Science often doesn't have a nice, neat beginning, middle and end. But we impose beginnings, middles and ends onto the research so that all can follow - we give science narratives.
Writer Will Storr shows Adam Rutherford how the craft of creative writing engages deep psychological impulses for both the author and the reader and how storytelling is a vital part of the human condition.
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
Nick Robinson talks to the Labour MP Stella Creasy about her campaigning record
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
Clare Balding joins singer Feargal Sharkey for a river walk on the south London/Surrey border along the River Hogsmill one of just 200 chalk streams in the world. He's always been a rambler and is currently walking all of the river routes of London. He is often dismayed and pleased in equal measure at the state of our rivers as he is a passionate advocate for water health and quality.
The walk is part of the London Loop and starts from Ewell West Station and ends at Kingston upon Thames passing through Old Malden.
To conclude Farming Today's week on water Charlotte Smith visits Tiptree Farm in Essex to find out how they harvest and conserve the vast quantities of water needed to produce around 1000 tonnes of strawberries a year. There she meets General Manager Andrey Ivanov who explains how the plants receive individual drops of water controlled by a pioneering micro-irrigation system. Charlotte also speaks to joint-Managing Director Chris Newnham who says that a combination of this system and their reservoirs now gives them over 90% self-sufficiency in water use.
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Radio 1 Breakfast Show host and self-described 'radio nerd' Greg James rummages through the BBC's archives, taking some of this week's stories and themes as a jumping off point into the past.
This week Radio 1's Big Weekend launches the music festival season which sets Greg off on a hunt to find out how big pop events were reported back in the 1960s and 1970s. Beneath the flares and cheesecloth he uncovers some illuminating recordings - how a gang of Hells Angels caused a rumpus at the Weeley Festival and the clash between locals and festival goers in Bickershaw in 1972. There's also a painful interview with a young Bob Dylan.
As one high street bakery this week attributed rising profits to its vegan sausage roll, Greg also looks back at the way vegans and vegetarians were portrayed on radio and television, although Delia Smith was a trailblazer for the versatility of vegetables. Back in 1980 Delia interviewed a young Kate Bush about turning away from meat and, in a warm and revealing conversation, Kate shares her recipes and culinary tips.
Plus the early sounds of Victoria Wood, and the voices of Victorians - women in their 90s, filmed in 1970 remembering life in the 19th century.
Anonymous contacts. Secret meetings. Men in raincoats. Gabriel Gatehouse reveals what it can take to bring a story on alleged collusion to light. In Bulgaria, Colin Freeman assesses the economic importance of the Kalashnikov AK47 assault rifle. More than 150 years after slavery officially ended in the US, Juliet Rix has a chance encounter in South Carolina that suggests the past is remarkably present. In the wetlands of southern Iraq Leon McCarron meets some of the people known as the Marsh Arabs. In the 1980s their homeland was a frontline in the Iran-Iraq war; in the 1990s Saddam Hussein unleashed fighter jets to destroy their settlements. Now they face another threat - there's still not enough clean water. And in Italy, Dany Mitzman tries to make the best of a dreaded family day out...at a football match.
New safeguards for victims of bank fraud come into effect from Tuesday. Over 350 million pounds was stolen from accounts last year through what's called Authorised Push Payment Fraud - that happens when a person is tricked into transferring money into a fraudster's account. Often the banks have refused to refund victims but now they will have to.
Figures released this week by StepChange - one of the UK's largest debt charities - show a big rise in the amount of debt relief orders in England and Wales. But what is a debt relief order and why are they at a four year high?
Researchers at Newcastle University have found that a ban on online borrowing between
could protect consumers and are calling for the introduction of 'credit curfews'.
And when a Money Box listener's partner died suddenly just days after they had taken delivery of a new car she could no longer afford the repayments. But the finance company initially told her it would cost tens of thousands of pounds to get out of the contract. We speak car finance with a consumer contract lawyer.
Miles Jupp returns with another episode of Radio 4's most topical of panel games.
It was the week Theresa May resigned, Nigel Farage was covered in milkshake and bastions of Britishness British Steel and Jamie's Italian hit the skids.
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from Aston University in Birmingham with Telegraph journalist Sherelle Jacobs, the writer and broadcaster Paul Mason, Businesswoman Gina Miller,and political biographer Sir Anthony Seldon.
Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His highly successful series The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and his books have become bestsellers throughout the world.
Recorded at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, Essex, he joins forces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra to bring to life much-loved characters from Botswana, Scotland and Italy, with an eclectic array of his favourite music.
RESPIGHI: Trittico Botticelliano, No 3 - La Nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus)
Producers: Benedict Warren (BBC Symphony Orchestra) and Steve Doherty (Giddy Goat Productions)
In September 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by one of the deadliest hurricanes ever recorded. Hurricane Maria battered the Caribbean island with tornado force winds and torrential rain, devastating houses, washing away roads and bringing an infrastructure - already shaky after years of economic crisis - to its knees.
Anna McNamee meets some of those labelled “la resistencia” (the resistance) - a movement of artists, musicians and other creatives who, in the face of massive migration as a result of economic and environmental crisis, have stayed on the island to rebuild its cultural scene.
Within hours of the storm passing, Tito Matos, a Grammy-nominated plena musician, and Mariana Reyes, a well known cultural promoter, were mobilising their contacts locally and abroad to channel relief efforts, distribute food and organise workshops and acoustic concerts around the island.
After the hurricane, the arts activist Alexis Angel Bousquet needed to convert part of his gallery into a communal bathroom. Now he's back hosting exhibitions where the work is an anarchic and confrontational riposte to what many Puerto Ricans see as the failures of the state.
Out in the streets, a female art collective, Morivivi, are quite literally repainting Puerto Rico - exploring subjects such as gender violence, climate change and the legacy of colonialism in their colourful murals.
In the Puerto Rican Cultural Institute, artists are making new work out of hurricane debris. And in the shadow of one of San Juan’s most famous landmarks, one of the island's most artistically renowned sons, Jaime Suarez, gives sculptural proof of Puerto Rico’s long legacy of cultural resilience.
The author, blogger and podcaster Deborah James talks abut living with bowel cancer and why we all need to talk about poo.
Jayson Greene talks about dealing with the unexpected death of his two year old daughter Greta.
We discuss why the conversation around ageing can be so negative with Ashton Applewhite who is calling for a movement to end ageism in her book This Chair Rocks and with Maggy Piggott who’s book is called How to Age Joyfully.
Mary Loudon talks about her debut novel My House is Falling Down about infidelity and an adult love triangle.
The author, blogger and podcaster Deborah James talks abut living with bowel cancer and why we all need to talk about poo.
People in the UK have a worrying lack of knowledge about what constitutes a crime when it comes to the sexual abuse of children. Amanda Naylor from Barnado’s talks about the lastest YouGov Survey and why we need to be concerned about both young girls and boys and from Cris McCurley a member of the Law Society’s access to justice committee.
Lyra Mckee was killed in Londonderry just over a month ago. Her partner talks about living with Lyra why she’s been speaking at an equal marriage rally in Belfast.
As a new retrospective of the work of Posy Simmonds opens in London this week we discuss the significance of her work with the curator Paul Gravett, the UK Comics Laureate Hannah Berry and with Edith Pritchett a cartoonist.
The Raconteurs, Samin Nosrat, Hattie Morahan, Susan Hill, David Quantick, Judi Jackson, Tom Allen, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Tom Allen are joined by Samin Nosrat, Hattie Morahan, Susan Hill and David Quantick for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.
John Bolton is the hawkish and famously moustachioed US national security adviser using the ear of the President to push a hard line on Iran.
Memoir of War, King Hedley II, Gerald Murnane, Leonardo Da Vinci, When They See Us
Memoir Of War,based on Marguerite Duras's book “La Douleur” is set in Occupied France. Critical opinion has varied widely from 'dreadful' and 'empty' to 'masterpiece'. What will our reviewers make of it?
King Hedley II starring Lenny Henry, has opened at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Gerald Murnane's novel A Season On Earth tells the tale of a lustful teenager in Melbourne in the 1950s. It was originally published in 1976 and is now reissued as was originally intended; with two previously unseen new chapters
Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham palace brings together more than 200 of his drawings from the Royal Collection, forming the largest exhibition of Leonardo's work in over 65 years.
When They See Us is a new series beginning on Netflix. Directed by Ava DuVernay which tells the true story of the 1989 Central Park Jogger case in which five juvenile males – four African-American and one Hispanic – were convicted of the crimes. They spent time in jail and were eventually cleared 25 years later
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Laura Freeman, Jim White and Lynn Shepherd. The producer is Oliver Jones
For decades psychologists working for the CIA have drawn up psychological profiles of foreign leaders.
Using expertise developed watching the Nazis, the programme presented American Presidents with detailed profiles of their opponents, complete with proposed weak points and personal foibles.
In 1961, prior to a planned summit meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, the CIA profiled the Russian leader, declaring him "an uninhibited ham actor who ...has a truly unusual ability to project the force of his own powerful personality."
The report - which today reads like generalisation of a peculiarly obvious kind - so impressed Kennedy that he became "addicted" to reading analyses of foreign leaders, particularly if they contained details of sexual peccadilloes. The Russians became keen on psychological reports too, commissioning one on Kennedy which questioned whether his liberalism was anything more than skin deep.
Extraordinarily, the CIA unit profiling foreign leaders survived the Cold War, offering such gems as...
"Fidel Castro is not "crazy," but he is so highly neurotic and unstable a personality as to be quite vulnerable to certain kinds of psychological pressure. The outstanding neurotic elements in his personality are his hunger for power and his need for the recognition and adulation of the masses..."
"While Saddam Hussein is not psychotic, he has a strong paranoid orientation..."
Psychoanalyst Daniel Pick explores these extraordinary files, and speaks to psychiatrists about the validity of "distance readings" and foreign policy experts and historians about how they may have influenced the direction of American foreign policy.
And what exactly are the psychiatrists currently saying about today's world leaders?
As clouds of war gather over Europe, Josef Vadassy, a Hungarian refugee and language teacher, is enjoying his first break in years at a small hotel on the French Riviera. But when he takes his holiday photographs to be developed at the local chemists, sensitive images of the local military facility are discovered on his roll of film. Vadassy is accused of being an enemy agent and of espionage. Now, in order to prove his innocence to the French police, Vadassy must discover the identity of the person who took the incriminating photos, presumably one of the guests at his hotel. Vadassy's suspicions fall on one guest after another but his investigation stalls. Just when he begins to doubt whether there's a spy at all, he is knocked unconscious by an unseen assailant.
Part of the Eric Ambler season on BBC Radio 4, which also includes a two-part adaptation of Journey Into Fear, and a biographical drama about Eric Ambler and Hollywood director John Huston's collaboration on war film The Battle of San Pietro.
Eric Ambler's pre-war novels remain the base upon which his reputation rests. Fresh and exciting, they laid out the ground for writers such as Le Carré and Deighton. During the years before WWII, Ambler created the image of the modern spy. He was hailed by Graham Greene as ''our greatest thriller writer''.
These are novels of education. The protagonist typically thinks of himself as a skilled reader of personality and motive - and then gets everything wrong. Ambler thrusts his hapless heroes - teachers, engineers and writers - into a world of political intrigue. Set mostly in Europe, the novels paint haunting panoramas of intrigue and villainy. Credible heroes, realistic settings and vivid evocations of the nervous, politically-charged years that led to World War II, evoke the queasy atmosphere and conspiratorial politics of 1930s Europe.
Joseph Vadassy . . . Edward Hogg
Frau Koche . . . Clare Corbett
Duval . . . Tony Turner
Schimler . . . Mark Edel-Hunt
Rempenault . . . Don Gilet
Skelton . . . Joseph Ayre
Mary . . . Franchi Webb
Roux . . . Christopher Harper
Vogel . . . Sam Dale
Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko
1/5. Law's Expanding Empire
Jonathan Sumption argues that the law is taking over the space once occupied by politics. Lord Sumption was until recently a justice of the UK’s Supreme Court, as well as being a distinguished historian. In this lecture, recorded before an audience at Middle Temple in London, Lord Sumption says that until the 19th century, law only dealt with a narrow range of human problems. That has now changed radically. And he argues that the growth of the law, driven by demand for greater personal security and less risk, means we have less liberty.
The Reith Lectures are presented and chaired by Anita Anand and produced by Jim Frank
Russell Davies welcomes competitors to MediaCityUK in Salford for the latest contest in the 2019 general knowledge tournament. This week's questions test their knowledge of physicists, novelists, contemporary artists, politicians, TV soap characters and reggae stars, to name but a random few. A place in the semi-finals awaits the winner.
A listener also stands a chance of winning a prize if their questions are chosen to test the combined powers of today's four Brains.
The guest curator is Fleur Adcock, and her choices include To a Poet a Thousand Years Hence by James Elroy Flecker, Old Man by Edward Thomas and Fleur’s own poem A Visiting Angel. Fleur brings along a sprig of something from her garden for Roger. Producer Sally Heaven.
SUNDAY 26 MAY 2019
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0005dx7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:30 Short Works (m00057sw)
The Book of the Dead by Carmen Maria Machado
In Carmen Maria Machado's specially commissioned short story, set in America, a seduction exacts a high price. Julianna Jennings is the reader.
Carmen Maria Machado's award winning debut short story collection is Her Body and Other Parties. In 2018, the New York Times listed this collection as one of "15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century." Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in a variety of publications including the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Granta.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0005dx9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005dxc)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005dxf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0005dxk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0005dxp)
The parish church of St Peter and St Paul, Tonbridge, Kent
Bells on Sunday comes from the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Tonbridge in Kent. The present ring of eight bells were cast in 1770 and recast in the 1950s. They are still hung in their original wooden frame. The tenor weighs nineteen hundredweight and is tuned to the key of E. We hear them ringing ‘Grandsire Triples’
SUN 05:45 Profile (m0005dx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (m0005dxj)
The latest national and international news headlines.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b07tqs7b)
Poetic Rituals
The commute to work, the weekly supermarket shop, brushing our teeth before bed. The routine and rituals of our everyday lives can often feel like dull repetition. But what if we could find a path to transcendence through these everyday acts?
Academic Dr Sarah Goldingay searches for what the liturgical reformer Rabbi Chaim Stern called the ritual poetry of our lives. Through this ritual poetry it’s possible, Sarah says, to experience a noetic moment - those profound instances when we experience the presence of the divine.
With the help of a diverse pool of writers and thinkers, Sarah argues that simple everyday routines can become powerfully spiritual - even making breakfast, as demonstrated in Sara Maitland's ecstatic experience when devouring her morning porridge. Through the writings of the Buddhist scholar DT Suzuki, Sarah discovers that simply sipping a cup of tea can also be a powerful zen moment.
The act of singing can transform everyday rituals into moments of transcendent beauty. Sarah samples the singing of Scottish herring girls and the haunting rhythms of a Mississippi prison gang, united in song as their pickaxes fall as one.
We might think that powerful spiritual experiences can only be experienced by the specially initiated. This programme suggests that perhaps, by noticing ourselves and the poetic potential of our own everyday rituals, the transcendent might just be closer than we think.
Presenter: Sarah Goldingay
Producer: Max O’Brien
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0005dxn)
Earthquake Farm
In 2016 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake tore apart Derek and Jane Milton's farm. Nancy Nicolson is in Marlborough on the South Island of New Zealand to find out how they rebuilt their lives and their business.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0005dxr)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0005dxt)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0005dxw)
Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme presented by William Crawley.
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0005dxy)
Young Women’s Trust
Podcaster and comedian Deborah Frances-White makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Young Women’s Trust.
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 ‘Young Women’s Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Young Women’s Trust’.
Registered Charity Number: 217868
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0005dy0)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0005dy2)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0005dy4)
Boundless Openness
The Revd Canon Dr Christopher Collingwood leads a reflection on the theme of Boundless Openness.
Reading: Matthew
6:26-30
Music:
Avro Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel
How shall I sing that majesty (Libera)
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Angel – Libera
The Lord’s My Shepherd - Stuart Townend
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy (Tune: Corvedale)
The Revd Canon Dr Christopher Collingwood, an Anglican priest and Zen teacher, leads a reflection on the theme of Boundless Openness, taking inspiration from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This Sunday Worship will explore what it is to be boundlessly open to everyone and all that is, exploring the Hebrew Scriptures’ and the New Testament’s understanding of breath, wind and spirit, and referring to the experience of many who have found in the practice of Zen, parallels with, and helpful illumination of, Christian faith.
Producer: Alexa Good
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m00057v5)
Democracy is not in crisis
David Goodhart argues that recent events show that democracy - far from being in crisis - is actually thriving.
And in the aftermath of Teresa May announcing her resignation, David writes, "I think there is a great political prize for a politician or a party, old or new, that can speak across the liberal/small-c conservative value divide".
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378t34)
Ringed Plover
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachen presents the ringed plover. Camouflage is crucial to ringed plovers because they lay their eggs among the pebbles and shingle of the open beach. To protect her young from a predator, the Ringed Plover will stumble away from the nest while dragging one wing on the ground.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0005dy6)
News with Paddy O'Connell including the latest on the race to become Prime Minister. We hunt for the insects which are threatening Europe's olive trees. Reviewing the Sunday news coverage: political reporter Tom Harwood, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and founder of Fat Lass Preserves Bridget Deane.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0005dy8)
Writer ….. Paul Brodrick
Director ….. Jeremy Howe
Editor ….. Jeremy Howe
Jill Archer .... Patricia Greene
David Archer .... Timothy Bentinck
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Tom Archer ….. William Troughton
Natasha Archer ….. Mali Harries
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Chris Carter ….. Wilf Scolding
Alan Franks ….. John Telfer
Joe Grundy ….. Edward Kelsey
Clarrie Grundy …… Heather Bell
Will Grundy …… Philip Molloy
Emma Grundy …... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary .…. Ryan Kelly
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter …… Katie Redford
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell
Leonard Berry ….. Paul Copley
Camilla Burnham …… Patricia Hodge
Leo ….. Adam Fitzgerald
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m0005dyb)
Derren Brown, illusionist
Derren Brown, illusionist and mentalist, chooses the eight tracks, book and luxury he wants to take with him if cast away to a desert island.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m0005dyd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (m00055nr)
Series 84
Episode 2
Gyles Brandreth, Graham Norton, Lucy Porter and Paul Merton join Nicholas Parsons for the panel game where the challenge is to speak without repetition, hesitation or deviation.
A BBC Studios Production
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m0005dyg)
An Education: Life lessons through food
Genevieve Taylor sets out to meet a few of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards finalists, and hear how learning about food has changed their lives for the better.
The first stop is Liberty Kitchen - a finalist in the Best Street Food or Takeaway category. This social enterprise operates at Pentonville Prison, where inmates produce a diverse range of 'street balls', including classic Italian meatballs, macaroni cheese balls and veggies balls; these are then sold at London street food markets.
Genevieve visits the bustling prison kitchen with founder Janet Boston, before checking out the Liberty Kitchen stall at Leather Lane market in Clerkenwell - and hears overwhelming praise from current and ex-inmates involved in the scheme, who say it's giving them hope of employment post-prison.
Next up, Genevieve checks in with Food and Farming Awards judges for the Cook of the Year category: Jeanette Orrey, co-founder of the educational initiative Food For Life, and Paula McIntyre, a cook, food writer and lecturer.
They've been to the Moray region of Scotland, to visit finalist Logie Primary: a rural school with just 28 pupils. Although it's small, this primary school’s making a mark with a food-focused social enterprise that’s teaching pupils food and kitchen skills, and at the same time bringing together the local community. The school's older pupils launched the Cup of Joy Community Cafe two years ago, using vegetables grown in their school allotment and eggs from the school chickens; today, it's not only teaching them valuable nutrition and life skills but providing a hub for this rural community.
Our final stop is London, where the judges for this years’ Pat Llewellyn New Talent Award - Ben Adler, whose late wife Pat inspired the award; and Barney Desmazery, food editor at large for BBC Good Food magazine - have been to Ealing to join the team behind Fat Macy’s supper club: a dining experience with a difference… The kitchen and front-of-house team are all homeless people currently living in hostels.
The founder Meg Doherty launched the project three years ago, as a way to give people in temporary accommodation an opportunity to learn new skills, while earning enough money to get them back into the housing system.
Presented by Genevieve Taylor; produced by Lucy Taylor.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0005dyj)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0005dyl)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 13:30 Build Me a Fast Bowler (m0005dyn)
On the eve of the men’s Cricket World Cup, Jonathan Agnew unravels the qualities that make the perfect fast bowler. Featuring interviews with England stars Jimmy Anderson, Katherine Brunt and Mark Wood, along with expert comment from bio-mechanics scientist Mark King, writers Emma John and Mike Selvey, and Kevin Shine, fast bowling coach of the England men’s cricket team.
Raw speed. It’s what every cricket fan dreams of seeing - the pure, visceral thrill of a fast bowler hurling a ball 22 yards towards a batsman protecting, somehow, their wicket. It’s pure theatre – a battle to survive, and even thrive, that’s been the heart of cricketing drama since the sport’s earliest origins.
But what are the elements that make a truly great fast bowler? And can the way we understand the human body push the cream of the current generation of cricketers to ever faster speeds?
Jonathan Agnew knows a thing or two about fast bowlers – not only has he commentated on hundreds of them down the years but, with three England caps, he used to be a pretty mean one himself.
Producer: Steven Rajam
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00057sr)
RHS Chelsea Flower Show: Correspondence Edition
Kathy Clugston is at Chelsea Flower Show for a correspondence edition of the show. Matthew Wilson, Pippa Greenwood, and Anne Swithinbank are on hand to answer questions from the GQT inbox, postbag and social media.
The panellists recommend alpines to grow between patio stones, advise on moving and replacing a pond, and consider what to think about when buying a new greenhouse. They also discuss suitable indoor plants for an office, and suggest ways to get a lemon tree to bear fruit.
In between the questions, the panellists bump into some familiar faces at the flower show, stopping to chat to Chris Beardshaw about his show garden, and Daniel and Joanne Jackson about their cacti and succulent stand.
Produced by Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m0005dyq)
Sunday Omnibus - Friendship, Motherhood and Politcs
Fi Glover presents the omnibus edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen- with three conversations between women about friendship, motherhood and the power of politics.
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: Mohini Patel
SUN 15:00 Vanity Fair (m0005dys)
Episode 1
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Comedian Al Murray plays his great, great, great grandfather William Makepeace Thackeray as the unreliable narrator in this new anarchic dramatisation by Jim Poyser. Moneyless Becky Sharp leaves school with her upper class friend Amelia Sedley. But she is clever, cunning and determined to make her way in Regency society, and she'll trample on anyone who gets in her way.
Thackeray (narrator)...................Al Murray
Becky Sharp......................Ellie White
Amelia Sedley..................Helen O'Hara
Rawdon Crawley..............Blake Ritson
Jos Sedley..........................Thom Tuck
George Osborne..............Rupert Hill
Dobbin................................Graeme Hawley
Mrs Sedley.........................Emma Gregory
Mr Sedley..........................Jonathan Keeble
Mr Osborne....................Malcolm Raeburn
Director/Producer Gary Brown.
This was a ground breaking novel. Thackeray wished to counter Victorian England's belief that it was impossible for women to create a strong self-image. According to 19th-century literary norms, the book's heroine should have been the upper-class Amelia Sedley; Thackeray, though, ensures that she is outshone by the lower-class Becky Sharp throughout.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m0005dyw)
Mia Couto and Wayétu Moore, Mr B's Bookshop, Claire Alexander
International Booker Prize nominated Mozambican author Mia Couto and Liberian American debut novelist Wayétu Moore discuss their two new novels.
Mariella and her 13 year old son visit Mr B's Emporium in Bath to experience a 'Reading Spa' and seek inspiration for a reluctant reader.
And three of the six shortlisted authors for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction are represented by legendary agent Claire Alexander. She reveals the secret to maintaining author relationships and spotting new talent.
SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (m0005dyy)
Karen McCarthy Woolf
Karen McCarthy Woolf, the award winning poet of Jamaican-British heritage joins Roger McGough to make her selection of listeners' poems.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m00057ng)
At Risk? Children in Residential Care
Children's homes offer sanctuary to young people whose childhoods have been disrupted by abuse, neglect or family breakdown.
More than 2,200 homes are spread across the country providing young people the opportunity to get their lives back on track.
For many, a residential home provides much needed stability and care when there had previously been none, and a vital opportunity to experience a settled childhood.
But with pressure on the children's social care sector mounting, File on 4 investigates whether some homes are failing to give young people the second chance they need. New research suggests concerning levels of police involvement in the lives of care home residents, and growing concerns about children absconding. Where do they go, and who's looking out for them?
As young people in residential care are particularly susceptible to grooming for sexual abuse and county lines activity, how can care home staff prevent predators from gaining access to them – and when a child is intent on absconding, what options do staff have to keep them safe?
Reporter: Paul Connolly
Producer: Ben Robinson
Editor: Gail Champion
Photo credit: Sam Thomas\Getty
SUN 17:40 Profile (m0005dx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0005dz0)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0005dz2)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005dz4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0005dz6)
Johny Pitts
Johny Pitts is off on a journey this bank holiday weekend, but he won’t be sticking to the usual tourist trail.
His route includes stories, music and poetry from across the world - from the streets of Sheffield to the barrios of Puerto Rico, the plantations of Jamaica, and the council estates of London.
There's classic drama from Lee Hall, Linton Kweli Johnson as music ‘selecta’, Phil Wang with the laughs and Karen McKarthy Wolf with the poetry.
Produced by: Cecile Wright
Production support: Vanessa Ford & Stephen Garner
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0005dz8)
Jim tries to get to the truth and Shula doesn't get the reaction she was hoping for
SUN 19:15 Jo Caulfield: Pretending to Care (m0005dzb)
Jo Caulfield has been performing to sell-out crowds all over the country for years now, she's also appeared on most of the comedy panel shows on TV and written jokes for some of the biggest comedy stars in the UK.
Here she is - pretending to care.
Written and Performed by Jo Caulfield
Produced by Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Strictly Stories (m0005dzd)
Rumba
When a retired salesman and his wife attend the Pink Lemon's advanced rumba class, secrets from the past are suddenly revealed.
Written by Bethan Roberts and read by Martin Jarvis.
The music is Temptation by Diana Krall.
Directed by Kate McAll
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:00 More or Less (m00057t4)
Eurovision and fact-checking Naomi Wolf
The formula for a successful Eurovision song
Last weekend the UK entry to Eurovision came last. Pop writer Chris Lochery has been looking at the statistics to see what characteristics winning songs have. The data show him, he claims, exactly what the UK is doing wrong.
Criminalising Victorian gay men – a case of misinterpretation?
Radio 3’s Free Thinking ran an interview this week with academic Dr Naomi Wolf about her new book on 19th century attitudes to homosexuality. The presenter Dr Matthew Sweet challenged her on her statistics about prosecutions especially the idea that there had been dozens of executions in the mid-19th Century. He found that the figures she had cited were not quite what they seemed.
What’s the point of statins?
A loyal listener asks what difference taking statins makes in reducing his chances of suffering from a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years. We ask GP and broadcaster Dr Margaret McCartney to explain.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m00057t0)
Niki Lauda, Judith Kerr, IM Pei, Herman Wouk
Pictured: Judith Kerr
Matthew Bannister on
Niki Lauda, the fearless racing driver who survived a terrible crash to make a dramatic comeback on the track.
Judith Kerr, the author of much-loved children's books including the Mog series and The Tiger Who Came to Tea.
I.M. Pei, the architect best known for the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris.
Herman Wouk, the American novelist and screenwriter who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Caine Mutiny.
Interviewed guest: Simon Taylor
Interviewed guest: Julia Eccleshare
Contributor: Michael Goldfarb
Interviewed guest: Professor Eric Homberger
Producer: Neil George
Archive clips from: South African Grand Prix 1976, BBC Sound Archives; Rush, directed by Ron Howard, Working Title Films/Imagine Entertainment/Cross Creek Pictures/DNEG/Revolution Films/ Exclusive Media Group 2013; Hunt/Lauda, Radio 4 24/03/2013; The World At One, Radio 4 12/11/1981; BBC News, 28/05/1991; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 29/02/2004; When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, read by Rosemary Leach, Radio 4 Extra 02/10/2017; The 60 Minutes Interview: I.M. Pei, CBS News 1987; Readings by Herman Wouk, University of California TV 24/01/2008.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0005dw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0005dxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (m00057vn)
Plastic backlash: the business response
The last eighteen months have seen a global public backlash against plastic. Everyone talks about the huge impact that Sir David Attenborough and the BBC's Blue Planet series has had in raising public awareness about the damage that 8 million tonnes of plastic which enter the ocean every year is having on sea life. It was one of the triggers for consumers, governments and companies to decide that action needed to be taken.
But what does it mean for businesses which depend on plastic as a core raw material or for the packaging and retail industries, both deeply reliant on plastic? Caroline Bayley talks to companies about the opportunities and challenges presented by the plastic backlash.
Producer Beth Sagar-Fenton
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0005dzh)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 European Election Results 2019 (m0005fgz)
Chris Mason and Adam Fleming from the award-winning Brexitcast podcast present coverage and reaction to the results of the 2019 election for the European Parliament. They’re also joined during the programme by their colleagues Laura Kuenssberg and Katya Adler. Live from both London and Brussels, talking to reporters at counts across the UK and hearing from other European capitals to bring listeners the results as they come in. Hear from politicians of all persuasions to get their reactions as voters in all 28 EU member states decide who they want to represent them for the next five years in Brussels and Strasbourg. Although whether the MEPs elected from the UK will sit for the full term – or even take up their seats in the first place – remains to be seen
MONDAY 27 MAY 2019
MON 03:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005dzq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005dzs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0005dzv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0005dzx)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0005dzz)
Vintage tractors
Vintage tractor enthusiasts from all over the country are in Newmachar in Aberdeenshire, where a unique collection of vehicles is being auctioned off. 81 year old David Reid spent around thirty years building up his collection, but has decided the time has come to pass them on to new owners. Nancy Nicolson joins the collectors and enthusiasts as they get a look at the tractors up for sale - some dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.
Produced and presented by Nancy Nicolson.
MON 05:56 Weather (m0005f01)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378t4y)
Great Black-backed Gull
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the great black-backed gull. These gulls are the largest in the world. They are quite common around our coasts and you can see them in summer perched on a crag watching for any signs of danger or potential prey. Although they are scavengers Great Black-Backs will attack and kill other birds.
MON 06:00 Today (m0005f29)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0005f2c)
Hay Festival
In a special edition recorded live at the Hay Festival, Tom Sutcliffe discusses the impact of human ingenuity. From the myth of Frankenstein to geoengineering, he explores how normality and deviancy became entrenched in society.
In her latest novel, the award-winning writer Jeanette Winterson moves between 1816, when the young Mary Shelley wrote the great Gothic novel of scientific hubris, Frankenstein, and the present day, exploring the far-reaching consequences of the AI revolution.
John Browne, the former CEO of BP, argues against putting the brakes on technological advance. He maintains that civilisation is founded on engineering innovation.
Naomi Wolf looks back to the 1857 Obscene Publications Act to pinpoint the moment that law enforced the sexuality morality of the time. She sees reverberations lasting to this day.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (m0005f2j)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Episode 1
Anne Frank would have been 90 this year. Her family had fled from Germany to Holland hoping to escape the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews. On her thirteenth birthday, June 12th 1942, she was given a red chequered diary. When the family went into hiding less than a month later Anne took her diary with her addressing each entry to Dear Kitty, the confidant and friend she so craved while shut up in the secret annexe above her father’s business premises.
The readings include reminiscences from Eva Schloss. Eva knew Anne as a young girl in Amsterdam. They both went into hiding from the Nazis on the same day. Like the Frank family, Eva's family were also betrayed and sent to concentration camps where her father and brother died. In 1953, Eva’s mother and Otto Frank were married.
Eva describes how Anne loved to write stories and then perform them to the other children where they lived. And hearing the diaries read out loud gives a sense of that young girl who loved to perform and to be heard.
Anne’s vivid descriptions of being cooped up for so long, rotten food, the often unsavoury toilet arrangements and the inevitable rows, sit alongside her remarkably assured understanding of her own character, women’s rights, frank discussions about sex, and her feelings towards Peter, the son of the other family in hiding with them.
Anne follows the progress of the war on the BBC, longing for the invasion and liberation. She is all too aware of what is happening to Jews in Europe but the horror of being discovered, the nights spent in complete silence as burglars prowl the offices below, is tempered by a deep faith in humanity.
The family were in hiding for over two years until, betrayed, they were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945. Her mother died in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only her father, Otto Frank, survived. On his return to Amsterdam in 1945 Miep Giep, his former secretary who had helped the family in hiding, returned Anne’s diary to him. She had found it in the annex and kept it safe, always hoping that one day she would be able to return it to Anne herself. It was published in 1947.
Reader: Georgia Groome
Interview: Eva Schloss
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Translated by Susan Massotty
Produced by Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0005f2n)
Women's workwear - does it matter?
Tailored suits, uniforms or jeans and trainers – do you dress up or down for work? How much does what you wear matter in the workplace? Do you feel pressure to be polished? How much do you suppress your natural style in order to fit in? How has fashion in the workplace changed over the years? And can you really dress for success? Tina Daheley hears from Isabel Spearman who is a brand and image consultant, Uma Creswell, Vice President of City Women Network, Helen McCarthy, Lecturer in early modern history at Cambridge University, Magdalene Abraha who works in publishing, Lindsey Bauer, a teacher at Colyton Grammar school in Devon and Viv Groskop, comedian, writer and author of ‘How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking.’
Presenter: Tina Daheley
Producer: Dianne McGregor
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f2s)
Gudrun
Episode 6: Gudrun
by Lucy Catherine
Gudrun's quest takes her on a whaling ship, where the crew loathe her doubly for being a woman and a heathen.
Gudrun ..... Kate Philips
Dag ..... Joseph Ayres
Panuk ..... Kenny Blyth
Vali ..... Chris Harper
Freija ..... Samantha Dakin
Sigrid ..... Hollie Burgess
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
MON 11:00 The Untold (m0005f2x)
Diary of a Surrogate
Having already helped one couple become parents by being a surrogate, Linder wants to do it again. The joy of seeing new parents hold their baby for the first time was so wonderful, she wants to give that to someone else. This time, Linder is trying to get pregnant for gay couple Nick and Karl. But although she conceives very quickly, the path ahead is fraught with difficulties. Linder records an intimate and painfully honest diary as the pregnancy continues.
MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m0005dwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
MON 12:00 News Summary (m0005f34)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f3b)
Episode 1
Tracy Ann Oberman reads Damian Barr's blistering debut novel, spanning a hundred years of South Africa's dark past and present, from the 1901 Boer War to 2010. Inspired by real events, it explores South Africa's hidden colonial history as well as its shocking present-day darkness,
Today: it's 1901, the height of the second Boer War, and Sarah van der Watt and her son wait in fear for the English to arrive at their farm....
Reader: Tracy Ann Oberman, is an acclaimed stage an TV actor, known for her roles in EastEnders, Toast of London and Friday Night Dinner.
Writer: Damian Barr is a journalist, writer and host of his own Literary Salon. His memoir, Maggie and Me, his story of surviving small-town Scotland in the Thatcher years, won the Sunday Times Memoir of the Year:
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
MON 12:18 You and Yours (m0005f3j)
University staffing, Moving to Spain, Chelsea gardening
We'll take a look at what's happening to staffing levels at some UK universities. They're up generally but our own research suggests some institutions have been cutting staff whilst also increasing their student numbers. We'll get reaction from the regulator, the Office for Students and the University College Union which represents lecturers. The trade body, Universities UK tells us that student satisfaction remains high and that universities have been successfully managing their own finances despite a challenging and uncertain environment.
Dreams of retiring to the Costa Del Sol have been part of British culture for decades. It's attractive not just for the sun and sand but also because EU membership has meant Britons in Spain get special benefits. What that could mean when Britain leaves the EU is far from certain, but new figures suggest that's having little effect on our passion for buying Spanish property. We'll speak to a couple who moved there last year and look at the overall housing market in Spain.
If you've enjoyed seeing the creations at the Chelsea Flower Show, exactly how many of those ideas will make it into your own garden? Matthew Appleby from Horticulture Week and James Alexander-Sinclair who's a judge at the Chelsea Flower Show discuss.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Jess Quayle
MON 12:57 Weather (m0005f3q)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m0005f3x)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
MON 13:45 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy (m0005mhq)
Series 2: 50 More Things...
Mail Order Catalogue
Some say the Montgomery Ward catalogue was among the most influential books in American history. Mail order transformed middle class living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But at first, Ward struggled to get people to understand his business model – his prices were so low, people assumed there must be a catch. As mail order took off, it created demand to improve roads and the postal service. Tim Harford describes how today similar dynamics are transforming middle-class living in China – with the internet playing the role of the postal service, and e-commerce as the new mail order.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0005dz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (m0005f43)
Comrade Ackland and I
Drama based on the bizarre true story of poet Valentine Ackland and her partner Sylvia Townsend Warner.
Written by Frances Bingham
1936, Dorset coast. Best-selling writer Sylvia Townsend Warner and her lover, the poet Valentine Ackland, have just returned to their remote country cottage from an illicit aid-trip to civil war Spain. Their rural idyll is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a young tourist who’s had a car accident nearby. Publicity shy Sylvia lurks in the cottage as Valentine offers first aid for him and his car.
SYLVIA TOWNSEND WARNER.....Joanne Mitchell
VALENTINE ACKLAND.....Helen O'Hara
FRANK MALLORY.....Ashley Margolis
MAJOR FROBISHER.....James Quinn
LANDLADY.....Joan Kempson
ARTHUR.....Lloyd Peters
Directed by Sharon Sephton
MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m0005f48)
Heat 10, 2019
(10/17)
Which American city was once known as 'the Paris of the Midwest'? What substance did the ancients give to the substance they thought was released from matter during combustion? And in what situation would you use the safety measure known as a 'Dutch reach'?
The four competitors in today's heat will need to know the answers to these questions and many more, as they try to secure a place in the 2019 semi-finals of the most venerable general knowledge contest of them all. Taking part are:
Catherine Beresford from Penkridge in Staffordshire
Harry Shaw from Cheltenham
Martyn Smith from Croydon
David Stainer from Hertford.
A listener also stands a chance of winning a prize by outwitting the competitors with questions of his or her own, in 'Beat the Brains'.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m0005dyg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Art of Living (m0001f0c)
Elvis - A Tribute in Dance
Claire Cunningham is a Scottish choreographer and contemporary dancer who performs with crutches. We join her in the studio during the research period for a new work, Thank You Very Much, which draws on Claire’s current fascination with Elvis Tribute Artists.
Claire is intrigued by the difference between impersonation and tribute, what it means to train to become someone else - or an ideal of someone else - and relating this to the lived experience of disability. She asks, “Is this also a life of being pressured to be someone you are not?”
The programme is a fun, exuberant and occasionally poignant mix of dance, music, singing, text and, of course, fabulous costumes.
Claire is a hugely respected artist who tours all over the world in both disabled and non-disabled arts festivals. For this new work, she has brought together an ensemble of professional performers who all identify as disabled - Dan Daw, Marissa Perel, Tanja Erhart and Victoria Malin - and they are all involved in the creation of the piece, which has been commissioned by Manchester International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland for 2019.
Through one-on-one masterclasses with Elvis Tribute Artists, practising harmonies, and offering up their own personal experiences of physiotherapy and speech therapy, the group not only learn to sing and dance like Elvis Presley, but also explore how paying tribute involves bringing something of themselves into the act. These tasks become part of improvisations in the studio, from which the final show will be devised.
As a choreographer, Claire is interested not so much in traditional dance techniques but in individual languages of bodies, particularly disabled bodies. For her, the lived experience of disability is inherently creative due to the ways it requires you to rethink how to move through the world.
Produced by Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m0005f4k)
The Ego
We hear a lot about ego today. Whether it's in association with Presidents or Chief Execs, in relation to social media or celebrity, ego appears to be everywhere. But is it a problem? Ego is Latin for “I” so clearly we can’t escape it. For Freud the Ego plays a moderating role. Yet today we refer to the Ego in a negative sense. “That’s your Ego talking" or “the Ego has landed.” So what is the Ego and can religion help us to understand our relationship to it?
In the final episode of this series of Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea is joined by Ajmal Masroor, a Bangladeshi born British Imam, the Reverend Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James’ Church Piccadilly and Dav Panesar, a Sikh who has carried out pioneering work on mindfulness and contemplative based health interventions in the UK.
Producer:
Catherine Earlam
Series Producer:
Amanda Hancox
MON 17:00 PM (m0005f4r)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005f4z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m0005f55)
Series 84
Episode 3
Tony Hawks, Cariad Lloyd, Zoe Lyons and Paul Merton join Nicholas Parsons for the panel game where the challenge is to speak without repetition, hesitation or deviation.
A BBC Studios Production
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0005f0y)
Kirsty looks to the future and the Single Wicket proves a sore point for Chris
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0005f5d)
Drag Becomes Her, The moon in the arts, Restoration tragedy at the RSC
Kirsty is joined by drag queens Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, two of the biggest stars of American TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, who are on stage in London in Drag Becomes Her, a parody of Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn’s film, Death Becomes Her.
As the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon approaches we consider the moon’s place in culture. Artist Luke Jerram discusses his artwork Museum of the Moon which tours 7m exact replicas of the moon that are suspended high above visitors and can currently be seen at the Natural History Museum and Ely Cathedral. Critic Hannah McGill also considers how the moon is represented in film and literature more broadly.
Restoration Comedies are often staged, Restoration Tragedies, more rarely. But director Prasanna Puwanarajah has chosen for his debut with the RSC Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserved. It’s a somewhat operatic play, with speeches like arias and originally running at over four hours. Puwanarajah has taken a scalpel to it and his staging is influenced by comic books. “It’s ‘Blade Runner meets Gotham’,” he says. Puwanarajah talks to Kirsty Lang about why this play, first staged in 1682, has much to say to audiences today. He tells her, too, why he gave up being a doctor to act, write and direct, and, having worked in both kinds of theatre, the connections between medicine and drama.
Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Rebecca Armstrong
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f2s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 My Name Is... (m0005f4j)
My Name Is: I'd rather not say, but for the benefit of the recordings you can call me Courtney
When Courtney was sexually assaulted she never imagined that she would face further violation as police officers asked for access to her phone and everything stored on it - from photos to messages. She was told that if she didn’t agree to their requests the case against her alleged attacker could not proceed. She had five days in which to make her decision and in the end felt that she couldn’t let her most private information find its way into the hands of defence lawyers.
Here she takes up an issue which has caused her great distress and is affecting other rape victims reporting to police in this country. National consent forms, brought in to develop a common approach across all police forces, place a new emphasis on disclosing material. In order to decide what might be relevant police may have to download the entire contents of a mobile and handing over such details requires trust in the criminal justice system.
Critics warn that by focusing attention on what will be asked of the complainant, an impression has been created that victims are under investigation rather than suspects. For Courtney the stress of this invasion of her privacy contributed to post traumatic stress. In this programme she challenges the decision and asks Government Officials, police officers and other victims what they think. And she turns a spotlight on the difficult dilemmas faced in the digital age: who should have access to your most private world and how will any information gathered be used?
MON 20:30 Analysis (m0005f5m)
Love Island, dating apps and the politics of desire
For centuries we have met our other halves through family, friends, work, or religious institutions. But they have all now been outstripped: meeting online is now the most common way to meet. Not long ago, finding love online was considered unconventional. Now the ping of dating apps is the soundtrack to many people's lives.
But what does this change mean for how we choose whom to date?
Shahidha Bari, author and academic at Queen Mary University of London, examines the changing landscape of modern love - its dating apps, its politics of sexual preference - and ultimately tries to answer the age-old question: what does Love Island tell us about love?
Producer: Ant Adeane
MON 21:00 Pick up your stretcher and walk! (m00057mh)
Like many disabled people, Damon Rose is regularly approached by Christians who want to pray for him to be healed. Would-be healers claim they’re simply doing what Jesus himself did and what he instructed his followers to do. They may mean well, but the experience can leave disabled people feeling judged as ‘faulty’ and in need of repair. Is this really what Christianity teaches about disability? In this programme, Damon (a blind journalist and open-minded non-believer) investigates different Christian approaches to disability, combining cutting-edge theology with personal stories of faith, hope and human frailty. He joins a group of Christians as they offer healing on the street, attends a healing service and meets the disabled Christians carving out a new ‘theology of disability’.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m0005f2c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0005f5x)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (m00057n2)
The First Language
Michael Rosen asks what the earliest language was and how it evolved. Michael joins linguist Dr Laura Wright on a journey to meet our meat-scavenging, fire-harnessing ancestors to discover the primal sources of language. There are thousands of languages today - is it possible to trace them back to a single ancestor? With anthropologist Robert Foley and linguist Maggie Tallerman.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
MON 23:30 The Untold (m00017q6)
Fighting For My Niece
38-year-old entrepreneur Simon fights to become his teenage niece's legal guardian after she was placed in care.
Until last year, Simon was a highly successful businessman with a city lifestyle to match. Then his business went under - and with it his sense of purpose in life. At around the same time his 13-year-old niece was placed into local authority care because of her mother's drug use. Simon resolves to get his niece out of care and become her legal guardian - but it involves a fraught legal process and a massive life change.
Presenter: Grace Dent
Producer: Laurence Grissell
TUESDAY 28 MAY 2019
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0005f63)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (m0005f2j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0005f69)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005f6h)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005f6p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0005f6w)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0005f72)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0005f78)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378x67)
Arctic Skua
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the arctic skua. Arctic Skuas are the pirates of the bird world and cash in on the efforts other seabirds make to find food. They are elegant birds with long angular wings, projecting central tail feathers and a hooked bill. The dashing flight of an Arctic Skua as it chases a hapless gull is always thrilling to watch.
TUE 06:00 Today (m0005f03)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m0005f05)
2019: Jonathan Sumption
2/5. In Praise of Politics
Jonathan Sumption explains how democratic processes have the power to accommodate opposition opinions and interests. But he argues that in recent years that politics has shied away from legislating and now the courts have taken on more and more of the role of making law. Lord Sumption was until recently a justice of the UK’s Supreme Court and is a distinguished historian. This lecture is recorded in front of an audience at Birmingham University.
The Reith Lectures are presented and chaired by Anita Anand and produced by Jim Frank.
Editor: Hugh Levinson
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (m0005f07)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Episode 2
Anne Frank would have been 90 this year. Her family had fled from Germany to Holland hoping to escape the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews. On her thirteenth birthday, June 12th 1942, she was given a red chequered diary. When the family went into hiding less than a month later Anne took her diary with her addressing each entry to Dear Kitty, the confidant and friend she so craved while shut up in the secret annexe above her father’s business premises.
The readings include reminiscences from Eva Schloss. Eva knew Anne as a young girl in Amsterdam. They both went into hiding from the Nazis on the same day. Like the Frank family, Eva's family were also betrayed and sent to concentration camps where her father and brother died. In 1953, Eva’s mother and Otto Frank were married.
Eva describes how Anne loved to write stories and then perform them to the other children where they lived. And hearing the diaries read out loud gives a sense of that young girl who loved to perform and to be heard.
Anne’s vivid descriptions of being cooped up for so long, rotten food, the often unsavoury toilet arrangements and the inevitable rows, sit alongside her remarkably assured understanding of her own character, women’s rights, frank discussions about sex, and her feelings towards Peter, the son of the other family in hiding with them.
Anne follows the progress of the war on the BBC, longing for the invasion and liberation. She is all too aware of what is happening to Jews in Europe but the horror of being discovered, the nights spent in complete silence as burglars prowl the offices below, is tempered by a deep faith in humanity.
The family were in hiding for over two years until, betrayed, they were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945. Her mother died in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only her father, Otto Frank, survived. On his return to Amsterdam in 1945 Miep Giep, his former secretary who had helped the family in hiding, returned Anne’s diary to him. She had found it in the annex and kept it safe, always hoping that one day she would be able to return it to Anne herself. It was published in 1947.
Reader: Georgia Groome
Interview: Eva Schloss
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Translated by Susan Massotty
Produced by Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0005f0b)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f0d)
Gudrun
Episode 7: Sigrid
By Lucy Catherine.
Set in the 11th century, the series follows Gudrun in the New World, and her estranged daughter Sigrid in England. Both mother and daughter have reasons to seek forgiveness as they forge a path through lands of unearthly beauty and uncompromising harshness.
Sigrid escaped the wrath of her intended husband when he was killed by his Saxon neighbours. Now she's a fugitive on the run in the English wilderness, with only the boy Canute as company.
Sigrid ..... Hollie Burgess
The Virgin ..... Marilyn Nnadebe
Tofa ..... Debbie Korley
Saxon ..... Joseph Ayre
Gorm ..... David Hounslow
Canute ..... Aaron Gelkoff
Notes:
The series is inspired by the famous Icelanders' saga known as The Laxdoela Saga. Written in the 13th century, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area of Iceland from the late 9th century to the early 11th century. The Laxdæla saga remains popular and appreciated for its poetic beauty and pathetic sentiment. Since the saga has often been regarded as an unusually feminine saga, it has been speculated that it was composed by a woman.
TUE 11:00 Building a Better Bee (m0005f0g)
A third of the world’s food depends on pollinators like bees. Plants that produce almonds, apples, plums, peaches and coffee all need bees but honey bees are in decline – endangered by a complex mix of disease, pesticides, habitat loss and a changing climate. In California, a single bad winter could destroy the honeybee population and wipe out the multi-billion-dollar almond industry.
As scientists around the world try to get grip on the issues, others are looking for more radical solutions. Scientists at Washington State University collect bee semen from different parts of the world for artificial insemination to breed better bees. Others are doing research that could lead to genetically modifying bees against disease and pesticides.
Meanwhile, at Harvard University and Delft University of Technology, engineers are developing robotic bees and insects. In the future, a swarm of robobees could, in theory, be programmed to pollinate crops. It’s an idea adopted by the TV show Black Mirror and, like GM bees, may struggle to win acceptance.
Broadcaster and former beekeeper Martha Kearney examines what is being done to help save and possibly replace bees. With the future of the world’s food at stake, scientists need to perfect these technologies for bee farmers before it’s too late. Can they do it or do the answers for solving the declining number of bees lie elsewhere?
Martha speaks with Professor Dave Goulson, Dr Jay Evans from the US Department of Agriculture’s Bee Research Laboratory, Dr Brandon Hopkins, Professor Martin Beye, Farrell Heibling from Harvard’s Robobee project, Guido de Croon from Delft University of Technology and bee farmer Jack Silberadd.
Produced by Sue Nelson.
A Boffin Media Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 11:30 The Art of Now (m0005f0j)
Karaoke Rage
Comedian and music obsessive Gabriel Ebulue investigates a deadly karaoke curse in the Philippines concerning Frank Sinatra’s classic My Way.
In recent years, performances of the song in karaoke bars and videoke joints have reportedly caused outbreaks of violence and the murders of multiple people. Local newspapers have dubbed these fatal disputes The My Way Killings, prompting a ban on the song in certain areas.
Is it possible that a song can be cursed and deadly? Why does music evoke such rage and passion? How did karaoke become the national pastime in the Philippines? And why, fifty years after it was written, is My Way still a favourite for powerful world leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump?
Gabriel travels to Manila, karaoke capital of the world, as he answers these questions and peeks behind the (final) curtain of karaoke culture.
Contributors incude:
Mama Ai, broadcaster
Paul Anka, singer and songwriter
AJ Lambert, singer and musician
Ted Lerner, travel writer
Red Tani, activist with the Filipino Freethinkers
Professor Roland Tolentino, pop culture academic
Professor Graham Welch, music academic
Produced by Jack Howson
A Boom Shakalaka production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0005f0l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f0n)
Episode 2
Tracy Ann Oberman reads Damian Barr's blistering debut novel, spanning a hundred years of South Africa's dark past and present, from the 1901 Boer War to 2010.
Today: After destroying her farm, the English take Sarah van der Watt and her son to the Bloemfontein Camp, where, all too soon, it becomes clear it'll be a matter of survival...
Reader: Tracy Ann Oberman
Writer: Damian Barr
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
TUE 12:18 You and Yours (m0005f0r)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0005f0t)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0005f0w)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
TUE 13:45 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy (m0005hh1)
Series 2: 50 More Things...
Bricks
“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble”, Caesar Augustus apparently boasted. If so he wasn’t the only person to under-rate the humble brick. Bricks have been used for tens of thousands of years. They are all rather similar – small enough to fit into a human hand, and half as wide as they are long – and they are absolutely everywhere. Why, asks Tim Harford, are bricks still such an important building technology, how has brickmaking changed over the years, and will we ever see a robot bricklayer?
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0005f0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b08nrsls)
Foxes
With Jim Norton and Eugene O'Hare
A tense Irish psychodrama. Instead of attending his father's funeral, Neil sits alone in the back room of a Mayo pub. He's waiting for his girlfriend Grace, to beg forgiveness for an infidelity. Instead a family friend arrives with a letter that will change their lives forever.
Written by..... Padraic Walsh
Director ..... Peter Kavanagh
An engrossing Irish psychodrama by first-time-writer-for-radio Padraic Walsh.
Neil (EUGENE O'HARE) has been damaged by his father's departure when he was a boy. As a result Neil has had a lifetime of petty-criminality, wasted talent, and now a disastrous infidelity to his partner Grace, the mother of his young son.
Now he waits for Grace to join him in the pub's back room, desperately hoping she'll take him back.
Sean (JIM NORTON) an old family friend, drops over, to see how Neil is and perhaps talk him into coming with him to the lunch. But the real motive for Sean's visit is much darker.
Soon the tension will crank up with revelation upon revelation, threatening disaster as Grace is due at any moment for the life-changing meeting.
JIM NORTON rose to prominence with his performance in Conor McPherson's 'The Weir' Jim has starred in many stage plays and films in the UK and America.
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m0005f10)
Desire Lines
A serendipitous encounter, the desire lines we walk to a lover's house and the untethering of a breast-feeding baby from it's mother - Josie Long presents short documentaries and adventures in sound about being drawn towards the ones we love.
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m0005f12)
Insect Extinction?
Insects are the most varied and abundant animals outweighing humanity by 17 times, yet they are in decline in many parts of the world. Insects have been called the ‘glue’ in nature and are essential for the proper functioning of all ecosystems as pollinators, food for other animals, and recyclers of nutrients. This month the United Nations IPBES report said insect abundance has declined very rapidly in some places, and the available evidence supports a “tentative” estimate that 10% of the 5.5m species of insect thought to exist are threatened with extinction.
Leading entomologists tell Tom Heap that insects have an image problem when it comes to conservation and the first step is getting people to care about these little creatures. We hear about the weird and wonderful world of some insect species that are declining in the UK, including mayflies and dung beetles and discover just how they contribute to the systems we humans rely on. The conversion of natural environments to create farmland is one of the main causes of the decline, with the use of pesticides, urbanisation and climate change also major factors. Tom asks global pesticide manufacturer Bayer about what they’re doing to help reverse insect decline and considers how we can practically make more space for insects.
Producer: Sophie Anton
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (m0005f14)
Raymond Antrobus
Michael Rosen meets acclaimed poet Raymond Antrobus. Winner of the 2018 Ted Hughes award for new work in poetry, his collection The Perserverence brings together autobiographical poems on race, deafness and family. He joins Michael Rosen to discuss language, sign language and deafness.
Producers: Melvin Rickarby and James Cook
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m0005f16)
Series 48
Kamila Shamshie chooses Asma Jahangir
Kamila Shamsie, author of the award-winning novel 'Home Fire' champions the life of the Pakistani human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir. Kamila says she was only ten years old, growing up in Karachi, when Asma became her hero even before she really knew her name. She remembers her mother and her aunts all talking about this amazing woman lawyer and social activist who was standing up against many of the laws that Pakistan's President General Zia ul Haq had introduced in the 1980s. Jahangir was always making the news headlines or giving radio interviews. Here was a woman who was determined to speak her mind and stand up for women and the human rights of all its citizens - it seemed she feared no-one, recalls Shamsie.
In this programme Kamila Shamsie is joined by Asma's daughter Sulema Jahangir, a lawyer now working in London who shares some personal stories and anecdotes about her mother, and Saqlain Imam, journalist and broadcaster with BBC World Service Urdu Service.
Presenter, Matthew Parris
Producer, Perminder Khatkar
TUE 17:00 PM (m0005f18)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005f1b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (m0005f1d)
Series 13
Punk Rock Vampires
Comedy series written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.
Ed Reardon, author, pipe smoker, consummate fare-dodger and master of the abusive email, attempts to survive in a world where the media seems to be run by idiots and lying charlatans.
In episode five, a British horror film that Ed wrote in the 1970s - called 'Punk Rock Vampires' - comes back to haunt Ed, presenting the opportunity to make a few quid.
Starring: Christopher Douglas
with: Stephanie Cole, Brigit Forsyth, Barunka O'Shaughnessy, Dan Tetsell, Colin Nicholls and Geoffrey Whitehead.
Written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds
Producer Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0005f1g)
Natasha attempts to build bridges and there's a mysterious guest at Brookfield
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0005f1j)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f0d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m0005f1l)
A Load of Rubbish
Households in Britain are recycling more than ever, with millions of us dutifully sorting through our rubbish every week in an effort to help save the planet. But when the blue, green and brown bins are taken away, what really happens to our waste?
File on 4 goes digging through Britain’s multi-million pound recycling industry - and discovers it’s a dirty business.
The UK sends more than half its recyclable packaging overseas, selling our sorted plastics and paper to countries which need the raw material and will recycle it. But when File on 4 tracks where shipments are being sent - we discover they can have a devastating effect on the developing communities where they end up.
Back on these shores, the manufacturers and supermarkets responsible for producing packaging have a legal duty to pay towards the clean up. But we find some producers - including some who trade on their green credentials - are managing to avoid their obligations.
We also hear how organised criminals have been cleaning up, making millions of pounds for recycling rubbish they’ve never even touched.
Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Mick Tucker
Editor: Gail Champion
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0005f1n)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m0005f1q)
NDAs, The Listening Place
Non-Disclosure Agreements can be used to prevent employees discussing allegations of misbehaviour in the workplace with friends, family and even a therapist. But what is the impact of this silence? All in the Mind talks to psychologist Nina Burrowes about the effect of not talking about abusive behaviour and Zelda Perkins shares her experience of signing an NDA and the impact it had on her mental health. Also, Claudia visits The Listening Place – a small charity that provides support for anyone who, for whatever reason feels like life is no longer worth living. Visitors are able to speak to the same trained volunteer for an hour every fortnight. Claudia talks to Jon who first visited The Listening Place 18 months ago when he was in desperate need of support. Volunteer Lucy supported Jon during his time at The Listening Place, we hear about her experience.
TUE 21:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b0bcgd7y)
Series 4
Phryne
Join Natalie Haynes and guests for half an hour of comedy and the Classics from the BBC Radio Theatre in London.
Natalie is a recovering comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome. Each week she takes a different figure from the Ancient World and tells their story through a mix of stand-up comedy and conversation.
Today she stands up in the name of Phryne, the Greek courtesan famed for her extraordinary wit and beauty. Glossy of skin and a model for statues of the goddess Aphrodite, Phryne was as clever as they come and minted to boot.
Outrage, outrageousness and as always, a lot of gossip from a couple of thousand years ago.
With special guests comedian Katy Brand and classicist Professor Edith Hall.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0005f1s)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f0n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
TUE 23:00 Man at the Helm (b07z4dj4)
Episode 3
Amanda Whittington’s adaptation of Nina Stibbe’s comic novel set in 1970s rural Leicestershire.
The kids begin to wonder if Charlie Bates is reliable man at the helm material and decide the local vet is a much better option
Lizzie ….. Eloise Webb
Amy….. Fern Deacon
Little Jack ….. Ben Barker
Elizabeth ….. Amanda Hale
Charlie Bates ….. Andy Nyman
Mr Lomax ….. Jason Barnett
Mr Swift ….. Tom Forrister
Pub landlady ….. Adie Allen
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
TUE 23:30 The Untold (m00019mb)
No Place for the Homeless
The town of Corby faces a rough-sleeping crisis, but the community is strongly divided over a proposed solution. Does a homeless shelter belong by the side of a care home?
Nicola is the manager of Corby's homelessness charity Nightlight. For several years they have been helping the growing number of homeless people in the small town by arranging temporary night shelters and paying visits to the homeless community in the woods.
The volunteers believe they have found what they need: an unused public building big enough for 35 guests. A permanent home and a warm place for the coming winter. Yet in other ways the site is not ideal, it lies just feet away from a care home and sheltered housing complex.
Despite this, Nicola and the other volunteers have decided to push on with obtaining planning permission to develop the building. They have faced stern opposition from a community of residents and relatives who fear a rise in crime, anti-social behaviour and a risk to their security.
Nicola has given up paid work in order focus full time succeeding in this application. If approved, they will be a considerable step closer to obtaining funding and employing full time staff, including herself, at the shelter. After months of consultation, the decision comes down to one council meeting and a vote of 8 councillors.
Both sides are seeking to protect the vulnerable, but whose voice will the council listen to?
Produced by Sam Peach
WEDNESDAY 29 MAY 2019
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0005f1v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (m0005f07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0005f1x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005f1z)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005f21)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0005f23)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0005f25)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0005f27)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xjw)
White Stork
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the white stork. White Storks are annual visitors in small numbers to the UK, mainly in spring and summer when migrating birds overshoot their Continental nesting areas and wander around our countryside. They used to breed here, most famously documented on St Giles's cathedral in Edinburgh in 1415 and who knows, they may well breed here in the future.
WED 06:00 Today (m0005f35)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Behind the Scenes (m0005f3c)
In February 2018, British Art Historian and broadcast Dr Gus Casely-Hayford started his dream job as Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.
Located in Washington DC, on the National Mall, it’s home to one of the world's finest collections African art, both ancient and modern.
The challenges are huge, and it’s all going marvellously well - until political events threaten to derail their upcoming exhibition and ability to fundraise. So the race is on to make up for lost time.
We follow Gus’ action-packed first year in office. He has ambitious plans for the museum - remodelling its physical spaces, increasing its digital reach and education programs. But he’s also striving to broker new partnerships with US and African institutions, creating a more equitable and collaborative museum sector. We follow Gus to Yale University which has been leading the way for higher education with their Africa Initiative.
Narrated by Noma Dumezweni
Produced by Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m0005f3k)
Nick Robinson talks about what’s really going on in British politics.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (m0005f3r)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Episode 3
Anne Frank would have been 90 this year. Her family had fled from Germany to Holland hoping to escape the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews. On her thirteenth birthday, June 12th 1942, she was given a red chequered diary. When the family went into hiding less than a month later Anne took her diary with her addressing each entry to Dear Kitty, the confidant and friend she so craved while shut up in the secret annexe above her father’s business premises.
The readings include reminiscences from Eva Schloss. Eva knew Anne as a young girl in Amsterdam. They both went into hiding from the Nazis on the same day. Like the Frank family, Eva's family were also betrayed and sent to concentration camps where her father and brother died. In 1953, Eva’s mother and Otto Frank were married.
Eva describes how Anne loved to write stories and then perform them to the other children where they lived. And hearing the diaries read out loud gives a sense of that young girl who loved to perform and to be heard.
Anne’s vivid descriptions of being cooped up for so long, rotten food, the often unsavoury toilet arrangements and the inevitable rows, sit alongside her remarkably assured understanding of her own character, women’s rights, frank discussions about sex, and her feelings towards Peter, the son of the other family in hiding with them.
Anne follows the progress of the war on the BBC, longing for the invasion and liberation. She is all too aware of what is happening to Jews in Europe but the horror of being discovered, the nights spent in complete silence as burglars prowl the offices below, is tempered by a deep faith in humanity.
The family were in hiding for over two years until, betrayed, they were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945. Her mother died in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only her father, Otto Frank, survived. On his return to Amsterdam in 1945 Miep Giep, his former secretary who had helped the family in hiding, returned Anne’s diary to him. She had found it in the annex and kept it safe, always hoping that one day she would be able to return it to Anne herself. It was published in 1947.
Reader: Georgia Groome
Interview: Eva Schloss
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Translated by Susan Massotty
Produced by Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0005f3y)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (m0005f44)
Gudrun
Episode 8: Gudrun
by Lucy Catherine
Rescued from the wreck of her whaling boat by a tall, spiritual loner, Gudrun believes her saviour to be The Saviour, and a man worthy of her love.
Gudrun ..... Kate Philips
Jesus ..... Paul Hilton
Freija ..... Samantha Dakin
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m0005f4b)
Asante and Zakiyah- Different Shades
Two young black women talk about the on-going battle to find the right shade of make-up. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
WED 11:00 My Name Is... (m0005f4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 Suggs: Love Letters to London (m0005f4q)
Hampstead
A side of London you’ve never heard before, seen through the eyes of a national treasure. With special guest, Boy George.
Performed by Suggs
Written by Suggs with Owen Lewis
Featuring: Boy George
Directed by Owen Lewis
Musical Director: Owen Parker
Executive Producer: Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
WED 12:00 News Summary (m0005f4x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f53)
Episode 3
Tracy Ann Oberman reads Damian Barr's blistering debut novel, spanning a hundred years of South Africa's dark past and present.
Today: After nearly a month in the Bloemenfontein Camp, life is becoming increasingly desperate. And Sarah must decide how far she's prepared to go to save her son ...
Reader: Tracy Ann Oberman
Writer: Damian Barr
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
WED 12:18 You and Yours (m0005f59)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
WED 12:57 Weather (m0005f5k)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m0005f5r)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
WED 13:45 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy (m0005mgk)
Series 2: 50 More Things...
Spreadsheet
What does a robot accountant look like? Not C-3PO, or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, I’d suggest. It looks more like a grid on a computer screen: the digital spreadsheet, a technology which took the world of accountancy by storm in the early 1980s and made countless accounting tasks effortless. We should all spend more time pondering the spreadsheet because, as Tim Harford explains, in that four-decade-old technology lies a glimpse of what automation is really likely to do to all of our jobs.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0005f1g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (m0005f5y)
The Not Knowing
By Daniel Maier. When her four-year-old goes missing in a supermarket, Harriet begins to imagine her life with and without him.
In just 12 minutes, she'll discover her child's fate, but in the meantime her frantic real-time search for little Frank is punctuated by projections of both near and far futures, constantly rewritten in her own mind.
How will her marriage be affected? Her daughter? Her own capacity for love? And is it better to find out the worst possible news about your child than never to know what happened to them?
Cast:
Harriet ..... Louise Brealey
Therapist ..... Pippa Haywood
Alex ..... Mark Bazeley
Tina ..... Rebekah Staton
Sophie ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Rosie ..... Kathryn Drysdale
Supermarket Manager ..... David Holt
PC Hobbes ..... Ben Crowe
Rosie's Date ..... Tom Glenister
All other parts played by members of the cast.
Writer: Daniel Maier
Sound Design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Sarah Tombling
Producer and Director: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 Money Box (m0005f64)
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m0005f1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b038hg73)
Michel Foucault - a special programme on his work and influence.
Michel Foucault - Laurie Taylor presents a special programme on the life and work of the iconoclastic French philosopher and theorist. He's joined by Professor Stephen Shapiro, Professor Vikki Bell and Professor Lois McNay. Revised repeat.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m0005f6f)
The programme about a revolution in media with Amol Rajan, the BBC's Media Editor
WED 17:00 PM (m0005f6m)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005f6v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (m0005f71)
Series 8
Episode 2
John Finnemore returns to Radio 4 with an eighth series of his multi-award-winning sketch show, joined by his regular ensemble cast of Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan.
We don't know much about this episode, but it contains some merry names, an epiphany, and, well... since you ask him for a story of the biter bit...
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described by The Radio Times as "the best sketch show in years, on television or radio", and by The Daily Telegraph as "funny enough to make even the surliest cat laugh". Already the winner of a Radio Academy Silver Award and a Broadcasting Press Guild award, this year Souvenir Programme won its second BBC Audio Drama award.
Written by and starring John Finnemore
Cast: Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, Carrie Quinlan
Production Coordinator: Beverly Tagg
Producer: Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios production
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0005f4h)
Kate's new project has unexpected consequences and Adam has reservations.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m0005f77)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f44)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 The Stress Test (m0005f7d)
Vivienne Parry and resilience expert Dr Sandra Bell find out if we can keep the lights, and everything else, on in the face of a series of surprising but credible future shocks.
What are the possible causes and consequences of a lengthy, widespread power cut in the UK? Solar flares, geo-political changes and sudden climatic shifts are on various people’s watch-lists, and would dramatically stress our energy supply system, possibly to breaking point. A panel made up of those charged with energy security, and those who advise them, work together to keep the UK running in a variety of scary scenarios.
We find out how our current decisions could make our future selves, and our children, safer. And uncover the hidden costs of possible changes - financial, social or environmental.
Panel:
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of Scottish Power
Professor Jim Watson, Director of the UK Energy Research Centre
Simon Virley, Head of Energy in the UK government between 2009 and 2015, now partner and head of energy at KPMG
Fintan Slye, Director of the System Operator at National Grid.
Produced by Paul Arnold and Louise Cotton
A CTVC production for BBC Radio 4
WED 20:45 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m0005f3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m0005f12)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Behind the Scenes (m0005f3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0005f7k)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
WED 23:00 Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You (b07pj2q0)
Series 1
Episode 3
Super-sharp everywoman Angela Barnes tackles life and love - and, with the help of an audience, packs herself a fantasy coffin.
Remembering her larger-than-life father - a gregarious character, sex shop manager, naturist, and a big fan of caravans and pranks - Angela celebrates his 'carpe diem' approach to life, and his favourite motto, You Can't Take It With You.
When her father died very suddenly in 2008, Angela and her family proved him wrong and stuffed his coffin with sentimental keepsakes for his final journey.
In this series, Angela does the very same thing and asks her loved ones to nominate objects that they would choose to send on with her as mementoes of their time together, which she keeps in a suitcase full of memories, acting as prompts for contemplative, heart-warming and captivating comedy.
Angela Barnes is a vivacious, critically acclaimed stand-up comic from Maidstone, Kent. After a career in health and social care, at aged 33 she decided to pursue a long held ambition and give comedy a go. Within a couple of years, Angela and her witty worldview had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award by a public vote, secured a weekly star slot in Channel 4's Stand Up For The Week and appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Loose Ends, The Now Show and writing credits on her beloved The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Russell Kane's Whistle Stop Tour (BBC Radio 2), Mock The Week (BBC 2) and Russell Howard's Good News (BBC 3).
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 The Lach Chronicles (b07j68pq)
Series 3
Lach's Antihoot
Lach was the King of Manhattan’s East Village and host of the longest running open mic night in New York. He now lives in Scotland and finds himself back at square one, playing in a dive bar on the wrong side of Edinburgh.
His night, held in various venues around New York, was called the Antihoot. Never quite fitting in and lost somewhere lonely between folk and punk music, Lach started the Antifolk movement. He played host to Suzanne Vega, Jeff Buckley and many others; he discovered and nurtured lots of talent including Beck, Regina Spektor and the Moldy Peaches. But nobody discovered him.
In this, the final episode, Lach decides it’s time to bring back the Antihoot and wonders what this adventure might bring.
Written by Lach
Performed by Lach, Julia Sutherland and Richard Melvin
Sound Design: Al Lorraine and Sean Kerwin
Executive Producer: Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 The Untold (m0001d8q)
The Unidentified Woman
This is the 100th episode of The Untold.
Grace Dent follows the story of an unidentified woman found washed up on a beach in East Sussex in 2017. Who was she? And why has no one come forward to claim her body? Despite the best efforts of the police and a long-running missing persons appeal, she has never been identified.
A year on, Christina, an employee of the Rother District Council’s Environmental Health team has been given the task of organising a funeral for the woman. She is determined to solve the mystery of the woman's identity and to track down her relatives. And to ensure that, even though no loved ones have come forward, her passing will not go unmarked.
Produced by Mair Bosworth
Office Ambience Copyright 2013 Iwan Gabovitch, CC-BY3 license.
THURSDAY 30 MAY 2019
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0005f7r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (m0005f3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0005f7y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005f81)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005f83)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0005f85)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0005f87)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0005f89)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xxk)
Golden Eagle
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the golden eagle. Golden Eagles are magisterial birds. With a wingspan of over two metres their displays are dramatic affairs involving spectacular aerobatics. They can dive upon their quarry at speeds of more than 240 kilometres per hour, using their sharp talons to snatch up their prey.
THU 06:00 Today (m0005f2f)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0005f2k)
President Ulysses S Grant
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of Grant's presidency on Americans in the years after the Civil War in which he, with Lincoln, had led the Union Army to victory. His predecessor, Andrew Johnson, was prepared to let the Southern States decide for themselves which rights to allow freed slaves; Grant supported equal rights, and he used troops and Enforcement Acts to defeat the Ku klux Klan which was violently suppressing African Americans. In later years Grant was remembered mainly for the corruption scandals under his terms of office, and for his failure to support or protect Native Americans, but in more recent decades his support for reconstruction has prompted a reassessement.
With
Erik Mathisen
Susan-Mary Grant
and
Robert Cook
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (m0005f2p)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Episode 4
Anne Frank would have been 90 this year. Her family had fled from Germany to Holland hoping to escape the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews. On her thirteenth birthday, June 12th 1942, she was given a red chequered diary. When the family went into hiding less than a month later Anne took her diary with her addressing each entry to Dear Kitty, the confidant and friend she so craved while shut up in the secret annexe above her father’s business premises.
The readings include reminiscences from Eva Schloss. Eva knew Anne as a young girl in Amsterdam. They both went into hiding from the Nazis on the same day. Like the Frank family, Eva's family were also betrayed and sent to concentration camps where her father and brother died. In 1953, Eva’s mother and Otto Frank were married.
Eva describes how Anne loved to write stories and then perform them to the other children where they lived. And hearing the diaries read out loud gives a sense of that young girl who loved to perform and to be heard.
Anne’s vivid descriptions of being cooped up for so long, rotten food, the often unsavoury toilet arrangements and the inevitable rows, sit alongside her remarkably assured understanding of her own character, women’s rights, frank discussions about sex, and her feelings towards Peter, the son of the other family in hiding with them.
Anne follows the progress of the war on the BBC, longing for the invasion and liberation. She is all too aware of what is happening to Jews in Europe but the horror of being discovered, the nights spent in complete silence as burglars prowl the offices below, is tempered by a deep faith in humanity.
The family were in hiding for over two years until, betrayed, they were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945. Her mother died in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only her father, Otto Frank, survived. On his return to Amsterdam in 1945 Miep Giep, his former secretary who had helped the family in hiding, returned Anne’s diary to him. She had found it in the annex and kept it safe, always hoping that one day she would be able to return it to Anne herself. It was published in 1947.
Reader: Georgia Groome
Interview: Eva Schloss
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Translated by Susan Massotty
Produced by Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0005f2t)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f2y)
Gudrun
Episode 9: Sigrid
By Lucy Catherine.
Set in the 11th century, the series follows Gudrun in the New World, and her estranged daughter Sigrid in England. Both mother and daughter have reasons to seek forgiveness as they forge a path through lands of unearthly beauty and uncompromising harshness.
Sigrid and Canute have escaped their Saxon captors but their fate hangs in the balance. What will King Sweyn make of Gudrun's daughter?
Sigrid ...... Hollie Burgess
The Virgin ..... Marilyn Nnadebe
Dane ..... Christopher Harper
Sweyn ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Gorm ..... David Hounslow
Canute ..... Aaron Gelkoff
Notes:
The series is inspired by the famous Icelanders' saga known as The Laxdoela Saga. Written in the 13th century, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area of Iceland from the late 9th century to the early 11th century. The Laxdæla saga remains popular and appreciated for its poetic beauty and pathetic sentiment. Since the saga has often been regarded as an unusually feminine saga, it has been speculated that it was composed by a woman.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m0005f33)
Insight, and analysis from BBC correspondents around the world
THU 11:30 Border Music (m0005f39)
How does the Irish border shape the art of the musicians who live on either side? Eamon Murray of internationally renowned Irish folk band Beoga meets fellow performers along the divide.
These uncertain times have fuelled a creative surge and Eamon also wonders how possible changes to the border might affect his own musical future. Beoga's lyrics lament Westminster's perceived indifference to the plight of his community: "I feel betrayed by those fools, who are dictating the rules".
Eoin O'Callaghan, who goes under the name of Elma Orkestra, and electronica producer Ryan Vail have collaborated on a project called Borders. They've flown drones high over the island filming the natural beauty that spills throughout the land. They looked for lines on the ground which they used to represent the division between two worlds - water and rock, trees and scrubland. With the help of collaborators such as folk singer Moya Brennan, they debuted their powerful work at the Guildhall in Derry, a show that brought many of its audience to tears.
To explore Irish folk music's complex and troubled history, Eamon meets Tommy Sands, writer of the iconic folk song There Were Roses. One of his first memories was seeing toes tapping in time to music regardless of a person's allegiances. That moment spurred him on to create his own music as a way of unifying people. Sands has long been regarded as one of the most innovative campaigners for peace and understanding in Northern Ireland. He is still writing and performing now, creating music for a verbatim play called Blood Red Lines that uses words from survivors of The Troubles - an experiment that has led to surprising new friendships.
However, the contradiction between north and south is something that self-professed Queer Indie Pop artist Susie Blue notes, as body autonomy and marriage equality laws have been passed in the Republic and in Great Britain, but have yet to be carried across to Northern Ireland. She speaks of the frustration she feels and how she now expresses that in her music.
Producer: Henrietta Rowlatt
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0005f3h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f3p)
Episode 4
Tracy Ann Oberman reads Damian Barr's blistering debut novel, spanning a hundred years of South Africa's dark past and present.
Today: Johannesburg, 1976, and Rayna Brandt is making her way as a single mother in South Africa, still under Apartheid. But life for white and black South Africans is changing fast...
Reader: Tracy Ann Oberman
Writer: Damian Barr
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
THU 12:18 You and Yours (m0005f3w)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
THU 12:57 Weather (m0005f42)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m0005f49)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
THU 13:45 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy (m0005mhn)
Series 2: 50 More Things...
Recycling
Globalisation hasn’t just meant moving goods around – it’s meant moving rubbish around, too. For decades wealthy countries shipped huge volumes of waste to China for sorting and recycling. But now China is getting richer, it no longer wants to be a dumping ground – and the recycling industry is struggling to respond. For centuries people have reused and recycled to save money. The idea that it’s also a moral obligation is relatively new. Tim Harford asks if we should we take a more hard-headed view of the economic costs and benefits.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0005f4h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b08ljxbb)
Hard Stop
Daniel Mays stars as PC Sam Jenkins, an armed officer sent to intercept a known criminal whom Police Intelligence has reported is on his way to shoot an archrival.
The interception involves a highly risky operation known as a Hard Stop involving four police cars boxing in a speeding vehicle forcing it to stop before apprehending or neutralising its occupants.
Having forced two young men off the road, Jenkins imagines he sees the passenger reach for a gun and shoots him four times with his rifle. Though a weapon is discovered inside the car it appears that it is unloaded and in effect harmless. The Prosecution and Defence now are faced with the task of arguing whether a Hard Stop was the right tactic deployed.
Writer, Peter Bleksley
Director, Eoin O'Callaghan
Producer, Gemma McMullan
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m0005f4p)
Clare gets lost in Lancashire
Clare gets lost in the rain as she walks to meet two extraordinary sisters in their 90s. Both were code-breakers during WW2, and one invented the TV classic, Ask the Family.
Pat Davies and Jean Argles both worked in espionage during WW2. Pat helped the Royal Navy intercept German Naval Traffic at coastal stations, while Jean was a code and cipher officer based in Cairo, then Italy.
Throughout the war, their father was a Prisoner of War. He was Lt Colonel Cary Owtram who was in charge of the infamous Chungkai Japanese Prisoner of War camp. There, he found himself responsible for the wellbeing of thousands of other prisoners including those used to build the notorious Death Railway which featured in the film, Bridge on the River Kwai. Incredibly, Lt Col Cary Owtram managed to keep a secret diary which Pat and Jean have recently published: "1000 Days on The River Kwai" (scroll down to 'related links' to find out more).
Following the war, Pat worked in TV. She produced University Challenge and the Sky at Night. She also devised and produced ‘Ask the Family’.
Pat and Jean grew up in the Dolphinholme area of Lancashire and have fond memories of walking, riding horses and fishing with their family. They still enjoy walking, although the routes they take are now understandably shorter than they once were.
Producer: Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0005dxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m0005dyw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m0005f4v)
Paul Franklin on Alien
Francine Stock talks to Visual FX artist Paul Franklin about the ways in which Alien influenced his Oscar-winning work on Inception and Interstellar.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0005f51)
Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.
THU 17:00 PM (m0005f57)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005f5g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice (b07wtkg1)
Series 2
Papa Was a Rolling Stone
Award-winning writer and comedian Deborah Frances-White searches for her birth father. Following her highly successful first series, Deborah continues her international adventures. Her unique style mixes reality and comedy as she retells her true-life story.
In the company of a distinguished cast of comedy actors - Alex Lowe (Barry from Watford), Margaret Cabourn-Smith (John Finnemore's Sketchbook) and Laurence Dobiesz (What The Papers Say) - Deborah's quest spans the globe revealing a cast of eccentric characters from the Trenchcoat Detective Agency to the Australian Salvation Army, locally known as the Salvos.
An invited audience enjoys the breadth and depth of her writing which the Guardian called "gripping and compelling' and which won Deborah Frances-White the 2016 Writers Guild Award for Best Scripted Comedy for Half a Can of Worms - the first show in last-year's Radio 4 series.
A So Radio production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0005f5p)
Jim puts his foot in it and Alistair offers support
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0005f5w)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 A Celebration for Ascension Day (m0005f62)
The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell is the preacher at a service for Ascension Day, live from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. It’s led by the vicar, the Reverend Dr Sam Wells, and the music – including a premiere of Bob Chilcott’s Samba Mass – is provided by the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service Singers and St Martin’s Voices. Hundreds of Radio 4 listeners join the choir, for the Ascensiontide hymns Hail the day that sees him rise, The head that once was crowned with thorns, Christ Triumphant Ever Reigning and Crown Him with Many Crowns. They are joined in the church by broadcasters and radio contributors who will lead various parts of the service. Producer: Alexa Good.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m0005f51)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m0005f2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0005f6c)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f3p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
THU 23:00 V.I.P. R.I.P. (m0005f6k)
Jo Brand hosts the show looking back on all those VIPs who are RIP this week, such as film producer Chip Brockleman, Instagram star Olivia Eating, South African cricketer Janco Van Wijk and sex researcher Virginia Dunt.
VIP RIP is voiced by Jan Ravens, Emma Sidi, Vivienne Acheampong, Daniel Maier, George Fouracres, Michael Bertenshaw and Anil Desai.
It is written by Max Davis, Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler, Madeleine Brettingham and James Kettle.
Producer, Sam Michell
A BBC Studios Production
THU 23:30 The Untold (m0001xpj)
Searching For My Birth Family
For Steph, family comes first. As a self-described 'dance mum' she frequently drives the youngest of her three children around the country for classes and competitions. Steph was adopted, and although her own upbringing was a happy one she has always wanted to know more about her birth mother and blood relatives. Now for the first time she has decided to try to find them and contact them. She has no idea whether her mother's relatives know of her existence, and what effect her search for them may have on their lives - or her own. Presented by Grace Dent.
Producer: Viv Jones
FRIDAY 31 MAY 2019
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0005f6t)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (m0005f2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0005f70)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0005f76)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0005f7c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0005f7j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0005f7q)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with Father Christopher Hancock, a Catholic priest working in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0005f7w)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xyd)
White-tailed Eagle
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the white-tailed eagle. These magnificent birds, sometimes called the sea eagle, are our largest breeding bird of prey and in flight have been described as looking like a "flying barn-door". The adults have white tail feathers, a bulky yellow bill and long parallel-sided wings: they really do deserve that barn door description.
FRI 06:00 Today (m0005f8m)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m0005dyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (m0005f8p)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Episode 5
Anne Frank would have been 90 this year. Her family had fled from Germany to Holland hoping to escape the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews. On her thirteenth birthday, June 12th 1942, she was given a red chequered diary. When the family went into hiding less than a month later Anne took her diary with her addressing each entry to Dear Kitty, the confidant and friend she so craved while shut up in the secret annexe above her father’s business premises.
The readings include reminiscences from Eva Schloss. Eva knew Anne as a young girl in Amsterdam. They both went into hiding from the Nazis on the same day. Like the Frank family, Eva's family were also betrayed and sent to concentration camps where her father and brother died. In 1953, Eva’s mother and Otto Frank were married.
Eva describes how Anne loved to write stories and then perform them to the other children where they lived. And hearing the diaries read out loud gives a sense of that young girl who loved to perform and to be heard.
Anne’s vivid descriptions of being cooped up for so long, rotten food, the often unsavoury toilet arrangements and the inevitable rows, sit alongside her remarkably assured understanding of her own character, women’s rights, frank discussions about sex, and her feelings towards Peter, the son of the other family in hiding with them.
Anne follows the progress of the war on the BBC, longing for the invasion and liberation. She is all too aware of what is happening to Jews in Europe but the horror of being discovered, the nights spent in complete silence as burglars prowl the offices below, is tempered by a deep faith in humanity.
The family were in hiding for over two years until, betrayed, they were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945. Her mother died in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only her father, Otto Frank, survived. On his return to Amsterdam in 1945 Miep Giep, his former secretary who had helped the family in hiding, returned Anne’s diary to him. She had found it in the annex and kept it safe, always hoping that one day she would be able to return it to Anne herself. It was published in 1947.
Reader: Georgia Groome
Interview: Eva Schloss
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Translated by Susan Massotty
Produced by Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0005f8r)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f8t)
Gudrun
Episode 10: Gudrun
by Lucy Catherine
The last episode in the current series. Gudrun's love of Jesus, and her desire to return to the Sacred Land, inform the greatest decision she will make.
Gudrun ..... Kate Philips
Leif ..... Chris Pavlo
Heidr ..... Helen Clapp
Panuk ..... Kenny Blyth
Jesus ..... Paul Hilton
Sigrid ..... Hollie Burgess
Freija ..... Samantha Dakin
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
FRI 11:00 Rethinking Representation (m0005f8w)
Episode 1
The crisis around Brexit has revealed limitations in the relationship between representatives and represented. In these three programmes David Runciman explores that relationship -- between MPs and voters -- and looks for ways that democracies can take up the challenges of the present.
FRI 11:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (b08r1vvg)
Series 1
Episode 1
The so-called Millennial generation - those born between 1982 and 1994 - has been much maligned in the press for being lazy, entitled, vain, venal, self-involved, easily offended little emperors. But Alex Edelman thinks these criticisms are baseless. So in "Alex Edelman'S Peer Group" he seeks to redress the balance. In this episode he discusses Millennials' attitude to work and institutions.
Written and presented by Alex Edelman
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios Production.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0005f8z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f91)
Episode 5
Tracy Ann Oberman reads Damian Barr's blistering debut novel, spanning a hundred years of South Africa's dark past and present.
Today: it's 1994, and as the crowds, black and white, queue to vote in the General Election, life is also about to change for Rayna and her daughter Irma...
Reader: Tracy Ann Oberman
Writer: Damian Barr
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m0005f93)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0005f95)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0005f97)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy (m0005kc5)
Series 2: 50 More Things...
Pencil
“I, Pencil, simple though I appear to be, merit your wonder and awe, a claim I shall attempt to prove.”
So declares the slim, graphite-spined narrator of one of the most famous essays in economic history, “I, Pencil”. The pencil claims to be a miracle product of the free market – but is that true? Why, asks Tim Harford, do engineers, as well as economists like himself, think the pencil is so underrated? And how on earth do pencil-makers get the lead inside the wood?
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0005f5p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b01j5nwg)
One Hot Summer
by Juliet Gilkes - Romero
Liverpool 1919. In desperate times, with high poverty levels and spiralling unemployment, tensions are rising between the different ethnic groups in the city, and for Jamaican soldiers Johnson and Charlie and their mixed-race British friend, Sam, life is getting harder.
Based on real events, One Hot Summer tells the story of the race riots which occurred in Liverpool in 1919, when desperate times caused divisions across ethnic lines which exploded into full-blown riots.
The forgotten piece of British history dramatised in this play has been carefully researched by playwright and journalist Juliet Gilkes-Romero and includes verbatim newspaper reports from the time.
CAST:
Sam ..... Lloyd Thomas
Johnson ..... Ben Bennett
Ibrahim ..... Don Gilet
Charlie ..... Richie Campbell
Rose .... Susie Riddell
Ahmed ..... George Long
Liverpool Courier/ Rioter ..... Patrick Brennan
Liverpool Echo/ Drunk ..... Joe Sims
Evening Express/ Barman ..... Robert Blythe
Drunk/ Rioter ..... Harry Livingstone
Directed by Mary Peate
The real events of June 1919:
When armistice was signalled on 11 November 1918, the war-time boom for black soldiers and labour fizzled out as quickly as it had begun. Demobilisation had greatly increased Liverpool's black population of which a large proportion was now out of work. By May black men walking the streets of Liverpool were being openly attacked and on June 4th two Scandinavian sailors stabbed a West Indian, John Johnson, when he refused to give them a cigarette. Johnson was severely wounded in the face and news spread quickly. The next evening Johnson's friends returned to the pub seeking revenge and a violent fight ensued. The incident unleashed a race riot which engulfed the city and saw the destruction of many black homes and boarding houses and the lynching of a young black seaman, Charles Wotten, at Liverpool's Queen's Dock. Some 700 black people, including women and children, were interned at the city's police station, a development unheard of during peacetime.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0005f99)
Tyneside
Kathy Clugston hosts the horticultural panel show from Tyneside. Matt Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and James Wong are on hand to answer the horticultural queries.
Produced by Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0005f9c)
Where You Are
An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the author Sam Thompson. As read by Stuart Graham.
Sam Thompson was born in London in 1978. His first book Communion Town was published in 2012 and long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His second book Jott was published in 2018. He’s written for the Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books and other periodicals, and has taught English Literature and creative writing at Oxford University, Oxford Brookes and Queen’s University Belfast. He currently lives in Belfast.
Writer ..... Sam Thompson
Reader ..... Stuart Graham
Producer ..... Michael Shannon
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0005f9f)
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (m0005f9h)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (m0005f9k)
Matthew and Sekai - For us, by us
Friends talk about taking back control of terms that might be used against them as slurs. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
FRI 17:00 PM (m0005f9m)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0005f9p)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m0005f9r)
Series 99
Episode 8
Last in the series. Miles Jupp is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Lucy Porter & Simon Evans.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0005f9t)
Writer, Paul Brodrick
Director, Peter Leslie Wild
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Jill Archer ….. Patricia Greene
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer ….. William Troughton
Natasha Archer ….. Mali Harries
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter ….. Wilf Scolding
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Alan Franks ….. John Telfer
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Philip Moss ….. Andy Hockley
FRI 19:15 Front Row (m0005f9w)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0005f8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m0005f9y)
Jenny Chapman MP, Matt Hancock MP
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from the David Evans Court Theatre in Tring, Hertfordshire, with a panel including Shadow Brexit Minister Jenny Chapman MP and Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0005fb0)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue.
FRI 21:00 Archive on 4 (b0b39r1q)
Commuterville
It is 175 years since the word "commuter" was used for the first time. (The word does not in fact describe a traveller, it describes a transaction: regular travellers on the railroad into Manhattan were given the opportunity to "commute" their individual tickets into a season pass. Ever since, commuters have been both travellers and revenue stream.)
Today our great cities inhale and exhale millions of commuters, who start their journey in the darkness of winter mornings in the suburbs, resurface blearily in the heart of the city and return to long tucked-in children in darkness.
It wasn't meant to be like this. Matthew Sweet looks at our imagined world of fantasy journeys and asks if driverless cars, monorails, or high speed transport systems might deliver them in the future.
Producer Mark Rickards.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0005fb2)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 You Will Be Safe Here (m0005f91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m0005f16)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:25 The Untold (m00020jh)
Sikh-ing Mr Right
Min is determined to only marry a Sikh who wears a turban. But after a decade of looking her family and friends want her to widen her search by the time she turns 38. As the only daughter, her mum and dad just want her to be happy but also married and settled with her own family and they don’t mind who she marries. Min’s mum thinks not only should her daughter abandon her search for a turban-wearing Sikh but she should widen her search further to include non–Sikhs.
With only three months to go before Min turns 38 the clock is ticking. Will Min consider someone without a turban, let alone out of faith?
The producer is Perminder Khatkar
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m0005fb5)
Michela and Carmen - A Continuous Discovery
Friends and former colleagues talk about how their friendship grew out of adversity. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 MON (m0005f2s)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 MON (m0005f2s)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 TUE (m0005f0d)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 TUE (m0005f0d)
15 Minute Drama
10:41 WED (m0005f44)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 WED (m0005f44)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 THU (m0005f2y)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 THU (m0005f2y)
15 Minute Drama
10:45 FRI (m0005f8t)
15 Minute Drama
19:45 FRI (m0005f8t)
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
13:45 MON (m0005mhq)
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
13:45 TUE (m0005hh1)
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
13:45 WED (m0005mgk)
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
13:45 THU (m0005mhn)
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
13:45 FRI (m0005kc5)
A Celebration for Ascension Day
20:00 THU (m0005f62)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (m00057v5)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (m0005fb0)
Alex Edelman's Peer Group
11:30 FRI (b08r1vvg)
Alexander McCall Smith and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
14:30 SAT (m0005dwh)
All in the Mind
21:00 TUE (m0005f1q)
All in the Mind
15:30 WED (m0005f1q)
Ambler
21:00 SAT (m00057qb)
Analysis
20:30 MON (m0005f5m)
Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You
23:00 WED (b07pj2q0)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (m0005dwf)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (m00057v1)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (m0005f9y)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (b08tbbmt)
Archive on 4
21:00 FRI (b0b39r1q)
BBC Inside Science
00:30 SAT (m00057rl)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (m0005f51)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (m0005f51)
Behind the Scenes
09:00 WED (m0005f3c)
Behind the Scenes
21:30 WED (m0005f3c)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (m0005dxp)
Beyond Belief
16:30 MON (m0005f4k)
Book of the Week
09:45 MON (m0005f2j)
Book of the Week
00:30 TUE (m0005f2j)
Book of the Week
09:45 TUE (m0005f07)
Book of the Week
00:30 WED (m0005f07)
Book of the Week
09:45 WED (m0005f3r)
Book of the Week
00:30 THU (m0005f3r)
Book of the Week
09:45 THU (m0005f2p)
Book of the Week
00:30 FRI (m0005f2p)
Book of the Week
09:45 FRI (m0005f8p)
Border Music
11:30 THU (m0005f39)
Brain of Britain
23:00 SAT (m00055n9)
Brain of Britain
15:00 MON (m0005f48)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (m0005dy6)
Build Me a Fast Bowler
13:30 SUN (m0005dyn)
Building a Better Bee
11:00 TUE (m0005f0g)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (m0005f12)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (m0005f12)
Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice
18:30 THU (b07wtkg1)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (m0005dyb)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (m0005dyb)
Drama
14:15 MON (m0005f43)
Drama
14:15 TUE (b08nrsls)
Drama
14:15 WED (m0005f5y)
Drama
14:15 THU (b08ljxbb)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b01j5nwg)
Ed Reardon's Week
18:30 TUE (m0005f1d)
European Election Results 2019
23:00 SUN (m0005fgz)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (m0005dvq)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (m0005dzz)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (m0005f78)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (m0005f27)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (m0005f89)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (m0005f7w)
File on 4
17:00 SUN (m00057ng)
File on 4
20:00 TUE (m0005f1l)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (m0005dw3)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:00 THU (m0005f33)
Front Row
19:15 MON (m0005f5d)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (m0005f1j)
Front Row
19:15 WED (m0005f77)
Front Row
19:15 THU (m0005f5w)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (m0005f9w)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (m00057sr)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (m0005f99)
Great Lives
16:30 TUE (m0005f16)
Great Lives
23:00 FRI (m0005f16)
In Business
21:30 SUN (m00057vn)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (m0005f2k)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (m0005f2k)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (m0005f1n)
Jo Caulfield: Pretending to Care
19:15 SUN (m0005dzb)
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme
18:30 WED (m0005f71)
Just a Minute
12:04 SUN (m00055nr)
Just a Minute
18:30 MON (m0005f55)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (m00057t0)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (m0005f9f)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (m0005dwy)
Loose Ends
11:30 MON (m0005dwy)
Man at the Helm
23:00 TUE (b07z4dj4)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (m00057vp)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (m0005dx7)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (m0005f63)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (m0005f1v)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (m0005f7r)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (m0005f6t)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (m0005dw7)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (m0005dw7)
Money Box
15:00 WED (m0005f64)
More or Less
20:00 SUN (m00057t4)
More or Less
16:30 FRI (m0005f9h)
My Name Is...
20:00 MON (m0005f4j)
My Name Is...
11:00 WED (m0005f4j)
Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics
21:30 TUE (b0bcgd7y)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (m00057w6)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (m0005dxk)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (m0005dzv)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (m0005f6w)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (m0005f23)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (m0005f85)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (m0005f7j)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (m0005dxj)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (m0005dw5)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (m0005dyd)
News Summary
12:00 MON (m0005f34)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (m0005f0l)
News Summary
12:00 WED (m0005f4x)
News Summary
12:00 THU (m0005f3h)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (m0005f8z)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (m0005dvn)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (m0005dxt)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (m0005dy2)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (m0005dx4)
News
13:00 SAT (m0005dwc)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (m0005dxn)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (m0005dyw)
Open Book
15:30 THU (m0005dyw)
PM
17:00 SAT (m0005dwm)
PM
17:00 MON (m0005f4r)
PM
17:00 TUE (m0005f18)
PM
17:00 WED (m0005f6m)
PM
17:00 THU (m0005f57)
PM
17:00 FRI (m0005f9m)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (m0005dz6)
Pick up your stretcher and walk!
21:00 MON (m00057mh)
Poetry Please
23:30 SAT (m00057qg)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (m0005dyy)
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
05:45 SAT (m0005706)
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
09:30 WED (m0005f3k)
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
20:45 WED (m0005f3k)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (m00057wb)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (m0005dzx)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (m0005f72)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (m0005f25)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (m0005f87)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (m0005f7q)
Profile
19:00 SAT (m0005dx0)
Profile
05:45 SUN (m0005dx0)
Profile
17:40 SUN (m0005dx0)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (m0005dxy)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:25 SUN (m0005dxy)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (m0005dxy)
Ramblings
06:07 SAT (m00057tl)
Ramblings
15:00 THU (m0005f4p)
Rethinking Representation
11:00 FRI (m0005f8w)
Rewinder
10:30 SAT (m0005dvz)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (m0005dvx)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (m0005dx2)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (m00057vy)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (m0005dxc)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
03:00 MON (m0005dzq)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (m0005f6h)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (m0005f1z)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (m0005f81)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (m0005f76)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (m00057vt)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (m00057w2)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (m0005dwr)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (m0005dx9)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (m0005dxf)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (m0005dz0)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (m0005dzs)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (m0005f69)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (m0005f6p)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (m0005f1x)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (m0005f21)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (m0005f7y)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (m0005f83)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (m0005f70)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (m0005f7c)
Short Cuts
15:00 TUE (m0005f10)
Short Works
00:30 SUN (m00057sw)
Short Works
15:45 FRI (m0005f9c)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (m0005dww)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (m0005dz4)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (m0005f4z)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (m0005f1b)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (m0005f6v)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (m0005f5g)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (m0005f9p)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b07tqs7b)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (m0005f2c)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (m0005f2c)
Strictly Stories
19:45 SUN (m0005dzd)
Suggs: Love Letters to London
11:30 WED (m0005f4q)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (m0005dy4)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (m0005dxw)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (m0005dy8)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (m0005dz8)
The Archers
14:00 MON (m0005dz8)
The Archers
19:00 MON (m0005f0y)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (m0005f0y)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (m0005f1g)
The Archers
14:00 WED (m0005f1g)
The Archers
19:00 WED (m0005f4h)
The Archers
14:00 THU (m0005f4h)
The Archers
19:00 THU (m0005f5p)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (m0005f5p)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (m0005f9t)
The Art of Living
16:00 MON (m0001f0c)
The Art of Now
15:30 SAT (m00057mk)
The Art of Now
11:30 TUE (m0005f0j)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (m0005f4v)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (m0005dyg)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (m0005dyg)
The Inquiry
17:30 SAT (m0005dwp)
The Lach Chronicles
23:15 WED (b07j68pq)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (m0005dyq)
The Listening Project
10:55 WED (m0005f4b)
The Listening Project
16:55 FRI (m0005f9k)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (m0005fb5)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (m0005f6f)
The News Quiz
12:30 SAT (m00057tn)
The News Quiz
18:30 FRI (m0005f9r)
The Reith Lectures
22:15 SAT (m00057m8)
The Reith Lectures
09:00 TUE (m0005f05)
The Stress Test
20:00 WED (m0005f7d)
The Untold
11:00 MON (m0005f2x)
The Untold
23:30 MON (m00017q6)
The Untold
23:30 TUE (m00019mb)
The Untold
23:30 WED (m0001d8q)
The Untold
23:30 THU (m0001xpj)
The Untold
23:25 FRI (m00020jh)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (m0005dw1)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (m0005dyl)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (m0005f5x)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (m0005f1s)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (m0005f7k)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (m0005f6c)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (m0005fb2)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (b038hg73)
Today
07:00 SAT (m0005dvv)
Today
06:00 MON (m0005f29)
Today
06:00 TUE (m0005f03)
Today
06:00 WED (m0005f35)
Today
06:00 THU (m0005f2f)
Today
06:00 FRI (m0005f8m)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b0378t34)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b0378t4y)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b0378x67)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b0378xjw)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b0378xxk)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b0378xyd)
V.I.P. R.I.P.
23:00 THU (m0005f6k)
Vanity Fair
15:00 SUN (m0005dys)
Weather
06:57 SAT (m0005dvs)
Weather
12:57 SAT (m0005dw9)
Weather
17:57 SAT (m0005dwt)
Weather
06:57 SUN (m0005dxr)
Weather
07:57 SUN (m0005dy0)
Weather
12:57 SUN (m0005dyj)
Weather
17:57 SUN (m0005dz2)
Weather
05:56 MON (m0005f01)
Weather
12:57 MON (m0005f3q)
Weather
12:57 TUE (m0005f0t)
Weather
12:57 WED (m0005f5k)
Weather
12:57 THU (m0005f42)
Weather
12:57 FRI (m0005f95)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (m0005dzh)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (m0005dwk)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (m0005f2n)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (m0005f0b)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (m0005f3y)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (m0005f2t)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (m0005f8r)
Word of Mouth
23:00 MON (m00057n2)
Word of Mouth
16:00 TUE (m0005f14)
World at One
13:00 MON (m0005f3x)
World at One
13:00 TUE (m0005f0w)
World at One
13:00 WED (m0005f5r)
World at One
13:00 THU (m0005f49)
World at One
13:00 FRI (m0005f97)
You Will Be Safe Here
12:04 MON (m0005f3b)
You Will Be Safe Here
22:45 MON (m0005f3b)
You Will Be Safe Here
12:04 TUE (m0005f0n)
You Will Be Safe Here
22:45 TUE (m0005f0n)
You Will Be Safe Here
12:04 WED (m0005f53)
You Will Be Safe Here
22:45 WED (m0005f53)
You Will Be Safe Here
12:04 THU (m0005f3p)
You Will Be Safe Here
22:45 THU (m0005f3p)
You Will Be Safe Here
12:04 FRI (m0005f91)
You Will Be Safe Here
22:45 FRI (m0005f91)
You and Yours
12:18 MON (m0005f3j)
You and Yours
12:18 TUE (m0005f0r)
You and Yours
12:18 WED (m0005f59)
You and Yours
12:18 THU (m0005f3w)
You and Yours
12:18 FRI (m0005f93)