SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0028v59)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Reading Journeys by A.L. Kennedy (m0028v3y)
A Road Made of Books

“My road made of books has taken me through passages of remarkable good fortune.”

A.L. Kennedy on the journeys that await readers when they open the covers of a book - as well as the authors who write them. Today the author remembers some of the travels that have enhanced her writing life – from performing in Boris Pasternak’s kitchen to sailing the Atlantic in the company of Moby Dick.

Written and read by A.L. Kennedy
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie and Gaynor Macfarlane

A.L. Kennedy was born in Dundee and now stays in North Essex. She is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories, non-fiction and books for children. She also writes for the stage, screen, TV and radio, including documentaries, monologues, dramas and essays. She performs occasionally in one person shows and as a stand-up comic.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0028v5c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0028v5f)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0028v5h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0028v5k)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0028v5m)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


SAT 05:45 Lent Talks (m0028tnv)
The Creed: That God Is Almighty

2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed – the core profession of the Christian faith, which is spoken in churches across the world. This year’s Lent Talks offer personal insights of faith on six key lines from the Creed.

In this episode, the theologian Frances Young reflects on the opening line: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.”

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002913b)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m0028v02)
Sacha Dench

Conservationist and adventurer Sacha Dench tells Martha Kearney about her love of the natural world. She explains how she came to fly a paramotor along the whole length the 4000-mile route that migrating swans take from the Russian tundra to the UK – leading to her acquiring the nickname ‘The Human Swan’. As they watch birds together at the Fernworthy reservoir in Devon, Sacha talks about her childhood growing up in Australia, where she says the beach and the bush were her playgrounds. She tells Martha about the paramotor accident which left her seriously injured and from which the sights and smells of the natural world proved a powerful aid to recovery. She describes her plans for the future and talks about what brings her hope.

Producer: Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002913d)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002913g)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002913j)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002913l)
Rebecca Front, Amber Butchart, Natalie Chandler, Sophie Duker

Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002913n)
Marco Polo: history’s most famous travel writer?

Greg Jenner is joined in thirteenth-century Venice by Professor Sharon Kinoshita and comedian Ria Lia to learn all about medieval traveller Marco Polo and his adventures in China. Born into a family of merchants, in 1271 a teenage Marco set out for the court of the Mongol emperor Qubilai Khan with his father and uncle. They would not return to Italy for nearly a quarter of a century. In the service of the emperor, the Polos saw all manner of extraordinary things – including the Mongol’s amazing imperial postal service and diamond-hunting eagles in India. Imprisoned by the Genoese on his eventual return, Polo spent his time in prison writing his Description of the World with the Arthurian romance author Rusticello, a travelogue describing his exploits in the East and the wonders he had seen. This episode explores Polo’s extraordinary life, the decades he spent travelling in China and beyond, and the fascinating account he wrote on his return.

If you’re a fan of epic voyages, luxurious royal courts and medieval travel writing, you’ll love our episode on Marco Polo.

If you want more from Ria Lina, check out our episode on pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao. For more on the Mongols listen to our episode on Genghis Khan, and for more medieval travel writers, there's our episode on medieval Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta.

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: Hannah Cusworth, 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: Philip Sellars


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002913q)
Series 47

Episode 4

Investigating every aspect of the food we eat.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002913s)
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002913v)
Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002913x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002913z)
Paul Lewis presents the latest news from the world of personal finance.


SAT 12:30 The Naked Week (m0028v4n)
Series 2

Episode 2

The Naked Week team are back to place satirical news-tariffs on current events with a mix of correspondents, guests and, occasionally, live animals.

From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.

With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news-nude straight to your ears.

Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
Sarah Dempster
Jason Hazeley

Investigations Team:
Cat Neilan
Louis Mian
Freya Shaw
Matt Brown

Guests: Rosie Holt

Production Team: Laura Grimshaw, Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, Katie Sayer, Phoebe Butler

Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m0029141)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m0029143)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0028v4v)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0029145)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0028v4q)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Emma Carter…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Eddie Grundy…. Trevor Harrison
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Jim Lloyd…. John Rowe
Akram Malik…. Asif Khan
Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0029147)
Venus and Adonis

With Venus and Adonis, Shakespeare in 1593 launched his career as a poet. The poem is a minor epic, a genre chosen by a large number of poets in the 1590s for their first efforts, each attempt at the genre self-consciously imitating the others.

Venus and Adonis was such a notable success that it was, during his lifetime, Shakespeare’s most popular published work, going through ten editions by 1616 and quoted in numerous journals, letters, and plays of the period. In 1598 a critic wrote that “the sweet witty soul of Ovid lives in mellifluous and honey-tongued Shakespeare, witness his Venus and Adonis.”

Shakespeare found the story of the encounter between the Roman goddess of love and the boy hunter in book 10 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Ovid, the beautiful Adonis is the willing lover of Venus, and his death is an accident of the hunt. Shakespeare transforms the story by having his Adonis reject Venus’s advances in a way that, for his early readers, was clearly both ironic and comic. Shakespeare makes his Venus highly verbal, a seemingly endless source of arguments for making love.

Cast
Venus ..... Adjoa Andoh
Narrator ..... Rachel Sanders
Adonis ..... Joseph Kloska

Music by Joseph Bedell

Produced and Directed by Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0029149)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week.


SAT 17:00 PM (m002914c)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m0028tzr)
Dough - Bicycles

How can the bicycle industry recover from sales that plummeted after the pandemic?

The entrepreneur, Sam White, hosts Dough - the BBC Radio 4 series which looks at the business behind profitable everyday products and where the smart money might take them next.

In each episode, Sam, and the futurist, Tom Cheesewright, are joined by product manufacturers and industry experts whose inside knowledge gives a new appreciation for the everyday things that we often take for granted.

Together they look back on a product’s earliest (sometimes ridiculous!) iterations, discuss how a product has evolved and the trends which have driven its profitability.

In this episode on bicycles Sam and Tom hear from expert guests including:

- Nikki Hawyes - the chief executive officer of Whyte Bikes
- Andy Smallwood - the chief executive officer at Pashley Cycles
- Simon Irons - the Data and Insights Director at the Bicycle Association

They explain how the boom in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic bottomed out, creating huge turmoil from which the industry is still trying to recover.

They trade opinions on the bicycle's 'game-changing' innovations and come up with some classic suggestions for 'pointless' innovations too, before Tom draws on his expertise as a futurist to imagine what bicycles could be like in the decades to come.

Dough is produced by Jon Douglas and is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in the spring when Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.

In the meantime, Dough is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002914f)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002914h)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002914k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00290b8)
Declan Lawn, Naoise Dolan, John Meagher, Emer Maguire, Ryan McMullan, Chubby Cat

Stuart Maconie is joined in Lisburn, Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland by guests Declan Lawn, Naoise Dolan, John Meagher and Emer Maguire, as well as music from Ryan McMullan and Chubby Cat.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002914m)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0028d2f)
Series 32

Saturn v Jupiter - Katherine Parkinson, Paul Abel and Michele Dougherty

Brian Cox and Robin Ince referee as Saturn and Jupiter square up to each other in a planetary face off. Representing team Saturn is space physicist Professor Michele Dougherty, and in the opposite corner is Dr Paul Abel on Team Jupiter. Katherine Parkinson judges this cosmic contest, casting the final vote to decide who will be awarded the coveted Kuiper Belt.

