The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

For his final years Thomas Gainsborough returns to London where he paints over 100 portraits and 30 landscapes. Knowing that he's dying, he summons his old rival Joshua Reynolds and, on his deathbed, his wife Margaret makes a surprising revelation.

Reader: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Directed by Kate McAll

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust.

iPM is the news programme that starts with its listeners. Email ipm@bbc.co.uk. Twitter: @BBCiPM. Presented by Luke Jones and Eddie Mair.

The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.

Eliza Carthy is one of England's finest folk performers. In this episode of Open Country Eliza explores her hometown of Robin Hood's Bay on the North Yorkshire coast. Famed for shipwrecks, smugglers and fossils Eliza uncovers the true history of the place she calls home through those who know it's history and secrets best.

Rounding up a week of programmes focussing on salmon, Farming Today This Week visits a salmon farm at Loch Leven near Glencoe. Salmon farming in Scotland is only around 40 years old, but in that time the sector's grown from producing 14 tonnes of farmed salmon back in 1971, to around 170,000 tonnes today. But the industry is not without its critics: there are environmental concerns about the effect of sea lice, which can proliferate in densely stocked salmon cages, and the impact of pollution on sea lochs. Many opponents also question the sustainability of the industry, and want to see fish farmed in closed containers rather than open water. In this programme, David Gregory-Kumar puts some of those concerns to Steve Bracken from the UK's largest salmon-producing company, Marine Harvest.

Presented by David Gregory-Kumar.
Produced by Emma Campbell.

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News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the chef and musician Levi Roots, whose business success began following an appearance on BBC Two's Dragon's Den. He's performed with James Brown, been nominated for a Best Reggae Act MOBO award and has returned to his musical roots with Reggae Reggae Hits.
Alastair Sawday describes the joys of travelling, and travelling slow.
Dominic Sewell is a champion jouster. He is at Dover Castle taking part in the first modern day joust, alongside Tobias Capwell against France.
The stuntwoman Annabel Wood recalls doubling for Hollywood's leading actresses including stunts for Game of Thrones and the latest Mission Impossible film.
JP meets listener Ant Grant, whose father's death inspired him to take up photography.
Anoushka Shankar chooses her Inheritance Tracks - Tana Mana and Shanti Mantra - both by her father Ravi Shankar.

Levi Roots presents Reggae Reggae Hits.
Travelling Light, by Alastair Sawday is out now.
Anoushka Shankar is playing at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on the 15 August and at the International Edinburgh Festival on the 16 August.

Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Eleanor Garland.

In the first episode of a new series of The Cultural Front, Francine Stock tells the little known story of the 15th New York Regiment of the National Guard, who through acts of bravery and daring, came to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters.

They were an African American unit who, along with their military band, were sent to France in 1917.

It was a time of segregation in America; a time when Jim Crow laws still dominated society. The American military would not allow black soldiers to fight alongside white recruits so they gifted the 15th regiment to the French, following their terrible losses at the Somme and Verdun the year before.

The regiment was viewed as war fodder, they would entertain French villages before being sent off to the Frontline to fight, and most likely die.

But that did not happen.

The Harlem Hellfighters would not only go on to be the most decorated regiment in the American Expedition Force, but are credited with bringing jazz to Europe; a musical form which would define a generation.

Producer: Caitlin Smith.

At the time of the Partition of India 70 years ago this year, there were more than 500 Princely States. These were states nominally ruled by Indian Princes but ultimately under the control of the British colonial powers. Many of these princes - male and female members of the Royal Family - had kingdoms dating back to the 8th and 9th Centuries. But after the British curbed their powers, was their role largely ceremonial or did they have a deeper impact on the Indian people? And how did these Princes survive after Partition? Joining Rajan Datar is the writer and historian William Dalrymple, the director of the King's College London India institute Sunil Khilnani, and the Indian social scientist Nikita Sud from Oxford University.

Photo: A view of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, set high above the desert city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan (Getty Images).

Marshal Khalifa Haftar has big ambitions for himself and his country, but what is the military strongman's vision for Libya? Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' stories.

Stephen Sackur has some challenging questions for The Marshal in Benghazi, but will he get to ask them?

In Liberia, Olivia Acland visits the Hotel Ducor and reflects on what it reveals about the country. It once attracted world leaders with its 5-star luxury - now it lies in ruins.

For an insight into President Duterte's ongoing war on drugs in the Philippines, Colin Freeman heads to a morgue in Manilla and joins some crime reporters on their night shift.

In Italy, Danny Mitzman samples a plate of slippery, squidgy jellyfish. The 'eat it to beat it' movement offers a novel, and for some unpalatable, solution to dealing with invasive species.

And, what to say to a border guard? Tim Whewell tries to talk his way into Abkhazia - a largely forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union.

Producer: Joe Kent.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

For many people, the workplace pension has been the crux of a decent income in retirement - a guaranteed sum paid for the whole of your non-working life. Stockmarket fluctuations, our increasing longevity and well-meaning changes to pensions policy by successive governments have helped make these sorts of schemes unaffordable. At the same time, something equally fundamental has been happening to the structure of the workplace as well as the nature of the relationship and expectations between employer and employee.

The last 10 years has seen the closure of 60% of schemes which would guarantee you a 'wage' in retirement. Since 2012 a system of auto enrollment has instead required all employers to offer a pension that employees are opted into by default. But these come without any assurances about future pay outs and contribution rates are low.

So what role do employers' pension schemes now have in providing us with a comfortable retirement?

Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Alex Lewis
Editor: Andrew Smith.

This week, the Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator, the brilliant Romesh Ranganathan welcome:

The internationally acclaimed conductor, actor, writer, comedian and broadcaster Rainer Hersch

The doctor, Antarctic explorer, and prospective Martian astronaut Beth Healey

and

The painter, author and textile, ceramics & costume designer Kaffe Fassett.

This week, the Museum's Guest Committee offer as exhibits a vast home-made architectural folly, a wind instrument that takes you back to school and a station the size of a football pitch that weighs absolutely nothing and moves at 18,000 mph.

The show was researched by Anne Miller of QI and Mike Turner.

The production coordinator was Tamara Shilham.

The producers were Richard Turner and James Harkin.

It was a BBC Studios Production.

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The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

Ritula Shah presents political debate from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, London with a panel including the Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch; the Shadow Minister for Fire Services Chris Williamson MP; Allie Renison, Head of Trade and Europe Policy at the Institute of Directors; and former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.

Listeners have their say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?

While Henry James was in Venice completing The Portrait of a Lady, his dalliance with a young American woman writer inspired him to complete the novel which many consider his masterpiece. But the liaison led to a tragedy which perhaps informed his later, darker works.

Based on true events, this is a first drama for radio by Peter Ansorge, one of the great driving forces behind ground breaking new drama on British television in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was responsible for the commissioning, production and writing of many major television classics, and for bringing the talents of David Hare, Dennis Potter and many other significant writers to prominence.

The play stars American screen and stage actor Guy Paul as Henry James, and Olivier award winning actress Katherine Kingsley as Fenimore, the young American woman who changed his life.

Directed by Marilyn Imrie.
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4.

Highlights from Front Row's Queer Icons project, presented by Alan Carr.

With guests including Mary Portas, Olly Alexander, Christine and the Queens, Paris Lees, Maggi Hambling, Rebecca Root, A.Dot, Stella Duffy and the Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Celebrating LGBTQ culture from the poetry of Sappho to the songs of Frank Ocean, we've asked guests to champion a piece of LGBTQ artwork that is special to them - one that has significance in their lives.

Will Young picks the Joan Armatrading song that inspired him to come out; Christine and the Queens talks about Jean Genet's Our Lady Of The Flowers; and Sir Antony Sher reveals his regrets about not being out publicly when he starred in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy.

For the full interviews head to Front Row's Queer Icons website - just click on the links below - where you can hear Queer Icons from Neil MacGregor, Asifa Lahore, Colm Toibin, Tony Kushner, Emma Donoghue, Nicholas Hytner and many more.

Presenter: Alan Carr
Readers: Lorelei King and Simon Russell Beale
Producer: Timothy Prosser.

Emma Hatton, who stars in the latest production of Evita in the West End, performs 'Don't Cry for me Argentina. We discuss new help available to sufferers of endometriosis and their partners. Following the conviction of 18 people for abusing young women and girls in Newcastle after a two year investigation by Northumbria Police. we hear from two women at the forefront of the investigation, and from women in the community. Plus the musical theatre Producer Katy Lipson talks about her involvement in the 50th anniversary production of Hair and her own fifth Page to Stage Festival. We look at what's it like to be a gay parent. And tips to make better holiday fashion choices

Presenter Emma Barnett
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor; Beverley Purcell.

Full coverage of the day's news.

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The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Nikki Bedi is joined by actor Rupert Everett, OMD's Andy McCluskey and broadcaster and journalist Bidisha for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from OMD and Thabo.

Producer: Sukey Firth.

This summer, Moeen Ali has broken several cricketing records. He's become the first player ever to score more than 250 runs and take 25 wickets in a four match Test Series

Mark Coles profiles the spin-bowler and batsman - who grew up in the Midlands, started playing the sport at a young age, and who has inspired today's England fans to chant about his facial hair.

Producers: Nina Robinson and Hannah Sander.

A review of the week's cultural highlights.

Grayson Perry goes backwards in the archive in search of the moment the avant-garde died.

It's a century since Marcel Duchamp submitted his artwork called Fountain to an exhibition staged by the Society of Independent Artists in New York. Fountain was a urinal -- not a painting of a urinal or a sculpture, just a urinal, bought from a Manhattan hardware store and signed R.Mutt.

The Society of Independent Artists rejected Duchamp's provocation and the original object was lost.

Nowadays Duchamp's urinal is canonised as the fountainhead of conceptual art and the high water (closet) mark of the avant garde. Replicas of the Fountain grace museums around the world - emblems of the avant-garde spirit of experimentation and confrontation.

Somewhere in the intervening years though, something changed - contemporary art lost its ability to shock and critique. We're still hopelessly drawn to the idea of art that's 'cutting edge', 'ground-breaking', 'revolutionary'. But is that possible at this point -- haven't we seen it all before?

Maybe the death knell was sounded when the Saatchi Gallery opened on the South Bank? Or with the advent of protest and radical chic in the 1960s? Maybe it was when the CIA funded the abstract expressionists? Or when the post-war art market began to reign supreme? Or when the Museum of Modern Art opened its doors in 1927?

Or maybe it was all a matter of style the very moment Duchamp's Fountain was conceived?

Featuring Brian Eno, Kenneth Goldsmith, Nnenna Okore, Cornelia Parker, and Sarah Thornton.

Producer: Martin Williams.

Henry James' masterpiece about desire and freedom, dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths.

Isabel's unexpected inheritance means that she is free to make her own choice about her destiny. She travels to Italy with her aunt Mrs Touchett and there she becomes close to Madame Merle who introduces her to Gilbert Osmond, a man of no social standing or wealth, a widower with a young daughter. Isabel is inexplicably drawn to him despite the warnings from her cousin Ralph and her aunt.

Directed by Nadia Molinari

The Portrait of a Lady is part of Love Henry James: a series of dramatisations and features celebrating Henry James and his unique insights on love. Love Henry James takes a thrilling, passionate, heart-breaking journey through his novels and his life. Henry James is an extraordinary storyteller. His characters and their inner lives are vividly portrayed. Henry James unlocks the secrets of the human heart.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.

For the crowds of holidaymakers flocking to Spain, it must have come as a shock to see "tourists go home" daubed on buildings in Barcelona and Majorca. You'd think the locals would be more grateful for the millions of euros they bring with them to spend. The resentment is not just about belligerent and under-dressed Brits drinking all day and yelling all night. The anti-tourist graffiti, tyre-slashing and window-smashing are protests against the economics and morality of mass tourism, which - according to activists - impoverishes the working-class. Yet in other parts of the world, the tourist trade is seen as vital to the livelihood of local people. Does that make the decision about where to go on holiday a moral one? Even if we are aware that tourism can have negative impacts, and that our money may not end up in the pockets of the poorest, it's easy not to think about it. Can't we just rely on the tour operators to behave ethically? Does it really matter if tourism is trashing the planet as long as we're spreading prosperity and everyone (or almost everyone) is having a good time? Or do we have a moral duty to think carefully before we book our all-inclusive package holidays? Is it ethically defensible to live it up in a country with a lousy record on human rights? And what about the environmental damage caused by all those air miles? Perhaps it's our patriotic duty to reach for the umbrella and enjoy a staycation in soon-to-be post-Brexit Britain? Witnesses are Dr Steve Davies, Prof Xavier Font, Dr Harold Goodwin and George Monbiot.

Producer: Dan Tierney.

(6/13)
There must be something musical in the water in West Yorkshire, because that's where all three of today's Counterpoint competitors hail from. Paul Gambaccini is in Salford for the latest contest, putting them through their paces on every aspect of music from Wagner and Verdi to Bruce Springsteen and Bowie.

As always, they'll be tested on the range of their general musical knowledge, as well as having to select an unseen musical special subject on which to answer their own individual questions - with no prior warning of the categories.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.

The fourth edition of this new globe-trotting poetry series. Poet Helen Mort explores exciting voices from around the world. This week, she hears poems in Somali, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish - and in translation.

Reflecting on the phrase "Close Encounters", she explores how the very stuff of being human - relationships, identity, empathy - play a part in the work of these four distinct poets.

Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is fast emerging as one of the most outstanding Somali-language poets writing today. Her bold and striking poems are translated by British poet Clare Pollard. They join Helen to talk about the place of poetry in Somali culture and their translation partnership, which came about through the Poetry Translation Centre. With poems from her collection The Sea Migrations.

Helen then travels to Paris to meet the Syrian poet Maram al-Masri and hear poems from her collection Barefoot Souls, which imagines the lives of women who have experienced domestic violence, and from Liberty Walks Naked, al-Masri's response to recent events in Syria.

There's deadpan humour from Angelica Freitas, a brilliantly wry voice from Brazil. She takes a novel approach to exploring female identity in her poem A Woman Goes, and a bittersweet reflection on being alone in I Sleep With Myself.

We also hear a lost poem from the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It's one of a small number of previously unpublished poems recently discovered among his papers and published in the collection Then Come Back.

Finally, one of the brightest stars in Polish literature - a poet, translator and novelist, Jacek Dehnel. His is an eclectic sort of empathy, with poems about the death of a world-famous musician and a lurid museum exhibit. And we hear his Polish translation of a very famous Philip Larkin poem.

Readers: Raghad Chaar and Alejandro de Mesa
Producer: Caroline Hughes
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

A new original short story by the acclaimed Irish novelist John Boyne (The Heart's Invisible Furies, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) specially commissioned for BBC Radio 4. Read by the Irish actor Peter McDonald (Moone Boy, The Stag)

Awarded the Hennessy Literary 'Hall of Fame' Award for his body of work, the New York Times number 1 Bestselling author has multiple Irish Book Awards including Children's Book of the Year, People's Choice Book of the Year and Short Story of the Year. He has also been awarded a number of international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany.

Writer ..... John Boyne
Reader ..... Peter McDonald
Producer ..... Michael Shannon.

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This week's Bells on Sunday, comes from St. Mary's Lamberhurst in Kent. The tower has a ring of six bells with the tenor, weighing 13 hundredweight, tuned to F sharp. The bells were cast in 1770 and were re-hung in 1925. We hear them ringing now, spliced plain and 'Little Bob Minor'.

The latest national and international news.

Musician Jahnavi Harrison explores why chanting the name of God can be such a powerful devotional practice.

Drawing on her own Hindu tradition, she recalls hearing her parents chanting and how important it became to her from an early age. "The name of God," she explains, "is said to be the panacea for whatever ails the mind, body and soul. It was the ever present soundtrack to my life - night, day, birthdays, funerals, weddings and road trips."

Her experience at a Christian school also showed her that other religious traditions say and sing the God's name. She notes that she was "thrilled to discover this common thread, and the myriad ways that this praise was expressed."

Using the words of the Psalms, the Sufi poets and a number of Hindu saints and mystics, Jahnavi celebrates the power of chanting in different ways and locations and, alongside the music of Vivaldi and Rachmaninov, she relishes in the most famous of all Hindu songs, My Sweet Lord by George Harrison, who is quoted in the programme:

"My idea was to sneak up on them a bit. The point was to have the people not offended by 'Hallelujah' and, by the time it gets to 'Hare Krishna', they're already hooked."

Presenter: Jahnavi Harrison
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Gleaning - or collecting crops that have been left behind after the harvest so they're not wasted - goes back to Biblical texts but it's making a comeback. Gleaning Networks have been established in the USA, Canada and across Europe to reduce food waste and provide fresh vegetables for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them.

Peter Ascroft grows 200 acres of cauliflowers in Lancashire and every year he invites the North West Gleaning Network onto his farm to harvest surplus crop and vegetables that don't quite make the grade for the supermarket shelves. Caz Graham joins Peter and the gleaners out in the field, hears about the growth of gleaning in the UK and follows 2 tonnes of cauliflowers to a warehouse in Preston for redistribution to Lancashire charities.

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In a back alley of Jerusalem, pilgrims can find what's believed to be the world's oldest tattoo parlour. Yolande Knell meets Anton and Wassim who are continuing a family business that's been passed from one generation to the next.

When schools close for holidays a million children stop receiving free school meals. Kevin Bocquet reports from a faith based project in Middlesborough that provides food for dozens of children over the summer.

William Crawley hears from Frank Field MP who plans to present a bill to Parliament calling on local authorities to provide free meals for children during the holidays.

As the 70th anniversary of the partition of India approaches Rahul Tandon reports on comments from the out-going Vice President that there is a feeling of unease among the country's Muslims as a result of growing incidents of intolerance.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Europe, A.N Wilson argues that Martin Luther would have hated the iconoclasm of the English Reformation but what would he have made of it in hindsight?

The Met Gala in New York is a fundraiser for the Costume Institute of the celebrated art museum. It attracts an exclusive guest list and an array of outrageous costumes which tie in with a theme. It is rumoured the theme for 2018 is 'Fashion and Religion'. Professor Reina Lewis from the London College of Fashion tells William why she fears the event might cause serious offence.

Research out this week shows that people living in the north of England are much more likely to die younger than those in the south. William asks the Bishop of Liverpool what he thinks should be done to address what he calls the 'systemic inequality in our nation'.

Producers:
David Cook
Peter Everett

Series Producer:
Amanda Hancox.

Arthur Smith makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Revitalise.

Registered Charity Number 295072
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 'Revitalise'.
- Cheques should be made payable to 'Revitalise'.

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The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

From St Gabriel's Retreat, the Graan, Enniskillen. Led by Father Brian D'Arcy. The Graan has been part of Brian D'Arcy's life for over 60 years. He went there as boy, was a Passionist novice there in the 1960s and has spent more than 25 years as its Superior. As he prepares to move on, he reflects on his priesthood: what his basic values are, his experiences in the world of broadcasting and show business; ministry during the troubles and his determination to be a loyal critic of the Church. He is joined by his good friend, the singer Daniel O'Donnell.
"I don't need to know what the future holds. I simply do my best to speak truthfully and know that God will take care of the future"
Producer: Bert Tosh.

Adam Gopnik muses on the art of parenting and the challenges of getting it right.

"Too much praise... or too little?", he wonders. "You have to be hands off, smiling" but at the same time "engaged, unsparing in honesty".

He concludes that raising children is an art, not a science or a craft. "They are the artists of their own lives but we can, we must, teach them the art of living".

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

In the first of five Tweet of the Days this week, the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner recalls listening to great northern divers on television programme by Ludwig Koch, as a boy.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Tom Bonnett.

News with Paddy O'Connell including debate on North Korea, life running a beach and the return of the double act. Reviewing the newspaper and online coverage of the news: former Navy chief Lord West, political editor Helen Lewis and concert hall boss John Gilhooly.

Alistair's mind is elsewhere, and Lily helps in an emergency.

Sue MacGregor meets Tracy Edwards and others from the first all-female crew to complete the Round the World Yacht Race.

The Round the World Yacht Race is the Everest of sailing, extending over nine months and 33,000 miles of the world's toughest oceans. In 1989, 27-year-old Tracy Edwards lead the first all-female crew to compete in the race. They not only defied the sceptics who doubted they would complete the course, but won two of the legs and came second overall in their class.

The achievements in their yacht Maiden caught the world's attention and, as the race progressed, the crowds grew. In Auckland, 14,000 people lined the dock to welcome Maiden to New Zealand in the early hours of the morning. And, as she finally made her way home to Southampton, an armada of 600 dinghies, yachts and power boats accompanied her through the Solent.

Along the way, the twelve women had survived mountainous seas, icebergs, a tornado and a collision with a whale. Numerous equipment failures added to the challenge and a serious leak threatened to take them out of the race altogether.

Coming home, they ran out of food for the final five days when light winds slowed their progress. But they completed the race with a string of awards and a result that remains unbeaten by any British yacht to this day.

Skipper Tracy Edwards was the driving force behind the project, with Howard Gibbons involved from early on as Project Manager. As well as great sailors, all crew members had to take on additional roles - Jeni Munday was the on-board electrician, Mikaela Von Koskull one of the helms, and sail-trimmer Nancy Harris (nee Hill) maintained the winches.

Presenter: Sue MacGregor
Producer: Deborah Dudgeon
Series Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

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Just A Minute is 50 years old this year! Nicholas Parsons has been hosting since day one, and kicks off the first episode of the new series with a cracking line-up: Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Andy Hamilton and Sue Perkins.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle and it was produced by Victoria Lloyd.

Just A Minute is a BBC Studios production.

Grace Dent discovers what has made Anthony Warner into the Angry Chef and unpicks the role that social media plays in spurring people towards diet plans and 'healthy-eating' regimes

Anthony set up a blog last year to vent his fury at what he describes as bad science in his quest to reveal the truth behind so-called 'healthy eating'. He believes we're bombarded by false messages and claims about food.

In his quest to find out if Anthony's claims are justified, we meet Helen West, a registered dietician, and asks how damaging 'fad-diets' are. What happens if you cut out carbohydrates, dairy and gluten from your diet and we meet Eve Simmons. Eve became seriously ill with anorexia and blames the array of glossy websites featuring perfectly sculpted bodies, in part, for her illness.

We'll meet Dr Judy Swift who has been studying the link between social media and Orthorexia: eating disorders brought on by obsessing about eating certain foods.

But is Anthony's anger justified? James Duigan is the man behind 'Bodyism'. He's developed a plan of eating healthily whilst exercising regularly, but encourages detox plans. But what exactly is wrong with wanting to exercise and make yourself feel better?

We'll discover if Anthony has every right to be angry, or whether he should simply calm down.

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Global news and analysis.

Have we reached peak Scandi furniture? Laurence Llewelyn Bowen thinks so.

In a witty and acerbic polemic, Laurence laments the blonde and bland Scandinavian design that has dislodged pattern, antiquity and a tradition of elaborate decoration from British homes.

What do our choices in furniture and interior design say about our social aspirations? How does class influence taste? And what causes our relationship with how our homes look to shift so dramatically?

In stripping our homes of decoration, Laurence worries that we are not only selling ourselves short but contributing to the death of British style.

Laurence visits the Stockholm Furniture and Lighting Fair and issues a challenge to some of the stars of Nordic furniture to give an account of their worldview and design philosophy.

Sara Kristofferson, author of Design by Ikea, explains how the company, now celebrating its 30th year in the UK, encouraged the British to chuck out their chintz in favour of a cleaner, modernist aesthetic inspired by mid-century Scandinavia.

But could brown furniture finally be on the comeback? At Lots Road, auctioneer Nick Carter has noticed a slowing down in sales of Scandi style in favour of an increased interest in 18th and 19th century antiques. What does this say about Britain in 2017?

And upstairs in Laurence's 16th century Cotswolds home, we make a shocking discovery regarding his daughter Hermione's taste in interior decoration.

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.

As part of GQT's 70th anniversary celebrations, the team visit gardeners at the four points of the UK compass to explore the incredible variety of climate and environment in this country - something that makes gardening here so endlessly fascinating.

For this second programme, it's North v South with Eric Robson, James Wong, Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew exploring the subtropical climes of Tresco Abbey Garden in The Isles of Scilly, while Peter Gibbs, Matthew Wilson, Matt Biggs and Anne Swithinbank visit one of the coldest spots in the UK - Lerwick on The Shetland Islands.

James Wong and Matt Biggs venture out to see how gardeners are making the most of hot and cold conditions respectively, and the two panels take questions from audiences some 733 miles apart.

Produced by Dan Cocker, Hannah Newton and Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Fi Glover introduces three conversations between friends in - or close to - retirement, about their shared memories of work and childhood 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.

Henry James' masterpiece about desire and freedom, dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths.

We meet Isabel four years on and she is totally transformed by her marriage to Osmond. What had seemed to be a path to freedom is now a narrowing tunnel closing in around her and it is clear to those who love her that Isabel is in trouble. Isabel must find a way out if she is to save herself.

Directed by Nadia Molinari

The Portrait of a Lady is part of Love Henry James: a series of dramatisations and features celebrating Henry James and his unique insights on love. Love Henry James takes a thrilling, passionate, heart-breaking journey through his novels and his life. Henry James is an extraordinary storyteller. His characters and their inner lives are vividly portrayed. The stories are compelling and the stakes are high. He writes about transformation through travel where innocence opens up to experience.
Henry James unlocks the secrets of the human heart.

Fredrik Backman is an internationally bestselling author whose A Man Called Ove has sold more than 3 million copies. His new novel, The Scandal, is set in an isolated Swedish town where the future is looking bright, until one brutal act threatens that future prosperity. Fredrik Backman talks to Mariella Frostrup.

Bill Drummond is many things. As well as an artist, a writer and former pop-star - he's the owner an old curfew tower in Northern Ireland which he runs as an artists' residency. Last year some poets from Belfast's Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry stayed there and Bill published their collected work in a little black book called The Curfew Tower is Many Things.

Except for a poem the award-winning Belfast poet Stephen Sexton wrote. Apparently that one went missing. So Bill has left two pages blank in the book for Stephen to fill in with poetry as they drive through all of Ireland's 32 counties in 5 days in a white Ford Transit hire-van, giving out copies as they go.

But what exactly is driving Bill Drummond?

Producer Conor Garrett is there to find out. As they cross the Irish border and over each county boundary, Conor is becoming increasingly concerned he may not have a good enough story for his radio programme. It's a problem further complicated by the fact Bill won't talk about his chart-topping '90s pop band who once famously set fire to a very large pile of their own cash. Then, when a narrative arc does eventually develop, Conor can't be sure how authentic it is. And what's all this stuff about eels?

Producer: Conor Garrett.

John Waite chooses his BBC Radio highlights.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest weather forecast.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Mark Watson hosts the final of the BBC New Comedy Award 2017 - Radio 4's nationwide search to find the UK's comedy stars of the future - live from the Edinburgh Fringe. Past finalists include Alan Carr, Peter Kay, Sarah Millican, Joe Lycett, Russell Howard and Rhod Gilbert.

Sixty acts competed in six regional heats, and two semi-finals, held across the country to make it through to the live final in Edinburgh. The final six acts will now go head to head in the hope of being crowned winner of the BBC New Comedy Award 2017, with a prize of £1,000 and a script commission with BBC Studios Radio Comedy. Deciding upon the winner is an esteemed comedy panel of judges, Hugh Dennis, Sioned Wiliam and Jenny Eclair, with a special performance from Tez Ilyas.

Alistair is being secretive, and Will gets a flea in his ear.

Mark Watson hosts the final of the BBC New Comedy Award 2017, Radio 4's nationwide search to find the UK's comedy stars of the future, live from the Edinburgh Fringe.

As part of their final Media Degree assessment at NUC in Northern Ireland, three final year university students - Natalie Driver, JJ Collins and Vic Grant - decide to make a podcast about a cold case which happened in Colecastle fourteen years ago. On Saturday April 26th 2003, Toby Ellis was minding his four month old nephew, Derek Ellis. He nipped into his local newsagents and left the pram outside on the street. He claimed he left the child for no longer than two minutes. During this time, the baby was abducted and six days later the infant's body was discovered buried in a nearby wooded area, Mountfort. Cause of death, a blow to the head. No one was ever charged with the murder and the case has remained on-going.

The first episode of Hiding Out is a podcast hosted by one of the students, Natalie; she reveals she is currently in hiding fearing for her safety. Having published their first podcast on The Murder at Colecastle, her fellow student Vic had received a call from someone who had heard the podcast claiming they had new evidence about the day the child was abducted. Vic and JJ met with the source. That was 3 days ago and no one has seen or heard from either Vic or JJ since... The only contact Natalie has received is a text sent from her classmate JJ's phone which reads "We're watching you. Stop this now." Natalie knows their disappearance is clearly linked to digging into the murder of Derek Ellis. If she finds them, she may finally find the truth of what happened in Colecastle. Natalie's nightly podcasts of 'Hiding Out' are attracting more and more interest - #whereisnatalie and #findvicandjj are rife with speculation. Are these three students actually in danger? Or - as their media lecturer believes - is this all an elaborate media hoax?

Gerard Stembridge ..... Writer
Gemma McMullan ..... Series Producer & Director.

Roger Bolton presents a special edition of the programme, exploring science on the radio.

Are BBC science programmes just "jocular froth"? That's the view of one listener, who speaks for many as he puts his point directly to Deborah Cohen, the Editor of Science Radio.

Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific, discusses the scientific consensus around man-made climate change and how that should affect the way the BBC covers the issue.

Tom Feilden, Science and Environment Editor of the Today programme, explores the psychology of the news agenda and the reporting of controversial topics such as homeopathy.

Comic Robin Ince, who presents The Infinite Monkey Cage, discusses the blending of science with comedy.

And Chris Sizemore, the Commissioning Editor for the digital side of the Tomorrow's World season reveals an early preview of a brand new science podcast.

This special edition of Feedback was recorded at the end of July.

Produced by Kate Taylor
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

Matthew Bannister on

Glen Campbell - the singer and guitarist best known for hits like Galveston and Witchita Lineman. We talk to the man who wrote them - Jimmy Webb.

Dame Helen Alexander, former Chief Executive of the Economist Group and the first woman to head the C.B.I.

Clancy Sigal the American writer and activist who was blacklisted during the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s.

Prunella Briance who founded the National Childbirth Trust after two traumatic experiences of giving birth.

What role can the community play in rejuvenating their local economy? Globalisation often results in a big geographical divide between where profits are made and where they are spent. Anu Anand visits two communities trying to reverse that trend and keep investment, jobs and profits close to hand. In Frome, in Somerset, she meets local property developers who are keeping rents low and chain stores at bay in a bid to allow local independent retailers to thrive. And in rural Lancashire she spends time with villagers building their own broadband network and investing in local energy projects. What impact might these initiatives have long-term and could other communities follow suit?
Producer: Rosamund Jones.

Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.

With Antonia Quirke.

Lambert Wilson, the star of a new bio-pic of Jacques Cousteau, The Odyssey, reveals why he could not lose enough weight to play the scrawny explorer, and why he ended up dreaming of bread.

Diving expert and author Tim Ecott explains how, as well as inventing the aqua-lung that allowed divers to plumb the depths, Cousteau developed camera technology to show the world the underwater wonders he was witnessing.

As part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season, Radio 4 is running a series on Queer Icons. What's surprising is that so many queer icons were household names and national treasures before male homosexuality was partially decriminalised 50 years ago. The Film Programme takes a peek inside British cinema's own celluloid closet with the help of Briony Hanson, Matthew Sweet, Richard Dyer and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

Former politicians- and dancers- Ann Widdecombe and Vince Cable talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Ann has chosen Destiny in the Desert, Jonathan Dimbleby's account of the second world war battle his father reported on at El Alamein. Vince Cable has gone for a Robert Harris thriller about the Dreyfus affair, An Officer and a Spy. Harriet's choice is A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's memoir about his days as a struggling writer in Paris, which was published after his death. Which book, though, is hated by two despite being loved by one? Producer Sally Heaven.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.

The latest weather forecast for farmers.

In the first of a week of Tweet of the Day's by British zoologist professor Tim Birkhead, he recalls a guillemot chicks first, and ultimately last flight on Skomer.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Tom Bonnett.

News and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

First-hand accounts of the turmoil and violence in the immediate weeks after India's partition and their continuing legacy in Britain. On the 70th anniversary of partition, Kavita Puri hears remarkable testimonies from both British Asians and the Colonial British. The division of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan resulted in one of the largest forced migrations the world has ever seen. Over 10 million people sought refuge in one or other of the new dominions. Unspeakable violence accompanied the displacement, claiming up to a million lives, while tens of thousands of women suffered rape and abduction. Many of those who experienced the chaos have kept their silence ever since, such was their trauma. Yet those taking part in this series speak with remarkable clarity about the tumultuous events, whose legacy endures to this day within Britain's South Asian communities.

Programme 3 hears about the reverberations of Partition in Britain for those who lived through it and the subsequent generations. It is a story of loss and what endures. We hear of emotional pilgrimages back to the place that people fled; why many of the partition generation kept their silence for 70 years; how the second and third generation are trying to piece together their family history; and how the memory of shared existence and traditions is what many survivors want remembered.

Producers: Michael Gallagher, Tim Smith and Ant Adeane

Radio 4's Partition Voices recordings will be archived in full in the British Library Sound Archive.

This culinary journey through history examines how the growing Empire allowed Britain to harness the globe's edible resources; from cod fish and salt beef to sugar, spices and opium. Historian Lizzie Collingham brings a fresh perspective to the making of the realm, uncovering its decisive role in the shaping of the modern diet and revealing how almost every meal we eat still contains a taste of empire.

Today we board the Mary Rose to discover how salt cod helped to create the British Empire.

Written by Lizzie Collingham
Read by Melody Grove
Abridged by Siân Preece
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

Lynne Truss reads the first of eight stories about the inhabitants of Meridian Cliffs, a morose and wind-battered town on the South coast of England which lies, curiously, at longitude 0 degrees 0 minutes west, and also 0 degrees 0 minutes east.

Due to rampant coastal erosion, the town is literally shrinking in size. One longstanding resident is Sarah Birkett, who dreams of a small improvement in her life, involving shiny bobbins and a Daniel Craig calendar, open at August.

Written by Lynne Truss

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

One day, when Alice was 15, she discovered Japanese Rock music - and discovered a post from a girl called Mimei about an obscure J Rock band. They started talking online - and over the years the relationship developed as the world's online platforms developed - through blogging, online messenger services, social media and video calls.

Alice tells Mimei everything and says she's been one of the biggest influences on her life. As they grew up, Mimei moved to Japan, became a professional youtuber with hundreds of thousands of followers, and got married - Alice became an accountant, moved to London, and took up ice hockey.

But they've never met...until now. Mimei is flying to London and together they're going travelling round Europe. Four countries, ten days, and two friends who know everything about each other, but have never met before.

This is the story of what happens when best friends meet for the first time.

Produced by Polly Weston in Bristol.

Journalist and comedy writer David Quantick has met and interviewed hundreds of people. What were his first impressions, how have they changed and does it all matter?

In this third programme (of four), there are stories about Tom Jones, Morrissey and Mrs Phyllis Pearsall, among others.

Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

On this day in 1917, Pope Benedict XV issued a Peace Note to the warring nations, and in Folkestone, Howard Argent plays mediator.

Written by Katie Hims
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

Should insurers be doing more to help disadvantaged customers who cannot use the internet to find the cheapest deals?

The number of graduates overcharged for their student loans is up 80% in six years, so how can they make sure they only pay what is really due?

And the care home preparing to welcome toddlers under its roof. How will that work?

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Jon Douglas.

The latest weather forecast.

Analysis of news and current affairs.

The first of five stories in which Evolutionary Biologist Ben Garrod follows a trail of clues beginning with a bone or skeleton and leading to a fascinating revelation. In this programme, Ben explores the link between an 18th century skeleton in the Hunterian Museum and Brendan Holland from County Tyrone who reached a height of 6'10" and has been diagnosed with gigantism. Ben follows a trail of clues and discovers how recent findings could mean that in the future there are no more Irish giants. Producer Sarah Blunt.

They say in times of need it's better to have a friend than money. But is that really true?
The relationship of three life-long friends is sorely tested when they consider forming a Pardna. A popular Jamaican tradition, a Pardna is a partnership among friends to save collectively for life's little emergencies. But in this case it may be the friendship that needs saving.

Pat Cumper's timely drama about sex, death, friendship, love, and of course, money.

Directed by Helen Perry
A BBC Cymru/Wales Production

The Writer
Pat Cumper MBE is an award winning playwright, past leader of Talawa - the UK's largest Black led theatre company, and an established writer whose radio dramas have won the Race In Media award and a Sony Award.

(7/13)
Could you distinguish Grieg's piano concerto from Tchaikovsky's? And do you know your Coldplay from your Elbow? The contestants in today's Counterpoint heat will be very much hoping they can avoid such confusions, as they face Paul Gambaccini's questions on every aspect and era of music.

As well as proving the breadth of their general musical knowledge, they'll be asked to pick a topic on which to answer specialist questions, from a list of categories for which they've had no chance to prepare.

The winner will take another of the places in the series semi-finals coming up in September.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.

Fiona Lindsay listens in to the table talk of the actors and director as they begin work to bring Shakespeare's Othello from text to performance.

Fiona has spent years at the RSC working with actors and directors as they look afresh at the play texts to which we return again and again. What interests her is how new connections and insights are drawn from stories so well known that they have almost become national myths.

In the first in the series, Fiona takes her panel to The Brooksbank Schook in Elland, West Yorkshire, where students are hard at work bringing the play to life.

Her panel includes Carol Rutter, Professor of Drama and Shakespeare Studies at the University of Warwick, director and dramaturg Tom Cornford, and actors Jonjo O'Neill, fresh from a season at Shakespeare's Globe, and Karl Collins, a regular on Hollyoaks.

The panel is joined by a local audience as well as the students, and together they put the words from the page on their feet for the first time. They try out practical exercises to unearth new questions in order to see what surprising new connections they might be able to make about this tale of jealousy and masculinity.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Ernie Rea and guests discuss B.R. Ambedkar's role in forming modern India.

It's 70 years since the new country of Pakistan was born ; followed the next day by an independent India. There can be few who are unaware of the seminal role played by Mahtama Gandhi in the struggle for independence. Much less known is Dr B.R Ambedkar. Many would argue that his contribution was every bit as important. Ambedkar was the country's first Law Minister and he was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He was a Dalit - or Untouchable - and he had a major falling out with Gandhi on how the problem of Untouchability should be dealt with.

Joining Ernie to discuss Ambedkar and his Legacy are Dr Ananya Vaj Payee, Fellow at the centre of Developing Societies in New Delhi; Santosh Dass, President of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations and Vice Chair of the Anti Caste Alliance; and William Gould, Professor of Indian History at Leeds University.

Producer. Rosie Dawson.

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

How hard can it be to talk for 60 seconds with no hesitation, repetition & deviation? Nicholas Parsons challenges Tony Hawks, Phill Jupitus, Sheila Hancock and Jenny Eclair to do just that.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
A BBC Studios Production.

Anisha won't back down, and Adam is out of his comfort zone.

Arts news, interviews and reviews.

When Meridian Cliffs FC play local rivals Alverton Town no one expects to find them over the moon. Sick as a parrot is their usual state of mind. But today's match is full of surprises.

Meanwhile, over in the stands, Albie is quietly coming to terms with overwhelming loss.

Directed by Kate McAll
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Historian Professor Fara Dabhoiwala explores the origins of free speech by examining key flashpoints in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and hearing extracts from some of the most heated debates from the past 500 years.

The first English law against "false news" was passed in 1275 - and it defined it simply as anything that created "discord between the King and his people". For most of English history, it was illegal to say anything offensive about a superior, or even to discuss politics at all - on pain of imprisonment, flogging, or death. Nowadays, we take the opposite view - free speech is supposed be one of the foundations of our democratic system. And yet the law still prohibits ideas deemed to be extremist.

So how do we decide on the limits of free speech? Faced with ideas that seem politically toxic, what is the right response? How far should governments go?

Contributors include distinguished human rights lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy QC; Professor Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at Oxford University; and Justin Champion, Professor in the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway College, London.

Fara Dabhoiwala is the author of The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution, a history of changing sexual attitudes and behaviour. He is a Senior Research Scholar at Princeton University and a life fellow of All Souls and Exeter College, Oxford. His current projects include a history of free speech and a history of global English.

Presented by Fara Dabhoiwala
Dramatic readings by Emily Bevan, Ewan Bailey, Jonathan Keeble and Oliver Soden
Academic Research by Sally Holloway
Produced by Elizabeth Burke
Executive Producer Jo Coombs

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.

Inside Romania's live, web-camming world - the engine of the online sex industry... Crossing Continents explores the fastest growing sector of so-called, 'adult' entertainment. Locally, it's known as 'video-chat'. And in Romania there are thousands of women logging on, and in 'private' one-to-one sessions undressing (and more) for the international clients who pay to watch them. It is not sex work in the traditional sense - the relationships are virtual, there is no meeting or touching. Linda Pressly meets the women employed in studios and from home, and others with experience of this burgeoning industry.

We know the cuckoo for its song and think of it as the harbinger of spring. But we also know it as a rascally bird that abandons its young to the care of unwitting foster parents. Such a double life has ensured that the cuckoo has had a substantial place in the culture of all the countries across Europe and Asia where it comes to breed. In addition, observers, natural historians and scientists have long puzzled over the bird's secretive behaviour and habits - how do they do what they do, where do they go when they are not here, why are we losing them in England? Brett Westwood in the company of various field workers who have spent lifetimes trying to figure out cuckoos explores the rich and tangled life of the bird. With Nick Davies, Jenny York, Mark Cocker, and Chris Hewson and readings by Anton Lesser and a gone-cuckoo song by Hanna Tuulikki. Producer: Tim Dee.

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

Bernard MacLaverty's first novel in sixteen years is a profound examination of human love, loss and faith.

A retired Northern Irish couple, Stella and Gerry Gilmore, fly from their home in Glasgow to Amsterdam for a long weekend: a holiday to refresh the senses, to do some sightseeing, to take stock. Their relationship seems safe, easy, familiar but over the course of a few days we discover the deep uncertainties that exist between them. Gerry, once an architect, is a heavy drinker who is set in his ways. Stella is tired of his lifestyle, worried about their marriage and angry at his constant undermining of her religious faith.

The novel has been described by Colm Toibin as: "...a work of extraordinary emotional precision and sympathy, about coming to terms - to an honest reckoning - with love and the loss of love, with memory and pain... This is a novel of great ambition by an artist at the height of his powers."

Reader: Frances Tomelty

Writer: Bernard MacLaverty

Abridger: Kirsteen Cameron

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.

The Norwegian singer Ane Brun talks about her life in music.

Ane Brun has lived and worked in Stockholm for most of her professional life. Much of her music is sung in English - collaborating with British and American artists such as Peter Gabriel and Ron Sexsmith, or re-imagining songs by Beyonce and the music of Monteverdi and Purcell. It's as if she spends her life in a kind of musical translation, between artists and languages, cultures and history.

But her solo albums - including A Temporary Dive and It All Starts With One - reveal an artist rooted in her own sense of musical expression, alternately melancholy and playful. As she muses in Changing of the Seasons, "I guess I'm too Scandinavian."

Alan Hall visits Ane Brun at her studio in Stockholm and shares a walk through the old city, discussing Shakespeare, her family at home in Norway and the particular qualities of her distinctive voice.

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

To accompany BBC Radio 4's major new dramatisation of Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie talks to radio drama director Emma Harding about his multi-award winning novel. They discuss the initial impetus for the novel and the mirroring of his own life as a child born 70 years ago in 1947, the year of India's Partition.

Rushdie also talks about the break-through moment of finding Saleem's voice, his attempt to represent the multiplicity of India in a single novel, and his pessimism about the direction of travel of India and Pakistan today.

Produced by Emma Harding.

2/7 To mark the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India, an ambitious new dramatization of Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic. Saleem Sinai is born on the stroke of midnight on 15th August 1947, at the exact moment that India and Pakistan become separate, independent nations. From that moment on, his fate is mysteriously handcuffed to the history of his country.

Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon. Starring Nikesh Patel, Narinder Samra and Maya Sondhi

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding

All other parts were played by Selva Rasalingam, Renu Brindle, Ronny Jhutti, Rina Mahoney and Aysha Kala.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.

British zoologist Professor Tim Birkhead recounts the sharp bill of the well named razorbill while going about his scientific work for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Tom Bonnett.

News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

1/7 To mark the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India, an ambitious new dramatization of Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic. Saleem Sinai is born on the stroke of midnight on 15th August 1947, at the exact moment that India and Pakistan become separate, independent nations. From that moment on, his fate is mysteriously handcuffed to the history of his country. The story starts with Saleem's grandfather, Aadam, in Kashmir in 1915.

Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon. Starring Nikesh Patel, Abhin Galeya and Meera Syal.

Episode 1: The Perforated Sheet - Dr Aadam Aziz falls in love with a woman concealed behind a perforated sheet.
Episode 2: Hit the Spittoon - Aadam gives refuge to a young poet, scared for his life after the murder of the Hummingbird.
Episode 3: The Public Announcement - Saleem's imminent birth is accidentally announced to the world.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding.

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

Brett Westwood meets an octopus: perhaps the closest thing to an alien life form on earth. Three hearts, copper blood, autonomous arms, a parrot's beak - and a formidable intelligence to match. The sea monster of historical myth is now emerging as an animal worthy of respect and understanding.
Contributors: (in tentacle only) Luna, Giant Pacific Octopus; Rachel Farquar, Aquarist at Bristol Aquarium; Russell Arnott, educational presenter and consultant for Incredible Oceans; Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus and Peter Godfrey-Smith, philosopher and author of Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life. The reader is Jack Klaff.
Producer Beth O'Dea
Photo of Luna the Giant Pacific Octopus courtesy of Bristol Aquarium.

The Doppler effect not only proved that the universe was expanding, it also helped John Lennon sound like the Dalai Lama on a mountaintop - or so he hoped.
Just what is the story behind the Doppler Effect and what does it have to do with music?

BBC Radio 4 turns the volume up to 11, as conductor Charles Hazlewood recreates an ambitious experiment which first proved the Doppler Effect in 1845, while Dr Brian May, guitarist with rock band Queen gives him the low-down on the Doppler Shift in astrophysics.

A steam train, a brass band and an internationally famous conductor recreate one of the most unusual experiments - to prove the existence of the Doppler Effect - what could possibly go wrong?

So what is the Doppler Effect? Everyone today is aware of it, even if they can't name it. The pitch of the siren on a passing police car appears to change as it zooms past - the note appearing to rise and fall as the source of the sound approaches and fades away.

Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who first proposed his theory in 1842, was interested in the behaviour of light waves, but because sound waves are similar - if longer - the way the theory was tested was using a steam train loaded up with trumpet players holding a single note, travelling at speed past a station.
What a sight - and a sound - it must have been. And now you need imagine it no longer, as conductor Charles Hazlewood attempts to re-create this extraordinary experiment for BBC Radio 4.

With the help of the locomotive steam power of the Great Central Railway and the wind power of the Hathern Brass Band, Charles fills a railway carriage with brass players and sends them from Loughborough, through Quorn Station, blasting out a single note, to recreate that moment.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney, author of "The Wave Watcher's Companion" helps Hazelwood get to grips with the physics and pit falls behind the original experiment.
Dr Brian May talks of his own close understanding of the Doppler Shift in his study of astrophysics, and how the theory helps us understand the universe.
And, from the Beatles to Booker T and the MG's, composer and creator of musical instruments Sarah Angliss, demonstrates the beauty of the Leslie Speaker and Hammond Organ, which make the most of the phenomenon.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall
Technical presentation: Giles Aspen

Choir: Siona Stockel, Naomi MacLeod-Jones, Stephen Harvey, Tim Wilson, Iain MacLeod-Jones, Oscar Golden-Lee, Craig Bissex, William Drakett.

Music in the programme:
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
The Hathern Band - Death or Glory
Queen - White Queen
Jimmy McGriff - Discotheque
Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

On this day in 1917, an increase in wages for women munitions workers was introduced, and Juliet Cavendish finds her working conditions oppressive.

Written by Katie Hims
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

Consumer phone-in.

The latest weather forecast.

Analysis of news and current affairs.

Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod heads to a Norfolk beach to hear how a raging storm led to the discovery of one of the oldest mammoth skeletons ever to have been found in the UK and the best preserved skeleton of this species in the world. The skeleton revealed a treasure trove of information about life some 600,000 to 700,000 years ago.

Producer Sarah Blunt.

3/7 A new dramatization of Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic. Born at the moment of India's Partition, Saleem grows up in the care of two adoring mothers. Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon. Starring Nikesh Patel, Anneika Rose, Zain Syed and Misha Shah.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding

All other parts were played by Deeivya Meir, Sagar Arya, Selva Rasalingam, Renu Brindle, Silas Carson and Aysha Kala.

A memory caught in a childhood drawing and a repeat encounter which offers hope at a point of despair - Josie Long explores the afterimage left by moments that touch us.

We hear from Sion Jair who climbs mountains as a way to cope with disappearing memories. Sophie Townsend finds an image from her daughter's childhood, which captures a difficult moment from their past. And Dylan Park, five years after his first deployment to Iraq, finds an unexpected reminder of his first tour in Arizona.

Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

A chronological journey through life - from childhood to old age - via a series of interviews recorded with people as they confront their reflection in the mirror.

What do they see? How has their face changed? What stories lie behind the wrinkles and scars?

We hear the initial wonder of the small child give way to the embarrassment of the teenager and the acceptance of later-life.

Presented and produced by award-winning documentary-maker, Cathy FitzGerald, this moving programme hops from home to home in contemporary Britain, catching its subjects in bedrooms and bathrooms and lounges, in order to hold up a mirror to the ageing process itself.

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.

Close friends Martin Jarvis and Christopher Matthew venture back to their schooldays and set forth on a journey of discovery and re-discovery. Together they return - both geographically and through their memories and anecdotes - to the crowded cul-de-sac in south London where Martin Jarvis grew up, and to sleepy Merle Common in Surrey where a young Christopher Matthew would have been seen roaming the countryside.

Producer: Paul Kobrak.

4/7 Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic, dramatised by Ayeesha Menon and starring Nikesh Patel and Zain Syed. Saleem indulges his ability to tune into other people's thoughts.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding.

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Alice and Snoo have to resort to some rather unconventional means to get people into the library. A very low shelf, a book about zombies, a hosepipe ban and some hummingbirds bring the public flocking in.

Meet Alice, a former child prodigy who won a place at Oxford aged 9 but, because Daddy went too, she never needed to have any friends. She's scared of everything - everything that is, except libraries and Snoo, a slightly confused individual, with a have-a-go attitude to life, marriage, haircuts and reality. Snoo loves books, and fully intends to read one one day.

And forever popping into the library is Dr. Cadogan, celebrity doctor to the stars and a man with his finger in every pie. Charming, indiscreet and quite possibly wanted by Interpol, if you want a discrete nip and tuck and then photos of it accidentally left on the photocopier, Dr Cadogan is your man.

Their happy life is interrupted by the arrival of Simon Nielson, a man with a mission, a mission to close down inefficient libraries. Fortunately, he hates his mission. What he really wants to do is once, just once, get even with his inexhaustible supply of high-achieving brothers.

Written by Morwenna Banks, Rebecca Front and Arthur Mathews

Based on an idea developed with Armando Iannucci
Produced by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for the BBC.

Phoebe has an anxious wait, and Clarrie gets to grips with a new recipe.

5/7 Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic, dramatised by Ayeesha Menon. Starring Nikesh Patel, Chetna Pandya and Meera Syal.

Contains two episodes:

Alpha and Omega - Saleem continues to talk telepathically to all the other Midnight's Children, who all have their own unique magical powers.
Revelations - Mary's guilty secret finally becomes too much to bear.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding.

Historian Dr Zareer Masani's father, pictured above, began as a close confidante of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, but ended up leading opposition to him in the 1950s and '60s. Now, as India turns 70, Zareer asks why present-day Hindu nationalists are so keen to eradicate the legacies of the country's founding father and even to airbrush his name from school textbooks.

Nehru was the most charismatic leader of India's nationalist movement against the Raj and the founder of a political dynasty that survives to this day. But there are huge changes sweeping India, and they're also sweeping away Nehru's socialist and secularist legacies. Zareer asks: was the Nehru era a half-century of wasted economic opportunities and false starts, or did he lay lasting foundations for Indian democracy, science and technology? Are his critics throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

Zareer wrote a biography of Nehru's daughter Indira. His analysis of the Nehru legacy is laced with personal anecdote and insight and interviews with prominent Indian cultural and political figures. He talks to senior politicians and pundits, as well as to academics and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, about the shifting reputation of a man whose name still dominates the Indian skyline. He finds that attitudes to Nehru and his legacy are key to understanding the direction of Indian politics and culture today.

Producer: Tom Alban.

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.

A new dramatization of Salman Rushdie's prize-winning novel of love, history and magic. The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 changes Saleem's life forever. Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon and starring Nikesh Patel, Ronny Jhutti and Abhin Galeya.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding.

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

7/7 Salman Rushdie's ground-breaking novel of love, history and magic, dramatised by Ayeesha Menon. Starring Nikesh Patel, Aysha Kala and Nitin Ganatra.

Containing two episodes:

- The Shadow of the Mosque: With the help of Parvati the Witch, Saleem returns to Bombay.
- Midnight: Saleem is reunited with the other Midnight's Children in terrifying circumstances

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Emma Harding

All other parts were played by Ronny Jhutti, Abhin Galeya, Emilio Doorgasingh, Selva Rasalingam, Kerry Gooderson and Sheetal Kapoor.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

This culinary journey through history examines how the growing Empire allowed Britain to harness the globe's edible resources; from cod fish and salt beef to sugar, spices and opium. Historian Lizzie Collingham brings a fresh perspective to the making of the realm, uncovering its decisive role in the shaping of the modern diet and revealing how almost every meal we eat still contains a taste of empire.

There are compromises to be made as the Puritan settlers struggle to recreate the perfect English diet in their New England colonial farmsteads.

Written by Lizzie Collingham
Read by Melody Grove
Abridged by Siân Preece
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.

British zoologist Professor Tim Birkhead talks about the intelligence of egg stealing ravens while he is working on guillemot research on Skomer for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Tom Bonnett.

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

Just how did the Internet become the most powerful communications medium on the planet, and why does it seem to be an uncontrollable medium for good and bad?
With no cross border regulation the internet can act as an incredible force for connecting people and supporting human rights and yet at the same time covey the most offensive material imaginable.
It has become the most useful research tool on earth but also the most effective way of delivering threats to the security of governments, the health service and on a personal level our own identities.
In this series Aleks Krotoski unravels the complexity of the internet, meeting the people who really invented it, looking behind the myths and cultural constructs to explain what it actually is and how it came to exist outside of conventional regulation.
We'll ask whether the nature of the net itself really is cause for concern - and if so what can be done to reign in the negatives of the internet without restricting the positives?

Ivan Hewett examines Wagner's Tristan Chord to test the idea that harmony is a reflection of history. He's joined by Professor John Deathridge and Professor Tim Blanning.

Music is never created in isolation - it's conceived in relation to what's going on around a composer in terms of personal and historical events, new technologies, new ideas and artistic endeavours in other fields. In this series, Ivan Hewett is looking at five very different chords which amply demonstrate the concept that harmony is a reflection of history.

Each programme is a bite size portion of rich musical and historical investigation - and each chord has had far reaching influence on other music and is emblematic of its era.

Wagner's Tristan Chord is called the most significant chord in Western music as it is said to mark the beginning of the breakdown of tonality. Within itself, it contains not one but two dissonances, so creating a double desire, agonising in its intensity for resolution. The chord to which it then moves resolves one of these dissonances but not the other, so providing resolution - but not resolution. Written in 1859, the same year as Origin of the Species and around the same time as Madame Bovary, Wagner's Tristan Chord reflects a time when the anchor was being pulled up many old certainties.

Ivan Hewett is a writer on music for the Daily Telegraph, broadcaster on BBC Radio 3, and teacher at the Royal College of Music.

Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Monty Funk production for BBC Radio 4.

This culinary journey through history examines how the growing Empire allowed Britain to harness the globe's edible resources; from cod fish and salt beef to sugar, spices and opium. Historian Lizzie Collingham brings a fresh perspective to the making of the realm, uncovering its decisive role in the shaping of the modern diet and revealing how almost every meal we eat still contains a taste of empire.

As the Empire expands into the eighteenth century, the colonial trade in ships' provisions races to keep up.

Written by Lizzie Collingham
Read by Melody Grove
Abridged by Siân Preece
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

Lynne Truss observes the inhabitants Meridian Cliffs, a small wind-battered town on the south coast of England. Ashley, the professional dog walker, is fond of pointing out that dogs live only in the present and that's why they're happy.

It's a skill she could use herself.

Distraught at being betrayed by her boyfriend six months ago, Ashley is firmly stuck in the past. She takes her band of Brighton pooches out onto the scrubby land behind the town - but has to marshal all her resources when Peter the Tibetan terrier goes missing.

Directed by Kate McAll
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Friends who are members of their primary school's debating team reflect on what they've learned from listening to other people's opinions. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.

Zora Neale Hurston. You might not recognise her name. She was an African American novelist and folklorist, a queen of the Harlem Renaissance and a contemporary of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright.

But when she died in 1960 she was living on welfare and was buried in an unmarked grave. Her name was even misspelt on her death certificate. Scotland's National poet Jackie Kay tells the story of how Zora became part of America's literary canon.

Alice Walker wrote in her collection of essays 'In Search of Our Mother's Gardens': "We are a people. A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again for the sake of our children, and, if necessary, bone by bone."

And that's what Alice did: travelling to Florida in search of Zora's grave where she laid down a gravestone declaring Zora "A Genius of the South".
That was in 1973. Now Zora is claimed by many of America's leading novelists including Maya Angelou, Zadie Smith and Toni Morrison, as their literary foremother.

Eighty years since the publication of her greatest work 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', Jackie Kay tells Zora's story.

Interviews include author Alice Walker, the poet Sonia Sanchez, The Guardian's Editor at Large Gary Younge and Zora's biographer Valerie Boyd.

Readings by Solange Knowles.

Photo: Carl Van Vechten

Producer: Caitlin Smith.

A second series of the sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship. As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed. This second series begins as Jill has left her husband and son to live at her new boyfriends' parent's house, Camille is planning a huge life change and Chippy has a new live-in wannabe step-father in the shape of Gordon from their salsa class.

Each of the women get to grips with their own particular cancer after-shocks. In this last episode each of them must face their fears.

The series is not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.

Written by Kay Stonham

Produced and directed by Alison Vernon-Smith.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

On this day in 1917, the Chancellor of the Exchequer rejected the idea of a channel tunnel, at least until the end of the war, while in Folkestone, Ulysses Pilchard gains ground with his electro-shock treatment.

Written by Katie Hims
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

Consumer affairs programme.

The latest weather forecast.

Analysis of news and current affairs.

Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod tries his hand at pulling a medieval long bow and discovers how studies of the skeletons of the archers who sank with the Mary Rose could help patients with dyspraxia. Producer Sarah Blunt.

4. Dreams

The last of four plays based on the life of the American playwright.

1982, Roxbury, Connecticut. Following his divorce from Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller has been happily married for many years to photographer Inge Morath, whom he met on the set of The Misfits. They live in the New England farmhouse he bought as a summer retreat after his first big Broadway success, All My Sons. Miller has always loved this place. It's where, in 1948, he built a wooden studio, ten feet by twelve, and sat down to write Death of A Salesman. Now in his late sixties, it's been a long time since he had a major success. In Mike Walker's drama, a mysterious young visitor appears at the door and compels him to look back on his life.

Producer for LA Theatre Works: Susan Loewenberg
Associate Producers: Anna Lyse Erikson and Myke D Wysekopf
Sound by Mark Holden, Wes Dewberry, and Catherine Robinson

A BBC/Cymru Wales and LA Theatre Works Co-Production, directed by Kate McAll

LA Theatre Works is a non-profit audio drama company based in Los Angeles that records classic and contemporary plays. They have been collaborating with the BBC for nearly thirty years, beginning with a production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible that starred Richard Dreyfuss and Stacey Keach.

Irene Tracey is Professor of Neuroimaging at Oxford University and for 20 years has poked, prodded and burnt people to understand what is happening in the brain when someone feels pain. But does this growing body of evidence looking at the brains of people in pain mean we can really understand someone else's pain. Does imaging give an objective measure of a subjective experience and is one person's 7 on the pain scale the same as someone elses?

Pain is a highly complex process and still not fully understood. One of the biggest challenges to neuroscientists and clinicians is to work out why some people develop chronic pain and others in a similar situation don't. In this programme Irene shows how unusual types of pain, like phantom limb pain or other types of pain such as diabetic nerve damage can help reveal how pain is generated in the brain.

Other dilemmas are how to know if premature babies feel pain and how best to treat them.
But is the emerging evidence strong enough to be used in diagnosis or even in the courtrooms.

Image: Soccer player falling on field (c) Getty Images.

Next week, on 21st August, an eclipse in the United States is expected to become the most watched event of its kind in history. Physicist Dr Frank Close, who dates his own childhood interest in science to witnessing an eclipse, examines the mythology and psychology behind them.

Eclipses have inspired dread and awe since antiquity. The earliest Chinese mythology saw solar eclipses as dragons eating the sun. Native American astronomer Nancy Maryboy talks about the Navajo and Cherokee beliefs, many of which are still held today.

The programme also visits Stonehenge to examine theories that the ancient Aubrey holes, burial pits on the outer edge of the monument, were used to predict eclipses. The saros - the cycle of eclipses - has been used since the time of the Babylonian to predict eclipses.

We hear how Christopher Columbus used prior knowledge of an eclipse to save his shipwrecked crew. The ability to predict an eclipse was often used as a literary device over the centuries - in anything from Rider Haggard to Herje's adventures of Tin Tin.

We also meet eclipse chasers, that strange community of people for whom no expense is too great, or distance too far, to satisfy their fascination with a total eclipse of the sun. Psychologist Dr Kate Russo has studied her own and others' obsession with eclipses to examine the reactions so many people report. The euphoria people experience is, she says, caused by the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine - but, intriguingly, she suggests that people who witness eclipses exhibit similar symptoms to patients with trauma.

A Kati Whitaker production for BBC Radio 4.

Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.