SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2024
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001wjts)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 00:30 James and John: A True Story of Prejudice and Murder (m001wjn5)
Episode 5 - The Final Pleas
Read by Simon Russell Beale. Historian and MP Chris Bryant’s book takes us to the early 19th Century, when despite great political and social change and reform, British attitudes to homosexuality were more antagonistic than ever, and in 1835 two consenting adults, James Pratt and John Smith, became the last men in Britain to be hanged for sodomy. They were working class men whose poverty and lack of privacy led directly to their discovery and arrest and, despite a desperate campaign to save them, resulted in one of the great legal injustices of the time.
Read by ..... Simon Russell Beale
Abridged by .... Julian Wilkinson
Produced by .... Allegra McIlroy
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wjtv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wjtx)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wjtz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001wjv1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wjv3)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron
Good morning. I had a wonderful family holiday a few years ago in a town in central Italy called Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis. As well as the beautiful sunshine (and a tour of a wonderful vineyard!), a favourite memory of mine was a visit to the chapel of the ‘Spogliazione’, or ‘stripping’ – this was the site on which Francis, having sensed God calling him to leave the world behind, tore off in front of his father the rich garments of his heritage, and responded to God’s call to complete poverty. It’s said to be on this day a couple of years later, in 1208, that Francis attended Mass and heard there some words of Jesus from the Gospel of St Matthew, calling his disciples to give away what was unnecessary for their mission. At this Francis declared, ‘This is what I wish; this is what I am seeking. This is what I want to do from the bottom of my heart.’
This radical poverty is in many senses alarming to a modern world, in which unwanted poverty is a reality for so many. Why would someone choose this way of life voluntarily? For Francis, poverty was not an end, but a means. It was the way by which he responded to God’s call whole-heartedly. Of course, not everybody is in a position to embrace such radical poverty, even if they wished to. But the lesson Francis leaves us with is his priorities, which we would do well to imitate: that when God comes first in my life, everything else takes on its right place, its lifegiving place.
Almighty God,
show us the places in our lives
that move away, and not towards you.
Give us courage to live your call to complete love,
complete trust.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Lent Talks (m001wjk6)
Friendship
The Venerable Dr Rachel Mann, Anglican priest, poet, & writer:
‘There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves.’ Jane Austen’s words might be taken as a summary of a relationship most highly prized by contemporary society: Friendship. Yet, Austen gives them to one of her flightiest characters, reminding us that it is also a readily misused and exploited relationship. Jesus himself presents friendship as a defining picture of love, suggesting that ‘greater love has no one than to lay down their life for their friends’. Drawing on the writings of Austen, Aristotle and others, this Lent talk interrogates modern pictures of friendship and suggests that behind them lies a richer, more demanding and uncomfortable vision of friendship, illuminated by the Christian story.
Producer: Carmel Lonergan
Editor: Tim Pemberton
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001wr0n)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001whjn)
Walking with resistance bands on the South Downs with Julie Ford
Clare joins PE Teacher Julie Ford for a bracing walk on the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne. It's a walk with a difference. Following a brush with breast cancer Julie was keen to keep fit but no longer wanted to go to the gym. As a passionate walker she was getting good exercise but needed to maintain her upper body strength. So through a process of trial and error Julie has created a way of walking with resistance bands. She takes Clare on a walk on the South Downs on a beautiful sunny Winter's day to show her how to tone her arms while she walks as well as to appreciate health and fitness in the outdoors.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001wr0q)
Farming Today This Week 24/02/24 Farmer protests in Wales; Lesley Griffiths; Prime minister at NFU Conference; new NFU president
As farmer protests continue in Wales the rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths tells us she is listening.
1500 farmers from across England and Wales gathered in Birmingham for the National Farmers' Union annual conference this week. Minette Batters stood down after six years at the helm and Tom Bradshaw was elected as the new NFU president.
The prime minister spoke at the conference. It's the first time a premier has attended since Gordon Brown in 2008. Rishi Sunak told farmers "I've got your back". He arrived with a raft of announcements including: an annual national food security index, measuring the amount of food grown in the UK; a review of transparency in the poultry supply chain; an annual "farm to fork" summit in Downing Street; and increasing payments for managing environmental agreements.
We also hear from Labour and Liberal Democrats about their plans for agriculture and the environment.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
SAT 06:57 Weather (m001wr0s)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m001wr0v)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001wr0z)
Daisy Goodwin, Chris Anderson, Jane Cholmeley, Tommy Tiernan
Chris Anderson, an entrepreneur with a unique background as the son of missionaries and now the head of the TED organization, advocates for the power of Infectious Generosity as the ultimate idea worth spreading.
Jane Cholmeley, once a feminist bookseller and now an author, shares her journey of running Europe's largest women's bookstore amidst challenges of homophobia and misogyny.
Daisy Goodwin, a prolific television producer, screenwriter, and bestselling novelist, known for bringing iconic shows like Grand Designs and Victoria to the world, delves into her latest book exploring the life of the legendary Diva, Maria Callas.
And don't miss the Inheritance Tracks of 'Da Gerry' from Derry Girls, as we hear from the witty comedian and talk show host Tommy Tiernan.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Glyn Tansley
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m001wr11)
Queen of Sheba
In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Jillian Stinchcomb and comedian Sadia Azmat to learn all about the legendary Queen of Sheba. From her first appearance in the Hebrew Bible, the Queen of Sheba has fascinated Jewish, Muslim and Christian writers. But do we know anything about her as a historical figure? And how has her story been told, used and reinterpreted throughout history? This episode traces the legends written about the Queen of Sheba across Europe, Africa and the Middle East from 600 BCE to today, exploring the ambiguous and contradictory depictions of her as a wise and powerful ruler, an exoticised and seductive woman, the founding member of an Ethiopian royal dynasty, and a possible half-demon!
Research by: Jon Mason
Written by: Jon Mason, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001wqhn)
Series 43
Reading
Jay Rayner and his panel of food fanatics are in Reading for this week’s episode of The Kitchen Cabinet.
Joining Jay on the panel are materials expert, Dr Zoe Laughlin, chef Angela Gray and food writers Sophie Wright and Jordan Bourke.
The panel discuss the best way to use up leftover cheese, how to encourage your loved ones to like green vegetables, and tempering versus frying spices. Situated in the biscuit town of Reading, Jay chats to Brendan Carr from Reading Museum, who shares the history of biscuits in Reading, and the intriguing history of the biscuit tin. Meanwhile, Zoe Laughlin answers the question on everyone’s mind: which biscuit is best for dunking?
In recognition of Reading’s large Italian community, the panel later discuss their favourite pasta sauce recipes, and hear from local Sardinian pasta maker, Toni Sale who shares his top methods for creating traditional pasta from scratch.
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001wr13)
Following the chaotic scenes in Parliament on Wednesday Sonia Sodha of The Observer analyses the political week. Dr Ruth Fox of The Hansard Society explains why an opposition day debate about Gaza, and calls for a ceasefire, descended in to bitter arguments about parliamentary procedure. John Nicolson of the SNP discusses why his party thinks the Commons Speaker should resign over the issue. And, to reflect on the wider crisis, Sonia speaks to former Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood and the Chair of the International Development Select Committee, Sarah Champion, who has just returned from a trip to the Egypt-Gaza border. On Monday the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, gave a robust response to claims made by the former Chairman of the Post Office who she had previously sacked over the Horizon scandal. Sonia speaks to two MPs who were in the chamber for that statement: Conservative Conor Burns and Labour's Kevan Jones, who has campaigned for many years on behalf of wrongly convicted sub-postmasters. And, after Keir Starmer's chief of staff suggested Labour could make use of citizens' assemblies to decide on contentious issues, Sonia brings together Louise Caldwell, who took part in the Irish citizens' assembly on abortion, and Joe Twyman of Deltapoll, who has helped run such assemblies in the past.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001wr15)
Ukraine: Two Years of War
Kate Adie introduces dispatches from Ukraine, Russia, the USA and Georgia.
Sarah Rainsford was in Ukraine when Vladimir Putin first launched his full-scale invasion two years ago, reporting on the defiance and rush to defend the country. On a recent trip back to the border city of Kharkiv, she found a much more sombre mood.
Steve Rosenberg reflects on how the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with two years of war with Ukraine, has affected the outlook of many ordinary Russians. Many wish for change, but are unclear on how that can be achieved.
Over recent months, the stalled passage of a $60bn military aid package through the US Congress has heightened concerns that Washington’s support for Ukraine is on the wane. Anthony Zurcher reflects on how the current US position has changed since his trip to Kyiv in the weeks before the Russian invasion began.
Georgia has become a prime destination for Russians fleeing the war with Ukraine, especially those escaping conscription. The sudden arrival of tens of thousands of Russians has proved overwhelming at times, and given Georgia’s own past conflict with Russia, not everyone is happy to see them, reports Vitaliy Shevchenko.
Since Russia’s invasion, more than 6 million Ukrainians have sought refuge overseas – but many people have stayed put, often by choice, determined to carry on living their lives as they have always done. Caroline Eden meets some market traders in Ukraine’s southern port of Odessa, who are trying to ensure it's business as usual.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001wr43)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001wr19)
Energy Debt and Annuities
As many as two million of the poorest households have seen the amount they owe their energy suppliers double over the past year. This new analysis of debt figures has been given to Money Box by the consultancy firm Baringa. It says people who've fallen behind on their payments are now £1,100 in the red, an amount that has doubled in a year. Energy UK, which represents suppliers, say they're doing all they can - and we'll hear more about Ofgem's plans to help tackle debt in the industry.
Twenty financial advice firms have been told that they must provide the regulator with details of the services they provide customers when they charge them for what is called “ongoing advice”. The Financial Conduct Authority has written to the companies as part of its enforcement of the new Consumer Duty. What will this mean for consumers?
And, an annuity is a contract with an insurance provider which converts your savings or pension pot into a guaranteed income for your retirement. As annuity sales rise, we'll discuss what they are and how they work.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast
12pm Saturday 24th Feb 2024)
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m001wjsn)
Series 113
Episode 8
Andrew Doyle, Hugo Rifkind, Lucy Porter and Ria Lina join Andy Zaltzman to quiz the week's news.
This week the panel tackle how a parliamentary debate about peace descended into constitutional conflict, why Donald Trump is actively urging his supporters to put their foot in it, literally this time, and how Britannia nuked the waves.
Strap in.
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Cameron Loxdale and Viv May
Producer: James Robinson
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
SAT 12:57 Weather (m001wr1c)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001wr1f)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001wjt4)
Baroness Chapman, Lindsey German, Bronwen Maddox, Andrew Mitchell MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the Army Flying Museum in Middle Wallop with the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Chapman, the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German, the Director and CEO of Chatham House Bronwen Maddox and the Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Nick Ford
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001wr1h)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week
SAT 14:45 Opening Lines (m001wr1k)
Cane
In the series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work, John Yorke looks at Jean Toomer’s Cane about African American life in 1920s America.
Jean Toomer, born and raised in Washington DC, wrote Cane after a three month trip south to Georgia in 1921. Cane has a unique structure. Divided into three sections, the book is a series of vignettes, poems and short stories and concerns the lives of African Americans in the deep South and those that made the journey up to the northern states. John hears how the book was written at a critical period in American history – during the ‘Great Migration’. He also hears how the work was critically acclaimed when it was published and claimed as a part of the Harlem Renaissance, but how Toomer, of mixed racial heritage himself, eschewed all labels and wanted just to be known as an ‘American’ writer.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series.
From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.
Contributor:
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, Assistant Professor of Writing at the Pratt Institute in New York and author of Harlem Is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America.
Credits:
Cane by Jean Toomer Publisher (Penguin Classics) (8 Jan. 2019) Kindle Edition
Archive of Toni Morrison from Roots Of Cane, Broadcast on Radio 3 on the 2nd April 1993
Readings by Eric Stroud
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound: Iain Hunter
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 15:00 Electric Decade (m000k8ck)
Cane
Classic titles that influenced and characterised the Jazz Age.
Cane by Jean Toomer is a fragmented portrait of the American South which lurches between poetry, story and drama. A landmark in African-American literature, Cane is dramatised for radio by Janice Okoh, featuring an all-star cast and original music by Soul legend Carleen Anderson.
CAST
Carleen Anderson
Peter Bankole
Pippa Bennett-Warner
Saffron Coomber
Alfred Enoch
Clarke Peters
Sule Rimi
Danielle Vitalis
with original music by Carleen Anderson.
Directed by John Norton
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001wr1m)
Kelsey Parker, Ukraine's children, Black girls in education, Aisling Bea
It has been almost two years since the death of The Wanted star Tom Parker after he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020 aged 33. His wife, Kelsey Parker, announced last month that, after a lot of reflection, it was time to take off her wedding rings. Kelsey tells Anita Rani about the decision and how she has dealt with her grief.
The Ukrainian government says it has identified 20,000 children who have been abducted by Russian forces. This week saw 11 Ukrainian children reunited with their families. The BBC’s Hague Correspondent, Anna Holligan, and filmmaker Shahida Tulaganova, who directed the ITV documentary Ukraine’s Stolen Children, discuss.
Wicked Little Letters is a new black comedy film set in Littlehampton in the 1920s. It follows two neighbours, deeply conservative Edith Swan played by Olivia Colman and rowdy Irish single mother Rose Gooding played by Jessie Buckley. When Edith and other residents begin to receive poisonous pen letters full of obscenities, potty mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The director, Thea Sharrock joined Emma Barnett to discuss this true story, and the parallels with trolling on social media today.
How do black girls and women experience education in Britain today? Sociologist Dr April-Louise Pennant of Cardiff University joined Emma to discuss why Black Caribbean girls are excluded from school at double the rate of white girls and why intersectionality means the issue of afro hair continues to affect black girls' education today. She explores these issues and more in her book, Babygirl, You’ve Got This! Experiences of Black Girls and Women in the English Education System.
The comedy and acting star Aisling Bea grew up in County Kildare in Ireland and in 2011 became the first woman for 20 years to win the prestigious stand-up competition So You Think You’re Funny? She spoke to Emma about her latest show, Alice and Jack.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor
SAT 17:00 PM (m001wr1p)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001wr1r)
The Mariana Mazzucato One
One of the world's most influencial progressive economists outlines her pitch to leaders across the world - and Starmer's Labour Party - to focus on ambitious 'missions' that can transform society for the better.
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001wr1t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m001wr1w)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wr1y)
The party suspends Lee Anderson over claims "islamists" had control over Sadiq Khan.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001wr20)
George Clarke, Lindsay Duncan, Charithra Chandran, Caity Baser, Ministry of Desire, Anneka Rice, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Anneka Rice are joined by George Clarke, Lindsay Duncan and Charithra Chandran for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Caity Baser and Ministry of Desire.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m001wr22)
Frank Auerbach
Frank Auerbach was sent to Britain from Nazi Germany by his parents at the age of 8. Growing up in a Quaker boarding school in Kent, he developed his artistic talents - later to be inspired by the landscapes of war-torn London in the Blitz. Worrying about how he would afford paint for much of his career, an Auerbach piece now commands a price tag in the millions.
He has developed a reputation as a recluse - rarely giving interviews, or even attending his own exhibitions. Now, his wartime art 'The Charcoal Heads' is on display in London. Who is the 92-year-old artist still working seven days a week? Stephen Smith gets beneath the paint layers to learn more about one of our greatest living artists.
CONTRIBUTORS
Dale Berning Sawa, Journalist and Commissioning Editor
William Feaver, Art Critic, Author
Catherine Lampert, Curator and Art Historian
Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head, The Courtauld Gallery
PRODUCTION TEAM
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Ellie House and Julie Ball
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Editor: Matt Willis
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck
CREDITS:
Omnibus, BBC TV, 2001. Jake Auerbach Films
This Cultural Life, BBC R4, January 2024
SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001wq3b)
Series 29
Could it be magic?
Brian Cox and Robin Ince pull scientific explanations out of a hat and go down the rabbit hole to explore the science of magic with comedian Alan Davies, sleight of hand artist Laura London and two experts in the psychology of magic Richard Wiseman and Gustav Kuhn. They ask what our predilection to be bamboozled by sleight of hand can tell us about how our minds work. Alan has a card trick played on him and we learn how our choices aren’t always what we think they are.
Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0002rq8)
The Risk Makers
No one should take a risk without thinking about the possible future outcomes but who do you trust; your gut instinct or someone who will tell you they know what is going to happen? The trouble with humans and the future is that we are all suckers for a good story. In The Risk Makers Professor David Spiegelhalter looks at the track record of experts and finds it to be only slightly better than ' a dart throwing monkey'. With prediction it's data from the past that forms the best guide to the future. Gambling firms and the insurance industry understand this and base their businesses on numbers not rumours. However, the rest of us are often reluctant to engage with data and what it can tell us. Mixing archive with fresh interviews Professor Spiegelhalter discovers there is a personality type best suited to predictions,- so called foxes- although we rarely hear from them because they are often drowned out by 'hedgehogs'. Beware, though, an over reliance on data; like the ancient oracles, the usefulness depends on what you ask and how you interpret the replies. David meets with an academic who is an expert on Greek oracles but who also advises businesses about the future, a Lord who is one of the nation's foremost political and football pundits, the man who ran GCHQ for three years and the insurance executive whose job is to imagine possible malign futures and price them. The Risk Makers concludes if you want to know about the future, don't trust someone who tells you they know what will happen. Trust in data- of course but mix in humans too, lots of them – just make sure there are more 'foxes' than 'hedgehogs'!
SAT 21:00 Drama on 4 (m0002yc2)
China Towns
Episode 6
Inspired by the novels of Arnold Bennett, an epic tale of money, passion and daring to dream set in the Staffordshire potteries. Dramatised for radio by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan.
Industrial action brings Bursley to a standstill. Against this backdrop of defiance, Edwin declares his love for Hilda but a secret threatens their chance of a life together. Happiness is hard won in the Five Towns but easily snatched away.
Ephraim Tellwright . . . Neil Dudgeon
Darius Clayhanger . . . Tim McInnerny
Edwin . . . Cameron Percival
Hilda . . . Lucy Doyle
Janet . . . Saffron Coomber
Ruth Tellwright . . . Rebekah Staton
Constance . . . Bryony Hannah
Mr Povey . . . Lewis Bray
Ingpen . . . Don Gilet
Aunty Hamps . . . Carolyn Pickles
Big James . . . Ian Conningham
Cassie . . . Jeanette Percival
Titus Price . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Dr Heve . . . Tony Turner
The Striker . . . Christopher Harper
Incidental music arranged by Colin Guthrie and performed by Colin Guthrie, Peter Ringrose and Ian Conningham.
Produced and directed by Gemma Jenkins.
SAT 22:00 News (m001wr25)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001wjt0)
Amy Harman and Debbie Wiseman get In the Mood
Bassoonist Amy Harman and Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman are today's studio guests, as Linton Stephens sits in for Cerys Matthews alongside Jeffrey Boakye. This episode takes us from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Glenn Miller's wartime smash hit.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Linton Stephens
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Nonet, Op.2 ‘Gradus ad Parnassum’: 1st movement by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Nobody Knows (Ladas Road) by Loyle Carner
Adagio from Piano Sonata in G minor by Clara Schumann
If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
In the Mood by Glenn Miller
Other music in this episode:
Top Hat, White Tie and Tails by Irving Berlin
Moondance by Van Morrison
Symphony No. 6 in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nobody Knows by Pastor T L Barrett & The Youth for Christ Choir
Tar Paper Stomp by Wingy Manone
SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (m001wjd5)
Series 37
Semi-final 2, 2024
(11/13)
The second semi-final in the 37th season of Counterpoint comes from the BBC's Salford studios, with another three heat winners from recent weeks playing off for a place in the Final.
Taking part today are
Steve Draper from Liverpool;
Annie Hodkinson from Kingswinford in the West Midlands;
Caroline Mckay from Frodsham in Cheshire.
As well as showing their musical general knowledge, they'll have to opt for a special musical topic on which to answer individual questions, with no warning of the categories they'll be offered. How will they fare on the music of the Carpenters? Might they prefer to answer on Puccini? And what if their favourite is taken by a rival before they get their chance?
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SAT 23:30 Offstage: Inside The X Factor (p0h6fkx5)
5. It’s Always the Money
The X Factor finalists have to make financial and legal decisions, but are they out of their depth? Chi Chi considers how The X Factor makes money even though it is no longer on TV. And how well did the contestants understand the business side of show business?
Join Chi Chi Izundu as she looks back on the world of The X Factor, where contestants perform in front of celebrity judges to realise their dream of becoming household names. It’s a world of glamour and excitement, but also of hard truths, hard words and hard work.
Offstage: Inside The X Factor captures the emotion, the excitement and the drama of the show and features some of the captivating characters that led to its enduring success. But it also looks beyond the glitz and glamour revealing how contestants and staff felt, the toll it took on some of them and what they say happened behind the scenes.
Presenter: Chi Chi Izundu
Producers: Rob Brown, Jo Adnitt, Lucy Burns, Joe Kent
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Archive:
The X Factor series 4, 10 (Fremantle/Syco/ITV)
Youtube/WhatsOnTV (2008)
So Graham Norton (2002, So Productions/Channel 4)
SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2024
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001wr28)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 The Poetry Detective (m001wgyt)
Talisman Poems
Writer Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about how poetry sits in people's everyday lives. Each week, Vanessa speaks to people about a poem that is deeply meaningful to them. She finds out why the poem matters, and then unfolds the backstory of the poem itself - who wrote it, what was the context it came out of and how does it work on us?
In the first episode of the new series we talk to people who carry poems with them in physical form. Including Karen Walker, who wears a ring inscribed with a line of poetry that came into her life exactly when she needed it most - "three days after she died, Diane di Prima saved my life". And Kevin Koontz, who tells us about the faded newspaper clipping of a poem that his adoptive mother carried in her wallet for 50 years. Can our Poetry Detective find out anything about the author?
Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth & Alice McKee for BBC Audio
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wr2b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wr2d)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wr2g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001wr2j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001wr2l)
Holy Trinity Church in Penn, Buckinghamshire
Bells on Sunday, comes from Holy Trinity Church in Penn, Buckinghamshire. The original church dates from the late 12th century with a tower, and four bells, added in the early 14th century. Today the tower contains a ring of six bells, the oldest three of which were cast by Samuel Knight of Holborn in 1702. The Tenor bell weighs nine and half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of A. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Doubles
SUN 05:45 Profile (m001wr22)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001wr45)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01p6ryg)
The Gloaming
The writer and broadcaster Sarah Cuddon considers the inspirational and meditational qualities of the 'in-between moments' of twilight at the start and end of each day.
Sacred aspects of this time are explored alongside the work of artists and photographers who refer to it as the 'blue hour' and writers who have attempted to capture 'the gloaming'. With music inspired by twilight from, among others, Radiohead and Richard Strauss.
Produced by Alan Hall.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001wr47)
Minette Batters
The outgoing President of the National Farmers Union, Minette Batters, has been the most influential woman in British farming for the last six years. Anna Hill joins her on her beef farm in Wiltshire, where she talks about her motivation for taking up the job, and her desire to make a difference for family farms transitioning to a new system after Brexit.
She reveals her successes and failures, and talks frankly about how she managed to cope with rapidly-changing political incumbents at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She also tells Anna about the demands of her NFU job and the stress of being on-duty all day, every day.
Produced and presented by Anna Hill
SUN 06:57 Weather (m001wr49)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001wr4c)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001wr4f)
Vatican secrets; Interfaith row; AI and beyond the grave
Some of the Vatican’s secrets have been revealed in a new book, ”Secretum”, by Massimo Franco. It’s in the form of a series of conversations with Archbishop Sergio Pagano, who has worked in the Vatican archive for 45 years. From stories of Vatican intrigue to a letter written in 1530 by English nobles urging Pope Clement VII to grant Henry VIII an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn, Massimo Franco tells Edward about some of the gems in the Archive.
The Inter Faith Network (IFN) is to close after the government withdrew funding because one of its trustees is associated with the Muslim Council of Britain. Since 1987 the IFN has worked to promote understanding and good relations between people of different faiths. Edward talks to IFN’s executive director, Dr Harriet Crabtree and to Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Increasingly AI is being used to help people maintain a form of relationship after death, to help preserve a legacy or experiences worth remembering. We hear from the AI version of the actor Ed Asner who died in 2021, from Stephen Smith, CEO of StoryFile, who created it and from Dr Nathan Mladin from Theos whose latest report looks at the pros and cons of how AI is being used in the rapidly changing world of grief tech.
Producers: Amanda Hancox and James Leesley
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001wqgn)
EveryYouth
Sports broadcaster Ade Oladipo makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of EveryYouth
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 ‘EveryYouth’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘EveryYouth’.
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.
Charity Number: 1201811
SUN 07:57 Weather (m001wr4h)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001wr4k)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001wr4m)
Love of Nation
In this week of St David’s Day, Rev Roy Jenkins leads a service reflecting on love of nation, live from the Wales Millennium Centre in the heart of Cardiff Bay. With music from the BBC National Chorus of Wales, including hymns by Welsh composers and texts by Welsh hymn-writers.
Luke
13.31-35, and
19.41-44
Let all the world in every corner sing : Luckington
We turn to you, o God of every Nation : Rhys
Dros Gymru’n gwlad (For Wales our land) : Finlandia
God is love, let heaven adore Him : Blaenwern
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer : Cwm Rhondda
BBC National Chorus of Wales
Director: Adrian Partington
Piano: Derek Harris
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001wjtb)
The Carnival Is Over
Following a recent incident in a London theatre where, it appears, Jewish Israelis were targeted by a comedian because they wouldn't stand for a Palestinian flag, Howard Jacobson reflects on the power of mockery and the liberation of laughter.
'Do the best comedians truly turn the world upside down', Howard asks, 'or do they merely strap us into a fairground roller-coaster so that we can feign fear and scream in unison?'
He argues that the norms of outrage have been jettisoned in the reaction to events in Israel on October 7.
'Once the world is turned upside down,' he writes, 'humanity and justice fall like loose change from our pockets.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Liam Morrey
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b09thf0g)
Chris Baines on the Nuthatch
In this episode about the birds which are encouraged by his 'wildlife-friendly' garden in inner-city Wolverhampton, naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines describes the regular visits of the stunning-looking Nuthatches which visit his pond for mud to line their nests and his feeders for food.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001wr4p)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001wr4r)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Julie Beckett
Editor: Jeremy Howe
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Natasha Archer …. Mali Harries
Tony Archer …. David Troughton
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Vince Casey …. Tony Turner
Harry Chilcott …. Jack Ashton
Ed Grundy …. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy …. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Elizabeth Pargetter… Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Markie… Greg Hobbs
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001wr4t)
Sandy Powell, costume designer
Sandy Powell won her first Academy Award for dressing Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, and has since won two more Oscars - along with a further dozen nominations - and three BAFTAs. Her credits range from Gangs of New York for Martin Scorsese to Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, and she's worked with many of the biggest current screen stars, including Leonardo di Caprio, Cate Blanchett and Al Pacino.
Sandy was born in south London and completed an art foundation course at St Martin’s School of Art. In 1981 she got her first job designing costumes for the choreographer Lindsay Kemp’s show Nijinsky at La Scala in Milan. She later worked for the director Derek Jarman on his film Caravaggio and continued to collaborate with him until his death in 1994. She has also enjoyed long working relationships with Martin Scorsese and Todd Haynes.
Sandy has won acclaim for her designs on films with historical settings, including The Wings of the Dove, The Young Victoria and The Favourite starring Olivia Colman, as well as the flamboyant glam rock world of Velvet Goldmine and the fairy-tale fantasy of Cinderella, starring Lily James.
In 2011 she was awarded an OBE for services for the film industry and in 2023 she became the first costume designer to receive a BAFTA Fellowship.
DISC ONE: Jeepster - T Rex
DISC TWO: Adagietto, Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor. Composed by Gustav Mahler and performed by Orchestre de l'Académie de Santa Cécilia and conducted by Franco Mannino
DISC THREE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie
DISC FOUR: La Vie en Rose - Alan Dunn
DISC FIVE: I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Bobbi Gentry
DISC SIX: Satellite of Love - Lou Reed
DISC SEVEN: Where Love Lives (Come On In) - Alison Limerick
DISC EIGHT: I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett
BOOK CHOICE: Josef Koudelka: Gypsies
LUXURY ITEM: A lemon tree
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001wr50)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wjgj)
Series 1
1. My Sphinx Has No Nose
Frank & guests Simon Evans, Jessica Fostekew, Amy Gledhill and Ahir Shah find out what you think about mead, Poirot and a stinky brontosaurus.
This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling.
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simons Evans with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001wq36)
The power of poems to connect us to food
Getting people to engage with food and ideas for agricultural change can be really difficult - but that’s the hope of a major new arts project called We Feed The UK. Farmers, poets and photographers have collaborated to tell ten stories to celebrate custodians of land, seed, soil and sea from all corners of the country. The project is being coordinated by the charity The Gaia Foundation – with a mission to elevate stories of farms and food producers that show positive solutions to climate change, the biodiversity crisis and social justice in the food system.
Jimi Famurewa joins conversations between farmers, food producers and poets, who are collaborating as a part of the project, to hear a selection of these poems and ask how poetry can help the public think twice about how food is grown.
Presented by Jimi Famurewa and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol
SUN 12:57 Weather (m001wr51)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001wr54)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world
SUN 13:30 Three Million (m001wr56)
1. War
During the Second World War, at least three million Indian people, who were British subjects, died in the Bengal Famine. It was one of the largest losses of civilian life on the Allied side. But there is no memorial to them anywhere in the world - not even a plaque. Can three million people disappear from public memory?
From the award-winning creator and presenter of Partition Voices and Three Pounds in My Pocket, this is the story of the Bengal Famine of 1943. For the first time it is told by those who were there - farmers and fishermen, artists and writers, colonial British and everyday citizens. Nearly all of the testimony in the series has never been broadcast before.
Eighty years on, those who lived through it are a vanishing generation. Time is running out to record their memories.
We begin in 1942. As the Japanese sweep through South East Asia, Calcutta (now Kolkata) is inundated with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from all over the world. Fear of a Japanese invasion of British India provokes a consequential decision.
Presenter : Kavita Puri
Series Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Emma Rippon
Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck
Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.
Interviews with American soldiers courtesy of The National World War II Museum, New Orleans https://www.nationalww2museum.org/
Interviews with G S Khosla and Debotosh Das Gupta courtesy of the University of Cambridge
Major General Dharitri Kumar Palit interviewed by Gillian Wright, 1987, British Library reference C63/195/09. Audio © British Library Board and the interviewee. The British Library has been unable to locate the family of the interviewee. Please contact oralhistory@bl.uk with any relevant information.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001wjr1)
Balsall
When should I split and sew my snowdrops? What are the benefits of leaving loose leaves on our borders? What tips could the panel suggest for growing a giant award winning pumpkin?
Kathy Clugston and a panel of keen gardening experts are in Balsall, West Midlands to investigate the audience's gardening conundrums. On the panel this week are garden designer Bunny Guinness, self proclaimed botanical geek James Wong, and plantswoman Christine Walkden.
Later, James Wong takes a trip to Manchester's Chinatown to explore the wide variety of plants and shurbs they have on display, as well as the cultural significance of a Salix discolor in Chinese New celebrations.
Senior Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Banksy Story (m001p232)
9. Restoration
James Peak isn't an art critic, or even a journalist. He's a Banksy super-fan, and in this series he, and his soundman Duncan, get closer than close to Banksy's secret world - telling the story of the graffiti kid who made spraying walls into high art, the household name who is completely anonymous, the cultural phenomenon who bites the hand that feeds him.
James persuades a member of Banksy's secret team – someone who worked closely with the artist when they were starting to cut through – to talk about the experience. The story that results is a rollercoaster ride.
In this episode, help arrives for Steph from an unlikely source - a person we've heard quite a lot from already. And we head off to Weston-super-mare for a very special Banksy show.
Written, Produced and Presented by James Peak
Sound & Commentary: Duncan Crowe.
Voices: Keith Wickham & Harriet Carmichael
Music: Alcatraz Swim Team & Lilium
Series Mixing: Neil Churchill
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
With special thanks to Farhath Siddiqui, Bryn Youlds, Hadrian Briggs, Pete Chinn, Patrick Nguyen, John Higgs and Steph Warren.
An Essential Radio production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000kmv4)
Tristram Shandy: In Development
Tristram Shandy: In Development by Christopher Douglas
We're in the studios of Awesome Sauce , where an audio drama workshop - and podcast - is being recorded to thrash out a way of telling the bawdy, iconoclastic and impossibly digressive eighteenth century novel Tristram Shandy. It's an opportunity, says award winning producer Philippa Lauriston, to discover an entirely new way of doing radio drama. The creative team also includes the actors who will play the novel's main characters. And there is a rumour that a very famous actor will be joining the throng. Everyone has their own theories about how to approach this game-changing venture. What could possibly go wrong?
Jason..................................Tim McInnerny
Philippa..............................Monica Dolan
Chris....................................Christopher Douglas
Rosie.................................Mina Anwar
Clare..................................Emily Pithon
Johnny/Gary...............................Simon Greenall
Roberta/Sam.........................Nicola Sanderson
Director/Producer Gary Brown.
'Tristram Shandy' is a famous eighteenth century novel by Laurence Sterne. Ostensibly a picaresque about Tristram, its many hilarious digressions and bawdy interludes have made it a classic. It is also a satire on the act of telling a story - and a plea for people to be allowed to tell their stories in their own way.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001wqh1)
Kate Davies
Kate Davies, who won the Polari Book Prize for her debut, In At The Deep End, talks to Chris Power about her follow-up. Nuclear Family is a funny, moving novel about parenting, relationships and what we mean by family.
In The Extinction of Irena Rey, Jennifer Croft, herself a renowned translator, depicts a surreal and darkly funny translation conference. Eight translators travel to a remote forest to meet 'their' author, Irena Rey, and work on her latest book. But Irena disappears and the translators must work out who they are and what they should do without her guiding presence. Jennifer Croft and Miranda France join Chris to talk about the art of translation.
And a reading recommendation for March.
Book List – Sunday 25 February and Thursday 29 February
Nuclear Family by Kate Davies
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
The Writing School by Miranda France
All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel: Translated by Miranda France
Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Piñeiro: Translated by Miranda France
Before the Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb: Translated by Kay Heikkinen
SUN 16:30 The Poetry Detective (m001wr59)
Poetry and Care
Vanessa Kisuule returns with a new series of The Poetry Detective, a radio show about the poems that go with us through life.
Vanessa meets people with a poem that is precious to them, and then she digs in to the backstory of the poem. Why does it mean so much to them? Who wrote it and why? What's the story behind how it came to be written? How does it work on us?
The many acts of care we exchange are subtle and largely unsung. Care is the invisible thread that keeps the fabric of society from fraying, and yet we overlook the strength it involves to take good care of ourselves and each other, day in and day out. Caring for someone is the ultimate show of love, patience and perseverance, building profound bonds between people. It can also be lonely and frustrating, sometimes placing the carer at the periphery of their own life. Does poetry have anything to offer in this context? Can a poem be an act of care, or at the very least a brief respite from it?
We meet Kirsteen McNish, a writer and special events curator whose interests are focussed on people, places, and lesser heard stories. She tells us about a poem that has become precious to her: 'Selkie' by the Shetland poet Roseanne Watt, from her collection Moder Dy (Mother Wave). Vanessa gets in touch with Roseanne to ask her about the inspiration behind the poem. Why did the selkie myth appeal to her, and what are the skins that Kirsteen and Roseanne might both wish they could slip out of at times? Can writing itself be an act of care and profound communication between poet and reader?
We speak to stroke-survivor Anna Zvegintzov who is using poetry as an act of self-care and tool of recovery. And we meet two doctors working in intensive care for whom a poem became 'like a hymn'. Jane Hirshfield, the author of that poem - The Weighing - speaks to Vanessa about writing and care.
Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth and Alice McKee for BBC Audio
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001wjgx)
When Abortion is a Crime
The case of Carla Foster made headlines last year after the mother-of-three was initially sentenced to two years in prison for taking abortion pills after the legal cut-off. Since then, several other women have appeared in English courts accused of having illegal abortions, with increasing numbers of women under police investigation.
Reporter Divya Talwar hears from women who have been investigated on suspicion of procuring illegal abortions, meets one woman who was prosecuted and sentenced, and hears from a journalist who believes the law is proportionate. File on 4 reveals that in some cases, women who have experienced pregnancy loss and premature deliveries are also being investigated on suspicion of having illegal abortions.
There have been growing calls from campaigners and MPs to scrap the Victorian law that criminalises abortion in England and Wales and replace with medical regulation instead - as is the case in Northern Ireland. While some say the law doesn’t need to be changed, others believe urgent reform is required so women involved are treated with compassion instead of being punished.
Reporter: Divya Talwar
Producers: Anna Meisel and Eleanor Layhe
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Clare Fordham and Carl Johnston
Image Credit: MartinPrescott\Getty
SUN 17:40 Profile (m001wr22)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001wr5c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m001wr5f)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wr5h)
Deputy PM defends Tory response to ex deputy party chairman's comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001wr5k)
Jon Kay
A dog with two heads…..really.
An unexpected Oscar.
And the BBC Russia Editor swapping his computer keyboard for the piano.
These might sound like cryptic crossword clues - but they are, in fact, just some of the weird and wonderful wireless moments of the last seven days.
From a medical scandal to a new style of court reporting, Jon's been shiffling through the best audio to select some highlights for you.
Shiffling - it’s a word. You’ll see.
Presenter: Jon Kay
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production Co-ordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001wq2y)
Upstairs at The Bull Kenton tells Jolene he slept well and wants to take on running this week’s pub quiz. Jolene says she’ll let Jim know he can stand down as Quizmaster, then hears a noise outside the window, which makes her suspicious. She rings Harrison, telling him someone’s just tried to break in. Worried Fallon tells Harrison to be careful when he goes to investigate. Plus, neither of them have slept well for worrying about Alice and Harry. But when Harrison sees Tracy in The Bull car park he realises it’s a false alarm. Restless Tracy was out walking before coming in for her first shift since getting ill. She saw the pub’s logs left out in the rain and thought she’d move them under cover. That’s why she tried the back door before stacking them under a table. Jolene offers to make them a bacon sandwich for messing up their Sunday morning. Harrison demurs, but still wants Jolene to call him if anything worries her. Tracy then comforts Jolene, who’s upset about overreacting. Jolene admits she’ll be glad to have Tracy back – she’s had enough of David and Lilian fighting each other behind the bar.
When he gets home Harrison tells Fallon he thinks Jolene might benefit from counselling. But he’s more worried about Harry possibly making a complaint about him. Fallon reckons Alice won’t spill the beans. They reconfirm their love for one another, with or without children, before Fallon talks him out of going round to see Harry and possibly making things worse.
SUN 19:15 Jokes (p0hc1sjt)
Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living
1. Stuart Eats a Pigeon
Comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis. His journey of self discovery is prompted by a visit to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants - a meal that makes him question his entire existence.
Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story.
A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living.
Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell
Produced by Lauren Mackay
SUN 19:30 Jokes (m001wpg2)
Jazz Emu: The Sound of Us
1. The Sound of Love
Jazz Emu sets out to write his friends the most romantic song ever created, in order to save their crumbling relationship and make everything in his friendship group nice again. Digging back into his alternative musical archives, Jazz takes inspiration from Barry White, George Michael and ACDC in order to learn about what makes a song romantic. Armed with misguided understanding and unerring confidence, Jazz is ready to blow some minds. If music be the food of love, it’s lunchtime. Or something like that?
Jazz Emu: musician, 70s lothario-type, ex-Hollywood foley artist and internationally renowned idiot. After a long career in (and often out) of the spotlight, he has decided to present a radio show in order to connect with the average Joes (and Janes, and other boring names) and bestow his expert knowledge of Sound upon the universe.
Written by Archie Henderson and Adrian Gray
Starring: Archie Henderson, Adrian Gray, Emmanuel Sonubi, Lorna Rose Treen, Cody Dahler
Produced by Sasha Bobak
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
SUN 19:45 The Song Thief by Colin Carberry (m001wr5m)
Episode 3
An eerie tale of forgotten songs and vengeful spirits by Belfast author Colin Carberry (‘Good Vibrations.’) As read by Aoibhéann McCann ('Blue Lights.')
‘The Song Thief’ follows Harry Probyn on his journey across Ireland to find Aislinn Byrne, the woman who started his song-writing career. After recording her sing years before in Ireland, Harry stole her song ‘Bluebell Wood’. He shared it with the world and made his fortune. Now penniless and on the run from the violent Shanks family, Harry must return to Ireland and find a new hit song.
Song-collectors – hobbyists who collect sound recordings, usually of music, but sometimes poetry, readings, historical speeches, and ambient noises – are responsible for most of what we now know as traditional folk music that has been preserved down the years. However the practice has a darker legacy and is littered with examples of artists being exploited by unscrupulous recordists. While the ‘Folk Revival’ of the 1960s saw many artists from the traditional music communities become famous, most of them were men. Women artists were silenced at a time when men’s voices were encouraged to sing loudest.
Featuring traditional folk music from the BBC Archives recorded on location in Ireland and America in the 1950s.
Author
Colin Carberry is a writer of screenplays and fiction from Belfast. With Glenn Patterson he co-wrote the film ‘Good Vibrations’ for which the pair were nominated for Outstanding Debut at the 2014 BAFTA Film awards. ‘Good Vibrations’ has since been adapted into a stage musical. A frequent contributor of new fiction to BBC Radio 4’s Short Works series, he is currently working on a collection of short stories and developing a number of projects for film, television and theatre.
Reader: Aoibhéann McCann
Writer: Colin Carberry
Music: Gerard O'Kane
Music: Patrick O'Kane
Producer: Michael Shannon
Editor: Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland production.
SUN 20:00 More or Less (m001wh8g)
Per capita GDP, MP claims and the entire EU budget
What does per capita GDP tell us about the UK economy? Did the government spend £94bn helping with rising energy prices? Was Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg right about the cost of the EU Covid recovery scheme? How did Ben Goldacre persuade scientists to publish all their medical research?
Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the news.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower and Lucy Proctor
Producers: Debbie Richford, Perisha Kudhail, Olga Smirnova
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001wjrt)
Alexei Navalny, Dr Brooke Ellison, Gertrude Wright, Steve Brown
John Wilson on
Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner and leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, who has died in a Russian state prison.
Dr Brooke Ellison, an American academic and disabilities rights advocate who drew on her own experience of living with quadriplegia.
Gertrude Wright, who survived the bombing of her German home city during World War Two and went on to become a translator for Field Marshall Montgomery.
And Steve Brown, the music composer who worked on comedy productions such as Alan Partridge, Spitting Image, Dead Ringers and many more productions. Steve Coogan and Harry Hill pay tribute.
Interviewee: Nikolai Petrov
Interviewee: Jean Ellison
Interviewee: Professor Stephen Post
Interviewee: James Holland
Interviewee: Steve Coogan
Interviewee: Harry Hill
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Archive used:
Alexei Navalny, Profile, BBC Radio 4, 27/10/2012; BBC News, 05/12/2011; Alexei Navalny, HardTalk, BBC News, 19/01/2017; Navalny, Cable Network News, Dogwool, BBC Storyville, Director: Daniel Roher; 2022; Brooke Ellison, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, 21/09/2010; Brooke Ellison, Tedx Talks, YouTube uploaded 14/07/2015; Brooke Ellison interview, Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, YouTube upload 28/09/2023; Brooke Ellison Harvard Commencement Speech, June 2000; Magdeburg Blitzed, Pathe Gazettes/Pathe, 1944; Steve Brown, The Mitch Benn Music Show, BBC Radio 4 Extra, 12/04/2009 (original TX 2006); Steve Brown/Glen Ponder, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, BBC Two, 05/08/2002; Spend, Spend Spend promo, Barbara Dickson/Steve Brown/Justin Green, Chariot Records, Released 06/05/2016; I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical, YouTube 04/11/2013; Steve Brown singing on Newsnight, BBC TWO, 20/03/1992
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001wr19)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001wqgn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001wr20)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001wr5q)
Leila Nathoo is joined by the former Cabinet minister Sir Robert Buckland; Shadow Foreign Office Minister, Anna McMorrin and the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney. They discuss the current tone of politics and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on political debate in the UK. The SNP MP Richard Thomson explains how his party will take forward its call for a ceasefire in Gaza, with a further debate in Parliament. The political editor of the Daily Telegraph, Ben Riley-Smith, assesses whether the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is safe in his job. And Anna recounts how she recently made a trip to Antarctica to look at the impact of climate change - following in the footsteps of her father, a polar researcher.
SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001whc9)
The moral case for veganism
It emerged this week that scientists in South Korea have created a new kind of “meaty” rice, with high levels of protein. The grains are packed with beef muscle and fat cells – all grown in a lab. It’s just the latest of many meat-alternatives that are helping people to eat less meat. Supermarkets are responding to public demand by offering an ever wider choice of plant-based foods. But while we might not need to eat meat, most of us really enjoy it.
The goal posts are shifting in the age old debate about the morality of meat. Whatever you think about the industrial breeding of animals, to be slaughtered and served up for our pleasure, there’s now another compelling argument for us to stop, or at least cut back – meat production significantly contributes to climate change.
In the last decade, the number of vegans in the UK has increased steeply, but it’s still small. Estimates vary between about 2% and 3% of the population. Many more are vegetarian, who avoid meat and fish, but eat dairy. There are also flexitarians, who mainly choose a plant-based diet, but do occasionally eat meat.
A moral argument that was once focused on whether humans have the right to exploit animals has become a broader debate that includes protecting the planet for future generations. Some say it’s natural for humans to eat meat, indeed we have evolved to do so. Others think it’s barbaric and the effects of the meat and dairy industry on the climate have made the argument for veganism overwhelming. What’s the moral case for veganism?
Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton
MONDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2024
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001wr5s)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Sideways (m001whbv)
57. Grudge Match
Lee and Drew have been like brothers ever since adolescence. So when Drew betrays Lee in the heat of a tumultuous night in Glasgow, the two men find themselves entangled in a bitter grudge that went way beyond what they could imagine, as the violence and bitterness of the wrestling ring, spilled over into the real world.
Grudges are typically seen as dangerous, negative emotions. But is there a glimmer of light to be found amid the darkness of resentment? Matthew Syed questions both the hidden values and harsh consequences of grudges.
Featuring WWE superstar Drew McIntyre, ICW champion and professional wrestler Lee Greig, Pr Robert Enright from University of Wisconsin and writer Sophie Hannah.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Engineering: Daniel Kempson
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru.
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001wr2l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wr5w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wr5y)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wr60)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001wr62)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wr66)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001wr6b)
26/02/24 Welsh farmers welcoming a greener farming policy; river pollution and flooding
The BBC has been told that farmers in Wales who support overhauling their subsidies to help the environment feel "intimidated" and afraid to speak out. It comes as some farmers are staging protests across Wales over plans for a greener post-Brexit funding scheme for agriculture, which farming unions say is unworkable. But the Nature Friendly Farming Network, representing around 500 farmers in Wales, told BBC Wales that sticking to "business as usual" would not help the industry succeed in the long term.
It's been very wet and, as we've been reporting, lots of farmland is or has been underwater. That means crops destroyed and new crops not being planted. We've heard from farmers while the rain is clearly the problem, they say the Environment Agency is sometimes not helping. The Chair of the Environment Agency, Alan Lovell, spoke at last week's National Farmers Union conference, and unsurprisingly flooding was top of the agenda. He explained the EA’s flood strategy in rural areas.
The Rivers Trust have released their latest State of Our Rivers report which shows the extent of farm pollution in rivers.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
MON 05:56 Weather (m001wr6d)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09pkyg2)
Tony Juniper on the Woodcock
Environmentalist Tony Juniper recalls his encounters with woodcock, from startling them in a woodland during a daytime walk to enjoying the curious sight and call of the birds as they perform their curious roding flight at dusk.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
MON 06:00 Today (m001wq1w)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001wq1y)
Weighty issues
Over the past 50 years, worldwide obesity rates have tripled, and now headlines increasingly shout of a public health crisis, even an obesity epidemic. Tom Sutcliffe explores the consequences of using such negative and emotional language to describe weight and the increasing rates of fat phobia in society. He looks at the health issues and the so-called ‘miracle drugs’ that suppress appetite, and where genetics and diet meet.
He’s joined by Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow and recently appointed as the UK Government’s Obesity Mission Chair, the body-positive activist Stephanie Yeboah who’s the author of Fattily Ever After, and the businessman Henry Dimbleby whose book Ravenous reveals the mechanisms behind our food systems.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq50)
Episode 1
How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.
1/5 Dimitris explores ritual across the animal kingdom and how its importance lasts a lifetime.
Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wq25)
Actor Samantha Morton, Mary Beard, Leap year proposals
The twice Oscar-nominated actor Samantha Morton has just received the Bafta Fellowship: a lifetime achievement award which recognises an outstanding contribution to film and television. She grew up in the social care system and began working in film and television at the age of 13. In a moving speech at the Baftas last week, Samantha dedicated the award to every child in care today.
2024 is a leap year and 29 February is the day when traditionally women are "allowed" to propose to their male partner. We hear your stories and discuss the tradition with wedding speech writer Heidi Ellert-McDermott, and Dr Vera Beckley-Hoelscher, an academic at Royal Holloway, University of London.
People in their early 20s are more likely to be out of work because of ill health than those in their early 40s, according to a new report . Lindsay Judge, Research Director at The Resolution Foundation, which carried out the research, explains how young women are particularly affected and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experince poor mental health than young men.
And Emma speaks to the world-famous classicist Mary Beard about Legion - the new exhibition at the British Museum, about life in the Roman army. Mary will share stories of some remarkable women who lived in Roman military bases.
Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer:Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Emma Harth
MON 11:00 The Gatekeepers (m001wq29)
4. Flood the Zone
2016 is a big election year. But something is going very wrong online. Journalists in America and the Philippines start to notice something strange going on online.
In Manila, Maria Ressa - the editor of online news site, Rappler - discovers a sock puppet network of social media accounts, all pushing for the election of a strong leader. Someone like Rodrigo Duterte. Maria is suspicious. She makes an urgent call to Facebook.
In Veles, in Macedonia, a young man called 'Marco' starts writing fake articles and posting them online. Very soon they're being read by millions of people around the globe and he's making huge sums of money.
The online ecosystem is under attack.
Producer: Caitlin Smith
Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Exec: Peter McManus
Researcher: Juliet Conway and Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Commissioned by Dan Clarke
Archive: BBC News, AP Archive, Bloomberg Television, CNN
New episodes released on Mondays. If you’re in the UK, listen to the latest episodes of The Gatekeepers, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3Ui661u
MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001whkd)
Where's the life in nightlife?
The UK’s biggest nightclub operator recently announced the closure of around half of its venues, and with them almost 500 jobs. REKOM UK, which owns the Atik and Pryzm brands, blamed the cost of living crisis hurting its customers, along with increased operating costs. But is there something else going on?
According to the industry association the number of nightclubs in the UK has more than halved in the last decade, so have younger people – nightclubs’ core customers – lost interest in drinking and dancing the night away? Are landlords eyeing up healthier returns from these enormous spaces by turning them into flats? And how are the remaining venues evolving to attract these, and sometimes older, customers?
Evan Davis is joined by:
Peter Marks, chairman of REKOM UK;
Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association;
Jo Cox-Brown, CEO of Night Time Economy Solutions.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Producers: Simon Tulett and Nick Holland
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
(Picture: A crowd of people dancing and waving their arms in the air. Credit: Getty Images)
MON 12:00 News Summary (m001wq9k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001wq2k)
Building Regulations, 60+ House Shares and De-Banking
The government says its new registration and certification scheme for building control inspectors in England and Wales will "restore confidence in the profession". In May, we heard from a man who bought a new build flat with so many faults that a survey recommended the whole block might have to be demolished. How did it get signed off in the first place? We have a jaw dropping update on that which raises important questions about the implementation of the new rules that take effect in April.
When it comes to choosing what to play, today's gamers have never had it so good. The digital download store, Steam had a record-breaking 14,500 game releases there last year. Has this abundance finally peaked? Sony announced the PS5 it launched in 2020 is now in its "end of life" phase. Meanwhile sales of gaming kit and software have hit their biggest slowdown in 30 years. An industry insider tells us what's going on.
We often associate living in house shares with the likes of the anarchic students in The Young Ones or the ambitious 20 somethings in This Life. But according to both Spareroom and Cohabitas, a growing number over 60s are living this way. We find out why older people are turning to house shares and what the experience is like for them.
Finally, its not just “politically exposed persons” who find themselves suddenly de-banked. It’s happening to ordinary people for reasons their banks cannot explain. There have been 1500 complaints about this over the last year. We can now reveal that as well as inexplicably losing their accounts, some customers are also being wrongfully barred from using the industry’s flagship switching service too. We hear from one couple on how this has affected them.
Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz
MON 12:57 Weather (m001wq2p)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m001wq2t)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
MON 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012scy)
Did Mr Blobby upend local politics in Lancashire?
In 1994, a theme park based on Mr Blobby opened in the seaside resort of Morecambe, in the north west of England. Guardian Media editor Jim Waterson investigates the impact the park’s failure had on local politics, and the legacy the town is left with today as it looks towards the future.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Contributors: Steve Middlesbrough, Clive Portman, Erica Lewis
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producers: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m001wq2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Limelight (m001wnsq)
Sabine
Sabine - Episode 2
Elly’s been staying in Sabine’s flat to pack up her things. But after finding some surprising evidence in her sister's room, Elly’s desperate to find out who ‘F’ is.
When Sabine’s body is found beneath the cliffs in an apparent suicide, her sister Elly is convinced she was murdered. Elly's hunt for the killer takes her deep into the secret life in Brighton her sister kept hidden. Sabine is a new five-part murder mystery by Mark Healy.
CAST
Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell
Sabine ..... Freya Mavor
Oakley ..... Rupert Evans
Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah
Gabe ..... Tommy Sim’aan
Mia ..... Aisling Loftus
Ziggy ..... Ian Dunnett Jr
Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk
Written by Mark Healy
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose
Production Co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly
Sabine is a BBC Audio Production for Radio 4
MON 14:45 The Chronicles of Burke Street (m000x60d)
The Chronicles of Burke Street
2: Winston's Story
{Paterson Joseph reads the next in the brilliantly funny short story series by the award-winning author of 'Love After Love', Ingrid Persaud.
Set on an everyday street in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 'The Chronicles of Burke Street' follows the lives and loves of its colourful residents. Burke Street might seem like an ordinary street, but behind its closed doors lurk secrets, superstitions and barely concealed lies.
Today, in 'Winston's Story', things don't quite go to plan when a dangerous jail bird on the run hijacks the local taxi driver's car...
Reader: Paterson Joseph
Writer: Ingrid Persaud
Producer: Justine Willett
MON 15:00 Counterpoint (m001wq32)
Series 37
Semi-final 3, 2024
(12/13)
Paul Gambaccini hosts the last of the 2024 semi-finals from London's Radio Theatre, as the remaining three heat winners from earlier in the series play off for a place in the Final.
They've already shown the breadth of their musical knowledge; but to make it to the Final they'll really have to be on their mettle. Whether it's Guns n' Roses, Grieg or the Greatest Showman, their expertise across the musical spectrum will be tested through general, specialist and quickfire rounds.
The semi-finalists are
Nicki Cockburn from Cardiff
Vicky Johnson from Nottingham
Anju Sharda from Hertfordshire.
The Final takes place next week.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001wq36)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001wq3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Saturday]
MON 16:30 The Artificial Human (m001wq3g)
Could AI Swing an Election?
Every day, we read something new about Artificial Intelligence - it'll take our jobs, it'll teach our kids, it knows more about us than we do ourselves... but how much of that is hype, and how much is, or will be reality?
Part of our problem with AI is that it feels impenetrable and mysterious, especially when even those building it aren't entirely sure how it works.
In a new series, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions on all things artificial intelligence-related. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Could AI Swing an Election?
Aleks and Kevin will find out the AI tools that can be used to sew disinformation, see how it has already come into play in different elections around the world, and discover how we can best arm ourselves from people who want to sway our votes, and so turn an election.
MON 17:00 PM (m001wq3l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wq3v)
The former Conservative Party deputy chairman said Sadiq Khan was controlled by Islamists
MON 18:30 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wq3z)
Series 1
2. Ponce & Prejudice
Frank & guests Desiree Burch, Simon Evans, Kerry Godliman & Andrew Maxwell find out what you think about a dodgy snowglobe and a risky waffle.
This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling.
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche
Devised by Simons Evans and Jason Hazeley with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m001wq43)
Having brought presents for Alice and Martha to The Nest Harry enthuses about a horse he’s seen in Carlisle. Alice brings him up short, asking if he had a drink while he was away. He says not, but when pushed, confesses he does sometimes have a few too many. Alice susses that’s why Harry’s mother, Eve, was so off with her, when she found out about Alice’s drinking. Harry disagrees but Alice insists, before hitting him with some home truths about being in denial, like she used to be. Despite admitting the strength of their feelings, Alice tells Harry she cannot risk staying with him. Harry guesses it must have been Harrison who told her about his drinking, but Alice didn’t know he’d arrested Harry for being drunk and disorderly. This reinforces her conviction that Harry has to go now and she doesn’t want him to come back.
At The Bull Jazzer and Alistair discuss yesterday’s false alarm. Clearly the attack on Kenton has really shaken Jolene. Jazzer thinks they should warn people about dodgy looking characters, though Alistair thinks that might be overreacting. Alistair then admits he’s feeling out of sorts and is about to confess what’s going on with Denise, when Neil interrupts them. Alistair asks about the helicopter ride Neil’s going on with Susan this week. Neil then supports Jazzer’s idea of warning pub regulars to watch out for suspicious types. After Neil goes Jazzer guesses that it is Denise Alistair’s fallen for. His advice is to leave well alone, as she hasn’t actually left John and it could all go horribly wrong.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m001wq47)
Sheridan Smith. Movement Coaches and Sexism in French Cinema
In an exclusive for Front Row, Sheridan Smith performs Magic, a song from her new musical Opening Night, which is directed by Ivo Van Hove, with music from Rufus Wainwright. They discuss creating the new musical, which is based on the 1970s film and follows an actress going through a breakdown as she prepares to open a new show on Broadway.
Journalist Agnes Poirier on the French film awards the Cesars, and why they were overshadowed by allegations of male directors sexually abusing young female actors.
Movement director Polly Bennett has worked on hits like The Crown, Bohemian Rhapsody and Killing Eve while Sarah Perry often works on animations, helping actors to perfect the movement of animals, using motion capture. As the BBC's Bring the Drama Festival highlights behind the scenes careers, we discuss the role of the movement director in TV and film.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corrina Jones
MON 20:00 Decolonising Russia (m001wq4c)
All along Russia’s border, in former Soviet republics, the Ukrainian war has prompted a new, more assertive sense of national identity. They’re asking whether – despite independence – they’ve really overcome the legacy of 'Russian colonialism.'
Meanwhile activists from the many ethnic minorities inside Russia are increasingly describing themselves as victims of colonialism too - and demanding self-determination. The debate about the 'imperial' nature of Russia has now also been taken up by strategists, politicians and scholars in the West. Many are questioning their own previous 'Russocentric' assumptions, and asking whether 'decolonising' Russia is the only way to stop the country threatening its neighbours - and world peace.
But some also wonder whether the term 'decolonisation' is really relevant to Russia – and what it means. Is it about challenging the '0imperial mindset' of its rulers – and perhaps of every ordinary Russian? Or perhaps it means dismembering the country itself? Or, as some claim, is the very idea of 'decolonising Russia' just part of an attempt by the West to extend its own neo-colonialist influence?
Tim Whewell dissects a new and vital controversy with the help of historians, thinkers and activists from Russia and its neighbours, the West and the Global South.
MON 20:30 Analysis (m001wq4h)
How to cure the small town blues
Middlesbrough, in the north-east, is one of the most deprived towns in England. Once a steel and shipbuilding powerhouse, its fortunes changed when those industries closed down. Today, the town that Gladstone described as “an infant Hercules” faces a precarious future. David Baker, who grew up in Middlesbrough in the 1970s, returns to his hometown to ask what can be done to revive its fortunes and what Middlesbrough can teach us about regenerating small, postindustrial towns elsewhere in the UK.
Presenter: David Baker
Producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Clare Fordham
Contributors:
Natasha Vall, Professor of Urban and Cultural History, Teesside University
Rob Nichols, Editor, Middlesbrough FC fanzine Fly Me To The Moon
Sally Rodgers, DJ, producer, and vocalist
Steve Dugan, Head of Enterprise, Teesside University
Oliver Lloyd, co-founder and COO, Dink
Chris Cooke, Mayor of Middlesbrough
Gary Hamilton, managing director, Community Leisure Management
Lord Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for the Environment
With thanks to the students of Teesside University and Reverend Kath Dean of the Genesis Project.
MON 21:00 Young Again (m001wjbn)
8. Melinda French Gates
Kirsty Young talks to philanthropist Melinda French Gates about what she’s learned from her life so far. A computer scientist by training, she dated her boss and became one half of one of the world’s most famous power couples. But as she travelled a road paved with gold, French Gates describes the tough lessons she learned along the way, the danger of untrustworthy acquaintances and how she had to dig deep to not lose herself in the maelstrom of extreme wealth and influence.
If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.
Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young
A BBC Audio Production
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001wq1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wq4p)
What is Israel's Rafah evacuation plan?
As Gaza ceasefire talks resume the Israeli military presents its plan for an assault on the city of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering. A senior Israeli politician tells us that operation will go ahead - no matter what.
Also on the programme:
As Lee Anderson doubles down on his controversial claims about London Mayor Sadiq Khan - we'll discuss how Islamophobia should be defined.
And the dream is over for Maidstone United: the lowest-ranked team to make the last 16 of the FA Cup since the 1970s have been knocked out. We speak to their fans about their remarkable run.
MON 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wq4r)
Episode 6
On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?
As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.
A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.
The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.
Read by Niamh Cusack
Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Lent Talks (m001wq4t)
Doubt
‘I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.’ - is one of the most popular Bible verses. Then why do we doubt our future so much? Don’t we wish we knew those plans? A sure and certain future can feel increasingly out of reach. After a pandemic highlighted the fragility of life’s fixtures, doubt now hangs over everything from theatre tickets to birthday parties. Meanwhile thanks to generative AI, fake news opens the doors to fake history. Photographic evidence may have once worked for doubting Thomas, but it wouldn’t any more. When we can no longer trust what we can see, how do we put our trust in a God that we can’t see? Comedian and writer Paul Kerensa sees doubt as the double-act partner of faith - yin to its yang, Ant to its Dec. After twenty years of gigs in comedy clubs, and forty years of hospital appointments for a rare health condition that gave him an ‘outie’ bladder, Paul is used to dealing with an unreliable world by finding its humour. Is there hope in doubt? It’s doubtful. But isn’t everything?
Producer: Carmel Lonergan
Editor: Tim Pemberton
MON 23:15 The Kids Are Alt Right? (m001vcfl)
Getting Older
How does age shape the way we vote?
Professor James Tilley meets some mainstream voters who buck the left wing youth trend in the UK - young Conservatives.
He wants to find out how peer pressure does, or doesn't shape, our behaviour. And what role does psychology play in helping us choose a party?
When it comes to the relative popularity of some radical right parties in Europe with the young, does their edgier status make them more attractive to developing brains drawn to risk?
The series considers the popular misconception that young people inevitably arrive at the ballot box automatically left wing.
And there's a similar belief that as we age, we will become increasingly right wing.
But Professor James Tilley is on hand to reveal that the relationship between age and how we vote is not straightforward.
Across five episodes he investigates how young people become attached to particular political parties, how ageing affects our political views - and how the choices made by political parties play out among the young and the old.
Presented by Professor James Tilley.
Produced by Kevin Core.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wq4w)
Susan Hulme reports on the fall-out from Lee Anderson's remarks about the London mayor, Sadiq Khan. And there's a progress report on compensation for sub-postmasters.
TUESDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2024
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001wq4y)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 00:30 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq50)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wq53)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wq55)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wq57)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001wq59)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wq5f)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001wq5k)
27/02/24 Pollack fishermen criticise government scheme to help. Pollution on the River Wye. Food systems.
Pollack fishermen are selling their boats after quotas for pollack were cut to zero. Defra says it's to safeguard fish stocks and have announced a £6 million scheme to help. However fishermen and the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation say the government announcements won't make any difference to fishing families who are losing their livelihoods.
All this week we’re talking about rivers. The River Wye has been badly polluted over the years. In 2020 phosphorous pollution from large-scale chicken farms along the Wye was blamed for algal blooms that appeared on the higher reaches of the river. So what’s the situation on the River Wye today? We speak to a campaigner who's striving to protect the waterway and a poultry farmer who's changed the way she farms to help keep the river clean.
Farmers have been protesting, on the Continent and in the UK, at changes to the way they are being encouraged to farm. However one academic is calling for the industry to focus on the positives, and work together to achieve both increased food production and environmental protection. We speak to Jack Bobo, Director of the Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham who believes more should be done to encourage farmers to take up the challenge of farming more sustainably - in a way that benefits their business and nature.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sby1j)
Blackcap
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Blackcap. Many Blackcaps winter in sub-Saharan Africa, but increasingly birds have been wintering in the Mediterranean and over the last few decades spent the winter in the UK.
TUE 06:00 Today (m001wqb8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Things Fell Apart (p0h24lnp)
S2. Ep 8: Mikki’s Hero’s Journey
How a former actor and model, burned by Hollywood and devastated by the death of his brother, has become an important culture warrior, fueling the flames of every story we tell this season.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell
TUE 09:30 The Miners' Strike: Return Journey (m001wqcj)
Grimethorpe
Still seen as one of the most bitter and divisive industrial disputes in the UK, the year long miners' strike, that began in March 1984, dominated the news for 12 months. It’s been described as “a site of contested memories,” and it continues to evoke strong feelings in those who lived through the strike and had direct experience of it.
Chris Jackson, in his very first job as a young radio reporter in South Wales, found himself covering the dispute that scarred a generation and more. Now, 40 years after the start of the strike, he’s meeting people from different sides of the difficult and controversial industrial dispute, and together they return to a place that holds some very personal memories.
In this episode, Chris is in Grimethorpe, at the spot the miners gathered to return to work in March 1985, marching back to the pit behind their colliery band. He meets two people from different sides of the industrial dispute to talk about that day. Peter Haigh was a National Coal Board manager at Grimethorpe during the strike and Danny Gillespie was a striking Grimethorpe miner.
Presenter: Chris Jackson
Producer: Jo Dwyer
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wqlj)
Episode 2
How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.
2/5 Dimitris explores how ritual plays a vital part in helping us bond as communities and cope with stress.
Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wqdk)
Nadine Shah, Vivian Oparah, Baby loss certificates, Amber Heard trolling
Through her songs, the Mercury prize nominated singer/songwriter Nadine Shah has explored mental health, the refugee crisis and feminism. The subject matter of her last album, Kitchen Sink, included themes of fertility, tradition and identity told through the stories of women at different stages of their lives. Now Nadine’s latest work - Filthy Underneath – is a raw collection of songs which chronicle a period of unprecedented turbulence in her life from grief to addiction and PTSD.
The new podcast Who Trolled Amber? investigates allegations that Amber Heard was trolled online by an army of AI bots after her trial with Johnny Depp.
Podcast host Alexi Mostrous and Professor Gina Neff, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, discuss this and the wider implications of abuse of women online.
Parents across England who lost a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy can now apply for a baby loss certificate as part of a new government scheme. Babies who are born dead after 24 weeks are officially registered - but this doesn’t happen for babies born before that stage. Every year there are thought to be a quarter of a million miscarriages and more than 11,000 hospital admissions for losses because of ectopic pregnancies. Now, campaigners say they’re thrilled that families will finally get the acknowledgement that their baby existed - for however short a time. Emma Barnett speaks to one such campaigner - Zoe Clark-Coates – who runs the baby loss and bereavement charity The Mariposa Trust and campaigned for these certificates for nine years.
Vivian Oparah played the female lead in British hit film Rye Lane, for which she was Bafta-nominated this year. She's now starring in a new TV comedy thriller called Dead Hot, playing the sister of a man who's mysteriously disappeared. Vivian joins Emma in the Woman's Hour studio.
Presented by Emma Barnett
Producer: Louise Corley
Studio Engineers: Emma Harth & Gayl Gordon
TUE 11:00 Young Again (m001wqf2)
9. Sir Grayson Perry
Kirsty Young talks to the artist Sir Grayson Perry about what he’s learned from his life so far. Once cross-dressing punk rebel, now ennobled member of the British establishment, Grayson Perry’s extraordinary life has given him plenty of material to inspire his art. He reflects on how his traumatic childhood resulted in him retreating into a rich fantasy world and considers whether he would have been given the freedom to explore it artistically had he been starting out today.
If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.
Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young
A BBC Audio Production
TUE 11:30 Decolonising Russia (m001wq4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001wr3d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001wqg3)
Call You and Yours - New Build Homes
The Competition and Markets Authority says it has fundamental concerns with the housebuilding sector including with the quality of new build homes. So on this week's Call You and Yours we're want to hear about your experiences of new build homes. Do you live in one and have you had problems with the quality of work on your home or getting your builder or developer back to fix things which have gone wrong? Have you experiences around communication and customer service you'd like to share? Perhaps you have had a positive experience of purchasing and living in a new build home - we want to hear those too.
What's your experience of new build homes?
Call us on 03700 100 444. Lines are open at 11 am on Tuesday 27th February. You can also email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk. Don't forget to include a phone number so we can call you back.
PRODUCER; CATHERINE EARLAM
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
TUE 12:57 Weather (m001wqgk)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m001wqgz)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
TUE 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012s7z)
Did the Vietnam War Break America's Food System?
Jim Waterson investigates how the politics of the Vietnam era changed agriculture in the US and pushed the country towards a national diet of highly processed foods.
When Richard Nixon stood for re-election in 1972, he had two big problems - the Vietnam war, and food prices. He hired a man called Earl Butz, who made a decision that would shape what Americans eat today - helping to push the poorest citizens to eat highly processed, less nutritious foods.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Contributors: Zellie Thomas, Tom Philpott, Dr Laura Schmidt
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001wq43)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001wqh8)
A Tsar in London
Written by Mike Walker, from an idea by Michael Crick.
A tragicomic take on the months Tsar Peter the Great spent in London learning about ship-building and naval tactics, destroying the house and garden of diarist John Evelyn; roistering with the ambitious young actress Letitia Cross; and preparing himself for an onslaught upon Evelyn’s treasured holly hedge, Russia’s backward society and the peace of Northern Europe.
Peter . . . . . Greg Kolpakchi
Letitia . . . . . Siena Kelly
John . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Ben . . . . . John Lightbody
Foreign Secretary . . . . . Josh Bryant-Jones
Lucy . . . . . Kitty O’Sullivan
Sound design: Andy Garratt & Peter Ringrose
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001wqhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand (m001w2bd)
Series 3: Exercise
S3. Ep 4 - Too Late to Change?
Drs Chris and Xand Van Tulleken investigate the science of exercise and the dangers of inactivity.
Is modern exercise a wellness cult? Or is it a vital cure for a world that’s struggling with ill health and stuck on the sofa? Most of us might like to get a bit fitter, but how easy is it to actually start exercising and give up sedentary habits?
In this series Drs Chris and Xand Van Tulleken examine exercise and how best to do it. How much should we be doing? How does it help our bodies? And how does our surrounding environment stand in the way of us getting fitter? Chris is challenged to examine his scepticism towards exercise. Similarly, Xand is asked to look at his new-found exercise evangelism and see what he is really running from.
Recently Xand has discovered the joys of physical activity. He’s running, cycling, heading to the gym and playing ping pong like never before. It’s been a real transformation and a way to keep on top of things after years of unhealthy living.
His twin brother Chris, on the other hand, is really feeling the aches and pains of middle age. With a busy job and a young family, he has precious little spare time for exercise. After a very active period in his 20s and 30s, Chris is now embracing his ‘Dad bod’ and sliding into a creaky middle age. Xand wants to help him turn things around. Can he do it?
In Episode 4 - Too Late to Change? - the twins meet up with their younger brother J for a session on an exercise bike. This has been a big part of Xand’s journey back to fitness. Will it inspire Chris to become more active? Chris then meets up with Sir Muir Gray, Director of the Optimal Aging Programme and an advisor to Public Health England. Muir shows Chris just how important exercise is for an ageing society.
Presented by Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Sound Design: Dan King
Series Editor: Jo Rowntree
A Van Tulleken Brothers and Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:00 The Other IRA (m001wqj0)
The ‘IRA’ or ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ is the centrepiece of Bidenomics. It’s a massive programme of domestic subsidies and tariffs targeting manufacturing, infrastructure and climate change – what the administration has described as ‘building from the middle out and from the bottom up’ and ‘focusing on creating good jobs for people’.
The Biden administration argues strongly that the world should welcome America’s huge public investments in clean energy. But the reaction of many other countries has been sceptical, even hostile.
The main concern is that the White House programme of subsidies and tariffs to foster American industry will come at their expense and result in unfair competition.
Tanya Beckett explores these arguments, and assesses how the IRA has impacted global trade and the economy. The programme will also look at Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to implement a similar bill in the UK and examine whether the global economy has entered a new era as a result of the bill.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Farhana Haider
Contributors
Brian Deese, President Biden’s former national economic advisor and director of the National Economic council. Institute Innovation Fellow at MIT
Todd Tucker Director, Industrial Policy and Trade at the Roosevelt Institute
Rachel Patterson Interim policy director for Evergreen Action
Sanjay Patnaik Senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings
Harry Crawford Managing member of Diligence Offshore Services
Alan Beattie Senior Trade writer for the Financial Times
Reinhilde Veugelers Senior fellow at the Bruegel Institute
Mathew Lawrence Director and Founder Common Wealth
Kent Smetters Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model
Andrew Teverson Managing Director StageBox
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001wqcc)
Paterson Joseph and Richard Coles
THE LONELY LONDERS by Sam Selvon
THE CHANGELING by Robin Jenkins
A CRACK IN THE WALL by Claudia Peneiro
The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon traces the new lives of a group of hopeful immigrants from the West Indies in the late 1950s. Told with humour and pathos it's a favourite of actor Paterson Joseph. He regards it as the seminal book about Caribbean migration to Britain and applauds Selvon's bravery in writing it in patois.
Richard Coles loves the work of Scottish writer Robin Jenkins. The Changeling is the bleak and heartbreaking story of a well meaning but flawed middle class school teacher's attempt to 'save' a young boy from the slums of Glasgow. The Saviour Complex is something Richard says he's experienced many times and understands how it can lead to disaster.
A Crack In The Wall by Claudia Pineiro is Harriett's choice. It's a crime novel set in Buenos Aires centring around middle-aged architect Pedro, who's experiencing cracks in his own personal life, as well as in the city's architecture.
Producer: Maggie Ayre, BBC Audio Bristol
TUE 17:00 PM (m001wqjc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wqk0)
Henry Staunton also said he was asked to slow compensation for Horizon scandal victims
TUE 18:30 ReincarNathan (m000l8r5)
Series 2
Space Hamster
Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife continues with Daniel Rigby and Diane Morgan, and guest-starring Phil Wang.
In episode 4, Nathan is brought back to life as a hamster in a petshop in California. But not just any old hamster – Nathan the hamster is selected by NASA to enter the space-race. Perhaps seeing the earth from space will give Nathan a radical new sense of perspective. Or maybe it will just confirm his rampant egomania. Will Nathan ever learn to do the right thing and make it back to human again?
Cast:
Diane Morgan - Jenny
Daniel Rigby – Nathan
Tom Craine – Mission Control
Henry Paker – Chuck Rogers, Henry VIII
Freya Parker – Vortex, Cosmonaut, Nasa Scientist, Shop Assistant, Susan
Phil Wang – Xavier, the Space Hedgehog
Mike Wozniak – Cosmonaut
Writers: Tom Craine and Henry Paker
Music composed by Phil Lepherd
Producer: Harriet Jaine
Studio Production: Jerry Peal
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001wq80)
Kenton’s testing out quiz questions on Jolene and Tracy when Jazzer comes into the bar and takes Tracy to one side, checking she’s okay. Tracy reckons he’s a wally for worrying too much. Meanwhile, Kenton’s excited about his return as Quiz Master, but needs a lie-down first. Jolene is cheered when Fallon arrives with cakes for the quiz, but then expresses how pressurised she feels running a pub. Fallon and Tracy do their best to reassure her, but when it comes to quiz-time only two teams have turned up, despite their best efforts to get the whole village to be supportive. They can’t understand it – last time with Jim the place was rammed. The Carters promised they’d come but haven’t turned up and there’s no sign of Harrison and Fallon either. They delay the start, hoping for late arrivals, before Jazzer tells Tracy it might be his fault - he’s been telling everyone to be careful about going to the pub. Tracy says he’s an idiot and he’ll have to fix it by rounding people up, starting with Brad, Chelsea and Bert.
Harrison pre-empts Harry putting in a formal complaint by confessing to Inspector Norris about the information he'd shared with Alice. She’s glad he’s come clean but reminds him how he breached confidentiality before, in the Philip Moss case. She’s got no choice but to refer this incident for investigation. Norris says she will support Harrison, but she can’t guarantee he won’t lose his job. When he gets home Harrison’s in no mood for the quiz and tells Fallon why. This could be it for his career.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001wqk6)
The Jury: Murder Trial, Bhangra Nation, Bluestockings
Channel 4’s new reality TV series, The Jury: Murder Trial features a real-life murder case, re-run in front of two juries who are unaware of each other’s existence. Its creator Ed Kellie and BBC News' former legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman discuss what the TV experiment tells us about how emotions can be swayed in the courtroom - and whether the juries will reach the same verdict.
Susannah Gibson’s new book “Bluestockings: The First Women’s Movement” explores the often overlooked female pioneers of 18th century intellectualism, whose legendary salons were hotbeds of cultural foment and writerly wit. She is joined by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, the historical novelist to discuss the lives of the extraordinary women from this period.
Bhangra Nation aims to do for Punjabi dancing what the films Bring It On and Pitch Perfect did for cheerleading and acapella singing. We hear from the co-writer of the new musical at the Birmingham Rep Theatre, Rehana Lew Mirza, and choreographer Rujuta Vaidya.
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001wqkd)
A Coal Town Mystery
It’s a scandal that went uncovered for 30 years. Body parts and organs from former workers in the nuclear industry were systematically removed for research. But the families of those former workers were never told. The truth only came to light following a three year inquiry published in 2010. But was this practice contained to one industry, or was this happening on behalf of others too?
News reports around the time of the Sellafield scandal claimed that organs of coal miners were also being routinely removed during post-mortems at the request of the then National Coal Board.
So, was the coal industry involved in a similar scandal - and to what extent? And could the need to advance research and science ever be seen to outweigh the need for permission?
Reporter and producer: Emma Forde
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley
Editor: Clare Fordham
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001wqkl)
Voting Requirements; Smart Energy; Visual Snow
2024 promises to be hugely significant for political change around the world, with more than eighty countries planning to head to the polls. The UK being one of them. This year will see not only a general election, but local elections and others. Niki Nixon is from The Electoral Commission, and she provides details of what visually impaired people need to consider before voting, especially regarding photographic ID.
We examine your experiences with energy companies and AIHDs and we answer a listeners question: what is Visual Snow Syndrome? Dr Sui Wong, consultant neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, helps us answer the question.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001wq87)
What's going on with girls' mental health?
When it comes to mental health, what's going on with young people - particularly, teenage girls?
There's been a lot of coverage in the media recently regarding mental health difficulties facing boys, not least around the struggle to get to grips with 'modern masculinity'; undoubtedly, it's a tough time to be a young man.
But looking at figures for mental health problems in children and teens, there's clearly something going on with girls too. For some years now, research has shown that more girls are experiencing problems than boys, with a troubling spike in difficulties showing up in the late teens. In some years, twice as many girls as boys have what the research calls “probable mental health disorders” - with rates of eating disorders charting four times higher and rates of self-harm up to seven times higher in girls than in boys.
All sorts of factors can affect those figures, from whether people are prepared to discuss how they feel, to how those feelings are labelled.
But these don’t explain why statistics over recent years continue to show a disparity between boys and girls.
On today's programme, Claudia explores the issue with help from a variety of guests, visiting King's College London's (KCL) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience to speak to Gemma Knowles, a lecturer in epidemiology and youth mental health; Craig Morgan, professor of social epidemiology and co-director of ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health; and Valeria Mondelli, a clinical professor of psychoneuroimmunology - about their work with young people in the UK and beyond, trying to uncover the deeper causes and to find new solutions.
She also hears from some of the young people involved in a major study into mental health, conducted by the team at KCL and spanning nearly a decade.
Claudia is joined by Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, who brings her own professional experience to bear discussing the trends and challenges of youth mental health.
Organisations offering information and support relating to mental health can be found at BBC Action Line: bbc.co.uk/actionline
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Studio Manager: Emma Harth
Production Coordinator: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire
TUE 21:30 Things Fell Apart (p0h24lnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wqks)
President Biden says Gaza ceasefire “could be next week”
Also:
Henry Staunton says Post Office chief executive is under investigation
We hear from boyfriend of dual national arrested in Russia on treason charges
TUE 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wqkz)
Episode 7
On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?
As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.
A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.
The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.
Read by Niamh Cusack
Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 Icklewick FM (m001wql4)
6. The Mob
It all proper kicks off on Mischief Night as the people of Icklewick are seduced by bloodthirsty but undeniably fit bigot, Sharon L’Beech. Police Chief Caehole joins Chris and Amy in the studio to discuss precautions.
Amy’s desperate to protect her unruly cousin Tan from the mob uprising, and having never stayed up so late before Chris is really snoozy!
As the dramatic events unfold, will IcklewickFM survive to hear the Mischief Bell toll?
Created and written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill with additional material from the cast.
Starring:
Lucy Beaumont
Jen Brister
Tom Burgess
Tai Campbell
Janice Connolly
Phil Ellis
Colin Hoult
Em Humble
Katia Kvinge
Alex Lowe
Ed Night
Nimisha Odedra
Steen Raskopoulos
Nicola Redman
Mark Silcox
Shivani Thussu
Sound Design and Music by Jack Lewis Evans.
The Line Producer is Laura Shaw.
Produced by Benjamin Sutton.
Icklewick FM is A Daddy’s SuperYacht Production for BBC Radio 4.
—-
Credits
Created and written by Chris Cantrill & Amy Gledhill with additional material from the cast.
Sound Design and Music by Jack Lewis Evans
Line Producer by Laura Shaw
Produced by Benjamin Sutton
Cast:
Lucy Beaumont
Kat Bond
Jen Brister
Tom Burgess
Tai Campbell
Janice Connolly
Phil Ellis
Ninette Finch
Colin Hoult
Em Humble
Katia Kvinge
Alex Lowe
Ed Night
Nimisha Odedra
Ben Partridge
Steen Raskopoulos
Nicola Redman
Mark Silcox
Shivani Thussu
Johnny White Really Really
IcklewickFM is a Daddy’s Superyacht for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wql8)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question key figures in the Post Office scandal.
WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2024
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001wqld)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
WED 00:30 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wqlj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wqln)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wqls)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wqlx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001wqm1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wqm5)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001wqm9)
28/02/24 Phone masts in remote areas, river pollution, chalkstreams on farms
In 2020 the government pledged to achieve 4G mobile phone coverage across 95% of the UK landmass by the end of next year - but a National Audit Office report which has just been published, says the target is unlikely to be met. The government chooses where the masts are site and some landowners have voiced concerns that hundreds still need to be put up in very isolated areas, so the 95% target can be met. We speak to Kenny Munn a land agent and also to Digital Mobile Spectrum who represent mobile phone companies.
In Teesside, new technology, which resembles a small surfboard is being used to detect potential pollution on waterways. It's being operated by a Barnard Castle company in partnership with the Tees Rivers Trust.
A group of farmers in South Wiltshire have formed Wylye Chalkstream Project - it also includes the Wessex Rivers Trust and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
This is one of the government’s Landscape Recovery Schemes - the highest tier of the Environmental Land Management schemes, which in England are replacing the previous payments made to farmers under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Marie Lennon.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0t44)
Kea
Michael Palin presents the kea from a windswept mountain in New Zealand. A a snow-capped mountain in New Zealand's South Island are not a place where you'd expect to find a parrot, least of all a carnivorous one (and with a penchant for rubber). But this is the home of the kea.
Keas are curious birds in every sense of the word. Drab greenish brown, they're the world's only Alpine parrot. When they can find them, keas eat fruits and berries, but also, especially in winter they descend from the higher slopes and scavenge on animal carcasses at rubbish dumps, cracking bones with their sharp beaks to reach the marrow. They will even attack live sheep, stripping the fat from their backs and damaging vital organs. Although this habit is rare and is now understood to be largely restricted to injured sheep, it led to widespread persecution of the birds and a bounty was paid on the head of each bird killed which led to widespread declines so that keas became endangered.
Today Keas are legally protected. In their mountain homes, the parrots survive to entertain and exasperate tourists as they clamber over cars, strip rubber seals from windscreens and remove wiper-blades ... curious birds indeed.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
WED 06:00 Today (m001wq71)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 More or Less (m001wq77)
School spending, excess deaths and billions of animals at Heathrow
Is school funding at record levels as the education secretary claimed? Why did the ONS change how they measure excess deaths? Is there a shoplifting epidemic? Did 6.5bn creatures arrive in the UK by plane last year?
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Nathan Gower, Perisha Kudhail, Debbie Richford and Olga Smirnova
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: Sarah Hockley
Editor: Richard Vadon
WED 09:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001wq7f)
Snack Smartly
We are a nation of snackers and we tend to get a whopping 25% of our daily calories from our snacks. But surprisingly, snacking isn’t necessarily bad for our health. Dr Sarah Berry at Kings College London explores a pragmatic approach to snacking, and tells Michael how what you snack on and when you snack has the greatest impact on your health. You don’t have to stop snacking - just snack smartly by swapping in some less-processed options. Our volunteer Denise, a hotel facilities manager from Liverpool, tries to reap the benefits of better snacks.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Researcher: Will Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
WED 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq7j)
Episode 3
How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.
3/5 Dimitris looks in detail at a Spanish firewalking ritual, showing how it creates a collective transcendent experience for its community.
Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wq7l)
Yvette Cooper on Raneem's Law, Porn review, Andi and Charlotte Osho, Lucia Keskin
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is calling for 'Raneem’s Law' in memory of a 22-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by her ex-husband. Raneem Oudeh spoke to police five times in less than two hours before her ex-husband killed her and her mother Khaola Saleem in 2018. One of Labour’s proposals is for domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms so that victims speak to an expert from their first call. Emma speaks to Yvette Cooper in her first broadcast interview on the issue and also to Raneem’s aunt, Nour Norris, who is backing the proposals.
In a new Woman’s Hour series we want to start an honest conversation about how the availability and content of porn affects what we do, how we feel and what we expect from sex and relationships. Today we begin by speaking to the woman leading the Independent Pornography Review for the government looking at the legislative and regulatory framework around pornography. The Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin joins Emma in the studio.
Last July comedian, actor and author Andi Osho joined spoke to us about her second novel, Tough Crowd. During the interview Andi revealed she was also editing her mother’s memoirs – a legacy for her three children. Charlotte Osho has now published The Jagged Path and she joins Emma along with her editor/daughter Andi.
A new sitcom called Things You Should Have Done starts on the 29th February on BBC Three. It follows Chi, who's parents have died and has to learn how to fend for herself. It was written by comedian Lucia Keskin, who also stars as Chi. She joins Emma to talk about the series and where her inspiration came from.
WED 11:00 Why Do You Hate Me? (m001wq7n)
5. I Went Inside the World of the Trolled and the Troll
Marianna investigates online abuse targeting Eni Aluko and tracks down one of her trolls.
In this series, Why Do You Hate Me?, Marianna Spring delves into her inbox to investigate extraordinary cases of online hate like this one. She meets the people at the heart of the conflicts, to see if understanding – even forgiveness is possible.
In this episode, she speaks to former footballer Eni Aluko and investigates the wave of online abuse directed at her. Marianna tracks down one of the people behind the abusive messages to understand why they do it.
If you have been affected by some of the issues raised in this programme, please visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Host: Marianna Spring
Series Producer: Emma Close
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Sam Bonham
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
WED 11:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (p0h3q9t6)
28. Alice Mitchell - Forbidden Love
Lucy Worsley travels back in time to revisit the unthinkable crimes of 19th century murderesses from the UK, Australia and North America.
In this episode Lucy is joined by Cameron Esposito, stand-up comic, actor, writer and host of the hit podcast Queery. They investigate the case of 19-year-old Alice Mitchell who killed 17-year-old Freda Ward in Memphis, Tennessee in 1892 after a stormy and illicit relationship.
Alice and Freda plan to marry and move to St Louis, but when Freda’s family discover their relationship, she comes under enormous pressure to end it.
Alice Mitchell’s subsequent actions caused a nationwide sensation and influenced the way lesbians were perceived by the press and the public for decades.
Lucy is also joined by the historian Alexis Coe, author of Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis, who helps Lucy uncover exactly what drove Alice to kill the woman she loved.
Lucy wants to know what this case tells us about women’s lives in the southern states of America at the end of the 19th century, particularly the lives of LGBTQ+ women, and what it tells us about queer women’s lives in America now.
Today in Tennessee the LGBTQ+ community feels under increasing threat with legislation banning books in schools which portray gay or trans people and bans on drag acts. Lucy asks the drag artist and activist Magical Miss Mothie to find out more from members of the community during their annual Pride festival in the city.
The story of Alice and Freda is complex and disturbing, and it culminates in the destruction of two young lives. But it reminds us that queer people have always been there and always will be; in the teeth of opposition from everyone around her Alice refused to see why she should not live her life with the woman she loved.
Produced in partnership with the Open University
Producer: Jane Greenwood
Readers: Clare Corbett, Bill Hope and Laurel Lefkow
Sound design: Chris Maclean
Series Producer: Julia Hayball
Executive Producer: Kirsty Hunter
A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4
New episodes will be released on Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. But if you’re in the UK, listen to the latest full series of Lady Killers first on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds - Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley - Available Episodes: http://bbc.in/3M2pT0K
WED 12:00 News Summary (m001wq7r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001wq7t)
Auto Renew Insurance Response, Fashion Retail and Hotel Boom
Auto renewal insurance has stirred quite a response from You & Yours listeners...the industry answers back.
Why are hotels booming in the middle of a cost of living crisis?
Fashion retail suffered a poor January, so what does it need to do to rally in 2024?
Sneaky subscriptions, the kind that sucker you when you sign up for a product you want and end up with a subscription you do not, are on the rise...we ask why and what can you do to protect yourself...
and there's increased pressure on people who receive local authority funded care at home to move into care homes where it’s cheaper
PRODUCER: KEVIN MOUSLEY
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
WED 12:57 Weather (m001wq7w)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m001wq7y)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
WED 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012qgc)
Did a handwritten note make Theresa May prime minister?
Jim Waterson investigates the circumstances surrounding the loss of a handwritten note from Boris Johnson caused his 2016 Conservative leadership campaign to collapse - and led to Theresa May becoming the prime minister tasked with negotiating Brexit.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Contributors: Anushka Asthana, Tim Shipman
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m001wq80)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001wq82)
Sappho in Fragments
By Hattie Naylor. Sappho adores her brother Charaxus. But nothing is the same after his trip to Egypt. His irrational obsession with the courtesan-slave Rhodopis threatens to destroy their family. Starring Thalissa Teixeira.
Sappho is a superstar. Think Beyoncé or Taylor Swift: phenomenally talented and charismatic. But she must still take care of the family's reputation. And her brothers are so annoying: Larichus is a lazy drunk: he can't 'lift his head' long enough to be a real man. And Charaxus is wasting all the family money on this Egyptian-based gold-digger whore from Thrace. It's not good optics for a famous poet/musician.
And there are so many wolfish rivals waiting to bite Sappho in the back; they'd love to get their claws on juicy gossip like this. Sappho can't trust herself either: how can she resist the temptation to reveal her intimate problems onstage, for her voracious fans and all the world to hear.
Only her devoted servant Timas knows how to take care of Sappho.
Inspired by fragments of Sappho's poems, including her newly discovered work, Hattie Naylor creates a vivid episode in the youthful life on Lesbos of this elusive and unforgettable poet.
CAST
Sappho ... Thalissa Teixeira
Timas ... Rhiannon Neads
Andromeda/Rhodopis ...Anna Spearpoint
Gorgo ... Juliana Lisk
Charaxus ... Joseph Tweedale
Larichus/Fotis ... Oliver Hembrough
Captain/Agapios ... Ian Dunnett Jnr
Cleis ... Amanda Lawrence
Historical consultant ... Professor Edith Hall
Photo credit ... Ágnes Wonke-Tóth
Music by Liz Hanks from her album 'Land', released on Hudson Records
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery
WED 15:00 Money Box (m001wq84)
Hannah and Seagull: Learning Money
How do schools teach children and teenagers about money?
Learning about money is part of the curriculum but more than three-quarters of teachers say young people are leaving school without the money skills they need for adulthood.
We’re going back to school to hear from pupils at Trinity Academy Cathedral School in Wakefield who are learning about money in special classes. We’ll listen in to find out how the experts teach children about credit cards, pensions, budgeting and more.
The government says its reformed the curriculum and invested substantially over £100 million in its Maths Hubs programme.
Felicity Hannah presents alongside the broadcaster, maths teacher and University Challenge alumni Bobby Seagull. They’ll be finding out how it all works from the school’s headteacher Anna Gillinder and Stephanie Fitzgerald, Head of Young People Programmes at The Money Charity.
Presenters: Felicity Hannah and Bobby Seagull
Producers: Kath Paddison and Sarah Rogers
Reporters: Tamzin Kraftman
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
(This episode was first broadcast at
3pm on Wednesday 28th February 2024)
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001wq87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Sideways (m001wq8c)
58. The Keeper of Lost Memories
In 2020, David Gutenmacher began to buy old photographs and videos that he came across in second hand shops. He was sad about the prospect that families had been severed from their treasured memories, and so he founded the Museum of Lost Memories to try and reconnect people with their personal archives.
But when he came across a video of a family on a safari holiday he realised that finding out who was in these videos might not be all that straightforward.
Matthew Syed considers the role of photography and video in personal memory making, and how we go about using photos to leave a record of our existence on earth.
Featuring:
David Gutenmacher, Founder and curator of the Lost Memory Museum
Jono Marcus
Lina Henkel, professor of psychology at Fairfield University
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Nadia Mehdi
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Music, Sound Design & Mix: Daniel Kempson
Sideways theme by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001wq8g)
Reverberations of the Israel-Gaza War
With Islamophobia, antisemitism, and threats against MPs all in the news, what role has the media itself played in stoking tensions? Also in the programme, as international broadcasters sign a letter calling for access to Gaza, what impact would that have on how the conflict is reported?
Guests: Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, Sky News; Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, Sunday Times; Ayesha Hazarika, Columnist and Presenter, Times Radio; Tim Montgomerie, Columnist and Founder of Conservative Home; Dr Hannah White, Director, Institute for Government
Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Dan Hardoon
WED 17:00 PM (m001wq8l)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wq8v)
Iain Packer was sentenced to life almost two decades after Ms Caldwell's body was found
WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m00100hd)
Powerhouse
Absolute powershed Jessica Fostekew explores her big strong strength.
Have you ever watched a feminist try and take ‘hench’ as a compliment? It’s like watching a snake eat, but funny. In this show, Jess extols the joys of weightlifting, decries the pressures put on women by the diet industry and explores the evolutionary advantage of having legs like a prize ham.
Powerhouse is adapted for BBC Radio 4 from Jessica's 2019 Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show, Hench.
Written and Performed by Jessica Fostekew
Production Coordinator: Tamara Shilham
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
Photo credit: Idil Sukan
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m001wq96)
Jim mentions to Alistair that the EV Charging Station is making great progress. When Jim points out how frosty things appear between Alistair and Jazzer, Alistair explains it’s because Jazzer was a bit judgey when he asked him for some advice about Denise. When Alistair admits to Jim that he’s in love with Denise, Jim’s not surprised; it’s clear they’re fond of each other. However, Jazzer thought that despite their mutual feelings, Alistair shouldn’t get involved with Denise because she’s married.
Tracy’s annoyed with Jazzer for the poor turn out at The Bull quiz last night. Jazzer had put word out that people should take care after the dog attack on Kenton. Later Jazzer outlines to Kenton his idea for a one night only ‘Jazzer Special’ to encourage people back to The Bull. But Tracy worries it will go wrong and Jolene’s equally stressed when Kenton explains Jazzer’s plans.
Jim visits Jazzer as he’s practicing ‘Parkour in the Pub’ even though Jazzer hasn’t ever done it before. When Jim broaches the subject of Alistair and Denise, Jazzer’s adamant that Alistair shouldn’t act on his feelings, because of Denise’s marital status. But Jim points out that we only have one life, and that both he and Jazzer need to trust Alistair to do the right thing.
Later at a packed Bull, Jazzer’s chickened out of the parkour and left Jim to explain to the assembled crowd that Jazzer’s ‘injured himself’. Then Jazzer takes to the floor to make an emotional speech, indirectly telling Alistair that life is short and that he trusts Alistair to make the right decision.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m001wq9j)
Benjamin Britten, director Kaouther Ben Hania, music from Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell
Kate Molleson talks to Kaouther Ben Hania about her Oscar-nominated documentary Four Daughters, which explores the impact of two sisters fleeing to join Islamic State, by bringing in actors to play them alongside the rest of their family in Tunisia.
We look at two new plays about British composer Benjamin Britten and the light they shed on a life shrouded with mystery and controversy. Kate is joined by Erica Whyman, the director of Ben and Imo by Mark Ravenhill, which is on at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, and also by Kevin Kelly, the writer of Turning the Screw, which I son at the King’s Head Theatre in London.
Plus live music from Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell, two young musicians who play with the idea of "English" folk. Their forthcoming EP, 102 Metres East, was recently recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in less than a day.
Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer Paula McGrath
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m001wq9x)
The morality of work
Many people seem to be going off the idea of work. In the UK there are more than nine million people who are "economically inactive". Some are unemployed, some are students, others are not actively looking for a job or available to start work. There’s no shortage of jobs, but people are choosing not to take them. Many people decided not to return to work after the Covid lockdowns. They reduced their working hours or took early retirement, choosing the golf course over the office. For some, it’s a moral failure that so many are economically inactive. But why do we ascribe such virtue to the idea of work?
Politicians endlessly refer to "hard working families", perhaps inducing a sense of entitlement among workers, but in the process stoking resentment against those who don't work. Of course the economy relies on work - the wheels only turn when enough people are employed and paying tax.
Some believe the benefits system is to blame - if it's too comfortable not to work - then why bother? But there’s also the broader societal shift where people choose to work less, or not at all and live a more modest but perhaps less stressful life. Is this a laudable position, where people prioritise wellbeing over wealth and status, or a selfish one that denies the collective responsibility we all bear to contribute to society, through labour and taxes? The personal value of work might feel clearer if your job is rewarding and well paid, but less so if you’re on a low income. What is the moral value of work?
Presenter: Michael Buerk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Assistant Producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton
WED 21:00 When It Hits the Fan (m001wqb9)
Talking crap, car crash interviews and Trident’s plop
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss when using the word crap is not a crap comms strategy at all. Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered, used it to describe the bank’s share price and the financial markets loved it. But crap probably wasn't signed off in the preparatory Q&A - David and Simon take us behind the scenes.
Also, a fan-hitter par-excellence, a car-crash interview featuring Brad Banducci, the boss of Australia’s largest supermarket empire, who walked off during a TV interview for the biggest prime time documentary series in Sydney – and now he’s the ex-boss. What could he have done differently?
Plus, how defence minister Grant Shapps and the MoD put a very positive spin on Trident’s second embarrassing test failure, and the military wives who forced a reverse ferret on the Army's new housing plans.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Assistant producer: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001wq8g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wqbs)
Fresh blow to government's Troubles act
There are fresh questions about the government's new law designed to bring reconcilation in Northern Ireland - after the High Court in Belfast rules that it breaches human rights legislation. We speak to one of those who brought the case, a woman widowed during the troubles.
Also on the programme:
The longest-serving party leader in the US Senate - Mitch McConnell - is stepping down from the role. We assess his legacy.
Welsh farmers have had a noisy day in Cardiff: we speak to one of the farmers leading the protests - the retired international rugby referee, Nigel Owens - and also hear from the Welsh government.
And she was one of the most recognisable - and derided - figures of the 1990s: as Monica Lewinsky fronts a major fashion campaign, what was does her passage from late-night punchbag to front-page icon tell us?
WED 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wqc9)
Episode 8
On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?
As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.
A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.
The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.
Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:00 DMs Are Open (m001wqcq)
Series 3
Brand New
DMs are Open is back for a new-look series. Stevie Martin takes on hosting duties, and she's pulled together a crack team of performers to bring your sketches to life.
Stevie is joined by Katie Norris, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Nimisha Odedra and Will Sebag-Montefiore as they delve into the DMs.
There may be a brand new host and brand new features, but as always, it's still written by the Great British public.
Written by the public. This week it was written by:
Jon Bailey
Julie Burrow
Cody Dahler
Kate Dehnert
David Duncan
Jin Hao-Li
SJ Honour
David Kidder
Kathy Maniura
Lucy Sargent
Rhiannon Shaw
Voice notes were performed by:
Clare Gittins
David Robinson
Alex MJ Smith
Recorded at Backyard Comedy Club
Script Edited by Simon Alcock and Catherine Brinkworth.
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Assistant Producer: Caroline Barlow
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
WED 23:15 The Skewer (m001wqdj)
Series 11
Episode 3
The week’s biggest stories like you’ve never heard them before. The news, remixed as a satirical comedy concept album.
This week - Lee Anderson falls into The Matrix, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle gets sent to Slough House (Slow Hoyleses?), Liz Truss the Doomslayer, and None of the Above.
Jon Holmes presents the multi-award winning The Skewer. Headphones on.
Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wqf1)
Susan Hulme reports after a bitter edition of Prime Minister's Questions, which was dominated by jabs about former Conservative and Labour leaders.
THURSDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2024
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001wqfj)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
THU 00:30 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wq7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wqg1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wqgh)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wqgw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001wqhb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wqhr)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001wqj4)
29/02/24 Welsh farmers protest at Senedd; Natural flood management; Battery storage plans
Thousands of Welsh farmers have protested outside the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff. They are angry at plans for a new Welsh system of subsidies: The Sustainable Farming Scheme. They say proposals to use 10% of their land for growing trees and a further 10% for wildlife habitats are unworkable. The Welsh Government insists it is listening to their concerns and the scheme is under consultation. Many farmers say the scheme would jeopardise their businesses and feel the government isn’t listening.
Forty new Natural Flood Management projects across England are to share £25 million of government funding to help alleviate flooding. Tree planting, creating wetlands and reconnecting rivers with their floodplains all help ‘slow the flow’. Farmers can apply for grants to help manage river catchments as part of agri-environment schemes. The Ribble Rivers Trust in Lancashire has been allocated more than a million pounds for four new projects. We visit one of them, which uses a series of dams to hold water upstream longer.
Campaigners in rural Buckinghamshire have called plans to build one of the largest battery storage facilities in Europe on their doorstep 'outrageous'. The proposals would see nearly 900 storage containers built on 26 acres of land in the village of Granborough near Aylesbury. The company Statera says the battery farm is needed to support the rapid growth in renewable energy.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b098n5pq)
Joe Acheson on the Starling
Musician Joe Acheson describes recording the sounds of starlings at the Lizard in Cornwall to use in his work as Hidden Orchestra.
Producer: Tom Bonnett
THU 06:00 Today (m001wq8x)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001wq9h)
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the German physicist who, at the age of 23 and while still a student, effectively created quantum mechanics for which he later won the Nobel Prize. Werner Heisenberg made this breakthrough in a paper in 1925 when, rather than starting with an idea of where atomic particles were at any one time, he worked backwards from what he observed of atoms and their particles and the light they emitted, doing away with the idea of their continuous orbit of the nucleus and replacing this with equations. This was momentous and from this flowed what’s known as his Uncertainty Principle, the idea that, for example, you can accurately measure the position of an atomic particle or its momentum, but not both.
With
Fay Dowker
Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London
Harry Cliff
Research Fellow in Particle Physics at the University of Cambridge
And
Frank Close
Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics and Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College at the University of Oxford
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Philip Ball, Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different (Vintage, 2018)
John Bell, ‘Against 'measurement'’ (Physics World, Vol 3, No 8, 1990)
Mara Beller, Quantum Dialogue: The Making of a Revolution (University of Chicago Press, 2001)
David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, And The Bomb (Bellevue Literary Press, 2010)
Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy (first published 1958; Penguin Classics, 2000)
Carlo Rovelli, Helgoland: The Strange and Beautiful Story of Quantum Physics (Penguin, 2022)
THU 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wqlr)
Episode 4
How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.
4/5 Dimitris looks at extreme rituals, in particular, rites of terror and explores how they can increase well-being, despite the pain involved.
Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wqbb)
Alabama IVF, Porn series, Tattoos
Both Republicans and Democrats in the US state of Alabama are trying to find a legal solution that would protect access to IVF treatment, after a court ruling cast doubt on its future. Alabama's Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos have the same rights as children. Jenny Kleeman speaks to lawyer Eric Wrubel, who specialises in fertility law and Kristia Rumbley who has three frozen embryos at a fertility clinic in Alabama.
How is porn shaping our sex lives? In a new Woman’s Hour series we want to start an honest conversation about how the availability and content of porn affects what we do, how we feel and what we expect. Today, our reporter Ena Miller talks to a woman who had to decide where the line was for her around her husband's porn use.
Is the boys' club in tattooing over? A new book, Tattoo You, celebrates the most innovate and trailblazing tattoo artists from across the world – two thirds of which are women, non-binary and trans artists. Tattoo expert Alice Snape and tattoo artist Tanya Buxton discuss shifts in the industry and the future of tattooing.
The tale of the relationship between actress Tippi Hedren and director Alfred Hitchcock is told as part of a new play, Double Feature. In her memoir, Tippi accused Hitchcock of sexual assault. Joanna Vanderham, who plays Tippi, and Helen O’Hara, a film critic, join Jenny to explore how the play portrays that tumultuous relationship.
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Emma Pearce
Reporter: Ena Miller
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m001wqbv)
Trump edges closer to Republican nomination
Kate Adie presents stories from the US, Indonesia, Georgia, Thailand and Colombia.
Donald Trump’s only Republican rival for the US presidency, Nikki Haley, says she’ll fight on, despite roundly losing to him in her home state of South Carolina, where she was governor twice. Our Correspondent, Will Vernon, joined Republican campaigners in South Carolina, as they went door-to-door.
In Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, a former army general with a questionable past humans rights record, is set to become the country’s next president. Our South East Asia Correspondent, Jonathan Head, remembers first meeting Mr Subianto, when he served under the dictator General Suharto.
Thousands of babies in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia were stolen from their parents at birth and sold. Our Correspondent, Fay Nurse, meets some mothers who were told their new-borns had died suddenly, but who now wonder if they may still be alive.
Thailand is moving a step closer to legalising same-sex marriage. In Bangkok, Rebecca Root meets couples who are keen to tie the knot.
And we’re in Colombia, where a literary festival encourages people to debate divisive issues without turning to violence. Kirsty Lang finds out more.
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Sophie Hill
Editor: Matt Willis
THU 11:30 A Good Read (m001wqcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
THU 12:00 News Summary (m001wqmy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001wqdb)
Gap Finders - Dave Fishwick
Dave Fishwick has turned into a bit of a household name, after a Netflix film based on his story called “Bank of Dave” became one of the streaming services most watched films last year.
It’s a drama version of the Burnley businessman’s mission to create a new kind of community bank.
Today, we speak to the real Dave Fishwick, who was running a successful minibus business in Lancashire, when he decided to start loaning local people in his hometown money, when the high street banks started to refuse them.
He opened Burnley Savings and Loans to do so, putting profits back into the community.
We find out the real details behind the story, what made him want to open a business in the financial sector, and what challenges he faced along the way.
PRODUCER: Kate Holdsworth
PRESENTER: Shari Vahl
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001wqdw)
Fitness trackers
Millions of us use fitness tracker watches to count how many steps we take each day - they also claim to tell us how we're sleeping and how stressed we are, as well as a host of other metrics. But how accurate are they - and are they the best thing since Sliced Bread? We've had loads of requests from you to look into fitness trackers. So with multiple watches on each arm, Greg's being put through his paces at Loughborough University under the watchful eye of Dr James Sanders, senior research associate in digital health for lifestyle.
PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
THU 12:57 Weather (m001wqfd)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m001wqfw)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
THU 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0012s9s)
Did one man from Iraq make Norway rich?
When Farouk Al-Kasim moved his young family from Iraq to Norway in the 1960s, it was to seek medical care for his son rather than for his own career prospects. But during a few serendipitous hours in Oslo, he got himself a job which would lead to Norway becoming one of the most successful oil producers - and one of the richest countries - in the world.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Contributors: Farouk Al-Kasim, John Hawksworth
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m001wq96)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0003jhl)
The Listening Room
What happens when perpetrators and victims of violent crimes come face to face?
The Listening Room is a unique collaboration between the theatre company Crowded Room, the Prison Radio Association charity and BBC Radio 4.
The play tells, in their own words, the true stories of five people whose lives have been turned upside-down through violent crimes.
Playwright Harriet Madeley conducted original interviews with three victims and two perpetrators of serious violent offences - including murder, manslaughter and violent assault.
In each case, the victims and perpetrators describe not only the crimes themselves, but also what happened in the aftermath. Following trial and punishment, each was given the chance to meet the person on the other side in a process called Restorative Justice.
Their words have been turned into a script, and actors recite, word-for-word, their testimonies. During the recording, the actors listened to the original interviews through headphones as they spoke the words.
Each story is shocking in its own way, but all have one thing in common - the remarkable way both victims and perpetrators have shown a determination to move on from the crimes, in order that no further lives should be destroyed as a result of one disastrous decision.
Cast:
Mark Knightley - Ray
Cathy Tyson - Vi
Ryan Gerald - Jacob
Neran Persaud - Khamran
Leo Wan - Tim
Music: Jethro Cooke
Writer: Harriet Madeley (Crowded Room)
Producer: Andrew Wilkie (Prison Radio Association)
Producer: Mel Harris
A PRA production for BBC Radio 4
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m001wqg7)
Walking at Night on the South Downs near Seaford
When author Annabel Abbs suffered a series of bereavements she found herself unable to sleep. Eventually she began getting up and walking around her garden and neighbouring fields around
3am. But when she heard about Caroline Whiteman who runs guided walks at night without head torches, she just had to go along on one. Caroline began the walks as an experiment in overcoming her fear of the dark. She has found other people keen to get out at night and experience the dark in a totally different way under her care and supervision. Although Clare is walking on a winter's night with barely any moon visible it's amazing how quickly the landscape lights up and the chalk cliffs stand out against the sea.
They walked in a loop starting and ending at South Hill Barn Car Park BN25 4JQ near Seaford
Producer: Maggie Ayre
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001wqgn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (m001wqh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Rise and Rise of the Microchip (m001wqhf)
When the Chips are Down
Episode 2: When the Chips are Down
The story of chips continues, as the global demand for microprocessors surges Misha Glenny asks what happens when the world’s access to this transformative technology is in jeopardy.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, chip shortages hit industries across the globe, forcing governments to rethink how we all access this critical technology. Misha speaks to Chris Miller, the author of the bestselling book Chip War, about how the USA, China and the European Union are reimagining where and who manufactures our chips.
On an island in the South China Sea, you’ll find one of the biggest players in microchips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or TSMC. Misha talks to Nigel Inkster, the former director of operations for the British Secret Intelligence Service about how Taiwanese chip making became central to the growing strategic and military rivalry between the USA and China and how the industry in Taiwan came to be known as the “silicon shield.”
If the way we make microchips is to be reimagined, then central to that new vision will be some of the world’s most innovative tech companies. Misha delves into the modern scientific miracle of making microprocessors as small as a string of DNA with Ann Kelleher from Intel, Paul Williamson of ARM and ASML’s Jos Benschop.
With microchips now central to so much of the world’s tech, Nigel Inkster and the New York Times journalist John Liu guide Misha through the dark arts of corporate espionage and explain how corporations and nations try and obtain access to new technologies by fair means and foul.
Presented by Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.
Produced by Mugabi Turya and Olivia Sopel
Archive clips:
Biden signing the US Chip Act into Law (Source: The White House)
News report on US-China export controls (Source: CBS News)
Neuralink Announcement January 2024
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001wqht)
Dimming the Sun
Switzerland has submitted a proposal to create a United Nations expert group on solar geoengineering to inform governments and stakeholders. The idea was discussed at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, this week. Professor Aarti Gupta shares how, after tense negotiations, the different member states could not agree, and the proposal was withdrawn. Why is solar geoengineering a controversial issue? How would dimming the sun even work? And should we consider it a genuine option in our fight against climate change? Dr Pete Irvine and Professor Joanna Haigh join presenter Marnie Chesterton in the studio to discuss.
Animal welfare charities have been celebrating a ban on donkey skin trade, agreed to this month by 55 African countries. This will make it illegal to slaughter donkeys for their skin across the continent, where around two thirds of the world’s 53 million donkeys live. Victoria Gill tells Marnie that the demand for the animals' skins is fuelled by the popularity of an ancient Chinese medicine called Ejiao, believed to have health-enhancing and youth-preserving properties and traditionally made from donkey hides.
Lastly, Dr Jess Wade, physicist and science communicator at Imperial College London, discusses Breaking Through: My Life in Science. It’s the memoir of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Dr Katalin Karikó, whose passion and dedication to mRNA research led to the development of the life-changing COVID mRNA vaccines.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Florian Bohr, Louise Orchard
Assistant Producer: Imaan Moin
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.
THU 17:00 PM (m001wqj8)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wqjw)
Officials in Gaza say 30,000 people have been killed there since Israeli offensive began
THU 18:30 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001wqk2)
Series 5
2. I Want to Break Free
Tension mounts as the internet goes down and Roger breaks a tooth.
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return with the fifth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy, as long-marrieds, passionate about life and each other.
This week, Joanna is tetchy because the internet is down and Roger is generally grumpy. ‘Is this all because you had to buy trousers in a bigger size?’ she enquires. A friend asks them to model her new clothes collection but Roger cracks a tooth before the photoshoot, which Joanna thinks he’s done deliberately. The ‘prop’ is a Harley Davidson motorbike, which gives Roger groin strain but brings Joanna fond memories of their 60s Harley ride. Keen to do it once more, she plans to book an Easy Rider trip but the internet has gone down again. Or has it?
Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington. It is produced and directed by Claire Jones. It is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Charlotte Sewter - studio assistant
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator
Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020, was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award in 2022 and a British Comedy Guide award in 2024.
‘Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ RADIO TIMES
‘Peppered with nostalgic 60s hits and especially written for the pair, it’s an endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
‘Sitcom is what marriage is really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’. RICHARD CURTIS
THU 19:00 The Archers (m001wqk8)
Alice is uncomfortable when Jim mentions Harry was in the shop the other day and was singing her praises. Jim’s pleased because he thinks Alice deserves some luck. Later, Adam’s shocked when he hears that Alice and Harry have split up. Alice explains how Harry’s in denial about his drinking and that she feels sorry for putting Harrison and Fallon in such a difficult position. She berates herself for not spotting Harry’s drinking – but it explains Harry’s mum’s behaviour. She obviously didn’t want Harry in a relationship with another alcoholic. Adam thinks that Alice did absolutely the right thing by breaking up with Harry. He’s really proud of her. But Alice thinks it confirms why she feels she doesn’t deserve good things happening to her. She had something good with Chris but then destroyed it. And when Jim said to her earlier about deserving some luck, she really doesn’t think she does. Later Alice is moved when Jim tells her that she’s doing a wonderful job of raising Martha.
Neil and Susan sip champagne as they wait for Susan’s 60th birthday helicopter ride. Susan feels like a billionaire’s wife but would choose Neil over a billionaire any day. They enjoy flying over Ambridge and spotting familiar landmarks but are shocked when they notice that one of the oldest oak trees in Ambridge is about to be chopped down at the EV Charging site. Susan’s happy for Neil to ring Justin before their Afternoon Tea at Lower Loxley and Neil thanks Susan for caring as much about the tree as he does.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m001wqkg)
Dune 2, Brian Bilston, Angelica Kauffman RA, Nachtland
This week sees the release of the much anticipated Dune part 2, the sequel to 2021’s part 1, a series based on Frank Herbert’s 1960’s sci fi classic. We also look at Marius von Mayenburg’s play Nachtland directed by Patrick Marber at the Young Vic in London and Angelica Kauffman: the Swiss artist finally gets a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, more than 250 years after she was one of its founding members. Seán Williams and Sam Marlowe review.
Plus, the 'unofficial poet Laureate of Twitter' Brian Bilston has broken some of his anonymity to go on the road with Henry Normal. To mark 29 February, Bilston reads An Extra Day from his collection Days Like These.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Ciaran Bermingham
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m001wqkn)
How is technology changing warfare?
In 1964, pre-historic remains were discovered at Jabal Aṣ-Ṣaḥābah - or Mountain of the Companions - in the Nile Valley near what is now the border of northern Sudan and Egypt. That site contained evidence of the earliest known warfare believed to have taken place around 13,500 years ago. It’s thought that climate change led to that conflict; as crop yields became smaller, more groups had to compete with each other for what food sources were available.
Spears and possibly arrows were the high-tech weapons of choice in the Nile Valley. Flash forward to today and it’s AI-enabled drones that have been - literally - levelling the playing field for Ukraine in their battle against Russia.
But as technological advancement continues apace what lessons have we learned from recent conflicts and how might things change in the wars yet to begin?
Guests:
Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist,
Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute
Dr Emma Salisbury, associate fellow in military innovation at the Council on Geostrategy
Production team: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m001wqkv)
Rethinking retirement
A typical career, for many, involves some kind of progression, or at least the expectation of it, until we stop and retire. But is there a better model?
Evan Davis and guests discuss whether more of us should think about easing into retirement by taking more junior roles, going part time, or switching profession altogether, instead of stepping off a career cliff edge when we reach pension age. Could this expand the number of job opportunities for older workers, whilst also helping younger workers push through the ranks?
Stepping back isn’t an option open to all, though, and there could be big implications for pensions, so how should older workers begin to calculate if, or when, it might be possible?
Evan is joined by:
Matthew Rideout, founder of Knead & Desire Bakehouse;
Sir Howard Davies, chairman of NatWest Group;
Zoe Ashdown, head of culture and people engagement at AXA UK and Ireland.
Thanks also to the listeners who sent in voice notes, and to everyone else who emailed bottomline@bbc.co.uk
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Producers: Simon Tulett
Researcher: Paige Neal-Holder
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: James Beard and Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.
(Picture: An older man laughing and looking at a laptop with a young woman in a workshop. Credit: Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images)
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001wqht)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001wq9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wql3)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wql7)
Episode 9
On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?
As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.
A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.
The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.
Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m001wqlc)
Mob rule: Where should we draw the line on protest?
With pro-Palestinian marches in the spotlight, the prime minister saying mob rule is replacing democratic rule and the government announcing more money to protect MPs whose homes are being targeted, this week Amol and Nick explore where the line stands on legitimate protest.
And they look at why Lee Anderson - the MP who lost the Conservative whip after accusing London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being ‘controlled’ by Islamists – still holds power over the Conservative party.
Amol and Nick speak to veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell about why he thinks movements have to push boundaries and engage in direct action to effect change.
And they also hear from Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust, which protects British Jews from antisemitism, on why he thinks many of the pro-Palestinian protesters are going too far.
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 senior producer is Tom Smithard, the producers are Hazel Morgan and Joe Wilkinson. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Mike Regaard in London and Paul Lewis in Salford. Digital production from Elliot Ryder.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wqlh)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the home secretary about the inquiry into murder of Sarah Everard.
FRIDAY 01 MARCH 2024
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001wqlm)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 00:30 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wqlr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001wqlw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001wqm0)
World Service
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001wqm4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001wqm8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001wqmc)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Fr Matt Roche Saunders, a Catholic Priest in the parish of Aberystwyth and and Aberaeron
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001wqmf)
01/03/24 AI Weather forecasts six weeks in advance; Trout farm; River pollution.
A new 15 year, £30 million partnership between Reading University, the Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is going to be harnessing AI to produce more accurate forecasts that could predict the weather for up to six weeks in advance. As climate change brings longer droughts and more flooding, what benefits could better forecasting have for farmers? We speak to the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading.
The cleaner the river, the better it is for the fish that live in it. Bibury Trout Farm was founded more than 120 years ago on what were former watercress beds on the River Coln near Cirencester. The river is at the heart of what is still a working fish farm and tourist attraction. As part of our week looking into rivers in the landscape, we visit the farm and find out why the river is so vitally important to this business.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09plntm)
Tony Juniper on the Corn Bunting
Environmentalist Tony Juniper recalls his delight at seeing a Corn Bunting; a bird whose song was part of his childhood, before the population declined mainly as a result of changes in farming practises but is responding and returning to areas where insects and seeds are plentiful.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
FRI 06:00 Today (m001wrgv)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001wr4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Ritual by Dimitris Xygalatas (m001wrh1)
Episode 5
How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
By Dimitris Xygalatas.
5/5 Dimitris looks at various ways that ritual is used in contemporary society and explores why its significance in our lives remains strong.
Reader: Robert Jack
Abridger: Ben Lewis
Producer: Kirsty Williams
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001wrh7)
Female history in 101 objects, Big hair, Toilet training and schools, Primodos
A parliamentary committee has issued a new and scathing report about Primodos - a pregnancy test drug issued by doctors between the1950s and 1970s. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests says claims there is no proven link between Primodos and babies being born with malformations is “factually and morally wrong". The report claims evidence was “covered up” that it's possible to “piece together a case that could reveal one of the biggest medical frauds of the 20th century”. Around 1.5 million women in Britain were given hormone pregnancy tests which was 40 times the strength of an oral contraceptive pill. We hear from Hannah Bardell the SNP MP for Livingstone and a member of the APPG and Marie Lyon who gave birth to a daughter with limbs that were not fully formed - she had been prescribed Primodos. She has been campaigning for nearly 50 years.
One in four children starting school in England and Wales are not toilet-trained, according to teachers who now spend a third of their day supporting pupils who are not school-ready, a report has found. That’s according to the early-years charity, Kindred2 who polled 1,000 primary school staff and 1,000 parents. Only 50% of parents think they are solely responsible for toilet-training their child, while one in five parents think children do not need to be toilet-trained before starting reception. What’s the reality in schools and whose responsibility is it? We hear from Steve Marsland, Headteacher, Russell Scott Primary school in Denton, Greater Manchester.
Last week we got excited about big hair having a comeback after Miley Cyrus’ backcombed tresses at the Grammys made headlines. The larger-than-life hair-do was a fun change from the straight hair that has dominated fashion for decades. But it didn't last long - Paris Fashion Week is now in full swing and we’re back to the slicked back buns. So, will big hair ever truly come back and why did it fall out of fashion? Hair historian Rachael Gibson, and academic, and author of Don’t Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri join Anita Rani to discuss big hair.
In a new series, Woman’s Hour is starting frank and open conversations about how porn has shaped lives and relationships. Reporter Ena Miller has spoken to a woman who had to decide where to draw the line around her partner’s porn use, and we revisit an interview with Erika Lust, the adult filmmaker whose work focusses on female pleasure and ethical production.
Anita takes a walk through female history looking at 101 objects with the writer Annabelle Hirsch. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history and of women unfairly forgotten by it, examples of female rebellion and of self-revelation. They delve into a cabinet of curiosities ranging from the bidet and the hatpin to radium-laced chocolate and Kim Kardashian’s ring.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant
FRI 11:00 The Briefing Room (m001wqkn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Thursday]
FRI 11:30 Room 101 with Paul Merton (m001mcfy)
Series 1
Desiree Burch
Returning in its original one-to-one incarnation, Paul Merton interviews a variety of guests from the world of comedy and entertainment to find out what they would send to Room 101.
In this second episode, Desiree Burch attempts to banish standing, sexting, and underdone British bacon.
Additional material: John Irwin and Suki Webster
Produced by Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001wrhf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m001wrhm)
How do we get our healthy rivers back?
With river pollution more in the news than ever before, and sewage now a hot topic, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap investigate how we can restore the health of our rivers. They talk to the Rivers Trust, which this week released its latest ‘State of our Rivers’ report, and ask whether water quality has got better or worse since the last survey three years ago.
They delve into the history of our water system – from the creation of the Victorian sewer network after the “Great Stink” of 1858, to the 21st century Thames Tideway Tunnel, London’s super-sewer currently under construction. But have we got our whole water system wrong? Tom and Helen ask whether regarding water as a one-way disposal system has partly created the mess our rivers are in today. They also hear about some waterfleas with remarkable powers to suck pollutants out of water.
Produced by Emma Campbell for BBC Audio Bristol in conjunction with the Open University
FRI 12:57 Weather (m001wrhs)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m001wrj1)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
FRI 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m00146w2)
Did a doomed West End musical shape Australia's immigration policy?
When a 1960s pop star decided to write a musical based on the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, it’s unlikely he thought about how it would come to impact immigration policy on the other side of the world.
The tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be one of the richest countries on earth due to its natural resources but blew its cash in a series of disastrous investments, including funding a production of the musical in London’s West End. With few other options to prop up its economy, it became an off-shore processing centre for Australia’s asylum seekers.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Hannah Varrall
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey and Robbie MacInnes
Mixing: Alexis Adimora
Contributors: Tommy Moeller, Hal Fowler, Paul Farrell
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001wqk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m001wrj9)
Love and Other Lies
Love and Other Lies - 3. Dream Job
Josie ..... Jessica Gunning
Larry ..... Paul Ready
Tyler ..... Anthony J Abraham
Daria ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Aiden ..... Ed Coleman
Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan
Gemma ..... Rhiannon Neads
Nick ..... Josh Bryant-Jones
Detective ..... John Lightbody
Writer ..... Sarah Cartwright
Script Producer ...... Anne Isger
Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig
Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres
Director ..... Sally Avens
Josie & Tyler are working as money mules for a catfishing gang. Blackmailed into the work after they killed the member of the gang who was 'sextorting' Josie.
But that's just the beginning of their problems as now the police want to talk to Josie. Do they know she's a mule or even worse, a murderer?
FRI 14:45 Child (p0h6wb9r)
8. Mother Brain
The huge changes that occur during pregnancy have been felt by people for millennia, but it's only in recent years that we've had data to back those feelings up. India Rakusen talks to Herman Potzner about just how energetically taxing pregnancy is, and to Elseline Hoeksma about the changes in the maternal brain.
Presented by India Rakusen.
Producer: Ellie Sans.
Series Producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed.
A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001wrjs)
Postbag: Harlow Carr
How do I safely dispose of bamboo leaves? How can I stop the roots of my mulberry tree from invading my vegetable patch? If the panel were gifted a £50 garden centre voucher, what would they buy and why?
Kathy Clugston and her arsenal of horticultural experts dig through the GQT inbox to answer your gardening queries. On the panel this week are garden designer Matthew Wilson and houseplant expert Anne Swithinbank.
They visit Harlow Carr in Harrogate where head gardener Paul Cook gives a tour of their tranquil treasure trove and offers his own gardening tips and tricks.
Woodlice - friends or foe? Kathy and panel set the record straight and debunk common misconceptions around these misunderstood animals.
Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m001wrk1)
The Death of Wildflowers
A woman in search of escape finds the primal rhythms of the natural world carry on with scant regard for human interference.
Read by Nicola Ferguson.
Helen McClory is a writer from Scotland who grew up between Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye. She has lived in Sydney, Australia and New York City. While in NYC, she worked as a dog walker and had the distinction of walking Lou Reed’s dog. Her books include the Saltire First Book Award winning On the Edges of Vision, Flesh of the Peach, Mayhem & Death and The Goldblum Variations, a book of microfictions on Jeff Goldblum. Her interests include cooking and absurdism.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001wrk9)
Nicholas Dimbleby, Lord Patrick Cormack, Wendy Mitchell, Eleanor Fazan
John Wilson on the celebrated sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby, responsible for numerous well known commissions around the country.
Lord Patrick Cormack the politician, historian and prolific author.
Wendy Mitchell, the author and blogger who was diagnosed with young onset dementia and worked tirelessly to help improve the understanding of the condition.
Eleanor Fazan, the theatre director, choreographer and actor. Her career spanned almost 70 years and saw her working with some of the biggest names in the business.
Archive Details
Archive used:. “Wogan” BBC 1 10/12/1986. BBC Midlands Today News 13/7/2011. BBC News West 09/09/1999.
“The Bright Side of Life” BBC Radio 4 21/11/2023 & 28/11/2023
Parliamentlive.tv 21/02/23 & 05/09/19.
The Michael Ball Show, BBC Radio 2, BBC, 16/01/2022
Wendy Mitchell reads from “Somebody I used to know”. Bloomsbury publishing, uploaded to Youtube 29 Jan 2018.
"The Complete Beyond The Fringe" Label - Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company. Oh! It's a Lovely War, Title Oh! It's a Lovely War Performer - Courtland and Jeffries Album - Oh! It's A Lovely War (Volume 1) Label - CD41 Recordings. Stage to Screen BBC
FRI 16:30 More or Less (m001wq77)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m001wrkp)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001wrl3)
Attendees defied a heavy police presence to show support for Alexei Navalny
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m001wrlh)
Series 113
Episode 9
Hugo Rifkind, Susie McCabe, Ashley Storrie and Stuart Mitchell join Andy Zaltzman to quiz the week's news from Aberdeen.
This week the panel discuss Gordon Brown’s vision for a second renaissance in Aberdeen, why Lee Anderson has lost the Tory whip, and the difference between Mob Rule and Ja Rule.
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Rebecca Bain, Alex Garrick-Wright, Krystal Evans, Peter Tellouche and Christina Riggs.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinators: Sarah Nicholls & Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Recorded by Sean Kerwin
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001wrlx)
WRITER: Katie Hims
DIRECTOR: Dave Payne
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Neil Carter …. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter …. Charlotte Martin
Harry Chilcott …. Jack Ashton
Justin Elliott …. Simon Williams
Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd …. John Rowe
Adam Macy …. Andrew Wincott
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Inspector Norris…. Bharti Patel
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001wrm8)
Leo Geyer and Gillian Moore take us from Bach to Bowie
Composer, conductor and bassoonist Leo Geyer, and The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore, join Jeffrey Boakye and saxophonist Jess Gillam - standing in for Cerys Matthews - as they head from a famous Bach well-tempered classic, via Taiwan, to David Bowie's parting gesture. British-Chinese flautist Daniel Shao explains the intricacies of a traditional Taiwanese flute tune.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Jess Gillam
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude in C Major by Bach
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
A Tayal Folk Song by Ming Flute Ensemble
Symphony No.9 in D Major (1st movement) by Gustav Mahler
Lazarus by David Bowie
Other music in this episode:
Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace Jones
In the Mood by Glenn Miller
Ave Maria by Charles Gounod
Don't Cry For Me Argentina by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice
Fugue No 24 in B Minor by Bach
Symphony No.6: 'Pathétique' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001wrmh)
Hilary Benn MP, Tina McKenzie, John Nicolson MP, Jacob Young MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Hexham Abbey, Northumberland with the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP, the UK Policy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses Tina McKenzie, the SNP's Shadow Culture Spokesperson at Westminster John Nicolson MP and the Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: John Cole
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001wrmp)
The Death and Life of Modern Martyrs
Sarah Dunant reflects on martyrdom past and present.
As Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is laid to rest, Sarah looks to history to ponder what his legacy might be.
And she turns to the work of the 19th-century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard: 'The tyrant dies and his rule is over...the martyr dies and his rule begins'.
'History is a long game,' Sarah writes. 'And the shelf life of martyrs in particular is impressive.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Liam Morrey
Editor: Penny Murphy
FRI 21:00 Archive on 4 (m00066xk)
The Age of Emulsion: with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen
From Chintz to Changing Rooms and beyond.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen explores the social history of DIY home improvements.
The Age of Emulsion is a story about our changing attitudes to housing, consumerism, national identity, sense of individuality, class, politics, and relationships between the sexes.
Starting from the 1950s, Laurence draws on the rich TV and radio archive to show how DIY went from being a necessity after the Second World War, to a wholesome leisure activity, and a fully-blown national obsession.
What’s clear is that TV and radio played a pivotal role. Britain’s first hardboard hero was Barry Bucknell whose Do It Yourself TV series launched in 1956, attracting 7 million viewers. Magazines like Practical Householder advertised tools but also a modern lifestyle to go with it.
Over the next 50 years, TV and magazines would teach us practical skills and democratise interior design - from distressing, to rag rolling and stencilling. In the 90s, DIY became the new rock and roll, as reality makeover shows combined emotion AND emulsion.
But what does our attitude say about us now? As DIY retailers struggle and millennials are blamed for their lack of skills, is this the end of the Age of Emulsion?
Laurence also sets two of his favourite interior decorating challenges to novice DIYers Mae-Li Evans and Calum Lynn.
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Executive Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001wrmy)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky (m001wrn7)
Episode 10
On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen - Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who?
As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted.
A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community.
The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany.
Written by Mariana Leky
Translated by Tess Lewis
Abridged by Joseph Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 Americast (m001wrnh)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001wrnr)
Alicia McCarthy reports as MPs & peers debate private members bills. In the Commons a plan to ban conversion therapy is talked out. In the Lords fire and re-hire is on the agenda.