It is not all about looks of course, but it is a significant factor in a first impression. Both Saturn and Jupiter score highly in this department, boasting magnificent icy rings and colourful stripes respectively. But what lies beneath their aesthetically pleasing exteriors? How do the planets compare on the inside?
The gas giants have been subjects of investigation for many years, with historic missions like Galileo and Cassini uncovering their secrets. But they aren’t alone, each planet is surrounded by its own mini solar system of moons, which get space scientists just as excited as their parent planets do. Both Jupiter and Saturn have moons which are hot contenders in the search for extra-terrestrial life and our panel discuss the future plans to explore them.

Producer: Melanie Brown
Exec Producer: Sasha Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani


SAT 20:00 Lockdown’s Legacy (m002914p)
Waiting for Covid

From the first reports of a mystery disease in Wuhan, China, and the announcement of the death of “patient zero” on December 1st 2019, to the start of lockdown on March 23rd 2020, we hear how we watched and waited for arrival of Covid 19.

There were increasingly urgent warnings from global health bodies, tourists on cruise ships were repatriated, and scientists debated herd immunity. There was a big debate over sporting events going ahead while we all learnt the elbow bump greeting and how to wash our hands properly.

In the corridors of power, there were arguments over emergency planning, and fevered scientific activity - until, when the modelling showed without doubt that the NHS would be quickly overwhelmed, the Government acted.

Archive Producer: Howard Shannon
Additional Interviews: Rob Walker
Sound Design: Alice K. Winz
Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m0028sz8)
Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.


SAT 22:00 News (m002914r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0028v3w)
Investigating every aspect of the food we eat


SAT 23:00 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (m0028xy2)
Series 5

3. Jumping the Shark

Alexei Sayle returns for a new series of stand-up, philosophy and memoir as he welcomes made-up customers to buy illusory snacks in his imaginary sandwich bar

In this episode Alexei ponders sequels, the pursuit of inspiration and how you can tell if you're old or not.

Written and performed by Alexei Sayle with additional material by Tom Whyman

Producer - Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator - Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m0028tnf)
Series 38

Semi-final 2, 2025

(11/13)
The second semi-final in the 2025 series comes from Media City UK in Salford, with another three winners from the heats stage playing for a place in the Final. The competition hots up and the questions may well get tougher. How much do the contestants know about the plot of Tosca, the characters in Wicked, the jukebox musical written by Alicia Keys or the film soundtracks that feature a particular tango by Carlos Gardel?

The competitors are:
Diane Hallagan, from Leeds
Mohan Mudigonda, from Wolverhampton
Sarah Trevarthen, from Manchester.

Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria

SUNDAY 16 MARCH 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002914t)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m0028tnc)
Tash Aw

Presenter James Crawford speaks to twice-Booker-nominated Chinese-Malaysian author Tash Aw about his latest novel, The South, and the three works that helped shape its creation.

Set during a scorching summer on drought-stricken farmland in rural Malaysia, The South follows protagonist Jay in a coming-of-age story about a family navigating a period of profound change.

Tash Aw’s chosen influences were Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956), Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (1897), and The Sea Wall by Marguerite Duras (1952).

The supporting contributor was Dr Bea Hitchman, author, and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton.

Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002914w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002914y)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0029150)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0029152)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0029154)
National Cathedral Church of St Patrick in Dublin

Bells on Sunday comes from The National Cathedral Church of St Patrick in Dublin. Legend has it that in 1191 the Archbishop of Dublin, having fallen out with City Provosts and the nearby Priory, decided to build his own cathedral church just outside the city walls on the site of an ancient well supposedly used by Saint Patrick. In 1860’s the Guinness family sponsored a major restoration of the building and in the 1890’s the family also donated a new peal of ten bells. Today there are twelve bells with a Tenor bell weighing forty five and one quarter hundredweight and tuned to the note of C. We hear them ringing the full twelve bells to Plain Hunt Cinques.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0028syp)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m00291nb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m0028sxw)
Dress Culture

Laurie Taylor talks to Fatima Rajina, Senior Legacy in Action Research Fellow at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester, about changing perceptions of dress among British Bangladeshi Muslim men in London’s East End. How has experiencing behaviour which is anti-Muslim and political scrutiny impacted their choice of apparel? Also, Teleica Kirkland, Lecturer in the Cultural and Historical Studies Department at the London College of Fashion, explores the performative elegance of the Windrush generation, whose fashion could be a way of seeking dignity and respectability.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m00291nd)
Get On My Land!

Debra and Tom Willoughby are farmers near Loughborough. When they first took on the farm tenancy over twenty years ago, they set about trying to get the bridleway which runs through the farmyard re-routed, fearing it would be both a safety hazard and a security risk. Their application was turned down. Two decades later, they've had a change of heart and are now glad that their plan failed. They're keen to welcome more members of the public onto their farm, and hold tree-plantings and family fun days in an attempt to meet more of the local community. Far from conforming to the stereotype of "Get off my land", they're now trying to get more people onto it. In this programme, Anna Jones visits the farm to discover why they've changed their minds. She finds crowds of children digging for worms and analysing soil types, and runs into a couple of cyclists who explain why they're often wary of cycling through farms. Over a cup of tea in the farmhouse, Debra and Tom describe the benefits of being more welcoming - from building relationships with potential future customers to combatting the loneliness and isolation of farming life.

Presented by Anna Jones
Produced by Emma Campbell


SUN 06:57 Weather (m00291ng)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m00291nj)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m00291nl)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002909r)
Mines Advisory Group

Actor and ambassador for Mines Advisory Group (MAG) Rosamund Pike makes the Radio 4 appeal on behalf of the charity. It works in more than thirty countries to train and employ ‘deminers’; men and women who find and destroy landmines to protect others in their communities.

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 ‘The Mines Advisory Group or MAG’.
- Cheques should be made payable to 'MAG'.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1083008. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.maginternational.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m00291nn)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m00291nq)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m00291ns)
The Singing Priests

Three priests from the Roman Catholic diocese of Down and Connor Father David Delargy with the brothers, Fathers Eugene and Martin O’Hagan have been singing together since secondary school. Nearly 17 years ago, they signed a recording deal, made three bestselling albums and sang before three Popes, the late Queen Eizabeth and King Charles when he was Prince of Wales. Last May they announced that they were retiring from public performances.
They recall some of the highlights, reflect on the importance of music in worship, on how they priestly ministry related to their profile as singers and what they hope their legacy might be.
Introduced by Ruth Jennings.
Psalm 150
Be Thou my vision
Bí, Íosa Im Chroíse
Amazing Grace
A Gaelic Blessing


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0028v4x)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m00291nv)
Arjun Dutta on the Wheatear

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. In this episode we highlight one of the young and emerging generation of wildlife watchers.

Wildlife sound recordist and nature watcher Arjun Dutta eagerly awaits the first sight of a wheatear in late winter. Wheatears charismatic members of the chat family known for their jaunty behaviour and a pleasing song heard during the breeding season. For Arjun the sight of a wheatear simply heralds better days ahead after a long winter.

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


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m00291nx)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m00290d8)
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 (m00291nz)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Emma Carter…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Eddie Grundy…. Trevor Harrison
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Jim Lloyd…. John Rowe
Akram Malik…. Asif Khan
Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002914m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 One Person Found This Helpful (m0028svs)
Series 2

2. Detachable Yacht Stand

Frank & guests Angela Barnes, Finlay Christie, Catherine Bohart & Rajiv Karia discuss ball pits, the KGB and who hasn’t been to the dentist for forty years.

This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling.

Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as, 'very steep and too high', this show salutes you!

Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche.

Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler.

A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m00291p1)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m00291p3)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Born in Bradford (m0025cxn)
Gasping for Breath

BBC Radio 4 has been reporting on the Born in Bradford health research project since it launched in 2007. Each year Winifred Robinson reports on the latest health findings as doctors and academics work with parents and children in the city to find solutions to some of the most stubborn and complex health problems.

In the latest programme Winifred investigates the launch of a national vaccination programme aimed at preventing thousands of babies being admitted to hospitals with chest conditions caused by the virus RSV. Medical teams at the Bradford Royal Infirmary helped with trials of RSV vaccines and will be tracking babies to see what longer term impact there might be on their health.

The hope had been that enough pregnant women would be vaccinated to make a significant reduction to the number of babies requiring hospital treatment - 30,000 a year - and the number of deaths from RSV - around thirty. This hasn't happened yet and doctors in Bradford share their concerns about both the delivery of the vaccine and the hesitancy being expressed by those offered it.

Since it was launched Born in Bradford has helped shape Government policy on issues ranging from glucose testing in pregnancy, through to the provision of reading glasses in classrooms. The project started with 14,000 pregnant mothers, who filled out detailed questionnaires and agreed to donate cord blood from their babies. Since then these children have taken part in the research, which has been extended to cover all secondary schools in the City


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0028v4b)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.


SUN 14:45 Wendell Steavenson - Keep an Open Mind (b07p0hbp)
Journalist and author Wendell Steavenson’s first short story is a specially commissioned piece for Radio 4.

A former member of parliament is still coming to terms with her changed and reduced circumstances. Her neighbours gather outside her flat on a momentous night in June.

Wendell Steavenson lives in Paris and West London. Her journalism has included books on Egypt and Iraq. She writes for many international news publications.

Reader: Susan Brown

Produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Brat Farrar (m00291p5)
Episode 2

Claudine Toutoungi’s adaptation of Josephine Tey’s doppelganger thriller set in a post-war English landscape continues.

Brat has successfully inveigled his way into the heart of the Ashby family by claiming to be, Patrick, the missing heir to the wealthy family estate. He risks everything when he becomes convinced that the real Patrick was murdered.

Brat Farrar ….. Levi Brown
Alec ….. Alex Macqueen
Simon Ashby ….. Louis Landau
Beatrice Ashby ….. Kate Fleetwood
Jane Ashby ….. Ava Talbot
Ruth Ashby ….. Grace Baker
Eleanor Ashby ….. Rose Basista
Macallan ….. Ian Dunnett Jnr
George Peck ….. Samuel James
With Ruth Everett, Andi Bickers and David Hounslow

Directed by Gemma Jenkins

Production Co-ordinator: Sara Benaim
Sound Designer: Andy Garratt


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m00291p7)
Programme looking at new fiction and non-fiction books.


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m00291p9)
Series 38

Semi-final 3, 2025

(12/13)
There's one remaining place in the 2025 Counterpoint Final and it will go to the winner of today's contest. The three players today have all won their respective heats earlier this series, and will be on their mettle as they face Paul Gambaccini's eclectic questions. Anything could come up from film themes to grand opera, ballet music to prog rock, classic jazz to the music of video games.

They will also each have to choose a special topic on which to answer their own set of questions, with no prior warning of what the subjects are going to be.

Appearing are:
Eleanor Ayres from Cambridge
Jim Maginnis from County Armagh
Clive Manning from London.

Counterpoint is a BBC Studios Audio production.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yfh)
Creation of the UFC

In 1993, a new combat sport was born. Its founders called it the Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC.

It pitted all forms of mixed martial arts against each other with little to no rules and all contained in an octagon-shaped cage.

The first contest between a Samoan sumo wrestler and a Dutch kickboxer resulted in several teeth flying through the air.

It didn’t take long for the sensation to attract some big critics including the late US senator John McCain. He wanted it banned and labelled it a "human cockfight".

One of the men responsible for cooking up this new concept was TV producer Campbell McLaren.

He tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty how he used controversy to market the violent spectacle.

This programme contains descriptions of violence.

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: Campbell McLaren. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 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.

Producer: Leala Padmanabhan
Sound design: Hal Haines
Credit: 'How to die: Simon's choice', Minnow Films, directed by Rowan Deacon, executive producer Colin Barr


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00291pd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m00291pg)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00291pj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m00291pl)
John Wilson

A weekly selection of the best bits of audio across the BBC.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m00291pn)
Helen finds herself in a tight spot, and Lynda hatches a plan.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m00291pq)
The Story of Solent City

Author Owen Hatherley goes in search of the lost future of Solent City – the extraordinary plan, devised in the mid-1960s at the height of the post-war modernisation of Britain, to join the historic city-ports of Southampton and Portsmouth with a vast, Los-Angeles style grid.

The plan was finally rejected, but why? - and what were the consequences of its defeat, not only for the region but for the future of urban planning in Britain?

Travelling across south Hampshire from Fareham to Portsmouth, Chandler’s Ford to his native Southampton, Owen meets architects, planners and historians to tell the story of one of the boldest visions in the history of British urban design, discovering that some of its most important ideas might still be ahead of us - needed more than ever in 2025.

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Lent Talks (m00290g8)
The Creed: That God made all things

2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed – the core profession of the Christian faith, which is spoken in churches across the world. This year’s Lent Talks offer personal insights of faith on six key lines from the Creed.

In this episode, theologian and astrophysicist David Wilkinson reflects on the description of God as: “Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible”.

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0028v04)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0028v4g)
Weekly obituary programme telling the life stories of those who have died recently.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002913z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002909r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002913v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m00291ps)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m0028tzc)
Cyrus the Great

Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history and reputation of the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Second of Persia as he was known then was born in the sixth century BCE in Persis which is now in Iran. He was the founder of the first Persian Empire, the largest empire at that point in history, spanning more than two million square miles.

His story was told by the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon, and in the Hebrew bible he is praised for freeing the Jewish captives in Babylon.

But the historical facts are intertwined with fiction.

Cyrus proclaimed himself ‘king of the four corners of the world’ in the famous Cyrus Cylinder, one of the most admired objects in the British Museum. It’s been called by some the first bill of human rights, but that’s a label which has been disputed by most scholars today.

With

Mateen Arghandehpour, a researcher for the Invisible East Project at Oxford University,

Lindsay Allen, Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek and Near Eastern History at King’s College London,

And

Lynette Mitchell, Professor Emerita in Classics and Ancient History at Exeter University.

Producer: Eliane Glaser


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0028v4d)
Your England by Tom Vowler

An original short story for radio, written by Tom Vowler and read by Carl Prekopp. Keeping vigil at his father's bedside, a son recalls all that went unspoken between them, of the dark undercurrents beneath his father's idealised version of this country and of the men who held power in it.

Tom Vowler is an award-winning novelist and short story writer living in south west England. His debut story collection, The Method, won the Scott Prize, and his story Voyagers won the 2024 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. His novels include That Dark Remembered Day and Every Seventh Wave, and his latest title is The Trajectory of Ghosts.

Writer: Tom Vowler
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

A BBC Audio Bristol Production for BBC Radio 4.

MONDAY 17 MARCH 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m00291pv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 The Battersea Poltergeist (p0977lbn)
Episode 6: Fright Night

After the press backlash, the Hitchings family fight to prove the haunting isn’t a hoax.

They invite young journalist Joyce Lewis to spend a night at Number 63 Wycliffe Road – will she experience the phenomena that can prove Donald is real? Meanwhile, Danny spends his own night with a ghost, investigating a house that claims to have an active poltergeist, with sinister parallels to the Battersea case.

Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers).

With original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping eight-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 50s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved... until now.

Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Joyce Lewis………..Miranda Raison
Steve………………..Rufus Wright

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard

Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'

A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2021.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0029154)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00291py)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00291q0)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00291q2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m00291q4)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00291q6)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m00291q8)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside


MON 05:57 Weather (m00291qb)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m00291xz)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 More or Less (m00291y1)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.


MON 09:45 Shadow World (m0025w1r)
The Willpower Detectives

5. Rich Pickings

Who do people turn to if they fear that vulnerable neighbours need help, especially when relatives live far away? Sue Mitchell follows cases, hearing from some of those involved.

The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.

This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.

Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.

Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00291y3)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 11:00 Changing the Odds (m00291y5)
Episode 1: Westminster; Gambling's Big Bang

The 2005 Gambling Act propelled the UK to become the worlds biggest online gambling market. But at what price?

New Labour's 2005 Act was betting's big bang, the betting business in the UK has become one of the country's most controversial industries, and .

Radio 4 Journalist Lydia Thomas has reported on the industry for over 10 years and teams up with industry insider Stewart Kenny, one of the founders of betting giant Paddy Power to tell the story of how we got here.

Stewart founded Paddy Power in the 80s, and the story of betting's growth mirrors Stewart's personal tale. He tells Lydia how he expanded Paddy Power across Ireland and into the UK, but also his doubts on where the industry was going as it moved online.

Starting in Westminster, Lydia interviews politicians about the how gambling laws couldn't keep up with technological innovations like the iPhone, which brought casinos to every customer's pocket. Tony Blair's failed Super Casino's idea - and the controversial Fixed Odds Betting Terminal; where you could gamble £100 every 2 minutes. The Fixed Odds Betting terminal changed the conversation about gambling, and put betting on the front pages of all the major newspapers, and the non-betting public's consciousness for the first time.

Lydia also investigates the influence of the industry's lobbying on politicians. Whether free gifts and tickets to sporting events really influences policy.

Presented by Lydia Thomas
Produced by Lydia Thomas and Richard McIlroy
Main Contributor: Stewart Kenny
Assistant Producer: Emma Smith
Technical Producer: Michael Smith


MON 11:45 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m00291y8)
1: Huntington's Disease

A thought-provoking new book from the neurologist and award-winning author Suzanne O'Sullivan, asking whether our culture of medical diagnosis can harm, rather than help us.

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients. Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Today: why do those at risk from Huntington's Disease tend not to test for whether they have this debilitating condition?

Reader: Brid Brennan
Writer: Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, specialising in the investigation of complex epilepsy, as well as an award-winning author. Her first book It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 12:00 News Summary (m00291yb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m00291yd)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m00291yg)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m00291yj)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


MON 13:45 Human Intelligence (m00291yl)
Manhattan Project: J Robert Oppenheimer

Naomi Alderman explores the multifaceted mind of J Robert Oppenheimer, scientific lead on the Manhattan Project, a vast, top secret scheme to build the world's first atomic bombs in World War II.

The Project was a remarkable feat of human intellect with a real, devastating human cost. It required close cooperation between the US military and a group of world-leading scientists. In many ways, Oppenheimer was a puzzling candidate for the job. He was brilliant, but fuelled by self-loathing. A physicist, he was also a student of philosophy and mysticism, interested in left-wing radical politics. Oppenheimer built the bomb, but later called the weapon's industry "the devil's work". His legacy, like the Manhattan Project itself, is infinitely complex.

Special thanks to Alex Wellerstein, historian of science at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and author of The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age (HarperCollins, 2025).

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.


MON 14:00 The Archers (m00291pn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001jt7z)
Series 4

4. Every Little Thing

Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return in the fourth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy about a long-married couple in love with life and each other.

This week, it seems everything is making Roger grumpy, including a neighbour putting out his bin on the wrong day; a car alarm in the night and a shortage of streaky bacon. Roger claims he’s ‘normal’ because ‘most men live lives of quiet desperation’ but Joanna discovers it’s her fault he’s feeling fed up.

Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020. Also, nominated for a Writers Guild Award 2023.

Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington and produced by Claire Jones. The production coordinator is Katie Baum, the studio engineer is Wilfredo Acosta and sound design is by Jon Calver. It is a BBC Studios Production.

‘Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ RADIO TIMES

‘Peppered with nostalgic 60s hits and especially written for the pair, it’s an endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN

‘The delicious fruit of the writer, Jan Etherington’s experience of writing lots of TV and radio, blessed by being acted by Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. Treasure this one, produced by Claire Jones. Unlike many a current Radio 4 ‘comedy’, this series makes people laugh’ GILLIAN REYNOLDS. SUNDAY TIMES

‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY


MON 14:45 The Island (m00283zz)
Series 1

Episode 5: Hunted by celebrity chefs

Alone and desperate, desert island castaway Stephen Mangan is on the run from his fellow castaways. And they have spears.

From Bill Dare (Dead Ringers), Jon Holmes (The Skewer) and writers Tom Oxenham and Simon Alcock, actor Stephen Mangan washes up on the actual island from Desert Island Discs, only to discover that he is not alone.

Living among the palms and rocky outcrops and thousands of copies of the Bible lying in the sand is every former guest of the show - and it’s all gone a bit Lord of the Flies.

Through Stephen’s audio diary, we learn that all TV chef Nadiya Hussain wants to do is hunt, that Richard Madeley’s gone feral, and that Sandi Toksvig has the Conch. But there’s something lurking in the forest, and when Stephen suspects foul play in the power struggle to be chief, he soon finds himself making a dangerous enemy.

Can he win over his fellow islanders before it’s too late? What lengths will he go to to survive? And what the hell is he going to do with this useless coffee machine he chose as his luxury item?

Written by Tom Oxenham and Simon Alcock
Starring Stephen Mangan as himself

Sound Design: Tony Churnside
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes
Producer: Bill Dare

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m00291yn)
Nina Sosanya and Joelle Taylor

Actor Nina Sosanya and prize winning poet and writer Joelle Taylor talk favourite books with Harriett.

Nina chooses Sally Jones and the False Rose by Jakob Wegelius, a children's novel with a mute gorilla engineer as its protagonist. The book appeals to Nina's love of engineering, and the city of Glasgow!

Joelle nominates Booker Prize winning The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka, about a man killed in the Sri Lankan civil war, seeking answers in the afterlife.

Harriett's choice is Tasting Sunlight by Ewald Arenz, a novel set in the German countryside at the tail end of summer, featuring two women with mysterious back stories.

Two of the choices are novels in translation, which prompts a chat about whether translated books are becoming more common.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Heaven
Follow us on instagram: agoodreadbbc


MON 15:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002913q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Lockdown’s Legacy (m002901f)
The Children

It has been five years since it was announced that the UK was to go into a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe. We can all remember the wide-spread effects rippling through most parts of our society, but what impact did Lockdown have for our children and young people? In this special documentary, current Year 11 students from across the UK share their memories of that remarkable time: from their Year 6 SATs examinations being cancelled, to saying goodbye to their primary school friends, which for some, was the final time. They also share how the lockdowns have impacted them long term: from losing social skills, finding new creative hobbies and gaining perspective about things in life that are most important.


MON 16:30 Lockdown’s Legacy (m00291yq)
The Teachers

A group of teachers from the North East of Scotland discuss what they witnessed during the lockdown of 2020. When schools were shut and learning was done at home and online, what was the impact on pupils?

Coming from a variety of teaching backgrounds, and experiences, they each have unique insights into how a year of lockdown and remote teaching affected pupils. They discuss how teachers were the point of normality for pupils in key worker hub schools. They saw first hand the impact on pupils mental wellbeing and educational attainment. And for the first time, saw into the homes of children who were struggling.

Open, honest, by turns funny and heart breaking, this gives a universal insight into how teachers across the country cared for their pupils during the global pandemic and how it changed the landscape of learning forever.

Presenter: Catherine Carr
Producer: Emily Esson
Researcher: Marisha Currie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 17:00 PM (m00291ys)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00291yv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 18:30 One Person Found This Helpful (m00291yx)
Series 2

3. If in Doubt, Be Spanish

Frank & guests Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Simon Evans, Daliso Chaponda and Ania Magliano discover the best place to put a forget-me-not and the worst place to put a floof

This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling

Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!

Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche

Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler

A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002900s)
There are decisions to be made at the dairy, and Lily plays dirty.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m00291yz)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


MON 20:00 Lockdown’s Legacy (m00291z1)
The Medics

How did the UK Covid lockdown affect a generation of children and young people?


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0028v08)
A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m00291z3)
Lockdown and the Covid generation

Five years ago, in response to the Covid pandemic, the government mandated a series of lockdowns, with the closure of schools and businesses and social distancing. Tom Sutcliffe is joined by guests to discuss how such a monumental event could have had affected brain cognition, and whether there have been lasting effects on young people. But he also hears tales of resilience among neurodiverse communities.

The neuroscientist Daniel Yon looks at the cognitive impact of unprecedented events in his forthcoming book, A Trick of the Mind - How the Brain Invents Your Reality (published, June 2025). He explains how times of instability and uncertainty upset the brain’s ability to understand the world, and make people more susceptible to conspiracy theories.

The Covid-19 Social Study was the largest study exploring the psychological and social effects of the pandemic on the UK population. Dr Daisy Fancourt, Associate Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London explains what they learnt about the impact of social isolation. The developmental psychologist at Cambridge University, Professor Claire Hughes, has looked more closely at families with young children, across six different countries, with very different lockdown policies. Although there was a link between family stress related to the pandemic and child problem behaviours, more recent work questions whether the lockdown has had longer term effects.

The artist and zinemaker Dr Lea Cooper has co-curated a new exhibition at the Wellcome Trust, Zines Forever! DIY Publications and Disability Justice (until 14th September). Zines are self-published works, and Dr Cooper says several on display were created during lockdown, and showcase personal stories of resistance and self-expression.

Producer: Katy Hickman

Part of BBC Radio 4's series of programmes exploring Lockdown’s Legacy


MON 21:45 New Storytellers (m0021w74)
Friends of the Wall

Every Friday, a small group of volunteers paint red hearts on the National Covid Memorial Wall, in the heart of Westminster. As the world moves on, why do they keep coming back?

In this award-winning feature, producer Evan Green weaves together testimonies from the group into a captivating sonic snapshot of the wall, and everything it means to them. For over three years, this tight-knit group of bereaved volunteers has gathered here every Friday, come rain or shine, fuelled by coffee and cake.

Nearly a quarter of a million red hearts fill the wall, each heart representing a life lost to Covid-19. Each with a unique story - bound together by a shared loss and driven by a hearty recipe of love and anger in equal parts - the Friends of the Wall are determined to ensure the hearts on the wall don’t fade.

New Storytellers presents the work of new audio producers. This series features the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2024. The award is presented every year in memory of the pioneering radio producer Charles Parker who produced the ground-breaking Radio Ballads featuring voices of communities unheard at the time, with musical narratives by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.

The judges of the prize – made up of producers, critics and commissioners – described Evan Green’s winning feature as an “excellent programme” based on “a simple yet riveting idea, told through marvellously articulate speakers… beautifully recorded”.

Producer: Evan Green
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m00291z5)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 Twist by Colum McCann (m00291z7)
Episode One

A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean – from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. As read by Declan Conlon.

Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.

Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets John Conway, the mysterious chief of mission on a cable repair ship.

When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections.

The Author
Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours, including the National Book Award for his novel Let the Great World Spin in 2009. His novel TransAtlantic was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013, and his most recent novel, Apeirogon, also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is an international bestseller on four continents.

Reader: Declan Conlon
Author: Colum McCann
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Limelight (m0014qdd)
Who Is Aldrich Kemp?

Who is Aldrich Kemp? - Chapter Two: Themis House

Our heroine Clara Page finds herself in a mysterious village where the shopkeepers all look remarkably similar. Will more questions be raised than answered by the occupants of the equally mysterious Themis House? Who is Aldrich Kemp?

Cast:
Clara Page .............................Phoebe Fox
Mister Bartholomew .........Tim McInnerny
Aldrich Kemp ...................... Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone..............................Nicola Walker
Sebastian Harcourt ............Kyle Soller
Nakesha Kemp ....................Karla Crome
Aunt Lily .................................Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters ....Jana Carpenter
Cylist ........................................Louise Brealey

Created and written by Julian Simpson

Recorded on location in Hove, London and at The Royal Pavilion in Brighton

Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound Design: David Thomas
Director: Julian Simpson
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00291z9)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m00291zc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m00291y8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00291zf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00291zh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00291zk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m00291zm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00291zp)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m00291zr)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 06:00 Today (m0029008)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m0028zyv)
Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them.


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m0028zyx)
Series that demystifies health issues, bringing clarity to conflicting advice.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002900b)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m0028v4s)
Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe create a playlist no computer could.


TUE 11:45 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m002900d)
2: Long Covid

The thought-provoking new book from the neurologist and award-winning author Suzanne O'Sullivan, asking whether our culture of medical diagnosis can harm, rather than help us.

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients. Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Today: What are the roots of long Covid? And how did the condition come to be diagnosed by patients via social media rather than by scientists?

Reader: Brid Brennan
Writer: Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, specialising in the investigation of complex epilepsy, as well as an award-winning author. Her first book It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002900g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002900j)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002900l)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002900n)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


TUE 13:45 Human Intelligence (m002900q)
Manhattan Project: Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr said, "Anyone who is not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it”. Naomi Alderman investigates the remarkable insights of a scientific genius.

Bohr is the man who figured out the structure of the nucleus at the centre of the atom, recognising that the quantum world of tiny particles behaves very differently to the tangible, everyday world around us. He built a scientific family around him, mentoring some of the greatest theoretical physicists of the twentieth century.

Special thanks to Jim Al-Khalili, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey.

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002900s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002900v)
Waiting for Waiting for Godot

On 16th March 2020 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, gave a press conference in Downing Street to bring the public up to date with “the national fight back against the new Coronavirus.” As part of a series of measures “to delay and flatten the peak of the epidemic” was the recommendation that the public should avoid going to social venues such as pubs, clubs and theatres.

The next day, 17th March, a group of actors are waiting on stage. They are half way through a run of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Will the show go on? Will it close? Will they ever get paid? Will they ever work again? So many questions - but the person who can answer them still hasn’t turned up.

