SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m00202tg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield (m00202r7)
Episode Five

A story of friendship, fraud and fine art.

When Orlando Whitfield first meets Inigo Philbrick, they are students dreaming of making their mark by dealing art. Their friendship endures for 15 years until one day, Inigo – the most successful dealer of his generation by then – disappears, accused of a fraud so massive and audacious that it shakes the art world to its core.

So, who is Inigo Philbrick and what led to the unravelling of this gifted wunderkind? Why would someone who, by all accounts, had it all, engage in such epic self-sabotage?

In this captivating five-part cautionary tale, his friend Orlando Whitfield attempts to answer these questions. In doing so, he breaks the art world's code of silence, taking us on a dazzling journey to the heart of the contemporary art scene – a place marked by shocking ambition, greed and unrestrained madness.

Read by Hugh Skinner (Fleabag, W1A, The Windsors)
Produced and Abridged by Karen Rose
Sound by David Thomas
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Ros Ward

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00202tj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00202tl)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00202tn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m00202tq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00202ts)
Innovation

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Revd Catherine De Souza, Senior Leader of City Church in Cardiff.

Good morning.

Henry Ford was well known not just as a canny businessman, but also as an innovator. He had a passion for figuring out how things worked and making them better, for example by developing the moving assembly line which enabled largescale output in a relatively short period of time. On this day in 1924 the Ford Motor Company manufactured its 10 millionth car. No doubt at the time, discussions were had about the benefits of technological advancements, compared with the dignity of individual labour. Although technology has developed and moved since then, some discussions and deliberations about the right and proper use of it are still ongoing. And in fact perhaps even more so with the rise of artificial intelligence, or AI.

One discussion about AI that I find particularly interesting is around the role of technology and creativity, and whether technology can ever fully emulate the creative capacity of people. As human beings we are made in the image of God who created the whole universe, who made the earth and everything in it. I believe God created the vast oceans and the huge mountains and designed the intricacies of the smallest insects and the delicate petals of a rose. He created great diversity amongst creatures, amongst landscapes, and across people. Perhaps in these conversations, complex though they are, we shouldn’t lose sight of our incredible capacity to create and innovate, because of the creator God who made us.

Lord, thank you for the wonder of your creation and thank you that you created us. Help us to demonstrate and express the creativity you have placed within us in ways that glorify you. Amen


SAT 05:45 Naturebang (m001qmbc)
Killer Whales and the Mystery of the Menopause

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight dive into the underwater world of killer whales, where tight-knit family pods are led by the eldest post-reproductive matriarch, to better understand why we have a menopause.

Matriarchal killer whales usually stop being able to reproduce in their thirties or forties, but continue to live for decades longer. This phenomenon of having a long post-reproductive life is known only to exist in 5 species: killer whales, narwhals, beluga whales, short-finned pilot whales, and humans. That’s it. Females across the rest of the animal kingdom can keep reproducing into old age, many until their dying days.

So why? If the success of a species lies in its ability to breed and pass on its genes, why have we – and a few species of whale – evolved this seemingly counter-productive thing that stops us being able to do that? What's the point of it? And what does it say about our need for grandmas?

Featuring Prof. Darren Croft, Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter, and Dr. Brenna Hassett, Biological Anthropologist at UCL and author of Growing Up Human. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0020829)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m00202m7)
Anneka Rice and Maggi Hambling in Suffolk

Unlikely as it sounds Anneka Rice has long been part of a small painting group run by the extraordinary artist, Maggi Hambling. Over the years they've developed a strong bond. As Maggi puts it, the painting group is 'like family' to her. In this special episode of Open Country, Anneka travels to Suffolk to find out more about the county that has inspired Maggi's work: from her brooding seascapes, to the once controversial but now lauded Scallop on Aldeburgh beach.

They start the day in a dank, dark, tree-covered ditch where Maggi hid as a teenager when she was too nervous to attend a painting class. Then to Maggi’s home, where - leaving the verdant overgrowth of her garden - they enter her studio where green (a colour she hates) disappears… there are blacks and greys and just a bit of pink.

Next, onto the bleak but beautiful beach at Sizewell, it’s here in the shadow of the nuclear power plant that the churning North Sea most speaks to Maggi. And finally to the huge steel sculpture of the Scallop on Aldeburgh beach… a tribute to Benjamin Britten and now one of the area’s most popular attractions. As Maggi drives Anneka from location to location, the warmth, humour and friendship between the two shines out.

Please see the 'related links' box on the Open Country webpage for this episode to find more info about the Cedric Morris/Arthur Lett-Haines exhibition in July 2024.

Presenter: Anneka Rice
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002082c)
15/06/24 - Reproductive ethics in livestock, dog DNA and seed breeding

Three UK vet practices are now offering IVF for cows. It's a common practise for dairy cows to be made pregnant using artificial insemination, but IVF is more specialist. It allows for multiple embryos to be produced from one particularly good cow, meaning the genetics of a herd can be improved more quickly and its health and productivity improved. But it means hormonal treatments and some invasive procedures for the cow - so is it ethical?

In a world first, methane from slurry on a farm in Somerset is being broken down and turned into hydrogen gas and graphene. Graphene is a material that was discovered in the UK 20 years ago, and is normally made from mining graphite rock. But a company called Levidian has developed a process which separates the carbon and hydrogen in methane gas, to make graphene and hydrogen.

And ten police forces across the country will soon be trialling new forensic technology to help identify dogs involved in livestock attacks. We hear from farmers affected and find out why the police think this new kit will help.

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


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002082g)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002082j)
Election 2024: Amol Rajan and Martha Kearney

Martha reports from Northern Ireland, plus election latest and Euro 2024 kicks off.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002082l)
Imtiaz Dharker, Ashley John-Baptiste, Miria Harris, Danny Robins

The Journalist and presenter Ashley John-Baptiste, who’s written a very moving memoir about growing up in care.

The Lahore born poet Imtiaz Dharker will be appearing on the programme. We’ll be talking about what’s made her identify as a Scottish, Pakistani, Calvinist, Muslim who’s been adopted by India and Wales.

Plus, landscape and garden designer Miria Harris who has used her own experience of a medical emergency to design a garden to help others with their recovery.

All that plus the Inheritance Tracks of writer and presenter Danny Robins.

Presenters: Jon Kay and Nikki Bedi.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m002082p)
Ainsley Harriott: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Ainsley loved waking early to cycle around abandoned temples, playing Tomb Raider in real life, then finishing the day with the local delicacy: fried tarantula. Shaun is up for the cycling but not the crunchy spider. Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence is clearing the vines through the deep jungle for this one.

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.

Producers: 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 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002082t)
Series 44

Woolwich

Jay Rayner and his of panel of food experts are in Woolwich, London for this week's episode.

Joining Jay at Woolwich Works are cooks and food writers Melissa Thompson, Tim Anderson, Lerato Umah-Shaylor, and first timer Will Hughes, aka What Willy Cook.

The panel discusses festivals dedicated to mayonnaise, pumpkin recipes to disguise the taste of pumpkin, and whether chicken tikka masala pasta is considered a culinary crime. Later, they share ways to sneak seeds into dishes, and the best recipes for fried chicken.

Also, Adejoké Bakare of the restaurant Chishuru (and the first black woman to be awarded a Michelin star in the UK) shares her love of West African food and talks about its regionality, dishes and key spices.

Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock

A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 11:00 Newscast (m0020b6j)
Electioncast: How SUPER is a Supermajority?

Today, in this podcast recorded live on Radio 4, we’re looking at warnings from Defence Secretary Grant Shapps about a big Labour majority.

Adam, Paddy and Laura also look at Reform UK, which one poll put a point ahead of the Conservatives for the first time.

Apply to join us on election night: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/newscast-all-nighter

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg, Adam Fleming and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Hanna Ward. The technical producers were Phil Bull and Frank McWeeny. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0020830)
Kosovo and the new world of war

Kate Adie presents stories from Kosovo, the US, East Jerusalem, Ghana and El Salvador

Its 25 years this week since Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo. Jeremy Bowen went back for the anniversary celebrations and reflects on how conflicts have changed in the 21st century.

All eyes were on Wilmington in the US State of Delaware this week where a jury took just three hours to deliver a guilty verdict in the case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter on three felony counts. Bernd Debusmann Jr followed the twists and turns of the case and considers what ramifications the verdict might have on Joe Biden’s run for a second term in office.

Visitors to the Old City in East Jerusalem have dropped sharply since the Israel-Gaza war began in October. And there’s increased tension between the different communities inside the Old City Walls. Emily Wither spoke to Palestinian and Jewish business owners about how the on-going conflict is impacting their daily lives.

Millions of people in the UK were born outside the country. But what's involved in taking the plunge and making your life anew in another land? Elaina Boateng recently spoke to her mother about what had motivated her to leave her West African homeland of Ghana in the eighties– and her reflections on how it had changed when she returned.

And finally, El Salvador's coffee industry took a pounding during years of civil war and natural disasters like rust disease which ruined crops and sent prices plummeting, But the country’s 18,000 coffee farmers have embraced agroforestry – a farming technique which integrates trees with crops or pasture, as Jane Chambers discovered.

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


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0020834)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0020838)
Tax and the Election and Help with Bills

Nineteen days to go before your cross on a ballot paper will help decide who runs the country. You have been telling Money Box what matters to you. This week we'll discuss how much tax you already pay and whether that will change after 4th July.

The head of the UK payment regulator has rejected calls to delay a new fraud reimbursement plan which is due to begin on 7th October. It will mean that victims of fraud are fully reimbursed for losses up to £415,000. We'll have more on this story.

And more than half a million people are now getting help with their finances, often saving substantial sums of money, thanks to something called the Vulnerability Registration Service. What is it and how does it work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Immie Rhodes and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 15th June, 2024)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m00202sj)
Series 114

Episode 2

Lucy Porter, Alasdair Beckett-King, Athena Kugblenu, and Hugo Rifkind join Andy Zaltzman to quiz the news


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002083d)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m002083g)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:15 Any Questions? (m00202sx)
David TC Davies, Guto Harri, Delyth Jewell MS, Rain Newton-Smith, Jo Stevens

Victoria Derbyshire presents political discussion from Newport Cathedral with the Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies, broadcaster and former Downing Street Head of Communications Guto Harri, deputy leader of Plaid Cymru Delyth Jewell MS, Chief Executive of the CBI Rain Newton-Smith and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Ian Davies


SAT 14:15 Any Answers? (m002083j)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 15:00 The Archers (m00202sn)
Alan and Harrison meet in the church for private prayers and meditation for Harrison to think about his loss. Before they start Alan checks that this time Fallon knows what he’s doing, but Harrison hasn’t told her because it always leads to a row. He wants these prayers to be unspoiled. Afterwards Harrison feels more at peace with everything, and Alan says he’ll remember both Harrison and Fallon in his prayers. But he reminds Harrison that he ought to let Fallon know what he was doing and why.

Fallon’s out on the town with Kirsty, celebrating her birthday early. She’s told Harrison that she’s staying at Kirsty’s and watching a film. Fallon just wants a night away from all the recent angst with Harrison. They agree not to talk about anything work or man-related. As the evening goes on Fallon gets tipsy and tells Kirsty she bumped into Lily, Paul and Josh in the bar. Paul’s there trying to take his mind off his relationship troubles with Etienne. Fallon’s agreed to go on to a club with them afterwards, commenting that it’s good to have mates – she’s glad she’s got Kirsty. As the evening progresses Fallon gets drunker, but Kirsty stays with her. When Fallon opens up about how she feels that people are trying to control her personal life, Kirsty counsels that sometimes it’s not about control. There are people out there who love her. Fallon adds that there’s also fun out there as well as worries, so she’s going to dance the night away!


SAT 15:15 Drama on 4 (m002083l)
Orwell vs Kafka: Restless Dreams

Inventive new drama from leading audio dramatist Dan Rebellato, one of a series of Radio 4 dramas marking the centenary of Kafka’s death.

Part thriller, part surreal, darkly comedic dream, part exploration of who owns culture, Restless Dreams is set entirely on a train. It's both a mystifying journey, and a reflection on the legacy of great literature, the battle between membership of a nation and citizenship of the world, and the dark heart of Europe.

Restless Dreams takes place during Max Brod’s urgent train journey in 1939 from Prague, fleeing the Nazis, as the world stood on the brink of WWII and everything that entailed for Jewish people, nations and borders. In his suitcase are manuscripts, the unpublished works by Franz Kafka – of no contemporary value but inestimable treasures for the future. In his will, Kafka instructed Brod, his friend and executor, to burn thousands of pages after his death. Brod didn’t, ensuring Kafka’s writings made it out into the world.

When guards challenge Brod’s identity, he decides to hide his treasures – but where? Every carriage he tries becomes more and more surreal. Where is this train actually taking him? Why is there a circus troupe in one carriage, a team of philosophers in the next? And who really are all these people who one minute claim to know him, the next deny ever meeting him? Including his own wife, Elsa.

On one level, this is a wartime thriller, the tense story of one man smuggling a jewel of world literature to safety. On the other, it is a Kafkaesque nightmare, teetering between reality and hallucination, often comedic, as Brod’s encounters with train staff and fellow passengers seem to pass between wakefulness and dreaming, echoing Kafka’s writing. There is wry humour throughout, mirroring Kafka’s own writing style, references to his work threaded throughout the drama.

The Writer:
Dan is a leading dramatist and professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University. He has written over 20 individual dramas for BBC Radio 4, and has been shortlisted multiple times for Sony, BBC Audio and WGGB Awards, including winning Silver at the ARIAS 2022 for his Radio 4 drama, You & Me. He was the lead writer who masterminded the epic 20 hour Emile Zola epic on Radio 4 2015–16. Recent stage commissions include Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Plymouth Drum, Suspect Culture and Graeae, Soho Theatre and National Theatre.

Cast:
Max Brod ….. Anton Lesser
Elsa/Ilse ….. Tracy-Ann Oberman
Hanna/Eva/Ottili ….. Annie Cowan
Franz Kafka/Titorelli ….. Henry Goodman
Train Guard/Kasper ….. Guy Rhys

Producer ……………………………..Polly Thomas
Sound Designer……………………..Eloise Whitmore
Illustration……………………………Ed Duffill
Production Manager………………..Darren Spruce
Executive Producer…………………Eloise Whitmore

Written by Dan Rebellato

A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:15 Woman's Hour (m002083n)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Paloma Faith, right wing women leaders in the EU, Emma Caldwell case, Chaka Khan

Paloma Faith is an award-winning singer, songwriter and actor. She has released six albums, including her most recent The Glorification of Sadness, received a BRIT Award, been a judge on The Voice UK as well as an actor in films such as St Trinian’s and TV’s series Pennyworth. She is also the mother of two daughters. She joins Clare to discuss her book – MILF - in which she delves into the issues that face women today from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth.

Far-right parties across Europe made significant gains in the European elections, and women have been at the forefront of this right-wing shift in several countries. Right-wing groups which include those led by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, France’s Marine Le Pen and Germany’s Alice Weidel are set to gain further seats in European parliament. To hear about the female leaders of Europe’s far-right and what this shift could mean for women, Anita is joined by the host of EU Confidential Politico's Sarah Wheaton and Shona Murray, Europe correspondent for Euronews.

Nearly 300 rapes and sexual assaults reported by sex workers during the Emma Caldwell murder investigation were not dealt with by police at the time, the BBC has learned. 276 reports of sex crimes made by sex workers working in Glasgow during the murder inquiry were filed away and not acted upon. Investigate journalist Sam Poling, whose work was pivotal in bringing Emma Caldwell’s killer, Iain Packer, to justice in February of this year, joins Clare McDonnell to discuss, along with former Detective Sergeant Willie Mason.

The American singer-songwriter, Chaka Khan, known as the Queen of Funk, is celebrating her 50th anniversary in music this year. With hits such as Ain't Nobody, I Feel for You and the anthem I'm Every Woman her music has sold an estimated 70 million records, winning her 10 Grammy Awards. She is curating Meltdown 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall, and opens the festival tomorrow night. She shares her plans and discusses her favourite songs.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Rebecca Myatt


SAT 17:00 PM (m002083q)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m00202lx)
Pest Control

What's the best - and most humane - way to get rid of pests?

For some of us Tom and Jerry might be the sum total of our knowledge of the struggle between domestic life and unwanted rodents. But for listeners Colin and Mary, things are getting much more real! Colin wants to know if the plug-in devices he's seen that promise to deter rats and mice using ultrasonic actually work. Mary has caught mice and then released them back into the wild in nearby woodland, believing it's the more humane way to deal with the problem. But is it?

With the help of Natalie Bungay from the British Pest Control Association and Rob Young, Professor of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Salford, Greg Foot sets out to find the answers, hoping to nibble at the metaphorical cheese without getting caught in the figurative trap (or something).

All of the ideas for our investigations come from you, our listeners, and we're always on the lookout for more. If you have seen a wonder product that claims to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if it is SB or BS then please do send it over on email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or drop us a message or voicenote on Whatsapp to 07543 306807

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: SIMON HOBAN


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002083s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002083v)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002083x)
The Princess of Wales has been cheered by the crowds as she attended Trooping the Colour - her first public appearance since revealing she has cancer.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002083z)
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tara Fitzgerald, Paul Sinha, Bess Atwell, Jazz Emu, Clive Anderson

The comedian Paul Sinha is a man of many careers - from working GP to sucessful stand up to his role as "The Sinnerman" in ITV's quiz show The Chase. He joins Clive to talk about his new autobiogaphy - Once Sinha Lifetime - charting his extraordinary Bengali family background through the peaks and troughs of his own working life to his recent medical diagnosis. Tara Fitzgerald is an actor with a career that encompasses both film classics like Brassed Off and I Capture the Castle as well as new hits like Game of Thrones and Waking the Dead. Now, to celebrate 125 years since the birth of Noel Coward, she stars in a triple bill of his less performed plays – Suite in Three Keys. We'll ask what Coward has to offer today's audiences. And forget about five a day, the TV Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says we should be eating thirty a week and what's more its really not that hard to do. Plus music from singer songwriter Bess Atwell's third album Light Sleeper, produced by The National's Aaron Dresser who also works with Taylor Swift. Plus comedy performance from Jazz Emu, the alter-ego of comedian Archie Henderson and his hilarious band The Cosmique Perfection.

Presented by Clive Anderson
Produced by Olive Clancy


SAT 19:00 Profile (m0020841)
Jordan Bardella

Who is National Rally's 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella? Stephen Smith looks at the life of the boy from the Paris suburbs who joined the far-right as a teenager and rapidly became the face of National Rally, helping to bring success for the party in the European elections.

Contributors
Cécile Alduy, Professor of French Studies, Stanford University, Political Scientist, Sciences PO Paris
Aymeric Durox, National Rally Senator
Pascal Humeau, Communications Advisor and Media Trainer
Bénédicte Paviot, UK Correspondent France 24
Pierre-Stéphane Fort, Jordan Bardella biographer

Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Diane Richardson, Ivana Davidovic and Julie Ball
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Rosie Strawbridge
Editor: Tom Bigwood


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m00202ln)
Judy Chicago

John Wilson's guest is the pioneering American artist, author and educator Judy Chicago. Having run the first ever feminist art course in California, she established herself as a powerful advocate of women artists in the early 1970s. She is best known for a ground-breaking installation piece called The Dinner Party, a monumental work which was made with the help of a team of ceramists and needle-workers over five years and first displayed in 1979. Now enjoying her sixth decade as an artist, Judy Chicago is regarded as a trailblazing figure in the art world.

Judy recalls studying at the Art Institute of Chicago's children's classes at the age of five, and afterwards wandering around the galleries upstairs where she was particularly drawn to the Impressionists. It was here that she first decided to become an artist. As a young woman she moved to the west coast to pursue her dream. Although she found the art scene there "inhospitable" to women, she was inspired by a group of male artists including Ed Rucha, Larry Bell and Bill Al Bengton, associated with the LA-based Ferus gallery.

Judy also cites discovering Christine de Pisan, the Italian-born French medieval poet at the court of King Charles VI of France, as a turning point in her own research and art practice. Like Judy herself, de Pisan had faced obstacles because of her gender and sought to challenge contemporary attitudes towards women by creating an allegorical City of Ladies. She is one of the women represented in Judy Chicago's landmark work The Dinner Party.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Archive used:
Omnibus: Judy Chicago's Dinner Party, BBC1, 13 January 1981
Rebel Women: The Great Art Fight Back, BBC4, 10 July 2020


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0020843)
Fitted and Kitted

The kitchen is at the heart of our homes - and lives. Food writer Ruby Tandoh and design historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan agonise over what to have in their imaginary dream kitchen - and take advice from 100 years of archive.

From sooty caverns with no electricity or running water, to sleek utopias of marble and technology, and everything in between - kitchens have come a long way in the last century. But questions of who uses them, how much space they should take up, and where to store the latest gadget continue to plague us.

With contributions from kitchen designers Johnny Grey and Amanda Hughes, as well as architectural historians Lloyd Alter and Professor Barbara Penner, we discover that the advent of the fitted kitchen was in the crucible of war and disease.

Through the marketing of the 1930s and 1950s, the kitchen became a site of scientific precision for the British housewife. Then the cooks and sitcoms of the 60s and 70s made it more about personal expression - Fanny Cradock cooked on TV from her own home, Delia whipped up a curry, and The Good Life showed another version of middle-class aspiration.

Today, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Nadiya Hussain offer busy people speedy and tasty meals, effortlessly thrown together in a beautiful, open-plan kitchen that dominates family life. Never mind if you want to shut the door on the mess and noise of cooking - or washing up…

So why does the kitchen of the future never arrive and what can 100 years of archive teach us about how we cook and live today?

Also featuring Dr Kevin Geddes, expert on TV cooks, and Lulu Grimes of BBC Good Food. With thanks to Rukmini Iyer, chef and cookbook author.

Presented by Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan and Ruby Tandoh
Produced by Leonie Thomas
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m00202h7)
Democracy - is our system morally superior?

It will soon be time to vote in the General Election. A moment for us all to play our part in democracy. The theory is that politicians do their best to get elected, and then do all the right things so they are re-elected next time round. But in practice it can be difficult for governments to do what really needs to be done and still stay in power. A good example is climate change: There is a broad consensus that very urgent action is needed, and yet as the election nears, there's little from the major parties promising radical, decisive action, because they fear that voters don't really want it.

If liberal democracy can’t solve our problems, can it at least unite us around the principle that everyone’s point of view is worth hearing?  Well no, not any more.  For every listener to good old Radio 4 there are many more who get their news from social media and their opinions from their silo of friends.  Is it too cynical to suggest that voters are short-sighted, selfish and stubbornly wrong-headed?  And what about the quality of our leaders? Does anyone think our political system is serving up the nation's finest?

Some say our democracy isn’t democratic enough.  They fear excessive influence by lawyers, quangos, peers, and press barons.  Others applaud activists for challenging the worst excesses of a corrupt Commons. Three cheers, they say, for the unelected European Court of Human Rights and the judges who go easy on civil disobedience while thwarting the Home Office over asylum policy.

Do we still believe that our democracy is morally the least-worst system, when it seems incapable of producing long-term solutions to the most urgent problems?  Can we learn anything at all from authoritarian states that seem better at simply getting things done? In this special edition of the Moral Maze, recorded at the Hay Festival, we ask - what is the moral basis for claiming that our version of democracy is superior?  

Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producers: Jonathan Hallewell, Peter Everett and Ruth Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SAT 22:00 News (m0020845)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m00202r5)
D-Day - The Food that fuelled the assault

As we mark 80 years since the D-Day assaults, Leyla Kazim gets a peek at what's thought to the be the world's only surviving unopened D-Day ration pack, and explores the food that fuelled the troops through the challenge ahead. She's heading back in time in one Wiltshire village that housed the famous "Band of Brothers" to find out what they were eating.. and she sits down to with two Army veterans to talk about their food memories, getting a taste of a genuine British ration pack along the way.
Presenter Leyla Kazim
Producer Tory Pope


SAT 23:00 Michael Spicer: No Room (m001zpd9)
7. Red

A billionaire's impassioned appeal. Please give generously. Exclusive interview with Tony Blair on his classic TV series.

No Room is comedian Michael Spicer's packed sketch series that nails modern life, politics, culture and current events. Michael is famous for his Room Next Door government advisor character whose withering takedowns of politicians have amassed more than 100 million views and helped keep his audience sane in fractured times.

Writer, Performer and Co-Editor: Michael Spicer

Composer and Sound Designer: Augustin Bousfield

Producer: Matt Tiller

A Tillervision production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:15 Michael Spicer: No Room (m001zpdd)
8. Black

The Tims are tasked with solving gender inequality while another Westminster sex scandal comes to light.

Comedian Michael Spicer exposes the worst of modern life, politics and culture. No Room features an up to the minute take on current events, alongside character-filled sketches which brilliantly capture everything that provokes us.

Michael is famous for his Room Next Door government advisor character whose withering take downs of politicians have amassed more than 100 million views and helped keep his audience sane in fractured times.

Writer, Performer and Co-Editor: Michael Spicer

Composer and Sound Designer: Augustin Bousfield

Producer: Matt Tiller

A Tillervision production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Nature Table (m00201sw)
Series 4

2: Crime-solving brambles and radioactive houseplants

In this episode, Sue and the Nature Table team visit Kew Gardens for an entertaining botanical special.

Crime-solving brambles, radioactive houseplants, scheming water lilies, hallucinogenic flowers and life-saving seagrass all feature and wow Sue and the invited audience.

Sue is joined by special guests: ethnobotanist James Wong, forensic botanist Mark Spencer and comedian Lucy Porter.

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

For this series of Sue Perkins’ ARIA-winning ‘Show and Tell’ wildlife comedy, Team Nature Table have recorded at the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens and London Zoo.

Hosted by: Sue Perkins
Guests: James Wong, Mark Spencer & Lucy Porter
Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jenny Laville & Jon Hunter
Additional material by: Christina Riggs & Pete Tellouche
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Producer: Simon Nicholls

An EcoAudio certified production
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4

SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0020847)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Open Book (m00201y1)
Claire Messud

Claire Messud talks about her new book, This Strange Eventful History - an epic family history set across seven decades and five perspectives.

Plus Kafka's influence on contemporary writing - in story collection A Cage Went In Search Of A Bird. Shahidha talks to author Leone Ross and to Anna Kelly, Publishing Director for Abacus and Virago, who commissioned the work.

And in celebration of Pride Month, Chinese American writer Jiaming Tang on how his love of reading helped him embrace his queerness and connect with his family.

Presenter: Shahidha Bari
Producer: Emma Wallace

Book List - Monday 10 June

This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
The Last Life by Claire Messud
The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird: Ten Kafkaesque Stories
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The Castle by Franz Kafka
Cockroach by Ian McEwan
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang
The Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0020849)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002084c)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002084f)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m002084j)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002084l)
The Church of Saint Mary in Bronllys, Powys

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of Saint Mary in Bronllys, Powys. St Mary's is a Norman church, rebuilt in the Victorian period but retaining its medieval font, a finely carved 16th-century screen and a detached mediaeval bell tower. In the 18th century there just five bells all cast by Evans of Chepstow. In 1939 they were augmented to a ring of six by Taylors of Loughborough. The Tenor bell weighs seven hundredweight and is tuned to the key of A. We hear them ringing Grandsire Doubles.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002021h)
Alt-Text in News; Goalball Saved My Life

Alt-Text is an image description for those who use screen readers. It is an important accessibility tool that is often misused or is missing entirely, impacting on visually impaired people's experiences when consuming online content. The BBC's Johny Cassidy was instrumental in creating new mandatory training and guidance for journalists so that they can consider and begin to implement meaningful descriptions of images, graphs, maps and graphics etc in the content that they create. The guidance is also available for journalists and content creators outside of the BBC. Johny describes why and how this all came about and Holly Tuke, a visually impaired blogger and content creator, describes how important Alt-Text is to her online experience.

Gareth Mainwaring is from West Wales and has recently discovered goalball. It is a sport designed specifically for people with visual impairments and it has had a profound impact on Gareth's life. He and his mum Helen describe how the sport, as well as making Gareth more active, has created more opportunities.

If you are interested in getting involved in goalball, you can find details of Goalball UK's taster sessions via the following link: https://goalballuk.com/the-sport/taster-sessions/

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
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 (m00209cp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m002020z)
The politics of the body

The politics of the body: movement and posture. Laurie Taylor talks to Matthew Beaumont, Professor in English Literature at UCL, about how race, class, and politics influence the way we move: You can tell a lot about people by how they walk. Through a series of dialogues with thinkers and walkers, his book explores the relationship between freedom and the human body. Also, Beth Linker, Associate Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania discusses the posture panic which once seized America - a decades-long episode in which it was widely accepted as scientific fact that Americans were suffering from an epidemic of slouching, with potentially catastrophic health consequences. Tracing the rise and fall of this socially manufactured epidemic, she reveals how this period influenced the 20th century eugenics movement and the belief that sitting or standing up straight was a sign of moral rectitude.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m00209cr)
Hay Festival Special: Kate Humble

In a special episode recorded at the Hay Festival, Kate Humble explains how she accidentally ended up buying a council farm in the beautiful Wye Valley in Wales. She tells Charlotte Smith about her emotional connection to the farm, and in particular an old oak tree - "a tree with land attached, that's my farm".

Produced by Beatrice Fenton


SUN 06:57 Weather (m00209ct)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m00209cw)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m00209cy)
Moralty in manifestos; Jasvinder Sangheras damehood

As politicians promise to make us richer, our panellists – Rt Rev David Walker, Quassim Cassam, Seeta Suchak and David Landrum - take a moral approach to the party manifestos. The campaigner against forced marriage, Jasvinder Sanghera, who has just been made a dame, tells her own astonishing story. And a medieval historian, Hannah Skoda, explains why women with beards were considered holy.

Presenter - Emily Buchanan
Producers - Peter Everett & Rob Cave
Production Coordinator - David Baguley
Editor - Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002096z)
Survivors Fund (SURF)

The Archers actor, and patron of Survivors Fund, Felicity Finch makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity.

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 ‘Survivors Fund.’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Survivors Fund.’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Registered charity number: 1065705


SUN 07:57 Weather (m00209d0)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m00209d2)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m00209d4)
The Grandeur of Creation

From Christ Church, Castlerock, Co Londonderry on Northern Ireland’s north coast , a place of great natural beaty with stupendous views across the sea to the hills of Donegal and glimpses of the distant Hebrides- a very appropriate setting for a service which reflects on the greatness of God in the grandeur of His Creation.
Led by the Rector, Rev Chris Mac Bruithin
Preacher: Right Rev Andrew Forster, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe
with the Cantemus Choir, directed by Ben McGonigle.
Ezekiel 17.22-24
Psalm 92
Mark 4.26-34
From all that dwell below the skies
Beatus quorum via (Stanford)
For the beauty of the earth
Ag Críost an Síol (Ó Riada)
O worship the King


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m00209d6)
On Fandom

Zoe Strimpel reflects on the 'commercial exploitation' of fandom.

From Swiftie 'friendship bracelets' to beauty products and sportswear, she argues that you can no longer be a true superfan, or a true popstar, without the merch.

'But it is striking,' writes Zoe, 'that rather than reject the purely cynical commercialism of their fandom, fans demand it. Which begs the question of whether we are really fans of artists these days, or whether fandom has been consumed by corporations who have shape-shifted into the form of pop stars.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m00209d8)
Clare Balding on the Kingfisher

Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories inspired by birds, their calls and encounters.

As a child, Clare Balding's grandmother would say that if you saw a kingfisher you need to mark that moment and remember it. Throughout her life Clare has been impressed by these athletes of the river and whenever she sees one Clare thinks that that place is blessed.

Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio in Bristol
Studio engineer : Suzy Robins


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m00209db)
BH stages its own England v Germany

As the Euros get underway, Broadcasting House stages its own England v Germany battle... of the brass bands. Plus, how do you create the conditions for peace?


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m00208nv)
Clive Myrie, journalist

Clive Myrie is an award-winning journalist and news presenter who is one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents. In 2021 he took over from John Humphrys as Question Master of the quiz show Mastermind and has also presented travel programmes about Italy and the Caribbean.

Clive’s parents are from Jamaica and he was born in Farnworth, near Bolton – one of seven children. As a young boy he had a paper round and one of the perks was reading the leftover newspapers which gave him the opportunity to learn about a world beyond Bolton. He loved watching the news on television and his role models were Alan Whicker and Sir Trevor McDonald who inspired him to become a journalist.

After he graduated from university Clive took up a place on the BBC’s reporter training scheme and in 1996 he was sent to Japan - his first posting as a foreign correspondent. During his career he has reported from war zones including Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine.

In 2021 Clive was named Television Journalist of the Year and Network Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards.

Clive lives in north London with his wife Catherine.

DISC ONE: String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante. Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and performed by Kodály Quartet
DISC TWO: Welcome to My World - Jim Reeves
DISC THREE: Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti, K.588 / Act 1 - Soave sia il vento. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Ann Murray (mezzo soprano), Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass) and Wiener Philharmoniker
DISC FOUR: All Blues - Miles Davis
DISC FIVE: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prelude. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Paul Tortelier
DISC SIX: Slave to the Rhythm - Grace Jones
DISC SEVEN: Long, Long Summer - Dizzy Gillespie
DISC EIGHT: Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson

BOOK CHOICE: The Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue
LUXURY ITEM: Hot pepper sauce
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Long, Long Summer - Dizzy Gillespie

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m00209dd)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Julie Beckett
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Josh Archer…. Angus Imrie
Pip Archer…. Daisy Badger
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Ed Grundy….. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Will Grundy…. Philip Malloy
Paul Mack…. Joshua Riley
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Stella Pryor…. Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane


SUN 12:15 Profile (m0020841)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m00201yc)
Series 81

Episode 5

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. On the panel are Fred MacAulay, Milton Jones, Pippa Evans and Rory Bremner with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Colin Sell accompanies on the piano.

Producer - Jon Naismith.

A Random production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m00209dg)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m00209dj)
How best to tackle child poverty?

We consider the options available to reduce child poverty ahead of the election. Plus, how the French have responded to Macron's electoral gamble.


SUN 13:30 Living Without My Smartphone (m00209dl)
A group of teenagers agree to give up their smartphones for 5 school days. The phones are locked in a box, and our subjects pick up their old style “brick” phone instead. What’s the best and worst of their smartphone free days? Can they cope, and what, if anything, do they, their parents and teachers notice?
Rachel Burden has teenagers, and knows all about smartphone parenting. She joins our intrepid students throughout their week, and reflects upon the positives and negatives of a world where everyone can choose to be constantly connected.

Produced by Victoria Farncombe and Tim O'Callaghan
Mixed by Nicky Edwards
Edited by Clare Fordham


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00202rv)
Central Oxford

Any top tips on growing good sized brassicas? Can I have some recommendations for a good compost mix for pots, which will sustain them all summer? What plants would you suggest I grow to encourage my two children to get stuck into gardening?

Peter Gibbs and his team of gardening experts are in Central Oxford for this week's episode of Gardeners' Question Time.

Joining Peter to resolve the audience's horticultural conundrums are passionate plantswoman Christine Walkden, garden designer Chris Beardshaw, and Head of Oxford Botanical Gardens Dr Chris Thorogood.

Later in the programme, Dr Chris Thorogood clears up some of the common misconceptions we have about ants, and provides some insight on how beneficial they are to protecting the plants in our garden.

Producer: Dan Cocker

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m00209dn)
Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared

John Yorke explores Franz Kafka's first and unfinished novel The Man Who Disappeared. Kafka's re-imagining of an innocent's arrival and adventures in New York is, at first glance. the classic tale of rags to riches. Teenage Karl Rossman has been exiled by his parents to a fate unknown across the ocean with just a trunk of mementoes and a slowly smelling sausage.

Millions of Kafka's fellow Czechs had also made that journey but Kafka only ever made his voyage of exploration on the page and in his head. It is a strange America he gives us at once both familiar and utterly strange.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods.

As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy, John has trained a generation of screenwriters.

Contributors:
Professor Carolin Duttlinger - Co-director of the Oxford Kafka Research Centre
Ed Harris - Playwright who has adapted Kafka's work for a major new season on BBC Radio 4

Readings from Amerika: The Missing Person by Franz Kafka trans. Mark Harman (Schocken Books, 2008)

Reader: Jack Klaff
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound Designer: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Mark Burman
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m00209dq)
Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared

Episode 1

Franz Kafka’s dark comic fantasy about an innocent’s misadventures in early 20th century America.

After a mysterious family scandal, the young immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his Bohemian home and dispatched to America by his parents. Adrift in this strange new world, Karl is soon swept up in an America that is by turns a land of endless promise and monstrous brutality.

The Man Who Disappeared (also known as Amerika) was Franz Kafka’s first attempt at a novel but remained unfinished at the time of his death and only published posthumously. Kafka had never visited America and the fantastical world of his novel is clearly inspired by the myths and fears wrapped up in the country’s great economic boom of the early 20th century, particularly the rapid rise of big business and industrialisation.

A new adaptation by Ed Harris.

Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa
Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar
Jacob . . . . . Karl Johnson
Mr Green . . . . . Ed Gaughan
Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson
Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr
Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner
Klara . . . . . Anna Spearpoint

Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands
Sound design: Peter Ringrose
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko

A BBC Studios Audio production

Ed Harris is an award-winning dramatist and comedy writer. He has had over 20 audio plays broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4, as well as three series of his popular wartime sitcom, Dot. His work has won numerous awards including two Writers’ Guild Awards, a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Sony Gold/Radio Academy Award. His stage plays include Strangers Like Me (National Theatre Connections), Mongrel Island (Soho Theatre), Never Ever After (shortlisted for the Meyer-Whitworth Award) and What The Thunder Said (Theatre Centre). He is a current Royal Literary Fellow at Brighton University and Writer-in-Residence for the Oxford Kafka 2024 programme at Oxford University.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m00209dt)
Kevin Barry

Johny Pitts talks to Kevin Barry about his new novel - western romance, The Heart in Winter.

Plus, writing and rethinking the literary western - to discuss the genre, Kevin is joined by authors Scott Preston and Anna North. Scott's debut novel is Cumbrian western The Borrowed Hills - a farming story set at the time of foot and mouth, and Anna North is the author of queer, feminist western, Outlawed.

And the Reverend Richard Coles explains why Sherlock Holmes The Complete Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle is the 'book he would never lend.'

Presenter: Johny Pitts
Producer: Emma Wallace

Book List – Sunday 16 June 2024

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston
Outlawed by Anna North
Krazy Kat created by cartoonist George Herriman
Lieutenant Nun by Catalina De Erauso
Sherlock Holmes Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist by Arthur Conan Doyle
Murder at the Monastery by Richard Coles


SUN 16:30 Nature Table (m00209dw)
Series 4

3: Dubstep Camels and Super Sea Spiders

In this episode, Sue and the Nature Table team visit ZSL London Zoo.

Super-strong wild camels, sea spiders that can regrow body parts and the sex-lives of kakapo and green spoonworms all feature and wow Sue and the invited audience.

Sue is joined by special guests: broadcaster & zoologist Megan McCubbin, Professor of entomology Karim Vahed of Buglife and comedian Zoe Lyons.

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

For this series of Sue Perkins’ ARIA-winning ‘Show and Tell’ wildlife comedy, Team Nature Table have recorded at the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens and London Zoo.

Hosted by: Sue Perkins
Guests: Megan McCubbin, Karim Vahed and Zoe Lyons
Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jenny Laville & Jon Hunter
Additional material by: Christina Riggs & Pete Tellouche
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Producer: Simon Nicholls

An EcoAudio certified production
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct3c6p)
Paul Robeson and the transatlantic phone line

In September 1956, a telephone cable called TAT-1 was laid under the Atlantic Ocean, making high-quality transatlantic phone calls possible for the first time.

Eight months later in May 1957, 1,000 people squeezed into St Pancras Town Hall in London to listen to a transatlantic concert.

The person performing, Paul Robeson, was a globally renowned singer, but he’d been banned from travelling outside the USA. So, he made use of the new transatlantic telephone line to perform to his fans in the UK.

Ben Henderson speaks to John Liffen, who curated an exhibition on TAT-1 and the concert at the Science Museum in London.

(Photo: Engineers build repeaters used in TAT-1. Credit: Russell Knight/BIPs via Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Tourist Trap (m001zv2g)
Episode 3

The travel industry is booming with millions more people holidaying abroad each year.In this third and final episode of The Tourist Trap, Rajan Datar visits Paris as authorities use this summer’s Olympic games as a catalyst to make a transition to a greener city. He explores the hotel which has ripped out its carpets and uses bamboo towels to try and be more eco-friendly. He tours the UK headquarters of Airbus in Filton near Bristol to hear to what extent wing design change and alternatives to fossil fuels will make aviation industry greener. He discusses what we can all do to avoid the tourist trap and travel in a more sustainable way.
Produced by Bob Howard.


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00209dz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m00209f1)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00209f3)
England's footballers are preparing for their opening game of the Euros against Serbia, which kicks off at eight PM.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m00209f5)
Elizabeth Alker

This week, we hear highlights from the Hay Festival, find out how elephants communicate with each other, and get a behind-the-scenes look at musician PJ Harvey’s extensive world tour. Plus, Anneka Rice takes a trip to the hills and coastline of Suffolk with the legendary artist Maggi Hambling.

Presenter: Elizabeth Alker
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Pete Liggins


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m00209f7)
At the Tearoom, Paul’s surprised to see Fallon looking so well after her drunken night out last week. That is until Fallon explains that she spent most of yesterday in bed at Kirsty’s. But now she feels like a reset button has been pressed and is feeling much better about everything. When Fallon notices Paul looking a bit uncomfortable, he says he’s fine. But later when Kirsty asks him if he’s got fleas or something, he brushes it off as sunburn. Later, Fallon starts to get flashbacks from her night out – and Kirsty’s forced to remind her of rapping and being thrown out of the club. Although Fallon’s embarrassed, it was also just what she needed, and she now feels she’s drawn a bit of a line. And Harrison seems much happier in himself too. Fallon was dreading her birthday, but now she’s looking forward to it with Harrison.

Justin mentions to Fallon that there’s been no further cases of Strangles at The Stables. Things are still fraught there though with Oliver’s horse still struggling. Justin’s worried about Lilian which is why he’s insisted she take a lunch break. When Lilian talks about how stressed she is, Justin broaches finding a replacement for Alice. Lilian’s defensive, pointing out that alcoholism is a disease. And anyway Alice didn’t do anything wrong, any horse can get Strangles. Justin concedes that they do at least need to look at the practicalities. He’ll compromise by sounding out a few potential replacements on a no obligation basis, just so they’re prepared for the worst. Lilian agrees as long as Justin’s discreet.


SUN 19:15 Brood X (m00208fj)
Every seventeen years in the eastern United States, a roaring mass of millions of black-bodied, red-eyed, thumb-length insects erupt from the ground. For a few glorious weeks the periodical cicadas cover the trees and the air vibrates with their chorus of come-hither calls. Then they leave a billion eggs to hatch and burrow into the dirt, beginning the seventeen year cycle all over again.

Sing. Fly. Mate. Die. This is Brood X or the Great Eastern Brood. It’s an event which, for the residents of a dozen or so US states, is the abiding memory of four, maybe five, summers of their lives.

In a programme that’s both a natural and a cultural history of the Great Eastern Brood we re-visit four Brood X years....1970, 1987, 2004 and 2021…. to capture the stories of the summers when the cicadas came to town.

Princeton University's Class of 1970 remember the cicadas’ appearance at their graduation ceremony, during a time of student unrest and protest against the Vietnam War; a bride looks back to the uninvited - but welcome - cicada guests attending her wedding; a musician recalls making al fresco music with Brood X; and an entomologist considers the extraordinary life cycle of an insect which is seems to possess both great patience and the ability to count to seventeen.

Brood X cicadas spend 17 years underground, each insect alone, waiting and listening. In 2021, as Brood X stirred and the air began to thicken with the cicadas’ love songs, we all shared with them that sense of emerging from the isolation of lockdown and making a new beginning.

Featuring: Elias Bonaros, Liz Dugan, Anisa George, Ray Gibbons, Peter Kuper, Gene Kritsky, Gregg Lange, David Rothenberg, Gil Schrage and Gaye Williams

Producer: Jeremy Grange

Cicada audio recorded by Cicada Mania and David Rothenberg

Programme Image: Prof. Gene Kritsky


SUN 19:45 Why Do We Do That? (m001gjp3)
Why Do We Doomscroll?

Are you drawn to the endless news cycle? Do you keep going back for more? Do you feel a strange compulsion to absorb negative news that is weirdly soothing but makes you more stressed? These are signs you may be doomscrolling. But fear not, you’re not the only one. Stuart Soroka is a professor at UCLA who’s been looking at our draw towards negative information and found that people all over the world do it, regardless of culture. In 2020, our year of misery, the Oxford English Dictionary added doomscrolling and named it a word of the year. With the help of Stuart and Radio and TV presenter Clara Amfo, Ella gets to the bottom of whether we humans really are more biased towards negative information, and what we can do to resist it.


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m00202m9)
Little Green Men: the secret rules of word order

Michael explores the mysterious rules of word order with linguist Dr Laura Bailey. We all know them instinctively, without knowing that we know them. Contains the truth about killer whales and also why Yoda sounds like an alien.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m00202s3)
Michael Mosley, Dame Elizabeth Fradd, Nonny Hogrogian, Ron Ayers

Kirsty Lang on the influential broadcaster Michael Mosley, who helped millions improve their lifestyles.

Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd, a former paediatric nurse who was brought in to improve troubled NHS departments.

Nonny Hogrogian, an award-winning children’s illustrator whose stories were inspired by European folklore.

Ron Ayers, who used his background in missile design to create the world’s fastest car.

Interviewee: Professor Giles Yeo MBE
Interviewee: Professor Stacy Johnson MBE
Interviewee: Clay Risen
Interviewee: Roger Ayers
Interviewee: Andy Green

Producer: Catherine Powell

Archive used:
“Infested! Living with Parasites” BBC4 27th Sep 2018, “E-Cigarettes: Miracle or Menace?” Horizon 1st July 2016, BBC Radio Four “Saturday Live” 12th Sept 2015, BBC Radio Four “Saturday Live” 13th Jan 2024, BBC News read by Peter Sissons BBC, 1st April 1991, “BBC East Midlands Today” 3rd February 1993, Interview with Nonny Hogrogian and David Kherdian, On Campus, Abilene Christian University Library, ACUTV, 13th May 1998, “Dancing Duduk” by Abaji, Cezame Carte Blanche, publisher
Frederic Leibovitz Editeur, Absilone Technologies.
“Bang Goes The Theory, Andy Green interviews Ron Ayers” 28th March 2011, BBC.
'Bloodhound' supercar aiming to break the land speed record - BBC News 7th Nov 2019
“BBC Inside Out West” 23rd October 2017.
“One Fine Day” by Nonny Hogrogian, publisher Simon and Schuster, read by Behnaz Akhgar


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0020838)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002096z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0020830)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m00209f9)
Ben Wright's guests are the Labour Party Chair, Anneliese Dodds; former Conservative MP, Steve Brine; plus political strategist and former Tory adviser, Salma Shah. They assess the general election campaign so far, including another poll suggesting a big Labour majority. The former Cabinet Secretary, Lord Butler, explains how the civil service prepares for a change of government - alongside Baroness Kate Fall, a key figure in David Cameron's incoming Downing St team in 2010. And the co-deputy leader of Reform UK, Ben Habib, previews his party's manifesto launch - outlining the main policies and insisting his party is serious about winning seats.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m00202lf)
Fielding's Tom Jones

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss "The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling" (1749) by Henry Fielding (1707-1754), one of the most influential of the early English novels and a favourite of Dickens. Coleridge wrote that it had one of the 'three most perfect plots ever planned'. Fielding had made his name in the theatre with satirical plays that were so painful for their targets in government that, from then until the 1960s, plays required approval before being staged; seeking other ways to make a living, Fielding turned to law and to fiction. 'Tom Jones' is one of the great comic novels, with the tightness of a farce and the ambition of a Greek epic as told by the finest raconteur. While other authors might present Tom as a rake and a libertine, Fielding makes him the hero for his fundamental good nature, so offering a caution not to judge anyone too soon, if ever.

With

Judith Hawley
Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London

Henry Power
Professor of English Literature at the University of Exeter

And

Charlotte Roberts
Associate Professor of English Literature at University College London

Producer: Simon Tillotson

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

Reading list:

Martin C. Battestin with Ruthe R. Battestin, Henry Fielding: A Life (Routledge, 1989)

J. M. Beattie, The First English Detectives: The Bow Street Runners and the Policing of London, 1750–1840 (Oxford University Press, 2012)

S. Dickie, Cruelty and Laughter: Forgotten Comic Literature and the Unsentimental Eighteenth Century (University of Chicago Press, 2011)

J.A. Downie (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Eighteenth-Century Novel (Oxford University Press, 2020)

Henry Fielding (ed. John Bender and Simon Stern), The History of Tom Jones (Oxford University Press, 2008)

Henry Fielding (ed. Tom Keymer), The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon (Penguin Classics, 1996)

Ronald Paulson, The Life of Henry Fielding: A Critical Biography (Wiley Blackwell, 2000)

Henry Power, Epic into Novel: Henry Fielding, Scriblerian Satire, and the Consumption of Classical Literature (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Claude Rawson, Henry Fielding and the Augustan Ideal under Stress (first published 1972; Routledge, 2021)

Claude Rawson (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Henry Fielding (Cambridge University Press, 2007)


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m00202rz)
The Invention of Abandonment

Andy Clark reads a new short work from Malachy Tallack.

Midway through a familiar journey at the end of an unremarkable day events take a turn, and a man is left combing the past in search of answers.
Read by Andy Clark
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Malachy Tallack is from Shetland and is a singer-songwriter as well as an award-winning writer of fiction and non-fiction.

MONDAY 17 JUNE 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m00209fc)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Being Roman with Mary Beard (m001s5ck)
1. Loving An Emperor

Beneath starched Shakespearean togas and the pungent fug of gladiator sweat there are real Romans waiting to be discovered. To know what it was to be Roman you need to gather the scattered clues until they form a living, breathing human, witness to the highs and horrors of Europe’s greatest empire.

Mary Beard, Britain’s best-selling historian of the ancient world, rebuilds the lives of six citizens of the Roman Empire, from a slave to an emperor. Her investigations reveal the stressful reality of Roman childhood, the rights of women and rules of migration, but it’s the thoughts and feelings of individual Romans she’s really interested in.

In the bloody chaos of civil war, a young bride witnesses the savage murder of her parents, fights for her inheritance and funds her husband’s flight from the brutal gangsters carving up the empire. On Hadrian’s Wall a Hertfordshire slave girl marries a Syrian trader. Is it a cross-cultural love story or a brutal tale of trafficking and sexual abuse?

An eleven year old boy steps on stage to perform his poetry to a baying crowd of 7000 and the Emperor himself. The political and financial future of his entire family will be decided in the next few stanzas.

Across six episodes Mary Beard travels the Empire and gathers first-hand testimony and expert comment, creating an extraordinarily vivid sense of Being Roman.

In the first episode we meet Marcus Aurelius, the very model of the ideal Roman Emperor. Strong and masculine, but a deep thinker with wise words for every occasion. Richard Harris played him in the film Gladiator as a great leader of men, determined that loyal Russell Crowe inherit the Empire rather than his treacherous son, Joaquin Phoenix.

As Mary discovers, Marcus proves much more complicated- and interesting- than his image in popular culture. Letters to his beloved tutor reveal a naïve, sweet and dangerously flirtatious nature, while his record of campaigning and persecution under his rule shows an Emperor as comfortable with brutal violence as stoic philosophy.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Expert Contributors: Amy Richlin, UCLA and Elizabeth Fentress

Cast: Marcus played by Josh Bryant-Jones and Fronto played by Tyler Cameron


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002084l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00209ff)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00209fh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00209fk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m00209fm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00209fp)
Failure Isn't Final

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Revd Catherine De Souza, Senior Leader of City Church in Cardiff.

Good morning.

Yesterday was Father’s Day, except for in my house, where we marked Father’s Day on Saturday. As ministers, Sunday is a busy day for my husband and for me and although we celebrate the day across our three church services, it doesn’t leave us much time to celebrate together with our young daughters. We’ve learnt through some failed Father’s Days and Mother’s Days that trying to squeeze in rushed celebratory meals during the Sunday just doesn’t work. If we move our day to the Saturday, we can celebrate without rushing.

When failure is used as an opportunity to learn, it can often be a building block to success. In fact, there are many famous failures in history who proved that failure doesn’t have to be final. Sir James Dyson, who invented the Dyson vacuum cleaner, made 5,126 failed prototypes before he landed on the working product – his 5,127th attempt! Or inventor Thomas Edison, who famously said “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

The apostle Peter experienced some significant failures during his life: Following Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times. But after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he appeared to his disciples and on one occasion Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?”, three times Peter replied that he did and three times Jesus told Peter “feed my sheep”. Three statements of love that cancelled out three denials of Jesus. Three commands to lead and care for the Church that cancelled out three failures.

God, it’s a wonderful reassurance to know that our failures don’t have to be final with you. Help us when we stumble and remind us that you are with us in both our mistakes and in our successes. Amen


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m00209fr)
17/06/24 Salad sales down, farming in the party manifestos, dung beetle conference

With the rain continuing and below average temperatures, the outlook isn't so sunny for UK salad growers.

We look at some of the detail in the main parties' manifestos to see what they're promising on issues like the agriculture budget, food security and England's badger cull.

Sometimes described as a farmer's best friend, dung beetles consume, bury and break up dung, improving soils as they go. Earlier this month vets and farmers met at a conference in Somerset devoted to the dung beetle.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m00209ft)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m00209g2)
Election 2024: Mishal Husain and Justin Webb

Nigel Farage on Reform’s election document, plus Labour, Conservatives & Plaid interviews.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m00209g4)
Politeness and civility

British social etiquette might be famed for its liberal use of please and thank you, but civility is very much a European import, according to John Gallagher, professor of Early Modern History at the University of Leeds. As courtiers visited the French and Italian courts in the 16th century they not only learnt new languages but new rules of behaviour too. As the century progressed civility began to be weaponised as travellers sought to distinguish themselves from the ‘barbarous’ foreigners.

The lexicographer and Countdown regular Susie Dent explains the etymology of terms like civilised, polite and barbarous. And she explores changing tastes in what is deemed impolite: in the Middle Ages the biggest taboo was any profanity that used the Lord’s name in vain, whilst the words we consider the most offensive today were commonplace.

For years Professor Louise Mullany has been studying the prevalence and power of politeness in our everyday speech and actions. In her book, Polite: The Art of Communication at Home, at Work and in Public she uncovers the unwritten rules of behaviour, exploring the gender and generational differences, the art of the political apology, and whether politeness standards really are declining.

The comedian and impressionist Matt Forde unpicks the argument that satirical shows like Spitting Image have contributed to the perceived lack of civility in politics. For his latest podcast, The Political Party, he is aiming to behave impeccably as he interviews a candidate from all 650 constituencies before the general election.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Oliver Burkeman's Inconvenient Truth (m001mcdb)
Convenient for Who?

Oliver Burkeman continues to explore the hidden pitfalls in our quest for convenience. He questions the true cost of convenience and the burden it lays on the shoulders of other people, with the help of author Craig Lambert, co-founder of the Perspectiva organisation, Jonathan Rowson, and philosopher Julian Baggini


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00209g6)
‘Sextortion diary’, dealing with a terminal diagnosis, Judy Garland impersonator

Last week, listener Charlotte got in touch with the programme to share her story. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April and was told she might only have months to live. She talks to Nuala about staying optimistic, juggling the admin of an illness with childcare, and the impact it’s having on her family. Adrienne Betteley, Strategic Advisor for End of Life Care at Macmillan Cancer Support, discusses dealing with a terminal diagnosis, how best to tell your children, and the support that's available.

Tinessa Kaur has become the first Sikh woman to win the prestigious Young Pro-Bono Barrister of the Year award 2024 .She dedicates around 30 hours a week to her pro bono work in underrepresented communities. Her journey to the Bar hasn’t been easy, At just 17, while pursuing her A levels, she faced homelessness in Leicester where she lived. Now 32, the pupil barrister is hoping to inspire others from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue a career in the profession.

Debbie Wileman is the British singing sensation who captured world-wide attention during the pandemic when her uncanny impersonations of Judy Garland went viral. She’s since performed at Carnegie Hall and now she'll be making her West End debut as Judy – while still doing day job at an optician’s.

Producer: Maryam Maruf
Studio Managers: Emma Harth and Duncan Hannant


MON 11:00 Writing the Universe (m00209g8)
The fabric of the universe

When we think of the fabric of the universe we might imagine vast expanses of nothing, but one phenomenon that has captured the imagination of both scientists and fiction writers is the black hole. These giant gaps in the fabric of spacetime can span billions of miles, but we now know there is one at the centre of every galaxy.

Robin Ince talks to cosmologists about how they attempt to convey their almost unbelievable size, at the same time as staying true to the maths that explains them. He learns that Einstein first conceived of a black hole in 1915, but didn't believe anyone would ever prove their existence, even after the German physicist Karl Schwarzschild confirmed their existence.

For the physicist and writer Janna Levin black holes are almost magical and she has spent her career trying to convey their wonder to the general public, using language as a tool to draw us in. Thanks to the Nobel laureate, physicist Kip Thorne, we now have a better idea of what they may actually look like. He explains how equations form the basis of the black holes in the film Interstellar and reveals that the movie-making process also taught him more about how these vast tears in the fabric of spacetime actually work.

With contributions from Robin’s fellow Infinite Monkey Cage presenter Brian Cox; Janna Levin, author of 'The Black Hole Survival Guide'; astronomer Paul Murdin; physicist Kip Thorne; special effects adviser Paul Franklyn; physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll and theoretical physicist Fay Dowker.

Producer: Marijke Peters

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Soundscape designer: Jane Watkins

BBC Studios Audio Production


MON 11:45 The Stalin Affair by Giles Milton (m00209gb)
Episode 1

Drawing on astonishing unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, Giles Milton’s The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the most unlikely coalition in history.

In the summer of 1941, as Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin’s forces faced a catastrophic defeat which would make the Allies’ liberation of Europe virtually impossible. To avert this disaster, Britain and America mobilised a unique team of remarkable diplomats with the mission of keeping the Red Army in the war.

Into the heart of Stalin’s Moscow, President Roosevelt sent Averell Harriman, the fourth-richest man in America, and his brilliant young daughter, Kathy. Churchill despatched the reckless but inventive Archie Clark Kerr – and occasionally himself – to negotiate with the Kremlin’s wiliest operators. Together, this improbable group grappled with Stalin at his most cunning, to make victory possible. But they also discovered that the Soviet dictator had a terrifying master plan for the post-war world.

It’s 1941, and Britain is under increasing threat from Nazi Germany. Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeals to President Roosevelt for aid. Roosevelt sends wealthy businessman Averell Harriman to London as his special envoy to establish how America can assist. When Hitler launches his shock invasion of the Soviet Union in June of that year, taking Stalin by complete surprise, Churchill and Roosevelt decide to go to Stalin’s aid. But how best to help, and win the trust of, their old enemy?

Read by Nigel Anthony
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m00209gd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m00209gg)
Stolen Houses, Events Tourism and Spray Foam Insulation

How easy is it to regain ownership of your house? Shari Vahl investigates how one man’s house was sold without him knowing and charts his battle to try and reclaim it after squatters moved in.
Spray foam insulation is estimated to be in hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK and is often marketed as a cost-effective way of insulating your house and reducing your energy bills. However, concerns are mounting over how appropriate it is for some homes and the long-term problems it can cause.
Airbnb searches for the cities hosting Taylor Swift’s current UK tour increased by 337% when tickets went on sale. How are large music and sporting events like this impacting the economy and are we seeing a growth in event tourism?
Millennials are increasingly reliant on the Bank of Mum & Dad, according to a new survey. We hear from Dr Eliza Filby, author of a new book on the subject, about why this is and whether it is increasing inequality.

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL

PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT


MON 12:57 Weather (m00209gj)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m00209gl)
Reform manifesto launch

Reform will this afternoon launch its election document in south Wales, which it calls Our Contract with You" Also, what exactly is E coli, and how does it enter the food chain?


MON 13:45 Understand (m00209gn)
The UK Election

The UK Election: 6. How important are marginal seats?

Understand the UK Election is a simple 10-part guide to everything that is going on in the election, with Adam Fleming.

Seats with slim majorities have played a big part in determining the outcome of the election in recent years, but how will constituency boundary changes affect this? What impact can tactical voting and electoral pacts have? And how safe are ‘safe seats’ really?

This episode was hosted Adam Fleming, from Newscast and AntiSocial, with Alex Forsyth, political correspondent and host of Any Questions, and Peter Barnes, the BBC’s senior elections and political analyst.

Producers: Alix Pickles and Alex Lewis

Production Manager: Janet Staples

Editor: Sam Bonham


MON 14:00 The Archers (m00209f7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Fags, Mags and Bags (m00209gq)
Series 11

Ramesh-Pocalypse

The hit Radio 4 series Fags, Mags & Bags returns with an 11th series with more shop-based shenanigans and over the counter philosophy, courtesy of Ramesh Majhu and his trusty sidekick Dave.

In this episode, Ramesh’s long lost brother Danny unexpectedly appears in Lenzie, and it isn’t long until he starts causing trouble for the Lenzie Local Traders.

Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop and written by and starring Donald McLeary and Sanjeev Kohli, the award winning Fags, Mags & Bags has proved a huge hit with the Radio 4 audience. This brand-new series sees a return of all the show’s regular characters, with some guest appearances along the way.

Cast
Ramesh: Sanjeev Kohli
Dave: Donald McLeary
Sanjay: Omar Raza
Alok: Susheel Kumar
Malcolm: Mina Anwar
Bishop Briggs: Michael Redmond
Lovely Sue: Julie Wilson-Nimmo
Mrs Begg: Marjory Hogarth
Danny: Kulvinder Ghir

Producer: Gus Beattie for Gusman Productions
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Gambits (m0011k2j)
3: The Pawn

The next in a new short story series by Eley Williams. Little Purlington might seem like an ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Pawn', as chess fever continues to grip the village, the local teenage rebel finds herself making her own sacrifice...

Reader: Rebekah Murrell currently playing Juliet in The Globe's Romeo and Juliet.
Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary.
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m00209gs)
Denise Mina and Simon Brett

ABSENT IN THE SPRING by Agatha Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott) (HarperCollins), chosen by Simon Brett
IN THE GARDEN OF THE FUGITIVES by Ceridwen Dovey (Penguin), chosen by Denise Mina
HIDE MY EYES by Margery Allingham (Penguin), chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Crime writers Denise Mina and Simon Brett join Harriett Gilbert to read each other's favourite books.

Simon Brett (Charles Paris, Fethering and Mrs Pargeter detective series) chooses Agatha Christie under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, with Absent In The Spring. It’s a story without any detective and one that, perhaps, reveals a more personal side to Christie's writing.

Denise Mina (most recently: Three Fires, The Second Murderer) picks In the Garden of the Fugitives by South African-Australian author Ceridwen Dovey, an epistolary novel which begins with a letter that breaks seventeen years of silence between a rich, elderly man with a broken heart and his former protegee, a young South African filmmaker.

And for the occasion of having two crime authors, Harriett Gilbert picks a golden age crime book, Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham, where private detective Albert Campion finds himself hunting down a serial killer.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol
Join the conversation @agoodreadbbc Instagram


MON 15:30 The Failure of the Future (m001vcdr)
Building Utopias

For decades, artists, scientists and philosophers have dreamed up utopias that aim to transform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens” that’s worth returning to?

Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might the rubble of these forgotten worlds contain gems that could propel us towards a brighter tomorrow?

For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future - 1980s Japan. From flying cars to floating cities, Japan seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. Across four episodes, Johny picks four key aspects of that alluring era - times of supreme innovation - when a new path was being carved out. Which ideas inside these imagined futures might be worth resurrecting?

In Episode 1, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny reviews the idealistic plans of Japanese urban planner Kenzo Tange and the architects he collaborated with who were known as The Metabolists. They set out to create a blueprint for global cities and their work rescued entire cities from total devastation. By reviewing their goal of creating a blueprint for all global cities, Johny asks whether aspects of their forward-thinking ideas are worth harvesting for our own future.

Presenter: Johny Pitts
Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Executive Producer: Phil Smith

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4


MON 16:00 Living Without My Smartphone (m00209dl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002082t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m00209gv)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00209gx)
BBC investigation exposes abuse at special needs school

Investigation by BBC's Panorama exposes abuse of children at special needs school.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m00208kk)
Series 81

Episode 6

Back for a second week at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, panellists Fred MacAulay, Milton Jones, Pippa Evans and Rory Bremner compete with one another, with Jack Dee the unimpressed umpire. Piano accompaniment is provided by Colin Sell.

Producer - Jon Naismith.

A Random production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m00208cy)
Tony’s irritated when George is late for his farm shift. George says it’s because he couldn’t sleep last night and fudges that it’s because the family’s selling Bartleby. Whilst Tony is sympathetic, he needs George to be focused at work. Later he discovers George napping against a bale and is furious.

At a GP appointment with Azra, Paul explains about feeling itchy recently and how he now has spots in an embarrassing place. He’s worried that Etienne’s open relationship may be the cause. He’s relieved when it turns out to be insect bites, but Azra advises that Paul and Etienne might need to revisit safe sex in light of the open relationship.

Adam’s surprised when Alice appears unexpectedly at Bridge Farm when he thought she was still in London. She needs to go to Borchester Police Station to be formally charged and wants Adam to go with her. Alice is glad to be back from Ruairi’s, though there’s lots of people she wants to avoid. At the police station Adam checks whether Alice had a drink when she went to the toilet, and she’s forced to admit she did. Later Alice is charged with dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs - the hearing’s on Friday. Alice is scared she’ll end up in prison. It makes her want to drink even more. Adam decides to make a GP appointment to see if Alice can be prescribed a short-term fix and Alice realising there’s no choice, agrees to it.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m00209gz)
Kiss Me Kate, UK election: culture policies, Persephone Books

Broadway star Stephanie J Block performs So In Love from the new production of Kiss Me Kate, at London’s Barbican. Tom talks to her and the Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher about creating the musical show within a show, which is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

The BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall on what the political parties have included in – and left out of - their manifestos on the Arts and Culture. We also hear from The Lowry’s CEO Julia Fawcett and The Times’ Chief Culture Editor Richard Morrison about their thoughts on arts education, tax breaks for filmmakers, Arts Council England and economic regeneration.

And in Independent Bookshop Week – we hear from Persephone Books in Bath about 25 years of reprinting the work of neglected women writers, mostly from the mid-twentieth century, with recollections of the early days from publishing pioneer Nicola Beauman.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paula McGrath


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m00202mc)
What does Macron's gamble mean for France?

David Aaronovitch and guests assess the fallout from France's EU elections and President Macron's subsequent decision to call parliamentary elections later this month.

Guests:

Hugh Schofield, BBC Paris Correspondent
Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief at The Economist
Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group who advise investors on political risk
Dr Françoise Boucek, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for European Research in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London

Production team: Caroline Bayley, Miriam Quayyum, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and Rod Farquhar


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m00202mf)
Are implanted brain chips the future?

Elon Musk’s implanted brain chip, Neuralink, is coming to the UK for clinical trials. Is controlling computers with our minds a future reality or is it all hype? Neuroscientists Dean Burnett and Christina Maher weigh in.

Zoologist Jules Howard ponders the strange effects drugs in our sewage have on frogs from his garden pond.

How do we measure the distance to distant galaxies? Astrophysicist Edward Gomez answers a listener's burning question.

And a 101 on blood groups from Dr Lise Estcourt.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber, Gerry Holt, Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m00209g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Assume Nothing: The Shankill Gold Rush (m001kpsy)
Whose Gold?

In the summer of 1969, weeks before the Troubles would ignite, children playing in the rubble of a demolition site struck gold! While searching for treasure hundreds, maybe thousands of gold sovereigns, hidden and forgotten years before, tumbled to the ground from a chimney stack. More than 50 years later, author Glenn Patterson visits the Lower Shankill Road to find out who the coins belonged to. Why were they hidden? And where are they now?

Written and presented by Glenn Patterson
Sound by Bill Maul
Producer Sarah McGlinchey
Executive Editor Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production for Radio 4


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m00209h1)
France counts down to snap legislative election as campaign begins

France has just two weeks before the first round of voting in legislative elections called suddenly by Emmanuel Macron. The President is seeking to confront the electoral challenge of the populist, right-wing National Rally headed by Marine Le Pen, who won twice the number of votes of Macron's centrists in European elections earlier this month. But the political uncertainty has triggered a sell-off of French bonds and stocks. We speak to a member of Macron's Renaissance party.

Here in the UK, it was the turn of the Reform party to present their platform for the general election: not a manifesto, but a contract, according to Nigel Farage. A contract that promised a freeze on "non-essential" migration and a huge overhaul of government finances with tax cuts and savings.

And, six years after the death of Avicii, we hear from his father, who is using his son's legacy to support young people's mental health.


MON 22:45 Jensen: The Bellevue Poltergeist by Heidi Amsinck (m00209h3)
Episode 1

Set in Denmark, an original story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 by Heidi Amsinck, the author of the Jensen series of crime novels.

“The most annoying woman in Copenhagen.
Love of his life.”

So muses DI Henrik Jungersen about Jensen, an investigative reporter from the newspaper Dagbladet. She has previous with Henrik - his former lover and with a knack of getting in the way of his investigations.

Mette Mortensen, a housekeeper, has fallen to her death at the villa in Copenhagen where she worked. Did she jump? Was she pushed? But there is something strange about this house. Is there a less obvious explanation?

Episode 1
Henrik investigates the death of a woman at Bellevue, and learns that the house where it happened has a curious history.

Copenhagen-born Heidi Amsinck has written numerous short stories for radio. Her collection Last Train To Helsingør was published in 2018. The third novel in her Jensen series, Back From The Dead, was published in May 2024.

Writer: Heidi Amsinck
Reader: MyAnna Buring
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (p0b060jg)
Harland

Harland - Episode 5: Saturday

Lucy Catherine's supernatural thriller reaches its climax on the day of the Festival of the Hare. 50 years earlier, Harland was founded on the site of a cursed and abandoned medieval village. The past is about to have its say.

Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine
Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Sadie ..... Melissa Advani
Jim ..... Chris Jack
Lori/Evie ..... Grace Cooper Milton
Lindsay ..... Jasmine Hyde
Pete ..... Michael Begley
Police Officer ..... Justice Ritchie
Crow ..... Christine Kavanagh

Sound design by Caleb Knightley
Directed by Toby Swift


MON 23:30 The South Asian Shift (m00201y3)
Historically South Asians in the UK have been linked to the Labour Party.
That association for many Muslims goes back to early jobs for immigrants in working towns, unionised industry where Labour politicians like Roy Hattersley were quick to capitalise on a growing source of swing voters in urban areas.
But that old model has changed.
Barnie Choudhury investigates how assumptions about the way these communities vote are being questioned, as new generations vent their anger over Gaza, and loosen the bonds of family influence. And he considers whether the startling increase in diversity in The Conservative Party has any actual impact at the ballot box.
The question facing the country is whether the rock-solid political afflilations of the 1960s are evolving into a new sense of political homelessness.

Presented by Barnie Choudhury
Produced by Kevin Core

There's a full list of candidates in your area on the BBC website.

TUESDAY 18 JUNE 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m00209h5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 The Stalin Affair by Giles Milton (m00209gb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00209h7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00209h9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00209hc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m00209hf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00209hh)
A Change of Pace

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Revd Catherine De Souza, Senior Leader of City Church in Cardiff.

Good morning.

I enjoy walking and regularly try to go for a stroll – but over time my walking speed has definitely changed. I remember some years ago being at a conference in Zambia and as I was striding to the conference venue a man saw me and asked me, “Where’s the fire?”. Confused, I responded that there wasn’t any fire, to which he then followed up with, “Well why are you walking so fast then?!”. When my daughters were little, I soon learnt that my walking speed wasn’t going to work as they would regularly stop to look at flowers, point out discoveries, and collect whatever treasures they could find - whether sticks or pinecones or pebbles. Although the temptation to rush would sometimes pull at me, I learnt that I noticed and appreciated so much more on the journey going at my daughters’ pace.

In the Bible we can read about many of Jesus’ journeys: when he was walking between towns and villages; when he was on his way from place to place; and when he was travelling to visit people. But we don’t ever read about Jesus being in a rush, even though there are times that we might expect Jesus to be in a hurry, such as when he heard of his friend Lazarus being gravely ill. Jesus’ pace meant that he was able to notice people along the way, spend time talking with them and healing them. In fact, some incredible encounters with Jesus took place when he was on his way somewhere else.

Changing our pace and slowing down a little can make such a difference to what we see, who we are able to pay attention to, and what we can take the time to appreciate.

Lord, thank you that slowing down can give us opportunities to notice more. Help us to resist rushing and instead be encouraged to journey at your pace. Amen


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m00209hk)
18/06/24 - Contaminated salad leaves, UK grown tomatoes and Soil Association election manifesto

A recent E-coli outbreak is thought to have been caused by contaminated salad leaves. There have been over 200 confirmed cases of food poisoning across the UK caused by e-coli bacteria found in manure, with nearly half those affected admitted to hospital. So how does the bacteria get into the salad, and what are farmers doing to prevent it?

As part of our week looking at salads, we visit Evesham Vale Growers in Worcestershire, where they grow 500 acres of spring onions outside and some 70 acres of premium tomatoes in glasshouses. Alongside salad production, they grow crops including maize and wheat to feed anaerobic digesters for gas and electricity, and there's a solar farm. Some of the gas and electricity is used to heat and light the glasshouses - insulating them somewhat from fluctuating energy prices.

The Soil Association, which campaigns for sustainable and organic food and farming, has published it's list of demands in the run up to the election. It wants the next Government to 'grow green jobs' by backing sustainable British farming and protect the NHS by supporting healthy and sustainable food.

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


TUE 06:00 Today (m00208bl)
Election 2024: Hustings, hospitals and planning

The main parties hang their economic strategies on growth - economist Mohammed El-Erian, the CEO of Energy UK Emma Pinchbeck and planning barrister and blogger Zack Simons give their verdicts. Mishal hosts an election hustings from the constituency of Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke. We hear from the former head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, as Vladimir Putin visits North Korea, the American psychologist Dr Jean Twenge on the impact smart phones and social media are having on teenagers, and Nigel Havers pays tribute to Sir Ian McKellan - still throwing himself into stage roles at 85


TUE 09:00 The Long View (m00208bq)
French Political Gambles

As French President Emmanuel Macron calls a snap election to address the political threat to his government posed by the Far Right, Jonathan Freedland and guests discuss Louis XVI's decision in 1789 to call an Estates General, a meeting of representatives of all sections of French society. Louis' gamble in 1789 started a chain of events known as the French Revolution. What are the stakes of President Macron's gamble today?

With

Clare Siviter, Associate Professor in French Theatre at the University of Bristol

Emile Chabal, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh

The reader is Ewan Bailey

Producer: Luke Mulhall


TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m00208bv)
Toxic positivity

In the last two years, online searches for ‘toxic positivity’ have spiked. In this discussion from the Cheltenham Science Festival, we find out what toxic positivity is, and how it can hurt you and people around you.

In front of a live audience, Claudia Hammond is joined by psychologist Dr Linda Blair, GP and educator Dr Anisha Patel, and wellbeing consultant and content creator Benjy Kusi.

Linda has been interested in the rise in the use of the term ‘toxic positivity’ and has noticed how it is having an impact on our wellbeing. She reveals why it is important for us not to suppress ‘negative’ feelings and emotions.

Anisha was diagnosed with bowel cancer when she was 39. She authored the book Everything You Hoped You’d Never Need To Know About Bowel Cancer, where she speaks about her diagnosis and treatment journey. She experienced first-hand the harm that toxic positivity can do.

Benjy works with many different companies to help improve their inclusion and wellbeing practices. He is the author of the book Hope This Helps and posts frequent videos about lots of tricky issues on TikTok and Instagram.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Editor: Holly Squire


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00208bz)
Woman's Hour Election Debate

In a special extended 90 minute programme, Nuala McGovern hosts the Woman's Hour Election Debate. Senior women from the main political parties of Great Britain outline their priorities for women and answer your questions. Taking part are: Scottish National Party spokesperson for Consular Affairs and International Engagement Hannah Bardell; Reform UK candidate Maria Bowtell; Green Party spokesperson for Housing and Communities Ellie Chowns; Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper; Conservative Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work Mims Davies; Labour's Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation Sarah Jones and Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts.


TUE 11:30 Naturebang (m001gwz2)
Rivers and the Rights of Nature

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight ask whether giving legal rights to things like rivers and forests changes how we think about the world that lives around us.

The Whanganui River, in New Zealand, is a legal person in the eyes of the law. It is legally defined as a living whole, from the mountains to the sea, and two local Maori tribe members speak on its behalf as its legal representatives. Other nations have had similar thinking: the Amazon rainforest in Columbia, one of the Great Lakes in the US, and the River Ganges in India all have legal personhood, as does land in Ecuador and Bolivia, where Mother Earth is recognised as a legal person.

Assigning personhood to non-human things is not a new idea. Since the late 1800s, corporations have been granted legal personhood, giving them the rights to hold property, enter into contracts, and to sue or be sued. Then in 1972, Christopher Stone, himself a Professor of Law, published the essay ‘Should Trees Have Standing?’, arguing that if corporations can have personhood, why can’t natural entities?

Does the act of doing this reframe our relationship to the natural world, as something which lives not just for us, but alongside us in its own right? And as the law extents rights to nature, does that - in turn - extend our empathy towards the more-than-human world?

Featuring Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, advisor on Māori and Indigenous human rights, and Anna Grear, Professor of Law and Theory at Cardiff University and founder of the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


TUE 11:45 The Stalin Affair by Giles Milton (m00208c3)
Episode 2

Drawing on astonishing unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, Giles Milton’s The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the most unlikely coalition in history.

In the summer of 1941, as Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin’s forces faced a catastrophic defeat which would make the Allies’ liberation of Europe virtually impossible. To avert this disaster, Britain and America mobilised a unique team of remarkable diplomats with the mission of keeping the Red Army in the war.

Into the heart of Stalin’s Moscow, President Roosevelt sent Averell Harriman, the fourth-richest man in America, and his brilliant young daughter, Kathy. Churchill despatched the reckless but inventive Archie Clark Kerr – and occasionally himself – to negotiate with the Kremlin’s wiliest operators. Together, this improbable group grappled with Stalin at his most cunning, to make victory possible. But they also discovered that the Soviet dictator had a terrifying master plan for the post-war world.

America has started to provide aid to war-torn Britain in the shape of food, planes, tanks and heavy machinery. But the USA has not, as yet, declared war on Germany. Hitler’s Panzer divisions are racing towards Moscow. Before long they will be pounding on the city gates.

Read by Nigel Anthony
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m00208c9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m00208cf)
Call You & Yours: Home Improvements

On Call You & Yours we want to hear about what happened to your home improvement plans over the past year?
Did it all go swimmingly, or did you have problems you hadn't anticipated?
Did you try and Do It Yourself- how did that go?
What were you doing and why..
email youandyours@bbc.co.uk
From 11 on Tuesday morning you can also call us on 03700 100 444

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: KEVIN MOUSLEY


TUE 12:57 Weather (m00208ck)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m00208cp)
Stephen Lawrence detectives will not face prosecution

A review has concluded the four officers will not face criminal charges. Also, tackling sewage spills in the UK.


TUE 13:45 Understand (m00208ct)
The UK Election

The UK Election: 7. What can polling predict?

Understand the UK Election is a simple 10-part guide to everything that is going on in the election, with Adam Fleming.

In this episode, what do polls actually tell us? What can we learn when the polls get it wrong? And do people really tell the truth about who they are intending to vote for?

This episode was hosted Adam Fleming, from Newscast and AntiSocial, with Professor Jane Green, Director of the Nuffield Politics Research Centre at Oxford University, co-director of the British Election Study and President of the British Polling Council.

Producers: Alix Pickles and Alex Lewis

Production Manager: Janet Staples

Editor: Sam Bonham


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m00208cy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Riot Girls (m000sh8r)
The Fall Down

Episode 1

Seven mysterious women arrive on our planet, without fanfare and without a spaceship. They apparently offer incredible solutions to the world's problems. But who are they and what do they want? Lauren Cornelius, Lyndsey Marshall and Fanta Barrie star in Melissa Murray's feminist dystopian drama.

Directed by Emma Harding
Sound design by Caleb Knightley

Maya.....Lauren Cornelius
Barry.....Hasan Dixon
Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall
Martin/ Stevens.....David Sturzaker
Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner
Horace.....Fanta Barrie
Renata/ Job Centre.....Jane Slavin
Army leader.....Nicholas Murchie
Young Man.....Stewart Campbell


TUE 15:00 The Gatekeepers (m001w6vc)
2. Blitzscaling

From the rubble of the dot com crash, an ambitious young Harvard student with a passion for hacking and love of Roman emperors, sets up an exciting new website.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook is an instant hit on college campuses.

Soon it attracts the attention of Silicon Valley’s most successful - but controversial - venture capitalist, Peter Thiel.

The company starts to scale up. But there’s one problem - how is it going to make money?

Contributors: Roger McNamee, author of Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook Catastrophe; journalist Owen Thomas; Eric Jackson, author of The Paypal Wars; Jeff Hammerbacher; Anil Dash, tech entrepreneur.

Producer: Caitlin Smith
Researchers: Rachael Fulton, Elizabeth Ann Duffy and Juliet Conway
Executive Producer: Peter McManus
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Story Consultant: Kirsty Williams
Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4

Archive: Bloomberg Quicktake, October 2019; C-Span, Telecommunications Bill signing, Feb 1996; Hoover Institute, Decemeber 2009; Startup Academy, March 2018; Makers, December 2012.

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


TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m00208d2)
The swimming pool

The swimming pool: Laurie Taylor explores its iconic role in our culture, as well as its unspoken rules, routines and rituals. Piotr Florczyk, forming swimming champion and Assistant Professor of Global Literary Studies at the University of Washington, considers the allure of an azure pool and its place in our cultural imagination, from the Hollywood movie, Sunset Boulevard, to David Hockney's pool paintings. He also asks 'who has access to the pool' and charts North America's shifting attitudes towards race and recreation which turned public bathing into an explosive issue, one leading to violence, segregation and the flight to white suburbia. What is the future of the pool given water shortages and climate change? Also, Susie Scott, Professor of Sociology at the University of Sussex analyses the unspoken social norms which govern swimmers behaviour, including a respect for personal space, a shared disapproval for the 'hairy torpedo' and the firm refusal to notice 'the elephant in the room' - the fact that we are nearly naked.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


TUE 16:00 Poetry Please (m00208d6)
Hanan Issa

Roger McGough is joined by the National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, to make a selection of listeners' poetry requests. Her choices include poems by Menna Elfyn, Imtiaz Dharker, Zeina Hashem Beck, Philip Larkin, Robert Hayden and Jack Gilbert.

Hanan is a Welsh-Iraqi poet, filmmaker and artist from Cardiff. Her recent works include her poetry collection My Body Can House Two Hearts (Burning Eye Books, 2019) and her contributions to Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales (Repeater Books, 2022) and The Mab (Unbound, 2022), a retelling of the Mabinogi stories for children. She has recently edited an anthology of dragon poems for children, 'And I Hear Dragons'. Her winning monologue ‘With Her Back Straight’ was performed at the Bush Theatre as part of the Hijabi Monologues. She was also part of the writers room for Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts alongside its creator, Nida Manzoor.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m00208db)
Can Starmer do PR?, the Green Party and being Taylor Swift's ex

David Yelland and Simon Lewis administer the Fan Hitter PR slide rule to Sir Keir Starmer's election campaign. How has the Labour leader dealt with some of his stickier PR moments around his previous endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn, questions on tax and his dad's job as a toolmaker provoking laughter in Grimsby? Also, even though they are currently ahead in the polls, Labour - like the England football team - has to deal with the perennial PR problem of expectation management. Perhaps they could both learn a thing or two from the Royal Family?

Also, the Green Party's election campaign. How do you keep people listening when your core message - climate change - could be seen as alarmist? One solution is to focus your comms locally, which is what the Greens are doing. As is Nigel Farage...

And finally, actor Joe Alwyn has spoken out about his previous relationship with Taylor Swift. What can we learn about being dragged into the media spotlight on account of who you love – and then break up with? How best to deal with the global glare of Swifty scrutiny?

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 (m00208dg)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00208dj)
Four officers who ran the investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder won't be charged. And, a blood test could predict Parkinson's disease seven years before symptoms appear.


TUE 18:30 Munya Chawawa's Election Doom Scroll (m0020c2f)
Rishi Soon-Sacked

After a long day, who among us doesn't settle down on the sofa for a quick doom scroll through our phones? Our political leaders are no different.

Join satirical powerhouse Munya Chawawa as he takes us deep inside Rishi Sunak's phone and guides us on a hilarious rollercoaster ride through his voice notes, his Instagram feed, his Peloton workouts and much more, giving us unique insight into his campaign to lead the Conservative Party into extinction.

Throughout the series Munya, king of satirical sketch, will tackle the omnishambles that is the General Election, unpacking the week's arguably increasingly absurd campaign news, with the various apps on the leader's phones transitioning us into what he does best - hilarious, reactive sketches that skewer those in power and giving us the light relief we so desperately needed during this tumultuous period.

Don't forget to join us next week as we take a sneaky peek inside Keir Starmer's phone.

Performed by Munya Chawawa
Written by Munya Chawawa, Matthew Crosby, James Farmer and Joe McArdle
Audio Producer: Ben Sutton.
Series Producer is Jo Maney
Executive Producers: Munya Chawawa and Ben Wicks

An Expectation production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m00208dl)
Joy wakes up in Mick’s motorhome and they chat about last night’s after-hours venture into the Grey Gables Spa. Joy hopes Oliver doesn’t check the CCTV as the spa is out of bounds at night. Unfortunately they’re interrupted by Oliver ringing - a guest’s ring has been stolen and he needs to review the CCTV footage. Mick needs to get to his office asap.

At The Stables, Lilian’s shocked when Justin explains he’s interviewing Carlotta Mayfield. Lilian thought they were going to discreetly sound people out, not start a formal recruitment process. Justin clarifies that they don’t know if or when Alice will be in a fit state to return to work. In the meantime, Carlotta, or whoever they appoint, can be a stand-in temporary manager. Then if Alice doesn’t come back, someone’s already trained up.

Jakob successfully carries out an emergency procedure on Oliver’s horse. Justin passes on the news to Oliver, but they’re interrupted by Mick who’s found the missing ring. Oliver criticises Mick’s rumpled appearance, reminding Mick that he’s still on probation.

Later Oliver turns up at Mick’s motorhome explaining that he’s discovered that the Health Club CCTV has a blind spot and wants Mick to sort it. Afterwards Joy and Mick agree that they’ve had a narrow escape.

Jakob let’s Lilian know that Duke is responding well to treatment and along with no new cases of Strangles, it looks like The Stables outbreak has been contained. But Jakob wonders whether with Alice off, Lilian might share the management workload. Lilian says he’s not the first to mention that.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m00208dp)
Stephen Fry, New Comedians, Questlove

Stephen Fry stars in Treasure, where he plays a jovial Holocaust survivor who returns to his native Poland from his home New York with his stubborn American-born daughter, played by Lena Dunham. She is keen to build a stronger relationship with him by helping him relive his traumatised past, while he tries to sabotage her plans at every turn.

How do you make space for new stand-up comedians new stand-ups? Darrell Martin, founder of comedy club Just The Tonic which turns 30 this year, and comedian Nina Gilligan discuss the art of giving new comedians opportunities on the comedy circuit.

The Grammy award-winning musician behind The Roots, Oscar winning-filmmaker, and much in demand record producer, Questlove, on writing Hip-Hop Is History - his exploration of the last five decades of this ever-changing genre.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m00208dt)
Sick of Waiting: The children struggling to get operations on the NHS

In the headlines about NHS waiting lists, children don’t often get a mention. Yet hundreds of thousands are waiting to start hospital for treatment.

Jane Deith investigates the reasons for the gap between adult and paediatric surgery. She hears from children whose conditions are deteriorating, some of whom could be left inoperable if they aren’t operated on soon.

NHS leaders admit long waits can have life-long consequences for young people’s development and say hospitals are working hard to tackle the backlog. But surgeons and doctors warn that in the race to cut waiting lists, children risk being left behind.

Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Alys Harte
Technical producer: Craig Boardman
Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m00208dy)
Bowel Cancer Screening; Election Information; A Guide Dog Trained in Sweden

The NHS has launched a tool to try to improve bowel cancer screening for people with sight loss. The Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) can detect signs of bowel cancer and it is important to catch it as early as possible. The FIT aid tool is an adaptation which makes the standard test more accessible with a channel that enables the faecal sample to be guided into the bottle, as well as a stand that holds FIT tube steady. Steve Russell is National Director for Vaccinations and Screening at NHS England and he provides more information on how it works and age eligibility.

We've talked before on the programme about the variable experiences blind and partially sighted people have when flying with their guide dogs, but now we're hearing about people who are being told they can't fly because of where the dog was trained, and by whom. Mar Gunnarson is from Iceland and has lived in the UK for a number of years. Mar is a frequent flyer in and out of the UK but has faced blockages due to definitions of what is recognised as a certified guide dog for air travel. Mar describes what has been happening, and the RNIB's Senior Legal Adviser Samantha Fothergill provides some clarification on the legalities.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley

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 The Law Show (m00202gp)
Traumatised jurors, prenups and Japanese knotweed

Weekly conversation led by Dr Joelle Grogan to give you an in-depth understanding of the law stories making news and the legal decisions that could have a bearing on everyone in the UK.

This week:
Traumatised jurors: new research has found that as much as half of people who serve on the juries of gruesome criminal trials, such as child murders or rape, can suffer symptoms of vicarious psychological trauma as a result. A pilot scheme to offer free counselling to affected jurors has now been shelved in England and Wales due to the election. But in Scotland and Northern Ireland support is available. Joelle discusses all this and what else happens on jury service with criminal defence barrister and part-time judge Charlie Sherrard KC, and with author, commentator and barrister Dr Sam Fowles.

Prenuptial contracts: what is a "prenup," as they're often called? Should you get one even if you're not wealthy? Are they legally binding in the case of divorce, or not worth the paper they're written on? What do you need to do for the courts to uphold them in the various parts of the UK? Family law solicitor and social media's "legal queen" Tracey Moloney has the answers.

And: Japanese knotweed, a fast-growing invasive species so tough it can only be successfully removed by professionals. A Scottish couple has been granted permission by an Edinburgh sheriff to sue the previous owners of their home, who had not declared that there is Japanese knotweed on the property. This case centres around whether or not it counts as an "infestation". Other home seller packs ask about knotweed explicitly. Dr Sam Fowles explains the law, and who you can sue if you find yourself with unwanted knotweed after all.

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Tara McDermott
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele


TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m00202lv)
Hype

Every brand wants attention, to be seen as a must-have, but how do some manage stratospheric levels of popularity? It might happen organically, perhaps even by accident, but it’s also true that many brands engineer it.

Evan Davis and guest discuss the tricks of the trade, from social media influencers to artificial scarcity, and the potential pitfalls when a product is so popular that it's almost impossible to get hold of.

Plus, what is it that compels people to queue several hours for a sandwich, or pay ten times the usual price for a bottle of energy drink - we explore the consumer psychology behind the hype.

Evan is joined by:

Ellis Gilbert, founder of Soho Yacht Club and Talk Nice Studios;
Rory Sutherland, vice chair of Ogilvy UK;
Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, reader in psychology at Anglia Ruskin University;
and Sian Evans, founder of Chatsworth Bakehouse.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Neil Churchill and Donald MacDonald
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

(Picture: A customer jumps in the air as he leaves an iPhone store in London, after being the first person to buy the brand's latest phone. Credit: Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m00208f2)
UK voter registration closes

With the deadline to register to vote looming, we speak to young voters who are still weighing up their choices.

Also in the programme:

US President Biden announces a new policy that would protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation. We hear from one of the affected families, and ask how this feeds into the politics of immigration in America.


And, as the Post Office Inquiry continues, two forensic accountants take centre stage to expose the truth.


TUE 22:45 Jensen: The Bellevue Poltergeist by Heidi Amsinck (m00208f5)
Episode 2

Set in Denmark, an original story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 by Heidi Amsinck, the author of the Jensen series of crime novels.

“The most annoying woman in Copenhagen.
Love of his life.”

So muses DI Henrik Jungersen about Jensen, an investigative reporter from the newspaper Dagbladet. She has previous with Henrik - his former lover and with a knack of getting in the way of his investigations.

Mette Mortensen, a housekeeper, has fallen to her death at the villa in Copenhagen where she worked. Did she jump? Was she pushed? But there is something strange about this house. Is there a less obvious explanation?

Episode 2
Could there really be a poltergeist at Mrs Frederiksen’s house? Jensen and Gustav decide to spend a night there.

Copenhagen-born Heidi Amsinck has written numerous short stories for radio. Her collection Last Train To Helsingør was published in 2018. The third novel in her Jensen series, Back From The Dead, was published in May 2024.

Writer: Heidi Amsinck
Reader: MyAnna Buring
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Uncanny (m00208fd)
Series 4

S4. Case 8: What Lies Beyond

A double bill of two haunting and intriguing new cases. An emergency responder in rural Maine receives an impossible 911 call, and a Kansas funeral home where the dead won't stay dead.

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Nilufar Ahmed and Morgan Knudsen
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 Brood X (m00208fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Sunday]