SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2022

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001bs1y)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Fatwa (m0002hyd)
10. Postscript

How The Satanic Verses affair affected freedom of speech. This ten-part series tells the hidden story of the 1989 fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie - the forces which led to the death sentence and recent attack on him, and the consequences for all of us. The series covers a 20-year period from 1979 to 1999 and explores race relations in Britain, identity, free speech and the connection between the fatwa and cotemporary violent jihad. It was originally broadcast in 2019.

Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
Presenters: Chloe Hadjimatheou and Mobeen Azhar
Editor: Richard Knight


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001bs20)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001bs22)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001bs24)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001bs28)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001bs2f)
A reflection and prayer marking the death of Her Majesty the Queen with the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell.

Good morning.

Without her Christian faith, the life and long reign of her Majesty the Queen doesn’t really make much sense. From the moment she received the news of her Father’s death and knew she would be Queen, she understood this as a vocation.

Now you might think vocation is a slightly old fashioned word – describing people in caring professions doing wonderful, selfless things. Well what we do know is it’s a hard road.

For our late Queen, this was a call from God. That’s why the most sacred moment of her Coronation Service - the anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury - was not beamed to the world in what was the first great television live event of the new age of mass communication.

But in the obtrusive glare of this age our Queen lived out this calling, strengthened and upheld by the belief that her life was blessed, anointed and empowered by God for a specific work, which was to serve and represent a nation and even a Commonwealth of nations across the world, a vocation. She was obedient to it, that obedience that she would have often prayed: your will be done; your kingdom come

Loving God, we know that there are many ways of representing and uniting nations, but we thank you for Her Majesty the Queen, for the ways she has carried out her duty with such care and we know that her care only makes sense because its origin and agency were found in you, our Saviour and our God.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 Witness (b03q59sq)
The Execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa

In 1995, the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were executed by the Nigerian military regime. They'd been campaigning against oil pollution in their native Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta. Their deaths led to Nigeria's expulsion from the Commonwealth. Ledum Mitee was a fellow campaigner who was spared execution.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001byf8)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001bs0t)
Dovedale with Caravan

Clare walks with a listener known as Caravan, who spent six years living homeless in the Peak District, an area he knows well thanks to his love of outdoor pursuits.

This series of Ramblings is being led by its listeners, people who have written to the programme with a story and a walk that they want to share. Caravan (not his real name) emailed to tell us about his experience of prolonged homelessness over thirty years ago. Central to his survival was the Peak District where he found both physical shelter, by way of railway stations, and also a feeling of sanctuary and anonymity during the most difficult years of his life.

They recorded this walk just after the intense July heatwave which meant their planned Kinder Scout hike was inaccessible, closed due to the risk of wildfires. Instead they met in the village of Hartington and followed a route through Dovedale.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001byfb)
10/09/22 Farming Today This Week: Tribute to the Queen, 'a countrywoman at heart'; the role of insects in farming.

Farming Today looks back at the Queen’s life, and in particular her passion for all things rural; as a landowner, farmer, accomplished racehorse owner and as a countrywoman. Throughout her life she took an active interest in agriculture, particularly her herds of native breed cattle. The Queen also lent her support to more than 600 charities and organisations in the UK and Northern Ireland, many of them involved with farming, livestock and conservation. We hear from some of them on her legacy.

All week we’ve been taking a closer look at insects in farming: as pollinators, pests and potential protein.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001byfd)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001byfg)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001byfl)
Tributes to the Queen

Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi host stories and tributes to the Queen.


SAT 10:15 The Week in Westminster (m001bylm)
Ben Wright and guests reflect on a momentous week following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascendancy of King Charles within days of Liz Truss becoming prime minister. The panel includes the political editor of the Financial Times George Parker, the editor of The Spectator Fraser Nelson and Catherine Haddon from the Institute for Government. There is also an interview with former chancellor Lord Hammond, which was recorded before the Queen's death.


SAT 10:45 The Proclamation of HM the King (m001chkc)
Live coverage of the proclamation of His Majesty the King as the Accession Council meets at St James's Palace in London.


SAT 11:15 Soundstage (b07cyvjx)
The Reed Bed

When you stare into a bank of reeds in early May you can see very little, yet hear so much inside, so sound recordist Chris Watson decided to try and capture the changing soundscape within the reeds over 24 hours. But tall phragmites reeds growing out of sodden ground and watery dykes make them impenetrable places by foot, so Chris sets up his microphones around the edge of the reedbed and prepares to listen from dusk until dawn. Reed beds are magical places. The resident wildlife is either very well camouflaged or secretive and yet the sounds are extraordinary - from the booming fog-horn like calls of Bittern, which are very rarely seen but whose calls reverberate across the reed beds, to the pig-like squeals of the water rail (again a bird you are very unlikely to see but will hear). Dusk is accompanied by the screams and clicks of swifts and swallows as the swoop back and forth catching insects on the wing. As the temperature drops, the reed bed becomes a quieter place but just before dawn the silence is broken and the orchestra strikes up once again: Bitterns, reed buntings and chattering reed and sedge warblers as well as the reeling grasshopper warblers are the first to be heard. Then there's the bell-like high pitched calls of Bearded tits, and finally a soloist as a cuckoo calls to attract a mate. Producer Sarah Blunt.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001bylp)
Queen Elizabeth II and the World

From the Commonwealth country of Canada, to the fifth republic of France, we reflect on how the world remembers Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen had to negotiate the ever-evolving relationship with its member states as they declared independence and as Britain’s relationship to its former colonies underwent profound change. The British Monarch remains head of state of 14 countries, from Canada to the Solomon Islands. Lyse Doucet is in Ottawa where Canada’s leaders have made warm tributes and reflects back on her own encounters with the Queen.

Despite its anti-monarchist history, one of the more powerful tributes to the Queen emerged from French President Emmanuel Macron. He spoke fondly of her as a ‘great head of state’ and a ‘kind-hearted queen.’ So what was the Queen’s relationship to France? In 1972 Queen Elizabeth famously told former President Georges Pompidou 'we are not driving on the same side of the road, but we are going in the same direction', when he lifted the veto to Britain entering the Common Market. Hugh Schofield reflects on a unique relationship.

The Oscar-winning film Parasite portrays the story of a low-income South Korean family living in a basement apartment. In one memorable scene, the heavens open and floodwater fills the family home. Last month, in a cruel example of life imitating art, Seoul experienced its heaviest flooding in 100 years. Water rushed into homes, trapping residents inside – four people were killed. The city government has since promised to get rid of the basement apartments and create more social housing. But as Jean Mackenzie has been finding out, this offers little comfort to those who live there.

The Gambia is Africa’s smallest nation, where the process of reconciliation is proving arduous, five years after the end of a murderous dictatorship. Former President Yahya Jammeh, who fled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after losing a re-election bid, is wanted internationally for crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, and sexual violence. Because he still enjoys a measure of loyalty back home, the nation he left behind is divided. Most of Jammeh’s hit men fled when he did, and many Gambians say reconciliation is impossible until they are all brought to justice. When Alexa Dvorson visited the country she witnessed a rare act of contrition.

The Republic of Moldova sits on a fault line of geo-politics, with warring Ukraine on one side and Romania, firmly ensconced in the EU and Nato, on the other. Within its borders, is Transnistria, where a Russian-backed separatist war broke out thirty years ago. Today the area is a frozen conflict zone, but Russia still has a military presence. Piggy-in-the-middle between East and West, perhaps nothing tells Moldova’s complicated story more clearly than its main industry – wine - as Tessa Dunlop finds.

Presenter: Kate Adie
Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001bylr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001bylt)
Energy Bills, Banknotes and Coins

Today on Money Box we will mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II by looking at what will change – from our stamps to our passports.
We'll speak to Dominic Chorney - an Ancient Coin Specialist at Baldwin's - one of the largest coin dealers and auction houses in the world.

We'll also get reaction the government announcement on energy bills - answering your questions - email moneybox@bbc.co.uk.

Plus, more than fifty thousand people have applied for an interest free loan to help them pay for food at the supermarket Iceland. We'll speak to Simon Dukes, the Chief Executive of the lender Fair For You.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researcher: Sandra Hardial
Producer: Clare Worden
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12noon, Saturday 10th September, 2022)


SAT 12:30 North by Northamptonshire (b017mx3z)
Series 2

Episode 1

As is well-known: Yorkshiremen wear flat caps and Essex girls wear short skirts; Liverpudlians are scallies and Cockneys are wideboys.

Northamptonians gaze wistfully at these stereotypes and wish for an identity of any kind and a label less ridiculous than Northamptonians.

Northamptonshire, let us be clear, is neither north, nor south nor in the Midlands. It floats somewhere between the three eyeing up the distinctiveness of each with envious eyes. Now Katherine Jakeways is giving Northamptonshire an identity. And she waits, benevolently, for her home-county to thank her. And possibly make her some kind of Mayor.

Geoffrey Palmer joins the same incredible cast from the first series - including Sheila Hancock as the Narrator, Penelope Wilton, Mackenzie Crook, Felicity Montagu and Kevin Eldon.

Wadenbrook is a small market town in a corner of Northamptonshire, and will be familiar to anyone who has ever lived anywhere. This year, its residents are building up to a Dickensian Festival weekend, so expect mob caps, cravats and shawls which are usually used as cat-blankets.

Written by and also starring Katherine Jakeways.

Keith ...... John Biggins
Rod ...... Mackenzie Crook
Jonathan/Ken ...... Kevin Eldon
Narrator ...... Shelia Hancock
Helen ...... Jessica Henwick
Esther/Jacqui ...... Katherine Jakeways
Jan ...... Felicity Montagu
Norman ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Angela ...... Lizzie Roper
Mary ...... Penelope Wilton
Frank ...... Rufus Wright

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2011.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001bylw)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001byly)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001bs1m)
Vernon Bogdanor, Robert Hardman, Suzannah Lipscomb, Linda Yueh

Victoria Derbyshire presents a panel discussion reflecting on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, with historian, author and broadcaster Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, author and Executive Chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society Dr Linda Yueh, Professor Vernon Bogdanor from the Centre for British Politics and Government at King's College, London, and Robert Hardman, Daily Mail writer and author of “Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II’.

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Editor: Colin Paterson


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001bym0)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 39 Ways to Save the Planet (m000z0qv)
Insulate the Nation

Heating our homes can be expensive and draughty old housing stock leaches carbon dioxide. But making homes more energy efficient can be a costly upheaval and is therefore often done piecemeal. Tom Heap meets the team from Energiesprong who are proposing a new model - retrofitting modern technology like insulating 'wraps' around the house, replacing roof tiles with solar panels and fitting ground source heat pumps into old housing stock. It's done on scale and on a whole-house basis to keep costs down with the aim of creating net zero energy homes but also to create 'kerb appeal' so that neighbours will want to 'keep up with the Joneses'. Tom is joined by climate scientist Tamsin Edwards to discuss whether tackling inefficient, poorly insulated housing head-on can provide great gains for people and planet.

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
Researcher: Sarah Goodman

Made in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Kate De Selincourt, Professor Stephen Peake from the Open University, Professor Gavin Killip from the University of Oxford and John Palmer from Passivhaus Trust.


SAT 15:00 Drama (m000kftt)
A Fortunate Man

John Berger's extraordinary work about a GP and the rural community he served, adapted for radio by Matthew Broughton.

Starring Peter Marinker, Adrian Scarborough and Barbara Flynn.

In 1966, John Berger and Swiss photographer Jean Mohr spent several months shadowing a GP in The Forest Of Dean. The resulting book was A Fortunate Man - a truly moving meditation on society, the doctor-patient relationship and how we value a life.

"The most important book about general practice ever written"

CAST

The Writer – Peter Marinker
The Doctor – Adrian Scarborough
Miriam – Barbara Flynn
Harry - Joe Sims
Timid Woman - Carys Eleri
Black Haired Woman - Scarlett Courtney

And the voices of Dorothy Burley, Kevin and Karen Wellham, Anne Childs and Robin Harris, recorded by the Reading the Forest project.

Directed By John Norton

A BBC Cymru Wales Production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0016x8c)
Women and Folk Music

This May bank holiday Emma looks at women and the tradition of folk music. You may have a stereotypical image of a woman in a floaty dress walking through a flower meadow - but we want to challenge that. From protest songs and feminist anthems - it's not all whimsy in the world of folk.

Emma talks to Peggy Seeger who has enjoyed six decades of success with her music. Peggy was married to the singer Ewen McColl. He wrote the song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for her. Together they revitalised the British Folk Scene during the 50s and 60s, working on the BBC Radio Ballads; ground-breaking documentaries - which wove a story from the words of real people working in the mining and fishing industry or building the M1 motorway with sound effects, and songs. Now 86 years old, Peggy's own songs have become anthems for feminists, anti-nuclear campaigners and those fighting for social justice.

Emma examines the uncomfortable elements of folk music, and how artists are finding ways of reinterpreting old songs, or writing new ones to represent missing narratives and stories. Who were the female tradition-bearers, writers and performers and the often forgotten collectors - those who would record and notate traditional songs handed down orally from generation to generation? And what is being done to improve the gender equality and diversity in folk music?

Emma is joined by:
Peggy Seeger http://www.peggyseeger.com/about
Fay Hield https://fayhield.com/about.html
Anne Martin https://www.annemartin.scot/
Amy Hollinrake https://www.amyhollinrake.com/about
Rachel Newton http://www.rachelnewtonmusic.com/about.html
Grace Petrie https://gracepetrie.com/
Angeline Morrison https://linktr.ee/angelcakepie

Peggy Seeger and Grace Petrie will be playing at Norfolk & Norwich Festival's 250th anniversary later this month.


SAT 17:00 PM (m001bym6)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m00193m2)
Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001bym8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001bymb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001bymd)
Charles the Third has been proclaimed King in a ceremony at St James's Palace in London.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001bymg)
Lenny Henry, Julia Donaldson, Vince Cable, Patrick Gale, Allison Russell, Kitti, George Egg, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson is joined by Lenny Henry, Julia Donaldson, Vince Cable and Patrick Gale for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Allison Russell and Kitti.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001byfw)
Kwasi Kwarteng

Described as “incredibly bright, borderline eccentric and very Thatcherite”, Kwasi Kwarteng has been MP for Spelthorne in Surrey, since 2010.

Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Kwasi Kwarteng excelled academically – he was an Eton scholar, got a double first from Cambridge University and a scholarship to Harvard.

He’s worked as a newspaper columnist, a financial analyst and has written several books on history and politics.

Kwasi Kwarteng is a long-time friend and close political ally of the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who’s just promoted him to the top post in the Treasury. At a time of high inflation, rising energy costs and a looming recession. So is he up to the challenge?

Mark Coles charts the life and career of the man with one of the most powerful jobs in the UK.

Presenter: Mark Coles
Production team: Sally Abrahams and Matt Toulson, Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon

Credit: Sky News – Anna Jones interview with Kwasi Kwarteng, 5 August 2022


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001byfy)
Abdulrazak Gurnah

Nobel Prize-winning novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah talks to John Wilson about the people, events, and cultural works that have inspired his creativity. Born in Zanzibar, the author and academic came to England as a political refugee at the age of 18, and now holds the post of Emeritus Professor of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent. Since his first book Memory of Departure in 1987, he has written ten novels including Paradise, which was nominated for the Booker Prize in 1994. When he won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, the citation praised his "uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”.

Abdulrazak Gurnah discusses his childhood overlooking the main port in Zanzibar, and how his experience of multiple nationalities, cultures and languages inspired some of the themes of identity, belonging and departure that recur in his novels. He remembers the political turmoil and violence in the wake of the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar that saw the overthrown of the Sultan and imprisonment of the government. After travelling to the UK with his brother in 1968, he enrolled as a student in Canterbury, the town in which he still lives and works. Among his most important literary influences is The Mystic Masseur, a comic novel by the Trinidadian author VS Naipaul. Abdulrazak Gurnah also discusses the effect that winning the Nobel Prize has had on his life and work.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b07z2j3r)
Song of the Singer Sewing Machine

The song of the Singer has whirred its way through more than 160 years. There is not a town in the world where this machine has not made its presence felt.

Maria Margaronis considers the might of the sewing machine to make empires and change lives for better or worse.

Isaac Singer patented his machine in 1851. That bald fact alone doesn't even begin to describe the individual behind this perfection of technologies and processes. Impresario, inventor, actor and millionaire and father of 22 children with six wives, the last of whom was the model for the Statue of Liberty. There was skulduggery and power play at work in his ability to capture the market - the rise of the first multi-national. As the slogan goes 'Sewing made easy'.

By the late 19th century Singer had 86,000 employees and 5,000 branch offices in 190 countries--a reach second only to the Catholic Church.

But we begin on a busy North London road. The shop simply says SINGER, inside is a nest of sewing machines. It is here that Maria has brought her mother's old machine and it is here she begins her story, unpicking the threads of time. This machine was one of millions made on Glasgow's Clydeside. Singer's European heartland until 1980. A place that produced some 36 million machines.

Maria travels to both Glasgow and to the site of the vast American Singer factory in Elizabethport New Jersey to piece together the story of a once all powerful empire. From the Amazon river where they were traded for emeralds to St Petersburg where the Bolsheviks had the temerity to nationalise the Singer factory. Drawing on oral history, newly recorded interviews and rare gems Maria follows the many threads of Singers presence in the world.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.


SAT 21:00 Electric Decade (m000m0zh)
Break of Day

This largely biographical story, written in 1928, charts French author Colette’s retreat from her Parisian life for her first summer alone, in her Provencal home.

She needs to lick her wounds after a messy second divorce and to be back in the garden, held in the arms of the natural world, with her animals and at peace, and she means to renounce love forever. She's 55 and, for the first time since she was 16, will live without her life depending on love.

But an unexpected encounter with her long-deceased mother, through finding her letters, leads Colette to a bruising reality check. And they negotiate an acceptance, of sorts, of each other’s deficits – and assets.

The temptation presented by a beautiful neighbour, Vial, 20 years her junior, tests Colette's resolve to the full. She could have him. In all her middle age ‘gigantic mermaid’ glory, she still has the power for her age to lay claim on his youth. She creates a ‘cover’ as matchmaker, setting Vial up with the pretty Helene, also holidaying here among the beau monde, but in reality she is toying with them both as she considers her options. Abstention is alien to her, as her mother reminds her. She is trying to learn a new way to live. And not succeeding.

Cast includes:
Colette...………...Frances Barber
Sidonie…………..Siân Phillips
Helene...………...Elle McAlpine
Vial...……………...Timothy George

Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Director: Marina Caldarone
Sound Engineer and Design: David Thomas
Prod Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 King Albert's Book (b04vqwyr)
Episode 3

King Albert's Book was a tribute to the Belgian King and people, published by subscription in December 1914.

The book was the idea of Hall Caine, a novelist and playwright of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, to raise money for the Daily Telegraph Belgium fund. He invited princes, statesman, churchmen, authors, political activists, artists and composers to present their view of the tragedy that had befallen Belgium in the preceding months of war.

Contributors include Winston Churchill, Thomas Hardy, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Bernhardt, Emmeline Pankhurst and Rudyard Kipling. The result is an extraordinary snapshot of a moment in time and the passions aroused by the conquest of Belgium and the resistance led by King Albert.

As the book was being prepared in the Autumn of 1914, no one knew how the tragedy of the First World War would unfold - there was still hope that it would all be over fairly swiftly. What seemed to be a heroic defence of a sovereign state was the primary concern of the book's contributors, little knowing how long the conflict would continue and how the greater tragedy of the war would supersede this event.

This final episode, narrated by the writer and producer Paul Dodgson, includes a statement by French philosopher Henri Bergson, an account of wounded Belgium soldiers in England by Mary Cholmondeley, and a history lesson by Professor Paul Vinogradoff.

Readers: Kenneth Cranham, Tim McMullan and Harriet Walter
Pianist: Kevin Matthews

Narrated and Produced by Paul Dodgson
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m001byg2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The People vs J Edgar Hoover (m001byg4)
Omnibus 2

The story of the legendary lawman's fall. J Edgar Hoover built then ran the FBI for almost five decades. He turned it from a bureaucratic backwater into a premier crime fighting and counterintelligence force. In the process, he arguably became America’s most powerful man. He’s been dead 50 years and still his shadow looms over the US. Today’s fears of a ‘deep state’ - of unaccountable government officials working against the public in their own interest – can be traced back to him. In the second of two omnibus episodes, Emily shows how though his job was to enforce the law...he would not always be bound by it.
Producer: Neal Razzell
Research: Louise Byrne
Editor: Hugh Levinson
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Sound: Tom Brignell


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001brfd)
Heat 6, 2022

Which US President has an African capital city named after him? Which is the metallic chemical element with the highest melting point? In which year was Halley's comet last visible from earth? These are just two of the questions facing the competitors who join Russell Davies for today's heat of the general knowledge quiz.

Taking part at London's Radio Theatre are:
Nicholas Comfort, from south east London
Annabel Gaskell, from Abingdon
Tom Gibson from St Ives in Cambridgeshire
Wendy Merrick from the West Midlands.

A place in the semi-finals later in the year awaits the winner today.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0016pwn)
Sean Curran reports on a rare Saturday sitting for the Commons and the Lords as MPs and peers pay tribute to the Queen.

SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2022

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001byg6)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Living with the Gods (b09fzmjm)
Global Gods, Local Needs

Neil MacGregor continues his series about the expression of shared beliefs with a focus on gods can reach new communities, and how those communities can then adapt and change the faiths.

Producer Paul Kobrak

Produced in partnership with the British Museum
Photograph (c) The Trustees of the British Museum.


SUN 00:30 New Frequencies (m001bs5j)
Part Three: The Gods of Little Things and How to Get Away with a Heartbreak

A showcase for the work of writers between the ages of 16 and 21.

Part Three
The Gods Of Little Things by Eoin Malone
and
How To Get Away With A Heartbreak by Chinonso Igwe

Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
Readers: Edmund Kingsley and Saffron Coomber
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001byg8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001bygb)
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 (m001bygd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001bygg)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001bygj)
St Mary’s Church, Nantwich in Cheshire

Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary’s Church, Nantwich in Cheshire. The fine medieval grade one listed church has one of a very few central octagonal bell towers in England. The tower houses a ring of eight bells, with a tenor weighing fourteen and three quarter hundredweight, tuned to the key of E major. We now hear them ringing Grandsire Triples with all the bells fully muffled except the tenor which rings open every other stroke as is the ancient custom to commemorate the death of a Monarch.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001byfw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001bytc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01dtfsf)
New Life, New Views

In March 2012, Kurdish poet Choman Hardi had just had her first child, and reflected upon how children help us to see things in a different, more positive light in 'New Life, New Views'.

Choman recalls her return to Iraq to research the effects of the gas attacks by Saddam Hussein's forces against Kurdish villagers and the torture of her brother. And she explains how, through her daughter, she hopes to make a new beginning in a broken world.

Choman reads her own poem, 'My Children', which looks at the way children adapt to new life more easily than their parents, taking on adopted homelands with shocking ease. The programme also includes a beautiful Kurdish lullaby accompanied on the harp and composed by the musician Tara Jaff. Choman talks to the Hungarian-born poet, George Szirtes, about the shift in life perspectives which he's experienced since the arrival of his grandchildren. He reads a poem on the subject, 'The pram in the hall', written especially for the programme.

A thoughtful and illuminating look at how children can help to bring hope and fresh perspectives after even the most difficult experiences.

Producer: Kim Normanton
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001bytf)
Growing botanicals for gin

Anna Louise Claydon visits a farm in Suffolk which specialises in growing plants to use as botanical ingredients in the production of gin. Andrew Heald’s 400 acre farm in Aldeburgh has been in the family for thirty years. Once intensively farmed arable land, it now produces sea-plants and herbs – like caraway, bog myrtle and rock samphire – which are used in his beachside gin distillery. Anna visits both the farm and the distillery, and learns how the crops are used in making not only gin but also herbal tea-bags. She finds out how Andrew made the move from asparagus grower to botanicals specialist, and hears about his hopes to restore the soil quality of his land and move more of it into conservation.

Produced and presented by Anna Louise Claydon


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001byth)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001bytk)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001bytm)
The Queen and Faith

In this special edition of Sunday, Edward Stourton reflects on the late Queen Elizabeth II's relationship to faith, explores how she stood for continuity amid so much change and hears from leaders of some of the many religious groups that flourished as never before in the second Elizabethan era.

Producers: Jill Collins and Julia Paul
Editor: Dan Tierney


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001bytp)
SCI Foundation

BBC Radio 4 Reporter Claudia Hammond makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of SCI Foundation.

To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- 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 ‘SCI Foundation’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘SCI Foundation’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Registered charity number: 1182166


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001bytr)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001bytt)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001bytw)
A Service of Thanksgiving from Westminster Abbey

A Service of Morning Prayer in Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Majesty the Queen, recorded in Westminster Abbey.

Bring us O Lord (Harris)
The King of love (St Columba)
2 Chronicles 9: 22-27, 30-31
Psalm 90 (Lang)
1 Corinthians 15: 50-58
Love’s redeeming work is done (Savannah)
The address (The Very Revd Dr David Hoyle, Dean)
The Lesser Litany, Lord's Prayer and Responses followed by the Prayers and Grace
Benedictus in C (Stanford)
Blessing followed by the National Anthem
Benedictus from Sonata Britannica (Stanford) (Peter Holder, Sub-Organist)

Address: The Very Revd Dr David Hoyle, Dean
Minor Canon and Precentor: The Revd Mark Birch
Organist and Master of the Choristers: James O’Donnell
Sub-Organist: Robert Quinney
Producer: Andrew Earis


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001bs1p)
The Queen: An Acceptance of History

Michael Morpurgo reflects on the remarkable life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

'The crown and the jewels were costume, the Palace was a stage. She knew that, we knew that', writes Michael. 'It was a charade, but one that worked wonderfully well, because she was centre stage in our national drama, because enough of us believed in her'.

As the world changed around her, Michael argues, the Queen at all times looked to the future, helped us find our place in the world and discover who we are as a people.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b08vxt0j)
Gary Moore on the Capercaillie

Wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore describes for Tweet of the Day, the surprising encounter he had with capercaillie when in the Scottish Highlands.

Producer Tom Bonnett.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001byty)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001byv0)
Writer, Sarah Hehir
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer …… Buffy Davis
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Russ Jones ….. Andonis James Anthony
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter ….. Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane
Den ….. Laurence Saunders


SUN 11:15 The Reunion (m000z5my)
The Pioneers of Women's Football

Women have played football for as long as football has been around with the modern game being codified by the FA in 1863.

But it was the First World War and the formation of team from a munitions factory in Preston known as the Dick Kerr Ladies that really drew in the crowds – one game in 1920 attracted 53,000.

But the women’s game was considered to be un-ladylike and seen as unfair competition for the men’s game and so the FA brought in a ban in 1921.
It was to last almost 50 years.

But pressure from within saw it abolished and in November 1972 the women’s game flourished with the staging of the first international match when England played Scotland in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Greenock. More international games followed, with the Wales FA staging their first international in 1973.

These early pioneers helped lay the foundation of the successful professional women’s game we see today.

Joining Kirsty Wark are England player Patricia Gregory and Scotland’s Elsie Cook who co-organised that first international; Margaret Rae, Scotland‘s captain from 1972 onwards; Michelle Adams, who was Wales youngest player aged just 15 in 1973 and went on to get an MBE for her contribution to women’s football; Rose Reilly who played for both Scotland and Italy; and Sue Whyatt who was England’s goalkeeper beginning with the return England v Scotland international in 1973.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Howard Shannon

Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001byv4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Soul Music (m000ydl2)
Take Me Home, Country Roads

"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong"

Written by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert with and for their friend John Denver, the song went on to be covered by Ray Charles, Toots and the Maytals, Olivia Newton John and many more. A song about the longing for home and the desire to be back with the people you love, 'Country Roads' has become one of the official state songs of West Virginia but it also speaks to people from around the world and across political divides. It's a song about togetherness, belonging, homesickness, the immigrant experience and the hold that the landscape of your 'home place' can have on you.

Featuring contributions from Bill Danoff, Sarah Morris, Jason Jeong, Ngozi Fulani, Lloyd Bradley and Alison Wells. And from Molly Sarlé, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Meath of the band Mountain Man.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol


SUN 12:30 The Food Programme (m001byk3)
The Hairy Bikers: Full Throttle Food

Thirty years ago, Dave Myers, a specialist prosthetic make-up artist walked into a pub in Newcastle after scoring a job on a Catherine Cookson TV drama. Beyond the throng of TV crew sipping their white wine spritzers, he spotted the then assistant producer Si King, eating the pub's curry of the day at the pool table. He walked over, introduced himself and said to the landlord, "I'll have what he's having."

That was the moment one of the UK's most popular TV double acts was born. The Hairy Bikers' food travelogues, diet and campaigning programmes have been on our screens for more than two decades, and in that time Si and Dave have written 26 books. Self-proclaimed home cooks, their cheerful presenting style and on-screen banter have won them awards and scores of fans around the UK and the world.

In this programme Leyla Kazim asks Si and Dave how food and cooking have shaped their lives on and off screen, she hears the secrets to their enduring success, and hears from Stuart Heritage, TV critic for The Guardian, on why they still have much more road to travel together.

Presented by Leyla Kazim
Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001byv7)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001byv9)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 The Coming Storm (m001324q)
1. The Dead Body

QAnon and the plot to break reality...

When a mob storms the Capitol in Washington DC, reporter and presenter Gabriel Gatehouse sees someone he recognises: a man draped in furs with horns on his head. He is known as the Q Shaman.

Gabriel had met him at a Trump rally in Arizona, ranting about a conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton and a cabal of satanic paedophiles plotting to steal the 2020 presidential election.

The search for the origins of this strange and twisted tale begins in 1993, when the suicide of a White House aide during Bill Clinton’s presidency reveals the first signs of a new information ecosystem that is starting to spill over into the mainstream. Myths about his murder proliferate on the early internet. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. In Arkansas a parallel reality is forming, in which the Clintons are a corrupt and murderous couple who will stop at nothing in their quest for power.

Producer: Lucy Proctor


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000t77b)
GQT from the Archives: Houseplant Special

The team look back through the archives for a houseplant edition of the show.

A variety of panellists, old and new, discuss showering with your plants and orchid maintenance, and one lucky listener finally receives an answer to a 60 year-old question.

Away from the questions, Peter Gibbs visits RHS Wisley’s Giant Houseplant Takeover exhibit.

Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Millie Chu

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 The Bear Next Door (m0016pnr)
Estonia

Five cultural figures from the front line of Russia's border with Europe - Lithuania, Finland, Moldova, Latvia and Estonia - explore their national psyche in uncertain times. Their words weave with sounds and encounters from their home city as they explore their country's history, ambitions and distinctive character in the 21st century.

Our essayists across the series include a rapper and media commentator, a former President, a celebrated art critic, a dystopian novelist, and a distinguished literary director.

Today - Former Estonian President (2006-2016) Toomas Hendrik considers his nation's post-Soviet rebirth as a world-leading digital society, a cradle of e-commerce, telecommunications and digital democracy.

---

Speakers featured are:

Žygimantas Kudirka (Lithuania) - rapper, spoken word artist and media commentator
Emmi Itaranta (Finland) - novelist and commentator; author of the dystopian novel Memory Of Water;
Paula Erizanu (Moldova) - arts critic, political commentator and former Culture Editor of The Calvert Journal;
Nora Ikstena (Latvia) - literary director and author of the novel Soviet Milk about female experience in Soviet-occupied Latvia;
Toomas Hendrik Ilves (Estonia) - former Estonian president and writer on digital democracy.

Producer: John Beauchamp
Executive Producer: Steven Rajam

A Free Range and Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama (m001byvc)
North and South

Episode 2

by Elizabeth Gaskell
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan

Margaret ..... Patsy Ferran
Mr Hale ..... Paul Chahidi
John Thornton ..... James Cartwright
Mrs Thornton ..... Pooky Quesnel
Mrs Hale ..... Ruth Everett
Frederick ..... Colin Ryan
Dixon ..... Felicity Montagu
Higgins ..... Sean Gilder
Boucher ..... Lloyd Thomas
Mrs Boucher ..... Evie Killip
Leonards ..... Luke Nunn
Inspector ..... Jonathan Forbes
Old Man ..... Roger Ringrose
Old Woman ..... Joanna Monro

Directed by Sally Avens

The Hale family have moved North to Milton, an industrial mill town. Margaret's friendship with Bessy, a young mill girl who died, has brought her into close contact with the suffering of the workers. Now Bessy's father, a union leader, has called a strike and Margaret finds herself caught in the middle between the workers and the mill owner, John Thornton, one of her family's only acquaintances. Gaskell's great novel still resonates today in its portrayal of the north-south divide and its themes of class, gender and social responsibility.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001byvf)
Ian McEwan

Chris Power talks to the novelist Ian Mc Ewan. Over the course of his 18 novels from The Cement Garden and Black Dogs to Amsterdam and Atonement, McEwan has always been a chronicler of modern Britain, however his new novel Lessons takes on a much larger canvas.

Lessons begins at a boarding school in the late 1950s when a female piano teacher pinches the leg of an 11-year-old boy, Roland, and follows that with a kiss. These abusive acts send ripples through Roland's life over the next 60 years. The novel studies how Roland’s life is shaped both by personal ordeals and the currents of history; from World War 2, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Chernobyl disaster and the coronavirus pandemic. Lessons is the longest novel McEwan’s ever written, but it's also his most autobiographical, he talks to Chris about the difficult truths within his own family's history and the rewards of weaving fact and fiction.

Book List – Sunday 11 September and Thursday 15 September

Lessons: A Novel by Ian McEwan
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
The Children Act by Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Solar by Ian McEwan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
The Day Dreamer by Ian McEwan
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan


SUN 16:30 Culture and the Queen (p0cz8h7f)
A Monarch of the Arts

Will Gompertz looks back at the role of Queen Elizabeth II in the nation's cultural changes during her reign. It was an era that encompassed kitchen sink drama, the swinging sixties, the opening up of the royal art collection and the flourishing of music, theatre, art and literature. Was the Queen instrumental in fostering the blossoming of the arts and culture in Britain and beyond in her seven decades on the throne? Contributors include the television presenter Dame Joan Bakewell, film and singing star Petula Clark, the novelist Ben Okri and Chair of the Arts Council England Sir Nicholas Serota.

Presenter: Will Gompertz
Producer: Harry Parker


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001brqf)
Justice on Trial

It was to be one of the most ambitious just reform programmes in the world – a ‘common platform’ that would share information between the courts, lawyers and police, from arrest to court. But the quarter-of-a-billion pound IT project now stands accused of causing wrongful arrests and unlawful detentions. File on 4 has spoken with whistle-blowers from within the court service who say the system is unsafe, unfinished and beset with bugs, errors and glitches. Sources say early warnings were ignored and worry that the software continues to be rolled out to courts across England and Wales despite serious concerns about the risk it poses.

Producer: Ben Robinson
Reporter: Alys Harte
Editor: Carl Johnston


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001byfw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001byvh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001byvk)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001byvm)
Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrives in Edinburgh -- after a six-hour journey from Balmoral.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001byvp)
Deborah Frances-White

Comedian, podcaster and writer Deborah Frances-White chooses a personal selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001byjz)
Lynda and Lilian reminisce about where they were on the day of the Queen’s coronation. There is a book of condolence at St Stephen’s for the death of the Queen and the two women become emotional when Lynda shares what she wrote.

Chelsea’s at Blake’s flat where he kindly tells her it’s been really nice having her to stay, but Chelsea needs to go home where she has a lovely family worrying about her. Blake offers to hitch back to Ambridge with her. When Tracy opens the door to Chelsea and Blake she’s overjoyed. Chelsea quickly explains that Blake’s not the dad and Tracy says she didn’t think he was. She thanks Blake for bringing Chelsea back. When Chelsea worries about people knowing about the reason for her running away, Tracy makes it clear that no-one knows about the pregnancy and Chelsea doesn’t need to explain anything to anyone. Tracy invites Blake to stay the night with them and he accepts. With that sorted Tracy asks Blake what he’d like for tea.

Lilian’s desperate to get home to her new kitchen but has difficulty getting Justin to leave Ambridge Hall, while he’s in the middle of yet another interesting debate with Lynda. When Lynda mentions fundraising for Monty’s old dog shelter, Justin’s happy to help. Back at the Dower House, Lilian’s keen to use her new kitchen, but Justin suggests having a takeaway. Undeterred, Lilian says she’s making a meal. Justin asks whether they can invite Lynda and Robert over to eat with them, as thanks for their stay at Ambridge Hall. As Lilian’s pointing out that they did pay them for it, Justin’s already on the phone and Lynda accepts his invitation for her and Robert.


SUN 19:15 Ed Reardon's Week (b09dy2sb)
Series 12

An Enemy of the People

Following an encounter with Jack, the refuse collector at the recycling centre, Ed is persuaded to enter the world of local politics.

Jack holds Ed as a bit of a hero after reading his comments on various ballot papers when assisting with the local count at several elections and decides that Ed would make the perfect local councillor.

Ed takes very little persuading when he discovers the emoluments he can expect and begins his campaign with the help of his new agent, Maggie.

Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas

Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Maggie ...... Monica Dolan
Pearl ...... Brigit Forsyth
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Nikki ...... Vicki Pepperdine
Jack ...... Karl Theobald
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead

Producer: Dawn Ellis

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2017.


SUN 19:45 Hulda's Cafe (m001byvr)
Volcano

Five tales from Grindavik, a place of volcanoes and earthquakes, and apparently the happiest town in Iceland. Starring Rachel Stirling.

The lobster soup served in Hulda’s Café has won awards. But winning soup-making contests is only one of Hulda Björnsdóttir’s many talents - which also include tour-guiding, welding whale sculptures and generally trying to hold the town together.

4/5. Volcano
Hulda guides a tour party to the Fagradalsfjall volcano before joining a search and rescue mission.

Tiffany Murray is the author of the novels Diamond Star Halo, Happy Accidents and Sugar Hall. Her fourth book, The Girl Who Talked to Birds, will be set in Iceland. She is completing a memoir, 'My Family and Other Rock Stars', about growing up with Queen and Black Sabbath sleeping in your house. The story Lava! Lava! Lava!, which also has a Grindavik setting, was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2021.

Writer: Tiffany Murray
Reader: Rachael Stirling
Sound Recordist: Paul Clark
Sound Design: Jon Calver
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001brmm)
Pakistan flooding, UK power prices and Boris’s broadband claim

Devastating floods have wreaked havoc across Pakistan after the heaviest monsoon rains in at least a decade. But is a third of the country really under water, as has been claimed? Also why do electricity prices in the UK rise in line with gas prices when we get so much of our power from other sources like nuclear, wind and solar? As criminal barristers go on strike in England and Wales, we ask if those starting in the profession really earn £12,200 a year. And as Boris Johnson waves goodbye to Downing Street, we investigate his claim that 70% of the UK now has access to gigabit broadband.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Reporters: Nathan Gower, Charlotte McDonald
Production Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson
Editor: Richard Vadon


SUN 20:30 Great Lives (m000ykqp)
Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin was the original child prodigy. He was born in America in 1916, and was soon playing in concert halls round the world. He also played to the survivors of the German concentration camps, and waded into the fight against apartheid in South Africa too. Tasmin Little was a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin school in Surrey, England, and knew her choice well. Not only was he a brilliant performer, she says, he was a crossover star who played with Ravi Shankar, Stephane Grappelli and Morecambe and Wise. You'll also hear from his biographer, Humphrey Burton, and from Yehudi Menuhin too.

Presented by Matthew Parris

Produced for BBC audio in Bristol by Miles Warde


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001bylt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001bytp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Princess (p0cjr8sg)
Kate Mosse on Khutulun

Anita Anand hears about a mysterious Mongolian princess with author Kate Mosse and Professor David Sneath. Khutulun was the granddaughter of Genghis Khan, a warrior who her ruling father chose to have by his side. She is also rumoured to have refused any suitors who couldn't best her in a wrestling match.

Producer: Ailsa Rochester
Editor: Jo Meeks
Sound: Tom Rowbotham


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001byvt)
Carolyn Quinn reflects on a weekend of transition for the monarchy with Labour's leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith and the former Conservative Cabinet minister, Sir David Lidington. They're joined by the former senior civil servant, Philip Rycroft and the Guardian's chief political correspondent, Jessica Elgot. The panel also discuss the recent political upheaval and Liz Truss's remarkable first week as Prime Minister.


SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001bymg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01dtfsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]

MONDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2022

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001byvx)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m001brpj)
Survival of the city

Survival of the City: Laurie Taylor talks to Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University and author of a study examining the future of urban life at a time when the pandemic has exposed failures of governance. Whilst cities have been engines for creativity and wealth, they have also, of late, exposed deep inequities in health care and education and advances in technology mean many can opt out of city life as never before. So are we moving to a post urban world? Or will the city continue to thrive and re-invent itself?

Producer: Jayne Egerton


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001bygj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001byvz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001byw1)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001byw3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001byw5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001byw7)
A reflection and prayer marking the death of Her Majesty the Queen with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

Good morning.

At the centre of her Majesty the Queen‘s faith, as it is for all Christians, was the person of Jesus Christ.

He is, says St Paul, “the image of the invisible God”, the one through whom God has become knowable.

Therefore, when Christians speak about God they speak about Jesus. He is the one we return to constantly to reset the compass of our own vocation and faithfulness, what Christians call discipleship.

For most Christians, it is shaped by daily prayer and devotion. This was also true for her Majesty the Queen and I suspect it was this simple daily commitment to prayer, and her faithfulness in attendance at the worship of the Church that was the secret, largely unseen, constant pulse bringing lifeblood and energy to her long life and long reign.

I remember when I had the fairly scary privilege of visiting her at Sandringham some years ago and I preached at worship in the Parish church on Sunday morning, although it felt to me a grand and special occasion, of course, once I actually got to the church, and once the service actually started, what struck me was how very ordinary it was.

Loving God, heavenly Father, thank you that so often our Queen was simply part of a congregation of faithful Christian people doing what faithful Christian people do. Help us to do the same.

Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001byw9)
Rising costs are forcing farmers to reduce the amount of food they can produce.

Charlotte Smith hears how feed prices are up by a half, while fertilizers cost up to three times as much as they did this time last year.

The Government plans to cap energy prices but will it be enough to keep putting food on the supermarket shelves?

Also, a farmer explains how diversifying into keeping goats for milk, meat and other products has saved his farm.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Natalie Donovan
Editor: Dimitri Houtart


MON 05:56 Weather (m001bywc)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09gk16x)
Michael Morpurgo on the Dipper

Author Michael Morpurgo doesn't go out looking for birds, but when out walking along a river he loves to glimpse a dipper and would love to get up closer to them.

Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photograph: Keith Docherty.


MON 06:00 Today (m001byj9)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001byjc)
Birmingham

Forget the north south divide, what about the ‘squeezed middle’? Tom Sutcliffe and guests discuss the cultural and political status of the country’s ‘second city’ Birmingham.

The writer Kit de Waal looks back at growing up in the city, caught between three worlds – Irish, Caribbean and British – in her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes. The historian Richard Vinen argues, in his new book Second City, that Birmingham is the overlooked heart of modern Britain, and the remnants of the West Midland’s Victorian industrial heyday can be glimpsed in the poetry of Liz Berry – in The Dereliction and Black Country.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 A Visible Man by Edward Enninful (m001byjf)
Episode 1

An inspiring and surprising story that takes us behind the scenes of the fashion industry; it's the September issue that everyone will be talking about.

From refugee through model, fashion editor and activist to pioneering editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful traces his route to the top of one of the most exclusive and glamorous industries in the world. Despite being steeped in fashion from a young age, it will take hard graft, sacrifice and a willingness to speak out before Edward becomes the agent of change that the world of fashion so badly needs.

Written and read by Edward Enninful
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie


MON 10:00 The Motion of Condolence at Westminster (m001chmk)
The Motion of Condolence and the response of His Majesty the King, from Westminster Hall.


MON 11:00 Room 5 (m0013znb)
4: Joel

‘I stare at my own reflection, trying to remind myself that I’m not dead.’
Joel never understood why he felt different to other people. Then a revelation in India sets him on a journey to find answers.

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Sound Design: Steve Bond

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Editor: Richard Knight

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: room5@bbc.co.uk


MON 11:30 The Frost Tapes (p0cl4wlg)
Michael Caine

David Frost was the 20th century’s most prolific interviewer, a master of conversation with a remarkable talent for getting people to open up and spill their souls. Many of his conversations, however, have been lost - until now. Presented by his son, broadcaster Wilfred Frost, The Frost Tapes joins David as he interviews the greatest entertainers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

One of the most prolific actors of our time, Michael Caine survived the Blitz of London during the Second World War as a child, fought in the Korean War himself and then spent years struggling to make it as an actor. Here’s the story of how a plain-spoken cockney boy became one of the world's greatest headliners.

A Paradine and Chalk & Blade production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001byjm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001byjp)
Energy Plan; Gen Z Fashion; Student Digs Shortage

Big changes have been announced about our energy bills. The new cap means the average household bill will be £2,500 from October. Joe Malinowski from The Energy Shop joins us to explain more on this. Plus we hear your concerns over why standing charges have gone up.

New research shows that despite Generation Z’s concerns about the environmental impact of the fashion industry, they are still the biggest drivers of fast fashion. We hear how companies like eBay are trying to combat these concerns and sustainable fashion influencer Izzy Manuel explains why she always shops pre-loved.

And it’s almost time for students to head to off to university – but what if you still haven’t heard whether you’ve got a place in halls of residence? Lucy Suss from Exeter is heading to Manchester, she tells us how she was turned down from university accommodation and offered money to live somewhere else.

Producer: Anna Hodges
Presenter: Felicity Hannah


MON 12:57 Weather (m001byjr)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001byjt)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Reflections on Majesty (p09mdljs)
Mary Beard

Eight major novelists, historians and scholars including Alan Bennett, Lady Antonia Fraser and Bernardine Evaristo describe their experience of, and relation to, the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Today it's the turn of the classicist and broadcaster Mary Beard, who reflects on the intersection between her study of Ancient Rome and the rituals and realities of modern monarchy.


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001byjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 This Cultural Life (m001byfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001byk1)
Heat 7, 2022

Why do generations of TV viewers know a suburban cul-de-sac by the name of Pine Oak Court? What was the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton's lost Antarctic vessel, rediscovered in 2022? Who wrote the sonnet that begins 'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways'?

Russell Davies puts these and many other questions to the contenders in Heat Seven of the current series, recorded at the Radio Theatre in London. Today's winner will go through to the semi-final stage of the tournament later in the year and take a step closer, perhaps, to being named Brain of Britain 2022.

Taking part are
Roger Bowen, from Blaenavon in South Wales
Alison Jay, from Suffolk
Ned Pendleton, from North London
Gail Trimble, from Oxford.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001byk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 My Space: The Blackpool Tower (m001bs06)
Enter this iconic building to hear stories from those whose lives have been changed here. A place of architectural and cultural significance defining this Northwest seaside town. A magnificent Victorian engineering masterpiece.

Blackpool Tower is one of Britain’s best-known landmarks - 158 metres tall and inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when it was opened in 1894 it was one of the tallest freestanding towers in the world. The Tower is in fact an entertainment complex comprising The Tower, Tower Circus, the Tower Ballroom, and Roof Gardens.

Recorded in ambisonic audio, listeners will be immersed in the sound and fabric of this building, moving from place to place with those whose stories unfold.

Karl Bartoni, born and bred in Blackpool, remembers seeing the tower for the first time when he was three years old. In the summer of 1983, he became the first (and last) person to dangle from the top of the tower attempting to escape from a straight- jacket.

Former trapeze artist Laci Endresz Senior and his family have been in charge of the Tower Circus for over 30 years across six generations of circus performers. As a ‘flyer’, Laci once broke 17 bones during a stunt.

We hear from a former delivery driver Chris Hopkins who taught himself how to play the Wurlitzer organ and landed his first gig playing at Blackpool Tower Ballroom. He now plays weekly to those who flock here to dance in the splendour of the Tower Ballroom.

The gold, majestic ballroom designed by Frank Matcham, one of the most significant theatre architects of the 19th century, is where families have danced for generations. Marilyn remembers her parents dancing at the Tower in the 1930s and every time she steps inside the ballroom, she says it feels like home.

Other contributions from Professor Vanessa Toulmin – University of Sheffield. And artist Lisa Wigham

Devised and produced by Sara Conkey, Perminder Khatkar, Helen Lennard and Melvin Rickarby
Executive Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer production for BBC Radio 4


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m001byk5)
The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood tells Ernie Rea about the role of faith in her seminal novel and how her fiction, written nearly 40 years ago, resonates in a post-Roe v Wade world.

Atwood's novel about a dystopian future in a fundamentalist regime has been turned into a hugely popular TV series, about to start it's fifth season. It's also been adopted by activists protesting against restrictions on female rights and freedoms.

Professor Linda Woodhead (Kings College London), Professor Coral Ann Howells (editor of The Cambridge Companion to Margaret Atwood) and Alissa Wilkinson (Culture and Film Critic for Vox.com) join Ernie to discuss the role of religion in Atwood's Gilead, why her vision has struck a chord today and its influence on culture and politics.

Producer: Rebecca Maxted
Assistant Producers: Josie Le Vay and Peter Everett
Editor: Dan Tierney


MON 17:00 PM (m001byk7)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001byk9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m001bykc)
Series 12

Salisbury

Mark Steel's In Town - Salisbury

Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this fourth episode Mark visits Salisbury in Wiltshire

In this series, Mark will also be popping to Nottingham, Tring, The Isles of Scilly, Newport and Paris. And for the first time, there will be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Sarah Sharpe
Production co-ordinator Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001bykf)
Jazzer tells Blake he’s a hero for looking after Chelsea and bringing her home and it’s brilliant to see him looking so well. Having heard that Blake’s at Tracy’s, Lynda calls round. Blake tells her he’s now working at an animal sanctuary and apologises for running away from Lynda’s, when both she and Robert had been so kind. Lynda’s understanding – he’d been through so much. He also mentions that he’s having counselling and now realises that Philip Moss manipulated him. When Lynda offers to give Blake a lift home, he accepts.

Tracy and Chelsea go for a walk and Tracy admits she’s worried she’ll say the wrong thing and then Chelsea will run away again. Chelsea reassures her that she won’t do that again. When Tracy asks if it was her fault, Chelsea says no, explaining that she ran away because she needed to put the whole situation on pause. She went to Blake’s because he was outside of everything and not judgemental. When Chelsea says that it was Blake who persuaded Chelsea to ring Jim, Tracy wonders why Chelsea didn’t ring her. Chelsea doesn’t have an answer. Tracy brings up the subject of Chelsea’s options saying whatever she decides, they’ll face it together. Chelsea needs to get this right for herself, nobody else. She suggests it might help her decide, if Chelsea talks to Russ because he’s the baby’s father. Horrified Chelsea says he isn’t. Tracy’s really embarrassed about accusing Russ and Chelsea despairs.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001bykh)
Eileen Cooper, Northern Ireland Opera, Basic Income For The Arts In Ireland, Roger McGough

Eileen Cooper is a painter and printmaker who’s been quietly creating boldly coloured figurative images and ceramics since the 1970s. This year finally sees the first major review of her work which, in magic realist style, encompasses huge themes: sexuality, motherhood, life and death. The show is called Parallel Lines: Eileen Cooper And Leicester’s Art Collection, and places Cooper’s work next to that of LS Lowry, Pablo Picasso, and Paula Rego, among others. Eileen Cooper talks about her life, work and role as Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools – the first woman to hold the prestigious post.

The Grand Opera House in Belfast is celebrating the return of Northern Ireland Opera to its stage, following a £12 million restoration of the historic building. The company has chosen La Traviata for its homecoming performance, with Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg in the lead role. The BBC’s Kathy Clugston went to the Grand Opera House to find out about their production of one of the world’s most popular operas.

As Ireland introduces its ground-breaking new Basic Income For The Arts pilot, we speak to Angela Dorgan, Chair of the National Campaign For The Arts in Ireland, which has long campaigned for a basic income scheme.

And poet Roger McGough joins us to shares his new poem written in tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Presenter: Shahidha Bari
Producer: Paul Waters


MON 20:00 Ugandan Asians: The Reckoning (m001bykk)
General Idi Amin seized power in in Uganda in 1971. His brutal dictatorship is synonymous with the deportation of the country's 80,000-strong Asian population fifty years ago this year. As the popular story goes, Asians built the economy and the country. Then a brutish African leader exiled them from their adopted homeland. Some 28,000 arrived in the UK in the summer of 1972. The story of industrious, virtuous Asian families being thrown out for no reason and succeeding against all odds, has been endlessly recycled according to Ugandan-born journalist and broadcaster. But, she argues, though powerful and moving, it is incomplete and simplistic.

Their story in East Africa has much more humble beginnings and goes as far back as the Victorian era. The colonial rulers had set Asians up to be the buffer between them and and the lowly black Africans. At the time native Ugandans had little or no education, little or no knowledge of how to do business, to access loans, trade etc. Asian middlemen ran everything and were seen as the oppressors.

Among the reasons Amin gave for their expulsion were that they were exploiters who made no attempt to integrate with black African Ugandans and that they invested their profits abroad rather than in Uganda. Even though black Ugandans suffered most under Amin - the so-called "Butcher of Uganda" tortured his own people and killed an estimated million of them during his eight-year rule - yet there was still a sense of liberation when the Asians left. These, according to Yasmin, are inescapable truths - truths that Asians wished to forget but black Ugandans never have. Some still maintain that for all the terrible things Amin did, they finally got their country back.

Yasmin delivers a sharp reappraisal of this secret history and delves into the forgotten, concealed past from which the Ugandan Asians do not escape without blame.

Producer: Mohini Patel


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001bs04)
The Texas Tank: A Prison Radio Station Changing Lives

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, used to be known as the Terror Dome for its high rates of inmate violence, murder and suicide. Polunsky houses all the men condemned to death in Texas (currently 185) and nearly 3,000 maximum security prisoners. But since the pandemic, a prison radio station almost entirely run by the men themselves has helped to create community--even for those on death row, who spend 23 hours a day locked alone in their cells.

The Tank beams all kinds of programmes across the prison complex: conversations both gruff and tender; music from R&B to metal; the soundtracks of old movies; inspirational messages from all faiths and none. The station’s steady signal has saved some men from suicide and many from loneliness; it lets family members and inmates dedicate songs to each other and make special shows for those on their way to execution. Maria Margaronis tunes in to The Tank and meets some of the men who say it's changed their lives—even when those lives have just weeks left to run.

Produced by David Goren.

Photo credit (Michael Starghill)


MON 21:00 The Spark (m001bs4z)
Danielle Citron on intimate privacy

Helen Lewis presents a new series of encounters with innovative thinkers.

In this episode, she meets Danielle Citron, a professor of law at the University of Virginia, and the author of The Fight for Privacy.

The release into the public domain of digital images such as nude photographs, and private information points gathered online without the user's awareness, can cause their subjects serious trauma.

But, Citron argues, the radical technological developments of the last few years have left the law behind.

She tells Helen why she contends that it is now vital - as in the US, so in the UK - to establish a new right to 'intimate privacy'.

Producer: Phil Tinline


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001byjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001bykn)
Queen’s coffin taken to St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh

In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 The Maid by Nita Prose (m001bykq)
Episode 6

Detective Stark is convinced that Molly is involved in Mr Black's murder and the evidence is mounting up. Desperate, Molly turns to one of her trusted colleagues for help.

The Maid by Nita Prose is read by Bridget Lappin. The abridger is Rowan Routh, and the producer is Nicola Holloway.


MON 23:00 In Suburbia (m001b411)
Light and Shade

In spite of the fact that so many of us live, and choose to live, in Suburbia, it's still described as, at best a cultural backwater, and at worst a cultural desert. Indeed the cultural output of suburbia is often songs and novels and films that describe a striving to escape from this land between the city and the country, or in cultural terms between rural Idyll and Bohemia. Ian Hislop has long been fascinated by this cultural snobbery, and in three programmes he talks to leading cultural figures who either come from or celebrate Suburbia and Suburban life.

Hanif Kureishi, author of 'The Buddha of Suburbia' is a not so proud son of Bromley, comedian Lee Mack is star and writer of the suburban comedy 'Not Going Out' which is now the longest running sitcom on British television and still uses the familiar tropes of suburban aspiration, gentle class conflict and stability to garner laughs, and JC Carroll of The Members is the composer whose punk anthem 'The Sound of the Suburbs' made the tedium of car washing and noisy neighbours a badge of honour. All of them discuss their mixed feelings about suburbia, if and how it's changing, and why it remains a place where so many people aspire to live.

In this second programme in the series Ian talks to Darren Evans, the suburban artist and JC Carroll tells him how The Sound of the Suburbs came to be written.


MON 23:30 The Digital Human (m0017k7l)
Series 26

Virtue

This year, The Digital Human celebrates its 10 year anniversary. During that time, we have explored all corners of the digital realm, and told hundreds of stories that have revealed how we as humans have been shaped by the technological world we have created, and what we may become in the future.

Some of those stories have always stayed with us, because they have generated more questions - questions that we’ve always wanted to have answered, and in this series, we finally will.

In one of our all time fan-favourite episodes, Altruism, we told stories of online kindness, and how the internet could be used to bring out the best of human nature. But in the last decade, we have seen the online environment become more fractious, less community based, and in some cases, outright hostile. Aleks sets out to find out why some online spaces can bring out the best in us, while others the worst, and discovers how we could actually tailor our technology to become a real force for good.

TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2022

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001bykv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 A Visible Man by Edward Enninful (m001byjf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001bykx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001bykz)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001byl1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001byl3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001byl5)
A reflection and prayer marking the death of Her Majesty the Queen with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

Good morning.

The Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”, that is, a reality that cannot be measured or observed in the same way we measure or observe most things in our universe. The reality of faith can only be measured by its impact?

And isn’t this also true of love? And when we love each other and live in love, then, without necessarily knowing it, we reveal in ways that are measurable and observable the very love of God. This is how faith shapes lives.

It doesn’t make life easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. It means the easy solutions of only doing the things that work for you is no longer an option. The common good and the greatest good for the greatest number, of a life laid down in service of others, become the hallmarks of love worked out in faithfulness. Her Majesty the Queen was called by God in just that way.

Loving God, we thank you that Her Majesty’s life was shaped by her knowledge of your call. May her life of faithfulness, a life of deciding and choosing each day to live a particular way and follow a particular path inspire us in the responsibilities we carry. For we ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001byl7)
13/09/22 Farm Land Investment, Apple Harvest, Semi-Wild Goats

A US investment company which focusses on buying up farmland is about to float on the London Stock Exchange. The Sustainable Farmland Trust focusses on arable land mainly in the US, but is hoping to attract UK investors.

In a few weeks it should be time to harvest apples. We hear how this seasons fruit have been affected by the hot and dry summer - and how we could expect to see a smaller and sweeter crop.

And as we continue our week looking at goats, we find out how semi-wild goats are managed on the north coast of Devon.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09ntd0c)
Jane Smith on the Snipe

Wildlife artist Jane Smith reveals why she feels such a strong connection with Snipe which produce a drumming sound which seems to encapsulate the sound of the Hebrides.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photographer: Milo Bostock.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001byy7)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001byyc)
Judith Bunbury on the shifting River Nile in the time of the Pharaohs

Think Sahara Desert, think intense heat and drought. We see the Sahara as an unrelenting, frazzling, white place. But geo-archaeologist Dr Judith Bunbury says in the not so distant past, the region looked more like a safari park.

In the more recent New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, from around 3.5 thousand years ago (the time of some of Egypt’s most famous kings like Ahmose I, Thutmose III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and queens like Hatshepsut) evidence from core samples shows evidence of rainfall, huge lakes, springs, trees, birds, hares and even gazelle, very different from today.

By combining geology with archaeology, Dr Bunbury, from the department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Senior Tutor at St Edmund’s College, tells Jim Al-Khalili that evidence of how people adapted to their ever-changing landscape is buried in the mud, dust and sedimentary samples beneath these ancient sites, waiting to be discovered.

With an augur (like a large apple corer), Judith and her team take core samples (every ten metre sample in Egypt reveals approximately 10,000 years of the past) and then read the historical story backwards. A model of the topography, the environment, the climate and the adapting human settlements can then be built up to enrich the historical record.

The core samples contain chipped stones which can be linked directly to the famous monuments and statues in the Valley of the Kings. There are splinters of amethyst from precious stone workshops, tell-tale rubbish dumped in surrounding water as well as pottery fragments which can be reliably time-stamped to the fashion-conscious consumers in the reign of individual Pharaohs.

The geo-archaeological research by Judith and her team, has helped to demonstrate that the building of the temples at Karnak near Luxor, added to by each of the Pharaohs, was completely dependent on the mighty Nile, a river which, over millennia, has wriggled and writhed, creating new land on one bank as it consumes land on another. Buildings and monuments were adapted and extended as the river constantly changed course.

And Judith hopes the detailed, long-range climate records and models we already have, can be enriched with this more detailed history of people, their settlements and their activities within a changing landscape and this will contribute to our ability to tackle climate change.

Producer: Fiona Hill


TUE 09:30 One to One (m001byyf)
Gospel in Cornwall: Gillian Burke and Richard Penrose

In 2014 the biologist and presenter Gillian Burke joined a community choir in Falmouth in a bid to strengthen her voice. Singing is Gillian's passion and it's her way of switching off from work and the pressures of life.

In this second programme Gillian delves deeper into the mechanics of gospel music and asks Musical Director Richard Penrose exactly what makes a Gospel song. They discuss Richard's own route into Gospel music which began when he was a teenager in his home town of Porthleven.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field


TUE 09:45 A Visible Man by Edward Enninful (m001bz08)
Episode 2

An inspiring and surprising story that takes us behind the scenes of the fashion industry; it's the September issue that everyone will be talking about. From refugee through model, fashion editor and activist to pioneering editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful traces his route to the top of one of the most exclusive and glamorous industries in the world.

Edward's family have fled persecution in Ghana for the relative safety of the UK where the teenager learns that, in 1980s London, what you choose to wear can help you find your own people.

Written and read by Edward Enninful
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001byyk)
The role of Queen Consort; Samantha Cameron, Ophelia Lovibond, Women's Institute

King Charles the Third is our new monarch. At his accession to the throne, his wife Camilla became Queen Consort, and his daughter-in-law Kate is now the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall. Royal Editor at the Daily Mail Rebecca English and historian and author Dr Estelle Paranque join Emma Barnett to talk about what this means for the female royals. Emma also speaks to Diana Parkes about her experience of working with the former Duchess of Cornwall on domestic abuse issues - a cause she has expressed a hope of being able to continue supporting as Queen Consort.

Samantha Cameron, the chief executive of the clothing company Cefinn, and the wife of the former Prime Minister David Cameron, will be attending Her Majesty's funeral on Monday. She speaks to Emma about her memories of The Queen, including being given a medal by her for running around Balmoral. She also offers an insight into what it will be like for the former Duchess of Cornwall to be the partner of a man who is taking on a huge new role.

Ophelia Lovibond is perhaps best known for playing Izzy Gould in the BBC TV mockumentary series W1A. Later this month, you can see her take on the role of Carrie Symonds alongside Kenneth Branagh as Prime Minister Boris Johnson in This England, set during the Covid crisis. But from Wednesday this week you can catch her in the leading role in new series Minx on Paramount Plus. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, Minx centres around Joyce, an earnest young feminist who dreams of producing a magazine by, for and about women but ends up joining forces with a low rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women. Olivia joins Emma.

The Women's Institute was formed in 1915, designed to bring together women in rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. It has evolved over the years and is now the largest voluntary organisation in the UK with more than 212,000 members in over 6,600 groups. The Queen was its longest serving member of 79 years, joining as a young Princess. She was also president of her local WI group at Sandringham in Norfolk - a position she honoured every year. Ann Jones, National Chair of the WI joins Emma.


TUE 11:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m001byym)
Series 20

The Riddle of Red-Eyes and Runny-Noses

Sneezes, wheezes, runny noses and red eyes - this episode is all about allergies.

An allergic reaction is when your immune system reacts to something harmless – like peanuts or pollen – as if it was a parasitic invader. It’s a case of biological mistaken identity.

Professor Judith Holloway from the University of Southampton guides our sleuths through the complex immune pathways that make allergies happen and tells the scary story of when she went into anaphylactic shock from a rogue chocolate bar.

Professor Adam Fox, a paediatric allergist at Evelina Children’s Hospital, helps the Drs distinguish intolerances or sensitivities – substantial swelling from a bee sting, for example - from genuine allergies. Hannah’s orange juice ‘allergy’ is exposed as a probable fraud!

Hannah and Adam explore why allergies are on the increase, and Professor Rick Maizels from the University of Glasgow shares his surprising research using parasitic worms to develop anti-allergy drugs!

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Contributors: Professor Judith Holloway, Professor Adam Fox, Professor Rick Maizels


TUE 11:30 Icon (m001byyp)
Episode 1: Image, Reflection, Shadow

In the summer of 1962, during a break in filming Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were caught in a series of candid photographs on a yacht in a compromising embrace. This image, it’s argued, marks the birth of modern celebrity – a new contract between those in the spotlight and those who are consumers of celebrity.

This series seeks a closer understanding of our relationship with fame through facets of one iconic screen goddess’s life - that of Elizabeth Taylor. With photojournalist Danny Hayward, sociologist Ellis Cashmore (author of Elizabeth Taylor: A Private Life for Public Consumption) and philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs.

With Louise Gallagher. And including sound from klankbeeld
Additional research by Hannah Dean.

Produced by Alan Hall with music by Jeremy Warmsley

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001bz2h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001byyv)
Call You and Yours: What did the Queen mean to you?

Call You and Yours: What did The Queen mean to you?

Email: youandyours@bbc.co.uk

The Queen's coffin is due to arrive in London from Edinburgh on Tuesday Evening.

Huge crowds are expected to travel to the capital to pay their respects as she lies in State in Westminster Hall, before her funeral next Monday.

Are you travelling to London to pay your respects? Tell us why you're making the journey

Did you ever meet The Queen? What was she like?

Tell us, what did The Queen mean to you? Email: youandyours@bbc.co.uk.

Our phone lines open at 11am when you can call 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: FELICITY HANNAH
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001byyx)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001byyz)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001bykf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (m001byz3)
Love Across the Ages

Shahid Iqbal Khan’s BBC Radio 4 afternoon drama debut tackles love between two Muslim men from Iran in 815 through to modern-day Bradford using classical poet Abu Nuwas as our guide, our Cupid.

Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī (c. 756 – c. 814) was a classical Arabic poet, and the foremost representative of the modern (muhdath) poetry, famous for his wine, hunting and homoerotic oeuvre. He also entered the folkloric tradition, appearing several times in One Thousand and One Nights.

Starring Raad Rawi (Spy, Coronation Street, Tumanbay), Esh Alladi (Ordinary Love, A Confession) Darren Kuppan (Bangla Bantams, Coronation Street) and Nadia Emam (Everything I Know About Love, Playing Dead), Love Across The Ages is a reflective, dynamic drama.

As part of Naked Productions' initiative to introduce more diverse audio drama directors to BBC audio drama, Nickie Miles-Wildin makes her debut as director. Nickie is a freelance director, specializing in theatre, making work that challenges, connects and is full of hope.

The drama:

It’s 2022, Danyaal and Saif meet in a bookshop in Bradford. They are both drawn to the poetry book of Abu Nuwas, but with only one copy left who will become its lucky owner? Abu Nuwas plays Cupid with his words, with the enchanting powers of his poetry as we are transported to different eras, different countries, each with different views on gay relationships. Can Danyaal and Saif navigate the ups and downs of their relationship during these times and will they live happily ever after? Abu Nuwas reminds us to let down our guard and to reach out… Where will it take us?

The writer:

Shahid Iqbal Khan is an Offies finalist and Olivier-nominated playwright published by Methuen Drama. He has been part of BBC Writersroom and Write To Play. He is on attachment and under co-commission to Graeae and Royal Court Theatre for the year of 2022. His full-length stage plays are Stardust (Belgrade Theatre) and 10 Nights (Bush Theatre). His radio portfolio includes audio shorts such as Bhavika, Night of the Living Flatpacks (both on community channels) and Brandlesholme (Sheltering) (BBC Radio 4).

Cast:
Danyaal ..... Esh Alladi
Saif ..... Darren Kuppan
Abu Nuwas ..... Raad Rawi
Shop assistant / Shazia ..... Nadia Emam

The quotes from poems by Abu Nuwas were translated by James Montgomery, Jim Colville and Philip Kennedy.

Production team:
Director, Nickie Miles-Wildin
Sound Recordist, Greg Veryard
Sound Designer, Steve Brooke
Composer, Sarah Sayeed
Illustration, Isobel Platt
Production Manager, Darren Spruce
Producer, Polly Thomas
Executive Producer, Eloise Whitmore

A Naked Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001byz5)
Series 32

Scenes from a Life

A car ride tumbles through grief, teenagers howl in the woods and a snapshot of a day's answering machines across America - Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures where all the action unfolds in the present.

Church in the woods, Louisiana, USA at 6pm in April 2020
Produced by Mara Lazer

The Balloon
Produced by Talia Augustidis

Animal Tracking Class
With Andrius Gaidamavičius
Produced by Vaida Pilibaitytė
This recording was originally broadcast in the documentary Širdies formos pėdsakais (Heart Shaped Footprints)

Thank you for Calling
Produced by Jules Bradley

Curated by Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m001byz7)
Future Tourists

Nature and wildlife tourism has surged in recent years. Millions of us seem to want to want to follow in the footsteps of David Attenborough; meeting mountain gorillas, ticking off Africa’s big five mammals or hitting the waves to meet whales and dolphins. But is wildlife tourism good or bad for the world’s most sensitive environments?

The Covid-19 outbreak gave us a sudden, unexpected opportunity to answer that question. Some of the most magnetic natural places on the planet lost their international tourists for two years. Naturalist and broadcaster, Mike Dilger has been to the cloud forests of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands to gauge the impact. Both of these extraordinary environments depend on tourism to pay for their protection, but should they continue to rely on travellers emitting vast quantities of carbon dioxide to get their fix of hummingbirds and marine iguanas?

Mike is joined in the studio by Fiore Longo of Survival International, travel writer Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent and Vicky Smith from the eco-travel website, Earthchangers.

Producer: Alasdair Cross


TUE 16:00 The Listening Project (m001byz9)
The Pressure of Life

Fi Glover presents three conversations between strangers.

This week: mums Holly and Christina compare notes on the financial strain caused by the cost of new school uniform; Richard and Janet discuss how best to cope with having noisy neighbours; and as part of our catch-up with those who have taken part in the project over the last ten years, Fi talks to Lloyd and Ariba who were 16 at the time of their first recording two years ago., both studying for their A levels and both affected by the lockdowns and the subsequent closure of their schools.

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


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001byzc)
George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood nominated by Lesley Garrett

As Grandson of George V, George Lascelles was a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and with his distinguished beard and Nero style jackets, he was the very image of aristocracy, moving in the highest of royal circles, yet it was in the Royal Circles of Britain's opera houses that he felt most at home.

It was at English National Opera North (now Opera North) that Lesley Garrett first met George. With their shared love of all things musical, and both proudly from Yorkshire, they developed a friendship that was to last a lifetime.

Having survived capture during the Second World War (deepening his knowledge of opera whilst interned as a prisoner of war), he dedicated much of his time to making opera accessible to all. He strove to deliver the best of opera for everyone, with a genuine passion and commitment that inspired all those he worked with.

During his career he served as Director of The Royal Opera House, Chairman of the Board of The English National Opera, Managing Director of the ENO, Managing Director of English National Opera North (now Opera North) and outside of opera he served as a Governor of the BBC and President of the British Board of Film Classification.

His other great passion was football. He served as President of Leeds United Football Club from 1961 until his death and was President of the Football Association from 1963 to 1972. As Lesley recalls, he believed that both music and sport were 'levelling', that in these worlds there were no kings or paupers. Throughout his life he supported both of these passions, opening doors for everyone, instilling values of accessibility that live on till this day. He died on 11th July 2011 aged 88.

Lesley is joined by Professor Alexandra Wilson, a musicologist, author and cultural historian, specialising in Italian opera and British operatic culture from the 1920's to the present day.

Presented by Matthew Parris
Produced by Nicola Humphries for BBC Audio Bristol


TUE 17:00 PM (m001byzf)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001byzk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Alone (m001byzm)
Series 4

Episode 5 - The Toy Man

A sitcom, written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron, about five, mainly single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London.

Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile half-brother. Mitch is currently in a new relationship with Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is a somewhat shy, nervous and sensitive schoolteacher. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

In episode five, a new relationship for Louisa with businessman Josh (Jonny Weldon) has unexpected repercussions when the rest of the gang, after initial scepticism about whether it’s worth making the effort to meet him at all, finally encounter the man of the moment.

Cast:
Angus Deayton - Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden - Ellie
Pearce Quigley - Will
Kate Isitt - Louisa
Bennett Arron – Morris
Josh – Jonny Weldon

Written by Moray Hunter
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Scripted Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Edited and Studio Managed by Jerry Peal
Production Manager - Sarah Tombling
Production Runner -Kareem Elshehawy
Recorded at The Shaw Theatre, London
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Producer - Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001byzp)
Josh is upset when David asks him to sort through his things from the loft. When Josh wonders why it can’t all be left in his bedroom, David says they’re planning to turn his and Ben’s bedroom into B and B accommodation. Josh is hurt that they’re thinking of doing B and B so soon. David says that although he’ll miss them, it’s long overdue for Josh. Josh says that’s because David and Ruth are such good parents. Later they accidentally knock a bit of skirting board off in Josh’s room and find an old tobacco tin, a magazine and Kenton’s 1974 diary. They can’t help reading Kenton’s teenage thoughts, including his crush on Janet Adkin.
When Lily asks Freddie’s advice about Russ, Freddie reminds Lily that she accused Russ of getting Chelsea pregnant. Russ will contact Lily if he wants to talk. And if the baby was Russ’s, he would own up to it. Lily can’t believe that last week they had a bright future and now it’s all in ruins. They’re interrupted by Chelsea who tells them her pregnancy is nothing to do with Russ and it’s obvious that Russ was mad on Lily. Lily thanks Chelsea for coming and Chelsea asks them not to tell anyone she’s pregnant. After she goes, Lily’s desperate to contact Russ. When Freddie reminds her that Russ loves her, Lily admits Russ knows about Sol. Russ might not believe her if she tells him she loves him, like Lily didn’t believe Russ about Chelsea.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001byzr)
Richard Eyre's The Snail House; Sylvia Anderson and women in TV; the late Jean-Luc Godard

Sir Richard Eyre is one of the UK’s most distinguished and celebrated directors - equally at home in theatre, film, and television. At the age of 79, he has just made his debut as a playwright with his new play, The Snail House, which has just opened at Hampstead Theatre. He talks to Samira about his late literary blooming and what needs to happen for theatre audiences to return to their pre-pandemic levels.

The name Sylvia Anderson was recently invoked by Dr. Lisa Cameron MP, during a debate on gender equality in the media in Westminster Hall. The late Sylvia Anderson was a pioneer in the male dominated world of television, co-creating Thunderbirds in the 1960s with her then husband Gerry. But her family say her name has often been omitted from credits and merchandise in the years since then. Samira speaks to Sylvia’s daughter Dee Anderson and Dame Heather Rabbatts, Chair of Time’s Up UK, who are campaigning for her legacy to be restored and to Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films, who remembers Sylvia as her mentor.

The French film director Jean-Luc Godard, who spearheaded the revolutionary French New Wave of cinema, has died at the age of 91. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has described him as “a national treasure, a man who had the vision of a genius." French film critic Agnes Poirier guides us through Godard’s long career, beginning with the classic, À bout de souffle (Breathless), and his influence on directors from Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino.

Producer: Kirsty McQuire


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m0018nvk)
Children’s Homes: Profits Before Care?

Last month an independent children’s social care review concluded that providing care for children in residential homes 'should not be based on profit'. The government response was that they have no any objection to profit being made as long as standards of care are properly regulated.

But is there a difference in the standard of care between ‘for profit’ and ‘not-for-profit’ children’s homes? With exclusive access to new data from the regulator Ofsted, reporter Tom Wall investigates the companies that are making huge profits from the children’s homes to ask whether there is shortfall in care and whether the reforms suggested are necessary.

Tom also talks to care leavers and children who have experienced life in homes where profit is a priority.

This epsiode of File on 4 is a repeat of the programme first broadcast on Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Reporter: Tom Wall
Producer: Jim Booth
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley
Production Manager: Sarah Payton
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001byzw)
Access to Voting Consultation; Braille Book Swap Scheme

Tributes to Her Majesty the Queen and how Poppy Levison got her job within architecture.

The Electoral Commission have launched a public consultation that will gather the opinions and experiences of disabled voters, with the aim of making voting more accessible. Ailsa Irvine is their Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance and she explains why this consultation is necessary, given the recent passing of the Elections Act, how information provided will be used and when we will see the effects.

We hear your responses to our item on last week's program about how you are now experiencing The RNIB's Braille Library Service, following on from updates to the system last year. Somewhat of a makeshift response to these changes came from Tim Pennick, who set up a braille book swap mailing list. He explains how his scheme works.

To participate in the braille book swap mailing list, contact: braillebookswap+subscribe@groups.io

To participate in the Electoral Commission's consultation, use the following link: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/our-views-and-research/our-consultations/consultation-draft-guidance-returning-officers-assistance-voting-persons-disabilities. You can email EAConsultation@electoralcommission.org.uk or call 0333 103 1928.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.


TUE 21:00 Can the Police Keep Us Safe? (m0019bw2)
Consent

Helena Kennedy QC with Police Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley explore our expectations of policing today and changing ideas of safety - in public, in private and online.

Can the police keep us safe? It’s argued policing has never been good at dealing with crime after the event and struggles now under the weight of increasing expectations. Definitions of harm have widened hugely in recent years and with this, more complicated ideas of what safety means to communities.

In this episode, Helena and Rob turn to the question of safety and harms in the domestic sphere, especially violence against women and girls – a situation heightened during the pandemic. And will the publication of the Police’s new Race Action Plan help secure consent and trust in the UK’s Black communities, where distrust, historically, runs deep?

With public trust in the police shaken by a series of high-profile scandals, the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer and forces such as the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police now in special measures, is the social contract between police and public corroding? Did it ever exist for some sections of the public? Robert Peel once wrote ‘the police are the public, and the public are the police’– a formula at the heart of policing by consent. But the UK has different publics, multiple communities, which are policed differently. Certainly some communities feel safer around the police than others.

Talking to all ranks of the police across the UK, to criminologists and critics, Helena and Rob consider what we expect from the police now - is it too much, can they really deliver? - and what is the primary purpose of the police today? Over the course of the series they will ask if this is the moment for a new kind of social contract between public and police, where other institutions, both public and private - as well as citizens themselves, all of us – take more responsibility for safety and care in our communities, independent of policing.

Contributors this episode include: Founder of the Metropolitan Black Police Association and former Superintendent Paul Wilson, author and advisor to government on crime prevention Tom Gash, former Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Zoe Billingham, poet, musician and author Benjamin Zephaniah, Chief Executive of the College of Policing and Chief Constable Andy Marsh, criminologist Patrick Williams, independent chair of the oversight board for the 2022 Police Race Action Plan Abimbola Johnson, PC Dunn and PC Howe, response officers from Avon Somerset Police and DI Upile Mtitimila, Cheshire Constabulary.

Presented by Helena Kennedy QC with Police Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley
Produced by Simon Hollis

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4

This series is dedicated to the late Roger Graef, criminologist and documentary maker


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001byyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001byzy)
Ukraine's counter offensive in Kharkiv

In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 The Maid by Nita Prose (m001bz00)
Episode 7

Since she discovered the body of businessman Mr Black in the Regency Grand penthouse suite, Molly the Maid has herself been under suspicion and she's started to question what's going on at the luxury hotel. With the help of Mr Preston, the doorman, and his daughter Charlotte she's now beginning to understand.

The Maid by Nita Prose is read by Bridget Lappin, abridged by Rowan Routh and produced by Nicola Holloway


TUE 23:00 Fortunately... with Fi and Jane (m001bz02)
245. Being a Conduit and Converting Fahrenheit, with Justin Webb

This episode was recorded before the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

This week on the Fortunately Podcast, Fi Glover and Jane Garvey are joined by the Today Programme's Justin Webb. Justin discusses his memoir The Gift of Radio, about growing up in unusual circumstances and how society has changed over the decades. Justin also offers some insight on helming the Radio 4 institution and how to get your shirt fixed at a fancy hotel. Before Justin there's Cat Cafe analysis and afterwards some guidance on sending off a sample.

Get in touch: fortunately.podcast@bbc.co.uk


TUE 23:30 The Digital Human (m0017t8s)
Series 26

Reflections

Aleks Krotoski asks if AI companions will be like imaginary friends of childhood? And if so will they afford the same benefits - making us better, more social human beings.

To mark the 10th anniversary of The Digital Human we're answering some of the questions that have stuck with us over the last 10 years. In 2017 we spoke to Eugenia Kuyda she used her AI startup in San Francisco to help her create a chatbot version of her late friend Roman. Using all the texts she and her firends had ever received from him they made an AI that could text in voice.

But its where she wanted to take the technology that intrigued us. She wanted give everyone their own Roman, an AI bot that would be a constant companion infinitely patient and understanding. It would be taught by the user using their own texts and so would speak to them in their own voice, she called it Replika. Five years on Replika has 20 million users across the globe.

The idea made us instantly think of imaginary friends from childhood. In this programme Aleks sets out to find out if this more than an interesting metaphor but perhaps a key way to understand our relationship with these soon to be pervasive technologies.

Producer: Peter McManus