SATURDAY 25 JANUARY 2025
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0027531)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 The History Podcast (m001z6sh)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 5. All That Glitters
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027533)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027535)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027537)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0027539)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002753c)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
SAT 05:45 Why Do We Do That? (m0027520)
Why do we gossip?
It can be the source of drama that ruins reputations or simply keeps you entertained during your lunch break. But is gossip ingrained in our nature? Anthropologist Ella Al Shamahi digs into our evolutionary history to uncover the truth behind this age-old human habit. Joining her are Kelsey McKinney from the Normal Gossip podcast and anthropologist Dr. Nicole Hagen Hess, as they unravel the origins of this sometimes controversial behaviour. Could gossip be the social glue that binds us together, or is it just another weapon in our ongoing competition for status?
BBC Studios Audio
Producer: Emily Bird,
Additional production: Olivia Jani and Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0027cqn)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m00274yh)
60-60-60 in the Southern Pentlands
Clare Balding is celebrating a listener’s birthday today. Not something we’ve done before, but when we heard that Lynda Pettit was marking her 60th birthday by walking 60 different routes with 60 different people, and that the idea was partly inspired by Ramblings, well we just had to join in, especially as it’s Clare’s 25th year on Ramblings (double celebrations!). Lynda and several friends took Clare for a hike on the Stoney Path walk in the Pentland Hills near West Linton, about 20 miles south of Edinburgh.
They met outside The Gordon Arms Hotel on the A702 and went up into the southern Pentlands. It’s a route that takes in the Old Roman road that heads up to Edinburgh; Stoney Path, also known as Thieves Road, an ancient droving track used by cattle reivers herding stolen livestock through the hills; and Baddinsgill Reservoir. They also ascended Mount Maw, catching sight of a beautiful cloud inversion on the way. Views from the top stretched around 80 miles to a snow-capped Ben Lomond, Scotland's most southerly Munro.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0027cqq)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
SAT 06:57 Weather (m0027cqs)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m0027cqv)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0027cqx)
Nadiya Hussain, Dr Kate Hays, Tim Sullivan
Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m0027cqz)
Catherine de’ Medici: the real Serpent Queen of France
Greg Jenner is joined in sixteenth-century France by Dr Estelle Paranque and comedian Shaparak Khorsandi to learn all about controversial queen Catherine de’ Medici. Catherine’s life was dramatic from the moment she was born: orphaned when she was just a few weeks old, she was brought up by her uncle the pope, and her childhood was shaped by the tumultuous politics of Renaissance Florence. At fourteen, she was married to the son of the king of France and shipped off to the French court, only to find herself involved in a literal ménage à trois with her teenage husband’s older mistress. But after her husband became king – and even more so after he died and her sons ruled France – Catherine came into her power as queen and later queen mother. And through her children and the marriages she organised for them, Catherine’s influence was even felt beyond the borders of France. She even corresponded with Tudor queen Elizabeth I! This episode traces Catherine’s tumultuous personal and political life from orphaned child to grandmother of Europe, exploring along the way the terror of the French Wars of Religion, and asking whether the dark legend of Catherine 'the serpent queen' is deserved, or whether she has been misunderstood by history.
If you’re a fan of scheming queens, scandalous royal love affairs and dramatic religious conflicts, you’ll love our episode on Catherine de’ Medici.
If you want more from Shaparak Khorsandi, check out our episodes on Justinian and Theodora and the Ancient Olympics. And for more quality queens, listen to our episodes on Emma of Normandy and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.
Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Hannah Cusworth
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: James Cook
SAT 10:30 What's Funny About ... (m0027cr1)
After Life
Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman are joined by Ricky Gervais to hear the inside story of how he made his hit sitcom, After Life.
Ricky talks about the decision to set a comedy against the backdrop of grief and loss, and how lucky he feels that audiences trust him to tell these difficult and complex stories. He tells us about the huge importance of music in After Life (and the equally huge line that was required in the budget to licence it all!). And he explains his decision to break with a habit of a lifetime and write a third series of one of his shows.
Producer: Owen Braben
An Expectation Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m0027cr3)
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0027chp)
Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0027cr5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0027chm)
Paul Lewis presents the latest news from the world of personal finance.
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002752d)
Series 116
Episode 3
Topical panel quiz show, taking its questions from the week's news stories.
SAT 12:57 Weather (m0027cr7)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0027cr9)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002752l)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities.
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0027crc)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002752g)
Writer: Katie Hims
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
Josh Archer…. Angus Imrie
Pip Archer…. Daisy Badger
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Stella Pryor…. Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Nelly…. Jill Baker
SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000l7kf)
The Plague
The Plague was adapted from the globally renowned novel La Peste by Albert Camus, and directed for radio by Neil Bartlett, based on his 2017 Arcola Theatre production and script. A disturbing, deeply relevant listen.
Bartlett's adaptation is the English language world radio premiere production of The Plague and focuses the story on five characters, using only words contained in the novel.
It is often said of La Peste - written in 1947 by the Nobel Prize winner for literature, Albert Camus - that the plague and the rats in his novel are an allegory for the rise of fascism across Europe. He always denied this. For us today, The Plague will have uncanny echoes of the pandemic, the restrictions and the moral dilemmas we are living through, as well as the rise of extremist ideology in many countries today.
Just like our current crisis, the characters in The Plague comprise heroes, selfless and selfish acts, those who shame themselves into changing, and those who do not and suffer the consequences once the plague has been conquered. Hope surfaces when there is talk of a serum but, with the arrival of the first attempts at a cure, who should be selected as the guinea pigs ?
In an uncanny parallel, this drama about a community facing lockdown due to a deadly plague was recorded by actors, locked down in their own homes during our own pandemic. The scope of the production was not reduced as a result.
Cast:
Doctor Rieux ............ Sara Powell
Raymond Rambert .... Billy Postlethwaite
Mr Cottard ................ Joe Alessi
Jean Tarrou .............. Jude Aduwudike
Mr Grand .................. Colin Hurley
Adapted for radio and directed by Neil Bartlett
Producer: Turan Ali
A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0027crf)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week.
SAT 17:00 PM (m0027crh)
Full coverage of the day's news.
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m0027crk)
Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0027crm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m0027crp)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027crr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0027m0v)
Susie McCabe, Michelle McManus, Peat and Diesel, Brooke Combe, Paul Malgrati
Clive Anderson and Michelle McManus celebrate Scotland’s Bard with a special Loose Ends Burns Supper.
Comedian Susie McCabe is back with her new show Best Behaviour. The Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award-winner and host of the smash-hit podcast Here Comes The Guillotine is headed for Glasgow Comedy Festival.
Franco-Scot poet Paul Malgrati’s book Robert Burns and Scottish Cultural Politics – The Bard of Contention (1914-2014) explores Rabbie’s influences around the world. He shares why the poet still means so much to modern audiences across the world, and what it was like learning Scots as a French-speaker.
Scottish soul singer-songwriter Brooke Combe performs from her debut album Dancing At The Edge Of The World.
And Isle of Lewis trio Peat and Diesel bring a bit of island spirit to Glasgow.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m0027cgq)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m00274xz)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0027crw)
A Brief History of Bureaucracy
"Attacking bureaucracies is like attacking the Atlantic ocean. It's a waste of time."
In this new episode of Archive on Four, Joe Queenan dispenses with the standard approach to bureaucracy and looks for the good in what jobsworths achieve. From the Sumerians to the Chinese, he discovers early civilisations finessed efficient ways of getting things done. Yet now many leaders, including Donald Trump, view bureaucracy as the deep state, the enemy within.
"When he talks about the deep state obstructing his agenda, he's really talking about some 50,000 bureaucrats. I'm sure most bureaucrats would love to be buried deep in the state. It gives them mystery and allure. It's just weird how he's rebranded them in this way."
This is Joe Queenan's fifteenth Brief History for Radio 4 and this one includes special sections on the French and the BBC, plus the genesis of Parkinson's Law. There are contributions from Sir Robin Butler, Frances Wood, Sir Gus O'Donnell, business guru Guy Browning, classicist Professor Edith Hall, former BBC correspondent John Sergeant and ex-super-bureaucrat TJ Elliott. The key voice though is Rory Sutherland of the Spectator who explains the relevance of Pournelle's Iron Law:
"In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy always get in control. Those dedicated to the goals the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and are sometimes eliminated entirely."
