SUNDAY 31 OCTOBER 2021

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001146p)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Green Inc (m0010ypr)
Carbon Omissions

Cop26 is fast approaching. The usually imperturbable IPCC’s latest report can best be translated as ‘Panic!’ and our Facebook feeds and Twitter timelines are littered daily with biblical scenes of infernos and flooding. But at least corporations are taking the crisis seriously... if you believe their advertising that is.

In an anarchic and challenging documentary series, BAFTA winning activist and satirist Heydon Prowse gives us his personal take as he unpacks the multi-billion-dollar PR and advertising industry that’s helping businesses across tech, energy, food and farming appear climate friendly.

With increasing consumer demand for more sustainable stuff, companies are today falling over themselves to meet increased consumer demand for more sustainable products. Are we seeing the world’s largest companies shift in a more sustainable direction or is all this slick advertising just lulling us into a false sense of security?

In this first episode, the oil and gas industry, where influencers dance around cartoon solar panels and company's twitter feeds read like they’ve pivoted to become environmental campaigners.

Presenter: Heydon Prowse
Producer: Georgia Catt


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001146r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001146t)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001146w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001146y)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001141j)
St Mary's Scottish Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow

Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary's Scottish Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow. On Saturday 30th October, many cathedral bells will be ringing out across their cities on the eve of the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow. And so it’s from St Mary’s Scottish Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow that the bells come this morning. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and raised to Cathedral status in 1908, the cathedral has a ring of ten bells, cast by John Taylor. The tenor sounds C sharp and weighs thirty two hundredweight. We hear them ringing Yorkshire Surprise Royal, recorded inside the ringing chamber.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001140s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m00113zd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01m4bvq)
Intimations of Mortality

Death is a subject we are often reluctant to discuss. It is often considered morbid to do so. It has commonly been described as the last taboo. However, some argue that a sense of our own mortality plays a vital part in our understanding of life. Further, that demystifying the process of death can be essential to getting the most out of life.

Mark Tully considers the advantages of being open to the intimations of mortality which we may come across daily.

In conversation with Baroness Rabbi Julia Neuberger he discusses attitudes to risk, memento mori and living legacies. With readings from Virginia Woolf, Kabir and music by Nitin Sawnhay and Gustav Mahler, he asks whether being open to intimations of mortality can bring more to life.

The readers are Helen Ryan and Kenneth Cranham.

Produced by: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m00113zg)
A 100 Year Plan

It's harvest time, and Charlotte Smith is visiting the Bradford Estates - 12,000 acres of land across Shropshire and Staffordshire. The man in charge, Viscount Newport, has recently returned to manage the estates after working in London and has set out his 100-year plan. From the shape of the hedgerows to the style of the gates, he is concentrating on the details!

Most of the land is farmed by tenant farmers, but the new plan also includes taking back control of 4,000 acres which have been farmed by contractors since 1987. The aim is to switch to a regenerative farming model - reducing ploughing, growing more diverse crops and integrating livestock into the system.

Charlotte watches as the contractors bring in their last harvest, marking the beginning of the next hundred years.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


SUN 06:57 Weather (m00113zj)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m00113zl)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m00113zn)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m00113zq)
Amos Trust

Broadcaster and former BBC Blue Peter presenter Diane Louise Jordan makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Amos Trust.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘Amos Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Amos Trust’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1164234


SUN 07:57 Weather (m00113zs)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m00113zv)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m00113zx)
'Drop, Drop Slow Tears' - Lament and longing in environmental crisis

As politicians, climate activists, industrialists and environmentalists from across the world converge on the UK, Northern based award winning Kantos Chamber Choir sings settings of Phineas Fletcher's text "Drop Drop Slow Tears", recorded in Manchester's historic Victoria Baths. With readings, poems and prayers authored and curated by Manchester poet the Rev Canon Dr Rachel Mann, who writes - "This service is a meditation about water: water as a most basic need for life and water as a symbol of our deepest religious and human longings. Crucially, the service is about what water means and why it matters to real human beings in a time of climate crisis. This is a service which wants to remind us that everyone - of faith or none, of whatever tradition and background - is utterly lost without water." Producers: Philip Billson and Andrew Earis.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0010xvp)
Car Hatred

Will Self argues that the car is anything but a source of freedom.

While drivers think it gives them the ability to go anywhere, in truth 'they're shackled to a grotesque and Sisyphean go-round: they have to make the money, to pay for the car, to sit in the traffic jam, to make the money to pay for the car'.

Producer: Adele Armstrong


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b038qk90)
Jay

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

Brett Westwood presents the jay. This bird is a colourful member of the crow family. In September and October you'll often see jays flying around woodland with their bills and throats crammed with acorns. Many of these they bury as winter stores but not all are retrieved by Jays and many germinate and grow into young oaks, making the jay a tree-planter on a national scale.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m00113zz)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0011401)
Writer, Nick Warburton
Director, Julie Beckett & Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Jill Archer ….. Patricia Greene
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Ben Archer ….. Ben Norris
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Leonard Berry ….. Paul Copley
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Russ Jones ….. Andonis James Anthony
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter ….. Katie Redford
Beth Casey ….. Rebecca Fuller
Trevor…. Julian Rhind-Tutt


SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs (m0011403)
Peter Schmeichel, footballer

Peter Schmeichel is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the modern game. In 1999, he captained Manchester United in one of the most astonishing comebacks in football, as United won the Champions League with two goals in added time, completing a much-coveted Treble, along with the Premiership and the FA Cup. As well as winning numerous trophies during his years at Manchester United, he has played a record 129 times for Denmark, his national team. He was part of the Danish side who were surprise winners of the European Championships in 1992. Denmark were underdogs and only joined the tournament at the last minute, when Yugoslavia were forced to withdraw. During the 1990s, he was arguably the most recognised Dane in the world.

He began his football career in Denmark before fulfilling his childhood dream and signing for Manchester United in 1991. His father was a professional musician, who insisted on piano and guitar lessons for the young Peter. Goalkeeping was not his choice: as young boy, he was told to play in goal by a teacher who was thought he might be too wild for the other youngsters on the pitch.

Since retiring from the competitive game, Peter lives in Denmark but spends time travelling to see Manchester United play and he also follows his son, Kasper, who plays for Leicester City and Denmark.

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 11:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m0011405)
Stand Up

We are sitting more than ever before - and our sedentary lives are having a big impact on our long term health. In this episode, Michael stands up to the allure of the couch and reveals the science behind how just standing up - without even doing any exercise - can burn more calories and lower blood sugar levels. With Dr John Buckley, Michael explores how the experience of astronauts in space proves how important the force of gravity is on our bodies - and how standing up can help keep our bones and muscles strong.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m0011407)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:04 The Museum of Curiosity (m0010wz0)
Series 16

Episode 2

Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and the Museum’s new curator Holly Walsh are joined by comedian Evelyn Mok, historian Dr Alun Scott and screenwriter Allan Scott.

Evelyn talks about the rivalry between Gothenberg and Stockholm and donates the Swedish Dragon Gate to the Museum – it was intended to be the country’s first Chinatown but things didn’t go according to plan. Dr Alun discusses his research into beards which led to the media dubbing him the ‘maven of shaving’ and Allan talks about his time running a Scottish whisky company before becoming a screenwriter and working with Garry Kasparov on The Queen’s Gambit.

This series of The Museum of Curiosity has been recorded remotely.

The Museum’s exhibits were catalogued by Mike Shephard, Mike Turner and Jack Chambers of QI.

The Production Co-Ordinator was Sarah Nicholls.

The Producer was Anne Miller.

The Executive Producer was Julia McKenzie.

Edited by David Thomas.

A BBC Studios production.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m0011409)
Veg Invention: The stories of new kinds of fruit and vegetables

Seed breeders spend whole careers in search of that perfect fruit or vegetable, and some even come up with their own completely new designs. Think Tenderstem, Cotton Candy grapes, or a new type of cauliflower that's just started being sold: Caulishoots.

In this programme, Leyla Kazim finds out what goes into creating these new varieties, what breeders, growers and supermarket buyers are looking for, and how they end up on our plates.

She meets veg-inventor Jamie Claxton from Tozer Seeds, who came up with the Kalette (a cross between a brussel sprout and kale), while Ross Geach from Padstow Kitchen Garden explains why he enjoys experimenting with new varieties and getting them introduced to diners at Jack Stein's restaurants.

Leyla also looks to the US where chef Dan Barber has set up an organic seed company to bring breeders, chefs and farmers together to design new, better varieties. While Lane Selman in Portland, Oregon tells us how her 'Culinary Breeding Network' is working to both give breeders more feedback, and is educating the public about the new types of fruit and veg on offer.

Presented by Leyla Kazim
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001140c)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001140f)
Jonny Dymond looks at the week’s big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 The Listening Project (m001140h)
Life-Changing

Four conversations between strangers presented by Fi Glover.

This week: Zach and Elly talk about the dark and dangerous phenomenon of spiking women’s drinks in pubs and clubs; Sophie, who is anti cars and private planes and pro public transport, exchanges views with Ed who loves cars and is learning to fly; Lindsay and Abbie share their experiences of living with the painful and debilitating condition endometriosis; and Kim, an American who loves Halloween, talks to Amanda who hates it.

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: Mohini Patel


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0010xv0)
GQT at Home: Water Forget-me-nots and Crumbly Compost

Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts, chaired by Kathy Clugston. A virtual audience of listeners from across the country puts questions to James Wong, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden.

The team gives its top tips on protecting your plants through winter, creating a pond with a whiskey barrel, and how best to use your household waste water.

Throughout the COP26 summit, we'll be turning our gardening tools to the health of the planet. This week, Peter Gibbs takes a guided tour of the COP26 plot at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 with the RHS Director of Science and Collections, Professor Alistair Griffiths.

Also, Cherry Carmen joins the programme, from the coast, to give her tips on preparing your pond for the winter season.

Producer - Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer - Bethany Hocken

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 A Home of Our Own (m00106b6)
The Square, St Mawes, Cornwall

Lynsey Hanley explores Britain's broken housing market through the stories of ten very different homes and their occupants.

Every one of Britain's 27 million homes has a story to tell about Britain's housing crisis and how it might be fixed. Over ten episodes, Lynsey explores houses of every shape and size, new and old, right across the UK.

Today, the story of Hillside Cottage in St Mawes, Cornwall, owned by 79-year-old Phil Salter. Phil bought this 17th-century fisherman's cottage in 1989 after selling his ex-council house. Hillside is now worth over a million pounds.

Author and journalist Lynsey Hanley explores what Hillside Cottage tells us about the impact of council house sales and second homes in areas like Cornwall.

House historian Melanie Backe-Hansen also researches the history of Hillside Cottage, which started out a storehouse for fish.

In other episodes, we'll visit a wide range of other homes - from a brand new house in west Belfast, to a handsome Georgian terrace in Newcastle and the tenements of Glasgow. Each property will reveal something different about the UK's housing challenges.

Throughout the series, Paul Cheshire, emeritus professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics will put each home in context. Professor Cheshire is a member of the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE.

Producer: Laurence Grissell


SUN 15:00 Drama (m001140k)
Lolly Willowes

by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Adapted by Sarah Daniels

Laura ..... Louise Brealey
Titus ..... Hugh Skinner
Henry ..... Robert Bathurst
Caroline ..... Rhiannon Neads
Mrs Leek ..... Ellie Piercy
Satan ..... Sam Dale
Pandora ..... Grace Cooper Milton
Shopkeeper ..... Joseph Ayre
Mr Arbuthnot ..... Shaun Mason

Directed by Sally Avens

Lolly Willowes lives a quietly dull life with her over bearing brother Henry and his family, but when she decides to move to the countryside she discovers a darker calling: witchcraft.

Sylvia Townsend Warner's wondrous novel was her attempt to show the world the unfulfilled potential that was to be found in women who were tied to hearth and home. Women were 'sticks of dynamite' waiting to explode on to the world stage but so often denied the chance. Published in 1926 the novel has been adapted by the feminist playwright, Sarah Daniels. It's a joyously comic ride that defies genre and pulsates with originality.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001140m)
Friendship in Fiction: a special programme from London Literature Festival

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts host a special programme from the London Literature Festival which this year celebrates friendship. Recorded at Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Elizabeth and Johny explore literary friendships on and beyond the page, talking about some of the novels which have beautifully captured the complexities, joys, and truths of some of our most enduring and rewarding relationships. They're joined on stage by; Andrew O’Hagan whose novel Mayflies evocatively explores the beauty of male friendship, Emma Jane Unsworth whose novels, Animals and Adults are glorious and messy, witty and truthful stories of female friendship and Ayisha Malik who pens an unlikely alliance between two older women in her novel This Green and Pleasant Land.

Book List – Sunday 31 October and Thursday 4 November

Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan
Adults by Emma-Jane Unsworth
Animals by Emma-Jane Unsworth
Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik
This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
My Brilliant Friend by Elene Ferrante
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Fiere by Jackie Kay
Last Orders by Graham Swift
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Detransition, Baby: A Novel by Torrey Peters
Emma by Jane Austen
Translations by Brian Friel
Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher


SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001140p)
Episode One

A new series about the poems we carry with us through life. Poems that speak to us so strongly that we return to them in times of confusion or fear… loneliness or joy… love or doubt. Some of us might scribble these words on Post Its and stick them next to the mirror or on the fridge door. Some of us send them to friends or read them at funerals. Some of us mutter them under our breath like a mantra in moments of stress. Some of us ink them permanently into our skin.

The poet Vanessa Kisuule speaks to people about the poems - and bits of poems - that mean the most to them. She finds out why the poems matter, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it, what was the context it came out of and how does it work on us.

In episode one, Vanessa explores poems that have been handed down through families. For Juan Dickinson, there are lines of Louis MacNeice's poetry which will forever remind him of his late dad - who used MacNeice's verse to impart life lessons to his son. But he's never known much about MacNeice the man - can Glenn Patterson help fill in the blanks?

Meanwhile, Eleanor Penny has a poem in her family that she's never been able to identify - found in her grandad's pocket after his death. Can Chris McCabe, Librarian at the National Poetry Library help Vanessa track down the source?

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m0010x34)
For Richer, For Poorer

With an ageing population, it’s estimated that over one million people in the UK will be living with dementia by 2025. But what happens when someone with the condition is deliberately targeted and led into marriage for the financial gain of the partner? Unlike in Scotland, marriage in England and Wales revokes any previous will that may have been made. For those who target someone with dementia and secretly wed them without the knowledge of their family, matrimony can prove to be extremely lucrative. We hear from the families of those believed to have been preyed upon and registrars on the frontline, tasked with spotting a predatory marriage, despite no medical training in assessing dementia. And we speak to campaigners who say the law needs to change to better protect victims and their families.

Reporter: Datshiane Navanayagam
Producer: Paul Grant
Editor: Gail Champion


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001140s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001140v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001140x)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001140z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0011411)
Pat Nevin

This week Fear and Loathing in the literary world, a world that is questioning rationalism and one that might just be slowing dying anyway. In the meantime, we search the planet to hear about Russian activist art and a lost Filipino child, before hearing a joke about one of the humanities darkest hours. We remember great lives but forget friend’s names, before the unforgettable John Peel suggests what we should listen to on the hour, every hour.

Presenter: Pat Nevin
Producer: Emmie Hume
Production Coordinator: Elodie Chatelain
Studio Manager: Chris Hardman


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0011413)
Kenton braces himself for disappointment and Lilian puts her plan into action.


SUN 19:15 The Confessional (m0011415)
Series 2

The Confession of Shaparak Khorsandi

Stephen Mangan takes another confession in the comedy chat show about shame and embarrassment.

Each week, Stephen invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three confessions. This is a cue for some rich and varied storytelling, and surprising insights. Settle back for more revelations of guilt and mortification.

This week, Stephen interviews Shaparak Khorsandi, a self-styled ‘spit and sawdust stand-up’ whose career also embraces success as a satirist, novelist and screen-writer. She recently received the prestigious James Joyce Award from Dublin University. She reveals a secret act of vandalism in her primary school loos, a story of hand cuffs and impulsive behaviour, and a tendency for taking comic retribution.

Other guests in this series include Olivia Williams, Anthony Horowitz, Ed Byrne, Konnie Huq and David Quantick.

Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Frank Stirling

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Gambits (m0011417)
1: The Board

Adrian Scarborough kicks off a dazzling new short story series, set in what might seem like and ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Board', it's Hallowe'en, and the village of Little Purlington has been gripped by chess fever....

Reader: Adrian Scarborough is an acclaimed TV and stage actor, known best for roles in Gavin & Stacey, The King's Speech and Gosford Park.
Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary.
Producer: Justine Willett


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0010xv6)
Is the country over the worst of the latest surge in Covid cases, and is there an end in sight to the pandemic? If anyone at the BBC knows the answer to these questions it is surely Health Editor Hugh Pym. Roger Bolton asks him for reassurance - will he get it?

Radio 6 Music’s ratings are going up, so why is the station changing its presenter line-up?

And can a cricket and crime podcast attract two radio listeners, one of whom doesn’t listen to any BBC radio?

Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Kate Dixon
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0010xv4)
Bernard Haitink (pictured), Victor Gregg, Ruthie Tompson, Paddy Moloney

Matthew Bannister on

Bernard Haitink, one of the greatest orchestral conductors of his generation, known for his interpretations of Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner.

Victor Gregg, the British soldier who was caught up in the Dresden bombing raids, suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and later went undercover for MI6.

Ruthie Tompson, one of Walt Disney’s longest serving animators, she worked on classic films like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Fantasia'.

Paddy Moloney, the Irish pipe player who founded and led the influential band the Chieftains.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Norman Lebretch
Interviewed guest: Nick Kenyon
Interviewed guest: Rick Stroud
Interviewed guest: Brian Sibley
Interviewed guest: Louise Mulcahy
Interviewed guest: Aedín Moloney

Archive clips used: BBC, Proms 2005/2008/2019; BBC Radio 3, Music Matters 20/11/2017; BBC Radio 2, Victor - Read by John Hurt 12/11/2011; MPTF YouTube channel, Spotlight on Ruthie Tompson 06/03/2012; King Features Syndicate, Popeye The Sailor Man ep52 1960; Walt Disney Productions, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937/Pinocchio 1940/Mary Poppins 1964; BBC, Omnibus 29/01/1976; BBC, Profile 15/11/1976; BBC FOUR, Legends - The Chieftains 15/03/2008; BBC, The Old Grey Whistle Test 06/04/1976.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001141b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m00113zq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (m0010wz6)
Parental Alienation

Splitting up where children are involved is tricky. Especially when it ends up in the family courts. It’s even more tricky when a child decides they don’t want a relationship with one of the parents.

Over the last two decades a controversial psychological concept has emerged to describe a situation where children - for no apparent reason - decide they don’t want to see one parent. It’s called parental alienation.

Women’s rights organisations argue parental alienation is used to gaslight abused women. Fathers’ rights organisations claim that some mothers make up allegations of abuse to prevent them from seeing their children. And children are caught in the middle.

Sonia Sodha explores the polarizing concept of “parental alienation” and asks how a contested psychological theory has evolved into an increasingly common allegation in the UK family courts.

Producer: Gemma Newby


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001141d)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m0010xpl)
Series 18

The Painless Heart

Why does my heart not ache after exercise? asks listener Keith. Rutherford and Fry explore how and why heart muscle cells are special.

Dr Mitch Lomax is a sports scientist at the University of Portsmouth. She helps actual Olympic swimmers get faster. She explains how most of the muscles attached to our skeletons work: Tiny fibres use small-scale cellular energy, which, when all these fibres work in concert, turns into visible muscular movement. Mitch also explains how the dreaded Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS, can hit, taking a stair-wincing 48-72 hours to peak after exercise.

But skeletal muscles turn out to be quite different to heart muscles, as consultant cardiologist Dr Rohin Francis explains. Heart cells are more efficient and don't get fatigued like skeletal muscle cells. They are extremely energetic and 'just want to beat'. He also explains that the sensory feedback from the heart muscles is different too. They have a different sort of nerve supply, with fewer sensory nerves, so that there is less chance of pain signals being sent to the brain.

However, heart cells' incredible abilities are counterbalanced by one Achilles-like flaw: They cannot easily heal. Professor Sanjay Sinha is a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Senior Research Fellow and a Professor in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the University of Cambridge. His job is to fix broken hearts and he explains to Adam how new research into stem cells could be used to fix normally irreparable heart cells.

Producer - Jennifer Whyntie and Fiona Roberts
Presenters - Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01m4bvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]