This is a new play for audio by the actor, writer and comedian Adrian Edmondson. He has been obsessed with Waiting For Godot since his school days - he freely admits he and Rik Mayall borrowed heavily from it for their award winning television comedy series Bottom. And in 1991 he was Estragon to Mayall’s Vladimir, in a West End production of Beckett’s masterpiece.

Adrian’s other writing credits include two series of essays, Adrian Edmondson – Signs of Life, for BBC Radio 3 (still available on BBC Sounds), his Sunday Times Bestseller autobiography Berserker!, and several children’s books.

Cast:
The Sofa Surfer Adrian Edmondson
The Equity Dep Kiell Smith-Bynoe
The Hoarder Simon Callow
Unlucky Jim Christopher Ryan
Voice on Tannoy Madeleine Paulson

Writer: Adrian Edmondson
Producer and Director: Caroline Raphael
Executive Producer: Celia de Wolff
Sound: David Thomas
A Dora production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m0028vcw)
History's Secret Heroes: Series 3

Witold Pilecki: The Infiltrator

An undercover Polish operative deliberately sets out to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz. His mission is to tell the world what’s happening inside the walls of the camp. Will he make it out alive?

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

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


TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m002900x)
Smoking

Laurie Taylor talks to Ivan Markovic, Lecturer in Human Geography at Durham University, about the unique social atmosphere surrounding tobacco use in modern Britain, from its encouragement as part of the Home Front ‘mood management’ during the Second World War to the impact of smoking on 1980s workplace regulations and the UK ban on its use in public places in 2007. Does smoking still play a significant part in the British cultural imagination? Also, Tricia Starks, Professor of History at the University of Arkansas, discusses cigarettes and the Soviet smoking habit. How did the USSR become the first mass smoking society whilst simultaneously opposing this quintessential capitalist product?

Producer: Jayne Egerton


TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002900z)
Orchestras of Auschwitz

Prisoner orchestras were an ever-present accompaniment to the horrors of Auschwitz - from enslavement marching tunes to cryptic compositions. Young conductor and composer Leo Geyer has - for more than 7 years - collaborated with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to study the orchestras and decode their arrangements.

He also discovered ripped and burned remnants of scores - 210 pieces of music, all incomplete - which he has painstakingly worked on to understand and restore. In 2025, Leo and his company Constella will perform an 80-minute Opera-Ballet of those salvaged compositional fragments, in tribute to the murdered musicians of Auschwitz.

By telling the story of Leo Geyer's engagement with the history and the manuscripts, this programme asks what more we can learn and understand about the experience and legacy of the Holocaust by listening to the music.

Presenter: Leo Geyer
Producer: Eva Krysiak
Executive Producer: Jack Howson

A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m0029011)
Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.


TUE 17:00 PM (m0029013)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0029015)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 18:30 Heresy (m0029017)
Series 13

Episode 5

Discussion programme which challenges established ideas and questions received wisdom.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0028zy6)
Ideas develop for Pat, while confusion reigns for the Grundy family.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0029019)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


TUE 20:00 Today (m0028zxq)
The Today Debate

The Today Debate is about taking a subject and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the programme in the morning.

Amol Rajan is joined by a panel of guests in the BBC's Radio Theatre to discuss a topical issue.


TUE 20:45 In Touch (m002901c)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.


TUE 21:00 The Law Show (m0028syf)
Genocide, war crimes and justice

Since the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel, and the IDF military invasion of the Gaza strip, terms like 'war crimes', 'crimes against humanity' and 'genocide' have been used when discussing the conflict.

Warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court in the Hague for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas commander Mohammed Deif - who has since died in an air strike - citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In this special episode of the Law Show, we'll ask what are the legal definitions of these terms, how victims in a conflict situation can seek justice, and we'll explain the difficulties of gathering evidence in war and proving claims in an international court.

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producer: Louise Clarke
Editor: Tara McDermott


TUE 21:30 Lockdown’s Legacy (m002901f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Monday]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002901j)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


TUE 22:45 Twist by Colum McCann (m002901l)
Episode Two

A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean – from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. As read by Declan Conlon.

Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.

Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets John Conway, the mysterious chief of mission on a cable repair ship.

When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections.

The Author
Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours, including the National Book Award for his novel Let the Great World Spin in 2009. His novel TransAtlantic was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013, and his most recent novel, Apeirogon, also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is an international bestseller on four continents.

Reader: Declan Conlon
Author: Colum McCann
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 X Man: The Elon Musk Origin Story (m000xz37)
5. The Dogefather

In 2021, Elon Musk started calling himself The Dogefather to signal his support for Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency based on a joke meme about a dog. That dog, Jill Lepore argues, is now wagging the tail of the world’s economy. In the 2024 US presidential election, nearly half of all corporate spending came from the cryptocurrency industry. When Trump won that election, leading figures in the cryptocurrency industry celebrated his creation of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, a task force led by Musk. DOGE’s mandate is to reduce government spending and to eliminate regulations - including regulations affecting cryptocurrency companies. Cryptocurrency is, essentially, money without government. A libertarian’s dream. In this episode, Lepore looks at Silicon Valley's cryptocurrency craze through the lens of some very old science fiction. She argues that, like everything else about Muskism that purports to be futuristic, the idea of reinventing money is a relic whose history serves as a warning.

Jill Lepore is the Kemper Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She’s also a staff writer at The New Yorker and an acclaimed author.

Series Producer: Viv Jones
Researchers: Simon Leek, Oliver Riskin-Kutz
Editors: Richard Vadon, Hugh Levinson
Sound design and mix: James Beard, Graham Puddifoot
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
Original music by Corntuth
Production Coordinators: Jack Young, Maria Ogundele


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002901n)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH 2025

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002901q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m002900d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002901s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002901v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m002901x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m002901z)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0029021)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0029023)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 06:00 Today (m0028zxg)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m0028zxj)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.


WED 09:30 Intrigue (m0028zxl)
Word of God

Word of God: 6. Higher Powers

The Museum of the Bible returned thousands of illicitly acquired antiquities only to emerge as a meeting point for religious and political voices near the centre of American power.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0028zxn)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


WED 11:00 Today (m0028zxq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:45 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m0028zxs)
3: Autism

The thought-provoking new book from the neurologist and award-winning author Suzanne O'Sullivan, asking whether our culture of medical diagnosis can harm rather than help us.

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients. Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Today: What effect is the rise in diagnoses of autism having on those with severe autism?

Reader: Brid Brennan
Writer: Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, specialising in the investigation of complex epilepsy, as well as an award-winning author. Her first book It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett


WED 12:00 News Summary (m0028zxw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m0028zxy)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


WED 12:57 Weather (m0028zy0)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m0028zy2)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


WED 13:45 Human Intelligence (m0028zy4)
Manhattan Project: John von Neumann

Naomi Alderman dives into the amazing intellect of John von Neumann, physicist, mathematician, economist, computer scientist – a visionary who predicted the rise of artificial intelligence decades ahead of time.

As a child, von Neumann could recite the telephone directory and crack jokes in Ancient Greek. He waltzed into the Manhattan Project and solved a problem that had frustrated other top scientists for months. His work on game theory underpins the modern world, from defence strategies to dating apps. But, for all his serious intellectual contributions, von Neumann was a party animal, who did his best thinking surrounded by people and noise.

Special thanks to Ananyo Bhattacharya, chief science writer at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences and author of The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann (Allen Lane, 2021).

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.


WED 14:00 The Archers (m0028zy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0028zy8)
Schism (Part 1)

Part 1 of 2.

Atmospheric, coming of age thriller set on a Scottish island by Nicholas Meiklejohn.

When Matthew goes missing, Crow starts to ask questions and discovers the religious community he’s grown up in is really not what it seems…

Crow ..... Séamus McLean Ross
Matthew ..... Anthony Aje
Gabriel ..... Euan Munro
Nora ..... Mercy Ojelade
Ruth ..... Kirsty Stuart
John-Henry ..... Cal Macaninch
Ramsey ..... Robin Laing

Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Marsh

Studio production: Niall Young and Gav Murchie

Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams

Sound Design and original music by Niall Young

Directed by Finn Den Hertog


WED 15:00 The Law Show (m0028zyb)
Conversation about the laws making headlines, and the laws that shape everyday life.


WED 15:30 Scarred (m0028zyd)
New science documentary for BBC Radio 4


WED 16:00 The Media Show (m0028zyg)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 17:00 PM (m0028zyj)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0028zyl)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 18:30 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (m0028xy2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Saturday]


WED 19:00 The Archers (m0028zyn)
Freddie makes a difficult call, and Alan grabs the bull by the horns.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m0028zyq)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m0028zys)
Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.


WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m0028zyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 Inside Health (m0028zyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0028zyz)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


WED 22:45 Twist by Colum McCann (m0028zz1)
Episode Three

A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean – from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. As read by Declan Conlon.

Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.

Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets John Conway, the mysterious chief of mission on a cable repair ship.

When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections.

The Author
Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours, including the National Book Award for his novel Let the Great World Spin in 2009. His novel TransAtlantic was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013, and his most recent novel, Apeirogon, also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is an international bestseller on four continents.

Reader: Declan Conlon
Author: Colum McCann
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 DMs Are Open (m0028zz4)
Series 4

Episode 1

Stevie Martin is back with more DMs and each week she's joined by this lovely gang of comedy legends: Al Roberts, Charlotte Ritchie, Sunil Patel and Emily Lloyd-Saini.


WED 23:15 Jamie MacDonald: Life on the Blink (m001ljn0)
Series 2

Limb Broccoli

Jamie MacDonald is a Glaswegian stand-up comedian who lives with his blindness, despite those around him sometimes losing sight of what’s important in life.

Jamie examines preconceptions about disability, challenges stereotypes, and takes a hilarious trip down memory lane to see how far things have come.

In this episode, he battles with officious front of house staff who can’t do too much to help, and he experiences the exact opposite experience at the airport where he’s left to find his own way to Marseille.

Produced by Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0028zz7)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

THURSDAY 20 MARCH 2025

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0028zz9)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m0028zxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0028zzc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0028zzf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0028zzh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0028zzk)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0028zzm)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0028zzp)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 06:00 Today (m002908x)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002908z)
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of ideas.


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m0029091)
Armando Iannucci and Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0029093)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


THU 11:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0028d2h)
Series 32

The Sound of Music - Brian Eno, Sam Bennett and Trevor Cox

Brian Cox and Robin Ince explore the history of music recording, joined by Acoustics Professor Trevor Cox, Music Professor Sam Bennett and musician and producer Brian Eno. Together they guide us through the evolution of sound recording, a space in which technology hasn’t stood still since its advent in the mid 1800’s. We hear the very first recognisable recording of a voice made with a brush making marks in soot and put a spotlight on the Fairlight CMI, a revolutionary digital synthesizer of the 70’s, used in Brian’s records (Cox & Eno’s!)

Plus, we run an audio experiment with our live audience who turn themselves into our in house digital orchestra, with the help of their mobile phones. Now that lots of people have several devices that can play sound, new technology is harnessing this to create a more immersive experience – which (kind of) worked in our experiment!

Producer: Melanie Brown
Exec Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Assistant Producer: Olivia Jani


THU 11:45 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m0029095)
4: The Cancer Gene

A thought-provoking new book from the neurologist and award-winning author Suzanne O'Sullivan, asking whether our culture of medical diagnosis can harm, rather than help us.

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients. Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Today: Is the diagnosis of some cancers through screening resulting in unnecessary treatment?

Reader: Brid Brennan
Writer: Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, specialising in the investigation of complex epilepsy, as well as an award-winning author. Her first book It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett


THU 12:00 News Summary (m0029097)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m0029099)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002909c)
Dough - Lawn Mowers

Could the next generation of lawn mowers create any image you like on your lawn?

The entrepreneur, Sam White, hosts Dough - the BBC Radio 4 series which looks at the business behind profitable everyday products and where the smart money might take them next.

In each episode, Sam, and the futurist, Tom Cheesewright, are joined by product manufacturers and industry experts whose inside knowledge gives a new appreciation for the everyday things that we often take for granted.

Together they look back on a product’s earliest (sometimes ridiculous!) iterations, discuss how a product has evolved and the trends which have driven its profitability.

In this episode on lawn mowers, they hear from expert guests including:

-Yvette Henshall-Bell - President of the European Business Unit at the lawn mower manufacturer, Husqvarna
-Craig Hoare - Sales and Marketing Manager for the lawn mower manufacturers Hayter and its parent company Toro
-Nick Darking - General Manager of the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association

They trade opinions on the lawn mower's 'game-changing' innovations and its most pointless, or least effective, ones too, before Tom draws on his expertise as a futurist to imagine what cutting the grass might be like in the decades to come.

Dough is produced by Jon Douglas and is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in the spring when Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.

In the meantime, Dough is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds


THU 12:57 Weather (m002909f)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002909h)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


THU 13:45 Human Intelligence (m002909k)
Manhattan Project: Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner was a world-class physicist, who saw what others could not. She recognised nuclear fission – the splitting of the atom, the powerful energy released – before anyone else. Naomi Alderman finds out how.

Women weren't even allowed to attend lectures at the University of Berlin, when Meitner moved there in 1907. She began her career in a basement workshop, kept away from male students, and went on to build an unimpeachable reputation for scientific precision and brilliance. Her discovery of fission made the atom bomb possible, but she refused to have anything to do with the Manhattan Project.

Special thanks to Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford and author of Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age: 1895-1965 (Allen Lane, 2025).

Thanks also to Alex Wellerstein, historian of science at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.


THU 14:00 The Archers (m0028zyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002909m)
Schism (Part 2)

Part 2 of 2.

Atmospheric thriller set on a Scottish island by Nicholas Meiklejohn.

Crow has grown up within an isolated religious community on a Scottish island. At 16, Matthew moves from his life in London to the community with his mum. Crow and Matthew bond and soon develop a relationship. But homosexuality is not accepted within the faith.

When Matthew goes missing, Crow starts to ask questions and discovers the community he’s grown up in is far from the rural idyll he’d imagined it to be and that his religion’s strict rules are only broken by the powerful…

Crow ..... Séamus McLean Ross
Matthew ..... Anthony Aje
Gabriel ..... Euan Munro
Ruth ..... Kirsty Stuart
John-Henry ..... Cal Macaninch
William ..... Robin Laing

Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Marsh

Studio production: Niall Young and Gav Murchie

Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams

Sound Design and original music by Niall Young

Directed by Finn Den Hertog


THU 15:00 This Natural Life (m002909p)
George McGavin

George McGavin is an entomologist, author, academic and television presenter. In this programme he shows Martha Kearney around the university research woodland at Wytham, just outside the city of Oxford. He explains how the natural world came to take on such a significance in his personal and professional life. He tells Martha why insects hold such a fascination for him, and together they explore the flora and fauna of the woodland.

Producer: Emma Campbell


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002909r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Feedback (m002909t)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience


THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002909w)
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002909y)
A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.


THU 17:00 PM (m00290b0)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00290b2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 18:30 What's Funny About... (m00282q2)
5. Comic Relief

On the eve of Comic Relief’s 40th birthday, Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman are joined by Richard Curtis and Sir Lenny Henry to hear the inside story of the charity they founded in 1985, which has gone on to raise more than a £1.6 billion for good causes.

They explain the origins of the idea, reveal some of their favourite moments, and talk about what they hope Comic Relief might achieve in its next 40 years.

Producer: Owen Braben
An Expectation Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m00290b4)
Tom faces a race against time, and Kirsty makes a surprising demand.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m00290b6)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


THU 20:00 The Media Show (m0028zyg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m00290b8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m0029091)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m00290bb)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


THU 22:45 Twist by Colum McCann (m00290bd)
Episode Four

A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean – from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. As read by Declan Conlon.

Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.

Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets John Conway, the mysterious chief of mission on a cable repair ship.

When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections.

The Author
Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours, including the National Book Award for his novel Let the Great World Spin in 2009. His novel TransAtlantic was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013, and his most recent novel, Apeirogon, also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is an international bestseller on four continents.

Reader: Declan Conlon
Author: Colum McCann
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m00290bg)
Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00290bj)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

FRIDAY 21 MARCH 2025

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m00290bl)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m0029095)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00290bn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00290bq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00290bs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m00290bv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00290by)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m00290c1)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 06:00 Today (m00290d6)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m00290d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00290db)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m00290dd)
Are We Prepared? Could the UK Feed Itself in a Crisis?

Five years on from the first Covid lockdown Dan Saladino asks if our food supply can withstand more shock to the system? Is there resilience to face another pandemic or even war?

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


FRI 11:45 The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (m00290dg)
5: The Future

A thought-provoking new book from the neurologist and award-winning author Suzanne O'Sullivan, asking whether our culture of medical diagnosis can harm, rather than help us.

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients. Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.

Today: O'Sullivan ask what good care looks like, and looks to a future that leaves medical diagnosis to only those who are truly sick.

Reader: Brid Brennan
Writer: Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, specialising in the investigation of complex epilepsy, as well as an award-winning author. Her first book It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m00290dj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m00290dl)
Forever Chemicals

PFAS chemicals are all around us. They're used in frying pans, food packaging and waterproof coats but they have been linked to thyroid disease, liver damage and cancer. The trouble is that PFAS just doesn't go away - these 'forever chemicals' build up in our bodies and the environment.

Tom Heap and Helen Czerski look back at the invention of these miracle chemicals, their use in the Second World War and the Space Race and meet Robert Bilott, the American lawyer who held the PFAS manufacturers to account, going head to head with the enormous DuPont corporation.

Producer: Emma Campbell

Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University


FRI 12:57 Weather (m00290dn)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m00290dq)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


FRI 13:45 Human Intelligence (m00290ds)
Manhattan Project: Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was an international pop star of science who urged the US government to build an atom bomb. Naomi Alderman gets into one of the most famous brains of all time.

Einstein rewrote our understanding of universe. He imagined hitching a ride on a light beam and pursued his famous 'thought experiments' to remarkable ends. He was a man who never swam with the tide. Despite a lifelong commitment to pacifism, in 1939, Einstein signed a letter urging the US government to speed up work on the development of a nuclear bomb. Naomi finds out why.

Special thanks to Janna Levin, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University.

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.

Presenter: Naomi Alderman
Executive editor: Philip Sellars
Series producer: Sarah Goodman
Script editor: Sara Joyner
Researchers: Harry Burton and Miriam O'Byrne
Production coordinator: Amelia Paul


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m00290b4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (p0d0b94w)
One Five Seven Years

One Five Seven Years - Episode 3: Jacob

Imagine you could live for two lifetimes. Would you want to? How would it change you and those you love? What would you do with all those extra years? What second chances might you get? Would this be a blessing or a curse?

This world is an alternative version of our own. Except in this world, a minority of people are discovered to have Extended Life Syndrome (ELS). The condition might give an "Elser" two decades in their thirties, two in their forties, double the time in their fifties, and so on. Little is understood of the biological factors that govern ELS except that it affects a random selection of people. It is the ultimate lottery of genetics, crossing class, race, culture and gender.

And if a simple test existed to check your DNA for this double life, would you take it? Would you want to know?

Now think again. Would you?

Jacob has ELS and is serving life for a murder he committed when he was nineteen. But how many years are enough years for justice to be served?

Written by Marietta Kirkbride

Cast:
Jacob ….. Robert Emms
Miles ….. Ben Crowe
Mum …..Sirine Saba
Psychiatrist ….. Asif Khan
Lawyer ….. Jessica Murrain
Inmate ….. Simon Darwen

Other voices played by the cast

Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond
Theme Music ….. Ioana Selaru and Axel Kacoutié

Academic Consultants ….. Tamas David-Barrett & James Fasham
Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies

Series created by Marietta Kirkbride
Directed and Produced by Nicolas Jackson

An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Why Do We Do That? (m00290dv)
Series 2

9. Why do we go to the pub?

Humans have evolved to drink alcohol, or at least to be able to metabolise it. And we share this ability with our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas, who are also able to convert alcohol into sugar.

It gave our ancestors an advantage because we could eat rotting fruit from the forest floor and convert the alcohol into sugars, providing a source of nutrients that not all species could digest. This is also known as the drunken monkey hypothesis. But paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi asks Professor Robin Dunbar if alcohol is why we go to the pub today.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m00290dx)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m00290dz)
Currants in the Cake by Beth Morrey

Georgie Glen reads Beth Morrey’s new comic short story.

When newly-divorced Lila arranges a trip to a wellness retreat, school teacher Teresa reluctantly agrees to accompany her - but it’s not just the holistic gong bath that takes her by surprise...

Beth Morrey is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Saving Missy, Lucky Day, and Em & Me.

Read by Georgie Glen.

Producer: Katie Sayer

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

www.pozzitive.co.uk


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m00290f1)
Weekly obituary programme telling the life stories of those who have died recently.


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m0028zxj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m00290f3)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00290f5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 18:30 The Naked Week (m00290f7)
Series 2

Episode 3

A mischievous look behind the week's headlines with clips, unexpected guests, and satire.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m00290f9)
Writer: Nick Warburton
Director: Rosemary Watts
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Martyn Gibson…. Jon Glover
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Akram Malik…. Asif Khan
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m00290fc)
Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe create a playlist no computer could.


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m00290ff)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m00290fh)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m00290fk)
Isolation

Matthew Sweet explores ideas about being on your own.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m00290fm)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 Twist by Colum McCann (m00290fp)
Episode Five

A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean – from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. As read by Declan Conlon.

Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.

Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets John Conway, the mysterious chief of mission on a cable repair ship.

When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections.

The Author
Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours, including the National Book Award for his novel Let the Great World Spin in 2009. His novel TransAtlantic was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013, and his most recent novel, Apeirogon, also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is an international bestseller on four continents.

Reader: Declan Conlon
Author: Colum McCann
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 Americast (m00290fr)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00290ft)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament