SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001wjts)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 James and John: A True Story of Prejudice and Murder (m001wjn5)
Episode 5 - The Final Pleas

Read by Simon Russell Beale. Historian and MP Chris Bryant’s book takes us to the early 19th Century, when despite great political and social change and reform, British attitudes to homosexuality were more antagonistic than ever, and in 1835 two consenting adults, James Pratt and John Smith, became the last men in Britain to be hanged for sodomy. They were working class men whose poverty and lack of privacy led directly to their discovery and arrest and, despite a desperate campaign to save them, resulted in one of the great legal injustices of the time.

Read by ..... Simon Russell Beale
Abridged by .... Julian Wilkinson
Produced by .... Allegra McIlroy


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wjtv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wjtx)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wjtz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001wjv1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wjv3)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron

Good morning. I had a wonderful family holiday a few years ago in a town in central Italy called Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis. As well as the beautiful sunshine (and a tour of a wonderful vineyard!), a favourite memory of mine was a visit to the chapel of the ‘Spogliazione’, or ‘stripping’ – this was the site on which Francis, having sensed God calling him to leave the world behind, tore off in front of his father the rich garments of his heritage, and responded to God’s call to complete poverty. It’s said to be on this day a couple of years later, in 1208, that Francis attended Mass and heard there some words of Jesus from the Gospel of St Matthew, calling his disciples to give away what was unnecessary for their mission. At this Francis declared, ‘This is what I wish; this is what I am seeking. This is what I want to do from the bottom of my heart.’

This radical poverty is in many senses alarming to a modern world, in which unwanted poverty is a reality for so many. Why would someone choose this way of life voluntarily? For Francis, poverty was not an end, but a means. It was the way by which he responded to God’s call whole-heartedly. Of course, not everybody is in a position to embrace such radical poverty, even if they wished to. But the lesson Francis leaves us with is his priorities, which we would do well to imitate: that when God comes first in my life, everything else takes on its right place, its lifegiving place.

Almighty God,
show us the places in our lives
that move away, and not towards you.
Give us courage to live your call to complete love,
complete trust.
Amen.


SAT 05:45 Lent Talks (m001wjk6)
Friendship

The Venerable Dr Rachel Mann, Anglican priest, poet, & writer:

‘There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves.’ Jane Austen’s words might be taken as a summary of a relationship most highly prized by contemporary society: Friendship. Yet, Austen gives them to one of her flightiest characters, reminding us that it is also a readily misused and exploited relationship. Jesus himself presents friendship as a defining picture of love, suggesting that ‘greater love has no one than to lay down their life for their friends’. Drawing on the writings of Austen, Aristotle and others, this Lent talk interrogates modern pictures of friendship and suggests that behind them lies a richer, more demanding and uncomfortable vision of friendship, illuminated by the Christian story.

Producer: Carmel Lonergan
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001wr0n)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001whjn)
Walking with resistance bands on the South Downs with Julie Ford

Clare joins PE Teacher Julie Ford for a bracing walk on the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne. It's a walk with a difference. Following a brush with breast cancer Julie was keen to keep fit but no longer wanted to go to the gym. As a passionate walker she was getting good exercise but needed to maintain her upper body strength. So through a process of trial and error Julie has created a way of walking with resistance bands. She takes Clare on a walk on the South Downs on a beautiful sunny Winter's day to show her how to tone her arms while she walks as well as to appreciate health and fitness in the outdoors.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001wr0q)
Farming Today This Week 24/02/24 Farmer protests in Wales; Lesley Griffiths; Prime minister at NFU Conference; new NFU president

As farmer protests continue in Wales the rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths tells us she is listening.

1500 farmers from across England and Wales gathered in Birmingham for the National Farmers' Union annual conference this week. Minette Batters stood down after six years at the helm and Tom Bradshaw was elected as the new NFU president.

The prime minister spoke at the conference. It's the first time a premier has attended since Gordon Brown in 2008. Rishi Sunak told farmers "I've got your back". He arrived with a raft of announcements including: an annual national food security index, measuring the amount of food grown in the UK; a review of transparency in the poultry supply chain; an annual "farm to fork" summit in Downing Street; and increasing payments for managing environmental agreements.

We also hear from Labour and Liberal Democrats about their plans for agriculture and the environment.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001wr0s)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001wr0v)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001wr0z)
Daisy Goodwin, Chris Anderson, Jane Cholmeley, Tommy Tiernan

Chris Anderson, an entrepreneur with a unique background as the son of missionaries and now the head of the TED organization, advocates for the power of Infectious Generosity as the ultimate idea worth spreading.

Jane Cholmeley, once a feminist bookseller and now an author, shares her journey of running Europe's largest women's bookstore amidst challenges of homophobia and misogyny.

Daisy Goodwin, a prolific television producer, screenwriter, and bestselling novelist, known for bringing iconic shows like Grand Designs and Victoria to the world, delves into her latest book exploring the life of the legendary Diva, Maria Callas.

And don't miss the Inheritance Tracks of 'Da Gerry' from Derry Girls, as we hear from the witty comedian and talk show host Tommy Tiernan.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Glyn Tansley


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m001wr11)
Queen of Sheba

In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Jillian Stinchcomb and comedian Sadia Azmat to learn all about the legendary Queen of Sheba. From her first appearance in the Hebrew Bible, the Queen of Sheba has fascinated Jewish, Muslim and Christian writers. But do we know anything about her as a historical figure? And how has her story been told, used and reinterpreted throughout history? This episode traces the legends written about the Queen of Sheba across Europe, Africa and the Middle East from 600 BCE to today, exploring the ambiguous and contradictory depictions of her as a wise and powerful ruler, an exoticised and seductive woman, the founding member of an Ethiopian royal dynasty, and a possible half-demon!

Research by: Jon Mason
Written by: Jon Mason, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001wqhn)
Series 43

Reading

Jay Rayner and his panel of food fanatics are in Reading for this week’s episode of The Kitchen Cabinet.

Joining Jay on the panel are materials expert, Dr Zoe Laughlin, chef Angela Gray and food writers Sophie Wright and Jordan Bourke.

The panel discuss the best way to use up leftover cheese, how to encourage your loved ones to like green vegetables, and tempering versus frying spices. Situated in the biscuit town of Reading, Jay chats to Brendan Carr from Reading Museum, who shares the history of biscuits in Reading, and the intriguing history of the biscuit tin. Meanwhile, Zoe Laughlin answers the question on everyone’s mind: which biscuit is best for dunking?

In recognition of Reading’s large Italian community, the panel later discuss their favourite pasta sauce recipes, and hear from local Sardinian pasta maker, Toni Sale who shares his top methods for creating traditional pasta from scratch.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001wr13)
Following the chaotic scenes in Parliament on Wednesday Sonia Sodha of The Observer analyses the political week. Dr Ruth Fox of The Hansard Society explains why an opposition day debate about Gaza, and calls for a ceasefire, descended in to bitter arguments about parliamentary procedure. John Nicolson of the SNP discusses why his party thinks the Commons Speaker should resign over the issue. And, to reflect on the wider crisis, Sonia speaks to former Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood and the Chair of the International Development Select Committee, Sarah Champion, who has just returned from a trip to the Egypt-Gaza border. On Monday the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, gave a robust response to claims made by the former Chairman of the Post Office who she had previously sacked over the Horizon scandal. Sonia speaks to two MPs who were in the chamber for that statement: Conservative Conor Burns and Labour's Kevan Jones, who has campaigned for many years on behalf of wrongly convicted sub-postmasters. And, after Keir Starmer's chief of staff suggested Labour could make use of citizens' assemblies to decide on contentious issues, Sonia brings together Louise Caldwell, who took part in the Irish citizens' assembly on abortion, and Joe Twyman of Deltapoll, who has helped run such assemblies in the past.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001wr15)
Ukraine: Two Years of War

Kate Adie introduces dispatches from Ukraine, Russia, the USA and Georgia.

Sarah Rainsford was in Ukraine when Vladimir Putin first launched his full-scale invasion two years ago, reporting on the defiance and rush to defend the country. On a recent trip back to the border city of Kharkiv, she found a much more sombre mood.

Steve Rosenberg reflects on how the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with two years of war with Ukraine, has affected the outlook of many ordinary Russians. Many wish for change, but are unclear on how that can be achieved.

Over recent months, the stalled passage of a $60bn military aid package through the US Congress has heightened concerns that Washington’s support for Ukraine is on the wane. Anthony Zurcher reflects on how the current US position has changed since his trip to Kyiv in the weeks before the Russian invasion began.

Georgia has become a prime destination for Russians fleeing the war with Ukraine, especially those escaping conscription. The sudden arrival of tens of thousands of Russians has proved overwhelming at times, and given Georgia’s own past conflict with Russia, not everyone is happy to see them, reports Vitaliy Shevchenko.

Since Russia’s invasion, more than 6 million Ukrainians have sought refuge overseas – but many people have stayed put, often by choice, determined to carry on living their lives as they have always done. Caroline Eden meets some market traders in Ukraine’s southern port of Odessa, who are trying to ensure it's business as usual.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001wr43)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001wr19)
Energy Debt and Annuities

As many as two million of the poorest households have seen the amount they owe their energy suppliers double over the past year. This new analysis of debt figures has been given to Money Box by the consultancy firm Baringa. It says people who've fallen behind on their payments are now £1,100 in the red, an amount that has doubled in a year. Energy UK, which represents suppliers, say they're doing all they can - and we'll hear more about Ofgem's plans to help tackle debt in the industry.

Twenty financial advice firms have been told that they must provide the regulator with details of the services they provide customers when they charge them for what is called “ongoing advice”. The Financial Conduct Authority has written to the companies as part of its enforcement of the new Consumer Duty. What will this mean for consumers?

And, an annuity is a contract with an insurance provider which converts your savings or pension pot into a guaranteed income for your retirement. As annuity sales rise, we'll discuss what they are and how they work.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 24th Feb 2024)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m001wjsn)
Series 113

Episode 8

Andrew Doyle, Hugo Rifkind, Lucy Porter and Ria Lina join Andy Zaltzman to quiz the week's news.

This week the panel tackle how a parliamentary debate about peace descended into constitutional conflict, why Donald Trump is actively urging his supporters to put their foot in it, literally this time, and how Britannia nuked the waves.

Strap in.

