SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2023

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001hxf1)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Let Me Tell You What I Mean: A New Collection of Essays by Joan Didion (m001hx6c)
Episode 5

Eight essays selected from the 'Let Me Tell You What I Mean' essay collection that offer a glimpse into the mind and process of the iconic and influential writer: Joan Didion.

Mostly drawn from the earliest part of her five-decade career, the wide-ranging pieces in our selection include Didion writing about a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a visit to San Simeon, and a reunion of WWII veterans in Las Vegas, and about topics ranging from Nancy Reagan to Robert Mapplethorpe. Here are subjects Didion has long written about – the press, politics, California, women, the act of writing, and her own self-doubt.

Joan Didion began her career in the 1950s after she won an essay contest sponsored by Vogue magazine. She came to prominence with a series of feature articles in Life magazine and The Saturday Evening Post that explored postwar America followed by celebrated novels 'Play It as It Lays' and 'A Book of Common Prayer'. Focusing on California and the chaos of the 1960’s, Didion successfully established herself as an advocate of New Journalism. Didion passed away in December 2021, aged 87. It was this same year that this essay collection was published.

In this final part Joan Didion pays tribute to one of her writing influences: Ernest Hemingway, challenging the idea of posthumous publication.

Last Words, 1998
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Lorna Newman


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001hxf9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001hxfk)
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 (m001hxfr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001hxfy)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001hxg3)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

We’ve just moved house, and I have spent much of the last couple of weeks unpacking boxes. Why is it that the thing I needed the most at short notice: the ironing board, happened to be in the last place I thought it would be? And why did I keep two broken hoovers?!

Leaving one place and learning to navigate a new landscape can take time. Moving from a rural village to a city has brought with it fresh discoveries and new sounds. It’s easy to feel lost, but I’m reminded that time and time again when displacement happens in the Bible, God steps in to show the way, or to speak in a still small voice (as the prophet Elijah discovered). When this doesn’t seem to happen (at least not in an obvious way), encouragement and compassion can still be found in a friendly neighbour who comes round with some chocolates and a card to say welcome to the neighbourhood, or a shop-owner who recommends a good place to get a take-away pizza (because we haven’t yet found all our pots and pans for cooking).

Moving has reminded me of the many things I take for granted in having a sense of place and home. Now I am reliant on the map on my phone in helping me find my way around. It’s making me pay attention to my new environment noticing its key features of geography and place names. features I hope I can be more in-tune with what that means in helping others find their way in life in good times and in challenging times. In that sense, I am perhaps less defined by location than I am by attitude: in other words, not by my possessions but by how I am in relationship to those around me.

God of time and place, strengthen me with your courage and wisdom that I might face this day with grace and hope.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 Four Thought (m001hxg6)
Care to Care

Farrah Jarral explains why she believes we need to put care at the centre of our society.

Sharing a story about how her beloved grandmother's lifetime of caring for others - family members and others - meant many people wanted to care for her when the need arose, Farrah reflects on what care does for us as individuals.

Producer: Giles Edwards


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001j3bw)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001hx4n)
The Icknield Way

David Falk is Green Access Manager on the Public Rights of Way Team for Suffolk County Council. He works hard to encourage people to enjoy walking in the beautiful Suffolk countryside. Along with fellow walker former local radio presenter Leslie Dolphin he takes Clare on a walk along part of the Icknield Way starting at Stow Country Park just north of Bury St Edmunds. . It is claimed to be the oldest road in Britain (5,000 years old!). This section goes through a large pine forest and open heathlands and is lovely walking terrain.

Producer Maggie Ayre


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001j3by)
11/02/23 Farming Today This Week: Shadow Defra Secretary on the right to roam, chicken manure on the River Wye, peat.

The debate about where people can and can't go in the English and Welsh countryside is back on. The Labour Party says if it wins the next election it'll introduce a 'right to roam' and will re-introduce wild camping on Dartmoor too, after a high court decision banned it. What will Labour's plans mean for landowners and farmers? We hear from the Shadow Defra Secretary Jim McMahon.

A major chicken producer claims it will clean up it's use of chicken manure alongside the River Wye, but its plan won't be fully implemented till 2025.

The genomes of 19 insects which damage crops have been mapped by scientists at Rothamsted Research and their work has been made public. They hope it will lead to more targeted pesticides and other non chemical methods of controlling crop pests.

All week we've been talking about peat: from restoration to paludiculture, growing crops on rewetted peatland..

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001j3c0)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001j3c2)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001j3c4)
Danny Robins

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by writer, podcaster and ghost-botherer Danny Robins, behind the hit podcast The Battersea Poltergeist and smash West End play 2.22 A Ghost Story.

TV presenter and inclusive travel expert Sophie Morgan is best known for presenting the London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. She talks about her life-changing injury, her recovery and the new series of Living Wild in which she embarks on an epic road trip across the UK.

Psychologist Dr Julie Smith is on a mission to make mental health treatment more accessible to her 4.2 million followers on Tiktok.

And Jack Friend is fresh from an extraordinary trip: he and his three brothers - two sets of twins - rowed across the Atlantic last year, spending 32 days at sea on a tiny boat.

Plus a special Valentine's Day Thank You, and the Inheritance Tracks of TV presenter Sean Fletcher.

Producer: Tim Bano


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001j3c6)
Series 39

Tamworth

Jay Rayner hosts this week's culinary panel show from Tamworth in Staffordshire. Joining Jay this week are Lerato, Sophie Wright, Dr Annie Gray and panel first-timer Richard Bertinet.

They discuss aphrodisiac foods – is there such a thing? What would the panel suggest as an ideal Valentine’s Day cheese, and how to guarantee a rising vegan pavlova. En-route they touch on the origins of Apres-Ski including how to make the best hot chocolate to warm the cockles.

The team also chew over pickles with the help of local pickler, Julian Bonser: the history of pickling, the difference between vinegar and brine, their favourite pickles, and how to encourage a listener’s teens to try them.

Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Louisa Field

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001j3c8)
Assistant Editor of The Spectator, Isabel Hardman, looks back at the week in which Ukraine's President Zelensky addressed Parliament after making a surprise visit to the UK.

Isabel speaks to the former secretary-general of NATO, Lord George Robertson and the former defence secretary Dr Liam Fox about President's Zelensky's address to Westminster Hall and what the UK should do to help Ukraine.

She is also joined by Dame Kate Bingham, the former vaccines tsar and managing partner of life sciences venture capital firm SV health Investors to discuss the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and how Britain can become a science superpower.

The former DUP leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, Baroness Arlene Foster discusses the Northern Ireland protocol.

And why are an increasing number of politicians becoming TV and radio presenters? Former Labour MP and now GB News presenter Gloria de Piero debates this with Financial Times chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001j3cb)
Southern Turkey: The Earthquake's Epicentre

Kate Adie presents stories from Turkey, the USA, Myanmar, Italy and Ukraine.

Anna Foster has been in Kahramanmaras, the epicentre of the recent earthquake, where diggers work to remove the debris, revealing small personal items that tell of so many lives lost. Even after the rescue teams have left for the day, relatives continue the search for loved ones through the night.

President Joe Biden has switched to campaign mode in both his State of the Union speech to Congress and on his recent visit to Florida - celebrating the achievements of his presidency. But a fight looms with Republicans who now control the House, and there are potential trip wires on the road ahead, says Anthony Zurcher.

A journalist from Myanmar shares his story of how hope turned to despair when the military seized power in a coup in 2021 - and how he was forced to flee with his family. The regime has used intimidation and harassment to shut down the media, says Rebecca Henschke.

In Italy, Daniel Gordon tells the story of a man who managed to escape the clutches of the mafia. Having grown up in a crime family, the man reveals the challenges of leaving 'the family' when he was still a young man, before starting a new life in the north of Italy.

And Nick Redmayne takes the ever-punctual Ukrainian Railways overnight sleeper from Poland's far east to Kyiv. As the train departs, following a timetable undeterred by war, Nick chats to his travel companions over cups of hot tea served to passengers in elegant glasses.

Producers: Serena Tarling and Louise Hidalgo
Editor: China Collins
Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross

(Image: Adem Altan via Getty Images)


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001j3cd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001j3cg)
Cost of Living Crisis: Working People

The charity Citizens Advice says it's seen a sharp rise in the number of working people accessing crisis support in the past few years. In 2022, of the 200,000 people helped with a food bank voucher or an emergency grant, almost 24,000 - about 1 in 8 of them - worked. That figure was up more than double the number in 2020. We'll speak to Citizens Advice and get a response from the government.

We'll hear from Harriett Baldwin, the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, on how she wants banks to stop dragging their feet when it comes to implementing changes designed to stop people from becoming victims of push payment fraud. UK Finance, which speaks for banks, says the industry is investing billions to try to keep customers' money safe and is working on plans to slow down certain high-risk payments to prevent fraud.

From this week unmarried parents whose partner dies can claim bereavement support payment worth up to £9800. We reported a few weeks ago that the change was coming and this week the application process has opened. Anyone who thinks they should be eligible can now put in a claim online via gov.uk, over the phone or using a paper application form. More details here: www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment and from the charities Child Bereavement Network (https://childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/) and Widowed and Young (https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/).

And we'll discuss what GDP means for our personal finance with Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and a former advisor to the UK Treasury.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 11th Feb, 2023)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m001hxb9)
Series 110

Episode 7

Andy is joined by Mark Steel, Ria Lina, Catherine Bohart and Camilla Long. This week the panel discuss President Zelensky's surprise visit to the UK, Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle and Liz Truss' political comeback.

Hosted and written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Zoë Tomalin, Rebecca Bain and Cameron Loxdale.

Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001j3cj)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001j3cl)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001hxt2)
Murdo Fraser MSP, Angela Haggerty, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Michael Marra MSP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St Fillan's Church Hall in Aberdour, with Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, Scottish National Party MSP Fiona Hyslop, journalist Angela Haggerty and Labour MSP Michael Marra.

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Lead broadcast engineer: Ken Garden
Editor: Chris Ledgard


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001j3cn)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 One to One (m001c6fy)
Gospel and social change: Gillian Burke and Karen Gibson

In 2014 the biologist and presenter Gillian Burke joined a community choir in Falmouth in a bid to strengthen her voice. Singing is Gillian's passion and it's her way of switching off from work and the pressures of life.

In this third programme Gillian speaks to the conductor of The Kingdom Choir, Karen Gibson. Karen grew up singing in church and Gospel groups, before graduating to the role of choir conductor on a BBC radio programme called The Gospel Train. She was asked to perform on the 35th anniversary of 'Songs of Praise', and The Kingdom Choir was born. In 2018 they stepped onto the global stage when they were invited to perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Gillian asks Karen about her route into Gospel music. They discuss Gospel as a vehicle for hope, and whether there's any tension between performing faith-based music on a commercial stage. And what, if anything, the environmental movement might learn from Gospel music's part in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field.


SAT 15:00 Drama (m001j3cq)
Danger 2023

The first specially written original radio drama for this then new medium, was written by playwright and poet Richard Hughes, under the title 'A Comedy of Danger'. In order to emphasise the sound-only format he set the play in a deep Welsh coal mine, where some posh English visitors get trapped in total darkness in a flooded gallery hoping for rescue . This was broadcast in early 1924.

In February 1923, the BBC broadcast a scene from Julius Caesar . To mark the centenary of this first broadcast, poet Michael Symmons Roberts has taken elements from Hughes first full play and updated them - the shocking plunge into complete darkness without apparent hope of escape, forcing strangers together, the distant sounds of a rising threat from approaching water that gradually rises in the mine's chamber, and the first and last lines of the original which frame this new version.

In Danger 2023, the lights go out on a party visiting a remote 'doomsday' bank deep under the desert containing a vast collection of historical and cultural data about our lives, from governments, universities and media companies across the world . Our digital world being 'archivable' in a physical location, what would be lost if it were destroyed. ? Is our culture, our essence, so digital now that it can be preserved and resurrected by people in the distant future ?

The VIP visitors are a small delegation on a confidential visit to this vault to see how the codes, programmes, files and data of our cyber-age are preserved in controlled conditions in case of nuclear or ecological apocalypse. Trapped in complete darkness, with attempts to contact the outside world proving futile, there's a growing fear that these people will never get out. They are increasingly forced to confront their own deaths, to enter into what they fear will be their final conversations, their last words.

The metaphorical power of a location like a doomsday data bank - as the world attempts to avert a climate catastrophe and the risk of nuclear conflict feels more urgent than it has for decades . Psychologically and dramatically, the mounting pressure and remote isolation of the party leads them to explore and evoke their response to fear, rising paranoia, different responses to mortality.

Cast
Shura - Phia Saban
Thomas/rescuer - Tachia Newall
Belle - Laurel Lefkow
Milton - Adonis Anthony

Directed by Susan Roberts
A BBC North production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001j3cs)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Danielle Deadwyler on Oscars snub, disabled parenting, audio porn, ex-Lioness Jill Scott, and Salma Hayek

Danielle Deadwyler's extraordinary portrayal of the civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley in Chinonye Chukwu’s ‘Till’ has earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Leading Actress. The film tells the true story of Mamie’s pursuit of justice after her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, was tortured and lynched in 1955. Danielle discusses grief, Mamie’s legacy, and the ongoing fight for civil rights.

Dorset Police are investigating allegations of abuse in Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor for North West England & Zoe Billingham, former head of the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue consider if the fire service has a problem with its culture, and in particular women.

European Champion and Queen of the Jungle, Jill Scott, is one of the most decorated footballers in the country and after announcing her retirement from the sport last year she's turned her attention to the next generation. On Friday she opened a new football pitch in her hometown in South Tyneside. She tells us what she wants the Lionesses' legacy to be.

Salma Hayek Pinault broke barriers in the 90’s as one of the first Latina actresses to establish a successful career in Hollywood. She tells us about her new role as a strong female lead starring opposite Channing Tatum in ‘Magic Mike’s Last Stand’.

We explore the complexities of disabled parenting with Eliza Hull, an Australian musician & disabled parent and Nina Tame. We hear about their new anthology of stories, ‘We’ve Got This’.

What is audio porn? Caroline Spiegel, the founder of an erotic audio app called Quinn and Dr Caroline West, consent educator at University of Galway discuss.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Surya Elango
Studio Manager: Bob Nettles
Editor: Lucinda Montefiore


SAT 17:00 PM (m001j3cv)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001j3cx)
The Iain Anderson One

Nick Robinson talks to the influential lobbyist and new chair of Stonewall, Iain Anderson, about how the case of Isla Bryson has brought gender politics to the top of the news agenda and how he thinks the heat can be taken out of the debate. Anderson, a lifelong Conservative who founded the lobbying firm Cicero and ran Ken Clarke's leadership campaigns, talks candidly about why he's now moving away from his political roots.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001j3cz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001j3d1)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j3d3)
More than 25,000 people are known to have died in the natural disaster.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001j3d5)
Suzanne Vega, Treasa O'Brien, Lucy Porter, Devorah Baum and Josh Appignanesi, The Golden Dregs, Scottee, Emma Freud

Emma Freud and Scottee are joined by Suzanne Vega, Treasa O'Brien, Lucy Porter, Devorah Baum and Josh Appignanesi for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Suzanne Vega and The Golden Dregs.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001j3d7)
Steve Barclay

Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, spent his gap year serving with the Royal Fusiliers. Now he finds himself in the line of fire from striking health workers, in a long-running dispute over pay. His job is to somehow find a solution to the row, without adding to the Treasury’s headaches.

Can this rugby-loving sky-diver rise to the challenge? Adrian Goldberg talks to family and friends to find out why some Whitehall officials tremble under his forensic questioning – and why he’s been likened to popular TV detective, Columbo.

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg
Production team: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson and Beth Ashmead-Latham
Production co-ordinator: Sabine Schereck
Studio engineer: Graham Puddifoot
Editor: Penny Murphy


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001j3d9)
Alejandro Iñárritu

Mexican-born filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences.

Iñárritu's movies are often epic in scale and ambition. He made his name with the Mexican gangland drama Amores Perros, and won critical acclaim with his next two Hollywood movies; 21 Grams and Babel. His 2015 black comedy Birdman won him three of his five Academy Awards - for best film, best director and best screenplay. He picked up another Oscar the following year for the brutal 19th century frontiersman drama The Revenant and was awarded a Special Achievement Academy Award for his virtual reality installation Carne y Arena in 2017. His most recent movie is Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths an epic dream-like, semi-autobiographical black comedy-drama, which he co-wrote, co-composed, edited, produced, and directed.

Iñárritu reveals how working on cargo ships as a teenager later influenced the global scope of his filmmaking, and recalls his early career in the 80s and early 90s as a popular radio DJ in Mexico City. He talks about the powerful effect that the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet had on him. This collection of ten letters, published posthumously at the turn of the 20th century, advise developing a rich inner life in order to make great art, words that made a big impression on the aspiring filmmaker Iñárritu. He also discusses his love for the work of Italian film director Sergio Leone, and in particular his 1984 epic crime film Once Upon a Time in America.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001j3dc)
My Sylvia Plath

Emily Berry presents a personal meditation on the poetic life and afterlife of Sylvia Plath.

The American poet and novelist Sylvia Plath is a cultural phenomenon. No other modern writer has been quite so mythologised – and pathologized. Her writing and her life (and the way the one seems to admit intimacies about the other) have, in the years since her death in February 1963, become knotted into legend. She is a proto-feminist, a dutiful daughter, an ambitious ex-pat, a wronged wife, an avatar of psychosis or suicide. And a biographical subject par excellence. Her varied writing – sometimes richly allusive and lyrical, sometimes fierce and taboo-breaking – seems to languish in the shadow cast by her biography and the perceived drama of her marriage and young death.

Beyond these refractions, she remains a potent influence on generations of readers and writers, who often forge deeply personal connections with, as it were, their own Sylvia Plath.

Poet Emily Berry is one of those who has been inspired by Sylvia Plath – by the influence and example of her writing and, sometimes, a fascination for her life story. In My Sylvia Plath she reflects, personally and poetically, on that inspiration and the enduring power of Plath’s writing. She hears from those who knew the poet personally: friends, who naturally have their own Sylvia Plath, glimpsed across time and with the fragility of memory; and others, like Emily, who have been influenced by Plath’s work, their writing lives animated by a Sylvia Plath created and recreated in their own likeness.

The BBC archive contains several recordings made by Sylvia Plath – poems, interviews and commentary – which capture something more rounded than the popular image often allows. The sharp and singular voice of her later poems is there, but so too are her memories of childhood, funny reflections on the eccentricities of the English and glimpses of a tension between the working life and domestic life of a poet who, in her own time, was likely to be consigned to the role of Mrs Ted Hughes – and whose Collected Poems won the Pulitzer Prize.

Featuring Jillian Becker, Heather Clark, Sarah Corbett, Ruth Fainlight and Shane McCrae.

With thanks to Pamela Lorence.

Producer: Martin Williams


SAT 21:00 Stone (b09ly269)
Series 7

Episode 6

Stone. Episode 6 by Cath Staincliffe.

Stone starts to question the reliability of the original murder investigation he was involved with.

Created by Danny Brocklehurst. Script Editor Caitlin Crawford. Director Gary Brown. Producers Gary Brown & Nadia Molinari

DCI John Stone investigates the suspicious death of a man in a fire at a homeless hostel. Stone's enquiries lead him to re-examine a murder he worked on twenty years before in order to solve the case. In doing so he uncovers a web of lies and deceit that make him face past mistakes and lead to personal trauma.


SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001hx8s)
Series 8

Episode 1

Jon Holmes's multi-award-winning The Skewer returns to twist itself into current affairs. This week: SAS Rogue Gas Fitters, Liz Truss is in her Happy Valley, and Dominic Raab channels his inner Gripper Stebson from Grange Hill.

Produced by Jon Holmes.

The Skewer is an unusual production.


SAT 22:00 News (m001j3df)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (m001hx7t)
Morality and Money

In her first public comments since leaving office, the Ex-PM Liz Truss has argued that her plans to boost economic growth were brought down by "the left-wing economic establishment". Losing the confidence of the financial markets at a time of global uncertainty has made us all more aware of our income and expenditure. If the news accurately reflected our lives, it would be hard to escape the conclusion that life is all about money - inflation, interest rates, pay demands and profits. The overriding objective of measuring economic growth is to help as many people as possible to have more money. But how have we become so pre-occupied with what is, after all, an artificial construct that is intrinsically valueless – paper and numbers in themselves morally neutral?

The love of money may be the root of all evil, but its use demands trust and co-operation, its possession brings freedom and agency. Money may have given much of humanity richer lives, in every way, but it’s made us into transactional, rather than relational beings, and it corrupts as much as it enables; a tool that so often seems our master. It’s impossible for us to judge when we have enough of it.

If the best things in life are free, can we imagine a world without money – and would it be better?

With Charlie Mullins, Darren McGarvey, Tomáš Sedláček and Anitra Nelson

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (m001hwzn)
Series 36

Heat 5, 2023

(5/13)
Paul Gambaccini welcomes three music lovers to Salford's MediaCityUK studios, to compete in another heat of the widest-ranging music quiz of them all. They'll have to prove their knowledge of everything from Bach to Bowie and from Handel to Harry Styles. This week's contenders all hail from the north of England, and as usual they'll be asked an individual set of questions on an unseen special topic for which they haven't prepared, as well as on general musical knowledge.

Competing today are
John Dyer from Huddersfield
Diane Hallagan from Leeds
Terry Norris from Liverpool.

The winner will take another of the places in the 2023 semi-finals, and a crucial further step towards the title of 36th BBC Counterpoint champion,

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed (m001hwtt)
Ian McKellen

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink , waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills, he's been working on a new kind of poem he's invented - the Flyku - inspired by the moths and butterflies he sees around him. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about creativity, music, art, sheds, music, poetry and the countryside.

To kick of the new series, Sir Ian McKellen, whose acting career spans seven decades joins Simon to talk about everything from his early childhood in Wigan , creating the character of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, remembering Shakespearian lines and getting an Elvish tattoo

Produced by Susan Roberts

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001j3dh)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Torn (m001bl3n)
The stories behind the clothes we wear

Air Jordans

It's 1985. Nike is hoping to finally get a foot into the world of basketball. They're gearing up for a new release of basketball boots that 21-year-old rookie Michael Jordan wears during a pre-season match for the Chicago Bulls. The National Basketball Association then tries to ban the trainers on the basis that they break the league’s rule stipulating that players must wear shoes that are either 51% black or 51% white.


In the tenth episode of Torn, Gus Casely-Hayford tells the story of how Nike’s response kickstarts a revolution in trainers that turns a simple sports shoe into one of the most covetable fashion items of all time. Jordan saw his sponsorship deal with Nike morph into a multi-billion-dollar business making him the richest athlete of all time.


Casely-Hayford finds that from the early noughties, the lines between fashion and sportswear blurred further. Enter some of the world's most renowned fashion designers. Designer Air Jordans regularly adorn the feet of celebrities from rappers Drake and A$AP Rocky, to the supermodel Naomi Campbell and tennis star Roger Federer. But Air Jordans have a dark side that have spurred riots, robberies, and even murders committed by those desperate to get their feet in a pair.
With the curator Ligaya Salazar and the artist David White.

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
Presenter: Gus Casely-Hayford
Executive Producer: Rosie Collyer
Assistant Producer: Nadia Mehdi
Researcher: Zeyana Yussuf
Production Coordinator: Francesca Taylor
Sound Design: Rob Speight


SUN 00:30 Short Works (m001hxt0)
The Woodwose Wedding by Electra Rhodes

When loggers threaten their forest home, Trefor and Alan are made an unconventional proposal. A new story by Cardiff-based writer and archaeologist Electra Rhodes.

Read by Julian Lewis Jones
Produced by John Norton for Audio Drama Wales


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j3dk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j3dm)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j3dp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001j3dr)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001j3dt)
The Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge. The church was built in 1890 in the Gothic Revival style and is one of the largest Catholic churches in the United Kingdom. The tower houses a ring of eight bells that were cast by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1895. The tenor bell weighs thirty one and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of D. We hear them ringing Yorkshire Surprise Major.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001j3d7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001j3jd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b03m3kqr)
Walking and the Mind

John McCarthy explores the effects of walking on the mind – on our creative and spiritual well-being.

We all know that a good walk is physically good for us, but we rarely stop to consider its impact on our mental states. Was Friedrich Nietzsche right when he said, "all truly great thoughts are conceived by walking"?

Walking, especially walking in countryside, has been important to many creative artists and writers. Beethoven, Erik Satie and Benjamin Britten all used their daily walks for inspiration, as did William Wordsworth as he tramped the paths of the Lake District with his sister Dorothy.

John McCarthy looks at the act of walking as inspiration and also considers its spiritual function. Why do so many people, from a wide variety of religious beliefs, walk to display their devotion and increase their spiritual understanding? Around the world, millions set out each year along the great pilgrimage routes, and often travel on foot.

John McCarthy talks to the British artist Richard Long, whose work often describes walks he has undertaken or imagined. He also talks to Colin Thubron - one of our finest writers about discovery and place - who recently made the arduous journey on foot around Mount Kailash in Tibet, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.

Produced by Anthony Denselow.
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001j3jl)
Peaks, pastures and paths

In Scotland, most farming operations are either in the productive lowlands or on the tougher, poorer upland areas. The Duncan family, led by Shona and Bruce, straddle the divide between the Highlands and Lowlands with a traditional sheep and beef operation on the rolling fields of Stirlingshire, and a large farm estate in the rugged hills on the north-west side of Loch Lomond, which includes two mountains over 3000 feet. They make the most of the variety, but both areas are loved by hikers - and that’s not always to the family’s advantage.

Produced and presented by Richard Baynes


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001j3jt)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001j3jz)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001j3k5)
Turkey and Syria Earthquake; Patriarch Kirill & KGB claims; C of E Synod; Prevent review

Mass graves are being dug in Syria and Turkey to bury the thouands of people who died in this week's earthquake. We speak to an Imam in Syria about the devastation he is dealing with

Might MPs be able to force the Church of England to change its position on same sex marriage in church? The church’s recent decision to allow priests to bless same sex couples who are already married, but not to allow them to marry in church, has caused huge controversy. Several MPs say that the ban is out of step with public opinion and are considering if Parliament could take action to change the church’s position.

More evidence has emerged recently suggesting that the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, was a KGB agent in the 1970's. Declassified documents from Swiss police have strengthened the claims. We look at that and why the Russian Orthodox has not yet been expelled from the World Council of Churches for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Catherine Murray & Bara'atu Ibrahim
Editors: Tim Pemberton & Helen Grady
Production Co-ordinators: Paul Holloway & David Baguley


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001j3k9)
Christian Blind Mission UK

Author, broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Christian Blind Mission (CBM UK).

To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘CBM’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘CBM’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Registered charity number: 1058162


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001j3kf)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001j3km)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001j3kt)
Christian and Single

A service led by The Rev'd Eleanor Jeans, Associate Vicar at St Paul's Church, Leamington Spa. On the Sunday before Valentine's Day, prayer, poetry and testimony from single people in the church looking to remain single and some looking to date. The service will reflect on both the challenges and joys of singleness. Readings: Song of Songs 6; Philippians 4.

Producer: Carmel Lonergan

https://www.singlefriendlychurch.com/


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001hxcj)
The Art of Getting Lost

Will Self on the pleasure of walking without purpose, with no final destination in mind, and the freedom that comes from getting lost once in a while.

He reflects on the rising perception that our public spaces are becoming ever more threatening - especially for women.

'Our movements about this wide and wonderful world are for the most part painfully constrained,' he writes. 'Comfort zones have become more and more constricted'.

He argues that there are many reasons for this, including the grim revelations in recent years about the criminal activities of police officers.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0rtf)
Harpy Eagle

Michael Palin presents the harpy eagle flying over the Brazilian rainforest. This is one of the most powerful birds of prey and links mythological corpse-bearers, the coat of arms of Panama and the Harry Potter films.

In Greek mythology harpies were creatures with the bodies of eagles and the faces of women, who seized people in their claws. A human body is beyond the real-life harpy eagle, but with its massive 12 cm talons, it can carry a full-grown sloth or an adult howler monkey. Being versatile hunters, the eagles catch a range of birds and reptiles and can easily hoist porcupines and armadillos into the treetops to feed their young.

Harpy Eagles breed in the rainforests of central and South America. They're blackish- grey above and white below with a black collar and a divided crest which gives them an uncanny resemblance to Buckbeak the Hippogriff in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001j3kz)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001j3l6)
Writer, Liz John
Director, Rosemary Watts
Editor, Jeremy Howe

David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Ruairi Donovan ….. Arthur Hughes
Jakob Hakansson ….. Paul Venables
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Paul Mack ….. Joshua Riley
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Julianne Wright ….. Lisa Bowerman


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001j3ld)
David Sedaris, writer

David Sedaris is a writer whose humorous stories and wry takes on everyday encounters have led to 13 bestselling books and many radio programmes including Meet David Sedaris on BBC Radio 4. His work is based on his own life and, although very funny, does not shy away from the bleaker aspects of his experiences.

David was born in New York State and grew up in Raleigh in North Carolina. He dropped out of university and became a performance artist for a while, but says he lacked artistic talent and chose not to pursue art as a career. In 1990 he moved to New York City where he supported himself by working as a Christmas elf called Crumpet at Macy’s department store. He wrote an essay about this experience called Santaland Diaries which he read on National Public Radio. His performance attracted an enthusiastic response from listeners and led to his first major break as a writer and broadcaster.

David’s later collections of stories and essays have won non-fiction awards and in 2002 he gave a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. The recording of this event was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. David’s most recent collection of essays addresses a range of subjects including the end of Donald Trump’s administration, the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of his father.

David lives with his boyfriend Hugh and they divide their time between New York and West Sussex. David is a committed litter-picker which prompted his local Sussex council to name a refuse vehicle after him - Pig Pen Sedaris.

DISC ONE: I Don’t Wanna Play House by Tammy Wynette
DISC TWO: Where is Love, composed by Lionel Bart and performed by Keith Hamshere and Original London Cast of Oliver!
DISC THREE: Dindi by Maria Bethânia
DISC FOUR: Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) by Aretha Franklin
DISC FIVE: I Got A Right to Praise The Lord by The Georgia Mass Choir
DISC SIX: Manhattan by Blossom Dearie
DISC SEVEN: You and I by Abbey Lincoln
DISC EIGHT: They Say It’s Wonderful by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

BOOK CHOICE: A German dictionary
LUXURY ITEM: Pencils and paper
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: You and I by Abbey Lincoln

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001j3wt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (m001hx07)
Series 90

Mods and Rockers, The Perfect Mullet and Deep Sea Diving

Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Jan Ravens, Tony Hawks and Desiree Burch to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.

The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game returns this week with subjects ranging from The Perfect Mullet to Deep Sea Diving.

Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia

A BBC Studios Production


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001j3k3)
Low Energy Cookers: Fad or For Life?

Sales of air fryers, pressure cookers, slow cookers and even microwaves have been increasing over the past year, and it is not hard to understand why. All these gadgets save energy, which has undoubtedly become more important since energy prices shot up. But can using them do more for us than just save money?

In this programme, Sheila Dillon meets people who are obsessed with air fryers, pressure cookers and slow cookers. She hears from Belfast's Nathan Anthony about how his social media account "Bored of Lunch" has propelled his slow cooker recipe book to the top of the charts, and she speaks to Bristol's Square Food Foundation to find out why they are considering introducing pressure cookers on their courses.

And could the devices help outside the home too? Hospitality businesses are under pressure with rising costs, and customers with increasingly tighter budgets. In Somerset, chef and restaurateur, Nicholas Balfe tests out some low energy appliances to see if they could make any difference in the professional kitchen.

Are you now using a low energy cooker again, for the first time, or more than before? Tell us about what difference it's been making on social media. We are @BBCFoodProg on social media, or email thefoodprogramme@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001j3ly)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001j3m4)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 The Boat Smugglers (m001hf3y)
The recent rise in migrant boat crossings between France the UK is being fuelled in part by the more sophisticated methods gangs are using to source the boats

Last year when they investigated the smuggling gangs for BBC Radio 4, reporter Sue Mitchell and former British soldier and aid worker Rob Lawrie were alongside Border Force officials as they seized all manner of dinghies used in the crossings. Today that haul looks very different: the makeshift supply has been replaced by a sophisticated business which sees boats manufactured in Turkey and transported across Europe to the beaches of France.

This streamlined supply chain is big business and it’s enabled the gangs to rapidly expand the trade: bigger boats made specifically for these crossings are mass manufactured in Turkey and shipped straight into the hands of smugglers. It’s a complicated dodging of laws as they’re transported across Europe, with authorities slow to react. And it promises to thwart whatever deals are secured between Britain and France to intercept the Channel crossings themselves.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001hx8x)
Balcombe

Which plants stand a chance against hungry deer? Is there a particular flower that refuses to grow for you? And what’s the right way to water your plants? 

In Balcombe to answer these questions and more in front of a live audience are Kathy Clugston and this week’s panel: Plants expert Christine Walkden, garden designer Juliet Sargeant and Matthew Pottage, Curator at RHS Wisley.

And garden researcher and historian Advolly Richmond shares the history of the Galanthus nivalis, commonly known as snowdrops.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Louisa Field



A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001j3mj)
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy

John Yorke explores the themes and impact of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story Yentl. Written in the 1950s but set in the orthodox Jewish community of late nineteenth century Poland, the story was made into a successful Hollywood film starring Barbara Streisand.

Yentl, a young orthodox woman, rebels against the constraints of a woman’s life and disguises herself as a young man in order to be able to study at a Yeshiva, or religious college. In describing the complications and misunderstandings that ensue Singer offers insights into religious, social and gender politics not only of the late nineteenth century but of his own, and our, times.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday/Saturday Drama series.

From EastEnders to the Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters (his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone).

Contributors:
Kerry Shale, actor, broadcaster and writer
Evelyn Torton Beck, translator of Singer’s work
Rebecca Abrams, author, teacher and critic

Clip from film:
From Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Nightmare and Mrs Pupko’s Beard, directed by Bruce Davidson for BBC Arena, 1973

Produced by Penny Boreham
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Sound by Sean Kerwin
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama (m001j3mr)
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy

Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Dramatised by Kerry Shale.

Poland 1872. A Jewish shtetl. In her heart, sixteen year-old Yentl knows she will never be a wife and mother. Her father reluctantly allows her to join him in morning prayers because, he tells her, Yentl has "the soul of a man". When he dies, she crosses the line. In order to continue her Bible studies, a practice forbidden to Jewish women, she dons her father's clothes and takes to the road as Anshel, a young man in search of a religious seminary. A universal tale of spiritual and gender liberation.

Yentl ..... ..........................Olivia Marcus
Avigdor .......................... Richard Fleeshman
Singer/Vishkower ..... Kerry Shale
Mrs Vishkower ........... Debbie Chazen
Hadass .......................... Jennifer Hulman
Shloime ........................ Robert Neumark Jones
Kalman ..... ....................Alex Zur
Prof Blue/Rabbi ......... Hamilton Berstock

Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley
Technical Producer - Tony Wass
Studio Manager - Vanessa Nutall
Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet
Religious Advisor - Rachel Creeger
Director/Producer - Gary Brown

Kerry Shale and director Gary Brown first met as young actors when they were appearing as Yeshiva students in the 1982 movie 'Yentl'. They shared some of their memories on 'The Film Programme' in 2019.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001j3mz)
Bret Easton Ellis

The author American Psycho talks to Chris Power about his first novel in 13 years, The Shards. The controversial giant of American literature discusses the difficulties of growing up gay in 1980s Los Angeles, the parallels between murders and writers, and his love of George Eliot.

Book List – Sunday 12 February and Thursday 16 February

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis
Carrie by Stephen King
The Shining by Stephen King
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
In Our Time by Ernest Hemmingway
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac


SUN 16:30 The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed (m001j3n6)
Lucy Beaumont

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink, waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills, he's been working on a new kind of poem he's invented - the Flyku - inspired by the moths and butterflies he sees around him. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about creativity, music, art, sheds, music, poetry and the countryside.

This week, writer, actress and stand-up comedian Lucy Beaumont joins Simon in the shed. Their conversation ranges from the differences in their Yorkshire accents - Lucy grew up in Hull, Simon in the village of Marsden, to writing comedy for TV and radio, appearing on panel shows and working with her husband Jon Richardson on their reality show Meet the Richardsons.

Produced by Susan Roberts


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001hwxh)
Living with Andrew Tate

A British woman tells File on 4 about her relationship with controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate, claiming that he pressurised her to work for his webcam company and that he was controlling and violent towards her. Tate is currently in detention in Bucharest along with his brother, Tristan, facing allegations of people trafficking and rape, which both men deny. Prosecutors allege that Andrew Tate recruited victims by seducing them and falsely claiming he wanted a relationship or marriage. 'Sophie' tells File on 4 what happened to her and other women who worked in Romania as webcam girls for Tate. The programme also interrogates Tate's claims that he's a self-made 'trillionaire' and asks whether his boasts around his vast wealth are all that they seem.

Image credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Producer: Hayley Mortimer
Reporters: Georgia Coan and Paul Kenyon
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production team: Tim Fernley and Jordan King
Editor: Carl Johnston

*Since this episode of File on 4 was originally broadcast, lawyers acting for Andrew Tate have said that he denies all the allegations made against him in the programme.


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001j3d7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001j3nd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001j3nl)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j3nt)
The UN says the international community has failed victims of the earthquake in Syria.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001j3ny)
Qasa Alom

A selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001j3jp)
Alice persuades Brian to go for a walk to blow away the cobwebs. Brian wonders how Ruairi is since their row as he’s not answering Brian’s texts. Alice fields the question by saying that Ruairi’s finding his way through his grief and the whole family are in limbo about arrangements for Jennifer’s funeral. When Alice tries to pin down a time with Brian to discuss the funeral, he brushes it off saying he’ll think about it.

Kate’s keen to put Spiritual Home behind her and instead focus on environmental ideas to make ‘Home Farm net zero’. Jakob cautions her to slow down and wait until after the funeral before making any life-changing decisions. As Kate prepares to go out, she’s perplexed when Jakob seems to be stalling her and insists that she answers the door when the doorbell rings. Kate’s delighted when it’s Noluthando. She had no idea Jakob had cooked this up secretly with Noluthando to surprise Kate.

Kirsty and Roy sort out Phoebe’s room, ready to turn it into an office. They notice that Brian’s garden could do with some work now that Jennifer’s no longer around. They chat about how Brian’s doing and wonder what they could do to help him. Later, having liaised with Alice, they tidy up Brian’s garden ready to surprise him when he gets back. However, Brian comes home unexpectedly demanding to know what they’re doing. When Roy explains they’d run the idea past Alice first, Brian angrily says he can make his own decisions and asks them to leave.


SUN 19:15 Believe It! (m000nd0d)
Series 5

Goodbye

Richard Wilson returns with another series of not quite true revelations about his life. Jon Canter’s comedic writing is as sharp as ever as he delves into themes such as celebrity, brand awareness and death.

As usual Richard has many friends from whom he seeks advice. Starring Ian McKellen as Head of Gay, and Peter Capaldi and David Tennant as the Two Doctors, along with an excellent supporting cast.

It’s a mockumentary and spoof autobiography rolled into one.

CAST:
Richard Wilson
Sir Ian McKellen
Peter Capaldi
David Tennant
Jan Ravens

Irina - Rebekah Staton
Alexis - Elliot Levey

Written by Jon Canter
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 The Circus (m001j3p2)
Episode 6 - The Comedian

A former working men’s club in North Belfast called ‘The Circus’ has been refurbished and relaunched with an inaugural talent show – and a massive cash prize for the winner! – inspiring the locals to brush up on some old skills. The new owner, a successful London property developer, has promised to bring a bit of the West End to North Belfast. But can the area really change? Can the people?
Cliftonville Circus is where five roads meet in North Belfast. It is situated in the most deprived part of the city; it is also the most divided. Each road leads to a different area – a different class – a different religion. ‘The Circus’ explores where old Belfast clashes with the new around acceptance, change, class and diversity.

The Author
Born in Belfast, Paul McVeigh has written comedy, essays, flash fiction, a novel, plays and short stories. His work has been performed on radio, stage and television, and published in seven languages. Paul co-founded the London Short Story Festival and is an associate director at Word Factory. His debut novel 'The Good Son' won The Polari First Novel Prize and The McCrea Literary Award. He is also the editor of ‘The 32: Irish Working Class Voices’, ‘Queer Love: An Anthology of Irish Fiction’ and ‘Belfast Stories’.

Writer: Paul McVeigh
Reader: Michael Condron
Producer: Michael Shannon
Executive Editor: Andy Martin

A BBC Northern Ireland production.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001hx2z)
The IMF and the UK economy, NHS staff shortages and British v English

The International Monetary Fund says the UK will be the only major economy to shrink in size this year. We ask how much faith we should put in the IMF’s forecasts and look at some of the big economic challenges facing the UK. Also why the headline number of job vacancies in the NHS in England doesn’t tell the whole story of staff shortages. And why has there been such a dramatic change in whether people describe themselves as British or English?

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001hx98)
Frene Ginwala, Lady Martha Bruce OBE, Pervez Musharraf, Paco Rabanne

Matthew Bannister on

Frene Ginwala (pictured), one of the leading figures in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, who became Speaker of the country’s first democratically elected parliament.

Lady Martha Bruce OBE, governor of Scotland’s first purpose built prison for women.

General Pervez Musharraf, who took power as President of Pakistan in a military coup and supported George Bush’s War on Terror.

Paco Rabanne, the designer who created clothes from metal, plastics and wood.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: John Battersby
Interviewed guest: Tessa Dunlop
Interviewed guest: Umer Farooq
Interviewed guest: Suzy Menkes OBE

Archive clips used: C-Span, South African State of the National Address, introduction 24/05/1994; The Freedom Collection, Frene Ginwala – We had more offices than the South African Government had Embassies 06/07/2015; British Pathé, Come On Girls Join The Ats 1944; British Movietone, ATS Training Centre 07/07/1941; BBC Radio 4, Now – In Scotland 30/06/1971; BBC One, Nationwide 09/12/1975; ABC Australia, Profile of a General 2000; BBC Two, Newsnight 13/10/1999; BBC World News, HARDtalk – Pervez Musharraf 10/01/2001; NDTV – News (YouTube Channel), Pervez Musharraf interview uploaded on 17/11/2011; BBC News, Assassination Attempt On Musharraf 25/12/2003; FRANCE24 (YouTube Channel), EN – Culture – Paco Rabanne interview uploaded on 04/07/2007; British Pathé, Cinetic Fashions aka Paco Rabanne Way-Out Fashions 1967; British Pathé, Metal Fashions 1969; Paco Rabanne, UK television advert 1986.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001j3cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001j3k9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (m001hx0q)
Blaenau Ffestiniog and the Foundational Economy

In the search for stability and growth, policy and debate often focuses on looking for multi-million pound inward investment, or industries with big ideas such as technology and manufacturing. But these businesses, which often rely on sophisticated technology to produce tradeable and exportable products, only make up a small proportion of the UK economy. Instead the “Foundational Economy” - things like food production and processing, retail, health, education, housing and welfare, contribute to a much larger proportion of spending. They account for around four in ten jobs and £1 spent in every three in Wales.
Wales has been a global pioneer in supporting the “mundane” but crucial Foundational Economy, shaping policies around it. They’ve establish a dedicated ministerial board, and have a £4.5m fund, supporting a series of experimental projects testing the importance and potential of the Foundational Economy. But can it ever be big enough or bold enough to transform the state’s finances?
Clare McNeil visits the former Slate mining capital of the world - Blaenau Ffestiniog - to investigate whether these projects can provide sufficient stability and growth, and if the rest of the UK should focus on the mundane to develop the economy.

Presenter: Clare McNeil
Producer: Jonathan IAnson
Editor: Clare Fordham


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001j3p8)
Carolyn Quinn discusses Rishi Sunak's domestic priorities, with former Cabinet minister Chloe Smith; Labour's leader in the House of Lords, Angela Smith; and the former government adviser Luke Tryl - now UK Director of the polling and policy research organisation, More in Common. The FT's political editor, George Parker, brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001j3d5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b03m3kqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]

MONDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2023

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001j3pj)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001hx5j)
38. Past Your Peak

John Nunn learnt to play chess aged four. Since before he can remember, he’s had an exceptional talent for maths. In 1970, aged just 15, he started a degree in mathematics at the University of Oxford.

In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed ventures into the world of child prodigies. Often depicted as freakish talents with pushy parents, Matthew uncovers the falsehoods and fascinations associated with young brilliant minds.

Charting John Nunn’s career, from maths lecturer to chess grandmaster, Matthew explores how our performance peaks, plateaus and declines and whether age and innovation are really inextricably linked.

With Dr Ellen Winner, Professor of Psychology at Boston College and Dr Bruce Weinberg, Professor of Economics at Ohio State University.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Pippa Smith
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001j3dt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j3pq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j3pw)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j3q3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001j3q9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001j3qj)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

I spend quite a lot of time in an average day dealing with people who hold very different opinions from each other. Whether it is on a matter of faith, or how you take your coffee, navigating topics that cause division can become something of an art. Doing this well matters, because in some situations disagreement can have a lasting impact. If some sort of resolution isn’t sought, the matter that caused the difference in the first place can become bigger than it needs to be, or even a point is reached where we can’t remember what caused us to think differently in the first place and all we can do is to carry some vague notion that we don’t get on with one another.

Sometimes, when I am stuck in such a situation, I turn back to the New Testament and the letters of the Apostle Paul. In some cases, he had quite a direct way of addressing conflict, by naming reality and providing much needed clarity about what would be needed to bring things to a more peaceful place. At other times, Paul used powerful imagery of the human body to put forward the idea that some degree of difference can be a good thing; holding the difference then becomes the challenge, as well as the opportunity. I have probably learnt more from listening to the colleague who holds a different view on a topic of faith than I have from colleagues who I am in complete agreement with on the same matter. I hope that today I can value difference and learn from it in new ways that enrich all that I do.

God who created us to be different, help me to celebrate and recognise the value in those with whom I disagree. May I be a patient listener, and a valued colleague.

Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001j3qp)
The Government says there will be no further investigation of what caused the mass die-off of shellfish on England's North East coast in 2021. Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey, says "given the extent of the analytical work already undertaken... I have decided it is highly unlikely we will ever find the cause, so no further analysis will be undertaken by the government". She also says there is no question of the government providing compensation. We get reaction from fishing crews.

Poor mental health is one of the biggest hidden problems facing farmers - that's according to the Farm Safety Foundation. This week the foundation is running its 'Mind Your Head' campaign - highlighting what it says are deteriorating levels of mental wellbeing in agriculture over the past three years and the impact that can have on safety.

And we boldly go beyond our world to talk about how food and farming can benefit from our exploration of space. From satellites guiding tractors and scouting for illegal fishing operations, to zero gravity crops!

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


MON 05:56 Weather (m001j3qr)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xyd)
White-tailed Eagle

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Michaela Strachan presents the white-tailed eagle. These magnificent birds, sometimes called the sea eagle, are our largest breeding bird of prey and in flight have been described as looking like a "flying barn-door". The adults have white tail feathers, a bulky yellow bill and long parallel-sided wings: they really do deserve that barn door description.


MON 06:00 Today (m001j3gs)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001j3h1)
The food we eat

The psychologist Kimberley Wilson lays bear the truism ‘we are what we eat’. In Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat is Fuelling our Mental Health Crisis she bring into sharp focus the known links between diet, brain, behaviour and mental health. She tells Tom Sutcliffe how the government’s failure to address poor nutrition is a catastrophe.

Rebecca O’Connell’s research focuses on the social, cultural and economic reasons that shape what children and families eat, and the part food plays in their everyday lives. With the cost of living crisis and an increase in families suffering food poverty, she looks at the capacity to ‘choose’ to buy healthier food, and what other countries, like Portugal, have achieved in prioritising school meals.

But what about the food itself and how it’s grown? The author of The Ethical Carnivore, Louise Gray, turns her attention to fruit and veg in her latest book, Avocado Anxiety And Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes From. Tracking from farm to table, Gray discovers the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018np9)
Rosalyn

How do you survive and restore your life when something truly appalling is done to you? Marina Cantacuzino presents the first of five gripping stories from people who’ve had to struggle with forgiveness in order to be free.

Rosalyn was subjected to a prolonged and violent rape in her home at knifepoint. Her attacker was a serial rapist who broke into her home while her two-year-old daughter slept in the room next door. After much anguish, she finally decided to meet her attacker in prison through a process known as restorative justice. She found the process helped her to take back control and she was able to “forgive the man, but not the act.”

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who became interested in forgiveness at the time of the Iraq War. It’s a subject she’s explored now for many years, in books and through founding a charity, ‘The Forgiveness Project’. A common theme running through these stories is that forgiveness is difficult, messy, and complex, but it brings with it the power to transform lives.

Producer: Kim Normanton
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Burke

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001j3hc)
Love-Bombed a new BBC Sounds Podcast. Can writing a memoir ruin your life? Who are you at work? Knife Crime

Coleen Greenwood spent almost two and a half years in a relationship with a man she knew as James Scott. He said he was a divorced firefighter who wanted to marry and go into business with her - but it was all based on a lie. Her story is the subject of a new BBC podcast series Love-Bombed with Vicki Pattison. Ahead of its launch we speak to Coleen about the impact the relationship had on her; and to DC Chris Bentham, who investigated the case.

A boy and girl, both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey at a park in Warrington. This follows on from an incident last Monday, where a teenage girl was injured in what police have described as a "serious racially aggravated assault". Recent statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that there were 3,500 proven knife and offensive weapon offences committed by children between 2020 and 2021. We hear the latest from BBC's Rowan Bridge in Warrington and from Zoe Cooke, a campaigner against knife crime whose son Byron was stabbed to death in 2021.

Do writers of memoirs focusing on traumatic events need protection? Does the publishing industry need to come up with guidelines to protect writers? Terri White, author of the memoir Coming Undone and Kit de Waal author of Without Warning & Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood discuss.

Plus who are you at work? Workplace consultant Gabriella Braun explain how psychoanalysis can reveal some hidden truths behind our behaviour. From interactions with your boss triggering feelings about your parents, to colleagues setting off old issues of sibling rivalries,
Presenter Nuala McGovern
Producer Beverley Purcell


MON 11:00 Don't Log Off (m001j3hh)
Iran Special

In this special edition, Alan talks to Asal and Sara, two women living in Iran about how they are navigating their lives when normality is imploding around them. What does the future hold for them?

He also talks to Iranians living in the diaspora – Hamid in Glasgow and Melika in Sierra Leone, about how they stay connected to family and friends, how they use their voice to promote change in their homeland and whether they will ever be able to return there.

And to second generation Iranian Setare growing up in Los Angeles, about the impact the current situation is having on her and her family.

Producer: Mohini Patel
Researcher: Shiler Mahmoudi


MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001hx76)
Podcasting

It seems these days everyone is making a podcast, from Michelle Obama and Kate Hudson to Alastair Campbell and Dua Lipa. Covering every subject from health and wellbeing to politics, food and even funerals, the last few years has seen a proliferation of new titles. Although only a third of us are currently listening to podcasts, that number is steadily growing. So who is making money from podcasts, and how? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

PRESENTER: Evan Davis

GUESTS

Jack Davenport, managing director, Goalhanger Podcasts

Sam Shetabi, content director UK, Acast

and

Rebecca McGrath, senior media analyst, Mintel

PODCAST CLIPS

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, featuring Jarvis Cocker, Plosive Productions

The Rest is Politics with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, Goalhanger Podcasts

and

Shagged, Married, Annoyed with Chris and Rosie Ramsay, Avalon Productions

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball
Editor: China Collins
Producton Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Sound: Neil Churchill and John Scott


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001j3qk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001j3hr)
Rail Minister, Water Charges and Dogs Teeth

The rail minister Huw Merriman explains how the government plans to tempt passengers back on trains. Also, do you brush your dog's teeth? Not many do, but we should!


MON 12:57 Weather (m001j3hy)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001j3j5)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Life Support (m001j3jf)
Midwives

Two health workers at different stages of their careers, meet for the first time to share and contrast their experiences of working in the health service. Revealing and surprising insights emerge as they compare the pressures of the past with the current challenges we hear so much about today. In this episode we hear from two midwives. Ann, who's been a midwife for thirteen years, talks about how she takes her tea. It must be lukewarm. The reason? She knows there’s simply no time to wait on a busy labour ward for a hot brew to cool down between seeing patients. Ann is in conversation with Joy, who started as a midwife in the NHS in the 1980s. Back then Joy remembers having time to read a book and even doing some knitting between patients. Both weigh up the satisfaction they get from doing the job against the increasing pressures of the role.

Produced by Octavia Woodward and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001j3jp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 This Cultural Life (m001j3d9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 15:00 Counterpoint (m001j3jx)
Series 36

Heat 6, 2023

(6/13)
Three music lovers from northern England and the Midlands join Paul Gambaccini for the much-loved music quiz, from the BBC's Salford studios.

The quiz tests the range and variety of their musical knowledge, and there are extracts to identify from musical works of all genres. They may struggle if they don't know their Vivaldi from their Handel, their Benny Goodman from their Count Basie or their Suede from their Pulp. As usual they'll be asked to pick a special topic on which they'll face an individual set of questions - with no prior warning of the choices available, and no time to prepare.

Appearing today are:
Judith Bradley from Newton-le-Willows
Carolyn Evans from Bromsgrove
Sally Wilson from Sale.

The winner will be back for the semi-finals of this year's Counterpoint tournament, which begin in a few weeks' time.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001j3k3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Cupid Loves Eros (m001hx30)
An exploration for Valentine's week of queer love poetry across the millennia, presented by renowned crime writer and proud lesbian Val McDermid.

With the help of actor and writer Stephen Fry, the Makar (National Poet of Scotland) Jackie Kay and theatre director and author Neil Bartlett, they all choose their favourite poems that explore same-sex love. We discover that some of the most famous love poems in history from some of our most famous writers are actually about same-sex love.

Of course, many of the poems are coloured by the struggles to be open or express love for your same-sex partner, the consequences of being caught in a queer relationship and the hostility shown to same-sex relationships over the centuries. But universal aspects of being in love and the unstoppability of LGBTQ+ people to continue having and celebrating loving relationships shines through.

Val and her guests take us from the ancient Greeks to today, presenting from various symbolic locations including Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, taking listeners on a moving and witty poetry tour through time and place of secret and openly celebrated LGBTQ+ love.

From Sappho to AE Housman, Aphra Behn to Carol Ann Duffy and Frank O’Hara to Edwin Morgan, the diversity of queer relationships and manifestations of same-sex love are painted in huge variety through the selected poems. With only a minority of countries and cultures in the world today actually protecting and celebrating same-sex relationships, this is a bittersweet exploration of the history of LGBTQ+ love poetry that shows how far we have come and how far we still have to go for queer love to be truly, freely expressed everywhere.

Producer: Turan Ali
A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 4


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m001j3k8)
Unforgiveness

"I didn't choose to forgive. It wasn't that I tried and tried to forgive. There was a moment when I thought, what on earth does this word 'forgiveness' even mean?"

Julie Nicholson's daughter, Jenny, was killed in the 7/7 London Bombings. Julie has not forgiven Jenny's killer which has led to conflict with what was expected of her in her role as a parish priest. She tells Aleem Maqbool about the difficulties in reconciling her faith's teachings on forgiveness with her Christian ministry and the response she received after being dubbed "the vicar who couldn't forgive".

Julie's story sparks a discussion on the place of forgiveness from different religious perspectives. Aleem is joined by New Testament scholar, Professor Anthony Bash, who has written extensively on the theology of forgiveness, Rabbi Elchonon Feldman, Senior Rabbi at Bushey United Synagogue and author Marian Partington.

They discuss what is meant by forgiveness in different religious contexts. Whether it is essential to forgive others for the hurt they have caused us or is there a limit. Can we forgive the unforgiveable?

Producer: Katharine Longworth with Vishva Semani
Assistant Producer: Josie Le Vay
Editor: Tim Pemberton


MON 17:00 PM (m001j3kd)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j3kr)
The number of confirmed deaths now exceeds 35,000, though there are fears the final total could be more than double that.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m001j3ky)
Series 90

The Day I Cut My Fringe, Rap Battles and Prawn Cocktail

Sue Perkins challenges Gyles Brandreth, Lucy Porter, Ria Lina and Rhys James to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.

The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game returns this week with subjects ranging from Rap Battles to Prawn Cocktail.

Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia

A BBC Studios Production


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001j3l5)
David and Ruth get a letter from the council about the land sale; the buyers have requested a change of use to an electric vehicle charging station. They agree not to worry about it for now. Later Ruth’s surprised by a romantic picnic that David’s laid out in the barn, complete with fairy lights. David presents her with an amber necklace and Ruth apologise for only buying him a card. But David explains all he wants is to be with Ruth. They apologise about their recent arguments, realising that they work better as a team.

Justin bumps into Ruairi and asks him if he’s going to the finance event in Birmingham later as Julianne’s on the guest list. Justin’s surprised when Ruairi says he isn't; he's having dinner with Noluthando and Kate. Later over pizza at The Lodge, Noluthando opens up to Ruairi and Kate about Khayone and how hard it’s been getting over their split.

At the finance event Justin congratulates Julianne on winning Bill’s contract, asking whether she’s signed on the dotted line yet. Julianne evades his questioning. She introduces Justin to her new ‘plus one’ Giles. Justin’s curious how they met as she always seems to have a handsome young man in tow. He thought Ruairi was her partner. Julianne tells him that what she had with Ruairi was purely a business arrangement; she was paying for his company. Justin finally grasps the situation and asks whether Ruairi was her escort. Julianne replies Bingo!


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001j3lb)
Kate Prince on her suffragette musical, the art of casting, set design at the Brits.

Sylvia is a new hip hop, funk and soul musical telling the story the fight for women’s – and universal – suffrage, through the life of Sylvia Pankhurst. It wasn‘t just the patriarchy she had to struggle with, but her family, especially her mother, the indomitable Emmeline. Kate Prince has co-written, choreographed and directed it. She talks to Samira Ahmed about the story and the contemporary resonances of her show.

In 2021, casting director Lucy Pardee won her first BAFTA for her work on the coming-of-age drama, Rocks, which was celebrated in part for the range and skill of its young cast. She's now up for another BAFTA for new film Aftersun, which tells the story of a troubled single father through the eyes of his 11-year-old daughter. She discusses the art of 'street casting' actors for their cinema debuts.

Reporter Will Chalk goes back stage at the Brit Awards to meet production designer Misty Buckley, who specialises in creating sets for huge spectacles like the Brits, the Commonwealth Games and the Grammys.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May

Main image: The Company in Sylvia at The Old Vic 2023, Photographer - Manuel Harlan


MON 20:00 The Privatisation of British Gas (m001j3lj)
Historian Phil Tinline explores why, 37 years ago, the Thatcher government privatised British Gas, how what followed has shaped today's energy price crisis - and what should happen next.

Contributors: Professor Michael Bradshaw, Derek Davis, Dr Amy Edwards, Mathew Lawrence, Tim Lefroy, Sir John Redwood

Producer: Phil Tinline


MON 20:30 Analysis (m001j3lq)
Has economic crisis put net-zero plans on the backburner?

The UK has pledged to reach net-zero by 2050. But has a pandemic, the fallout from the war in Ukraine and now an economic crisis derailed our plans to decarbonise? Or have they provided an inflexion point, accelerating necessary change? With the energy crisis has come a renewed emphasis on security of supply. Does that bind us more firmly to fossil fuels - or spur the transition to cleaner fuels and new technology? And has a cost of living crisis been a catalyst for change in consumer and corporate behaviour - or made going green seem unaffordable and less of a priority? Dharshini David speaks to policymakers, business leaders and experts and asks whether the economy, or political will, is the main driver in reaching net zero.

Presenter: Dharshini David
Producer: Caroline Bayley
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 21:00 Is Psychiatry Working? (m001hx72)
Medication

Although psychiatry helped writer Horatio Clare when he was in crisis, some people in difficulty, their families, clinicians, psychologists and psychiatrists themselves will tell you there are serious questions about the ways psychiatry understands and treats some people in trouble. And so this series asks a simple question: is psychiatry working? In the following series, accompanied by the psychiatrist Femi Oyebode, Horatio traces a journey through crisis, detention, diagnosis, therapy, and recovery. In this episode, with the help of patients and clinicians, they consider medication.

If you need support with mental health or feelings of despair, a list of organisations that can help is available at BBC Action Line support:

Mental health & self-harm: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm
Suicide/Emotional distress: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/information-and-support-suicide-emotional-distress

or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066.

Presenters: Horatio Clare and Femi Oyebode
Producer: Emma Close
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound Mix: James Beard


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001j3h1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001j3m0)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Death at Broadcasting House (m001j3m6)
Episode 1

The Scarlet Highwayman is being transmitted from Broadcasting House. The actors, engineers and producers are all nervous at the prospect of the live transmission and are obviously delighted when it proves to be a success. One of the best and most credible scenes is the one in which the actor Sidney Parsons is 'murdered'.

Not usually an animated performer, he is surprisingly impressive here. But then his body is found in Studio 7C and it transpires that he really has been murdered. And that everyone who heard the play had heard him die. But who did it?

Written in 1934 by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Gielgud (brother of John) worked in BBC Radio throughout the 1930s.

Read by Tim McInnerny

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produce by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (m001hxsg)
Subtitles

Karli Witkowska is the subtitler behind films and TV shows including Stranger Things. She explains to Michael how descriptions such as 'tentacles wetly squelching' enhance the experience of Deaf and hard of hearing viewers as well as being entertaining in themselves.

Producer Sally Heaven


MON 23:30 Great Lives (m001fw98)
Olia Hercules on Alla Horska, Ukrainian painter

"Cooking is like therapy to us. I grew up where my big extended family would come together in summer under the walnut tree. The adults would drink and we’d eat, stories would be told and we'd break into song. It was a healing process."

In the first of a new series, the cookbook author Olia Hercules tells us why she's picked the Ukrainian artist and activist Alla Horska as her Great Life. A member of the Sixtiers, Alla was a part of the Ukrainian dissident movement of writers, artists and cultural figures who stood against the destruction of Ukrainian identity and rallied for greater freedoms.

Growing up in Ukraine, Olia says she was taught so much about Russian culture, and so little about Ukrainian culture, that she wanted to fix that. Now in a time of war, Olia discovers how parts of Alla's life mirror her own. Joining her in studio is Tetyana Filevska, creative director of the Ukrainian Institute. Tetyana moved to London to escape the war in Ukraine.

Future guests in the series include writer Olivia Laing on Christopher Lloyd, Bob Harris on Sir Matt Busby, and Noddy Holder on Chuck Berry.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Caitlin Hobbs

TUESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2023

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001j5hv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018np9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j3ms)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j3my)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j3n5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001j3nc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001j3nj)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. But who was Valentine? Not surprisingly, there are several theories. One is that Valentine was a third century priest in Rome. The emperor had decided that men who were married didn’t make good soldiers, so he banned marriage. Valentine however had other ideas and arranged marriages in secret. When this was found out Valentine was put in jail and sentenced to death. He found love in captivity, with the jailer’s daughter and when he was put to death on this day, he sent a letter signed ‘from your Valentine.’

While we are contemplating the saint whose name we remember today, I wonder sometimes what love really means? In the New Testament there are quite a few Greek words for love ranging from friendship to something much more lasting between two people. What they all have in common is the human desire for connection and companionship. During the challenging weeks and months of the pandemic, when so many people were forced into isolation and cut-off from family and other support networks, creative solutions were found in shouting and waving to neighbours across the street, and of course to using online technology. But what the latter could not replicate was the value of being in the physical presence of one another, of opportunities for meeting and conversation that happened simply because you sat down at a café table near someone else. I hope that today I may seek value in the person who walks past me in the street, or who may need a gesture of friendliness as I pass by. Life isn’t all about me, it’s about the people and places that I encounter and encourage along the way.

God of relationship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teach me to value all whom I encounter this day with generosity and hope.

Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001j3nr)
14/02/23 - Scottish agricultural policy reform and monitoring forests from space

Farmers and crofters in Scotland have criticised the Scottish Government's lack of detail about future payments and the structure of farm support. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, announced a long-awaited 'roadmap' for agricultural reform at the National Farmers Union for Scotland conference, at the end of last week.

And if you can't see the wood for the trees then a satellite might provide a much better perspective! We hear from a company monitoring forests, natural capital and carbon capture from space.

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


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09b19y0)
Samuel West on the Turtle Dove

Actor and birdwatcher Samuel West laments on the lost call of the once very common summer visitor, the turtle dove.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photo: Ian Clarke.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001j417)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (m001j41h)
Spring Offensives

Jonathan Freedland takes The Long View of Spring Offensives.

As Ukraine prepares for what is anticipated will be a Russian Spring Offensive, Jonathan is joined by two historians. Dr Michael Jones looks back at the spring offensive of 1356 in the Hundred Years War, which would lead eventually to the Battle of Poitiers and the capture of the French King. Professor Heather Jones of University College London discusses the German offensive of 1918 at the end of the First World War.

In both cases the winter season forced the conflict to pause and allowed both sides to prepare for the Spring to come. The transition to spring is a time too for anxiety and tension.

The actors Roger Ringrose and Leah Marks provide illustrative readings.

The Producer is Tom Alban


TUE 09:30 One to One (m001j41r)
Gaming and Me: Ellie Gibson speaks to Keza MacDonald

Keza MacDonald left home at sixteen to work in video games journalism, and when she first met Ellie Gibson on a trip her glasses were held together by sticky tape. Ellie was already established in the industry and became a mentor to Keza. They talk about what it was like being one of only a handful of women working in video games journalism at the time which meant being taken to strip clubs and having to laugh off inappropriate behaviour by male colleagues. Comparing their experiences to today they describe how streaming platforms have created a more open and inclusive gaming culture from women of today, but it is still far more perfect.

Produced by Toby Field for BBC Audio in Bristol.


TUE 09:45 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018nt7)
Jude

Jude Whyte was born in Belfast in 1957 to Catholic parents. After the sectarian conflict started in the late 1960s, several of his siblings left for England, but Jude remained in Belfast, taking a sociology degree and getting married. In April 1984, his mother, a part-time taxi driver, was killed in a bomb blast outside the family home.

“In those days there was no counselling or trauma advice and initially I was full of bile and hatred. I became a bad father, a bad husband and a bad lecturer. My thoughts were only of revenge and I could feel the bitterness eating me up. I knew I had to change. You could say my revenge for the murder of my mother is my forgiveness because it has given me strength.”

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who became interested in forgiveness at the time of the Iraq War. It’s a subject she’s explored now for many years, in books and through founding a charity, ‘The Forgiveness Project’. A common theme running through these stories is that forgiveness is difficult, messy, and complex, but it brings with it the power to transform lives.

Producer: Kim Normanton
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001j42m)
Nell Mescal, Professor Hazel Smith, Jean MacKenzie, Fern Brady, Claer Barratt, Stella Creasy MP, Lauren Moss

Nell Mescal is a singer songwriter from Ireland who writes Indie Folk songs. She’s a rising star whose featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, has been named as an artist to watch by NME and is preparing for a summer of live gigs. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what inspires her songs, being a young woman in the music industry and performs her single ‘Graduating’ live in the studio.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been photographed five times over recent months alongside his adolescent daughter. The latest photos show a beaming Kim Ju-Ae, who is aged between 9 and 10, standing with her father at a lavish military parade, where at least 11 intercontinental ballistic missiles were shown. So, why is Kim Jong Un revealing his daughter now? There is speculation that she is to be his successor, but is there any truth to that claim? Nuala talks to Professor Hazel Smith is Professorial Research Associate in Korean Studies at SOAS, University of London and BBC Correspondent Jean MacKenzie who is based in South Korea.

Fern Brady is a comedian and writer who has appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Live at the Apollo, and the most recent series of Taskmaster. She has also co-hosted three series of the Wheel of Misfortune podcast for BBC Sounds with fellow comedian Alison Spittle. In 2021, Fern received a diagnosis for autism. In her new book, Strong Female Character, she explores how this has impacted her life, and what it means to be an autistic working-class woman.

We talk about plans to regulate the buy now pay later credit industry with Stella Creasy MP and Claer Barratt from the Financial Times.

And BBC LGBT & Identity Correspondent Lauren Moss reports on a new book which claims that 97.5 per cent of children seeking help at the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) based at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, had autism, depression or other problems that might have explained their unhappiness.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Gayl Gordon


TUE 11:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m001j432)
Series 21

The Impossible Number

There is a bizarre number in maths referred to simply as ‘i’. It appears to break the rules of arithmetic - but turns out to be utterly essential for applications across engineering and physics. We’re talking about the square root of -1. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE.

Professor Fry waxes lyrical about the beauty and power of this so-called ‘imaginary’ number to a sceptical Dr Rutherford. Dr Michael Brooks tells the surprising story of the duelling Italian mathematicians who gave birth to this strange idea, and shares how Silicon Valley turned it into cold hard cash. It's all about oscillations, Professor Jeff O’Connell demonstrates. And finally, Dr Eleanor Knox reveals that imaginary numbers are indispensable for the most fundamental physics of all: quantum mechanics.

Imaginary, impossible…but essential!

Contributors: Professor Jeff O’Connell, Ohlone College California, Dr Michael Brooks, Author of 'The Maths That Made Us', and Dr Eleanor Knox, Philosopher of Physics at KCL and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh.

Producer: Ilan Goodman


TUE 11:30 I Feel Therefore I Am (m001j43d)
From Facts to Feelings

Where once facts, evidence and rationality were the path to knowledge, now the logic of feeling, of ‘my truth’ and ‘lived experience’ offers an alternative. Do we know our world through objective facts, or through subjective feelings?

It’s become easy to explain this fault line as something peculiarly modern, a cocktail of culture wars and social media frenzy. But is this right? Could there be a longer, deeper and more complicated story? The history of the rational Enlightenment is familiar, but we don’t talk so much about how and why we might have come to privilege personal feelings and experiences.

Professor Abigail Williams begins with the cultural notion that personal feelings matter and individual experience might in some ways be the ultimate truth. From the cult of sensibility to the birth of Romanticism, Freud's couch to Oprah Winfrey's celebrity interviews, how does feeling offer a different way of seeing the world?

Producer: Julia Johnson
Presenter: Abigail Williams
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001j43t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001j444)
Do you spend much on romance - love, time, money?

Today is Valentine's Day and we're talking about Romantic spending.

And we're asking: "Do you spend much on romance - love, time, money?"

If you're single, are you looking for love online? Are you planning a romantic night out or in, is the order in with the florist?

New research says that half of us plan to Valentine's Day in some way, spending on average £65. One in five said they'll give it a miss this year to save money.

This adds up to £2.2billion as a nation and includes spend on everything from food to gifts and flowers.

At the same time, almost two in five (38%) admit that their Valentine’s Day plans have been affected by the cost of living.

Call us on 03700 100 444. Lines open at 11 am. You can also email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk. Don't forget to leave a phone number so we can call you back.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Linda Walker


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001j44f)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001j44q)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Jonny Dymond.


TUE 13:45 Life Support (m001j450)
Anaesthetists

Two people at different stages of their careers, meet for the first time to share and contrast their experiences of working in the health service. Revealing and surprising insights emerge as the participants compare the pressures of the past with those we hear so much about today. In this episode we hear from two anaesthetists. The profession is largest group of doctors working in hospitals. As well as putting patients to sleep during operations, you’ll find them working in intensive care units, in accident and emergency and administering epidural pain relief for mothers in labour wards. Mike, a semi-retired consultant anaesthetist, talks about what he describes as the dangerously long hours he used to do as a junior doctor working non-stop from Friday evening to Monday morning. Registrar anaesthetist Giovanna is pleased those extended on call weekend shifts are a thing of the past. However, she shares her frustrations as she feels hospitals are struggling to make progress dealing with the huge surgical waiting lists, built up during the pandemic.

Produced by Matt Toulson and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001j3l5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (m001j45c)
Happy Birthday Mr President

by Sarah Wooley

The drama behind one of the most famous birthday parties in history. In 1962, the cream of American show business were asked to perform at JKF's birthday party at Madison Square Garden but there was one star who outshone them all, though getting her to turn up - let alone perform - was never going to be easy.

Marilyn Monroe ..... Lydia Wilson
Richard Adler ..... Justin Salinger
Sally Ann Howes ..... Isabella Inchbald
John F Kennedy ..... Simon Harrison
Evelyn Lincoln ..... Clare Perkins
Peter Lawford/Bobby Kennedy/Doctor/Chet ..... Jason Barnett

Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001j3c6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 The Case of the Brillante Virtuoso (m00154cw)
Episode 3

When the Brillante Virtuoso, a massive, decrepit oil tanker, was attacked and badly damaged off the coast of Yemen in 2011, it seemed at first like just the latest in a spate of daring raids launched by Somali pirates in an increasingly lawless region. On the surface it was a shocking but straightforward crime. In reality, it was anything but.

Over the next decade, the scandal swirling around the ship would come to involve lies on an industrial scale, corruption, violent threats, Greek Shipowners, Yemeni power brokers, British lawyers, Filipino sailors, the murder of a British man that remains tragically unsolved, and his family's fight to unravel a web of organised crime.

Journalist Nick Wallis follows a story that goes all the way from the bleeding edge of the Arab Spring to the heart of the City of London.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design: Leonie Thomas

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (m001j45s)
Interpreting for Mum and Dad

Sanmeet Kaur has been interpreting for her parents since the age of five, when her family arrived in the UK from Afghanistan.

Producer Sally Heaven


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001j463)
Kate Bryan and Mark Steel

Art historian Kate Bryan and comedian Mark Steel talk to Harriett Gilbert about their favourite books. Kate loves Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing, an inspiring collection of essays which make a case for why art matters. Mark is a big fan of Stalin Ate My Homework by Alexei Sayle, a comedic memoir about growing up in a Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool. And Harriett puts forward Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, in which a present-day story converges with ancient rituals to provoke a discussion about how far we have come from the “primitive minds” of our ancestors.

Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc
Produced by Becky Ripley


TUE 17:00 PM (m001j46g)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j470)
Ford is shifting production to the US, which is investing billions in electric vehicles. Unions say it's evidence the government lacks a green energy strategy.


TUE 18:30 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001j477)
Series 4

Episode One: Monday

Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.

Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as Mark is aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - we kick off with Jayde Adams.

This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We make our way through the working week, starting here with Monday. Why are we so attached to traditional wisdom like 'Monday's child is fair of face'? Why do so many of us dread the start of each week? And what is the biggest pig ever to be born?

Producer: Lianne Coop

An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001j456)
Freddie’s DJing at the Young Farmers’ party at The Bull, with Noluthando as his sidekick. Freddie introduces her to Paul, explaining that Paul and Ruairi went to the Hunt Ball together. When Noluthando presumes they’re an item, Paul says it’s not like that.

Later, Noluthando tries to fix Freddie up with one of Paul’s friends who’s been checking him out. Freddie says he hadn’t noticed, but Noluthando encourages him to ask for her number. After some persuasion Freddie agrees.

At the Nest, Alice tells Ruairi that Brian’s missing him and suggests Ruairi contact him. Ruairi swiftly changes the subject. Alice encourages Ruairi to go to the party at The Bull to take his mind off Julianne, but Ruairi would rather stay in with Alice. Anyway, the last time he went out he ruined the night by trying to kiss Paul. Alice says she’ll go with him then. Ruairi’s awkward when he bumps into Paul there, but Paul says it’s good to see him; they’re still friends. He drags Ruairi onto the dance floor.

Later, Ruairi thanks Alice for encouraging him to go out. Alice opens up about finding things difficult with Brian. He won’t make any decisions about the funeral and Kate and Adam are struggling with him as well. When Alice says she’s heading off early, Ruairi says it must be difficult being sober around people who’re drinking. Ruairi suggests leaving too so that they don’t end up bobbing around on the dancefloor on their own to ‘Lady in Red’!


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001j47l)
Tracy Chevalier on Vermeer exhibition; live v streaming theatre audiences; American poet A. E. Stallings; The King's Singers

Tracy Chevalier discusses a historic Vermeer exhibition at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the largest collection of his paintings ever assembled including Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was celebrated by Chevalier's 1999 novel of the same name.

Bristol Old Vic is collaborating with four universities in the West Country for a major study into audience reactions in the theatre. Do reactions in the auditorium differ from those watching it online? Melanie Abbott investigates, talking to Iain Gilchrist from University of Bristol, Mike Richardson from University of Bath, Charlotte Geeves from Bristol Old Vic, actor Sophie Steer and Emma Keith, Director of Digital Media at the National Theatre.

The finely wrought rhyming and metrical poetry of A. E. Stallings has won her prizes in the US, but until now she has not been published in the UK. Manchester-based publisher Carcanet is putting this right with This Afterlife, her Selected Poems. A. E. Stallings talks about living in Greece, drawing on classical mythology, making art out of the minutiae of life, and the joy of rhythm and rhyme.

Jonathan Howard of The King's Singers tells us about the recent cancellation of a concert they were due to perform at Pensacola Christian College in Florida, over what the group says were "concerns related to the sexuality of members."

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paul Waters

(Photo: Photo Rijksmuseum)


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001j47w)
Three Friends

They were born in the same month of the same year: Emily, Nadia, and Christie. The three young women who lived close to each other in the North East of England became friends, their lives intertwined due to severe mental health problems. They shared their innermost fears, their thoughts and laughs. But their tragic deaths came within eight months of each other while under the care of the same mental health trust. An investigation has higlighted multiple failings by the Tees Esk and Wear Valley Mental Health Trust. File on 4 tells their stories in their own words and hears from those closest to them, and asks what could have been done to save them all.

Details of organisations offering information and support with mental health or feelings of despair are available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Reporter: Datshiane Navanayagam
Producer: Fergus Hewison
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Team: Tim Fernley and Jordan King
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001j486)
Love and Relationships

Valentine's Day is a day for love! And so we've invited two visually impaired people and their sighted partners to talk about how sight loss impacted the dynamics of their relationships, about the assumptions that other people make; that the one who can see in the relationship must be the carer and we touch upon the element of falling back in love with yourself after sight loss.

Presenter: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Guests: Amit Patel, Seema Patel, Claire Sisk, Sergio Cianfini

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.


TUE 21:00 Inside Health (m001j45x)
Psychedelics for depression

Can magic mushrooms help your mental health? James Gallagher cuts through the hype and examines the evidence to find out if psychedelics can treat depression.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald


TUE 21:30 The Long View (m001j41h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001j48g)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 Death at Broadcasting House (m001j48r)
Episode 2

The Scarlet Highwayman is being transmitted from Broadcasting House. The actors, engineers and producers are all nervous at the prospect of the live transmission and are obviously delighted when it proves to be a success. One of the best and most credible scenes is the one in which the actor Sidney Parsons is 'murdered'.

Not usually an animated performer, he is surprisingly impressive here. But then his body is found in Studio 7C and it transpires that he really has been murdered. And that everyone who heard the play had heard him die. But who did it?

Written in 1934 by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Gielgud (brother of John) worked in BBC Radio throughout the 1930s.

Read by Tim McInnerny

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produce by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001j491)
Episode 9: An Ancient Evil

In this exciting bonus episode of his hit Radio 4 series, Danny Robins presents a one-hour special of The Witch Farm recorded in front of a live audience at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Danny is joined by paranormal experts Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow to reveal startling new evidence and talk to incredible new witnesses. Can he solve some of the remaining mysteries and get to the bottom of this strange, chilling case?

The Witch Farm reinvestigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set in the beautiful, remote Welsh countryside, this terrifying true story is told through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary.

Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit 2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into a real-life mystery.

Cast:
Bill Rich ...... Joseph Fiennes
Liz Rich ...... Alexandra Roach
Laurence Rich ..... Jonathan Case
Eddie Burks ...... David Shaw-Parker

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound design by Charlie Brandon-King and Richard Fox
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Gwenno
Researcher: Nancy Bottomley
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard

Recorded at the Wales Millennium Centre
Engineered by Dave Battcock and Mark Harrison

Consultant: Mark Chadbourn, author of the book on the case 'Testimony'

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4

WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2023

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001j49b)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018nt7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j49m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j49w)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j4b4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001j4bc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001j4bl)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

Standing 20 metres tall with a wingspan of fifty four metres and built to withstand wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour, Antony Gormley’s ‘Angel of the North’ keeps watch by day and night over its north-east England location. Twenty five years ago the sculpture was installed, having been transported over the previous night from its Hartlepool construction site. Now that I have returned to live in the north-east where I grew up, I see the Angel quite regularly when I travel by raid or by road. During the development stage of the project, several smaller Angels were produced, and a few years ago during a visit to Canberra in Australia I was surprised to turn a corner and see one of these Angels right before my eyes. This piece of art immediately connected me with my home thousands of miles away and was a powerful reminder of how public art can evoke emotions and reminders of who we are. This is a particular feature of the Angel because while it clearly represents the human form, it doesn’t explicitly point to a particular individual or group.

Its sculptor Antony Gormley was once asked, ‘why an angel?’; ‘The only response I can give’ (he replied), ‘is that no-one has ever seen one and we need to keep imagining them’. Angels of course have significant pedigree in religious narratives, as well as in literature and other types of artistic expression. In the Bible, they often appear at significant moments to deliver a message of good news. The Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was to bear a child or a host of angels telling the shepherds not to be afraid but to go and see the child that had then been born. The writer G K Chesterton once said that ‘angels can fly because they take themselves lightly’.

God, help me to communicate well today, and to tread lightly on this earth as I go about the tasks that await me.

Amen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001j4bt)
15/02/23 Environment Agency delays; Meat in space; Seabirds

A Suffolk farmer who invested in growing ducks but got hit by bird flu, is trying to switch to chickens instead but says his plan is being jeopardized because of labour shortages at the Environment Agency. Tom McVeigh from Kenton Hall lost 95,000 ducks to avian flu. He now wants to rear broilers but needs the Environment Agency to sign off the change of use. However, he says there are big delays to the paper work and it could stop the project going ahead.

DEFRA Secretary Terese Coffey is in America and will be speaking at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Conference. It's the first time a foreign minister has addressed the gathering. Dr Coffey is expected to talk about forging a sustainable future and US/UK co-operation.

All week we're getting a very different perspective on farming and finding out how space research and exploration could impact agriculture now, and in the future. What do astronauts eat for lunch? Well if it's been pouches of pre-prepared meals they might like a change. How about steak? A company called Aleph Farms based in Israel has made lab-grown meat in space.

Conservationists say offshore windfarms in the North Sea need to reduce the impact they’re having on seabirds. The warning comes as the latest windfarm, Hornsea 4, has been delayed, following concerns about the Kittiwake – an endangered species of gull. Hornsea 4’s developers say they’re working hard to ensure green energy and seabird populations can co-exist.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b08s7jhl)
Paul Brook on the Water Rail

Paul Brooks suffers from depression. He talks about the beneficial effects of bird watching on his mental health and how seeing a water rail one grey day lifted his mood.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Maggie Ayre.


WED 06:00 Today (m001j41m)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m001j41z)
Nurses' pay, ambulance times and forgotten female economists

How much do nurses in the UK earn compared with those elsewhere in Europe? Tim Harford and the team investigate. Also we have an update on ambulance response times, which were the worst on record in December but are showing signs of improvement. Should we use the word data in the singular or plural? The Financial Times has just changed its policy and Tim’s not happy. We look back at women who have made a key contribution to economics but have often been forgotten. And we hear how a spreadsheet error by the Office for National Statistics made the UK’s productivity appear to be one of the fastest improving in Europe.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Reporters: Josephine Casserly, Nathan Gower, Perisha Kudhail
Editor: Charlotte McDonald
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar


WED 09:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001j42f)
Clean Your Teeth

Taking good care of your teeth can prevent tooth decay and boost your oral health - but, surprisingly, the benefits extend well beyond your mouth. Keeping your teeth and gums clean can help your heart and your brain, reducing the risk of diseases from diabetes to dementia. To find out why, Michael Mosley speaks to Dr. Sim Singhrao from the University of Central Lancashire School of Dentistry. She reveals bacteria in your mouth can travel from your gums into your blood causing problems in other organs, including your brain. Meanwhile, our volunteer Lowri has a go at brushing and using interdental brushes every day to see if it’s something she’d like to fit into her lifestyle.


WED 09:45 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018p65)
Salimata

Salimata Badji Knight is a survivor of FGM, female genital mutilation, which is the cultural practice of removing part of the genitals of a girl or woman for non-medical reasons. Salimata was raised in a Muslim community in Senegal and later in Paris. Her story is about forgiving her parents and indeed her whole culture for the violence that was done to her when she was just four years old. For a long time, she was filled with rage and blamed all the people who had allowed her to be cut. But out of rage came compassion, and the realisation that this was not her mother’s fault, nor the fault of the women who had carried it out.

“I was able to talk to my father. I explained the physical and mental damage caused by FGM. He cried, and said that no woman had ever explained the suffering to him. Then he apologised and asked for forgiveness. The next day he called my relatives in Senegal and, as a result, dozens of girls were saved from FGM.”

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who became interested in forgiveness at the time of the Iraq War. It’s a subject she’s explored now for many years, in books and through founding a charity, ‘The Forgiveness Project’. A common theme running through these stories is that forgiveness is difficult, messy, and complex, but it brings with it the power to transform lives.

Producer: Kim Normanton
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001j438)
Wayne Couzens and Indecent Assault, African Queens, Sleepovers, Male Pill and Nikki Haley

The former police officer, Wayne Couzens, who raped and murdered Sarah Everard two years ago, has admitted three counts of indecent exposure, one of which happened just four days before he kidnapped and killed Sarah Everard. Now academics and criminologists are calling for a change in the way indecent exposure is seen – saying we need to stop the perception of it as a so-called ‘nuisance offence’ and take it more seriously, as in some cases it can lead to far more serious crimes. Nuala talks to BBC’s Home Affairs correspondent, Dominic Casciani and Jennifer Grant from the University of Portsmouth.

What are your thoughts on children’s sleepovers? Are they a rite of passage or just a big headache? Well, #nosleepovers was trending on social media recently after an American influencer and mum of two, Tara Huck, shared her unpopular parenting opinion: she doesn't allow her children to attend sleepovers. When Netmums did a poll of their UK parents - 63% said they ban sleepovers. So is it the end for sleepovers? Victoria Richards is Editor of Indy Voices at the Independent and hosts multiple sleepovers a year, whereas parenting columnist for Velvet Magazine, Emily Martin, is trying to avoid them for as long as possible.

A new Netflix series from Executive Producer Jada Pinkett-Smith is out today, telling the stories of African Queens. The first focuses on Queen Njinga, a powerful woman who led Ndongo – modern day Angola – through the slave trade and invasions by the Portuguese. To find out more about Njinga, and why it’s so important to hear her story, Nuala McGovern is joined by one of the writers and former British High Commissioner to Mozambique, Nne Nne Iwuji-Eme.

Scientists say that an on-demand, non-hormonal contraceptive pill for men may be a real possibility after successful trials stopped sperm from being able to swim. Tests in mice suggest that it stuns sperm long enough to stop them from reaching the egg. Further tests are needed, but if successful, it could provide a reliable oral contraception. Michelle Roberts is the BBC's Digital Health Editor.

The republican Nikki Haley has announced that she will be running for president next year in the US. She's the first Republican to challenge Donald Trump for the party's presidential nomination. Nikki Haley first made her way onto the political scene back in 2010, when she became the youngest governor in the USA at the age of 39, securing a victory against an all-male field to become South Carolina's first female and Asian-American governor. Since then she has been hailed as a rising star who could potentially change the Republican party's male-dominated image. So what does this announcement mean for American Politics? Daniel Lippman is a reporter for Politico covering the White House in Washington.


WED 11:00 I'm Not a Monster (p0dnl97v)
The Shamima Begum Story

Series 2. 6. Father Figure

With her new husband in prison, Shamima Begum is left in the care of a stranger, but who is he? Josh travels to the heart of the former caliphate as he searches for clues and investigates what her life with the Islamic State group was like.

Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Josh Baker, Sara Obeidat and Joe Kent
Composer: Firas Abou Fakher
Theme music: Sam Slater
Mix and sound design: Tom Brignell
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Series Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall
Head of Long Form Audio: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins

This episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual violence, and has upsetting content


WED 11:30 Gloomsbury (b08md9xh)
Series 4

Honestly, Darling

Henry and Vera are staying the night at Ginny and Lionel's because they are doing a broadcast on the BBC about the need for honesty in a modern marriage. Henry hopes the role of marriage guru will help to repair Vera's reputation as a Sapphic seducer and might show Mr and Mrs Gosling the way to a happier future.

The Goslings have effected a reconciliation of sorts after Mr Gosling tells Mrs Gosling about a dream he's had in which Jesus told him that Mrs Gosling should forgive his dalliances. And to quash Mrs Gosling's doubts and prove the authenticity of his visitation, he shows his wife the stigmata on the palms of his hands.

Meanwhile at the Fox's, Henry is sick not just with nerves but with the pickled herring that Lionel has fed him for breakfast. This results in Henry being sick in the middle of the broadcast - leaving Vera and Hilda alone by the microphone. But an open microphone reveals more than their scripted conversation ever could.

A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4.

