SATURDAY 24 AUGUST 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m00224tg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Exam Nation by Sammy Wright (m00224s5)
Book of the Week: Episode 5 - A different approach to schooling

Head of School, Sammy Wright looks at the role of school. This time, he explores what teaching Paradise Lost reveals about effective new paradigms for school & life? Carl Prekopp reads.

Drawing on his twenty years as a teacher and his experience on the UK Government's Social Mobility Commission, Sammy Wright has interviewed hundreds of teachers, education experts and pupils across England. Now, here in this book, he explores the fundamental misconception at the heart of our education system. By focussing on the grades pupils get in individual academic subjects, he argues, we simply end up ranking them, and our schools into winners and losers: some pupils are set on a trajectory to university - the rest are left ill-equipped for the world they actually face.

With wisdom and humour, Wright's entertaining and thought provoking book considers school's purpose.

Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00224tj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00224tl)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00224tn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m00224tq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00224ts)
Presence

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Steve Taylor

A few years ago I visited the British Museum in London, and saw a group of tourists filming the exhibits with mobile phones. They weren’t actually looking at the ancient relics, just filming them. As I watched the tourists, it struck me that none of them were actually there. Rather than looking at these relics now, they were preparing to look at them in the future, when they get back home. In fact, they weren’t visiting the museum now, they were visiting it in the future.

Human beings are probably the most inappropriately named species on our planet. Most humans spend very little time being. It might be more accurate to call ourselves human doings or human thinkings, since that’s how we spend most of our time. Many of us find it difficult to be – that is, to simply live in the present moment, aware of ourselves and our surroundings. We like to keep ourselves busy with activities and entertainments. We like to rush forward into the future, pushing the present away, as if it’s an obstacle.

However, it’s important to remember that life only takes place in the present. The past doesn’t exist anymore, and the future is yet to exist. The past only exists in our memory, and the future only exists in anticipation. If we’re not present to our experience, then in a sense we’re missing out on life.
So today, let’s focus on the present. From time to time, release your attention from activities and distractions, and bring yourself back to now. Look around you attentively, surveying your surroundings, the people and the objects and natural phenomena around you. Be conscious of your feelings and sensations, the experiences you are having right now, in your body and in the world.

Let’s savour the present, since it’s all we have.

Blessings.


SAT 05:45 Frontlines of Journalism (m001lyw2)
7. Open the door and you’re doomed

Journalists couldn’t get to the truth with people. Some make stories possible. Others do all they can to stop them.

Revisiting difficult stories he and other journalists have had to report, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the obstacles that stand between journalists and what Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein once called the ‘best obtainable version of the truth’.

In this episode: how journalists deal with sources, spin and powerful people.

Jeremy speaks with: journalist and former BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Dean Baquet - until 2022 executive editor of the New York Times, BBC Gaza producer Rushdi Abu Alouf, and broadcaster and former editor of The Mirror and News of The World, Piers Morgan.

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 (m0022bpp)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m002243t)
Football Falcons Rookies and Rooks

Nadeem Perera presents this week's Open Country from Richmond Park. He's with two young footballers from West Ham and Birmingham City. Nadeem is nature mad and wants to share his passion for birdwatching with the young players as a way of using nature as a tool for better sportsmanship. As a football coach as well as wildlife presenter, Nadeem believes an appreciation of nature can be incorporated into football clubs' daily outdoor training sessions. He's in Richmond Park where he first discovered his love of the outdoors and takes Manny Longelo and Liam Jones on a walk around the park guided by Assistant Park Manager Peter Laurence. Along the way he sets the boys a task of spotting as many birds as they can in order to be crowned the inaugural Open Country Man of the Match.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0022bpr)
Businesses that import meat could have to pay up to six times more than they were expecting to get each lorry through border checks; that’s according to the British Meat Processors Association. Since April businesses that import through Dover and the Eurotunnel through Folkestone have been paying what’s called a Common User Charge.

Bracken is a large and very prolific fern, and it can be a big problem for farmers, particularly in the uplands. It eats into grazing land, it harbours ticks and it’s difficult to control, especially since last autumn when Asulox, the only herbicide used to kill it, became permanently withdrawn from the UK and Europe. The Innovative Farmers Network has just started trialling non-chemical approaches to bracken control, one of which involves using cattle to trample it.

Curlew are an iconic and beautiful bird of moorland and wetland areas, but curlew numbers have diminished significantly over the last few decades, placing them firmly on the RSPB’s red list. A project in Wales, funded by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, is using drones to locate nests which can then be protected.

All week on Farming Today we've been visiting rural communities all around the UK's coastline and finding out how they're meeting the challenges they face. Sarah Swadling has been to the Devon village of Beer to find out how they're keeping the community and tourism vibrant.

60 years ago, the first ever BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm programme aired, as an early morning outside broadcast from a family farm in Rutland. To mark the programme’s diamond anniversary, Vernon Harwood has visited that same farm to discover what’s changed over the past six decades.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m0022bpv)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m0022bpz)
24/08/24 - Lyse Doucet and Simon Jack

News and interviews, plus Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 The Missing Madonna (m0022bq3)
Waiting For John Craig

The lives of the Graham family come crashing down. And revelations from Marshall Ronald and John Craig seem to seal their fate.


SAT 09:45 Animal (m001q0y7)
Jaws

You might think you know the story of Jaws. But dive a bit deeper - because there’s more swimming in these waters…

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 speaks to Claire Parkinson, Co-Director of the Centre for Human Animal Studies at Edgehill University, and shark expert Melissa Cristina Márquez, about the legacies of Jaws - the book and movie that forever changed our capacity for a relaxing day at the beach.

Blair uncovers a story of planetary existential crisis, and a quest for redemption for author Peter Benchley.

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

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m0022bq7)
Benedetta Carlini

Greg Jenner is joined in 17th-Century Italy by Professor Michelle Sauer and comedian Sophie Duker to learn about notorious nun Benedetta Carlini. From the moment of her birth in 1590, Benedetta – whose name literally means ‘blessed’ – was dedicated to God’s service by her father. As a young girl, she joined a community of religious women, where in her twenties she began experiencing mystical visions. These culminated in a number of miraculous signs and occurrences, including the appearance of the stigmata on her body. But following a papal investigation, shocking secrets were revealed, including her sexual relationship with another nun. This episode charts her life, from the miracles that occurred during her childhood, through her time as a devout nun, and to her ultimate downfall at the hands of the papal investigator.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Hannah Campbell Hewson
Written by: Hannah Campbell Hewson, 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 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0022bqc)
Series 45

South Lambeth

Jay Rayner and his panel of culinary experts are in South Lambeth, the home of London's 'Little Portugal'. Joining Jay to offer their best tips, tricks and recipes are chefs, cooks and food writers Melek Erdal, Jordan Bourke, Lerato Umah-Shaylor and Andi Oliver.

The panellists share their best ideas for using a pressure cooker and the fool proof way to make homemade piri-piri seasoning, and offer their own twist on the beloved margarita cocktail. They also discuss some alternative uses for date syrup, and why we’re constantly instructed in recipes to tear, not chop, basil.

Alongside the panel’s advice, Jay chats to local Portuguese chef Diogo Durães, from O Cantinho De Portugal, Stockwell who teaches us about the breadth and regionality of Portuguese cuisine. We also hear about the key ingredients in Portuguese cooking, and his best recipe for the garlicky bread-based soup, Açorda.

Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 Newscast (m0022d42)
Harris v Trump All Eyes on November

Today, we take a look at the race for the White House, following the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Did Kamala Harris do enough to connect with the voters this week? Will Trump’s attacks on her work? And what impact will Robert Kennedy JR’s decision to drop out have on the race?

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

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 Paddy O’Connell, James Cook and Marianna Spring. It was made by Chris Gray with Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Matthew Cadman. The editor is Sam Bonham


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0022bqk)
Thailand's handcuffed democracy

Kate Adie presents stories from Thailand, Australia, Senegal, Germany and the US

Thailand has seen its fair share of political drama over the years. In recent weeks, the dissolution of the opposition party and the dismissal of the PM showed the firm grip on the country by unelected institutions. Jonathan Head has been watching the events rapidly unfold.

In Australia, there’s a deepening housing crisis with 120,000 people facing homelessness in the country every night. Soaring property prices and underinvestment in social housing and a growing population have made the situation worse. Katy Watson has been in Perth, Western Australia.

It was an idea that first had its inception in the 1980s: fighting desertification by planting a wall of trees across the African continent. The Great Green Wall would snake through eleven countries, from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East. But progress on the project has been slow. Nick Hunt has been in Senegal.

The Baader Meinhof gang are an anti-American, anti-imperialist terrorist group that spread fear across West Germany in the 1970s and 80s. The group claimed responsibility for a series of unsolved murders in the early 90s. So, the arrest of one alleged member of the group in Berlin has attracted significant attention, as Tim Mansel reports.

And finally, a cast of political heavyweights, ranging from Hillary Clinton to Barack and Michelle Obama to Bernie Sanders took to the stage in the glittering halls of the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago. But back in Washington, Rajini Vaidyanathan spoke to some street vendors who were somewhat underwhelmed.

Producers: Serena Tarling and Farhana Haider
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0022bqp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Sliced Bread (m001xvkh)
Toast - Little Chef

Why did the restaurant chain, Little Chef, disappear from our roadsides?

Sean Farrington discovers what happened to the brand which brought us Jubilee Pancakes, Olympic Breakfasts and free lollies for the kids.

At its peak, Little Chef had over 400 restaurants on most of our major highways and a turnover well in excess of £100m.

So, how did such a successful business ultimately end up toast?

Sean speaks to Fiona Alper who was married to the Little Chef co-founder, Sam Alper; the entrepreneur, Lawrence Wosskow, who once owned Little Chef and Becky Parr-Phillips who started as a waitress but rose through the ranks to become Little Chef's head of operations.

Alongside them all to analyse Little Chef's fortunes is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White.

This episode was first broadcast in April 2024

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

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

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

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


SAT 12:30 Catherine Bohart: TL;DR (m00224sw)
Series 1

5. Are we going to see Robert Jenrick's Brat Summer?

Confused by candidates? If you're feeling adrift ahead of the Conservative leadership election, TL;DR has done the reading for you.

Alex Kealy joins Catherine Bohart to look at the runners and riders. In the sidebar, Russian stand up Olga Koch looks at why a strong opposition is politically useful, and Financial Times columnist Stephen Bush looks at what it takes for an opposition to get back in the driving seat.

Written by Catherine Bohart, with Madeleine Brettingham, Sarah Campbell, and Georgie Flinn.

Produced by Victoria Lloyd

Recorded by Merlin Kerr at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh

Edited by David Thomas

Production Coordinator - Beverly Tagg

A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m0022bqw)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0022br0)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m00224t2)
Nadra Ahmed, Wendy Chamberlain MP, Barry Gardiner MP, Kevin Hollinrake MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Hartrigg Oaks care community in York with the Executive Co-Chair of the National Care Association Nadra Ahmed, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP, Labour's Barry Gardiner MP and Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Kevin Hollinrake MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Jonathan Esp


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0022br4)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m00224sy)
Lilian and Paul celebrate National Plum Day with themed cakes and a chat. Lilian is thrilled that Alice is throwing herself into The Stables’ event, producing wonderful work on branding. To Paul’s delight, he receives a large bag of branded medals from Alice, meaning he can give out numerous prizes to the riders in the fancy dress competition, from ‘Best Hat’ to ‘Best Embellished Horse’. No one will be disappointed!

Emma and Will greet George, who arrives at Number One The Green with his unwelcome guest. Clive Horrobin says that he was happy to help George, and that he was a chip off the old block. Furiously, Emma berates George for believing the lies of his criminal uncle. To avoid George leaving again, she thanks Clive through gritted teeth for bringing him home. Clive claims that a near-death experience has changed him. Emma is unconvinced. In George’s room, Emma updates her son and urges George not to mention Clive to anyone. George tells her that Clive has advised him to stay quiet as Alice may get off anyway – why throw himself under the bus for nothing? Appalled, Emma pleads for him to think of human decency and Alice – that she and Will are in a much better position to advise him than his vile uncle. It is time to face the truth. Downstairs, Clive has settled in and means to stay and assures Emma and Will that he is now a peaceful person. But this soon turns to a threat – let him stay or he’ll tell the whole of Ambridge what George has done.


SAT 15:00 Stalingrad (m0022dpf)
2. Viktor's Struggle

By Vasily Grossman
Translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler
Dramatised by Mike Walker

Part two of Grossman's dark and honest account of the epic battle of Stalingrad; a prequel to his novel Life and Fate, starring Kenneth Branagh, Greta Scacchi and Mark Bonnar and recently published in its first ever English translation by Richard and Elizabeth Chandler.

Stalingrad explores the approach of war to the city of Stalingrad, through the many lives of the Shaposhnikov family and their partners. Atomic scientist Viktor Shtrum struggles with his work for the Soviet state, while his family live, love and work despite swirling rumours, to run the city’s power stations, factories and hospitals.

Viktor Shtrum ….. Kenneth Branagh,
Lyuda Shaposhnikova ..... Greta Scacchi
Alexandra ….. Ann Mitchell
Zhenya ….. Doon Mackichan
Stepan Spiridonov ….. Kenneth Cranham
Nina ….. Danusia Samal
Vera ….. Scarlett Courtney
Tolya ….. Will Kirk
Nikolai Krymov ...... Mark Bonnar
Novikov ….. Rick Warden
Lenya ….. Greg Jones
Pryahkin ….. Clive Hayward
Yeremenko ….. Neil McCaul
Apparatchik ….. Adam Courting
Driver ….. Ikky Elias
Woman….. Sinead MacInnes

Original music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe, and Max Pownall.

Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting
Series Producer Alison Hindell


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0022brb)
Weekend Woman's Hour Listener Week: Van Life, Risky sports, Widows Fire, Pets as therapy, Tummies

Listener Week is when all the topics, interviews and discussions are chosen by YOU!

We hear from listener Siobhan Daniels. She wrote to us on Instagram: 'I would love you to talk about van life and an alternative way of living.' Siobhan is 65 years old and after selling her home and possessions has lived in her motorhome for five years. She joins Nuala McGovern on the programme.

Listener Kitty Dowry wanted us to take a look at so called 'risky' sports, and to encourage us all to look at them in a different way. Kitty is a climber; she has been doing it for 10 years and wants to see more women give it a go, even those who might have written it off for fear of it being too dangerous. Kitty joins Anita, as does Hazel Findlay, a professional climber and coach.

As part of Listener Week we have been asked by widows to discuss one side effect of bereavement – hyper-arousal, and the term ‘Widow’s Fire’. Nuala McGovern explores these ideas with listener Lizzie, Stacey Heale, who has written a book – Now is Not the Time for Flowers - about her experience of being widowed, and also by the psychotherapist Lucy Beresford, who can shed some light on what might be going on.

How one moment or person can change your life’s trajectory. Listener Bettie tells Anita how a childhood invite to a friend's house introduced her to a new way of life -one she says saved her.

Listener Sarah Palmer got in touch to tell us about the volunteer work she does with the charity Pets As Therapy. She joined Nuala to talk about how her life has been “immeasurably improved” because of her dog Haggis and the work they do together visiting local hospitals and care homes.

Why do so many of us feel bad about our tummies and why are the rounded or wobbly ones never celebrated? That’s what listener Carole wants to know. Content creator Lottie Drynan created the IBS blog The Tummy Diaries and #mybloatedwardrobe and has learned to love her rounded stomach. She joins Nuala McGovern, along with Charlotte Boyce, Associate Professor in Victorian Literature and Culture at Portsmouth University, and columnist Pravina Ruda to discuss our historical and cultural relationship with our tummies.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Sarah Crawley


SAT 17:00 PM (m0022brg)
Red Sea oil spill fears after tanker attack

The vessel is adrift in the Red Sea with 150 thousand tonnes of crude oil on board. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea for several months, claiming to do so in protest at the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Plus UNICEF calls for ceasefire to vaccinate children in Gaza against Polio and Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of a luxury yacht off the island of Sicily.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m002243k)
Dishwasher Tablets

Do more expensive dishwasher tablets clean better? And how do eco versions stack up?

We are back with a new series of Sliced Bread and even more investigations into your suggested wonder products! We'll also be hitting a significant milestone during this batch of programmes so look out for more on that.

First up - dishwasher tablets. Listener Deborah got in touch after hearing our deep-dive into dishwashers themselves and had some burning questions about the tablets we put in them. Do more expensive ones give you a better clean? Do they protect glasses better? And what about the eco brands that promise to be kinder to the environment?

Listener Graham sent a voicenote asking whether buying an 'all-in-one' tablet is better than using separate components, either for cleaning or the environment.

Greg's joined by Deborah and a panel of experts in our studio at Media City in Salford to run all these questions through the wash.

All our investigations start with YOUR suggestions. If you've seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voicenote to our WhatsApp number 07543 306807.

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: SIMON HOBAN


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0022brl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m0022brq)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0022brw)
Teenager arrested after deadly knife attack in Germany

German police say fifteen-year-old boy knew about a knife attack that left three dead.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0022bs0)
Su Pollard, Michelle McManus, Camille O'Sullivan, Chris Grace, Catherine Cohen, Sinéad Gleeson

Actress and singer Su Pollard’s new tour Still Fully Charged celebrates her 50 years in showbiz – she catches up with Michelle McManus about what keeps her hooked, and being beaten by a dog in a talent competition. Clive Anderson chats to comedian and actor Chris Grace. He’s returned to Edinburgh after his sold-out 2023 run, this time with a packed out performance schedule including his new show Sardines (A Comedy About Death). Award-winning non-fiction writer Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel Hagstone sees an artist discover a commune of women on a remote island – she discusses the inspirations behind it.

With music from comedian and actor Catherine Cohen, and Irish singer and musician Camille O’ Sullivan.

Presented by Clive Anderson
Co-host: Michelle McManus
Produced by Caitlin Sneddon


SAT 19:00 Growing Solo (m001yj6n)
Year's End

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.

This is the final episode and marks the end of Max’s food self-sufficient year. Did he make it? Did he cheat? Did he lose weight? Was it too hard to be fun? All these questions are answered. This episode also explores some of the issues of trying to eat locally and seasonally.

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 (p0j98dtz)
Series 30

Alien Life - Russell Kane, Lisa Kaltenegger and Chris Lintott

Are we alone in the universe? Brian Cox and Robin Ince venture to Glastonbury in the search for alien life and are joined in their galactic quest by comedian Russell Kane and astronomers Lisa Kaltenegger and Chris Lintott. They imagine the sorts of worlds that might best host alien life, how some of the biological and technological signatures of alien life might appear as well as how evolution might shape this life. They discuss some of the mysterious signatures that have appeared as well as how hard it is to really know what you're looking for and how objects like faulty microwaves have muddied the alien-finding waters.


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


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0022bs4)
PCs Gone Mad: Computers in Fiction and Reality

Broadcaster and comedian Steve Punt fires up the archives to examine the cultural history of computers on screen.

From Katharine Hepburn and the electronic brain of the 1950s, to Jurassic Park and the threat of malicious hackers; Steve explores the parallel history of how (and why) the fiction and the fact of computers developed.

With guests:

Charlie Brooker, media commentator and creator of Black Mirror
Zoe Kleinman, the BBC's Technology Editor
Kevin Murrell, co-founder of The National Museum of Computing

Producer: Becca Bryers

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 You're Dead to Me (p0fmp6w6)
Leonardo da Vinci (Live)

In this special episode of You’re Dead To Me, recorded in front of a live audience, Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Catherine Fletcher and comedian Dara Ó Briain to learn about Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo lived from 1452 to 1519 during an era of plague and warfare across Western Europe. It was also the height of the Italian Renaissance.

From mathematics to military maps, and some paintings which you may have heard of, Leonardo da Vinci did it all. But was he a generational genius or an "ideas man" who had a chronic inability to finish what he started?

Research by Anna Nadine-Pike
Written by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow
Project Management: Isla Matthews
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
The You're Dead To Me theme tune was performed by Charles Mutter and the BBC Concert Orchestra

The Athletic production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m0022bs7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m00224s3)
Taste the World

Food, identity, myths and reality. In a globalised world can a dish reflect who we are and where we live? Dan Saladino explores fascinating stories of food, music and tradition in an ever changing and fast moving world.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 The Many Wrongs of Lord Christian Brighty (m0022bs9)
Episode 1. The Couple I Uncoupled

Lord Christian Brighty is the talk of the Regency 'Ton' - a celebrated libertine, a heartthrob and a hero to many. But close-up, he is a spoilt, impetuous, life-ruining bastard… Or at least he was. Because his carefree life of infinite privilege has been upended by an encounter with his new chambermaid - the uneducated but forthright Babigail - who became the first person to tell him the unvarnished truth about his selfish behaviour. Overnight, his lifelong trust that everyone loved him had been replaced with a gnawing fear that Babs was right.

So now, with his narcissism collapsing and a need to prove to Babs he is actually a good person, Lord Brighty is determined to fix all his past wrongs. And by extension all the ills of Regency society. Accompanying him in his quest are Babs (elevated beyond her station to a chambermaid-cum-adviser role), and his butler, Mr Churlington. Although Churley would prefer everything to stay exactly as it used to be (as would all Brighty’s friends, family and the entirety of high society).

In episode 1, Brighty - with Babs' assistance/disapproval - must get nearly-weds Mr Darkly and Miss Lucy-Beth Bonnet to fall back in love, having previously split them up. In his lordship’s absence, the very un-sordid Churlington is left to organise Brighty’s celebrated ‘Sordid Soirée’.

Written by Amy Greaves & Christian Brighty

Cast:
Lord Christian Brighty ….. Christian Brighty
Babs ….. Jessica Knappett
Churlington ….. Colin McFarlane
Lucy ….. Nimisha Odedra
Lady Hisper / Singer ….. Katia Kvinge
Darkly / Vicar ….. David Reed

Script Editor ….. David Reed
Sound & Recording ….. David Thomas
Photographer ….. Will Hearle
Production Assistant ….. Katie Sayer
Producer ….. Ben Walker

A DLT Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4

Christian Brighty and Amy Greaves are award-winning comedians. Their viral sketches based on Bridgerton, Poldark and Jane Austen have catapulted them to viral stardom, securing Christian’s place as the internet’s answer to Mr Darcy and amassing 150 million views across TikTok and Instagram (@brightybuoy). Amy and Christian both have a deep love of the work Jane Austen, traditional regency romance (not smut), and historical romance set in the regency (smut).


SAT 23:30 The 3rd Degree (m00223nx)
Series 13

6. University of East Anglia

This episode coming from the University of East Anglia, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Physics, Biological Studies and History, so we’ll find out the relevance to each of those subjects of a sombrero, pishing and the Northcote-Trevelyan Report of 1853. Avocets, quangos, muesli and Reginald Maudling all play a key role in the fun.

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 25 AUGUST 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0022bsd)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Open Book (m00223nv)
Evie Wyld

Evie Wyld talks to Johny Pitts about her new novel, The Echoes. The book opens with Max discovering that he’s dead. He finds himself in the South London flat he shared with his partner Hannah, wondering how and why he died, and what the rules are for being a ghost. But the novel is also about Hannah, who moved to South London from rural Australia. Slowly, the book pieces together the fragments of Hannah’s traumatic family history.

Recent years have seen a number of stand-up comedians turn to writing novels - including Jessie Cave, whose debut Sunset was a Sunday Times bestseller, and who is performing two shows at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. Camille Bordas's latest novel is set over the course of one day in Chicago among students and teachers at a degree course in stand-up comedy. They discuss their work, and the different challenges of being funny on stage and on the page.

And for our monthly Editor's Pick - where we ask a Commissioning Editor to recommend us a great read from a rival publishing house - Kinza Azira has chosen Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker.

Presenter: Johny Pitts
Producer: Tim Bano

Book List – Sunday 18 August

The Echoes by Evie Wyld
After the Fire, A Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld
The Material by Camille Bordas
Sunset by Jessie Cave
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Erasure by Percival Everett
Twenty Grand by Rebecca Curtis
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0022bsg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0022bsj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0022bsl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0022bsn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0022bsq)
The church of St Margaret, Leiston in Suffolk

This week's Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Margaret, Leiston in Suffolk. Rebuilt in 1854, this Grade II listed church is an example of the Victorian Gothic style. Only the 14th Century west tower and 13th Century font remain of the original Medieval church. There are eight bells mostly dating from the late 19th century and cast by the John Taylor foundry of Loughborough. The Tenor bell weighs twenty and a half hundredweight and is in the note of E. We now hear them ringing Yorkshire Surprise Major.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m00224hp)
Trust

Everyone has to put their trust in other people from time to time but when you are blind or partially sighted, do you have to do it more often than most? For example, when asking a stranger for help on the street or in a train station, when purchasing something in a shop and in our relationships. To help us analyse this topic are three visually impaired people with differing career backgrounds, relationships and life experiences, who also acknowledge there are many times when they have to take a bit of a gamble on when and who to trust. They are Richard Lane, Denise Leigh and Kelly Barton.

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 (m0022c04)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m00224h5)
The Gift of the Garden

In her poem 'God's Garden', Dorothy Frances Gurney writes:

'One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.’

Join Giles Fraser and a panel of green-fingered guests as they gather together at the Aga Khan Centre in Kings Cross to reflect on the theological significance of gardens and gardening.

From Eden and Gethsemane, to the ancient Islamic gardens of Andalusia, to the Japanese Gardens of Zen Buddhism; temples to churchyards, these sacred zones have been places of solace and reflection for millennia; places of life and death, of peace and tranquillity.
Here, even non-religious gardeners find common ground with their religious counterparts: on their knees, often in silence, hands in the earth. For many, gardening is the answer. We hear from Jill Smith - lay minister and trustee of 'The Quiet Garden Movement', who tells us how her garden is a place of healing.

Our panellists are Dr Omar Ali de Unzaga - Head of Ismaili Studies at the Aga Khan Centre, Revd Lucy Winkett - Rector at St James' Church in Piccadilly, and Ai Hishii - Director of Japanese garden architects, Momiji Design.

*You can visit the Islamic Gardens at the Aga Khan Centre for free - book online.

Presenter: Giles Fraser
Producers: James Leesley and Bara'atu Ibrahim
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0022c06)
On Your Farm at 60

Sixty years ago a new weekend farming programme was launched by the BBC. On Your Farm started with an early morning outside broadcast from a family farm in Rutland as the day’s harvesting got underway in the surrounding fields. To mark the programme’s diamond anniversary, Vernon Harwood visits that same farm at Barrowden to check on today’s harvest and discover what’s changed over the past six decades. In 1964 Rowland and Dennis Tyler described themselves as traditional arable and sheep farmers but in 2024 is that the case for Dennis’ sons, Richard and Charles?

On Your Farm was created by producer Anthony Parkin as a way for the nation to eavesdrop on farmers discussing the highs and lows of their industry. Parkin always considered it to be "a breath of fresh farm air" but the national newspapers preferred to call his regular breakfast table debates "Bacon and Eggs Radio". The first programme was introduced by David Richardson, a Norfolk pig and arable farmer who went on to host hundreds of editions over the following two decades. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I suppose," says David, who shares his memories in this anniversary episode. "I learned on the job, I liked asking questions and that’s really what broadcasting is all about."

On Your Farm was described by the former Sunday Times columnist, Paul Donovan, as "one of radio’s great treats." It once claimed to have Radio 4’s catchiest theme tune and the programme even had a spin-off recipe book called 'The Best of Breakfasts'. Now as it enters its seventh decade, On Your Farm remains a weekend must-listen, the perfect accompaniment to bacon and eggs. and it’s still doing what it does best – eavesdropping.
.
Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood


SUN 06:57 Weather (m0022c08)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0022c0b)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0022c0d)
Defining church, US religious electorate, Prison Reform

The word ‘church’ was not used to describe hundreds of new Church of England congregations, initiatives and community groups set up over the last decade. Research by the Centre for Church Planting Theology and Research, at Cranmer Hall, Durham, found that in the past ten years, around 900 so-called “new things” have been started in 11 dioceses. But none of the dioceses used the term “church” as its main description of those ‘things’. Rev Canon Professor Alison Milbank, theologian and author of The Once and Future Parish (2023), and Rev Canon Dave Male, the Church of England’s co-director for vision and strategy, discuss if this is simply about the choice of language or something deeper?

In light of the government's emergency measures put in place in prisons, we’re joined by the lead bishop for prisons, the Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, and David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice at Policy Exchange, to explore the sentencing of young people and whether custodial sentences are helpful in the long term.

Following Kamala Harris’ acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president, we speak to theologian Brad Onishi, Professor of Religion at The University of San Francisco and co-host of the ‘Straight White American Jesus’ podcast, to get his view on how the two candidates appeal to the US religious electorate.

Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Alexa Good, Bara’atu Ibrahim and Katy Davis
Studio Managers: Simon Highfield and Jack Morris
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0022c0g)
FareShare

Matt Lucas makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of FareShare. The charity takes surplus food from supermarkets, wholesalers, and producers and redistributes it to thousands of charities across the UK.

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 ‘FareShare’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘FareShare’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1100051


SUN 07:57 Weather (m0022c0j)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0022c0l)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0022c0n)
The 350th Anniversary of Isaac Watts

Marking the 350th birthday of the renowned hymn writer Isaac Watts, a special service from Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. Known for his timeless contributions to Christian worship, including "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," Isaac Watts has inspired generations of believers through his hymns. Preacher: Rev Tony Miles; Director of Music: Gerard Brooks; Organist: Andrew Furniss; Producer: James Mountford


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m00224t4)
The Power of Weird

At a village fete in rural France, AL Kennedy finds herself among barrel organs, sleeping piglets and 'a guy in a flowing blue smock gliding about on an ancient motor bicycle, just because he could.'

After US Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz turned the word 'weird' into 'the soundtrack of our summer,' Alison relishes how the concept is reclaiming its roots.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Tom Bigwood


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0022c0q)
Gillian Burke on the Pied Flycatcher

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.

Summer visitors to western and northern woodlands, the pied flycatcher is a magical bird. Favouring damp oak woods brimming with ferns and lichen, the male pied flycatcher dazzles with his laundry while wing bars over dark body. From when they first arrive in Britain, their see-saw song provides an acoustic sound to these woodlands, though as biologist, presenter and podcaster Gillian Burke reveals seeing one is not all that easy.

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


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0022c0s)
Israel and Hezbollah trade fire

Hezbollah fires hundreds of rockets on Israel, which retaliates with airstrikes. Also, Paralympian Hannah Cockroft shares her medal hopes, and Britain's oldest skydiver.


SUN 10:00 The Reunion (m0022c0v)
The 2012 Paralympics

In the summer of 2012, London hosted the Paralympics for the first time –- the biggest ever Paralympics, with over 4,000 athletes from 164 teams.

With 2.4 million advance tickets sold and an advertising blitz from Channel 4, the country was primed to continue the golden summer that had started with great success at the Olympic Games.

The Opening Ceremony kicked off with the world-famous electronic voice of Stephen Hawking and featured an appearance from Sir Ian McKellen, music from Beverly Knight and the sound of 80,000 people in the stadium crunching on apples at the same time.

Over 10 days, Team GB Paralympians began to change public perception of what disabled people were capable of. From the first day of the games, the medals began to roll in for the host nation. In front of packed stadiums and millions more on TV, Sarah Storey won Team GB’s first gold medal. In the following days, Ellie Simmonds defended her title, setting a new world record, and the rowing mixed coxed four which included Naomi Riches won Team GB’s only rowing gold.

When Thriller Thursday came around, Team GB’s gold medal haul sat at 25 and the country had become used to winning at least two golds a day. Hannah Cockroft won her second gold, David Weir his third and Sarah Storey her fourth. A 19-year-old Jonnie Peacock took his marks against the first ever global Paralympian star – Oscar Pistorius- beating him and crowning Thriller Thursday with the final GB gold medal of the day.

Team GB finished the games with 34 gold, 43 silver and 43 bronze medals and London 2012 was declared the "greatest Paralympic Games ever”. The closing ceremony was a huge party with Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z performing, a fitting ending to the weeks of the Olympics and Paralympics games.

Kirsty Wark is joined by Britain's most successful Paralympian of all time Dame Sarah Storey, and gold medallists Hannah Cockroft, Naomi Riches, and Ollie Hynd. Ade Adepitan was part of the bid team for the games and part of the Channel 4 presenting team. Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings directed the opening ceremony and Kim Gavin the closing ceremony of both the Paralympics and Olympics.

