SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0023yh1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 The Trust Shift (m001xn8t)
New AI Frontiers.

Across five episodes, Rachel Botsman traces the intriguing history of trust.

Rachel looks back on what she sees as the three major chapters of trust in human history. In the broadest terms, these are Local Trust, Institutional Trust, and Distributed Trust. As we’ve moved from one to the next, we've experienced, what she calls, ‘Trust Shifts’.

These shifts have happened because humans took a risk to try something new. To innovate in ways that have shaped our behaviours, for better or worse. Rachel reflects on how each trust shift has profoundly changed the dynamics of our lives; whether that’s how we bank or buy goods, vote, learn, travel, date, and importantly, find and consume information.

In Episode 5, our final episode, Rachel explores the trust challenge we are currently facing, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence creeping into many areas of our lives. What can we learn from what's come before?

Featuring Dr Jack Stilgoe, Professor in Science and Technology Studies at University College London, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies. Jack is also part of the research programme, Responsible AI.

Rachel Botsman is the author of Who Can You Trust? and What's Mine Is Yours. She was Oxford University’s first Trust Fellow and has worked with world leaders, the Bank of England, CEOs and financial regulators.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol.
Editor: Chris Ledgard.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0023yh3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0023yh5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0023yh7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0023yh9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0023yhc)
Water, a precious resource

Good morning!

The state of our rivers and oceans is precarious. Pollution is a real problem and if nothing is done about it then we have much to lose. Water is a source of life; we need it to thrive and survive.

I spent my childhood in Africa. I saw mothers and young children walk long distances every day to fetch water – a single bucket on their heads for cooking, washing and cleaning. I remember spinning the wheel at the well to help them fill their buckets and splash water with the village children. I saw Muslim worshippers performing their entire ablution with just one jug of water. They appreciated water. When my siblings and I went back home, we could just turn on a tap. The appreciation was not the same. I share my childhood stories with my children in the hope they will learn to appreciate what we have.

The Qur’an tells a story about the Banu Israel, the Israelites who were exiled from Egypt. In the Sinai they were desperate for water. It says, “Remember when Moses prayed for water for his people; (God) said (to Moses), “Strike the rock with your staff!” Suddenly, twelve springs gushed from it. Each tribe knew its place of water. Eat and drink from the sustenance provided by God and do not do evil or mischief on earth.”

The Prophet Muhammad forbade the wasting and polluting of water. In Islam, personal hygiene is half of one’s faith. Even the dead are washed before being shrouded.

I pray that God enables us to take care of this precious gift, amin.


SAT 05:45 Glued Up: The Sticky Story of Humanity (m001y8h3)
Coming Unstuck

In this series, materials scientist Mark Miodownik charts the journey of human progress through the sticky substances that have shaped us.

In episode five he explores how the sticking power of modern glues – in everything from phones to furniture and planes to wind turbines – pose a problem, because they can’t be UNstuck.

He hears how modern electronic devices contain more glue than ever before, making them harder to repair and more likely to end up in landfill. But new designs could make our tech more sustainable.

And he learns about research into reversible glues that can be turned off at the flick of a switch, and how they could change the way we make, fix and recycle our stuff.

Contributors:
Barny Greenland, University of Sussex
Liz Chamberlain, iFixit

Sound effects: scratching_rotten_wall by erpe, from Freesound

Producer: Anand Jagatia
Presenter: Mark Miodownik
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m00246ck)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m0023x9k)
GM Ringway - a new 200-mile walking route

Clare hikes along a section of the GM Ringway, Greater Manchester’s new walking trail. It’s a 200 mile route split into 20 stages, starting and ending in Manchester city centre. It goes around the edge of the county through all 10 boroughs of the region, and it’s linked with public transport so people can easily access the linear stages.

Joining Clare as she walks part of Stage 6, which is Strines to Marple, is Andrew Read whose brilliant idea this was. He was awarded £250k of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make it happen.

The project also depends upon a legion of keen volunteers, several of whom join Clare for today’s walk. One of these is ‘Stage Guardian’ Roz Hughes who explains how important volunteer involvement is to keep the walk maintained in the long term.

The starting point of the walk, Strines Station, was described in The Railway Children. Craig Wright joined the group to share his enthusiasm for this classic children’s book, and - while reading a short section - points out aspects of a view that can be recognised from Edith Nesbit's descriptions.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m00246cm)
19/10/24 - Farming Today This Week: Biodiversity COP, UK wine and organic milk shortages

The UK is in danger of violating international agreements on restoring nature, according to The Wildlife Trusts. It says the upcoming COP 16 on biodiversity is a crucial chance for the Government to demonstrate how it will meet targets to halt and reverse the decline of nature by 2030.

As the grape harvest gets underway, we take a deep dive into a growing UK farm sector - viticulture. There are more than 10,000 acres of vines grown across the UK, and that area is expanding. Recent data shows more than 80 new vineyards opened in 2023 - bringing the total number to more than a thousand for the first time.

And where has all the organic skimmed milk gone? Our listeners wanted to know...so we found out.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m00246cp)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m00246cr)
19/10/24 - Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m00246ct)
Jon Sopel, Lindsay Nicholson, Fay Manners, Chris and Rosie Ramsey

Lindsay Nicholson, who, after studying astrophysics, chose journalism as a career, became Good Housekeeping’s editor for two decades and is now a grief counsellor, equestrian coach and writer... none of which are rocket science. She talks about the loss of her husband and daughter to cancer, and the car accident that led to her life’s third act.

Skiing and climbing up and down mountains are Alpinist Fay Manners’ life. But, recently in the Himalayas she experienced the indiscriminate power of Mother Nature and was stranded for three days. Thankfully she survived and lives to tell the tale.

Jon Sopel, formerly the BBC’s North America Editor, now a co-presenter of The News Agents, discusses the familial sacrifices that allowed him to further his career and reveals what he took from Air Force One.

All that, plus the Inheritance Tracks of the comedy power couple and podcasters, Chris and Rosie Ramsey.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002404q)
Series 1

3. Mirror, Mirror

9 year old listener Koby sends Hannah and Dara on a mission to find the shiniest thing in the world. And so they enter a world of mirrors…

The journey takes them into the subatomic goings on of shiny metal surfaces, where electrons waggle and dance and send light waves back at *just* the right angle. Our curious duo play with an astonishingly reflective plastic film that can be found hidden in devices we all use. And they probe the mysterious power of refraction, harnessed to make the $2 million mirrors which reflect the lasers at the huge LIGO experiment.

And everyone ponders the surprisingly reflective properties of a pint in space.

Contributors:

Dr Felix Flicker: University of Bristol, author of The Magick of Matter
Professor Stuart Reid: University of Strathclyde
Quinn Sanford: optical engineer from 3M
GariLynn Billingsley: Optical Sciences Group Leader at LIGO

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m00244mj)
Tender

"Tender is the night lying by your side / Tender is the touch of someone that you love too much..." - Chris Lightfoot will always associate Blur's song 'Tender' with his first big love. A relationship he moved across the world for, with someone he loved deeply and who changed the course of his life. A relationship he ultimately couldn't make work. The song came on, and they held each other - knowing they had to let each other go.

"Tender is the day the demons go away / Lord, I need to find someone who can heal my mind..." - Music writer Jason Draper explains how the song was born out of a period of huge change and turmoil for Blur. Lead singer Damon Albarn's relationship with Justine Frischmann of Elastica had come to "a spectacularly sad end"; while guitarist Graham Coxon was tackling his own demons and taking steps towards sobriety. Living alone in a one-bedroom flat in West London and listening to a lot of Otis Redding, Damon had begun writing lyrics for a new song. Not a bitter break-up song, but one "that paid tribute to how important something was in my life... a celebration of love found and lost but not forgotten". Across town, Graham woke up one morning - still half dreaming - with a refrain circling in his head - "oh my baby, oh why, oh my" and captured a fragile guitar line on his dictaphone. These elements came together in studio, with the help of Producer William Orbit and 40 singers from the London Community Gospel Choir, to create a cathartic anthem that feels like a secular hymn.

"Come on, come on, come on / Get through it..." - Catherine Anne Davies, who makes music as The Anchoress, has loved Blur since she was a teenager. Tender has been there for her through break ups and times of difficulty. She talks about her experience of covering the song and explains how the structure creates its emotional impact.

"Oh my baby, Oh my baby..." - For Sarah, the song will always be associated with the arrival of her first child, after it came on in the taxi on the way to hospital on the way to give birth. The song carried her through the overwhelming contractions and has gone on to become a cherished family lullaby. "'Tender is the night, lying by your side....' That's it isn't it? The love that you feel for the people closest to you, is almost too much... because of the risk involved, but it's a risk we're willing to take".

"Come on, come on, come on / Love's the greatest thing, that we have..." - For Naomi Chiffi, the song provided a powerful outlet for grief and an opportunity for communion, after losing both her father and cousin to suicide. For her, it's a reminder to give out love every chance we get - "love is the only thing that really matters".

Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m00246cw)
Pippa Crerar, political editor of the Guardian, is joined by a range of guests.

To look ahead to the Budget on 30 October, she speaks to Labour MP and parliamentary aide to the Cabinet Office Torsten Bell and the shadow housing minister Baroness JoJo Penn.

With the foreign secretary David Lammy heading to China this week, Labour peer, Helena Kennedy, who co-chairs the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and the former Conservative MP Richard Graham, who, until recently, chaired the all-party parliamentary group on China assess UK-China relations.

Former cabinet minister and Conservative MP, Sir Gavin Williamson MP explains why he wants to remove all 26 bishops from the House of Lords.

And to discuss how the Taylor Swift row has been handled, Pippa spoke to Tom Baldwin, a former Labour party communications director and biographer of Keir Starmer and Katie Perrior, the founder of the public relations firm iNHouse.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002462b)
Israel, Gaza and a wish list for the future

Katie Adie presents stories from Israel and Gaza, the USA, Ivory Coast and Bolivia.

At a UN school in Gaza, a teenage girl passed a handwritten note to BBC journalists listing her hopes for a more peaceful future. More than a decade on, Jeremy Bowen remembers that brief encounter - and whether her wishes will ever become reality. Speaking to young Israelis and Palestinians today, he discovers that mistrust between communities is as deep as it's ever been.

The US swing state of Georgia is undergoing a green energy boom, which is generating thousands of new 'green' jobs - but the issue of climate change remains a controversial one. Jordan Dunbar discovers how evangelical Christians are finding new ways to discuss the environment with sceptical Republicans, by focusing on a religious duty to protect the planet.

Abidjan in Ivory Coast is being transformed by a massive programme of road-building and infrastructure improvements - but tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes and businesses in the process. This phenomenon is becoming increasingly common across Africa as cities modernise and expand at unprecedented rates - but at what cost? Sira Thierij reports.

In the town of Copacabana in Bolivia, dozens of vehicles arrive almost every morning outside one of the oldest churches in South America. The Blessing of the Automobiles has been held here since the 1950s. Rebecca Root joined the daily procession

Series producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m00246cy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0024628)
Carer's Allowance and Child Trust Funds

It was a big week for carers as the Government announced an independent review into Carer's Allowance overpayments after families were told to pay back thousands of pounds, often pushing them into debt.

The review will look at what happened, but in the meantime the Department for Work and Pensions has told Money Box it will continue to collect almost quarter of a billion pounds it says it's owed from more than a hundred thousand carers. We hear from Karina who cares for her 22-year-old daughter and ended up in £11,000 worth of debt. The DWP said it is committed to working with anyone struggling with repayment terms.

A major investment firm has said it will review its Child Trust Fund accounts after Money Box revealed one young man's £250 investment had all but disappeared when he claimed it at 18 due to high administration charges.

In the run up to the Chancellor's budget we look at fuel duty and whether the 5p cut could be scrapped.

And beware the thieves pretending to offer a solution to lost Winter Fuel Payments.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Emma Smith
Researcher: Jo Krasner
Editor: Sarah Rogers


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0023ygg)
Series 115

Inflation and Incinerators

This week on The News Quiz, the panel assess the fall in inflation, Wes Streeting's latest bright idea.

Written by Lucy Porter, with additional material by: Mike Shephard, Tasha Dhanraj, Peter Tellouche and Alfie Packham.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
An Eco-Audio certified Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m00246d0)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m00246d2)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0023ygn)
Hilary Benn MP, David Brooks MLA, Chris Donnelly, Tina McKenzie

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP, the DUP MLA David Brooks, the political commentator and columnist for The Irish News Chris Donnelly and the Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses Tina McKenzie.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Michael Hart


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m00246d4)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0023ygj)
Writer: Naylah Ahmed
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Adam Macy…. Andrew Wincott
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kamari
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen


SAT 15:00 Breaking the Rules (m00246d6)
Guilt Trip

Saul long gave up worshipping God to worship at the altar of Art but not without a huge amount of guilt.
Now he has a chance to interview and curate a retrospective of a true icon: elderly painter Maeve Goring.
As Saul finds himself caught up in Maeve's murky bigoted world he begins to question not only the rules that the Art world is built upon
but over a single weekend manages to break every one of the ten commandments

Saul ..... Alex Waldmann
Joy ..... Jemima Rooper
Lisa ..... Jenna Augen
Maeve ..... Elizabeth Counsell
The Omniscient Presence ..... Allan Corduner

Writer ..... Jeremy Front
Director ..... Sally Avens


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m00246d8)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Lesley Manville, Breast cancer drug, Blessing scams, The Kill List, Elkie Brooks

Why has a drug that can extend life for advanced breast cancer patients not been made available on the NHS? NICE have made the decision that Enhertu, a drug that can give around an extra six months to live on average, is too expensive. BBC Health Correspondent Cath Burns joined Anita Rani alongside Kate Wills, who has stage 4 cancer and has been campaigning for the drug to be made available.

The actor Lesley Manville is currently starring alongside Mark Strong in Robert Icke’s adaptation of Oedipus. She plays Jocasta, Oedipus’ wife. Lesley joined Nuala McGovern to tell us more about the play, what it’s like being back on stage for the first time since 2020, and why she thinks women's stories are being featured more.

New podcast The Kill List follows a group of journalists who discovered a page on the dark web detailing requests to have people killed, with women most likely to be the ones targeted. The investigation led to a major international police operation over four years and, at the heart of it are the real people whose lives were seemingly at huge risk. Nuala was joined by the programme's producer Caroline Thornham and Jennifer whose former husband posted a 'hit' for her on this website.

Blessing scams are targeting Chinese communities in the UK. They're usually carried out by women in groups of three, approaching people asking for help in Cantonese. Tuyet van Huynh's mother was one of these victims. After she was targeted, Tuyet set out to expose this practice on social media and has since heard from other victims. She speaks to Anita about the impact the crime has had on their family.

Death is a subject many people still shy away from, but one woman is determined to change that. Funeral director Inez Capps is on a mission to challenge the taboos around death and demystify an industry often shrouded in mystery. Inez talks to Nuala about how, since the age of 19, she’s been working with the deceased, and she’s using social media to give people a glimpse behind the scenes — from the care a loved one receives, to tours of the hearse and the embalming suite.

Elkie Brooks is the renowned British rock, jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning six decades, she was the biggest selling female British artist and still holds the accolade of the most Top 75 albums among female artists. She began singing professionally aged 15, shared a bill with The Beatles and went on to front the group Vinegar Joe with Robert Palmer, before going solo. She’s currently on her Long Farewell Tour and joined Anita in the studio to talk about her career and turning 80 next year.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Rebecca Myatt


SAT 17:00 PM (m00246db)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m00246dd)
The Matt Goodwin One

The academic and author Matt Goodwin sat down with Nick Robinson in the aftermath of the riots that spread across the UK in the summer, to discuss whether there are 'legitimate grievences' that lay behind the violence, or just 'hate-fuelled mob violence sparked by misinformation.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00246dg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m00246dj)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00246dl)
Israel launches a new wave of strikes on Beirut.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00245pr)
Bill Bailey, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Amanda Owen, Katherine Priddy & Richard Walters, Maya Sondhi, Stuart Maconie

Stuart is joined in the Loose Ends Salford Studio by comedian, musican, actor and Strictly winner Bill Bailey. His new book is 'My Animals, and Other Animals: A memoir of sorts'. It's the story of his life through the creatures who have meant something to him, and a celebration of how animals bring us joy. The Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda Owen, talks about her latest Channel 4 series - Our Farm Next Door - where she and her large family adapt a ruined farm for a show described as Grand Designs meets Our Yorkshire Farm. In 2022 the comedian and podcast host Kiri Pritchard-McLean hosted a Radio 4 programme Egg-sistential Crisis, exploring her decision not to have children. In her new stand up tour, Peacock, she continues her story now that she and her partner have become foster carers. Maya Sondhi played the hapless PC Maneet Bandra in Line of Duty and Shazia Khan in Citizen Khan. But she is also the writer and creator of ITV’s police thriller DI Ray starring Parminder Nagra who describes her role as “a female Columbo in a green coat”.
And there's music from the acclaimed folk singer Katherine Priddy, who released her second album 'The Pendulum Swing' earlier this year. She also performs a duet with Grammy nominated songwriter Richard Walters

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Olive Clancy


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002461b)
Morgan McSweeney

He's the man who masterminded Labour's general election campaign, and now holds one of the most important positions in Downing Street.

Morgan McSweeney was recently appointed the prime minister's chief of staff, after Sue Gray quit the role. But what do we know about him?

Born in Macroom, County Cork, he moved to London aged 17. He soon joined the Labour party under Tony Blair, working in a junior role at their headquarters.

He rose through the ranks, forging a reputation as a skilled campaign strategist, and has been credited with being the brains behind this year's landslide victory.

Mark Coles speaks to the people who know him - from school friends back home in Ireland, to others who've worked with him.

Production team
Producers: Bob Howard, Caroline Bayley, Ellie House, Natasha Fernandes
Editor: Ben Mundy
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m0023x8h)
Hanif Kureishi

Novelist, playwright and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi's first screenplay, My Beautiful Launderette brought him Oscar and BAFTA nominations in 1985. Five years later his debut novel The Buddha Of Suburbia, set amidst the social divisions of mid 70’s Britain, became a bestseller and was adapted as a BBC television series. After eleven screenplays including My Son The Fanatic, Venus and The Mother, and nine novels, including Intimacy and the Black Album, his latest book is a memoir called Shattered. It records the year he spent in hospital after a fall on Boxing Day 2022 which has left him paralysed.

Hanif talks to John Wilson about the influence of his father, also a writer, who in part inspired his debut novel The Buddha Of Suburbia. He also talks about the influence of Freudian analysis on his writing and how he is coping with the effects of his life-changing accident.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m00246dn)
The Mandy Rice-Davies Tapes

Using recently unearthed recordings of the late model and singer Mandy Rice-Davies, and news archive, Kirsty Wark looks back at the The Profumo Affair of the early 1960s.

This was the first British political sex scandal and it brought down the MacMillan Government. Along with Christine Keeler, teenager Mandy Rice-Davies was at the centre of this saga and, for the first time, we hear the whole story first hand from this woman who was in the eye of the storm and whose life changed completely overnight.

A Soho Studios Entertainment and Two Rivers Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 The History Podcast (m00246dq)
The Brighton Bomb - Omnibus 2

In 1984 an IRA bomb planted under a bath in Brighton’s Grand Hotel came close to killing Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. Five people died and 31 others were seriously injured.

Writer Glenn Patterson tells the story of the deadly attack, unravelling the threads that brought all involved - often by heart breaking chance - to that place and time, 2.54am on the morning of 12 October, and reveals how the police only just averted a huge follow-up IRA bombing campaign, aimed at England’s beaches.

When you get right down to it, everything in life is a matter of timing…

It is the night of 17 September 1984. The guest in room 629 of Brighton’s Grand Hotel has ordered a bottle of vodka and three cokes.

A few minutes before, the guest – who signed in two days ago as Roy Walsh – put the panel back on the side of the bath in 629’s en suite.

Behind that panel he has left a bomb, timed to go off in three weeks, three days, six hours and thirty-six minutes, at 2.54am on Friday 12 October.

The day of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton.

And the Prime Minister and all her cabinet, as this man who calls himself Roy Walsh knows, will be staying in the Grand Hotel.

It is the biggest direct assault on a British Government since the Gunpowder Plot.

And in the bomber's mind, it’s only the start.

A Walk On Air Films production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m00246ds)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0023yfp)
Eating on the Spectrum

Leyla Kazim explores how neurodivergence can affect the way people eat and experience food.

The programme visits Aubergine Café in Cardiff, which is owned and run by autistic individuals, to meet the staff who explain why the café is needed and how it provides a better workplace for neurodivergent people.

Leyla also speaks to expert dietitian David Rex, who supports children with autism facing eating challenges. She meets the parents of one of his patients, a four-year-old girl recently diagnosed with ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). David explains the role of "safe foods" and how they can both aid and complicate recovery.

At The Holmewood School in north London, a specialist school for neurodivergent children, teachers and students share with Leyla how their new food technology kitchen is transforming some children's relationship with food, while also building skills and pride.

And renowned chef Heston Blumenthal, owner of The Fat Duck restaurant, discusses his own experiences with ADHD and bipolar disorder.

The programme also features:

Kate Tchanturia, a professor of psychology in eating disorders at King's College London, who developed the PEACE pathway to support autistic people with anorexia.

Lucinda Miller, clinical lead at NatureDoc and author of Brain Brilliance, a book of recipes and guidance for parents of neurodivergent children.

Leanne Maskell, founder of ADHD Works, a company providing ADHD coaching.

Presented by Leyla Kazim
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


SAT 23:00 Exposure (m0024514)
Loosely based on the true story of comedian and actor Jordan Gray, Exposure stars Jordan as Grace, an attention-starved reality star desperately trying to remain relevant after the world has moved on.

Grace always knew she deserved to be famous. Her appearance on Sing For the Nation’s Love – the UK’s favourite TV talent show – made her an overnight sensation, accelerated by the story of her gender transition.

The British public created an omnivorous fame monster - soaking up their acclaim, while feeding off the hot potato of identity politics. But reality TV is cyclical - and hot potatoes eventually go cold.

A year on, her fame has plummeted and Grace is left chasing the identity she forged beneath the limelight. How can she convince the world she’s still special when no-one’s listening anymore?

This is a comedy about a woman who has been allowed to define her identity - but not her fame.

Aided by her curmudgeonly but lovable father (Vincent Franklin), a reluctant sister/PA (Selin Hizli) and a trend-chasing agent (Harry Trevaldwyn), Grace will do anything to climb the showbiz ladder and reach the level of fame she knows she deserves. Who needs dignity when you’ve got attention?

Written and Created by Jordan Gray

Cast:
Grace/Hacker ..... Jordan Gray
Dad ..... Vincent Franklin
Toadie ..... Selin Hizli
Director/Police/Dog Track Announcer ..... Marc Pickering
Gavin/Police/Surgeon ..... Adrian Richards
Caeser ..... Harry Trevaldwyn
Jada Blink/Police/Radio DJ ..... Sarah Twomey

Production Team:
Producer/Director: Ben Worsfield
Broadcast Assistant: Tashi Radha
Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls

A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Brain of Britain (m0023x3p)
Heat 7, 2024

(7/17)
Would you know the actual name of the castle in Bavaria that's sometimes known as the 'Disney castle'? Or the title of the famous novel that was originally published under the pen-name Victoria Lucas?

These are just two of the questions the competitors will face in today's heat of Brain of Britain. Russell Davies runs them through their paces at the Squire theatre in Nottingham, as they attempt to win a semi-final place later in the season.

Appearing today are
Colin Daffern from Salford
Andrew Fisher from Sheffield
Charlotte Jeffreys from Nottingham
Sarah Thornton from Holmfirth in West Yorkshire.

Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria

SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m00246dv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Open Book (m001gwvk)
Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield was the only writer Virginia Woolf admitted being jealous of, yet by the 1950s was so undervalued that Elizabeth Bowen was moved to ask, 'Where is she - our missing contemporary?'

Mansfield died one hundred years ago this month, aged just 34 years old, and in this programme Chris Power explores her turbulent life, and legacy, through her innovative contribution to Modernism and the short story. Chris is joined by Claire Harman, author of a new biography, All Sorts of Lives, which takes a fresh look at Mansfield's life through ten of her most pivotal stories, the short-story writer and novelist Lucy Caldwell and Dr Chris Mourant.

Book List – Sunday 8 January and Thursday 12 January

All Sorts of Lives by Claire Harman
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
Bliss by Katherine Mansfield
The Wind Blows by Katherine Mansfield
Journal by Katherine Mansfield
The Montana Stories by Katherine Mansfield
Wild Places: Selected Stories by Katherine Mansfield
In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield
The Child Who Was Tired by Katherine Mansfield
Bliss by Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield and Periodical Culture by Chris Mourant


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00246dx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00246dz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00246f1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m00246f3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002462j)
The church St Mary Handsworth in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Bells on Sunday comes from the church St Mary Handsworth in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. There have been bells at Handsworth since 1428 and for many years there were only three. In 1920 as a memorial to those killed in the First World War, a new peal of eight bells were installed including the metal of two of the old bells with an 16th century bell being retained as a service bell. The tenor weighs twelve hundredweight and is in the note of F-sharp. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Triples by members of the Sheffield Universities Guild of Change Ringers.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0023pwb)
Eye Care Support Pathway; Guide Dogs - help with free running

The eye care support pathway is a framework developed by the RNIB and partners from across the sight loss sector. It aims to support people through the various stages of sight loss by helping them to understand those stages and signposting them to sources of assistance to navigate through each one. Rob Cooper, Director of Strategic Engagement at RNIB joins us to explain how the process will work, and Dr Peter Hampson, Clinical and Policy Director at the Association of Optometrists gives us an eye care professional's view.

Worried listeners have contacted In Touch with concerns that sighted support to enable guide dogs to go free running could be withdrawn. We speak to Mark Sanderson, Director of Skills, Information and Support at Guide Dogs to clarify the situation.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002460m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m0023ydj)
Sea Travelling

Laurie Taylor talks to Helen Sampson, Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, about her voyage into the lives and work of seafarers. 25 years of fieldwork on merchant cargo ships has given her an unusual insight into the changing realities of life onboard and the gap between romantic notions of sea travel and the harsher realities - from isolation from friends and family to the monotony of daily life, increasing regulation and surveillance. Also, Sara Caputo, Senior Research Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, illuminates the way in which the history of mapping the oceans reflects the creation of the modern world as we know it, via centuries of trading, exploring and conquering.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002460p)
The Bakers in the Rye

When Cumbrian bakers Catherine Connor and Aidan Monks decided they wanted to source locally grown heritage rye for their sourdough bread, they never imagined they’d end up high in the cab of a combine harvester looking out over the harvest of the crop they’d been yearning to find in their home county. But an off-the-cuff chat at a farmers’ market has led to an exciting new partnership between farmers and bakers. Ben and Jannike Taylor who farm near Penrith have taken up the challenge of growing heritage grain for the Lovingly Artisan Bakery.

Ben and Jannike have only been farming their own land for around 5 years after Ben stepped out of the family farm contracting business. Since then, they’ve taken on new ventures like this heritage grain collaboration and they produce their own cold-pressed rapeseed oil, selling to Michelin starred restaurants, delis and at farmers’ markets which is how they came to meet Catherine and Aidan.

Caz Graham visits Plumpton Hall Farm along with heritage grain specialist Andrew Wilkinson as Catherine and Aidan see the combine in action harvesting their very first crop of Cumbrian heritage rye.

Presented and produced by Caz Graham


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002460r)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002460t)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002460w)
Modern slavery; Nabateans; Toulouse minotaurs

Suspected victims of modern slavery are waiting years before their cases are dealt with, whilst waiting for a Home Office decision. On Friday, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Philips announced that the Home Office will hire 200 staff to clear a backlog of UK modern slavery cases. Sunday hears from Major Kathy Betteridge the Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army.

Adventurer, writer and TV presenter Alison Morrison speaks about the discovery of a secret tomb underneath the Treasury Monument at the World Heritage site of Petra in Jordan, where more than a million people visit annually. The tomb contained 12 ancient skeletons and various artefacts dating back to the Nabataean people around two thousand years ago. A team including researchers from the University of St Andrews made the discovery using remote sensing equipment, while on a separate study looking at how to control flood waters at the site. Alison speaks about the significance of the discovery.

The Archbishop of Toulouse- Monsignor Guy de Kerimel- called a mass to clean the city and protect it from dark forces within. He’s taken a public stand against a street art parade planned through the city at the end of month. Three massive metal minotaur's, guided remotely by dozens of technicians, will amble through the city over a three day period. It’s the presence of one Lilith that has infuriated some of the Catholic community. Half woman half scorpion in mythology she was Adam’s first wife and associated with evil and luring the weak into obscurity.

Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Peter Everett
Studio Mangers: Chris Hardman & Helen Williams
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m00245pc)
Clean Break

Actor and patron of Clean Break Harriet Walter makes the Radio 4 Appeal on its behalf of the charity. The charity reaches women who have had experience of prison or the criminal justice system through its work onstage, in prisons and in the community.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- 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 ‘Clean Break’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Clean Break’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1017560. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.cleanbreak.org.uk
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites.

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002460y)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0024610)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0024612)
Care for Creation

Today’s episode comes from Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff. Unusually, the Cathedral sits outside the city centre, in an almost rural village setting at the side of the River Taff. Like many churches, the Cathedral community see the care of God’s creation, both with voices and with actions, as a key part of their mission. Today’s service explores the Biblical mandate to care for the world around us as we hear about practical steps taken within the community, and consider how we can all contribute to making a difference in the world. The music is led by Llandaff Cathedral Choir.

Preacher: Bishop Mary Stallard
Service leaders: Canon Ian Yemm; Dean Dr Jason Bray; Canon Dr Jan van der Lely
Director of Music: Stephen Moore
Organist: Aaron Shilson
Producer: Jonathan Thomas

Readings: Psalm 1
Luke 13:6-9

Hymns: Great is thy Faithfulness
Coronation Kyrie – Mealor
View me, Lord, a work of thine
When we gasp in awe and wonder
Let the peoples praise you O God
Now thank we all our God
Play Out: Sortie on ‘Nun danket alle Gott)


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0023ygq)
Naughtie on America

2. Words, Words, Words

From the description of Alexander Hamilton as 'the bastard brat of a Scotch pedlar', to Lyndon Johnson's depiction of Gerald Ford as a man who 'couldn't fart and chew gum at the same time', James Naughtie argues that American political language has long been teeming with insult.

He recalls as a student in 1974, queuing at the back door of the White House one evening and coming away with transcripts of the Watergate tapes, full of 'expletive deleted' notes 'that blacked out various Nixon explosions.'

But in our own time, James says, something quite different is at play. The language of politics today, he says, 'instead of being punctuated by insults, it's become enslaved to them. And the more exaggerated political language becomes, the more it is devalued - because it has lost its true purpose.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0024614)
Trai Anfield on the Lapwing

A new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories from some fresh voices who have been inspired by birds, their calls and encounters.

From their lilting call, the their unmistakable flight lapwing hold a special place in the emotions for photographer and safari tour leader Trai Anfield, Though her camera can never fully capture the beauty of lapwings in flight, like silk set free on the breeze, near her home in Weardale..

Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio on Bristol
Studio engineer : Suzy Robins


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0024616)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m001pf7y)
Shirley Collins, folk singer

Shirley Collins first enjoyed success as one of the leading figures in the British folk revival of the 1960s. She initially performed with her sister, Dolly Collins, and also collaborated with other folk luminaries to create some of the era’s most beloved albums. In the past decade she has made an acclaimed return to the concert stage and the recording studio.

Shirley was born in Sussex in 1935. She can still recall how her grandfather used to sing folk songs to comfort her while they were sheltering during German air raids in the early 1940s.

Alongside her career as a singer, in the 1950s she travelled to the American South with Alan Lomax, where they made field recordings of blues and folk musicians, helping to create a significant archive.

Later in her performing career, Shirley found that she could no longer sing, following a distressing betrayal in her private life. She stepped away from music and was silent for many years, taking on other work, including a stint in a job centre Then, in her 80s, she found her voice again. In 2016 she released her first new album after a gap of almost four decades, and she has since released two more albums.

Shirley lives in Sussex, not far from her childhood home.

DISC ONE: Chiling O Guiry - Concerto Caledonia
DISC TWO: The Birds in the Spring - The Copper Family
DISC THREE: Who Would True Valour See - Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band
DISC FOUR: Dear Father, Pray Build Me a Boat - Sheila Smith
DISC FIVE: 61 Highway Blues - Mississippi Fred McDowell
DISC SIX: Poor Sally Sits a-weeping - Dolly Collins
DISC SEVEN: A Heart Needs A Home - Richard & Linda Thompson
DISC EIGHT: Going Home - Mark Knopfler

BOOK CHOICE: A collection of Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson
LUXURY ITEM: A solar powered fridge filled with Italian Ice cream and two lipsticks
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Poor Sally Sits a Weeping

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 10:45 More Wow (m0022kn3)
2. The Earth Below

What is awe, and where do we find it? Exploring how the elusive emotion of awe can be a vital force in our lives.

As something usually associated with intense experiences and extreme environments, for many of us awe can often seem difficult to attain. Science journalist Jo Marchant tracks down individuals who live awe-filled lives, uncovering where we might find it ourselves and how it can alter body and mind.

Episode two: Jo is in the depths of Wookey Hole caves with one of the most experienced divers in the world, Phil Short, who calls them his spiritual home. Phil has discovered one of the world's deepest caves in Mexico, has recovered ancient artefacts from shipwrecks and reunited the sunken remains of veterans from crashed World War II aircraft with their families. Yet he reflects on how a life of awe has led him to appreciate wonder in the smallest of things.

Featuring: Phil Short, cave diver and underwater training lead at DEEP research labs;
Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and author of Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder;
Helen de Cruz, Professor of Philosophy at St Louis University, Missouri and author of Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think.

Presented by Jo Marchant, author of Cure, The Human Cosmos and Decoding the Heavens.

Producer: Eliza Lomas
Editor: Chris Ledgard


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0024618)
Writer: Naylah Ahmed
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Adam Macy…. Andrew Wincott
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kamari
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002461b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m0023y9h)
Series 93

5. Cheek by jowl with some stubbly nosed man

Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Jenny Eclair, Josie Lawrence and Julian Clary join host Sue Perkins for the long-running, quick-thinking Radio 4 panel game. Each player tries to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation on subjects including Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag, Styling It Out, and Retiring To The Seaside.

Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002461d)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002461g)
A roadmap for post-war Gaza

As Yahya Sinwar's death opens a glimmer of hope for peace, we hear the views of Palestinians, Emiratis and Israelis on how Gaza could governed after the war.


SUN 13:30 Choosing Race (m002461j)
'I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black,' said Donald Trump, recently.

When the former president called into question Kamala Harris's racial identity, it sparked an angry backlash. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, responded by saying 'no-one has any right to tell someone who they are [or] how they identify.'

Mr Trump's words hit a nerve in the American psyche, tapping into a centuries-old debate about ethnicity and authenticity, power and privilege.

But in an age where it is said that race is a social construct, how fluid is racial identity?

Ellie House travels around the US, meeting people fighting to claim their racial identity - as well those looking to police it. From an organisation that seeks to expose fake Native Americans in North Carolina, to the Ohio town where people with red hair and green eyes still identify as black, due to the racist history of their town's authorities.

Presenter & Producer: Ellie House
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Sound mix: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0023yg4)
Postbag Edition: Mires Beck Nursery - Pond Liners, Witches' Broom and Badgers

How do I stop badgers from eating my tulips? Any tips on changing a ripped pond liner? How do I effectively take cuttings from a plant?

Kathy Clugston and her panel of horticultural heroes take a wander around Mires Beck Nursery in Hull, while dipping into the GQT postbag to answer your gardening grievances.

Joining forces with Kathy are head gardener Matthew Pottage, garden designer Bunny Guinness and curator of RHS Bridgewater Marcus Chilton-Jones. The panellists are joined by various workers and volunteers from the nursery who share own tips and tricks on gardening challenges, such as planting trees from seed and planting native varieties.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

Click here for the Plant List: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0023yg4

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002461l)
Little Dorrit - Episode 2

Little Dorrit, written by Charles Dickens in the 1850s, is among the author’s most ambitious novels containing a massive sweep of themes, characters and locations.

It may be set 30 years before its creation, but the book feels in many ways ahead of its time, exploring themes of freedom and entrapment – both physical and psychological – in ways that would appeal enormously to later figures including Kafka and Tchaikovsky, who regarded it as such a work of genius that he forgave Dickens for being an Englishman.

Little Dorrit is, too, a savage critique of mid-19th Century Britain, more seditious than Marx’s Capital according to George Bernard Shaw, with its brilliant embodiment of overarching bureaucracy in the shape of the Circumlocution Office.

In the second of two episodes concerning the novel, John Yorke is joined by writer and producer Armando Iannucci, Professor Phil Davis from the University of Liverpool, and Dr Emily Bell, who is currently writing a biography of Dickens.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 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.

Contributors:
Armando Iannucci, writer and producer
Professor Phil Davis, University of Liverpool
Dr Emily Bell, University of Leeds

Reader: Chipo Chung
Researcher/Broadcast Assistant: Nina Semple
Sound: Sean Kerwin

Producer: Geoff Bird

Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Dickensian (m002461n)
Little Dorrit: Episode 2

Arthur Clennam has given up his place in the family firm and secured himself a role as partner in Dan Doyce’s engineering venture, a scheme funded by financier and ‘man of the age’ Mr Merdle.

Meanwhile Arthur is still trying to solve the riddle of the inscription on his father’s watch case - ‘Do Not Forget’ - and feels that this must be linked in some way to William Dorrit, imprisoned in the Marshalsea for debts, and his daughter Amy.

Charles Dickens/ Rigaud ..… Jason Watkins
Arthur Clennam ..… Samuel Barnett
Amy Dorrit ..… Kitty Archer
William Dorrit ..… Paul Bradley
Frederick Dorrit ..... David Tarkenter
Mrs Clennam ..… Claire Price
Merdle ….. Joseph Millson
Mrs General ..… Nisha Nayar
Pancks ..… Carl Prekopp
Maggy ..… Lauren Cornelius
Jerry Flintwich / Dan Doyce …. Shaun Mason
Affery ..… Sarah Thom
Tite Barnacle Snr. .… Ewan Bailey
Tite Barnacle Jr ..… Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong

Adapted for radio by Mike Walker
Production Co-ordinator: Annie Keates-Thorpe
Sound Design: Alisdair McGregor, Markus Andreas
Director: Jeremy Mortimer
Executive Producer: Joby Waldman

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001ry44)
AI and the Novel

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts present a special edition of the programme exploring AI and the novel.

Recorded at the Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival; novelists Naomi Alderman, Adam Thirlwell and Julianne Pachico join Elizabeth and Johny on stage to discuss depictions of AI in their fiction – and what AI might mean for fiction.

Naomi Alderman’s new novel, The Future, is the tale of a daring heist hatched in the hope of saving the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it. Adam Thirlwell’s The Future, Future takes us from the salacious gossip of pre-revolutionary Paris to a utopian lunar commune, and Julianne Pachico tells the story of a young girl raised by artificial intelligence in her novel Jungle House.

Sound Engineers: Emma Harth and Duncan Hannet
Producer: Kirsten Locke

Book List – Sunday 29 October and Thursday 2 November

The Future by Naomi Alderman
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The Future Future by Adam Thirlwell
Jungle House by Julianne Pachico
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
Ulysses by James Joyce
A Mote in the Middle Distance: A Parody of Henry James by Max Beerbohm
The Inheritors by William Golding


SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m002461q)
Heat 8, 2024

(8/17)
Today's edition of Brain of Britain comes from Nottingham, with Russell Davies in the questionmaster's chair. He'll be testing the competitors' knowledge of Tudor history, classic TV themes, medal-winners from the Paris Olympics, and Radio 4 comedy - among many other widely varied topics.

Competing for a semi-final place today are:

Alan Gibbs from St Helens
Diane Hallagan from Leeds
Helen Rigby from Oldham
Sanjoy Sen from Chesterfield.

There'll also be a chance for a Brain of Britain listener to win a prize by beating the Brains with questions he or she has devised.

Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yh2)
The man who smuggled punk rock across the Berlin Wall

In 1983, punk rock was strictly forbidden in East Berlin. However, that didn’t stop young music obsessive Mark Reeder, from Manchester in the UK, smuggling cassettes, and then a punk band across the Berlin Wall.

Mark shares how he arranged for the West German band, Die Toten Hosen, to perform illegally at a secret concert in a church.

This episode was produced by Paul Hanford and Rosalie Delaney. A Munck Studios production for the BBC World Service.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Members of the band Die Toten Hosen and friends in East Berlin in 1983. Credit: Mark Reeder)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002461t)
Paul Farley, Malika Booker, Rob Drummond, Kate Fox

This week on The Verb Ian McMillan is joined by Paul Farley, author of the bird-centred 2019 poetry collection 'The Mizzy'. Especially for The Verb he's written us a brand new poem that considers birds on our workplace, inspired by new 'Nature Postive' building regulations.

Malika Booker is tackling this week's 'Neon Line' poem. Booker won the Forward Prize for 'Best Single Poem' in 2023 and she takes us through the 2024 winners, who have recently been announced.

Linguist and author of 'You're All Talk', Rob Drummond brings us up to speed on langauge change.

And there's a brand new comission from Kate Fox on Strictly Season as well as a reading from her new book 'On Sycamore Gap' - inspired by the famous tree near Hadrian's Wall that was felled last year

Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Jessica Treen


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002461w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002461y)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024620)
Hamas says more than 80 people are dead after Israel bombed homes in northern Gaza


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0024622)
Jason Mohammad

This week, hitmaker legend Nile Rodgers reveals the one hit he didn’t expect. Plus, can we draw comparisons between the developments of artificial intelligence and the invention of the printing press? Tom Sutcliffe and his panel discuss the dangers of AI in how we distribute information, and how the growth of disinformation online can be linked to the Salem witch trials of the 17th century. Academic and author Katherine Rundell teaches us what we can learn about inherent good and evil in the inhabitants of Moominvalley. And - oi, ref! We go offside Radio 4 to listen to football commentary on a miniature scale from BBC Radio Ulster.

Presenter: Jason Mohammad
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0024624)
Brian worries to Stella about access into the field for Thursday’s ploughing match at Home Farm. The Bull will be handling the catering. Brian’s entered Stella for the ‘Ladies Cup’, a term she objects to, competing against Ruth. But Stella isn’t keen on promoting such an outdated farming practice. Later at Brookfield, Stella catches up with Ruth and repeats her stance on ploughing and use of the word ‘Ladies’. Ruth’s more sanguine about it and shows Stella an article online about pioneering ploughwomen in the fifties. Stella thinks the pictures look amazing and loves Ruth’s idea of dressing up in vintage clothing on the day of the match.

Alice appears unexpectedly at Little Grange to get Emma to sign a permission form for Keira’s riding. Flustered Emma does so, then confesses how angry and disappointed she is with George, before breaking down. Sympathetic Alice – drawing on techniques that helped her through addiction - suggests a coping mechanism. Then she tells Emma about Chris writing to her when she was in Rehab, with news about Martha and local gossip. Perhaps Emma could write to George about Apple Day? Alice has already promised Keira that she’s going.

After clearing access into the field Brian has lunch with Alice at The Bull. She tells him about seeing Emma, though Brian can’t understand why she bothered. But for Alice, reaching out to the Grundys feels like part of her recovery. Besides, she knows what it’s like being separated from your child and feeling it’s your fault. Brian has to admit, Alice is a better woman than he is.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0024626)
Rebirth

When Clive Hammond was 31, he had a cardiac arrest. His heart stopped for eight minutes. But he can't remember any of it.

What happens when the heart stops - and then what happens next?

Clive sets out to piece together what happened to him. He speaks to his wife Victoria about what went on while he was unconscious, and the impact it had on their lives. He compares notes with fellow cardiac arrest survivor Meg Fozzard about what it's like to have a cardiac arrest as a young person. Former head of first responders at London Ambulance Chris Hartley-Sharpe tells him what goes on in the body during a cardiac arrest, and how they can affect medical professionals afterwards. And he hears the incredible story of Steve Morris, who started carrying a defibrillator in his car after having a cardiac arrest - and then used it to help save someone else's life.

Presenter: Clive Hammond
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Clare Fordham
Technical production: Richard Hannaford


SUN 19:45 Buried (m001hp4z)
Series 1

Series 1 - 10. What Joe Knew

Justice at last over Mobuoy - and a legal first by the river. Then, in a finale of twists and answers, we uncover the secret that disturbed Joe until the end.

"All you have to do... is dig it up."

A trucker’s deathbed tape plays out. It’s urgent, desperate.

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, investigative journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor deep-dive into one of the worst environment crimes in UK history - the secret dumping of a million tonnes of waste near a city. But when they uncover missing documents, fears of toxicity and allegations of organised crime, they realise they’ve stumbled into something much bigger. As they pick at the threads of one crime, they begin to see others. Could Britain be the home of a new mafia, getting rich on our waste?

In a thrilling ten-part investigation, the husband-and-wife duo dive into a criminal underworld, all the time following clues left in a deathbed tape. They’re driven by one question - what did the man in the tape know?

Presenters and Producers: Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
Assistant Producer: Tess Davidson
Original Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
Sound Design and Series Mixing: Jarek Zaba
Executive Producers: Phil Abrams and Anita Elash
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

A Smoke Trail production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:00 Rage Against the Regime: The Revolutionary Power of Metal Music (m0020xsf)
Oslo Location Recording by Siri Narverud Moen
Photo by Elizabeth Ann Duffy

Metal, according to a recent Spotify poll, is the most downloaded genre of music in the world. It’s a highly complex, intellectual form of music, intertwined with politics since its inception with Black Sabbath’s anti-war anthem ‘War Pigs’

This music has a special kind of power—a sonic force that inspires courage and rebellion, spurring people to speak truth to power. It can make regimes fear and attack those who use it, and can connect people across continents, even when powerful forces seek to keep entire populations and their cultures isolated and silent.

In "Rage Against the Regime: The Revolutionary Power of Metal Music," metal journalist Dannii Leivers explores the stories of bands who have faced repression in various Middle Eastern countries over the past two decades and highlights the experiences of three important metal artists

Nikan Khosravi, lead singer of Confess who was, along with his bandmates, imprisoned by the Iranian authorities for blasphemy and spreading anti-government sentiment.

Cherine Amr, who was labeled a satanist by members of the Muslim Brotherhood after the 2011 Revolution in Egypt, partly because those in power couldn’t understand why a woman would scream like she did during shows.

And Abed Hathout, co-founder of the Palestinian band Khalas — thought to be the first metal band to sing in Arabic — who opened a window into Palestinian culture and resisted the narrative of perpetual hate in the region by touring with an Israeli band across Europe.

Join us as we dive into the revolutionary power of metal music and uncover the stories of those who dare to rage against the regime.

Presenter: Dannii Leivers
Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Sound Engineer: Malcolm Torrie


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0023yg8)
Alex Salmond, Ethel Kennedy, Ratan Tata, Fleur Adcock

Kirsty Lang on

Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland.

Ethel Kennedy, wife of Robert F Kennedy who went onto become a campaigner for Human Rights.

Ratan Tata, the businessman who led the Tata Group for more than two decades.

Fleur Adcock, the poet who's conversational, irreverent style made her one of the most popular voices in British poetry.

Interviewee: Brian Taylor
Interviewee: Michael Posner
Interviewee: Sameer Hashmi
Interviewee: Deryn Rhys-Jones
Interviewee: Neil Astley

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

Alex Salmond, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 21/01/2011; Alex Salmond, BBC TV Promo, A Rebel's Journey, BBC One Scotland, 19/11/2014; Alex Salmond speech, SNP Conference, BBC News, 1990; Alex Salmond speech, Scotland Independence Referendum, BBC News, 2014; Ethel Kennedy campaign speech, Ethel, HBO Docs, 2012, Director: Rory Kennedy; JFK Assassination: Cronkite informs a shocked nation, CBS News, 22/11/1963; News actuality, WBZ Archives: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, CBS Boston YouTube channel uploaded 05/06/2018; Ethel Kennedy interview, NBC Nightly News,1988; Ethel Kennedy interview, Ethel, HBO Docs, 2012, Director: Rory Kennedy; Ratan Tata interview, The Documentary: The Gospel of Wealth, BBC World Service, 16/10/2019; Ratan Tata interview, Tata in the Global Market, BBC News India, 1997; Jaguar-Land Rover buyout, BBC News, 26/03/2008; Fleur Adcock reads: ‘Things’, ‘For a Five-Year-Old’, Snails, Courtesy BloodAxe Books, Uploaded, Bloodaxebooks.com on 01/10/2008; Fleur Adcock interview, Private Passions, BBC Radio 3, 17/05/2009;


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0024628)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m00245pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002462b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002462d)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m0023x87)
Hayek's The Road to Serfdom

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Austrian-British economist Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom (1944) in which Hayek (1899-1992) warned that the way Britain was running its wartime economy would not work in peacetime and could lead to tyranny. His target was centralised planning, arguing this disempowered individuals and wasted their knowledge, while empowering those ill-suited to run an economy. He was concerned about the support for the perceived success of Soviet centralisation, when he saw this and Fascist systems as two sides of the same coin. When Reader's Digest selectively condensed Hayek’s book in 1945, and presented it not so much as a warning against tyranny as a proof against socialism, it became phenomenally influential around the world.

With

Bruce Caldwell
Research Professor of Economics at Duke University and Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy

Melissa Lane
The Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University and the 50th Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College in London

And

Ben Jackson
Professor of Modern History and fellow of University College at the University of Oxford

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free Markets Since the Depression (Harvard University Press, 2012)

Bruce Caldwell, Hayek’s Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek (University of Chicago Press, 2004)

Bruce Caldwell, ‘The Road to Serfdom After 75 Years’ (Journal of Economic Literature 58, 2020)

Bruce Caldwell and Hansjoerg Klausinger, Hayek: A Life 1899-1950 (University of Chicago Press, 2022)

M. Desai, Marx’s Revenge: The Resurgence of Capitalism and the Death of Statist Socialism (Verso, 2002)

Edward Feser (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Hayek (Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Andrew Gamble, Hayek: The Iron Cage of Liberty (Polity, 1996)

Friedrich Hayek, Collectivist Economic Planning (first published 1935; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2015), especially ‘The Nature and History of the Problem’ and ‘The Present State of the Debate’ by Friedrich Hayek

Friedrich Hayek (ed. Bruce Caldwell), The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents: The Definitive Edition (first published 1944; Routledge, 2008. Also vol. 2 of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, University of Chicago Press, 2007)

Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom: Condensed Version (Institute of Economic Affairs, 2005; The Reader’s Digest condensation of the book)

Friedrich Hayek, ‘The Use of Knowledge in Society’ (American Economic Review, vol. 35, 1945; vol. 15 of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, University of Chicago Press)

Friedrich Hayek, Individualism and Economic Order (first published 1948; University of Chicago Press, 1996), especially the essays ‘Economics and Knowledge’ (1937), ‘Individualism: True and False’ (1945), and ‘The Use of Knowledge in Society’ (1945)

Friedrich Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty (first published 1960; Routledge, 2006)

Friedrich Hayek, Law. Legislation and Liberty: A new statement of the liberal principles of justice and political economy (first published 1973 in 3 volumes; single vol. edn, Routledge, 2012)

Ben Jackson, ‘Freedom, the Common Good and the Rule of Law: Hayek and Lippmann on Economic Planning’ (Journal of the History of Ideas 73, 2012)

Robert Leeson (ed.), Hayek: A Collaborative Biography Part I (Palgrave, 2013), especially ‘The Genesis and Reception of The Road to Serfdom’ by Melissa Lane

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0023yg6)
The Archaic Smile

A holiday in the sun isn't the relaxing break one couple were counting on in a haunting new short work from Chris Kohler.
Read by Chris Reilly
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Chris Kohler is from Glasgow, Scotland. His short stories have been published in 3am, Egress, The Stinging Fly, The Moth, Gutter, Dark Mountain and Minor Literatures. He was shortlisted for the VS Pritchett Short Story Prize 2023. His debut novel Phantom Limb is published by Atlantic Books.

An EcoAudio certified production from BBC Audio Scotland.

MONDAY 21 OCTOBER 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002462g)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 World Of Secrets (w3ct793n)
Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods

Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods: 4. Surveillance state

Security cameras were everywhere - in Harrods and in a luxury apartment used by staff. There’s an atmosphere of paranoia. Vanity Fair magazine was investigating the rumours swirling around Mohamed Al Fayed. Would the truth about him be exposed, even as potential witnesses say they were intimidated?

This season of World of Secrets is about sexual abuse, and includes descriptions which some listeners might find distressing. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Presented by Cassie Cornish-Trestrail and Shaimaa Khalil, and produced by Neal Razzell and Sally Abrahams. The editor is Matt Willis. It’s a Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Special thanks to series consultant, Keaton Stone, director Erica Gornall and executive producer, Mike Radford.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002462j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002462l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002462n)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002462q)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m002462s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002462v)
Companionship

Good morning!

Our neighbours, now in their 90’s are no longer together because the wife developed dementia and is now in a care home. The doting husband who used to wave goodbye to his wife until the taxi turned the corner is now without his lifelong companion. He is torn between visiting her or not because she gets very troubled when she can’t remember things. The other day I took my little granddaughter to cheer him up.

Companionship is beautiful. Whether it's with a person or a pet, it’s one of the most enriching aspects of life. Companionship is the unique bond we form with someone who offers love, affection, support, understanding and a shared sense of presence. We are social creatures, hardwired for connection and programmed to care for others. This need or urge doesn't diminish with age; rather it increases. Companionship becomes crucial in times of loneliness, change, or loss. The presence of someone who walks beside us out of genuine care is what makes companionship so powerful.

Companionship fosters love, empathy, trust, and resilience, is not just about being there in good times but crucially it's also about showing up at difficult times when words might not be enough, but presence is everything. Simply sharing a meal, taking a walk, or sitting quietly with someone who just needs to know they aren't alone works wonders. Quiet moments of connection ground us and remind us of our humanity. Companionship enriches our lives in ways that wealth or success never could.

God enable us to nurture companionships and give comfort to those who are alone, amin.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002462x)
21/10/24 - Budget concerns for farming and the environment, emissions from livestock

We hear warnings from the Country Land and Business Association that changing tax rules for farms could close many down.

The RSPB says any cuts to the farming budget would put nature and climate targets at risk.

To start our week looking at greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, we speak to Professor Sir Charles Godfrey of the Oxford Martin School who says we should be producing less and better meat.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002462z)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002464g)
21/10/24 - Mishal Husain and Justin Webb

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002464j)
A duty of care

Adam Rutherford gets to grips with the crisis in adult social care and asks, whose responsibility is it to fix it?

David Goodhart, from the Policy Exchange think tank, writes about the huge changes that have been wrought on family life over the past 60 years and how they have impacted the way in which we live and care for each other. In his new book, The Care Dilemma, he argues that we are in desperate need of a new policy settlement that not only supports gender equality, but also recognises the importance of strong family and community bonds, and the traditional role women have played as carers.

Bringing us her own personal story from the frontline of adult social care is Kathryn Faulke. She worked for years in a senior role at the NHS and then became a home care worker. In Every Kind of People she tells the stories of individuals who are part of the system, the cared-for and the carers, and shows how these issues affect us all. This is a story about real lives and real people, revealing the challenges, and the benefits, of working with some of the most vulnerable members of society. Every Kind of People will be Radio 4's Book of the Week, starting on Monday 28th October.

So how can we improve the lives of those who require care and also support the carers themselves? Anna Coote is Principal Fellow at the New Economics Foundation and has written extensively on public health policy, public involvement and gender and equality. She believes in taking practical action to change the way we work and value time and believes in our ability to build a fairer and more sustainable social security system – both for ourselves and for future generations.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002464l)
Bonding over breakfast

Nigel Jeffery tells Rachel Burden how his group The (Mostly) Grumpy Old Men's Breakfast Club is helping widowers like himself cope with bereavement. The monthly gatherings see members meet up with old friends whilst making new ones.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.

We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.

You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002464n)
Kelly Macdonald, Ovarian cancer vaccine breakthrough, Violence against women in Turkey

It’s nearly thirty years since Kelly Macdonald made her acting debut as the sharp-witted 15 year old schoolgirl Diane in the classic film Trainspotting. Since then, the award winning actress has starred in critically acclaimed films like No Country for Old Men, Gosford Park, as well as Harry Potter franchise, and voiced the fearless Princess Merida in Pixar’s Brave. Now, she’s taking on a new role in the vampire comedy thriller, The Radleys.

Scientists at the University of Oxford are creating OvarianVax, a vaccine which teaches the immune system to recognise and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. The hope is that the jab could be given to women preventatively on the NHS with the aim of eliminating the disease. We talk to Professor Ahmed Ahmed from the university of Oxford, who is leading the research into the jab, and Cary Wakefield CEO of Ovarian Cancer Action, to find out when exactly we might see this becoming available.

Hundreds of women have recently been protesting in Turkish cities after the killing of two young women in Istanbul – followed by protests every day for a week across the country, notably on university campuses. Recently the "We Will Stop Femicide Platform" reported that in Turkey, 34 women were murdered by men and 20 more died under suspicious circumstances in September alone. We hear from Elif Shafak - award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller, and Times Turkey Correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Laura Northedge


MON 11:00 How Would We Know If Democracy Had Died? (m002464q)
The Experiment

Nightmares of authoritarian rule rear up in response to governments that seem too strong or too weak. But democracy is always at risk. Any leader might simply refuse to give up power. A fascist party might be set up tomorrow, and go on to win an election.

Over the last few years, polling has suggested that young adults have grown disillusioned with democracy, and that a surprising proportion would be open to the idea of a strong leader who didn’t have to bother with parliament, or even to military rule.

In this second episode, Phil Tinline and public policy research group ‘Public First’ convene a war game in the East Midlands. Phil invites nine young adults to form a fictional Cabinet. Then he tests out how they respond to an escalating series of scenarios, drawing on real events, which put democracy under ever greater pressure. Under what circumstances, if any, would they deploy the military, or declare a state of emergency? Would our Cabinet allow serving army officers into government?

With thanks to all our candidates and to James Frayne of ‘Public First’ for moderating the session.

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare


MON 11:45 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m002464s)
Book of the Week: Episode 1 - Freedom - A Definition

In Timothy's Snyder's thought provoking new book the historian and intellectual explores the value of freedom. Read by Kyle Soller.

Timothy Snyder is an historian and public intellectual writing on Ukraine, American politics, strategies for averting authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, the Václav Havel Foundation prize, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought. He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books include Bloodlands, Black Earth and On Tyranny.

On Freedom is his latest book. Here he looks at how freedom has been misunderstood and is leading society into crisis. He takes issue with the deep seated notion that freedom is about the right of the individual to behave and speak however they wish, where its understood as protection from outside forces, and interference from others. Instead, he invites us to look at in a different way, not as freedom 'from', but freedom 'to'. He asks us to look at freedom as a foundational value that allows all people to thrive, to take risks and to work together to ensure a bright future for everyone.

Kyle Soller is an award winning actor well known for his work in the theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hedda Gabler The Inheritance - on the small screen - Poldark, The Hollow Crown, Andor, and on radio - Giovanni's Room, Losing Earth, People Who Knew Me.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002464v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002464x)
Car Insurance, Gig Merchandise and Prospects For Fashion in '25.

Motor insurance premiums are to be examined by a government task force on grounds of costs and discrimination.

Going to gig? Then you'll probably be buying some merchandise. These days what's on offer goes way beyond T-shirts, posters, and programmes, but honestly is there really a market for an Iron Maiden tablecloth or an Oasis car wash mitten?

For a quarter of UK businesses social media channels, like Facebook marketplace, are an important platforms, but a risky ones too. There seems to be little come back if your goods and copyright are ripped off.

Unlike other sectors on the high street Fashion has struggled to recover from the cost-of-living crisis. With the likes of food & drink, beauty, grocery and general retail selling about the same compared to last year, Fashion was more than six points down; so why are clothes shops feeling optimistic about 2025?

The Information Commissioners has handed out several fines to companies that bombard consumers with texts and calls they don’t want to receive, but is the regulator any closer to eradicating these consumer nuisances.

Producer, Kevin Mousley. Presenter, Shari Vahl.


MON 12:57 Weather (m002464z)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m0024651)
How would you fix the NHS?

The government is asking patients and NHS staff for their ideas on how to fix the NHS. So what can be done? Also: We hear from Arizona on abortion rights, a key US election issue.


MON 13:45 Politically (m0024653)
Surviving Politics with Michael Gove

Surviving Politics with Michael Gove - 1: Margaret Hodge

Michael Gove talks to Margaret Hodge about the importance of working with other parties.

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, Michael Gove pretty much saw and did it all. As he says himself, no-one in politics is a conscript. He and others are volunteers who willingly choose their fate. But office can and does take its toll and in this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound recordists: Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery
Mixed by James Beard
Production co-ordinators: Janet Staples, Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck


MON 14:00 The Archers (m0024624)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Jack & Millie (m0024655)
Series 3

1. Out Of Town

Jack & Millie decide to improve Mel’s mental health by taking him to the wilds of Chigwell for the weekend, but a rogue mosquito net, and an unwanted rendition of Fiddler On The Roof don’t seem to be helping.

So Millie’s son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?

So suddenly Jack & Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them? And for this, we should be grateful?

Well, YES! - because this is the new series of the comedy show written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack & Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world.

Starring
Jack - Jeremy Front
Millie - Rebecca Front

and

Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry - Nigel Lindsay
Melvin - Tim Downie
Delphine - Jenny Bede

Written by Jeremy Front

Produced and directed by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (m0016xw6)
Episode Four

Helen Fielding's iconic 1996 novel of life as a single thirty-something woman in London.

"Three hours and thirty-five minutes between waking and leaving house is too long. In future must get straight up when wake up and reform entire laundry system."

Bridget Jones begins the new year full of resolutions. She pledges in her diary to drink less, smoke less, lose weight, find a new job, stay away from unsuitable men and learn to programme the VCR. But her resolve is tested by the horrors of attending dinner parties with the "smug marrieds", the confusing behaviour of her charming rogue of a boss Daniel Cleaver, and her increasingly embarrassing encounters with human rights lawyer Mark Darcy.

Bridget Jones's Diary started life as a weekly column in the pages of The Independent in 1995, when Fielding worked on the news desk. Helen’s column chronicled the life and antics of fictional Bridget Jones as a thirty-something single woman in London trying to make sense of life and love. It was first published as a novel in 1996 and has gone on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a series of films.

Read by Sally Phillips
Abridged by Sara Davies
Produced by Mair Bosworth and Mary Ward-Lowery


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m0024658)
Fee Mak and Ali Woods

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE by Matt Haig, chosen by Ali Woods
ELENA KNOWS by Claudia Piñeiro, chosen by Fee Mak
THE DETAILS by Ia Genberg, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Comedian Ali Woods chooses a memoir by Matt Haig based on his experiences of living with depression and anxiety disorder. Moving, funny and incredibly honest, Reasons to Stay Alive is a book which blasts open the way in which we talk about depression.

Presenter and DJ Fee Mak chooses a novel by Claudia Piñeiro called Elena Knows, following a day in the life of Elena, a 63-year-old woman struggling to come to terms with both her own illness and the death of her daughter.

And Harriett Gilbert chooses a short Swedish novel by Ia Genberg called The Details, exploring the relationships that define us, and the small but profound details that stay with us.

Producer: Becky Ripley


MON 15:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m0023jkw)
Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley

34. Violet Charlesworth - Fake Heiress

In this episode of Lady Swindlers, Lucy Worsley meets Violet Charlesworth, an heiress with a taste for the high life. From her family home in North Wales, Violet drives the length and breadth of the country in her expensive motorcars, accompanied by pedigree pooches and dripping with diamonds. Lucy asks: is there more to her than meets the eye?

She is joined by iconic crime writer Denise Mina (‘Garnethill Trilogy’, ‘Three Fires’) and Lady Swindlers in-house historian Professor Rosalind Crone to find out all about Violet’s prodigious spending habit and looming debts.

The whole country is shocked when, late one night in January 1909, Violet loses control of her car on her way home from Bangor. It looks like she’s hit the wall that lines the coast road and shot through the windscreen and down the cliff face, but there is no sign of her body and her family are apparently unconcerned.

Lucy’s investigative trio look at the wall-to-wall media coverage of Violet’s disappearance. They hear from Welsh historian Elin Tomos at the crash site, which is still known as Violet’s Leap, and at the Charlesworths’ house, Bôd Erw in the village of Llanelwy/St Asaph. They consider the new freedoms women were exploring at the beginning of the early 20th century and the idea of the New Woman – independent, educated and openly feminist.

Together, they ask: what motivated this audacious woman? Can we sympathise with her? Was she, truly, a woman ahead of her time?

Producer: Sarah Goodman
Readers: Clare Corbett, Iwan Fôn and Jonathan Keeble
Location Historian: Elin Tomos
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
Executive producer: Kirsty Hunter

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4.

If you're in the UK, listen to the newest episodes of Lady Killers first on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/3M2pT0K


MON 16:00 Choosing Race (m002461j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Marianna in Conspiracyland (m00244sh)
Why Do You Hate Me? USA

5. Fandom Frenzies: Who’s afraid of little old us?

In Why Do You Hate Me? USA, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring is investigating how what’s happening online can shape the 2024 presidential election.

In this episode, Marianna goes deep inside the world of a particular kind of social media tribe: the fandom. These groups revolve around the love for celebrities from pop stars like Taylor Swift to billionaire Elon Musk. And now political activists are operating a bit like fandoms to boost the chances of their favourite candidate. So could the social media tactics used by mega fans change the minds of voters in the upcoming election?
And can the dedication fandoms inspire exist without trolling and hate?

Host: Marianna Spring
Producers Daniel Wittenberg & Emma Close
Story Editor: Matt Willis
Editor: Sam Bonham
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Sound Designer: Tony Churnside
Production Co-ordiantor: Katie Morrison


MON 17:00 PM (m002465b)
Police officer acquitted of murder in Chris Kaba case

A police officer has been cleared of murder for fatally shooting Chris Kaba, who was shot in the head during an armed police incident in south London in 2022. PM brings the latest on the case - and speaks to a former Chief Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police about how the case has affected trust in the police.
Also: as world leaders and diplomats gather in Colombia for the UN's Cop16 climate summit, PM speaks to John Kerry, the US's former Secretary of State and former Presidential Envoy for Climate, about how the upcoming US election might affect Washington's climate policies. And ahead of the clocks going back on Sunday, how darkening evenings affect our perception of time.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002465d)
Chris Kaba's family said they were devastated by the verdict


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m002465g)
Series 93

6. Doubling down at the duvet factory

Sue Perkins challenges Lucy Porter, Gyles Brandreth, Desiree Burch and Glenn Moore to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include The Streisand Effect, Ladders and Waving the White Flag.

Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m00244rq)
While Xander and Maddie play outside at Honeysuckle Cottage, Ian and Lottie set up Ian’s first online PTA meeting. Ian’s set a clear agenda, but Lottie doubts it’ll be as straightforward as he thinks. Later, she’s amused by Ian’s exasperation at how chaotic the meeting was. Ian’s determined to stick with it though, and determined to prove his mettle at the disco on Wednesday. Lottie heads off to Apple Day, but Ian won’t join her out of loyalty to Adam, who’s still firmly anti-Grundy.

Alice sees Chris at The Forge and tells him she’s taking Martha to Apple Day. Chris says Alice has an unhealthy obsession with the Grundys, but Alice argues she’s making an effort to move on. Chris is scathing about Alice’s attempt to make up with Emma. Nevertheless, Alice tries to persuade him to go with them.

Later, while Emma’s writing a letter to George, Clarrie tells her how a lot more people than they expected have turned up for Apple Day. When Emma goes outside, she finds Chris there with Alice. Initial awkwardness between the siblings eases when Emma and Chris have a laugh at the apple peel predictions. Meanwhile, when Alice helps Clarrie make apple sauce, Clarrie’s full of praise for how supportive Alice has been today. Alice sees it as part of her recovery process, including with Martha. Clarrie’s just happy to see that Chris and Emma have at least broken the ice. She thinks the whole family have realised they need to stick together. All they want is for the nightmare to be over.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002465j)
Pedro Almodovar, Vanessa Bell, Richard Bean

The acclaimed Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovor talks about this new film The Room Next Door, which won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival the Golden Lion and stars Tilda Swinton as a woman dying of cancer who enlists her friend Julianne Moore to help her end her life at a time of her choosing.

The Bloomsbury Group of writers and thinkers that included the likes of Virginia Woolf, Clive Bell and John Maynard Keynes has enduring appeal, so as a new exhibition at the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes opens to explore the life and legacy of Vanessa Bell, Virginia's sister, her granddaughter the writer Virginia Nicholson and the show's curator Anthony Spira talk about what made this circle of lovers and friends so unique.

Playwright Richard Bean had a smash in the West End with his smash hit farce One Man, Two Guvnors, starring James Corden. Now he talks about his new play Reykjavik which is now on at the Hampstead Theatre and explores the British fishing trawler industry, which like coal, was once a mass employer of men and had a terrible safety record.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 20:00 Rethink (m0023x9q)
Rethink...pricing

Rethink looks at the issues of our time, and considers how we might approach them differently. Scrutinising the latest thinking and research, we look at what this might mean for policy and society.

In this episode: the cost of living has been high, but all too often, we also pay a premium. It's because of dynamic pricing, drip pricing and now personalised pricing.

Dynamic pricing is why, after queuing for hours, Oasis fans were offered tickets that were considerably more expensive than the ones advertised. It's also why do you can be offered different prices each time you try and book an airline ticket, or a hotel online.

Big data means that companies can figure out exactly what you are willing to pay online and can shift the price you face to match that.

AI data-gathering software is causing cartel-like behaviour amongst competitors, who can draw similar conclusions about their market, and set similar prices.

The depth of information available to companies means that they know the price a market will bear, rather than how much customers can afford and regardless of interest rates set by central banks.

Regulators are playing catch-up, but what other strategies could be used to combat anti-competitive pricing led by algorithms? And what needs to change to ensure buyers can work out if they're getting a fair deal?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:
David Dayen, writer and journalist, and the executive editor of The American Prospect magazine.
Tom Smith, partner at Geradin, and former Legal Director at the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Professor of consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University.
Martyn James, consumer rights campaigner and journalist.


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0023x9s)
Are our carbon sinks failing?

The Earth’s natural carbon sinks absorb half of our pollution. But now, they appear to be collapsing. Why is this happening – and will we be able to reach our climate goals without them?

Also this week, why a psychologist won the Nobel Prize in Physics, the culprit behind the second biggest mass extinction event, and does playing video games make you smarter?

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber, Anna Charalambou
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002464j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002464l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002465l)
Met police officer cleared of Chris Kaba’s murder

Metropolitan Police firearms officer Martyn Blake has been found not guilty of the murder of Chris Kaba. Blake shot the 24-year-old dead during a police stop in Streatham, south London in 2022. Kaba’s family said the verdict was "painful proof that our lives are not valued by the system". We’re joined by Chris Kaba’s local MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy.

Also tonight:

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken heads to Israel as part of his eleventh visit to the Middle East since the October 7th attacks.

Nine years after one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, a mass civil claim begins at the High Court in London. We speak to one of the claimants.

And as a New Zealand airport introduces a limit of three minutes per hug, we ask how long a good hug should last.

(Picture: People gather outside the Old Bailey after British police officer Martyn Blake was acquitted of the 2022 murder of Chris Kaba, October 21, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy)


MON 22:45 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (m002465n)
Episode Six

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering expats from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge' - living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847', Commander Graham Gore, a member of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition.

Along with his fellow 'expats' – extracted from the Great Plague, the Battle of Naseby, the French Revolution and the Battle of the Somme - Gore must be introduced to the internal combustion engine, women’s emancipation, computer dating apps, the smoking ban, and 21st Century cultural and social sensitivities. Among these are the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about her own mixed-race heritage.

The role of a Bridge, she discovers, may be well-paid, but it’s complex and difficult to navigate, particularly when the Victorian explorer sharing her living space is an attractive, infuriating, deeply sexy adventurer. When it becomes apparent that the very future is at stake, the job becomes both more complicated and more dangerous.

Episode 6: Cocktails, a killing and an explosive document.

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor who has won the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story prize and the 2022 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her debut novel, widely acclaimed as exciting, clever, funny and gripping - ‘a little time-bomb of a book’ according to the writer Francis Spufford. It was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller. It also featured on Barack Obama’s reading list this summer.

The reader is Aoife Hinds, known for her roles in TV’s Derry Girls and Normal People.

Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001rynd)
Harland - Series 3

Harland - 3. Diu iath

Deep in the woods of reclusive industrialist Darius Fordingbridge's estate, Dan meets a surprising new ally. Together they go in search of the third of the four Hare Witch. By Lucy Catherine.

Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Morris ..... Rupert Holliday Evans
Keshia ..... Rhiannon Neads
Sadie ..... Melissa Advani
Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine
Reception-Bot ..... Kitty O’Sullivan

Production Co-ordinator ..... Jenny Mendez
Technical Producer ..... Andrew Garratt
Sound Design by Peter Ringrose and Caleb Knightley
Directed by Toby Swift
A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002465q)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster where MPs debated the government's proposals to give working people a range of new rights.

TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002465s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m002464s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002465v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002465x)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002465z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0024661)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024663)
The Commute

Good morning!

I commute to work by train and tube regularly. My journey takes me through very interesting parts of our beautiful country. Much of the journey is through vast swathes of countryside and farmland, and some of it through small towns and major cities where I try to spot church towers, minarets and domes.

Commuters take advantage of their time to catch up with the news, send-off emails or are busy on laptops or reading a book. Many will be on social media keeping up with what others are doing, feasting on gossip or sharing their own stories. Some will be watching a film. In fact, most commuters on public transport will have their head buried in an electronic device and I’m no different!

Whether our commutes are long or short, before we know it, we’ll have arrived at work or are back at home. Meanwhile, a whole world has passed us by, or rather we have passed by. The green rolling hills, grazing animals, the little stream, river or canal. The disused quarry now full of water, a home for ducks and swans. The trees painting the autumnal landscape with vivid bright colours. The sunrise and the crimson sunset, birds returning to their nests, bellies full. The diversity of people on the move. Many of us hardly take the time to intently look out of the window and marvel at the creation. In Islam, this is also a form of worship. A commute doesn’t have to be just a journey to work but it can also be a spiritual journey to God, the ultimate destination.

I pray we take time to marvel at creation and appreciate it, amin.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0024665)
22/10/24 - Unspent flood money, low emission sheep, seasonal workers and bison calves

Less than 5% of a £50 million fund promised to farmers who were hit by last winter's floods, has been paid out. The Farming Recovery Fund was set-up by the previous government to support farmers whose land had been damaged by floodwater during Storm Babet and Storm Henk. But figures revealed by a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Farmers Weekly show that, so far, just £2.1 million of it has been spent.

A selective breeding trial on a sheep farm in Shropshire is hoping to reduce methane emissions from the animals by around 35 per cent within 5 years. Lambs taking part in the experiment are put into a metal box with a window - called a Portable Accumulation Chamber - so their emissions can be measured. Animals found to produce lower levels of methane are then selected for breeding programmes - in time reducing the emissions from the flock.

The number of Seasonal Workers allowed visas to work in poultry and horticulture next year in England has been confirmed by DEFRA - 43,000 in horticulture and 2,000 for poultry. Although the announcement has been welcomed by the National Farmers Union, it's pressing for a permanent scheme which would run every year.

And the Bison introduced into a woodland in Kent as a re-wilding project have had calves. But why are rangers are collecting their dung?

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons


TUE 06:00 Today (m00244r2)
22/10/24 - Nick Robinson and Mishal Husain

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Young Again (m00244r4)
15. Miranda Hart

Kirsty Young asks comedian and actor Miranda Hart what advice she would give her younger self.

A decade ago Hart was starring in her own hit BBC sitcom, Miranda, and selling out stadium tours. But then she suffered a collapse and was forced into a career break. She discusses how years of low level illness built up to a major health crisis, and how an overdue diagnosis and writing her new book helped on her journey back towards fitness. She also reveals the perils of fame, the joy of playing the same venue as Beyoncé, and why her book had an unexpected happy ending.

A BBC Studios Audio production.


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m00244r6)
How does embarrassment affect your health?

There are so many campaigns now to stop stigma and embarrassment - from Davina McCall talking about the menopause to Idris Elba campaigning for black men to get their prostate checked.

And when we asked for your stories of how embarrassment impacts your health, our inbox was flooded with stories of incontinence, IBS, genital problems, skin issues, fertility troubles, fatty lumps and more - along with the huge and varied ways these issues are affecting your lives.

So, how does embarrassment affect how we behave regarding our health, how can doctors and our health service adapt to alleviate it, and do awareness campaigns really help?

To discuss James Gallagher is joined by:

Dr Margaret McCartney, GP
Dr Vanessa Apea, consultant in sexual health at Barts Health NHS Trust and Medical Director at Preventx
Professor Ruth Parry, communications expert who studies clinician-patient interactions about sensitive issues.

Plus, James gets some top tips to help alleviate embarrassment when talking to your doctor.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Hannah Robins
Content Editor: Holly Squire
Production Coordinator: Ismael Soriano

This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00244r8)
Rivals, J Smith Cameron, Lucy Letby case

Former nurse Lucy Letby became one of the UK’s most notorious child killers after she was convicted in 2023 of harming and murdering babies in her care. The nurse was found guilty by two juries after lengthy trials, but now there's been speculation over whether some evidence in the Letby trial was reliable. BBC Special Correspondent Judith Moritz is the co-author of the book Unmasking Lucy Letby: The untold story of the killer nurse. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss what she has discovered since the trial ended.

The actor J. Smith Cameron is currently on stage in London’s West End alongside Mark Rylance in Juno and the Paycock. It’s a play about a working class family in Dublin during the1922 Irish Civil War. J joins Nuala to discuss this, as well as her starring role in Succession where she played Gerri Kellman.

Last weekend, the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s classic 1980s bonkbuster Rivals landed on Disney+. The eight-part series is set in a fictional upper-class Cotswolds community and features media, politics and lots and lots of sex. So what does this moment of steamy nostalgia tell us about sex in 2024? Nuala talks to Dayna McAlpine, a sex and relationships writer and lifestyle editor at HuffPost UK, and Rowan Pelling, co-editor at Perspective and former editor of the Erotic Review.

New Zealand have won, against the odds, the Women’s T20 World Cup – an achievement that may mark a turning point for women’s cricket, so often dominated by Australia. Nuala is joined by batting all-rounder and a stalwart of the White Ferns, Suzie Bates.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Editor: Karen Dalziel
Studio Manager: Gayl Gordon


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m0023ygl)
Archaeology

To mark the tenth anniversary of BBC sitcom Detectorists, Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones dig into archaeologists and treasure hunters on screen.

Mark speaks first to stand-up comedian and actor Alexei Sayle about his small, but pivotal, role in the third Indiana Jones film The Last Crusade.

Mark then talks to Italian director Alice Rohrwacher, whose recent film La Chimera is the story of a down-at-heel tomb raider, played by Josh O’Connor, looting Etruscan artefacts in 1980s Italy.

Meanwhile, Ellen speaks to French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop about her new film Dahomey - a docudrama that follows 26 looted treasures from the 19th century Kingdom of Dahomey, as they make their return trip from Paris to present-day Benin.

And she talks to Mackenzie Crook, creator and star of Detectorists, about how an episode of Time Team inspired the series - about a pair of Essex metal detectorists hunting for long-buried treasures from the past.

Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 11:45 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00244rb)
Book of the Week: Episode 2 - A little leap of empathy

Timothy's Snyder's thought provoking new book he explores the meaning of freedom in the 21st century. Today, the historian draws on his own personal experiences when he puts the connections between empathy and freedom in the spotlight. Read by Kyle Soller.

Timothy Snyder is an historian and public intellectual writing on Ukraine, American politics, strategies for averting authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, the Václav Havel Foundation prize, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought. He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books include Bloodlands, Black Earth and On Tyranny.

On Freedom is his latest book. Here he looks at how freedom has been misunderstood and is leading society into crisis. He takes issue with the deep seated notion that freedom is about the right of the individual to behave and speak however they wish, where its understood as protection from outside forces, and interference from others. Instead, he invites us to look at in a different way, not as freedom 'from', but freedom 'to'. He asks us to look at freedom as a foundational value that allows all people to thrive, to take risks and to work together to ensure a bright future for everyone.

Kyle Soller is an award winning actor well known for his work in the theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hedda Gabler The Inheritance - on the small screen - Poldark, The Hollow Crown, Andor, and on radio - Giovanni's Room, Losing Earth, People Who Knew Me.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m00244rd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m00244rg)
Call You and Yours - Car and Home Insurance

For Call You and Yours, we want to hear your experiences of trying to insure your car or your home. How's it going? Have your premiums shot up and how's it affecting your finances?

There's a new government task force looking at rising motor premiums and whether or not the consumer is getting a good deal. Meanwhile, home insurance is also more expensive than it used to be. So tell us - what sort of things have affected your insurance costs? Perhaps you've struggled to get cover at all?

Let us know - email youandyours@bbc.co.uk, and leave a number so we can call you back. And after 11am on Tuesday October 22, you can call us on 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


TUE 12:57 Weather (m00244rj)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m00244rl)
Chris Kaba revealed to be gang member

As reporting restrictions on Chris Kaba's gang links are lifted, Tory MP Robert Jenrick demands the CPS 'think carefully' about prosecuting police who kill in the line of duty.


TUE 13:45 Politically (m00244rn)
Surviving Politics with Michael Gove

Surviving Politics with Michael Gove - 2: Peter Mandelson

Michael Gove talks to Peter Mandelson about the challenge of managing unpopularity.

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, Michael Gove pretty much saw and did it all. As he says himself, no-one in politics is a conscript. He and others are volunteers who willingly choose their fate. But office can and does take its toll and in this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound recordists: Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery
Mixed by James Beard
Production co-ordinators: Janet Staples, Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m00244rq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Trust (m00244rs)
Series 5. Episode 1: Apocalypse When?

Episode 1. Apocalypse When?
A new series of the award winning comedy drama. The Ofsted inspection window is open for East Salford Academy. Although they aren't expecting one immediately, readiness is all. The core leadership team are knee deep in policies and strategies and Sir Ken, the head of Quays Academy Trust is on hand to make sure East Salford doesn't let the side down.

Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Tim ..... Ashley Margolis
Sir Ken ..... Jonathan Keeble
Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist
Danny/Pavel ..... Jon-Paul Bell
Mina/Rachel ..... Sade Malone

Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman
Technical Team - Amy Brennan, Mitch Goodall
Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes
Director/Producer - Gary Brown

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Punt & Dennis: Route Masters (m0023zj5)
Series 1: From Beer to Eternity

4 - From the Ring Tailed Lemur to Watford Gap Services

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are on a mission to get from the Ring Tailed Lemur to Watford Gap services in the most entertaining way possible with the help of Ken Cheng, in a warm and witty podcast that celebrates new and half remembered trivia as they try to find unlikely links between random places, people and things.

Could you make your way from The Starship Enterprise to the Air Fryer, armed only with A Level Economics and a Geography degree? Hugh Dennis is going to have to. While Steve Punt will have to pick his way across Africa, to find what links Machiavelli and Madagascar. Across the series, they’ll be joined by guests including Ken Cheng, Kiri Pritchard McLean, Isy Suttie and Marcus Brigstocke, on a scenic route which takes in Shampoo, The Gruffalo, Watford Gap Services and Yoghurt.

Written and hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis
With Ken Cheng
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
Recorded at Maple St Creative
Mixed by Jonathan Last

A Listen Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m00244rv)
Meaning of Work

Laurie Taylor talks to Jana Costas, Chair of People, Work & Management at the European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany about the unseen cleaners beyond the shiny surface of Potsdamer Platz, a designer micro-city within Berlin's city centre. Behind the scenes they pick up cigarette butts from pavements, scrape chewing gum from marble floors and scrub public toilets, long before white-collar workers, consumers and tourists enter the complex. How do they feel about work which some would stigmatise as degrading? How do they salvage a sense of personal dignity? Also, Katie Bailey, Professor of Work and Employment at Kings College, London unpacks her analysis of accounts related by nurses, creative artists and lawyers as to why they find their work meaningful.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


TUE 16:00 The Hazard of the Die (m00244rx)
Michael has a limp – and it’s getting worse. The young actor is in the middle of writing a radio drama about an experimental drug trial when he receives a diagnosis – he has Motor Neurone Disease. Average life expectancy is four years.
Should he sail around the world with his fiancé? Buy a pub with his mates? Of course not. Michael decides to stage a major production of Shakespeare’s longest history play – Richard III – with himself in the lead role, directed by best friend and writing partner Oisín.
At the same time, Michael gets a chance to join an experimental drug trial that could offer a promising new treatment for MND.
Now, he and Oisín just have to convince the Lyric Theatre in Belfast to stage their ambitious production of Richard, while Michael wonders if the drug can offer any hope against the disease’s relentless progression.

Presented by Michael Patrick
Written by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Produced by Conor McKay

A BBC Northern Ireland Production


TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m00244rz)
Could PR have helped Liam Payne?, Thomas Tuchel and the Trump biopic

In the wake of the death of the One Direction star Liam Payne, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the role of protection in PR. Advisers are often the first people to know about a problem, and the first to try to fix it. Could celebrity publicists learn something about duty of care from the world of corporate PR? David and Simon talk fame, addiction and the importance of creating private space.

Also, the FA has walked into an apparent PR own goal appointing a German head coach to manage the England men’s football team. Why is leaning into a short-term tabloid burial sometimes the smartest move?

And, following the release of the new Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice – how to manage your client’s PR when Hollywood comes knocking.

Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m00244s1)
Government announces a new long-term prison plan

Another 1,100 emergency early releases from prison as ministers launch a major review of sentencing to address overcrowding.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00244s3)
The judge in the trial lifted reporting restrictions on Chris Kaba's criminal history


TUE 18:30 Janey Godley: The C Bomb (m001np9k)
4. I Don't Know How Long I've Got Left

This show was first broadcast in June 2023, as Janey faced a terminal cancer diagnosis. Janey recently revealed she has now ceased all treatment, and has moved to a hospice where she is receiving end-of-life care.

This is another chance to hear Janey's powerful personal story of strength and survival, all told in her brutally honest, brutally funny signature style.

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

In this last episode of the series, Janey confronts her terminal diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and jokes about how she copes, how the people around her cope, and what she thinks her legacy might be. She tells a fascinating story about her mother and friends around the kitchen table singing, and there's a bolt of comedy lightning that's very fitting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m00244lt)
Ruth’s been practising her ploughing and Ben offers to help polish Bert’s old tractor for the match. Although Stella’s pulled out of the ploughing she’ll still be dressing up in fifties gear on the day, plus giving talks about women’s roles in harvesting and the no-till drill at Home Farm. Ruth’s got another rival for the Ladies Cup, though – a farmer from Loxley Norton. Ben then tells Ruth he’s got a job as part-time Health Care Assistant at the same surgery where Azra works. Ruth worries about him doing too much, but Ben’s sure he’ll be fine - and anyway, he needs the cash. Azra has suggested David can be one of Ben’s first patients, having a free flu jab. But Ruth reckons David will take a lot of persuading as he hates injections and in the past only submitted to them when he absolutely had to.

George calls Brad from prison, but tells him he can’t say much about the fight in the prison with guards and prisoners around. They talk about Brad’s course and Poppy’s guinea-pig, before George whispers that because of others in there he has to keep his head down and mouth shut. He cuts Brad off. When Jazzer asks who he was talking to, Brad invents a conversation with Mia. Later, Brad tells Jazzer he’s had an invitation from the prison to visit George - on Friday. Brad admits he doesn’t exactly want to go, but thinks he should. Jazzer expresses doubt but concludes Brad should ask his mum about it, and in the end only Brad can make the decision.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m00244s5)
Artist William Kentridge, British film industry expansion, Playing Brian Epstein

William Kentridge is one of the major figures in the contemporary art world with an award-winning body of work that includes drawings, films, theatre and opera productions. His latest creation -Self Portrait As A Coffee Pot - is a nine part televisual work of art which, filed with images, music, dancers, and actors, explores the joy and power of making art.

Robert Laycock, CEO of Marlow Film Studios and Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland discuss the challenges of expanding the studio capacity in the UK for the British film industry.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd on playing Brian Epstein in new film, Midas Man, which looks at the life and career of the man who turned The Beatles from a scruffy band in Liverpool into international superstars

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m00244l9)
The rise in prison recalls

The number of people being recalled to prison after they’ve been released has nearly doubled in recent years. It has come at a significant cost to the public – but has it made the public significantly safer? Most recalls aren’t for further offending. Could the gains made by the early release scheme be undermined by the huge number of people being recalled to prison?

Former prisoner and filmmaker Chris Atkins investigates the opaque world of prison recalls. He speaks to prison reform charities who say arbitrary recalls drag many further into a cycle of crisis and crime and follows one troubled prisoner over five years, who is recalled four times despite never being charged with any new crimes.

Reporter: Chris Atkins
Producer: Alys Harte
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Clare Fordham


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m00244s8)
Technology Training: Where to Find It

When the RNIB announced changes to the way they deliver their Technology for Life service, we at In Touch heard a lot of trepidation from listeners over where visually impaired people can now go for meaningful support with tech. We thought we'd bring together a panel of guests from some of the big names across the sight loss sector, to tease out where this kind of help can be found and, ideally, delivered in-person. This programme is part one of two, where we assess the issue with guests from RNIB, TAVIP, AbilityNet, Visionary, a Rehabilitation specialist and Sight and Sound Technologies. The subsequent programme will focus on the potential solutions to this lack of in-depth and in-person support.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Kim Agostino

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 World Of Secrets (w3ct793p)
Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods

Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods: 5. Silenced no more

Mohamed Al Fayed sells Harrods and retreats into a world of luxury villas and yachts. But will the women continue to stay silent about their allegations?
Their stories weren’t all heard before his death but now they come together to speak out.
Would the past catch up with a man who had now been portrayed in The Crown, the drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II?

This season of World of Secrets is about sexual abuse, and includes descriptions which some listeners might find distressing. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.


TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m0023x8y)
Evacuation: How to Rescue a Business From a War Zone

When a company finds itself facing war or natural disaster how can it get staff out of harm's way, and is there any chance of ensuring business as usual?

Evan Davis speaks to one business leader who helped move hundreds of staff out of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia when war broke out in 2022. Two crisis response companies explain how they have been helping clients with people and operations in Lebanon, Israel and parts of the USA recently hit by hurricanes.

Plus, what is an employer's obligation in these situations, and do the same rules apply to international as well as local hires?

Evan is joined by:

Ann Roberts, chief people officer, Flo;
James Waddington, global director of security assistance, International SOS;
Elmarie Marais, founder and CEO, GoCrisis;
and Anna, an employee at Wildix.

Production team:

Producer: Simon Tulett
Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Michaela Graichen
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Pete Wise and Tim Heffer
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

(Picture: A Ukrainian flag flies from a destroyed building in Mariupol, April 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko/BBC)


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m00244sc)
Should Russian deserters be welcomed in UK?

As France becomes the first EU country to openly welcome Russian military deserters - we speak to one of the initial group to arrive. The former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tells us Britain should now also take in Russian soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine.

Also on the programme:

We hear how today's mass prisoner release went down - and ask whether it'll be the last.

The former boss of one America's biggest clothing chains - Abercrombie and Fitch - has been arrested on sex trafficking charges. We ask: can the company survive?

And the musician Hak Baker on his journey from the Southwark Cathedral choir - via prison - to Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall.


TUE 22:45 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (m00244sf)
Episode Seven

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering expats from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge' - living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847', Commander Graham Gore, a member of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition.

Along with his fellow 'expats' – extracted from the Great Plague, the Battle of Naseby, the French Revolution and the Battle of the Somme - Gore must be introduced to the internal combustion engine, women’s emancipation, computer dating apps, the smoking ban, and 21st Century cultural and social sensitivities. Among these are the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about her own mixed-race heritage.

The role of a Bridge, she discovers, may be well-paid, but it’s complex and difficult to navigate, particularly when the Victorian explorer sharing her living space is an attractive, infuriating, deeply sexy adventurer. When it becomes apparent that the very future is at stake, the job becomes both more complicated and more dangerous.

Episode 7: Attempted assassination and successful sex.

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor who has won the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story prize and the 2022 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her debut novel, widely acclaimed as exciting, clever, funny and gripping - ‘a little time-bomb of a book’ according to the writer Francis Spufford. It was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller. It also featured on Barack Obama’s reading list this summer.

The reader is Aoife Hinds, known for her roles in TV’s Derry Girls and Normal People.

Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Marianna in Conspiracyland (m00244sh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Monday]


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00244sk)
Alicia McCarthy reports on plans to release hundreds more prisoners to ease jail overcrowding in England and Wales - and to expand the range of punishments outside of prison.

WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2024

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m00244sm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00244rb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00244sp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00244sr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00244st)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m00244sw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00244sy)
Good Manners

Good morning!

It is said that good manners will open doors that the best education cannot. I remember my childhood days in Malawi when I would go to my father’s spices and groceries shop at the weekends. I saw his good manners towards his staff and customers. Not surprisingly, his business did rather well. The local newspaper even did a story on it. We have the newspaper cutting which shows my beaming mother displaying her spices and my late father proudly looking on.

I love it when people bring good manners to the workplace. The other day a colleague of mine was getting up to make a cup of tea. She asked if I would also like one and I gratefully accepted her offer. I believe such manners work wonders for team bonding and boosts morale. We spend a considerable amount of time at work and it’s always nice to experience good manners.

I try my best to display good manners and when I struggle, especially when I’m angry or unhappy about something someone has done, or not done, I remind myself that people are not automated machines programmed to always display good manners - I too have my own shortcomings. What’s important is that I treat everyone well. I’m inspired to do this by the golden rule which Jesus taught, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Prophet Muhammad declared, “The one with the most accomplished faith out of all of you is the one who has the best manners.”

I pray that God enables us to display the best manners wherever we are, amin.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m00244t0)
23/10/24 - Bird of prey deaths, ruminant emissions and spitting alpacas

The RSPB says more than 1,300 protected birds of prey have been killed across the UK over the past 15 years. The Birdcrime report blames rogue gamekeepers who, it claims, are more concerned about protecting the gamebirds on their shooting estates. But the British Association for Shooting and Conservation says its members have "absolutely zero tolerance" of the illegal shooting of birds of prey.

The Green Alliance says the number of ruminant livestock in the UK needs to be reduced to reach Net Zero targets, and that farmers should be supported to change their businesses.

And the British Alpaca Society estimates there are around 45 thousand alpacas in the UK, kept for breeding and for their high quality fleece. Alpaca breeders use something called a spit-off or a spit-test to see if their females are pregnant with a cria, or baby alpaca. We go along to see the test in action!

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons


WED 06:00 Today (m00244l1)
23/10/24 - Justin Webb and Emma Barnett

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m00244l3)
Do US crime statistics miss out the most violent cities?

Was an MP wrong about the number of people who pay capital gains tax?

Why is 2% the magic number for the rate of inflation?

Donald Trump says US crime figures are fake. Are they?

How do you work out how many buffaloberries a bear eats in a day?

And we fact-check a claim about the prevalence of suicide among GPs. For information and support follow this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower and Bethan Ashmead Latham
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon


WED 09:30 The Coming Storm (m00244l5)
S2: 7. Wonderland

In the 1990s a group of futurist thinkers meet on one of the world’s first email lists. The Extropians imagine a world of augmented human bodies, nanotechnology, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence.

Now, some of the thinkers on that email list are turning that AI future into a reality. But others are now worried - what if the AI ends up in charge of us all?

As we head into an epochal shift for humanity, questions about democracy and tyranny run through the debates about how fast or slow to move forward. Because we don’t want to end up living in the Matrix…

Producer: Lucy Proctor
Sound design and mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
Script consultants: Richard Fenton-Smith and Afsaneh Gray
Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
Original music: Pete Cunningham

CREDITS:
Timothy Leary 1992 half-hour appearance with cable TV host Skip E Lowe, copyright unknown, Alan Eichler, YouTube

After all, the body is an extension of fashion, Natasha Vita More, YouTube


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00244l7)
SEND Best Practice: What is working?

In a phone-in programme focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Nuala McGovern talks to listeners about SEND provision in educational settings with a focus on what is working. Mums of children with SEND share examples of what they personally think of as good practice in their schools and nurseries and SEND educational professionals and workers suggest potential solutions and innovative concepts that could potentially be passed on, scaled up and rolled out in versions across the UK.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Rebecca Myatt


WED 11:00 File on 4 (m00244l9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:45 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00244lc)
Book of the Week: Episode 3 - Vaclav Havel and the price of freedom

Timothy's Snyder's new book explores the meaning of freedom. Today, the historian and intellectual turns his attention to Vaclav Havel and the high price he and fellow dissidents paid for making the case for human rights under an authoritarian regime. Read by Kyle Soller.

Timothy Snyder is an historian and public intellectual writing on Ukraine, American politics, strategies for averting authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, the Václav Havel Foundation prize, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought. He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books include Bloodlands, Black Earth and On Tyranny.

On Freedom is his latest book. Here he looks at how freedom has been misunderstood and is leading society into crisis. He takes issue with the deep seated notion that freedom is about the right of the individual to behave and speak however they wish, where its understood as protection from outside forces, and interference from others. Instead, he invites us to look at in a different way, not as freedom 'from', but freedom 'to'. He asks us to look at freedom as a foundational value that allows all people to thrive, to take risks and to work together to ensure a bright future for everyone.

Kyle Soller is an award winning actor well known for his work in the theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hedda Gabler The Inheritance - on the small screen - Poldark, The Hollow Crown, Andor, and on radio - Giovanni's Room, Losing Earth, People Who Knew Me.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


WED 12:00 News Summary (m00244lg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m00244lj)
Dangerous Toys; Brick Phones; Mannequin Graveyard

Today, an investigation by the British Toy and Hobby Association finds that 85% of toys selected from those on sale on online marketplaces when tested could be dangerous to children. Shari Vahl talks to Kerri Atherton from the BTHA about how they conducted their testing and what they're calling on the Government to do about it.

*Correction*: In the programme we said that we had contacted eBay but they hadn't responded, however eBay had sent a response which had been missed. Their statement in response to the report by the BTHA said:

“Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay, and we welcome the BTHA's investigation. Our team had already removed six of the nine listings flagged by the BTHA as unsafe before they contacted us, and we swiftly removed the remaining three once notified. We have implemented block filter algorithms aimed at preventing unsafe and prohibited listings, and we use image recognition, plus regular monitoring by our in-house specialists, supported by AI, to identify any listings that may evade our filters. If we find an unsafe product, we remove it swiftly and alert any buyers. Our block filter algorithms, along with safety alert and recall filters, blocked over 32 million listing attempts in 2023.”

Also on the programme, the rising sales of 'brick phones' - we hear from one parent about why he gave his son one when he went to high school. Plus the BBC's Zoe Kleinman talks about new products and innovation that could be coming down the track to plug the gap between 'dumb' and smart phones.

And we visit The Mannequin Graveyard where the figures that once modelled clothes in stores and shops go to be reborn as Halloween decor, art projects and music video props.

PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM

PRESENTER - SHARI VAHL


WED 12:57 Weather (m00244ll)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m00244ln)
Trump accuses Labour party of 'blatant' interference in US election

Labour is accused of 'blatant' interference in US election by Trump campaign. Alistair Campbell responds. Also, more than a thousand creatives demand protection from AI plagiarism.


WED 13:45 Politically (m00244lq)
Surviving Politics with Michael Gove

Surviving Politics with Michael Gove - 3: Amber Rudd

Michael Gove talks to Amber Rudd about how and why she chose to take stands of principle.

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, Michael Gove pretty much saw and did it all. As he says himself, no-one in politics is a conscript. He and others are volunteers who willingly choose their fate. But office can and does take its toll and in this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound recordists: Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery
Mixed by James Beard
Production co-ordinators: Janet Staples, Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck


WED 14:00 The Archers (m00244lt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Trust (m00244lw)
Series 5. Episode 2: The War Room

Episode 2: The War Room by Jonathan Hall

The Inspectors have arrived and the core leadership team are trying to remain calm. It doesn't help that Yvette's mother has had an accident and Sir Ken has arrived back from Corfu the worse for wear. And there's always the wildcard that is staff room malcontent Dave Lubbock to consider too.

Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Tim ..... Ashley Margolis
Sir Ken/Inspector ..... Jonathan Keeble
Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist
Dhrutti ..... Mina Anwar
Dave ..... Lloyd Peters

Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman
Technical Team - Amy Brennan, Mitch Goodall
Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes
Director/Producer - Gary Brown

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.


WED 15:00 Money Box (m00244ly)
Money Box Live: Children's Finances

More than half a million young people are yet to claim their Child Trust Fund which could be worth up to £2,200 according to the government, but how do you know if your child has one or even how to get it?

Plus with the Chancellor's budget on the way, we know parents are topping up Junior ISAs and giving away monetary gifts ahead of any changes she might make.

So, today we're looking at how to build a solid financial future for the children in your life and how to help get them get engaged when it comes to their finances.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Stephanie Fitzgerald, Head of Young People at the Money Charity and Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Sarah Rogers and Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This programme was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday the 23rd of October 2024)


WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m00244m0)
Can we keep AI out of human only spaces?

The arms race is over and we lost. All those increasingly annoying little puzzles to prove "I am not a robot" from how many buses can you see to the invisible behavioural analysis going on behind the screen, AI powered bots can now pick every lock designed to keep them out.

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask what's left to prove we're an actual human being online and if that becomes impossible does much of the internet stop being useful?

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Researcher: Emily Esson
Mixed by: Fraser Jackson


WED 16:00 The Media Show (m00244m2)
George Osborne on covering the budget, Real Housewives' Andy Cohen, media strategies of the far right

George Osborne, presenter of Political Currency, on covering his first Labour budget as a journalist. After it was pulled from the programme of the London Film Festival at the weekend, Katie talks to the makers of the undercover film exposing UK far-right activists some consider too dangerous to show. After Katie's recent interview with Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, we look at how he used the media to promote his message and whether that’s still possible in Russia right now. And we meet the executive producer behind the Real Housewives franchise, Andy Cohen.

Guests: George Osborne, Co-host, Political Currency podcast; Claer Barrett, Consumer Editor, The FT; Havana Marking, documentary maker; Nick Lowles, CEO Hope Not Hate; Andy Cohen, Host and Executive Producer, Real Housewives franchise; Francis Scarr, Russia specialist, BBC Monitoring; Daniel De Simone, Investigations Correspondent, BBC News

Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Simon Richardson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai


WED 17:00 PM (m00244m4)
Three dead at a care home in Swanage

Three people have been found dead after an incident at a Dorset care home, police say. Also: we speak to the director of a hospital under siege in northern Gaza.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00244m6)
The health spending watchdog said it was too expensive for too little benefit


WED 18:30 Ivo Graham's Obsessions (m00244m8)
4. Fatiha El-Ghorri & Paul Gorton

Ivo Graham brings 2 more celebrity guests to Radio 4, to tell us about their obsessions.

Comedian Fatiha-El Ghorri and Paul Gorton of the hit BBC show 'The Traitors' join Ivo this week. Fatiha El-Ghorri is obsessed with trainers, and judges the audience on theirs while Paul details the hours he spends in his gaming room. Ivo also delves into the audience to find out what their obsessions are, and finally Ivo is joined by a Very Obsessed Person, or 'VOP'. This week, Ailish Morrison comes on to tell us about her unexpected twin passions of cheerleading and Lord of the Rings.

Hosted by Ivo Graham
Featuring Fatiha El-Ghorri, Paul Gorton and Ailish Morrison

Written by Ivo Graham and Zoe Tomalin

Additional Material by Cody Dahler, Christina Riggs and Peter Tellouche

Recorded at the Marylebone Theatre by Duncan Hannant
Sound edited by Charlie Brandon-King
Production Coordinators: Katie Baum and Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4

An EcoAudio certified production
Show image: Matt Stronge


WED 19:00 The Archers (m00244mb)
Ian rings and tells panic-stricken Lottie he’ll be late getting to the disco, but he’s arranged for Adam to pick up and deliver all the things they need, before wishing Lottie luck and ringing off. Later, Ian’s shocked to discover that Adam stayed and helped at the disco, while he’s going to miss it altogether. Lottie’s sure Ian can help with the tidy-up though. Afterwards, at The Bull, Ian and Lottie celebrate surviving the disco, though Ian reckons exhausted Adam is the real star.

When awkward Emma and Fallon bump into each other outside the Village Shop Fallon mentions being offered the unit at the EV Charging Station. Emma then tells Fallon she’s meeting Alice at the Stables, before Fallon goes. Brad arrives, assuming Emma’s visiting George too. Emma tells Brad she hasn’t yet received an invite, but she’ll be happy to give him a lift there, once she’s got the details.

At the Stables Emma and Alice watch Martha being led round on Champion, the pony, by Keira. Emma admits they’re having problems with Keira at home. Alice assumes it’s to do with George, while Emma hopes things will improve with time. At least she’s talking to Chris again. Emma then teases Alice about having a flame still flickering for Chris.

When Emma gets an email from the prison it turns out George only wants Brad to visit. Brad apologises to Emma and explains that Jazzer has offered to drive him there on Friday, but he’ll let Emma know how George is when he gets back. Disappointed Emma has to accept that’s all she’s going to get.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m00244md)
Musician and novelist Malachy Tallack, Cities of Literature and Textile Art

Musician and novelist Malachy Tallack talks about his new novel That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz, and performs live from the accompanying album.

To mark 20 years since Edinburgh became the world's first Unesco City of Literature, we hear about the growth of this international network which celebrates reading, writers and storytelling.

Plus a visit to a new exhibition of magnificent textile art drawn from National Trust of Scotland properties, which showcases this intricate artform and represents the impact of King George III and international trade on interior fashions.

And film critic Hannah McGill discusses the career of filmmaker Mike Leigh's long-time collaborator, the celebrated cinematographer Dick Pope, who died this week.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m00244mg)
How should we help the global poor?

“Dawn... and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korem, it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century...” Those words, spoken by Michael Buerk 40 years ago, pricked the world’s conscience, triggered an unprecedented humanitarian effort, led to Live Aid and spawned institutions like Comic Relief. Since then, more than a billion people around the world have climbed out of extreme poverty, although around 700 million people still live on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.

Times have changed. Not only is the media landscape vastly different, making competing demands on our attention, but also our attitudes to helping the poor around the world are different. The question is not simply whether we have a moral duty to help people in other countries, but HOW we should help them.

In a post-pandemic world, there are those who advance ever stronger arguments for ending poverty through debt cancellation, robust institutions and international co-operation. Critics of development aid, however, see it as wasteful, ineffective and enabling corruption: ‘poor people in rich countries subsidising rich people in poor countries’. Others view the sector as a legacy of European colonialism, citing Band Aid’s portrayal of Africa as emblematic of the ‘White saviourism’ ingrained in the system. Others, meanwhile, believe the best way to help people is to bypass institutions altogether, and give cash directly to individuals to make their own decisions about how to spend it.

40 years on from Michael Buerk’s landmark report from Ethiopia, how should we help the global poor?

Chair: Michael Buerk
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producer: Ruth Purser

Panellists:
Ash Sarkar
Anne McElvoy
Inaya Folarin Iman
Carmody Grey


WED 21:00 Soul Music (m00244mj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


WED 21:30 The Conflict (m0024754)
Middle East

The 1972 Munich Massacre

What can history teach us about the conflict in the Middle East?

Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully assembled panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the conflict in the region.

This week, Jonny's joined by Nomi Bar Yaacov, Associate Fellow at Chatham House and Dr Aviva Guttman, a lecturer in Strategy and Intelligence. Plus, Ronen Bergman, an Israeli investigative journalist with the New York Times.

They revisit the 1972 Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed. Israel’s covert programme of targeted assassinations would last 20 years in response. Now, 52 years later, as Israel continues to attack Hamas, we look at the echoes and reflections of five decades ago.

Please get in touch with Jonny and the team: theconflict@bbc.co.uk.

The Conflict: Middle East was made by Keiligh Baker and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producers were Jonny Hall and Rod Farquhar. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

This episode is part of a BBC Sounds series. It was recorded at 14:00 on Tuesday 22 October 2024.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m00244ml)
US: North Korea sending troops to Russia

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said Washington has seen evidence 3,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia and may be sent to fight in Ukraine. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told the BBC the accusations were ‘nonsense’ and said that using North Korean troops would escalate the conflict.

Also tonight:

Turkey says five people have been killed in what officials are calling a terror attack on a state-owned aerospace firm.

Geoff Capes, the three-time Olympian who was twice crowned the world's strongest man, has died at the age of 75.

And The World Tonight’s James Menendez speaks to voters on either side of the Mexican border ahead of the US presidential election.

(Picture: Kim Jong Un inspects the 2nd Corps of North Korean army, October 17, 2024 Credit: KCNA via REUTERS)


WED 22:45 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (m00244mn)
Episode Eight

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering expats from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge' - living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847', Commander Graham Gore, a member of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition.

Along with his fellow 'expats' – extracted from the Great Plague, the Battle of Naseby, the French Revolution and the Battle of the Somme - Gore must be introduced to the internal combustion engine, women’s emancipation, computer dating apps, the smoking ban, and 21st Century cultural and social sensitivities. Among these are the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about her own mixed-race heritage.

The role of a Bridge, she discovers, may be well-paid, but it’s complex and difficult to navigate, particularly when the Victorian explorer sharing her living space is an attractive, infuriating, deeply sexy adventurer. When it becomes apparent that the very future is at stake, the job becomes both more complicated and more dangerous.

Episode 8: Adela has a plan, and an explanation.

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor who has won the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story prize and the 2022 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her debut novel, widely acclaimed as exciting, clever, funny and gripping - ‘a little time-bomb of a book’ according to the writer Francis Spufford. It was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller. It also featured on Barack Obama’s reading list this summer.

The reader is Aoife Hinds, known for her roles in TV’s Derry Girls and Normal People.

Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 Influencers (m001qf2x)
Series 1

3. Glow Up

Katy Brand and Katherine Parkinson write and star in a new comedy about the world of influencing, where they play Ruth and Carla – two wannabe stars of the online business world.

They are bound together by a carefully controlled image that can lead to lucrative product placements and well-paid endorsements - but only if the PR is played just right. And that’s a problem because, behind the scenes, things are not always as harmonious as they seem.

Episode 3: Glow Up
Ruth and Carla discuss the perils and consequences of getting too much dietary fibre, and then decide to test a much-sought after home ‘sauna-body-bag' - with a faulty zip.

Carla – Katy Brand
Ruth – Katherine Parkinson

Written by Katy Brand and Katherine Parkinson
Producer: Liz Anstee

A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m00244mq)
Series 12

Episode 7

The week’s biggest stories like you’ve never heard them before. Jon Holmes remixes the news into a satirical concept album.

This week - Hamas and the Argonauts, Puff Daddy The Magic Dragon, and As You Wish, Wesley Streeting.

Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00244ms)
Sean Curran reports as the home secretary takes MPs' questions about police accountability in the wake of the Chris Kaba case.

THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER 2024

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m00244mv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00244lc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00244mx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00244mz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00244n1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m00244n3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00244n5)
My Autumn

Good morning!

I was telling a friend about a holiday in Wales where we enjoyed the beautiful mountains, valleys, and the seaside - in between the rain of course. I also told her about our summer holiday in the Lake District. She recommended that we go there during autumn. She described the vivid and breathtaking colours of the trees and their reflections on the lakes - a mosaic of colours, she said. I look forward to taking my wife there soon.

I’ve since thought a lot more about trees. It’s fascinating that leaves bring us such joy and delight even as they are dying. Once dry and dead they fall off. Only then can trees have a fresh life with the arrival of spring. Trees that don’t shed their leaves don’t get a makeover.

It’s got me thinking about us and how we compare. How many take joy and delight from frail and old grandparents? I think it’s only the fortunate ones who can appreciate their beauty - I mean their real inner beauty.

And as for the shedding of the leaves I wonder how much fresher, healthier and happier I would be if I could learn to shed off some of the rot that has set in my mind, body and soul, to make room for good deeds, good habits and positive thoughts just like these trees make room for fresh leaves. Like the trees in spring, I too can adorn myself with the fresh leaves of good morals, kindness, generosity and many other virtues - but first I must undergo an autumn.

I pray God helps us shed our faults and gives us a makeover, amin.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m00244n7)
24/10/24 - Reducing emissions from beef, diversity training in farming, cattle sold as no one to take on farm

This week we are focusing on livestock and their impact on climate change. We've heard about the concerns over the number of livestock here in the UK, and today we find out how beef farmers are reducing emissions by growing cattle faster.

An online course has been launched to raise awareness of the importance, and lack of, diversity in UK agriculture. Nuffield Farming Scholarships say farming is one of the least diverse industries in the country in terms of ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, and one of the barriers to changing that is the lack of understanding in the sector.

The latest government figures show that 60% of farmers are over 55, with 38% over 65 and just 15% are under 45. The reality of that is highlighted by farm sales: Michael Read is 79 and has an award winning heard of Lincolnshire Red cattle, or at least he did until earlier this month when the herd was sold as none of the family wanted to take on the farm.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


THU 06:00 Today (m00245nj)
24/10/24 - Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m00245nl)
Little Women

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel, credited with starting the new genre of young adult fiction. When Alcott (1832-88) wrote Little Women, she only did so as her publisher refused to publish her father's book otherwise and as she hoped it would make money. It made Alcott's fortune. This coming of age story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March, each overcoming their own moral flaws, has delighted generations of readers and was so popular from the start that Alcott wrote the second part in 1869 and further sequels and spin-offs in the coming years. Her work has inspired countless directors, composers and authors to make many reimagined versions ever since, with the sisters played by film actors such as Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson.

With

Bridget Bennett
Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds

Erin Forbes
Senior Lecturer in African American and U.S. Literature at the University of Bristol

And

Tom Wright
Reader in Rhetoric and Head of the Department of English Literature at the University of Sussex

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Louisa May Alcott (ed. Madeline B Stern), Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott (William Morrow & Co, 1997)

Kate Block, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado and Jane Smiley, March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women (Library of America, 2019)

Anne Boyd Rioux, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (W. W. Norton & Company, 2018)

Azelina Flint, The Matrilineal Heritage of Louisa May Alcott and Christina Rossetti (Routledge, 2021)

Robert Gross, The Transcendentalists and Their World (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022)

John Matteson, Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father (W. W. Norton & Company, 2007)

Bethany C. Morrow, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (St Martin’s Press, 2021)

Anne K. Phillips and Gregory Eiselein (eds.), Critical Insights: Louisa May Alcott (Grey House Publishing Inc, 2016)

Harriet Reisen, Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women (Picador, 2010)

Daniel Shealy (ed.), Little Women at 150 (University of Mississippi Press, 2022)

Elaine Showalter, A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx (Virago, 2009)

Simon Sleight and Shirleene Robinson (eds.), Children, Childhood and Youth in the British World (Palgrave, 2016), especially “The ‘Willful’ Girl in the Anglo-World: Sentimental Heroines and Wild Colonial Girls” by Hilary Emmett

Madeleine B. Stern, Louisa May Alcott: A Biography (first published 1950; Northeastern University Press, 1999)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m00249wd)
Kemi-Kaze and political nicknames

In this new series for Radio 4, comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, Helen’s eye was caught by the Conservative leadership race, where Robert Jenrick has coined a new nickname for rival Kemi Badenoch.

They dig into other examples of political nicknames and name-calling - the good, the bad and the ugly. And more to the point, is this sort of playground behaviour what we expect from our elected officials?

A longer version, discussing more American presidents, and why Donald Trump keeps talking about Arnold Palmer, is available on BBC Sounds.

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King
Production Coordinator - Katie Baum
Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00245nn)
Actor Emily Watson, Comedian Kate McKinnon, Gisèle Pelicot

Two-time Oscar-nominated actor Emily Watson is a face that has graced the screen and stage – her work of course in Breaking the Waves in 1996 earned her one of those nominations. She joins Anita Rani to talk about her new role in the upcoming film, Small Things Like These. Based on the bestselling book by Claire Keegan, the story focuses on a convent – which is in fact running a Magdalene laundry and Emily plays the role of Sister Mary, the Mother Superior of the convent.

Gisèle Pelicot has become something of a feminist icon in France. Her husband is on trial along with dozens of other men accused of raping her and she has promised to try to change society for victims of sexual assault. The trial in Avignon began at the beginning of September and Gisèle Pelicot took the stand yesterday for the second time. BBC correspondent Andrew Harding was in court. He and author and journalist Joan Smith discuss the impact of her testimony.

In the toilets at Euston station in the late 1970s, while trying to administer insulin to her daughter, Dr Sheila Reith thought there must be an easier way. She had an idea for a pen-like device that could be used simply and with just one hand. A few years later, the first insulin pen came to the market and revolutionised care for people living with diabetes. Dr Reith has since devoted her life to diabetes care, improving and saving the lives of millions of people. She joins Anita to talk about winning a Pride of Britain Award.

Best known for her sketches on Saturday Night Live and playing Weird Barbie the comedian Kate McKinnon has now turned her attention to books. ‘The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science’ is her first children’s book. Kate discusses the story and her broader career.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m00245nq)
Julie Taymor

Theatre, opera and film director Julie Taymor is regarded as one of the most imaginative directors and designers working today. Her stage version of the Lion King is the highest grossing show in Broadway history, having made nearly $2 billion, and it recently marked its 25th year in London. The Lion King Julie two Tony Awards, including for best director of a musical in 1997, making her the first woman to do so. Julie Taymor has told Shakespearean stories on stage and the big screen including Titus, starring Anthony Hopkins and The Tempest with Helen Mirren. Her film credits also include Frida, a biopic of painter Frida Kahlo, and the Beatles jukebox musical movie Across The Universe.

She tells John Wilson how seeing Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film, as a teenager, was a formative cultural experience. Kurosawa's ingenious approach to narrative opened her eyes for the first time about the possibilities of innovative storytelling. She also recalls how her travels around Indonesia and Bali after graduation, and in particular, witnessing a ceremony in the isolated Balinese village of Trunyan have had a profound impact on her work as a designer and director.

Julie reveals how she came up with the ground-breaking concept and some of the designs for the stage version of Disney's The Lion King. She also gives her opinion on some of the difficulties faced by the ill-fated Broadway musical Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark, on which she was co-writer and director until being replaced during its previews. The production, which featured music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge of U2, was ridden with technical and financial problems, and resulted in several legal disputes.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


THU 11:45 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00245ns)
Book of the Week: Episode 4 - Race and Freedom

Timothy Snyder's latest book explores the meaning of freedom. In today's episode the historian looks at the US civil rights movement in the 1940s and 1960s and their legacy. Kyle Soller reads.

Timothy Snyder is an historian and public intellectual writing on Ukraine, American politics, strategies for averting authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, the Václav Havel Foundation prize, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought. He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books include Bloodlands, Black Earth and On Tyranny.

On Freedom is his latest book. Here he looks at how freedom has been misunderstood and is leading society into crisis. He takes issue with the deep seated notion that freedom is about the right of the individual to behave and speak however they wish, where its understood as protection from outside forces, and interference from others. Instead, he invites us to look at in a different way, not as freedom 'from', but freedom 'to'. He asks us to look at freedom as a foundational value that allows all people to thrive, to take risks and to work together to ensure a bright future for everyone.

Kyle Soller is an award winning actor well known for his work in the theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hedda Gabler The Inheritance - on the small screen - Poldark, The Hollow Crown, Andor, and on radio - Giovanni's Room, Losing Earth, People Who Knew Me.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


THU 12:00 News Summary (m00245nv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m00245nx)
The Couple That Took On Google

When Shivaun and Adam Raff's shopping and price comparison website all but vanished from Google's search results just days after launching, the pair began a gruelling legal battle that would end with a landmark judgement and the tech giant receiving a then record fine.

European regulators found the search engine guilty of abusing its market dominance by making its own shopping recommendations appear more prominently than rivals' in its search results. Google spent seven years appealing its €2.4bn fine, but eventually lost in September this year.

In their first interview since that verdict the Raffs tell Evan Davis the story behind their website - Foundem - and what they learned about big tech, regulation, and themselves during their almost 20-year fight.

Evan is joined by:

Shivaun and Adam Raff, co-founders, Foundem;
Anne Witt, professor of law, EDHEC business school.

Credits:

President Barack speaking to Kara Swisher, from the technology news website Recode, in February 2015;
Joaquín Almunia speaking at a European Commission press conference in February 2014;
Margarethe Vestager speaking at a European Commission press conference in June 2017.

Production team:

Producer: Simon Tulett
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Jonny Baker and Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

(Picture: The Google logo displayed on a mobile phone and computer monitor. Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images/BBC)


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m00245nz)
Coffee Pods

Listener Liz has recently switched to a coffee pod machine, that promises to deliver her a quick, convenient and delicious cup of coffee when she wants at the touch of a button. But she started to wonder about how the pods can be recycled, and whether her decision to swap to them had a greater impact on the environment?

Greg Foot ‘filters’ through the research on coffee’s carbon footprint alongside two experts, to find out where pods fall. He tastes the difference between a few different brewing methods, finds out how easy it is to recycle our pods, and what effect recycling them (or not) can have on their environmental impact. (The information in this episode was accurate at the time of recording.)

All our investigations start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number 07543 306807.

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: KATE HOLDSWORTH


THU 12:57 Weather (m00245p1)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m00245p3)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


THU 13:45 Politically (m00245p5)
Surviving Politics with Michael Gove

Surviving Politics with Michael Gove - 4: Arlene Foster

Michael Gove talks to Arlene Foster about the challenge of managing schisms in her party.

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, Michael Gove pretty much saw and did it all. As he says himself, no-one in politics is a conscript. He and others are volunteers who willingly choose their fate. But office can and does take its toll and in this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound recordists: Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery
Mixed by James Beard
Production co-ordinators: Janet Staples, Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck


THU 14:00 The Archers (m00244mb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Trust (m00245p7)
Series 5. Episode 3: RI

Episode three: R.I
By Jonathan Hall

Yvette and Tim have to pick up the pieces after the OFSTED inspection. Staff morale is rock bottom. And there is a nasty rumour that Quays Academy Trust is going to offload its failing schools. Is this the future for East Salford? To be a 'Sink School'?

Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Tim ..... Ashley Margolis
Ken/Pastor Eugene ..... Jonathan Keeble
Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist
Billy ..... Jason Done
Taran/Ritchie ..... Hamish Rush

Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman
Tech Team - Amy Brennan & Mitch Goodall
Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes
Director/Producer - Gary Brown

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m00245p9)
Alan Titchmarsh on the Isle of Wight

Alan Titchmarsh takes Clare Balding for his favourite stroll across Tennyson Down on the Isle of Wight. A keen and regular walker, Alan splits his time between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, and has a lot to share with Clare about this place that he loves. Best known as a TV gardener, interviewer and romantic novelist, Alan grew up in a family that took regular Sunday walks and as a young child developed an affinity for the natural world.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m00245pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Feedback (m0023q06)
Last Word selection criteria, how BBC presenters handle Middle East interviews, and Archers Podcast launch

In the first episode of the new series, former producer Neil George explains the selection criteria behind Radio 4's obit show Last Word. Suzanne Franks, professor of journalism at City St George's, University of London, helps navigate issues of impartiality when interviewing representatives of opposing sides in the Middle East conflict. And as a new Archers podcast is launched, listeners react to an on-air slip from presenter Emma Freud.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


THU 16:00 Rethink (m0024cp8)
Rethink...care

The care system in Britain is creaking at the seams. People who need care aren't receiving it - or if they do it's untenably expensive. There aren’t enough staff for care homes, and unpaid family carers often burn out looking after their loved ones without support.

Successive governments have recognised it’s a problem, but they haven’t been able to fix it. Rachel Reeves is just the latest in a long line of chancellors to back away from care reform.

How can we reform the care system so it works better for everyone involved? And crucially - how can we pay for it?

In this edition of Rethink we look at some of the big ideas that could revolutionise social care in this country.

We look at the arguments for a National Care Service to match the National Health Service. We hear about new technological fixes, from robots in care homes to smaller scale initiatives to help with medication or paperwork. Or maybe we all need to think about the whole system differently - and all care for each other a little more.

Contributors:
Sir Andrew Dilnot, head of the 2011 government review on Funding of Care & Support
Kathryn Smith, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence
Ben Cooper from the Fabian Society, co-author of their report Support Guaranteed: The Roadmap to a National Care Service
Hilary Cottam, designer, social activist and author of Radical Help: How We Can Remake the Relationships Between Us and Revolutionise the Welfare State

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Clare Fordham


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m00245pf)
Whatever happened to graphene?

Twenty years ago this week two physicists at the University of Manchester published a ground-breaking paper describing the extraordinary qualities of graphene.

The thinnest and strongest material known to exist – and better at carrying electricity than any metal – its discovery was hailed as revolutionary.

But two decades on, it doesn’t seem to have changed the world, or if it has, it is doing so very quietly.

So, what happened?

We go on the trail of graphene, meeting Nobel Prize winner and Godfather of Graphene Andrew Geim, and learning what it has – and hasn’t – done and what might be next...

Also this week, how to kill an asteroid and we talk the “other” COP with chief scientific adviser to the government, Dame Angela McLean.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth 

BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.


THU 17:00 PM (m00245ph)
Live from Newcastle

The Chancellor confirms she'll borrow billions for investment. How will the markets react? Plus, the UN warns the 1.5 degree target for global warming is likely to be missed, and how the Oswin Project helps former prisoners stay out of jail.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00245pk)
Rachel Reeves told the BBC the government would change the way it measures debt


THU 18:30 Olga Koch: OK Computer (m00245pm)
Series 3

4. Death

Comedian and computer scientist Olga Koch and her sassy digital assistant get deep on this week’s topic. About 6-feet deep. That’s right, we’re talking about death in the series finale of OK Computer.

Performed by Olga Koch
Written by Olga Koch and Charlie Dinkin

Featuring Rajiv Karia as Algo

Additional material from Rajiv Karia, Peter Tellouche and Christina Riggs

Produced by Benjamin Sutton
A BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m00244xc)
At Home Farm Stella and Ruth have their presentation on the history of women and the plough all ready to go, when Brian arrives and compliments them on their vintage hairstyles and outfits. Stella then gives Ruth a corn dolly for luck in her ploughing match. But first they give their presentation, which gets a good reception and Brian says went down well. He’s delighted too with all the compliments he’s been getting for putting the event on, overcoming his initial reservations about agreeing to do it.

David awaits his flu jab at the surgery with trepidation, while Neil is in denial about having an issue with stress. They try to deflect with chat about ploughing, but end up being honest with each other about David’s fear of needles and Neil’s struggle to cope with everything that’s been going on with George recently. Later, David compliments Ben on how good he was putting David at ease for his jab. Azra was complimentary about Ben’s first day too.

During Neil’s appointment Azra tells him that his blood pressure is up and suggests ways he can help bring his stress levels down. These include sharing with others how he’s feeling, rather than keeping it to himself.

At the end of the Home Farm ploughing match Stella praises both traditional methods and modern, more environmentally aware approaches to farming the land. Ruth is presented with her trophy for winning the whole event, while Neil is awarded the Ladies Cup as runner-up. He’s happy to accept the title in tribute to the strength, skill and resilience shown by women like Ruth.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m00245pp)
Tim Burton on his exhibition at Design Museum, Review: films Emilia Perez and Dahomey

Critic and film producer Jason Solomons and BBC New New Generation Thinker Jade Cuttle join Tom Sutcliffe to review Emilia Pérez. The musical thriller follows a drug cartel leader who wants to fake their death and change gender.

They also review Dahomey, an award winning documentary which follows 26 plundered artefacts as they are returned to their African home of Benin.

Tim Burton talks about turning his life's work into an exhibition at the Design Museum, which includes childhood drawings, set designs and costumes from films such as Beetlejuice, Batman Returns and Corpse Bride.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet


THU 20:00 The Media Show (m00244m2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m00245pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001l9hc)
5. Monograph of a People's Kitchen

The Oyneg Shabes Archive is an extraordinary collection that details every facet of life and death in the Warsaw Ghetto. A secret chronicle that became history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates this 10 part series revealing the lives and stories of the Ghetto. Episode 5-Rachel Auerbach-Monograph of a People's Kitchen. With Tracy-Ann Oberman.

In the middle of Europe, in the middle of the 20th Century a half million Jewish men, women & children were cut off, surrounded by the German occupiers, imprisoned behind walls. How do you tell the world about your life and fate? Historian and activist Emanuel Ringelblum devised and directed a clandestine archive- codename Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath) to chronicle every aspect of their existence. He recruited over 60 'zamlers' or gatherers to write & compile thousands of pages-diaries, essays, poems, photographs, statistical studies, art, ephemera -a historical treasure that was buried even as the Ghetto was being extinguished so that the world might read and understand. Listen to their stories

Episode 5: Monograph of a People's Kitchen. In the wake of the German invasion & occupation the Aylenhilf-the Jewish Communal Self Help network created refugee centres, block committees, mobile libraries and soup kitchens. Writer Rachel Auerbach became the director of one such soup kitchen at 40 Leszno Street where she both kept a diary and then wrote her first piece as one of the Oyneg Shabes team.

With Tracy-Ann Oberman as Rachel Auerbach. Narration by Anton Lesser. Translation Sean Gasper Bye & Samuel Kassow. With thanks to the Yiddish Book Centre Written & produced by Mark Burman.

For more information on the Oyneg Shabes/Ringeblum archive go to the website of the Jewish Historical Institute https://cbj.jhi.pl/


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m00245pt)
Chancellor to change debt rule to free up £50bn

Rachel Reeves has said the Treasury will make a technical change to the way it measures debt to allow the government to borrow more for infrastructure spending under its self-imposed fiscal rules. We hear from the chancellor as well as her critics in the Conservative party, who accuse her of fiddling the figures.

Also tonight:

The World Tonight’s James Menendez reports from San Antonio in Texas ahead of the US presidential election.

GPs tell the BBC they’re seeing record numbers of scabies cases, with people in care homes and university students particularly badly affected.

And a district attorney in the US recommends the resentencing of the Menendez brothers, convicted of murdering their parents in Beverly Hills in 1996.


THU 22:45 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (m00245pw)
Episode Nine

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering expats from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge' - living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847', Commander Graham Gore, a member of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition.

Along with his fellow 'expats' – extracted from the Great Plague, the Battle of Naseby, the French Revolution and the Battle of the Somme - Gore must be introduced to the internal combustion engine, women’s emancipation, computer dating apps, the smoking ban, and 21st Century cultural and social sensitivities. Among these are the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about her own mixed-race heritage.

The role of a Bridge, she discovers, may be well-paid, but it’s complex and difficult to navigate, particularly when the Victorian explorer sharing her living space is an attractive, infuriating, deeply sexy adventurer. When it becomes apparent that the very future is at stake, the job becomes both more complicated and more dangerous.

Episode 9: A mole, two murders and three microchips.

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor who has won the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story prize and the 2022 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her debut novel, widely acclaimed as exciting, clever, funny and gripping - ‘a little time-bomb of a book’ according to the writer Francis Spufford. It was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller. It also featured on Barack Obama’s reading list this summer.

The reader is Aoife Hinds, known for her roles in TV’s Derry Girls and Normal People.

Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m00245py)
Musk goes all-in for Trump

The billionaire boss of X, Tesla and SpaceX is backing Donald Trump in the US election, so what are his motivations and how should politicians deal with him?

Amol and Nick talk to Ryan Mac, a reporter at the New York Times and author of ‘Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter’.

Plus, they’re joined in the studio by Kirsty Young to talk about the new series of Young Again, the art of the long-form interview and her poignant speech as the coverage of the Queen's funeral drew to a close.

If you have a question you’d like Amol and Nick to answer, get in touch by sending us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us on today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today 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 was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before and was also ITV’s political editor.

To get their take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme, subscribe to The Today Podcast on BBC Sounds so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen any time on your smart speaker by saying “Smart Speaker, ask BBC Sounds to play The Today Podcast.”

The senior producer is Lewis Vickers, the producers are Hatty Nash and Nadia Gyane, research and digital production from Joe Wilkinson. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Hannah Montgomery.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00245q0)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Westminster as MPs call for reforms to the special educational needs sector in England.

FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2024

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m00245q2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00245ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00245q4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00245q6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00245q8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m00245qb)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00245qd)
Try not to be wasteful

Good morning!

I’m convinced that if my family and every household in the UK tried not to waste food for just one day, we could help feed a small country for a day!
As the numbers grow of people in our own country relying on food banks, I’ve taken to volunteering with Mitzvah it’s a day when Jews and Muslims come together to cook chicken soup.

The Qur’an recognises the harms of wastefulness and reminds readers, “Eat and drink but don’t waste.” I’ve noticed when some people have plenty, they take things for granted. They appreciate less and value less. I’ve seen poor villagers in Africa having to ration their food stocks to last their family for a full year until the next harvest. They never throw away any leftovers. Here I’ve seen so much food is wasted in restaurants and hotels every day and thrown into bins.

I’m encouraged by some schemes that food businesses are running where instead of binning perfectly good food at the end of the business day, they offer it at much reduced prices or distribute it to homeless shelters.

At home we always freeze our leftovers for another day. And it’s great because we can have a day off from having to cook. We also keenly pay attention to the advice given by the Prophet Muhammad that the stomach be divided into three parts; one third for food, one third for water and the final third for air, that is, to keep it empty.

As we count God’s blessings, I pray we appreciate them and not be wasteful, amin.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m00245qg)
25/10/24 - Neonics, reducing emission from dairy and PYO pumpkins

Following an application from farmers for the emergency use of a neonicotinoid pesticide on next year's sugar beet crop the Government has told Farming Today that it will ban neonics, but that a decision on this application will be taken 'in line with legal requirements'. We understand that that means farmers may get permission this time - but not again.

We visit a Wiltshire farm, where the family who run it have spent the last 4 years changing the way they do things to reduce their carbon footprint. It's a mixed farm with dairy, beef and arable, and alongside trying to reduce the emissions from their livestock, they're also hoping to increase how much carbon they sequester by planting trees in an agroforestry project.

And the Bower family farm in Staffordshire grows crops, and vegetables and has a herd of sheep and another herd of beef cattle. But locals are far more likely to know it for the pumpkin patch and the play barn - which pull in more than 100,000 visitors every year. We head to the pumpkin patch!

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


FRI 06:00 Today (m00244ws)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001pf7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Continental Divides (m0023dq9)
Episode 2 - Cities, Suburbs, Towns and Villages

Misha Glenny explores a number of political divides facing Europe and asks whether the continent is undergoing the same crises it went through in the 1930s.

In this second episode, he investigates three countries where rural decline and urban growth have fuelled political change,

First, Bulgaria, where the exodus from villages is driving a near existential problem in terms of national population. In Poland, he hears from the Mayor of Warsaw, who is hoping to ride Poland's growing young, urban and liberal voter base to the Presidency of the whole country. And in France, Misha digs into how both a historic vision of the countryside and the reality of France's declining "in between" places are playing into a new, far right vision for French politics.

Producer: Artemis Irvine
Executive Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00244wv)
Vanessa Feltz, Saudi Arabia, Medieval women

Vanessa Feltz has been a fixture on our TV screens and radio stations – not to mention tabloid headlines – for three decades. Now she has written a memoir, Vanessa Bares All, which charts the many ups and downs of her personal and professional life, from the Big Breakfast Bed to the Big Brother house, via Madonna and Miss Piggy.

If farming can seem to be a man’s world, then ploughing is especially male. So who are the women taking part in ploughing competitions like the one in The Archers this week? Sarah Williams, a competitive plougher, joins Anita, as does Sarah Hehir, a writer on The Archers.

A new documentary called Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia follows an undercover journalist attempting to record what life is really like in the country. The current government say they have improved the situation for women, but is this really the case? Human rights activist Lina Al-Hathloul, whose sister Loujain was imprisoned for defending women’s rights, joins Anita alongside Dr Maryam Aldossari, a Senior Lecturer at the University of London.

From 15th century birth girdles to 13th century make-up tutorials, a new exhibition at the British Library reveals what life was like for medieval women. Curator Eleanor Jackson and writer Bee Rowlatt, who both work at the Library, talk about challenging our ideas of women in the Middle Ages.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Emma Pearce


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m00244wx)
Food Stories From Terra Madre

From the indigenous food of the USA to extraordinary cheeses from Ukraine, the wonders of fermentation to a revolutionary network of bakers, Dan Saladino shares stories of food and biodiversity at Slow Food's global gathering, Terra Madre.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


FRI 11:45 On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (m00244wz)
Book of the Week: Episode 5 - On speaking freely

Timothy Snyder's latest book explores the idea of freedom, in today's episode the historian and intellectual discusses the value of speaking freely. Kyle Soller reads.

Timothy Snyder is an historian and public intellectual writing on Ukraine, American politics, strategies for averting authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, the Václav Havel Foundation prize, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought. He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books include Bloodlands, Black Earth and On Tyranny.

On Freedom is his latest book. Here he looks at how freedom has been misunderstood and is leading society into crisis. He takes issue with the deep seated notion that freedom is about the right of the individual to behave and speak however they wish, where its understood as protection from outside forces, and interference from others. Instead, he invites us to look at in a different way, not as freedom 'from', but freedom 'to'. He asks us to look at freedom as a foundational value that allows all people to thrive, to take risks and to work together to ensure a bright future for everyone.

Kyle Soller is an award winning actor well known for his work in the theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night, Hedda Gabler The Inheritance - on the small screen - Poldark, The Hollow Crown, Andor, and on radio - Giovanni's Room, Losing Earth, People Who Knew Me.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m00244x1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m00244x3)
Battle for the Planet

US elections always have an outsized impact on the planet. As the world's second largest polluter and one of the primary sources of green technology and finance, America's lead on environmental issues is a vital part of our battle against climate change.

Tom Heap and Helen Czerski analyse the efforts of the Biden regime and examine the rival policies of Harris and Trump. Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is said to have helped channel half a trillion dollars into clean technology and renewable energy. Has all that money brought down emissions or funded fresh answers to the planet's biggest challenge? Trump talks tough on the environment, supporting oil, gas and coal companies but did his presidential term really accelerate global warming?

Tom and Helen are joined by Professor Leah Stokes from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Trisha Curtis, CEO of PetroNerds and presenter of the PetroNerds podcast and by Pilita Clark, Associate Editor and environment and business columnist for the Financial Times.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Rare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University


FRI 12:57 Weather (m00244x5)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m00244x7)
Will Russia deploy North Korean troops in Ukraine?

President Zelensky says he expects Moscow to use North Korea military against Ukraine as soon as this weekend, calling it an "escalatory move". Plus Bruce Springsteen on the US elections, his health and touring at 75.


FRI 13:45 Politically (m00244x9)
Surviving Politics with Michael Gove

Surviving Politics with Michael Gove - 5: Humza Yousaf

Michael talks to Humza Yousaf about working out who you can trust and managing allies.

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, Michael Gove pretty much saw and did it all. As he says himself, no-one in politics is a conscript. He and others are volunteers who willingly choose their fate. But office can and does take its toll and in this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound recordists: Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery
Mixed by James Beard
Production co-ordinators: Janet Staples, Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m00244xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m00238rj)
Central Intelligence

Central Intelligence: Episode 7

The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in a 40-year career, became one of its most influential figures. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the staggering world events that shaped her career, as well as portraying her relationships with early CIA leaders, Allen Dulles (Ed Harris) and Richard Helms (Johnny Flynn).

New episodes available on Fridays. Listen first on BBC Sounds.

In Episode 7 the CIA has a new head; America’s most famous spy, Allen Dulles. In his quest to stop the spread of communism, a daring mission to create unrest on the streets of Iran.

Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall
Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris
Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn
Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend
Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict
President Eisenhower..........Kerry Shale
Foster Dulles..........Nathan Osgood
Rocky Stone..........Akie Kotabe
Roya..........Isabella Nefar
Assadollah Rashidian & Iranian Press Editor..........Adam Sina
Imam Khomeini..........Dana Haqjoo
Mohammed Mossadegh and General Riahi..........Bijan Daneshmand
Bobak..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy
Billy Graham..........Philip Desmeules
Immigration Officer..........Walles Hamonde

Original music is by Sacha Puttnam

Production:
Written by Greg Haddrick, who created the series with Jeremy Fox
Episode 7 is written by Maryam Master
Sound Designers & Editors: John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams, Martha Littlehailes & Andreina Gomez Casanova
Script Consultant: Misha Kawnel
Script Supervisor: Alex Lynch
Trails: Jack Soper
Archive Research: Andy Goddard & Alex Lynch
Production Assistant: Jo Troy
Sonica Studio Sound Engineers: Mat Clark & Paul Clark
Sonica Runner: Flynn Hallman
Marc Graue Sound Engineers, LA: Juan Martin del Campo & Tony Diaz
Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Sound Engineer, LA: Bruce Bueckert
Mirrortone Sound Engineers, NY: Collin Stanley Dwarzski & James Quesada

Director: John Scott Dryden
Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn
Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Scott Dryden.

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Naturebang (m001gx67)
Lazy Ants and the Power of Doing Nothing

We've all seen the Attenborough documentaries, full of the hurrying and scurrying of life on earth, the drama constantly unfolding. The natural world is a BUSY place... Or is it?

The surprising truth is, away from the cameras, most animals spend most of the time doing absolutely nothing at all. It's not just the sleepy sloths and the cat-napping cats, even the critters with reputations for being the most industrious animals on the planet have an astonishing amount of down-time. Peer into the dark warmth of an ant's nest, for example, and you might be surprised to note that just under half of them... don't DO anything. Not a jot. They sit, still and silent, apparently contributing nothing to the colony. Evolution abhors wasted energy so... what's going on? Becky Ripley and Emily Knight search for answers among our insect friends.

On the human side of the equation, we're astonishingly bad at doing nothing. We fuss and fidget, we tap our fingers and twiddle our thumbs, trying to escape the horrible fate of being BORED. When animals are so good at efficiently conserving energy, why do so many of us find it so uncomfortable? Perhaps the answer lies in not trying to escape boredom at all, but embracing it, and its creative potential. Becky and Emily discover that it's only through boredom that we can tap in to an extraordinary set of neural processes known as 'The Default Mode Network', and access the most creative parts of our brains. Perhaps doing nothing is more exciting than we first thought.

Featuring Professor Dan Charbonneau, behavioral ecologist studying social insect behaviour at the University of Arizona, and Dr Sandi Mann, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00244xf)
Birmingham Botanical Gardens: Fertilisers, Fluorescent Plants and Clematis

What plants would you recommend to entertain five to six year-olds? How do I successfully grow Japanese banana plants? Are rose fertilisers and tomato fertilisers the same thing?

Kathy Clugston and her team of horticultural champions visit Birmingham Botanical Gardens to solve the gardening gripes of the audience. On the panel this week are proud plantsman Matthew Biggs, ethnobotanist James Wong and garden designer Juliet Sargeant.

Later, Matt Biggs educates us on the life and legacy of renowned plant collector Ernest Wilson whose expeditions across Asia led to the introduction of over 2,000 plant species.

Senior Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m00244xh)
Swimming Lessons by Elly Griffiths

A warm and delicately moving story by the award-winning author of the Ruth Galloway thriller series. Read by Rosie Cavaliero.

Maggie has taken early retirement and left London to spend more time with her mother by the coast. After her city life as a doctor, she now faces her anxieties - while building her relationship with her not always easy mum.

Read by Rosie Cavaliero
By Elly Griffiths
Produced by Allegra McIlroy


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m00244xk)
Sir Mike Jackson, Lily Ledbetter, Safeya Binzagr, Steve Piotrowski

Matthew Bannister on

General Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff at the time of the Iraq War.

Lily Ledbetter, whose campaign for equal pay led to an Act of Congress.

Safeya Binzagr, the pioneering Saudi Arabian artist whose career flourished despite the cultural restrictions on women in her society

Steve Piotrowski, the ornithologist who ringed 100,000 birds and helped to increase the barn owl population of Suffolk.

Interviewee: Lord Richards
Interviewee: Noreen Farrell
Interviewee: Melissa Gronlund
Interviewee: Kathy Piotrowski

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:
Gen Mike Jackson interview, Six O’Clock News, BBC News, 14/06/1999; Gen Mike Jackson, BBC News, 07/03/2003; Lilly Ledbetter speech and interview, NPR, Uploaded 14/10/2024; Steve Piotrowski interview, BBC Radio Suffolk 19/10/2015; Spectrum: Out of Town , BBC One East, 16/04/1985; Wrens singing, BBC Sfx, May 1981; Atmospheres: Countryside (Barn Owl), BBC Sfx, June 1981; Birds: Robins, BBC Sfx, March 1986; BBC Radio Suffolk 19/10/15; Wood Pigeon, Tweet of the Day, 14/12/2023; Collared Dove, Tweet of the Day, 07/01/2024; Great Tits, A Guide to Garden Birds : Series 1 : Episode 2, 26/08/2008 ; Nightingale, BBC Sfx, May 1983; Swift Screaming Party, RSPB England, Facebook, 29/06/2024


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m00244l3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m00244xm)
'Catfishing' abuser jailed over manslaughter of girl

Alexander McCartney from County Armagh is believed to have targeted around 3,500 children across 30 countries. He has been jailed for life after admitting to the manslaughter of the 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas. Plus: we'll hear an account of intimidation of staff at polling stations in the US ahead of the election.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00244xp)
Alexander McCartney will spend at least 20 years in prison


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m00244xr)
Series 115

Interference, Incentives and Interruptions

This week on The News Quiz, join guest host Ian Smith, along with Geoff Norcott, Amy Hoggart, Alasdair Beckett-King and Susie McCabe, as they break down accusations of Labour door-knocking across international lines, Musk's superpac and Trump's Big Mac, and the wild adventures of King Charles in the South Pacific.

Written by Ian Smith.

With additional material by: Alex Kealy, Cameron Loxdale, Christina Riggs and Laura Davis.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
An Eco-Audio certified Production


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m00244xt)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Alice Carter…. Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter… Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Ian Craig…. Stephen Kennedy
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Azra Malik…. Yasmin Wilde
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Stella Pryor…. Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Lottie Summers…. Bonnie Baddoo
Rhea…. Shreya Lallu


FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m00244xw)
Vampires

With Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu - a remake of the 1922 adaptation of Dracula - hitting UK cinemas in the new year, Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones take a look at one of cinema's most enduring monsters, the vampire.

Mark talks to friend of the show and vampire expert, Kim Newman, about the evolution of vampires over the last century. They discuss everything from Bela Lugosi’s career defining performance as Count Dracula to the Twilight series.

Meanwhile, Ellen meets host and producer of The Evolution of Horror podcast, Mike Muncer. They go deep on teen vampire films and the everlasting appeal of cult classic The Lost Boys.

Ellen also speaks to Jane Schoenbrun, director of the new film, I Saw the TV Glow. They discuss their shared love of TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its influence on Jane’s film about outsider teens who are obsessed with a fantasy TV show.

Producer: Queenie Qureshi-Wales
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m00244xy)
Sir Jake Berry, Rod Liddle, Catherine McKinnell MP, Eleanor Shearer

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Sunderland Minster with the former Chairman of the Conservative Party Sir Jake Berry, the Associate Editor of the Spectator Rod Liddle, the Minister for School Standards Catherine McKinnell MP and the novelist and Senior Research Fellow at the Common Wealth thinktank Eleanor Shearer.
Producer: Robin Markwell
Lead Broadcast Engineer: Phil Booth


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m00244y0)
Naughtie on America

The Old Identity

James Naughtie argues that a common American identity will be achieved - one day - despite the heightened political rhetoric around immigration, that is making it one of the most contentious issues in this year's presidential election.

He recalls Ronald Reagan's 'homely evocation of an American character'. For Reagan, James says, the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, 'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses', had real contemporary power.

For many Republicans today, he says, it's a very different story.

But he sees signs of change. On a recent visit to the US border in Arizona, he met a 'cattleman of resolute conservative views in his 80s', who tells James that although he's fed up with armed drug runners using his land, he believes most people cutting through the fence are 'good people, in search of new lives'.

'The huddled masses will be absorbed... eventually', James writes. 'But the question right now is how much damage will be done in getting there - to the principles of their democracy, and perhaps to their precious belief in themselves.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m00244y2)
Are we all American now?

Does the reach of the USA and its cultural influence mean "we're all American now?" Anne McElvoy and her guests discuss the similarities and differences across the Anglosphere and think about the changing dynamics on the international stage. They are:
Freddy Gray, Deputy Editor of the Spectator Magazine and host of the Americano podcast.
Dr Katie McGettigan, Senior Lecturer in American Literature and co-editor of the Journal of American Studies.
Amanda Taub writes The Interpreter, an explanatory column and newsletter about world events for The New York Times.
Kit Davis, an American living in London, an anthropologist and Emeritus Professor at SOAS.
Rana Mitter ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m00244y4)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (m00244y6)
Episode Ten

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering expats from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge' - living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847', Commander Graham Gore, a member of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition.

Along with his fellow 'expats' – extracted from the Great Plague, the Battle of Naseby, the French Revolution and the Battle of the Somme - Gore must be introduced to the internal combustion engine, women’s emancipation, computer dating apps, the smoking ban, and 21st Century cultural and social sensitivities. Among these are the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about her own mixed-race heritage.

The role of a Bridge, she discovers, may be well-paid, but it’s complex and difficult to navigate, particularly when the Victorian explorer sharing her living space is an attractive, infuriating, deeply sexy adventurer. When it becomes apparent that the very future is at stake, the job becomes both more complicated and more dangerous.

Episode 10: The only person in the room with a gun.

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor who has won the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story prize and the 2022 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her debut novel, widely acclaimed as exciting, clever, funny and gripping - ‘a little time-bomb of a book’ according to the writer Francis Spufford. It was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller. It also featured on Barack Obama’s reading list this summer.

The reader is Aoife Hinds, known for her roles in TV’s Derry Girls and Normal People.

Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (m00244y8)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00244yb)
Susan Hulme reports as peers discuss the situation in Ukraine.