SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001yj7v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Knife by Salman Rushdie (m001yj67)
5. Concluding meditations on an attempted murder

The renowned author concludes his personal mediations on the attempt on his life and literature's capacity to make sense of the unthinkable. Art Malik is the reader.

On the morning of 12 August 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black – black clothes, black mask – rushed down the aisle towards him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey towards physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.

Knife is Rushdie writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art – and finding the strength to stand up again.

Produced by Elizabeth Allard


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001yj7x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001yj7z)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001yj81)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001yj83)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001yj85)
MIddle of Passover

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

Good Morning,

Whoever wrote the Song of Songs bequeathed to us one of the greatest love poems ever. We read it in the Synagogue today, on this Sabbath in the middle of Passover.
The rabbis debated whether to include it in the Biblical Canon. Was it merely a collection of secular lyrics, sung in the nightclubs of those days, or was it truly sacred? Rabbi Akiva clinched the argument, declaring that this was the Bible’s Holy of Holies.

That’s because The Song of Songs is a love song to life on every level, to the spirit at the heart of all existence.

Its author (or authors) knew the land’s seasons, wildflowers and birds: ‘Come my beloved, my beautiful one…the buds are out… the vineyard is fragrant with blossom.’ They understood the nervous temerity of the deer, glancing through the lattice window, fleeing to the mountains, like the tremulous joy of new love.

The wonderful, sadly departed, Sister Edmee, of the Sisters of the Love of God, debated with me whether there was eros in the Songs, or whether it was only all about the love of God. She insisted on its chastity. Maybe this mattered to her so much, precisely because she’d been a pop-star and fashion model, until, as she put it, ‘God got me.’

In my view, what’s so wonderful is how the sensual and the sacred meet. Love of nature, romantic love and spiritual love come together. Beauty, wonder and mystery suffuse them all.

‘I sleep, but my heart is awake,’ says the beloved. All too often we’re awake but our heart is asleep!

May our hearts always be open to wonder.


SAT 05:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001yj87)
Try Flax Seeds

Michael Mosley gets his flax fix, as he finds out how flax seeds, also known as linseeds, can protect your heart, reduce your blood sugar levels, and might even keep your skin feeling smooth and hydrated! With the help of Dr Grant Pierce from the University of Manitoba in Canada, Michael learns about the key components of flaxseed, including alpha-linolenic acid, and how they contribute to its array of impressive benefits. Through his research, Grant has demonstrated that daily flaxseed can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing your chance of a heart attack or stroke by a remarkable 50%! Meanwhile, our volunteer Rena finds flaxseed a welcome addition to her diet.

Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001yps7)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001yjbf)
Diving Gannets and Raging Seas

Martha Kearney hears stories of recovery from the Firth of Forth. First, she takes to the water with guide Maggie Sheddan and skipper John McCarter to explore the iconic Bass Rock, a volcanic island just beyond the shores of North Berwick in East Lothian. A decade ago, Bass Rock became the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets, home to over 75,000 breeding sites. Then, in 2022, Avian Flu hit the colony at the height of the breeding season. By 2023, the total population was estimated at just under 52,000 breeding sites, a decrease of over 30% from the count in 2014. But now, at the beginning of a new breeding season, hope is in the air as the gannets return to the rock.

Meanwhile, back on dry land, another story of recovery unfolds. Over the winter months, North Berwick was hit by huge storms. Four-metre waves, in combination with spring tides, left behind a huge hole in the harbour wall. Martha speaks to Andrew Duns from the North Berwick Harbour Trust and harbour master Ricky Martin about the repairs that are now underway. The storms also shifted the sand dunes on the beaches around North Berwick. Emma Marriott, Conservation Assistant at the Scottish Seabird Centre, tells Martha about the post-storm beach cleans which unearthed ancient litter from the 1960s.

Presented by Martha Kearney
Produced by Becky Ripley


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001yps9)
27/04/24 Farming Today This Week: illegal fishing, land mines on farmland in Ukraine, universal credits, trees and forestry

Illegal fishing on rivers and watercourses is on up according to the police, who are stepping up patrols with other agencies. Angling clubs pay thousands of pounds every year to stock rivers with fish for members and taking fish without permission is theft. Better training of police in poaching laws has led to a recent spate of convictions and a legal first for volunteer river bailiffs.

MPs have highlighted the impact of changes in welfare payments on farmers. Farmers historically claimed tax credits to boost low incomes, but the system has changed and they now apply for Universal Credit. But eligibility is calculated using monthly income and expenditure, which doesn’t sit well with farm businesses where these can vary enormously depending on the season. The transition process has been described as a nightmare which is having an impact on farmers mental health.

Around 38 million acres of Ukrainian farmland has now been rendered too dangerous to farm by Russian mines. According to the Mines Advisory Group charity there have been more than a thousand mine accidents in Ukraine since 2022, with farmers making up one of the largest single groups of casualties.

From Welsh government plans to get them planted on farms to the ever missed English planting targets and the recent cuts to the budget for planting in Scotland, trees are the subject of much debate in rural areas. All this week we've been discussing trees and despite our fondness for them and need for timber, we still don't like commercial forestry.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001ypsc)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001ypsf)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001ypsh)
Steven Knight, Ruth Goodman, Catherine Coldstream, Vernon Kay

Birmingham’s unofficial global ambassador, Steven Knight, who did as much for flat caps as he did for Brum by creating Peaky Blinders and he’s now taking us back to the West Midlands of the 1980’s with his latest TV series This Town.

Catherine Coldstream had a bohemian upbringing in London, lived in Paris and fell in love with "unsuitable propositions in dark polo necks" and then, spent twelve years cloistered, as a Carmelite nun.

The social and domestic historian Ruth Goodman, famous for her hit TV series taking us back to Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian times, is currently revealing the curious history of our homes in her new podcast; from wallpaper to fridges and washing up.

And this week’s Inheritance Tracks see the ultra-marathon running, American football obsessive, and fellow radio presenter Vernon Kay share with us the music that’s shaped his life.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Huw Stephens
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001ypsk)
Catherine Bohart: Lisbon, Portugal

What's not to love in a romantic, arty, cool waterside city full of colourful buildings? Well, Shaun finds city breaks a bit tiring but if Catherine lays a trail of egg custard tarts then Shaun will surely follow. Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence joins the pastry trail.

Your Place Or Mine is the travel series that isn’t going anywhere. Join Shaun as his guests try to convince him that it’s worth getting up off the sofa and seeing the world, giving us a personal guide to their favourite place on the planet.

Producer: Beth O'Dea and Caitlin Hobbs

Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001ypsm)
Northern Sky

"I never felt magic crazy as this....."

For some it's a beacon of hope, for others a metaphor for love. 'Northern Sky' is the penultimate track on Nick Drake's 1971 album 'Bryter Layter'. The sound was shaped by the Velvet Underground's John Cale who added the piano, organ and celeste. His records didn't sell well much to Nick's disappointment, but after his death in 1974 his music and genius became much better-known. These are just some of the stories from whose lives have been profoundly touched by this iconic track.

Gordon Hunter had a difficult childhood and says hearing 'Northern Sky' brought a meditative sense of calm to his life, like "finding treasure."

Nick Drake's producer Joe Boyd remembers how John Cale became involved in the recording, and his sadness that Nick never got the recognition he deserved in his own lifetime.

Singer-songwriter Alex Hart took a job on the Covid-19 111 helpline during the first lockdown and listened to 'Northern Sky' on the drives home. Alex covered the track for one of her albums.

Musicians Neil MacColl and Kate St John fell in love on the 'Way To Blue' tour in 2011 and discuss their performance of 'Northern Sky' and Kate's string arrangements. Neil walks us through Nick's guitar tunings and the song's lyrics.

It's a song that reminds Laura Barton of spring and the first rush of love which she experienced as a student in Oxford.

"Brighten my northern sky."

Producer: Toby Field for BBC Audio Bristol
Technical Producer: Michael Harrison
Editor: Emma Harding


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001ypsp)
George Parker of the Financial Times is joined by a range of guests to analyse the latest developments at Westminster.

To discuss the boost to defence spending pledged by Rishi Sunak, he speaks to Labour peer and former head of the navy, Admiral Lord West and former soldier and the chair of the defence select committee, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood.

Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Conservative MP, Sir Edward Leigh discuss Parliament's approval of the controversial Rwanda deportation bill and consider what happens next.

Twenty years on from a near-fatal car crash, dotcom entrepreneur and crossbench peer, Martha Lane-Fox explains what her 'mountain mission' is and discusses technology and artificial intelligence.

And, to reflect on the life of former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field who died this week, he is joined by Labour MP Dame Angela Eagle whose constituency bordered his and former Work and Pensions Secretary, Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001ypsr)
The Rise and Fall of Nagorno-Karabakh

Katie Adie presents dispatches from Armenia, India, China, Belgium and the Middle East.

The flight of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh last year, after a rapid offensive by Azerabaijan, quickly faded from news headlines. Tim Whewell remembers how the self-declared republic first emerged, as the Soviet Union was in its last throes, and reflects on how nations are born, and re-buried.

More than a billion Indians are heading to the polls over the next six weeks to vote in a general election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'digital India' has been a policy priority during his leadership - but to what extent are the less developed parts of the country on board and online? James Coomarasamy visits a village in Karnataka.

The Chinese government is focused on green growth, providing subsidies for the manufacture of solar panels and electric vehicles. Yet in some cities, factory workers have been laid off and fear being left behind. Laura Bicker reports from the once bustling manufacturing city of Dongguan.

The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium was originally built to showcase artefacts from the country's former colony, Congo. Today, visitors to the museum are encouraged to reflect on the impact of Belgium’s colonization, finds Beth Timmins.

Reporters always carry some kind of baggage with them when they head off to cover a story. It was on a recent deployment that the BBC’s Middle East analyst Sebastian Usher suddenly noticed that the often unwanted companion that seemingly always accompanied him on trips abroad… had suddenly gone missing.

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


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001ypst)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001ypsw)
Carers Allowance and Minimum Payments on Credit Cards

A senior MP has told Money Box that the government must take urgent action to stop carers working up thousands of pounds of debt after unwittingly receiving overpayments of Carer's Allowance. Unpaid carers, who look after a loved one full time, are entitled to nearly £82 per week in Carer's Allowance. On top of that they can earn up to £151 take home pay. But stray above that earnings limit, even by just a few pence, and they lose the full allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions is alerted on a month by month basis when this happens, but in some cases carers were not told of their mistake for years. Labour MP Stephen Timms, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee says it should never have taken so long for carers to be notified.
The UK's biggest credit card provider, Barclaycard, is cutting minimum payments on its card to 1% from July. It is not the only credit card provider to allow 1% minimum payments, and Barclaycard says it's made the changes to increase flexibility for customers. We look at what it means in practice for customers, in terms of how much more you'll ultimately pay in interest and how long it'll take to pay off the debt.
And we return to the subject of ISAs - Individual Savings Accounts. New changes this month should mean that customers can open multiple ISAs of the same type in the same tax year, and make partial transfers of funds between them. Money Box has learnt that many of the biggest ISA providers in the UK are not yet offering customers these new freedoms, why?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Studio Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Beatrice Pickup

(first broadcast on Saturday 27th April 2024)


SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m001yj77)
Series 24

Episode 1

The Rwanda bill passes through parliament so will Rishi call an election? Who is really behind the rumours about Angela Rayner? Will Rylan and Stacey Solomon manage to say anything sensible? All questions answered.

The series writers include: Nev Fountain & Tom Jamieson, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, Laurence Howarth, Rob Darke, Edward Tew, Sophie Dixon, Sarah Campbell, Toussaint Douglass, Cody Dahler, Joe Topping, Alex Bertulis Fernandes, Angela Channell, Lizzy Mansfield, Christina Riggs, Peter Tellouche, Rachel Thorne, Toussaint Douglas and Sarah Dempster.

Exec: James Robinson
Sound Design: Rich Evans
Prod Co-Ordinator: Dan Marchini
Producer: Bill Dare


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001ypsy)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001ypt0)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001yj7g)
Kate Andrews, Carla Denyer, John Glen MP, Darren Jones MP

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Pinhoe Baptist Church in Exeter with the Economics Editor at The Spectator Kate Andrews, the co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales Carla Denyer, Paymaster General and Cabinet Office Minister John Glen MP and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Tim Allen


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001ypt2)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m001yj7b)
Azra reveals she is going to be moving in to Beechwood and, delighted, Joy quickly shares all her intel on the local residents, before inviting her new neighbour to join her later at Denise’s Dance Fit class at the Church.

Alistair has a pub date with Laura from the Little Croxley cricket team. The conversation quickly becomes stilted, and Laura politely asks what’s going on. Alistair is sorry for messing Laura about and makes excuses. The actual issue is someone else, but it’s complicated. Laura’s not offended but knows that it’s time to leave Alistair and re-join her friends who are sitting at another table. She wishes him well, and good luck with his “situationship”.

Alistair goes to find Denise at the church and explains that he liked Laura – but his mind was elsewhere. Denise laughs as Alistair recalls how he embarrassed himself, but gets upsets when she realises no-one’s there for her fitness class, apart from Alistair who’s volunteered to take part. Denise heads to the vestry to pack up her equipment. She admits everything is upsetting her – not least their work situation and fear of Paul noticing and wondering what’s going on. Trying to act normal is impossible, and then at home she knows that John knows something’s wrong but doesn’t want to talk. Alistair comforts Denise and they have a passionate embrace, but stop as they hear Joy and Azra arriving in the church, leaving flustered Denise to re-focus on the class. Denise and Alistair wonder what they’re playing at.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000ndhy)
Elegies

Part 2. Tennyson's In Memoriam

The stories behind two of the greatest and most influential poetic elegies ever published in English.

Part 2. Tennyson's In Memoriam- starring Holliday Grainger and James Cooney.

Although written centuries apart, in 1637 and 1833, the making and circumstances of these great elegies are full of interconnections, centred on the poetic response to grief and loss. Both Milton's Lycidas and Tennyson's In Memoriam were written in response to the sudden unexpected death of a young male friend, striking the poets in their mid-twenties when the poets were students at Cambridge. The dead men were prodigiously gifted and also poets, early rivals and first readers to the poets who elegised them.

Milton and Tennyson were thereby thrown into personal grief and poetic challenge. But how to make a poetic elegy that honours and reflects that genuine grief whilst rising to the challenge of the first great poetic subject in these young poets' lives? Milton and Tennyson responded to these complex and terrible circumstances with radically different elegies that stand among the finest poems in English literature.

The line from Lycidas to In Memoriam is clear. Tennyson idolised Milton and wanted his elegy to emulate Milton's expansiveness and profundity. When Tennyson's friend the poet Edward Fitzgerald heard that he was working on an elegy for Hallam, he warned his friend that Milton had already done it all: 'Lycidas is the utmost length that an elegy can reach'

CAST

Holliday Grainger ..... Emily Tennyson
James Cooney ..... Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ashley Margolis ...... Diodati

Elegies was written and adapted from Lycidas by John Milton by Michael Symmons Roberts
Directed by Susan Roberts.
A BBC North production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001ypt4)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Zeinab Badawi, Fisherman Ashley Mullenger, Stalking, Singing and periods

The deaths of 21-year-old Diane Jones and her two young children, in a house fire in October 1995 shocked the community of Merthyr Tydfil. The police originally thought it was an accident - but in the days following the fire launched a triple murder investigation after petrol was found on the carpet. Just months later, Annette was charged with triple murder, manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life. She was found guilty with the charge of arson and sentenced to 13 years. After two-and-a-half years, her conviction was overturned - but it troubled Annette until her death in 2017. Annette’s daughter, Nicole Jacob, is delving into her mum’s story in a new podcast, Wrongly Accused: The Annette Hewins Story.

We hear from the journalist and broadcaster Zeinab Badawi to discuss her first book, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence. The book has taken her seven years to research, travelling across 30 countries. She explains how the female African leaders that shaped their countries have often been written out of history.

Ashley Mullenger's life changed unexpectedly when she signed up for a fishing trip on the coast of Norfolk. In her memoir, My Fishing Life, it follows her journey from a 9-5 office job, into the overwhelmingly male fishing industry to becoming Fisherman of the Year in 2022.

Rhianon Bragg spoke to Woman’s Hour back in February about her concerns for her safety regarding the imminent release of her ex-boyfriend from prison, despite the fact that a Parole Board ruled a few months earlier that such a move would not be safe. In February 2020, Gareth Wynn Jones was given an extended determinate sentence of 4.5 years in prison, with an extended licence period of five years for the crimes of stalking, false imprisonment, making threats to kill and possession of a firearm. Now two months since his release and coinciding with National Stalking Awareness Week, we hear from Rhianon and also Emily Lingley Clark of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

At the start of the year, acclaimed opera singer Sophie Bevan MBE took to Twitter to ask if other female singers also had voice struggles around the time of their periods. This led to her discovery of premenstrual vocal syndrome, which is when hormone changes cause vocal issues. She talks about the impact this has had on her career, alongside Dr Alan Watson, specialist in the biology of performance at the University of Cardiff.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells


SAT 17:00 PM (m001ypt6)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m001yjb3)
Toast - Green Shield Stamps

Green Shield Stamps could be traded in for 'free' gifts so why did consumers abandon them?

Sean Farrington examines their rise and fall and discovers how they spawned a famous retail chain which is still trading.

The stamps were the centrepiece of an early form of loyalty scheme and were collected by tens of millions of people across the UK.

They were given out by shops with every purchase and could be exchanged for a wide range of household goods and luxury items from handbags to vacuum cleaners and even cars.

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, speaks to expert guests including:

Sir John Timpson - chairman of the retail services provider, Timpson, who dedicated a chapter of his book on 'High Street Heroes' to the Green Shield Stamp founder, Richard Tompkins.

Professor Leigh Sparks - Professor of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling.

Alongside them, analysing the stamps' fortunes is the entrepreneur, Sam White.

Toast is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

This episode was produced by Jon Douglas.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May.

In the new series, Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.

In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001ypt8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001yptb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001yptd)
The Conservative MP Dan Poulter has defected to Labour over NHS issues


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001yptg)
Stuart Maconie with Richard Herring, Adelayo Adedayo, Natalie Haynes, Nectar Woode

Stuart is joined by multi instrumentalist and singer of hits like Electric Avenue, Eddy Grant; comic-turned-author Natalie Haynes on putting the feminisim into Greek mythology; actress Adelayo Adedayo on her upcoming second series playing the rookie cop in the hit BBC police drama The Responder and Comedian Richard Herring on finding the humour in his testicular cancer diagnosis. Plus performance from the only band fronted by the poet laureate Simon Armitage - LYR and the soul singer Nectar Woode.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Olive Clancy


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001yptk)
TImmy Mallett

Timmy Mallett, former DJ and 1980s children's TV presenter, is creating a social media storm, during a cycle tour around Northern Ireland, in tribute to his late brother, Martin who had Down's Syndrome.

Timmy Mallett was a massive star on children's TV in the 1980s and 90s. He honed his zany style of presenting on Piccadilly Radio in Manchester. Amongst his helpers were a teenage Chris Evans and the Today programme's Nick Robinson. He then went on to breakfast television where he presented the Wide Awake Club with Michaela Strachan and then Wacaday. A generation of children grew up watching him and his trusty foam mallet, Pinky Punky which he used to bonk competitors on the head when they stumbled or hesitated in his word association game Mallett's Mallet.

Nowadays, he's swapped the Mallet for the artist's palette and is as successful at art as he was at children's TV presenting. At the age of 68, he's cycling round Northern Ireland, giving mini history lessons and tour guides on TikTok whilst painting scenes of his travels in memory of his late brother.

PRESENTER: Mark Coles

CONTRIBUTORS

Mairia Cahill, Sunday Independent, Ireland
Professor Brian Cox, Professor of Particle Physics, University of Manchester
Helen and Peter Francis, family friends
Tony Ingham, former Head of Entertainment, Piccadilly Radio, Manchester
Michaela Strachan, TV presenter
Nick Robinson, Zack the Zit

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Radio Luxembourg
Piccadilly Radio, Manchester
TV-AM Wide Awake Club and Wacaday

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Julie Ball and Diane Richardson
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Ibtisam Zein


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001yj9v)
Antony Gormley

For over forty years, the sculptor Sir Antony Gormley has been using his own body as the basis for his artistic work, and is known for creating cast iron human figures that stand on high streets, rooftops and beaches, as well as in museums and galleries around the world. He won the Turner Prize in 1994 and the prestigious Premium Imperiale in 2013. Antony Gormley is best known for the Angel Of The North, a monumental winged figure on a hill in Gateshead which, overlooking the motorway and a mainline railway, is one of the most viewed pieces of modern art in the world.

He talks to John Wilson about his Catholic childhood and the influence that his former art teacher, the sculptor John Bunting had on him while he was at boarding school. Being taken by his father to the British Museum and seeing the colossal human-headed winged bulls, which once guarded an entrance to the citadel of the Assyrian king Sargon II (721-705 BC) captured his creative imagination. Gormley also chooses the life-changing experience of learning Vipassana meditation in India under the teacher S N Goenka, as one that has deeply informed his work.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Archive:
The Shock of the New : The Future That Was, BBC 2, 1980
Nightwaves, BBC Radio 3, 1994
BBC News, 1998
Five Sculptors : Antony Gormley, BBC2, 1988


SAT 20:00 Night Train (m001yptp)
In literature and film, night trains are the setting for intrigue and romance, espionage and sudden death. And in real life too they’re places of possibility and the expectation of new adventures. Writer Horatio Clare boards a train to Vienna for a night-time journey across Europe… and into the archive, aboard night trains of decades past.

His journey begins at the Gare de l’Est in Paris, the departure point for the original Orient Express. He looks back to the golden age of the Wagons-Lits, sleeper trains with wood-panelled cabins, an attendant in every carriage ready to be summoned and dining cars where evening dress was obligatory. It was an era which provided rich inspiration for writers and Horatio evokes his predecessors who used night trains to tell stories of brief encounters, betrayal and, of course, murder.

But luxurious Wagons-Lits are only one part of the story. Other travellers find themselves on very different night-time journeys. There are the rucksack-lugging student inter-railers of the ‘70s and ‘80s, sleeping in train corridors on expeditions of discovery (and self-discovery); the perils of sharing sleeping compartments with strangers; and the Ukrainian refugees reluctantly taking the ‘Rescue Express’ westward as they fled the Russian invasion.

After a long period of decline, night trains are on the rise again as new routes open up across Europe. Maybe it’s because we’re tired of the indignities of budget air travel but it’s also driven by the “Flight Shame” and “Train Brag” movements - a growing awareness that travelling by train is better for the planet. “I’m on a train” is no longer an apology for a poor phone signal. Now it’s a claim to the moral high ground.

Horatio’s journey doesn’t quite go to plan. But as he overcomes the challenges and navigates his way to Vienna, he discovers that night trains have always taken our imaginations to new destinations.

Produced by Jeremy Grange for BBC Audio Wales and West


SAT 21:00 Legend (m001smp3)
The Joni Mitchell Story

4. Refuge of the Roads

Joni Mitchell’s songs have soundtracked our lives and her pioneering work changed music forever. Jesca Hoop explores her extraordinary story to reveal the life behind the legend.

In episode four we follow Joni from 1974 through to 1978. In 1974 Court and Spark is released to huge acclaim but already Joni is heading in new directions musically. This is the era of The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Through '74 and '75 she tours extensively and joins Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. Her creative restlessness and refusal to be put in a box take her in new directions, but also into controversial territory.

“I’ve always been a creature of change” – Joni Mitchell

Through archive, fresh interviews, narration, immersive sound design and an original score, we trace the story of an extraordinary life and explore what makes Joni Mitchell a singular artist: the genius of her lyrics; her incredible talent as guitarist, painter and producer; and her restless drive for innovation.

In Legend, we follow Joni from her ‘flatlander’ childhood on the Canadian prairies, through the folk clubs of Toronto and Detroit, to a redwood cottage in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon, to a cave in Crete, to a deserted desert highway, to recording studios and stages around the world. From her earliest home recordings to masterpieces like Blue, Court and Spark, and Hejira, we explore some of the stories behind her best-loved songs and celebrate her remarkable return to live performance in 2023: “like seeing, in the wild, a rare bird long feared extinct” (Lindsay Zoladz).