Producer: Jill Achineku
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0022c0x)
WRITER: SARAH HEHIR
DIRECTOR: PIP SWALLOW
EDITOR: JEREMY HOWE

Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Don James…. Thom Petty
Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd…. John Rowe
Paul Mack…. Joshua Riley
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Denise Metcalf…. Clare Perkins
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler


SUN 12:15 Growing Solo (m001yj6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m00223r0)
Series 30

Episode 3

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.

Miles Jupp, Marcus Brigstocke, Holly Walsh and Lou Sanders are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as milk, sound, Italians and parties.

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 (m0022c0z)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0022c11)
Israel and Hezbollah escalate cross-border strikes

Israel launches 'pre-emptive strikes' on Hezbollah amid a barrage of rocket fire. A former British Ambassador reflects on the escalating conflict. Plus, how can Labour keep both the unions and business happy?


SUN 13:30 Rearming the UK (m0022bxs)
The UK's defence industry is to be put on a 'war footing'. Douglas Fraser asks whether we can overcome the practical and political obstacles of rearming, to meet the challenges of a world that seems more unstable than ever.

When Keir Starmer got elected his government promised to keep their predecessors pledge of increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, albeit without putting a time scale on when it might happen. They’ve since embarked on a review of the armed forces under former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson. Regardless of its conclusions the defence sector will be expected to increase its production capacity not only to replenish the stocks of arms and ammunition donated to Ukraine but restore the capabilities of our greatly diminished army, navy and airforce. Douglas asks how can that be done; and where should any new money be spent? Should it be led by the tactics we’ve seen at play in Russia’s invasion with its almost World War I approach of massed artillery and trench warfare or by the defenders innovative use of drones and western supplied precision weapons? And how can a public desperate to see improvement in UK public services be persuaded that this will be money well spent?


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00224sk)
Southwold: Weddings, Pelargoniums and Secret Snakes

Do grass snakes have any benefit to my garden? How do I stop my autumn raspberries from getting maggots? What I can plant between now and next June that will flower in time for my daughter’s wedding?

Kathy Clugston and a panel of experts are in the hot seat as they answer the gardening queries from an audience in Southwold. On the panel are head gardeners Ashley Edwards and Matthew Pottage, and pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood.

Later, Matthew Pottage sneaks away to Wootens of Wenhaston Plantsman Nursery in Darsham, where he meets co-owner Jill Stafford to discuss Pelargoniums and how there's a variety for everyone.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m0022c13)
Clear Light of Day - Episode 2

Set in the turbulent years of 20th century India, Anita Desai’s novel Clear Light of Day brings us a story of family and political upheaval in the blistering heat of Old Delhi. John Yorke unpicks the threads that hold both family and community together until they fray and fall apart. From an opening in the 1980s we are taken backwards and forwards in time to find loyalties and tensions amongst siblings set against the backdrop of India’s turbulent history.

The most significant event for India was Partition, when India became an independent country and Pakistan was created as a homeland for the Muslim communities. The divisions and ethnic violence unleashed run through the country and the Das family. In the second of two episodes, John Yorke reveals the importance of the historical and political background to the novel. He introduces us to a significant character, Aunt Mira, who symbolises all that has gone wrong as we see the contrast between her strength and resilience in youth to a state of alcohol-induced confusion and despair.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters.

Includes archive clips of Anita Desai from The View from Here, BBC Radio 4 - 18.02.95

Contributor : Kamila Shamsie, author

Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Reader: Aarushi Ganju
Producer: Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Clear Light of Day (m0022c15)
Episode 2

In August 1947, the partition of India caused up to two million deaths. Anita Desai's semi-autobiographical novel, set in Delhi, tells the story of a Hindu family torn apart by the tragedy when one of the siblings marries a Muslim. Desai explores the betrayal, grief, and slow path towards reconciliation, experienced by a nation and in microcosm by one family.

The drama is told from the perspective of 20 years later, in 1967, when all has come to pass. Although the memories never fade....

CAST
Bim Meera Syal
Tara Ayesha Dharker
Raja Amit Shah
Dr Biswas/ Akbar Kurtha
Sharma
Bakul/ Nitin Ganatra
Cobbler
Mira/ Neelam Bakshi
Biswas mother (Ep 2)
Father (Ep 1)/ Amerjit Deu

Father Misra (Ep 2)
Jaya Zainab Hasan
Sarla Kiran Sonia Sawar
Mulk Gavi Singh Chera

Adapted for Radio by Jane Rogers
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m0022c17)
Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak talks to Shahidha Bari about her new novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky - linking 'three characters, two rivers, and one epic poem’ by the journey of a single drop of water.

Plus Hanna Pylväinen on writing with an omniscient narrator in her book The End of Drum-Time - when a Sami reindeer herder and a minister's daughter fall in love in the nineteenth century Arctic Circle.

Presenter: Shahidha Bari
Producer: Emma Wallace

Book List - Sunday 25 August

There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Epic of Gilgamesh
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
The Kalevala: Edited by Elias Lönnrot


SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m0022c19)
Brain of Brains 2024

Every three years the most recent winners of the coveted Brain of Britain trophy play off in a good-natured general knowledge contest for the title Brain of Brains. Russell Davies welcomes a line-up of formidable quizzers to London's Radio Theatre for a special curtain-raiser to the 2024 Brain of Britain series.

Fighting for the title are:
Dan Adler from Farnham (the 2023 Brain of Britain champion)
Eleanor Ayres from Cambridge (runner-up in 2023)
Marianne Fairthorne from London (runner-up in 2022)
Karl Whelan from the Wirral (the 2021 champion)

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct4xf7)
The small Irish town known as ‘Little Brazil’

Gort in the west of Ireland is known by the nickname ‘Little Brazil’ because it’s home to so many Brazilians.

They first came to Ireland in the late 1990s to work in the town’s meat factory.

Lucimeire Trindade was just 24-years-old when she and three friends arrived in the town, unable to speak a word of English or Irish.

Nearly 25 years later, Lucimeire considers Gort her true home.

She tells Vicky Farncombe how being in Ireland changed her outlook on life.

“I learned that a woman can have their own life, especially going to the pub alone without their husbands!”

(Photo: Traditional Brazilian carnival dancers strut their stuff in Gort. Credit: John Kelly, Clare Champion)


SUN 17:10 Behind the Crime (m00212zx)
David

David Martindale can remember the moment he turned his back on crime. The police were all over his front garden, and he was about to be arrested for his involvement in drug dealing in his home town of Livingston.
His childhood was violent – but it was also dominated by football. He was a gifted player, but didn’t have the sort of homelife that might have propelled him to football stardom. Instead he got involved with local rivalries and a lifestyle that led him to a young offender institution.
Years later, he was back inside, this time serving a long sentence for dealing cocaine.
Yet at his lowest moment, he found an inner resolve that led him to turn his back on crime, focus on his future and end up managing a top-flight football team. His first match in charge of Livingston FC in the Scottish Premier League was in front of 60,000 fans at Parkhead, home of Celtic FC.
This is an astonishing story about reaching the top against the odds.
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.
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 (m0022c1d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m0022c1g)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0022c1j)
Israel and the armed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, have carried out the biggest attacks on each other in ten months of conflict -- while stopping short of triggering all-out war.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0022c1l)
Rachel Parris

This week, you'd be excused thinking that all you hear is radio ga ga, but one programme in particular looked at how babies develop language, all sparked off by a viral video with a mother and her incredibly Liverpudlian baby. Plus, we learn how the earliest seeds of the incredibly messy Valencian festival La Tomatina were planted from a first-hand account of one of the boys from the original sauced-up scrap in 1945. Speaking of planting - if cleanliness is next to godliness, what does that make gardening? Giles Fraser finds himself and some green-thumbed guests in a rooftop garden at the Aga Khan Centre in Kings Cross asking just that.

Presenter: Rachel Parris
Producer: John Offord
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0022bxg)
It’s the day of the Ambridge fete and Joy is full of praise for Azra’s book stall, despite her misgivings about having the fete on the same day as the grand re-opening of the Stables. She shocks Azra with talk of an open surgery and a free consultation for everyone who buys a book. But Azra turns it to her advantage, guilt-tripping anyone who asks about their health into buying a book.

George isn’t happy about being dragged to the fete by Emma. And he can’t understand why his family and everyone has such a downer on his uncle Clive. Emma doesn’t want Clive anywhere near George or Poppy. Later, as Emma tells Joy she is enjoying the fete her mood takes a downturn when George announces he has had enough and he’s leaving.

Meanwhile the Stables has its own Cantering On celebration and Justin is resplendent in his ringmaster’s garb, which Lilian loves. She is less happy about Justin’s plan to keep Alice hidden behind the scenes. Alice has a key part in the day, says Lilian. Later Justin has great news. Horse owner Rani Pershore is at the event. He wants to keep Alice away from her until Alice reveals they have a personal connection – Alice sold her horse Banjo to Rani. She quickly persuades Rani that The Stables is the right choice for her.

Joy praises Azra who sold out of books and says she’s a shoo-in for next year’s fete. No way, says Azra, aghast. But Joy is confident: that’s what they all say.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0022c1n)
Sybil Phoenix, A Civil Life

The years after Sybil Phoenix's arrival in England from British Guiana in 1956 follow a not unfamiliar pattern - trying to find a home and secure a livelihood, learning how to manage the endemic racism in Britain and, above all things, building a community.

Fostering countless children, setting up the famous Moonshot youth club in south-east London and dealing with the reaction from right-wing extremists bound together her personal and public lives. In 1972 she accepted - not without controversy - an MBE, the first black woman to do so. With her new status she set up a hostel for young women, the Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust.

Now aged 97, Sybil's story is shared by her son Woodrow and daughter Loraine, the activist Eric Huntley, who's known her for over 80 years, and through previously not heard recordings that touch on her troubled early life, the death of her daughter Marsha, the New Cross Fire and much else.

Produced by Cherise Hamilton-Stephenson and Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Buried (m001hfbl)
Series 1

Series 1 - 2. A Scene of Horror

Dan and Lucy visit Mobuoy, and reveal the audacious scam of how criminals dumped a million tonnes of waste. But there’s worse, as they learn what was buried.

"All you have to do... is dig it up."

A trucker’s deathbed tape plays out. It’s urgent, desperate.

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?

In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?

Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002243w)
How babies learn language

Recently a video went viral of a baby talking - or babbling - with a Liverpool accent. Professor Julian Pine from Liverpool University explains how babies and young children learn language, including the rules we take for granted. Including the surprising reasons who children make mistakes like saying "nana" instead of banana, or "I play football yesterday" instead of "I played football yesterday." Plus, did you know verbs and nouns go to different parts of the brain?

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m00224sp)
Phil Donahue, Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg, Mary Gibby, Toumani Diabaté

Matthew Bannister on American TV host Phil Donahue – pioneer of the daytime talk show.

Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg, the Czech born interior designer who was at the centre of a vibrant social scene in London during the swinging 60s.

Professor Mary Gibby OBE, the botanist who specialised in the study and classification of ferns.

Toumani Diabaté, the Malian musician known around the world for his virtuoso kora playing.

Interviewee: Bill Brioux
Interviewee: Michael Žantovský
Interviewee: Jess Barrett
Interviewee: Suntou Susso

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:
The Phil Donahue show, Radio Ident, WLWD, Dayton Ohio, 1968; Phil Donahue interview, Television Academy Interviews YouTube, uploaded 06/06/2011; Phil Donahue interview on his career and becoming a dad, Today, NBC, 23/10/2024; Phil Donahue on literacy and education, ABC News, Uploaded 20/09/2024; The Phil Donahue Show, Marlo Thomas, 1977, Marlo Thomas YouTube Channel, uploaded, 21/09/2012; The Czech Republic, 1989's Velvet Revolution, BBC World Service, 07/12/1999; Czechoslovakia (1948), YouTube uploaded 13/04/2014; Gardner 4VT in narrowboat Swan, Myk Askin YouTube channel, uploaded 19/04/2010;Toumani Diabaté interview, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 05/06/2014; Toumani Diabaté interview, BBC Radio 3, 29/05/2021;


SUN 21:00 Sliced Bread (m001xvkh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0022c0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0022bqk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0022c1q)
Ben Wright's guests are the newly-elected Labour MP Chris Curtis; Conservative peer and former Health Minister, Lord Bethell; and the foreign affairs expert Sophia Gaston, from think tank Policy Exchange. They look ahead to a big speech from Sir Keir Starmer, and discuss the validity of his claims about the state of the public services and the economy. Camilla Turner - political editor of the Sunday Telegraph - brings additional insight and analysis. The veteran industrial correspondent Nick Jones reflects on Labour's relationship with the trade unions. And the programme also includes an interview with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson about the Paralympics and the everyday challenges facing disabled people.


SUN 23:00 The Human Subject (m0022c1s)
The Boy with an Ice Pick in his Brain

This is the story of 12 year old Howard Dully. The year is 1960. His stepmother is finding him to be ‘unbelievably defiant’ so she takes him to a private California hospital. There he is evaluated by Dr Walter Freeman who diagnoses him with childhood schizophrenia.

For this he prescribes a brutal procedure which would alter Howard’s life forever - a lobotomy. Dr Freeman performed thousands of these operations across the United States, including on Rosemary Kennedy, JFK’s sister. Julia and Adam hear from Jack El-Hai, journalist, medical writer and author of The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness.

Presenters: Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw
Producers: Rufaro Faith Mazarura and 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 (m001lyw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 on Saturday]


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m00224sm)
Glimmers

"Here is the summer, and here is the light, and she’s crying again, and they are the new tears. She can live with those ones."

An original short story about coming back to the world after postpartum depression, written and read by Kerri Ní Dochartaigh.

A BBC Audio Bristol Production
Producer: Becky Ripley

MONDAY 26 AUGUST 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0022c1v)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m00224hr)
Ageing without a safety net in Malaysia

Industrialisation, modern cityscapes and strong economic growth promote an image of a youthful, vigorous Malaysia. But the country is now ageing rapidly, and this sudden transformation seems to have caught many - including the government - by surprise. Despite their country’s development, millions have little or no retirement income and face destitution or dependence in their golden years. What little provision is available was compromised during the Covid pandemic when the government allowed workers to withdraw retirement funds just to survive lockdown. Those who did so can now have almost nothing left in their accounts. Without any universal pension, many older Malaysians rely on their families – but younger relatives are often struggling in a low wage economy and find it increasingly difficult to provide for anyone but themselves. As Claire Bolderson reports, Malaysians may have to change their attitudes to retirement and to saving if they are to avoid the spectre of serious poverty in old age.

Producer: Mike Gallagher
Editor: Penny Murphy
Studio Manager: Hal Haines
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0022bsq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0022c1x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0022c1z)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0022c21)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0022c23)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0022c25)
We Are Each Other’s Cousins

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Steve Taylor

In 1968, the American astronaut Rusty Schweickart was floating in a spaceship close to the moon. As he watched the planet Earth slowly turning, a small blue pearl surrounded by the emptiness of space, it struck him that the idea of calling himself “American” was absurd. There were no boundaries or borders, no countries or nationalities – there was just one planet, and one human race.

There are around 8 billion human beings living on different parts of the Earth’s landmass. We speak different languages, have different appearances and different traditions and religions. But we all stem from the same source.

Let’s rewind history all the way back to 250,000 BC, when our species first developed in eastern Africa. For tens of thousands of years, we remained in Africa, but eventually began to disperse, to migrate into the Middle East and Europe. Over the following millennia, as we dispersed further, groups developed different physical characteristics, in response to new environments and climates. For example, groups who migrated north developed lighter skin and hair.

Scientists have identified fundamental features shared by all the human race’s languages, suggesting that there was one original human language, dating back 50,000 years or more. But as we dispersed, linguistic differences grew until groups were unintelligible to one other. Groups developed different lifestyles and traditions too and began to perceive each other as distinct.

So today, whenever I meet a person who seems to belong to a different nationality or religion, I will remind myself that we all stem from the same source. Beneath our superficial identities, we share the same essence. We are all each other’s cousins, sharing the surface of this beautiful planet as it spins through space.

Blessings.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0022c27)
26/08/24 "Mama Hen" the woman who rescues factory farmed hens

Northern Ireland's 'Mama Hen'

Thirteen years ago, Barbara Mladek gave up her full time job as a bank executive to run a hen rescue centre in Northern Ireland. She says it is now her life's mission to rescue and re-home as many battery hens as she can. She is so obsessed with hens, that she has changed her own name by deed poll to 'Mama Hen'.

Barbara also rescues abandoned hens, ducks, geese and turkeys. Her centre is run as a charity and relies entirely on donations. Over the years, she and a small number of volunteers have rescued thouands of hens from slaughter. She opposes battery hen production but has developed a working relationship with several Northern Irish poultry producers to 'rescue' some of their hens when their egg laying value comes to an end.

She knows that the hens she saves are only a tiny proportion of the commercial flocks reared in Northern Ireland's flourishing poultry business. But she says saving even one hen is worth it. It's a seven day a week round the clock commitment, but Barbara says she has no regrets about swapping office life and a guaranteed salary for the fulfillment she has looking after the birds.

Produced and presented by Kathleen Karragher


MON 05:57 Weather (m0022c29)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m0022bwy)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 The Artificial Human (m00202gr)
Why can’t AI drive me home yet?

Developers have been trying to create driverless cars since the 1920s. Numerous iterations have come into being and fallen away over the years - radio controlled cars, electronic guide systems buried into roads, lidar, radar, computer vision, but with the roll out of AI, we seem closer than ever to getting from A to B without having to touch the wheel.

In fact, in several places in the United States, Driverless Cars are already on the streets - albeit in a limited scope - ferrying users across the cities of Phoenix and San Francisco. And yet here in the UK? There are few autonomous vehicles in select locations, such as airports. But we’re unlikely to be hailing a cab without a driver in the near future? Why?

Aleks and Kevin are all set to find out. They’ll talk to Elaine Moore, who has been a frequent passenger in driverless cabs in San Francisco. Dr. Jack Stilgoe, leader of the Driverless Futures
Project, and engineer Paul Newman who is developing autonomous vehicle software here in the UK. They’ll learn about the practical, legal, ethical and technical needs that autonomous vehicles will need to meet in order to function, how the fabric of cities might need to change for them to operate, and just how soon driverless cars will be able to safely operate on UK streets.

If you want to ask to answer your burning question on AI, please get in touch at theartificialhuman@bbc.co.uk


MON 09:30 How to Play (m0022bx0)
Mozart’s Requiem with Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus

The Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus invite us to eavesdrop on their rehearsals as they prepare to perform Mozart’s celebrated Requiem, with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra. As their concert date approaches, our singers show how the tiniest details can transform what the music communicates, and the crucial elements that govern whether a performance soars or flops.

Conductor, Kristiina Poska and Chorus Director, Darius Battiwalla are joined by choristers, Angela Argenzio, Rosalind Hobson, Ranjan Sen and Steve Terry. They share how they work together to uncover a message of hope and redemption in music that Mozart composed while he was dying.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0022bx2)
Sisters: A Woman’s Hour special

Whether you have a sister or not, it’s a relationship that has long fascinated us. In this special edition of Woman’s Hour, Nuala McGovern explores what makes the female sibling dynamic so compelling.

If you were watching the Paris Olympics, you might have spotted identical twins Lina and Laviai Nielsen taking to the track. The Olympic duo join Nuala to discuss competing together at an elite level in athletics, winning bronze side-by-side for Team GB, and navigating triumphs and challenges in the public eye after Lina’s Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.

Psychotherapist Jennifer Gledhill joins Nuala to talk about the psychology of sister relationships. What pushes you apart, and what brings you together? She also gives her tips on how to have a better relationship with your sister.

How do you deal with the grief of losing a sister? British-Kurdish activist Payzee Mahmod’s joins Nuala to talk about her beloved sister Banaz, who was murdered aged 20 in a so-called 'honour' killing. Their father and uncle are serving life sentences for the murder. Nuala and Payzee talk about loss, legacy and how Banaz’s death drove Payzee’s campaign against child marriage.

What is Nuala like as a sister? Joining us from Ireland to spill the beans are Nuala’s own two sisters – Vera and Eileen!

Film historian Alex Von Tunzelmann charts one of the most famous sisterly feuds in Hollywood history – the explosive rivalry between the Oscar-winning British actresses, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

And what if you don’t have biological sisters or didn’t grow up with them, but want the support system that can come with a sisterhood? Angel, from London, is now 21 years old and was in the care system from the age of five. She’s a mentor and ‘big sister’ for Sister System, a charity that works with care-experienced women and girls. Angel and the charity’s founder Okela Douglas join Nuala to discuss why sisterhood can have such a profound impact.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producers: Maryam Maruf and Erin Downes
Editor: Olivia Bolton
Studio Manager: Gayl Gordon

Archive: Fleabag / Two Brothers Pictures / Harry Bradbeer; Pride and Prejudice / Working Title Films / Joe Wright; Little Women / Columbia Pictures / Greta Gerwig

The book reading is from Joan Fontaine’s memoir, No Bed of Roses published by William Morrow and Company


MON 11:00 Michael Sheen Gets Into Character (m001znn8)
Fragility

Michael Sheen explores the strange art of acting.

Today, there's a lot of talk about the "fragility" of young actors and audiences. But has that fragility always existed? And is it in fact necessary to the task of getting into character?

In the final installment of this series, Michael finds out what it's like to be a young actor today, in an industry that has changed so much since he started out.

As the world of acting evolves, are the teachings of Stanislavski and Adler still relevant? Mia McKenna-Bruce is a 26 year old actress who has never been to drama school but has just won a BAFTA. She tells Michael how she developed her own unique way of getting into character. Meanwhile, Brandon Grace remembers his struggle to break into drama school as a working class actor.

