SATURDAY 10 AUGUST 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0021qxs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s634)
5. The Urban/Rural Divide

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.

Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.

In this episode Anna gets personal and explores her own journey across the urban/rural divide. Why did she long for the city when her parents stayed on the farm? And does this cultural division contribute to the other culture wars covered throughout the series?

Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0021qxv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0021qxx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0021qxz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0021qy1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0021qy3)
Alternative Olympics

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Julia Loveless

Good morning.

We find ourselves almost at the end of another Olympics. Each time the games come around I find myself struck by the same whacky thought. What if, instead of elite athletes training for the event, each country had to pick their competitors from within their Nation via random conscription. Just imagine it. Getting a letter sometime in May saying that you had been randomly selected to represent your country in Volleyball.

You would have some three months to do what little training you could and then be thrown into the fire - hoping against hope that Norway hadn’t, by some fluke, picked their country’s top volleyball player for the event. It’s a silly thought, but each time it occurs to me I am all the more humbled by the actual participants of the games. It reminds me of that famous Roosevelt quote - “it’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly - who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

God, catch me when I am tempted to be a useless voice of criticism to those around me. Teach me humility and give me the courage show up and enter my own arena.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 Frontlines of Journalism (m001jlbp)
5. The why is as important as the what

In early March 2022, days after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen was in Kyiv.

Back in the hotel after a day of reporting, the enormity of what was happening prompted an emotional reflection.

Jeremy speaks with: Piers Morgan, Emily Bell - Professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism and a director of the Guardian Media Group, Dean Baquet - until 2022 executive editor of the New York Times, journalist and environmentalist George Monbiot and CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour.

Presenter: Jeremy Bowen
Producer: Georgia Catt
Assistant Producer: Sam Peach
Additional research: Rob Byrne
Series mixing: Jackie Margerum
Series Editor: Philip Sellars


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0021wwp)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m0021qpk)
The Sound of the Fens

Using the poetry of 'peasant poet' John Clare, Martha Kearney visits Helpston and Fen Edge to understand how the landscape has changed since his day. The sounds Clare would have heard in the early 1800s before the Enclosures Act would have been very different from what we hear today. Aside from the obvious sounds of modern technology, cars and aircraft, Martha learns how the draining of the fens changed species habitats and meant some birds and animals have disappeared from the landscape. The bittern, corncrake and 'whaddon organ' frog have all gone, but in their place other species have made this unique part of the countryside home.

Dr Francesca Mackenny from the Cardiff University Sound of Nature project uses Clare's poetry to help us listen to the landscape. Richard Astle from the Langdyke Trust takes Martha to Swardywell Pit - a piece of land Clare knew well that has been restored from being a landfill site and transformed into a thriving nature reserve, but now populated with different flora and fauna than Clare would have encountered.

Martha then travels further into the fens to meet Rex Sly in Crowland whose family have farmed in the area for more than 500 years. As well as farming, Rex has also written books and poetry about the area in the style of John Clare. His great-grandniece Lucy tells Martha why she felt drawn back to the Fens to help preserve the landscape after leaving to study at university in Edinburgh.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0021wwr)
A BBC Local Radio 24 hour farming event to encourage young farmers to support each other with their mental health.

Farmer led badger vaccination could be a way forward in eradicating TB in cattle, a study of a four year pilot programme in Cornwall says that it has seen the percentage of badgers testing positive for TB drop from 16% to zero.

Timber is an issue here in the UK, we import more than 80% of the wood we use and there are calls for far more of that to be home grown.

In the south of Scotland the Government agency Forestry and Land Scotland is still clearing up the damage caused after Storm Arwen hit in 2021.

When it comes to the physical felling of trees or carrying out pruning at great heights, it’s a potentially dangerous profession, so comprehensive training is essential.

And an Olympic event that isn't, but really should be, shearing over 500 sheep in nine hours to reach a world record.

Presented by Caz Graham

Produced by Alun Beach


SAT 06:57 Weather (m0021wwt)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m0021www)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 The Missing Madonna (m0021wwy)
The Likely Lads

The Madonna surfaces in Liverpool and two local PIs spot the opportunity of a lifetime. Robbie Graham and Jackie Doyle begin to bring together their team to get the painting back.


SAT 09:45 Animal (m001q0sk)
Shapeshifters

Writer and adventurer Blair Braverman dives deep under the surface of the ocean, in search of a more fluid, expansive and communal way to live. In short, she discovers that the ocean is queer.

In Animal, writer and adventurer Blair Braverman presents stories exploring the curious and fascinating ways humans relate to other animals - from magpies to spiders to creatures of the deepest oceans.

In this episode, Blair hears from Sabrina Imbler, author of the book How Far The Light Reaches. Sabrina takes us on a journey into the depths, where shapeshifters stretch the limits of our imaginations, tiny creatures teach us how to live in community, and where we can uncover new possibilities for how life can work on our planet.

Producer and Sound Designer: Arlie Adlington
Co-Producer: Jesse Lawson
Executive Producer: Steven Rajam
Sound Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Series Art: Cameron Hay

Featuring sound recordings by Tzu-Hao Harry Lin

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m0021w7x)
Edo Japan

In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in seventeenth-century Japan by Dr Satona Suzuki and comedian Ahir Shah to learn all about the Edo period and the Tokugawa shogunate. When he came to power in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the first shogun to rule over all Japan. He made Edo – later renamed Tokyo – his power base, and over the 250 years of Tokugawa rule, this small town became one of the largest cities in the world. This episode charts the rise and fall of the shogunate, and explores what life was like for people living in Japan at this time. From politics to theatre, and taking in foreign relations, the class system, art and literature, Greg and his guests get to grips with all aspects of life in the Edo period.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Annabel Storr
Written by: Annabel Storr, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: James Cook


SAT 10:30 Alexei Sayle's Strangers on a Train (m0021wx0)
Series 3

Belfast to Londonderry

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle travels by train across the stunning countryside of Northern Ireland from Belfast to Londonderry.

Alexei’s mission is to break the golden rule of travelling by train and actually talk to his fellow passengers, in a quest for conversations with strangers that will reveal their lives, thoughts, dreams and destinations.

Along the way, Alexei holds a finger into the wind of the interests of the great British travelling public. There’s hilarity, humour, sadness and surprise as people reveal what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also delves into his own personal stories of a childhood in Liverpool and a long career as a comedian, actor and author.

Alexei has a life-long ticket to ride in his DNA, as his father was a railway guard. As a child, Alexei travelled on trains with his mum and dad, not only in the UK but also abroad. While other children in Liverpool at the time thought a trip to Blackpool was a big adventure, Alexei travelled to Paris, experienced the Orient Express, had summer holidays in Czechoslovakia and visited mysterious cities with unpronounceable names in the farthest corners of Europe.

In this programme, Alexei meets Robert who is on a trip to Londonderry to explore its history with his family. Robert tells Alexei how, at age 15 after he left school with no qualifications, his father took him to be interviewed by a local butcher for his first job. Now on the verge of retiring age he looks back on spending his whole working life as a butcher, work he disliked at first but grew to love as the local butcher in a close knit community Alexei also meets Sheri and Howard from Florida who spend many months each year travelling the world; William and Heather, who tell Alexei how Belfast has become a hugely successful tourist destination: Gabriel and Kate who are visiting a relative in hospital after a major operation - with Kate describing how she is one of the many cross border workers who live in the Republic but work and pay taxes in Northern Ireland- and Judith and Lisa who are married with a young son and feel they are part of a new future for their country.

A Ride production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 Newscast (m0021y5d)
Has The Tide Turned After The Riots?

Today, we look at whether after a week of riots, we have seen the end of unrest on Britain’s streets.

In a call with the Prime Minister, King Charles has praised Britain’s community spirit in response to the riots and gave his "heartfelt thanks" to the officers who had worked to restore peace across the country. More than 700 people have now been arrested for alleged offences in connection with the riots, and police promised “hundreds” more to come.

Adam and Paddy are joined on Radio 4 by disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and senior UK correspondent for BBC News, Sima Kotecha.

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 Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Teodora Agarici . The technical producer was Annie Smith. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0021wx2)
Bangladesh: after Sheikh Hasina

Kate Adie presents stories from Bangladesh, Russia, the US, Brazil and Morocco.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has resigned following weeks of deadly protests, and a heavy government crackdown. Samira Hussain is in Dhaka and spoke to people about their experience of her autocratic rule.

It was the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War: 16 Russian dissidents, Germans and Americans were released in exchange for a convicted assassin and seven other Russians held in the West. Sarah Rainsford has reported on the activities of the Russian dissidents for many years and she reflects on her correspondence with Vladimir Kara Murza in prison, and his first big interview since his release.

Critical to any presidential candidate’s chances of clinching victory in November's US election, are the swing states. Wisconsin is one of these, and, along with Georgia and Arizona, had the tightest vote margins in the last election. James Helm was in Door County where he found out what locals were thinking as the country prepares for the final straight of the election campaign.

In Brazil, an ex-model and social media influencer was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for the human trafficking and slave labour of a woman. Jack Garland describes interviewing her in the high-security prison just before her sentence was passed.

It's almost a year since a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, killing more than 2,000 people. Proinsias O’Coinn spoke to some of the people about their memories of that day, and, amid the destruction and tragedy, found some cause for hope.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge and Katie Morrison


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0021wx4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Sliced Bread (m001vbr5)
Toast - Club 18-30

Why did the package holiday brand, Club 18-30, disappear?

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of brands which had promised so much to consumers.

In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea. What did it promise? Why did it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, which was first broadcast in January 2024, Sean learns why Club 18-30 fell out of favour.

Its package holidays for young people were a hit for decades so why couldn't it keep going?

Sean speaks to holidaymakers who remember their Club 18-30 experiences well.

A former manager explains how they hoped to keep the brand going and why that proved impossible.

Alongside them all, analysing the business' fortunes is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White.

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

Feel free to suggest topics which we could cover in future episodes

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in February. In the new series, Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 12:30 Catherine Bohart: TL;DR (m0021qx8)
Series 1

What's with all the riotous goings-on?

Columns. Analysis. The Guardian's Long Read. Who has time? Catherine Bohart, that's who, and she's going beyond the headlines to give you the lowdown on one of the biggest stories this week, with our usual nerd sidekick, guest expert and roving comedian correspondent.

This week: What's with all the riotous goings-on?

Writer Tom Neenan explores what's been happening on the streets, Professor Anand Menon explains how this fits into the context of the rise of the far right across Europe and Zoe Lyons wonders why British fascists don't seem to scrub up quite as well as their continental equivalents...

Written by Catherine Bohart, with Madeleine Brettingham, Sarah Campbell, Georgie Flinn, Ellen Robertson and Pravanya Pillay.

Produced by Lyndsay Fenner & Ben Walker

Recorded and Edited by David Thomas

Production Coordinator - Beverly Tagg & Elise Bramich

A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m0021wx7)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0021wx9)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0021qxg)
Sir Robert Buckland, Inaya Folarin Iman, Dan Norris MP, Vicky Spratt

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from The Poly in Falmouth with the former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland, journalist and founder of The Equiano Project Inaya Folarin Iman, Labour MP and Metro Mayor for the West of England Dan Norris and Housing Correspondent for the i newspaper Vicky Spratt.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Tim Allen


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0021wxc)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0021qxb)
Lynda and Joy press Lilian about their idea to link up the Fete with the Stables’ event and Lilian’s keen. She has questions about logistics, and the dray shuttle idea starts to become more elaborate. In the Fete meeting, Lynda cleverly adapts her role, leaving Kirsty lumbered with litter picking. Lilian uses this to work on Kirsty and persuade her to move her loyalties to Cantering On – perhaps a Rewilding stall?
Emma has told Will about George’s real involvement in the crash, and they need to decide what to do. Remembering Nic and the accident with Matt Crawford, Will thinks it best to do nothing. But it’s not the same, says Emma. Innocent Alice could go to prison. George needs to hand himself in - horrible as the prospect of prison is, they need to persuade him. George is angry that Will knows, but Will tells him to go to the Police.
Emma bumps into Alice and carefully asks her about any developments with the court case. Alice is grateful to George for being prepared to speak in court and hopes the process will help him remember any tiny details, especially if he saw anyone else there that night.
Emma, Will and George discuss Alice’s memory, as Emma starts to get paranoid. She worries about George piling on the lies, but he has an idea to give a statement about seeing someone else near the bridge. George thinks of someone – he could just give a vague description of someone who looks like that Harry (Chilcott) – then George and Alice will both be off the hook.