Our guide through the series is the California-born, Manchester-based musician, Jesca Hoop. Jesca speaks to musicians like Blake Mills, Allison Russell, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, who have played alongside Joni, and we hear tributes from those, like musician John Grant, who have been inspired and influenced by her music. We also hear from Joni's friends, including Larry Klein and Graham Nash; and from music critics and biographers, including Ann Powers, David Yaffe, Lindsay Zoladz, Kate Mossman, Barney Hoskyns, Miles Grier and Jenn Pelly.

The Joni Mitchell Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).

Producers: Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas
Production Coordinator: Andrew Lewis
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Story Editor: Emma Harding
Story Consultant: John Yorke
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Studio Engineers: Ilse Lademann and Michael Harrison
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke


SAT 21:30 Influenced (m001y3tz)
Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat

Left The Chat: No 4. I Married a ChatBot

After years of bad dates and toxic relationships, Chris finally found love - with a chatbot called Emma. Is this the future of digital love, or is Chris caught in an illusion?

In this episode focusing on how instant messages have changed our love lives, Helen also uncovers the heart warming story of the first couple to marry after reconnecting on Friends Reunited, and the strange tale of a woman who was literally ghosted.

A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m001yptt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m001yj63)
The secrets of sport food

From the explosion in sport food and drink, to the food diaries and routines of some of the UK’s top athletes, Leyla Kazim investigates food in the world of sport today.

How do elite sport nutritionists prep their athletes and what can we learn from them? What should we eat for energy? What’s the deal with protein? We hear from sport stars in rugby, netball, triathlon and football, to find out.

For an everyday athlete without a performance nutritionist, eating for sport can be confusing. Over a pre workout lunch, sport nutritionist Matt Gardner answers some Food Programme listener questions and shares stories from his days working with elite rugby players and extreme adventurers.

But sport food is no longer just the domain of gym cafes and sport clubs. There has been an explosion of energy drinks and 'hi protein' bars sold anywhere from Post Office counters to the check outs of sport fashion shops. Leyla sends three young food activists, who have been looking into this issue, out onto the streets of Reading to see what they can find on sale. Producer Nina Pullman takes their findings to professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Bath, Javier Gonzalez, who looks at the ingredients in more detail.

To explore the bigger links between sport, public health and food marketing, next we drop in on public health policy consultant, Dan Hunt, who explains the appeal of sport from a commercial point of view. Finally, Leyla reflects on how food works as fuel, ahead of the summer of sport to come.

Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SAT 23:00 You Heard It Here First (m001ypty)
Series 2

Four: 'This is such a good game!'

Chris McCausland asks Lucy Beaumont and Daliso Chaponda to take on Mel Giedroyc and Ben Shephard. Lucy Beaumont believes a game where guests figure out the emotions of dogs just from the sounds they're making, is the best game ever. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe.

Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini

A BBC Studios Production

An EcoAudio certified production


SAT 23:30 Round Britain Quiz (m001yjp8)
Programme 7, 2024

(7/12)
Paul Sinha and Marcus Berkmann of the South of England return to see if they can take revenge on Cariad Lloyd and Myfanwy Alexander of Wales, who narrowly beat them last time they met. Kirsty Lang has the trademark cryptic questions, and will be awarding and deducting points depending on how many blind alleys she has to steer the teams away from, in arriving at their answers.

Questions in today's edition:

Q1 What connects a rapper with a side hustle in interior design, another rapper who might be introvert, and the British 'wild man of rock 'n roll' from the late 50s?

Q2 (from Simon Meara) Whenever I walk in a London street, why should I be wary of one wearing glasses, one of the Deadly Sins, an Italian car and a Phoenix sportsman?

Q3 Music: Which is the odd one out?

Q4 (from Patrick Haigh) Through which entrance might all of these have passed, though not all at the same time? One blasted as setting the scene for a 'prophetic greeting'; one who might carry a twister and a legget; one named three times as a joke and a fourth by promotion; one before whose appearance one shouldn't discard warm clothing; and one giving surgical support?

Q5 Why can you now find weapons on Gillespie Road, a pan-Hellenic sanctuary on Addison road, a cathedral in the Post Office and monks in that same cathedral?

Q6 Music: Which Beatles song might we have played as part of this sequence?

Q7 Why might David Lloyd, Ursula Andress and Phillip Vandamm all feel at home in the GTech Community Stadium?

Q8 A Welsh fly-half is to John James Preston as Weather Report's saxophonist is to the former member for Ladywood. How so?

Producer: Paul Bajoria

SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001ypv2)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Open Book (m001yhfn)
Sinéad Gleeson

Sinéad Gleeson is a writer, broadcaster and editor of three anthologies of Irish writing. Her collection of essays, Constellations: Reflections from Life won Non Fiction Book of the Year at the 2019 Irish Book Awards, and now publishes her debut novel, Hagstone.

Hagstone is set on a remote island of the coast of Ireland, it tells the story of Nell an artist whose work takes inspiration from the landscape and folklore. When she receives an invitation to create a piece of art from the Inions, a reclusive commune of women living sustainably on the island, things begin to unravel. Sinead discusses the precarity of living as an artist, the folklore which infuses Hagstone and dedicating the book to the late activist and artist Sinead O' Connor.

The Book Makers by Adam Smyth is a celebration of five hundred and fifty years of the printed book, told through the lives of eighteen extraordinary people. The printers and binders, publishers and artists, paper-makers and library founders - who took the book in radical new directions. We hear about the binder who created Shakespeare's First Folio, a 16th century Dutch printer who created bestsellers on Fleet Street and the Cut and Paste Bible sisters who made art from the gospels.

And Kick the Latch author Kathryn Scanlan discusses her love of Moyra Davey’s Long Life: Cool White, Photographs and Essays.

Book List – Sunday 21 March

Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson
The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers by Sinéad Gleeson
The Glass Shore edited by Sinéad Gleeson
Constellations: Reflections from Life by Sinéad Gleeson
Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan
Long Life Cool White: Photographs by Moyra Davey
The Book Makers by Adam Smyth


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ypv6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ypvb)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ypvg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001ypvl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001ypvq)
St Mary’s in Earl Soham, Suffolk

Bells on Sunday, comes from St Mary’s in Earl Soham, Suffolk. The church dates from the early 14th century with the flint and stone tower and nave rebuilt in the 15th century. Today the tower houses a ring of six bells including two bells from the 15th century. The tenor bell weighs ten and a quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of F Sharp. We hear them ringing Cambridge Surprise Minor.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m001yj1m)
Improvements to the Disabled Students' Allowance

The Disabled Students' Allowance enables students to get help with specialist equipment and in-person support, but over the years we've heard about persistent complications and delays. The system is operated by the Student Loans Company and they have now introduced some new processes that aim to reduce the problems that students are facing. David Thompson manages the DSA on behalf of the Student Loans Company and he gives details of the new system and why the changes were necessary. We also hear from visually impaired students who have had issues in accessing the essential services they are entitled to through the DSA.

Developments within this area are ongoing; the Department for Education wants evidence regarding a specific element of the Disabled Students' Allowance that provides in-person support regarding things like sighted guides around university campuses and specialist teaching assistants for visual impairment. Lucy Merritt is the Education Policy Manager at the Thomas Pocklington Trust, an organisation that works closely with visually impaired students, and she provides background on what the Department for Education is looking at.

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.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001yqhf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m001yj17)
Embracing Neurodiversity

Giles Fraser hears from a Mum of two who describes how her family’s neurodivergence has affected their practice of faith. Carolina Mountford has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and strong autistic traits. Her two sons are also neurodivergent and Carolina describes some of the challenges that poses in their Christian evangelical church.

A panel discusses what faith leaders and communities can learn about spirituality by embracing neurodiversity, in children and adults. What is the relationship between spirituality and the neurodiverse brain? Is there a different relationship with theology, and with God?

Giles is joined by Parveen Mahal, co-founder of the Sikh Disabilty Charity SEN Seva and Rabbi Miriam Berger, who has devised special barmitzvah and batmitzvah ceremonies at Finchley Reform Synagogue, suited to the needs of neurodivergent 13-year olds. We also hear from Dr Joanna Leidenhag, who is Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Leeds, with a current focus on autism and Christianity.

Producers: Rebecca Maxted and Peter Everett
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Jonathan Hallewell


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001yqhh)
The thing about Luing

They came up with the first new British breed of beef cattle in 150 years, the Luing, back in the 1950s and 60s - but making a living for all the family from their island home isn’t straightforward. Richard Baynes takes the ferry to Luing off the coast Argyll in the west of Scotland, to find out how the Cadzows are making the best of this green but rocky island, trying to create jobs and a future for themselves and their workforce while also taking care of a place of stunning beauty.

Produced and presented by Richard Baynes


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001yqhk)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001yqhm)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001yqhp)
Nigerian Pastor; Muslim Drag Queen; Humanism

As the malaria vaccine is rolled out across sub Saharan Africa, medical experts are concerned about the impact of anti vaccine sermons from influential religious figures. An example is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, a multi-millionaire televangelist in Nigeria whose promotion of anti-vax conspiracy theories risks undercutting the country's efforts to deal with malaria. William Crawley speaks to Julius Ogunro, a media and political consultant in Abuja who's been writing about the pastor's anti-vax views.

Lady Bushra has been gracing stages across the UK and America with a drag and comedy act representing South Asian communities, wearing traditional Desi makeup and rocking a Saree. Behind the make-up is the Bradford-born artist and performer Amir Dean, who spoke to William Crawley just before one of his shows in Manchester.

As Humanists UK release a book of interviews called ‘What I Believe’, we ask what they do believe, apart from the assertion that there is no God. We hear from Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and Nichola Raihani, Professor of Evolution and Behaviour at University College London.

Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Peter Everett
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
Editor: Jonathan Hallewell


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001yqhr)
WasteAid

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of WasteAid.

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 ‘WasteAid’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘WasteAid’.
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: 1160263


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001yqht)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001yqhw)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001yqhy)
I am the vine, you are the branches

For the fifth Sunday of Easter from Edinburgh Jesuit Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston, with
Fr Adrian Porter SJ and Edinburgh University Chamber Choir directed by Michael Bawtree.
Organist: Joseph Beech.
Exploring the image from the Gospel of John 15:1-8 - "I am the vine, you are the branches."
Old Testament reading: Ezekiel 19:1, 10-14
Alleluia! O sons and daughters let us sing! (Tune: O filii et filiae) (Arr. H Walford Davies)
Plainsong - Exsultet
Easter Song of Praise (Richard Shephard)
Psalm 79(80) - Grail, Anthony Gregory Murray OSB
Premananda / Lamb of God (Christopher Walker)
Jubilate Deo (William Walton)
Responses (Hear our prayer) - Ettal Communion Litany (Philip Endean SJ)
The Lord's Prayer (John Tavener)
Christ is alive, with joy we sing (Tune: Vulpius)


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001yj7j)
Me and my medical data

Patients care apps - which give patients unprecedented access to their health records - are being rolled out by NHS trusts across the country.

You might imagine, says Will Self, that 'this previously unimaginable access to such a wealth of medical data should empower me, make me feel I have a choice, and enable me to assist those treating me by being what every conscientious statistic wants to become: a good patient.'

Will argues that, on the contrary, this 'revolution in healthcare' only makes us more impotent, reduces patients to the status of customers and undermines the authority and expertise of medical professionals.

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


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m001yqj0)
Mya Bambrick on the Pied Wagtail

Featuring the up-and-coming young generation of ornithologists, this episode in the new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning is presented by Mya Bambrick, a council member for Sussex Ornithological Society and winner of the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) Young Ornithologist of the Year Award in 2023. In this her debut episode Mya recalls her joy in seeing pied wagtails on her way home from school.

A BBC Audio production.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
Studio engineer : Michael Harrison


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001yqj2)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Reunion (m001yqj4)
Bush v Gore 2000

Al Gore was the sitting Vice President, a practiced politician with strong policy views and massive national name recognition. In 2000, he ran to replace fellow Democrat, Bill Clinton, who was stepping down after being President since 1993. His opponent was Texas governor George W Bush, the son of Bill Clinton's predecessor, George HW Bush.

