We joined ninety women from across England at the first ever 'Women in Dairy' conference. One of the co-founders, Becky Miles, says that women are an 'untapped resource' and too often are left out of business opportunities.
According to new research from Queen Mary University in London, to eradicate TB in cattle, England should adopt the approaches being used in Wales and Scotland. Rather than culling badgers they believe there should be more frequent, risk-based cattle testing. We hear how the researchers used publicly available figures to study how effective different strategies are in controlling the spread of bovine TB.
And what makes a good ram? Choosing the right one is very important, so to help farmers in their choice, the Ram Compare Project is being launched this autumn to compare the traits of five of the leading breeds of sheep in the UK.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sophie Anton.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwkp)
Swainson's Hawk
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the North American Swainson's hawk. About the size of the European buzzard, Swainson's hawks are dark-brown birds, rusty brown on the chest and white on the belly, and a familiar sight across open farmland and prairies of western North America where they soar effortlessly in search in prey. Most winter in South America, this epic round-trip of around 20,000 kilometres is probably the longest regular migration made by any American bird of prey. When they reach their wintering grounds they switch diet. In North America they feed mainly on mammals, but in South America, they gather in flocks to hunt dragonflies and grasshoppers in the vast pampas plains.
THU 06:00 Today (b068xnlw)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 Keir Hardie: Labour's First Leader (b068xnly)
Gordon Brown first learned about Keir Hardie whilst an undergraduate at Edinburgh University. Lying in hospital, temporarily blinded, he listened to tapes sent by Hardie's biographer, Fred Reid. Now Gordon goes on a personal journey to trace Hardie's footsteps from the shipyards of Govan to Lanarkshire mining villages. On the journey he attempts to understand how Hardie, an illegitimate child, brought up in dire poverty and with no formal schooling, who was down the mines by the age of 10, became the first leader of the Labour Party.
Visiting the church Hardie joined in Hamilton, a town where Gordon's own father was a minister, he explores the influence of Christianity and temperance on Hardie's political development. Arriving at Hardie's final home in Cumnock, Brown concludes it was his moral outrage at the poverty, hypocrisy and injustice he experienced in early life, followed by his conversion to socialism whilst working as a union agent, that convinced Hardie of the need for a new party to represent working people in Parliament.
THU 09:30 A Wonderful Way to Make a Living (b00d74s5)
Series 2
Gondolier
American humourist Joe Queenan travels to Venice in search of entertaining characters in niche careers. There he meets a lawyer who retrained as a gondolier - Giovanni Giudice was tired of profiting from other people's problems and wanted to make them smile instead.
The producer is Miles Warde.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b069b5yy)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 4
Maggie Smith’s film career blossoms.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This new biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles such as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b068xnm0)
Catholic divorce, women in tech, depression
Pope Francis has announced he is making it easier for Catholic's to annul marriages but how much is his 'vision' making a difference to the lives of Catholic women?
As part of our week long 'Women in Tech' series we hear from Rita Bourma about her role as a User Experience Designer at Net-a-porter, and Vanessa Vallely examines her 25 year career from the early days of Microsoft to running WeAreTheCity.com.
Psychiatrist, Dr Linda Gask, discusses her new memoir 'The Other Side of Silence', looking at how being an expert in mental health doesn't mean you're protected from facing your own psychological problems.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b068xnm2)
Prayers for the Stolen
Episode 4
Prayers For The Stolen 4/5
by Jennifer Clement
dramatised by Jeff Young
Inspired by true stories, this atmospheric drama follows 15 year old Ladydi Martinez in the mountain village of Guerrero, Nr. Acapulco, Mexico, where being a girl is a dangerous thing and mothers disguise them as sons, hiding them in holes in the ground as the drugs cartels scourge the town, looking for girls to steal. Paula's brother Mike drives LadyDi to Acapulco where she will work as a servant to a rich family. Halfway there Mike turns off down a dirt track, parks up outside a shack and locks her in the car. When he returns he hands her a plastic bag and tells her to look after it until he collects it. Life changes forever for LadyDi.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b068xnm4)
Paraguay's Schoolgirl Mothers
In April, the case of a 10 year old girl who became pregnant after her step-father raped her became front-page news in Paraguay, and across Latin America. Abortion is legal in this small South American nation only if the mother's life is deemed to be in danger. In this case, the authorities ruled there was no threat to the girl, and the pregnancy continued. But this isn't a one-off example of children getting pregnant: more than 700 girls aged 14 and under gave birth in 2014. That's more or less two a day.
The 10 year old's pregnancy spawned a series of demonstrations and huge debate: about abortion, sex education, and the failure of the criminal justice system to prosecute the perpetrators of the abuse of children.
For Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly meets some of the schoolgirl mothers, and explores the reasons why Paraguayan girls are especially vulnerable to abuse. Why are families, the state and the law failing to protect them?
THU 11:30 Too Much Fighting on the Dance Floor (b068xrkt)
Why was British music in the late 1970's and early 80's so tribal and so violent? If going to a musical gig now is about having fun and enjoying a "party" atmosphere, it used to be very different. It was an era when music was taken very seriously. For many, it defined who you were. Writer Paul Morley says: "Back then the music you liked was a matter of life and death."
It was common for musical differences to end in violence. Peter Hook, of Joy Division and then New Order, says "There were riots all the time at gigs."
And it was a time when politics played a much more prominent role in popular culture. Neville Staple of Two-Tone group, The Specials, recalls the havoc caused by the far right National Front. "We used to get a lot of conflict at our gigs ...we always used to get the NF," he says.
Adrian Goldberg looks back at a culture divided by haircuts, clothes, class and politics. What did this tribalism say about Britain then?
The programme includes contributors from Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order; Peter Hooton from The Farm; Pauline Black of Selecter; Neville Staple of the Specials; Clare Grogan of Altered Images plus music journalists Paul Morley, ex New Musical Express and Garry Bushell of Sounds. It also has a stellar soundtrack from the era.
