SATURDAY 25 JULY 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002z67r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 A Meditation on Mud by Rebecca Stott (m002z66j)
Episode 5: Life and Death

Award-winning writer Rebecca Stott likes to unearth the overlooked and the forgotten.

While taking a long walk in Sussex to mark the first anniversary of her mother’s death, Rebecca’s focus shifts to the mud all around her. Noticing it for the first time in detail, she sets off on a journey to discover its hidden depths and meanings. She finds herself peeling back layers of literature, culture, science and geology; she discovers the rich literary history of marsh monsters, dips her toes into Darwin’s mud experiments, treads in the footsteps of soldiers in the trenches during World War One and finds out how mud cores extracted from the seabed can shed light on the planet’s past and future.

In the fifth and final episode, Rebecca traces Darwin’s fascinating experiments with owl pellets, stork poo, and a breakfast cup of mud. Darwin - and Rebecca - find their answers and admire the astonishing, life-giving quality of mud.

Finally, through her examination of mud’s multi-layered meanings across the series, Rebecca comes to an understanding about her mother’s death - and life.

Written and narrated by Rebecca Stott
Producer, Lisa Lipman
Editor, Kirsten Lass
Sound engineer and mix, Jon Calver
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002z67t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002z67w)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002z67y)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002z680)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002z682)
James the Great

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Reverend Doctor Stephen Wigley.

Good morning.

Today marks the feast day of St James, one of the first disciples chosen by Jesus, alongside his brother John, Simon Peter, and Andrew. He’s known as St James the Great to distinguish him from James’ son of Alphaeus, but while not intended to imply higher status, it does seem that Jesus chose Peter, James and John to accompany him at some significant moments, such as climbing the Mount of Transfiguration. Coming down from this moment of excitement James and John seem more preoccupied with seats in the coming Kingdom than heeding Jesus’ warning about how the Messiah will face suffering and death. So, when the three of them are invited to accompany Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, it’s no surprise that James like the other two falls asleep in the moment of crisis.

Is the James who is preoccupied with the best seats ready to share in Jesus’ cup of suffering? At this point no – but this is not the end of the story. As the risen Jesus returns to restore his broken disciples by Lake Galilee, James like Peter is given the opportunity for a fresh start. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, Peter and John find the courage to proclaim that Jesus is risen and resume his ministry. Although not named, we can presume James shares in this new leadership, since when the first wave of persecution breaks out, it is he whom Herod has killed with the sword, making him the first of the disciples to be martyred. So it is that the disciple who was once only interested in glory, becomes the first to offer his life in the service of Jesus and to share the cup of suffering that leads to salvation.

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the life and ministry of James; especially, we rejoice in your willingness to give him a second chance to find fulfilment in the service of your Son; for Christ’s sake, Amen.


SAT 05:45 Living on the Edge (m001n8pg)
East Neuk

Ten coastal encounters, presented by Richard King.

Today: at Anstruther harbour with Ellie Deas.

Not simply town or countryside, the coastline is a place apart – attracting lives and stories often overlooked.

In these ten programmes, the writer Richard King travels around the UK coast to meet people who live and work there – a sequence of portraits rooted in distinct places, which piece together into an alternative portrait of the UK: an oblique image of the nation drawn from the coastal edge.

Producer: Martin Williams


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002zg0k)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m002z9hz)
Roma Agrawal

The writer and structural engineer behind The Shard, Roma Agrawal, takes Martha Kearney to Kilburn Grange Park in north-west London. The park was an oasis for Roma during some of the most difficult periods of her life.

Roma shares how she sees the world through the lens of a structural engineer, reflecting on materials, society and the ways we organise our cities. She tells Martha about her upbringing in Mumbai, India, and the natural world that surrounded her there, comparing it with the landscapes she experiences in the UK today. The pair also visit a special spot in the park – the rose garden – which holds memories of Roma's turbulent thirties.

Roma worked as an engineer on The Shard, the tallest building in western Europe, and her books include Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures, and the childrens' book How to Build a Chocolate Bridge: Extraordinary Builds Using Everyday Things.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002zg0m)
25/07/26 Farming Today This Week: What's the best use of land in Wales?

Charlotte Smith presents a panel discussion programme at the Royal Welsh Show, asking 'what's the best use of land in Wales?' With the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability in the Welsh Government, Llyr Gruffydd; hill farmer and social media influencer, Gareth Wyn Jones; Dominic Hampson Smith, Vice Chair of Wales Young Farmers Clubs; and Rachel Sharp, Director at Wildlife Trusts Wales.

Produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002zg0p)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002zg0r)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Artworks (m002gqy5)
What Happened to Counter-Culture?

1. Absolute Beginners

More than just a cultural trend – counter-culture became a social movement so powerful it shaped institutions, businesses, politics and the attitudes and aspirations of whole generations – including everything from haircuts to voting choices. In fact, it became so prevalent that it’s sometimes hard to remember how things have changed under its influence.

Comedian Stewart Lee presents a five-part series exploring the evolution and key ideas that have driven counter-culture from its beginnings with the Beats, folk and jazz in the 1950s, to its heights in the 1960s and 70s including the hippies and the early tech-communalists, the new liberation movements and punk, to the 1980s and early 90s, where political power on both sides of the Atlantic pushed back against the values of the ‘permissive society’.

Talking to artists, musicians, writers, activists and historians, Stewart continues to the present day asking where we are now, in the digital age of social media silos and the so-called ‘culture wars’ – what’s happened to counter-culture? Was it co-opted, did it sell out? Or did its ideas of freedom and identity become so entrenched within mainstream culture it’s legacy has become unassailable? Or has it migrated politically to the Right? Throughout the series, the counter-culture is explored not only in terms of its history, extraordinary cultural output and key events – but also its deeper political and philosophical impact, its continued meaning for our own age.

Part 1, Absolute Beginners, explores why the counter-culture happened when it did and the uniquely placed generation driving it forwards - the Beat poets, the folk scene and its ties to the growing peace movement. A younger generation rejected ideas of security and hyper-conformity – a fear of the automated society and of a repressed ‘One Dimensional Man’ - the life being lived by their parents, still shaken by World War Two. Freedom and self-expression would become the new currency and poet Alan Ginsberg’s Howl (1956) heralds the start of an unstoppable movement.

Contributors include musician Brian Eno, authors Iain Sinclair and Olivia Laing, music producer Joe Boyd, sculptor Emily Young, cultural historian Jon Savage and folk singer Shirley Collins, with Ian Kearey playing The Instrument.

Presenter: Stewart Lee
Producer: Simon Hollis

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 09:30 What's Up Docs? (m002z73w)
How can you look after your eyes?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Chris and Xand van Tulleken discuss eyes and how to check and protect them. From finding a proper pair of sunglasses to mythbusting common beliefs about eyes, the twins explore the intricacies of an organ that can often be overlooked, especially if you’ve never needed glasses.

To help navigate the maze of online advice, Chris and Xand are joined by Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik, a consultant ophthalmic and oculoplastic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, one of the world's leading eye hospitals. Together, they break down what everyone needs to look out for when it comes to their eyes.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik
Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed

At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002zg0t)
Akhenaten and Nefertiti: religious revolution in ancient Egypt

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Egypt by historian and curator Dr Campbell Price and comedian Sikisa to learn all about Tutankhamun’s parents, Nefertiti and Akhenaten. As well as their famous son, this ancient Egyptian power couple are best known in the modern age for two reasons. Firstly, Nefertiti’s legendary beauty – her portrait bust is instantly recognisable around the world. Secondly, Akhenaten’s religious radicalism, which saw him reorient Egyptian belief towards the sun god Aten and build an entirely new capital away from the traditional seat of power at Thebes. This episode traces their lives as members of the 18th dynasty, often regarded as the ‘Golden Age’ of pharaonic Egypt. We look at Akhenaten’s murky childhood and Nefertiti’s even murkier origins, exploring their family life and the children they had, the religious revolution that Akhenaten drove, the unique architecture and art styles developed during their reign, and the fate of Aten worship after Akhenaten’s death. Along the way, we dig into the archaeological evidence and the many uncertainties surrounding their lives, and ask whether they really were Tutankhamun’s parents after all.

If you’re a fan of pharaohs and their follies, the history of religion, and unravelling the mysteries of ancient Egypt, you’ll love our episode on Nefertiti and Akhenaten.

If you want more ancient Egyptian history with Dr Campbell Price, listen to our episodes on Hatshepsut or Ramesses the Great. And for more power-hungry monarchs, check out episodes on Emperor Nero or Frederick the Great.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Siobhan-Michelle Smith
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002zg0w)
Series 53

Postbag

Jay Rayner is joined in the studio by chefs, cooks and food writers Sophie Wright, Melissa Thompson and Tim Hayward, alongside Dr Zoe Laughlin, for a special postbag edition tackling listeners' culinary conundrums.

The panel debate the merits of different kitchen utensils and materials, discuss food pronunciations that divide opinion, and consider whether separate ovens should be kept for baking and roasting. They also share ideas for affordable seafood dishes, savoury alternatives to birthday cake, and creative ways to use an accidentally purchased bottle of sweet red wine.

Along the way, they explore some bigger questions, including what truly defines a salad and which kitchen tools they simply couldn't live without.

Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Assistant Producer: William Norton
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 Radical (m002z79b)
Engineering the Climate: Can Injecting Chemicals in the Sky Help Save the Planet? (Professor David Keith)

What if the answer to climate change is not only to cut carbon emissions, but to make the Earth more resilient using tech?

Professor David Keith is one of the world’s leading researchers of geoengineering which aims to do just that. Efforts to capture carbon are already underway, but Professor Keith is particularly interested in sunlight reflection - the controversial idea of cooling the planet by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space. To do this, he wants to release sulphur high into the atmosphere, and believes governments should consider starting within years.

To critics, it’s an arrogant and potentially disastrous attempt to interfere with a climate system we don’t fully understand. But, Professor Keith is now willing to say that we should be more radical in the face of the scale of our climate problem, and that a carefully managed intervention would be worth the downsides.

Gabriel Gatehouse sits in this week, and asks who would control the technology, who would be liable if it went wrong, and whether humanity should have the power to redesign the climate.

Next week, James Marriott speaks to Lamorna Ash about why Generation Z are turning to religion for answers to the problems of the modern world.

GET IN TOUCH
* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series producer: Rufus Gray
Producers: Oscar Pearson, Nathan Gower
Digital producers: Leona Gasper, Gabriel Purcell-Davis
Technical producer: Jonny Hall
Senior news editor: Sam Bonham


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002zg0y)
India's 'cockroach' student protests

Kate Adie introduces stories on India's 'cockroach' protests, anger in Ukraine over army recruitment, the Iranian school bombed at the start of the war, fears over voting changes in America's deep south, and the bio-hacking phenomenon in Berlin.

The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, is now one of India's most visible youth movements, driving tens of thousands of students to take to the streets to protest about education, corruption, and a lack of job opportunities. Azadeh Moshiri met demonstrators in central Delhi.

President Zelensky’s decision to replace Ukraine's popular defence minister Mykhailo Federov triggered an outburst of anger this week. The country's military is struggling on several fronts - not least when it comes to signing-up new soldiers. Sarah Rainsford reports on the growing hostility around conscription.

In Iran we return to the opening hours of the conflict back in February, when a strike on an Iranian school transformed an ordinary Saturday morning into one of the war's defining tragedies - and its deadliest single incident for civilians. Nawal Al-Maghafi returned to the scene in Minab.

In Alabama, there is concern that a recent decision by the US Supreme Court could roll back hard-earned civil rights victories which protected the interests of minority African-American voters. Brandon Drenon has been speaking to voters in Tuskegee.

And so-called bio-hacking – using data to optimise one’s health, mental performance, and longevity - is being embraced by start-ups across Europe. Simon Busch has been finding out more in Berlin - one of the industry’s thriving hubs.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinators: Gemma Ashman & Sophie Hill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002zg10)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002zg12)
New Chancellor, New Plans? and Inheritance Gifts

This week has seen a new Prime Minister and a new Chancellor of the Exchequer. As soon as John Healey was appointed the announcements began. First came the announcement to cut VAT on household energy bills from October, next a plan to cap bus fares in England from January, then a 20% cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues in England starting from April. But what about that major issue on the doorstep when Andy Burnham was campaigning to be elected in his new constituency of Makerfield? The frozen personal tax threshold. We'll discuss what this might mean for your money.

Nearly two million households in England and Wales are living in water poverty according to a new study seen exclusively by this programme. The technical definition of that is when people spend more than 5% of their income, after housing costs, on water bills. What it means in reality is being unable to afford to pay for water, and being in debt to a water company. We'll speak to the Consumer Council for Water, who commissioned that study.

Plus, we'll look at the rules around gifts and inheritance tax as a new survey by the financial advisors the Private Office found more then 8 in 10 of its clients aged over 45 believe parents and grandparents should help younger generations during their lifetime rather than leave an inheritance after death.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Amber Mehmood, Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner.
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 25th July 2026)


SAT 12:30 Current-ish (m002z679)
Burnham, Bellingham, and the spirit of Margaret Thatcher

Lucy Porter is joined by John Tothill, Kyrah Gray and Amy Annette to talk all things current-ish events. Should politicians wear ties? Should children learn to read? And should we all now identify as Spanish?

Hosted by Lucy Porter

Written by Lucy Porter, Ruth Husko and Katie Sayer, with additional material by Mike Shephard

Producer - Katie Sayer
Assistant producer - Lorna Reader
Executive producer - Victoria Lloyd
A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002zg14)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002zg16)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002z67j)
Saqib Bhatti MP, Lord Falconer, Baroness Fox, Polly Mackenzie

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the University of Birmingham with the Conservative MP and shadow education minister, Saqib Bhatti MP; the Labour peer and former justice secretary, Lord Falconer; the director of the Academy of Ideas, Baroness Fox; and Nick Clegg's former director of policy, Polly Mackenzie.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Lowri Morgan
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Rosie Nieder
Editor: Andrea Kennedy


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002zg18)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002z67d)
Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Jesscia Bunch
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer … Buffy Davis
Harrison Burns … James Cartwright
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin
Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber
Alan Franks … John Telfer
Bert Horrobin … David Sterne
Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin … Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin …. Susie Riddell
Elizabeth Pargetter … Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers … Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell … Carole Boyd
Carol Tregorran … Mia Soteriou


SAT 15:00 Dangerous Liaisons (m000zdb2)
Episode 2

By Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, in a new version by Sian Ejiwunmi-LeBerre.

Tanya Moodie, Nicola Coughlan and Ray Fearon star in this dark and scandalously funny masterpiece of eighteenth-century French literature, which has never before been dramatised by BBC Radio 4.

Sian Ejiwunmi-LeBerre’s brand new version plays fast and loose with the letter form of the novel, as clueless ingenue Cecile de Volanges, and lonely wife Lady Tourvel, both become prey in a struggle for seduction between two amoral ex-lovers: Madame de Merteuil and Count Valmont.

The battle turns darker, as the rivals deal out sexual control and abuse in a dangerous contest which will kill one of them - and one of their victims.

Cast:
Madame de Merteuil ….. Tanya Moodie
Count Valmont ….. Ray Fearon
Cecile de Volanges ….. Nicola Coughlan
Lady Tourvel ….. Melody Grove
The Editor ….. Sian Ejiwunmi-LeBerre
Danceny ….. Sid Sagar
Lady Volanges ….. Juliet Cowan
Lady Rosemonde ..... Amanda Boxer
Ensemble ….. Alexander Devrient, David Hounslow, Ryan Whittle
Harpist ..... Ruth Faber
Singers ..... Rowan Atkins, Freddie Falzon

Sound Design ….. Jon Nicholls, Jonquil Panting, Olga Reed

Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting

A Jonx production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002zg1b)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Lena Headey, Women in Iran, Dr Emma Chapman, Hysteroscopy and pain relief, Para-athlete Melanie Woods

Actor, writer and director Lena Headey is best known for playing Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. She has created and stars in Intimacy, a new BBC Sounds audio drama and podcast which follows intimacy coordinator Liza Simmons, whose professional life revolves around creating safe spaces and navigating consent on film sets. When a dream job on a big movie production takes her to a Greek island, long-buried secrets resurface and force her to confront a troubled past. Lena talks about this new series and life after Game of Thrones.

As the US and Iran continue exchanging fire, Anita Rani talks to global affairs journalist Tara Kangarlou and researcher at King's College London Dr Ahou Koutchesfahani to ask how life for women in the country has changed since the war.

How can we explore distant stars, buried water on Mars, or witness the first moments after the Big Bang? And what can we see without having to leave our back garden? Dr Emma Chapman an award-winning radio astronomer based at the University of Nottingham, and a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin research fellow, is joined by Clare McDonnell to discuss the radio universe, the upcoming Perseid Meteor Shower and a partial solar eclipse.

Could using conscious sedation transform the experience of hysteroscopy? Around 70,000 women undergo this womb procedure every year, but campaigners say many are still left in severe pain with too few options for pain relief. Clare talked to Dawn Lord who says her hysteroscopy left her traumatised, and to Irina Stankeviciute, a hysteroscopy nurse who has helped pioneer a new conscious sedation service aimed at giving women more choice and control.

The Commonwealth Games began this week in Glasgow, and Clare was joined by wheelchair racer Melanie Woods who will be competing.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells


SAT 17:00 PM (m002zg1d)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002zg1g)
"It's not a purge!" Kemi Badenoch on forging a future for her party

As the Burnham era dawns, the Leader of the Opposition on why it's time to transform her party, what would get her round the table with the new Prime Minister - and the people who believed in her when no one else did.

Producer: Hannah Wilkinson


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002zg1j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002zg1l)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002zg1n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002zg1q)
Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined in Salford by comedian Ayoade Bamgboye, fresh off the first season of Saturday Night Live UK, Ayoade is touring her hit Edinburgh show 'Swings and Roundabouts', which earned her the best newcomer award at the festival in 2025.

Wendi Peters played Cilla Battersby-Brown in Eastenders and Dr Nina Bulsara in Doctors. Her latrst role is in the new BBC One crime drama series 'The Hairdresser Mysteries.

Music is from The Anchoress, AKA Catherine Ann Davies who is soon to release a new album 'As We Once Were', her much-anticipated follow up to her critically acclaimed 2021 album The Art of Losing, and Later Youth AKA Joe Dudderidge

Presenter: Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Jessica Treen


SAT 19:00 Last Word: Doing Death Differently (m002v9pj)
Shall we talk about death?

Matthew Bannister is marking twenty years of Radio 4’s Last Word by looking at how our attitudes to death, dying and the way we memorialise our dead have changed. In this episode Matthew reflects on how the audience reaction to the announcement of his mother’s death set him thinking about how our attitudes towards death and dying have changed over the last twenty years. Matthew visits a death café in Sussex where the conversation covered subjects such as direct cremation, funeral costs and end of life plans. And Jimmy Caulty of The KLF speaks to Matthew about his plans to create a ‘peoples pyramid’ made of bricks containing the ashes of those who have died.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Production coordinator: Jesse Edwards
Studio mixer: Dyfan Rose
Editor: Glyn Tansley


SAT 19:15 How Boarding Schools Shaped Britain (m00282gw)
3. Modern boarding

Boarding schools have long been cornerstones of British tradition and leadership, shaping the elite and influencing society. But how are they adapting to a changing society?

In the last of three programmes, Nicky Campbell explores the evolution of boarding schools as they balance their social history with the demands of the modern world, and examines whether boarding schools can reinvent themselves for a more inclusive future.

From state-of-the-art facilities to inclusive bursary programmes, today's boarding schools aim to create opportunities for a diverse range of students. With the challenges of rising costs, societal change and VAT implications, these schools must navigate uncertain times to remain relevant. Are they still breeding grounds for future leaders? What values and visions will they instil in the next generations?


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002zg1s)
The People's Pool

The extraordinary story of a pool that’s seen it all, presented by Denise Mina. This Archive on 4 reveals the story of the Govanhill Baths, from its birth as a leading lady of Glasgow’s Municipal Socialist infrastructure, to its central role hosting one of the longest continuous occupations of a civic building in British history, and everything unlikely, romantic and tragic in between.

The stories of the people to whom she belonged come alive with delightful and entertaining vignettes painted using archive oral histories, expert historians, and a measure of Glaswegian patter.

The programme showcases the central role of public baths and wash houses in communities, locating them within the wider picture of changes to working class life throughout the 20th century in Glasgow and Britain. Speaking to Lucy Janes and Niall Murphy in The City Archives, Denise Mina discovers why baths were built in the first place, and unpicks their many uses over the last 150 years.

Now, 25 years on from the original occupation, Denise meets organisers still fighting to re-open her doors, and reflects on the value of civic infrastructure, like local baths and wash houses, today.

Produced by Flora Zajicek
A Big Light production for BBC Radio 4

The programme includes archive audio from The Govanhill Baths Archive (special thanks to Paula Larkin), Glasgow City Archives and Special Collections, The School of Scottish Studies Archive, The University of Strathclyde Oral History Department, and BBC Archives. With thanks to all the voices who have made this story sing.


SAT 21:00 Buried (m002zg1v)
Dead Rabbit

Omnibus Episode 1

It starts like a horror film. In the dead of night, 20 dead animals are left outside a village school. Who left them there - and why? In this first half omnibus edition of their new investigation, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor stumble into something sinister lurking in the British countryside. Is it the first flash of a monster?

Buried is the multi award-winning investigative podcast series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this series, Dan and Lucy team up with the wildlife presenter Chris Packham, whose own dead-animal death threats escalated into a car bomb outside his house. The dead animals lead them into uncovering a criminal underworld in the British countryside. As one witness told us: it's like Hot Fuzz meets Squid Game.

Buried: Dead Rabbit is a Smoke Trail Production for BBC Radio 4.

Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
Sound design, mixing and AP: Jarek Zaba
Original music and sounds by Phil Channell
Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke


SAT 22:00 News (m002zg1x)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002z66g)
What Happened Next?

Leyla Kazim revisits some of The Food Programme's most memorable stories to ask: what happened next? From 500kg of eels stranded in a holding tank in Gloucestershire and English olive oil being pressed in Lincolnshire, to the future of halloumi in Cyprus following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, and the impact of global politics on vegetables grown in Africa for UK consumers. Leyla returns to the people behind these stories to hear what happened after the programmes were broadcast.

Listen to the original programmes:

English Olive Oil
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002f00z

Why Is Africa Feeding Us?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002m1mz

Halloumi and hellim: The story of an island and its cheese
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jsc7

Eels and Elvers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lfhd

Consider the Eel: Part 2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002t2kh

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


SAT 23:00 Parish Matters (m0025kr1)
Series 1

4. 'A financial, legal, humanitarian and ecological disaster'

A brand-new sitcom sketch hybrid made in Belfast and starring voices from all over Ireland. Each week we join the eccentric inhabitants of the Parish in their weekly council meeting to air their problems and grievances.

The Parish attempts to ‘go-green’ have backfired spectacularly, and the council hold an emergency meeting on what to do about the runaway disaster that is their ‘Environmental Awareness Festival’. Who’s to blame for the pollution of the rivers by the festival portapotties? Can the dubious renewable energy proposals really work and the best (and only) cop in town wrestles with the shock death-slash-possible murder of a hometown music hero on the opening night of the festival – on his night off!

PARISH MATTERS is a half hour window into an everlasting argument and an energetic and original comedy show written by Michael McCullagh and Phil Taggart and starring the writers alongside Michael Fry, Ciara Knight, Hannah Mamalis, Mary Flanigan, Michael Stranney and Peter McGann. Produced by Keith Martin and Exec Produced by Sam Michell. A FABEL radio Production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 23:30 Around the World in 80 Ways (m002z71s)
2. Africa

Why did one African country change its name? Which nation celebrates divorce? And where are crocodiles treated as honoured guests?

Find out as Simon Reeve hosts a geography quiz where two teams race across West Africa. Travelling from country to country, they'll test their knowledge of geography, history, culture and the wider world as they compete to reach the destination first.

Hosted by Simon Reeve
The Teams are:
Ross & Ian
Nathan and Juliet

Written by Paddy Duffy
Sound by Jerry Peal
Programme Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Producer: Carl Cooper

BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

SUNDAY 26 JULY 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002zg1z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002z71q)
Liz Nugent

The award-winning Irish writer, Liz Nugent, speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, The Truth About Ruby Cooper, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction. Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.

For her three influences Liz chose: Ian McEwan's Atonement from 2001, the book was later adapted into a film of the same name starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy; Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy from 1992; and Patrick Süskind’s 1985 novel, Perfume.

This episode was recorded in front of an audience at the Hay Festival 2026.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002zg21)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002zg23)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002zg25)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002zg27)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002zg29)
The Church of St Stephen in Old Radnor in Powys, Wales

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of St Stephen in Old Radnor in Powys, Wales Constructed in the 15th century on the site of a sixth century church it features medieval glazed floor tiles and rood screen, and possibly the oldest organ case in the UK. The six bells were cast by the Rudhall Foundry of Gloucester in 1724. The tenor weighs sixteen hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them now ringing New Cambridge Surprise Minor.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002z748)
Comedy: Podcasts and Stand-Up

Can blindness be funny? This week In Touch discusses recent projects by two visually impaired comedy writers.

One is a new podcast called You've got Braille, co-written by visually impaired comedy writer and TV producer Reece Finnegan. The podcast focuses on a young blind man who is muddling through life's complexities, with the disability adding another tricksy layer. The podcast was produced by production company Hat Trick and RNIB.

Blind comic Aarian Mehrabani will soon be hitting the Edinburgh Fringe with his debut stand-up show 'How's your Head?'. Aarian has worked within comedy writing for a while, producing work with his own disability-led theatre company FlawBored. In the run up to Edinburgh, Aarian has been hosting comedy nights at Salford's Lowry Theatre, where he will also be previewing his debut stand-up show.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
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 (m002zgcf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct983l)
Fighting for the Children of Chernobyl

Forty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident took place at Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet Union. When news of the disaster began to emerge beyond the Iron Curtain, one of those paying close attention was Adi Roche in Ireland.

At the time, Adi was working as a peace educator, teaching about nuclear weapons and Cold War tensions. She went on to found Chernobyl Children International, which became one of the most significant and sustained humanitarian responses to the disaster. Over the years, she brought aid and medical support to Ukraine, Belarus and other affected regions, established a paediatric cardiac programme for children born with heart defects, and helped arrange for children from Belarus to be adopted in Ireland.

In this edition of Heart and Soul, Colm Flynn meets Adi Roche to hear about the work that has shaped her life, and the Christian faith that she says has sustained her through it. Together, they reflect on suffering, compassion and the question of how a loving God can make sense in the face of such tragedy.

Colm also meets Raisa Miknovitch Carolan, who was just six years old when Adi first encountered her in Belarus. A survivor of the Chernobyl disaster, Raisa was abandoned in an orphanage before later being adopted by an Irish family. Now 29, and having undergone 25 operations for serious health conditions linked to radiation exposure, she reflects on survival, loss and the difficult knowledge that while she was given a new life, many others were left behind.

Producer/presenter: Colm Flynn
Series producer: Rajeev Gupta
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
Editor: Chloe Walker

(Photo: Adi Roche at the Chernobyl Nuclear. Credit: Chernobyl Children International)


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002zgch)
Give a Boy a Duck

A chance encounter with some abandoned ducks in a lakeside layby has helped a young Cumbrian farmer grow his confidence, his maths skills and a burgeoning egg business.
Eleven-year-old William Robinson’s family farm in the remote Martindale Valley near Ullswater. When they adopted 4 Muscovy ducks dumped by the side of the road, he took to them like, well…a duck to water. They now have more than 200 ducks, geese, bantams and quail and William and his younger brother Jack, along with their mum Laura, sell the eggs to local campsites, farm shops and at farmers markets.
The business started as a way to help William with his school work, dealing with cash from customers, but it’s also done wonders for his self-confidence and led to the boys and their mum meeting Hollywood Star Hugh Jackman who was looking for farming tips for his movie The Sheep Detectives.

Produced and Presented by Caz Graham


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002zgck)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002zgcm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002zgcp)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002zgcr)
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

Dame Ellen MacArthur makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. The charity organises sailing and outdoor trips for children and young people from across the UK who are recovering from cancer.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week.
Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0755 for 7 days.

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 ‘Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust'.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Please ensure you are donating to the correct charity by checking the name of the charity on the donate page.

Registered Charity Number: 1096491; Scottish Charity No. SCO44013. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002zgct)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002zgcx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002zgd1)
Body Theology

Paula Gooder, New Testament scholar and Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, leads this service exploring 'Body Theology'.
Paula first became interested in what the Christian faith might have to say about bodies when her daughters were young. She found St Paul was very positive about bodies, particularly in 1 Corinthians 12 when comparing the church to the Body of Christ. As society still seems to be obsessed with body image, she returns home to Greater Manchester to meet with young Christian women at the Lifecentre in Salford to hear what they think about their bodies and their faith.
Paula also discusses the role the Church can play in encouraging positive body image with writer and Anglican deacon Jayne Manfredi. Producer: Miriam Williamson

Music:
O God you search me (Bernadette Farrell) -St Martin’s Voices
This is your body, for your people giv’n (Ally Barratt) - St Martin's Voices
‘Christ has no body now but yours (David Ogden) – Daily Service Singers
Breathe on me breath of God (Ronald Foot) - St Martin’s Voices
Glory to God, the mother of creation (Ally Barratt) - St Martin’s Voices


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct8r3b)
The Mexican song that captivated lovers during World War II

In 1944, as World War II was drawing to a close, the Mexican love song Besame Mucho crossed the Atlantic and became one of the most recognisable melodies of the post-war era. Its lyrics were daring for the time: an open plea for a passionate kiss.

The song had been written years earlier by Consuelo Velazquez, a young woman who composed romantic melodies for pleasure but kept her authorship a secret, fearing it could damage her career as a classical pianist.

When Consuelo’s secret got out, her song Bésame Mucho topped the charts in the US and became one of the most covered songs in Spanish, with versions by The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

Stefania Gozzer speaks to her son, Mariano Rivera Velazquez, about his mother's unexpected worldwide success.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: A couple kiss by the West Gates at Pennsylvania Station, New York City. Credit: Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002zgd5)
Juliet Vickery on the Willow Warbler

Each year, CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology, Juliet Vickery, waits eagerly to hear the beautiful song of the willow warbler, which migrates from sub–Saharan Africa. However, on her own Cambridgeshire doorstep the willow warbler is increasingly rare. The fortunes of this delicate little bird in the UK is now one of a north-south divide - increasing in the North and West, decreasing in the South and East. Thanks to a network of volunteer observers, we now know this is, at least in part, because it’s breeding less well in the south than the north, almost certainly linked to rising temperatures in southern England caused by climate change.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.

This programme features audio by David Pennington from Xeno-Canto (Willow Warbler - XC1000141).


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002zgd9)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002zgdf)
Sir Roger Deakins, cinematographer

Sir Roger Deakins is an acclaimed cinematographer who is known for his visual artistry on films including The Shawshank Redemption, 1917, Fargo, Skyfall and Blade Runner 2049. His talents have been acknowledged with a knighthood, five BAFTAs and two Oscars.

Roger was born in Torquay, Devon in 1949. In 1968 he attended the Bath Academy of Art where he was inspired by one of his tutors, the street photographer Roger Mayne, to go out with his camera and capture what he saw. Roger Deakins followed this advice and spent his weekends shooting people and places in British seaside towns.

In 1975 Roger graduated from the National Film School in Beaconsfield and started work as a cameraman – making documentaries and music videos. His first feature film was Cruel Passion which came out in 1977. In 1984 he worked on Michael Radford’s film adaptation of George Orwell’s novel 1984, starring Richard Burton and John Hurt.

The first of Roger’s collaborations with filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen started in 1991 with the film Barton Fink. The three of them went on to make 12 films together including O Brother, Where Art Thou? Fargo and The Big Lebowski.

In 2018 Roger won his first Academy Award for Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve. He was knighted for services to film in 2021.

Roger lives in California with his wife James. They also have a home in Devon.

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002zgdh)
19 -24 July 2026
Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Jesscia Bunch
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer … Buffy Davis
Harrison Burns … James Cartwright
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin
Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber
Alan Franks … John Telfer
Bert Horrobin … David Sterne
Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin … Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin …. Susie Riddell
Elizabeth Pargetter … Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers … Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell … Carole Boyd
Carol Tregorran … Mia Soteriou


SUN 12:15 Last Word: Doing Death Differently (m002v9pj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m002z5yz)
Series 97

1. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

We're back with a bang this week with some of our toughest subjects to date. They include my advice for a blind date, I refuse to go back to..., and the last time I made a citizen's arrest. Plus who makes the classic repetition mistake of saying BBC?

Host: Sue Perkins
Players: Paul Merton, Lucy Porter, Rachel Parris, Gyles Brandreth
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Production Manager: Katie Baum
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Additional material by Angela Channell

An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002zgdk)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002zgdm)
A look at the week's big stories and preview of the week to come.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002zgdp)
Troubled Town

In the towns around Wigan in Greater Manchester there has been trouble, relatively low-key but constant. After it gets dark, groups of teenagers have been raiding shops, fighting in McDonalds, climbing buildings, damaging cars.

Wigan, along with nearby Leigh and Makerfield certainly aren't the only towns where anti-social behaviour is regular thing for the police to deal with and locals to live with, its a symptom of the lack of investment, lack of opportunities and the resulting lack of hope that many places suffer from

Johnny I'Anson has spent the last few months in the three towns, meeting teenagers to hear about their lives and how they say they don't have any pride in the towns they live in, because they don't feel valued by them

Its a powerful snapshot of being young, bored, angry and restless without excusing the violence which has become a nightly occurrence. as a result

Producer and Presenter: Johnny I'Anson
Executive Producer: Richard McIlroy


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002z66z)
East Renfrewshire: Balcony Brilliance, Reluctant Camellias and Making The Most Of Moss

Kathy Clugston chairs this week’s Gardeners’ Question Time from Clarkston Halls in East Renfrewshire, home to one of Scotland’s oldest horticultural societies.

Joining Kathy are Balmoral’s Head of Gardens Kirsty Wilson, ethnobotanist James Wong, and Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Head Gardener Bethan Collerton.

The panel tackles questions on reluctant camellias, fragrant planting for a windswept balcony, and how to transform a shady, moss-filled shared garden.

Along the way, Bethan visits Glasgow Botanic Gardens’ magnificent Kibble Palace, where she joins Robert Jamieson to explore botanical links across the Commonwealth, from the Australian tea tree and towering tree ferns to remarkable araucarias from the South Pacific.

Back in Clarkston, the team shares advice on improving the quality of greenhouse-grown grapes, caring for carnivorous pitcher plants, and choosing easy, quick-growing seeds for young gardeners.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002zgdr)
Trouble in Mind

Alice Childress’s first major work is set in a world that she knew very well both as a performer and a writer – the theatre. It’s 1957 and rehearsals are beginning for a new Broadway production – Chaos In Belleville – an anti-lynching play written by a white playwright. Veteran Black actor Wiletta Mayer is to star in the play, but after years of compromise she finally finds herself unable to go along with the patronising and insensitive portrayal of Black characters that she’s experienced throughout her career. Her consequent clash with the white director opens up deep faultlines throughout the cast and the result is chaos, not in Belleville, but on Broadway.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for over 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories 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. He created the BBC Writers Academy and trained a generation of screenwriters - now with thousands of hours of television to their names. His acclaimed books Into the Woods and Trip to the Moon explore the structure and power of narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of storytelling, including many podcasts for R4.

Valerie Curtis Newton is Head of Directing and Playwriting at the University of Washington School of Drama. She is also the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. Her many directing credits include two productions of Trouble In Mind.

Alice Childress archive clip taken from American Theatre Wing’s documentary series ‘Working in the Theatre’ – April 1987

Reader: Samantha Dakin
Music: Torquil MacLeod
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Torquil MacLeod
Executive Producer: Sara Davies

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002zgdt)
Trouble in Mind

A new version of pioneering Black playwright Alice Childress's seminal 1955 play as part of Radio 4's 'Story of America' season.

Trouble in Mind follows a group of actors rehearsing a new Broadway drama with an 'anti-lynch' theme, at a time when issues of segregation and civil rights were fiercely contested across the United States.

Wiletta Mayer is a seasoned Black actress increasingly troubled by the compromises she is expected to make, as the company shapes a story that claims to confront racism while reducing its Black characters to stereotypes. Through its layered, play‑within‑a‑play structure, Childress offers an incisive critique of the period’s racial dynamics, building to a powerful act of artistic and personal resistance.

PART ONE:
As rehearsals begin for Chaos in Belleville, experienced actress Wiletta Mayer meets a company navigating ambition, pragmatism and unspoken racial tensions, while the play’s troubling stereotypes, and the director's challenging methods, start to emerge.

This play was written in 1950s America and features strong discriminatory language of the time.

CAST (in order of appearance)
Wiletta Mayer ..... Doña Croll
Henry ...... Gary Lilburn
John Nevins ..... Tunji Kasim
Millie Davis ..... Ellena Vincent
Sheldon Forrester ..... Joseph Mydell
Judy Sears ..... Isabella Inchbald
Al Manners ...... Joseph Millson
Eddie Fenton ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr
Bill O’Wray ..... Trevor Cooper

Composition and piano by Tim Sutton

Director ..... Femi Elufowoju Jr

Producer ..... Anne Isger
Production Co-ordinators ..... Sara Benaim and Jon Powell

A BBC Studios Production


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002zgdw)
Christopher Brookmyre

Scottish crime writer Christopher Brookmyre speaks to Take Four Books this week about his latest novel, Quite Ugly One Evening, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its links to three other books. Chris's new book, Quite Ugly One Evening, is a locked-room mystery with a twist, and we're back with one of his most beloved characters - the maverick Scottish investigative journalist Jack Parlanbane, who thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places.

For his three influences Chris plumped for: The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks, from 2007; The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe from 2024; and Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes, from 2020.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m002zgdy)
Heat 1, 2026

Russell Davies chairs the nationwide general knowledge quiz that has been entertaining and challenging audiences since 1953. Four competitors test their wits against a vast array of questions, covering everything from Ariana Grande to Ariadne, and from baryons to baritones, seeking to become the Brain of Britain 2026.

Spotlight rounds are: René Magritte, Ru Paul's Drag Race, 21st century literature and monsters of Greek myth.

Presenter: Russell Davies
Voiceover: Jess Lambert
Casting Producer: Sunil Mistry
Assistant Producer: Ami Gill
Production Coordinator: Kate Scarbrough
Series Producer: David Bodycombe
Executive Producers: Justin Scroggie and Jago Lee

A TellTale Industries/Format People co-production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct74p2)
The Aga Khan meets Florence Nightingale

In 1898, the British founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, invited the Muslim leader Aga Khan III around to her London home for tea.

They were two of the most famous figures of the 20th century and their discussion was wide-ranging, touching on faith, healthcare and even Queen Victoria.

The Aga Khan, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, spoke to the BBC about the meeting in 1950.

This programme was produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in collaboration with BBC Archives.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Aga Khan III, June 1924. Credit: MacGregor / Topical Press Agency / Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 Church Going, with Giles Fraser (m002z9cq)
Episode 2

Giles Fraser is a vicar in the Church of England concerned about the current state of church attendance. His parish is doing well but like most priests, he's nervous about the numbers and notes the overall decline in worship. He considers the poem 'Church Going' by Philip Larkin as his starting point. It imagines what will happen to these buildings, and to Christian faith, when we stop going to church entirely. Is Giles now a missionary in a world that is indifferent to what he has to say? With this thought, he sets off to work out where we are, talking to people on the ground and experts in the field.

In this second episode of three, he explores the idea of England as a Christian country, talking to historians Tom Holland and William Whyte and archaeologist and Humanist, Alice Roberts.

He looks at anxieties over the growth of Islam and the rise of Christian Nationalism in this country attending a secret outdoor baptism organised by the man who converted Tommy Robinson to Christianity.

He also speaks to Bishop Arun Arora, Professor Emerita Grace Davie, Pastor Rikki Doolan, Revd Canon Dr Christian Selvaratnam, Nick Spencer from Theos, Professor Linda Woodhead and journalist, Tim Wyatt.

Presenter: Rev Dr Giles Fraser
Producer: Catherine Murray
Asst Producer: Peter Everett
Studio mix: Liam Juniper
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002zgf1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002zgf3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002zgf5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002zgf7)
Jenny Kleeman

This week, we meditate on mud with Rebecca Stott, and wonder whether our dreams can be engineered, considering the ethics behind the science of subconsciousness as we slumber. Meanwhile, Morrissey muses on his humble beginnings in Mancunian suburbia, while Wham! take their Club Tropicana to communist China. Plus, the Kitchen Cabinet panel are posed a conundrum that has absolutely nothing to do with what’s on the menu.

Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Anthony McKee
Editor: Steven Hobson
Production Coordinators: Caoilfhinn McFadden and Sylvie Conway

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.

Programmes featured in this episode include:

Dead Ringers: England out, Starmer out, School's out, 17/07
The Rise and Fall of… The Smiths, Ep1
Front Row: Andrew Ridgeley on Wham in China, 22/07
A Meditation on Mud Ep1: The Walk, 20/07
A Meditation on Mud Ep 5: Life and Death, 24/07
Artworks: The Writing Life of Sylvia Plath, Ep1, 21/07
Naturebang: Cuckoo, Chicks and the Supernormal Stimulus, 23/07
Buried: Dead Rabbit, Ep1, 20/07
The Dream Makers, 22/07
Mary Beard: Being Greek, Martin Scorsese and the Godfather of Athens, 22/07
Meet David Sedaris: Eat the Rich, 21/07
The Kitchen Cabinet, Exeter, 18/07
Today: Edward Stourton, 20/07


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002zgf9)
Jolene is left devastated, and Chris attempts a recruitment.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002zgfc)
Unreliable Narrator

How do you tell the story of your life when you have no memory of the events that shaped you?

At 15, Stephen McAll was a promising musician with a head full of songs. He was booked into a studio to record an album.

Then, one night walking home from his girlfriend’s house in East Kilbride, he was attacked and beaten. The assault left him with serious head injuries and diagnoses of psychosis, excruciating cluster headaches, and PTSD.

It also erased almost all of his memories. He says he could recognise faces and names of loved ones, but had lost every experience, event, or occasion in his life up to that point. He couldn't lay down new memories or hold onto information. He could read words on a page, but could not retain their meaning.

His psychosis, which went undiagnosed for years, led to walls and ceilings moving and wobbling in a way that felt like being on psychedelic drugs. Rather than seeking medical help, Stephen sank into a wilderness of heavy drinking and drug-taking.

Years later, at his lowest ebb, he found himself drawn to a bookshelf, to a collection by Scottish poet Norman MacCaig. An inscription told him the book had been a gift from a much-loved English teacher. He started reading, and found himself transported. He says this was the moment that 'hope returned'.

Now in his early 40s, Stephen McAll is a successful music artist, and founder of critically-acclaimed folk band Constant Follower.

This episode of Illuminated charts Stephen's decades-long journey from devastating injury and memory loss, back to hope and happiness.

There is one caveat: it may not be completely true. Stephen has had to piece together memories from stories he has been told, things he has surmised, and tiny slivers of memory that have returned over time.

He is the unreliable narrator of his own story.

Producers: Katie Revell and Dave Howard
Sound design: Jonathan Webb
Executive producer: Dave Howard
Music: Stephen McAll
Excerpt of 'The Root of It' by Norman MacCaig, taken from album The Way I Say It, copyright Claddagh Records
Excerpt of 'Tourist and Landlord' by Norman MacCaig, from a film made for the Scottish Poetry Library called 'Norman MacCaig reads 2 Poems'
Thanks to Shaun Milne

A Bespoken Media Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001vtkf)
Do a Plank

Michael adds a plank into his exercise routine and is surprised to learn of its huge benefits to our physical health. Dr Jamie O'Driscoll, a Reader of Cardiovascular Physiology at Canterbury Christ Church University, reveals how the plank is a form of isometric exercise, where muscles are held still, neither stretching nor contracting. Jamie shares his research that found these exercises, including the plank and the wall-squat, could massively reduce our blood pressure. Michael also explores how the plank can even be better than crunches of sit ups for your abs and core muscles. Our volunteer Penelope takes on the plank, excited to learn that this small addition to her fitness regime could wield great results.

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 (m002z78s)
Common Ground, Dead Ringers, and You're Dead To Me

Evan Davis, usually found behind the microphone for Radio 4's PM, has been travelling around England and Wales recording people's opinions on the big things that divide us as a society - from immigration, to language, to class. It was all for a short series called Common Ground, part of ongoing programming from Radio 4 on the topic of social cohesion. But what did listeners think? Evan joins Feedback presenter Andrea Catherwood to discuss his goals in making the series and the nature of listener responses.

You're Dead To Me is one of BBC Audio's most popular podcasts, but it took a recent episode on Medieval Saints for it to appear on Feedback. We hear from a Priest and Friar from the Dominican Order, who entered our VoxBox to give their thoughts about the podcast's take on everything from reliquaries to saint-making.

We've also heard from listeners with thoughts about a running gag that was sprinkled throughout the latest run of Dead Ringers, which parodied BBC Radio 4's investigative series To Catch A King.

Finally, there's another nomination for our Interview of The Year Award. It's an interview conducted by Jonny Dymond in a recent edition of The World At One with a pair of keen marathon runners that made one listener contact us to highlight it for the top spot.

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 (m002z671)
Brenda Fricker: The first Irish woman to win an Oscar

Brenda Fricker became the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award for her performance in the film “My Left Foot”. She began her career with parts in Ireland’s first soap opera Tolka Row, ITV’s Coronation Street, and became a household name as the nurse Megan Roach in Casualty on the BBC. Her friend and fellow actress Anna Friel pays tribute.

The BBC’s long-serving correspondent David Willey was a renowned authority on the Vatican, covering the lives and deaths of five popes. Before he settled in Rome, David had travelled widely for the BBC, reporting from Algeria, the Vietnam War and China just after the communist revolution. Two of his colleagues, former Chief News Correspondent Kate Adie and International Editor Jeremy Bowen, share their memories of working with him.

The name David Austin is forever indelibly associated with the rose growing business. He created some of the most sought after roses, naming new varieties after fictional or real-life people, including Gabriel Oak from Far From the Madding Crowd, the actress Dame Judi Dench and ceramicist Emma Bridgewater - who pays tribute to him alongside Gardeners' World presenter Sue Kent.

Wally Funk broke records as the oldest person to go to space onboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Rocket in 2021. In the early 1960s she was part of a group of women known as the Mercury 13 who were tested to see if they could compete with male astronauts for a place in the American space programme. But the project was abandoned and her hopes dashed. Loretta Hall, who co-wrote her memoir, tells us her story.

Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive:
"My Left Foot", Ferndale Films, Granada Film, RTÉ, Hell's Kitchen Films; BBC One, Wogan, 16/02/1990; 62nd Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 26/03/1990; BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour, 05/03/1997; BBC One, Wogan, 15/02/1991; BBC Radio 4, Sunday, 10/03/2013; BBC Radio 4, Archive on 4, From our Rome Correspondent, 07/04/2012; BBC One, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 21/05/2007; BBC One, Football Focus, 06/10/2018; BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour, 19/06/2019; BBC News, 19/06/1983; Blue Origin, YouTube, 20/07/2021; Other audio courtesy of Loretta Hall


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002zg12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002zgcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002zg0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002zgff)
Andy Burnham's first week as prime minister

Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 Artworks (m002z780)
Who Did We Think We Were?

3. The Festival of Britain 1951 and the Coronation 1953

75 years after the Festival of Britain offered a tonic to a Blitz-hit nation, Neil MacGregor, former director of the British Museum, returns to Radio 4 with a three-part series, examining how celebrations of British identity and togetherness over the past century or so can help us better understand and define who we are now. 

"The question of who we are, of national identity, of the Union Jack itself, is now the subject of angry political debate," Neil says. "In these three programmes I want to take a step back – to look at six moments over the last hundred years when, as a country, we came together to assert a national purpose, to celebrate and to explore who we thought we were, and to consider our place in the world."

"Asking 'who did we think we were then?' might help us answer the question - 'who do we think we are now?'.  And to understand why – as a country – we have, for over a century, found that question so difficult to answer."

This week he focuses on the 1951 Festival of Britain, with its emphasis on new design and technology, and the 1953 Coronation, with its emphasis on centuries of history - and he finds out how technology turned the Coronation into a global event.

Producer Katy Hickman


SUN 23:30 More Wow (m0022l4m)
3. Mind-bending discoveries

What is awe, and where do we find it? Exploring how the elusive emotion of awe can be a vital force in our lives.

As something usually associated with intense experiences and extreme environments, for many of us awe can often seem difficult to attain. Science journalist Jo Marchant tracks down individuals who live awe-filled lives, uncovering where we might find it ourselves and how it can alter body and mind.

Episode three: Jo heads to Michael Wright's shed-workshop. Michael has spent decades reconstructing an ancient Greek model of the cosmos, known as the Antikythera mechanism. Jo and Michael discuss how the emotion of awe compels him in his work, and how making things with his hands connects him to those from ancient history. And Jo learns how big leaps forward in science have been driven by an awe in the strange anomalies which don't fit prevailing theories.

Featuring: Michael Wright, retired Science Museum curator and mechanical engineer by training;
Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and author of Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder;
Helen de Cruz, Professor of Philosophy at St Louis University, Missouri and author of Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think.

Presented by Jo Marchant, author of Cure, The Human Cosmos and Decoding the Heavens.

Producer: Eliza Lomas
Editor: Chris Ledgard


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002zd0v)
I, Pondweed by Rose Biggin

Pondweed wants his own fame to last through the ages, but can only work with the material he’s got.

An original story from Rose Biggin, read by Dan Starkey.

Rose Biggin is the author of two novels, punk fantasy Wild Time and gothic thriller The Belladonna Invitation, and short story collection Make-Believe & Artifice. She has a PhD in Drama from the University of Exeter and teaches Creative Writing at Birkbeck.

Produced by Beth O'Dea in Bristol for BBC Audio

MONDAY 27 JULY 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002zgfh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Inside Health (m002z735)
Staying fit in the heat and do we need electrolytes?

We’ve had two heatwaves already this summer with warnings that even young and healthy people should rethink their fitness routines in the heat.

So how can we keep exercising when it’s so hot you barely want to move?

James chats with physiologist Damian Bailey from the University of South Wales.

Next, James is at Rother Valley Country Park in Sheffield to meet Calli Hauger-Thackery who made headlines for running the Boston marathon while 22 weeks pregnant and physiotherapist Ros Cooke to find out what changes in the body during pregnancy - and see what exercise is safe.

So we’ve worked up a sweat… but what’s the best way to recover?

We’re in the lab at the University of Westminster to put electrolytes to the test with Dr Lewis Mattin and we cool off with Ros Cooke while chatting about active recovery versus total rest.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Special appearance: Hannah Fisher
Producer: Gerry Holt
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Stu Laws


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002zg29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002zgfk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002zgfm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002zgfp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002z671)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002zgfr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002zgft)
Celebrating the Countryside

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Reverend Doctor Stephen Wigley.

Good morning,

It’s the first full week of the summer holidays – at least in England and Wales – a time when children are looking forward to a long break from school, and parents are thinking of ways to keep them occupied. For some it will be a chance to go away on holiday; but for those remaining at home, it will be a case of seeing ‘what’s on’ around us – and looking forward, there’s no shortage of events about. Although the World Cup is over, there’s plenty of other sport to watch, from the Cricket Hundred to the Commonwealth Games. There’s a wide range of musical events planned from the Proms to outdoor festivals and concerts, and for something a bit more interactive there will be a range of holiday clubs run by local youth and community groups.
All good so far – but I hope we can do a little more than just keep young people busy. I’m conscious that these long summer weeks also provide an opportunity to relax and recover, and that one of the best ways to do this is to pay a bit more attention to the countryside which surrounds us. I’m a Trustee of a Care Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan, and so very conscious of the role we and organisations like us play in reintroducing young people and their families to the riches of our environment, whether in meeting the animals, walking the woodlands or just being able to run about in the open air. So, I wish you well in your holiday plans, and I hope that somewhere in them there will be a chance to reacquaint yourselves with the wonderful world that surrounds us, and upon which ultimately we all depend.

Creator God,
You have created all things and love all that you have made; help us to pay more attention to the wonders of your world, that we may come to cherish and preserve it for future generations, Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002zgfw)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002zgfy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002zhn4)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Across the Red Line (m002zhn6)
Series 9

Do we really need to find common ground in society?

In an increasingly polarised world, where does common ground exist today? Where is it under threat? And who decides what it is?
Anne McElvoy presents the programme which tries to bring people together to find areas of agreement and where they draw a red line.
Her guests are: journalist and broadcaster Camilla Tominey and Luke Tryl, Executive Director of the think tank More in Common

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson

You can find other programmes on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds exploring Common Ground, including a series fronted by Evan Davis, an episode of Free Thinking looking at The Ethics of Knowledge and an episode of Currently in which Peter Hennessy looks at Decency Politics


MON 09:30 How Did We Get Here? (m002zhn9)
No World Order

1. The Responsibility to Protect

Tristan Redman is joined by Lindsey Hilsum, international editor of Channel 4 News, and Allan Little, former BBC correspondent in Moscow and Africa, to look back at the decade after the Cold War in which the question of international intervention was repeatedly tested.

They discuss Nelson Mandela's release in February 1990, the United States' retreat from Somalia after American soldiers were killed in Mogadishu in 1993, and the international community's failure to act during the Rwandan genocide the following year.

They discuss Srebrenica, where UN peacekeepers were present but around 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in 1995, and Nato's intervention in Kosovo in 1999, which went ahead without UN Security Council authorisation.

The episode traces how these events fed into debates around the principle that became known as the Responsibility to Protect, and ends on 31st December 1999, as Boris Yeltsin resigns and Vladimir Putin becomes acting president of Russia.

'How Did We Get Here: No World Order' is a BBC News Long Form Audio production

Presenter: Tristan Redman
Producers: Keiligh Baker and Nik Sindle
Sound engineers: Neil Churchill, Gareth Jones and Michael Regaard
Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison
Editor: Matt Willis
Radio 4 commissioners: Daniel Clarke and Hugh Levinson


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002zhnd)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 11:00 Church Going, with Giles Fraser (m002zhng)
Episode 3

Giles Fraser is a parish priest in the Church of England, slightly anxious about the overall decline of church attendance in this country. It's a complex picture with parishes dwindling in some areas and growing in others. To get a grip on what's happening he talks to historians, sociologists and clergy, visiting some of his parishes from the past to find how things have changed during his ministry.

In this third and final episode, Giles makes an emotional return to Christ Church in Blakenall Heath, an outer city parish where he served as a young priest and learned the value of the worshipping community. He explores the moment in history when when churchgoing became a minority activity, considers the future of Christianity and looks at the effect of Covid on numbers and ways to worship online.

Contributors: Bishop Arun Arora, Lamorna Ash, Professor Heidi Campbell, Professor Sir John Curtice, Professor Tom Holland, Alex Jones, Fr Mark McIntyre, Fr William Lamb, Professor Sir Andrew Motion, Professor Emeritus David Voas. Professor Linda Woodhead.

Presenter: Rev Dr Giles Fraser
Producer: Catherine Murray
Asst Prod: Peter Everett
Studio Mix: Kelly Young
Production Co-ordinator David Baguley
Editor Tim Pemberton


MON 11:45 Confessions of a Performative Male by Darren McGarvey (m002zhnj)
Fear

"My name is Darren McGarvey, and I am a far from perfect man."

The Orwell Prize-winning author asks hard questions about the crisis of masculinity, probing the fears and uncertainties that arise from self-examination.

