Craig Brown presents a series of kaleidoscopic glimpses of The Beatles through time. Drawing on interviews, diaries, anecdotes, memoirs and gossip, he offers an entertaining series of vignettes that capture the mood of an era.
It’s a journey that takes us from 9th November 1961 when Brian Epstein first heard the four young men in a sweaty basement, via their mop top haircuts, to the jaw-dropping prices paid for the most trivial of memorabilia. And along the way there is the music, always the exuberant, the playful and ever-changing music.
In the final episode - it’s hard to pinpoint whose idea it was but the characteristic moptop became a Beatles trademark, spawning thousands of imitation wigs. Their legacy lives on in unexpected ways.
Extract from the HarperCollins audiobook read by Craig Brown used by kind permission of the publishers
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr. Joel Edwards
Today, Christians around the world are preparing for one of the most important celebrations in the calendar. For tomorrow is Palm Sunday.
In the New Testament all four Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed donkey, Jesus’ procession into the capital city is marked by jubilant crowds spreading palm leaves in his path. It’s a red-carpet moment in which the people are clearly convinced that they found a new king.
But there was nothing in Jesus’ response which reciprocated their expectations of him. He was not drawn by the adulation, for Jesus was more preoccupied by the prospects of crucifixion than exuberant praise.
As Oscar Romero the martyred Salvadorian Bishop once said, ‘First persecution tries to flatter, to tame; and if you bow to this flattery, then there is no need for persecution, you are already defeated.’
Palm Sunday, is a silver curtain between the weeks of personal sacrifices during Lent and the Easter Story itself. It’s the realisation that the credibility of the Christian story rests on the historicity of the events which will follow: injustice, infamy, vulnerability, torture, desertion and ultimately crucifixion. Our very darkest experiences have already been included in the Story.
Dear Lord , as we approach Holy Week, our hearts cry out, Hosanna! In this Holy Week, inspire us to serve those whose lives seek even deeper meaning. For Jesus’ sake.
AstraZeneca's CEO faces scrutiny as his company's vaccine, and its roll out, comes under fire. Mark Coles explores the life and career one of big pharma's biggest names.
The oldest of four boys, Pascal Soriot grew up in a working class area of Paris. He took the helm at AZ in 2012 after years in top jobs across the world. One of his first challenges was to fight off a takeover from Pfizer. The AZ vaccine, currently not-for-profit, was hailed as a life saver for millions. But with accusations of confusing drug trial data, dishonest dealings with the EU and safety fears, has the AstraZeneca CEO lost his shine?
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
Glass artist, Arabella Marshall, takes Clare for a walk at Minsmere in Suffolk. Their focus is an old chapel ‘bleak and broken’ which provided Arabella with the inspiration for a major work of art: a new stained-glass window fitted into one of the ruin’s old apertures. It’s a striking modern feature in the abandoned building. The idea came to her when out walking which, alongside her artistic practice, is the thing she loves best in life. She says rambling alone provides creative inspiration and a space for problem solving.
27/03/21 Farming Today This Week: plans to ban lead shot, weeds are winning, pandemic and the food chain
The government is to phase out the use of lead shot, in a bid to protect wildlife and nature.
New evidence from the world’s longest running experiment at Rothamsted Research, shows the threat to food crops from weeds is greater than ever before.
And Henry Dimbleby, the man currently leading the National Food Strategy, says the effects of the pandemic have had an impact on the whole food chain.
Composer, musician and producer Nitin Sawhney has just released his 11th studio album ‘Immigrants’ and has scored over 50 films and televisions programmes. He joins Suzi Klein and Nikki Bedi to discuss his life, his multi-award-winning music and how he manages to work across the worlds of music, film, video games, dance and theatre.
Jeanne Socrates is a retired maths lecturer who battled through cyclones, the loss of her husband and broken bones to become the oldest person to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world in 2019. She’s recently completed a solo campervan tour of Australia and is looking to continue her sailing adventures once the pandemic ends.
Ravinder Bhogal is a former beauty journalist who swapped eyeshadow palettes for pots and pans as an award-winning restaurateur and food writer. She crosses multiple cultures through her recipes and her second cookbook Jikoni was shortlisted for the André Simon prize.
Melissa Rice was a well-presented schoolteacher in her twenties who was privately suffering from mental health problems, Crohn’s disease and alcoholism. After entering recovery from alcohol abuse, Melissa went on to co-host Hooked, a BBC podcast about addiction, and has written Sobering: Lessons Learnt the Hard Way on Drinking, Thinking and Quitting.
David Mitchell started the series as a meetings sceptic. Has he been converted? In the last episode in the series, David is joined by Professor Margaret Macmillan to tackle one of history's biggest meetings - the 1919 Paris Conference. We learn there's nothing new about management away-days or brainstorming sessions - they were being used a hundred years ago.
Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world
All too often we hear about fraudsters using the phone to trick victims into handing over thousands or tens of thousands of pounds and destroying lives in the process. But how often to we get to hear an actual recording of these criminals in action? We play a recording of a fraud call in progress because a criminal made the terrible mistake of calling our Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth. Paul Lewis talks to Graeme Biggar, Director General of National Economic Crime Centre for the National Crime Agency and MP Steve Baker, who's a member of the Treasury Select Committee.
The Government plans to put more regulations in place to address the widespread concerns about the poor practice and behaviour of private car parking operators.
A new code of practice will be drawn up, with the system being introduced by the middle of next year. Paul talks to Steve Clark, Director of Operations and Business Development, British Parking Association.
The FCA says it has no current plans to take further regulatory action against a compensation scheme set up by the guarantor loans lender Amigo - despite admitting the scheme might not be compatible with its current rules. Sara Williams, founder of the debt advice website Debt Camel, talks us through the latest developments.
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches in front of a remote audience - and all from their own home!
Joining them from a safe distance is Dane Baptiste and Janine Harouni with music supplied by Rachel Parris .
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion with the Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC MP, the Telegraph columnist and parliamentary sketchwriter Madeline Grant, the SNP Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture Fiona Hyslop and the Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens MP.
Lent Talks is a personal reflection inspired by an aspect of the story leading up to Easter. This year’s theme is ‘hope as an active virtue’. Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, a gendarme, was killed three years ago by an ISIS gunman in a French supermarket after taking the place of a hostage. On the third anniversary of his death, The Reverend Dr Lucy Winkett tells his story with reflections from his widow Marielle Beltrame.
Mandy ..... Rebecca Front
Ben ..... Billy Howle
Cassie ..... Cecilia Appiah
Mo ..... Calvin Demba
When Ben takes his girlfriend back home he finds his mother has taken in a childhood friend and is about to disinherit Ben in his friend’s favour, hoping her act of charity will correct past sins. But the more the group unpick her choice, the more Ben’s mother finds herself unable to disentangle herself from a web of historic power, privilege and entitlement.
Al Smith is an award winning playwright. His radio series Life Lines has won every major UK audio award. He was nominated for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the 2017 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Weekend Woman's Hour - Lockdown anniversary, Cryptocurrencies & Portraits of women
Last week marked the first anniversary of lockdown. We hear from three women of different ages, backgrounds and circumstances to discuss their experiences of having to stay at home. Actor and author Sheila Hancock and writers Kerry Hudson and Yasmin Rahman tell us about their highs and lows.
Friday marks 50 years of Bangladesh Independence. The BBC Asian Network presenter Nadia Ali and Shaz Aberdean, a community worker in Swansea tell us about the celebrations.
We discuss the ins and outs of cryptocurrencies and why young women are choosing to invest in these more than ever before with money expert Jasmine Birtles and Susannah Streeter a senior investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Last year the National Crime Agency assessed there were at least 300,000 individuals posing a sexual threat to children in the UK and warned of a spike in online child sexual abuse offending during the pandemic. Donald Findlater is from the charity The Stop it Now helpline, he tells us about the growing problem. We also hear from Chris who was arrested for possession of illegal sexual images and from Sarah about her husband’s arrest.
Zing Tsjeung, executive editor of Vice UK and Mai-Anh Peterson, co-founder of BESEAN the British East and Southeast Asian Network tell us about the increase in racially motivated attacks against women of Asian descent throughout the pandemic.
And the very last commission before the National Portrait Gallery in London closed for renovation involved two women - a portrait of the author Zadie Smith by the artist Toyin Ojih Odutola. But such a work is in stark contrast to much of the rest of the permanent collection, with 88% of the artists and 75% of the sitters being male. We hear from Curator and art historian Dr Flavia Frigeri, and from the artists Roxana Halls and Toyin Ojih Odutola about the women they paint and want to see in the gallery.
When you have billions it's impossible to spend it all on yourself and your family. So what else do you do? Join the space race like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos or start a foundation like Bill Gates and follow in the footsteps of the massively wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age, like Andrew Carnegie or John D Rockefeller?
Dr. Katharina Rietzler, Lecturer, American History, University of Sussex
Manfred Kets de Vries, Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change, INSEAD
Richard Thompson, Neil Morrissey, Rebecca Hall, Jack Steadman, Bombay Bicycle Club, Tune-Yards, Emma Freud, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Richard Thompson, Rebecca Hall, Neil Morrissey and Jack Steadman for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Bombay Bicycle Club and Tune-Yards.
Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by hominids Alan Davies, Neanderthal expert and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes, and paleontologist and woolly mammoth expert Tori Herridge and learn just how misunderstood our ancestors have been. The image of the lumbering, ape like, simple, grunting Neanderthal has been turned on its head with the discovery that we are far more related to Neanderthals then we ever thought possible. Nearly all Europeans will have around 2% Neanderthal DNA, and the revelation of widespread interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans has turned the idea of our exceptionalism on its head. It seems that what defines us may have defined the Neanderthals as well, and we are not so different after all.
Travel through the bad gateway in this modern ghost story as writer and performer Tom Neenan discovers what horrors may lurk in our apps and gadgets.
Modern technology is terrifying. The average smartphone carries out
billion instructions per second. The average person can only carry out one instruction in that time. Stop and think about that for a second. Sorry, that's two instructions - you won't be able to do that.
But what if modern technology was literally terrifying? What if there really was a ghost in the machine?
Dr John Wright began recording for the BBC on March 16th, the day of the Prime Minister's first address to the nation on the pandemic: Winifred Robinson presents his audio diaries.
This special edition of Archive on 4 uses those past recordings and also hears from medical teams on duty today at the Bradford Royal Infirmary as they reflect on the last twelve months. With the vaccination program well underway there is cause for optimism, but patients are still being treated on the covid wards and there are many people needing ongoing treatment for long covid.
The series enjoyed unparalleled access at a time when so little was known and people were anxious for information: hospitals were shut to visitors and no other media access had been granted. Dr Wright, a veteran of cholera, HIV and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, managed to capture the emotions, sacrifices and inventiveness of his colleagues: his diaries went out on Radio 4 and the World Service and he also wrote weekly accounts for BBC News Online.
A few weeks into the pandemic other journalists and photographers gained access to hospitals, but even then this series was often ahead of the curve. Dr Wright carried his recorder everywhere as he helped lead the response at his hospital, the Bradford Royal Infirmary. His colleagues became known to audiences as they battled exhaustion, infection, and coped with their own bereavements. The hospital played a leading role in national trials which helped bring new treatments into use.
This was a time of fear and lockdown created the conditions for rumours and fake news to spread. Dr Wright skilfully navigated the need to inform and educate and conveyed the reality faced by NHS staff. The volume of his output at a time when he and his colleagues were under remarkable strain was remarkable: achieved by carrying his little recorder everywhere, and always keeping it sealed as he went onto the covid wards.
The pandemic quickly changed every aspect of hospital life, from new ICU wards to the widespread use of CPAP machines. At the start, Dr Wright was unsure about making this kind of commitment to programme making but one year on he is glad that this important public record exists. He had overseen the response to other infectious diseases elsewhere in the world, Ebola for example and HIV, but nothing had quite prepared him for what was happening in his own hospital:
"We began this pandemic year knowing so little, and now we have learnt so much. We have learnt about our deep reserves of bravery and compassion in NHS and care staff. We have learnt about the remarkable kindness and generosity and the strength in our communities. We have learnt about the power of science and research to develop effective treatments and vaccines.
We have also learnt how unequal the pandemic has affected our country. It is the oldest have died in the greatest numbers and the poorest who have suffered the most. There will be a long shadow from the pandemic as the virus bursts back into flame in the coming months and the economic consequences are felt. "
In the first episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Gregor (Rufus Wright) – Master of the Palace Guard – is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out an insurgence and crushing it.
Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within.
It's mundane. About 150 centimetres long, often made of satin or silk and worn by millions, mostly by men, every day. Mike Williams explores the enduring appeal of the tie.
It's a paradoxical item of clothing: One the one hand, it expresses a desire to fit in and conform - to belong - yet it also says something about our need to demonstrate our individuality. Historically, wearing a tie has meant many different things: from being seen as being anti-Islamic in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, to representing subversion and being a symbol of sub-cultural cool.
The mathematician John Allen Paulos once said, “uncertainty is the only certainty there is”. One year on from the beginning of the first lockdown, never has this felt more true. In light of this, how certain should we be in our judgments about the decisions that were taken by those in power over the last twelve months? One strongly-held view is that had the government and its advisors been more decisive, acting with greater moral clarity in the early stages of the pandemic, more lives would have been saved. While for others, hindsight is
and context is everything, and any decisions taken in the midst of extreme uncertainty must be judged accordingly. In the last year we have witnessed anything but moral clarity in our passionate debates about the balance of harms and the clashes of good versus good. Public health has been pitted against livelihoods, family life, culture and the right to protest. What lessons should we take from the pandemic about the moral value of certainty? Uncertainty, particularly if it is prolonged, is psychologically bad for us and something we instinctively want to avoid for the sake of our mental health. In leadership, we admire those who have a clarity of vision, who are not paralysed by indecision and who keep their doubts to themselves. Others, however, believe that the reason society is so polarised is because too many people are certain they are right, and that moral certitude often has the effect of pandering to one group of people while alienating another. Is it a moment to embrace complexity, humility and self-reflection? Or has the last year provided a moral clarity about all sorts of things, notably injustices, that must now push back hard against any lingering doubt? With Raghib Ali, Lord David Blunkett, Jonathan Calvert and Quassim Cassam.
The two teams who have not so far appeared in the 2021 series make their debuts today, with Tom Sutcliffe asking the trademark cryptic questions and scoring generously or harshly, depending on how quickly the teams arrive at the answers. Elizabeth-Jane Burnett and Stephen Maddock play for the Midlands, opposite Val McDermid and Alan McCredie of Scotland.
As always the questions will test their recall of sometimes-obscure trivia and their powers of lateral thinking, as they work out the connections between seemingly unrelated elements. Some of the questions have been suggested by Round Britain Quiz listeners, and there are always unpredictable music and sound clues for the panel to identify and connect.
Tom will also be providing the answer to last week's teaser question which was unanswered at the end of the previous edition.
In the flood-prone landscape of the Calder Valley, poet Clare Shaw asks what it means to live with the inevitability of severe flooding, and why this part of England continues to be loved by its communities - in particular by its many resident artists who are inspired by this watery, often bleak surrounding.
Recorded entirely on location on the steep-sided valleys and wind-swept tops of Calderdale, Clare discusses the pull and the perils of living here, and what this landscape and its communities can teach us about living with disaster of the most elemental kind.
Perhaps the most famous inhabitant of Calderdale is Ted Hughes, whose poem Rain is, for Clare, the most apt evocation of the rain here. Water is an ever-present force in this landscape and in its history. Local historian Nick Wilding and musician Alison Cooper describe the part water has played in the industrial past of the valley, as well as how it continues to affect local communities and the very real threat of climate change.
The impact of flooding comes to the fore in conversation with friend and actress Jackie Kington, whose house in Hebden Bridge often features in national news stories about the flooding of the town. With the poet Zaffar Kunial and storyteller Christine McMahon, Clare asks what role art plays in making sense of these huge events around us, and finding ways of recovering. Mixed-media artist Kate Boyce describes how the beauty and contrasts of this landscape inspire her work, and how her own chronic illness has changed her understanding of both life and landscape.
We hear too from Clare's own collection Flood: a poetic exploration not just of flooding, but also of flood as metaphor in her own life, from breakdown to her mother's death, to the end of a failing relationship. We shape our own world - through stories and music and art and through everyday acts of kindness and resilience.
With thanks to the Ted Hughes Estate for use of his poem Rain, and the Arvon Foundation for allowing access to their terrace for socially-distanced outdoor recording.
SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2021
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m000tmqc)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 The New Anatomy of Melancholy (m000j1jp)
Terrors and affrights
In 1621, Robert Burton published The Anatomy of Melancholy. It was the first attempt in the modern western world to understand and categorise causes, symptoms and treatments of that universal human experience.
In this episode, writer Amy Liptrot explores what Burton described as ‘the horrible kind of melancholy...most usually caused from some imminent danger'. Remarkably, he describes in great detail the symptoms that we would now associate with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Amy visits the Manchester Resilience Hub, which was set up in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack, and meets Alex, a young survivor who shares her experiences and the therapies that have helped her recover.
Psychologists at the Hub, Clare Jones and Dr Alan Barrett, discuss the different approaches taken to normal mental health services by the Hub.
Professor Emily Holmes from Uppsala University in Sweden and specialist in trauma offers an insight into how PTSD can lead to melancholy, sadness and low mood.
As Burton drew on the writing of others and made a patchwork of texts within his Anatomy of Melancholy, each episode ends with a modern-day contribution for a new and updated Anatomy of Melancholy.
In this episode, Dr Alan Barrett offers Robbing Myself by Ted Hughes (from Birthday Letters) and Clare Jones offers Wires by Athlete.
Simon Russell Beale brings the voice of Robert Burton to life with extracts from The Anatomy of Melancholy.
Presenter: Amy Liptrot
Reader: Simon Russell Beale
Producer: Ruth Abrahams
Series consultant: John Geddes
A Whistledown production for Radio 4.
SUN 00:30 Eoin McNamee - The Limekiln Road (b07ks4lw)
Against a landscape of desolation and neglect, Victor befriends his elderly neighbour Lily, who is increasingly living among the fragmented memories of her life. But is there one memory in particular that Lily has been holding onto above all others?
Stephen Rea reads this new story from novelist and dramatist Eoin McNamee.
Eoin McNamee's novels include Resurrection Man, later made into a film, The Blue Tango, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and Orchid Blue. He has written several dramas for Radio 4, including the Imision award-winning ‘The Road Wife’, ‘North of Riga’ and most recently, ‘The Haunted Road’.
Producer Heather Larmour
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tmqf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 02:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tmqh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tmqk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m000tmqm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m000tmbb)
St James’s Church in Castle Acre in Norfolk
Bells on Sunday comes from St James’s Church in Castle Acre in Norfolk. The village of Castle Acre is best known today for the ruined Norman castle and priory, but also possesses a fine church. The tower houses a ring of six bells cast by John Taylor in 1952, with a tenor weighing ten hundredweight tuned to the note of G sharp. We hear them ringing Grandsire Doubles.
SUN 05:45 Lent Talks (m000tcd2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News (m000tm8k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01qhd07)
The Philosophy of the Mind
In this special edition of Something Understood, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, considers what we now know about the nature of the mind and how an understanding of the mind is important in everyday life.
He quotes from the teachings of Buddha and the work of the 11th century poet Milarepa, as well as the words of a Tibetan Prayer by Nagarjuna.
The quest for peace of mind is one of the great challenges of our day. Many of us find it easier to achieve than others, but what do the teachings of those cultures who try to embrace the mind's power have to say about our modern dilemma?
John McCarthy applies the Dalai Lama's thoughts to the western experience with additional readings from the American philosopher Daniel Dennett and the work of the ground-breaking neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran.
The programme was recorded in the town of Leh in the Ladakh region of India.
Produced by Anthony Denselow.
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Natural Histories (b05w9bj5)
Birds Eggs
Beautiful, fragile, mysterious – we have always loved birds' eggs. Their colours are more of a hue, the patterning gorgeous to the eye, no wonder they have been collected from time immemorial. Eggs are a symbol of new life, a transformation that speaks to us of great truths beyond the purely biological. Easter eggs are a symbol of Christ's resurrection and were adopted from pagan beliefs about Ostara, the goddess connecting to various German Easter festivities.) The egg has been used as a metaphor for the origin of the universe in many traditions. We have used them in cooking – or eaten raw - since our time on earth. We have used the hard shell for decoration, and Faberge designed exquisite bejewelled eggs of gold and precious stones for the Tsars of Russia. A peculiar tradition of using eggs to record the varied faces of clowns arose just after WW2 when new clowns stamped their identity on the world by registering their unique features on eggs – there is now a clown egg museum. The natural variety in bird's eggs, even clutches in the same year, can be very different, is prized by collectors, determined to own the greatest diversity of any one species. Along with collecting comes money and then fraud. Pleasing to hold, beautiful on the eye, versatile in cooking, intriguing in nature, practical as well - eggs will always inspire us. From 2015
Original Producer Andrew Dawes
Archive Producer Andrew Dawes
SUN 06:57 Weather (m000tm8n)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m000tm8q)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m000tm8s)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m000tm8v)
Family for Every Child
Lemn Sissay makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Family for Every Child.
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 ‘Family for Every Child’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Family for Every Child’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 1149212
Photo credit: Hamish Brown
SUN 07:57 Weather (m000tm8x)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m000tm8z)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m000tm91)
Palm Sunday
Methodist minister Revd Dr Calvin Samuel leads us in a celebratory service marking the first day of Holy Week, known as Palm or Passion Sunday. Featuring a dramatic gospel reading of the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The sermon comes from the winner of the 2021 Theology Slam, a national competition to find engaging young voices, aged 18-30, who think theologically about the contemporary world.
With a variety of music including traditional Palm Sunday hymns such as ‘All Glory, Laud, and Honour’, choral pieces, and contemporary Christian songs including a track from worship leader Lucy Grimble.
Producer: Jessie Bland
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m000tg6r)
Is that Miss or Mrs Wheeler?
Sara Wheeler explains why online packages arriving at her house are now addressed to 'The Right Reverend Sara Wheeler'!
Sara looks back at the surprising history of the Mrs-Miss distinction and concludes it has no place in contemporary Britain.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0002bvl)
Trudie Goodwin on the Hoopoe
For many, actress Trudie Goodwin is best known for her television roles as Sergeant June Ackland in The Bill and latterly in Emmerdale. But during all that time Trudie has possessed a lifelong love of bird watching. At the age of ten she was given the Collins Book of British Birds, which on a well thumbed page contained occasional accidental migrants which could be found in Britain, including the hoopoe. It was not until much later in life that she finally managed to see this bird, while on holiday in Portugal.
You can hear more from Trudie in her Tweet of the Week omnibus available on the Radio 4 website
Producer: Andrew Dawes
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m000tm93)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m000tm95)
Writers, Adrian Flynn and Tim Stimpson
Director, Marina Caldarone
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Helen Archer ... Louiza Patikas
Brian Aldridge ... Charles Collingwood
Phoebe Aldridge ... Lucy Morris
Lee Bryce ... Ryan Early
Neil Carter ... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter .... Charlotte Martin
Chris Carter ... Wilf Scolding
Alice Carter ... Hollie Chapman
Clarrie Grundy .... Heather Bell
Emma Grundy ... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Shula Hebden-Lloyd ... Judy Bennett
Rex Fairbrother ... Nick Barber
Jim Lloyd ... John Rowe
Kate Madikane ... Perdita Avery
Doctor ... Youssef Kerkour
SUN 10:54 Tweet of the Day (m000tm97)
Tweet Take 5 : Martins
Often mistaken for swallows, the house martin is a familiar sight around our towns and villages where it builds gravity defying nests under house roofs. Its near cousin the sand martin is Europe's smallest hirundine (as martins and swallows are called). Unlike the house martin, sand martins build their nests in burrows deep within sandy cliff faces along rivers or the coast as we'll hear in this extended version of Tweet of the Day featuring Bill Oddie, Steve Backshall and audio-visual artist Kathy Hinde.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs (m000tm99)
Professor Sir Simon Wessely, psychiatrist
Professor Sir Simon Wessely is the first ever psychiatrist to be awarded a Regius professorship – an honour bestowed by the Queen. He is professor of psychological medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, and is also a consultant psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital.
Born in Sheffield to a father who had come to Britain on the Kindertransport, he started his research career working on unexplained symptoms and syndromes, leading progressive and sometimes controversial work on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Disagreement about whether the condition is physical or psychological continues to this day and although Simon’s studies helped develop a treatment programme, there is still no cure.
Later he switched his attention to the military, exploring Gulf War Syndrome, PTSD, the risk and benefit of military service, social and psychological outcomes for ex-service personnel and historic aspects of war and psychiatry. In 1996 he established the Gulf War Illness Research Unit which subsequently became the King’s Centre for Military Health Research.
He completed a term as president of the Royal Society of Medicine – the first psychiatrist to occupy the post - and in 2017 he led an independent review of the Mental Health Act.
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
SUN 11:45 The Battles That Won Our Freedoms (m000222q)
10. Freedom of Information
In this episode, Phil Tinline asks Professor David Vincent to trace the history of the struggle against Britain's culture of secrecy, culminating in a series of causes celebres in the 1980s, particularly the sensational acquittal of senior civil servant, Clive Ponting. Ponting was charged with leaking sensitive information about the sinking, during the Falklands War, of the Argentinian warship the General Belgrano. His defence was that he had leaked the information to an MP in the public interest, and despite questions about whether this was a tenable defence, the jury found him not guilty.
Professor Heather Brooke recalls how she used the Freedom of Information Act - eventually passed in 2000 but not active until 2005 - during her years of campaigning to expose the MPs' expenses scandal. And she reflects on how free information is in Britain compared to America.
First broadcast in 2019.
Producer: Phil Tinline
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m000tm9c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (m000tcqg)
Series 86
Episode 5
Gyles Brandreth hosts a special episode of Just a Minute where he challenges guests Paul Merton, Sheila Hancock, Tony Hawks and Pippa Evans to talk on the subjects of his choice for 60 seconds. Hesitation, deviation, and repetition are strictly forbidden. This episode was recorded in the Radio Theatre in December 2020, with a remote audience listening in from their homes all over the world. Caroline Barlow blows the whistle.
Devised by Ian Messiter
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production
SUN 12:33 The Food Programme (m000tm9f)
Food, James Bond’s food
We don’t often see James Bond eating in the films, but in the novel food is almost as important as espionage, cocktails, sex, villains and travel. As many await the release of the new Bond film, we want to take your taste buds on a journey, to the flavours that were so unimaginably exotic when these books were written in the 1950s and 60s.
Tom Jaine, former restaurateur and editor of The Good Food Guide, came of age when the Bond books were written. He remembers sneaking a copy of Casino Royale from his parents’ book group and being transported by it’s exoticism. The food was completely beyond the imagination for a post-war generation who were newly out of rationing.
We meet Edward Biddulph, archaeologist by day, Bond enthusiast by night who has written Licence to Cook, in which he recreates the meals in the Bond books. Edward teaches Sheila how to make Bond’s most iconic dish - scrambled eggs.
Biographer Andrew Lycett explains how the appetites of Ian Fleming made it into James Bond’s own tastes. And food journalist Clare Finney connect with the desire to be transported on a culinary adventure when the world around you is rather drab.
Presenter: Sheila Dillon
Producer: Emma Weatherill
SUN 12:57 Weather (m000tm9h)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m000tm9k)
Jonny Dymond looks at the week’s big stories from both home and around the world.
SUN 13:30 The Listening Project (m000tm9m)
The Nation in Conversation
Fi Glover presents friends, relatives and strangers in conversation as we adjust to the 'new normal'.
In this week's programme: Daniele and Jason share the challenges they've both experienced running holiday companies during lockdown; Sally, author of several Mills and Boon novels and Leanne, an aspiring romance writer, discuss why the genre continues to fascinate and delight readers; Fran and Sanjiv talk about how their respective Christian and Hindu faiths have helped them while grieving for loved ones; and wildlife park owners Steve and Lawrence consider the ways the creatures they've cared for have touched their lives.
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 this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Ellie Bury
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000tg65)
GQT From The Archives: Edibles Special
The team look back through the archives for an edible edition of the show.
A variety of panellists, old and new, discuss edible flowers for culinary decoration, uncooperative satsuma pips, and troublesome onions.
Away from the questions, Matthew Wilson and West Dean Gardens supervisor Sarah Wayne give us a crash course in chili growing, and we are treated to an exclusive look into Bob Flowerdew's polytunnel.
Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Jemima Rathbone
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The New Anatomy of Melancholy (m000j2vf)
Poverty and want
In 1621, Robert Burton published The Anatomy of Melancholy. It was the first attempt in the modern western world to understand and categorise causes, symptoms and treatments of that universal human experience: melancholy.
In this episode, writer Amy Liptrot examines the effect of poverty and inequality on our mental health. It is something that Burton identified as ‘the fountain of all other miseries, cares, woes, labours, and grievances'.
We hear from Sonny in central London who is at the sharp end of poverty today.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, shares his insights into how poverty and inequality can impact children’s mental and physical health, reflecting on images of families living in single rooms in London on display at The Foundling Museum.
Professor Kate Pickett, from the University of York and co-author of The Inner Level: How More Equal Societies Reduce Stress, Restore Sanity and Improve Everyone's Well-Being, reveals how those at the top of society can also be negatively affected by inequality.
As Burton drew on the writing of others and made a patchwork of texts within his Anatomy of Melancholy, each episode ends with a modern-day contribution for a new and updated Anatomy of Melancholy.
In this episode, Kate Pickett offers Between the Wars by Billy Bragg.
Simon Russell Beale brings the voice of Robert Burton to life with extracts from The Anatomy of Melancholy.
Presenter: Amy Liptrot
Reader: Simon Russell Beale
Producer: Ruth Abrahams
Series consultant: John Geddes
A Whistledown production for Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama (m00045sd)
Luke, Acts (Part 1)
In this two-part dramatization based on the Authorised King James version of the bible, poet Michael Symmons Roberts tells afresh one of the founding stories of our culture and of world history. The ancient writer known as 'Luke' is believed to be the author of the most dramatic of the four gospels - which bears his name - but also the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles, known as 'The Book of Acts'.
Luke is believed to have been a Greek doctor, which explains the medical details he gives of the healing miracles! He worked in Syria but retired to his native Greece and died at the age of 84. As a gentile, he encountered this new sect - Christianity - when he met Paul in Syria and converted to this new faith, accompanying him on his missionary travels.
Luke and Acts have strong personal relationships at their heart and are written as detailed accounts of the rise of early Christianity. Luke’s Gospel is specifically addressed to a figure called 'Theophilus'. We know that Paul, who was converted on the road to Damascus, spent several years under arrest in Rome awaiting trial and Theophilus is supposed by some scholars to be part of the defence team at Paul's trial, although there is no definitive identification of him or her.
In this drama, Theophilus is a young Roman woman who seeks out Luke in the AD60's, three decades after the death of Jesus. Luke has come to Rome with Paul to support him in his forthcoming trial. As part of this support Luke is writing down as accurate an account as he can of the events leading from the birth of Jesus to the spread of the early church. Together they hope carefully chosen extracts from his account will equip the legal team to exonerate Paul.
Luke, Acts is a BBC Radio Drama North Production, directed by Sharon Sephton and produced by Susan Roberts
The Gospel of Luke tells the astonishing story of the life and ministry of Jesus from his birth through healings, miracles, betrayals, trial, execution and resurrection.
The Book of Acts picks up the story after the resurrection with Jesus' disciples in hiding and devastated at the violent death of their leader. Then he appears to them, resurrected, and the book then tells the extraordinary story of the birth and battles and growth of the early Christian church, including Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus from persecutor to apostle.
The Authorised King James Version is the world's most widely known Bible translation, using early 17th-century English. Work began for the Church of England in 1604 and was completed in 1611. Its powerful, majestic style has made it a literary classic, with many of its phrases and expressions embedded in the English language.
LUKE.....David Schofield
THEOPHILA.....Verity Henry
JESUS.....David Seddon
PETER.....Shaun Mason
CHIEF PRIEST.....Jonathan Keeble
MOURNING MOTHER.....Angela Lonsdale
PRODIGAL SON.....Ashley Margolis
With multiple parts played by members of the cast.
DIRECTOR.....Sharon Sephton
PRODUCER.....Susan Roberts
AUTHOR.....Luke
ADAPTOR.....Michael Symmons Roberts
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m000tm9p)
Claire Fuller & Karla Neblett; Elizabeth Bowen; Katherine Heiny
Johny Pitts explores two novels that explore working-class rural communities; Unsettled Ground is Claire Fuller’s fourth novel, longlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize. It’s the story of Jeanie and Julius, 51-year-old twins, who still live with their mother Dot, in a crumbling old farmhouse. When Dot dies their way of life is turned upside down, and secrets rise to the surface. Karla Neblett’s debut King of Rabbits is set on a rural council estate in Somerset, where a young boy Kai lives with his mixed-race family and paints a portrait of a contemporary rural Britain rarely explored.
Tessa Hadley shares her passion for Elizabeth Bowen as her curated collection of Bowen short stories is published, offering insight into the joys of her prose. And we look ahead to April's best new books, and editor Lettice Franklin picks Katherine Heiny's Early Morning Riser as her top tip for humourous pleasures.
Book List
Unsettled Ground by Clare Fuller
King of Rabbits by Karla Neblett
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen
Selected Stories by Elizabeth Bowen, selected by Tessa Hadley
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
SUN 16:30 Reignite (m000tm9r)
Over the last year, patterns of human behaviour have changed as never before, because of lockdown. In this programme, Martha Kearney asks what impact that change has had on wildlife and the natural world. With more people spotting birds in their gardens last spring and tales of goats roaming the streets of Llandudno, there was a perception that wildlife boomed and flourished when people stayed at home. Martha asks whether that is really what happened and finds out about some fascinating evidence of the complex web of relationships between people and animals.
Producer: Emma Campbell
SUN 17:00 The Nazi Next Door (m000td1x)
In a dusty attic in the Yorkshire hills sits the life’s work of John Kingston, a man who spent decades investigating whether his own stepfather, Stanislaw Chrzanowski, was, in fact, a Nazi war criminal.
Whilst most knew ‘Mr Stan’ as a friendly pensioner, growing fruit for his neighbours and zipping around his village in the Midlands on his mobility scooter, John was convinced he was hiding a dark secret. Unable to shake the terrifying bedtime stories his stepdad told him as a child, John spent his adult life trying to expose the truth.
When John died in 2018, the year after his stepfather, the files, photographs, and hours of secret recordings he made were left boxed up in his attic, until now, when they were discovered by BBC journalist Nick Southall.
Nick has been investigating the extraordinary story of Stanislaw Chrzanowski for over 5 years, trying to establish if this man, who settled here to help Britain rebuild after the war, had also helped the Nazis kill tens of thousands of Jews in his homeland of Belarus.
Told using the archive of secret recordings found in John’s attic, and hearing from eyewitnesses who knew Stan Chrzanowski as ‘a butcher’, this often chilling story takes us from Birmingham, to Berlin to the Killing Fields of Belarus. In it, Nick seeks to answer two questions - was ‘Mr Stan’ the monster his stepson believed he was? And, if so, what was the real reason he never saw justice for his crimes?
Reporter: Nick Southall
Producer: Mick Tucker
Editor: Carl Johnston
SUN 17:40 Profile (m000tg7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:45 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000tm9t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m000tm9w)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tm9y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m000tmb0)
Katie Thistleton
In the week that marked the anniversary of Boris Johnson announcing the first lockdown, we'll hear reflections from across BBC radio of the good times and the bad from a year like no other. Melinda Gates discusses women’s rights and religion, Benjamin Zephaniah regales with tales of Bob Marley, Trevor Nelson blabs about Beyonce and everyone is talking about the CHIS, so yes, we’ll be chatting Line of Duty too!
Presenter: Katie Thistleton
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production support: Emmie Hume
Studio Manager: Phillip Halliwell
SUN 19:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai (b039pdt0)
Gutter Baby
Police detective serial set and recorded on location in Mumbai.
When a baby is rescued from a gutter, it falls on the only female police officer on hand, Alia Khan, to look after it. Stuck with a new partner and a boss who is determined to put her in her place, Alia has to fight to be noticed.
This fast-paced, six-part police thriller follows Alia Khan, a young woman inspector in the Bandra Division of the Mumbai Police Force, as she attempts to solve a series of crimes, make sense of her troubled past and cope with being a woman in a male-dominated and chauvinistic police force.
Sound Recordist: Hitesh Chaurasia
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Editing Assistants: Andrew Lewis and Aditya Khanna.
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Assistant Producer: Toral Shah
Producer: Nadir Khan
Music: Sacha Putnam.
Writer: Ayeesha Menon
Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:15 Mark Steel's in Town (b07tbfmw)
Series 7
Stockport
"Welcome to Stockport - Home of Stockport College"
Mark Steel returns for a seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.
In the first programme, Mark visits the Greater Manchester town of Stockport, once the centre of the hatting industry.
He takes a trip on the infamous 192 bus, visits the world famous hat museum and tries to get to the bottom of how one of its suburbs ended up with an infestation of marauding peacocks.
In this series Mark visits Stockport in Greater Manchester, Colchester in Essex, Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Lynton in North Devon and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.
Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Sterling
Producer ... Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016.
SUN 19:45 One Night in Paradise (m000tmb2)
Golden Years
They spent their first honeymoon night in this hotel, and they've come back for their anniversary every year since. Fifty years on nothing is quite the same. By Bethan Roberts. Read by Annette Badland.
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4, produced and directed by Kate McAll.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m000tg69)
As politicians, doctors and scientists fought to bring Covid under control, the BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg was trying to find out what was really going on in Downing Street, Whitehall and in Parliament. She explains to Roger Bolton the difficulties she has encountered covering this unique story over the past year.
And the actor and director Martin Jarvis talks about radio drama, and specifically his recent role on Radio 4 as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd.
Is there any evidence that poltergeists exist? Two amateur reviewers assess a radio series that aims to find out.
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Kate Dixon
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m000tg67)
Nawal El Saadawi (pictured), Brigadier Jack Thomas, President John Magufuli, Ion Mihai Pacepa
Matthew Bannister on:
The Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi who faced persecution and imprisonment but never wavered from her commitment to campaigning for women’s rights.
Brigadier Jack Thomas who had a distinguished military career, serving during the Second World War, the Korean war and in Northern Ireland.
John Magufuli, the autocratic President of Tanzania who advocated prayer and inhaling herbal infusions as a way of tackling the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ion Mihai Pacepa, the senior Romanian intelligence officer who defected to the West and lived the rest of his life under a secret identity.
Producer: Neil George
Interviewed guest: Mona Eltahawy
Interviewed guest: Sally Nabil
Interviewed guest: John Thomas
Interviewed guest: Brigadier Norman Allen
Interviewed guest: Zuhura Yunus
Interviewed guest: Prof Ronald Rychlak
Archive clips used: Woman’s Hour: Radio 4, TX 25.
7.2011; Woman at Point Zero: Radio 4, TX 19.
4.1993; Breakfast News: BBC One, TX 14.
7.1988
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m000tmb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m000tm8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (m000tcqy)
Science in the Time of Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the best of science and the worst of science. New vaccines have been produced in less than twelve months. But at the same time we’ve seen evidence exaggerated and undermined, falsified, and flawed. Scientists arguing in public over areas of policy that have reached into all of our lives in an unprecedented way. There has never been so much “science”. But the pandemic has seen science politicised and polarised in ways some of us could never imagine.
In this episode of Analysis, Sonia Sodha explores what the pandemic has revealed about the practice of science, and our relationship with it.
Producer: Gemma Newby
Editor: Jasper Corbett
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m000tmb6)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m000tfkj)
Rogue Males
Francine Stock talks to Christopher Plummer, Warren Beatty, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson and Peter O'Toole about their long careers in the movies and how a maverick attitude has helped. They reflect on their approaches to acting, how they adapted over the years and the changes they've seen in the film industry.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01qhd07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 29 MARCH 2021
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m000tmb8)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Sideways (m000tccj)
7. Top of the Pops
You might not have heard of Max Martin, but you've definitely heard the songs he's written. You probably know the words whether you like the songs or not. Martin has written many of the world's biggest pop hits. He has 23 number ones, second only to Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Matthew Syed explores the extraordinary career of the enigmatic pop powerhouse who's one of Sweden's most significant musical exports. Matthew contrasts Martin's songwriting process with the practice of scientific research which has become overwhelmingly collaborative in recent years.
Matthew discovers that Martin's unique approach to collaboration, drawing upon the experience and skill of a vast and diverse range of musicians, has enabled him to stay ahead of the pack when it comes to crafting world-beating pop songs.
Producer: Thomas Curry and Russell Finch
Music, Sound Design and Mix: Benbrick
Series Editor: Russell Finch
Executive Producers: Sean Glynn and Max O'Brien
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m000tmbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tmbd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tmbg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tmbj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m000tmbl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000tmbn)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr. Joel Edwards
Good Morning.
Chris used to be my professional coach when I was director for a Christian organisation. As a leader and pastor, I learned a lot from Chris. This had something to do with the fact that much of his insights were drawn from his experience as a sailor.
For example, he suggested that reaching one’s ‘desired outcome’ – what we often call ‘vision’, is seldom achieved in a predictable progression of predetermined big steps into the future. In reality he said, most of us get to our final destination as the winds of opportunity and opposition direct our short-term goals.
Frankly, this was quite a blow to my linear world and totally contrary to my infrequent Dover to Calais expeditions.
But for many of us battling with our big plans, it’s bound to sound familiar.
What now seems like a very long time ago, our escape from Covid-19 to the shores of normality felt like a very straight-forward proposition. As we feel our way toward re-opening Britain and our lives again, it’s been with the clear recognition that the road to recovery has not been in a straight line.
Happy are those who have hopped, skipped and jumped into the future. But for most of us life has been anything but straightforward.
And those of us who claim to follow Christ, must also learn that God doesn’t always walk in a straight line.
Heavenly Father,
In this Holy Week, give us strength and courage to meet the unexpected.
Today, we think especially of those for whom these past 12 months have been filled with so many detours.
And give creativity to those who must find another way to live.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m000tmbq)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
MON 05:56 Weather (m000tmbs)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5bwv)
Shelduck
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the shelduck. Shelducks are birds of open mud and sand which they sift for water snails and other tiny creatures. They will breed inland and they nest in holes. Disused rabbit burrows are favourite places and they'll also settle down in tree cavities, sheds, out-buildings and even haystacks.
MON 06:00 Today (m000tmk5)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m000tmk7)
Trade deals and human rights – in Africa and China
Tom Tugendhat MP is the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He tells Andrew Marr that he’s very much focused on British foreign policy priorities after Brexit. But the government’s new Trade Bill is facing opposition from those insisting that human rights abuses must be investigated before any deals are done. The MP for Tonbridge and Malling also highlights the need to be more aware of China’s economic ambitions and global role.
Geeta Tharmaratnam is keen that more focus should be placed on Africa. As a venture capitalist and CEO of an investment company she see huge economic possibilities across the continent, especially in relation to African women entrepreneurs. She looks more closely at the African Continental Free Trade Area which was signed by a majority of countries in Kigali, Rwanda in 2018 and came into force this year.
But the journalist Michela Wrong questions whether the Rwandan government, and especially its much feted leader President Paul Kagame can be trusted. Following the civil war and genocide in 1994 Kagame became vice-President and then leader of his country. He has prioritised national development and been successful in securing international aid, but Wrong follows the story of his rise to power and argues that he has overseen a regime intent on political repression.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tn5v)
Episode 1
Helena Attlee first heard Lev’s violin played at a small music festival in Wales. The music being played was Klezmer, Jewish music from Eastern Europe. It blew her right off her feet.
The violinist said he’d been told the instrument came from Cremona, the heart of violin making in Italy, home to Antonio Stradivarius.
Helena sets off on a quest to find out where it was actually made. She travels to Cremona, to the Italian forests where the Alpine spruce grows, and the timbers come down by river. She tries to find out if it might have been a “church violin” played in the great cathedrals and palaces of the Popes and the Medicis, and how it got to Russia where it was bought by Lev from a Roma musician, perhaps via the Nazi confiscation and sale of violins belonging to Jewish musicians.
Finally a dendrochronology test reveals its true origins.
Written by Helene Attlee
Read by Fenella Woolgar
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000tmkc)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
MON 10:45 Meet Me at the Museum (m000tmkf)
Episode 6
In 1964, Professor Glob, the curator of the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, dedicated his book The Bog People to a group of schoolgirls who had written to him about his recent archaeological discoveries. Fifty years later, at a defining moment in her life, Tina Hopgood writes him another letter about a planned pilgrimage to Denmark with her best friend, Bella, to visit the 2000-year-old Tollund Man. Why did they never make the trip?
She doesn’t expect a reply.
When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator responds, neither does he.
Their unexpected correspondence becomes a shared meditation on love, loss, life choices made and the opportunity to make new and different ones.
Episode Six
Anders' life is moving on. But Tina still feels trapped in hers.
Starring Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter
Written by Anne Youngson
Adapted for radio by Richard Leaf
Producer: Karen Rose
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
MON 11:00 The Birth of Bangladesh (m000tmkh)
Not many people recall the Dominion of Pakistan. It was set up after the British left India in 1947, and there were two territories a thousand miles apart, East and West Pakistan. The only thing connecting them was religion. “We don’t even look the same,” says Qasa Alom, a Birmingham born British Bangladeshi. “They are tall and fair, we are short and darker. My cousin was teased by Pakistanis, who said he smelled of fish.”
The liberation war of 1971 was really nasty. The fighting only ended when India came in on the side of Bangladesh, by when millions had been forced to flee. This year Independence Day - March 26 - marks half a century since the country was born.
“Why wouldn’t I want to make this programme?” says Qasa Alom. “It’s such a massive story, the birth of the seventh most populous nation in the world, my origin country, a place we hardly ever hear about. The stories of Pakistan and of India, they are frequently on the airwaves but Bangladesh has been left out. Even in my own community, my generation seems to know absolutely nothing about the war, the refugees, the genocide. Why is that?"
With contributions from Azmina Siddique and Huma Yusuf, plus members of Qasa's own family including his mum. Qasa Alom hosts the BBC Asian Network's Big Debate and was winner of radio presenter of the year at the Asian media awards 2020.
Producer Miles Warde makes the How to Invent a Country series for Radio 4
MON 11:30 How to Vaccinate the World (m000tmkk)
Tim Harford reports on the global race to create a vaccine to end the Covid-19 pandemic.
MON 12:00 News Summary (m000tmkm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000tmkp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 12:06 The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen (m000lsm4)
Episode 1
A specially commissioned series from James Robertson celebrating travel, adventure and the importance of storytelling. Read by William Gaminara.
Our hero is a descendant of the original 18th century Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales inspired a book that would forever link the family name with fibs and exaggeration. Eager to redress the balance, the current Baron dedicates himself to setting down the unvarnished truth about his own exploits.
James writes, “The present-day Baron’s adventures are no less incredible, but in his case every detail has a rational explanation and not one word is an exaggeration or a lie. He flies with swans, sails, sledges and balloons his way round the world, is swallowed by a whale, encounters wolves and alligators, fights bush fires in Australia, orbits the moon and plays golf with the President of the USA. He does the kind of things, in other words, that have been denied to the rest of us for months. Realism, escapism or a mixture of the two? Judge for yourselves.”
James Robertson is an award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer whose books include ‘Joseph Knight’, ‘And The Land Lay Still’ and ‘To Be Continued...’. His next novel 'News of the Dead' is published in August.
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
MON 12:20 You and Yours (m000tmkr)
Easy Jet Vouchers, M&S Online and Restaurant Meal Boxes
The restaurants boxing up meals for you to cook at home; are they any good and will it survive the lockdown? And M&S explain why they are selling other peoples clothes online.
MON 12:57 Weather (m000tmkt)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m000tmkw)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
MON 13:45 All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception (b06kbdx5)
Episode 1
"All warfare is based on deception", wrote ancient Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tzu. It may have been written five centuries before the birth of Christ, but his handbook The Art of War is as relevant now as it ever was. Historian and writer Ben Macintyre starts his 5-part focus on bluff and guile in battle with a look at the original strategists' bible.
MON 14:00 Drama (m000tmky)
Yellow Lips
Katie’s Redford’s debut drama tells of a daughter’s memories of her mum’s struggle with mental health. Tender, moving but delightfully funny too. The young Jen never truly questioned the effect her mum's health had on her and her family. But looking back, with an older head upon her shoulders, she has the knowledge of how such an illness can affect the dynamics of a family.
A recollection consisting of vivid memories and images from childhood which seem so normal at the time are, with hindsight, far from it. The grown up Jen delves back into the past picking out certain moments and witnessing various events that have shaped the relationship she has with her mum. There are deeply painful moments but what shines through is the wonderfully creative and funny mum too.
Narrator/Jen ….. Katie Redford
Mum, Alison ….. Lorraine Ashbourne
Dad, Rick ….. Stephen Critchlow
Young Jen ….. Grace Doherty
Matty/Izra ….. Wilbur Conabeare
Granny Beryl ….. Jessica Turner
Mrs Howe ….. Elinor Coleman
Directed by Tracey Neale
Writer:
Katie is a writer/performer from Nottingham. She is a BAFTA Rocliffe TV Comedy winner and was also part of the BBC Comedy Writersroom. Her short film ‘Ghosted’ starring Alison Steadman, which she wrote and produced, received the BFI Network award in association with Film Hub Midlands. She has various scripts in commissioned development for TV and is currently listed on the BBC New Talent Hot List. Yellow Lips is her debut audio drama. Katie also plays Lily in Radio 4's The Archers.
MON 14:45 The Why Factor (b07k01bq)
Series 3
Drawing
Lucy Ash asks why we draw. Are some people simply more visual than others? And what do we reveal through our drawings?
Drawing is something we all do unselfconsciously as children before we learn to write. It is a form of expression that goes back 40,000 years and began on the walls of caves. But why do we draw? Is it to make our mark on the world, to decorate our surroundings, or is it a way of communicating with others when words fail us?
Lucy Ash talks to Stephen Wiltshire, world famous for his incredibly detailed pen and ink cityscapes; to David Hockney renowned for both his traditional draughtsmanship and his enthusiasm for new technology, and to Lizzie Ellis, who comes from a remote community in central Australia and draws with a stick, telling stories through her traditional form of Aboriginal women's art.
Presenter: Lucy Ash
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Andrew Smith
First broadcast on the BBC World Service.
MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (m000tml0)
Programme 4, 2021
(4/12)
Why might Edgar's foul fiend, a cartoon spirit with Kenneth Williams's voice, and Charlie Cairoli, appear insoluble?
Tom Sutcliffe has a whole sheaf of apparently insoluble questions just like this, in the latest Round Britain Quiz. Paddy Duffy and Freya McClements appear for Northern Ireland, opposite Adele Geras and Stuart Maconie for the North of England, all of them taking part from home under lockdown conditions. Tom will be awarding and deducting points according to how many clues he has to give them, and how many times he has to steer them away from red herrings, in arriving at the answers.
As always, there's a generous selection of questions supplied by Round Britain Quiz listeners, and Tom will be revealing the answer to the puzzle left unanswered at the end of last week's edition.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m000tm9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:33 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 Shock Waves (m000tml4)
Musician Anoushka Shankar
Sitarist, composer and producer Anoushka Shankar explores the effect of the pandemic on musical creativity. During a year when the music industry has been turned upside down, how has working at home and online made music creators think differently about what they do and make? How have identities been impacted, and what can be gleaned from considering shockwaves endured by previous generations of artists?
In the spring of 2020, Anoushka was set to lead a celebratory performance at The Southbank Centre to mark the centenary of her late father Ravi Shankar’s birth. Then the pandemic struck and the live performance was cancelled and Anoushka began to heal her shock and grief with creativity. Collaborating remotely to create the score for the TV series A Suitable Boy and song-writing with singer, composer and producer Alev Lenz she began honing technical skills and shaping new approaches to composing around motherhood in lockdown. Anoushka and Alev now reflect on how finding a synthesis between composing and parenting has enabled creativity to flow.
Performing at the Proms to an empty Royal Albert Hall later in the year inspires Anoushka to find out how the pandemic has highlighted our need for musical connectivity. She speaks with jazz musician, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Nubya Garcia – whose socially distanced performance at The Barbican has been the only live show Anoushka has experienced as an audience member this last year. She also reflects on the ‘dark period’ of her father’s life during the partition of India and speaks to composer and musicologist Seán Doherty about taking inspiration from 14th century texts from the time of the plague to compose new emotive choral works that speak to the shock of this current pandemic.
Produced by Nina Perry for BBC Wales
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (m000tml8)
Series 22
Find
In 2006 the creators of the alternate reality game, Perplex City set a puzzle challenge called Billion to One. With only one photograph and a first name players were tasked with using the internet to find out who the man was in the photo. Despite thousands of people looking for Satoshi he stayed hidden for 14 years until eventually, just before New Year in 2021 Tom Lucas in Germany used reverse image search and in under five minutes discovered who he was, where he lived, worked and how to contact him.
This may be considered progress for those who want to be found but for people like Sian who live under Witness Protection, advancements in technology means stepping out of her house becomes a huge risk. Because we capture so much of our lives and put it online, where ever Sian goes she has to be vigilant she’s not caught on camera or video. Just one reverse image search could mean she is found, which could have dire consequences for her and her family.
In Japan, Satoshi records his first interview since being found giving a voice to the Billion to One puzzle photo for the first time. Aleks finds out if Satoshi knew thousands of people were looking for him and how feels about being found?
Producer Kate Bissell
Researcher Juliet Conway
MON 17:00 PM (m000tmld)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tmln)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m000tmls)
Series 86
Episode 6
Lucy Porter hosts a special episode of Just a Minute where she challenges guests Nish Kumar, Josie Lawrence, Zoe Lyons and Gyles Brandreth to talk on subjects including The Art of Queuing, and Oomph! Hesitation, deviation, and repetition are strictly forbidden. This episode was produced using remote recording technology, with both panel and audience joining from their homes all over the world. Caroline Barlow blows the whistle.
Devised by Ian Messiter
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production
MON 19:00 The Archers (m000tlvk)
The stakes are raised at the Parish Council meeting and Tracy lends a helping hand.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m000tmlx)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
MON 19:45 The Whisperer in Darkness (m000ndjb)
Episode 11
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Episode Eleven
The trail leads to Thomas Marston's doctor as Heawood realises that everything is connected.
Cast:
Kennedy Fisher..................JANA CARPENTER
Matthew Heawood………… BARNABY KAY
Eleanor Peck……………….NICOLA WALKER
Slide ………………………....FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Doctor Wilet….………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley………………….DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose
Director/Writer: Julian Simpson
Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling & Holly Slater
Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
MON 20:00 Out of the Ordinary (m000tmm1)
Series 8
How to memorise anything
"Memory athletes" compete to see who can remember the most random numbers in an hour. Or else to memorise decks of playing cards. Memory training is big in China, where there are TV game shows for memory contests, and where parents pay good money to get their children trained in memorisation techniques.
Everyone thought the Chinese were invincible, and that we were at the limits of what could be memorised - until 2019 when a group of North Korean teenagers arrived at the world championships, smashed a bunch of records, and returned to Pyonyang. Since then, nothing has been heard of them. What's their secret? And why does North Korea want to dominate the world in this obscure sport?
Presenter/Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
MON 20:30 Analysis (m000tmm5)
Global Britain: is there substance behind the slogan?
Having left the EU, the UK is now re-branding itself as "Global Britain", but what does that mean? A key plank of the new foreign policy is a pivot to the "Indo-Pacific". How is this seen in India and China? And could such a policy harm relations with the EU and US?
Should "Global Britain" try to reassert itself as a major power on the international stage, or would the UK's interests be better served by acting as a broker between larger, or like-minded, countries instead, to help bring about beneficial agreements?
And what effect could the reduction in the overseas development aid budget from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5% have on Britain's "soft power" abroad, with the deep real-terms cuts to humanitarian and other programmes that this will mean for countries such as Yemen?
Presenter: Chris Morris
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
MON 21:00 The Real Internet Giants (m000td0r)
Russia
Kathryn Parsons is a tech founder and CEO on a mission to demystify the digital world. She leads team that has taught code, data and cyber skills to over half a million people worldwide. Now, she is turning her attention to leading tech scenes across the world.
In this second instalment of the series, Kathryn looks at Russia. This episode will uncover who the movers and shakers of Russia’s internet landscape really are, find out where the country is leading on cyber innovation and consider the country's future aspirations in the global tech race.
Contributors include Tatyana Bakalchuk, founder of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries and Oleg Tumanov, CEO of Ivi video streaming platform - Russia's answer to Netflix.
Kathryn also speaks to Polina Kolozaridi of the Higher School of Economics, technology investment expert Stefano Zuppet (TMT Global), Adrien Henni - Editor of EastWest Digital News and Elena Ivashentseva of Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund.
Produced by Sam Peach
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m000tmk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m000tmmc)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 Deborah Frances-White Introduces... (m000tmmh)
Episode 1
Travis Alabanza, Scarlett Curtis, Jessica Fostekew and Steve Ali join Deborah Frances-White to tell stories.
Deborah is a comedian and writer best known for The Guilty Feminist podcast which has had 85 million downloads and she has appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The London Palladium. She has hosted many storytelling events and, for this special broadcast series, she has picked four very different writers to take part. She gave them all the prompt – The Devil You Know. But the series starts with Deborah’s own piece in which a woman who throws off the life she knows to have a wild adventure.
Across the series you can hear the response of performance artist Travis Alabanza, writer and activist Scarlett Curtis, writer and broadcaster Steve Ali and comedian and actress Jessica Fostekew
Deborah’s BBC Radio 4 show Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. Her award winning independent film Say My Name premiered in 2019 at The Leicester Square Odeon. Deborah’s book The Guilty Feminist was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She is an Amnesty International Ambassador and Artistic Director of the Secret Policeman legacy brand.
Written and Read by Deborah Frances-White
Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Loose Ends (m000tmmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
MON 23:30 The Battersea Poltergeist (p094c7b4)
Episode 1: 63 Wycliffe Road
63 Wycliffe Road is an ordinary house on a quiet South London street, but in 1956 it becomes famous as the site of an alleged poltergeist. The strange events focus around teenager Shirley Hitchings – but is it a haunting or hoax? Ghost hunter Harold Chibbett arrives to investigate.
This series blends drama and documentary to explore an intriguing paranormal cold case. As we hear the original haunting brought to life, host Danny Robins begins his own present-day investigation – what really happened to terrify the Hitchings family 65 years ago?
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 50s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved... until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings........Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett.........Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings........Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings..........Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings..........Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings........Calvin Demba
Mrs Cameroo..........Amina Zia
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2021
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m000tmms)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tn5v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tmmv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tmmx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tmmz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m000tmn1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000tmn3)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr. Joel Edwards
Good Morning.
For one reason or another I have gone through a long line of NHS consultants in the past 4 years.
I have to confess, that I found some of those early encounters really disconcerting, for they all appeared to be dispassionate people in white coats. What I wanted were surgeons who responded to my predicament with teary eyes.
So, I complained to a friend who came to visit. Amazingly, she preferred it that way. What she was after, were doctors who showed up with a clear grasp of what was going on. Emotions were an optional extra.
I have had lots of opportunities to rethink my expectations. Frankly, I still value good bedside manners and empathetic professionalism, but I no longer expect my consultant to squeeze my hand before she tells me what’s going on.
I think my problem was confusing emotional reactions with a passion for one’s work. We expect passion in the world of sports, music, art and erotic love. But it can also be characterised by a dogged determination to go that extra mile get to the bottom of things.
Mel Gibson’s disturbing depiction of the Passion of Christ did not present Jesus as a deranged Rasputin from Nazareth. Rather, we saw a picture of Jesus as a man who was absolutely focused on what he came to do. So, I have learned to settle for the clear-headed consultant with good bedside manners and quietly passionate about fixing patients.
Dear Lord,
In this Holy Week we pray for all our NHS workers and for those who will go the extra mile another day. Be with them and those they love,
For Christ’s sake.
Amen
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m000tmn5)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5c3r)
Sanderling
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the sanderling. Twinkling along the tideline, so fast that their legs are a blur, sanderlings are small waders. It's the speed with which they dodge incoming waves that catches your attention as they run after the retreating waters and frantically probe the sand.
TUE 06:00 Today (m000tltr)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Lessons On A Crisis (m000tltt)
Community
In the third and final episode of the series, Evan and guests discuss the impact of the pandemic on communities and ask how we can build resilience for the future.
We explore cases of communities rallying in new ways, building social networks, but we also hear stories of struggle and hardship exacerbated by the crisis. What has the past year taught us about our communities in the UK and beyond, and how can we use those lessons to be better prepared as people for future emergencies?
Producer: Leala Padmanabhan
TUE 09:45 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tltw)
Episode 2
Helena Attlee first heard Lev’s violin played at a small music festival in Wales. The music being played was Klezmer, Jewish music from Eastern Europe. It blew her right off her feet.
The violinist said he’d been told the instrument came from Cremona, the heart of violin making in Italy, home to Antonio Stradivarius.
Helena sets off on a quest to find out where it was actually made. She travels to Cremona, to the Italian forests where the Alpine spruce grows, and the timbers come down by river. She tries to find out if it might have been a “church violin” played in the great cathedrals and palaces of the Popes and the Medicis, and how it got to Russia where it was bought by Lev from a Roma musician, perhaps via the Nazi confiscation and sale of violins belonging to Jewish musicians.
Finally a dendrochronology test reveals its true origins.
Written by Helene Attlee
Read by Fenella Woolgar
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000tlty)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
TUE 10:45 Meet Me at the Museum (m000tlv0)
Episode 7
In 1964, Professor Glob, the curator of the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, dedicated his book The Bog People to a group of schoolgirls who had written to him about his recent archaeological discoveries. Fifty years later, at a defining moment in her life, Tina Hopgood writes him another letter about a planned pilgrimage to Denmark with her best friend, Bella, to visit the 2000-year-old Tollund Man. Why did they never make the trip?
She doesn’t expect a reply.
When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator responds, neither does he.
Their unexpected correspondence becomes a shared meditation on love, loss, life choices made and the opportunity to make new and different ones.
Episode Seven
As Anders is about to become a grandfather, he and Tina share memories of their own grandparents.
Starring Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter
Written by Anne Youngson
Adapted for radio by Richard Leaf
Producer: Karen Rose
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:00 A Pyrotechnic History of Humanity (m000tlv2)
Fire
This is the first in a four-part series looking at the energy revolutions that drove human history. In this programme Justin Rowlatt goes right back to the origin of our species two million years ago to explore how the mastery of fire by early humans transformed our metabolism, helping us to evolve our uniquely energy-hungry brains.
The physical evidence for early use of fire is frustratingly thin on the ground, according to archaeologist Carolina Mallol. But primatologist Jill Pruetz says she has learned a lot from observing chimpanzees interact with wildfires on the African savanna.
Research collaborators Rachel Carmody and Richard Wrangham theorise that our ancestors' unique ability to cook their food transformed the way our bodies access the energy it contains - something Justin seeks to test out by going on a raw food diet. The bounty of metabolic energy it delivered may have enabled us to become the formidably intelligent species we are today, according to neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, transforming us into prolific hunters who conquered the world.
Producer: Laurence Knight
Presenter: Justin Rowlatt
Studio manager: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Zoe Gelber
Editor: Rosamund Jones
TUE 11:30 Laura Barton's Notes on Music (m000tlv5)
Laura Barton's One True Love
The music writer Laura Barton presents a triptych of meditations on the enduring qualities, appeal and intent of pop music.
For Laura, there's never been any artist to compare with Bruce Springsteen. But what lies at the heart of the enduring appeal of a musician like Bruce? Is he really more, much more than cars and girls? And why do we often invest so much in the work of one recording artist?
All songs performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
I'm on Fire
The E Street Shuffle
4th of July, Asbury Park
Backstreets
Bobby Jean
Racing in the Streets
No Surrender
Because the Night (Live)
Born to Run
Stolen Car
Valentine's Day
The River
Thunder Road
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Something in the Night
Dancing in the Streets
With archive from BBC Sound Archives
and spoken introductions from Springsteen on Broadway
Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
(Photo: Laura Barton, credit Sarah Lee)
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m000tlv7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000tlv9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 12:06 The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen (m000lz7g)
Episode 2
With the Baron’s trip to Easter Ross cut short, he spends his flight south reminiscing about his famous ancestor’s unlikely travels.
This specially commissioned series from James Robertson celebrating travel, adventure and the importance of storytelling is read by William Gaminara.
Our hero is a descendant of the original 18th century Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales inspired a book that would forever link the family name with fibs and exaggeration. Eager to redress the balance, the current Baron dedicates himself to setting down the unvarnished truth about his own exploits.
James writes, “The present-day Baron’s adventures are no less incredible, but in his case every detail has a rational explanation and not one word is an exaggeration or a lie. He flies with swans, sails, sledges and balloons his way round the world, is swallowed by a whale, encounters wolves and alligators, fights bush fires in Australia, orbits the moon and plays golf with the President of the USA. He does the kind of things, in other words, that have been denied to the rest of us for months. Realism, escapism or a mixture of the two? Judge for yourselves.”
James Robertson is an award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer whose books include ‘Joseph Knight’, ‘And The Land Lay Still’ and ‘To Be Continued...’. His next novel 'News of the Dead' is published in August.
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
TUE 12:20 You and Yours (m000tlvc)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
TUE 12:57 Weather (m000tlvf)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m000tlvh)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
TUE 13:45 All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception (b06kw2bg)
Episode 2
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Joshua takes the city of Ai for the Israelites by pretending his army is running away. Believing they have routed their enemy, the city's defending fighters give chase to finish the job. Only then does a hidden Israelite attack-force rush into the city to set it ablaze. It is one of the earliest recorded instances of military deception. In episode 2 of his series, historian Ben Macintyre explores how this kind of feint has been a central tenet of military strategy ever since.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m000tlvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (m000tlvm)
Oak Tree Close
A boy who believes he has magical teeth meets a King in a tree in Boscobel in 1651. A ballad in seven scenes, tracing the life of a protective oak, with a new song - Where My Tooth Once Grew - by Johnny Flynn.
Cast
Thomas (1651) ..... Rui Greaves
Charles ..... Johnny Flynn
Helen ..... Maya Coates
Lizzie ..... Elinor Coleman
Arthur ..... Taylor Simner
Harry ..... Laurie Kynaston
George ..... Joel MacCormack
Padma (1981) ..... Jiyan Kaur Deol
Mr Andrews ..... Stewart Coleman
Thomas (2021) ..... Laurie Kynaston
Padma (2021) ..... Priyanga Burford
Writers, Maud Dromgoole (1651), Sonia Jalaly (1727), Hatty Jones (1787), Joel MacCormack (1891), Margaret Perry (1919), Priyanga Burford (1981) and Max Levine (2021)
Where my Tooth Once Grew - Lyrics Johnny Flynn and Robert MacFarlane, Music, Johnny Flynn
Musical director, Peter Ringrose
Production Coordinator, Anne Isger
Director, Jessica Dromgoole
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m000tlvp)
Unfinished
Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures about looking for completion. A son who finishes his mother’s novel, a family returning to a sacred place and an exploration of a body as ‘an unfinished product’.
Return to Iraq
Featuring Zohra Aly and Amina Alimohamed
The Four Corners of the Heart
Featuring Denis Westhoff
BBC Archive of Françoise Sagan, 1989
Produced by Hannah Dean
PMHx
Written, sound designed, scored, and performed by James T. Green
A special thanks to C’ne Rohlsen, Axel Kacoutié, C.C. Paschal, Cher Vincent, Zakiya Gibbons, and Veralyn Williams for editorial and artistic guidance.
Curatorial team: Eleanor McDowall
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m000tlbj)
Killer Kitties
Realising your pet cat has brought home a 'gift' or perhaps a snack they plan to eat in front of you is never pleasant. Many owners will scramble to intercept and release the poor prey but that may be too little, too late. Cats have been blamed for an estimated 100million wildlife kills in the UK each Spring and Summer but it's hard to know what really goes on when they're out on the prowl at night. Birds, mammals, insects, amphibians...and sometimes the odd snake in some cases...but others don't seem fussed at all.
Scientists have been monitoring and logging cat kills to build a clearer picture of their behaviour and take this beyond what they choose to bring home. Miranda Krestovnikoff explores the factors that may influence a cat's desire to kill and speaks to Hannah Lockwood from the University of Derby whose 'What the Cat Dragged In' project charting hundreds of cats and even using cameras to reveal the hidden truth about their nocturnal behaviour.
She hears about more drastic measures and proposals outside the UK which put more responsibility on cat owners for what they hunt and gets practical advice about how cat owners might deter their pretty kitties from being savage predators, while still keeping it happy.
Presented by Miranda Krestovnikoff and produced by Anne-Marie Bullock for BBC Audio Bristol.
TUE 16:00 Daughters of the Snow (m000tlvr)
Artist and poet Himali Singh Soin explores the North Pole as a mythologised space in literature.
Reading novels like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Captain of the Pole Star at school in India, the North Pole was portrayed to her as a blank, white, mysterious and uninhabited place. It was only later, travelling to Norway's Svalbard archipelago and reading stories that placed the Arctic outside of the colonial imagination, that Himali started to challenge these images.
In conversation with her father - the explorer and responsible tourism advocate Mandip Singh Soin - Himali discusses the consequences of mythologising this huge region of different lands and cultures at the top of the world. How has the North Pole of the literary imagination influenced how people behave in and towards the Arctic and its peoples?
Drawing a line from the Ancients, through Margaret Cavendish’s 17th century novel The Blazing World, to contemporary literature, she considers how the North Pole holds a multitude of powerful stories that affect everyone in our entangled world.
Featuring Michael Bravo from the Scott Polar Research Institute and Department of Geography, Cambridge; Professor Adriana Craciun, Boston University; and authors Tanya Tagaq and Sam J. Miller.
Readings by Deborah Shorinde
Science historian: Alexis Rider
Excerpt(s) from Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, Copyright © 2018
Excerpts of music by David Soin Tappeser, Score for string quartet, ‘we are opposite like that’, a film by Himali Singh Soin, 2019
Photo credit: we are opposite like that, 2017-2022. Courtesy of Himali Singh Soin.
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m000tlvt)
Bryony Gordon & Hollie McNish
Telegraph writer and podcaster Bryony Gordon is with poet and author Hollie McNish on this week's A Good Read.
Bryony loves Rachel’s Holiday by her writing hero Marian Keyes; Hollie hoped the The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis would improve her chess; and Harriett Gilbert finds both absurdity and pain in Reasons to be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe.
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Sarah Goodman
This is the last in our current series of A Good Read, but you can keep in touch with us and find hundreds of book ideas on Instagram: @agoodreadbbc
TUE 17:00 PM (m000tlvw)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tlvy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Reluctant Persuaders (m000tlw0)
Series 4
Episode 5: Have A Break
It’s lunch hour at Hardacre’s, and Joe (Mathew Baynton) is taking five minutes out of his day to practice mindfulness. Or he would be, if he didn’t keep getting interrupted.
Amanda (Josie Lawrence) wants the conference room, Teddy (Rasmus Hardiker) wants to eat Joe’s lunch, and Hardacre (Nigel Havers) just wants to know what on earth he’s doing.
As he attempts to negotiate himself five minutes of peace, Joe finds himself dragged into a discussion of different methods of self-improvement, self-help, and self-realisation.
Cast:
Nigel Havers – Hardacre
Mathew Baynton – Joe
Josie Lawrence – Amanda
Rasmus Hardiker – Teddy
Written by Edward Rowett
Directed by Alan Nixon
Script edited by Mark Evans
Edited and Engineered by Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea by Edward Rowett and Robert Frimstone
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios, London
Produced by Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m000tl9r)
Lynda is on the warpath and Harrison offers his support.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m000tlw2)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
TUE 19:45 The Whisperer in Darkness (m000nkht)
Episode 12
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Episode Twelve
Eleanor Peck gives Heawood insight into the dark and disturbing world he and Kennedy have been drawn into.
Cast:
Matthew Heawood……………BARNABY KAY
Kennedy Fisher.....................JANA CARPENTER
Mystery woman……………….NICOLA STEPHENSON
Newsreader…………………..FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Albert Wilmarth………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley………………….DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose
Director/Writer: Julian Simpson
Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater
Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
TUE 20:00 What We’ve Learnt About Grief (m000tlw4)
The comedian and award-winning creator of Griefcast, Cariad Lloyd, investigates the science that is revolutionising our understanding of grief.
With a mixture of empathy and humour, Cariad reveals the new thinking which has superseded outdated notions like the much quoted "Five stages of grief" and asks whether extreme grief should now be treated as a medical condition.
She talks to those who have experienced intense bereavement and loss, and also the scientists pioneering new treatments, including Professor George A Bonanno, the author of The Other Side of Sadness and Dr Kathy Shear, the founder of Columbia’s Centre for Complicated Grief.
Presented by Cariad Lloyd
Produced by Rachel Shelley
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
Photo Credit: Matt Crockett
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m000tlw6)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 The Day the Muzak Died (m000tlw8)
When Major General George Owen Squier coined the term Muzak, back in the early 1930s, the idea according to elevator music enthusiast Joseph Lanza was “to have a civic use of music”.
At Muzak Corporation’s height during the late 50s and 60s, this practically became a reality as their in-house orchestral arrangements emanated from the walls of hotel lobbies, businesses, airport lounges, doctors offices and across factory floors.
This programme serves as part love-letter, part obituary to the music by Muzak and the particular aesthetic with which it's associated. But it also examines the ethics of such a business model - bound up with ideas of freewill, behavioural science and the use or misuse of technology.
Includes contributions from author Joseph Lanza, artist Mika Taanila, music scholar Caroline Potter, science historian Alexandra Hui, composer Mark Mothersbaugh (from the band Devo), Nigel Rodgers - founder Pipedown, and former Vice President of Programming for Muzak, Rod Baum.
With archive recordings courtesy of Texas Archive of The Moving Image and Hat Trick Productions.
Music sourced from Muzak Archives, Devo and field recordings by Mika Taanila.
Produced by Hannah Dean
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
(Image credit: Nile Livesey)
TUE 21:30 Lessons On A Crisis (m000tltt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m000tlwc)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 Deborah Frances-White Introduces... (m000tlwf)
Episode 2
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer best known for The Guilty Feminist podcast. She has also hosted many storytelling events and,for this special broadcast series,she gave everyone the prompt – The Devil You Know.
In Travis Alabanza’s story we meet the devil in their own life who became too close for comfort.
Travis is a performance artist and writer. Their most recent drama Overflow was performed at the Bush in December before moving online; it has received critical acclaim, including numerous four star reviews. Their debut show Burgerz, which they also performed in, won a number of awards including the Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer. The Guilty Feminist podcast has had 85 million downloads and she has appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The London Palladium. Her BBC Radio 4 show Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. Her award winning independent film Say My Name premiered in 2019 at The Leicester Square Odeon. Deborah’s book The Guilty Feminist was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She is an Amnesty International Ambassador and Artistic Director of the Secret Policeman legacy brand.
Written and Read by Travis Alabanza
Producer: Deborah Frances-White
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 Fortunately... with Fi and Jane (m000tlwh)
184. Gained In Translation with Elif Shafak
This week on Fortunately, Fi and Jane are joined by the writer Elif Shafak. The Turkish author and activist shares her thoughts on issues affecting us around the world and provides an insight into her writing process. Elif also talks about her imaginary friends and confesses what she's like to live with. Elsewhere, the podcast has a new feel when Fi moves rooms in search of wifi and Jane recalls an unexpected but intriguing house guest.
Get in touch: fortunately.podcast@bbc.co.uk
TUE 23:30 The Battersea Poltergeist (p094c8g1)
Episode 2: Shirley
Danny meets the only surviving witness to the haunting – the real-life Shirley Hitchings. What was it like living with a poltergeist? Back in 1956, Harold Chibbett begins his investigation of 63 Wycliffe Road, learning more from the family about the shocking events, as objects appear to move of their own accord.
Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings……..Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
WEDNESDAY 31 MARCH 2021
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m000tlwl)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tltw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tlwn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tlwq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tlws)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m000tlwv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000tlwx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr. Joel Edwards
Good Morning.
Errol Rowe tracked me down on Facebook. We hadn’t spoken for over 50 years. But it was the photo he sent which reignited the old friendship we shared all those years ago between the ages of 8 and 15. It was then that I realised that Errol qualified as my first best friend.
The virtual reunion made me wonder about the mysterious chemistry of friendship.
Social scientists describe 4 types of friendships: acquaintances, friends, close friends and best friends.
But deep friendships involve more than mutual respect or even affection. I suspect that the mystery has something to do with the cavern of shared experiences and deep secrets. In this sacred space, each may hold the other in dangerous and unspoken oaths of loyalty.
Literature is filled with such deep friendships: Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Horatio, or Emily Bronte’s Cathy and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. If you like, you could add Bonnie and Clyde or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
In the Bible Jonathan, King Saul’s son shared such a deep- secret friendship with David, his father’s enemy.
And incredibly, so did Jesus and his disciples. ‘I’m calling you friends, Jesus told them, for everything that I have learned from my Father, I have shared with you.’
As I discovered with Errol, even with the dormant decades, this kind of friendship has the power of resurrection.
Jesus,
Who has chosen to call your followers friends,
We think of those who are friendless today.
May we be the solution to their loneliness.
Amen
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m000tlwz)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mztpd)
Great Tit
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the story of the Great Tit. That metallic 'tea-cher, tea-cher' song of the great tit is instantly recognisable and you can hear it on mild days from mid-December onwards. It's the origin of the old country name, 'Saw-Sharpener'.
WED 06:00 Today (m000tl8y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Positive Thinking (m000tl90)
Improving outcomes for children in care
Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
Emmanuel Akpan Inwang was teaching in a Birmingham state school when he became aware of the worrying statistics about how looked after children fare in the world. He became convinced that a model of children's home used in Germany and Denmark, with family life and education at its heart, held the key to improving things in the UK.
After years of research and fundraising his first home is opening in South London later this year and he's planning to open more.
But has he got the right focus and is this model right for the UK?
Contributors include:
Anne Longfield, who has just completed her six year tenure as Children's Commissioner for England
Mark Kerr, CEO of The Centre for Outcomes of Care, a research charity that focuses on improving outcomes for children and families. He also oversees practice at two Children's Homes
Elaine Hamilton, Service Manager for Nether Johnstone House – a children's home in Scotland, and trustee of the Social Pedagogy Professional Association
WED 09:30 Chinese Characters (b09yhgvm)
Chiang Kai-Shek and Soong Meiling: Asian Power Couple
Rana Mitter argues that we can think about Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Meiling (Madame Chiang) as Asia's first power couple. They dominated politics in China and were two of the most prominent non-westerners on the world scene for much of the early twentieth century. Their greatest test would come in the years 1937 to 1945, when Chiang Kai-shek led China's phase of World War II, in which over ten million Chinese were killed. During these years, Chiang sat alongside FDR and Winston Churchill. But by Chiang's side was Soong Meiling, her husband's interpreter to the outside world, who spoke to both houses of Congress in Washington DC, only the second woman ever to do so. Chiang's army was defeated by Mao's Communists in 1949. But during the war years, Chiang and Soong Meiling were more visible than any other Asian politicians on the globe.
Chinese Characters is a series of 20 essays exploring Chinese history through the life stories of key personalities.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Researcher: Elizabeth Smith Rosser.
WED 09:45 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tl92)
Episode 3
Helena Attlee first heard Lev’s violin played at a small music festival in Wales. The music being played was Klezmer, Jewish music from Eastern Europe. It blew her right off her feet.
The violinist said he’d been told the instrument came from Cremona, the heart of violin making in Italy, home to Antonio Stradivarius.
Helena sets off on a quest to find out where it was actually made. She travels to Cremona, to the Italian forests where the Alpine spruce grows, and the timbers come down by river. She tries to find out if it might have been a “church violin” played in the great cathedrals and palaces of the Popes and the Medicis, and how it got to Russia where it was bought by Lev from a Roma musician, perhaps via the Nazi confiscation and sale of violins belonging to Jewish musicians.
Finally a dendrochronology test reveals its true origins.
Written by Helene Attlee
Read by Fenella Woolgar
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000tl95)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
WED 10:45 Meet Me at the Museum (m000tl97)
Episode 8
In 1964, Professor Glob, the curator of the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, dedicated his book The Bog People to a group of schoolgirls who had written to him about his recent archaeological discoveries. Fifty years later, at a defining moment in her life, Tina Hopgood writes him another letter about a planned pilgrimage to Denmark with her best friend, Bella, to visit the 2000-year-old Tollund Man. Why did they never make the trip?
She doesn’t expect a reply.
When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator responds, neither does he.
Their unexpected correspondence becomes a shared meditation on love, loss, life choices made and the opportunity to make new and different ones.
Episode Eight
Anders receives worrying news.
Starring Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter
Written by Anne Youngson
Adapted for radio by Richard Leaf
Producer: Karen Rose
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
WED 11:00 Inventions in Sound (m000t4km)
[Sound of sky splitting]
[Sound of heart accelerating]
[Sound of shadows behind a door]
The poet Raymond Antrobus explores the art of translating sound for the eye, looking at the poetic possibilities of closed captions.
What can these captions - designed to illuminate the sound world of a film or TV show - reveal about how we conceive of sound itself?
Raymond speaks to fellow D/deaf poets and artists to explore their experiences navigating the spaces between the words. Are closed captions just a simple act of transcription - [Doorbell rings] - or a more subjective act of translation? How might we reimagine them?
[Sound of something invented]
Featuring the sound artist Christine Sun Kim, poet Meg Day, filmmaker and founding member of FWD Doc Lindsey Dryden and the captioner Calum Davidson from Red Bee Media. With poetic captions inspired by the work of Christine Sun Kim.
This documentary has been produced in three forms - as a radio broadcast, as a transcript with annotations from Raymond and as a subtitled video.
Produced by Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
WED 11:30 Alexei Sayle's The Absence of Normal (m000tl9c)
Series 2
Locked Out
Alexei Sayle’s The Absence of Normal, is a series of dark comic plays narrated by Alexei Sayle and adapted for radio from his original short stories.
Katherine has locked herself out of her house on a seemingly quiet and peaceful street in Central London. As she waits for her partner to return with the keys, she begins to realise that she knows nothing of the lives of her neighbours – the people who come and go, who do strange and apparently quite sinister things, and who sleep only a few inches away from her.
Starring Maxine Peake
Written and narrated by Alexei Sayle. Adapted for Radio by Graham Duff.
Produced by Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production
WED 12:00 News Summary (m000tl9f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000tl9h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 12:06 The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen (m000m4bx)
Episode 3
The Baron intends to relax in Queensland after volunteering with the bushfire crews – but fate has other plans.
This specially commissioned series from James Robertson celebrating travel, adventure and the importance of storytelling is read by William Gaminara.
Our hero is a descendant of the original 18th century Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales inspired a book that would forever link the family name with fibs and exaggeration. Eager to redress the balance, the current Baron dedicates himself to setting down the unvarnished truth about his own exploits.
James writes, “The present-day Baron’s adventures are no less incredible, but in his case every detail has a rational explanation and not one word is an exaggeration or a lie. He flies with swans, sails, sledges and balloons his way round the world, is swallowed by a whale, encounters wolves and alligators, fights bush fires in Australia, orbits the moon and plays golf with the President of the USA. He does the kind of things, in other words, that have been denied to the rest of us for months. Realism, escapism or a mixture of the two? Judge for yourselves.”
James Robertson is an award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer whose books include ‘Joseph Knight’, ‘And The Land Lay Still’ and ‘To Be Continued...’. His next novel 'News of the Dead' is published in August.
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
WED 12:20 You and Yours (m000tl9k)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
WED 12:57 Weather (m000tl9m)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m000tl9p)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
WED 13:45 All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception (b06kw34x)
Episode 3
You probably know the original apocryphal story; after 10 years laying siege to Troy, the Greeks pretend to sail away, leaving behind a giant wooden horse. When night falls, a small Greek force creeps from the horse and opens the city's gates to the invaders. But there have been 'Trojan Horse'-style plots throughout history, from an extremely committed Persian general who cut off his own ears and nose to take Babylon, to Agincourt-era Scots masquerading as English troops in Northern France. In episode 3 of his focus on ruse and bluff in battle, historian Ben Macintyre also looks at more modern examples of sneaking behind enemy lines.
WED 14:00 The Archers (m000tl9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (m000ckvp)
Happiness!
David Threlfall stars as the madcap entertainer, Ken Dodd, in Ian Billing’s comedy drama about winning hearts and minds. It’s 1988 and the comedian faces charges of tax evasion. The drama imagines what it must have felt like for someone confronted with the prospect of being cut off from doing what they love most in the world. The story tracks the year-long battle with the tax-man including the 1989 trial where the entertainer is finally acquitted on all charges.
Ken Dodd/Dicky Mint ….. David Threlfall
George Carman QC ….. Clive Hayward
Bennett ….. Will Kirk
Mr Justice Waterhouse ….. Neil McCaul
Brian Leveson QC ….. Ian Conningham
Albert ….. Greg Jones
Eileen ….. Laura Christy
Croupier ….. Adam Courting
Mother ….. Heather Craney
Usher ….. Ikky Elyas
Music arranged and performed by Neil Brand
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
Ian Billings wrote the award-winning Spike and The Elfin Oak for Radio 4 about another comedy great, Spike Milligan, also starring David Threlfall (Shameless, Ripper Street). A children’s stand-up comic, author and poet, Ian’s written and performed in pantomimes and is the author of the Sam Hawkins, Pirate Detective series of novels and the co-author of Space Rocks.
WED 15:00 Money Box (m000tl9t)
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships allow you to earn money as you study for qualifications and gain practical experience on the job.
There's a wide range of careers and industries to choose from but a recent Ofsted report said that 10% of apprenticeships are inadequate, so how do you find a good quality scheme to help you develop the skills you need to succeed?
On Wednesday's programme Adam Shaw speaks to apprentices and employers about their experiences and ambitions and we'd love from you too.
If you're interested in becoming an apprentice or you're an employer who'd like to hire apprentices e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Diane Richardson
Editor: Emma Rippon
WED 15:30 Where Is Jack Ma? (m000tl9w)
New documentary for BBC Radio 4.
WED 16:00 Sideways (m000tl9y)
Matthew Syed explores ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m000tlb0)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world
WED 17:00 PM (m000tlb2)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tlb4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Future Empire-fect (m000tlb6)
Episode 2
In their previous BBC Radio 4 series, Empire-ical Evidence, comedians Andy Zaltzman and Anuvab Pal travelled to each other’s home cities and walked around, taking in the sights and sounds and taste and feel of the bustling metropoli of London and Kolkata, before performing stand-up in crowded rooms full of people laughing loudly and maybe even sharing snacks.
In Future Empire-fect, their new series recorded in March 2021, they won’t be doing that.
What they will be doing is looking at the future of the relationship between Britain and India in fields such as politics, medicine, cricket, culture, cricket, trade, hospitality and cricket. In this second episode, they finally get to the important issue - cricket. And also tourism, education and comedy. But mainly cricket.
Praise for Empire-ical Evidence:
"Surprisingly successful as both entertainment and education." The Telegraph
"I was intrigued by Andy Zaltzman and Anuvab Pal's ambition and then surprised to find myself chuckling at their chutzpah." The Spectator
Writer/Perfomer: Andy Zaltzman
Writer/Perfomer: Anuvab Pal
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m000tlb8)
Ben has romance in mind and Lynda goes into battle.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m000tlbb)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 19:45 The Whisperer in Darkness (m000ntst)
Episode 13
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Episode Thirteen
Kennedy decides to investigate April Marston, Thomas Marston’s daughter, after Walter Brown cites her in his will.
Cast:
Matthew Heawood……………BARNABY KAY
Kennedy Fisher.....................JANA CARPENTER
Army contact…………………..STEPHEN MACKINTOSH
Albert Wilmarth………………..MARK BAZELEY
Slide……….…………………..FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Isobel…………………………..NICOLA STEPHENSON
April Marston………………….REBEKAH STATON.
Parker………………………….PHOEBE FOX
Henry Akeley…………………..DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose
Director/Writer: Julian Simpson
Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater
Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m000tlbd)
Combative, provocative and engaging live debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Ayishat Akanbi, Anne McElvoy, Tim Stanley and Matthew Taylor. #moralmaze
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (m000tlbg)
The Fragrance of Hope
Lent Talks is a personal reflection inspired by an aspect of the story leading up to Easter. This year’s theme is ‘hope as an active virtue’. The Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and former Chief Nurse, considers the small acts of service and self-giving during the pandemic.
Producer Dan Tierney.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m000tlbj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m000tlb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m000tlbl)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 Deborah Frances-White Introduces... (m000tlbn)
Episode 3
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer best known for The Guilty Feminist podcast. She has also hosted many storytelling events and, for this special broadcast series, she gave everyone the prompt – The Devil You Know. Tonight you can hear Scarlett Curtis’ story.
Scarlett Curtis is the curator of the Sunday Times Bestseller and National Book Award winning Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (& other lies), a collection of essays by 52 women on what feminism means to them, and followed that with It’s Not Okay to Feel Blue (& other lies) about mental health.
She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and Vogue and is currently contributing editor at The Sunday Times Style. She co-founded The Pink Protest, a feminist activist collective committed to helping young people take action online and IRL. To date they have been a part of campaigns that have changed two laws - a bill to help end period poverty and to get FGM into the Children’s Act. Scarlett was awarded The Changemaker Award for young activists in November 2019. Scarlett is currently a UN Women UK advocate and on the advisory board for Chime for Change.
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer. The Guilty Feminist podcast has had 85 million downloads and she has appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The London Palladium. Her BBC Radio 4 show Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. Her award winning independent film Say My Name premiered in 2019 at The Leicester Square Odeon. Deborah’s book The Guilty Feminist was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She is an Amnesty International Ambassador and Artistic Director of the Secret Policeman legacy brand.
Written and Read by Scarlett Curtis
Producer: Deborah Frances-White
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
BBC Action Line
If you are experiencing emotional stress, help and support is available from the organisations listed here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/emotional-distress-information-and-support
WED 23:00 My Brilliant Life (m000cp34)
Alistair McGowan stars as a host of famous people in this new comedy about a man who spends his life on the road, daydreaming about the brilliant life that he’s never had.
Harry Pye could have been a great actor, writer, sportsman, politician or rock ’n' roll star. He could have been - but he isn’t. Instead he is on his third marriage to the menopausal Sue, is half of a pub-gigging musical duo with his best mate Jason, and spends his days as a red-plate driver. He drives up and down the motorways of Britain delivering luxury cars that he knows he’ll never be able to afford to own, while being constantly harangued over his hands-free phone by his millennial boss, Kaley.
It’s true that Harry’s life hasn’t been exactly brilliant but, alone in the car, all the attention and accolades that life have denied him are abundantly supplied by his active imagination. Because, in his daydreams, Harry mingles with and glitters among a staggering array of famous friends - all voiced by Alistair McGowan.
He has created a dazzling celebrity world and placed himself right at its centre. He collects awards for the books he’s never written and films he’s never made and is feted for political wisdom and sporting prowess he doesn’t possess.
Cast:
Harry ..... Alistair McGowan
Sue ..... Charlotte Page
Written by Alistair McGowan and David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 The Skewer (m000tlbr)
Series 3
Episode 12
Jon Holmes's award winning satirical river of sound returns to twist itself into the news.
WED 23:30 The Battersea Poltergeist (p0955cfy)
Episode 3: Interview with a Ghost
Danny explores possible links between the Battersea case and the Enfield Poltergeist, a famous alleged haunting from 1977. He meets two reporters who covered the case, one of whom claims to have been attacked by the poltergeist. We hear more from the real-life Shirley Hitchings as, back in 1956, teenage Shirley appears to communicate with Donald the Poltergeist, and her story becomes front page tabloid news, gripping the nation.
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Ronald Maxwell……….Rufus Wright
Joyce Lewis………..Miranda Raison
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
THURSDAY 01 APRIL 2021
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m000tlbv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tl92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tlbx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tlbz)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tlc1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m000tlc3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000tlc5)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Dr Joel Edwards.
Good Morning.
It all happened a long time ago and I wish I could remember his name. But I can still see him leaping around the Butlins showroom. Everyday throughout the week he had come for help, a broken and disorientated teenager. And now here he was prancing around the building like joy on steroids.
It began the day before as the team met to plan the Maundy Thursday programme. It was to be the final night of an intense week. Bizarrely someone suggested that the team should wash the teenagers’ feet. Everybody laughed. I said it was something we still did in my local church. But I didn’t say that I also found it a bit weird.
So, just like Jesus did to his disciples we would wash the feet of the kids we had been teaching all week. And so, we set about the task. They were embarrassed, and we felt awkward. But we’d been talking about Jesus all week, and it was Maundy Thursday.
It was at the end of the session that everyone saw him. When he finally stood still, we asked him what was happening. So, he took the microphone and told everyone in the building.
Every day he felt worthless, he said. Really rubbish! So, he simply couldn’t believe that those of us who had been teaching him all week, would stoop to wash his feet. For this one youngster, an ancient ritual changed his world.
On Maundy Thursday this was what Jesus had in mind.
When the leader becomes the servant, the servants become great giants and something otherworldly happens.
Lord,
You came not to be served
But to serve and to give your life for everyone else.
Enrich us with this quality of giving.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m000tlc7)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mhyzf)
Raven
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the story of the raven. Ravens are one of the most widely distributed birds in the world and can survive Arctic winters and scorching deserts. In the UK, Ravens were once widespread, even in cities but persecution drove them back into the wilder parts of our islands. Now they're re-colonising the lowlands and are even turning up on the outskirts of London where, since Victorian times, the only ravens were the ones kept at the Tower.
THU 06:00 Today (m000tnq1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day. Producer: Orwenna Griffiths
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m000tnq3)
The Russo-Japanese War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the conflict between Russian and Japan from February 1904 to September 1905, which gripped the world and had a profound impact on both countries. Wary of Russian domination of Korea, Japan attacked the Russian Fleet at Port Arthur and the ensuing war gave Russia a series of shocks, including the loss of their Baltic Fleet after a seven month voyage, which reverberated in the 1905 Revolution. Meanwhile Japan, victorious, advanced its goal of making Europe and America more wary in East Asia, combining rapid military modernisation and Samurai traditions when training its new peasant conscripts. The US-brokered peace failed to require Russia to make reparations, which became a cause of Japanese resentment towards the US.
With
Simon Dixon
The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London
Naoko Shimazu
Professor of Humanities at Yale NUS College, Singapore
And
Oleg Benesch
Reader in Modern History at the University of York
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tnq5)
Episode 4
Helena Attlee first heard Lev’s violin played at a small music festival in Wales. The music being played was Klezmer, Jewish music from Eastern Europe. It blew her right off her feet.
The violinist said he’d been told the instrument came from Cremona, the heart of violin making in Italy, home to Antonio Stradivarius.
Helena sets off on a quest to find out where it was actually made. She travels to Cremona, to the Italian forests where the Alpine spruce grows, and the timbers come down by river. She tries to find out if it might have been a “church violin” played in the great cathedrals and palaces of the Popes and the Medicis, and how it got to Russia where it was bought by Lev from a Roma musician, perhaps via the Nazi confiscation and sale of violins belonging to Jewish musicians.
Finally a dendrochronology test reveals its true origins.
Written by Helene Attlee
Read by Fenella Woolgar
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000tnq7)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
THU 10:45 Meet Me at the Museum (m000tnq9)
Episode 9
In 1964, Professor Glob, the curator of the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, dedicated his book The Bog People to a group of schoolgirls who had written to him about his recent archaeological discoveries. Fifty years later, at a defining moment in her life, Tina Hopgood writes him another letter about a planned pilgrimage to Denmark with her best friend, Bella, to visit the 2000-year-old Tollund Man. Why did they never make the trip?
She doesn’t expect a reply.
When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator responds, neither does he.
Their unexpected correspondence becomes a shared meditation on love, loss, life choices made and the opportunity to make new and different ones.
Episode None
Tina stops writing.
Starring Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter
Written by Anne Youngson
Adapted for radio by Richard Leaf
Producer: Karen Rose
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m000tnqc)
Namibia: the Price of Genocide
More than a century after its brutal colonisation of Namibia, including what it now accepts was the genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples, Germany is negotiating with the country’s government to heal the wounds of the past. The eventual deal may set a precedent for what other nations expect from former colonisers. But how do you make up for the destruction of entire societies? Germany has agreed to apologise - but Namibia also wants some form of material compensation. What should that be, and who should benefit? Namibians are now divided about how the talks are being conducted - and some in the country’s German-speaking minority, descendants of the original colonists, question the very idea of compensation. Tim Whewell travels to Namibia to ask how far full reconciliation - with Germany, and within the country - is possible.
Produced and presented by Tim Whewell
Editor, Bridget Harney
THU 11:30 Red Letter Days (m000tnqf)
What is it about birthdays - particularly the major milestones - that stop us in our tracks, that marks them out as true red letter days?
In an uplifting and moving programme, Julie Hesmondhalgh plants 50 trees to mark her own half-century as a means of marking time spent on the earth, reflecting on her past and considering how she might spend the years left to her.
She talks with others who have used birthdays in similarly salient and sometimes transformative ways - including the actress who revealed to her friends on her 50th that she is a trans woman, and the writer who cycled across America to understand its divisions better. Julie also hears how birthdays offer a powerful opportunity to remember loved ones, and speaks with poet Lemn Sissay about the way birthdays long served as a painful reminder of the family he didn’t have while growing up in care.
Presenter - Julie Hesmondhalgh
Producer - Geoff Bird
Executive Producer - Eloise Whitmore
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 News Summary (m000tnqh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000tnqk)
The latest shipping forecast
THU 12:06 The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen (m000mbqm)
Episode 4
Baron Munchausen travels in style as he uses his gift for storytelling to earn passage across the Atlantic.
This specially commissioned series from James Robertson celebrating travel, adventure and the importance of storytelling is read by William Gaminara.
Our hero is a descendant of the original 18th century Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales inspired a book that would forever link the family name with fibs and exaggeration. Eager to redress the balance, the current Baron dedicates himself to setting down the unvarnished truth about his own exploits.
James writes, “The present-day Baron’s adventures are no less incredible, but in his case every detail has a rational explanation and not one word is an exaggeration or a lie. He flies with swans, sails, sledges and balloons his way round the world, is swallowed by a whale, encounters wolves and alligators, fights bush fires in Australia, orbits the moon and plays golf with the President of the USA. He does the kind of things, in other words, that have been denied to the rest of us for months. Realism, escapism or a mixture of the two? Judge for yourselves.”
James Robertson is an award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer whose books include ‘Joseph Knight’, ‘And The Land Lay Still’ and ‘To Be Continued...’. His next novel 'News of the Dead' is published in August.
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
THU 12:20 You and Yours (m000tnqm)
News and discussion of consumer affairs. Producer: Chas Watkin
THU 12:57 Weather (m000tnqp)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m000tnqr)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague. Producer: Victoria Wakely
THU 13:45 All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception (b06kwl0d)
Episode 4
Knowledge is power. Nowhere is this more true than in the theatre of battle. In part 4 of his series, historian and writer Ben Macintyre looks at how espionage and misdirection –often through networks of spies and double-agents – relies on understanding your enemy's psychology. We'll also hear from a former member of the legendary SAS on how information control is vital to success in special forces' operations.
THU 14:00 The Archers (m000tlb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (m000h8q4)
The Grey Man and Other Lost Legends
A strange craft crash lands into the UK’s second highest peak. The mayday signal is picked up by amateur radio enthusiast and conspiracy theorist Fergus McGregor whose special interest is the Great Grey Man.
Sometimes referred to as Scotland’s yeti, stories of the Grey Man have been reported by hikers and mountaineers on Ben Mcdhui as far back as the Victorian era. Fergus sets out to find the craft with far-reaching consequences.
Sebastian Baczkiewicz weaves interviews about Scotland’s yeti into an innovative audio drama. Featuring interviews with residents and visitors in the Cairngorms National Park.
With special thanks to Angus Upton.
Cast:
Weatherall …. Laura Elphinstone
Fergus McGregor ... Brian Vernel
Councillor Boyne … Rachel Handshaw
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Sound Design by Steve Bond
Executive Producer Jeremy Mortimer
Produced by Joby Waldman
Directed by Steve Bond and Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Open Country (m000tnqt)
Stormont Estate
Stormont's parliament buildings, on the outskirts of Belfast, often features in the national news as the focus of raucous political debates and protests. But the building is also set in the middle of several hundred acres of magnificent parkland. Most of it was closed to the public at the height of the Troubles, but from the late 1990s, as the peace process developed, it has become a treasured public space.
In the past twenty years, the Stormont Estate has developed its woodland and added environmental trails and wetland areas as well as an outdoor fitness gym, running paths and a large play park. It's now one of Northern Ireland's most popular outdoor parks and is also used regularly as a venue for charity and public events. It has been a particularly important fresh air 'escape' for local people during the Covid lockdowns.
Helen Mark talks to Stormont's Head of Estate, Nigel Bonar, about the challenges of looking after a parkland which is also a workplace for politicians and three thousand civil servants. Author Jack Gallagher remembers the excitement of visiting Stormont as a child of the 40s and describes the contrast between its green open spaces and the grey blitz-damaged streets where he lived. We hear about some of the significant moments in Stormont's history and former politician, Monica McWilliams, pays tribute to the late Mo Mowlam who was instrumental in opening up the park to the public when she was Secretary of State during the peace process negotiations in the mid-1990s. Her lasting legacy on the Stormont Estate is the 'Mo Park', the play park enjoyed by thousands of children every week.
Producer: Kathleen Carragher
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m000tm8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m000tm9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m000tnqw)
Film programme looking at the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV. Producer: Alice Feinstein
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m000tnqy)
Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world. Producer: Julian Siddle.
THU 17:00 PM (m000tnr0)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tnr2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Meet David Sedaris (m000tnr4)
Series 8
Instalment 3
What with the whole world grinding to a viral halt and everything, this special series of essays and diary entries is recorded at the Sussex home of the world-renowned storyteller.
In 2021, it's 25 years since David Sedaris first shared his very particular world view with the listeners to BBC Radio 4, having brought us The SantaLand Diaries back in 1996. In this eighth series of Meet David Sedaris, he continues to entertain with sardonic wit and incisive social critiques.
David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humour writers and, in 2019, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that he's a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.
Sedaris's first book, Barrel Fever (1994), which included The SantaLand Diaries, was a critical and commercial success, as were his follow-up efforts, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997) and Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000). He became known for his bitingly funny recollections of his youth, family life and travels, making semi-celebrities out of his parents and siblings.
David Sedaris has been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album. His latest international best-selling book is a collection of stories entitled Calypso. A feature film adaptation of his story C.O.G. was released after a premier at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m000tnr6)
Writers, Sarah Hehir and Keri Davies
Director, Marina Caldarone
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Ben Archer ... Ben Norris
Harrison Burns ... James Cartwright
Chris Carter ... Wilf Scolding
Alice Carter ... Hollie Chapman
Ruairi Donovan ... Arthur Hughes
Eddie Grundy ... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy ... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Tracy Horrobin ... Susie Riddell
Jim Lloyd ... John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary .... Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ... Annabelle Dowler
Lynda Snell ... Carole Boyd
Roy Tucker ... Ian Pepperell
Evangeline ... Sylvestra Le Touzel
THU 19:15 Front Row (m000tnr8)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music. Producer: Alice Feinstein.
THU 19:45 The Whisperer in Darkness (m000p0m2)
Episode 14
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Episode Fourteen
Kennedy has found Henry Akeley. Or so she thinks.
Cast:
Matthew Heawood……………BARNABY KAY
Kennedy Fisher.....................JANA CARPENTER
Dean Perry…………………….ROBERT GLENISTER
Albert Wilmarth………………..MARK BAZELEY
Isobel…………………………..NICOLA STEPHENSON
April Marston………………….REBEKAH STATON
Parker………………………….PHOEBE FOX
Henry Akeley…………………..DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose
Director/Writer: Julian Simpson
Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater
Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m000tnrb)
Covid-19 and the World
No crisis has had the global reach and impact of Covid-19. There have been more than 120 million recorded cases of the coronavirus and 2.7 million people have died. Lockdowns, with their draconian curbs on people’s freedoms have become a familiar part of daily life in many parts of the world. Just over a year since the world started to get to grips with the first global pandemic in more than a century, what can we say about how different countries have dealt it? to Which countries have suffered the worst impact and why? Which public health systems have held up best? Why did test and trace work in some countries but not in others? Around the world governments have propped up their economies accruing eye-watering amounts of debt, was it money well spent? Where and why has the vaccine roll out been most successful? And what could be the lasting legacy of the pandemic?
In this extended edition of The Briefing Room David Aaronovitch is joined by expert guests.
Producers: Tim Mansel, Paul Moss, Kirsteen Knight
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Jasper Corbett
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m000tnqy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m000tnq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m000tnrf)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 Deborah Frances-White Introduces... (m000tnrh)
Episode 4
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer best known for The Guilty Feminist podcast. She has also hosted many storytelling events and, for this special broadcast series, she gave everyone the prompt – The Devil You Know.
Steve Ali’s story takes us back to his childhood in Aleppo to explore family legends and memories. He is a Syrian writer and broadcaster living in London. He was a regular on all four seasons of the BBC podcast GrownUpLand and has appeared on Global Pillage and The Guilty Feminist as well as Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Tour shows. He has written for The Sunday Times Magazine, GQ Magazine and The Evening Standard and is co-founder of The Refugee Media Centre. He is a silversmith and has his own jewellery company. Steve is currently developing a one man show called The Alcohol of the Soul.
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer. The Guilty Feminist podcast has had 85 million downloads and she has appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The London Palladium. Her BBC Radio 4 show Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. Her award winning independent film Say My Name premiered in 2019 at The Leicester Square Odeon. Deborah’s book The Guilty Feminist was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She is an Amnesty International Ambassador and Artistic Director of the Secret Policeman legacy brand.
Written and Read by Steve Ali
Producer: Deborah Frances-White
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 It's Not What You Know (b07wgmf8)
Series 4
Episode 1
Joe Lycett discovers how well a panel of celebrity guests know their nearest and dearest.
This week Joe probes into the lives of of Holly Walsh, Tim Lovejoy and Nish Kumar.
Production coordinator: Emily Hallett
Producer: Matt Stronge
A BBC Studios production.
THU 23:30 The Battersea Poltergeist (p096k9kn)
Episode 5: Strange Bones
After the exorcism, Shirley’s fame increases, but as she’s drawn into a press expose by two journalists, the world wants to know – is this a haunting or a hoax? At Number 63, the poltergeist activity seems to intensify, taking a terrifying new direction that puts the whole family in danger.
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Prevenge), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Lily Chibbett……..Kacey Ainsworth
Ronald Maxwell……….Rufus Wright
John Knight……..Dan Starkey
Consultant…….Stephen Critchlow
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
FRIDAY 02 APRIL 2021
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m000tnrl)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tnq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000tnrn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000tnrq)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000tnrs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m000tnrv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000tnrx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Dr Joel Edwards.
Good morning.
No depiction of the Cross comes close to describing Good Friday. Neither Salvador Dali’s Christ of St Johns, nor Coventry Cathedral’s Cross of Nails can take us there.
But the night when Jesus finished praying in Gethsemane and handed himself over to the press gang, history seized his frail body and pushed him inexorably toward the Cross.
The journey took him through the corridors of power, the desertion of his friends; spitting, a crown of thorns and ugly lacerations across his back. Then, the hurtful mantra of the Palm Sunday people, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ The uphill climb to the place of execution called Golgotha, where they nailed his body to planks of wood. And then, for a few short hours he pushed and pulled his way toward complete asphyxiation.
But the meaning of Good Friday goes deeper still.
It is the unimaginably excruciating infection of human sin and sinfulness which attached itself so deeply to him, that in the thoughts of the black theologian, James Cone, the Cross became everyone’s lynching tree as all human foolishness and frailty were sealed in his suffering. As the prophet Isaiah described it centuries earlier, ‘The Lord laid on him the sin of us all.’
As the crowd watched him fade away, they had no way of comprehending what the German theologian, Jürgen Moltmann could only describe as, The Crucified God.
About 3 o clock in the afternoon, under a dark sky, as the light was leaving his body, a final flickering thought remained: I will return.
Jesus
On this Good Friday
We remember what that we may never truly understand.
And we are forever grateful.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m000tnrz)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mj8ln)
Magpie
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the magpie. Magpies have always had a rascally streetwise image. They featured in anti-theft campaigns on television in the 1980s, and long before that, their kleptomaniac tendencies were celebrated by Rossini in his opera, 'The Thieving Magpie'. Their pied plumage isn't just black and white, but gleams with iridescent greens, blues and purples.
FRI 06:00 Today (m000tp7f)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m000tm99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee (m000tp7h)
Episode 5
Helena Attlee first heard Lev’s violin played at a small music festival in Wales. The music being played was Klezmer, Jewish music from Eastern Europe. It blew her right off her feet.
The violinist said he’d been told the instrument came from Cremona, the heart of violin making in Italy, home to Antonio Stradivarius.
Helena sets off on a quest to find out where it was actually made. She travels to Cremona, to the Italian forests where the Alpine spruce grows, and the timbers come down by river. She tries to find out if it might have been a “church violin” played in the great cathedrals and palaces of the Popes and the Medicis, and how it got to Russia where it was bought by Lev from a Roma musician, perhaps via the Nazi confiscation and sale of violins belonging to Jewish musicians.
Finally a dendrochronology test reveals its true origins.
Written by Helene Attlee
Read by Fenella Woolgar
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000tp7k)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
FRI 10:45 Meet Me at the Museum (m000tp7m)
Episode 10
In 1964, Professor Glob, the curator of the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, dedicated his book The Bog People to a group of schoolgirls who had written to him about his recent archaeological discoveries. Fifty years later, at a defining moment in her life, Tina Hopgood writes him another letter about a planned pilgrimage to Denmark with her best friend, Bella, to visit the 2000-year-old Tollund Man. Why did they never make the trip?
She doesn’t expect a reply.
When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator responds, neither does he.
Their unexpected correspondence becomes a shared meditation on love, loss, life choices made and the opportunity to make new and different ones.
Episode Ten
Tina must make a decision about her life. Can Anders help?
Starring Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter
Written by Anne Youngson
Adapted for radio by Richard Leaf
Producer: Karen Rose
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 11:00 The Prime Minister at 300 (m000tp7p)
The liminal premiership
It's 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole took office as the first recognisable office holder of Prime Minister. To mark the anniversary, the historian and biographer Sir Anthony Seldon, examines how the role came about and why it has survived despite various crises and periods of change in the life of the nation. What do Walpole and Boris Johnson, the 55th occupant of the office, have in common?
Former Prime Ministers, Foreign Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries and others at the heart of government talk about the pressures on the modern office and the responsibilities that come with it. Has the job become too difficult to perform effectively and what could be done to enhance the role of Prime Minister?
The first programme explores the origins of the office and how it was shaped by two of the longest serving Prime Ministers, Sir Robert Walpole and William Pitt the Younger.
Producer: Peter Snowdon
FRI 11:30 Paul Sinha's General Knowledge (m0007wwd)
Series 1
Episode 1
Paul Sinha - comedian, lapsed GP, Chaser and genuinely the fourth best quizzer in the United Kingdom - returns to tell you about... well, everything.
Paul has already told you about history in the Rose d'Or-winning Paul Sinha's History Revision, as well as Britishness (Paul Sinha's Citizenship Test), Magna Carta (The Sinha Carta), the Olympics (The Sinha Games) and, most importantly, cricket (The Sinha Test). But as a competitive quizzer, Paul learns fascinating facts all the time. As a curious man, he then looks up the stories behind those facts and they often turn out to be even more fascinating. In Paul Sinha's General Studies, he shares these stories with you.
This week's show starts with a question about the city in which Paul recently got engaged, and takes you through the worlds of exploration, immigration and politics, ending with a quick quiz on facts about current MPs you may not be aware of. He also takes on the audience, as he challenges them to ask him questions for a change.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Produced by Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m000tp7s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000tp7v)
The latest shipping forecast
FRI 12:06 The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen (m000mlbt)
Episode 5
Putting his Presidential round of golf behind him, the Baron takes off on the final stage of his journey.
This specially commissioned series from James Robertson celebrating travel, adventure and the importance of storytelling is read by William Gaminara.
Our hero is a descendant of the original 18th century Baron Munchausen, whose tall tales inspired a book that would forever link the family name with fibs and exaggeration. Eager to redress the balance, the current Baron dedicates himself to setting down the unvarnished truth about his own exploits.
James writes, “The present-day Baron’s adventures are no less incredible, but in his case every detail has a rational explanation and not one word is an exaggeration or a lie. He flies with swans, sails, sledges and balloons his way round the world, is swallowed by a whale, encounters wolves and alligators, fights bush fires in Australia, orbits the moon and plays golf with the President of the USA. He does the kind of things, in other words, that have been denied to the rest of us for months. Realism, escapism or a mixture of the two? Judge for yourselves.”
James Robertson is an award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer whose books include ‘Joseph Knight’, ‘And The Land Lay Still’ and ‘To Be Continued...’. His next novel 'News of the Dead' is published in August.
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
FRI 12:20 You and Yours (m000tp7x)
News and discussion of consumer affairs. Producer: Chas Watkin
FRI 12:57 Weather (m000tp7z)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m000tp81)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Jonny Dymond.
FRI 13:45 All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception (b06khsvc)
Episode 5
For as long as there have been predators and prey, there has been camouflage. That said, the term was only coined, in a military sense, during World War One. The development of the rifle and then the sniper made it an ever more crucial aspect of battle. In this final episode of his series, historian Ben Macintyre also explores the role of military deception in modern-day warfare.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m000tnr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (m000gtn5)
Settlers
Settlers by Adam Usden.
Two scientists have been in cryogenic stasis for nine hundred years along with one thousand others. They are underground waiting for a new planet to be born, then they can colonise. Nothing can go wrong, can it? A funny and touching rom-com in space.
Sam ..... Laura Aikman
Ian ..... Tom Rosenthal
Michael.... Hamish Rush
System ..... Leah Marks
Director/Producer Gary Brown.
Adam Usden is a recent winner of the prestigious Imison Award for the best new play on radio.
FRI 15:00 Good Friday Meditation: Behold the Man! (m000tp83)
At the hour when Christians around the world contemplate Christ's death on the cross, Neil MacGregor and the Revd Lucy Winkett stand before one of Rembrandt's masterpieces 'Ecce Homo' in London's National Gallery. For Neil, the painting opens a great range of questions and responses. It was (almost certainly) intended to serve for an engraving, for private meditation at home. In good Dutch Protestant fashion, it closely follows the text of John's Gospel - the clock at the sixth hour, the rabble shouting that they have no king but Caesar. It forces the viewer, us, to confront the question, Who is this man? Is he a king? and if so, what kind of king? On the answer, everything will depend — for him, for the Jerusalem crowd, and for us. It is about the difficulty of perceiving true light; unusually, Jesus is in shadow, the Jewish priests in light; on the head-dress of the High Priest are the letters YHW and EL; the choice between Caesar and Christ is clear— and Jesus is disconcertingly, and humbly, lower than the bust of Caesar — his kingdom not of this world.
Rembrandt set the scene in front of a municipal building resembling Amsterdam Town Hall (now the Royal Palace), inaugurated in the year this print was created. In 17th-century Holland convicts were often sentenced outside, which coupled with the fact that many of the observers in the foreground are in the dress of the day, suggests Rembrandt was attempting to make contemporary viewers feel like participants in the drama, and, perhaps, complicit in the judgement. Perhaps that same challenge is there for us, too.
Producer: Andrew Earis
FRI 15:30 Lent Talks (m000sr67)
Faith in 'Lost Causes'
A personal, hopeful reflection inspired by an aspect of the story leading up to Easter.
Businessman Sir John Timpson considers what he has learned as an employer of ex-prisoners and as a foster carer.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
FRI 15:45 Swipe Right (m000tp85)
Fate, Maybe
Newly single and tired of dating apps, Suzie tries to engineer a romantic 'meet cute' in a lift, but things don't quite go according to plan.
An original short story by Beth O'Leary. This is the first of the Swipe Right short story series from the freshest young writing talent, all about love, relationships and sex (or lack of it) in the modern world.
Read by Claudia Jessie
Produced by Anne Isger
Beth O'Leary is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flatshare and The Switch. The Flatshare is also available on BBC Sounds.
Claudia Jessie is best known for playing Eloise in Bridgerton, and has starred in Line of Duty and Vanity Fair.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000tp88)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant. Prod: Eleanor Garland (Beverley Purcell Apr-July)
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m000tpw7)
Radio 4's forum for comments, queries, criticisms and congratulations.
FRI 17:00 PM (m000tp8b)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000tp8d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m000tp8g)
Series 58
Episode 6
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches in front of a remote audience - and all from their own home!
Joining them from a safe distance is Geoff Norcott and Laura Lexx with music supplied by Huge Davies .
Voice Actors: Emily Lloyd-Saini and Kieran Hodgson
Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Co-Ordinator: Carina Andrews
Editor/Engineer: David Thomas
BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 Front Row (m000tp8j)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music. Producer: Alice Feinstein.
FRI 19:45 The Whisperer in Darkness (m000p72k)
Episode 15
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Episode Fifteen
A ritual involving Kennedy is about to take place in Rendlesham Forest. Can Heawood save her?
Cast:
Matthew Heawood……………BARNABY KAY
Kennedy Fisher.....................JANA CARPENTER
Dean Perry…………………….ROBERT GLENISTER
Albert Wilmarth………………..MARK BAZELY
April Marston………………….REBEKAH STATON.
Parker………………………….PHOEBE FOX
Henry Akeley…………………..DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose
Director/Writer: Julian Simpson
Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater
Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000tp8l)
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from venues around the UK. Producer: Chris Ledgard.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000tp8n)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors. Producer: Penny Murphy.
FRI 21:00 Intrigue (m000ptcc)
Mayday (Omnibus 3)
When James Le Mesurier fell to his death in Turkey in 2019 he left behind a tangle of truths and lies. Mayday tells the extraordinary real story of the man who organised the White Helmets – rescuers who film themselves pulling survivors from bombed out buildings in rebel-held areas of Syria – and investigates claims that, far from being heroes, they are part of a very elaborate hoax. James Le Mesurier – his detractors say – was a British secret agent, pulling the strings. So when his body was found by worshippers on their way to morning prayers, there were a lot questions.
Produced, written and presented by Chloe Hadjimatheou
Editor: Emma Rippon
Researcher: Tom Wright
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Mixed by Neil Churchill
Arabic translation and additional research: Vanessa Bowles, Abdul Kader Habak
Turkish Researcher: Nevin Sungur
Narrative Consultant: John Yorke
Original music: Nick Mundy and Bu Kolthoum
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000tp8q)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 Deborah Frances-White Introduces... (m000tp8s)
Episode 5
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer best known for The Guilty Feminist podcast. She has also hosted many storytelling events and, for this special broadcast series, she gave everyone the prompt – The Devil You Know.
In Jessica Fostekew’s story, she shares her memories of a naughty child from her school days.
Jessica is a comedian whose last show Hench was nominated for the 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award. Her television appearances include Live at The Apollo, QI and Hypothetical. She has her own podcast The Hoovering Podcast, has been a co-host on The Guilty Feminist and she regularly appears on BBC Radio 4 panel shows. As an actor, her work includes Cuckoo (BBC/Netflix), Out of Her Mind and Motherland (BBC2), and the BAFTA multiple-award winning BBC Drama Three Girls.
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer. The Guilty Feminist podcast has had 85 million downloads and she has appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House and The London Palladium. Her BBC Radio 4 show Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. Her award winning independent film Say My Name premiered in 2019 at The Leicester Square Odeon. Deborah’s book The Guilty Feminist was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She is an Amnesty International Ambassador and Artistic Director of the Secret Policeman legacy brand.
Written and Read by Jessica Fostekew
Producer: Deborah Frances-White
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (m000tlvt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Daughters of the Snow (m000tlvr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (m000tlvt)
A Good Read
23:00 FRI (m000tlvt)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (m000tg6r)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (m000tp8n)
A Pyrotechnic History of Humanity
11:00 TUE (m000tlv2)
Alexei Sayle's The Absence of Normal
11:30 WED (m000tl9c)
All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception
13:45 MON (b06kbdx5)
All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception
13:45 TUE (b06kw2bg)
All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception
13:45 WED (b06kw34x)
All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception
13:45 THU (b06kwl0d)
All Fair in War: A History of Military Deception
13:45 FRI (b06khsvc)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (m000tcqy)
Analysis
20:30 MON (m000tmm5)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (m000tmps)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (m000tg6p)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (m000tp8l)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (m000v204)
Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai
19:00 SUN (b039pdt0)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (m000tnqy)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (m000tnqy)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (m000tmbb)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (m000tmbb)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (m000tm93)
Chinese Characters
09:30 WED (b09yhgvm)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (m000tlbj)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (m000tlbj)
Crossing Continents
11:00 THU (m000tnqc)
Daughters of the Snow
16:00 TUE (m000tlvr)
Daughters of the Snow
23:30 FRI (m000tlvr)
Deborah Frances-White Introduces...
22:45 MON (m000tmmh)
Deborah Frances-White Introduces...
22:45 TUE (m000tlwf)
Deborah Frances-White Introduces...
22:45 WED (m000tlbn)
Deborah Frances-White Introduces...
22:45 THU (m000tnrh)
Deborah Frances-White Introduces...
22:45 FRI (m000tp8s)
Desert Island Discs
11:00 SUN (m000tm99)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (m000tm99)
Drama
15:00 SAT (m000s202)
Drama
15:00 SUN (m00045sd)
Drama
14:00 MON (m000tmky)
Drama
14:15 TUE (m000tlvm)
Drama
14:15 WED (m000ckvp)
Drama
14:15 THU (m000h8q4)
Drama
14:15 FRI (m000gtn5)
Eoin McNamee - The Limekiln Road
00:30 SUN (b07ks4lw)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (m000tmp4)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (m000tmbq)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (m000tmn5)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (m000tlwz)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (m000tlc7)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (m000tnrz)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (m000tg69)
Feedback
16:30 FRI (m000tpw7)
Fortunately... with Fi and Jane
23:00 TUE (m000tlwh)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (m000tmpj)
Front Row
19:15 MON (m000tmlx)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (m000tlw2)
Front Row
19:15 WED (m000tlbb)
Front Row
19:15 THU (m000tnr8)
Front Row
19:00 FRI (m000tp8j)
Future Empire-fect
18:30 WED (m000tlb6)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (m000tg65)
Good Friday Meditation: Behold the Man!
15:00 FRI (m000tp83)
How to Vaccinate the World
11:30 MON (m000tmkk)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (m000tnq3)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (m000tnq3)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (m000tlw6)
Intrigue
21:00 FRI (m000ptcc)
Inventions in Sound
11:00 WED (m000t4km)
It's Not What You Know
23:00 THU (b07wgmf8)
Just a Minute
12:04 SUN (m000tcqg)
Just a Minute
18:30 MON (m000tmls)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (m000tg67)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (m000tp88)
Laura Barton's Notes on Music
11:30 TUE (m000tlv5)
Lent Talks
14:45 SAT (m000tcd2)
Lent Talks
05:45 SUN (m000tcd2)
Lent Talks
20:45 WED (m000tlbg)
Lent Talks
15:30 FRI (m000sr67)
Lessons On A Crisis
09:00 TUE (m000tltt)
Lessons On A Crisis
21:30 TUE (m000tltt)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
09:45 MON (m000tn5v)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
00:30 TUE (m000tn5v)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
09:45 TUE (m000tltw)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
00:30 WED (m000tltw)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
09:45 WED (m000tl92)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
00:30 THU (m000tl92)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
09:45 THU (m000tnq5)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
00:30 FRI (m000tnq5)
Lev's Violin by Helena Attlee
09:45 FRI (m000tp7h)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (m000tmmm)
Loose Ends
23:00 MON (m000tmmm)
Mark Steel's in Town
19:15 SUN (b07tbfmw)
Meet David Sedaris
18:30 THU (m000tnr4)
Meet Me at the Museum
10:45 MON (m000tmkf)
Meet Me at the Museum
10:45 TUE (m000tlv0)
Meet Me at the Museum
10:45 WED (m000tl97)
Meet Me at the Museum
10:45 THU (m000tnq9)
Meet Me at the Museum
10:45 FRI (m000tp7m)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (m000tg6y)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (m000tmqc)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (m000tmb8)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (m000tmms)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (m000tlwl)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (m000tlbv)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (m000tnrl)
Mitchell on Meetings
10:30 SAT (m000tmpd)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (m000tmb4)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (m000tmb4)
Money Box
15:00 WED (m000tl9t)
Moral Maze
22:15 SAT (m000tcd0)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (m000tlbd)
My Brilliant Life
23:00 WED (m000cp34)
Natural Histories
06:35 SUN (b05w9bj5)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (m000tg78)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (m000tmqm)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (m000tmbl)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (m000tmn1)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (m000tlwv)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (m000tlc3)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (m000tnrv)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (m000tmpl)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (m000tm9c)
News Summary
12:00 MON (m000tmkm)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (m000tlv7)
News Summary
12:00 WED (m000tl9f)
News Summary
12:00 THU (m000tnqh)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (m000tp7s)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (m000tmp2)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (m000tm8q)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (m000tm8z)
News
13:00 SAT (m000tmpq)
News
22:00 SAT (m000tmq9)
News
06:00 SUN (m000tm8k)
One Night in Paradise
19:45 SUN (m000tmb2)
One Two Three Four - The Beatles In Time by Craig Brown
00:30 SAT (m000tg70)
Open Book
16:00 SUN (m000tm9p)
Open Book
15:30 THU (m000tm9p)
Open Country
15:00 THU (m000tnqt)
Out of the Ordinary
20:00 MON (m000tmm1)
PM
17:00 SAT (m000tmpx)
PM
17:00 MON (m000tmld)
PM
17:00 TUE (m000tlvw)
PM
17:00 WED (m000tlb2)
PM
17:00 THU (m000tnr0)
PM
17:00 FRI (m000tp8b)
Paul Sinha's General Knowledge
11:30 FRI (m0007wwd)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (m000tmb0)
Positive Thinking
09:00 WED (m000tl90)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (m000tg7b)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (m000tmbn)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (m000tmn3)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (m000tlwx)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (m000tlc5)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (m000tnrx)
Profile
05:45 SAT (m000tg7d)
Profile
19:00 SAT (m000tg7d)
Profile
17:40 SUN (m000tg7d)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (m000tm8v)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:25 SUN (m000tm8v)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (m000tm8v)
Ramblings
06:07 SAT (m000tfkg)
Red Letter Days
11:30 THU (m000tnqf)
Reignite
16:30 SUN (m000tm9r)
Reluctant Persuaders
18:30 TUE (m000tlw0)
Round Britain Quiz
23:00 SAT (m000tcpm)
Round Britain Quiz
15:00 MON (m000tml0)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (m000tmpb)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (m000tg74)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
02:00 SUN (m000tmqh)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (m000tmbg)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (m000tmmx)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (m000tlwq)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (m000tlbz)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (m000tnrq)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (m000tg72)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (m000tg76)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (m000tmq0)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (m000tmqf)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (m000tmqk)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (m000tm9t)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (m000tmbd)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (m000tmbj)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 MON (m000tmkp)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (m000tmmv)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (m000tmmz)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 TUE (m000tlv9)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (m000tlwn)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (m000tlws)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 WED (m000tl9h)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (m000tlbx)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (m000tlc1)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 THU (m000tnqk)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (m000tnrn)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (m000tnrs)
Shipping Forecast
12:03 FRI (m000tp7v)
Shock Waves
16:00 MON (m000tml4)
Short Cuts
15:00 TUE (m000tlvp)
Sideways
00:15 MON (m000tccj)
Sideways
16:00 WED (m000tl9y)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (m000tmq4)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (m000tm9y)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (m000tmln)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (m000tlvy)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (m000tlb4)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (m000tnr2)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (m000tp8d)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b01qhd07)
Something Understood
23:30 SUN (b01qhd07)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (m000tmk7)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (m000tmk7)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (m000tm91)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (m000tm8s)
Swipe Right
15:45 FRI (m000tp85)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (m000tm95)
The Archers
19:00 MON (m000tlvk)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (m000tlvk)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (m000tl9r)
The Archers
14:00 WED (m000tl9r)
The Archers
19:00 WED (m000tlb8)
The Archers
14:00 THU (m000tlb8)
The Archers
19:00 THU (m000tnr6)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (m000tnr6)
The Battersea Poltergeist
23:30 MON (p094c7b4)
The Battersea Poltergeist
23:30 TUE (p094c8g1)
The Battersea Poltergeist
23:30 WED (p0955cfy)
The Battersea Poltergeist
23:30 THU (p096k9kn)
The Battles That Won Our Freedoms
11:45 SUN (m000222q)
The Birth of Bangladesh
11:00 MON (m000tmkh)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (m000tfl1)
The Briefing Room
20:00 THU (m000tnrb)
The Day the Muzak Died
21:00 TUE (m000tlw8)
The Digital Human
16:30 MON (m000tml8)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (m000tfkj)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (m000tnqw)
The Food Programme
12:33 SUN (m000tm9f)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (m000tm9f)
The Hauntening
19:45 SAT (b097c27l)
The Infinite Monkey Cage
19:15 SAT (m000rmjf)
The Listening Project
13:30 SUN (m000tm9m)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (m000tlb0)
The Media Show
21:30 WED (m000tlb0)
The Nazi Next Door
17:00 SUN (m000td1x)
The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen
12:06 MON (m000lsm4)
The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen
12:06 TUE (m000lz7g)
The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen
12:06 WED (m000m4bx)
The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen
12:06 THU (m000mbqm)
The New Adventures of Baron Munchausen
12:06 FRI (m000mlbt)
The New Anatomy of Melancholy
00:15 SUN (m000j1jp)
The New Anatomy of Melancholy
14:45 SUN (m000j2vf)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (m000tg6k)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (m000tp8g)
The Prime Minister at 300
11:00 FRI (m000tp7p)
The Real Internet Giants
21:00 MON (m000td0r)
The Skewer
23:15 WED (m000tlbr)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (m000tmpg)
The Whisperer in Darkness
19:45 MON (m000ndjb)
The Whisperer in Darkness
19:45 TUE (m000nkht)
The Whisperer in Darkness
19:45 WED (m000ntst)
The Whisperer in Darkness
19:45 THU (m000p0m2)
The Whisperer in Darkness
19:45 FRI (m000p72k)
The Why Factor
21:45 SAT (b06810pv)
The Why Factor
14:45 MON (b07k01bq)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (m000tm9k)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (m000tmmc)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (m000tlwc)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (m000tlbl)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (m000tnrf)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (m000tp8q)
Today
07:00 SAT (m000tmp8)
Today
06:00 MON (m000tmk5)
Today
06:00 TUE (m000tltr)
Today
06:00 WED (m000tl8y)
Today
06:00 THU (m000tnq1)
Today
06:00 FRI (m000tp7f)
Tumanbay
21:00 SAT (b06qcs6w)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (m0002bvl)
Tweet of the Day
10:54 SUN (m000tm97)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b03k5bwv)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b03k5c3r)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b03mztpd)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b03mhyzf)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b03mj8ln)
Ways to Weather the Storm
23:30 SAT (m000tcks)
Weather
06:57 SAT (m000tmp6)
Weather
12:57 SAT (m000tmpn)
Weather
17:57 SAT (m000tmq2)
Weather
06:57 SUN (m000tm8n)
Weather
07:57 SUN (m000tm8x)
Weather
12:57 SUN (m000tm9h)
Weather
17:57 SUN (m000tm9w)
Weather
05:56 MON (m000tmbs)
Weather
12:57 MON (m000tmkt)
Weather
12:57 TUE (m000tlvf)
Weather
12:57 WED (m000tl9m)
Weather
12:57 THU (m000tnqp)
Weather
12:57 FRI (m000tp7z)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (m000tmb6)
What We’ve Learnt About Grief
20:00 TUE (m000tlw4)
Where Is Jack Ma?
15:30 WED (m000tl9w)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (m000tmpv)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (m000tmkc)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (m000tlty)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (m000tl95)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (m000tnq7)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (m000tp7k)
World at One
13:00 MON (m000tmkw)
World at One
13:00 TUE (m000tlvh)
World at One
13:00 WED (m000tl9p)
World at One
13:00 THU (m000tnqr)
World at One
13:00 FRI (m000tp81)
You and Yours
12:20 MON (m000tmkr)
You and Yours
12:20 TUE (m000tlvc)
You and Yours
12:20 WED (m000tl9k)
You and Yours
12:20 THU (m000tnqm)
You and Yours
12:20 FRI (m000tp7x)