SAT 15:00 Mahabharata Now (m001rql8)
Episode 4: Dance of Defiance

In Mumbai, Dhruv is working hard to reinvent his public persona and doing everything he can to secure his grip on power. Shaks is no longer willing to go along with Dhruv's corruption and, making his way to Manchester, he becomes determined to help Yash and Padma complete their exile and succeed in taking over Hasta Enterprises.

Shaks arranges for Yash, Padma and Gopi to move in with Dr Sareek, a wealthy old man who is in very poor health. Sareek lives alone in a large house in Wilmslow, hidden away behind high walls and tall trees, and is in desperate need of a nurse to take care of him. That way, they can effectively withdraw from society for the remaining months of the fourth year.

Shaks begins to prepare Yash for his new role on their return to India. But Dhruv's best chance of controlling Hasta Enterprises in perpetuity is to trick Yash into breaking the terms of the contract. He sends spies into Manchester’s Asian communities to track down the couple and ensnare them.

Written by Ayeesha Menon

Cast

Dhruv: Neil Bhoopalam
Yash: Tavish Bhattacharyya
Gita: Shernaz Patel
Padma: Ira Dubey
Shaks: Vivek Madan
Karthik: Sukant Goel
Gopi: Mina Anwar
Dr. Sareek: Nitin Ganatra
Abhay: Ronny Jhutti
Swati: Rina Fatania
Bakhtiyar: Omkar Kulkarni
Lawyer: Devika Shahani Punjabi
Reporter: Prerna Chawla

Other roles played by Abir Abrar; Sean Connolly, Omkar Kulkarni, Devika Shahani Punjabi and Prerna Chawla

Sound Supervisor (Mumbai): Ayush Ahuja
Sound Design and Post Production: Wilfredo Acosta
Original Music: Imran Ahmad

Producer (Mumbai): Nadir Khan
Producer(s): Helen Quigley and Andrew Mark Sewell
Director: Jatinder Verma

A B7 Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0021wxf)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Lottie Tomlinson, Madwomen of the West, Infants and domestic abuse, Elles Bailey

Lottie Tomlinson rose to fame as the younger sister of One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson. At 16, she went on tour with the band as a makeup artist and a decade on, has become an entrepreneur. Lottie’s mother and sister died within a few years of each other, when she was just 20-years-old. She joins Anita to talk about her experience of grief, which she’s written about her new memoir, Lucky Girl.

Madwomen of the West is currently on stage at the Riverside Studios in London. Set in a suburban mansion - a group of women gather for an eventful birthday brunch and discuss topics ranging from gender politics to professional expectations, shifting marital relationships, menopause and womanhood. With four leading women over the age of 70 it stars stage and screen luminaries Marilu Henner, Caroline Aaron, Brooke Adams, and Melanie Mayron. Caroline and Marilu join Nuala.

New figures released today suggest that children under two are present at 13% of police call outs to domestic abuse incidents in England, amounting to around 185,000 babies and toddlers. So what can the effect be on children of witnessing domestic abuse? And what can be done to overcome the trauma they could experience? We hear from Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of the For Baby's Sake Trust and Dr Sheila Redfern, consultant clinical child and adolescent psychologist and Head of Family Trauma at Anna Freud, a world-leading mental health charity for children and families.

Food writer Meera Sodha’s new cookbook, Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day, pays homage to the restorative power of cooking for the ones you love. Meera says it was written in the midst of ‘a difficult personal time and much reflection.’ She joins Nuala to talk about mental health and rediscovering her love for food.

The British roots, blues and Americana rock sensation Elles Bailey is a real trailblazer: she's a mother, a label boss, an artist, a champion of women in music, and she has been inducted into the UK Blues Hall of Fame. She joins Anita to talk about her unique voice, her new album and to perform live in the studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Louise Corley


SAT 17:00 PM (m0021wxh)
What the latest strikes in Gaza mean for a ceasefire

The latest from Gaza after an Israeli airstrike leaves more than 70 people dead. Plus Olympians Helen Glover and Roger Black review Paris 2024.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m0021qp9)
Dough - Irons

Will anyone iron clothes in the future?

Dough is a new series from BBC Radio 4 which looks at the business behind profitable, everyday products, assessing where the smart money is going now and what that could mean for all of us in the years ahead.

In this episode, the entrepreneur Sam White speaks with experts from the world of garment care including:

Leonor Carneiro - the category leader for garment care at Versuni which owns the Philips brand and is famous for making products including steam irons.

Veronika Kandusova - a consultant with the market researchers, Euromonitor International.

Frej Lewenhaupt - the CEO and co-founder of Steamery, a company which makes garment steamers.

Also joining them is the technology expert and applied futurist, Tom Cheesewright, who offers his insight and predictions on what might be coming beyond the current production pipeline.

Together, they explore the products that are replacing traditional irons, explain why fewer people in the UK tend to iron today and chat about their own choices for game changing and least effective ironing innovations.

We hear why clothes iron manufacturers are yet to crack battery power and get a tantalising glimpse of how even more of us might avoid ironing in the future.

Produced by Jon Douglas. Dough is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in August when Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.

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


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0021wxk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m0021wxm)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0021wxp)
Israel faces condemnation for an air strike on a school used to shelter displaced people. Nearly 350 people have been charged in connection with recent riots in parts of the UK.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00224yc)
Bobby Davro, Michelle McManus, Lara Ricote, Hamish Hawk, Virginia Gay, A Giant on the Bridge

From the Edinburgh Festivals, Clive Anderson and Michelle McManus talk to actor, comedian and family favourite Bobby Davro about his beginnings in TV entertainment, his acting journey and finding comedy through tough times – something he explores in his show Everything is Funny...If You Can Laugh at It. Lara Ricote, a former winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer prize, chats about her Fringe run of Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism) which looks at the complexities of relationships. Plus Australian actor, writer, and director Virginia Gay – she's a familiar face on the small screen down under, and makes a return to Edinburgh with her gender-flipped version of Cyrano.

With music from critically-acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk, and a performance from gig-theatre production A Giant on the Bridge – featuring Jo Mango and Louis Abbott (of Admiral Fallow), alongside fellow Scottish musicians Raveloe, Solareye and Goodnight Louisa.

Presented by Clive Anderson
Produced by Caitlin Sneddon


SAT 19:00 Growing Solo (m001yhz0)
Winter Solstice Feast

Max Cotton, a retired political journalist, leaves behind the weekly shop, supermarkets and the modern world to find out if he can grow and produce 100% of his food on a smallholding near Glastonbury. His only import for a year is salt.

In this third episode, Max gets to grips with the grisly process of turning farm animals into meat, and he has to come to terms with a disastrous potato harvest that could threaten the viability of the project. Max and his neighbours also gather in grapes for winemaking and we learn how best to pluck a Christmas turkey.

Presenter: Max Cotton
Producer: Tessa Browne
Executive Producer: Kate Dixon

A Good Egg production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0j98blp)
Series 30

What a Gas! - Dave Gorman, Mark Miodownik and Lucy Carpenter

Brian Cox and Robin Ince talk hot air as they explore the pivotal role of gasses in our lives. Joining them to add some CO2 to the mix is material scientist Mark Miodownik, chemist Lucy Carpenter and comedian Dave Gorman. They discuss how humans came to even understand it existed in the first place as well as how many of the innovations in modern society have been underpinned by this mostly invisible and odourless substance. We laud the humble (or is it noble?) gas and its key role in technological innovation - from using laughing gas in anaesthesia to the combustion engine and of course the most important of all, the power source behind squirty cream.


Producer: Melanie Brown
Exec Producer: Alexandra Feachem
BBC Studios Audio production


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0021wxt)
Sister Blues

To mark the sixty-year anniversary of the American’s seminal 1964 performance at a Manchester train station for Granada TV, Joan Armatrading explores the life and music of blues trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

As an influence to Little Richard, Elvis and Chuck Berry, the legacy of the so-called 'Godmother of Rock and Roll' is far-reaching. Joan talks to surviving members of Sister Rosetta's family, contemporaries of the '64 UK tour, modern-day female singer songwriters from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as well as devotees from across the music and entertainment world to explore the remarkable impact of her pioneering work. Drawing on archive and unique recordings from Sister Rosetta's back catalogue, Joan brings focus to a foundational figure whose contribution has too often been overlooked.

Producer and Writer: Ben Wyatt
Sound Editor: Rich Evans
Original music composition: Christopher Fletcher
A Comuniqé production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m0021qsy)
What do the riots say about Britain?

The past week of brutish, hate-filled riots has been a disturbing time for Britian’s minority communities. What started as a protest against the murder of three little girls in Southport has swept the country for days, fuelled by the spread of mis-information on social media.

The cause of the anger is starkly contested. For some, they are racist far-right agitators and opportunist thugs, whipped up by populist politicians and commentators. For others they represent a deeper unease about successive immigration and social policies which have left people feeling ignored, marginalised, even despised by politicians and mainstream media. The ideological divide is between those who see ‘diversity as strength’ and those who think unlimited tolerance breeds its own intolerance.

For all the images of burning cars, racist graffiti and violent looting, there is another side to the story: those who help in the clear up, who show solidarity with their Muslim neighbours, and who make clear their opposition to racist hatred.

What should we make of the riots? And, if there is more that unites us than divides us, what should we be doing to improve relations between communities?

Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser

Chair:
Michael Buerk

Panel:
Ash Sarkar
Konstantin Kisin
Mona Siddiqui
Tim Stanley

Witnesses:
Matt Goodwin
Ashraf Hoque
Adrian Hilton
Kieran Connell


SAT 22:00 News (m0021wxw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0021qwm)
How did Food Help Finland Become the Happiest Country in the World?

Finland has once again topped the ranking for the happiest country in the world. But what has food got to do with it? In this programme, Sheila Dillon finds out whether what they eat, their food culture and unique food policies are helping Finns feel happy. What we could we learn from this enterprising Nordic nation? And what challenges are they still facing?

In Helsinki, Sheila visits restaurateur and ‘happiness hacker’ Luka Balac, who in his spare time takes tourists through a day in the life of ‘a happy Finn’, and explains how his approach to food hospitality fosters his own sense of happiness. Next. she joins a city food and walking tour to taste Finnish specialties like Karelian pies and cloudberry jam to find out more about the food habits of the locals.

Finland has had its fair share of unhappiness with high depression and suicide rates in the past. Now, there are new efforts to improve mental health via food. Sheila speaks to Aino Kipfer, a researcher in Eastern Finland, who is part of a project aiming to treat depression with better diets, building on the pioneering science around food and mood. She also hears more about how food is linked to security in the eastern region from Kirsi Vartia, of the Rural Women's Advisory Committee, who shares her own personal tips for happiness.

Sirpa Sarlio, an advisor at the government's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, explains why Finland became the first country in the world to offer free school meals, and why this ended up as a strong foundation on which to build a happy and healthy wider society. Back in London, Sheila visits diplomat and food enthusiast Markus Hippi, at the Finnish church and community centre in Rotherhithe, to hear how the UK compares in terms of food culture and happiness from the point of view of Finns living abroad.

Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SAT 23:00 Scott Agnew: Dead Man Talking (m0021wxy)
Series 1

2. Life Before Death

We all live before we die, but Scott lived a little harder and faster than most. In this episode he explores his life before he died. From his time as a journalist to coming out, his "Friday afternoon" feeling, chem sex parties and a HIV diagnosis that brought with it an unexpected feeling of gratitude.