On-set therapists and intimacy co-ordinators are becoming the new normal. Many actors and directors worry that these mediators will dampen "the spark." Dramatherapist Lou Platt tells us how an actor getting in touch with their inner child helped them to learn their lines, while intimacy co-ordinator David Thackeray explores the freedom of performance that can be found within the choreography of movement.

Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio.


MON 11:30 One to One (m001mllj)
Dharshini David meets fashion writer Anna Murphy

Are we as obsessed as ever with not looking old? It's six years since US beauty magazine Allure banned the term "anti-ageing" in its publications, and some big cosmetic brands have tried to portray a more positive attitude towards getting older. But with huge demand for so-called "tweakments" like Botox injections, does the "anti-ageing" narrative still dominate? BBC business correspondent Dharshini David and Times fashion director Anna Murphy discuss the culture of the beauty industry and what is driving people's desire to change the way they look.

Produced for BBC Audio in Cardiff by Paul Martin.


MON 11:45 Child (p0hcsmtn)
11. Oxytocin

Labour begins. The womb begins its grinding dance into contractions and the hormone Oxytocin steps onto the scene. In this episode, India Rakusen explores the influence that both people and the places we are in have over labour and birth.

Where we give birth, and with who, has changed quite dramatically over the centuries. But what do we know now about the significance of both? We hear from Dr Sarah Fox about the move from birth being a women-only space to the rise of man-midwives. Economist Emily Oster discusses the benefits of having a doula, and Leila Baker, one of the directors of Doula UK, talks about the rise in Doulas and what that means for marginalised groups, security and safety. Finally Dr Ranee Thakar considers how recent headlines have eroded trust - with consequences for oxytocin.

Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Ellie Sans
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Production Team: Ella McLeod & Georgia Arundell
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by ESKA And The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m0022bx4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m0022bx6)
Student Commuters, Charity Superstores and the NHS App

More students are commuting but are universities set up to ensure that they make the most of their university experience?

Charity shops have been key feature of our high streets for years, now a new generation of charity superstores are opening in retail parks.

For years it was left to decline but an historic wool market has now been refurbished and not only become one of Yorkshire’s hottest tourist attractions but also one of the country’s biggest outdoor music venues.

The NHS App is now one of the most downloaded in the UK. More than three quarters of adults in England have it but not all GPs work with it. What do patients think about it and how will it develop in future? The Patients Association has been investigating. If you have a question as a patient you can contact the Patients Association on their Helpline: 0800 345 7115

We are experiencing hotter spells in summer, and the Met Office predict surges in temperature to 40 C and above will be commonplace mid-century. But how do you keep homes, mostly built to keep the heat in, cool in hot weather?

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: KEV MOUSLEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m0022bx8)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m0022bxb)
Former England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson has died

We remember the life former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, and we speak to a politician in Kyiv as more than half of Ukraine's regions have been attacked overnight.


MON 13:45 Grenfell: Building a Disaster (m0022bxd)
6. Value Engineering

When Grenfell resident Ed Daffarn first heard about the multimillion pound refurbishment of the tower, he welcomed it. The estate had, in his view, become increasingly run down in recent years.

But as the refurbishment progressed, he says residents felt their voices weren’t heard. Meanwhile architects and contractors selected materials which would burn easily in a fire.

Kate looks at how cost-cutting and a race to the bottom in the construction industry had devastating consequences for the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Josephine Casserly
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Audio engineers: James Beard and Gareth Jones
Story consultant: Simon Maybin
Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 14:00 The Archers (m0022bxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Stand Up Just William (m0022bxj)
All The News

Martin Jarvis performs as Richmal Crompton's immortal schoolboy character William.


MON 14:45 Wolverine Blues (m000xzjn)
Episode 1

Wolverine Blues, or a Case of Defiance Neurosis

Fiction from Graeme Macrae Burnet, inspired by the case study "Defiance Neurosis of a Seventeen-Year-Old High School Student" by Alphonse Maeder.

In 1950s Switzerland, Max finds himself on a collision course with his father when a new friend stirs a passion for music.

Read by Alasdair Hankinson and Robin Laing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Graeme Macrae Burnet lives in Glasgow and is the author of novels including the Man Booker shortlisted 'His Bloody Project' and longlisted 'Case Study'. His new novel, 'A Case for Matricide', is published in October and concludes the Georges Gorski trilogy.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m0022bxl)
The Roman Emperor Nero

An unexpected choice for Great Lives, the Roman Emperor Nero has a reputation for debauchery and murder. He was also surprisingly popular, at least during the early years of his reign, and the writer Conn Iggulden argues he may be a victim of bad press. The Christians decided he was the anti-christ some three centuries after he died, and the three main sources are no more positive about his achievements and life. But a recent exhibition at the British Museum - entitled the man behind the myth - worked hard to soften Nero's terrible reputation. So is there more to Nero than we think?

Joining Conn Iggulden in studio is Dr Shushma Malik of Cambridge University. Matthew Parris presents. Conn Iggulden is co-author of The Dangerous Book for Boys and the best-selling historical fiction about Nero with the strapline, "Rome wasn't burned in a day."

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde


MON 15:30 Extreme: Muscle Men (m0022bxp)
Muscle Men

5. The A Team

Nobody gets arrested for dealing anabolic steroids. That’s the assumption bodybuilder Dan Duchaine, William Dillon and their fellow ring-members are relying upon, as they build the biggest steroid trafficking operation in America. But that’s all about to change.

As President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs rages in the mid 1980s, the ring find themselves in the crosshairs of a team of dogged investigators leading the fight against steroids.

Host Natalia Mehlman Petrzela reveals how a newly formed National Steroid Taskforce put steroids enforcement, once seen as a fringe issue by the authorities, on the map. That’s bad news for Dillon and his fellow steroid dealers. But catching them won’t be easy…

Featuring William Dillon; Daniel Supnick, a former special agent with the US Customs Service, and former special agent in the Criminal Investigations Division of the IRS, Stephen Gelman.

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

Featuring clips from:
Interview with Philip Halpern - Professor Daniel Rosenke
Panorama: Dying to Win: Drugs in Sport - BBC1
Ronald Reagan speech, 1986 - The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
‘Say No To Drugs’ Public Service Announcement - Mike Tyson

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 Rearming the UK (m0022bxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0022bqc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m0022bxy)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0022by2)
The former England football manager had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. In 2001, he became the first foreign manager to lead the England team.


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0022by5)
Series 30

Episode 4

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.

Justin Edwards, Zoe Lyons, Lucy Porter and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as stationery, fast food, the Tudors and swearing.

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 (m0022by9)
George declines Clive’s offer to join him in morning yoga and listens to him moaning about his B&B. Later as they have a beer in the garden, George reveals Will is still pressing him to go to the police. Clive says he should tell Will and Emma to back off and hold his nerve. George worries about prison, for him or Alice. But Clive says wealthy people like Alice don’t go to prison. Impatient, he tells George the crash was an accident: stop going on and enjoy your beer.

Alistair and Harrison discuss the fete, where Harrison bought a brilliant book about cricket coaching. Alistair grumbles about one of the girls at the cricket camp – Cassie, who is decidedly sassy. Little Croxley cricket captain Laura asks Alistair how the camp has gone. Alistair is forced to reveal that Cassie – who it turns out is Laura’s daughter – has been a bit of a handful. He adds that she could really be a decent cricketer, if she put her mind to it. Laura asks how things are going with his ‘situationship’. He says it’s going well and has to put up with Harrison pulling his leg about being the ‘Valentino of the village’.

Clive bumps into a shocked Susan as she is shopping. It’s been too long, he says. ‘No,’ she replies. ‘It hasn’t been long enough.’ He follows her, suggesting they go for a coffee. She wants nothing to do with him. He claims he’s different now; enlightened after a near-death experience. But Susan says they don’t want him anywhere near them.


MON 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001m4dh)
Nick Cave

Nick Cave, the Australian born singer-songwriter and author, reveals the formative influences and experiences that have inspired his own creativity. With his band The Bad Seeds, Cave is renowned for the darkness and drama of his narrative based work. His lyrics are often populated by flawed people doing bad things, but seeking redemption in love or God, or both. His musical output is diverse, ranging from rock’n’roll, to piano-based love songs. The tragic death of his 15 year old son Arthur in 2015 has informed recent work, with songs about devastating loss, grief and love explored throughout the albums Ghosteen and Carnage. Nick Cave has also written novels, poetry, a screenplay, and has recently published Faith, Hope and Carnage - a book exploring his ideas about creativity and belief.

Nick Cave talks to John Wilson about the influences of his father, an English teacher, and his mother, a school librarian, in encouraging his love of literature from a young age. He recalls seeing The Johnny Cash Show on television at the age of 10 and being spellbound by the country music star, with whom he later worked. He also remembers the life-changing effect of hearing Leonard Cohen’s Songs Of Life and Death album for the first time, and the profound influence the Canadian poet and songwriter had own his own lyrics. He reveals that fellow Australian Barry Humphries was another artist who inspired his own work, having seen a Dame Edna Everage show in Melbourne in the early 1970s. Nick Cave also discusses the impact that the death of his son had on his life, work and marriage.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0022436)
Global Tensions 3: Russia and the West

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the risk of escalation on Russian borders and further afield and explore what form that might take if it were to happen.

Guests:

Natia Seskuria, founder and executive director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies (RISS), a Tbilisi-based think tank
Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute,
Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence studies and Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
Mark Galeotti, writer on Russian security affairs and director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Drew Hyndman
Sound engineers: James Beard and Nigel Appleton
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0022440)
Why aren’t we eating more insects?

We try some cricket tacos and ask what role insects might play in our future diets, in a special programme with a live audience at Green Man Festival in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales.

Our panellists:
Peter Smithers, an entomologist and fellow of the Royal Entomological Society
Aaron Thomas, co-founder of Yum Bug, which makes meat out of crickets
Dr Emily Porter, a dietician and gut health specialist for the NHS and The Gut Health Clinic

What else should we explore – and where else should we visit? Send your suggestions to insidescience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Sound manager: Mike Cox
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 History's Secret Heroes (p0hm0r3g)
18. Andrée De Jongh and the Comet Line

A 24-year-old Belgian woman masterminds an escape line, spanning eight hundred miles of Nazi-occupied territory, stretching from Belgium to Spain. Can Andrée de Jongh save the lives of hundreds of stranded airmen?

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 (m001zgmq)
To Catch a Scorpion

To Catch a Scorpion: 7. Buried Deep

Sue and Rob uncover new evidence linking Scorpion to deaths at sea. They track him to a luxury seaside villa and hear from a woman close to him about the drugs and money he craved.

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
Assistant 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 (m0022byd)
Keir Starmer speech to warn tough times ahead

The Prime Minister set to warn that "things will get worse before they get better" in a speech from Downing Street’s rose garden.

Also in the programme: Ukraine says Russia has used hundreds of missiles and drones to target the country's energy network, in the biggest air attack of the war so far. And, Gallagher brothers tease Oasis reunion – we speak to a fan who manages the rural studio where they recorded 'What's the story morning glory?'.


MON 22:45 The Go-Between by LP Hartley (m0022byg)
Episode Six

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." So begins this classic novel of childhood, class and lost innocence, set in the scorching hot summer of 1900.

Shortly before his 13th birthday, Leo Colston goes to spend the summer holidays with a schoolfriend, on his family's country estate, Brandham Hall. There he becomes the go-between for Marian, his friend's older sister, and Ted - a tenant farmer.

Read by James Wilby
Produced by Alison Crawford and Mair Bosworth
Abridged by Sara Davies
Recorded and Mixed by Ilse Lademann


MON 23:00 Limelight (p0d9067z)
Harland - Series 2

Harland - 5. Frīgedæg

All is not well in Harland. Powerful industrialist Darius Fordingbridge has to rely on his hapless CCTV operative Dan to make the perilous journey into the Zone in the hope of protecting the youngest of the Hare Witches from the murderous demon known as Hare Mask.

Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Lindsay ..... Jasmine Hyde
Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine
Fordingbridge ..... Sean Baker
Serena ..... Chloë Sommer
Morris ..... Rupert Holliday Evans
Mum ..... Fiona Skinner
Firefighter ..... David Hounslow

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 (m001wypc)
Quantum Leaps and Future Chips

In our final episode, Misha Glenny explores the power of microchips to unlock the potential of future innovation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and neurotechnology.

The semiconductor has transformed the world as we know it, but is it on the cusp of changing what it means to be human?

This year chips took a decisive step into a new frontier, the human body, as Elon Musk’s company Neuralink successfully implanted their first brain chip. Misha speaks to Professor Henri Lorach, who helps paralysed patients walk again using brain implants, about this pioneering technology and how it could revolutionise our lives.

At the centre of the Artificial Intelligence revolution is advanced microchip technology, those chips provide the power that makes AI possible. Misha hears from AI start-up Synthesia about the opportunities and the threats for nations and citizens of creating AI generated videos and Dame Wendy Hall, a member of the United Nations advisory body on AI, reflects on the need for regulation and strong governance of AI.

Beyond the realms of most human comprehension lies quantum computing, the next evolutionary phase in the microchip journey. Misha speaks to startup Quantum Motion and tech giant IBM about how their quantum chips which stay colder than absolute zero/ outer space can complete tasks that take everyday computers hundreds of years in mere minutes. Yet in the wrong hands these chips could have a dark side – Misha hears from Nigel Inkster, the former director of operations for the British Secret Intelligence Service about how quantum computing could break down the world’s cryptography and cyber security and reveal top secret information previously hidden.

Presented by Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.

Produced by Olivia Sopel and Mugabi Turya

TUESDAY 27 AUGUST 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0022byj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Child (p0hcsmtn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0022byl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0022byn)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0022byq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0022bys)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0022byv)
Sadness

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Steve Taylor

Some people feel that sadness is a sign of weakness. We’re supposed to be cheerful, or at least to present a cheerful exterior to the world. When friends or colleagues ask us how we are, no one expects us to say, “I feel quite down at the moment actually.” Public shows of sadness are embarrassing. If someone starts sobbing during a work meeting, or leaves a party because they feel depressed, it’s a serious breach of social codes.

We might also feel ashamed of sadness, as if we’re letting ourselves down. Surely sadness means that our lives are not running smoothly, that we’ve allowed negativity to enter our minds. Surely if we were living in the right way, we’d feel happy all the time.

But all this ignores the important function of sadness. From time to time, we are inevitably exposed to suffering – other people’s suffering or our own. From time to time, we’ll face hardship and turmoil in our lives. Sadness is a coping mechanism. It helps us to process suffering. If we don’t allow ourselves to feel sad, suffering stays inside, and builds up pressure, and may even poison us, turning into bitterness and guilt.

Sadness releases the pressure and has a therapeutic effect. Or as I express it poetically:

After your sadness has passed
you’ll feel cleansed and refreshed
like a plain that’s more fertile, after a flood has ebbed away.

Inside the great space of your being
you’ll feel deeper with humility
richer with sensitivity
more radiant with compassion
and more passionate with selfless desire
to bring healing to the world.

So today, if I feel waves of sadness inside me, I won’t suppress them. I will allow them to flow through me, to express themselves and then pass.

Blessings.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0022byx)
Farmers flooded earlier in the year are still waiting eight months on for government grants they have claimed to clear up.

It’s a challenging harvest for farmers across the country because of the wet weather, and yields are down.

The National Farmers Union says as many as half of farmers have been affected by fly-tipping, which is a blight on the countryside and can cost farmers a lot of money to clear up.

Presented by Caz Graham

Produced by Alun Beach


TUE 06:00 Today (m0022c2v)
27/08/24 - Starmer pledges to 'reverse decade of decline'

The Prime Minister promises to reverse a "decade of decline" in a Downing Street speech, but he’ll also warn that things will get worse before they get better.
Oasis announce they are reuniting after 15 years for a world tour next summer. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson tells Today about the moment she was forced to “crawl” off a train because staff failed to assist her.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m0022c2x)
Darren Croft on killer whale matriarchs and the menopause

Darren Croft studies one of the ocean’s most charismatic and spectacular animals – the killer whale. Orca are probably best known for their predatory behaviour: ganging up to catch hapless seals or attack other whales. But for the last fifteen years, Darren Croft’s focus has been on a gentler aspect of killer whale existence: their family and reproductive lives .
Killer whales live in multi-generational family groups. Each family is led by an old matriarch, often well into her 80s. The rest of the group are her daughters and sons, and grand-children. Especially intriguing to Darren is that female orca go through something like the menopause - an extremely rare phenomenon in the animal kingdom, only documented in just five species of toothed whales and of course in humans. Halting female reproduction in midlife is an evolutionary mystery, but it is one which Darren Croft argues can be explained by studying killer whales.
Darren is Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter. He talks to Jim Al-Kalili about his research on killer whales, his previous work revealing sophisticated social behaviour in fish, his life on the farm, and the downsides and upsides of being dyslexic.

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Andrew Luck-Baker


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m0022c2z)
Cancer vaccine trials and planning for cyber attacks

Trials of a cancer 'vaccine' have begun and presenter James meets Steve, one of the first patients to trial the new treatment, Steve remembers his shock at being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in his 40s and tells the story of how he became involved in this pioneering research into tackling cancer.

The vaccine is based on the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and James heads to the University of Cambridge to find out how the early work into cancer vaccines became the foundation for the rapid rollout of the covid vaccine.

In the lab, molecular biologist Dr Anne Willis and immunologist Dr James Thaventhiran explain how the vaccine is personalised to target the unique make-up of an individual patients' cancer cells, and how if the trials are successful they could open the door to mRNA treatments being used to treat a wide range of diseases.

Also, Imperial College London cyber security researcher Dr Saira Ghafur joins James in the studio to explain why healthcare is a growing target for cyber attackers and how we can prepare for the next one because, as Saira says, it really is a case of "when" not "if".

Presented by James Gallagher
Produced by Tom Bonnett with Hannah Robins
Assistant Producer: Katie Tomsett
Editor: Holly Squire


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0022c31)
Paralympics preview, Master of King's Music Errollyn Wallen, Shifters

The Paris Paralympic Games begin tomorrow. Nuala is joined by Paralympian turned broadcaster Rachael Latham to talk us through the women we should be looking out for over the next 12 days.

Composer and singer-songwriter Errollyn Wallen joins Nuala after being appointed the new Master of the King's Music. The position has existed since the 17th century and is awarded to musicians who have added to the musical life of the nation, but Wallen is only the second woman to hold the post. Her work is some of the most performed among living composers, and includes 22 operas.

The play Shifters follows former children friends Des and Dre, they are first loves whose relationship twists and turns over a decade. Currently on at the Duke of York’s Theatre, is the third play in the West End to be written by a black British woman. The writer Benedict Lombe joins Nuala, along with Heather Agyepong who plays Des.


TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m00224t0)
Amy Harman and Roderick Williams head for The Village

Baritone Roderick Williams and bassoonist Amy Harman kick off with a famous four-letter acronym as they add the next five tracks to the playlist with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they go on their latest international musical journey.

From the cop, the cowboy and the construction worker in Greenwich Village, the show drops in on Brahms, visits the Canary Islands, and ends up at an unorthodox Ella Fitzgerald version of a traditional Scottish folk song.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

YMCA by The Village People
Scherzo in C Minor from the F-A-E Sonata by Johannes Brahms
Canarios by John Williams
‘Pourquoi me réveiller?’ by Alfredo Kraus
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean by Ella Fitzgerald

Other music in this episode:

Linger by The Cranberries
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood by Nina Simone
Macho Man by The Village People
In the Navy by The Village People
America from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters
Riverdance by Bill Whelan
My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers
My Bonnie by Ray Charles


TUE 11:45 Child (p0hcsmxp)
12. Consent

Being in control and having a sense of choice can be the difference between a positive or negative birth experience, but how much choice do women really have?

India Rakusen speaks to Dr Anna Nelson about consent for cervical examinations and how muddy this area can be. Leah Hazard discusses what these examinations are for and how useful they can be, and we also hear from Dr Ihab Abassi about his decision to only perform gentle caesareans and the long lasting positive impact this can have on women.

Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Ellie Sans
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Production Team: Ella McLeod & Georgia Arundell
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by ESKA
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0022c33)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m0022c35)
Call You & Yours: Holiday Nightmares

What’s gone wrong on your holiday?
Complaints to the financial ombudsman over failed holiday insurance claims have increased by almost a fifth over the last year.
Flight disruption is also on the rise, with almost three times more cancellations in the UK in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2023, according to travel tech company AirHelp.
So, what are your holiday horror stories?
Have you lost your luggage? Or been hit with unexpected fees on your rental car? Perhaps you’ve even turned up to your accommodation only to find it overbooked or in rather different shape to the pictures?
If so, we’d like to hear what happened, how you solved it and whether you still managed to enjoy your trip despite the disruption.
Email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk, share your stories, and leave a telephone number where we can contact you.
From 11am on Tuesday you can call us on 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT


TUE 12:57 Weather (m0022c37)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m0022c39)
The prime minister warns of coming budget pain

Sir Keir Starmer warns that as well as a difficult financial situation, the UK faces a "societal black hole" - and says that things will get worse before they get better. Plus: the cross-generational appeal of Oasis.


TUE 13:45 Grenfell: Building a Disaster (m0022c3c)
7. The Fire

In the early hours of the 14th June 2017, the bell in North Kensington’s fire station begins to ring. Firefighter David Badillo assumes it is a routine house fire. He expects that he and his colleagues will extinguish it quickly and head back to the station.

But when he ventures inside the tower, David Badillo realises that this fire is like nothing he’s seen before.