Producer: Jim Frank.
THU 12:00 News Summary (b068s1vr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 Home Front (b06491kb)
10 September 1915 - Maggie Macknade
Maggie Macknade is the only person in her household who seems to understand the dangers of harbouring a deserter.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
THU 12:15 You and Yours (b0694xql)
Tracksuits, Nuisance calls, Morrisons' results
The supermarket chain Morrison's is selling off its chain of convenience stores. Now the UK's fourth largest supermarket tells us how their business has been doing lately. Has the new Chief Executive managed to turn around their fortunes?
Earlier this year the government promised a crackdown on nuisance calls. We find out whether the measures put in place are protecting the people they are intended to help and hear from a family struggling to protect their 83 year old mother from cold calls.
Winifred Robinson talks to a youngster with health care needs who found the services she needs fell away when she turned 18, as sometimes children's services stop before the adult equivalent starts. Today, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - NICE - has published draft guidelines aimed at helping people to make the transition from child to adult services. Would it have have helped her?
And the rise and rise of sports luxe. That's tracksuits to most of us. But there isn't a shell suit in sight....
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Olive Clancy.
THU 12:57 Weather (b068s1vt)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b0694xqn)
As the Labour Leadership ballot closes we hear from members who experienced problems receiving their ballots, one of whom was not able to vote. London Mayoral Candidate David Lammy tells us that many supporters will be very upset and calls for an inquiry into the process.
As up to 5 000 people mass on the border trying to cross into Hungary, our reporter who is making the same journey explains the route, and the conditions migrants have been experiencing. A people smuggler who charges up to 1200 euros per person to guide people across the border tells us that the plan set out by the EU yesterday to address the refugee crisis will make no difference to his trade.
With reports of an increasing Russian military presence in Syria, our Arab Affairs Editor examines the international players in the Syrian civil war.
Scientists have discovered the remains of a new human-like species that buried it's dead, and was capable of ritualistic behaviour.
And as the latest in our WATO at 50 series, the Chief Executive of the Premier League explains the worldwide appeal of the League.
THU 13:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b60w)
Episode 4
The fourth episode of medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington's series exploring the enduring relevance of the creatures of British folklore. On the Orkney isles, local storyteller Lynn Barbour is on hand to recount folktales filled with the mysterious beings that are said to live in the sea and on the shore.
Gazing out to sea, Carolyne spies a seal in the bay. Lynn explains that grey seals, known locally as selkies, play an important role in Orkney folklore. It is said that selkies shed their skins and come on land in human form. The selkies are known to have relationships with humans, but these often end badly.
Lynn tells the tale of the Selkie of Wastness in which a man steals a selkie maiden's skin and persuades her to become his wife. We also hear the story of the Selkie of Sule Skerry which features a lonely wife forming a relationship with a selkie man in her husband's absence. The couple have a selkie child, but when the husband returns he kills both the child and the selkie man while hunting.
And there are tales of the Sea Trow, with their faces like monkeys made of jellyfish and the Muckle Mester Stoorworm, a great serpent that once spat out its teeth which formed the Orkney isles. With the sea lapping in the background, Lynn describes the Finn-men who live in a watery city down in the depths of the sea and beckon sailors to join them.
Carolyne explains that these local tales examine the boundary between sea and shore. In Orkney, there are possibilities to cross that boundary close at hand, but the stories warn that you do so at your peril.
Transformation, tragedy, desire and despair mark these tales of sea and shore.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b068xjtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b068xwlx)
See
Drama: See by Katharine Way
Cassie has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. She falls in love with Danny and moves in with him. The problem is Danny has a protective older brother who thinks Cassie is faking her disability. A psychological thriller about sight and perception.
Director/Producer Gary Brown.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b068xwlz)
The Naze in Essex
The quiet seaside town of Walton-on-the-Naze in the north-east corner of Essex lies at the end of the 'Essex Sunshine Coast' train line, after its neighbours Frinton-on-Sea and Clacton-on-Sea. If you walk along the seafront, past the pier and sandy beaches to the north of the town, you reach the headland of the Naze, where the land comes to an abrupt end by rugged cliffs and dissolves into flat watery creeks.
Helen Mark is here to explore the unique heritage, geology, and ecology of the Naze and meet those involved with its conservation and restoration. The prominent feature of the headland is the 18th century navigational tower, which stands on top of fossil bearing cliffs that are internationally recognised for their geological value. Behind that lies the watery world of Hamford Water, an important reserve for plants and wildlife, and the setting and inspiration for the 8th book in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series, the aptly named Secret Water. Helen also hears about the connection between Walton-on-the-Naze and the pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, whose ships were moored off the coast in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Presenter: Helen Mark
Producer: Sophie Anton.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b068s44m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (b068sjpd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b068xwm1)
Pasolini by Ferrara, How to Change the World, Music for robots
With Francine Stock.
Controversial director Abel Ferrara takes on the life and death of controversial director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was murdered 40 years ago, sparking rumours of political assassination.
Jerry Rothwell discusses his documentary about the early years of Greenpeace featuring never before seen footage of early confrontations with whaling boats.
Neil Brand explains how film music for robots has evolved from avant-garde electronica to show tunes from Hello Dolly.
Set decorator Liz Griffiths explains how she found the tools to kill zombies in Shaun Of The Dead in her dad's shed.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b068xwm3)
Homo Naledi, New spacesuit, Quantum biology, A possible cure for motion sickness
Tracey Logan talks to Professor Chris Stringer about the discovery a new human ancestor, Homo Naledi. With ape and human like features its age isn't known yet but could it be evidence of the origin of the genus homo? Astronauts' spines can elongate as much as 7 centimetres in space because of the loss of gravity potentially causing severe back problems. Tracey talks to David Green from Kings College, London about a new elastic suit he has helped develop to mimic the effects of gravity. What exactly is quantum biology? Marnie Chesterton talks to Jim Al Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden authors of 'Life on the Edge, The coming of age of Quantum Biology which is short-listed for the Royal Society Winton Book prize. Tracey meets Dr Qadeer Arshad at Charing Cross hospital to try a new potential cure for sea sickness. By applying an electric current to the scalp is it possible to prevent the symptoms of nausea? A limited number of tickets for Write on Kew are available by emailing writeonkew@kew.org with BBC Inside Science in the subject line.
THU 17:00 PM (b068xwm5)
News interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b068s1vw)
A crisis for power-sharing in Northern Ireland after the First Minister, Peter Robinson, resigns.
THU 18:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b068xwm7)
Coding Special
The Museum's Steering Committee discusses computers made with dominoes, praises the mother of all computer programs and reveals that the first computer bug was actually a moth.
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his newest new curator Sarah Millican welcome:
- Matt Parker, who left Australia to teach maths in the UK before joining the Festival of the Spoken Nerd comedy group. He is a regular on Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage, presents the Discovery Channel's You Have Been Warned and has shown off his Rubik's Cube skills on CBBC's How to Be Epic at Everything. His latest book Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension explores such topics as the fairest way to cut a pizza and the most efficient way to tie your shoelaces. Matt's favourite numbers are 496, 3,435 and 2,025.
- Eben Upton, who in 2006 conceived the idea of the Raspberry Pi, a credit-card sized fully-programmable computer that went on sale in 2011 and has since sold more than 5 million, becoming the fastest-selling British personal computer in history. MIT has since named him one of the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35 and he has been awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal.
- Sydney Padua, a Canadian graphic novelist and animator and who has worked on blockbuster movies such as The Illusionist, Clash of the Titans and John Carter as well as teaching at the Animation Workshop in Denmark and at the University of Middlesex. Most recently she has written and illustrated The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, a New York Times bestselling graphic novel in which 19th century computer pioneers Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage build a vast mechanical computer - and use it to fight crime for Queen Victoria.
Researchers: Anne Miller and Stevyn Colgan of QI.
Producers: Richard Turner and James Harkin
A BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b068xwm9)
Rex is chuffed that Elizabeth has agreed to meet him - he'll make her an offer she can't refuse with his geese. Noting the absence of Toby (again - rugby training) Rex notices Pip's lovely necklace - it's from her Granny Heather. Pip can't get her head around Heather being so poorly. Kenton approaches and Pip makes herself scarce. Kenton says he's looking for inspiration from the past - he grew up here at Hollowtree. But there doesn't seem to be anything here for him now.
Ruth doesn't know where she belongs, being pulled in different directions and feeling that Heather's a shadow of her old self. Ruth admits that whilst she supports Pip, Pip and David seem so tight together - they don't need Ruth. Usha assures Ruth they do - and so do Ben and Josh. She must keep talking to David.
Ruth chats to Jolene, who remembers her own nana coming to stay when she was 14 - they discuss the experience of mothering your own mother, as Jolene's Mum had to.
With David at an NFU meeting to discuss milk prices, Pip makes an effort for Ruth, cooking dinner for just the two of them. Ruth's very grateful.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b0694zdl)
David Gilmour, An Inspector Calls, La Famille Bélier, Future Conditional
It's nearly fifty years since David Gilmour was invited to join the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. He went on to be the co-writer, vocalist and lead guitarist on some of their most famous albums including Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You were Here and The Wall. In that time he has also made three solo albums, the last of which marked a closer collaboration with his wife, the novelist and lyricist Polly Samson. Kirsty meets up with them both at rehearsals for David's new tour.
J. B. Priestley's three-act drama An Inspector Calls was first performed in 1945 in the then Soviet Union before making it onto a UK stage the following year. Since then it has spawned many productions for both stage and screen - with performances from the likes of Ralph Richardson, Alastair Sim, and Tom Mannion as Inspector Goole. As a new adaptation is set to hit our television screens - with David Thewlis taking the lead role - the critic David Benedict takes a look at how it compares to previous productions.
The French film La Famille Bélier is a comedy-drama and tells the story of a deaf family with a hearing daughter who has a talent for singing. Filmmaker William Mager reviews.
The Old Vic's first new programme of work, with Kevin Spacey's replacement Matthew Warchus, kicks off with a new play called Future Conditional. Both he and playwright Tamsin Oglesby discuss starting the season with a play about the British schooling system.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b068xnm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b068xx7m)
The Ambridge Price of Milk
What has The Archers got to do with the price of milk? Lesley Curwen looks at the present crisis in dairy farming through the prism of the long-running Radio 4 soap opera, "The Archers" and talks to the man behind the agricultural storyline, Graham Harvey.
Along with archive from the drama and interviews with today's farmers, she looks at the milk industry and its increasing exposure to volatile global markets.
Producer: Smita Patel.
THU 20:30 In Business (b068xx7p)
Steinway
For more than 150 years, Steinway and Sons have been building handmade pianos to please the ear of the most discerning musicians. Their sound fills concert halls around the world. Why? Is it simply because they're the best; the best marketed or is there another reason?
Peter Day visits one of Steinway's two factories, in Astoria New York, to find out what gives this instrument its prized status in the concert world and ask if this once family owned firm can keep its place on the world stage.
Producer:
Sandra Kanthal.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b068xwm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 Keir Hardie: Labour's First Leader (b068xnly)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b068xx7r)
Northern Ireland's power sharing government is close to collapse.
First Minister and most Democratic Unionists resign in row about murder linked to IRA.
THU 22:45 Tessa Hadley - The Past (b068xx7t)
Episode 4
Ivy loses her temper and keeps her secret close and Kasim repays Alice with a joke.
Sian Thomas reads Tessa Hadley's powerful and haunting novel, a beautifully observed portrait of a family and the change wrought by time across the generations.
Three middle-aged sisters and a brother meet up in their grandparents' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. Under the idyllic surface, there are immediate tensions. Secrets, misunderstandings and passion play out as the characters shift and reappraise and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualised - winds down to its inevitable end.
While the siblings circle each other, and the adolescents approach each other, the children watch and come to their own conclusions.
Tessa Hadley is one of Britain's finest writers, an acute observer of character, time and place and the most published short story writer in the New Yorker in recent years.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
THU 23:00 Richard Marsh (b068xyz6)
Cardboard Heart
New Job
Award-winning writer and poet Richard Marsh stars alongside Russell Tovey, Phil Daniels and Rebecca Scroggs in this heart-warming sitcom set in a greetings card company.
In this opening episode, the gang battle for promotion. Will tries to make himself the model candidate and takes to the streets to learn what the public really want when it comes to greetings cards - but he finds that all he really wants to do is make himself the model candidate for the attractive woman he meets.
Richard Marsh plays Will, a hapless romantic who's keen to find love and an aspiring writer with a 9 to 5 job writing poetry at a greetings card company.
Will shares an office with Goadsby (Rebecca Scroggs), who's responsible for the card artwork and being Will's nemesis, Colin (Sam Troughton), the firm's safety and survival-obsessed accountant, and charming renegade salesman Beast (Russell Tovey). Phil Daniels plays Rog, their roguish boss.
Paid to express heartfelt emotions for people he will never meet, Will consistently fails to express himself properly to anyone he does meet. Every social interaction is a minefield for Will. In his head, he knows exactly what to say but the minute he opens his mouth, it's a disaster. Luckily for you, Will shares his inner thoughts with the audience.
Written and created by Richard Marsh.
Director: Pia Furtado
Producer: Ben Worsfield
A Lucky Giant production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b068xyz8)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster on the emerging political crisis in Northern Ireland.
FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2015
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b068s1x0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b069b5yy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b068s1x2)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b068s1x4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b068s1x6)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b068s1x8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0694zx2)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b0694zx4)
Badger Cull Rules, Tip Top Tups, Forests of the Future
Rule changes could ease the way for more badger culls to go ahead in England next year. Plus, the breeder who sold one of his pedigree rams, 'Vicious Sid', for £152,000 and who hopes to repeat his success at this Autumn's sales. And, what will the forests of the future look like?
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sarah Swadling.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwbt)
African Southern Ground Hornbill
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the African Southern Ground hornbill. Ground hornbills live in south and south-east Africa. They're glossy black birds, as big as turkeys with huge downward-curving bills. The bird produces a deep booming sound that reverberates over long distances, sometimes as much as 5 kilometres, across its grassy habitat. Preferring to walk rather than fly, they strut about in the long grass, searching for prey. Snakes are a favourite: even deadly puff adders are no match for the birds' bludgeoning beaks.
FRI 06:00 Today (b0694zx6)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b069gvl5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b069b674)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 5
Maggie Smith joins the cast of TV’s Downton Abbey.
Peter Firth concludes Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0694zx8)
Ysanne Churchman/Grace Archer, Charlotte Proudman
Ysanne Churchman, now 90, remembers playing the role of Grace Archer in 'The Archers' and her shocking death in a fire 60 years ago heard by 20 million listeners.
Barrister, Charlotte Proudman sent a LinkedIn invitation to a senior partner at a law firm who responded by commenting on her "stunning" profile picture. Louise Pennington, feminist writer and activist and Belinda Brown, Honorary Research Fellow at UCL and writer for 'Conservative Woman', debate what Charlotte did next.
We continue our Women in Tech, series with a discussion between Eugenie von Tunzelmann and Sheila Wickens about working in visual effects. And Marieme Jamme, tech activist and entrepreneur tells Jane how she focusses on STEM to empower her fellow Africans through education, mentoring, and economic development.
Presenter : Jane Garvey
Producer : Kirsty Starkey.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b068yc88)
Prayers for the Stolen
Episode 5
Prayers For The Stolen 5/5
by Jennifer Clement
dramatised by Jeff Young
Inspired by true stories, this atmospheric drama follows teenager Ladydi Martinez in the mountain village of Guerrero, Nr. Acapulco, Mexico, where being a girl is a dangerous thing and mothers disguise them as sons, hiding them in holes in the ground as the drugs cartels scourge the town, looking for girls to steal.
LadyDi is in Mexico City in prison for a crime she did not commit.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris
More Info:- A timely drama series, as drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has recently escaped a Mexican prison for the second time,. Guzman is considered by US authorities to be "the most powerful drug trafficker in the world." He is also cited as the 14th wealthiest person in the world. This lyrical and atmospheric drama explores the effects of drug trafficking through the perspective of a teenage girl, LadyDi.
FRI 11:00 Ginny in the Hut (b068yc8d)
Virginia Fiennes, first wife of explorer Sir Ranulph, is remembered by friends and family, and through the recordings she kept during the expedition that made her husband famous.
She sat alone for months in a 10 foot hut under the snow, with only her dog, Bothie, for company.
For much of the duration of her husband's Transglobe expedition, the first circumpolar journey from pole to pole, Ginny Fiennes recorded the strange ethereal sounds coming in from Newfoundland.
However, as Base Commander and radio operator for the expedition, she communicated with Ranulph and his team out on the ice, relaying news from the world, updating sponsors at home of their progress and always listening out for mayday signals.
The recordings she made during that three year expedition have never been heard. Now, ten years after her death, Sir Ranulph listens to them for the first time.
Producer: Emma Colman
A Kati Whitaker production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Sisters (b068yc8j)
Series 1
Wedding Anniversary
It’s the 10th anniversary of Fiona's disastrous wedding but, as with previous years, she refuses to confront the pain of being jilted and instead gets very drunk.
Susan decides this denial has gone on long enough and sets about trying to help her come to terms with it by staging an unusual re-enactment.
As she ropes Blake in to help, it becomes clear that Susan's methods of healing aren't exactly conventional and the cats in bow ties, a greased mannequin and a cleaner who takes her role as seductress very seriously all push Fiona to the limits of what she can cope with.
Written by Susan Calman
Starring: Susan Calman, Ashley Jensen, Nick Helm
Producer: Mollie Freedman Berthoud
Executive Producer: Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2015.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (b068s1xb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Home Front (b06491kd)
11 September 1915 - Florrie Wilson
Florrie agrees to accompany her neighbour Sally on a strange visit.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b0694zxb)
Councils running energy firms, and the rise of mid-week weddings.
Peter White hears how a "not for profit" energy company has been launched in Nottingham using council tax money. The efforts across Europe to make rail travel safer. And the growing popularity of the mid week wedding.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b068s1xd)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b0694zxd)
As the Assisted Dying Bill is debated by MPs, we debate the principle with two people who have personal experience of the issue - one who took her brother to Dignitas to end his life, and a disabled rights activists who was twice told he has months to live, and worries that the Bill would lead to people ending their lives prematurely.
Sadiq Khan has won the election to be Labour's London Mayoral candidate. We examine what the voting figures tell us about the Labour Leadership contest, and speak to Sadiq Khan about his plans for the upcoming campaign, how Labour can reunite behind it's new leader, and airport expansion.
Following Peter Robinson stepping aside as First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Chair of the Northern Ireland Select Committee tells us that politicians have let down the people they represent, and that he fears the political crisis has been precipitated by 'grandstanding' Unionists ahead of next May's elections.
The USA will take up to 10 000 Syrian refugees. We hear views from the American public.
Hugh Sykes reports on how the plunging price of oil is affecting the security situation in Algeria.
FRI 13:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b676)
Episode 5
In the final episode of her five part series exploring the enduring relevance of the creatures of Great British folklore, medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington travels to Hart Hall in Glaisdale, North Yorkshire.
Strolling down towards Hart Hall and its surrounding dairy farm, Carolyne is joined by local storyteller Rose Rylands. Rose explains that Hart Hall features in a local folktale which involves a peculiar creature known as a hob. Hobs are small dwarf like beings, covered in shaggy hair. They're said to have large feet and superhuman strength. According to local folklore, hobs take up residence on certain farms and stay for generations, working in secret to provide assistance to the farmer.
Standing in a barn, surrounded by calves, Rose tells the tale of the hob of Hart Hall who saved a bumper harvest from being ruined by the rain. The farm hands reward the hob with a hemp shirt and a leather belt for his efforts, however this causes grave offence and the hob storms off never to be seen again. Carolyne reveals that, by giving him a gift, the farm hands had inadvertently treated the hob like an employee who gets paid in kind, rather than a spirit who gives his labour for free.
Carolyne and Rose head to Runswick Bay where they creep inside a cave known as the Hob Hole which is said to be the residence of a hob with medicinal powers. For years locals would bring their children to the cave in the hope that the hob would cure them of whooping cough.
Back at Hart Hall we hear tales of other farm spirits such as the Hogboon and the mischievous boggart. Carolyne explains that labour relations and our treatment of people in the workplace are central to these tales.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b068xwm9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Brief Lives (b068yd6k)
Series 8
Episode 4
Drama: Brief Lives by Tom Fry & Sharon Kelly
A black teenager is arrested for the suspected murder of his friend. It seems they had an argument over a mobile phone that got out of hand. But Frank discovers that the case is not so straightforward. They are both the sons of senior policemen.
Director/Producer Gary Brown.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b068yd6m)
Gardening Leave
Eric Robson chairs the horticultural panel programme from Ayr Town Hall. Matthew Wilson, Anne Swithinbank and Bunny Guinness answer local gardeners' questions.
Eric Robson and the panel discover the benefits of horticultural therapy at Gardening Leave in Ayr, a charity that specialises in the rehabilitation of armed forces veterans through gardening.
Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Angielski (b068yd6p)
Fox Season by Agnieszka Dale
Three newly commissioned stories offering different angles on the Polish experience in London.
Estimates vary but there are now approximately 750,000 Poles living in the UK. And Polish is now the second most spoken language in England. Much of this is the result of immigration since Poland joined the EU in 2004 - but there is also an older community that developed in the years after the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947.
Episode 3: Fox Season by Agnieszka Dale
Despite her husband’s objections, Emilia is determined to keep feeding the foxes at night.
Reader: Anamaria Marinca
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b06950lh)
Sir Adrian Cadbury, Rico Rodriguez, Ieng Thirith, Margaret Harrison, Judy Carne
Matthew Bannister on
Sir Adrian Cadbury - who was chairman of the family confectionery firm, led its merger with Schweppes and wrote an influential report on corporate governance. He was also an Olympic rower - and Sir Steve Redgrave pays tribute.
Rico Rodriguez the trombonist who helped create ska and reggae and played with the Specials and Jools Holland, who shares his memories.
Ieng Thirith - health minister of the Khmer Rouge and sister in law of Pol Pot. She was indicted for crimes against humanity.
Margaret Harrison who founded the Home Start charity which sends volunteers to help parents who are struggling to cope.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (b06950lm)
Is it worth targeting non-voters?
Can you rely on non-voters
During the election for the leadership of the Labour Party in the UK Jeremy Corbyn has whipped up unprecedented support among grass roots activists pushing him into a surprising lead. Bernie Sanders the left-wing Democratic candidate has done the same energised grass roots support in the United States in a similar way. Their supporters believe in both cases they can shake up the political mainstream and convince non-voters to turn out at the ballot box. But is this a wise strategy?
The latest on deaths for people admitted at a weekend?
Reports suggested 11,000 are dying in hospital after being admitted at the weekend but what does the report actually say?
Too dense
Is the UK already more densely populated than other places in Europe and is this a good argument against taking more refugees.
How many houses do we need?
We're told that we need to build 200,000+ houses a year to meet housing need in this country. We talk to Kate Barker the woman who first came up with this number about where it comes from and what it means.
How many bananas will kill you?
There's a belief among some people that too many bananas will kill you. Eat too many and you will overdose on potassium and die. But how many bananas would you need to eat?
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b04pvp8t)
Kate and Rachel - Limestone beneath My Feet and above My Head
Fi Glover with a conversation between a poet fascinated by the limestone landscape of her home and a theatre director who values the secrets hidden beneath the limestone.
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 (b06950lr)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b068s1xg)
MPs reject legislation giving terminally ill patients the right to ask for help to die.
FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (b068yf8s)
Series 15
Episode 5
Drone attacks, the queen's record breaking reign and the labour leadership contest are all given the Dead Ringers treatment.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b068yf8v)
Jolene wakes Kenton up to celebrate the decision he hasn't made yet, about accepting the loan. Jolene applies pressure, mentioning poor old Jill, but Kenton can't face being in David's debt. Time's running out though as the family arrives at the Bull for lunch - and an answer. Kenton finally accepts the loan. Acting the bigger man, Kenton surprises everyone by asking David to shake his hand. Jill's delighted, but later Kenton admits to Jolene that he didn't want to shake David's hand - he'll be paying back that money with interest.
Neil meets Charlie Thomas to ask about some funds from Justin for the village hall. Neil reports back to Susan that Justin has agreed to help, but suggests demolishing the old hall and rebuilding - with more up to date facilities - and renaming it the Justin Elliot Hall.
Pip's sorry she didn't tell Ruth about the new cow track, but Ruth says it's fine - and is happy that they'll make a real difference. She admits they should have had one years ago - the ewe hogs are a good idea too. Pip's fresh ideas for the farm are good for everyone. Knowing that Pip needs to be allowed to make her own way, Ruth remembers how difficult it was for Heather letting her grow up. Pip has been thinking about Heather, and offers to move into Rickyard cottage to make room.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b06950lt)
Keith Richards, Don McCullin
In a rare interview, The Rolling Stones' guitarist and singer and songwriter Keith Richards discusses Crosseyed Heart, his first solo album in 23 years, half a century after The Stones had their first Number 1 hit, The Last Time.
And as his 80th birthday approaches next month and a new exhibition of his work opens, photographer Don McCullin reflects on a life behind the lens, which has taken him to the Lebanese civil war, Vietnam and Cambodia, and most recently Syria.
Presenter John Wilson
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b068yc88)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b068yf8x)
Natalie Bennett, Dan Jarvis MP, Brandon Lewis MP, Steven Woolfe MEP
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Richard Hale School in Hertford with the leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dan Jarvis MP, the Housing Minister Brandon Lewis MP and the UKIP spokesman on migration Steven Woolfe MEP.
Producer : Lisa Jenkinson.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b068yf8z)
P J O'Rourke: Presidential Candidates
P J O'Rourke sizes up the candidates aspiring to be the President of the United States.
"Who are all these jacklegs, high-binders, wire-pullers, mountebanks, swellheads, buncombe spigots, boodle artists, four-flushers and animated spittoons offering themselves as worthy of our nation's highest office?"
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b06492dw)
7-11 September 1915 (Season 5 start)
The first omnibus edition of Season 5 of the epic drama series set in Great War Britain in which the population is beginning to open up to thoughts of the hereafter.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Story-led by Sarah Daniels
Consultant Historian: Professor Maggie Andrews
Music: Matthew Strachan
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b068s1xj)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b06950ly)
Hungary warns migrants who cross border illegally will be arrested.
PM Viktor Orban says country has struggled to cope - with 150,000 migrants in 2015
FRI 22:45 Tessa Hadley - The Past (b068yhql)
Episode 5
The children observe more strange adult behaviour and Harriet experiences something new.
Sian Thomas reads Tessa Hadley's powerful and haunting novel, a beautifully observed portrait of a family and the change wrought by time across the generations.
Three middle-aged sisters and a brother meet up in their grandparents' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. Under the idyllic surface, there are immediate tensions. Secrets, misunderstandings and passion play out as the characters shift and reappraise and a way of life - bourgeois, literate, ritualised - winds down to its inevitable end.
While the siblings circle each other, and the adolescents approach each other, the children watch and come to their own conclusions.
Tessa Hadley is one of Britain's finest writers, an acute observer of character, time and place and the most published short story writer in the New Yorker in recent years.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b068w44x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b068yhqq)
Mark D'Arcy reports as MPs debate controversial proposals that would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales to end their lives. Also tonight, we hear why the creator of Downton Abbey thinks it's time to change the law on hereditary peerages. And in the week the Queen became Britain's longest reigning monarch there's a call to modernise the coronation ceremony.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b04pshgh)
Mike and Philip - A Love of the Railway
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between two volunteers on the historic Talyllyn narrow-gauge steam railway, who compare notes on how working on it benefits them personally.
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 (b068tl63)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (b068tl63)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 TUE (b068tz6g)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (b068tz6g)
15 Minute Drama
10:41 WED (b068vylm)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (b068vylm)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (b068xnm2)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (b068xnm2)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (b068yc88)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (b068yc88)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (b06811fk)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (b068yf8z)
A Wonderful Way to Make a Living
09:30 THU (b00d74s5)
American Shorts
00:30 SUN (b02yjbx4)
And the Academy Award Goes To...
23:00 MON (b0520pr1)
Angielski
15:45 FRI (b068yd6p)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (b068lspr)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (b06811fh)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (b068yf8x)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b068lst6)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (b068xwm3)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (b068xwm3)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (b068s44c)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (b068s44c)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (b068tsvj)
Big Game Theory
17:00 SUN (b067x5w1)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b06810pl)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (b068td6z)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (b068td6z)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (b069b4lw)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (b069b4lw)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (b069b5xj)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (b069b5xj)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (b069b5yy)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (b069b5yy)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (b069b674)
Bookclub
16:00 SUN (b068sjpd)
Bookclub
15:30 THU (b068sjpd)
Brief Lives
14:15 FRI (b068yd6k)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (b068s1nk)
Comic Fringes
19:45 SUN (b068sp4j)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (b068w44v)
Counterpoint
23:00 SAT (b067wb37)
Crossing Continents
20:30 MON (b0680lpm)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (b068xnm4)
Dangerous Visions
14:30 SAT (b046j2jc)
Dead Ringers
12:30 SAT (b06811fb)
Dead Ringers
18:30 FRI (b068yf8s)
Drama
21:00 SAT (b067xccp)
Drama
15:00 SUN (b068sjpb)
Drama
14:15 MON (b068tmmh)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b068w44s)
Drama
21:15 WED (b06c0ch5)
Drama
14:15 THU (b068xwlx)
Elvis McGonagall Takes a Look on the Bright Side
23:00 WED (b068xjts)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (b068lslt)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (b068sqsf)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (b0694ss7)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (b068vxv5)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (b068xlbl)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (b0694zx4)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (b068xg86)
Four Thought
09:30 WED (b068xjtl)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (b067vx0h)
From Our Own Correspondent
09:00 WED (b068s1zs)
Front Row
19:15 MON (b068tsvs)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (b068xg84)
Front Row
19:15 WED (b068xl1l)
Front Row
19:15 THU (b0694zdl)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (b06950lt)
FutureProofing
22:15 SAT (b0680jh6)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (b06810q5)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (b068yd6m)
Ginny in the Hut
11:00 FRI (b068yc8d)
Gossip from the Garden Pond
23:00 TUE (b04hmrvc)
Great Lives
16:30 TUE (b068w44x)
Great Lives
23:00 FRI (b068w44x)
Home Front - Omnibus
21:00 FRI (b06492dw)
Home Front
12:04 MON (b06490tw)
Home Front
12:04 TUE (b06491dt)
Home Front
12:04 WED (b06491k8)
Home Front
12:04 THU (b06491kb)
Home Front
12:04 FRI (b06491kd)
In Business
21:30 SUN (b0680s92)
In Business
20:30 THU (b068xx7p)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (b068xg88)
In and Out of the Kitchen
11:30 WED (b068vymj)
Inconspicuous Consumption
16:00 WED (b05n1dnx)
Inside Health
21:00 TUE (b068xg8b)
Inside Health
15:30 WED (b068xg8b)
Keir Hardie: Labour's First Leader
09:00 THU (b068xnly)
Keir Hardie: Labour's First Leader
21:30 THU (b068xnly)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (b06810q9)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (b06950lh)
Lives in a Landscape
11:00 MON (b068tl65)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (b068lst0)
Making Waves
11:00 WED (b068ylrf)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (b067vwzh)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (b068s1mv)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (b068s1py)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (b068s1rs)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (b068s1t4)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (b068s1vf)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (b068s1x0)
Mitch Benn Specials
18:30 TUE (b068xdrj)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (b068lsp7)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (b068lsp7)
Money Box
15:00 WED (b068w1h0)
More or Less
20:00 SUN (b06810qc)
More or Less
16:30 FRI (b06950lm)
Music in the Shadow of Ground Zero
11:30 TUE (b068tz6j)
Natural Histories
21:00 MON (b05w9bj5)
Natural Histories
11:00 TUE (b05w9dq2)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (b067vwzr)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (b068s1n5)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (b068s1q8)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (b068s1s1)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (b068s1td)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (b068s1vp)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (b068s1x8)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (b068s1n7)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (b067vx0k)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (b068s1nm)
News Summary
12:00 MON (b068s1qf)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (b068s1s3)
News Summary
12:00 WED (b068s1tg)
News Summary
12:00 THU (b068s1vr)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (b068s1xb)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (b067vwzt)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (b068s1nc)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (b068s1nh)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (b067vx0y)
News
13:00 SAT (b067vx0p)
Oil: A Crude History of Britain
20:00 MON (b068tvkw)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (b068s44h)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (b0680s8m)
Open Country
15:00 THU (b068xwlz)
PM
17:00 SAT (b068lssy)
PM
17:00 MON (b068tsvl)
PM
17:00 TUE (b068w44z)
PM
17:00 WED (b068xjtd)
PM
17:00 THU (b068xwm5)
PM
17:00 FRI (b06950lr)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (b068sjpj)
Poems from Syria
23:30 SAT (b067xfs8)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (b068sjpg)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (b068132l)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (b068sqsc)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (b0694rrx)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (b0694tgw)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (b068xlbj)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (b0694zx2)
Profile
19:00 SAT (b068lst2)
Profile
05:45 SUN (b068lst2)
Profile
17:40 SUN (b068lst2)
Quote... Unquote
15:00 MON (b068tn6y)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (b068s44m)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:26 SUN (b068s44m)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (b068s44m)
Richard Marsh
23:00 THU (b068xyz6)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (b068lsnd)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (b068lst4)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (b067vwzm)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (b068s1n1)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (b068s1q4)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (b068s1rx)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (b068s1t8)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (b068s1vk)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (b068s1x4)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (b067vwzk)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (b067vwzp)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (b067vx0r)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (b068s1mz)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (b068s1n3)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (b068s1ns)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (b068s1q0)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (b068s1q6)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (b068s1rv)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (b068s1rz)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (b068s1t6)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (b068s1tb)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (b068s1vh)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (b068s1vm)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (b068s1x2)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (b068s1x6)
Sisters
11:30 FRI (b068yc8j)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (b067vx0w)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (b068s1nx)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (b068s1qm)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (b068s1s7)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (b068s1tl)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (b068s1vw)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (b068s1xg)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b068s44f)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b068s44f)
Soundstage
09:30 MON (b05n1dpv)
Space: The Vinyl Frontier
15:30 SAT (b067x151)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (b068s44p)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (b068s44k)
Tessa Hadley - The Past
22:45 MON (b068tvl0)
Tessa Hadley - The Past
22:45 TUE (b068xg8g)
Tessa Hadley - The Past
22:45 WED (b068xjtq)
Tessa Hadley - The Past
22:45 THU (b068xx7t)
Tessa Hadley - The Past
22:45 FRI (b068yhql)
That Mitchell and Webb Sound
18:30 WED (b03k0s5j)
The Absolutely Radio Show
19:15 SUN (b068sp4g)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (b068s497)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (b068sjpl)
The Archers
14:00 MON (b068sjpl)
The Archers
19:00 MON (b068tsvq)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (b068tsvq)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (b068xdrl)
The Archers
14:00 WED (b068xdrl)
The Archers
19:00 WED (b068xjtg)
The Archers
14:00 THU (b068xjtg)
The Archers
19:00 THU (b068xwm9)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (b068xwm9)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (b068yf8v)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (b0680s8p)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (b068xwm1)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (b068s4qs)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (b068s4qs)
The Forum
11:00 SAT (b068lsp5)
The Great Songbook
13:30 SUN (b064yjnw)
The Interrogation
14:15 WED (b068vyt3)
The Kitchen Cabinet
10:30 SAT (b068lsnl)
The Kitchen Cabinet
15:00 TUE (b068lsnl)
The Lach Chronicles
23:15 WED (b036vvrx)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (b04y9rj2)
The Listening Project
10:55 WED (b04pvp85)
The Listening Project
16:55 FRI (b04pvp8t)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (b04pshgh)
The Long View
09:00 TUE (b068tz6d)
The Long View
21:30 TUE (b068tz6d)
The Lore of the Land
13:45 MON (b068tl6k)
The Lore of the Land
13:45 TUE (b069b4ly)
The Lore of the Land
13:45 WED (b069b5xl)
The Lore of the Land
13:45 THU (b069b60w)
The Lore of the Land
13:45 FRI (b069b676)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (b068xjtb)
The Migration Dilemma
20:00 WED (b06cyg33)
The Museum of Curiosity
18:30 THU (b068xwm7)
The Report
20:00 THU (b068xx7m)
The Reunion
11:15 SUN (b069gvl5)
The Reunion
09:00 FRI (b069gvl5)
The Robert Peston Interview Show (with Eddie Mair)
09:00 MON (b05zhm88)
The Robert Peston Interview Show (with Eddie Mair)
21:30 MON (b05zhm88)
The Spoken Image
16:00 MON (b068tsvg)
The Town Is the Menu
09:30 TUE (b047z8xc)
The Unbelievable Truth
12:04 SUN (b067wf2r)
The Unbelievable Truth
18:30 MON (b068tsvn)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (b068s4qv)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (b068tvky)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (b068xg8d)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (b068xjtn)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (b068xx7r)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (b06950ly)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (b068tvl2)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (b068xz0t)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (b068xjtv)
Today in Parliament
23:30 THU (b068xyz8)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (b068yhqq)
Today
07:00 SAT (b068lslw)
Today
06:00 MON (b068srm9)
Today
06:00 TUE (b068tz6b)
Today
06:00 WED (b068vy0m)
Today
06:00 THU (b068xnlw)
Today
06:00 FRI (b0694zx6)
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups
11:30 MON (b03hwbrr)
Too Much Fighting on the Dance Floor
11:30 THU (b068xrkt)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b04dvk7n)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b04hkwdc)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b04hkwg9)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b04hkwj9)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b04hkwkp)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b04hkwbt)
Weather
06:04 SAT (b067vwzw)
Weather
06:57 SAT (b067vx02)
Weather
12:57 SAT (b067vx0m)
Weather
17:57 SAT (b067vx0t)
Weather
06:57 SUN (b068s1n9)
Weather
07:57 SUN (b068s1nf)
Weather
12:57 SUN (b068s1np)
Weather
17:57 SUN (b068s1nv)
Weather
05:56 MON (b068s1qb)
Weather
12:57 MON (b068s1qh)
Weather
21:58 MON (b068s1qq)
Weather
12:57 TUE (b068s1s5)
Weather
21:58 TUE (b068s1s9)
Weather
12:57 WED (b068s1tj)
Weather
12:57 THU (b068s1vt)
Weather
12:57 FRI (b068s1xd)
Weather
21:58 FRI (b068s1xj)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (b068sp4l)
What the Papers Say
22:45 SUN (b068sp4n)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (b068lssw)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (b068td71)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (b0694rrz)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (b068vy0r)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (b068xnm0)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (b0694zx8)
World at One
13:00 MON (b068tl6f)
World at One
13:00 TUE (b068tz6n)
World at One
13:00 WED (b068vyt1)
World at One
13:00 THU (b0694xqn)
World at One
13:00 FRI (b0694zxd)
Writing a New South Africa
00:15 MON (b053bsfm)
Writing a New South Africa
16:00 TUE (b0542zv2)
You and Yours
12:15 MON (b068tl6b)
You and Yours
12:15 TUE (b068tz6l)
You and Yours
12:15 WED (b068xl1j)
You and Yours
12:15 THU (b0694xql)
You and Yours
12:15 FRI (b0694zxb)
iPM
05:45 SAT (b068132n)
iPM
17:30 SAT (b068132n)