SATURDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2023
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001qfqr)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 00:30 Adam Smith: What He Thought and Why It Matters by Jesse Norman (m001qfmv)
Episode 5
On the 300th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith, author Jesse Norman explores his life and captures the febrile surroundings of Enlightenment Edinburgh. Considering Smith’s legacy, he dispels the myths and debunks the caricatures that have grown around the economist in the centuries since he first presented his ideas.
Norman concludes by asking how Smith’s remarkable legacy can be applied to our thinking about capitalism in the present day
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Read by Robin Laing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Jesse Norman is the Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and Minister of State in the Department for Transport. Previous publications include a celebrated study of Edmund Burke, and his debut novel The Winding Stair, a historical thriller set in the Elizabethan court, was published in the summer.
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qfqt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qfqx)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qfr1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001qfr4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qfr6)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Rev Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff/
Good morning.
Recently whilst holidaying in Greece our family have tried to take one tiny, positive, environmental action by walking to places rather than hiring a car.
In Northern Kefalonia, for several years we’ve enjoyed exploring pathways through the countryside, helped by tiny signs left by someone who each year has painted little way-marks - parallel lines in the blue and white of the Greek flag - like an equals sign to indicate straight on, or curving left or right to show where to change direction. Where there are often myriad goat paths through the fields and forests these signs have been so useful in pointing the way.
This year we noticed that many of these signs have not been refreshed and some of the paths are quite overgrown with weeds. Whatever the reason for this, it made finding the way a lot more difficult. We had to search hard for old faded signs, and our commitment to walking off-road cost us scratched legs and many more wrong turns than usual.
The experience has made me more aware of my gratitude to those who mark the way for others, and who clear the paths we use. Navigating life experiences such as bereavement, stress, or serious illness amongst friends and family has often led me into difficult and unfamiliar territory. I’m so grateful for the help I frequently receive from family, kind friends, and even sometimes from strangers or unknown people, who sign-post ways through life’s challenges and adventures.
God of hope, thank you for all, living and departed, who lead and help us on life’s journey, whose lives offer way-marks and signposts that help and encourage. Help us to be signs of life for others. Amen.
SAT 05:45 Close Encounters (m001mlhy)
Sir Paul Smith & Cecil Beaton
The first of Martha Kearney's new series celebrating portraits and portraiture through the eyes of ten Great Britons. Her guest is the internationally acclaimed fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, who's chosen a photograph from the 1920s of Stephen Tennant and the celebrated photographer Cecil Beaton.
After three years of closure for major refurbishment and expansion the National Portrait Gallery, just off London's Trafalgar Square is about to re-open. To mark the occasion the gallery, along with BBC Radio 4 have launched a celebration of great Britons, with Martha Kearney hosting a Close Encounter between the likes of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Katherine Grainger, Edward Enninful and Arlo Parks and a portrait they choose to champion. For Sir TIm Berners-Lee it's the Suffragette campaigner Christabel Pankhurst, for Dame Katherine Grainger it's the first English woman to swim the channel, the largely forgotten Mercedes Gleitze.
In each episode we find out about the subject of the portrait, the moment at which their image was captured for posterity and the importance of image and identity for those who find themselves at the centre of the nation's attention today. It's also a chance for Martha's guests to get a look behind the scenes as the gallery prepares for its grand re-opening.
Producers: Tom Alban and Mohini Patel
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001qlwl)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001qf11)
Felixstowe with Carolyn Quinn
Carolyn Quinn has family links to Felixstowe, a place she’s visited frequently over the years, enjoying walks along the Edwardian seafront, soaking up its old world charm. For Open Country she returns to take a closer look at this Suffolk town, including how it’s been shaped by the enormous presence of Felixstowe Port, the largest container port in the UK.
She begins her journey with David Gledhill at Felixstowe Museum who gives a quick overview of the richly historic area. From there she walks round the corner to Landguard Nature Reserve, overlooked by the port’s enormous cranes. Ranger, Leonie Washington, shows her the reserve's internationally important habitat of vegetated shingle. It supports species like the incredibly rare Stinking Goosefoot and provides habitat for ground-nesting birds like the ringed plover.
Next, Carolyn pops on a hard-hat and enters the Port itself, where Paul Davey shares some facts and figures about this bewilderingly huge place. Then it’s onto the Wildlife Trust’s Trimley Marshes reserve. It was created to replace habitat destroyed when the Port expanded around 30 years ago. Carolyn asks Andrew Excell whether this wetland habitat makes up for the lost mudflats.
And finally, the seaside holiday scene: Billy Butlin opened an amusement park here in 1931 and later sub-let it to showman and entrepreneur, Charlie Manning, who renamed it Manning's Amusements. Charlie's grandsons, Charlie Jr and Jonny, still run it but have also established Beach Street, where traders operate out of - what else - repurposed shipping containers. Carolyn meets Jonny and his mother, Sarah, who shares memories of the early days.
Note: The parody of the shipping forecast was written by Les Barker and included on the album ‘Guide Cats for the Blind’ created by Clive Lever.
Producer: Karen Gregor
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001qlww)
New farming support scheme
Defra has pledged to fast-track payments of its new farm support scheme, with applications opening to some on Monday. Farm Minister Mark Spencer says they've deliberately moved slowly to make sure the new system - which replaces EU cash support - was working properly. But farmers we talked to at the Westmorland County Show had little confidence in it.
Defra has also announced £4m in funding to help small, local abattoirs. We speak to an abattoir owner about what this could mean for his business.
All this week we've been looking at top fruit - things like apples, pears, plums and cherries. We hear about this year's harvest, and what difficulties growers are facing. We also hear about trials in technology to improve and extend the growing season of British plums.
And we're with the judges at the egg competition at the Westmorland Show - talking texture, shape and content.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
SAT 06:57 Weather (m001qlx4)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m001qlxc)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001qlxn)
Clive Myrie, Ken Loach, Adele Thomas, Geoff Norcott
Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m001qnn3)
Agrippina the Younger
Greg Jenner is joined by returning guests, historian Dr Emma Southon and comedian Cariad Lloyd, as they travel back to first century Rome to meet Agrippina The Younger.
Empress, overbearing mother of the Emperor Nero and murderer, but how much of what has been written about this extraordinary woman is true? What does it really take to survive as a woman at the top of the Roman Empire?
A Muddy Knees Media production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0006zv3)
Series 25
Southend-on-Sea
Jay Rayner and his culinary panel are in Southend-on-Sea. Dr. Zoe Laughlin, Clodagh McKenna, Andi Oliver and Tim Anderson answer the questions from the audience.
This week, the panellists offer recipe suggestions for sour gooseberries, describe how to cook chips perfectly, and come up with the perfect dessert for gin-lovers.
They are joined by Andrew Lawrence from Osborne Bros, who has brought along some cockles.
Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Food Consultant: Anna Colquhoun
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001qly1)
Paul Waugh, chief political commentator for the i paper, analyses the latest developments at Westminster. Following reports that a Parliamentary researcher had been arrested amid claims of spying for Beijing, Paul assesses the state of UK-China relations with Conservative MP, Richard Graham, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary China Group, and Labour peer Helena Kennedy, who was sanctioned by China in 2021. Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the TUC, discusses the state of industrial relations in Britain and Labour's plan for new workers' rights. Amid speculation that the Treasury is mulling a one-off break from the pensions triple lock, Paul speaks to Conservative peer and former pensions minister, Ros Altmann, and deputy chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, Mike Brewer. And, as elections get underway to fill newly vacant select committee chairs, Paul assesses what it's like to campaign and compete for the affections of what’s sometimes called ‘the most sophisticated electorate’ in the country - Mary Creagh, former Labour MP and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, and Steve Brine, the current Conservative chair of the Health Select Committee, swap tales from campaigns past.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001qlyb)
Morocco: Tragedy in the High Atlas Mountains
Stories from Morocco, Gabon, Pakistan, Norway and Canada
A community in the High Atlas Mountains grapples with the devastation wrought by the strongest earthquake to hit Morocco in more than one hundred years. James Copnall visited Amizmiz where several lives were lost and homes destroyed and a harsh winter lies ahead.
The West African country of Gabon has become the latest in the region to witness a military coup, overthrowing the government of President Ali Bongo, scion of the Bongo dynasty. Catherine Norris-Trent encountered jubilation on the streets of Libreville - but asks whether pledges of democratic elections will be fulfilled.
In Pakistan, we followed the search in the country for three relatives of Sara Sharif, the ten-year old who was found dead in Woking. Her father, step-mother and Uncle have now been charged with her murder since they returned to the UK. Caroline Davies visited Sara's grandfather in his village in Punjab.
On the Norway-Russian border, there used to be a steady stream of visitors, but the war in Ukraine changed that. It remains open but Norwegians have introduced more checks on those coming over. John Murphy found a more active border in the waters of a river nearby where locals are battling to keep out a different kind of visitor.
As he returns from paternity leave, our Rome correspondent, Mark Lowen, recounts his experience of becoming a father using a surrogate in Canada, even as Italy moves to ban its nationals from engaging a surrogate abroad.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Locals remove a refrigerator from a collapsed building as clearing work takes place in Morocco, 12 September 2023. Credit: Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
00:45 Earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains
06:19 The military coup in Gabon
11:58 Searching for the parents of Sara Sharif
16:51 Norway's salmon invaders
22:24 Surrogacy and fatherhood in Canada
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001qm3v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001qlyv)
Rationing to pay debts and Bank Account Closures
Exclusive data for Money Box suggest that 1 in 5 UK adults have had to ration things like heating or electricity to keep up with their debt repayments. 1 in 8 have changed the food they eat for less healthy options. The survey, carried out by debt charity StepChange, found a third of adults say they are in financial difficulties, but half would be reluctant to contact their lenders to try to sort things out. We'll speak to the CEO of StepChange Vikki Brownridge.
Listeners who run community groups battle their banks over unexplained account closures. What are your rights?
Millions of pounds of Pension Credit has been claimed by thousands of people in London who didn't know they were eligible. A recent campaign saw 8,200 older households in 17 London boroughs receive targeted letters to make them aware that they might be able to get the benefit. As a result there were more than 2,000 successful claims, worth just under £8.4 million.
Plus, Money Box journalism leads to questions being asked in parliament over an energy scheme that thousands of people missed out on.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researcher: Sandra Hardial
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast
12pm, Saturday 16th Sept, 2023)
00:00 Rationing to pay debts
08:40 Bank Account Closures
14:44 Energy Bills
16:59 Pension Credit
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m001qfpy)
Series 112
Episode 2
Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news. Providing the answers, hopefully, are, Lucy Porter, Tom Ballard, Anushka Asthana, and Mark Steel.
In this episode Andy and the panel search for the world's most obvious spy, the world's most awkward train ride, and the UK's worst road.
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by
Cody Dahler
Mike Shephard
and Christina Riggs
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 12:57 Weather (m001qlyz)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001qlz3)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001qfq8)
Dame Meg Hillier MP, Sir Phil Redmond, Mark Spencer MP and Sharon Todd
James Cook presents political discussion from Cowley Sixth Form in St Helens, Merseyside with a panel including the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Dame Meg Hillier MP, the TV producer and screenwriter Sir Phil Redmond, Food and Farming Minister Mark Spencer MP and the CEO of the Society of Chemical Industry Sharon Todd
Producer: Robin Markwell
Lead broadcast engineer: Tom Parnell
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001qlz7)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week
SAT 14:45 Dementia: Unexpected Stories of the Mind (m001kxg6)
Gill and Natalie
Neurologist Dr Jules Montague and William Miller unlock the mysteries of rare dementia.
In this episode, they meet Gill and her daughter Natalie. Gill has Huntington’s disease or HD, a rare inherited dementia. Those carrying the gene have a
50:50 chance of passing it on to their children. Natalie has not yet been tested.
The genetic component of HD and its inevitable outcome are extremely difficult to come to terms with and Gill and Natalie talk openly about this.
Details of organisations offering information and support with dementia are available at the BBC Action Line here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Y8B7y39T07GnTlMsLPJG2S/information-and-support-dementia
Producer: Eve Streeter
Original music: A Brief Encounter by Max Walter
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001qlzc)
The Ballad of Eldon Street
The Ballad of Eldon Street - an unnatural history. A new form of radio ballad to mark the centenary of Radio Drama on the BBC. The story of this iconic Barnsley street told by the people who know it best, interwoven with specially composed songs written by LYR - Simon Armitage, Patrick J Pearson and Richard Walters.
with Malcolm Bird, Ann Bunting, Alison Dixon, Wayne Johnson, Tegwen Roberts, Peter Roberts and Steven Skelley.
Music performed by Simon Armitage, Patrick Pearson, Richard Walters, Matt Taylor, Beth Bellis and Mike Monahan.
Produced by Susan Roberts
A BBC Drama North Production
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001qlzh)
Nadiya Hussain, Women's reproductive survey, The Knock, AI and IVF, Arlo Parks
Since winning the Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya Hussain has published seven cookery books, presented numerous TV shows and been awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts. Nadiya joins Anita Rani to talk about her latest book and BBC Two series, Nadiya’s Simple Spices. She also celebrates the women in her family.
A survey launched last week by the Government is calling on women in England aged 16 to 55 to share their experiences of reproductive health - from periods, contraception to pregnancy and the menopause. But the decision to only speak to women up to the age of 55 has provoked a backlash. Dr Shazia Malik, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and a sub-specialist in reproductive medicine, gives her reaction.
In a new series called The Knock, we’ve heard the stories of two women whose lives were changed when they were told that a loved one had been arrested for sexual offences against children. Deborah Denis, Chief Executive of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and Rachel Armitage, Professor of Criminology the University of Huddersfield spoke about the impact of 'the knock' on the families and friends of men arrested for these crimes.
Some British women are now being offered IVF treatment using artificial intelligence. How might AI improve the chances of a successful pregnancy? Suzanne Cawood, Director of Embryology at the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, explains.
Mercury Prize-winning musician Arlo Parks has turned her hand to poetry with her debut book, The Magic Border. It combines original poetry, song lyrics and images.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor
SAT 17:00 PM (m001qlzm)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001qlzr)
The Theresa May One
Nick Robinson talks to former prime minister Theresa May about why she wants to call out abuses of power, what went wrong after Brexit and growing up as a vicar's daughter.
Producer: Daniel Kraemer
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001qlzw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m001qm00)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qm04)
The actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse over a seven-year period, which he denies.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001qm08)
Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Abir Mukherjee, Jenny Colgan, Blue Rose Code, Sophie Penman, Janey Godley, Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace and Janey Godley are joined by Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Abir Mukherjee and Jenny Colgan for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Blue Rose Code and Sophie Penman.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m001qm0d)
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is regularly referred to as the queen of reality TV and has been a familiar face on our screens for decades. From the unpredictable dating show Streetmate, to the iconic Big Brother and now her latest show Your Mum, My Dad, which features middle-aged singles looking for a second chance at love.
She’s been open about overcoming addiction, taking drugs with her mum and surviving an overdose in her twenties. Now, with a long list of presenting credits under her belt, she’s turned to making documentaries raising awareness about the symptoms of the menopause and looking at contraception in the UK.
Mark Coles looks at the life and career of the fitness fanatic who has even starred in a Kylie Minogue music video.
Credits:
My Mum, Your Dad, ITV.
Big Brother, Channel 4.
God’s Gift, ITV.
Streetmate, Channel 4.
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
Presenter: Mark Coles
Production: Alix Pickles, Diane Richardson, Phoebe Keane
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001qm0h)
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo, often described as "the queen of African music", has recorded fifteen albums, worked with a diverse array of musical collaborators from Burna Boy and Alcia Keys to Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel, and won five Grammy Awards. In 2023 she was the recipient of the Polar Prize, regarded as one of the world’s prestigious musical awards. Born under French colonial rule in 1960 in Dahomey, Angelique first started singing professionally as a teenager. Amid violent political upheavals in the 1980s, she fled her country, which had been renamed Benin, and became an exile in Paris. It was there that she was discovered by legendary Island Record boss Chris Blackwell, who signed her to his label and launched her three decade career.
Angélique Kidjo tells John Wilson about the early influence of her mother who ran a musical theatre company in her hometown, and encouraged her to first take to the stage at the age of six. Becoming a professional singer in her teens, she recalls how she was inspired by African musicians including Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. She chooses the American composer Philip Glass as another huge influence, having worked with him on Symphony 12, Glass’s reinterpretation of David Bowie’s Lodger album. Angélique also discusses her work with David Byrne and why she choose to record her own version of Remain In Light, the 1980 album by Byrne’s band Talking Heads.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001qm0k)
The Hundred Year Ego
It’s 100 years since Sigmund Freud wrote The Ego and the Id, a book that reshaped the way we think about ourselves and the workings of our minds.
David Baker explores the ego’s journey over the past century - from the inflated egos of dictators and the music of Hollywood films, to the mind-expanding love-ins of the hippy era and the greed is good ethos of neoliberalism.
And, he asks, what can we make of claims that artificial intelligence is developing an ego of its own?
Producer: Neil George
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 Stone (m000rw36)
Protection
Daughters
Stone
Detective series created by Danny Brocklehurst.
Episode 2 'Daughters' by Carol Russell.
Stone and his team follow leads that take them into investigating violent crime among young people.
DCI JOHN STONE... Hugo Speer
DS SUE KELLY...... Deborah McAndrew
DI MIKE TANNER....Craig Cheetham
ALICE / KID 2...... Sydney Wade
JOLENE / GRETA.... Angela Lonsdale
JAX / RENITA ...... Doña Croll
WC / PARAMEDIC...Hamish Rush
NESSY / DR ABIOLA .....Danielle Henry
MADISON / DC NOVACK..... Sacha Parkinson
Director Gary Brown. Producer Nadia Molinari
SAT 21:45 The Consultant (b07qc934)
A funny and moving short story by the writer and director Annie Griffin.
As she sits on the plane home, after a torrid fortnight's holiday in Spain, a young Scottish woman plans a new dream future for herself, far beyond the boundaries of her current life in Bathgate.
Annie Griffin is based in Edinburgh. Her work includes The Book Group TV series and the feature film Festival. She has directed several seasons of Fresh Meat for Channel 4 as well as the recent BBC3 comedy series Together.
Read by Stephanie McGregor.
Written by Annie Griffin.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
SAT 22:00 News (m001qm0m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 Screenshot (m001qfq6)
Video games on screen
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode delve into the relationship between gaming and the movies, with help from a crack squad of video game experts.
