SATURDAY 22 APRIL 2023
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001l2l1)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 00:30 Woke: The Journey of a Word (m001jccv)
5. Where Woke Goes to Die
Matthew Syed traces the origins and evolution of a term that's become synonymous with our era of angry debate.
Once a watchword for African Americans in the early 1900s, 'woke' is now used as an insult across the political spectrum. As the word has spread, what people actually mean by it has become less clear than ever. In this series, Matthew follows the evolution of 'woke' through five key stories.
In this final episode, Matthew looks into the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis, tipped by some to be the next President of the United States. The politician has labelled his state of Florida as 'Where Woke Goes To Die', introducing a 'Stop W.O.K.E.' bill aimed at reducing the spread of identity politics in education and the workplace. Matthew hears from Sam Rechek, the student who has successfully challenged the bill in the courts over its restriction to free speech. DeSantis is just one example of the embrace of 'woke' by the political right. As the word appears commonly in the media today, Matthew considers its multiple meanings, including whether it corresponds to a new set of ideas on the rise in society.
Contributors: Nicole Holliday, linguist at Pomona College, writer James O'Malley, Prof Matthew Goodwin, University of Kent, Women of Keele Educate.
Presented by Matthew Syed
Produced by Sam Peach
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l2l4)
The latest shipping forecast
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l2l8)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l2lb)
The latest shipping forecast
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001l2ld)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l2lg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good Morning
There is a story I sometimes tell my students about the taxi passenger who made a whole town happy.
A man arrives at the train station and steps into a taxi for a short drive. He’s friendly to the driver, asking him how long he’s been on duty, if he has a family, and what he does in his free time.
As the man pays his fare, he says to the driver, “Thanks! I really enjoyed talking to you. And it was the saftest I’ve felt in a car for a long time. You’re a great driver.” This puts the taxi driver in a good mood. He’s friendly to all his customers, which puts all of them in a good mood too. They’re friendly to all the people they meet, which puts them in a good mood, so that they’re friendly to everyone they meet…And so on, until the whole town is in a good mood.
From the opposite perspective, when I was 18, I left Manchester to go to university down south, feeling insecure and anxious. A few days after I arrived, a fellow student said to me vindictively, “How does someone with an accent like yours, end up at university.” The comment completely shook my confidence. What was wrong with my accent I wondered? For weeks afterwards, I was reluctant to speak, and felt inferior.
These stories illustrate the power of human interaction. Disrespect damages others. On the other hand, a simple act of friendliness may restore their faith in human nature, even lift them out of depression. Our interactions with others create a rippling effect that spreads far beyond us in distance and time. So today, let’s use this power in a positive way.
Blessings.
SAT 05:45 Please Protect Abraham (m001fwgd)
4. Escape
After digital threats seem to manifest into physical ones for Abraham, he maps out his own route to safety. It’s a decision that results in him leaving everything he knew behind.
Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale
Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001l8s6)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001l2f7)
Herefordshire's Golden Valley
Ian Marchant is time-travelling through Herefordshire’s Golden Valley in springtime. He learns about "the wine of the west" in cider-maker Denis Gwatkin’s orchards, discovers Herefordshire’s lost castle at Snodhill, and visits an Elizabethan watermeadow system in Turnastone. Ian finds out why modern-day pilgrims are walking through the Golden Valley. High above it, he visits ancient Arthur’s Stone which captured the imagination of CS Lewis. Win Scutt from English Heritage tells Ian of exciting archaeological discoveries about the dolmen, built by Neolithic cattle herders.
Producer: Sarah Swading
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001l8sb)
22/04/23 - Farming Today This Week: delays to tree-planting contracts, new compulsory medical tests for fishermen, land use
New compulsory medical tests for fishermen: a leap forward for safety at sea or an over-rigid interpretation of the law that could devastate the inshore fishing fleet?
According to the Forestry Commission, on average 30 per cent of newly planted trees in towns and cities will not survive more than 12 months.
Foresters says they’re on the verge of going bust because of delays to tree-planting contracts.
Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz takes a trip to Kent to visit Sadeh, a seven-acre Jewish market garden and environmental community, which runs educational events exploring the links between Judaism and food production.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
SAT 06:57 Weather (m001l8sg)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m001l8sk)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001l8sm)
Katy Wix, Janina Ramirez, Solomiya Znak, Sir Tony Robinson
Ghosts, Steth Lets Flats and Ted Lasso star, Katy Wix, talks about her life through the medium of...cake. Her memoir Delicacy uses the sweet treat to frame the biggest moments of her life.
Janina Ramirez, author of the bestselling Femina and President of the Gloucester History Festival, reveals why she gave up a career as a punk rocker to regale us all with stories of ancients civilisations.
As a dark chapter in Ukraine's history continues to be written, Solomiya Znak from the Ukraine Opera and Ballet Company of Kyiv, describes how art is helping to cast a ray of hope.
Sir Tony Robinson, actor, broadcaster and host of new podcast Cunningcast, shares his Inheritance Tracks.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Peter Curran
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Details of support with eating disorders is available at BBC Action Line: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline
SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001l8sq)
Vick Hope: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Vick Hope on a wildly exciting year she spent in Buenos Aires which even leaves Shaun contemplating a visit despite the very real risk of his being carried off by a harpy eagle.
Your Place Or Mine is the travel podcast that isn’t going anywhere. Join Shaun as his guests try to convince him that it’s worth getting up off the sofa and seeing the world, giving us a personal guide to their favourite place on the planet. With resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence on hand to share facts, each week a familiar face will try to persuade Shaun that jetting off to their favourite destination is worth the hassle.
Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
Producers: Beth O'Dea and Sarah Goodman
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001l8st)
Series 40
Westminster
Jay Rayner hosts this week's culinary panel show from Westminster Kingsway College. Joining him are food writer Tim Anderson, materials master Zoe Laughlin, and two of Westminster Kingsways’ alumni - the exuberant Sophie Wright, and good-humoured gastronome, Ainsley Harriott.
Inspired by Westminster Kingway’s founder and 19th Century chef, Auguste Escoffier, the panel discuss the history and contents of the ‘mother sauces’, as well as the all important question - what counts as a sauce? Alongside the queries ranging from peachy pairings to onion slicing suggestions, the panel take a deep dive into the ‘fruitiest’ of culinary questions.
Among the recipe-fuelled ruckus, guest speaker and Head of Westminster Kingsway, Paul Jervis gives us an insight into blonde rouxs, bechamels, and chopping boards.
Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001l8t0)
Isabel Hardman, assistant editor of The Spectator, discusses the week's biggest political stories with guests.
David Gauke, former Conservative MP and justice secretary; and Jill Rutter, from the Institute for Government and former senior civil servant discuss Dominic Raab‘s resignation, and relations between ministers and the civil service.
Luke Tryl, director of More in Common and former adviser to former education secretary Nicky Morgan; and Carl Shoben, of Strategic Communications for Survation, and former Labour adviser and strategist (for Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn) discuss local elections.
Kezia Dugdale, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party and director of Glasgow University’s John Smith Institute; and Stephen Gethins, former SNP MP and professor of Practice in International Relations, St Andrew’s University look at The SNP’s recent troubles.
And Selaine Saxby, Conservative MP, maths graduate and former maths teacher; and Stian Westlake, chief executive of Royal Statistical Society ask whether maths matters.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001l8t4)
The Trial of Vladimir Kara-Murza
Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, Germany, India, Iceland and Japan.
Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Moscow court this week. Sarah Rainsford exchanged letters with him during his time in prison and reflects on his trial, and how it's being used by Vladimir Putin to send a stern warning to those who oppose him.
This closed trial in Moscow stands in contrast to the highly visible trials staged in Nuremberg World War II, where high-ranking Nazis appeared before a military tribunal. John Kampfner visited the southern German city, and reflects on what we can still learn from 'the Nuremberg idea' today.
Rani Singh travels to Uttar Pradesh – India’s largest state, lying east of the capital Delhi - seen by many as a microcosm of the country. Traditionally, it has not been a progressive place for women. but the situation may be changing: at least in one community, she finds.
Despite being a founding member of Nato, Iceland has no standing armed forces of its own. It does however provide support for the 31 member military alliance. And is perfectly placed to host Nato’s Arctic surveillance missions. In recent months, the F35s of the Norwegian airforce have made use of an air base in Keflavik in the island’s south-west. David Baillie was there to watch them in action.
Dairy consumption – and production - is not something that’s traditionally been associated with Japan, though it has steadily grown in popularity since the mid 20th Century. And in recent decades, a cluster of cheesemakers has sprung up – and Japan’s artisans are now impressing on the international stage, says Amy Guttman.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001l8t8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001l8td)
Self Employment and Scam Texts
This week, the Office for National Statistics employment data showed that one reason behind the increase in the number of people in work is the growth in self-employment. Though the total numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, more people are now starting a new business. We'll hear from four entrepreneurs about their experiences and have some advice for anyone thinking about doing so.
Money Box has learned more than 1,100 people have reported having had a total of £1.3m stolen from them in the last year by criminals using so called "hi mum" or "hi dad" scam messages. The figures from Action Fraud peaked in the run up to Christmas but the scam is still very active with hundreds of thousands of pounds being stolen in the first three months of this year alone. What should you look out for?
We often talk about the cost of living and the effect of rising inflation on lower income households, but this week there is new evidence of how it is hitting people earning between £40,000 and £80,000. We'll hear from Royal London whose research found over a third of people had gone overdrawn or borrowed in other ways - some even taking out expensive payday loans.
And a new report suggests tens of millions of pounds belonging to about 80,000 young people without mental capacity to make financial decisions could be locked in trust funds. What does that mean for families and what is the government's response?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast 12noon Saturday 22nd April, 2023)
SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001l2kg)
Series 62
Episode 6
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Andrew Doyle exploring the personalities of politicians today, Laura Smyth explaining how she is personally navigating all of the strikes & Jazz Emu who is auditioning to be the in-flight entertainment on Elon Musk's 'SpaceX'.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Alex Garrick-Wright, Zoe Tomalin, Chris Douch & Cody Dahler.
Voice actors: Daniel Barker & Chiara Goldsmith
Sound: Marc Willcox & Gary Newman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 12:57 Weather (m001l8tj)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001l8tn)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001l2kn)
Alex Burghart MP, Professor Matthew Goodwin, Peter Kyle MP, Sarah Olney MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Thaxted Parish Church, Essex, with a panel including Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart MP, Professor Matthew Goodwin from the University of Kent, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Kyle MP, and the Liberal Democrat Treasury and Business spokesperson Sarah Olney MP.
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Editor: Colin Paterson
Lead broadcast engineer: Rob Dyball
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001l8ts)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.
SAT 14:45 Opening Lines (m001l8tw)
Twelfth Night - Episode 1
John Yorke explores one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies, Twelfth Night. In the first of two episodes, he untangles a complex plot and shows how we can still find it funny. But is it really a comedy?
John finds sadness behind the laughter in a play that ends with a melancholic song as the rain begins to fall. We're introduced to characters who fall in love with each other in a confusion of misplaced desire. Viola is shipwrecked in a strange land and has lost her twin brother Sebastian. She disguises herself as a man before she meets the Duke of Illyria, who is himself in love with the Countess Olivia. It's the beginnings of a love triangle rich in comedic moments. Twelfth Night is a play in which desire and disguise lead to confusion and chaos, only to be resolved in a happy ever after love story. Well, almost.
John shares a lifetime of experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the secrets behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. He has been working in television and radio for nearly 30 years.
From East Enders 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:
Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford
Dominic Dromgoole, Theatre director
Tamsin Greig, who played 'Malvolia' at the National Theatre
Credits:
Clips from Shakespeare on 3: Twelfth Night (April 2012), BBC Radio 3 starring Naomi Frederick. Directed By Sally Avens.
Researcher: Nina Semple
Sound Design: Sean Kerwin
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Producer: Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 15:00 Drama (m001l8ty)
Twelfth Night (Part 1)
First included in the First Folio in 1623, this is a 400th anniversary production of Shakespeare's wonderful comedy of mistaken identities and unrequited love. And it also contributes to the marking of the centenary of BBC Radio Drama as in 1923, 300 years after the First Folio, Twelfth Night became the first full-length Shakespeare play to be broadcast on BBC radio.
When twins Viola and Sebastian are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, both believing each other to have drowned, they both go in search of sanctuary. Viola disguises herself as a man and finds refuge in the court of Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with the widow Olivia but Olivia quickly falls in love with Orsino's messenger, Viola.
Along with the drunken antics of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (also in love with Olivia), the sanctimonious pomposity of Olivia's main courtier Malvolio, the clever scheming of Maria the maid and the frantic gambolling of Feste the Fool, the inevitable result is merry chaos. But will love conquer all?
Cast
Orsino Giles Terera
Viola Indigo Griffiths
Olivia Genevieve Gaunt
Malvolio Toby Jones
Maria Ayesha Antoine
Sebastian David Elue
Sir Toby Belch David Troughton
Sir Andrew Aguecheek Jamie Treacher
Fool (Feste) Rio Attoh Wood
Fabian/Captain David Ajao
Valentine Katy Owen
Curio/2nd officer Christopher Buckley
1st Officer James Peake
Antonio Jos Vantyler
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
Music by Joseph Bedell
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001l8v0)
Lynn Nottage, Maggie Murphy, CBI Investigations, Race across the world, Emergency alerts, Therapy speak
A second woman has come forward alleging that she was raped by two male colleagues when she worked at the Confederation of British Industry. Anita Rani speaks to the Guardian journalist who uncovered the story, Anna Isaac.
Is 'therapy speak' making us selfish? The language of the therapist’s couch has slowly seeped into everyday life, particularly online where words like ‘boundaries’, ‘self-care’ and ‘narcissist’ are increasingly common. But when it comes to friendships, is the idea of self-care making us give up on them too easily? Sociologist and writer Amy Charlotte Kean talks to Nuala McGovern about how our relationships are being affected.
The Secret Life of Bees was a New York Times bestseller for more than 125 weeks and was made into an award-winning film. Now the book has been adapted by Lynn Nottage, a playwright and screenwriter, for the stage. Anita Rani talks to Lynn, the only woman to have won the Pulitzer prize for drama twice, about her adaptation.
As the government prepares to launch the first nationwide test of a new emergency alert system on our smartphones on Sunday 23 April, domestic abuse charities are concerned about the potential risk to those in abusive relationships. Nuala McGovern speaks to Ellie Butt, Head of policy, public affairs and research at the charity Refuge.
Anita Rani is joined by Maggie Murphy, the CEO of Lewes Football Club. Maggie featured on our Power List highlighting 30 women working in sport in the UK. Maggie discusses why the club is so unique and how women’s football should grow.
Have you been watching Race Across The World? For its third series those involved are travelling from West to East Canada. Nuala McGovern talks to the only all-female team taking part - Cathie Rowe and Tricia Sail - two best friends, both in their late 40's who set out on a journey of a lifetime.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lottie Garton
SAT 17:00 PM (m001l8v2)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread Presents (m001l3hr)
Toast - Blockbuster
While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses which had promised so much to consumers.
In each episode the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea. What did it promise? Why did people back it? Why did they get burnt?
Some of the world’s most successful businesses have also brought us some of the world’s most remarkable failures. So, what led them to be toast? And what can we learn from their stories today?
Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition. He speaks to expert commentators and to people involved with doomed wonder products to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently.
Along the way he discovers charming and surprising stories from people who took to these products but lived to regret it and, with the help of self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur Sam White, tries to work out where they went wrong.
This week, Sean and Sam examine the game and movie rental chain, Blockbuster.
Its first store opened in 1985 in Dallas, Texas. At its peak in 2004, it had around 9,000 stores globally, was earning nearly $5.9 billion in revenue and employed over 84,000 people worldwide.
How did it lose its way? Spoiler alert - it wasn't just down to the rise of streaming services like Netflix.
Toast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.
Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available only in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.
Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001l8v4)
The latest shipping forecast
SAT 17:57 Weather (m001l8v6)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l8v8)
Comedians, broadcasters and politicians are paying tribute to Barry Humphries who was 89. UK nationals, trapped by the fighting in Sudan, feel abandoned by the government.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001l8vb)
Tiernan Douieb, Robbie Cumming, Debra Stephenson, Gaz Choudhry, Ondara, Pokey LaFarge, Sara Cox, Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace and Sara Cox are joined by Debra Stephenson, Tiernan Douieb, Gaz Choudhry and Robbie Cumming for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Ondara and Pokey LaFarge.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m001l8vd)
Vladimir Kara-Murza
The Russian journalist and Cambridge-educated historian Vladimir Kara-Murza has been a long-time opponent of President Putin's regime. A dual national who also holds a British passport, he was instrumental in getting the Magnitsky Act passed in now over 30 countries, in a campaign led by financier Bill Browder. The legislation enables governments to sanction Russians engaged in corruption or human rights abuses. He has been a thorn in the side of Putin ever since. More recently he has also spoken out against Russia's war in Ukraine.
He was poisoned in Russia, and almost died, twice, in 2015 and 2017, suffering long-term health consequences. Yet he returned to Moscow from the US last year, because he didn’t think he had any right to call people onto the streets into action in Russia if he was sitting safely in America.
He was arrested soon after his return, and this week was sentenced to 25 years in a Russian penal colony.
But as he wrote from prison: 'the night is darkest before the dawn, but what do you know, the dawn may be just around the corner.' His friends however fear for his life.
Presenter Mark Coles speaks to some of those who know him best: Bill Browder, the head of the global Magnitsky Justice Campaign; University of Cambridge historians Dr Clare Jackson and Prof Hubertus Jahn; fellow Russian opposition figure Vladimir Milov, and the BBC's former Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford.
Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Georgia Coan
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Sabine Schereck
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001l8vg)
Sally Wainwright
Award-winning television dramatist and director Sally Wainwright talks to John Wilson about her formative cultural influences. After learning the art of screenwriting whilst working on Coronation Street, she made her name with her suburban comedy drama At Home With The Braithwaites. Her stories are usually set in the north of England including Last Tango in Halifax, and her 19th century historical series Gentleman Jack. Her most recent hit is Happy Valley, a crime drama that spanned a decade and three series, winning huge acclaim, viewing figures and multiple awards.
Sally talks about her early obsession with television, and how the 1970s musical drama Rock Follies inspired her to become a television writer at a young age. She recalls her early career writing for BBC Radio 4's The Archers and the ITV soap Coronation Street and discusses the inspirations behind some of her biggest hits.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
SAT 20:00 Tanni Grey-Thompson: Still Not Equal (m001l8vj)
Thirty years ago, multi medal winning Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson became one of the UK’s first disabled ‘celebrities’. She had no role models, the only person she’d seen on TV who was disabled growing up in the 1970s was the fictional character of Sandy in the ITV soap Crossroads.
Here Tanni charts her own journey and assess how attitudes to disability have evolved over the past half a century. Tanni remembers her earliest experiences and dips into the archives to remind us about the turning points in the long battle for equality.
Among those discussing developments and how much more work needs to be done - Falklands War veteran Simon Weston CBE, Stephen Hawking’s first wife Jane Hawking, fellow Paralympian Ade Adepitan MBE, comedian and ':Lost Voice Guy' Lee Ridley, profoundly deaf performer Jonny Cotsen, disability rights campaigners Kevin Donnellon, Phil Friend OBE and Ann Bates OBE, playwright Richard Vergette, diversity campaigner Deborah Williams OBE, Peter Bullimore from the Hearing Voices Network, Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton Jerome Carson and former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett.
Tanni remembers how she faced appalling prejudice when she fell pregnant and even had social workers questioning whether she was fit to be a mother. She charts how disabled people have been portrayed in the media down the decades, remembers the gaffes and times when society got it completely wrong, and warns current policymakers there's a thin line between equality and being patronised. Among the archive we hear a never before broadcast extract with the late June Brown playing an elderly woman remembering how she was treated as a mum of a down syndrome son in the 1970s and an interview Tanni carried out with Paralympic pioneer the late Susan Cunliffe-Lister who became Baroness Masham just months before she died.
Produced by Ashley Byrne
A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (b0b86qzv)
Series 4
02/07/2018
It's the 1980s and Brian Oldman is back in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He suspects, but cannot prove, that Joseph Oldman, now Joseph Olinska MP, was the perpetrator.
GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's a tale revealing the nexus of crime, business and politics woven through the fabric of 20th century greed as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.
Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending both Lord Goodman and Margaret Thatcher.
The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 21:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001l2k4)
The Computer Who Failed at Maths by Tim X Atack
An Artificial Intelligence designed as a maths genius flunks its numbers and has to search for meaning elsewhere.
Fiction inspired by this week's news, in which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considers making maths compulsory to age eighteen and the TUC holds a conference to explore the meaning of AI in the workplace.
Tim X Atack is a writer, composer and sound designer working in stage, screen, audio, prose fiction and XR. His work includes the multi-award winning eco sci-fi thriller FOREST 404 for BBC Sounds; HEARTWORM, winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2017; THE MORPETH CAROL, THE STROMA SESSIONS and THE BEARD among others for BBC Radio; and the love triangle drama BABEL'S CUPID to be produced at Bristol Old Vic in 2024. He's a co-founder of Sleepdogs with director Tanuja Amarasuriya, a regular writer for the Big Finish range of DOCTOR WHO audio adventures, and a resident at Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol.
Reader...Amanda Lawrence
SAT 22:00 News (m001l8vl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 Screenshot (m001l2kl)
Restaurants
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode discuss how restaurants are portrayed throughout cinema and the small screen, from Big Night to Ratatouille.
Mark is joined by film and TV journalist Roxana Hadadi to discuss an overview of the best depictions of restaurants on the silver screen and to define which ingredients make for a good restaurant movie.
And Ellen talks to Philip Barantini, the director of one-take restaurant film Boiling Point, about how his experience as a head chef has made him the director he is today. Ellen also speaks to restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa about how and why restaurants are the perfect setting for TV and film.
This week’s viewing note is courtesy of food critic and broadcaster Jay Rayner.
Producer: Hester Cant
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (m001l253)
Programme 2, 2023
(2/12)
It's the turn of the North of England and Scotland to face off in the cryptic quiz for the first time this season. Kirsty Lang has the fiendish questions and will be deducting points every time she has to help them towards the correct solutions.
Stuart Maconie and Adele Geras play for the North of England, against Val McDermid and Alan McCredie for Scotland. Kirsty will also have the answer to the question she left tantalisingly at the end of the previous edition.
You can submit question ideas for the show at any time to rbq@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SAT 23:30 Uncanny (m001l8vn)
S2. Case 3: Leave the Lights On
As the poltergeist activity ramps up dramatically, the family resort to desperate measures. Can they survive living with a vengeful poltergeist?
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editor and Sound Designer: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Lanterns on the Lake
Script assistant: Leo Dunlop
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUNDAY 23 APRIL 2023
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001l8vr)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Where Once Were Farms (m001l20g)
Ian and Rhiannon O'Connor hoped to buy their first farm in the Welsh village of Cwrt-y-Cadno, to put down roots where they lived and to grow their family. But at the last minute, they were unexpectedly outbid by a London-based investment company who purchased the land to plant trees in order to generate and market carbon credits.
Poet Casi Wyn meets those living in the valley today to hear their concerns about the future and to consider the links to previous events in the history of Wales. She is reminded of those places in Wales that are already lost to external forces: Tryweryn and Llanwddyn - drowned to create reservoirs for English cities - and Mynydd Epynt, eradicated by the Ministry of Defence to become a military training ground. As Casi travels through the valley we hear the poetry of Welsh bards such as Myrddin ap Dafydd, Gwenallt Jones and Gerallt Lloyd Owen, writers whose work tells similar stories of historical loss in Wales.
“Conifers where once was community,
Forest in place of farms . . .”
As a cultural figure, the bard is central to Welsh cultural identity, standing witness to such events, capturing the spirit of each struggle and reminding Wales of all that they have to lose. It’s a mantle that Casi takes up in her role as current Bardd Plant Cymru, the Children and Youth Poet Laureate for Wales. At the local primary school, Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen, she conducts a poetry workshop with the children whose collaborative poem calls forth the “sunlight of belonging.”
Presented by Casi Wyn
Produced by Jude Shapiro, with additional research by Casi Wyn
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l8vw)
The latest shipping forecast
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l8w0)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l8w4)
The latest shipping forecast
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001l8w8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001l8wc)
The Parish Church of All Saints, Loughborough in Leicestershire
Bells on Sunday comes from the Parish Church of All Saints, Loughborough in Leicestershire. The bulk of the current church was built in the 14th century and reflects the importance and prosperity of Loughborough in the medieval wool trade. It was extensively restored in the Victorian era under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott. The west tower houses ten bells that were cast between 1897 and 1899 at the nearby John Taylor Foundry. The back four bells are lost wax castings decorated with intricate designs. The tenor weighs thirty and a half hundredweight and is tuned to D flat. We hear them ringing Stedman Caters.
SUN 05:45 Profile (m001l8vd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001l8wq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (m0002rlj)
The Subtle Body
Academic Sarah Goldingay examines how different faiths use the concept of ‘the subtle body’ to understand the mysterious relationship between body, mind and soul.
The question of how these three relate to one another has been a source of fascination and curiosity for centuries. Although many Western traditions have often seen them as separate and distinct elements, the concept of the subtle body envisions them as deeply intertwined.
Tracing the idea of the subtle body across multiple faiths and spiritual practices, from Hinduism and Buddhism to the mystical Jewish Kabbalah tradition, Sarah asks what it can teach us about the mysteries of the soul. Along the way, she examines some of the ways that poets, musicians and thinkers have explored the relationship between the corporeal and the spiritual. The programme features the poetry of Emily Dickinson, the jazz of Alice Coltrane and Beethoven’s symphonies.
Sarah argues that the concept of the subtle body has not only been used to understand the deep connection between the body and the spark of life that animates it, but also as a way of forging a connection to other people and the world around us.
Presenter: Sarah Goldingay
Producer: Caroline Thornham
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001l8wy)
Feltz on Farm - producing food the Jewish way
Sadeh is a seven acre Jewish market garden and environmental community in Kent, founded by Talia Chain. It runs educational events expanding on the links between Judaism and food production. Talia says she has gained a deeper understanding of her faith through growing crops.
In this programme, broadcaster Vanessa Feltz visits Sadeh and learns more about the project - exploring how the religious festivals she celebrates have their roots in the land, and asking whether that connection has been lost.
Presented by Vanessa Feltz
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
SUN 06:57 Weather (m001l8x2)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001l8x6)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001l8xb)
Sri Lanka Easter Bombings; University Term Names; Windermere Children
This week marks the fourth anniversary of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, when militants inspired by the Islamic State group targeted Catholic churches and hotels in a series of attacks. 269 people were killed and more than 500 were injured. This year, alongside the grief and mourning at commemoration events, there is anger among survivors, human rights groups and the Catholic Church. They accuse the government of not doing enough to investigate the attacks and hold those responsible to account.
They're a cornerstone of life at Oxford University, the three academic terms: Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity. At Cambridge, it's Michaelmas, Lent and Easter. Other universities have also given their terms traditional Christian names. But Swansea University has just become the latest to rename its terms using secular names instead. They believe the old Christian labels no longer resonate with their students. But it's caused a backlash, with some arguing that there's nothing wrong with recognising Christian roots. We hear the arguments for and against switching to secular names.
Part of the history of the holocaust has been rediscovered in the Lake District, where a group of Jewish children stayed to recuperate after being freed from Nazi concentration camps in 1945. Archaeologists from Staffordshire University have found everyday items, such as a tube of toothpaste, from the time when the young people known as the ‘Windermere Children’ stayed in the area. One of the survivors shares his extraordinary story with us. After being rescued from the Nazis, he described his new home in England as “paradise”.
Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Louise Clarke
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Production co-ordinator: David Baguley
Editors: Tim Pemberton and Helen Grady
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001l8xg)
Punchdrunk Enrichment
Children's author and broadcaster Michael Rosen makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Punchdrunk Enrichment.
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 ‘Punchdrunk Enrichment’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Punchdrunk Enrichment’.
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: 1113741
SUN 07:57 Weather (m001l8xl)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001l8xq)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001l8xv)
A Memorial Service for Stephen Lawrence
A memorial service to mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence on 22nd April 1993.
The service, recorded at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, celebrated Stephen’s memory and the work that has been done in his name over the past thirty years to combat racism and challenge racial inequality. The annual Stephen Lawrence Day was created five years ago to provide opportunities for young people to use their voices and to embed them in education and wider systems in the country and to give the next generation hope for the future.
The speakers include Stephen’s brother Stuart Lawrence, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Sir Keir Starmer and Imran Khan KC. The preacher is Archbishop John Sentamu. There are readings from Sir Keir Starmer and Imran Khan KC. The music is provided by the London Community Gospel Choir, St Martin’s Voices and the St Martin-in-the-Fields Junior Choir.
Producer: Miriam Williamson
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001l2kq)
Abide with Yourself
The philosopher Michel de Certeau characterised space as ‘the practice of place’,
Will Self argues that, in order to appreciate the places we inhabit, we have to indulge in 'that most unfashionable and unproductive of things: abide".
'To be in a place', he writes, 'is not to be distracted by the possibility of other places, but absorbed by the particularity of the one you're in.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0001q59)
Monty Don Swallows Return
For writer, gardener and TV presenter Monty Don, swallows are as central to his garden as any plant. Their return to the garden in April brings a soaring familiarity of song, which when they depart in September leaves the skies above silent and empty, and for Monty a feeling of loss and longing for their return after the long winter months.
Producer Andrew Dawes
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001l8xz)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001l8y3)
Writer, Paul Brodrick
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Ben Archer ….. Ben Norris
Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Lee Bryce ….. Ryan Early
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Sykesy ….. Jasper Carrott
Den ….. Laurence Saunders
Erin ….. Amy McAllister
SUN 11:15 The Reunion (m001l8y7)
Abu Ghraib
In April 2004 it emerged that US military personnel at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, were using so called “enhanced interrogation techniques” on prisoners. A series of lurid photographs appeared featuring detainees on leashes, manacled, piled on top of each other, hooded and wired to electrodes.
The actions were condemned as human rights violations and war crimes against detainees, including physical abuse, sexual humiliation, physical and psychological torture and rape.
President George W Bush, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld apologised for the actions of American military at the prison, and a total of eleven soldiers were court-martialled and dishonourably discharged from service.
In this episode, Kirsty is joined by:
Sam Provance, the former U.S. Army military intelligence sergeant who blew the whistle on Abu Ghraib.
Former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was in command of the prison at the time.
Haj Ali Abbas who was hooded and electrocuted, and is believed to be the famous “hooded figure” in the images that emerged.
Lawyer Katherine Gallagher, who represents several other former detainees.
Producer: Artemis Irvine
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001l97j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (m001l25t)
Series 91
3. King Kong, Harry Houdini and Snake Charming
Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Jennifer Saunders, Julian Clary and Lucy Porter to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.
The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game is back for a new series with subjects this week ranging from Harry Houdini to Snake Charming.
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
A BBC Studios Production
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001l8yh)
The Good Friday Food Revolution
Joris Minne, Northern Ireland's most respected food critic, takes Jaega Wise on a culinary expedition to show how the politics of peace have helped revolutionise the local food scene.
He remembers how the Troubles destroyed the night time economy and forced the majority of the region's restaruants to pull down the shutters during the 1970's and 80's.
He describes how the Good Friday Agreement, signed twenty five years ago this month, persuaded a group of pioneering chefs to open new restaurants, which encouraged people to start eating out again and to appreciate the value of home grown produce.
Today, Belfast boasts three Michelin starred restaurants; there's a proliferation of cafes and coffee shops; many pubs pride themselves on fresh seasonal menus and there are food trucks everywhere, serving a huge variety of dishes.
Joris introduces Jaega to one of those pioneering chefs, Nick Price, who opened a wine bar in a derelict part of Belfast in the early 1990s. The area has developed into the Cathedral Quarter – the centre of the city's nightlife.
Jaega meets Michele Shirlow, who founded Food NI, an association which promotes local food and helps producers expand their markets.
In Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland's second city, she visits the Walled City Brewery, with its own restaurant and tap room, established on the site of a former British Army base. The brewery was opened by James Huey, who moved to Dublin at the height of the Troubles but was encouraged, by the peace process, to return to his home city to open his own business.
Back in Belfast, Jaega gets the opportunity to taste some artisan dishes at one of Belfast's newest food ventures, Trademarket - a pop up food and retail market, housed in shipping containers in the city centre. Joris says it's a trend driven by a new generation of young chefs and the power of social media - a sign of how much Belfast has caught up with the food culture in other parts of the United Kingdom.
Finally, Jaega calls at the home of Zehara Hundito who runs a small takeway business, A Taste of Ethiopia, from her kitchen.
Zehara mixes her own spices and has found a way to make injera flatbread without the traditional Ethiopian teff flour. She's planning to open her own shop and cafe - a reflection of how the peace process has led many different nationalities to choose to live and work in Northern Ireland.....and bring their food customs.
Joris acknowledges that Northern Ireland shares the same economic and social problems as other regions of the United Kingdom and he accepts that the peace process is not yet complete but he's confident that the worst of times are over and that the food revolution is here to stay.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m001l8yl)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001l8yq)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world
SUN 13:30 The Hidden History of the Attic (m001l8yv)
Rachel Hurdley climbs up into the attic to discover the hidden meanings behind this shadowy and mysterious part of the home.
The attic can be a strange part of the house – somewhere which is rarely visited and often forgotten. But it can also be a place to preserve precious memories, a refuge, or even somewhere a bit sinister.
Rachel reveals the many uses to which attics have been put over the centuries and what this tells us about our history and changes in society.
Attics are a relatively recent development and Rachel starts at the 16th-century King’s House within the walls of the Tower of London. The building has some of the earliest attics in the country and she finds out about the social changes which led to this innovation in domestic architecture.
But it wasn’t long before people realised that, as well as being handy for storage, attics could be the perfect hiding place. At Harvington Hall, Rachel uncovers the role that the Hall’s attics played in the religious turmoil of Elizabethan England.
As well as being used for storage or living, attics have often provided working space. Rachel travels to Newtown in mid-Wales to see the attics of an unusual early factory and hears about the arduous working lives of the weavers who toiled there.
The 19th century saw something of a heyday for the attic. The Victorians were all too aware of social class and this meant that servants (and sometimes children) could be banished to attic bedrooms and nurseries. But this was also the height of the Industrial Revolution, with factories mass producing all manner of goods. People suddenly had far more ‘stuff’ – and of course they needed somewhere to put it all. At Scotney Castle in Kent, Rachel explores the attics of a grand country house whose owners spent more than a hundred years cramming them with thousands of objects.
And what of the attic today? In an age of smaller houses, loft conversions and flats, how do we cope without an attic? Rachel enters the world of self-storage where you can store as much as you like for as long as you like.
As she picks through the attic’s contents, Rachel also considers how writers have used attics as a sometimes sinister setting for their characters, and the psychology of what we choose to keep in our attics.
Interviewees:
Sonia Solicari, Director of The Museum of the Home
Jonathan Glancey, Architectural Writer and Historian
James Wright of Triskele Heritage, spoke at the King’s House, Tower of London
Phil Downing, Hall and Programmes Manager, Harvington Hall
Lola Jaye, Author of The Attic Child
John Evans, Curator, Newtown Textile Museum
Helen Davis, Collections and House Manager, Scotney Castle
Sophie Bagnall, Marketing Director, Attic Self Storage
Presenter: Rachel Hurdley
Producer: Louise Adamson
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001l2k2)
Coventry
How do I avoid slugs getting on my dahlias? How can I prevent problems in the polytunnel? Can I stop my bay tree getting bigger?
This week the GQT team answer all these questions and more from Coventry. Ready to rid you of all your weed-induced woes are plant pathologist Pippa Greenwood, grow-you-own guru Bob Flowerdew, and proud plants woman,Anne Swithinbank.
Alongside the questions, GQT producer Daniel Cocker discusses the connection between Coventry Cathedral, a handful of acorns and a...Beatle.
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Producer: Dan Cocker
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001l8z1)
Twelfth Night - Episode 2
John Yorke explores one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies, Twelfth Night. In the second of two episodes, he explores the setting of the play and how the whole plot turns on the ambiguities thrown up by a woman dressed as a man.
We’re introduced to characters who fall in love with each other in a confusion of misplaced desire. Viola is shipwrecked in a strange land and has lost her twin brother Sebastian. She disguises herself as a man before she meets the Duke of Illyria, who is himself in love with the Countess Olivia. It's the beginnings of a love triangle rich in comedic moments. Twelfth Night is a play in which desire and disguise lead to confusion and chaos, only to be resolved in a happy ever after love story. Well, almost.
John shares a lifetime of experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the secrets behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. He has been working in television and radio for nearly 30 years.
From East Enders 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:
Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford
Dominic Dromgoole, Theatre director
Tamsin Greig, who played 'Malvolia' at the National Theatre
Credits:
Clips from: Shakespeare on 3: Twelfth Night (April 2012), BBC Radio 3 starring Naomi Frederick. Directed By Sally Avens.
Researcher: Nina Semple
Sound Design: Sean Kerwin
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Producer: Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama (m001l8z7)
Twelfth Night (Part 2)
First included in the First Folio in 1623, this is a 400th anniversary production of Shakespeare's wonderful comedy of mistaken identities and unrequited love.
When twins Viola and Sebastian are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, both believing each other to have drowned, they both go in search of sanctuary. Viola disguises herself as a man and finds refuge in the court of Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with the widow Olivia but Olivia quickly falls in love with Orsino's messenger, Viola.
Along with the drunken antics of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (also in love with Olivia), the sanctimonious pomposity of Olivia's main courtier Malvolio, the clever scheming of Maria the maid and the frantic gambolling of Feste the Fool, the inevitable result is merry chaos. But will love conquer all?
Cast:
Orsino - Giles Terera
Viola - Indigo Griffiths
Olivia - Genevieve Gaunt
Malvolio - Toby Jones
Maria - Ayesha Antoine
Sebastian - David Elue
Sir Toby Belch - David Troughton
Sir Andrew Aguecheek - Jamie Treacher
Fool (Feste) - Rio Attoh Wood
Fabian/Captain - David Ajao
Valentine - Katy Owen
Curio/2nd officer - Christopher Buckley
1st Officer - James Peake
Antonio - Jos Vantyler
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
Music by Joseph Bedell
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m00159xr)
A life in books with Marlon James
Elizabeth Day talks to the Jamaican author Marlon James. After his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won the 2015 Man Booker Prize, Marlon James changed direction in his writing with his self titled " African Game of Thrones" fantasy Dark Star trilogy. The second instalment, Moon Witch, Spider King, has just been published in paperback and tells the story of a century-long feud seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch Sogolon, a battle between different versions of empire.
Marlon James talks to Elizabeth about writing the multifaceted Sogolon, mythology and his love of reading from Tolkien to Jane Austen.
Book List - 23rd April to 27th April 2023
John Crow’s Devil by Marlon James
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Black Leopard Red Woolf by Marlon James
Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James
White Wing, Dark Star by Marlon James
The African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe
Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Translated by Ann Goldstein
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante: Translated by Ann Goldstein
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante: Translated by Ann Goldstein
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante: Translated by Ann Goldstein
Forest of a Thousand Daemons (Translated by Wole Soyinka) by Daniel O. Fagunwa
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
SUN 16:30 A Soft Day (m001l8zh)
Soft rain, wetting rain, fierce rain, drizzle...there are many types of Irish rain and author Carlo Gebler is intimately familiar with them all.
The clouds open and it simply doesn't stop as Carlo sets out from his home in rural Fermanagh to show how rain has saturated Ireland's poetry and shaped his own character. With poems by Eavan Boland, Patrick Kavanagh, Paula Meehan, Brendan Kennelly, Winifred Letts and Gerald Dawe.
Producer: Conor Garrett
SUN 17:00 The Reinvention of Germany (m001l2fj)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent Germany, Europe’s strong, steady, dominant power, into convulsions. The physical war may be hundreds of miles away but its impact is omnipresent, not just in defence and foreign policy, but in politics, energy, the economy and the lives of people up and down the country.
Anne McElvoy of Politico has been reporting on Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In this programme, she goes on a road trip in the North and East to explore why the Ukraine war of 2022 triggered a 'Zeitenwende' or turning point in Germany, how people feel about it, and where they see their country going next.
SUN 17:40 Profile (m001l8vd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001l8zm)
The latest shipping forecast
SUN 17:57 Weather (m001l8zq)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l8zs)
British diplomats and their families have been rescued from the fighting in Sudan -- in an operation described by the government as "difficult, dangerous and precarious".
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001l8zv)
Claudia Hammond
A selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001l8zx)
Harrison explains to Pat how the Ambridge Variety Show for Eurovision is going to work. But all Pat really wants to know is whether Harrison’s heard anything from the police in Hampshire regarding Rob. She says they’re all terrified by the thought of what Rob might do. Harrison listens sympathetically, then reminds Pat of the orders they’ve got in place to protect Helen and Jack. Harrison promises to chase up Hampshire police and Pat thanks him for listening.
Alice has her first go at bellringing with Chris. She enjoys it and has fun reminding Chris of the time he got distracted by her watching him ring and missed the rope. Alice thanks Chris for helping take her mind off everything that’s been going on recently. After Alice has collected Martha, Susan and Chris talk about Alice looking happy for the first time since Jennifer died. Susan warns Chris to be careful – it’s clear he still has feelings for Alice. Chris insists they are co-parents and friends, nothing more.
Paul tells Harrison and Susan he’s splashed out on decorations for the Eurovision event. Harrison reports that Justin hasn’t yet paid the money he promised. Later, Harrison tells Paul that Justin won’t be providing funding after all. Harrison thinks they’ll have to cancel, but Paul’s not giving up yet. He remembers talking to a woman with loads of experience, offering her advice on village events. Harrison guesses it’s Lynda, warning she can be full on. But Paul thinks she’s lovely. Who needs Justin when you’ve got Lynda Snell?
SUN 19:15 Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You (m000254p)
Series 2
Morals
Award winning comedian and super-sharp everywoman Angela Barnes tackles life and love and, with the help of the audience, packs herself a fantasy coffin.
In part tribute to Angela's beloved late father - a larger than life gregarious character, he was a sex shop manager, naturist, and a big fan of caravans and pranks - Angela celebrates his carpe diem approach to life, and his motto "You Can't Take It With You".
When her father died very suddenly in 2008, Angela and her family proved him wrong and stuffed his coffin with sentimental keepsakes for his final journey. Angela now does the very same thing, nominating objects that she would choose to send on with her as mementoes of her life, and asking the audience to share items they would take with them, all acting as prompts for contemplative, heart-warming and captivating comedy.
Angela Barnes is a vivacious, critically acclaimed stand-up comic from Maidstone, Kent. After a career in health and social care, at the age of 33, she decided to pursue a long-held ambition and give comedy a go. Within a couple of years, Angela and her witty worldview had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award by a public vote, secured a weekly star slot in Channel 4's Stand Up For The Week and appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Loose Ends, The Now Show, The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Russell Howard's Good News (BBC 3), and Mock The Week and Live at the Apollo (BBC 2). She has been the host of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack for the last two series.
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 The Chronicles of Burke Street (m001l8zz)
More Chronicles of Burke Street
4: Miss Joy's Story
We return to Burke Street, Port of Spain, in another brilliantly funny short story series by the Costa Award-winning author, Ingrid Persaud.
Set on a seemingly everyday street in Trinidad, 'More Chronicles of Burke Street' follows the lives of its unconventional residents. Burke Street might seem ordinary, but behind its closed doors lurk secrets, lies and a lot of love.
Today, in 'Miss Joy's Story', a house fire sparks defiance in one of the older residents of Burke Street...
Writer: Ingrid Persaud
Reader: Martina Laird
Producer: Justine Willett
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001l2k8)
Andrea Catherwood is joined by Julia McKenzie, Radio 4 Commissioner for Comedy and Entertainment. Julia lifts the lid on how she commissions comedy, reveals new shows coming up on Radio 4 and responds to listeners' comments.
Also listeners give their views on the BBC's coverage of the monarchy in the lead up to the coronation of King Charles III.
Presented by Andrea Catherwood
Produced by Gill Davies
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001l2k6)
Anne Perry, Dame Mary Quant, Jean Argles, Ahmad Jamal
Matthew Bannister on
Anne Perry, the best-selling crime novelist who committed a murder when she was a teenager.
Dame Mary Quant, the influential fashion designer at the heart of the swinging 60s. Pattie Boyd recalls the coat Mary designed for her wedding to George Harrison.
Jean Argles, who – with her sister - served as a codebreaker during the second world war.
Ahmad Jamal, the jazz pianist and composer whose restrained but intense style inspired Miles Davis. Joe Stilgoe pays tribute.
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Interviewee: Joanne Drayton
Interviewee: Jenny Lister
Interviewee: Pattie Boyd
Interviewee: Tessa Dunlop
Interviewee: Joe Stilgoe
Archive used:
Carnaby Street, British Pathe News, 1969; Mary Quant interview with ITN about the ideas that guided her innovative designs, ITN Archive, YouTube uploaded 13/04/2023; Mary Quant interview, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4 , 16/02/2012; Anne Perry: The Making of a Writer, Open Road Media, YouTube uploaded 21/03/2010; Ian Rankin interview with Anne Perry, YouTube uploaded 18/08/2007; Heavenly Creatures film promo, YouTube uploaded 22/07/2014; Jean Argles interview, Legasee, The Veterans Video Archive, recording date unknown, source: legasee.org.uk;
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001l8td)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001l8xg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Short Cuts (m000s9vd)
Acts of Love
Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures that centre around acts of love - from the story of Ruth Coker Burks, who became a loving caretaker for hundreds of men during the AIDS epidemic, to the poet Nikita Gill's look at a love which ended in its beginning.
Jewels from the Sun
Written and read by Nikita Gill
The Last Act
Featuring Anita Barrows
Produced by Phil Smith
This interview first appeared in the documentary To Bear Witness on BBC Radio 3 in Between the Ears.
Comet Dust
Featuring Ruth Coker Burks
Produced by Jodie Taylor and Chloe White
Production team: Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001l901)
Nick Watt discusses the fallout from Dominic Raab's resignation with Conservative MP Matt Warman; Labour frontbencher Alex Davies-Jones; and Caroline Lucas from the Green Party. They also debate the government's Illegal Migration Bill, with political journalist Paul Waugh providing additional context and analysis. The programme also includes an interview with the SNP's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, previewing the first official meeting between Scotland's new First Minister, Humza Yousaf and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
SUN 23:00 Loose Ends (m001l8vb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (m0002rlj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 24 APRIL 2023
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001l906)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m001l294)
Poverty
Poverty in the UK & US: Laurie Taylor talks to Matthew Desmond, Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, whose latest study asks why the richest country on earth has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Also Elizabeth Jane Richards, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at Edge Hill University, explores the way in which understandings of poverty have changed over time.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001l8wc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l90b)
The latest shipping forecast
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l90g)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l90l)
The latest shipping forecast
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001l90q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l90x)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good Morning
It seems to be a law of human nature that when things are familiar, we take them for granted. This is usually true of our health, freedom and prosperity, and the people in our lives. And it’s also true of life itself. After all, what could be more familiar than the life we have always known, ever since birth?
About 25 years ago, a friend told me about an amazing man who ran a local launderette. “He’s like a guru!” she exclaimed. “You have to go and see him!”
Soon afterwards, I met Tony, a tall, white-haired man in his late 60s. He told me about his dramatic transformation 15 years ago, after almost dying of a heart attack. Before then, he had been a successful businessman, working long hours and thinking of little else besides his job. But after his heart attack, his priorities shifted. He felt as if scales had fallen away from his eyes, and he could suddenly understand the meaning and value of life. As he told me:
Happiness is being aware of how lucky you are to be alive, to be able to see the beauty of the world all around you at every moment.
Is it necessary to have a brush with death, like Tony, to stop taking life for granted? Perhaps we can do this simply by reminding ourselves that life is temporary and fragile, a precious gift that will one day be taken away. Today, let’s be aware of the blessing of life itself. In the inspiring words of D.H. Lawrence: “The magnificent here and now of life in the flesh is ours, and ours only for a time. We ought to dance with rapture that we are alive and in the flesh, and part of the living, incarnate cosmos.”
Blessings.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001l913)
A farmer was jailed last week for what the Environment Agency and Natural England describe as the ‘worst case of riverside damage’ they’d ever seen. John Price admitted seven charges of damaging a stretch of the River Lugg in Herefordshire. He was sentenced to a year in prison and has to pick up the £600,000 bill for restoring the river. What are the implications of this when it comes to protecting our waterways in future? We speak to Natural England and the Wildlife Trust who raised the alarm.
All week we're going to be looking at one of the fundamentals of farming: seeds - from seed banks to seed breeding and the work being done agricultural seed companies. We start off with a seed expert and professor of crop production from the University of Reading.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
MON 05:56 Weather (m001l917)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04hkwj9)
Shoebill
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the mysterious shoebill of Uganda. Reaching almost one and a quarter metres in height and looking like a hefty-looking blue-grey stork, ornithologists remain unsure which birds are their closest relatives. As its name suggests, the Shoebill's most outstanding feature, is its enormous clog-shaped bill. Up to 20cm long, half as wide and ending in a nail-like hook. They live in central and east African swamps where they feed on reptiles, fish, amphibians and even young crocodiles. Their bill is also useful in the baking heat of the African sun, when the adults scoop up beak-fulls of water and shower it over their chicks to help them keep cool.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
MON 06:00 Today (m001l93y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001l940)
Ancient trees
Trees have the remarkable ability to pass knowledge down to succeeding generations and to survive the ravages of climate change, if only we’d let them alone, according to the German forester Peter Wohlleben. In The Power of Trees (translated by Jane Billinghurst) he explains the significance of leaving ancient forests untouched, and is scathing about the failures in forestry management and the planting of non-native trees for profit.
Jill Butler is an ancient tree specialist and a trustee of the Tree Register of the British Isle which records the nation’s ‘champion trees’ – the tallest and biggest trees of their species. But she’s also keen on getting the public involved in helping to find and care for some of the country’s oldest trees with the citizen science project, Ancient Tree Inventory, run by the Woodland Trust.
The healing powers of ancient trees is celebrated in stories throughout history, including the great Icelandic sagas. In The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think Carolyne Larrington, Professor of medieval European Literature explores the renewal that comes from the roots of Yggdrasill, the World Tree.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l942)
Episode 1: The World from the Dawn of Time
Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic history on how the changing climate has shaped the rise and fall of civilisations.
In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time. We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.
Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.
Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the long-running series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.
Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001l945)
Russian feminism, Adele Roberts, Under Pressure - Kate and Annie, ACL injuries in women's sport
It's been reported that a draft law that would recognise feminism as an extremist ideology is under consideration by Russia’s state duma - that's the lower chamber of parliament. Nuala asks the prominent women’s rights activist and opposition politician Alena Popova if this is a worrying time for feminists in the country.
Yesterday BBC Radio 1's Adele Roberts ran the London Marathon and broke the world record for the fastest time run by a woman with a stoma. Adele was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer two years ago and is very open and honest about daily life with her stoma, who's called Audrey. She spoke to Anita Friday ahead of the race - and joins Nuala today to celebrate her achievement.
England's Lionesses captain, and no. 1 on our 2023 Power List, Leah Williamson, will no longer be able to play in the World Cup this summer. She has ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament or ACL. She and her Arsenal team mate Beth Mead are just two of the footballers out of action with the same injury. So why are women six times more likely to suffer this type of injury? And what impact be on the England team? Nuala talks to Fiona Tomas, women's sports reporter for The Telegraph.
Another chance to hear Under Pressure, our series looking at what happens to relationships when couples are put under extreme strain - how do they cope? Today we hear from Kate and Annie. They had been together for more than thirty years when Annie became ill. In 2021 they told their story to our reporter Jo Morris. Sadly, Annie died at the end of January this year. Kate was happy for this interview to be repeated as a tribute to her beloved wife.
The US Supreme Court has preserved access to a commonly used early abortion pill, ruling that the drug Mifepristone can remain available while a legal case continues. This has been described as the most significant case since the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion last year, by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe V Wade. Emma Long, Associate Professor of American Literature and Politics at the University of East Anglia, joins Nuala to discuss.
MON 11:00 Blood on the Dance Floor (m001l947)
1. Why haven't you heard about this?
The untold story of the murder of a gay police officer in Northern Ireland in 1997
Belfast 1997. But not just any part of Belfast, gay Belfast. A place you've probably never heard of before. Cigarette smoke, aftershave and expectation fill the air in the only openly gay bar in the country. Sat having a drink on a night out is Darren Bradshaw. He was just 24 years old when he was shot dead in front of hundreds of people. His brutal murder by terrorists sparked fears of a return to all out violence as the new Labour government under Tony Blair sought to bring peace to Northern Ireland - on the road to the Good Friday Agreement.
This is the untold story of his life and murder. A story of both love and eventually betrayal.
Presenter Jordan Dunbar grew up in the city, he was a comedian and drag performer on the Belfast scene and yet this murder and Darren's life was never talked about. As a child of the ceasefire, his knowledge of LGBT life in Northern Ireland all came after the Good Friday Agreement. His history was based on the Loyalist and Republican - the Orange or Green versions and the rainbow had never come up.
Following Darren's story brings to life the struggle of being gay in The Troubles, how Belfast got its first Pride parade only in 1991 and its very first gay club in 1994 -The Parliament - where Darren was tragically shot dead.
It's a community surviving as well as thriving against a backdrop of violence and discrimination. He meets the original drag queens, DJs and club pioneers determined to claim back the city centre from the terrorists and create a safe place of their own.
Determined to piece together for the first time how Darren was killed that night and why, Jordan uncovers stories of bigotry, bravery and betrayal.
Reporter: Jordan Dunbar
Series Producer: Paul Grant
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna
Commissioning Editors: Richard Maddock and Dylan Haskins
Editor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston
MON 11:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (p0f7q3vk)
16. Edith Thompson
In this episode of Lady Killers, we travel back to the Roaring 20s as Lucy Worsley and guest detective Sasha Wass KC investigate how Edith Thompson, a woman who merely witnessed the violent killing of her husband, found herself on trial for his murder.
Sasha Wass KC has taken on some of the legal system's most notable cases - involving Rosemary West, Rolf Harris and Johnny Depp. As a judge, prosecutor and defender, she has the benefit of understanding all dimensions of the criminal process, which is crucial when examining one of the most controversial cases of all time. It’s a trial that shook the nation.
Edith Thompson, with her choppy bobbed hair and jaunty dresses is the quintessential ‘Flapper’. A working woman living in the rapidly expanding London suburb of Ilford, she’s one of the new commuters, traveling to her job at Carlton and Pryor (a wholesale milliners in the City of London), producers of some very fashionable hats.
She teaches herself French and goes on buying trips to Paris. She spends her own money, frequenting theatres and dancing the nights away.
But back in the suburbs, Lucy and Sasha discover how Edith Thompson lives another, less glamorous life with husband Percy. While Edith is embracing some of the new found freedoms of a 1920’s woman, Percy wants a more ‘traditional’ wife.
Then, on the night of 3rd October 1922, their life together takes a very dramatic turn when Percy is fatally stabbed by a mysterious stranger.
As Lucy and Sasha discuss the now infamous court hearing, historian Professor Rosalind Crone visits the Ilford streets where Edith lived and where our bloody murder took place, to discover what life was really like for our 1920’s ‘murderess’.
Producer: Nicola Humphries
Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
Series Producer Julia Hayball
A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4
MON 12:00 News Summary (m001l9dp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001l94d)
First-time buyers, Green energy and Chinese EVs
How green are the renewable energy tariffs we're offered? The energy provider Ovo says a lot of it is 'greenwashing' that doesn't help the move towards renewable power. We find out what it's doing instead and how customers who want a green deal can find one.
Also - what impact will the arrival of cheaper Chinese electric cars have on the UK market? Buy-to-let properties are increasingly going up for auction - why are they being sold and who's buying?
And as a Tough Mudder event faces a backlash for the state in which it leaves a London park, how do you host a private event in a public space without upsetting the locals?
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
MON 12:57 Weather (m001l94g)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m001l94j)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
MON 13:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l94l)
1. Oyneg Shabes
The extraordinary archive that secretly recorded daily Jewish existence in the Warsaw Ghetto – brought to life 80 years on from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Through the Warsaw Ghetto's short, terrible life, historian Emanuel Ringelblum led a group of writers to secretly chronicle life for its inhabitants. The project became history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this new 10 part series. Episode 1-Oyneg Shabes. How the archive began. With Elliot Levey as Emanuel Ringeblum.
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century, a half million Jewish men, women & children were herded into a prison city within a city. Walled off & surrounded by the German occupiers. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised & directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) chronicling every aspect of existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write, collect & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure that was buried even as the Ghetto was being extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories
Episode 1-Oyneg Shabes. In 1943, with most of the ghetto's inhabitants already murdered historian, Emanuel Ringelblum looked back on the history of the history.
Narration by Anton Lesser with Elliot Levey & the voices of Lily Fair, Carl Prekopp & Tracy-Ann Oberman. Translation by Elinor Robinson. Historical adviser Samuel Kassow. Written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/
MON 14:00 The Archers (m001l8zx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 This Cultural Life (m001l8vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Saturday]
MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (m001l94p)
Programme 3, 2023
(3/12)
Kirsty Lang welcomes the Round Britain Quiz teams from Wales and Northern Ireland to play their first fixture of the current series. Wales is represented by David Edwards and Myfanwy Alexander, and Northern Ireland by Freya McClements and Paddy Duffy.
Among the cryptic teasers they'll have to unravel are: 'Can you, in haste, connect a colour, a year in the 1980s, a Led Zeppelin battle, a genre of storytelling and more than one point of transition from one day to the next?'
As always, the programme includes several clever question ideas devised by Round Britain Quiz listeners. Kirsty is on hand to give the panellists hints and nudges if they're straying too far from the correct answers - but every hefty clue means a point lost.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001l8yh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Invention of... (m001hp00)
Russia
The sacred song of war
Misha Glenny's final programme on Russia looks at the country's attitude to war, and in particular the great patriotic wars against Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte. With contributions from Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad; Robert Service, author of the Last Tsar, Kateryna Khinkulova of BBC WS; former ambassador to Moscow Rhodric Braithwaite; and Dominic Lieven, author of Napoleon against Russia.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m001l94s)
Losing My Religion
Is Humanism a religion?
Aleem Maqbool speaks with former Blue Peter presenter and author, Janet Ellis, about the path that led her to adopt Humanism.
This sparks a discussion on the nature of Humanism and the various rituals and beliefs associated with it.
Joining Aleem for the discussion are:
Professor Alice Roberts - Vice President of Humanist UK and author of The Little Books of Humanism and The Little Book of Humanist Funerals
Theo Hobson - Theologian and author of God Created Humanism: the Christian Basis of Secular Values
Lola Tinubu - Co-founder of the Association of Black Humanists in London.
Producer: Katharine Longworth
Assistant Producer: Linda Walker
MON 17:00 PM (m001l94v)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l94z)
Assessments are being carried out to see how to evacuate Britons trapped in Sudan. The CBI admits hiring "culturally toxic" staff and failing to fire those who harassed colleagues
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m001l951)
Series 91
4. Whodunnit?, Revolving Restaurants and Tog Ratings
Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Felicity Ward, Ivo Graham and Josie Lawrence to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.
The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game is back for a new series with subjects this week ranging from Whodunnit? to Revolving Restaurants.
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
A BBC Studios Production
MON 19:00 The Archers (m001l953)
Harrison and Paul aren’t enthused when Lynda suggests a cut-price cheese tasting event to mark Eurovision. Harrison gasps when Paul calls Lynda’s idea boring. Paul proposes scaling down the original variety show idea instead. They discuss how it could be done on a shoestring budget by pulling in a number of favours. Lynda suggests they let people choose the country they want to represent with their acts. She’ll make sure people don’t choose the same place. Later, in The Bull, Lynda tells Paul she’s made all the necessary arrangements with Jolene. Paul apologises for saying her idea was boring. Lynda assures him she wasn’t offended. In fact, she actually found his directness refreshing!
Stella tells Adam she’s been asked to be a bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding, but she can’t go because of her commitments at Home Farm. Brian hasn’t returned to work since Jennifer died and Stella feels she can’t ask for the time off. Adam counsels Stella, if she never takes any breaks she’ll burn out. He offers to look after her dog, Weaver, and pushes her to ask Brian to let her go. Later, Stella brings Adam a bottle of wine as a thank you. Brian has agreed she can take the time off and she can’t wait to tell her sister. Adam confirms they’d be very happy to look after Weaver, as Xander is obsessed with dogs. Stella has a nagging doubt, though. It’s a critical time of year on the farm and she’s just not sure Brian’s ready to return to work yet.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m001l956)
Patrick Radden Keefe on the Sackler family, Iestyn Davies performs live, sustainable theatre
Patrick Radden Keefe, who has been shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize of Prizes award, discusses his book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. It tells the shocking story of the Sackler family and the part their company, Purdue Pharma, played in America's opioid crisis.
“The word ‘divine’,” Iestyn Davies says, ”has changed its meaning to indicate nowadays beauty as well as Divinity.” The songs countertenor Iestyn Davies has selected for his new album, Divine Music: An English Songbook, reflect this change. There are settings by Purcell, Britten and Butterworth and words by Shakespeare, de la Mare and Housman. That prolific artist Anonymous makes a significant contribution, too. Iestyn Davies talks to Tom Sutcliffe about his choices and, accompanied by pianist Joseph Middleton, performs one of them, appropriately titled, ‘A Hymn on Divine Music’.
Theatre is not only becoming increasingly focused on telling stories about our climate crisis, but also thinking more about how sustainably it actually stages those stories. Paddy Dillon, theatre architect and founder of the Theatre Green Book, and Kate McGrath, director of Fuel Theatre Company, talk about cutting the carbon footprint of fixed theatres and touring productions.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Julian May
MON 20:00 France: Soundtrack To The Revolution (m001l95b)
France is experiencing a moment of crisis. Rubbish is piling up in the streets, protestors are clashing with the police, and there have been months of strikes. President Marcon has now signed into law the controversial pension reform that triggered this unrest, but the demonstrators show no sign of backing down.
At the heart of this fight is France’s youth - energised by a movement of revolutionary music. This generation is united in fury. They fear for French democracy, the welfare system, the environment, and their future. Through techno, hip hop, and punk, people from all walks of life are coming together. This is the sound of modern protest.
Presenter: Sofia Bettiza
Producer: Ellie House
Researchers: Aurélien Tillier and Rosie Blunt
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Simon Watts
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001l2b8)
Leaving Sri Lanka
Record numbers are fleeing the island in the wake of a brutal economic crisis – perhaps one in twenty five Sri Lankans left last year alone. Some 300,000 went for contracted positions, mostly in the Gulf. But hundreds of thousands of others took less official routes. Many of them get scammed, some even lose their lives, as illegal migrants in what looks like a web of corruption and organised crime.
Ed Butler speaks to some of those who are involved in this industry, who’ve taken this perilous option, and asks why aren’t more Sri Lankans, and even the government, speaking out more loudly about what some see as a national tragedy?
Produced and presented by Ed Butler
Production coordinator Helena Warwick Cross
Series editor Penny Murphy
MON 21:00 Supersenses (m001l27y)
Seeing More
We've been building computers to think like us for years, but our ability to replicate human senses has been impossible. Until now. This technological revolution is starting to profoundly change not only how we interact with the world around us, but is allowing us to see, hear, smell, taste and even touch things we never imagined possible before.
An Artificial Intelligence revolution is super-charging sensing technology, promising us eyes with laser precision, ears that can distinguish every sound in a mile's radius and noses than can sniff out the early signs of forest fires before the first flame forms.
Evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Prof. Ben Garrod, is off to meet some of these sensory innovators and technological pioneers. The archaeologists, ecologists and medics, who are turning our world upside down and inside out.
In episode one, Ben tries seeing further. The visible world to us is tiny, and we are able to detect just a fraction of the light spectrum that is out there. But new technology is pushing the boundary of what is visible. Ground penetrating LIDAR arrays are helping us to peel back the layers of planet Earth, and see the remains of ancient civilisations, previously invisible to us. The same technology is being used on the moons of Jupiter to provide 3D maps of the craters of faraway worlds. In the forests of west Africa, we meet the psychologists using infrared to monitor the stress levels of silverback gorillas being returned to the wild. And in a lab in central London, we meet the extraordinary animals that see hidden patterns in the natural world and perhaps even fields that are entirely invisible to us.
Could these new technologies be redefining what it is to see, hear, smell, and feel? Ben takes us through the amazing adaptations and development under the bonnet, and speculates where else these all seeing eyes may yet gaze.
Produced by Robbie Wojciechowski
Presented by Professor Ben Garrod
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001l940)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001l95j)
Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News
Also:
Blinken announces 3 day ceasefire in Sudan.
And
Kremlin spokesperson Peskov says his son saw military service in Ukraine.
MON 22:45 The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood (m001l95n)
Episode 6
It's 1952. Ex-Borstal teenagers Joyce and Charlie have been taken on as architectural apprentices by the Mayhoods at their farm in Surrey. Joyce has made a gruesome discovery that confirms her fears about the death of old Mr Hollis, the farm manager. Can her brother Charlie avoid getting caught up in the consequences?
What starts out as a seemingly straightforward story of good intentions and opportunity rapidly turns into a darker tale full of secrets and lies. And yet through tragedy come lessons learnt and a determination to hold on to one’s dreams.
Benjamin Wood’s first novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won Le Prix du Roman Fnac.
He was a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Reader: Rupert Evans
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound Design: Essential Music
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (m001l2cw)
A Load of Nonsense
Michael Rosen talks nonsense with literary scholar Noreen Masud. From the nonsense language of Shakespeare's fools, to the nonsense lyrics of The Beatles, via the limericks of Edward Lear, the portmanteaus of Lewis Carroll, and the made-up words of three year olds.
A BBC Audio Bristol production. Produced by Becky Ripley.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001l95q)
Sean Curran reports as a minister comes under pressure to evacuate more British nationals from Sudan.
TUESDAY 25 APRIL 2023
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001l95s)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l942)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l95w)
The latest shipping forecast
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l960)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l964)
The latest shipping forecast
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001l968)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l96d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good Morning
About ten years ago I attended my PhD graduation ceremony with my family. It was a bright summer’s day in Liverpool, and it felt wonderful to share such a beautiful occasion with my loved ones. Midway through the ceremony I started thinking about my life, and the journey that had led me to a PhD. For a moment, I felt a sense of pride, which somehow diluted the purity of the occasion, bringing a sense of heaviness. I felt the past intruding, taking me away from the present.
So I decided I was going to leave the past to one side, to forget my story, and give my whole attention to the present. In doing so, I felt a sense of lightness and freedom.
Of course, it’s fine to feel a sense of achievement, and to congratulate ourselves for attaining our goals. But we shouldn’t become so immersed in our stories that we lose touch with the present.
What is your story? Perhaps you carry a story of success and think of yourself as a significant and special person. Or perhaps your story is a negative one, full of disappointment and discord. Perhaps this negative story makes you feel frustrated, or brings low self-esteem.
But ask yourself: where is my story right now? Where are my achievements? Where is my success and status? Where are my failures and disappointments? Where are my painful memories? Where are my ambitions for the future?
None of them are here. All that exists right now is your experience of the present moment, independent of the past and future.
So today, leave your story to one side. Step out of the past, into the present. Let go of your story as you would let go of a dream, when you know it’s time to wake up.
Blessings.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001l96h)
25/04/23 Payments to improve the environment; water bosses and river pollution; grass trials
The Government's confirmed that landowners and farmers will be able to have multiple payments if several different environmental improvements are made on one piece of land, it's known as stacking and an expert explains how it works.
After a Herefordshire farmer was jailed for wrecking the River Lugg as it ran through his land, water companies have come under renewed criticism for failing to stop sewage polluting rivers. Wessex Water is paying a total of more than £200,000 to executives, despite discharges of foul water into its rivers after heavy rain. Wessex Water has defended the bonuses, saying the company has exceeded its targets.
This week we're looking at seeds, and we visit a trial site where one of the UK's largest grass seed breeders plants thousands of different grasses to develop new varieties.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sby2t)
Dartford Warbler
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Dartford Warbler. Dartford Warblers prefer Mediterranean wine-producing climates, which means ice and snow is bad news for them. The harsh winters of 1961 and 1962 reduced the population to just 11 pairs, but fortunately the numbers have since recovered.
TUE 06:00 Today (m001l95x)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The New Gurus (m001g9ws)
4. White Women's Tears
The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement brought renewed interest in corporate diversity gurus. But Regina Jackson and Saira Rao were ahead of the curve, pursuing their own unique anti-racist education programme.
Tired of talking to individual white women about their racism, they decided to invite a group of them for dinner, and confront them with their bias and bigotry. There was one rule - no crying.
The New Gurus is a series about looking for enlightenment in the digital world.