The second episode in a trilogy of tales that gets into the gritty and grim goings on that nearly saw Scott pushing up the daisies. Each episode is far from a forlorn fable, but rather is bursting with colourful, lively stories of the people who have shaped Scott's life and helped him along the way. This is more than just a life story, this is Scott's death story.

A stand up series, written and performed by Scott Agnew
Produced by Lauren Mackay
Audio recorded by Chris Currie and Niall Young


SAT 23:30 The 3rd Degree (m0021q5d)
Series 13

4. Falmouth University

This episode coming from Falmouth University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Film, Journalism & Creative Writing so we’ll be discussing diagesis in the films of Herzog, polyperspectivity in fictional narratives and that bloke who got fired off GB News. The show that has everything from air fryers to zugzwangs.

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three undergraduates against three of their professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The general knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three specialist subject rounds, in which students take on their professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, the show goes to Leicester, St Andrews, Loughborough, Falmouth, the University of East Anglia and Robinson College, Cambridge.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0021wy0)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m0021q5b)
Ayobami Adebayo

Ayobami Adebayo talks to James Naughtie and readers about her novel, Stay With Me, a moving story of loss and motherhood. Set against the backdrop of tumultuous political events in Nigeria, it tells the story of Yejide and Akin, whose marriage is childless. The novel, which is narrated by them both, explores the pressure to have a child, the toll it takes on their relationship and the profound emotional burden of desperately wanting to become a parent.
Ayobami answers readers questions about the inspiration behind Stay With Me and how she inhabited the minds of her characters.

Presenter: James Naughtie
Producer : Nicola Holloway

Next Bookclub recordings - both at 1830 in Broadcasting House, London

14 August - Ken Follett on A Column of Fire
25 September - Susanna Clarke on Piranesi


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0021wy2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0021wy4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0021wy6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0021wy8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0021wyb)
The church of All Saints Necton in Norfolk

This week's Bells on Sunday comes from the church of All Saints Necton in Norfolk. The Grade one listed building dates from the 14th century and features a fine hammer beam and arch-braced nave roof. The tower was rebuilt in the 19th century and has six bells all of which were cast in 1833 by the Thomas Mears foundry of Whitechapel in London. The Tenor weighs eleven and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of G. We now hear them ringing Plain Bob Doubles.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0021qjt)
Talking Newspaper Delays; Swimming Twins at the Paralympics

In Touch has been hearing that many local Talking Newspapers are experiencing long delays linked to the postal service. Talking Newspapers are an essential service to blind and partially sighted people, as it keeps people informed of localised events and news. Listeners access a TN via recorded readings of the local papers by volunteers. The recordings are then put onto the listeners preferred format - be that a USB stick, a CD or even a cassette tape - and then are delivered to the listener's front door. Under Royal Mail's Articles for the Blind scheme, these are supposed to be delivered via first class mail, but the TNs are reporting that this is not happening. We hear from a number of local TNs and from the Talking Newspaper Federation.

It will soon be time for the Paralympics, the worlds biggest celebration of disability sport. As a warm up to the event, In Touch meets Eliza and Scarlet Humphrey who are twins, are both totally blind and are both competing in swimming at the Paralympics 2024.

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.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m0021xcq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m0021qjc)
A Suffering God

Giles Fraser hears about the revolutionary ideas of late theologian Jürgen Moltmann, whose work challenged and transformed Christian ideas of God in the twentieth century.

Hamburg, July 1943. The combined might of the Allies rains bombs down on the city causing a catastrophic firestorm. A young German anti-aircraft bomber cries out to God in the midst of devastation. He would go on to be one of the most important Christian theologians of the twentieth century.

Giles Fraser recounts how he first started to develop his ideas at a Prisoner of War camp in Scotland after the Second World War. His books, including The Theology of Hope and The Crucified God would go on to be seminal works for those studying Christianity, but would also have far-reaching influence. He also wrote about liberating those oppressed, ecology and the environment and feminism.

Joining Giles to discuss why his work matters is Professor Miroslav Volf, Director of the Yale Ceter for Faith and Culture, who knew Moltmann as a PHD supervisor and friend. Also on the panel are Professor Candida Moss and Professor Celia Deane-Drummond.

Does God suffer, as we suffer and what difference does this make to faith and belief?

Producer: Rebecca Maxted
Assistant Producer: James Leesley
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0021xcs)
Bray Mates

Donkeys tend to get the short straw, often seen as stubborn and indifferent. But on her smallholding in North Wales, with her twelve strong ‘therapy herd’, Louise Peeters is proving just how far from the truth that is. For her, donkeys aren’t so much indifferent as intuitive - and, at Dyfi Donkey Woods, she’s channelling their innate ability to connect and empathise with humans to help many people in her community cope with issues around mental health.

Qualified in Equine Assisted Learning, Louise explains the thinking behind her work and introduces presenter Verity Sharp to one of her long established wellbeing groups, the Bray Mates. The participants share stories about why they’re there, the kind of challenges they're facing, such as anxiety and ADHD, and how time with donkeys is proving invaluable.

Produced and presented by Verity Sharp


SUN 06:57 Weather (m0021xcv)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0021xcx)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0021xcz)
Far Right; Tim Walz; Religious Comedy

Misinformation, racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric over the past week, following the deaths of three children in Southport, has highlighted how social media has become an effective platform for far right extremism. What has also become clear is some of that extremism is wrapped in religious language and draws on themes and ideas from Christian heritage. Is this a cynical hijacking of Christianity or what some Christians really believe? William Crawley talks to Rev Dr Helen Paynter, co-editor of a forthcoming book "The Church, the Far Right and the Claim to Christianity."

An American theologian has been expelled from his church after he published a book in support of LGBTQ people. Thomas Oord gives his reaction to the decision by the Church of the Nazarene to cancel his teaching credentials and strip him of his church membership.

After much speculation, Kamala Harris has chosen Governor Tim Walz as her presidential running mate. He describes himself as a Minnesota Lutheran, So how might his personal Christian faith become an election issue. Jack Jenkins from the Religion News Service and author of "American Prophets: the religious roots of progressive politics and the ongoing fight for the soul of the country" explains.

Following a turbulent week in Bangladesh, the BBC's correspondent Akbar Hossein explains why Hindus have been targeted during the unrest.

And religion has always provided a rich vein of material for comedians. So how do the comedians playing at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe balance sensitivity around their faith, with the need to land some gags?

Producers: Amanda Hancox, Rosie Dawson
Editor: Miriam Williamson


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0021xd1)
Nystagmus Network

Actor Gerard McDermott makes the Radio 4 appeal on behalf of Nystagmus Network. He was born with the condition, where the eyes move rapidly and involuntarily. It wasn't until he attended a Nystagmus Network event in his fifties that he felt he could talk openly about his eyesight.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- 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 ‘Nystagmus Network’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Nystagmus Network’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1180450


SUN 07:57 Weather (m0021xd3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0021xd5)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0021xd7)
On Eagle's Wings

Marking the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell's Olympic Gold on this last day of the Olympics. Anna Magnusson reflects on the spirit of the man, with people who help to keep his memory alive, alongside his ideals of self-giving love, in Edinburgh's Morningside community.

With a choir and local congregation gathered in Morningside United Church, Edinburgh, singing some of Eric's favourite music.
Director of Music: Brigitte Harris; Organist: Michael Harris

Anna speaks with David Puttnam, producer of the 1981 film, 'Chariots of Fire' about Eric's achievements and character; Sue Caton, Eric Liddell's niece; John MacMillan, who leads the Eric Liddell Centre in Morningside; and we hear the stories of people who in their youth knew Eric in Weihsien Japanese internment camp in China during WWII, and found solace in his bright presence.

Reading by Rev Sarah Moore: 1 Corinthians 13
Music: There's a wideness in God's mercy (Tune: Corvedale)
Jesus shall reign where'er the sun (Tune: Warrington)
Come light, light of God (Lumiere de Dieu)
Think of how God loves you (James MacMillan)
Be still my soul (Tune: Finlandia)

Producer: Mo McCullough


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0021qxj)
On Imposter Syndrome

Sara Wheeler on why sleeping in Captain Scott's bunk in the Antarctic got her thinking about imposter syndrome.

'It took me many years,' writes Sara, 'to realise that I had as much right to be in Captain Scott's hut as anyone else, because nobody owns the Antarctic, or the hut, or Scott's legacy."

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Tom Bigwood


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0021xd9)
Anneka Rice on the Cormorant

A new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories from some fresh voices who have been inspired by birds, their calls and encounters.

Broadcaster and artist Anneka Rice enjoys walking near her home on the Isle of Wight. On these walks Anneka often encounters a cormorant standing erect on the cliff top, it's wings outstretched as if in salute to the sun. or in thoughtful reverie.

Producer : Andrew Dawes of BBC Audio in Bristol
Studio Engineer : Suzy Robins


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0021xdc)
Going for Gold

Paddy O'Connell and guests celebrate the joy of the Olympics with highlights from the games and a postcard from Paris. Plus the government on rebuilding after the riots.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m0021xdf)
Steven Knight, writer

Steven Knight CBE is a screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television.
He is best known for creating the TV series Peaky Blinders but he has also turned his hand to feature films, novels, comedy and even gameshows. He co-created the global TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
His first film, Dirty Pretty Things, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards; Peaky Blinders won a BAFTA for Best Drama Series and his writing influences are eclectic. His subjects include chess, cooking, Dickens, Diana, Princess of Wales; the origins of the SAS and a Star Wars sequel.
Steven was born in 1959, the youngest of seven children to George and Ida Knight. He grew up in Birmingham where his father hoped that his five sons would follow him into the blacksmith’s business.
After studying English at University College London, Steven returned to Birmingham and began his career writing radio commercials. He was soon back down in London working at Capital Radio which then led to a career writing comedy for TV, then novels, and eventually screenplays.
He is as respected in Hollywood as he is in the UK and more recently he has been instrumental in setting up a new TV and Film studio complex in Birmingham, Digbeth Loc.
He is married with seven children and lives in Gloucestershire.

DISC ONE: I Want You - Bob Dylan
DISC TWO: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC THREE: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise. Performed by Worcester Cathedral Choir / Worcester Festival Choral Society, directed by Donald Hunt
DISC FOUR: Redemption Song - Bob Marley & The Wailers
DISC FIVE: A Different Corner - George Michael
DISC SIX: Messetchinko Lio (You, Little Moon) - Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares
DISC SEVEN: Red Right Hand - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
DISC EIGHT: Keep Right On Until the End of the Road - Harry Lauder

BOOK CHOICE: The Greek Myths by Robert Graves
LUXURY ITEM: A solar powered laptop
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Keep Right On Until the End of the Road - Harry Lauder

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0021xdh)
Writer, Nick Warburton
Director, Pip Swallow
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Lilian Bellamy ….. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter ….. Wilf Scolding
Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
John Mack ….. Richard Pepple


SUN 12:15 Growing Solo (m001yhz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0021qcd)
Series 30

Episode 1

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Tony Hawks, Lucy Porter, Zoe Lyons and Justin Edwards are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as divorce, lying, Mexicans and coffee.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m0021xdk)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0021xdm)
Zelensky confirms Russia incursion

President Zelensky confirms that Ukraine's military have crossed into Russia. Plus with fewer students applying to study, are some universities on the verge of financial crisis?


SUN 13:30 Inside the Riots (m00225s8)
There have been ugly scenes in towns and cities across the UK following the killings of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. 20 miles away in Liverpool, protesters gathered next to the iconic Liver Building and clashed with the police. Paul Kenyon reports from inside the crowd and hears what's driving the widespread demonstrations and rioting.

This programme was made in Salford by the File on 4 team. The producers were Alys Harte and Kate West. The editor was Carl Johnston.

Details of organisations offering information and support with racism & racist hate crime are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0021qwy)
Chelsea Flower Show 2024 - Potting Shed Part 2

Kathy Clugston presents another special potting shed edition of the programme, with GQT's panel of experts taking questions from visitors at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The panel answer questions ranging from how to get rid of woolly aphids and how to get rid of bamboo, to what's the best way to unclog a pond.

Later in the programme, Dulcie Whadcock speaks to Jodie Bryan from Cayley Brothers to discuss how their campaign 'project mushroom' aims to ease anxiety around growing mushrooms at home.

Producer: Dan Cocker

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Short Works (m001w8rj)
Byres Road

A woman returns to Glasgow after 30 years and meets her old University boyfriend.

Rhiannon Tise has written many original dramas and adaptations for BBC Radio 3 and 4 and her plays have been performed at theatres including the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court and The Lyric Hammersmith. Her ten-part adaptation of George Eliot’s The Mill on The Floss won Best Radio Drama at the 2020 VLV Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting. This is her first radio story.

Writer: Rhiannon Tise
Reader: Sharon Small
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0021xdp)
Death at La Fenice. Part 2

The Diva Patrelli’s sudden departure from Venice has made her a suspect in the murder of Maestro Wellauer with whom she had a fractious relationship. But Commissario Brunetti’s interview with the now aging soprano, Clemenza Santini reveals that the Maestro had more than one mortal enemy in Venetian music circles.

COMMISSARIO GUIDO BRUNETTI - Julian Rhind-Tutt
SERGEANT LORENZO VIANELLO - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
VICE-QUESTORE GIUSEPPE PATTA - David Horovitch
DR ETTORE RIZZARDI - Clive Hayward
PAOLA FALIER - Jeany Spark
CONTESSA FALIER - Siobhan Redmond
ELIZABETH WELLAUER/BRETT LYNCH - Jane Slavin
HERR STEINBRUNNER - Hugh Ross
CLEMENZA SANTINI - Susan Jameson

Dramatised by D J Britton from the novel by Donna Leon
Music by Julie Cooper
Produced and directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m0021xdr)
Lauren Elkin

Lauren Elkin talks to Shahidha Bari about her novel Scaffolding, set in an apartment in the Belleville neighbourhood of Paris. Anna is a psychoanalyst who has suffered a recent loss. When she meets her new neighbour, young radical feminist Clementine, she starts to question her ideas about desire, feminism and psychoanalysis.

Michèle Roberts' new book is a personal, reflective essay on the French writer Colette. Michèle and Lauren discuss the life and work of Colette, from her Claudine novels set in a girls' school to her controversial novel Gigi, made into a famous film starring Leslie Caron, and the heavily autobiographical works featuring her mother, Sido.

Director of Tate galleries and museums Maria Balshaw tells us about the book she'd never lend: Derek Jarman's Modern Nature.

Presenter: Shahidha Bari
Producer: Tim Bano

Book List – Sunday 11 August

Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
Art Monsters by Lauren Elkin
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
Colette: My Literary Mother by Michèle Roberts
Claudine by Colette
Break of Day by Colette
The Rainy Moon and Other Stories by Colette
Gigi by Colette
Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter by Maria Balshaw
Modern Nature by Derek Jarman


SUN 16:30 The 3rd Degree (m0021xdt)
Series 13

5. Robinson College, Cambridge

This episode coming from Robinson College, Cambridge, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Law, English and Spanish, and so there’ll be questions involving eggshells, stilts, plums, dragons and the Bolivian Navy. Plus exciting updates about Cillian Murphy and Sir Alec Douglas-Home.

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three undergraduates against three of their professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The general knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three specialist subject rounds, in which students take on their professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, the show goes to Leicester, St Andrews, Loughborough, Falmouth, the University of East Anglia and Robinson College, Cambridge.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct4x7r)
Women invade Dublin's male-only swimming spot

The Forty Foot is a famous sea swimming spot in Ireland’s capital city of Dublin. For hundreds of years, only men had the privilege of bathing in its deep, icy waters – naked if they chose.

That was until one day in the summer of 1974, when a group of women decided to plot an invasion.

At a time when Irish women couldn’t even access contraception, why did this group of hardy feminists decide to fight this particular battle for equality?

Rosie Blunt speaks to poet, writer, women’s rights activist, and swimmer Mary Dorcey.

(Photo: Woman diving at the Forty Foot in 2019. Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 Behind the Crime (m0020q90)
Liam

Liam was picked up by the police on the way to his grandmother’s grave.
He was in possession of a bladed article and some cannabis. His life had hit rock bottom and he says he was on his way to take his own life at the location where his beloved grandmother is buried. He received a prison sentence.
Liam is a young transgender man. His parents struggled with poverty, disability and addiction issues. Liam was removed from his home and taken into local authority care at an early age. This was the start of an unbelievably chaotic chain of care placements, violent outbursts, runaways and encounters with the police.
Dr Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who work in prisons. Their job is to help people in prison understand the harm they’ve caused, identify why it happened and work out how to make changes to prevent further harm after they’ve been released.
In Behind the Crime, they take the time to understand the life of someone whose crimes have led to harm and prison.
Through this extended interview with Liam, recorded months after his release from prison, we get to the heart of his behaviour.
For details of organisations that can provide help and support, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Editor: Clare Fordham
Behind the Crime is a co-production between BBC Long Form Audio and the Prison Radio Association.


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0021xdx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m0021xdz)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0021xf1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0021xf3)
Chris Hawkins

Chris Hawkins picks his audio highlights of the week. Including...
Writing about writing, a personal account of remarkable bravery, a sprinting news anchor, Dickensian rock n' roll, definitely (maybe) Oasis, money for nothing and caffeine for free.

Presenter: Chris Hawkins
Producer: Paul Martin
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0021x3c)
Lynda badgers David and Ruth to run a stall at the forthcoming village fete. They try to steer clear until Lynda mentions that Vince’s business, Casey Meats, will be contributing. David has a change of heart, and reluctant Ruth agrees it would be a good way to promote the farm and the events barn. Taking on the cost-of-living theme, they decide to go with low-cost dairy desserts.

Lynda convinces Azra to do some weeding at Adil’s allotment, and while they’re there, Lynda spots some garlic, which looks perfect. She suggests entering it into the Flower and Produce Show.

Emma and Will debate George’s plan to say he saw someone who looked like Harry on the night of the crash. Emma’s adamant that it’s both a terrible idea and a lie. But Will thinks if there’s another suspect it might give George a chance. George is convinced that framing Harry is the best thing to do for both him and Alice. Will starts to think it might be a good idea – but incredulous Emma says it’s completely mad! Kate appears unexpectedly to promote children’s summer camping at Spiritual Home. George grabs his chance and tells Kate about Harry. When Kate suggests updating his witness statement, Emma says they’ll take George to the police station. But later, as Emma and Will wait for George, they agree that they feel forced into this by him. When he appears, panicked George says that Harry has an alibi – he was in rehab that night. Emma’s relieved, but Will points out that they’re now back at square one.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0021w7l)
The Psychology of a Second Life

When broadcaster Jaz Singh revealed on BBC reality TV show The Traitors that his father had a secret second family, he received hundreds of messages from people who had lived through similar experiences.

As Jaz movingly explores his own feelings, he meets others who have also discovered that their loved ones are leading double lives. A wife who, after years of being happily married, discovered on social media that her husband was married to another woman. A daughter whose father had an entirely separate family and children - but whose existence was only revealed after he died.

Jaz tries to understand the psychology of these second lives, asking what drives people to weave such complicated webs of deception. How do they manage to deceive so entirely? And how can those who have been betrayed forgive and heal?

Producer: Helen Clifton
Executive Producer: Jo Meek
Sound Design: Craig Edmondson

An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Communicating with Ros Atkins (m0020z5n)
8. Sarada Peri, Obama's former speechwriter

Ros speaks to one of US President Barack Obama’s former speechwriters, Sarada Peri.

We all communicate multiple times a day but could we be getting better results? From a simple text or phone call, to a job interview or big presentation, the way we express ourselves and get our point across can really matter. Ros Atkins and his fascinating guests reveal the best ways to communicate and how simple changes in the way we make our point can be really effective.

In this episode, Ros and Sarada discuss finding your authentic voice, writing specifically for the spoken word, and interrogating the purpose of your communication.

Series Producer: Hannah Newton
Producer: Olivia Cope
Executive Producer: Zoë Edwards
Mix Engineer: Jonathan Last
Original Music Composed by: Tom Wrankmore
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0021qpm)
Archers Special

Andrea Catherwood brings listener questions and comments to the most controversial place in the Feedback inbox - Ambridge.

The Archers has been running since 1951, and its distinctive theme tune is one of the sounds the nation most associates with Radio 4. Andrea goes behind the scenes to hear more about how it is recorded, how actors develop characters over their real time lifetimes, and puts your questions to the Editor on the balance between high drama and the maintaining the values of the Archers as an "everyday story of country folk".

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


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0021qx2)
Lord Fellowes, Professor Helen Whitwell, David Power, Irène Schweizer

Matthew Bannister on

Lord Fellowes, who was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth during the 1990s.

Professor Helen Whitwell, the forensic pathologist who inspired the central character in the TV series “Silent Witness”.

David Power, the Irish businessman who co-founded one of the world’s biggest gambling companies – Paddy Power.

Irène Schweizer, the pianist and feminist who made a big impact in the male-dominated world of jazz.

Interviewee: Hugo Vickers
Interviewee: Katy Thorne KC
Interviewee: Nigel McCrery
Interviewee: Paddy Power
Interviewee: Kevin Le Gendre
Interviewee: Maggie Nicols

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:
Queen Elizabeth speech, PM, BBC Radio 4, 24/11/1992; Windsor Castle news report, BBC News 20/11/1992; Prime Minister John Major, House of Commons, Separation of Prince and Princess of Wales, 09/12/1992; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, News Bulletin, BBC Radio, 31/08/1997; Silent Witness Theme (Silencium), Silent Witness, BBC ONE, John Harle; Paddy Power advert, YouTube upload 05/05/2013; Camden Jazz Festival, London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Directed by Barry Guy, 01/07/1991; Irène Schweizer, Schaffhauser Jazz festival, uploaded to YouTube 18/July/2016;


SUN 21:00 Sliced Bread (m001vbr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0021xd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0021wx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0021xf5)
Nick Eardley is joined by newly-elected Labour MP Lucy Rigby; Conservative Alex Burghart; and the crossbench peer and Chair of the NHS Confederation, Victor Adebowale. They reflect on the Paris Olympics and discuss the aftermath of the recent rioting. They also consider the challenges facing the health service. Hugo Gye - political editor of the i newspaper brings additional insight and analysis. And Jack Fenwick recalls on occasions when Parliament has been recalled to discuss matters of national importance.


SUN 23:00 The Human Subject (m0021xf7)
The Farmers and The Goat Testicle Transplants

In The Human Subject, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw investigate the historic threads connecting modern day medicine to its often brutal origins.

This is the story of a farmer from the small town of Milford, Kansas. The year is 1916 and the town has a population of only 200. The farmer is looking for a cure to his failing libido, so one day he decides to walk into the town doctor’s office and ask for help with his ‘flat tire’.

The doctor, John R. Brinkley tells the farmer that he’d have no problem with his virility if he had the testicles of a goat. According to the legend, the farmer asks ‘Well, why don’t you put ‘em in?’. Soon after the operation, a second man comes to see Brinkley, a man by the name of Bill Stittsworth. And so starts a series of similar transplants across the United States, leading to hope, joy, suffering and ultimately, death for many of the men who went under the small-town doctor’s knife. In this episode Julia and Adam hear from Pope Brock, author of Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam.

Presenters: Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw
Producer: Simona Rata
Assistant Producer: Mansi Vithlani
Executive Producer: Jo Meek
Sound Design: Craig Edmondson
Commissioner: Dan Clarke

An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 23:30 Frontlines of Journalism (m001jlbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 on Saturday]


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0021qx0)
Peregrine by Cynan Jones

Peregrine by Cynan Jones

A cold dark night on the coast. Two men and their shadows hover under a cliff.

Reader - Julian Lewis Jones

Production Coordinator - Eleri McAuliffe
Sound - Nigel Lewis
Producer - John Norton

A BBC Audio Wales Production

MONDAY 12 AUGUST 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0021xf9)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m0021qjw)
The Italian town where praying is a political issue

The Italian town of Monfalcone on the Adriatic coast has an ethnic make-up unique to the country. Of a population of just over thirty thousand, more than six thousand are from Bangladesh. They’ve come to help construct huge cruise ships, providing the cheap labour to do the type of manual jobs which Italians no longer want to do.

For years, they worshipped at two Islamic centres in the town. Then, in November, the town’s far right mayor, Anna Maria Cisint, tried to effectively ban collective prayer there, along with stopping cricket - the Bangladeshi national sport - from being played within the town.

She says she is defending Christian values. Her critics say she is building walls rather than bridges. For Crossing Continents, Sofia Bettiza travels to Italy to discover how the country is dealing with the increasing numbers of legal migrants coming to work in a country which needs their labour.

Producer: Bob Howard
Presenter: Sofia Bettiza
Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0021wyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0021xfc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0021xff)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0021xfh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0021xfk)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0021xfm)
Internal Health

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Julia Loveless

Good morning.

I will always vividly remember the first time I saw a film version of Oscar Wilde’s popular novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. There’s something quite different about reading something and then seeing it visually interpreted, viscerally, right before your eyes. For those of you less familiar, it’s a story about a man who sells his soul to always keep the appearance of youth and beauty. The cost, is a portrait of himself that he keeps hidden in his attic that shows his true self. While he walks the earth in porcelain perfection, the portrait shows his true existence - decaying and decimated; a picture of absolute inner death. It strikes me how quick we are to dismiss our own ‘inner death’. How quickly we brush over our faults, our flaws and our selfish decisions.

We think, perhaps, that because those deathly decisions don’t show on the outside of us that we’re somehow okay. Our inner world, the truth of our motivations, how we choose to wield power over those around us - it’s hidden from our view and therefore we think somehow, we are immune from its decaying effects. If each of us had a portrait in the attic showing a true depiction of our inner world, I wonder how many of us would even dare to take off the cover, look at it and learn from it.
God, I recognise this morning that there is mess within me. I am not immune from the complexity of a human heart and I know myself too well to think that my inner world is wholly pure. Forgive me for my faults - of which there are many - and mould me even more into a creature of purity, grace and love.

Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0021xfp)
12/08/24 Grouse shooting; Berry glut; Rural skills

The Moorland Association says the wet weather this year means it will be the worst grouse season for decades. Some shoots won't have a single day's shooting because there aren't enough birds. High rainfall during the nesting period means has had a big impact on red grouse. In turn, the association says there'll be far fewer seasonal jobs, and it'll have a big impact on local businesses which rely on the income shooting brings.

Fruit farmers in Kent are facing a glut of strawberries. The crop's all ripened at once instead of over several weeks through the summer and some growers are reporting a serious glut. Unable to sell all their fruit, tonnes of it are ending up in anaerobic digesters.

Which skills are essential to maintain the countryside? Hedging, walling, tractor driving, yes, they’re all important but there’s a far wider range of expertise required by farmers nowadays, taking in things like computer mapping, conservation and even drone flying. We’re going to be talking rural skills all this week and to start, we speak to the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester where they’re currently updating their courses and thinking about what rural skills the next generation needs to be learning.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


MON 05:57 Weather (m0021xfr)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m0021x2v)
12/08/24 - Mishal Husain and Justin Webb

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Orwell vs Kafka (m00201t9)
Ep 6: Afterlife

Having explored the impact George Orwell and Franz Kafka have had on the language we use, the psychological anxieties we experience and the dystopian frustrations that seem rife in 2024, Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis turn their attention to the future. Will the stories created by two writers from fading 20th century European Empires continue to resonate across the globe, and how potent is that resonance beyond the west. Helen speaks to the Booker winning author Shehan Karunatilaka about his experience of both men's work and his own dystopian afterlife novel 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida'. They're also joined in the studio by Professor Laura Beers, author of Orwell's Ghosts and Professor Carolin Duttlinger of Wadham College, Oxford.
But they begin the programme with some priceless recollections from the BBC archive from listeners who had seen the first TV adaptation of Orwell's novel in December 1954, a programme that counted amongst its audience the then monarch Queen Elizabeth I. And then there was the typically British reaction to the dark foreboding of political satire and angst - an episode of the Goons Show which went out a month later called '1985'.

Producer: Tom Alban


MON 09:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (m0021x2x)
Tacitus

Tacitus is the great historian of imperial Rome. His writing is beautiful, unsettling, extraordinarily persuasive. We know many of his likes and dislikes about people and politics, but facts about his personal life? Not so much.

His memoir of Agricola tells us much fascinating detail about Roman Britain: that it's an island (the Roman fleet sailed all the way round, just to check), that it's very close to Spain (with only Ireland in between); that invading Anglesey was a great victory for the Romans. He notes that it rains a lot, but omits to mention the Druids. He is also, he says, dedicated to writing impartially. Natalie may disagree. Who needs evidence when you have Tacitus' persuasive prose? It's not as if we can cross-check, because so little of the written record of the time survives to us. Natalie's guest, (modern) historian Dan Snow, finds this hard to fathom. Her other guest, Professor Llewelyn Morgan, knows it's unwise to lament the lost work. We should value what remains and hope that some new bits of Tacitus may appear in the future.

And it turns out that by boat, Britain IS actually close to Spain. Travelling overland was hard going in Tacitus' day, so compared to that, the sea journey to Spain was easy.

'Rock star mythologist’ and reformed stand-up Natalie Haynes is obsessed with the ancient world. Here she explores key stories from ancient Rome and Greece that still have resonance today. They might be biographical, topographical, mythological or epic, but they are always hilarious, magical and tragic, mystifying and revelatory. And they tell us more about ourselves now than seems possible of stories from a couple of thousand years ago.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0021x2z)
Paralympian Jodie Grinham, The Wicker Man, Singer Mary Bridget Davies

For the first time in history, the Paris 2024 Olympics saw an equal number of men and women competing. But that's not always been the case - in fact, back in 1912, the father of the Olympic games Pierre de Coubertin said that having women compete in the games would be 'impractical, uninteresting, ungainly and, I do not hesitate to add, improper'. Luckily, the Olympics didn’t just have the father of the games – it also had the MOTHER of games, Alice Milliat. BBC Mundo’s Laura Garcia tells us all about this sometimes forgotten figure behind the Olympics.

One of the most influential women in the tech industry has died. Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube and one of Google’s earliest employees, died on Friday at the age of 56 from lung cancer. Sheryl Sandberg, the former Chief Operating Officer at Meta, paid tribute to Wojcicki on Instagram, writing: "As one of the most important women leaders in tech — the first to lead a major company — she was dedicated to expanding opportunities for women across Silicon Valley. I don’t believe my career would be what it is today without her unwavering support." Professor Gina Neff, executive director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology at University of Cambridge, discusses her impact.

The Paris Paralympics are two weeks away, and Nuala is joined by archery champion Jodie Grinham. Having already won a silver medal in Rio and a gold at this year's European Para Cup, Jodie will be looking to win a medal again this summer. She has already broken one record, being the first member of Team GB's para team to compete whilst pregnant.

The Wicker Man is regarded as a masterpiece of British cinema. But when the film was first released in 1973, it was a flop, and the director Robin Hardy was secretly relying on his wife Caroline to bankroll the entire production. Their son Justin Hardy talks to Nuala about the cache of long lost letters that revealed his mother’s hidden role and about his documentary, Children of The Wicker Man.

Mary Bridget Davies is playing Janis in A Night With Janis Joplin. It's a biographical musical about the life of Janis Joplin and her musical influences. It includes all the big Janis hits, including Piece of My Heart, Cry Baby, Me and Bobby McGee performed by Mary - a role she was Tony-nominated for in the Broadway version of the musical.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


MON 11:00 Michael Sheen Gets Into Character (m001z6j3)
Inner Truth

Michael Sheen explores the art of acting.

One night in March 1906 an actor gave a not-very-good performance.

Nothing particularly unusual about that – it happens, according to your taste, all the time.

But this actor was Constantin Stanislavski. He had already played a decisive role in forging a new kind of theatre company, the Moscow Art Theatre – a tightly disciplined, dedicated ensemble with high production values. The MAT also established its own approach to acting – away from the declamatory, melodramatic style of the day and towards something more emotional, more naturalistic, something possessing, as Stanislavski might have put it, inner truth.

But on that night in March 1906 his own inner truth, he felt, was lacking.

The crisis this triggered in Stanislavski – the Stockmann crisis, as it’s sometimes called (Stanislavski was performing the role of Dr Thomas Stockmann in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People) – prompted him to retreat and revise his firmly-held ideas on acting – as he did throughout his life – and to begin formulating what became known as the System: a codified way for actors to create believable, authentic, naturalistic characters night after night.

Stanislavski’s ideas have been passed like a baton down the generations since, with subsequent acting teachers adapting and modifying his ideas in different ways. They’re still part of the bedrock of acting training today.

Michael Sheen explores Stanislavski’s ideas, with writer Isaac Butler; actor and teacher Tom McClane; actors Adrian Lester and Simon McBurney; and legendary acting teacher Patsy Rodenburg.

Isaac Butler’s history of Stanislavski and the Method is called 'The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act'.


MON 11:30 One to One (m001m4qk)
Crying: Keith Brymer-Jones and Craig Mealing

Keith Brymer-Jones from the Great Pottery Throwdown has become known for being moved to tears by a pot someone has crafted. In this episode of One to One, he talks to ex-serviceman Craig Mealing who is recovering from PTSD, about dealing with emotions and learning to cry.

Produced by Caitlin Hobbs for BBC Audio


MON 11:45 New Storytellers (m0021x31)
Fight Fair

“This is my story. It’s the story of how a single mother - me - stumbled into boxing because of childcare. Or lack thereof.”

Having been through a turbulent relationship break up, housing difficulties and as a newly single mother to a young son, the knock outs kept coming. Libby Liburd was seeking a way to find her feet again, when she came across a flyer for a boxing gym.

Boxing is an unlikely sport for women, a sport rife with accusations of misogyny and sexism. But Libby found that, while she may not be accepted as a boxer, she is celebrated as a mother - and having her child with her in the boxing gym changes the trajectory of both their lives.

Fight Fair is a punchy, pacy, personal story about what it means to overcome adversity on your own terms, to be a woman in a male dominated space and just what you can achieve if you keep moving forward.

New Storytellers presents the work of new radio producers, and this series features the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2024 for the Best Student Radio Feature. These awards are presented every year in memory of the pioneering radio producer Charles Parker who produced the famous series of Radio Ballads with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. This series is introduced by Charles’ daughter, Sara Parker, an award-winning radio producer in her own right.

Fight Fair was produced by Libby Liburd who is studying the MA in Audio Storytelling for Radio and Podcast at University College London. The judges said her feature demonstrated a “real raw talent. It was very moving, and terrific to hear her determination. A marvellous programme, by a maker who knows absolutely what she’s doing”.

Photo: Kasia Burke

Producer: Libby Liburd
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m0021x33)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m0021x35)
Airport meet and greets, audio books and tribute festivals

The summer holidays are in full swing - and lots of people might be considering where to leave their car when they fly off somewhere sunny. Meet and greet services at airports can be a handy solution, but it doesn't always go to plan, as three You and Yours listeners tell Shari Vahl. The parking industry thinks it might have a solution - but will it work? Also - ten years after we started paying for carrier bags, how do we carry our shopping, and is it any greener than a decade ago? Audio books are booming - and what does an actor make of the use of AI to voice them up? We'll also check in on another growth market - the tribute music festival.

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m0021x37)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m0021x39)
Putin vows to 'dislodge' Ukrainian troops in Russia

President Putin has ordered the military to 'kick' Ukrainian troops out of Russia as thousands are evacuated from border regions. Plus, a final goodbye to the Olympics.


MON 13:45 Café Hope (m00225qx)
Southport special

A special Café Hope where we hear from people who helped those affected by the killing of 3 girls in Southport and the subsequent riot in the town.

Retired Mike has become the unofficial caretaker of the flowers and gifts left at the police cordon which is outside his front gate. Liam helped organise the rebuilding efforts to the mosque and neighbouring streets.

And we hear from Ibrahim, the iman at the mosque in Southport, on how they barricaded themselves inside during the unrest, and how overwhelmed he is with the help they've since received.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell Rachel Burden what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Rachel Burden
Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Technical producer: Nicky Edwards
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 14:00 The Archers (m0021x3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Ed Reardon's Week (m001pfjj)
Series 15

5. Ed Reardon is on Fire!

It’s been sixteen weeks and four days now since the death of Elgar and Ed is in need of a distraction. His son, Jake, suggests Ed should re-start his quiz nights online for £10 an entry which is not an unappealing thought. He’s also got a new commission from Ping to write for a new quiz format ‘Fess Your Chew – all the snacks and sweets you loved from the noughties’. However, Ed has another, more pressing, distraction when Jake introduces his new girlfriend, Quizzy, who bears an uncanny resemblance to one of Ed’s lost loves from 1998.

Ed Reardon - Christopher Douglas
Ping - Barunka O’Shaughnessy
Stan - Geoffrey Whitehead
Olive - Sally Grace
Winnie - Ellen Thomas
Eli - Lisa Coleman
Jake - Sam Pamphillon
Quizzy - Helen Monks
Firefighter - Rachel Atkins

Written by Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis
Production Co-ordinator - Katie Baum
Sound - Jon Calver

This programme was first broadcast in August 2023.


MON 14:45 Jessie Kesson Short Stories (b04g7dxh)
Country Dweller's Year

Readings from the work of acclaimed Scottish author Jessie Kesson. Best known for her novels "Another Time, Another Place" and "The White Bird Passes", Jessie Kesson's writing was often inspired by events from her own life and by the landscape of North East Scotland.

Today, extracts from her "Country Dwelller's Year", first published in monthly instalments in the Scots Magazine during 1946. These finely honed observations of the natural world and the rhythms of the farming year were written when Jessie Kesson and her husband lived in Morayshire as cottar farm workers.

Glossary:
Cottar ..... farm labourer who occupies a cottage in return for their services
Howe ..... low-lying land
Orra loon ..... a lad employed to do miscellaneous unskilled work
Hairst ..... harvest

Jessie Kesson (1916 - 1994) was a prolific writer of novels, poems, stories, newspaper features and radio plays. She came through a hard start in life (born in the Inverness workhouse, raised in an Elgin slum, removed from her neglectful but much-loved mother to an orphanage in Aberdeenshire) with a passionate determination to be a writer. She combined a successful writing career with a variety of jobs, from cleaner to artist's model, and was a social worker for nearly twenty years, settling finally in London with her husband.

The full text of "Country Dweller's Year" is published by Kennedy & Boyd as "A Country Dweller's Years: Nature Writings By Jessie Kesson", edited and introduced by Professor Isobel Murray.

Reader ..... Claire Knight
Writer ..... Jessie Kesson
Abridger ..... Kirsteen Cameron
Producer ..... Kirsteen Cameron.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m0021w8x)
Zing Tsjeng on Swedish painter Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) was barely known during her lifetime but an exhibition of her work at the Guggenheim Museum in 2018 shattered attendance records. it was called Paintings for the Future, and the giant abstract work astounded visitors who had not heard of her before.
Joining journalist Zing Tsjeng in the studio to discuss her life is Jennifer Higgie, who wrote in her book, The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and The Spirit World, "For Hilma af Klint, the very air throbbed with unseen energies. The question was - how to interpret them? How to give them shape?" The artist often used seances for inspiration. If curious about where creativity begins, this is a story you may want to hear.

Zing Tsjeng is a former editor-in-chief of Vice UK and presenter of Good Bad Billionaire. She is author of the Forgotten Women series of books.

The producer for BBC Studios Audio in Bristol is Miles Warde

Future programmes include Anneka Rice on Jane Morris, wife of William Morris; Jo Brand on blues singer, Bessie Smith; and Conn Iggulden on the emperor Nero.


MON 15:30 Extreme: Muscle Men (m0021x3f)
Muscle Men

3. Get Ripped. Quick

Prior to the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas Venezuela, the issue of sports doping was largely flying under the American public’s radar. But when 19 athletes are found positive for using banned substances at the games, steroids are thrust into focus. And a stigma starts to grow.

At the same time, authorities are cracking down on the manufacture of one of the most popular anabolics in the bodybuilding community - dianabol. It’s the perfect setting for a black market boom.

Enter William Dillon, Dan Duchaine and an entrepreneurial British ex Olympic track champion named David Jenkins who turn the steroid drought into an opportunity. Together, they supercharge their steroid operation.

In Episode 3 of Muscle Men, historian, podcaster and fitness expert Natalia Mehlman Petrzela looks at the evolution of the use of steroids in sports, from its early days in the Soviet Union’s sports programme, to its rise to the highest levels of international sport.

Featuring former bodybuilder William Dillon; Professor of Sports Studies at Stirling College-Chengdu University, Daniel Rosenke; and former Olympic weightlifter and weightlifting coach Michael Cohen.

Presenter and Executive Producer: Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Producer: Caroline Thornham
Assistant Producer: Mohamed Ahmed
Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Production Manager: Cheree Houston
Sound Design and Mix by Daniel Kempson
Original Music by SilverHawk, aka Cyrille Poirier
Executive Producer: Max O’Brien
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4

Episodes are released weekly on Mondays. If you’re in the UK, you can listen to the latest episode, a week early, first on BBC Sounds https://bbc.in/3ybDcHO


MON 16:00 Inside the Riots (m00225s8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Alexei Sayle's Strangers on a Train (m0021wx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m0021x3k)
Wildfires approach the outskirts of Athens

Wildfires approach the outskirts of Athens. A former deputy mayor of the city says more preventative methods are needed. As Tom Daley announces his retirement, his friend and mentor looks back at his achievements. Labour's Dame Margaret Hodge reflects on how she tackled the far right twenty years ago and sees parallels to the situation facing Keir Starmer now.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0021x3m)
Tens of thousands more people have been ordered to evacuate from the border


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0021x3p)
Series 30

Episode 2

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Angela Barnes, Glenn Moore, Shaparak Khorsandi and Neil Delamere are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as legs, restaurants, travel and tigers.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m0021w7g)
Azra tells Lynda that Adil’s keen for the garlic from his allotment to be entered into the Flower and Produce Show – he’s even asked Azra to make a video for him. But Azra’s not keen and when Lynda then tries to persuade Azra to help on a stall at the village fete, Azra makes a sharp exit. However, later on Azra calls back round to say it might be good to go to the Flower and Produce on Adil’s behalf, and to help at the fete as a sort of acclimatisation. Lynda suggests helping with the book stall.
At The Stables, Justin’s cagey when Lilian asks why he’s assigned Alice to yard duties only. Alice is fine with it, but wonders what her role will be in marketing the ‘Cantering On’ event. When Lilian mentions that George is making some publicity videos, Alice says she’d like to present one. Justin’s not keen, though. He hopes Lilian’s joking when she reminds him that George is thinking of filming Justin on horseback in fancy dress. Later, Alice notices that Justin’s horse, Amir, is unwell and arranges for Alistair to treat him. Lilian tells Justin that he should be grateful to Alice for spotting Amir’s colic. Justin grudgingly agrees to thank her, but he won’t allow Alice to get involved with marketing ‘Cantering On’ – it would be bad publicity. They don’t know what the outcome of the court case will be, and Lilian shouldn’t be short-sighted. Alice could end up in prison, which will affect team morale. And that is why they need to keep Carlotta on.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m0021x3r)
Emily Tesh and the Hugo Awards; Dating shows; Kelly Jones

This year’s WorldCon - the World Science Fiction Convention - took place in Glasgow and pop culture critic Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports on the international gathering where the winners of the Hugo Awards 2024 were announced last night.

Emily Tesh on winning the Best Novel prize at this year’s Hugo Awards with her debut novel, Some Desperate Glory.

Young playwright Kelly Jones discusses her Edinburgh Fringe debut play My Mother's Funeral: The Show, a play-within-a-play about a young playwright whose mother has just died and who has to turn her death into a play in order to afford to pay for her mum's funeral.

And a look at whether the latest crop of TV dating shows are really breaking the mould with Scott Bryan and Olivia Petter.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0021qp0)
Global Tensions 1: The Middle East

In the first of three programmes, David Aaronovitch explores the risk of escalation and wider conflict in the Middle East. What would all out war look like and how likely is it?

Guests:

Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor
Professor Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London
Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security within the International Security department at RUSI.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Drew Hyndman
Sound engineers: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0021qps)
Going for gold

Today we will be going for gold in more ways than one.

Inga Doak, the Head of Sustainability at The Royal Mint, reveals how the company plan to ‘urban mine’ gold from household electronic waste and turn it into jewellery. But with tens of millions of tonnes of e-waste piling up every year, the environment policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Izzi Monk unpacks how the UK can clean up its act.

Vic puts her stable boots on to visit some very pampered thoroughbred foals to find out what their poo can reveal about their future success on the racecourse.

From horses to humanity, sports geneticist Alun Williams discusses how our genetic make-up could determine whether or not we are destined for gold at the Olympics.

Plus, Roland Pease channels his inner child to investigate his youthful obsession with Mars as NASA looks for new microbial life on the red planet.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Ben Mitchell and Ella Hubber
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 History's Secret Heroes (m001y3vd)
16. Raymond Gurême: Escape Artist

A young circus performer from a traveling family in France breaks out of an internment camp and dedicates himself to bringing the Nazis down.

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

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

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


MON 21:30 Intrigue (m001zgmm)
To Catch a Scorpion

To Catch a Scorpion: 5. A Scorpion's Nest

The search takes us deep into Scorpion's gang and the men arrested and imprisoned for people smuggling and then things take an unexpected turn as we find and confront his brother.

Barzan Majeed - codenamed Scorpion - leads the Scorpion gang. He's on international most-wanted lists. He started his criminal career in Britain and went on to build a smuggling empire which now spans the globe.

An international police surveillance operation trapped more than twenty of his gang and almost netted Scorpion himself, but he was tipped off and escaped. BBC journalist, Sue Mitchell, and former soldier and aid worker, Rob Lawrie, team up to try to do what the police have been unable to achieve: to find Scorpion, to speak to him, to ask him to account for his crimes and to seek justice to those families he has harmed.

Their investigation takes them to the heart of an organised criminal gang making millions from transporting thousands of migrants on boat and lorry crossings that in some cases have gone dangerously wrong, causing serious injury and putting lives at risk. They witness his operation in action and record as intense situations unfold, where vulnerable people desperate for a better future, put their lives in the hands of ruthless and dangerous criminals.

To Catch a Scorpion is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4 and is presented and recorded by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie.
The series is produced by Sue Mitchell, Winifred Robinson and Joel Moors
The Editor is Philip Sellars
Commissioning Editor is Daniel Clarke
Commissioning Exec Tracy Williams
Assistant Commissioner Podcasts/Digital, Will Drysdale
Original music is by Mom Tudie
and Sound Design is by Tom Brignell


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0021x3t)
Russia widens evacuations as Ukrainian counter-incursion continues

Ukraine’s top commander has said Kyiv’s forces now control 1,000 square kilometres of Russia’s neighbouring Kursk region as they press their biggest cross-border incursion in two-and-a-half years of full-scale war. We get an update from Sumy, the region of Ukraine which borders Kursk, and hear from an ally of Vladimir Putin.

Also on the programme:

Thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes as large wildfires reach the suburbs of Athens in Greece;

And scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water on Mars, raising fresh questions about the possibility of life on the Red Planet.


MON 22:45 Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (m0021x3w)
Episode Six

n 1997, columnist and novelist Thomas Hart is 51. He lives in a small town in Essex called Aldleigh. It's home to the Essex Chronicle where he works, has a Strict Baptist chapel where he worships, and a derelict country house which he believes to be haunted. He has a best friend called Grace - also a chapel-goer - who is 34 years his junior.

With the Hale-Bopp comet approaching, his editor at the Essex Chronicle asks for a column about astronomy, which sends Thomas on a new, long journey of discovery.

Spanning a period of 20 years, this is a story about love, friendship and faith, and what happens when these things are challenged.

And it is also about astronomy.

Episode 6
Grace and Thomas experience an extreme range of emotions during the fire at Lowlands House. Afterwards, a discovery is made in the ruins.

Sarah Perry is the author of the novels After Me Comes The Flood, the award-winning The Essex Serpent, Melmoth, and the non-fiction Essex Girls. Enlightenment is her fourth novel.

Writer: Sarah Perry
Reader: Nicola Walker
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001dxpn)
Harland - Series 2

Harland - 3. Wōdnesdæg

Another visit to the troubled new town of Harland. The mysterious stranger known as Hare Mask has reappeared as Dan and Lindsay continue their quest to unlock the secrets of the Hare Witches. A supernatural thriller by Lucy Catherine.

Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Lindsay ..... Jasmine Hyde
Sadie ..... Melissa Advani
Serena ..... Chloë Sommer
Janice ..... Fiona Skinner
Bob ..... David Hounslow
The Fish ..... Joanna Monro
Other parts played by Jonathan Forbes and Tom Kiteley

Sound Design by Caleb Knightley
Directed by Toby Swift

A BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 The Rise and Rise of the Microchip (m001whjq)
Chips with Everything

Inside all the world’s electronic devices, there’s a story of innovation but there’s also a tale of espionage and the battle of nations and corporations for technological supremacy. It’s the story of the microchip and it will go a long way in determining who comes out on top in what some call the new Cold War: China or the West?

The broadcaster and writer Misha Glenny takes us from a Soviet bunker on the brink of nuclear war to the inner workings of Europe’s most high-tech facilities. He encounters spies, entrepreneurs and quantum conundrums en route to discovering how something that can now be as small as a single strand of DNA may determine the fate of nations and perhaps, even of humanity itself.

Episode 1: Chips with Everything

We start with the military origins of microprocessors as Misha speaks to Chris Miller, the author of the bestselling book Chip War, about the pivotal role chips have played in geopolitics for over half a century.

The Innovator and industry pioneer Hermann Hauser reflects on the 1980s personal computer boom and the founding of ARM, the British chip designers that dominates 99% of the smartphone market.

Technology journalist John Liu and security expert Hanna Dohmen explore the far reaching consequences of China’s ambitions in microchip technology. And Misha explores what was needed to make the global tech ecosystem that has led to the creation of chips that can be found in everything from missiles to microwaves and from cars to cat flaps.

Presented by Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna
Produced by Mugabi Turya and Olivia Sopel

Archive:

Ronald Reagan Speech at Moscow State University in 1988
(Source: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)

The 1953 Documentary ‘The Transistor’ (source: AT&T)

Morris Chang’s November 2023 speech at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Steve Jobs announcing iPhone at Macworld San Francisco 2007 Keynote Address (Source: Apple 2007)

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Speech in January 2023 (Source: US Defense Dept)

TUESDAY 13 AUGUST 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0021x3y)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 New Storytellers (m0021x31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0021x40)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0021x42)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0021x44)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0021x46)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0021x48)
Becoming

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Julia Loveless

Good morning. Do you remember the film Sliding Doors? It was a simple premise: how someone’s life can spin out in two dramatically different directions from a brief moment or choice. By the end of the film, the two versions of the main character’s life are completely unrecognisable from each other.

It’s something like the butterfly effect - a tiny thing, a tiny change, over time, has a massive impact on how things turn out. And I think we all understand this from experiences in own lives, to an extent. If you take all of our choices, our subtle, innumerable, every day choices all of our life long - we see that we are constantly forming ourselves into either a heavenly creature or a hellish creature. In other words, as CS Lewis says, “either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with
other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself; to be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.” And this process is active and happening all the time - it happens when I decide to honour - or not honour - the people around me, when I decide to abuse my body, rather than respect and love it, when I choose to belittle rather than elevate, when I choose to dismiss rather than accept and embrace.

God, I realise, once again, that I am being constantly formed by my little, subtle every day decisions. Help me today to direct those decisions in a way that honours you, that offers love to those around me and that respects the gift of my own life and body.

Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0021x4b)
Plant breeders are worried that UK border rules mean new seed varieties, which need to be trialled in fields in England, are being delayed.

The Shropshire and Herefordshire countryside is peppered with traditional farmhouses and cottages dating back hundreds of years, and homeowners are being taught the skills to maintain them for the future.

Farmers across the UK are still counting the cost of the long wet winter as they start to bring in a record low harvest of grain.

Presented by Anna Hill

Produced by Alun Beach


TUE 06:00 Today (m0021w6w)
13/08/24 - Mishal Husain and Justin Webb

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (m0021w6y)
Race Riots in Britain

Mob violence breaks out across the country, with an explosion of hatred directed at minority communities who feel under siege. As British courts process hundreds of those involved in the riots of August 2024, Jonathan Freedland looks back more than 800 years ago when hatred was directed at a different group of outsiders. In the late 1180s, Britain's small Jewish community was targeted by violent mobs in the wake of the coronation of Richard I. The worst incident was the York Massacre of 1190 in which 150 people died. What are the historical parallels with today's race riots against British Muslims and asylum seekers, and what can be learnt about how to heal communities?

Guests: Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London; Joe Mulhall, Director of Research, Hope Not Hate; Hina Bokhari, Liberal Democrat Member of the London Assembley and Founder, Naz Legacy Foundation

Producers: Dan Hardoon and Luke Mulhall
Reader: John Lightbody


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m0021w70)
What should we do about vaping?

Richard was 10 when he started smoking, and by the age of 35, he had given up on giving up smoking. But thanks to vaping he quit, almost by accident, in just a few months.

However, vaping has been in the spotlight recently, with the rise of disposable vapes and awareness of more young people starting to vape.

So, is vaping a useful tool to help people get off of cigarettes, or is it a gateway for young people into smoking? We hear from young people about their experiences and thoughts on vaping.

In the studio, Dr Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow at UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, and Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive of ‘Action on Smoking and Health’, are with James to discuss.

Plus, podiatrist Dr Ivan Bristow is on hand to advise why James and listener Linda have had a hard time getting rid of their verrucas for years. We find out exactly what the warts are and what options are available to help our body tackle them.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Hannah Fisher
Assistant producer: Katie Tomsett


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0021w72)
Actor Romola Garai, AI research and breast cancer, Rebecca Watson

Annie Ernaux’s Booker-nominated book, Les Années, traces her journey from childhood in post-war France to old age in the post-9/11 era. Now adapted for the stage, Gina Mckee, Deborah Findlay and Romola Garai, alongside Anjli Mohindra and Harmony Rose-Bremner, are the five actors portraying different stages in the life of an ‘unnamed’ French woman. Romola Garai joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman’s Hour studio.

We talk to Regina Barzilay, a Professor of AI & Health in the Department of Computer Science at MIT, about how her own breast cancer diagnosis shifted her research to predicting cancer. Regina and her team have built an Artificial Intelligence system that can predict almost half of all incidences of breast cancer up to five years before they happen.

And author Rebecca Watson on her latest novel I Will Crash - a unique take on sibling torment.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m0021qxd)
Shock Value

Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones ask if we still go to the movies to be shocked.

As Caligula: The Ultimate Cut hits cinemas, Mark talks to stars of the notorious cult classic, Dame Helen Mirren and Malcolm McDowell. They discuss the film's long journey to the new version, and what it was really like on set of one of independent cinemas most controversial productions.

Ellen examines what shock value means in the digital age and how shocking cinema has evolved over cinema's history. She speaks to film critic Virginie Selavy about how critical and audience perception of 'shocking' content has evolved from Tod Browning's Freaks to the cinema of Lar Von Trier, and if audiences really are harder to shock. Ellen then talks to comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait about his transgressive films, which are favourites of John Waters, and how an increasingly bizarre political landscape has affected his filmmaking.

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


TUE 11:45 New Storytellers (m0021w74)
Friends of the Wall

Every Friday, a small group of volunteers paint red hearts on the National Covid Memorial Wall, in the heart of Westminster. As the world moves on, why do they keep coming back?

In this award-winning feature, producer Evan Green weaves together testimonies from the group into a captivating sonic snapshot of the wall, and everything it means to them. For over three years, this tight-knit group of bereaved volunteers has gathered here every Friday, come rain or shine, fuelled by coffee and cake.

Nearly a quarter of a million red hearts fill the wall, each heart representing a life lost to Covid-19. Each with a unique story - bound together by a shared loss and driven by a hearty recipe of love and anger in equal parts - the Friends of the Wall are determined to ensure the hearts on the wall don’t fade.

New Storytellers presents the work of new audio producers. This series features the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2024. The award is presented every year in memory of the pioneering radio producer Charles Parker who produced the ground-breaking Radio Ballads featuring voices of communities unheard at the time, with musical narratives by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.

The judges of the prize – made up of producers, critics and commissioners – described Evan Green’s winning feature as an “excellent programme” based on “a simple yet riveting idea, told through marvellously articulate speakers… beautifully recorded”.

Producer: Evan Green
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0021w76)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m0021w78)
Call You & Yours: Single Living

Around a third of us now live on our own according to the Office of National Statistics.

Nearly 40 years ago, Delia Smith published her bestselling cookbook One is Fun. Now, a recent study by Hargreaves Lansdown found that fun comes with a hefty price tag. The investment bank reckons being 'unattached' costs, on average, £860 a month more than being part of a couple.

The FT describes it as the "single tax". Other studies have found that single people find it harder to save for things like emergencies and homes - and rely more on credit. Not everyone sees it this way though. Some people without partners say the freedom to do what you want, when you want and how you want is fundamentally priceless and the extra costs can be managed.

So what's it like for you and how do you handle the costs? Email: youandyours@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz


TUE 12:57 Weather (m0021w7b)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m0021w7d)
Nottingham Attacks: a review into killer's care finds a series of errors

Assessment of the "systemic issues" identified in England's mental health services, after a review by the Care Quality Commission into the case of Nottingham attacker Valdo Calocane who stabbed three people to death in Nottingham last year.


TUE 13:45 Café Hope (m001y1xg)
Carrying on the kindness

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop with Rachel Burden, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make the world a better place in big and small ways. We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. Trying is key; this is real life after all and not everything works – but it’s worth a go. What’s different about Café Hope is we hear what was a real struggle along the way as well.

Debbie Meade-Mcloughlin speaks to Rachel about her mission to find positivity after her daughter Jade took her own life. Debbie created the charity Jade’s Bag which continues Jade’s kindness by providing support, food and help to locals.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0021w7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Life Lines (m0021w7j)
Series 7: Part One

by Al Smith

CARRIE ..... Sarah Ridgeway
WILL ..... Rick Warden
IAN ..... Michael Jibson
DIVYA /CSC CO-ORDINATOR ...... Vineeta Rishi
DONALD .... Neil McCaul
ELEANOR/PARAMEDIC ..... Emma Handy
NIKKI/OPERATOR ...... Gabrielle Scawthorn
CALLUM/GARY ...... David Angland
BETH ...... Cecilia Appiah
SCHOOL GIRL/ NAOMI .... Shreya Lallu
ANDY ...... Nuhazet Diaz Cano

Production Co-ordinator ...... Maggie Olgiati
Technical Producers ...... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig
Director ...... Sally Avens

The award winning drama set in an Ambulance Control Room.
Every day Carrie has to deal with emergencies calmly and with a clear head; from a young boy having to give his father CPR to a woman giving birth in a swimming pool, but when her friend and colleague, Will, asks her to lie on his behalf she is forced to choose between her friendship and her job.


TUE 15:00 Illuminated (m0021w7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Sunday]


TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m0021w7n)
Religion in the therapy room

Giles Fraser explores the parallels and overlaps between spirituality/religion and psychotherapy.

Professor Josh Cohen is a psychotherapist, who believes that God can be a problematic figure in the therapy room.

