SATURDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2022

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0013ztc)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi (m0013ztf)
Episode 5

Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Having been dominated by the Ottoman Empire for the best part of five centuries, Albania became independent and then briefly a monarchy ruled by the self-appointed King Zog in the early 20th century.

After being occupied first by the Italians and then the Germans in World War II, a new republic was created in 1945. Under the leadership of the dicatator, Enver Hoxha, Albania became the last Stalinist outpost in Europe. It was almost impossible to visit, almost impossible to leave. It was a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police.

To Lea, it was home. People were equal, neighbours helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world. There was community and hope.

Then, in December 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed. The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote freely, wear what they liked and worship as they wished. There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears. But factories shut, jobs disappeared, and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships, only to be sent back. Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country, leading to violent conflict.

As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment, and as her own family's secrets were revealed, Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant.

The music used is from the famous Albanian song "A Pickaxe in One Hand, A Rifle in the Other" (Ansambli Amator Artistik I Qytetit Të Tiranës "Në Njërën Dorë Kazmën, Në Tjetrën Pushkën") recorded by the Amateur Art Ensemble in 1968. The first few bars of the song were also used as the interval signal on Radio Tirana.

Written and read by Lea Ypi
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0013zth)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0013ztk)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0013ztm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0013ztp)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0013ztr)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church.


SAT 05:45 The Death of Nuance (m000qnjr)
Regaining Nuance

In this series, Oliver Burkeman has discovered the reasons why nuance is declining in the modern age. For the New Year, he wants to find out how we could restore it.

He speaks to Naomi Baron about how we can use language to know ourselves better, and so protect ourselves against forces that would simplify our views of the world.

And he continues his conversation with Susan Nieman, about the need to break away from simple views of the world, in order to face the horrors humans can do to one another, rather than dismissing them.

And he sits down with Richard Holloway, writer and former Bishop of Edinburgh, to find out about how groups of people can evolve their thinking as the world changes, and discovers that even Jesus teaches to break away from beliefs that make us hostile to fellow human beings, even if that means breaking from codes laid down by God.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001466c)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m0013zlz)
The Golden Road, Pembrokeshire

Clare explores part of a challenging route in the Preseli Hills taken by hardy cattle drovers who, over generations, would walk herds of two to three hundred animals from Pembrokeshire to livestock markets in London. With her is Nick Gammage who, in the summer of 2021, spent 17 arduous days completing the entire 250 mile trek. They begin their walk at Grid Ref SN075321 and head east along one of the most popular walks in the area, the Golden Road, which stretches for seven miles along the length of the Preselis.

Nick spent childhood holidays in Pembrokeshire and remembers hearing stories of the Welsh Black cattle and their drovers. In the rain, steam could be seen rising from the hot animals whose feet were shod to protect them on their journey. Now retired and looking for new adventures, he decided to set himself this challenge which he started with a broken toe, and a tent which he hoped he wouldn’t have to use.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001466h)
05/02/22 Farming Today This Week: two years from Brexit, rural health, Landscape Recovery Scheme

This week marked two years since we left the EU, a decision which has had a huge impact on food and farming, from markets to subsidy payments. So where are we now?

We hear a warning that people living in rural areas have less access to health and social care than their urban counterparts.

The latest of the new Environmental Land Management Schemes is open to applications. Defra says the Landscape Recovery Scheme could transform thousands of hectares by taking a landscape approach.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001466l)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001466n)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001466s)
Keith Brymer Jones

Nikki Bedi and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Keith Brymer Jones, master potter, judge on the Throw Down, who used to be in a band called the Wigs, gets emotional about ceramics and has helped to revive the profile of clay.

Also joining us is Cleo Sylvestre. She was the first actress in a leading role but not before she had had the Rolling Stones backing her on a track.

Kevin Quinn was a marathon runner before he realised that he had four holes in his heart. He had an operation and was running 12 weeks later and has since came first in a virtual marathon during lockdown.

Laura Galloway moved from New York to spend six years in a small town of 100 people in the Arctic Tundra, after finding out in a DNA test that she had Sami ancestry.

Music journalist Clemency Burton Hill chooses Ella Fitzgerald performing Willow Weep for Me and Max Richter reworking of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Spring 3 and your Thank you.

Producer Corinna Jones


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001466v)
Series 35

Home Economics: Episode 52

Jay Rayner hosts a culinary panel show packed full of tasty titbits. For the series finale, he's joined by Jeremy Pang, Sophie Wright, Melissa Thompson and Dr Annie Gray - ready to answer your cooking conundrums.

This week, the panellists go back to basics with their favourite ways to cook and eat sausages including how to make the perfect toad-in-the-hole, or frog-in-a-bog to some!

And to end the series on something sweet, our experts indulge us with their unique twists on a crème brûlée and delight in it's wobbly cousin - the crème caramel.

Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Aniya Das

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001466x)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001466z)
Myanmar: One Year Under Military Rule

Myanmar this week marked one year since its democratically-elected government was overthrown by a coup. The generals who took over have promised to restore democracy, “once the emergency is over.” However, protestors calling for democracy have been arrested and beaten, while the army stands accused of murdering more than a thousand civilians, in its efforts to quash opposition to military rule. Jonathan Head has spoken to some of those still resisting the junta.

In the year since Myanmar’s military coup, three countries in West Africa have also suffered the same fate: Mali, Guinea, and most recently, Burkina Faso. The coup leaders there have explained that they took over because the government was failing to tackle Islamist militants. Henry Wilkins tried to report on what was going on, but found himself arrested at gunpoint.

When a volcano erupted off the Pacific Island of Tonga, it triggered a tsunami and covered the island in ash. It also cut the underwater cable which connects Tonga to the outside world, meaning no phone-calls or internet were possible. This was a particular cause of concern for Tongans abroad, anxious to know about the welfare of friends and family. They turned to a small online broadcaster, operating from the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia. Simon Atkinson paid it a visit.

US special forces this week raided the home of Islamic State's leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. It appears he then blew himself up, along with members of his family. This was only a month since al-Qurayshi was held responsible for Islamic State's attack on a prison in Syria, where members of the group were held. The resulting battle went on for more than a week, and Shelly Kittleson has managed to hear from some of those who witnessed it.

Yalda Hakim was six months old, when her family fled Afghanistan. Going back there recently, she found dramatic changes since her last visit. Under Taliban rule, there have been widespread reports of Taliban soldiers carrying out summary executions. And when she spoke to women determined to maintain their role in the workplace and wider society, she found their efforts were proving dangerous, and potentially fatal.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0014776)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0014653)
Energy, employee rights and mortgages

A 54% increase in the energy price cap means a huge rise in what your provider can charge you to heat your home, keep the lights on and cook your food. The UK Government’s stepped in to help – many households will get several hundred pounds to lessen the bill shock. But what are the details about who exactly gets that money and how people can access it, what about households on low incomes and how does help vary across the UK? We put listener questions to a panel of experts to find out.

A Court of Appeal judgement has huge implications for the plumber who is now owed £74,000 in holiday pay after the court agreed he was an employee as opposed to being a self-employed worker. But beyond one person being showered with money what are the wider implications for workers’ rights? We examine this case, where it might go from here and what it means for other people in similar situations.

And as Britain’s biggest bank offers one of the lowest rates around for a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage we examine the state of the mortgage market.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Chris Flynn
Producer: Dan Whitworth
Researcher: Sandra Hardial
Editor: Emma Rippon


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0013zsx)
Series 107

Episode 6

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Elis James, Ola Labib, Zoe Lyons and Ed Balls to give an un-redacted update on the week’s news.

The panel look at Partygate and Johnson's precarious position in No.10, find out what the Levelling Up whitepaper can teach us about the birth of civilisation, and discover how little we know about trees.

Hosted by Andy Zaltzman
Chairs script by Andy Zaltzman
Additional Material from Alice Fraser, Benjamin Partridge, Ray Badran and Tasha Dhanraj
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

The Producer is Gwyn Rhys Davies, and it is a BBC Studios Production.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m0014673)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0014675)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0013zt1)
Conor Burns MP, Chris Hazzard MP, Professor Deirdre Heenan, Peter Weir MLA

Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from The Portico of Ards in Portaferry with the Minister of State for Northern Ireland Conor Burns MP, the Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard, the Professor of Social Policy at Ulster University Deirdre Heenan and the DUP MLA Peter Weir.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: John Benson


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0014677)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Drama (m0014679)
Berlin Alexanderplatz. Part 1

A dramatisation by Simon Scardifield from Michael Hofmann's landmark translation of Alfred Döblin's modernist masterpiece - a novel that exploded into 1929 and changed urban writing forever.

Ex-convict, Franz Biberkopf, is back on the streets of Berlin determined to go straight. But Berlin has other ideas.

Narrator ..... Claes Bang
Franz ..... Lee Ross
Mack ..... Samuel James
Reinhold ..... David Hounslow
Eva ..... Clare Corbett
Herbert ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Pums ..... Neil McCaul
Franzi ..... Ria Marshall
Lina ..... Jasmine Hyde
Otto ..... Michael Begley
Eliser ..... Justice Ritchie
Cilly ..... Grace Cooper Milton
Speaker ..... Chris Jack
Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh

Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby
Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins

Published in 1929, Germany is on the brink of fatal change. Döblin throws everything at us, like a radio tuner going up and down the dial: weather reports, historical trivia, adverts, sporting results, this is a world where buildings come alive and beer and Schnapps conduct conversations with us. Berlin itself is as much a character as Biberkopf, it’s like a vast pinball machine through which our protagonist ricochets. We're looking down on the city through God's eyes one moment and feeling the grittiness and grime of Franz's reality the next.

Germans still consider Berlin Alexanderplatz one of their most important - and most loved - literary works. This is Germany's Ulysses, playful in its form and as alluring as the modern city it both invents and immortalizes.


SAT 16:30 Woman's Hour (m001467c)
World record Atlantic rowers, Police culture, Women and investing

Two women with no previous rowing experience have smashed the world record for the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic. We hear from Jessica Oliver and Charlotte Harris who rowed 3000 miles over 45 days in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, battling 30 ft waves, sharks and sleep deprivation. Photo credit Atlantic Campaigns

Vile text messages have come to light which were shared between police officers belonging to the Metropolitan Police. The IOPC has said: "We believe these incidents are not isolated or simply the behaviour of a few 'bad apples'." The Met has said that it is 'sorry'. We hear reaction from Zoe Billingham, former Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. And we hear from listener Amanda,. Her son, George, is planning to join the Police later this year and she is worried but he is determined to be part of the change.

Big investment firms are missing out on up to 2.37 trillion pounds of potential investment because of their poor record in attracting female investors. That was a warning this week from the giant investment bank BNY Mellon, which revealed only 28% of women feel confident in investing their money. Anne-Marie McConnon is the bank's chief client experience officer, and she tells us more about their findings. She’s joined by Sarah Turner the founder of Angel Academe, a network for mostly-female angel investors.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor


SAT 17:00 PM (m001467f)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (m0013zmh)
Your childhood in the workplace

Psychotherapist Naomi Shragai talks to Evan Davis about how our emotional baggage can harm our work life.. She advises businesses and employees on how to recognise our deeper personal impulses, which often stem from our childhoods. Her book 'The Man Who Mistook his Job for His Life' catalogues phenomena like narcissism, fear of rejection and imposter syndrome, Naomi tells us how to recognise these powerful forces, and what we can do about them.
Producer: Julie Ball
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001467j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001467l)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001467n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001467q)
Neil Hannon, Michelle Collins, Michael Rosen, Felicity Ward, The Divine Comedy, Skip Marley, Arthur Smith, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Neil Hannon, Michelle Collins, Michael Rosen and Felicity Ward for with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Divine Comedy and Skip Marley.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001464l)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines


SAT 19:15 Rethink (m00132xc)
Rethink Population

Getting ready for the 100-year life

Amol Rajan and his guests look for some answers on how to tackle the challenges thrown up by demographic change. From the pressure put on governments by burgeoning populations of young people, to the tactics best adopted by those of us planning to live to a hundred.

GUESTS

Camilla Cavendish, former Director of Policy for Prime Minister David Cameron, Financial Times columnist and author of 'Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World'

Professor Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics at London Business School and author of 'The 100-Year Life - Living and Working in an Age of Longevity'

Dr Eliza Filby writer and historian

Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford and author of 'Is the Planet Full?'

Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Lucinda Borrell
Editor: Kirsty Reid


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001467s)
Wonderlands

Long ago, in a land not far away, children's books were a neglected corner of the book world - marginalised, unimportant, an afterthought. Today, one in every three books sold in the UK is a children's book. We're spending more money on children's books than ever before and an increasing number of adults turned to children's fiction for comfort reading in lockdown.

In this Archive on 4, writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce explores how and why books for children have become central to our reading culture. It’s a Cinderella story - a tale of humble beginnings, unexpected transformations and glittering success.

We have a rich and deep children’s book culture, going back to the classics like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and The Railway Children - stories which still live with us, adapting and evolving for new generations. Frank explores where they come from and how two World Wars and societal change in the 1960s shaped children’s books, and our understanding of childhood itself. He explores the spectacular success of bestselling novels by JK Rowling and Phillip Pullman at the turn of the Millennium, which rocket-fuelled children’s publishing.

Traditionally we've preferred to see children's books as ahistoric and separate from the wider culture but in fact, says Frank, writing for children has always been deeply engaged with society. From Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, through to Malorie Blackman's best-selling Noughts and Crosses series, these authors create mirrors for young readers to reflect on life’s big questions. As Philip Pullman says, "There are some subjects which are too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book."’

With contributions from Cressida Cowell, Phillip Pullman, Robert Macfarlane, Jacqueline Wilson, Onjali Rauf, Patrice Laurence, Dapo Adeola, Aimée Felone, Barry Cunningham, Andy Miller, Professor Karen Coats and David Fickling.

Readers in order of appearance: Ali, Teddy, Matthew, Elysia, Helena, Isabelle.

Produced by Melissa FitzGerald and Sarah O’Reilly

A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Tumanbay (m0002z8v)
Series 3

Accidental Hero

General Qulan (Christopher Fulford) travels to the provinces in the hope of raising an army to defend Tumanbay and encounters Fatima (Tara Fitzgerald), a provincial governor’s wife, who has a score to settle with the great commander.

In Tumanbay, a coup is underway and Sultana Manel (Aiysha Hart) and her lover Alkin (Nathalie Armin) face a grim future. Meanwhile, the slave merchant Heaven (Olivia Popica), having been captured by the Balarac at sea, is recruited as reader to the blind Grand Master (Anton Lesser), a position that gives her access to ancient scrolls that appear to unlock profound secrets to the world.

Cast:
Fatima........Tara Fitzgerald
Gregor........Rufus Wright
Manel........Aiysha Hart
Grand Master, Amalric........ Anton Lesser
Cadali........Matthew Marsh
Bavand........Peter Polycarpou
Alkin........Nathalie Armin
Herod........Amir El-Masry
Heaven........Olivia Popica
General Qulan........Christopher Fulford
Frog........Finn Elliot
Akiba........Akin Gazi
Balarac Sergeant........Alexander Arnold

Tumanbay is created by John Scott Dryden and Mike Walker and inspired by the Mamluk slave rulers of Egypt.

Original Music by Sacha Puttnam

Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore
Sound Recording by Joe Richardson
Additional Music by Jon Ouin

Produced by Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan and John Scott Dryden
Written by Mike Walker and Directed by John Scott Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 Enchanted Isle (m000tvh8)
Greenlaw by Helen McClory

A new development by the name of 'Greenlaw' on the outskirts of Edinburgh is visited one night by a strange phenomenon at first only spotted by the late night dog walkers on the hill above the houses. The residents of the estate are confused and divided as to what it is and what it means for them. Weird plants start to spring up in their gardens. The community website buzzes with rumour and speculation as to what is causing these strange natural or are they supernatural occurences.

Helen McClory has a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Glasgow. Her debut story collection On the Edges of Vision won the Saltire First Book of the Year Award. Her novel "Bitterhall" is published in Spring 2021. She lives in Edinburgh.

Read by: Kirsty Cox
Producer: Maggie Ayre for BBC Audio in Bristol


SAT 22:00 News (m001467v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (m00140c5)
How Free Should Speech Be?

Yielding to the big star pressure of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, this week Spotify agreed to put a content advisory label on any podcast that includes material about Covid. Mitchell and Young removed their music in protest at Joe Rogan’s podcasts. These shows are extremely popular globally but they aired views sceptical of Covid vaccines. In an Instagram post Rogan himself said he'd aim for more impartiality in future, but Spotify’s shares are down and more artists are joining the boycott. Who is responsible for the content of Spotify or any other digital platform? Is Covid a special case or must they remove or add a warning about anything any listeners might object to? Is it enough to say sorry or offer to slap on a "contentious material" label? At what point do such safeguards become censorship?

And what about other, more traditional, intermediaries? This week the poet and teacher Kate Clanchy said she considered suicide after parting company with her publisher. She’d been accused of racism in the words she used about pupils in her memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. The students have defended her in print and Clanchy has apologised. And yet the debate goes on. Are publishers morally responsible for their authors ideas and beliefs? If the publisher or internet platform truly disagrees with the material, is it enough to issue an apology or label the offending material as contentious? And does intent count at all? With Journalist Brendan O'Neill, Academic Julie Posetti, Broadcaster Inaya Folarin Iman and Poet Anthony Anaxagorou.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (m0013zhx)
Series 35

Heat 6, 2022

(6/13)
The three music lovers facing Paul Gambaccini's questions will, as always, have to demonstrate the breadth of their musical knowledge if they're to stand a chance of winning a place in the semi-finals this year - and perhaps go on to take the 35th annual Counterpoint champion's title in the spring. Questions today come thick and fast on everything from Elgar to U2, and all musical points in between.

The competitors also have to choose a category on which to answer their own set of questions for which they've had no warning and no time to prepare. Will they choose to answer on Quincy Jones, classical brass, or perhaps take a chance on Abba?

Appearing this week are
Tim Davies from North Lincolnshire
Liz Langley from High Wycombe
Rebecca Pasha from North Buckinghamshire

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (m0013z09)
Claudine Toutoungi

Claudine Toutoungi chats to Roger about the poetry she has chosen for the programme, including work by Roger Robinson, Kei Miller and Edward Lear. She also reads her own poem, written during a bout of insomnia.

Producer Sally Heaven