Joe Queenan is the author of Balsamic Dreams and Closing Time., His previous shows for Radio 4 include Postcard from Gotham, Wonderful Ways to Make a Living plus archive programmes on Irony, Failure, Cunning and Lust.
The producer for BBC Studios in Bristol is Miles Warde. Readings by Sarah Langan and Emily Knight.
Bureaucracy - what is it for? And who is it for?
SAT 21:00 The Poetry Detective (m0024ngw)
Wedding Poems
Weddings... finally! An all too rare moment for poems to shine! Time for all those neglected specks of verse to don their smart jackets and satin heels to help mark one of our most revered social rituals.
If you’ve ever been asked to read a poem at a wedding you’ll know that finding and reading the perfect verse is far from an easy task. The hunt for a poem befitting the occasion has unraveled many a wedding speaker, our Poetry Detective included. For those of us who don’t want to settle for one of the ‘top ten wedding poems’, where do we begin?
Vanessa Kisuule speaks to poets Caroline Bird and Rachel Long, who are compiling a new anthology of alternative wedding poems. Why is it so hard to choose a poem that works for a wedding ceremony, and how can people find a poem that really speaks to - and for - them?
"Yes, yours, my love, is the right human face / I in my mind had waited for so long". Stephen Walsh chose The Confirmation by Edwin Muir for both his first and second marriage, finding that the poem had changed for him over the decades and taken on new depth of meaning. Vanessa finds out how Muir's own love story informed the poem, speaking to writer Kenneth Steven about Muir's childhood on the Orcadian island of Wyre, and the huge losses he experienced as a young man before meeting his wife Willa.
'We two boys together clinging / One the other never leaving". In 1994, before same-sex marriage was recognised in UK law, Sarah Doyle was asked to read a Walt Whitman poem at the living room marriage ceremony of her friends Ford and Will. 25 years later she read the poem again at their anniversary party and wrote her own version of it specifically for the couple. Sam Magavern founded the Calamus Project in 2022 to celebrate the poems of Walt Whitman through film, song and live performance. He tells us about the moment in which Whitman was writing, with America on the brink of Civil War, and about the former Confederate soldier who became one of the great loves of Whitman's life.
Song version of "We Two Boys..." performed by Curtis Lovell accompanied by Luis Montijo; included with kind permission of Curtis and the Calamus Project.
Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
SAT 21:30 The Bottom Line (m00274y3)
Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show, with insight from the people at the top.
SAT 22:00 News (m0027cry)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002751k)
Investigating every aspect of the food we eat
SAT 23:00 What? Seriously?? (m0027cs0)
4. Opera, Romance, and Nazis
In this episode, Dara and Isy are joined by the former Queen of the Jungle Georgia Toffolo to learn about the power of the written word - with some diverting conversations about the Taylor Swift of the 1920s, naughty novels, and drinking a bit too much at Glyndebourne.
What? Seriously?? is a new podcast which combines comedy with quirky history, hosted by Dara and Isy who unravel an extraordinary real-life tale each week with the help of a celebrity guest.
The stories are definitely true, but also kind of unbelievable at the same time - the sort of stories that make you go ‘What? Seriously??’ when you hear them, but you resolve to tell them in the pub the first chance you get.
Across the series, Dara and Isy will be joined by I’m A Celeb winner Georgia Toffolo, the Aussie comedian Rhys Nicholson, the broadcaster Stuart Maconie, Master Chef star Louisa Ellis, Miles from The Traitors, the comedian Richard Herring, the astronaut Helen Sharman, and Slow Horses star Chris Chung.
‘What? Seriously??’ with Dara Ó Briain and Isy Suttie and special guest Rhys Nicholson
Format co-developed by Dan Page. Story compiled by Gareth Edwards and Dan Page.
Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m00274nt)
Series 38
Heat 4, 2025
(4/13)
Another three music lovers from around the UK compete for a place in the semi-finals, aiming to prove who's the musical mastermind of 2025. Along the way they face Paul Gambaccini's questions and will have to identify a wide variety of musical extracts, including a bossa nova adaptation of Mozart and an a cappella choir singing Depeche Mode. Each competitor will also have to pick a special subject on which to answer their own individual questions, with no advance warning of what the choice of categories will be.
Taking part today are
Jim Maginnis from Lurgan in County Armagh
Rob Mansfield from Brighton
Gill Morris from Eastbourne.
Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUNDAY 26 JANUARY 2025
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0027cs2)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m00274nr)
Paul Theroux
The award-winning travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux talks to Take Four Books about his latest short story collection - The Vanishing Point - and explores three other works that have helped to shape his writing. Paul's choices were: A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877); Two Brothers by V S Pritchett (1932); and Riders In The Chariot by Patrick White (1961).
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027cs6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027csb)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027csd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0027csg)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0027chw)
St Mary’s Church in the village of Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk
Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary’s Church in the village of Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and renovated in 1865. It appears several times in John Constable's paintings. There are eight bells, the oldest of which dates from the late 14th century by an unknown founder. The Tenor weighs twenty two hundredweight and is tuned to the note of D. We hear them ringing Grandsire Triples.
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002750l)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m0027cfw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m0027507)
PLAYGROUNDS
After the Second World War, a vast experiment took place in which adventure playgrounds transformed bombsites and waste ground in the UK, creating opportunities for children, beyond the sanitised swing and see saw. Laurie Taylor talks to Ben Highmore, Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sussex about the activists, charities and designers whose celebration of children's imaginative capacities re-invented the notion of play, from Northern Europe to North America. They're joined by Gabriela Burkhalter, an urban designer and political scientist in Basel, whose classic study of open air playgrounds saw them as a social laboratory for the city, as well as children. She recounts the forgotten history of playgrounds in the former German Democratic Republic and the culture of memory surrounding the Shek Lei Playground in Hong Kong.
What remains of those post war playgrounds, in the here and now, and what can the astonishing ambition of those spaces tell us about the power of play?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0027cfy)
The Romance of Apples
The apple of Karim Habibi's eye is, well, apple trees. In this programme Sarah Swadling visits his nursery, near Maidstone in Kent, where he has around a thousand different varieties of apple and other fruit trees.
Propagating new trees is a painstaking labour of love using a process known as Grafting, which begins in the summer. Wintertime is when the 18 month old trees are harvested and sent off to their new homes in gardens and historic properties around the country. Karim also creates new apple varieties from seed - he shows Sarah his fridge full of pips which he hopes will yield some exciting new varieties. He's already bred apples named after his wife, Bethan, and some of their children.
Presented and produced by Sarah Swadling
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0027cg0)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0027cg2)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0027cg4)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0027cg6)
Power for the People
Baroness Caroline Cox makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Power for the People. The charity provides sanitary packs for girls in Kenya and Uganda, educating them on menstrual health, and building washing facilities in schools.
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 ‘Power for the People’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Power for the People’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 1162330. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://powerforpeople.org.uk
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0027cg8)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0027cgb)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0027cgd)
'Final Solution'
To mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Holocaust Memorial Day, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg OBE and his BBC journalist nephew Daniel retrace the final steps of two members of his family who perished in Auschwitz as part of the Nazi 'Final Solution'. The programme will include extracts of music played by the camp orchestra, some of which has only recently come to light. Producer: Philip Billson
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m002752n)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0027cgg)
Iolo Williams on the Golden Plover
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.
Few bird calls evoke wild, open spaces like that of the golden plover. Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams first encountered these birds was on the Elenydd, the empty heart of Wales in the Cambrian Mountains. That was more than 40 years ago when the Welsh uplands were home to around 300 breeding pairs of golden plover; today, fewer than 40 remain.
Producer : Andrew Dawes, BBC Audio, Bristol
Studio Engineer : Ilse Lademann
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0027cgj)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m0027cgl)
Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0027cgn)
Writer: Katie Hims
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
Josh Archer…. Angus Imrie
Pip Archer…. Daisy Badger
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Stella Pryor…. Lucy Speed
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Nelly…. Jill Baker
SUN 12:15 Profile (m0027cgq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m00274sz)
Series 94
1. A red phone called Kevin
Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Laura Smyth, Julian Clary and Desiree Burch to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include shopping centres, snake oil, and a slip of the tongue.
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0027cgs)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0027cgv)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.
SUN 13:30 The Documentary (w3ct7m66)
Israel's Unwra ban
What will it mean for Palestinians if Israel bans Unwra, the UN agency that provides vital aid and essential services to millions of refugees in Gaza and the West Bank? The proposals have drawn widespread condemnation and warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israeli politicians have accused UNRWA staff of taking part in the October 7 attacks alongside Hamas, and have designated it a terror group. We visit refugee camps across the occupied territories to hear about the role UNRWA plays in education, health, and emergency food aid, and people’s despair about the prospect of it disappearing. The agency’s services and dependents have mushroomed over the last 75 years – we look at its origins and why it has long been controversial in Israel. Plus, an Israeli MP, who tells us UNRWA must go, says that his country will not stand by and see Palestinians suffer, but what, if anything, is capable of replacing the organisation?
(Photo: A young man carries an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unwra), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 4 November 2024. Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0027522)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m0027cgx)
The History of Mr Polly
Ian Sansom, sitting in for John Yorke, takes a look at The History of Mr Polly, the satirical novel by HG Wells. Published in 1910, it tells a story of one man’s comic, sometimes poignant struggle to find his place in the world.
Mr Polly is an ordinary man, with an irrepressible longing for the extraordinary - a man caught in a frustratingly mundane world who finally and magnificently rebels against it. The dreamer mired in the mundane world of a draper’s shop has become a classic, much-loved figure, and Ian explores his timeless appeal.
Ian Sansom is a novelist, journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of more than 20 books, including the Mobile Library and the County Guides series of detective novels and his work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He has worked as a columnist for The Guardian and The Spectator and currently writes for the TLS, The Irish Times and The Dublin Review. He is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3. He was formerly the Director of the Oscar Wilde Centre at Trinity College Dublin and a Professor and Head of English at Queen’s University Belfast.
Contributors:
Dr Caroline Sumpter Senior Lecturer in Victorian Literature at Queen's University, Belfast
Stephen Mangan, actor, who narrates the Radio 4 adaptation of The History of Mr. Polly
Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Programme Hub Co-ordinator: Nina Semple
Sound: Sean Kerwin
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0027cgz)
The History of Mr Polly
Beginnings and the Bazaar
Alfred Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife’s nagging and his dreary job as a gentleman’s outfitter in a small town. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, he decides that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is to burn his shop to the ground and kill himself. Unexpected events, however, conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr Polly to a bright new future – after he saves a life, fakes his death and escapes to a world of heroism, hope and ultimate happiness.
A comic take on mid-life crisis, The History of Mr Polly (published in 1910) is generally considered H G Wells' funniest novel. But it’s not without serious purpose. Beneath the surface is an implicit criticism of a society that forces people to suppress their imaginations and lead lives of drab conformity.
In the first episode, Mr Polly – romantic, dreamer, and gentleman’s outfitter - takes stock of his life so far. He remembers his early years as an apprentice draper, and the fun he used to have with his friend, Parsons. He is saved from the drudgery of his apprenticeship when his father dies, leaving him an inheritance. This enables him to marry his cousin, Miriam, and buy a shop of his own. But 15 years on, he concludes he has wasted his life.
Episode 1: Beginnings and the Bazaar
Narrator ..... Stephen Mangan
Alfred Polly ..... Paul Ready
Miriam ..... Clare Corbett
Garvace /Penstemon ..... Trevor Littledale
Parsons ..... James Joyce
Harold Johnson ..... Nigel Anthony
Mrs Larkins ..... Rachel Atkins
Annie ..... Emma Kilbey
Christabel ..... Ela Chapman
Rumbold ..... Richard Attlee
Schoolmaster ..... Julian Parkin
Written by HG Wells
Dramatised by Stephen Sheridan
Producer / Director: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m0027ch2)
Programme looking at new fiction and non-fiction books
SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m0027ch4)
Series 38
Heat 5, 2025
(5/13)
Another three contenders face Paul Gambaccini's questions on the full spectrum of music, from the classical repertoire to musical theatre, jazz, folk, world music and sixty years of the pop charts.
Taking part today are:
Rosanne Jardine from Dorset
Clive Manning from London
Claire Sanderson from Cardiff.
Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yf6)
My dad created Dungeons & Dragons
In 1970, father of five Gary Gygax was fired from his job as an insurance underwriter in Chicago, in the United States of America. It may sound like a mundane event to read about but, believe it or not, this moment actually changed the gaming industry forever.
Gary is the creator of table-top roleplay game, Dungeons & Dragons. In the 50 years since its release, D&D has generated billions of dollars in sales and now boasts more than 50 million players worldwide.
However, Gary’s story is not one of riches and success. Luke Gygax witnessed the incredible highs and lows of his father’s life first hand. He shares his memories of that time with Matt Pintus.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: Gary Gygax and Luke Gygax. Credit: Luke Gygax)
SUN 17:10 The Verb (m0027ch7)
Joelle Taylor, Anthony Joseph, Luke Wright, Accents
Ian McMillan is joined by poets Joelle Taylor, Anthony Joseph, Luke Wright and explores the voices and accents in the series The Traitors with Rob Drummond.
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0027ch9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0027chc)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027chf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0027chh)
Derek 'Pluto' Murray
A selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0027bns)
Lynda steps into the spotlight, and Vince is on the warpath.
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0027chk)
The Memory Catcher
Memory is fragile. We are driven to capture it. But is this possible when the memories of the person we love have fragmented?
Julian’s mother has no memory. Both her long and short term memory were destroyed by different viruses. His mother still has an emotional memory of Julian. She recognises him - his personality, his manner. But she doesn’t know how old he is, what he does for a living, or that he has a partner. And she doesn’t realise that she can’t remember. So their relationship is stuck in a loop, consisting of repeated conversations and activities.
But Julian’s found a way to connect with his mother. He is a photographer and he is constantly trying to capture his mother’s image. His sister thinks he’s trying to catch glimpses of their mum as she would have been had she not got ill. Julian isn’t so sure. For him, taking photographers of his mum is simply a way for them to pass time together - to connect.
Chatting in her care home, going to the café for tea and cake, listening to music in the car, celebrating a birthday - the lens of Julian’s camera brings us into the relationship between a mother and a son, divided by a loss but bound together by love.
The Memory Catcher takes us on a journey into their relationship but also our relationship with memory. Who are we when we cannot make memories, even as simple as who has just said hello? When memory is faulty, fading, or lost altogether, what can be captured by another?
Recorded by artist and writer Julian Lass
Produced by Maia Miller-Lewis and Jo Rowntree
Composer Maia Miller-Lewis
With thanks to Kirsten and Monika and the wonderful staff at Monika’s care home.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001vclt)
Take Vitamin D
During the winter months, here in the UK, days are short and there isn’t enough sunlight for most of us to make the Vitamin D we need. Taking a tiny Vitamin D supplement is a minute change that could have a huge impact on our health. Professor David Llewellyn from Exeter University explains to Michael that Vitamin D helps clear abnormal proteins, such as amyloid plaques and tau, from the brain, which may help protect you from dementia. Having enough vitamin D can also boost your immune systems, making that common cold easier to recover from. It could even lift your mood! Volunteer Baljit tries making Vitamin D a habit.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Researcher: Will Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m00274yk)
Jackie Kay on the Scots language
Poet Jackie Kay has written a book in Scots: Coorie Doon: A Scottish Lullaby Story. She joins presenter Michael Rosen to talk about her love of the language and what it meant to her growing up.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea.
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0027526)
Weekly obituary programme telling the life stories of those who have died recently.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0027chm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0027cg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0027chp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0027chr)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m00274xs)
Socrates in Prison
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Plato's Crito and Phaedo, his accounts of the last days of Socrates in prison in 399 BC as he waited to be executed by drinking hemlock. Both works show Socrates preparing to die in the way he had lived: doing philosophy. In the Crito, Plato shows Socrates arguing that he is duty bound not to escape from prison even though a bribe would open the door, while in the Phaedo his argument is for the immortality of the soul which, at the point of death, might leave uncorrupted from the 'prison' of his body, the one escape that truly mattered to Socrates. His example in his last days has proved an inspiration to thinkers over the centuries and in no small way has helped ensure the strength of his reputation.
