SATURDAY 07 DECEMBER 2024
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0025ldm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street by Annie Gray (m0025l9z)
Episode Five
Acclaimed historian Annie Gray takes us on an immersive journey down the high street through the ages, from the medieval marketplace to the first department stores. Peeking inside the windows of china merchants, chophouses, gin palaces and confectioners, Annie reflects on how people shopped and lived in days gone by.
Episode Five
Post war clothes shopping and the rise of the department store.
Annie Gray is a historian, cook, broadcaster and writer specialising in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present. She features regularly on The Kitchen Cabinet. Her other books include The Greedy Queen and Victory in the Kitchen.
Writer: Annie Gray
Reader: Hugh Dennis
Abridger: Karen Rose
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025ldp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025ldr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025ldt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0025ldw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025ldy)
Lessons on leadership
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. The Italian city of Milan is celebrated for many things. It’s host to various fashion houses, two football teams, the Last Supper and La Scala Opera House. It also has a magnificent Cathedral, a photo of which adorns the Advent calendar we have at home, with its windows opening up onto different works of art for each day of Advent. And as it happens, in the Church lectionary for this month, today is the feast day of St Ambrose, the 4th century Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a scholar & theologian who insisted on the importance of Christ’s divinity at a time when there was much debate about how Jesus could be both fully human and divine. At the same time, as Bishop of Milan he was also a courageous statesman willing to rebuke even the Emperor Theodosius when he considered the Emperor to be persecuting his theological opponents too savagely following their dispute. And he was also a persuasive preacher and writer of hymns, with a gift for making the Christian faith attractive and believable to his congregations.
It was this gift which would have a profound influence on a young man called Augustine, who, inspired by Ambrose, would go on to become one of the greatest Christian theologians in a time of crisis and change across the Roman Empire. We live in a very different age to them, but at a time when the Western Church finds itself facing very similar challenges both from secular trends and from its own frailties, perhaps it is just St. Ambrose’s model of scholarly, statesmanlike and saintly leadership which we need to learn from now.
Heavenly Father,
In St. Ambrose you offer us a model of Christian faith which both serves the Church and speaks to the wider world; help us in our spiritual journey to be guided by his sage and spiritual advice, and to be led into the truth of your Kingdom.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Something to Declare (m0025lb9)
How to Nurture Community
Jack Boswell explores the South African philosophy of Ubuntu, a profound perspective on humanity that emphasises the interconnectedness of all people and the transformative power of community.
Joining Jack is Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, a South African-born priest and daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She explains how Ubuntu - the belief that "I am because we are" - is rooted in recognizing our shared humanity. Nontombi reflects on how this philosophy shaped her father’s work as a key figure in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, grounding his fight for justice in compassion and dignity for all, even his oppressors. She shares practical ways to embody Ubuntu in daily life, from acknowledging others with a simple greeting to cultivating gratitude for small acts of kindness.
Also joining Jack is Refiloe Moahloli, a South African children’s author whose book We Are One introduces Ubuntu to a global audience. Refiloe explains how this philosophy celebrates diversity and encourages individuals to embrace their unique gifts while contributing to the greater good. She reflects on the ripple effect of self-respect and kindness, likening it to a single flower blooming and inspiring growth in its surroundings.
This episode unpacks how Ubuntu invites us to rethink our relationships, not just with others but with ourselves. It’s a reminder that by recognising our own worth, we can foster deeper connections and help create a more compassionate world. Jack learns how this ancient African philosophy continues to resonate across cultures, offering lessons on healing, resilience, and hope in an increasingly divided world.
Host: Jack Boswell
Producer: Emma Crampton
Senior Producer: Harry Stott
Executive Producer: Sandra Ferrari
Production Coordinator: James Cox
Audio Supervisor: Tom Biddle
Sound Editor: Alan Leer
A Message Heard production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0025sqr)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m0025l2d)
Richard Mabey
Richard Mabey has been described as the godfather of British nature writing. Over the last half-century, he has written more than thirty books. His first, 'Food for Free', was published in 1972 and has never been out of print since; the most recent, 'The Accidental Garden', came out earlier this year. Martha Kearney joins Richard and his partner Polly on their beloved boat on the Norfolk Broads. She hears about Richard's childhood in the Chilterns and finds out how he first became fascinated by the natural world. Together they spot grebes, terns, and even see a bittern in flight.
Producer: Emma Campbell
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0025sqt)
Agriculture accounts for around 12% of greenhouse gases in the UK, according to DEFRA and there is much work across the industry to cut that figure.
Arla, the farmer run dairy cooperative plans to reduce its emissions by 30% per kilo of milk by 2030.
The company has just started trials using a dietary supplement called Bovaer which is added to a cow’s feed to reduce methane emissions. The trial involves around 30 farmers and 3 supermarkets who buy their milk.
But despite the feed supplement getting the thumbs up from UK and European food safety bodies, there’s been a social media storm of protest, some people calling for the boycott of Arla products because they do not think it should be used, including posting videos of themselves on social media pouring milk away. A scientist and industry expert give their views.
A number of tenant farmers in East Yorkshire say they could be facing eviction to make way for a large solar farm.
Dairy farmers say it is hard to find workers and growers use seasonal migrant workers to pick fruit and veg. The lack of people joining the fishing industry means some older skippers are now giving up early as they can't find a crew, meanwhile one farming apprentice is realising his dream.
And Charlotte speaks to the winner of the BBC Food and Farming award in the "Farming for the Future" category.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Alun Beach
SAT 06:57 Weather (m0025sqw)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m0025sqy)
07/12/24 - Jonny Dymond and Simon Jack
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0025sr0)
Derren Brown, Abigail Tinnion, Rob Parsons, Mackenzie Crook
The hypnotic charmer and master of psychological illusion Derren Brown blurs the line between magic, psychology, and theatre and he’s won two Olivier Awards for that showmanship - as well as his latest show 'Only Human' Derren steps into Springfield for the Simpsons Christmas special.
As a child, Abigail Tinnion was brought up on folk-stories and horror films, that inspired her art-work where myth, legend, and imagination collide.
Rob Parsons, founder of the charity Care for the Family, lives his life reminding us that the heart of society begins with hearth and home after a knock at the door 45 years ago reconnected him with a lost friend from the past.
All that, plus we have the Inheritance Tracks of actor, writer and real-life detectorist Mackenzie Crook.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Ben Mitchell
SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002404w)
Series 1
10. Night Walkers
Wake up! It’s time for a dreamy new episode of Curious Cases all about the science of sleepwalking.
Listener Abigail has done some strange things in her sleep, from taking all the pictures off the wall, to searching for Turkish language courses. And she wants to know: WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
It turns out Abigail is not alone. Hannah and Dara hear weird and wonderful stories of extreme sleepwalkers - from the lady who went on midnight motorbike excursions, to the artist who does all his best work while asleep. They delve into the neuroscience to find out how you can remain in deep sleep while walking, talking or even peeing in your mum's shopping basket. They learn about some cutting edge research where the participants were sleep deprived and then half-woken with scary sounds, and they zero in on the key triggers, from a boozy night out to a squeaky bed.
Contributors
Professor Russell Foster: University of Oxford.
Professor Guy Leschziner: King’s College London and Guys’ and St Thomas’ hospital
Lee Hadwin: the sleep artist
Professor Francesca Siclari: The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience
Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0025sr3)
Series 46
Postbag
Jay Rayner and his panel of chefs, cooks and food writers dig through the Kitchen Cabinet inbox to answer your culinary conundrums.
In this postbag edition of the programme, food experts Shelina Permalloo, Melek Erdal, James ‘Jocky’ Petrie and Dr Annie Gray tackle the use of pea shoots as garnish and share their perfect chutney recipes.
They get into the nitty gritty of deveining prawns and take stances on the perfect cheesecake recipe, and the best way to cook broccoli.
And if you’ve ever considered purchasing a blow torch for Christmas, Jocky provides a prime example of how not to use it.
Senior Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m0025sr5)
Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph assesses the latest developments at Westminster.
Following the Prime Minister's 'Plan for Change' speech, Ben speaks to the architect of Sir Keir Starmer's five missions, Peter Hyman, who was a senior adviser to the Prime Minister until the election and former Downing Street Director of Communications, Sir Craig Oliver
To discuss the Prime Minister's speech on foreign affairs at the Lord' Mayor's Banquet, Ben is joined by Dr Karin von Hippel, the Director-General of the defence think tank, the Royal United Services Institute.
Parliament's newly created Modernisation Committee is considering ideas on 'driving up standards, improving culture and working practices and reforming procedures'. To discuss their thoughts on this. Ben is joined by two new MPs, Tom Morrison, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle and Dr Beccy Cooper, the Labour MP for Worthing West.
And, finally, as Oxford University Press announces its 'word of the year' Ben is joined by Susie Dent, lexicographer and resident expert on Channel Four’s Countdown and Tom Peck, parliamentary sketch-writer of The Times, to discuss their thoughts on the political words and phrases of the year.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0025sr7)
Sudan and the story of Mama Nour
Kate Adie presents stories from Sudan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, South Africa and Ireland.
Lyse Doucet recently gained rare access to Sudan, where she met the remarkable Mama Nour. A steely woman, orphaned in childhood, she now provides refuge for single women and children amid Sudan's ongoing civil war, which the UN has called 'the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world'.
South Korea's president sent shockwaves across the world when he declared martial law earlier this week. Jake Kwon describes the moment the president made his announcement, and the swift, decisive response from both politicians and the South Korean people to stop him in his tracks.
China's Xinjiang province is home to a huge tomato industry, which has been linked to forced labour - an allegation China denies. Still, many Uyghurs and ethnic Kazakhs have fled Xinjiang into neighbouring Kazakhstan, where Runako Celina met one woman who revealed the realitles of life in the region.
In South Africa, there’s an on-going stand-off between authorities and illegal workers living down an abandoned gold mine, southwest of Johannesburg. Security forces briefly stopped food and water from being sent down the mine, before a court ruled against them. Nomsa Maseko recalls her first time entering this hidden world.
Ireland’s elections last weekend did not prove to be a political game-changer unlike other polls this year. Michael Martin will return as Taoiseach for the second time, but scratch the surface and there’s an underlying anti-establishment sentiment, says Chris Page.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0025sr9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0025src)
Charity Bank Accounts and Attendance Allowance
Around 9 out of 10 charities have told a new report they've had at least one issue with banking in the past two years. The Charity Finance Group and National Council for Voluntary Organisations spoke to almost 2,000 charities in the UK and found more than three quarters had struggled to change the named signatories on their bank account and 4 in 10 said that the checks they were asked to complete weren't designed for voluntary organisations. We'll speak to one of the authors of that report and get reaction from UK Finance, which represents banks.
What were the key announcements in the Scottish Budget? We'll discuss income tax thresholds and a promise to lift the two-child benefit cap.
If you're a pensioner missing the Winter Fuel Payment this year - what other help could you get if you're struggling? We'll look at Attendance Allowance - who's eligible and how you can apply.
And, what's the best advice to make sure you're not inadvertently insuring the same thing twice?
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Emma Smith and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast
12pm Saturday 7th December 2024)
SAT 12:30 The Naked Week (m0025lc9)
Series 1
Episode 2: Spin, Milestones, and Monopoly (Qatar edition)
We interrogate how many milestones make a mission, look at how some MPs fund their offices and with all the Gregg Wallace unpleasantness we put a crisis management expert under pressure to give celebrities tips on how to apologise
Host Andrew Hunter Murray, Chief Correspondent Amy Hoggart, The Skewer's Jon Holmes and The Naked Week team deliver a topical news-nude straight to your ears.
The Naked Week team strip away the curtain and dive into not only the big stories, but also the way in which the news is packaged and presented.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Sarah Dempster
Gareth Ceredig
Jason Hazeley
Adam Macqueen
Louis Mian
Additional material:
Marc Haynes
Cornelius Mendez
Guests this week:
Jordan Greenaway
Dr Beth Malory
Production Team: Laura Grimshaw, Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, Katie Sayer, Phoebe Butler
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 12:57 Weather (m0025srf)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0025srh)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0025lcx)
Seamus Logan MP, Douglas Lumsden MSP, Michael Marra MSP and Laura Webster
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Daviot Village Hall in Aberdeenshire, with the SNP's MP for Aberdeenshire North & Moray East, Seamus Logan; Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for energy and net zero, Douglas Lumsden MSP; Michael Marra MSP, Scottish Labour's shadow cabinet secretary for finance; and the editor of The National, Laura Webster.
Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Sean Mullervy
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0025srk)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0025lch)
As Fallon’s trying to change her car’s flat tyre just outside Ambridge, Ed pulls up and offers to help. When Fallon asks how Emma is, Ed says she was in bits after Mick’s comments in the pub yesterday. They chat about how George is getting on in prison, and Ed admits they’re really worried about him. George is refusing to see them and has made friends with some really hard cases. Fallon reckons George is probably just doing what he can to get by. But Ed wonders who George is going to be by the time he leaves prison. Fallon’s really glad her friendship with Ed and Emma’s getting back on track, telling Ed she’s around if he ever needs a chat and they hug.
Joy visits Emma to let her know that she doesn’t support Mick’s complaint against her. She thinks Mick’s upset and angry about the crash and he’s taking it out on Emma. Joy understands how difficult things have been for Emma, but George saved Joy’s life, when he could have run off and left everyone to drown. And that Emma’s a good mum, despite everything that’s happened. Joy has a complicated relationship with her daughter Rochelle and explains it’s easy to feel you’ve failed your child because of things that were out of your control. But Emma did her best in difficult circumstances and it would be a big loss to the community if Emma resigned from the Parish Council. Emma needs to get back on her feet to stand her ground. And when she does, Joy will be cheering her on.
SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0025srm)
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Episode 3
A dramatization by Simon Scardifield from Michael Hofmann's landmark translation of Alfred Döblin's modernist masterpiece set on the streets of Berlin - a novel that exploded into 1929 and changed urban writing forever.
Bruised and battered from his run-in with the ruthless Berlin underworld, Franz is offered another shot at redemption when he comes under the protective influence of two friends from his past.
Narrator ..... Claes Bang
Franz ..... Lee Ross
Reinhold ….. David Hounslow
Eva ….. Clare Corbett
Herbert ….. Mark Edel Hunt
Pums ..... Neil McCaul
Mitzi ….. Hannah Genesius
Oskar ….. Ryan Whittle
Mack ..... Samuel James
Schnapps ..... Jasmine Hyde
Beer ….. Michael Begley
Willi ..... Justice Ritchie
The Neighbour..... Grace Cooper Milton
Keyboard ..... Chris Jack
Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh
Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby
Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0025srp)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Keira Knightley and Sarah Lancashire, Sutara Gayle, Uterine fibroids, Surviving grief, Josie Lloyd
Powerhouse actors Keira Knightley and Sarah Lancashire are starring alongside Ben Wishaw in new Netflix spy drama Black Doves. It follows the story of a female spy seeking revenge for the murder of her lover – whilst outwardly being married to a high-ranking politician. Keira and Sarah spoke to Nuala McGovern about the drama, their careers and their experiences as women in the film industry.
Sutara Gayle is an actor and reggae artist. She fuses music with memories of her eventful life in a new show: The Legends of Them. From hearing her radio debut whilst in Holloway Prison on remand, to the Brixton uprisings in 1985 that were sparked by the shooting of her sister, the show explores a hugely varied and at times deeply moving portrayal of her life, and the women who have shaped it. Sutara joined Anita Rani in the studio.
Professor Nicola Rollock is best known for her academic research and writing on race and society. As a friend of the programme, she approached us to ask to talk about something more personal - her experience of uterine fibroids, something that affects around 70% of women, but this rises to 80% for black women. Nicola joined Nuala alongside Hilary Critchley, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, to discuss more.
After the actor Anna Maxwell Martin spoke on the programme about the grief she experienced after her husband died suddenly in 2021, we were inundated with listeners sharing their stories. Two of them, Giselle De Hasse and Heather Ashley, joined Anita to talk about how they manage their grief day to day.
Author Josie Lloyd joined Nuala to discuss her new novel featuring fictional Alice Beeton, the prim and organised owner of The Good Household Management Agency and distant relative of the real-life Victorian cookery and household writer Mrs Beeton. Alice and her ancestor share a love of recipes and an eye for detail, which comes in handy when Alice becomes involved in a cosy, Christmassy crime in Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Louise Corley
SAT 17:00 PM (m0025srr)
Syrian rebels approach Damascus
As Syrian rebel groups advance, the government denies that President Assad has fled. Plus, as Notre-Dame cathedral reopens in Paris, we speak to a British carpenter involved in its refurbishment.
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m0025srt)
The Nick Clegg One
Nick Robinson speaks to Sir Nick Clegg about life as Mark Zuckerberg's right hand man at Meta and the transition from Westminster to Silicon Valley.
He responds to challenges on regulation of social media companies and issues a warning about the political power of Elon Musk.
Producer: Daniel Kraemer
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0025srw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m0025sry)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025ss0)
Rebel forces in Syria say they are closing in on the country's capital city, Damascus.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0025ss2)
Jenny Eclair; Idlewild's Roddy Woomble; Lou Sanders; Nikki Amuka-Bird; Ferdia Lennon; Clive Anderson
Loose Ends this week is a masterclass in the many ways human beings find to laugh: the writer and comic Jenny Eclair started her career as a punk performance poet, who created her stage name to chime with the band she joined - Cathy le Creme and the Rumbabas. But as we learn in her new memoir, she knew as a small child called Jenny Hargreaves that she had the "funny bones" required to make her a comedy star. There is little about Ferdia Lennon's debut novel Glorious Exploits that might suggest comedy - its set in 412 BC Sicily, in the years after Athens’ failed invasion and tells the story of two locals who get Athenian prisoners of war to stage a production of the play Medea. Yet this book's just won an award for comic writing. Nikki Amuka-Bird is a Bafta-winning actor and her new movie Rumours features a constellation of Hollywood stars. But this comedy-horror-satire features her alongside Cate Blanchett and Charles Dance prat-falling as world leaders at a summit. And stand-up Lou Sanders is about to go on the road with a show called No Kissing In The Bingo Hall, but she's taken diversions via Dancing on Ice and Taskmaster and will be trying not to laugh in series one of Last One Laughing UK next year.
With music by Roddy Woomble of Idlewild.
Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Olive Clancy
SAT 19:00 Profile (m0025ss4)
Tom Molnar
From using a skateboard to baking sourdough, Tom Molnar leads an eclectic life.
Born in the United States, he earned a degree in Ecology at Dartmouth College, before going on to gain experience in corporate strategy and client management. It was during those years, that he noticed a gap in the market for quality bread.
Tom Molnar joined forces with Ran Avidan and Gail Mejia in 2005, and their Gail’s story began in a small corner of North London. Nearly 20 years later, the chain has become omnipresent on high streets all over the country and looks set to yield a handsome sum amid speculation that its owners have appointed a Wall Street bank to oversee an auction.
Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the visionary behind one of Britain’s fastest-growing chains.
Production team
Producers: Ben Cooper and Natalie Ktena
Editor: Ben Mundy
Sound: James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Credits
BBC / Gordon Murray Puppets
Gentleman's Journal
SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0025dvs)
Series 31
The Science of Baby Making
Brian Cox and Robin Ince investigate the science of baby making - don’t worry, all theory, no practice! They are joined by Professor Joyce Harper, Dr Ben Steventon and comedian Sara Pascoe to discuss how just two cells can turn into trillions, or in other words, how an embryo can turn into an embryologist.
The embryo-building processes across species are remarkably similar, yet there is still so much we don’t know about the beginning of life. Our panel discuss these unknowns, the latest in fertility treatments and what new capabilities might be available to future parents. It seems that artificial wombs may not be science fiction for much longer and scientists are closing in on being able to make egg and sperm cells out of stem cells. So yes, Brian and Robin could one day have a baby!
Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani
BBC Studios Audio Production
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b09r37tz)
A Brief History of Cunning
How cunning is Donald Trump?
In Queenan on Cunning, the satirist Joe Queenan explores a word rarely associated with the President-elect of the USA.
"From Odysseus to Bismarck, via Brer Rabbit and Machiavelli's The Prince, there's a fine tradition of tricksters and hucksters, but where does the Donald fit in the mix?
You need patience, intelligence, forward planning - some of these are Trump-like qualities. Stress on the some. But he's by no means a modern day Odysseus. Not much of a sailor."
With contributions from Adam MacQueen, author of The Lies of the Land; Edith Hall, who wrote a cultural history of Homer's Odyssey; and Tibor Fischer, author of How to Rule the World amongst other novels.
Plus John Sergeant, Kathy Lette, Richard Nixon, Alistair McAlpine, Laura Barton ... and a campaigning American President cross-faded with a much loved song from The Jungle Book.
The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.
SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m0025kzr)
Who and what is 'toxic'?
The allegations about Gregg Wallace’s behaviour on set have been described as being part of a "toxic environment". Once primarily used in the domain of plants, arrows and chemicals, “toxic” - which is defined as “poisonous” – only relatively recently started being applied to workplaces and people: parents, siblings, neighbours, exes and co-workers.
Those who have experienced a toxic work culture or colleague might describe a deterioration in their personal and professional well-being – the causes of which may be difficult to define – or prove – on their own. While sexual harassment, racism, and bullying should be clearly understood, a toxic environment may involve more subtle things at play: a lack of trust, favouritism, unrealistic expectations or an atmosphere of negativity.
But what are we to make of a concept which hinges on how an aggrieved person feels rather than the defined behaviour of the perpetrator? Is it an important redress for those who have for too long suffered in silence – or an over-compensation which irredeemably labels the wrongdoers? What should – and shouldn’t – we be prepared to accept in a workplace or in a relationship? If a boss sets a negative tone in an office, due to their own pressures and stresses, does that make them “toxic”? When does an off-colour joke become “toxic”? Is it possible to detoxify cultures like the entertainment industry, which thrives on the egos of the “talent”? And when is it OK to cut off a “toxic” relative?
Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Sonia Sodha, Konstantin Kisin, Matthew Taylor and Anne McElvoy
Witnesses: Ben Askins, Joanna Williams, Becca Bland and Donald Robertson.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producer: Ruth Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton
SAT 22:00 News (m0025ss8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0025l9x)
BBC Food and Farming Awards 2024
Join Sheila Dillon at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow for the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2024.
The awards honour those who have done most to promote the cause of good food and drink. Our judging panel this year is chaired by chef and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SAT 23:00 Wing It (m0025ssb)
Series 1
1. The Cow Who Flew Through the Moon
"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."
Alasdair Beckett-King plays host to a panel of improv comedy all stars in this new spontaneous series, full of ridiculous challenges & completely made up games.
Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King.
Starring Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Alexander Jeremy, and Emma Sidi.
Devised by Shoot From The Hip
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Joe Bayley
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Brain of Britain (m0025m73)
Semi-final 2, 2024
(14/17)
In the second of the 2024 semi-finals, the competitors will be asked about Scottish football, American stand-up comedy, the Olympics, chemistry, surrealist painters, and classic rock albums of 1984... among many other things. Russell Davies puts the questions to four semi-finalists, each of them hoping their wide general knowledge will be enough to win them a place in the Final.
Today's competitors are:
Jack Bennett, from Lancaster
Alan Gibbs, from St Helens in Lancashire
Helen Lippell, from east London
Hannah Reilly, from Glasgow.
All of them have either won their heats or been notably high-scoring runners-up, so the competition for points is sure to be fierce.
Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUNDAY 08 DECEMBER 2024
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0025ssg)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m0025m71)
Alan Warner: Morvern Callar
Award-winning writer Alan Warner takes questions from Radio 4's Bookclub audience about his first-person, pacey novel, Morvern Callar, which was written in 1995 when Warner was in his late twenties. Morvern is a twenty-one year old foster-child whose life takes an irreversible turn when she discovers her boyfriend's dead body. The book was later turned into a critically-acclaimed film, of the same name, in 2002.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025ssj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025ssl)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025ssn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0025ssq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0025sss)
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris
Bells on Sunday comes from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris which formally re-opens this weekend following its restoration after the disastrous fire of April 2019.
That fire destroyed most of the ancient wooden roof, the collapse of its iconic central wooden spire as well as the loss of six bells. Spreading along the roof the fire also reached the woodwork in the North tower containing eight bells installed to mark the 850th anniversary of the Cathedral. Fortunately, although damaged, both the tower and its bells were saved from destruction and have been restored. The heaviest bell in the North Tower weights eighty one hundredweight and is in the note of A.
We hear now the bells of Notre-Dame.
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0025l5j)
Disability Minister: Sir Stephen Timms
Sir Stephen Timms is the new Labour government's Minister for Social Security and Disability. He answers your questions about issues such as benefits, access to medical information, digital accessibility legislation and more.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
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 of 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.
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m0025v93)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m0025l51)
Religious Freedom
Giles Fraser meets Stephen Schneck, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, to explore the impact of globalisation on religious freedom.
Restrictions on religious freedom are increasing. What impact has the spread of religious traditions had on freedom of belief? How does the secularisation of religion contribute? Should states be forced to adopt norms of religious rights and freedoms to meet international pressure? And what can be done about the perceived threat communities feel when they are exposed to other religions?
To discuss Giles is joined by HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the UK, Dr Nazila Ghanea, an Iranian-born Professor in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford and UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, an exiled Nicaraguan politician and economist.
Producer: Alexa Good
Assistant Producer: Linda Walker
Editors: Chloe Walker
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0025v95)
Regenerating Ben
When Ben Taylor-Davies's toddler son Jobe was kicked in the head by a horse in 2012, it changed the whole family's life forever. After weeks in intensive care with only a slim chance of survival, Jobe was left permanently brain-damaged. For Ben, it led to a breakdown and the feeling that he couldn't carry on in farming. Discovering a different way to manage the land through regenerative farming eventually rekindled his love of agriculture, and brought both him and the farm business back from the brink. Now, together with his wife Helen and two teenaged daughters Tegan and Erin, Ben runs a whole host of different enterprises on the land. Once entirely arable, it's now a mixed farm, with sheep, horses, a vineyard, a wedding venue, a shoot, a glamping site, and an assortment of livestock, including rare breeds, alpacas and even rheas. In this programme Charlotte Smith visits the farm near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire to meet Ben and the rest of the family. She discovers that the events of the last twelve years have regenerated not only the soil, but also Ben himself.
Producer: Emma Campbell
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0025v97)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0025v99)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0025v9c)
Notre-Dame reopens, Justin Welby's Lords farewell speech, and faith in Moana 2
Notre-Dame is reopening to the public after 5 years of renovation, following a devastating fire in 2019. But the cathedral is much more than a building - and many secular minded people in France would say that it's much more than a cathedral too. We hear from our Paris Correspondent, Hugh Schofield and commentator Agnes Poirier, author of "Notre Dame - the Soul of France".
The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised for causing distress after Church of England abuse survivors criticised his House of Lords farewell speech. Jane Chevous, the co-founder of Survivors Voices joins the programme.
The position of women in Afghanistan took another turn for the worse this week as women and girls have told the BBC they've been banned from nursing and midwifery courses.
PRESENTER: Edward Stourton
PRODUCERS: Katy Davis and Bara’atu Ibrahim
STUDIO MANAGERS: Carwyn Griffith and Simon Highfield
EDITOR: Chloe Walker
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0025v9f)
Able Child
Presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan makes the BBC Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Able Child.
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 ‘Able Child'.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Able Child'.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 326859. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.ablechild.org.uk
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0025v9h)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0025v9k)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0025v9m)
Carols for the Christ Child : ‘Fel yr Wyt’ / ‘As you are’ – the Welsh Plygain Carol Tradition
On this Second Sunday in Advent, Sunday Worship comes from St Garmon’s Church, nestled in the Ceiriog Valley in the North-East of Wales. Priest, composer and musician Rev. Dr Cass Meurig Thomas, and Welsh poet and musician Gwyneth Glyn explore the sound, poetry and spirituality of the unique Welsh Plygain carol tradition. Unlike many familiar carols, the texts of Plygain carols speak not only of the birth of Jesus, but of the whole Christian story. Our service today explores how we are all invited to be part of that story, as we bear witness to the Christ Child.
We hear a feast of archive recordings, as well live performances at St Garmon’s by Arfon Gwilym, Sioned Webb and Siân James, individuals for whom the Plygain tradition forms an important part of their lives. They also share some of the history of this unique tradition, as well as personal memories of attending the Plygain services across the years.
Readings:
Isaiah 9:6-7
Luke 2:8-15
Archive recordings:
Ar gyfer heddiw’r bore (FOR THIS VERY MORNING)
Ar fore dydd Nadolig (ON CHRISTMAS MORNING)
Roedd yn y wlad honno (IN THAT REGION THERE WERE SHEPHERDS)
Carol y Swper (THE SUPPER CAROL)
Live performances:
Carol Huw Morus (HUW MORUS’ CAROL)
Teg Wawriodd Boreddydd (THE FAIR DAY DAWNED)
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0025ld4)
A baby's-eye view of the world
Zoe Strimpel on the joys of seeing the world through the eyes of her 9 month old daughter.
'Where previously I would barely have noticed them,' Zoe writes, 'I now size up trees from below in terms of buds, leaves, colour, height - and how all of these may look to my little lady viewed from her pram or carrier in which her neck swivels constantly like a periscope, or an owl.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0025v9p)
Iolo Williams on the Merlin
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.
For Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams the male merlin is a beautiful missile of a bird. Once it locks onto its prey, there is no escape. Iolo's love of this bird heads back to a spring evening as he watched a skylark dance and pirouette to avoid the merlin's attack, a bird of prey no bigger than a song thrush. The conclusion of this chase was lost in the moorland, but that encounter ignited a lifelong love affair with our smallest and rarest falcon.
Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio, Bristol
Studio engineer : Ilse Lademann
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0025v9r)
Syria: Assad falls
Historic scenes in Syria as the Assad regime collapses. Chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and former national security adviser Lord Ricketts on what happens now. Also the importance of Notre Dame as it returns, and Wham’s Last Christmas forty years on.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m0025v9t)
Ebony Rainford-Brent, former England cricketer
Former cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent is the first Black woman to play for England and she was part of the team which won the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2009. Today she is a broadcaster and cricket commentator for Channel 4, Sky Sports and the BBC’s Test Match Special.
Ebony was born in south London and as a child it was football that caught her attention, especially Liverpool FC and her hero Robbie Fowler. At primary school she was encouraged to have a go at cricket through a charity called Cricket For Change which was set up to encourage more state school children into the sport. Holding a bat in her hands for the first time, she hit the ball as hard as she could and, as she watched it soar through the air, she was hooked.
Ebony started out playing for Surrey Cricket Club’s Under 11’s team as a bowler. In 2003 a serious back injury forced her to stop playing and she thought her sporting career was over. She was determined to prove the medics wrong so she retrained as a batswoman as batting was easier on her back.
In 2007 she made her debut for England and two years later was part of the World Cup-winning team. In 2020 Ebony joined forces with Surrey Cricket Club and founded the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE) to build grassroots cricket programmes for young people in black communities across the UK. In 2021 she was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket and charity.
DISC ONE: Cold Sweat - James Brown
DISC TWO: Girlie Girlie - Sophia George
DISC THREE: Pass Me Over - Anthony Hamilton
DISC FOUR: A Long Walk - Jill Scott
DISC FIVE: Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
DISC SIX: Never Forget - Take That
DISC SEVEN: Superheroes - Stormzy
DISC EIGHT: Work To Do - The Isley Brothers
BOOK CHOICE: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
LUXURY ITEM: A drum kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Long Walk - Jill Scott
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0025v9w)
Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
David Archer…. Timothy Bentick
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Azra Malik…. Yasmin Wilde
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw
SUN 12:15 Profile (m0025ss4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m0025kl0)
Series 3
Merthyr - home of Welsh heroes
Paul Sinha tests his audience in Methyr Tydfil on their knowledge of Wales's 100 Greatest Heroes, which manages to completely overlook some Welsh icons and place some less well-remembered names alarmingly high.
Before that, though, there are questions about the events of 2024, and a section on national anthems. And, of course, the audience get to test Paul on his general knowledge.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Recording engineer: Steve Martin
Mixed by: Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0025v9y)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0025vb0)
Bashar al-Assad flees Syria
We speak to our international editor Jeremy Bowen about what to make of the toppling of Bashar al-Assad. Also on the programme: how to fix Britain's broken courts?
SUN 13:30 Missing Pieces: The Lesbian Mothers Scandal (m0025vb2)
From the 1970s through to even the early 1990s, a shocking pattern existed where the UK courts removed children from lesbian mums.
Journalist Sophie Wilkinson investigates the legacy of homophobic UK courts on lesbian mothers and meets those still dealing with the trauma of having their families ripped apart.
She meets Linda Bellos, who was only able to see her kids once a month after a family court judge found out she was a lesbian, and a woman in her 70s who had to pretend not to be gay in order to maintain custody of her children.
While the practice largely stopped after the passage of the Children Act in 1989, those affected have never received any redress or apology, and the full scale of the scandal has never been exposed.
Presenter and Producer: Sophie Wilkinson
Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
Assistant Producer: Daniel Pearce
Executive Producer: Robert Nicholson
Additional research: Gareth Lemon and Kate Litman
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0025lbd)
Rosewell: Plant Names, Reflection and Perlite
What would the panel plant in a garden for reflection? Are there any alternatives to perlite and vermiculite? Is the weather to blame for my shamefully small brassicas and tiny potatoes?
Kathy Clugston and a team of experts are in Rosewell, Midlothian, to solve the gardening questions of the audience. Joining Kathy are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson.
Later in the programme, James Wong meets researchers Dr Hannah Atkins and Sadie Barber to discuss the extensive process of naming plants.
Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m0025vb4)
The Girl of the Sea of Cortez
John Yorke looks at Peter Benchley’s environmentally themed novel The Girl of the Sea of Cortez.
Peter Benchley is best known for his debut novel Jaws which become a huge global bestseller when it was published in 1974 and was further seared into the public consciousness by Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation the following year. His next two novels – The Deep and The Island – were also thrillers set at sea.
However, Benchley’s attitude to the oceans and the creatures that live in them underwent a transformation in this period due to the diving trips he’d started going on. He became acutely aware of the fragility of marine environments and how human activity was endangering them. When The Girl of the Sea of Cortez was published in 1982, it was a significant departure from his previous work, clearly informed by his growing environmental awareness.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and 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. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.
Contributor:
Anita Sullivan, playwright who has adapted The Girl of the Sea of Cortez for Radio 4
Readings from The Girl of the Sea of Cortez by Peter Benchley (Ballantine Books, 2013)
Peter Benchley interview from the archives of the LBJ Presidential Library, University of Texas at Austin
Reader: Torquil MacLeod
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Torquil MacLeod
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0025vb6)
The Girl of the Sea of Cortez
A coming-of age ecological fable from the author of Jaws. A Mexican girl fights family and tradition to protect the marine habitat she loves.
Teenage Paloma lost her father, Juanjo, in a sea-storm. Her mother, Miranda, is afraid she’ll lose the girl to the sea too. But Juanjo taught Paloma to free dive and showed her a secret seamount none of the fishermen know about - a pillar of volcanic rock rising from the deep ocean, a teeming tower-block of habitats.
Paloma’s brother, José, wants to make quick money, leave for the city and become a mechanic. The seamount could be his ticket to a new life, and he’ll stop at nothing to get his way.
Anita Sullivan has written over 30 radio dramas and is a winner of the prestigious Tinniswood Award. Her other award-winning adaptations include An Angel at My Table and Shadowbahn.
By Peter Benchley
Adapted for radio by Anita Sullivan
Paloma ..... Jamila Hache
Miranda ….. Raquel Cassidy
José ..... Óscar Camacho
Juanjo ..... Armando Rey
Azul ….. Carlos Alfredo Jr.
Manolo ..... Braulio Hernández
Other characters are played by Sergia Sánchez and Alejandra Gollas
Sound design by Adam Woodhams
Directed and produced by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m0025vb8)
Tessa Hadley
Presenter James Crawford takes a deep dive into the latest work by critically-acclaimed writer Tessa Hadley and learns more about her creative process by exploring its connections to three other literary works. Tessa's new novella The Party started out life as a short story for the New Yorker magazine but was later expanded. Her three influential choices are: Alice Munro's short story collection Open Secrets; Elizabeth Bowen's The Death Of The Heart and Colm Toibin's Brooklyn.
SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m0025vbb)
Semi-final 3, 2024
(15/17)
With just two of the places in the 2024 Final still to be decided, another four competitors take their seats on the Radio Theatre stage in London for the third of this year's semi-finals. Russell Davies asks the questions, covering all fields of general knowledge from sport and music to mythology and languages.
Appearing today are:
Anthony Fish from Pontypool
Andrew Fisher from Sheffield
Vicky Johnson from Nottingham
Shanine Salmon from Croydon.
There'll also be a chance for a listener to Beat the Brains, with fiendish questions he or she has suggested.
Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yms)
Haile Selassie in Bath
In 1936, Haile Selassie came to Bath in the west of England to escape Mussolini and the fascists who had invaded Ethiopia.
He bought a property – Fairfield House - and moved his entire family and staff there. He quickly became the talk of the town.
The local paper ran daily updates on the Emperor’s schedule and dispelled rumours such as the Emperor’s beard "having turned white with anguish" or that he was keeping lions in the basement.
Haile Selassie also made a point of indulging in local amusements and even took a trip to the Tropicana outdoor swimming pool in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare.
Selassie returned to Ethiopia in 1940 after the British helped remove Mussolini. He never forgot his time in Bath and renamed one of his palaces Fairfield in tribute to the British city.
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: Haile Selassie during his coronation. Credit: Getty Images)
SUN 17:10 County Lines (m0025kk4)
Episode 2: Cycles
This highly personal series investigates how criminal networks systematically exploit vulnerable young people, transforming them from ordinary schoolchildren into drug dealers through manipulation, violence, and trauma. An estimated 50,000 children in Britain have been groomed into county lines drug trafficking, yet their stories remain largely hidden.
In this powerful second episode, we investigate what keeps young people returning to county lines, even after interventions.
Through intimate stories told from prison cells and family homes, survivors challenge our assumptions about victims and perpetrators, revealing how trauma and shame create cycles that prove devastating to break.
As both journalist and sister to someone caught in these cycles, Phoebe McIndoe weaves her own story of silence and stigma with those of young people trapped between prison and exploitation.
Presented by Phoebe McIndoe
Produced by Redzi Bernard and Phoebe McIndoe
With original music by Phoebe McIndoe
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0025vbg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0025vbj)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025vbl)
Syria's president has fled the country after rebels capture the capital Damascus
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0025vbn)
Luke Wright
Secrets lives, double agents, and shattered mustard spoons - mysteries abound in this week’s show. Luke Wright finds the hidden and inscrutable parts of our lives brought to light in the past week of Radio - from the words of a woman risking her life to just to attend a Zumba class in Afghanistan, to comedian Mark Steel’s poignant reflections on his relationship with his father, and the challenges of creativity and overthinking. The journey concludes with a breathtaking celebration of Notre Dame’s reopening, crowned by music that’s nothing short of divine.
Presenter: Luke Wright
Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0025vbq)
Kirsty’s shocked when Gavin shows up at her Beechwood house. He’s been released from prison and saw that Kirsty’s house was for sale. Presuming she was moving away, Gavin wanted to catch Kirsty before she left. He confesses he didn’t know how he agreed to using a slave workforce with his dad. He knew it was wrong, but Philip convinced him that they were doing the slaves a favour. When Kirsty asserts Gavin could’ve stopped it sooner, Gavin says he did eventually, even though it meant going to jail. Kirsty suddenly realises she can’t cope with the conversation and asks him to leave.
Joy waits with nervous Mick wait as he’s about to go on as Santa in The Bull’s ‘Creepy Christmas’ event. He didn’t get much sleep last night in his van in The Bull car park. Afterwards Alan tells Lynda if she can put Mick’s performance together at such notice, it’s still possible to put on a village panto. But Lynda thinks that’s a tall order. Joy says there’s a panto in Felpersham this year, perhaps they could put on a trip to that instead. Mick appears, exhausted by his performance and ready to head back to his van for some sleep. Joy suggests he stays at hers instead for a trial run over Christmas. Mick agrees, as long as it isn’t because she feels sorry for him.
Later Alan finds Gavin in the bus shelter waiting to hitch a lift. Lynda’s shocked when she passes by and sees him. She hurries off and Alan offers Gavin a lift back to his hostel.
SUN 19:15 The Documentary (w3ct7hsy)
Ready to transmit
Stephen Coates travels to Tunisia to meet contestants in the International Morse Code championships in Tunisia. For a week, they will face each other off tapping at tiny Morse machines so fast that it sounds almost like a sung language.
The Belarusians are the team to beat. But the Romanians are hot on their heels. And you never know what the Albanians might pull off at the last minute. Or the competitor who has just arrived from Tokyo.
It's a polyglot community. "Yet we all speak the same language," says the organiser Ashraf Chaabane.
Morse was the first instant communication technology. It changed the world almost 200 years ago. Its words are composed of just dots, dashes and spaces, transmitted in electrical pulses of sound or light. It can travel by vibration, touch and even be knitted. Anyone can learn it in just a few weeks. In the age of cell phones and instant messaging, Morse still has a magic.
Producer: Monica Whitlock
A Storyscape production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001r7xq)
Breathe Through Your Nose
Take a nice deep breath in… through your nose. It’s a simple way to get healthier gums, a better memory, and improved lung function. How? Well, it may partly be due to a special molecule called nitric oxide. Michael Mosley speaks to Professor Jon Lundberg from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden who made the fascinating discovery that nitric oxide is produced in your nose and travels to your lungs where it has some surprising benefits, including boosting oxygen uptake and possibly helping you fight off infections. Our volunteer Joe tries out a few tips to make nasal breathing a habit.
New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB
Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0025l2j)
The Archers scam week. The End of Short Cuts. The Naked Week
A raft of scam-themed programming went out across BBC channels last week, with the aim of raising awareness about the hoaxes often found hidden in plain sight. Long running drama The Archers fulfilled the brief wholeheartedly as visitors to Ambridge found themselves hoodwinked into buying fake holiday lets online, with unpleasant consequences. But did listeners think it was believable?
Short Cuts, Radio 4's experimental programme showcasing short documentaries is being taken off the airwaves after the end of the current series. There's been an outcry from the audio production community as it is how many programme makers get their Radio 4 debut. Andrea talks to Talia Augustidis, one of the audio makers behind a petition pushing back on the changes, and Charlotte Petts, a listener and freelance audio producer.
The Naked Week, the new Friday evening comedy, has been launched, and presenter Andrew Hunter Murray joked about Feedback listeners getting in touch about the programme's debut. That's exactly what they did, and here's what they said.
Finally, veteran broadcaster Mishal Husain announced that she will be leaving the Today Programme this month. Listeners contacted us to wish Mishal well, after almost 25 years at the BBC.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0025lbq)
Vicky Stone, Penny Chuter, Clifton Wharton Junior, Peter Sinfield
Matthew Bannister on
Vicky Stone, the film maker who travelled to the remotest parts of Africa to make her award winning wildlife documentaries.
Penny Chuter the medal winning rower who became coach of the GB team.
Clifton Wharton Junior, the first black chancellor of a primarily white US university, the first African American to run a Fortune 500 company and the first to become Deputy Secretary of State.
Peter Sinfield who wrote lyrics for King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Leo Sayer, Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Archive: Art in the Board Room: Honoring the Wharton Legacy, Dr. Judith Stoddart, MSU Research, 1971; How America's Involvement In The Vietnam War Led To Protests | Our History, Our History, ITV, 1991; The Queen of Trees OFFICIAL, Narrated by Ian Holm, Deeble & Stone, Uploaded to Youtube, 3.
05.2014; THE ELEPHANT QUEEN Official Trailer HD (2019) Documentary, Apple TV+ | Future Movies Starring : Chiwetel Ejiofor Directed By : Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone, Uploaded to Youtube
11.10.2019; Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble on The Elephant Queen, Apple TV+'s documentary feat Chiwetel Ejiofor The Upcoming. Interviewer: Ezelle Alblas Editor: Filippo L'Astorina, uploaded to Youtube,
11.11.2019; Wildlife on Two : Devilfish, BBC 1,
06.10.1991; Rowing Chat with Penny Chuter, Rowing Chat, 8.
10.2017; Don't Call Me Shirley - Airplane! (9/10) Movie CLIP (1980); THE GREAT MATCH 1979:TERRY GRIFFITHS WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPION
23.04.2004
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0025src)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0025v9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0025sr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0025vbv)
Iain Watson and guests look ahead to the next week in politics
Iain Watson speaks to former Middle East minister Alistair Burt about the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and discusses the implications with his panel: Labour MP Polly Billington, Conservative Richard Holden and Tim Montgomerie from Reform UK. Jason Groves - political editor of the Daily Mail - analyses domestic political developments, including government plans to reform the way Whitehall and public services operate. The programme also includes an interview with Debbie Abrahams, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, about a new inquiry into pensioner poverty.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m0025l1q)
Nizami Ganjavi
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the greatest romantic poets in Persian literature. Nizami Ganjavi (c1141–1209) is was born in the city of Ganja in what is now Azerbaijan and his popularity soon spread throughout the Persian-speaking lands and beyond. Nizami is best known for his Khamsa, a set of five epic poems that contains a famous retelling of the tragic love story of King Khosrow II (c570-628) and the Christian princess Shirin (unknown-628) and the legend of Layla and Majnun. Not only did he write romances: his poetry also displays a dazzling knowledge of philosophy, astronomy, botany and the life of Alexander the Great.
With
Christine van Ruymbeke
Professor of Persian Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge
Narguess Farzad
Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS, University of London
And
Dominic Parviz Brookshaw
Professor of Persian Literature and Iranian Culture at the University of Oxford
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Laurence Binyon, The Poems of Nizami (The Studio Limited, 1928)
Barbara Brend, Treasures of Herat: Two Manuscripts of the Khamsah of Nizami in the British Library (Gingko, 2020)
Barbara Brend, The Emperor Akbar’s Khamsa of Nizami (British Library, 1995)
J-C. Burgel and C. van Ruymbeke, A Key to the Treasure of the Hakim: Artistic and Humanistic Aspects of Nizami Ganjavi’s Khamsa (Leiden University Press, 2011)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. P.J. Chelkowski), Mirror of the Invisible World: Tales from the Khamseh of Nizami (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. Dick Davis), Layli and Majnun (Penguin Books, 2021)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. Rudolf Gelpke), The Story of Layla and Majnun (first published 1966: Omega Publications, 1997)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. Rudolf Gelpke), The Story of the Seven Princesses (Bruno Cassirer Ltd, 1976)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. Julie Scott Meisami, The Haft Paykar: A Medieval Persian Romance (Oxford University Press, 1995)
Nizami Ganjavi (trans. Colin Turner), Layla and Majnun (Blake Publishing, 1997)
Dominic Parviz Brookshaw, Hafiz and His Contemporaries: Poetry, Performance and Patronage in Fourteenth-Century Iran (Bloomsbury, 2019)
Julie Scott Meisami, Medieval Persian Court Poetry (Princeton University Press, 2014)
Asghar Seyed-Gohrab, Layli and Majnun: Love, Madness and Mystic Longing in Nizami’s Epic Romance (Brill, 2003)
Kamran Talattof, Jerome W. Clinton, and K. Allin Luther, The Poetry of Nizami Ganjavi: Knowledge, Love, and Rhetoric (Palgrave, 2000)
C. van Ruymbeke, Science and Poetry in Medieval Persia: The Botany of Nizami's Khamsa (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0025c05)
Paul by Francesca Reece
Cleo's mother is 84. And she's just told her daughter that she's got engaged to the man who came to fix the porch. As Cleo rushes to work out what's going on, she'll encounter a scam that's harder to unravel than she thought...
A witty and moving short story by award-winning writer Francesca Reece, read by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.
MONDAY 09 DECEMBER 2024
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0025vbx)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m0025l5l)
France: trouble on the vine
Low harvests, economic and climate batterings, changing tastes - is French wine in crisis? The French wine harvest has dropped 18% in one year. For some famous French wine-making regions the reduction has been much more. A combination of factors, including climate, finances and changing drinking habits has brought some wine-makers to the brink. Thousands of hectares of vineyards are being pulled up. Others are struggling to survive. For Crossing Continents John Murphy travels to Bordeaux and Languedoc - the world’s biggest wine-making region - to find out what is going on with wine, France’s most symbolic of products.
Producer: Alex Last
Studio Mix: Rod Farquhar
Programme Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0025sss)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025vbz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025vc1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025vc3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0025vc5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025vc7)
Coltrane’s ‘Love Supreme’
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. I confess to being something of a jazz fan. I have two saxophones at home and have been known to play them on occasions in Church. One of my favourite musicians is the great American saxophonist John Coltrane and it was on this day some 60 years ago, that he recorded his best-known and most influential album, ‘A love supreme’. It’s a striking piece, a Jazz suite in 4 parts which is explicitly spiritual in concept, evidenced in the titles of each section, Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance, Psalm. In the sleeve notes, Coltrane, acknowledges the spiritual origins of his piece.
He recalls how in the year 1957, ‘I experienced by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life’ and gave him the grace to make people happy though his music. It’s that grace and praise which he offers, together with his fellow musicians, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, in ‘A love supreme’, recorded in just one afternoon in December 1964. Coltrane would go on to record other explicitly spiritual albums in the short time before his early death in July 1967, but it is ‘A love supreme’ which really made a connection with the wider world, and for which he is best remembered. He was not the kind of musician to make a Christmas record, but ‘A love supreme’ is richly aware of the presence of God with us. So perhaps we can conclude this reflection with the prayer which Coltrane himself offered.
‘May we never forget that in the sunshine of our lives, through the storm and after the rain – it is with God – in all ways and forever. ALL PRAISE TO GOD.’
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0025vc9)
Fruit and veg importers say a shortage of government inspectors at ports is reducing the shelf life of products and the current system risks spreading plant disease. At the end of April, the Government introduced its new Border Target Operating Model, a post-Brexit system of biosecurity checks for goods entering the UK. It means products classed as high or medium risk have to be physically checked, including live animals and meat, as well as fruit and vegetables and some plant products. The Government built a checking facility at Sevington in Kent, and said they’d take a pragmatic approach to implementing the checks to avoid queues. Other companies have also built private inspection points, where they too use government inspectors. The British Association of Tomato Growers say they're seeing significant delays in seeds getting to farms and the logistics company, PML Seafrigo, told Farming Today they regularly see consignments of fruit which should be inspected waiting too long for government inspectors to arrive, only to been 'green lit' without a check.
Dairy farming is at a tipping point and many may leave; that's the warning from the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers. Its chair Robert Craig says farmers will need confidence to invest for the future, and at the moment many don't have it.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
MON 05:57 Weather (m0025vcc)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m0025vp8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0025vpb)
Security threats and future prospects for Britain and the EU
Sir Alex Younger is the former head of MI6, Britain’s secret intelligence service. He assesses the evolving security risks facing Britain in the 21st century, and how the country continues to build strategic partnerships and intelligence agreements in a fracturing world. Younger ran MI6 during President Trump’s first administration and reflects on prospects for ‘the special relationship’ in the second.
With tensions between the US and China, increased economic protectionism and the war in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the Head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, Armida van Rij, believes European security and economic prospects appear fragile. And this comes at a time of political polarisation throughout the continent.
After Britain finally left the EU in 2020 following the Brexit vote it was feared that it would be Britain that was isolated and vulnerable. Not so, claims the journalist Ross Clark, in his forthcoming polemic, Far From Eutopia: Why Europe is failing - and how Britain could do better (published 23rd January 2025). Clark pinpoints the absence of economic growth and huge disillusionment about high migration throughout Europe, and how Britain is surpassing many of its former continental partners. But questions still remain about how Britain will fare – on its own – on the global stage.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Dementia: Unexpected Stories of the Mind (m001kx98)
Dave
Neurologist Jules Montague and William Miller explore cases of rare dementias to reveal dementia is not what we think it is.
Dr Jules Montague is a dementia specialist, and William has personal experience of its impact having cared for his father, theatre director Jonathan Miller, who died of Alzheimer’s in 2019. Together they explore the science behind the symptoms and the poignant and extraordinary ways in which families navigate their lives as a result of these conditions.
In this episode, they meet Dave and his wife Gill. In 2020 Dave was diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies - or DLB. This dementia is commonly misdiagnosed at first because of its unusual symptoms. Hallucinations are a typical feature of this condition and cause Dave to see rabbits and cats in his living room, even though he knows they aren’t there.
Details of organisations offering information and support with dementia are available at the BBC Action Line here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Y8B7y39T07GnTlMsLPJG2S/information-and-support-dementia
Producer: Eve Streeter
Original music: A Brief Encounter by Max Walter
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0025vpd)
Syria, Raising a family in the UK, Lisa O’Neill
What does the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria mean for both the present and future of women on the ground? Nuala McGovern is joined by Chief Foreign Correspondent at The Times, Christina Lamb, and Senior Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and member of the Women's Advisory Board to the UN special envoy to Syria, Dr Rim Turkmani.
Journalist Rhiannon Picton-James says you couldn’t pay her to have another child in the UK – because she believes it’s a ‘cruel and unfriendly’ country. Is she right? What are we doing wrong? Rhiannon joins Nuala in the studio to discuss, along with comedian Esther Manito.
The rivalry between silver-screen icons Bette Davis and Joan Crawford is the stuff of legend, a decades-long battle sparked by both professional and personal resentments. Now the story is being told in a re-boot of the play Bette & Joan, now showing at the Park Theatre in London. Greta Scaachi, who plays Bette, and Felicity Dean, who plays Joan, join Nuala to tell us more about the pair’s infamous relationship.
Lisa O’Neill is an internationally renowned singer-songwriter who has built a reputation internationally for her unique folk sound and powerful song writing. Lisa joins Nuala to speak about the women who have inspired her, why she puts messages of social justice in her music, and to perform live in the studio.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lottie Garton
MON 11:00 County Lines (m0025vpg)
Episode 3: Hope
This highly personal series investigates how criminal networks systematically exploit vulnerable young people, transforming them from ordinary schoolchildren into drug dealers through manipulation, violence, and trauma. An estimated 50,000 children in Britain have been groomed into county lines drug trafficking, yet their stories remain largely hidden.
Phoebe McIndoe is both journalist and sister to someone caught in county lines and, in this final episode, she widens the lens to understand how austerity and social breakdown created fertile ground for county lines to flourish. From youth club closures to a crumbling care system, she considers how the loss of community safety nets left children vulnerable to exploitation.
Through conversations with activists and those leading innovative solutions, she asks what must change to break this cycle of exploitation and rebuild the protective networks our children need.
Presented by Phoebe McIndoe
Produced by Phoebe McIndoe and Redzi Bernard
With original music by Phoebe McIndoe
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
MON 11:45 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vpj)
Episode 1. A Poisoning
Alexei Navalny was the fearless political figure who was an outspoken critic of the ruling regime in his beloved Russia. After three years in prison he died in a brutal Siberian penal colony. Read by Benedict Cumberbatch, this is his life in his own words.
From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his humour, his zest for life and his convictions.
Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, and the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.
Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
MON 12:00 News Summary (m0025vpl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m0025vpn)
Airbnb Refunds, Garden Centres and AI Christmas Lists
It can be a nightmare trying to figure out what to buy for people at Christmas - so can AI come to the rescue? We put it to the test and ask how useful it might be for retailers.
If you're due a refund from Airbnb - watch where you're clicking if you want to receive it in cash.
We also hear why you need to watch our for scams if you're using social media to complain about a company - and as Dobbies looks to close 10 of its branches, how are garden centres changing?
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
MON 12:57 Weather (m0025vpq)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m0025vps)
Celebrations continue in Damascus after Assad's fall
As thousands of refugees head back to Syria following the ousting of President Assad, we hear from his exiled first cousin, and from a man who was held in one of Syria's most notorious prisons. Plus, we assess this year's nominations for the Golden Globe film awards.
MON 13:45 Shadow World (m0025vpv)
The Willpower Detectives
The Willpower Detectives - Ep 1. The Doorstep Stranger
Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help in finding out how one man has taken control of the finances of scores of vulnerable people.
This is the hidden scandal of Power of Attorney.
In Hertfordshire towns, people who live alone are disappearing. Their neighbours are wondering why they’ve not seen them, or if they might have died.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money.
It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them.
The series looks at the loopholes that allow it to happen and the relationship between care homes, social workers and a business taking on a huge number of powers of attorney. It begins with the concerned friends and relatives who want to know what has happened to their neighbour or loved one; Where have they gone? And why has their home been emptied and sold?
This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0025vbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Hennikay (m001g35x)
Series 1
4. Going Home
Bill Bailey stars as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who, after 45 years, and for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay.
Things have come to a head for Guy. He has lost his job, he’s running out of money and, most worrying of all, his 11-year-old imaginary friend, Hennikay, is still a very permanent – and annoying – fixture in his life. No matter how hard he tries to persuade him that he doesn’t exist, he just can’t get him to leave.
And so in a last-ditch attempt to understand why his old friend has returned from his childhood and just what he wants, Guy decides to go back home to where it all started and see his Mum – who unfortunately for him, is not imaginary.
Over the years Guy has found that trips back to his boyhood home never go smoothly, but this one becomes spectacularly rocky. As mother and son share some uncomfortable home truths, family skeletons are dragged out of cupboards and Guy gets stuck in a bush.
As always, Hennikay is there to save the day and this time in the most unexpected way. Because, as he tells Guy, just because he’s imaginary, doesn’t mean he’s not real.
Cast:
Guy – Bill Bailey
Tony – Dave Lamb
Marika – Elizabeth Carling
Sheila - Miranda Richardson
Hennikay – Max Pattison
Written by David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:45 Marple: Three New Stories (m001g92t)
Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths
Murder at the Villa Rosa (Part 1)
Agatha Christie’s iconic detective is reimagined for a new generation with a murder, a theft and a mystery where nothing is quite what it seems.
Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths
An author who has travelled to the Amalfi coast with murder on his mind barely notices the genteel old lady who is also a guest at the villa...
Read by John Heffernan
Abridged and produced by Eilidh McCreadie
Almost 50 years since the publication of Agatha Christie's last Miss Marple novel, 'Marple: Twelve New Stories' is a collection of ingenious stories by acclaimed authors who also happen to be Christie devotees.
MON 15:00 Great Lives (m0025vpx)
Doug Allan on Captain Jacques Cousteau
Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was an oceanographer, filmmaker and explorer who made the seas a subject of fascination for millions.
During his time in the French Navy, Cousteau co-invented the Aqua-Lung: the first self-contained kit that allowed a diver to breathe underwater. This and his fascination with capturing images of the subaquatic world paved the way for a career filming the first underwater documentaries.
Travelling the seas with his trusty crew on their boat, the Calypso, Captain Cousteau in his trademark knitted red cap became a household name; thanks to shows including his TV series ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’. He came across as a charming and eloquent showman - but his life wasn't without its tragedies and controversies...
Nominating Cousteau is wildlife cameraman and and trained biologist Doug Allan, whose career filming animals, primarily in polar regions and underwater, was hugely inspired by the Frenchman. Doug says: "There's a mischievousness about him that he carried thorugh his whole life... I think he was just a really powerful, charismatic character."
The presenter is Matthew Parris and the producer for BBC Studios Audio is Lucy Taylor.
MON 15:30 History's Heroes (m0025vpz)
History's Youngest Heroes
History's Youngest Heroes: 1. Nelson Mandela and the Defiance Campaign
Before he became a world leader, how did Mandela as a young activist first attempt to overthrow the South African government to end apartheid?
Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.
A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
Producer: Suniti Somaiya
Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby
Assistant Producer: Elaina Boateng
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
MON 16:00 Missing Pieces: The Lesbian Mothers Scandal (m0025vb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0025sr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m0025vq2)
People in Syria adjust to life after President Assad
Foreign Secretary David Lammy warns of a moment of danger, despite welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025vq4)
The government took the decision less than a day after the fall of the Assad regime
MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0025vq6)
Series 82
Episode 1
Radio 4's multi-award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’ promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family.
The series begins at the Great Hall in Exeter where Lee Mack and Miles Jupp are pitched against Tony Hawks and Caroline Quentin, with Jack Dee in the role of reluctant chairman.
Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0025vhj)
Natasha and Tom chat about plans for Pat and Tony’s 50th wedding anniversary on Thursday. Tom confirms that Pat just wants a quiet family celebration along with their weekend break. Natasha then brings up the subject of buying Kirsty’s house. She’s been looking at some mortgage deals and reckons they could afford to buy it. Tom agrees it would be nice to have somewhere bigger, but he’s in no rush to move.
Later Natasha catches up with Kirsty, who tells her about Gavin turning up yesterday. He’d seen her house was for sale and Kirsty wonders if he feels he’s entitled to something from it. When Natasha is dismissive of this, Kirsty explains that both she and Gavin were taken in by Philip. Gavin’s his son – maybe he should have some of the proceeds from the sale. But Natasha’s clear Kirsty doesn’t owe Gavin anything.
Robert’s in a tense mood and Lynda correctly guesses it’s because she bumped into Gavin last night. Robert can’t believe that Gavin would dare show his face in Ambridge, he should still be in jail. Alan visits to check how Lynda is after the shock of seeing Gavin out of the blue. Alan points out that Gavin’s remorseful and wants to meet Lynda to tell her how sorry he is. Robert is completely against this and is amazed Alan even asked. When Alan goes, Robert’s furious but Lynda’s pensive, wondering if it might be healing for her. Robert’s having none of it and heads off with Monty for a walk.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0025vq9)
Kelsey Mann on Inside Out 2, Humphrey Bogart documentary, Susan Chardy
Disney's hit Inside Out 2 film explored youthful emotions to incredible success as the film is not only the highest grossing film of 2024 but it's also the most successful animated film of all time. Director Kelsey Mann explains how they made it.
Humphrey Bogart remains one of Hollywood's most iconic screen stars and new the new documentary Bogart: Life Comes In Flashes looks at his life and career through the five women who had the greatest impact on him, including the equally iconic Lauren Bacall. The film's director Kathryn Ferguson and the film historian Pamela Hutchinson explore Bogie's enduring appeal.
Tom talks to Susan Chardy, the star of new Zambian comedy-drama On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, who won Breakthrough Performance at last night's British Independent Film Awards.
And the Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw talks about today's Golden Globe nominations, which celebrates the best in film and television.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Ruth Watts
MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0025l2l)
What’s going on in Syria?
In under two weeks Syrian rebels have moved through the country and taken Damascus - bringing to an end 50 years of rule by the Assad family. The country borders Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, and in which Iran and Russia take the most active of interests.
So why did the government of Bashar Al Assad fall so fast, who are HTS the rebels who toppled him, and what does it mean for the region and the world?
Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and the Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC.
Lina Khatib, Director of the SOAS Middle East Institute.
Chris Phillips, professor of international relations at queen Mary’s university, an associate at Chatham House and author of The Battle for Syria.
Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar, Neva Missirian
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0025l2n)
Fact-checking the Bovaer backlash
Some social media users have been pouring milk down the drain and chucking their butter in the bin in protest over a new additive in cow feed that claims to reduce methane emissions.
The online posts, attacking Arla Food’s trial of Bovaer with three big supermarkets and 30 farms in the UK, have had millions of views.
So, what do we know – what is this additive and how is it going to tackle burpy cows? And what is the evidence it is safe?
We interrogate the science with Sharon Huws, professor in animal science, and food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond...
Also this week, are billionaires really deserting Earth for space? What is the upshot for our plastic waste problem after global talks on a treaty ended in failure? And why, just why, are orcas being spotted wearing salmon hats?
Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m0025vpb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Mythical Creatures (m001tj0l)
3. Water Demons
Fantasy writer Rhianna Pratchett takes us across an enchanted British Isles to discover mythical creatures that lurk in all corners of the land. She finds out what they can tell us about our history, our world and ourselves.
Rhianna explores the dark world of water demons, from Jenny Greenteeth in the North of England to kelpies – shapeshifting water horses – in Scotland. She hears chilling details of their activities and their purpose but also learns what can be used for protection against these fearsome creatures.
Storyteller: Lari Don
Contributor: Mark Norman
Presenter: Rhianna Pratchett
Producers: Lorna Skingley and Sarah Harrison
Executive Producer: Mel Harris
Production Manager: Nikki Cannon
Original Music by Ben MacDougall
Sound Design and Mixing: John Scott
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0025vqc)
Syria's political prisoners are freed after Assad deposed
The leader of the main Islamist rebel group in Syria has met the former prime minister to coordinate the transfer of power, a day after President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia. At the same time, desperate families of political prisoners detained in one of Syria's most notorious prisons flooded the facility to find their loved ones. The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher was among them.
The British government says it'll follow the lead of European countries and pause asylum applications for Syrians.
And police in the United States have arrested a man in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
MON 22:45 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (m0025vqf)
6: 'Do you think we've bred a monster?'
The stunning new novel from Booker Prize-winning author, Alan Hollinghurst.
Dave Win, the son of a British dressmaker and a Burmese man he’s never met, is thirteen when he wins a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities lie ahead, despite the vicious bullying of his wealthy classmates. Worst of these is the brutish Giles Hadlow, whose parents sponsored the scholarship and who seem to prefer Dave to their ruthless son.
Our Evenings follows Dave from the 1960s through to the Pandemic: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture; a talented actor on the road with an experimental theatre company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Moving in and out of Dave’s orbit are the Hadlows. Estranged from his parents, Giles directs his privilege into a career as a powerful right-wing politician, whose reactionary vision for England threatens Dave’s own stability. And finally, as the Covid Pandemic hits, the two men’s lives and values will collide in a cruel shock of violence.
Today: As Dave's acting career takes off in seventies London, love and passion finally blossom...
Reader: Steve John Shepherd is an actor of English, Burmese and Chinese ancestry. He is best known for his TV roles in This Life and East Enders.
Writer: Alan Hollinghurst
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
MON 23:00 Limelight (p0clfhtg)
English Rose - Series 1
English Rose - Episode 5: Daddy Issues
By Helen Cross. Maya is excited by her new life and potential, but she has a lot to learn. Restraint for one thing. Rose is worried that Gulliver's family will want to steal him and The Others will try to kill him. Delphine isn't returning her calls. And then there's Austin, who knows her secret.
Eighteen year old Rose has travelled from Whitby to New York to work as nanny to a glittering but secretive family. It’s a culture shock and Rose has had to devise ways of dealing with unwelcome male attention. But it turns out she is quite capable of looking after herself: bloody revenge is her speciality. She's not like the other girls. And Gulliver is no ordinary baby. This is a world not just of champagne, but shadows, where all is definitely not as it seems. Stylish and surprising fantasy horror with a comic twist, starring Alexandra Mardell (Coronation Street) and Demetri Goritsas (Ten Percent).
With music by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Mercury-nominated band, Porridge Radio.
Rose ... Alexandra Mardell
Maya ... Miranda Braun
Austin ... Demetri Goritsas
Siobhan ... Deirdre Mullins
Delphine ... Yasemin Özdemir
Randy ... Michael Begley
Art Guy ... Mathew Durkan
Beatrice ... Alexandra Hannant
Newsreader ... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jason ... Joseph Tweedale
Mam ... Jane Thornton
Including the voices of Jo Makel, Paul Murphy, James Hoggarth, Freya Pollaidh, Augusta Chapman, Becky Ripley and Ben Casswell.
Original music written and performed by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Porridge Radio, and produced, mixed and engineered by Sam Yardley.
Sound design by Ilse Lademann
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0025vqh)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Westminster as the foreign secretary tells MPs that Syria is at a crossroads.
TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2024
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0025vqk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025vqm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025vqq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025vqv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0025vqz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025vr3)
Confronted by Barth
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. One of my theological heroes is the great Reformed theologian Karl Barth who died some 46 years ago today. In his early years he was a combative figure challenging the liberal theology which he believed had led the Church astray and unable to face the crisis engulfing Europe in World War 1. More recently his reputation has been challenged by the revelation that his colleague Charlotte von Kirschbaum was not just his assistant but also his long-term partner. But when the rise of Nazism led to a second crisis across Europe, it was Barth’s insistence that theology should listen to the Word of God and not to men speaking in a loud voice that enabled him to offer leadership to those in the Church resisting Hitler. For this he was thrown out of Germany and back to Basel in his native Switzerland.
There he found a friendship with a young Catholic scholar Hans Urs von Balthasar which would profoundly affect both their theological works. This renewed ecumenical engagement would in turn lead Barth to play a significant role in the newly formed World Council of Churches, through which he offered a fresh vision of how the Church might recover its mission with a clearer focus on Christ. Barth appears listed among the saints in the Calendar of the Episcopal Church of America to be remembered as a ‘Pastor and theologian’. T here is something deeply appropriate in the reminder he offers as we reflect on the day’s news, that the Christian preacher must always ‘hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in another’.
Almighty God,
We thank you for the life and work of Karl Barth, and his reminding us of that simple but profound truth that goes to the heart of Christian faith, that ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, because the Bible tells me so.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0025vr6)
10/12/24 Avian flu bounce back, methane emissions, intensive dairy
Turkey farmers are at full stretch across the country, as they get their birds ready for sale. Two years ago it was a very different picture when avian flu hit the poultry industry. In November 2022, the British Poultry Council said the UK had lost 40% of its free-range turkey flock. We visit a producer in Norfolk who lost thousands of birds to the disease. This year, he's back on his own farm, rearing thousands of free-range birds once more.
A House of Lords Committee says agriculture must do more to reduce methane emissions. A report by the Lords' Environment and Climate Change Committee says almost half of the UK's methane emissions come from farming, mostly from livestock. It says farmers need support to use both traditional and high-tech solutions, to 'keep up the momentum' in achieving methane reductions.
This week we're taking a look at the challenges dairy farming faces, from labour shortages to reducing emissions. An AHDB Levy Board survey in April this year showed a 5% fall in dairy farmers since 2023, but milk production is up as farms get bigger. We visit a third generation dairy farmer who milks hundreds of cows in an intensive dairy system.
Presenter - Anna Hill
Producer - Rebecca Rooney
TUE 06:00 Today (m0025vgw)
10/12/24 - What happens next in Syria?
Mishal Husain and Emma Barnett explore how Syria will be run after the fall of President Assad - with reporting from inside Syria, analysis from Jeremy Bowen and an interview with a woman whose two brothers, father and grandfather were all taken from their home by Assad's forces.
The UK's Border Security minister, Dame Angela Eagle, explains what impact the overthrow of Assad will have on Syrian asylum claims.
And a 26 year-old man has been arrested in a McDonald's branch and charged with murdering a US health insurance executive, after a week-long manhunt.
TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m0025vgy)
Gwen Adshead - Four Questions about Violence
Does Trauma Cause Violence?
How best do we understand how to manage powerful emotions such as rage, fear and shame? With very rare access, Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead gives her third Reith Lecture inside HMP Grendon, where she talks to prisoners and staff, and asks the question: “Does trauma cause violence?”
Does being a victim of violence in some circumstances make you more likely to become a perpetrator of violence? Was WH Auden right when he wrote in 1939 ‘Those to whom evil is done do evil in return’?
The Reith Lectures are presented and chaired by Anita Anand.
Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Clare Fordham
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0025vh0)
Childcare, Returning to Syria, Inclusive wigs after chemo
A new analysis on the quality and quantity of childcare provision in England has revealed that the huge expansion of free childcare currently underway is at risk of not delivering for poorer families, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children. Author of the report Jodie Reed and Phoebe Arslanagic-Little, Head of the New Deal for Parents at Onward, join Nuala McGovern to discuss.
People in Syria are still celebrating in the streets after Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power at the weekend. For many, the regime change is personally life-changing, especially those who fled the country and now feel like it’s safe to return home. One of those is the BBC’s very own Middle East Correspondent Lina Sinjab, who was forced to leave in 2013 after multiple arrests and threats. Now, she’s back in Damascus, working freely as a journalist for the first time in many years. She tells Nuala what that's like.
A new Spanish-language film, Sujo, examines the life of an orphan in Mexico after his father, a cartel gunman, is killed. It’s a fictional look into the real-life implications of cartel violence for people living in certain parts of Mexico, and it shows the key roles that women play in trying to help this young man move through his life. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez are the co-directors and they join Nuala to discuss it.
After going through chemotherapy for breast cancer, hairdresser Anastasia Cameron was told at a salon in Wales that they didn’t offer Afro wigs. She joins Nuala to discuss her experience and how she’s now helping other women in similar situations with her own wig business.
TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m0025lcp)
Rhodri Marsden and Yazz Ahmed head from Bahrain to Japan
British-Bahraini Flugelhorn and trumpet player Yazz Ahmed and writer and musician Rhodri Marsden bring their instruments to the studio to add the next five tracks with Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe. The musical patch will lead them from the Caribbean to Springfield, Bahrain, Japan and a controversial optimistic slice of British humour.
Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Jump in the Line by Harry Belafonte
The Simpsons Theme by Danny Elfman
Ala Wain by Majaz
Ue o Muite Arukō (Sukiyaki) by Kyu Sakamoto
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle
Other music in this episode:
Money (That's What I Want) by Barrett Strong
Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela) by Hugh Masekela
Jump In the Line by Woody Herman
Labor Day by Lord Invader
Banana Boat (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte
Midnight Special by Harry Belafonte
Main Titles from Beetlejuice soundtrack by Danny Elfman
Magic Moments by Perry Como
Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
Give a Little Whistle from Pinocchio by Cliff Edwards and Dickie Jones
TUE 11:45 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vh2)
Episode 2. Love
Alexei Navalny was the fearless and outspoken Russian opposition leader. Today, he recalls the early years of his political career, and finding the love of his life. Benedict Cumberbatch reads.
From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his sense of humour, his zest for life and his convictions.
Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.
Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0025vh5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m0025vh7)
Call You and Yours: Christmas Spending
In this week's phone-in we're asking: How clever are you being with your cash this Christmas?
Retail sales in the run up to the festive season have been sluggish with predictions of a "cautious Christmas" from many analysts. Sales of clothing and gifts have been performing particularly badly. So with just 15 days left until the big day, we want to know whether you're doing things differently this year? Have you cut back on excess? Have you changed where you shop and what you buy? Perhaps you've called time on giving gifts to grown ups - no more panic buys or returning things you didn't want?
Whether you're planning to spend less but still stay festive, or if you're a savvy shopper who plans ahead to still go big - we'd love to hear from you.
You can join the conversation by emailing us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please include your number so we can call you back.
And after
11am tomorrow Tuesday 10th December you can call us on 03700 100 444.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0025vh9)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0025vhc)
The UN calls for Israel to pull back troops from inside Syria
UN special envoy to Syria calls on Israel to withdraw troops. We speak to Israel's deputy foreign minister.
TUE 13:45 Shadow World (m0025vhf)
The Willpower Detectives
The Willpower Detectives - Ep 2. A Trust Betrayed
Maisie was struggling to cope and thought giving someone control of her finances would help: she later regretted signing that Power of Attorney order and tells Sue Mitchell why.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money.
It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0025vhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0025vhl)
The Heat of the Sun
A new radio play by Viv Groskop.
Betty bought her beloved place in the sun in Alheurin, high in the mountains above Malaga, in the late 1980s. A few years later she moved over there completely and ran a successful and much admired holiday rental management business. She is one of a wave of Brits who made their home in Spain, working hard in anticipation of an early retirement in the Spanish community she knows and loves.
Now in her 70s, Betty finds herself victim of a situation she had not anticipated - sunny Spain is suddenly a little bit too, er, sunny.
This summer, as temperatures hit 45 degrees, Spain’s health minister warned that the country’s tourism industry was under threat — and cautioned that if tourism numbers continue as they have been, local infrastructure would not be able to support the numbers. Betty can see it’s already happening. The area where she lives is experiencing water shortages. Air conditioning firms are overwhelmed in the extreme heat.
Maybe she could manage all this if one big thing wasn’t changing. Her brother Andy and his wife, Sue - who Betty persuaded to come out here years ago - are contemplating heading home to their grandchildren.
Betty has never been lonely in this place. But if they go…
Cast:
BETTY - Joanna David
SUE - Jane Slavin
ANDY - Ian Conningham
PILAR - Jacey Salles
SARAH - Rebecca Birch
Produced and directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m0025vhn)
Lost Futures
Time capsules and yesterday's dreams of tomorrow, Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures exploring lost futures.
That’s Merely an Adjective
Produced by Zara Karschay
Time Play by Chelsea Kigano, Lily Sloane, Lilia Vega, and Emily Shaw
Originally made as part of The 24-Hour Radio Race from KCRW's Independent Producer Project
Music and sound design by Lily Sloane, with Time Ain't Gonna Make Me Stay by Ed Andrews
Special thanks to David Lee
Letters
Produced by Mika Golubovsky and Sasha Borzenko
Featuring Zehnya Feldman and Natasha Zotova
Higher Ground
Produced by Leila Goldstein
Featuring Winda Safitri, Yoppi and Naya Hidayatul Alialna
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
Produced by Axel Kacoutié
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m0025vhq)
Armour of God
Imam Asim Hafiz, the first Muslim chaplain to the British Armed Forces and an Islamic advisor for the Ministry of Defence, who has been working with the armed forces since 2004 discusses the many changes which have seen attitudes towards his role shifting according to the political climate and Mandeep Kaur, who was appointed as the first and only Sikh Chaplain for the entire British Armed Forces, reflects on why the idea of military chaplaincy may seem like a difficult job to take on and the impact of the role within faith communities.
There are approximately 260 regular and 58 reserve chaplains across the armed forces. They serve personnel dealing with the pressures of being away from home, working in hostile environments and dealing with life and death decisions. How has the service evolved to support the broad range of beliefs represented in the armed forces? And how can religious belief really be balanced with the very real possibility of military action leading to loss of life?
To discuss Giles is joined by Roger Hutton, President of Defence Humanists and former Ministry of Defence Director International Security, Dr. Sunil Kariyakarawana, the first Buddhist Chaplain to the British Armed Forces, and the Revd Joanna Jepson, an Anglican priest and a Chaplain to the British Army.
Producers: Alexa Good and Linda Walker
Editors: Tim Pemberton and Chloe Walker
TUE 16:00 Poetry Please (m0025vhs)
Michael Sheen
Actor Michael Sheen is best known for playing major public figures but he's also a great lover of poetry. In this edition of Poetry Please he joins Roger McGough to choose some of his favourite poetry that has also been requested by listeners to the programme.
Michael selects poetry by Dylan Thomas including the so-called 'lost' poem A Dream of Winter. As a child Michael says Thomas' work was in the ether and an early memory is of hearing Richard Burton reading the poems.
His other choices include works by RS Thomas, Tom Hirons, Ted Hughes and Robert Graves
Producer: Maggie Ayre
TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m0025vhv)
Murdoch loses 'succession’ battle, killing of a US CEO and why tycoons get up at 4am
David Yelland and Simon Lewis assess one of the biggest fan-hitters in the history of the media industry - Rupert Murdoch’s failure to win the legal battle to control who takes the reins of his media empire. What does this defeat mean for the world’s most famous media mogul and his legacy?
Also, in the wake of the shocking, fatal shooting of healthcare executive Brian Thompson in New York and the online reaction to it, how might this tragic event reshape the way business leaders relate to the world?
And – when Disney CEO Bob Iger says he’s up at
4am, should we take notes? Why do so many business leaders go public with their early-bird morning routines?
Producer: Eve Streeter
Assistant Producer: Ella Blaxill
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 17:00 PM (m0025vhx)
Syria appoints a new prime minister
Syrian rebels name Mohammed al-Bashir as the country's interim prime minister - following the toppling of Assad's regime. On PM, we speak to Ambassador Dennis Ross, who advised three US presidential administrations on Middle East policy.
Also on PM: as OpenAI releases a new gadget, we put an AI podcast generator to the test.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025vhz)
UN calls for attacks to stop; Israel says it must prevent "terrorist" threat to citizens
TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m0025vj1)
Series 2
4. CAR T-cells, Ritual, Water, Crying
Joining Kiri this week are Dr Claire Roddie who retrains cells to fight cancer using revolutionary, game-changing CAR T-cell therapy, and comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri who finds spiritual healing in water. Dr Lindsey Fitzharris takes comfort in rituals both historical and present-day to help her remember her grandmother Dorothy Sissors, and Rev Benjamin Perry explains how crying can be the best medicine.
Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.
Each week, Kiri challenges panellists to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention, to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.
Whether it’s origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it’s always something worth celebrating.
Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Featuring: Fatiha El-Ghorri, Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Rev Benjamin Perry and Dr Claire Roddie
Written by Laura Claxton, Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse
Producers: Tashi Radha and Ben Worsfield
Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones
A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0025vj3)
Ruth and David drive along a country lane and chat about Rewilding Ambridge’s plans to introduce beavers. David’s concerned because he’s seen lots of stories about beaver damage. They spot Leonard who’s cycling towards them and give him a friendly honk. But when they look back to check if he saw them, see that he’s crashed.
Alan drives Lynda along the same country lane where Alan worries about upsetting Robert yesterday. He checks that Lynda’s sure she doesn’t want Robert to know that they’re going to see Gavin. But she’s very clear; Robert would only try to stop her if he knew. They’re stopped in their tracks when they spot Ruth and David helping shell-shocked Leonard out of a ditch.
After checking everything's ok with Leonard, Lynda and Alan head on to a café where Gavin explains how sorry he is about the explosion at Grey Gables. He hopes that if Lynda hears how his life’s been destroyed by it too, it might help her. But Lynda says his suffering can’t give back what was taken from her and lists the physical and mental impact on her. She doesn’t want Gavin to punish himself, but she can’t forgive him either. He needs to forgive himself. Although they can’t change what happened, they can accept it and try to move on.
Ruth and David take Leonard to A and E where they discover that he’s fractured his wrist. As Ruth and David debate whether they could cope with Leonard staying with them while he recovers, Leonard informs them that Jill’s insisting he stays at Brookfield.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0025vj5)
Daniel Craig and Luca Guadagnino, Public Service Broadcasting perform live
Daniel Craig and Luca Guadagnino talk about their new film Queer, which is based on the William S. Burroughs novella about a love affair between an aging alcoholic and a young discharged serviceman in post-war 1950s Mexico City.
Public Service Broadcasting perform The South Atlantic from their latest album The Last Flight, which is themed around the pioneering American pilot Amelia Earhart who disappeared in 1937 whilst attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world.
Could the late Agatha Christie soon be heard narrating her own audio books? The audio publishing industry is currently wrestling with the creative, ethical and regulatory implications of the increasing using artificial intelligence. Samira explores the issues with Jon Watt, Chair of the Audio Publishers Group and Audio Director at Bonnier Books UK and Dr Kerry McInerney from Cambridge University and co-host of the Good Robot Podcast.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Claire Bartleet
TUE 20:00 Today (m0025vj7)
The Today Debate
What will the world look like in 2025? Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests, in front of a live audience in the BBC's Radio Theatre, to discuss the year ahead.
TUE 20:45 In Touch (m0025vj9)
Safety on the London Underground, Coming Out Twice
Transport for London describe what plans they have for making the London Underground system safer for blind and partially sighted passengers. This follows a recent incident involving Lord Blunkett falling between a train and the platform edge. Nick Dent, TfL’s Director of Customer Operations, describes their plans and how quickly they can be implemented.
Elaine Macgougan, from Belfast, describes the notion of feeling like she is having to 'come out twice' to the people she meets. Firstly as visually impaired and then as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
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 of 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 Crossing Continents (m0025vjc)
Mining the Pacific – future proofing or fool’s gold?
Climate change is intensifying, sea levels are rising and the very existence of low-lying Pacific Islands is under threat. The Cook Islands, though, has a plan to assure their peoples’ future. Enter deep sea mining, harvesting metallic nodules on the bottom of the sea floor for use in things like electric car batteries and mobile phones. Its supporters say it’s a climate change ‘solution’- a better alternative to mining on land. And one that could make Cook Islanders very rich indeed. Its detractors worry we’re messing with its Moana - or ocean – with no real idea of the impacts. Katy Watson travels to Rarotonga to find out how islanders feel about searching for ‘gold’ on the sea floor.
Producer: Lindle Markwell
Presenter: Katy Watson
Studio Manager: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy
TUE 21:30 Rory Stewart: The Long History of... (m0021cbt)
Ignorance
Ignorance: 4. Ignorance in Politics
We prize knowledge, and rightly so. We think of ignorance as a bad thing. But ignorance is inseparable from what we know.
Knowledge can distract us, mislead us and endanger us. While ignorance is often the most fundamental insight about our human condition. Ignorance is not simply the opposite of knowledge, but a positive force with its own momentum that gives meaning to our lives. It drives scientific discovery, fosters creativity and can be psychologically helpful.
That’s why Rory Stewart wants to make a radical case for embracing ignorance. He wants to encourage a way of knowing in which knowledge and ignorance exist in a relationship with each other.
With a cast of global thinkers, drawing on Western and Eastern ideas from the ancient world to the present day, Rory explores how a greater awareness and appreciation of ignorance can help us become more clear-thinking, humble, empathetic and wise.
Writer and presenter: Rory Stewart
Producer: Dan Tierney
Mixing: Tony Churnside
Editor: Tim Pemberton
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
Readings by Rhiannon Neads
Contributions across the series from:
Alex Edmans - Professor of Finance at London Business School.
Ani Rinchen Khandro - a life ordained nun in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Annette Martin - Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Antony Gormley - sculptor.
Carlo Rovelli - Theoretical physicist and Professor in the Department of Physics at Aix-Marseille University.
Daniel DeNicola - Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania – and author of ‘Understanding Ignorance: The Surprising Impact of What We Don't Know’ (2018).
Daniel Whiteson - Professor of Physics at The University of California, Irvine.
Derek Black - Author of ‘The Klansman’s Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism’ (2024).
Edith Hall - Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History, at Durham University.
Fabienne Peter - Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick.
Felix Martin - economist and fund manager.
Iain McGilchrist - Psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar.
James C. Scott - Anthropologist and Sterling Professor Emeritus in Political Science at Yale University.
Jay Owens - Author of ‘Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles’ (2023).
John Lloyd - Television and radio comedy producer and writer.
Jonathan Evans, Baron Evans of Weardale - Former Director General of MI5.
Karen Douglas - Professor of social psychology at the University of Kent.
Mark Lilla - professor of humanities at Columbia University, New York City and author of ‘Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know’ (2024).
Martin Palmer - Theologian, sinologist and translator of Daoist and Confucian texts.
Mary Beard - Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge.
Michael Ignatieff - Professor in the Department of History at Central European University in Budapest and former Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Neil Hannon - singer-songwriter and frontman of The Divine Comedy.
Nicholas Gruen - policy economist and social commentator.
Rik Peels - Professor of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and author of ‘Ignorance: A Philosophical Study (2023)’.
Robert Beckford - Theologian and Professor of Climate and Social Justice at the University of Winchester.
Rowan Williams - Theologian and former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sandrine Parageau - Professor of Early Modern British History at Sorbonne University and author of ‘The Paradoxes of Ignorance in Early Modern England and France’ (2023).
Stuart Firestein - Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, New York City and author of ‘Ignorance: How It Drives Science’ (2012).
Tom Forth - data scientist, Head of Data at ‘Open Innovations’ and co-founder of ‘The Data City’.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0025vjf)
Syrians call for justice as political transition continues
13 years after the Syrian Civil War began, and with Assad now removed from power, people in the country are finally able to ask questions about the atrocities that took place in that time and what became of their loved ones. We speak to two women, cousins, who are searching for a male relative who disappeared into the Assad regime's prison complex. We also ask about the risk of an ISIS resurgence amid the uncertainty of Syria's political transition.
"Completely unjust and an insult to the intelligence of the American people", the words shouted out by the man charged with murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare as he was escorted into court.
And have we misunderstood Munch? The Norwegian painter known for works like The Scream had a more sociable side, which we explore with one of his biographers, whose godmother became one of his subjects.
TUE 22:45 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (m0025vjh)
7: 'You're very bad.'
The eagerly awaited new novel from Booker Prize-winning author, Alan Hollinghurst.
Dave Win, the son of a British dressmaker and a Burmese man he’s never met, is thirteen when he wins a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities lie ahead, despite the vicious bullying of his wealthy classmates. Worst of these is the brutish Giles Hadlow, whose parents sponsored the scholarship and who seem to prefer Dave to their ruthless son.
Our Evenings follows Dave from the 1960s through to the Pandemic: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture; a talented actor on the road with an experimental theatre company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Moving in and out of Dave’s orbit are the Hadlows. Estranged from his parents, Giles directs his privilege into a career as a powerful right-wing politician, whose reactionary vision for England threatens Dave’s own stability. And finally, as the Covid Pandemic hits, the two men’s lives and values will collide in a cruel shock of violence.
Today: A thrilling new affair with a rising star in the theatre, forces Dave to confront the issue of race.....
Reader: Steve John Shepherd is an actor of English, Burmese and Chinese ancestry. He is best known for his TV roles in This Life and East Enders.
Writer: Alan Hollinghurst
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m0025wy4)
The Production Crush Problem
Is 60 too old to develop a crush? Not if you're working closely with a handsome stranger on a amateur dramatics show, it seems. Meanwhile, the programme takes a foodie turn with a worry about when 'splitting the bill' gets abused, and another asker is worried about her boyfriend's table manners in front of her fussy parents.
Every week, Now You're Asking with best-selling author Marian Keyes and writer/performer Tara Flynn opens the programme's email inbox and pulls out some interesting puzzles, queries and conundrums. Everything gets read, then we do our best to pick as wide a range of Asks to answer as we can. And hopefully amuse and entertain along the way. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve the biggest - and smallest - of the things that keep us awake at night.
Earlier series of Now You're Asking were welcomed by listeners and critics:
"Both are warm and kind enough to not only be funny but also offer genuinely thoughtful, if left-field, advice." (Miranda Sawyer, The Observer)
"Keyes and Flynn are my new favourite double-act." (Jane Anderson - Radio Times)
"I found their compassion endlessly soothing." (Rachel Cunliffe - The New Statesman)
We have been inundated with emails since the last series but everything gets read and we're always on the lookout for new questions, queries and conundrums to include on the show. Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0025vjk)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the government about Storm Darragh.
WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER 2024
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0025vjm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025vjp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025vjr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025vjt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0025vjw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025vjy)
Children and climate change
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. It’s not been an easy time for Greta Thunberg since she was chosen as Time magazine’s Person of the Year on this day in 2019, following her electrifying speech at the United Nations Climate Action summit. The hope had been that the child of another generation might shame political leaders into more serious action to address climate change. But events over the last 5 years have not turned out as positively as she and her young colleagues had hoped. The COP process seems to be stuttering, the Paris targets seem unlikely to be met, and there are increasing fears that the incoming government of the world’s largest economy, the United States, will pull out of the whole process altogether.
In the meantime the world continues to get warmer, with scientists suggesting that we may already be about to reach the 1.5° increase in temperature which was the Paris goal, and the impact of extreme weather becomes ever more difficult to ignore, whether in the recent devastating floods in Spain or the increasing number and severity of storms across the Caribbean. Is there anything that can be done about this? Perhaps it’s here another child can help us. For Christmas isn’t just a time for children; it’s about a child who is born into this world – and not just any child, but one whom Christians believe to be the Son of God. The gospels are clear that Jesus comes not to judge but to save the world; but also that we will not be saved ‘apart’ from the rest of creation but only ‘as part’ of it. Maybe that’s a message we need to be reminded of in these last 2 weeks before Christmas.
Heavenly Father,
In the good news of Jesus’ birth, you show us the depth of your love for us and for this your world. Help us to learn how to cherish it for its goodness and to share it with all others for whom it is home.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0025vk0)
11/12/24 Welsh budget, new agri-environment schemes, farmers protest, international trade, dairy farmers.
The Welsh government has delivered its budget. Wales received an extra £1 billion from Westminster in the autumn budget which means that all departments have seen seen an increase in the money available to them. There's a 6.6% increase in revenue and a 31% increase in capital funding for climate change and rural affairs. The Welsh government says it's prioritising support for agriculture by maintaining the budget for the main farm subsidy, the Basic Payment Scheme, at £238m next year, with an uplift too in the funding available for wider rural investment schemes.
DEFRA has announced a new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme is to open next year, with quarterly payments and a rolling application window. There are also new schemes for flood resilience, species abundance and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. However, some farmers are still angry about changes to inheritance tax announced in the budget and are staging a tractor rally in London.
Donald Trump may not become President until next year but he's already indicated clearly his approach to trade: he's talked about increasing tariffs on imports into the US and protecting American farmers. At the same time, the UK government is drawing up closer ties with the European Union. With war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, it's a challenging time for global trade. So how will the UK's food producers be affected, and how do we make ourselves competitive in such a disrupted global market?
All week we're taking a look at the dairy industry. Although milk production has been maintained across the UK, the number of individual dairy farms has fallen.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
WED 06:00 Today (m0025w52)
11/12/24 - 'UK can't build its way out of prisons crisis'
The Justice Secretary tells the Today programme that you cannot build your way out of the prison crisis. Even with plans to create 14,000 more prison places in England and Wales, Shabana Mahmood says that jails will still be full in three years. Nick Robinson visits one model prison - HMP Stocken - with the Justice Secretary.
Jeremy Bowen reports from inside Syria on life after the fall of President Assad's regime.
And why the under 35s are starting to send more Christmas cards, following years of declining sales.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m0025w22)
Volunteering for Freedom
As a young man Mohammed, or MFA Zaman arrived in Britain from Bangladesh with a working visa, a patron and a job lined up as a chef. On arrival all the promises of a bright future turned to ashes. His patron confiscated his documents and put him to work. It was a punishing schedule. He then discovered that his boss had tried and failed to get him a Visa extension, meaning that he was working illegally.
But at this lowest of low ebbs in his life, Mohammed decided that he needed to do something - and that something was to volunteer at an old people's community club in Lewisham, near where he was living. For three hours a week every Tuesday, he helped serve the elderly visitors. He talked to them, befriended many of them and they, in turn, started to show him that London wasn't all bad. It was a Life Changing decision and it would lead eventually to him being a volunteer at the London Olympics and a representative of London at the Paris Olympics. But clearing his name and proving to the authorities that he had done nothing wrong and was the victim of modern day slavery was a massive challenge.
Producer: Tom Alban
WED 09:30 The Gift (m00255x3)
Series 2
6. Superdonor
The donor conceived people turning to at-home DNA tests for answers.
It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future.
In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe.
For the second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database.
Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide?
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Conor Garrett
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Editor: Philip Sellars
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0025w54)
Women triathletes, Imani Erriu and romantasy, Prostitute's caution
A new report from SheRACES and Fund Her Tri UK has found that women triathletes can experience unacceptable harassment at events. It also showed that women competitors struggle with the lack of toilet facilities and changing facilities. Sophie Power is an ultrarunner and founder of SheRACES – she joins Nuala McGovern to tell us more about the report and the change they hope to make.
A lawyer representing several alleged victims of Sean 'Diddy' Combs says the potential number of civil legal cases against the musician "is probably in the 300 range". The BBC's Mark Savage reminds us of the allegations against the US rapper. Mr Combs has denied all the charges against him.
Campaigners are calling for an end to the “Prostitutes Caution”, saying it’s preventing women leaving sex work behind them. The caution stays on record for 100 years and there’s no appeal possible. A new report from the English Collective of Prostitutes says two thirds of women they surveyed who’d been given one found it hard to get a different type of job. Nuala talks to spokesperson for the ECP, Laura Watson, and MP for Nottingham East Nadia Whittombe, who’s backing the campaign for a change in the law.
Imani Erriu’s Heavenly Bodies Trilogy has taken TikTok by storm. With its mix of romance and fantasy, it’s inspiring a new generation of readers. She shares her journey from self-publishing to viral success and the magic behind her stories.
Women in Afghanistan have been banned from midwife and nurse training under a reported new Taliban decree. What impact is this having on those women? And what about the further impact on the health of women and children in Afghanistan? Nurse and journalist Bahaar Joya tells us more.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
WED 11:00 Today (m0025vj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:45 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025w56)
Episode 3. The Beautiful Russia of the Future.
Before his death in February, 2024, Alexei Navalny was the fearless and outspoken Russian opposition leader. Today, he sets out his political vision for a Beautiful Russia of the Future. Benedict Cumberbatch reads.
From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his sense of humour, his zest for life and his convictions.
Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.
Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
WED 12:00 News Summary (m0025w58)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m0025w5b)
Home Completions, Vinted and Christmas Markets
We'll be spending £2bn on 2nd hand items as gifts this Christmas, and homes sales are up as buyers try to beat the rise in stamp duty, but why does the process take so long?
WED 12:57 Weather (m0025w5d)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m0025w5g)
Prison space may run out despite government's expansion plans.
As the government publishes its strategy to deal with overcrowding in prisons, we'll hear from prisons minister Lord Timpson. In Syria, rebels have taken control of a key city in the east of the country, we'll ask what this means for the Kurds. Plus, how best to win at Christmas board games.
WED 13:45 Shadow World (m0025w5j)
The Willpower Detectives
The Willpower Detectives - Ep 3. My Dying Wish
Sue Mitchell tracks what happens when a rock and roll roadie leaves his estate to his closest friends. They become increasingly concerned that things aren't being properly handled.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
This series examines how one man has taken control of the finances of scores of vulnerable people and also acts as executor on many wills. By tracking recent cases through national databases, Sue Mitchell meets friends and relatives of some of those who have died and examines concerns about the way that things were handled.
This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK
Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0025vj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0025w5l)
Lenin Forever!
Inspired by true events, Orlando Wells' irreverent and anarchic comedy tells the story of two scientists tasked with embalming the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin for public display.
It's 1924. Lenin is dead. Stalin has seized power and his shadow falls over the lives of millions of Russians. A group of senior Bolsheviks, the self-proclaimed Immortalisation Commission, request the services of two scientists to aide their cause: ensure the Revolution’s survival by building a shrine to their deceased messianic leader. The country's future hangs in the balance; the Communist regime is still in its infancy and a personality cult might be instrumental in legitimising Russia's new overlords. Although it has never been done before, the scientists are under no illusion of the consequence of failure.
Vladimir . . . . . Matthew Steer
Boris . . . . . Ashley Margolis
Faina . . . . . Rhiannon Neads
Krasin . . . . . Kenneth Collard
Dzerzhinsky . . . . . David Hounslow
Lenin . . . . . Gyuri Sarossy
Nadya . . . . . Ruth Everett
The guitarist is Ian Dunnet Jnr.
Studio managers: Peter Ringrose and Alison Craig.
Sound design: Peter Ringrose.
Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly.
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.
Orlando Wells is a writer and an actor. Lenin Forever! is his first radio play. He has also written five original theatre plays: The Winter Room (RSC fringe festival), Cold Enough, The Tin Horizon (Theatre 503), Four Days in Hong Kong (The Orange Tree) about Edward Snowden’s exposure of the NSA’s spy programme, and The Woodcutter’s Tale. He adapted Patrick Hamilton’s The Duke in Darkness for the Chiswick Playhouse; and co-wrote the libretto for the experimental opera, Triptych, at the Print Rooms and Wilton’s Music Hall. He was a series-writer for the animated children programs Xolight and Noksu.
WED 15:00 Money Box (m0025w5n)
Money Box Live: How to give to Charity
The British public is expected to donate close to £3bn to good causes over the festive season according to research from the Charities Aid Foundation.
If you are giving this year, how can you make sure all of your money gets to your favourite charity or if the charity is even real?
We'll be considering the different ways to give and giving advice on how to avoid scams as well as hearing from some charities about how they're faring.
Felicity Hannah is joined by David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charities Commission for England and Wales and Philippa Cornish, Head of Charities at the Charities Aid Foundation.
She also chats to best friends and super fundraisers Hughie and Freddie, who have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Children's hospitals.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Sarah Rogers and Catherine Lund
Researcher: Emma Smith
Editor: Jess Quayle
(This episode was first broadcast at
3pm on Wednesday the 11th of December 2024)
WED 15:30 Pipping a Plant Pandemic (m0025w5q)
How do you stop a plant pathogen ripping through our farms and gardens? Pippa Greenwood follows the front line scientists defending our herbivorous economy.
Nearly everyone on earth remembers the disruption, damage, and of course deaths, resulting from the 2020 Sars CoV-2 spread, but have you ever considered what would happen if plants suffered a similar wave of deadly infection?
As humans, our lives and economies are completely dependent on the wellbeing of plants. From the major food crops (both our foods and animal feed), to timber and textiles.
Pippa Greenwood has spent most of her adult life fascinated by plant pathogens and the vulnerabilities of our crucial crops.
For this programme she has travelled to the front line of the UK's efforts to monitor, predict and prevent disease entering the country and the scientists working full time to keep our farms and nurseries safe. From the docks and ports, to the importers, the inspectors and the labs that make up the UK safety net, she describes quite how much goes on without most of us knowing. And finds some simple ways in which we can all play our part.
Presented by Pippa Greenwood
Produced by Alex Mansfield
WED 16:00 The Media Show (m0025vwp)
Media in the new Syria, how to be an online investigator, can you copyright a vibe?
Kholoud Helmi, co-founder of independent Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi and reporter Edmund Bower discuss the fall of the Assad regime. We hear about claims of misconduct at one of the world’s largest LGBT media platforms. Mia Sato from The Verge and influencer Michael McWhorter examine how online communities responded to the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO and we discuss a controversial lawsuit about the ownership of social media aesthetics. Plus Benjamin Strick, an expert in open-source intelligence, reveals simple tools to uncover the truth behind online content.
Guests: Kholoud Helmi, founder of Syrian independent newspaper Enab Baladi; Benjamin Strick, Investigations Director, Centre for Information Resilience; Josh Parry, BBC journalist, LGBT and Identity; Mia Sato, Platforms & Communities Reporter, The Verge; Michael McWhorter, social media influencer known as Tizzy Ent; Edmund Bower, freelance reporter covering Syria for The Times
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson
Assistant Producer Lucy Wai
WED 17:00 PM (m0025w5s)
Sara Sharif: father and stepmother guilty of 10-year-old's murder
Father and stepmother of Sara Sharif are found guilty of the ten-year-old's murder. The man who conducted review after baby P's death gives his reaction.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025w5v)
The 10-year-old girl was found dead at her home in Surrey last year
WED 18:30 You Heard It Here First (m001ypty)
Series 2
'This is such a good game!'
Chris McCausland asks Lucy Beaumont and Daliso Chaponda to take on Mel Giedroyc and Ben Shephard. Lucy Beaumont believes a game where guests figure out the emotions of dogs just from the sounds they're making, is the best game ever. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
A BBC Studios Production
An EcoAudio certified production
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0025vw1)
When Robert tells Lynda that Gavin turned up to sniff around his dad’s old house, Kirsty’s not sure that’s true as Gavin hasn’t asked for any money. Lynda’s jumpy and Robert wonders if she’s ok as she’s been like that since she got back from the Christmas Market yesterday.
Later Lynda tells Kirsty that she met Gavin yesterday, but didn’t want Robert to know. She thought Gavin looked utterly broken and full of remorse, like he was seeking some kind of redemption. Kirsty admits she felt the same when she saw him and wonders whether he deserves a second chance.
Later when Lynda confesses to Robert about seeing Gavin, he’d already guessed. Jim had seen Lynda having a lift in Alan’s car. He apologises to her saying he’s been selfish and hopes it was healing for her. Tearful Lynda admits she wanted to forgive Gavin, but she couldn’t. Especially when she has to look at her scars every day. But Robert says they remind him what a remarkable woman he married. They agree they’re lucky to have each other.
David’s surprised when Leonard thanks him for agreeing to help pack up his bungalow but then discovers that Jill had volunteered him. David reluctantly agrees to go, even though there’s so much to do on the farm. Leonard takes ages packing up his things and David’s shocked at how much Leonard wants to bring, including his Fiddle Leaf Fig plant! Later when David’s grouchy about Leonard to Jill, she reminds him how special Leonard is to her; he’s given her so much she never expected to have.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m0025w5x)
Jesus and Mary Chain, The politics of pantomime & Video games of the year
Brothers William and Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain talk to Kirsty Wark about the ups and downs of their career in music.
Plus a discussion on the politics of pantomime,
And the video games of the year.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m0025w5z)
Is democracy still the 'least worst' form of government?
After decades of despotism, Syria is facing an uncertain but cautiously hopeful future - though many are sceptical about the sort of government that will replace the dynastic Assad regime. While Syria has endured 13 years of civil war, another shock has been the unravelling of South Korea, formerly a beacon of stability, with the president's short-lived attempt to declare martial law. And then there is Donald Trump looking to pardon the US Capitol rioters, who wanted to overthrow the government on January 6th 2021. Even in liberal democracies, it seems, power is above the law. So much for the moral superiority of democracy?
What does all this say about us? Surveys suggest democracy doesn't matter as much to younger generations. Strongman authoritarians abound and are admired across Europe and beyond. Meanwhile in the UK, the gap between the share of votes won in the 2024 general election and the share of Parliamentary seats is the largest on record.
Is democracy still the best, most efficient and most moral from of government?
Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: James Orr, Ella Whelan, Giles Fraser and Tim Stanley
Witnesses: Sam Ashworth-Hayes, Rhiannon Firth, Robert Griffiths and Erica Benner.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producer: Ruther Purser
Editor: Tim Pemberton
WED 21:00 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
WED 21:30 The Conflict (m0025w61)
Middle East
Leaders: What Is Ariel Sharon’s Legacy?
We look back on the region’s history and discuss what it can teach us about the future.
Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully curated panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the conflict in the Middle East.
What has happened in history to lead us to this point? And, what can history teach us about what might happen next?
This week, Jonny is joined by Dr Ahron Bregman, from King’s College London, and the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen.
In the second of two special episodes, they focus in on the former Israeli leader, Ariel Sharon. Last week’s episode covered another leader who bestrode the modern Middle East - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
This episode was made by Keiligh Baker and Eleanor Harrison-Dengate. The technical producers were John Scott and Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
This episode is part of a BBC Sounds series. The discussion was recorded at
15:00 on Friday 6 December 2024.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0025w63)
What lessons can be learnt from Sara Sharif murder case?
The father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have been convicted of her murder. She died after years of physical abuse. We examine the lessons the authorites should learn from the case - and ask a clinical psychologist what drives parents to harm their children.
The UN secretary general has described the overthrow of the Assad regime as a moment of hope - while his envoy to Syria has called for an inclusive transition to avoid a new civil war. We hear how ordinary Syrians are feeling about the future - and ask whether a new government in Damascus can hold together the country's different factions.
And the Government's plan to abolish hereditary peers is debated - in the House of Lords.
WED 22:45 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (m0025w65)
8: 'We were at school together.'
The eagerly awaited new novel from Booker Prize-winning author, Alan Hollinghurst.
Dave Win, the son of a British dressmaker and a Burmese man he’s never met, is thirteen when he wins a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities lie ahead, despite the vicious bullying of his wealthy classmates. Worst of these is the brutish Giles Hadlow, whose parents sponsored the scholarship and who seem to prefer Dave to their ruthless son.
Our Evenings follows Dave from the 1960s through to the Pandemic: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture; a talented actor on the road with an experimental theatre company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Moving in and out of Dave’s orbit are the Hadlows. Estranged from his parents, Giles directs his privilege into a career as a powerful right-wing politician, whose reactionary vision for England threatens Dave’s own stability. And finally, as the Covid Pandemic hits, the two men’s lives and values will collide in a cruel shock of violence.
Today: at a literary festival, Dave comes face-to-face with his old bully, Giles, Hadlow, now a rising-star MP....
Reader: Steve John Shepherd is an actor of English, Burmese and Chinese ancestry. He is best known for his TV roles in This Life and East Enders.
Writer: Alan Hollinghurst
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
WED 23:00 Sarah Mills' Bad Bod Squad (m0025w67)
Episode 4- Wonky
Sarah Mills' comedy guide to dealing with a fallible and embarrassing body.
Since losing part of her bowel comedian Sarah Mills has used a stoma bag. She might tell you that having a bag attached to her belly to collect her poo has made her unembarrassable, but the truth is she has always been completely shameless. Now, with the assistance of her outrageously candid celebrity guests, she wants to smash the taboos around bodily malfunctions and help us all banish bodily embarrassment for good.
Recorded in her home town of Stevenage, in this this week’s episode, Wonky, Sarah explores, bodily eccentricity, with writer, comedian and actor Eshaan Akbar.
Created and written by Sarah Mills
Starring Sarah Mills with special guest Eshaan Akbar
Recording Engineer and Editor: Jerry Peal
Recording Assistant: Guy Thomas
Script Editor: Zoe Tomalin
Associate Producer: Antonia Gospel
Executive Producer: Alan Nixon
Production Manager:
Co- Producers: Gordon Kennedy and Sarah Mills
Recorded in front of a live audience at Stevenage Lytton Players Theatre
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
Additional information on issues in this episode:
https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk
https://actionhearingloss.org.uk/
https://rnid.org.uk/
WED 23:15 Bunk Bed (m001nvzp)
Series 10
1. Patrick Marber, Peter Curran and comic legend Kathy Burke grapple with the wonders and woes of life
The semi-delirious talk show returns. Special guests include British Arts colossus Sir Richard Eyre, and a return of comic heroes Kathy Burke and Jane Horrocks.
In this episode - with Kathy Burke - anger, dribbling during massages, the art of writing, finding a twinkly partner.
'Bunk Bed is funny, strange, enchanting, and beautifully put together.' - The Observer
'Bunk Bed is beloved by broadsheet critics, but don't let that put you off....' - Metro
Produced by Peter Curran
Sound design by David Thomas
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0025w69)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER 2024
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0025w6c)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025w56)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025w6f)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025w6h)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025w6k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0025w6m)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025w6p)
Christmas jumpers
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. Advent is traditionally a time of preparation and in Christian tradition part of this has been considering the serious things which will in time confront us all. But we’re now half way through Advent, and I sense that for most folk there’s a very different kind of preparation underway, an alternative calendar based around office parties, Santa’s grotto & of course Christmas jumpers. You see them about everywhere, brightly coloured confections in acrylic with a cheesy message across the chest. It seems like everyone has to have one, and I even saw a photo of a dinosaur modelling one in the Museum of Natural History. So I was not surprised to discover that today has been designated ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ (alongside National Ambrosia and Poinsettia Days!)
However, a bit more research led me to discover that there is more to this than just a bit of festive fun. Having a ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ may seem a little silly, but there’s a more serious cause behind it. It’s actually intended as a charitable initiative, where people are encouraged to put on some ‘festive knit wear’ whether at work or home or school and then encouraged to make a donation to charity. The aim is to have fun, but also to raise money for children in desperate need, both in the UK and around the world. There are plenty of silly jumpers about, but equally there are plenty of children who need our support. So for the sake of a little bad taste, here’s an opportunity to spread a little Christmas cheer to children who really need it.
Loving God,
You invite us to share your joy in the coming of your Son into the world; help us as we celebrate to remember those children and young people who need our support during this Advent time.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0025w6r)
12/12/24 Farmer protests, Efra inquiry into the future of farming, TB and dairy farmers.
The chancellor has 'refused to engage' over concerns about the proposed change to inheritance tax on farms - so says the president of the National Farmers Union who was appearing before MPs, just as hundreds of farmers drove their tractors into London to protest about the tax.
Farmers gathered in central London and in towns and cities across the country in another protest about changes announced in the autumn budget. The House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee opened an inquiry to discuss inheritance tax as part of a wider look at the future of farming.
Our topic this week is dairy farming and today we're looking at a disease which can decimate a dairy herd, TB. In almost 150 years of farming at Strickley, near Kendal, in Cumbria, the Robinson family’s pedigree herd of organic dairy shorthorns has remained TB free. Until last October, that is, when a routine TB test returned the worst possible results. We hear how three generations of one farming family have dealt with their cattle’s TB diagnosis and its aftermath.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
THU 06:00 Today (m0025vvb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0025vvd)
The Habitability of Planets
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the great unanswered questions in science: how and where did life on Earth begin, what did it need to thrive and could it be found elsewhere? Charles Darwin speculated that we might look for the cradle of life here in 'some warm little pond'; more recently the focus moved to ocean depths, while new observations in outer space and in laboratories raise fresh questions about the potential for lifeforms to develop and thrive, or 'habitability' as it is termed. What was the chemistry needed for life to begin and is it different from the chemistry we have now? With that in mind, what signs of life should we be looking for in the universe to learn if we are alone?
With
Jayne Birkby
Associate Professor of Exoplanetary Sciences at the University of Oxford and Tutorial Fellow in Physics at Brasenose College
Saidul Islam
Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kings College, London
And
Oliver Shorttle
Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Clare College
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
David Grinspoon, Venus Revealed: A New Look Below the Clouds of Our Mysterious Twin Planet (Basic Books, 1998)
Lisa Kaltenegger, Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos (Allen Lane, 2024)
Andrew H. Knoll, Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth (Princeton University Press, 2004)
Charles H. Langmuir and Wallace Broecker, How to Build a Habitable Planet: The Story of Earth from the Big Bang to Humankind (Princeton University Press, 2012)
Joshua Winn, The Little Book of Exoplanets (Princeton University Press, 2023)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m0025vvg)
Reset, NOT Relaunch
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, following Keir Starmer's 'Plan for Change', Helen and Armando look at what a reset actually means. From Jaguar's rebrand to Miliband's Ed Stone, do resets work?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at
9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
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.
An EcoAudio Certified Production.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0025vvj)
Sara Sharif, Netball, Disability stigma, 80s egg donors
The father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have been found guilty of her murder after subjecting her to "horrific suffering" for more than two years. Sara Sharif was described by her headteacher as a much loved pupil, a cheerful little soul who would sing to anyone who would listen. But the authorities failed to realise that she was being tortured by her father, Urfan Sharif, and suffered what the court heard was a daily living hell. Anita Rani talks to Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England and Wales, and Aisha Gill, Professor of Criminology at Bristol University, about why 15 opportunities to save Sara were missed.
IVF is one of the great medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Thanks to its invention, over 390,000 babies have been born in the UK since 1991. 70,000 of which used donor eggs, sperm, or embryos. Elaine Lee was one of the first women in the UK to donate her eggs. She tells Anita about the process then, and what it was like to be one of the first women to donate back in 1987.
This morning it was announced that Baroness Sue Campbell will join England Netball as Chair of their Board. Previously she was credited with taking women's football from niche to mainstream. During her seven years as director of women's football at the Football Association, the number of women and girls playing football doubled, the number of people watching the game quadrupled and there has also been a significant increase in the number of women and girls taking up coaching and refereeing. Baroness Sue Campbell joins Anita to discuss her new role along with Fran Connolly, England Netball CEO.
How do you tackle the stigma and violence faced globally by women with disabilities? Anita talks to Katrina Scior, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Stigma Studies at University College London, who this week is launching a self-reporting survey tool to help prevent discrimination. The project is led by UN Women and the UN Development programme in four places: Moldova, Pakistan, Gaza and West Bank and Samoa.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
THU 11:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0025dvq)
Series 31
Fantastic Elastic
Brian Cox and Robin Ince expand their knowledge of elasticity with Olympian Bryony Page, comedian Jessica Fostekew & experts Dr Anna Ploszajski and Prof James Busfield from Queen Mary University of London.
What makes stretchy things stretch? Together our panel journey through different applications of elastic materials and examine, at the molecular level, what happens when we stretch a material and crucially what causes it to return to its original shape. This is especially pertinent to our guest Olympic and British champion trampolinist Bryony Page who has capitalised on elasticity in her 24 year long career. We discover that the bounce of a trampoline mainly comes from the elasticity of steel and how dependent this is on temperature. Cold temperatures are not only treacherous for trampolines; we explore how the cold proved fatal to the elastic components of both the Titanic and the Challenger space shuttle.
Plus we hear how scientists sometimes just can’t beat nature; natural rubber and spiders silk are two such cases. Anna Ploszajski takes us through some of the more inventive techniques scientists have engineered to produced more of these natural materials, including genetically engineering goats to be milked for silk.
Producer: Melanie Brown
Exec Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani
BBC Studios Audio production
THU 11:45 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vvl)
Episode 4. Returning to Russia
Before his death in February, 2024, Alexei Navalny was the outspoken Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner. After a nerve agent attack which almost cost him his life, the opposition leader makes the decision to return to Russia in January 2021. Benedict Cumberbatch reads.
From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his sense of humour, his zest for life and his convictions.
Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.
Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0025vvn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m0025vvq)
Gap Finders: Superdry co-founder Julian Dunkerton
In 2003 the clothing brand Superdry came to market and not only caught the eye of a young generation with its bright colours and Japanese lettering, but also the biggest celebrities at the time of the launch - with the likes of David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pixie Lott and Kate Winslet often pictured wearing their distinctive clothing.
Julian Dunkerton co-founded the brand, that was born out of his first fashion bus
Presenter: Winifred Robinsoniness Cult Clothing, which started in 1986 as a market stall in Cheltenham. Superdry’s Rapid growth saw them generating over 5000 designs a year, and floating on the London Stock Exchange by 2010.
However, in recent years things haven’t been so good. Julian left the company in 2018, only to return the following year, after a downturn in turnover. Since then it’s not been plain sailing for Superdry, and in 2024 the company pulled out of the London Stock Exchange in a bid to keep the company solvent.
Producer: Dave James
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m0025vvs)
The Sliced Bread Christmas List
The team has gone through over 100 episodes of Sliced Bread, and carved out five popular products that may well be heading down a chimney to you this Christmas.
Greg Foot will share with you the key points from experts we’ve spoken to on Air Fryers, Mascara, Perfume, Running Shoes, and DNA Ancestry Tests - as well as their conclusions in one handy festive slice! We’ve also updated some of the topics too. (The information in this episode was correct at the time of recording.)
And as always, all of 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 (m0025vvv)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m0025vvx)
Major overhaul of England’s planning system
The government sets out how it plans to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years, but councils warn the plans are undeliverable. The NHS warns of a "tidal wave of flu" this winter, and as the cost of coffee rises, how to make your morning cup cheaper.
THU 13:45 Shadow World (m0025vvz)
The Willpower Detectives
The Willpower Detectives - Ep 4. Undue Influence
Pam and Sylvie ask for help finding their friend and warn of the pressure felt to sign Power of Attorney orders. Sue Mitchell helps them search and investigates what has happened.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money.
This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0025vw1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000r3nq)
Lives in Transit
Based on a true story.
Having suffered rape and violence in her native Somalia at the hands of the terrorist cult Al-Shabaab, Asha hands over her few remaining dollars to a trafficker in the hope of finding a life for herself and her daughter in Ireland. But after years of failed asylum applications Asha’s troubles seem no closer to a resolution. Threatened with deportation by the Irish government, Asha flees northwards to the UK, in a desperate attempt to avoid being returned to almost certain death. There begins an endless cycle of to-ing and fro-ing between Britain and Ireland, as neither country seems prepared to accept her claim for asylum. Again and again she is returned to Dublin, (ironically under the Dublin agreement) and again and again she flees north to Belfast to begin her application all over again.
Cast:
Asha Suleman ... Raquel McKee
Thomas ... Jonathan Harden
Interpreter ... Farshid Rokey
Civil Servant ... Ainé McCartney
The Landlord ... Tony Flynn
Yasmin ... Nimmy March
Writer ... Rosemary Jenkinson
Producer ... Eoin O'Callaghan
BBC NI Radio Drama Production
THU 15:00 This Natural Life (m0025vw3)
Hamza Yassin
Martha Kearney meets wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin in a bird hide overlooking reed beds and marshes at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes. He speaks of his childhood growing up in Sudan on the banks of the Nile, with a large extended family and a pet monkey, before he then moved to the UK. He tells Martha about his decision to turn down the chance to study for a dentistry degree in order to become a wildlife cameraman, a dream that led him to move to the west coast of Scotland, where he lived in the back of his car for nine months. He talks about his role as Ranger Hamza (or "Ranger Hamster") for CBeebies, and his admiration for all the children he gets to meet along the way. He also speaks fondly about his time on Strictly Come Dancing, how his dyslexia helped him to learn the moves, and how his dances were inspired by the natural world. As birds fly past hide window, with the London skyline stretching beyond, Hamza speaks of hope in the face of all the difficulties facing our natural world.
Producer: Becky Ripley
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0025v9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m0025vw5)
The Reith Lectures, and more on the Archers and Short Cuts
Andrea Catherwood presents the programme that hears your views on BBC audio.
A new series of The Reith Lectures is underway, presented by forensic psychologist Dr Gwen Adshead. She poses four questions about violence and the prison system - and so two listeners who work in prison services and have lived experience of being in prison visited our VoxBox to give their thoughts on the broadcasts. Paula Harriott, Chief Executive of the charity Unlock, and Marc Conway, CEO of Fair Justice, give their assessment on how Gwen answered her own questions.
And following last week's episode of Feedback many listeners jumped to the defence of a recent Archers storyline featuring a holiday lets scam. But why did some say that it was getting them in the Christmas spirit?
We also heard from more listeners on the end of Short Cuts, the programme that highlights short and experimental audio documentaries by makers from around the world.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m0025vw7)
Will new weight loss drugs save or bankrupt the NHS?
New weight loss drugs known commercially as Wegovy and Mounjaro have been demonstrated to have a big effect in helping people to lose weight, and have recently been approved for use in obesity treatment in the NHS in England. In total, 4.1 million people would meet the criteria to be eligible to take one of these drugs.
That seems fantastic - an end to obesity in our time. The problem is can we afford these drugs without bankrupting the NHS? How badly do we need them?
But will this work? Should we be more ambitious?
Can this help the NHS? Or bankrupt it?
Guests:
John Wilding, Professor of Medicine at The University of Liverpool.
Alfie Slade is Government Affairs Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance
Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow.
Daniel Susskind, Research Professor in Economics at King's College, London.
Dr Ellen Fallows, GP and Vice-President of The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar, Neva Missirian
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0025vw9)
The rising threat of bird flu
More species infected than ever, an uptick in human cases, and some concerning biological modifications. How close are we to a bird flu pandemic?
We digest the last year of bird flu changes with virologist Tom Peacock and public health journalist Melody Schreiber.
Also this week, we address the absurd problem of transporting something that can't be touched, we find out how animals make their epic migratory journeys, and Victoria Gill visits a town which has learnt to ward off a fearsome predator, polar bears.
Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth & Josie Hardy
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
THU 17:00 PM (m0025vwc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025vwf)
The Prime Minister said questions "need to be answered" in the case of ten-year-old
THU 18:30 Michael Spicer: No Room (m0025vwh)
1. The FeeFooVerse. Like Meta, but worse.
Can men called Tim change the world? Is the FeeFooVerse the future? And Gary Oldman is in the studio to talk about the genius of Christopher Nolan.
Social media star Michael Spicer takes on everything that frustrates and angers us, like social media. No Room is his take on current events, alongside character-filled sketches which brilliantly capture everything that provokes us - culture, politics, work...and other people.
Michael is famous for his Room Next Door government advisor character whose withering take downs of politicians have amassed more than 100 million views and helped keep his audience sane in fractured times.
An omnibus edition of episodes one and nine from series one with some new material.
Writer, Performer and Co-Editor: Michael Spicer
Composer and Sound Designer: Augustin Bousfield
Producer: Matt Tiller
A Tillervision production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0025vwk)
Family and friends prepare the Tearoom ready for Pat and Tony’s 50th Wedding Anniversary party. Tony’s had the task of keeping the surprise from Pat, and she’s delighted when she gets there. She can’t believe that Tony managed to keep it a secret from her.
When Mick congratulates Tony on his long marriage, Tony says that he and Pat have weathered many storms, but he wouldn’t have wanted to go through them with anyone else. Talk turns to Mick staying at Joy’s, with Mick explaining that it’s only over Christmas and then they’ll see. But he’s enjoying the home comforts and being with Joy of course. Tony reckons Jolene and Kenton will be rooting for them – they probably can’t wait to get his old campervan off their car park! Elsewhere Joy chats to Tom and Natasha saying it’s a shame Helen’s moving out from next door to her. When Natasha says what a great house it is, Joy suggests that Tom and Natasha move in. Joy heads off to mingle and Natasha points out to Tom that they can’t rent forever; Seren and Nova deserve a bigger house. Tom admits that’s he’s tempted.
Later Pat thanks Tony for a wonderful evening and they reminisce about their early days. And now with a thriving farm and Helen and Tom ready to take it forward for their children, it’s not a bad legacy. They kiss. Looking on Mick and Joy comment that it just goes to show that if you find the right person, you need to hold on to them tightly.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0025vwm)
Review: The Devil Wears Prada, 100 Years of Solitude, The Universal Theory
Samira is joined by novelist Linda Grant and critic Jason Solomons to review the musical version of The Devil Wears Prada with music by Elton John.
We also review the new TV dramatisation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s classic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is released today – how did they manage the magic realism?
And The Universal Theory, a German mystery thriller film about parallel universes.
And we take a look at the use of Rudyard Kipling's 1903 poem Boots, in a new trailer for a new Hollywood blockbuster zombie film.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Corinna Jones
THU 20:00 The Media Show (m0025vwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m0025ss2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Mythical Creatures (m001tj0y)
4. Redcaps
Fantasy writer Rhianna Pratchett takes us across an enchanted British Isles to discover mythical creatures that lurk in all corners of the land. She uncovers what they can tell us about our history, our world and our lives today.
In this episode, Rhianna tentatively heads to Scotland, in search of a small but vicious castle-dweller, that soaks its cap in its victims’ blood – The Redcap.
She explores why stories of such violent creatures originated in a region with its own turbulent past, and finds out how their use has shifted over time.
Storyteller: Graeme Johncock
Contributors: Icy Sedgwick, David C. Weinczok
Additional Voiceover: Neil Hutchinson
Presenter: Rhianna Pratchett
Producers: Lorna Skingley and Sarah Harrison
Executive Producer: Mel Harris
Production Manager: Nikki Cannon
Original Music by Ben MacDougall
Sound Design and Mixing: John Scott
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0025vwt)
The search for Assad's last suriving prisoners
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital Damascus, for the funeral of a well-known activist, tortured and then killed in one of Assad's prisons. We speak to live to one of his friends.
Also tonight:
A huge increase in the number of children being home schooled in England. As the government draws up new rules, we debate whether more regulation of home education is needed.
THU 22:45 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (m0025vwy)
9: 'The lark ascending!'
The stunning new novel from Booker Prize-winning author, Alan Hollinghurst.
Dave Win, the son of a British dressmaker and a Burmese man he’s never met, is thirteen when he wins a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities lie ahead, despite the vicious bullying of his wealthy classmates. Worst of these is the brutish Giles Hadlow, whose parents sponsored the scholarship and who seem to prefer Dave to their ruthless son.
Our Evenings follows Dave from the 1960s through to the Pandemic: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture; a talented actor on the road with an experimental theatre company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Moving in and out of Dave’s orbit are the Hadlows. Estranged from his parents, Giles directs his privilege into a career as a powerful right-wing politician, whose reactionary vision for England threatens Dave’s own stability. And finally, as the Covid Pandemic hits, the two men’s lives and values will collide in a cruel shock of violence.
Today: with Giles Hadlow's hardline policies finding success at the ballot box, Dave faces loss on all sides...
Reader: Steve John Shepherd is an actor of English, Burmese and Chinese ancestry. He is best known for his TV roles in This Life and East Enders.
Writer: Alan Hollinghurst
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m0025vx2)
Nigel Farage, Reform and the Future of British Politics
When Nigel Farage accepted the Spectator’s Newcomer of the Year Award, he suggested that his Reform UK party could get hundreds more MPs at the next election. In this week’s episode Amol and Nick discuss whether that’s possible with BBC political editor Chris Mason and Tim Montgomerie, who founded the Conservative Home website, but recently left the Tory Party to join Reform UK.
He explains why he decided to defect, how his friends in the Conservative Party have reacted and what he thinks can be learned from Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you hit subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you’ll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won’t miss our extra bonus episodes either.
GET IN TOUCH:
* Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346
* Email today@bbc.co.uk
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are 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 has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Nadia Gyane and Molly Higgins. Digital production was by Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0025vx6)
Sean Curran reports as MPs clash over plans to build more homes in England - and the defence secretary apologises to LGBT veterans forced out of the services.
FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER 2024
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0025vxb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025vvl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025vxj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025vxn)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025vxs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0025vxx)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025vy2)
The sound of Christmas number 1's
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Stephen Wigley.
Good morning. For some of us, getting ready for Christmas also means getting ready for a serious bout of Christmas music. We’re just about to enter the busiest week of the year for Christmas carolling, with services and concerts for everyone from Mum & Toddlers groups to local schools and brass bands. Concert halls and theatres have their own Christmas programmes too, with for us in Wales the BBC National Orchestra of Wales putting on a range of Christmas shows and music.
At the other end of the musical scale, there’s another very different musical endeavour underway at this time and that’s the annual release of singles hoping to become a Christmas ‘no.1’. The older among us may recall classics from long ago recorded by artists like Harry Belafonte and Bing Crosby. But in recent years the charts have been dominated by LadBaby and songs about ‘sausage rolls’. It has been very successful in raising money for food bank charities – and it’s a sad reflection that they are still needed more than ever. Nor is the charity theme is being lost this year, as there’s another remake of ‘Do they know it’s Xmas?’ being released with the money raised to be shared with Band Aid. And perhaps that does matter almost as much as the quality of the record. After all, we don’t know what music the heavenly choirs sang on that first nativity, but we do know it contained a message of peace and joy shared by God with all people of goodwill. And I hope that message remains the one we hear during this next fortnight, whatever the volume or quality of the music.
Creator God,
The coming of your Son prompts a song of joy and peace which runs through the heart of your creation; help us as we hear it to share in that message of peace and goodwill which the shepherds first heard.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0025vy6)
A traditional farmers' market in the run-up to Christmas where customers can learn tips on how to cook the food that is on offer from the stalls.
Using lasers and drones to help measure the impact of farming on the environment; and a prison teaching inmates the basics of agriculture to equip them for a career after custody.
Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Alun Beach
FRI 06:00 Today (m0025w17)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m0025v9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0025w19)
Kerry Washington, Ovary removal following PMDD, Women returning to Syria
You might remember Kerry Washington in her iconic role, Olivia Pope, the fixer in TV series Scandal, or perhaps you know her from her many other roles in The Last King of Scotland, Django Unchained and Little Fires Everywhere. In her new starring role, Kerry plays Major Charity Adams, a real-life World War Two hero. She joins Anita Rani live to discuss the film The Six Triple Eight, which tells the story of the only women of colour battalion stationed in Europe during the Second World War.
After struggling with PMDD, or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, for years, writer Sarah Gillespie decided to travel to Lithuania to have her ovaries removed. She joins Reproductive Health Consultant at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, Dr Paula Briggs and Anita to share her story.
Since 2011, over 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes after peaceful protests ended in a government crackdown and brutal civil war. Now the Assad regime has fallen, what is life like for women still in Syria and for those who have been displaced? Can they ever return? Anita speaks to Dr Sophie Alkhaled and Zeina Kanawati.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Laura Northedge
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m0025w1c)
Restaurants: A Survival Guide
Restaurant businesses say it's getting tougher to survive? So what does it take to thrive? Dan Saladino speaks to leading chefs, some successful, others less so.
Featuring Mark Hix, Cyrus Todiwala, Imogen and Kieron Waite, Julian Dunkerton, Simon Rogan and Hugh Corcoran.
Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.
FRI 11:45 Patriot by Alexei Navalny (m0025w1f)
Episode 5. The Prison Diaries
Alexei Navalny, the outspoken Russian opposition leader spent three years in Russian prisons before his death in a Siberian penal colony in February 2024. As he approaches his final days he reflects on his convictions, his country and his family. Benedict Cumberbatch reads.
From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his sense of humour, his zest for life and his convictions.
Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.
Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0025w1h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m0025w1k)
Good Clean Fun
With fans travelling halfway across the country, stars expecting first class flights and venues serving up beefburgers and drinks in plastic cups the worlds of professional sport and live music share a pretty poor reputation for environmental impact. Add in the wasteful habits of high end film and TV productions and it starts to look as though anything that's fun has a disproportionate impact on the planet.
In Liverpool, they're hoping to change all that. The United Nations has asked the city to use its reputation as a hotbed of culture to devise ways to cut the carbon cost of live events and film production. To launch the project the city is hosting a conference and a series of high profile gigs with Massive Attack, Idles and Chic to showcase best practice and spread the word that fun doesn't need to cost the planet.
Helen Czerski and Tom Heap host a panel from the worlds of sports, entertainment and science to discuss a green future for fun, in front of an audience at Liverpool's Exhibition Centre.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
Assistant Producer: Toby Field
Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0025w1m)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0025w1p)
Alleged Chinese Spy with links to Prince Andrew is banned from the UK.
An alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew loses appeal against a ban from the UK, And we discuss the appointment of the new French prime minister.
FRI 13:45 Shadow World (m0025w1r)
The Willpower Detectives
The Willpower Detectives - Ep 5. Rich Pickings
Who do people turn to if they fear that vulnerable neighbours need help, especially when relatives live far away? Sue Mitchell follows cases, hearing from some of those involved.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0025vwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m0025dvy)
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir - Chapter Four: The Missing Child
Aldrich Kemp and the gang are back with some new faces as the race for the mysterious and elusive Rose of Pamir moves from London to Paris, New York to Amsterdam and the Maldives to Tajikistan.
Chapter Four: The Missing Child
Family challenges are coming from all directions as Clara races to a Manhattan rooftop and Mrs Bartholomew visits Themis House.
Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Nakesha – Karla Crome
Sebastian Harcourt & the Dutch waiter – Kyle Soller
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters & Forsaken McTeague – Jana Carpenter
Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt
Lionel – Steven Mackintosh
Selina – Catherine Kanter
Hazlitt - Ben Crowe
Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg.
Sound Design: David Thomas
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Karen Rose
New episodes available on Fridays. Listen first on BBC Sounds
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:45 Something to Declare (m0025w1t)
How to Appreciate What Matters
In this episode, Jack Boswell explores the sacred connection between indigenous Quechua-speaking communities in the Peruvian Andes and their natural environment, offering a profound perspective on how we value what truly matters.
Joining him is Yojana Miraya Oscco, a researcher and member of a Quechua-speaking community, who explains how the mountains, rivers, and land are seen as living relatives. Through rituals and offerings, these communities honour Pachamama - Mother Earth - and maintain a deep connection with the natural world, which sustains their way of life. Yojana shares stories from her childhood, recalling ceremonies that celebrated the land’s abundance and the deep respect her family showed for their surroundings.
Anthropologist Zoila Mendoza also joins Jack to provide context, describing how the Andean worldview is rooted in the belief that humans are just one small, fragile part of a larger cosmic community. She explains how this perspective shapes daily life, fostering gratitude and reciprocity for the gifts of nature. However, these sacred traditions face growing threats from mining and industrial exploitation, which tear apart not only the environment but the cultural and spiritual fabric of these communities.
This episode offers a powerful lesson in appreciating what truly matters. Through the Andean practice of honouring the sacred, Jack learns that recognising the vulnerability of the things we treasure - whether it’s a cherished tradition, a natural space, or a moment with loved ones - can deepen our gratitude and connection to the world around us. By embracing this perspective, we’re reminded to pause, reflect, and hold space for what brings meaning to our lives before it’s gone.
Host: Jack Boswell
Producers: Emma Crampton and Sophie McNulty
Senior Producer: Harry Stott
Executive Producer: Sandra Ferrari
Production Coordinator: James Cox
Audio Supervisor: Tom Biddle
Sound Editor: Alan Leer and Lizzy Andrews
A Message Heard production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0025w1w)
Brunel's SS Great Britain: Ponds, Wardian Cases and Figs
Lawns - to mow or not to mow? What could I use to make my pond visually pleasing and wildlife friendly? Will my two year-old fig tree produce more fruits if I feed it?
Kathy Clugston and a team of experts board Brunel's SS Great Britain in Bristol to answer gardening questions from an audience of novice gardeners. Joining Kathy are garden designers Chris Beardshaw, Matthew Wilson and house plants expert Anne Swithinbank.
Later in the programme, Matthew Wilson meets with head of research James Boyd, and head of interpretation and programming Iona Keen, to learn about the importance of Wardian cases to the horticultural industry.
Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0025w1y)
Solstice by Rachel Dawson
An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the author Rachel Dawson. Read by Emmy Stonelake.
Rohan's best mate Elise is starting a cult. As if A-Levels, UCAS applications and a crush on her friend Sadia wasn't enough, now she's got ancient rituals on her to-do list.
Writer: Rachel Dawson
Reader: Emmy Stonelake
Producer: Alice McKee
A BBC Audio Wales and West Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0025w20)
Wolfgang Stange, Lord Renfrew, Julie Stevens, Mary McGee
Matthew Bannister on
Wolfgang Stange, the director and choreographer who founded the Amici Dance Theatre Company which integrates able bodied and disabled performers. Sir Ben Kingsley pays tribute.
Lord Renfrew, the leading archaeologist who used scientific techniques to challenge the received wisdom in his chosen discipline.
Julie Stevens, the actor who was also one of the earliest presenters of Play School. Johnny Ball shares his memories of working with her.
And Mary McGee, the American motorsport pioneer who competed in both motorcycle and car racing.
Producer: Catherine Powell
FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m0025w22)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m0025w24)
Mass rallies in Syria to celebrate end of Assad regime
Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets of cities across the country to celebrate the downfall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on what's being called Victory Day. Plus, frontline police officers talk about the emotional impact of this summer’s riots.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0025w26)
The man was close to Prince Andrew and has been barred on national security grounds
FRI 18:30 The Naked Week (m0025w28)
Series 1
Episode 3: Prisons, Syria and Kemi's Catchphrase.
The team look at the week's news and, while trying understand how rebels took Syria so quickly, a military strategist helps us to take the Warwickshire stronghold of Nuneaton. Plus Rupert the Jorkiepoo helps solve the prison overcrowding crisis.
From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at. Host Andrew Hunter Murray (No Such Thing As A Fish, QI Elf, Private Eye) and chief correspondent Amy Hoggart strip away the curtain and dive into not only the big stories, but also the way in which the news is packaged and presented.
From award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news nude straight to your ears.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Sarah Dempster
Gareth Ceredig
Jason Hazeley
Adam Macqueen
Louis Mian
Partial Nakedness:
March Haynes
Karl Minns
Production Team: Laura Grimshaw, Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, Katie Sayer, Phoebe Butler.
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0025w2b)
Writer: Tim Stimpson
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Jill Archer…. Patricia Greene
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m0025w2d)
Lucy Shaw and Ben Nobuto take us to space
Keyboard player and composer Ben Nobuto and double bass player Lucy Shaw take us from clocks and clouds into space as they join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye, before landing on a John Coltrane classic.
Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano
Clocks and Clouds by György Ligeti
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss
Acknowledgement from A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
You Got the Love by Candi Staton
Other music in this episode:
Animal Magic theme, or Las Vegas, by Group Forty Orchestra, written by Laurie Johnson
Hallelujah Sim by Ben Nobuto
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle
Lontano by György Ligeti
Your Love by Frankie Knuckles
You Got the Love by Candi Staton - DJ Eren's mix
Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton
You've Got the Love by Florence & The Machine
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m0025w2g)
Sir Chris Bryant MP, Ellie Chowns MP, Emma Revell, Sir Jeremy Wright MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Coventry with the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism Sir Chris Bryant MP, the Green Party's spokesperson on Housing & Communities and Foreign Affairs Ellie Chowns MP, City AM columnist Emma Revell from the Centre for Policy Studies and the former Culture Secretary Sir Jeremy Wright MP.
Producer: Robin Markwell
Lead Broadcast Engineer: Simon Tindall
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0025w2j)
Monster Soup
With water companies reeling from criticism over sewage discharge and rising bills, Stephen Smith squelches through London's watery underworld.
'Descending into London's Victorian sewers', Stephen says, 'is like spelunking through the layers of the city's history, and reminds you that problems over water and sanitation have been the norm rather than an aberration' for centuries.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m0025w2l)
Luck, predictability and superstition
Shahidha Bari and guests discuss luck, fortune and superstition. How much truth is there in the idea of making your own luck and why does supersition still play such an important part in many peoples' lives. To discuss this and more are: Dr Christian Busch author of the Serendipity Mindset, Bobby Seagull the maths wizard who shot to fame on University Challenge, Timandra Harkness the author and journalist who writes about the intersection of tech and society, Dr Kate Tomas a philosopher and spritiual mentor and the Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies who shares her thoughts on the role luck plays in sport.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0025w2n)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (m0025w2q)
10: 'Our revels are now ended.'
The eagerly awaited new novel from Booker Prize-winning author, Alan Hollinghurst.
Dave Win, the son of a British dressmaker and a Burmese man he’s never met, is thirteen when he wins a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities lie ahead, despite the vicious bullying of his wealthy classmates. Worst of these is the brutish Giles Hadlow, whose parents sponsored the scholarship and who seem to prefer Dave to their ruthless son.
Our Evenings follows Dave from the 1960s through to the Pandemic: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture; a talented actor on the road with an experimental theatre company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.
Moving in and out of Dave’s orbit are the Hadlows. Estranged from his parents, Giles directs his privilege into a career as a powerful right-wing politician, whose reactionary vision for England threatens Dave’s own stability. And finally, as the Covid Pandemic hits, the two men’s lives and values will collide in a cruel shock of violence.
Today: Dave and Richard's contented life together is shattered by a cruel act of violence...
Reader: Steve John Shepherd and David Hounslow
Writer: Alan Hollinghurst
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
FRI 23:00 Americast (m0025w2s)
Why is the internet obsessed with a suspected CEO killer?
Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday after a days-long, multi-state manhunt following the suspected murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson.
It’s led to a debate about the health system in America and also prompted anonymous donors to chip in thousands of dollars towards Mangione's defence through online fundraisers.
Sarah, Anthony and Marianna assess the reaction to the case, and why the case is dividing the public.
This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Catherine Fusillo, Rufus Gray and Claire Betzer. The technical producers were Michael Regaard and Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, The Today Podcast, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd
The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0025w2v)
Susan Hulme reports on moves to crack down on "deepfakes" - online image abuse. Plus - does the Palace of Westminster work for MPs with disabilities? And a look back at rowdier times in the House of Lords.