SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002838q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Under a Metal Sky by Philip Marsden (m0028379)
Gold

Philip Marsden’s passion for rocks dates back to his boyhood, when he first discovered the excitement of searching for crystals and fossils. In Under a Metal Sky, he takes us on a captivating journey across Europe through the story of metals, revealing how they became an engine of culture, trade and technology that changed our relationship with the natural world.

In the final episode, Philip travels to Georgia, home of the legend of the Golden Fleece. The quest for the fleece is the origin story of countless heroic tales, down to Star Wars and Harry Potter. The search for gold itself represents the ultimate reward - a symbol of status and value.

In Svaneti, a region known for its gold, he finds two locals who take him panning for gold in the river. As he catches a few grains, the excitement of his childhood explorations searching for rocks returns, a fascination that has shaped his journey across Europe to follow the story of metals.

Read by Adrian Lukis
Produced and Abridged by Jo Glanville
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Studio Engineer: Jon Calver

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002838s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002838v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002838x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m002838z)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0028393)
Being the Rope of Mercy

Good morning.

I was visiting my mother, and after 9 hours of travel, I arrived late in the evening, ate some food and crashed into bed, the feeling of a temperature rising in my body. When I woke up the combination of jetlag and fever left me discombobulated. I thought I had woken up in my own bed at home, but the surroundings were alien. From the other room, I heard my mother’s footsteps, the unmistakable pattern of her movements. I remembered a moment pre-dawn when she covered me in an extra blanket. I was home, because I was where she was.

Proust says that memory comes like a rope let down from heaven to draw one out of the abyss of unbeing, but what happens if you have no memory? The curious case of Clive Waring who suffered one of the worst cases of amnesia ever, records him as not being able to recall short nor long-term memory. As soon as something happened, he immediately forgot. And yet, despite this, he would remember his wife, Deborah. He didn’t recall the details, but he knew he loved her, and she loved him, and that was the rope let down from heaven for him to hold onto.

How often have we forgotten the exact words a person may have said to us, or the precise actions that they did, but we remember always how they made us feel? In the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad is told, “By the Mercy of Allah, you were gentle with them. Had you been rude or harsh, they would have scattered from around you.” Elsewhere, God reminds him, “We did not send you, except as a Mercy to the world.”

I pray we move through the world leaving in our wake people, whether familiar or strangers, feeling loved, seen, and cherished. Ameen.


SAT 05:45 Why Do We Do That? (m002837p)
Series 2

5. Why do we laugh?

Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do we laugh?

Some people might not have a sense of humour, you might even know someone who never laughs… but there isn’t a culture out there, say a tribe, where people just never laugh. It does appear to be universal but how universal and how primal?

Many mammals and the great apes ( chimpanzees, gorillas and bononbos) laugh. Orangutans diverged from the other great apes including us about 12 million years ago and because we all laugh that suggests our shared common ancestor laughed. So what is the purpose of laughing? Ella talks to Professor Sophie Scott from University College London and stand-up comic Ria Lina.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002897x)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m00282rr)
Adjoa Andoh

Adjoa Andoh has played lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, and is a familiar face to fans of Casualty and Doctor Who. She is probably best known as Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, the hit Netflix series. Her roots, though, are firmly in the countryside. She grew up in the village of Wickwar, just north of Bristol, where she and her brother were the only black children in the area. In this programme she tells Martha Kearney about her rural childhood and the lasting love of the natural world it instilled in her. She takes Martha on one of her favourite walks on the South Downs. Together they spot birds, stop to admire sweeping views of the sea, where Adjoa swims year-round, and talk about landscape, religion and the restorative power of nature.

Producer: Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002897z)
22/02/25 - Farming Today This Week: Peat and climate change, bottom trawling, inheritance tax

The majority of the UK's peatlands could be at risk of drying out in the next 40-50 years because of climate change - according to a new study from scientists at the Universities of Exeter, Manchester and Derby. Healthy, wet peatlands are seen as part of the solution to climate change because they soak up planet-heating carbon dioxide - UK peatlands currently store an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. But where they dry out, they become a problem because they can then release that stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

MPs have been debating calls to ban bottom trawling in some parts of the sea. Bottom trawling is a method of fishing where weighted nets are dragged along the seabed to gather things like scallops, sole and plaice. According to The Marine Conservation Society, bottom trawling is currently forbidden across 5% of the UK's MPAs, and a wider ban in ALL protected areas is something conservation charities have been calling for, for some time. But is it the right move?

And farming leaders have said they left a much-anticipated meeting with the Treasury this week with their blood "boiling", claiming the Government has "shut the door" on any rethink of planned changes to inheritance tax on farms. Representatives from agricultural organisations met the Exchequer Secretary, James Murray, and Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner, on Tuesday. It follows months of protests over plans for inherited agricultural assets worth more than a million pounds to be taxed at 20% from April next year.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m0028981)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m0028983)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0028985)
Steven Frayne (aka Dynamo), Pepsi Demacque-Crockett, Harriet Dyer, Steph McGovern

Steven Frayne, better known as the illusionist and magician Dynamo, has made the impossible look effortless: walking on water, levitating above London and somehow keeping his secrets. His new show marks a new chapter, where he uses his magic to spotlight everyday heroes across the UK, returning to the street magic that first launched his career.

From backing vocals for Wham! to pop stardom with Pepsi & Shirlie, Pepsi Demacque-Crocket has now woven her St Lucian roots into her writing, with a memoir, a debut novel, and a lifetime of stories to tell.

Comedian writer and mental health advocate Harriet Dyer sees comedy as just one of her superpowers and shares how she died not once, but twice with her trademark unfiltered honesty.

All that plus the Inheritance Tracks of broadcaster and Irish dance child prodigy Steph McGovern.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m0028987)
Cuneiform: the world’s first writing system

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Mesopotamia by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Phil Wang to learn about the history of cuneiform, the oldest writing system in the world.

In the 19th Century, European scholars began to translate inscriptions found on ruins and clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia - an area of the world between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that encompasses modern Iraq, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Kuwait. The script they deciphered became known as cuneiform, and this distinctive wedge-shaped writing system is perhaps the oldest in the world. The earliest cuneiform tablet is in fact over 5,000 years old.

These clay tablets reveal much about the daily life of people in this part of the ancient world, recording everything from the amounts of beer sold by brewers and the best way to ask the gods for advice, to squabbles between husbands and wives and even the lullabies used to get babies to sleep. The first recorded epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is also preserved thanks to cuneiform. This episode traces the history of cuneiform, exploring how this script worked, who used it and what they used it for, what it tells us about the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, and how it was finally deciphered.

If you’re a fan of historical puzzles, amazing archaeological finds and the intimate details of everyday life in the ancient world, you’ll love our episode on cuneiform.

If you want more from Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, check out our episode on Ancient Babylon. And for more ancient history with Phil Wang, listen to our episodes on the history of Kung Fu and the Terracotta Warriors.

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 Cusworth and Matt Ryan
Written by: 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 (m0028989)
Series 47

Newark

Jay Rayner and a panel of chefs and food writers kick off a new series in Newark. They answer a range of questions on coffee infused dishes and the best way to cook lamb. Joining Jay are food historian Dr Annie Gray, and chefs, cooks and food writers Lerato Umah Shaylor, Melissa Thompson, and Rob Owen Brown.

The panellists also come up with ideas for cooking cauliflower, as well as some suggestions for using beetroot.

Alongside the Q and A, Jay chats to Mat Short from Stray's at The Ossington about the do's and don't of using coffee in food and drinks.

Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Executive Producer: Ollie Wilson
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Strange Death of Cultural Originality? (m002697q)
These days, when you turn on the TV or visit the cinema do you ever think, hang on, I'm sure I've seen this before? Maybe you've bought the latest crime thriller after seeing it in the bestseller lists and, 50 pages in, you're overcome with a weird feeling of deja vu? And when you put the radio on in the car, does all the music sound, well, the same? 

If so, don't worry. It's not just you. Something strange seems to be happening.

Statistics show that the number of top 20 highest grossing Hollywood films each year which are either sequels or spin-offs has risen from 25% to 50% in the past two decades.

In the 1960s, most TV shows were original formats. Today, a third are spinoffs or multiple broadcasts.

In music, the number of artists on the Billboard Hot 100 has been falling for some time, meaning the big established acts are getting more and more exposure while new acts struggle to break through.

Existing best-selling authors are becoming increasingly dominant in publishing sales.

So is it fair to say that cultural originality is in rather poor health?

Might it even be dead?

Ben Chu spends spends a lot of time thinking about economics, numbers and why the world works in the way it does. In this programme he's going to ask - if cultural originality is dead, who or what killed it?

A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002898d)
Disappeared in Ukraine

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, the United States, The Gambia and Uzbekistan.

Its three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, during which time hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured - though others have simply disappeared without trace. Sarah Rainsford travelled to Ukraine, where she met one woman trying to find out what happened to her parents after they were detained during Russia's occupation of her home town.

US President Donald Trump has pledged to curb government waste by cutting spending. Under review are the billions of dollars set aside for research grants, intended for universities and scientific institutions. At the annual gathering of one of the country’s oldest scientific societies, which took place in Boston last week, Sandra Kanthal found a decidedly dampened mood.

Each year thousands of people leave sub-Saharan Africa in hope of reaching Europe and forging a better life. It's a dangerous and potentially deadly journey - and for some the challenge is just too much. So what happens after they return home? Alex Last went to The Gambia to find out.

The city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan is located on the route of the legendary Silk Road, and in the Middle Ages it became a major intellectual hub of the Islamic world. It's also home to a centuries-old Jewish community, which over generations blended culture with the Muslim community. Post-Soviet emigration means it's now much smaller than it used to be, but Monica Whitlock met one man who is still happy to call Bukhara home.

Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production coordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002898g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002898j)
Ofgem Back Billing and Pensions and IHT

The energy regulator Ofgem says suppliers must take urgent action to find out how widespread a problem back billing is. It's when suppliers send out new bills for electricity and gas from longer than 12 months ago, a practice that was banned in 2018. The development follows Money Box's investigation which discovered thousands of people have wrongly been receiving back bills. Paul Lewis interviews Tim Jarvis, Director General of Markets at Ofgem.

And unspent pension pots will be subject to inheritance tax from 2027. This change, announced by Rachel Reeves in the Autumn Budget, means most unused pension funds will be included within the value of a person’s estate for Inheritance Tax purposes from 6th April 2027. Money Box has been getting lots of emails from listeners who're now reconsidering their financial planning and are worried and upset about the new rules. The Treasury told us it continues to incentivise pensions savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement instead of them being openly used as a vehicle to transfer wealth. But how will the new rules work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Sarah Rogers
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 22nd February 2025)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0028384)
Series 116

7. Lying and Reassurance

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Zoe Lyons, Ian Smith, Laura Lexx and Hugo Rifkind as they unpack Trump and Putin in talks in Saudi Arabia, the solutions to prison overcrowding, and the Welsh solution for parliamentary empty promises.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Simon Alcock, David Duncan, Laura Major, Christina Riggs and Peter Tellouche.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
An Eco-Audio certified Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002898l)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002898n)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002838b)
Gerard Baker, James Cartlidge MP, Carla Denyer MP, Luke Pollard MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Sutton Scotney in Hampshire with the Wall Street Journal's editor-at-large Gerard Baker; shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge MP; Carla Denyer MP, the co-leader of the Green Party; and defence minister Luke Pollard MP.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Tim Allen


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m002898q)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0028386)
Emma congratulates Fallon on her new permanent role at the Bull. Kicking her heels on a day off, Fallon admits to Joy that it’s hard to relax with Harrison away. Joy invites her over to the Gills’. Later as they enjoy wine, nibbles and playing with the various fancy gadgets at Home Farm, Fallon wonders what Brian would make of the Gills’ refurb of his old home. Mick returns and immediately sends Fallon away, insisting to embarrassed and annoyed Joy that no guests are permitted. However he goes some way towards making up for his brusqueness when he reveals there’s a sauna he and Joy can enjoy.
Pat’s stressed trying to get through to Borsetshire Water. Whilst Emma still has a role as parish councillor, she offers to help. Emma gets on with some online research for Pat, and finds details of the The Borsetshire Clean Water Action Group and other paperwork. Pat thanks her for her excellent work, and Emma promises to keep digging. Pat’s impressed when Emma reports she’s managed to contact someone via the water company’s press office, though she’s been brushed off. Pat thinks radical action is needed, but she counsels Emma not to get too involved given her precarious position on the parish council. However Emma is adamant, and feels she owes Pat after she wrote the reference for George. She also needs something to make her feel powerful. Pat concedes the point; she’s always regretted holding back in the past and this time nothing’s going to stop her.


SAT 15:00 The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (m000gd7p)
Part One

Set in a small mill town in the 1930s in the middle of the Deep South of America, Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the story of Mick Kelly, a tomboyish girl who loves music and dreams of buying a piano. John Singer, is a lonely deaf-mute who comes to stay as a lodger in Mick's house. No-one knows where he's from. A disparate group of people who live in the town are drawn towards Singer's kind, sympathetic nature. The owner of the café where Singer eats every day, an angry socialist drunkard, a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer, their silent confidant. He in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways the could never imagine.

Often cited as one of the great novels of twentieth-century American fiction, Carson McCullers' prodigious first novel was published to instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter explores loneliness, the human need for understanding and the search for love.

Part One. Cast

MICK KELLY ..... Coco Green
BUBBER ..... Aaron Gelkoff
JOHN SINGER ..... David Bower
BIFF BRANNON ..... Michael S. Siegel
JAKE BLOUNT ..... Andonis Anthony
ALICE BRANNON ..... Laurel Lefkow
PORTIA JONES ..... Anna Jobarteh
DR BENEDICT COPELAND ..... Delroy Brown
ETTA KELLY ..... Lily Green
WILLIE COPELAND ..... Tachia Newall
HARRY MINOWITZ ..... Eric Sirakian

Dramatised by Amanda Dalton
Directed by Susan Roberts
A BBC Drama North Production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002898s)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Raising the ‘Sen-betweeners’, Signs of teenage exploitation, Formula One, Nussaibah Younis, Egg-freezing

'Sen-betweeners' is the term Lisa Lloyd, a mum of two autistic children, uses to describe her children. She says their neurodivergence is too severe to fit easily into mainstream school, but not severe enough for a special school, so they fall between the gaps. Lisa has written a guide for other parents on ‘Raising the Sen-betweeners,’ in which she, whilst recognising that all children are different and there can be no rules, offers tips and advice for how to handle behaviours. Lisa joined Anita to share what she has learnt.

The Children’s Society are training staff at the fast food chain Chicken Cottage to spot signs of exploitation amongst their teenage customers. Nuala discussed the initiative and issues with the charity’s Head of National Programmes, Lisa Witherden, and Chicken Cottage franchise manager Georgian Balog.

Formula 1 has just turned 75, but how much headway are women racing drivers making? Nuala was joined by Jamie Chadwick, one of the leading British women in this sport, and BBC reporter Charlotte Simpson, who has spent months talking to a wide range of people trying to support more young women to become involved in the sport.

Nussaibah Younis’s debut novel Fundamentally is based on her own experiences working as a peacekeeping consultant in Baghdad. The book follows Nadia, a British Asian woman working for the UN, and her relationship with fellow Brit Sara, a nineteen-year-old three-times widowed member of the Islamic State Group. Nussaibah joined Anita to discuss finding the comedy in a desperate situation.

Harvest, a new documentary, shows the realities of the egg freezing process. Director and writer Sophia Seymour decided to film her journey of elective egg freezing. With the number of women choosing this form of fertility planning rising, Nuala was joined by Sophia to discuss why she decided to do, and film it, and also by Dr Ippokratis Sarris, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Director of King’s Fertility.

Nao is a Grammy and Mercury nominated singer songwriter. She's described her unique brand of music as “wonky funk”. She joined Nuala McGovern to talk about fame, motherhood and her new album Jupiter. She performed live in the studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells


SAT 17:00 PM (m002898v)
Israel delays handover of Palestinian prisoners

Hamas frees 6 Israeli hostages but 602 Palestinians due to be released in return remain in custody. Plus, why President Trump has fired his top military advisor.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002898x)
The Heidi Alexander One

The Transport Secretary on Corbyn, Ukraine and growing up in Swindon

Producer: Lauren Tavriger


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002898z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m0028991)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0028993)
Six Israeli hostages who were being held by Hamas in Gaza have been released


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00274rb)
Stewart Lee, Barb Jungr, Philippa Dunne, Biig Piig, Aysha Kala

Stuart Maconie is joined by the 41st best stand up ever to talk about his new tour 'Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf', and by Philippa Dunne who plays Anne in the school gates sitcom 'Motherland'. Anne is back in the spinoff series 'Amandaland', focusing on Anne's glamorous best friend Amanda. Aysha Kala tells us how she nailed the accent to play Saima in the new Bradford set crime thriller Virdee.

Music from song intrepeter Barb Jungr whose new album 'Hallelujah on Desolation Row' sees her back in the company of two songwriters whose music she has spent a lifetime alongside, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as well as Irish singer and rapper Biig Piig who has just released her debut album '11:11'.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Jessica Treen


SAT 19:00 Profile (m0028995)
Mark Rutte

His 14 year-stint at the top of European politics has earned him a distinguished record of domestic and international achievements.

Mark Rutte, born in The Hague in 1967, embarked on a career in business after leaving university and held several positions at Unilever.

His career in Dutch politics started in 2002, and four years later – as leader of the VVD party – he became prime minister.

During his tenure, he steered the Netherlands through times of significant national and global upheaval. From economic crisis, to the coronavirus pandemic.

And now, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 14th Secretary General, he faces his next challenge – leading Europe’s response to recent Russia-US talks over Ukraine.

Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mantej Deol, Chloe Scannapieco
Editor: Ben Mundy
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck

Credits
Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, 20 Feb. 2025
Mark Rutte cycles away from his office, on his last day as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, tv47
Yes Minister, BBC TV, Comedy Greats


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m00282q3)
Series 32

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Phil Wang, Ana Ferreira and Chris Jackson

Brian Cox and Robin Ince slice deep into the lesser-explored world beneath us. To join them on the journey from the crust to the core they are joined by seismologist Ana Ferreira, geologist Chris Jackson and comedian Phil Wang.

School children learn about the make-up of the Earth with an image depicting the Earth's core, mantle and crust layered neatly on top of each other, but is this an oversimplification? Our experts reveal that the Earth's innards are less uniform than we might think and mysteries still abound, including the make-up of some continental-sized blobs deep inside the Earth. We learn about the incredible heat and pressure as we descend and why that has limited how far humans have been able to explore these deep realms first-hand. We explore the chemistry of the interactions between the Earth layers and how they influence the formation of continental plates and volcanoes. Phil has an existential crisis about falling inside gaps between the plates but is reassured his worries are unfounded as Ana explains the latest techniques being used to understand the world deep beneath us.

Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0028997)
Trouble Staying Still: ADHD's Identity Crisis

ADHD has been drawn into the media spotlight many times over the past 75 years since it was first described as Hyperkinetic Impulse Disorder. Treatment with the amphetamine Ritalin has added to the controversy with confusion that it, counterintuitively, 'calms kids down'. The condition has taken on many identities over its lifetime, having been renamed several times, each new term reflecting something different about how the disorder was then understood by science.

The argument over whether ADHD even exists remains as strong today as it was 75 years ago, with the condition sometimes being associated with 'wokeness'. Yet the waiting list for an assessment is at an all time high, with girls, adults and older people waiting, often years, along with ‘naughty’ boys who were originally thought to be the only ones who suffered from the condition.

In Trouble Staying Still, Professor Sally Marlow, explores the archive to reveal the changing faces of ADHD, and asks why it still grabs the headlines and why there are so many contradictions surrounding it.

And what impact has the media and, more recently, social media had? Sally looks at the rise of podcasts and celebrity diagnoses. She also tracks the developments in neuroscience which does reveal differences in the brains of people with ADHD.

Sally is also curious about whether she could have the condition and considers getting tested.

Presenter: Professor Sally Marlow
Producers: Beth Eastwood and Geraldine Fitzgerald
Production Co-Ordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy
Sound Engineer: Richard Courtice
Executive Producer; Rami Tzabar
A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4

Details of organisations offering information and support with ADHD are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline


SAT 21:00 AntiSocial (m002837f)
Nudity - the great cover up?

How comfortable are we with nudity and why does the naked body still have the power to shock?

This month we’ve seen Bianca Censori break the internet after her red carpet appearance in a transparent dress and artists in north London upset about their life drawing class being moved. What actually happened and why were people so censorious about Bianca? Also, what is the history of nudism in the UK?

To discuss the power of the naked body Adam is joined by Dr Victoria Bateman – an economist and author of Naked Feminism: Breaking the cult of female modesty and Stephanie Murray , a freelance journalist and contributing writer for The Atlantic.

Presented by Adam Fleming
Produced by Emma Close, Beth Ashmead and Clare Williamson
Studio manager: Annie Gardiner
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Penny Murphy


SAT 21:45 Naturebang (m0021hcg)
Dr Orangutan and the Evolution of Medicine

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight explore the ancient origins of medicine. What makes us sick? What makes us well again? And do animals medicate like we do?

Deep in the rainforest of Sumatra, one clever orangutan called Rakus has pretty much got it figured out. Astonished researchers spotted him making and then applying a plant-based medicinal paste to a painful wound. It was anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and it numbed his pain, helping him to heal in record time. This might be one of the more sophisticated examples out there, but Rakus is far from the only one; lots of animals are incredibly skilled at using the plants and minerals around them to heal wounds, treat infection, or stave off nasty bugs. It's called, wait for it... zoopharmacognosy.

In the human world, we've honed our own medicinal skills into something slick, sterile and very high-tech, but so many of the medicines we use today have natural origins. The age-old skills of the shamans and herbalists of the past are still extremely relevant, and we have yet to fully unlock all the healing secrets of the plants around us.

Featuring Dr Isabelle Laumer, cognitive biologist and primatologist at the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour, and Sarah Edwards, Plant Records Officer from Oxford Botanic Gardens and an ethnobotanist from the University of Oxford. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


SAT 22:00 News (m002899b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0028377)
Regenerative farming and food. What does it mean?

It's a term used by the smallest farmers and the world's biggest food businesses. But what does 'regenerative agriculture' mean?

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 What? Seriously?? (m002899d)
8. Spies, Lies and a Political Prize

In this episode, Dara and Isy are joined by the star of Slow Horses, Chris Chung, to learn about the magic of Monopoly - with some diverting conversations about secret smuggling, what it takes to join MI5, and what exactly do MI1, 2, 3 and 4 do?

What? Seriously?? is a new podcast which combines comedy with quirky history, hosted by Dara and Isy who unravel an extraordinary real-life tale each week with the help of a celebrity guest.

The stories are definitely true, but also kind of unbelievable at the same time - the sort of stories that make you go ‘What? Seriously??’ when you hear them, but you resolve to tell them in the pub the first chance you get.

Across the series, Dara and Isy will be joined by I’m A Celeb winner Georgia Toffolo, the Aussie comedian Rhys Nicholson, the broadcaster Stuart Maconie, Master Chef star Louisa Ellis, Miles from The Traitors, the comedian Richard Herring, the astronaut Helen Sharman, and Slow Horses star Chris Chung.

‘What? Seriously??’ with Dara Ó Briain and Isy Suttie and special guest Christopher Chung.
Format co-developed by Dan Page. Story compiled by Gareth Edwards and Dan Page.
Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m00282lj)
Series 38

Heat 8, 2025

(8/13)
Three more music-lovers take their place on the Counterpoint stage as Paul Gambaccini puts them through their paces on a wide variety of music, from the classical repertoire to show tunes, jazz, movie scores and sixty years of the pop charts. Today's winner will take another of the places in the 2025 semi-finals.

They'll not only have to demonstrate their musical general knowledge, but also pick a special musical topic on which to answer a round of individual questions. They have no warning of which subjects will come up, and no chance to prepare, so they'll have to choose carefully.

Today's competitors are:
Matt Isaacs, from Poynton in Cheshire
Mohan Mudigonda, from Wolverhampton
Joanna Munro, from Liverpool.

Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002899g)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m00282lg)
Susan Barker

Presenter James Crawford speaks to the writer Susan Barker on Take Four Books this week about her new novel, Old Soul, and the three other works that have helped to shape its creation. Susan's new book, published by Penguin, is made up of seven testimonies that cross centuries and continents, but they have one thing in common - a beguiling woman, who is much older than she looks, and leaves a trail of death and disappearance in her wake. The books Susan chose for her episode were: Under The Skin by Michel Faber (2000); Ghostwritten by David Mitchell (1999); and Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (1988).

The supporting contributor was the writer and Strathclyde University Creative Writing lecturer, Rodge Glass.

During the episode, a short clip of the audiobook version of Under The Skin is played. The publisher is Canongate Books Ltd.

Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002899j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002899l)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002899n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m002899q)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002899s)
The church of Saint Milburga in Stoke St Milborough, Shropshire

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of Saint Milburga in Stoke St Milborough, Shropshire. The village and church take their name from Saint Milburga, the early eight century Abbess of Wenlock Priory, whose feast day is the 23rd February. The church has thirteen bells in total including a recent ring of eight bells cast by the Allanconi foundry in Italy, which were tuned and installed by Matthew Higby and Company in 2020. The tenor bell weighs just over twelve hundredweight and is tuned to the note of G. We hear them ringing “Stoke St Milborough Surprise Major”.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002830l)
Myths and Assumptions about Blindness

Natalie Doig is fascinated by myths and legends. Indeed, such is her passion for that which is "weird, wonderful and a little off kilter" that she stepped back from her career working in the disability rights sector to make a podcast about it. Called "Weird in the Wade", a recent episode explored the tale of "Blind George of Anstey". Natalie joins us to discuss Blind George and the issues the story raises about how blindness is perceived.

Also joining the discussion are Dr Rod Michalko and Professor Tanya Titchkosky. Both have studied societal attitudes to blindness and have written extensively about it. They share their feelings about Blind George and their take on what blindness actually is versus common assumptions.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual 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 of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m0028b5n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m00282zz)
Underwear

Laurie Taylor talks to Nina Edwards, the author of a new study which unravels the intimate narratives woven into the fabric of our most personal garments. Is there a profound and surprising significance to the garments we wear beneath our outer clothing? Also, Shaun Cole, Associate Professor in Fashion at the University of Southampton, considers the enduring question aimed at men over the choice of boxers or briefs and explores the future direction of men’s undergarments.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0028b5q)
Climber, Contractor, Farmer: The Man Who Does Everything

Ioan Doyle never stops. He’s one of the best shearers, dry-stone wallers, and fencers – as well as being a world-class climber and mountaineer. He’s scaled the toughest peaks in the world and has twice attempted the so-far unclimbed South Ridge of K7 in the Himalayas.

Ioan and his wife Janie own and run a busy contracting business in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, alongside farming sheep, pigs and chickens and raising their two young children, Evan and Eidda.

Yet, for all his energy, self-belief and determination, Ioan feels torn between two worlds: farming and climbing. He opens up to Anna Jones about the conflict he feels trying to balance the “pride and tradition” of Welsh hill farming with the “hard graft” of contracting while pushing his body and mind to the limit on the world’s most inaccessible and dangerous rock faces.

Produced and presented by Anna Jones


SUN 06:57 Weather (m0028b5s)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0028b5v)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0028b5x)
Pope Francis; Ukraine; Sowing for God

On the eve of the third anniversary of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian Christians reflect on the past three years and on their hopes for the future as relations between Ukraine and the United States of America deteriorate.

Emily Buchanan talks to biographer Austen Ivereigh about Pope Francis as he remains seriously ill in hospital and discusses whether the Pope might resign as a consequence of ill health.

With AI transforming industries and daily life, concerns over ethics, public trust, and governance are growing. But how can we ensure that AI serves humanity responsibly? Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, Research Manager at the AI, Faith & Civil Society Commission, discusses the ethics of this evolving landscape.

Sowing for God - how handmade vestments are big business.

Producers: Amanda Hancox and Saba Zaman
Studio managers: Helen Williams and Simon Highfield


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0028b5z)
Trauma Treatment International

Actor Christopher Harper makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Trauma Treatment International. The charity has a pool of paid clinical psychologists who provide online treatment for clients from around the world who need help after a traumatic life event.

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

Registered Charity Number: 1175429. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://tt-intl.org
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites.

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m0028b61)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0028b63)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0028b65)
The Central Church of the RAF

A service from St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force, marking the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel serving in His Majesty's Armed Forces. The preacher is the Deputy Chaplain-in-Chief Personnel, the Reverend Ruth Hake, who joins the Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force and the Reverend Andy Chapman, the Padre to the LGBTQ+ defence community. The service is introduced by the Resident Chaplain, the Reverend Mark Perry.

The Central Band of the Royal Air Force is directed by Flight Lieutenant Michael Parsons and the Choir of St Clement Danes is directed by Charlie Hubbard, with organist Jamie Andrews.

Readings: Galatians 3: 23-29; 1 Samuel 18:1-5

Producer: Andrew Earis.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m002838d)
Print the Legend

Tom Shakespeare explores the pitfalls of dramatised history and its influence on real life - but confesses to his own minor role in rewriting the past.

"We turn to stories when the reality we desire fails us," he writes, "but if the legend is not based in fact, then history is in deep trouble, and so are we all."

Producer: Sheila Cook
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0028b67)
Trai Anfield on the Osprey

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.

One bird above all others has captivated wildlife photographer Trai Anfield since childhood, the osprey. Family holidays to Scotland involved endless searching the skies looking for these summer visitors above Abernethy or Loch Garten. Once seen the thrill of watching osprey dive for fish was only matched by their struggle to soar into the sky carrying prey which sometimes matched its own weight. This lion of the skies arrived phoenix like in the spring to enthral Trai and her family, even if their call is a little bit to be desired.

Producer : Andrew Dawes, BBC Audio, Bristol
Studio Engineer : Ilse Lademann


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0028b69)
High stakes in the States as Starmer meets Trump

Sir Keir Starmer's travelling to meet Donald Trump next week. What will be seen as success? Former UK National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant gives his assessment.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m00289vf)
Sir Jony Ive, designer

Sir Jony Ive is a designer who is best known for his pioneering work at Apple alongside his friend and colleague, the late Steve Jobs. Jony’s creative vision is behind some of the company’s seminal products which have transformed the way we live today including phones, music players and watches.

He was born in Chingford in east London and loved drawing and spending time in his father’s workshop where the two of them made the young Jony’s Christmas presents including a go-kart, a treehouse and a toboggan.

He studied Industrial Design at Newcastle Polytechnic and moved to San Francisco to work for Apple in 1992. In 1997 Steve Jobs returned to the company, having been ousted several years earlier, and the two of them set about revolutionising the landscape for home computers with the creation of the iMac.
In 2019 Jony set up his own company LoveFrom with the industrial designer Marc Newson. In 2023 Jony and his team designed a foldable Red Nose for Comic Relief and in the same year the company launched a scholarship programme aimed at increasing representation in the design industry.

In 2012 he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to design and enterprise.

DISC ONE: Really Saying Something (US Extended Version) - Bananarama, Fun Boy Three
DISC TWO: De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police
DISC THREE: Main Theme - Carter Takes a Train - Roy Budd
DISC FOUR: Singin’ in the Rain - Harry Ive
DISC FIVE: Don’t You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
DISC SIX: Define Dancing - Thomas Newman
DISC SEVEN: Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L.75: 3. Clair de lune. Composed by Claude Debussy and performed by Claudio Arrau (piano)
DISC EIGHT: "40" - U2

BOOK CHOICE: The complete set of Jeeves & Wooster novels by P G Wodehouse
LUXURY ITEM: A bed
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: "40" - U2

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0028b6c)
WRITER: Keri Davies
DIRECTOR: Jessica Bunch & Dave Payne
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden
Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw
Celia Sparrow…. Toni Midlane


SUN 12:15 Profile (m0028995)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m00282hz)
Series 94

5. Does a Strawberry Have Dreams?

Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Laura Smyth, Julian Clary and Desiree Burch to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include London To Brighton, Hand-me-downs, and The Life of a Strawberry.

Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m0028b6f)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0028b6h)
Trump's overhaul of Washington

President Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer head to Washington to attempt to bring President Trump onside over Ukraine, but just how different will the US government be after one month of the new administration as the restructure of government, led by Elon Musk, takes effect.


SUN 13:30 Road Wars: Cycling in Paris (m0028j6n)
On 15th Oct 2024, a 27-year-old cyclist was killed in a bike lane in Paris. His name was Paul Varry. He was run over by a car after an argument with a driver. What happened to Paul was extreme, but it resonated with many Parisians. For Paris is undergoing a cycling revolution. The city has created a vast network of bike lanes, introduced new restrictions for cars. The number of cyclists has soared. But there have also been conflicts, as cars, bikes and pedestrians try to navigate the new balance of power. So is Paris’s plan working? Is this transformation the future for other major cities? Anna Holligan goes to Paris to find out.

Presenter: Anna Holligan
Producer: Alex Last
Paris producer/translator : Léontine Gallois
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002837r)
Walsall: Rainwater v Tap Water, Caffeinated Ants and Daffodil Diaries

How do we get rid of red ants? Rainwater or tap water? How can I stay motivated in the garden when it's wet and windy?

Kathy Clugston and her team of gardening gurus visit Walsall to solve some horticultural problems. Joining Kathy to answer the questions are garden designers Bunny Guinness, Marcus Chilton Jones and Matthew Wilson.

Later in the programme, Peter Gibbs visits RHS Wisley where  principal scientist Kálmán Könyves educates him on their Daffodil Diaries initiative. A strategy which logs where, what and when rare and endangered narcissi bloom.

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

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m0028b6k)
Spring Awakening - Episode 1

John Yorke examines the radical 1891 play Spring Awakening by German dramatist Frank Wedekind.

A cautionary, nightmarish portrait of teenage angst and rebellion against oppressive social structures and family pressures, the play’s explicit content was so shocking that it was not performed for 15 years after its publication. In the decades since, it has often been cut or censored. Wedekind’s original play became the inspiration for a 2006 hit Broadway musical of the same name.

In this first of two episodes, John looks at who Frank Wedekind was, and how he contributed to the expressionist movement that swept through Europe in the early 20th century - and how that collision created such an enduring work.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.

Contributors:
Jonathan Franzen, author and essayist
Dr Karen Leeder, Professor of Modern German Literature, University of Oxford

Producer: Lucy Hough
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple

Audio: Spring Awakening (Fruhlings Erwachen), translated by Tom Osborn and adapted for BBC Radio 4 by John Tydeman and first broadcast 26th March 1973 on BBC Radio 4.

Actors:
Wendla: Helen Worth
Mrs Bergmann: Diana Olsson
Georg: Brian Hewlett
Melchior: Christopher Guard
Ernst: Michael Cochrane
Lammermeir: Andrew Rivers
Hans: Christopher Good
Moritz: John Moulder-Brown

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0028b6m)
Spring Awakening

Part 1

A fresh take on Frank Wedekind’s shocking and provocative classic about teenagers discovering sex and identity in a repressive society. By Theo Toksvig-Stewart.

Teenagers Wendla, Melchoir, and Moritz are taking their first steps into adulthood. But in a world where everyone is haunted by the battle between shame and pleasure, openness feels impossible.

How can their parents offer help when conversations around sex, desire and relationships are so taboo? Lost, hungry for the truth, our teenagers have only each other for guidance. But knowledge can only take them so far. Their choices will have tragic repercussions.

In Part One, Moritz is disturbed by dreams, and worried about falling behind at school. Wendla is eager for her life to start, and burning with questions. She meets Melchior, who seems to offer some answers.

This drama includes strong sexual content.

CAST
MELCHIOR ..... Jake Kenny-Byrne
WENDLA ..... Shreya Lallu
MORITZ ..... David Angland
ILSE ..... Madeleine Gray
HANSCHEN ..... Patrick Dineen
ERNST ..... Aaron Gelkoff
FANNY ..... Lisa McGrillis
GABOR ..... Sam James
BERGMANN ..... Jasmine Hyde
GROUNDSKEEPER/KAHLBAUCH/KNOCHENBRUCH ..... John Bowler

Spring Awakening is a new version by Theo Toksvig-Stewart of a play by Frank Wedekind
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Keith Graham and Mike Etherden
Production co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly

German playwright Frank Wedekind’s original play Spring Awakening was written in 1891. Critical of the sexually oppressive culture of the time, it offers an unflinching portrayal of topics including sexuality and suicide, and has frequently been the subject of censorship. Theo Toksvig-Stewart is an award-winning writer for stage, screen and audio. He is known for nuanced and humane narratives that tackle contemporary questions. His play Endless Second dealt with consent in the context of a relationship (described as “The best, most thought-provoking show at this year’s Fringe.”) His recent Radio 4 drama The Great Delay, about the toxic legacy of climate denial, starred Luke Treadaway, Olivia Williams and Rhashan Stone.


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m0028b6q)
Laurent Binet

Presenter James Crawford speaks with multi-award-winning, Booker-longlisted French author Laurent Binet about his latest novel, Perspectives, and the three other works that influenced its creation.

Set in 16th-century Florence, the novel follows an investigation into the mysterious death of a renowned painter, found lying on a church floor with a fatal stab wound to the heart. Above him, the masterpieces he dedicated over a decade to completing. But who is responsible for his murder?

Laurent’s influences were: Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1782); The Story of my Escape from the Prisons of Venice by Giacomo Casanova (1788); and The Florentine Histories by Niccolo Machiavelli (1532).

The supporting contributor was poet, translator and lecturer in Creative Writing at Loughborough University, Dr Kerry Featherstone.

Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m0028b6s)
Series 38

Heat 9, 2025

(9/13)
Paul Gambaccini puts the questions to three more competitors in the last of the 2025 heats. Today's winner will take the one remaining place in the semi-finals. To get there they'll have to demonstrate the breadth of their musical knowledge, and will also have to choose a category on which to answer specialist questions, without the slightest inkling of what subjects are going to be offered.

The programme was recorded at the headquarters of the BBC Philharmonic, at Media City in Salford.

Taking part are:
Joe Andrew, from Stoke on Trent
Christine Harrison, from Bury in Lancashire
Sarah Trevarthen, from Manchester.

Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ynh)
Charlie Hebdo attack

On 7 January 2015, 12 people were shot dead at the offices of a satirical magazine in Paris, the capital of France.

The two gunmen had targeted Charlie Hebdo because it had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Riss, a cartoonist who was shot in the shoulder.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A mural of some of the victims of the attack, near the former office of Charlie Hebdo. Credit: Bertrand GUAY / AFP)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m0028b6x)
Rebecca Watts, Brian Bilston, Cristina Rivera Garza, Deryn Rees-Jones

Rebecca Watts has just published her third poetry collection - The Face In The Well. She discusses writing poems that engage with the work of an earlier generation of poets, turning a cherished childhood memory into poetry, and Emily Brontë's love of ironing.

Poet and writer Brian Bilston is as much a fan of the American writer, artist, and designer Edward Gorey as The Verb. He accepted our commission to create an updated version of one of Gorey's most celebrated poems - The Gashlycrumb Tinies. He premieres his approach to Gorey's alphabetical and flatly macabre list of children's final fates - The Garbledoom Tiddlers.

Cristina Rivera Garza is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Mexican writer, poet and professor. Her new book, Death Takes Me, fuses crime fiction, literary theory, and the poems of Argentinian poet Alejandra Pizarnik. She discusses the power of language to reflect, proscribe, and change society.

Deryn Rees-Jones is a poet, a professor, and editor at Pavilion Poetry. She talk to Ian about the art of creating a poetry collection and how deciding on the order of the poems in a new collection can be a surprisingly physical activity.

Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0028b6z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m0028b71)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0028b73)
Exit polls from Germany's election suggest the conservative Christian Democrats have won


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0028b75)
Pat Nevin

This week Pat Nevin brings you the tales of two very different billionaires, revels in some of the best, and most toe curling, comic moments, reveals the best musical moment in football history, and discovers a man who has shown the world truly limitless love.

Oh, we learn all about what happens when a bird collides with a plane… though maybe he shouldn’t have listened to that one while waiting in an airport.

All that and more of the best BBC audio this week!

Presenter: Pat Nevin
Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Production Coordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m00289hj)
Frustrated Natasha thinks Emma’s wasting her time pursuing the water company when she should be focusing her efforts increasing footfall at the Tearoom. Later she apologises for being snippy, admitting she’s worried. They’re losing money and it’s demoralising. She’s pleased to see Kirsty, joking she’s at least one paying customer. Kirsty wonders whether Natasha and Tom have had a chance to progress the house purchase. Natasha promises they’ll all sit down together soon. Her priority currently is getting the business back on a firm footing. Emma suggests a Pancake Day initiative, and after some debate they settle on a pancake eating contest. What have they got to lose?
Azra confides to Lynda there’s no chance they’ll be back in their own house in time for Ramadan – the house smells and the utility room is still damp. Kirsty reports she’s got a professional company in to clean her house. They’re doing a complete refit. She can’t afford to wait, she just needs the house sold. Later Azra explains to interested Lynda how she manages her and the family’s fasting arrangements, admitting that this year will be particularly challenging with all the stress of the house. Lynda suggests contacting Justin to see if he can advise on who should take responsibility for the sewage issues. Meanwhile she offers Azra the use of her kitchen as much as she needs it – she and Robert will work round her. In a moment of inspiration Lynda offers to fast alongside Azra so that they’re synchronised.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0028b77)
Thirty Eulogies

The story of how a heterosexual, Indian immigrant to England, ignorant of the gay scene, ended up delivering heartfelt eulogies to 30 homosexual men at the height of the AIDS crisis.

The experiences of Suresh Vaghela take us behind the headlines of the infected blood scandal and into a transformative relationship between a hemophiliac and the people who he came to regard as his new family.

(Including extracts from the BBC Sound Archive and from the 1975 World In Action documentary Blood Money, Granada TV)
Music by Jeremy Warmsley
Produced by Nicolo Majnoni
Executive Producer: Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001w86r)
Get an Early Night

Michael discovers his long-time penchant for an early night could have some real health benefits. If you are someone who could go to sleep earlier and simply put it off with an extra episode or phone scrolling, Michael recommends going to bed an hour earlier than normal because getting enough sleep deeply impacts your brain, protecting against depression and other neurological problems. Professor Esra Tasali at the University of Chicago's Sleep Centre, shares her research that sleeping an extra hour a night has been found to have an incredible effect on our appetite, reducing cravings often linked to weight gain. Our volunteer Dylan, who is very health and exercise conscious, is surprised to find a little more sleep every night could benefit his fitness routine.

Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Researcher: Will Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m00282ry)
Old English, New English

Michael Rosen explores the evocative Old English words used in daily life a thousand years ago, many of which are still in use now. He's joined by the linguist author of The Wordhord, Hana Videen. Hana has been hoarding words from Old English (450 AD to 1150 AD) for a decade, when she began tweeting one a day. Now she has lots of people following her to find out more about the language, and a new book out called The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary.

https://oldenglishwordhord.com

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea.
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 (m002837w)
Rick Buckler, Margaret Miles-Bramwell, Harry Stewart Jr, Maureen Halton

John Wilson on

Rick Buckley, the drummer in The Jam, one of the most popular and influential British bands of the 70s and 80s.

Margaret Miles-Bramwell who founded Slimming World in response to what she saw as humiliation tactics by weight loss groups.

World War Two fighter pilot Harry Stewart Jr, part of the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen who despite huge successes in aerial combat, faced discrimination and segregation on the ground.

Maureen Halton, the biology lecturer who introduced and popularised the Frisbee in the UK.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Interview with WW2 Veteran Harry Stewart Jr” From: Friends of the National World War II Memorial, uploaded 21.02.2024; Red Tails (2012) HD Movie Trailer - Lucasfilm Official Trailer, Uploaded to Youtube by Rotten Tomatoes, 29.07.2011; Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen From: U.S. Department of the Interior; Slimming World podcast, Permission granted by Rebecca Robinson – Director of Comms at Slimming World; Rock On!, BBC Radio 1, 21.05.1977; THE JANICE FORSYTH SHOW: THE JANICE FORSYTH SHOW, BBC, 11.12.2017; Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker : Rick Buckler, BBC Radio 2, 06.02.2018


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002898j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0028b5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002898d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0028b79)
Ben Wright and his panel discuss the German election and Keir Starmer's trip to Washington

Ben Wright is joined by the Labour MP Polly Billington, Conservative former Cabinet minister Kit Malthouse and Professor Anand Menon from the UK in a Changing Europe think tank. They respond to the early results from the German election and look ahead to Sir Keir Starmer's trip to Washington for his first talks with Donald Trump since the President returned to the White House. The programme includes an interview with the former British Ambassador to the US, Sir Peter Westmacott. The political editor of The Spectator, Katy Balls, brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m00282pq)
Oliver Goldsmith

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the renowned and versatile Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728 - 1774). There is a memorial to him in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner written by Dr Johnson, celebrating Goldsmith's life as a poet, natural philosopher and historian. To this could be added ‘playwright’ and ‘novelist’ and ‘science writer’ and ‘pamphleteer’ and much besides, as Goldsmith explored so many different outlets for his talents. While he began on Grub Street in London, the centre for jobbing writers scrambling for paid work, he became a great populariser and compiler of new ideas and knowledge and achieved notable successes with poems such as The Deserted Village, his play She Stoops to Conquer and his short novel The Vicar of Wakefield.

With

David O’Shaughnessy
Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Galway

Judith Hawley
Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London

And

Michael Griffin
Professor of English at the University of Limerick

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Norma Clarke, Brothers of the Quill: Oliver Goldsmith in Grub Street (Harvard University Press, 2016)

Leo Damrosch, The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age (Yale University Press, 2019)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. Aileen Douglas and Ian Campbell Ross), The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale, Supposed to Be Written by Himself (first published 1766; Cambridge University Press, 2024)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. Arthur Friedman), The Vicar of Wakefield (first published 1766; Oxford University Press, 2008)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. Arthur Friedman), The Collected Works of Oliver Goldsmith, 5 vols (Clarendon Press, 1966)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. Robert L. Mack), Oliver Goldsmith: Everyman’s Poetry, No. 30 (Phoenix, 1997)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. James Ogden), She Stoops to Conquer (first performed 1773; Methuen Drama, 2003)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. James Watt), The Citizen of the World (first published 1762; Cambridge University Press, 2024)

Oliver Goldsmith (ed. Nigel Wood), She Stoops to Conquer and Other Comedies (first performed 1773; Oxford University Press, 2007)

Michael Griffin and David O’Shaughnessy (eds.), Oliver Goldsmith in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2024)

Michael Griffin and David O’Shaughnessy (eds.), The Letters of Oliver Goldsmith (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

Roger Lonsdale (ed.), The Poems of Gray, Collins and Goldsmith (Longmans, 1969)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002837t)
Nothing Happened by David Szalay

Indira Varma reads an original short story for Radio 4 by the award-winning writer David Szalay.

In Abu Dhabi airport, in the middle of the night, two people are thrown together again for the first time in decades. Now both middle-aged, they ponder missed chances...

Writer: David Szalay is an acclaimed writer of novels and short stories. He was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and has won the Betty Trask Award and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. He lives in Budapest.
Reader Indira Varma
Producer: Justine Willett

MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0028b7c)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 The Battersea Poltergeist (p0955cfy)
Episode 3: Interview with a Ghost

Danny explores possible links between the Battersea case and the Enfield Poltergeist, a famous alleged haunting from 1977.

He meets two reporters who covered the case, one of whom claims to have been attacked by the poltergeist. We hear more from the real-life Shirley Hitchings as, back in 1956, teenage Shirley appears to communicate with Donald the Poltergeist, and her story becomes front page tabloid news, gripping the nation.

Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers).

With original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 50s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved... until now.

Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Ronald Maxwell……….Rufus Wright
Joyce Lewis………..Miranda Raison

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard

Consultant: Alan Murdie

With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'

A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002899s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0028b7g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0028b7j)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0028b7l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0028b7n)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0028b7q)
Taking the biscuit

Good morning.

A woman is waiting in the departure lounge, rummaging through her bag to pull out her book and her packet of biscuits, a man sits down beside her and a few minutes later she picks up the biscuits nestled between them. The man smiles at her, then reaches into the packet and helps himself to a biscuit! “The cheek!” With every biscuit she takes, he takes one too until they reach the last biscuit. He smiles, picks up the packet, and tilts it towards her. Outraged, she snatches the packet ready to unleash, but an announcement interrupts, calling the next flight.

The man leaves quickly, she misses her chance and then her flight is announced. She gathers her bag, opens it to swap her book for her boarding pass, and freezes. Her own packet of biscuits is still at the bottom of her bag. The man had not been shamelessly pilfering from her packet but graciously sharing from his!

We are taught in the Muslim tradition to make 70 excuses for others and that even if we somehow do, to imagine they had an additional one we missed. In a world that has become hyper polarised, extending this sort of magnanimous thinking has become even more important. It’s not to say we agree on everything, but that we can say, I do not agree with what you are doing, but I can see where you’re coming from, and if I can’t, I’m going to try hard, because that’s how I hold on to your humanity and mine. That’s how I reject this unholy fracturing that is killing us.

I pray for a heart that assumes the best in others, that seeks to understand rather than condemn, and that remembers I am only as human as I allow others to be. Ameen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0028b7s)
24/02/25 Avian flu vaccines; bulb growing in Cornwall

Bird flu is continuing its spread, with an ever growing list of English counties - and the whole of Northern Ireland – now under restrictions which mean all poultry has to be kept indoors. And stricter bio-security measures have been imposed across the whole of the UK.

We hear from a farmer in Devon who has had to cull his birds because of a disease outbreak. And the chair of virology at Edinburgh University’s Roslin Institute, Professor Paul Digard, discusses the avian flu vaccine situation in the UK and elsewhere.

Our theme this week is bulbs - Spring isn't far away! We're with daffodil pickers near Truro in Cornwall.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
Farming Today is a BBC Audio Bristol production


MON 05:57 Weather (m0028b7v)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m00289gv)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m00289gx)
Community and industrial decline

The story of Liverpool’s once thriving port is one of spectacular rise, and spectacular fall. In Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain, the historian Sam Wetherell looks at the city post-WWII, as the decline in the port led to the poverty and neglect of its population, the deportation of Chinese sailors, and the discrimination against the city’s Black population. It’s a history as prophecy for what the future might hold for the communities caught in the same trap of obsolescence.

As manufacturing has declined in the UK it has grown exponentially in China, which is now known as ‘the world’s factory’. Dr Yu Jie is a senior research fellow at Chatham House and an expert in China’s economic diplomacy. She considers what the mega-cities that have emerged out of China’s rise, and the communities living in them, can learn from the history of Liverpool.

Corby in the Midlands was once at the heart of British steelmaking, with one of the largest operations in Western Europe. But once the plant was closed in the 1980s, the ‘clean-up’ became known as one of the worst environmental scandals, causing serious birth defects in the town. The four-part series, Toxic Town, written by Jack Thorne (on Netflix from 27th February) tells the story of the families as they fight for justice.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Shadow World (m0025vhf)
The Willpower Detectives

2. A Trust Betrayed

Maisie was struggling to cope and thought giving someone control of her finances would help: she later regretted signing that Power of Attorney order and tells Sue Mitchell why.

The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help.

Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money.

It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them.

Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.

Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00289gz)
Southport dance teacher Leanne Lucas, Indira Varma, German elections, Nnedi Okorafor

It was a crime that horrified the nation. Three young girls murdered and another eight children and two adults seriously injured at a yoga and dance workshop in Southport in July 2024. Teacher Leanne Lucas, who was running the event, has agreed to speak for the first time about what happened. She's been speaking to the BBC’s special correspondent Judith Moritz who joins Nuala McGovern.

The German election results are in and there’s now a female-led, far-right party in opposition. Journalist and Visiting Research Fellow at Kings College London Katja Hoyer tells Nuala about the role of women in the new German political landscape.

Indira Varma is an Olivier-award-winning actor who has starred in everything from West End hits to Game of Thrones. She is currently on stage at the Old Vic in London, playing Jocasta to Rami Malek’s Oedipus. She joins Nuala in the Woman’s Hour studio.

Nigerian American science fiction author Nnedi Okorafor's new book is Death of the Author. It follows the story of Zelu, a novelist who is disabled, unemployed and from a very judgmental family. Nnedi and Nuala talk about the book within her book, success, and the influence on her writing of being an athlete in her earlier years.


MON 11:00 Artworks (m00289h1)
Roleplay

Cleopatra

One big dramatic role. Actors from across the world tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Cleopatra.

In the first episode of this new series, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Janet Suzman, Doña Croll and Nadia Nadarajah describe what it's like to play Cleopatra, taking us through the character's journey in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

Cleopatra 7th of Egypt is one of the ancient world's most famous figures. But it was William Shakespeare who first made her an iconic dramatic role and shaped our ideas of this historical leader - in his play Antony and Cleopatra.

The play’s lines have stayed in the mind of Dame Judi Dench who initially doubted whether she could play the part. She tells stories of escaping snakes, secret suppers, and spectacular speeches. It's a part which has also fascinated Dame Janet Suzman, who has returned to the play and to the complex beguiling Cleopatra time and again over the last five decades.

The play travels from Egypt to Rome and back again - Doña Croll, thought to be the first black actor to play the role, talks about why Cleopatra is a part important to black actors, a role known for her power and her supposed beauty. Our image of the Egyptian ruler has perhaps been influenced more by one actor than any other: Elizabeth Taylor. Roger Lewis reveals the parallels between the lives of Taylor and Cleopatra.

Antony and Cleopatra's final act is known for its wonderful language and theatrical difficulty. Nadia Nadarajah, a Shakespearean actor who uses British Sign Language, explores Cleopatra’s famous final moments, surrounded by snakes.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol
Edited by Emma Harding
Mixed by Ilse Lademann

Archive:

Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre, 1987
Director - Sir Peter Hall
Cleopatra - Judi Dench
Alexas - Robert Arnold

Antony and Cleopatra, ATV (ITV), 1974
Director - Jon Scoffield
Cleopatra - Janet Suzman
Antony - Richard Johnson

Caesar and Cleopatra (Followed by Antony and Cleopatra), BBC Network Radio, 12th August 1951
Producer - Ayton Whitaker
Cleopatra - Vivien Leigh
Antony - Laurence Olivier

Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Radio 3, 28th December 2014
Director - Alison Hindell
Cleopatra - Alex Kingston
Antony - Kenneth Branagh
Agrippa - Simon Armstrong
Octavius Caesar - Geoffrey Streatfield

Make Death Love Me: Antony and Cleopatra Re-imagined, BBC Radio 3, 24th April 2022
Director - Neil Bartlett
Producer - Turan Ali
Cleopatra - Adjoa Andoh
Antony - Tim McInnerny

World Drama - Antony and Cleopatra - Part 1, BBC Radio 3, 30th Jan 1977
Director/Producer - John Tydeman
Cleopatra - Sian Phillips

Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Network Radio, 12th July 1965
Producer - R.D. Smith
Enobarbus - Rupert Davies

Additional archive:
Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4, 13th November 1981; Prefaces to Shakespeare, BBC Radio 4, 2nd May 1981; What's New?, BBC Television, 3rd April 1962; Radio Two Arts Programme: Burton and Taylor, BBC Radio 2, 13th March 1994 including clips from Cleopatra, film, 1963 directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Antony; Film 74 Special: Richard Burton, BBC TV, 6th September 1974 including clips from Cleopatra 1963 film.


MON 11:30 Naturebang (m0021j9t)
Burying Beetles and the Politics of Parenting

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight tackle a topic we love to fight about: parenting. How should we raise our kids? How much love is too much?

Good parenting begins at home. And 'home', in this case, is a decomposing mouse corpse, rolled into a ball and buried 5 inches beneath the soil of the forest floor. Naturally. This is the home of one of nature's most diligent little parents, the black and orange Gravedigger, or Burying Beetle. The two parents team up to feed, nurture and care for their grubs until they're old enough to make it alone. But is there such a thing as too much parenting? Could a little LESS motherly (and fatherly) love, actually help the grubs be a little more self-reliant?

In the human world, we can't seem to agree on the best way to raise our babies. Across time and across cultures, there have been parenting strategies that seem bonkers to us now, while our ways of doing things might raise alarm bells elsewhere. One factor here is that humans spend a lot of time parenting; we're one of the most heavily investing parents the natural world has ever produced. But our babies are needy for a reason: it takes an awfully long time to make a human.

Featuring Rebecca Kilner, Professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Brenna Hassett, biological anthropologist at University College London and the author of 'Growing up Human: The Evolution of Childhood'. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


MON 11:45 The Many Lives of James Lovelock by Jonathan Watts (m00289h3)
Episode 1

James Lovelock is probably best known today for being the co-creator of the Gaia Theory - the idea that life on Earth is a self-sustaining system in which organisms interact with their environments to maintain a habitable ecosystem.

But this controversial and complicated man lived many lives over the course of the 102 years he spent on this planet.

He was born just after the end of the First World War to parents who had little interest in having a family and preferred to leave their new born child with his grandparents. His early years were often spent alone in nature and this helped to establish his lifelong affinity for the natural world. But he was also an autodidact – fascinated with science and in particular chemistry. Despite struggling at school he went on to become one of the great polymaths of the 20th century.

During the Second World War he worked at the National Medical Research Institute, where his life-long interest in chemical tracing began. In the 1960s he worked at NASA. He worked for MI5 and MI6 during the Cold War. He was a science advisor to the oil giant Shell, who he warned as early as 1966 that fossil fuels were causing serious harm to the environment. He invented the technology that found the hole in the Ozone layer. And all of this shaped Gaia Theory – a theory that could not have been developed without the collaboration of two important women in his life.

Based on over 80 hours of interviews with Lovelock and unprecedented access to his personal papers and scientific archive, Jonathan Watts has written a definitive and revelatory biography of a fascinating, sometimes contradictory man.

Jonathan Watts is a British journalist with an interest in the environment. He is also the author of When a Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save the World - or Destroy It.

Written by Jonathan Watts
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Richard Goulding
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m00289h6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m00289h8)
Service Charges, Korean Skincare, Pet-Nups

The annual service charge for a flat in England and Wales rose by 11% in 2024, to £2,300. In some extreme cases, there have been annual increases close to 250%. We discuss why these rises are occurring and what options leaseholders have.

During a breakup or divorce, it's not uncommon for couples to argue over who gets the television or the car. But what about the pets? As the law regards pets as possessions, there has been an increase in the number of people opting for pet-nups – a prenuptial agreement that includes pets. However, are they worth it?

A growing number of news websites are asking users to pay a monthly fee if they don’t want to accept online cookies. We hear from the Information Commissioner’s Office about its consultation on the topic and why it will continue to be allowed.

Korean Skincare is proving extremely popular, with Boots reportedly selling one item every 30 seconds. Beauty columnist Sali Hughes explains what sets it apart and what the other health and beauty trends are right now.

Drivers across the country are reporting difficulties in keeping their cars safe from damage by animals. Brakes and ABS wires are particularly susceptible to being chewed, causing thousands of pounds of damage in the process. Erin Baker, editorial director of AutoTrader, explains what drivers can do to protect their cars – and their wallet.

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL

PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT


MON 12:57 Weather (m00289hb)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m00289hd)
Ukraine's allies re-affirm support on third anniversary of invasion

On the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, we hear from former foreign secretary and chancellor Jeremy Hunt who says UK defence spending should increase to 3.4% of GDP. We also have a report from Germany after the conservative Christian Democrats won Sunday's election, with the far-right Alternative for Deutschland coming second.


MON 13:45 You Do Not Have to Say Anything (m00289hg)
Episode 6: Telling Stories

After weeks, months, sometimes years of preparation, the case enters the courtroom. Here, two narratives will be told. Twelve people, selected at random, will be asked to decide.

Defence Barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind lifts the curtain on the real criminal justice system and the real people working within it - beneath the wigs, behind the uniforms and in the dock.

Presenter: Joanna Hardy-Susskind
Producer: Georgia Catt
Assistant Producer: Danita McIntyre


MON 14:00 The Archers (m00289hj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001j47n)
Series 4

1. She Drives Me Crazy

Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return with the fourth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy about a long-married couple in love with life and each other.

This week, Amy moves in. She has long, thin legs and lots of black hair, which is why their new rescue dog is called after Amy Winehouse. Joanna’s attempts at training are scuppered by Roger and Amy’s ‘lovefest’, prompting her to observe ‘There are three in this marriage.’

Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington.
It’s produced and directed by Claire Jones.
And it is a BBC Studios Production.

Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator

Conversations from a Long Marriage won Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020.

‘Sitcom is what most marriages are really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’ RICHARD CURTIS
‘This gives me hope that life and marriage might permanently include taking the absolute piss while simultaneously dancing in the kitchen’. EMMA FREUD
‘Can Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? Sublimely funny, touching… This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ SIMON O’HAGAN, RADIO TIMES
‘An endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘The delicious fruit of the writer, Jan Etherington’s experience of writing lots of TV and radio, blessed by being acted by Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. This series makes people laugh’ GILLIAN REYNOLDS. SUNDAY TIMES
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY


MON 14:45 The Island (m00283zv)
Series 1

Episode 2: The threatening note

A threatening note threatens to threaten Stephen's new island lifestyle, and Sandi Toksvig speaks through a worm.

From Bill Dare (Dead Ringers), Jon Holmes (The Skewer) and writers Tom Oxenham and Simon Alcock, actor Stephen Mangan washes up on the actual island from Desert Island Discs, only to discover that he is not alone.

Living among the palms and rocky outcrops and thousands of copies of the Bible lying in the sand is every former guest of the show - and it’s all gone a bit Lord of the Flies.

Through Stephen’s audio diary, we learn that all TV chef Nadiya Hussain wants to do is hunt, that Richard Madeley’s gone feral, and that Sandi Toksvig has the Conch. But there’s something lurking in the forest, and when Stephen suspects foul play in the power struggle to be chief, he soon finds himself making a dangerous enemy.

Can he win over his fellow islanders before it’s too late? What lengths will he go to to survive? And what the hell is he going to do with this useless coffee machine he chose as his luxury item?

Written by Tom Oxenham and Simon Alcock
Starring Stephen Mangan as himself

Sound Design: Tony Churnside
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes
Producer: Bill Dare


An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m00289hl)
Julia Bradbury and Ramita Navai

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, chosen by Julia Bradbury
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, chosen by Ramita Navai
An Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilbert

TV presenter, author and walking enthusiast Julia Bradbury recommends a fiction book by Matt Haig, How to Stop Time, which brings to life the idea of living forever.

Award-winning British-Iranian investigative journalist, documentary maker and author Ramita Navai shares the epic novel A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, his Dickensian masterpiece of modern India.

And Harriett's choice is An Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, capturing four ladies' unforgettable holiday on the Italian Riviera.

Produced by Beth O'Dea for BBC Audio Bristol
Follow us on instagram: agoodreadbbc

Photo credit David Venni


MON 15:30 History's Heroes (m00289hn)
History's Youngest Heroes

Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

Can 21 year-old Terry Fox, a cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg, run the length of Canada?

Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.

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

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


MON 16:00 Road Wars: Cycling in Paris (m0028j6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0028989)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m00289hq)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00289hs)
The US votes against an EU resolution at the UN condemning Moscow's actions in Ukraine


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m00289hv)
Series 94

6. Limoncello and Portobello

Sue Perkins challenges Josie Lawrence, Ivo Graham, Sara Pascoe and Daliso Chaponda to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include Dollywood, When The Dust Has Settled, and My Get Pumped Playlist.

Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m00289hx)
Freddie’s spotted an opportunity he thinks might appeal to Vince for Casey Meats. It involves working with an academy trust to supply locally sourced produce to schools for their meals. After some persuasion Vince sees the benefits and agrees to Freddie getting the ball rolling, starting with inviting trustees for a tour of the abattoir.
Stressed Fallon’s struggling on a particularly busy evening at the Bull. Diners Robert and Lynda discuss Ramadan. Robert supports Lynda’s plan to fast but is taken aback when she assumes he’ll be joining her. Tracy’s eager to know from Lynda who’s going to replace Harrison as cricket captain. She reckons she could convince Chris to reconsider, but Lynda declines her offer. Spurred on by Tracy, Freddie shares with Lynda his own tips for what makes a good captain. Vince is impressed – Freddie should go for the captaincy himself. He’s a natural at building team morale – a talented bloke in fact. Freddie’s touched.
Robert compliments Fallon on her food. He shares that the quality at the Tearoom has suffered since she left. Fallon genuinely worries about how they’re coping. She doesn’t like to see the Tearoom losing custom, but is sure Natasha will have a solution. Tracy’s less sympathetic; Chelsea’s being made to work silly hours, and Fallon was treated badly by Natasha and Tom. She thinks Fallon should capitalise and open up the Bull earlier for food. Fallon reckons that sounds a bit cut throat, but Tracy retorts she should strike while the iron’s hot.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m00289hz)
25 Years of 21st Century: Theatre

We look back at the quarter century in performing arts, exploring the changes in live stage performance and asking how the theatrical landscape has changed over those years. Samira Ahmed hears about some of the big trends that have changed the experience - such as immersive theatre and discusses the challenges the sector has faced. She is joined by playwrights Mark Ravenhill and Lolita Chakrabarti, who is also an actor, by the producer and CEO of Nimax Theatres, Nica Burns and by the critic Sarah Crompton. Plus we hear from Felix Barrett, founder of Punchdrunk Theatre and Nikolai Foster the artistic director of the Leicester Curve.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 20:00 Rethink (m00282s4)
Rethink... the global economy

You would be forgiven for thinking that inflation, interest rates, GDP and tariffs drive the global economy.

But there are a whole set of interconnected underlying systems that work quietly in the background to keep economies running smoothly. It's not just countries that rely on them, but individuals as well. These systems allow workers to get paid, banks to make transfers, and the free-flow of information on the internet.

These immaterial systems have a presence in the physical world, from fibre optic cables to the servers that host our data. Building and maintaining this infrastructure, and everything else that makes up modern civilisation requires a constant and reliable supply of raw materials.

But in this globalised world, both the underlying systems online and the supply chains in the material world have pinch points - places where if just one thing gets squeezed, then there are immediate and dramatic effects on the economy.

And whoever controls those pinch points wields a vast amount of power.

In this episode of Rethink, Ben Ansell explores those pinch points, how the USA and China are realising their power, and what this means for the UK.

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:
Henry Farrell, SNF Agora Professor of International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and co-author of Underground Empire.
Abe Newman, professor in the School of Foreign Service and Government Departments at Georgetown University, and co-author of Underground Empire.
Ed Conway, economics and data editor of Sky News and author of Material World.


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m00282sb)
Biotech Risks and Asteroid Anxiety

Scientists gather this week to tackle emerging risks from cutting-edge biotech, echoing the landmark Asilomar conference that shaped genetic engineering safety 50 years ago. What new threats face us, and how can the scientific community stay ahead of them?

Also in the programme: are you feeling asteroid anxiety? We take a closer look at the chances that ‘2024 YR4’ will hit us... We get the latest calculations on this space rock's potential collision course with Earth in 2032.

And, as members of the Royal Society debate whether to expel Elon Musk from their ranks, we explore past fellows who rattled the establishment. Fellows meet next month to decide his fate.

If you want to find out more about the history of genetic engineering - from the Asilomar conference to the present day - search for Matthew Cobb's series 'Genetic Dreams, Genetic Nightmares' on BBC Sounds.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Ilan Goodman, Sophie Ormiston & Ella Hubber
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m00289gx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 The Bottom Line (m002648w)
The Decisions That Made Me

Decisions That Made Me: Jordan Brompton (Myenergi, Co-founder)

When your background differs from the people working with and around you, it’s easy to feel judged by the assumptions people make about you from class to gender. Whatever your upbringing, it’s something we all deal with - our backgrounds are always with us, either to be embraced, accepted, or fled from. Jordan Brompton, entrepreneur and co-founder of the smart energy tech company Myenergi, shares her experience as a working class woman and her love of solar panels.

Production team:
Producers: Simon Tulett and Michaela Graichen
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m00289j1)
"Peace must not mean surrender," Macron tells Trump

James Coomarasamy reports live from Berlin at a pivotal moment for European security. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Donald Trump in Washington and urged him not to force a peace on Ukraine that would be tantamount to surrender. Meanwhile, after German elections, the Chancellor-in-waiting Freidrich Merz says he'll seek "independence" from the United States, in comments he has since softened.

Also on the programme: the man who set a new world record for the fastest marathon while using crutches, though he didn't know it at the time.

And has Donald Trump's rapprochement with Russia undermined attempts to seek justice for the invasion and war crimes in Ukraine. On the third anniversary of the invasion, we ask Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk.


MON 22:45 The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier (m00289j3)
Episode 6

Apprentice Antonio has fled Murano with the secrets of the glassmakers after Orsola’s brother brokered his reluctant sister's engagement to Stefano. The young woman is reluctant to commit to her fiancé, waiting instead for the clandestine tokens of Antonio’s love that the post occasionally brings.

The spellbinding new novel from the acclaimed author of ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is read by Emily Bruni.

Written by Tracy Chevalier
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Tracy Chevalier is the author of eleven novels, including ’A Single Thread’, ‘Remarkable Creatures’ and ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and been made into a film, a play and an opera.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (p0dy5yr0)
The Incident at Ong's Hat

The Incident at Ong’s Hat - Episode 4: The Schematic

Secrets about both Charlie and Sarah are revealed as the investigation takes another turn.

Charlie travels to Sarah’s hometown in search of answers.

Cast:
Charlie - Corey Brill
Sarah - Avital Ash
Rodney Ascher - Himself
Det. Stecco - James Bacon
Casey - Hayley Taylor
Ringo - Benjamin Williams
Kit - Randall Keller
Denny Unger - Himself
Joseph Matheny - Himself

Newscasters: Elizabeth Saydah, Dean Wendt

Created and Produced by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto
Inspired by Ong’s Hat: The Beginning by Joseph Matheny
Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Jon Frechette, Chris Zabriskie, Anthéne, Alessandro Barbanera, Blanket Swimming, Macrogramma (under Creative Commons)
Editing and Sound Design - Jon Frechette
Additional Editing - Brandon Kotfila and Greg Myers
Special Thanks - Ben Fineman

Written and Directed by Jon Frechette
Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden

“Ong’s Hat Survivors Interview” courtesy of Joseph Matheny
Visit thegardenofforkedpaths.com & josephmatheny.com

A Goldhawk production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00289j5)
Alicia McCarthy reports as Foreign Secretary David Lammy announces new sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.