The Democrat side was initially optimistic; with the state of the economy after Clinton's 8 year presidency leaving them hopeful that people would vote for more of the same. Gore's opponent seemed politically inexperienced and gaffe prone, focusing his campaign on a narrower subset of evangelical voters, while Gore fought a more traditional national campaign.

However, on Election night in November 2000, everyone was shocked when the election came down to a knife edge. To win, Gore would need to carry Florida. Bush was declared the winner there on election night - but eventually by a margin of fewer than 2,000 votes. What followed was a flurry of emergency recounts and ferociously fought court cases over which votes would be recounted and whether some ballots would be discounted.

This fight took over a month, and eventually went to the Supreme Court, where the narrowest possible decision handed the Presidency to Bush. In a famous concession speech, Vice President Gore said he was standing aside "for the sake of our unity of the people and the strength of our democracy".

Kirsty Wark reunites figures from both sides of one of the US' most bitter electoral battles which, despite Gore's urgings, would set the stage for a modern era of deeper partisanship and contested elections.

This week's guests are:

Elaine Kamarck and Carter Eskew, policy advisors to Al Gore
Ted Olson, lead attorney to George W. Bush
Benjamin Ginsberg, national council to the Bush campaign
Jeffrey Toobin, journalist and author



Producers: Robert Nicholson and John Rogers
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001yqj6)
Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Kim Greengrass

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright
Alice Carter…. Hollie Chapman
Eve Chilcott…. Juliet Aubrey
Harry Chilcott…. Jack Ashton
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden
Dr Azra Malik…. Yasmin Wilde
Denise Metcalf…. Clare Perkins
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Laura…. Claire Cage


SUN 12:15 Profile (m001yptk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 It's a Fair Cop (m001yhj7)
Series 8

4. Knife Crime

When does a knife become a crime?

Knife Crime is a societal woe that gets a lot of coverage in the media, but how do the police actually work on getting knives off the streets?

Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Producer: Sam Holmes

An EcoAudio Certified Production
A BBC Studios Audio Production


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001yqj8)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001yqjb)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Boys (m001ypzb)
How to Save an Incel

Online communities like Reddit are often blamed for the rise of 'incel' culture. Incel, a portmanteau of 'involuntary celibate', describes someone, usually a young male, who is frustrated by their lack of sexual experiences. These disenfranchised individuals congregate on the internet to share their views.

Incel forums have been studied by public policy researchers because of the often misogynistic rhetoric and high-profile violence some members of the incel community embrace.

But could chat forums also be a space where young men can be saved?

In one subreddit, deep in the corner of the internet’s loneliest users, lay a group of men desperate to escape inceldom. Journalist Sophia Smith Galer meets members of this community to find out more.

Producer: Anouk MIllet

A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001yj6x)
Hammersmith & Fulham

How do I get rid of Honey Fungus? If you were sent to a desert island, what plant would you take and why? What “idiot proof” fruit could anyone grow on their allotment?

Kathy Clugston and her premier league panel of gardening experts are back in Fulham, West London to prune the answers to the audience's gardening conundrums. On the panel are organic gardener Bob Flowerdew, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood, and curator of RHS Wisley Matthew Pottage.

Later, Fulham resident Matthew Pottage explores the grand gardens of Fulham Palace - where head gardener Lucy Hart shares some insight on the rich history of the grounds.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001yqjd)
My Mother Said I Never Should

John Yorke looks at Charlotte Keatley’s play My Mother Said I Never Should, written aged just 25 and first premiered at the Contact Theatre in Manchester in 1987. The story explores the lives and relationships of four generations of mothers and daughters born over the course of the 20th Century. Their very different lives reflect the sweeping societal changes of that period, and how each new generation is able to push further than their parents when it comes to pregnancy, careers and romantic love.

At the time of its early staging, the work was pioneering for its use of an all-female cast and a non-chronological narrative structure. The play is now one of the National Theatre’s Significant Plays of the 20th Century and is translated in 33 languages. So what makes it so enduring?

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised on BBC Radio 4. 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.

Contributors:
Charlotte Keatley, playwright
Brigid Larmour, theatre director and Associate Artistic Director of the Patsy Rodenburg Academy

My Mother Said I Never Should, BBC Studios Audio
Director: Nadia Molinari
Actors: Lesley Nicol, Siobhan Finneran, Matilda Kent, Isla Pritchard, Mimi-Raie Mhlanga

Produced by Lucy Hough
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Research: Nina Semple

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 My Mother Said I Never Should (m001yqjg)
Episode 1

Charlotte Keatley's powerful, poignant and bittersweet drama focuses on four generations of women as they confront the most significant moments of their lives.

A kaleidoscopic time structure spanning from 1923 to 1987 builds the chronology of one family in which we witness how profoundly the choices of one generation affect the potential of the next. The women balance the complexities of motherhood, education, career and self-expression and a decision is made that will affect all their lives irrevocably.

DORIS..... Lesley Nicol
MARGARET.....Siobhan Finneran
JACKIE.....Cecilia Appiah
ROSIE.....Bebe Massey
CHILD DORIS.....Matilda Kent
CHILD MARGARET.....Isla Pritchard
CHILD JACKIE.....Mimi-Raie Mhlanga

Pianist Adam Hutchins
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes
Production Co-ordinator Pippa Day
Written by Charlotte Keatley
Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari

A BBC Studios Audio Production

This production is dedicated to the memory of Wyllie Longmore


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001yqjk)
Sunjeev Sahota

Alex Clark talks to Sunjeev Sahota about his new novel, The Spoiled Heart - an emotive mix of fiery union politics and tragic family secrets.

Plus two unique new books for people living with dementia. Alex discusses 'dementia-friendly' books with the authors: Matt Singleton, whose book Looking Back At The Beatles, is the first from his new publishing company, Cognitive Books, and published in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Society; and Sarah Lawrance, who has written Bewick Tales: Stories From The Life And Work Of Thomas Bewick, also from a new publishing initiative, Open Ended Books, from creative ageing charity Equal Arts.

And this month's Editors Pick. Zoe Yang, Commissioning Editor at Bonnier Books, looks ahead and shares her reading recommendation for June: Juli Min’s debut novel, Shanghailanders.

Presenter: Alex Clark
Producer: Emma Wallace

Book List – Sunday 28 March

Ours Are The Streets by Sunjeev Sahota
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
The China Room by Sunjeev Sahota
The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota
Looking Back At The Beatles by Matt Singleton
Bewick Tales: Stories From The Life And Work Of Thomas Bewick by Sarah Lawrance
Shanghailanders by Juli Min


SUN 16:30 Round Britain Quiz (m001yqjm)
Programme 8, 2024

(8/12)
Kirsty Lang welcomes back the pairs from Scotland and Northern Ireland in another revenge fixture, after Northern Ireland's victory the last time these teams met. Val McDermid and Alan McCredie are the Scotland team, and Paddy Duffy and Freya McClements represent Northern Ireland.

Questions in today's edition:

Q1 What could Hobson's employer, Robert E. Howard's Barbarian and Pauline McLynn be said to have jointly contributed to the history of detection?

Q2 (from Michael Beech) What links an aborted Carnegie Hall performance by a sensitive soloist, a quiz player changing his mind, and a traditional art form in Coimbra in Portugal?

Q3 Music: Which Tears for Fears song could you expect to hear next in this sequence?

Q4 (from Graham Bingham) If the following make a sequence: the father of the Living Dead, a cinematic pioneer, a monolithic sci-fi author, a Big Deal in a White House, and the Swazi companion of 'I' - which Arthurian brothers could come next?

Q5 If a Central African rebel movement bypasses Crawley and this piece of paper would take you to London from here, why might you sing about the number 8.124?

Q6 (from Robert Crawley) Music: Why might the band behind the fourth piece perform any, or all, of the other three?

Q7 If Denzel of the Netherlands teamed up with Gorgeous George, and Rachel's sometime boyfriend joined forces with the writer of 'Plastic Jesus', where would you find them all?

Q8 (from Peter Green) Explain how the following come between five and twenty: an untouched domain, a Fast and Furious action man, and an actor who portrayed a detective who sucked.

Producer Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ypd)
Sarah Baartman's 200-year journey back home

In August 2002, the remains of an indigenous South African woman called Sarah Baartman were returned to South Africa after almost 200 years away. Sarah died in Paris in 1815 after being forced to perform in European 'freak shows' where people considered to be biological rarities were paraded for entertainment. She had been subjected to racist and degrading treatment and her remains were exhibited at a French museum until 1976.

When Nelson Mandela became the president of South Africa in 1994, he requested that Sarah's remains be returned to her homeland. However, by 1998 that had not happened. Poet Diana Ferrus decided to write about Sarah’s limbo. Her poem became so popular that it was noticed by politicians in France. Diana shares her memories of that time with Matt Pintus.

This programme contains discriminatory language.

(Photo: Sarah Baartman likeness at French museum. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Invention Of... (m001yhhh)
China

The First Emperor

Misha Glenny and Miles Warde travel east to tell the story of China - what it is and where it came from.

"The empire long united must divide, long divided must unite. Thus it has ever been." The opening lines of a fourteenth century novel about the rise and fall of China's multiple dynasties, history explained in a couple of brilliant lines. But what is China and where did it come from?

This is episode 55 of How to Invent a Country on BBC Sounds, recorded on location and opening in Taiwan. "The reunification of the historical motherland is an inevitability," said the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on New Year's day. China is an empire, and this is a president asserting central control - in Xinjiang, in Hong Kong, and now Taiwan appears to be in his sights. Control has been the ambition since the rule of the First Emperor in 221 BCE, but areas on the periphery continue to resist.

With contributions from Frances Wood, author of The First Emperor; Steve Tsang, The Political Thought of Xi Jinping; Amanda Hsiao, senior China analyst for the Crisis Group; Nathan Law, exiled activist, Hong Kong Umbrella Movement; Chris Buckley, Chief China correspondent of the New York Times now based in Taiwan; plus Paul French, Linda Jaivin, Tania Branigan and Ian Johnson, author of Sparks.

"What we do is explain where countries come from, and then unpick the stories governments use to stay in charge. They weren't always there, those lines on the map - everything keeps changing. And China has surged and collapsed, expanded and shrunk, as much as anywhere we've been." Misha Glenny

Presenter Misha Glenny is the author of McMafia and a former Central Europe correspondent for the BBC. The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde

Further reading:

Frances Wood, the First Emperor of China and No Dogs and Not Many Chinese
Tania Branigan, Red Memory
Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung, The Political Thought of Xi Jinping
Linda Jaivin, The Shortest History of China
Ian Johnson, Sparks - China's Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future
Paul French, Midnight in Peking and City of Devils


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001yqjq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001yqjs)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001yqjv)
Ireland to return migrants fleeing the UK's Rwanda deportation plan

Dublin says it's bringing forward emergency legislation to return any migrants who flee the UK's Rwanda deportation scheme.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001yqjx)
Sean Cooney

There's a tear in the wood. There's a train in the night. There's a song sung on the lips of liberty beneath the northern sky. From Sheffield to Port Talbot, from Atlanta to Amman. From a tiny little baby to the final hours of love. Join Sean on his nascent Spring wanderings in the Sheffield countryside.

Presenter: Sean Cooney
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Paul Holloway


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001ypz6)
Lynda greets Azra as she takes a guided tour of Lower Loxley with Joy and Mick. Azra tells Lynda that her family will be renting a house on Beechwood. She adds that she and Joy went to the dance class at St Stephen’s and they were the only ones there, apart from Alistair. Lynda suggests Azra visit the herb garden and waxes lyrical about life in the countryside. But Azra has no desire to get involved in community events, particularly not Maypole dancing or the Ambridge Christmas play. Lynda points out tartly there’s something for everyone – the annual Flower and Produce, harvest suppers, summer fetes and even Bartleby the talking horse. What Azra prefers the clear air of the countryside and relaxing at home with a box set.

Chelsea can’t decide between a job at The Bull or the Tearoom but Emma has no time to chat – she’s busy with tree surgery business. Emma’s exasperated but realises Chelsea won’t stop until she gives her some advice. Chelsea really wants to be able to use her new job to find customers for her hairdressing business but Emma says that wouldn’t be appropriate. If it’s just about making extra cash, why doesn’t she choose the one that uses skills she already has, asks Emma. Chelsea notices a package delivered by Will earlier – it’s branded fleeces and t-shirts for the tree surgery business. The pair laugh at Will’s suggested name – Ultimate Arboriculture. Emma decides to save the gift until they are away on the course, so Ed isn’t tempted to thump Will.


SUN 19:15 Strandings (m001yqjz)
Peter Riley was 13 when he saw his first dead whale. It was a sperm whale. He spent most of the day with it on a Norfolk beach, and then watched on as someone carried away a trophy from its carcass. That night marked the beginning of Peter’s lifelong fascination with whales. Now, as an author and a Herman Melville scholar, Peter is seeking to understand the ancient and complex relationship between humans and whales.

According to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, there are approximately 550-800 strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the UK every year. Although no one is completely certain why this happens, we do know they've been doing it for thousands of years.

For as long as there have been stranded whales, there have been humans drawing meaning from their arrival - a warning, a symbol of hope, endings or new beginnings. So what news might they be bringing us now?

In our current state of unprecedented abundance and advancement, in our pandemic of isolation and individual “strandedness”, the whales seem to be calling us again. As Peter speaks with cetacean experts, chases down whale remains and witnesses a whale stranding himself, he discovers what these magical creatures might be revealing about who we are, what we've become and where we might be headed.

A Sound & Bones production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Why Do We Do That? (p0d9xg14)
Why Do We Procrastinate?

Procrastination is the thief of time - or so the old saying goes. Studies have shown that people who procrastinate have higher levels of stress and lower levels of well-being. So why do we do it? One theory is that focusing on the here-and-now was beneficial for our palaeolithic ancestors. Dr Caroline Schulter from Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany found that chronic procrastinators have a larger amygdala, a key area in the brain that processes and learns from emotions. Could it be a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions? It doesn’t seem to bother comedian Eshaan Akbar, who believes procrastination is a good thing…


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001yjbh)
Radio 3 Shake Up and The Now Show No More

Sam Jackson is Radio 3’s relatively new controller - he’s been in the job for just a year and, at 40, he’s much younger than most of the station’s listeners. Earlier this month he took the plunge and introduced a raft of changes to the schedule. This week on Feedback, he explains the thinking behind the changes and responds to listeners' comments.

And The Now Show is no more. After 25 years, Radio 4’s topical comedy staple ended last week. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis join Andrea in the studio to look back over the past quarter of a century, unpick the nuances of political satire and talk through the BBC’s decision to end the show.

Presented by Andrea Catherwood
Produced by Leeanne Coyle
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001yj71)
Terry Anderson, Trina Robbins, Lord Field, Ann Trevenen Jenkin

Matthew Bannister on

The American journalist Terry Anderson who was held captive in Lebanon for almost seven years. In an emotional interview, his daughter Sulome tells us how she followed in his footsteps as she tried to connect with a father she met for the first time when she was seven years old.

Lord Field who, the Labour MP Frank Field who campaigned tirelessly for welfare reform.

Trina Robbins the feminist cartoonist and writer who was the first woman to illustrate the Wonder Woman comics.

Ann Trevenen Jenkin the first woman Grand Bard of Cornwall and a founding member of the Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow.

Interviewee: Sulome Anderson
Interviewee: Ellin Stein
Interviewee: Liam Halligan
Interviewee: Loveday Jenkin

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive Used:

Sulome Anderson writes a letter to her father on his birthday, BBC News, 07/10/1991; Terry Anderson release, Live press conference, BBC News, 04/12/1991; Terry Anderson interview, BBC Radio 1, 01/01/2000; Terry Anderson on What It’s Like to Live as a Hezbollah Hostage, Slate. YouTube Channel uploaded, 17/11/2014; Trina Robbins, Meet Trina Robbins, the first woman to draw Wonder Woman for D.C. Comics, KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco, YouTube uploaded 30/03/2023; Frank Field MP interview, Straight Talk, BBC News, 19/06/2010; Frank Field, Profile, BBC Radio 4, 13/12/2014; Frank Field, Lent Talks, BBC Radio 4, 01/04/2009; Ann Trevenen Jenkin interviewed by Carmen Talbot for Dreadnought South West’s Rebellious Sounds Archive, 2019; Ann Trevenen Jenkin interview, Cornish March, BBC News, 21/06/1997;


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001ypsw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001yqhr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001ypsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001yqk1)
Ben Wright is joined by the Conservative MP Theresa Villiers; Labour's leader in the Lords, Baroness Angela Smith; and the Lib Dem deputy leader, Daisy Cooper. They discuss the forthcoming local elections, tension between London and Dublin as a result of the Rwanda scheme, and new post-Brexit border checks. Ben Riley-Smith, political editor of the Daily Telegraph, brings additional insight and analysis. The programme also includes an interview with the SNP MP Alyn Smith about the turmoil in Scottish politics - and Ben talks to the veteran broadcaster and peer, Joan Bakewell, about why she supports a bid to legalise assisted dying.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m001yj9q)
Bertolt Brecht

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the greatest European playwrights of the twentieth century. The aim of Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) was to make the familiar ‘strange’: with plays such as Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle he wanted his audience not to sit back but to engage, observe and discover the contradictions in life, and act on what they learnt. He developed this approach in turbulent times, from Weimar Germany to the rise of the Nazis, to exile in Scandinavia and America and then post-war life in East Berlin, and he has since inspired dramatists around the world.

With

Laura Bradley
Professor of German and Theatre at the University of Edinburgh

David Barnett
Professor of Theatre at the University of York

And

Tom Kuhn
Professor of Twentieth Century German Literature, Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh's College, University of Oxford

Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production

Reading list:

David Barnett, Brecht in Practice: Theatre, Theory and Performance (Bloomsbury, 2014)

David Barnett, A History of the Berliner Ensemble (Cambridge University Press, 2015)

Laura Bradley and Karen Leeder (eds.), Brecht and the GDR: Politics, Culture, Posterity (Camden House, 2015)

Laura Bradley, ‘Training the Audience: Brecht and the Art of Spectatorship’ (The Modern Language Review, 111, 2016)

Bertolt Brecht (ed. Marc Silberman, Tom Kuhn and Steve Giles), Brecht on Theatre (Bloomsbury, 2014)

Bertolt Brecht (ed. Tom Kuhn, Steve Giles and Marc Silberman), Brecht on Performance (Bloomsbury, 2014)

Bertolt Brecht (trans. Tom Kuhn and David Constantine), The Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht (Norton Liveright, 2018) which includes the poem ‘Spring 1938’ read by Tom Kuhn in this programme

Stephen Brockmann (ed.), Bertolt Brecht in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

Meg Mumford, Bertolt Brecht (Routledge, 2009)

Stephen Parker, Bertolt Brecht: A Literary Life (Bloomsbury, 2014)

Ronald Speirs, Brecht’s Poetry of Political Exile (Cambridge University Press, 2000)

David Zoob, Brecht: A Practical Handbook (Nick Hern Books, 2018)


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m001yj6z)
At Heart Centre by Bernie McGill

An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the writer Bernie McGill. As read by Seána Kerslake ('Blue Lights').

Bernie McGill is the author of two novels and two short story collections. She has also written audio scripts for heritage projects and stage scripts for theatre. She studied English and Italian at Queen’s University, Belfast and graduated with a Masters degree in Irish Writing. Her novel 'The Watch House' was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Union Prize for Literature and 'The Butterfly Cabinet' was named in 2012 by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year. Her most recent short story collection 'This Train is For' was awarded the Edge Hill Short Story Prize 2023.

Writer: Bernie McGill
Reader: Seána Kerslake
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.

MONDAY 29 APRIL 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001yqk3)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m001yj1p)
Armenia's Lost Garden

For three decades Armenians ruled Karabakh – literally “Black Garden” – an unrecognised statelet inside neighbouring Azerbaijan. Many saw it as the cradle of their civilisation. But as Azerbaijan retook control last autumn, the entire population fled in just a few days. It was a historic catastrophe for Armenia. But the world barely noticed. How is Armenia coping with its loss? Can 100,000 refugees rebuild their lives? And will the cycle of hatred that caused the conflict ever be broken? Grigor Atanesian reports.

Produced by Tim Whewell
Studio mix: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001ypvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001yqk5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001yqk7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001yqk9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001yqkc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001yqkf)
Seventh Day of Passover

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

Good Morning.

My mother Lore died, aged forty-four, when I was five. My father remarried her younger sibling, a practice supported in Jewish tradition on the grounds that no one else can feel such compassion for the dead sister’s children. Isca, my second mother, the last of her generation in our family, died aged 100 this December.

During the sad task of emptying her home, we found hundreds of letters about Lore. It’s profoundly stirring to discover this late in my life so much more about who my mother.

Among those letters, on the thinnest of paper, was the eulogy delivered by the Rabbi at Lore’s funeral, which I was considered too young to attend. Lore, he wrote, chose as her life’s motto the verse from Psalms:

Create me a pure a pure heart, God, and renew in me a steadfast spirit.

I’ve always loved those words, without knowing my mother loved them too. I write them on the opening page at the I start of each new diary.
How strangely the spirit transmits such love across the generations.

Today, the seventh day of Passover, we read in the Torah how the Children of Israel sung: ‘This is my God whom I beautify, my ancestors’ God, whom I exalt.’
It was my ancestors’ God, specifically my mother’s God, who must have guided me to choose the very words for which she had cared so deeply.

When they’re alive, we talk with those we love across the kitchen table; when they’re dead they set their words, invisibly, in our hearts.

May we all be granted a pure heart and steadfast spirit.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001yqkh)
29/04/24: Cider orchard, Apples, Plant diseases

The largest cider manufacturer in the UK – Heineken – has ripped up thousands of apple trees in a 140 acre Monmouthshire orchard. The company says it is selling the land due to a fall in the cider market.

Apple fruit orchards are suffering a similar fate, as the cost of production far exceeds the market value for growers.

And another legacy of the warm wet winter is an increase in plant diseases.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

Produced by Alun Beach


MON 05:57 Weather (m001yqkk)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m001ypyc)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001ypyf)
Alien life and gravity

The astrophysicist Professor Lisa Kaltenegger is like an explorer of old, but her voyage takes her far from earth, planet hunting across the universe. She is Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell University, and in her new book Alien Earths she describes the very latest discoveries of exoplanets which are the best contenders for harbouring alien life.

Claudia de Rham is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London and in her book The Beauty of Falling she tells the story of gravity. From her personal experience of diving in the ocean and freefalling over the earth, to exploring the limits of Einstein’s general theory of relativity she seeks to understand both the feeling and the fundamental nature of gravity.

If only all of physics could be so compelling! Professor Mark Fromhold is Head of Physics at Nottingham University and is campaigning for a change to the way pupils are taught, suggesting that quantum physics be incorporated into the curriculum. He argues that at present the subject is too earth-bound, and ‘dull as dishwater’.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m001ypyh)
The barrister defending nature

Rachel Burden hears from barrister Paul Powlesland who lives on the River Roding in London and spends his time protecting it from pollution. By sharing his legal knowledge he helps others look after nature and the environment around them.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café and celebrating the people making the world a better place.

We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.

Presenter: Rachel Burden
Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Nicky Edwards
Researcher: Katie Morgan
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ypyk)
Boys, Lyra McKee, Perinatal suicide, South African elections

Catherine Carr has two teenage sons and, through talking to them and to other parents of teenaged boys, she became aware that boys were experiencing confusing and often troubling messages about their role in society. Catherine decided to speak to boys directly and, in a series which is running all week on Radio 4, About the Boys features the voices of teenage boys around the country discussing topics like sex and consent, masculinity, friendship, life online and education. She joins Clare McDonnell to talk about what she has learned.

The trial of three men charged with the murder of Belfast journalist Lyra McKee begins today. Lyra McKee died aged 29 in April 2019 after being hit by a bullet during rioting in Londonderry/Derry. Her death made headlines all over the world, and her funeral was attended by hundreds of people, while thousands more watched online. BBC Ireland Correspondent Jennifer O'Leary speaks to Clare from outside court in Belfast.

Perinatal suicide, while thankfully rare, is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK. A new study from King’s College London is the first of its kind to focus on the causes. The perinatal period runs from the start of pregnancy to a year after giving birth – and the suicide rates among these women has recently risen. Clare speaks to Dr Abigail Easter, the lead researcher, and Krystal Wilkinson, who shares her own experience.

This week marks 30 years since South Africa’s first democratic elections following the end of apartheid. Millions of South Africans braved long queues to take part after decades of white minority rule which denied black people the right to vote. Clare talks to the BBC's Nomsa Maseko about her own memories of 30 years ago, and what has happened in her country since.


MON 11:00 The Invention Of... (m001ypym)
China

To kowtow or not kowtow

Britain was late in its contacts with China and the Qing dynasty - the Portuguese, the Dutch and the Spanish had all headed east long before Lord McCartney's embassy tried to establish a formal relationship in 1792/3. Although it failed, this mission is famous for one thing - whether the British envoy did or did not kowtow to the Chinese Emperor. So began a fractious, ultimately shameful century for Anglo-Chinese relations. Travelling to Hong Kong, taken by the British following the First Opium War, Misha Glenny and Miles Warde find a city still marked by its colonial heritage, but also increasingly under the thumb of its new masters in Beijing.

Contributors include Hong Kong activist, Nathan Law; Henrietta Harrison, author of The Perils of Interpreting and Professor of Chinese history; and Frances Wood, author of No Dogs and Not Many Chinese History: Treaty Port Life in China

This is episode 56 of How to Invent a Country on BBC Sounds and is a BBC Studios production


MON 11:45 Alien Earths by Lisa Kaltenegger (m001ypyp)
Book of the Week: Episode 1 - Are we alone in the cosmos?

Lisa Kaltenegger, the astronomer and world-leading expert in the search for life on faraway worlds takes us on a mind-bending journey through the cosmos, asking, are we alone? Pippa Nixon reads.

Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger's eye-opening guide to the cosmos uses Earth's diverse biosphere as a template to search for life on other planets beyond our galaxy. Working with a team of tenacious scientists from a variety of disciplines she has come up with an ingenious toolkit to identify possible life forms on planets far from Earth. Her enthusiasm and her expertise in the newest technological advances reveal the possibilities for whole new worlds. Perhaps, she muses, aliens might be out there gazing back at us.

Lisa Kaltenegger is the Founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell University. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modelling potential habitable worlds. She is a Science Team Member of NASA's TESS mission and the NIRISS instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. The recipient of numerous international prizes and awards, including a European Commission Role Model for Women of Science and Research, she was named one of America's Young Innovators by Smithsonian Magazine. Asteroid Kaltenegger7734 is named after her.

Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001ypys)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001ypyv)
Fake grass, Venues, Digital Security

Over the past decade there has been a rise in the number of people replacing there grass lawns with fake grass. There is a promise of immediate, low maintenance and immaculate lawns, offering more time to sit and enjoy your garden.
However, these positives have been met with widespread concerns around the environmental impact these replacements are having such as plastic entering waterways, carbon absorption, impact on wildlife, and more.
Estate agents are starting to say that people searching for new properties should be able to weed out those with artificial turf, and that those properties with fake grass may see there value decrease because of it.
We’ll be talking to a people on both side of the garden fence, and then turning to a property expert to find out more.

The opening of Co-Op Live, the UK’s biggest indoor arena, has been delayed again. The news has frustrated thousands of people who were due to attend performances by the comedian Peter Kay and the American rock band The Black Keys.
We’ll be talking to one disgruntled ticket holder, and talking to Access All Areas magazine about the rise of the big arena and the impact for smaller music venues around the UK.

And how much thought do you give when picking your passwords for digital devices? From today new laws come into force to try and better protect smart devices from hackers and cyber criminals.
Consumer products with internet connectivity such as smart phones, games consoles and even fridges will need to meet minimum security standards under the new legislation - so no more pets name and birthdays!
We'll be discussing if these new laws go far enough.

You can email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk or on X use the hashtag #youandyours

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Dave James


MON 12:57 Weather (m001ypyx)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001ypyz)
Scotland's First Minister resigns

Humza Yousaf's decision to quit as First Minister leaves the SNP looking for a new leader and facing the prospect of a vote of confidence in the Holyrood administration.


MON 13:45 Boys (m001ypz1)
About the Boys

1. Becoming a Man

In this episode, teenage boys all over the UK talk candidly to Catherine Carr about what it is like to be a boy in 2024. They reflect on where they get their ideas about masculinity from, and whether those might be different if they lived elsewhere in the country. They also discuss the importance of role models - if they have them. Catherine also hears from adults making a difference in boys’ lives and finds out how examples of masculinity online can put real pressure on boys thinking about what it means to be a ‘successful man’.

Thanks to

South Dartmoor Community College
Dr Martin Robb, Open University
DRMZ Carmarthen Youth Project
Thomas Lynch from Dad's Rock
Elliott Rae Founder of MusicFootballFatherhood
Cambridge St Giles Cricket Club
Dance United Yorkshire
Movember
Rebecca Asher Author ‘Man Up How Do Boys Become Better Men?’

Producer: Catherine Carr
Researcher: Jill Achineku
Executive Producer: Marie Helly

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001ypz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 The Train at Platform 4 (m00132xq)
Coffee

Comedy legends Punt and Dennis bring a new sitcom to Radio 4, set in the claustrophobic carriages of a cross-country rail service.

It's day one of a new franchise and train manager Sam has high hopes for their maiden voyage, even if the new bosses insist her role is to 'enhance the onboard travel experience'. But the marketing team's offer of free coffee for ALL customers soon threatens to derail the smooth running of the service. Meanwhile passengers struggle to escape the clutches of the automatic toilets....

Our heroes are the long-suffering train crew who manage to scrape through every shift like a dysfunctional family – Train Manager, Sam (Rosie Cavaliero; Inside No. 9) First Class Steward, Gilbert (Kenneth Collard; Cuckoo), Catering Manager, Dev (Ali Shahalom; Muzlamic) and Trolley Operator Tasha (Amy Gledhill; Life). The passengers are made up of a rolling roster of guest stars, which includes the odd cameo from Punt and Dennis themselves.

Sam…. Rosie Cavaliero
Gilbert…. Kenneth Collard
Dev….. Ali Shahalom
Tasha….. Amy Gledhill
Pensioner 1…. Hugh Dennis
Pensioner 2…. Gemma Arrowsmith
Student…. Justice Ritchie
Lawyer…. Steve Punt

Written by....Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis
Producer… James Robinson
A BBC Studios Production


MON 14:45 Felicity Ward - Appisodes (m000q3tt)
Series 2

Pregnancy

The return of the series in which Australian stand-up Felicity Ward uses phone apps to help her cope with modern life. In the opening episode, Felicity purchases pregnancy app "Do it with Daisy" (played by comedian Lou Sanders).

With the aid of her trusty mobile phone can she navigate the challenges of pregnancy and download her way to some form of happiness?

Written and performed by Felicity Ward.
Script Editor: Gareth Gwynn
Production Co-Ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Producer: Adnan Ahmed

A BBC Studios Production.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m001ypz8)
James Dyson on Frank Whittle

Frank Whittle’s fascination with aeroplanes started as a nine-year-old boy when he was nearly decapitated by one that was taking off from a local common in Coventry where he grew up. From that moment he set his sights on becoming a pilot, and joined the RAF in 1923. A few years later, aged just 21, he came up with an idea for powering aircraft so that they could fly much further and faster than the existing propeller planes. Despite a dearth of support from the Air Ministry, he doggedly pursued his vision of a turbojet engine and the RAF’s first fighter jet entered service towards the end of the Second World War, in 1944. His invention not only revolutionised air combat, but also international travel.

The inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson finds his story so inspiring that he has collected some of Whittle’s inventions, including an original working jet engine from 1943. He finds it amazing that Whittle got it right first time, which inventors almost never do. James Dyson is joined in the studio by Frank Whittle’s son, Ian Whittle, who is also a pilot.

Presenter: Matthew Parris
Producer: Beth McLeod for BBC Studios Audio


MON 15:30 History's Secret Heroes (m001y3vb)
15. Josefina Guerrero: The Maid of Manila

After contracting Hansen’s Disease, then known as leprosy, Josefina Guerrero makes a remarkable decision. She becomes a spy for the resistance in Manila.

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya
Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby
Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts


MON 16:00 Boys (m001ypzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (m001ypsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m001ypzd)
What next for the SNP?

In the wake of Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf's resignation, Evan Davis speaks to the SNP and their former partners the Scottish Greens about what comes next.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ypzg)
Humza Yousaf says he "underestimated" the hurt after ending deal with Scottish Greens


MON 18:30 It's a Fair Cop (m001ypzj)
Series 8

5. The Make Off

When does forgetting to pay become a police matter?

Accidently walked off with bottle that's not been scanned? Put a croissant through as a roll? Forgot to pay for your petrol? Alfie explores the legal ins & outs of the 'make off'.

Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Producer: Sam Holmes

An EcoAudio Certified Production
A BBC Studios Audio Production


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001ypzl)
Alice is groggy when Jakob - hammering on the door - finally manages to rouse her. She needs to call the nursery as she forgot to tell them Kate would be picking Martha up. Alice is defensive when Jakob tells her Kate thought something terrible had happened when she didn’t answer her phone after calling in sick. Jakob’s suspicions grow when he notices Alice’s phone is under the coffee table, where its ringing should have woken her – then, as he’s about to leave, he notices a poorly-hidden empty wine bottle. Alice tries to talk her way out of it but he says he’ll have to tell Kate. Alice promises it’s a one-off and says she’ll call her sponsor, Lisa, if he’ll keep her secret. She says she can’t risk Martha being taken away from her. Reluctantly, Jakob agrees.

Chelsea is being trained by Emma at the Tea Room, although her experience at The Orangery has Chelsea overflowing with confidence. Robert comes in for a cup of tea and she is soon trying to persuade him to buy cake as well – her overselling of the various teas is overwhelming and he buys a cappuccino instead. Almost as soon as he has finished his drink she is fussing around him and urging him to buy another. He’s engrossed in a mystery game Lynda bought him for Christmas but Chelsea won’t relent and pretty soon drives him out of the Tearoom. She starts boasting about what she has done, but far from being impressed, Emma is horrified, saying Robert is a loyal customer.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001ypzn)
Hanif Kureishi, Ingrid Persaud, Arts Council funding

Hanif Kureishi has joined forces with Emma Rice to adapt his 1990 novel The Buddha of Suburbia into an RSC production that’s just opened at the Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon. Kureishi discusses what it feels like to see himself and his fictionalised family onstage, why his first novel remains painfully relevant and how he has been able to continue writing despite the December 2022 accident that left him tetraplegic.

Recently on Front Row we heard from some leaders of classical music organisations including the Wigmore Hall and LSO saying that Arts Council England, the body responsible for distributing funding, was putting inclusion before excellence. Today we hear from the Arts Council’s CEO, Darren Henley about Let’s Create, the ten year strategy behind the recent funding decisions.

Ingrid Persaud discusses the real man behind her new novel The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh, an outlaw figure who looms large in the cultural memory of Trinidad and Tobago - an island nation with a wealth of contemporary novelists, including Persaud herself.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corinna Jones


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001yjbk)
Are Britain's missing workers really a problem?

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the reasons why millions of people in the UK aged between 16 and 64 are neither working nor looking for work and what we can do about it.

Tony Wilson, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies
Sam Avanzo Windett, Deputy Director at the Learning and Work Institute
Torsten Bell, Chief Executive at the Resolution Foundation

Production team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineers: James Beard


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m001yjbm)
Can we get plastic waste under control?

As the UN tries to get a global agreement on plastic waste we hear from two delegates at the conference in Ottawa; John Chweya, a Kenyan waste picker, and plastics scientist, Steve Fletcher, discuss the impacts of plastic pollution and the possible solutions.

Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, exposes the pain a break up can cause. Heartbreak is a common theme in music and art – but what does science have to say about it? Florence Williams, science journalist and author of Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, talks us through the research on what actually happens in our bodies when we go through a break-up.

The nomadic Avar empire ruled over eastern and central Europe from the sixth to the ninth century but very little was known about them – until now. From studying ancient DNA, researchers have discovered a wealth of information about how the Avars lived. Dr Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, explains the findings, and how it’s even possible to learn so much from ancient DNA.

We all know how bees great are – but what about all the other pollinators? Dr Erica McAlister from the Natural History Museum in London speaks out in defence of the fly.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Hannah Robins and Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Martin Smith


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m001ypyf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m001ypyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ypzq)
What next for SNP after Yousaf resigns?

After Humza Yousaf's resignation we ask who is most likely to succeed him as first minister - and what the dramatic development means for Scottish independence - and UK politics.

Also on the programme:

Anger in Dublin after Rishi Sunak says a rise in asylum claims in Ireland shows the UK government's Rwanda policy is working.

And why are more people than ever signing up to run marathons?


MON 22:45 You Are Here by David Nicholls (m001ypzs)
Episode 1

David Nicholls’ new novel, You Are Here, follows two isolated and lonely people who are thrown together by the endeavours of a mutual friend who believes they both need to ‘get out more'. A long weekend walking in the Lake District turns into a rain-lashed and wuthering journey across the valleys and moorlands of some England’s most spectacular countryside.

Marnie is a freelance copy editor, spending most of her days alone in her south London flat. After a disastrous marriage in her early 20s, romance and companionship seem to have passed her by. Now, in her late 30s, she feels it is unlikely that she will ever meet someone.

Michael is still reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. He teaches Geography at the same Yorkshire school as Cleo who is an old friend of Marnie’s. It is Cleo’s bright idea to bring together a small group of people in the second half of the Easter holidays to enjoy a few days walking in the glorious Cumbrian landscape.

David Nicholls is the author of several bestselling novels including One Day, Us, and Sweet Sorrow. He is also an award-winning screenwriter.

Written by David Nicholls
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips and Jim Howick
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (p09h4w5m)
The System - Series 1

The System - Level 4: Red Pill

By Ben Lewis.

A witty and propulsive six-part thriller about an exclusive personal development programme with a radical twist. Starring Siena Kelly, Jack Rowan and Iain de Caestecker.

Level 4: Red Pill

The Past: Jake’s unit find out what The System is really about as they enter the next level of their training. And it doesn’t sit well with everyone.
The Present: Maya manages to track down an ally with insider knowledge.

Cast:
Alex … Iain de Caestecker
Dr Khalid Hassan… Souad Faress
Maya … Siena Kelly
Coyote…Divian Ladwa
Beau…Matthew Needham
Jake …Jack Rowan

Original music and sound design by Danny Krass
Featuring tracks from Equiknoxx music collective

With thanks to Dr Joel Busher at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, University of Coventry.

A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001ypzw)
Susan Hulme reports on plans to overhaul the disability benefits system - and MPs debate assisted dying.

TUESDAY 30 APRIL 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001ypzy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Alien Earths by Lisa Kaltenegger (m001ypyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001yq00)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001yq02)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001yq04)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001yq06)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001yq08)
Eight Day of Passover - Isaiah's Vision

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

Good Morning.

Today is the eighth and final day of Passover.

The first day commemorates the liberation of the Children of Israel in the past; the last looks forward to the future redemption of all humankind. That’s why the rabbis chose for today’s prophetic reading Isaiah’s vision of the coming of the Messiah, "In that day society will be governed justly and the cause of the poor upheld. Nature will thrive: the wolf will live alongside the lamb (not, as my teacher wryly joked ‘each night a different lamb’). In that day ‘They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea."

It’s one of the most beautiful chapters in the entire Hebrew Bible.

How far away Isaiah’s vision seems today, not just distant, but receding, as wars and misery claw viciously into our world.

But Isaiah’s words were not set in good times either. They were forged in a Jerusalem under siege from Ashurbanipal’s armies and surrounded by destruction. For many of the people of Isarel, and Gaza, it must feel like that today.

But Isaiah wasn’t just a dreamer. He had something tougher to say: Never abandon hope! Never give up on a vison of peace!

He was enlisting the spirit’s resilience in the long struggle against violence and wrong. His message wasn’t: ‘Just wait, and the Messiah will come,’ but rather, ‘We must all be part of this. We can do justice. We can care for all creatures.

Please God, this can be a world where ‘they neither hate nor destroy.’


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001yq0c)
30/04/24 - Border checks, global disease monitoring and integrated pest management

New border checks for imports of food and plants coming into the UK from the EU, start 30th April 2024. Some farming groups have been calling for these checks for some time - saying they will give producers here more of a level playing field with EU producers, because UK exports have had similar checks since Brexit. But some importers say inspection costs are prohibitive.

We hear from the conference to celebrate the World Organisation for Animal Health's 100th anniversary, where avian flu is on the agenda.

And, we’re getting to the time of year where young plants in the field are susceptible to pest damage. Rather than rely on chemicals to fight them off, under the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which is part of England's new farm payment system replacing EU subsidies, farmers can be paid for using "Integrated Pest Management". We visit a farm to hear how it works.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


TUE 06:00 Today (m001yqt2)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (m001yqs6)
Presidential Candidates on Trial

Donald Trump has made history by becoming the first former US President to be criminally charged, facing 91 felony charges across four separate cases. As he heads towards an election rematch with Joe Biden, he has promised to continue his campaign even if he is convicted or sent to prison. What impact could this have on his campaign and has a prisoner ever run for President before?

Eugene V Debs (1855-1926) was one of the best-known Socialists in the United States. He ran for president five times – the final time from prison. Though his politics were rather different from Trump’s, his performance – he won almost a million votes – suggests how a criminal conviction can in fact add momentum to a presidential campaign.

Guests: Adam Smith, Professor of US Politics and Political History at the University of Oxford; Quinta Jurecic, Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Reader: Eric Meyers


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m001yqs8)
Are more young people getting cancer?

Last month, Catherine, Princess of Wales shared she’d been diagnosed with cancer. Describing this news as ‘a huge shock’ and at age just 42, the Princess’ disease falls into a category known as “early-onset cancer” – when the disease affects those under 50. While cases in this age group are still rare, diagnosis rates over the past few years have been growing. And scientists are now on a mission to figure out why.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is devastating, but younger people living with the disease face additional challenges. James Gallagher talks to Emma Campbell, a mum of three young children who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 36. Emma shares not just how her treatment affected her life, but the difficulties in advocating for herself as a younger person trying to get diagnosed. Professor Helen Coleman, cancer epidemiologist for Queens University Belfast, has been studying these diagnostic rates in younger people and explains possible reasons why more people like Emma are finding themselves living with the disease.

A series of videos recently went viral on social media from women claiming their weight loss drugs got them pregnant. These drugs – like Ozempic and Wegovy – help people lose weight by suppressing appetite, but could they impact fertility? James speaks to Dr Charlotte Moffett, lecturer in Pharmacology and Molecular Pathology at the University of Ulster, who is studying if these drugs might alter someone's ability to conceive. James is also joined in the studio by GP, Dr Margaret McCartney, who helps him answer some of your questions.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Julia Ravey
Content Editor: Holly Squire
Production Coordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy

TikTok credits: @Dkalsolive | @anastasiamalhotra | @coachkatierogers


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001yqt4)
Sex and choking, Online Abuse and work, Plastic pollution

Research by internationally-renowned sex expert Dr Debby Herbenick from 2020 found that 21% of women had been choked during sex, with this being nearly twice as prevalent among adults under 40. Why are more young people including this as part of their sex lives and what are both the short and long-term health consequences? Dr Debby and Medical Director of the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, Dr Catherine White, talk to Clare McDonnell.

As talks reach a conclusion in Ottawa this week on a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution, we speak to film director and campaigner Eleanor Church. Her documentary, X Trillion, comes out this week, and takes the viewer on an all-female expedition to the North Pacific gyre, where much of the world's plastic waste ends up.

What sort of responsibilities do employers have towards women who are abused online because of their job? Dr Rebecca Whittington is the Online Safety Editor for Reach Plc, which publishes newspapers including The Mirror and The Express. She explains how she protects journalists from online harm.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
Studio Manager: Neva Missirian


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m001yj7d)
Fashion

Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones examine the rich history of style and the moving image, from Pret A Porter to The Devil Wears Prada.

Ellen talks to fashion historian and curator Amber Butchart about the close relationship between couture and cinema. They discuss the timeless influence on high fashion of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Powell & Pressburger's The Red Shoes, and the movies that inspire what we all wear in real life.

Mark enlists the help of a Screenshot regular, critic Christina Newland, to explore how the fashion industry has been depicted on screen, from the fashion editors of Funny Face and The Devil Wears Prada to the male models of Zoolander.

And Mark talks to director Kevin Macdonald about his new documentary, High & Low: John Galliano, which follows the disgraced British fashion designer.

Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 11:45 Alien Earths by Lisa Kaltenegger (m001yqt6)
Book of the Week: Episode 2 - Ancient Cosmic Messengers

The award-winning astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger uses her scientific expertise to explore our ancient past in Earth's star studded skies. Here she tells us what shooting stars and supernovas can tell us about our cosmic environment. Pippa Nixon reads.

Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger's eye-opening guide to the cosmos uses Earth's diverse biosphere as a template to search for life on other planets beyond our galaxy. Working with a team of tenacious scientists from a variety of disciplines she has come up with an ingenious toolkit to identify possible life forms on planets far from Earth. Her enthusiasm and her expertise in the newest technological advances reveal the possibilities for whole new worlds. Perhaps, she muses aliens might be out there gazing back at us.

Lisa Kaltenegger is the Founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell University. She is a pioneer and world-leading expert in modelling potential habitable worlds . She is a Science Team Member of NASA's TESS mission and the NIRISS instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. The recipient of numerous international prizes and awards, including a European Commission Role Model for Women of Science and Research, she was named one of America's Young Innovators by Smithsonian Magazine. Asteroid Kaltenegger7734 is named after her.

Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001yqt8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001yqtb)
Call You and Yours - Downsizing

Are you considering downsizing? That's the question we're asking in this week's Call You and Yours.

Mortgage brokers say they're getting more enquiries than before from people considering downsizing - trading in a larger property for something smaller, cheaper and more manageable. Perhaps the children have flown the nest, or the mortgage is no longer viable. It could be the result of the breakdown in a relationship or just not wanting the hassle and responsibility that comes with a larger home.

Whether you've done it or are considering it, have embraced it or regret it, we want to hear from you.

We'll have expert guests on hand to offer insights into what's driving it and what to consider if you're weighing up whether its the right move for you.

Call us from 11am on Tuesday on 03700 100 444 or email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
RPDUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001yqtd)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001yqtg)
Home Office denies losing contact with migrants

The Home Office is not in direct contact with 3,557 migrants identified for removal to Rwanda, raising questions about whether the policy is encouraging migrants to abscond.


TUE 13:45 Boys (m001yqtj)
About the Boys

2. Life Online

In this episode, teenage boys all over the UK talk candidly to Catherine Carr about their lives online. They talk about playing together - while being alone, about lockdown and about the differences they see in the ways that girls and boys socialise. Experts provide evidence for boys' online habits from social media to YouTube. Boys reflect on what life might be like in an analogue world and describe how social media can be used to build e-commerce businesses from their phones. There's also talk about porn, (and porn addiction), its effects on boys and their sexual relationships, and how sex seems to colour everything online.

Thanks to

DRMZ Carmarthen Youth Project
Cambridge Museum of Computing
Zach Rausch New York University
The Boys' Brigade (Glasgow Battalion)
Haberdashers’ Boys School
Brook Advisory
Craig Haslop University of Liverpool
Freddie Feltham The News Movement
Olivia Dickinson

Producer: Catherine Carr
Researcher: Jill Achineku
Executive Producer: Marie Helly

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001ypzl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0012qy5)
Song of the Reed

Eel

Ian (played by Mark Rylance) has gone to work for neighbouring landowner Theo Buckhurst as Liv (Sophie Okonedo) prepares to sell up to Wildscapes – but nature, as ever, has a different plan, and a major flood event is forecast to engulf Fleggwick.

The third in the series of Steve Waters’ seasonal dramas follows the life of a fictional wetlands nature reserve, over the period of one year.

Storm clouds are well and truly established over the nature reserve Liv has inherited from her father. The oncoming flood will bring a pulse of salt water into the Fen, threatening countless fresh water species. And with plans to sell Fleggwick also complete, the future looks decidedly insecure in this otherwise beautiful corner of Norfolk.

Song of the Reed is recorded on location at RSPB’s Strumpshaw Fen. The story is informed by the sounds of the reserve as well as the real work and science of conservation taking place in the face of rapid environmental change in the wetlands of Norfolk, and everywhere.

Cast:
Liv - Sophie Okonedo
Ian - Mark Rylance
Tam - Ella Dorman Gajic
Kay - Molly Naylor
Theo - Tom Goodman-Hill
Nikki - Karen Hill
Charlie - Jimmy Rutherford
Voice of the Reed - Christine Kavanagh
Other parts played by staff and volunteers at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen

Written by Steve Waters
Music by Michael Somerset Ward with Rebecca Hearne
Cello played by Liz Hanks
Sound design by Alisdair McGregor
Produced and Directed by Boz Temple-Morris

A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001yqtl)
A Piano

A grand piano slowly climbs the stairs in Glasgow, a man in Brighton keeps finding his upright pianos going missing, a piano decays slowly in the woods while a grandson finds himself thrust into the role of a ship's pianist. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures with a piano at their heart.

Pianos Aren't His Forte
Featuring Mark Campbell
Produced by Phil Smith
Including piano performances from Mark Campbell and Songs Without Words composed by Felix Mendelssohn and performed by Vassily Primakov from the Free Music Archive

Piano in the Woods
Written and produced by Ross Sutherland
Featuring performances from the project Piano in the Woods by the improviser, artist and curator Sam Bailey. You can learn more about the project at pianointhewoods.com

Two, Three, Hup
Produced by Steve Urquhart
Featuring piano performances by Steve Urquhart

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


TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m001yqtn)
Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir: Religion and Politics in India

In a temple in Southall, west London, Giles Fraser hears about the spiritual significance for British Hindus of the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, consecrated with much fanfare in January 2024 by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As Indians go to the polls in the largest democratic election in history, what is the relationship between religion and politics in the country?

Giles is joined by Professor Shruti Kapila, Associate Professor Ashraf Hoque and Dr Prakash Shah to discuss the temple's significance and the controversy that surrounded it, built on the site of a previous Muslim mosque, which was pulled down by a mob in 1992. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is campaigning for re-election. He's the head of the BJP party, aligned to ideas of Hindu nationalism. Does the temple help us to understand the complicated and contested political, cultural and historical grounds over which the current election is being fought?

Producer: Rebecca Maxted
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Jonathan Hallewell


TUE 16:00 Split Ends (m001yqtq)
3. The Fall

Singer Songwriter and BBC Introducing presenter Kitty Perrin charts the stories of band splits. What really happened in the breakups of some of history's best loved bands? Using new interviews with band members, music professionals, academics, and writers she analyses the reasons they split.

In episode 3 Kitty explores the love affair at the heart of one of the most turbulent bands in music history. She talks to Brix Smith about her time in cult Mancunian post-punk band The Fall, how she fell in love with and married the bands originator Mark E Smith, and how the break up of that marriage and Mark’s documented substance misuse led to her leaving the band - twice.

In the early 80s, teenager Brix Smith lived in LA, made music and obsessed over every sound coming out of the British music scene. Two weeks after Brix Smith met The Fall she went to see them play. Six weeks later she moved across the world, joined the band, and was in a relationship with the man who was a figure on an album sleeve eight weeks before. Her addition as songwriter and guitarist was a major turning point for the band.

Kitty gets insight into what it’s like to be in a band with a romantic partner, and how that might affect the people around you so she speaks to Simon Raymonde, former bassist in 80s pioneering band Cocteau Twins, the only member in the band with couple Liz and Robin.

She hears from Rowetta from Happy Mondays who talks about how substance abuse led to their split.

We also hear from Rock-star psychotherapist Jodi Millstein, Tamsin Embleton, editor of 'Touring and Mental Health' and Ryan Dusick, original drummer in American Pop-Rock band Maroon 5.

A Yada-Yada Audio Production
Presenter - Kitty Perrin
Producer - Julian Mayers
Original Music by Gordon Russell


TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m001yqts)
Huw Edwards, PR speak and runaway horses

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the resignation of Huw Edwards and how the BBC has handled this ongoing crisis – its PR, its strategy and the enduring power of the tabloids in this country to throw an incendiary device into famous places.

They also lift the lid on the art of euphemistic spin and how the language of PR was used in the Post Office IT Horizon scandal - or should we say “anomaly”?

And, runaway horses - how the Army responded to the surreal and shocking Household Cavalry rampage through central London and why you’ll now find a significant number of former Army officers in PR.

Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m001yqtv)
A guide to the local elections

How to judge this week's local election results, plus the latest on a sword attack in Hainault, east London.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001yqtx)
Two member of the public and two police officers were injured in the attack


TUE 18:30 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (m001yqtz)
Series 6

3. Excalibat!

Star of Mock The Week Milton Jones pulls at a zip that hasn’t been opened for 60 years and inadvertently causes a UK Chutney Crisis.

Complete with his unmissable jokes and a fully-working cast.

“The best one-line merchant in British comedy...” - Chortle

"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times

“Milton Jones is one of Britain’s best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners” – The Guardian

Written by Milton Jones, James Cary and Dan Evans with additional material by Adrian Gray

Starring Milton Jones, Tom Goodman-Hill, Josie Lawrence and Dan Tetsell

With music by Guy Jackson

Produced and directed by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001yqrq)
Alistair is clipping Monty’s claws as he and Robert agree what an asset Denise is to the vet’s practice. They chat about Sunday’s cricket win over Darrington and Linda’s worry that she might not get enough volunteers to prepare the teas for the T20 match during May Bank Holiday weekend. Jim arrives with Alistair’s forgotten packed lunch. They agree to meet for a drink later at The Bull. Robert remarks how happy Alistair seems these days and says he might adopt a similar approach to working with Lynda. Instead of getting annoyed, he’s going to focus on him and Lynda being a team. Later at The Bull, Jim offers to help Robert with his ancient mystery puzzle and they agree to make a night of it. Alistair joins them and, while Robert is at the bar, Jim says he will be spending the night at Ambridge Hall and Alistair should take the opportunity to spend some time alone with Denise.

George is not happy about Eddie’s sign advertising Bartleby The Talking Horse. Eddie thinks they’re on to a financial winner if they charge people to visit and take pictures with the pony. Linda arrives for a chat - with Bartleby (the cause celebre) – prompting an indignant protest from George that Bartleby talks about people, not to them. They risk damaging his brand. Eddie sharply points to George that were it not for his idea there would be no brand. George sulkily posts Bartleby and Linda’s gossipy video about a dancing vet but soon changes his tune when it starts racking up thousands of views.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001yqv1)
Michelangelo exhibition at British Museum, Jembaa Groove perform, Inside Number 9

Historian Andrew Graham-Dixon and art curator Kate Bryan discuss Michelangelo: the last decades, a major new exhibition at the British Museum which focuses on the last thirty years of Michelangelo’s life.

Reece Shearsmith discusses the ninth and final series of the BAFTA award winning Inside No. 9. Written with Steve Pemberton, the six episodes will feature new stand-alone stories, starting with ‘Boo To A Goose’ . Guest stars include Charlie Cooper and Katherine Kelly.

Jembaa Groove perform live. The Berlin-based band produce Ghanaian highlife/American R&B fusion music, an optimistic and positive sound created when they got together during the covid pandemic.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001yvdd)
Caught on Camera: The special school staff who abused kids

Three years ago, dozens of memory sticks were discovered in a sealed box at a school for children with special educational needs. There was 500 hours of footage which showed children being held in so-called 'calming rooms.' The videos showed the children being hit and denied access to a toilet. File on 4 investigates why a subsequent police investigation and an independent inquiry didn't lead to staff being sacked. File on 4 reveals how staff who were filmed hitting, kicking, and leaving children sitting in urine have not been sacked or referred to the barring service.

Reporter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Annabel Deas
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001yqv4)
Redundancies at Guide Dogs; Voting Equipment

As the charity Guide Dogs looked into its own future, they have predicted some financial hardship due to rising costs. Similarly to many organisations within the charity sector, they are having to come up with ways of cutting costs in order to maintain current levels of service provision. Their staff have been told that redundancies are a possibility for many. Guide Dogs' CEO Andrew Lennox tells In Touch what is happening and why, in his view, such cuts are necessary.

With elections just around the corner, In Touch explores a new audio voting system: the McGonagle Reader. It will be available at a few local council areas for the 2024 local and general elections.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
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 Crossing Continents (m001yqv6)
Kosovo: Euro or Bust

It's a quarter of a century since Kosovo emerged from a brutal war, one which pitted local ethnic Albanians against Serbs. Twenty-five years on, the government in Pristina is pressing ahead with reforms that could reinforce its separation from Serbia. They include banning the use of Serb dinars and curbing the import of things like Serb medicines. Pristina says the moves are needed to curb illegality and tax-evasion. But they’ve brought widespread complaints from local Serbs who feel victimised. Is the government justified in claiming there’s a rising risk of violence, or are the restrictions themselves making this more likely?

Producer and presenter: Ed Butler
Studio mix: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman


TUE 21:30 Three Million (p0hcrwmt)
5. Ghosts

The Bengal Famine, particularly the experiences of people in the rural areas who suffered the most, is not well remembered today. There is no memorial, museum, or plaque to the victims or survivors anywhere in the world.

One man has made it his life’s work to record their testimonies with paper and pen. Kavita hears from him - and tries to understand more about why the three million people who perished aren’t better remembered or memorialised in India, Bangladesh and Britain.

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.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001yqv8)
Hainault: Man arrested after boy killed in sword attack

A 14-year-old schoolboy has died after an attacker armed with a sword went on the rampage near Hainault Underground Station in northeast London. The 36-year-old suspect is in hospital after driving his van into a house as the attack began, and police have been unable to speak to him.
The incident is not being treated as terror-related.

Also on the programme:

The Ukrainian-born Republican Congresswoman, who voted against a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine;

And Reader’s Digest UK is coming to an end after 86 years – we reflect on the magazine’s enduring appeal with one of its former columnists.


TUE 22:45 You Are Here by David Nicholls (m001yqvb)
Episode 2

David Nicholls’ new novel, You Are Here, follows two isolated and lonely people who are thrown together by the endeavours of a mutual friend who believes they both need to ‘get out more'. A long weekend walking in the Lake District turns into a rain-lashed and wuthering journey across the valleys and moorlands of some England’s most spectacular countryside.

Marnie is a freelance copy editor, spending most of her days alone in her south London flat. After a disastrous marriage in her early 20s, romance and companionship seem to have passed her by. Now, in her late 30s, she feels it is unlikely that she will ever meet someone.

Michael is still reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. He teaches Geography at the same Yorkshire school as Cleo who is an old friend of Marnie’s. It is Cleo’s bright idea to bring together a small group of people in the second half of the Easter holidays to enjoy a few days walking in the glorious Cumbrian landscape.

David Nicholls is the author of several bestselling novels including One Day, Us, and Sweet Sorrow. He is also an award-winning screenwriter.

Written by David Nicholls
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips and Jim Howick
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Uncanny (m001yqvd)
Series 4

Case 1: The Flood

Marcus loves visiting his eccentric Aunt Jean, the black sheep of a very religious family. She runs a witch shop in New Orleans, selling spells, candles and Ouija boards. When Aunt Jean tragically dies in Hurricane Katrina, drowned in the basement of her own flat, her possessions end up at Marcus’s granddad’s house in South Georgia.

One night Marcus and his cousin dig them out and find her prized Ouija board. What will happen if they try to make contact with her? The answer, it turns out, is that all hell breaks loose.

Danny heads to Georgia to meet Marcus and hears about the most terrifying night of his life.

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Evelyn Hollow and Benjamin Radford
Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake
Script editor: Dale Shaw
Development producer: Sarah Patten
Production manager: Tam Reynolds
Commissioning executive: Paula McDonnell
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001yqvg)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the government offers a concession and agrees to a timetable for the setting up of a compensation scheme for the victims of the infected blood scandal.