Written and presented by Helen Lewis
Series Producers: Morgan Childs and Tom Pooley
Story consultant: Geoff Bird
Original music composed by Paper Tiger
Sound design and mix: Rob Speight
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
TUE 09:30 Magic Consultants (m001lc4s)
From Here to Eternity?
Is there anything or anyone who can challenge the power of the consultants?
Adam Shaw continues his investigation into the consultancy industry.
Can they survive the challenges ahead – attract top talent, resist calls for regulation and even pressure from the Pope, trying to guide them to be more socially conscious.
In times of new crisis, government and business reach straight for consultants’ expertise; like death and taxes will they be with us forever?
With contributions from: Tamzen Isacsson, CEO of the Management Consultancies Association, Andrew Sturdy, Professor in Management at The University of Bristol, Dr Chris McKenna, Reader in Business History and Strategy at the Said Business School, Matthias Kipping, Professor of Policy at the Schulich School of Business, authors Rosie Collington and Eric Edstrom.
Producer: Sarah Bowen
Series researcher: Shiler Mahmoudi
TUE 09:45 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l976)
Episode 2: Regarding Nature and the Divine
Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic history about the impact of climate change on civilisations. Today, ancient texts reveal the how the interconnections between the divine and the natural world evolved.
In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time. We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.
Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.
Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.
Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001l969)
Stella Assange, Sexual assaults in hospitals, Comedian Zoe Lyons on her midlife crisis
Stella Assange is the wife of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, a whistle-blowing platform that publishes classified material provided by anonymous sources. He is currently being held in Belmarsh Prison pending extradition to the US, where he is wanted for 18 criminal charges related to obtaining and publishing classified information. Stella is leading a campaign to fight his extradition, which has been depicted in a new documentary, Ithaka. She tells Nuala why she thinks Julian should be released, how they first met and the impact of the campaign on their two young children.
Award-winning comedian Zoe Lyons tells Nuala about her ‘monumental' midlife crisis. It involved buying a sports car, having a brief marital separation and running a 100k ultra marathon… badly. Along the way, her hair started to fall out. Thankfully, Zoe has been able to explore the funny side and create her stand-up show Bald Ambition.
Nurses are set to be given body-worn cameras in a crackdown on hospital sexual assaults under new government plans. A recent report published by The Women’s Rights Network revealed that thousands of sex attacks have been reported in hospitals across England and Wales in the past 4 years. Nuala is joined by Heather Binning, Founder of The Women’s Rights Network, and Catriona Rubens, a solicitor at human rights law firm Leigh Day.
Dr Lil Stevens recently found out that her grandfather, Captain Leicester Stevens, had taken part in an expedition to find a dinosaur in the rainforests of the Congo known as the Congo 'thunder lizard' (later dismissed as a hoax) following World War 1. Lil, who works at a palaeontologist, has dedicated her career to studying fossils and was amazed to discover the family connection.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore
TUE 11:00 Supersenses (m001l96g)
Sound Solutions
We've been building computers to think like us for years, but our ability to replicate human senses has been impossible. Until now. This technological revolution is starting to profoundly change not only how we interact with the world around us, but is allowing us to see, hear, smell, taste and even touch things we never imagined possible before.
An artifical intelligence revolution is super-charging sensing technology, promising us eyes with laser precision, ears that can distinguish every sound in a mile's radius and noses that can sniff out the early signs of forest fires before the first flame forms.
Evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Professor Ben Garrod is off to meet some of these sensory innovators and technological pioneers; The archaeologists, ecologists and medics, who are turning our world upside down and inside out.
In episode two, Ben finds sound solutions to tricky problems. We’ll hear about the ear which works up to depths of 500m below the ocean. In this light-deprived oceanic environment, we’ll find out how sound has become the most important sense. We’ll learn how noise pollution has inspired a number of revolutionary scientists to create sound-based solutions to better animal conservation. Along the way, we’ll meet engineers and computer programmers who’ve been able to find animals we thought previously extinct, and learn how one colour blind ornithologist mapped the entirety of a Caribbean archipelago so he could help protect his favourite species from storms and freak climate events.
Could these new technologies and natural evolutions be redefining what it is to hear? Ben takes us through the amazing adaptations and technological developments that could help stretch our hearing further than ever before.
Produced by Robbie Wojciechowski
Presented by Professor Ben Garrod
TUE 11:30 The Hidden History of the Attic (m001l8yv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001l97f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001l96q)
Call You and Yours: What do you do for dental care?
What do you do for dental care? Call us ring 03700 100 444.
The Health Minister is facing questions in front of the Health and Social Care Select Committee about NHS dentists. This follows a 2022 BBC investigation which found that 9 in 10 UK dental practices were not accepting new adult patients. There is growing evidence of "dental deserts" where parts of the country have limited or no access to an NHS dentist.
Research by the British Dental Association out this week found that one in four patients are avoiding going to the dentist because of costs and NHS dentistry prices have just increased by by 8%.
So we're asking, how easy is it to find an NHS dentists where you live? What impact is this situation having on your dental and general health? Perhaps you've had to seek out private treatment - what impact has that had from a cost point of view? Or perhaps you live in an area where you still have access an NHS dentist - we also want to hear from you.
Call 03700 100 444. Lines open at
11.00am. Or email youandyours@bbc.co.uk.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: JAY UNGER & CATHERINE EARLAM
TUE 12:57 Weather (m001l96v)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m001l96z)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
TUE 13:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l975)
2. The Coming of the Ghetto
The extraordinary Oyneg Shabes archive that secretly recorded daily Jewish existence in the Warsaw Ghetto – brought to life 80 years on from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Between 1940-43 a group of dedicated writers, led by historian Emanuel Ringeblum, clandestinely recorded daily life & death in the Warsaw Ghetto. The project became a race against time -history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates. Episode 2-The Coming of the Ghetto. With Elliot Levey as Emanuel Ringeblum.
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century, a half million Jewish men, women & children were herded into a prison city within a city. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 gatherers to write, collect & compile; diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure buried as the Ghetto was extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories
Episode 2-The Coming of the Ghetto. In the first months of the German occupation the young social historian & aid worker Emanuel Ringeblum began to nightly compile notes on everything he saw & heard. The origins of Oyneg Shabes.
Narration by Anton Lesser with Elliot Levey. Warsaw Streetscape Helen Beer and Mame Loshn/ Krystena Bell & Syrena Youth Theatre. Translation by Elinor Robinson. Historical adviser Samuel Kassow. Written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001l953)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m000g4zm)
Series 1
Part 3
Written by Anita Vettesse with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist, assessing and treating perpetrators of the most unthinkable crimes.
In this gripping drama, Alex charts the psychological impact of the murder of a young man on his family, and explores the long shadow of homicide through her therapy group for murderers.
Whilst David remains in custody for the murder of his son, the rest of the family must move back into the house where the killing took place.
Cast:
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti
Hannah … Jessica Hardwick
Kyle … Reuben Joseph
David … Robin Laing
Karen … Victoria Liddelle
Laura… Shauna Macdonald
Series created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001l8st)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m001l97c)
Water pollution solutions
Sewage is now discharged into our rivers and seas on a regular basis. It's joined by agricultural pollution and a host of microplastics. In this special debate programme, Tom Heap asks what's gone wrong with our water system. How did we get into this situation, what will it cost to put it right, and how can we go about sorting out the mess we seem to be in? Tom is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the history, the finances and the future of cleaning up our waterways.
Producer: Emma Campbell
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (m001l97m)
Chatbots
Michael is joined by Emily M Bender, Professor of computational linguistics at the University of Washington and co-author of the infamous paper ‘On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots’.
Cutting through the recent hype, she explains how chatbots do what they do, how they have become so fluent and why she thinks we should be careful with the terminology we employ when talking about them.
Presented by Michael Rosen and produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Ellie Richold.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001l97r)
Frank Zappa
"The most important thing to do in your life is not to interfere with somebody else's life."
Frank Zappa was born December 1940 in Baltimore, USA. Comedian John Robins - who is obsessed - reckons that it was his subsequently itinerant childhood that had much to do with what happened next. Frank's musical output was prodigious and varied, but John laughs out loud when pushed on whether he had any hits. That wasn't the point of Frank Zappa - the music was everything, creating it and performing it.
Joining the award winning comedian and broadcaster in studio is Deb Grant, who provides a steadying balance to John Robins' fan boy approval of all things Zappa. Programme includes multiple clips of Frank himself, including his most famous quote: "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read."
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
TUE 17:00 PM (m001l97t)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l97y)
The first evacuation flight for British civilians has taken off from Sudan, with more planned overnight.
TUE 18:30 Wosson Cornwall (m001l980)
Series 1
It's Rick Stein's Cornwall. Not yours.
Dawn French and Edward Rowe star in a new sketch show with a Cornish flavour. Park the clichés and open your eyes to the reality of this wondrous funny and feral land.
Visit Rick Stein's Cornwall (he's got planning permission for it), meet LJ and Jess, the low energy Gen-Z receptionists at the Royal Hotel, and find out just how important shanty singers are to the Cornish economy.
Recorded in front of an audience at the Acorn Theatre in Penzance, Wosson Cornwall is a sketch show celebrating everything that makes real contemporary Cornwall a culturally rich and funny place - its people, its history and its modern way of life.
This is the first episode in a four part series with an entirely Cornish cast and writing team.
The cast includes Dawn French (Vicar of Dibley / French and Saunders), Edward Rowe (star of Bafta-winning film BAIT and HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon), Tamsyn Kelly (ITV2’s Stand Up Sketch Show, BBC New Comedian of the Year Award finalist 2021), Joanna Neary (Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and Gary Oldman film The Darkest Hour), Anna Keirle (award-winning Cornish stand-up, actress and writer) and award-winning actor Ciaran Clarke.
Written by James Henry, Morwenna Banks, Catherine Beazley, Max Davis, Jane Harvey, Tamsyn Kelly, Jo Neary, and Alex Smith.
Script Editor: James Henry
Music: The Jolly Strumpets
Production Co-ordinator: Tamara Shilham
Sound Design: David Thomas
Produced by Simon Nicholls
A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001l984)
Susan disapproves of Den being back in touch, warning Chelsea not to get her hopes up. As Susan asks Chelsea to sign the petition against the EV charging station, Stella enters the shop. She likes the look of the plans for the station. When Chelsea learns there could be a job for her there, she holds off signing the petition until she knows more.
Den apologises for how he was when Brad and Oliver visited – he was in a bad place. Den explains, having turned fifty he’s realised he’s been wasting his life. He’d like to get to know Chelsea and Brad. Den is floored when Chelsea reveals she had a termination. Brad delivers another blow when he says he doesn’t want to see Den more regularly. Den admits to Chelsea that he’s lonely. He wonders if Chelsea would visit him occasionally, but she says no. She’s standing by her brother – they’ve got each other’s back on this.
Lilian offers to buy Susan a drink to make up for the trouble Justin caused by volunteering in the shop. They turn down Kenton’s Coronation-inspired cocktails and the three of them discuss the village’s Coronation and Eurovision plans. Justin is putting on a light show to mark the Coronation, but he’s yet to choose a venue. Kenton twigs that Justin’s using the money he originally promised to the Eurovision celebrations and immediately rules out The Bull as venue for Justin’s illuminations. Stella comments that Susan is now praising Justin after disparaging him in the shop earlier.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001l986)
Playwright Ryan Calais Cameron, musician Stewart Copeland and is Morris dancing having a moment?
The playwright Ryan Calais Cameron's critically acclaimed play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy has just transferred to London's West End. Samira Ahmed talks to him about its success and his new play at The Kiln in London, Retrograde, set in 1950s Hollywood and following a young Sidney Poitier.
Stewart Copeland, founder member and drummer of The Police, now a composer for film, opera and ballet, has reinterpreted the 80s rock band's biggest hits. He talks to Samira about his operas, movie soundtracks and his new album and tour, Police Deranged for Orchestra.
Next Monday is May Day when morris dancers will perform at dawn to greet the summer. Morris dancing is itself enjoying a moment in the sun: Boss Morris, an all-female folk dance group, performed with the Best New Artist winners, Wet Leg, at this year's Brit Awards. Samira is joined by Michael Heaney, author of a new history of the dance; the musician Rob Harbron, who composes new morris tunes; and Lily Cheetham of Boss Morris – who will dance for us.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Paul Waters
TUE 20:00 Today (m001l988)
The Today Debate: Do we need a monarchy?
The Today Debate is about taking a subject and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the Today programme in the morning.
Ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III, Today presenter Mishal Husain discusses the future of the Royal Family with a panel of guests in front of an audience in the BBC's Radio Theatre in 'The Today Debate: Do we need a Monarchy?'
Joining her were Billy Bragg, the singer and songwriter; Juliet Samuel, a columnist for the Times; Polly Toynbee, a columnist at the Guardian; Charles Moore, former editor of the Telegraph and the Spectator and Jason Arday, an academic who works on inequality, race and education.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001l98b)
Accessibility in Video Games
We take a look at how an increasingly prevalent part of the entertainment industry is becoming more accessible to people with visual impairments. For a long time, video game developers have struggled to understand the needs of people with sight loss and therefore, modern games were largely unplayable. We take a look at The European Gaming Accessibility conference, that aims to combat these attitudes. It brings together people from the gaming industry to share best practice and knowledge on how to make games more accessible. Moreover, the RNIB have launched their Design for Every Gamer campaign that works to do the same. Blind gamer, access consultant and Accessible Gaming Officer for the RNIB, SightlessKombat tells us more.
And, part two of a Star Wars spin off game is soon to be released. Visually impaired gamer, access consultant and YouTube personality, Steve Saylor was one of the first people to play an accessibility preview of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. He tells us what players can expect from the new game.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor audio described trailer is thanks to the #TranscribingGames project.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001l98d)
Feeling an unseen presence
All in the Mind returns for our 72nd series.
An experience hard to put into words but felt by many is the phenomenon of 'presence'. Claudia Hammond hears an account of a fearful-turned-friendly presence from Luke Robertson, an adventurer whose prolonged period of isolation whilst trekking across Antarctica led to continual run-ins with a non-existent figure. The potential neuroscientific and psychological theories behind these sensations are explained by Ben Alderson-Day, associate professor at Durham University and author of "Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other".
The All in the Mind Awards are back and this year, we received almost a thousand entries. Over the upcoming series, we will be hearing from our nine finalists who share their stories of how they have been helped in their hardest times. This week we hear from Vicki, who had a psychotic episode after juggling incredibly stressful events. After pausing her studies to care for her father with terminal lung cancer, the pandemic broke her normal confidence in being able to predict how the world worked. At this point, Vicki met Nikki, her care co-ordinator, who helped show Vicki that her situation was normal given all her stresses, and helped her confidence return.
Professor Catherine Loveday from University of Westminster joins Claudia to discuss whether there is a simple way to spot a liar and if botox injections can impact how the brain processes emotions.
Producer: Julia Ravey and Clare Salisbury
TUE 21:30 The New Gurus (m001g9ws)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001l98h)
First UK rescue flight from Sudan lands in Cyprus
The UK's first evacuation flight carrying British nationals from Sudan has landed in Cyprus. But we hear from one British woman whose grandparents are still stuck in Khartoum, unable to reach the aiport.
Also on the programme:
The Foreign Secretary tells us why Britain has to keep engaging with Beijing.
And should lynx be returned to Scotland?
TUE 22:45 The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood (m001l98m)
Episode 7
Ex-Borstal teenagers Joyce and Charlie have been taken on as architectural apprentices by the Mayhoods at their farm in Surrey. Charlie is worried about his sister’s behaviour, but has no idea that she’s been tracked down by a figure who has coerced her into once again aiding and abetting his crimes.
What starts out as a seemingly straightforward story of good intentions and opportunity rapidly turns into a darker story full of secrets and lies. And yet through tragedy come lessons learnt and a determination to hold on to one’s dreams.
Benjamin Wood’s first novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won Le Prix du Roman Fnac.
He was a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Reader: Rupert Evans
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound Design: Essential Music
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 The Confessional (m0010pny)
Series 2
The Confession of Anthony Horowitz
Stephen Mangan is back with the comedy chat show about shame and guilt.
Each week Stephen Mangan invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' to him. This is a cue for some rich and varied storytelling, and surprising insights as their confessions are put under the microscope. Settle back for a stimulating journey through the realms of shame, regret, guilt and toe-curling embarrassment
This week Stephen meets the prolific novelist and screen writer Anthony Horowitz, author of The Alex Rider Novels, Foyle’s War, and talks to him about posthumous revenge, family relationships and the delights of making things up at inappropriate moments.
Other guests in the series: Olivia Williams, Ed Byrne, Shaparak Khorsandi, Konnie Huq and David Quantick.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Frank Stirling
A 7digital production
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001l98r)
News from Westminster with Susan Hulme, including the latest on the crisis in Sudan.
WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL 2023
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001l98w)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l976)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l990)
The latest shipping forecast
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l995)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l99d)
The latest shipping forecast
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001l99n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l9b0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good Morning
A few years ago, I was walking in the countryside, and saw a young child a few yards ahead, looking at a cow. He was completely transfixed, staring with awe at this giant-headed beast with bulging eyes.
Then I heard his father shout from further ahead: “Come on, it’s just a cow!”
To me, this was a tragic illustration of how some parents quash children’s sense of wonder and help to turn the world to a mundane place.
One of the great things about children is that they can rekindle our sense of wonder. They’re like aliens, who have just arrived on the surface of a strange planet. Everything is fresh and new, shining with beauty and suchness.