Joining the discussion with Giles is Dr Jeremy Holmes, British Psychiatrist and author of -The Spirit of Psychotherapy- which examines the parallels, contrasts, and overlaps between the secular world of psychotherapy and the realm of spirituality. Dr Rania Awaad; Stanford University Professor, Psychiatry, Islamic Law & Theology. And Canon Leanne Roberts; Church of England priest and psychotherapist (Jungian) Dean of Clergy well-being for the Diocese of Southwark.

In 2023 the NHS recorded 1.76 million referrals to their talking therapies programme in England. The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy say their membership has risen by 27% since 2020. However, you can now access services from therapists within Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and many more of the faiths.

Can therapeutic models replace religion as a way of exploring and understanding our inner worlds? Is religion an awkward spectre in a therapy room? What’s the difference between religion as something dealt with dispassionately and a therapist who bills themselves as a religious psychotherapist ?

Producer: Rebecca Maxted & Bara'atu Ibrahim
Assistant Producer: James Leesley
Editor: Tim Pemberton


TUE 16:00 This Land (m0021w7r)
The filmmaker and writer Charlie Shackleton explores the rocky ground of the public domain through the contested history of a single song - Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land.

One of the most famous odes to the public commons ever composed, Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land offers a playful rebuke to the ‘big high wall’ of private property. In this documentary of legal interruptions, Charlie explores the history of the song and asks how much of our shared cultural history is truly shared, and how much should be?

Featuring interviews with Joe Klein (Woody Guthrie's biographer), Jennifer Jenkins (from the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School) and Charlotte Vaughan (Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at BBC Legal) and archive of Nora Guthrie from Songlines in 2009 (presented by John Cavanagh and produced by Fiona Croall) , Woody Guthrie from the BBC's Children's Hour in 1944, Pete Seeger from the 1968 documentary Bound for Glory and 'Interview with Flora Robertson about Dust Storms in Oklahoma, August 5, 1940' courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Produced by Charlie Shackleton and Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 You're Dead to Me (m0021w7x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


TUE 17:00 PM (m0021w81)
Ukraine's gamble in Russia

The Ukrainian offensive continues into Russia. The UK's former national security advisor assesses whether it risks poking the Russian bear.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0021w85)
Kyiv's incursion into the Russian Kursk region began last week


TUE 18:30 Do Gooders (m0021w8b)
3. The Bully

Garrett Millerick’s Do Gooders is a new ensemble sitcom that takes us behind the charity curtain and mines the numerous frustrations that come with trying to ‘do good’ on an industrial scale. With Frank Skinner, Fay Ripley, Lisa McGrillis, Ahir Shah and Ania Magliano.

The series follows the exploits of the fundraising events team at a fictional mid-level charity, The Alzheimers Alliance. Fundraising for this kind of mid-table organisation comes with its own unique set of challenges, be it setting up eye catching events, courting celebrity endorsement or juggling the inter charity politics.

And while certainly not languishing on the lowest rungs of the charity league table, Alzheimers hasn’t got the dazzling sheen or the pulling power of a cancer charity, nor does it capture the public’s sympathies in the way lifeboats or guide dogs do.

If Cancer Research is Coca-Cola, Alzheimers Alliance is Lilt. A cracking drink, but they’ve got to work hard to remind people they exist - or face total extinction.

Episode Three - The Bully
Harriett institutes a new set of workplace bullying guidelines for the team, which proves to be more trouble than it’s worth. Clive and Gladys battle it out in a fundraising challenge, Lauren is struggling with financial woes and Ken faces transportation issues.

Cast:
Lauren – Ania Magliano
Gladys – Lisa McGrillis
Clive – Garrett Millerick
Harriett – Fay Ripley
Achi – Ahir Shah
Ken – Frank Skinner

Writer – Garrett Millerick
Sound Engineer – David Thomas
Editor – David Thomas
Production Assistant – Jenny Recaldin
Producer – Jules Lom
Executive Producers – Richard Allen-Turner, Daisy Knight, Julien Matthews, Jon Thoday

An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0021w8f)
Emma confirms to Kate that Poppy would love to camp at Spiritual Home with Martha for the children’s camping trial run tonight. Kate extends the invite to Emma who agrees to join them. Later, they chat outside the tent and Kate admits to missing Roy. Emma says she feels terrible about how mean she was to Alice, but Kate says she needs to stop beating herself up. She notices Emma’s stressed and suggests a relaxation exercise. But when Emma can’t relax, Kate wonders if Emma should try hypnotherapy. Emma isn’t sure but thinks it might help Alice stay sober. This gives Kate an idea: regression therapy could help Alice piece together events on the night of the accident.
Ben arrives at Paul’s with a takeaway and Paul moans to him about the situation at work with Denise and Alistair. Alistair tried to get him to go for a drink after work, but Paul told him that unless it’s about work, he’s not interested. Ben tells Paul that he, Lily and Josh are going on a karaoke night out and he should come too. Plus, the takeaway is actually for all of them to eat. They get back later, with Paul very much the worse for wear, accompanied by a man he met on the night out, called Kieron. When Paul’s too drunk to leave the couch, Lily tries to send Kieron on his way. He’s resistant, only agreeing to go when Ben appears. It leaves them wondering what on earth Paul was thinking by bringing Kieron home.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0021w8l)
Nish Kumar, Miriam Margolyes, Rose Matafeo, Teenage Fanclub

This programme has been edited since broadcast.

Kirsty Wark launches Front Row's regular Scottish editions with a live show from the Edinburgh Festival.

Kirsty's guests are the comedians Rose Matafeo and Nish Kumar, Miriam Margolyes performs Dickens, and the Scottish band Teenage Fanclub play a song from their latest album. Plus Charlene Boyd performs a number from her hit show about the American country singer June Carter Cash.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Claire Bartleet


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m0021w8q)
The priest and the pay-off

Over three decades, a priest assessed as posing a risk of “significant harm” to children and vulnerable people worked in the Church of England. But allegations against him didn’t stick, leading to him remaining in post until after he was offered a substantial pay-off. The surprising manner in which he finally left in 2022 raises serious questions about the judgement of Church leaders.

If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Reporter: Aleem Maqbool
Producers: Steve Swann and Fergus Hewison
Technical Production: Richard Hannaford
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston

Image credit: Julius Peacock


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0021w8s)
The Isle of Wight Costal Path; When Oscar Met Sasha

Tony Sheeran tells In Touch about a recent incident when he was attempting to book a self-guided walking holiday on the Isle of Wight, along with his sighted wife and guide dog. Sheeran is an experienced walker, having conquered Mount Fuji and the Capital Ring, but when he came to book with travel operator Macs Adventure, he was initially refused the booking.

Recently, the In Touch team released a documentary called Fifty-Fifty Vision. Within that, we meet visually impaired 16-year-old Sasha McBride, who describes her career ambitions - getting into medicine. We thought we'd bring her together with someone she looks up to, someone who has the same form of albinism as Sasha and is currently practicing medicine as an NHS GP, Dr Oscar Duke.

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 Crossing Continents (m0021w8v)
Rejecting public education in Arizona

The so-called ‘parents’ revolution’ is happening in America - and it’s a revolt against the public education system. School choice campaigns are gaining ground across the country, fighting for tax-funded vouchers giving parents the opportunity to select their preferred school. More and more families are ditching institutions altogether, with homeschooling reportedly the fastest growing form of education in the US. Why are families turning away from traditional schooling, and what does this mean for the future of America’s education system? Alex Last travels to Arizona - a state at the forefront of the school choice movement - to find out more.

Presenter: Alex Last
Producer: Ellie House
Series editor: Penny Murphy
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman


TUE 21:30 Great Lives (m0021w8x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0021w8z)
Report criticises failings in treatment of Valdo Calocane

Report criticises failings in treatment of Valdo Calocane.

Paranoid schizophrenic killed 3 people in Nottingham last year

Also:

US Secretary of State Blinken postpones trip to Middle East

How the City of London is preparing for climate change

And why air conditioning units are getting people hot and bothered in Portofino.


TUE 22:45 Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (m0021w91)
Episode Seven

n 1997, columnist and novelist Thomas Hart is 51. He lives in a small town in Essex called Aldleigh. It's home to the Essex Chronicle where he works, has a Strict Baptist chapel where he worships, and a derelict country house which he believes to be haunted. He has a best friend called Grace - also a chapel-goer - who is 34 years his junior.

With the Hale-Bopp comet approaching, his editor at the Essex Chronicle asks for a column about astronomy, which sends Thomas on a new, long journey of discovery.

Spanning a period of 20 years, this is a story about love, friendship and faith, and what happens when these things are challenged.

And it is also about astronomy.

Episode 7
It's 2008, Thomas is presented with more clues in the mystery of Maria Văduva. And he tells Grace something that will permanently alter their friendship.

Sarah Perry is the author of the novels After Me Comes The Flood, the award-winning The Essex Serpent, Melmoth, and the non-fiction Essex Girls. Enlightenment is her fourth novel.

Writer: Sarah Perry
Reader: Nicola Walker
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Jon Holmes Says the C-Word (m0021w93)
6. Feeling Like Crap

In episode six, Jon and his guests discuss follow up scans and treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy and quite how crap they can make you feel.

In 2023, Jon Holmes was diagnosed with cancer – which came as a bit of a surprise because, quite frankly, he was far too busy for all of that nonsense. After a very odd, intense, unexpected, ridiculous year, Jon realised that men don’t tend to talk openly about the preposterous indignity of dealing with cancer. So he decided he would, with other men who are going through it, or who’ve been through it.

Here – inevitably – comes his new chatty podcast.

Across the series, Jon will be joined by the comedians Stephen Fry, Mark Steel, Richard Herring, Matt Forde and Eric Idle, actors Colin McFarlane and Ben Richards, rock star and The Alarm frontman Mike Peters, and journalists Jeremy Langmead, Nick Owen and Jeremy Bowen. Jon and his guests will demystify all things cancer in raw, honest, difficult, often absurd and – yes – funny detail, from fingers up the bum to blood tests via biopsies, surgery, catheters, stomas, feeding tubes, penis pumps (no, really) and incontinence pads.

Jon wants to stop the stigma and embarrassment associated with these issues (and by "issues", we mean "body parts and what happens to them"), to raise awareness and encourage listeners to ‘get checked’ as he aims to remove the fear from the whole diagnosis and treatment process in an accessible, honest and entertaining way.

Throughout the series, Jon will also be encouraging listeners to get involved and share their own experiences, whether it's something they have been through themselves or are supporting someone with cancer.

Jon Holmes Says The C-Word aims to humanise what is often a completely de-humanising process, because, honestly, the cancer road is paved with frequently hilarious unexpected moments - and Jon maintains that retaining a sense of humour is all important.

As Jon says: “If there had been a podcast like this when I was diagnosed - one full of other people’s stories, advice and light moments to illuminate the darkness of the whole sorry process - I’d have lapped it up. But there wasn’t, so I spoke to Radio 4, and now there is.”

In Jon Holmes Says The C-Word Jon will be wearing his heart - and, quite frankly, all of his body parts - on his sleeve.

Written and presented by Jon Holmes
Produced by Laura Grimshaw
Commissioning Editor for the BBC - Rhian Roberts
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 What's Funny About ... (m001q10d)
Series 3

Catastrophe

In this episode of What’s Funny About… Peter and Jon hear the inside story of how Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney created their BAFTA-winning sitcom, Catastrophe.

They tell the very modern story of how they met and began working together – all thanks to Twitter – and how the BBC asked them to develop the series… before eventually turning it down!

They open up about how they developed the characters of Sharon and Rob, and how important it is that they make each other laugh, and that the world of Catastrophe never feels like “sitcom land”.

They talk with huge affection about working with the late Carrie Fisher, and tell the surprising story of casting her in the role of Rob’s (ever so slightly bonkers!) mother.
And tell us about the joy of working together, how likely it is that we’ll see any more episodes of Catastrophe, and the possibility of another co-written project in the future.

Original Catastrophe clips written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney
Catastrophe is an Avalon / Merman production for Channel 4
Producer: Owen Braben
An Expectation production for BBC Radio 4