Mark is joined by pop culture critic Kayleigh Donaldson, who helps guide him through the messy and complicated history of game adaptations on the big screen, from Super Mario Bros to Doom. He also speaks to Duncan Jones, director of the first video game film to cross $400m at the international box office - 2016's Warcraft. They discuss the challenges of adapting the cult role-playing game for a cinema audience.
And Ellen asks the big question of whether video games can be considered an art form on the same level as film. To help her on her quest, she first speaks to critic Kambole Campell about why games get called 'cinematic' and whether the gaming world has auteurs.
Ellen then talks to cinephile and game director Sam Barlow, about his highly successful - and highly innovative - video games Her Story, Telling Lies and Immortality. Sam explains how experimental directors like Nicolas Roeg and Peter Greenaway have influenced his work, which employs live footage of actors, rather than motion capture or graphics.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001qdq5)
Heat 5, 2023
(5/17)
Another four contenders join Russell Davies for the first of the northern-based contests in this year's Brain of Britain season. An enthusiastic audience at the BBC's Salford studios will find out who's going through to the semi-finals and taking a step closer to the title.
What are the five colours of the Olympic rings? What's the first of the Ten Commandments? What was the protest group The Anti-Heptagonists opposed to? The Brains today will have to grapple with these and many more questions from all fields of knowledge, as well as tackling questions from a listener hoping to Beat the Brains with questions he or she has supplied.
Taking part are:
Jean Burtonwood from Huddersfield
Brian Craythorne from Belfast
Rob Greenhill from Leicester
Gill Hollis from Lichfield.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SAT 23:30 Seek the Light (m001q679)
Sea Swallows
Of all the amazing stories of bird migration none is more epic than that of the Arctic Tern, sometimes nicknamed the sea swallow because of its graceful, streamlined shape and long tail streamers.
Lovers of the light, Terns spend their lives in its constant pursuit. They arrive in Scotland in May and spend their summer breeding and raising their young before setting off on the mind-bogglingly long 20,000 mile migration to Antarctica. With a lifespan of 30 years, it's the equivalent of flying to the moon and back. And it means arctic terns see more daylight than any other creature on the planet.
It's in telling this story that Karine is led to one of the tern's strongholds, the magical Isle of May, five miles off the Fife coast. For humans, the Isle of May has its own light-related significance. Since 1635, sailors have been kept safe by a lighthouse there, the first was a crude affair, but it became the site for the first of the Stevenson lighthouses, and that majestic building still stands.
Now the island is best known for its seabird colonies and the scientific research into them. Speaking to scientists there, Karine will further explore the mysteries of bird migration, a recurring theme in many of her works. So much of it revolves around light and dark. While the terns may be seeking the summer sun it's by the stars that they find their way. Polaris, the pole star is crucial; and this leads Karine to speak with Stephen Emlen, the professor of neurobiology and behaviour that discovered this by taking live buntings into a planetarium and systematically blocking out constellations to see how they reacted. The experiment showed that the birds are primed for night time navigation, not by an inborn star map but by paying "close attention to the movement of the sky. They're hardwired to pay attention to something, which then takes on meaning."
Produced by Peter McManus
Written and presented by Karine Polwart
Music by Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy
Vocals - Karine Polwart
Piano - Dave Milligan
SUNDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2023
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001qm0p)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Four Sides of Seamus Heaney (m001qdgq)
Seamus Heaney - The Translator
Seamus Heaney, Nobel Prize winner and one of the best loved poets writing in English, died in August 2013. Radio 4 is marking this with Four Sides of Seamus Heaney, four programmes each on a different aspect of his work, each with a different presenter with one thing in common - they knew the poet well.
Seamus Heaney was a prolific poet but, as he said, 'lyric poetry isn't a full-time job; you wait for the surges and hope that they will come.' So, from his schooldays until his death, to keep his hand in, Heaney engaged in translation. When The Translations of Seamus Heaney was published late last year readers were amazed by its size, more than 600 pages.
Theo Dorgan, poet, novelist, translator and Irish speaker surveys the range and depth of the translations and discovers these excursions into around forty languages are an interrogation of Heaney's own. Irish English is inflected by the syntax of Irish - he translates the medieval poem Buile Shuibhne, Sweeney Astray. There is a good deal of Scots in the speech of Northern Ireland - Heaney translates the makar Robert Henryson. He takes on the founding text of English - Beowulf - and the foundations of European literature - Sophocles' Philoctetes as The Cure at Troy (interpolating the much quoted by US Presidents lines about hope and history rhyming) and Virgil's Aeneid.
Seamus Heaney, like James Joyce, translated himself out of Ireland and into the wider world. He travelled, befriended and was influenced by Derek Walcott, from St Lucia, Russian exile Joseph Brodsky and Czeslaw Milosz, from Poland.
Theo Dorgan hears from Marco Sonzoghni, editor of the monumental Translations, from Colm Toibin, and there are readings of his translations by the poet himself.
Presenter: Theo Dorgan
Producer: Julian May
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qm0r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qm0t)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qm0w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001qm0y)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001qm10)
The Parish Church of St David, Moreton-in-Marsh
Bells on Sunday comes from the parish church of St David, Moreton in Marsh in Gloucestershire. The church’s west tower and spire is over thirty five metres high and houses a peal of eight bells cast in 1958 by the John Taylor Foundry of Loughborough. The tenor weighs ten hundredweight and is tuned to G. We hear them ringing Kent Treble Bob Major.
SUN 05:45 Profile (m001qm0d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001qlwh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b079m52j)
Death Be Not Proud
Death has been an inspiration to poets, authors, artists and composers throughout the centuries. The multi award winning poet, Professor Michael Symmons Roberts, devotes his debut presenting Something Understood to an intense reflection on the subject, its mystery and inevitability.
Roberts has himself used death in his own work, notably in his poem Corpse which is featured in the programme alongside the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Wallace Stevens. But it’s the life and poetry of John Donne, which Roberts cites as his main inspiration. Donne, Roberts explains, courted death as a young man and witnessed plenty of it.
Another life-long influence on Roberts is the music of David Bowie who died earlier this year. “Mortality, the need to seize the fleeting life we have, was always there in his work,” Roberts says as he reflects on the elegiac Heroes and tells the story of Bowie’s final album, Blackstar and the song Lazarus. “Many fans interpreted it as a message from beyond the border, from a man who had crossed it.”
Other music includes Vera Hall singing Death is Awful, Mozart’s Requiem and John Donne’s poem Death Be Not Proud set to music by John Tavener.
Presenter: Michael Symmons Roberts
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 Natural Histories (b08tcbrt)
Dodo
The dodo is a byword for extinction and, whilst none of us have ever seen a living dodo, it somehow feels familiar even though we know virtually nothing about it. As Brett Westwood traces our relationship with this icon of extinction, he meets a man whose home is a shrine of dodo memorabilia, follows the auction of a dodo skeleton, and handles a selection of beautiful dodo bones. With the help of Lewis Carroll, this bizarre-looking bird has captured our hearts and imagination, whilst the true story of this flightless pigeon is a poignant tale.
First broadcast in a longer form 13th June 2017
Original Producer : Sarah Blunt
Archive Producer : Andrew Dawes
SUN 06:57 Weather (m001qlwz)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001qlx7)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001qlxh)
Libya floods, pilgrimage to the city of Uman, racial injustice in the church
The BBC has been told that bodies are still washing up from the sea in Derna, a week after massive flash floods in Libya. Now there are fears for survivors in the city with not enough medicine and clean water for those who have been made homeless. We hear live from Libya the latest on the situation on the ground and also look at the impact on the Muslim community both in Libya and here.
Manchester has the largest Libyan population in the UK, we'll hear from Manchester based charity, Wafa Relief and Action for Humanity about their work in the disaster zone.
US Presidential Candidate - Vivek Ramaswamy has been annoying rapper Eminem, defending Donald Trump and now answering questions about his Hindu faith on the campaign trail in Iowa. It was the second time he had been questioned about his faith, as the first-time candidate's popularity has continued to rise in the polls.
And Pilgrims are travelling to Ukraine against official advice, to celebrate the Jewish New Year. We find out why they're taking the risk?
Presenter - Edward Stourton
Producers - Catherine Murray & Linda Walker
Editor - Tim Pemberton
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001qlxs)
Kids Club Kampala
Actress Sheila Atim makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Kids Club Kampala
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 ‘Kids Club Kampala’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Kids Club Kampalay’.
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: 1152451
SUN 07:57 Weather (m001qly2)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001qly9)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001qlyk)
Powerful Voices
The National Youth Choir of Wales join together annually for their summer residency. This year, the choir is based at the University of Bangor, in the North West corner of Wales. Its members, drawn from across Wales, and aged between 16-22, relish the opportunity to unite their voices through song.
We often turn to singing as a heightened form of communication, bursting into song at moments of celebration, and even moments of great sorrow. The scriptures themselves are full of song: psalmists invite us to make a joyful noise and to sing praise, and Biblical figures respond in song at moments of great intensity and power. Rev James Tout and members of the National Youth Choir of Wales explore the potential in our own voices, both sung and spoken, as well as the power that can be unlocked by listening and responding, often to the most humble of voices.
Luke 1. 46-55 / Tell Out My Soul (T. Dudley-Smith, W. Greatorex)
Luke 18. 15-17
How Shall I Sing that Majesty (Coe Fen), K. Naylor, arr. Alistair Warwick
Children, go where I send thee, arr. Roderick Williams
Even When He is Silent, Kim André Arnesen
Beloved, let us love, Meirion Wynn Jones
Pantyfedwen (Tydi a wnaeth y wyrth / You did this mighty deed), M. E. Evans, arr. Tim Rhys-Evans
The National Youth Choir of Wales
Conductor: Tim Rhys-Evans
Pianist: Nicky Rose
Organist: Joe Cooper
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001qfqb)
In the Spite House
AL Kennedy discusses the addictive nature of hate.
'Religion', she writes, 'was once called the opium of the masses; hate is now the Oxycontin of the masses. That low thrum of resentment, spikes of rage, hate gives them a logic, an addictive rush.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Bridget Harney
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b038qk0y)
Wood Sandpiper
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Brett Westwood presents the Wood Sandpiper. Wood Sandpipers are elegant waders and just a handful of pairs breed in the UK, in wooded marshes and remote bogs of Northern Scotland. There's a chance to see them when they break their migration journey south at inland pools and marshes here. Listen out for their cheerful call that has been described as sounding like an old penny-whistle.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001qlys)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001qlyy)
Writer, Katie Hims
Director, Jess Bunch
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Josh Archer ….. Angus Imrie
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer ….. Mali Harries
Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore
Lee Bryce ….. Ryan Early
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Usha Franks ….. Souad Faress
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Paul Mack ….. Joshua Riley
Azra Malik ….. Yasmin Wilde
Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed
Lottie ….. Bonnie Badoo
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001qlz2)
Adrian Edmondson, actor, writer
Adrian Edmondson first shot to national fame in 1982, playing the studded punk Vyvyan in the TV sitcom The Young Ones, set in a seedy student flat. The cast largely came from the developing alternative comedy scene, and included Rik Mayall and Alexei Sayle.
Adrian was born in Bradford in 1957. He spent time as a child in Cyprus, Bahrain and Uganda, following his father who worked as a teacher for the armed forces. He attended a boarding school in Yorkshire from the age of 11, where he often rebelled against its rules and restrictions, but enjoyed performing in school plays.
He headed to Manchester University to study drama, where he soon met Rik Mayall. They bonded over their shared interests in comedy, double acts, violent slapstick and the plays of Samuel Beckett. It was the start of a long performing partnership and friendship, which included the anarchic TV comedy and long-running touring show Bottom and a production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot on the West End stage.
Adrian has also worked widely as an actor and musician, including an acclaimed appearance as Scrooge for the RSC, and performances with the reunited Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Adrian married Jennifer Saunders in 1985, and they have three daughters.
DISC ONE: Downtown - Petula Clark
DISC TWO: A Song of the Weather - Flanders & Swann
DISC THREE: Sugar, Sugar - The Archies
DISC FOUR: On My Radio - The Selecter
DISC FIVE: Jole Blon - Vin Bruce
DISC SIX: Saturday Gigs - Mott the Hoople
DISC SEVEN: I’m Bored - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
DISC EIGHT: Wide Open Spaces - The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks)
BOOK CHOICE: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
LUXURY ITEM: A tab of acid
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Wide Open Spaces - The Chicks
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001qm22)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001qds4)
Series 2
Episode 2
In each episode of Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz, the quizzer, comedian and Rose d’Or winner Paul Sinha invites the audience to tell him their favourite quiz questions, before offering up not just different and surprising questions, but also the fascinating stories behind the answers.
It’s facts, jokes, stories and puns – just the way you like them.
This week's show comes from Manchester, and is packed full of facts that may surprise you, just as they surprised a room full of Mancunians.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Sound engineer: Jerry Peal
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001qlzb)
BBC Food and Farming Awards: street food finalists
Judges have been visiting the finalists in this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards. This episode of The Food Programme celebrates the businesses shortlisted for the street food and take-away category. This year it's been extended to include small eateries as well.
Chefs Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn won the award eight years ago. Now they're back as judges. We sample Malaysian rendang cooked in a traditional clay pot at Joli in London; meet the cooks at Maasi's in Cardiff who've invented the "naanwich" in their Pakistani cafe; and try curries from DabbaDrop in East London, which are delivered by bike.
Presenters: Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn
Producer: Rebecca Rooney
SUN 12:57 Weather (m001qlzg)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001qlzl)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world
SUN 13:30 Bacteria: The Tiny Giants (m001qlzq)
Microbial Cities and New Worlds
Tim Hayward has been in and around professional kitchens for years - and has long seen bacteria as the enemy, attempting to kill them at every opportunity and in every possible way. In this three-part series, he starts to wonder if things are quite as simple as that and, before long, discovers that these tiny organisms are unlike anything he had ever imagined.
In this first episode, Tim climbs aboard the Magic School Bus to go on a bacteria hunt, gets shrunken down to the size of a microbe, and witnesses time travel and evolution in an Erlenmeyer flask.
Features:
Laura Hug, environmental microbiologist, University of Waterloo
Richard Lenski, evolutionary biologist, Michigan State University
Justin Stewart, evolutionary biologist, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Presenter: Tim Hayward
Producer and sound design: Richard Ward
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001qfp0)
Postbag: Great Dixter Gardens
Where’s the best place to ripen tomatoes? How do I get my cosmos plant to flower? What’s the best way to ripen harvested seeds?
Kathy Clugston and the GQT panellists have taken a trip to one of the UK's most loved gardens, the breath-taking Great Dixter Gardens in East Sussex, to answer pressing horticultural queries sent in by our listeners.
Ready and waiting with tips and tricks are garden designer Juliet Sargeant, expert plantsman Matt Biggs and curator of RHS Wisley, Matthew Pottage.
Treating the team to a tour is the estate is head gardener, Fergus Garrett.
Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001qlzz)
Democracy in America
John Yorke takes a look at Alexis de Tocqueville’s seminal work, Democracy in America. First published in 1835, it is arguably one of the most influential books ever to pervade American public discourse, quoted by almost every political leader - both from the red side and the blue.
It’s a two-volume work (the second volume was published in 1840) that explores American society through the eyes of a young aristocrat from revolutionary France. He was convinced that democratic rule was as inevitable as the march of time, and looking to the American democratic project - then still in its infancy - for lessons to take home.
De Tocqueville explores the notion of equality - its advantages and potential pitfalls - through the lenses of philosophy, of literature, of religion, of politics, wringing ideas out of them as he holds them up to the light.
And what he finds holds relevance for those of us trying to understand America today. Its praise and its criticisms help remind us that, for all its fault-lines at its worst, at its best America is still a shining ideal.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised on BBC Radio 4. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy, John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.
Contributors:
Sarah Woods, award-winning playwright of a drama inspired by Democracy in America for BBC Radio 4
Nell Irvin Painter, leading historian of the United States, and the author of The History of White People.
Credits:
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, with an introduction by Isaac Kramnick. English translation by Gerald E Bevan published in 2003 by Penguin Classics.
George W Bush Presidential Remarks, 21st May 2005 - C-Span.org
Bill Clinton, Between Hope and History - C-Span.org
President Obama & President Hollande of France - The Obama White House, Youtube
Hillary Clinton at New American Foundation, May 2014 - C-Span.org
Readings: Tom Glenister
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Redzi Bernard
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001qm03)
Democracy
Drama-documentary by Sarah Woods, inspired by Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, one of the most influential political texts ever written, transposed to the UK of today and featuring members of the British public.
In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville travelled to North America on a nine month trip that led him to conclude that democracy was unstoppable and would spread across Europe. His concerns about democracy - the dangers of self-interest and materialism; the tendencies towards mediocrity; the risk of populist, despotic leaders and the silencing of minorities - echo clearly into the present day.
In this drama, set in today's UK, an elderly man checks himself out of a Preston hospital and hitchhikes south. He says his name’s Alexis de Tocqueville and that he needs to find out what has happened to democracy. As he travels around the UK, he talks to ordinary people about their perceptions of the current state of democracy and the challenges it faces. Can democracy offer us the world - and the leaders - that we need?
Tocqueville ..... Philippe Spall
Erica ..... Catherine Ayers
All other parts played by Kezrena James, Aaron Anthony, Karen Paullada and Charles Dale.
Featuring voices of real people from across the UK.
Written by Sarah Woods, assisted by Lil Woods
Production co-ordinators, Eleri Sydney McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Assistant Producer, Fay Lomas
Technical Producers, Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Directed by Emma Harding, BBC Audio Drama Wales
Sarah Woods is an award-winning playwright and systems thinker who has written over 30 plays, series, adaptations and drama-documentaries for BBC Radio, including Borderland, which won the Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001qm07)
Ben Lerner and Anne Enright on poetry and fiction
Johny Pitts explores poetry and fiction with two great prose stylists.
He talks to Ben Lerner, best known for his experimental novels Leaving at Atocha Station,
10:04 and The Topeka School, about his first collection of poetry in over a decade. The Lights is an enquiring and evocative investigation into fatherhood, art and corporate America.
Later in the programme, Johny talks with the Irish writer Anne Enright. The Wren, The Wren is a multigenerational novel which traces the inheritance of trauma and the deep bonds between mothers and daughters, it also includes her poetry for the first time.
Book List – Sunday 17 September and Thursday 21 September
The Lights by Ben Lerner
Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
10:04 by Ben Lerner
The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright
An Duanaire Sixteen Hundred to Nineteen Hundred by Seán Ó Tuama
The Yellow Bittern by Philip McDaragh
SUN 16:30 The Death of Pablo Neruda (m001qm0c)
Fifty years ago in September, the poet Pablo Neruda died. It was days after the coup in Chile, when General Pinochet seized power, and the poet’s funeral turned into a demonstration against the new regime. Diplomat, communist and politician, Neruda became one of the most widely read poets in the Spanish language and won the Nobel Prize in Literature. But his life was controversial, as a communist he had to go into hiding and exile. More recently, his treatment of women in his life and poetry has led to calls for his work to be cancelled. Maria Delgado talks to writers from Chile, including Isabel Allende, Ariel Dorfman and Guillermo Calderón, Neruda’s biographer Adam Feinstein and academic Lieta Vivaldi, as she considers the poet’s legacy and the still unsolved circumstances of his death.
Presenter: Maria Delgado
Producer: Jo Glanville
Editor: Emma Harding
Production Co-ordinators: Alison Crawford, Ali Serle and Asha Osborne-Grinter
Poetry readings: Santiago Cabrera
CREDITS
Poems:
Puedo escribir los versos más tristas, I can write the saddest verses, Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (1924), Pablo Neruda, translation Mark Eisner
La canción desesperada, The song of despair, Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (1924), Pablo Neruda, translation WS Merwin
Explico algunas cosa, I explain some things, Tercera residencia (1947) Pablo Neruda, translation Nathaniel Tarn
Alturas de Macchu Picchu, Alturas de Macchu Picchu, Canto general (1950), Pablo Neruda, translation Mark Eisner
With thanks to Rodrigo Dorfman, Milena Grass Kleiner, Vera Zamorano and Valentina Pérez
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001qdt6)
The Dark Side of Ballet
Hayley Hassall investigates accusations of bullying and body-shaming at some of the UK’s elite ballet schools. File on 4 and Panorama have spoken to more than 50 ex-students of the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School who attended between 2004 and 2022. Many described developing eating disorders, while some said they had been left with mental health problems. One retired ballerina File on 4 has spoken to has begun legal action against the Royal Ballet School for the treatment she says she suffered there. The two ballet schools dispute the accounts given to the BBC and say they are working hard to change the culture, and put health and wellbeing at the forefront of their priorities
Reporter: Hayley Hassall
Producer: Paul Grant
Editors: Carl Johnston and Clare Fordham
SUN 17:40 Profile (m001qm0d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001qm12)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m001qm14)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qm16)
The European Commission President has promised a plan of action to help Italy deal with a surge in irregular migration.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001qm18)
Mike Sweeney
Journey through this week in radio and you could be given the secrets of how to live forever - as long as you have a few billion dollars to spare. Find out how adept boybands are at advanced mathematics, celebrate Northern Soul’s 50th anniversary, be fab and groovy in the 60s, and discover the building blocks of an iconic show tune. Plus... the heartbreak of losing a close friend and an incredible triumph over adversity.
Presenter: Mike Sweeney
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller
Studio Manage: Sue Stonestreet
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001qm1b)
Freddie gives Elizabeth and Vince gifts from Portugal. Elizabeth is pleased to hear his summer around Europe has been a success. Later, Freddie comes clean to Vince that the summer was a disaster. He didn’t manage to get any DJ bookings and he used his credit card for the whole trip. Vince advises to be honest with Elizabeth.
Brookfield burgers are selling well at the Flower and Produce Show. David’s hopeful it’ll turn into a confirmed supply contract with Grey Gables. Ruth cringes when she spots Stella. Stella doesn’t know that Usha’s told Ruth she saw Pip and Stella kissing. David agrees they need to talk to Pip as soon as they can.
Stella comes to David and Ruth’s aid when they struggle to get Hector the bull to move. Elizabeth recounts the spectacle to Freddie and she consoles him about the DJ-ing not working out. Freddie admits it was so hard to get any work he briefly considered dealing drugs again. But he assures him mum he’d never return to that. He regrets turning down Vince’s previous job offer as he’s now struggling to get any work.
David, Ruth and Stella sigh with relief once Hector is back home. Ruth can’t help but turn the conversation to Pip and makes it clear that they know about Stella’s relationship with their daughter. Ruth recalls Stella talking about texting an amazing woman and assumes Stella was dating Pip at the same time. Stella tries to explain but Ruth won’t listen. She’ll speak to Pip directly tomorrow.
SUN 19:15 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane Austen? (m0016pn8)
Series 1
Episode 4
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders star as respected novelist Florence and movie star Selina, in a sparkling comedy series about two sisters at war, by Veep writer David Quantick.
When Florence (Dawn French) is asked to appear on Celebrity Mastermind, she is delighted but terrified as she can’t think of a specialist subject. Meanwhile Lucy finds a strange clue to Selina and Florence’s secret but is told to leave well alone by Florence’s PA Mrs Ragnarrok. And when Florence becomes too stressed to appear on Mastermind, Selina steps in to save – or ruin – the day.
Cast:
Florence - Dawn French
Selina - Jennifer Saunders
Mrs Ragnarrok – Rebecca Front
Lucy - Lisa McGrillis
All the men - Alistair McGowan
Written by David Quantick
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:45 Invasive Species (m001qm1d)
Episode 5
Helen McAlpine reads a speculative serial from Rachelle Atalla, set in a near future with uncomfortable parallels to our present.
With Fran's village almost overrun by knotweed she wonders if recent global catastrophes might be linked to this very local problem, seeking answers from the one neighbour whose garden remains unaffected.
Rachelle Atalla is an award-winning Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow. Her debut novel The Pharmacist was shortlisted for Best Fiction at the Scottish National Book Awards. In March, she published her climate-focused second novel Thirsty Animals. Her short stories have been published widely and she is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. In screenwriting, her first feature was developed with BBC Film and she is developing an adaption of The Pharmacist with Compact Pictures.
SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001qdtn)
Skin cancer, London rents and your great-great-great-granddaughter
A BBC report quoted a study that said 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women in the UK will get skin cancer in their lifetime. Tim Harford and the team look into the detail. Also London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan said London’s average rent will hit £2,700 a month next year, with the average take home salary £2,131. How accurate are the figures and what do they tell us about the affordability of the capital’s rental properties? We fact check Donald Trump’s recent claim that 35,000 Americans died building the Panama Canal. And as noughties band Busted re-release Year 3000 with the Jonas Brothers, just how many greats should be in front of “granddaughter” in that famous lyric?
Presenter: Tim Harford
Series Producer: Jon Bithrey
Reporters: Natasha Fernandes, Daniel Gordon, Nathan Gower and Tom Farmer
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001qfpb)
Mike Yarwood, Ada Deer, Sir Ian Wilmut, Dorothy Purdew
Matthew Bannister on Mike Yarwood, whose impressions of famous people made him one of TV’s biggest stars in the 1970s and 80s.
Ada Deer, the Native American campaigner who became head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under President Clinton.
Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, the embryologist who led the team that created Dolly the Sheep – the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.
Dorothy Purdew, who left school at fourteen but went on to build up the Champneys chain of health farms and spa resorts.
Interviewee: Emma Freud
Interviewee: Gyles Brandreth
Interviewee: Ben Wikler
Interviewee: Dr Bill Ritchie
Interviewee: Stephen Purdew
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Archive used:
Mike Yarwood sketch as Prime Minister Ted Heath, Christmas with the Stars, BBC One, 25/12/1972; Denis Healy sketch, Look – Mike Yarwood, BBC one, 07/02/1976; Harold Wilson sketch, The Best of Mike Yarwood, BBC One, 23/04/1976; Mike Yarwood interview, On the Ropes, BBC Radio 4, 01/12/1995; Mike Yarwood impressions Nixon/Cooper/Moore, Listen – Mike Yarwood, BBC Radio 2, 08/12/1973; Emma Freud as Princess Diana, Mike Yarwood’s Royal Variety Show, Thames Production, 30/09/1986; Ada Deer interview, NPR Radio, uploaded 17/08/2023; Ada Deer interview, YouTube, uploaded 04/01/2013; Native American Experience, Ada Deer, Communications for Change, 01/01/1976; Professor Sir Ian Wilmut interview, Life Scientific, BBC Radio 4, 11/10/2016; Dolly The Sheep – BBC News, BBC Archive; Dorothy Perdue , Champneys, ITV, YouTube uploaded 04/07/2014;
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001qlyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001qlxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001qm08)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001qm1h)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme, hosted by Nick Eardley. With guests Danny Kruger MP for the Conservatives, Dan Jarvis MP for Labour, Miranda Green, deputy opinion editor of the Financial Times and Katy Balls, political editor of The Spectator.
SUN 23:00 Life Changing (m001lyp1)
If I panic I die
One Monday morning Stephen is meeting with his boss in a crowded coffee shop. Minutes later he’s at the centre of a horrific and brutal crime scene — his life hanging in the balance. It’s left him deeply scarred but has also prompted him to press the reset button on his life, and forced a fresh start for his family. This is a story he hasn’t told before publicly but as he explains to Dr Sian Williams, he believes sharing it will help him and perhaps others too.
For links to support resources go to BBC Action Line: bbc.co.uk/actionline
SUN 23:30 Beyond Belief (m001qdr3)
Ashes to Ashes
‘We always put our hand on the coffin and use their name, tell them how loved they were. And then just as the door opens, we wish them well on their journey.”
Crematorium Manager Jenny Hamilton tells Aleem Maqbool how she and her team approach their work with the deceased at the Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley Crematorium on the West Coast of Scotland, and how her profession connects to her Christian faith.
Aleem is joined by a panel to discuss how the different ways we process the body after death, has been informed by faith, and what the human body represents within different religions.
How will religions respond to new ways of human decomposition that are being explored, such as alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation, which is being piloted in the UK later this year, and terramation or human composting?
Sally Berkovic, author and a volunteer for a Chevra Kadisha, a group that helps prepare Jewish bodies for funeral, joins Aleem to share her experiences. She's joined by Reverend Andrew Dotchin, who is looking into the theology of alkaline hydrolysis for the Church of England, and Hindu teacher Seeta Lakani.
The discussion raises the question, who is our death rites and rituals for: the deceased, or those left behind?
Producer: Rebecca Maxted
Series Producer: Katharine Longworth
Editor: Tim Pemberton
MONDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2023
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001qm1k)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m001qdyq)
Water Ways
Water Ways: Laurie Taylor wades into the deep end with an exploration of human relationships with water. He talks to Veronica Strang, Professor of Anthropology, affiliated to Oxford University, whose latest study takes us from nature worship to the environmental crisis. Early human societies worshipped ‘nature beings’, including water serpent deities who manifested the elemental and generative powers of water. Such beliefs supported collaborative co-existence with the non-human world. How might an understanding of the role and symbolism of water serpents help us turn back the tide of ecological disaster?
They’re joined by Anna Mdee, Professor in the Politics of Global Development at the University of Leeds, who argues that water poverty isn't confined to the Global South, but takes a different form in the western societies, impacting around 20% of households in England and Wales.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001qm10)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qm1m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qm1p)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qm1r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001qm1t)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qm1w)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff.
Good morning.
Our cat, Albus died this summer. His arrival in our household thirteen years ago was something of a surprise. I certainly wouldn’t have described myself as a cat-lover then. Our family had previously been dog-owners. But, when our neighbours took in a stray cat which promptly gave birth, they kept inviting our daughters to “see the kittens”. So, rather against my will, we ended up with the fierce, fluffy, white, tom-cat that became part of our lives.
He wasn’t an easy creature to bond with and I had to work hard to gain his trust and try and love him. He didn’t appear to much enjoy being petted or held. So, we learned to keep plasters and antiseptic close to hand.
But, in time he became a curiously faithful companion. He seemed to know whenever we planned to go somewhere, and would come and sit on (or in), our bags when we tried to pack. If I was working at home, he often came and sat near me, sometimes on my computer keyboard. He rarely sat on my lap, but he often came to sit nearby, and was nearly always present in the room when I prayed. Alongside his feistiness there was a streak of calm and amazing restfulness, which helped me to be still.
I still come across bits of his white fur around our house, and our daughters joke that the scars he left on many hands will remind us of him. As well as these, the love he drew out of us, and the loss we feel at his absence, continue to speak of God’s amazing and surprising gifts.
Creator God, thank you for pets and for all creation, for all that shows us more about the depth and wonder of your love. Help us to see past the barriers of our preference and ignorance. May we always be on the look-out for signs of your grace. Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001qm1y)
18/09/23 Rural crime; Hops for beer; World sheep dog trials.
Every police force in the UK should have a dedicated rural crime team - the call comes from the National Rural Crime Network which comprises rural and farming groups and Crimestoppers. As we reported last month, the cost of rural crime went up by 22% last year, that's according to the insurers NFU Mutual. They put the cost of thefts and damage of things like tractors, GPS systems and power tools at nearly £50 million in 2022, up from £40 million in 2021.
It's harvest time for British hop growers - but they say that it's not a great time to be in the business. With the popularity of craft beer, you might think that hop growers would have a good market, but they say work force costs, fuel inflation and brewers holding stockpiles of hops since the pandemic mean the industry is struggling to survive.
The world sheep dog trials have been taking place in Northern Ireland - 240 dogs and their handlers were competing in the hopes of becoming World Champion at Gill Hall country estate in Dromore.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
MON 05:56 Weather (m001qm20)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b020tp91)
Manx Shearwater
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Manx Shearwater. Around 90% of the world's Manx Shearwaters breed around our coasts, most on remote islands such as Skomer, Skokholm and Rum. The steep-sided mountains of Rum hold the largest colony in the world, and the grassy mountainsides are riddled in places with their nest burrows.
MON 06:00 Today (m001qm35)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001qm39)
Homo Sapiens +/-
The French archaeologist Ludovic Slimak has spent three decades uncovering evidence of ancient human life. In The Naked Neanderthal (translated by David Watson) he explores the last great extinction of a humanity that died out at the very moment Homo Sapiens expanded across the earth.
The ingenuity, compassion and cruelty of Homo Sapiens are at the centre of Sebastian Faulks’s new novel, The Seventh Son. As scientists develop methods to genetically alter the human race, ethical questions arise, as do questions about how humans respond to difference.
The American playwright Lauren Gunderson interrogates our relationship with AI in her new play, Anthropology, at the Hampstead Theatre, London (to 14th October). When Angie goes missing, presumed dead, her grieving sister Merril assembles the digital footprint she left behind, and builds herself a digital simulation.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm3f)
Sand
Ed Conway starts an epic journey through time and around the world with the oldest of materials, sand. Despite received wisdom, much of our world is built on sand and is now transformed into the most advanced machines on the planet. But sand also played a surprising and fascinating role in the industrial revolution and even in increasing literacy rates.
'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001qm3n)
Russell Brand accuser 'Alice' broadcast exclusive, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Emma Barnett hears from one of the women alleging she was assaulted by Russell Brand. Speaking for the first time since accusations became public, 'Alice', who has accused Russell Brand of sexual assault when she was a teenager, says Brand's emphatic denial of the allegations of rape and sexual abuse against him is "insulting". 'Alice', who had a relationship with Brand when she was 16 and he was 30, says she wants to start a conversation about changing the age of consent.
One woman who spoke out earlier this year is the TV producer turned novelist and screenwriter Daisy Goodwin. She accused Daniel Korski, a former special advisor who was in the running at the time to be Conservative candidate for London Mayor, of groping her at an event in 10 Downing Street in 2013. Daniel Korski vehemently denies this and subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct. Daisy joins Emma in studio.
On her first day back at the Woman's Hour helm after maternity leave, Emma gets some advice and reflection from someone who returned to work after a similar break, the global literary force that is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Author of bestselling books including Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, plus essays and short stories, she has just released her first children’s book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf.
Fearless is the title of the new book from make-up business owner and makeover specialist Trinny Woodall. You'll probably know Trinny best for her show What Not To Wear, alongside best friend Susannah Constantine in the early 2000s. Trinny has more recently launched a multi-million pound make-up business and skincare company, Trinny London. She speaks to Emma about reinventing herself in her 50s.
MON 11:00 The Gift (m001qm3x)
2. Justice
It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world.
Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage - perhaps even a future foretold in our genes.
Across six episodes, Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after they opened a box that contained a DNA test. Exposing scandals, upending identities, solving mysteries and delivering life-changing news - Jenny investigates what happens when genealogy, technology and identity collide.
Episode 2: Justice
A son's quest to learn more about his late father unravels a mystery that's baffled US federal law enforcement for over four decades.
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Conor Garrett
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
Executive Producer: Philip Sellars
Production Co-ordinator: Gill Huggett
Archive courtesy CNN
MON 11:30 Analysis (m001nvtf)
Is there a new elite?
People have always fought back against “The elite”, and until recently they were easily recognisable: rich, privileged and often born into money. Old Etonians, billionaires, oil barons, media tycoons ruled the roost, but there are claims things are changing, and the rise of a new elite is challenging the status quo.
Author Matthew Goodwin calls them a group of “radical woke middle-class liberals completely out of step with the public”. University graduates working in creative industries, media and universities, who have an heavy influence over the national conversation about things like immigration, trans rights and sex education, but critics say they don’t represent “ordinary folk”, and as a result communities are feeling unrepresented and left behind.
So who is in charge, or is there an unlikely, and unknowing, coalition between the two – the new elite dominating social discourse and cultural discussion, whilst the traditional elite pull the strings of politics and economics?
This is the next chapter of the culture wars – but while the pair of them battle it out for supremacy, much of the country struggles on day-to-day watching from the side lines.
Presenter: Neil Maggs
Producer: Jonathan IAnson
Editor: Clare Fordham
Contributors
Matt Goodwin, Professor of Politics, University of Kent and author "Values, Voice and Virtue".
George Monbiot, Author, journalist and environmental campaigner
Dr Lisa McKenzie, research fellow, University of Durham, writer and anarchist
Bob & Lee, builders
Dr Rakib Ehsan, Social policy analyst and author "Beyond Grievance"
Baroness Tina Stowell of Beeston
Paul Embery, Firefighter, trade unionist and writer
Tom, boxing club owner
Aaron Bastani, Broadcaster and founder of Novara Media
MON 12:00 News Summary (m001qm43)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001qm4b)
Section 21 Rise, Premium Halal Burger Bars and Driverless Cars
As rents go up and evictions rise, it is not the best time to rent, but what's behind the turmoil in the lettings market ?
First there was Archie's, now they are popping up all over the place. The Premium Halal Burger joint is expanding in our cities, but why?
As Aldi open their 1000th store, have we reached peak budget supermarket?
The government is planning for the arrival of driverless cars but how soon could they be on our streets, and will we really be scooting around in pods in ten years’ time?
If you buy an all inclusive deal on a cruise you would not expect to pay anything extra for what you eat and drink ... but not , apparently, when you are sailing in Spanish waters.
MON 12:57 Weather (m001qm4k)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m001qm4v)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
MON 13:45 Naturebang (m001qm54)
Chuckling Chimps and the Evolution of Laughter
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight look to the giggles and guffaws of the animal kingdom to ask where human laughter has come from.
At least 65 species have been identified as making 'play vocalisations', a sort of animal version of laughter, according to a recent UCLA paper studying animals at play. Rats giggle in ultrasound, elephants have a play-specific trumpet, and kia parrots cackle from the treetops. These sounds are auditory cues that have come from breathing during play, and they signal to fellow playmates that their rough-and-tumble is in jest.
But us humans have taken laughing to new levels. Our laughter has evolved from a play-specific vocalisation into a highly sophisticated tool of communication, sometimes spontaneous, other times performed. It is a powerful spell that affects our brains and bodies, playing so many important roles in our close relationships and wider social networks. And the best thing about it: it’s good for you.
Featuring biological anthropologist Sasha Winkler, co-author of the UCLA paper 'Play vocalisations and human laughter: a comparative review' (2021), and Professor Sophie Scott, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.
Animal recording credits:
The chimpanzee laughter clip is courtesy of Dr. Robert Provine.
The rat clip (slowed down so that our ears can detect the ultrasound) is courtesy of Dr. Jaak Panksepp.
The kea parrot play vocalisation is from Schwing et al. (2017)
MON 14:00 The Archers (m001qm1b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001qm5j)
Slow Air
A new drama all about love, memory and sound. Part of BBC Radio 4’s celebration of 100 years of BBC Radio drama.
Slow Air is family drama with a science fiction twist about what we hear and what we don’t. A play of whispers and promises, signals from the past and to the future, Slow Air is a hymn to sending out messages, stories, secrets and sounds into the air and the joys and pains of listening and not listening. It is also about love.
A curious geological formation in Sicily creates a thick funnel of slow air, through which sound takes 32 years to pass. A young couple on honeymoon in 1991, Paul and Zoe, visited the site and whispered their hopes for a future lived together, imagining themselves making a return trip in older age. But eight years later, Zoe died in a car accident.
In 2023, Penny, their daughter, 26, tries to persuade Paul to return to the island of Stromboli. He doesn’t want to, it’s all too painful. When old flame Yvonne comes back into his life, things become more complicated. With Yvonne's unexpected help, Penny persuades Paul to go back to hear what Zoe actually said. But will the message reach him?
The writer Dan Rebellato is a leading audio dramatist and professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University. He has written 27 dramas for BBC Radio 4 and won or been shortlisted multiple times for Sony, BBC Audio and WGGB Awards. His Radio 4 drama You & Me won Silver at the ARIAS 2022. He was the lead writer who masterminded the 20 hour Emile Zola epic on Radio 4 from 2015 – 2016, and is working with Ben and Max Ringham on Exemplar series 2, starring Gina McKee and Shvorne Marks. He has had stage commissions for Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Plymouth Drum, Suspect Culture and Graeae, Soho Theatre and National Theatre.
Cast
Paul…………………………………………….Forbes Masson
Penny………………………………………….Ellie Turner
Yvonne…………………………………………Michelle Bonnard
Susan/Assistant/Laura/Zoe…………..Sharan Phull
Michael/Aureliu/Gourmont………….Max Runham
Producer ………………………………..Polly Thomas
Sound Recordist………………………Alisdair McGregor
Studio Assistant………………………Jake Wittlin
Sound Designer………………………Eloise Whitmore
Illustration……………………………....Ed Duffill
Production Manager……………….Darren Spruce
Executive Producer…………………..Eloise Whitmore
Written by Dan Rebellato
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001qm5z)
Heat 6, 2023
(6/17)
Brain of Britain comes from Salford for the second time this series, with Russell Davies putting the contenders through their paces on all aspects of general knowledge. At least one of them will be going through to the semi-finals later in the autumn and taking a step closer to being named the 2023 champion. Will they know which presenter launched BBC Radio 5Live, or the common name for the illness pertussis? What about the title of Gustave Flaubert's last novel, or the first Russian Tsar?
Appearing today are
Tracey Lambert from Downpatrick
Brian Leddy from Glasgow
Julia Mayer from Liverpool
Gareth Williams from Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire.
There'll also be a chance for a listener to win a prize by stumping the contenders with questions he or she has devised.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001qlzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 History's Secret Heroes (p0fqnh5h)
5. George Takei and the American Internment Camps
In the aftermath of the Pearl Harbour attack, then five-year-old George Takei and his family join the 120,000 Japanese Americans who are removed from their homes and imprisoned without trial.
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: Amie Liebowitz
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m001qm6j)
Behind Bars
In 1993 Michael Emmett was sentenced to 12 years in prison. It was there that he had a radical transformation. After a difficult night, alone in his cell, he opened the Bible and began to read.
Aleem Maqbool speaks to Michael Emmett about his conversion to Christianity leading to a discussion on how religious beliefs and practices can have an impact on people sentenced to prison and how different faiths respond to prisoners.
Aleem is joined by:
Venerable Ajahn Khemadhammo OBE - The Buddhist Adviser to HM Prison & Probation Service
Dr Sofia Buncy MBE – Founder and National Coordinator of the multi-award-winning Muslim Women in Prison programme
Dr Katie Hunt - Lecturer in Law at the University of Lincoln and author of "Non-religious Prisoners’ Unequal Access to Pastoral Care in International Journal of Law in Context.
Producer: Katharine Longworth
Editor: Tim Pemberton
MON 17:00 PM (m001qm6y)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qm7c)
Tehran will gain access to billion dollars' worth of oil revenue as part of the agreement
MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001qm7t)
Series 2
Episode 3
In each episode of Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz, the quizzer, comedian and Rose d’Or winner Paul Sinha invites the audience to tell him their favourite quiz questions, before offering up not just different and surprising questions, but also the fascinating stories behind the answers.
It’s facts, jokes, stories and puns – just the way you like them.
This week's show has a Hampshire flavour, as Paul takes on an audience in Andover. What popular food owes its existence to the people of Southampton? What's the best bridge in Hampshire? And why did Florence Nightingale think it was all over?
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Sound engineer: David Thomas
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m001qm87)
Fallon’s feeling positive. She’s created a survey for customers. She wants to be on the front foot for when the charging station café opens next summer. Emma tries to get Pip to fill in the survey but she’s distracted by a text message. By the time Tom and Natasha arrive to have a word with Fallon, they’ve gathered some useful feedback from other customers.
Fallon’s incredulity grows as Natasha and Tom go through their plans for the Tea Room. They assure her it’s not personal and they hope she’ll consider the manager’s position. Emma is as stunned as Fallon. Emma encourages Fallon to go her own way and not work for the Archers. Fallon is galvanised – she won’t be gratefully accepting Tom and Natasha’s manager job.
Emma’s been accepted on to her English Literature course. Fallon reports that Jolene has enjoyed Lark Rise to Candleford on Emma’s recommendation. Emma can imagine it being based on Ambridge hundreds of years ago.
Pip tells Ruth that Stella rang her last night. They agree it’s time to talk. Pip explains she hasn’t been ready to tell Ruth and that their new relationship took both Pip and Stella by surprise. Pip challenges Ruth’s response. She thought her mum would be happy for her once she was over the shock but Ruth says it’s not as simple as that. Pip and Ruth talk openly leading to Ruth saying she doesn’t think Stella is right for Pip. Pip puts on a brave face and tells her mum she doesn’t need her approval.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m001qm8r)
Jane Austen fashion, poet Daljit Nagra, musician Alice Phoebe Lou performs live
From the enduring legacy of Colin Firth’s wet shirt to the colourful extravagance of Bridgerton, costumes have always been central in period dramas. But how much does adaptation match up to reality when it comes to regency fashion? To discuss this - and what’s revealed by the closet of the real-life Austen - Samira is joined by Hilary Davidson, author of ‘Jane Austen’s Wardrobe’, and the award-winning costume designer Dinah Collin.
Radio 4’s first poet-in-residence, Daljit Nagra, discusses his new poetry collection, indiom, set in an imaginary workshop where Indic heritage poets discuss the future of poetry and the kind of language(s) they should write in in these post-colonial times. It's a wide ranging mock heroic epic, with references ranging from Shakespeare to The Simpsons, written in Daljit Nagra's innovative, idiosyncratic and exuberant style.
The South African singer songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou discusses her music, which has been described as a melding of folk, jazz, electronic and dance music. Her song ‘She’ was shortlisted for the Oscar for best original song in 2018 for the documentary film Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. She performs live.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corinna Jones
Jane Austen Fashion
1:03
Daljit Nagra
17:28
Alice Phoebe Lou
28:39
MON 20:00 24 Hours in Snapchat (m001qm97)
Warning: There are descriptions of a sexual and violent nature in this programme
The NSPCC claim that Snapchat is the leading social media platform when it comes to children and young people being groomed online.
Millions of young people share their lives on it - its where they hang out with friends and share funny videos. But amongst the warmth, friendship and humour they describe it as an online wildfire of violence and crime with private sexual content being shared without consent.
So what is it like inside this world? Monika Plaha meets three people who tell her what its like living their lives on Snapchat.
Presenter: Monika Plaha
Producers: Monika Plaha and Jay Unger
Sound Designer: Louis Blatherwick
An Audio North Production for BBC Radio 4
Details of help and support for some of the issues in this programme, including feelings of despair are available at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001qdyb)
Missing in Syria
There are one hundred thousand missing Syrians, according to the UN, who’ve been detained or have disappeared since the beginning of the uprising in Syria twelve years ago and the civil war that followed. Most of their families have no idea where they are and whether they’re alive or dead. Many are paying thousands of dollars for information about them which almost always comes to nothing. Lina Sinjab reports from Turkey and Beirut where she’s been talking to Syrian refugees about the desperate measures they'll go to in their search for their missing relatives.
Presenter: Lina Sinjab
Producer : Caroline Bayley
Editor: Penny Murphy
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar
MON 21:00 The Archbishop Interviews (m001n8dv)
Nick Cave
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 songwriter, poet and author, Nick Cave.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001qm39)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001qm9z)
US citizens freed from Iran
Five Americans, held prisoner in Iran for years, are on their way home. We're live in Qatar - where the deal was brokered - and hear from a relieved relative.
Also on the programme:
Italy has announced new measures after a surge of migrant arrivals on the island of Lampedusa. We speak to an MP from the governing party.
And the sound of prison gospel that's being turned into a new album.
MON 22:45 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (m001qmbg)
Episode 1
Max Janacek’s peace is about to be to shattered as his idyllic Devon cottage is besieged. Who holds a grudge against the retired academic with a fondness for Dickens? And what could possibly link him to a long-running inquiry into historical over-reaching by the British Secret Service?
Mick Herron’s new standalone thriller is read by Nina Sosanya.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Mick Herron is the bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers and Zoe Boehm series, and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger. His books featuring Jackson Lamb have been adapted for TV as the ‘Slow Horses’ series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
MON 23:00 Sound Towns (m001lqmh)
Newport
Great music is born from a collision of societal and political change. This series explores the origin stories of some of the UK's most vital musical movements.
The UK's turbulent societal and political changes sparked the most electrifying moments in modern music history. These aren't the stories you know. They're the moments that came before. Each episode is a world in and of itself, and it'll get as close to the music as possible.
First up, Newport...
Emerging around the time of Britpop, but far cheekier and less preening, Cool Cymru produced Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but this would never have happened without the DIY scene in Newport.
It started with a photocopied celebration of local noisemakers The Cowboy Killers and The Flemgods, and ended in the mid-1990s with the New York Times' eminent rock critic Neil Strauss declaring the Gwent town to be "the New Seattle". Local MP Paul Flynn picked up on the buzz, tabling an Early Day Motion in Parliament congratulating Newport's fine roster of musicians. Suddenly, every record label was sending scouts to check out the Newport scene. But like all the best musical beginnings, the scene in Newport was happenstance rather than intent, and unlike the 'Cool Cymru' bands who came after, they were merely using the tools they had at their fingertips - a perfect encapsulation of the DIY ethos.
Producer: Victoria McArthur
Narrated by: Patrick Jones
Researcher: Juliet Conway
Sound mix: Lee McPhail
With heartfelt thanks to documentary maker Nathan Jennings, for his invaluable help and advice regarding all things Newport music-related, and for providing the interview with Benji Webbe.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001qmc2)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
TUESDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2023
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001qmcg)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qmcw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qmd7)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qmdm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001qmdz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qmfd)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff.
Good morning. One of the humbling and helpful things about becoming a bishop is being prayed for frequently and publicly. Often in church services I hear prayers “for Bishop Mary” and it still catches me slightly by surprise to realise that people are praying for me and for my work.
I can remember as a child an incident when I fell off a scooter and broke my arm one Saturday afternoon. I had a ballet exam coming up that I didn’t want to miss, so I didn’t tell my parents how much pain I was in. By Sunday morning my arm was a strange shape. A nurse friend directed us straight to hospital, and it was rapidly established that I needed an operation. This meant that my Dad, who was a vicar, had to miss a Sunday service. I can still hear one of the other church leaders reassuring my parents, saying that we’d be prayed for. I was surprised to know that those who regularly prayed for important things that made the news, would also offer prayers for me. I don’t remember much about the operation, or the ballet exam, but I’ll always remember how special it felt to be prayed for. When I know someone’s praying for me, I feel affirmed and connected - to those thinking of me, and to God. It conveys a message that I’m not alone, that I have a place and a part in a wider family, and it helps me to feel more calm and courageous, less fearful and anxious.
Knowing that others pray for me encourages me to make a greater effort to let others know when I pray for them.
God of connection, thank you for the gift of prayer and for all that helps us to feel encouraged, supported and loved. Bless us with faithfulness in prayer and help us to speak with wisdom and gentleness of your love for all. Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001qmfw)
19/09/23 Fruit and veg growers campaign; Seeding by drone; Cider.
A survey commissioned by the organic veg box group Riverford says nearly half the fruit and veg growers who took part, fear they could close within a year. The report shows three quarters of the responders who felt they didn't have a long term future, point to supermarket behaviour as the main reason. Some of the accusations against supermarkets include cancelled orders for crops which have already been grown to order and failure to pay farmers within 30 days of delivery. Riverford is now launching a campaign calling for supermarkets to act, and for government to back that action.
A farmer who lost nearly three quarters of his oil seed rape because of flea beetle, re-seeds his fields by drone - the farm in Yorkshire is one of the first in the UK to use a drone rather than a tractor to sow a crop.
All week we're lifting a glass to British booze, from beer, to cider and wine. Earlier this year the British Growers Association reported costs for cider producers had risen by nearly a quarter, forcing some to question if they have a future in the industry. One cider maker in Herefordshire has decided to tackle the crisis head on, investing in a state of the art restaurant on his farm to help make it more viable.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tws57)
Cirl Bunting
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the cirl bunting.
Cirl buntings are related to yellowhammers and look rather like them, but the male cirl bunting has a black throat and a greenish chest-band.
Their rattling song may evoke memories of warm dry hillsides in France or Italy. Cirl buntings are Mediterranean birds more at home in olive groves than chilly English hedgerows. Here at the north-western edge of their range, most of our cirl buntings live near the coast in south Devon where they breed in hedgerows on farmland .
TUE 06:00 Today (m001qm5x)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001qm68)
Alex Antonelli on learning from nature's biodiversity to adapt to climate change
With the world's biodiversity being lost at an alarming rate, Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has made it his life's mission to protect it. He is a bio-geographer revealing how changes to the Earth's landscape, such as the formation of mountain ranges and rainforests, leads to the evolution of new species and causes plants, fungi and animals to move around the world.
His work is a masterclass in joined-up thinking, bringing together different fields of research by starting conversations between scientists who would rarely talk to one another. Together, they paint a more holistic picture of how our planet's biodiversity has developed in the hope of informing how we can protect it in the future.
Alex tells presenter Jim Al-Khalili about a life spent in the wild, beginning with his earliest memories of growing up in Brazil cataloguing life in the Atlantic Rainforest. That passion is still with him today. We've only scratched the surface of understanding what lives here on Earth, he says, more than 4,000 new species are found every year. Alex is passionate that we need to speed up the rate at which we document the richness of life, arguing if we don't identify what there is we can't protect it.
Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Tom Bonnett
TUE 09:30 One to One (m001qm6p)
Nikki Bedi and Leila Latif on their 'The Real Housewives...' obsession
'The Real Housewives...' is a reality TV series that follows groups of successful glamorous women as they go about their daily lives. The series began in Orange County in 2006 but quickly spread to other cities in the USA and even further afield, and radio and TV presenter Nikki Bedi absolutely loves them. She is drawn in by the drama of these women as they navigate work and relationships, friendships and family,
For this second programme Nikki speaks fellow super-fan Leila Latif about what 'The Real Housewives...' series tells us about ourselves, the portrayal of women on TV, and our notions of race, class, aspiration, and wealth.
Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field.
TUE 09:45 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm72)
Salt
Historically, those who controlled the salt controlled the power. The world's monopolies may have changed, but salt remains vital to our existence. Beyond the dinner table, it sits at the heart of the chemicals industry and lifesaving sanitation.
'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001qm7g)
Russell Brand allegations & a 'staggered age of consent' with Baroness Helena Kennedy & Gudrun Young KC, Dr Susan Gilby
Yesterday on Woman's Hour, one of Russell Brand's alleged victims, 'Alice', called for a conversation around changing the age of consent in the UK, to what she called 'a staggered age of consent'. It would mean individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 could legally have sex with one another, but there would be legislation in place to prevent adults having relations with 16 to 18-year-olds, as there is the potential for a power imbalance in this dynamic. Emma Barnett speaks to Baroness Helena Kennedy and Gudrun Young QC.
Lucy Letby was recently convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill six others while working within the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016. We talk to Dr Susan Gilby who joined the hospital trust as medical director and then chief executive a few weeks after Letby was arrested.
Two weeks ago, Birmingham City Council issued a 114 notice which means they can’t balance the books to meet their spending commitments this year. The tipping point appears to have been a £750 million equal pay settlement and it’s feared many more councils could be in a similar position. Emma talks to Heather Jameson, Editor of the Municipal Journal and to Peter Marland from the Local Government Association which represents councils in England about the problems they’re facing.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
TUE 11:00 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.
TUE 11:30 Three Faces of WH Auden (m001qm7y)
Episode 2
WH Auden was one of the most important religious poets of the Twentieth Century, but his relationship with faith was never straightforward. His life as an active and proud gay man put him at odds with the church, and he turned his back on his childhood faith in his teens, returning to it following a moment of quiet epiphany recorded in his poem 'A Summer Evening'. Religion remained important to him for the rest of his life but he remained wary of poetry that dealt with the subject too directly - but poet Michael Symmons Roberts hears from the likes of former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and poet and Archdeacon Rachel Mann, this doesn't stop those poems that do consider faith, such as Horae Canonicae, A Christmas Oratorio and Friday's Child containing sometimes difficult but often beautiful and deeply profound metaphysical meditations.
Produced by Geoff Bird
Poems referred to in this episode include:
The Age of Anxiety (1947)
Horae Canonicae (1948 - 1955)
Friday's Child (1958)
For The Time Being - A Christmas Oratorio (1966)
AS I Walked Out One Evening (1940)
all published by Faber and Faber.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001qm8d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001qm8x)
Call You and Yours: How well does your high street work for you?
The closure of Wilko has put the spotlight back on our town centres - and is leaving huge holes in lots of them.
According to the boss of John Lewis, there are already too many boarded up shops, vaping stores and charity shops on Britain's high streets - and it's got to the stage where a Royal Commission needs to investigate.
The health of high streets varies across the country and we want to hear about the picture where you live. What do you use your high street for, and how is this changing? Perhaps yours works better than it used to - what are the success stories?
If you work in a shop, we'd love to hear from you too.
How well does your high street work for you? Email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk and leave us a phone number where we can call you back - or call us on 03700 100 444 after
11am on Tuesday.
Or email youandyours@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: RIMA AHMED
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
TUE 12:57 Weather (m001qm9c)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m001qm9w)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
TUE 13:45 Naturebang (m001qmbc)
Killer Whales and the Mystery of the Menopause
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight dive into the underwater world of killer whales, where tight-knit family pods are led by the eldest post-reproductive matriarch, to better understand why we have a menopause.
Matriarchal killer whales usually stop being able to reproduce in their thirties or forties, but continue to live for decades longer. This phenomenon of having a long post-reproductive life is known only to exist in 5 species: killer whales, narwhals, beluga whales, short-finned pilot whales, and humans. That’s it. Females across the rest of the animal kingdom can keep reproducing into old age, many until their dying days.
So why? If the success of a species lies in its ability to breed and pass on its genes, why have we – and a few species of whale – evolved this seemingly counter-productive thing that stops us being able to do that? What's the point of it? And what does it say about our need for grandmas?
Featuring Prof. Darren Croft, Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter, and Dr. Brenna Hassett, Biological Anthropologist at UCL and author of Growing Up Human. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001qm87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (p0b22yrv)
Series 2
Part 6
The winner of the British Podcast Award for Best Fiction 2021 returns with a gripping drama about trauma, obsession and why we harm the things we love.
Part 6 of 7
Written by Lucia Haynes with Anita Vettesse; monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of violent crime. Having realised Sarah poses an immediate threat to Paul’s family, Alex has to find a way to tell Paul she has betrayed his trust.
With their baby’s life on the line, and their marriage in crisis, revelations come thick and fast. What else is she set to lose?
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti
Ros ….. Lois Chimimba
Sarah ….. Melody Grove
Paul ….. Robert Jack
Series created by Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Produced by Kirsty Williams and Gaynor Macfarlane
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001qmbr)
Series 36
Signal to Noise
Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures about finding meaning amid the noise.
The poet and audio producer Ross Sutherland seeks to understand the strange echoes in his hearing, a remnant from a house fire is transformed into music and the radio-maker Liza Yeager finds magic in a series of encounters.
Hallucinations
Featuring Dr Theresa Marschall and Lizzy Dening
Produced by Ross Sutherland
The Right Colour Candle
Featuring Annegret Curtis, Ed Dadey and Jan Gehmlich
Produced by Liza Yeager
Stovepipe Wind Harp Summons the Frogs
Produced by Fil Corbitt
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Bacteria: The Tiny Giants (m001qlzq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
TUE 16:00 Crossing the Cuillin Mountains (m001qmcb)
The Compass
In this two part series, we accompany the writer and mountaineer Robert Macfarlane on his attempt to complete the Cuillin Ridge. This expedition marks twenty years since his first book 'Mountains of the Mind' in which he tries to understand the human fascination with mountains. Along the way, he muses on the ways in which these particular mountains have been explored imaginatively and in reality. The reality for Robert is both challenging and wonderful.
The Cuillin Ridge of Skye has long been a source of fascination and wonder for climbers, geologists, writers and artists. Its 22 peaks offer the most extreme alpine climbing in the British Isles and includes the much revered Inaccessible Pinnacle, a very exposed shard of rock protruding from the ridge. To cross the Ridge ordinarily involves a two day expedition of skilled mountaineering with a bivvy overnight. However, it is no easy feat to complete and the majority of people don't make it on their first attempt.
Two modern works are weaved throughout Robert's journey. The words of the great late Gaelic poet Sorely MacLean who knew these mountains intimately and wrote of them in his long poem, 'The Cuillin'. And the more recent musical work of fiddler and composer Duncan Chisholm and his album 'Black Cuillin'. We also feature brand new music from Duncan Chisholm and Gaelic Singer Julie Fowlis. Plus a song with lyrics by Robert Macfarlane based on his experience of the Ridge.
Presented by Robert Macfarlane
Produced by Helen Needham
Mountain Guide - Richard Parker
Readings by Julie Fowlis and Sorley MacLean
Music by Duncan Chisholm, Julie Fowlis and Donald Shaw
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001qmcy)
Chi-chi Nwanoku on Jessye Norman
On the 11th June 1988 Jessye Norman performed a spine-tingling rendition of 'Amazing Grace' to a packed Wembley Stadium, bringing to a close a concert marking the seventieth birthday of Nelson Mandela. By this point her career Jessye Norman was a global icon of opera, best-known for her performances in works by Wagner, Verdi and Mozart. She refused to take the parts traditionally offered to Black singers and once said that pigeonholes were only for pigeons. She would sing, in fact, whatever she liked.
Double-bassist and founder of the Chineke! Orchestra Chi-chi Nwanoku was driving back from a concert when she first heard Jessye Norman singing on the radio. She remembers being so struck by her voice that she had to pull over and wait until the performance had finished before continuing her journey. Chi-chi and presenter Matthew Parris explore some of Jessye Norman's work and recordings, and her views on what it means to be a Black woman in classical music.
Chi-chi and Matthew are joined by Kira Thurman, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Michigan to help map out the key moments and decisions in Jessye Norman's extraordinary life.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field
TUE 17:00 PM (m001qmdc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qmdq)
The move would be a major shift on climate change policy
TUE 18:30 Suggs: Love Letters to London (m0005f4q)
Hampstead
A side of London you’ve never heard before, seen through the eyes of a national treasure. With special guest, Boy George.
Performed by Suggs
Written by Suggs with Owen Lewis
Featuring: Boy George
Directed by Owen Lewis
Musical Director: Owen Parker
Executive Producer: Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001qmdb)
Freddie’s glum after another job rejection comes through. Elizabeth says they’re recruiting at Grey Gables, and he could always have work at Lower Loxley but Freddie’s not keen on either. He can’t really see himself back at Grey Gables. Elizabeth looks at his CV. Later, Elizabeth admits to Vince that Freddie’s CV is all over the place. Vince remarks it’s a true reflection of Freddie who doesn’t know what he wants. He suggests offering a job to Freddie again. Elizabeth is grateful to Vince for giving her son a second chance.
Freddie snaps up Vince’s offer of a job. Vince warns him that he will have to experience all aspects of an abattoir. It’s hard graft and it isn’t for everyone. Freddie assures Vince and Elizabeth that he’s up for it and thanks Vince profusely. Vince thinks Freddie will be a good worker and Freddie promises not to muck it up.
Emma’s touched that George has waited for her to finish work so they can walk home together, but then realises it’s cupboard love. Emma chides George for not starting his packing yet. She doesn’t want him to leave it all to Will who also has Poppy to think about. Emma tells George about what’s planned for the Tearoom. He doesn’t think Fallon turning down the manager job will impact Tom and Natasha, they’ll just find someone else. He encourages his mum to apply for the job. Emma’s worried what Fallon would think but George thinks she’d understand. With George’s positivity, Emma is emboldened to apply.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001qmf3)
Carlos Acosta on the Black Sabbath ballet; Birmingham arts funding; the business of British fashion
Birmingham Royal Ballet is celebrating the city’s pioneering heavy metal band in a new production, Black Sabbath – the Ballet. Tom Sutcliffe talks to the director of BRB Carlos Acosta about how the marriage of apparently conflicting cultures came about. He also hears from the composer and arranger Christopher Austin on adapting the music for contemporary choreography and the dramaturg Richard Thomas about creating a narrative structure for an abstract dance form.
Today it was announced that Michael Gove has appointed commissioners to take over Birmingham Council. To find out how this might affect arts organisations in the city, Tom speaks to the Birmingham-based journalist and broadcaster Adrien Goldberg.
In our occasional series on cultural bugbears we hear from the author and Guardian journalist Tim Dowling.
As London Fashion Week draws to a close, we put the business of the British fashion industry under the spotlight with the Yorkshire-based designer and Professor of Fashion Matty Bovan, the New York Times fashion journalist Elizabeth Paton and the designer, academic and curator Andrew Ibi, whose exhibition The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion is about to open at Somerset House.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Emma Wallace
Black Sabbath Ballet
1:18
Birmingham Funding
17:20
Immersive Theatre
22:18
Fashion
28:12
TUE 20:00 The Great Replacement (m001n8kf)
The Great Replacement is an idea fueling far-right recruitment around the world - the idea that white communities and culture are being purposely replaced by non-white migrants.
Many far-right terrorists have referenced this theory as the driving force behind their murderous actions - but where does this idea originate from, and how seriously should we be taking its proliferation here in the UK?
Terrorism expert Raffaello Pantucci explores the roots of the Great Replacement and asks if this is just a far-right conspiracy theory as some critics claim, or is there a kernel of truth reflected in the UK's changing demography?
If so, how are communities - and the government - managing this change? Immigration is often a difficult topic of public debate, with many people concerned that any questioning of immigration policy will label them as racist.
But if we can’t talk more openly, without fear of judgement, are we at risk of handing control of the immigration narrative to extremists?
Reporter: Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Fellow at the Royal United Service Institute, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore
Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001qmfl)
Be My AI; Orla Guerin in Yemen
Be My AI is an artificial intelligence engine that is being tested by Be My Eyes - an app that connects visually impaired smartphone users to sighted assistance. There are thousands of people currently testing the AI offering and it allows them to take pictures of their surroundings and the AI will describe, with great detail, what is in that image. For example, it can be helpful for things like navigation, describing clothing items or reading menus. However, a lot of its testers are greatly concerned over a recent change where the AI will no longer describe what is in an image, if there is a human present. Sean Dilley is a BBC journalist and user of Be My AI, and he describes the issues that could be behind these changes.
*After the time of recording this programme, it appears that the feature has been restored for some users.
Orla Guerin is the BBC's Senior International Correspondent and she has recently been back to war-torn Yemen, to catch up with a blind boy she met there two years ago. Ahmed made a particular impression because he was teaching his peers in his bombed-out school. Orla talks with Peter about what Ahmed is like and about his future ambitions.
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 Inside Health (m001qmfj)
Why is syphilis making a comeback?
When the Government released the latest statistics on STIs in the summer, one in particular stood out. Syphilis. A sexually transmitted infection which might make you think more 1823 than 2023. But figures in England are currently at their highest since 1948, a rise which is reflected across the UK. James Gallagher speaks to people who have first-hand experience with syphilis to work out why we aren't talking about the disease and it's increase more.
And James gets on his bike with resident GP Margaret McCartney to find out whether tracking her stats via her many exercise monitors is improving her physical and mental health or making it worse. Dr Brendon Stubbs, Clinical-academic physiotherapist at Kings College London and Dr Eoin Whelan, Professor in Business Analytics & Society at the University of Galway help unpick the evidence.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Clare Salisbury
Editor: Erika Wright
Production Co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris
Studio Producer: Sarah Hockley
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001qm68)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001qmg1)
A new war in Europe?
Azerbaijan has launched an "anti-terror" operation in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. We hear from there.
Also on the programme:
The Prime Minister is considering weakening some of the government's key green commitments - in what would be a major policy shift. We speak to live to our political editor who broke the news.
All bonhomie as Sir Keir Starmer meets Emmanuel Macron in Paris - but how realistic are the Labour leader's plans to renegotiate the UK-EU trade deal, if he wins the next election?
And - as the BBC reviews its relationship with Russell Brand - what about the decade that made him? We'll discuss the culture of the noughties.
TUE 22:45 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (m001qmg9)
Episode 2
Two long years after it was set up to fail, the Monochrome Inquiry into historic misconduct by the intelligence services plods on. But in dark corners the ground is shifting, and a new witness is about to emerge.
Mick Herron’s new standalone thriller is read by Nina Sosanya.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Mick Herron is the bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers and Zoe Boehm series, and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger. His books featuring Jackson Lamb have been adapted for TV as the ‘Slow Horses’ series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
TUE 23:00 Call Jonathan Pie (p0fsyhj3)
Episode 5: Online
Pie’s agent advises him to get on social media to help him garner a younger fanbase. Out of his comfort zone, Pie soon gains a troll…the mysterious Mr “O”. Who could that be? Meanwhile Roger asks Sam to help him clean up his work laptop because it’s full of evidence of Roger’s “extra-curricular activities”. The revelations about Roger are matched by what the team finds out about Jules. Probably too much information all round.
Jonathan Pie ..... Tom Walker
Jules ..... Lucy Pearman
Sam ..... Aqib Khan
Roger ..... Nick Revell
Agent ..... Daniel Abelson
Special guest... James O'Brien
Voiceovers ..... Bob Sinfield and Rob Curling
Callers ... Cole Anderson-James, Sarah Gabriel, Ed Kear, Thanyia Moore,
Writer ..... Tom Walker
Additional material ..... Sarah Gabriel
Script Editor ..... Nick Revell
Producers ..... Alison Vernon-Smith
and Julian Mayers
Production Coordinator ..... Ellie Dobing
Original music composed by Jason Read
Additional music Leighton James House
A Yada-Yada Audio Production.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001qmgs)
Sean Curran reports as ministers send commissioners in to run Birmingham Council - and more schools in England are found to have unsafe concrete.
WEDNESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2023
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001qmgy)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm72)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qmh2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qmh7)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qmhj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001qmht)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qmj2)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff.
Good morning.
At the Eisteddfod festival of Welsh culture and language this summer I had an opportunity to choose and buy a small, enamelled badge giving my preferred pronouns in Welsh. It made me think more about current debates around how we talk about ourselves and one another.
I’d surprised myself when I’d felt irritated at a different event recently when, without asking me, someone had added “she/her” to my name-badge. I found that I didn’t like someone making assumptions about my choices.
All of this has made me think more about and how people of faith know and name God. Christians often pray to ‘our Father’, ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ in public prayer. The Bible also contains many, more varied descriptions of our maker. God’s also described in neutral ways such as ‘ruler’, ‘creator’, ‘light’, a ‘shelter’, and on one occasion Jesus draws on the female image of a mother-hen protecting her chicks.
If we search the Bible for God’s pronouns, there’s an intriguing clue at the beginning, in one of the Genesis creation stories, where God says, “let us make human-kind”.
I’m learning through recent debates about language, that fresh, creative thinking can be enriching as well as challenging and I’ve been surprised how recent arguments around pronouns have made me consider more carefully my feelings about inclusion and how I welcome others.
God of many names, thank you, that you bless us and the world through your diverse gifts in creation and language. In our speaking, choices and all our living, may we seek to embody and embrace all that’s good and be signs of your love for all. Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001qmj9)
20/09/23 Shooting businesses say they're being de-banked; Ukrainian students; Barley for beer
The Financial Conduct Authority has published its initial review into 'de-banking' - that's when banks decide to terminate certain accounts. The issues surrounding 'de-banking' were raised when politician Nigel Farage revealed he had been refused banking facilities. Among the evidence the FCA has considered, is a report from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. They surveyed their members and said 41 percent of the 325 who answered, had found difficulty with their banking, and that just over half of those people had been told by the bank, off the record, that their connection with shooting and firearms was the reason why their banking had been stopped or restricted.
As the war in Ukraine continues, the longer term consequences are being assessed, including the impact on farmland soil, which has been contaminated by heavy metals like mercury and arsenic. Staff from a Ukrainian university have spent a week at in the UK at the Royal Agricultural University, learning how to heal their soil back home.
All this week we’re looking at British booze, today it's beer. Malt is a key ingredient and it usually comes from barley, grown specifically for brewing. Malting barley production across the UK got back to pre-pandemic levels last year, at nearly 2 million tonnes, but the price of malting barley has risen dramatically since 2019, pushing up the price of a pint.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer - Rebecca Rooney
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03zrc8z)
Green Woodpecker
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Kate Humble presents the green woodpecker. The maniacal laughing call, or 'yaffle', of a green woodpecker was supposed to herald rain, hence its old country name of 'rain bird'. You can hear their yodelling calls in woods, parks, heaths and large gardens throughout most of the UK. Altough green woodpeckers do nest in trees they spend a lot of their time on the ground, probing lawns and meadows for their main food, ants and their pupae.
WED 06:00 Today (m001qm7z)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 More or Less (m001qm89)
Social housing, NHS workforce and Liz Truss debt claims
Housing minister Rachel Maclean claimed the government has built a record number of social rent homes. Tim and the team investigate. Following Lucy Letby’s conviction, we look at how sentences for murder have changed over the past few decades. Plus, after Liz Truss’s speech this week defending her short stint as prime minister, Tim reminds us how her mini-budget raised borrowing costs and might have pushed up the national debt even more if it had been implemented. And will 1 in 11 workers in England really work for the NHS by the middle of the next decade?
Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Producers: Daniel Gordon, Natasha Fernandes, Nathan Gower, Charlotte McDonald
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar
WED 09:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001qm8t)
Have a Cup of Tea
Michael gets cosy with a cuppa to find out how drinking tea can boost your heart health, reduce stress and may even benefit your bones! With the help of Professor Andrew Steptoe, Head of Behavioural Science at University College London, Michael learns the surprising benefits of ordinary tea. They discuss the benefits of bioactive compounds in tea, including L-theanine and polyphenols. A tasty brew can not only help you recover from stress, it can even benefit your heart health and reduce inflammation…Meanwhile, our volunteer Kit enjoys adding more tea to her life.
New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB
Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
WED 09:45 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm99)
Iron and Copper
The abundantly available iron and copper remain at the centre of sustainable infrastructure and electrification. As the global population increases, so does our need for these materials, and with it comes the tension between hopes of a greener future and the devastation of the natural world and indigenous rights.
'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001qm9t)
Climate Change Policy, Girlhood, Feminisation of the workplace
The BBC has revealed that the Prime Minister is considering a major shift on key climate action policies. These changes include pushing back a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035 and delaying the 2026 ban on off-grid oil boilers to 2035. The economist Kate Raworth joins Emma to discuss her reaction to this news.
If you’re on TikTok, “girl”-based trends are everywhere you look these days. From girl dinner to girl math, lazy girl job to hot girl walk, the list goes on. Girl math is the latest trend, with a hashtag with over 360 million views. Is it about reclaiming girlhood - or is it sexist and infantilizing? Behavioural scientist and author Professor Pragya Argawal and host of the “Adulting” podcast Oenone Forbat join Emma to discuss
The Met Police have announced that they aim to change the demographic of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit – where both Wayne Couzens and David Carrick worked - to have 20% women in the next two years. But why should it fall to women to improve workplace behaviours? To discuss, Emma is joined by Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne and workplace commentator Julia Hobsbawm.
Artist and author Fleur Pierets embarked on a performance art project with her wife, Julian, in 2017, aiming to get married in all the countries where same sex marriage was legal at the time. But their dream was cut short when Julian was diagnosed with late stage brain cancer in early 2018 and died six weeks later. It’s a story Fleur has put down on paper in her book “Julian”, which has just been translated into English and released in the UK.
TikTok clips uses: samcity and VIDA GLOW
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce
WED 11:00 24 Hours in Snapchat (m001qm97)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 Alexei Sayle's Strangers on a Train (m0019jw2)
Series 1
Bristol to Penzance
Author, actor and comedy icon, Alexei Sayle continues his travels across the country by rail in the third of a new six part series for Radio 4.
Alexei’s mission is to break the golden rule of travelling by train and actually talk to his fellow passengers in a quest for conversations that reveal their lives, hopes, dreams and destinations. There’s humour, sadness and surprise as people talk about what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also tells stories and memories from his career and childhood.
Alexei has a lifelong "ticket to ride" in his DNA. His father was a railway guard and the Sayle family benefitted from free travel in the UK and across Europe. As a boy, Alexei and his family roamed far and wide from the family home in Anfield, Liverpool. At a time when most people thought an exciting trip by train was to Brighton or Blackpool, Alexei travelled thousands of miles to mysterious towns with unpronounceable names in far flung corners of the continent.
In each programme in the series, he embarks on a rail journey, taking a chance on who he might meet and inviting them to have a conversation with him. In this episode, Alexei travels from Bristol to Penzance and meets Bert, a Cornish Bard, Marissa and Leanne who have travelled the world working on cruise liners, Angela who for many years ran one of Cornwall's most famous and historic pubs, and Astra who is learning the ropes at circus school.
Producers Peter Lowe and Nick Symons
A Ride production for Radio 4
WED 12:00 News Summary (m001qmbb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001qmbq)
Gym Locker Theft; Weird Paints; Rental Market
We reported last year on the story of gym locker theft - since then more people have been in touch.
Shari Vahl reports on the latest spate of thefts and what you need to do to protect yourself.
Plus after Heinz and Lick paint collaborate on a ketchup coloured paint we explore unusual paint colours and their names - why we love them and why they sometimes leave us confused.
And the latest from the ONS on the rental market as rents rise to a record high - we find out what it means for renters.
PRESENTER - RIMA AHMED
PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM
WED 12:57 Weather (m001qmc4)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m001qmch)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
WED 13:45 Naturebang (m001qmcx)
Buff Geese and Gym Rats
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight investigate physical fitness in the animal kingdom, and ask why animals never seem to have to go to the gym.
Consider the Barnacle Goose, getting ready for one of the most phenomenal physical challenges of the animal world: the annual migration. They leave their sedentary summer life, floating about eating reeds, and take off to fly 2,700 miles. And what do they do to prepare for this incredible feat? Absolutely nothing. They just sit around, eating as much as they can.
The physical fitness of so many animals is hard-wired into their biology. But not ours. If we want to gain muscle, we don't just wait for the seasons to change, we have to work for it. No pain no gain! And if we slack off and laze about, our muscles melt away. Why are we so different? And do I really have to go to the gym?
Produced by Becky Ripley and Emily Knight. Featuring Professor Lewis Halsey from the University of Roehampton, and Professor Dan Lieberman at Harvard University.
WED 14:00 The Archers (m001qmdb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001qmdp)
You Must Listen
A solicitor's office has a new phone line connected, but the staff keep hearing a woman's voice on the phone. Engineer Frank Wilson is called to fix the problem, and gradually the disturbing story of the woman starts to emerge.
Originally broadcast in September 1952, You Must Listen was written by Nigel Kneale, one of the most admired English science-fiction writers of the last century. His Quatermass trilogy of science fiction serials continues to influence generations of admirers and filmmakers, among them Russell T Davies and John Carpenter.
But before The Quatermass Experiment established his television career, Kneale’s radio drama You Must Listen paved the way for what was to come. It explores many of the same themes that he later addressed in Quatermass, The Stone Tape and The Road, of the paranormal coming into collision with modern science.
No recording of the original version of You Must Listen is known to exist, but fortunately Kneale kept a copy of the script in his archives, and this new version has been recorded to mark the centenary of BBC Radio Drama.
Cast:
Frank Wilson ...... Toby Jones
Mr Paley ...... Reece Shearsmith
Passion Fruit ...... Caroline Catz
Jill Prentice …… Jessie Cave
Macfarlane …… John Scougall
Test Clerk …… Jason Barnett
Supervisor …… Jacqueline King
Underground Inspector …… Dan Starkey
Operator …… Becky Wright
Written by Nigel Kneale
Editing and sound design by Charlie Brandon-King
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Produced and directed by Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 Money Box (m001qmf2)
Money Box Live: The Battle Against Rising Bills
Inflation has dropped to 6.7% but that doesn't mean our bills will be coming down anytime soon.
The news offers a small amount of welcome relief as the dip means prices are rising slower than they have been.
But inflation is still way off the Bank of England's target of 2%.
This week on Money Box Live we're looking at how to try and lower your personal rate of inflation and cut costs.
Felicity Hannah is joined by Christopher Jenkins a Senior Inflation Statistician from the Office For National Statistics as well as personal finance journalist Martyn James and Lisa Webb from consumer group Which?
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Researcher: Luke Smithurst
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast,
3pm Wednesday September 20th, 2023)
WED 15:30 Inside Health (m001qmfj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m001qmfy)
Guns
Guns: Laurie Taylor talks to Jennifer Carlson, Professor of Sociology at Arizona State University and author of an in depth study of gun sellers in the US. In 2020 they were on the front line of an unprecedented surge in gun purchasing against a backdrop of pandemic insecurities and political polarisation. Interviewing 50 sellers from four states, 84% of whom were on the right of the political spectrum, she found they were not simply selling guns, but also a conservative vision. How then did they react to a new wave of gun buyers which included women and sexual minorities, some of whom were liberal? Did this vindicate or challenge their gun centric world view? And what are the possibilities for a positive transformation in America's harmful gun culture when only one third of the population are opposed to the personal ownership of hand guns? They're joined by Andrew Nahum, historian & Keeper Emeritus at The Science Museum whose latest work considers the impact of the gun on progress, both intellectual and industrial, from the Enlightenment to the American West, the Cold War and contemporary gun culture. How did so many rifles come to be held in private hands and what does the ongoing preoccupation with the creation of ever more effective firearms tell us about human creativity?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001qmg7)
The Russell Brand allegations
Channel 4's CEO Alex Mahon says the allegations made against Russell Brand are "disgusting and saddening," but what do the claims mean for the TV industry as a whole? And when reporting the testimony of anonymous witnesses, how hard is it to get a story like this over the line? Ros Atkins talks to the Channel 4 executive behind the Russell Brand story about their collaboration with the Times and the Sunday Times and we get the government's view on regulation of internet TV channels and social media.
Guests: Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Louisa Compton, Head of News and Current Affairs and Specialist Factual, Channel 4; Mark Williams-Thomas, investigative journalist; Chris Curtis, Editor in Chief, Broadcast; Alexandra Topping, Senior News Reporter, The Guardian; Peter Guest, Acting Business Editor, Wired.
Producer: Simon Richardson
WED 17:00 PM (m001qmgf)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qmgp)
The measure is part of the Government's easing of climate change policies
WED 18:30 Please Use Other Door (m001qmgv)
Series 2
Episode 2
How can a tea-cosy help with dating decisions? What would football fans chant if they could express their true feelings? What are some of the do’s and don’ts of role play?
Performed by; Jason Forbes, Will Hartley, Rosie Holt, Rebecca Shorrocks, Witney White and Toby Williams.
The series of four is written by; Ed Amsden and Tom Coles, Simon Alcock, Sarah Campbell, Julian Dutton, Robert Darke, Julian Dutton, Sophie Dickson, Paul F Tayler, Jim Campbell, Alex Nash & Sam South, Matt Harrison, Katy Swainston, Rhyan Orrick, Charlotte Patterson, Peter Tellouche, Cody Dahler, Davina Bentley, Jon Long and Bill Dare.
Production Co-ordinator Caroline Barlow
Sound Design Rich Evans
Original music by Bill Dare, produced by Iona Vallance
Produced and created by Bill Dare
BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m001qmgz)
Josh tells Pip excitedly that his mate’s band, The Straw Crows, are booked to play at the Harvest Supper. He’s been in touch with the violinist. Josh is aware of something going on between Pip and their parents. Pip admits they’ve had words and explains that she and Stella are dating, and she thinks David and Ruth are being weird about it.
Fallon’s full of ideas about growing her upcycling and catering businesses. Harrison is confident in her but admits he’s worried about money. Later, Harrison returns to apologise for his attitude earlier. Fallon points out that she supported him when he went part time and she’d like that to be reciprocal. He wants them to think it through before committing. He doesn’t think the catering and upcycling incomes will be enough, at least in the short term.
Ruth accepts that she handled talking to Pip about Stella badly. She and David discuss why they don’t feel completely happy about this new relationship. They’re joined by Pip, and Ruth apologises for the way she reacted on Monday. She hopes they can start again. Over a tea break, Ruth, David and Pip clear the air. They invite Stella and Pip for dinner but Pip’s not ready for a formal, family dinner, especially if Jill’s there. Josh joins them and confirms that Harvest Supper arrangements are all in hand. Ruth suggests dinner with Stella at The Bull instead. They settle on just a drink, on the condition that David and Ruth won’t be embarrassing.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m001qmh3)
Marina Abramovic and The Long Shadow reviewed, Dmitry Glukhovsky's The White Factory
Writer Joan Smith and art historian Katy Hessel review a retrospective exhibition of the performance artist Marina Abramovic at the Royal Academy and a new ITV drama about the Yorkshire ripper, The Long Shadow.
The Russian journalist, novelist and now playwright Dmitry Glukhovsky talks about his stage drama The White Factory telling the story of the ghetto in Łódź, Poland during the second world war. In it he explores the corrosive nature of compromise as the Jews are forced to choose which amongst them will be sent to the death camps and which will survive. He also talks to Tom about his exile from his homeland having spoken out against the war in Ukraine.
And Front Row celebrates of the centenary the publication of Harmonium, the first collection of poetry by the American Wallace Stevens. John Lightbody reads The Emperor of Ice Cream.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Julian May
Marina Abramovic
1:10
The White Factory
13:05
Wallace Stevens
24:42
The Long Shadow
26:31
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001qmhb)
Adults, Children and Power
Labour has confirmed that it plans to allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in elections, in line with Scotland and Wales. The idea, they say, is to empower younger people by engaging them in the democratic process. Some older members of the electorate might raise the question of whether people under 18 have the maturity to vote. It would be no surprise to hear that argument, we were all children once and we know that adults think they’re superior.
It’s nearly fifty years since the concept of “childism” was first coined by psychiatrists, to describe the automatic assumption of superiority of any adult over any child. Now, perhaps, childism is the last permissible prejudice. Discrimination that would seem shocking if applied to any other group is exercised against children and regarded as quite appropriate. Children’s freedom is constantly restricted and their views are generally dismissed. They’re told what to do, what to eat, what to wear, even what to say. Is this just responsible parenting or does it verge on oppression?
Children’s minds aren’t fully developed, and they’re less well equipped to make smart decisions. They also need limits and it’s surely the job of adults to impose them, but where should the line be drawn? We should keep children safe, of course, but after that… is it better to be strict or to allow them maximum autonomy? What’s the moral basis on which we make that judgement?
Attitudes have changed over the decades. We’ve moved on from the axiom that “children should be seen and not heard.” A survey out last week suggested that parents in Britain place less importance on instilling obedience in children than parents in most other countries. But maybe a little obedience would be no bad thing?
What’s the moral case for exercising power over children and young people?
Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Editor: Tim Pemberton
WED 21:00 When It Hits the Fan (m001qmhm)
Russell Brand, BP and Britain's 'golden triangle'
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss why parts of an ecosystem of powerful men right at the top of social media are supporting Russell Brand in the wake of the allegations of sexual assault against him.
They assess the departure of BP’s chief executive Bernard Looney and the implications for one of the UK's most iconic companies.
And Simon draws on his experience at Buckingham Palace and Number 10 to shed light on Britain's 'golden triangle' and the relationship between the top of the civil service and the palace.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Researcher: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001qmg7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001qmhx)
Government delays ban on new diesel and petrol cars
The UK's nuclear test veterans plan new legal action against the government
The US envoy tasked with negotiating hostage releases
WED 22:45 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (m001qmj5)
Episode 3
With an embattled Secret Service fighting everything from terrorism to privatisation by the back door, the Monochrome inquiry into historic wrongdoing is a mere irritant. But as civil servant Malcolm finds a mysterious envelope in his shopping trolley, Monochrome is about to light everything up.
Mick Herron’s new standalone thriller is read by Nina Sosanya.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Mick Herron is the bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers and Zoe Boehm series, and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger. His books featuring Jackson Lamb have been adapted for TV as the ‘Slow Horses’ series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
WED 23:00 Influencers (m001qmjf)
Series 1
Episode 4
Katy Brand and Katherine Parkinson write and star in a new comedy about the world of influencing, where they play Ruth and Carla – two wannabe stars of the online business world.
They are bound together by a carefully controlled image that can lead to lucrative product placements and well-paid endorsements - but only if the PR is played just right. And that’s a problem because, behind the scenes, things are not always as harmonious as they seem.
Episode 4: Biscuits
Ruth and Carla discover a new blog called Daughters of Influencers, written by two teenage girls detailing their grievances with their toxic influencer mothers. It can’t possibly be about them...
Carla – Katy Brand
Ruth – Katherine Parkinson
Written by Katy Brand and Katherine Parkinson
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 Welcome to the Neighbourhood with Jayde Adams (p0fpx6nz)
Self Esteem
Jayde Adams and her guest Self Esteem dive into the world of community apps and messageboards.
This week - Jayde finds herself at the centre of a complaint from guest Self Esteem’s neighbourhood chat group. There’s a second-hand polystyrene coffin up for grabs in Glasgow in return for a few cans of beer and some sausage, and confusion in Horley as to whether a chicken has made a break for it or was stolen.
Producer: Cornelius Mendez
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 One to One (m001hp2t)
Critics and the Criticised: Luke Jones meets Sarah Crompton
What's it really like wielding the little notebook of doom or glory? Sarah Crompton, theatre critic for What's On Stage and dance critic for The Observer, tells all to broadcaster Luke Jones, who once dipped his toe into that world himself. They talk warm white wine, the imagined audience, vomiting and the most unforgiveable critical gaffe of all.
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
WED 23:45 Today in Parliament (m001qmjj)
Today's news from Parliament.
THURSDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2023
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001qmjl)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qm99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qmjp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qmjr)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qmjt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001qmjw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qmjy)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff.
Good morning. It feels timely that just when I start to get notifications from HMRC that paper tax-returns need to be filed by the end of October, the Church recalls St Matthew the tax-collector who some think may have been one of the Gospel writers.
I’ve yet to meet anyone, apart from friends who’re accountants, who seem to enjoy sorting out their tax affairs. But the subject of tax does arouse strong feelings, it is important for the good ordering of society, and the Bible has much to say about using money well and caring for the poor.
But St Matthew’s story isn’t all or only about tax or money: you could say it’s more about change than high-finance (if you’ll pardon the pun). When Jesus encountered him, Matthew was focussed upon looking after himself, lining his own pockets, by working for an occupying government who oppressed his own people. Jesus called him away from selfishness and security to a lifestyle dedicated to prayer and voluntary work amongst the poorest and most excluded of his day.
What strikes me as most extraordinary about all this is first, that Jesus looked for companions amongst unlikely people, even those he’d good reason to despise, and then, that Matthew felt so compelled by Jesus’ invitation, that he completely turned his life around, putting God and neighbour before all else.
The Gospel that bears Matthew’s name has much to say about generosity, and about using money and all our gifts carefully, serving God and others.
God of all, thank you for all the gifts you give to us, Help us to be generous in our loving and our giving, that together we might work for a more just and generous world. Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001qmk0)
21/09/23 Lough Neagh pollution; Sustainable beef; Creating a vineyard.
Campaigners say a toxic blue green algae which has covered Northern Ireland's biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, is killing the wildlife and fish, and could be harmful to people. The algae's rapid growth this summer has been blamed on pollution from farms, as well as the weather, sewage and the impact of invasive species. So, to what extent are farmers the problem and what should be done?
Sainsbury's launches a premium range of beef which promises a carbon footprint 25% lower than the industry standard. The supermarket says it's taken a decade to develop. We speak to their director of agriculture to find out what that means for consumers and farmers.
The UK wine business has grown a lot in the past few years; all week we've been talking about growing booze. What's involved in creating a new vineyard from scratch? We visit a farmer in Hertfordshire who's diversified into viticulture.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Beatrice Fenton & Rebecca Rooney
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkcwq)
Eider
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Eider. Eiders are northern sea-ducks perhaps most famous for the soft breast feathers with which they line their nests. These feathers were collected by eider farmers and used to fill pillows and traditional 'eider –downs'. Drake eiders display to the females with odd moaning calls which you can hear in the programme.
THU 06:00 Today (m001qmkn)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001qmkx)
The Seventh Seal
In the 1000th edition of In Our Time, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss arguably the most celebrated film of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007). It begins with an image that, once seen, stays with you for the rest of your life: the figure of Death playing chess with a Crusader on the rocky Swedish shore. The release of this film in 1957 brought Bergman fame around the world. We see Antonius Block, the Crusader, realising he can’t beat Death but wanting to prolong this final game for one last act, without yet knowing what that act might be. As he goes on a journey through a plague ridden world, his meeting with a family of jesters and their baby offers him some kind of epiphany.
With
Jan Holmberg
Director of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, Stockholm
Claire Thomson
Professor of Cinema History and Director of the School of European Languages, Culture and Society at University College London
And
Laura Hubner
Professor of Film at the University of Winchester
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Alexander Ahndoril (trans. Sarah Death), The Director (Granta, 2008)
Ingmar Bergman (trans. Marianne Ruuth), Images: My Life in Film (Faber and Faber, 1995)
Ingmar Bergman (trans. Joan Tate), The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography (Viking, 1988)
Ingmar Bergman (trans. Joan Tate), The Best Intentions (Vintage, 2018)
Ingmar Bergman (trans. Joan Tate), Sunday’s Children (Vintage, 2018)
Ingmar Bergman (trans. Joan Tate), Private Confessions (Vintage, 2018)
Stig Björkman, Torsten Manns and Jonas Sima (trans. Paul Britten Austin), Bergman on Bergman: Interviews with Ingmar Bergman (Da Capo Press, 1993)
Melvyn Bragg, The Seventh Seal: BFI Film Classics (British Film Institute, 1993)
Paul Duncan and Bengt Wanselius (eds.), The Ingmar Bergman Archives (Taschen/Max Ström, 2018)
Erik Hedling (ed.), Ingmar Bergman: An Enduring Legacy (Lund University Press, 2021)
Laura Hubner, The Films of Ingmar Bergman: Illusions of Light and Darkness (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
Daniel Humphrey, Queer Bergman: Sexuality, Gender, and the European Art Cinema (University of Texas Press, 2013)
Maaret Koskinen (ed.), Bergman Revisited: Performance, Cinema, and the Arts (Wallflower Press, 2008)
Selma Lagerlöf (trans. Peter Graves), The Phantom Carriage (Norvik Press, 2011)
Mariah Larsson and Anders Marklund (eds.), Swedish Film: An Introduction and Reader (Nordic Academic Press, 2010)
Paisley Livingston, Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art (Cornell University Press, 2019)
Birgitta Steene (ed.), Focus on The Seventh Seal (Prentice Hall, 1972)
Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide (Amsterdam University Press, 2014)
THU 09:45 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qmm5)
Oil and Gas
The discovery of vast quantities of crude oil in Saudi Arabia changed the course of history and global politics. We are still overwhelmingly reliant on fossil fuels for our comfort and survival, even as their use ushers in a new era of climate change. Paradoxically, in the story of 'energy transition', fossil fuels may be our best option for building a sustainable future.
'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001qml8)
Iran hijab bill, BMX champion, CIISA, Doon Mackichan, Maternity in Sierra Leone
Iran’s parliament has approved the Hijab and Chastity Bill, under which women will face up to 10 years in prison if they defy the country’s mandatory hijab rules. This comes a year after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating rules requiring women to cover their hair. Emma Barnett speaks to Samaneh Savadi, an Iranian feminist activist who specialises in international law.
A new independent standards body, the Creative Industry Independent Standards Authority, is being set up in the UK so that concerns over behaviour can be raised and investigated confidentially. Emma talks to its CEO, Jen Smith.
Sarah-Jane Nichols, former BMX racing world champion, talks to Emma about qualifying for the world championships 36 years after she first retired from the sport.
Since the 1980s, the comedian and actor Doon Mackichan has been a TV regular, starring in programmes like Two Doors Down, Smack the Pony and Brass Eye. She has also played plenty of roles on stage. Doon talks to Emma about her recollections of those parts and dissects how today’s culture still expects women to adhere to stereotypes, some of which she refuses to act out, as described in her memoir, My Lady Parts.
Isata Dumbuya is a midwife who is striving to reduce maternal mortality rates in Sierra Leone, a country where 717 in 100,000 women die in childbirth every year. She has dedicated her career to helping mothers-to-be and joins Emma to talk about the new maternal centre she is setting up.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Studio manager: Steve Greenwood
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m001qmlj)
How a war has changed a Norwegian town
Kirkenes, in the far north-east of Norway, once thrived on its close ties with neighbouring Russia. All that changed after the invasion of Ukraine. Now it’s become home to Ukrainian refugees and a safe haven for some Russian journalists escaping President Putin’s media clampdown.
For decades this area popularised the phrase “High North, Low Tension.” Close economic and cultural ties developed with brisk cross-border trade. Hundreds of Russians settled in the town. But now new cross-border restrictions have been imposed and co-operation has ended. The local economy has taken a significant hit and cross-border cultural groups no longer meet. However, despite this being a NATO member, the Norwegian government is keeping the border open. Russian fishing vessels still unload their catch in Kirkenes but are no longer allowed to undergo repairs. The Norwegians have stepped up checks on these Russian boats amid concern of a rise in Russian spying and potential sabotage.
For Crossing Continents John Murphy travels to Norway’s Arctic to see how war has changed the town and to ask what’s next for this unique community.
Producer: Alex Last
Sound mix: Graham Puddifoot
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series editor: Penny Murphy
THU 11:30 Great Lives (m001qmcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
THU 12:00 News Summary (m001qmmj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001qmm1)
Gap Finders: Mikkel Grene from Søstrene Grene
Søstrene Grene is a Danish chain of retail stores selling contemporary, scandi-style home furnishings at affordable prices. But as Mikkel says, ‘’It’s about more than just products. Walking into one of our stores is meant to feel like entering an oasis where, at least for a while, shoppers can take a break from the hectic pace of everyday life and let their imaginations run free’’
It all started in 1973, when Mikkel’s parents launched a store with a self-service concept in Aarhus - the second biggest city in Denmark. Mikkel’s father was a ballet instructor, and it was this background that inspired the atmosphere you inside the stores today; the classical music, the dark walls, and theatrical use of lighting.
When Mikkel took over 11 years ago, the company only had stores in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Søstrene Grene now has 270 stores across 16 different countries. In this episode of Gap Finders, Rima finds out what’s so special about Søstrene Grene.
PRODUCER: JAMES LEESLEY
PRESENTER: RIMA AHMED
THU 12:32 All Consuming (m001qmmf)
Microwaves
Charlotte and Amit dive into the story of microwaves and ask if they have enough power for a comeback.
Around nine out of ten of us have a microwave in the UK, making it a trendy gadget. But most of us use it for reheating food or zapping a microwave meal. Amit Katwala and Charlotte Stavrou find out if we are missing a trick by not incorporating microwaves further into our cooking and delve into whether these gadgets can help us during the cost of living crisis.
We meet MasterChef winner Tim Anderson who explains why he’s a self-described ‘microwave evangelist’ as he creates an emergency cookie for us in the studio. Alan Kelly, a professor in Food Science at University College Cork, tells us about the inner workings of microwaves and we trace the device's history, evolving from radar technology used in the Second World War.
Food writer Bee Wilson, author of the new book The Secret of Cooking, charts how her mother’s attitudes to microwaves changed through the years while Louis Platman, a curator at the Museum of the Home, tells us when microwaves began to appear in our homes.
Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:57 Weather (m001qmmt)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m001qmn4)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
THU 13:45 Naturebang (m001qmnk)
Zebra Finches and Learning a Language
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight find out what it takes to learn the language of your people, with the help of some extremely chatty little birds.
The song of the zebra finch has been compared to a 90's dial-up modem running triple-speed, or an alien fax machine. But to a female zebra finch, it's a song of irresistible seduction. The males learn their song in a very similar way to the way we learn language, and it all starts with the babies. Through babbling, then copying, then innovating motifs of their own, the zebra finches take their language and then put their own distinctive stamp on it.
But if they don't learn it at just the right time, as a chick, they can't learn it as an adult.
How does human language acquisition work, and what would happen if you denied a baby the opportunity to learn to speak? The surprising answer takes us to 1970s Nicaragua, and the extraordinary story of the birth of a language...
Produced by Becky Ripley and Emily Knight. Featuring Professor Ofer Tchernichovski from Hunter College at CUNY, and Dr Judy Shepard-Kegl from the University of Southern Maine.
THU 14:00 The Archers (m001qmgz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001qmnw)
Radio Waves
By Magdalene Bird, Jack Fairey and Mohsen Shah. It is 2065 and Captain Avery Jones is an astronaut on a solo voyage into deep space. Armed with a ‘Sonophone’, her mission is to try and pick up extra-terrestrial audio activity.
But the Sonophone also receives all the radio waves emanating from earth and Avery finds herself tuning in to a myriad of stories. We listen in to Rhea who is being interviewed by an android about her life story and we eavesdrop into a virtual world where talent agency manager Suzy has to manage the fall-out from her client public trashing of his sponsor.
In the centenary year of audio drama Radio Waves looks forward, not backward, exploring the human impulses to narrativise our lives and takes a sideways look at the way current media trends interact with audio drama.
Cast:
Avery Jones ….. Natalie Simpson
Spaceship computer/ Lambert ….. Michael Shelford
Rhea ..… Ann Mitchell
Derrick ….. Sam Pamphilon
Suzy ..… Cassie Layton
Sound Design by Alisdair McGregor and Calum Perrin
Production Assistant: Annie Keates Thorpe
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Calum Perrin
Executive Producer: Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.
Jack Fairey is a writer and theatre maker. He studied Drama and Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London, before completing an MA in Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia. Playwriting credits include: The Sun, The Mountain, and Me (Union Theatre, August 2022), The Many Lives of Nellie Bly (UK Tour, Summer 2022), The Orator Trilogy (Radio Plays, 2020), and Wrath of Achilles (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2019).
Magdalene Bird is a writer and comedy talent agent. As a writer her commissions include: Theatre 503, BFI, ITV2, Cambridge Junction, Little Island Productions, AMC studios and more. Her work has been shortlisted for Theatre 503’s 2020 International Playwriting Award and longlisted for the 2021 Papatango New Writing Award. She was recently chosen for Hampstead Theatre’s Inspire programme.
Mohsen Shah is a writer of screenplays, radio plays and video-games. He has developed TV shows with Working Title, The Forge and BBC Studios amongst others and has written films for Paramount Studios and Image Nation. He most recently co-wrote the film Lumbu for BBC Films/BFI. He lives in Cambridge.
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m001qmpf)
Sandstone Trail
Sunshine and summer downpours on a hilly Cheshire hike with great views. On the way Clare hears from two friends about how walking has helped them cope with life changing events.
Linda Ashworth only discovered walking after her children left home but it became a stress-relieving necessity when her husband suffered a serious accident. Her love of putting one foot in front of the other grew to such an extent that she went onto gain hill and moorland leadership qualifications and set up a business leading walks for ‘ladies of my age’.
Tracey was diagnosed, age 40, with acute myeloid leukaemia. The treatment, she says, 'turned my bones to sugar' and she broke her back in five places. This left her unable to walk properly for years, relying on a mobility scooter to get her into the countryside. However, as she slowly recovered, she discovered rambling was a good way to rebuild strength, balance and coordination. To mark her 50th year she went with a group of supportive friends and family on a celebratory three day hike around the Lake District. Linda led the way.
For today’s walk, Linda and Tracey take Clare along a section of the Sandstone Trail. It’s a 34 mile long route stretching from Frodsham in Cheshire to Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border. They started at grid ref SJ494526 and headed north. The map they used: OS 257 Crewe and Nantwich.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001qlxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m001qm07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 Taste (m001n8fm)
Episode 3: Artefacts
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. Taste is also enshrined in objects that come to be deemed of greater or lesser value.
In this episode, Zakia visits the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent to talk with curator Ben Miller, ponders the nature of 'kitsch' with Ruth Holliday (co-author with Tracey Potts of Kitsch! Cultural Politics and Taste), and explores with Dr Rebecca Chamberlain of Goldsmiths, University of London, the neurological and philosophical bases for the artistic tastes we as a society hold.
Presented by Zakia Sewell
Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
(Image credit: Buster Grey Jung)
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001qmpq)
Why is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rowing back on climate pledges?
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave a hastily arranged press conference this week in which he confirmed he would be rowing back on some previously made government commitments regarding net zero - the point at which we remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as we put in.
The reaction has been mixed, ranging from endorsements from fellow politicians in the Conservative Party to criticism from opposition parties and environmental groups. The business community is also split. So why has Mr Sunak changed his policies on climate change - and why now? Gaia Vince speaks to Ian Dunt, editor of politics.co.uk
We hear about an astonishing finding by archaeologists who have discovered expertly manufactured interlocking wooden structural parts that are half a million years old. What do they tell us about our early human ancestors in Africa? Gaia speaks to Professor of Archaeology Laurence Barham and Professor of Geography Geoff Duller about their extraordinary discovery.
Approximately two billion tonnes of dust is lifted into the Earth’s atmosphere each year and it is both dangerous to human life and essential to the oxidisation of our oceans and rivers. We relentlessly attempt to rid our homes of dust but it always seems to come back. Why do we hardly ever discuss dust? A new book by Jay Owens, ‘Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles’ does just that. Jay talks to Gaia about why we should we be as fascinated as she is by tiny airborne particles.
As we emit CO2 into the atmosphere, a significant amount - around a third - is taken in by the oceans. With growing interest in carbon removal interventions, ocean scientist Dr David T. Ho tells Gaia about undertaking an exciting experiment. Listen to this bonus content in the podcast.
Presenter: Gaia Vince
Producers: Laura Northedge and Emily Bird
Research: Patrick Hughes
Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Editor: Richard Collings
THU 17:00 PM (m001qmpy)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qmqg)
The decision comes after fourteen consecutive increases stretching back to December 2021
THU 18:30 My Teenage Diary (m001qmqr)
Series 11
4: Juno Dawson
My Teenage Diary with Rufus Hound features six celebrities who will read from the diaries they kept during their formative years.
This week's episode features the writer and trans activist Juno Dawson, whose diary was written before her transition, when she was living out her Carrie Bradshaw fantasies on the Brighton dating scene.
Host: Rufus Hound
Guest: Amy Gledhill
Sound Production and Design: Jerry Peal
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m001qmky)
Fallon makes a decision, and there’s first day nerves for Freddie.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m001qmr2)
Live from the Contains Strong Language festival
Front Row opens this year’s Contain’s Strong Language festival live in Leeds. Nick Ahad talks to Detectorists star Toby Jones about his stage adaptation of Italo Calvino’s If On A Winters Night A Traveller, to the festival poet and rapper Testament about 50 Years of Hip Hop and the choreographer and artist Katja Heitmann about turning the everyday gestures of Leeds citizens into art. Plus poetry from the newly appointed Yorkshire Young Laureate.
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001qmkb)
The UK’s financial headache
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how Conservative and Labour preparations for the next election will be dictated by the state of the UK's public finances.
Guests:
Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Mehreen Khan, economics editor of The Times
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation
Production: Ben Carter, Claire Bowes and Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Sophie Hill and Jacqui Johnson
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon
THU 20:30 Anti-Building with Cedric Price (m001pf48)
Tom Dyckhoff explores the life and work of forward-thinking architect Cedric Price.
Often referred to as “architect and thinker” – or “philosopher architect” – Cedric Price is a tricky person to pin down. He thought differently about what architecture could do – the way it could shape human relations. And for a generation of architects – including Richard Rogers and Norman Foster – he was an inspiration.
He was an expansive optimist who believed in architecture's potential to delight and to nurture change. At first glance his projects (some of which could be called buildings, some of which are more like grand plans) can appear fantastical, other-worldly – but they were deeply serious proposals.
Such as the Fun Palace – in collaboration with the theatre director Joan Littlewood – an egalitarian arts centre able to be constantly reconfigured according to the needs of its users. Or the Potteries Thinkbelt: a detailed plan for the regeneration of a large area of post-industrial Staffordshire into a new kind of mobile democratic university.
Cedric Price was interested in lightweight structures with fixed lifespans. His proposals often included instructions for demolition. And it’s perhaps fitting that one of his very few surviving works – the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo (now reinvented as Monkey Valley) – is less a building than a giant high-tech tent.
Cedric Price was a technophobe technocrat; a romantic logician; a moralist and hedonist; a radical man of the people in a crisp collar and plummy voice; an architect who – at times – seemed very much anti-building.
Featuring Eleanor Bron, Anna Francis, Samantha Hardingham, Paul Hyett and Jude Kelly.
With thanks to Sir Peter Cook, Hans Ulrich Obrist and everyone involved with the Portland Inn Project.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001qmpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001qmkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001qmrl)
Rupert Murdoch steps down as Fox and News Corp chair
After decades at the helm, the 92-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch has stood down as chairman of NewsCorp and Fox. We examine his legacy on politics and the media.
Also on the programme:
Why Poland is stopping military aid to Ukraine.
And restoring native oysters to the Scottish coast after a 100-year absence.
THU 22:45 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (m001qmry)
Episode 4
An alarm bell sounds after the attempted abduction of Max Janacek. But as Monochrome finally springs into life with the calling of an incendiary witness, First Desk has bigger concerns than a long-retired spy.
Mick Herron’s new standalone thriller is read by Nina Sosanya.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Mick Herron is the bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers and Zoe Boehm series, and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger. His books featuring Jackson Lamb have been adapted for TV as the ‘Slow Horses’ series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
THU 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (m000gsmj)
Bunny
By Tim Key
Comedy. Tim Key broadcasts live from deep within Skuzzler’s Bell, a cave network in Austria. It’s the sight of an infamous expedition made some 40-odd years ago by Tim’s father. But the water’s rising, there’s no obvious means to escape and in the darkness, someone is waiting to take revenge. With Tom Basden, Katy Wix and Karl Johnson.
Key…. Tim Key
Lord…. Tom Basden
Megan…. Katy Wix
Bunny…. Karl Johnson
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
THU 23:30 One to One (m001hwwn)
Critics and the Criticised: Luke Jones meets Simon Godwin
Imagine this: you've spent months, years even, working on a show. Now it's press night. Sat in a silent row, or peppered around the theatre, are the people whose life's work is to criticise yours - the critics. So what’s it like when your lovingly crafted new play opens and you see them out there, ready to tell the world what they think of it? Top theatre director Simon Godwin, who's worked at the National Theatre, the Bristol Old Vic and is now at Washington DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company, bares his soul about how it really feels when the lights go down and the little notebooks come out.
Presenter: Luke Jones
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
THU 23:45 Today in Parliament (m001qms8)
Sean Curran reports as the Lords question the government about sustainability targets.
FRIDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2023
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001qmsl)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qmm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001qmsz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001qmt9)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001qmtl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001qmtq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001qmtx)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff.
Good morning. Last April, perhaps rashly, I accepted an invitation from a friend to run a half-marathon for Christian Aid this autumn. Back then the challenge felt ages away, and it seemed so appropriate. In the Bible there’s a famous description of keeping the faith as “running the race that’s set before us.”
I planned to spend months training; but somehow life and work got in the way and I’ve hardly spent any time preparing. Now we’re days from the event, I’m underprepared and quite anxious at the thought of it. My past few weeks’ browsing history gives a good account of my situation! “Can you train for a half marathon in a month? How long does it take to walk thirteen miles?” It makes me think wryly of all the lectures I’ve given my daughters over the years about the importance of being prepared in life.
But previous experience of taking part in a big race - admittedly from a few years ago - tells me something heartening too: Last time I learned that taking part in an event means you’re not alone, there are a whole crowd of diverse companions. In addition to fellow participants, there’ll be supporters along the route, kind folk handing out drinks, ready to help us, as well as many friends cheering me on, praying for me, and giving to the cause. So, although I’ve day-dreamed about backing out of the race, I’m planning on still taking part. There’s wisdom in going gently, and I need to remember that being supported and helped by others builds perseverance, community and humility.
Loving God, whenever we feel unprepared, anxious or fearful, breathe upon us your calm and gentle wisdom. Help us to run with perseverance whatever race our lives set before us. Lead us to strive always to be signs of your care for others. Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001qmv1)
22/09/23 Tree planting in Wales; Turkeys and avian flu; Rural buses; Local barley for local beer.
Fewer trees will be planted in Wales over the next few months than planned says the forestry industry - and they are blaming the Welsh Government for delays to woodland planning and woodland creation grants. Confor, the Confederation of Forest Industries, says it comes just before the planting season and will have a huge impact this winter and beyond.
The British Poultry Council warns that it's only a matter of time before another outbreak of bird flu. Last year it had a devastating effect on some poultry farms and wild bird populations have been badly affected by the illness. Defra, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, says the risk among wild species remains high and poultry farmers are being urged to take extra care to guard their flocks from infection. We hear from one North Yorkshire poultry farming family keeping vigilant, as they prepare their Christmas flock.
Rural councils should have more power over buses - to end the 'spiral of decline' in services. The idea comes from the Local Government Association which wants more councils to have the same powers as mayors so they could then decide fares, routes and the frequency of buses.
We’ve been talking about growing booze all this week, and there is an obvious relationship between growing barley and beer. We speak to a brewer who's making beer from barley grown just three miles from his pub in Cumbria.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0vqb)
Chowchilla
Michael Palin presents the secretive chowchilla from Queensland, Australia. The chowchilla gets its name from its song, which is one of the most distinctive sounds of the coastal rainforest of north-east Queensland. You're not likely to see the bird though because it spends its time skulking on the forest floor. Chowchillas belong to the family known as logrunners because they feed and nest on or near ground-level. They're stout thrush-like birds; the males are dark brown with a white chest and throat, whilst the female's throat is rusty-orange.
Chowchillas have been found to sing with different dialects in different areas. Within say, 50 hectares, all the family groups of pairs and non-breeding younger birds may share the same dialect. But in an adjacent area, the families may assemble some of their song components slightly differently. Over time, their song culture could change and a new dialect would be born.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
FRI 06:00 Today (m001qmk2)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001qlz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Material World by Ed Conway (m001qmlh)
Lithium
In the driest place on earth the eerie salt pools of the Atacama Desert, Chile may hold the key to our future. The lithium that swirls in the prehistoric water could be capable of storing the energy we need to power our world for generations to come.
'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.
Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001qmk8)
'Sharenting', Blood Scandal, Mary Shelley, British Gymnastics
Have you heard of the term 'sharenting'? That’s when a parent, caregiver or relative shares content about their child’s life, such as news, videos, images, online. Some have even turned it into a lucrative business. The psychologist Dr Elaine Kasket was an habitual 'sharent', chronicling her young daughter’s life on social media. But then four years ago at the age of nine, her daughter told her she didn’t like her doing it, so she stopped. Elaine’s written about 'sharenting' and her experiences in a chapter in her new book Reboot: Reclaiming Your Life in a Tech-Obsessed World. She joins Jessica Creighton along with her daughter Zoe.
British Gymnastics has published a list of 62 banned coaches and members, as part of its response to the damning Whyte Review published in 2022, which detailed 'systemic' issues of physical and emotional abuse in the sport. The campaign group Gymnasts for Change has accused the governing body of "serious institutional betrayal" for not including more people on the list, who they believe meet the criteria. We heard from the co-founder of Gymnasts for Change, Claire Heafford and BBC Sports correspondent Natalie Pirks.
In the 70s and 80s, nearly 5,000 people with haemophilia contracted HIV or Hepatitis C after being infected by tainted blood clotting products. Over 2,800 people died including women and children in what was described as 'the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS’. With an ongoing public inquiry, we spoke to Sunday Times Political Editor Caroline Wheeler, who has interviewed countless victims and has been following the story for 20 years.
You’ll no doubt be familiar with the book Frankenstein - but how much do you know about its author Mary Shelley? That’s a question that led director, Lucy Speed, and producer, Deborah Clair, to write, direct and produce their new play that’s about to start touring in the UK. Conception - Mary Shelley: The Making of a Monster tells the story of a journey of self-discovery, as the Frankenstein author returns, years later, to Lake Geneva where she wrote her famous novel. The play is hitting the stage around the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the novel under Mary Shelley’s name - having originally been published anonymously.
Presenter: Jessica Creighton
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
FRI 11:00 The Briefing Room (m001qmkb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Thursday]
FRI 11:30 What's Funny About ... (m001qmkd)
Series 3
Green Wing
Jon Plowman and Peter Fincham and joined in the shed by Tamsin Greig and Victoria Pile to discuss how they made their medical comedy, Green Wing - a series that was a sitcom, a sketch show, and a soap all in one.
They talk about the challenges of making a show that walked the tightrope between the most surreal of comedy, and deeply tender and serious moments. And they tell us the surprising role that Peter himself played in coming up with the title (not that Peter seems to be able to remember any of the salient details!).
An Expectation Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001qmlr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Archive on 4 (m001qm0k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
FRI 12:57 Weather (m001qmkk)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m001qmkp)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
FRI 13:45 Naturebang (m001qmkt)
Drunk Moose and the Drive to Get Loose
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight tackle a serious question. One of supreme scientific importance: do animals get wasted?
From drunk moose stuck in trees, to wasted wallabies asleep in opium fields, to dippy dolphins puffing on toxic pufferfish; stories abound about animals who seem to be using their free time to get sloshed. But do these stories, delightful as they are, stand up to scrutiny? In the natural world, when your survival relies on keeping your wits about you, what could be the evolutionary purpose of dulling your wits with psychoactive drugs?
Come to think of it, why do we do it? And what's the connection between getting high, seeing God, and learning to love your neighbour?
Produced by Becky Ripley and Emily Knight. Featuring zoologist Lucy Cooke, and Professor Richard Miller at Northwestern University.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001qmky)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001qml4)
The System - Series 3
The System - Method 2: Fill the Hole
Five Methods for Overcoming Mortality.
Season 3 of Ben Lewis’ award-winning thriller.
Ankle-tagged by the authorities and cancelled by the media, Maya is trying to focus on a life of hedonism when she begins to suspect someone is trying to kill her. Are they? Or is there something even more surreal about to unfold?
Cast:
Maya… Siena Kelly
Coyote…Divian Ladwa
Reggie…Ian Dunnett Jnr
Robin…Ryan Sampson
Original music and sound design by Danny Krass
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
FRI 14:45 Close Encounters (m001mlq5)
Arlo Parks and Poly Styrene
The Second in Martha Kearney's new series celebrating portraits and portraiture through the eyes of ten Great Britons.
This time it's the turn of Mercury prize-winning Singer songwriter Arlo Parks. Her choice is the late Punk figure of Marion Elliott-Said, otherwise known as Poly Styrene, the lead singer with X-Ray Spex
After three years of closure for major refurbishment and expansion the National Portrait Gallery, just off London's Trafalgar Square is set for re-opening. To mark the occasion the gallery, along with BBC Radio 4 have launched a celebration of great Briton's, with Martha Kearney hosting a Close Encounter between the likes of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Katherine Grainger and Edward Enninful and a portrait they choose to champion. For Sir Tim Berners-Lee it's the Suffragette campaigner Christabel Pankhurst, for Dame Katherine Grainger it's the first English woman to swim the channel, the largely forgotten Mercedes Gleitze.
In each episode we find out about the subject of the portrait, the moment at which their image was captured for posterity and the importance of image and identity for those who find themselves in the eye of the nation's attention today.
Producers: Tom Alban and Mohini Patel
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001qmlb)
South Somerset
How can I deal with garden thugs? Can you recommend a plant that thrives on getting its leaves picked? How can I mow the edges of my lawn?
The GQT team are back to bring their botanical expertise to an audience of keen gardeners in South Somerset. Ready to offer their horticultural know-how are passionate plants woman Christine Walkden, experienced horticulturist Anne Swithinbank, and grow-your-own guru Bob Flowerdew.
For tips and tricks on extending floral displays, GQT regular Matt Biggs hits the ’flower’ on the head with his masterclass on deadheading.
Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m001qmll)
Goosegrass by Emma Kane
An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from Northern Irish writer Emma Kane. Read by Andrea Irvine.
Emma Kane is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at Queen's University Belfast. Her previously published work can be found in On the Grass When I Arrive: An Anthology, The Bangor Literary Journal, The Cormorant and What Could Be Carried, part of an ekphrasis project for the Ulster Museum. Her story 'Mother’s Daughter' was broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster in 2023 as part of the Storytellers series.
Writer: Emma Kane
Reader: Andrea Irvine
Producer: Michael Shannon
Editor: Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland production
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001qmlv)
Sir Horace Ové, Su Gorman, Roger Whittaker, Jean Combes
Matthew Bannister on
Sir Horace Ové, the director whose films told stories of the experiences of black people in Britain.
Su Gorman, who campaigned for justice for the victims of the contaminated blood scandal, after her own husband was infected with hepatitis C.
Roger Whittaker, the singer best known for his hits Durham Town and The Last Farewell, and his skill at whistling.
Jean Combes, the naturalist whose meticulous records of the moment when trees came into leaf in the spring cast light on the effects of climate change.
Interviewee: Zak Ové
Interviewee: Jan Smith
Interviewee: Caroline Wheeler
Interviewee: Siobhan Grogan
Interviewee: Sue Stout
Interviewee: Professor Tim Sparks
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Archive used:
Horace Ové interview Galeforce Television, YouTube uploaded 04/10/2010; Horace Ové interview, Caribbean Links, BBC Radio 4, 03/02/1984; Reggae, Review, BBC Two, 26/03/1971; Horace Ové interview, Newsnight, BBC Two, 02/02/1982; Pressure: Discussion Panel, The Derek Jarman Lab, uploaded 21/05/2021; Play for Today: A Hole in Babylon, BBC One, 29/11/1979; Contaminated Blood Inquiry, Today, Radio 4, 24/09/2018; Contaminated Blood Scandal, BBC News, 17/08/2022; Roger Whittaker interview, BBC Radio 2, 01/01/2000.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (m001qm89)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m001qmm3)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001qmms)
The missiles used in the strike were supplied by the West
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m001qmn5)
Series 112
Episode 3
Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news. Providing all the answers are Ria Lina, Ayesha Hazarika, Chris McCausland, and Alasdair Beckett-King.
In this episode Andy and the panel discuss Rishi rowing back on net zero, Wales slowing down, HS2 grinding to a halt and Starmer's European sojourn.
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by
Cody Dahler
Mike Shephard
Rhiannon Shaw
and Miranda Holms
Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Giles Aspen
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001qmnj)
Writer, Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director, Gwenda Hughes
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ...... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Josh Archer ...... Angus Imrie
Pip Archer ..... Daisy Badger
Jolene Archer ...... Buffy Davis
Natasha Archer ..... Mali Harries
Tom Archer ...... William Troughton
Harrison Burns ..... James Cartwright
Vince Casey ..... Tony Turner
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
George Grundy ..... Angus Stobie
Elizabeth Pargetter ..... Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter ..... Toby Laurence
Stella Pryor ..... Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers ..... Joanna Van Kampen
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m001qmnz)
Cats v Dogs
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look to the silver screen to finally answer a big question. Cats or dogs - which are best?
In the cat camp, Ellen enlists the help of film critic and author of the definitive book Cats On Film, Anne Billson. They discuss their favourite film felines, from Alien to Catwoman.
Ellen also speaks to director Ceyda Torun and cinematographer Charlie Wuppermann, who are the married couple behind Kedi, an acclaimed documentary looking at street cats in Istanbul from the cats' own perspective.
And in the canine corner, Mark talks to second generation animal trainer and co-ordinator Teresa Ann Miller about her career and unique upbringing surrounded by some of Hollywood's most famous animals. They discuss Teresa's work on 2014 Hungarian drama White God, which included a memorable and moving scene featuring 200 real dogs, as well as what it's like to grow up with Cujo in your backyard.
Mark also speaks to Toby Rose, who is the creator of the Palm Dog - an award given every year to the best dog performance in a film at the Cannes film festival. They discuss why dogs deserve more acclaim and what exactly makes for a Palm Dog-winning performance.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001qmpg)
Baroness Anderson, Robert Colvile, Andrew Mitchell MP, Layla Moran MP
James Cook presents political debate from Beauchamp College in Oadby, Leicestershire with a panel including the Labour peer Baroness Anderson, journalist Robert Colvile, the International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell MP and the Lib Dem Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Lead broadcast engineer: Kevan Long
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001qmpr)
The Wink of Dishonour
'Russell Brand winked at me in the street once', begins Howard Jacobson.
He reflects on that chance encounter many years ago and the dishonourable role we all play in the creation of celebrity.
'We watched too much television; we rubbed the lamp and set the extremely egregious genie free; we saw a blank slate and wrote the words ourselves.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: China Collins
FRI 21:00 Archive on 4 (m0000n40)
The Bailout
Radio 4 tells the thrilling story of the bank bailout from inside No 10 in a dramatic blow by blow account from then Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Along with Chancellor Alistair Darling at the Treasury, Governor Mervyn King at the Bank of England, and BBC Business Editor Robert Peston, we piece together the race against time to deliver a bold plan to stabilise the financial system before the banks go bust.
Taking us inside incredible scenes: the Oval Office where Gordon receives a fax saying Bradford and Bingley has gone bust whilst trying to persuade President Bush to recapitalise; bank Chief Executives being bundled in the back door of the Treasury for secret meetings that are immediately leaked; Alistair trying to keep a straight face at a boring Finance Ministers meeting in Luxembourg whilst RBS goes belly up; heretical invitations from President Sarkozy for Gordon to attend a Euro Group meeting at the Elysee Palace when Britain isn’t even in the Eurozone; phone calls from bankers saying they just need a bit of spare cash to tide them over and their inevitable downfall.
This is the story of what happened as the drama unfolded, without analysis, interpretation, or hindsight; because at the time nobody knew whether the biggest injection of cash into banks in British history would be enough to stave off Armageddon.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001qmq4)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (m001qmqh)
Episode 5
After two long years of listening to gossip and petty gripes, the Monochrome Inquiry into secret service wrongdoing calls its first proper witness - and she’s got a story to tell. Meanwhile Max is on the run and investigating how his cover was blown.
Mick Herron’s new standalone thriller is read by Nina Sosanya.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Mick Herron is the bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers and Zoe Boehm series, and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger. His books featuring Jackson Lamb have been adapted for TV as the ‘Slow Horses’ series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.
FRI 23:00 Americast (m001qmqs)
Funding Ukraine… or America First?
Some US politicians are growing impatient over supporting the war effort – and a lot could change if Donald Trump wins back the White House.
Our very own Anthony was in the Oval Office to see President Zelensky meet its current occupant, Joe Biden, while Sarah watched them address the UN. We talk about how Washington views America’s role in the conflict.
And Marianna chats to award-winning true crime podcasters, Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire, about the harmful effects of social media’s obsession with crime cases and whether that could extend to US politics.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America editor
• Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
• Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GUESTS:
• Suruthi Bala, 'RedHanded' podcast host
• Hannah Maguire, 'RedHanded' podcast host
GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
• Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.
This episode was made by Daniel Wittenberg, with Rufus Gray and Catherine Fusillo. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy and the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
BBC SOUNDS CHAPTERS:
2:27 – Will the US election decide the war in Ukraine?
21:10 – TikTok frenzies and true crime in America
38:28 – Rep. Lauren Boebert “reaching across the aisle”
FRI 23:30 Science Stories (m000cc7p)
Sophia Jex-Blake, first woman doctor in Scotland
Naomi Alderman tells the science story of Sophia Jex-Blake, who led a group known as the Edinburgh Seven in their bid to become the first women to graduate as doctors from a British university. Her campaign was long and ultimately personally unsuccessful as she had to go to Switzerland to gain her qualification. Although Edinburgh University allowed the Seven to attend some lectures, they had to be taught apart from the male students. There was great antipathy to the women which culminated in 1870 with a riot as they tried to take an exam.
Naomi discusses Sophia Jex-Blake's life and times with Dr Kristin Hussey who curated an exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians about women in medicine.
And Dr Fizzah Ali from the Medical Women's Federation talks about women's careers in medicine today.