SATURDAY 03 DECEMBER 2022

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001fn77)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa (m001fn79)
Episode 5

How to Stand Up to a Dictator is the story of how democracy dies by a thousand cuts, an accumulation of twisted facts and untruths. It is also an urgent warning and an instructive lesson in how to hold the line against the insidious forces manipulating the online world.

In this memoir, Maria Ressa describes how she left the Philippines as a young girl and returned years later to immerse herself in a lifetime of campaigning journalism.

Ressa jointly received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian newspaper editor, Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace". She is also a co-founder of the Philippine news site Rappler. But her work tracking disinformation networks has landed her in trouble with the government. She has had multiple arrest warrants issued against her and faces a potential prison term of 100 years behind bars.

'A personal hero of mine ... she's an important warning for the rest of us'
Hillary Clinton

'Maria Ressa is 5ft 2in, but she stands taller than most in her pursuit of the truth'
Amal Clooney

'Maria is a key voice ... she is so incredible in so many ways'
Carole Cadwalladr

The music used in the series is a song called Tatsulok, meaning pyramid or triangle, which was originally sung in 1991 by a folk-rock band, Buklod. The song was written in 1989 by Rom Dongeto, during the so-called Total War Policy of the Philippine Government, under President Corazon Aquino. It describes how the system of power with very few people at the top needs to be toppled and reversed. This 2007 version by Bamboo gained new popularity among activists in the first decade of the 21st century and still resonates today.

Written and Read by Maria Ressa
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fn7c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fn7f)
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 (m001fn7h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001fn7k)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fn7m)
Radio 4's daily prayer and reflection


SAT 05:45 Four Thought (m001fn1x)
Piracy on the Page

Author Joe Nutt argues we need to fight back against what he calls 'linguistic piracy'.

Joe is concerned that activists are challenging the commonly-understood meaning of words. "The trust which becomes naturally embedded over time in any shared language, is under threat," he argues, and now "the English language itself is creaking under the strain of a sustained barrage of abuse".

Producer: Giles Edwards


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001fvg6)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001fmsq)
Opening Up County Down

Helen Mark is in County Down, where woodland which has been in private hands for centuries is being opened up to the public. Mourne Park was owned by the same family for five hundred years, but has now been bought by the Woodland Trust. Restoration work is underway at the 385 acre site - clearing invasive plants which have smothered some of the ancient trees, and marking out new walking trails for visitors. Almost half the forest here meets the criteria to classify as ancient woodland, which is one of Northern Ireland's rarest habitats.

Helen also finds out about recovery work going on to restore the land after last year's devastating wildfires in the Mourne mountains, and learns how sheep are helping the National Trust to monitor the recovery of the landscape, by wearing GPS trackers attached to special collars.

En route she encounters St Patrick’s Way – an 82-mile walking trail which spans two counties and connects Christian heritage sites between Armagh and Downpatrick. Helen walks a section of the route, with a journalist-turned-nun as her guide.

Presented by Helen Mark and produced by Emma Campbell.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001fvg8)
03/12/22 Farming Today This Week: cost of food production, turkeys and avian flu, Rural Payments Agency strike, horses.

Where's the money? We discuss how much farmers make from the food we buy.
We hear warnings of turkey shortages this Christmas and pleas from small turkey farmers still in business not to forget them.
Staff at the Rural Payments Agency look set to strike for a month over Christmas, just as they’re meant to be sending out crucial basic payment cheques to farmers.
And we're looking at all things equine, hearing how the cost of living crisis and the spiralling cost of keeping a horse is making life difficult for owners of riding schools and stables.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001fvgb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001fvgd)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001fvgg)
Jack Thorne

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by the BAFTA-winning writer, Jack Thorne. Jack's written a string of hits for stage and screen including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the BBC's adaptation of His Dark Materials, the TV drama This is England and the Enola Holmes films.

Cellist Jacqueline Thomas is a member of the renowned Brodsky Quartet, which she co-founded with her brother at the age of 10. As the group celebrates its 50th anniversary, Jacqueline recalls collaborations with famous musicians and growing up amid the rich cultural scene of 1970s Middlesbrough.

The artist Jon Rees helps people to explore the therapeutic power of photography for The Connection at St Martin's, the charity supported by this year's Radio 4 appeal. Jon talks about his struggles with addiction and homelessness and how art helped him find a new purpose.

The actor and writer Tara Flynn co-hosts Radio 4's Now You're Asking, in which she and Marian Keyes attempt to solve listeners' life problems. She reveals the most unusual questions she's been asked and reflects on her own life experiences, including her role in the campaign to legalise abortion in Ireland.

Caroline Hirons shares her Inheritance Tracks: On Her Majesty's Secret Service by John Barry, and Travelin' Soldier by The Chicks.

Producer: Dan Hardoon


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001fvgj)
Into My Arms by Nick Cave

"I don't believe in an interventionist God" has to be one of the most original opening lines to a song. It's one that resonates with the people in this programme who take comfort from Nick Cave's love song. Els from Belgium was introduced to Cave's music through her partner Guido and Into My Arms became their song. After Guido died in a road accident Els carried on going to concerts and took great comfort from hearing that song. When she later wrote to Nick Cave's blog The Red Hand Files to tell him her story about Into My Arms she was overwhelmed when Nick Cave responded.
The Reverend John Walker feels a strong connection to the song as it's one his musician son Jonny performed just for him one evening on a rainy street in Leeds City Centre as Jonny was about to pack up and leave his busking spot. That special father-son moment has become even more cherished since Jonny's untimely death in 2018.
Many different artists have recorded their versions of Into My Arms including the Norwegian singer Ane Brun who performed it as a way of dealing with the heartache of a lost relationship.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001fvgl)
Top commentators review the political week


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001fvgn)
China's Zero Covid Protests

Kate Adie presents stories from China, Ukraine, Moldova, Zimbabwe and the United States.

Protests have taken place across China, from Shanghai, to Guangdong to Beijing after a fire in Urumqi killed ten people who were thought to have been trapped due to tight Covid restrictions. Celia Hatton asks whether this is a watershed moment for Xi Jinping and his Zero Covid policy.

In Ukraine, a bloody war is being fought in towns and cities in Donetsk, with high numbers of casualties on both sides. Abdujalil Abdurasulov went to the town of Avdiivka and spoke to some of the 2,000 residents who've decided to stay amid intensive shelling, despite calls from local leaders asking them to leave.

Joe Inwood goes to neighbouring Moldova which is suffering some knock-on consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - especially when it comes to the country's power supply. He heads to a local vineyard, which has switched to solar energy to hopefully avoid the worst of the country's frequent blackouts.

In Zimbabwe, despite initial hopes that President Ernest Mnangagwa would bring economic and political stability, the reappearance of road blocks harks back to the regime of Robert Mugabe. Meanwhile inflation is once again soaring, and the country remains locked in an economic spiral, says Kim Chakanetsa.

And in Washington DC, the leader of the far-right, anti-government Oath Keepers militia was found guilty of plotting an armed rebellion to stop President Joe Biden from taking office in 2020. Mike Wendling went to Montana to meet the son of the convicted ringleader.

Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001fvgq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001fvgs)
Loot Boxes, Pension Compensation and Bank Closures

An new report suggests children are put at risk by 'loot boxes' in video games.
More than a thousand steelworkers will share compensation of £49 million for pension mis-selling, but campaigners say it is unfair and inadequate.
HSBC will close a quarter of its remaining branches next year. It is offering some customers free computer tablets instead.
And more on spray foam - a plea for it not to be included in the Government's new £1 billion energy efficiency scheme because of the frequent problems it causes in getting a mortgage.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001fn6n)
Series 61

Episode 6

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Jamie MacDonald, Lucy Porter and Ed MacArthur.

Jamie MacDonald shares his experience of Disability History Month, Lucy Porter examines our increasingly secular population and Ed MacArthur is a PR consultant, rebranding famous faces.

The show was written by the cast with additional material from Aidan Fitzmaurice, Zoe Tomalin, Rachel E. Thorn and Cameron Loxdale.

Voice actors: George Fouracres and Lola Rose Maxwell

Sound: David Thomas
Sound assistant: Guy Marley
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001fvgv)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001fvgx)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001fn6v)
Nazir Afzal, Baroness Chapman, David Davis MP, David Kerfoot

Alex Forsyth presents political debate and discussion from the Plaza Cinema, Skipton, with the Chancellor of the University of Manchester and former Chief Prosecutor for North West England Nazir Afzal, the Labour peer and Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chapman, the Conservative MP and former Brexit Secretary David Davis MP, the businessman David Kerfoot.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Owain Williams


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001fvh0)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 39 Ways to Save the Planet (m0010p1h)
Floating Solar Power

Generating renewable energy from solar power has been a great resource but land for this purpose can come into conflict with other uses or receive opposition from those who don't enjoy the view. But can floating solar panels on water - which accounts for most of the surface of the planet - provide an alternative?

Tom Heap meets Mark Bennett, a farmer from Berkshire, who created a reservoir for soft fruit production and was curious to see if it had more potential. After a quick internet search he went to visit Ciel et Terre, a French company who were developing floating solar panels. He installed them for power at the farm and to demonstrate to others. Meanwhile the company founder Bernard Prouvost talks to Tom about the countries around the world which are adopting this, where he feels floating panels are appropriate and if the potential to partner with hydrodams. Climate Scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards assesses their carbon cutting potential.

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
Researcher: Sarah Goodman

Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Tasmiat Rahman from the University of Southampton and Grant Feasey from AES Solar.


SAT 15:00 Oliver: Lagos to London (m000dpnf)
Episode 2

Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist is a powerful indictment of child poverty and exploitation, as relevant now as when it was written. A young orphan’s epic search for family and home lies at the heart of award-winning writer Ayeesha Menon’s radical updating of Dickens’ story to modern-day Nigeria and the refugee journey to Britain.

Directed by acclaimed theatre director Michael Buffong, this classic story is reimagined as a powerful and moving drama for today.

Episode 2:
In Lagos, Oli is now fifteen and a key member of an exuberant gang of Area Boys who sell drugs for notorious underworld figure Miss Saffron Hill. High-octane capers through the backstreets of Lagos, a world of new tricks and double-edged jokes - but Oli never stops looking for his best friend Mene.

Cast:
Oli - Idris Debrand
Babatunde - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje 
Nancy - Tamara Lawrance
Bill - Fehinte Balogun
Dodger - Sylvester Akinrolabu
Miss Saffron Hill - Jocelyn Jee Esien
Grimwig - Charles Venn
Inspector Ndbuisi - Kalungi Ssebandeke 
Charlie - Samuel Adebayo 
Auntie Bello - Jumoke Fashola 
Blessing - Marlene Madenge
Zaki - Ali Zayn
Hotel guest - Ayeesha Menon
Hotel Receptionist - Samantha Mandaza

Adapted by Ayeesha Menon
Produced by Gill Parry
Directed by Michael Buffong

Music by Tunde Jegede
Sound design by David Thomas and Steve Bond
Photography By The Masons
Development concept written by Silas Parry
Cultural Advisor: Onassis Andem
Sound Interns: Makee Ogbon and Kairon Edwards
Production Interns: Samantha Mandaza and Jayesh Fernando
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: John Scott Dryden

A CONNECTfilm production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001fvh4)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Rachael Watts, Dr Rosemary Coogan, Part-time Work, Failing the 11 Plus

Rachael Watts was seven years old when Russell Bishop abducted, attacked and sexually assaulted her in 1990. It is a crime that should never have happened, as back in 1987, Russell Bishop had been charged with the murders of two nine-year-olds, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway. But police were unable to secure a conviction when a series of prosecution blunders meant evidence and testimonies failed to stand up in court. Bishop was able to walk free and three years later he abducted and attacked Rachael. Miraculously she survived and it was her testimony which finally meant Bishop was convicted and put behind bars, despite him protesting his innocence.

Dr Rosemary Coogan has been selected as an astronaut by the European Space Agency, becoming the first British woman to join their astronaut corps. She joins us in her first in-depth BBC interview to discuss the tough selection process, upcoming training and hopes for her first mission.

A cross-party coalition has launched a campaign to abolish the 11 plus entry exams. One of the members of the campaign is Jackie Malton, known for her success in the Met Police, and for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Despite getting two masters degrees and a doctorate, she still feels ashamed about failing her 11 plus.

600,000 people in the UK are actively seeking part-time jobs, most of them women – but just twelve percent of jobs advertised in the UK currently offer part-time hours. We discuss with co-founder of Timewise, Emma Stewart MBE, and working mum Shaline Manhertz.

Why is social media obsessed with nurseries and toys in neutral, muted colours? We speak to Hayley DeRoche who coined the term ‘sad beige clothes for sad beige children’, and journalist Martha Alexander.


SAT 17:00 PM (m001fvh8)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m001fmrj)
Razors

It’s something most of us will have used at some point, and a product that has been around for decades in various forms. But do all the advertised fancy features, pivoting heads, multiple blades and higher price tags, really make a difference to your shave?

Listener Tim got in touch, asking just that, as well as whether all the extras on razors these days also have an impact on the environment?

Greg Foot cuts through the marketing hype to find out the answers, by speaking to a leading Dermatologist, as well as one of the top scientists at one of the largest razor manufacturers, Gillette.

This series, we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our new WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.

PRESENTER: Greg Foot
PRODUCER: Kate Holdsworth


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001fvhd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001fvhj)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fvhn)
The Kremlin has rejected a price cap on Russian oil, agreed by western nations to try to limit Moscow's ability to fund its war against Ukraine.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001fvhs)
Sir Cliff Richard, George Takei, Charlie Brooks, Simon Frederick, Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet, Emma Freud, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Sir Cliff Richard, George Takei, Charlie Brooks and Simon Frederick for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001fvhx)
Olena Zelenska

Olena Zelenska delivered a moving speech to MPs and peers this week, calling for military support for Ukraine by describing the terror of air raids and evoking memories of World War II.

The Ukrainian first lady has also addressed the US Congress and appeared on the cover of Vogue but stepping into the limelight has not been easy for the comedy writer, who is more comfortable behind the camera.

Adrian Goldberg profiles Olena Zelenska, speaking to some of the friends and colleagues who know her best.

Contributors
Irina Pikalova, 'Kvartal 95' executive producer.
Stylist Natalya Kamenska.
Rachel Donadio, Journalist, Vogue.
Iuliia Mendel, Author The Fight of Our Lives.
Ukrainian Chef, Levgen Klopotenko.

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg
Producers: Diane Richardson and Natasha Fernandes
Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0dcn524)
Series 25

Can we cure ageing?

Brian Cox and Robin Ince tackle the thorny issue of their own differing experiences of ageing, as they find out why Robin seems to be doing it so much more quickly than Brian and whether science might have the answer. They are joined by comedian Sarah Kendall, Professor Dame Linda Partridge, world-renowned expert on the biology of ageing, and Dr Andrew Steele, author of "Ageless: The new science of getting older without getting old." Can the scientists answer the age-old monkey cage question of why Robin looks so much older than Brian despite being several years younger? Is it all the donuts he ate in his 20's or is down to his genes? Why do any of us age at all, and is there a biological limit to human lifespan. Most tantalisingly, they discover how the latest science into the biology of ageing could produce medicine that could slow down some of the ageing processes in the body, and in the process prevent many of the diseases, such as cancer and dementia, that can make old age so challenging. With these new advances comes the exciting prospect of not only living longer, but more importantly living healthier and happier and free of disease well into our 100's.

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001fvj3)
Liz Truss’s Big Gamble

Earlier this year Liz Truss gambled her premiership on a so-called mini budget that ripped up decades of economic orthodoxy. It did not pay off.

Through new conversations with those involved, Nick Robinson explores the thinking behind the gamble and the reasons it didn’t work, while BBC journalists including Nick, Laura Kuenssberg and Rima Ahmed reveal the stories behind the key interviews during the time.

Nick takes the listener through the major turning points of Truss’s seven weeks in power such as the sidelining of key economic institutions, the Bank of England’s dramatic intervention into the UK’s pensions industry and the sacking of chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng as he made his way back from a meeting with the IMF, a decision that ultimately spelled the end for the Prime Minister.

Producer: Jack Fenwick
Assistant Producer: Stephanie Mitcalf


SAT 21:00 No Place But the Water (m001bbtk)
The Library of Everything: Part 1

Final series of climate emergency drama set in a flooded future world written by Linda Marshall Griffiths.

'The Library of Everything' - when what comes after is more dangerous than what came before.

Laurie has been taken and Gil, struggling with the pain of his broken arm, tries to hold the shattered family together. But Jessie and Cal are determined to leave the hotel to go in search of Laurie and bring her back and Birdie has a plan to find the Library.

JESSIE ..... Sade Malone
CALEB ..... Cel Spellman
GIL ..... Rupert Hill
MAURICE ..... Pearce Quigley
BIRDIE ..... Poppy O’Brien
ALEX…..William Ash

Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths
Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes

Programme consultants: Dr James M. Lea; Dr Ian Dawson; Dr. Andrew F. Field.

A BBC Audio Drama North Production

The drama uses 3D spatial audio; please listen on headphones for a unique immersive experience.


SAT 21:45 Stories from Ukraine (m001cpy5)
How to Fall in Love with George Michael (Part 1)

Teenager and probably genius poet Olesia finds herself in love for the first time. However, to her horror, the object of her affection doesn't fit the pop star ideal and she is risking becoming a social outcast.

Written by Natalka Sniadanko
Translated by Jenny Croft
Read by Vera Graziadei
Abridged and produced for radio by Naomi Walmsley

Taken from the anthology 'Love in Defiance in Pain: Ukrainian Stories'


SAT 22:00 News (m001fvj7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (m001fn1h)
Human Rights

The largescale protests in China are not just a response to Covid restrictions but about fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech. They follow weeks of demonstrations in support of women’s rights in Iran, and LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar.

We often speak about human rights as a self-evident truth – the right to life, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of conscience. Drafted after the Second World War, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a milestone document seeking to protect the dignity of all human beings.

Advocates argue that human rights are universal because the struggle for freedom can be found in every culture, despite being rooted in different philosophies and assumptions. They see a human rights-based approach to the world as the best way of identifying a shared humanity and improving human wellbeing. Sceptics, however, believe the global human rights movement can itself be a form of Western moral imperialism, or cite examples of atrocities justified with the language of human rights.

Some believe that in order to hold powerful corporations and regimes to account, there needs to be a more expansive view of human rights. Others are concerned about what they see as the ‘mission creep’ in extending the legal framework of rights to encompass areas of moral life that shouldn’t be a matter for the law courts.

What are human rights? Are they universal? Who should arbitrate when they are in competition?

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SAT 23:00 Nature Table (m001fm83)
Series 3

Episode 1

Join comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins as she hosts Nature Table: a comedy ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.

Nature Table has a simple, clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

Recorded at The Eden Project, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Billy Heaney (Zoologist), Holly Smith-Baedorf (RSPB & Ecologist) and comedian Anna Keirle.

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts

Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Simon Nicholls
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Researcher: Catherine Beazley

Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 23:30 The Poetry Detective (m001fm0j)
The Secret of the Rocks

On a remote beach in the North of Scotland, lines of mysterious verse have been appearing. Carved into the rocks in beautiful script, the poetry is only visible for a short time at low tide. And to add to the mystery, it appears to be in Spanish. Who wrote these lines? Who has been carving them? And why here?

Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about the poems that go with us through life. She speaks to people about the poems - and bits of poems - that mean the most to them. She finds out why the poems matter, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it and in what context, and how does it work on us?

Andrew Simpson, the photographer who discovered the carvings, shows Vanessa his finds. And Dr Dominic Moran of the University of Oxford fills in the details of the poet's biography. With readings by Eduardo Bozzo.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

SUNDAY 04 DECEMBER 2022

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001fvj9)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Torn (m001bbpb)
The stories behind the clothes we wear

Calico cotton

Gus Casely-Hayford tells the story of how calico cotton first grown in India gave rise to the global trade of a fabric that is both contentious and revolutionary.

It’s 1719 and the vitriolic words of weaver-turned-activist Claudius Rey penned in his book condemning the “evil” import of cheap calico cotton from British-ruled India help pour fuel on the fire of civil unrest.

The British parliament responds by introducing various amendments to the Calico Act aimed at protecting owners and workers in Britain’s textile industry. This has the knock on effect of crippling India’s weavers by preventing them from exporting processed cotton. While Britain’s workshops flourished from weaving calico cotton from India, the immoral game changer was an influx of raw cotton from plantations in the British colonies in the Caribbean and the southern states of America worked by enslaved people.

The globalisation of fashion has its roots in colonisation and the industrial revolution it spurred. Think of the simple calico tote bag that many of us sling over our shoulders. It has become almost universal as an alternative to plastic bags. But like 20 percent of all fashion items made of cotton, millions of tote bags are made every year in garment factories in China’s Xinjiang province where allegations of slave labour abound.

With V&A Museum benefactor and Indian textile collector Karun Thakar, fashion journalist Grace Cook, and the historical writings of British weaver-turned-activist Claudius Rey and the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.

Presenter: Gus Casely-Hayford
Executive Producer: Rosie Collyer
Assistant Producer: Nadia Mehdi
Researcher: Zeyana Yussuf
Production Coordinator: Francesca Taylor
Sound Design: Rob Speight

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:30 From Fact to Fiction (m001fn67)
State of the Union

State of the Union by Rachael Fulton

42 year old Jan finds herself unexpectedly pregnant with a late baby. Her marriage is in a perilous condition but - as she tells her unborn baby about the current world and the story of the baby’s conception – Jan realises that she is going to stay with Alan.
The story is a reaction to the Supreme Court ruling last week on an Independence Referendum in Scotland.

Read by Sally Reid
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane

Rachael Fulton’s short stories have appeared on BBC Radio 4, Audible, Elle Magazine, The Bridport Prize and The Common Breath Anthology. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award ‘21 and longlisted for the BBC and Commonwealth short story awards ‘22. She is currently working on her debut novel from her home in Scotland.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fvjc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fvjf)
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 (m001fvjh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001fvjk)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001fvjm)
St Mary’s Church in Andover, Hampshire

Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary’s Church in Andover, Hampshire. The tower houses a ring of eight bells which were originally cast by Lester and Pack foundry of London in 1758. In 1947 Taylors of Loughborough recast the third bell and rehung the retuned bells in a new frame. The Tenor weighs fifteen hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them ringing Grandsire Triples.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001fvhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001fvn0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01pngpz)
Dignity

Mark Tully asks why dignity should be so important to us. It is considered a human right, but is it always so noble, or can we use a false sense of dignity to undermine others?

Drawing on stories about the British in India during the Raj, being visited while a patient in a hospice, and the enlightenment of the Buddha, the programme searches for what could be called a fundamental dignity.

In the end, Mark Tully concludes that if we want to be genuinely respected, we shouldn't demand respect, but if we are dignified we will be respected by those who are themselves dignified.

Producer: Adam Fowler
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001fvn2)
Farming on the edge of Ulster

Emma Campbell is in Country Antrim to meet Ulster farmer, Campbell Tweed, who farms on the eastern edge of Northern Ireland. He has a large flock, with almost 3000 ewes, which he doesn't need to shear as they are bred to shed their own wool. He's now exporting sheep genetics to New Zealand.

The farm has been in the family for centuries, but the agricultural history of the area goes back even further. Campbell talks about some of the archaeological discoveries which have been made on his farm, where remains dating back to 5000 BC have been found.

The farm's stunning location perched in the hills above Larne has also given Campbell a new sideline as a film location. Fans of 'Game of Thrones' will be familiar with his fields - landscapes where green pastures sweeps down to the sea.

Produced and presented by Emma Campbell


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001fvn4)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001fvn6)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001fvn8)
The future for Christianity, Benin Bronzes, Otis Williams and Silent Night

The British raid of 1897 on Benin City in the Southern Nigerian State of Edo, saw thousands of looted items end up in galleries and Museums across the UK. One recipient was the Horniman Museum and Gardens in South-East London. Only this week, they returned six out of seventy-two items, to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The remainder will remain on loan for now. Among those items returned are two Benin Bronze Plaques from the Royal Palace of Benin. The BBC’s Peter Macjob tells William Crawley about the spiritual significance of these Plaques for the community of Benin.

This week’s Census results drew out some surprising revelations including a ten-fold rise in those identifying themselves as Shaman. But one particular statistic which grabbed a lot of media attention was that for the first time, fewer than half of people in England and Wales described themselves as Christian. William asks what determines whether Britain is or is not a Christian country with guests Dr Scot Peterson, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford, and Rt Revd Dr. Helen-Ann Hartly, Bishop of Ripon.

All through Advent we are teaming up with BBC Radio 3 Saturday Breakfast to bring you some of the nation’s favourite Christmas Carol’s. This week Presenter Elizabeth Alker meets with one of the original members of The Temptations, Otis Williams, to discuss ‘Silent Night’. And we want to hear from you, what's your favourite Carol and why is it so important to you. Email us at Sunday@bbc.co.uk

Photo: Benin Bronze plaque of Oba Orhogbua (circa 1550-1578) holding a staff representing authority and power and with Iwu, royal tattoos.
Photo Credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Producers: Jill Collins and Helen Lee
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001fvnb)
The Vicar's Christmas Appeal for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields

The Rev Dr Sam Wells, vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, makes the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields with people experiencing homelessness.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope.) Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal website.

Registered Charity Number: 1156305


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001fvnd)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001fvng)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001fvnj)
Advent 2

On this 2nd Sunday of Advent, we join the Sunday morning service from St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bradford.
Worship is led by Fr Anthony Rosso. The Bradford Catholic Youth Choir, part of the Diocese of Leeds Schools Singing Programme is conducted by Caius Lee with, organist David Grealy.
Also joining worship is the choir and congregation of young people from the Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust’s schools across Bradford and Keighley.
Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15: 4-0; Music: Hark, a Herald Voice is Calling (Merton); Chanted Kyrie Eleison (Missa Cum Jubilo); Cuncti simus concanentes (trad, Catalan); Song of Mary (Rizza); God is Working His Purpose Out (Purpose); Jubilate Deo (Daniel Justin).

The focus of today's service is on children and young people. We will hear a reflection from a young Catholic girl who is part of ‘The Twelve’, a Leadership Group of 13 to 18-year-olds who advise and work with the Bishop of Leeds on events and issues to engage young Catholics in their own Diocese and beyond.

Producer: Carmel Lonergan.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001fn6x)
On Being Tall

Will Self says there are distinct downsides to being tall.

At six foot, four and a half inches, Will ponders the drawbacks of a lofty stature.

'The very ideal of beauty is the small', writes Will, 'so how awful it is to realise that you will never fulfil this artistic ideal with your enormous person which, far from being an artwork, is simply a scale model of gigantism!'

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


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwwg6)
Wader roost

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

Martin Hughes-Games tells the story of the flocks of waders which are drawn to the UK's estuaries. Britain's estuaries contain around 2,900 square kilometres of mud and sand-flats. Washed daily by the tides, these places are packed with food, molluscs, worms and crustaceans that support thousands of waders.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001fvnl)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Anita Anand.


SUN 09:45 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001fvnn)
Making a Difference

Hugh Dennis reports on how your donations from last year's Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin in-the-Fields have been spent on changing the lives of homeless people through the work of The Connection at St Martin's in London, and how timely grants from the Vicar's Relief Fund have helped secure housing or have kept vulnerable people in accommodation all around the UK. And now money also goes to the Frontline Fund, which gives 3-year project grants to six organisations across all the countries of the UK who are working in their local communities to prevent homelessness. The appeal is now in its 96th year.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal website.

Registered Charity Number: 1156305


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001fvnq)
Writer, Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director, Julie Beckett
Editor, Jeremy Howe

David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Ben Archer ….. Ben Norris
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Mick ….. Martin Barrass
Paula ….. Therese Collins


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001fvns)
Edward Enninful, editor

Edward Enninful is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and the editorial director of Vogue in Europe.

Edward was born in the port city of Takoradi in Ghana in 1972. His father was a major in the Ghanaian army and, following a period of political instability, the family fled the country and settled in London.

Edward’s interest in fashion dates back to his childhood in Ghana when he watched his seamstress mother at work making dresses for clients including the President’s wife. As a teenager in London he was spotted by the stylist Simon Foxton and began modelling for the irreverent fashion magazine i-D. At 18 Edward became the magazine’s fashion director, the youngest person ever to hold this post at an international fashion title.

In 2017 Edward became editor-in-chief of British Vogue and since his appointment he has championed inclusivity and diversity. His cover stars have included Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey and he recently featured the first man – actor Timothée Chalamet. Edward was awarded an OBE for services to diversity in the fashion industry in 2016. He married his partner Alec Maxwell this year and they live in London with their dog Ru.

DISC ONE: Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu by Alhaji K Frimpong
DISC TWO: Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil
DISC THREE: Strange Fruit by Nina Simone
DISC FOUR: Back to Life by Soul II Soul
DISC FIVE: Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill
DISC SIX: Stars of Track & Field by Belle and Sebastian
DISC SEVEN: Peru by Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran
DISC EIGHT: Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary by Rihanna

BOOK CHOICE: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
LUXURY ITEM: A pair of embroidered slippers
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Strange Fruit by Nina Simone

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001fvnv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fm9s)
Series 78

Episode 3

The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. Tony Hawks and Jo Brand compete against Marcus Brigstocke and Graeme Garden with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001fvnx)
Nutrition's Dark Matter: The New Science of Eating

This year's winner of the Derek Cooper Lifetime Achievement award, scientist Professor Tim Spector explains the latest research into what, how and when we should be eating, from the power of polyphenols to the mysteries of our gut microbiomes.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001fvp0)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001fvp4)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Faith in Music (m000qbmf)
Richard Wagner

Catholic composer Sir James MacMillan considers the faith lives of four very different composers.

James talks with Professor Richard Bell, Barbara Eichner and Stephen Johnson. They discuss ways in which Richard Wagner’s religious upbringing, political experiences and wide reading of philosophy and theology informed and imbued his colossal music dramas.

And James reveals his own obsession with Wagner, which began in teenage years, and describes ways in which Wagner has influenced his own compositions.

Over the centuries, composers have created musical masterpieces which many listeners have come to regard as spiritual touchstones. For example, Tallis's motet Spem in alium, Wagner’s opera Parsifal, Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, Bernstein's Mass. But what did these composers actually believe about God, faith, compassion, an afterlife and redemption? And do we need to share these beliefs in any way, to have a spiritual experience as listeners to their music?

Answers to these questions are complex, fascinating and challenging.

Produced by Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001fn62)
Banstead Downs

What surprises might sprout from newly laid turf? What is the best compost? And what is 'companion planting'?

Joining Peter Gibbs this week are grow-your-own expert Bob Flowerdew, garden designer Bunny Guinness and Pippa Greenwood, our expert in pests and diseases.

In 2008, a special tree was planted in Flamstead, Bedfordshire. On the surface the plane tree seems normal, but it has an inter-galactic pedigree that is far from down-to-earth. Matt Biggs takes Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society and Professor Steve Miller from University College London to visit the tree and its owner.

Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
Executive Producer - Louisa Field

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 One Dish (p0cryx3d)
Cheung Fun with Jayde Adams

Presenter, comedian and actor Jayde Adams joins Andi Oliver this week to discuss a mutual favourite dim sum dish: cheung fun. These steamed rice noodle rolls filled with pork, prawns or other delicious things weren’t familiar to Jayde until relatively recently. Although she grew up with a close family connection to Chinese cooking, it was her mum who introduced her to the joys of dim sum in a Chinatown restaurant on a visit to London.

Andi and Jayde learn about the extensive history in China of cooking with rice noodles like this, and also about the interesting possibility that the dish may have evolved in the absence of another ingredient. Kimberley Wilson explains the science behind why this type of steamed noodle dish remains delightfully chewy and bouncy despite not containing any gluten. And you’ll never guess what technological innovation Jayde’s planning to install in her new kitchen; probably no use for making her own dim sum though!

Food Scientist: Kimberley Wilson
Food Historian: Neil Buttery
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Exec Producer: Hannah Marshall
Sound Design: Charlie Brandon-King
Assistant Producer: Bukky Fadipe

A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Working Titles (m001fvpj)
Microserfs: Part 2

Dan and his friends have left Microsoft for tech start-up OOP! and their risk seems to be paying off, even if they are still working out of his mom and dad’s place. But something's still not right with Dan. Can the boom times really last?

A brand new take on Douglas Coupland’s funny, classic 1995 novel which takes a microscope to working culture in the early days of the Silicon Valley tech boom. Part of Radio 4's Working Titles season looking at the changing world of work.

CAST
Dan ….. Will Merrick
Karla ….. Samantha Dakin
Bug ….. Matthew Needham
Michael ….. Freddie Meredith
Todd ….. Chris Lew Kum Hoi
Ethan ….. Tom Kiteley
Susan ….. Chloë Sommer
Abe ….. Hughie O’Donnell
Dan’s Mum ….. Joanna Monro
Dan’s Dad ….. Roger Ringrose
Dusty …. Fiona Skinner
Amy ….. Grace Saif

Written By Douglas Coupland
Dramatised By Theo Toksvig-Stewart
Directed By Anne Isger
Sound by Cal Knightley, Pete Ringrose, David Gregory, Billy Godfrey
Production Co-ordination by Luke MacGregor

Writer and artist Douglas Coupland has written thirteen novels (including Generation X: Tales For An Accelerated Culture, JPod, Generation A). Microserfs was published in 1995.

Theo Toksvig-Stewart is a writer for stage, radio, television and film. The radio version of Theo’s acclaimed theatre play Endless Second was shortlisted for the best radio drama at the Prix Italia 2022 and received a ‘Special Mention’.


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m001fvps)
AJ Pearce: Dear Mrs Bird

James Naughtie is joined by writer A J Pearce and a group of listeners, as she answers their questions about her bestselling novel Dear Mrs Bird. Set in London in the 1940s, it’s the story of Emmy who has ambitions to be an intrepid war reporter, but instead finds herself working as a secretary on the agony aunt pages of an old-fashioned women’s magazine. Her main duty is opening and sorting the post but Emmy just can't resist sharing her opinions...
Dear Mrs Bird is a funny, heart-warming novel which does not shy away from the true horrors of war.

Our next Bookclub recordings:

Ross King, on 8th December. He'll be taking us to Italy with his book Brunelleschi's Dome. To take part, in person or online, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk

1300 on 18 January at BBC Broadcasting House: Cal Flyn on Islands of Abandonment. email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along


SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001fvq1)
Poems for Turbulent Times

The Poetry Detective is a radio show about how poetry sits in people's everyday lives. Each week the writer Vanessa Kisuule speaks to people with a poem that has been meaningful to them. She finds out why the poem matters, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it, what was the context it came out of and how does it work on us? In this episode, Vanessa speaks to people who have lived through times of crisis - finding out about how poetry has helped them navigate a world that often feels unsurvivable.

Poetry doesn’t always need to be explicitly about war, conflict or turbulence to help us better understand such circumstances. Nor does it need to give a simple message of hope and perseverance. In our first story, we hear from someone who found his own experience reflected in a surprising source. Louis Yako is an anthropologist and writer. Today he lives in North Carolina, but he grew up in Iraq. Growing up, he has always had a huge passion for languages and books, and in the year 2000 he began studying English Literature at the University of Baghdad. The course was rigorous and traditional - the students read Dickens, Austen and the Romantic poets in great depth. Louis was in heaven.

In one fellow student he immediately recognised a kindred spirit. A young woman, kind and beautiful, who shared his love of poetry. The two became fast friends and talked for hours about the poems they loved. They exchanged long, handwritten letters to continue their conversations when they couldn't speak in person.

Then in 2003 came the US invasion, and Louis was forced to put his studies on hold. When he and his friend were eventually able to resume their studies there was one poem that resonated for them especially strongly - Lord Alfred Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott. The people of Iraq were suffering after years living under UN sanctions, the effects of the war, and the outbreak of Shia/Sunni violence. Like the Lady in her tower, forced to watch the world through a mirror, Louis explains that the people of Iraq felt they too were under a curse. They were "half sick of shadows", cut off from the world, having lived under Saddam Hussein's regime and its censorship of the media. Line by line, he and his friend related the poem to their lives in Iraq. Where was their Camelot and would they ever reach it? And what would become of them both as the violence escalated?

Vanessa also speaks to lisa luxx,, a writer, performer, essayist and activist of British and Syrian heritage who splits her time between the UK and Lebanon. lisa was working on her debut collection, when in August 2020 a huge blast ripped through Beirut port. The blast destroyed entire neighbourhoods of the city. More than 200 people were killed, more than 6,500 were injured, and around 300,000 people were displaced from their homes. lisa was out on the streets, distributing aid and supporting people living in extremely challenging conditions. People needed access to electricity and sanitation, help with medical bills, basics like water and a sack of rice. Delivering the manuscript for her debut collection felt to be very far down on the list of priorities. Poetry felt luxurious, superfluous; it would feel almost inhumane to sit and write a poem while people around her were suffering. "I told my editor I don’t believe in poetry any more."

She became close to one of the families she was supporting, and they invited her to eat with them. Sitting down around a large shared dish of rice, they asked her what she did and when they found out she was a poet, asked her for a poem. She felt embarrassed that she didn't have a poem to offer in that moment. A poem that could be as useful as rice. She speaks with Vanessa about what a "rice poem" might look like - a practical poem that could be offered in the moment it is needed.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


SUN 17:00 Four Nations Four Schools (m001fmjp)
Education journalist, Laura McInerney, explores the different systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s been more than two decades since the devolution of education in the UK. Laura visits four state secondary schools in the four nations to find out how they are tackling teaching, assessment and student well-being. How is education pulling apart, and what can the nations learn from each other?

Producer: Joanna Jolly


SUN 17:40 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001fvnn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001fvqb)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001fvqn)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fvr2)
Unions have condemned Tory Chair Nadhim Zahawi for saying Vladimir Putin wants strikes in the UK. And train companies have made an offer to the RMT ahead of planned walk outs.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001fvrh)
Shari Vahl

A selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001fvrx)
David and Ruth continue to try to understand what’s happening with Ben while he sleeps upstairs. David worries Ben will return to the state he was in on Friday and he still won’t know how to help. Ruth takes Bess up to be with Ben and then she and David talk about Katie, Ben’s home treatment nurse. Ruth warns David about looking for information online; she thinks he’d be better off talking to Elizabeth who has experienced depression.
Joy hosts Mick and Kirsty as they practise for Jolene’s choir – she and Mick aren’t seeing much of one another what with being on rival choirs. Mick complains about Jolene’s expectations of her choir, but Kirsty points out Jolene gets cross with him because he’s often disrupting the rehearsal.
Joy brings refreshments for Kirsty and Mick. Mick teases Kirsty for being as persistent as Jolene in her coaching of him but then admits that without her he’d have given up the choir – they’ve had a lot of fun.
After earlier dropping off a cake made by Jill, Leonard calls again at Brookfield, this time with his Lord of the Rings books which Ben had taken interest in previously. Before heading off he mentions he’d love to see Ben when he’s up to it. David reports his chat with Elizabeth to Ruth: Elizabeth says they both need to take care of themselves as well as Ben. They agree that’s easier said than done.


SUN 19:15 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001fvsb)
The Bully Father-in-Law Problem

A woman bullied by her father-in-Law, a grieving widow and an anxious midwifery student get help from Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn in the popular advice series. As ever, life is addressed from every angle, with trademark wisdom and good humour, by our hosts.

From dilemmas about life, love and grief, to the perils of laundry or knowing what to say at a boring dinner, we’ll find out what Marian and Tara would recommend - which might not solve the problem exactly, but will make us all feel a bit better.

Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.

Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Steve Doherty.
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SUN 19:45 Voices in the Valley (p0d8klm0)
6: Pity

Ten chilling strange tales from the British folk-horror author Andrew Michael Hurley.

Barrowbeck, in the north of England, has a reputation for strangeness. It is a place that brings out the sin in people. But despite the dark, the cold, the isolation, people have managed to live there for centuries - until the river finally got the better of them. And now the past voices of Barrowbeck want to tell their tales...

Today: A man struggles to make sense of a shocking childhood tragedy in a local fishing pool ...

Writer: Andrew Michael Hurley
Reader: Paul Hilton
Producer: Justine Willett


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001fn6d)
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, and Jamie Oliver will be among seven guests to edit Radio 4's Today programme over Christmas. Listeners give their reaction to the line up and previous guest editors digital entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox and journalist Charles Moore tell Andrea about their experiences at the helm.



Since former Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills replaced Steve Wright on the Radio 2 afternoon show, some of you have been in touch to say the playlist has changed. Head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas said she wanted to do something different with the afternoon show. Helen joins Andrea to talk about music policy and answer listeners’ comments.

Musicians and Jimi Hendrix fans Rik Evans and Paul Tasker are in the Vox Box this week to tell us if the Radio 4 Archive Hour Hendrix: Everything But The Guitar struck a chord with them. To commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday, the documentary features fans from music, literature, and academia who consider all the things that should be celebrated about Jimi, but so often are not.

And former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s appearance on a reality TV show caused a rumble in our inbox this week. Listeners give us their views on how the BBC reported the MP for West Suffolk’s time in the jungle.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood

Produced by Gill Davies

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001fn6b)
Doddie Weir, Hebe de Bonafini, Irene Cara, Cornelia Schroeder

Matthew Bannister on

Doddie Weir (pictured), the leading Scottish rugby player who spent the last few years of his life raising funds for research into the causes of Motor Neurone Disease.

Hebe de Bonafini, the human rights activist from Argentina who led the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in campaigning to trace victims of the country’s so-called “Dirty War”.

Irene Cara, the singer and actor best known for her role in the film “Fame” and for co-writing the hit song “Flashdance”.

Cornelia Schroeder, the virologist from East Germany who made a significant contribution to the treatment of herpes and influenza.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Prof Kai Simons
Interviewed guest: Jill Douglas
Interviewed guest: James Grainger
Interviewed guest: Paul Schroeder

Archive clips used: Dr Ludwig/YouTube channel, ‘Der heimliche Aufmarsch‘ 22/08/2021; British Pathe/YouTube channel, Soviets close off East Germany 1952 10/11/2020; British Pathe/YouTube channel, Berlin riots in 1953 13/04/2014; BBC ARCHIVE: rugby commentary, BBC Scotland TX 04/03/1995; M P YouTube channel, Jim Telfer’s tribute to Doddie Weir 26/11/2022; British and Irish Lions YouTube channel, Doddie’s ‘mistaken identity’ 04/07/2020; Lorraine YouTube channel, Doddie Weir interview 29/11/2018; Rugby Republic YouTube channel, Doddie honoured NZ rugby stadium this autumn 13/11/2022; lozleo/YouTube channel, Irene Cara performs on ‘The Original Amateur Hour’ in 1967 29/08/2011; BBC ARCHIVE: Pebble Mill, BBC Two TX 27/02/1996; PROFILES Featuring Mickey Burns channel, Profiles host Mickey Burns interviews Singer, Songwriter and Actress Irene Cara 14/01/2014; Al Jazeera/YouTube channel, Tribute to Hebe de Bonafine 22/11/2022; BBC ARCHIVE: International Assignment, Radio 4 TX 4/9/1981


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001fvgs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001fvnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Britain's Communist Thread (m001f5fp)
Little Moscow

Historian Camilla Schofield explores a century-long thread of communism in Britain.

Like fascism, we often think of communism as alien – as an external threat – a threat to the British way of life. But what happens if we challenge that a little – and think about communism as a British story?

In the first programme we visit Maerdy in the Rhondda, one of the industrial towns known as Little Moscow between the wars. Maerdy illuminates an idea of communism rooted in local radical labour traditions and working class education.

Featuring:
Shirin Hirsch, historian at the People’s History Museum, Manchester
Kevin Morgan, Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester
Dai Smith, Raymond Williams Research Chair in Cultural History at Swansea University
Elinor Taylor, Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster and author of The Popular Front Novel in Britain

Including extracts from an interview with Will Picton, conducted on 18th May 1973, by Hywel Francis and Dai Smith. Courtesy of the South Wales Miners' Library, Swansea University.

For more information about Shapurji Saklatvala, please visit Shirin Hirsch’s blog:
https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/shapurji-saklatvala-an-anti-colonialist-in-the-heart-of-empire/

With thanks to Rhian Phillips at the South Wales Miners’ LIbrary; and Simon Sheppard and Darren Treadwell at the People’s History Museum. And to Joe Mulhall for the idea of the 'thread'.

Producer: Martin Williams


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001fvsy)
Leila Nathoo's guests are the former Education Secretary Kit Malthouse; Labour frontbencher Florence Eshalomi; and the independent peer and founder of the Academy of Ideas, Claire Fox. They discuss the current wave of strikes and look ahead to the Commons debate on the Online Safety Bill. Political commentator Paul Waugh from the "i" newspaper brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001fvhs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01pngpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]

MONDAY 05 DECEMBER 2022

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001fvtj)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001fmyw)
36. All in a Name

In the 1970s, Sandra Bundy was working hard at her job at the Department of Corrections in Washington DC. She loved her job, but just turning up to work was becoming unbearable.

Sandra’s male supervisors kept propositioning her for sex, asking her out on dates and making inappropriate comments. When she reported the problem to her boss’s boss, he tried to proposition her too. As the situation escalated, the language of sexual violence was used.

Sandra knew what she was experiencing was wrong, but she didn’t have the words to describe what she was going through, let alone try and seek justice.

In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed delves into the history of the anti-sexual harassment movement in the US in the 1970s to understand how finding the right words can help us tackle big wrongs.

He’ll discover how culture, politics and the law intersect to bring about new ideas, and how these ideas filter down into our everyday understanding of the world.

With Sandra Bundy, philosopher Miranda Fricker, social historian Linda Hirshman, lawyer Arthur Chotin and anthropologist Alex Bentley.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producers: Nadia Mehdi & Pippa Smith
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Special thanks to: Luke Mullins and Ellen Rolfes
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001fvjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fvtv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fvv3)
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 (m001fvvh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001fvvt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fvw7)
Radio 4's daily prayer and reflection


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001fvwm)
How much carbon can farms store in the soil, and how should it be measured? Farmers are being encouraged to look at new ways of making money and improving the environment by sequestering carbon, but there hasn't been much agreement on the details. Now Academics from the University of Leeds, businesses and farmers have published a new Farm Soil Carbon Code. The report, funded by the Environment Agency, aims to set some industry standards and help farmers avoid "green washing" or schemes that are meaningless.

All week we're looking at the state of the UK's abattoirs - from animal welfare to the challenges of finding staff. There are about 245 abattoirs in the UK, slaughtering millions of animals. Government figures for October this year show 173,000 cattle, 1.1 million sheep and 926, 000 pigs were killed. There used to be many more abattoirs, but tighter regulations and economies of scale have seen consolidation. Finding skilled butchers to work in the industry is a challenge and the British Meat Producers Association says big meat processing plants are spending a lot of money recruiting skilled staff from countries as far afield as the Philippines.

The A1 is one a major route between England and Scotland, but one which is in parts still single carriageway and when it passes through rural Northumberland that can mean slow tractors or lorries - and tailbacks After decades of talk, it seemed relief was in sight with a scheme to dual stretches of the road in the county just awaiting the final go ahead from the Transport Secretary - that's been postponed, twice, recently but a final decision is expected. In the meantime many whose homes, farms and businesses lie on the proposed new route are in limbo.


MON 05:56 Weather (m001fvx4)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0skg)
Horned Screamer

Michael Palin presents the Venezuelan horned screamer. Soundling as if someone is using a giant plunger in the Venezuelan marshes, these are the mating calls of the Horned Screamer. They're sounds that only another Horned Screamer could love, but then screamers are very odd birds. Over the years ornithologists have struggled to classify them, modern thinking puts their closest living relatives as the primitive Australian Magpie Goose.

Protruding from its head is a long wiry horn made of cartilage, which could rightfully earn it the title of "unicorn of the bird world" Usually seen as pairs or, outside the breeding season in small groups in the marshes and savannas of the northern half of South America, as you'd expect from their name , they are very vocal and these primeval bellows which sound more cow like than bird like and can be heard up to 3 kilometers away.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


MON 06:00 Today (m001fvvv)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001fvw9)
Returning to the moon

It is fifty years since the last manned-flight to the moon. While the Apollo missions have long been superseded by explorations further afield, the science journalist Oliver Morton insists the moon landings remain strong in our cultural imagination. In his 2019 book, The Moon, he explained how a spherical piece of rock had captured the world’s attention, but then been largely ignored. He tells Tom Sutcliffe how scientists and politicians are now once again turning their focus to our nearest neighbour.

Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over. The artist Luke Jerram has created an extraordinary replica of the Moon measuring seven metres in diameter, fusing NASA imagery of the lunar surface, moonlight, and sound composition. The Museum of the Moon has been exhibited hundreds of times – both indoors and outdoors – across the world, and Jerram explains how each installation has stimulated different events.

While NASA’s Artemis mission explores sending astronauts back to the Moon as a stepping stone to human exploration to Mars, and celebrity billionaires sell visions of private space travel, Mary-Jane Rubenstein sounds a warning. In Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race she sees comparisons with the destructive effects of the centuries-long history of European colonialism. As problems multiply on Earth she dismisses the offer by wealthy messiahs of an other-worldly salvation for a chosen few.

Producer: Katy Hickman

Image: Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram, Cork Midsummer Festival, UK, 2017


MON 09:45 Night Terrors by Alice Vernon (m001fvyw)
Episode 1

Alice Vernon often wakes up to find strangers in her bedroom.

Ever since she was a child, her nights have been haunted by nightmares of a figure from her adolescence, sinister hallucinations and episodes of sleepwalking. These are known as 'parasomnias' - and they're surprisingly common.

Now a lecturer in Creative Writing, Vernon set out to understand the history, science and culture of these strange and haunting experiences. Night Terrors examines the history of our relationship with bad dreams - how we've tried to make sense of and treat them, from some decidedly odd 'cures' like magical 'mare-stones', to research on how video games might help people rewrite their dreams. Along the way she explores the Salem Witch Trials and sleep paralysis, Victorian ghost stories, and soldiers' experiences of PTSD. By directly confronting her own strange and frightening nights for the first time, Alice Vernon encourages us to think about the way troubled sleep has impacted our imaginations.

Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Emily Raymond
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fvx6)
Hadley Freeman, Toni Crews, Christmas appeal

We talk to the journalist Hadley Freeman about why she resigned as a columnist at The Guardian newspaper after 22 years in the job. She has accused the publication of “censoring” discussion about gender identity and says she was discouraged from writing about antisemitism. Emma Barnett speaks to Hadley about her concerns and plans for the future.
We speak to the parents of Toni Crews, a young mother who died from a rare form of eye cancer back in 2020.
Her parents Jo and Jason Crews talk to Woman’s Hour about her life and her decision to waive her anonymity and donate her body to medical science, she is first person in the UK to have done this. Also talking about this ground breaking moment for medical science is Professor Claire Smith who led the team behind the dissection which is shown as part of a documentary that goes out tonight.
It's Radio 4’s Christmas Appeal Week. For 96 years, BBC Radio and St Martin-in-the-Fields have been in partnership to raise funds for people who are homeless and urgently need support around the UK. In the last two years, the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal has raised over £9 million for St Martin-in-the-Fields and The Connection at St Martin's benefits from these funds, which help run their resource centre in central London, providing shelter, food, help and advice. This year, the Women’s Development Unit at The Connection has created the first ever census of women who were sleeping rough across London. I’m joined by Eleanor Greenhalgh, the Manager of the Women’s Development Unit & Pam Orchard, CEO of The Connection at St Martins who can share their data exclusively with Woman’s Hour.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore


MON 11:00 The Untold (m001fvxh)
The Milk Bank

In a lab in Hertfordshire, a technician whisks a large jug of milk in a biosafety cabinet. He passes it through a sieve and pours it out into tiny containers, which are sealed and carefully labelled. The milk goes through a pasteurisation process and then it's packed into batches and frozen, ready for dispatch across the country by a network of volunteer bikers. This is the Hearts Milk Bank, a not-for-profit providing human milk to babies in need.

People approach the Milk Bank for all sorts of reasons. A baby may have come very early and the mother's own milk hasn't come in yet. A baby might be very ill in NICU and need the benefits of breastmilk. The mother may have had a mastectomy or be undergoing cancer treatment. Or she might be struggling to breastfeed and feel her mental health is suffering as a consequence.

And people donate for all sorts of reasons too. They may simply have an excess of breastmilk and want it to go to a good home. They may have lost a baby and find great meaning in donating their breastmilk to another family. They may have been the recipient of donor milk and now want to pay it forward.

In this week's Untold we follow the story of one family who approached the milk bank to request support. A couple with a unique situation... they are soon to have two newborn babies, but two newborn babies who aren't twins...

Produced and presented by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


MON 11:30 Michael Morpurgo's Folk Journeys (m000nv5r)
Four Loom Weaver

The author Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, Private Peaceful) explores the ways in which folk songs have reflected timeless human experiences, both in the past and today.

With help from singers, songwriters and other passionate experts, Michael admires the indelible stories within classic songs that deal with migration, war, protest and love.

Over the four themed episodes, Michael considers the locations and historical contexts that gave rise to much-loved traditional songs, and finds out how the same topics are inspiring new folk songs in the 2020s.

In the second episode, Michael considers a song of protest: Four Loom Weaver.

With Professor Lawrence Goldman, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Nancy Kerr, Karine Polwart, Nicola Kearey, Ian Carter, Blair Dunlop and Ashley Hutchings.

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001fvzj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001fvy7)
Nursery Closures; Frozen Christmas Dinner; London Renting

Nurseries are closing at an accelerating rate, according to the latest data from Ofsted. Of the 500 that have closed since 2019 300 were in the last twelve months. Felicity Hannah hears from a nursery owner who tells her why its getting so difficult for childcare providers to remain open. She also talks to a parent whose childcare fees are about to go up and she asks Jonathan Broadbery , from the National Day Nurseries Association, what they believe is needed to secure the sector.

With household budgets feeling the squeeze this year supermarkets are competing to offer the cheapest Christmas dinner - albeit frozen. Prices range from £25 to £15 for a family of 4. To try to find out the supermarkets are doing it Felicity talks to a turkey farmer and a sprout farmer. So is frozen food getting better? Rupert Ashby, Chief Executive of the British Frozen Food Federation joins the programme.

From the front line of the London rental market, Felicity talks to freelance journalist Lou Newton, about her experience trying to find some where to rent in the capital and Vicky Spratt, the housing correspondent at the i newspaper and the author of Tenants: Stories of Britain’s Housing Shame explains why its got to this point.

PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM
PRESENTER: FELICITY HANNAH


MON 12:57 Weather (m001fvyk)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001fvyy)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001fvzc)
1. Hackney, 2007

In Hackney, 2007, 15-year-old Abraham saves a stranger from a brutal attack. That split-second decision and act of astonishing bravery changes his life forever.

Journalist Sam Holder has been following Abraham’s story for years. Together with Abraham’s friends and family, they retrace how this young boy finds himself in fear of his own life.

This series explores the protections in place for witnesses of violent crimes, the obligations for witnesses to give evidence in court, and what can be done if someone feels their life is at risk.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and Sound Design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway- Gale

Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001fvrx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (m000mcpp)
Death Knock

When a young black teenager is found stabbed to death in a reservoir, local newspaper reporter Nathan can no longer ignore the realities of his past. He increasingly struggles to reconcile the realities of his job with his own sense of guilt and dislocation from his origins, as a middle-class black journalist. Stefan Adegbola and Ayesha Antoine star in this drama by playwright and former newspaper journalist, Martin Edwards.

Directed by Emma Harding

CAST

Nathan.....Stefan Adegbola
Emma.....Clare Corbett
Janice.....Ayesha Antoine
Brooky/ Ali.....Peter Polycarpou
Sam/ Ms Stone.....Charlotte East
DCI Jones/ Alice.....Cecilia Appiah
Alec.....Ian Dunnett Jnr


MON 15:00 Nature Table (m001fvzx)
Series 3

Episode 2

Join comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins as she hosts Nature Table: a comedy ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

Recorded at ZSL London Zoo, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Lucy Cooke (Zoologist & Author), Megan McCubbin (Conservationist & Zoologist) and comedian Felicity Ward.

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts
Additional material by: Kat Sadler

Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Producer: Simon Nicholls
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Researcher: Catherine Beazley

Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin

A BBC Studios Production


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001fvnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Dying of the Ice (m0006smz)
Frozen Music

Andrew McGibbon explores the sounds and music of the ice, meeting the composers, musicians and indigenous artists in the Arctic region who use the ice to make music. He discovers the natural and haunting sounds made by the movements of deep frozen ice, ice melting and icebergs calving and colliding.

Terje Isungset is a drummer and ice music composer from Norway who makes his own instruments each winter and performs at festivals across the Arctic region. His beautiful sounds mingle with voices and even a string section providing a fitting and atmospheric backdrop to his environment.

Faithfully capturing the sounds of ice and making them sound art is the work of Jana Winderen who uses a range of sophisticated hydrophones across the melting and freezing seasons. Andreas Bick creates collages of ice sounds recorded all across the Arctic, from iceberg calving to resonating ice sheets on a lake.

Arild Sundfjord is an Oceanographer who explains why Arctic sea ice matters.

This is the third of three programmes and, as with the rest of The Dying of the Ice series, features the sounds of melting and retreating ice in the Arctic along with the sounds of creatures living under the ice as an active, low volume soundtrack audible throughout the programme.

Written and Presented by Andrew McGibbon
Producers: Louise Morris and Nick Romero

A Curtains For Radio production for BBC Radio 4


MON 16:30 Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics (m001fw0c)
Birth Controlled

Who should be prevented from having children? And who gets to decide? Across 20th century America, there was a battle to control birth - a battle which rages on to this day.

In 1907, the state of Indiana passed the first sterilisation law in the world. Government-run institutions were granted the power to sterilise those deemed degenerate - often against their will.

In the same period, women are becoming more educated, empowered and sexually liberated. In the Roaring Twenties, the flappers start dancing the Charleston and women win the right to vote.

But contraception is still illegal and utterly taboo. The pioneering campaigner Margaret Sanger, begins her decades long activism to secure women access to birth control - the only way, she argues, women can be truly free.

In the final part of the episode, sterilisation survivor and campaigner Elaine Riddick shares her painful but remarkable story.

Contributors: Professor Alexandra Minna Stern from the UCLA Institue of Society and Genetics, Professor Wendy Kline from Purdue Univerity, Elaine and Tony Riddick from the Rebecca Project for Justice

Featuring the voice of Joanna Monro

Music and Sound Design by Jon Nicholls
Presented by Adam Rutherford
Produced by IIan Goodman

Clips: Coverage of Dobbs v Jackson Supreme Court decision from June 24, 2022 including BBC News / CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford / BBC News Sarah Smith / audio of protesters from Channel 4 News. / Mike Wallace interviews Margaret Sanger, September 1957, from the archive at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin


MON 17:00 PM (m001fw0n)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fw14)
Labour publishes a report on its plans for sweeping constitutional change, which would abolish the House of Lords.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fw1d)
Series 78

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. Tony Hawks and Jo Brand take on Marcus Brigstocke and Graeme Garden with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001fw1p)
Brad’s buzzing after his maths trip. He tells Jazzer the best thing was meeting other students. He and Jazzer swap stories on getting hold of freebies and discounted items for Christmas. Jazzer notices Brad’s phone keeps pinging. Brad explains it’s a girl from the course who like him is into Star Wars. Jazzer tries to advise on how to interact with women but it doesn’t really help Brad in the world of instant messaging. Jazzer promises not to tell anyone about Brad’s new friend.
Ruth thinks Ben’s looking better. Ben is calm but has to check with Ruth what’s real and what’s not. He feels safe in the company of Bess. Leonard calls round and chats to Ben about how it can be hard to talk about feelings. Ben opens up about feeling suicidal after Vince shouted at him in The Bull. Leonard learns that Ben has shared this with health professionals including his home treatment nurse, but he hasn’t told his parents. He doesn’t want Leonard saying anything to them.
Fallon’s noticed Joy’s a bit down and after choir rehearsal she asks what’s up. Joy confesses when she saw Mick and Kirsty having a good time yesterday she wondered if Mick would prefer to be with Kirsty. She adds that a while ago Mick told her he loved her but she couldn’t say the same back. Fallon tries to put Joy at ease, assuring her there’s nothing to worry about with Mick and Kirsty – perhaps Joy’s strength of feeling shows that she does have strong feelings for Mick.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001fw1y)
Fergus McCreadie, Leyla Josephine, Scottish National Gallery

Jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie performs live from his latest album Forest Floor, which recently won the Scottish Album of the Year award and a Mercury Prize nomination.

Performance poet Leyla Josephine discusses her debut poetry collection In Public / In Private.

Patricia Allerston, chief curator of the Scottish National Gallery, on the transformation of the museum and creation of a new exhibition space. Plus Kate goes behind the scenes to meet conservators who are restoring the works of art, Lesley Stevenson and Keith Morrison.

Anna Burnside reports on the significance of this Autumn's closure of the Modern Two Gallery in Edinburgh, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Carol Purcell


MON 20:00 Putin (m001fw24)
11. To the Brink

In late 2021, Vladimir Putin emerges from his Covid-19 bunker with an even smaller inner circle, increasingly outlandish demands of NATO and the west, and an immense military build-up on the border of Ukraine. How did seclusion change his mindset? And how did the west misunderstand him so badly?

To understand the Russian President and interpret his words and actions in those crucial weeks before the invasion, Jonny Dymond is joined by:

Andrei Soldatov - Investigative journalist, specialist in Russia’s intelligence services, and author of ‘The Compatriots: The Russian Exiles Who Fought Against the Kremlin’
Sarah Rainsford - BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent and former Moscow Correspondent
Sir Laurie Bristow - Former British diplomat and UK Ambassador to Russia, 2016-2020.

Production coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Siobhan Reed
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Producer: Nathan Gower
Researcher: Octavia Woodward
Series Editor: Simon Watts


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001fmqk)
Cold-calling Siberia

Sasha Koltun volunteered to fight in Putin's war against Ukraine, though his mother Yelena begged him not to go. Four days later, he was dead, one of several dozen new recruits from across Russia who never even reached the battlefield. What happened to him - and will his mother, battling official indifference and obstruction, ever discover the truth?

With the Kremlin currently restricting access to Russia for Western reporters, Tim Whewell picks up the phone to talk to her and other people in and around the city of Bratsk, in central Siberia, about how the war has affected them. Many are afraid to talk. But others describe their anxiety as they wave goodbye to their menfolk, their confused feelings about the war - a mixture of patriotism and doubt - and the chaotic organisation of the call up. Some recruits have had to buy their own uniform and equipment. Others have suffered as discipline breaks down at some training camps.

Tim talks to a former policewoman determined to encourage support for the war, who makes stretchers for wounded Russian soldiers - and to a young woman who believes it was her boyfriend's duty to be a soldier. But Yelena Koltun - who lost her son Sasha - cannot understand what her country is fighting for.

Presented and produced by Tim Whewell, with additional production by Khristina Stolyarova.
Studio mix by Graham Puddifoot
Series editor Penny Murphy


MON 21:00 Falling Stars (m001fmby)
In the history of science, many individuals are honoured by having technical terms named after them. To modern sensibilities, this is sometimes regrettable.

Poet Dr Sam Illingworth looks at the challenges of scientific terms named after people we perhaps wouldn't celebrate today. Who gets to choose them anyway?

It's one thing to quietly change the name of a scientific prize, a research facility or a lecture theatre. But how would you rename an element or a famous equation? With a book, a record or a painting we can choose to leave them on the shelf if we so wish, but some scientific names seem as hard-wearing as concrete...

Photo: The Pillars of Creation as captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope/JWST
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Written and presented by Sam Illingworth
Produced by Alex Mansfield

With contributions from:
Dr Emma Chapman, University of Nottingham author of "First Light"
Sam Kean, historian of science and author of "The Disappearing Spoon" and "The Icepick Surgeon".
Prof Natalie Bann, University of Victoria, British Columbia
Derek Robertson, artist, co-author of "Bho Bheul An Eòin / From The Bird's Mouth"
Derek's exhibition of the project is at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh until Dec 31st 2022.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001fvw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fw3c)
Haiti is in the grip of gang violence

The UN says Haiti is on the verge of the abyss - we report from an island in the grip of horrific gang warfare.

Also on the programme: Labour promises sweeping constitutional change, but will their proposals work?


MON 22:45 The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (m001fw3n)
Episode 1

When the waterfall freezes it creates the Ice Palace, a strange, magical ice-structure of chambers, trees and towers.

It already fascinates Siss, an 11-year-old girl, and her school-friends. And it fascinates a new girl, Unn, even more.

Episode One
Knowing little about her, Siss visits the new girl, Unn, at her home for the first time.

Tarjei Vesaas was born in 1897 in Vinje, Telemark in southern Norway. He wrote more than 25 novels, of which The Ice Palace, published in 1963, is probably his best-known. He died, also in Vinje, in 1970.

Writer: Tarjei Vesaas
Translator: Elizabeth Rokkan
Reader: Greta Scacchi
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001fw41)
Episode 8: The Final Battle

The series builds to a shocking climax as Liz and Bill prepare for the exorcism to end all exorcisms, with celebrated ghost hunter Eddie Burks. But can even Eddie help them? And as Bill finally reveals the secrets he’s been hiding, does a dark moment in his past hold the key to solving the mystery? As Danny uncovers incredible new revelations about the possible causes of the haunting, could this be the case that finally proves ghosts exist?

The Witch Farm reinvestigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set in the beautiful, remote Welsh countryside, this terrifying true story is told through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary.

Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit 2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into a real-life mystery.

Cast:
Bill Rich ...... Joseph Fiennes
Liz Rich ...... Alexandra Roach
Eddie Burks ...... David Shaw-Parker

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound design by Charlie Brandon-King and Richard Fox
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Gwenno
Researcher: Nancy Bottomley
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard

Consultant: Mark Chadbourn, author of the book on the case 'Testimony'

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fw47)
Sean Curran reports as MPs debate the government's revised plans to tackle online safety, and a minister updates peers on an increase in Strep A infections.

TUESDAY 06 DECEMBER 2022

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001fw4k)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Night Terrors by Alice Vernon (m001fvyw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001fw4v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001fw55)
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 (m001fw5h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001fw5s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001fw63)
Radio 4's daily prayer and reflection


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001fw6f)
The Labour Party has launched a commitment to major political reforms which it says would see a transfer of power 'from Westminster to the people of Britain'. Included in the plan titled 'A New Britain', would be the devolution of certain powers to regions and counties. The current government has already announced Cornwall, Suffolk, and part North East England would be granted more devolved powers including extra funding and elected mayors, if the local communities there support it. But what could Labour's devolution plan mean for rural communities? We speak to Mark Shucksmith, Professor of Planning at Newcastle University who's worked widely on rural communities and the economy.

All week we're looking at abattoirs, large and small. While large abattoirs are finding it difficult to staff their operations, smaller abattoirs say the burden of regulation, which is more expensive on very low throughput, is causing them to close. The future of small abattoirs has been a concern for many farmers for years and Farming Minister Mark Spencer has said he is actively looking at supporting smaller abattoirs, to keep them running. It might not be in time to save some though. The Tottingworth abattoir in Heathfield in East Sussex is earmarked for closure in January. We speak to farmer Guy McNaughton who's been campaigning to save it.

In Scotland, farmers and crofters in the Western Isles, where producers tend to have small numbers of livestock,  rely on small abattoirs. The abattoir in Stornoway is run and subsidised by the Islands' Council. It's a modern operation and takes stock from the length of the Outer Hebrides. We speak to the people who run it and the crofters who rely on it.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0pm9)
Black-footed Albatross

Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.

Liz Bonnin presents the black-footed albatross of Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Two dusky-brown birds point their bills skywards to cement their lifelong relationship, these are black-footed albatrosses are plighting their troth in a former theatre of war. At only a few square kilometres in size, the island of Midway is roughly half way between North America and Japan. Once it was at the heart of the Battle of Midway during World War Two, but today it forms part of a Wildlife Refuge run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is home to white laysan albatross and the darker Black footed Albatross. Around 25,000 pairs of Black-foots breed here. Each pair's single chick is fed on regurgitated offal for six months, after which it learns to fly and then can be vulnerable to human activity on the airbase. But careful management of both species of albatrosses near the airstrip has reduced the number of casualties to a minimum.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


TUE 06:00 Today (m001fw4j)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Room 5 (m001fw4w)
Series 2, Episode 5: Tilly

On changing her relationship with her body.

From the outside, Tilly seems to have life figured out. She works in fashion, lives on a house-boat - for which she’s done all the plumbing and electrics. But inside, she’s struggling. She’s always felt wrong in her body - ever since school. Then one afternoon, Tilly sits down with a therapist - who fits the pieces of the puzzle together and gives Tilly a diagnosis. Tilly’s diagnosis explains the way her brain is wired - now her challenge is to re-wire it, and change her future.

In Room 5, Helena Merriman shares stories of real-life medical mysteries, interviewing people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Researcher: May Cameron
Editor: Emma Rippon

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

Information and support on issues relating to this episode:

Body Dysmorphic Disorder
The BDD Foundation provides information, resources and support to those suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
https://bddfoundation.org/support/

Eating disorders
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2DRkg4JC7SLT3B7hlrn6DKN/information-and-support-eating-disorders

Mental health
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm

Suicide/Emotional distress
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/information-and-support-suicide-emotional-distress


TUE 09:30 Flight of the Ospreys (m001fw54)
Across the Sahara

Scotland's ospreys have started their epic Autumn migration to West Africa. A team of conservationists headed up by biologist Sacha Dench is following them all the way, aiming to discover much more about the journey that the ospreys make and the challenges they face along the way. Climate change is making weather patterns less predictable, crucial wetlands on their route are being poisoned by pesticides and depleted by drought and the birds have the unfortunate habit of electrocuting themselves when they land on powerlines with freshly caught fish.

Today, the Conservation Without Borders team follow the birds across the Sahara desert.

Producers: Emily Knight and Alasdair Cross


TUE 09:45 Night Terrors by Alice Vernon (m001fw5j)
Episode 2

Alice Vernon often wakes up to find strangers in her bedroom.

Ever since she was a child, her nights have been haunted by nightmares of a figure from her adolescence, sinister hallucinations and episodes of sleepwalking. These are known as 'parasomnias' - and they're surprisingly common.

Now a lecturer in Creative Writing, Vernon set out to understand the history, science and culture of these strange and haunting experiences. Night Terrors examines the history of our relationship with bad dreams - how we've tried to make sense of and treat them, from some decidedly odd 'cures' like magical 'mare-stones', to research on how video games might help people rewrite their dreams. Along the way she explores the Salem Witch Trials and sleep paralysis, Victorian ghost stories, and soldiers' experiences of PTSD. By directly confronting her own strange and frightening nights for the first time, Alice Vernon encourages us to think about the way troubled sleep has impacted our imaginations.

Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Emily Raymond
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001fw5t)
The Silent Twins, the science behind 'mummy brain', Rosie Pearson, Lorien Haynes

The story is that of June and Jennifer Gibbons who grew up in Wales in the 1970s. For years, the two would only speak to each other earning them the name ‘the silent twins’. At 19, they were institutionalised at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital indefinitely. They remained there for 11 years. In 1993, they were moved to a less restrictive clinic in Wales. However Jennifer died during transit. The cause of her death has never been fully determined but has been suggested it was part of their pact as twins. Their story has been largely forgotten or left to folklore. It is now being brought to light in a new biographical film that comes out this Friday, called The Silent Twins. We speak to the award-winning actors, Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, who star as the silent twins. We also hear from Marjorie Wallace, former investigative journalist and founder of mental health charity, SANE, whose book inspired the film.

‘Mummy Brain’ is the term given to feelings of brain fog or memory loss that women experience during and post pregnancy. Despite the fact that 80% of pregnant women will experience this, very little is known about the specific causes. What we do know is that women’s brains change more during pregnancy than at any other time during adulthood. Dr Jodi Pawluski has been researching the topic for over 20 years and has personally experienced ‘mummy brain’ herself. She tells Emma what we currently know about the impact pregnancy and parenthood has on women’s brains - and what more we still are yet to find out.

How much should you tell your children about your past? In the new film ‘Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men’, a woman details every relationship she has been in, in the hope that her daughter won't make the same mistakes. The film is backed by Refuge - the charity supporting survivors of domestic violence. It's made by 21 female directors across 23 short films. Then Lorien Haynes, who wrote the script and acted in the films, made one full length movie feature from the short films. All proceeds from the movie will go to Refuge. Emma speaks to Lorien about why she wanted to do this project.

In one of his first big tests as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has had to water down housing targets for local councils - faced by a rebellion from his own backbenchers.
The former Northern Ireland and DEFRA minister Theresa Villers led the charge alongside fellow Conservative MP Bob Seeley. Housing Secretary Michael Gove has now offered councils more flexibility over meeting the government-set targets. The 60 rebels had argued they are excessive and undermine local councils. Emma talks to Kitty Donaldson, UK Political Editor at Bloomberg News and to Rosie Pearson, who has been branded by some as the 'Queen of NIMBYs', due to her campaigning on this issue.


TUE 11:00 Phantoms in the Brain (m001fw65)
'I am not mentally sick' – Hannah’s story

Every day, in every hospital, people are being admitted with neurological symptoms like seizures, paralysis, inability to speak or walk. Other patients suffer from psychiatric symptoms such as bizarre delusions or life-shattering hallucinations. Yet not all is as it first seems. Some of those with physical problems will not have identifiable physical causes, and some with apparent psychiatric disorders will have a specific and potentially treatable physical cause.

In this 4-part series, neurologist, Professor Guy Leschziner, explores the nature of the complex interactions between physical and mental health, and how the division between the two may ultimately make little sense.

We meet Hannah, a student, who's only 20 when her behaviour suddenly changes. Almost overnight, she goes from tidy to messy, becomes erratic, unable to hold a conversation; she seems lost in herself. Her family recognises she is having a mental breakdown and Hannah is admitted to a psychiatric ward. And yet, she is not just mentally ill. Her psychiatric symptoms are later found to have a very physical cause. She has encephalitis - her brain is ‘on fire’, attacked by an autoimmune disease. We follow Hannah’s progress through diagnosis to treatment and to a dramatic outcome that takes everyone by surprise.

We also hear from Kat, who’s in her twenties, with a high-powered job in the City. Out of the blue, she starts having seizures and episodes of déjà vu. Her memory, usually very sharp, is letting her down. And she is extremely anxious. At the same time, Kat’s sister is diagnosed with cancer and Kat spends every weekend caring for her young niece and nephew. Kat’s GP thinks it’s a classic case of stress and trauma and refers her to a psychologist and a psychiatrist. But, after months of talking therapy, Kat sees a neurologist who discovers that her anxiety and seizures are driven by antibodies attacking her brain. It is her body, as well as her mind, that is unwell.

We’ll hear from psychiatrists and neurologists about the challenges of diagnosing such rare autoimmune diseases and about the pioneering immunotherapy that’s helping Kat and other patients like her.

Presenter: Professor Guy Leschziner
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Sound: Neil Churchill

Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Clare Fordham

Image: Amy Hiley amyhileyart.com


TUE 11:30 The Exploding Library (m001fw6m)
Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace

PLEASE NOTE ENDNOTES TO THIS PROGRAMME ARE AVAILABLE ON THE PROGRAMME WEBSITE (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011s0t/clips)

Writer, comedian and crumpled surrealist John-Luke Roberts unravels the labyrinthine satirical world of Infinite Jest - and that of its brilliant, troubled author David Foster Wallace. With contributions from Adam Kelly, Clare Hayes-Brady, David Hering and Marshall Boswell; plus a Zoom panel of Infinite Jest devotees. Music by Philip Glass, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Late Author.

Reader: Hunter Johns
Endnotes: Beth Eyre
Presenter: John-Luke Roberts
Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4

---

Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.

As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Kazuo Ishiguro, Rosemary Tonks and David Foster Wallace, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.

Featuring the comedic voices of Natasha Hodgson, Athena Kugblenu and John-Luke Roberts, and created by award-winning producers Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat) and Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), this is an arts documentary series like no other.

Series Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001fw6v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001fw74)
Call You and Yours: What's changing on your High Street?

On today's Call You and Yours we're asking - what's changing on your High Street? We want to know what's working for you and what isn't.

New BBC research shows that the way we're using the High Street is changing. Even before the pandemic, big chain stores were leaving town, more people were shopping online and new shops were popping up offering people an experience rather than just a thing to buy.

There are now 9,300 fewer retail shops in Britain than before the start of the pandemic in March 2020. That's a drop of three percent in two years. But services like hair and beauty, tattoo and piercing studios, places to eat and drink, fast food and takeaway shops have all seen a rise.

So what's changed where you live? Or how should it change? Tell us about your experience of shopping on your local high street.

Call us on 03700 100 44. Lines open at 11 am on Tuesday December 6th.

Or you can email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and don't forget to send us a phone number so we can call you back.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Tara Holmes


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001fw7c)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001fw7q)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


TUE 13:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001fw83)
2. Betrayal

15-year-old Abraham faces an almost impossible decision.

He has saved a teenage girl from a brutal attack. He is asked to provide evidence in the upcoming trial. But already, Abraham is receiving threatening messages to stay silent. How real are the risks? Journalist Sam Holder investigates what types of protections are available to witnesses of violent crimes.

Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale

Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001fw1p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (m001fw8g)
Sidelined

By Kirsty Smith

Alice, an up-and-coming scriptwriter, has written a TV film she's proud of and it's being directed by big-shot director Carl Bunton. It's a huge deal for her and everything is going great. Until a work night out, when Alice's colleague Sita, finds herself alone with Carl. The fall out tests Alice to her very core. But Alice has a secret of her own, and she's determined that no-one will sideline her this time.

Alice.....Kate Coogan
Carl.....Jason Done
Sita.....Saira Choudhry
Kamran.....Darren Kuppan
Shan…..Angela Lonsdale
Esme.....Lauren Patel

Sound design-John Benton
Technical production-Simon Highfield
Production co-ordinator-Lorna Newman
Director/Producer - Jessica Mitic

A BBC Audio Drama North production

Note for press:
This is writer, Kirsty Smith's debut audio drama. She has written numerous plays for the stage. She is part of the Royal Court Playwriting Group 2023 and is currently developing a new play about the Bradford Women’s Evening Cricket League.


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001fw8t)
Series 33

Small Victories

A sibling faces an unfair accusation of teen pop vandalism, an academic conducts a study into missing forks and three friends search for the right note. Josie Long presents short documentaries about small and petty victories.

For Fork's Sake
Produced by Mike Williams

Good Company
Produced by Jesse Lawson

The Gouging
Produced by Steven Jackson
Original music by Steven Jackson and Cue Shop, a music library and scoring co-op

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


TUE 15:30 A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand (m001fw6x)
Series 2: Can I Change?

1. The twin effect

Most of us would like something about ourselves or our lives to be different, but how easy is it to actually change?

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are looking at whether people can change and how they do it. Exactly how much of any aspect of personality is genetic destiny and how much are we shaped by the world around us?

Chris wants to be a better doctor, friend, husband and father. But most urgently he wants to be a better brother, and is determined to improve his relationship with Xand. They’re best friends and talk to each other every day, but they are also business partners who find it very hard to work together without having a visceral row.

Chris wants to change how he relates to his brother and believes it is possible, but Xand is less convinced that we can or that he needs to change. In this series, Chris confronts that pessimism

In episode 1 - The Twin Effect - Dr Clare Llewellyn explains why we should all care about twin studies and the importance of understanding the impact of genetics vs environment on our development. Chris and Xand meet identical twins Mia and Alexandra who were separated at birth. They reflect on their twin dynamic through the years - what has it meant for their development and can they change the dynamic they have now?

Presented by Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Produced by Hester Cant and Alexandra Quinn
Series Editor Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media and van Tulleken Brothers Ltd production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 Going on the Gallopers (b011c222)
A portrait of the life, popular art and remarkable engineering of Carters Steam Fair. In 1976 John Carter began a love affair that changed his life - with a beautiful but decrepit roundabout built in1895. He became fascinated by old machinery and fairground art. People began giving him gear and rides, or selling them to him when they retired, knowing he would keep them working.

John Carter's obsession encompassed his family and in 1977 Carters Steam Fair began travelling for 7 months of the year, after spending winter in the yard fettling, burnishing and painting. There are gallopers (no, not carousels) of extraordinary glamour and beauty, dizzying steam yachts and the amazing Chair-o-Planes, all tended by family and workers living in exquisite 1940s art deco showmen's wagons, with cut-glass clerestories.

Everywhere they go the set-up is different, because they regard all this as art and architecture - that moves. Even their lorries are ancient and beautiful.

After John Carter's death in 2000 his widow, sons and several friends carried on, until their final tour this year. The fair steamed up for the last time on 30th October. To mark the sad end of this era Radio 4 is repeating Going on the Gallopers, the programme first broadcast in 2011 in which the Carters and their workmates describe their labour of love, art and mechanics. Recorded in their winter yard and on a summer pitch while they work, it captures the wild, bright, musical, oily beauty, and thoughtful philosophy of the life of the steam fair.

Producer: Julian May

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001fw98)
Olia Hercules on Alla Horska, Ukrainian painter

"Cooking is like therapy to us. I grew up where my big extended family would come together in summer under the walnut tree. The adults would drink and we’d eat, stories would be told and we'd break into song. It was a healing process."

In the first of a new series, the cookbook author Olia Hercules tells us why she's picked the Ukrainian artist and activist Alla Horska as her Great Life. A member of the Sixtiers, Alla was a part of the Ukrainian dissident movement of writers, artists and cultural figures who stood against the destruction of Ukrainian identity and rallied for greater freedoms.

Growing up in Ukraine, Olia says she was taught so much about Russian culture, and so little about Ukrainian culture, that she wanted to fix that. Now in a time of war, Olia discovers how parts of Alla's life mirror her own. Joining her in studio is Tetyana Filevska, creative director of the Ukrainian Institute. Tetyana moved to London to escape the war in Ukraine.

Future guests in the series include writer Olivia Laing on Christopher Lloyd, Bob Harris on Sir Matt Busby, and Noddy Holder on Chuck Berry.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Caitlin Hobbs


TUE 17:00 PM (m001fw9l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001fw9t)
More than 10-thousand ambulance workers are to join a wave of strikes before Christmas


TUE 18:30 Hennikay (m001fwb8)
Series 1

The Animo-Expo Pro-Gaming Trade Fair

Bill Bailey stars as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who, after 45 years, and for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay.

The pressure is on at work. Guy’s company have had their best (only) idea in years (ever) stolen from under their noses by an unscrupulous rival. But luckily Guy has come up with a brilliant new idea, courtesy of his invisible best friend, Hennikay and the race is on for them to develop it before the big trade show.

And even with Guy foolishly introducing his schoolboy mate from 1976 to the wonders of the 21st century internet and the delights of expense account lunching, the friends triumph and, working together at last, they manage to hit the big deadline.

They head triumphantly to the show - where grown-up treachery is afoot and Hennikay has his young, innocent eyes opened to the cheating, lying and general down and dirty bad behaviour that modern adults call business.

Cast:
Guy – Bill Bailey
Tony – Dave Lamb
Marika – Elizabeth Carling
Kallie - Hollie Edwin
Don - Joseph May
TV voices and Pizza Guy - Matt Addis
Hennikay – Max Pattison

Written by David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001fw3d)
Rex and Kirsty put the final touches to their festive trail on the rewilding site and reflect on the distress they saw Ben in on Friday. Rex is pleased to hear Ben appears to be doing well now. They also compare their experiences on the rival choirs.
Eddie’s keen to look round the rewilding’s festive offer as he thinks they could replicate it on Grundy’s Field. He twists Ed’s arm into coming along too. Ed’s not got much work at the moment and Eddie’s worried about the turkey sales. Eddie quizzes Rex about the set-up of the Christmas trail, before Kirsty reports some fallen branches are causing havoc. Eddie suggests Ed could tidy the trees and pile up the fallen wood. Afterwards, Eddie points out that the fallen wood might be better used for heating – people would pay good money. Ed reminds him that logging’s illegal, and anyway Emma wouldn’t approve.
Joy invites Mick over for a proper chat after not seeing much of him when she hosted him and Kirsty practising for Jolene’s choir. Mick arrives with a big bunch of flowers and the two talk about their feelings. Mick apologises for saying ‘I love you’ so quickly. Joy admits she find it difficult to believe that anyone could love her. Sometimes she feels she’s a boring old frump. Mick puts her straight. What he loves about her is that she gets out there and gets stuck in. Joy warns him that romance hasn’t gone well for her in the past. Mick’s happy to go at her pace.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001fwbm)
Antoine Fuqua on Emancipation, NDAs in film and TV casting, playwright April De Angelis

Film director Antoine Fuqua discusses his new film, Emancipation, which stars Will Smith. He discusses basing his film on the true story of an enslaved man in 1860s Louisiana.

Earlier this year, Front Row revealed how non-disclosure agreements were being misused in film and TV casting, with actors being kept in the dark about the roles they were auditioning for. The actor’s union Equity has come up with new guidance on NDAs. Carolyn Atkinson explains what this means for auditions.

April De Angelis discusses her new play Kerry Jackson, which is at the National Theatre in London. Starring Faye Ripley in the title role of café owner Kerry, it explores class and gentrification.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Eliane Glaser


TUE 20:00 Paradise Lost: The Rise and Fall of the Eldonian Dream (m001fwc2)
New documentary for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001fwcg)
The Delivery of Medical News; Audio Described World Cup Commentary; Enhanced Smart Meters

A few weeks back, Pauline Mottram told In Touch about the way she was dealt life changing medical news; she felt it was given to her in an extremely insensitive way. We get the hospital's response and hear about a twist to her story. We also hear from Rowena Thomas-Breese who, thirty years prior to Pauline, experienced the same when being told she'd lose her vision and in the same part of the world.

We talk to Alan March Sport about how they are providing audio described commentary for this year's World Cup in Qatar. It's a free service and anyone with a smart phone can access it from home. Alan March is the company director and he provides more details, along with Pardeep Gill who used the service whilst in a World Cup stadium in Qatar.

And our reporter Fern Lulham tells us about a new way that blind and partially sighted people can keep on top of how much they are spending on their energy bills; with an accessible smart meter.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001fw3z)
Can Mental Health Awareness have unintended consequences?

Mental health awareness campaigns have reduced stigma and changed attitudes to mental illness, but has the messaging also led to unintended consequences?
With the help of a panel consisting of mental health campaigner James Downs, the former director of Time to Change England Sue Baker, psychologist and author Lucy Foulkes and Katja Pavlovna of the Lives not Labels (sorry my mental illness isn't sexy enough for you) website, bring their own experiences of mental health problems and expertise in their fields to debate with Claudia the nuanced implications around increasing awareness and what they would like to see in the future.


TUE 21:30 Room 5 (m001fw4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001fwcw)
Michelle Mone takes leave of absence from House of Lords

Conservative peer Michelle Mone is taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords with immediate effect. Baroness Mone is at the centre of controversy over her alleged links to a firm awarded £200m of PPE contracts. A Labour motion, calling for the documents to be produced, passed the Commons unopposed this evening. We hear from the chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier.

Also on the programme: Latvia has shut down an exiled Russian TV station - calling it a threat to national security. And we hear about the brutal murder of four university students in the small US town of Moscow in Idaho.


TUE 22:45 The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (m001fwdb)
Episode 2

When the waterfall freezes it creates the Ice Palace, a strange, magical ice-structure of chambers, trees and towers.

It already fascinates Siss, an eleven-year-old girl, and her school-friends. And it fascinates a new girl, Unn, even more.

Episode Two
The day after her strange evening with Siss, Unn decides to skip school and go to the Ice Palace.

Tarjei Vesaas was born in 1897 in Vinje, Telemark in southern Norway. He wrote more than 25 novels, of which The Ice Palace, published in 1963, is probably his best-known. He died, also in Vinje, in 1970.

Writer: Tarjei Vesaas
Translator: Elizabeth Rokkan
Reader: Greta Scacchi
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001fvsb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Sunday]


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001fwds)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.