With
Angie Hobbs
Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield
Fiona Leigh
Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University College London
And
James Warren
Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0027524)
Feathertongue by Anthony Shapland
An original short story by Anthony Shapland. Two boys idle away the long days of late summer. Their games, dares and bets escalate and the power balance shifts as they lose control.
Anthony Shapland is from Bargoed, Wales. His short stories can be found in the anthologies (un)common, Lucent Dreaming and Cymru & I. Twice shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Short Story Award, he was chosen as one of the 2023 Hay Festival’s Writers at Work. His debut novel A Room Above a Shop will be published by Granta in 2025.
Reader - Nathan Sussex
Sound by Catherine Robinson
Directed by John Norton
A BBC Audio Wales Production
MONDAY 27 JANUARY 2025
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0027cht)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002750n)
Death Marches: uncovering the truth beneath the soil
How a town in Poland – once in Germany - is discovering its troubling past.
80 years ago Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi extermination camp. Over 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, were murdered there. However, there is an aspect of those terrible days which is less well known and which 80 years later is still being uncovered and still resonating: the death marches.
As Soviet troops approached, in January 1945, SS soldiers at Auschwitz-Birkenau forced some 60,000 prisoners to march west, in freezing temperatures. Weak with hunger and disease, those who fell behind were shot.
This is the story of how eight decades on the search for the truth behind one of those death marches is being uncovered. For years the history of a death march passing through the once proud German community of Schönwald was hidden.
It is also the story of how descendants of the original inhabitants of Schönwald are having to confront the role some of their relatives may have played in the Nazi project, and how today’s Polish inhabitants of the town, which is now called Bojków, are grappling with what happened on their streets.
Amie Liebowitz’s own great-grandmother was murdered Auschwitz-Birkenau, while her great-aunt was rescued by the Soviet forces. She speaks to those on both sides – German and Polish – who are uncovering this history.
Presenter: Amie Liebowitz
Producer: John Murphy
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy
Archive of Gita Stein from USC Shoah Foundation (1995)
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0027chw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027chy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027cj0)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027cj2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0027cj4)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0027cj6)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0027cj8)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
MON 05:57 Weather (m0027cjb)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m0027bn3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0027bn5)
Climate Crisis: truth, lies and compromise
Every year world leaders gather at the United Nation’s COP (the Conference of Parties) to discuss how to work together on solutions to tackle climate change. And every year the wrangling lasts into the night as it becomes clear how difficult it is to achieve consensus. In Kyoto the playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson have recreated the drama, intrigue and power plays that resulted in one of COP’s greatest successes, the Kyoto Protocol from 1997. Kyoto is on at the Soho Place Theatre until May 2025.
Professor Mike Berners-Lee is an expert on the impact and footprint of carbon and has watched as countries see-saw on commitments to reduce the use of fossil fuels. In his latest book, A Climate of Truth he argues that we already have the technology to combat many of the problems, but what we’re lacking is the honesty – in our politics, our media, and our businesses – to make a real difference.
But how to save the planet is not necessarily straightforward. In The Shetland Way: Community and Climate Crisis on my Father’s Islands, Marianne Brown returns home after the death of her father. She finds the islanders at loggerheads over the construction of a huge windfarm: while some celebrate the production of sustainable energy, others argue the costs are too high for the environment and local wildlife.
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m0027bn7)
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell Rachel Burden what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0027bn9)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
MON 11:00 The Body Politic (m0027bnc)
Assisted dying
The politics of the human body is at the centre of intense debate in the UK and beyond. Thanks to science, technology and a fast-moving political landscape, humans are increasingly able to intervene in the natural processes of life – how we are conceived, how we are born and how and when we die. But what are the limits to this intervention, how should we decide and who should decide?
Broadcaster and columnist Sonia Sodha gets behind divides and polarisation to discover nuance, complexity and compelling stories around the beginning and the end of human life.
In the final episode we delve deep into the complex and fascinating debate around assisted dying, which has moved to the front and centre of politics in Britain. We hear views from all sides, as well as powerful stories - a widow whose husband had an assisted death in Switzerland, a woman who recovered from anorexia who's joined the anti campaign, a retired high court judge who has a life-changing illness and a leading practitioner of assisted dying in Canada.
Sonia teases out the complexity in ideas of choice, coercion and capacity as the UK debate intensifies, showing how decisions made now will impact future views on the value of life and how society handles death.
MON 11:45 The History Podcast (m001zddx)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 6. Under Pressure
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
MON 12:00 News Summary (m0027bnf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m0027bnh)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
MON 12:57 Weather (m0027bnk)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m0027bnm)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
MON 13:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027bnp)
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years. In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders.
Simon reveals how a few influential individuals propelled this idea from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences of this foresight have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0027bns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 A Charles Paris Mystery (m0027bnv)
Charles Paris: Situation Tragedy
Episode 1
Bill Nighy returns as the loveably louche actor-cum-amateur sleuth, Charles Paris.
When Charles lands a role in a grimly unfunny sitcom the cast and crew begin to die in a series of grisly accidents and the situation comedy turns into a situation tragedy.
As the pound shop Poirot goes on the hunt for the perpetrator Frances (his semi-detached wife), and Maurice (his worse than useless agent), are furious. Maurice is also living with them following a skiing collision with George Clooney. Tensions were already running high in this unlikely menage a trois and become even higher when Charles starts looking for clues from a cast of showbiz suspects.
Charles ...... Bill Nighy
Frances ...... Suzanne Burden
Maurice ..... Jon Glover
Ash Amos .... Phaldut Sharma
Judy Gilmore ...... Christine Kavanagh
Stevie Dean/Howard Langridge .... Tony Turner
Sadie .... Maggie Service
Written by Jeremy Front from a story by Simon Brett
Technical Producers..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig
Director ..... Sally Avens
MON 14:45 Marple: Three New Stories (m001gjkn)
The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes
The Unravelling (Part 1)
Agatha Christie’s iconic detective is reimagined for a new generation with a murder, a theft and a mystery where nothing is quite what it seems.
The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes
When an itinerant farm hand is found dead outside Weaver’s Haberdashers it’s chalked up as a brawl gone tragically wrong - but Miss Marple refuses to accept this simple solution…
Read by Monica Dolan
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 new stories by acclaimed authors and Christie devotees.
MON 15:00 Great Lives (m0027bny)
Ellen E Jones nominates Florynce Kennedy
One dubbed "the biggest, loudest and indisputably the rudest mouth on the battleground", Florynce Kennedy was a force to be reckoned with.
She was a lawyer, a vocal figure in the American civil rights and feminist movements of the 1960s and '70s, and a champion of numerous other causes besides; from legalising abortion to campaigning for sex-worker rights - proving that it was possible to care about and campaign for causes even if they didn't affect her directly.
Flo was famous in her own time, not only for her passionate commitment to fighting injustice and her incredible talent as a phrase-maker - delivering punchy comments peppered with colourful language - but also for her flamboyant style, notably her trademark Australian hat. And yet today Flo's reputation has dwindled; she's arguably far less well-known than she should be according to her nominator Ellen E Jones, a journalist and broadcaster focusing on film and television who co-hosts the Radio 4 programme 'Screenshot'.
Joining the discussion remotely from the United States, is Sheri Randolph, author of the biography ‘Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical’; also an associate professor of history at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and founder of the Black Feminist Think Tank.
Matthew and his guests also hear from Flo's friend and fellow activist Gloria Steinem, who says: "Wherever we went, somehow she created a community of our own by her presence. She was effervescent and smart and outgoing and irresistable... Flo, in her jodhurs and her Aussie hat, was just a symbol of all the movements together."
Presented by Matthew Parris and produced for BBC Studios Audio by Lucy Taylor.
MON 15:30 History's Heroes (m0027bp0)
History's Youngest Heroes
History's Youngest Heroes: 8. Rani Lakshmi Bai: The Warrior Queen
When her kingdom is threatened, a 22-year-old Indian woman takes on the British Empire on horseback, with a sword in each hand.
Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.
A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
Producer: Suniti Somaiya
Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby
Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
MON 16:00 The Documentary (w3ct7m34)
Songs of Auschwitz
From the BBC World Service, a new documentary marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 that uncovers a story of hope, music and survival from Auschwitz. Professor Shirli Gilbert explores the life of Krystyna Zywulska, a Jewish political prisoner. Imprisoned in the most notorious camp in the Nazi system, Zywulska turned to poetry and music, offering tiny moments of resilience and optimism for her fellow inmates and creating some of the most remarkable songs of this tragic era.
A Loftus Media Production.
MON 16:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (m001sv5y)
Series 9
Martial
Epigrams, jokes, highly-polished poems in praise of the Emperor. Oh, and absolute filth. These are what made the name of the first-century Roman poet Martial.
It has taken nearly two thousand years for Martial's work to be considered a fit subject for study by classicists. His poems to the Emperor may have been as highly crafted as a Fabergé egg, but nestled beside these jewels, in the same volume, were works of 'incomprehensible obscenity'. The Romans loved both, apparently. His work is still funny, and still shocking.
Natalie is joined by Professor Llewelyn Morgan and comedian Robin Ince to discover what we can learn about the poet and his readers from his work, and if he can still make us laugh.
Spoiler: he can.
‘Rock star mythologist’ and reformed stand-up Natalie Haynes is obsessed with the ancient world. She explores key stories from ancient Rome and Greece that still have resonance today. They might be biographical, topographical, mythological or epic, but they are always hilarious, magical and tragic, mystifying and revelatory. And they tell us more about ourselves now than seems possible of stories from a couple of thousand years ago.
Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery
MON 17:00 PM (m0027bp2)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027bp4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m0027bp6)
Series 94
2. Where they make cheese and milk out of butterflies
Sue Perkins challenges Tony Hawks, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Charlotte Ritchie to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include Getting Butterflies, Bottling it, and a Desire for Revenge.
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0027bp8)
The stage is set for a visitor, and eyebrows are raised for Jazzer.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0027bpb)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.
MON 20:00 Rethink (m00274ym)
Rethink... museums
The UK has many world-leading museums that inspire wonder and fascination in their visitors. Many were originally created to display artefacts from empire or house the collections of their wealthy Victorian founders but recent decades have seen museums finding innovative ways to challenge what a modern museum can be. However, in tough economic times many museums are facing serious challenges. The sector is having to make the case for why museums should receive public money when there’s a lot less to go around. They are also facing criticism about who visits them, who curates them, and what objects they collect and display. What are museums for? Who are they for? And how can they teach us about our past whilst remaining relevant and exciting for today’s visitors?
Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Viv Jones
Editor: Clare Fordham
Contributors:
Sara Wajid, co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust
Tony Butler, Director of Derby Museums Trust
Stephen Bush, columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m00274yp)
A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m0027bn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m0027bn7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0027bpd)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
MON 22:45 Rye by Alex Preston (m0027bpg)
Episode One
The novel Winchelsea - serialised on Radio 4 in 2022 - described the extraordinary life of smuggler and privateer Goody Brown and her dealings and struggles with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang.
Now it is 1804, and Goody is a grandmother.
Rye - an original commission by BBC Radio 4 - tells the story of her grandson, Zeke, a young man determined to prove his worth and free his father from a prison hulk at Sheerness.
Episode 1
Zeke Brown lives at the Hope Anchor inn, and watches the spring rains transform Rye into an island again.
Alex Preston is an author and journalist who lives in Kent. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. His novels include In Love And War and Winchelsea.
Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Karl Davies
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Limelight (p0ctyd5b)
Exemplar - Series 1
Exemplar - Episode 5
A modern day thriller set in the North East of England starring Gina McKee as a lone wolf audio forensic analyst with a troubled past. Jess races to find her mother, Judith. When the mystery of her father’s departure is solved, Jess is forced to reevaluate her childhood memories.
Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.
Exemplar is based on an idea from Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato.
Jess ..... Gina McKee
Maya ..... Shvorne Marks
Sophie ..... Fenella Woolgar
Judith ..... Barbara Marten
Ajay ..... Asif Khan
Writers: Dan Rebellato with Ben and Max Ringham
Showrunner: Dan Rebellato
Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe
Production coordinator: Darren Spruce
Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton
Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0027bpk)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
TUESDAY 28 JANUARY 2025
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0027bpm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 The History Podcast (m001zddx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027bpp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027bpr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027bpt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0027bpw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0027bpy)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0027bq0)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 06:00 Today (m0027cl8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Young Again (m0027clb)
23. Tanni Grey-Thompson
Kirsty Young asks Paralympic legend Tanni Grey-Thompson what advice she would give her younger self.
With 11 Paralympic gold medals and six London Marathon victories, Grey-Thompson reflects on a childhood in Wales, her extraordinary athletics career and her transition to becoming a campaigner and crossbench peer. She discusses the mindset of a champion, the importance of forward-looking goals, and her advocacy for disability rights.
A BBC Studios Audio production.
TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m0027cld)
Series that demystifies health issues, bringing clarity to conflicting advice.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0027clg)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m002752j)
Mike Leigh
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode celebrate the cinema of Mike Leigh with the man himself as well as the star of his new film, Marianne Jean Baptiste.
Ellen goes deep with Mike Leigh about his iconic filmography and why the upcoming Hard Truths is his first contemporary-set film in a decade.
Mark speaks to Marianne Jean-Baptise who won the Oscar for starring in Mike Leigh's Palme d'Or winning film, Secrets & Lies. Mark also speaks to director of Anora, Sean Baker, about Mike Leigh's influence on his work.
Produced by Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:45 The History Podcast (m001zg54)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 7. The Abduction
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0027clj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m0027cll)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0027cln)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0027cls)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
TUE 13:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027cly)
Simon Jack reveals what many believe to be the most important idea in business today, where it came from and how its consequences have shaped all our lives.
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years.
In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders. Simon reveals how this powerful idea was propelled by a few influential individuals from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0027bp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m001vcnw)
Series 3
A Pint with Pals
by Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne
Part Three – A Pint with Pals
Dr Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime.
This gripping drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group.
How do you cope with the extreme grief behind bars?
Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti
Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald
Finn ….. Reuben Joseph
Twitch …. Brian Ferguson
Simon ….. Shaun Mason
Dani ….. Elysia Welch
Dead Elvis….Andy Clark
‘Autopilot’ composed by Jill O'Sullivan & Lee and performed by Jill O'Sullivan & Louis Abbott as part of the Vox Liminis' Distant Voices project.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Prof Fergus McNeill.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
A BBC Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
TUE 15:00 The Gift (m0025475)
Series 2
3. Sold
A breast cancer survivor investigates her genes and uncovers a black market in human life.
It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future.
In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe.
For the second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database.
Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide?
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Conor Garrett
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Editor: Philip Sellars
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m0027cm2)
Crime Stories
Laurie Taylor explores the fascination for true crime stories. He's joined by Jennifer Fleetwood, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Goldsmiths, London, whose latest work considers the remarkable rise in the number of people who speak publicly about their experience of crime. Baby Reindeer being a prime example of that trend. How can infamous crime stories make sense of this modern confessional impulse? How do gender, class and race shape how stories are told and heard? These personal accounts used to be confined to the police station and the courtroom, but today bookshops heave with autobiographies by prisoners, criminals, police and barristers while streaming platforms host hours of interviews. Through the lens of high-profile cases, it may be possible to see how difficult it can be for the 'truth' to come out.
Also, Louise Wattis, Assistant Professor in the Department: Social Sciences ·at Northumbria University, Newcastle looks at the skyrocketing interest in true crime as a form of popular entertainment. In what ways do 'Hardman' biographies of violent criminals, a hugely popular subgenre, shine a light on the male consumption of true crime. Why might these particular texts resonate with so many men?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
TUE 16:00 Moving Pictures (m0027cm6)
A Woman Bathing in a Stream by Rembrandt
Cathy FitzGerald invites you to discover new details in old masterpieces. Each episode of Moving Pictures is devoted to a single artwork – and you’re invited to look as well as listen, by following a link to a high-resolution image made by Google Arts & Culture. Zoom in and you can see the pores of the canvas, the sweep of individual brushstrokes, the shimmer of pointillist dots.
A young woman paddles in a stream, staring down with an enigmatic smile as the cool water plays about her legs. At first glance, it's a simple scene - and yet this small painting by Rembrandt mesmerises with its tender sensuality. Is it a portrait of his partner, Hendrickje? Or a biblical picture made for sale by an artist in serious financial difficulties? Take a closer look at Rembrandt's daringly intimate A Woman Bathing in a Stream and discover how he 'sculpts in paint'.
To see the high-resolution image of the painting made by Google Arts & Culture, visit www.bbc.co.uk/movingpictures. Scroll down and follow the link to explore A Woman Bathing in a Stream by Rembrandt.
Interviewees: Helen Hillyard, Francesca Whitlum-Cooper, Jonathan Bikker, Bart Cornelis, Pieter Roelofs.
Producer and presenter: Cathy FitzGerald
Executive producer: Sarah Cuddon
Mix engineer: Mike Woolley
Art history consultant: Leah Kharibian
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4
NG54: Rembrandt, A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?), 1654. Oil on wood, 61.8 × 47 cm, © The National Gallery, London
TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m0027cmb)
Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.
TUE 17:00 PM (m0027cmg)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027cmk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 18:30 Janey Godley: The C Bomb (m001xmgs)
Series 2
4. Friends, Enemies and a Big Decision
Janey knows she’s got a big mouth – and sometimes that’s a great thing. She can talk to anyone, and often makes celebrity mates without even knowing who they are! But it’s also got her into trouble on many occasions.
In this episode, she tells us all about making friends and enemies - and the Hollywood star she’s making a surprise gift!
Things also take a surprising turn as Janey decides in the spur of the moment to make a big decision, and say goodbye to something that’s been a massive part of her life for years, but which has now become a toxic influence that needs to go.
Reflecting with rare candour on her life, as she continues to live with a terminal diagnosis, she still finds humour and insight in both the darkness and the ridiculous.
A mix of stories told onstage to a hometown audience, and intimate conversations with her daughter Ashely Storrie, recorded in the living room of the home they share.
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Featuring Ashley Storrie
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0027cmp)
Tony reveals a different side, and Leonard has a problem to solve.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0027cmt)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.
TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m0027cmy)
Current affairs documentary series investigating major issues at home and abroad.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0027cn0)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.
TUE 21:00 World Of Secrets (m0026jxm)
The Bad Guru
The Bad Guru: 1. The Retreat
Miranda joins a yoga school in London. The classes make her feel amazing and the people make her feel loved. But at a weekend retreat in a country house, she gets a shock.
This series contains explicit sexual content, some strong language and allegations of sexual exploitation. This episode contains explicit sexual content.
Host: Cat McShane
Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane
Sound design: Melvin Rickarby
Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey
Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister
Executive Producer: Innes Bowen
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
TUE 21:30 Crossing Continents (m0027cn3)
Series focusing on foreign affairs issues.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0027cn5)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
TUE 22:45 Rye by Alex Preston (m0027cn7)
Episode Two
The novel Winchelsea - serialised on Radio 4 in 2022 - described the extraordinary life of smuggler and privateer, Goody Brown, and her dealings and struggles with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang.
Now it is 1804, and Goody is a grandmother.
Rye - an original commission by BBC Radio 4 - tells the story of her grandson, Zeke, a young man determined to prove his worth and free his father from a prison hulk at Sheerness.
Episode 2
At Ypres Castle, Zeke meets the mysterious Frenchman M. Bihoreau, ‘The Heron’.
Alex Preston is an author and journalist who lives in Kent. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. His novels include In Love And War and Winchelsea.
Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Karl Davies
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 Uncanny (m0013hb5)
Series 1
Case 13: The Return of Elizabeth Dacre
A young family moves into a historic seaside house converted from a once famous hotel, but when they start to see an apparition who resembles the former owner, they begin to wonder if they are really welcome. Does she want them out of her house?
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editor and Sound Designer: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Lanterns on the Lake
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0027cnb)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2025
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0027cnd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 The History Podcast (m001zg54)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027cng)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027cnj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027cnl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0027cnn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0027cnq)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0027cns)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 06:00 Today (m0027ctd)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Sideways (m0027ctg)
69. Memento Mori
The passing of time brings inevitable change - corrosion, disintegration and, eventually, disappearance. While the certainty of this process may seem like cause for despair, Matthew Syed explores the beauty that can be found in the process of decay.
American composer William Basinski, watching his old reel-to-reel tapes disintegrate into a masterpiece of ambient music, discovered how even decay can lead to something unexpectedly profound.
In Detroit’s abandoned neighbourhoods, the ruins tell a story of transformation, where the decline of once-thriving industry serves as both a stark reminder of impermanence and a catalyst for reflection and artistic expression.
With composer William Basinski, cultural historian Professor Dora Apel, Detroit artist Scott Hocking, and religion professor Ankur Barua.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Series Editors: Georgia Moodie and Max O'Brien
Sound Design and Mix: Daniel Kempson
Theme music by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:30 In Dark Corners (m0027ctj)
Series 2
4. Member 51
A social care consultant who advises the government on children in care, is raided by police in 1992. A detective finds evidence linking him to the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE).
A local social worker is called in. He and the detective search through seven boxes of documents, brought from the home of the suspect. They discover that not only was he a member of PIE, but a central figure and high up in establishment circles.
Alex Renton sits down with the social worker, and hears about his decades long quest: to expose members of the Paedophile Information Exchange within social care and stop them from harming children.
In their public literature, the leaders of PIE members had always claimed their relationships with children were consensual. Alex Renton tracks down one of the boys, now a man in his fifties, who was abused by the childcare expert and his partner.
Archive: Inside Story- The Secret Life of a Paeophile, 1994, BBC. News report on the White Inquiry into Islington Children's Homes child abuse scandal, 1995, BBC; The Scandal of Crookham Court, That's Life!, 1991, BBC.
Presenter: Alex Renton
Producer: Caitlin Smith
Executive Producers: Gail Champion and Gillian Wheelan
Story Consultants: Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams
Sound design: Jon Nicholls
Theme Tune: Jeremy Warmsley
Details of organisations offering information and support for victims of child sexual abuse are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0027ctl)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m0027cmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:45 The History Podcast (m001zdqy)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 8. Pulling the Strings
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
WED 12:00 News Summary (m0027ctp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m0027ctr)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
WED 12:57 Weather (m0027ctt)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m0027ctw)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
WED 13:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027cty)
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years.
In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders. Simon reveals how this powerful idea was propelled by a few influential individuals from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0027cmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0027cv0)
A Tale of Two Trumpets
By Sylvia-Anne Parker.
A music-fuelled drama set in the court of Henry VIII and playfully inspired by the life of Black Tudor and royal trumpeter - John Blanke.
When Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII lose a child, the King prepares a celebration of the baby prince’s life and calls in the trailblazing trumpeter John Blanke to help him…
And when John sees an opportunity to also help Henry VIII's private passions, little does he know that his timely intervention will change the course of history in more ways than one…
Cast:
John … Nicholas Pinnock with Bryon Wallen on trumpet
Henry VIII … Rory Kinnear with Jacob Heringman on lute
Dominic … Harry Lloyd with David McCallum on trumpet
Harriet … Ayesha Antoine
Remi and Compton …Yinka Awoni
Catherine … Ruth Everett
Studio Production: Alison Craig and Mike Etherden
Production Co-ordinator: Rosalind Gibson
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Directed by Kirsty Williams
The writer dedicates this production to the memory of her audio drama mentor, Oliver Emanuel.
WED 15:00 Money Box (m0027cv2)
The Money Box team invites listeners and a panel of experts to discuss one personal finance topic in depth.
WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m0027cv4)
Should AI have a 'kill switch'?
Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore our fears around AI, where they come from andwhether we're worrying about the right things?
Listener Paul asks 'if AI gets so smart wouldn't it realise it was a threat to society and switch itself off?' Its the stuff of Sci-fi fantasy, an artificial intelligence that gets so smart it decides it doesn't need humanity anymore. But if AI were ever to get that powerful and for many its a very big 'if' why would it want to do that? Kevin and Aleks speak to Dr Kanta Dihal who researches the stories we tell ourselves about technology and ask her why they seem to have become increasingly apocalyptic.
Do these far-flung futures distract us from much more immediate problems with AI and is that their purpose? Professor Michael Rovatsos explains the issues AI raises today and what’s being done counter them.
Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Sound: Sue Maillot & Sean Mullervy
WED 16:00 The Media Show (m0027cv6)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.
WED 17:00 PM (m0027cv8)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027cvb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 18:30 ReincarNathan (m001g39w)
Series 3
Cleaning Wrasse
Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife returns for a third series, starring Daniel Rigby, Ashley McGuire and guest-starring Hammed Animashaun and Hugh Dennis.
In episode 5, Nathan is brought back to life as a Cleaning Wrasse fish on a coral reef. He’s shocked to find out his dad (Hugh Dennis) has also been reincarnated on the same reef and is desperate to win his approval. So he and his friend Anwar (Hammed Animashaun) set about trying to impress his father. Will Nathan get his respect? And will he ever learn to do the right thing and make it back to human again?
Cast:
Ashley McGuire - Carol
Daniel Rigby - Nathan
Hammed Animashaun - Anwar
Hugh Dennis - Robert Blakely, Nathan's Dad
Tom Craine - Colin the Crab
Henry Paker - Shark
Writers: Tom Craine and Henry Paker
Producer: Harriet Jaine
Sound: Jerry Peal
Music Composed by: Phil Lepherd
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0027cvd)
Susan begins to have regrets, and disaster strikes at the Village Hall.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m0027cvg)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002751p)
Adam Fleming helps you work out what the culture war arguments are really about.
WED 20:45 How They Made Us Doubt Everything (m001yxg4)
Talc Tales: 3. ‘We may have problems’
Could companies clean up their talc? In the 1970s, talc companies worked out a plan to check their product for asbestos fibres. The problem was, mineralogist Sean Fitzgerald says the testing method they chose wasn’t sensitive enough to truly weed all asbestos fibres out. But this testing method was taken up not just in America but around the world and still informs the standards today. Companies can legally say their talc is ‘asbestos free’ if they’ve used this method, but there could still be trace amounts of asbestos fibres in the product.
Meanwhile, epidemiologist Dan Cramer starts some research into a possible association between talc and ovarian cancer – but what does the latest research say?
Presenter and Producer: Phoebe Keane
Sound mix: James Beard
Series Editor: Matt Willis
WED 21:00 Sideways (m0026nbl)
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 3. The Age of Outsourcing
Is this the age of outsourcing?
This is not a show about call centres in India. Rather, it's a look at a much deeper shift in who we are, how we think, and where value is created. In some ways, it's the most dizzying and philosophical shift of all.
In this episode, we attempt to understand outsourcing at the macro level - how corporations have outsourced so much that they’ve become hollow. And we look at the micro level - how we've outsourced our minds and memories to technology.
Contributors
Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford and author of several acclaimed books.
James Williams is an author and technology advisor. He worked for Google for more than 10 years where he received the Founders Award for his work on search advertising. He's the author of Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy.
John Key is author of The Corporation in the 21st Century. He's a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a columnist for the Financial Times.
Production team
Editor: Sara Wadeson
Producers: Emma Close, Marianna Brain, Michaela Graichen
Sound: Tom Brignell
Production Co-ordinators: Janet Staples and Katie Morrison
Archive
Steve Jobs launches the Apple iPhone, 2007
WED 21:30 Inside Health (m0027cld)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0027cvk)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
WED 22:45 Rye by Alex Preston (m0027cvm)
Episode Three
The novel Winchelsea - serialised on Radio 4 in 2022 - described the extraordinary life of smuggler and privateer, Goody Brown, and her dealings and struggles with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang.
Now it is 1804, and Goody is a grandmother.
Rye - an original commission by BBC Radio 4 - tells the story of her grandson, Zeke, a young man determined to prove his worth and free his father from a prison hulk at Sheerness.
Episode 3
At the Hope Anchor, the Heron unveils his plan to spring his son Etienne, the American revolutionary Captain Tate, and Zeke’s father Ezekiel from the prison ship.
Alex Preston is an author and journalist who lives in Kent. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. His novels include In Love And War and Winchelsea.
Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Karl Davies
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:00 Alison Spittle: Petty Please (m0026vwd)
Series 1
Barrioke
In this new series for Radio 4, comedian Alison Spittle explores some of her longest and deepest held grudges. The kind of thing most people would be ashamed to still be thinking about 30 minutes later, let alone contemplating exacting retribution decades on.
There are two things Alison Spittle really loves. EastEnders' Barry Evans (actor Shaun Williamson) and revenge. And this episode threatens to join her two passions. Shaun runs a popular night called Barrioke - where fans can party and perform karaoke hits on stage with him. Alison has been many times, but she's never been pulled out of the audience. What gives, Shaun? Alison needs to know.
Written by Alison Spittle & Simon Mulholland
With Tasha & Hayley
Script edited by Joel Morris
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner
A Mighty Bunny Production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0027cvp)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0027cvr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 The History Podcast (m001zdqy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027cvt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027cvw)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027cvy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0027cw0)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0027cw2)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0027cw4)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 06:00 Today (m0027d6r)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0027d6t)
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of ideas.
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m0027d6w)
Armando Iannucci and Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0027d6y)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m0027d70)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
THU 11:45 The History Podcast (m001zdwl)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 9. Designing the Future
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0027d72)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m0027d74)
Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show, with insight from the people at the top.
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m0027d76)
Greg Foot investigates the so-called wonder products making bold claims.
THU 12:57 Weather (m0027d78)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m0027d7b)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
THU 13:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027d7d)
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years.
In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders. Simon reveals how this powerful idea was propelled by a few influential individuals from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0027cvd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0027d7g)
Transparency
Emma Burnleigh, a journalist and author, is invited to meet the Prime Minister. She tells her that that the new government has decided to de-classify the records on Operation Buffalo, a top secret security operation from the past that has long been regarded by conspiracy researchers as the holy grail of covert state activity.
In the interests of “transparency”, Emma will be given all access - “apart from a small amount of redacted information” - and participants will be freed from the official secrets act to speak to her.
Though it could transform her career and give her a bestseller, Emma is increasingly psychologically and emotionally affected by exploring something the state once wanted no-one to know about but now wishes everyone to share.
Why are they doing this? Some of the sources she is put in contact with seem surprisingly willing to break their lifelong habits of secrecy while others still refuse to engage. And what is in the “small amount” of redacted information? She even comes to wonder if Operation Buffalo ever existed or has been invented purely for the purposes of revelation now. But, if so, why?
A Big Fish production for BBC Radio 4
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m0027d7j)
Fife - Clatto Reservoir to Pitscottie
Clare is in the Kingdom of Fife today, hiking from Clatto Reservoir to Pitscottie. It’s a beautiful stretch of the Fife Pilgrim Way, a long-distance footpath that runs 65 miles from either Culross or North Queensferry (there’s a choice of starting places) and ends in St Andrews.
Joining her are three colleagues from the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, who helped to develop the route, and an Elder from the church in the village of Ceres who would like to see 'champing' (that's camping in churches) established as a way of providing good accommodation for Pilgrims passing through Ceres on their way to St Andrews.
The Fife Pilgrim Way was officially opened in 2019 and connects west to east Fife via routes traditionally used by religious pilgrims. The route is divided into seven sections, ranging from 8 to 11 miles in length. You can find more information here: https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk/walks/fife-pilgrim-way/
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0027cg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Word of Mouth (m0027d7l)
Politeness with Louise Mullany
Professor Louise Mullany talks to Michael Rosen about politeness, and how it governs our lives, from the behaviour of football managers to the different ways children can embarrass us. Why, in this country at least, is it so mortifying to mistakenly assume someone is pregnant, when in other cultures it's simply thoughtful to book two seats on a plane for a larger person. Starring Michael Rosen as Spanish football manager Unai Emery, the politest man in football.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz
THU 16:00 Rethink (m0027d7n)
Rethink: is big tech stealing your life?
Rethink examines emerging issues in politics, society, economics, technology and the UK's place in the world, and how we might approach them differently. We look at the latest thinking and research and discuss new ideas that might make the world a better place.
In this episode, we consider the changing relationship between the public and big tech companies.
Big technology companies have given us incredible social media and online services, that came with a price - our data. They used it to target advertising and to learn about our likes and dislikes, and the vast majority of us couldn't have cared less about giving up this information.
But Artificial Intelligence products have changed the game, from chatbots that can hold human-like conversations, to Generative AI that can write prose or create a picture from a simple text prompt.
And these unthinking machines require endless amounts of data to train them.
Some companies have been quietly changing their terms and conditions to access our social media and messages for AI training. Privacy regulators in the UK have called a halt to this so far, but US consumers don't have that protection.
Developers have also been scraping the internet, gathering both free and copyrighted material, and leading to legal actions in both the USA, the EU and the UK.
Copyright holders are concerned about a lack of payment or licencing deals, and also that AI imitates their content, putting them out of work. The Government has now launched a consultation to try to balance up the needs of AI and the creative industries.
But with some companies refusing to pay for content, creators have a new tool at their disposal - a program that makes stolen pictures poisonous to AI.
Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Clare Fordham
Contributors:
Ben Zhao, Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago
Jack Stilgoe, professor in science and technology studies at University College London, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies
Justine Roberts, founder and CEO of Mumsnet.
Cerys Wyn Davies, a partner at Pinscent Masons solicitors, specialising in IP and Copyright.
Neil Ross, Associate director of Policy for Tech UK
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0027d7q)
A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.
THU 17:00 PM (m0027d7s)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027d7v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 18:30 POV (m0027d7x)
Series 1
1. Colin from Portsmouth is DISGUSTED
The internet's best comedy creators bring you a sketch show that features Colin from Portsmouth, Broken News, Sally in HR, and every Ed Sheeran song ever.
Written and performed by Kylie Brakeman, The Exploding Heads, Rachel Fairburn, Matt Green, Rosie Holt, Charlene Kaye, Kelechi Okafor, Larry & Paul, Morton, Burke & Fry, The Squid, and Ed Night & Paddy Young.
Recorded in London, Manchester, Dublin, Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh.
Edited by Rich Evans at Syncbox Post
Produced by Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0027d3r)
Mick hatches an unexpected plan, and Lilian makes her feelings known.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0027d80)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.
THU 20:00 The Media Show (m0027cv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m0027m0v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m0027d6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0027d82)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
THU 22:45 Rye by Alex Preston (m0027d84)
Episode Four
The novel Winchelsea - serialised on Radio 4 in 2022 - described the extraordinary life of smuggler and privateer, Goody Brown, and her dealings and struggles with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang.
Now it is 1804, and Goody is a grandmother.
Rye - an original commission by BBC Radio 4 - tells the story of her grandson, Zeke, a young man determined to prove his worth and free his father from a prison hulk at Sheerness.
Episode 4
William Baldock of the shady and secretive Seasalter Company joins the conspiracy.
Alex Preston is an author and journalist who lives in Kent. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. His novels include In Love And War and Winchelsea.
Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Karl Davies
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m0027d86)
Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0027d88)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2025
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0027d8b)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 The History Podcast (m001zdwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0027d8d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0027d8g)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0027d8j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0027d8l)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0027d8n)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0027d8q)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 06:00 Today (m0027d37)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m0027cgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0027d39)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m0027d3c)
Investigating every aspect of the food we eat
FRI 11:45 The History Podcast (m001zdtd)
Shadow War: China and the West
Shadow War: 10. Collision
Could growing tensions lead to conflict? The rise of China is the defining challenge of our times – how far to co-operate, compete or confront? But has the West taken its eye off the ball? BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera looks at the points of friction in recent history, from espionage to free speech, the battle over technology and claims of political interference. This is a story about the competition to shape the world order. He speaks to politicians, spies, dissidents and those who’ve been caught up in the growing tension between China and the West.
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producer: Olivia Lace-Evans
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore (Naked Productions)
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0027d3f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m0027d3h)
Adam Fleming helps you work out what the culture war arguments are really about.
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0027d3k)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0027d3m)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
FRI 13:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027d3p)
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years.
In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders. Simon reveals how this powerful idea was propelled by a few influential individuals from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0027d3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m0027d3t)
Exemplar - Series 2
Exemplar - Episode 1
A successful television actor hires Jess and Maya to analyse a voicemail, leaked to the press, that suggests he supplied the drugs that killed his younger co-star. The suspicion is that the recording has been doctored.
As they disentangle the truth behind the missing 29 seconds in the voicemail, pushy Detective Sergeant Serena Gray hires Veritas to help with a phone-hacking investigation.
Exemplar: “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.”
The return of a modern day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. In Exemplar, Gina McKee plays Jess, a forensic analyst born and bred in the North East. Together with her colleague Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. When DS Serena Gray comes into their world, things become a little bit more complicated.
Created by leading sound designers, Ben and Max Ringham, and rooted in factual research. The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Jess ….. Gina McKee
Maya ….. Shvorne Marks
DS Serena Gray….. Clare Perkins
Adam ….. Afnan Iftikhar
Jason ….. Benjamin Cawley
Chris ….. Malcolm Ridley
Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalić, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre
Police consultant: Alex Ashton
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:45 Why Do We Do That? (m0027d3x)
Why do I get so upset when my team loses?
Ella Al Shamahi is joined by Crystal Palace superfan Bobby and fellow anthropologist Martha Newsom to find out why it's so devastating when our football team loses.
People who normally keep a stiff upper lip through life's ups and downs are distraught after a defeat. Is this a cultural response or something more primeval? Martha’s work shows that being beaten by another team deepens social bonds with fellow fans. From her results the fans of the least successful football clubs, including Crystal Palace, saw one another as kin and were willing to sacrifice themselves for each other.
BBC Studios Audio
Producer: Emily Bird
Additional production: Olivia Jani and Ben Hughes
Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0027d3z)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0027d41)
Incandescent by Clare Duffy
An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 written and read by Clare Duffy.
Clare Duffy is an Irish writer and performer across stage and screen. She is currently living and writing in Belfast and dreaming about Paris. She gained an MA in Creative Writing from the Seamus Heaney Centre and Queens University Belfast and is working on a screen project, a short story collection, and teaching screenwriting at Queens University Belfast.
Writer: Clare Duffy
Reader: Clare Duffy
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0027d43)
Weekly obituary programme telling the life stories of those who have died recently.
FRI 16:30 Sideways (m0027ctg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m0027d45)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0027d47)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m0027d49)
Series 116
Episode 4
Topical panel quiz show, taking its questions from the week's news stories.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0027d4c)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Jeremy Howe
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Berwick Kaler as himself
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m0027d4f)
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode guide us through the expanding universe of the moving image
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m0027d4h)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0027d4k)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m0027d4m)
Decision making
Justine Greening, Bill Sherman, K A Laity and Gary Stevenson join Matthew Sweet to talk about the tools and processes of decision making through history
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0027d4p)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Rye by Alex Preston (m0027d4r)
Episode Five
The novel Winchelsea - serialised on Radio 4 in 2022 - described the extraordinary life of smuggler and privateer, Goody Brown, and her dealings and struggles with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang.
Now it is 1804, and Goody is a grandmother.
Rye - an original commission by BBC Radio 4 - tells the story of her grandson, Zeke, a young man determined to prove his worth and free his father from a prison hulk at Sheerness.
Episode 5
Zeke must play a full part in the attempt to rescue the rebels from the notorious Spymaster, Sir Vincent Eyre.
Alex Preston is an author and journalist who lives in Kent. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. His novels include In Love And War and Winchelsea.
Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Karl Davies
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 Americast (m0027d4t)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0027d4w)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament