SATURDAY 01 JULY 2023

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001n8zx)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Monsters by Claire Dederer (m001n8rk)
Episode 5

A provocative and challenging interrogation of how we make and experience art and of the link between genius and monstrosity.

Claire Dederer asks if we can we love the work of Polanski, Woody Allen, Michael Jackson, Wagner and the many other feted writers, artists and musicians, most of whom happen to be male.

Should we love it? Does genius deserve special dispensation? Is male monstrosity the same as female monstrosity?

She explores the audience's relationship with some of these artists asking how we balance our undeniable sense of moral outrage with our equally undeniable love of the work. In a more troubling vein, she wonders if an artist needs to be a monster in order to create something great. And if an artist is also a mother, does one identity inexorably, and fatally, interrupt the other?

Monsters by Claire Dederer
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001n901)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001n905)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001n908)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001n90b)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001n90d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

Today I asked my father if the next time he visits from Qatar whether he would collaborate with me on a small project for my twenty-month-old-son.
Together we would produce a series of digital life lectures that my son can listen to as he grows up.

At 66 years old you may say my father is “not that old,” but recently his closest friends have started to pass away from illness or old age.

These friends were pillars in our community and it really brought home to me that I just don’t know how much time my father has left in this world.

I worry that he won’t be around to see my son grow up and deliver him the valuable life lessons that I missed out on when his own father passed away when I was a baby.

As a teenager I loathed the lectures that my father would give me spanning hours on a weekday evening or Sunday afternoon when I’d rather be watching TV or listening to music.

But now I regret mocking them and can only hope God will grant me many more opportunities to sit with my father, listen to his advice, his stories about his childhood in Egypt, and to his retellings of momentous moments in Islamic history, etching everything he says permanently onto my brain.

My Lord, as I enter into this new day, I recall the prayer mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and ask you to have mercy upon my parents as they brought me up when I was small.

Oh Lord, allow us to appreciate the wisdom of our elders and be present in the moment with them.

Ameen.


SAT 05:45 Living on the Edge (m001n8pg)
East Neuk

Ten coastal encounters, presented by Richard King.

Today: at Anstruther harbour with Ellie Deas.

Not simply town or countryside, the coastline is a place apart – attracting lives and stories often overlooked.

In these ten programmes, the writer Richard King travels around the UK coast to meet people who live and work there – a sequence of portraits rooted in distinct places, which piece together into an alternative portrait of the UK: an oblique image of the nation drawn from the coastal edge.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001ng2q)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001n8pp)
WalKington, Herefordshire

Ali Allen takes Clare for a sunny hike just outside Kington, a town she would like to be renamed 'WalKington' because it's such a magnet for ramblers.

Ali runs a tiny walking shop where her dog, Roo, keeps a look out from the window display full of boots and socks and maps. She lived in Utah for thirty years, working as a nurse, but returned six years ago with no firm plan. Somehow she landed in the tiny town of Kington in Herefordshire where she opened her shop which now has a B&B above it, mostly serving ramblers trekking along Offa's Dyke. On today's walk she leads Clare up Bradnor Hill - crossing the highest 18 hole golf course in England - and onto a stretch of Offa's Dyke. On the way she shares her story of life and love in Utah, making a home back in the UK, and coping with rheumatoid arthritis which, despite the problems it causes, doesn't stop her outdoor adventures.

The starting grid reference is SO297566


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001ng2s)
01/07/23 Farming Today This Week: review into labour shortages in the food supply chain, bacon, fruit pickers speak out.

A review into labour shortages in the food supply chain in England identifies critical issues which need resolving.
Seasonal migrant workers who pick our fruit and veg speak out about working conditions they describe as ‘beyond shocking’.
We’ve been discussing bacon all this week. Food safety expert Professor Chris Elliott form Queen's University Belfast is campaigning to have the use of nitrates in pork processing banned.
The Silver Lapwing Award, one of the most prestigious environmental prizes in UK farming, has announced its 2023 winner.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001ng2v)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001ng2x)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001ng2z)
Martin Roberts, Jimi Famurewa, Nadine Cooper, Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Today we welcome the writer, broadcaster and journalist Jimi Famurewa.

Martin Roberts, the broadcaster, property expert and host of BBC Television series Homes Under the Hammer.

And the founder of the Tuneless Choir, Nadine Cooper.

Plus, we’ll hear the Inheritance Tracks from 'kitchen disco queen' and singer, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jason Mohammad.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001ng33)
Jon Ronson: Pacific Coast Highway, California, USA

Jon takes Shaun on a road with incredible views and equally incredible drops off the cliff. Jon's had some strange and amazing experiences along this highway, from San Francisco to Big Sur to Malibu, and Shaun is definitely tempted. Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence is along for the ride.

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.

Producers: Beth O'Dea and Sarah Goodman

Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001ng37)
Fast Car

'Fast Car' is one of Tracy Chapman's biggest hits, with listeners from around the world finding striking connections with their own lives in the song's story.

It was released in April 1988, and that summer, the American singer-songwriter performed it to a global audience of 600 million at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute. This broadcast catapulted Tracy and the song to super-stardom, as it became a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic and received three Grammy nominations.

Ever since, 'Fast Car' has resonated with people around the world. The lyrics describe a working woman trying to escape a cycle of poverty, dreaming of a plan to leave in a "fast car". She speaks of wanting to get out of the life she finds herself in, living in a shelter, and driving towards the city to find something better.

This episode features the personal stories of Fitzroy Samuels in Kingston, Jamaica; Priscilla Munson in Indiana, U.S; Gemma Brown in Gateshead, UK and Dev Cuny in California, U.S. We also hear from Alister Wright in Sydney, Australia whose band, Vlossom, covered Fast Car; and Nigel Williamson, music journalist who has met and interviewed Tracy Chapman many times.

Produced by Eliza Lomas, BBC Audio Bristol


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001ng3c)
As the Government unveils its long-awaited NHS workforce plan George Parker of The Financial Times is joined by the chairman of the Health Select Committee, Steve Brine MP, and Labour peer and former NHS clinician, Robert Winston. After the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful, George speaks to Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart, who represents the south coast seat of Hastings and Rye, and Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti, the former director of the human rights group Liberty. The Conservative peer Andrew Tyrie, who formerly led the Competition and Markets Authority, discusses whether industry regulators are up to the job after the Chancellor met various regulators this week to discuss the cost of living crisis. And, following reports that many Conservative MPs are absent from Westminster as they try to defend marginal seats and campaign in the upcoming by-elections, Conservative MP Lucy Allan and former Conservative strategist Andrew Cooper, now a non-affiliated peer, discuss Tory chances at the next general election.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001ng3h)
Tracing Syria's Captagon Trade

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' and writers' despatches from Lebanon and Jordan, Ukraine's battle fronts, the Caribbean island of Grenada, the BBC's bureaux abroad and the streets of the South Bronx in New York City.

Captagon is a small, amphetamine-like pill which has become one of the most popular illegal drugs in the Middle East. There is increasing evidence that large amounts of it are being manufactured inside Syria in collusion with allies of the ruling Assad family - then brought out into neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan by Bedouin smugglers. Emir Nader joined the soldiers and lawmen trying to choke off the drug supply routes.

Despite the Wagner Group's apparent mutiny last weekend, Russia's war in Ukraine has not stopped - or even abated. Along the front line, Andrew Harding saw how Ukrainian soldiers and medics are continuing their fight, eavesdropping on Russian troops, and treating the wounded.

It's been nearly 40 years since the US invasion of Grenada - triggered by a chaotic power struggle within the island's avowedly Marxist-Leninist New Jewel Movement. On Grenada's "Bloody Wednesday" 1983, there were more than a dozen firing-squad executions - and there are still enduring questions about the events. Mark Stratton asked why some of the bodies are still missing - including that of the island's widely admired leader Maurice Bishop.

Simon Wilson has worked abroad for the BBC for more than twenty years, in some of its most prestigious bureaux, including Jerusalem, Brussels and Washington DC. But his foreign news career started out in much less promising conditions - at the notoriously dismal office in Bonn. He pulls back the curtain on some of the more unexpected features of the BBC's premises overseas.

And in the South Bronx, there are signs of creeping gentrification on what used to be some of New York City's meanest streets. Not everyone is a fan of the changes, though. Writer and broadcaster Lindsay Johns has been exploring today's cultural scene in the Boogie Down - including a thriving Black-owned bookshop.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001ng3m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001ng0g)
Saving Rates and Pension Helpline Problems

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has stepped in to tell banks to put up the rates paid to savers after the Bank of England raised the official Bank Rate to 5%. Many mortgage rates went up at once and more have been increased this week, but the rates paid on savings by the banks have not followed them. The gap between the two has almost doubled from December 2021. We hear from Gillian who runs a business in Bromsgrove and ask how banks make decisions on savings rates.

More than two million calls to a helpline for people wanting to boost their state pension have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Minister in charge of what is called the Future Pension Centre, Laura Trott, has admitted that in the first five months of the year more than two million calls were cut off without even being allowed to join the call waiting queue.

A new energy price cap comes into effect today. This will see households pay an average of 2,074 pounds a year. This is lower than the level at which government subsidies kept bills but still 800 pounds more than two years ago. We'll also look at how smart meter data is being used to research fuel poverty.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Felicity Hannah
Researcher: Sandra Hardial
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 1st July, 2023)


SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m001n8xw)
Series 23

Episode 3

Matt Hancock delivers his sincerest apology yet, Boris Johnson appears on Great Lives and The Archers has a surprise new writer.

This week's impressionists are Jon Culshaw, Lewis MacLeod, Jess Robinson, Duncan Wisbey and Jan Ravens.

This episode was written by Nev Fountain & Tom Jamieson, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, James Bugg, Edward Tew, Sophie Dickson, Peter Tellouche, Toussaint Douglas, Duncan Wisbey, Katie Sayer and Sarah Campbell.

Produced and created by Bill Dare
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001ng3p)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001ng3r)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001n8yx)
Kate Andrews, Hilary Benn MP, Maria Caulfield MP, Dr Latifa Patel

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow with the Economics Editor at The Spectator Kate Andrews, Labour MP and former cabinet minister Hilary Benn, Health Minister and Conservative MP Maria Caulfield and Representative body chair at the British Medical Association Dr Latifa Patel.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Tom Earle


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001ng3t)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week


SAT 14:45 The Museums That Make Us (m0015bf4)
The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland

Neil MacGregor presents a new series for BBC Radio Four celebrating the role and ambition of museums the length and breadth of the country, and in the process he'll be find answers to the question ‘What are Museums For in 2022’.

Once again the challenge for today's museum is how to best serve a community that has experienced the industrial decline of the last half-century. In Bishop Auckland's case, it was the demise of the Coal industry that left the region facing so many challenges. The Auckland Project response was the opening of a Miners Art Gallery, to run alongside their celebrated paintings by the Spanish artist Zubaran of Jacob and his twelve sons. And to give that Castle treasure new context, the Trust has opened a third gallery celebrating the golden age of Spanish Art. Driven by founder Jonathan Ruffer, the ambition is to show that art is democratic, and that the very best of painting from Spain can matter to any community given the opportunity to see it.

Museums have always been telescopes trained on the past to help locate a sense of place in the present. Neil believes that role is an active one, responding to changes in the people museums serve and the shifting social and cultural landscape they inhabit. After spending much of his life at the centre of our national Museum life in London, Neil is taking to the road to discover more about the extraordinary work being done in cherished Museums outside the capital, from Stornoway to Stowmarket, and Belfast to Birmingham.

In each episode he visits a single museum, inviting them to choose an object from their collections which they feel best illustrates their civic role, and the way they relate and want to relate to their local audience. Very rarely have they chosen a crown jewel from their often priceless collections. More often it's an object with a particular local resonance, or which helps tackle episodes from the past which are being viewed very differently by citizens in the 21st century.

He’ll be visiting the great national museums of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as major city institutions in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and elsewhere. And in spite of the challenges of the last two years, everywhere he meets passionate teams who are dedicated to providing a unique experience for both local audiences and visitors from further afield.

Neil writes: “What’s going on in our museums is at once challenging and exciting and it can only really be understood by visiting as many as possible and finding out how they have approached what is a vital role in providing a sense of local, regional and national identity.”

Producer - Tom Alban
Original music composed by Phil Channell


SAT 15:00 Turning Point (m001ng3x)
A Ghastly Mistake

Born Elizabeth Forbes in 1912, Dr Ewan Forbes goes to the Scottish courts to protect his marriage, his practice and above all his claim to be heir-male to the Craigevar Baronetcy.

In 1967, John Forbes Sempill takes out a civil court case against his cousin, Ewan to establish his right to inherit the Baronetcy of Craigievar in Scotland - a title which could only be passed down the male line. Ewan, otherwise next in line, was registered at birth as Elizabeth, a girl. But, from the age of 6 he has lived as boy and man. A qualified GP he has successfully amended his birth certificate and married his housekeeper “Patty”.

The sudden death of Ewan’s older brother, William Baronet of Craigevar, instantly changes Ewan’s quiet rural life. His cousin challenges for the title, claiming that Ewan is female and cannot inherit. Ewan feels obliged to defend his position - to protect his marriage, his way of life and his identity.

The hearing may be held “in camera” out of the public gaze, but the testimony from the court records, reveals a disturbing personal examination and enquiry for both Ewan and Patty. The play presents their personal struggle to confirm Ewan’s gender and preserve the legality of their marriage against their moral obligations in the eyes of God to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Nicholas McInerney’s new play looks at the events of Ewan’s life through the eyes of the late Gwendolyn Forbes Sempill, formidable as Ewan’s mother and champion. It intertwines scenes from childhood with critical moments of the hearing taken verbatim from the court transcript.

Interpolated throughout the play are moments of verbatim testimony from people identifying as “trans”, from the 1950s to today.

With Frances Barbour and Kit Green.

An International Arts Partnership production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001ng41)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Olivia Colman, Rosamund Pike, Managing your Energy Levels

The Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman is the patron of the arts charity Tender, having previously played a survivor of domestic violence in the film Tyrannosaur. She speaks to Woman’s Hour alongside Tender CEO Susie McDonald about the work they’re doing to try and prevent domestic violence.

Do you breakdown your ‘to do’ list into hours and minutes? What if you broke down your day into how much energy you had instead? We discuss Energy Management Techniques with Lauren Walker, an Occupational Therapist and Charlie Thorne, who was a lawyer before she became burnt out.

Baroness Margaret McDonagh, the first female general secretary of the Labour Party, has died aged 61. Her sister Siobhain McDonagh shared her tribute and explained why she's chosen to speak out so soon to push for more research into glioblastoma brain tumours.

Rebecca Clancy from the Times reflects on the legacy of the all-female motor racing championship, the W Series.

The author Caroline O' Donoghue speaks to us about her new campus novel, The Rachel Incident. She talks about writing sex, gay best friends and what happens when messing about in your 20s gets very serious indeed.

The much acclaimed actor Rosamund Pike discusses playing a woman who fakes her own death in a BBC audio adaptation of the book People Who Knew Me.

Presented by Hayley Hassall
Produced by Lucy Wai
Edited by Richard Hooper


SAT 17:00 PM (m001ng45)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001ng49)
The Anas Sarwar One

Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001ng4f)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001ng4k)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ng4p)
President Macron postpones state visit to Germany after four nights of rioting


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001ng0j)
Lesley Sharp, Vivian Oparah, DJ Fat Tony, Ravneet Gill, Keaton Henson, Lilo, Andrew O' Neill, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Andrew O' Neill are joined by Lesley Sharp, DJ Fat Tony, Vivian Oparah and Ravneet Gill for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Keaton Henson and Lilo.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001nfzy)
Sergei Shoigu

Russia's Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, was publicly condemned by Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, during his march on Moscow. Yet despite the criticism, this long-term ally of President Putin remains in post.

Timandra Harkness looks at the life and career of the former construction engineer, who once headed Russia's disaster relief programme, becoming a minister under Boris Yeltsin.

Presenter: Timandra Harkness
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production: Sally Abrahams, Diane Richardson, Maria Ogundele, Sabine Schereck


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001ng4w)
Series 27

Supervolcanoes

Brian Cox and Robin Ince find out if supervolcanoes are worth worrying about. They are joined by volcanologist Tamsin Mather, geologist Chris Jackson and comedian Rachel Parris. They learn about the worst eruptions of all time, including the eruption that may have sparked the French Revolution. They find out what volcanologists like Tamsin are doing to monitor supervolcanoes and if volcanologists do predict an impending eruption, is there anything we can do about it?

New episodes are released on Saturdays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Producer: Caroline Steel
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001ng50)
Last Man Standing

In the near future, Paul Farley finds that he is the last person on the planet - everyone else has disappeared without any explanation.

At first bewildered, in order to mark time and help him keep his wits sharp, he sets about creating an audio journal, centred on an exploration of the various novels, poems and films that feature a last man (and it is almost always a man) character.

These stem back to the Romantics, and include Byron's poem Darkness and Mary Shelley's overlooked gem The Last Man, which raises some of the key questions that arise not just in later narratives but also in Paul's own experience - what happens to time when you're the last person standing, should you live in the town or the countryside, is it possible to really be happy or simply enjoy a view, a meal or a song when there's nobody left to enjoy them with?

