SATURDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2023
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001rywb)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001rykw)
Potential futures
Digital technology has become an essential part of our everyday lives, enabling us to communicate, find information and increasing our range of leisure activities.
Kate Mason looks at how the growth of such technologies could impact on our potential. In the workplace technology can speed up menial tasks, would this free up time and allow more human creativity ? And how can such tech help us explore our potential throughout our lives?
Ghislaine Boddington discuses the concept of digital twins, our very own personalised form of AI https://www.gre.ac.uk/people/rep/las/ghislaine-boddington
And Sophie Scott considers the potential of the human brain. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/icn/people/sophie-scott
Presenter : Kate Mason
Producer : Julian Siddle
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001rywn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ryx1)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ryxc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001ryxp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ryy0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Autumn Colours
Good morning.
When autumn settles in, colouring the leaves, filling the valleys with milky mist in the mornings, infusing the wind with crispness, and making the birds spread their wings heading south, the yearning deep inside becomes more acute. The desire for a home.
In autumn, there are too many things to trigger a random recollection: a familiar smell from the pastry shop on the street corner, a favourite scarf excavated from the pile of warm clothes or a song played on the radio. And all of a sudden, you feel the tingle and want it all to be simple and good. Even though you know it’s never simple and never all good all the time, that longing for home – maybe, even not as a real place but rather a metaphor for belonging and safety – makes you feel nostalgic; makes you remember, remember something you hadn’t even noticed forgetting.
Living in Ukraine, I sometimes hear my friends from overseas almost apologising for keeping on with their lives while the war rages here, senseless and destructive. It saddens me, this comparison. For there is no worry too little, no tear too insignificant, and no life too small. No pain can be statistically calculated. Our lives matter, all of them, everywhere: in those relatively safe places around the world, in Ukraine and the Middle East alike.
Dear Lord, I pray that I always find safety and compassion in You.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Close Encounters (m001mt6b)
JJ Chalmers & Sir Archibald McIndoe
In the eighth episode of Martha Kearney's series Close Encounters, the former soldier and now TV presenter JJ Chalmers joins her in the National portrait gallery to celebrate a painting of Sir Archibald Hector McIndoe. McIndoe is known by many as the father of plastic surgery. His work during the second world war, on young airman who had suffered terrible and often disfiguring burns lead to developments in battlefield and cosmetic surgery that JJ reveals were behind his own recovery from serious bomb blast injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan.
JJ also talks about McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club' made up of the airman who had come under McIndoe's care, which was the inspiration for JJ forming the Casy-Vac club for modern soldiers who have had to be evacuated from the front line as casualties.
The Series is a prelude to the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery later this month after three years of massive renovation.
Producer: Tom Alban
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001s500)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001rypb)
Hutting
At Carbeth, just north of Glasgow, there are around 170 simple wooden huts tucked into an area of woodland. Basic and off-grid, they are part of Scotland's hutting tradition. Carbeth is the biggest hutting site in the country, with a history that goes back to the end of the First World War, when the landowner gave permission for people to camp and later to build simple dwellings, as interest in nature and the great outdoors grew. Since then, hutting has gone through peaks and troughs of popularity. Interest waned with the arrival of package holidays in the 1960s and 70s, but the 21st century has seen a revival. It's now hugely popular again, with a long waiting list for huts.
In this programme Helen Mark visits Carbeth to meet some of the hutters and find out what the attraction is. She talks to a couple whose families have had huts on the site for generations, and who first met there as teenagers. She also learns about the recent growth in hutting, thanks partly to a change in Scottish planning law which has made it easier to build huts, after the"1000 Huts" campaign by the charity Reforesting Scotland. She visits a pilot site in Fife, where twelve new huts are now under construction.
Helen also visits the site of the legendary Craigallian fire - a camp fire which was kept burning in the 1920s and 30s on the edge of Craigallian Loch near Carbeth. It was a magnet for early pioneers of the outdoors movement, who would sit around it discussing politics and sharing information about how best to survive in the wild. It became a stopping-off point for walkers and mountaineers exploring the Highlands. Helen meets a man whose father was one of the "fire-sitters", and who set up the monument which now commemorates those pioneering days.
Producer: Emma Campbell
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001s504)
04/11/23 - Farming Today This Week: Insect farming, egg supply chain and the Lynx Effect on rams
The Government is reviewing what can be fed to livestock in the UK. Farmed insects are a potentially source of protein for pigs and poultry, which could replace imported feeds like soya that are linked to deforestation. But processed insect feed is currently banned for livestock in the UK. The concern here, is that insects can be disease vectors, particularly if reared on waste, and that using insect proteins could lead to outbreaks of diseases like BSE. But British insect farmers want the law changed and more flexibility allowed on what insects bred for fodder can eat.
The Government is launching a review into fairness in the egg supply chain. Last Spring egg producers warned that retailers weren't paying enough for their eggs and that was forcing producers to cut back the number of laying hens or give up altogether. That - combined with the pressure of avian flu - led to shortages on supermarket shelves and an increase in imports from places like Italy and Poland. Since then, prices farmers are getting for their eggs have risen by as much as fifty percent, and many are now achieving a profit, but farmers say contracts need to be fairer to prevent future shortages.
And why is Lynx Africa a vital bit of kit for sheep farmers? We hear from one shepherdess about it's use in calming down rowdy rams!
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
SAT 06:57 Weather (m001s508)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m001s50d)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001s50j)
Ross Kemp, Jennifer Grant, Hari Budha Magar, Tim Peake
Ross Kemp who, after leaving EastEnders, found his métier making BAFTA award winning documentaries and writing bestselling books…and he’s just written a memoir...
From Grant Mitchell to Cary Grant - Hollywood’s ultimate leading man - his daughter and producer of new ITV series Archie, Jennifer Grant, joins us.
Hari Budha Magar is a Gurkha veteran who lost both legs in Afghanistan and earlier this year made mountaineering history as the first double above the knee amputee to summit Everest.
Plus...ground control to Major Tim - we’ll be beaming in the Inheritance Tracks of Tim Peake.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Ben Mitchell
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m001s50n)
Shakespeare
In this episode, recorded live at the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Farah Karim-Cooper and comedian Richard Herring to learn all about the life, legend and legacy of William Shakespeare himself. 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, which preserved his work for future generations. But how did a boy from the Midlands become the most famous playwright in the English-speaking world, and how did the publication of the folio contribute to his legacy? This episode explores Shakespeare’s life, career and dramatic works, as well as the reception of his plays in the centuries after his death, and the creation of his legend in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Research by: Jon Mason
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Caitlin Hobbs
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Chris Ledgard
SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001s50s)
Fire and Rain
James Taylor's song of suicide, loneliness and addiction somehow remains hopeful and uplifting, even as people experience their own dark times.
Holly Sinclair was driving through a Missouri winter to see her brother, in hospital after a suicide attempt, when the song came on the radio.
Michael Granberry, arts writer for the Dallas Morning News, is also a huge James Taylor fan. He's the same age as Taylor, and reflects on the context of assassinations and war raging in America when he wrote Fire and Rain.
Peter Asher was James Taylor's manager and producer, and remembers their first meeting, and the first time he heard Fire and Rain.
Marcia Hines released a successful cover version of the song after moving from America to Australia as a teenager, and hearing the song blasting out of radios on both sides of the world.
Mark Deeks and Jeff Alexander from Sing United community choir talk about the emotions generated when people sing a song they feel a connection to.
And Peter Bardaglio, climate change activist, talks about a summer of fire and rain.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
SAT 11:00 Military Ink (m001s6c0)
Glasgow’s west end is home to the Primrose Path Tattoo Society where ex-service men & women have gravitated to reflect, celebrate and sometimes come to terms with their lives in the military, all while under the artists needle.
Tattoos have a long tradition in the military but at the Society, each one is custom designed to reflect the deeply personal and emotional experience.
David Selwyn joined the army in 2005 and served on two tours in Afghanistan with 2 Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers. He was medically discharged from the army after ten years following a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and a recurring injury to his shoulder. David has come to the Studio, ahead of Remembrance Day, to get a large and colourful tattoo from artist William Hughes to represent his own army career and the pride in his Regiment.
As the artist focuses on his work we share this uniquely intimate relationship where memories good and bad are recalled, shared and sometimes laid to rest.
Details of organisations offering information and support with addiction, mental health, or feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Thanks to the Primrose Path Tattoo Society
Producer: Debbie McPhail
Sound Design: Lee McPhail
Sound Recording: Murry Collier and Chris Currie
Executive Producer: Peter McManus
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001s511)
Shocked To The Core
Kate Adie presents stories from Israel, Turkey, Switzerland, DRC and Indonesia.
Four weeks on from Hamas' deadly attack in Israel, details continue to emerge about the killing spree. Israelis are wrestling with the impact and the consequences - and the release by Hamas of a hostage video this week has added pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to secure their release. Paul Adams finds there’s a pervasive sense of insecurity in the streets of Jerusalem, with violent incidents puncturing any veneer of calm.
Victoria Craig spoke to people at a rally in Istanbul's Ataturk airport, where the Turkish President was vocal in his support for Hamas and unflinching in his criticism of Israel's offensive in Gaza. She reflects on how far this is a step change in Turkey's relationship with Israel.
It's Peace Week in Geneva. Diplomats, aid workers and academics gather annually here to discuss ways to achieve peace. This year, as conflict rages in the Middle East and beyond, some are asking whether international organisations – and international law, are losing their relevance, says Imogen Foulkes.
The east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is a region which has endured multiple crises – with many still unfolding. Hugh Kinsella Cunningham tracked the Congolese military as it tackled the most pressing challenge of fighting the rebel group, M23.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes; they’re internally displaced or finding refuge in neighbouring countries. And some have taken longer-haul journeys to the other side of the world. Michelle Jana Chan discovered the Ukrainian community on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Bridget Harney
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001s545)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001s515)
Fraud Refunds Report and Savings Tax
For the first time we know the record of individual banks on reimbursing victims of fraud. The Payment Systems Regulator published figures this week which show, bank by bank, what proportion of the victims were reimbursed and what proportion of their money they got back.
Millions of people, some with quite modest savings, now face the prospect of paying tax on the interest those savings earn. Who does it affect and what do you need to do about it?
We'll discuss a new report from the University of Bristol about finances and divorce.
And as recent research suggests two out of three British adults have told a 'financial fib' by lying about their earnings or what something cost, we want to know your financial fibs - email moneybox@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast
12pm, Saturday 4th November, 2023)
SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001ryqx)
Series 63
Episode 1
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They are joined by Ken Cheng who uses air fryers to help explain his frustration with the housing market, Helen Bauer arguing why school uniforms need to remain affordable, and Rachel Parris gives her musical take on what truly scares us at Halloween.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Cameron Loxdale, Tasha Dhanraj, Jules Garnett and Cody Dahler.
Voice actors: Roisin O'Mahony & Ed Jones
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
SAT 12:57 Weather (m001s517)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001s519)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001ryst)
Gareth Davies MP, Timandra Harkness, Gwen Hines and Peter Kyle MP
Alex Forsyth presents topical discussion from Harston Village Hall in Cambridgeshire with Treasury Minister Gareth Davies MP, the broadcaster Timandra Harkness, the CEO of Save The Children Gwen Hines and the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle MP
Producer: Robin Markwell
Lead Broadcast Engineer: Richard Earle
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001s51c)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week
SAT 14:45 The Planet Earth Podcast (m001s51f)
2. Getting There
Mike Gunton dives into the heavy-duty logistics of wildlife filmmaking, revealing just what it takes to get crews to some of the most remote parts of our planet. Sir David Attenborough recalls the reality of shooting on location 50 years ago when even a working telephone was hard to come by, whilst Line Producer Bronwen Thomas tells us what it’s like to film in more recent times to deliver one of the biggest and most ambitious series to date with Planet Earth III. Filmmaker Abdullah Khan also shares his experience of filming the Indus river dolphin and what happens on location when the original plan has to change on the fly.
SAT 15:00 Turning Point (m001s51h)
The Fall
by Clara Glynn
The extraordinary story of the mistake that caused one of the most significant turning points of the 20th century.
In November 1989 the repressive tyranny of the GDR ended and with it the Cold War, bringing in 33 years of peace - which only recently ended.
At a routine press conference on November 9, 1989, an East German spokesperson, Günter Schabowski, was handed an announcement about relaxed travel regulations for the people of East Germany. He mistakenly announced that the checkpoints in the Berlin Wall — which up until then were guarded by soldiers with orders to shoot anyone trying to cross — were now open. They weren’t, but that announcement was all East Berliners needed to storm the Wall and demand they be allowed to cross into West Berlin. After that, the Wall became obsolete, and soon fell.
This is a story of misguided good men doing their best, evil men doing their worst and an incompetent bureaucrat who accidentally changes the world.
Erich Honecker ..... Gary Lewis
Erich Mielke ..... Crawford Logan
Egon Krenz ..... Adam McNamara
Gerhard Lauter ..... Robin Laing
Erika Lauter ..... Lisa Livingstone
Günter Schabowski/Mikhail Gorbachev ..... Michael Nardone
Monika Folke ..... Elysia Welch
Vladimir Putin ..... Michael Guest
Sound design by Fraser Jackson
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001s51k)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Author Alex O'Brien on what playing poker can teach you, Maternity care & Sprinter Bianca Williams
This week, the Maternity Safety Alliance group has called for a full statutory public inquiry into maternity safety in England. They joined Jess to explain why they’re calling for this inquiry as did Presenter Krupa Padhy, who has produced a documentary on Radio 4 which investigates this issue.
Writer and comedian Alison Larkin avoided love most of her adult life but in her 50s, she found true love for the first time with an Indian climate scientist. Then he died. Alison joins Krupa to tell her all about her new show based on this experience, Grief…Comedy at the Soho Theatre.
British sprinter Bianca Williams has had lots of success in Athletics competitions for almost a decade but in recent weeks it has been an investigation into an incident which happened three years ago that has put her back into the news. She joins Krupa to discuss her stop and search ordeal.
Singer-songwriter and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson has collaborated with a prestigious range of artists from Andrea Bocelli to Anoushka Shankar. She has now joined forces with London Symphony Orchestra Percussion Ensemble to create a new album, Ocean Floor. She joins Anita to discuss it.
Have you ever played poker? Did you think about how playing it could influence your life decisions? Science writer and poker player Alex O’Brien has written a new book, The Truth Detective, which explores how the game's rules and strategies help us to better navigate the world and make better choices. She spoke to Jess about the life lessons she’s learned from playing – and why she’s teaching her daughter.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Claire Fox
SAT 17:00 PM (m001s51m)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001s51p)
The Pat McFadden One
Labour's campaign chief talks to Nick Robinson about how to deal with divisions with in the party, communities and families on events in the middle east.
And how has he become the "great survivor" of the party, from working as Tony Blair's backroom fixer in the 90s to running Labour's election campaign?
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001s51r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m001s51t)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s51w)
The Israeli military says it's investigating after a school that the United Nations runs in Gaza was hit by an explosion.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001s520)
Barrie Rutter, Eliza Carthy, Richard Bean, Leah Brotherhead, Kat Hudson, Chiedu Oraka, Kofi Smiles, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Kofi Smiles are joined by Barrie Rutter, Richard Bean, Leah Brotherhead and Kat Hudson for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Eliza Carthy and Chiedu Oraka, recorded at Wrecking Ball Music & Books in Hull.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m001s524)
Taylor Swift
The US pop superstar, Taylor Swift, who's just become a billionaire entirely through music. Recent success includes a new re-recorded album, her live tour and accompanying film.
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001s528)
Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench reflects on her career playing Shakespearean roles on stage and screen across seven decades.
Judi Dench has spent her career bringing to life a hugely diverse array of characters. But she is, first and foremost, one of the greatest classical actors of our times. Her love of the work of William Shakespeare and the insight she has gained into his plays over the course of her career is explored in her new book The Man Who Pays The Rent, written with actor and director Brendan O'Hea.
In a special edition of This Cultural Life to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio in a BBC season of programmes celebrating Shakespeare, Dame Judi talks to John Wilson at her home in Surrey. With intimate insights into her relationship with the work of William Shakespeare, she recalls her pivotal experiences and influences that helped steer her career as one of Britain’s greatest classical actors. After seeing her older brother act in a school production of Macbeth, she knew Shakespeare was for her. She remembers her very first professional stage role, playing Ophelia in an Old Vic production of Hamlet in 1957. Despite bad reviews and losing the role when the production went on tour, she was undeterred. Joining the RSC, she worked her way through many of Shakespeare's plays, including a landmark production of Macbeth in 1976, directed by Trevor Nunn. Dame Judi recalls her Olivier award-winning performance of Lady Macbeth opposite Ian McKellen, and her later role of Cleopatra opposite Anthony Hopkins in 1987 at the National Theatre. Remembering her last stage appearance in a Shakespeare play, she discusses her dual roles of Paulina and Time in A Winter’s Tale, and how her degenerative eyesight condition affected her performance.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001s52d)
Joni Mitchell: Verbatim
As part of the celebrations for Joni Mitchell's 80th birthday, this programme describes the legendary singer/songwriter's life and career - in her own words.
Over a singular career that has spanned many different cultural eras, Joni Mitchell has explored in public, to an almost unprecedented degree, exactly what it means to be female and free, in full acknowledgement of all its injustice and joy.
And there are two major physically and emotionally charged life changing events that defined Joni's artistic development and deeply influenced her creative output - a severe bout of polio as a child and an unwanted pregnancy as a teenager, which forced Joni to support her and her baby as a destitute single mother. Fearing her inability to cope, Joni gave the baby up for adoption.
The lessons learned from dealing with these traumas have shaped every personal and professional decision Joni has ever made, recalling them as transformative, character-building episodes that caused her to develop self-reliance and a slow, almost meditative way of being in the world.
With the same determination Joni used to prove to doctors that she would walk again, she set about proving that a woman could make it in the patriarchal world of folk music and very quickly blazed a trail as a fiercely independent spirt through one of the most exciting and influential periods in modern music, producing a catalogue of deeply influential albums.
As her success grew, so did her strength and, as we'll hear, Joni remains defiant and determined. She suffered a brain aneurism in 2015 and, summoning the same spirit that enabled her to survive polio and walk again as a child, Joni has been slowly re-building her life and recently played her first live concert in over 25 years.
A Zinc Media production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vynz)
Series 6
Episode 4
It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit.
He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Lord Olinska, organised the killing.
In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.
GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.
Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?
Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.
The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.
Cast:
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope / Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov / Clive Bunter / Justice Deed - Matthew Marsh
Margaret - Flora Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Linthwaite/
David Blunkett - Paul Kemp
John Quayle - David Ajao
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
Tony Blair - Nigel Cooke
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Mrs Jinks - Suzan Sylvester
Hamid Afzal - Akbar Kurtha
FBI Agent Pyke - Will Meredith
Dietrick Heller / Tim Listfield - Charles Davies
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001ryqq)
Series 10
Episode 4
Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes' comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes.
This week - The Ghost of Cummings Past, high level governmental swearing, and God meets Guns.
Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes.
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:00 News (m001s52j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001rysb)
Matilda Lloyd and Leon Foster Thomas reach for the skies
Trumpet player Matilda Lloyd and gold steel pan player Leon Foster Thomas bring their instruments to the studio as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist, each chosen for its musical connections with the previous one.
In this episode the journey takes us from Mozart via a classic jazz trio to a 1964 kite-flying Disney singalong hit.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Molto allegro from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor by Mozart
Easy Does It by Oscar Peterson Trio
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
Kwa Heri Mafisadi by Mwana Cotide
Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
Other music in this episode:
Bliss by Leon Foster Thomas
Tarantella Napoletana played by Matilda Lloyd
Hands Up by Cherry Bullet
I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001ryb6)
Heat 12, 2023
(12/17)
Russell Davies chairs the twelfth and last of the 2023 heats, with four quizzers from around the UK vying for the one remaining place in the semi-finals. Will they know who led the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which country Dame Sandra Mason is President of, and what the title of the first ever episode of Dr Who was?
The contest comes from the Radio Theatre in central London and the contenders are:
Sue Brooks from Broadstairs
David Hopkins from mid-Suffolk
Graham McNeilly from Tunbridge Wells
Elizabeth Mowbray from East London.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SAT 23:30 Uncanny (m0010wp9)
Series 1
Classic Uncanny: Case 1: The Evil in Room 611
Danny meets Ken, a highly respected geneticist. A man who doesn’t believe in ghosts, but cannot get over the fact that he believes he saw one 40 years ago as a student in Belfast. This is the story of a student bedroom that seems to have a mysterious and frightening impact on those who sleep in it, of poltergeist activity, sinister apparitions and a dark force that Ken describes as ‘pure evil’. What is the secret of Room 611 and is it supernatural or in the minds of its inhabitants?
Featuring expert help from parapsychologist Caroline Watt and ordained minster and paranormal writer Peter Laws.
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Caroline Watt and Peter Laws
Editor and Sound Designer: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Lanterns on the Lake
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUNDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2023
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001s52n)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 The Exploding Library (m001ry46)
Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter
“Am I fact or am I fiction?”
So asks the six-foot-something winged woman, Fevvers, the acclaimed aerialiste at the heart of Angela Carter’s epic, Nights at the Circus. It’s a question that has haunted almost every performer who’s stepped onto a stage and seen their ‘real’ self and ‘stage’ selves blur.
Yet a woman with wings with the world at her feet is almost run-of-the-mill in this extravaganza. There’s dancing tigers, murderous clowns, shamanic visions in the Siberian wilderness, and the odd pair of stinky tights.
Labels and genres are flung around - gothic, magical realism, fantasy - but the book, like Angela Carter’s writing in general, evades categorisation at every turn. Twist the kaleidoscope and another vision emerges, twist again and the human condition is re-revealed.
Kiri Pritchard Maclean runs off with the circus to consider the performer underneath the greasepaint, and find out what happens when the performance comes to an end. (Plus chickens).
With contributions from:
Dr Marie Mulvey Roberts, UWE
Dr Caleb Ferrari, UWE
Dr Becky Munford, Cardiff University
Emma Rice, Director of Wise Children,
and Susannah Clapp, Carter's literary executor and author of A Card from Angela Carter
Producer: Leonie Thomas
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
---
Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.
As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Angela Carter, BS Johnson and Octavia Butler, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.
Featuring the comedic voices of Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Rob Auton and Desiree Burch, and featuring the work of award-winning producers Leonie Thomas, Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), and Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat), this is an arts documentary series like no other.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s52r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s52x)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s531)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001s535)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001s539)
St Matthew’s Church in Ipswich, Suffolk
Bells on Sunday comes from St Matthew’s Church in Ipswich, Suffolk. The church is Medieval in origin but was enlarged in the 19th century during its time as the garrison church for the Ipswich barracks. There are eight bells from various foundries, the oldest of which dates from the 16th century Bury St Edmunds foundry.
The Tenor bell weighs ten hundredweight and is tuned to the note of G. We hear them ringing Netherseale Surprise Minor
SUN 05:45 Profile (m001s524)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001s51z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b09pjg92)
Julian of Norwich
Mark Tully investigates the resurgence of interest in Mother Julian of Norwich.
Mother Julian was an anchoress, or hermit, who shut herself up in a cell, following a series of visions of Christ during a dangerous illness. She referred to herself as "a simple creature" and yet has been described as "the greatest English theologian".
Mark looks at the earliest manuscripts of her Revelations of Divine Love with bibliographic historian Dr Mary Wellesley at the British Library, and discusses the powerful appeal of the book considered to be the first by a woman writing in English.
Through readings and music inspired by Julian's life and work, he explores her increasing popularity with a modern audience and admirers, including the composer Roxanna Panufnik, the mystic and author Thomas Merton and the poet TS Eliot.
The readers are Jane Whittenshaw and David Westhead.
Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001s523)
Farmer Will in the Chilterns
Will Young, aka Farmer Will on social media and former TV Love Island contestant, is in the Chilterns to see some muscly pedigree pigs and some boxy Beltex rams. Harry Bishop and Emily South are obsessed with breeding the best-looking and best-performing livestock to sell on. They show Will round their farm in Oxfordshire.
Presented by Will Young and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m001s527)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001s52c)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001s52h)
Use of scripture in war rhetoric & Church of England same-sex blessings
William Crawley has the latest on events in Israel-Gaza. He’ll also be discussing use of scripture in war rhetoric with two experts after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced the Bible earlier this week.
Also on the programme, a Sikh man who felt discriminated against when he was barred from doing jury service because of his religious sword.
Are bells the soothing sound of Sunday morning or a nuisance for neighbours? New bells are going up at a parish in Devon and it’s caused a bit of a ding dong. Hear from the Canon of St James’s Church in Tiverton as well as critics.
The Church of England General Synod meets later this month and one of the issues to be discussed includes same-sex relationships. In February, the Synod voted in favour of allowing blessings in church for LGBT couples, whilst maintaining that there was no change in the church's doctrine of marriage: church weddings would still only be for heterosexual couples. For supporters of same-sex marriage, it didn’t go far enough. The BBC's Linda Pressly met some of those who feel strongly on both sides of this debate.
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Rosie Dawson
Editor: Tim Pemberton
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001s52m)
Child Rescue Nepal
Songwriter and lyricist Sir Richard Stilgoe makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Child Rescue Nepal.
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 ‘Child Rescue Nepal’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Child Rescue Nepal’.
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: 1078187
SUN 07:57 Weather (m001s52s)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001s52w)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001s530)
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!
"Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot" - The Parliament Choir marks the the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of English Catholics which gave rise to national celebrations of Guy Fawkes Day. Out of such tumultuous times has grown the stable democratic traditions of the 'Mother of Parliaments' - with the pomp and ceremony of the new King Charles III addressing Commons and Lords together at the State Opening in just two days time. From Methodist Central Hall Westminster. I vow to thee my Country (Thaxted); O God of earth and altar (Kings Lynn); Psalm 72; Upon thy Right Hand did stand the Queen in vesture of gold (Handel); verses from Acts 15; Rejoice O land in God thy might (Wareham); Surely he hath borne our griefs (Handel); Dona Nobis Pacem (Bach). With addresses by The Reverend Dr Jamie Hawkey (Canon Theologian, Westminster Abbey) and Lord Griffiths of Burry Port. Leader: The Revd Tony Miles (Superintendent Minister); Chorus master: Nicholas O'Neill ; Organist: Gerard Brooks. Producer: Philip Billson.
[Web image: The Parliament Choir, contributors and musicians after recording: by permission of Edward Webb]
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001rytd)
Looks Like Rain
John Connell reflects on how rain has shaped Irish culture.
'Over the centuries, the Irish - most days anyway - have learned to accept, sometimes even love, the rain,' writes John.
But, he says, that is now beginning to change.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: James Beard
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Bridget Harney
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlphq)
Southern Cassowary
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the roaring southern cassowary of Australia's Queensland. The territorial roaring calls of the world's second heaviest bird, the cassowary are odd enough, but it still won't prepare you for your first sighting of these extraordinary birds. Reaching a height of over 1.5 metres, they have thick legs armed with ferocious claws, blue – skinned faces and scarlet dangling neck- wattles. These are striking enough but it is the large horn, or casque, looking like a blunt shark's fin on the bird's head that really stands out. It's earned this giant its common name - cassowary comes from the Papuan for "horned head". Such a primitive looking creature seems out of place in the modern world and although the southern cassowary occurs widely in New Guinea, it's still hunted for food there. Cassowaries can kill dogs and injure people with their stout claws, but the bird usually comes off worst in confrontations.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001s534)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001s538)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Dave Payne
Brian Aldridge …. Charles Collingwood
Josh Archer …. Angus Imrie
Ruth Archer …. Felicity Finch
Pip Archer …. Daisy Badger
Tony Archer …. David Troughton
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alan Franks …. John Telfer
Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden
Paul Mack …. Joshua Riley
Jazzer McCreary …. Ryan Kelly
Denise Metcalfe …. Clare Perkins
Lily Pargetter …. Katie Redford
Stella Pryor …. Lucy Speed
Hannah Riley …. Helen Longworth
Bruce Titchener …. Michael Byrne
Miles Titchener …. Adam Astill
Rob Titchener …. Timothy Watson
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001s53c)
Lea Salonga, singer and actor
Lea Salonga was just 18 when she became an international theatre star, taking a leading role in the world premiere production of the musical Miss Saigon in 1989. Her performance - first in London, then on Broadway - won her Olivier and Tony awards. She has provided the singing voice for two Disney princesses, and has become a strong advocate for better Asian representation on stage and screen.
She was born in Manila in the Philippines, where she made her professional stage debut in 1978 at the age of seven in a production of The King and I. Further roles in musicals followed, and she recorded a best-selling solo album when she was 10.
Lea planned to become a doctor before she was invited to audition for Miss Saigon, and her immediate success launched a performing career in which she has made history many times. She was the first Asian woman to win a Tony for an acting role, the first Asian actor to star in Les Misérables, the first Filipino artist to sign a record deal with an international label and the first person to voice two different Disney princesses - Mulan and Jasmine in Aladdin, in which she sang A Whole New World, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. She has appeared in numerous international stage productions, as well as television shows, films and singing tours.
Earlier this year she starred in and made her debut as a producer on the musical Here Lies Love on Broadway: written by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, it focuses on the life of Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In September, Lea returned to the London Stage in 'Old Friends' , a musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim.
She has performed for six Filipino and four American presidents.
DISC ONE: Feed The Birds (Tuppence a Bag) - Julie Andrews, The Disney Studio Chorus
DISC TWO: Days and Days -Judy Kuhn
DISC THREE: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
DISC FOUR: Tsismis - Ryan Cayabyab
DISC FIVE: Gymnopédie No. 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Philippe Entremont
DISC SIX: Intro: Singularity - BTS
DISC SEVEN: Baby Mine - Betty Noyes
DISC EIGHT: Snooze - Agust D ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & WOOSUNG
BOOK CHOICE: The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson
LUXURY ITEM: A typewriter
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Snooze - Agust D ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & WOOSUNG
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001s53f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001rybm)
Series 2
Episode 9 - Ipswich
Can AI write a good pub quiz? Paul Sinha finds out in this episode, recorded in Ipswich.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Chat GPT
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Sound engineer: David Thomas
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:32 Food and Farming Awards (m001s53h)
Food and Farming Awards 2023
BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023: Second Course
Sheila Dillon presents more winners from the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023, including who was crowned Best Streetfood, Takeaway or Small Eatery and the winner of the Food Innovation Award. We also hear stories of the amazing finalists and winners in the Community Food and Young Countryside Champion Awards. Finally, the winner of this year's prestigious Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award is revealed in recognition of their impact on the UK's food and farming.
Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m001s53k)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001s53m)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world
SUN 13:30 Gangster (p0gjb47c)
Killing Death Row
Killing Death Row: 3. Inside the Chamber
What happens in the death chamber is a push and pull between the desire of a victim’s family for justice, and the need to follow the letter of the constitution. In this episode we’ll see how the system tried to balance those needs.
Former prison guards show us the final hours of a prisoner’s life. What does that tell us about the future of the US death penalty?
Join Livvy Haydock as she takes us deep into Death Row in the USA. While support for the Death Penalty in the US remains at over 50 per cent, there’s been a steady decline in the number of executions – from the modern era peak of 98 in 1999 to just 20 in 2023 so far. Only a handful of states actually carry out the killings. It’s even become more difficult to get hold of lethal injection drugs, which is what led Livvy to a surreal story about a man in West London, who was supplying these ingredients to state penitentiaries in the US, and on to the macabre world of Death Row – and the people who live, work, and die on it.
Whether it’s the bizarre hunt for new lethal injection supplies, or the tip of the glasses that mark an executioner’s signal, Livvy goes behind the scenes into the chamber itself to examine the pressures on the system that have left just 5 US states actively carrying out executions this year and around 2,400 Death Row prisoners in limbo. We’ll hear from an inmate waiting to die, and one saved at the last moment. We’ll chat to the wardens who make it happen, and campaigners who want to stop it. And throughout, we’ll discover the possible future for Death Row in the only western democracy still carrying out capital punishment.
New episodes released weekly. If you’re in the UK, listen to Gangster Presents… Killing Death Row first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/40W5Chz
Presenter: Livvy Haydock
Series producer: Anna Meisel
Sounds design and mix: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001rynp)
Smethwick
I’ve got bags of used compost, what do I do with it? Which fruit and veg would the panel recommend for novice gardeners to grow? Is gardening an art or a science?
Ready to answer all these questions and more, Kathy Clugston and her team of experts are in Warley Woods, Smethwick for this week’s episode of GQT. Joining Kathy to offer their best horticultural tips and tricks are Head of Oxford Botanical Gardens Dr Chris Thorogood, houseplant expert Anne Swithinbank, and landscape designer Matthew Wilson.
Anne Swithinbank visits gardener Charles Dowding to find out all there is to know about the no dig approach.
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Producer: Dan Cocker
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001s53p)
The Betrothed - Episode 1
John Yorke explores a work that every Italian will know – I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni, known in English as The Betrothed.
A classic of Italian literature, The Betrothed follows the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, who plan to marry, only to be thwarted by a Spanish noble, Don Rodrigo, who has his eye on Lucia.
Told against a backdrop of 17th century Lombardy, before Italy became a unified country, The Betrothed is a call for national unity as well as a compelling love story.
In this first of two episodes, John looks at the rich cast of characters which makes The Betrothed such a powerful read. He meets the local priest, Don Abbondio, who is supposed to wed Renzo and Lucia but is easily dissuaded under pressure from Don Rodrigo, the Nun of Monza whose life in a convent is not the one she would have chosen, and the ‘Nameless One’, a thug straight out of a Mafia playbook.
It's a novel with many twists and turns, and at times even the author admits that he may be giving his readers too much detail. But as John finds, there’s good reason to stick with the story and enjoy a novel which every Italian is likely to have encountered at school.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for thirty 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 dramatized 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:
Tim Parks, Author of A Literary Tour of Italy
Eileen Horne, Adapter
Reader: Marco Gambino
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Michael F. Moore, The Modern Library New York
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Bruce Penman, Penguin Classics
Produced by Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Sound by Charlie Brandon-KIng
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Love Stories (m001s53r)
The Betrothed: Episode One
by Alessandro Manzoni, adapted for radio by Eileen Horne
The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) is an icon of Italian literature as well as the country’s most popular novel. In it, engaged couple Renzo and Lucia attempt to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be together.
Published in 1827, The Betrothed is the story of two lovers who want nothing more than to marry. Lombardy, their region of northern Italy, is under Spanish occupation, and when the Spaniard Don Rodrigo blocks their union in an attempt to have Lucia for himself, the couple are forced to resist his plots while beset by the hazards of war, bread riots and the machinations of a nameless crime lord .
Groundbreakingly popular in its day and hugely influential to succeeding generations, Manzoni’s masterwork is so integral to contemporary Italian culture that it has never been out of print, and every schoolchild reads it to this day.
"a bona fide canonical classic hiding in plain sight" - The Wall Street Journal
Lucia ….. Hiftu Quasem
Renzo ….. Ian Dunnett Jnr
Father Abbondio ….. Paul Higgins
Gabriel/Servant Boy ….. Joel Maccormack
Griso / Officer ….. Owen Whitelaw
Nibbio/ Ambrogio ….. Tunji Kasim
Agnese ….. Maureen Beattie
Brother Cristoforo ….. Ewan Bailey
Nameless / Old Friar ….. Jonathan Forbes
Rodrigo / Boss / Boatman / Traveller ….. Sandy Grierson
Gertrude / Gilda ….. Chloe Pirrie
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m001s53t)
Katherine Heiny: Standard Deviation
Katherine Heiny answers readers questions about Standard Deviation, her hilarious novel about marriage, parenting and the road not travelled. Audra is married to Graham, who is divorced from Elspeth. While Audra is sociable, loving, outspoken, tactless, kind and funny, Elspeth is contained, reserved, controlled and reticent. Despite loving Audra, Graham begins to wonder if his life should have taken a different path.
Katherine Heiny reveals the real-life moments that inspired the book, her love of the funny side of life and why she can never pass up on writing a good joke.
Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House, London
Wednesday 15 November at 1300 - Donal Ryan on The Spinning Heart
Wednesday 13 December at 1830 - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
SUN 16:30 The Exploding Library (m001s53w)
The Unfortunates, by BS Johnson
Hirsute comedian and crumpled polymath Rob Auton shuffles through BS Johnson's 1969 novel The Unfortunates - a book published in a box with 27 unbound sections to be read in a random order.
Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.
As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Angela Carter, BS Johnson and Octavia Butler, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.
With the comedic voices of Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Rob Auton and Desiree Burch, and featuring the work of award-winning producers Leonie Thomas, Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), and Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat), this is an arts documentary series like no other.
Producer: Benjamin Partridge
Reader: Mike Shephard
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:00 How Safe is Maternity Care? (m001ryf6)
In 2013, broadcaster and journalist Krupa Padhy, one of the presenters for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, lost her first child because of medical negligence in a London Hospital.
Legal action was taken. Midwives and doctors were given extra training. Lessons were, apparently, learned. But Krupa's life has been changed forever.
Over the last few years, systemic failures at multiple maternity units have been uncovered: at Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent. An investigation is currently underway in Nottingham and there are calls for a review in Leicester.
Krupa wants to know what is happening in our maternity wards and how we make them safer.
Producer: Caitlin Smith
Researcher: Anna Miles
Execs: Peter McManus and Clare Fordham
Sound design: Eloise Whitmore
SUN 17:40 Profile (m001s524)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001s53y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m001s540)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s542)
The early evening national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001s546)
Roddy Woomble
This week Roddy is broadcasting his picks of the week from his home on the Isle of Iona in the Scottish Hebrides. There will be journeys to Iceland and the Arctic, ruminations on ageing, off grid cabins, AI and reindeers and music from Bob Dylan, Blur and Debussy. We’ll be taking the floor with Andy Stewart, feeling young again, and getting some relevant advice on how to live a good life from two thousand years ago.
Presenter: Roddy Woomble
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001s548)
Alan hangs back at St Stephen’s, stalling going to Bonfire Night. Joy comes in to retrieve her gloves. Alan is pleased to see her. She hopes he understands why she hasn’t been able to come to church until today. He doesn’t think anyone at Bonfire Night will want to see him but Joy encourages him to go.
On The Green, last minute preparations are made for Bonfire Night. Kirsty’s impressed with it all and Kenton credits Mia for inspiring the eco-friendly initiatives. Kenton worries The Bull will lose out next year with a group of neighbours wanting the event moved to Jubilee Field.
Eddie shuts down the conversation when Kenton asks about Oliver planning to sell part of Grange Farm. Later, while George assists Eddie with bonfire and firework tasks, he asks if Eddie’s worried about Oliver selling some land. Eddie says it’s just rumours, he’s sure it will work out fine.
At the bonfire, Alan feels paranoid. Are people actively avoiding him? Usha says people won’t be able to stay angry for long, especially if Alan shows his face at public events. However, Alan is worried about the church’s finances, with a number of regular donations being cancelled. He can’t get into the event and leaves early.
Everyone is looking forward to the quiet fireworks Eddie has supplied, but they explode with loud bangs. Angry Kenton tracks down Eddie – these fireworks are going to lose The Bull the event! Eddie can’t see the problem, everyone loved the display. Kenton says Eddie owes him, big time.
SUN 19:15 Who Runs the World? (m001s4pg)
All The Single Ladies
Despite making up 51% of the UK’s population, only 34% of MPs are women. Catherine Bohart may be bad at maths, but even she knows something doesn’t add up. So she’s off to Westminster to find out where all the women are hiding.
In this episode, Catherine learns about the disproportionate hurdles faced by women in politics, before asking MP Stella Creasy, "who the hell would even want to be a female politician?"
Join “one of Europe’s top debaters” (one of Catherine’s kinder nicknames) as she struggles with the legacy of her own failed foray into the political sphere - trying to get students exempted from PE (it did not go well).
Performed by Catherine Bohart
Written by Catherine Bohart, Charlie Dinkin and Georgie Flinn
Produced by Benjamin Sutton
A Daddy’s Superyacht production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 The State of the Art (p0gm1wvw)
2: A Modest and Reliable Talent
Adrian Scarborough continues William Boyd's brilliantly funny short story series skewering the contemporary art world.
Giles Flint-Greenfield, a St James' art dealer with a penchant for post-war British watercolours, is finding his world rather small. But when Ludo Abernathy, an old and far more successful art dealer friend, cuts him in on the mother of a deal, new and potentially terrifying horizons open up for him in East London. All too soon Giles has swapped his tweed for black leather, and St James’ for a car maintenance shop, and is feeling very much out of his depth among the art lovers of Leyton. Not least because he isn’t quite sure how Ludo is making him so much money….
In today's story, Godfrey Wintle makes a decent living from his modest East Anglian watercolours - he's proud of this. But when he arrives at his art dealer's edgy new gallery, east of East London, he fears that Leyton's art lovers might not take to his views of Swaffham Church ...
Reader: Adrian Scarborough
Writer: William Boyd
Producer: Justine Willett
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001rypk)
BBC Sounds Five Years On
The BBC Sounds app launched five years ago. Andrea Catherwood discusses its original aims with a member of its founding team, and asks current Director of Sounds, Jonathan Wall, how far its meeting its targets and about ambitions for the future.
Also have you been listening to The Lovecraft Investigations ? Writer and Director Julian Simpson answers listeners questions on the new BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds series.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Gerry Cassidy
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001ryp8)
Matthew Perry, Benedict Birnberg, Field Marshall Muthoni Wa Kirima, Professor Jose Harris
Matthew Bannister on
Benedict Birnberg, the radical lawyer who fought the cases of the far-left Angry Brigade and the Mangrove Nine and got the murder conviction of Derek Bentley quashed.
Professor Jose Harris, the historian best known for her acclaimed biography of William Beveridge.
Field Marshall Muthoni Wa Kirima, the last Mau Mau fighter to lay down her arms after the rebellion against British rule in Kenya.
Matthew Perry, the actor best known for playing Chandler Bing in the TV sitcom “Friends”.
Interviewee: Ariadne Birnberg
Interviewee: Gareth Peirce
Interviewee: Dr Beth Rebisz
Interviewee: Professor Stuart Jones
Interviewee: Natalie Jamieson
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Archive used:
Ben Birnberg appearance on Newsnight, Derek Bentley news report, BBC Two, 30/07/1998; Mangrove Nine, The Reunion, BBC Radio 4, 05/09/2021; King Charles speech, State Visit to Kenya, BBC News, 01/11/2023; Mau Mau Disorders, British Pathe News, British Pathe YouTube Channel, uploaded 13/014/2013; Interview with Muthoni Wa Kirima, MauMau Chronicles, Youtube uploaded, 09/09/2023; Muthoni Wa Kirima singing, Museum of British Colonialism, uploaded 11/01/2020; Jose Harris appearance on Thinking Aloud, BBC Two, 28/10/1984; Sir William Beveridge talks to Pathe Gazette (1942), British Pathe YouTube Channel uploaded 13/04/2014; Jose Harris interview, Analysis : The Deserving and the Undeserving Poor, BBC Radio 4, 21/11/2010; Friends TV Promo, IMBD; Matthew Perry interview, Q with Tom Palmer, YouTube, uploaded 22/11/2022; Matthew Perry appearance in panel discussion on Alcoholism, NewsNight, BBC Two, 16/12/2013; Matthew Perry interview, uploaded CNN, 31/05/2013;
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001s515)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001s52m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001s520)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001s54d)
Ben Wright's guests are the Conservative former minister, Steve Brine; Labour's leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith; and Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government. They look ahead to the King's Speech and discuss learnings from the Covid inquiry. They also consider the controversy over pro-Palestinian marches and freedom to protest. Rosa Prince - editor of Politico's London Playbook - brings additional insight and analysis.
SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001ryp0)
Should politics be guided by public opinion?
Should politicians respect, despise, accommodate or ignore public opinion?
Rishi Sunak is looking for a policy he can pop into place between now and the general election that will avoid a Labour landslide. He is being advised that abolishing inheritance tax will tickle the tummies of the Tory not-so-faithful. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer wants government planners to “bulldoze” local objections when deciding where to put new housing developments. Can a government get away with ignoring public opinion? Well, it can in constituencies it’s never going to win.
Politics nowadays is not merely ‘guided’ by polls, surveys, databases and focus groups… it is controlled by them. But is that good for the country? Is the advice they generate either wise or moral? Are the public obsessed with issues that don’t matter, while they ignore the ones that do? There is a case to be made against taking any notice of what the public thinks about anything. We know that the public thinks short-term, and that its opinions on political issues are ill-informed. Public opinion is inconsistent, incoherent and volatile.
And yet democracy is built on the principle that the majority must get its way. And it’s not just politicians (and Simon Cowell) who flatter the electorate with talk of the ‘wisdom’ of the Great British Public. Lots of people seem to think that majority opinion will usually be wise, kind and helpful. But then, many also believe the moon landing was staged.
Panellists: Anne McElvoy, Melanie Philips, Mona Siddiqui & Matthew Taylor
Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producers: Peter Everett & Jonathan Hallewell
Editor: Tim Pemberton
MONDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2023
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001s54g)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Sideways (m001rym0)
51. The One Star Chef
When chef and independent restaurateur Davide Cerretini first opened his restaurant, it was a dream come true. But that dream quickly soured when he came head to head with ever more pushy and demanding customers. And then online reviews came along...
In this story of how one man took on his critics, Matthew Syed examines the role of online reviews - good and bad- in modern consumer culture and delves into whether the customer really is "always right".
Featuring Davide Cerretini, restaurant critic Jay Rayner, Dr Jo Cohen and Ewa Maslowska.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producers: Leigh Meyer and Pippa Smith
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound design and Mix: Naomi Clarke
Sideways theme by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001s539)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s54j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s54l)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s54n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001s54q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s54s)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Map of Middle Earth
Good morning.
On a gallery wall of my home office is an aged, yellowed map that once belonged to my great-grandfather. The lines and letters faded. There are traces of my great-grandfather's blue ink pen. Sometimes, I think that, in a way, this map resembles Middle Earth. And that if I had the chance to choose my role in Tolkien's fellowship, I would like to be Sam. The person who not only kept his light up during the darkest times but returned home to plant a garden and teach his children well.
The everyday beauty magnified by the danger of living in Ukraine - or, for that matter, in this upturned world, makes me feel so alert and full of life, wishing to sow the Galadriel seeds even as our defenders hold up their swords. Galadriel, the Elf Queen, gave those magic seeds to Sam even before he undertook his long and dangerous journey to Mordor alongside his master, not as his servant but as a steadfast friend.
He planted them and cared for them, as the seeds became saplings and the saplings became trees. He was faithful to them as much as he was to Frodo. The dangerous journeys can be devastating but always finite, I tell myself.
But love, even though it stretches into eternity, has to be tended to daily and so I choose the small things standing by the people I care for, nurturing the small community that gathers at our dinner table, and, every now and then, glancing at the old map on my wall that reminds me of the person I never met but have always been so thankful for.
Dear Lord, please give me the resilience of always choosing love.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001s54v)
06/11/23 Future bleak for fruit and veg growers, bird flu prevention on farm
The future for fruit and veg growers is bleak, according to a report out today. It comes from the House of Lords Horticulture Committee and calls on the Government to 'safeguard the sector.' The report warns that British growers are being squeezed out by cheaper imports and that horticulture, which is worth £5 billion a year to the British economy, is underappreciated by policymakers. Its recommendations include reviving the Government's horticulture strategy for England and more urgently reviewing fairness in the supply chain.
This week we're looking at the impact of avian influenza or bird flu as it's more commonly known. It continues to spread across the world, killing both wild birds and farmed poultry. It's been reported in more than 80 countries now. Here the RSPB says 77 wild bird species have been affected and tens of thousands of birds have died.
For farmers too it has been devastating, with whole flocks of birds dying or being culled. But so far this winter there have been fewer outbreaks and housing orders, where all poultry has to be kept inside, haven't been introduced. That doesn't mean everyone can relax; Victoria Elwess runs a free range unit in Lincolnshire. Her plans to expand have been put on hold because of rising costs and fears around bird flu.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
MON 05:56 Weather (m001s54z)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09w2tj8)
Richard Jones on the Gyr Falcon
Avian vet Richard Jones introduces a strange tale from his surgery, involving a runaway Gyr falcon, a black hat, and a peculiar mating habit.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
Photograph: Joe Cox.
MON 06:00 Today (m001s54y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001s551)
China – its poetry and economy
In the winter of 770 the Chinese poet Du Fu wrote his final words, ‘Excitement gone, now nothing troubles me…/ Rushing madly at last where do I go?’ Looking back at his life and work, the historian Michael Wood retraces Du Fu’s journeys across China. He lived through war and famine, but his poetry found beauty and grandeur in the minutiae of everyday life and the natural world. Michael Wood tells Tom Sutcliffe how Du Fu’s poetry has the timeless quality of Shakespeare or Dante.
The travel writer Noo Saro-Wiwa goes on a different journey into China, finding out about the lives of Africans living there today. In Black Ghosts she traces the waves of immigration from the 1950s onwards, which benefitted African students and economic migrants who found Europe closed to them. As she meets those from all walks of life – from visa-overstayers to top surgeons – she considers the precarity of their lives, and the ultimate power imbalance in Sino-African relations.
China is Africa's largest trading partner and in the past China has lent huge sums for infrastructure in its Belt and Road project. But as China’s economy begins to falter, the economist and China specialist George Magnus looks at the implications. Abroad many African countries are deeply indebted, and at home after 40 years of China’s seemingly irrepressible rise, the country is now facing a surge in urban youth unemployment and signs of deflation.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjf5)
Series 3
Lord Rosebery's Race Horses
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Lord Rosebery's race horses.
It's claimed that, early in his life, Lord Rosebery said that he had three aims - to marry an heiress, to become Prime Minister, and to win the Derby. And whether he said it or not, Rosebery undeniably accomplished all these ambitions.
Rosebery achieved his second ambition when he served as Britain’s Prime Minister from March 1894 to June 1895 and, at the same time, realising his third goal, as his horses won the Derby in both of those years. No other Prime Minister has rivalled such a success on the turf, but no other Prime Minister has allowed themselves to be so closely connected to such an elite sport. Ultimately, it didn't enhance Rosebery’s public image.
David meets Harry Dalmeny, who is the current chair of Sotheby's and a direct descendant of Lord Rosebery’s, to discuss his love of racing and he goes to Epsom downs to look at the graves of Lord Rosebery’s beloved racehorses.
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins
A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001s555)
MP rape allegations, Mothers' march, Melissa Caddick
An unidentified Conservative MP has been accused of rape by several women. These allegations are mentioned in a new book by former cabinet secretary Nadine Dorries. It comes after reports the Conservative party's former chairman, Sir Jake Berry, wrote to the police to make them aware of the claims after leaving the post last year. The deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, has denied a cover-up by the party when he was the chairman. Emma Barnett hears the reaction of Isabel Hardman, Assistant Editor at The Spectator, and Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.
A group of mothers under the umbrella of Just Stop Oil are planning a slow march to demand an end to new oil and gas licences and to call for a secure liveable future for their children. Just Stop Oil's tactics around the country, from blocking roads to halting theatre productions, are controversial. Emma is joined by two of the protesting mums.
When con woman Melissa Caddick vanished from her luxurious eastern Sydney home in November 2020 - with only her partially decomposed foot found washed up on a beach months later, it set off a frenzy in Australia. Regulators suspect the 49-year-old stole nearly £16m from more than 60 clients, including many of her family and friends, to help fund a lavish lifestyle. Chief investigative reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald, Kate McClymont, joins Emma to discuss.
We hear about a development in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman who was found stabbed to death at a hotel in the garrison town of Nanyuki in 2012. Witnesses said she was last seen leaving the hotel bar with a British soldier, and her body was found in a septic tank at the hotel nearly three months later. A Kenyan judge concluded after an inquest in 2019 that she had been murdered by one or two British soldiers. As yet, nobody has been convicted. Kenyan police have now flown to the UK to question British soldiers and officers about the case. Emma speaks to Sunday Times journalist Hannah Al-Othman.
Sarah Whalley is the producer and director of Forests, an episode of Planet Earth III. She was pregnant during filming and chose to name her child Forest. Sarah talks to Emma about how the isolation of her pregnancy during lockdown was mirrored when they filmed a Hornbill bird in its nest for the first time.
MON 11:00 Fed with Chris van Tulleken (m001s557)
Series 1: Planet Chicken
2. A Chicken and Egg Story
So we started farming this bird called chicken, and it spread around the world. But what does it actually TAKE to feed us the amount of chicken we want to consume?
100 years ago this was a scrawny, egg-laying bird, only good for a stew once her eggs ran out – no one ate chicken meat. Fast forward to today and it’s the most consumed protein on the planet. How did we come to eat it in the first place, and what are the consequences of producing chicken meat on the vast, industrial scales we now consume it?
Dr Chris van Tulleken uncovers the extraordinary accident of history that birthed a new industry, and changed the way we eat – and think about – meat forever.
Produced by Emily Knight and Lucy Taylor.
MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001ryt1)
The Age of the Train?
For most people, the aeroplane is the default mode of long distance transport Whilst the UK has only two overnight sleeper services, long distance train travel and sleeper services are experiencing a resurgence in Europe. One company OBB, the Austrian State Railway has just ordered thirty new trains, some of which will be in service from December. But are these services mainly for train aficionados, romantics and those scared of flying, or could they become a serious competitor to the plane?
Evan Davis and guests discuss what's behind this apparent new 'Age of the Train'.
GUESTS
Kurt Bauer, Head of Long Distance Passenger Services and New Rail Business, OBB/Nightjet
Michael Guerra, Rail Design Engineer and Co-founder, Night X
Monisha Rajesh, Travel journalist and Author, 'Around the World in 80 Trains'
Reporter: Lisa Louis
PRODUCTION TEAM
Producer: Julie Ball
Editor : China Collins
Sound: Neil Churchill and Rod Farquhar
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
MON 12:00 News Summary (m001s5mk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001s55c)
Student landlords; NS& I woes; Holiday trends
A shortage of rooms for students means the hunt for suitable digs has started earlier than ever. We look at how an acute shortage of university accommodation is being exacerbated by landlords leaving the private rental market because of rising mortgage costs. We talk to a landlord who has been in the business of renting properties to students for the last 23 years, but is pulling out and selling up because the mortgage rates are so high. Meanwhile, StuRents which lists around 750,000 student rooms across the UK says there is now an "acute shortage" of accommodation.
Higher interest rates can mean good news for savers. The government's own savings bank - National Savings and Investments - recently offered an interest rate of 6.2% if you left your money in for a year. It was a market-leading rate and the money piled in. The offer closed after only a few weeks. Systems seemed to struggle to cope with all the extra business but complaints shot up. We hear some of those complaints and how the Ombudsman had to be called in to resolve some disputes.
We report on the latest attempt to improve the quality of new homes. The new consumer watchdog for new-build homes in England, Scotland and Wales has just published its first report for developers about problems with houses and what they should do about them. The New Homes Quality Board, was set up a year ago to try to tackle some of the really poor build quality in some developments and the lack of proper aftercare services to deal with snagging problems buyers have with new homes. Buyers can now refer their complaint to an independent New Homes Ombudsman if they're unhappy with the way their complaints have been handled.
We look back on the summer holidays of 2023 and review where people travelled to from the UK – and we look forward to how holidays are likely to change over the next 10 years, in the face of climate change, growing markets like China, and changing tastes in holidays as people look for more of a sense of adventure from their breaks.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CRAIG HENDERSON
MON 12:57 Weather (m001s55f)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m001s55h)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
MON 13:45 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s55k)
1. Vegans
The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding. Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.
In this episode she meets Alistair Macbeth. In the 2010s he’s working as a touring fire-breather with long dreadlocks and living in a van. He’s also a committed vegan. So how did he go from that to running a dairy farm in the Peak District?
Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones
MON 14:00 The Archers (m001s548)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 This Cultural Life (m001s528)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Saturday]
MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001s55n)
Semi-Final 1, 2023
(13/17)
Three of the heat winners from the past few months, alongside one of the highest-scoring runners-up, compete in the first semi-final of the general knowledge contest. Questionmaster Russell Davies puts them through their paces as they vie for a place in the 2023 Final and a real chance of being named Brain of Britain.
Will they know what the word 'Chipping' means in English town names, or in which sport Nelly Korda has won Olympic gold? Or which musician appeared at an awards ceremony with the word 'Slave' written across his face?
As always there'll also be a chance for a Brain of Britain listener to win a prize with questions he or she hopes will defeat the panel.
Appearing today are:
Ian Fennell from Kidderminster
Gill Hollis from Lichfield
Colin Kidd from Bushey in Hertfordshire
John Robinson from Birmingham.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 Food and Farming Awards (m001s53h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 How to Play (m001pmn0)
Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with Anna Lapwood and the London Mozart Players
Organist Anna Lapwood and the London Mozart Players invite us behind the scenes at Fairfield Halls in Croydon to eavesdrop on their rehearsals of Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3, popularly known as his ‘Organ’ Symphony. The awe-inspiring entrance of full-organ in the finale has been dazzling audiences for nearly 140 years but only scrupulous preparation will ensure this intricate work will come together in their upcoming performance.
Conductor, Anna Duczmal–Mróz, violinist, Simon Blendis and timpanist, Ben Hoffnung discuss the challenges of bringing this music to life in the concert hall. French music specialist, Caroline Rae, explores what Saint-Saëns was trying to say in his symphony. Anna Lapwood shows us how it feels to be in charge of the most powerful and complex musical instrument in the room.
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
Photo: Anna Lapwood (credit Nick Rutter)
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (m001s55r)
Series 30
Permanence
Aleks Krotoski explores a story which sought to be forgotten, but wasn't. Agrippa (A Book of the Dead), was published in 1992. It was a book designed to decay from its very first use. It was an unusual conceit, and played into our fears about malfunctioning technology ahead of the dawning millennium.
The book was created by publisher Kevin Begos Jr, artist Dennis Ashbaugh and writer William Gibson. The writing – a 302 line poem – was stored on a floppy disc within the publication. It would lock after play, meaning the user could experience the work only once. Dennis Ashbaugh’s art work was similarly motivated. His images distorted if touched.
These qualities tied in with Agrippa’s dominant theme. Gibson’s poem centred on the loss of his father. The name Agrippa (A Book of the Dead) referred to the photo album in his family home. It was produced by Kodak, and the particular volume was called Agrippa. Inside the album, there were visual reminders of all those who’d gone before. They provided memories, of sorts, for Gibson, and his autobiographical poem centres on those images.
With thanks to The Bodleian Library in Oxford, and to all of our contributors in this programme: Justine Provino, Dr Huw Twiston Davies, Dr Chris Fletcher, Professor Maureen Ritchey and Dr Laura King.
Presenter: Aleks Krotoski
Producer: Victoria McArthur
Researcher: Juliet Conway
MON 17:00 PM (m001s55t)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s55y)
The secretary general said the territory has become a "graveyard for children"
MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001s560)
Series 2
Episode 10 - Bridgwater
How much attention were you paying in 2022? This week Paul is in Bridgwater asking his audience about things that changed last year - such as the newest longest suspension bridge in the world, and the newest best restaurant in the world. He also asks about people who would have turned 100 in 2023, such as the French war hero, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg in a film that flopped for surprising reasons.
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 (m001s562)
Tracy chivvies Jazzer as he takes time over breakfast. Jazzer’s feeling unsure about taking on Hannah’s job, but Tracy says he’s got nothing to worry about - she believes in him and reminds him to believe in himself. At Berrow, Hannah shows how data is recorded and used to an overawed Jazzer. His heart sinks when Hannah says there is more to show him in the office. He struggles to get to grips with the spreadsheets Hannah shows him and his head swims with all the information she is sharing. When Tracy calls, Jazzer lies, saying it’s all going well and she tells him she’s proud of him.
Ed collars Eddie about doing nothing since Oliver announced he’s looking at selling part of Grange Farm. Eddie tells Ed to stop worrying and accept it’s all out of their control. Oliver joins them and Eddie and Ed are stunned to learn that he plans to sell 10 acres. Ed panics about what this will mean for grazing his Texel flock. Oliver delivers another blow by explaining that to raise the money he needs he has to sell prime land that has planning permission and road access. Eddie realises this means the plot includes a barn that goes back through Grundy history. Eddie and Ed continue to challenge Oliver about his decision. When Oliver appeals for them to be rational, Eddie counters that Oliver’s decision to rebuild Grey Gables isn’t rational. They reach a stand-off and Oliver decides to walk away before anyone says something they’ll regret.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m001s564)
Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem, Judi Jackson, the rise of the Ghanaian art scene
Rebecca Lucy Taylor also known as Self Esteem is making her stage debut in the Olivier-award winning production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London as Sally Bowles, the English nightclub singer in thirties Berlin. She tells Samira how the late Paula Yates was an inspiration.
The details of a long awaited UK wide Arts Access Scheme are finally being revealed tonight on Front Row. The scheme aims to improve the experience of people with disabilities and neurodivergent people going to creative and cultural events. Andrew Miller, UK Arts Access Champion at ACE, explains how the new scheme will work.
The art scene is Ghana is becoming one of the most creative globally, with international collectors showing a new interest in Ghanian artists. Stephen Smith reports from Accra, where artists are drawing on West African traditions to make exciting new work.
Judi Jackson was singing from a young age in her church choir, but it was a music teacher at school who really encouraged her and put her in contact with some hugely successful artists, leading to her opening for the legendary Mavis Staples aged 16. She won vocalist of the year at the 2020 Jazz FM awards, and her recent album is a collection of tracks from the Great American Songbook. She performs live in the studio.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Paula McGrath
MON 20:00 Journey of a Lifetime (m001s566)
On the Trail of Algerian Exiles and Pacific Settlers
In the last ever Journey of a Lifetime, an award given by the Royal Geographical Society, the French-Algerian journalist Chahrazade Douah travels from her parent's former home in Algeria across the world to the Pacific islands of New Caledonia, off the east coast of Australia. A brutal version of the journey was taken in the 19th century by Algerian exiles, forced to leave their north African homes after uprisings against French colonial rule. The survivors who made it to the Pacific settled and are now part of a complex New Caledonia society.
Chahrazade was first drawn to the story of these Arab exiles by the stories told to her by her Granny. The Royal Geographical Society prize gave her the once in a lifetime opportunity, not only to travel to New Caledonia, but to begin to understand the complexity of a people trying to establish themselves in exile with yearnings and memories of a land half a world away. She hears from Algerians with stories to tell about their ancestors who were taken to the Pacific, and to Pacific Islanders who carry the ancestral memories of a life back in Algeria. Names, religion and customs have survived and been given a Pacific Island twist, but in a unique island ceremony, Chahrazade becomes a part of the connection between peoples separated by force over a hundred years ago.
Producer: Tom Alban
MON 20:30 Analysis (m001s568)
Can the UK afford a mental health crisis?
A record 2.6 million people are off work due to long-term sickness, with mental health conditions the biggest single contributor. The problem is particularly acute among younger people, who are disproportionately likely to cite poor mental health as their reason for not working. Other surveys suggest that poor mental health and burnout are among the top reasons for young people to quit their job. But should young people develop more resilience and “soldier on”, as older generations may have done, or is being more open about mental health a good thing? And how well are employers adapting to the expectations of younger workers when it comes to mental health and wellbeing?
Contributors:
Tim Gibbs, Head of Public Service Analysis Team, Office for National Statistics
Emma Codd, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Deloitte
Gabrielle Judge, Influencer and CEO, Anti Work Girlboss
Joel Gujral, CEO and Founder, MYNDUP
Dr Lucy Foulkes, Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Alison McGovern, Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions
With thanks to City, University of London
Presenter: James Kirkup
Producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Clare Fordham
MON 21:00 Young Again (m001ryd5)
5. Steve Coogan
Kirsty Young talks to comedian and actor Steve Coogan about what he's learned from his life so far. He describes his evolution from impressionist and stand-up comedian to award-winning actor, and reflects on how fame offered him a hedonistic lifestyle that quickly caught the attention of the tabloid press. What advice would he give his younger self? Steve talks candidly to Kirsty about class, recovery and sharing a parallel life with his alter-ego Alan Partridge.
Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young
A BBC Audio Production
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001s551)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001s56c)
Pro-Palestinian protest march should go ahead as planned, says organiser
Surviving deadly smog in India's capital
Two councils on how they deal with people sleeping rough in tents
Donald Trump testifies at his trial for fraud
MON 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3hyp)
Ep 6 - The Haunter of the Dark
Bad Memories resurface as Kennedy and Byron proceed with caution into the Blake House. Are they getting closer to finding Robert Blake's notebook and the house's secrets? Or simply heading into danger.
Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
MON 23:00 Lights Out (m001s56h)
Series 6
Crossings
Documentary adventures that invite a closer listen.
Sahid has spent years on a relentless journey. Crossing international borders, he has confronted the harrowing realities of human trafficking, slavery, and rafting across the Mediterranean Sea. But his journey isn't over yet - Sahid is at risk of being sent back to the first European Union country he arrived in, a country where he was unlawfully imprisoned and tortured.
This is the story of one man's search for safety, from Sierra Leone to Strasbourg.
Produced by Phoebe McIndoe and Redzi Bernard
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Military Ink (m001s6c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Saturday]
TUESDAY 07 NOVEMBER 2023
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001s56m)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s56r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s56w)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s570)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001s574)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s578)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Happy Chatter
Good morning.
Looking at my daughter’s friends chatting happily around the table in our small living room, I think about the joy and concealed strength of a community. It's never about one person, but extending myself into caring for the other - and receiving the same kind of care in return. At the end of the day, for me, it all boils down to seeing Jesus in the eyes of somebody and recognizing the divine purpose of care in every single act of service, however small and mundane.
Then cleaning up the post happy chatter mess, I also think that vibrant hospitality, an attitude so crucial to community nurturing, might not be the tidiest thing on Earth. It leaves smudges on our walls, a dented corner or two, the greasy handprints of happy children. They land (and stay) there as if to remind me that a real, full-bodied life is happening right in our small comfort space and that it's far more precious than the ivory-tower-ish neatness of my rules.
It makes me both grateful and weary, but as soon as I'm willing to accept it, the imperfection of it all somehow makes me feel unburdened and, for that matter, freeer and stronger than before. Unreserved kindness, too, inevitably exposes the heart to bruises, smears, and memories not-so-pleasant. But still, somehow, I know it will bear its fruit in its time.
Dear Lord, I thank You for the neighbours You gave me to love and care for. I pray that You would help me be a bridge-builder, always choosing love over fear and courage over self-righteousness.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001s57f)
07/11/23 Raptor persecution, research in bird flu, high iron pea shoots
Wildlife police officers are sometimes choosing not to investigate suspected bird of prey crimes because of a fear of complaints and online abuse. That's according to Chief Inspector Kevin Kell, head of the UK's National Wildlife Crime Unit. The issue of tackling crimes against birds of prey can get tied up with the debate around legal game shooting, and Chief Inspector Kelly says the animosity surrounding the debate, puts some officers off getting involved.
All week we're taking stock of avian flu. Since 2021 the disease has hit wild and farmed birds very hard and it's still at large. The situation so far this year is better than last year, and research carried out by a consortium of British universities and the Animal and Plant Health Agency under the FluMap Project, revealed that the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air, and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. We ask Professor Ian Brown, Scientific Services Director at the APHA, what the group is looking at next.
Scientists are developing peas which will be at least ten times higher in iron, so vegetarian and vegan consumers can increase the iron in their diets, without eating meat.
The research was started more than 30 years ago, but with the sequencing of the pea genome in 2019 and the arrival of gene editing, scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have been able to find out how to make peas more iron-rich without damaging the plant itself.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09sn7yh)
Helen Moncrieff on the Northern Wheatear
Known locally as Sten-shakker or Chek after their alarm call, Northern Wheatears never cease to delight Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager for RSPB Scotland when they return to Shetland for the breeding season.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Sonia Johnson.
TUE 06:00 Today (m001s5f1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001s5ff)
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on human evolution and parenthood
Our primate cousins fascinate us, with their uncanny similarities to us. And studying other apes and monkeys also helps us figure out the evolutionary puzzle of what makes us uniquely human. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy’s work brings a female perspective to this puzzle, correcting sexist stereotypes like the aggressive, philandering male and the coy, passive female.
Sarah is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis, and studies female primate behaviour to create a richer picture of our evolutionary history, as well as what it means to be a woman or a parent today.
Her overarching aim is to understand the human condition, a goal she initially planned to pursue by writing novels. Instead, she found her way into science: her groundbreaking study of infanticide among langur monkeys in northern India overturned assumptions about these monkeys’ murderous motivations.
Later in her career, she looked into reproductive and parenting strategies across species. We humans are primed by evolution, she believes, to need a lot of support raising our children. And that’s a concern she found reflected in her own life, juggling family commitments with her career ambitions as a field researcher, teacher, and science writer.
Produced by Cathy Edwards.
TUE 09:30 One to One (m001s5fr)
Future Cities: Tori Herridge meets Gisela Detrell
As a palaeontologist Tori Herridge spends her life poking at things from the past, but she’s secretly obsessed with the future. In the second of three episodes exploring how future cities might work, she takes a leap from Earth to Mars. Space engineer Dr Gisela Detrell has a day job researching how to keep astronauts alive in space for longer, but she's also been working out how one million people could manage to make a home on Mars. Just how dangerous would it be? How could we eat, drink and have fun? And could designing a Martian city help us live better here on Earth?
Presenter: Tori Herridge
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
TUE 09:45 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfb)
Series 3
Lloyd George, the Welsh Wizard
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Lloyd George, the Welsh Wizard.
When David Lloyd George died in 1945, Winston Churchill did not stint in his praise, calling him, ‘the greatest Welshman which that unconquerable race has produced since the age of the Tudors'. But as is often the way with eulogies, it was far from being the whole truth. While Lloyd George steered Britain though the First World War, his later political record was often controversial. Lloyd George came of age during the Welsh national reawakening, so it was only a matter of time before the ‘Man Who Had Won the War’ was hailed as ‘Welsh Wizard’. But by 1922, when Lloyd George had lost his magic touch, he seemed not so much a winning wizard as a corrupt trickster, and the ‘wizard’ associations were turned against him.
David visits Lloyd George’s family home in Llanystumdwy, North Wales and he speaks to historian Mike Benbough-Jackson about how Lloyd George expressed his Welshness, and deliberately cultivated his ‘wizardly’ persona.
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins
A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001s5gj)
Caster Semenya, King's Speech, Jude Rogers on Kirsty MacColl
Caster Semenya is one of the most decorated athletes of her generation but she is also one of the most scrutinised. The South African shot to fame in 2009 after winning the 800 metres at the World Championships in Berlin. Her performance was so astonishing it was met with questions about her sex and gender, with some asking publicly if she was really a woman. Caster's career, for all its highs, has been defined by a battle between her and the sport's governing body World Athletics about her right to compete. Caster joins Emma to discuss her career as she releases her new book A Race to be Myself.
Kirsty MacColl wrote and sang some of the most iconic pop songs of the eighties and nineties. She tends to be remembered best for Fairytale of New York, and for her untimely death in 2000. However, as a comprehensive new box set of her work, See That Girl, demonstrates, her influence and importance as an artist extends far beyond this. Music journalist Jude Rogers wrote an essay for the box set, and joins Emma in studio.
This morning, we'll have the first King's Speech in more than 70 years. In this morning's speech, the King is expected to include around 20 bills, focusing on criminal sentencing and smoking, among other things. A bill to change the leasehold system is also expected to be included. The BBC's Iain Watson gives us a run through of what to expect and Jo Darbyshire from the National Leasehold Campaign joins Emma to discuss why they want the leasehold system to be scrapped.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce
TUE 11:00 Young Again (m001s5gx)
6. Jada Pinkett Smith
Kirsty Young talks to actor and producer Jada Pinkett Smith about the lessons she has learned from her life so far. Jada explains the impact of her parents’ drug addiction and her early experiences of Baltimore street life on her mental health and subsequent relationships. She reflects on her marriage to actor Will Smith and why she has chosen to go public about her private life. Would she do it all again? Jada talks to Kirsty about her extraordinary life.
Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Bob Nettles
Presenter: Kirsty Young
A BBC Audio Production
TUE 11:30 Moving Pictures (m001s5hb)
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent Van Gogh
Cathy FitzGerald invites you to discover new details in old masterpieces. Each episode of Moving Pictures is devoted to a single artwork – and you’re invited to look as well as listen, by following a link to a high-resolution image made by Google Arts & Culture. Zoom in and you can see the pores of the canvas, the sweep of individual brushstrokes, the shimmer of pointillist dots.
This episode takes us to Van Gogh’s studio in Arles. It’s a cold day and the artist’s only just out of hospital, but he takes up his brushes and begins to paint. The result is one of the most famous self-portraits ever made. Get up close to the brushstrokes and hear what makes it so audacious – and so moving.
To see the high-resolution image of the painting made by Google Arts & Culture, visit www.bbc.co.uk/movingpictures. Scroll down and follow the link to explore Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.
Interviewees: Karen Serres, Barnaby Wright, Nienke Bakker, Gloria Groom.
Producer and presenter: Cathy FitzGerald
Executive producer: Sarah Cuddon
Mix engineer: Mike Woolley
Art history consultant: Leah Kharibian
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.
Picture credit: Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) ©️ The Courtauld.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001s5js)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001s5j3)
Call You and Yours: NHS Waiting Lists
On Call You and Yours, we'd like to know how NHS waiting lists are affecting you and your family?
Record numbers of people are waiting for NHS treatments. The numbers have soared in recent years from 4.4 million before the pandemic to 7.8 million today. As winter approaches they look set to increase further still.
With a pandemic and industrial action its been a very challenging time for the NHS. Monthly treatments are growing at a faster rate than pre-pandemic levels. But the waiting list is still rising as people come forward having postponed seeking treatment.
We want to know what impact this is having on the lives of people waiting. Whether a small procedure or an urgent condition - how long have you been waiting and what impact has that had on you?
You might have had a positive experience and not had to wait very long for your treatment - we want to hear from you as well.
Email us now - you and yours @ bbc.co.uk or call us on Tuesday from
11am on 03700 100 444
PRESENTER: WNIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM
TUE 12:57 Weather (m001s5jf)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m001s5jx)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
TUE 13:45 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s5k9)
2. Birds of Prey
The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.
Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.
In this episode she meets Chief Inspector Kevin Kelly - Head of the UK’s National Wildlife Crime Unit. Trying to tackle the illegal persecution of birds of prey has put him and his fellow officers at the heart of a culture war.
Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001s562)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001s5km)
Saga
By Billie Collins
A poignant and lyrical new drama.
Rae, a young archaeologist returns to her home town on the Wirral peninsula. Whilst excavating a Viking hoard, she discovers much more than objects beneath the surface. It is time for Rae to face what happened here five years ago.
Cast:
Rae ..... Evie Hargreaves
Jess ..... Jade Franks
Theo ..... Simon Trinder
Lee ..... Matthew Devlin
Produced and Directed by Jessica Mitic
Sound by Mike Smith, Amy Brennan and Sue Stonestreet
Production co-ordination by Vicky Moseley
A BBC Audio Drama North Production recorded on location in Wirral, Merseyside.
Notes for press:
Billie Collins is a writer from the Wirral. Their debut play TOO MUCH WORLD AT ONCE was produced by Box of Tricks in Spring 2023, opening at HOME Manchester before touring nationally. The play is published by Nick Hern Books.
Billie has previously written two episodes of MALORY TOWERS Series 5, and their latest play BELTANE was selected for the RSC's 37 Plays project. Billie's next play PEAK STUFF will tour the UK in February and March 2024, produced by ThickSkin Theatre.
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001s5ky)
Series 36
Heart's Desire
Getting lost in childhood longings, the search for the home we carry inside ourselves and exploring true sexual desire in a world shaped by media and societal pressures. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures that explore our desires.
American Glove Cafe
Featuring Conor O’Toole and Fán
Written and produced by Conor O’Toole
Are We There Yet?
Featuring Angeliki Androutsopoulos, Garth Davis, Amira and Danita, plus recordings by Mary Hufford for The Library of Congress.
Produced by Jaye Kranz
Original commissioned and produced for Constellations podcast
Desire Shapes
Featuring Poppy
Produced by Phoebe McIndoe
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (p0c25895)
6. Amelia Dyer
Lucy Worsley investigates the ordinary lives and extraordinary crimes of Victorian women accompanied by a team of female detectives.
This time, Lucy is on the case of a baby farmer who’s thought to have killed between 200 and 400 children, by strangling them and throwing the bodies in the River Thames.
Baby farming was almost an acceptable practice in the 19th century, seen as a necessary solution to deal with the 50,000 babies that were born illegitimately each year. The shame and economic burden of caring for a child forced many unmarried mothers to enlist the services, for a fee, of a baby farmer, who promised a safe and loving home for infants. Tragically, some of them were unscrupulous, taking the money and getting rid of the children.
Lucy is joined by former detective Jackie Malton, who was the inspiration for the TV series Prime Suspect, and in-house historian Rosalind Crone as they follow in the footsteps of the Victorian detectives who painstakingly tracked our baby killer.
The case began with the discovery of a body in the river and Jackie and Ros revisit the scene of the crime. They also examine original evidence at the Thames Valley Police Museum, in Reading.
Lucy asks what kind of society turned a blind eye to these baby farmers. And crucially, did women really have a choice, when their childcare options were so limited?
This was a high profile case but did anything change as a result? And what happened to our baby killer?
Producer: Julia Hayball
Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble
Sound design: Chris Maclean
A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (m001s5l9)
Deepfakes and the Law
What if someone uses AI to create a fake version of your voice for their own aims? Recently, the actor, broadcaster and writer Stephen Fry found that someone had recreated his voice to narrate a documentary without his knowledge. What does the law have to say about deepfakes? What are your rights, and in which circumstances could someone be sued, or prosecuted? Associate solicitor Oliver Lock of Farrer & Co explains what the law can, and can't do.
Creating fakes with AI, and the software to detect them, is a growing field. The same is true of forensic speech recognition, which is done both by ear and machine and can help the police or a court identify whether a recording is the voice of a suspect, for example. Dr Anil Alexander of Oxford Wave Research Ltd plays some samples to presenter Joshua Rozenberg. Can he guess them right? And what other uses are there for this technology in law enforcement?
Forensic scientists are often called upon to give evidence in court, as are doctors. These expert witnesses are crucial, but things can go wrong. Some find cross-examination so bruising that they don't want to repeat it. Others fear for their reputation, if they're pushed into saying something they hadn't meant to say. Baroness Professor Sue Black is a leading forensic anthropologist and shares her thoughts.
Sometimes barristers and judges are out of their depth on the science of a case. One solution to this problem has been put forward by the independent scientific academy the Royal Society, with the Royal Society of Edinburgh: subject-specific primers on relevant topics. As Dame Dr Julie Maxton, executive director of the Royal Society explains, leading scientists write and peer-review the primers, such as on ballistics or DNA, and senior judges cross-check them from the legal perspective. The primers are online, aimed at judges but available for everyone. The hope is that if barristers fail to ask the right questions on the science, judges who've read the primers can then do so instead.
Presenter: Joshua Rozenberg
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Researcher: Diane Richardson
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound engineers: James Beard and Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Rosie Strawbridge
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001s5g9)
Nigel Kennedy and Clare Perkins
The violinist Nigel Kennedy is in the UK playing several concerts and takes time out to join Harriett Gilbert and actor Clare Perkins to talk about one of his favourite books. It's Confessions of A Mask by Yukio Mishima - the coming of age and sexual awakening story of a young boy in post war Japan. Nigel says he began exploring Japanese fiction and is interested in how many Japanese authors explore the inner lives of their characters.
Actor Clare Perkins goes for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - a story she finds hopeful for humanity, despite being about a hostage situation where a group of party guests find themselves at the mercy of terrorists in an unnamed South American country.
Harriett opts for Franz Kafka's novella Metamorphosis - a story first published in 1915 about a young salesmen who wakes up one morning to find he has changed into a monstrous insect.
Photo of Nigel Kennedy: Carly Hyde
Producer: Maggie Ayre
TUE 17:00 PM (m001s5ln)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s5m9)
It focuses on crime, housing and oil and gas licences
TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m001s5mp)
Series 1
5. Laughter, Other People, Inclusion, Tissue Engineering
This week comedian Nabil Abdulrashid tells us how laughter and comedy reduced the levels of violence in prison, heart surgeon Professor Massimo Caputo describes how he used tissue engineering in a world-first life-saving heart operation, neuroscientist Dr Adam Kampff brings us an incredible insight into the human brain by taking us from rats that play video games to the birth of language and human civilisation, and historian Phillipa Vincent-Connolly transports us back to Henry VIII's court to explore the lives of disabled courtiers.
Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.
Each week, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.
Whether it’s micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it’s always something worth celebrating.
Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Featuring: Nabil Abdulrashid, Professor Massimo Caputo, Dr Adam Kampff and Phillipa Vincent-Connolly
Written by Laura Claxton, Charlie George, Rajiv Karia, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse
Producer: Ben Worsfield
Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha
Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls
Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones
A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001s5f5)
Joy drops her latest Sacher Torte round at Helen’s and asks how they are all coping since Lee left. She offers to babysit and Helen grabs the chance to join Kirsty at a meditation class. On her return, Helen learns that Henry and Jack argued and Jack went to bed crying. Henry is rude in front of Joy and storms off upstairs. Helen goes to him and he explains what happened. Jack wants to meet his dad before he dies and Henry told him he wasn’t allowed to, which Jack thought was unfair, because Henry got to see Rob, so why can’t he? Afterwards, Helen discusses the boys’ argument with Joy. Did Lee’s departure leave a void that’s made Jack start thinking about Rob? Refreshingly for Helen, Joy is understanding about her and Lee’s split, no one else seems to get it. Helen so wishes she could explain fully to Jack about Rob, but he's too young - he really needs to know why he can’t see Rob, though.
Usha chats to Tracy while waiting for Alan, who is late leaving work. Tracy is confident Jazzer will get Hannah’s job when she leaves Berrow. Meanwhile, Usha admits her concern that Alan is strung out with worry over the church finances. When Alan arrives, Usha and Tracy are stunned to hear he’s planning to cancel the Christmas tree at church this year. Tracy enthusiastically suggests other ways to save and raise money. Alan dismisses them all, but Usha thinks an event to bring in non-churchgoers is a good idea.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001s5mw)
Billy Bragg, Paul Murray, feminist art of the 1970s
Singer, songwriter and activist Billy Bragg joins Samira Ahmed to perform live in the Front Row studio and discuss The Roaring Forty, a box set and nationwide tour to mark his forty years in the music industry.
Women in Revolt, a new exhibition of Feminist art of the 70s and 80s, opens this week at the Tate Britain in London. Musician and punk artist Helen McCookerybook and art historian Catherine McCormack discuss the impact of the era.
In the latest in Front Row’s series of interviews with the authors shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Paul Murray discusses The Bee Sting. A family saga set in contemporary Ireland, it examines our capacity for denial in the face of disaster.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ciaran Bermingham
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001s5n2)
Disability and the Adult Industry
As a young person, Ellen Macleod wasn’t sure whether her disabilities would mean she could never have sex so she turned to the internet. There she found porn featuring disabled adults, but those films threw up dark questions around consent, exploitation and whether disabled people were being made the involuntary subject of a fetish.
Now Ellen has teamed up with journalist Nastaran Tavakoli Far to investigate whether what she saw online was extreme role play or very real abuse.
Ellen and Nas speak to disabled adult content creators, as well as safeguarding and legal experts to explore how society protects vulnerable adults, and what many of us get wrong about sex and disability.
If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Presenters: Ellen Macleod and Nastaran Tavakoli-Far
Producer: Ailsa Rochester
Sound Design: Rob Green
Executive Producer: Jo Meek
An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001s5n8)
How Accessible is X?
Social media can be a good way for visually impaired people to connect with their community, but some recent changes to X (previously named Twitter), may have made that difficult for some visually impaired people. With the helping hand of two Matts - Matt Johnson, who is a blind data protection and privacy lawyer, and Matt Eason, who is a digital accessibility specialist and software developer - we look into these changes and what impacts it could have on your use of X.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words 'In Touch' and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001s5g6)
Grieving when estranged, musical hallucinations and the benefits of snoozing your alarm
Losing a parent is extremely difficult, but for adult children who are estranged, this loss can create a mixture of grief, sadness, guilt or relief. Claudia Hammond talks to broadcaster and author, Professor Alice Roberts, about her experience of losing her mother after being estranged for 5 years. A group of estranged adult children were interviewed to learn more about these feelings and how they’ve dealt with them. Claudia discusses the findings with Professor Karl Pillemer, sociologist at Cornell University and author of ‘Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them’.
Hearing music when nothing is playing is more common than you might think. For people with hearing loss, many ‘hear’ music as if it real. From choral versions of ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ to random notes on an organ, listeners Peter and Elizabeth share what it is like living with a constant juke box in their heads. Claudia chats about this phenomenon with Professor of cognitive neurology at Newcastle University, Tim Griffiths, and learns what might be happening in the brain to cause it.
Peter Olusoga, senior lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, joins Claudia in the studio to discuss how zoom backgrounds influence first impressions, the benefits of micro-breaks and when snoozing your alarm might be good for you...
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Julia Ravey
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Production Coordinator: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001s5ff)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001s5nh)
Who will govern post-war Gaza?
As Israel says its troops have reached the heart of Gaza City, how should the territory be governed if Hamas is defeated? We hear from a minister in Israel's war cabinet, and a leading Palestinian politician.
Tens of thousands of women in England could get a pill on the NHS that halves their risk of breast cancer. We hear from one woman who took part in the drug's trial.
And as Shakespeare's First Folio prepares to turn 400 - we hear about the enduring appeal of its author.
TUE 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3j69)
Ep 7 - The Haunter of the Dark
Eleanor Peck leads a spirited discussion of the team's leads and understanding so far. New names intermingle with old as they share what they know and begin to see patterns emerging.
Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Cast:
Eleanor Peck - Nicola Walker
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
TUE 23:00 Darren Harriott - Red Label (m000yyrc)
Part 2
After having examined why he has never been in love in part one, Darren returns to look at the world of modern dating.
The way we date has changed so much in recent years. With the rise of dating apps, some lament that people aren't meeting the 'traditional way', but what does that even mean in this day and age?
Darren is a dating app guru, and walks us through all the quirks of the various apps and growing understanding of sexualities across the spectrum. With the help of comedians Maddy Anholt and Aaron Twitchen, Darren takes on all aspects of being single in 2021, from swiping, to reply etiquette and how to date during a global pandemic.
Written and performed by Darren Harriott
Interviewees: Maddy Anholt and Aaron Twitchen
Additional material written by Tasha Dhanraj and Rajiv Karia
Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001s5nt)
Susan Hulme reports on the King's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.
WEDNESDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2023
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001s5p0)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s5p6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s5pc)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s5ph)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001s5pm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s5pr)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Fascinated by History
Good morning.
Our daughter has just entered the age when history fascinates her, and the tours to the old castles have at last stopped being the despised boredom-inducers. As we visited several, and she was asking those elaborate questions all nine-year-olds love to pepper their parents with, my husband and I talked about the state of the ancient walls and everything those castles once stood for.
After the second world war, as Communists moved the administration centres to the towns of their own choosing, the requisitioned palaces, villas, fortresses, and castles decayed. The stones kept whispering their old stories to the wind and still do today. As mesmerising as they are, they give me the blues whenever I visit them. But it's always different with nature. Its indescribable beauty makes me feel free, loved, comforted, and full of vibrant life.
The tranquility of autumnal mornings, with the pinkish mists pierced so gently by the bevel rays of the rising sun, the canopies of joyful trees glowing with their warmest colours. I feel the instant urge to save the moment in a photograph. This tender beauty seems fleeting and so fragile. But as I keep looking, I realize that it is me who is fragile. It is me who will pass, not the moment I am tempted to capture. This beauty will be here long after I am gone, comforting my grandchildren and their children, too, making them feel loved and so much alive.
Dear Lord, I thank you for the blessing of living in your beautiful world. The times are hard, but you are always faithful.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001s5pw)
08/11/23 Landuse to prevent floods, bird flu on the Isle of Lewis, green prescribing
It's been a challenging few weeks for farmers with Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán bringing exceptional amounts of rainfall to different parts of the UK. The flooding has washed away newly sown crops, and the soil they were in. Farmers are having to decide whether to replant or not. With volatile weather events happening more regularly, do we need to think differently about how land is managed in flood-prone areas?
All week we're looking at bird flu. We still have outbreaks occurring, although much less frequently than this time last year. But the devastation for farmers whose flocks died, still hurts. Nancy Nicolson has been to speak to Donald MacSween, a crofter on the Isle of Lewis who, for the past decade, has run a commercial flock of hens supplying eggs to shops across the island. But this summer his remaining birds fell victim to the disease.
There is growing evidence that getting out into nature can play an important role in improving mental and physical health - according to NHS England. Green social prescribing activities are being offered as an alternative form of treatment as part of a cross government programme, lead by Natural England. One project at Blenheim Estate, is being supported by research from Oxford University.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkdkt)
Ortolan Bunting
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 Ortolan Bunting. Ortolan Buntings are smart relatives of our yellowhammer. They're migrants which winter in Africa and small numbers of birds heading south for the winter may turn up on our coasts in autumn. But until recently in parts of southern Europe, their arrival was welcomed by hunters with nets.
The sound archive recording of the ortolan bunting featured in this programme was sourced from:
Volker Arnold, XC139765. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/139765.
WED 06:00 Today (m001s5bl)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m001s5c0)
I knew I could never make it right
In August of 2006, Teresa Clark was driving five of her friends back home after a day at a music festival. Several hours into the journey she fell asleep at the wheel of their people carrier and crashed. Three passengers were killed, two others were injured as well as Teresa herself.
She was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and spent time in prison. The guilt and shame of carrying that loss of life almost destroyed her. But in the 17 years since it happened Teresa has rebuilt; she now works in the mental health and wellbeing sector trying to keep the vow she made to live her life for her friends, and do some good in their memory.
Details of support with mental health issues and bereavement are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
WED 09:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001s5c6)
Have a Laugh
Laughter really is good medicine. From releasing pain-killing endorphins to improving your memory, laughter can have many benefits on your body and brain - it’s even been shown to boost “gamma” brainwaves, which are associated with higher level brain processes, like learning and memory. In this episode, Michael shares a chuckle with cardiologist Professor Michael Miller from the University of Pennsylvania in the US to discuss how laughter can help your heart health, keep your blood vessels young, and be the antidote to stress. Meanwhile, our volunteer Manpreet enjoys the benefits of a glorious cackle.
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 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjf8)
Series 3
Clement Attlee's Family Car
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Clement Attlee's family car.
While he was campaigning for the 1945 election, Clement Attlee travelled around the country in his family car, driven by his beloved wife, Vi. Attlee’s projected image was of a man who was both modest but also opposed to the ruling elite, spurning the grandeur of a chauffeur. It was both enlightened, modest, and very modern. His quiet message of reform was heard, and he subsequently delivered one of Labour’s largest election victories. The Attlee’s repeated their road trip during the 1950 election, travelling the length and breadth of the county to rally Labour support in their Hillman 14, a middle-class car owned by the sorts of voters Attlee was seeking to convince.
David visits Haynes Motor Museum near Yeovil to learn more about the Attlee family's motor cars and to explore how Clement Attlee’s choice of cars showed he was a man of the people and quintessentially British built.
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins
A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001s5cf)
Jilly Cooper, Rachel Goldberg – mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Women & binge drinking, Perinatal pelvic health service.
Jilly Cooper began her career as a journalist, wrote columns on marriage, sex and housework for the Sunday Times, and numerous works of non-fiction before turning to romance novels - to great success. She has sold more than two million copies of her books including: Riders, Rivals, and Polo - taking us into the glamorous worlds of show jumping and classical music. Her latest novel Tackle! takes us to the football pitch and features her legendary hero Rupert Campbell-Black. Jilly joins Emma to talk about football, why there is less sex in her novels now, and her view on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reading her books.
Yesterday marked a month since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel in which 1,400 people were killed and more than 200 men, women and children taken hostage. One of those seized and kidnapped was Hersh Goldberg-Polin - a 23-year-old dual Israeli American citizen who was attending the Supernova music festival - the site of which became a massacre of a majority of young people - more than 250 people at the hands of Hamas. Hersh lost an arm during that attack but is still believed to be alive. Since then more than 10,300 people have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry in retaliatory air strikes by Israeli forces demanding the return of its citizens. Emma speaks to Hersh's mother Rachel Goldberg.
A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, which compared alcohol consumption across 38 countries, British women top the list as the heaviest binge drinkers alongside Denmark. The OECD found that 26% of British women reported binge drinking at least once a month - defined as having at least six drinks in a single session. Emma discusses the issues with Dr Helen Garr, GP and Medical Director of NHS Practitioner Health, a mental health and addiction service for healthcare professionals; and Catherine Gray, the author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober.
The government has announced £11 million in funding for the NHS in England to roll out a dedicated perinatal pelvic health service across all trusts. The aim of these new perinatal pelvic health services will be to help educate and assess women during pregnancy and after a traumatic birth – but how will it work? And is it enough? Emma speaks to Jacqui Barrett, who had a traumatic birth and was incontinent for a year, Professor Swati Jha, consultant gynaecologist and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Conservative MP Maria Caulfield, who is the Women’s Health Minister.
Presented by Emma Barnett
Producer: Louise Corley
Studio engineer: Gayl Gordon
WED 11:00 Journey of a Lifetime (m001s566)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 Being Roman with Mary Beard (m001s5ck)
1: Loving An Emperor
Beneath starched Shakespearean togas and the pungent fug of gladiator sweat there are real Romans waiting to be discovered. To know what it was to be Roman you need to gather the scattered clues until they form a living, breathing human, witness to the highs and horrors of Europe’s greatest empire.
Mary Beard, Britain’s best-selling historian of the ancient world, rebuilds the lives of six citizens of the Roman Empire, from a slave to an emperor. Her investigations reveal the stressful reality of Roman childhood, the rights of women and rules of migration, but it’s the thoughts and feelings of individual Romans she’s really interested in.
In the bloody chaos of civil war, a young bride witnesses the savage murder of her parents, fights for her inheritance and funds her husband’s flight from the brutal gangsters carving up the empire. On Hadrian’s Wall a Hertfordshire slave girl marries a Syrian trader. Is it a cross-cultural love story or a brutal tale of trafficking and sexual abuse?
An eleven year old boy steps on stage to perform his poetry to a baying crowd of 7000 and the Emperor himself. The political and financial future of his entire family will be decided in the next few stanzas.
Across six episodes Mary Beard travels the Empire and gathers first-hand testimony and expert comment, creating an extraordinarily vivid sense of Being Roman.
In the first episode we meet Marcus Aurelius, the very model of the ideal Roman Emperor. Strong and masculine, but a deep thinker with wise words for every occasion. Richard Harris played him in the film Gladiator as a great leader of men, determined that loyal Russell Crowe inherit the Empire rather than his treacherous son, Joaquin Phoenix.
As Mary discovers, Marcus proves much more complicated- and interesting- than his image in popular culture. Letters to his beloved tutor reveal a naïve, sweet and dangerously flirtatious nature, while his record of campaigning and persecution under his rule shows an Emperor as comfortable with brutal violence as stoic philosophy.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
Expert Contributors: Amy Richlin, UCLA and Elizabeth Fentress
Cast: Marcus played by Josh Bryant-Jones and Fronto played by Tyler Cameron
WED 12:00 News Summary (m001s5kb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001s5cy)
Stolen House, Banking Hubs and Coffee
What's happened to the banking hubs that were planned to plug the gap left by bank branch closures? More than 1200 thousand bank branches have shut since the first basic banking hub opened two years ago. Today there are ten hubs - so what's the plan?
We have reported on the bizarre case of people who have had their homes stolen. Today we have good and bad news for one victim; the courts have given him his house back only for him to discover that squatters have moved in.
25 years ago Starbucks opened their first shop in the UK. Coffee entrepreneurs predicted that a daily 'barista style' cup would become part of our routine. Commentators were sceptical ; not anymore!
The number of credit unions have decreased but the sector is booming. The value of savings and the number of people putting money away in a credit union are at an all time high. We ask why...
Our phone number is a part of our identity, especially if you have had it for a long time. So what happens when your phone company takes it away and gives you another one instead . You and Yours listeners have been in touch to tell us about that and their struggles to get their number back.
And finally.. the shepherdess that’s never without a can of Lynx deodorant.
PRESENTER: PETER WHITE
PRODUCER: KEVIN MOUSLEY
WED 12:57 Weather (m001s5d5)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m001s5df)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
WED 13:45 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s5dq)
3. Right to Roam
The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.
Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.
In this episode she visits a field near Frome where there’s a fence that’s come to be known as the “iron curtain of Somerset”. The man who built it says it’s protecting his private property from damage. The people who used to enjoy walking around the field are furious.
But according to Dr Jeremy Buchart, a landscape historian at the University of Reading, this is an ancient grudge that's left its mark on our landscape.
Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones
WED 14:00 The Archers (m001s5f5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001s5fk)
Sticking Points
While presenting degrees and prizes at a university, a government minister shakes the hand of one graduate and finds they are unable to let go. The recipient is a climate change protestor who has now superglued themself to the politician.
As if in a three-legged race, they are hop-helped to a backstage area where - as police work out how to free them and spin doctors how to contain the viral publicity for the stunt - the reluctant couple discuss and confront the tensions that have brought them together.
But this is no obvious Swampy/Gammon pairing. The politician is in fact pro-green but this is a chance to discuss the two sides of these issues and what voters and politicians are genuinely prepared to give up.
A new play by Mark Lawson.
Cast:
DOMINIC THORNDITCH, Secretary of State – Alex Jennings
CHIEF WHIP – Jane Slavin
SNICK, a special advisor – Tom Glenister
SKIPPY, an environmentalist - Rebecca Birch
ROSA, police officer – Nimmy March
SAM, a police officer – Jamie Treacher
Directed by Eoin O’Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 Money Box (m001s5fw)
Money Box Live: Love and Money
This week we are talking all things love and money and what co-habiting, marriage and divorce mean for your finances.
Do you split the bills evenly or have a complicated spreadsheet to work out who pays what?
It comes as recent research published by the University of Bristol revealed 100,000 couples divorce in England and Wales every year - but only a third of them use the legal system to sort out their finances - the majority negotiate their own arrangements or in the worst cases, reach no settlement at all.
So, Felicity Hannah will cover everything from how to have those tricky money conversations with each other to how couples split their finances.
This week to answer your questions and comments, we're joined by Laura Suter, Head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell and Nigel Shepherd, specialist family lawyer and consultant with Mills & Reeve.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Dan Whitworth
(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 8th of November).
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001s5g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Sideways (m001s5gk)
52. First Loves
After Kate and Guenther shared their first kiss on Torquay's pier in the summer of 1989, their blossoming love was soon interrupted by the distance between Yorkshire and Bavaria. Two years later, they had to let go of their early romance.
In this episode, we explore rekindled loves, for better or worse, and the challenges we can face when the ghost of an old romance resurfaces.
As Matthew Syed reminisces about his own experiences, he delves into the reasons why our first loves are unforgettable.
Featuring Professor Catherine Loveday, Jeannie Thompson, and Professor Adam Fetterman.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound design and mixing: Naomi Clarke
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001s5gy)
Conspiracy theories and the Israel Gaza conflict
It's claimed social media videos featuring bogus "crisis actors" are being used by both sides as part of the conflict's information war. We explore the meaning of these allegations. We evaluate the implications for the media outlined in the King's Speech. And former Controller of BBC One, Peter Fincham, talks about his new podcast Have You Seen?
Guests: Louise Callaghan, Middle East Correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times; Robert Topinka, Senior Lecturer School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Birkbeck, University of London; Daniel Thomas, Global Media Editor, Financial Times; Seana David, Misinformation Specialist, Reuters; Peter Fincham, Co-host, Have You Seen?
Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Simon Richardson
WED 17:00 PM (m001s5hd)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s5j6)
Israeli troops and tanks have tightened their grip on the area
WED 18:30 I Don't Know What To Say (m001s5jm)
We have all been in a situation where we don’t know what to say, or how best to support a friend during a major negative life event. When Laura Smyth was diagnosed with breast cancer she was blown away (and highly amused) at how poorly many around her responded to the news. From pulling the wrong face, to offering medical advice sourced on YouTube, to simply panicking and saying nothing at all… we have a tendency to put our foot in it.
In this half-hour special, Laura applies her award-winning stand up skills to the world of grieving, sharing funny and poignant anecdotes from her journey with cancer and her interactions with friends, family and strangers.
She asks why it is so difficult to say the right thing when trying to support loved ones, explores the sometimes unrealistic expectations that grievers put upon others, and speaks to psychotherapist Philippa Perry to get an expert opinion.
There may not be a perfect solution or ideal response, but can we all be better at knowing what to say?
Written and performed by Laura Smyth
Produced by Sasha Bobak
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum
An EcoAudio certified production
It is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m001s5k2)
Emma notes Oliver’s frosty attitude towards Ed and Eddie. Ed details how the land sale will impact him before Emma tells him to stop whingeing and make a plan. With the security of Little Grange at risk, she thinks both Eddie and Ed should apologise to Oliver. She then decides to see Oliver herself, finding him at the shoot, entertaining the hotel’s partners. Oliver appreciates her visit, but he’d have preferred Ed to come himself. Distracted Oliver then apologises for not giving Emma his full attention, but assures her Little Grange is safe.
On her return Emma’s annoyed that Ed and Eddie still haven’t talked about patching things up with Oliver. Eddie believes Oliver’s set on erasing a piece of Grundy history. Emma says to look to the future, but Eddie can only see developers on the horizon and no space for the Grundys. Eddie rounds on Emma, her family is sorted when it comes to inheritance. But with Oliver, the Grundys have no rights whatsoever.
Helen updates Joy on Jack wanting to see Rob. She doesn’t think Jack even knows what he’d say if he met Rob. But Jack keeps coming back to: Henry saw Rob, so why can’t he? As Helen talks about the pros and cons of a meeting, Henry appears. He’s cross that Helen’s even considering it and calls her a liar. She promised she’d never let Jack see Rob. She explains that simply refusing Jack’s request isn’t working. But if they don’t refuse she thinks eventually Jack will lose interest anyway.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m001s5kh)
Front Row reviews 1623, to mark the anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio
To mark 400 hundred years to the day since the First Folio of Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies was published according to the True Original Copies, the BBC is celebrating this with a season of Shakespeare programmes. Front Row is looking aslant at the other artistic, literary and cultural events of 1623.
Tom Sutcliffe hears from artist historian Karen Hearn about the impact of the first Palladian building in England and what was being painted. Lucy Munro traces the influence of The Spanish Match (which didn’t happen) on drama. The conductor Jeremy Summerly tells Tom about the music being played and sung that year. Folklorist Steve Roud reveals how the news was delivered in broadside ballads, which found their way into Shakespeare’s plays, and singer Lisa Knapp sings one. This was the year when John Donne wrote ‘no man is an island’. The big draw, apart from Donne’s preaching, was the elephant sent by the King of Spain.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Julian May
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001s5kv)
How should we remember the dead and the living?
The Met police has warned of a "growing" risk of violence and disorder this Remembrance weekend. The Prime Minister has described a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London on Armistice Day as “provocative and disrespectful” to those who wish to remember the war dead “in peace and dignity”. The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said it was "a stain on our common humanity" that so many seem to have "lost sight of the moral distance between Hamas and Israel". Others, however, strongly refute the description of the demonstrations as “hate marches”, believing that the protesters should be allowed to campaign for a ceasefire and an end to the killing; and to show solidarity with Palestinians without undermining either the remembrance events or the humanity of Israelis.
The polarising nature of the Israel-Hamas war and its repercussions in the UK has resulted in both sides accusing the other of ‘weaponising’ remembrance. Public attitudes to commemoration have changed over the last century and notions of a country honouring the ultimate sacrifice of its soldiers can be hard to disentangle politically from conflicts of the day.
What are we really doing on Remembrance Day? While for some it is a deep expression of sorrow for the dead and a formal commitment to peace, others believe it risks celebrating past acts of killing, which translates into justifying present militarism and violence. If rising conflicts around the world suggest humanity has not learned from the mistakes of the past – what is the moral purpose of remembrance? How should we remember the dead as well as those who are living through conflict today?
Producer: Dan Tierney.
WED 21:00 When It Hits the Fan (m001s5l5)
Rishi and Elon, Robert de Niro and that M&S ad
Rishi Sunak’s fireside chat with Elon Musk following the UK’s AI Safety Summit has been criticised as a PR disaster for the Prime Minister. But was it really a fan-hitting moment for him? Or just a vision of the future new world order?
Also, as Robert de Niro is in court in the US battling out a very public spat with his former assistant, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the often hidden role of litigation PR.
And the controversy surrounding the Marks and Spencer Christmas ad – is sorry always the best way to avoid a fan-hitting moment? Plus reverse ferrets, bear traps and lonely sheep…
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 (m001s5gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001s5lh)
Israel claims mass exit of civilians from Gaza city
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have escaped from Gaza City and we hear from our BBC team who was allowed in with the Israeli military for the first time since the war began. Also on the programme we find out why Kenyans are being given a bank holiday to plant trees, why so many American babies are being born with syphilis and we hear about the impact of the now-banned substance - nitrous oxide in the UK.
WED 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3kph)
Ep 8 - The Haunter of the Dark
The stress of the investigation is taking a heavy toll on the team. Disharmony grows; an unwise decision is made and key understanding of the situation is challenged.
Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Eleanor Peck - Nicola Walker
Victoria Ness - Catherine Kanter
Caroline Morse - Kate Isitt
Wilberforce Ashington-Heath - Rufus Wright
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
WED 23:00 Big Little Questions (m001s5m0)
Freddie Asks...
Comedians Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill, aka The Delightful Sausage, tackle big questions from the curious minds of little kids.
We kick off the series with an inventive question from Freddie. Amy and Chris learn all about Thomas Edison and find out the unsettling consequences of eating way too many boiled eggs. They also meet Nirmal, their BBC-appointed Expertologist.
Cast
Chris Cantrill
Amy Gledhill
Sunil Patel
Richard David-Caine
Written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill
Researcher - Tashi Radha
Original Music - Joe da Costa
Sound Design - Alisdair McGregor
Produced by Hannah Moulder
A Various Artists Ltd production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 The Skewer (m001s5mj)
Series 10
Episode 5
Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes.
This week - the HamM&S Christmas advert, Matt Hancock: Infinity War, and Ray Mears goes camping with Suella Braverman.
Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
The Skewer was twisted by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Darren Phillips
Phil Lindsey
David Riffkin
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Dave Wol
and
Tony Churnside
With additional material by:
Ali Panting
Anna Martin
Helen Brooks
Alice Gregg
Mike Battle
Adrian Fisk
Kevin Smith
John Weston
Beechar & Pullar
Arfie Mansfield
David Kidder
John Upton
Duncan Ladkin
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001s5mt)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the government on the situation in Gaza.
THURSDAY 09 NOVEMBER 2023
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001s5n0)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjf8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s5n6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s5nf)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s5nm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001s5nv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s5p1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Planting Hyacinths
Good morning.
For many years, autumn has been, for me, all about the cosiness of home, watching the tender changes in nature around, and visiting book fairs. Frankfurt is a favorite. Every year, though, our conversations with the international publishers there are becoming grimmer and the questions more poignant. There are quite a few Tolkien fans among us, and the feeling we've been sharing for a while is that Mordor is getting stronger, and hope is imperiled. Exchanging the news from our own corners of the world, the current predominant language, and altering narratives, we've been checking our inner compasses, too. And the best news of all was that the arrows have still been pointing North.
As Tim, my colleague, observed solemnly in the noisy aisle of the fair, whatever the political shifts are, the suffering of the innocent is the story we must keep focusing on, reaching out to them in any way possible and planting the seeds of understanding in our own gardens even now - or now especially.
It reminded me of a BBC drama series episode about the second world war I watched many years ago. There, the field hospital is located in the forests of France. One of the female volunteers asks her family back home to send her a big box of hyacinth bulbs. She goes to the forest, makes a small garden, and plants them all. When spotted by a nurse, the girl explains: 'I just want to have something to look to during this winter.'
The winter is inevitable. But someday, it will end. And the hyacinths will bloom if we dare - and care - to plant them amidst all this chaos.
Dear Lord, please help me not to lose heart but trust in Your goodness.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001s5p7)
09/11/23 Sugar price row, turkeys and bird flu, live export ban
The Government has intervened in an increasingly furious row between British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union over the price farmers will be paid for sugar beet next year.
Some turkey farmers are bringing forward their Christmas plans in an effort to beat bird flu. As we reported, this time last year many were dealing with outbreaks on their farms and though this year (so far) there have been fewer cases, turkey farmers are taking extra measures to protect flocks.
We hear a warning of the impact of the Government's decision to ban the export of live animals for slaughter. This was proposed but then dropped by the Government back in May. It's now been revived and appeared in the King's speech earlier this week. The Farmers' Union of Wales says it is not good news for farmers.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09v2x52)
Andy Clements on Pink-footed Geese
Andy Clements of the British Trust for Ornithology explains why he finds the sound of Pink-footed Geese so exciting as they fly overhead calling to one another.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
THU 06:00 Today (m001s5d7)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001s5ds)
The Barbary Corsairs
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the North African privateers who, until their demise in the nineteenth century, were a source of great pride and wealth in their home ports, where they sold the people and goods they’d seized from Christian European ships and coastal towns. Nominally, these corsairs were from Algiers, Tunis or Tripoli, outreaches of the Ottoman empire, or Salé in neighbouring Morocco, but often their Turkish or Arabic names concealed their European birth. Murad Reis the Younger, for example, who sacked Baltimore in 1631, was the Dutchman Jan Janszoon who also had a base on Lundy in the Bristol Channel. While the European crowns negotiated treaties to try to manage relations with the corsairs, they commonly viewed these sailors as pirates who were barely tolerated and, as soon as France, Britain, Spain and later America developed enough sea power, their ships and bases were destroyed.
With
Joanna Nolan
Research Associate at SOAS, University of London
Claire Norton
Former Associate Professor of History at St Mary’s University, Twickenham
And Michael Talbot
Associate Professor in the History of the Ottoman Empire and the Modern Middle East at the University of Greenwich
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Robert C. Davis, Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500-1800 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)
Peter Earle, Corsairs of Malta and Barbary (Sidgwick and Jackson, 1970)
Des Ekin, The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates (O’Brien Press, 2008)
Jacques Heers, The Barbary Corsairs: Warfare in the Mediterranean, 1450-1580 (Skyhorse Publishing, 2018)
Colin Heywood, The Ottoman World: The Mediterranean and North Africa, 1660-1760 (Routledge, 2019)
Alan Jamieson, Lords of the Sea: A History of the Barbary Corsairs (Reaktion Books, 2013)
Julie Kalman, The Kings of Algiers: How Two Jewish Families Shaped the Mediterranean World during the Napoleonic Wars and Beyond (Princeton University Press, 2023)
Stanley Lane-Poole, The Story of the Barbary Corsairs (T. Unwin, 1890)
Sally Magnusson, The Sealwoman’s Gift (A novel - Two Roads, 2018)
Philip Mansel, Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean (John Murray, 2010)
Nabil Matar, Turks, Moors and Englishmen in the Age of Discovery (Columbia University Press, 1999)
Nabil Matar, Britain and Barbary, 1589-1689 (University Press of Florida, 2005)
Giles Milton, White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa’s One Million European Slaves (Hodder and Stoughton, 2004)
Claire Norton (ed.), Conversion and Islam in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Lure of the Other (Routledge, 2017)
Claire Norton, ‘Lust, Greed, Torture and Identity: Narrations of Conversion and the Creation of the Early Modern 'Renegade' (Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 29/2, 2009)
Daniel Panzac, The Barbary Corsairs: The End of a Legend, 1800-1820 (Brill, 2005)
Rafael Sabatini, The Sea Hawk (a novel - Vintage Books, 2011)
Adrian Tinniswood, Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the 17th century (Vintage Books, 2010)
D. Vitkus (ed.), Piracy, Slavery and Redemption: Barbary Captivity Narratives from Early Modern England (Columbia University Press, 2001)
J. M. White, Piracy and Law in the Ottoman Mediterranean (Stanford University Press, 2018)
THU 09:45 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfd)
Series 3
Harold Macmillan as Supermac
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Harold Macmillan as Supermac.
In the mid 1950s, both Harold Macmillan and Superman were on upward trajectories, albeit very different ones. Yet suddenly, and unexpectedly, towards the end of the decade, their careers intersected and overlapped. The person who brought them together was Victor Weisz, the cartoonist. He was a talented artist with left-leaning sympathies, whose cartoons appeared in British newspapers under the by-line of ‘Vicky’.
Vicky’s heyday coincided with Harold Macmillan’s rise and fall as a Prime Minister. And it was while at the Evening Standard that Vicky produced his most famous caricature of Macmillan, introducing ‘Supermac’ to the world. It was an image Macmillan quickly appropriated to enhance his image, but once his popularity was on the wane, the Supermac image was finally turned against him in the way that Vicky had originally intended.
David visits the cartoon archive at the University of Kent, and he speaks to the cartoonist Steve Bell about how Vicky’s caricatures have influenced his own take on a more recent Prime Minister, John Major.
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins
A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001s5fh)
Nour Swirki in Gaza, Baroness Falkender's secrets, Divorce, Alzheimer's, Hot flushes
We have been bringing you women's voices from Israel and Gaza since the start of the war. Yesterday, you will have heard on the programme Rachel Goldberg, mother of a 23-year-old hostage Hersh Goldberg Polin, kidnapped by Hamas from a music festival in Israel. Today, we hear from a mother in Gaza. Nour Swirki is a journalist with two children living in Khan Younis, a city in the southern strip of Gaza, with her husband, mother and sister - they have had to leave their home in Gaza City for safety reasons and relocate to the south - a fraught journey many more Palestinians are expected to make. Due to the difficulties in speaking live to guests in Gaza, we asked Nour to record for us voice notes explaining the situation she and her family are currently in. She and her husband continue to work as journalists while her wider family look after her children - a son and daughter aged 10 and 12.
The ABC News Breakfast guest host Imogen Crump has been praised for helping to normalise symptoms of perimenopause, after she experienced a severe hot flush on live television. Emma Barnett asks her about what happened.
Research from the University of Bristol demonstrates that women can lose out financially when they divorce. The number of couples seeking legal advice during divorce proceedings is falling, and old-fashioned procedures that disadvantage women are being used. To find out more, and get advice on how to make sure you are not penalised financially, Emma speaks to financial planner Megan Jenkins and family lawyer Amanda McAlister.
The NHS is launching a new study into Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, which affects around twice as many women as men. The study, a joint project with Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society, will use a blood test to detect for the disease at an early stage. There is currently no single test for Alzheimer's and patients can wait years for a diagnosis. Dr Susan Mitchell, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, one of the charities leading this study talks to Emma.
Emma talks to journalist Linda McDougall about her new biography of Marcia Williams, who went on to become Baroness Falkender. Linda hopes to shift public perception of the Baroness as a Svengali figure who influenced Prime Minister Harold Wilson during the sixties and seventies, and gain recognition for her achievements for the Labour Party. Linda's alternative history is called Marcia Williams, The Life and Times of Baroness Falkender.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Studio manager: Duncan Hannant
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m001s5ft)
Acapulco in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis
Kate Adie presents stories from Mexico, Israel, Pakistan, Georgia and Romania.
On October 24, high winds started howling around the Mexican beach city of Acapulco. In barely 12 hours, unseasonably warm seawater off the coast had turned a common tropical storm into Category 5 Hurricane Otis. James Fredrick visited Acapulco in the days after the storm.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, tensions have been rising in Israel’s mixed cities: places which, while majority Jewish, have a sizeable Arab population. Emily Wither meets a grassroots peace group working to bring people from communities together in tense times.
In October, Pakistan’s government announced that any foreign national who does not have the paperwork to stay in the country would be deported from 1st November. The policy will mostly affect an estimated 1.7 million Afghan nationals in the country. Caroline Davies travelled to the border region to meet those ordered to return.
Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, a valley region not far from the border with Russia, has a troubled history. In the early 2000s the region became a base for Chechen separatists in their war with Russia, and become synonymous in media coverage with Islamist extremism. In recent years, a group of Chechen women entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to change the negative stereotype of their community, as Sally Howard found.
Romania’s state healthcare service is one of the most poorly funded in the European Union, with several scandals emerging in recent years. Stephen McGrath has reported on Romania’s medical system many times, but recently he found himself at the heart of it - as a patient.
Producer: Viv Jones
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
THU 11:30 A Good Read (m001s5g9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
THU 12:00 News Summary (m001s61y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001s5h0)
Gap Finders: Ed Perry and Rosie Brown from COOK
In our Gap Finders interview today we meet the brother and sister duo behind the frozen ready meal company COOK.
Ed Perry and Rosie Brown are joint Chief Commercial Officers of the food company which was founded in 1997. Ed and Rosie's parents ran cafes, that Ed and Rosie worked in, and made frozen cakes. Their mother's habit of batch cooking meals, and freezing half for mid-week dinners inspired them to create a company that made high quality frozen meals.
The company has been in operation for more than 25 years now and has 98 shops across England, Wales and Scotland. It's best selling meals are Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie, and Lasagne.
The company has a strong community minded ethos, and aims to treat employees, suppliers and the environment with respect. Choosing so far not to deal with the big 4 supermarkets because they don't want to drive down quality and cut corners.
The business has had a lot to contend with in its 25 years history, including the 2008 recession and the war in Ukraine which has driven up ingredient costs and eroded their profit margins. Ed and Rosie talk to Winifred about the tough decisions they've made to keep the company going.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001s5hc)
Ice Baths
Do the claims made about Ice Baths hold water?
Social media appears to be filled with countless people sitting blissfully in small inflatable ‘ice baths’. Fans of such ‘cold water therapy’ claim that taking a chilly plunge will boost your energy levels, reduce your stress, help you sleep better, and supercharge your recovery after a workout. Listener Laura wants to know if the science backs that up.
In this episode, I dip my toe - and the rest of me - into an ice bath to find out. I'm guided by Professor Mike Tipton at the University of Portsmouth, one of the leading academics in the study of cold water and its effects on the body.
If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad relating to another consumer product and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807
Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Simon Hoban
THU 12:57 Weather (m001s5hr)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m001s5j4)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
THU 13:45 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s5jn)
4. Trees
The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.
Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.
On the face of it, there’s nothing that offensive about a tree. But in this episode Anna explores how for some, they’re beginning to represent a threat to their identity, their sense of control…and even their community.
For Anthony Geddes, the growing hostility towards trees has contributed to him leaving his job in forestry: “You feel like you're in this sort of this embattled environment where it's really difficult to be the person who's talking about trees.”
Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones
THU 14:00 The Archers (m001s5k2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Broken Colours (m001g394)
Series 2
Episode 4
Jess and Dan work out what really happened on the night of the attack by Magners' gang. Jess finally meets the Blue Rider, and Dan has to face a life changing decision. Will he have the strength?
Holli Dempsey and Josef Altin star in a thriller of conflicting perception from Matthew Broughton, creator of podcast drama Tracks.
CAST
Jess…..Holli Dempsey
Dan…..Josef Altin
Melissa….Alexandria Riley
Gina.....Suzanne Packer
Anthony Wheeler.....Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Blue Rider….Olivia Vinall
Ronnie Vaz….Alun Raglan
Directed by John Norton
Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales
THU 15:00 Open Country (m001s5ld)
Mountain Rescue
The mountain rescue team in Wasdale in the Lake District have recorded their busiest year so far with some of the harshest winter months still to come. The Langdale Ambleside team have also already reached their average annual incident rate - two months before the end of the year. Across the peaks of the UK, Mountain Rescue teams are coming under increasing pressure as visitor numbers soar.
Helen Mark meets members of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue team and the Langdale Ambleside team in the Langdale Valley, to find out why they are getting called out so often. Both teams want people to come to the mountains and lakes that they love, but with the right knowledge and respect for a landscape which can be lethal.
Certain spots in the lakes have been pictured and shared on social media drawing in more visitors, who may not be prepared for challenging terrain and bad weather. Ross Davidson is a photographer who has begun to question whether the incredible sunsets and sunrises he shares online might be part of the problem.
The Mountain Rescue teams love their work and want everyone to enjoy their landscape, but as volunteers giving up their free time to help others, they're questioning whether they can sustain the rapidly increasing call-outs. That’s why they, and the celebrated mountaineer Alan Hinkes, are asking hikers and climbers to be "adventure smart" by making sure they have the knowledge, the equipment and the right conditions to make the most of these dramatic landscapes.
Produced by Helen Lennard
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001s52m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (m001s53t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 Legend (m001s5lr)
The Joni Mitchell Story
2. Lady of the Canyon
Joni Mitchell’s songs have soundtracked our lives and her pioneering work changed music forever. Jesca Hoop explores her extraordinary story to reveal the life behind the legend.
In episode two we follow Joni from 1964 through to late 1969. Joni makes a 'bad marriage', signs adoption papers, leaves a bad marriage, makes it to Greenwich Village and then to LA's Laurel Canyon. We find out about the inspiration for some of her best known songs, including Little Green and Both Sides Now. In 1968, her recording career begins with her debut album 'Song to a Seagull'; with two more records following in quick succession - Clouds, and Ladies of the Canyon. In 1969, she is heartbroken to miss out on one of the biggest events of her generation - Woodstock. But - despite not getting to go - she writes a song that will help to define the event, and the era, in the popular imagination.
“I’ve always been a creature of change” – Joni Mitchell
Through archive, fresh interviews, narration, immersive sound design and an original score, we trace the story of an extraordinary life and explore what makes Joni Mitchell a singular artist: the genius of her lyrics; her incredible talent as guitarist, painter and producer; and her restless drive for innovation.
In Legend, we follow Joni from her ‘flatlander’ childhood on the Canadian prairies, through the folk clubs of Toronto and Detroit, to a redwood cottage in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon, to a cave in Crete, to a deserted desert highway, to recording studios and stages around the world. From her earliest home recordings to masterpieces like Blue, Court and Spark, and Hejira, we explore some of the stories behind her best-loved songs and celebrate her remarkable return to live performance in 2023: “like seeing, in the wild, a rare bird long feared extinct”.
Our guide through the series is the California-born, Manchester-based musician, Jesca Hoop. Jesca speaks to musicians like Blake Mills, Allison Russell, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, who have played alongside Joni, and we hear tributes from those, like musician John Grant, who have been inspired and influenced by her music. We also hear from Joni's friends, including Larry Klein and Graham Nash; and from music critics and biographers, including Ann Powers, David Yaffe, Lindsay Zoladz, Kate Mossman, Barney Hoskyns, Miles Grier and Jenn Pelly.
The Joni Mitchell Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).
Producers: Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas
Production Coordinator: Andrew Lewis
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Story Editor: Emma Harding
Story Consultant: John Yorke
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Studio Engineers: Ilse Lademann and Michael Harrison
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001s5m3)
Loss and damages for vulnerable countries
Professor Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, has died. He was instrumental in pushing for a loss and damages fund for vulnerable countries affected by climate change. Last year’s COP27 climate conference made a pledge to set up this fund. But, as yet, there is not one in place. Marnie Chesterton speaks to BBC climate reporter Esme Stallard about Professor Huq’s legacy, and where the money will come from for a loss and damages fund.
We also hear about an unusual snail that’s looking for love, with the help of matchmaking academic Dr Angus Davison. He’s hoping to find a suitor for the mollusc.
Marnie talks to Lev Parikian, author of Taking Flight: The Evolutionary Story of Life on the Wing, which has been shortlisted for this year’s Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.
Geneticist, Professor Giles Yeo, who recently cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats with two glucose monitors attached to his arms, gives us an update on his research. He wanted to find out how diet and exercise affected his body’s sugar levels.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Hannah Robins, Harrison Lewis and Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Editor: Richard Collings
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.
THU 17:00 PM (m001s5mg)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s5my)
The Home Secretary questioned whether police "play favourites" when dealing with protests
THU 18:30 It's a Fair Cop (m000vjn9)
Series 6
1. Dog Theft
Alfie tackles the crime of dog theft which saw a huge rise in cases during the COVID pandemic.
Alfie takes us back to his time with the Humberside Police when he was called out to investigate the case of a missing dog. Is this even a police matter in the first place? Is it ok to offer a reward for the safe return of the dog with "no questions asked"? Alfie and the remote audience answer these questions and more with the help of a new online voting system that keeps the listeners on their toes as they're sworn in as police officers for the duration of the show.
Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Production Co-ordinator: Beverly Tagg
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
First transmitted in April 2021
THU 19:00 The Archers (m001s5n4)
At Berrow, Jazzer gets increasingly frustrated when the computer he’s using crashes again. Hannah encourages him to keep going with the management training, but quickly realises he doesn’t actually want the job. Jazzer’s worried about letting Tracy down, but Hannah tells him to stop beating himself up. Later, in The Bull, Jazzer tells Tracy he’s not going for Hannah’s job after all – he’s good around pigs not being stuck in an office. He thought Tracy would be fuming, but she says she loves him no matter what. Jazzer then gets a message from Hannah saying she’s moving in with Stella, so she can stay on at Berrow after all.
At the Tearoom George talks Tracy and Emma through the merchandising methods Bridge Farm are using to boost sales. Emma thinks he sounds just like Natasha. Helen comes in and asks Emma about Oliver’s land sale progress. She mentions Bridge Farm could be interested, then switches focus to the newly arrived promo stands, yet to go out on the tables. Sensitive to Fallon’s issues with the Tearoom ownership, Helen compromises by having just one stand at the till. Later, Emma reports the promotion is doing well. When Helen has to leave suddenly to collect Jack from school, George offers to man the shop. Emma is proud of him for stepping up. George asks about the Grange Farm land sale and Emma says Martyn Gibson is going to look round tomorrow. George wonders if he can put Martyn off somehow, but Emma tells him to stay out of it.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m001s5nb)
Anatomy of a Fall, Pete McKee, Wu-Tang Clan 30th anniversary
Tonight on Front Row - reviews of something old and something new. At this year's Cannes Film Festival, Anatomy of a Fall, a whodunnit fused with a portrait of a marriage and wrapped up in courtroom drama, won the Palme d'Or, and thirty years ago today, hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan released their seminal debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers). Musician and writer Bob Stanley, and music journalist Vie Marshall have been watching and listening and share their thoughts
On the side of a pub in Sheffield "The Snog" - a mural of a middle-aged couple in a tight-embrace - by the artist Pete McKee has become a much-loved work of public art. Now McKee has expanded the story of the couple, Frank & Joy, into an immersive installation - the creation of fictional pub The Buffer's Rest - at Trafalgar Warehouse. He talks to Nick about creating Frank & Joy - A Love Story.
Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
THU 20:00 Law in Action (m001s5l9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m001s5nl)
Blockbuster drugs
New medicines with sales in the billions of dollars each year are what every pharmaceutical company dreams of, but how do you create one and can they really justify their often high price tags?
Evan Davis and guests discuss the changing origins of so-called 'blockbusters' and their importance to the global drug industry, including recent examples like the obesity and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic, which have made Novo Nordisk one of the richest companies in Europe.
Plus, as outright cures for some diseases begin to emerge, how can the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare systems agree on what is a reasonable price to pay for them?
Evan is joined by:
Sir Patrick Vallance, former president of research and development at GSK, chief scientific advisor to the UK government, now chair of the Natural History Museum;
Ruth McKernan, venture partner at SV Health Investors;
David Brown, chairman and co-founder of Healx and co-creator of Viagra;
Natasha Loder, health editor, The Economist.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
(Picture: Rolls of dollar bills next to a bottle of pills. Credit: Getty Images)
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001s5m3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001s5ds)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001s5nw)
Is Braverman facing the sack?
Rishi Sunak is under pressure to fire Home Secretary Suella Braverman - after she defied Downing Street over a newspaper article on the police. We'll ask whether it's a matter of when, not if, Ms Braverman faces the sack.
Also on the World Tonight:
In Taiwan we see how the military is ramping up its capabilities amid fears of a Chinese attack.
And ever fancied being a Lord or a Lady? The Lord of Walthamstow tells us why he's auctioning off his historic title - along with its main perks.
THU 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3l5z)
Ep 9 - The Haunter of the Dark
Slide helps Kennedy and Ness crack the code. The women lead the way to Suffolk, and a house near Dunwich. The investigation is gathering pace.
Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Victoria Ness - Catherine Kanter
Slide - Ferdinand Kingsley
Eleanor Peck - Nicolas Walker
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m001s5p5)
The Politics of Protest: Suella Braverman vs the police
Why did the Home Secretary write a newspaper column that puts her on a collision course with both the UK’s most senior police officer… and seemingly the prime minister?
In this week’s podcast Amol and Nick look at the politics of protest – and what exactly Suella Braverman is trying to achieve by taking on the police, ahead of a proposed march through London on Armistice Day calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
They’re joined by Neil Basu, who served for thirty years in the Met Police, including as national lead for counter-terrorism. For many years he was deputy to current Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.
Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme.
If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
The producers are Tom Smithard and Stephanie Mitcalf. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Studio direction from Phil Bull.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001s5pb)
Susan Hulme reports amid uproar over Suella Braverman's comments on policing, MPs continue to debate the King's Speech - and the pros and cons of AI.
FRIDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2023
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001s5pg)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s5pl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s5pq)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s5pv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001s5py)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s5q0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster
Kissing Loved Ones Goodbye
Good morning.
Whenever there is a difficult choice or a challenging decision, I feel humbled and grateful to have the people I can look back and look up to.
My great-grandfather was drafted right at the beginning of the second world war. As an officer, he had to be trained 2,500 kilometers away from home. His young wife missed him terribly and decided she could not let him go to war without her kiss - days later, her husband was sent to the frontline. Before being drafted, he was a schoolteacher. Teachers were needed back home, so he was soon demobilized.
When the Communists established their rule in his town, he was told he could not mention God in the school. So, he resigned and became a priest instead. He knew his wife and their four children would be oppressed but persisted. The decisions of my great-grandfather still inform mine. His old map is hanging on my wall. His little book is always at hand. I took it with me when we had to flee Ukraine at the beginning of the invasion. And brought it back home as we returned.
Today, I think of those who will never have a chance to kiss their loved ones goodbye. And I keep hoping that the sacrifice of the people defending justice will not be in vain.
Lord of justice and peace, I pray for those who suffer and remember their past sacrifices, those who lost their loved ones in war, and those who are going through the pain of separation, may you be their comforter and stronghold.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001s5q2)
10/11/23 Methane in livestock; Avian influenza and wild birds; Dairy exports
We look at agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon-dioxide-versus-methane debate. Some farmers argue that cattle numbers don't have to come down in order to reduce agriculture's emissions because the methane cattle produce lasts only for about a decade in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide on the other hand, lasts for thousands of years and so, the argument goes, it's more important to produce less of that, leaving cattle on pasture which itself can sequester CO2. We bring together two academics - Professor Myles Allen and Professor Sir Charles Godfray - who are both quoted to support the arguments on either side of the debate. Now the two Oxford professors have agreed a way forward, which involves reducing methane levels and reducing global temperatures.
The risk of avian influenza in wild birds has been officially reduced from high to medium after a reduction in the number of cases - in kept poultry the risk remains low. We're looking at the impact of avian flu all week. For farmers it can be devastating and it is changing the way they produce poultry. Conservationists want more research into wild bird populations, where tens of thousands of birds have died. We visit a nature reserve in Scotland and speak to the RPSB's senior policy officer on avian flu.
A new £1 million pound dairy export programme's been launched by the government. It was promised by the Prime Minister at the farm-to-fork Summit in May. Currently the UK exports about £2 billion of dairy products every year, to 135 countries. A new dairy export task force, with farmers, processors and government is looking at reducing 'barriers to trade' and opening up more markets.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09v6zjj)
Sarah Harris on the Blackbird
Sarah Harris of the British Trust for Ornithology recalls the excitement of watching clouds of migrating blackbirds arriving at Spurn in East Yorkshire from the continent as they seek out the milder winter weather here.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Emilpix.
FRI 06:00 Today (m001s62j)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001s53c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfg)
Series 3
Edward Heath's Yacht
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Edward Heath's yacht.
Edward Heath took up sailing at the relatively late age of 50, and his mid-life career as a sailor developed with extraordinary speed - he bought his first yacht Morning Cloud in 1969 and won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race later that year. He then captained Britain's winning team for the Admiral's Cup in 1971, while Prime Minister. It was a huge sporting achievement and the idea of yachting emphasised risk taking and competence. But Heath's passion for yachting also reflects something of the extraordinary isolation of his personality. The fact that Heath’s third yacht was sunk in a storm and two crew members died in 1974, seemed a tragic metaphor for the demise of his political career.
David goes to Broadstairs Sailing Club to find out how it all started, and he visits Sir Edward's former home, Arundells, in Salisbury, to look at the bow section salvaged from the wreckage of Morning Cloud III, which has been put on display in the garden.
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins
A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001s62r)
Swearing, The 'grey pound' and fashion, A story of brutal crime, forgiveness and empathy
If you've been following the Covid inquiry, you may have noticed a lot of strong and swearing language. So why do we swear, and are women judged differently for swearing than men? In her new book For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing is Shocking, Rude, and Fun, Dr Rebecca Roache explores double standards, the misogynistic roots of certain swear words and the challenges in reclaiming them. Anita Rani is also joined by the scientist Dr Emma Byrne who discusses why she swears, swearing in front of children and her own relationship with certain swear words.
In 1985 in Gary, Indiana, four girls aged between 14 and 16 years old entered the house of an elderly woman and brutally murdered her. They took her car and a small amount of cash. The girls were black and the woman was white. Ruth Pelke was a Bible school teacher, a widow, well-known in her community. Those facts are not disputed. A new book called Seventy Times Seven by Alex Mar is a forensic study of what happened before and after that day and her focus is on Paula Cooper - a 15-year-old girl sentenced to death for her crime. So far, so grim, but this is also a story of forgiveness and radical empathy. Alex Mar joins Anita.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
FRI 11:00 The Invention Of... (m001s62t)
Turkey
A Balancing Act
Misha Glenny and Miles Warde take a ride over the Bosphorus to see the old Hyderpasha railway station - the Asian bulkhead of the Berlin to Baghdad railway which opened in 1909. The Ottoman alliance with Germany had implications for the Middle East that are still being felt to this day.
"This was a place of intrigue, spies and glamour. For four and half centuries Istanbul had been the centre of the empire, right up until the end of the first world war. At which point the empire was divided up, broken up, partitioned into mandates – Syria and Lebanon under the French, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq to the British, this based on the famous Sykes-Picot line agreed in 1916. The Ottoman empire had joined the wrong side in the war, and was going to pay. You could say this region is still paying, such has been the failure of those lines drawn in the sand."
Contributors include Soli Ozel of Kadir Has University; Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans; and Suzy Hansen whose Notes on a Foreign Country was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
FRI 11:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m000p8dh)
Series 10
Brighton
Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 with a short series of shows recorded outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.
For the first ever outdoor Mark Steel's In Town episode, and Radio 4 Comedy's first ever COVID-friendly audience show, what better place to start than on Brighton beach?
Famous for its pavilion, piers and progressive nature as well as for being the playground of George, Prince Regent, Brighton welcomes Mark where he performs on the pebbles, accompanied by the sound of the waves, with a busy zip-wire ride and squawking seagulls overhead. A first for the show but a completely normal day in life of the people of Brighton.
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Beverly Tagg
Sound Manager, Jerry Peal
Producer, Carl Cooper
Picture Credit, Tom Stanier
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001s63n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m001s62y)
Political symbols at work
A photo that appeared to show an NHS healthcare worker wearing a Palestine badge caused a heated debate on social media. Some say during the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestine flag becomes a political symbol and therefore breaches the principal that NHS staff should appear to be impartial. Others point to a double standard and question why the poppy can be worn by state sector workers even though some believe it is a political symbol. What counts as 'political' and how free should we feel in the workplace to express our beliefs?
FRI 12:57 Weather (m001s630)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m001s632)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
FRI 13:45 Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside (m001s634)
5. The Urban/Rural Divide
The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding.
Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds.
In this episode Anna gets personal and explores her own journey across the urban/rural divide. Why did she long for the city when her parents stayed on the farm? And does this cultural division contribute to the other culture wars covered throughout the series?
Presented by Anna Jones
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001s5n4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001s636)
Harland - Series 3
Harland - 4. Diu eathamon
Fordingbridge is on the trail of Keshia who he believes is a Hare Witch. Still devastated by his father's betrayal, Dan continues his search for the four Hare Witches not yet knowing if they will bring about salvation or the end of the world. By Lucy Catherine.
Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Morris ..... Rupert Holliday Evans
Sadie ..... Melissa Advani
Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine
Fordingbridge ..... Sean Baker
Keshia ..... Rhiannon Neads
DCI Cummins ..... John Lightbody
Dom-Rob ..... Josh Bryant-Jones
DJ ..... Don Gilet
Production Co-ordinator ..... Jenny Mendez
Technical Producer ..... Andrew Garratt
Sound Design by Peter Ringrose and Caleb Knightley
Directed by Toby Swift
A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:45 Close Encounters (m001mt80)
Alexa Chung and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
In the penultimate episode of Martha Kearney's series marking the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery in London her guest is the model, writer and presenter Alexa Chung. Alexa took the opportunity of looking around the gallery as it prepared to re-open and made a shortlist of three pictures. The first was of Emma Hamilton depicted as an alluring young woman by the artist George Romney, who was clearly besotted with her, as was Admiral Lord Nelson who's portrait hangs next to Emma's in the gallery.
She was also drawn to an earlier portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I, not least because of the luxuriant and beautifully painted green silk dress she's wearing. The gallery curator Rab MacGibbon is on hand to point out that it was often the case that details in portraits, the landscape or clothes or flowers, would be the work of different hands, while the main artist would concentrate on the face and perhaps the hands.
However Alexa finally plumps for a huge canvas painted in 1616, the earliest portrait of the series. It's of the favourite, and very probably the lover of King James I, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. It shows him at the height of his powers, wearing the order of the garter regalia. As well as the extraordinarily vivid colour and drama of his costume, Alexa is drawn, as she was with Emma Hamilton, to the image of a man blessed with little more than good looks and a quick wit. Armed with these Emma and George before her made the best of what they had, and while they may not have been popular figures with the establishments of their respective times, they made a statement, and its a statement that survives in the gallery.
Producer: Tom Alban
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001s638)
House of Lords
I’m having no luck growing chillies from seed. What am I doing wrong? Which plants would the panel recommend to bring fragrance and colour? Which way should a fig tree face to produce the most fruit?
Ready to answer all these questions and more, Kathy Clugston and her team of experts have been invited to the House of Lords for this week’s programme. Joining Kathy to offer their best horticultural tips and tricks are Head of Oxford Botanical Gardens Dr Chris Thorogood, garden designer Matthew Wilson, and plantswoman Christine Walkden.
Among the questions, Kathy chats to Baroness Fookes about the importance of gardening today.
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001s63b)
Amazon Worrier
Rachel Trezise creates a fictional response to a story in the news this week as warehouse operatives at Amazon go on strike, and the year's dream Christmas toys list is published.
She can't cross the picket line. Can she? Her Welsh relatives would be horrified: union solidarity is in her blood. But Ava's Christmas list is long and detailed.
'One of Britain's most outstanding and original' writers, Rachel Trezise is a novelist and playwright from the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. She has been described by critics as 'a master of tragi-comic fiction' and her work has won the Orange Futures award and International Dylan Thomas Prize.
Reader...Yasemin Özdemir
Producer... Mary Ward-Lowery
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001s63d)
Ken Mattingly, Anne Wright, Mary Gallacher, David Kirke
Matthew Bannister on
Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who missed flying into space on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission because he had been exposed to German measles. We have a tribute from Fred Haise who did take part in that hazardous flight.
Anne Wright, who devoted her life to conserving the wild animals of India.
Mary “Tiny” Gallacher who worked behind the scenes at Rangers Football Club in Glasgow for over 50 years.
David Kirke, the co-founder of the Dangerous Sports Club who took part in the first modern bungee jump wearing top hat and tails and carrying a bottle of champagne.
Interviewee: Fred Haise
Interviewee: Belinda Wright
Interviewee: Raza Kazmi
Interviewee: John Gallacher
Interviewee: David Mason
Interviewee: Chris Baker
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Apollo 13 official movie trailer , Universal Pictures, Universal Pictures All-Access YouTube channel, uploaded 12/04/2011; Ken Mattingly interview, NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, Thomas K. Mattingly II, interviewed by Rebecca Wright, Costa Mesa, California, 06/11/2001; NASA’s Look at 50 Years of Apollo, NASA, YouTube channel uploaded 13/04/2020; Apollo 13, CBS News Coverage of Apollo 13, 17/04/1970; Apollo 13 re-entry, BBC One, Cliff Michelmore, James Burke, Geoffery Pardoe and Patrick Moore, BBC, 17/04/1970; Anne Wright interview, Witness History, The End of British Rule in India 22/07/2014; Mary Tiny Gallacher interview, Rangers Retro , Tiny's Team, Rangers Football Club Official YouTube Channel, uploaded 25/10/2023;
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001s63g)
The Today Podcast
The Today Programme has re-entered the crowded market of news podcasts - so how do they hope to make the new offer stand out? Andrea Catherwood discusses The Today Podcast with presenter, Nick Robinson.
Long time breakfast TV presenter and journalist Sian Williams decided a few years ago to leave the newsroom and study psychology. Now Dr Sian Willians is both an NHS counselling psychologist and presenter of Radio 4’s series Life Changing which each week focuses on one person who's been through an extraordinary event that altered the course of their life. Find out more about the programme and how listeners are reacting to the series.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Gerry Cassidy
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 17:00 PM (m001s63j)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001s63r)
Israel says it is targeting Hamas fighters
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m001s63t)
Series 63
Episode 2
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They are joined by Alasdair Beckett-King who mourns his political heroes, Desiree Burch with a deep dive on fast fashion, and Huge Davies gives us his musical take on why AI might not be so bad after all.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Mike Shephard, Zoe Tomalin, Christina Riggs and Cody Dahler.
Voice actors: Daniel Barker & Gemma Arrowsmith
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001s63w)
Helen and Kirsty discuss upcoming rewilding work, how helpful Joy is being and Hannah staying in Ambridge, but Jazzer not wanting her job anyway. Helen then confides her worries about Jack, who’s told her he wants to meet Rob. Kirsty can’t understand why Helen would even contemplate letting Jack meet him, but Helen can’t risk Jack resenting her forever by not allowing it. Kirsty tries convincing Helen that all will be fine if she sits tight. Helen though is adamant, she has to do right by Jack. Helen reads out a letter Jack’s written to Rob. Kirsty doesn’t get its significance, but Helen believes it shows nothing she does will change Jack’s mind. Every bone in her body is screaming at her to keep Jack away from Rob - but for Jack’s sake she has to allow him to go. Kirsty thinks Jack could end up traumatised. Helen just has to hope she’s strong enough to protect him.
At Grange Farm Eddie finds George watering the ground around the barn that’s up for sale. George hopes it’ll put Martyn Gibson off by making it look like marshland. Eddie thinks it’s a silly plan, but is touched by George’s good intentions. After Martyn’s visit, Eddie shares some cider with George, who’s embarrassed at how rubbish his waterlogging idea was. Eddie reckons that you only really learn things through failing first. George worries about what the sale will lead to, but Eddie won’t be disheartened. He may have had a miserable week, but George has cheered him no end.
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001s63y)
Baritone Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike on a two-note masterpiece
Baritone and composer Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike - the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year at the time in 2002, aged just 12 - join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist.
The musical choices take us from one of the most famous tunes in the UK (composer unknown) to a Labi Siffre hit famously sampled by Eminem, via arguably the most recognisable film theme of all time. Labi Siffre makes an appearance to look back on his 1975 classic.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
God Save the Queen (from 1888 and 1898)
In Flanders Fields by Charles Ives and John McCrae
Jaws – Main Title by John Williams
Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major: III Perpetuum mobile by Maurice Ravel
I Got the... by Labi Siffre
Other music in this episode:
Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante
Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
God Save the King, performed by Roderick Williams and Le Concert Spirituel
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) - the National Anthem of Wales
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Vespers of 1610: Deus in adiutorium meum intende by Claudio Monteverdi
Opening of La Valse by Maurice Ravel
To Those Who Pass the Borough from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten
Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
My Name Is by Eminem
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001s640)
Phillip Brett MLA, Sir Conor Burns MP, Kate Nicholl MLA, Matthew O'Toole MLA
Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Share Discovery Village near Lisnaskea with DUP's Spokesperson for Infrastructure Phillip Brett MLA, the Conservative MP and the PM's Trade Envoy to the United States Sir Conor Burns MP, the Alliance Party's spokesperson on Migration and International Relations Kate Nicholl MLA and SDLP's cost of living spokesperson Matthew O'Toole MLA.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Will Rice
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001s642)
Material World
Zoe Strimpel is turning her sights from artsy academic interests to much more concrete ones.
Cultural warfare and events in the Middle East have left her feeling, she says, as if she's in a 'ceaselessly enraged world'.
So instead of her usual contacts in sociology, anthropology and political science, she's seeking out engineers, agriculturalists and silversmiths - 'people who actually know something about the everyday things we all depend on and how it all works.'
'I find this far more dazzling these days than a new insight on cultural Marxism, and also less depressing,' Zoe writes, 'in a world that feels as if things are in freefall, and increasingly subject to entropic and evil forces.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
FRI 21:00 The Great Post Office Trial (m000wl4b)
The Great Post Office Trial: The Reckoning
In a follow up to the ten-part series The Great Post Office Trial, Nick Wallis explores how campaigners for justice around the Post Office scandal have been continuing the fight, and reveals startling new details on the story which have emerged in court.
Since the original series aired, the government has officially launched an inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams. After controversy over its initially limited powers and scope, it's been widened and given statutory powers. Some Sub Postmasters are also seeking further legal redress, and attempting to pressure the government to cover the Sub Postmasters' costs from the initial trial. The minister responsibe, Paul Scully, sits down for his first interview on the subject with Nick Wallis.
As the potential cases of miscarriage of justice work their way through the Court of Appeal, Nick discovers revelatory new documents which cast fresh light on what was going on inside the Post Office as the scandal unfolded.
And we hear newly emerged stories of more Sub Postmasters affected, as the full scale of the story becomes clear.
Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 21:30 The Great Post Office Trial (m001n8h9)
Nowhere Near Over
Nick Wallis has been investigating the Post Office Horizon scandal for more than a decade, revealing the true story of the Post Office's persecution of its own Sub Postmasters.
A long campaign for justice has forced the launching of a wide ranging public inquiry, which started hearing evidence last year. The Post Office and the government have also agreed to run three separate compensation schemes to try and make things right.
The inquiry is forcing extraordinary evidence to light. It implicates senior staff in stunning cultural failings. But even as this picture emerges, campaigners and politicians following the scandal are ringing alarm bells about how the Post Office is behaving now.
Key people who are accused of covering up the scandal are still in their jobs, even as the Post Office claims to have turned over a new leaf. Post Office bosses recently generated fresh outrage by awarding themselves generous bonuses for helping the inquiry complete its work, despite the fact that the inquiry has only just started. Post Office CEO Nick Read has apologised and returned the bonus, after the inquiry rebuked the Post Office directly.
And, as Nick Wallis explores the Sub Postmasters' fight for fair compensation, he discovers that many feel the Post Office is treating them now just as they have treated them throughout the worst of the scandal.
In a new edition of The Great Post Office Trial, hearing from people at the heart of a fresh wave of revelations, Nick discovers a shocking truth - the scandal, even as it is being investigated by a public inquiry, is far from over.
Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Designer: Emma Barnaby
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001s644)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3m9k)
Ep 10 - The Haunter Of The Dark
Kennedy and Ness are already in deep as Byron reaches the woods near Dunwich. How long have they all got before the Ashton-Heath siblings find them? The Lovecraft Investigations conclude. But will they end well for the team?
Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Eleanor Peck - Nicola Walker
Victoria Ness - Catherine Kanter
Caroline Morse - Kate Isitt
Wilberforce Ashton-Heath - Rufus Wright
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
FRI 23:00 Americast (m001s649)
Trump’s Poll Position
As votes from Election Day 2023 were tallied up this week, wins for Democrats may have given a preview into next year’s presidential election. But new polls seem to point towards a rocky road to re-election for President Joe Biden.
It’s not all good news for Trump, though. He and his children took the stand in New York, giving evidence in the civil fraud case brought against him.
How might these problems play out as the 2024 presidential elections near? Expert pollster and political analyst Amy Walter joins the team to make sense of it all.
HOSTS:
Sarah Smith, North America editor
Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
GUEST(S):
Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Cook Political Report
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 George Dabby with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The series producer is Daniel Wittenberg. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001s64d)
Westminster is getting back to normal following the first King's Speech in more than 70 years. The State Opening is the ceremonial highlight of the parliamentary year. After the pomp and pageantry comes the politics. Alicia McCarthy explores how governments set about trying to get their plans for new laws through the Commons and the Lords. We've also a report on calls for parliament to "take back control" and look at what that could mean for the government. And on the eve of Armistice Day the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, reflects on the importance of remembrance.
Presenter: Alicia McCarthy
Producer: Sean Curran