SATURDAY 19 APRIL 2025
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0029zgz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 Language City by Ross Perlin (m0029zfl)
Karen
Half of all languages may disappear over the next century, and many of them have never been recorded. Linguist Ross Perlin is racing against time to map little-known languages across the most linguistically diverse city in history - contemporary New York.
These programmes present a portrait of five remarkable speakers of little-known languages. Ross dives deep into their communities to discover how they are maintaining their language, and culture, against the odds.
This fifth episode presents a portrait of Karen, who grew up on the Munsee Reserve in Canada and moved to New York, where she became one of the last speakers of Lenape.
Lenape has now almost disappeared, but it was the original language of the land New York is built on, and was spoken there until the early 19th century. Native peoples who survived the initial impact of European settlement were almost all driven out and moved West, but gradually the Lenape diaspora is being knitted together again. Tribal enrolments are booming, and there are now over 25,000 members of the formally recognised Lenape tribes.
We hear Karen teaching Lenape, and the class struggling with a new and different way of plotting speech. Ross Perlin, who was in the class, admits, “It was a challenge. As in any language, many words are stories in themselves, ‘fossil poetry’ that at least seems to give a glimpse of how an ancestor might have seen things. So for instance the word for squirrel is ‘he who has sticky fingers’.”
Ross Perlin is a linguist who teaches at Columbia University in New York and co-director of the Manhattan-based non-profit Endangered Language Alliance.
Reader: Adam Sims
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0029zh1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0029zh3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:30 News Summary (m0029zh5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m0029zh7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0029zh9)
'One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns'
Good Morning.
“One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns”. So went the rhyme I remember from my childhood. Even back then inflation had somewhat reduced the purchasing power of a penny, well below the value accorded to it back in the 18th century, when that phrase had been popularised by street vendors on Good Friday. Twenty pence, or four shillings in old money, would better reflect today’s prices.
The buns themselves, together with their symbolism, go back much further in time. As well as the eponymous cross, signifying the crucifixion of Christ, the spices embedded in it represent those used to embalm Jesus, after his body was taken down, whilst the orange peel often included, stands for the bitterness of his suffering. In the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, efforts were made to strengthen their symbolic role, by preventing them being sold other than on special occasions such as Good Friday. Tell that to those supermarkets who now happily provide them all year round.
Over these next few days, I’ll be reflecting on a number of foods that carry particular Easter associations. However, as yet, we’re still in that moment in the year when Christians focus on the death of Jesus, and its immediate aftermath, our eyes need to remain fixed on the tortures he endured, which for us demonstrate the deep and unswerving love and forgiveness, with which he reaches out to us.
And so I pray:
Lord Jesus, with every hot cross bun that I enjoy, draw me ever closer to you, who out of love for me, and for the sake of the salvation of the whole world, suffered and died on the cross. Amen.
SAT 05:45 Lent Talks (m0029yq8)
The Creed: That there is life beyond death
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, Bishop Graham Kings reflects on the final line: “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002b6hp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m0029znj)
Time travel on Orkney
Rose Ferraby visits Orkney to discover the rich history of a stretch of coastline on the small Island of Rousay. She joins archaeologists from the University of the Highlands and Islands as they travel through the rugged landscape and varied timescales of Rousay's coastline, from prehistory to clearances. They chart the legacy of ancient islanders and uncover stories hidden within the island's brochs, tombs, churches and farmsteads.
Producer: Ruth Sanderson
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002b6hr)
19/04/25 Farming Today This Week: wildfires, British farm standards, EU meat imports ban, vertical farms, sheep shearing
If you're travelling in mainland Europe this Easter and thinking about possibly bringing back some local delicacies, think again. Following outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Germany, Hungary and on its border with Slovakia, restrictions on the food you're allowed to bring in, have changed significantly. You are now not allowed to bring in meat or dairy products from any EU country, except for poultry. So how great is the potential for cured meats or cheeses in your suitcase to transmit foot and mouth?
Some of the UK's rarest wildlife is being "torched alive" and pushed closer to extinction after weeks of intense grass fires, conservationists have warned.
There has been a bit of talk about trade deals this week, with the the US Vice President JD Vance talking about a prospective UK/US agreement, and that's making farmers nervous. They worry that agreements risk undermining them and this week raised concerns over a deal with India, saying it mustn't allow imports of cheaper food, produced to lower standards.
The company behind one of the UK's biggest vertical farms has closed. The Jones Food Company which ran indoor farms in Scunthrope and Gloucestershire, as well as a development centre in Bristol, called in the receivers after failing to find new investors. Vertical farms grow crops, mainly herbs and salad leaves, inside on shelving, using special lights to create a warm humid atmosphere which reduces growing time in comparison with conventionally grown crops. But with a number of companies going bust in recent years, is this a viable way to grow food?
And as spring is springing, we talk sheep shearing in West Dorset.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
SAT 06:57 Weather (m002b6ht)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m002b6hw)
Today (Saturday)
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002b6hy)
Nick Butterworth, Dave Henty, Sophie Pierce, Charles Collingwood
One of Britain's best former art forgers, ‘brushstroke alchemist’ David Henty, has been called a Master Craftsman of his art with over 30 years' experience, producing near original copies.
Sophie Pierce didn’t think she’d live to thirty but has just become the first person with cystic fibrosis to complete a world record breaking rowing challenge across the Atlantic.
The writer and illustrator Nick Butterworth, who was raised above a corner shop in Essex full of sweets, wasn't able to read until he was 8 - 70 years later and his Percy the Park Keeper book series has sold almost 9 million copies worldwide.
All that, plus we have the Inheritance Tracks of Archers icon Charles Collingwood as he celebrates 50 years in Ambridge.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Adrian Chiles
Producer: Ben Mitchell
SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002b6j0)
Series 23
Invisibility Quest
Hannah and Dara tackle a disarmingly simple question: is anything in the universe truly invisible? After ruling out mysterious Nordic spirits and ‘Dara’s ire’, our curious duo start to track down the invisible waves all around them. Including, it turns out, some which are emanating from their VERY OWN FACES! An infrared camera reveals Hannah’s nose as a particular hotspot.
Turning their gaze to bigger things, they wonder: what does our own galaxy look like when viewed in this invisible spectrum? Infrared reveals vast loops and whorls of dust and gas - gigantic structures otherwise totally hidden. But there are even cooler surprises. Ever wondered what an X-ray of the universe looks like? Turns out it’s a sparkly map of white-hot black holes!
Back on earth, the discussion turns to ways of making objects disappear by bending light in tricksy ways. But why is the fancy science of ‘metamaterials’ still struggling to make a proper invisibility cloak? Sorry, Harry Potter fans.
In the end, our physicists reveal a universe bursting with even more elusive, even more mysterious stuff: dark matter and dark energy. Prepare to see the unseen in a whole new light!
Contributors:
Matthew Bothwell - the Public Astronomer at the University of Cambridge and author of The Invisible Universe
Andrew Pontzen - Professor of Physics at Durham University
Mitch Kenney - Assistant Professor in metamaterials at the University of Nottingham
Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production
SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m002b6j2)
May You Never
"May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold / May you never make your bed out in the cold."
A perfect folk song of brotherly affection, with simply voice and guitar, John's Martyn's May You Never has captured listeners' hearts since 1971.
John Martyn was born in Surrey in 1948 and grew up in Glasgow. Part of the potent London folk scene in the late 60s early 70s, John's style evolved from these folk roots. Written in his early 20s, the enduring version of May You Never was recorded in one take in the early hours of recording his beloved 1973 album, Solid Air. The lyrics encapsulate something of the essence of John Martyn: sweet, joyful and affectionate, yet with a hint of danger ("And may you never lose your temper / If you get in a bar room fight"). John's life was beset by substance abuse and addiction and he died in 2009, age 60.
May You Never, perhaps his most famous song, is remembered by those whose lives became entwined with the song, and by others who knew John or have covered it.
Featuring:
Michael Volpe, Executive Director of If Opera;
Lauren Bensted, a writer based in London;
Graeme Thomson, author of Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn;
Spencer Cozens, keyboard player and Musical Director in John Martyn's band from 1990-2009;
Blythe Pepino, Kit Hawes, Pete Josef and Sam Brookes from The John Martyn Project.
With thanks to Kit Hawes and Spencer Cozens for the instrumental recordings.
SAT 11:00 Currently (m0029j9p)
The Price of Equality
Thousands of female council workers across Britain have lost out on pay and benefits worth billions because of unequal pay over decades. Now claims for compensation and demands to reform pay and grading threaten to capsize council finances, upset male council workers and cause massive cuts to local services.
Anushka Asthana investigates why such pay discrimination is still happening despite being illegal for the last fifty years. And she discovers what the price of equality might actually be, for the women seeking it and the millions of us living in places where our local council has ignored the problem for years.
Presenter: Anushka Asthana
Producers: Jonathan Brunert and Leela Padmanabhan
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002b6j4)
Ukraine's uncertain future
Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, Ecuador, the US, Ghana and Italy
Donald Trump's pre-election promise to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours failed to materialise, and this week the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was willing to walk away from talks if a Russia-Urkraine ceasefire deal is not agreed soon. James Waterhouse reports from Sumy, where at least 35 people were killed last weekend, and reflects on how Ukraine is now more vulnerable than ever.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa was returned to power in a decisive election win last weekend. His popularity is built around his 'iron fist' approach to crime - though murder rates remain stubbornly high. Ione Wells heard about the scale of the challenges ahead in the president's war on drugs.
The deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García from Maryland to a super max prison in El Salvador has proven a flash-point in America's debate on immigration - and Donald Trump's battle with the judiciary. Nomia Iqbal reflects on the US President's attempts to test the limits of the executive.
The Sahel region of Africa has recently been described as the ‘epicentre of global terrorism’ according to the Global Terrorism index, and there are fears that increasingly complex smuggling networks are feeding the violence. Ed Butler has been to the border between northern Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Eighty years ago the Second World War in Italy was drawing to a close, and as allied forces raced to liberate cities, the port of Trieste was briefly occupied by Yugoslav communists who handed out violent punishment to locals. Tony Grant finds the ghosts of the past still stalk the city.
Series producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002b6j6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002b6j8)
Investing in Gold and Accessing Child Trust Funds
Money Box investigates fees being charged of teenagers who are struggling to access their child trust funds. We speak to an 18 year old who agreed to pay a claims management firm 25% of his fund plus VAT, not realising he could do it for free. Lord David Blunkett was in government when Child Trust Funds were created in 2002, he tells Money Box that the unclaimed public money sitting in CTFs should be going to young people not firms looking to cash in.
Gold has seen rising prices this week in response to global markets turmoil. The precious metal is traditionally seen as a safe investment during times of economic turbulence. We look at the pros and cons of investing in gold and the different ways to do it.
Bank branches continue to close and in some remaining branches hours or services are being reduced. We hear from a Money Box listener who struggled to make a face to face appointment at his local bank branch.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Editor: Beatrice Pickup
(First broadcast at
12pm Saturday 19th April 2025)
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0029zgf)
Series 117
1. Space, Steel and Strikes
Andy Zaltzman is joined by Zoe Lyons, Mark Steel, Athena Kugblenu and Hugo Rifkind to unpack bin workers strikes in Birmingham, pop stars popping to the stars, talks of tariffs, steeling oneself in Scunthorpe, and how Toby took his carvery one step too far.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Christina Riggs, Eve Delaney and Ben Pope.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Production Coordinator: Beanna Olding
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
SAT 12:57 Weather (m002b6jb)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m002b6jd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0029zgn)
Sian Berry MP, Baroness Bousted, Mark Littlewood, Lord Willetts
Ben Wright presents political debate from Community Links in London, with Sian Berry MP, Green Party for Brighton Pavilion; Baroness Bousted, the Labour peer and former joint General Secretary of the National Education Union; Mark Littlewood, the Director of Popular Conservatism; and Lord Willetts the Conservative peer and President of think tank Resolution Foundation.
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Lead broadcast engineer: Rob Dyball
SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002b6jg)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0029zgj)
Writer: Keri Davies
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davies
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Martyn Gibson…. Jon Glover
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Saskia…. Alison Belbin
SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002b6jj)
The Fever
Cate Blanchett stars in The Fever, a blistering monologue which sets wry humour against a forensic dismantling of global capitalism. Blanchett plays an unnamed liberal woman from a privileged world in Wallace Shawn’s drama. Suffering from a sense of disconnection from her comfortable life, she chooses to travel to a civil-war torn country . Falling ill and sick with fever, the woman is forced to retreat into her hotel bedroom where she is stuck between the sink and the toilet. Surrounded by poverty, in her fevered state she descends into self-examination.
Woman – Cate Blanchett
Directed by John Tiffany and Steven Hoggett
Produced by Susan Roberts
Sound by Catherine Robinson and Pete Ringrose
SAT 16:30 Woman's Hour (m002b6jl)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Baroness Theresa May, Edna O’Brien documentary, Girl choristers
The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern was joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.
The Irish writer Edna O'Brien died last year at the age of 93. The last person to be granted an interview with her was the documentary maker Sinéad O’Shea. Her new film Blue Road weaves those final interviews with archive and readings from Edna’s own diaries to tell the story of her extraordinary life.
For the first time in its 900 year history, girls will be singing in the choir at St Paul’s Cathedral on Easter Sunday. We hear from some of the girl choristers, and Kylie Pentelow speaks to Dr Katherine Hambridge, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Durham and Carris Jones, Vicar Choral and Girls' Voices Project Manager at St Paul's Cathedral about the significance of this moment.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Emma Pearce
SAT 17:00 PM (m002b6jn)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m0029zn4)
Jet Lag Products
Are there products that can help you avoid or ease jet lag?
If you've travelled long-haul you'll know the feeling; your body feels completely out of sync with the new time zone, leaving you tired, disorientated and quite possibly a tad irritated!
So is there anything you can do? Listener Moira suffered the effects of jet lag on a recent work trip to India and with another one coming up to the USA, she's keen to know more about the products that claim to help. She's heard about apps that help you align your circadian rhythm with your new time zone, as well as supplements and even a mask that promises to better humidify the air on your flight! But do any of them work?
All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT
RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
NOTES: The table on light exposure referred to in this programme from the scientific journal 'The Lancet' can be found here:
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Jet-lag%3A-trends-and-coping-strategies-Waterhouse-Reilly/d2ca570b8746a1ecfbd155da14c8291f85545db2/figure/3
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002b6jq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m002b6js)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b6jv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002b6jx)
Kieran Hodgson, Julie Lin, Lewis Gribben, Selali Fiamanya, Skerryvore, Mike McKenzie
Clive Anderson will be joined by comedian and star of Two Doors Down Kieran Hodgson ahead of his upcoming show Voice Of America.
Chef Julie Lin's cookery book Sama Sama celebrates all parts of her Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish identity and mixes tradition with innovation.
Lewis Gribben stars in the new series of Charlie Brooker's multi award-winning dystopian drama Black Mirror.
Selali Fiamanya's debut novel Before We Hit the Ground is set between Ghana and Glasgow and explores love, grief, family and belonging.
With music from Skerryvore and Mike McKenzie.
SAT 19:00 Profile (m002b6jz)
Jarvis Cocker
Beloved Britpop band Pulp have released their first new music in almost a quarter of a century, the single 'Spike Island'.
Their talismanic frontman Jarvis Cocker has always been the band's star turn, with his second-hand 70s style, mesmeric stage presence and biting lyrics.
Following some difficult early years in his hometown of Sheffield, Cocker formed the band in 1978, but had to wait over a decade before breaking through on the crest of the Britpop wave in the mid-90s. The band released some of the most memorable and well-loved songs of the era, including 'Common People' and 'Disco 2000'.
But his very public bottom-baring protest against Michael Jackson at the 1996 Brit Awards thrust him even more firmly into the public's imagination, and the fame he had craved for so long quickly took a darker turn.
Mark Coles speaks to some of the most important people in Jarvis's story, including current and former bandmates Candida Doyle, Nick Banks and Richard Hawley, and his sister Saskia.
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producer: Ben Cooper
Researcher: Chloe Scannapieco
Editor: Max Deveson
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m0029zmm)
Simon Russell Beale
Actor Sir Simon Russell Beale is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest actors of his generation. He has played many leading roles at National Theatre and RSC, including Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. He is currently starring in Titus Andronicus at the RSC. His awards include three Olivier Awards, two BAFTAs, and a Tony Award in 2022 for his leading role in The Lehman Trilogy, which had transferred from London. Simon Russell Beale was knighted in 2019 for services to drama.
Simon tells John Wilson about his childhood and his visits to his family in the boarding school holidays at their home in Penang and Singapore. Trained as a chorister from an early age, he reveals how J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion evokes the thrill of singing at his choir school. Simon very nearly embarked on a career in music before switching to drama and tells John about the significance of the Macbeth soliloquy that began a lifetime love of Shakespeare. He also reveals the central role that pubs play in the learning of his lines.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002b6k1)
Masters of the Impossible
"You felt like the ground shifted beneath you. It felt like nothing was explainable. It wasn't like seeing normal magic."
Join psychologist and magician Professor Richard Wiseman on a journey into the strange world of mentalism or mind magic, and meet a group of entertainers who produce the seemingly impossible on demand. Discover "The Amazing" Joseph Dunninger, Britain's Maurice Fogel ("the World's Greatest Mind Reader"), husband and wife telepathic duo The Piddingtons, and the self-styled "Psycho-Magician", Chan Canasta.
These entertainers all set the scene for one man who redefined the genre - the extraordinary David Berglas. This International Man of Mystery astonished the world with incredible stunts - hurtling blindfold down the famous Cresta toboggan run in Switzerland, levitating a table on the streets of Nairobi, and making a piano vanish before hundreds of live concert goers. Berglas was a pioneer of mass media magic, constantly appeared on the BBC radio and TV, captivated audiences the world over and inspired many modern-day marvels, including Derren Brown.
For six decades, Berglas entertained audiences worldwide on stage and television, mentoring hundreds of young acts and helping to establish mentalism or mind magic as one of the most popular forms of magical entertainment, helping to inspire the likes of Derren Brown, Dynamo and David Blaine. The originator of dozens of illusions still performed by celebrated performers worldwide, Berglas is renowned for his version of a classic illusion known as Any Card at Any Number or ACAAN, regarded by many as the 'holy grail' of magic tricks and something that still defies explanation.
With the help of some recently unearthed archive recordings, Richard Wiseman, a member of the Inner Magic Circle, and a friend of David Berglas, explores the surreal history of mentalism, its enduring popularity and the life and legacy of the man many regard as Master of the Impossible.
Featuring interviews with Andy Nyman, Derren Brown, Stephen Frayne, Laura London, Teller, Chris Woodward, Martin T Hart and Marvin Berglas,
With special thanks to Martin T Hart and the Berglas Family for help with archive material and to David Britland for additional research.
Thanks also to Laura London for use of the 2023 recording of David Berglas.
Image of David Berglas courtesy of Zakary Belamy
Presented by Professor Richard Wiseman
Produced by Rami Tzabar
Assistant Producer is Simon Smith
Mixing by Richard Courtice
A TellTale Industries production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m0029yy4)
What is the ethical purpose of the NHS?
The National Health Service is at a crossroads. Systemic pressures are lengthening hospital waiting times. Resources are finite. That’s why the government is coming up with a 10 year plan to make the NHS ‘fit for purpose’. But what is the ethical purpose of the NHS?
The ethical ambition has always been that everyone, regardless of their background, should have equal access to healthcare. It’s seen as a moral triumph of civilization and political suicide to meddle with it.
But when we look at the statistics about the effectiveness of care alongside other comparative countries – the cancer survival rates, premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, and the disparities of life-expectancy according to UK postcode – is it time to question this foundational principle? This is not simply a matter of which funding model works best. It is fundamentally ethical.
For example, rather than focussing on equality of access to healthcare, should the goal instead be the equality of health outcomes across society? In other words, should we prioritise care for the most disadvantaged patients? Or would doing so be addressing a symptom and not the cause of deeper intersecting inequalities?
Practically, it’s a question of who gets treated first. Philosophically, it’s a collision between competing notions of equality and fairness. Should we care more about equality of outcome – being equally healthy – or equality of access – treating everyone the same? What is the ethical purpose of the NHS?
Michael Buerk chairs a special debate at the Nuffield Trust Summit 2025.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Editor: Tim Pemberton
Panel:
Mona Siddiqui
Tim Stanley
Matthew Taylor
Inaya Folarin-Iman
Witnesses:
Kiran Patel
Sheena Asthana
Tony Milligan
Jamie Whyte
SAT 22:00 News (m002b6k3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0029zfj)
Is our cheese heritage ancient history?
Sheila Dillon hears the first exclusive readings from a Tudor ‘pamphlet of cheese’ that details the cheesemaking traditions of the 16th century, and reveals how cheese was seen as a nutrient-rich health food - from digestion aid to wound cleaner. Fast-forward to today, and Sheila visits Yorkshire cheesemongers Andy and Kathy Swinscoe to help recreate one of these historic recipes by hand in their dairy, as they discuss the significance of cheese history and how milk and cheese have a ’terroir’ just like wine.
While the Tudors believed cheese was inherently good for you, modern-day science is still exploring the evidence. Now, cheese scientists are producing ground-breaking research investigating links between cheese and the health of our hearts and gut microbiome. But making cheese today is a tough job, from complying with food safety rules to the challenges of setting up and maintaining a small business. Sheila speaks to renowned cheesemaker Martin Gott to hear the strange tale of how gave up his career in the UK to set up the first ever organic creamery in Oman. Are we losing our cheesemakers just at the point when we’re rediscovering more about its potential health benefits?
Sheila’s journey to find out how our cheese heritage faltered takes her to the Middle East, Japan and finally back to Yorkshire, where a new raw milk cheesemaker sparks hope for the future.
Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SAT 23:00 Call Jonathan Pie (m0029sw4)
Series 2
4. Great British News
Pie's on-air nemesis proves to be a seductive presence in the flesh. Sam shows increasingly worrying signs of going over to the dark side. With Nitin Ganatra.
Call Jonathan Pie is written and performed by Tom Walker.
With additional material by Nick Revell and Daniel Abelson
Ash ….. Nitin Ganatra
Jules ….. Lucy Pearman
Sam ….. Aqib Khan
Roger ….. Nick Revell.
Alison ….. Izzy Hollewand
Producers Alison Vernon-Smith and Julian Mayers
A Yada-Yada Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Nature Table (m000fpns)
Series 1
Episode 3
Comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins celebrates the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.
Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts.
We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
In this episode, Sue welcomes:
* Naturalist and BBC Wildlife correspondent Nick Baker
* Ethnobotanist James Wong
* Comedian Lucy Porter.
Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter
Producer: Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2020.
SUNDAY 20 APRIL 2025
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002b6k5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m0029yps)
Andrew O'Hagan
Three-times Booker nominated Scottish author Andrew O’Hagan tells us about his novel, Caledonian Road, and reveals three other works that inspired its creation.
This state-of-the-nation novel follows 60 characters over the course of a chaotic, post-pandemic year, focussing on protagonist Campbell Flynn as his life slowly unravels before his eyes.
Andrew O’Hagan’s chosen influences were The Princess Casamassima by Henry James; The Idea of Order at Key West by Wallace Stevens; and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.
The supporting contributor is contemporary novelist Katie Ward.
Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b6k7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b6k9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002b6kc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b6kf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002b6kh)
The church of St John the Baptist, Hillingdon in Greater London
Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St John the Baptist, Hillingdon in Greater London. Of largely 13th and 14th century construction the church was restored in the 19th century by Sir Gilbert Scott. In 1629 the four stage tower was rebuilt and features an octagonal wooden cupola. There are ten bells all cast by Gillet and Johnston foundry of Whitechapel in 1911. The Tenor weighs twenty one and a quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E flat. We hear them ringing Stedman Caters.
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0029zbz)
The Future of the RNIB
Over the past nine months, the RNIB, the UK's largest charity supporting blind and partially sighted people, has made some of their staff redundant and, more widely, has made changes to some of their services. They have also recently published their ambitious 10-year strategy, that aims to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people. The charity's CEO Matt Stringer provides an update on the changes implemented and what the future of the organisation might look like.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word ‘radio’ in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002b6kl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m0029zbj)
Claiming Christianity
Giles Fraser meets the Revd Canon Fr Phil Harris, of the Anglican Church in North America, to discuss defending Britain’s Christian heritage.
Christianity has been deployed as a tool by those who have been labelled as far-right by their opponents, or by people supporting far-right views. Is right-wing appropriation of the faith a problem that needs solving and what issues does this claim to Christianity pose?
To explore Giles is joined by:
Dr Maria Power, Senior Research Fellow in Human Dignity at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford and a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, and Co editor of The Church, the Far Right, and the Claim to Christianity.
Dr. John Onwuchekwa, Sr. Director of Innovation at Redeemer City to City and former pastor of the Cornerstone Church in Atlanta which was part of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Andrea Minichiello, Chief Executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre.
Beyond Belief is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Sunrise Service (m002b6kn)
The Bishop of Sodor and Man, Tricia Hillas, makes an Easter dawn pilgrimage from Snaefell on the Isle of Man, from where, on a clear day, you can see England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to the sea shore at Peel on the island’s east coast. She reflects on the island's religious heritage and what the Easter story means to its inhabitants today.
Music is provided by Peel Cathedral Choir, directed by Dr Peter Litman.
Producer: Andrew Earis
SUN 06:57 Weather (m002b6kq)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002b6ks)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002b6kv)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002b6kx)
Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy
Vocal coach and ambassador for Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy Carrie Grant makes the Radio 4 appeal on behalf of the charity. It has music therapists working in schools, care homes and their own centres across the UK, often working with people living with dementia, autism, or brain injuries.
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 ‘Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy'.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Nordoff and Robbins’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 280960. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m002b6kz)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002b6l1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002b6l3)
Easter Live from Canterbury Cathedral
The Right Reverend Rose Hudson Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, preaches an Easter message of hope and resurrection in a joyful celebration of the Eucharist, live from the stunning setting of Canterbury Cathedral. Join the renowned choir as they sing Easter anthems and a seasonal communion setting, and lead the congregation in festal Easter hymns. Led by the Dean, The Very Rev’d Dr David Monteith. Canterbury Cathedral Choir is directed by Dr David Newsholme. The organ is played by Jamie Rogers.
The music setting for the Eucharist will be Dominique Le Gendre’s Missa brevis: In praise of the unsung who quietly labour for the good of all creatures, humankind and our planet Earth. This is a new work which was commissioned for Canterbury and first sung in November 2024.
Hymns: Jesus Christ is Risen Today, The Day of Resurrection and Thine be the Glory.
Producer: Alexa Good
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002b6l5)
Michael Palin on the Sanderling
As Sir Michael Palin reveals, sanderling’s are rarely still. Resembling a child’s clockwork toy, the black legs of a sanderling blur as it scampers back and forth along a sandy beach in winter. It is one of our smallest waders weighing about the same as a tennis ball. Despite their size sanderlings are long distant migrants known to circumnavigate most of the globe. Individual birds have been tracked completing an annual round trip of over 30,000 kilometres.
Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio in Bristol
Studio Engineer : Ilse Lademann
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002b6l7)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Reunion (m002b6l9)
1995's Pride and Prejudice
Kirsty Wark brings together the cast, writer and production team who brought the seminal BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to our screens thirty years ago.
For six weeks in the autumn of 1995, 10 million people watched the BBC’s Sunday evening adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
It had a stellar cast, a joyful and rumbustious script by screenwriter Andrew Davies, and a precision-eyed production team who painstakingly ensured that everything from the way the bread was baked, to the undergarments the actors wore was authentic.
So much so that the formidable Jane Austen Society gave it their seal of approval.
Although audiences were enraptured by the on and off-screen romance between the two leads, Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, it was the portrayal of the challenges of finding a partner, complex families and embarrassing relations that helped give this series the relatability and longevity it has experienced.
The series offered escapism from the drabness of the country’s economic woes, and a counter narrative to the high-profile collapse of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.
And 44 minutes into episode 4, on 15 October 1995 came a scene which would become part of television history. Mr Darcy emerged slightly sodden from a lake. His long, wet shirt clung to his chest. Cue “Darcy-mania” and tabloid headlines that inevitably began with the word “Phwoar”.
Colin Firth’s “lake scene” as he strode towards Lizzie Bennet played by Jennifer Ehle was a ratings winner and inspired the columnist Helen Fielding, writing in the guise of Bridget Jones, to express her “simple need to see Mr. Darcy get off with Elizabeth”.
Kirsty Wark reunites screenwriter Andrew Davies who adapted Jane Austen’s novel for the small screen; Alison Steadman who played Mrs Bennet; David Bamber, Crispin Bonham Carter and Adrian Lukis who played respectively Mr Collins, Mr Bingley, and Mr Wickham; the script editor, and co-author of The Making of Pride and Prejudice, Susie Conklin; and Costume Designer Dinah Collin.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Charlotte North
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002b6lc)
Writer: Keri Davies
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davies
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Martyn Gibson…. Jon Glover
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Saskia…. Alison Belbin
SUN 12:15 Profile (m002b6jz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0029zdn)
Series 31
Episode 1
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.
Marcus Brigstocke, Holly Walsh, Lou Sanders, and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as the middle ages, geese, the human voice and children's tv.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:57 Weather (m002b6lf)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002b6lh)
A look at the week's big stories and preview of the week to come.
SUN 13:30 Currently (m002b6lk)
Of Budgets and Bond Markets
What do Rachel Reeves, Liz Truss and Donald Trump have in common? They’ve all felt the powerful bite of the bond market when it kicked back against their economic policy.
Duncan Weldon is an economist and author who’s been watching for years as politicians lean on the bond markets to finance their budgets. For most of the 2010s, these markets seemed docile and tame, happy to keep lending governments money at low rates. But since the Covid pandemic, the spell has lifted and reality has returned to financial markets, as lenders demand higher interest rates.
This documentary explores how these bond markets that we’ve come to rely on actually work, why they bridle at certain demands, and the economic weather that shapes their stance, including the crucial art of writing a budget that won’t unnerve investors.
We look back at the infamous Liz Truss mini-budget of 2022, analysing how it shook the bond markets and unwittingly triggered a trip wire that nearly took down the UK pensions system, before turning to Rachel Reeves’ struggles with the bond market that forced her to rewrite part of her first budget.
With no sign on the horizon that politicians can do without the bond market, we need to understand how this sometimes impenetrable and opaque entity actually works, its incentives, its fears and its structure. And given that the state of the bond market can force a government to rewrite its financial plans or even bring that government down altogether, many politicians would be well advised to listen.
Guests:
Mohamed El-Erian: former CEO of PIMCO, one of the world’s largest bond investors
Rupert Harrison: former Chief of Staff to Chancellor George Osborne
Katie Martin: Markets columnist at the Financial Times
Toby Nangle: former bond investor, now financial commentator and analyst
Gemma Tetlow: Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
Julian Jessop: independent economist and fellow of the Institute of Economic Affairs
Presenter: Duncan Weldon
Producer: Nathan Gower
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002b6lm)
Postbag Edition: Belfast Botanic Garden
Why are my potatoes so floury? How do you banish lace bugs for good? And what mysterious plant has the panel stumped?
Kathy Clugston and a team of gardening experts explore the various locations of Belfast Botanic Garden. All while digging into the GQT postbag to answer your gardening conundrums.
On hand with their wisdom and wit are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous, and Kirsty Wilson, Head of Gardens at Balmoral. Guiding them through the garden’s hidden corners and floral highlights is Garden Supervisor Colin Agnew.
Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002b6lp)
Casino Royale
John Yorke looks at Casino Royale, the novel by Ian Fleming that introduced James Bond to the world. First published in 1953, Fleming’s thrilling novel plunges us immediately into the murky underworld of high stakes gambling. Today we may be more familiar with Bond as portrayed in the movies, but here we discover a more nuanced character. James Bond is vulnerable and at times filled with self-doubt, a far cry from the confident hero on the screen. Bond is on a mission to confront a private banker called Le Chiffre in a baccarat game at the Casino Royale and it doesn’t all go to plan. John Yorke first read Casino Royale at the age of twelve and credits it with a lifetime of enthusiasm for reading novels. In this Opening Lines he explains why.
John has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.
Contributor:
Kim Sherwood, author and creative writing lecturer, University of Edinburgh
Reader: Matthew Gravelle
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Producer: Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002b6lr)
Casino Royale
Jarvis & Ayres’ tenth James Bond dramatisation for Radio 4. The 1953 spy thriller - the first and most famous of all Ian Fleming’s novels. With a devastating final twist.
The mysterious Le Chiffre works in France as undercover paymaster of a communist-controlled trade union. He’s embezzled union funds and lost the lot. His plan - recoup the money at the gambling tables of Casino Royale, Northern France.
M, head of MI6, gives James Bond the mission of bankrupting Le Chiffre at baccarat. M has assigned attractive Vesper Lynd as Bond’s assistant.
Bond confronts Le Chiffre at the Casino. Will he succeed in destroying the villain? After apparent kidnap and Bond’s torture by Le Chiffre, James realises he’s in love with Vesper. Then events take a wholly unexpected turn.
But James Bond, amid extraordinary revelations, remains cruelly professional to the last.
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Dramatised by Archie Scottney
Directed by Martin Jarvis
Cast:
James Bond….Toby Stephens
Vesper Lynd….Susannah Fielding
Le Chiffre….Hugh Bonneville
Felix Leiter….Josh Stamberg
René Mathis….Matthew Wolf
M….John Standing
Head of Staff….Lloyd Owen
Barman….Darren Richardson
Mrs Dupont….Anna Mathias
Assassin….Andre Sogliuzzo
Nurse….Moira Quirk
Doctor….Henri Lubatti
Le Patron......Alan Shearman
Ian Fleming (Narrator)......Martin Jarvis
Other parts played by members of the company.
Original music composed and played by A-Mnemonic
Sound design: Charles Carroll, Neil Wogenson, Mark Holden
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002b6lt)
Xiaolu Guo
This week, Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks to the British-Chinese writer Xiaolu Guo about her new novel - Call Me Ishmaelle - which reinterprets Herman Melville's mighty Moby Dick story and follows the protagonist of Ishmaelle, a woman who sneaks onto a whaling ship disguised as a man. For her three influencing texts Xiaolu chose: Moby Dick By Herman Melville from 1851; Philip Hoare's Leviathan from 2009; and Othello by William Shakespeare (first performed in 1604).
The supporting contributor for this episode was the literary editor and founder of the independent publisher thi wurd - Alan McMunnigall.
Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 16:30 Nature Table (m000fwcw)
Series 1
Episode 4
Sue Perkins’ ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.
Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts.
We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
In this episode, Sue welcomes:
* Zoologist and author Lucy Cooke
* Fly expert Dr. Erica McAlister
* Comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter
Producer: Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2020.
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ynr)
The invention of the shopping trolley
In 1937, American supermarket owner Sylvan Goldman came up with a way to get his customers to spend more.
He introduced his 'folding basket carriers' in his Humpty Dumpty chain in Oklahoma, hiring models to push them round his stores.
They caught on, becoming known as shopping carts in the USA.
Rachel Naylor uses clips from a 1977 CBS interview of Sylvan with Charles Kuralt to tell the story.
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: Sylvan Goldman, with models of his shopping trolley. Credit: Don Tullous, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society)
SUN 17:10 Writing the Universe (m00209g8)
The fabric of the universe
When we think of the fabric of the universe we might imagine vast expanses of nothing, but one phenomenon that has captured the imagination of both scientists and fiction writers is the black hole. These giant gaps in the fabric of spacetime can span billions of miles, but we now know there is one at the centre of every galaxy.
Robin Ince talks to cosmologists about how they attempt to convey their almost unbelievable size, at the same time as staying true to the maths that explains them. He learns that Einstein first conceived of a black hole in 1915, but didn't believe anyone would ever prove their existence, even after the German physicist Karl Schwarzschild confirmed their existence.
For the physicist and writer Janna Levin black holes are almost magical and she has spent her career trying to convey their wonder to the general public, using language as a tool to draw us in. Thanks to the Nobel laureate, physicist Kip Thorne, we now have a better idea of what they may actually look like. He explains how equations form the basis of the black holes in the film Interstellar and reveals that the movie-making process also taught him more about how these vast tears in the fabric of spacetime actually work.
With contributions from Robin’s fellow Infinite Monkey Cage presenter Brian Cox; Janna Levin, author of 'The Black Hole Survival Guide'; astronomer Paul Murdin; physicist Kip Thorne; special effects adviser Paul Franklyn; physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll and theoretical physicist Fay Dowker.
Producer: Marijke Peters
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Soundscape designer: Jane Watkins
BBC Studios Audio Production
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002b6lx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m002b6lz)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b6m1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002b6m3)
Jay Hulme
This week, we hear the life changing story of a blind piano tuner blagging his way into restoring his sight, as well as a few blags that allowed the groundbreaking performance of the Passion of Port Talbot to go ahead back in 2011. On the theme of faith and art intertwining, we unearth some bible readings from a storyteller you mightn’t have expected: the irrepressible Kenneth Williams - Bishop James Jones reveals all. As always, there’s food for thought (and faith) from Beyond Belief, and, as you prepare to unwrap an Easter egg or two (or three - we won't judge), are you addicted to sugar? We learn the science behind a sweet tooth.
Presenter: Jay Hulme
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Coordinator: Caroline Peddle
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002b6m5)
Jazzer takes centre stage, and Helen knows what she wants.
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m0028301)
Robben Island’s Hallelujah
In his memoir of surviving the brutal apartheid prison Robben Island, South African activist Sedick Isaacs recalls an extraordinary event about which little has been recorded - "the creation and training of the eighty-member choir [of political prisoners] for the production of Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus'.
The incongruous beauty of the choir’s performance – and the rich history of the Messiah in South Africa – is brought to life by former political prisoners, by musicians and academics who reveal the power of music as it was experienced on the Island – music as escape, protest, refuge and salvation.
Original compositions, mixing and production by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder
Hallelujah Chorus – reconstruction arranged and conducted by Leon Starker
with singers from Fezeka Secondary School in Gugulethu under the leadership of Monde Mdingi, with additional singers from across Cape Town
Also featuring: The South African Messiah, a translation of Handel’s Messiah by Michael Masote
Archival tape courtesy of UWC-Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives, Villon Films and the SABC
With special thanks to Marcus Solomon, Neo Lekgotla laga Ramoupi, Kutlwano Masote, Christopher Cockburn, Maraldea Isaacs and Lebohang Sekholomi
Produced by Catherine Boulle
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001wq7f)
Snack Smartly
We are a nation of snackers and we tend to get a whopping 25% of our daily calories from our snacks. But surprisingly, snacking isn’t necessarily bad for our health. Dr Sarah Berry at Kings College London explores a pragmatic approach to snacking, and tells Michael how what you snack on and when you snack has the greatest impact on your health. You don’t have to stop snacking - just snack smartly by swapping in some less-processed options. Our volunteer Denise, a hotel facilities manager from Liverpool, tries to reap the benefits of better snacks.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Researcher: Will Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0029znl)
Radio 4's monthly 90-minute drama. Radio 3's new Breakfast presenter Tom McKinney. Update on BBC Sounds for listeners overseas.
After the news that Radio 3 was to cancel its drama commissions, Radio 4 has come forward with an alternative - a new monthly slot for a long-form 90 minute drama. Andrea speaks to Nicola Baldwin from The Writers' Guild of Great Britain about the new entry in BBC Radio's drama programming. We also hear about this development from Alison Hindell, Radio 4's Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction.
And continuing the theme of new additions to BBC Radio's schedules, Andrea talks to Tom McKinney, who has taken over from Petroc Trelawney on Radio 3's Breakfast programme. He's brought with him a whole aviary of bird calls to wake listeners up with the dawn chorus - but are they enjoying it?
Finally, there's an update on the future of BBC Sounds for overseas listeners.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0029zg7)
Anne Scargill, Ronnie Appleton, Cecil Wright, Mario Vargas Llosa
Matthew Bannister on
Anne Scargill, who founded the Women Against Pit Closures group when her husband Arthur was leading the Miners Strike of the 1980s. The actor Maxine Peake pays tribute.
Ronnie Appleton who was Chief Crown Prosecutor for Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles.
Cecil Wright, the Jamaican born cricketer who made his mark playing alongside some of his countrymen in the Lancashire league.
Mario Vargas Llosa, the Nobel prize winning novelist who was a candidate for the Presidency of his native Peru.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Archive:
BBC Manchester, Cecil Wright at 70, BBC; BBC News, Cecil Wright Retires at 85, BBC; Not by The Playbook, BBC World Service, 07/09/2019; MERIDIAN, BBC, 09/07/1985; Made in Latin America: 2 – The Heirs of Conquest, BBC Two, 07/11/1989; Mario Vargas Llosa, BBC Radio 4, 30/10/1993; Eye of the Storm with Emma Barnett, BBC Radio 5 Live, 26/07/2018; Video Diaries: Major, the Miners and Me, BBC Two, 04/09/1993; BBC News, BBC One, 16/05/1984; BBC News, BBC One, 09/04/1993; Inside Ulster: Murders – Army; Funerals – I.R.A., BBC, 19/03/1988; Witness History, BBC World Service, 27/01/2025; Inside Ulster: Murders – Civilians (Multiple); Personalities, BBC, 29/09/1989
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002b6j8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002b6kx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002b6j4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002b6m7)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m0029zmc)
Typology
Melvyn Bragg and guests explore typology, a method of biblical interpretation that aims to meaningfully link people, places, and events in the Hebrew Bible, what Christians call the Old Testament, with the coming of Christ in the New Testament. Old Testament figures like Moses, Jonah, and King David were regarded by Christians as being ‘types’ or symbols of Jesus.
This way of thinking became hugely popular in medieval Europe, Renaissance England and Victorian Britain, as Christians sought to make sense of their Jewish inheritance - sometimes rejecting that inheritance with antisemitic fervour. It was a way of seeing human history as part of a divine plan, with ancient events prefiguring more modern ones, and it influenced debates about the relationship between metaphor and reality in the bible, in literature, and in art. It also influenced attitudes towards reality, time and history.
With
Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London
Harry Spillane, Munby Fellow in Bibliography at Cambridge and Research Fellow at Darwin College
And
Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe, Associate Professor in Patristics at Cambridge.
Producer: Eliane Glaser
Reading list:
A. C. Charity, Events and their Afterlife: The Dialectics of Christian Typology in the Bible and Dante (first published 1966; Cambridge University Press, 2010)
Margaret Christian, Spenserian Allegory and Elizabethan Biblical Exegesis: The Context for 'The Faerie Queene' (Manchester University Press, 2016)
Dagmar Eichberger and Shelley Perlove (eds.), Visual Typology in Early Modern Europe: Continuity and Expansion (Brepols, 2018)
Tibor Fabiny, The Lion and the Lamb: Figuralism and Fulfilment in the Bible, Art and Literature (Palgrave Macmillan, 1992)
Tibor Fabiny, ‘Typology: Pros and Cons in Biblical Hermeneutics and Literary Criticism’ (Academia, 2018)
Northrop Frye, The Great Code: The Bible and Literature (first published 1982; Mariner Books, 2002)
Leonhard Goppelt (trans. Donald H. Madvig), Typos: The Typological Interpretation of the Old Testament in the New (William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1982)
Paul J. Korshin, Typologies in England, 1650-1820 (first published in 1983; Princeton University Press, 2014)
Judith Lieu, Image and Reality: The Jews in the World of the Christians in the Second Century (T & T Clark International, 1999)
Sara Lipton, Images of Intolerance: The Representation of Jews and Judaism in the Bible Moralisee (University of California Press, 1999)
Montague Rhodes James and Kenneth Harrison, A Guide to the Windows of King's College Chapel (first published in 1899; Cambridge University Press, 2010)
J. W. Rogerson and Judith M. Lieu (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies (Oxford University Press, 2008)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production
SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0029zg3)
Grave Matters by Giancarlo Gemin
It's her wedding anniversary and Miriam is visiting her husband's grave, but something is amiss.
New short fiction by Giancarlo Gemin, a Cardiffian author whose books for younger readers Sweet Pizza and Cow Girl, have both won the Tir Na n-Og award and been nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
Reader: Sue Roderick
Sound: Catherine Robinson
Producer: John Norton
MONDAY 21 APRIL 2025
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002b6m9)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m0029zc1)
Spain - can an algorithm predict murder?
Early on a Sunday morning in February in the Spanish seaside town of Benalmadena, Catalina, a 48-year-old mother of four, was killed at home – the building was set on fire. Her ex-partner was arrested and remains in custody. In January, Lina – as she was known to her family and friends – had reported her ex-partner to the police for ill-treatment and threatening behaviour. And by doing so, she became one of around 100,000 cases of gender-based violence active in Spain’s VioGen system.
VioGen is an algorithm used by the police – it’s a risk assessment tool. Based on a woman’s answers to a series of questions, it calculates the likelihood she will be attacked again so police resources can be allocated to protect those most in danger. The level of risk could be negligible, low, medium, high or extreme. Lina was recorded as being at ‘medium’ risk of a further attack by the man who was her ex-partner. Three weeks later, she was dead. VioGen’s critics are concerned about the number of women registered on the system who are then murdered by men who are former or current partners. Its champions claim that without VioGen there would be far more violence against women.
With AI in the ascendency, and governments increasingly turning to algorithms to make decisions affecting society, for Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano investigate the story of VioGen and domestic violence in Spain.
Presented and produced by Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano
Studio mix by Nigel Appleton
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series editor: Penny Murphy
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002b6kh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b6mc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b6mf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:00 News Summary (m002b6mh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:04 Last Word (m0029zg7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 on Sunday]
MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b6mk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002b6mm)
Praying with chocolate
Good Morning.
Chocolate, as a drink, is first recorded among the peoples of the Central American rainforests, around 1500 years ago. The Aztecs believed it had aphrodisiac powers, which does put a rather different spin on its association with bedtime than we do today. Yet it wasn’t until 1847, in England, that Joseph Fry came up with the notion of combining cocoa powder with cocoa butter, adding sugar, to thereby create the chocolate bar. I suspect that many of us have been enjoying this innovation over these last 24 hours, not least in the form of Easter eggs. Some of us may now be regretting an overindulgence.
A few years back I was experimenting with the relationship between prayer and our physical senses. To explore taste, I decided to ask groups of people to pray whilst slowly allowing a piece of chocolate to dissolve in their mouths. One day I badly underestimated how much I needed, and had to hastily source extra supplies. My group ended up with a mixture of milk, plain and orange flavours. To my surprise I discovered that the sweeter the chocolate, the more joyful the prayers that participants recorded. The fruit version seemed to particularly encourage prayers for creation.
I rather warm to the discovery that on a day of penitence I might aid my prayers with a dark bitter chocolate, conversely for a feast day, I could opt for a sweeter product. Today, being Easter Monday, falls firmly in that latter category.
And so, I pray:
God, you give us taste and smell, through which to enjoy the foods of the Earth, help me this day to enrich my prayers through the application of my senses. Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002b6mp)
Exploring a sea of glass at Lea Valley
A special Easter Monday edition reports from the Lea Valley on the Hertfordshire-Essex border about 20 miles north of London.
It’s an agricultural area you might not have heard of. But you’ll almost certainly have had some of their produce in your fridge.
Inside the sea of glasshouses - some new, some semi-derelict dating back to the 1960s - are where up to as much as half of the UK’s tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and aubergines are grown.
We are here to meet some of the people who make this place work and ask how they and their families came to be here in the first place.
And we explore the future of the Lea Valley and the process of handing over to the next generation of growers.
Presented and produced by Howard Shannon.
MON 05:57 Weather (m002b6mr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m002b6n8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002b6nb)
Christianity and British society
As congregations age and dwindle, what are we to make of the decline of Christianity in England? Bijan Omrani argues that Christianity has had a profound and ongoing impact on English society, laws and culture. In his new book, God is an Englishman, he makes the case for the things we stand to lose as a nation as Christianity loses its hold on our hearts and minds.
In Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever, Lamorna Ash talks to those bucking the trend: the young people discovering Christianity. She considers various encounters with faith from evangelical festivals to monastic retreats and Quaker meetings. Through interviews she explores what it means to embrace Christianity today.
Dr Helen-Ann Hartley is the Bishop of Newcastle who has led calls for reform, as the Church of England has been mired in safeguarding scandals. She believes that the Anglican church still has a vital role to play supporting communities, offering a lifeline to the lonely, the homeless, those living with mental illness, and welcoming those of all faiths and none. In order to play its full role in the modern world, she wants to see the church modernised and its governance overhauled.
Producer: Ruth Watts
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002b6nd)
Food bank deliveries with dignity
Lewey Hellewell, founder of charity Humans MCR, tells Rachel Burden how using a food bank made him want to help fellow users feel less ashamed, so started doing home deliveries.
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.
We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.
You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002b6ng)
Decluttering: A Woman's Hour special
Spring cleaning is in the air - so whether you’ve woken up with the urge to clear out the ‘drawer of doom’ this Bank Holiday, are feeling too overwhelmed or time poor (or both) to know where to start, or have just decided to ‘bless the mess’, join us as we take a deep dive into decluttering, our relationship to our stuff and the impact clutter can have on our lives.
Presenter Nuala McGovern is joined by two of the UK’s leading professional organisers, Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman from The Declutter Hub. They’ll be exploring why it’s our emotions that hold the key to banishing things that no longer serve a purpose in our lives, along with sharing their best advice for conquering clutter.
TV presenter, writer and Homes Therapist Michelle Ogundehin takes a break from judging Interior Design Masters to talk to Nuala about the connection between our home and our wellbeing, her personal wardrobe strategy and her love of curated things that tell our story.
The Good Housekeeping Decluttering Study has just been published and the magazine’s Homes and Household Advice Editor Katie Mortram tells us what it reveals about our attitudes to clutter and some of our biggest regrets. And we hear about the birth of ‘clutter’, from the Victorian obsession with doilies to the impact of the wartime Make Do and Mend message, with Professor Jane Hamlett, a historian of the home.
Have you heard about The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning? We’ll be exploring the philosophy from Margareta Magnusson’s 2018 book, which encourages you to deal with your stuff before you die, so that someone else doesn't have to do it after you've left this earth. Psychotherapist and author Stelios Kiosses, from Channel 4 programme The Hoarder Next Door, also joins us to explore the psychology behind why we hang on to stuff and the difference between hoarding and being a compulsive hoarder.
And with all the will in the world, no clear out will succeed without an ’exit plan’. From recycling to selling, we discuss the best ways to pass our things on.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths
Editor: Deiniol Buxton
MON 11:00 Behind the Crime (m002b6nj)
Kieron
Kieron can remember the moment it dawned on him that he might not become a professional footballer. That was also the moment when he took a decision to start hustling – selling drugs to earn money.
This new life rapidly escalated, and at 17 he was in prison for a crime involving a knife.
Released aged 20, he sees now that he had just spent three years cooped up with people who shared his damaging mindset. After release, he picked up where he left off, leading to an altercation involving a firearm. He was arrested, charged and convicted, being sentenced to 25 years. He was only 22 at the time.
While in prison, Kieron discovered reading and completed a degree from the Open University. After release, he completed a Masters and is about to start a PhD. He has given evidence to the House of Lords Home Affairs and Justice Committee on conditions in prison.
But how does he feel, all these years later, about the harm he caused as a young adult?
This is an astonishing interview that gets inside a mindset that, according to Kieron, is pervasive among people from similar backgrounds to his.
Dr Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who work in prisons. Their job is to help people in prison understand the harm they’ve caused, identify why it happened, and work out how to make changes to prevent further harm after they’ve been released.
In Behind the Crime, they take the time to understand the life of someone whose crimes have led to harm and prison.
For details of organisations that can provide help and support, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline
Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Editor: Clare Fordham
Behind the Crime is a co-production between BBC Long Form Audio and the Prison Radio Association.
MON 11:45 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k1fgq)
Cafe Talk
Economist and author, Paul Seabright, begins a series that explores our trading story, from the earliest exchange networks in child-care and food, right up to the modern day. He discusses the links between trade and war, the different phases of globalization, and how the history of trade features major setbacks as well as extraordinary progress.
In this opening episode, Paul visits the Café Bibent in Toulouse to talk about the city's connections with two key moments in the history of trade: Adam Smith and his great book The Wealth of Nations, and the outbreak of the First World War.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
MON 12:00 News Summary (m002b6np)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002b6nr)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
MON 12:57 Weather (m002b6nt)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m002b6nw)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
MON 13:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b6ny)
How to build a video empire
Ever dreamed of building your own video empire? Here’s how. Sophia Smith Galer dives into the early days of YouTube, exploring how Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction sparked the idea for a platform that would revolutionise the world.
In part one of this five part series, Sophia sits down with Christina Brodbeck, a YouTube founding team member, to reveal how the product was designed. She also chats with product designer Ches Wajda about the platform’s lasting impact, and Chris Stokel Walker, author of YouTubers, shares how a viral video that nearly doomed the company became its breakthrough moment. It's the story of Youtube, told through the content creators who were there.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m002b6m5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001wypp)
Series 5
3. I'm Still Here
Joanna witnesses a random act of kindness and helps a friend in need.
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return as the loving, long-married couple, in the 5th series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy.
This week, Joanna witnesses a random act of kindness and believes they should all do more. ‘You give a little love and it all comes back to you’. Roger responds ‘So your guru is Bugsy Malone, is it?’. Her resolve is tested when she is asked to stay with her old friend, Paula, once a 60s party girl, now suffering from Alzheimers, while her exhausted husband takes a break. Joanna is apprehensive but Roger and the dog accompany her and in spite of the heartbreak and moments of panic, Joanna sees the ‘party Paula’ emerge, joyfully, as they relive old times.
Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington. It is produced and directed by Claire Jones. It is a BBC Studios Production.
Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Charlotte Sewter - sound assistant
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator
Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020, was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award in 2022 and a British Comedy Guide award in 2024.
‘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
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
‘Sitcom is what marriage is really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’. RICHARD CURTIS
MON 14:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001svrt)
Episode 4
As ripples from the Great Depression reach a cosy English village, Barbara Buncle finds an inventive way to supplement her meagre income. Life in Silverstream will never be the same once her thinly fictionalised novel has laid bare the life, loves and eccentricities of her neighbours.
Mr Abbott is thrilled by the success of ‘Disturber of the Peace’ but the seasoned publisher is about to play host to a very awkward meeting.
Read by Madeleine Worrall
Written by D.E. Stevenson
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
An EcoAudio certified production
Scottish author D.E. Stevenson was a prolific name in the light romantic fiction genre, topping best seller lists from the 1930s to the 1960s. MISS BUNCLE’S BOOK, her best-known publication, is a delight; funny, engaging and well worth rediscovering just over 50 years after the author’s death.
MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002b6p1)
Series 53
Richey Edwards of The Manic Street Preachers
Richey was, beautiful says Cummins, a natural icon and a gift to photograph. He also believes his writing has been overshadowed by the fact of his disappearance in 1995. "I think nobody has looked beyond that for quite a long time.”
Manic Street Preachers biographer, Simon Price, also knew Richey Edwards and says he was "the most intelligent rock star I've ever met".
This programme covers alcoholism, anorexia, and self-harm, but it also celebrates Richey’s sensitivity and, as Price says, the fact that he is one of those "icons of alienation" like Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain who will " always be there for people to discover the genius of his work".
Presented by Matthew Parris and produced for BBC Studios by Ellie Richold.
MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002b6j0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Saturday]
MON 16:00 Currently (m002b6lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 Soul Music (m002b6j2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m002b6p4)
Full coverage of the day's news
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b6p6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002b6p8)
Series 31
Episode 2
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.
Lucy Porter, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Henning Wehn are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as potatoes, Yorkshire, wine and beaches.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m002b6pb)
Rochelle finds herself on the spot, and the pressure rises for Freddie.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m002b6pd)
JMW Turner: 250th anniversary of Britain's greatest painter
Mr. Turner director Mike Leigh, art historian Charlotte Mullins and senior curator at Tate Amy Concannon join Tom Sutcliffe to celebrate the life and work of JMW Turner, as we approach the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Also in this edition, David Hockney on Turner's skill as an artist, Alvaro Barrington talks about his continuing influence on artists today, and Tom goes to the conservation studio at Tate Britain to see what’s being done to protect Turner's bequest and look after his fragile and damaged works.
Producer: Claire Bartleet
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0029znn)
What cards does China hold?
President Trump’s fury with China shows no sign of abating. High tariffs - first imposed by the US but now on both sides - are giving way to a very real trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. China’s President Xi Jinping is refusing to blink - so far - and in the past week he's been on the road in South East Asia, visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. Where this goes now depends in large part on China's calculations about the capacity and determination of both sides to endure a trade war. So what cards does China hold ? And what are the implications for China's own economy and for the rest of us?
Guests:
Damien Ma, Economist, Kellogg School of Management, Chicago
Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School
Isabel Hilton, visiting Professor at the Lau China Institute, King's College, London
David Henig, Director of the UK Trade Policy Project
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Lucy Pawle
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Max Deveson
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0029znq)
Answers to Your Science Questions
We’ve thrown open the airwaves to you. Marnie Chesterton puts your science questions to Penny Sarchet, Managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London and Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why planets are round… or what geese are saying to each other as they fly in groups through the sky, listen in for the latest science and some educated hypothesising.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Dan Welsh & Debbie Kilbride
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002b6nb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002b6nd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002b6pg)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 One Came Back by Rose McDonagh (m002b6pj)
Episode 6
Memories of her Highland childhood rise to the surface when Emily glimpses a stranger resembling a friend who died twenty years ago.
After speaking to Nicky's doppelganger Emily's none the wiser about his identity - but problems are starting to crop up in her personal and professional life.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Written by Rose McDonagh
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Rose McDonagh was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English Literature and History, has worked in community health for many years and lives in Midlothian with her husband, their baby, and two cats. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the London Magazine Short Story Competition, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize and the Bristol Prize. Her first short story collection, The Dog Husband, was published in 2022 by Reflex Press. 'One Came Back' is her debut novel.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Nuremberg (m000z79n)
Because They Started It
June 1945 and, with the Nazis under arrest, the Allies must now decide what to do with them.
Washington wants a trial while, in London, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is happy with a summary court martial. But if you put them on trial, what is the charge?
Seen through the eyes of Diana, a Whitehall secretary, the tortured negotiations unfold, edging towards the creation of a totally new sort of trial. Churchill wants the top 50 put against a wall and shot; Stalin wants them to have a show trial and then be shot. But following the sudden death of Roosevelt, the new US President Truman insists on formal justice.
Whose trial procedure should they adopt? Russia and France don’t use cross-examination and America is insisting on a charge of Conspiracy, unknown in France. But procedure is nothing compared to the problem of the Four Indictments. They end up having to invent new words – Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.
Cast:
The Hon. Diana Ravenscourt - KATE PHILLIPS
Robert H Jackson - JOSEPH MYDELL
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - FORBES MASSON
Samuel Rosenman CLIVE WOOD
Murray Bernays - JOSEPH ALESSI
Iona Nikitchenko - HENRY GOODMAN
General Clay - NATHAN WILEY
Henri Gros - JONATHAN CULLEN
Joseph Stalin - JASPER BRITTON
Winston Churchill - ANDREW WOODALL
Sound Designer - ADAM WOODHAMS
Studio Manager - MARK SMITH
Original Score - METAPHOR MUSIC
Writer and Director - JONATHAN MYERSON
Producer - NICHOLAS NEWTON
A Promenade production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
MON 23:30 Illuminated (m0027tdw)
Bellboy
The 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis forced North Devon farmers into a traumatic 6 month lockdown, cut off from their neighbours and living with the death and destruction of their animals. When restrictions were finally eased, the ringing of church bells signalled the end of the lockdown, bringing communities back together.
For artist and farmer Marcus Vergette it was a sound that would change his life.
Marcus was struck by the ancient power of bells to unite and resurrect a community and he embarked on a project that would span the length and breadth of the UK. His Time and Tide Bells project is a monumental work of both sculpture and social enterprise, 13 massive bells mounted along the British shoreline, each one ringing out twice a day with the tide and telling a unique story about its surrounding community. In Harwich a teacher uses the bell as a catalyst for marine biology lessons. In Aberdyfi, a town on the verge of collapse, their bell might just pull a disintegrated community back together. And in Par, their bell is facilitating conversations between generations that were once impossible.
But closer to home, Marcus faces an urgent challenge. The church bells in the village of Highampton - the ones whose sound signalled the end of the Foot and Mouth outbreak - are under threat. In a story that is common across the country, the church has seen a steep decline in use and has become redundant. The tower is crumbling, and if the tower goes, the bells go too.
Aside from their personal connection to Marcus, these bells have historic significance, dating as they do from between 1200 and 1500 AD. Marcus is determined to save them, but the forces of bureaucracy are against him.
We follow Marcus on his quest to save the Highampton Bells and learn about the lives he has touched through the bells he created.
A Sound & Bones production for BBC Radio 4
TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2025
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002b6pl)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k1fgq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b6pn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b6pq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002b6ps)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:04 Currently (m002b6lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b6pv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002b6px)
Out of the egg
Good Morning.
Births of human babies tend to be spread fairly evenly across the year, yet for many species of mammals it’s a different story. Evolution has adapted creatures to have most of their young at the time of year when their chances of surviving to maturity are best. In general that means spring, the season when plants and other food sources come into greater abundance. The newborn animal will have the maximum time to grow and stock up, ahead of the return of the cold and dark of winter.
Hence for us in the Northern hemisphere, Easter has natural affinities with springtime. Christians celebrate the new life of Jesus’s resurrection, seeing in it the symbolism of our own hope and our destiny. Just as a new chick breaks through the shell of the egg to emerge into life, so too Jesus breaks free from the tomb, emerging to bring new and eternal life to all who will follow him.
As a child my favourite Easter Eggs were, unsurprisingly, those that when cracked open revealed an interior, one filled with yet more delicious things to eat. Yet as an adult, I find the empty eggs bring a deeper symbolism. They remind me that Christ is not to be found in the tomb, but will reveal himself to me, and others, in the world outside, as I strive to follow his teachings.
And so I pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, you broke free from the tomb that first Easter. Help me to find and follow you in the world around me, and grant that by my words and deeds, I may play my part in your mission, bringing new hope, and new life to where it is most needed. Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002b6pz)
The rise and rise of beef prices, carp growing, agroforestry
Charlotte Smith examines what's behind 2025's unprecedented increase in prices paid to UK beef farmers. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board fewer cattle are being farmed in the UK, and beyond. This week Farming Today is taking a closer look at Agroforestry, the approach which combines farming crops or livestock with trees. And, big fish, big money: we visit a carp grower in Yorkshire.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
TUE 06:00 Today (m002b6qy)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (m002b6r0)
The media, young men and violence
The Netflix series, Adolescence, which featured a boy who killed a female classmate, provoked widespread debate about the causes of his crime and the possible influence of the online 'manosphere'. Jonathan Freedland takes a long view of the way in which new media has been implicated in male violence. 19th century, cheap sensational fiction, in the form of the Penny Dreadful, was often blamed for juvenile delinquency, rape and even murder. In the 20th century, cinema, the first true mass medium, was held to blur the line between fantasy and reality, encouraging young men to emulate what they saw on the screen. But is this too simplistic a view and what's the historical evidence? With Chas Critcher, Emeritus Professor of Communications at Sheffield Hallam University and Judith Rowbotham, Visiting Professor in the Law Department at the University of Plymouth.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002b6r2)
How to help someone who doesn’t want help, and well-being benefits of holidays
A new series of All in the Mind kicks off with the first of the finalists in the All in the Mind Awards. Seven hundred of you entered the awards and our judging panel had the tricky task of choosing just nine finalists. The first of those is Rachel who was nominated by her husband Sam for all the support she offered him through his depression and psychosis. They tell Claudia Hammond their story.
And in the studio with Claudia is Daryl O'Connor, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds. He's got research about a new approach to persuading people with psychosis to look for and accept psychological support.
And Claudia speaks to psychotherapist Sophie Scott about how to persuade a loved one to get professional help when they don't want to.
And finally, new research showing that the psychological benefits of a holiday last longer than you think - but only if you really do switch off from work. And you can make them last even longer by being active on holiday rather than flopping by the pool every day. Daryl and Claudia discuss.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond,
Producer: Lorna Stewart
Studio Manager: Sue Maillot
Programme Coordintator: Siobhan Maguire
Content Editor: Holly Squire
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002b6r4)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m0029zgl)
Hotels
With the latest series of the much-discussed drama The White Lotus recently wrapped up, Screenshot asks why cinema and TV make so many return visits to hotels as a setting.
Whether sinister and scary like in The Shining or Psycho, fabulous but faded like The Grand Budapest Hotel, or comically chaotic like in Fawlty Towers, hotels offer a myriad of possible opportunities for drama. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode check in to check out their rich history on screen.
Ellen talks to film critic Hannah Strong about the timeless appeal of screen stays from the 1932 classic Grand Hotel to The White Lotus - and about how directors Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola have made hotels the focus of some of their most famous films.
Ellen also speaks to Sean MacPherson, hotelier, cinephile and co-owner of the storied Hotel Chelsea in New York City, about the glamorous allure of historic hotels - and the impact of the movies on hotel design.
Mark speaks to writer and critic Anne Billson about the seedier - and scarier - side of hotels on screen, from the Coen Brothers' 1991 cult classic Barton Fink, to the 1990 Roald Dahl fantasy The Witches.
And Mark also talks to director Rodney Ascher, whose 2012 documentary Room 237 explored Stanley Kubrick's The Shining from the unusual points of view of a number of theorists - all of whom seem to have checked into the film's Overlook hotel and never been able to leave.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:45 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k6pmx)
Early Exchanges
Paul Seabright examines how goods and services were exchanged in our earliest history.
He talks to the primatologist Sarah Hardy about hunter-gatherer child-care arrangements, and what they teach us about the willingness of human beings to trade. And in New Zealand, Paul meets the historian Kerry Howe to learn about the origins of early trade networks across the Pacific Ocean.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002b6r8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002b6rb)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
TUE 12:57 Weather (m002b6rd)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m002b6rg)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
TUE 13:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b6rj)
We're vlogging our way to YouTube stardom
One of the earliest YouTube viral videos Charlie Bit My Finger is a slice of normal family life. But one bite sparked the rise of a new type of celebrity - The YouTuber - and forever changed the digital world.
In part two of our five part series, Sophia Smith Galer sits down with American YouTuber Hank Green, who opens up about the wild ride of early YouTube stardom and how the platform’s evolving business model reshaped everything. UK YouTube sensation Joe Sugg shares the intense pressures of content creation, while Crystal Abidin, an anthropologist studying internet cultures, breaks down why this new breed of influencer has taken over.
It's the story of Youtube, told by the content creators who were there.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002b6pb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002b6rl)
He Gave Me a Takeaway
What does the future hold for young women survivors of grooming gangs?
Inspired by recent sensationalist headlines and political rows, seasoned dramatist Sarah Daniels looks at what is really going on for the young women in question. Dry humour laces through this powerful, uplifting drama about female solidarity and refusal to be silenced.
Rooted in conversations with professionals working in the field, the drama asks how survivors restart their lives, put on hold during the abuse. While some media and politicians dwell almost exclusively on the perpetrators and allocation of blame, the women who really matter are often overlooked. Just what is provided for their futures? Why isn’t society paying more attention to the resourcing and support that can help women move on beyond the trauma?
Sunny is living on the streets, self medicating with drink and dugs, after surviving a grooming gang. When Rose offers her a free place to stay in the hotel where she works, Sunny meets Eve, a fellow survivor who is determined to get back custody of her son, and Alia, a professional support worker whose own life has been marred by male violence. Rose, the woman who brought them all together, has her reasons for reaching out to help other women when society abandons them to fend for themselves. How can these four women help each other?
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.”
Muriel Rukeyser
If you’ve been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077.
Cast:
Rose ….. Ashley McGuire
Eve ….. Lucy Speed
Sunny ….. Milly Blue
Alia ….. Shobna Gulati
Tom ….. Harley Viveash
Newark ….. Harry Myers
Gawhoddiad sung by Harry Myers and Harrison Knights, with thanks to Bettrys Jones.
Our grateful thanks to the programme consultants working in the field, and the young women survivors who have shared their stories publicly.
Writer : Sarah Daniels
Sound designer : Alisdair McGregor
Production manager : Darren Spruce
Speech assemble : Louis Blatherwick
Music director : Harrison Knights
Image : YanKi Darling
Executive producer : Chantal Herbert
Producer : Polly Thomas
A Thomas Carter Projects production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m0028vd6)
History's Secret Heroes: Series 3
Dudley Clarke: The Great Deceiver
In Cairo, an eccentric British army officer draws on magic tricks learned from his grandfather in order to fool the Nazis. Will the enemy fall for his illusions?
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.
Producers: Emma Weatherill and Suniti Somaiya
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m002b6rn)
Cultural Religiosity
Giles Fraser meets columnist Giles Coren, who was raised in the Jewish tradition, became an atheist and who now feels at home in a Christian church, to explore what it means to be culturally religious.
Is cultural religiosity an oxymoron and totally untenable? Is it on the rise or has it always been there? Is it damaging to traditional religious practices? And, does it really matter?
To examine these questions, Giles is joined by:
Michael Rosen, author and poet, known for his work exploring humanism and atheism. He has co-written a book, "What is Humanism? How do you live without a god? And Other Big Questions for Kids," which looks at how humanists approach fundamental questions about morals, ethics, and the origins of life.
Kate Smurthwaite, patron of the Humanist society and feminist, atheist comedian and activist. Internationally, she is probably best-known as the star of a viral video in which she claims that she doesn’t have a faith because she is not an idiot.
Justin Brierley, writer, documentary maker and broadcaster behind the book and podcast series, 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God'. Over the course of his work Justin looks at why new atheism grew old and why secular thinkers are considering Christianity again.
Producers: Alexa Good & Linda Walker
Editor: Tim Pemberton
TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002b6rq)
Art that Conquered the World
The Mona Lisa
When President Macron gave a press conference at the Louvre in January 2025, you can guess what painting he was standing next to. The Mona Lisa is probably the most celebrated artwork ever made, visited by millions of tourists every year, constantly re-invented by film-makers, meme-makers and advertisers.
But for art historian James Fox, the Mona Lisa is not the greatest painting in the world, nor the greatest painting in the Louvre. For James, it's not even the greatest painting in the room. So how and why did Mona hit the big time?
In this series, James traces the twists of fate and happy accidents that pushed a handful of artworks to the forefront of global pop culture.
The story of the Mona LIsa is an eventful one. Stolen, vandalised, hidden in wartime and ruthlessly monetised for decades, the Mona Lisa has been a cultural ambassador for France, a tourist destination, a muse, a target and an advertiser's dream. It's a combination that has made her a global celebrity, seemingly impervious to shifts in cultural tastes.
To explore the Mona Lisa's journey to fame, James is in conversation with the art historian Noah Charney, author of The Theft of the Mona Lisa, and Margaret Leslie Davis, author of Mona Lisa in Camelot. Also contributing are Paris tour guide Sophie Gacheny, Benoit Roques of media production company Iconoclast and David Masterman of advertising agency VCCP.
Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Laurence Bassett
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002b6rs)
Can I improve my sleep?
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this episode they explore sleep deprivation, something both Chris and Xand experience. Many people have become obsessed with getting the perfect night’s sleep. We’re using gadgets, monitoring how many hours we’re getting each night, and taking supplements. But how worried should we actually be?
Chris and Xand talk to Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, to seek some reassurance. How do we stop our lack of sleep from keeping us up at night?
If you’d like to share your thoughts on sleep deprivation or anything else that caught your attention in this episode - you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp us on 08000 665123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Russell Foster
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Researchers: Grace Revill and Lisa Lipman
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 17:00 PM (m002b6rv)
Full coverage of the day's news
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b6rx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 18:30 Meet David Sedaris (m002b6rz)
Series 10
4. Trophy Room
"On the ninety-minute drive to our camp we saw every animal that was in The Lion King and then some. They were just there, like ants at a picnic except they were elephants and giraffes. There were zebras and leopards and wildebeest and warthogs, all grazing or resting or fleeing on this grass-covered, seemingly limitless plane."
In the first story this week, "Trophy Room", David recalls his Kenyan wildlife safari with boyfriend, Hugh - enabling him to tick off another state on his seemingly endless list of visited countries. "We saw countless hippos in Kenya. 'All they want is to get into our swimming pool', the property manager, a man named Steven, told us. 'And if that happens, we will never get them out.'”
David's second, shorter story is "22%", where he wrestles with the concept of tipping. The show finishes with some extracts from his daily diary - who would have thought that buying a German-English dictionary would be fraught with such confusion....
David Sedaris is a renowned American essayist - winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humour and member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Written and performed by David Sedaris
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002b6s1)
Joy has questions to ask, and plans are made at the abattoir.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002b6s3)
Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
TUE 20:00 Today (m002b6s5)
The Today Debate
The Today Debate is about taking a topic and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the programme in the morning.
Justin Webb and a panel of guests consider a topical issue in front of a live audience in the BBC's Radio Theatre.
The subject for The Today Debate will be chosen shortly before broadcast. Previous debates have looked at the war in Ukraine, the criminal justice system and the housing market.
TUE 20:45 In Touch (m002b6s7)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 Crossing Continents (m002b6s9)
Dicing with democracy? Romania’s cancelled election
A cancelled election, a cancelled candidate and a divided country – is Romania’s democracy under threat?
Last December the country’s Constitutional Court cancelled the presidential election two days before the final vote, citing outside interference, with the nationalist pro-Putin candidate, Calin Georgescu, riding high in the polls. TikTok sensation and portraying himself as an outsider, Georgescu’s anti-EU and anti-NATO message resonated with an unhappy electorate. His sudden success was unprecedented, as was the cancelation of a European democratic election.
The political establishment claim that cyberwarfare and Russian interference gave them no choice. Georgescu has now been eliminated from May’s Presidential re-run.
Historian Tessa Dunlop asks how this happened, why it matters and what next for this strategically important country on the eastern edge of the EU and NATO?
Presenter: Dr. Tessa Dunlop
Producer: John Murphy
Studio Mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
TUE 21:30 Stakeknife (m002b6sc)
3. The FRU
Mark meets two former members of the FRU, the secret army intelligence unit that ran the agent Stakeknife. How did they recruit people? How was Scappaticci recruited?
Credits
Reporter: Mark Horgan
Produced and written by: Mark Horgan and Ciarán Cassidy
Co-Producer: Paddy Fee
Editing and Sound Design: Ciarán Cassidy
Composer: Michael Fleming
Sound mixing: Ger McDonnell
Theme tune by Lankum
Artwork by Conor Merriman
Assistant Commissioners for BBC: Lorraine Okuefuna and Sarah Green.
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Stakeknife is a Second Captains & Little Wing production for BBC Sounds.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002b6sf)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 One Came Back by Rose McDonagh (m002b6sh)
Episode 7
Memories of her Highland childhood rise to the surface when Emily glimpses a stranger resembling a friend who died twenty years ago.
Emily has grown increasingly obsessed with the truth about Nicholas' identity and how it might fit with the death of her schoolfriend Nicky decades ago.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Written by Rose McDonagh
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Rose McDonagh was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English Literature and History, has worked in community health for many years and lives in Midlothian with her husband, their baby, and two cats. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the London Magazine Short Story Competition, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize and the Bristol Prize. Her first short story collection, The Dog Husband, was published in 2022 by Reflex Press. 'One Came Back' is her debut novel.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001ddg1)
Episode 2: The Watcher
Danny meets our star witness – the real-life Liz Rich, to learn more about the frightening reality of living inside what has been called Britain's most haunted house. Back in 1989, we hear how the haunting intensifies, as Bill and Liz feel a sinister presence that appears to be taking over their lives, but is it real, or is it in their heads?
The Witch Farm reinvestigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set in in the beautiful, remote Welsh countryside, this terrifying true story is told through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary.
Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit
2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into a real-life mystery.
Cast:
Bill Rich ..... Joseph Fiennes
Liz Rich ..... Alexandra Roach
Wyn Thomas ...... Owen Teale
Laurence Rich ..... Jonathan Case
Mr Jones ..... Ioan Hefin
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound design by Charlie Brandon-King and Richard Fox
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Gwenno
Researcher: Nancy Bottomley
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant was Mark Chadbourn, author of the book on the case 'Testimony'
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002b6sl)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2025
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002b6sn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k6pmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b6sq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b6ss)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:00 News Summary (m002b6sv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002b6sx)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b6sz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002b6t1)
The missing marzipan
Good Morning.
What better way to celebrate a festival, than with a cake. The simnel cake is first recorded in Britain during the mediaeval era. Originally linked with Mothering Sunday, it later became more commonly associated with Easter. It’s a rich cake, full of dried fruit, though perhaps not as heavy as its Christmas counterpart, and is usually covered not with icing, but marzipan. On top of the cake eleven marzipan balls are arranged evenly around the edges, sometimes with a larger one at the centre. These represent the eleven apostles who remained loyal to Jesus after the twelfth, Judas, had betrayed him. That larger, central ball, stands for Christ himself.
Arranging eleven balls evenly around a circle is, at least to me, much harder than twelve. With a dozen they can be placed first at the four points of the compass, and then leaving the relatively simple task of placing two further ones into each of the four quarters. Eleven takes much more effort to distribute evenly. Hence, I’m minded to place a full twelve around the perimeter, and then remove one, leaving a gap. Not only would that be easier in practice, but it would remind me that we cannot simply remove those people who have hurt or betrayed us, and with whom we no longer wish to be reminded of our connection, from out of the picture.
And so I pray:
Lord Jesus, your love for Judas held firm in spite of his betrayal. Help me to hold a space in my heart for those who have done me wrong, and never to seek to erase them from my life’s story. Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002b6t3)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 06:00 Today (m002b6w1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m002b6w3)
The Girl Gambler
When Stacey Goodwin was 18 she got a job at a Bookies. Not long afterwards she put a coin into a slot machine and won. It was the trigger that would lead to a life of shame, isolation and deceit. The money she lost over an eight year period was eye-watering. She even managed to fritter away a fifty-thousand pound online win in a matter of days. Sometimes suicidal, and always lonely, it was the damage she did to those closest to her which hurt the most.
When her addiction saw her undermine the financial security of someone she loved she reached a crossroads. She found the strength to ask for help.
Details of organisations offering support and information with addiction are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Producer: Tom Alban
WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002b6w5)
Invisible Hands
The Lucky Gambler
James Goldsmith was a billionaire tycoon who thrived in the free-market revolution. He was a corporate raider who conquered both the City of London and Wall Street. He was a playboy – four wives, a host of mistresses and a reputation as outsized as a Bond villain. Then in 1987 he predicted a stock market crash and disappeared from the world stage.
A few years later he turned up again, ready to tell the world something shocking. That everything he had believed about the free market was wrong. That a global elite had rigged the system and global capitalism was now stifling the very freedoms it promised to protect. That global free trade had led to a hollowing out of manufacturing towns and communities. That the nation state itself was being undermined.
Then in 1997 he saw there was an election coming up in Britain. An election where he could spread his message that globalisation and global free trade had failed. An election that perhaps, more than any other, set the stage for Donald Trump.
David Dimbleby traces the history of an idea that charts his lifespan. It started on a chicken farm in Sussex, gained traction in the shadows of post-war London and rose to heights of excess in the new champagne bars of the City.
But who are the little-known people behind it? What did they want? And is the free market here to stay? Or are we entering a new era?
Presenter: David Dimbleby
Producer: Jo Barratt
Sound Design: Peregrine Andrews
Executive Producers: Joe Sykes and Dasha Lisitsina
Story Editors: Joe Sykes and Dasha Lisitsina
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Samizdat Audio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002b6w7)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
WED 11:00 Today (m002b6s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:45 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k89wt)
Trade and War
To cut a deal or to start a war?
Paul Seabright and his guests explore the long and multi-faceted relationship between trade and violence.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
WED 12:00 News Summary (m002b6wc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002b6wf)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
WED 12:57 Weather (m002b6wh)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m002b6wk)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
WED 13:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b6wm)
It's time to review YouTube's music revolution
In 2012, PSY’s Gangnam Style exploded, taking him from a Korean artist of relative unknown to the first video on YouTube to hit 1 billion views.
Sophia Smith Galer explores what made it a global sensation, speaking to artists Rebecca Black and Dodie about the harsh reality of YouTube’s comment culture and its impact on them as teens. Billboard journalist Kristin Robinson also analyses how YouTube redefined the music industry and changed the way artists are discovered.
It's the story of Youtube, told by the content creators who were there.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m002b6s1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 The Interrogation (m000kvkw)
Series 8
Tanya and Natalie
New series. Best friends Tanya and Natalie are the prime suspects after a spate of muggings including an attack on an elderly man, but are these young women capable of such brutality?
Cast
Max ..... Kenneth Cranham
Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun
Tanya ..... Kirsty J. Curtis
Natalie ..... Danielle Vitalis
Writer, Roy Williams
Composer, David Pickvance
Producer, Jessica Dromgoole
Director, Mary Peate
WED 15:00 Money Box (m002b6wp)
The latest news from the world of personal finance
WED 15:30 Loud (m002b6wr)
Are we surrounded by an invisible killer?
James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent and presenter of Inside Health on Radio 4, investigates how our noisy world is damaging our health.
We’ll find out why noise increases our risk of health problems, like heart attacks, disrupted sleep and anxiety, and can even affect how long we live.
James has two days in Barcelona – one of the noisiest cities in Europe – to meet the people whose health is being ruined by noise and the scientists and doctors trying to turn down the volume. James also visits London where he'll be experimented on in a sound lab to find out exactly how noise changes the body.
James discovers that even when we think we’ve tuned out loud noise it can still be damaging our health and why we all need to start paying attention to the noise around us.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Gerry Holt
Dhaka reporter: Salman Saeed
Content editor: Martin Smith
Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002b6wt)
Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.
WED 16:15 The Media Show (m002b6ww)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world
WED 17:00 PM (m002b6wy)
Full coverage of the day's news
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b6x0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 18:30 The Ultimate Choice (m001vm4x)
Series 2
4: Cavemen v Clowns
Steph McGovern asks some seriously funny minds to offer definitive answers to the great questions of our age. Or not.
Welcome to the world's most devious game of Would You Rather? With guests Scott Bennett and Ria Lina.
Host: Steph McGovern
Guests: Scott Bennett and Ria Lina
Devised and written by Jon Harvey & Joseph Morpurgo
With additional material from Laura Major
Researcher: Leah Marks
Recorded and mixed by David Thomas
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Ed Morrish and Polly Thomas
Photo: Carolyn Mendelsohn
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m002b6x2)
Natasha and Tom make their presence felt, and Rochelle has something on her mind.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m002b6x4)
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan
WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m0029zfq)
Two-tier justice
Lucy Connolly is a 42 year old woman from Northampton who is currently serving a custodial sentence for stirring up racial hatred after she posted on X on the day of the Southport attacks last year, calling for "mass deportations now" and referring to setting fire to asylum hotels.
Her case has caused controversy online, with some describing her as a "political prisoner" and claiming that the justice system is treating some people more harshly than others.
But to others, Lucy Connolly is being appropriately punished for an incendiary post at a time of high tensions.
Are heftier sentences meted out to some people more than others? Are some groups treated differently in the courts because of their ethnicity or political views?
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Josephine Casserly, Simon Maybin and Beth Ashmead-Latham
Studio manager: Andy Mills
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Bridget Harney
WED 20:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027bnp)
The Business of Business
It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years. In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders.
Simon reveals how a few influential individuals propelled this idea from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences of this foresight have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.
Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today.
Presenter: Simon Jack
Producer: Jonathan Brunert
WED 21:00 The Long View (m002b6r0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002b6r2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002b6x7)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 One Came Back by Rose McDonagh (m002b6x9)
Episode 8
Memories of her Highland childhood rise to the surface when Emily glimpses a stranger resembling a friend who died twenty years ago.
While Emily obsesses over the past, the client she's been supporting is still missing from his Edinburgh flat.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Written by Rose McDonagh
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Rose McDonagh was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English Literature and History, has worked in community health for many years and lives in Midlothian with her husband, their baby, and two cats. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the London Magazine Short Story Competition, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize and the Bristol Prize. Her first short story collection, The Dog Husband, was published in 2022 by Reflex Press. 'One Came Back' is her debut novel.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 DMs Are Open (m002b6xc)
Series 4
6. Party
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 The Skewer (m002b6xf)
Series 13
Episode 2
Jon Holmes brings you the week's biggest stories like you've never heard them before.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002b6xh)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2025
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002b6xk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k89wt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b6xm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b6xp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:00 News Summary (m002b6xr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002b6xt)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b6xw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002b6xy)
Using your loaf
Good Morning.
St Luke tells the story of how, on the first Easter Day, two followers of Jesus have left Jerusalem for the town of Emmaus. Christ himself comes and walks alongside them, but he remains unrecognised until they stop for a meal. It’s not until the moment when he breaks the loaf of bread, echoing what he had done three nights before at the Last Supper, that they realise who it is with whom they've been journeying.
From those very first days, bread has been central to Christian worship, especially in the sacrament of Holy Communion, so it’s no surprise that it also features beyond the church doors, in the popular customs of home and family throughout the world.
Easter breads, are often enhanced with extra rich ingredients such as fruit, nuts or eggs, and moulded into symbolic shapes. The Colomba di Pasquale, popular in Italy, is studded with candied orange peel, and crafted into the form of a dove. In parts of the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, Easter loaves and buns are given a distinctive local flavour, with molasses and spices.
For me this symbolises how even the most basic food, can be transformed into something fit for a feast. And that the additional work involved in preparing such an elaborate and special loaf, becomes as much a part of the celebration, as does eating the finished product.
And so I pray:
Lord Jesus, I thank you for bread, and for the part it plays both in Christian worship and in household celebrations. As it sustains me, both in body and in spirit, make me ever mindful of those who will struggle today, to buy or bake their daily bread. Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002b6y0)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 06:00 Today (m002b6zx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002b701)
Molière
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the great figures in world literature. The French playwright Molière (1622-1673) began as an actor, aiming to be a tragedian but stronger in comedy, touring with a troupe for 13 years until Louis XIV summoned him to audition at the Louvre and gave him his break. It was in Paris and at Versailles that Molière wrote and performed his best known plays, among them Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope and Le Malade Imaginaire, and in time he was so celebrated that French became known as The Language of Molière.
With
Noel Peacock
Emeritus Marshall Professor in French Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow
Jan Clarke
Professor of French at Durham University
And
Joe Harris
Professor of Early Modern French and Comparative Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London
Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002b705)
Armando Iannucci and Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002b709)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002b70d)
Wayne McGregor
Choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor talks to John Wilson about his creative inspirations.
THU 11:45 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k894n)
Distance Matters
What do Bronze Age donkeys and a high-speed train in Japan have in common?
Economists Richard Baldwin and Thomas Chaney join Paul Seabright to investigate the impact of distance on trade.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
THU 12:00 News Summary (m002b70n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m002b70s)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002b70x)
Greg Foot investigates the so-called wonder products making bold claims.
THU 12:57 Weather (m002b711)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m002b715)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
THU 13:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b719)
What happens when YouTube gets political?
As cat videos were being shared, and music hits like Gangnam Style went global, YouTube was quietly reshaping how we consume information. People were turning away from traditional media, trusting unsourced, unverified content.
For some, it’s been liberating - for Egyptians like Hadil El-Khouly, who were inspired to join the Arab Spring. But it’s also raised concerns. Could YouTube threaten democracy itself? Researcher Jillian C. York warns of YouTube’s power to spread unchecked information, while author of YouTubers Chris Stokel-Walker questions the platform’s role in spreading misinformation.
And in this fourth episode of our five part series, presenter Sophia Smith Galer asks Hank Green what’s next?
It's the story of Youtube, told through the content creators who were there.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m002b6x2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002b71h)
All Change at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch train station. North Wales.
Enid’s dead husband Oscar was famed for his quirky train announcements at the station. When, overnight, his recordings are replaced with automated announcements, Enid and 18-year-old station cafe assistant, Cadi, start a quiet protest, that soon becomes a lot louder...
All Change at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a comedy drama by Neil Williams (Good Morning, Yvette’s Nan, Radio 4), starring Siw Hughes and Angharad Phillips.
Enid… Siw Hughes
Cadi…. Angharad Phillips
Wend… Lisa Zahra
Oscar…. Richard Elfyn
Cecil… Sion Pritchard
Dylan… Luke Bailey
Influencer/ Automated Train Announcer …. Kellie-Gwen Morgan
Automated Voice in Spanish... Maria Claudia Perrone
Writer… Neil Williams
Sound Designer… Nigel Lewis
Production Co-ordinator… Eleri McAuliffe
Director/Producer…. Fay Lomas
A BBC Audio Drama Wales Production.
THU 15:00 Open Country (m002b71m)
The People's Forest
Helen Mark hears the story of how the ancient Epping Forest was fought for, and saved by, the people of East London.
In the late 19th century, Epping Forest was threatened with enclosures. As elsewhere in Britain, local landowners were selling off common land for farming or building developments. But local people fought back. Beginning with a Loughton man, Thomas Willingale, who continued to assert his commoner rights to lop trees for firewood, the groundswell of protest later became thousands of working class East Enders gathering on Wanstead Flats - the area closest to the city of London.
The land of Epping Forest was eventually bought by the City of London Corporation, and with the Epping Forest Act of 1878, was forever saved from more enclosures. As Queen Victoria declared in 1882, "It gives me great satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest for the use and enjoyment of my people for all time”.
Part of the responsibility of the new conservators of the forest, the City of London, was to look after and protect the forest for both people and wildlife. Helen Mark hears from those who job it is to carry that out, including Senior Epping Forest Keeper Martin Whitfield and Head of Conservation Tanith Cook. She also speaks to local historian, Georgina Green - author of 'Keepers, Cockneys and Kitchen Maids: Memories of Epping Forest, 1900-25', a book about the forests' eventful past, who also talks about her own memories of the place. And finally Luke Turner, author of 'Out of The Woods', who lives on the forest border talks about the myriad ways humans and Epping Forest are entwined.
Produced by Eliza Lomas, BBC Audio Bristol.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002b6kx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m002b71r)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience.
THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002b71w)
Combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002b71y)
BBC Radio 4's science magazine
THU 17:00 PM (m002b720)
Full coverage of the day's news
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b722)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 18:30 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001jslm)
Series 4
Thursday's Child Is...
Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.
This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We make our way through the working week, tonight considering Thursday. What does it mean to have 'far to go'? What was the lowpoint of Mark's career on the Waitrose checkout? And who does his mother consider 'a waste of space'?
Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as Mark is aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - we are lucky tonight to have Sikisa.
Producer: Lianne Coop
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m002b724)
Rex doesn’t know where to turn, and there’s a campaign going at Brookfield.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m002b726)
Review: Self Esteem's album A Complicated Woman; RSC's Much Ado About Nothing; Julie Keeps Quiet tennis film
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet
THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002b6wt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002b6ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:15 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002b6jx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002b705)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002b728)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 One Came Back by Rose McDonagh (m002b72b)
Episode 9
Memories of her Highland childhood rise to the surface when Emily glimpses a stranger resembling a friend who died twenty years ago.
Emily remembers the time after Nicky's death and the depths of her and Robin's obsession with their late classmate.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Written by Rose McDonagh
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Rose McDonagh was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English Literature and History, has worked in community health for many years and lives in Midlothian with her husband, their baby, and two cats. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the London Magazine Short Story Competition, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize and the Bristol Prize. Her first short story collection, The Dog Husband, was published in 2022 by Reflex Press. 'One Came Back' is her debut novel.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m002b72d)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002b72g)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRIDAY 25 APRIL 2025
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002b72j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k894n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002b72l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002b72n)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002b72q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002b72s)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002b72v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002b72x)
A fishy tale
Good Morning.
There’s an odd little incident right at the end of St Luke’s Gospel. It’s the evening of Easter Day, and Jesus’s disciples are gathered in the room where they’d shared their final meal with him. Jesus himself appears among them, and shows them the wounds of his crucifixion. He invites them to touch him to confirm he isn’t a ghost. Then, as further proof, he asks for something to eat. Luke tells us they give him a piece of broiled fish. St John, in his final chapter, picks up a similar theme, describing the risen Jesus preparing a fire by the lakeside, to share breakfast with his disciples when they’ve landed their catch.
When the gospel writers give us such details, it’s because they matter. In earlier days, fish have been how Jesus has miraculously fed crowds of several thousands. Now, post Easter, it is Jesus himself who is being fed. The fish will go on to become one of the earliest Christian symbols. To be offered fish, is symbolic of being given the gospel. Much later St. Teresa of Avila will famously say that the task of Christians is to be the hands and eyes, feet and mouth of Jesus on Earth. So I read these stories as indicating a transfer of responsibility. From now on, whilst Jesus will be with them spiritually, the disciples will need to carry forward his work themselves. It will be Peter, James, John and the others who succeed them, who will feed the people of Jerusalem, of Rome and ultimately of all nations.
So today I pray:
Lord Jesus, help me, by my words and by my deeds, to feed your people with the good news of your love. Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002b72z)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 06:00 Today (m002b76l)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (m002b6l9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002b76n)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002b76q)
The World's Oldest Restaurants
The restaurant trade is fickle and can be a "here today, gone tomorrow" business. But a very small number of restaurants seem to have been with us forever. Dan Saladino explores the secrets of the world's oldest restaurants.
FRI 11:45 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (b09k8r9v)
Fair Exchange
Consumer protectors or greedy monopolists?
Paul Seabright is joined by Sheilagh Ogilvie, Professor of Economic History at Cambridge, to take a fresh look at what guilds really did for trade in medieval and early modern Europe, and lessons for trade today.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002b76v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002b76x)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
FRI 12:57 Weather (m002b76z)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m002b771)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
FRI 13:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b773)
Could AI Eat YouTube?
YouTube has reshaped the world, from fame to freedom. But now our trips down the rabbit hole have started to become distorted. Robots threaten to erase the human connection that fuelled it, and hours of videos on YouTube are now generated by AI. Could YouTube eat itself?
To close this five part series, Sophia Smith Galer dives into the rising AI-generated content on the platform, featuring insights from YouTube’s Managing Director in the UK and Ireland Alison Lomax about the company's AI vision. And futurist Sinead Bovell imagines YouTube’s future - will it even survive 20 years from now?
It's the story of Youtube, told through the content creators are here now.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002b724)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002b775)
Discretion
Episode 3
After Adam's concern that Reid is shielding certain parties with his assessment of the crash report, Maria leaves hospital to confront him.
At the embassy, Reid is scathing, Maria is new to this, there are many factors at play and even a suggestion of another country's involvement could be catastrophic. Challenged by Maria as to how he can be sure, Reid sets her up with a meeting to speak to those fears head on.
Maria...Sinead Keenan
Reid...Kevin McNally
Adam...Declan Rodgers
Bolin Wu...Lobo Chan
Maria's Father...Piotr Baumann
Paul...Edward Hogg
Nick Kim...Vincent Lai
All other roles by Eddie Toll, Anna Krippa and Ani Russo
Written by Davy Banks.
Produced by Claire Broughton
Direction, Sound Design and additional production by John Wakefield
The Executive Producer is Jed Mercurio.
With thanks to Tanya Nedashkovskaya for her translations.
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:45 Child (m001xjvw)
16. First Love
The chemical and emotional connection between a parent and baby is really important but just how quickly are babies making emotional connections? India talks to MIT Professor Rebecca Saxe about scanning babies brains to find the answers. Helen Jukes questions the ‘naturalness’ of the mother-baby bond and talks about the variety of relationships out in the natural world, and India talks to Paternal mental health expert Scott Mair about the important role of dads in the very early days of bonding.
Presented by: India Rakusen.
Producer: India Rakusen
Series producer: Ellie Sans.
Executive producer: Suzy Grant.
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon.
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King.
A Listen Production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002b777)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002b779)
The Garden by David Park
An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the Northern Irish author David Park. Read by Chris McCurry.
The Writer
David Park is one of Northern Ireland's most acclaimed authors. His first novel 'The Healing' won the Authors’ Club First Novel Award; 'The Truth Commissioner' was awarded the Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize and adapted for film; 'The Light of Amsterdam' was shortlisted for the IMPAC Prize; 'The Poets’ Wives' was Belfast’s One City One Book and 'Travelling in a Strange Land' won the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. He has received a Major Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and an Honorary Fellowship in the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. His latest novel 'Ghost Wedding' will be published in May 2025.
Writer: David Park
Reader: Chris McCurry
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002b77c)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant.
FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m002b6w3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m002b77f)
Full coverage of the day's news
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002b77h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002b77k)
Series 117
Episode 2
Topical panel quiz show, taking its questions from the week's news stories.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002b77m)
Writer: Naylah Ahmed
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davies
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Leonard Berry…. Paul Copley
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Jazzer McCreary…. Ryan Kelly
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Saskia…. Alison Belbin
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002b77p)
Studio Ghibli
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode waltz into the magical world of Studio Ghibli, as the animation giant celebrates its 40th birthday.
Ellen speaks to the film, TV and video game critic, Kambole Campbell about Studio Ghibli's origin story and key aspects of visual style. Also, the animator and co-founder of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Nora Twomey discusses the emotional impact of films like My Neighbour Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies.
Mark meets actor, Emily Mortimer who discusses the process of re-dubbing for the film, Howl's Moving Castle. And the animator and director, Michaël Dudok de Wit discusses the collaborative relationship forged with Studio Ghibli, while working on his feature length production, The Red Turtle.
Producer: Mae-Li Evans
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002b77r)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities.
FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002b77t)
April 21 - April 27
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. April 21st – April 27th
- 26th of April 1986. The Chernobyl power plant saw the worst nuclear accident in history, but are we still dealing with the fall out?.
- 23rd of April 1564. It's celebrated as the birthday of one of England's greatest ever writers, but was William Shakespeare actually born on this day?
- 27th of April 1994. After decades of white minority rule under apartheid, it was the first free elections in South Africa, a day that has became known as Freedom Day.
Presented by Ron Brown and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Luke Doran
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002b77w)
Decadence and Declinism
Some people think we live in an age of decline. Matthew Sweet investigates, with guests including political journalist Tim Stanley, art critic Louisa Buck and Professor Jane Desmarais who is head of the decadence research centre at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Producer: Luke Mulhall
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002b77y)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 One Came Back by Rose McDonagh (m002b780)
Episode 10
Memories of her Highland childhood rise to the surface when Emily glimpses a stranger resembling a friend who died twenty years ago.
Emily's heard some home truths about her behaviour from friends and family. She's finally ready to face up to the past and let go of her obsession with Nicky.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Written by Rose McDonagh
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Rose McDonagh was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English Literature and History, has worked in community health for many years and lives in Midlothian with her husband, their baby, and two cats. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the London Magazine Short Story Competition, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize and the Bristol Prize. Her first short story collection, The Dog Husband, was published in 2022 by Reflex Press. 'One Came Back' is her debut novel.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 Americast (m002b782)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002b784)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament