SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2016

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b07tqqc5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b07v33l0)
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John le Carre, Episode 5

John le Carre with five recollections from his writing life, abridged by Katrin Williams:

Asked to visit the film director Karel Reisz at home in London's Belsize Park, he meets a young actor called Vladimir. But the meeting has nothing to do with films or acting - nothing at all..

Read by the author

Producer Duncan Minshull.

SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b07tqqc7)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b07tqqc9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.

SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b07tqqcc)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b07tqqcf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b07v37f4)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with the Rev Dr Alison Jack, Assistant Principal of New College, Edinburgh.

SAT 05:45 iPM (b07v37fb)
"I'm not a boy or a girl. I'm both." A ten-year-old talks about being gender non-binary and explaining to family, friends and teachers that going on living as a girl "just felt wrong". With Jennifer Tracey. iPM@bbc.co.uk.

SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b07tqqch)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SAT 06:04 Weather (b07tqqck)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 06:07 Ramblings (b07v2ysv)
Series 34, Passionate Walkers: David Nicholls

In this new series of Ramblings, Clare Balding talks to those for whom walking is more than a leisure activity but a passion that's vital to their lives. In this first programme she goes to Thursley in Surrey to meet the novelist and screenwriter, David Nicholls. His first novel, 'Starter for Ten' was followed by the much acclaimed 'One Day', and as David admits to Clare. its success took him a little by surprise.
They take an eight mile circular route around The Devils Punchbowl. David explains how important walking is to his creative process, although he always worries its a bit of a skive ! However, he finds it the ideal way to listen to and absorb a novel when he's adapting one of the classics for TV, as he did with 'Far From the Madding Crowd'. He talks to Clare about how he loves exploring new cities by foot and the techniques he uses to encourage his children to walk.
The walk Clare and David took can be found on OS Explorer map OL33 & 145 or Landranger 186, the map reference is SU 955 414, the walk starts in the village of Thursley about 3 km south-west of Godalming. Thursley GU8 6QD
Producer: Lucy Lunt.

SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b07tqqcm)
Farming Today This Week: Wildlife and Farming

Charlotte Smith is on a farm in Dorset to talk about the impact that farming has on nature and the environment. Her visit coincides with the publication this week of the State of Nature report, put together by a group of 50 leading conservation and wildlife groups. It found that between 1970 and 2013, 56% of species declined, including water voles, hedgehogs, and some butterflies and species of bird. It also flagged up loss of habitat and more intensive farming as some of the culprits.

We visit a farmer who's joined a new scheme working to bring wildlife back to the land. It involves the Wildlife Trusts, the Prince's Countryside Fund, and the organisation Linking Environment and Farming. The project also has funding from the cereals manufacturer Jordans.

We also meet a farmer who wants to create a wildlife corridor by encouraging other farmers NOT to trim their hedgerows every autumn. Robert Crocker says berries and flowers in a hedge are carried on the last year's growth, so leaving nature to run its course will provide food and shelter for birds, mammals and insects.

And we hear from organic dairy farmer - and Chief Executive of the Sustainable Food Trust - Patrick Holden. He believes the State of Nature report shows that small-scale wildlife projects aren't working, and it's time to change the way we now farm.

Produced by Sally Challoner.

SAT 06:57 Weather (b07tqqcp)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 07:00 Today (b07vjqmj)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b07tqqcr)
David Baddiel

Comedian and writer David Baddiel on writing for children and whether death and dementia make good subjects for comedy.

Olympic diver Chris Mears won gold in Rio in spectacular style. He reveals how a brush with death inspired his success and his sideline as a music producer.

On the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth, Dr Tom Solomon discusses how the writer's fascination with medicine inspired many of his characters such as the BFG. As a junior doctor, Tom shared many late night conversations with the writer and gained a unique perspective on the celebrated author.

Palaeobiologist Dr Tori Herridge tells us about mysterious asteroid craters in Britain and her search for fossil dwarf elephants. Plus the Inheritance Tracks of former Chelsea manager and Dutch international Rudd Gullit.

Producer: Steven Williams

Editor: Karen Dalziel.

SAT 10:30 Up Close and Personal (b07vjqml)
Actor and singer Clarke Peters follows the croon and practitioners of the art, including Rudy Vallee, Russ Columbo, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby. He discovers how their romantic style of singing made the ladies swoon but inflamed the critics.

In the Twenties and Thirties electric microphones and amplifiers enabled singers with soft, untrained voices to finally be heard. Vocalists no longer needed to project - they could get closer and deliver heartfelt performances - just like whispering in a listener's ear. They became the Justin Biebers of their day - commercial stars whose radio shows and public performances ignited passions across the US.

Their flirtatious style was not to everyone's taste, however, and they were condemned by the Roman Catholic Church for leading women astray. The slushy, sentimental style of singing also didn't go down well with the press who criticised the singers for their lack of artistic value... and the crooners' good looks and stylish clothes led to accusations of effeminacy - these guys just couldn't win.

Clarke Peters - star of the television series the Wire - hears from Rudy Vallee's nephew about how his uncle regarded his own sex appeal - let's just say Rudy wasn't the bashful type. He also talks to Lenny Kaye, writer, long time guitarist with the Patti Smith Group and fellow crooner devotee, about their place in American music history.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

SAT 11:00 Week in Westminster (b07vjqmn)
George Parker of the Financial Times looks behind the scenes at Westminster.
Theresa May's new policy on grammar schools may prove difficult to get through parliament while the boundary review, cutting the overall numbers of MPs, is proving contentious. What does the future hold for the Liberal Democrats and Nick Clegg personally? And has Hilary Clinton made a mistake in not immediately coming clean on her health problem?
The Editor is Marie Jessel.

SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b07tqqct)
Kate Adie introduces dispatches from writers and correspondents around the world. This week: Kevin Connolly reports from Bratislava as EU leaders have a perfectly normal get-together - except someone's missing; Sebastian Usher chronicles the war of words between Saudi Arabia and Iran during the Hajj; Jenny Hill visits Hamburg to discover if Mrs Merkel is right to say Germany "can do it" as it tries to absorb its large influx of migrants; Stephanie Hegarty tells the story of shocked shop owners in Lagos and their dramatic tussle with the local authorities; and what Adam Shaw learnt when he met aspiring techies in St Louis.

SAT 12:00 News Summary (b07tqqcw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 12:04 Money Box (b07vjqmq)
The cost of Hinkley Point electricity

Thousands of people who were unaware that county court judgements had been issued against them have been left with damaged credit scores. It happened to Money Box listener Steve. He tells how he was sued in a county court after a dispute with his mobile phone provider. He didn't know about the case and the judgement went against him. He only found out when he tried and failed to get a mortgage. County court judgements remain on your credit history for six years. How can you discover if there's one against you and what can you do about it? Paul Lewis hears from Marc Gander of The Consumer Action Group.

The government has finally approved the new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The £18bn project is expected to provide 7% of the UK's electricity by 2025. Dr Bridget Woodman, Deputy Director of Energy Policy at the University of Exeter outlines what the deal could mean for household energy bills.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously this week to leave its main 0.25% interest rate unchanged. It comes after the long awaited MPC decision to cut it from the historic seven year low of 0.5% in August, alongside other monetary measures. Was the August cut the right move at the right time - or a mistake? Tony Yates, Professor of Economics at the University of Birmingham and independent economist Shaun Richards discuss.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Ed Davey
Producer: Charmaine Cozier
Editor: Andrew Smith.

SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b07v35vt)
Series 91, Episode 2

Susan Calman, Hugo Rifkind and Andy Hamilton join Chairman Miles Jupp, for the latest edition of the long-running satirical quiz of the week's news.

Producer: Paul Sheehan.
A BBC Studios Production.

SAT 12:57 Weather (b07tqqcy)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 13:00 News (b07tqqd0)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b07v35w0)
Arron Banks, Angela Eagle MP, Paul Mason, Baroness Wheatcroft.

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Warwick Business School with a panel including the political donor and businessman Arron Banks, former Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle MP, the journalist and author Paul Mason, and the conservative peer Baroness Wheatcroft.

SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b07tqqd2)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?
Any Answers after the Saturday broadcast of Any Questions? Lines open at 1230.
Call 03700 100 444. Email any.answers@bbc.co.uk. Tweet,#BBCAQ.

Presented by Anita Anand
Producer Beverley Purcell
Editor Karen Dalziel.

SAT 14:30 Drama (b07vjsvn)
The Bargain

The Bargain
By Ian Curteis

In 1988, while on a brief visit to London, Mother Teresa of Calcutta met the media tycoon and former MP, Robert Maxwell. There were photographs but no witnesses to the actual conversations that took place. This fictional drama imagines what they might have discussed.

The story
1988. Robert Maxwell, learning that Mother Teresa is coming briefly to London, tries to get her to give her name to a religious publishing venture, in return for a large donation to her work. Mother Teresa agrees to meet and seems to have her own agenda and her own price. Is there more to this publishing venture than meets the eye? Over a period of twenty-four hours Maxwell attempts to strike a bargain but Mother Teresa proves to be a rather tough negotiator.

Ian Curteis has written for radio, television and theatre. He's probably best known for his political dramas such as, Philby, Burgess and Maclean; The Road To Yalta; Suez 1956; and The Falklands Play.

Producer/director: David Ian Neville.

SAT 15:30 Voices of... (b07v07p8)
The Voices of Ian Partridge

A portrait of the English lyric tenor Ian Partridge, in his own words and recordings.

It's not difficult to identify something classically, characteristically English about the lyric tenor Ian Partridge - his reticence and modesty, his boy chorister background and acclaimed performances of composers such as Roger Quilter, Benjamin Britten and Prince Albert.

He still lives in the same part of south London where he was born nearly 80 years ago and he spent over fifty years in a musical partnership with his sister, the pianist Jennifer Partridge. But the refined, passionate quality of Ian's voice has been a passport into other worlds - touring internationally, collaborating with celebrated composers and recording definitive interpretations of, for example, Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin, Schumann's Dichterliebe and Ralph Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge.

Ian reflects on a lifetime in music that began lying under the family piano as his mother played popular songs of the 1930s and 40s and led ultimately to being appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b07tqqd4)
Kizzy Crawford, finding fulfilling work in your 50s, and the sexual politics of boxsets

According to a report published this week by the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into sexual harassment and violence in schools, almost a third of girls say they have experienced unwanted touching in school and nearly two thirds have experienced some sexual harassment in the last year. The Labour MP Jess Phillips, who sits on the committee, and David Brockway, who runs workshops about sexual equality for boys, discuss the findings.

This week we've been discussing the challenges of finding work in your 50s and 60s in the face of age discrimination. We hear from three women Jackie Granger, Ruth Stockley and Suzanne Boulton who have all found fulfilling work in their 50s.

Kizzy Crawford is a singer-songwriter from Wales and the youngest person ever to feature on the Welsh A-Level syllabus. She is also the only female songwriter to appear on the new contemporary music section for 2019/17. She tells us about her music and song writing and performs the song Gerridae in both English and Welsh.

Advertising guru and diversity champion Cindy Gallop explains how sex is important to business - revealing how her own sex life inspired her latest digital company, Make Love Not Porn, which is trying to dispel some of the myths created by the porn industry.

We hear from three ambitious young women who have decided not to go down the University route. Tessa Cooper, went into work straight after Sixth Form College, Radhika Parmer is one year into her on the job IT training and Amy Grange is coming to the end of her Degree apprenticeship. They tell us the ups and downs of going straight into work at 18.

As London Fashion Week begins we go beneath the glitz and glamour and explore, with the fashion columnist Hadley Freeman and Penny Martin, editor-in-chief of the Gentlewoman, the truth behind the shows.

As the nights draw in many of us will be looking to be entertained by a boxset. So how do you decide which box sets to indulge in? Who gets to choose in your house? The novelist and film and TV critic for the Guardian Stuart Heritage and the novelist Jenny Colgan discuss the sexual politics of boxsets.

Presented by Jenni Murray
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor: Jane Thurlow.

SAT 17:00 PM (b07tqqd6)
Saturday PM

Full coverage of the day's news.

SAT 17:30 iPM (b07v37fb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]

SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b07tqqd8)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 17:57 Weather (b07tqqdb)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b07tqqdd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b07tqqdg)
Clive Anderson, Scottee, Al Murray, Alan Titchmarsh, Sabrina Mahfouz, Kerry Godliman, Ed Harcourt, Ward Thomas

Clive Anderson and Scottee are joined by Al Murray, Alan Titchmarsh, Kerry Godliman and Sabrina Mahfouz for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Ed Harcourt and Ward Thomas.

Producer: Sukey Firth.

SAT 19:00 Profile (b07vjsvs)
Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines.

SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b07tqqdj)
Hunt for The Wilderpeople, Eimear McBride, Bedlam, National Treasure, Dr Faustus

New Zealand's most successful home grown film ever reaches the UK: Hunt for The Wilderpeople is a story about identity, intergenerational friendship and loss in the bush
Eimear McBride's first published novel won an array of literary prizes. Her follow-up The Lesser Bohemians is told in a similar style - will it attract a similarly delighted critical response?
Bedlam: The Asylum and Beyond is a new exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection which looks at how the legacy of Bethlem Hospital has shaped the mental health landscape in this country
National Treasure on Channel 4 is a drama that imagines a well-known TV personality coming under suspicion for historical sexual abuse allegations
Which actor plays Faustus and which plays Mephistophilis in the RSC's production of Dr Faustus at The Barbican is decided live onstage each night in a unique way.

Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Louise Doughty, John Mullan and Catherine O'Flynn. The producer is Oliver Jones.

SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b07vjsvv)
Don't Be Rude on the Road

Alan Dein fastens his seat-belt and takes a breakneck tour through the history of the Public Information Film, from its post war origins to its digital present.

For 65 years the Central Office of Information sought to influence the nation's behaviour with thousands of Public Information Films. Trawling through an abundant sea of archive, Alan finds the campaigns that arose in each decade and the themes that were repeated, until some attained cult value.

From road safety to child safety, using the telephone to embracing nuclear power, the dangers of drugs to the dangers of the internet, Public Information Films have been used to warn and educate young and old about the perils of life in an ever changing modern Britain.

The legendary Charley Says and Green Cross Man films have also made a comeback in the last few years to warn of 21st century hazards.

When it closed in 2012, the Central Office of Information left its vast film archive to the British Film Institute where it is undergoing the transformation from celluloid to digital at the BFI's Conservation Centre.

Most of the films heard on this programme can be viewed in the BFI Player by clicking on this link: http://player.bfi.org.uk/collections/public-information-films/

Producer Neil McCarthy.

SAT 21:00 Drama (b07tqwm9)
Tsar, Ivan the Terrible: Absolute Power

By Mike Walker

Following years of tumultuous reign, Tsar Ivan IV abruptly leaves Moscow and announces his abdication. Russia is without a Tsar and thrown into chaos, with the boyars unable to rule and in fear of an uprising. They beg Ivan to return. His condition is simple: Absolute Power. Are they right to accept? Was it ever really a choice? Mike Walker's full-blooded drama chronicles the fearsome reign of the first Tsar of All Russia.

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko

As we approach the centenary of the Russian Revolution in October 2017, Radio 4 embark on an ambitious chronicle of Russian leaders; set over 11 plays, in three seasons - beginning with Ivan the Terrible, contemporary of Elizabeth I, and ending with Russia's current Premier - Vladimir Putin. TSAR continues the full-blooded, rich 'more is more' tradition forged by the team that made Plantagenet and The Stuarts for Radio 4.

Series One takes in the reigns of Ivan IV (aka The Terrible), Boris Godunov and Peter The Great.

Series Two (Spring 2017) will chronicle the reigns of Catherine the Great; Alexander I and the Napoleonic Wars; and Alexander II and the emancipation of the serfs.

Series Three (Autumn 2017) takes in Nicholas II and the Revolution, the Soviets, and Putin.

The dramas are produced by Alison Hindell and Sasha Yevtushenko.

SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b07tqqdl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.

SAT 22:15 Unreliable Evidence (b07v2mf5)
During the 43 years since Britain joined the European Union, EU law has become almost inextricably woven into the fabric of our lives, influencing everything from employment and consumer law to data protection and the environment.

But on the day that Britain leaves the EU, will all that law cease to apply? How should we approach the process of unravelling ourselves from EU law? What laws and regulations do we keep and what do we discard? Is this an opportunity to free ourselves from expensive and restrictive "bureaucratic EU red tape" or is there a danger that important social safeguards could be lost?

Crucially, in the absence of EU law guaranteeing free movement of labour, what will happen to EU citizens working in the UK and UK citizens working and living around Europe?

Clive Anderson and a panel of leading experts in EU law, with a range of views about the problems and the solutions, discuss the legal implications of Brexit. They are constitutional lawyer Richard Gordon QC, former Justice Secretary Lord Falconer, pro-leave barrister Martin Howe QC and solicitor Niki Walker, who specialises in areas of law heavily influenced by the EU.


Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (b07tzvdm)
Series 30, The 2016 Final

(13/13)
Paul Gambaccini hosts the grand Final of the 2016 Counterpoint tournament. The three competitors who've won both heats and semi-finals now face the final hurdle, with the winner becoming the 30th BBC Counterpoint champion. Little did the programme's originators suspect in 1986 that the quiz would still be in full swing on Radio 4 thirty years on.
The programme was recorded as a fringe event at the 2016 BBC Proms, and a lively Proms audience is on hand to enjoy the tension and to encourage this year's Finalists.
As always, the Counterpoint champion will have to display a range of knowledge that puts most of us to shame, from the core classical repertoire to film scores, world music, jazz, show tunes and the best of rock and pop music over the past fifty years.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.

SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b044ghp6)
Poetry by Heart

Roger McGough presents a selection of poems recited by finalists at Poetry by Heart, a competition for students at school and college in England to learn and recite poems from memory. Also featuring Jean Sprackland, Andrew Motion and Roger himself, all treating us to some of their favourite poetry without using any words on a page to prompt them.

SUNDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2016

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b07vjwwg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

SUN 00:30 Skylines (b046p07v)
African Beauty

A series inviting writers to lift their gaze to the horizon - the point where our everyday worlds intersect with the sky.

Samantha Harvey's story is set in a remote African village and explores the terror of being trapped in a tiny space, cut off from the horizon.


Read by: Olivia Darnley

Commissioned for radio by Ellah Allfrey and directed by Jill Waters for The Waters Company

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b07vjwwk)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b07vjwwn)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.

SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b07vjwwq)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b07vjwws)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b07vk0j1)
St John the Baptist, Burford

This week's Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St. John the Baptist, Burford in Oxfordshire. The church is well known for its merchants' guild chapel, and it's memorial to Henry VIII's barber-surgeon, Edmund Harman. The tower is Norman and holds 8 bells with the Tenor weighing 17 and three quarter hundredweight. We hear them now ringing Double Norwich Court Bob Major.

SUN 05:45 Profile (b07vjsvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b07vjwwv)
The latest national and international news.

SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b07vk719)
Working with Your Hands

At a time when many are asking whether there is enough attention paid to developing vital manual skills and practical professions, Mark Tully considers the importance accorded to manual labour by philosophers, poets and composers.

He asks Matthew Pottage of Wisley Gardens, at 29 the youngest curator appointed by the Royal Horticultural Society, about the problem of recruiting younger generations of gardeners and discusses the satisfaction he still gets from hands on work.

The readings are taken from Tolstoy, Gandhi and the carpenter and poet Adam White - with music from Wagner, the Ian Campbell Folk Group and The Africando All Stars.

The readers are Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Broadbent and Francis Cadder.

Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling

A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 06:35 The Living World (b07vk71c)
Spider Spied a Fly

Chris Packham relives programmes from The Living World archives.

So legend has it, Robert the Bruce who was on the run and in exile hid in a cave. It was while there that he watched a spider repeatedly attempt to spin a web which it eventually succeeded in doing. That act of determination which inspired Bruce is one of the many fascinating aspects of spider biology in this programme from 1995. In their Bristol garden Lionel Kelleway joins spider experts Rod and Ken Preston-Mafham. With over 650 species of spider in Britain where do they begin? Luckily in their garden there are fewer species to find, but as Lionel discovers spiders use a number of mechanisms to capture their prey, not just webs. They even come indoors.

Producer Andrew Dawes.

SUN 06:57 Weather (b07vjwwx)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b07vjwwz)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SUN 07:10 Sunday (b07vjwx1)
'Earth-walker' Satish Kumar, Sikh weddings row, the 'religion of human rights'

Religious and ethical news.

SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b07vk71f)
Calvert Trust

Frank Gardner makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Calvert Trust.
Registered Charity Numbers 1042423, 1005776, 511851 & 270923
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That's the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope 'Calvert Trust'
- Cheques should be made payable to 'Calvert Trust'.

SUN 07:57 Weather (b07vjwx3)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b07vjwx5)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b07vk71h)
'Thou art a sun without a sphere'

'Thou art a sun without a sphere' - a service live from St Wulfram's Church, Grantham, during the Gravity Fields Festival celebrating the life and work of Isaac Newton and exploring the relationship between science and religion. Led by the Rector of Grantham, the Revd Stuart Cradduck with the Revd James Robinson. The choir of St Wulfram's is directed by Dr Tim Williams and accompanied by Edward McCall. Producer: Stephen Shipley

2016 is the 350th anniversary of Newton's 'Year of Wonders' - his Annus Mirabilis - when, because of the plague, he returned from Cambridge to his family home and made massive scientific advances in maths, light and gravitational forces.

SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b07v36ks)
Who Cares About Independence?

Wheelchair user, Tom Shakespeare, reflects on what it feels like to be dependent on others.

He says care often leaves the recipient in a devalued state.

He calls for society to respond to the challenge of delivering help "without creating domination and infantilisation" and for care to be funded properly.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sby29)
Grey Heron

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Grey Heron. The Grey Heron makes a loud croaking sound, often standing in an ungainly way on a tree-top which it might share with many others for nesting - the heronry.

SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b07vjwx7)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.

SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b07vk71k)
Writers ..... Tim Stimpson, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
Directors ..... Sean O'Connor, Julie Beckett
Editor ..... Sean O'Connor.

SUN 12:00 News Summary (b07vjwxc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (b07tzwhf)
Series 76, Episode 6

Nicholas Parsons and guests return for the 76th series of the panel show where participants must try to speak for 60 seconds without hesitation, deviation or repetition. No repetition? That's no small order after nearly 50 years.

This week Nicholas is joined by Paul Merton, Julian Clary, Tony Hawks and Zoe Lyons and the team tackle topics such as Brighton Rock, Enid Blyton and Julian tells us about The French Connection.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.

Produced by Matt Stronge.

It was a BBC Studios production.

SUN 12:32 Food Programme (b07vk71m)
An Antarctic Chef

Charles Green. Chas to his family, 'cook' to his colleagues. A young baker whose sense of adventure drew him to a career cooking on the sea. You may never have heard of Charles, but you certainly will have heard of an expedition on which he played a crucial role...

Charles was cook for the crew of the 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. A disastrous expedition which ended up lasting for more than two years. The men were forced to camp on moving ice flows, and eventually a remote Antarctic beach on Elephant Island. But against all odds, every man on Shackleton's ship The Endurance survived. In August 1916, the men were rescued. They were on the edge of starvation.

During their time on the ice, Charlie Green cooked tirelessly using his creative flair to concoct meals out of exceptionally meagre means. His food kept the men alive. He went back to the Antarctic with Shackleton on the expedition which would be Shackleton's last. But then, despite living until the 1970s, he faded into obscurity. Known only for slide shows that he gave locally with the well-known images of the expedition.

One hundred years on, another Antarctic chef Gerard Baker, uncovers the extraordinary life led by Charles Green and his version of two years cooking for the men of the Endurance. One of the greatest survival stories of all time.

Presented by Gerard Baker and Sheila Dillon
Produced by Clare Salisbury.

SUN 12:57 Weather (b07vjwxf)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b07vjwxh)
Global news and analysis.

SUN 13:30 The King of Dreams (b07vkf71)
Imagine you could control your own dreams. What would you do? Cast yourself as a swashbuckling hero, rule the world for a night, conduct a passionate affair with the film star of your choice?

In fin de siècle Paris a shy young aristocrat, the Marquis Leon d'Hervey taught himself how to control his own dreams and wrote a book detailing years of his nocturnal adventures. In 'King of Dreams' Professor Alice Roberts learns how to advance her own skills in lucid dreaming and finds out why the work of the Marquis is inspiring neuroscientists and psychologists today.

Producer: Alasdair Cross.

SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b07v33l8)
Snowdon

Peter Gibbs presents the horticultural panel programme from Snowdon. James Wong, Chris Beardshaw and Pippa Greenwood answer questions from atop the mountain.

Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b07vkf73)
Sunday Omnibus - Embracing Change

Fi Glover with conversations tackling change, whether it's when a foster child is adopted, the aftermath of retirement, or independent student life, in the Omnibus edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

SUN 15:00 Drama (b07vkf75)
Tsar, Boris Godunov: Ghosts

By Mike Walker

"Petty thieves hang, great ones escape." Or so goes the Russian saying.

Did Boris Godunov have Ivan the Terrible's son killed in order to steal the throne? And what did he do when the murdered boy came back from the dead - leading an army to steal it all back? Mike Walker's epic chronicle of the Russian Tsars surveys the Time of Troubles, a period that saw the crown change hands 5 times in just 22 years.

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.

SUN 16:00 Open Book (b07vkf77)
Donal Ryan, Reader's Guide to Elizabeth Jane Howard

Mariella Frostrup talks to Irish novelist Donal Ryan about his latest novel All We Shall Know which tells the story of the troubled, feisty Melody Shee. She is pregnant to her seventeen year old pupil and estranged from her husband but, the road to redemption beckons through friendship with a young girl from a travelling community.

We find out more about the 18th century criminals whose memoirs were just as popular as those of today's celebrities.

And Artemis Cooper discusses her biography of novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard sheds new light on her life and work.

SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b07vkf79)
Autumn

Roger McGough celebrates the autumn equinox with poetry by AE Housman, Wordsworth, Sylvia Plath, RS Thomas and more. Producer Sally Heaven.

SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b07v0fvc)
Homes Not Hospitals

Five years after shocking revelations about the abuse of patients at Winterbourne View, File on 4 asks what progress has been made on the promise to get people with learning disabilities and autism out of hospital units and into homes in the community with good support.

Families of those still stuck in these units say patients are trapped in the system with no clear plan or apparent will to get them home. For those eventually discharged, almost as many others are admitted - parents say, because there aren't enough community support services.

But if people are let out by the institutions, what's does so-called 'supported living' in the community look like? File on 4 hears concerns about the quantity and quality of this promised care. Parents describe living on the brink of a crisis that could land their children back in a cycle of being sectioned and locked up.

NHS England says the plans are taking shape. But families say it's like living in The Twilight Zone, in a limbo hidden from mainstream view and unable to find a way out.

So just how successful is the landmark 'Homes not Hospitals' plan, that aims to improve life for some of the most vulnerable patients in the NHS?

Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Sally Chesworth
Editor: Gail Champion.

SUN 17:40 Profile (b07vjsvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b07vjwxk)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 17:57 Weather (b07vjwxm)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b07vjwxp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b07vjwxr)
Hardeep Singh Kohli

What a wondrous whirly gig of a week Hardeep Singh Kohli has for you, offering world-class wireless fun.
We have war, huh, what is it good for? Well, a brilliant Book at Bedtime by ex-soldier Harry Parker, a fascinating Alvin hall documentary, The Double War, looking at the African American soldiers plight during the Vietnam war and the brilliant John Le Carre's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel. Along with what Hardeep found to be a rather life changing report on how we work, rest and play.
Producer: Stephen Garner
The Pick of the Week Production Team: Rachel Gill & Hannah Barlow.

SUN 19:00 The Archers (b07vkljl)
Joe celebrates his 95th birthday, and Kirsty has words of advice for Tom.

SUN 19:15 Sketchorama (b01s8q18)
Series 2, Episode 2

Thom Tuck presents the pick of the new sketch groups currently performing live on the UK comedy circuit - with character, improv, broken and musical sketch comedy.

This is the second series, and in the second episode:

SO ON AND SO FORTH
Posh sketch boys Nick Gadd, John Sherman and Martin Allanson have been performing together since 2010. In that time they have chalked up an acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe debut and picked up a Cofilmic Comedy Film Award for best sketch in 2011.

THAT PAIR
That Pair are Kathryn Bond and Lorna Shaw, who met at Bretton Hall where they discovered their mutual love of being from Essex. After graduating with one degree each in Theatre Acting, they have worked as professional actresses ever since. They came out of the comedy closet in 2010 as a female musical comedy duo. Influenced by fellow Bretton Haller's and comedy legends The League of Gentlemen and their Nans and Grandads, they perform sketches and songs with bags of silliness.

SHEEPS
Sheeps are Daran Johnson, Alastair Roberts and Liam Williams - three erudite young chaps doing sketches, and then doing themselves reflecting on their own sketches. Sheeps are graduates of that most venerable of comedy finishing schools, Cambridge Footlights. Liam Williams was runner-up in the 2010 standup contest So You Think You're Funny?, while Daran Johnson is already a prizewinning playwright.


Producer: Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 19:45 Comics, War and Ordinary Miracles (b07vkljn)
Creative non-fiction by two writers, Adnan Mahmutovic and Lucy Durneen, exploring their very different lives in 1992 and their connection through the Bosnian War.

After meeting at a short-fiction conference, Adnan Mahmutovic and Lucy Durneen began talking to one another about Adnan's childhood love of comics and his efforts to preserve them during the Bosnian War. At that time, Lucy was going through adolescence in the UK but her father was flying reconnaissance missions over Bosnia.

This piece - specially commissioned for Radio 4 - draws on their experiences, which they first explored in connected essays in World Literature Today in 2015.

Adnan Mahmutovic came to Sweden from Bosnia as a war refugee in the 1990s. He lectures at Stockholm University in literature and creative writing and has published a novel, Thinner Than a Hair, and a short-story collection, How to Fare Well and Stay Fair.

Lucy Durneen lectures in English and creative writing at Plymouth University and is assistant editor of Short Fiction. She has recently completed her first collection of short stories.

Writers: Adnan Mahmutovic and Lucy Durneen
Readers: Adnan Mahmutovic and Lucy Durneen
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 20:00 Feedback (b07v34v2)
Roger Bolton asks if BBC coverage has been biased against Jeremy Corbyn, putting listener concerns to Political News Editor Katy Searle. Have radio programmes looked too much at Jeremy Corbyn's personality at the expense of his policies?

In the week that the Chair of the BBC Trust handed in her resignation, the draft BBC Royal charter was released. Chairman of the Voice of the Listener and Viewer Colin Browne talks to Roger Bolton about the Charter and its repercussions. Will it safeguard the independence of the Corporation?

In 1986 a specialist music programme took to the air on Radio Ulster. The Bottom Line - or Across the Line as it's now known - celebrated its 30th birthday earlier this month with a live concert featuring performances from some of the bands it helped to launch. How has the programme outlived so many of its rivals?

And a week on from the biggest trial in the history of Ambridge, we hear why some listeners of The Archers were left dissatisfied, while others were delighted with the outcome.

Producer: Kate Dixon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 20:30 Last Word (b07v34v0)
Barry Myers, Eileen Younghusband, Robin Spark, Keith McDougall, Prince Buster

Matthew Bannister on

Barry Myers who directed some of the best known commercials of the 1970s and 80s, including ads for Hovis, Olympus Cameras and Cadbury's Flake.

Eileen Younghusband, who worked as a filter officer during the Second World War, spotting the approaching aircraft and V2 rockets launched against Britain by the Nazis.

The Edinburgh based artist Robin Spark, who had a troubled relationship with his mother, the writer Muriel Spark.

Keith MacDougall, the Norfolk countryman who balanced a passion for shooting with a commitment to conservation.

And Prince Buster the Jamaican musician who was one of the pioneers of Ska.

Produced by Neil George.

SUN 21:00 Money Box (b07vjqmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]

SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b07vk71f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]

SUN 21:30 In Business (b07v2yt7)
Start-up Scotland

Brexit, a global slump in oil prices, and political uncertainty around a second independence referendum; these have combined to place the Scottish business community in uncharted waters. Additionally, Scotland has longer term historical structural issues, particularly when it comes to successfully starting and growing new ventures. It is widely recognised that the Scottish economy needs to grow faster and be less dependent on both fossil fuels and inward investment. For this edition of 'In Business', the BBC's Scotland Business Editor Douglas Fraser explores what is being done to support and encourage entrepreneurship

Producer: Dave Howard.

SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b07vjwxt)
Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.

SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b07v2ysx)
Colin Firth, Ralph Fiennes

Colin Firth and Francine Stock indulge in some Bridget Jones's Baby talk, and the actor admits that he is partly to blame for the out-dated stereotype of the reticent Englishman.

Ralph Fiennes explains why he spent two months learning Russian for his role in Two Women.

Francine follows the continuing adventures of Alastair Till and Suzie Sinclair who left the Big Smoke for the sea air of Cornwall, and built their own cinema, without any previous knowledge of the film business. The Newlyn Filmhouse has been open for six months, so is it still a dream factory or waking nightmare ?

SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b07vk719)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]

MONDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2016

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b07vjwzy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b07v2mdx)
Men dressing up - The male 'suit'

The male 'suit': Christopher Breward, Professor of Cultural History at the University of Edinburgh, talks to Laurie Taylor about the myriad forms and meanings of a garment which has dominated men's wardrobes for 400 years. From Saville Row to Wall St; in times of crisis, as well as celebration; the tailored suit is so ubiquitous that we take it for granted, ignoring its complex history and many varieties, including the Zoot Suit and Le Smoking. Although it embodies ideas of traditional masculinity and respectability, it has also been subverted by women, musicians and revolutionaries

Also, men 'dressing up'. Barbara Brownie, a senior lecturer at University of Hertfordshire, explores how, in recent years, the wearing of costumes has become an increasingly masculine pursuit. Through historical re-enactment, superhero 'cosplay', and the personalisation of characters in online games, a new generation of men are taking pleasure in costume.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.

MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b07vk0j1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]

MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx00)
The latest shipping forecast.

MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b07vjx02)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx04)
The latest shipping forecast.

MON 05:30 News Briefing (b07vjx06)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b07w6gh9)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with the Rev Dr Alison Jack, Assistant Principal of New College, Edinburgh.

MON 05:45 Farming Today (b07vjx08)
Does the new system of cattle grading at abbatoirs give a fair price for farmers? Plus fly tipping

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Trish Campbell.

MON 05:56 Weather (b07vjx0b)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.

MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkfw4)
Grey Plover

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Grey Plover. The call of the grey plover across the shimmering mud-flats of an autumn estuary is a haunting sound. They feed out on open mudflats using the "run, stop, peck" method....a quick run towards any worms or shellfish which they spot with those big eyes, stop, then a slight lean forward to pick it up.

MON 06:00 Today (b07vjx0d)
News and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

MON 09:00 Start the Week (b07vkqz2)
Political Drama: Robert Harris and Margaret Hodge

On Start the Week Andrew Marr talks to the MP Margaret Hodge who challenged multinational companies to explain their tax affairs and shone a light on the billions wasted by government every year. The former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee argues that it's time Ministers and Civil Servants learnt from their mistakes. Sir John Armitt masterminded the successful delivery of the 2012 London Olympics and explains why big projects are notorious for budget overspends. MPs will have to decide soon on a multi-billion pound proposal to renovate the Palace of Westminster which would involve them moving out for several years: the political journalist Philip Webster reflects on working in the House of Commons for four decades and how the building influences the business of politics. The best-selling novels of Robert Harris reveal the machinations behind the closed doors of those in power, or seeking it - from Ancient Rome to New Labour. His latest book centres on the intrigue in the corridors of the world's smallest state, the Vatican, as they vote for the next Pope.

MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b07vkqz4)
Elizabeth Jane Howard: A Dangerous Innocence, Episode 1

Elizabeth Jane Howard wrote brilliant novels about what love can do to people, but in her own life the lasting relationship she sought so ardently always eluded her. She grew up yearning to be an actress; but when that ambition was thwarted by marriage and the war, she turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Beautiful Visit, won the John Llewellyn Rhys prize - she went on to write fourteen more, of which the best-loved were the five volumes of The Cazalet Chronicle.

Following her divorce from her first husband, the celebrated naturalist Peter Scott, Jane embarked on a string of high-profile affairs. Yet the image of a sophisticated woman hid a romantic innocence which clouded her emotional judgement. She was nearing the end of a disastrous second marriage when she met Kingsley Amis, and for a few years they were a brilliant and glamorous couple - until that marriage too disintegrated. She settled in Suffolk where she wrote and entertained friends, but her turbulent love life was not over yet. In her early seventies Jane fell for a conman. His unmasking was the final disillusion, and inspired one of her most powerful novels, Falling.

Artemis Cooper interviewed Jane several times in Suffolk. She also talked extensively to her family, friends and contemporaries, and had access to all her papers. Her biography explores a woman trying to make sense of her life through her writing, as well as illuminating the literary world in which she lived.

Author: Artemis Cooper
Reader: Greta Scacchi
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Simon Richardson and Elizabeth Allard.

MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b07vjx0g)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b07vkrnb)
Writing the Century: Land's End to John O'Groats, A Dissatisfaction

The series exploring the twentieth century through the journals and correspondence of real people. George Allen's 1904 diary of his record attempting walk to promote the benefits of vegetarianism, freely adapted by Stephen Wakelam. George has mixed motives for this challenge.

A Dissatisfaction

Pianist: Pete Ringrose

Director: David Hunter.

MON 11:00 Shrinking Population: How Japan Fell Out of Love with Love (b07vndh1)
Tulip Mazumdar explores how young people's rejection of intimacy and their embracing of singledom has left Japan's authorities struggling to tackle rapid population decline.

Traditionally, the working husband and the stay-at-home housewife defined a Japanese family. Now, with society changing, young people are choosing independence over 'troublesome' relationships. The result is an uncontrolled decline in population, where a decreasing birth rate and rapidly aging population paints a bleak outlook for Japan's future.

Tulip meets the eligible men and women who are choosing careers, fun and freedom over, marriage, boyfriends or girlfriends. Such is their determination to be independent, few want or have time for partners - let alone indulging in sexual relations. For those who are lonely or in need of a human connection, relationship substitutes fill a void. Theirs is a life unfamiliar to the nation's parents and grandparents.

With a generation almost refusing to procreate, the Japanese government faces something of a crisis. Tulip meets with officials to hear of the actions they're taking to arrest the decline in population including, remarkably, the funding of speed dating events.

With women taking up fresh work opportunities and grasping hold of new equalities, can government intervention defuse the demographic time bomb?

A Like It Is Media production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 11:30 The Rest Is History (b04wrycv)
Series 1, Episode 5

Frank Skinner loves history, but just doesn't know much of it.

The Rest Is History is a new comedy discussion show which promises to help him find out more about it.

Along with his historian in residence Dr Kate Williams, each episode sees Frank joined by a selection of celebrity guests, who will help him navigate his way through the annals of time, picking out and chewing over the funniest, oddest, and most interesting moments in history.

Frank's guests in this edition of the programme are David Mitchell and Steve Hall.

Produced by Dan Schreiber and Justin Pollard
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 12:00 News Summary (b07vjx0j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 12:04 Home Front (b07kt260)
19 September 1916 - Florrie Wilson

On this day in 1916, the Times celebrated a boy scout whose information helped catch a spy and sink a submarine, and Florrie Wilson gets interesting news from Mrs Crayford.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

MON 12:15 You and Yours (b07vjx0n)
Consumer affairs programme.

MON 12:57 Weather (b07vjx0q)
The latest weather forecast.

MON 13:00 World at One (b07vjx0s)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

MON 13:45 A History of the Infinite (b07vngh2)
Horror of the Infinite

Adrian Moore starts his journey through philosophical thought on infinity over the last two and a half thousand years. In the first episode, he finds out why the idea made the Greeks so uncomfortable and introduces us to some of the first great thinkers on infinity.

We meet Pythagoras and his followers who divided the world into two fundamental cosmic principles. On one side was everything they thought of as limited or finite, and therefore good, and on the other everything they considered unlimited or infinite, and therefore bad.

The Pythagoreans thought they could explain the world around them in terms of the numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. - which we use to count finite collections of things, and they were utterly dismayed when they discovered that not every calculation produced the neat answer they expected. According to legend, one of their number was shipwrecked at sea for revealing this discovery to their enemies!

And we meet Zeno of Elea who, after wrestling with the notion of infinity, came to the conclusion that movement itself was impossible.

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 14:00 The Archers (b07vkljl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]

MON 14:15 Afternoon Drama (b04f9fry)
Blink

by Phil Porter

Sophie and Jonah are two shy, lonely individuals thrown together in urban London. Their love affair takes a strange and initially contactless route.

Director: David Hunter.

MON 15:00 Quote... Unquote (b07vnglv)
Quote ... Unquote, the popular quotations quiz, returns for its 40th anniversary series.

For 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 guests on the origins of sayings and well-known quotes, and gets the panel to share their favourite anecdotes.

Episode 1

Children's author Cressida Cowell
Journalist, biographer and crime novelist Ruth Dudley Edwards
Podcaster, broadcaster and writer Helen Zaltzman
Autor and arts critic Michael Billington

Presenter ... Nigel Rees
Reader ... Sally Grace
Producer ... Carl Cooper
Production co-ordinator ... George Pierpoint

This is a BBC Studios Production.

MON 15:30 BBC National Short Story Award (b07vnglx)
BBC National Short Story Award 2016, 19/09/2016

Miriam Margolyes reads the first of the entries in contention for this year's award, a comic story filled with unlikely memories, lost lives and the odd bad joke.

Now in its eleventh year, the five shortlisted stories for the BBC National Short Story Award 2016 comprise a mix of established and new writers of this most inventive and imaginative of genres. Human connection, the desire for it, and what happens when it falls away are at the heart of this year's shortlist, which takes us across the globe and the generations, shining a light on the intimate inner lives of each story's protagonist.

The winner, and the runner up of this prestigious award for the short story will be announced live on Front Row from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, on Tuesday 4th October at 7.15

Read by Miriam Margolyes
Produced by Julian Wilkinson.

MON 16:00 Still Loving Thy Neighbour? (b07vnglz)
Mark Hodkinson revisits the controversial sitcom, forty years after it was last shown on TV.

Love Thy Neighbour ran for 54 episodes from 1972, dealing with the relatively new issue of the British mixing on home soil with people from elsewhere in the world. The UK's black population had grown from 20,000 in 1950 to nearly 1.5 million in the 1970s.

It was based on the premise of old-school socialist Eddie Booth becoming outraged to discover that his new neighbours, Bill and Barbie Reynolds, were black. The two men bickered, fell out, palled up and, in-between, used racist language which has barely been heard on television since.

The racially-motivated antagonism attracted audiences up to 20 million people - a third of the population - and led to a spin-off feature film in 1973. Often attacked for promoting racial stereotypes, its defenders claimed it had been written to reduce racial friction by showing bigotry at its most ridiculous.

Mark Hodkinson looks back at the series with Jack Smethurst, the actor who played Eddie Booth and who ponders on whether he was sacrificial to the cause of multi-racialism - he was seldom offered roles afterwards and worked for a while in a flower shop.

Mark, who was brought up in a northern working-class family, takes an enigmatic view of Eddie Booth, looking at the character as a class stereotype - why was it considered permissible to demonise and ridicule the indigenous working-class? This is discussed by Owen Jones of The Guardian and the writer on social class, Lynsey Hanley.

Lemn Sissay, who was brought up in an all-white neighbourhood, talks of coming home from school with "rivers of spit on the back of my duffel coat". He watches an episode of Love Thy Neighbour and considers how it plays on racial fears.

Producers: Kellie While and Mark Hodkinson
A Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b07vngrh)
Clergy during the Troubles

Bishop Edward Daly, who died last month, led the Catholic Diocese of Derry through some of the worst years of the Northern Ireland Troubles. His was the iconic image of Bloody Sunday; photographed waving a white blood-stained handkerchief while a dying boy, Jackie Duddy, is being carried away. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 marked the end of three decades of bitter sectarian violence. At least 3,600 people died and tens of thousands were injured. This was a territorial conflict, not a religious one. Yet, at its heart lay two mutually exclusive visions of national identity and national belonging, with a dividing line drawn between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans. When Bishop Daly recently died, he was praised by all sides for his work, despite being critical of all sides. How significant was the role of Catholic and Protestant clergy more widely during the Troubles and throughout the peace process? How did they measure success? How big a say do they have in the debate about the legacy of the Troubles?

Ernie Rea discusses the role of the clergy during the Northern Ireland Troubles with John Dunlop, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Fr Gary Donegan, rector of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Ardoyne, North Belfast; and John Brewer, sociologist and Professor of Post Conflict Studies at Queen's University Belfast.

Producer: Dan Tierney
Series producer: Amanda Hancox.

MON 17:00 PM (b07vjx0v)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.

MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b07vjx0x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b07vngrk)
Series 76, Episode 7

Nicholas Parsons and guests return for the 76th series of the panel show where participants must try to speak for 60 seconds without hesitation, deviation or repetition. No repetition? That's no small order after nearly 50 years.

Paul Merton, now the second most prolific player of the game after Kenneth Williams, will be joined by guests including series regulars Josie Lawrence, Sheila Hancock, Marcus Brigstocke and Gyles Brandreth.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.

Produced by Matt Stronge.

MON 19:00 The Archers (b07vngrm)
Rob faces a problem, and Jennifer is apologetic.

MON 19:15 Front Row (b07vjx0z)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b07vkrnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

MON 20:00 Sunni-Shia: Islam Divided (b07vngrr)
The Early Split

In the first of two programmes explaining the Sunni-Shia divide past and present, Tarek Osman tells the epic story of how Islam split after the death of the Prophet Mohammed.

Many of the conflicts raging in the Middle East today see Sunni and Shia armed groups pitted against one another and communities, that were once a mix of both sects, torn apart.

To understand the origins of the dispute we must go back to the final hours of the Prophet Mohammed and the question of who was going to succeed him as leader of Islam after his death.

Two groups emerged claiming to be the rightful heirs of the mantle of Islam: the Prophet's immediate family who would become the Shia and his closest companions, who became the Sunni.

Tarek follows the dramatic events of the 7th century AD as Islam spread across continents and power struggles ensued. He pauses at Karbala, in Iraq, and the murder of the Prophet's grandson Husein, which saw the irrevocable split between the Shia and the Sunni.

Producer Neil McCarthy.

MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b07v2ysn)
Fixing India's Car Crash Capital

India has some of the world's most dangerous roads. The government says almost 150,000 people died on them last year. Nowhere saw more crashes than the booming city of Mumbai. The carnage is relentless, affecting people at every level of society. Neal Razzell meets the Mumbaikers who are saying, enough: a vegetable seller who fills potholes in his spare time after his son died in one; a neurosurgeon whose experience treating victims has led him to try to build trauma centres along one of the worst roads; and an unlikely combination of engineers, activists and police officers with an ambitious plan to bring the number of deaths on a notorious expressway down to zero. It's hoped there will be lessons in Mumbai for all of India. The country is in the midst of an historic road-building push. By 2020, Prime Minister Modi wants to pave a distance greater than the circumference of the earth.

Produced by Michael Gallagher.

MON 21:00 Natural Histories (b07v07p6)
Wandering Albatross

With a wing span that can measure up to 3.5 metres in length, it's hardly surprising that the Wandering Albatross has inspired not only awe but a spiritual response from many of us. And whilst Samuel Taylor Coleridge didn't do it any favours when he portrayed the Albatross as a bird of ill omen in his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, as Brett Westwood discovers in this programme, our relationship with the Albatross is far more complex than this; as we have both caught and eaten them, studied their flight and been so inspired by them, that as one man says "In my next life I'm coming back as a Wanderer". Producer Sarah Blunt.

MON 21:30 Start the Week (b07vkqz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

MON 21:58 Weather (b07vjx11)
The latest weather forecast.

MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b07vjx13)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b07vngz6)
Short Works, Long Distance

Five newly commissioned short stories accompany this week's shortlist of the BBC National Short Story Award 2016:

LONG DISTANCE by David Szalay
He drives a lorry through Europe and sleeps in the cabin at service stations. It's always the same, drive and sleep. Then one night there's a knock on the cabin door..

Reader Paul Hilton

Producer Duncan Minshull.

MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b07v0fv0)
Lost Words and Secret Connections

Have you ever wondered why there's no word for that universal affliction of early morning worry & wakefulness? Or how to describe the act of eking every last drop of washing up liquid out of the bottle? Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon, takes Michael Rosen and linguist Dr Laura Wright on a lexical expedition into what he calls the 'sewer system' of the English language- where words lie lost, forgotten or banished- until now. Producer Kirsty McQuire.

MON 23:30 With Great Pleasure (b07jyrdd)
Maxine Peake

Actress Maxine Peake, star of Shameless, Silk and Dinnerladies, shares the pieces of writing that have meant the most to her in life. Including inspiration from Joan Littlewood and Marti Caine, Hovis Presley and Beryl Bainbridge. Recorded before an audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, with readers Diane Morgan (aka TV's Philomena Cunk) and John Shrapnel.
Producer Beth O'Dea

Pieces:
Joan's Book: the Autobiography of Joan Littlewood
Nico, Songs They Never Play on the Radio by James Young
The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge
Lucy in The Sky with Hummus by Hovis Presley
A Coward's Chronicles by Marti Caine
Music: Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary.

TUESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2016

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b07vjx2z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b07vkqz4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]

TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx31)
The latest shipping forecast.

TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b07vjx33)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx35)
The latest shipping forecast.

TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b07vjx37)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b07wwx98)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with the Rev Dr Alison Jack, Assistant Principal of New College, Edinburgh.

TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b07vjx39)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Sally Challoner.

TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkfmv)
Brambling

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Brambling. Bramblings are the northern equivalent of the chaffinch and breed across huge areas of Scandinavia and Russia. In autumn they migrate south in search of seeds and are particularly fond of beech-mast. The largest recorded gathering of any living bird species in the world is of a flock of over 70 million bramblings at a roost in Switzerland in the winter of 1951.

TUE 06:00 Today (b07vq2bw)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

TUE 09:00 The Anatomy of Rest (b07vq2by)
Does the brain rest?

Sit down, relax and think of nothing. Struggling? There might be a good reason why your mind seems to wander even when you try very hard to switch off: your brain never really rests. And contrary to popular belief, those idle daydreams might even be beneficial. For years, neuroscientists worked on the assumption that our brains work hard when given a specific job to do, and switch off when we're not mentally stimulated. This is why you'll read about experiments in which volunteers perform a task - tapping a finger, performing some mental arithmetic, looking at evocative pictures - while their brain is scanned. The scan reveals which parts of the brain become more active during the task and which become less active.

But neuroscientists were surprised to discover that when the brain is supposedly resting it's actually more active. This suggests that day dreaming, or mind wandering as psychologists call it, must have a purpose. Claudia Hammond travels to Leipzig to discover what neuroscientists are finding about how the brain at rest uses energy and the links to creativity.

TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b07wb2sz)
Elizabeth Jane Howard: A Dangerous Innocence, Episode 2

Elizabeth Jane Howard wrote brilliant novels about what love can do to people, but in her own life the lasting relationship she sought so ardently always eluded her. She grew up yearning to be an actress; but when that ambition was thwarted by marriage and the war, she turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Beautiful Visit, won the John Llewellyn Rhys prize - she went on to write fourteen more, of which the best-loved were the five volumes of The Cazalet Chronicle.

Following her divorce from her first husband, the celebrated naturalist Peter Scott, Jane embarked on a string of high-profile affairs. Yet the image of a sophisticated woman hid a romantic innocence which clouded her emotional judgement. She was nearing the end of a disastrous second marriage when she met Kingsley Amis, and for a few years they were a brilliant and glamorous couple - until that marriage too disintegrated. She settled in Suffolk where she wrote and entertained friends, but her turbulent love life was not over yet. In her early seventies Jane fell for a conman. His unmasking was the final disillusion, and inspired one of her most powerful novels, Falling.

Artemis Cooper interviewed Jane several times in Suffolk. She also talked extensively to her family, friends and contemporaries, and had access to all her papers. Her biography explores a woman trying to make sense of her life through her writing, as well as illuminating the literary world in which she lived.

Author: Artemis Cooper
Reader: Greta Scacchi
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Simon Richardson and Elizabeth Allard.

TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b07vjx3c)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b07wb2t1)
Writing the Century: Land's End to John O'Groats, Scrumpy Jack

The series exploring the twentieth century through the journals and correspondence of real people. George Allen's 1904 diary of his record attempting walk to promote the benefits of vegetarianism, freely adapted by Stephen Wakelam. Plymouth is difficult to leave.

Scrumpy Jack

Pianist: Pete Ringrose

Director: David Hunter.

TUE 11:00 Natural Histories (b07vq2c0)
Dragonfly

Ruary Mackenzie Dodds became fascinated by dragonflies when one landed on his shoulder and instead of being terrified by the huge insect, he was captivated by its beauty. This beauty as well as their charisma, acrobatic flying and dramatic lifestyle have inspired both awe and fear across the globe as Brett Westwood discovers in this exploration of our relationship with Dragonflies. They have attracted names like Devil's Darning Needle, Horse Stinger and Water Witch, been used as emblems of strength, weather predictors and angler's friends. They have been captured in artworks and poetry and obsessed over by flight engineers but it's arguably whilst flitting among the rushes over a pool that they are at their most dazzling. Producer Sarah Blunt.

TUE 11:30 Voices of... (b07vq2c2)
Marta Sebestyen

The voice of Marta Sebestyen is closely associated with the folk traditions of Hungary and its neighbouring regions. Through her work with the band Muzsikas, she helped revive the cultural phenomenon of Tanchaz - dance house - which preserved music and dance traditions and, during the Soviet era, provided a beacon for national identity - perhaps most vividly in the dissenters' song The Unwelcome Guest.

Her mother had studied with the folklorist and composer Zoltan Kodaly and Marta inherited her passion for music and village culture, collecting and recording songs from across the Balkans, some of which have found their way onto the soundtracks of films, such as The English Patient and Only Yesterday.

Marta talks about her relationship to the music of her homeland, its political connotations and the quality of the voices of village singers she's most admired.

Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 12:00 News Summary (b07vjx3f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 12:04 Home Front (b07ksxky)
20 September 1916 - Alec Poole

On this day in 1916, the Bishop of London declared that 'shooting would be too good for' certain men and women walking around Piccadilly, and in Folkestone, Alec grows weary of his double life.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b07vjx3h)
Call You and Yours

Consumer phone-in.

TUE 12:57 Weather (b07vjx3k)
The latest weather forecast.

TUE 13:00 World at One (b07vjx3m)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

TUE 13:45 A History of the Infinite (b07vq2zc)
Aristotle's Rapprochement

In the second part of his journey through two and half millennia of philosophical thought, Adrian Moore introduces us to the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who attempted a reconciliation between the idea of things going on for ever and ever and the Greeks' abhorrence of the very notion.

We hear how he came up with the idea of two different types of infinite - the potential and the actual - and how it was the potential infinite that he presented as the acceptable face of infinity.

With the help of Ursula Coope, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Oxford University, Adrian explains the idea of infinite divisibility and re-visits the paradoxes of Zeno which suggest that motion isn't possible. He carries out his own experiment to see whether using Aristotle's theory of the infinite he can disprove Zeno's conclusions and actually get himself home.

And he reveals how Aristotle's theory of the infinite held sway for thousands of years, despite the challenges to it.

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 14:00 The Archers (b07vngrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]

TUE 14:15 Tracks (b07vq2zf)
The Nucleus Accumbens

Seventh episode of a nine-part conspiracy thriller, starring Romola Garai. Written by Matthew Broughton.

Helen is kidnapped by the organ traffickers she has been investigating. To make matters worse, so is her mother, Rosie. As they wait for death in a tiny room, the secrets between them begin to unravel.

What do the traffickers want with them? Will they get out alive? And why won't Rosie talk about Helen's mysterious long-lost sister Elizabeth?

Tracks: A story in nine parts about life, death and the human brain.

Directed in London by Abigail le Fleming.

TUE 15:00 Making History (b07vs2h4)
Helen Castor is joined by Professor Mark Bailey from the University of East Anglia and Dr Eloise Moss from the University of Manchester to discuss the Black Death and Victorian tabloids.

Tom Holland is in Lincolnshire where Professor Carenza Lewis explains why pottery is telling us so much more about the Black Death. Her new research, working with volunteers across East Anglia, shows the pan-European epidemic of the mid-fourteenth century had an 'eye-watering impact' with communities losing up to 70% of their population.

Dr Bob Nicholson and former newspaper editor Roy Greenslade leaf through the pages of one of the most scurrilous tabloid publications ever, the tamely titled Illustrated Police News.

And we invite listeners to suggest characters from the past for the Making History plinth.

Producer: Nick Patrick
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 15:30 BBC National Short Story Award (b07vs2h6)
BBC National Short Story Award 2016, 20/09/2016

In the second of the five stories shortlisted for this celebrated award, an impoverished young woman seeks a better way of life, but pays a high price.

Now in its eleventh year, the five shortlisted stories for the BBC National Short Story Award 2016 comprise a mix of established and new writers of this most inventive and imaginative of genres. Human connection, the desire for it, and what happens when it falls away are at the heart of this year's shortlist, which takes us across the globe and the generations, shining a light on the intimate inner lives of each story's protagonist.


Produced by Julian Wilkinson.

TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b07vs2h8)
Directions: North South East and West

Michael Rosen & Laura Wright discover how different ways of talking about directions in other languages show differences in ways of thinking. Professor Lera Boroditsky explains how in some languages, you might be asked to move your chair a bit to the north, or to put the socks in the east drawer... And the past may be conceived of as in front of you, rather than behind. How do the languages we speak shape the ways we think?
Producer Beth O'Dea.

TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b07vs2hb)
Series 40, AA Gill on Arthur Neville Chamberlain

Biographical series presented by Matthew Parris.

TUE 17:00 PM (b07vjx3p)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b07vjx3r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 18:30 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (b07vs2hg)
Series 2, Legacy

New series from multi-award winning Mark Watson. Assisted and impeded in equal measure by henchmen Sam Simmons and Will Adamsdale, he revives his quest to make some sort of sense of life, against the backdrop of a world, in recent times, has come to seem even more peculiar than usual.

The tenacious trio take on some of human life's central topics - family, spirituality, Scandinavia. Watson peddles his unique, high-octane stand-up while Simmons and Adamsdale chip in with interjections which include (but are not limited to) music, shopping lists, life advice, stunts, avant-garde offerings and divvy interactions.

Expect big laughs, controlled chaos and an attempt to answer the one question none of us can quite escape from - what exactly is going on?

This weeks topic is legacy. How will the world see us after we've gone, and is it really important? The trio consider their reputations, prepare their wills, and look the end in the face in this penultimate episode of the series.

Mark Watson is a multi-award winning comedian, including the inaugural If.Comedy Panel Prize 2006. He is assisted by Sam Simmons, winner of Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award 2015 and Will Adamsdale who won the the Perrier Comedy Award in 2004.

Produced by Lianne Coop
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 19:00 The Archers (b07vs2hj)
Ian has had enough, and Usha calls on Alan's support.

TUE 19:15 Front Row (b07vjx3t)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b07wb2t1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b07vs2ny)
The Last Taboo

For a long time, society didn't want to believe child sex abuse was happening - but now are sex crimes against elderly victims being dismissed in the same way?

File on 4 reveals new figures about the scale of alleged sex offences taking place in residential and nursing homes. Whether 5 or 85, should the victims of sexual assault be treated any differently?

Claire Savage hears from the families of elderly people, some with a form of dementia, who have been sexually abused by care workers or by other residents. We also speak to care workers about the challenges they face in dealing with intimacy and sex in care settings.

Experts claim elder sex crimes are being missed or going unreported because not everyone wants to admit these offences are happening. How good are those within the care industry at recognising the signs of elder sexual abuse and at coping with the moral and ethical dilemmas of establishing when a consensual relationship becomes potential abuse?

We speak to those who explain the complexities of bringing about prosecutions where the victim or perpetrator lacks mental capacity and asks if such cases are in the public interest to prosecute.

Reporter: Claire Savage
Producer: Emma Forde.

TUE 20:40 In Touch (b07vjx3x)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.

TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b07vs2p0)
Dr Mark Porter presents a series that aims to demystify perplexing health issues.

TUE 21:30 The Anatomy of Rest (b07vq2by)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

TUE 21:58 Weather (b07vjx3z)
The latest weather forecast.

TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b07vjx41)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b07w6jhn)
Short Works, Give Me a Buzz

Five new tales to accompany this week's shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Award:

GIVE ME A BUZZ by Emma Healey
Carla has a telephone phobia, whilst her mother is seldom off the thing. Mother has a PHD in History of Art, and somehow telephoning and Dutch Flower Paintings become connected in this world of theirs..

Reader Louise Brealey

Producer Duncan Minshull.

TUE 23:00 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b0436hkz)
Series 3, Multiculturalism

Comedian, Stephen K Amos is joined by Stephen Grant, Nish Kumar and Andrew Maxwell to compile an idiot's guide to multiculturalism.

TUE 23:30 With Great Pleasure (b07j4386)
Glyn Maxwell

The poet and playwright, Glyn Maxwell, introduces his favourite poetry and prose. Beginning with some Edward Lear first heard on tape in the back of the family car, his choices include Auden, Robert Frost and Katherine Mansfield. And Glyn reads and discusses the work of his friend and mentor, Derek Walcott. With readers Sophie Scott and Alex Bartram.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.

WEDNESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2016

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b07vjx5w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b07wb2sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]

WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx5y)
The latest shipping forecast.

WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b07vjx60)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b07vjx62)
The latest shipping forecast.

WED 05:30 News Briefing (b07vjx64)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b07wx592)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with the Rev Dr Alison Jack, Assistant Principal of New College, Edinburgh.

WED 05:45 Farming Today (b07vjx66)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.

WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkdpz)
Pink-Footed Goose

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Pink-Footed Goose. To see and hear a skein of pink-footed geese as they fly from their roost on coastal mudflats to feed inland is a stirring experience. In winter the British Isles hosts well over half the global population of pinkfeet.

WED 06:00 Today (b07wx594)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

WED 09:00 Midweek (b07vs2v7)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.

WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b07wb2xj)
Elizabeth Jane Howard: A Dangerous Innocence, Episode 3

Elizabeth Jane Howard wrote brilliant novels about what love can do to people, but in her own life the lasting relationship she sought so ardently always eluded her. She grew up yearning to be an actress; but when that ambition was thwarted by marriage and the war, she turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Beautiful Visit, won the John Llewellyn Rhys prize - she went on to write fourteen more, of which the best-loved were the five volumes of The Cazalet Chronicle.

Following her divorce from her first husband, the celebrated naturalist Peter Scott, Jane embarked on a string of high-profile affairs. Yet the image of a sophisticated woman hid a romantic innocence which clouded her emotional judgement. She was nearing the end of a disastrous second marriage when she met Kingsley Amis, and for a few years they were a brilliant and glamorous couple - until that marriage too disintegrated. She settled in Suffolk where she wrote and entertained friends, but her turbulent love life was not over yet. In her early seventies Jane fell for a conman. His unmasking was the final disillusion, and inspired one of her most powerful novels, Falling.

Artemis Cooper interviewed Jane several times in Suffolk. She also talked extensively to her family, friends and contemporaries, and had access to all her papers. Her biography explores a woman trying to make sense of her life through her writing, as well as illuminating the literary world in which she lived.

Author: Artemis Cooper
Reader: Greta Scacchi
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Simon Richardson and Elizabeth Allard.

WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b07vjx68)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b07wb4k2)
Writing the Century: Land's End to John O'Groats, Beating the Book

The series exploring the twentieth century through the journals and correspondence of real people. George Allen's 1904 diary of his record attempting walk to promote the benefits of vegetarianism, freely adapted by Stephen Wakelam. Inspired by his encounter with Scrumpy Jack George now has a new, earthier attendant for his journey.

Beating the Book

Pianist: Pete Ringrose

Director: David Hunter.

WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b07vs2zb)
Mark and Eugene - Different Paths

Fi Glover introduces a conversation between friends about their differing attitudes to life and responsibilities. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

WED 11:00 Sunni-Shia: Islam Divided (b07vngrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]

WED 11:30 Josh Howie's Losing It (b07vs3cy)
The Handyman

Stand-up comic Josh comes to terms with the impending birth of his first child.

In the fifth episode, Josh and his wife Monique employ handyman Dean to get the flat ready for the baby. However Josh soon discovers that Dean holds some very challenging opinions, especially when it comes to Jews.

Written by Josh Howie.

Produced by Ashley Blaker
A Black Hat production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 12:00 News Summary (b07vjx6b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 12:04 Home Front (b07ksxl3)
21 September 1916 - Ralph Winwood

On this day in 1916, the British Army took two lines of enemy trenches, and Dorothea deploys a surprise strategy for her father's memorial.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

WED 12:15 You and Yours (b07vjx6d)
Consumer affairs programme.

WED 12:57 Weather (b07vjx6g)
The latest weather forecast.

WED 13:00 World at One (b07vjx6j)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

WED 13:45 A History of the Infinite (b07vs3d0)
The Infinite and the Divine

Adrian Moore reaches the third stage of his journey through thought about infinity, describing how the church attempted to stamp its authority on the debate and how that led to some explosive disagreements amongst medieval thinkers.

With the help of Cecilia Trifogli, Lecturer in Medieval Philosophy at Oxford University, Adrian finds out about the life of St Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas defied his mother to become a Dominican friar - she had hoped for a career in the more prestigious Benedictine order for him - and, more importantly, he attempted to engineer a reconciliation between the theories of Aristotle on the infinite and the doctrines of the Catholic church.

He was successful up to a point and, once the church had embraced Aristotle's teachings as the new orthodoxy, philosophers stepped out of line at their peril. The famous dissenter and innovator, Galilei Galileo, did just that. He dared to add his contradictory views to the debate and introduced a series of paradoxes which foreshadowed much later thinking on infinity.

Adrian presents us with a vivid picture of the clash between theology and Greek philosophy, and a sense of the ongoing struggle of both to understand the infinite.

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 14:00 The Archers (b07vs2hj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]

WED 14:15 Afternoon Drama (b04g825q)
Greed Is Good

A fast-paced and blackly funny parable about the difficulty of leading a virtuous life in a financial sector that's constantly inviting you to take what you can get.

Inspired by the recent public enquiry into Ireland's financial crash Greed Is Good is a blackly funny, entirely fictional sequel to the same writer's The Bail-Out, broadcast in 2011.

Greed is Good asks the question - if the Bankers had the chance to do it all over again would they do it any differently? And the answer comes back loud and clear - are you kidding?

In a packed Dublin courtroom, the soul of modern Ireland is laid bare as a fictional former banker goes on trial. Among those giving evidence against him are a one-time colleague and a disgraced government regulator, both complicit in the bank's collapse. As they take turns testifying, they begin to realise that with their shared expertise they could make an illegal fortune without getting caught. And they convince themselves that if they put their wealth to socially responsible use, greed could turn out to be good....... But of course they know that that is just the thin end of a wedge which has left every man woman and child in Ireland owing £30k over the next 25 years.

An inside out look at the greed culture which just might conclude that many of those involved in finance could be suffering from a psychological illness - there must surely be some explanation for such reprehensible and even treasonous behaviour.

Writer ..... Hugh Costello
Producer ..... Eoin O'Callaghan.

WED 15:00 Money Box (b07vs3g7)
Money Box Live

Financial phone-in.

WED 15:30 BBC National Short Story Award (b07vs3g9)
BBC National Short Story Award 2016, 21/09/2016

In the third of five entries shortlisted for this major award for the short story, the rhythms and details of the everyday lead a young woman to solace and sanctuary.

Now in its eleventh year, the five shortlisted stories for the BBC National Short Story Award 2016 comprise a mix of established and new writers of this most inventive and imaginative of genres. Human connection, the desire for it, and what happens when it falls away are at the heart of this year's shortlist, which takes us across the globe and the generations, shining a light on the intimate inner lives of each story's protagonist.

The winner, and the runner up of this prestigious award for the short story will be announced live on Front Row from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, on Tuesday 4th October at 7.15

Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b07w94h5)
Sociological discussion programme, presented by Laurie Taylor.

WED 16:30 The Media Show (b07vjx6l)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.

WED 17:00 PM (b07vjx6n)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b07vjx6q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b07vs3mw)
Series 7, Hebden Bridge

Mark Steel's In Town - Hebden Bridge

"That was So Hebden Bridge"

Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 for a seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.

Mark visits the beautiful Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge, where he discovers how this former mill town and one time home of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath become the new age, multi cafe, hippie friendly, lesbian capital of Britain that it is today.

In this series Mark visits Stockport in Greater Manchester, Colchester in Essex, Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Lynton in North Devon and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.

Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Stirling
Producer ... Carl Cooper

This is a BBC Radio Comedy Production.

WED 19:00 The Archers (b07vs3my)
The Bull has an unexpected guest, and Joe is having a nose round Glebe Cottage.

WED 19:15 Front Row (b07vjx6s)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b07wb4k2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]

WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b07vs3n0)
Clive Anderson and a panel of guests including former Government minister and ex-prison inmate Jonathan Aitken, discuss the legal and human rights of prisoners.

A prison sentence is clearly designed to remove an offender's freedom, but what about other rights - to vote, to family life, to have access to legal aid to have grievances aired in the courts and even employment rights. Should more be done to protect these rights? What exactly are a prisoner's rights and what are the legal, political and practical impediments to granting them?

Also taking part in the discussion are former prison governor Prof Andrew Coyle, now Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies at the University of London, solicitor Simon Creighton and a prisons adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

There are currently more than 95,000 prison inmates in Britain, the highest prison population of any European country. In 1983 our Law Lords ruled that a convicted prisoner "retains all civil rights which are not taken away expressly or by necessary implication". But prisoners support groups continue to complain that inmates are unfairly denied a variety of human and civil rights, not least the right to vote, to a family life and to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Clive Anderson asks his expert guests if prisoners have a right to be rehabilitated, and if they could, in theory, take action against the Government if they are not helped back onto the straight and narrow. Are the particularly rights of women and even transgender prisoners sufficiently protected? Do human and civil rights, and indeed justice, end at the prison gates?

Producer: Brian King
An Above the Title production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 20:45 Four Thought (b07vs3n2)
Funny Politics

Former political adviser and stand up comedian Ayesha Hazarika explains why she thinks humour is such an important part of our political discourse.

"It can be a weapon to attack, or a cloak to shield. But most importantly, it pinpoints the truth about how the world sees you, it shows self-awareness and helps you try to cling on to good faith in bleak times."

Four Thought was recorded at the End of the Road music festival.

Presenter: Mike Williams
Producer: Sheila Cook.

WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b07vs3n4)
Fruits of the Forest

Can the growing of fashionable super fruits save the Amazon rain forest? Peter Hadfield meets the native farmers finding ways to profit from the forest without chopping it down.

In the dark days of the 1980s vast tracts of the Amazon disappeared every year, the trees sold for furniture production and the naked land converted into cattle pasture. International campaigns and the brave struggle of local activists eventually led to reserves being set up in which native people could harvest forest nuts, herbs and fruits without cutting down the trees.

The fruits of the forest such as acai berries, cacao and passion fruit have proven such a hit with healthy eating enthusiasts that the business is booming, attracting the attention of big international food companies. Could the reserves turn out to be a victim of their own success? Could the forest's natural bounty be over-exploited? Peter Hadfield travels along the Amazon to meet the local people trying to balance their livelihood with the health of the forest.

Producer: Alasdair Cross.

WED 21:30 Midweek (b07vs2v7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

WED 21:58 Weather (b07vjx6v)
The latest weather forecast.

WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b07vjx6x)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b07w6jxc)
Short Works, The Clock Tower

Five new tales to accompany this week's shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Award:

THE CLOCK TOWER, written and read by Nat Segnit
In the Spanish village after lunch he climbs the tower to the mechanism room, while she refuses to. These two decisions shape their romantic destinies..

Producer Duncan Minshull.

WED 23:00 The Pin (b07vs3n6)
Series 2, Record

Following a hugely successful first series, which drew praise from the likes of David Walliams and Ben Stiller, Alex and Ben are back with their weird twist on the double-act sketch show. Strap in for a 15 minute delve in to a world of oddness performed in front of a live studio audience.

This week, The Pin are out to achieve a very rare record... a radio first.

About The Pin
The Pin are an award-winning comedy duo, and legends of Edinburgh festival. They deconstruct the sketch form, in a show that exists somewhere between razor-sharp smartness and utterly joyous silliness.

After a sold-out run in Edinburgh, and a string of hilarious performances across BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC 3, Channel 4, and Comedy Central, this is The Pin's debut solo show for Radio 4. Join them as they celebrate, make, collapse and rebuild their jokes, each other, and probably the radio too.

For fans of Adam and Joe, Vic and Bob, and Fist of Fun - a show of absurd offerings from two loveable idiots.

- 'The Pin prove it's still possible to play with the conventions of the medium of sketch comedy.' - The Guardian
- 'Knowing and inventive: a 15 minute blast.' - The Times
- 'The sketches are funny, and made special by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen also examining, subverting and reversing familiar tropes. The material is excellent.' - Radio Times
- 'Eviscerating their chosen form completely.' - The Sunday Times
- 'A very classy, very funny show indeed.' - The Telegraph

Producer: Sam Bryant
A BBC Studios Production.

WED 23:15 Bird Island (b042z66l)
Series 2, Episode 2

EPISODE TWO:
Ben, a young scientist working in Antarctica, tries to adapt to the loneliness by keeping a cheery audio diary on his Dictaphone. This week, Ben tests out a new coat, suitable for the cold climate and Jane celebrates her birthday.

Written by ..... Katy Wix
Produced by ..... Tilusha Ghelani

ABOUT BIRD ISLAND:
Bird Island is an atmospheric non-audience comedy about a cheery scientist based in Sub-Antarctica. Starring Reece Shearsmith, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Alison Steadman and katy Wix.
On the one hand, Ben is on the trip of a lifetime to Sub-Antarctica. On the other, he's trapped in a vast icy landscape with a dodgy internet connection and a dictaphone. Loneliness is something of a problem. So, Ben shares his thoughts with us in the form of an audio 'log'.

His fellow scientist Graham should alleviate this sense of isolation, but the tragi-comic fact is, they are nerdy blokes, so they can only stumble through yet another mumbled exchange. Not to mention the new arrival Jane, who Ben seems to be even more awkward around, for reasons that aren't entirely clear to him.

Apart from his research studying the Albatross on the Island, Ben attempts to continue normal life with an earnestness and enthusiasm which is ultimately very endearing.

Bird Island is written by Katy Wix, one half of the sketch Duo 'Anna and Katy'. Katy is a writer and performer who has made appearances in 'Miranda', 'Outnumbered' and stars as Daisy in 'Not Going Out' and authored 'The Oberon Book of Comic Monologues For Women'.

WED 23:30 With Great Pleasure (b07lfrjq)
Stephanie Cole

The veteran stage, TV and radio actress Stephanie Cole known for Radio 4 comedy shows such as Cabin Pressure and Ed Reardon's Week chooses her favourite literary extracts. They include passages from Miles Kington's Albanian Book of Proverbs, and poems by Liz Lochhead, Louis MacNeice, Gillian Clarke and Carol Ann Duffy, read by Pandora Colin and David Hargreaves. The show was recorded at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre which is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

Producer: Maggie Ayre.