In this episode, Kate tells the story of the beginning of the night of the fire and asks whether the firefighters who risked their lives were adequately trained and prepared for an event which, for many, was foreseeable.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Josephine Casserly
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Audio engineers: James Beard and Gareth Jones
Story consultant: Simon Maybin
Editor: Penny Murphy


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0022by9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0017k7f)
Jason's Mates

Peter Strickland is a highly regarded, award winning independent film maker. He has written and directed several Radio 4 dramas, all well received by audiences and critics. In Jason's Mates, Peter satirises the low to high level corruption that permeates some democracies at local level. He has harnessed the style of old, children’s television animation in order to create a highly stylised world of reality-based but fictionalised political corruption, exploring it with wit and acute observation.

Peter says, "Jason’s Mates is a response to the perennial problems of corruption and almost every incident in the play is loosely based on real life practices or occurrences. Playful satire felt like an appropriate response to something profoundly poisonous in society and I wanted to aim for a tone similar to the BBC animation I grew up on in the 70s. The play is narrated (as well as sporadically sung) and has the feel of a children’s show. Presenting adult themes within the context of a children’s format felt like the most effective way to tell a story of corruption, which is regrettably ever-relevant. The fictitious locale is also important in order to avoid scrutiny over what is or isn’t correct, which will give us the freedom to tell the story of something all too real."

Jason is the Mayor of the prestigious and picturesque town of Ramsonlea. An election is coming up and an opposition candidate called Ernest is promising an overhaul of all the corruption and nepotism that has plagued local government under Jason’s watch. Jason’s mates have hugely benefited from his rule and become obscenely rich from the funds he’s diverted to them and himself.

His friend Portie owns countless companies that win various tenders for roadworks and church renovation, which are invariably done badly to siphon off money, allowing local government to beg for more funds later down the line. His louche and arrogant son Lance is given a high-ranking position after the University is forced to give him top marks. Meanwhile, Ramsonlea Hospital is falling apart and the schools are suffering.

Cast:
Jason…………………………Richard Bremmer
Wilf……………………………Hugh Dennis
Portie Winterworth………Toby Jones
Lance Winterworth…………..Leo Bill
Ernest Montague…………….Paul Ready
Professor Pontifex…………. Fatma Mohamed
The Narrator……………….. Stephanie Racine

Original music……………….Jon Fletcher
Lyrics…………………………Peter Strickland

Sound Design………………Eloise Whitmore

Written and directed by Peter Strickland

Executive Producer: Polly Thomas

A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m0022c3f)
Constellation

Star maps, messages from Earth to the moon and reaching out across distance as Josie Long presents short documentaries about constellations.

Star Map
Featuring Ferdinand Hauge Leth
Music by Kirstine Lindemann
Captured by Trawl Hz
Produced by Nanna Hauge Kristensen

News to the Moon and Back
Recordings courtesy of the NASA archive
Produced by Mika Golubovsky

The Complaints Department
Featuring Evan Gregg and letters from www.dearmisterward.com
Produced by Inge Oosterhoff

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


TUE 15:30 On Your Farm (m0022c06)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:35 on Sunday]


TUE 16:00 The Grand House - Boom or Blight? (m0022c3h)
Country houses have been the subject of hot debate since the National Trust and others decided to tell the stories of how colonialism and trade in enslaved people helped fund many great estates. But 50 years ago the country house, beleaguered by taxation and public hostility, faced ruin. 1500 houses were demolished in the years up to 1970s. Then in 1974, Sir Roy Strong and others mounted a dramatic exhibition at the V&A highlighting the loss. This prompted a change in the tax regime and in public opinion.

Tristram Hunt, current director of the Victoria and Albert museum, tells the story and looks at how great houses are making their money today. How appropriate are the events and entertainments they provide? Why is most of the money made in the grounds, not the houses themselves?

Many believe that the houses are in danger once again and that their stories need reframing to attract a new and more diverse audience - getting away from dull and static tours that feature undue reverence for the owners and their ancestral families. This is a moment of intense re-thinking about how country houses can contribute to the cultural life of the country - beyond just being 'leisure parks'.

Recorded around the country in several grand houses.

Presenter : Tristram Hunt
Producer : Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 You're Dead to Me (m0022bq7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


TUE 17:00 PM (m0022c3k)
Keir Starmer warns short-term pain needed for long-term good

The prime minister warns an economic 'black hole' left by the Conservatives will mean a 'painful' October budget. Also on PM, we ask whether dogs should be allowed in the office.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0022c3m)
Sir Keir Starmer has warned that his government's first budget is "going to be painful".


TUE 18:30 Do Gooders (m0022c3p)
5. The Funeral

Episode Five - The Funeral
Clive’s latest fundraising project is put into jeopardy and he must attend a funeral to maintain his position in the league tables. Luckily Ken is on hand to school him in the dark arts of fundraising at a wake. Harriett tasks herself with getting Gladys a date and Lauren and Achi become embroiled in an ethical protest.

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.

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 whilst 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.

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

Guest Stars
Sandra – Andrea Hubert
Marcus – Glenn Moore

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 (m0022c3r)
Justin moans that his flat white is lukewarm but Emma has no time for his complaints. He’s been chatting and let it go cold, she says. If he wants a hot one he’ll have to buy another. Fallon intervenes and gives Justin a fresh coffee and complimentary croissant. Fallon asks Emma what’s going on – she’s been stressed out for days. Emma apologises but avoids telling the truth about George, saying ‘he’s just not right at the moment’ and ‘very nervous about going to court’. Fallon tells her to try not to worry and to reassure George: he did a wonderful thing. George rings and tells Emma Clive’s upset after bumping into Susan who he says was awful to him.

Later, Justin quizzes Fallon about her plans for opening a café at the charging station. She reveals her ideas for a meat and dairy free eaterie.

A shocked Susan is telling Tracy about being ambushed by Clive while shopping. Why couldn’t he have stayed out of Ambridge? The two discuss how they can keep Clive away from their dad. They wonder whether they could bribe Clive to go away. But where would that end? They ask Brad’s advice who reckons his Great Granddad has the right to see his son. George arrives to ask Brad what he’s doing tonight and if he fancies seeing a film. Brad is seeing Mia so he suggests going tomorrow. George keeps Clive’s role in his return a secret. But he and Brad agree that Great Granddad should have the choice to see his own son.


TUE 19:15 This Cultural Life (m0018g0c)
Eileen Atkins

With a career spanning eight decades, Dame Eileen Atkins is one of the most acclaimed British actors. She is a three-time Olivier Award-winner and has won Emmy and BAFTA Awards for her role in the television series Cranford. A familiar face on screen since making her television debut in 1959, she has starred in shows ranging from Doc Martin to The Crown, and her film roles have included The Dresser, Gosford Park, Cold Mountain and Paddington 2. She also co-created the long-running television series Upstairs Downstairs and The House of Elliot, and wrote the screenplay for the 1997 film of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway.

Dame Eileen talks to John Wilson about her upbringing on a Tottenham council estate and how, under the tutelage of a woman she knew as Madame Yandie, she became Baby Eileen, a child stage performer, singing and dancing in working men’s clubs. She chooses as one of her greatest influences one of her teachers at Latymer School, EJ Burton, who introduced her to literature and theatre. She recalls the impact of joining the company at the Shakespeare Theatre, now the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1957, after a long struggle to secure stage roles. Dame Eileen also explains how her fascination with Virginia Woolf led to one of her most celebrated stage performances, that of the writer herself, in a one woman show adaptation of A Room Of One’s Own.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m0022c3t)
After the Riots

Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers came under attack during the riots that swept across the country earlier this month. The courts have been tough on violent disorder, but File on 4 examines how tackling the possible root causes may require an even stronger effort. Tensions over immigration are still simmering, particularly in areas that have long been in economic decline. Paul Kenyon reports.

Producer: Hayley Mortimer
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Alys Harte


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0022c3w)
Steve Darling; Archaeology in Cookham

Steve Darling is not the first visually impaired MP, but he is the latest, after winning Torbay in Devon for the Liberal Democrats in July's general election. In Touch speaks to Steve about the excitements and challenges of taking up his new role in the Mother of parliaments.

In Touch visits an archaeological dig site in Cookham, where an 8th century monastery is being excavated. Our main interest there, aside from the various skull and bone discoveries, is visually impaired Jonathan Charmley. Jonathan has always had a keen interest in history and decided to begin an archaeology course at university. During his studies, he lost most of his vision as the result of a brain tumour. In Touch finds out what performing archaeology is like for Jonathan since losing his vision.

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 (m0022c3y)
The struggle for Jerusalem’s Old City

Why Armenians in Jerusalem say they are fighting an existential battle.
Is the identity of the Old City of Jerusalem changing - house by house? This small patch of land is of vital importance to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. But, amid accusations of dodgy deals, corruption and trickery, there are concerns that the Old City’s historic multi-ethnic and multi-religious identity is being altered. In the Armenian Quarter a battle is going on for the control of land which the local community says is essential to its well-being and even its survival. Emily Wither visits one of the most contested cities in the world.

Presenter: Emily Wither
Producer: John Murphy
Sound Mix: Neil Churchill
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

Music: Apo Sahagian


TUE 21:30 Great Lives (m0022bxl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0022c40)
Starmer says Autumn budget will be "painful"

Sir Keir Starmer once again rounded on the Conservative record in government as he promised "tough action" to "fix the foundations of the country". Speaking from the Downing Street garden, the prime minister said people would have to "accept short-term pain for long-term good" ahead of the Budget in October.

In the Middle East, another hostage was rescued by the IDF in Gaza. Farhan Elkadi is a Bedouin Arab who worked at a kibbutz in southern Israel from where he was captured on October 7th. He was found in an underground tunnel.

And an extremely rare orchid that some people thought was instinct in Britain has been found, but the finder won't reveal where.


TUE 22:45 The Go-Between by LP Hartley (m0022c42)
Episode Seven

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." So begins this classic novel of childhood, class and lost innocence, set in the scorching hot summer of 1900.

Shortly before his 13th birthday, Leo Colston goes to spend the summer holidays with a schoolfriend, on his family's country estate, Brandham Hall. There he becomes the go-between for Marian, his friend's older sister, and Ted - a tenant farmer.

Read by James Wilby
Produced by Alison Crawford and Mair Bosworth
Abridged by Sara Davies
Recorded and Mixed by Ilse Lademann


TUE 23:00 Jon Holmes Says the C-Word (m0022c44)
8. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

In episode eight, Jon and his guests discuss love, hope, strength and the future – ongoing treatments, ongoing research, and the joy of being told you’re cancer free.

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

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by cancer, you can find information and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline


TUE 23:30 A Good Read (m001zv34)
Kathryn Hughes and Dan Schreiber

Historian and author Kathryn Hughes and No Such Thing As a Fish presenter Dan Schreiber recommend favourite books to Harriett Gilbert. Kathryn chooses Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes, an exploration of the French writer's life in the form of a novel. Dan's choice is very different - John Higgs taking on the conceptual artists and chart toppers The KLF. Harriett has gone for Michael Ondaatje's novel Warlight, set in a murky and mysterious post-war London.

Presenter: Harriett Gilbert

Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally Heaven