GOSLING THE GARDENER........................NIGEL PLANER
MRS GOSLING..............................................ALISON STEADMAN
VERA SACKCLOTH-VEST.........................MIRIAM MARGOLYES
GINNY FOX..................................................ALIS0N STEADMAN
LIONEL FOX................................................NIGEL PLANER
HENRY MICKLETON..................................JONATHAN COY
NESTA BELL................................................MORWENNA BANKS
DUNCAN GRUNT………………………….NIGEL PLANER
BARRINGTON……………………………..MORWENNA BANKS
LYTTON SCRATCHY……………………..NIGEL PLANER
HILDA MATTHEWSON…………………..MORWENNA BANKS
ANNOUNCER………………………………NIGEL PLANER


WED 12:00 News Summary (m001j44g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001j43z)
Rental Prices, Amazon Shops, Romance Fraud

Increased demand and reduced supply is forcing rental prices up as the number of landlords choosing to exit the market has increased.
The Bank says it's down to a combination of factors including tax and regulation, higher maintenance and borrowing costs, and an inability to recoup increased costs in rents. We speak to one mother who was evicted twice in the space of a year...

What are you willing to pay to eat out?
That's something that's recently been raised in a video that's gone viral with over 1.4 million views.
Chef and restaurateur Gary Usher posted a video on Twitter to address complaints over his menu prices for his new pub the White Horse, after some people online complained that £19.50 was too expensive for a burger. We speak to Gary about how he prices up his menu's and how the perception of value has been warped.

Flowers are still considered the most popular valentines gift. in 2022, Valentine’s Day spending on florists was 481% higher than the daily average across the full year.
The vast majority of the flowers we buy in the UK are imported from the European Union (EU) and the Fresh Produce Consortium say feedback from its members suggests the wholesale price of stems in the UK rose by between 5% and 10%. post Brexit. We look at the rising costs and pressures Brexit has had on floristry.

There was a time when Amazon seemed to be able to take on any business it wanted to.
But grocery hasn't turned out to be an easy nut to crack. Amazon was reported to be planning to open a hundred grocery stores in the UK. It hasn't happened. What's more, their stores which used technology using an App where you could shop and just walk out of the store with no checkout, hasn't quite revolutionised grocery shopping as they have introduced good old fashioned cashiers to some of their shops.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: JAY UNGER


WED 12:57 Weather (m001j448)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m001j44j)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


WED 13:45 Life Support (m001j44t)
GP Practice Managers

Five episodes where two people at different stages of their careers, meet for the first time to share and contrast their experiences of working in the health service. Revealing and surprising insights emerge as the participants compare the pressures of the past with those we hear so much about today. In this episode we hear from GP practice managers. Retired manager Esther says she remembers when they used to be able to answer phone calls from patients within three rings and a time when everyone’s medical notes were written on card. It's all a far cry from recently appointed practice manager Tracey's experiences. The phone lines where she works regularly stack up with forty people calling for an appointment the moment the surgery opens. Despite having seven incoming lines and a team of thirteen administrative staff, Tracey fears it's still not enough to cope with patient demand. Despite the obvious contrasts it soon becomes clear that things weren't always plain sailing in the past.

Produced by Gill Kearsley and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele


WED 14:00 The Archers (m001j456)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (m001bz7y)
The Golden Key

Chris Dolan’s play explores the early days of the Home Rule movement in Scotland through the eyes of three of the 20th century’s most compelling political figures – Keir Hardie, James Connolly and R.B. Cunninghame Graham. On May 12, 1916, Cunninghame Graham smokes a cigarette - as he’s done every year for a decade - at his wife’s grave. He has just heard the news of Connolly’s imminent execution by the British Government for his role in the Easter Rising in Dublin. Graham casts his mind back to a meeting with Hardie and Connolly almost 30 years earlier when the Scottish Labour Party was first stirring into life.

R.B. Cunninghame Graham………………………….…..David Robb
Keir Hardie……………………………………………………….Robert Jack
Gabriella Cunnninghame Graham……………………Melody Grove
James Connolly…………………………………………………Martin Quinn

Producer/director: Bruce Young


WED 15:00 Money Box (m001j45m)
Money Box Live: Are you worried about debt?

The problem of debt is never too far from the headlines at the moment. This week a group of charities - Citizens Advice, Step Change and Christians Against Poverty - told the BBC they're seeing record numbers of people coming to them for help with problem debt. Why is that and what can people who're worried about debt do?
We'll also look at the "Buy Now Pay Later" industry as the government looks impose regulation on the sector for the first time. And we'll talk about when credit can be used in the right way.
All that and more with our panel of experts, Sarah Pennells, a consumer Finance Specialist at Royal London and Richard Lane, policy Director at debt charity Stepchange.

Presenter: Dan Whitworth
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Jo Krasner and Star McFarlane
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 15th January, 2023)


WED 15:30 Inside Health (m001j45x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Sideways (m001j468)
39. Please, I beg you.

When Ben Taylor receives a Facebook message from a stranger in Liberia, asking in badly spelled English for financial or business assistance, he quickly assumes it’s a scam. But instead of just ignoring the message, he decides to find out about the person behind it.

In this episode, Matthew Syed explores what happens when you let your guard down and make a leap of trust.

With author and Oxford University trust fellow Rachel Botsman, philosopher Julian Baggini, Ben Taylor and Joel Mentee-Willie.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Eliza Lomas
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001j46l)
Charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent... and more!

Meet one of the pioneers of reality TV; Fenton Bailey hung out with Andy Warhol in the 80s, launched RuPaul’s pop career in the 90s, and made what might be reality TV’s most successful show: RuPaul’s Drag Race.

His company, World of Wonder, has also made films about Monica Lewinsky, Britney Spears and the TV Evangelist Tammy Faye. And long before that, he brought the cult comedy duo Adam and Joe to Channel 4.

Fenton and Katie discuss an extraordinary career, how drag provides the perfect parody of celebrity, and why reality TV has always been camp.

Image credit: Lucille Flood, World of Wonder Productions.

Presenter: Katie Razzall

Producer: Helen Fitzhenry


WED 17:00 PM (m001j46v)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j47d)
She's resigning after eight years in the role, saying her decision might seem sudden but she had been wrestling with it for some weeks.


WED 18:30 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001j47n)
Series 4

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


WED 19:00 The Archers (m001j483)
Freddie, Ruairi and Noluthando catch up on gossip from Freddie’s DJing night at The Bull. When Noluthando asks whether Freddie’s heard from Mina, he says they’ve messaged a bit and then hurries off. Later Freddie admits to Noluthando that he didn’t get Mina’s number. She was nice but he didn’t fancy her. Noluthando apologises for being so pushy.

Justin asks to meet up with Ruairi and probes him on whether he has inside information on Julianne’s latest acquisition. When Ruairi says he doesn’t, Justin alludes to Ruairi’s ‘special business relationship’ with Julianne. Ruairi then remembers that Julianne was pleased Bill was chair of the board because not everyone voted for Julianne’s bid. There was someone in particular who thought Julianne wasn’t offering enough. Justin says that exactly the sort of information that could turn out to be useful. He’s already forgotten about Ruairi and Julianne’s ‘business relationship'.

Will visits Brian and when Brian mentions he hasn’t any plans for the day, Will tells him the maps on his phone is broken. He asks if he could borrow Brian and his phone to help navigate his deliveries. As they drive round delivering veg boxes, Brian says it’s clear that Will knows the roads like the back of his hand. Will pauses and tells him that it’s nearly five years since Nic died. Will hasn’t always coped very well, and he sometimes felt like he was on his own. But the anniversary reminds him that he’s survived. Will knows it’ll be tough for Brian without Jennifer but says there’s no shame in asking for help.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m001j48c)
Asif Kapadia's dance film Creature; the Barbellion Book Prize winner; South Asian and South East Asian galleries in Manchester

The Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia tells Tom Sutcliffe about collaborating with the Olivier-winning choreographer Akram Khan on the dance film Creature. Originally conceived for English National Ballet on stage, Creature is inspired by Georg Büchner’s play Woyzeck and Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein.

Today Letty McHugh was announced as the winner of the Barbellion Book Prize, awarded annually to an author whose work has best represented the experience of chronic illness and / or disability. Letty joins us live from Yorkshire, to give an insight into the creation of her Book of Hours: An Almanac for The Seasons of The Soul, a collection of lyric essays and poetry.

In Manchester, two cultural institutions reopen their doors- Manchester Museum, now with the UK’s first permanent gallery celebrating the South Asian diaspora, and esea- short for East and South East Asia- contemporary, formerly the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art. Shahidha Bari speaks to Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum and Xiaowen Zhu, director of esea contemporary.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Harry Parker

Image: Jeffrey Cirio in Creature, an Asif Kapadia film, based on an original concept by Akram Khan (courtesy of BFI Distribution and English National Ballet)


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001j48l)
Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?

Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?

The devastation following the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has been appalling. Already more than 41,000 people have died. Extraordinary stories have emerged as people have been rescued after spending days trapped under rubble. Those small moments of respite have been greeted with heartfelt prayers of thanks for each life saved. The blame for the earthquake and the shocking loss of life has been placed not on God’s shoulders, but on the planning officials and builders who allowed fragile homes to be built. But if God really is almighty and good, why does he allow natural disasters like this to happen? It’s a recurring moral conundrum, but if God is given credit for the splendour and beauty of nature, why then isn’t he also held responsible for the destruction and suffering caused by forces completely beyond the control of people? Some see this as a compelling argument against the existence of a good and almighty God. Others suggest that we can never fully understand divinity and it makes no sense to apply such crude moral questions to God. What is certain is that religion provides many believers with great consolation in times like this, when sorrow and suffering are all around. Also, many of those providing support in the rescue effort do so inspired by their faith.

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Michael Buerk


WED 20:45 Four Thought (m001j48v)
Life Without Chilli

Three years on from her first appearance on Four Thought, Dr. Dina Rezk returns to Four Thought. Her first talk was about the shocking and unexpected death of her mother; this time, as she describes another bereavement, the tone is unexpectedly positively, even exultant, as Dina reflects on the difference between the two experiences.

Producer: Giles Edwards


WED 21:00 Pay Freezes (m0015llv)
From the Crash to Today

Labour shortages and the cost of living are back as big issues for the first time in years.

There are predictions that the biggest pay squeeze in decades is imminent.

So in this new three-part series for BBC Radio 4, documentary-maker Phil Tinline traces the ups and downs of the politics of pay in Britain since 1945. How did we get here? And what can our history tell us about where we might now be heading?

As Britain entered the new millennium, with low inflation and steady growth, all seemed well. But in this final episode, Phil traces how the impact of the Crash in 2008 laid the ground for a decade of flat-lining pay and productivity, amid political shocks and crises, culminating in Covid.

Does the post-pandemic cheering of 'key workers' - along with the furlough scheme - point towards a future of greater state intervention? Ministers from the PM down have called for a higher pay, high productivity economy in the wake of Brexit. But currently, prices are outstripping pay. Does that mean that more radical action will be needed to ease the cost of living?

Series contributors include: Kate Bell, Margaret Beckett, Neil Carberry, John Edmonds, Stuart Hill, Linda Hoffman, Gavin Kelly, Tara Martin Lopez, Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Rain Newton-Smith, Michael Portillo, Dominic Sandbrook, Stefan Stern, Selina Todd, Norman Tebbit, Nick Timothy

Producer/ Presenter: Phil Tinline


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001j46l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001j492)
Nicola Sturgeon resigns as First Minister

The end of an era in Scotland - as Nicola Sturgeon announces she's stepping down as First Minister. We'll examine her legacy - and ask what comes next.

As more aid enters Syria through a newly opened border crossing, we hear from a doctor who's seen the conditions for herself.

And with plans afoot to discourage audiences from acting in a rowdy and abusive manner - what's an acceptable way to behave at the theatre?


WED 22:45 Death at Broadcasting House (m001j49d)
Episode 3

The Scarlet Highwayman is being transmitted from Broadcasting House. The actors, engineers and producers are all nervous at the prospect of the live transmission and are obviously delighted when it proves to be a success. One of the best and most credible scenes is the one in which the actor Sidney Parsons is 'murdered'.

Not usually an animated performer, he is surprisingly impressive here. But then his body is found in Studio 7C and it transpires that he really has been murdered. And that everyone who heard the play had heard him die. But who did it?

Written in 1934 by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Gielgud (brother of John) worked in BBC Radio throughout the 1930s.

Read by Tim McInnerny

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produce by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 The Hauntening (m0000v6h)
Series 2

Shofa

Travel through the bad gateway in this modern ghost story as writer and performer Tom Neenan discovers what horrors lurk in our apps and gadgets. In this episode a taxi app offers some unexpected destinations.

Modern technology is terrifying. The average smartphone carries out 3.36 billion instructions per second. The average person can only carry out one instruction in that time. Stop and think about that for a second. Sorry, that’s two instructions; you won’t be able to do that.

But what if modern technology was... literally terrifying? What if there really was a ghost in the machine?

Starring
Tom ..... Tom Neenan
Heidi ..... Jenny Bede
Amar ..... Naz Osmanoglu
Taxi Controller ..... Georgie Fuller

Written by Tom Neenan
Produced by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for the BBC

www.pozzitive.co.uk

The show is a Pozzitive production, and is produced by David Tyler whose other credits include Agendum, The Brig Society, Giles Wemmbley Hogg, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Cabin Pressure, John Finnemore’s Double Acts, Jack & Millie, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Shush!, Kevin Eldon Will See You Now, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive, The Castle, The 3rd Degree, The 99p Challenge, My First Planet, Radio Active & Bigipedia. His TV credits include Paul Merton – The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul Calf Video Diary, Three Fights Two Weddings & A Funeral, Coogan’s Run, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon and exec producing Victoria Wood’s dinnerladies.


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m001j49p)
Series 8

Episode 2

Jon Holmes's multi-award-winning The Skewer returns to twist itself into current affairs. This week - a Sturgeon leaps, it's Balloondependence Day, and labour leader Mr Cellophane.

Produced by Jon Holmes.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Great Lives (m001g35g)
Olivia Laing on Christopher Lloyd, Gardener and Writer

Known to his friends as Christo, Lloyd spent his whole life, from childhood until his death aged 85, at work in the same garden: Great Dixter in East Sussex. He wrote a weekly column for Country Life for 42 years and was the author of 25 books, including The Mixed Border in the Modern Garden (1957) and The Well Tempered Garden (1970).

Christo is the choice of the writer Olivia Laing, herself a passionate gardener. She and Matthew Parris go to Great Dixter to meet Head Gardener Fergus Garrett, who worked alongside Christo for many years and was one of his closest friends.

Olivia Laing is the author of five works of non-fiction and a novel. Her books include To the River (2011), The Trip to Echo Spring (2013) and The Lonely City (2016). Her books have been translated into 19 languages. She writes on art and culture for the Guardian, Financial Times and New York Times, among many other publications and a book of her collected essays on art, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency, was published in 2020. Her most recent book is Everybody: A Book About Freedom (2021) and she is currently working on a book about gardens and paradise.

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

Photograph of Christopher Lloyd used by kind permission of Jonathan Buckley

THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2023

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001j5j2)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018p65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j49y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j4b6)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j4bf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001j4bn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001j4bw)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

A friend remarked to me recently that he had been required to sign a cheque for a particular transaction and it had taken him the better part of a day to find his chequebook which turned out to be buried in a bottom drawer in a highly inaccessible part of his house. It was on this day in 1659 that the first British cheque that we know of was made payable to a Mr Delboe for £400 which is the equivalent of at least £76,000 in today’s money. These days, financial matters are often conducted online, or virtually. We live in a ‘cashless society’ it has even been said. Yet coins and notes, and indeed cheques remain in use albeit in a declining way. Some things of course are hard to put a value on, and there is a phrase that talks about knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

When we prepared to move house, we had a good look at our possessions and decided to move quite a lot of items on to a local charity shop. As we placed them next to the counter, a rather forthright lady who happened to be in the shop at the same time remarked, ‘what a load of junk’. We didn’t think so, but one person’s junk is another person’s treasure, and so on it goes. The next day we happened to walk past the same shop, and saw some of our items in the window, and a week or so later I received a letter from the charity letting me know that with added gift aid, our donated items had made quite a significant amount for a good cause, which made us very glad indeed.

Eternal God, help me to find value in the people and places I encounter today. Where I see a gap, enable me to respond with a generous heart and a spirit of hope.

Amen.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001j4c0)
16/02/23 - Monitoring fishing from space, lambing and ammonia emissions

Illegal fishing is being monitored from space. Global Fishing Watch, a non profit organisation, uses information from a variety of tracking sources to work out which boat is which, where they are and what they're doing.

There is a definite feeling of spring in the air - and fields - as early lambing is underway. We visit a lambing shed in Gloucestershire.

And there are calls for farmers - and consumers - to do more to tackle air pollution. Figures released this week by DEFRA show 87% of ammonia emissions in 2021 came from agriculture - mainly from the spreading of manures, slurries and fertilisers. Ammonia by itself can damage sensitive habitats, but when it mixes with other gases in the atmosphere, like nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, it can also form particulate matter, which can cause health problems when breathed in.

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


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09v6vt2)
Nick Moran on the Heron

Nick Moran of the British Trust for Ornithology describes the surprise he got when he listened back to a recording he had made during the night of birds on the move.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Ian Logan.


THU 06:00 Today (m001j453)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001j45h)
Stevie Smith

In 1957 Stevie Smith published a poetry collection called Not Waving But Drowning – and its title poem gave us a phrase which has entered the language.

Its success has overshadowed her wider work as the author of more than half a dozen collections of poetry and three novels, mostly written while she worked as a secretary. Her poems, printed with her pen and ink sketches, can seem simple and comical, but often beneath the surface lurk themes of melancholy, loneliness, love and death.

With
Jeremy Noel-Tod
Associate Professor in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia

Noreen Masud
Lecturer in Twentieth Century Literature at the University of Bristol

and

Will May
Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Southampton

The photograph above shows Stevie Smith recording her story Sunday at Home, a finalist in the BBC Third Programme Short Story competition in 1949.


THU 09:45 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018ntm)
Father Lapsley

Father Michael Lapsley was living in exile in Zimbabwe when in April 1990 he was sent a letter bomb in the post. He was targeted because he’s been an anti-apartheid campaigner in South Africa, and a chaplain for the African National Congress. In the blast he lost both of his hands and one eye, and his ear drums were ruptured.

“Quite early on after the bomb, I realised that if I was filled with hatred and desire for revenge, I’d be a victim forever. That is not to say that I will not always grieve what I’ve lost, because I will permanently bear the marks of disfigurement. Yet I believe I’ve gained through this experience. I realise that I can be more of a priest with no hands than with two hands.”

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who became interested in forgiveness at the time of the Iraq War. It’s a subject she’s explored now for many years, in books and through founding a charity, ‘The Forgiveness Project’. A common theme running through these stories is that forgiveness is difficult, messy, and complex, but it brings with it the power to transform lives.

Producer: Kim Normanton
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001j467)
Nicola Sturgeon resignation; Sharon Rose plays Sylvia Pankhurst; The power of sport; Femicide in Europe

As Scotland’s First Minister announces her resignation after nearly a decade in the job we consider her legacy, the reasons for and the timing of her decision to go and consider who might take over with the Scotsman’s Political Editor Alistair Grant and journalist Ruth Wishart.

The musical Sylvia has just opened at the Old Vic celebrating the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel who was at the heart of the Suffragette movement, with her sister Christabel and mother Emmeline. Actor, singer and musical theatre performer Sharon Rose who plays this lesser-known Pankhurst discusses her role.

Woman's Hour is in the process of putting together our Power List for 2023 - this year focussed on finding 30 of the most powerful women in sport. But what about the power of sport itself? Hayley Compton and Jessica Morgan who say sport got them through very difficult times in their lives explain why.

What is Europe doing to tackle the issue of femicide? Since the start of 2023, there has been a wave of news coverage in Europe on violence against women, and specifically, femicide, the act of killing a woman because she is a woman. The Spanish government has called its second emergency meeting of domestic violence experts after the murder of six women and a young girl since the start of January. And in France, 18 women have been murdered this year, according to the organisation ‘Femicide by a partner or ex partner’. This is despite both countries having introduced measures to fight against gender based violence. Mélina Huet, a journalist at the French news channel LCI and director of the documentary on femicides ‘Protect the Living, Honour the Dead’ and Susana Pavlou, the director of the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies join Anita to discuss.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Interviewed Guest: Alistair Grant
Interviewed Guest: Ruth Wishart
Interviewed Guest: Sharon Rose
Interviewed Guest: Hayley Compton
Interviewed Guest: Jessica Morgan
Interviewed Guest: Melina Huet
Interviewed Guest: Susana Pavlou


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m001j46k)
Rescue hopes fade in Turkey and Syria

Kate Adie presents stories from Turkey, Ukraine, the USA, Sao Tome and Principe and Lithuania.

Lyse Doucet has been in Southern Turkey reporting on the earthquake which has devastated towns there and in North West Syria. She describes how the rescue effort has now changed to a recovery mission as hope of finding survivors fades - yet families still hope for miracles.

It's four months since Russia first launched a wave of drone and missile attacks aimed at destroying Ukraine's power grid. Millions of Ukrainians have had to put up with regular power cuts, sometimes lasting for days. Paul Adams meets the army of engineers who, despite the huge damage, are busy re-connecting towns and cities.

In California selling cannabis for recreational use has been legal since 2016. In Oakland Sharon Hemans hears about a scheme to help communities previously targeted by the so-called War on Drugs make the most of the now legal cannabis trade. She meets one man who's experienced selling cannabis on both sides of the law and hears of the new challenges he now faces.

Petroc Trelwany finds the West African island of Principe has such a young population that schools are having to adapt by teaching classes in shifts. At lunchtime when the schools switch over the streets are flooded with students.

And it's the 700th birthday of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Lucy Ash visits for the celebrations and discovers a small country determined to stand up for itself and continue the legacy of its medieval founder.

Producer: Caroline Bayley
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross


THU 11:30 Roleplay (m001j46t)
Lady Macbeth

One big dramatic role and stories of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. They tell us what the role means and what it means to them.

A new series for BBC Radio 4. First up, the iconic Lady Macbeth.

Featuring: Dame Harriet Walter, Isabelle Schuler, Alice Grace, Akiya Henry, Niamh Cusack, Nicole Cooper and Tristan de Beer

The performers tell us how the character of Lady Macbeth evolves through Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and share how they approached the role. They tell their stories of first encountering Lady Macbeth and reveal how playing the part affected them.

Their reflections take us across the world - from the suburbs of Capetown via Los Angeles to a school in Weston-Super-Mare. And they reflect on whether perceptions of the famous villain might be changing.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio in Bristol
Mixed by Michael Harrison for BBC Audio in Bristol

Acknowledgements:

Macbeth BBC Radio 3 16th Feb 1992
Producer - Nigel Bryant
Lady Macbeth - Harriet Walter
Composer/performer - Nick Gammon

Macbeth BBC Four 14th Jun 2020
Director - Polly Findlay
Lady Macbeth - Niamh Cusack
Royal Shakespeare Company Production 2018


THU 12:00 News Summary (m001j4hg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001j47h)
Gap Finders - James Anderson

On Gap Finders Finders this week, Winifred Robinson speaks to James Anderson, founder of Depher, a not-for-profit plumbing company that provides free and discounted services to disabled, elderly and vulnerable people. James, who was himself once homeless, has been running Depher, which stands for Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair, since March 2017.
Born in Liverpool, James was a bin-man before becoming a plumber in 1998. We hear what led to his decision to move from regular paid work to running a social enterprise. Dubbed “Britain’s kindest plumber” by the media, for helping some of society’s most destitute and vulnerable people, James reveals how a £0 invoice he gave to a terminally ill woman after fixing her boiler, went viral on social media, bringing in tens of thousands of pounds in donations.
James explains how the actor, Hugh Grant, is amongst Depher’s biggest donors but even with that level of support, it’s still been a struggle to keep the dream alive.
In this episode of Gap Finders, we explore how James has tried to show a more compassionate side to business, one which is supported and sustained through community enterprise. We also hear how he hopes to roll out the Depher model in every town and city across the UK.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001j47t)
Bottled Water

Listener Isla, 11, wants to know if bottled water from the UK's biggest selling brands such as Evian and Buxton is cleaner, healthier, cheaper and greener than the stuff that comes from the tap.

Greg Foot drills down into the subject, investigating the claims made by manufacturers of bottled water. Does it make any difference if water has spent years underground being "filtered by rocks" before being bottled? Are there more minerals in bottled water than in tap? And even though companies are making more of their bottles from recycled plastic, what’s the environmental impact?

Greg speaks to experts including a lecturer in water chemistry, an environmental NGO and a water sommelier (yes, they’re a thing!) who explains why some bottled water can cost more than a hundred pounds.

This series, we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.

PRESENTER: Greg Foot
PRODUCER: Simon Hoban


THU 12:57 Weather (m001j481)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m001j489)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


THU 13:45 Life Support (m001j48k)
Paramedics

Five episodes where two people at different stages of their careers, meet for the first time to share and contrast their experiences of working in the health service. Revealing and surprising insights emerge as the participants compare the pressures of the past with those we hear so much about today. In this episode we hear from two ambulance paramedics. Chris, who recently retired, started in the service in the 1980s, when defibrillators weren’t even standard issue on board an ambulance. In the past he remembers getting to take a break between emergencies and crew members being able to take a quick nap on a night shift. There's little chance of that for Harrison who qualified much more recently. He says when he’s working now, he’s always on the go. He worries about the number of times he's despatched to a 999 call that turns out not to be an emergency and about being stuck in long queues of ambulances outside hospitals waiting for beds to free up. Both agree the role has significantly changed over the years and explain where the service has improved but also got worse.

Produced by Clive Hammond and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele


THU 14:00 The Archers (m001j483)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Nazis: The Road to Power (m001j48t)
6. Germany Is My Wife

Hitler’s strange dealings with the opposite sex come into sharp focus when his niece, aged 23, living in Hitler’s apartment, shoots herself. Geli first moved in when she was 18 but from that moment on, Hitler refuses to let her go out on her own, even chaperoned. He nurtures hopes that she will become an opera singer and, enraged by the very idea, refuses her permission to marry.

Was it suicide? Was it murder? Was it an accident?

But, only weeks later, Hitler encounters an elegant, divorced woman at his Berlin hotel – he finds that he is unexpectedly drawn to her. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know that Magda Quandt is already involved with his Head of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels.

But that isn’t Goebbels’ only headache - the first great love of Magda’s life was Chaim Arlosoroff, fervent Zionist. Nevertheless Hitler’s Deputy, Rudolf Hess, sees a perfect compromise - if Joseph and Magda marry, she will thus become the perfect companion for a Führer who is ‘married to Germany’. Can he convince everyone?

Starring Shanaya Rafaat as Magda Goebbels, Alexander Vlahos as Joseph Goebbels, Tom Mothersdale as Adolf Hitler and featuring Tanvi Virmani as Geli Raubal and George Kemp as Rudolf Hess.

Cast:
Geli Raubal - TANVI VIRMANI
Magda Goebbels - SHANAYA RAFAAT
Adolf Hitler - TOM MOTHERSDALE
Emil Maurice - OSCAR BATTERHAM
Otto Meissner - EDWARD BENNETT
Sefton Delmer - ADITOMIWA EDUN
Anni Winter - MELODY GROVE
Putzi Hanfastaengl - COREY JOHNSON
Herman Göring - SCOTT KARIM
Rudolf Hess - GEORGE KEMP
Mimi Reiter - SORCHA KENNEDY
Joseph Goebbels - ALEXANDER VLAHOS
Other parts were played by: JOSEPH ALESSI, WILLIAM CHUBB, JACK LASKEY, MICHAEL MALONEY,
LYNNE MILLER and ANDREW WOODALL
The Narrator is JULIET STEVENSON

Sound Designer – ADAM WOODHAMS
Studio Manager – MARK SMITH
Casting Director – GINNY SCHILLER
Original Score – METAPHOR MUSIC
Producer – NICHOLAS NEWTON
Writer and Director – JONATHAN MYERSON

A Promenade production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m001j493)
Villagers' Walks around Timsbury

Clare joins three walkers from the village of Timsbury in Somerset who have created several books detailing100 walks for local people to enjoy in the area. Peter Bradshaw, Larry Cunningham and Sue Fraser stress the books are very much a community project with any proceeds going back into the village. On an extremely wet and windy winter day they take Clare from the village centre around the valley to explore the area's little known coal mining history. All the former mines are obviously closed and the slag heaps are now covered over rich green hillocks which make for safe and easy walking.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001j3k9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (m001j3mz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m001j432)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Tuesday]


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001j49c)
Gene Editing Ethics, Killer Whale Mummy's Boys and Ancient Hippo Butchery

Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui caused international outrage when in 2018 when he used the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR Cas-9 to edit the genomes of two human embryos. That experiment, described by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology described as ‘abominable’, resulted in the birth of twin girls. The experiment also landed Dr He in prison for three years. Now, out of prison and working for a company in Beijing that proclaims to offer “affordable gene therapy” – He Jiankui has been speaking in public. At an open bioethics event at the University of Kent last weekend, organisers invited the scientist to present his research and to face questions about his past experiments and his future plans. We spoke to event organiser Dr Joy Zhang about the reaction to event and to Professor Robin Lovell-Badge at the Crick Institute about the implications of CRISPR-CAS9 technology.

A Hippo butchery site reveals that distant human ancestors have been using stone tools far longer than researchers previously thought. This archaeological site in Kenya revealed that ancient hominins Paranthropus have probably been using stone tools to prepare food and weapons since 2.9 million years ago. Professor Tom Plummer at Queens College, City University of New York take us through the discovery and what it reveals about hominin evolution.

A study released this week reveals just how much of a burden sons are on killer whale mothers. Michael Wiess, research director at the centre for whale research, fills us in on their findings which are a product of nearly 40 years studying the southern resident Orca population. This long-term Whale census project began in the 70s, championed by researcher Ken Balcomb, who was passionate about understanding and protecting killer whales and who sadly passed away late last year. We hear from Ken and his team out on the water studying the southern residents, more of which can be found in BBC Radio 4 documentary The Whale Menopause.

Presenter: Victoria Gill

Producer: Emily Bird

BBC Inside Science is made in collaboration with the Open University


THU 17:00 PM (m001j49n)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j4b5)
Tens of thousands at more than 120 NHS Trusts will walk out for 48 hours on the first of March in the dispute with the government about pay and job conditions.


THU 18:30 Prepper (m0002ltd)
Series 1

Bugging In

Comedy with Sue Johnston and Pearl Mackie.

Trump. ISIS. The Courgette Crisis. Signs of civilisation’s fragility are all around. No wonder the Doomsday Clock just nudged closer to midnight. In this fearscape, more and more ordinary people are wondering how they’d cope if everything we take for granted (law and order, access to healthcare, iceberg lettuces in Sainsburys) was taken away.

Preppers - a large and rapidly growing global community - have taken this thought one step further. They’re actively skilling-up, laying down supplies and readying themselves for the end of the world, in whatever form it comes. Indeed, a prepping shop just opened in Newquay. And if people in Cornwall are prepping, it’s time to worry.

Imagine if Woman’s Hour made a podcast about preparing for the end times. Prepper follows neurotic, debt-ridden Rachel and hard-as-nails ‘Churchill in Spanx’ Sylvia, working class Mancunians who prep and podcast, sharing knowledge with their community, and showing off just how Armageddon-ready they are.

Told through their podcasts from Sylvia’s garage and featuring ‘apoco-tips’, ‘end of days drills’ and interviews with preppers from around the world, Prepper comically explores how two mismatched women live with the possibility of the end of days, and how they bond over their determination to survive. And fend off zombies.

This week - home defence.

Cast:
Sylvia ..... Sue Johnston
Rachel ..... Pearl Mackie
with Simon Holland Roberts

Written by Caroline Moran and James J. Moran

Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m001j4bd)
Brian and Alice chat about the situation between Lilian and Tony. Lilian changed the subject when Alice tried to broach it. Ruairi’s still not answering Brian’s texts. Alice insists he’s not sulking, he just needs space. Alice brings up Roy and Kirsty tidying up Brian’s garden, pointing out that they were only trying to help. When Alice steers the conversation to Jennifer’s funeral arrangements, Brian won’t engage.

Kirsty and Roy struggle to fit Phoebe’s dressing table into the car to take to a charity shop. Roy’s surprised that Kirsty doesn’t object to the proposed charging station, whereas Jim’s drawing up battle plans. Brian offers to help them load the table and then asks if they need help with anything else. Kirsty suggests moving some other things out of Phoebe’s old room. Brian agrees but wonders if they could help clear his garden rubbish first? Once that’s done the garden will almost be up to Jennifer’s standards.

Alice is furious with Ruairi when she arrives home to find him with half-naked Max in her living room, surrounded by evidence of a drinking session. She’s at her wit’s end and sick of making excuses for Ruairi to Brian. Ruairi packs his bag to return to London, refusing to resolve things with Brian before he goes. Ruairi’s appreciative of everything Alice has done for him. He assures Alice that his return to London has nothing to do with Julianne. They hug goodbye and say they’ll miss each other. As soon as Ruairi’s left, Alice frantically calls her recovery buddy, Lisa.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m001j4bm)
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Alice Neel, Spitting Image

On today's Front Row, Samira Ahmed talks to stand-up comedian Al Murray about putting the puppets of the political satire TV show Spitting Image on stage for the first time, in a new production, Spitting Image - Idiots Assemble, at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
And she discusses the Oscar and Bafta-nominated animation Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, and a new exhibition of work by the American visual artist, Alice Neel, which opens at the Barbican in London today, with arts critics Hanna Flint and Louisa Buck.

Producer: Kirsty McQuire


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001j4bs)
Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so bad?

The WHO have described last week's Turkey-Syria earthquake as one of Europe's worst natural disasters in the last 100 years. David Aaronovitch finds out why it was so deadly.

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Stephen Hicks, Seismologist at University College London
Professor Dina D’Ayala, Co-Director of the Earthquake and People Interaction Centre at UCL, and UNESCO Chair on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Engineering.
Firdevs Robinson, London-based journalist, broadcaster and commentator specializing on Turkey, the Middle East, Caucasus and Freedom of the Media.
Dr Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House

Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Dan Gordon and Ben Carter
Production Coordinators: Janet Staples and Siobhan Reed
Sound mix: Rod Farquhar
Editors: Richard Vadon and Charlotte McDonald


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m001j4bz)
Running Rolls Royce

Warren East has run two of the UK's most successful companies, ARM and Rolls Royce Holdings. During his tenure at ARM he oversaw a rapid growth of this globally successful Cambridge semi conductor company. He went on to lead Rolls Royce during a time of turbulence, from aircraft engine trouble, to COVID and a massive restructure which led to several thousand redundancies. He shares his reflections on his business career, as well as his thoughts on Brexit, tax and economic growth.

GUEST

Warren East, former CEO Rolls Royce Holdings Ltd.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball
Editor: China Collins
Sound: James Beard and Graham Puddifoot
Prod Co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001j49c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001j45h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001j4c3)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


THU 22:45 Death at Broadcasting House (m001j4c5)
Episode 4

The Scarlet Highwayman is being transmitted from Broadcasting House. The actors, engineers and producers are all nervous at the prospect of the live transmission and are obviously delighted when it proves to be a success. One of the best and most credible scenes is the one in which the actor Sidney Parsons is 'murdered'.

Not usually an animated performer, he is surprisingly impressive here. But then his body is found in Studio 7C and it transpires that he really has been murdered. And that everyone who heard the play had heard him die. But who did it?

Written in 1934 by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Gielgud (brother of John) worked in BBC Radio throughout the 1930s.

Read by Tim McInnerny

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produce by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 Unsafe Space (m001j4c7)
Series 1

Episode 6

Stylistically fresh-sounding, provocative, unorthodox comedy and debate for the open-minded that firmly ticks the box marked ‘thinking outside of other boxes'.

Unsafe Space embraces diversity – especially diversity of opinion across the socio-economic divide. It's a brand new format where comedy meets thought-provoking debate and discussion.

This week comedy from from Ola Labib, Jonny Abrams, Jeff Innocent, Aaron Simmonds, Larry and Paul, and GB News presenter Andrew Doyle, while Simon Evans talks to jane fae of Trans Media Watch.

With thanks to Andy Shaw and Comedy Unleashed.

Production Team:
Laura Grimshaw
Tony Churnside
Bill Dare

Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:30 Great Lives (m001h6dr)
Roger Deakin, wild swimmer and author of Waterlogged

Matthew Parris travels along the Thames to meet Nick Hayes - illustrator and author of The Book of Trespass - to discuss the life of Roger Deakin. They also enjoy a naked swim. Joining them, in his pants, is Patrick Barkham. His new biography of Roger Deakin is published this year.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.

FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2023

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001j4c9)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018ntm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001j4cf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001j4ch)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001j4ck)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001j4cm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001j5hs)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle.

Good morning.

Today is apparently ‘random acts of kindness day’. A couple of years ago my husband and I were on holiday. After a long walk in the hills, we set off back to our cottage. Driving alongside a lake, we saw in a lay-by there was an inviting looking coffee van. A hot drink and a cake were exactly what we needed at that point, and we pulled in, parked up and stood in the queue. It was only when we reached the front, that we saw a sign saying, ‘cash only’. Feeling rather sorry for ourselves, we returned to our car discussing our plight. We got in the car and were just about to drive off, when a lady tapped on the window waving a £10 note. ‘Here you are’, she said, ‘we’d love to buy you a coffee’. We were overwhelmed by this generosity, and tried hard to refuse, but she was having none of it. We went back to the coffee van and proceeded to enjoy some delicious coffee and cake.

Kindness comes in many different forms, and it’s not always about things that we might do. In one of his letters to Christian communities in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes that the members of the community should clothe themselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These are attributes of character that enable us to be formed in the right attitude whatever our role in life. I hope that today, I can both seek to be kind, and welcome gestures of kindness that others might show to me with a deep sense of gratitude and joy.

God who in Jesus Christ shows us compassion, humility and gentleness help me to be kind this new day.

Amen.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001j4cp)
17/02/23 - Seasonal workers, Mars rover tech and lambing

One of the firms which operates the Government’s visa scheme for seasonal workers in food and farming has had its licence revoked. AG Recruitment was one of six companies which brought temporary workers from Europe and around the world to work on UK farms.

Technology originally developed to explore Mars is now being used on farms, to weed. We find out more as trials commence in Spain.

And Devon Closewools are classed as "At Risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust - with only around 3,000 breeding ewes, all concentrated in North Devon and Exmoor. We visit a flock at lambing time.

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


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5b9c)
Long-tailed Duck

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the long-tailed duck. The musical call of the long-tailed duck gives it the Scottish name of 'calloo', or 'coal- and-candlelight'. In the UK you're more likely to see them in Scotland and northern England where they seek out shellfish, diving up to 60 metres to retrieve them.


FRI 06:00 Today (m001j4gk)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001j3ld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Forgiveness: Stories from the Front Line (m0018p8h)
Ivan

Ivan Humble is a single father from East Anglia and a former organiser for the English Defence League who once recruited people to the far-right cause. He’s now working to prevent radicalisation. He wrestles with forgiving himself.

“I hated Muslims. I thought they were all terrorists. I know now that hate is just fear of the unknown.” In a surprising about-turn, he’s now friends with many Muslims, including Manwar Ali, a former jihadist from Ipswich who supported Ivan when his father died. We hear from both men about their friendship and how they are making amends for the past.

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who became interested in forgiveness at the time of the Iraq War. It’s a subject she’s explored now for many years, in books and through founding a charity, ‘The Forgiveness Project’. A common theme running through these stories is that forgiveness is difficult, messy, and complex, but it brings with it the power to transform lives.

Producer: Kim Normanton
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001j4h7)
Sukhdev Reel on her son Ricky, Aimee Lou Wood, Anita Bhagwandas, Sober dating

Ricky Reel’s body was discovered in the River Thames 25 years ago, a week after he had gone missing following a racist attack when he was on a night out with friends. His case was never solved, the police initially believed he had run away from an arranged marriage and later that his death was an accident. The case is now being re-examined by the Met Police’s major inquiries specialist casework team, due in part to Sukhdev Reel’s relentless campaigning on behalf of her son. She tells Anita why she has never given up on getting justice for her son.

Actor Aimee Lou Wood is best known for her role in Netflix’s Sex Education. Her character - also called Aimee - was at the heart of some of the most iconic storylines that came out of the first three seasons of the show. But now she’s taking to the stage as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London’s West End. She joins Anita in the studio to talk about performing in the show and her recent BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.

Anita Bhagwandas is an award-winning beauty journalist who describes the beauty industry as one she adores but a place that has ‘never loved [her] back’.Her new book Ugly: Giving Us Back Our Beauty Standards unearths why the word has such power and how we can reclaim it for ourselves. A blend of manifesto and memoir, the book explores how racial, class, and social prejudices shape what society deems ‘beautiful’. She joins Anita to discuss life as a beauty journalist, overcoming self-hatred, and the beauty standards set by Disney princesses.

With movements like Dry January growing in popularity, many women want to question their relationship with alcohol, while also maintaining the possibility of moderation. Anita is joined by the journalist Roisin Kelly who shares what she learned while sober dating, and Ruby Warrington, the author who inspired the sober curious movement, who discusses the art of mindful drinking.


FRI 11:00 Is Psychiatry Working? (m001j4hm)
Therapy

Although psychiatry helped writer Horatio Clare when he was in crisis, some people in difficulty, their families, clinicians, psychologists and psychiatrists themselves will tell you there are serious questions about the ways psychiatry understands and treats some people in trouble. And so this series asks a simple question: is psychiatry working? In the following series, accompanied by the psychiatrist Femi Oyebode, Horatio traces a journey through crisis, detention, diagnosis, therapy, and recovery. In this episode, they consider the different forms and aims of therapy.

If you need support with mental health or feelings of despair, a list of organisations that can help is available at BBC Action Line support:

Mental health & self-harm: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm
Suicide/Emotional distress: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg/information-and-support-suicide-emotional-distress

or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066.

Presenters: Horatio Clare and Femi Oyebode
Producer: Emma Close
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound Mix: James Beard


FRI 11:30 Mrs Hudson's Radio Show (m0001dkw)
Episode 1: Rare Medium

Behind every great man there is an even greater woman - demanding rent.

The late, much missed comedy legend Barry Cryer brings his unique brand of silliness to the world of Sherlock Holmes’ landlady in a special Radio 4 double bill recorded in front of an audience in London in November 2018

Barry plays chestnut salesman Harry Fryer and is joined by Patricia Hodge as Mrs Hudson and Miriam Margolyes as her mischievous friend and neighbour, Mrs Brayley.

The show was written by Barry and his son, Bob Cryer (familiar to Hollyoaks fans as Glenn Donovan) and is based on their book, Mrs Hudson's Diaries.

When her tenant, a magician known as The Great Mysto, goes missing, Mrs Hudson is suddenly in urgent need of rent money and new lodgers. This half hour episode sees Mrs Hudson attempting to reclaim her lost money and encountering everything from crooked showgirls and Music Hall eccentrics to German strongmen and dodgy clairvoyants. Meanwhile, Mrs Hudson’s maid Martha (Ruth Bratt) has secretly advertised for new tenants and it’s not long before a doctor (Stephen Critchlow) and a consulting detective (Orlando Wells) come knocking. Time is not on her side as villainous Sir Charles Swift is ready to swoop and reclaim her house if she doesn’t pay her ground rent.

CAST:
MRS HUDSON - Patricia Hodge
MRS BRAYLEY - Miriam Margolyes
HARRY FRYER - Barry Cryer
HOLMES/BESSINGBY - Orlando Wells
MYSTO / ARCHIE / WATSON - Stephen Critchlow
MARTHA/BELLA/MYRTLE /CUSACK - Ruth Bratt
GUSTAV / MD - Jeremy Limb
LESTRADE / SWIFT - Bob Cryer

Written by Bob and Barry Cryer

Produced and Directed by Ned Chaillet and Ben Walker
Executive Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001j4q7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m001j4j5)
15-minute Cities and Freedom

How talk of low traffic neighbourhoods and traffic filters became a heated debate about freedom. When Oxfordshire county council announced plans to implement six traffic filters across the city, it caused such controversy that even people in America were posting on social media about the restrictions they might impose. The council said they received death threats due to the misinformation swirling online, often from people outside of Oxford. So why have the discussions online become so heated?


FRI 12:57 Weather (m001j4jf)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m001j4jl)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


FRI 13:45 Life Support (m001j4jq)
Pharmacists

Five episodes where two different people at different stages of their careers, meet for the first time to share and contrast their experiences of working in the health service. One is about to retire, while the other still has years of employment ahead of them. Revealing and surprising insights emerge as the participants compare the pressures of the past with those we hear so much about today. In this episode we hear from two pharmacists. Shaheen, has been a community pharmacist for the last 37 years. She runs her own pharmacy now, but she started working in a chemist's store at the age of fifteen when her father fell sick and she had to help her mum support the family. Back then she remembers chemists making and selling their own homemade remedies, rather than selling branded goods. She’s in conversation with Linsey who qualified as a pharmacist in 2021. She’s never known the job not to be busy, particularly since the pandemic. One day she'd love to own her own pharmacy, but currently has no idea how she'll be able to afford it.

Produced by Gill Kearsly and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production Coordinators Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001j4bd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 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


FRI 14:45 Understand: The Economy (p0df7gzl)
Series 1

The Economy: 6. Recessions

What is a recession and what causes a recession? Whether something suddenly makes you poorer or just makes you worry about becoming poorer, when you cut your spending in the shops, this affects other people and ripples through the economy. Tim Harford explains the role a government can play in pulling a country out of a recession and Cambridge University Economic Historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of one of our longest recessions that started in 1921.

Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.

Guest: Professor Richard Davies, University of Bristol

Producer: Phoebe Keane

Researcher: Drew Hyndman

Editor: Clare Fordham

Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music

A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001j4jx)
High Weald

How do you grow a decent-sized brussels sprout? When is the right time to prune a raspberry bush? What species of plant should be named after you?

Returning to Balcombe to answer these questions and more in front of a live audience are Kathy Clugston and this week’s panel - garden designer Juliet Sargeant, Plants expert Christine Walkden and Matthew Pottage, Curator at RHS Wisley.

And Christine answers your Cyclamen queries with an in-depth masterclass on the tuberous perennial.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Louisa Field



A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m001j4k2)
Pakistana

For young Nina the bustling Spanish city of Barcelona is home. But with her melancholic father homesick for Pakistan, and her Spanish boss insisting on calling her Pakistana, Nina struggles with divided loyalties. She finds herself torn between her family and their past in a country she barely knows and her present in a city that both dazzles and beguiles.
Pakistana is a specially commissioned story for Radio 4, written and read by Fatima Bhutto.
Produced by Karen Holden


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001j4k6)
David Vaughan OBE, Burt Bacharach, Janet Anderson, Eileen Sheridan

Matthew Bannister on

Professor David Vaughan OBE, who was a leading expert on the effects of climate change on glaciers in the Antarctic.

Burt Bacharach (pictured), who wrote scores of hit songs including 'I Say A Little Prayer', 'Do You Know The Way To San José' and 'Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head'.

Janet Anderson, the Labour MP who wrote entertaining reports of proceedings in parliament for Queen Elizabeth.

Eileen Sheridan – one of Britain’s greatest cyclists, she held the speed record for the journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats for 36 years.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Justin Rowlatt
Interviewed guest: Professor Dame Jane Francis
Interviewed guest: Professor Andrew Shepherd
Interviewed guest: Julia Langdon
Interviewed guest: Paul Jones

Archive clips used:


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m001j41z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m001j4k9)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


FRI 18:00 Six O' Clock News (m001j4kg)
David Smith passed on personal details of other members of staff, photos and videos while working at the embassy in Berlin.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m001j4kj)
Series 110

Episode 8

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Zoe Lyons, Angela Barnes, Hugo Rifkind and Nish Kumar. On the agenda this week is Nicola Sturgeon's surprise resignation, Jeremy Corbyn being barred as a Labour candidate and the case of 200,000 stolen Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Hosted and written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Catherine Brinkworth, Eleanor Morton, Peter Tellouche and Cameron Loxdale.

Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001j4kl)
Writer, Sarah Hehir
Director, Jenny Stephens
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Ruairi Donovan ….. Arthur Hughes
Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Jakob Hakansson ….. Paul Venables
Paul Mack ….. Joshua Riley
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Noluthando Madikane ….. Mogali Masuku
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell
Julianne Wright ….. Lisa Bowerman
Lisa ….. Katherine Jakeways


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001j4kn)
Gareth Malone, Gillian Moore and Dele Sosimi head from Benin to Havana

Gareth Malone, who brought choral singing into the mainstream with his TV series The Choir, is joined by The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore as they take us on the rolling sea from Benin in West Africa to the streets of Havana. Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye continue to compile the new playlist, with additional insights from Afrobeat musician Dele Sosimi.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with additional music curation, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Yoruba by the Gangbé Brass Band
Rolling Sea by Eliza Carthy
Spring Rounds from The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug
Gnossienne: No 1 by Erik Satie

Other music in this episode:

Levels by Avicii
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
Authority Stealing by Fela Kuti
The Passenger by The Cambodian Space Project
Barbarella by The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra
Why by Carly Simon
Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001j4kq)
Professor Mary Beard, Sir Rocco Forte, Robert Halfon MP, Steve Reed MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Fowlmere Village Hall in Cambridgeshire with a panel including the classicist Professor Mary Beard, hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships & Higher Education Robert Halfon MP, and shadow justice secretary Steve Reed MP.

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Lead broadcast engineer: Liam Juniper
Editor: Chris Ledgard


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001j4ks)
Donatello and a New Renaissance

Sarah Dunant says the rediscovery of ideas from the past can help with 'the toxicity of the present'. Just as the Renaissance master Donatello drew from the classical world to create revolutionary art, so we can find a moment in history to inspire progress in our time.

'On the surface it seems like an impossible task' says Sarah, 'not least because like everything else in this angry, polarised moment, the past itself has been commandeered as a weapon...but the wonderful thing about ideas, is that while they can travel weightlessly through history, they still pack a punch.'

Producer: Sheila Cook
Sound engineer: Peter Bosher
Production Co-ordinator: Helena Warwick Cross
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


FRI 21:00 Flight of the Ospreys (m001j4kv)
Scotland to Gibraltar

It's autumn 2022, and Scotland's ospreys are setting off on their epic annual migration south. From peaceful Loch Garten in the highlands they'll head down the length of the UK, cross the channel into Europe, across the Strait of Gibraltar to Africa, and still further, to their wintering grounds in the mangrove swamps on the lush coast of Guinea. Many will leave, but they won't all make it. It's a route that's fraught with danger, both natural and man-made. Only 1 in 3 ospreys who take it on will live to return the following spring.

But this time, they're not doing it alone. A team of conservationists headed up by biologist Sacha Dench are following them every wing-beat of the way, on a mission to discover as much as possible about the journey, and the challenges they face along the way. Climate change is making weather patterns less predictable, crucial wetlands on their route are being poisoned by pesticides and depleted by drought and the birds have the unfortunate habit of electrocuting themselves when they land on powerlines with freshly caught fish. Emily Knight follows the birds, and the people, on their extraordinary journey.

In this episode, we meet the team taking on the challenge, and follow them as they travel down the length of the UK and into Europe. Through wetlands and river-valleys, forests and mountain ranges, protected landscapes and the harshness of the built human environment. At every turn, they meet people who love and care for the birds they share their homes with, and hear stories of the length they've gone to to protect them.

Producers: Emily Knight and Alasdair Cross


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001j4kx)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


FRI 22:45 Death at Broadcasting House (m001j4kz)
Episode 5

The Scarlet Highwayman is being transmitted from Broadcasting House. The actors, engineers and producers are all nervous at the prospect of the live transmission and are obviously delighted when it proves to be a success. One of the best and most credible scenes is the one in which the actor Sidney Parsons is 'murdered'.

Not usually an animated performer, he is surprisingly impressive here. But then his body is found in Studio 7C and it transpires that he really has been murdered. And that everyone who heard the play had heard him die. But who did it?

Written in 1934 by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Gielgud (brother of John) worked in BBC Radio throughout the 1930s.

Read by Tim McInnerny

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produce by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (m001j4l1)
Aliens Or Air Balloons?

As a growing number of flying objects are shot down in US airspace, the Biden administration is still trying to explain just what’s going on...and even fielding the odd question about aliens. Why are Americans so obsessed with extra-terrestrials?

Meanwhile, on ground level, many are asking why national media took so long to start covering a major train derailment in Ohio that released hazardous chemicals into the air of a nearby village.

In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has been talking up his move to ban an advanced high school African-American studies course, possibly laying the framework for his presidential bid. Americast talks to Harvard professor, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, who helped devise the course.

And in South Carolina, Anthony has been at the launch of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign. But does she really stand a chance of winning?

Find out more about our "undercover voters" here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63530374.

Email Americast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments and send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, to +44 3301239480.

This episode was made by Phil Marzouk and Cat Farnsworth. The studio director was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor was Simon Watts. The senior news editor was Sam Bonham.


FRI 23:30 Great Lives (m001h60k)
Comedian Chris McCausland on Kurt Cobain

‘For me, it’s all about his authenticity’. Chris McCausland

Kurt Cobain, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Nirvana became the voice of a generation and is to this day considered one of the most influential musicians in the history of alternative rock. His angst ridden, often politically driven lyrics challenged the conventions of the day and resonated with youth audiences around the world. He championed the underdog and stood up for all those who had ever felt excluded from the mainstream.

Kurt’s message resonated with comedian, actor and writer Chris McCausland, but so did his music. With its raw energy and Kurt’s ‘take me as I am’ performances, Chris found a rock band that delivered the authenticity he’d been searching for.

Accompanied from New York by author, journalist and music specialist Laura Barton, Chris discusses the Great Life of Kurt Cobain, his music, his message, his sense of humour and why it’s never too late to jump in a mosh pit.

Presented by Matthew Parris
Produced by Nicola Humphries