SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2024

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0025w2x)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 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


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0025w2z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0025w31)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0025w33)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0025w35)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0025w37)
Hello Dali

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

For a secular age, it is slightly surprising that one of the most popular works of art in Britain is a painting of the Crucifixion.

It is a spectacular canvas by Salvador Dali and hangs in the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow. It is not traditional – it has no nails or crown of thorns; and Dali saw the triangular placing of Christ’s arms and body hinted at both the modern Hazmat warning of atomic radiation, and as a classic depiction of the crucifix being presented to the lips of a dying person to kiss and prepare for death.

The full title of the painting is Christ of St John of the Cross because Dali’s inspiration came from a small pencil sketch made by the Spanish mystic, Juan de la Cruz, which is a sketch of the crucified Jesus as seen from above – the dizzying perspective so distinctive of the Dali painting.

Ironically, John of the Cross was not primarily a visual artist, and his fame penetrates through to the present day because of his writings, which date from the early 1600s and are classics of world literature and profoundly insightful of the interior journey of the human being.

He lived through turbulent times and suffered greatly in the teeth of opposition from his fellow believers, yet his meditations such as The Dark Night of the Soul, have a timeless quality which unveil the deeper truths running beneath the hustle-&-bustle of daily life.

The temptation at Christmas is to focus of the exterior pomp-&-ceremony; so Lord, on this the Feast day of St John of the Cross, give me an Advent prompt to put down roots into The Eternal Story.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 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


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m00261w4)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 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


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m00261w6)
14/12/24 Farming Today This Week: Farmer protests, tomato import checks, dairy farmers leaving, Christmas turkeys

Farmer protests over the Government's proposed changes to inheritance tax have continued this week, with rallies around the country and around 600 tractors making their way into central London on Wednesday. They arrived just as MPs were discussing the issues at the House of Commons' Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which was looking at inheritance tax as part of a wider inquiry into the future of farming.

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.

Nearly 6% of dairy producers across the UK left the industry in the last year, according to Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board figures. In Wales the figure is even higher at 17%, according to NFU Cymru. The amount of milk produced has stayed about the same, but the number of individual dairy farms has fallen.

'Tis the season when Christmas 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: there were warnings that there could be a turkey shortage after millions of birds died or were destroyed because of avian flu. 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.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m00261w8)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m00261wb)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m00261wd)
Gordon Buchanan, Emad Choudhury, Abby Furness, Alex James

Gordon Buchanan, the world-renowned wildlife filmmaker, takes us through the mud, sweat and tears, and lions, tigers and bears that have shaped his extraordinary career.

Abby Furness, the singer-songwriter and social media influencer, has become an advocate for resilience after her harrowing experience with a cyber-stalker...

Imam Emad Choudhary, the UK's only spiritual leader and police detective, whose dual roles allow him to build bridges between diverse communities.

All that, and the Inheritance Tracks of a cheesemonger, winemonger and musicmonger, Blur bassist Alex James.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Huw Stephens
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m0024051)
Series 1

11. Freeze Me When I Die

When you die, would you want to be frozen so that one day you might be brought back to life? Listener Elspeth wants to know if that’s even possible. So Hannah and Dara embark on a quest to explore the chiling science of ‘cryobiology’: preserving living things at really low temperatures.

It turns out there are already thousands of people alive who were once suspended in antifreeze and stored in liquid nitrogen - when they were just a small clump of cells! There’s even a frog which can turn into a ‘frogsicle’ for months on end. But re-animating full size humans is a challenge no one has solved…yet. Will some miraculous nanotechnology of a distant future solve the problem?

Contributors:

Professor João Pedro de Magalhães: University of Birmingham
Hayley Campbell: Author and broadcaster
Professor Joyce Harper: UCL
Dr Hanane Hadj-Moussa: The Babraham Institute, Cambridge
Garrett Smyth: Cryonics UK

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


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m00261wh)
Series 46

Episode 5

Jay Rayner and his panel of experts are answering questions from an audience in Rosewell, Midlothian. Joining Jay to share their soufflé tips, parsnip recipes and more are chefs cooks and food writers Sarah Rankin, Sumayya Usmani, Rachel McCormack and Jocky Petrie.

The panel go in pursuit of the perfect porridge and are offered an insight into the world porridge championships from its host, panellist Sarah Rankin. How can you pimp your daily porridge?

Also, the panel share the best ways to cook venison, the perks of owning a spurtle and bay leaves…what’s the point?

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Senior Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Executive Producer: Ollie Wilson

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m00261wk)
Pippa Crerar, political editor of The Guardian, assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

To discuss the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Pippa is joined by Sir Simon Fraser who was Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office during the Arab Spring and now chairs the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House, and Sarah Champion, Labour MP and chair of Parliament's International Development Select Committee.

Labour MP Dan Tomlinson and Conservative MP Greg Smith debate the government's reforms to the planning system which it hopes will help deliver 1.5 million more homes over the course of this Parliament.

As the House of Lords debates the government's Hereditary Peers Bill for the first time, Pippa speaks to Charles Hay, Earl of Kinnoull, convener of the independent crossbenchers and a hereditary peer himself, about his ideas for reforming the upper chamber.

And, to discuss the 5 year anniversary of the 2019 election, Pippa brings together former Conservative MP, Dehenna Davison, who won the seat of Bishop Auckland in that election, and Jane Green, professor of politics at Oxford University and co-director of the British Election Study.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m00261vf)
Returning Home to Syria

Kate Adie introduces stories from Syria, Ukraine, France, Ghana and Saudi Arabia.

The speed at which President Assad was deposed was a shock to many, including the BBC's Lina Sinjab. She had been forced to leave her home country in 2013, after being detained and threatened by Syrian security forces. This week, she finally returned home, without the looming fear of arrest, to find a changed country.

Paul Adams was in Kyiv on the first-day of Russia's full-scale invasion, and reported from the country during much of the early months on the war. He recently returned for the first time in over a year, and found a very different country, where the desire for the war to end is growing by the day.

France has entered a period of political uncertainty, triggered by the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government ten days ago. On the surface, not much has changed in the country, says Andrew Harding - but what about further down the road?

Like other polls around the world this year, Ghana's recent general election saw another incumbent ousted. The reasons behind this are familiar, too, says James Copnall - rising prices, rising rent and a general malaise and desire for change.

Saudi Arabia was crowned host of the 2034 World Cup this week - the pinnacle of an orchestrated campaign to bring some positive PR to the Kingdom through international sport and culture. Emily Wither recently attended a star-studded film festival, and considers the degree to which Saudi Arabia has managed to pull off its much-desired rebrand.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m00261wm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m00261vc)
Winter Fuel Help and Young Homeowners

Some councils in England are offering vouchers or money directly to pensioners who've lost out on the Winter Fuel Payment this year. The money is being offered as part of the Household Support Fund, which is money given by the government to local councils to use to help residents who're struggling with essential bills, like energy and food costs. Winter Fuel Payment can be £200 or £300, but this year it's means tested, meaning millions of people will no longer get it. Money Box has found that some pensioners may still be able to get help with their energy bills via their council, if they've just missed on qualifying but are still struggling. The government says over a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment and that its drive to boost Pension Credit take up has seen applications more than double with over 40,000 more pensioners now receiving it.

The law relating to how couples split their assets and provide for each other and any children after divorce was last changed in England and Wales more than fifty years ago. On Wednesday the Law Commission which advises the government on how well laws are working will publish its findings on whether the current rules deliver fair and consistent outcomes. If it finds problems it will make suggestions for how they might be solved. We'll discuss what those options might be.

And, we often talk about how hard it is for young people to afford buy their first home - but how easy is to manage finances once you get on the property ladder?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Emma Smith and Jo Krasner

(First broadcast 12noon Saturday 14th December 2024)


SAT 12:30 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), Amy Hoggart sand Adam Macqueen 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:
Marc 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


SAT 12:57 Weather (m00261wp)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m00261wr)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 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


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m00261wt)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0025w2b)
Kirsty tells Natasha that she hasn’t heard anything more from Gavin, but Lynda had an interesting chat with him. It’s made Kirsty think again about giving Gavin something. She can afford it and she could then sell the house with a clear conscience. She’s going to see him at his hostel. Helen turns up confirming to Kirsty that it’s ok for to do another house viewing tomorrow. Natasha’s ears prick up when she hears it’s their second viewing.

Later Helen tells Joy she hasn’t had any luck finding anywhere to move to, but wonders how Joy’s getting on with Mick staying at her house. Joy says they’re having a ball and she’s going to propose to Mick on Christmas Day!

Gavin explains to Kirsty that he was really nervous about seeing Lynda and she didn’t let him off the hook. But she also said she didn’t want him to be miserable either. Gavin can’t expect people to forgive him, but he can try to do something better with his life. Kirsty says she would like to help him, offering some money. But Gavin’s adamant that he has to rebuild his life on his own. It’s enough that Kirsty wanted to help him. Hopefully one day he’ll be back on his own two feet.

Later Kirsty tells Natasha that she’s ready to finally put the whole awful episode behind her and get shot of the house. She’d accept a half decent offer on it, as long as it means she can buy Willow Farm. Natasha jumps in and asks if she and Tom could make an offer.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m00261ww)
Berlin Alexanderplatz

Episode 4

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.

A rivalry between Franz and fellow gang member, Reinhold, escalates to the point that Franz is at risk of losing his very humanity.

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
Lawyer ..... Jasmine Hyde
Crooner ….. Michael Begley
Policeman ..... Justice Ritchie
Second Building ..... 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 (m00261wy)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Childcare, Kerry Washington, 80s egg donors, Women triathletes, Inclusive wigs after chemo, Bette & Joan

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, joined Nuala McGovern this week to discuss.

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 joined 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.

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 joined Nuala to tell us more about the report and the change they hope to make.

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 told Anita about the process then, and what it was like to be one of the first women to donate back in 1987.

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 joined Nuala to discuss her experience and how she’s now helping other women in similar situations with her own wig business.

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, joined Nuala to tell us more about the pair’s infamous relationship.

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


SAT 17:00 PM (m00261x0)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 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


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00261x2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m00261x4)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00261x6)
MPs vote to remove president Yoon because of his attempt to impose martial law. The US confirms it's had direct contact with HTS group, which is in charge in much of Syria.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00260tl)
Richard Hawley, Cariad Lloyd, Tim Clare, Seema Pankhania

Stuart Maconie is joined in the Salford studio by Sheffield's finest, Richard Hawley, playing tracks from his latest album 'In This City They Call You Love', and by comedian and podcaster Cariad Lloyd on her Christmas book for children, The Christmas Wish-tastrophe. Seema Pankhania is on a quest to cook the national dish from every country around the world and she's documenting her journey on her popular Youtube and TikTok channels. She's just pusblished her first cookbook 'Cravable: All I want to eat, big flavours for every mood. Tim Clare takes gaming very seriously in his book 'The Game Changers' - a history of tabletop game playing, and Katy Stephens stars as The White Witch in a new version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the Leeds Playhouse.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Jessica Treen


SAT 19:00 Profile (m00261tj)
Nick Park

Through his passion for stop motion and modelling clay, we have come to love his silent (but wise) dog and well-meaning owner.

Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park’s most famous creations, but what more do we know about this Preston born Oscar winner?

He would use his mother’s home movie camera to record his early films; he studied animation at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire; and joined Aardman Animations in the mid-80s.

Over the last few decades, Nick Park has gained critical acclaim for feature films, Chicken Run and Early Man. So, as we await the latest Wallace and Gromit offering this Christmas, Mark Coles has donned the RIGHT trousers to take a closer look at the multi-award winning animator.

Archive Credits
Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations/National Film and Television School)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl directed by directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham (Aardman Animations)
Creature Comforts directed by Nick Park (Aardman Animations)
Chicken Run directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park (Aardman Animations/Pathé/DreamWorks Animation)
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit directed by Nick Park and Steve Box (Aardman Animations/DreamWorks Animation)
Wallace & Gromit Christmas Jumper Ident (Aardman Animations for the BBC)
Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park on WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL at AFI Fest 2024 (American Film Institute)
The Bike Ride (Collett Dickenson Pearce)

Production Team

Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Bob Howard and Natalie Ktena
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele


SAT 19:15 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


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m00261x8)
Victoria Wood - Loose Chippings

During the making of her much-loved sitcom dinnerladies, Victoria Wood was also recording her own personal audio diary, talking not just about the show she was writing and starring in but with thoughts and reminiscences across her whole career.

Now her biographer, writer and journalist Jasper Rees, has been granted unique access not only to these tapes but also to Victoria’s own private archive, including much never-before-broadcast stand-up and songs, and treasures such as the previously-thought lost song that launched her career on ITVs New Faces and a private recording of her first ever concert as a student in Birmingham University that lay hidden for 50 years.

The show is a Pozzitive production, who also made dinnerladies as a co-production with Victoria’s company Good Fun

Produced by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 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


SAT 22:00 News (m00261xb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 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.


SAT 23:00 Wing It (m00260z3)
Series 1

2. The Nightmare Commuter Train

Alasdair Beckett-King is back with a brand new band of improv comedy all stars, improvising their way thorough the worst commute ever, relating to troubled teens, and the importance of smear tests.

"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."

Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King.

Starring Cariad Lloyd, Rachel Parris, Kemah Bob, and Thomas Mayo.

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 (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

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER 2024

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m00261xd)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 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 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00261xg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00261xj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00261xl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m00261xn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m00261vm)
The church of St John the Baptist, Felixstowe

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St John the Baptist, Felixstowe. Completed in 1914 the large red brick and bath stoned church features a 4-stage tower and octagonal spire. A single bell was installed in 1920 but in 2003 seven more bells were cast and installed by the John Taylor foundry of Loughborough. The Tenor weighs seven hundredweight and is tuned to the note of B-flat. We hear them ringing Grandsire Triples.


SUN 05:45 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.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m00261sr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 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


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m00261st)
Watercress Farm BS2

Amid the bustle of central Bristol nestled between the railway line and one of the main roads into the city lies Watercress Farm in a small valley that feels like a step back in time. Sybil Ruscoe meets head grower of the Purple Patch, Alex Goodman, who grows vegetables and flowers that serve some of the people of Bristol who buy their produce there. Dec Winslade has recently taken over the livestock area of the farm where he keeps a couple of Berkshire pigs, some sheep and some prize winning Dexter cattle. His dream is to expand his farming life into the countryside. The farm, on land leased out by the City Council, is an example of how urban spaces can be used to serve local communities.

Presented by Sybil Ruscoe
Produced by Maggie Ayre


SUN 06:57 Weather (m00261sw)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m00261sy)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m00261t0)
Syria; Oasis Restore; Lourdes Liverpool Miracle

The people of Syria have been celebrating again this weekend, with many protestors outside the largest mosque in Damascus deriding the former president, Bashar al-Assad, as a "Zombie". With a sense of relief that Assad is now gone, there is anxiety too about what might follow. William Crawley explores how the new regime will affect the religious make up of the country with Makram Rabah, Assistant Professor of History at the American University in Beirut.

This week, the justice secretary has said that even under the government's plans to open 14,000 more prison places, they could still run out of space over the next few years. Oasis Restore school opened in the summer and aims to transform the justice system for young people by focusing on education and therapy, rather than punishment and retribution. The Founder, Baptist Minister Steve Chalke, says ‘The philosophy behind everything we do here is not, ‘What have you done wrong?’ but, ‘What’s happened to you?’

For generations, a story has been told in Liverpool's Catholic community about a local man, wounded in the first world war, who went to Lourdes and returned with a miracle. Now, a hundred years after that previously paralyzed man, Jack Traynor, shocked everyone by carrying his own bags off the train at Lime Street Station, the Archbishop of Liverpool has officially recognised his healing as a miracle. Sunday hears from Alex Taylor Jack's great-great grandson, as well as Dr Kieran Moriarty, a British physician who reviewed the original case files and gave evidence to a canonical commission.

Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Catherine Murray
Studio Managers: Nat Stokes & Sam Mills
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m00260sx)
Groundwork

Rapper and documentary maker Professor Green makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Groundwork.

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 ‘Groundwork UK’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Groundwork UK’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 291558. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.groundwork.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites


SUN 07:57 Weather (m00261t2)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m00261t4)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m00261t6)
Carols for the Christ Child: Village Carols

As Christmas approaches and the sound of carolling is heard in churches around the country, in the pubs and band halls in the villages around Sheffield and North Derbyshire, the sound is somewhat different. Hundreds flock to the local boozer to join their voices in song, in anticipation of Christmas. But the tunes and texts are unique to this tradition and, outside the local area, most people wouldn't recognise the carols being sung. This is carolling but not as we know it.

This Sunday Worship explores the tradition of carols being sung in pubs for over 100 years in the villages around Sheffield. We hear from the singers, what the carols mean to them, the significance of the tradition in their lives and how singing them in the rowdy atmosphere of the village pub inspires them in their faith.

Producer: Katharine Longworth
A BBC Audio North production

MUSIC

Star of Bethlehem
Sung by The Dungworth Singers
Led by Jon Boden

While Shepherds Watched
Tune: Lyngham
Recorded at The Plough, Bradfield

Sweet Chiming Bells
Kate Rusby

A Song for a Time
Sung by Paul Horton at Dungworth Village Hall

Sweet Chiming Bells
Sung by the Carollers from the Blue Ball Inn, Worral

While Shepherds Watched
Tune: Liverpool
The Melrose Quartet

Mortals Awake with Angels Join
Tune: Mount Zion
Recorded at Dungworth Village Hall

Reapers
Recorded at Dungworth Village Hall

The Holly and the Ivy
The Melrose Quartet

Hark, Hark! What news those angels bring?
Tune: Oughtibridge
Recorded at The Cock Inn, Oughtibridge

Sing all ye people of the earth today
Tune: Stannington
Recorded at The Cock Inn, Oughtibridge

While Shepherds Watched
Tune: Old Foster
Sung by The Dungworth Singers
Led by Jon Boden

Awake, Arise Good Christians
Kate Rusby

Will your anchor hold?
Sung by The Dungworth Singers and Carollers at Dungworth Village Hall
Led by Jon Boden

While Shepherds Watched
Tune: Lyngham
Jon Boden

A Merry Christmas (We singers make bold)
Recorded at Dungworth Village Hall


SUN 08:48 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


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m00261t8)
Shirley Henderson on Feral Pigeons

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 award winning actress Shirley Henderson the arrival of a feral pigeon to her new garden as she sat with her cup of tea has brought with it a lifetime of joy. The first pigeon she noticed she named Little Girly, a bird recognised by its limp. That pigeon was followed by others, Miss White, Big Bird, Little Voice and many others. They know her well and will fly down to secure a peanut or two often from inside her jacket pocket.

Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio, Bristol
Studio Engineer : Ilse Lademann


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m00261tb)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m00261td)
Cher, singer and actor

Cher has been a global star for over six decades. Her career has spanned music, television and film and throughout that time her outfits have made flamboyant fashion statements.

She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California and had a peripatetic childhood. Her mother married six times and with each new husband the family moved house.

In 1962, when she was 16, Cher met Sonny Bono in a coffee shop. She moved in with Sonny as his housekeeper and personal assistant and began singing backing vocals for his boss, the music producer Phil Spector. In 1965 Sonny and Cher released I Got You Babe which reached number one in the US and UK charts – knocking the Beatles off the top of the chart.

Cher is an award-winning actor who has starred in films including Silkwood, Mask and Moonstruck. In October 1998 she released her 22nd studio album Believe – the title track remains the biggest-selling number one by a solo female artist in British chart history.

DISC ONE: Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum
DISC TWO: Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
DISC THREE: A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Ilene Woods
DISC FOUR: Evil - Stevie Wonder
DISC FIVE: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
DISC SIX: I Can’t Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt
DISC SEVEN: Minute By Minute - The Doobie Brothers
DISC EIGHT: A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

BOOK CHOICE: The Saracen Blade by Frank Yerby
LUXURY ITEM: An eyelash curler
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m00261tg)
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


SUN 12:15 Profile (m00261tj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 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


SUN 12:57 Weather (m00261tl)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m00261tn)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Why Is Elon Musk Trolling Britain? (m0026jt9)
If you’re following him on X, then Elon Musk’s Britain is a terrifying place. “Civil War is inevitable,” he writes. According to what he posts and retweets, it’s a Stalinist state where the unhappy citizens are screaming out for another election. “The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state,” he posts.

The richest man in the world - not to mention influential Donald Trump supporter and now head of his own government project – is attacking the UK’s political institutions.

US-based BBC journalist Mike Wendling investigates what might be driving him.

Presenter: Mike Wendling
Producers: Tom Colls and Nathan Gower
Sound mix: John Scott
Editor: Richard Vadon


SUN 14:00 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


SUN 14:45 Short Works (m001tr1m)
A Man Who Used to Have Friends by João Morais

A Man Who Used To Have Friends by João Morais

An original short story commissioned for BBC Radio 4

Chris would like to be a better man, but the words in his head never come out right.

Reader - Dean Rehman
Director - John Norton

A BBC Audio Wales Production


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000p603)
Bartholomew Abominations

Bartholomew Abominations is a collaboration between award winning audio producers, Naked Productions and Graeae Theatre, placing Deaf and disabled artists centre stage.

This radical reinvention of a classic drama for 21st century audiences is a vibrant, biting political commentary about modern British identity.

In the original, Ben Jonson takes a swipe at the narrow-minded puritanism of the early 17th century. Paul Sirett’s new version reflects on narrow-minded disability discrimination and English nationalism of the early 21st century. The story is set in 2032, at an annual event where suitors must find the “perfect” partner or face deportation.

Naked Productions and Graeae have a strong reputation for taking famous titles and turning them into engaging new audio drama. Previous work includes The Midwich Cuckoos, Little Dorrit and Three Sisters.

Bartholomew Abominations has an exceptional cast of disabled and non-disabled actors, including Liz Carr (Silent Witness), Stephen Collins (Reasons to Be Cheerful), Garry Robson (Fittings MultiMedia Arts) and Mina Anwar (Life of Pi).

The writer, Paul Sirett, is an Olivier-nominated playwright with over 25 professional productions to his name including two plays for disabled-led theatre company Graeae (Reasons to be Cheerful and The Iron Man) and two West End transfers (The Big Life and Rat Pack Confidential). He has also worked extensively as a dramaturg for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Court, The National Theatre, Soho Theatre Company and for West End & Broadway producers. Paul also writes for radio and has won two Best Writer awards at the New York International Radio Festival and a Special Commendation at the Prix Italia.

Paul is currently Associate Dramaturg at the Ambassador Theatre Group, and an Associate Teacher of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, an Associate Artist of Soho Theatre, and an Associate Fellow of the University of Warwick.

This programme is dedicated to the memory of actor Garry Robson, who passed away in July 2024.

Cast:
Mrs Purecraft……………….Liz Carr
John…………………………Jack Hunter
Ursula……………………….Chloe Ewart
Alice…………………………Stacey Ghent
Tom…………………………Stephen Collins
Ned………………………….Michael Golab
Best…………………………..Garry Robson
Hobbs………………………..Mina Anwar

Directors…………………… .Jenny Sealey and Polly Thomas
Sound recordist……………..Louis Blatherwick
Sound design and producer….Eloise Whitmore
Original music ……………….Oliver Vibrans
Sign Language Interpreters…..Caroline Richardson, Jeni Draper, Vikki Gee-Dare and Chandrika Gopalakrishnan

Executive Producer…………..Jeremy Mortimer

A Naked Productions/Graeae Theatre collaboration for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m00261ts)
AL Kennedy

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to award-winning writer A. L. Kennedy about her new book, Alive In The Merciful Country, and its connections to three other literary works. The books A. L Kennedy chose were: Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851); Petersburg by Andrei Bely (1913); and Lord Of The Rings by JRR Tolkien (1954).

Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie Maguire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m00261tv)
Semi-final 4, 2024

(16/17)
The fourth of the 2024 semi-finals will determine who takes the last of the places in the grand Final, and stands a chance of becoming the 71st BBC Brain of Britain champion. Russell Davies asks questions encompassing the widest possible spread of topics, including performance poetry, children's television, South American geography, Labour party leaders, Italian cooking, German literature and the history of ancient Rome.

Facing Russell's questions today are:
Tim Hall, from Kidlington near Oxford
Alan Eeles, from Kidderminster in Worcestershire
Caroline Latham, from Romford in Essex
Sarah Thornton, from Holmfirth in West Yorkshire.

The competition is sure to be keen, as all of the competitors have already either won their heats or been notably high-scoring runners-up.

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

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ypz)
Waris Dirie

In 1987, an unknown 18 year-old Somalian model called Waris Dirie walked into the studio of renowned British photographer Terence Donovan.

She had never had her picture taken before but after striking her first pose it was clear belonged in front of the lens.

Although she says modelling was "easy-peasy” it was not an obvious career path for Waris.

She was born in the Somalian desert to a nomadic family.

When she was young she was forced to undergo female genital mutilation after which her family arranged a marriage for her.

Waris tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty how she walked barefoot across the Somalian desert to escape child marriage and how she became an international supermodel sensation.

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: Waris Dirie. Credit: Waris Dirie)


SUN 17:10 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


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00261tz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m00261v1)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00261v3)
Rescue efforts are underway following Cyclone Chido.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m00261v5)
Nikki Bedi

From steamy diplomacy, through shoe-based pseudoscience, through drama of untold WW2 heroes and bunk bed confessions, Nikki Bedi takes us through the best of BBC Radio in the last week.

Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m00261v7)
Emma’s tired from gutting turkeys and presses Ed to get off the sofa, as there’s loads to do for Christmas. They discuss doing something nice with Keira on Friday, how much effort Clarrie puts in to Christmas dinner, and where everyone will be this year. Emma knows that it’s all a distraction for Clarrie, to help them not worry about George. Emma can’t bear the thought of not seeing George over Christmas, but George won’t let them visit. She hopes Brad will persuade him.
Helen swears Natasha to secrecy as she reveals Joy’s planning to propose to Mick on Christmas Day. Helen admits to Tom and Natasha she may have to move in with Pat and Tony. Tom wonders what Helen’s heard about the house sale. Helen just hopes the couple interested don’t snap it up too quickly, so she can find somewhere else to live. Tom’s anxious to withdraw their offer to Kirsty, but Natasha says they don’t actually know how Helen would feel about it until they talk to her. Kirsty realises they haven’t told Helen and senses Tom and Natasha aren’t in agreement about the house. They start to backtrack on the offer, asking for more time to get things in order. When Helen walks in, Natasha changes the subject to the panto trip Joy’s organising for the village. Kirsty’s interrupted by a phone call from Brenda. Natasha learns a few details about Brenda from Tom, before Kirsty returns to tell Helen that Brenda’s coming to Ambridge to oversee the sale of Willow Farm. She’s arriving tomorrow.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m00261v9)
Stockport: Britain's Karaoke Town

The best stories have a certain WTF factor.. a weird little fact that draws you in…something you can’t ignore because it’s so contrary to what you previously thought.

So it was for Geoff Lloyd when he heard that the story that Karaoke was invented in Stockport, by a charismatic shopkeeper called Roy Brooke who claimed the Japanese adopted his discovery and marketed it around the world.

Geoff’s a massive Karaoke fan and remembers his halcyon days in the 90s, judging karaoke competitions in the town with his friend Caroline Aherne, so he sets off on a quest to get to the bottom of this tale; a quest that sees him chat to Stockport hitmakers Blossoms, comedy writing legend Craig Cash and a Japanese academic said to have backed up Roy's crazy claim.

On the way he discovers a town so in love with Karaoke that it's home to the country's only dedicated league, a secretive world jampacked with big voices and human drama. 12 pub teams meet every Monday for chance to be champions of the New Stockport Fun Karaoke League. But have some of the teams starting taking it too seriously and forgotten about the fun?

Will Geoff track down Roy Brooke and hear his side of the story and find out why Karaoke has taken root so strongly in Stockport?

Presenter: Geoff Lloyd
Producer: Catherine Murray
Additional recording by George Herd
Production Co-ordination: Mica Nepomuceno
Studio mix: Nat Stokes
Executive Producer: Richard McIlroy

Featuring Blossoms, Craig Cash, Professor Hiroshi Ogawa, and Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japanese Culture Conquered the World.

Special thanks to the Blossoms Bees and The Barnhouse teams and all the members of the New Stockport Karaoke Fun League


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001hp70)
Choose Red Wine

All alcohol is bad for you but if you’re already a drinker, switching out your usual drink with a small glass of red wine could bring surprising benefits to your health - improving blood sugar and fat levels and reducing the risk of diabetes. In this episode, Michael Mosley speaks to Dr Tim Spector, Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London to find out about the secret ingredient in red wine. He reveals why red wine is rich in chemicals called polyphenols. They raise a (metaphorical) glass to celebrate the effects of red wine on the diversity of our gut bacteria!


SUN 20:00 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


SUN 20:30 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

Archive:
Cabbages and Kings: The Romans are Coming, BBC, 1972; Julie Steven’s Early Life, Rachel New, 2024; The All Star Record Breakers, BBC, 1976; The Avengers: Box of Tricks, ITV, 1963; The Avengers, ITV, 1963-4; Let’s Make a Musical: Salad Days, BBC, 1979; Star Turn, BBC Archive, 1977; Play Away, BBC, 1979; Play School, BBC, 1964; Play School, BBC, 1977; Chronicle: Lost Kings of the Desert, BBC, 1979; Young Scientists of the Year: Heat 2, BBC, 1979; Touching Earth, BBC, 1992; Web of Stories, 2017; Alan Macfarlane Archive, 2008


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m00261vc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m00260sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m00261vf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m00261vh)
Ben Wright and guests remember the events of 2024 and look ahead to the next year in politics

For the last programme of the year, Ben Wright is joined by the Skills Minister, Baroness Jacqui Smith; Conservative backbencher George Freeman; and the historian and political biographer, Sir Anthony Seldon. They assess Sir Keir Starmer's first five months in office, and some of the domestic and international challenges lying ahead for the government in 2025. The deputy political editor of The Guardian, Jessica Elgot, brings additional insight and analysis. The programme also includes an interview with Dame Meg Hillier - Chair of the Commons Liaison Committee - as it prepares to grill the Prime Minister on his plans and policies.


SUN 23:00 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


SUN 23:45 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.

MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 2024

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m00261vk)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 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


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m00261vm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00261vp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00261vr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00261vt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m00261vw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00261vy)
Innocents Abroad

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good Morning.

“Innocents Abroad…”

It was a favourite phrase of my Dad. Normally delivered as a world-weary, what-do-you-expect Lancastrian observation on the naivety of the younger members of the Preston family.

For example, on the occasion when my youngest brother went to the Caribbean as a teenager and managed to get himself a job in a shoreline Cocktail Bar. Not being a drinker, but wanting to be diligently prepared, he decided that he would buy and systematically read an A-to-Z of Cocktails.

After a few weeks, knowing about the alcoholic recipe studies being undertaken, one of his friends slyly asked my brother whether he could mix him a Molotov Cocktail? My brother vigorously shook his head: “Nope… I’ve only got up to G.”

Perhaps ‘Innocents Abroad’ is not a bad phrase to inject into our perception of Mary & Joseph on the road to Bethlehem.

Christmas cards emphasise a beauty and simplicity of their starlit excursion. We think of them as confidently and serenely moving by foot and donkey towards destiny. We see the journey with the benefit of hindsight – Jesus is born, angels arrive, Kings bring gifts and ultimately all is well.

But the reality was that they were very young and moving deeply outside their comfort zones. The Roman census forced them to join the shifting masses of the internally displaced and the fragility of a pregnancy would add an uncertain tempo to their plans.

Such chaos marks the spot where the ungodly exploit the defenceless, and vultures circle the weak and the vulnerable.

Lord, keep my eyes open today: give me the awareness and courage to reach out a helping hand to a stranger in need.

Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m00261w0)
16/12/24 TB testing device, rural pubs and community buy-outs.

Scientists at Cardiff and Aberystwyth Universities have won more than a million pounds worth of funding for a trial which they hope will create a real-time test for bovine TB. The project will use hand-held microwave technology to remove DNA from cattle and badger pooh samples, which will then be tested for bovine TB on the spot. If it works, it'll be a massive boost for farmers across the country, where the disease costs the government alone £150m a year.

All week we're looking at rural pubs, it's not been an easy few years for the sector. CAMRA, The Campaign for Real Ale, estimates that 2024 will have seen the closure of around 1,200 continuing a longstanding trend within the hospitality sector. We discuss the challenges facing them, and hear from a community in mid Wales which has clubbed together to buy the village pub and keep it alive.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


MON 05:57 Weather (m00261w2)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002624g)
16/12/24 - Nick Robinson and Mishal Husain

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


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002624j)
Acoustics, music and architecture

Tom Sutcliffe explores the importance of acoustics and the evolution of building design in the enjoyment of music. The academic Fiona Smyth tells the story of the groundbreaking work undertaken by scientists, architects and musicians, who revolutionised this new science in the 20th century, in her new book Pistols in St Paul’s. Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford, updates the story, revealing the very latest scientific breakthroughs and why certain music venues capture the purity of sound. And the saxophonist Jess Gillam gives a personal view on what playing with different acoustics entails. Gillam is playing in two Christmas concerts, 19th + 20th December, with the CBSO at Symphony Hall, Birmingham – one of the best-designed music venues in the country.

Producer: Kay Hickman


MON 09:45 Dementia: Unexpected Stories of the Mind (m001kxg6)
Gill and Natalie

Neurologist Dr Jules Montague and William Miller unlock the mysteries of rare dementia.

In this episode, they meet Gill and her daughter Natalie. Gill has Huntington’s disease or HD, a rare inherited dementia. Those carrying the gene have a 50:50 chance of passing it on to their children. Natalie has not yet been tested.

The genetic component of HD and its inevitable outcome are extremely difficult to come to terms with and Gill and Natalie talk openly about this.

Details of organisations offering information and support with dementia are available at the BBC Action Line here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Y8B7y39T07GnTlMsLPJG2S/information-and-support-dementia

Producer: Eve Streeter
Original music: A Brief Encounter by Max Walter
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002624l)
Anne-Marie Duff, Home education, Willpower Detectives, Iran update

Anne-Marie Duff joins Nuala McGovern to talk about her latest stage role in The Little Foxes at London’s Young Vic Theatre. It’s a family drama where she plays Regina Hubbard, an ambitious woman who is thwarted by her position in Alabama society in the early 1900s, where her less financially savvy brothers have the power and autonomy to run the family business. Anne-Marie discusses playing ruthless characters and the stage roles that place women front and centre.

New government figures show there's been an increase in the number of children being educated at home - an estimated 111,700 in England. Parents give various reasons including: a lack of support for those with special educational needs, issues with their child's mental health, and many think schools just can't provide for their child. Nuala speaks to a parent who has home educated her five children and Natalie Perera, the CEO of the research organisation the Education Policy Institute.

This weekend, the Iranian regime has arrested and released a young female singer for a live-streaming a performance in which she did not wear the mandatory hijab, Parastoo Ahmadi's video has gone viral in Iran. Last week the regime approved new legislation meaning that any person defying or assisting another to defy the morality laws of the country could possibly be sentenced to death. The BBC Correspondent Faranak Amidi explains what this means for women in Iran.

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 her latest series, Willpower Detectives, 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. Sue joins Nuala to explain.

Presented by Nuala McGovern
Producer: Louise Corley


MON 11:00 The Patch (m002624n)
Blackburn

One random postcode and a story you probably haven’t heard before.

In the first of three new postcodes, producer Polly Weston is sent to BB2 3 - a residential postcode in the middle of Blackburn, separated from the centre of town by the Leeds Liverpool canal.

There’s a very obvious landmark as soon as she arrives. Thousands of tonnes of plastic waste are piled into peaks behind a wall alongside the canal. How did the plastic peaks of Blackburn get here?

The story of the former V10 Polymers site is a tale of the plastic recycling industry, of environmental crime, and of politics.

With the help of a lot of furious residents, and a man everyone calls Rasher (“because I used to work in a bacon factory”), Polly tries to understand what on earth happened here. It’s been seven years of noxious fires, of fly tipping and rats. Seven years of planning meetings, council meetings, and disappointment. But is everything about to change?

Produced and presented in Bristol by Polly Weston


MON 11:45 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m002624q)
Episode 1

What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo?

When the US journalist Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were startling, and worrying. She set out to find out who were the people behind Clearview and just who was using its technology.

The story of this tiny start-up and the powerful tool it built is accompanied by accounts of how it has been used for good and for ill, across the world.

Today Clearview AI declares that it has a database of 50 billion facial images sourced "from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources." Your face may well belong to them.

Your Face Belongs To Us was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science book prize 2024 and described by the Financial Times as "A parable for our times". According to The Economist, "A walk down the street will not quite feel the same again."

The author, Kashmir Hill, is an award-winning technology reporter at The New York Times. She is interested in how technology is shaping our lives and impacting our privacy, and has written for publications including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Forbes.

Written by Kashmir Hill
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002624s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002624v)
Singing Waiters, Department Stores and Dog Menus

We hear from brides who lost money when they tried to book singing waiters for their weddings - You and Yours investigates what went wrong.

There was a time when most of us would do our Christmas shopping in a department store – but now they’re increasingly lying empty. We’ll ask what the future holds for these high street landmarks.

What it’s like to have your home flooded – and how you piece your life back together afterwards?

And why pubs are increasingly offering menus for dogs.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m002624x)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002624z)
Archbishop of York facing calls to resign

BBC investigation reveals Stephen Cottrell allowed priest to remain in post despite knowing he had been barred from being alone with children. We speak to the Church of England's Deputy safeguarding lead. Plus, Sir Alan Bates speaks to the World at One as the Post Office Inquiry enters its final days.


MON 13:45 Shadow World (m0026251)
The Willpower Detectives

The Willpower Detectives - Ep 6. Falling on Deaf Ears

A man receives compensation after abuse in a Catholic boarding school and wants to know what has happened to some of his money. He asks Sue Mitchell to help him find out more.

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.

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 (m00261v7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Hennikay (m0026253)
Series 2

1. The Ladder of Opportunity

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.

When Guy’s great business idea – developing a phone-based app designed to stop people using phone based apps – unsurprisingly fails, he needs to find a job. And so he attends a sales seminar with Shining Path, who are apparently, "the number one providers of after-life finance packages in the UK".

However, his attention is constantly derailed by the constant chatter of Hennikay, his imaginary childhood friend, who is still determinedly living in his head. And if that wasn’t enough, he also has to cope with Tony, his old boss, who is also there, competing with him to land a job.

But try as he might, Guy really can’t get enthused by the idea of a career selling pre-paid funeral plans to the people of Maidstone. Was this what he thought his life was going to be, when he and Hennikay were young together, way back in 1976?

Acclaimed comedian - and Strictly Come Dancing champion - Bill Bailey leads a series cast which includes Tony Gardner and Elizabeth Carling in this warm, funny look at childhood, adulthood and some of the follies of modern life, where a man with a confused child in his head might just be the sanest person in the room.

Written by David Spicer

Guy: Bill Bailey
Hennikay: Max Lester
Tony: Tony Gardner
Stacia: Rebecca Boey

Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Marple: Three New Stories (m001g8vt)
Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths

Murder at the Villa Rosa (Part 2)

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
After surprising himself by sharing career doubts with Miss Marple, writer Felix Jeffries finds himself easily distracted by his fellow guests on the Amalfi coast.

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 and Christie devotees.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m0026256)
Dr Hannah Critchlow picks Professor Colin Blakemore

Professor Colin Blakemore was a famous communicator of science, the youngest ever Reith lecturer on the BBC. He was also targeted by members of the animal rights movement, which sent bombs and letters lined with razor blades to his home address. Born in 1944 and brought up in Coventry, Colin Blakemore was committed to brain research and the connection between vision and early development of the brain. Nominating him is the author and neuroscientist Dr Hannah Critchlow, who knew him before he died in 2022.

The programme includes contributions from his friends and colleagues, including Professor Barbara Sahakian and David Nutt; plus moving archive of his daughter, Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and reports from the animal rights campaigners who protested outside his Oxford house.

Dr Hannah Critchlow is the author of Joined Up Thinking and The Science of Fate. She's based at Cambridge University.

Presented by Matthew Parris and produced for BBC Studios Audio by Miles Warde


MON 15:30 History's Heroes (m0026258)
History's Youngest Heroes

History's Youngest Heroes: 2. The Brief Reign of Lady Jane

Stripped of her crown and trapped In the Tower of London will Lady Jane Grey give up her faith or face the executioner’s axe?

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
Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts


MON 16:00 Why Is Elon Musk Trolling Britain? (m0026jt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m00261wh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002625b)
Alleged Chinese spy named

A court names Yang Tengbo as the man said to have links to Prince Andrew. Plus the consumer trend of 'nouveau nihilism'.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002625d)
Yang Tengbo has insisted it is entirely untrue he has been involved in espionage


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002625g)
Series 82

Episode 2

This series of Radio 4's multi award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’ promises more homespun wireless entertainment for the young at heart.

This week the programme pays a return visit to the Great Hall in Exeter where Lee Mack and Miles Jupp are pitched against Tony Hawks and Caroline Quentin, with Jack Dee in the chair. At the piano, Colin Sell.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m00260x3)
Injured Leonard’s settling in well at Brookfield. With Jill out of the way today, he takes the initiative to cook a casserole for everyone. He struggles but soldiers on, chatting to Ruth about buying some tickets for the Christmas Eve concert at St Stephen’s. Ruth has to step in and help as Leonard strains himself and goes off for a rest. David’s horrified by the state of the kitchen, and as Ruth stops to tidy up, David’s left to tidy the barn alone.
Brenda arrives at Willow Farm, looking well-to-do in a cashmere coat and driving a nice car. She’s keen that the sale of Willow Farm to Kirsty goes through, but Kirsty just needs to get her house sold first. Brenda talks about her work abroad and her plans for Christmas in Birmingham. They catch up about Rewilding Ambridge, and how well Kirsty’s doing since discovering Philip’s role in modern slavery and the Grey Gables explosion. Getting on to the business of selling Willow Farm, Brenda presses the point that Roy and Hayley want to get the sale completed asap. Kirsty senses that it’s not the done deal for her that she’d assumed.
Natasha comes over to chat to Kirsty and meets Brenda, who’s delighted to meet Tom’s wife. She jokingly points out that they have all been engaged to Tom! Brenda inadvertently makes a comparison between herself and Natasha. When Natasha goes, Brenda reminds Kirsty that if she sells her Beechwood house to Tom and Natasha, she’ll definitely be able to buy Willow Farm.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002625j)
Call The Midwife creator Heidi Thomas, Nick Park on new Wallace & Gromit film, Organs discussion

Call The Midwife creator Heidi Thomas talks to Front Row about writing the drama's Christmas special, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham discuss co-directing the new Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, and ahead of the Royal College of Organists' new initiative - Play The Organ 2025 - organists David Pipe and Claire M Singer join Nick to discuss updating perceptions of the "king of instruments".

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


MON 20:00 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


MON 20:30 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.


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002624j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Mythical Creatures (m001tjlc)
5. Mermaids

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.

Rhianna is on the trail of one of her favourite mythical creatures - the mermaid. She visits Conwy in North Wales, the scene of a mermaid’s curse, and dives into a myriad of salty tales. Rhianna hears how the meaning and representation of mermaids has changed throughout history and how the mermaid can speak to the environmental movement in the 21st century.

Storyteller: Ffion Phillips
Contributor: Professor Sarah Peverley

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 (m002625l)
Prince Andrew to avoid Royal Family Christmas as alleged China spy named

The Duke of York will not join the rest of the Royal Family for the traditional Christmas gathering in Sandringham, royal sources have told the BBC. It comes after an alleged Chinese spy, linked to the prince, was named as Yang Tengbo. We examined the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party, to which Yang is accused of being linked.

Germany's government has lost a vote of no confidence, meaning the country will go to elections early next year.

And we explore Ukrainian roots of a beloved Christmas carol, linked to a town currently under attack by Russian forces.


MON 22:45 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (m002625n)
1: The Summer People

Sara Kestelman reads five deliciously dark tales from the ‘US Queen of Gothic Horror’, Shirley Jackson, including her most famous and indeed infamous story, ‘The Lottery’, one of the most controversial short stories of all time.

There’s something nasty in suburbia. In these eerie and unsettling tales, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek; a summer lake house becomes a prison; an elderly woman is brought down by her own gossip; and an unsettling dream becomes reality. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe.

In the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, these unsettling tales will chill, unsettle and delight.

Today: When a New York couple decide to stay on at their lake house after Labor Day, the reaction from the locals is unexpected...

Reader: Sara Kestelman
Writer: Neglected during her lifetime, Shirley Jackson is now known as one of the greatest horror writers of the twentieth century for her unsettling short stories of the horrors lurking beneath the veneer of suburban domesticity. She’s perhaps best known for her short story, ‘The Lottery’, which on its 1948 publication, provoked a slew of hate mail but became one of the most anthologised stories of all time, as well as for her gothic horror masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House.
Abridged and produced by: Justine Willett


MON 23:00 Rewinder (m001tj1g)
Cher and Other Things to Believe In at Christmas

Greg James dives into the BBC Archive to track down audio gems, using listener requests, overlooked anniversaries and current stories to guide the way.

It’s 25 years since Cher’s pop classic Believe topped the charts, so Greg goes looking for the idol herself in the archives. Where did she choose to debut the single? The National Lottery of course. She returned to the programme a few years later to talk to Dale Winton about her Christmas cookie traditions.

As children up and down the country put tea towels on their heads, Greg heads to a nativity play in Sunderland in 1962 to hear about the showbiz drama behind the scenes. In Gelligaer in Wales he discovers a presenter obsessed with his own childhood appearance as Herod.

And he uncovers some touching transatlantic conversations between refugee children and their parents, broadcast live on Christmas Day during the Second World War.

Producer: Tim Bano


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001zv4k)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the government about the alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo.

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2024

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002625q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m002624q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002625s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002625v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002625x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m002625z)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0026261)
Crib

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

A few years back, I found myself responsible for a small office Christmas Crib which sat on the mantlepiece in our meeting room. I also found that I was in possession of a small toy crocodile. It just happened to be the same size and in the same crouched repose as the ox and the ass. So, quietly, surreptitiously into the crib it went.

The only person in the office who really did not like the crocodile was my Superior, who on finding the croc at the manger would storm around making noises about lack of reverence and then pointedly remove the croc and fling it into some distant bin. Once he had gone off, Sr Mary, our saintly receptionist, with the tenacity of the US Marine Corps searching for a colleague fallen-in-battle, would track down the croc, pass it back to me and quietly, surreptitiously, back into the crib it went…

My persistence was partly devilment against my Superior, but there was also a real issue of why the croc could NOT be present? In the traditional crib scene, Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus are present with the Wise Men & the shepherds, and they are all found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke – but the ox & ass are not found in the Gospel story, being medieval devotions, probably from the time of St Francis of Assisi. So then, when you think about it, reptiles have as much right to be present in the Christmas crib as the ox and ass.

Lord help me with my prejudices this day. Let my decisions not be driven by my narrow-mindedness. Let me try to include, not exclude.

Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0026263)
17/12/24 - Poinsettia troubles, hop farm pub, local government reform

As many as 7.5 million poinsettias are sold in the UK every year, and 4.5 million of them are grown here. But UK poinsettia growers say next year's crop could be under threat from what they call "disproportionate" plant hygiene rules, which mean crops are being destroyed unnecessarily. They want Government action.

We visit a pop-up-pub based on a hop farm, which sells beer made from the hops grown there.

And a new Government white paper proposes fundamental changes, with every region of England to get a mayor, and many rural areas which currently have a two tier system of County and District Councils, could see these merged to streamline services.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons


TUE 06:00 Today (m00260wj)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m00260wl)
Gwen Adshead - Four Questions about Violence

Can we change violent minds?

In her final lecture, the forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, assesses how we deal with violent offenders and asks is it time for a re-think?

The UK has more than 70 people on whole life tariffs, at incredible expense – all to appease a sense of revenge, she says.

Dr Adshead assesses the effectiveness and impact of therapeutic interventions with offenders in prisons. And she asks if the public needs to change their minds about violent perpetrators.

The programme is recorded in Bergen, Norway – a country which has a long tradition of rehabilitating violent offenders.

The Reith Lectures are presented and chaired by Anita Anand.

Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Additional Research by James Bonney and Debbie Richford


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00260wn)
Sophie Duker, Sudan sexual violence crisis, The Road Trip

Would you ask your friends to describe you in one word? Comedian Sophie Duker did. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about hearing their responses and how it influenced her new standup show, But Daddy, I Love Her.

Adele is in the headlines this morning after being accused of plagiarism in a Brazilian court for her 2015 song, Million Years Ago.Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes is seeking royalties - more than £125,000 - in moral damages for the alleged plagiarism, and songwriting credit for the track, claiming his samba song, Mulheres. influenced Adele’s song. Dr Karlyn King, lecturer in music business discusses.

There's been an announcement of new vetting standards for potential and serving police officers and staff in England and Wales. The kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens led to so many questions and brought to light other failures in policing. Now, following recommendations from the Casey Review, the Angiolini Inquiry and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report there is new guidance from the College of Policing on how police need to be vetted to protect the public. Harriet Wistrich solicitor and director of the Centre for Women's Justice explains why they welcome the new guidance.

It’s 20 months since the start of the civil war in Sudan and the country is suffering a humanitarian crisis. Nearly 12 million people have been displaced, a famine is on the horizon and in October, a UN fact-finding mission said the scale of sexual violence taking place was staggering. Campaign group, Human Rights Watch, is calling for a dedicated UN mission to protect women and girls from sexual violence. Associate Director in the Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch, Belkis Wille joins Nuala.

The Road Trip is a brand new adaptation of Beth O’Leary’s rom-com book of the same name. It follows Addie and her sister Deb as they are forced to car-share on the way to a wedding with Addie’s ex-boyfriend and his best friend. Nuala is joined in the studio by Beth O’Leary and Emma Appleton, who plays Addie.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Laura Northedge


TUE 11:00 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


TUE 11:45 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00260wq)
Episode 2

What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo?

When the US journalist Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were startling, and worrying. She set out to find out who were the people behind Clearview and just who was using its technology.

The story of this tiny start-up and the powerful tool it built is accompanied by accounts of how it has been used for good and for ill, across the world.

Today Clearview AI declares that it has a database of 50 billion facial images sourced "from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources." Your face may well belong to them.

Your Face Belongs To Us was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science book prize 2024 and described by the Financial Times as "A parable for our times". According to The Economist, "A walk down the street will not quite feel the same again."

The author, Kashmir Hill, is an award-winning technology reporter at The New York Times. She is interested in how technology is shaping our lives and impacting our privacy, and has written for publications including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Forbes.

Written by Kashmir Hill
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m00260ws)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m00260wv)
Call You & Yours: Are you on weight loss drugs?

Call You & Yours: Are you on weight loss drugs? Even if you are not using them, you will probably have heard of the likes of Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro.
This new generation of drugs has swept the world in the last couple of years , and may turn the tide on obesity.
Are you, or anyone close to you using one of these weight loss drugs? Why did you choose to use it? How is it working for you? Do you worry about side effects?

Email us - youandyours@bbc.co.uk and from 11a, on Tuesday call us on 03700 100 444

PRODUCER: Kev Mousley

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON


TUE 12:57 Weather (m00260wx)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m00260wz)
Life sentences for the killers of Sara Sharif

We get the latest as Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool are given a minimum of 40 and 30 years in prison. Also on the programme: claims of 500,000 in Syria's mass graves. Our reporter has visited one of the sites.


TUE 13:45 Shadow World (m00260x1)
The Willpower Detectives

The Willpower Detectives - Ep 7. Rescue Me

The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney – how one man controls the finances of scores of vulnerable people. Sue Mitchell holds those responsible to account and ends with the story of one woman, now on the brink of a new life. She is taking back control of her finances and is on the move.

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


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m00260x3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m00260x5)
Finist the Bright Falcon

By Svetlana Petriychuk
Translated by Anna Razumnaya

Svetlana Petriychuk's provocative, documentary-style play tells the story of a Russian woman who began an online relationship with an Islamic State fighter, and left everything behind as she travelled to join him in IS group-controlled Syria. When she eventually returns to Russia, she is tried as a terrorist. Over the last decade, there have been hundreds of such cases in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

The play, originally performed in Moscow in 2021, attempts to understand what motivated these women's choices: what is driving them to abandon their lives and for what promise? The play draws heavily on the Russian fairy tale of the same name, in which the heroine Maryushka sacrifices everything to travel to a faraway land in search of her beloved prince.

In 2022, the original stage production of Finist the Bright Falcon was awarded two awards at the Golden Mask festival, the main national theatre prize in Russia.

In July 2024, the playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and the play's director Zhenya Berkovich were sentenced to six years in prison on charges that the play “justifyies terrorism.” The charges are widely seen as a politically motivated attack on freedom of expression in Russia.

The Defendant . . . . . Sabrina Sandhu
The Judge . . . . . Clare Corbett
Other parts . . . . . Nadia Albina, Ruth Everett, Shreya Lallu, Andi Bickers

The original stage production was directed by Zhenya Berkovitch.
It was translated from the Russian by Anna Razumnaya. The translation consultant was Professor Julie Curtis.

Finist the Bright Falcon was produced for radio by Sasha Yevtushenko.

A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m00260x7)
Feast

Feeding the birds, sharing meals and chaotic menus - Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures about eating together.

Bird Feeder
Produced by Stella Sims

And to Start...
Produced by Mae-Li Evans

Foodhall
Produced by Nadia Mehdi

Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m00260x9)
Do our pets go to heaven?

The Rev Tara Hellings, an Anglican vicar, outlines her experiences of conducting funerals at a Pet Crematorium in Winchfield, and Nurul Ain Abdul Hamid, a Muslim who runs a dog and cat shelter in Malaysia, shares her beliefs on the equality of all animals.

Do animals have souls? Are all animals equal? And, how do these concepts feed into religious teachings about animals in the afterlife?

To discuss, Giles is joined by Anuradha Dooney, a Fellow of the Oxford Centre Hindu Studies, Fr Terry Martin, a vegan and Catholic priest, and author of the new book 'Animals in Heaven?' and Joyce D'Silva, Compassion in World Farming's Ambassador Emeritus and the author of ‘Animal Welfare in World Religion: Teaching and Practice’.

Producer: Alexa Good
Assistant Producer: Linda Walker
Editor: Chloe Walker


TUE 16:00 Between the Ears (m001wzsm)
Henry Mancini

An immersive dive into the life and music of one of the greatest film music composers of all time: Henry Mancini, who was born 100 years ago this year.

Mancini is one of the great icons of film music. His scores for movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Pink Panther or TV shows like Peter Gunn, not only brought him Academy Awards and a glittering career, but featured songs and themes that have become instantly hummable classics in their own right away from the screen.

Alongside these seminal hits like Moon River or Days of Wine and Roses, and a reputation for 'cool jazz' Mancini was actually one of the most versatile composers in Hollywood. He pushed the artform in new directions and inspired some of the biggest names in film music today, from John Williams to Quincy Jones.

This Between the Ears tells Henry Mancini's story from his early life as the son of Italian immigrants in Pittsburgh where he was first handed a flute by his father, through his years as a musician in the Big Bands, learning the film trade at Universal Pictures, and eventually to composing some of the most recognisable music on film.

With recordings of Mancini himself from the BBC Archives, we also hear from his daughter Monica Mancini and son in law Gregg Field, both professional jazz musicians, film historian Jon Burlingame and pianist Tom Poster.

Producer: Hannah Thorne
Sound engineer: Callum Lawrence
For BBC Audio

Archive: Parkinson, The Songwriters, The Great Mancini, Wogan, Film Night: Henry Mancini,
Film clips: Peter Gunn (Spartan, 1958), Breakfast at Tiffany's (Paramount, 1961), Days of Wine and Roses (Jalem Productions, 1962), Two for the Road (Stanley Donen, 1967), Mr Lucky (Spartan, 1959), Pink Panther (The Mirisch Company, 1963), The Glenn Miller Story (Universal, 1956), Creature from the Black Lagoon (Universal, 1954)
With thanks to the Mancini family and Rhiannon Neads


TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m00260xd)
2024: the big ideas that shaped our year

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the use of 'royal sources' in Prince Andrew's China crises and reflect on the big ideas that have shaped our world in 2024. What are the common themes that might help us understand and navigate our increasingly uncertain world a bit better?

They discuss how the Royal Family is the canary in the PR mine when it comes to dealing with the coming era of algorithms that work to channel negativity and disinformation, as well as the consequences of social media algorithms for all of us.

What does this mean for what happens next in 2025? How best to get a clear message out in a polluted ocean of information? In our changing world, the enduring power of storytelling and connection will be needed more than ever.

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 (m00260xg)
Sara Sharif's 'sadistic' killers jailed for life

Sara Sharif's 'sadistic' killers jailed for murder, PM speaks to head of Social Workers' Association. Also possible ceasefire in Gaza, and brain health, taxis and memory tests.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00260xj)
Urfan Sharif will serve at least 40 years; for Beinash Batool, a minimum of 33 years.


TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m00260xl)
Series 2

5. Books, Poetry, Scandal, Writing

Joining Kiri this week in a literary special recorded at the Hay Festival is comedian Ignacio Lopez who heals family wounds through writing. Dr Paul Craddock explains how one of the most prestigious medical journals started as a scandal magazine, Miss Shabnam Parkar shares how poetry helps her perform surgery, and Professor Neil Frude walks Kiri through library bookshelves for mental health treatments.

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 a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science, an obscure invention, 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: Dr Paul Craddock, Professor Neil Frude, Ignacio Lopez, Miss Shabnam Parkar

Written by Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts 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 (m00260xn)
Kirsty senses Brad has something on his mind, and she gets him to help her with putting up boxes for dormice. He talks about having seen Mia on Sunday and admits he’s apprehensive about visiting George in prison tomorrow. He’s the only person George will let visit him and Brad isn’t keen to be a go-between. Kirsty points out that no-one’s beyond redemption and it’s good Brad is visiting George, although George is not his responsibility.

Brenda catches up with Helen, full of compliments about what Helen has achieved. They gossip about the locals and Brenda’s love life. Brenda mentions Tom and Natasha wanting to buy the house Helen’s in, which leaves Helen confused.

Buoyant Natasha gives Tom the news from the mortgage advisor. They can get a large loan, but it’s because Natasha offered a bigger deposit of £50,000. Tom’s shocked, but Natasha has an idea. They can use the safety net money from her business. Helen confronts them about buying Kirsty’s house, and Natasha tries to justify their actions. When Helen presses them on how soon they’ll want her out, Natasha suggests a swap – Helen could rent April Cottage. Helen is offended, and berates selfish Tom.

Brenda apologises to Kirsty for putting a possible spanner in the works regarding the house. She hadn’t realised that Helen didn’t already know. Natasha’s still keen to press ahead, but they get a message from Kirsty. She’s had a better offer, and given the situation with Helen, to avoid bad blood, Kirsty is accepting it. Tom and Natasha have been gazumped.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m00260xq)
Simon Russell Beale, Rufus Wainwright and Kate Garner

The actor Simon Russell Beale speaks about playing the poet and scholar A. E. Housman in Tom Stoppard's play 'The Invention of Love', as well as discussing his memoir.

The singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright was inspired to write a Requiem by his love of the composer Giuseppe Verdi and the loss of his dog, named Puccini. He speaks about the project and the involvement of Meryl Streep.

And Kate Garner performs songs from the music halls, alongside the historian and writer Oskar Jensen discussing the stories behind the songs.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Ruth Watts


TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m00260xs)
The abuse survivors calling on archbishop of York to resign

The BBC's religion editor Aleem Maqbool hears from sexual abuse victims who say they were let down by senior church leaders for decades. Priest David Tudor was allowed to continue working within the Church of England - despite widespread concerns about his behaviour. Now there are calls for the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell to resign over his handling of the case. He is due to take temporary charge of the church in the New Year following the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The Church of England says File on 4's investigation into the case of David Tudor has 'revealed a catalogue of past safeguarding decisions, that allowed someone who was considered a risk in the 1980s to return to ministry in the 1990s.' This, they say, should never have happened.

Reporter: Aleem Maqbool
Producers: Steve Swann and Hayley Mortimer
Technical producer: Craig Boardman
Production coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m00260xv)
The UK's First Blind Female CEO

Sandi Wassmer is thought to be the UK's only blind female CEO. She heads the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, which is a membership organisation offering companies training and services to make their workplaces more inclusive. Sandi tells In Touch how she worked her way up to get to where she is today, how the impact of losing her vision nearly halted her career and how she no longer deals with 'cane rage'.

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 (m00260xx)
Argentina - Milei's Chainsaw

It has been a year since chainsaw-wielding Javier Milei won the Presidency in Argentina. During his campaign, his chainsaw became a symbol of how quickly and drastically he wanted to cut the Argentine state. And he has slashed government budgets and sliced subsidies on power, food and transport. He stopped printing money to try and halt inflation which was running at 211.4% annually when he was sworn in.

How have his actions changed life for ordinary Argentines? Buenos Aires based reporter, Charlotte Pritchard, talks to Argentines about how they're feeling now. From the gauchos at the annual event to show off their herds of horses, to those taking advantage of a scheme to 'whiten' black-market money they have hidden under their mattress - is there hope or despair?

Produced and presented by Charlotte Pritchard
Studio Manager: Donald McDonald
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


TUE 21:30 Rory Stewart: The Long History of... (m0021cbw)
Ignorance

Ignorance: 5. The Psychology of Ignorance

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 (m00260xz)
Campaigners angry as government denies Waspi women payouts

Campaigners feel stung by the government's decision not to pay compensation to the "Waspi" women affected by state pension age changes. One Labour MP tells us it's a mistake.

Also tonight:

The former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has resigned as a priest, over his handling of a child abuse investigation in the Church of England. We have the latest.

It was an apparent scoop in Syria - but after CNN admits a man it claimed was a freed rebel prisoner was in fact with the Assad regime - we talk about the perils of reporting in post-revolutionary fog.

And after Adele is ordered to pull this song over claims it plagiarised a Brazilian composer - we get the verdict of a forensic musicologist.


TUE 22:45 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (m00260y1)
2: The Possibility of Evil

Sara Kestelman reads five deliciously dark tales from the ‘US Queen of Gothic Horror’, Shirley Jackson, including her most famous and indeed infamous story, ‘The Lottery’, one of the most controversial short stories of all time.

There’s something nasty in suburbia. In these eerie and unsettling tales a village ritual turns dark; a summer lake house becomes a prison; the daily commute turns into a terrifying game of hide and seek; and a nightmarish dream becomes reality. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems, and nowhere is safe.

In the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, these unsettling tales will chill, unsettle and delight.

Today: a seemingly harmless elderly woman takes it upon herself to root of the evil she sees lurking in her village....

Reader: Sara Kestelman
Writer: Neglected during her lifetime, Shirley Jackson is now known as one of the greatest horror writers of the twentieth century for her unsettling short stories of the horrors lurking beneath the veneer of suburban domesticity. She’s perhaps best known for her short story, ‘The Lottery’, which on its 1948 publication, provoked a slew of hate mail but became one of the most anthologised stories of all time, as well as for her gothic horror masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House.
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Justine Willett


TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m00260y3)
The Returning Children Problem

This week, Marian and Tara have advice for an autistic man who finds it hard to break the ice with women at the age of 51. There are thoughts for a mother of two ex-students who have arrived back home, just as she was getting used to them being away. And words of wisdom for a woman whose oldest friend asked her to speak at her wedding - but didn’t invite her to the hen night.

Each week, Marian and Tara do their best to shed their particular brand of warmth, wit and wisdom onto listeners' questions with topics big and small.

Marian Keyes is a multi award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. 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.

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 (m001zv9j)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2024

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m00260y5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00260wq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00260y7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00260y9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00260yc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m00260yf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00260yh)
The Rats

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

In the First World War, my grandad, Bill, had a commanding officer in the Royal Horse Artillery who took a shine to one of the South American horses being brought into battle to replace the European animals being lost on Flanders Field. Bill was given the task of escaping the frontline for an afternoon and taming the feisty horse.

Bill had a vivid memory of riding up to the gates of a farm on that winter day. The farmer was in the yard with a cloth-bag in his hand and he was shaking it. The farmer looked up with alarm and waved my grandad back. Not in an unfriendly way, just wanting Bill and the horse at a distance.

With a dramatic flourish, the farmer flung the bag into the air and three rats and a cloud of green powder fell to earth. The liberated rats charged-off seeking the cover of the rambling farm buildings and within minutes the yard was teeming with thousands of rats.

What had happened was that the three rats had been covered in luminous powder and when they raced off into the drains and tunnels, they had terrified the resident rats into panic.

As the farmer explained later, it only gave the farm respite for a short while before the rats came back to re-settle – but the respite was worth it.

Advent presents us with opportunities to cleanse the soul, but sometimes we just don’t try because we think that things will just revert back to normal.

Lord, give me the nerve to purge myself of something damaging and let me trust You to imaginatively re-use the space created in my soul.

Amen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m00260yk)
18/12/24 - Inheritance tax figures, anglers' pub, National Park changes and holly berries

The figures being used by the Treasury to estimate how many farmers will be impacted by changes to inheritance tax could be inaccurate, because of historical advice given by HMRC. That's according to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. The Government has introduced 20% inheritance tax on farm assets worth more than a million pounds. Farmers say the change will affect as many as three quarters of them, but the Treasury says data from previous claims for inheritance tax relief suggest just 500 estates a year across the UK will be impacted.

We visit a pub in Perthshire which has an intimate relationship with the fortunes of the river it sits alongside.

New Government legislation's being proposed to widen the public's access to National Parks in England, and to restore more protected landscapes. The Government says the changes will cut through bureaucracy to achieve more for people and nature.

And if you've bought your festive holly and it's got a lot of berries - you may be one of the lucky ones. We hear from one farmer who say berries are few and far between this year.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons


WED 06:00 Today (m00261fb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Life Changing (m00261fd)
A White Christmas for Annabelle

For Lisa Hover and her husband Andy, life on the Hampshire Dorset border with their family of four children seemed idyllic. Even when a routine sight test on their daughter Annabelle as she started Primary school picked up an abnormality it all seemed manageable. But the abnormality turned out to be macular degeneration and early sight loss, which itself masked a more severe and life shortening genetic condition.
The diagnosis of Batten disease changed everything. And yet, with no cure available, and physical and mental decline forecast, Annabelle lead the family in demanding everything from her limited life span. That included setting up a charity, Batten fighters forever or BFF ( battenfightersforever.com ), continuing her Girl Guiding and going skiing.
Lisa talks to Sian about the challenges, the joys and the sadness - and particularly about Annabelle's desire to have a White Christmas will all the family.

Producer; Tom Alban


WED 09:30 Singing in Gaza (m0024mxc)
Amid the rubble, in makeshift tents, children in Gaza are singing - and practising the violin, guitar and traditional instruments such as the ‘oud. The sessions are organised by the local branch of the Palestinian national music conservatory, which still operates, outside its damaged premises, despite the destruction of teachers’ and students’ homes. Why - and how - do they go on singing? And what does music mean to them now? Tim Whewell reported from Gaza in 2015 on the rescue of the territory’s only concert grand piano after a previous war. Now, he finds out how musicians he met then are living and working through this war. He learns about a boy who started playing the violin after he lost his hand in an airstrike. And he finds out about the second near-miraculous survival of the grand piano.

Presented and produced by Tim Whewell
Sound mix by Rod Farquhar
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00261fg)
WASPI women, Puberty blockers, Black female journalists

The government has announced that a ban on the private prescriptions of medicines used to delay puberty to young people questioning their gender in the UK, is being made indefinite. They are no longer prescribed on the NHS. Following the recommendations of the Cass review, the only new access to these puberty blocking drugs for young people will be via a clinical trial, due to start in early 2025. Deborah Cohen, former BBC Newsnight health correspondent and Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE Health has been looking into what this trial might look like and the debates around its design and ethics. She joins Nuala McGovern to explain further.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) say they are furious at the latest government announcement that they won't be paid compensation. They say they weren't properly informed that their state pension age was rising and therefore weren't able to prepare for retirement. A Parliamentary Ombudsman investigation in March recommended that they be paid compensation, the government says the cost - which it says would be up to £10.5 billion - would not "be fair or proportionate to taxpayers". Nuala speaks to the current Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Rebecca Hilsenrath.

Before Taylor Swift, there was Kay Swift - the first woman to compose a hit Broadway musical. She also worked alongside George Gershwin on many of his works such as Porgy and Bess – and they had a long affair. But Kay has largely been forgotten by history. A new Radio 3 Drama: Gershwin & Miss Swift, seeks to change that. Nuala is joined by Kay’s granddaughter, the author Katharine Weber, and actor Lydia Leonard who plays Kay in the drama.

A recent report by the National Council for the Training of Journalists found that 91% of UK journalists come from white ethnic groups. This has increased by 3% since last year. Amid large numbers of job cuts within the sector, what can be done to help keep female black and minority ethnic journalists within the profession? Nuala is joined by Habiba Katsha, a freelance journalist considering an alternative career, and award-winning writer and journalist Afua Hirsch.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lottie Garton


WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m00260xs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:45 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00261fk)
Episode 3

What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo?

When the US journalist Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were startling, and worrying. She set out to find out who were the people behind Clearview and just who was using its technology.

The story of this tiny start-up and the powerful tool it built is accompanied by accounts of how it has been used for good and for ill, across the world.

Today Clearview AI declares that it has a database of 50 billion facial images sourced "from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources." Your face may well belong to them.

Your Face Belongs To Us was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science book prize 2024 and described by the Financial Times as "A parable for our times". According to The Economist, "A walk down the street will not quite feel the same again."

The author, Kashmir Hill, is an award-winning technology reporter at The New York Times. She is interested in how technology is shaping our lives and impacting our privacy, and has written for publications including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Forbes.

Written by Kashmir Hill
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m00261fm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m00261fp)
Dangerous Sweets; Grinch Bots; Shop Christmas Windows

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has issued a warning this Christmas about imported American sweets and snacks containing banned ingredients. We'll hear from the trading standards officer who has been leading investigations to get these snacks off UK high streets, Steph Young. Plus Chris Noice from the Association of Convenience Stores explains what they're doing to clamp down on the issue.

We have exclusive research into what the bots are up to this Christmas from Matthew Gracey-McMinn, at bot management firm Netacea, and hear how its not the big ticket items that are being targeted this year.

And the trend of for high street shops to do Christmas shop window displays take us to a magical window display in Manchester, featuring a horse riding fox, five hundred baubles and thousands of lights.

PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM


WED 12:57 Weather (m00261fr)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m00261ft)
Gaza ceasefire talks move a step forward

Hamas says ceasefire talks are close. We hear from an Israeli government spokesman. Also a troubled Christmas for the Canadian prime minister, and the last PMQs of the year.


WED 13:45 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0025lbj)
Making a Difference

Hugh Dennis reports on how your donations to last year's Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields have helped change the lives of people who are experiencing, or who are at risk of, homelessness. He meets Carla, who's been supported by The Connection Day Centre in central London and is now off the streets and living in a hostel. In Edinburgh, Elvira, who has been supported by a new in-house psychologist at her hostel, supported by your donations. And John in Coventry has finally got keys to his own front door, thanks to the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal, which is now in its 98th year.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84, calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal website.

Registered Charity Number: 1156305/261359. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.smitfc.org
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites


WED 14:00 The Archers (m00260xn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m00261fw)
Christmas Past

Darkly comic, heart-warming drama by award-winning writer, Christine Entwisle.

Davey and Bobs live in small town Scotland. But they’re trying to make it big on social media. It’s Christmas Eve, and they’re targeting the local bogeyman who looks remarkably like Santa Claus…

But when the man confronts them with a shot gun, Davey and Bobs find they’ve unwittingly opened a Pandora’s box wrapped up in festive paper…

Father…Peter Mullan
Davey… Martin Quinn
Bobs…Divian Ladwa
Daughter…Rosie Smith
Narrator…Helen Mackay

Sound design and original music by Niall Young

A BBC Audio Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams


WED 15:00 Money Box (m00261g0)
Money Box Live: Side Hustles

Almost half of us are making money from side hustles according to the comparison site, Finder.

But how do they work, what do you need to do if you have one and when do you need to tell the tax office?

We will be meeting those using their hobbies to boost their bank balances this Christmas as well as clearing up the rules around selling on online platforms.

Joining Felicity Hannah is Helen Thornley from the Association of Tax Technicians and Vicks Rodwell of IPSE, the association for self-employed people.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Sarah Rogers and Neil Morrow
Production Coordinator: Emma Smith
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 18th December 2024)


WED 15:30 Footprints (m00261g4)
In August 2007, on an island off the west coast of Canada, the remains of a human foot were found washed up on a beach.

Six days later, on another beach fifty miles away, a second foot was found but, strangely, it doesn't match the first - they're from different people.

The BBC’s Celia Hatton travels to Vancouver to hear how more than twenty further feet have been found in the area since then, and to speak to the investigators and scientists who’ve worked to uncover the mystery of why they started appearing.


WED 16:00 The Media Show (m00260tj)
CNN Syria Report, Health Misinformation, Time Person of the Year

We discuss why CNN is under pressure after a viral news report from Syria turned out not to be all it claimed to be. As ABC News settles a defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump for $15m, we look at what it means for journalism. Also on the programme, a BBC World Service investigation has found that Steven Bartlett’s Diary of A CEO is amplifying harmful health misinformation with little or no challenge. We hear why health and wellness content has proven so popular on podcasts and social media. One half of the Youtube comedy group Map Men reveal how they turned their passion for cartography into a global phenomenon. Plus the editor-in-chief of Time Magazine tells us why they have selected President Elect Trump as their Person of the Year.

Guests:
David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent, NPR; Katie Fallow, Deputy Litigation Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Cécile Simmons, Investigative Researcher, Institute for Strategic Dialogue; Dr Megan Rossi, Dietician, known as The Gut Health Doctor; Nick Hilton, Co-founder, Podot; Jay Foreman, Comedian and YouTube creator; Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-chief, Time magazine

Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Lucy Wai
Assistant Producer: Martha Owen


WED 17:00 PM (m00261g8)
President Zelensky arrives in Brussels for defence summit

As President Zelensky arrives in Brussels for a defence summit, is a peace deal on the horizon? We ask Ukraine’s former Ambassador to London whether Ukrainians will cede territory. Plus, as inflation rises to 2.6%, we assess the state of the UK economy.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00261gb)
Campaigners say some women lost out as they were not properly informed about the changes


WED 18:30 You Heard It Here First (m001z4j1)
Series 2

'How well do you remember Thundercats?'

Chris McCausland asks Donna Preston and Jon Long to take on Glenn Moore and Sara Pascoe. Sara Pascoe finds a child's description of a famous film scene impossible to decipher. The two teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and work out the age of members of the audience from their voice alone.

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 (m00260ss)
Susan attempts to offer a solution, and celebrations begin at Brookfield.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m00261gd)
Chris McCausland, Lauren Mayberry and Barry Jenkins

Fresh from his success as the winner of Strictly Come Dancing, comedian and actor Chris McCausland joins us to talk about his new TV film Bad Tidings, his forthcoming solo tour and of course triumphing in TV's biggest dance contest.

Singer Lauren Mayberry, best known as the frontwoman of Scottish synth pop band Chvrches, talks about her debut solo album, on which her songs examine themes societal pressures, the mother-daughter relationship and her experiences as a female musician in a band alongside two men.

And the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, speaks about his experiences making Mufasa, the prequel to Disney's hugely popular Lion King, which is in cinemas from this weekend.

Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m00261gg)
Should morality be enforced?

Here are the instructions for your office Christmas party, issued by the Public and Commercial Services Union: “Sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour are just as unacceptable at social events as they are in the workplace. This includes unwelcome comments, gestures or physical actions. Alcohol is not a defence for such conduct and employers are obligated to address these issues seriously.”

This could be considered an example of Moral Managerialism - a philosophy of enforcing, by rules and regulations, behaviour that once was left to the individual’s sense of decency. Since human beings are fallible, is this a welcome institutional safety net or an attack on an individual’s agency to do the right thing?

Philosophically, can – and should – we try to make people better behaved? There’s one approach we haven’t tried, but it’s exciting some scientists. It’s called ‘moral bio-enhancement’ – basically a drug that can make you good, a do-as-you-would-be-done-by pill, a statin for the soul. If all you have to do, to be a good person, is obey the rules or take a tablet… can human virtue exist?

Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Anne McElvoy, Mona Siddiqui, Giles Fraser and Inaya Folarin-Iman.
Witnesses: Ros Taylor, Zoe Strimpel, Julian Savulescu and Andrew Peterson.

Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant Producer: Peter Everett
Editor: Tim Pemberton


WED 21:00 Rory Stewart: The Long History of... (m0021cby)
Ignorance

Ignorance: 6. Wisdom

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’.


WED 21:30 The Conflict (m00261gj)
Middle East

Six Day War (1967): What Next For Syria and Israel?

We look back on the region’s history and discuss what it can teach us about the future.

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

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 Tom Bateman, the BBC’s State Department correspondent and before that, Middle East correspondent; Jotam Confino, the Telegraph’s Middle East correspondent; and Broderick McDonald, Associate Fellow at Kings College London’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.

They explore the Six Day War - also known as the Arab-Israeli war - a brief, but bloody conflict fought in June 1967 between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Israel’s victory changed the map of the Middle East and fanned the flames of the Israeli-Arab conflict for decades to come.

This episode was made by Keiligh Baker and Sally Abrahams. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

This episode is part of a BBC Sounds series. It was recorded at 12:30 on Monday 16 December 2024.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m00261gl)
Syria’s new leader speaks to the BBC

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has told the BBC the country he leads is exhausted by war and is not a threat to anyone. Sharaa, who previously went by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, says Syria can be reunited after the fall of Assad and called for sanctions against the country to be lifted.

The government has outlined how it will spend £1 billion earmarked for homelessness support. The BBC’s Michael Buchanan has a report on one family left to live in appalling conditions.

And we speak to the oldest newlywed couple on the whirlwind romance that was formed in a nursing home.


WED 22:45 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (m00261gn)
3: Paranoia

Sara Kestelman reads five deliciously dark tales from the ‘US Queen of Gothic Horror’, Shirley Jackson, including her most famous and indeed infamous story, ‘The Lottery’, one of the most controversial short stories of all time.

There’s something nasty in suburbia. In these eerie and unsettling tales a village ritual turns dark; a summer lake house becomes a prison; an elderly woman is brought down by her own gossip; and a nightmarish dream becomes reality. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems, and nowhere is safe.

In the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, these unsettling tales will chill, unsettle and delight.

Today: the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek in Manhattan...

Reader: Sara Kestelman
Writer: Neglected during her lifetime, Shirley Jackson is now known as one of the greatest horror writers of the twentieth century for her unsettling short stories of the horrors lurking beneath the veneer of suburban domesticity. She’s perhaps best known for her short story, ‘The Lottery’, which on its 1948 publication, provoked a slew of hate mail but became one of the most anthologised stories of all time, as well as for her gothic horror masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House.
Abridged and producer by Justine Willett


WED 23:00 The Tim Vine Chat Show (m0012q6s)
Christmas Special 2021

Tim pulls a cracker with the Great British Public and delivers a sleigh full of Christmas one-liners in this, the festive radio treat that features interviews with the audience as well as Tim’s world famous one-liners and songs.

Featuring guests with fascinating Christmas stories like Terry the wood-seller as well as some musical Yuletide advice about Christmas dinner. Tim also sets a fiendish challenge to see how many dressing gowns you can remember.

Producer: Richard Morris
Production co-ordinator: Sarah Nicholls

A BBC Studios Production

This programme was first broadcast in December 2021


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001zv1r)
Sean Curran reports on the last Prime Minister's Questions of 2024.

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2024

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m00261gq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00261fk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00261gs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00261gv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00261gx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m00261gz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00261h1)
Star

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

Science-fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, wrote a story which tells of an expedition to galaxies far beyond our own. It is led by an astrophysicist who is a Jesuit priest – we have a tradition of such exotic priestly ministries!

The crew are exploring the remains of a solar system where the sun had exploded - a supernova had wiped-out all the planets orbiting that sun. But not quite all – they discover a scorched planet orbiting, Pluto-like, on the edge of the system.

They investigate and find that a human-like species, who knew they would be destroyed by the supernova, had used the outer planet as a museum vault to preserve their culture and history.

Clarke’s short story, called ‘The Star’, ends with the Jesuit undergoing a crisis of faith because his calculations reveal that the violent supernova which destroyed the species was the star that appeared over Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus.

To someone who thinks that Christmas should be a time of ‘gentle Jesus meek & mild’, the story will be a shock - but it wouldn’t surprise St Matthew as he prepared his Gospel readers for the Birth of Jesus. Matthew tells of how the Wise Men set out from the East to follow the star and stumble unwittingly into a world of intrigue. Their innocent presence provokes a violence which results in King Herod’s massacre of the innocents; but, as Matthew shows, ultimately the mystery of God emerges from the wreckage to bring Salvation to all.

Lord, help us to keep faith in your love through the trials and tribulations of our day. Despite the darkness that might close in, fill us with your light.

Amen.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m00261h3)
19/12/24 Christmas veg price wars, woolly crafts, pubs growing food

Carrot and sprout discount wars are in full swing as the supermarkets vie to be the best value for Christmas. While growers acknowledge what's becoming an annual pricing competition can be helpful for hard-up shoppers, they're worried that this sends the wrong messages to consumers.

At this time of year knitters and crocheters are making gifts and natural wool from local sheep is in demand.

All this week we are looking at the challenges facing rural pubs and their importance to local communities. Two entrepreneurs from Oxfordshire think more pubs could grow at least some of their own produce.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


THU 06:00 Today (m00260s3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m00260s5)
Plutarch's Parallel Lives

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Greek biographer Plutarch (c46 AD-c120 AD) and especially his work 'Parallel Lives' which has shaped the way successive generations see the Classical world. Plutarch was clear that he was writing lives, not histories, and he wrote these very focussed accounts in pairs to contrast and compare the characters of famous Greeks and Romans, side by side, along with their virtues and vices. This focus on the inner lives of great men was to fascinate Shakespeare, who drew on Plutarch considerably when writing his Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens and Antony and Cleopatra. While few followed his approach of setting lives in pairs, Plutarch's work was to influence countless biographers especially from the Enlightenment onwards.

With

Judith Mossman
Professor Emerita of Classics at Coventry University

Andrew Erskine
Professor of Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh

And

Paul Cartledge
AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Mark Beck (ed.), A Companion to Plutarch (Wiley-Blackwell, 2014)

Colin Burrow, Shakespeare and Classical Antiquity (Oxford University Press, 2013), especially chapter 6

Raphaëla Dubreuil, Theater and Politics in Plutarch’s Parallel Lives (Brill, 2023)

Tim Duff, Plutarch’s Lives: Exploring Virtue and Vice (Oxford University Press, 1999)

Noreen Humble (ed.), Plutarch’s Lives: Parallelism and Purpose (Classical Press of Wales, 2010)

Robert Lamberton, Plutarch (Yale University Press, 2002)

Hugh Liebert, Plutarch's Politics: Between City and Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2016)

Christopher Pelling, Plutarch and History (Classical Press of Wales, 2002)

Plutarch (trans. Robin Waterfield), Greek Lives (Oxford University Press, 2008)

Plutarch (trans. Robin Waterfield), Roman Lives (Oxford University Press, 2008)

Plutarch (trans. Robin Waterfield), Hellenistic Lives (Oxford University Press, 2016)

Plutarch (trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert), The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives (Penguin, 2023)

Plutarch (trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert), The Age of Alexander: Nine Greek Lives (Penguin, 2011)

Plutarch (trans. Richard Talbert), On Sparta (Penguin, 2005)

Plutarch (trans. Christopher Pelling), The Rise of Rome (Penguin, 2013)

Plutarch (trans. Christopher Pelling), Rome in Crisis: Nine Lives (Penguin, 2010)

Plutarch (trans. Rex Warner), The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives (Penguin, 2006)

Plutarch (trans. Thomas North, ed. Judith Mossman), The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans (Wordsworth, 1998)

Geert Roskam, Plutarch (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

D. A. Russell, Plutarch (2nd ed., Bristol Classical Press, 2001)

Philip A. Stadter, Plutarch and his Roman Readers (Oxford University Press, 2014)

Frances B. Titchener and Alexei V. Zadorojnyi (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Plutarch (Cambridge University Press, 2023)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m00260s7)
The Tepid Bath of Managed Decline

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, Helen and Armando are having a splash around in the tepid bath of managed decline. When does a phrase become accidentally too evocative? What is the remedy to a tepid bath? And is the desire for 'start up culture' within the government the right thing?

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 (m00260s9)
Gisele Pelicot mass rape trial verdicts, Venture capitalist, Ballet Shoes

The verdicts have been handed down in the mass rape trial that has truly shocked and appalled people in France and around the world where 51 men stood accused of raping Gisele Pelicot. One of these men is Gisele's now ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, who has been convicted of drugging and raping his wife of 50 years - and inviting dozens of others to rape her over nearly a decade. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Anita Rani spoke to BBC correspondent Chris Bockman and French feminist campaigner Blandine Deverlanges, both outside the court in Avignon.

Venture Capitalist Nell Daly is on a mission to invest in female entrepreneurs. She has launched a £50 million investment fund here in the UK to support those who normally don’t get a seat at the finance table. She joins Anita to talk about women in business.

Noel Streatfield’s classic children’s book Ballet Shoes was written in 1936, and had never been staged - until now. The National Theatre’s production of Ballet Shoes is directed by Katy Rudd and tells the story of the three Fossil sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy, who were given their name because they were all “discovered” as babies on the travels of adventurer Great Uncle Matthew and then abandoned to his Great Niece Sylvia, or Garnie, played by Pearl Mackie. Anita is joined by Katy and Pearl to discuss this children's classic.

Have you ever spent Christmas alone by choice? Why did you decide to spend it this way - and what did you do? That's what the best selling author and Daily Mail agony aunt, Jane Green, is doing this year. It's the first Christmas since her divorce and she's spending it alone, several thousand miles away from home. She joins me now.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt


THU 11:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0025dvn)
Series 31

Is Extinction the End?

Brian Cox and Robin Ince dig into de-extinction asking, could we and should we resurrect creatures of the past? They are joined by geneticist Adam Rutherford, palaeontologist Susannah Maidment and comedian/virologist Ria Lina.

Extinction has played a significant role in shaping the life we see on Earth today. It is estimated around 95% of species to have ever existed are already extinct - but could any of these extinctions be reversed? Our panel explore the different methods being pursued in these resurrection quests, including back-breeding, cloning and genetic engineering. They take a close look at the case of the woolly mammoth and the suggestion they could be returned to the Arctic tundra. Some claim the mammoth is the key to ecosystem restoration, but our panel have some punchy opinions on whether this Jurassic Park fantasy is even ethical.

Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani

BBC Studios Audio Production


THU 11:45 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00260sc)
Episode 4

What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo?

When the US journalist Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were startling, and worrying. She set out to find out who were the people behind Clearview and just who was using its technology.

The story of this tiny start-up and the powerful tool it built is accompanied by accounts of how it has been used for good and for ill, across the world.

Today Clearview AI declares that it has a database of 50 billion facial images sourced "from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources." Your face may well belong to them.

Your Face Belongs To Us was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science book prize 2024 and described by the Financial Times as "A parable for our times". According to The Economist, "A walk down the street will not quite feel the same again."

The author, Kashmir Hill, is an award-winning technology reporter at The New York Times. She is interested in how technology is shaping our lives and impacting our privacy, and has written for publications including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Forbes.

Written by Kashmir Hill
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m00260sg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m00260sj)
Gap Finders: The Gym Kitchen founder Segun Akinwoleola

Segun Akinwoleola founded The Gym Kitchen in 2016. It makes ready meals aimed at gym-goers. In this Gap Finders interview, Segun takes us from his upbringing in a part of East London where, as he puts it, "gangs, riots and poverty dominated everyday life" to the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of a food brand that has been taken on by major supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury's.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: DAVE JAMES


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m00260sl)
Insulation Hacks

Can you insulate your home for less than £100?

With winter setting in listener Robin got in touch with Sliced Bread to find out if there's a way he can insulate his very old, very cold Victorian house on a budget. He's seen plastic films that go over the windows and silver foil-type backings that go behind the radiators. Do any of them work to keep the cold out and more of that precious heat in? And what about other solutions like thick curtains or blinds - can they be effective?

Greg is joined in the studio by listener Robin and expert David Farmer from the Energy House in Salford - a bespoke replica terraced house built in a warehouse which can recreate a range of weather conditions, from snowstorms to balmy summer days!

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: SIMON HOBAN


THU 12:57 Weather (m00260sn)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m00260sq)
Dominique Pelicot convicted in French mass rape trial

Pelicot sentenced to 20 years for drugging, raping and inviting 50 other men to abuse his ex-wife Gisele. Plus, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announces hospice funding.


THU 13:45 One to One (m001q67d)
Aleighcia Scott's Reggae Heroes: Benji Webbe

Benji Webbe's memories of Reggae began with his parents' record collection and the 'blues' parties his brother held when their Dad was away, when the furniture in the front room was replaced with huge wardrobe speakers and curried goat would be cooking in the kitchen. After several attempts to forge a career in Reggae, Benji started writing rock songs with a friend in what became the band Dub War, and the blend of heavy metal riffs with Benji's roots in Reggae and dance hall started opening doors. It's an ethos that's continued with the band Skindred and Benji maintains it's about spreading those same positive messages of peace, love and unity.

Aleighcia and Benji talk about the culture of Reggae in South Wales, and how coachloads of people used to come to Cardiff and Newport to listen to the music and see live bands. They talk about Benji's relationship with the genre and how it has come full-circle again with the band Skindred, and why when they go further afield some people are surprised to find out there is any Reggae music (and black people) in Wales.

Presenter: Aleighcia Scott
Produced by Toby Field for BBC Audio Bristol


THU 14:00 The Archers (m00260ss)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0018x0c)
Severus

Starring Paterson Joseph as Severus, Adjoa Andoh as Julia his wife, and David Mitchell as the physician, this is a non-audience comedy drama with strong characters and a richly evoked atmosphere of the little told tale of the time that the United Kingdom (as we know it now) had African rulers.

Libyan born Severus, his Syrian wife Julia and their two strapping young sons Antoninus and Geta were celebrated across the empire as the perfect royal family. A symbol of the civility and harmony of Rome. So when they came to York in 209AD, many were amazed that the most powerful man in the world had chosen to call these shores "home". After all, Britannia was the centre of nothing; a troublesome backwater that had never been truly pacified; in the eyes of every cosmopolitan Roman citizen, it was the arse-end of the world. So why were they here?

Our story is told through the cloudy recollections of Severus to his Christian physician, Sammonicus , as the emperor ails in bed, the fetid smell of his bandaged gouty foot filling the air. Through his ill-tempered haze he slowly pieces together where he is, why and, most importantly, how he can hang on to his foot.

Written by Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, Noughts and Crosses, Vigil) and David Reed (Penny Dreadfuls sketch group and author of 10 comedy plays for Radio 4).

This programme was first broadcast in July 2022.

Paterson Joseph... Septimius Severus
Adjoa Andoh...Julia
David Mitchell...Sammonicus
Cyril Nri...Gaius
John Macmillan...Antoninus
Ben Scheck...Geta
Alix Dunmore..Silver Leg
David Reed...Governor Senecio
Producer...Julia McKenzie
Production Coordinators...Beverly Tagg and Katie Baum
A BBC Studios Production


THU 15:00 This Natural Life (m00260sv)
Delia Smith

Martha Kearney meets much-loved cook and writer Delia Smith for a winter walk around her garden in Suffolk. She speaks of her lifelong love of nature, and her deep concerns for the environment in the face of climate change. She tells Martha about her childhood growing up in the Greater London suburb of Bexleyheath, climbing trees and digging up vegetables in her Grandfather's allotment. Then, in the early days of marriage, Delia and her husband Michael decided to leave London for a tiny hamlet in the country, where they have lived ever since. At the bottom of the garden is a field that Michael bought her as a surprise birthday present, which they have now turned into a wildflower meadow with a duck pond at the centre. Even in winter, the place is a hive of activity. Delia gives Martha a tour of the pond, past a memorial tree with special significance, and into her treehouse where she wrote many of her best-selling cook books. Their walk winds up in her kitchen garden, where the sprouts are growing in time for Christmas, and where the winter herbs are soon to be picked to make stuffing.

Producer: Becky Ripley


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m00260sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Feedback (m00260sz)
BBC Radio Comedy, and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast

Comedy on BBC Radio 4 generates a lot of discussion in the Feedback inbox, and this year's been no different, especially after the introduction of a new raft of comedy commissions over the last twelve months. Andrea Catherwood talks to to Julia McKenzie, Commissioning Editor for Comedy and Entertainment, and Jon Holmes, comedian and creator of one of those new commissions, The Naked Week - and they respond to listener comments and critiques.

And as Christmas approaches, we go behind the scenes in King's College Chapel as preparations take place for Radio 4's annual Christmas Eve broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m00260t1)
Is chainsaw economics working in Argentina?

In his election campaign President Milei set out his chainsaw approach to cutting spending and inflation. A year on, how has his presidency turned out?

David Aaronovitch and guests explore - why was Argentina’s economy in such a bad state when Milei took office, what new measures has President Milei introduced, and how have things turned out so far?

Guests:
Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
Tyler Cowan, Professor of economics at George Mason University
Pablo Castro, Professor of micro and macro economics at Buenos Aires University

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineers: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m00260t3)
The Year in Science

We look back on 2024 in science, from billionaires in space, to record-breaking heat here on Earth, and the meteoric rise of new weight-loss drugs.

From the biggest stories to the unsung and the plain fun, Inside Science presenter Victoria Gill hosts a special panel, featuring:

- Libby Jackson, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency
- Penny Sarchet, managing editor of New Scientist
- Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist from University College London

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: 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.


THU 17:00 PM (m00260t5)
Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years in mass rape trial

France reacts to Pelicot's conviction for drugging, raping, and inviting 50 others to rape his ex-wife Gisele. All other men have also been found guilty of at least one charge. Also on the programme: why is your water bill on the rise?


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00260t7)
Dominique Pelicot was convicted alongside 50 men in France's largest ever rape trial


THU 18:30 Michael Spicer: No Room (Omnibus) (m00260t9)
2. Soft Play Terror.

Famous white man in dream travel show shock. Comedian Michael Spicer shines a light on a government team-building away day. Features an exclusive interview with Tony Blair on his classic TV series.

No Room is Spicer's 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 three and six from series one.

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 (m00260td)
Will Eddie wave the white flag? And life becomes complicated for Helen.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m00260tg)
Review: Better Man, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and How to make Millions before Grandma Dies

Boyd Hilton and Arifa Akbar join Tom to review:

Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic with a twist – he’s depicted as a Monkey.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the Almeida theatre’s new production of Tennesee Williams' play with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

And How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies, a new film from Thai director Pat Boonnitipat about family relationships, memories, death and inheritance.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Corinna Jones


THU 20:00 The Media Show (m00260tj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m00260tl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Mythical Creatures (m001tqbv)
6. Hobs

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.

Not all mythical creatures are found in the wilds of our landscape. Rhianna discovers there could be magical beings with us in our homes. She hears tales of helpful hobs in the North York Moors – small hairy creatures that do your chores while you’re asleep. Like many other friendly household spirits they can be useful but also temperamental. You need to stay on the right side of your hob! Rhianna, keen for some help around the house, takes notes on how to keep your hob happy, and what happens when it’s not. She also explores what stories of hobs and other household spirits can tell us about our lives past and present.

Storyteller: Rosie Barrett
Other Contributors: Bob Fischer, Mark Norman, Natalie Lawrence

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 (m00260tn)
Lord Mandelson set to be UK ambassador to US

The Labour grandee Lord Peter Mandelson looks likely be the next UK ambassador to the United States. We ask how he'll fare negotiating with President Trump's White House.

Also tonight:

As Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband is jailed for 20 years after the rape trial that shocked the world, survivors of sexual assault tell us her courage and openness is helping other women.

And the group of singers, with an average age of 92, which has broken the Guiness World Record - for the world's oldest choir.


THU 22:45 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (m00260tq)
4: The Bus

Sara Kestelman reads five deliciously dark tales from the ‘US Queen of Gothic Horror’, Shirley Jackson, including her most famous and indeed infamous story, ‘The Lottery’, one of the most controversial short stories of all time.

There’s something nasty in suburbia. In these eerie and unsettling tales, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek; a summer lake house becomes a prison; an elderly woman is brought down by her own gossip; and a nightmarish dream becomes reality. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems, and nowhere is safe.

In the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, these unsettling tales will chill, unsettle and delight.

Today: a bus trip home on a dark and rainy night turns into something nightmarish...

Reader: Sara Kestelman
Writer: Neglected during her lifetime, Shirley Jackson is now known as one of the greatest horror writers of the twentieth century for her unsettling short stories of the horrors lurking beneath the veneer of suburban domesticity. She’s perhaps best known for her short story, ‘The Lottery’, which on its 1948 publication, provoked a slew of hate mail but became one of the most anthologised stories of all time, as well as for her gothic horror masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House.
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Justine Willett


THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m00260tt)
Political Turmoil in France and Germany

French prime minister Michel Barnier was forced to resign when his government collapsed in the wake of a no-confidence vote and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is heading for fresh elections in February. Amol and Nick are joined by Jose Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, to look at what the crisis in those countries means for the EU as it faces economic decline, the rise of populist parties and a second Donald Trump presidency.

Plus, sports presenter Karthi Gnanasegaram pops in for Moment of the Week and to discuss her busy work schedule over Christmas.

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 Grace Reeve. Additional digital production was by Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001zvx6)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as the Prime Minister stands by his pledge to make the UK the fastest growing advanced economy.

FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER 2024

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m00260tw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m00260sc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00260ty)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00260v1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00260v5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m00260vc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00260vl)
The Kilt

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

I was the only pupil tall enough to wear The Kilt.

The school was putting on Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore and there is a scene where the ancestors come to life as ghosts and step from their portraits to haunt the hero with his family duties.

The costume department had a proper kilt and, keen for visual variety, as the tallest and shyest sixth former in the chorus, I was dressed as The Scottish Ghost.

The scene was a colourful spectacle which always drew applause when the curtains opened and the ancestors emerged.

I had some words to speak, and the dress-rehearsal revealed that the line “Everybody does that”, really should NOT be delivered in a terrified Burnley accent.

Intense coaching from cast & crew (all of whom had Lancashire accents) resulted with “Hoots mon, everybody does that,”, delivered with a Scottish accent that was so unconvincing, it brought the house down every night.

But my main memory was from after the final performance, when photos were being taken to record the production.

The colourful Ghosts were eventually gathered together and posed before the official photographer… “Smile!!!!” ... Click… But the flashbulb didn’t flash.

In that awkward moment, for once in my life the obvious zinger came to mind – as clear as a bell and exactly right for the moment. In the uncomfortable pause I should have boomed out “THE SPIRITS ARE WILLING, BUT THE FLASH IS WEAK.”

But I didn’t. I was shy & terrified. The moment passed and disappeared, never to be repeated.

Lord, Christmas can be a time of rare opportunities. Give me today the courage to overcome a shyness and seize the present moment.

Amen.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m00260vr)
20/12/24 - Rural councils warn of tax rises, surplus veg, pub Christmas carols.

Rural councils are warning that council tax will have to rise and there will be cuts in services, because they say the Government has prioritised urban communities in the recent funding agreement. The County Councils' Network which represents 23 county councils and 13 county unitary authorities says ministers are 'cherry picking' by using a formula based on deprivation, which is targeted towards city and town councils. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told us the overall funding agreement is a real terms increase which will support places with a significant rural population.

This year a charity that collects surplus food and distributes it to charities says that between November and the end of January, it's expecting to rescue enough food to create around 50 million meals. It says this is in part down to the ways it’s now working with growers to reduce waste.

And carols, in the pub; a tradition that sprung up in Yorkshire in the nineteenth century, where people would go to the village pub and sing carols to the old tunes.
All week we've been looking at the fortunes of rural pubs and to celebrate Christmas, locals in the the small market town of Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, are reviving village carols from Somerset, Wiltshire and Cornwall.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


FRI 06:00 Today (m002621w)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m00261td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002621y)
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Gisèle Pelicot, Trampolinist Bryony Page

Daisy Edgar-Jones and her co-star Paul Mescal rocketed into the public gaze in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People. Following a couple of notable film performances Daisy is now on stage as the formidable, if unhappy, Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She joins Anita Rani live in the Woman’s Hour studio.

It's the rape trial that has shocked the world. Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband Dominique was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for her rape, alongside 50 other men. We hear Gisèle's own words, from the BBC's Andrew Harding who has covered the trial from the beginning, and French journalist and founder of The Women's Voices website Cynthia Illouz. Anita then speaks to Dr Caroline Copeland, senior lecturer in pharmacology and toxicology at King’s College London, about the term chemical submission, which has gained more recognition during the trial.

Hundreds of women in labour are being diverted from their birth hospital of choice. Exclusive research done by the Health Service Journal found some were sent hundreds of miles from home to different hospital Trusts. The main reason was because of staff shortages or because midwifery teams lacked the right skill-mix for a delivery to be safe for the baby and the mother. Anita is joined by Health Service Journal Senior Correspondent Emily Townsend who carried out this investigation and Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, to discuss.

Bryony Page, Olympic medallist and trailblazer for British gymnastics, made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning Team GB’s first ever trampoline gold. Known for her resilience and determination, she reflects with Anita on the achievements and challenges of her career, and shares her hopes for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m0026220)
Christmas: The Gift of Food

Christmas is a time for giving, and for many charities, that often means food. Jaega Wise explores the tradition and looks into the planning that goes into festive food donations.

Food historian Carwyn Graves explains how the custom of giving food at Christmas has evolved over the centuries, and why the season inspires so many to give back to their communities.

In Aberdare, we meet the team behind Company at Christmas, who host a festive feast for anyone who doesn’t want to spend Christmas Day alone. The new CEO of Fareshare discusses how the charity manages the extra surplus food during the festive season, while Tim O’Malley from Nationwide Produce Ltd explains how his company has been working to ensure as little fresh food goes to waste as possible.

In Glasgow, Social Bite founder Josh Littlejohn discusses why Christmas has become a cornerstone of his social enterprise and charity, alongside one of the volunteers who will be there to greet guests. Meanwhile, Lesley Gates in Bridgwater—known locally as Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo—shows how she’s helping people make the most of their Christmas dinner ingredients through practical demonstrations on saving money and reducing waste.

And in Cumbria, Rahina Borthwick, founder of the Grange-Over-Sands Community Foodshare, reflects on the importance of giving within her seaside town. She shares how their community space has become an important gathering point, including for Ukrainian refugees to celebrate Christmas together.

Presented by Jaega Wise
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan.


FRI 11:45 Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill (m0026222)
Episode 5

What if you could be identified by anyone with just a blurry photo?

When the US journalist Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI in 2019, a facial recognition platform with an alleged 98.6% accuracy rate, the implications were startling, and worrying. She set out to find out who were the people behind Clearview and just who was using its technology.

The story of this tiny start-up and the powerful tool it built is accompanied by accounts of how it has been used for good and for ill, across the world.

Today Clearview AI declares that it has a database of 50 billion facial images sourced "from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources." Your face may well belong to them.

Your Face Belongs To Us was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science book prize 2024 and described by the Financial Times as "A parable for our times". According to The Economist, "A walk down the street will not quite feel the same again."

The author, Kashmir Hill, is an award-winning technology reporter at The New York Times. She is interested in how technology is shaping our lives and impacting our privacy, and has written for publications including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Forbes.

Written by Kashmir Hill
Read by Julianna Jennings
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0026224)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m0026226)
Christmas Trees

An ancient Babylonian text, Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, forbids the cutting down of street trees without permission. Nearly 4000 years later, threats to our urban trees still arouse the strongest passions. Coventry residents organised a record-breaking mass tree hug in November to save 26 trees marked for the chainsaws and the battle to save thousands of Sheffield's street trees from the council's contractors inspired folk songs and expensive legal battles.

As so many of us bring a tree home for Christmas, Tom Heap and Helen Czerski consider our feelings about street trees, the sweet hit of nature that provides year round shade and wildlife habitat in the least promising of city circumstances.

They're joined by Jon Stokes of the Tree Council, landscape historian Sonia Dümpelmann and Paul Powlesland, barrister and founder of Lawyers for Nature.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Assistant Producers: Ellie Richold and Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University


FRI 12:57 Weather (m0026228)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002622b)
Could Isis comeback in Syria?

An estimated 10,000 Isis prisoners are held in Syria, what happens now? Orla Guerin reports from the largest prison. Also Lord Mandelson's expected return as ambassador to the US.


FRI 13:45 One to One (m001qdlv)
Nikki Bedi and Lauren Zalaznick

'The Real Housewives...' is a reality TV series that follows groups of successful glamorous women as they go about their daily lives. The series began in Orange County in 2006 but quickly spread to other cities in the USA and even further afield, and radio and TV presenter Nikki Bedi absolutely loves them. She is drawn in by the drama of these women as they navigate work and relationships, friendships and family,

For this first programme Nikki speaks to Lauren Zalaznick, a former TV executive who helped devise and develop many of the early series.

Lauren and Nikki discuss how the women are chosen, what factors shape what we want to see on our screens, just how 'real' these Real Housewives are, and why some of the criticism aimed at the series is anti-woman.

Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m00260td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m0025dw1)
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir

Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir - Chapter Five: At the Roof of the World

The race across the world for the mysterious and elusive Rose of Pamir reaches the Pamir Mountains and facilitates a family reunion.

Chapter Five: At The Roof of The World

Mountain-top scuffles as loyalties are tested and all is finally revealed.

Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Sebastian Harcourt – Kyle Soller
Nakesha Kemp – Karla Crome
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter
Lionel – Steven Mackintosh
Selina – Catherine Kanter
Hazlitt – Ben Crowe
Sabine Seah – Bec Boey

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 (m002622d)
How to Treat Others with Reverence

In this episode, Jack Boswell explores the intricate Iranian custom of taarof, a tradition of elaborate etiquette and rituals of deference that reveal how small acts of courtesy can foster deep connections and mutual respect.

Joining Jack is Eve Esfandiari-Denney, a poet and PhD candidate in creative writing, who shares how taarof has shaped her identity and family relationships. For Eve, taarof is more than just politeness - it’s a way to honour loved ones and express care, even in simple gestures.

Jack also speaks with William Beeman, an anthropologist who has spent years studying Iranian culture. William explains how taarof acts as a “social lubricant”, smoothing interactions by encouraging people to symbolically elevate others while lowering themselves. Rooted in humility and reciprocity, taarof creates a balanced social harmony where respect is shared, and hierarchies are softened.

Beyond its role in daily life, Jack and his guests uncover a deeper spiritual dimension to taarof, with ties to ancient Sufi traditions of love and unity. Whether among strangers or family, taarof becomes a ritualised way of showing reverence, empathy, and even joy - turning ordinary exchanges into meaningful moments of connection.

This episode reflects on the beauty of this tradition and how it reminds us of the profound value in elevating others, nurturing relationships and expressing gratitude in our own lives.

Host: Jack Boswell
Producer: 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 (m002622g)
Postbag Edition: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Where have all the worms gone in my garden? How do I use a glasshouse? Can plants survive without being watered for a month?

Kathy Clugston and a team of gardening experts explore the 70 acres of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, all while digging the GQT postbag to answer your gardening grievances.

Joining Kathy on this extensive tour are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous, and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson. They're led around the garden by Head of Collections, David Knott.

Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002622j)
Not Even a Mouse

Adrian Scarborough reads a new, specially-commissioned short story for Christmas written by John Finnemore, in which someone discovers that it’s never too late to change.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002622l)
Baroness Wilkins, Charles Handy, Renee Bornstein, Tony Brignull

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness Wilkins who became a wheelchair user after an accident aged 19 and went on to present TV programmes on disability issues and to campaign for the rights of disabled people.

Charles Handy, the social philosopher and management theorist who predicted many changes to the world of work.

Renee Bornstein who, as a child, survived being imprisoned by the Nazis.

Tony Brignull, the acclaimed copywriter behind famous ads for Cinzano, Fiat Cars and Parker Pens.

Producer: Ed Prendiville

Archive:
France Crumbles, AP Archive, Uploaded to Youtube 30.07.2015; Paris Liberated, British Pathe, 1944, Uploaded to Youtube 13.04.2014; My Family, The Holocaust and Me, BBC, 2020; To remember but not to hate, French Holocaust Survivor Rene Bornstein, Dr Les Glassman, 2023; The testimony of Renee Bornstein, survivor of the Holocaust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, 2021; 1 minute to leave your mark, Arjo Creative Papers, 2012; Clarks Shoes, CPD, 1978; Birds Eye’s Beefburgers, CPD, 1978; Heineken, CPD, 1970; Cinzano advert, CPD, 1978-83; Creative Leads - Tony Brignull, Uploaded to Youtube 30.04.2019; House of Lords, Hansard, parlamentlive.tv, 25.06.2015; 24 Hours, BBC, 12/01/1971; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; Open Door: America – We can do that, BBC2, 30.03.1983; We Won't Go Away, The MN Gov. Council on Developmental Disabilities, Uploaded to Youtube, 25.04.2014; Belief, BBC, 2003; Something Understood: Buying and Selling, BBC, 2009;


FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m00261fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002622n)
30 new Labour peers appointed to the House of Lords

New peers include a string of ex-MPs and former chief of staff Sue Gray. Plus, fears that the US government could shut down in the coming hours.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002622q)
Two attempts have been made to strike a deal on government funding


FRI 18:30 The Naked Week (m002622s)
Series 1

Episode 4: Spies, Uncanny Ghosts, and Christmas Crackers

The team give the news a hard stare as they try to recruit a spy and steal some of the Uncanny podcast's listening figures by contacting Nigel Farage with a ouija board.

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 and chief correspondent Amy Hoggart will strip away the curtain and dive into not only the big stories, but also the way 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

Guests: Neil Frost and Chris Banatvala.

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 (m002622v)
WRITER: Tim Stimpson
DIRECTOR: Pip Swallow
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy…. Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m002622x)
Festive classics with Amy Harman, Francesca Ter-Berg and Roderick Williams

Bassoonist Amy Harman, cellist Francesca Ter-Berg and baritone and composer Roderick Williams get in the festive spirit as they create a dynamic playlist of five classic seasonal tracks. In this Add to Playlist winter special, Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye are going to take us from a solitary chorister to a massive Christmas singalong banger, so sleigh bells at the ready...

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Once In Royal David’s City by The Choir of King's College, Cambridge
Drei Dreidel by Moishe Oysher
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

Other music in this episode:

Here Comes Santa Claus by Bob Dylan
Hanukkah Dance by Woody Guthrie
Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter by John Williams
March by Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker
Trepak - the Russian Dance - by Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker
Sugar Rum Cherry by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Mendel
Boas Festas by Simone
Sugar Plum Fairy Introlude by Mariah Carey


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002622z)
Timandra Harkness, Richard Holden MP, Calum Miller MP, Emily Thornberry MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the BBC Radio Theatre in London, with the writer and broadcaster Timandra Harkness; shadow paymaster general Richard Holden MP; the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller MP; and Emily Thornberry MP, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Clive Painter


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0026231)
A Jolly Good Pud

Mary Beards reflects on what really lies behind our attachment to Christmas ritual and tradition.

In a special edition of A Point of View, recorded in Mary's kitchen as she prepares her Christmas puddings, she ponders 'why those of us who aren't particularly wedded to the idea of tradition for the rest of the year, fall hook, line and sinker for it at this time.'

'My hunch,' Mary says, 'is that our fixed traditions are about constructing a family identity for ourselves, about displaying to ourselves as a family - changing, expanding and contracting as families always are - what makes us 'us.''

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound design: Peregrine Andrews
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Reading of Dickens/Herodotus: Simon Slater
Reading of Mrs Beeton: Ruth Everett

ARCHIVE

1. Extracts of Keith Floyd from A Farewell to Floyd, produced by Cactus TV.
2. The ancient recipe for Herodotus pudding is from Herodotus, Histories 2. 40.


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m0026233)
Beer, crisps and the British pub

What makes the life, character and imagery of the British pub? Anne McElvoy talks to Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin, author Natalie Whittle whose book "Crunch: An Ode to Crisps" was published in October, Professor Philip Howell who has written about the history of the pub, Dr Marianne Hem Eriksen from the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at the University of Leicester who specialises in Viking history and BBC journalist Ben Wright who has written about the history of drinking in British politics.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0026235)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (m0026237)
5: The Lottery

In the last of five deliciously dark tales from Shirley Jackson, the ‘US Queen of Gothic Horror’, Sara Kestelman reads her most famous and indeed infamous story, 'The Lottery'.

Regarded as one of the most controversial stories of all time, 'The Lottery' provoked a slew of hate mail on its 1948 publication, but has since become one of the most anthologised stories of all time.

As a small American village gathers for its annual ritual, emotions are rising...

Reader: Sara Kestelman
Writer: Neglected during her lifetime, Shirley Jackson is now known as one of the greatest horror writers of the twentieth century for her unsettling short stories of the horrors lurking beneath the veneer of suburban domesticity. She’s perhaps best known for her short story, ‘The Lottery’, as well as for her gothic horror masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House.
Abridged and produced by Justine Willett
Limited rights available.


FRI 23:00 Americast (m0026239)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001zw6g)
Alicia McCarthy reports on a new inquiry about the struggles facing some pensioners this winter.