Written by Andy Zaltzman

With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Cameron Loxdale and Viv May

Producer: James Robinson
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001wr1c)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001wr1f)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001wjt4)
Baroness Chapman, Lindsey German, Bronwen Maddox, Andrew Mitchell MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the Army Flying Museum in Middle Wallop with the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chapman, the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German, the Director and CEO of Chatham House Bronwen Maddox and the Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Nick Ford


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001wr1h)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week


SAT 14:45 Opening Lines (m001wr1k)
Cane

In the series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work, John Yorke looks at Jean Toomer’s Cane about African American life in 1920s America.

Jean Toomer, born and raised in Washington DC, wrote Cane after a three month trip south to Georgia in 1921. Cane has a unique structure. Divided into three sections, the book is a series of vignettes, poems and short stories and concerns the lives of African Americans in the deep South and those that made the journey up to the northern states. John hears how the book was written at a critical period in American history – during the ‘Great Migration’. He also hears how the work was critically acclaimed when it was published and claimed as a part of the Harlem Renaissance, but how Toomer, of mixed racial heritage himself, eschewed all labels and wanted just to be known as an ‘American’ writer.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series.

From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.

Contributor:
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, Assistant Professor of Writing at the Pratt Institute in New York and author of Harlem Is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America.

Credits:
Cane by Jean Toomer Publisher (Penguin Classics) (8 Jan. 2019) Kindle Edition
Archive of Toni Morrison from Roots Of Cane, Broadcast on Radio 3 on the 2nd April 1993
Readings by Eric Stroud

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Iain Hunter
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 15:00 Electric Decade (m000k8ck)
Cane

Classic titles that influenced and characterised the Jazz Age.

Cane by Jean Toomer is a fragmented portrait of the American South which lurches between poetry, story and drama. A landmark in African-American literature, Cane is dramatised for radio by Janice Okoh, featuring an all-star cast and original music by Soul legend Carleen Anderson.

CAST

Carleen Anderson
Peter Bankole
Pippa Bennett-Warner
Saffron Coomber
Alfred Enoch
Clarke Peters
Sule Rimi
Danielle Vitalis

with original music by Carleen Anderson.

Directed by John Norton
A BBC Cymru Wales Production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001wr1m)
Kelsey Parker, Ukraine's children, Black girls in education, Aisling Bea

It has been almost two years since the death of The Wanted star Tom Parker after he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020 aged 33. His wife, Kelsey Parker, announced last month that, after a lot of reflection, it was time to take off her wedding rings. Kelsey tells Anita Rani about the decision and how she has dealt with her grief.

The Ukrainian government says it has identified 20,000 children who have been abducted by Russian forces. This week saw 11 Ukrainian children reunited with their families. The BBC’s Hague Correspondent, Anna Holligan, and filmmaker Shahida Tulaganova, who directed the ITV documentary Ukraine’s Stolen Children, discuss.

Wicked Little Letters is a new black comedy film set in Littlehampton in the 1920s. It follows two neighbours, deeply conservative Edith Swan played by Olivia Colman and rowdy Irish single mother Rose Gooding played by Jessie Buckley. When Edith and other residents begin to receive poisonous pen letters full of obscenities, potty mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The director, Thea Sharrock joined Emma Barnett to discuss this true story, and the parallels with trolling on social media today.

How do black girls and women experience education in Britain today? Sociologist Dr April-Louise Pennant of Cardiff University joined Emma to discuss why Black Caribbean girls are excluded from school at double the rate of white girls and why intersectionality means the issue of afro hair continues to affect black girls' education today. She explores these issues and more in her book, Babygirl, You’ve Got This! Experiences of Black Girls and Women in the English Education System.

The comedy and acting star Aisling Bea grew up in County Kildare in Ireland and in 2011 became the first woman for 20 years to win the prestigious stand-up competition So You Think You’re Funny? She spoke to Emma about her latest show, Alice and Jack.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor


SAT 17:00 PM (m001wr1p)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001wr1r)
The Mariana Mazzucato One

One of the world's most influencial progressive economists outlines her pitch to leaders across the world - and Starmer's Labour Party - to focus on ambitious 'missions' that can transform society for the better.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001wr1t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001wr1w)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wr1y)
The party suspends Lee Anderson over claims "islamists" had control over Sadiq Khan.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001wr20)
George Clarke, Lindsay Duncan, Charithra Chandran, Caity Baser, Ministry of Desire, Anneka Rice, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Anneka Rice are joined by George Clarke, Lindsay Duncan and Charithra Chandran for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Caity Baser and Ministry of Desire.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001wr22)
Frank Auerbach

Frank Auerbach was sent to Britain from Nazi Germany by his parents at the age of 8. Growing up in a Quaker boarding school in Kent, he developed his artistic talents - later to be inspired by the landscapes of war-torn London in the Blitz. Worrying about how he would afford paint for much of his career, an Auerbach piece now commands a price tag in the millions.

He has developed a reputation as a recluse - rarely giving interviews, or even attending his own exhibitions. Now, his wartime art 'The Charcoal Heads' is on display in London. Who is the 92-year-old artist still working seven days a week? Stephen Smith gets beneath the paint layers to learn more about one of our greatest living artists.

CONTRIBUTORS
Dale Berning Sawa, Journalist and Commissioning Editor
William Feaver, Art Critic, Author
Catherine Lampert, Curator and Art Historian
Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head, The Courtauld Gallery

PRODUCTION TEAM
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Ellie House and Julie Ball
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Editor: Matt Willis
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck

CREDITS:
Omnibus, BBC TV, 2001. Jake Auerbach Films
This Cultural Life, BBC R4, January 2024


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001wq3b)
Series 29

Could it be magic?

Brian Cox and Robin Ince pull scientific explanations out of a hat and go down the rabbit hole to explore the science of magic with comedian Alan Davies, sleight of hand artist Laura London and two experts in the psychology of magic Richard Wiseman and Gustav Kuhn. They ask what our predilection to be bamboozled by sleight of hand can tell us about how our minds work. Alan has a card trick played on him and we learn how our choices aren’t always what we think they are.

Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0002rq8)
The Risk Makers

No one should take a risk without thinking about the possible future outcomes but who do you trust; your gut instinct or someone who will tell you they know what is going to happen? The trouble with humans and the future is that we are all suckers for a good story. In The Risk Makers Professor David Spiegelhalter looks at the track record of experts and finds it to be only slightly better than ' a dart throwing monkey'. With prediction it's data from the past that forms the best guide to the future. Gambling firms and the insurance industry understand this and base their businesses on numbers not rumours. However, the rest of us are often reluctant to engage with data and what it can tell us. Mixing archive with fresh interviews Professor Spiegelhalter discovers there is a personality type best suited to predictions,- so called foxes- although we rarely hear from them because they are often drowned out by 'hedgehogs'. Beware, though, an over reliance on data; like the ancient oracles, the usefulness depends on what you ask and how you interpret the replies. David meets with an academic who is an expert on Greek oracles but who also advises businesses about the future, a Lord who is one of the nation's foremost political and football pundits, the man who ran GCHQ for three years and the insurance executive whose job is to imagine possible malign futures and price them. The Risk Makers concludes if you want to know about the future, don't trust someone who tells you they know what will happen. Trust in data- of course but mix in humans too, lots of them – just make sure there are more 'foxes' than 'hedgehogs'!


SAT 21:00 Drama on 4 (m0002yc2)
China Towns

Episode 6

Inspired by the novels of Arnold Bennett, an epic tale of money, passion and daring to dream set in the Staffordshire potteries. Dramatised for radio by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan.

Industrial action brings Bursley to a standstill. Against this backdrop of defiance, Edwin declares his love for Hilda but a secret threatens their chance of a life together. Happiness is hard won in the Five Towns but easily snatched away.

Ephraim Tellwright . . . Neil Dudgeon
Darius Clayhanger . . . Tim McInnerny
Edwin . . . Cameron Percival
Hilda . . . Lucy Doyle
Janet . . . Saffron Coomber
Ruth Tellwright . . . Rebekah Staton
Constance . . . Bryony Hannah
Mr Povey . . . Lewis Bray
Ingpen . . . Don Gilet
Aunty Hamps . . . Carolyn Pickles
Big James . . . Ian Conningham
Cassie . . . Jeanette Percival
Titus Price . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Dr Heve . . . Tony Turner
The Striker . . . Christopher Harper

Incidental music arranged by Colin Guthrie and performed by Colin Guthrie, Peter Ringrose and Ian Conningham.

Produced and directed by Gemma Jenkins.


SAT 22:00 News (m001wr25)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001wjt0)
Amy Harman and Debbie Wiseman get In the Mood

Bassoonist Amy Harman and Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman are today's studio guests, as Linton Stephens sits in for Cerys Matthews alongside Jeffrey Boakye. This episode takes us from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Glenn Miller's wartime smash hit.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Linton Stephens

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Nonet, Op.2 ‘Gradus ad Parnassum’: 1st movement by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Nobody Knows (Ladas Road) by Loyle Carner
Adagio from Piano Sonata in G minor by Clara Schumann
If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
In the Mood by Glenn Miller

Other music in this episode:

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails by Irving Berlin
Moondance by Van Morrison
Symphony No. 6 in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nobody Knows by Pastor T L Barrett & The Youth for Christ Choir
Tar Paper Stomp by Wingy Manone


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (m001wjd5)
Series 37

Semi-final 2, 2024

(11/13)
The second semi-final in the 37th season of Counterpoint comes from the BBC's Salford studios, with another three heat winners from recent weeks playing off for a place in the Final.

Taking part today are
Steve Draper from Liverpool;
Annie Hodkinson from Kingswinford in the West Midlands;
Caroline Mckay from Frodsham in Cheshire.

As well as showing their musical general knowledge, they'll have to opt for a special musical topic on which to answer individual questions, with no warning of the categories they'll be offered. How will they fare on the music of the Carpenters? Might they prefer to answer on Puccini? And what if their favourite is taken by a rival before they get their chance?

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Offstage: Inside The X Factor (p0h6fkx5)
5. It’s Always the Money

The X Factor finalists have to make financial and legal decisions, but are they out of their depth? Chi Chi considers how The X Factor makes money even though it is no longer on TV. And how well did the contestants understand the business side of show business?
Join Chi Chi Izundu as she looks back on the world of The X Factor, where contestants perform in front of celebrity judges to realise their dream of becoming household names. It’s a world of glamour and excitement, but also of hard truths, hard words and hard work.
Offstage: Inside The X Factor captures the emotion, the excitement and the drama of the show and features some of the captivating characters that led to its enduring success. But it also looks beyond the glitz and glamour revealing how contestants and staff felt, the toll it took on some of them and what they say happened behind the scenes. 