Read by the author
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Darren McGarvey is a prize-winning author, musician, social commentator and BAFTA award-winning broadcaster. His debut book 'Poverty Safari' blended memoir, journalism and polemic and was a word of mouth bestseller. His follow ups 'The State We're In' and 'The Social Distance Between Us' featured on Radio 4 Book of the Week, and Darren delivered the 2022 Reith lecture 'Freedom from Want'. Darren is leading a series of live in-conversation events at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he'll explore facets of modern masculinity in conversation with a variety of expert guests. 'Performative Male' is at The Stand from the 5th - 16th August.

A BBC Audio Scotland production


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002zhnl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002zhnn)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m002zhnq)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002zhns)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


MON 13:45 Buried (m002zhnv)
Dead Rabbit

6. A Dark Web Rumour

Dan and Lucy find a video filmed the night of the cup final, exposing that hare coursing isn’t just a game - it’s big business. Why would anyone pay tens of thousands of pounds for one dog? Chris Packham weighs in with his experience, and a police chief gives them striking new information.

Buried is the multi award-winning investigative podcast series digging into some of the most disturbing environmental stories in history. In this series, reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor follow a trail left after dozens of dead animals were left in villages in the British countryside. They team up with the wildlife presenter Chris Packham, whose own dead-animal death threats escalated into a car bomb outside his house. The dead animals lead them into uncovering a criminal underworld in the British countryside.

Dead Rabbit is a Smoke Trail Production for BBC Radio 4.

Produced and presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor
Sound design, mixing and AP: Jarek Zaba
Original music and sounds by Phil Channell
Executive Producers: Philip Abrams and Anita Elash
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002zgf9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Alone (m001bkz1)
Series 4

Episode 3 - Cat and Mice

A sitcom, written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron, about five, mainly single, middle-aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in north London.

Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile half-brother. Mitch is currently in a new relationship with Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is a somewhat shy, nervous and sensitive schoolteacher. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mismatched neighbours.

In episode three, a cat moves in to the house, after some encouragement from Morris. Everyone is delighted with the new arrival, save for Louisa, who doesn’t want any disruption or distractions from a very important and imminent acting job. Ellie and Mitch meanwhile have fallen out after Mitch questioned the value of his visiting Ellie’s dementia-ridden mum.

Cast:
Angus Deayton - Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden - Ellie
Pearce Quigley - Will
Kate Isitt - Louisa
Bennett Arron - Morris

Written by Moray Hunter
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Scripted and Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Edited and Studio Managed by Jerry Peal
Production Manager - Sarah Tombling
Production Runner -Kareem Elshehawy
Recorded at The Shaw Theatre, London
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Producer - Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Opening Lines (m002zgdr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Sunday]


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002ztrv)
Lauren Child and David McAlmont

A sharing of book recommendations and lively discussion. Harriett Gilbert is joined by children's author Lauren Child and musician David McAlmont to talk about books they love by George Orwell, Elizabeth Strout and Alan Bennett.

The books are:
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout, chosen by Lauren Child
Burmese Days by George Orwell, chosen by David McAlmont
Killing Time by Alan Bennett, chosen by Harriett Gilbert

Producer for BBC Audio Bristol: Sally Heaven
Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002zg0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002zgdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002zg0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002zhnx)
Full coverage of the day's news


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002zhnz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m002zhp1)
Series 97

2. "Well she had me fooled"

Players take on subjects including: No worries if not!, I got off scot free and what's the big deal about Toy Story? Plus we get a taste of Julian's best Claire Sweeney impression.

Host: Sue Perkins
Players: Tony Hawks, Desiree Burch, Cariad Lloyd, Julian Clary
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Additional material by Angela Channell

An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002zgh9)
Fallon has concerns for a loved one, and the summer fete causes controversy.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002zhp3)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002z78v)
Part 1: How's the government doing on immigration?

New PM, old problems. When Labour took office they vowed to tackle the people smuggling gangs behind the small boats crossings, to reduce net inward migration and to act to replace cheap imported labour with better paid indigenous workers. Meanwhile Andy Burnham faces polls showing immigration still sitting near the top - if not the top - of public concerns.

But what are the facts here? What does the record show after two years of this government?

This issues here are so big and complicated that we’re devoting two programmes to them. In this - the first one - we’re going to focus purely on small boats, asylum seekers and illegal immigration.

Guests:

Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and author of What is Immigration Policy for?
Dominic Casciani, BBC Home and Legal correspondent.

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound engineers: Duncan Hannant and Andy Garratt
Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed, Maria Ogundele

Picture credit: Ben Stansall Via Getty


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct977x)
Testing testosterone testing

Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has announced that the US military will be screening military personnel aged 30 and older for testosterone deficiency. Those found with low testosterone levels will be offered voluntary hormone replacement therapy. The secretary says this is to ensure “a healthy, capable, and decisively dominant fighting force”. Tom Whipple is joined by Professor Joe Herbert from the University of Cambridge to discuss why jacking soldiers up with testosterone may or may not be the best idea.

Marine Biologist Kathryn Ayres, from the non-profit organisation Beneath the Waves, describes a newly observed behaviour in orcas in which they collaboratively swim so hard into a dead sunfish it explodes. Is it a teachable moment for their young or is it just for fun?

Finally, we have Kit Yates, our resident mathematician, to reassure Tom that although AI might one day actually kill us all, at least it can disprove an 87-year-old mathematics conjecture.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producer: Dan Welsh, Alex Mansfield, Imy Harper, Tabitha Taylor Buck
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Across the Red Line (m002zhn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:30 How Did We Get Here? (m002zhn9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002zhp5)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (m002zhp7)
Episode 6

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world’s largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island’s researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.

Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn’t telling the whole truth about why she’s there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she’s not the only one on the island with a secret.

A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

Cast:
Rowan: Jane Slavin
Dominic: Ian Conningham
Fen: Phoebe Loveday Raymond
Raff: Tom Glenister
Orly: Jack Max

Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Intimacy (Radio Version) (m002zqmg)
1. Did You Just Dribble on Me?/2. I Like Being Naked

Intimacy coordinator Liza lands a major film on a Greek island, but old tensions resurface. As she meets the cast, setting boundaries proves harder than expected.

Lena Headey as Liza
Tia Bannon as Ruby
Hannah Waddingham as Lou
Alison Steadman as Mum
Simon Kassianides as Rob
Thaddea Graham as Kate
Tom Goodman-Hill as Gary
Maisie Williams as Bunny
Matthew Broome as Alex

Additional Voices:
Dempsey Bovell, Tom Glenister, Mark Kilcawley, James Nicolaou, Paul Panting, Finlay Paul, Nigel Pilkington, Josh Singh Sian, Sam Stafford, Sarah Whitehouse

Based on an original idea by Erika Lust
Executive Producers: Sharon Horgan, Faye Dorn
Executive Producer for the BBC: Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioner for BBC: Lorraine Okuefuna
Written, created and directed by Lena Headey
Constultant Audio Director: Celia De Wolff
Series Producer: Emma Morgan
Story Producer: Maddie Beautyman and Megan Heverin
Production Manager: Archan Mohile
Production Coordinator: Marlene Beauquis Smith
Production Runner: Tobias Davies
Script Assistants: Liis Miik and Jo Troy
Casting Director: Lauren Evans
Intimacy Coordinator: Robbie Taylor Hunt
Recorded at Sound Node
Sound Designer: Martin Schulz
Supervising Sound Editor and Mixer: Daniel Jaramillo
Recording Engineers: David Crane and Giancarlo Granata
Music and Score composed by Max Perryment
Merman Television Managing Director: Rebecca Parkinson
Merman Finance Director: Jackie Sidey
Merman Television Head of Production: Amanda Wasey
Merman Television Finance Manager: Gemma Wilson
Legal and Business Affairs: Mark Rogers and Georges Villeneau
Artwork Photography: Stevan Keane
Behind the Scenes: Michas Vanni

A Merman Television Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 A Good Read (m001cx2l)
John Wilson and Chloe Petts

Broadcaster John Wilson and comedian Chloe Petts choose books to recommend to Harriett Gilbert. John has chosen Elizabeth Taylor's Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, which features a character based on the other Elizabeth Taylor. Chloe has gone for The Topeka School by Ben Lerner and Harriett goes for Hilary Mantel's first novel, Every Day is Mother's Day.

Producer Sally Heaven