Our first child Hugh had a very poetic way of expressing himself. Once we were walking on a wet day. Rain was dripping down the drainpipes of houses, then bouncing back up of the ground. ‘Look daddy,’ Hugh said, ‘the rain is dancing!’ A few months later, we were in the garden and the pages of a book were blowing open in the wind. ‘Look daddy,’ he said, ‘the wind is reading your book!’
Perhaps this is why many spiritual traditions view childhood is an ideal state. The Chinese text the Dao De Ching advises us to ‘Return to the state of the infant.’ Jesus said, ‘unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’
Children’s fresh vision is always accessible to us, no matter how old we are. It’s simply a matter of being fully attentive and present, and looking at the world without labels and concepts.
Let’s hope that we can rekindle that fresh vision. And let’s do everything we can to encourage children’s precious sense of wonder so that they never lose it.
Blessings.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001l9b9)
26/04/23 Circadian rhythm of plants, Love Island farmer Will, Grain robots
Frosty mornings and bright sunlight can be damaging for crops in the field. Now, scientists have discovered that crops which face those conditions have a special gene to repair the damage, but it's only switched on by the plant's own circadian clock, which recognises night and day. Researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have been working in a special light-restricted laboratory and their findings could lead to precision breeding crops which will cope better in northerly latitudes.
He has millions of followers on social media, but manages to get up at the crack of dawn to help with lambing: Will Young, also known as Farmer Will on ITV's Love Island. He's now back in Buckinghamshire on the family farm, and he's also been joined by his TV partner, Jessie.
Engineers have developed a unique burrowing robot which ‘swims’ through grain stores to ensure the seeds are kept properly. The t-shaped robot has been launched by an agritech developer at Scotland's National Robotarium, based at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. It's designed to help farmers look after their grain more efficiently, without having to carry out labour-intensive checks.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03tht5z)
Chough
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
John Aitchison tells the story of the chough. Our healthiest chough populations are in Ireland, southwest and north Wales and western Scotland. The last English stronghold was in Cornwall and Choughs feature on the Cornish coat of arms. Even here they became extinct until wild birds from Ireland re-colonised the county in 2001. Now the birds breed regularly on the Lizard peninsula.
WED 06:00 Today (m001l98j)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m001l98s)
From the rubble
It had been a beautiful day, Jessica Williams and her two young sons had been out in the local park enjoying the Welsh sunshine. By the time they got home they were happy but weary and looking forward to some cosy time on the sofa but as Jess opened the front door she noticed a strange smell. She put the boys in the sitting room and went into the kitchen to investigate — that was when the house exploded. Jessica tells Dr Sian Williams how the family, with the help of their village, began to rebuild their lives.
WED 09:30 Please Protect Abraham (m001fwcm)
5. Recognition
What is the process for securing new accommodation if you are fearful of your safety? What role do the police and local councils play?
Sam Holder follows the journey of Abraham’s mum towards a new home - and finds that the best possible solution is short lived.
Presenter and Original Research: Sam Holder
Series Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma
Story Consultant: Robert Awosusi
Additional Research: Christy Callaway-Gale
Theme music written and performed by Rebekah Reid and Tapp Collective.
Original music compositions by Femi Oriogun-Williams
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:45 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l99x)
Episode 3: The Golden Age of Empire
Hugh Bonneville reads from Peter Frankopan's new history about the environment and civilisations. Today, climate conditions in the seventh century influence the rise of a new empire.
In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time. We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.
Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.
Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the long-running series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.
Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001l991)
Women in Sudan, Jo Hansford, Paula Barker MP, Author Fran Hill
As a ceasefire continues in Sudan we look at how the conflict in the country has impacted women. Nuala is joined by CNN Chief International Investigative Correspondent Nima Elbagir.
Jo Hansford MBE has been described as the “best tinter on the planet”. She started off cutting hair in her parents’ front room and is now one of the most famous female names in the business with two salons, her own range of products, and clients from Elizabeth Hurley, Angelina Jolie and Richard Burton, not to mention she is the woman in charge of the Queen’s crowning glory! Currently celebrating her 30th year in business, Jo joins Nuala to talk about her career, passion for colour and the upcoming coronation.
Labour MP Paula Barker will bid for a new bill next month so care workers are paid minimum wage for travelling time between appointments to close a loophole which campaigners say means care workers' pay dips below the legal minimum. She joins Nuala to discuss.
Fran Hill experienced the foster care system first-hand in the 70s, and her first novel Cuckoo in the Nest, explores what that life can be like for teenagers in care. Fran joins Nuala to discuss how her own experiences informed her writing and her career in teaching.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Hanna Ward
SM: Andrew Garrett
WED 11:00 France: Soundtrack To The Revolution (m001l95b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 A Very British Cult (p0fdl26y)
4. Getting Out
The investigation is finding out more and more strange things about Lighthouse. We hear what happens when people start to question what is happening. Catrin speaks with Erin who raised concerns about Lighthouse and was accused of being "a cynical little old witch".
Meanwhile Lighthouse is getting increasingly obsessed with its critics and former members.
What happens when a life coach takes over your life? Catrin Nye and her team expose control, intimidation and fear at a sinister life coaching company.
Reporter: Catrin Nye
Written by: Jamie Bartlett and Catrin Nye
Producers: Osman Iqbal, Natalie Truswell, Ed Main & Jo Adnitt
Researcher: Aisha Doherty
Executive Producer: Ravin Sampat
Sound Mixing: James Bradshaw
Original Music by: Phil Channell
Commissioner: Rhian Roberts
Archive clips from Stanley Milgram, Solomon Asch Conformity experiment re-enactment, 1974: copyright Alexandra Milgram and Alexander Street.
WED 12:00 News Summary (m001l9b7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001l99h)
Supermarket Essential Ranges, New Estate Travel and Aesop
A ban on fake reviews, greater protection for consumers who fall into so-called subscription traps and new powers to do something about it are the headlines from the new Consumer Bill published this week.
We find out why people love beauty brand Aesop so much. Its expensive soaps are selling so well that earlier this month Aesop was bought by L'Oreal for two billion pounds.
New rules setting minimum standards for complaints handling by online money firms come into force this summer. The regulator has written to some of them, warning they'll need to improve. Last year there were more complaints to the arbitration service about these online money companies, than there were about traditional banks.
Fake leaves that are magnetic and can attach to car number plates are being sold online. They're illegal and they're marketed as a way of avoiding speed cameras and congestion charges.
Building new homes produces more traffic, as people move in before infrastructure catches up. If it ever does. But a new partnership in Leicestershire shows it doesn't have to be like that. The developers of a new build estate six miles from Leicester have provided a mix of free or cheaper buses resulting in bus use doubling.
As general food prices continue to rise , even up-market supermarkets are trying to tempt customers with cheaper own brand ranges both M&S and Waitrose have beefed up their marketing of their 'value' products - will it work?
WED 12:57 Weather (m001l99r)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m001l9b3)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
WED 13:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l9bf)
3. Smuggling - Peretz Opoczynski
The story of the Oyneg Shabes archive. Between 1940-43 a group of dedicated writers, led by historian Emanuel Ringeblum, secretly recorded daily Jewish existence in the Warsaw Ghetto. The project grew to become history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this 10 part series revealing the lives, stories & destruction of the Ghetto.
Episode 3-Smuggling. Yiddish journalist & poet Peretz Opoczynski was one of Oyneg Shabes' most gifted writers, effortlessly capturing the nuances of the daily struggle to survive. Nowhere more so than in his depiction of the smuggling that proved essential to the survival of Jewish and non-Jewish Poles alike. With Alfred Molina .
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century, a half million Jewish men, women & children were herded into a prison city within a city. Walled off & surrounded by the German occupiers & their collaborators. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write, collect & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, art, photographs & ephemera. The archive was buried as the ghetto was being destroyed. Listen to their stories.
Narration by Anton Lesser with Alfred Molina. Translation by David Suchoff. Warsaw Streetscape voices Helen Beer and Mame Loshn. Krystena Bell & Syrena Youth Theatre. Historical adviser Samuel Kassow, Musical adviser Bret Werb. Written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information go to: https://www.jhi.pl/en/research/the-ringelblum-archive-and-the-oneg-shabbat-group/about-the-ringelblum-archive
WED 14:00 The Archers (m001l984)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m000gcw9)
Series 1
Part 4
Written by Lucia Haynes with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert Forensic Psychiatrist, assessing and treating perpetrators of the most unthinkable crimes.
In this gripping drama, Alex charts the psychological impact of the murder of a young man on his family, and explores the long shadow of homicide through her therapy group for murderers.
The Group begin to consider their relationships with their parents. And Hannah visits David with a challenging question about his relationships.
Cast:
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti
Dougie … Simon Donaldson
Hannah … Jessica Hardwick
Kyle/Tyler … Reuben Joseph
David … Robin Laing
Laura… Shauna Macdonald
Frankie … Brian Vernel
Series created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
WED 15:00 Money Box (m001l9bm)
Money Box Live: Small Businesses
Small businesses represent as much as 99% of UK companies, according to government figures. They employ about half of the workforce and often contribute a vital service to local communities. The small business sector has been facing significant challenges - higher inflation, more expensive business loans and uncertain markets.
In this podcast, we look at both the challenges and the opportunities for small businesses.
The experts on the panel are:
Charlotte Thomason, Head of Policy and Government Relations at Enterprise Nation, an organisation which helps advise small businesses on how to set-up and grow.
Andy Chamberlain, Director of Policy at IPSE - The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed.
Adnan Sajjad, an accountant specialising in helping small businesses.
Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Amber Mehmood
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Beatrice Pickup
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001l98d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m001l9bt)
Democracy
Democracy: Quinn Slobodian, Professor of the History of Ideas at Wellesley College, takes Laurie Taylor on the journey of radical libertarians who search for the perfect home, free from the burden of democratic oversight, from Hong Kong to Canary Wharf and the Honduras. What accounts for the explosion of new legal entities, including free ports, gated enclaves, city states and special economic zones?
They're joined by Mukulika Banerjee, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics, whose latest study into the lives of West Bengal villagers finds that they promote democratic values in everyday acts of citizenship at a time when Indian democracy is under threat. How do their creative practices around kinship, farming and religion promote republican virtues of cooperation, civility, solidarity and vigilance?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001l9c1)
'The craziest day in cable news history'
It’s been a tumultuous week across the US media landscape from the collapse of BuzzFeed News to the firings of primetime hosts including Fox’s number one presenter Tucker Carlson. The media commentator Brian Stelter called it "the craziest day in cable news history". What might Carlson's departure mean for America? Also in the programme, how should the BBC cover the Coronation of King Charles?
Guests: Ben Smith, Editor-in-chief, Semafor and founder of BuzzFeed News; Hillary Frey, Editor-in-chief, Slate; Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; and Graham Smith, CEO, Republic
Presenter: Ros Atkins
WED 17:00 PM (m001l9c7)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l9ck)
The first British citizens rescued from Sudan have arrived back in the UK.
WED 18:30 Lemn Sissay's Social Enterprise (m000bnbf)
Episode 1
Every year since 2013, the poet, broadcaster and author Lemn Sissay has arranged a Christmas dinner for people aged 18-25 who have left the care system and have no one with whom to have Christmas dinner. No one to give presents or receive them. No-one on the other end of the cracker.
This is not a charity. It isn't even an organisation. It's a project Lemn undertook because he understands how it feels - at 18 he was released from a children's home and given an empty flat in Wigan, with no one in the world who had known him for longer than a year.
Lemn Sissay’s Social Enterprise is a four-part series for BBC Radio 4, considering what these dinners have taught him about charity, social enterprise, and people, through stand-up, interview and poetry.
This week, he explores the idea of shelter in all its forms - with the help of Polly Neate, the Chief Executive of the charity Shelter, and comedy writer Sarah Morgan.
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay
Guest: Polly Neate
Guest: Sarah Morgan
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m001l9cp)
Kenton catches Jolene up on Justin’s plans for the Coronation Illumination, assuring her The Bull will not be entering. But despite slagging off Justin so recently, Jolene reckons it could be a great opportunity for The Bull. Kenton counters that while Justin would supply the lights, they’d still have to pay for the electricity. Confident they’d more than make the cost back in sales, Jolene overrules Kenton and insists they’re putting themselves forward.
Kenton and Freddie talk over Lower Loxley’s controversial painting. Presuming David spoke to Elizabeth on his behalf, Freddie says the painting has been taken down and is waiting to go into storage. Kenton thinks Freddie should be proud of himself for sticking to his guns. Freddie then assures Kenton The Bull won’t get chosen for the Coronation Illumination; his Lower Loxley pitch will win hands down.
Freddie tells Lynda he’s picked Italy for the Eurovision show. Lynda explains how her expertise was called upon to get the event up and running, and of course, she’s very happy to help. In The Bull, Freddie discovers that Ian has rubbed Freddie’s name off the whiteboard and put his own name up for Italy instead. Freddie reckons it shows what Ian’s really like – ruthless. Tracy says Freddie’s not the only one who’s been rubbed out. Not wanting to get involved Kenton gives Freddie a lift back to Lower Loxley, while Lynda resolves the problems with the Eurovision chalkboard. Tracy suggests choosing countries by pulling names out of a hat and Jolene’s relieved when Lynda agrees.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m001l9cs)
The making of the new RSC production of Cymbeline
A special edition following the Royal Shakespeare’s Company’s new production of Cymbeline, the final play in Shakespeare’s First Folio - a collection that reaches its 400th anniversary this year.
Acclaimed and award-winning Shakespearean, Greg Doran, has directed every play in the First Folio except Cymbeline. For him it’s one of Shakespeare’s most complex creations and he will be directing it for the first time as his swansong as the RSC's Artistic Director Emeritus. From the start of the production’s rehearsal period until its first performance, Front Row follows Greg and his team as they get to grips with a play criticised and celebrated for its genre-busting, location-hopping, multiple plotlines, topped by the appearance of the god Jupiter descending from the heavens on an eagle.
Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
WED 20:00 Bringing Up Britain (m001l9cv)
Series 16
Gender Identity
It’s hard to ignore the increasingly polarised debate around this issue. Everyone seems to be talking about it and everyone has an opinion on it. And there’s a growing body of medical professionals engaged in thinking about it. Presenter Anjula Mutanda explores why this has become such a be issue among some parents and asks: is the culture war around children and gender louder than the actual incidence of gender issues nationwide?
We look at the hard facts about sex versus gender, the competing views there are about the emotional and developmental impact of a child exploring their gender identity, as well as the role of parents, teachers and peers. And we meet a parent who needs some advice about how to answer any questions from his young son if and when he asks.
Our Experts:
BBC’s LGBT and Identity correspondent Lauren Moss.
Dr Dane Duncan, clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Dr Shereen Benjamin, senior lecturer in education at University of Edinburgh.
Jenny Warwick, BACP registered counsellor in Sussex.
Producer: Mohini Patel
WED 20:45 Metamorphosis - How Insects Transformed Our World (m0017k7c)
Dazzling Disguise
Dr Erica McAlister of London's Natural History Museum takes a look at some of the entomological pioneers, whose groundbreaking observations and experiments have led to some truly innovative developments.
Erica examines the huge butterfly collection of the intrepid Victorian lepidopterist Margaret Fountaine who was seduced by the iridescent nature of the morpho butterfly wing. Its dazzling electric blues are caused not by pigments, but by interference effects within the wing structure. In the early 20th century the “father of camouflage” Abbot Thayer controversially cited iridescence as a means of disguise within the animal world as well as attracting a mate. Scientists are revisiting the idea that the best disguises are dazzling and now engineers are attempting to recreate iridescence from the insect world to generate high impact hues with multiple effects for a host of different commercial products.
With contributions from: Dr David Waterhouse, (Senior Curator of Natural History & Geology at Norfolk Museums); biologist Dr Karin Kjernsmo,(Bristol University); Andrea Hart (Library Special Collections Manager Natural History Museum); physiologist Prof Andrew Parker, (University of Oxford)
Producer Adrian Washbourne
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m001l97c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001l9c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001l9cx)
Over 500 Brits now evacuated from Sudan
Also:
Activision Blizzard sale to Microsoft blocked.
and
And the start of Donald Trump rape allegation trial.
WED 22:45 The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood (m001l9cz)
Episode 8
Ex-Borstal teenagers Joyce and Charlie have been taken on as architectural apprentices by the Mayhoods at their farm in Surrey. Joyce has been forced by unsavoury criminal Mal Duggan to help him hide and now get rid of some stolen goods by driving them to a fence.
What starts out as a seemingly straightforward story of good intentions and opportunity rapidly turns into a darker story full of secrets and lies. And yet through tragedy come lessons learnt and a determination to hold on to one’s dreams.
Benjamin Wood’s first novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won Le Prix du Roman Fnac.
He was a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Reader: Rupert Evans
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound Design: Essential Music
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:00 Jamie MacDonald: Life on the Blink (m001l9d1)
Series 2
Have I Got Views for You
In this second series, blind stand-up comedian Jamie Macdonald playfully deconstructs some of the pre-conceptions of his disability, challenges stereotypes and takes a hilarious trip down memory lane to see how far things have come.
He tells his side of the Have I Got News for You story that needlessly outraged half of social media, and he shows that, even in hospital, the best of intentions can be misguided.
Written by Jamie MacDonald
Script guidance from Laura Lexx
Produced by Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 Nurse (m00017bd)
Series 3
Episode 4
Bittersweet comedy drama about a community mental health nurse. Written by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings.
Billy relives a shattering childhood trauma for Nurse Elizabeth but things are looking up for Cat Lady April - she’s met a new boyfriend at the Cemetery.
Starring Paul Whitehouse and Esther Coles, with Rosie Cavaliero, Simon Day and Cecilia Noble.
Produced by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings
Associate Producer Tom Jenkins.
A Down The Line production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001l9d5)
Sean Curran reports on increasingly personal attacks at Prime Minister's Questions.
THURSDAY 27 APRIL 2023
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001l9d8)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l99x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l9db)
The latest shipping forecast
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l9dd)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l9dg)
The latest shipping forecast
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001l9dj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l9dl)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good morning
A few years ago, I met an inspiring woman called Maria (not her real name), whose brother had been killed while in the army, shot by a soldier from his own unit.
Maria’s life was thrown into disarray. She had a breakdown, couldn’t work or sleep, and was prescribed powerful psychiatric drugs. She didn’t leave her house for months.
Her difficulties continued for several years, until she decided to forgive the man who killed her brother. As she told me, “It wasn’t serving any purpose to be so full of hatred and bitterness. All it was doing was causing intense pain inside me…He said it was an accident, and I was sure he felt remorse… So I decided to let go. And it had an immediate effect. I felt lighter and freer. I felt like my life could begin again."
Since then, Maria’s life has turned around. She feels that the experience has deepened and expanded her, and enabled to live a richer and more meaningful life.
Without forgiveness, we punish ourselves through hatred and resentment. Carrying resentment – or a grudge against someone – drains our energy. It creates tension, and a heavy sense of negativity which pervades the whole of our lives. In this way, resentment allows the person who wronged us to continue hurting us. Forgiveness means releasing resentment and allowing ourselves to heal.
Of course, forgiveness isn’t easy. You might feel that the people who have wronged you don’t deserve kindness, that to forgive them is to condone their behaviour, or to let them off the hook. But above all, forgiveness is act of altruism towards ourselves.
So today, if you feel yourself carrying hatred and resentment, try letting go of them. Let forgiveness enrich and enlighten you.
Blessings.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001l9dq)
27/04/23 Scottish seed potatoes to NI, seed processing, seagrass restoration
A glimmer of hope for Scottish seed potato growers, as Defra minister confirms exports to Northern Ireland will be allowed again from the autumn.
On the Humber Estuary conservationists are encouraging seagrass to return by planting tens of thousands of seeds by hand.
The agricultural industry spends millions of pounds a year on seeds for cereals, but where do farmers get them from and what happens to them before they’re sold?
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09snn7p)
Helen Moncrieff on the Fulmar
Fulmars defend their nests by launching their stomach contents at an intruder. Now this may not seem like an appealing behaviour but as Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager with RSPB Scotland describes, it was a tactic she used to her advantage as a child and has felt protective of these cliff-nesting birds ever since.
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: Andrew Thompson.
THU 06:00 Today (m001l99b)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001l99w)
Walt Whitman
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the highly influential American poet Walt Whitman.
In 1855 Whitman was working as a printer, journalist and property developer when he published his first collection of poetry. It began:
I celebrate myself,
And what I assume you shall assume
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
The book was called Leaves of Grass. In it, Whitman set out to break away from European literary forms and traditions. Using long lines written in free verse, he developed a poetry meant to express a distinctively American outlook.
Leaves of Grass is full of verse that celebrates both the sovereign individual, and the deep fellowship between individuals. Its optimism about the American experience was challenged by the Civil War and its aftermath, but Whitman emerged as a celebrity and a key figure in the development of American culture.
With
Sarah Churchwell
Professor of American Literature and the Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London
Peter Riley
Lecturer in 19th Century American Literature at the University of Exeter
and
Mark Ford
Professor of English and American Literature at University College London
Producer Luke Mulhall
THU 09:45 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l9ds)
Episode 4: The Age of Turbulence
Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic history. Today, 19th century industrialisation leads to an ongoing and insatiable demand for the world's natural resources.
In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time. We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.
Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.
Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the long-running series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.
Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001l9bh)
Kingship, Fibromyalgia, Trump, Ireland abortion
In 2018 the people of Ireland voted to repeal the 8th amendment and grant women access to safe and free abortions up to 12 weeks into pregnancy. Ireland was promised ‘excellent’ abortion services but what is the reality 5 years on? Yesterday an independent review of abortion services was released that proposed 10 major changes to legislation. Dr Deirdre Duffy, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Lancaster University talks to Anita about the review.
As the nation prepares for the coronation, Anita Rani considers the issue of gender and sovereignty. The British people have only experienced Queenship so whilst the coronation of Charles III marks a return to the more traditional role of kingship, it’s a big shift for the public. She’ll be joined by Tracy Borman the author of numerous books and co-curator of Historic Royal Palaces and Professor Anna Whitehorn from City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy.
The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, is facing a trial over an allegation that he raped an advice columnist nearly three decades ago. Jean Carroll, who is 79, is suing Mr Trump for allegedly assaulting her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, a charge the former president has denied. The civil trial, which started yesterday, is expected to last two weeks. Amanda Taub from the New York Times joins Anita to talk about how this historical case can be brought after several decades.
Under Pressure is an occasional series which looks at the stress put on relationships when life happens. Carla and Brendon met at school, their lives looked to be on one track and then things changed. Jo Morris went to meet them and Carla shared her personal experience about when her fibromyalgia, a long-term condition which can cause widespread, persistent pain, first began.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Studio manager: Andrew Garrett
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m001l9bp)
Laos: the most bombed country on earth
50 years after the last US bombs fell on Laos, they’re still killing and maiming. In an effort to stop the march of communism, between 1964 and 1973, America dropped over two million tonnes of ordnance on neutral Laos: on average, a planeload of bombs was released every eight minutes, 24 hours a day. This is more than was dropped on Germany and Japan in the entire Second World War.
Laos, today a country of just 6 million people, remains the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita. Five decades after the war, these deadly items remain a persistent threat and daily reality for communities across Laos. More than 20,000 people have been killed or injured by UXO (unexploded ordnance, unexploded bombs, and explosive remnants of war) in Laos since the war ended in 1975, with people still killed and injured every year. Around half the victims are children. But UXO doesn’t just kill and maim, it renders agricultural land useless and prevents economic progress. Although Laos is rich in natural resources, its development has been crippled by the legacy of the war.
Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent travels to Laos to tell its story 50 years on.
Producer John Murphy
(Photo: Clearing unexploded bombs in northern Laos. Credit: MAG / Bart Verweij)
THU 11:30 Great Lives (m001l97r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
THU 12:00 News Summary (m001l9dv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001l9c2)
Gap Finder - Kenny Wilson from Dr Martens
In this edition of Gap Finders Winifred Robinson talks to the man credited with turning around Dr Martens, Kenny Wilson. She discusses the 'gap' that Dr Martens occupies and how he has expanded it.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread Presents (m001l9c6)
Toast - Friends Reunited
While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses which had promised so much to consumers.
You can contact us at toast@bbc.co.uk
In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea which ended up toast, examining the reasons behind the failure and discovering what can we learn from its story today.
Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition, speaking to expert commentators to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently.
Sean is assisted by the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, as together they try to work out what went wrong.
This week, Sean and Sam look into a hugely successful website from a time when most people in the UK were slowly getting used to the internet.
Friends Reunited provided a unique way for users to reconnect with old school friends.
It made a fortune for its founders but was closed for good in 2016. Could it still have been successful today?
Toast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.
Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available only in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.
Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.
The producers are Jay Unger and Jon Douglas.
THU 12:57 Weather (m001l9cd)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m001l9cj)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.
THU 13:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l9cn)
4. The Jewish Postman
The story of the Oyneg Shabes archive. Between 1940-43 a group of dedicated writers, led by historian Emanuel Ringeblum, secretly recorded daily Jewish existence for the 500,000 souls trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto. The project became a race against time -history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this 10 part series of the lives, stories & destruction of the Ghetto. Episode 4-The Jewish Postman. With Alfred Molina as Peretz Opoczynski.
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century, a half million Jewish men, women & children were herded into a prison city within a city. Walled off & surrounded by the German occupiers & their collaborators. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write, collect & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure that was buried even as the Ghetto was being extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories
Episode 4-The Jewish Postman. Separated from the rest of Warsaw parallel institutions and jobs were needed. Peretz Opoczynski trudged up & down the ruined buildings of the ghetto to deliver eagerly sought letters from loved ones & from abroad.
Narration by Anton Lesser & featuring Alfred Molina. Translation by David Suchoff. Historical adviser Samuel Kassow. Written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/
THU 14:00 The Archers (m001l9cp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m000gkvm)
Series 1
Part 5
Written by Anita Vettesse with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist, assessing and treating perpetrators of the most unthinkable crimes.
In this gripping drama, Alex charts the psychological impact of the murder of a young man on his family, and explores the long shadow of homicide through her therapy group for murderers.
Alex finds herself at an impasse with David. Elsewhere, things are beginning to unlock: Hannah makes a game-changing disclosure to Laura and in Group Frankie makes a break-through.
Cast:
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti
Liam/Dougie … Simon Donaldson
Hannah … Jessica Hardwick
Tyler … Reuben Joseph
David … Robin Laing
Laura… Shauna Macdonald
Frankie … Brian Vernel
Series created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
THU 15:00 Open Country (m001l9dx)
Chasing Jamie Allan
Jamie Allan was a celebrated musician and friend of the aristocracy, but also a thief, bigamist, and deserter. Known as "The Dukes Piper", he is the source of many songs and legends in Northumbria. In this programme, folk singer Jez Lowe traces one of these legends across the Rivers Ouse and Nidd, over which Jamie Allan supposedly fled from army conscription to freedom in Scotland. As he crosses the waterways of North Yorkshire, Jez finds out about the life and adventures of this Robin Hood figure from the 18th century, and enjoys some of the music he would have played.
Produced by Helen Lennard
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001l8xg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m00159xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 Princess (m001l9f0)
Devi Sita
Presenter Anita Anand joins Actor Ayesha Dharker and author Amish Tripathi to discuss the Hindu Goddess Devi Sita, the female protagonist at the heart of the Diwali story.
They explore different retellings and interpretations of her story to discuss whether she personifies the role of the obedient wife, or was really a warrior princess.
Producer: Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Editor: Ailsa Rochester
Sound Design: Craig Edmondson
An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001l9f4)
70th anniversary of the discovery of DNA’s structure
James Watson and Francis Crick, who detailed the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, are perhaps two of the most iconic scientists of the 20th Century. Yet the story of how they made their incredible discovery is perhaps equally famous, with a notorious narrative suggesting that they only identified the structure after taking the work of Rosalind Franklin and using it without her permission.
Now, 70 years after the discovery of DNA’s structure, it is perhaps time to rewrite the tale.
New evidence has now been unearthed, in the form of an overlooked news article and an unpublished letter, that shows that Franklin was truly an equal contributor to the discovery, and Watson and Crick were not as malicious as previously assumed.
Together with Matthew Cobb of the University of Manchester, Nathaniel Comfort from Johns Hopkins University, and Angela Creager of Princeton University, Gaia Vince discusses this tantalising tale and finds out more about how this discovery could bring a whole new twist to the story of DNA.
Presenter: Gaia Vince
Producer: Harrison Lewis
Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
THU 17:00 PM (m001l9f8)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l9fd)
Planned 48-hour walkout in England is cut down to 28 hours. Rail unions announce new strikes, including on the day of FA Cup final. Talk show host, Jerry Springer, dies aged 79.
THU 18:30 Susan Calman Makes Me Happy (m000c4x4)
Episode 4
Taking part in Strictly Come Dancing made Susan Calman happy. Completely, totally happy. And having lived with anxiety for so long, it was something of a surprise to discover something new that gave her feelings of joy. So, in Susan Calman Makes Me Happy, she explores and explains the other things in life that bring her happiness.
This week, aided and abetted by her studio audience and her wife Lee, Susan waxes lyrical about her love for animals. She may have previously mentioned (once or twice) that she’s quite partial to cats, but her affections aren’t limited to the feline world. From the dogs in her local park, via the birds that visit her garden, to grumpy Icelandic Ponies (well, sort of), Susan adores them all.
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner
Written by Susan Calman and Jon Hunter
Production Co-ordinator: Tamara Shilham
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m001l9fj)
Alice announces she wants to start making payments to her nephews and nieces, because of Jennifer’s bequest to Martha. Neither Brian nor Adam thinks that’s necessary, but Alice is insistent, before joking that there’d better not be any nasty surprises in Brian’s will. Things turn awkward, though, when Brian won’t be drawn on what’s in it. Later Alice and Adam talk over Brian’s reaction to being asked about his will. Adam thinks it’s a generational thing, being so secretive. But Alice worries Brian might now make changes to his will because she’s annoyed him by asking.
Jolene’s very confident about her pitch for the Coronation Illumination and Kenton reluctantly agrees to support his wife. But Jolene tells Freddie she’s not letting Kenton anywhere near Justin; he might sabotage The Bull’s bid. Later Justin congratulates Freddie on his excellent pitch before inviting in Jolene. Freddie tells Kenton he wishes he’d talked more about farming, as that’s a key interest of King Charles. He adds that thankfully there’s no competition from farms, as far as he knows. This plants an idea in Kenton’s head. Justin is mightily impressed by Jolene’s pitch, admitting he’s already biased towards The Bull, with Lilian’s involvement. He can’t declare the winner just yet, but hints heavily that The Bull could well end up in the spotlight next weekend. Meanwhile Kenton calls Natasha to let her know about the competition Justin’s running. He persuades Natasha to enter Bridge Farm and she’s grateful he’s thought of them. It’s a good idea. Kenton’s keeping everything crossed for them.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m001l9fq)
Patrick Bringley on being a museum guard and TV drama Citadel reviewed
Patrick Bringley sought solace after the death of his brother and found it as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where he worked for ten years. He joins Front Row to talk about his memoir of that time, All the Beauty in the World.
Novelist Tahmima Anam and film critic Jason Solomons review the Russo Brothers' new spy thriller series Citadel starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci, as well as the satirical action comedy film Polite Society, directed by Nida Manzoor.
And art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston reacts to the Turner Prize shortlist, announced today.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Sarah Johnson
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001l9fw)
Sudan conflict: what led to this?
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the latest events in Sudan. Fighting has been commonplace ever since Sudan gained independence but what's behind the latest violence?
Guests:
James Copnall - currently presenting Newsday on the BBC World Service and formerly the BBC's Sudan correspondent
Mohanad Hashim - Sudanese journalist working on Newshour on the BBC World Service
Dame Rosalind Marsden, associate fellow at the Chatham House International Affairs and former UK ambassador to Sudan
Professor Alex De Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and Research Programme Director with the Conflict Research Programme at LSE
Produced by: Kirsteen Knight, Claire Bowes and Ben Carter
Edited by: Penny Murphy
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill
THU 20:30 Fallout: Living in the Shadow of the Bomb (m001dp1z)
Episode 4: Christmas Island
Malden Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) were the small islands in the South Pacific, which now form the Republic of Kiribati, where Britain tested its next level of nuclear weapon, the Hydrogen Bomb. The series of tests there in 1957 and 1958 were codenamed Operation Grapple.
Kiritimati was part of what was then referred to as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, a British colony until 1976. To prepare for and monitor the tests, the British utilised service personnel including National Servicemen and Fijian soldiers, with long term consequences. Many have fought a long campaign for recognition of what they experienced.
With contributions from nuclear test veterans including Doug Hern, who was a 21-year-old Royal Navy chef at the time, Fijian academic Talei Mangioni, members of the Kiribati Tungaru Association and journalist Susie Boniface.
Presented by Steve Purse,
Produced by Hannah Dean.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001l9f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001l99w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001l9g3)
The race to flee Sudan
Thousands of people have been racing to flee Sudan before a fragile ceasefire is due to end. There's hope tonight it will be extended.
But we hear from inside the capital Khartoum about how the fighting has carried on despite supposed truces.
And Former Foreign Secretary David Milband tells us why it's vital that the outside world remains engaged with the crisis.
Also on the programme:
Why the invitation of China’s vice-president to King Charles’s coronation is angering Hong Kong pro-democracy activists.
And American chat show host Sally Jessy Raphael remembers her friend Jerry Springer who's died aged 79.
THU 22:45 The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood (m001l9g7)
Episode 9
Ex-Borstal teenagers Joyce and Charlie have been taken on as architectural apprentices by the Mayhoods at their farm in Surrey. But after Joyce fell again into the clutches of the violent petty criminal Mal Duggan, her night-time drive to deliver a package for him has ended in his murder.
What starts out as a seemingly straightforward story of good intentions and opportunity rapidly turns into a darker story full of secrets and lies. And yet through tragedy come lessons learnt and a determination to hold on to one’s dreams.
Benjamin Wood’s first novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won Le Prix du Roman Fnac.
He was a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Reader: Rupert Evans
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound Design: Essential Music
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 My Teenage Diary (m000zspp)
Series 10
Tim Downie
Rufus Hound's guest is star of Outlander and Paddington, Tim Downie. Tim's diary takes us back to his drama school days in North London in 1994 - reading Chekhov by candlelight, becoming a vegetarian and wearing a lot of collarless shirts.
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001l9gc)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRIDAY 28 APRIL 2023
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001l9gh)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l9ds)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001l9gk)
The latest shipping forecast
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001l9gm)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001l9gp)
The latest shipping forecast
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001l9gr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001l9gt)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor
Good Morning
Good morning. A few years ago, I had a spiritual experience at a train station. Arriving early for my train, I sat down for a coffee at the station café, looking around at the other customers and travellers. I was suddenly filled with a tremendous feeling of love for everyone. I felt a strong urge to connect with people, to express my affection through friendliness. On the train, I chatted with the conductor and joked with the refreshments seller. Outside the window, sunlight was pouring down on the hills, under a perfect blue sky, and I felt illuminated too.
It’s not uncommon for such spiritual experiences to occur train stations or on train journeys. In my research, I have collected several examples. A man described how his train compartment suddenly flooded with light. As he described it, “A most curious but overwhelming sense of love possessed me and filled me with ecstasy”
Perhaps these experiences occur because stations and journeys remind us that we are all fellow travellers. We are all sharing the journey of life, at different stages. At the same time, we are all passengers on the Planet Earth as it floats through space, spinning on its axis and rotating around the sun.
As travellers, we are all equal. We share the same basic impulses: to avoid and transcend suffering, to be accepted and respected, to find wellbeing and love.
As we travel together, it makes sense to support each other. It makes sense for us to connect with one another, rather than to compete and fight. So keep that in mind today - treat everyone you meet as a fellow traveller, who deserves your respect and help.
Blessings.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001l9gx)
After botulism wiped out more than 100 cows on Jersey, the farmer is slowly rebuilding his herd.
We hear about a native seed preservation charity in Northern Ireland.
And a green hydrogen-powered scheme in the foothills of the Grampians, which is aiming to supply all the energy needs of a farm as well as the seven homes with 100% renewable-generated electricity.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03thvkt)
Slavonian Grebe
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
John Aitchison tells the story of the Slavonian grebe. In winter, Slavonian Grebes, with their vermilion eyes, bright and shiny as redcurrants, fly south from Scandinavia and Iceland to spend the winter around our coasts. Their winter plumage is black, grey and white but in spring they moult into their breeding plumage with a rich chestnut throat and belly and golden ear-tufts. A small population breed on a few Scottish Lochs where you might hear their trilling calls.
FRI 06:00 Today (m001l9fn)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (m001l8y7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (m001l9jt)
Episode 5: The Sharpening of Anxieties
Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic history. Today, we reach the 20th century when conflict and environmental degradation redefine global concerns.
In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time. We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.
Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.
Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the long-running series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.
Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001l9fv)
Ruby Wax, Murty women, Summer clothes, National Baby Female choreographers
What happens when a woman famous for her razor sharp wit is left stranded on a desert island with just her own company and a hermit crab called Spartacus? Author, broadcaster and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax joins Anita to explain why she decided to spend 10 days completely cut off from the modern world and other humans.
The Prime Minister’s mother-in-law, Sudha Murty, has claimed that her daughter is the reason Rishi Sunak is in Number 10. She says she herself succeeded in making her husband a businessman, and now her daughter has done the same. To find out more about this claim and the Murty women, journalist and Executive Editor of Politico Anne McElvoy speaks to Anita.
What are all the ruffles doing in summer clothes? Why are baggy dresses back? And how do you go about doing your summer shopping without buying the same dress as eight other people at the party? Grazia journalist Hannah Banks Walker and columnist Martha Alexander join Anita to chat all things summer fashion.
The NHS Maternity services are in crisis. But how did we get to this point? What was it like to give birth at the very beginning of the NHS? Dr Emily Baughan, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield University, tells Anita how a forgotten book called National Baby can help us understand our current situation. The book was written by Sarah Campion, who had one of the very first truly ‘national babies’, cared for not just from cradle to grave, but in utero by the newly set up health service.
Where are all the female choreographers? Liv Lorent is an award-winning choreographer who has spent her career going against the tide in a male dominated arena. 30 years on, she says not much has changed. She speaks to Anita about how women are rare in the industry, which is still lagging behind in putting women behind as well as centre stage.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lottie Garton
FRI 11:00 The Briefing Room (m001l9fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Thursday]
FRI 11:30 Ed Reardon's Week (m000wrl0)
Series 14
Prosecco o’Clock
Episode 1: Prosecco o’Clock
Author of several plays, television dramas, works of non-fiction, letters to the BBC about the pitiful decline in standards of literature and grammar, and master of the abusive email – Ed Reardon is back.
In these globally ‘unprecedented times’ Ed is enjoying unprecedented times himself as he has become financially independent and is living in a superb, stylish capsule urban living unit. This new lifestyle comes courtesy of the conversion of no longer required office space to flats made affordable by the timely arrival of his state pension.
For the first time in twenty years, he can afford to eat three meals a day and has the luxury of not having to do anything he doesn’t want to, so can settle down to a long-cherished project – his memoirs. That is if Jenna, the previous occupant of the urban unit when it was office space, would stop visiting his fire escape because she misses the gossip and bantz she no longer gets when working from home.
But old habits die hard for Ed and he is soon distracted not only by the joys of Prosecco o’clock , but also the temptation of the flip-flops lying tantalisingly outside the discount shop in town.
The regular cast this series are joined by guests Maggie Steed, Kathryn Drysdale, Mina Anwar and Phaldut Sharma.
Cast list ep 1:
Ed Reardon………..Christopher Douglas
Ping…………….……..Barunka O’Shaughnessy
Jaz Milvain…….……Philip Jackson
Stan……………………Geoffrey Whitehead
Pearl…………………..Brigit Forsyth
Olive…………………..Stephanie Cole
Jenna…………………Mina Anwar
Instructor…………..Nicola Sanderson
Assistant……………Tom Price
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis
Production Co-ordinator: Cherlynn Andrew-Wilfred
Sound Recordist and Editor: David Thomas
A BBC Studios Production first broadcast in 2021
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001l9hj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Tanni Grey-Thompson: Still Not Equal (m001l8vj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
FRI 12:57 Weather (m001l9h7)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m001l9h9)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Edward Stourton.
FRI 13:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l9hc)
5. Monograph of a People's Kitchen
The Oyneg Shabes Archive is an extraordinary collection that details every facet of life and death in the Warsaw Ghetto. A secret chronicle that became history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this 10 part series revealing the lives and stories of the Ghetto. Episode 5-Rachel Auerbach-Monograph of a People's Kitchen. With Tracy-Ann Oberman.
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century a half million Jewish men, women & children were cut off, surrounded by the German occupiers, imprisoned behind walls. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure that was buried even as the Ghetto was being extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories
Episode 5: Monograph of a People's Kitchen. In the wake of the German invasion & occupation the Aylenhilf-the Jewish Communal Self Help network created refugee centres, block committees, mobile libraries and soup kitchens. Writer Rachel Auerbach became the director of one such soup kitchen at 40 Leszno Street where she both kept a diary and then wrote her first piece as one of the Oyneg Shabes team.
With Tracy-Ann Oberman as Rachel Auerbach. Narration by Anton Lesser. Translation Sean Gasper Bye & Samuel Kassow. With thanks to the Yiddish Book Centre Written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001l9fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001lcgf)
An Eye for a Killing
An Eye for a Killing – 1. The Trial on Christmas Eve
Welcome to hell. The true story of Scotland’s notorious serial killers, Burke and Hare.
On Christmas Eve in 1828, William Burke is on trial for murder at the High Court in Edinburgh. He’s accused of killing an old woman, Madgy Docherty. In the witness box is his accuser – William Hare - who is Burke’s accomplice in 16 murders.
What started these two former canal labourers on a mass killing spree? In 1828, Edinburgh is a world-leading centre of medical training and dissection. The anatomists need cadavers on which to demonstrate and practice – but the supply of bodies from hospitals and prisons isn’t enough to meet the demand. Burke and Hare discover they can earn £10 by selling a dead body and decide they will lure victims to their lodging house and murder them.
Powerful five-part drama-documentary series from BBC Radio 4 with bonus scenes on BBC Sounds.
Written and dramatised by Colin MacDonald.
Narrator ….. Jack Lowden
Burke ….. Gavin Mitchell
Hare ….. James Boal
John Fisher ….. Robert Jack
Mary Paterson ….. Helen Mackay
Janet Brown ….. Nicola Roy
Madgy Docherty ….. Maureen Carr
Jamie ….. Kyle Gardiner
Sheriff Tait ….. Ron Donachie
Sir William Rae ….. Stuart McQuarrie
Robert Knox ….. Simon Donaldson
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer/director: Bruce Young
FRI 14:45 Understand: The Economy (m001hx88)
Series 1
Economy: 15. Energy market
The rising cost of living really brought home how those big, global economic shocks can mean some pretty bad bumps for our individual finances. Probably the most obvious, immediate and, painful way that global economic events hit our household budgets is through the price of energy. In 2022 we saw our bills almost double - causing the government to step in and guarantee energy prices, with the Treasury picking up the rest of the tab. Even with that support, many people are struggling and we’re all paying a bit more attention to our bills. How does the market for energy work? Exactly what are we paying for, who sets the prices and why are our bills so much higher? And where did it all begin: economic historian Dr Victoria Bateman gives us a brief history of the National Grid.
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 such as Inflation, GDP, National Debt, energy markets and more. 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.
Guest: Mike Waterson, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Researcher: Beth Ashmead-Latham
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards
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 (m001l9hk)
Crowle
I’ve just set up a greenhouse, where do I begin? What should I plant around an oak tree? Can I put the contents of my hoover in the compost?
From planting proposals, to allotment advice, the GQT panel are back to answer all of your plant predicaments from Crowle, Worcestershire. Ready to rid you of all your garden gripes are plant enthusiast Bunny Guinness, brainy botanist Matthew Biggs, and RHS Wisley whizz Matthew Pottage.
Alongside the questions, Bob Flowerdew gives us all his tips and tricks on tomato sowing and growing, including the unlikely power of banana peel.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001l9hn)
A Quiet Rebellion
Comedian and writer Eleanor Morton creates a fictional response to recent headlines.
As debates over censorship and banning books rage, reported attacks on libraries, and librarians are increasing.
Eleanor Morton casts a wry eye on censorship with a warm and funny tale of an unassmuming librarian who has long been instigating small acts of defiance in her workplace.
Credits
Writer ….. Eleanor Morton
Reader ….. Karen Bartke
Producer ….. Naomi Walmsley
A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001l9hq)
Barry Humphries, Len Goodman, Professor Elizabeth Murray, Jah Shaka
Matthew Bannister on
Barry Humphries, best known for his comic creations Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. We have tributes from Rob Brydon and John Humphrys.
Len Goodman, who went from working as a welder to international fame as head judge of Strictly Come Dancing.
Professor Elizabeth Murray, a pioneer in the use of digital technology in health care.
And Jah Shaka, dub reggae star, producer and sound system king.
Interviewee: Rob Brydon
Interviewee: John Humphrys
Interviewee: Mary Richardson
Interviewee: Anne Pender
Interviewee: Professor Fiona Stevenson
Interviewee: Neil Fraser (also known as music producer Mad Professor)
Interviewee: Bryan Gee
Producer: Paul Martin
Archive used:
Dame Edna Everage on Parkinson, BBC One, 1998, uploaded to YouTube 01/07/2017; One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage, ITV, 1988, uploaded to YouTube 22/04/2023; Another Audience With Dame Edna Everage, ITV, 1984, uploaded to YouTube, 01/09/2022; Barry Humphries on Parkinson, BBC One, 1982, uploaded to YouTube. 23/04/2023; Barry Humphries, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 29/05/2009
Dame Edna Everage on the Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, 18/09/2019; Len Goodman, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 24/06/2011; Jah Shaka, Junior Brown, Warriors, Reggae Records Archives, YouTube uploaded 26/09/2022; Jah Shaka sound system live London, (Tape Edit)YouTube uploaded 15/10/2022;
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001l9hs)
Andrea Catherwood is joined by Colin Paterson, Head of Audio, BBC Wales and the West of England. Colin explains why Saturday Live and other Radio 4 programmes have moved to Cardiff and responds to listeners’ comments.
Writer Al Smith gives an insight into how he writes the storylines for the award-winning Radio 4 drama Life Lines, set in an ambulance control room.
And in our Vox Box this week, a monarchist and a republican discuss The Today Debate: Do we need a Monarchy?
Presented by Andrea Catherwood
Produced by Gill Davies
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 17:00 PM (m001l9hv)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001l9hz)
Richard Sharp has resigned as chairman of the BBC after an investigation found he'd broken rules on public appointments during his dealings with Boris Johnson.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m001l9j1)
Series 111
Episode 1
Andy Zaltzman is back with a brand-new series of The News Quiz.
This week Andy is joined by Ria Lina, Scott Bennett, Isabel Hardman and Simon Evans. They discuss a unicorn infestation, a Labour investigation, and a quick hello to the rest of the world’s nations.
And if you like what you hear, the series will be available to listen to from the 26th May, wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can hear it right now in the UK – before anywhere else – first on BBC Sounds.
Hosted and written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Catherine Brinkworth, Kate Dehnert, and Jade Gebbie.
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Giles Aspen
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001l9j4)
Writer, Sarah McDonald-Hughes
Director, Dave Payne
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer ….. Mali Harries
Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore
Lilian Bellamy ….. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter ….. Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin ….. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Paul Mack ….. Joshua Riley
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Den ….. Laurence Saunders
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m001l9j6)
Strikes, Camera, Action!
Ahead of International Workers' Day, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore how the struggle for workers' rights and other movements for change have been depicted on screen.
Ellen speaks to artist Jeremy Deller, who in 2001 restaged and filmed perhaps the most pivotal and violent event of the 1984/85 miners' strike - the confrontation between police and picketing miners in South Yorkshire, which has come to be known as the Battle of Orgreave. She also talks to cultural historian Christopher Frayling about some of the most interesting films about the labour movement to emerge in the UK, from The Proud Valley to It's All Right, Jack.
And Mark investigates how activism is depicted on screen in the present day, speaking to How To Blow Up A Pipeline director Daniel Goldhaber, and activist Megan Kapler, whose work with advocacy group Prescription Addiction Intervention Now was recently portrayed in documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed.
This week's Viewing Note comes from film director Lizzie Borden, who shares her favourite recent activist documentaries.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001l9j8)
Lucy Fisher, Robert Jenrick, David Lammy, Bronwen Maddox
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Tyndale Baptist Church, Bristol, with a panel including the incoming Financial Times Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Bronwen Maddox - Chief Executive and Director of the international affairs institute Chatham House.
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Lead broadcast engineer: Tim Allen
Editor: Camellia Sinclair
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001l9jb)
Demographic Meltdown
When the world's first state pension was introduced in Prussia in 1889, the qualifying age was 70 and the average life expectancy was 40. Half a century later, in 1935, many countries lowered the retirement age to 65, but still barely half the population lived long enough to claim it. Now, it's clearly a very different story.
With the help of PD James, Sarah Dunant looks at how the UK can tackle the demographic nightmare it currently faces - an ageing population but falling birth rates.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
FRI 21:00 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l9jd)
Omnibus: Episodes 1-5
The archives of Oyneg Shabes reveal the daily struggles for life in the Warsaw Ghetto between 1940-43.
Between 1940-43 a group of dedicated writers, led by historian Emanuel Ringeblum, created an underground archive chronicling daily Jewish existence in the Warsaw Ghetto. It would become history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this 10 part series revealing the lives, stories & destruction of the Ghetto. Omnibus Edition episodes 1-5.
With Elliot Levey as Emanuel Ringeblum.
In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century, a half million Jewish men, women & children were herded into a prison city within a city. Walled off & surrounded by the German occupiers & their collaborators. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write, collect & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure that was buried even as the Ghetto was being extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories
Narration by Anton Lesser with the voices of Lily Fair, Elliot Levey, Leah Marks, Alfred Molina, Andy Nyman, Carl Prekopp & Tracy-Ann Oberman . Yiddish voice group Helen Beer & Mame Loshn. Polish voice group Krystena Bell & the Syrena Youth Theatre, Historical adviser Samuel Kassow. Series written & produced by Mark Burman.
For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001l9jg)
In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood (m001l9jj)
Episode 10
Several years have passed since Charlie and his older sister Joyce were taken on as architectural apprentices by the Mayhoods and Joyce disappeared after the discovery of a murder at the farm. Now Charlie wants to become an architect himself, and is hoping to get an apprenticeship with the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
What started out as a seemingly straightforward story of good intentions and opportunity rapidly turns into a darker story full of secrets and lies.
And yet through tragedy come lessons learnt and a determination to hold on to one’s dreams.
Benjamin Wood’s first novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won Le Prix du Roman Fnac.
He was a finalist for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Reader: Rupert Evans
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound Design: Essential Music
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 Americast (m001l9jl)
Biden's Final Campaign
Joe Biden is officially running again! The 80-year-old president has posted a video promising “freedom” for Americans and to “finish the job”.
Jim Messina, who masterminded Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, tells the Americast team that Democrats should be praying every night for Donald Trump to be their opponent, why he thinks it makes sense for Kamala Harris to stay on as vice president, and how Biden’s team can make sure his age isn’t the elephant in the room.
Sarah visits a college baseball park in North Carolina to see which way voters are swinging. And Marianna checks in with our Undercover Voters, but some of them are actually distracted by the shock exit of influential anchor Tucker Carlson from Fox News.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America editor
• Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
• Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
GUEST:
• Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s re-election campaign manager
GET IN TOUCH:
• Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
This episode was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Alix Pickles, Natasha Fernandes and Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001l9jn)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament