Claire Tomalin's acclaimed biography of one of Britain's best loved novelists paints a portrait of a brilliant writer and a complex man. Today's themes are adulation and farewells.
Claire Tomalin's well-received biography of one of the nation's literary giants is broadcast to mark the 150th anniversary of his death in June 2020. Here Tomalin evocatively portrays Dickens as a writer charged with tremendous imagination and energy, enabling him to create characters who continue to endure in our popular culture from The Artful Dodger, Mr Pickwick, Pip and David Copperfield. He was also a hard-working journalist, a philanthropist, a supporter of social causes, and father of ten, and yet his genius also had a dark side.
Claire Tomalin was literary editor of the The New Statesman and then the Sunday Times before becoming a full time writer. Her biographies are award winning. The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft, won the Whitbread First Book Award, and Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self was Whitbread Book of the Year in 2002.
Could idling help free us from the treadmill of work and increase our creativity? Is boredom conducive to creativity? In the first of two programmes we hear from psychoanalyst, Professor of Modern Literary Theory at Goldsmiths University of London, author and practising idler Josh Cohen. He talks to Verity Sharp about the value of idling, how a much more relaxed attitude to life is not a hindrance but can encourage creativity and why being bored can be positive! Producer Sarah Blunt
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
We were going to kick off this series with Helen Glover exploring Newlyn in Cornwall: on an RNLI lifeboat, and with open-water swimmers... However, at the last minute, Covid19 stymied our plans. Instead of the wild open countryside of Cornwall, she's reporting from the confines of her back garden, on the River Thames, in Buckinghamshire. Luckily, she's married to the naturalist Steve Backshall, so she has access to a ready-made expert who helps to explain the wildlife in their midst.
Jay Rayner is back for the latest series of The Kitchen Cabinet, but with a twist...
Owing to the current restrictions, the team are broadcasting to you remotely, bringing the usual recipe suggestions, culinary quirks and kitchen banter from their own homes.
Joining Jay this week for a Home Economics lesson are Sophie Wright, Tim Anderson, Tim Hayward and Dr Zoe Laughlin. Answering questions sent in by email and social media, the team tackles chickpeas (and what to do with the aquafaba afterwards), recipes for spring veg, and why Things On Toast are so comforting.
Why have some countries run mass-testing operations when others, including the UK, have not?
David Aaronovitch examines how South Korea and Germany have approached the coronavirus pandemic and what they have learned from the data they've gathered.
He also looks at how the hunt for a vaccine is progressing and who is in the race, as well as the role existing anti-viral drugs might play in reducing the threat posed by Covid-19.
Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health, University of Edinburgh
Dr Philipp Zanger, Head of the Institute of Hygiene, Infection Control and Prevention at the Rhineland-Palatinate Agency for Consumer and Public
Professor Johan Neyts, virologist, University of Leuven, Belgium.
India’s prime minister imposed a three week lockdown with four hours notice. It was an attempt to prevent the coronavirus spreading. But the nationwide order has caused confusion and anger, especially for millions of migrant workers trying to return home says Rahul Tandon.
The United Nations is concerned about Africa's chronically underfunded health services and their ability to cope with Covid-19. Millions are made more vulnerable because of HIV or malnutrition. But so far the continent has been less badly hit than Europe and many Africans are worrying about people in Britain says Mary Harper.
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has been granted extraordinary powers by a Parliament dominated by his Fidesz party. The opposition faced a difficult choice: : extend the current state of emergency and grant an already authoritarian government almost unlimited power. Or oppose it, and be portrayed as enemies of the nation says Nick Thorpe.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far refused to declare a state of emergency. But, amidst the springtime cherry blossoms, there are fears that Tokyo, the world’s largest metropolis, is on the brink of a massive coronavirus outbreak. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes feels anxious about what lies ahead.
Guinea’s leader, Alpha Condé, held a referendum last month to change the constitution and bring in social reforms. But his opponents fear the real motive is to allow the 82-year-old president to rule until he is 94. Many Guineans recall the one party rule of a previous strongman, Ahmed Sékou Touré, who broke ties with the former colonial power, France. Fleur Macdonald met his daughter Aminata.
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis get to grips with the continuing COVID-19 lock-down and disruption with sketches and guests.
With comedians Geoff Norcott and Robin Morgan plus music from Tim Sutton and Sooz Kempner. Additional voices from Luke Kempner and Gemma Arrowsmith.
Written by the cast, with additional material from Mike Shepherd, Laura Major, Donald Alexander and Charlie Dinkin.
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from London Broadcasting House with the leader of the SNP at Westminster Ian Blackford MP, Lara McNeill who is a newly qualified doctor and member of Labour's NEC, Dr Tom Wingfield from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Minister for Care in the Department for Health and Social Care Helen Whately MP.
Musical drama written by and starring Roland Gift, one of our finest soul singers and ex-lead singer of the 1980s band Fine Young Cannibals.
Johnny Holloway, an ex-pop star wrongly convicted of drug dealing, gets out of prison and is picked up on his release by his "brother from another mother", Sean. Having missed the funeral, Johnny asks to be taken to the wake of his colleague Frank to pay his respects. When he gets there, he finds he has inherited his nightclub - the Las Vegas - much to the disgust of Frank's son, Ricky.
To add insult to injury, Johnny used to be with Ricky’s wife Carol. He's determined to right a few wrongs and, when Ricky steps out of line, Johnny sees the way forward - he needs to battle an old rival to win the girl he loves.
It's a story about love, felony and betrayal. Who will rise above and win the day?
Recorded on location in Gerry’s Club in Soho, London, with music written by Gift and Barson and performed by Roland Gift and members of the cast.
JOHNNY ………..…………………………………………….. Roland Gift
SEAN ……………………………………………………………. Ian Puleston-Davies
EZRA ……………………………………………………………. Miles Richardson
RICKY …………………………………………………….......... Carl Prekopp
PEARL……………………………………………………………. Sophie Melville
CAROL ………………………………………………………….. Katy Cavanagh-Jupe
Poppy Allen-Quarmby, Tallulah Bond, Zooey Gleaves, Tom Glenister, Ellis Howard, Jonny Lavelle, Declan Mason
We're being told to work from home if we can, so how is it going? Anna Harris who works for a marketing and advertising agency, and Caroline Whaley, the co-founder of a coaching consultancy aimed at women and leadership discuss.
Lara Lewington from BBC Click offers some tips and advice for staying in touch via tech.
The Lives of Houses is a collection of essays which asks what a house can tell us about the person who lived there. Hermione Lee describes why we are so fascinated by the homes of the famous and often long dead.
The Government has issued new guidelines on the personal protective equipment that should be used by those on the NHS frontline. It has also said that it is important for social care staff to feel safe, and that the new guidance will give them information and reassurance. Christina McAnea, Assistant General Secretary of UNISON which represents thousands of workers in the sector, and Margaret Hodge MP for Barking and Dagenham discuss.
Kayleigh Llewyellyn is the writer and creator of a new BBC comedy drama series In My Skin. Based on her own story of her childhood years in Wales, it follows 16 year Bethan as she negotiates her school life, sexuality, and hiding her mother’s mental illness from her friends and teachers.
What does social distancing look like in one of the more remote parts of the UK? The Woman's Hour Corona Diaries with Angela Crawford from the Isle of Lewis.
DIY hair care - the Dos and the Don'ts. Tanya Harrison is the founder of Harrison Hair Studio in Liverpool. She shares some tips if you’re eager to have a go yourself.
After China, South Korea was next in line to be struck by the Coronavirus outbreak. And in the early days, the number of cases was going up fast – many of them related to a secretive religious sect. But the country rapidly managed to get a grip on the outbreak and has kept its mortality rate low. It has done this without an official lockdown. The secret appears to be preparation, widespread testing and acting fast. With the help of four expert witnesses, Kavita Puri investigates what else we can learn from South Korea in its battle against Covid-19.
Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Naughtie, Robert Popper, Bill Ryder-Jones, Maia Miller-Lewis, Nikki Bedi, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Nikki Bedi are joined by Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Naughtie and Robert Popper for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Bill Ryder-Jones and Maia Miller-Lewis.
Anthony Fauci Is a doctor, immunologist & the Director of the USA’s National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. He’s also a lead member of the White House Coronavirus task force. He’s next to President Trump at his daily briefings. Mark Coles talks to those who know him well.
The award-winning artist Grayson Perry asks whether it is really true that anything can be art. We live in an age when many contemporary artists follow the example of Marcel Duchamp, who famously declared that a urinal was a work of art. It sometimes seems that anything qualifies, from a pile of sweets on a gallery floor to an Oscar-winning actress asleep in a box. How does the ordinary art lover decide?
In a lecture delivered amidst the Victorian splendour of St. George's Hall in Liverpool, Perry analyses with characteristic wit the common tests - from commercial worth to public popularity to aesthetic value. He admits the inadequacies of such yardsticks, especially when applied to much conceptual and performance art. And he concludes that in his opinion, the quality most valued in the art world is seriousness.
The St Paul's Riot in Bristol in 1980 helped trigger subsequent serious unrest in Brixton and Toxteth. The riot was caused by a complex combination of racial tension, economic difficulty, class antagonism, and unwitting mistakes in local policing. Archive on Four recreates this overlooked moment in British history using the testimony of those who took part on all sides.
Lenny Henry as Frank Watt, a lifer coming to the end of a 30 year prison sentence.
Frank tries to prevent the real identity of his daughter leaking out during the London Mayoral elections.
Frank Watt ..... Lenny Henry
Geoff Hoagland ..... Ralph Ineson
Shudi Misir ..... Deeivya Meir
Charla May ..... Karla Crome
Aisha Davies ..... Petra Letang
Stella Hemmings ..... Adie Allen
Hanna Asprey ..... Scarlett Brookes
Sam Wallace ..... Sam Rix
Dennis Dyke ..... Sargon Yelda
Mick Todd / Gideon Torun ..... James Lailey
Eight new cases to challenge the detective wit of Chief Inspector Annika Strandhed, queen of the Oslo Police boat patrol.
Annika is still coming to terms with the death of her friend and long-time, long suffering forensic photographer Mikel. But life goes on, and so does police work on the Oslofjord. Annika must forge a new relationship with Mikel’s young replacement, Sigrid.
Annika and Tor from the Reindeer police investigate a crime in the northern town of Alta.
Nick Walker is the author of two critically-acclaimed novels, Blackbox and Helloland. His plays and short stories have often featured on BBC Radio 4 - including the First King of Mars stories (2007 - 2010) and the plays Life Coach (2010) and Stormchasers (2012). The previous series of Annika Stranded were broadcast in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
Mary Ann Sieghart and a panel of experts discuss the possible long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the role and image of the state and politics.
What will the huge expansion in the role of government - from employing much of the private sector, to insuring businesses against losses and taking on powers to order us all to stay at home - mean for our relationship with government once it's all over? Will there be resentment, or gratitude? Will it forever change how we think about the government's role in the economy, or make us more likely to accept state surveillance in future? And what of ideology and political leadership? Can politicians persuade us to trust them again?
For the final contest of the 2020 season Stuart Maconie and Adele Geras of the North of England face off against Myfanwy Alexander and David Edwards for Wales, in an edition entirely consisting of listeners' question suggestions.
These two sides are rarely far from the top of the RBQ league table and a keen match is guaranteed. Tom Sutcliffe asks the questions and awards the points, deducting from a perfect 6 every time he has to nudge the panel away from a red herring, or heave a crucial clue into their field of vision. Today's outcome will decide the order in which all of the teams finish in this year's rankings.
The cryptic questions, often especially fiendish when provided by listeners, require the panel to dredge their knowledge of 1960s cinema, 15th century literature and 19th century choral music - among many other topics.
Poets Fatimah Asghar and Safia Elhillo explore how they’ve created a community through their collection Halal If You Hear Me - an anthology published in celebration of Muslim women, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming voices.
Fatimah Asghar had often reflected on how best to honour all her identities - queer, Kashmiri-Pakistani, American, Muslim. Safia Elhillo, a Sudanese-American Muslim, felt the same way. They met at a poetry event and became firm friends. Together, they explore how to inhabit the spaces in between their identities.
They discuss the hybrid languages their families speak - Arabic and English for Safia and Urdu-Shreiki-English for Fatimah - which they revere on the page. Fatimah adapted the South Asian poetic form the ghazal to explore notions of home, while Safia became gripped by the Egyptian singer Abdelhalim Hafez,, who assuaged her insecurities about languages and race.
They wanted to provide a platform for other Muslims grappling with intersectional identities, and so published Halal If You Hear Me. They celebrate and protect these identities, while dispelling the notion that there is only one way to be Muslim.
SUNDAY 05 APRIL 2020
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m000h1gs)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Don't Log Off (m000h9hc)
Series 11
Anticipation
Across every continent, people are trying to make sense of a new world – one that happens mostly behind closed doors and often alone. Alan Dein connects with seven individuals whose lives have shifted under the coronavirus pandemic as they nervously anticipate what will come next in an uncertain future.
In Tehran, Golnar, an Iranian who describes herself as ‘global traveller’ is inside her apartment – all future trips postponed. Across the town is the hostel she set up with a friend. Forced to close in the city’s lockdown it is now serving a crucial role.
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated city’s on earth. As the pandemic takes hold, entrepreneur Fahad worries for the successful delivery business he has spent years building up and the future for his parents he shares a home with.
Not everyone is inside. In Greece, Ibrahim is homeless, sheltering in an abandoned building. His friend Mikki is self-isolating and cannot help him.
Plus stories from Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sudan of isolation and expectation.
SUN 00:45 Shipping Forecast (m000h1gv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h1gx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h1gz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m000h1h3)
St Mary Magdalene, Mortehoe in Devon
Currently there is no ringing taking place across UK towers, a situation not encountered since the Second World War. This recording comes from St Mary Magdalene, Mortehoe in Devon. The Tower contains six bells with a tenor of nine hundredweight tuned to B flat. They were cast and hung by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1926. And there’s a slightly unusual aspect to this recording as the conductor's voice can be heard calling the Devon Style Call Changes, the bells being recorded in the ground floor ringing chamber.
SUN 05:45 Lent Talks (m000gsmb)
Tim Lott - Identity and Parenthood
Lent Talks is a personal perspective on an aspect of the story leading up to Easter. This year’s theme is identity – losing and gaining identity; struggling with identity; accepting and owning identity. Writer Tim Lott reflects on the sacrifices of parenthood through the eyes of Mary, and the impact of fatherhood on his identity.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SUN 06:00 News (m000h285)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b087pdt9)
Immortality
Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand explores our fascination with immortality, its significance within both the scientific and faith communities and the desirability of life eternal.
According to Shoshana, our yearning for immortality shapes the world and drives civilisation. She examines the desire to leave a legacy that motivates writers, artists and musicians. The music of Mozart is described as "a gift to the world", his enduring cultural impact allowing him to achieve a form of immortality.
Shoshana suggests that a longing for immortality may be fuelling our current obsession with celebrity culture as we strive for the fame that will ensure that we're not forgotten. However, the fiction of neuroscientist David Eagleman warns us that eternal life through fame may not be as desirable as we first imagine.
Drawing upon the work of gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, Shoshana discusses the latest scientific research into "age-reversal" and "life extension". She goes on to examine the different approaches to immortality in several faiths including Christianity, Hinduism and her own Jewish tradition.
The programme draws to a close with a striking conclusion - that mortality is not a punishment to humankind, but a gift. For Shoshana, our mortality is a vital catalyst that encourages us to seize the day.
Drawing upon a wide range of music, Shoshana introduces us to the haunting Jewish prayer for the dead, El Malei Rachamim, and picks out blues singer Washington Phillips' stunning recording of What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?. Readings include the philosopher Stephen Cave and the poet Robert Frost.
Presenter: Shoshana Boyd Gelfand
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Natural Histories (b07dlwwb)
Fly
Houseflies, bluebottles, fruit flies - Brett Westwood explores how these flies that live close to us have buzzed in our imagination but have also taught us much about who we are. A scholar of literature, a genetic investigator, a naturalist, a forensic entomologist and a plain fly-lover come together to talk flies: Steve Connor, Peter Lawrence, Peter Marren, Martin Hall, and Erica McAlister. Readers: Anton Lesser and Niamh Cusack. Producer: Tim Dee
SUN 06:57 Weather (m000h288)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m000h28b)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m000h28d)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m000h0vg)
PHASE Worldwide
Kate Humble makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of PHASE Worldwide.
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 ‘PHASE Worldwide’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘PHASE Worldwide’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 1112734
Photo credit: Clare Richardson
SUN 07:57 Weather (m000h28g)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m000h28j)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m000h28l)
Walking alongside Jesus
On Palm Sunday Dr Theodora Hawksley of the London Jesuit Centre at Farm Street, London will reflect on the way that the faithful accompany Jesus spiritually, as Jesus accompanies Christians when facing times of trial, suffering and bereavement. Leader: Fr Dominic Robinson, parish priest at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, Mayfair. The service will mark the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, ahead of his trial and crucifixion less than a week later. Passiontide music will include recorded music including a contribution from the Choir of Farm St Church. Producer: Miriam Williamson.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m000gvn6)
Seven Degrees of Solitude
"Having been alone in the apartment now for almost three weeks," writes Adam Gopnik in New York, "I have become aware of the countless fine shades of solitude".
Adam describes the daily roller coaster ride of anxiety and normalcy - from the solitude of morning coffee with the dog to the solitude of the Manhattan street late at night.
With each day that passes, he finds that "the hues and shades of solitude are defining themselves, with a distinction that gives at least a shape, and sometimes the hint of a meaning, to our time inside".
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tpmn)
Quail
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Quail. Quails are summer visitors in varying numbers to the UK, mainly from southern Europe and Africa - and sudden arrivals of migrating flocks in the Mediterranean countries were once more common than they are nowadays.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m000h28n)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m000h28q)
Writers, Keri Davies & Daniel Thurman
Directors, Rosemary Watts & Marina Caldarone
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Pip Archer.... Daisy Badger
Josh Archer .... Angus Imrie
Ben Archer..... Ben Norris
Brian Aldridge.... Charles Collingwood
Phoebe Aldridge.... Lucy Morris
Justin Elliott .... Simon Williams
Emma Grundy .... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Shula Hebden Lloyd .... Judy Bennett
Adam Macy .... Andrew Wincott
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter .... Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Johnny Philips .... Tom Gibbons
Fallon Rogers .... Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell ….. Graham Blockey
Roy Tucker .... Ian Pepperell
Gavin Moss ..... Gareth Pierce
Joy Horville .... Jackie Lye
Chloe .... Eva Feiler
SUN 11:00 The Reunion (m000h25d)
Miss World 1970
In 1970, the Miss World held at the Royal Albert Hall in London was disrupted by feminists protesting that the competition was a cattle market. Bob Hope, presenting the event, stood on a stage pelted with tomatoes and flour bombs. Bouncers were sprayed with blue ink. The women disrupting the competition shouted: 'we're not beautiful, we're not ugly, we're angry.'
Bob Hope's less than enlightened verdict on the events was that anyone who might disrupt Miss World 'must be on some kind of dope'. But the Women's Liberation Movement proved otherwise.
The Women's Liberation Movement's protests at the Miss World contest were not solely aimed at rejecting the event itself though, but more at the implications of the wider exploitation of women in society. Economically and socially, women were subject to continual discrimination and the epitome of such prejudice was highlighted by this public celebration of female beauty.
The programme looks at the event through the eyes of the participants who were involved both on and off stage. It examines their motives for participating in the protest and how those organising the event and taking part as contestants felt about the contest. Sue is joined by the former Miss World of 1970; Jennifer Hosten, one of the key organisers; Peter Jolley and protestors Sally Alexander and Jo Robinson.
Producer: Christina Captieux
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 11:45 Short Works (m000gvmj)
Take Me Home
An original short work specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the author Louise Kennedy. Read by Cathy White (Nurses, Vikings.)
Writer
Louise Kennedy grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Her short stories have been published in journals including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, The Lonely Crowd and Banshee. Her work has won the Ambit Short Fiction (2015), Wasifiri New Writing (2015), John O’Connor (2016) and Listowel Los-Gatos (2016) prizes and was short-listed for the 2019 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. She is a PhD candidate at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast. She lives in Sligo with her husband and two teenage children.
Writer ..... Louise Kennedy
Reader ..... Cathy White
Producer ..... Michael Shannon
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m000h28s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (m000gt6b)
Series 4
The Art Dealer
Milton’s attempt to become an international art dealer leads to a deadly brush with danger.
Mention Milton Jones to most people and the first thing they think is "Help!". Each week, Milton and his trusty assistant Anton set out to help people and soon find they're embroiled in a new adventure. Because when you're close to the edge, then Milton can give you a push.
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
Written by Milton with James Cary (Bluestone 42, Miranda), and Dan Evans (who co-wrote Milton's Channel 4 show House Of Rooms), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.
The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill (Spamalot, Mr. Selfridge) as the ever-faithful Anton, Josie Lawrence and Ben Willbond (Yonderland, Ghosts).
With music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m000h28v)
In a special programme - recorded online from self-isolation - Sheila Dillon explores the new art of cooking in lockdown.
As we all get used to spending more time at home, what better opportunity for an expedition into our kitchen cupboards? What lurks at the back behind the mountains of stockpiled pasta and tinned tomatoes? And how to feel confident using only the absolute basics - from a tin of beans to a bag of flour.
Sheila masters Skype, Zoom and WhatsApp to join some of our favourite chefs and home cooks in their own kitchens, to see how they're passing the time in quarantine.
Mary Berry is keeping herself busy with gardening and jigsaws. Baker Richard Bertinet is getting used to making loaves at home after closing his beloved cookery school (luckily, he's got plenty of flour to keep him going). Food writer Felicity Cloake is taking the opportunity to sort out her freezer - and makes a dramatic discovery. And author Lola Milne is embracing the creepily perfect timing of her new book, 'Take One Tin: 80 delicious meals from the storecupboard'.
Sheila talks to Dr Rupy Aujla about the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during this challenging time. And we share recipes from the kitchens of Britain as Food Programme listeners send in tips for simple, back-of-the-cupboard cuisine.
Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Anna Jones.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m000h28x)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m000h28z)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 13:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m000h9r0)
Nick Robinson gets beneath the surface in a personal and political interview
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000gvmg)
GQT At Home: Episode One
Kathy Clugston is joined by Matthew Wilson, Anne Swithenbank and Matthew Pottage to host GQT from the comfort of their own homes, answering questions sent in by the audience.
This week, the panellists suggest ways to entertain children in the garden, advise on re-planting a terrarium, and discuss the best vegetables to grow in a garden.
Away from the questions - and before the current coronavirus restrictions came into being - Peter Gibbs went to meet Lawrence Shaw, Archeological Officer for the New Forest National Park Authority, who shows him some of the tree graffiti to be found in the forest.
Producer: Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Jemima Rathbone
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m000h293)
Sunday Omnibus - Trauma and Separation
Three conversations from the archive which covered events that have led to separation and trauma - painful childhood memories of being World War II evacuees and being separated from their loved ones; memories of living through the 1953 East Coast tidal surge in which 43 people lost their lives; and how the experience of fighting in World War II as young men, still haunts. Fi Glover presents the Sunday edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moments 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 Drama (m000h295)
The Garrick Year
A new adaptation of Margaret Drabble's 1964 novel set in a very swinging sixties. Dramatised by Robin Brooks.
Emma Evans is forced to sacrifice a job in television when her actor husband, David, insists on dragging his young family off for a season at a new theatre in the provinces. Emma, dogged by a baby, a toddler and an active conscience, observes the goings-on backstage with a detached amusement, until charismatic director Wyndham comes on the scene.
Soon, she finds herself out of her depth in more ways than one
Cast:
Emma Evans ….. Melody Grove
David Evans….. Trystan Gravelle
Wyndham Farrar….. Tom Burke
Sophy Brent ….. Georgina Strawson
Michael Fenwick….. Mark Spalding
Mary Summers..... Phoebe Fildes
Pascal / Young Woman ….. Rose Reade
Jimmy / Henry ..... Karan Gill
Flora ….. Rose Shepherd Lewis
Joseph ….. Louis Mason Dedieu
Additional White Devil Actors ..... Richard Bates and Simon Maier
Director / Producer : Fiona McAlpine
Sound Design : Alisdair McGregor
Broadcast Assistant : Sarah Tombling
An Allegra production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m000h0vj)
Jenny Offill – Dept. of Speculation
American novelist Jenny Offill talks to James Naughtie and readers about her novel Dept. of Speculation.
The novel is the story of a relationship between two people whose names we never know. They meet by chance - she’s a writer and he's an artist working with sound. They write to each other and the return address on their envelopes is always Dept of Speculation. Egged on by a friend she calls the Philosopher they end up living together in a bug-infested apartment and have a daughter. But eventually this curiously-triggered relationship starts to falter; he has an affair and in the end The Protagonist, who now calls herself The Wife, realises she has to make the best of what life has thrown at her.
Jenny talks about the structure and form of the novel, why the characters have no names - and what makes her happy.
To take part in future Bookclubs apply at bookclub@bbc.co.uk
May's Bookclub choice : The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit (2016)
Presenter: James Naughtie
Producer : Dymphna Flynn
SUN 16:30 Breaking Our Silence (m000h297)
In 2011, poet Salma El-Wardany was part of the Arab Spring uprising in Cairo. Thousands of Egyptians came together in Tahrir Square to fight for a new future. And poetry was everywhere - spray painted on walls, shared on social media, and written into songs that became anthems for the protesters.
"It was a revolution fuelled by poetry," says Salma.
In this programme, Salma celebrates the connection between poetry and revolution. She speaks to four of her favourite female poets - all women of colour from different corners of the world, whose work fuels revolution, both personal and political.
British-Indian poet Nikita Gill sees her own work written onto placards and hears it chanted in the street on marches. She believes that, from the French Revolution to the Indian freedom struggle, writers and poets are at the forefront of change.
Yrsa Daley-Ward, award-winning writer of Bone and The Terrible, writes about topics on which women have often been silent. Her work is confronting and challenging - there's danger in telling the truth, she says.
Tjawangwa Dema argues that what, to a Western audience, might seem like a simple love poem, can be truly revolutionary when written by a woman from Botswana. There is tremendous power in an African woman telling her own story.
And Lisa Luxx shares the power of poetry to unite people into a revolutionary community, as she does by organising feminist literary salons in Beirut.
Salma believes that these poetic revolutions, and her own, all have one thing in common - they involve women speaking out, and refusing to be silenced any longer.
Producer: Hannah Marshall
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:00 Hidden Children of the Church (m000gtnw)
For decades, the Catholic Church rarely acknowledged the fact that supposedly ‘celibate’ priests were fathering children. The scale and impact of these secretive births is only now coming to light. The Vatican has admitted for the first time that there could be as many as 10 thousand children of Catholic priests living around the world. Many of them – now adults – describe childhoods separated from their fathers; shrouded in secrecy and shame. Three of them – Vincent Doyle, Michael McGuirk and Sarah Thomas – tell their stories.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SUN 17:40 Profile (m000h1gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000h299)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m000h29c)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h29f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m000h29h)
Liz Barclay
The best of BBC Radio this week.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m000h29k)
Robert’s plan backfires and there’s a near miss at Home Farm.
SUN 19:15 Just a Minute (m000h9y5)
The panel game hosted by Nicholas Parsons comes from The Mermaid Theatre in London where the panellists are Paul Merton, Sue Perkins, Graham Norton and Ross Noble.
SUN 19:45 New Irish Writing (b03yqyzk)
Jigsaw
A series of new readings by some of Ireland's most exciting and talented writers. Clare Dwyer-Hogg, Michèle Forbes, Paul McVeigh and Martin Meenan bring us a range of stories where human emotions are tested, and memories are forged, forgotten or found, all the while taking a humorous and poignant look at how people withdraw, connect and reconnect with one another throughout the course of their lives.
Missing jigsaw pieces bring three generations of a family together in Martin Meenan's 'Jigsaw' read by Ciaran McMenamin. Produced by Heather Larmour.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m000gvmn)
Chris Mason is now presenting Any Questions on BBC Radio 4 in a room alone and without an audience. He tells Roger Bolton how this has changed the programme, and listerners give their views on missing the applause, the boos and the hisses.
Also, listeners discuss whether a coronavirus free Ambridge is absurd or a refreshing change from the real world, and if it was wise to blow up Linda Snell.
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Kate Dixon
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m000gvml)
Albert Uderzo, Valerie Pettit OBE, Reverend Joseph Lowery, Julie Felix
Pictured: Albert Uderzo
Matthew Bannister on
Valerie Pettit OBE, the senior MI6 officer in charge of the daring operation to get Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky out of Russia after his cover was blown.
Albert Uderzo – the French cartoonist who created Asterix the Gaul.
Reverend Joseph Lowery – the leading American civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King in the campaign for black equality.
Julie Felix – the American-born singer who became known as the first lady of British folk.
Interviewed guest: Ben Macintyre
Interviewed guest: Agnes Poirier
Interviewed guest: Dr Paul Smith
Interviewed guest: Henrietta Giles
Interviewed guest: Fran Collier
Producer: Neil George
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m000h1ft)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m000h0vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (m000gvd3)
Supply Chains vs Covid-19
Ruth Alexander examines whether the complex global web of supply chains can hold up under the enormous pressure of the coronavirus pandemic.
Looking further into the future, she and Jonty Bloom ask whether this global shock has shown that the days of the speedy delivery of a huge choice of cheap goods from all over the world is over.
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Lizzy McNeill
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m000h29n)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m000gvcm)
Andrew Kotting
With Antonia Quirke.
Before the national lockdown, Antonia went to Hastings to visit film-maker Andrew Kotting just as he discovered that cinemas were shutting down and his latest film The Whalebone Box would not see the light of a projector for the foreseeable future. But, like a number of new releases, it will be available to stream instead
Franz Waxman won an Oscar for his score for A Place In The Sun, but he might not have composed all the music on the soundtrack, as Neil Brand reveals.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b087pdt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 06 APRIL 2020
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m000h29q)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m0002ml7)
Snobbery
Snobbery is defined as the behaviour or attitude of people who think they are better than others. Laurie Taylor explores the social history, meaning and changing nature of this sense of superiority. He talks to David Morgan, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, Bev Skeggs, Professor of Sociology at the LSE and Florence Sutcliffe Braithwaite, Lecturer in 20th Century History at University College, London.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m000h1h3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000h29s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h29v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h29x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000h2b1)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with Anna Magnusson.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m000h2b3)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
MON 05:56 Weather (m000h2b5)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tppv)
Arctic Tern
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Arctic Tern. Arctic terns are superlative birds. They're best known for seeing more daylight than any other bird as they migrate between the Antarctic seas, where they spend our winter, and their breeding grounds in northern Europe - a staggering round trip of over 70 thousand kilometres.
MON 06:00 Today (m000h2by)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m000h2c0)
The genetic gender gap
Women are faring better than men in the coronavirus pandemic because of their genetic superiority, according to the physician Sharon Moalem. He tells Kirsty Wark that women live longer than men and have stronger immune systems because they have two x chromosomes to choose from. In his book, The Better Half, Moalem calls for better understanding of the genetic gender gap and for a change to the male-centric, one-size-fits-all view of medical studies.
But if women have greater advantage genetically, where did the prevailing idea of fragile female biology come from? In The Gendered Brain the cognitive neuroscientist Gina Rippon traces the ideas of women’s physical inferiority to the 18th century, and later to the brain science of the 19th century. Even after the development of new brain-imaging technologies showed how similar brains are, the idea of the ‘male’ and ‘female’ brain has remained remarkably persistent.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 The Passion in Plants (m000h2c2)
Palm Sunday - Pussy Willows and the Yew
Bob Gilbert, left, and Brother Samuel, inside an ancient hollow yew. Yew branches were used in Palm Sunday processions.
Over hundreds of years people have used wildflowers as a way of sharing our common stories, including those in the Bible. Just as stained glass windows reminded ordinary people of its characters and events, so did the plants of the hedgerow that they encountered every day. In this way many trees and flowers came to play a part in telling the Easter story.
In The Passion in Plants, five programmes running through Holy Week, the writer and urban naturalist Bob Gilbert considers the key moments of Christ's Passion and the plants that, in folklore, came to reflect them. With Brother Samuel, a Franciscan friar, Bob searches for these in wild locations ranging from rural woodlands and meadows to the pavements of Poplar in the East End of London. They explore their traditions, how they came about, and their meanings.
The programmes include readings from writers such as A. E. Housman, Tennyson, Sylvia Plath and the author of Dream of the Rood, together with song and music.
They begin with Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry to Jerusalem. In the woods at Hilfield friary in Dorset Bob and Brother Sam look for the goat willow or sallow - the pussy willow plant - which was, and still is in some places, cut early in the morning and carried in the Palm Sunday processions. They visit, too, ancient yews at Tandridge and Crowhurst in Surrey. Evergreens were rare and yew branches were also used to represent the palm fronds. Standing inside a huge, hollow yew they consider the significance of these venerable and mysterious trees.
Presenter: Bob Gilbert
Producer: Julian May
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000h2c4)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
MON 10:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h2c6)
The Unresting Wheel
A new adaptation by Rhiannon Tise of George Eliot’s novel of grand passions and tormented lives to mark the 140th Anniversary of George Eliot’s death this year.
Episode One
The Unresting Wheel
A brother and sister, pitted against one another in love and life. An absorbing tragedy of family discord and financial ruin, of sibling love and bitterness. And a powerful tale of desire, betrayal and moral conflict.
George Eliot, the Narrator ….. Anna Maxwell Martin
Young Maggie ….. Amy-Jayne Leigh
Young Tom ….. Oliver Zetterstrom
Young Lucy ….. Grace Doherty
Mr Tulliver ….. Roger Ringrose
Mrs Tulliver ….. Alison Belbin
Maggie ….. Joanna Vanderham
Tom ….. Will Kirk
Lucy ….. Ell Potter
Philip ….. Chris Lew Kum Hoi
Stephen ….. Jack Farthing
Mrs Moss ….. Heather Craney
Mr Wakem ….. John Dougall
Mrs Glegg ….. Elizabeth Counsell,
Mr Stelling ….. John Lightbody,
Dr Kenn ….. Hasan Dixon
Luke/Bob ….. Kurtis Lowe
Keiza/Sally ….. Bettrys Jones
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
George Eliot's most autobiographical novel draws on her personal pain at the loss of the close bond with her brother who had cut off all contact with her. It resulted in one of the great novels of childhood, and one of literature's most unforgettable heroines. Like Anne of Green Gables and Jane Eyre, Maggie captures the dilemma of being the clever girl in the family, the ugly duckling, the misplaced foundling who longs to be recognised for the genius she secretly knows herself to be.
As the rebellious Maggie’s fiery spirit and imaginative nature bring her into conflict with her narrow provincial family, most painfully with her beloved brother Tom, their fates are played out on an epic scale.
Maggie has two lovers – Philip, sensitive and loyal, son of her father’s enemy and Stephen, charismatic but dangerous, already promised to her cousin Lucy. But the love Maggie wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie’s struggle against her passionate nature leads to devastating consequences.
The adaptation features Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland and Line of Duty), Joanna Vanderham (Warrior and The Boy With The Topknot) and Jack Farthing (Official Secrets and Poldark)
Rhiannon Tise's most recent adaptation for Radio 4 was the hugely successful Little Women.
MON 11:00 The Untold (m000h2c8)
The Virus Between Us
In the first of a new series, we hear the stories of people on different sides of isolation in the midst of the Coronavirus.
OnHand is an app set up not long ago. Its purpose was to match older adults who needed help with verified volunteers in their local area. A way find someone to fetch the shopping, walk the dog or just come round for a chat.
Then in March 2020, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, everything changed. OnHand went from a source of help to a lifeline for vulnerable people. This episode follows its CEO Sanjay as he and his team adjust to taking on this challenge.
Two users of OnHand offer different perspectives on our new world, from either side of isolation. Annie is 73 year old woman now required to isolate at all times and Nathan is a young volunteer in London looking to help those in need.
Produced by Sam Peach
MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m000h1gg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
MON 12:00 News Summary (m000h2cc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hcjf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 12:06 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h2cf)
1. Massacre
Jeanine Cummins' heart-stopping and heart-rending novel following a mother and son, on the run from the Mexican drug cartels. Vivid, visceral, and utterly gripping, this is novels brings into sharp focus the harrowing experience of thousands of migrants who cross the US-Mexico border each year.
Today: as Lydia and her son Luca cower in their bathroom to the sound of gunshots outside, they know their happy family life in Acapulco is about to change for ever...
Writer: Jeanine Cummins, is an American writer, and the author of two other novels.
Reader: Yolanda Vazquez
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
MON 12:20 You and Yours (m000h2ch)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
MON 12:57 Weather (m000h2ck)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m000h2cm)
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 Ingenious (m000h2cp)
The Ginger Gene
Redheads - famed and feared throughout history. From strawberry blonde to sultry auburn, red hair always stands out in a crowd. But where does the redhead gene come from? Does it really affect the way we feel pain? And are redheads really endangered?
Dr Kat Arney finds out with the help of Jacky Colliss Harvey, author of "Red: A History of the Redhead", ginger gene expert Professor Ian Jackson from the University of Edinburgh, and some spicy mice.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
MON 14:00 The Archers (m000h29k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m000h2cr)
Part 7
Written by Anita Vettesse with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert Forensic psychiatrist, assessing and treating perpetrators of the most unthinkable crimes.
In this gripping drama, Alex charts the psychological impact of the murder of a young man on his family, and explores the long shadow of homicide through her therapy group for murderers.
Will the truth about Jamie’s murder finally be revealed?
Cast:
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti
Dougie … Simon Donaldson
Hannah … Jessica Hardwick
Tyler … Reuben Joseph
David … Robin Laing
Frankie … Brian Vernel
Series created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m000h2ct)
Heat 1, 2020
(1/17)
The 2020 season of the nation's longest running general knowledge quiz gets under way, with Russell Davies in the questionmaster's chair. The first four of the 48 competitors taking part this year begin their campaign to become the 67th BBC Brain of Britain.
Appearing today are:
John Adedoyin, a management consultant from London
Hugh Brady, a scientist, also from London
Andrew Codling, a former business analyst from Egham in Surrey
Ellie Mackin, a writer and translator from Nottingham.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m000h28v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 PM (m000h2cz)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h2d1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (m000h2d3)
Series 4
The Theatrical Impresario
Curtain up! Light the lights! Milton’s got nothing to hit but the people from the rival theatre who are trying to destroy his theatrical dreams.
Mention Milton Jones to most people and the first thing they think is "Help!". Each week, Milton and his trusty assistant Anton set out to help people and soon find they're embroiled in a new adventure. Because when you're close to the edge, then Milton can give you a push.
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
Written by Milton with James Cary (Bluestone 42, Miranda), and Dan Evans (who co-wrote Milton's Channel 4 show House Of Rooms), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.
The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill (Spamalot, Mr. Selfridge) as the ever-faithful Anton, Josie Lawrence and Colin Hoult (Anna Mann, Russell Howard's Good News).
With music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m000h0g0)
Contemporary drama in a rural setting
MON 19:15 Front Row (m000h2d5)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
MON 19:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h2c6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Return to the Calais Jungle (m000h1lt)
Iranian-born Hossein Ahmadi came to the UK illegally in the back of a lorry in order to seek asylum. Now with leave to remain, he uses his British travel document to return to the Calais Jungle, the refugee camp in northern France where he lived for nearly a year as he tried again and again to find a way of entering the UK.
The Jungle in Calais reached upwards of 8,000 people at its largest in 2016 and was shut down in October of the same year. With producer Philippa Geering, Hossein makes the journey back to speak to the many refugees still living there and in smaller camps in the surrounding area.
Hossein finds out what has changed and what has stayed the same in the Calais Jungle. Including interviews with Clare Moseley of Care 4 Calais and Beth Gardiner-Smith of Safe Passage International, as well as with many refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
Produced by Philippa Geering
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m000gvc3)
The Man Who Died for Trees
Romania's forests are the Amazon of Europe - with large wilderness areas under constant pressure from loggers. For years, corrupt authorities turned a blind eye to illegal felling. But now a series of killings in the woods has intensified demands across the continent to end the destruction. Six rangers - who defend forests from illegal cutting – have been killed in as many years. Two died in the space of just a few weeks late last year. The latest victim, Liviu Pop, father of three young girls, was shot as he confronted men he thought were stealing timber. But the men weren’t arrested. They say the ranger shot himself. And in the remote region of Maramures, where many people are involved in logging, that version is widely believed. Locals are afraid to talk about what happened. Is the lucrative logging business protected by powerful interests who turn a blind eye to murder? And are rangers sometimes complicit in the rape of the forest? For Crossing Continents, Tim Whewell tries to find out exactly how a young man employed to protect nature met his death. And he asks how Romania can save its wilderness when more than half the trees cut down are felled illegally?
Reporter: Tim Whewell
Editor: Bridget Harney
MON 21:00 Fighting Talk: How Language Can Make Us Better (m0001g8w)
When we talk about cancer it’s often hard to find the right words. As we search for the perfect thing to say, we find ourselves reaching for familiar metaphors; the inspiring people fighting or battling their cancer.
Cara Hoofe is currently in remission from Stage 4 bowel cancer, she says it would be easy for her to say she’s beaten cancer. Yet she’s still uncomfortable with the terminology. If she’s won her fight, does that mean others have lost?
In this programme Cara asks experts what impact these militaristic metaphors actually have on those living with cancer, and asks current and former patients what we should talk about when we talk about cancer
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m000h2c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m000h2d8)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h2cf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
MON 23:00 Lights Out (m000h2db)
Series 2
Speaking Sabar
Documentary adventures that encourage you to take a closer listen.
The N'diaye Rose family of Senegal are masters of Sabar drumming. They are the descendants of Doudou Ndiaye Rose, the late legendary Sabar drummer who propelled these deep and complex Senegalese rhythms across the globe.
Today, in the capital, Dakar, electronic musicians Beatrice Dillon and Nkisi attempt to interpret and translate the encoded language of the drums.
Produced by Zakia Sewell
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 The Untold (m0002g7s)
What Happened Next?
Grace Dent revisits four powerful stories recently featured in The Untold, to find out where life took them next.
Will was a victim of the Westminster Bridge attack, now tasked with putting his life back together and managing serious injuries. Kanan's life was turned upside down when the song he wrote in a Bristol flatshare was picked up by Jay-Z and became an international hit. Other stories revisited are the case of two GPs fighting to save their practice and the mother whose child was separated from her and taken to live abroad, without her consent.
TUESDAY 07 APRIL 2020
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m000h2dd)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 The Passion in Plants (m000h2c2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000h2dg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h2dj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h2dl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000h2dq)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with Anna Magnusson.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m000h2ds)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tpqx)
Gannet
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Gannet. The North Atlantic is the international stronghold for this impressive seabird - with its wingspan of nearly 2 metres, remorseless expression and dagger-like bill.
TUE 06:00 Today (m000h0f0)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History (m000h0f2)
Series 3
Late 1950s and early 1960s
Drawing on rare recordings, Clarke Peters embarks on a third series revealing the unexplored history of Black music across Europe, from the aftermath of the Second World War through to the late 1970s.
This was an era that saw countries such as Algeria, Jamaica, Cape Verde and Trinidad shake off European colonialism. These nations expressed their new found sense of freedom through songs, many recorded in European studios.
From the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, through the decolonisation years and beyond, this series hears from modern Black musicians, commentators and historians, to get to the heart of Black music in Europe.
Clarke explores the variety of Black music produced in Europe in the late 1950s and early 1960s - Congolese rumba recorded in Brussels, Algerian chaabi in Paris and the emergence of the Notting Hill Carnival in London. We also hear how North African music inspired a revolution in folk guitar.
Produced by Tom Woolfenden
Executive Producer: Miranda Hinkley
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:30 New Storytellers (m00076tw)
A Young Sel in a Small Town
Selina Medford grew up in Port Talbot, South Wales, where people of West Indian heritage were in a minority. Now she takes her daughter back to relive her experiences.
Touring around the town, they delve into the good, the bad and the ugly struggles that Selina and her family faced growing up during the 1960s. On the way, her daughter Sian, who was born and raised in Birmingham, begins to understand her mother’s experience and how the multi-cultural world she grew up in, and often took for granted, was denied to her mother.
A Young Sel in a Small Town paints a retrospective picture that highlights the musical and cultural life of the time, navigating through Selina’s early years of growing up in a harsh household with her Jamaican father, step mother and four other siblings - yet trying to fit in with the everyday European white world around her. A trip down memory lane, meeting old friends and faces in a collage of sounds and music, bringing back hard memories and hope for the future.
New Storytellers presents the work of radio and audio producers new to BBC Radio 4 and this first series features the five winners of this year's Charles Parker Prize for the Best Student Radio Feature.
A Young Sel in a Small Town won the top award, the Gold Charles Parker Prize, for its producer Sian Medford in Parker's centenary year. Sian has just graduated from the University of West London and the Judges thought her colourfully creative feature was “such a lovely simple idea. An important piece of social history mixed with modern reaction as the family reunites – a rich, dynamic production, with its rich sense of hard lives lived to the full – a really worthy Gold Charles Parker winner.”
Producer: Sian Medford
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:45 The Passion in Plants (m000h0f5)
The Last Supper and the Betrayal - Bitter Herbs and the Elder
The tansy, in British tradition used as an equivalent of one of the 'bitter herbs' of the Passover
Urban naturalist Bob Gilbert and Francisican friar Brother Samuel, delve into the folklore of British wild plants associated with the events of Holy Week in The Passion in Plants. In the second programme they focus on The Last Supper and The Betrayal. The meal Jesus took with his disciples in the upper room was the Feast of the Passover, when Jews eat ' the bitter herbs and unleavened bread' as reminders of the bitter experience of their enslavement in Egypt. Ilana Epstein,an expert in Jewish culinary traditions - and a great cook herself, reveals the identity of these herbs and their the subtle significance.
In British tradition sorrel and tansy (used to get rid of worms!) became the equivalent of the bitter herbs. They grow in Bob's garden in Poplar and he and Brother Sam follow traditional recipes, cooking a tansy pancake and a dish called simply, a 'tansy'.
Why does the elder never amount to more than a scruffy, scrubby bush. It's because, full of remorse after betraying Jesus with a kiss,
Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree. Ever since the wood has been weak and pithy (so easily hollowed out to make musical instruments). On the slope above Hilfield friary in Dorset Bob and Sam look closely at an elder and find a certain fungus that often grows on it - auricularia auricula-judae, Latin for 'the ear of Judas'.
Presenter: Bob Gilbert
Producer: Julian May
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000h0f8)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
TUE 10:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h0fb)
The Little Wench
Episode Two
The Little Wench
It's Easter and the aunts and uncles have been invited to the Mill so they may hear of Mr Tulliver's plans to send Tom away to school.
George Eliot, the Narrator ….. Anna Maxwell Martin
Young Maggie ….. Amy-Jayne Leigh
Young Tom ….. Oliver Zetterstrom
Young Lucy ….. Grace Doherty
Mr Tulliver ….. Roger Ringrose
Mrs Tulliver ….. Alison Belbin
Mrs Moss ….. Heather Craney
Mrs Glegg ….. Elizabeth Counsell,
Mr Glegg ..... John Dougall
Mrs Deane ..... Ell Potter
Keiza/Sally ….. Bettrys Jones
Written by George Eliot
Adapted by Rhiannon Tise
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
TUE 11:00 The NHS Front Line (m000h65w)
Week 3 on the covid wards
Dr John Wright has been recording on the wards for BBC Radio 4 – starting on March 16th, the day the Prime Minister gave his first televised address about the danger of Covid-19. This is week three of his diaries, recorded as the number of cases starts to increase and the pressures on the frontline team intensify.
These recordings with frontline NHS staff at all levels, take you behind the scenes on the wards as they plan for what is to come and then cope as the patients arrive. They let us share in the pressures, personal and professional, and in the decisions being made in the face of this unprecedented threat.
Professor John Wright is helping Bradford Royal Infirmary to get ready for Covid-19. He’s looked after patients all over the world – cholera and HIV in Southern Africa, Ebola in Sierra Leone. He thinks it’s important we should all know what we are facing.
Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Sue Mitchell
Sound Production by Richard Hannaford
TUE 11:30 The New Lyrical Ballads (m000h0fh)
Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge first published in 1798, changed the course of British poetry. Growing up in the Lake District, Wordsworth set out to use the everyday language he heard around him in his poems in order to make them accessible to a wider audience. Both poets drew inspiration from seeing a return to the original state of nature, in which people led a purer and more innocent existence The word Lyrical linked their poems to ancient rustic bards, while Ballad refers to an oral storytelling tradition. Both poets used rural life and country people as the subject of their poetry which was a marked shift from what had come before.
To mark the 250 anniversary of Wordsworth's birth, four leading poets Zaffar Kunial, Kim Moore, Helen Mort and Jacob Polley read new lyrical ballads inspired by the ideas in the original collection. Each of the contemporary poets have strong links to Cumbria and the Lake District and their poems give us a glimpse into life in the county now.
Produced by Lorna Newman and Susan Roberts
A BBC North production.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m000h0fk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hcjk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 12:06 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h0fm)
2. La Lechuza
Jeanine Cummins' heart-stopping and heart-rending novel following a mother and son, on the run from the Mexican drug cartels. Vivid, visceral, and utterly gripping, this is novels brings into sharp focus the harrowing experience of thousands of migrants who cross the US-Mexico border each year.
Today: The man Lydia once called a friend is on her tail. Now the head of Acapulco's most powerful drug cartel, he will kill her and her 8-year-old son if he finds them....
Writer: Jeanine Cummins, is an American writer, and the author of two other novels.
Reader: Yolanda Vazquez
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
TUE 12:20 You and Yours (m000h0fq)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
TUE 12:57 Weather (m000h0fs)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m000h0fv)
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 Ingenious (m000h0fx)
The Breast Cancer Gene
For centuries doctors have noticed that some types of cancer seem to run in families, but it was only recently that we've started to pin down the genetic culprits. One of these hit the headlines in 2013 when actress Angelina Jolie announced she had a defect in the BRCA1 gene, which can significantly increase the chances of developing breast, ovarian or prostate cancer. Jolie had breast removal surgery in order to reduce her risk of getting ill.
So how does it feel to find out you carry a faulty BRCA gene? What can you do about it? And could new research into these genes help lead to revolutionary new cancer treatments?
Dr Kat Arney speaks to Caitlin Brodnick, author of "Dangerous Boobies: Breaking Up with My Time-Bomb Breasts", and cancer researcher Dr Serena Nik-Zainal of Cambridge University.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m000h0g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (m000h0g2)
The Will
A contemporary character lead thriller, with an international twist.
Birgitte is a young, successful and emotionally repressed Dane. Angie, in her 40s, has a string of failed business and is currently on bail for tax evasion. When Birgitte turns up out of the blue, begging her to fulfil their dying father’s last wish to meet Angie, there is little time to waste - they have to get to Copenhagen as soon as possible.
The only problem is, Angie doesn’t have a passport.
A dynamic new British/Danish co-production from Polly Thomas and Anders Lundorph, who also made The Exception - a highlight of Reading Europe 2017 on Radio 4:
"...tense, atmospheric and so refreshing to hear different accents and an alternative take on the dangers of our current world from a Danish perspective. Transnational radio here on Radio 4." The Spectator for The Exception, 2017
Recorded on location in Manchester, The Will stars leading Danish actress Charlotte Munck (Follow The Money, A War) and Danielle Henry, BBC Radio 4 regular. The drama definitely passes the Bechdel test – the female leads spend their time talking to each other, and not once is a boyfriend/husband/partner mentioned…..
Cast:
Birgitte…………………………Charlotte Munck
Angie…………………………...Danielle Henry
Chris……………………………Steph Lacey
Writers and Co-Producers…………….Polly Thomas and Anders Lundorph
Script Editor…………………..John Dryden
Executive Producer……………Eloise Whitmore
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m000h0g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m000h0g6)
Fantastic Plastic
Plastic waste is the scourge of developing countries. Many have poor waste collection and virtually no recycling. But there may be ways in which local people can put the waste to good use
In Cameroon a child called Pierre Kamsouloum wanted to play football, but had no ball. He got the idea of melting soft plastic, the kind that food is wrapped in, and moulding it into a crude football. A few years later, without a job and looking for a way to make money, he came back to the idea, and realised that if you mixed the molten plastic with sand, you could turn it into tough paving slabs, competitively priced. Now, with the help of NGOs, thousands of people across Cameroon and Gambia have been trained in the technique.
In the Netherlands, design student Dave Hakkens had the idea of creating machines that people could use to recycle their plastic locally. Using quite basic technology, these machines shred, melt and then extrude plastic into moulds to make flat sheets, bowls, and even giant Lego-style house building bricks. The designs are all open-source and online, and a movement of thousands of people has grown up, building, improving and using Dave’s machines.
In Guatemala, German environmentalist Susanne Heisse was depressed by the plastic pollution collecting at the side of Lake Atilan. Inspired by the actions of a neighbour, she started stuffing the waste into plastic drinking bottles, and so the idea of the eco-brick was born – a building block that can be strong and durable and at the same time sequesters the plastic and stops it breaking down into dangerous plastics.
None of these ideas is without its difficulties and each has its critics. But until we find ways to live without plastic, could they be part of the solution?
Presenter/Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
TUE 16:00 My Final Wish (m000h0g8)
For Hindus across the world, the River Ganges is sacred. For the majority, it’s their final wish that their ashes should be scattered in it. The practice is central to the Hindu belief in reincarnation, with the soul being released once the ashes of the deceased have been immersed in the Ganges.
For British Hindus, the pilgrimage to the holy river can be very expensive. Nevertheless, for the majority the experience is spiritually rewarding and entirely positive - but for some, it isn’t.
Sushma Puri travels to the town of Haridwar on the Ganges to see the final rites taking place and visits, for the first time, the resting place for generations of her own family, including her parents.
Back in Britain, she talks to priests who explain the significance of scattering ashes in the Ganges and meets funeral directors who are linking up with companies in India to try and make the experience easier for busy, Indian professionals who have little time to make this important pilgrimage. Sushma also meets the people who set up a facility for Hindus to have their loved ones’ ashes scattered in the flowing river at Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire.
In Leicester, she speaks to elderly British Indians who, despite having lived in England for decades, went to India to scatter family ashes in the Ganges and others who wouldn’t dream of doing so. Some believe Mother Ganga has a powerful, spiritual potency because it’s descended from the heavens and has washed the body of Lord Shiva - while others claim the river is badly polluted and priests’ prey on the vulnerable.
Finally, Sushma asks if this tradition of taking ashes to the Ganges is likely to continue or if it will die out with the next generation of British Hindus who might prefer to scatter them nearer to home.
A Tigereye production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:30 PM (m000h0gd)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h0gg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000h0gj)
Motherhood
Comedian Ellie Taylor has some opinions she'd like to get off her chest. In this episode she looks at being a parent and whether having kids might have ruined her life. She discusses her views with stand-up, sketches and help from the studio audience and side-kick Robin Morgan. She also welcomes a special expert guest...her Mum.
It is produced by Sam Michell and is a BBC Studios Production.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m000h0gm)
Philip attempts to maintain calm and Emma feels awkward.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m000h0gp)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
TUE 19:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h0fb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Left Out of Power (m000h0gr)
Steve Richards examines the future prospects for the Labour party under a new leader.
Producers: Jonathan Brunert and Martin Rosenbaum
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m000h0gt)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 Inside Health (m000h0gw)
Inside Health: The Virus
Episode 3
Claudia Hammond reports on the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.
TUE 21:30 Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History (m000h0f2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m000h0gy)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h0fm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
TUE 23:00 Sketchtopia (m000h0h0)
Series 2
Episode 1
Sketchtopia sets out to find the next generation of white, black, Asian and minority ethnic satirical sketch comedy writers from a range of backgrounds across the UK - with a keen eye on finding the funny in a multicultural Britain.
The critically acclaimed first series picked up a nomination for best sketch show at the BBC Audio Drama and Celtic Media Awards and won Gold at the Audio Production Awards 2018.
Series 2 brings a crop of returning sketch characters, including Millie and Martha, Woke Colleague, Brexit Dad and The Support Group. The show aims to make sharp observations about modern Britain and allow shared experiences, common points of reference and authenticity to come together to create a truly unique British sketch show. Sketchtopia promises to be irreverent, thoughtful and, above all, funny!
Performers: Vivienne Acheampong, James McNicholas, Jamie-Rose Monk, Nimisha Odedra, Susheel Kumar.
Episode 1 writers: Lynda Kennedy, Joanne Lau, Bilal Zafar, Louise Stewart, Athena Kugblenu, Jim Felton, Dillon Mapletoft, Oliver Taylor, Hannah Croft, Fiona Pearce and Steve Lawrence
Producer: Gus Beattie.
A Gusman production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 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.
WEDNESDAY 08 APRIL 2020
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m000h204)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 The Passion in Plants (m000h0f5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000h0h3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h0h5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h0h7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000h0hc)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with Anna Magnusson.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m000h0hf)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tq6h)
Great Skua
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Great Skua. Great skuas are often known as bonxies - their local name in Shetland where most of the UK's population breeds. Almost two thirds of the world's great skuas nest here or on Orkney.
WED 06:00 Today (m000h1lc)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 More or Less (m000h6cb)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
WED 09:30 The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread? (m000gskt)
Caffeine Hair Products
Can caffeine hair products prevent our hair from getting thinner as we get older and, even better, reverse the process? Or does this ingredient just end up going down the plughole?
Joining him in the studio is Ian Carmichael, Senior Director in Styling at Trevor Sorbie, the Hair Salon, who styles many high profile heads including Her Majesty the Queen’s.
Dermatologist Dr Paul Farrant, from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, is on hand to put two products through the evidence mill, separating the facts from the fads to reveal whether caffeine hair products really are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.
Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Beth Eastwood
WED 09:45 The Passion in Plants (m000h1lk)
The Road to the Cross - Hawthorn and Speedwell
Speedwell, one of the genus Veronica, associated with St Veronica who gave Christ her veil to wipe his face as he carried his cross to Calvary.
This programme begins with the torture of Jesus and the weaving of a crown of thorns. This is represented in British tradition by the hawthorn, a plant that is particularly rich in folklore being associated with spring and the coming of new life as well as with death and decomposition.
Bob Gilbert and Brother Sam seek out the tree and consider its connections, both sacred and profane, and the ways in which seemingly contradictory elements come together in a single story and a single plant.
The story moves on to the road to Golgotha as Christ carries his cross to the place of his crucifixion. It it includes the traditional story of Veronica,
who steps forward to wipe the sweat and blood from Christ's brow with her veil. Bob and Sam search the city streets to find the plant that now bears her name and has come to be associated with aiding people on their journeys; the Veronica or speedwell.
The programme includes readings and music by artists responding to these events.
Presenter: Bob Gilbert
Producer: Julian May
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000h1lm)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
WED 10:41 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h1lp)
The Golden Gates of Childhood
Episode Three
The Golden Gates of Childhood
Life at his new school is a difficult and solitary business for Tom and for Maggie a new adventure is about to begin.
George Eliot, the Narrator ….. Anna Maxwell Martin
Young Maggie ….. Amy-Jayne Leigh
Young Tom ….. Oliver Zetterstrom
Mr Tulliver ….. Roger Ringrose
Maggie ….. Joanna Vanderham
Tom ….. Will Kirk
Philip ….. Chris Lew Kum Hoi
Mrs Moss ….. Heather Craney
Mr Stelling ….. John Lightbody,
Written by George Eliot
Adapted by Rhiannon Tise
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m000h1lr)
Capturing the nation in conversation to build a unique picture of our lives today and preserve it for future generations.
WED 11:00 Don't Log Off (m000h9jf)
Series 11
08/04/2020
Alan Dein connects with strangers across the world via social media, exploring the things that unite people across cultures and borders.
WED 11:30 Plum House (m000h1lw)
Series 3
2. #SO BRITISH
Plum House's curator Peter Knight (Simon Callow) finds unlikely TV fame, whilst being featured on an ancestry show helping celebrity guest Derren Brown trace his roots to the museum. When Peter's most eccentric foibles are broadcast to millions, manager Tom and the team fear a backlash, but instead the audience take Peter to their hearts - his appearance goes viral #SOBRITISH and suddenly Plum House visitor numbers shoot up. How will the team handle the new business and will Peter be able to keep his head, even if Julian has selflessly put himself forward as his manager?
Plum House features Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford.
Guest starring this week; Emma Denly, Alex Lowe
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Directed by Paul Schlesinger
Produced by Claire Broughton
It is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
WED 12:00 News Summary (m000h1ly)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hcj9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 12:06 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h1m0)
3. Roadblock
Jeanine Cummins' heart-stopping and heart-rending novel following a mother and son, forced to flee the Mexican drug cartel who massacred their family.
Today: Lydia and Luca risk everything as they continue their journey north....
Writer: Jeanine Cummins
Reader: Yolanda Vazquez
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
WED 12:20 You and Yours (m000h1m2)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
WED 12:57 Weather (m000h1m4)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m000h1m6)
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 Ingenious (m000h1m8)
The Milkshake Gene
Are you dairy intolerant? If so, you’re not alone – more than two-thirds of adults in the world are unable to digest delicious milkshakes and other dairy products properly. 10,000 years ago all humans were like that. So why on earth did some of us evolve the ability to tuck into cheese, butter and cream with a vengeance? And why are farming - and farting - vital parts of the story?
Dr Kat Arney finds out, with the help of evolution expert Professor Mark Thomas of UCL.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
WED 14:00 The Archers (m000h0gm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (m000h1mb)
The Kubrick Test
Kerry Shale’s drama tells the true story of his encounter with one of cinema’s most influential figures.
Stanley Kubrick is undoubtedly one of the greatest film makers of all time with a succession of masterpieces from A Clockwork Orange to 2001, Dr Strangelove to The Shining. He’s also known for an exhaustively detailed working process and utter lack of compromise.
For many years, the great director’s methods were shrouded in mystery. So when, in 1987, a young actor gets an invitation to enter Kubrick’s hidden world, he leaps at it. And, of course, gets more than he bargained for.
Kerry Shale plays himself in this darkly comic reflection on the nuts and bolts of true genius.
Cast:
Kerry Kerry Shale
Leon Robert Emms
Kubrick Henry Goodman
Written by Kerry Shale
Based on a script by Jeremiah Quinn
Sound Design by Alisdair McGregor
Produced and Directed by Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 Money Box (m000h1md)
Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on personal finance.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (m000h0gw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:30 PM (m000h1ml)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h1mn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 The Wilsons Save the World (b09fzt7j)
Series 1
Approval
A brand new sitcom for BBC Radio 4 written by Marcus Brigstocke and Sarah Morgan and starring Marcus Brigstocke as Mike and Kerry Godliman as his wife Max.
Michael and Maxine Wilson and their teenage daughters, Lola and Cat (plus their bearded dragon Chomsky, and about 150,000 bees) have resolved to live a cleaner, greener, serener life. This is a show about living ethically... whatever that means. Millions of people try every day to make 'good' choices and do the 'right thing', be ethical, charitable and community minded. It's hard. Most of us live with hypocrisy and failure all the time but keep on trying. The Wilsons, good folk that they are, are trying about 20% harder and learning to live with about 19% more failure. They are not giving up.
In this episode the family wrestle with their various need for approval from others as Mike's parents Phillip and Jennifer come to stay.
Producer...Julia McKenzie
Production Coordinator...Tamara Shilham
A BBC Studios Production.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m000h0vb)
Roy remains oblivious and Kirsty finds herself double booked.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m000h1mq)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 19:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h1lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Fallout (m000h1ms)
The Global Economy
Mary Ann Sieghart and a panel of experts discuss the possible long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy.
There are many burning issues for our guests to tackle. How will people in the UK feel the economic impact of the virus in the future? Are we about to experience a financial crash to top 2008? How will the virus exacerbate global inequality? Will the virus kill off globalisation? What will global trade look like now that we've experienced the widespread disruption of supply chains? What will happen to the already fractious relationship between the West and China? Does the virus spell the end of the Euro and even the European Union itself? And in the midst of so much uncertainty and instability, what strategies should we adopt to future-proof the global economy against pandemics and other systemic shocks in the future?
All this and more will be dissected and discussed by economist and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, Editor-in-Chief of the Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes, former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King and Ian Goldin Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (m000h1mv)
Guli Francis-Dehqani - Identity and Community
Lent Talks is a personal perspective on an aspect of the story leading up to Easter. This year’s theme is identity – losing and gaining identity; struggling with identity; accepting and owning identity. Bishop of Loughborough Guli Francis-Dehqani reflects on her journey of identity as an Iranian-born British Christian.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m000h0g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m000h1mj)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m000h1mx)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h1m0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
WED 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (m000h1mz)
Series 5
Labour
By Tim Key
Comedy. Megan has gone into labour and Tim is valiantly ploughing on with the radio show, broadcasting her contractions for all to hear. All except Lord, that is, who looks set to miss the birth of his first child, as he’s trapped in an escape room.
Key…. Tim Key
Lord…. Tom Basden
Megan…. Katy Wix
Bogle…. Bridget Christie
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
WED 23:30 The Untold (m000612g)
Knocking on Britain's Door
Shahrzad was arrested as she worked in her newly opened tattoo parlour and hair salon in Iran. Fearing what might happen, her parents paid smugglers to get her to Europe. So began a two-year journey in which she has faced beatings, rapes and danger at sea when her dinghy started to sink. In this programme she describes what happens as she attempts another crossing of the English Channel and considers what awaits her if her journey is successful.
She and her partner are being helped in France by Rob Lawrie, who distributes warm food and clothing to some of those living in the squalid makeshift refugee camps. Rob has been working with asylum seekers since volunteering at the Calais jungle and believes that the crossings undertaken by those desperate to reach England are undoubtedly putting lives at risk. He counsels Shahrzad against trying by dinghy again: her first attempt caused injuries to her legs as the eight refugee tried desperately to restart the broken boat engine.
Shahrzad says any risks are worth taking because she won't feel safe until she reaches Britain. She is accustomed to danger - having been locked up by smugglers in Greece and beaten by men wanting her to work in the sex industry. When she escaped and reported her smugglers to police, members of the gang came after her – eventually tracking her down to a shelter in Athens and turning up with guns and knives. She wants the chance to start afresh in England and yearns for medical help to heal the facial injuries she suffered from her beatings.
THURSDAY 09 APRIL 2020
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m000h2ty)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 The Passion in Plants (m000h1lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000h1n1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h1n3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h1n5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000h1n9)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with Anna Magnusson.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m000h1nc)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tqcb)
Golden Oriole
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Golden Oriole. Golden orioles look as exotic as they sound. The male is bright yellow with black wings and a reddish bill. The female is more greenish, but both are very hard to see among the fluttering leaves.
THU 06:00 Today (m000h0tm)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m000117y)
Marie Antoinette
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Austrian princess Maria Antonia, child bride of the future French King Louis XVI. Their marriage was an attempt to bring about a major change in the balance of power in Europe and to undermine the influence of Prussia and Great Britain, but she had no say in the matter and was the pawn of her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa. She fulfilled her allotted role of supplying an heir, but was sent to the guillotine in 1793 in the French Revolution, a few months after her husband, following years of attacks on her as a woman who, it was said, betrayed the King and as a foreigner who betrayed France to enemy powers. When not doing these wrongs, she was said to be personally bankrupting France. Her death shocked royal families throughout Europe, and she became a powerful symbol of the consequences of the Revolution.
With
Catriona Seth
Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford
Katherine Astbury
Professor of French Studies at the University of Warwick
and
David McCallam
Reader in French Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Sheffield
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 The Passion in Plants (m000h0tp)
The Crucifixion - the Orchid and the Aspen
The early purple orchid grew at the foot of the cross and was splashed with the blood of Christ, hence the splotches on its leaves.
The Easter story reaches it critical moment with the crucifixion of Christ at Golgotha, the'place of the skull'.
In British folklore several different trees are said to have provided the wood for the cross but none more commonly than the aspen which has ever since been condemned to tremble with remorse. Bob Gilbert and Brother Sam encounter an aspen in an urban park and consider its stories, as well as the wider role of trees in both Christianity and other world religions.
Several other plants, all with spots on their leaves, were said to have grown at the foot of the cross and to be stained by the dripping blood of Christ. Among them were the early purple orchid and the wild arum or cuckoo pint. Bob and Brother Sam find the first spring rosettes of these flowers unfurling beside a country lane before moving on to woodland to seek out the tiny plant whose name encapsulates the dramatic events of the day: the Good Friday plant or moschatel, the 'symbol of Christian watchfulness'.
Presenter: Bob Gilbert
Producer: Julian May
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000h0tr)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 10:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h0tt)
A Vanishing Gleam
Episode Four
A Vanishing Gleam
As Tom and Maggie return to the Mill they know that life will never be the same again for the Tulliver family.
George Eliot, the Narrator ….. Anna Maxwell Martin
Maggie ..... Joanna Vanderham
Tom ..... Will Kirk
Mr Tulliver ….. Roger Ringrose
Mrs Tulliver ….. Alison Belbin
Mrs Moss ….. Heather Craney
Mrs Glegg ….. Elizabeth Counsell,
Mr Glegg ..... John Dougall
Mrs Deane ..... Ell Potter
Written by George Eliot
Adapted by Rhiannon Tise
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m000h0tw)
Riding the 'Motel 22'
California is one of the wealthiest states in America yet it has the largest population of homeless people – more than 151,000 - in the US. In the Silicon Valley many find shelter on the bus route 22 which runs an endless loop from Palo Alto to the Valley’s biggest city, San Jose. Along the way it passes some of the world’s biggest tech giants: Google, Apple, Hewlett-Packart and Facebook. It is the Valley’s only all night bus and many of its nighttime passengers ride to keep warm and sleep. Now the state is in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic many homeless passengers ride the bus during the day to stay off the streets. For Crossing Continents, Sarah Svoboda takes a ride on the bus, known to many as Motel 22, to hear the stories of its travellers.
Reporter/producer: Sarah Svoboda
Editor: Bridget Harney
THU 11:30 The Art of Raising a Child (m000h1sc)
To survive and thrive in an uncertain world, our children need to be creative and resilient. But how do you build these things? What does it take to make creativity a life skill and where might such a skill take a child in later life?
These are the questions at the heart of an ambitious new project underway in Leicester on behalf of the Arts Council. It's called Talent 25 and will track hundreds of babies and their families from birth to their twenty fifth birthdays. Academics from De Montfort University will chart how various creative activities affect the children's income, well-being and abilities in later life.
Lindsey Chapman meets parents and babies from some of Leicester's most diverse and economically challenged areas. They talk about how to play without toys, how to encourage children to amuse themselves creatively and how their parenting has already changed in year one.
Producer: Olive Clancy
THU 12:00 News Summary (m000h0ty)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hcjc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 12:06 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h0v0)
4. Migrantes
Jeanine Cummins' heart-stopping and heart-rending novel following a mother and son, forced to flee the Mexican cartel that massacred their family.
Today: Lydia and Luca's possible routes north are running out. Will they really resort to the horrors of La Bestia, the train that migrants take in their desperate journey north?
Writer: Jeanine Cummins
Reader: Yolanda Vazquez
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
THU 12:20 You and Yours (m000h0v2)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
THU 12:57 Weather (m000h0v4)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m000h0v6)
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 Ingenious (m000h0v8)
The Alzheimer's Gene
Alzheimer's is a devastating disease - so would you want to know whether it lies in your future? Some online tests say they can tell you how likely you are to develop it, based on which version you have of a single gene. But can we really believe the stats? Would you want to know your own risk level? And what good, bad - and just plain weird - responses do people have to finding out?
Dr Kat Arney makes up her mind about whether to take the test, with the help of social scientist Dr Richard Milne and genetic counsellor Professor Anna Middleton.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
THU 14:00 The Archers (m000h0vb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (m00017sz)
Stories from Hay el Matar
The Bomb
Drama from Syria. Love, money and radicalisation in contemporary Damascus.
For the poorest living in Damascus, there is precious little choice. Nidal is a teenage boy who would have little to look forward to – but he is in love. His neighbour, Hadeel, is from a displaced family who are only just making ends meet so, when the rich businessman Abou Jameel becomes interested in her, the family only see one course of action.
This is not only a love story, but also an exploration of the root causes of radicalisation among young people.
Stories From Hay El Matar is a uniquely authentic drama series that takes place in a fictional suburb of Damascus. It is made by a team of Syrian and Lebanese artists working with British director Boz Temple-Morris, and is recorded in Beirut, Lebanon.
Each story in the series takes place at the same point in time, exploring a different part of the community. They are adapted from the Arabic language radio drama, Hay El Matar, produced by BBC Media Action, which provides a balanced and authentic depiction of everyday events for people inside Syria. It ran for one season of 150 episodes between 2016 and 2017and aimed to humanise opposing groups by countering stereotypes and providing balanced and authentic depictions of the various groups and situations across Syrian society. It included detailed consideration of issues such as early marriage and radicalisation as well as many issues around day to day living.
Stories from Hay El Matar is written in Arabic by Syrian writer Hozan Akko, and adapted into English by actor and dramatist Raffi Feghali. It offers a rare glimpse of how normal life is lived in Syria through these extraordinary times and features a cast of actors from Syria and Lebanon, many of whom are themselves living through the kinds of events depicted in the drama.
Cast:
Nidal Odai Quedese
Hadeel Nesrine Abi Samra
Rashed Hashem Kabrit
Azzam Bassel Madi
Shukri Abdelrahim Alawji
Rabab Nowar Yousef
Assaf Oussama el Ali
Souad Maya Harb
Toufik Saseen Kawzally
Abou Jameel Marcel Bou Chakra
Jack Alhasan Yousseff
Amer Adeeb Razzouk
Mandour Elie Youssef
Ghali Hussam Sharwany
Studio recording Karim Beidoun, Guerilla Studios
Spot effects Layal Salman
Sound editing Alisdair McGregor
Music Ziad Ahmadiye
Adaptation Raffi Feghali
Writer Hozan Akko
Producer and Director Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4
THU 15:00 Open Country (m000h0vd)
Small Fish - Big Project
How a little known fish, rare and remarkable, is driving a huge project on the River Severn.
Weirs may look dramatic and sound wonderful but, for fish, they are nothing more than a barrier, preventing progress upstream. That's why you'll see anglers, both human and heron, hanging around weirs for an easy-ish catch. One fish in particular, previously found in healthy numbers on the Severn, has suffered. It's the Twaite Shad, sleek and fast, but not fond of leaping. However, a project called Unlocking the Severn is well underway to install gigantic fish-passes at four weirs. These will allow the Twaite Shad to swim through and reach their spawning grounds in significant numbers for the first time since the Victorians installed weirs to improve navigation during the industrial revolution.
Because of Covid19, the sound-quality of this programme will be a little different: all the interviewees recorded themselves, on their phone voice-recorders, in their own homes... many thanks to each of them for persevering!
See the 'related links' box below for more info on the entire Unlocking the Severn project.
Producer/Presenter: Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m000h0vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (m000h0vj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m000h0vl)
I Am Spartacus
With Francine Stock.
"I Am Spartacus" is one of the most famous lines in film history and Francine tells the backstory of that line and how it involved the so-called Hollywood witch-hunt. She hears from actor Kerry Shale and historians Pamela Hutchinson and Colin Shindler.
THU 16:30 PM (m000h0vq)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h0vs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Ability (b0b1srpp)
Series 1
Episode 2
Matt is 25. He has cerebral palsy and can only speak via an app on his iPad. Everyone who cares about Matt knows that this isn't the defining thing about him. He is funny and clever and "up for stuff" - partly because he is keen to show that there's nothing he can't do, but also because, if he's honest, he's aware that he's less likely than other people to get the blame.
Now Matt's left home for the first time and moved in to share a flat with his best mate, Jess. But when Bob (Allan Mustafa) shows up as the new carer, the fun really starts. Bob is new to the job and, although willing, domestic duties are not really his forte. He's better at selling weed and dealing in knocked off iPads.
But he likes Matt and treats him like a real person. So, as far as Matt is concerned, Bob is here to stay.
Ability is the semi-autobiographical co-creation of Lee Ridley, otherwise known as Lost Voice Guy. Like his sitcom creation, Lee has cerebral palsy and can only speak via an app. Lost Voice Guy is - probably - the first stand up comedian to use a communication aid. He won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2014, has done three full Edinburgh shows and been tour support for Ross Noble, Patrick Kielty and Jason Cook. Lee has previously worked for Sunderland City Council's communications team, and the BBC in Newcastle and London as well, as various local newspapers.
Katherine Jakeways is the co-creator and co-writer of Ability. Katherine is a multi-award nominated writer. She has written North by Northamptonshire, Guilt Trip and All Those Women for BBC Radio 4 as well as numerous radio plays. She has also written for Crackanory and The Tracey Ullman Show for TV along with a BBC 1 pilot, Carol and Vinney.
A Funny Bones production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (m000h0vw)
Writer, Naylah Ahmed & Keri Davies
Director, Dave Payne & Rosemary Watts
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Pip Archer.... Daisy Badger
Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge .... Angela Piper
Phoebe Aldridge.... Lucy Morris
Lilian Bellamy ….. Sunny Ormonde
Rex Fairbrother .... Nick Barber
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd .... Michael Lumsden
Adam Macy .... Andrew Wincott
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Robert Snell ….. Graham Blockey
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell
Philip Moss ….. Andy Hockley
Gavin Moss ….. Gareth Pierce
Lee Bryce ... Ryan Early
Blake ….. Luke MacGregor
THU 19:15 Front Row (m000h0vy)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
THU 19:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h0tt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m000h0w0)
Combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations.
THU 20:30 In Business (m000h0w2)
Could carbon offsetting save the world’s forests?
Honey bees, cow dung and mulch - the company in Zimbabwe that is protecting the forests in order to offset carbon emissions. As Charlotte Ashton wrestles with ‘flight shame’, she wants to find out where her money goes if she chooses to offset her flight. She lives in Zimbabwe, but is from the UK and doesn’t have the money or time to spend three weeks at sea, sailing home to visit relatives. She focuses on a company based in Zimbabwe that runs one of the largest projects of its kind in the world and discovers how carbon credits work. Carbon Green Africa’s project focuses on protecting existing forests, rather than planting new trees and her journey takes her to some surprising places. In a programme recorded last November, Charlotte finds that preventing deforestation not only helps her offset her carbon emissions, but helps give people in a remote part of Zimbabwe new jobs and access to international markets.
Guests: Charles Ndondo and Rory Muil, Carbon Green Africa
Christian Dannecker, South Pole
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton
Producer: Phoebe Keane
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m000h0vn)
Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world
THU 21:30 More or Less (m000h6cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m000h0w4)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h0v0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
THU 23:00 Now Wash Your Hands (m000h6cd)
Episode 2
Comedy corona-cast as Jon Holmes, Jake Yapp, Salma Shah and Natt Tapley drop in on isolated home-bound guests.
THU 23:30 The Untold (m00066xz)
Can I say bye to Dad?
Hayley is a self-confessed Disney addict and at 25 is adamant it’s not just for kids – regularly posting on her YouTube channel about her love for it all.
She was working at Disney World in Florida when she got a call to say her 60-year-old dad has a rare form of dementia. Two years on and his condition has worsened at a time when Hayley is thinking about moving back to the US.
“I have to treat him as two separate people - my dad is gone but Kevin is still here. I love the old him so much but he's now hard to love.”
Over the course of a year we hear how Hayley deals with her dad’s decline – something she finds hard for her friends to relate to - as she battles with the decision of whether or not to go back to her dream job.
If she goes it could be the last time she sees her dad. Can she say goodbye to him?
Producer: Daniel Rosney
FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2020
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m000h2v0)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 The Passion in Plants (m000h0tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000h0w6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000h0w8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000h0wb)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000h0wg)
Spiritual reflection to start the day with Anna Magnusson.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m000h0wj)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tqln)
Lesser Whitethroat
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Kresovnikoff presents the Lesser Whitethroat. A loud rattling song from a roadside hedge announces that Lesser whitethroats are back from their African winter homes.
FRI 06:00 Today (m000h25b)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (m000h25d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 The Passion in Plants (m000h25g)
The Resurrection - Pearlwort, Touch-me-not and the Alleluia Flower
diminutive wood sorrel flowers at Easter and so is called the Alleluia Flower.
In the final episode of the Passion in Plants, the urban naturalist Bob Gilbert and his friend, the Franciscan friar Brother Sam, celebrate the culmination of the Easter story, seeking out the plants associated with the Resurrection.
As Christ rises from the tomb it is the pearlwort, according to Gaelic legend, that is there to cushion his first footfall. Bob and Sam find this diminutive plant in the cracks between paving stones in an East London street.
One of the most beautiful stories of the Resurrection is that of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Christ and mistaking him for the gardener. As she reaches out to towards him he tells her not to touch him. This Biblical story is told again in the name of the 'touch-me-not' balsam. Rare and late flowering, Bob and Brother Sam have to resort to the herbarium at Kew Gardens to see a specimen.
In the culmination of the story, they do, however, manage to find in the woods at Hilfield friary, the beautiful wood sorrel. Flowering at Easter, it is known as the 'Alleluia plant'.
Peresenter: Bob Gilbert
Producer: Julian May
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000h25j)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 10:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h25l)
Daylight on the Wreak
Episode Five
Daylight on the Wreak
Dark times lie ahead. Maggie is angry that the family are not prepared to do more for the Tullivers but Tom is determined to put things right.
George Eliot, the Narrator ….. Anna Maxwell Martin
Maggie ..... Joanna Vanderham
Tom ..... Will Kirk
Mr Tulliver ….. Roger Ringrose
Mrs Tulliver ….. Alison Belbin
Mr Wakem ….. John Dougall
Mr Deane ..... John Lightbody
Luke/Bob ….. Kurtis Lowe
Written by George Eliot
Adapted by Rhiannon Tise
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
FRI 11:00 Science Stories (b05y0ql5)
Series 1
The engine that ran out of steam
The engine that nearly ran out of steam.
Naomi Alderman tells the story of James Watt and the steam engine that nearly never got made. A breath of steam hits cold metal. It cools suddenly and becomes a drop of water. There's an idea. But the designs for Watt’s radically more efficient steam engine lay on the shelf in his workshop for years. Watt, a depressive, cautious perfectionist, had no interest in actually making engines. Had it not been for his friend the businessmen Matthew Boulton driving him on, his engine might never have left the drawing board. Naomi talks to historian Jenny Uglow about the five friends who kickstarted the Industrial Revolution, and, in this era of patent trolls, to digital guru Bill Thompson about the scientific legacy of Watt’s obsession with getting a patent - an obsession which led to an Act of Parliament.
Producer: Anna Buckley
FRI 11:30 It's a Fair Cop (m000h25q)
Series 5
Wild Westwood
For this week's real case, Alfie goes back to his time on the beat in Scunthorpe for a story about anti-social behaviour and the ever divisive ASBO.
Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m000h25s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hcll)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 12:06 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h25v)
5. La Bestia
Jeanine Cummins' heart-stopping and heart-rending novel following a mother and son, forced to flee the Mexican cartel that massacred their family.
Today: 6 days into their journey, Lydia and Luca are making progress. But the only option left to them is La Bestia, the train that migrants board to cross Mexico. Can Lydia really let her 8-year-old jump onto a moving train?
Writer: Jeanine Cummins
Reader: Yolanda Vazquez
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
FRI 12:20 You and Yours (m000h25x)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
FRI 12:57 Weather (m000h25z)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m000h261)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 Ingenious (m000h263)
The Cyclops Gene
What links cyclops lambs, poisonous flowers, and six-toed cats? They're all involved in the story of a gene called Sonic Hedgehog - yes, that is its real name – which has its genetic fingers in all kinds of developmental processes. Sonic Hedgehog helps to decide how many bits you have, where they go, and whether you’re symmetrical, so it’s not surprising that when Sonic makes mistakes there can be serious consequences. We take a look at the mind-bogglingly intricate process of creating a body, and the key role our favourite blue hero plays in making sure everything goes to plan.
Dr Kat Arney is joined by hedgehog experts Dr Bob Riddle of the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Professor Robert Hill of Edinburgh University, and Dr Natalia Riobo-Del Galdo of Leeds University.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m000h0vw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (m000h265)
Marian and George
Marian Evans (aka George Eliot) has to make an impossible choice – between the brother she loves and the love of her life, between respectability and social scandal, between duty and the freedom to write. Lia Williams and Tom Goodman-Hill star in Anna Linstrum's biographical drama.
Directed by Emma Harding
Marian.....Lia Williams
George Henry Lewes.....Tom Goodman-Hill
Isaac.....John Lightbody
Young Mary Anne.....Maddie Evans
Young Isaac....Aaron Gelkoff
Chapman.....Sargon Yelda
Elisabeth/ Mrs Evans.....Maggie Service
Susannah.....Bettrys Jones
Printer/ Porter.....Hasan Dixon
FRI 15:00 Good Friday Meditation (m000h267)
Baptist minister the Revd Richard Littledale presents a personal reflection for Good Friday. Richard considers why Christians see beauty and love in an instrument of torture central to their faith – the cross. Richard meets artists and commentators whose work has been much affected by this iconic Christian imagery. Historian Iszi Lawrence finds the cross a challenging image which nonetheless has influenced the whole iconography of Western art. Neil McGregor has been enthralled by Salvador Dali’s depiction of the cross since he was a boy. Producer: Andrew Earis.
FRI 15:30 The Extinction Tapes (m000b0c1)
Miss Waldron's Red Colubus
Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.
Miss Waldron's Red Colobus was a black and russet-coloured West African monkey, living in the treetops in large, sociable troops, when human activity began to encroach on their land, and their way of life.
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m000h26b)
This Is Somewhere Else
"I don’t know if it’s the schnapps that hits me or Gabriella’s pointed question but my head starts to spin. Why do I want to be Romanian? Is it possible that I just want it, not that I actually am?” Original short story for radio, written and read by Henry C. Krempels. Produced by Becky Ripley.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000h26d)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m000h26g)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience
FRI 17:00 PM (m000h26l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000h26n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m000h26q)
Series 56
Episode 6
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis get to grips with the continuing COVID-19 lock-down and disruption with sketches and guests.
With comedians Zoe Lyons, Scott Bennett, George Fouracres and Jess Robinson.
Written by the cast, with additional material from Catherine Brinkworth, Gareth Gwynn, Hannah Platt and Simon Alcock.
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 Front Row (m000h26v)
Martin Scorsese
Masculinity, music, violence, guilt and redemption: one of the all-time great Hollywood directors Martin Scorsese in conversation about his latest film, The Irishman, and the themes that have fascinated and inspired him through his movie-making career.
Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Sarah Johnson
FRI 19:45 The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (m000h25l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000h26x)
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from venues around the UK.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000h26z)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.
FRI 21:00 Ingenious (m000h271)
The Omnibus Edition
Take a deep dive into what you’re made of, as Dr Kat Arney tells the unexpected story of four pieces of human DNA: the ginger gene, the breast cancer gene, the milkshake gene, and the cyclops gene.
People have never been so well informed about their DNA, with tens of millions of home genetic testing kits sold. But behind each of your 20,000 genes is a fascinating story - one that’s being added to every day, as genetics remains on the cutting edge of innovation.
Combining history, archive, anthropology, comedy - and of course, lots of lovely science - we finally give these crucial substances the attention they deserve.
Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000h273)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins (m000h25v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m000h0gb)
Rick Stein on Jim Morrison
As a twenty-one year old man travelling the world, a young Rick Stein discovered The Doors and became fascinated by the band's lead singer, Jim Morrison. Over the subsequent fifty years, the life and legend of one of rock and roll's brightest stars had a lasting impact on the restauranteur. Joining Matthew Parris and Rick Stein to uncover the mysteries of Jim's life is the broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, who found The Doors when he was a student radio disc jockey at university. With contributions from Frank Lisciandro, filmmaker and friend of Jim, and Kirsten Norrie, poet and singer.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
FRI 23:25 The Untold (m000c4v8)
The Drag Queen and the Dictionary
Lacey is a drag queen. Her drag persona is Lacey-Lou, a pink, over the top, ultra fem with lots of feathers, pearls and lace. Lacey is also a woman and although she's been doing drag for seven years, she's been dogged by critics who screen-shot the dictionary definition to prove that drag is for men only. So Lacey approaches the Oxford English Dictionary in an attempt to get the dictionary definition changed, to remove its gender specificity and to give her detractors one less thing to throw at her and the many other female, trans and non-binary queens. But will she succeed?
Producer: Sara Conkey
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m000h276)
Capturing the nation in conversation to build a unique picture of our lives today and preserve it for future generations
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (m000gvn6)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (m000h26z)
Ability
18:30 THU (b0b1srpp)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
12:06 MON (m000h2cf)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
22:45 MON (m000h2cf)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
12:06 TUE (m000h0fm)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
22:45 TUE (m000h0fm)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
12:06 WED (m000h1m0)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
22:45 WED (m000h1m0)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
12:06 THU (m000h0v0)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
22:45 THU (m000h0v0)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
12:06 FRI (m000h25v)
American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
22:45 FRI (m000h25v)
Annika Stranded
21:45 SAT (m0007b5b)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (m000h1g0)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (m000gvn4)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (m000h26x)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (m000h1gn)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (m000h0vn)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (m000h1h3)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (m000h1h3)
Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History
09:00 TUE (m000h0f2)
Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History
21:30 TUE (m000h0f2)
Book of the Week
00:30 SAT (b017mwz2)
Bookclub
16:00 SUN (m000h0vj)
Bookclub
15:30 THU (m000h0vj)
Brain of Britain
15:00 MON (m000h2ct)
Breaking Our Silence
16:30 SUN (m000h297)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (m000h28n)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (m000h0g6)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (m000h0g6)
Crossing Continents
20:30 MON (m000gvc3)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (m000h0tw)
Day Release
21:00 SAT (b075thgc)
Don't Log Off
00:15 SUN (m000h9hc)
Don't Log Off
11:00 WED (m000h9jf)
Drama
15:00 SAT (m000h1g2)
Drama
15:00 SUN (m000h295)
Drama
14:15 TUE (m000h0g2)
Drama
14:15 WED (m000h1mb)
Drama
14:15 THU (m00017sz)
Drama
14:15 FRI (m000h265)
Ellie Taylor's Safe Space
18:30 TUE (m000h0gj)
Fallout
22:15 SAT (m000gztl)
Fallout
20:00 WED (m000h1ms)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (m000h1ff)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (m000h2b3)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (m000h2ds)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (m000h0hf)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (m000h1nc)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (m000h0wj)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (m000gvmn)
Feedback
16:30 FRI (m000h26g)
Fighting Talk: How Language Can Make Us Better
21:00 MON (m0001g8w)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (m000h1fp)
Front Row
19:15 MON (m000h2d5)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (m000h0gp)
Front Row
19:15 WED (m000h1mq)
Front Row
19:15 THU (m000h0vy)
Front Row
19:00 FRI (m000h26v)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (m000gvmg)
Good Friday Meditation
15:00 FRI (m000h267)
Great Lives
23:00 FRI (m000h0gb)
Halal If You Hear Me
23:30 SAT (m000gt7y)
Hidden Children of the Church
17:00 SUN (m000gtnw)
In Business
21:30 SUN (m000gvd3)
In Business
20:30 THU (m000h0w2)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (m000117y)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (m000h0gt)
Ingenious
13:45 MON (m000h2cp)
Ingenious
13:45 TUE (m000h0fx)
Ingenious
13:45 WED (m000h1m8)
Ingenious
13:45 THU (m000h0v8)
Ingenious
13:45 FRI (m000h263)
Ingenious
21:00 FRI (m000h271)
Inside Health
21:00 TUE (m000h0gw)
Inside Health
15:30 WED (m000h0gw)
It's a Fair Cop
11:30 FRI (m000h25q)
Just a Minute
19:15 SUN (m000h9y5)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (m000gvml)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (m000h26d)
Left Out of Power
20:00 TUE (m000h0gr)
Lent Talks
05:45 SUN (m000gsmb)
Lent Talks
20:45 WED (m000h1mv)
Lights Out
23:00 MON (m000h2db)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (m000h1gg)
Loose Ends
11:30 MON (m000h1gg)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (m000gvnf)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (m000h1gs)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (m000h29q)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (m000h2dd)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (m000h204)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (m000h2ty)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (m000h2v0)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (m000h1ft)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (m000h1ft)
Money Box
15:00 WED (m000h1md)
More or Less
09:00 WED (m000h6cb)
More or Less
21:30 THU (m000h6cb)
My Final Wish
16:00 TUE (m000h0g8)
Natural Histories
06:35 SUN (b07dlwwb)
New Irish Writing
19:45 SUN (b03yqyzk)
New Storytellers
09:30 TUE (m00076tw)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (m000h1fr)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (m000h28s)
News Summary
12:00 MON (m000h2cc)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (m000h0fk)
News Summary
12:00 WED (m000h1ly)
News Summary
12:00 THU (m000h0ty)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (m000h25s)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (m000h1fc)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (m000h28b)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (m000h28j)
News
13:00 SAT (m000h1fy)
News
22:00 SAT (m000h1gq)
News
06:00 SUN (m000h285)
Now Wash Your Hands
23:00 THU (m000h6cd)
One to One
05:45 SAT (m000dpj4)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (m000gvck)
Open Country
15:00 THU (m000h0vd)
PM
17:00 SAT (m000h1g6)
PM
16:30 MON (m000h2cz)
PM
16:30 TUE (m000h0gd)
PM
16:30 WED (m000h1ml)
PM
16:30 THU (m000h0vq)
PM
17:00 FRI (m000h26l)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (m000h29h)
Plum House
11:30 WED (m000h1lw)
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
13:30 SUN (m000h9r0)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (m000gvnr)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (m000h2b1)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (m000h2dq)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (m000h0hc)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (m000h1n9)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (m000h0wg)
Profile
19:00 SAT (m000h1gj)
Profile
17:40 SUN (m000h1gj)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (m000h0vg)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:25 SUN (m000h0vg)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (m000h0vg)
Return to the Calais Jungle
20:00 MON (m000h1lt)
Round Britain Quiz
23:00 SAT (m000gt5h)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (m000h1fm)
Science Stories
11:00 FRI (b05y0ql5)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (m000gvnk)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (m000h1gx)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (m000h29v)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (m000h2dj)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (m000h0h5)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (m000h1n3)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (m000h0w8)
Shipping Forecast
00:45 SAT (m000gvnh)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 SAT (m000gvnm)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (m000h1g8)
Shipping Forecast
00:45 SUN (m000h1gv)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 SUN (m000h1gz)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (m000h299)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (m000h29s)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 MON (m000h29x)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 MON (m000hcjf)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (m000h2dg)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 TUE (m000h2dl)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 TUE (m000hcjk)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (m000h0h3)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 WED (m000h0h7)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 WED (m000hcj9)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (m000h1n1)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 THU (m000h1n5)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 THU (m000hcjc)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (m000h0w6)
Shipping Forecast
05:33 FRI (m000h0wb)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 FRI (m000hcll)
Short Works
11:45 SUN (m000gvmj)
Short Works
15:45 FRI (m000h26b)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (m000h1gd)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (m000h29f)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (m000h2d1)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (m000h0gg)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (m000h1mn)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (m000h0vs)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (m000h26n)
Sketchtopia
23:00 TUE (m000h0h0)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b087pdt9)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b087pdt9)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (m000h2c0)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (m000h2c0)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (m000h28l)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (m000h28d)
Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones!
12:04 SUN (m000gt6b)
Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones!
18:30 MON (m000h2d3)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (m000h28q)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (m000h29k)
The Archers
14:00 MON (m000h29k)
The Archers
19:00 MON (m000h0g0)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (m000h0g0)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (m000h0gm)
The Archers
14:00 WED (m000h0gm)
The Archers
19:00 WED (m000h0vb)
The Archers
14:00 THU (m000h0vb)
The Archers
19:00 THU (m000h0vw)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (m000h0vw)
The Art of Raising a Child
11:30 THU (m000h1sc)
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?
09:30 WED (m000gskt)
The Briefing Room
11:00 SAT (m000gvd1)
The Briefing Room
20:00 THU (m000h0w0)
The Extinction Tapes
15:30 FRI (m000b0c1)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (m000gvcm)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (m000h0vl)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (m000h28v)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (m000h28v)
The Inquiry
17:30 SAT (m000hfhn)
The Kitchen Cabinet
10:30 SAT (m000h0g4)
The Kitchen Cabinet
15:00 TUE (m000h0g4)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (m000h293)
The Listening Project
10:55 WED (m000h1lr)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (m000h276)
The Media Show
21:30 WED (m000h1mj)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
10:45 MON (m000h2c6)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
19:45 MON (m000h2c6)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
10:45 TUE (m000h0fb)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
19:45 TUE (m000h0fb)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
10:41 WED (m000h1lp)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
19:45 WED (m000h1lp)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
10:45 THU (m000h0tt)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
19:45 THU (m000h0tt)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
10:45 FRI (m000h25l)
The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
19:45 FRI (m000h25l)
The NHS Front Line
11:00 TUE (m000h65w)
The New Lyrical Ballads
11:30 TUE (m000h0fh)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (m000gvmx)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (m000h26q)
The Passion in Plants
09:45 MON (m000h2c2)
The Passion in Plants
00:30 TUE (m000h2c2)
The Passion in Plants
09:45 TUE (m000h0f5)
The Passion in Plants
00:30 WED (m000h0f5)
The Passion in Plants
09:45 WED (m000h1lk)
The Passion in Plants
00:30 THU (m000h1lk)
The Passion in Plants
09:45 THU (m000h0tp)
The Passion in Plants
00:30 FRI (m000h0tp)
The Passion in Plants
09:45 FRI (m000h25g)
The Reith Lectures
19:15 SAT (b03dsk4d)
The Reunion
11:00 SUN (m000h25d)
The Reunion
09:00 FRI (m000h25d)
The Untold
11:00 MON (m000h2c8)
The Untold
23:30 MON (m0002g7s)
The Untold
23:30 TUE (m0005f2x)
The Untold
23:30 WED (m000612g)
The Untold
23:30 THU (m00066xz)
The Untold
23:25 FRI (m000c4v8)
The Wilsons Save the World
18:30 WED (b09fzt7j)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (m000h28z)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (m000h2d8)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (m000h0gy)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (m000h1mx)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (m000h0w4)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (m000h273)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (m0002ml7)
This Thing of Darkness
14:15 MON (m000h2cr)
Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme
23:00 WED (m000h1mz)
Today
07:00 SAT (m000h1fk)
Today
06:00 MON (m000h2by)
Today
06:00 TUE (m000h0f0)
Today
06:00 WED (m000h1lc)
Today
06:00 THU (m000h0tm)
Today
06:00 FRI (m000h25b)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b020tpmn)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b020tppv)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b020tpqx)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b020tq6h)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b020tqcb)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b020tqln)
Weather
06:57 SAT (m000h1fh)
Weather
12:57 SAT (m000h1fw)
Weather
17:57 SAT (m000h1gb)
Weather
06:57 SUN (m000h288)
Weather
07:57 SUN (m000h28g)
Weather
12:57 SUN (m000h28x)
Weather
17:57 SUN (m000h29c)
Weather
05:56 MON (m000h2b5)
Weather
12:57 MON (m000h2ck)
Weather
12:57 TUE (m000h0fs)
Weather
12:57 WED (m000h1m4)
Weather
12:57 THU (m000h0v4)
Weather
12:57 FRI (m000h25z)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (m000h29n)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (m000h1g4)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (m000h2c4)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (m000h0f8)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (m000h1lm)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (m000h0tr)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (m000h25j)
World at One
13:00 MON (m000h2cm)
World at One
13:00 TUE (m000h0fv)
World at One
13:00 WED (m000h1m6)
World at One
13:00 THU (m000h0v6)
World at One
13:00 FRI (m000h261)
You and Yours
12:20 MON (m000h2ch)
You and Yours
12:20 TUE (m000h0fq)
You and Yours
12:20 WED (m000h1m2)
You and Yours
12:20 THU (m000h0v2)
You and Yours
12:20 FRI (m000h25x)