Presenter: Chi Chi Izundu
Producers: Rob Brown, Jo Adnitt, Lucy Burns, Joe Kent
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Archive:
The X Factor series 4, 10 (Fremantle/Syco/ITV)
Youtube/WhatsOnTV (2008)
So Graham Norton (2002, So Productions/Channel 4)

SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001wr28)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 The Poetry Detective (m001wgyt)
Talisman Poems

Writer Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about how poetry sits in people's everyday lives. Each week, Vanessa speaks to people about a poem that is deeply 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 the first episode of the new series we talk to people who carry poems with them in physical form. Including Karen Walker, who wears a ring inscribed with a line of poetry that came into her life exactly when she needed it most - "three days after she died, Diane di Prima saved my life". And Kevin Koontz, who tells us about the faded newspaper clipping of a poem that his adoptive mother carried in her wallet for 50 years. Can our Poetry Detective find out anything about the author?

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth & Alice McKee for BBC Audio


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wr2b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wr2d)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wr2g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001wr2j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001wr2l)
Holy Trinity Church in Penn, Buckinghamshire

Bells on Sunday, comes from Holy Trinity Church in Penn, Buckinghamshire. The original church dates from the late 12th century with a tower, and four bells, added in the early 14th century. Today the tower contains a ring of six bells, the oldest three of which were cast by Samuel Knight of Holborn in 1702. The Tenor bell weighs nine and half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of A. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Doubles


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001wr22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001wr45)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01p6ryg)
The Gloaming

The writer and broadcaster Sarah Cuddon considers the inspirational and meditational qualities of the 'in-between moments' of twilight at the start and end of each day.

Sacred aspects of this time are explored alongside the work of artists and photographers who refer to it as the 'blue hour' and writers who have attempted to capture 'the gloaming'. With music inspired by twilight from, among others, Radiohead and Richard Strauss.

Produced by Alan Hall.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001wr47)
Minette Batters

The outgoing President of the National Farmers Union, Minette Batters, has been the most influential woman in British farming for the last six years. Anna Hill joins her on her beef farm in Wiltshire, where she talks about her motivation for taking up the job, and her desire to make a difference for family farms transitioning to a new system after Brexit.

She reveals her successes and failures, and talks frankly about how she managed to cope with rapidly-changing political incumbents at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She also tells Anna about the demands of her NFU job and the stress of being on-duty all day, every day.

Produced and presented by Anna Hill


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001wr49)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001wr4c)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001wr4f)
Vatican secrets; Interfaith row; AI and beyond the grave

Some of the Vatican’s secrets have been revealed in a new book, ”Secretum”, by Massimo Franco. It’s in the form of a series of conversations with Archbishop Sergio Pagano, who has worked in the Vatican archive for 45 years. From stories of Vatican intrigue to a letter written in 1530 by English nobles urging Pope Clement VII to grant Henry VIII an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn, Massimo Franco tells Edward about some of the gems in the Archive.

The Inter Faith Network (IFN) is to close after the government withdrew funding because one of its trustees is associated with the Muslim Council of Britain. Since 1987 the IFN has worked to promote understanding and good relations between people of different faiths. Edward talks to IFN’s executive director, Dr Harriet Crabtree and to Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Increasingly AI is being used to help people maintain a form of relationship after death, to help preserve a legacy or experiences worth remembering. We hear from the AI version of the actor Ed Asner who died in 2021, from Stephen Smith, CEO of StoryFile, who created it and from Dr Nathan Mladin from Theos whose latest report looks at the pros and cons of how AI is being used in the rapidly changing world of grief tech.

Producers: Amanda Hancox and James Leesley


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001wqgn)
EveryYouth

Sports broadcaster Ade Oladipo makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of EveryYouth

To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘EveryYouth’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘EveryYouth’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Charity Number: 1201811


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001wr4h)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001wr4k)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001wr4m)
Love of Nation

In this week of St David’s Day, Rev Roy Jenkins leads a service reflecting on love of nation, live from the Wales Millennium Centre in the heart of Cardiff Bay. With music from the BBC National Chorus of Wales, including hymns by Welsh composers and texts by Welsh hymn-writers.

Luke 13.31-35, and 19.41-44

Let all the world in every corner sing : Luckington
We turn to you, o God of every Nation : Rhys
Dros Gymru’n gwlad (For Wales our land) : Finlandia
God is love, let heaven adore Him : Blaenwern
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer : Cwm Rhondda

BBC National Chorus of Wales
Director: Adrian Partington
Piano: Derek Harris


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001wjtb)
The Carnival Is Over

Following a recent incident in a London theatre where, it appears, Jewish Israelis were targeted by a comedian because they wouldn't stand for a Palestinian flag, Howard Jacobson reflects on the power of mockery and the liberation of laughter.

'Do the best comedians truly turn the world upside down', Howard asks, 'or do they merely strap us into a fairground roller-coaster so that we can feign fear and scream in unison?'

He argues that the norms of outrage have been jettisoned in the reaction to events in Israel on October 7.

'Once the world is turned upside down,' he writes, 'humanity and justice fall like loose change from our pockets.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Liam Morrey
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b09thf0g)
Chris Baines on the Nuthatch

In this episode about the birds which are encouraged by his 'wildlife-friendly' garden in inner-city Wolverhampton, naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines describes the regular visits of the stunning-looking Nuthatches which visit his pond for mud to line their nests and his feeders for food.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001wr4p)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001wr4r)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Julie Beckett
Editor: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Natasha Archer …. Mali Harries
Tony Archer …. David Troughton
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Vince Casey …. Tony Turner
Harry Chilcott …. Jack Ashton
Ed Grundy …. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy …. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Elizabeth Pargetter… Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Markie… Greg Hobbs


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001wr4t)
Sandy Powell, costume designer

Sandy Powell won her first Academy Award for dressing Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, and has since won two more Oscars - along with a further dozen nominations - and three BAFTAs. Her credits range from Gangs of New York for Martin Scorsese to Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, and she's worked with many of the biggest current screen stars, including Leonardo di Caprio, Cate Blanchett and Al Pacino.

Sandy was born in south London and completed an art foundation course at St Martin’s School of Art. In 1981 she got her first job designing costumes for the choreographer Lindsay Kemp’s show Nijinsky at La Scala in Milan. She later worked for the director Derek Jarman on his film Caravaggio and continued to collaborate with him until his death in 1994. She has also enjoyed long working relationships with Martin Scorsese and Todd Haynes.

Sandy has won acclaim for her designs on films with historical settings, including The Wings of the Dove, The Young Victoria and The Favourite starring Olivia Colman, as well as the flamboyant glam rock world of Velvet Goldmine and the fairy-tale fantasy of Cinderella, starring Lily James.

In 2011 she was awarded an OBE for services for the film industry and in 2023 she became the first costume designer to receive a BAFTA Fellowship.

DISC ONE: Jeepster - T Rex
DISC TWO: Adagietto, Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor. Composed by Gustav Mahler and performed by Orchestre de l'Académie de Santa Cécilia and conducted by Franco Mannino
DISC THREE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie
DISC FOUR: La Vie en Rose - Alan Dunn
DISC FIVE: I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Bobbi Gentry
DISC SIX: Satellite of Love - Lou Reed
DISC SEVEN: Where Love Lives (Come On In) - Alison Limerick
DISC EIGHT: I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett

BOOK CHOICE: Josef Koudelka: Gypsies
LUXURY ITEM: A lemon tree
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001wr50)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wjgj)
Series 1

1. My Sphinx Has No Nose

Frank & guests Simon Evans, Jessica Fostekew, Amy Gledhill and Ahir Shah find out what you think about mead, Poirot and a stinky brontosaurus.

This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling.

Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!

Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche

Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simons Evans with the producer David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001wq36)
The power of poems to connect us to food

Getting people to engage with food and ideas for agricultural change can be really difficult - but that’s the hope of a major new arts project called We Feed The UK. Farmers, poets and photographers have collaborated to tell ten stories to celebrate custodians of land, seed, soil and sea from all corners of the country. The project is being coordinated by the charity The Gaia Foundation – with a mission to elevate stories of farms and food producers that show positive solutions to climate change, the biodiversity crisis and social justice in the food system.

Jimi Famurewa joins conversations between farmers, food producers and poets, who are collaborating as a part of the project, to hear a selection of these poems and ask how poetry can help the public think twice about how food is grown.

Presented by Jimi Famurewa and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001wr51)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001wr54)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Three Million (m001wr56)
1. War

During the Second World War, at least three million Indian people, who were British subjects, died in the Bengal Famine. It was one of the largest losses of civilian life on the Allied side. But there is no memorial to them anywhere in the world - not even a plaque. Can three million people disappear from public memory?

From the award-winning creator and presenter of Partition Voices and Three Pounds in My Pocket, this is the story of the Bengal Famine of 1943. For the first time it is told by those who were there - farmers and fishermen, artists and writers, colonial British and everyday citizens. Nearly all of the testimony in the series has never been broadcast before.

Eighty years on, those who lived through it are a vanishing generation. Time is running out to record their memories.

We begin in 1942. As the Japanese sweep through South East Asia, Calcutta (now Kolkata) is inundated with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from all over the world. Fear of a Japanese invasion of British India provokes a consequential decision.

Presenter : Kavita Puri
Series Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Emma Rippon
Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck
Original music: Felix Taylor

With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.

Interviews with American soldiers courtesy of The National World War II Museum, New Orleans https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

Interviews with G S Khosla and Debotosh Das Gupta courtesy of the University of Cambridge

Major General Dharitri Kumar Palit interviewed by Gillian Wright, 1987, British Library reference C63/195/09. Audio © British Library Board and the interviewee. The British Library has been unable to locate the family of the interviewee. Please contact oralhistory@bl.uk with any relevant information.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001wjr1)
Balsall

When should I split and sew my snowdrops? What are the benefits of leaving loose leaves on our borders? What tips could the panel suggest for growing a giant award winning pumpkin?

Kathy Clugston and a panel of keen gardening experts are in Balsall, West Midlands to investigate the audience's gardening conundrums. On the panel this week are garden designer Bunny Guinness, self proclaimed botanical geek James Wong, and plantswoman Christine Walkden.

Later, James Wong takes a trip to Manchester's Chinatown to explore the wide variety of plants and shurbs they have on display, as well as the cultural significance of a Salix discolor in Chinese New celebrations.

Senior Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 The Banksy Story (m001p232)
9. Restoration

James Peak isn't an art critic, or even a journalist. He's a Banksy super-fan, and in this series he, and his soundman Duncan, get closer than close to Banksy's secret world - telling the story of the graffiti kid who made spraying walls into high art, the household name who is completely anonymous, the cultural phenomenon who bites the hand that feeds him.

James persuades a member of Banksy's secret team – someone who worked closely with the artist when they were starting to cut through – to talk about the experience. The story that results is a rollercoaster ride.

In this episode, help arrives for Steph from an unlikely source - a person we've heard quite a lot from already. And we head off to Weston-super-mare for a very special Banksy show.

Written, Produced and Presented by James Peak
Sound & Commentary: Duncan Crowe.
Voices: Keith Wickham & Harriet Carmichael
Music: Alcatraz Swim Team & Lilium
Series Mixing: Neil Churchill
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
With special thanks to Farhath Siddiqui, Bryn Youlds, Hadrian Briggs, Pete Chinn, Patrick Nguyen, John Higgs and Steph Warren.

An Essential Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000kmv4)
Tristram Shandy: In Development

Tristram Shandy: In Development by Christopher Douglas
We're in the studios of Awesome Sauce , where an audio drama workshop - and podcast - is being recorded to thrash out a way of telling the bawdy, iconoclastic and impossibly digressive eighteenth century novel Tristram Shandy. It's an opportunity, says award winning producer Philippa Lauriston, to discover an entirely new way of doing radio drama. The creative team also includes the actors who will play the novel's main characters. And there is a rumour that a very famous actor will be joining the throng. Everyone has their own theories about how to approach this game-changing venture. What could possibly go wrong?

Jason..................................Tim McInnerny
Philippa..............................Monica Dolan
Chris....................................Christopher Douglas
Rosie.................................Mina Anwar
Clare..................................Emily Pithon
Johnny/Gary...............................Simon Greenall
Roberta/Sam.........................Nicola Sanderson
Director/Producer Gary Brown.

'Tristram Shandy' is a famous eighteenth century novel by Laurence Sterne. Ostensibly a picaresque about Tristram, its many hilarious digressions and bawdy interludes have made it a classic. It is also a satire on the act of telling a story - and a plea for people to be allowed to tell their stories in their own way.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001wqh1)
Kate Davies

Kate Davies, who won the Polari Book Prize for her debut, In At The Deep End, talks to Chris Power about her follow-up. Nuclear Family is a funny, moving novel about parenting, relationships and what we mean by family.

In The Extinction of Irena Rey, Jennifer Croft, herself a renowned translator, depicts a surreal and darkly funny translation conference. Eight translators travel to a remote forest to meet 'their' author, Irena Rey, and work on her latest book. But Irena disappears and the translators must work out who they are and what they should do without her guiding presence. Jennifer Croft and Miranda France join Chris to talk about the art of translation.

And a reading recommendation for March.

Book List – Sunday 25 February and Thursday 29 February

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
The Writing School by Miranda France
All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel: Translated by Miranda France
Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Piñeiro: Translated by Miranda France
Before the Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb: Translated by Kay Heikkinen


SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001wr59)
Poetry and Care

Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about the poems that go with us through life.

Vanessa meets people with a poem that is precious to them, and then she digs in to the backstory of the poem. Why does it mean so much to them? Who wrote it and why? What's the story behind how it came to be written? How does it work on us?

The many acts of care we exchange are subtle and largely unsung. Care is the invisible thread that keeps the fabric of society from fraying, and yet we overlook the strength it involves to take good care of ourselves and each other, day in and day out. Caring for someone is the ultimate show of love, patience and perseverance, building profound bonds between people. It can also be lonely and frustrating, sometimes placing the carer at the periphery of their own life. Does poetry have anything to offer in this context? Can a poem be an act of care, or at the very least a brief respite from it?

We meet Kirsteen McNish, a writer and special events curator whose interests are focussed on people, places, and lesser heard stories. She tells us about a poem that has become precious to her: 'Selkie' by the Shetland poet Roseanne Watt, from her collection Moder Dy (Mother Wave). Vanessa gets in touch with Roseanne to ask her about the inspiration behind the poem. Why did the selkie myth appeal to her, and what are the skins that Kirsteen and Roseanne might both wish they could slip out of at times? Can writing itself be an act of care and profound communication between poet and reader?

We speak to stroke-survivor Anna Zvegintzov who is using poetry as an act of self-care and tool of recovery. And we meet two doctors working in intensive care for whom a poem became 'like a hymn'. Jane Hirshfield, the author of that poem - The Weighing - speaks to Vanessa about writing and care.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth and Alice McKee for BBC Audio


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001wjgx)
When Abortion is a Crime

The case of Carla Foster made headlines last year after the mother-of-three was initially sentenced to two years in prison for taking abortion pills after the legal cut-off. Since then, several other women have appeared in English courts accused of having illegal abortions, with increasing numbers of women under police investigation.

Reporter Divya Talwar hears from women who have been investigated on suspicion of procuring illegal abortions, meets one woman who was prosecuted and sentenced, and hears from a journalist who believes the law is proportionate. File on 4 reveals that in some cases, women who have experienced pregnancy loss and premature deliveries are also being investigated on suspicion of having illegal abortions.

There have been growing calls from campaigners and MPs to scrap the Victorian law that criminalises abortion in England and Wales and replace with medical regulation instead - as is the case in Northern Ireland. While some say the law doesn’t need to be changed, others believe urgent reform is required so women involved are treated with compassion instead of being punished.

Reporter: Divya Talwar
Producers: Anna Meisel and Eleanor Layhe
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Clare Fordham and Carl Johnston

Image Credit: MartinPrescott\Getty


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001wr22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001wr5c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001wr5f)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wr5h)
Deputy PM defends Tory response to ex deputy party chairman's comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001wr5k)
Jon Kay

A dog with two heads…..really.

An unexpected Oscar.

And the BBC Russia Editor swapping his computer keyboard for the piano.

These might sound like cryptic crossword clues - but they are, in fact, just some of the weird and wonderful wireless moments of the last seven days.
From a medical scandal to a new style of court reporting, Jon's been shiffling through the best audio to select some highlights for you.
Shiffling - it’s a word. You’ll see.

Presenter: Jon Kay
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001wq2y)
Upstairs at The Bull Kenton tells Jolene he slept well and wants to take on running this week’s pub quiz. Jolene says she’ll let Jim know he can stand down as Quizmaster, then hears a noise outside the window, which makes her suspicious. She rings Harrison, telling him someone’s just tried to break in. Worried Fallon tells Harrison to be careful when he goes to investigate. Plus, neither of them have slept well for worrying about Alice and Harry. But when Harrison sees Tracy in The Bull car park he realises it’s a false alarm. Restless Tracy was out walking before coming in for her first shift since getting ill. She saw the pub’s logs left out in the rain and thought she’d move them under cover. That’s why she tried the back door before stacking them under a table. Jolene offers to make them a bacon sandwich for messing up their Sunday morning. Harrison demurs, but still wants Jolene to call him if anything worries her. Tracy then comforts Jolene, who’s upset about overreacting. Jolene admits she’ll be glad to have Tracy back – she’s had enough of David and Lilian fighting each other behind the bar.

When he gets home Harrison tells Fallon he thinks Jolene might benefit from counselling. But he’s more worried about Harry possibly making a complaint about him. Fallon reckons Alice won’t spill the beans. They reconfirm their love for one another, with or without children, before Fallon talks him out of going round to see Harry and possibly making things worse.


SUN 19:15 Jokes (p0hc1sjt)
Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living

1. Stuart Eats a Pigeon

Comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis. His journey of self discovery is prompted by a visit to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants - a meal that makes him question his entire existence.

Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story.
A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living.

Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell
Produced by Lauren Mackay


SUN 19:30 Jokes (m001wpg2)
Jazz Emu: The Sound of Us

1. The Sound of Love

Jazz Emu sets out to write his friends the most romantic song ever created, in order to save their crumbling relationship and make everything in his friendship group nice again. Digging back into his alternative musical archives, Jazz takes inspiration from Barry White, George Michael and ACDC in order to learn about what makes a song romantic. Armed with misguided understanding and unerring confidence, Jazz is ready to blow some minds. If music be the food of love, it’s lunchtime. Or something like that?

Jazz Emu: musician, 70s lothario-type, ex-Hollywood foley artist and internationally renowned idiot. After a long career in (and often out) of the spotlight, he has decided to present a radio show in order to connect with the average Joes (and Janes, and other boring names) and bestow his expert knowledge of Sound upon the universe.

Written by Archie Henderson and Adrian Gray
Starring: Archie Henderson, Adrian Gray, Emmanuel Sonubi, Lorna Rose Treen, Cody Dahler
Produced by Sasha Bobak
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SUN 19:45 The Song Thief by Colin Carberry (m001wr5m)
Episode 3

An eerie tale of forgotten songs and vengeful spirits by Belfast author Colin Carberry (‘Good Vibrations.’) As read by Aoibhéann McCann ('Blue Lights.')

‘The Song Thief’ follows Harry Probyn on his journey across Ireland to find Aislinn Byrne, the woman who started his song-writing career. After recording her sing years before in Ireland, Harry stole her song ‘Bluebell Wood’. He shared it with the world and made his fortune. Now penniless and on the run from the violent Shanks family, Harry must return to Ireland and find a new hit song.

Song-collectors – hobbyists who collect sound recordings, usually of music, but sometimes poetry, readings, historical speeches, and ambient noises – are responsible for most of what we now know as traditional folk music that has been preserved down the years. However the practice has a darker legacy and is littered with examples of artists being exploited by unscrupulous recordists. While the ‘Folk Revival’ of the 1960s saw many artists from the traditional music communities become famous, most of them were men. Women artists were silenced at a time when men’s voices were encouraged to sing loudest.

Featuring traditional folk music from the BBC Archives recorded on location in Ireland and America in the 1950s.

Author
Colin Carberry is a writer of screenplays and fiction from Belfast. With Glenn Patterson he co-wrote the film ‘Good Vibrations’ for which the pair were nominated for Outstanding Debut at the 2014 BAFTA Film awards. ‘Good Vibrations’ has since been adapted into a stage musical. A frequent contributor of new fiction to BBC Radio 4’s Short Works series, he is currently working on a collection of short stories and developing a number of projects for film, television and theatre.

Reader: Aoibhéann McCann
Writer: Colin Carberry
Music: Gerard O'Kane
Music: Patrick O'Kane
Producer: Michael Shannon
Editor: Andy Martin

A BBC Northern Ireland production.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001wh8g)
Per capita GDP, MP claims and the entire EU budget

What does per capita GDP tell us about the UK economy? Did the government spend £94bn helping with rising energy prices? Was Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg right about the cost of the EU Covid recovery scheme? How did Ben Goldacre persuade scientists to publish all their medical research?

Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the news.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower and Lucy Proctor
Producers: Debbie Richford, Perisha Kudhail, Olga Smirnova
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001wjrt)
Alexei Navalny, Dr Brooke Ellison, Gertrude Wright, Steve Brown

John Wilson on

Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner and leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, who has died in a Russian state prison.

Dr Brooke Ellison, an American academic and disabilities rights advocate who drew on her own experience of living with quadriplegia.

Gertrude Wright, who survived the bombing of her German home city during World War Two and went on to become a translator for Field Marshall Montgomery.

And Steve Brown, the music composer who worked on comedy productions such as Alan Partridge, Spitting Image, Dead Ringers and many more productions. Steve Coogan and Harry Hill pay tribute.

Interviewee: Nikolai Petrov
Interviewee: Jean Ellison
Interviewee: Professor Stephen Post
Interviewee: James Holland
Interviewee: Steve Coogan
Interviewee: Harry Hill

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:
Alexei Navalny, Profile, BBC Radio 4, 27/10/2012; BBC News, 05/12/2011; Alexei Navalny, HardTalk, BBC News, 19/01/2017; Navalny, Cable Network News, Dogwool, BBC Storyville, Director: Daniel Roher; 2022; Brooke Ellison, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, 21/09/2010; Brooke Ellison, Tedx Talks, YouTube uploaded 14/07/2015; Brooke Ellison interview, Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, YouTube upload 28/09/2023; Brooke Ellison Harvard Commencement Speech, June 2000; Magdeburg Blitzed, Pathe Gazettes/Pathe, 1944; Steve Brown, The Mitch Benn Music Show, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 12/04/2009 (original TX 2006); Steve Brown/Glen Ponder, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, BBC Two, 05/08/2002; Spend, Spend Spend promo, Barbara Dickson/Steve Brown/Justin Green, Chariot Records, Released 06/05/2016; I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical, YouTube 04/11/2013; Steve Brown singing on Newsnight, BBC TWO, 20/03/1992


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001wr19)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001wqgn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001wr20)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001wr5q)
Leila Nathoo is joined by the former Cabinet minister Sir Robert Buckland; Shadow Foreign Office Minister, Anna McMorrin and the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney. They discuss the current tone of politics and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on political debate in the UK. The SNP MP Richard Thomson explains how his party will take forward its call for a ceasefire in Gaza, with a further debate in Parliament. The political editor of the Daily Telegraph, Ben Riley-Smith, assesses whether the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is safe in his job. And Anna recounts how she recently made a trip to Antarctica to look at the impact of climate change - following in the footsteps of her father, a polar researcher.


SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001whc9)
The moral case for veganism

It emerged this week that scientists in South Korea have created a new kind of “meaty” rice, with high levels of protein.  The grains are packed with beef muscle and fat cells – all grown in a lab.  It’s just the latest of many meat-alternatives that are helping people to eat less meat.  Supermarkets are responding to public demand by offering an ever wider choice of plant-based foods.  But while we might not need to eat meat, most of us really enjoy it.

The goal posts are shifting in the age old debate about the morality of meat.  Whatever you think about the industrial breeding of animals, to be slaughtered and served up for our pleasure, there’s now another compelling argument for us to stop, or at least cut back – meat production significantly contributes to climate change. 

In the last decade, the number of vegans in the UK has increased steeply, but it’s still small. Estimates vary between about 2% and 3% of the population.  Many more are vegetarian, who avoid meat and fish, but eat dairy.  There are also flexitarians, who mainly choose a plant-based diet, but do occasionally eat meat.  

A moral argument that was once focused on whether humans have the right to exploit animals has become a broader debate that includes protecting the planet for future generations.  Some say it’s natural for humans to eat meat, indeed we have evolved to do so.  Others think it’s barbaric and the effects of the meat and dairy industry on the climate have made the argument for veganism overwhelming.   What’s the moral case for veganism?

Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton

MONDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001wr5s)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001whbv)
57. Grudge Match

Lee and Drew have been like brothers ever since adolescence. So when Drew betrays Lee in the heat of a tumultuous night in Glasgow, the two men find themselves entangled in a bitter grudge that went way beyond what they could imagine, as the violence and bitterness of the wrestling ring, spilled over into the real world.

Grudges are typically seen as dangerous, negative emotions. But is there a glimmer of light to be found amid the darkness of resentment? Matthew Syed questions both the hidden values and harsh consequences of grudges.

Featuring WWE superstar Drew McIntyre, ICW champion and professional wrestler Lee Greig, Pr Robert Enright from University of Wisconsin and writer Sophie Hannah.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Engineering: Daniel Kempson
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru.
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001wr2l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wr5w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wr5y)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wr60)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001wr62)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wr66)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001wr6b)
26/02/24 Welsh farmers welcoming a greener farming policy; river pollution and flooding

The BBC has been told that farmers in Wales who support overhauling their subsidies to help the environment feel "intimidated" and afraid to speak out.  It comes as some farmers are staging protests across Wales over plans for a greener post-Brexit funding scheme for agriculture, which farming unions say is unworkable.  But the Nature Friendly Farming Network, representing around 500 farmers in Wales, told BBC Wales that sticking to "business as usual" would not help the industry succeed in the long term. 

It's been very wet and, as we've been reporting, lots of farmland is or has been underwater. That means crops destroyed and new crops not being planted. We've heard from farmers while the rain is clearly the problem, they say the Environment Agency is sometimes not helping. The Chair of the Environment Agency, Alan Lovell, spoke at last week's National Farmers Union conference, and unsurprisingly flooding was top of the agenda. He explained the EA’s flood strategy in rural areas.

The Rivers Trust have released their latest State of Our Rivers report which shows the extent of farm pollution in rivers.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:56 Weather (m001wr6d)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09pkyg2)
Tony Juniper on the Woodcock

Environmentalist Tony Juniper recalls his encounters with woodcock, from startling them in a woodland during a daytime walk to enjoying the curious sight and call of the birds as they perform their curious roding flight at dusk.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


MON 06:00 Today (m001wq1w)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001wq1y)
Weighty issues

Over the past 50 years, worldwide obesity rates have tripled, and now headlines increasingly shout of a public health crisis, even an obesity epidemic. Tom Sutcliffe explores the consequences of using such negative and emotional language to describe weight and the increasing rates of fat phobia in society. He looks at the health issues and the so-called ‘miracle drugs’ that suppress appetite, and where genetics and diet meet.

He’s joined by Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow and recently appointed as the UK Government’s Obesity Mission Chair, the body-positive activist Stephanie Yeboah who’s the author of Fattily Ever After, and the businessman Henry Dimbleby whose book Ravenous reveals the mechanisms behind our food systems.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq50)
Episode 1

How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.

1/5 Dimitris explores ritual across the animal kingdom and how its importance lasts a lifetime.

Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wq25)
Actor Samantha Morton, Mary Beard, Leap year proposals

The twice Oscar-nominated actor Samantha Morton has just received the Bafta Fellowship: a lifetime achievement award which recognises an outstanding contribution to film and television. She grew up in the social care system and began working in film and television at the age of 13. In a moving speech at the Baftas last week, Samantha dedicated the award to every child in care today.

2024 is a leap year and 29 February is the day when traditionally women are "allowed" to propose to their male partner.  We hear your stories and discuss the tradition with wedding speech writer Heidi Ellert-McDermott, and Dr Vera Beckley-Hoelscher, an academic at Royal Holloway, University of London.

People in their early 20s are more likely to be out of work because of ill health than those in their early 40s, according to a new report . Lindsay Judge, Research Director at The Resolution Foundation, which carried out the research, explains how young women are particularly affected and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experince poor mental health than young men.

And Emma speaks to the world-famous classicist Mary Beard about Legion - the new exhibition at the British Museum, about life in the Roman army. Mary will share stories of some remarkable women who lived in Roman military bases. 

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer:Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Emma Harth


MON 11:00 The Gatekeepers (m001wq29)
4. Flood the Zone

2016 is a big election year. But something is going very wrong online. Journalists in America and the Philippines start to notice something strange going on online.

In Manila, Maria Ressa - the editor of online news site, Rappler - discovers a sock puppet network of social media accounts, all pushing for the election of a strong leader. Someone like Rodrigo Duterte. Maria is suspicious. She makes an urgent call to Facebook.

In Veles, in Macedonia, a young man called 'Marco' starts writing fake articles and posting them online. Very soon they're being read by millions of people around the globe and he's making huge sums of money.

The online ecosystem is under attack.

Producer: Caitlin Smith
Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Exec: Peter McManus
Researcher: Juliet Conway and Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Commissioned by Dan Clarke

Archive: BBC News, AP Archive, Bloomberg Television, CNN

New episodes released on Mondays. If you’re in the UK, listen to the latest episodes of The Gatekeepers, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3Ui661u


MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001whkd)
Where's the life in nightlife?

The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns the Atik and Pryzm brands, blamed the cost of living crisis hurting its customers, along with increased operating costs. But is there something else going on?

According to the industry association the number of nightclubs in the UK has more than halved in the last decade, so have younger people – nightclubs’ core customers – lost interest in drinking and dancing the night away? Are landlords eyeing up healthier returns from these enormous spaces by turning them into flats? And how are the remaining venues evolving to attract these, and sometimes older, customers?

Evan Davis is joined by:

Peter Marks, chairman of REKOM UK;
Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association;
Jo Cox-Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producers: Simon Tulett and Nick Holland
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

(Picture: A crowd of people dancing and waving their arms in the air. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001wq9k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001wq2k)
Building Regulations, 60+ House Shares and De-Banking

The government says its new registration and certification scheme for building control inspectors in England and Wales will "restore confidence in the profession". In May, we heard from a man who bought a new build flat with so many faults that a survey recommended the whole block might have to be demolished. How did it get signed off in the first place? We have a jaw dropping update on that which raises important questions about the implementation of the new rules that take effect in April.

When it comes to choosing what to play, today's gamers have never had it so good. The digital download store, Steam had a record-breaking 14,500 game releases there last year. Has this abundance finally peaked? Sony announced the PS5 it launched in 2020 is now in its "end of life" phase. Meanwhile sales of gaming kit and software have hit their biggest slowdown in 30 years. An industry insider tells us what's going on.

We often associate living in house shares with the likes of the anarchic students in The Young Ones or the ambitious 20 somethings in This Life. But according to both Spareroom and Cohabitas, a growing number over 60s are living this way. We find out why older people are turning to house shares and what the experience is like for them.

Finally, its not just “politically exposed persons” who find themselves suddenly de-banked. It’s happening to ordinary people for reasons their banks cannot explain. There have been 1500 complaints about this over the last year. We can now reveal that as well as inexplicably losing their accounts, some customers are also being wrongfully barred from using the industry’s flagship switching service too. We hear from one couple on how this has affected them.

Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz


MON 12:57 Weather (m001wq2p)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001wq2t)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


MON 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012scy)
Did Mr Blobby upend local politics in Lancashire?

In 1994, a theme park based on Mr Blobby opened in the seaside resort of Morecambe, in the north west of England. Guardian Media editor Jim Waterson investigates the impact the park’s failure had on local politics, and the legacy the town is left with today as it looks towards the future.

Presenter: Jim Waterson
Contributors: Steve Middlesbrough, Clive Portman, Erica Lewis
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producers: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001wq2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Limelight (m001wnsq)
Sabine

Sabine - Episode 2

Elly’s been staying in Sabine’s flat to pack up her things. But after finding some surprising evidence in her sister's room, Elly’s desperate to find out who ‘F’ is.

When Sabine’s body is found beneath the cliffs in an apparent suicide, her sister Elly is convinced she was murdered. Elly's hunt for the killer takes her deep into the secret life in Brighton her sister kept hidden. Sabine is a new five-part murder mystery by Mark Healy.

CAST
Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell
Sabine ..... Freya Mavor
Oakley ..... Rupert Evans
Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah
Gabe ..... Tommy Sim’aan
Mia ..... Aisling Loftus
Ziggy ..... Ian Dunnett Jr
Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk

Written by Mark Healy
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose
Production Co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly

Sabine is a BBC Audio Production for Radio 4


MON 14:45 The Chronicles of Burke Street (m000x60d)
The Chronicles of Burke Street

2: Winston's Story

{Paterson Joseph reads the next in the brilliantly funny short story series by the award-winning author of 'Love After Love', Ingrid Persaud.

Set on an everyday street in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 'The Chronicles of Burke Street' follows the lives and loves of its colourful residents. Burke Street might seem like an ordinary street, but behind its closed doors lurk secrets, superstitions and barely concealed lies.

Today, in 'Winston's Story', things don't quite go to plan when a dangerous jail bird on the run hijacks the local taxi driver's car...

Reader: Paterson Joseph
Writer: Ingrid Persaud
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 15:00 Counterpoint (m001wq32)
Series 37

Semi-final 3, 2024

(12/13)
Paul Gambaccini hosts the last of the 2024 semi-finals from London's Radio Theatre, as the remaining three heat winners from earlier in the series play off for a place in the Final.

They've already shown the breadth of their musical knowledge; but to make it to the Final they'll really have to be on their mettle. Whether it's Guns n' Roses, Grieg or the Greatest Showman, their expertise across the musical spectrum will be tested through general, specialist and quickfire rounds.

The semi-finalists are
Nicki Cockburn from Cardiff
Vicky Johnson from Nottingham
Anju Sharda from Hertfordshire.

The Final takes place next week.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001wq36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001wq3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 16:30 The Artificial Human (m001wq3g)
Could AI Swing an Election?

Every day, we read something new about Artificial Intelligence - it'll take our jobs, it'll teach our kids, it knows more about us than we do ourselves... but how much of that is hype, and how much is, or will be reality?

Part of our problem with AI is that it feels impenetrable and mysterious, especially when even those building it aren't entirely sure how it works.

In a new series, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions on all things artificial intelligence-related. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Could AI Swing an Election?

Aleks and Kevin will find out the AI tools that can be used to sew disinformation, see how it has already come into play in different elections around the world, and discover how we can best arm ourselves from people who want to sway our votes, and so turn an election.


MON 17:00 PM (m001wq3l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wq3v)
The former Conservative Party deputy chairman said Sadiq Khan was controlled by Islamists


MON 18:30 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wq3z)
Series 1

2. Ponce & Prejudice

Frank & guests Desiree Burch, Simon Evans, Kerry Godliman & Andrew Maxwell find out what you think about a dodgy snowglobe and a risky waffle.

This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling.

Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche

Devised by Simons Evans and Jason Hazeley with the producer David Tyler

A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001wq43)
Having brought presents for Alice and Martha to The Nest Harry enthuses about a horse he’s seen in Carlisle. Alice brings him up short, asking if he had a drink while he was away. He says not, but when pushed, confesses he does sometimes have a few too many. Alice susses that’s why Harry’s mother, Eve, was so off with her, when she found out about Alice’s drinking. Harry disagrees but Alice insists, before hitting him with some home truths about being in denial, like she used to be. Despite admitting the strength of their feelings, Alice tells Harry she cannot risk staying with him. Harry guesses it must have been Harrison who told her about his drinking, but Alice didn’t know he’d arrested Harry for being drunk and disorderly. This reinforces her conviction that Harry has to go now and she doesn’t want him to come back.

At The Bull Jazzer and Alistair discuss yesterday’s false alarm. Clearly the attack on Kenton has really shaken Jolene. Jazzer thinks they should warn people about dodgy looking characters, though Alistair thinks that might be overreacting. Alistair then admits he’s feeling out of sorts and is about to confess what’s going on with Denise, when Neil interrupts them. Alistair asks about the helicopter ride Neil’s going on with Susan this week. Neil then supports Jazzer’s idea of warning pub regulars to watch out for suspicious types. After Neil goes Jazzer guesses that it is Denise Alistair’s fallen for. His advice is to leave well alone, as she hasn’t actually left John and it could all go horribly wrong.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001wq47)
Sheridan Smith. Movement Coaches and Sexism in French Cinema

In an exclusive for Front Row, Sheridan Smith performs Magic, a song from her new musical Opening Night, which is directed by Ivo Van Hove, with music from Rufus Wainwright. They discuss creating the new musical, which is based on the 1970s film and follows an actress going through a breakdown as she prepares to open a new show on Broadway.

Journalist Agnes Poirier on the French film awards the Cesars, and why they were overshadowed by allegations of male directors sexually abusing young female actors.

Movement director Polly Bennett has worked on hits like The Crown, Bohemian Rhapsody and Killing Eve while Sarah Perry often works on animations, helping actors to perfect the movement of animals, using motion capture. As the BBC's Bring the Drama Festival highlights behind the scenes careers, we discuss the role of the movement director in TV and film.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corrina Jones


MON 20:00 Decolonising Russia (m001wq4c)
All along Russia’s border, in former Soviet republics, the Ukrainian war has prompted a new, more assertive sense of national identity. They’re asking whether – despite independence – they’ve really overcome the legacy of 'Russian colonialism.'

Meanwhile activists from the many ethnic minorities inside Russia are increasingly describing themselves as victims of colonialism too - and demanding self-determination. The debate about the 'imperial' nature of Russia has now also been taken up by strategists, politicians and scholars in the West. Many are questioning their own previous 'Russocentric' assumptions, and asking whether 'decolonising' Russia is the only way to stop the country threatening its neighbours - and world peace.

But some also wonder whether the term 'decolonisation' is really relevant to Russia – and what it means. Is it about challenging the '0imperial mindset' of its rulers – and perhaps of every ordinary Russian? Or perhaps it means dismembering the country itself? Or, as some claim, is the very idea of 'decolonising Russia' just part of an attempt by the West to extend its own neo-colonialist influence?

Tim Whewell dissects a new and vital controversy with the help of historians, thinkers and activists from Russia and its neighbours, the West and the Global South.


MON 20:30 Analysis (m001wq4h)
How to cure the small town blues

Middlesbrough, in the north-east, is one of the most deprived towns in England. Once a steel and shipbuilding powerhouse, its fortunes changed when those industries closed down. Today, the town that Gladstone described as “an infant Hercules” faces a precarious future. David Baker, who grew up in Middlesbrough in the 1970s, returns to his hometown to ask what can be done to revive its fortunes and what Middlesbrough can teach us about regenerating small, postindustrial towns elsewhere in the UK.

Presenter: David Baker
Producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:
Natasha Vall, Professor of Urban and Cultural History, Teesside University
Rob Nichols, Editor, Middlesbrough FC fanzine Fly Me To The Moon
Sally Rodgers, DJ, producer, and vocalist
Steve Dugan, Head of Enterprise, Teesside University
Oliver Lloyd, co-founder and COO, Dink
Chris Cooke, Mayor of Middlesbrough
Gary Hamilton, managing director, Community Leisure Management
Lord Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for the Environment
With thanks to the students of Teesside University and Reverend Kath Dean of the Genesis Project.


MON 21:00 Young Again (m001wjbn)
8. Melinda French Gates

Kirsty Young talks to philanthropist Melinda French Gates about what she’s learned from her life so far. A computer scientist by training, she dated her boss and became one half of one of the world’s most famous power couples. But as she travelled a road paved with gold, French Gates describes the tough lessons she learned along the way, the danger of untrustworthy acquaintances and how she had to dig deep to not lose herself in the maelstrom of extreme wealth and influence.

If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young

A BBC Audio Production


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001wq1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wq4p)
What is Israel's Rafah evacuation plan?

As Gaza ceasefire talks resume the Israeli military presents its plan for an assault on the city of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering. A senior Israeli politician tells us that operation will go ahead - no matter what.

Also on the programme:

As Lee Anderson doubles down on his controversial claims about London Mayor Sadiq Khan - we'll discuss how Islamophobia should be defined.

And the dream is over for Maidstone United: the lowest-ranked team to make the last 16 of the FA Cup since the 1970s have been knocked out. We speak to their fans about their remarkable run.


MON 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wq4r)
Episode 6

On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?

As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.

A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.

The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.

Read by Niamh Cusack

Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Lent Talks (m001wq4t)
Doubt

‘I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.’ - is one of the most popular Bible verses. Then why do we doubt our future so much? Don’t we wish we knew those plans? A sure and certain future can feel increasingly out of reach. After a pandemic highlighted the fragility of life’s fixtures, doubt now hangs over everything from theatre tickets to birthday parties. Meanwhile thanks to generative AI, fake news opens the doors to fake history. Photographic evidence may have once worked for doubting Thomas, but it wouldn’t any more. When we can no longer trust what we can see, how do we put our trust in a God that we can’t see? Comedian and writer Paul Kerensa sees doubt as the double-act partner of faith - yin to its yang, Ant to its Dec. After twenty years of gigs in comedy clubs, and forty years of hospital appointments for a rare health condition that gave him an ‘outie’ bladder, Paul is used to dealing with an unreliable world by finding its humour. Is there hope in doubt? It’s doubtful. But isn’t everything?

Producer: Carmel Lonergan
Editor: Tim Pemberton


MON 23:15 The Kids Are Alt Right? (m001vcfl)
Getting Older

How does age shape the way we vote?
Professor James Tilley meets some mainstream voters who buck the left wing youth trend in the UK - young Conservatives.
He wants to find out how peer pressure does, or doesn't shape, our behaviour. And what role does psychology play in helping us choose a party?
When it comes to the relative popularity of some radical right parties in Europe with the young, does their edgier status make them more attractive to developing brains drawn to risk?

The series considers the popular misconception that young people inevitably arrive at the ballot box automatically left wing.
And there's a similar belief that as we age, we will become increasingly right wing.
But Professor James Tilley is on hand to reveal that the relationship between age and how we vote is not straightforward.
Across five episodes he investigates how young people become attached to particular political parties, how ageing affects our political views - and how the choices made by political parties play out among the young and the old.

Presented by Professor James Tilley.
Produced by Kevin Core.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wq4w)
Susan Hulme reports on the fall-out from Lee Anderson's remarks about the London mayor, Sadiq Khan. And there's a progress report on compensation for sub-postmasters.

TUESDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001wq4y)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq50)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wq53)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wq55)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wq57)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001wq59)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wq5f)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001wq5k)
27/02/24 Pollack fishermen criticise government scheme to help. Pollution on the River Wye. Food systems.

Pollack fishermen are selling their boats after quotas for pollack were cut to zero. Defra says it's to safeguard fish stocks and have announced a £6 million scheme to help. However fishermen and the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation say the government announcements won't make any difference to fishing families who are losing their livelihoods.

All this week we’re talking about rivers. The River Wye has been badly polluted over the years. In 2020 phosphorous pollution from large-scale chicken farms along the Wye was blamed for algal blooms that appeared on the higher reaches of the river. So what’s the situation on the River Wye today? We speak to a campaigner who's striving to protect the waterway and a poultry farmer who's changed the way she farms to help keep the river clean.

Farmers have been protesting, on the Continent and in the UK, at changes to the way they are being encouraged to farm. However one academic is calling for the industry to focus on the positives, and work together to achieve both increased food production and environmental protection. We speak to Jack Bobo, Director of the Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham who believes more should be done to encourage farmers to take up the challenge of farming more sustainably - in a way that benefits their business and nature.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sby1j)
Blackcap

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Blackcap. Many Blackcaps winter in sub-Saharan Africa, but increasingly birds have been wintering in the Mediterranean and over the last few decades spent the winter in the UK.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001wqb8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Things Fell Apart (p0h24lnp)
S2. Ep 8: Mikki’s Hero’s Journey

How a former actor and model, burned by Hollywood and devastated by the death of his brother, has become an important culture warrior, fueling the flames of every story we tell this season.

Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell


TUE 09:30 The Miners' Strike: Return Journey (m001wqcj)
Grimethorpe

Still seen as one of the most bitter and divisive industrial disputes in the UK, the year long miners' strike, that began in March 1984, dominated the news for 12 months. It’s been described as “a site of contested memories,” and it continues to evoke strong feelings in those who lived through the strike and had direct experience of it.

Chris Jackson, in his very first job as a young radio reporter in South Wales, found himself covering the dispute that scarred a generation and more. Now, 40 years after the start of the strike, he’s meeting people from different sides of the difficult and controversial industrial dispute, and together they return to a place that holds some very personal memories.

In this episode, Chris is in Grimethorpe, at the spot the miners gathered to return to work in March 1985, marching back to the pit behind their colliery band. He meets two people from different sides of the industrial dispute to talk about that day. Peter Haigh was a National Coal Board manager at Grimethorpe during the strike and Danny Gillespie was a striking Grimethorpe miner.

Presenter: Chris Jackson
Producer: Jo Dwyer
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wqlj)
Episode 2

How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.

2/5 Dimitris explores how ritual plays a vital part in helping us bond as communities and cope with stress.

Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wqdk)
Nadine Shah, Vivian Oparah, Baby loss certificates, Amber Heard trolling

Through her songs, the Mercury prize nominated singer/songwriter Nadine Shah has explored mental health, the refugee crisis and feminism. The subject matter of her last album, Kitchen Sink, included themes of fertility, tradition and identity told through the stories of women at different stages of their lives. Now Nadine’s latest work - Filthy Underneath – is a raw collection of songs which chronicle a period of unprecedented turbulence in her life from grief to addiction and PTSD.

The new podcast Who Trolled Amber? investigates allegations that Amber Heard was trolled online by an army of AI bots after her trial with Johnny Depp.
Podcast host Alexi Mostrous and Professor Gina Neff, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, discuss this and the wider implications of abuse of women online.
                                                                                                         
Parents across England who lost a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy can now apply for a baby loss certificate as part of a new government scheme. Babies who are born dead after 24 weeks are officially registered - but this doesn’t happen for babies born before that stage. Every year there are thought to be a quarter of a million miscarriages and more than 11,000 hospital admissions for losses because of ectopic pregnancies. Now, campaigners say they’re thrilled that families will finally get the acknowledgement that their baby existed - for however short a time. Emma Barnett speaks to one such campaigner - Zoe Clark-Coates – who runs the baby loss and bereavement charity The Mariposa Trust and campaigned for these certificates for nine years.
                                                                                                
Vivian Oparah played the female lead in British hit film Rye Lane, for which she was Bafta-nominated this year. She's now starring in a new TV comedy thriller called Dead Hot, playing the sister of a man who's mysteriously disappeared. Vivian joins Emma in the Woman's Hour studio.

Presented by Emma Barnett
Producer: Louise Corley
Studio Engineers: Emma Harth & Gayl Gordon


TUE 11:00 Young Again (m001wqf2)
9. Sir Grayson Perry

Kirsty Young talks to the artist Sir Grayson Perry about what he’s learned from his life so far. Once cross-dressing punk rebel, now ennobled member of the British establishment, Grayson Perry’s extraordinary life has given him plenty of material to inspire his art. He reflects on how his traumatic childhood resulted in him retreating into a rich fantasy world and considers whether he would have been given the freedom to explore it artistically had he been starting out today.

If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young

A BBC Audio Production


TUE 11:30 Decolonising Russia (m001wq4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001wr3d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001wqg3)
Call You and Yours - New Build Homes

The Competition and Markets Authority says it has fundamental concerns with the housebuilding sector including with the quality of new build homes. So on this week's Call You and Yours we're want to hear about your experiences of new build homes. Do you live in one and have you had problems with the quality of work on your home or getting your builder or developer back to fix things which have gone wrong? Have you experiences around communication and customer service you'd like to share? Perhaps you have had a positive experience of purchasing and living in a new build home - we want to hear those too.

What's your experience of new build homes?

Call us on 03700 100 444. Lines are open at 11 am on Tuesday 27th February. You can also email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk. Don't forget to include a phone number so we can call you back.

PRODUCER; CATHERINE EARLAM
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001wqgk)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001wqgz)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


TUE 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012s7z)
Did the Vietnam War Break America's Food System?

Jim Waterson investigates how the politics of the Vietnam era changed agriculture in the US and pushed the country towards a national diet of highly processed foods.

When Richard Nixon stood for re-election in 1972, he had two big problems - the Vietnam war, and food prices. He hired a man called Earl Butz, who made a decision that would shape what Americans eat today - helping to push the poorest citizens to eat highly processed, less nutritious foods.

Presenter: Jim Waterson
Contributors: Zellie Thomas, Tom Philpott, Dr Laura Schmidt

Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001wq43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001wqh8)
A Tsar in London

Written by Mike Walker, from an idea by Michael Crick.

A tragicomic take on the months Tsar Peter the Great spent in London learning about ship-building and naval tactics, destroying the house and garden of diarist John Evelyn; roistering with the ambitious young actress Letitia Cross; and preparing himself for an onslaught upon Evelyn’s treasured holly hedge, Russia’s backward society and the peace of Northern Europe.

Peter . . . . . Greg Kolpakchi
Letitia . . . . . Siena Kelly
John . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Ben . . . . . John Lightbody
Foreign Secretary . . . . . Josh Bryant-Jones
Lucy . . . . . Kitty O’Sullivan

Sound design: Andy Garratt & Peter Ringrose
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001wqhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand (m001w2bd)
Series 3: Exercise

S3. Ep 4 - Too Late to Change?

Drs Chris and Xand Van Tulleken investigate the science of exercise and the dangers of inactivity.

Is modern exercise a wellness cult? Or is it a vital cure for a world that’s struggling with ill health and stuck on the sofa? Most of us might like to get a bit fitter, but how easy is it to actually start exercising and give up sedentary habits?

In this series Drs Chris and Xand Van Tulleken examine exercise and how best to do it. How much should we be doing? How does it help our bodies? And how does our surrounding environment stand in the way of us getting fitter? Chris is challenged to examine his scepticism towards exercise. Similarly, Xand is asked to look at his new-found exercise evangelism and see what he is really running from.

Recently Xand has discovered the joys of physical activity. He’s running, cycling, heading to the gym and playing ping pong like never before. It’s been a real transformation and a way to keep on top of things after years of unhealthy living.

His twin brother Chris, on the other hand, is really feeling the aches and pains of middle age. With a busy job and a young family, he has precious little spare time for exercise. After a very active period in his 20s and 30s, Chris is now embracing his ‘Dad bod’ and sliding into a creaky middle age. Xand wants to help him turn things around. Can he do it?

In Episode 4 - Too Late to Change? - the twins meet up with their younger brother J for a session on an exercise bike. This has been a big part of Xand’s journey back to fitness. Will it inspire Chris to become more active? Chris then meets up with Sir Muir Gray, Director of the Optimal Aging Programme and an advisor to Public Health England. Muir shows Chris just how important exercise is for an ageing society.

Presented by Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Sound Design: Dan King
Series Editor: Jo Rowntree
A Van Tulleken Brothers and Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 The Other IRA (m001wqj0)
The ‘IRA’ or ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ is the centrepiece of Bidenomics. It’s a massive programme of domestic subsidies and tariffs targeting manufacturing, infrastructure and climate change – what the administration has described as ‘building from the middle out and from the bottom up’ and ‘focusing on creating good jobs for people’.

The Biden administration argues strongly that the world should welcome America’s huge public investments in clean energy. But the reaction of many other countries has been sceptical, even hostile.

The main concern is that the White House programme of subsidies and tariffs to foster American industry will come at their expense and result in unfair competition.

Tanya Beckett explores these arguments, and assesses how the IRA has impacted global trade and the economy. The programme will also look at Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to implement a similar bill in the UK and examine whether the global economy has entered a new era as a result of the bill.




Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Farhana Haider

Contributors
Brian Deese, President Biden’s former national economic advisor and director of the National Economic council. Institute Innovation Fellow at MIT
Todd Tucker Director, Industrial Policy and Trade at the Roosevelt Institute
Rachel Patterson Interim policy director for Evergreen Action
Sanjay Patnaik Senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings
Harry Crawford Managing member of Diligence Offshore Services
Alan Beattie Senior Trade writer for the Financial Times
Reinhilde Veugelers Senior fellow at the Bruegel Institute
Mathew Lawrence Director and Founder Common Wealth
Kent Smetters Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model
Andrew Teverson Managing Director StageBox


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001wqcc)
Paterson Joseph and Richard Coles

THE LONELY LONDERS by Sam Selvon
THE CHANGELING by Robin Jenkins
A CRACK IN THE WALL by Claudia Peneiro

The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon traces the new lives of a group of hopeful immigrants from the West Indies in the late 1950s. Told with humour and pathos it's a favourite of actor Paterson Joseph. He regards it as the seminal book about Caribbean migration to Britain and applauds Selvon's bravery in writing it in patois.

Richard Coles loves the work of Scottish writer Robin Jenkins. The Changeling is the bleak and heartbreaking story of a well meaning but flawed middle class school teacher's attempt to 'save' a young boy from the slums of Glasgow. The Saviour Complex is something Richard says he's experienced many times and understands how it can lead to disaster.

A Crack In The Wall by Claudia Pineiro is Harriett's choice. It's a crime novel set in Buenos Aires centring around middle-aged architect Pedro, who's experiencing cracks in his own personal life, as well as in the city's architecture.

Producer: Maggie Ayre, BBC Audio Bristol


TUE 17:00 PM (m001wqjc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wqk0)
Henry Staunton also said he was asked to slow compensation for Horizon scandal victims


TUE 18:30 ReincarNathan (m000l8r5)
Series 2

Space Hamster

Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife continues with Daniel Rigby and Diane Morgan, and guest-starring Phil Wang.

In episode 4, Nathan is brought back to life as a hamster in a petshop in California. But not just any old hamster – Nathan the hamster is selected by NASA to enter the space-race. Perhaps seeing the earth from space will give Nathan a radical new sense of perspective. Or maybe it will just confirm his rampant egomania. Will Nathan ever learn to do the right thing and make it back to human again?

Cast:
Diane Morgan - Jenny
Daniel Rigby – Nathan
Tom Craine – Mission Control
Henry Paker – Chuck Rogers, Henry VIII
Freya Parker – Vortex, Cosmonaut, Nasa Scientist, Shop Assistant, Susan
Phil Wang – Xavier, the Space Hedgehog
Mike Wozniak – Cosmonaut

Writers: Tom Craine and Henry Paker
Music composed by Phil Lepherd

Producer: Harriet Jaine

Studio Production: Jerry Peal

A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001wq80)
Kenton’s testing out quiz questions on Jolene and Tracy when Jazzer comes into the bar and takes Tracy to one side, checking she’s okay. Tracy reckons he’s a wally for worrying too much. Meanwhile, Kenton’s excited about his return as Quiz Master, but needs a lie-down first. Jolene is cheered when Fallon arrives with cakes for the quiz, but then expresses how pressurised she feels running a pub. Fallon and Tracy do their best to reassure her, but when it comes to quiz-time only two teams have turned up, despite their best efforts to get the whole village to be supportive. They can’t understand it – last time with Jim the place was rammed. The Carters promised they’d come but haven’t turned up and there’s no sign of Harrison and Fallon either. They delay the start, hoping for late arrivals, before Jazzer tells Tracy it might be his fault - he’s been telling everyone to be careful about going to the pub. Tracy says he’s an idiot and he’ll have to fix it by rounding people up, starting with Brad, Chelsea and Bert.

Harrison pre-empts Harry putting in a formal complaint by confessing to Inspector Norris about the information he'd shared with Alice. She’s glad he’s come clean but reminds him how he breached confidentiality before, in the Philip Moss case. She’s got no choice but to refer this incident for investigation. Norris says she will support Harrison, but she can’t guarantee he won’t lose his job. When he gets home Harrison’s in no mood for the quiz and tells Fallon why. This could be it for his career.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001wqk6)
The Jury: Murder Trial, Bhangra Nation, Bluestockings

Channel 4’s new reality TV series, The Jury: Murder Trial features a real-life murder case, re-run in front of two juries who are unaware of each other’s existence. Its creator Ed Kellie and BBC News' former legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman discuss what the TV experiment tells us about how emotions can be swayed in the courtroom - and whether the juries will reach the same verdict.

Susannah Gibson’s new book “Bluestockings: The First Women’s Movement” explores the often overlooked female pioneers of 18th century intellectualism, whose legendary salons were hotbeds of cultural foment and writerly wit. She is joined by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, the historical novelist to discuss the lives of the extraordinary women from this period.

Bhangra Nation aims to do for Punjabi dancing what the films Bring It On and Pitch Perfect did for cheerleading and acapella singing. We hear from the co-writer of the new musical at the Birmingham Rep Theatre, Rehana Lew Mirza, and choreographer Rujuta Vaidya.


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001wqkd)
A Coal Town Mystery

It’s a scandal that went uncovered for 30 years. Body parts and organs from former workers in the nuclear industry were systematically removed for research. But the families of those former workers were never told. The truth only came to light following a three year inquiry published in 2010. But was this practice contained to one industry, or was this happening on behalf of others too?

News reports around the time of the Sellafield scandal claimed that organs of coal miners were also being routinely removed during post-mortems at the request of the then National Coal Board.

So, was the coal industry involved in a similar scandal - and to what extent? And could the need to advance research and science ever be seen to outweigh the need for permission?

Reporter and producer: Emma Forde
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley
Editor: Clare Fordham


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001wqkl)
Voting Requirements; Smart Energy; Visual Snow

2024 promises to be hugely significant for political change around the world, with more than eighty countries planning to head to the polls. The UK being one of them. This year will see not only a general election, but local elections and others. Niki Nixon is from The Electoral Commission, and she provides details of what visually impaired people need to consider before voting, especially regarding photographic ID.

We examine your experiences with energy companies and AIHDs and we answer a listeners question: what is Visual Snow Syndrome? Dr Sui Wong, consultant neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, helps us answer the question.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001wq87)
What's going on with girls' mental health?

When it comes to mental health, what's going on with young people - particularly, teenage girls?

There's been a lot of coverage in the media recently regarding mental health difficulties facing boys, not least around the struggle to get to grips with 'modern masculinity'; undoubtedly, it's a tough time to be a young man.

But looking at figures for mental health problems in children and teens, there's clearly something going on with girls too. For some years now, research has shown that more girls are experiencing problems than boys, with a troubling spike in difficulties showing up in the late teens. In some years, twice as many girls as boys have what the research calls “probable mental health disorders” - with rates of eating disorders charting four times higher and rates of self-harm up to seven times higher in girls than in boys.

All sorts of factors can affect those figures, from whether people are prepared to discuss how they feel, to how those feelings are labelled.
But these don’t explain why statistics over recent years continue to show a disparity between boys and girls.

On today's programme, Claudia explores the issue with help from a variety of guests, visiting King's College London's (KCL) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience to speak to Gemma Knowles, a lecturer in epidemiology and youth mental health; Craig Morgan, professor of social epidemiology and co-director of ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health; and Valeria Mondelli, a clinical professor of psychoneuroimmunology - about their work with young people in the UK and beyond, trying to uncover the deeper causes and to find new solutions.

She also hears from some of the young people involved in a major study into mental health, conducted by the team at KCL and spanning nearly a decade.

Claudia is joined by Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, who brings her own professional experience to bear discussing the trends and challenges of youth mental health.

Organisations offering information and support relating to mental health can be found at BBC Action Line: bbc.co.uk/actionline

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Studio Manager: Emma Harth
Production Coordinator: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire


TUE 21:30 Things Fell Apart (p0h24lnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wqks)
President Biden says Gaza ceasefire “could be next week”

Also:

Henry Staunton says Post Office chief executive is under investigation

We hear from boyfriend of dual national arrested in Russia on treason charges


TUE 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wqkz)
Episode 7

On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?

As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.

A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.

The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.

Read by Niamh Cusack

Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Icklewick FM (m001wql4)
6. The Mob

It all proper kicks off on Mischief Night as the people of Icklewick are seduced by bloodthirsty but undeniably fit bigot, Sharon L’Beech. Police Chief Caehole joins Chris and Amy in the studio to discuss precautions.

Amy’s desperate to protect her unruly cousin Tan from the mob uprising, and having never stayed up so late before Chris is really snoozy!

As the dramatic events unfold, will IcklewickFM survive to hear the Mischief Bell toll?

Created and written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill with additional material from the cast.

Starring:

Lucy Beaumont
Jen Brister
Tom Burgess
Tai Campbell
Janice Connolly
Phil Ellis
Colin Hoult
Em Humble
Katia Kvinge
Alex Lowe
Ed Night
Nimisha Odedra
Steen Raskopoulos
Nicola Redman
Mark Silcox
Shivani Thussu

Sound Design and Music by Jack Lewis Evans.
The Line Producer is Laura Shaw.

Produced by Benjamin Sutton.

Icklewick FM is A Daddy’s SuperYacht Production for BBC Radio 4.

—-

Credits

Created and written by Chris Cantrill & Amy Gledhill with additional material from the cast.
Sound Design and Music by Jack Lewis Evans
Line Producer by Laura Shaw
Produced by Benjamin Sutton
Cast:
Lucy Beaumont
Kat Bond
Jen Brister
Tom Burgess
Tai Campbell
Janice Connolly
Phil Ellis
Ninette Finch
Colin Hoult
Em Humble
Katia Kvinge
Alex Lowe
Ed Night
Nimisha Odedra
Ben Partridge
Steen Raskopoulos
Nicola Redman
Mark Silcox
Shivani Thussu
Johnny White Really Really

IcklewickFM is a Daddy’s Superyacht for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wql8)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question key figures in the Post Office scandal.