With thanks to Fiona Corston and Simon Bainbridge

Produced by Geoff Bird
Executive Producer - Eloise Whitmore
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000hdk4)
Series 5

Episode 1

It's the 1990s and Brian Oldman is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon found dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Sir Joseph Olinska MP, organised the killing.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska 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 a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s 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. Now ennobled and on the board of Lehman Brothers, Joseph intends to extend his business interests into Russia with the help of Boris Yeltsin and his cronies. John Major is now the Prime Minister and a young man from the left, Tony Blair, also seems keen on making Joseph’s acquaintance. Meanwhile, Joseph is trying to divorce his first wife, Catherine.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

CAST
Joseph Oldman Toby Jones
Brian Oldman Joe Armstrong
Catherine Isabella Urbanowicz
Leah Cohen Jasmine Hyde
Margaret Courtney Flora Montgomery
Warder Peters/
John Major Paul Kemp
Asst Governor/
Lord Miles Christian Rodska
Dr Aziz Damian Lynch
Dr Eaves Felicity Duncan
Lord Goodman Edward Max
Kevin Wheeler Lucas Hare
George Carmen Nigel Cooke
The Master Jamie Newall
Jack Braden John Hollingworth
Third Doctor/
Usher/Secretary Sarah Lambie

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


SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001n8v8)
Series 9

Episode 2

Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album remixes news into award winning satirical shapes. This week - Apocalypse Nyet, a Succession of sewage, and oh, those Russians...

Creator and Producer: Jon Holmes
Technicals: Tony Churnside

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m001ng54)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001n8ym)
Anna Phoebe and Neil Brand journey from Brighton to Beirut

Violinist and composer Anna Phoebe and pianist and composer Neil Brand join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to explore ground-breaking techniques on traditional instruments, from the classical flute to the tuba. The journey takes us from Spain to Beirut, taking in surf rock, 'maximalism' and the beauty of Egyptian scales.

And jazz flautist Chip Wickham discusses and demonstrates his unorthodox playing technique .

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

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Rebel No 23 by Chip Wickham
Bell Boy by The Who
Nautilus by Anna Meredith
Misirlou by Dick Dale
Batwanes Beek by Warda

Other music in this episode:

Summertime by Ira and George Gershwin, played by Charlie Parker
Don’t Give Up On Us by David Soul
Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown
International Velvet by Catatonia
Misirlou performed by Tetos Demetriades and Nikos Roubanis


SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (m001n8dn)
Programme 12, 2023

(12/12)
The 2023 season comes to a close with Wales playing the North of England, who beat them last time they met. Another win today would give Adele Geras and Stuart Maconie of the North a real chance of taking the series title. Can the Welsh, Myfanwy Alexander and David Edwards, stop them?

Kirsty Lang will be awarding and deducting points according to how much help she has to give the panel in unravelling the cryptic questions. This week's questions encompass everything from Plantagenet history to famous FA Cup Finals and progressive rock bands - and by Round Britain Quiz tradition, for this final edition of the series, they've all been suggested by listeners.

Whatever happens, today's contest will determine which team takes the title of Round Britain Quiz champions for 2023.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Yeti (m001ng58)
1. Ready, Yeti, Go!

Tales of a bipedal ape-like creature persist in the myth and legend of the Himalayas. But does the yeti really exist? Two enthusiasts are determined to find out.

Andrew Benfield and Richard Horsey begin their search in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Speaking to villagers and yak herders, they hear multiple accounts of yeti sightings. Will they find the evidence they need to prove the creature is real?

Producer: Joanna Jolly.
Executive Producer: Kirsten Lass.
Sound designers: Peregrine Andrews and Dan King.
Composer of original music: Marisa Cornford.
Assistant Producer Maia Miller- Lewis.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 02 JULY 2023

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001ng5d)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Poetry Please (m001n8fl)
Michael Morpurgo

Roger’s guest is children’s writer Michael Morpurgo. His choices reflect a deep love of rural life and also include moving reflections on war, and peace. Including poetry by Ted Hughes, Edward Thomas, Eleanor Farjeon and Raymond Briggs.
Producer Sally Heaven


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ng5j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ng5n)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ng5s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001ng5x)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001ng0q)
St Mary’s Dennington in Suffolk

Bells on Sunday comes from the medieval parish church of St Mary’s Dennington in Suffolk. The 14th century tower houses a ring of six bells that were cast by various local foundries over a period spanning nearly 500 years. In 2010 they were overhauled and retuned by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London.
The Tenor weights eighteen and one quarter hundredweight and is tuned to E. We hear them ringing Norwich Surprise Minor


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001nfzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001nfyp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0bgw2m8)
Sacred Sounds, Dangerous Women

Journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly explores the turbulent relationship between Islam and the female singing voice.

Over the course of history, Islam has had a troubled relationship with music, with some believers arguing that it should be banned. Female singers have been particularly hard hit. Despite periods of repression that have seen Muslim women banned from singing in public and performing solo in front of men, there is a rich tradition of women using music to deepen their Islamic faith.

Remona interweaves the stunning tones of the "queen of Sufi music", Abida Parveen, with the young hijabi singer-songwriter Sevval Kayhan, who wowed the X-Factor Holland judges. We hear silken Quranic recitations from Indonesia alongside Olivia Newton John's rendition of one of Islam's oldest songs - Tala'al Badru 'Alayna.

In order to find out more about the current state of affairs in Britain, Remona speaks to Sakinah Lenoir and Rabiah Abdullah who together make up the acoustic duo Pearls of Islam. The band explain that they believe the negative reactions some have to the sound of the female singing voice is due to fear. Far from trying to revolutionise Islam, the pair explain that their work refers back to the time of Prophet Muhammad who surrounded himself with vocal women, female singers and poets. Following their interview, Pearls of Islam perform their beautiful track Mercy live.

Remona concludes that, while the controversy over female singers remains within certain quarters of her faith, these female singers are far from dangerous. For Remona, the real danger lies in stripping away an avenue of spiritual expression for women whose only aim is to reach out to the divine through music.

Presenter: Remona Aly
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 Natural Histories (b05w9b64)
Meteorites

For thousands of years we have marvelled at the stones that fell from the sky. They were mysterious messages from the heavens; omens of luck and favour. Ancient Egyptians buried them in their tomb and Terry Pratchett put meteorite iron into his home made sword to enhance its mystical properties.

Myths and legends about meteorites abound in all cultures. In religious art they are visions in the sky foretelling of the apocalypse. Interest in them rocketed when it was finally accepted, as late as the 1970s that they did kill the dinosaurs, a scientific debate that took many years to settle and was hard fought. Meteorites are marvels; they are fragments of other worlds come to our home to remind us we are not alone and that above the sky there is a dynamic, restless universe.

Today people still believe meteorites contain magical minerals. The bizarre plants, Venus flytraps, only grow in the areas meteorites are found (by coincidence) and were thought to be plants brought down from another planet. We are all touched by the mystery of meteorites and today they are helping unravel the mysteries of our own solar system – and beyond.

Originally broadcast as a longer version on 4th August 2015

Original Producer : Sarah Pitt

Archive Producer : Andrew Dawes


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001nfys)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001nfyv)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001nfyx)
Islamophobia in Ireland; Executed Carmelite nuns; Church closures

Irish lawmakers are currently debating a bill on hate speech. The aim is to update 35 year old legislation that the Irish Justice Minister has called “ineffective”. A spate of anti-immigration protests in the country are said to have a pronounced Islamophobic focus. We speak to an academic to explore Ireland’s relationship with issues of racism and immigration.

South African soprano Golda Schultz talks about her role as Madeleine Lidoine in the opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites, which depicts the powerful and moving true story of 16 nuns executed in 1794. It is currently being staged at Glyndebourne. She describes how the role has strengthened her own Catholic faith.

The Church of Scotland will have to close hundreds of its churches in the next few years and this isn't just a problem for Scottish Presbyterians, who now have twice as many buildings as they have ministers. Across the UK, six thousand churches and chapels have closed in the past decade. William Crawley speaks to the Reverend David Cameron, Convenor of the Assembly Trustees, and to Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust.

Prsenter: William Crawley
Editor: Jonathan Hallewell & Tim Pemberton
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Linda Walker
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
Studio Managers: Sharon Hughes & Simon Highfield


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001nhnp)
Street Child

Author and journalist Christina Lamb makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Street Child

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 ‘Street Child’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Street Child’.
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: 1128536


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001nfyz)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001nfz1)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001nfz3)
Sing! The Great Commission

At the end of June, thousands of people gathered in Belfast SSE Arena for Sing! The Great Commission Conference. Their combined efforts provide the music for today’s Sunday Worship! With a contribution from hymn writer, Keith and Krystin Getty, the moving force behind the conference. The service is introduced by Ruth Jennings and the preacher is the Very Rev. Dr David Bruce. The music is directed by Jonathan Rea.

Psalm 130 Romans 8.31-39
Come Christians, join to sing
In Christ alone
When I survey the wondrous cross
He will hold me fast


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001n8z6)
Good Directions

AL Kennedy explores how we get information without an overload of negativity.

'Sadness, rage, anxiety...our media use them to hook us, withhold the good news, exhaust us with the bad', she writes.

She reflects on why 'selective news avoidance' is on the increase.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Penny Murphy


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mhyzf)
Raven

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

David Attenborough presents the story of the raven. Ravens are one of the most widely distributed birds in the world and can survive Arctic winters and scorching deserts. In the UK, Ravens were once widespread, even in cities but persecution drove them back into the wilder parts of our islands. Now they're re-colonising the lowlands and are even turning up on the outskirts of London where, since Victorian times, the only ravens were the ones kept at the Tower.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001nfz5)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001nfz7)
Writer, Caroline Harrington
Director, Pip Swallow
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ….. William Troughton
Lee Bryce ….. Ryan Early
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Mia Grundy ….. Molly Pipe
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Lena Manzour ….. Sarah Kameela Impey
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers ….. Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Rob Titchener ..... Timothy Watson


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001nfz9)
Stanley Tucci, actor

Stanley Tucci is an actor, director and writer who is known for his roles in a broad range of feature films including the Devil Wears Prada, Julie and Julia and the Hunger Games. More recently he has whetted the appetites of television viewers with his food and travel series Searching for Italy.

Stanley’s grandparents left Calabria in southern Italy for a new life in America, where his parents were born. Stanley himself was born in Peekskill, New York, and grew up in the nearby hamlet of Katonah. He studied drama at the State University of New York and in 1985 made his debut in John Huston’s film Prizzi’s Honour.

In 1996 he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in Big Night about two brothers who run a struggling Italian restaurant. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance film Festival. In 2002 he starred in Sam Mendes’s Road to Perdition and he played a serial killer in Peter Jackson’s film the Lovely Bones. He published his first cookbook in 2012.

Stanley lives in London with his wife, the literary agent Felicity Blunt, and their family.

DISC ONE: Let It Be - The Beatles
DISC TWO: Compared to What (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival) - Les McCann & Eddie Harris
DISC THREE: Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 - II. Adagio. Performed by Karl Leister (clarinet) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
DISC FOUR: The Weakness in Me - Joan Armatrading
DISC FIVE: What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
DISC SIX: Tchaikovsky: Serenade for String Orchestra in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48 - I. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato. Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker and conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC SEVEN: A Foggy Day (In London Town) - Frank Sinatra
DISC EIGHT: Not Dark Yet - Bob Dylan

BOOK CHOICE: Westward Ha! by S J Perelman
LUXURY ITEM: Art supplies
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001nfzc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 The Unbelievable Truth (m001n8fx)
Series 29

Episode 5

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Lou Sanders, Phil Wang, Neil Delamere and Kerry Godliman are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as horror, chefs, the Greeks, and pipes.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001nfzf)
The Wild Venison Project

Eighty six year old Fergie MacDonald remembers shooting Red deer as a nine year old boy. The Second World War was on and food was scarce in his home village in the rugged Moidart peninsula, in the Scottish Highlands. It was of course a crime, as he freely acknowledges - the deer belonged to the local estate. But his family had to eat. His mother roasted, boiled and salted the venison and, as Fergie says, "you acquired a taste for it."

Today he's still eating vension, but it comes from animals shot legally by his son John, who is a deer manager, stalker and butcher. John has been running his own wild venison business since 1998 and in that time he's seen immense changes. He says there's much more public awareness about the benefits of eating a lean, protein-rich meat, amid concerns about the environmental damage caused by red deer over population. John sells venison cuts to passing trade from his roadside shop as well as providing meat for the family's hotel, Mingarry Park, run by his wife Emma. Emma says venison dishes are always on the menu and vegetarians have even been willing to try them.

But John's business is not without its headaches. He tells Sheila Dillon he has to work within strict culling targets imposed by the Scottish government and he's concerned that deer numbers locally are falling too quickly. Since Covid and Brexit, he finds it hard to get staff, so much so, that Fergie regularly helps out in the shop and his 73 year old Mum, Maureen, still makes all the burgers.

Further north on the shores of Loch Ness, campaigners have been giving school children an introduction to the complexities of deer management and venison production. Earlier this year, in a project called 'Hill to Grill', pupils at Glen Urquhart High School joined a deer stalker on the hills and were shown how the animals are butchered and processed. Back in school, they devised their own recipes and took part in a Dragon's Den-type competition to market and brand their dishes.

One of the organisers, ecological consultant, Dr Linzi Seivwright, says it was a fantastic learning experience for the children. "It's vital to move away from the traditional image of venison as a food for the wealthy and to show local communities that it is an affordable and versatile choice."

Sheila complimented the teenage chefs.. "These are so moist and delicious - so much nicer than burgers from a fast food chain," she said.

Hundreds of miles away in Gloucestershire, the environmental problems caused by large deer herds are much more critical, according to leading campaigner and deer manager, Mike Robinson. He says that numbers have got out of control, particularly since Covid and that culling targets are more difficult to enforce in England than in Scotland, because estates are smaller and fragmented. He shows Sheila some of the damage in an estate forest caused by grazing deer.

He estimates that there may be nearly 3 million deer in England, mainly fallow, roe and muntjac and that stricter controls are necessary. He says the Westminister government is now using a carrot and stick approach with landowners – offering woodland grants which are conditional on professional deer management plans – and he's hopeful that this will be effective.

As well as managing deer, Mike Robinson is a chef and restaurateur with several award-winning restaurants. He specialises in wild food and recently launched The Wild Venison Project – an initiative to get more chefs across the UK to put venison on their menus and to persuade the public to buy and cook it at home. He cooks several recipes for Sheila to demonstrate the versatility of the meat and he says: "I suppose you could say I am obssessed with vension. It just makes so much sense to eat a meat which is wild, healthy and nutritious and which also helps address environmental problems."

Mike runs Deer Box, an online food site and believes selling directly to the public is the most cost effective and efficient way for producers to operate because most supermarket chains have their own internal purchasing systems which are difficult for small producers to work with. He set up Deer Box during Covid, with a state of the art processing unit and offers everything from expensive steak cuts to mince, steak pieces and burgers. He is also a patron of The Countryside Food Trust, a charity which distributes game to food banks and communtiy projects.

It's not the first time Sheila Dillon has reported, for The Food Programme, on efforts to increase the consumption of wild venison. Will they have more success this time? Given the growing interest in food sustainability and environmental concerns, campaigners Mike Robinson, John MacDonald and Linzi Seivwright are convinced their message is finally beginning to pay dividends.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001nfzh)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001nfzk)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 The Archbishop Interviews (m001nfzm)
Gabriel Byrne

In this series, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has conversations with public figures about their inner lives. What do they believe? How does that shape their values and actions?

This week's guest is the actor, director and screenwriter, Gabriel Byrne.

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001nfzp)
Winterbrook

Why are my leeks brown inside? Should I cut the wispy stems off my wisteria? Why do I kill over 50% of the plug plants I’ve purchased? The GQT team are back to answer all of these questions and more from Winterbrook, Oxfordshire.

Prepped to solve a series of plant problems are botanist Pippa Greenwood, Head of Science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden Dr Chris Thorogood, and garden designer Chris Beardshaw.

Alongside the questions, GQT panellist, Pippa Greenwood visits Merlin Brook-Little at at Nicholson’s Nursery to discuss all there is to know about plant screening.

Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton

A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 The Museums That Make Us (m0015b7d)
The Hepworth, Wakefield

Neil MacGregor presents a new series for BBC Radio Four celebrating the role and ambition of museums the length and breadth of the country, and in the process he'll be find answers to the question ‘What are Museums For in 2022’.

Neil is once again in the post industrial North of England, this time in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Amidst the dereliction of old spinning factories and declining coal mining, the local council chose to back an extraordinary project celebrating local artist Barbara Hepworth. The building of The Hepworth on the banks of the river Calder, with its angular structure dipping its toes in the river, has brought surprise, pride and a stream of visitors from both near and far. In a way it's an outlier in the series, being built around the works of one person, but its place at the heart of Wakefield makes it a powerful emblem of what a museum and gallery can be, and the choice of one particular sculpture, a mother and child, is driven not by any curatorial selection but by the simple democracy of postcard sales in the museum shop.

Museums have always been telescopes trained on the past to help locate a sense of place in the present. Neil believes that role is an active one, responding to changes in the people museums serve and the shifting social and cultural landscape they inhabit. After spending much of his life at the centre of our national Museum life in London, Neil is taking to the road to discover more about the extraordinary work being done in cherished Museums outside the capital, from Stornoway to Stowmarket, and Belfast to Birmingham.

In each episode he visits a single museum, inviting them to choose an object from their collections which they feel best illustrates their civic role, and the way they relate and want to relate to their local audience. Very rarely have they chosen a crown jewel from their often priceless collections. More often it's an object with a particular local resonance, or which helps tackle episodes from the past which are being viewed very differently by citizens in the 21st century.

He’ll be visiting the great national museums of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as major city institutions in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and elsewhere. And in spite of the challenges of the last two years, everywhere he meets passionate teams who are dedicated to providing a unique experience for both local audiences and visitors from further afield.

Neil writes: “What’s going on in our museums is at once challenging and exciting and it can only really be understood by visiting as many as possible and finding out how they have approached what is a vital role in providing a sense of local, regional and national identity.”

Producer - Tom Alban
Original music composed by Phil Channell


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m00106yg)
The Goldilocks Zone

Astrophysicist Sofia Khaled's discovery of a potentially habitable planet opens up painful memories for her but a startling new truth for humanity.

When future Earth discovers an uncorrupted "cosmic" truth, data finally becomes a force for good as a cover-up with catastrophic global impact is revealed in this thrilling drama spanning fifty years.

The Goldilocks Zone by Tanika Gupta was developed through OKRE Experimental Stories. The consultant scientists were Professor Caswell Barry and Dr. Adam Kampff.

SOFIA.....Souad Faress
YOUNG SOFIA.....Raghad Chaar
GABRIEL.....Adetomiwa Edun
ZARA.....Anjli Mohindra
HASSAN.....Ammar Haj Ahmad
RAZIA.....Lara Sawalha
HAWKES.....Jonathan Keeble

Directed by Nadia Molinari

BBC Audio Drama North Production


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m001nfzt)
Julian Barnes: Arthur and George

To mark our 25th anniversary, Julian Barnes returns to Bookclub. He’s answering readers' questions about his Booker-shortlisted novel Arthur and George. It's based on real events and tells the story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s campaign to overturn the conviction of a young solicitor, George Edalji,

Upcoming recording:

Thursday 13 July 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House in London - Mick Herron on Slow Horses.

Thursday 17 August 1900 at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh - Jenni Fagan on Luckenbooth


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (m001nfzw)
Rommi Smith

Poet, playwright and librettist Rommi Smith chooses work by Linton Kwesi Johnson, Marilyn Hacker, Don Paterson and others, and performs her own work, Song 2.

Producer Sally Heaven


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001n1s4)
The Organ Harvesters

File on 4 tells the story of a young street trader from Lagos who revealed a conspiracy that took down one of Nigeria’s most powerful politicians. The young man was tested, trafficked and tricked into a plot to take his kidney, to donate to the politician’s sick daughter in the UK. His conviction - the first of its kind in the UK - has led to police investigating more potential cases.

Reporter: Mark Lobel
Producer: Kate West
Technical Producer: Kelly Young
Digital Producer: Melanie Stewart-Smith
Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001nfzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001ng00)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001ng02)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ng04)
There's been widespread condemnation of attempts to set fire to the home a mayor in Paris


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001ng06)
Nikki Bedi

Racist rotters, people who lie on their CVs, depravity in the world of K-Pop and Hollywood leveraging queerness…all that plus, a trip along the Pacific Coast Highway, the pastel palette of Wes Anderson’s new film, awards for those who care… and Dusty Springfield with a Colombian twist…

Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001ng08)
Neil’s impressed with George’s work at Berrow. George isn’t convinced his grandad’s sincere, since he’s given him two verbal warnings already. And Hannah’s still not happy with him. Neil agrees Hannah’s a tough nut to crack, but George will get there. Neil says Susan’s more concerned about George sorting things with Brad before the wedding. Neil suggests George be the bigger man; he’s shown a lot of maturity lately. Neil also breaks the news that Brad will be staying at Ambridge View while Tracy’s on her honeymoon. George is horrified. He agrees reluctantly to talk to Brad, but not today; it’s his day off.
Tracy urges Brad to hurry round to Jim’s to help Jazzer – he’s aiming to transform the Bull into a Scottish paradise for the wedding reception. Tracy’s fine about Jazzer’s obsession with a Scottish theme, she’s just happy to be getting married to him. Brad admits he’s worried about an eccentric choice he’s made himself for the wedding day – a green velvet suit. Tracy insists he shows her before he heads off. When she sees it she thinks he looks amazing; every girl on the planet will fall for him. He just needs to get out there. Brad points out wryly that the last time he did that, he got arrested. And his dating history is a disaster. Tracy assures him he has all the time in the world – he’s a catch. Mia appears to help with the wedding prep. Tracy asks her opinion on the suit. Mia thinks it’s great – Brad should definitely wear it.


SUN 19:15 Carbon Lifeforms (m001ng0b)
Travel

Comedian (and actual council recycling education officer) Jon Long teams up with broadcaster (and actual scientist) Dr Tara Shine to (carbon) capture all things sustainable travel.

Expect jokes, sketches, songs and special guests Jeremy Vine and Kerry Godliman.

Additional voices Alasdair Beckett-King and Lu Corfield.

Produced and directed by Jon Holmes

Production coordinator: Laura Grimshaw

Live sound: David Thomas

Post-production sound: Tony Churnside

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Coastlines (m001ng0d)
Exhale by Lara Barbier

"I fall to the bottom of the tidal pool. Feel my feet touch the grit, the need to breathe already raging in my lungs. I remind myself that the surface is mere feet away. For a moment I stand between stone, water and sky above..."

An original short story for radio by Lara Barbier, read by Alex Tregear. A journey of recovery - in search of breath and joy - and a deep dive into Cornish tidal pools.

From Pembrokeshire to Penwith, Coastlines is a series of five original short stories for radio, each anchored at a different point along the coast of Wales and South West England. Produced and directed in Bristol by Becky Ripley.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001n8p1)
Halving inflation, Scottish tidal power and have 1 in 3 women had an abortion?

One of Rishi Sunak's five priorities for 2023 is to halve inflation. Given prices are still rising, we discuss whether it's going be possible. Also does Scotland have more tidal power capacity than the rest of the world combined, as has been claimed? We look at competing claims about how prepared the NHS was before the pandemic, ask whether scrapping VAT on products like tampons and e-books has actually benefitted consumers and look at the claim that one in three women in the UK has had an abortion.

**This programme has been updated to include corrected figures for inflation in the first item.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series Producer: Jon Bithrey
Reporters: Josephine Casserly, Nathan Gower, Charlotte McDonald, Beth Ashmead Latham
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: James Beard


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001n8wh)
Baroness McDonagh, Craig Brown, Godfrey Merlen, Winnie Ewing

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness McDonagh

Margaret McDonagh was the youngest person and the first woman to become General Secretary of the Labour Party. She was a key player in the New Labour project that helped the party win a landslide in 1997 and two subsequent terms in office. Margaret McDonagh was born in Mitcham in South London where her mother worked as a psychiatric nurse and her father was a building worker.

Born: 26 June 1961. Died: 24 June 2023. Age: 61

Craig Brown

Scotland’s longest serving football manager – taking the national team to the Euro 96 finals and the World Cup in 1998. He started his career as a player for Dunkirk and Falkirk before turning to coaching in 1977.

Born: 1 July 1940. Died: 26 June 2023. Age: 82

Godfrey Merlen

Conservationist and author who devoted much of his life to studying the Galapagos Islands. He lived on the archipelago in the Eastern Pacific for fifty years. The area is noted for its large numbers of unique species which were studied by Chares Darwin and gave rise to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Godfrey Merlen was born in the Cotswolds. After leaving university he worked in the fishing industry and first became concerned about the damage humans were doing to nature.

Died: May 10th, 2022

Winnie Ewing

One of most high-profile pioneers of the Scottish Independence movement. In the 1960s, the Glasgow criminal lawyer won an unexpected by-election victory which made her the first Scottish National Party MP at Westminster.

Born: 10 July 1929 Aged: 21 June 2023. Age 93

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Interviewee: Sir Tony Blair
Interviewee: Pat Nevin
Interviewee: Noemi d’Ozouville
Interviewee: Christine Grahame

Archive used:
Kinnock takes on Militant - Labour Conference speech 1985 – YouTube 30 October 2020; Winnie Ewing reconvenes Scottish Parliament in 1999, YouTube 12 May 2019. Winnie Ewing interview after winning the Hamilton By-Election 1967 THE HAMILTON BY-ELECTION 1967, TRIUMPHS AND DISASTERS, Radio 4 05 June 2002. World at One, Radio 4 03 November 1967. Winnie Ewing didn’t think they’d win, Before you go 19 December 2001. Madame Ecosse, Scottish Digital Library First Broadcast Mon 13 April 2009; Craig Brown talking about the kilts worn by the Scottish Tartans in 1998, Mr Brown's Boys, BBC Scotland, First Broadcast Sat 11 Feb 2023. Brown talking about the team, Craig Brown's 1998 World Cup Diary | Full Behind The Scenes Documentary Film Posted on YouTube 16 March 2020. Brown on his football career, published 2 Sept 2019, YouTube Channel Open Goal; Margaret on Clause 4, Tx 19.09.2014 ; Radio 4. Margaret on hearing Kinnock's speech, Tx 19 September 2014, Radio 4. Margaret on New Labour's achievement, Tx 19.09.2014 ; Radio 4; Dr. Godfrey Merlen on Scientific Whaling Versus Cultural Whaling. YouTube published: 9 Aug 2013. Galapagos Islands of Change, Natural World, BBC 2 NI, first Broadcast Sun 21 May 2017. In memory of Godfrey Merlen, YouTube, published: 26 May 2023 ; Galapagos Conservation Trust, Galapagos Islands of Change, Natural World, BBC 2 NI, First Broadcast Sun 21 May 2017


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001ng0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001nhnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001ng0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001ng0l)
Leila Nathoo's guests are the Conservative MP Tim Loughton; Shadow Cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire; and the Chair of the NHS Confederation, Lord Victor Adebowale. They discuss the state of the health service ahead of its 75th anniversary, and a plan to cut immigration, from a new Tory backbench pressure group.
Katy Balls - political editor of The Spectator - brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001n8sw)
The morality of news coverage

Comparisons have been made between the news coverage of two tragedies at sea. The first was the capsizing of a boat off the coast of Greece, in which more than 500 migrants from the Middle East and Africa are thought to have drowned. The second is the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible carrying five people, including a billionaire explorer, who paid a huge amount of money to see the wreck of the Titanic. While the first story made the news, the second story was rolling news.

Moral Maze panellist Ash Sarkar faced a backlash when she tweeted about what she saw as the “grotesque inequality of sympathy, attention and aid... Migrants are “meant” to die at sea; billionaires aren’t.”

This raises the question of the moral purpose of the news – particularly when it comes to public service broadcasting – and the difference between reporting what people want to know and what they need to know. For some, the ‘ticking clock’ coverage of the Titan tragedy was ghoulish and sensationalist. For others it was merely a reflection of the trajectory of the story: the hope, the endeavour and the jeopardy. Then there is a question of scale – does a larger body count have a greater moral claim to be covered by the news? Or is it natural for British media to reflect a greater sense of empathy for British citizens?

What makes the news, what is left out, and how it is covered, is a decision made by editorial teams and individuals with their own view of what is 'newsworthy'. But what about our responsibilities as consumers of news? Does the demand for immediate clickbait sensationalism over thoughtful analysis from the other side of the world create a news environment which is out of kilter with what matters? Is this simply human nature or something we should seek to redress?

What news stories should make a moral claim on our attention?

Producer: Dan Tierney.

MONDAY 03 JULY 2023

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001ng0n)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Conspiracies: The Secret Knowledge (m001mc4b)
Now What?

Historian Phil Tinline explores the role of conspiracy, and conspiracy theory, in our politics.

In this final episode, Phil asks leading journalists and commentators across the political spectrum about how the battles over Brexit. What light can the history we've been exploring in this series shed on the present?

Series contributors include: James Ball, Oliver Bullough, Nick Cohen, Matthew D'Ancona, Stephen Dorril, Ruth Dudley Edwards, David Edgar, Steven Fielding, Matthew Goodwin, Simon Heffer, Helen Lewis, Dan Lomas, Andrew Lownie, Jean Seaton, Camilla Schofield

Producer: Phil Tinline


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001ng0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ng0s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ng0v)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ng0x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001ng0z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ng11)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

Goha is a fictional village man in Arab folklore dating back to the ninth century. He was often depicted as a fool, but in each comical tale is a life lesson.

In one popular story, Goha and his young son are journeying to a nearby village, his son riding on a donkey and Goha walking alongside them.

Some passersby point at them and say, “Look at that boy riding the donkey while his old father is made to walk.” When Goha hears this, he tells his son to trade places.

As they continue their journey some more passersby point at Goha and his son and say, “Look at that man, making his poor young son walk while he rides the donkey.”

Goha overhears this and tells his son, “We will both ride the donkey.”

Ambling along on the donkey, some people point at them and say, “Look at those two riding that poor donkey, how cruel.”

So Goha pauses to think and tells his son, “Let’s both walk alongside the donkey.”

People continue to pass by and point at them. “What fools – they’re walking when they have a donkey they could ride!”

After some thought Goha tells his son, “I have an idea, let’s carry the donkey on our heads!”

As they walk on, another set of people look at Goha and his son struggling under the weight of the donkey and say, “Look at those fools carrying a donkey instead of riding it!”

Goha turns to his son and says, “See my son, how hard it is to please everyone?”

Learning that you can’t please everyone is one of life’s biggest lessons – and being able to accept that takes away a lot of anxiety.

So, as I begin my day, I remind myself that I can only do my best, and as long as the Almighty One is pleased with me, that’s what matters most.

Ameen


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001ng13)
03/07/23 Methane in sheep; Egg producers; Smooth snakes.

New project to breed sheep with a naturally low carbon-footprint. Sheep farmers and scientists are taking part in a £3 million Defra project to measure the methane emitted by sheep, monitoring around 13,000 animals across 45 different flocks.

All week we're looking at eggs. According to the industry body British Lion Eggs, we ate 5.9 billion of them in the UK last year. Nearly three quarters of the eggs we eat in the UK are free range , so to begin our week we're speaking to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association.

A conservation project to reintroduce the UK's rarest reptile on heathland in Devon. Numbers of smooth snakes have dwindled as their habitats have disappeared.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


MON 05:56 Weather (m001ng15)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09c0m4k)
Paul Evans on the Merlin

Merlin's are "ariel sprites" says writer Paul Evans, but they also kill skylarks in a rather gruesome manner as we hear in this specially commissioned dark tale.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


MON 06:00 Today (m001ngf6)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001ngfh)
The NHS at 75

To mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS Kirsty Wark looks back at its formation, its current health and future prognosis with the medic and broadcaster Kevin Fong, historian Andrew Seaton, political commentator Isabel Hardman and GP Phil Whitaker.

In ‘Our NHS’ Andrew Seaton explores the history of Britain’s ‘best-loved institution’, and how it has changed and adapted over the decades. Isabel Hilton focuses on the most critical moments in its 75 years in ‘Fighting for Life’. She talks to key decision makers from politicians to consultants, keyworkers to patients, to explore how the NHS has become a political battleground. Phil Whitaker has been a GP for more than 30 years. In ‘What Is A Doctor?’ he paints a damning portrait of political interference in medical treatment and what he sees as a worrying shift away from patient-centred care. As part of the BBC’s focus on the NHS the consultant anaesthetist Kevin Fong takes a step back to examine the roots of today’s problems, and possible solutions, in 'The NHS: Who Cares?' (on BBC Radio 4 from 10th July at 9am)

Producer: Katy Hickman

Start the Week is back on air on Monday 18th September


MON 09:45 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j3mh)
Book of the Week: Ep 1 - Going Back to the Beginning

Fergal Keane reads his powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD. Today, the journalist looks back to the beginning when it all began.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths the truth behind his grandmother's experiences. We learn that Hannah Purtill was a spy during the Irish Revolution where she witnessed the terrible violence that tore her community apart, leading to depression and anxiety, conditions that decades later her grandson came to understand all too well. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which in turn lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ngfw)
Christina Lamb on Victoria Amelina, Alex South, Actor Beth Alsbury, Debbie and Helen Singer, Female photographers

The award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina has died from her injuries after a Russian missile hit a pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday, where she was eating. Journalist Christina Lamb was a friend of Victoria’s – she tells Nuala about her and the impact her death has had.

Half of prison officers in England and Wales do not feel safe at work, according to a recent large-scale survey. Alex South spent 10 years working as a prison officer, and she’s written a book, Behind These Doors, about her experiences. She speaks to Nuala about working in such a male-dominated environment and shares her stories.

Up-and-coming actor Beth Alsbury takes the lead role in a new TV drama called Blindspot, which will be on our screens this week. Beth plays Hannah, who thinks she witnesses a potential murder, but struggles to get the local detective, played by Ross Kemp, to take her seriously. Beth joins Nuala to talk about going straight from drama school to set.

On Holocaust Memorial Day earlier this year, Woman’s Hour featured an audio series about young girls who’d come to the UK on the Kindertransport and lived in Tynemouth and the Lake District. A photograph used on BBC Sounds for the series featured three young girls, one whose identity was ‘unknown’. A listener told us the ‘unknown’ girl was her mother, Hanna Singer. Her two daughters tell Nuala what happened next.

The National Portrait Gallery has just reopened with an exhibition of the life and career of Yevonde, the pioneering London photographer who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1930s. Also open at the Photographer's Gallery is another exhibition of an influential female photographer, Evelyn Hofer, famous for documenting the lives of ordinary people, places, environments and objects. The curators of both exhibitions, Clare Freestone and Clare Grafik, tell Nuala why the contributions these women made may have been overlooked.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lottie Garton


MON 11:00 Don't Log Off (m001ngg9)
In the Wilderness

Alan Dein returns for a new series of global encounters with strangers and old friends via the internet.

In this edition Alan meets Emma from Arua, Northern Uganda. She is a deputy head teacher in an all- boys secondary school. She reflects on the recent horrific terrorist attacks on a Ugandan school. Tragically, this is nothing new. Mass graves are situated in front of her current school, victims of a rebel attack years ago.

And he links up with Sandeep in Goa, a retired career civil servant with years of experience working in the Indian railway Sandeep talks about the experience of dealing with a rail crash early in his working life.

He connects with Father Major, a young Ugandan Catholic missionary working in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Father Major travels regularly travels to remote communities in rebel-held territories on his motorbike.

And Alan catches up with Mursalina, a student originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. She fled the country two months after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Her parents and extended family remain in Kabul, and Mursalina talks about how she copes with life without them by her side, and how she keeps going living in Kyrgystan, a country far from home. She has no idea when she will see her family again.

Producer: Mohini Patel


MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001n8ty)
Dame Sharon White

John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose are possibly two of the most trusted brands in retail. This week, Evan Davis interviews Dame Sharon White, who took over as Chair of the Partnership, literally weeks before lockdown. Post lockdown like all retailers the Partnership faces a cost of living crisis and getting customers back to the High Street. How is she facing these challenges and what are her plans for the future of the partnership?

GUEST: Dame Sharon White, Chair, John Lewis Partnership

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Julie Ball and Simon Tulett
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound: Hannah Montgomery and Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001nggk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001nggt)
Fast-bred Chickens, Youth Hostel Closures, Private Schools

We hear from a man who spent 3 months working on a chicken farm to highlight what life is like for a typical supermarket chicken. Also YHA closures and private school price hikes.


MON 12:57 Weather (m001ngh2)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001nghc)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Understand (m001nppg)
Tech and AI

Tech and AI: 1. How do you get connected?

You're probably reading this on a device connected to the internet, while listening to this episode. But how did the digital files that make up this description, and the digital sound files that you can hear, appear, on demand, on your phone, tablet or other device?

How are you connected to the internet? In this episode, we'll explain how 4G and 5G, work, Broadband through cables and satellites, and the final connection inside your home - Wi-Fi.

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? where is "the Cloud" and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001ng08)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001nghn)
Finding Seaglass

Writer and Edinburgh Makar, Hannah Lavery, offers a deeply moving, poetic exploration of loving and losing her father, and an unvarnished insight into how it feels to grow up, and raise children, 'mixed-race' in Scotland - belonging yet not belonging.

"I didn’t do the play to make a political point, It’s about my family history, and it’s about how racism plays out, and how painful it is when you’re told you don’t belong. It’s also a Scottish play about a daughter who’s lost her father, who just happens to be of colour. When you lose a parent, your world shifts. The play is about sharing that.” - Hannah Lavery.

With powerful resonance in the continued struggle for justice, equality and harmony, Finding Seaglass challenges us to see Scottish history and our public memory in a different light through Hannah’s personal journey and almost-daily experience of casual racism.

“How do you find your authenticity in a moment which is asking you to find your "tribe", demanding that you constantly choose your side. How do you find your humanity, your own voice, when you're being pushed to find safety in numbers? Finding Seaglass explores my intergenerational trauma - in particular, the legacy of colonialism and racism, the reality of living through last years of political and cultural shifts and shocks, and how I have found a way to healing and hope.” - Hannah Lavery

A captivating spoken-word sound journey that interweaves poems with drama, Finding Seaglass pulses with Hannah’s lived experience, underscored by haunting music and the sounds of Scotland’s shores.

Written and performed by Hannah Lavery.

With ensemble voices by Tam Dean Burn, Irene MacDougall, Beth Marshall, Jim Monaghan, Clare Perkins, and Tom Vanson.

Director - Niloo-Far Khan
Sound Designer/Composer - Pippa Murphy
Producer - Charlotte Melen
Associate Producer - Dallis Murray
Production Coordinator - Cait Irvine
Executive Producer - Lucinda Mason Brown
Dramaturg - Rosie Kellagher

With special thanks to Charlotte Gross, Lorna Ferguson, Gareth Beedie and Margarita Veberaite.

This production gratefully acknowledges the inclusion of quotes from "Recovering Scotland's Slavery Past" (Tom Devine), "From Remedial English to Edinburgh Makar" (The National, Rachel Loughran), "Book review: Blood Salt Spring, by Hannah Lavery" (The Scotsman, Stuart Kelly)

An Almost Tangible and National Theatre of Scotland debut production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 The 3rd Degree (m001nghy)
Series 13

University of Exeter

Coming this week from the University of Exeter, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are economics, natural sciences and history, and the questions range from Dirac points and fat tails to what Napoleon was really doing in Fishguard. Also, there's your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever.

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three undergraduates against three of their professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The general knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow and Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three specialist subject rounds, in which students take on their professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, the show goes to Exeter, Strathclyde, Keele, King’s College London, Portsmouth, and Somerville College, Oxford.

Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001nfzf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001ng4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 16:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001ngjx)
Food Special with Tim Spector

Professor Tim Spector, a leading expert on nutrition and gut health, takes Michael Mosley through his top food and nutrition tips, sharing stories from his life and research along the way. Joined by an audience at the Hay Festival, Michael learns what happened the time Tim convinced his son to eat an ultra-processed food diet for two weeks and the surprising ways your gut influences your immune system. Tim, who is professor in epidemiology at King's College London, shares the shocking moment he realised that even as a doctor, he was on track for major health problems, and how he took control over his diet and his health - and how you can, too. Tim also reveals what cutting edge science shows about how you should be eating to benefit your health and wellbeing.


MON 17:00 PM (m001ngk9)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ngkp)
Israel has launched a huge military operation in the area


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m001ngl1)
Series 29

Episode 6

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Lucy Porter, Marcus Brigstocke, Richard Osman and Ria Lina are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Popes, insurance, Norway and surgery.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001ng8f)
Jim reports to Jazzer Fallon doesn’t want them hanging items on the walls at the Bull. Jazzer reckons they should go ahead without telling anyone, and sort it out afterwards. He’s got to find a way to mount a stag’s head; he’s paid a lot for it. With Jazzer still in plaster, progress is hampered, and Jim’s grateful for Brad and Mia’s suggested solutions to the dilemma of hanging things on the walls. Mia and Brad chat, discovering they have the love of a particular film in common. Brad suggests Mia comes over to watch it with him next week. He’ll have the house to himself.
Kirsty’s feeling buoyant. She’s just had a weekend away with Erik, and he wants her to go to Prague with him for a proper break. Kirsty’s not sure, but Helen thinks she should go for it. Helen gets a text from Fallon, but doesn’t reply. She’s enjoying an afternoon away from work. She tells Kirsty she’s relieved Lee’s back at work. She’s hoping that’s an end to it, though she can’t believe Rob would leave things at merely an apology. They change the subject, but Helen’s interrupted by a call. Henry’s punched a Year 10 student at school. Later, Henry rationalises his actions. He was defending a friend. Helen confiscates Henry’s phone. The row escalates and Henry discloses he knows what’s going on with Rob. Helen’s shocked and terrified. Later, she reassures Henry. Frustrated, Henry thinks there’s nothing he can do. Helen asserts he doesn’t have to do anything; Rob can’t hurt them.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001nglf)
The legendary Dolly Parton and celebrating children's books

Dolly Parton, one of the few global stars to have truly earned the title icon, talks to Samira Ahmed about departing from her Country sound to record an album of Rock songs. Rockstar sees her collaborate with some of the biggest names in music including Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John and new generation of musicians such as Miley Cyrus and Lizzo. She discusses her long career and mentoring women in music as well as her philanthropy, funding for the COVID vaccine, and the influence of her films and music on feminism.

Are musicians at home being unfairly hit with noise abatement notices? Lewisham council have recently issued a notice which prevents one musician from practicing in her own home. We find out more.

The Booktastic schools programme: author Patrice Lawrence on the importance of the UK’s only book festival to focus on engaging disadvantaged children and reflecting the diversity of children’s lives in literature.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Paul Waters


MON 20:00 Intrigue (p0fvcytd)
Burning Sun - Ep 2: Kakao Talk

Someone is holding popstar Jung’s phone in their hands. And what they see on it is shocking. Another journalist Kang Kyung-Yoon gets a tip-off and starts investigating the chat-rooms, and is overwhelmed by the crimes she sees. Sex videos being shared by well-known celebrities, and in some the women are unconscious and being sexually assaulted. She tracks down some of the victims, and the more she digs, the more she uncovers.

For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea’s biggest K-pop stars. It’s a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music.

Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi
Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park
Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon
Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio
Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio
Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri

ACTORS
Joh: Pricilla Chung
Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda
Jung Joon-Yung: J Sebastian Lee
Kakao chat voices: Jun Noh, Wontek Woo, Je Seung Lee
Drama director: Anne Isger


MON 20:30 Analysis (m001nglr)
Does work have to be miserable?

How can employers in all sectors of the UK economy get the best out of their workers, retain experienced staff, improve productivity and increase profits at the same time?

The principles of "Job Design" seem to promise all of these benefits. It's a process of work innovation which focuses on people, their skills, their knowledge and how they interact with each other and technology, in every workplace, in every sector of the economy.

Proponents claim it gives workers a voice in their workplace, allows them to balance their work and home lives, stops burnout and could get more of the economically inactive back in employment. But what evidence is there that it works - and how difficult would it be to implement changes in the workplace?

Presenter: Pauline Mason
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:
Patricia Findlay, Professor of Work and Employment Relations, University of Strathclyde and Director of the Scottish Centre for Employment Research.
Kate Bennett, Labour ward coordinator at Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Damian Grimshaw, Professor of Employment Studies, King's College London, and former head of research at the International Labour Organisation.
Dame Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor, University of Cambridge and a director of the Productivity Institute.
Rachel London, Deputy Chief People Officer at Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Jenna Brimble. Midwife in the continuity of care team at Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Heejung Chung, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Kent.
Emma Stewart, Flexible working consultant and co-founder, Timewise.
Dr Charlotte Gascoine independent researcher and consultant on flexible and part-time working
Paul Dennett, Mayor of the City of Salford
Jim Liptrot, Managing director, Howorth Air Tech.
Stacey Bridge, Financial accounting assistant, Howorth Air Tech.


MON 21:00 Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin (m001n8fb)
5. Labs, Safety, and Risk

The lab leak theory goes mainstream. How safe are top-security laboratories?

After the World Health Organization’s attempts to find the origin of Covid effectively rule out a lab leak, there’s a backlash. A new US president helps bring the lab leak theory into the mainstream. What are the dangers involved in the work being done in virology laboratories? How effective are their safety measures? And do the benefits of their work outweigh the risks? John visit’s a top biosafety lab to find out.

Archive: CGTN; CBS; The White House; CNN; C-SPAN.

Presenter: John Sudworth
Series producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound design and mix: James Beard
Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
Science advice: Julian Siddle and Victoria Gill
Extra production: Eva Artesona and Kathy Long
Research support: Zisheng Xu and BBC Monitoring
Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed, Helena Warwick-Cross, Sophie Hill, and Debbie Richford
Theme and original music: Pete Cunningham, with trumpet by Joss Murray
Radio 4 Editor of Editorial Standards: Roger Mahony
Head of BBC News - Long Form Audio: Emma Rippon


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001ngfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ngm4)
Israel conducts major military operation in Jenin

Also:

Hong Kong offers reward for arrest of pro-democracy activists

And how do the film franchises stay strong till the end ?


MON 22:45 People Who Knew Me (p0fm83q9)
6. Non-Monogamy

New episodes released on Tuesday and Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen first on BBC Sounds.

Connie starts from the very beginning, detailing all the building pressures and disappointments that drove her to run away from her life as Emily in New York, and start afresh as Connie in LA. Over a few drinks with Paul, these truths come flooding out, along with all the lies she has told to keep her identity hidden. She finally reveals her most shameful secret. Now must now find the strength to tell Claire.

Credits

Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE
Drew - KYLE SOLLER
Claire - ISABELLA SERMON
Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH
Jade - JESSICA DARROW
Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS
Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY
and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL
Additional voices:
PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ

Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs
Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper
Produced by Joshua Buckingham
Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson
Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio
Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson
Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna
Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson
Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans
Production Manager Sarah Lawson
Casting Director Lauren Evans
Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode
Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo
Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz
Music composed by Max Perryment
Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek
Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata
Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca
Head of Production Rebecca Kerley
Production Accountant Lianna Meering
Finance Director Jackie Sidey
Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards
Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer
Read in Hannah Moorish
Artwork: Mirjami Qin
Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti

Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.


MON 23:00 Gaby's Talking Pictures (m00081tt)
Series 2

Episode 6

Gaby Roslin hosts the film quiz with impressions by Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona. This week, in the last episode of the current series, team captains John Thomson and Ellie Taylor are joined by special guests Lucy Porter and Anton Du Beck.

Presented by Gaby Roslin
Team Captains: John Thomson and Ellie Taylor
Impressionists: Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona
Created by Gaby Roslin
Written by Carrie Quinlan and Barney Newman

Produced by Gaby Roslin and Barney Newman
Executive Producer Gordon Kennedy
Recorded at RADA Studios, London

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001ngmm)
All the news from Westminster with Sean Curran.

TUESDAY 04 JULY 2023

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001ngn0)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j3mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ngnd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ngnx)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ngpf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001ngpt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ngq8)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

I recently visited Istanbul for the first time and was astounded not at the sheer number of street cats, but at the way Turks treated them – with an immense amount of love, care and affection.

As I walked with my husband through streets and down alleyways, I squealed in delight as I saw cats of all shapes and sizes reclining lazily across restaurant chairs, dozing with their little paws and bellies facing upwards towards the sun.

The restaurant owners did not move them along, but rather diners sat alongside them.

Likewise, in coffee shops, cats shared seats with us and in mosques, cats curled up beside us as we offered our prayers.

No one knows just how many street cats there are in Istanbul, but estimates are anywhere between a hundred thousand and a million.

Unlike other countries in the world, stray cats are viewed by Turks as communal pets.

Turkey is a Muslim-majority country, and treating animals well is something the Prophet Muhammad encouraged. “If you kill a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by God,” is one famous saying.

Turkey’s love of cats dates back to the Ottoman Empire; cats guarded Islamic libraries and kept plague-infested rats at bay. One 13th century cat-loving Sultan endowed an entire garden to city cats where all their needs would be catered for.

Oh Most Merciful One, put love and affection for animals in our hearts; let us pay all animals including wild and stray animals, the same respect and care we have for our pets.

Ameen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001ngqv)
04/07/23 Bird flu and egg production; Bovine TB and badger cull; Hottest June

All week we're discussing egg production. The industry's been hit very hard by a combination of rising costs for feed and fuel and bird flu. The disease is still prevalent and some free range producers are keeping their birds inside because they're too worried to let them out. We speak to one family about the toll bird flu's taken on both birds and farmer. They're calling for a vaccine.

It's ten years since the government gave the go-ahead to a cull of badgers, to try and control the spread of bovine tuberculosis in cattle. The cull that started in a small corner of Gloucestershire has now spread to much of England. More than 210,000 badgers have been culled since 2013, and more than 330,000 cattle put down because of the disease too. It's been a area of fierce debate between farmers and conservationists. Now the government says it now wants to move towards a vaccination programme instead.

This June has been the warmest on record, according to the Met Office, but high temperatures can cause problems for plants and growers. We speak to meteorologist and Gardeners' Question Time host Peter Gibbs about changing weather patterns and their impact.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09k6gl1)
Doug Allan on the Snow Petrel

Recollecting about his encounters with birds in Antarctica, wildlife cameraman Doug Allan recalls ringing Snow Petrels with mixed feelings.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


TUE 06:00 Today (m001ng71)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (m001ng73)
Marches of Mutiny

The notorious Wagner group of mercenaries marched for Moscow after calls from its leader to 'end this disgrace’. Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted it was a ‘march for justice’ and not a coup, but for 24 hours Russia’s future seemed uncertain and the political impact of the brief uprising remains to be seen.

The Roman general, Sulla, was the first leader of the Republic to seize power by force, marching twice on Rome – first in 88 BC, and the Streltsy uprising of Russian soldiers in 1698 proved a decisive moment in the rule of Peter the Great.

Jonathan Freedland takes the long view of marches of mutiny.

Contributors:
Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics, University of Glasgow
Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and writer

Readings:
Gerard McDermott
Samuel James

Producer:
Joel Moors


TUE 09:30 An Almanac for Anxiety: In Search of a Calmer Mind (m001ng75)
Episode 1 - Fire

Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in the UK, with nearly a fifth of people experiencing it over the course of a year. Although it is often treated through medication, there are many alternative ways which are proving to be very effective in reducing anxiety amongst some people. In this series, we explore how connecting with the elemental forces of nature helps people with a range of mental illnesses to feel better. We also learn about the current academic research behind these methods.

In Episode 1 - Fire - we visit an overnight camp on the banks of the River Spey near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands run by the charity Fire and Peace. According to the participants, - who have a range of mental ill health and addiction issues - the experience of spending time around the fire in nature is transformative when it comes to promoting feelings of connection and wellbeing. We also hear new research which shows how being around a campfire can be calming.

Produced and Presented by Helen Needham
Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start
Original Music by Anthony Cowie
Mixed by Ron McCaskill

A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4


TUE 09:45 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j424)
Book of the Week: Ep 2 - Inherited Memory

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his powerful memoir about war, fear and PTSD. Today, he turns to his grandmother's experience of political violence during the bloody years of the Irish Revolution.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is also partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ng78)
Probation and domestic abuse, Gravestone recipes, Black and menopausal

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell joins Nuala McGovern in an exclusive interview for the BBC. He'll be discussing a new report inspecting the work undertaken and progress made by the Probation Service over the last 5 years to protect victims and reduce domestic abuse by those on probation.
When librarian Rosie Grant was researching cemeteries, she stumbled across a gravestone with a cookie recipe on it. She decided to make it and post a video of her cooking experiment to social media. It was such a success she has since travel across the US to find other gravestone recipes and make them too. She tells Nuala what she has learnt about life, death and family meals since starting her quest.
A bar in Portsmouth is due to open later this month, which is themed on Jack the Ripper – described as an ‘immersive cocktail and dining experience with a modern horror twist.’ The publicity features a young woman in Victorian dress, being followed at night by a mysterious man. Objections have been raised to the whole idea of a business which trades on the notoriety of a mass murderer. However the trading licence has now been granted. The owner has said ‘There is always a fine line when working on things like this and we are working really hard not to upset anyone.’ Nuala speaks to Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five, in which she painstakingly reconstructs the lives of the five women killed by the so-called Ripper, in 1888.
Black and Menopausal is the title of a recently published anthology of writing, capturing Black experiences of the menopause journey. Joining Nuala is Yansie Rolston, one of the editors and contributor Yvonne Witter.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore


TUE 11:00 Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin (m001ng7c)
6. Back to the Market

What really went on in that Wuhan market - and the curious case of the raccoon dog.

It’s the early hours of 31 December 2019 and a cleaning squad is moving through the narrow lanes of a large, covered market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Huanan Seafood Market has been linked to a number of cases of a mysterious new illness circulating in the city, suggesting that animals there might be the source. But the World Health Organization would later say there were no verified reports of live mammals for sale. So what’s the truth about the market? And why have raccoon dogs sparked yet another bitter scientific dispute?

Presenter: John Sudworth
Series producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound design and mix: James Beard
Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
Science advice: Julian Siddle and Victoria Gill
Extra production: Eva Artesona and Kathy Long
Research support: Zisheng Xu and BBC Monitoring
Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed, Helena Warwick-Cross, Sophie Hill, and Debbie Richford
Theme and original music: Pete Cunningham, with trumpet by Joss Murray
Radio 4 Editor of Editorial Standards: Roger Mahony
Head of BBC News - Long Form Audio: Emma Rippon


TUE 11:30 Taste (m001ng7h)
Episode 4: Institutions

Aesthetic preferences, for Zakia Sewell, have always been woven into her identity, informing the ways she’s engaged with the world, through like-minded music lovers and fashion tribes. But 'taste' is also enshrined in the institutions that dominate our cultural life.

Zakia considers the recent rehang at Tate Britain with author and cultural critic Nathalie Olah and she discusses with Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad of The White Pube and Professor Dave O'Brien, one of the authors of Panic! It's An Arts Emergency, how institutional taste reveals what we as a society feel it’s appropriate to value, protect and promote.

Presented by Zakia Sewell
Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
(Image credit: Buster Grey Jung)


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001ng7m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001ng7r)
Call You & Yours: Have you been part of a data breach? What happened?

Call You & Yours: Have you been part of a data breach? Tell us what happened. If you run a business and you were hacked, what were the consequences?

We'll be aiming to offer some practical advice, but we want to hear your direct experience. Get in touch, tell us what happened. Email us now youandyours@bbc.co.uk.

Our phone lines open at 11am. Call 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: KEVIN MOUSLEY


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001ng7w)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001ng82)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


TUE 13:45 Understand (m001nppk)
Tech and AI

Tech and AI: 2. The Cloud

We all get that sinking feeling when we accidentally delete a valuable photo or document, but there's now a good chance you can find a backup copy - thanks to the Cloud.

Cloud computing has drifted into our lives without many people even realising - apart from those irritating emails, offering to sell you ever greater amounts of storage space. Some laptops now have very little memory built-in, and rely on the Cloud to store files. But where does it all that information go? What does the Cloud look like and where exactly is it? How are vast amounts of computer memory and processing power being put to use? And are those precious photos of your pet cat being kept securely?

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? How does Broadband work and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001ng8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001ng8r)
Requiem

Inspired by true events, Requiem follows young priest Paul as he navigates the prejudice and pain surrounding the setup of a care and education centre for AIDS sufferers in the 80s. The drama is set around the structure of a requiem mass, woven with traditional and contemporary choral music. By Misia Butler and Harrison Knights.

Paul's attempts at rallying the community are failing to make an impact when he is approached by an HIV positive young gay man, Luke. He is seeking support but struggles with the concept of it coming from a priest. Despite opposing beliefs, they slowly develop a friendship and Luke agrees to help Paul's efforts. Paul travels across the country taking funerals of AIDS victims that others won't. Over time and through hardship, Paul and Luke teach each other how their ways of life might inspire the other.

The writers’ interest in the topic arose when Harrison’s father, a member of the clergy for many years, spoke about his personal experience of the AIDS crisis. During a time of significant paranoia and prejudice, where many victims of the disease were refused funerals, he found himself travelling around the country to take them, also setting up Medway’s leading resource for community education and support. As part of the LGBTQ+ community, the writers found the connection between faith and queerness at a point of such social stigma very moving.

Harrison Knights is the Artistic Director and founder of True Voices Company, a platform dedicated to nurturing new and emerging trans talent. He also works as a casting consultant, director and producer in theatre and has most recently started as the Inclusivity Co-ordinator for Netiflix's The Sandman. Harrison is a 2023 National Diversity Award Nominee.

Misia Butler has an MA in Screenwriting from UAL and his work as a producer and dramaturg with True Voices Company soon developed into a writing partnership with Harrison. Misia has also worked for many years as an actor, with leading roles on stage and screen. He has just wrapped filming a leading role in Netflix’s Kaos, starring Jeff Goldblum and Janet McTeer.

Cast:
Paul……………. Jonathan Case
Luke…………… Olugbeminiyi Bammodu
Catherine……… Rosa Hesmondhalgh
Joan…………… Nadia Albina
Singers………… Emilia Bertolini, Venetia Iga, Laurence Kilsby and Oscar Hansen,

Additional vocal arrangements by Harrison Knights.

The poem, Jesus at the Gay Bar, was written by Jay Hulme.

Directors……………………...Harrison Knights and Misia Butler
Producer……………………. Polly Thomas
Sound Designer……………. Paul Cargill
Original Music/MD…………..Oscar Osicki
Illustration…………………… Ed Duffill
Production Manager……….. Darren Spruce
Executive Producer………… Eloise Whitmore

A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001ng94)
Series 35

Memory

An in-patient in a spinal injuries unit reconnects with herself by learning to cook again after a life-changing injury, friends remember the musician Joe Scurfield and the archive of folk music he left behind, and a radio cantata in memory of 12 civilians killed by US forces in Iraq in 2007. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures about remembering, relearning and commemorating.

Canto I, Crazy Horse One-Eight
Produced and performed by Gregory Whitehead
Commissioned by Magz Hall for the 2014 Radio Dreamlands project

Feast
Produced by Bronwen Livingstone

The Tunebank
Featuring Tim Dalling and Pete Challoner
Produced by Rowan Rheingans
Music performed by Joe Scurfield, Tim Dalling, Pete Challoner and Rowan Rheingans

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


TUE 15:30 Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics (m001gj50)
Newgenics

Are we entering a ‘newgenic’ age - where cutting-edge technologies and the power of personal choice could achieve the kind of genetic perfection that 20th century eugenicists were after?

In 2018, a Chinese scientist illegally attempted to precision edit the genome of two embryos. It didn’t work as intended. Twin sisters - Lulu and Nana - were later born, but their identity, and the status of their health, is shrouded in secrecy. They were the first designer babies.

Other technological developments are also coming together in ways that could change reproduction: IVF can produce multiple viable embryos, and polygenic screening could be used to select between them.

Increased understanding and control of our genetics is seen as a threat by some - an inevitable force for division. But instead of allowing genetics to separate and rank people, perhaps there’s a way it can be used - actively - to promote equality. Professor Paige Harden shares her suggestion of an anti-eugenic politics which makes use of genetic information

Contributors: Dr Helen O'Neill, lecturer in Reproductive and Molecular Genetics at University College London, Dr Jamie Metzl, author of Hacking Darwin, Professor Kathryn Paige Harden from the University of Texas and author of The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality.

Music and Sound design: Jon Nicholls
Presenter: Adam Rutherford
Producer: Ilan Goodman

Clips: 28th Nov 2018 - BBC Newsday report, BBC Breakfast News / BBC Breakfast news report Chinese letter of condemnation / BBC Newsnight from 1988 on 10th anniversary of Louise Brown’s birth


TUE 16:00 Wiki Wars (m001ng9j)
For many of us, Wikipedia our first point of call for information. But how much do we really know about who and what controls the content on the site?

BBC Click's Lara Lewington dives into a world of hoaxes, false accusations, disinformation and bitter disputes to find out.

With Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, journalist Eric Newton, sociologist and researcher Francesca Tripodi, co-founder of WhoseKnowledge Anasuya Sengupta, Dr James Heilman, Wikipedia Editor MJ, and Justin Shillock and Michael Wiseman, the creators of an infamous Wiki hoax.

Presenter: Lara Lewington
Producer: Leigh Meyer
Idea development: Isaac Fisher
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Sound design and mix: Rob Speight
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001ng9x)
Andi Osho and Nikita Gill

The actor-comedian and the poet advocate for their favourite books. Andi chooses The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, Nikita loves Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden and Harriett goes for The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Producer Sally Heaven


TUE 17:00 PM (m001ngbb)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ngbq)
There's been more violence in Jenin on the second day of Israel's military operation.


TUE 18:30 Janey Godley: The C Bomb (m001ngc2)
3. When I Get Bored, Bad Things Happen

Janey Godley doesn’t know how long she’s got left, so she’s telling ALL the jokes! This is her extraordinary story. Fearless and unflinching, yet life affirming stand-up at its very best.

In this episode Janey tells stories akin to the Wild West, in the East End of Glasgow. She and her family go from the perfectly chaotic life of publicans and private schools, to runaways clutching their possessions in black bin bags.

Since Janey’s comedy career began, she’s exposed, on stage, many painful traumas from her life - from childhood neglect and sexual abuse, to marrying into a gangster family who eventually turned on her, and even the murder of her mother - with a seeming lack of sentimentality and the blackest of humour.

Relentlessly authentic, she's also had to face up to her own mistakes - taking responsibility and apologising both publicly and onstage, as well as sharing the shame of being ‘cancelled’ and the very dark place that took her to.

Then, just months later… the hand grenade of a cancer diagnosis forced her to start fighting for her life.

Now, after finally admitting that after everything she’s been through in life, maybe she's not “fine”, and with a terminal diagnosis, she’s submitted to the ultimate ‘C bomb' for many men and women of her generation - counselling.

And as a result of this insight, she’s more hilarious and compelling onstage than ever.

Janey’s experienced a life of extremes but has come out the other side with rare insight, still able to make light of all its trials and tribulations in her signature dark and uncompromising style.

Recorded live in front of an audience in her hometown, Glasgow.

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001ngcb)
Susan’s keen to offer wedding help, but Tracy reckons there’s not much left to do. Tracy enthuses to subdued Susan about the theme – Jazzer’s even wearing a kilt. Later Susan frets to Helen that there’s nothing left for her to get involved in. She’s worried too about Brad and George. Brad will be staying at Ambridge View, and Neil’s decorating a bedroom, so it looks like Brad and George will have to share a room together. Helen in turn shares her concern over Henry getting into a fight at school. Susan’s reassuring when Helen suggests that she might not have looked after Henry properly. Over a break they share their memories of prison. Helen tells Susan that Emma said to her once that it hadn’t affected her close relationship with her mum. Susan’s pleased to hear this. Helen’s worried about what Henry thinks of her, and is afraid to find out.
Jim’s discovered some rather startling information about Jazzer during research for his speech. Jazzer’s knocked sideways when he discovers he isn’t actually Scottish. His parents were in the northernmost tip of England when he was born. Jazzer takes it very badly; the foundation of his existence is shaken. Distraught Jim messages Tracy, but she misunderstands his text and thinks Jazzer wants to call off the wedding. This leads to an even more heartfelt apology from Jim, who feels he should never have been best man. Tracy declares Jazzer more Scottish than bagpipes. With Jazzer suitably mollified, they all drink a toast to this sentiment.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001ngcm)
Ben Okri, film director Shamira Raphaela, Leighton House Museum

The Booker Prize-winning author Sir Ben Okri joins Antonia Quirke to reflect on his new collection Tiger Work, intended as a wake up call for a warming world. It blends fiction, essays and poetry inspired by environmental activism in the face of climate crisis.

Film director Shamira Raphaela discusses her documentary Shabu, which follows an aspiring teenage musician from Rotterdam during a single summer.

Antonia visits Leighton House in London, one of five finalists for this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award. The Victorian 'studio house' was once the home of Fredric Leighton, artist, collector and former president of the Royal Academy.

Presenter: Antonia Quirke
Producer: Olivia Skinner


TUE 20:00 Today (m001ngcv)
The Today Debate: Is the housing market broken?

The Today Debate is about taking a subject and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the programme in the morning.

Today presenter Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests in the BBC's Radio Theatre, where in front of an audience, they discuss the current state of the housing market.

On the panel are George Clarke, architect and broadcaster; David Simmonds the Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Planning; David O'Leary from the Home Builders Federation, which represents housebuilders in England and Wales; Claer Barrett, Consumer Editor for the Financial Times and Richard Fearon, Chief Executive of the Leeds Building Society.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001ngcz)
A Near-Fatal Train Accident; Music Producer Robin Millar

Abdul Eneser is a blind student in Glasgow and he regularly uses the train to return home to Manchester. He could soon be taking legal action against three major train companies due to his falling onto the tracks at Manchester Piccadilly train station. His case will be brought on the grounds that there were a lack of tactile paving on the platform at that time and failures of the Passenger Assistance Service. Abdul, along with his solicitor Kate Egerton, provide the details.

Sir Robin Millar is a renowned music producer, who also happens to be blind. He is known variously as 'The Original Smooth Operator', due to his production of the iconic Diamond Life album by Sade. Since then, among other things, he has co-founded an artist management and publishing company, Blue Raincoat Music and is Chair of pan-disability charity Scope. Robin sits down with Peter and shares musings about his career and his recent knighthood.

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 The NHS at 75: Covid Memories (m001ngd6)
As the public banged their saucepans together on Thursday evenings to honour the NHS, those being honoured were under a pressure we could not fully appreciate.

In hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes, on A&E wards and in operating theatres, doctors and nurses were trying to save lives, while also dealing with a lack of PPE, understaffing, sickness and escalating deaths.

And they wrote about it all - in poems, prose, diary entries, small observations on the back of envelopes. We gather some of this testimony – thoughtful, moving, scared, despairing, hopeful and proud.

These pieces help chart the different phases of the pandemic. The calm before the storm, the first wave, the summer reprieve, the second wave, the vaccine rollout and then the ongoing trauma of long Covid.

There have been many different writing projects run for NHS staff in recent years. All with the aim of giving voice to the hopes and fears of frontline workers as they deal every day with illness and death – feelings brought into sharp relief during the pandemic.

Emergency department nurse and poet Piers Harrison-Reid interweaves the writings of fellow NHS workers with his own specially composed poem that is a testimony to this most extraordinary of times.

Featuring writings contributed by Dr. Damon Kamming, Beth Calverley, Daniel Griffith, Janis Burns, Debra Kroll and Dr Claudia Gore.

Covid Memories is inspired by Our National Health Stories, a national programme of artistic work made by thousands of NHS staff in 19 hospital trusts across England. Marking 75 years of the NHS and led by Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, Our National Health Stories builds on the work already being done within the Trusts led by the National Arts in Hospitals Network and culminates with a finale performance in November 2023.

www.ournhstories.org.uk

Presented by Piers Harrison-Reid
Produced by Tom Woolfenden
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 21:30 The Long View (m001ng73)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ngdj)
Israeli forces start withdrawing from Jenin

After a two-day military operation, Israeli forces have tonight begun withdrawing from a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. We get the latest from Jenin.

China has accused the UK of sheltering fugitives - after Hong Kong put bounties on the heads of eight exiled pro-democracy activists. We get the response of a senior MP.

And is there a link between 'Allo 'Allo! and our Au Revoir to the European Union? We speak to a history professor who thinks sitcoms predicted Brexit - and to one of the regulars at Cafe Rene.


TUE 22:45 People Who Knew Me (p0fm850k)
7. Daddy

New episodes released on Tuesday and Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen first on BBC Sounds.

Connie continues retelling her story to Paul, reliving the trauma of September 11th, and the events that lead up to her faking her own death. Hidden away in Gabe's apartment, watching the events of 9/11 unfold on TV, she turns off her phone and never looks back. Paul thinks she is brave enough to tell Claire the truth.

Credits

Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE
Drew - KYLE SOLLER
Claire - ISABELLA SERMON
Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH
Jade - JESSICA DARROW
Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS
Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY
and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL
Additional voices:
PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ

Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs
Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper
Produced by Joshua Buckingham
Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson
Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio
Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson
Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna
Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson
Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans
Production Manager Sarah Lawson
Casting Director Lauren Evans
Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode
Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo
Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz
Music composed by Max Perryment
Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek
Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata
Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca
Head of Production Rebecca Kerley
Production Accountant Lianna Meering
Finance Director Jackie Sidey
Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards
Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer
Read in Hannah Moorish
Artwork: Mirjami Qin
Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti

Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.


TUE 23:00 Witch (p0fp3vcn)
6. Midwives and Healers

The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?

Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.

A common belief about the witch hunts is that they were a targeted attack on female healers and midwives. But to what extent is that true? India speaks to historians, nurses and activists to find out.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Elle Scott
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed

Scored with original music by The Big Moon.

A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001ngf2)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

WEDNESDAY 05 JULY 2023

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001ngfd)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j424)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ngfr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ngg4)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001nggh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001nggq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001nggz)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

Today is the 75th anniversary of the NHS. When it was founded in 1948 it was the first universal health system that was free to all.

Before the NHS, those who could not afford to pay for healthcare relied on the generosity of volunteers and philanthropists.

Thanks to the NHS, thousands of adults and children who would have previously died from illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, measles or whooping cough received vaccinations and free lifesaving treatment.

And in recent times, hundreds of thousands of people were treated and saved during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which thousands of nurses, doctors and NHS workers were on the frontlines.

Many of us have stories to tell of how the NHS was there for us or loved ones.

Last year when I gave birth my to first child, the NHS swooped in to provide me with immediate healthcare when my mental health broke down after childbirth.

Thanks to the healthcare and support I received from my NHS psychiatrist, mental health nurse and CBT therapist, I recovered from crippling postpartum anxiety and depression and became a functioning mother who was able to bond with and take care of her child. I don’t know where I’d be today if they hadn’t acted so quickly.

So today , as we take part in the NHS’s birthday celebrations, I’d like to keep NHS workers in my prayers. God, Most Generous, Most Kind, protect and reward our NHS workers, and continue to enable them to provide free healthcare for everyone.

Ameen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001ngh7)
05/07/23 Highly Protected Marine Areas; Animal waste; Egg packing.

Three Highly Protected Marine Areas are coming into operation off the English Coast. The new areas are: Allonby Bay, on the Cumbrian Coast; North East of Farnes Deep off the North East; and Dolphin Head in the English Channel. The Scottish government abandoned plans for a similar move, which would have prevented fishing in 10 percent of Scottish coastal waters, after the fishing fleet objected. We ask the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations what they think of the new English Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Figures have been compiled by the charity Sustain, which works with farmers on environmentally friendly farming, about the amount of waste from livestock farming. The group claims that what it calls 'industrial' livestock farming - they class that as indoor pigs, chickens and 20 percent of the dairy herd in the UK - produces more than 50,000 tonnes of untreated excreta - or poo - each day. They say that's more than a hundred double decker buses full, each hour! We ask an expert on fresh water quality and animal waste, how can the UK deal with it, without damaging the environment?

All week we are taking a closer look at egg production. It's had a really difficult time, as the worst bird flu outbreak hit last year, combined with soaring feed and fuel costs which led to egg shortages We speak to a packer who buys eggs from eleven farmers. He tells us why all his producers have switched from free-range to barn systems, until they feel it's safe to go back to free-range.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09hw2w2)
Fyfe Dangerfield on the Woodchat Shrike

Childhood holidays in France, sitting in the back of the car were for musician Fyfe Dangerfield a great opportunity to view rare birds, such as the woodchat shrike known also as the butcherbird.

Producer: Mark Ward


WED 06:00 Today (m001ngp3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m001ngpm)
Immigration: A More or Less Special Programme

More than 1.2 million people came into the country to stay for more than 12 months in 2022. As only 560,000 left the country, this means net migration is at an all-time high. Both the Prime Minister and Home Secretary have said the number of people coming needs to come down. But who counts as an immigrant? How are the figures worked out? Charlotte McDonald will be finding out what the numbers tell us about who is coming to the UK and why. Plus - what about the people who left in 2022?


WED 09:30 Living on the Edge (m001ngq0)
Spurn Point

Ten coastal encounters, presented by Richard King.

Today: an early morning encounter with warden Paul Collins at Spurn Bird Observatory.

Not simply town or countryside, the coastline is a place apart – attracting lives and stories often overlooked.

In these ten programmes, the writer Richard King travels around the UK coast to meet people who live and work there – a sequence of portraits rooted in distinct places, which piece together into an alternative portrait of the UK: an oblique image of the nation drawn from the coastal edge.


WED 09:45 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j446)
Book of the Week: Ep 3 - Rwanda

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his memoir about his struggle with PTSD. Today, he recounts his experiences of covering Rwanda's genocide, and how bearing witness to the horror meted out over hundred days in 1994 continues to impact his mental health.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD, before reaching the turning point when he went to Rwanda to cover the genocide that took place in 1994. The personal impact of the brutality he saw eventually led to a breakdown in his mental health, and was followed by a long road to recovery that remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and has been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ngqj)
Trichotillomania, Singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, Sexual harassment in schools

Trichotillomania is often referred to as “hair-pulling disorder”. There is little research in this area, but statistics suggest 1.1m people in the UK could have the condition, with 80% of them women. Half of those never seek treatment. What exactly is it? Why do people do it? And what can be done to help them stop? Clare MacKay is Professor of Brain Imaging at Oxford University. She joins Nuala to share her personal experience for the first time, and discuss the academic review she is doing in this area.

According to a report by the Commons' Women and Equalities Committee, sexual harassment and sexual violence continues to be a scourge in schools, with many girls and women feeling powerless. The cross-party group of MPs is calling on the Government to focus on a specific strategy engaging boys in relationship, sex and health education lessons (RSHE) at school to help tackle the problem.

Young singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, has collaborated with the likes of Loyle Carner and Leon Bridges, earning a reputation for her stellar live shows. She joins Nuala to discuss her recent Glastonbury performance, her inspirations and her debut album - Messy.

'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' is an award-winning documentary which follows a group of Estonian women over seven years. The film artfully captures every bead of sweat and every inch of skin as the women reveal their innermost secrets. Nuala is joined by the documentary's director Anna Hints, and cinematographer Ants Tammik, to discuss why they chose to capture such an intimate ritual.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Alex Webb


WED 11:00 Intrigue (p0fvcytd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 History's Secret Heroes (p0fqnk5m)
6. The Mystery of Garbo

His codename was Garbo. The identity of one of World War Two’s most successful double agents, a man who diverted the German Army away from the D-Day landings, is finally revealed.

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.

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

Producer: Clem Hitchcock
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann


WED 12:00 News Summary (m001ngr8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001ngrp)
Driving tests: How bots take the slots

There's a huge delay to get a driving test - and it seems to have inspired a new industry making money from test slots. How can a regular learner driver compete with the bots they use to snap up every space? We'll ask how are they doing it and what's being done.

What does the cost of living crisis mean for traditionally high end supermarkets? We'll speak live to the boss of Waitrose.

We'll also ask what small luxuries people are treating themselves to at the moment - is the so-called lipstick effect a real thing - and consider whether a new ombudsman for private landlords will be good news for tenants.

PRESENTER: PETER WHITE
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


WED 12:57 Weather (m001ngs3)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m001ngsl)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


WED 13:45 Understand (m001nppm)
Tech and AI

Tech and AI: 3. VR, AR and the Metaverse

Just by putting on a headset, Virtual Reality promises to immerse you in another world, and Augmented Reality takes that world and brings it into your living room. How do they work? It's a type of technology that seems to have been "the next big thing" for at least a decade. But are they just expensive toys, or do they have a use beyond gaming?

In a similar vein, you may have seen adverts for the Metaverse, and that Facebook's parent company is pumping huge amounts of money into it. But what is it? How are Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality linked to the Metaverse, and will they make it...a reality?

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? How does Broadband work and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples


WED 14:00 The Archers (m001ngcb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001ngt3)
The Wire Cutters

In spring 2022, reports emerged of a series of unusual attacks on electrical equipment in a valley in West Yorkshire. Farm equipment, 5G towers and electrical substations were targeted and their circuitry destroyed. Nothing was stolen. The vandals caused power outages, they disrupted communication networks and affected the livelihoods of residents living in the town of Halifax.

The group became known locally as The Wire Cutters and their motives remain a mystery.

Cast:
Leanne Best
John Biggins
Tom Lorcan
Georgina Sadler
Sid Sagar
Howard Ward

With special thanks to Dale Tutaj, Val Cross, Lucy Phelps and David Burnett

Production Co-ordinator - Lulu Wellford-Carroll
Sound Designer - Jon Nicholls
Original music - John Hartley
Director - Hunter Charlton, Luke MacGregor and Romesh Kishore
Executive Producer - David Hunter

A debut drama production by Burning Bright Audio for BBC Radio 4


WED 15:00 Money Box (m001ngtj)
Money Box Live: Making Sense of Savings

Bank bosses are being asked to explain why interest rates on savings aren't keeping up with the rising cost of borrowing.

The heads of Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest and Barclays banks will meet the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Thursday.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already stepped in to tell banks to put up rates for savers.

At the moment the Bank of England base rate is 5 per cent, following last months 13th consecutive rise.

UK Finance who speak for banks say "savings rates are driven by a number of factors," not just the base rate.

Laura Suter, head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell and Kirsty Stone, Chartered Financial Planner at The Private Office, are here to help make sense of your savings.

Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 5th July, 2023)


WED 15:30 The NHS at 75: Covid Memories (m001ngd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Sideways (m001nghm)
45. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 1

Matthew Syed is a former Olympic table tennis player for Great Britain. As Matthew travelled in China, competing against some of the world’s greatest players, he realised that ping pong is a game that has played a huge and fascinating role in the rise of a great power, taking us from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the sporting ambitions of the country today.

Matthew begins this three-part mini series from Sideways, with the story of the rise and tragic death of Rong Guotuan - an extraordinary player and China's first world champion in any sport.

Chairman Mao and Zhou Enlai were keen ping pong players, and in the early years of the PRC the sport was a way of cementing national pride. And where better to showcase a new China and its sporting prowess than at the 1961 Beijing World Table Tennis Championships? But hidden behind the veneer of a newly built stadium and comforts for the visiting teams from all over the world, was a much darker experience for the people of China - an avoidable famine that's estimated by 1961 to have killed at least 36 million.

Presented by Matthew Syed
Producer: Pippa Smith
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Script consultation: Dr Olivia Cheung, SOAS, University of London
Sound Design and mix: Rob Speight
Archival research: Nadia Mehdi
With thanks to Zhijie Shao from the BBC World Service and to the International Table Tennis Federation

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001ngty)
Reporting the French riots

After the fatal shooting of a 17 year old boy by a police officer during a traffic stop in a suburb of Paris, protests and riots have taken place across France over the last week. Thousands have been arrested, shops looted, and hundreds of vehicles set alight. Journalists reporting the story have found themselves a target, with some being injured by protestors. Meanwhile, President Macron has blamed social media and video games for fuelling the violence.

Also in the programme, the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich approaches 100 days behind bars in Russia. The US, the Wall Street Journal and Mr Gershkovich all deny the allegation by the Russian authorities that he is a spy.

Guests: Katya Adler, Europe editor, BBC News; Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director, Agence France-Presse; Emma Pearson, Editor, The Local France; Boris Kharlamoff, Journalist, BFMTV; Emma Tucker, Editor-in-chief, The Wall Street Journal.

Presenter: Katie Razzall


WED 17:00 PM (m001ngvb)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ngvx)
The BBC has previously reported claims of unlawful killings by British troops


WED 18:30 Robin Ince's Reality Tunnel (m001ngwk)
Fossils of the Mind

Series 2 - Episode 1

In the first of his two-part series Robin talks about love, books, and his love of books. He explores how we sometimes find it difficult to express our love and shares stories of the delight he's experienced on his travels. It is also a cautionary tale, warning of the dangers of not sharing praise and admiration before it's too late.

Escaping the confines of The Infinite Monkey Cage, comedian Robin Ince takes us on a journey through his Reality Tunnel in his second two-part stand-up series, recorded specially for Radio 4.

For over 30 years Robin Ince has been discharging fascinating thoughts, unusual knowledge, and infectious excitement into the universe. Over this time, these disparate, dusty specs of information have steadily clumped together and formed into an entity known as the 'Reality Tunnel'.

Previously, Robin's live appearances have only been visible to those astute enough to be tracking his trajectory; those with a keen enough eye to catch a fleeting glimpse of him as he twinkles through their orbit, emitting his ideas, shedding light on the human condition, before vanishing again into the distance. But now, using specialist recording tools and fancy editing, this phenomenon has been captured in high resolution audio for all to hear.

Praise for series 1
- “I was practically in tears of joy and wonder. I found it deeply moving and profoundly comforting”
- “It is a thing of beauty and joy and a thing for me amid an ocean of things that aren't!”
- “it’s good to know I'm not the only one with those 'thoughts'”

Writer / Performer ... Robin Ince
Voice Over ... Cody Dahler
Producer ... Carl Cooper
Production Coordinator ... Mabel Wright

Sound Manager ... Jerry Peal
Sound Editor ... Joshan Chana
Original Music ... Dan Antopolski

Picture by Steve Best

BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m001ngm1)
Helen’s hurrying to get late Henry to football. She’s hoping to have a talk with him on the way. She asks Lee about his day at work. Lee reports there were a couple of people being a bit weird about why he was off, but on the whole people have been lovely. In the car Helen tries to answer Henry’s questions about Rob wanting to see Jack. What if he tries to take him? Helen does her best to reassure him. Henry admits Jack knows Rob’s back in the country, and that he’s told Jack it will be alright – they’ll protect him. Moved Helen apologises to Henry, and says she’ll talk to Jack. Later she reports to Lee that things seemed to go ok with her chat with Jack, though it’s hard to know how much information to give. Lee comforts her; there’s no handbook. He suggests they watch a distracting gentle film, and Helen thanks him for his thoughtfulness.

Jim thinks his gift of saucepans for Jazzer and Tracy is boring. Susan agrees. She’s still sore at Jim for changing horses over the EV charging station; she’d thought they were in it together. Jim fills in Susan about Jazzer’s crisis over his national identity. Later she hopes it isn’t an excuse for Jazzer to waver, she’d never forgive him. Jazzer reassures her of his love for Tracy, and Susan apologises for her jumpiness. Later Tracy and Jazzer can’t sleep. After promising one another they’ll always fight for their relationship, Jazzer soothes Tracy with a lullaby.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m001ngx1)
Manchester International Festival Special

Yayoi Kusama: You, Me & The Balloons is the inaugural show in Aviva Studios, the new headquarters for the Manchester International Festival. In a variety of ways Kusama’s distinctive polka dots fill the new Warehouse space. Economics the Blockbuster – It’s Not Business As Usual at The Whitworth is a very different kind of visual art show which asks artists to re-imagine that most topical of subjects, the economy. Art critic Laura Robertson and novelist Okechukwu Nzelu review.

In his illustrious career Benji Reid has moved from the world of breakdancing, to contemporary dance, to physical theatre, to hiphop theatre. After pursuing his interest in photography, he has now created a new art form which he calls Choreo-Photolism. He talks to Nick about the importance of curiosity both for artists and the arts.

Grammy award winning composer John Luther Adams and the composer Ailís Ní Ríain have been commissioned to create brand new work inspired by the environment as part of the Manchester International Festival. The premiere is Friday, we’ll hear all about it on tonight’s programme.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001ngxj)
The Morality of Privatisation

Thames Water, which serves a quarter of the UK population, is billions of pounds in debt and on the brink of insolvency. The company has received heavy criticism, and calls for it to be nationalised, following a series of sewage discharges and leaks. The energy sector, railway companies, and the Royal Mail have faced a similar outcry in recent months.

When it comes to the provision of services which are essential for our national life, the calculation is often utilitarian: which form of ownership, public or private, leads to the greater social good? Many believe that the private water, rail and energy companies are simply failing to serve the public. Meanwhile, although polling suggests most people want to keep the NHS under public ownership, many of the health outcomes of patients compare less favourably to other European countries.

The privatisation versus nationalisation debate is about more than outcomes: it highlights competing visions of the good society. For some, the private sector gives us more freedom of choice as moral agents. For others, a ‘market mentality’ has crept into more and more aspects of our social and communal life, including education, and the result has been the erosion of our own moral obligations towards each other.

Can the motivation for profit co-exist alongside a vision of the common good? What moral responsibilities should private companies have to society? And what are the moral limits of markets?

Producer: Dan Tierney.


WED 21:00 Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics (m001gj50)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001ngty)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ngxw)
UK Special Forces at centre of Afghan war crimes inquiry

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed for the first time that UK Special Forces are at the centre of an inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The MoD had previously refused to confirm or deny the claims, after the BBC revealed evidence that the SAS killed dozens of unarmed people between 2010 and 2013. A former British officer in Afghanistan tells us the move is highly significant.

Also in the programme: as the NHS turns 75 we discuss its future with a former health secretary, a local NHS leader, and the first baby born under the NHS; and the new racket game of pickleball is taking off in the US- will it capture the public imagination here?


WED 22:45 People Who Knew Me (p0fm861m)
8. Tidal Wave

New episodes released on Tuesday and Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen first on BBC Sounds.

Bolstered by her revelation to Paul, Connie takes Claire to the beach to tell her the truth about her Dad. Overwhelmed by the shocking discovery, Claire runs away for the night without telling Connie. Connie finds Drew on Facebook, and tells him she is alive and has a daughter. She wakes up from her mastectomy surgery disorientated and is relieved to find Claire by her side.

Credits

Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE
Drew - KYLE SOLLER
Claire - ISABELLA SERMON
Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH
Jade - JESSICA DARROW
Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS
Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY
and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL
Additional voices:
PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ

Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs
Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper
Produced by Joshua Buckingham
Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson
Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio
Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson
Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna
Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson
Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans
Production Manager Sarah Lawson
Casting Director Lauren Evans
Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode
Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo
Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz
Music composed by Max Perryment
Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek
Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata
Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca
Head of Production Rebecca Kerley
Production Accountant Lianna Meering
Finance Director Jackie Sidey
Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards
Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer
Read in Hannah Moorish
Artwork: Mirjami Qin
Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti

Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.


WED 23:00 Maisie Adam: The Beautiful Game (m001ngy8)
3. "It's Coming Home!"

Stand-up comedian Maisie Adam presents her stand-up special where she discusses her love of football and her experience of the women’s game ahead of the Women's World Cup 2023.

For Maisie, football has always been there, even when all the signs have been screaming that this wasn’t a sport for her. At school, where the girls curriculum neglected football in favour of the skirt-adorning Hockey and Netball. In the park, where boys wouldn’t pass to girls “because they’ll lose the ball”. And in adult life, where the local sports centre advertises Men's 5-a-side, and women's Yoga.

But It’s a game where all you need is players and a ball. That’s it. Well, we have women. We have footballs. Time to pass the ball, lads.

In this episode, Maisie looks back on the best day of her life - the Lionesses winning the Euros 2022 in front of a home crowd. We also hear from some of her own football team who tell us what the beautiful game means to them.

Written by and starring Maisie Adam

Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinators: Caroline Barlow and Dan Marchini
Sound editor: David Thomas
Photo credit: Matt Crockett

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m001np2p)
Series 9

Episode 3

Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album remixes the news into award-winning satirical shapes. This week- Jacob Rees Mogwai, My Sweet KGB Lord, and It's A Wonderful Nige.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001ngyg)
Sean Curran reports on Prime Minister's Questions - minus the Prime Minister. Peers defeat the government over its Illegal Migration Bill and MPs investigate sexism in sport.

THURSDAY 06 JULY 2023

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001ngym)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j446)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ngyv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ngz1)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ngz7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001ngzd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ngzm)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

When I was a child, I wanted to be many things when I grew up. At the age of six I was obsessed with drawing houses and during one summer play scheme, a teenager suggested to me that I could one day be an architect.

I wanted to be an architect until I then decided I wanted to be a teacher. I adored my Year 5 teacher and the way in which every day felt like a new adventure with her. I wanted to be able to replicate that for other children.

A year later I wanted to become a published author, and spent all my free time writing stories and sending handwritten letters to my favourite authors.

From then on, every year or so I would change my career plans – I wanted to be everything from a dentist to a politician, and a chat show host to a stay-at-home-mum of three.

Like most people, as an adult I ended up falling into what I do now without exactly planning it – a journalist and copywriter.

But I still often think about all the things I could still be – a bestselling author, a physiotherapist, a human rights lawyer, a university lecturer.

I think there is no upper age limit for wanting to change what you want to be in life. The Victorian novelist George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

Oh Lord, Most Generous, The Bestower, please continue to allow us to see life’s endless possibilities and grant us the means to pursue whatever it is we want to be.

Ameen.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001ngzw)
06/07/23 Vaccination still not an option for tackling bird flu, smashing eggs, farming flowers

The Chief Vet says vaccination is still not an option for tackling bird flu in free range hens, but that progress is being made.
We visit a Shropshire egg producer who’s breaking 20 tonnes of eggs a day, on purpose!
Flower farming in the UK is on the up and florists, and the public, are being urged to buy British blooms to support it.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b091vs6s)
Alex Gregory on the Kingfisher

Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Alex Gregory reflects on the birds he sees such as the kingfisher and heron while out on early morning training for this Tweet of the Day.

Producer: Mark Ward


THU 06:00 Today (m001nghb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 Sideways (m001nghm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 09:30 In the Loop (m001nghz)
1. Stone Circle

…a circle has no beginning and no end. It represents rebirth and regeneration, continuity and infinity. From wedding rings to stone circles, in poetry, music and the trajectories of the planets themselves, circles and loops are embedded in our imaginations.

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy’ locations. He visits a traffic roundabout, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we’d all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards – and rebel against - the ‘strange loops’ of Bach, Gödel and Escher.

As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that’s because a circle has no beginning and no end…
.
The first episode brings Paul around to the 5000 year-old stone circle at Castlerigg in Cumbria – a ring of stones within a ring of hills. With archaeologists Gill Hey and Richard Bradley he considers what circles represented to our Neolithic forebears and how sites like Castlerigg informed their view of the Universe. And, with Eugenia Cheng, he discovers what a circle actually means to a mathematician .

Producer: Jeremy Grange


THU 09:45 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j4cc)
Book of the Week: Ep 4 - Breaking Down

In journalist Fergal Keane's memoir about his struggle with PTSD it is 2008, and he is haunted by the horrors he bore witness to in Rwanda. Soon he reaches crisis point.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ngjh)
Caitlin Moran, Ellie Simmonds, Esperanza Spalding, Brandi Morin

Anita is joined by the five time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds to discuss her new documentary where she sets out to find her birth parents. Ellie was adopted within months of being born and whilst she has always known she was adopted, she hasn't previously tried to find her birth parents, until now.

Five times Grammy award winner, the bassist, lyricist and composer, Esperanza Spalding has become a prominent voice in the jazz world. At 38 she has released eight albums and has collaborated with many distinguished artists, including Terri Lyne Carrington and Toni Visconti. She talks to Anita from the Netherlands, where she will perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Canada has a history of disproportionate violence faced by indigenous women, which was called a genocide by a national public inquiry in 2019. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has counted the names of more than 4,000 Indigenous women they believe have been murdered over the last three decades. Brandi Morin is an award-winning journalist who is Cree, Iroquois, French Canadian and puts the abuses suffered by indigenous Canadians front and centre in her work. She joins Anita to explain why.

Caitlin Moran’s multi-award-winning bestseller How to Be a Woman has been published in 28 countries. Now she has turned her attention to men, what's wrong with them, what they should do about it and why they need feminism to help. Caitlin joins Anita to discuss her new book What About Men?

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Studio manager: Gayl Gordon


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m001ngjy)
Grief and grievances in France's banlieues

The bereaved mother of Nahel M., who was killed by police in Paris. And stories from Brazil, Somalia, Finland and Sicily.

Last week French police killed a 17-year old young man of North African origin during a traffic stop. This led to angry rioting and looting in Paris and other cities. But what underlies the anger and what does the death mean for the mother who lost her only child? Katya Adler has been to the Paris suburb where Nahel died.

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted of abusing his power for casting doubt on the country's voting system, and banned from running for office for 8 years. But, says Camilla Mota, political divisions remain deep. There's even a dating app for those who don't fancy a Bolsonarista.

Somalia has a large diaspora that fled the civil war of the 1980s and 90s and the instability, even famine, that have afflicted the country since. At least 100,000 live in Britain. Many are second-generation Somalis who have never been to Somalia. Among them, Soraya Ali - until now. So what was it like to go "back"?

As a consequence of the war in Ukraine, Finland joined NATO this year. It was a big turning point, because Finland’s history has long been intertwined with Russia. And so as Emilia Jansson found, the pivot to the West brought many changes. But not the giving up of paskha, a Russian cheesecake.

Sicily’s capital Palermo prides itself in its UNESCO world heritage-listed old town, with monuments from the times of Byzantine, Arab and Norman rule. And now there is a square marking the stay of an Irish debutante, Violet Gibson, who almost killed Mussolini. Richard Dove has her story.

Presenter: Kate Adie
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor: China Collins
Credit: Photo by YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock


THU 11:30 A Good Read (m001ng9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


THU 12:00 News Summary (m001ngkb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001ngkq)
Gap Finders - Isabella West from Hirestreet

On Gap Finders this week, Winifred Robinson speaks to Isabella West, the founder and CEO of Hirestreet. It was one of the first high street online fashion rental platforms to launch in the UK. Isabella describes the website as a cross between ASOS and Booking.com. She founded Hirestreet in 2017 when she was just 24 years old. Customers can hire sustainable and affordable fashion outfits from the site as an alternative to buying a fast fashion outfit they’d only wear once.
Isabella was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. She used her savings to start up the business from her parents’ basement. An Economics graduate from Oxford University, she comes from a family of entrepreneurs.
After working as a strategy consultant for Selfridges and then for an investment bank in London, Isabella returned home to Newcastle to launch Hirestreet. To get started, she borrowed 200 dresses from her friends, put them up as stock on her website and began renting them out.
Over the last five years, she has scaled up her business and now has 25 people working on her team. She has also partnered with big brands such as M&S, ASOS, Warehouse, Oasis, French Connection and River Island.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001ngl2)
Barefoot Shoes

This is one of your most-requested topics and as a keen runner myself I couldn’t wait to get into it. Barefoot shoes claim to encourage you to run in a more ‘natural’ way, landing on your mid or forefoot rather than on your heel. Some brands say they’ll increase your speed and reduce the likelihood of injury. But will they?

Listener Sam runs marathons and wants to know if the science backs up the marketing hype. He also wonders whether the wider toebox in barefoot shoes really does allow for our toes to be separated out in a more natural way.

It’s not just runners who got in touch either; Jon is a dog walker and is interested in wearing barefoot shoes on a more casual basis. Is there any benefit to that?

And what about children? Listener Zoe already wears barefoot shoes herself but wants to know if they might be good for her son, too.

In this episode I speak to experts to weigh up the evidence. Are barefoot shoes the best thing since sliced bread? Or just marketing BS?

PRESENTER: Greg Foot
PRODUCER: Simon Hoban


THU 12:57 Weather (m001nglg)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m001ngls)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


THU 13:45 Understand (m001nppp)
Tech and AI

Tech and AI: 4. Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and the Web version 3.0

You might be wary of using digital currencies, but you probably already do.

Salaries, benefits and pensions are now paid direct to banks, and when you buy a coffee, you may well use a contactless card to pay, without a flutter of a 5 pound note in sight.

So what are online cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and why won't some people touch those with a barge pole? And when you hear about them, another word always pops up - Blockchain. What does it do? And how could both become important when we start to use the next version of the Internet, called web 3.0?

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? where is "the Cloud" and what are VR and AR? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples


THU 14:00 The Archers (m001ngm1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001ngmd)
Gret and Will

In this gripping and funny new drama, we witness life inside the Tudor court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, as experienced by some of the period’s most charismatic figures - their Fools.

Gret, saved from the streets by her direct humour and charisma, enters the employ of the next Queen. In a strange new world of royalty she meets Will, the Jester of the King, who teaches her about the dangerous role they must inhabit - one demanding the courage to speak truth to power and the wisdom to avoid getting killed for it.

As their relationship deepens, Gret is faced with the fact that Anne’s rise cannot last, and that her fall could drag Gret down with her. Will urges her to do what is necessary to survive, and Gret must choose between betraying the Queen who gave her everything or losing it all.

This new play explores what it means to be a paid to entertain, the limits of loyalty, and how we work out who our real friends are.

BBC Audio Award-winning writer Elizabeth Kuti opens up new realms of possibility, exploring the widely held theory that the Fools of the Tudor court were some of the most famous, powerful and enigmatic neuro-divergent people in history.

Showcasing two of Britain’s great neuro-divergent actors, Sarah Gordy stars as Gret alongside Jack Morris as Will, in director Tim Hoare’s radio debut.

Cast:
Gret ..... ........................Sarah Gordy
Will ................................ Jack Morris
Anne Boleyn.................Sara Markland

Written by Elizabeth Kuti
Directed by Tim Hoare
Produced by Celia de Wolff
Sound Design by David Thomas
Broadcast Assistant: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 15:00 Open Country (m001ngmp)
Inspiration on the Tay

Dougie Vipond visits the River Tay, which runs from its source in the Highlands, past Dundee and out to sea. For centuries, the Tay estuary has shaped how creative people have expressed themselves. Starting at McDuff's Cross, the author Robin Crawford explains the Tay's link to Shakespeare - who was said to have drawn inspiration for his play Macbeth from this area. Pre-Raphaelite painters Turner and Millais knew the area well, Beatrix Potter imagined some of her most famous creations on the Tay's banks, and some of Scotland's best known artists such as Raeburn and Naismith depicted the landscape in their paintings. Dougie visits the studio of a contemporary landscape artist, Helen Glassford, to find out how her view of the silvery Tay continues to have an impact on artists today.

Produced by Ruth Sanderson


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001nhnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Bookclub (m001nfzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 Walt Disney: A Life in Films (m001ngn2)
2. Pinocchio

Through the stories of ten of his greatest works, Mel Giedroyc examines the life of Walt Disney, a much mythologised genius. A man to whom storytelling was an escape from an oppressive father and a respite from periods of depression.

His name is truly iconic, but how much do we really know about this titan of the entertainment industry? Who was the real Walt and why did a man who moulded Western pop culture in his image end up on his deathbed, afraid that he’d be forgotten?

In her second episode, Mel immerses herself in the story of Pinocchio. We might think of it as a sweet and innocent tale, but Disney's film is based on a dark fable by author Carlo Collodi and is a lot less sugary than you might remember.

The film was a box office flop, ramping up Walt’s financial woes, but would later go on to be recognised as a classic. Pinocchio was a project that saw immense creative ambition butt up against huge financial pressures. Mel reveals the challenges the animators had in nailing the movements of the titular puppet and the struggles to draw Pinocchio’s sidekick Jiminy Cricket in ways that didn’t leave him looking like a grotesque monster.

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001ngnh)
Mapping the universe

A rocket launch, super-massive black holes and ghost particles! This past week’s scientific findings are testament to how hard-at-work cosmologists and physicists have been seeking out the fundamental building blocks of our universe and the rules that govern it.

Professor of Cosmology at UCL, Andrew Pontzen, joins Marnie Chesterton to discuss the lot of them. Euclid took to the stars on Saturday, carrying a wide-angle space telescope that promises the opportunity to create a far larger and accurate 3D map of the universe to anything ever seen before. Gravitational waves detected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOgrav) provide insight into the role black holes play in galaxy formation. And neutrinos recorded in the remote ices of Antarctica have been detected from the centre of our Milky Way.

Dr Stuart Farrimond also joins us for the next few weeks with his pitch on the science of gardening. He’ll be digging up facts and tips that will help make the most out of summer blooms. This week Stu unearths how the pH of your soil could be hindering the flowerbeds.

And visit a Welsh quarry with reporter Ella Hubber to hear how a mere 462 million years ago new species were exploding onto the scene. Palaeontologists Dr Joe Botting and Dr Lucy Muir stumbled across the most abundant and rare deposit of soft bodied fossils on record, scoring an archaeological jackpot!

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Harrison Lewis
Content producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Assistant producer: Robbie Wojciechowski
Editor: Richard Collings


THU 17:00 PM (m001ngp1)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ngpj)
Stephen Lawrence's mother, Baroness Lawrence, said the decision was a "disgrace"


THU 18:30 Unite (m001ngpy)
Series 2

Life and Death

Tony is upset that his family seem to have forgotten his 60th birthday but is then even more aggrieved when he finds out Imogen's planned a surprise party.
Ashley attends his Nan’s funeral and is reunited with his Mum for the first time in years and Imogen’s mother arrives to offer Gideon and Rebecca unwanted advice on childbirth.

Last in the series of the critically-acclaimed sitcom. When Tony (Mark Steel), a working class, left wing South Londoner, falls in love and marries Imogen (Claire Skinner), an upper middle class property developer, their sons - Croydon chancer Ashley (Elliot Steel) and supercilious Eton and Oxford-educated Gideon (Ivo Graham) - are forced to live under the same roof and behave like the brothers neither of them ever wanted.

Cast:
Tony - Mark Steel

Imogen - Claire Skinner

Ashley - Elliot Steel

Gideon - Ivo Graham

Rebecca - Ayesha Antoine

Nigel - Simon Greenall
Geraldine - Isla Blaire
Heather - Ashley Maguire
Little Dicky - Barry Castagnola
Eileen - Ruth Bratt
Stefan/Barber - Naz Osmanoglu

Written by Barry Castagnola, Elliot Steel and Ian Pearce

(additional material from the cast)

Executive Producer- Mario Stylianides

Producer/Director- Barry Castagnola

Sound Recordist and Editor- Jerry Peal

Broadcast Assistant - Alex Lynch

Assistant Producer - George O'Regan

Production Assistant - David Litchfield
A Golden Path and Rustle Up production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m001ngqh)
It’s the day of Tracy and Jazzer’s wedding. Jazzer’s blown away by how gorgeous Tracy looks. Jim still feels bad about the crisis he caused Jazzer over his birthplace. He tells Susan he’ll be glad when today’s over. Worse follows when Jazzer and Tracy find themselves locked in the bathroom. Brad saves the day by removing the door, releasing panicked Tracy and relieved Jazzer.
At the Bull the guests are gathering. Mia’s surprised when George reveals that Brad’s staying at Ambridge View for the next ten days. Mia asks George what Brad’s done to wrong him – surely it’s the other way round. George concludes that Mia definitely fancies Brad. George tells Susan that Brad thinks he’s staying home alone while Tracy’s away. Then George stirs things by happily chatting to Mia and Brad, just as Brad’s nervously asking Mia if there’s a bit of a vibe between them. When George tells Brad he’ll be sharing a room with him, Brad declares he despises George.
Jolene hands round more prosecco to the waiting guests. Finally she gets a message: the couple are all done at the Register Office and are on their way. They arrive, and Jim makes a moving speech. When Jolene asks if all went well with the ceremony, Tracy and Jazzer obfuscate. As the dancing gets underway they agree everyone’s been brilliant. Privately they whisper about not being properly married yet. Tracy reckons when they do it on the sly they could spend the night before apart, to avoid any bad luck. Jazzer looks forward to them getting married.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m001ngr0)
Kwame Kwei-Armah, Disney Pixar film Elemental reviewed

Kwame Kwei-Armah discusses his play Beneatha's Place, which imagines a future for Beneatha Younger, a character from Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. He talks to Samira Ahmed about the themes of race and politics in the play, which is set in 1950s Nigeria and the present day.

Samira is joined by critics Leila Latif and Ekow Eshun to review some of the cultural highlights of the week: A World in Common, an exhibition of contemporary African photography at Tate Modern in London and Disney Pixar film Elemental, which imagines a world where the inhabitants are all elements.

The Edinburgh Film Festival re-launches today, following its forced closure in 2022 when the charity that ran it went into administration. The festival’s director Kate Taylor joins Samira to outline the plans for the re-vamped festival.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corinna Jones


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001ngrf)
What happened to the Israel/Palestine peace process?

It's 30 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords. That agreement spurred optimism that peace could be forged between Israel and Palestine. It didn't happen. Will it ever?

David Aaronovitch talks to:

Yolande Knell, BBC’s Middle East Correspondent
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent for The Economist
Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research
David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations

Produced by: Kirsteen Knight, Claire Bowes and Ben Carter
Edited by: Richard Vadon
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinator: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill.


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m001ngrv)
Pre-loved

Demand for pre-loved goods has surged in the UK in recent years, with fashion, books and furniture especially popular. So what’s driving this boom in second-hand sales - the cost of living crisis or the increasingly eco-conscious shopper? And how are companies making money from it?

Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of buying and selling pre-loved products, the growing number of online platforms specialising in them, and the bricks-and-mortar retailers looking to get in on the act.

Plus, is buying second-hand really better for the environment, and what protection does the customer get when something goes wrong if they’re buying from a stranger rather than a business?

GUESTS

Hugh Hurley, CEO, Gumtree
Adam Jay, CEO, Vinted Marketplace
Ana Estrougo, founder and CEO, The Octopus Club
Adwoa Owusu-Darko, founder, Mini's World and seller on Depop

Produced in partnership with The Open University.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Graham Puddifoot and Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001ngnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 Don't Log Off (m001ngg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Monday]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ngs8)
Unions hit back at Starmer's marking boycott concern

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he's "very uncomfortable" with the marking boycott at UK universities. We get a response from the head of the union representing lecturers - and hear from students who've been affected.

Where is the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin? At an extraordinary news conference, the leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said he was in Russia, not Belarus. We speak to our Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg - one of only a handful of journalists in the room with Mr Lukashenko.

As Labour puts oracy alongside numeracy and literacy as fundamental skills for schoolchildren - we find out how you teach speaking skills in the classroom with someone who was one of the UK's first "heads of oracy" and a pupil who's been taught it.


THU 22:45 People Who Knew Me (p0fm87tv)
9. Coward

New episode released on Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen first on BBC Sounds.

Drew calls Connie in utter disbelief that she is alive. On confirming that Claire really is his daughter, they establish a weekly phone call getting to know each other. Feeling ever distanced, Connie starts spending more time with Paul, finally agreeing on a date.

Credits

Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE
Drew - KYLE SOLLER
Claire - ISABELLA SERMON
Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH
Jade - JESSICA DARROW
Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS
Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY
and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL
Additional voices:
PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ

Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs
Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper
Produced by Joshua Buckingham
Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson
Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio
Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson
Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna
Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson
Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans
Production Manager Sarah Lawson
Casting Director Lauren Evans
Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode
Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo
Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz
Music composed by Max Perryment
Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek
Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata
Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca
Head of Production Rebecca Kerley
Production Accountant Lianna Meering
Finance Director Jackie Sidey
Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards
Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer
Read in Hannah Moorish
Artwork: Mirjami Qin
Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti

Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.


THU 23:00 Rylan: How to Be a Man (p0fldr75)
8. Freddy McConnell

Rylan Clark is joined by trans man and dad of two, Freddy McConnell. In a frank and fascinating discussion, Freddy talks about transitioning, taking testosterone, becoming pregnant and how surgery has impacted on his life. He also opens up about solo parenting and how he deals with the challenges of gender stereotypes while bringing up his two children.

In this series, Rylan opens up the fault lines of masculinity in lively and revealing conversations with diverse, prominent figures and celebrities. Together they explore toxic masculinity, old-fashioned male stereotypes, gender identity, body image, parenthood, how to educate the next generation, role models and cultural differences to try to understand How to Be a Man in the 2020s.

Series Editor: Yvonne Alexander
Executive Producer: Kevin Mundye
A Mindhouse production in association with Simple Beast for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001ngt6)
Susan Hulme reports on a furious reaction from MPs to plans to close railway station ticket offices.

FRIDAY 07 JULY 2023

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001ngtm)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j4cc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ngv0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ngvf)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ngw2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001ngwp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ngx7)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Yousra Samir Imran, a British Egyptian writer and author

Good morning.

As an author and journalist who reviews books, I am very fortunate to receive advance copies of upcoming books from publishing companies, in particular Young Adult fiction.

I was recently reading one teenage novel for review and couldn’t help but laugh to myself at the things the fourteen-year-old female protagonist considered matters of life and death, such as being invited to a party, or who commented on her TikTok video. Without meaning to, I thought, “what petty things they are!”

But then I paused for a moment and thought – wasn’t I once a teenager? Weren’t these things once very serious matters for me too, things that caused me real worry, anxiety and even sadness?

As an adult it’s easy to look at young people and wonder why it is they get so upset over things we consider small or silly.

The truth is, at each stage of your life, your problems, no matter what they are, feel very real and very big to you, whether it’s the disappointment a three-year-old feels when being told “no” to buying a random object at the shops, or the fear a thirteen-year-old feels when wearing new glasses to school.

This young adult novel served as a good reminder that everyone’s problems are valid.

Dear God, the Most Compassionate, the Supreme Solver of all problems, please grant us empathy so that we value and do not invalidate other people’s problems.

Ameen.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001ngxl)
07/07/23 Egg laying hen hatchery, beak trimming, hunt prosecutions, cheese making

As part of our week focussing on the egg industry we visit one of just two hatcheries in England.
We ask how close are we to banning the trimming of chicks’ beaks.
Caz Graham visits award winning cheese producers near Wigton in Cumbria.
Two men have been given community service orders and fined by Swindon Magistrates Court for hunting offences.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03x45bg)
Sand Martin

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

Bill Oddie presents the sand martin. The flickering shapes of sand martins over a lake or reservoir are a welcome sign of spring. After winging their way across the Sahara Desert, the first birds usually arrive in the UK in March. They're smaller than house martins or swallows, and they're brown above and white below with a brown band across their chest. Often you can hear their dry buzzing calls overhead before you see them.


FRI 06:00 Today (m001nh11)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001nfz9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 The Madness by Fergal Keane (m001j4gy)
Book of the Week: Ep 5 - A Picture of Life

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his memoir about his struggle with PTSD. Today, he confronts the ghosts of past traumas and old wounds begin to heal.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001nh13)
Should convictions for trafficking victims be overturned?, Author Gabrielle Zevin, and Nan's on Tik Tok

A woman from Manchester is battling to have a criminal conviction overturned because she was a victim of modern slavery at the time. Tina - that's not her real name - was beaten and forced into prostitution by her ex-husband. He controlled her life - and it was during that time that she was convicted of theft. We hear from BBC Radio Manchester's Richard Stead to find out more about the case. Professor Dame Sara Thornton, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner until April 2022, joins Anita alongside Helen Pitcher, Chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The writer Gabrielle Zevin was an only child who played pre-loaded video games on her dad’s work computer while she waited for him. In her best-selling novel ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ she explores the world of games and creativity through Sadie and Sam who meet as kids and bond over their love of video games. She joins Anita to explain why she’s so fascinated by the power of play.

What’s it like to go viral on TikTok in your late 80s? 27-year-old Jess and her 89-year-old grandmother, Norma, have gone viral on TikTok posting videos showing their close connection and the fun they have together. They join Anita to discuss their relationship and new found fame.

A new documentary series has been released which looks at the career of Elvis Presley through the eyes of the women in his life. Barbara Shearer is the director of the three-part series Elvis' Women, which has secured interviews with many of his ex-girlfriends. Some of the women say that their relationship with Elvis began when they were teenagers, prompting many reviews to dub this a potential #MeToo moment for the rock and roll singer. Anita speaks to its director Barbara Shearer.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Emma Pearce


FRI 11:00 The Briefing Room (m001ngrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Thursday]


FRI 11:30 Jack & Millie (m000m5jk)
Series 2

Service Economy

Another chance to hear the series first broadcast in 2020. In this first episode, Jack and Millie are back and ready to deal with Harry’s bongos, Delphine’s chicken, Shirley’s bombshell and a cleaner with flashbacks

So Millie’s son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?

So suddenly Jack & Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them? And for this, we should be grateful?

- well YES! - because this is a comedy show written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack & Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world...

Cast:
Jack............Jeremy Front
Millie..........Rebecca Front
Shirley........Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry...........Nigel Lindsay
Melvin........Harry Peacock
Delphine....Jenny Bede

With special guest
Debbie Chazen as Nadia

Written by Jeremy Front

Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001nh17)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Archive on 4 (m001ng50)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


FRI 12:57 Weather (m001nh1h)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m001nh1p)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Ben Wright.


FRI 13:45 Understand (m001npps)
Tech and AI

Tech and AI: 5. Big Data

Big data is vast, unwieldy information that is so huge that normal software traditionally used to analyse it just can't cope.

It's not new. Ever since humans organised ourselves, we've been keeping records, and gathering information, from scrolls, to bank ledgers and now your internet browsing history.

But his information is now flowing into organisations at a faster rate and in greater volume than ever before. Taking a good look at it could provide meaningful insights. But how can you spot patterns in the chaos, without the job taking forever? And what insights could this mega data analysis provide?

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? where is "the Cloud" and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001ngqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001nh1w)
Bitter Pill

Bitter Pill - 1: Fight or Flight

An audio drama series about memory and trauma.

After a traumatic car crash, Mary joins a clinical drug trial that promises a cure for PTSD. The medication triggers intense flashbacks of the accident that left her fiancée comatose. But is Mary simply remembering the event, or reliving it? And if she is actually returning to the past, does that mean she can change her future?

Cast:
Mary ….. Séainín Brennan
Jackie ….. Charlotte McCurry
Carl ……. Shaun Blaney
Barista ….. Christopher Grant
Board Member ….. Richard Croxford
Warren ….. Martin McCann
All other roles were played by the cast and crew.

Writers ….. Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Producer ….. Michael Shannon
Executive Editor ….. Andy Martin

Music composed by Denis Clohessy.
Sound Design by Bill Maul.

A BBC Northern Ireland production.


FRI 14:45 Witness (b01qdr2t)
The 'flour bomb' rugby tour

In 1981 the South African 'Springboks' rugby team was invited to tour New Zealand. Its presence led to massive anti-apartheid protests across the country. During the final match of the tour protestors took to the air, throwing flour bombs at players and spectators from a light plane. Rebecca Kesby has been talking to Stu Wilson, one of the New Zealand team, and Marx Jones, one of the protestors.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001nh22)
Postbag: Glenarm Castle

Are sea shells good for keeping away pests? What citrus trees could I grow in minimal sunlight? How do I encourage an acorn seedling to continue germinating?

Kathy Clugston and the GQT panellists are in the grounds of Glenarm Castle in County Antrim, to answer horticultural queries sent in by the audience. On hand with some tips and tricks are garden designers Neil Porteous and Kirsty Wilson, and self proclaimed botanical geek James Wong.

Also, leading the team on a tour around the entire castle grounds is Adrian Morrow.

Producer: Dan Cocker

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Hannah Newton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 For Human Consumption (m001nh28)
Barista

The second of three stories about people connected to The Fork, a pay-what-you-feel cafe making delicious meals from food thrown out by supermarkets and restaurants - produce that would have ended up as landfill.

Liam is sofa surfing. First he lost his job at the town's only fine dining restaurant, and then his mum threw him out. Now he's on a scheme at The Fork, learning how to be a Barista. Latte art keeps him zen until his old boss, the Chef-from-Hell, joins the staff and is put in charge of training.

Written by Bethan Roberts, and read by Matthew Aubrey

Photo: Bethan Roberts

Produced and directed by Kate McAll
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001nh2j)
Lord Kerslake, Dame Ann Leslie, Diane Rowe, Tim Blackmore

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Ann Leslie, the journalist who reported on some of the most significant events of recent times.

Lord Kerslake, who was Head of the Civil Service under the coalition government.

Diane Rowe, the table tennis champion who won the world doubles title with her twin sister Rosalind.

Tim Blackmore, the radio executive who produced the first Radio 1 breakfast show and pioneered independent production in the industry.

Interviewee: Lindsey Hilsum
Interviewee: Lord O’Donnell
Interviewee: Mary Wright
Interviewee: Tony Blackburn
Interviewee: Simon Cole

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:
Dame Ann Leslie, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 12/11/2004; Dame Ann Leslie, Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 07/08/2011; Lord Kerslake interview, BBC Newsnight, 21/02/2020; Bob Kerslake interview Affordable Housing, You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, 09/04/2008; Bob Kerslake interview, How to run a city, BBC Radio 4, 21/10/2009; Sir Gus O' Donnell and Sir Bob Kerslake talk about the Civil Service, Civil Service Mailbox, YouTube uploaded 31/07/2012; Lord Bob Kerslake, National Housing Federation , YouTube uploaded 01/02/2023; Diane Rowe, Table Tennis champions return home (1951), Pathe, uploaded 10/11/2020; Rowe Twins Triumph (London 1954), World Champs Top 10 Moments, World Table Tennis YouTube Channel, uploaded 30/03/2017; A Conversation with Tim Blackmore, Radio Academy, 06/07/2022; Tim Blackmore, Established 1973: 40 years of commercial radio, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/14; Tim Blackmore, Radio Moments - Conversations, David Lloyd Radio, 09/04/2019; The Story of Pop, BBC Radio 1, 26/01/1974;


FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001nh2s)
Andrea Catherwood is back with a new series of Feedback.

BBC Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent Marianna Spring joins Andrea to discuss her latest series Marianna in Conspiracyland, in which she investigates the legacy left by the rise in conspiracy movements in the UK and the media machine at its heart. 

Do Radio 3’s mood music programmes make listeners turn on, tune in or drop out? Radio 3's Head of Music, Edward Blakeman, responds to audience views.

And in the latest on changes to Local Radio, we hear comments from listeners, Director General Tim Davie, MPs and presenters as they sign off on their final shows.

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 17:00 PM (m001nh33)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001nh3d)
Kyiv has been pressing for the shells to help with its counter offensive against Russia


FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (m001nh3m)
Series 23

Episode 4

What did Humza Yousaf and King Charles really say to each other when they met in Edinburgh? What is Sir Kier Starmer’s secret plan for after the election, and who first coined the word aardvark? Answers to these questions and so much more.

This episode was written by: Nev Fountain & Tom Jamieson, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, Edward Tew, Robert Darke, Joe Topping, Sophie Dickson, Sarah Campbell, Peter Tellouche, and Toussaint Douglass.

Produced and created by Bill Dare
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001nh3x)
Writer, Katie Hims
Director, Rosemary Watts
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer ….. Blayke Darby
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Lee Bryce ….. Ryan Early
Neil Carter ….. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Mia Grundy ….. Molly Pipe
Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001nh47)
Rakhi Singh and Alexis Ffrench with a coronation classic (and a bonus track!)

Rakhi Singh - violinist, music director and composer - and composer, producer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks. From the King's coronation via the Bolivian Andes and Finland, they end up on Highway 61, and there's a surprise bonus track along the way.

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

The (six) tracks in this week's playlist:

Zadok the Priest by George Frideric Handel
Carnaval Ayacuchano by Bolivia Manta
Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve/Doja by Central Cee
Vers toi qui es si loin by Kaija Saariaho
Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan

Other music in this episode:

In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry
Batwanes Beek by Warda
UEFA Champions League Anthem by Tony Britten
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
South Pacific Overture by Richard Rodgers


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001nh4j)
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Lord Offord, Anas Sarwar MSP, India Willoughby

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from The Buccleuch Centre in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, with Minister for Transport at Holyrood Fiona Hyslop MSP, Scotland Office Minister Lord Offord, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP and journalist and broadcaster India Willoughby.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Joanne Willott


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001nh4s)
Notes on Ageing

Michael Morpurgo reflects on age as he approaches his 80th birthday.

'The truth is,' writes Michael, 'that older people are increasing in numbers and will very likely continue to do so. This is clear. But the place - or the role - of older people in society is far from clear.'

He says in a 'civilised society' we have to find better ways of bridging the gap in understanding between young and old.

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


FRI 21:00 Understand (m001nppg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:45 on Monday]


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001nh50)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


FRI 22:45 People Who Knew Me (p0fm896y)
10. Goodbye NYC

Realising there might not be another opportunity, Connie and Claire embark on their road trip, stopping in New York to finally meet Drew.

Credits

Connie / Emily - ROSAMUND PIKE
Drew - KYLE SOLLER
Claire - ISABELLA SERMON
Gabe - ALFRED ENOCH
Jade - JESSICA DARROW
Marni/Jenny - DANIELLA ISAACS
Dr Richter / Reporter - CHARLES HAGERTY
and HUGH LAURIE as PAUL
Additional voices:
PIPPA WINSLOW, NANCY CRANE, JOEY AKUBEZE, BARNEY WHITE, JILL WINTERNITZ

Written and Directed by Daniella Isaacs
Adapted from the original novel and Consulting Produced by Kim Hooper
Produced by Joshua Buckingham
Executive Produced by Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Sharon Horgan, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson
Executive Producer for eOne Jacqueline Sacerio
Co-Executive Produced by Carey Burch Nelson
Executive Producer for BBC Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for the BBC Lorraine Okuefuna
Additional Commissioning support for the BBC Natasha Johansson and Harry Robinson
Production Executive Gareth Coulam Evans
Production Manager Sarah Lawson
Casting Director Lauren Evans
Audio Production & Post-Production by SoundNode
Supervising Dialogue Recordist & Editor Daniel Jaramillo
Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Design & Mix: Martin Schulz
Music composed by Max Perryment
Additional Dialogue Recording: David Crane, Martin Jilek
Assistant Dialogue Recordists: Jack Cook, Giancarlo Granata
Additional Dialogue Editing: Marco Toca
Head of Production Rebecca Kerley
Production Accountant Lianna Meering
Finance Director Jackie Sidey
Legal and Business Affairs Mark Rogers at Media Wizards
Dialect Coach for Rosamund Pike - Carla Meyer
Read in Hannah Moorish
Artwork: Mirjami Qin
Artwork Photographer by Sibel Ameti

Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciaràn Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett and Charlotte Ritchie.


FRI 23:00 The Great Post Office Trial (m001n8h9)
12. Nowhere Near Over

Nick Wallis has been investigating the Post Office Horizon scandal for more than a decade, revealing the true story of the Post Office's persecution of its own Sub Postmasters.

A long campaign for justice has forced the launching of a wide ranging public inquiry, which started hearing evidence last year. The Post Office and the government have also agreed to run three separate compensation schemes to try and make things right.

The inquiry is forcing extraordinary evidence to light. It implicates senior staff in stunning cultural failings. But even as this picture emerges, campaigners and politicians following the scandal are ringing alarm bells about how the Post Office is behaving now.

Key people who are accused of covering up the scandal are still in their jobs, even as the Post Office claims to have turned over a new leaf. Post Office bosses recently generated fresh outrage by awarding themselves generous bonuses for helping the inquiry complete its work, despite the fact that the inquiry has only just started. Post Office CEO Nick Read has apologised and returned the bonus, after the inquiry rebuked the Post Office directly.

And, as Nick Wallis explores the Sub Postmasters' fight for fair compensation, he discovers that many feel the Post Office is treating them now just as they have treated them throughout the worst of the scandal.

In a new edition of The Great Post Office Trial, hearing from people at the heart of a fresh wave of revelations, Nick discovers a shocking truth - the scandal, even as it is being investigated by a public inquiry, is far from over.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Designer: Emma Barnaby

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001nh59)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament