The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
Stories from the magazine Zoetrope: All-Story, founded by the great film director.
In Venice in winter, amid the glories of Italian art and Renaissance architecture, a mother discovers in her daughter a new woman. By Rachel Cusk.
With most leading banks currently in need of a major injection of capital, BBC Scotland's political editor Brian Taylor asks why the proposal for a takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland caused so much anger and concern in Scotland. Whether it is a question of economics, national pride or political independence from England, it seems to have touched on something significant in the Scottish psyche.
The Scottish poet Kenneth Steven reflects on how solitude refreshes the human spirit.
Topical farming magazine. Alex James is in Norfolk to meet the third finalist of the BBC Food and Farming Awards Farmer of the Year competition.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Roger Bolton with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, both familiar and unfamiliar.
John Sessions appeals on behalf of Bag Books. Donations: Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Michael Ford presents a special feature from America exploring the legacy of Thomas Merton, who, despite his desire for solitude, became one of the most famous monks in the world and a prolific spiritual writer.
Forget super-rich baddies who seek to destroy the world with a death ray. Boring! Clive James reflects on how money is losing its cachet, but failing to recycle properly is what leads to accusations of destroying the world.
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti. A pithy and incisive speaker, she is rarely out of the media spotlight and has been voted 'one of our most inspiring political figures'. She joined Liberty the day before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and, as the events unfolded on the television screens, it was, she says, impossible to predict just how much they would shape the civil rights debate in the years that followed. For her, it was not just a matter of philosophical or political principle - her son was born soon after the attacks and his birth, she says, influenced her own feelings: "I understood more what it is to be afraid, what it is to really worry about whether your family are going to be blown up on the underground."
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness, flanked by captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh.
Sheila Dillon explores the influence of the famous restaurant El Bulli. How, from its base in north-east Spain, has chef Ferran Adria been able to influence a generation of chefs?
Gareth Malone explores how man developed the vocal capability to sing. He investigates how singing as we know it today began hundreds of millions of years ago and how prehistoric man used a type of vocal communication which could be called the precursor of singing. He finds out how this changed and developed as man evolved and explores what this tells us about human communication and how our relationship with song has grown out of moments in early history.
Bob Flowerdew, Anne Swithinbank and Chris Beardshaw answer some of the questions posed by gardeners in Shropshire. Tony Russell, one of Europe's leading tree experts, explains the fundamentals of growing fruit trees.
Ruth Padel presents a series exploring the music of Elgar's Enigma Variations and analysing what the composition tells us about Elgar himself.
Elgar lived most of his life among the Malvern Hills and the Variations depicted other friends living in the area. How important was the glorious landscape to his musical creativity?
Dramatisation by Mike Walker of Nevil Shute's compelling account of the aftermath of a nuclear world war.
A cloud of deadly radioactivity is moving slowly towards Australia, one of few places on Earth where life still exists.
Peter Holmes ...... Richard Dillane
Mary Holmes ...... Claudia Harrison
Dwight Towers ...... William Hope
Moira Davidson ...... Indira Varma
Tim Osborne ...... James Gordon-Mitchell
The Admiral ...... Jonathan Tafler
Ryan ...... Inam Mirza
Other parts played by Stephen Critchlow, Chris Pavlo, Dan Starkey, Jill Cardo, Robert Lonsdale, Gunnar Cauthery.
James Naughtie and Fay Weldon join an audience of readers to discuss her novel The Cloning of Joanna May, first published in 1989. She has written over 30 novels but maintains that this is the one that she is most proud of, with its characteristic black humour and impressive prescience about the science of cloning and how it might affect the human race.
Performance poet Matt Harvey investigates the links between poetry and copywriting, and finds out that poets have rather more in common with their advertising counterparts than many of them might care to admit.
He speaks to Peter Porter about how his former work as a copywriter influences his attitude to poetry and visits an ad agency to find out how people working in advertising view the role of language, rhythm and rhyme in persuading people to buy goods.
Tim Whewell reports from Georgia, reassessing the origins of the recent conflict with Russia. He investigates who was responsible for the outbreak of hostilities and whether the fighting could have been avoided, and assesses its impact on leaders in Washington, Moscow and Tbilisi.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
Peter White introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.
Peggy and Jennifer collect Jack from the Willows. Jennifer's prepared plenty of food but Peggy is determined to do as much as possible herself and, after initial difficulties, Jack seems to be settled. Peggy thanks Jennifer for her help and insists that she now leaves her to it. But as Jennifer leaves, Peggy sinks, exhausted, into a chair.
Elizabeth's surprised to learn that Peggy's taking Jack straight back to the Lodge. Lilian explains that Peggy won't hear of any other option - she's always vowed she would look after Jack herself. All Lilian can do is provide as much back-up as possible.
Elizabeth knows how competitive Nigel is, and worries that he'll take risks at Lower Loxley's team chase, but the Go-Getters make a good start and Nigel rides well. Oliver does a great job commentating and Lilian gets into the spirit of things, cheering the Go-Getters on. They're doing really well as they approach the penultimate fence. Nigel clears it well but Caroline takes a nasty fall. Oliver's concern can be heard in his voice and Elizabeth and Lilian can tell it doesn't look good. Lilian thinks Caroline has damaged her collar-bone, and knows how much that's going to hurt.
Children's magazine presented by Kirsten O'Brien. Author Kevin Crossley-Holland talks about his writing, his love of Norfolk and music. Plus music from Brazilian percussion group AfroReggae, who are teaching children how to drum as a way to stop them getting involved with drugs.
Fleeing her home and its reminders, Rhiannon has come to Egypt. Standing outside Tutankhamun's tomb, she hears a Welsh voice and thinks she sees her dead son in a backpacker's eyes. By Stevie Davies.
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.
Ann Alexander, a lawyer who represented some of the families of relatives killed by Dr Harold Shipman, examines the public inquiries system. She talks to the insiders who have run and worked in major public inquiries and asks if the system now needs reform so that recommendations for the future are fully implemented.
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including Classrooms to Power.
Libby Purves presents a guide to the world of learning, with practical advice, features and listeners' views.
MONDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2008
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00f64sg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00f41yc)
Human Remains in Museum Collections - Suicide Rates
HUMAN REMAINS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Tiffany Jenkins, author of a paper called Dead Bodies: The Changing Treatment of Human Remains in British Museum Collections and Adam Kuper,Professor of Anthropology at Brunel University discuss the acquisition and restitution of human specimens by museums and the changes in attitudes towards them from outside the museum world as well as from within.
SUICIDE RATES
Laurie Taylor talks to Professor Stephen Platt, one of this country’s leading experts on suicide, about the nature and incidence of suicide in contemporary Britain. How is an unexplained death classified as a suicide? Are suicide rates falling and could this trend be reversed by the current economic crisis?
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00f5j0m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00f64vx)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00f64xj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00f64zg)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00f6516)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00f653d)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Michael Piret.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00f6565)
News and issues in rural Britain, presented by Mark Holdstock.
MON 05:57 Weather (b00f6mh9)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 06:00 Today (b00f65cx)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.
Justin Webb reports on the final day of campaigning in the US presidential elections.
George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, discusses the future of funding at the post office.
Sir Pritpal Singh, head teacher at Drayton Manor High School in Ealing, London, and Martin Rogers, from the Children's Service Network, debate whether the schools admissions code, made law last year, has prevented back door selection?
Foreign Secretary David Miliband discusses what Britain is prepared to do to aid the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dr Peter Jones, co-founder of the charity Friends of Classics, imagines the response of a senior civil servant to the banning of Latin words.
Thought for the day with the Rabbi Lionel Blue.
MPs Chris Grayling and Liam Byrne discuss research which suggests that the equality gap in Britain is declining.
On the last day of campaigning, the two men seeking to become the next President of the United States face an exhausting schedule of election rallies. James Naughtie reports on the race for votes.
BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead has just finished a two and a half year posting in Afghanistan, embedding with troops 26 times. He discusses the successes and failures in the conflict, and questions whether an end game will ever come.
Comedian Arthur Smith and the Chairman of the English Subbuteo Table Football Association, Martin Hobbs, discuss the joys of a phenomenon which at its peak captivated millions.
Jon Manel reports on the judicial review of a proposed academy in Camden.
Opera singer Carry Persson discusses war songs with the Spectator's opera critic Michael Tanner.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00f6mhc)
Andrew Marr examines the political, cultural and economic history of America with his guests Niall Ferguson, Linda Colley, Lawrence Goldman and Susan Jacoby.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00f6mv8)
Lady Worsley's Whim
The Heir of Appuldurcombe
Rosamund Pike reads from Hallie Rubenhold's account of the marriage of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley, the details of whose private life scandalised 18th-century society when they were revealed in court.
The trial in 1782 of Captain George Bisset for 'criminal conversation' with the wife of Sir Richard Worsley was one of the most sensational legal suits of the 18th century.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00f65jj)
Fern Britton; Amanda Platell; Tim Lott
TV presenter Fern Britton on her career in television and battle with depression. Plus, Amanda Platell and Tim Lott on why young girls want to be WAGs rather than workers.
MON 11:00 Lives in a Landscape (b00f6p8n)
Series 4
Fellside Photographer
Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today.
Alan Dein meets Wayne Hutchinson, a Cumbrian farmer who combines the hard graft of shepherding with a second job - photographing some of Britain's most expensive livestock. Wayne farms Swaledale sheep with his father in the hills linking Cumbria to the Yorkshire dales. It is rugged territory, but Wayne has allied his farming pedigree with an enthusiasm for photography.
He now mixes his farming duties with time spent travelling the length and breadth of Britain taking pictures of pedigree livestock. It takes him to the farms of some of the wealthiest landowners in Britain as well as smallholders with a passion for livestock.
But these are tough times for farmers, with the aftermath of foot and mouth still being felt, alongside the twin menaces of Blue Tongue and the increasing pressure put on them to protect the environment while at the same time keeping cheap food on our plates. Alongside those tensions are the pressures of mixing farming and family life with the increasingly 'on call' nature of the photography business.
Alan introduces us to Wayne as he prepares for what nobody realised at the time was to be the penultimate Royal Show.
MON 11:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00f6p8q)
Series 5
The Great Escape
Comedy series by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.
Ed finds himself in gainful employment writing for a local lifestyle magazine when everyone at the agency goes on holiday. There may even be a romantic holiday on the horizon for him.
Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Carol ...... Rebecca Front
Aussie ...... Lewis MacLeod
Pearl ...... Rita May
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Check-in woman ...... Nicola Sanderson
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00f65zp)
Presented by Julian Worricker.
In You and Yours's ongoing investigation into sub-prime mortgage selling, we hear about a woman who has recently been targeted by ruthless brokers. Now she is about to be repossessed.
With household fuel costs climbing, find out what powers the Ofgem boss really has to keep the energy companies in check.
An in-depth look at the uniquely British pub sign and what could be threatening its existence.
Some of the UK's most successful Olympians are giving their fans the chance to sponsor them for the London 2012 Olympics.
A campaign to stop the National Trust building homes on pristine land surrounding Erddig House in North Wales reached a climax at the weekend.
The Prime Minister has called for quicker petrol price reductions to match drops in the wholesale price of oil. So how can we really tell if we are paying over the odds?
How can we reduce the harm alcohol causes our society?
MON 12:57 Weather (b00f6617)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b00f661p)
National and international news with Martha Kearney and Brian Hanrahan.
MON 13:30 Brain of Britain (b00f6ph9)
Robert Robinson introduces the sixth heat of the perennial general knowledge quiz.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b00f603n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Brief Lives (b00f6phc)
Series 2
Episode 1
Series of plays by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly, set in a Manchester legal practice.
Frank tries to get one of his friends a job and Debbie questions a celebrity client.
Frank ...... David Schofield
Debbie ...... Atkins
Sarah ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Micky ...... Deka Walmsley
Adam ...... Jonathan Tafler
Jack ...... Adrian Bower
Greg ...... Joseph Millson
Blackstock ...... Jemma Churchill
Gwen ...... Emma Hughes-Jones
Music by Carl Harms.
MON 15:00 Money Box Live (b00f6pmm)
Vincent Duggleby and guests answer listeners' questions on wills and estate planning. The panel of experts are Director of Legal Practice at the University of Edinburgh, Alan Barr, Nicola Plant, partner at Thomas Eggar and senior tax partner at Grant Thornton Mike Warburton.
MON 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00f6698)
Jura: Writers in Residence
A Day on Jura
Kathleen Jamie introduces work by leading writers inspired by the Isle of Jura, all of whom have taken up a residency on the idyllic Scottish island.
Poet Kathleen Jamie describes a delightful day spent enjoying the beautiful and restful landscape of the Island of Jura.
MON 15:45 Beyond These Walls (b00f6gkk)
Episode 1
Ritula Shah hears the stories of people living in hiding. She talks to them about what it is like to live in fear, with false names and rejected by friends and neighbours.
Ritula meets Gary Mitchell, who went into hiding with his family when his house in Belfast was firebombed by masked men.
MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00f5vnc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 Traveller's Tree (b00f6pmp)
Series 4
Hotels
Katie Derham presents the holiday magazine with insider tips from listeners and travel experts.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen joins Katie to offer his distinctive take on hotels. Featuring a report from popular tourist destination the Lake District and an assessment of how well British hotels are coping with changing customer expectations. Katie visits a wild London hotel that plays to people's desire for novelty and Sally Shalam, hotel writer for the Guardian, offers her views on the death of the boutique hotel, current trends and how the hotel business is dealing with the credit crunch.
MON 17:00 PM (b00f6gvf)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00f6gvr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
MON 18:30 The Write Stuff (b00f6q64)
Series 8
DH Lawrence
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness, flanked by captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh and guests Sue Limb and Andrew Motion. The author of the week and subject for pastiche is DH Lawrence and the reader is Beth Chalmers.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b00f6gxf)
Lilian tells Matt that Caroline broke her upper arm but Matt's distracted. His mood changes after a phone call, and Matt explains that Chalkman has taken care of something that needed sorting - somebody defaulting on a business loan and using the credit crunch as an excuse.
Tom apologises again for the pigs getting out last week but Adam tells him to forget it. Tom asks how the venison sells at the farmers' markets, and whether Adam has considered selling other products. It's not something Adam's explored in depth.
Ian calls on Jack and Peggy. Peggy's pleased to see him and quickly accepts Ian's offer to call in more often. Tom also calls, and updates Peggy on his enterprises. Peggy worries he's taking on too much but Tom assures her he can manage. Peggy assures Tom that she's also managing.
Jack shows Peggy a beautiful woodpecker in the garden. Peggy's touched when Jack tells her she's beautiful too, and how nice it is to be there with her. Peggy tells Jack how much she's missed him. Even though Jack has no recollection of having been away, Peggy reassures him that they are back home together now, and everything's going to be fine.
Episode written by Carole Simpson Solazzo.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b00f6h02)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Film-maker Ken Russell is making his debut as a theatre director in New York. Mindgame is a thriller written by the British writer Anthony Horowitz which stars Keith Carradine, Lee Godart and Kathleen McNenny. Ken discusses creating tension in theatre and film, why he watches a film every day and how new technology allows him to make films on a shoestring budget.
Novelist, playwright and memoirist Simon Gray was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year and died in August. Peter Kemp joins Mark to discuss Gray's last memoir, Coda.
A new video game is launched this week that allows its users to not only play the game but create it. James Newman reviews LittleBigPlanet in which players can customise their characters, invent new levels and share their creations with fellow players.
Mark visits Nigerian-born artist Sokari Douglas Camp at her London studio to talk about making all her own works, race politics and her depiction of Osama Bin Laden.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00f6h2g)
A Life of Chekhov
The Leave Taking
Michael Hastings's adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky's biography of Anton Chekhov, dramatising crucial points in his life, from his tough childhood in the remote port of Taganrog to marriage in his final years.
Anton Chekhov ...... Andrew Scott
Masha Chekhov ...... Romola Garai
Yevgenia Chekhov ...... Niamh Cusack
Paul Chekhov ...... Dave Hill
Uncle Mitrofan ...... Alan Williams
Kolya Chekhov ...... Bo Poraj
Sasha Chekhov ...... Keith Dunphy
Directed by Lucy Bailey.
MON 20:00 Belsen After Belsen (b00f6q66)
Historian Rainer Schulze tells the story of the former prisoners who had to remain in Belsen after the concentration camp was liberated by the British in April 1945.
For the next five years, a temporary community was contructed there: people who had lost everything married again, started new families and many dreamed of starting a new life in Israel. Emerging from the shadows of its ghastly origins, Belsen became an unlikely centre of Jewish regeneration, resistance and hope for its survivors.
MON 20:30 The Learning Curve (b00f6q68)
Libby Purves presents a guide to the world of learning, with practical advice, features and listeners' views.
MON 21:00 Frontiers (b00f6q6b)
Lunar Transient Phenomena
Andrew Luck-Baker investigates the mystery of fleeting patches of bright light over areas on the Moon.
A new project is deploying robotic telescopes to try and establish the truth about these lunar transient phenomena, or TLPs, with some believing them to be gas eruptions from lunar volcanoes or escaping via fractures made when the Moon was struck by an asteriod millions of years ago. Some even speculate that the gases could be useful to astronauts who may colonise the Moon in years to come.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00f6mhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b00f6lvt)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00f6m2q)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig in Washington and Ritula Shah in London. On the final day of campaigning in the US election, the candidates make their final pitch for votes. The World Tonight reports on calls for a beefed-up peacekeeping force in the Congo. In troubled financial times, could more bankers join the fraud squad?
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00f6m4s)
The Ruling Passion
Episode 6
David Horovitz reads from David Pownall's novel, recounting the life of Edward II, his troubled reign and his divisive relationship with the knight Piers Gaveston.
The newly-crowned Edward II's relationship with Gaveston causes consternation amongst the Church and the nobility.
MON 23:00 Great Unanswered Questions (b00ff38m)
Series 1
Episode 1
Northern Irish comedian Colin Murphy and his cohorts in a series where the most ridiculous of questions are tackled, with an attempt to provide the correct or at the very least, a funny answer. Could there be a city under the sea? Could pigs fly?
Regular guests, scientist Dr David Booth and up-and-coming comedian and computer geek Matthew Collins, are joined by special guest Jo Caulfield.
Produced by Jackie Hamilton.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00f6m55)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
TUESDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2008
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00f64s6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00f6mv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00f64tr)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00f64vz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00f64xl)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00f64zj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00f6518)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Michael Piret.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00f653g)
News and issues in rural Britain, presented by Anna Hill.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00f6567)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Sarah Montague.
James Naughtie reports on what is expected to be the biggest turnout for a US election in history.
Jane Dreaper speaks to Susan Kiernan, the widow of a man who had pancreatic cancer and was denied life-prolonging drugs by the NHS.
Norman Smith reports on how the financial crisis and the "Brown bounce" seems to have given Labour a glimmer of hope in the Glenrothes by-election.
Adam Shaw speaks to Sir Stuart Rose, who says that 2009 will be a tough year for Marks & Spencer.
Business secretary Lord Mandelson says bank customers will expect banks to pass on interest rate cuts.
Novelist Margaret Atwood discusses the idea of debt as a driving force in fiction.
Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International, discusses the stoning of a 13-year-old girl in southern Somalia.
The new chief executive of RBS, Stephen Hester, discusses how the company can recover from the current financial crisis.
Boxer Joe Frazier and film director John Dower discuss a side to Muhammad Ali that is often overlooked.
James Naughtie discusses the US election race with Matthew Crenson of John Hopkins University.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Lester and Tony Lloyd, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, discuss whether trade unions could become highly vulnerable to infiltration from the BNP and the far right.
Japanese scientists say they have managed to clone mice from the bodies of other mice which have been frozen for 16 years. Prof Malcolm Alison discusses how the technology could be used.
Frank Gardner investigates whether US missile strikes into Pakistani territory are achieving objectives.
Playwright and critic Bonnie Greer and writer Diran Adebayo debate how we should talk about mixed race.
TUE 09:00 In Afghanistan: 30 Years of Conflict and Chaos (b00f6q83)
Trapping the Bear
Former Kabul correspondent Alan Johnston reflects on decades of turmoil in Afghanistan, from the Soviet occupation in 1979 to the intervention by the West in 2001.
The story of the catastrophic miscalculations that humbled the mighty Red Army in the Hindu Kush.
Tens of thousands of troops, tanks and helicopters poured into Afghanistan late in 1979. They laid waste to the land for a decade, during which time millions of Afghans died or were forced to flee. But in the end, it was the Russians who retreated, chased out, in part, by CIA-backed rebels.
TUE 09:30 Bad Habits (b00f6qmv)
Workaholism
Comedian and writer Richard Herring explores some of the bad habits and personal failings which directly or indirectly affect all of us in our daily working lives.
Richard explores the rising problem of workaholism. He talks to a City lawyer who works 20 hours a day, visits Pricewaterhouse Coopers to see how they tackle the issue and writer Jon Ronson confesses to being a workaholic.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00f6r8v)
Lady Worsley's Whim
The Escape
Rosamund Pike reads from Hallie Rubenhold's account of the marriage of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley, the details of whose private life scandalised 18th-century society when they were revealed in court.
Lady Seymour Worsley and her lover Captain Bisset elope to London.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00f65cz)
Sexual orientation in the workplace; India Knight; Jenny Diski
Can your sexual orientation hinder your success at work? Plus India Knight on a thrifty lifestyle, Jenny Diski on Marie de Gournay, and new research into post natal depression.
TUE 11:00 World On The Move: Great Animal Migrations (b00f6rls)
Philippa Forrester and Brett Westwood present the series following the movement and migration of animals across the planet, from the European eel to the African white-eared kob antelope. A team of wildlife specialists are joined by zoologists and conservationists around the world to present regular reports.
TUE 11:30 Crisis on the Top Shelf (b00f6rvm)
Rowan Pelling looks at the history of top-shelf magazines in Britain, their changing content, society's attitude toward them and their future in the face of internet competition and declining sales. She looks at the effect that the rise of 'lads mags', the feminist movement and the increasing sexualisation of society have had on adult magazines.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00f65yd)
Call You and Yours
Presented by Julian Worricker.
How can we reduce the harm alcohol causes our society?
A new report from the National Audit Office puts the cost of alcohol misuse to the National Health Service at £2.7 billion a year. How can we reduce the harm alcohol causes in financial terms and the harm caused to individuals and families? And how do we balance that against individuals' right to a social drink? We hear your views.
With guests:
Nick Sheron, Alcohol Health Alliance
David Poley, Portman Group
Dr James Warner, Consultant in Older Adults Psychiatry
Prof Gerard Hastings, Institute for Social Marketing at Stirling
Shona Robinson, Minister for Public Health, Scottish Parliament.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00f65zr)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00f6619)
National and international news with Martha Kearney and Brian Hanrahan.
TUE 13:30 Stage to Screen (b00f713d)
Series 3
On the Town
Paul Gambaccini explores how stage works have been adapted for the cinema.
Paul looks at MGM's film of Leonard Bernstein's first musical comedy in the company of Betty Garrett, who played opposite Frank Sinatra in the screen version, film historian Dana Polan and Jude Kelly, who directed the successful English National Opera production.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00f6gxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b007llfz)
Excluded
By Michael Stewart.
The headmaster of a failing comprehensive is flapping during inspection week. He comes up with a great idea to hide the problem by getting all the bad pupils out of school and into the dales. Unfortunately, the teacher he asks to lead the expedition has enough problems of his own.
Nick ...... Leigh Symonds
Ashley ...... Mikey North
Khalid ...... Sascha Dhawan
Becky ...... Lucy-Jo Hudson
David ...... Howard Chadwick
Directed by Gary Brown.
TUE 15:00 Making History (b00f713v)
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester - The Urbanus Magnus
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Could this central figure in Elizabethan politics have been murdered?
A Making History listener notes that Dudley seemed to be alive and busy helping to organise the English land army in preparation from an attack by the Spanish Armada and then suddenly he dies from an illness that no one is quite sure about. Making History turned to our leading authority on Dudley, Dr Simon Adams Reader in History at the University of Strathclyde.
Daniel of Beccles and the Urbanus Magnus
Anne Deed Frith is typical of the many Making History listeners who are absorbed in researching the past of the community in which they live. She lives in Beccles in Suffolk and a couple of years ago whilst reading a book about the Magna Carta she was taken by references to a Daniel of Beccles. No one had heard of him but after a good deal of research she discovered that Daniel was the author of possibly our first book of manners, a twelfth century poem which was quite widely referred to. Four more or less complete Medieval manuscripts survive in Trinity college Dublin, Worcester Cathedral, Gonville and Caius College Cambridge and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00f66d9)
Jura: Writers in Residence
Superstition
Kathleen Jamie introduces work by leading writers inspired by the Isle of Jura, all of whom have taken up a residency on the idyllic Scottish island.
By Romesh Gunesekera. Duncan is happy tending his plants in his beautiful garden on Jura, when he unexpectedly finds love.
TUE 15:45 Beyond These Walls (b00f6gp9)
Episode 2
Ritula Shah hears the stories of people living in hiding. She talks to them about what it is like to live in fear, with false names and rejected by friends and neighbours.
Ritula meets Lars Vilks, the man with a 150,000 dollar price on his head after outraging many in the Muslim world with his drawing of the Prophet Mohammed.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00f71g9)
Clive Coleman takes his weekly look at legal issues.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00f71gc)
Sukhdev Sandhu and Gavin Esler
Sue MacGregor and her guests - film critic and writer Sukhdev Sandhu and former Newsnight presenter Gavin Esler - discuss three favourite paperbacks by Daniel Mason, Arthur Koestler and Geoff Dyer.
'Darkness at Noon' by Arthur Koestler
Publisher: Vintage Classics
'Out of Sheer Rage' by Geoff Dyer
Publisher: Abacus
'The Piano Tuner' by Daniel Mason
Publisher: Picador
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00f6gss)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00f6gvh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
TUE 18:30 The Party Line (b00f72vn)
Series 3
Episode 5
Topical sitcom by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. Duncan Stonebridge MP loves the excitement of Westminster life, it's just his constituency that he finds tricky.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00f6gwx)
Alistair meets Ryan before the Gamblers' Anonymous meeting. Ryan appreciates Alistair's concern and tells him just how bad his situation is. Alistair offers Ryan the benefit of his experience, assuring him the group will understand. Alistair admits he too reached rock bottom and relied on the group to pull him through.
Alistair lets it slip that he's a vet and is a bit concerned when Ryan sees what an expensive car he has. Ryan can't see how he'll ever recover, with Christmas on the way and his own car needing an MOT. Nevertheless, he thanks Alistair for his support.
As they await the start of the panto auditions, Mike tells Eddie how work's progressing on Willow Cottage. Kenton joins them, and they laugh about the hilarious ghost walk.
Lynda's been hit by the flu, so Robert's taking the auditions. Kenton's convinced he'll get the role of Dame Trot but Mike and Eddie have other ideas. The ultimate decision will be Lynda's, based on Robert's recommendations, so there's strong competition to buy Robert a drink. But Kenton's convinced he's on a roll. His firework display with David will be out of the world, and he's a shoo-in for Dame Trot.
Episode written by Carole Simpson Solazzo.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00f6gz4)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Politicial satirist Alistair Beaton and journalist Anne McElvoy review Oliver Stone's film W, starring Josh Brolin as the US President George W. Bush.
Comedian Chris Addison talks to Mark about the difficult question of taste in comedy, writing versus performing, and his worst gig ever.
Following an extensive restoration, this week marks the celebration of the rededication of the Grand Organ of St Paul's Cathedral in London. The lead organist Simon Johnson pulls out all the 108 stops to show us the new glory of the instrument's 7256 pipes, once played by Mendelssohn and Handel.
The award winning Swedish writer Henning Mankell talks about the creation of his detective Kurt Wallander, who is soon to be played on British TV by Kenneth Brannagh.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00f6h8c)
A Life of Chekhov
At the Tailor's
Michael Hastings's adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky's biography of Anton Chekhov, dramatising crucial points in his life, from his tough childhood in the remote port of Taganrog to marriage in his final years.
Anton and his family move to Moscow after the bankruptcy of his father. Amidst the domestic chaos, the 19-year-old Anton studies to become a doctor and writes his short stories.
Anton Chekhov ...... Andrew Scott
Lika ...... Romola Garai
Yevgenia Chekhov ...... Niamh Cusack
Suvorin ...... Dave Hill
Uncle Mitrofan ...... Alan Williams
Kolya Chekhov ...... Bo Poraj
Sasha Chekhov ...... Keith Dunphy
Directed by Lucy Bailey.
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00f72vs)
With estimates that as many as one in ten prisoners have military backgrounds, Allan Urry investigates claims that the NHS is failing to sufficiently deal with soldiers traumatised by their experiences in Afghanistan and other war zones.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00f72vx)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b00f75dg)
Race - Mental Health Act - Suicide and South Asian Women
RACE
New research from the United States shows it’s common for people to avoid the subject of race in a misguided attempt to show that they’re not racist.
The researchers used a version of the game Guess Who? and found that white people avoided asking black people about race, even when the issue was clearly relevant. All in the Mind talks to Evan Apfelbaum of Tufts University in the USA and Professor Binna Kandola, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist based in Oxford.
MENTAL HEALTH ACT
The new Mental Health Act finally comes into force this week in England and Wales. It’s the first major legislation on mental health for twenty five years and there’s been a battle between the Government and mental health professionals – including psychiatrists – over the new law. Claudia Hammond spoke to Professor Dinesh Bhugra, the new President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
SUICIDE AND SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN IN THE UK
Previous studies have shown that young South Asian women have high suicide rates but a new study, just published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, casts doubt on this. The study highlights new findings that say it’s older South Asian women originally from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who in fact have double the rates of suicide than other women in the UK.
The results even came as a surprise to the team that discovered them, led by Professor Kwame McKenzie from the University of Toronto in Canada. Claudia asked how these disturbing statistics had remained hidden until now.
TUE 21:30 In Afghanistan: 30 Years of Conflict and Chaos (b00f6q83)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00f6ltk)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00f6lvw)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including news of Taiwan and China's agreement to work together, the latest from the Democratic Republic of Congo and voters flock to the polls in the United States.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00f6m2s)
The Ruling Passion
Episode 7
David Horovitz reads from David Pownall's novel, recounting the life of Edward II, his troubled reign and his divisive relationship with the knight Piers Gaveston.
Edward's enemies prepare to bring the new King to heel.
TUE 23:00 Tina C's Election Night BBQ Special (b00f7bvb)
Country singer and presidential hopeful Tina C assesses her chances of becoming president and does an in-depth interview with Martha Kearney.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00f6m4v)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Susan Hulme.
WEDNESDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2008
WED 00:00 US Election Results Special (b00fcfq1)
A comprehensive guide to the night's results as they come in, presented from Washington DC by James Naughtie and Shaun Ley, with Martha Kearney and the BBC's North America Editor Justin Webb. Plus insight and reaction from key figures in the US and around the world, including analysis from veteran American political pollster Thomas Riehle. Including news and weather.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00f64xn)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00f64zl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00f651b)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Michael Piret.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00f653j)
News and issues in rural Britain, presented by Anna Hill.
WED 06:00 Today (b00f6569)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.
North America editor Justin Webb and pollster Frank Luntz discuss the impact of Barack Obama's election as the president of the United States.
Chair of the independent commission on Scottish devolution Sir Kenneth Calman and Scottish political editor Brian Taylor discuss whether the Scottish Parliament has been working since devolution 10 years ago.
Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta talks about the challenges facing Barack Obama.
Justin Webb looks at the key events of election night.
John Pienaar reports from Washington. Consultant and Republican strategist Terry Nelson evaluates how John McCain's campaign unfolded and what the Democrat victory means for the Republican Party.
Dr Colin Dark of the Forensic Science Service discusses a possible breakthrough in a 62-year-old rape and murder case.
Thought for the day with John Bell, of the Iona Community.
Robert H Tuttle, US Ambassador to London, discusses how Barack Obama's presidency will change the US.
Political consultant Bob Shrum believes Obama is someone who comes along once in a generation.
Tom Feilden reports on the development due to be built across the river from Hampton Court Palace.
Historians Niall Ferguson and Simon Schama discuss how the US has come to elect its first ever black president and how it represents a fundamental shift in the national mood.
Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman hopes Obama's victory will mean a return to former principles of the Republican party.
James Cuno and Professor Lord Renfrew discuss where antiquities should be displayed.
Sir Christopher Meyer, former ambassador to the US, discusses how global euphoria could turn to anxiety if Obama does not live up to expectations.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00f7z1q)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00f6r8x)
Lady Worsley's Whim
Worsley v Bisset
Rosamund Pike reads from Hallie Rubenhold's account of the marriage of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley, the details of whose private life scandalised 18th-century society when they were revealed in court.
The trial of George Bisset plays to a packed house.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00f65d1)
Malorie Blackman; Shoplifting; Africa's women
Writer Malorie Blackman on her books for young adults. Plus penalties for shoplifting, and what needs to be done to enable women to fully participate in decision-making in Africa?
WED 11:00 Salt City (b00f7z1s)
Allan Beswick visits the last working inland salt mine left in Britain, 500 feet below the plains of Cheshire. He goes underground to investigate the unexpected things that reside down there, in huge empty caverns that are now being used to store archive materials.
WED 11:30 The Casebook of Inspector Steine (b009q9hn)
On the Road
Comedy drama series by Lynne Truss set in 1950s Brighton.
A day out in a singular vintage car turns out to be highly eventful, thanks to a certain cockney charlady.
Inspector Steine ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Sergeant Brunswick ...... John Ramm
Mrs Groynes ...... Sam Spiro
Constable Twitten ...... Matt Green.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00f65yg)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
Advertising watchdog backs complaint over health scans.
UK computer firm wants your help with 'Answer Engine'.
Are power producers heading for a multi billion pound windfall at our expense?
Ever since music recording went digital; classical music fans have complained about the quality of music available for download. A new download store, Passionato, aims to fix that.
Ryan Air shrugs off gloom to predict bright future.
How to advertise when money is tight? We speak to Richard Hemming from ebiquity, a company that tries to help advertisers get the most from what they spend.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00f65zt)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00f661c)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00f7zt3)
Steve Hewlett presents a new topical programme about the fast-changing media world.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00f6gwx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00f7zt5)
Zauberjackl
Atmospheric drama by Charlie Boucher, set in 17th-century Salzburg and based on one of Europe's last witchcraft trials.
Two homeless young men, Lukas and Emil, are surviving on their wits, but when they become involved with a gang that is terrorising the city their lives are suddenly in danger.
Lukas ...... Tom Geoffrey
Emil ...... Michael Everest
Spider ...... Jenny Harrold
Max Gandolf ...... Christian Rodska
Lord Percy ...... Martin Reeve
Hans ...... Dan Winter
Voice ...... Tony Rowlands.
WED 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00f5vpn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Sunday]
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00f66dc)
Jura: Writers in Residence
Tissue Sample
Kathleen Jamie introduces work by leading writers inspired by the Isle of Jura, all of whom have taken up a residency on the idyllic Scottish island.
Will Self reflects on the creative process with passages from the notebook he kept while on Jura.
WED 15:45 Beyond These Walls (b00f6gpc)
Episode 3
Ritula Shah hears the stories of people living in hiding. She talks to them about what it is like to live in fear, with false names and rejected by friends and neighbours.
Ritula meets Karen Gardner, who was forced to give birth in hiding after being hounded out of her home by animal rights extremists.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00f7zt7)
US Elections and the Media - Tribute to Studs Terkel
US ELECTIONS AND THE MEDIA
The printed press is often criticised for amongst others muck-raking, for its obsession with short term events, for relishing conflict and being cynical about politicians… The US Presidential Election saw new media play a significant role, in the shape of Facebook, YouTube as well as candidates own websites and online funding initiatives.
Laurie Taylor is joined by Professor Michael Schudson, author of a new book entitled Why Democracies Need an Unlovable Press, and Rachel Gibson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester to consider if the printed press deserves to be castigated for being anti-democratic and debate whether it could be in decline.
TRIBUTE TO STUDS TERKEL
Studs Terkel died last week, Laurie Taylor remembers when he last met him. In 2002, Laurie travelled to Chicago to find out what had happened to the sociological tradition in town. He joined young Chicago sociologist, Peter St Jean, for a visit to Bronzeville, the city’s south side and by far Chicago’s highest violent crime district. Soon after, Laurie met up with Studs Terkel to hear a story about the renowned Blues singer, Big Bill Broonzy.
WED 16:30 All in the Mind (b00f75dg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00f6gsv)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00f6gvk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
WED 18:30 Clare in the Community (b008nzwn)
Series 4
Mother of all Mothers
The bossy social worker wants a baby, but is Brian willing to make it happen? Starring Sally Phillips. From January 2008.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00f6gwz)
Ian finds Peggy in a desperate state. Jennifer's due and Jack's still wearing yesterday's clothes. He'd convinced himself that Peggy wouldn't give him any supper, so insisted on doing his own. Peggy couldn't stop him. He spent the night emptying every kitchen cupboard, making a terrible mess. Now Peggy's too exhausted to sort things out. Ian jumps into action and soon gets everything back to normal. Ian's concerned that Peggy needs regular help, but Jack's ok now and Peggy begs Ian to keep this to himself.
Eddie's helping David get Brookfield ready for the new grazing system. Eddie's not convinced the new regime will work but praises them for trying. They see Sid running with Usha, and he seems in a state.
Ruth later tells David that Sid's told Usha he can't coach her anymore, blaming his long working hours.
David's hoping the firework display will live up to expectations. With what he's spent, Ruth's sure it will. David and Kenton are in high spirits as they set it up.
Jack's happily watching the fireworks from his bedroom window. Peggy's relieved to see him so content and hopes there are more happy times like this to look forward to.
Episode written by Carole Simpson Solazzo.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00f6gz6)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
As Scottish-born singer Lulu celebrates her 60th birthday, she reflects on 45 years in showbiz.
The death was announced today of the crime writer Michael Crichton, author of the popular Jurassic Park trilogy and The Andromeda Strain. The 66-year-old author also created the long-running US hospital drama ER. The crime novelist Philip Kerr reflects on Michael Crichton's life and career.
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet: choreographer Mark Morris, Profokiev's own grandson Gabriel, Sunderland fanzine editor Martyn McFadden and one of the makers of The Apprentice discuss what it is about this theme that gives it such continuing power.
Baroness James of Holland Park, also known as crime novelist P.D.James, talks to Mark as the Adam Dalgleish detective novel A Taste For Death is dramatised for the Woman's Hour serial on BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00f6hb3)
A Life of Chekhov
The Dead Pool
Michael Hastings's adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky's biography of Anton Chekhov, dramatising crucial points in his life, from his tough childhood in the remote port of Taganrog to marriage in his final years.
Anton becomes attracted to Natasha, the daughter of the family's landlord, who knows a secret about the pool where he goes to fish.
Anton Chekhov ...... Andrew Scott
Natasha ...... Romola Garai
Uncle Mitrofan ...... Alan Williams
Kolya Chekhov ...... Bo Poraj
Sasha Chekhov ...... Keith Dunphy
Directed by Lucy Bailey.
WED 20:00 Iconoclasts (b00f80w5)
Episode 2
Edward Stourton chairs a live discussion series in which guests set out their strong views on a subject, before being challenged by a panel of experts.
Andrew Keen, one of the pioneering entrepreneurs of the internet boom, argues that Web 2.0 is an anarchic movement that destroys culture of real value.
WED 20:45 Classrooms to Power (b00dw87z)
Episode 2
Michael Dobbs examines the schooldays of leading prime ministers. He assesses the importance of Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School and its surroundings to Margaret Thatcher.
WED 21:00 World On The Move: Great Animal Migrations (b00f6rls)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00f7z1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00f6ltm)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00f6lvy)
In a special edition from Washington DC, Robin Lustig assesses the significance of Barack Obama's victory for race relations in the US and asks if the world will see many changes in American foreign policy.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00f6m2v)
The Ruling Passion
Episode 8
David Horovitz reads from David Pownall's novel, recounting the life of Edward II, his troubled reign and his divisive relationship with the knight Piers Gaveston.
Gaveston settles some old scores.
WED 23:00 15 Minute Musical (b00f810y)
Series 5
Washington High School Musical
Series of brief musical comedies by Dave Cohen, David Quantick and Richie Webb.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton compete to be President of Washington High.
With Richie Webb, Dave Lamb and Vicki Pepperdine.
WED 23:15 Self-Storage (b00f8188)
Series 2
Episode 1
Sitcom by Tom Collinson about a man living in a storage unit.
Dave tries to get his sister Judy to move out of the Storage Garden.
Dave ...... Reece Shearsmith
Geoff ...... Mark Heap
Ron ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Judy ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Mickey ...... Paul Putner
Sarah ...... Susan Earl
Shop Assistant ...... Helen Longworth.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00f6m4x)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
THURSDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2008
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00f64sb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00f6r8x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00f64tw)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00f64w3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00f64xq)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00f64zn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00f651d)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Michael Piret.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00f653l)
News and issues in rural Britain, presented by Charlotte Smith.
THU 06:00 Today (b00f656c)
Presented by Sarah Montague and Evan Davis.
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive David Smith discusses the 600 jobs the company is expected to lose.
Tom Feilden discusses whether the use of animals in experiments remains essential.
Aleem Maqbool reports from the West Bank on the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
Nick Robinson considers what Barack Obama's election might mean for British politics.
Ian Pannell and Col Gregory Julian, spokesman for the US Forces, discuss the Afghan president's calls to end civilian casualties.
Michael Blastland and Matthew Taylor, former head of Tony Blair's policy unit, discuss why politicians never admit they don't know something.
Thought for the day with novelist Anne Atkins.
James Naughtie reports on how Barack Obama will face the challenges in front of him as US President.
Economics editor Hugh Pym and John Cridland of the CBI discuss interest rates.
Former jockey Marcus Armytage advises Dominic Prince as he prepares for his first race.
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and Sergei Markov discuss the timing of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's announcement that Russia will deploy missiles to neutralise the planned US anti-missile shield.
Pat Murphy speaks to the widow of football manager Brian Clough, whose statue is being unveiled in Nottingham.
James Naughtie discusses the election of the US's first black president with Dr Martin Luther King's sister Christine King Farris.
The Duchess of York responds to a Turkish minister's accusation that she is smearing Turkey's image following a documentary made by her which shows appalling conditions in their state orphanages.
Daniel Finkelstein and Catherine Mayer discuss how the British have shared the euphoria of Barack Obama's election victory.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00f8530)
Aristotle's Politics
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most important works of political philosophy ever written - Aristotle’s ‘Politics’. Looking out across the city states of 4th century Greece Aristotle asked what made a society good and developed a language of ‘oligarchies’, ‘democracies’ and ‘monarchies’ that we still use today. Having witnessed his home town of Stagira destroyed by Philip of Macedon, Aristotle tried to establish a way of preserving a good society in dangerous times. How should it be governed and who should be allowed to live in it? Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Aquinas and Niccolo Machiavelli, to name but a few, have all asked the same questions and come up with wildly differing answers.Aristotle’s conclusions range across the role of wealth and the law, across men, women and slaves, education and leisure. They are far reaching, influential and, at times, deeply unpalatable. But they are also answers to questions that have not and will not go away. With Angie Hobbs, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick; Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge and Annabel Brett, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00f6r8z)
Lady Worsley's Whim
The Aftermath
Rosamund Pike reads from Hallie Rubenhold's account of the marriage of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley, the details of whose private life scandalised 18th-century society when they were revealed in court.
Lady Worsley celebrates her court victory and continues in her attempts to publicly humiliate Sir Richard, but Bisset leaves her when she is pregnant and she is left alone and in debt.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00f65d3)
Political blogs; Rape rulings; Scrabble
Are political blogs run by women different to those run by men? Plus the impact of new judgements on rape, scrabble at 60, and the lives of the Garrett Andersons.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00f85kw)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 Misfits in France (b00f85ky)
Impressions of Honfleur, Reunions in Rouen
Series in which Julian Barnes and Hermione Lee explore the connections between a group of Victorian writers and artists who crossed the English Channel for different reasons.
The series ends in Rouen, where Oscar Wilde rekindled his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas after a lonely summer in exile outside Dieppe. The museum in Rouen also holds a collection of paintings by Monet, Sisley and Walter Sickert's friend and patron - Jacques Emile Blanche.
Oscar Wilde ...... Simon Russell Beale
Claude Monet ...... Jonathan Tafler
Walter Sickert ...... Stephen Critchlow.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00f65yj)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
Do councils make people bankrupt to claw back council tax payments?
How does brand licensing work? We hear from Which? Magazine and Golden Goose, a brand licensing company.
Should the housing charity Shelter have taken £100,000 from the Government to produce leaflets promoting the idea of eco towns? We hear from Shelter and the Council for the Protection of Rural England.
Small business loans are available from the Royal British Legion, and all you need to apply is a track record in the armed services. Geoff Bird reports.
There will be a debate in the Commons on the evening of 6 November 2008 about the plight of savers who put their money with the Icelandic bank Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander on the Isle of Man.
We speak to adviser David Lambertto and John Hopkins from the Olympic Delivery Authority about the Olympic Park design plans.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00f65zx)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00f661f)
National and international news with Brian Hanrahan.
THU 13:30 Open Country (b00f58d4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00f6gwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00f85z7)
The Wrong Hero?
Mark Burgess's drama re-imagines the circumstances surrounding the death of film star Leslie Howard, whose plane was shot down by German fighters in 1943. Howard and his business manager Alfred Chenhalls - who bore a striking resemblance to Winston Churchill - were on their way back to England from Lisbon after a speaking tour. Could their plane have been targeted in a case of mistaken identity?
Leslie Howard ...... Simon Williams
Alfred Chenhalls ...... Kenneth Cranham.
THU 15:00 Questions, Questions (b00f86jx)
Stewart Henderson answers those niggling questions from everyday life.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00f5l09)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00f66df)
Jura: Writers in Residence
Enough
Kathleen Jamie introduces work by leading writers inspired by the Isle of Jura, all of whom have taken up a residency on the idyllic Scottish island.
By Philip Gourevitch. War correspondent Jerry visits the island.
THU 15:45 Beyond These Walls (b00f6gpf)
Episode 4
Ritula Shah hears the stories of people living in hiding. She talks to them about what it is like to live in fear, with false names and rejected by friends and neighbours.
Yasmin Whittaker-Khan ran away from abuse at home to a rambling country house, where a panic button was installed in case her father found out where she was living.
THU 16:00 Bookclub (b00f5zrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00f86jz)
The Deep Carbon Cycle - Surname Genetics
The Deep Carbon Cycle
We all know about carbon dioxide these days – the way plants take it up from the air, the way animals and especially human animals release it again. And the way it gets stored for a few years in forest timber and soils, and perhaps for a few million years in oil and coal. But the carbon cycle goes much deeper.
Quentin Cooper hears that the deep carbon cycle could have a critical role in the evolution and maintenance of terrestrial systems. Volcanologist Professor Stephen Sparks from Bristol University studies the role of carbon from volcanoes in the Earth’s atmosphere and Dr Graham Pearson of Durham University is researching the ancient carbon cycle.
Like its shallow counterpart, the deep cycle begins in the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. That gets absorbed into the skeletons of tiny marine plants, which sink to the ocean floor.
Eventually, the ocean rocks themselves sink down into the Earth’s mantle where some of the carbon returns as carbon dioxide in volcanic gasses – far more than previously thought. Some deep carbon even goes on a billion year journey through the Earth’s mantle before the incredible pressures turn it into diamond.
Surname Genetics
Just what's in a surname? We share them with our close relatives and pass them down the family line. But what about the man up the road who shares your name? Could he be a long-lost cousin? New research looking at 500 British surnames suggests that he might – and the key is in our genes. It's not just names that are passed from father to son, because for a male to be male, he has to inherit 'male genes'.
These genes are all stored on the Y chromosome, meaning that all related men will have the same Y chromosome. This information led Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes to start investigating his own surname. After writing to every Sykes in the phone book and looking at their genes, he found that 70% had the same distant ancestor. Since this discovery, Turi King from the University of Leicester has expanded the study to include 500 British surnames.
This is not only revealing the history of individual families, but that the UK population has wider genetic links from John O'Groats and Land's End to the rest of the world.
THU 17:00 PM (b00f6gsx)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00f6gvm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 4 Stands Up (b00f86m7)
Series 2
Episode 2
Rhod Gilbert hosts the stand-up comedy show featuring some of the top names on the circuit.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00f6gx1)
Alistair's looking at ways of creating a waterfall for the panto. Shula's also been busy trying to sort out costumes with Jill.
Alistair thinks the indoor rock-climbing event Pip went to sounds like a great idea for Daniel's birthday. But Shula senses he's preoccupied with something else. Alistair admits he's concerned about Ryan. Shula reminds him he doesn't have to do it on his own.
David's surprised to hear that Josh wants to try bell-ringing - until he learns that Josh has heard they get paid to ring at weddings. As David expected, the council has decided not to make any changes to the street lighting, mainly on safety grounds.
Ruth's been to see Peggy and was put to shame to see how tidy everything is. Peggy seems to be managing fine.
Tom's finally had a reference for Gary. His ex-boss thinks Gary lacks concentration and mentioned a couple of mistakes. Gary begs Tom not to sack him. He pleads and pleads until Tom backs down and agrees to think about it. Jazzer thinks Gary deserves another chance. Tom decides to sleep on it. With problems like this, Jazzer sees no benefit in being the boss. Right now, Tom's feeling the same way.
Episode written by Carole Simpson Solazzo.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00f6gz8)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Jason Solomons reviews the film adaptation of Noel Coward's play, Easy Virtue, starring Jessica Biel as the racy young American bride who shakes up the upper middle class world of her new mother-in-law, played by Kristin Scott Thomas.
At the heart of a new play, The Horse Marines by Richard Cameron, is a canal journey during the Second World War, in which a disparate group of people have the task of delivering munitions from Hull to Liverpool on a barge. In preparation for their roles, the actors travelled to London to experience for themselves the realities of handling a barge, operating locks and pulling a canalboat from the towpath. Kirsty joined the cast as they got on board the 71-year-old Tarporley.
The film-maker Morgan Matthews has spent seven years filming intimate testimonies to every single serviceman and woman who has died while serving with the British Armed Forces in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a landmark 3-hour BBC Two documentary, The Fallen. The novelist Sarah Dunant has watched it and discusses the programme with Kirsty.
At the age of 23, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez saw his operatic career spectacularly launched when he stepped into the leading role of Rossini's Matilde di Shabran at the last minute, learning the central part of Corradino in just two weeks. Now the bel canto singer has returned to the role that made his name for a production at the Royal Opera House. He discusses the demands of a Rossini role and how his singing career started out not in opera houses but in the local pub.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00f6hkg)
A Life of Chekhov
His Sister Masha
Michael Hastings's adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky's biography of Anton Chekhov, dramatising crucial points in his life, from his tough childhood in the remote port of Taganrog to marriage in his final years.
Now in his thirties and a successful short story writer, Anton tends to the sick and tries to mend his relationship with his father. Meanwhile, a rich neighbour turns his attention toward Anton's sister Masha.
Anton Chekhov ...... Andrew Scott
Masha Chekhov ...... Romola Garai
Paul Chekhov ...... Dave Hill
Alex Smagin ...... Bo Poraj
Sasha Chekhov ...... Keith Dunphy
Directed by Lucy Bailey.
THU 20:00 In Search of Forgiveness (b00f87rz)
Rev Julie Nicholson, whose daughter was killed in the July 2005 London bombings, meets people who have forgiven great wrongs as well as some who have not been able to.
She was unable to forgive the man responsible for killing her daughter, so she resigned her post as a vicar in Bristol. She speaks to other mothers whose children have been murdered in an attempt to discover where forgiveness comes from and what it really means.
THU 20:30 Analysis (b00f8mq3)
Dead Cert
Michael Blastland examines the damage done by the demand for certainty in politics and asks why our leaders seem unable to say 'I don't know'. He hears calls from former education secretary Estelle Morris that it is time for politicians to admit that the people in charge do not have all the answers.
THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00f8mq5)
Recreating Woolly Mammoths
Recreating Woolly Mammoths
This week Japanese scientists announced they had created clones from the frozen bodies of mice. This work, they claimed, raised the possibility of recreating extinct animals such as woolly mammoths and sabre tooth tigers. For Leading Edge, Geoff went to the Natural History Museum in London to ask mammoth expert Professor Adrian Lister, if this was possible or even desirable?
Animal research
The European Commission has this week presented proposals for strengthening the protection of laboratory animals. John Stein, professor of neuroscience at Oxford University and professor emeritus Michael Balls of FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments) debate the phasing out of non-human primates in research.
Scientific Biographies
It’s time we all understood more about science, says biographer Richard Holmes and a very good way to do this is to understand the lives of the scientists themselves.
Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology is a new science, by which you can build your own organism, removing the bits of its chemistry you don’t want, and replacing them with something different. The 2008 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, iGEM for short, takes place this weekend at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in America. Geoff went to meet the young scientists from Cambridge entering the competition.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00f8530)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00f6ltp)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00f6lw0)
National and international news and analysis.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00f6m2x)
The Ruling Passion
Episode 9
David Horovitz reads from David Pownall's novel, recounting the life of Edward II, his troubled reign and his divisive relationship with the knight Piers Gaveston.
Edward and Gaveston contravene a pact drawn up with the Kingdom's most powerful families.
THU 23:00 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul (b00f8mq7)
Episode 6
Douglas Adams's comic fantasy, dramatised by Dirk Maggs and John Langdon.
Thor succeeds in losing his temper and Dirk fails to save himself.
Dirk Gently ...... Harry Enfield
Kate ...... Laurel Lefkow
Simon Draycott ...... Peter Davison
Cynthia Draycott ...... Jan Ravens
Janice Pearce ...... Olivia Colman
Thor ...... Rupert Degas
Toe Rag ...... Michael Roberts
Odin ...... Stephen Moore
Mysterious Vagrant ...... Phillip Jackson
Green Hairy Monster ...... Viking Announcer
Tsuliwaensis ...... Susan Sheridan
Vagrant King ...... Phillip Jackson
Announcer ...... John Marsh
Music by Philip Pope.
Directed by Dirk Maggs.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00f6m4z)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
FRIDAY 07 NOVEMBER 2008
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00f64sd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00f6r8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00f64ty)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00f64w5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00f64xs)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00f64zq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00f651g)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Michael Piret.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00f653n)
News and issues in rural Britain, presented by Charlotte Smith.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00f656f)
Presented by Evan Davis and Edward Stourton.
Prof John Curtice discusses Labour's victory in the Glenrothes by-election.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh discusses the 90% fall in half-year profits.
Jean Hegarty, whose brother was killed on Bloody Sunday, discusses the delay of the Saville Inquiry report.
Tom Feilden reports on the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origins of Species.
Chris Morris reports on how legal firms in the UK are outsourcing work to lawyers in India.
SNP deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon says that Labour ran a scaremongering campaign in the Glenrothes by-election.
Mark Honigsbaum of the Wellcome Trust Centre talks about the global flu epidemic that hit at the end of WWI.
Thought for the day with Vishvapani, a member of the Western Buddhist Order.
Shadow minister for schools Nick Gibb and Mick Brookes of the National Association of Head Teachers discuss child discipline.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, Tom Montgomerie of Conservative Home and political editor Nick Robinson discuss the Glenrothes by-election.
Ishbel Matheson of Save The Children says schools in the DR of Congo may have been targeted by armed groups.
Mark Coles talks to Hank Williams's daughter Jett about a collection of his unreleased recordings.
Robert Peston discusses why the banks are refusing to pass on interest rate cuts.
Jon Manel visits campaigners who face losing their homes if the new Heathrow runway goes ahead.
Lord Soley, director of pro-expansion campaigners Future Heathrow, discusses if there are alternatives to the runway.
Economist George Magnus says governments will face tough economic challenges because of the ageing population.
Fraser Nelson and Jackie Ashley discuss the security of Gordon Brown as PM.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00f5l38)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00f6r91)
Lady Worsley's Whim
The Denouement
Rosamund Pike reads from Hallie Rubenhold's account of the marriage of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley, the details of whose private life scandalised 18th-century society when they were revealed in court.
Having given birth to Bisset's child, Lady Worsley flees to Paris to escape her creditors.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00f65d5)
Michelle Shocked; Male rape; Vintage shoes
Could more be done to help the male victims of sexual violence? Plus American musician Michelle Shocked and Emma Cianchi, the youngest rare pig breeder in the country.
FRI 11:00 Enemies Within (b00f8mzh)
Episode 1
Ruth McDonald investigates the world of the British intelligence services' informers, who operated in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles. She finds out what motivated them and their handlers to risk their lives, and why they are still reviled by the communities in which they operated. Featuring an interview with Michael McConville, whose mother was abducted and shot by the IRA for being an alleged informer.
FRI 11:30 Agatha Christie (b0090sch)
Crooked House
Episode 4
Joy Wilkinson's adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel.
Another murder has struck Three Gables, which means the case against Brenda and Laurence falls apart. The killer is still at large, and Josephine is still in danger.
Charles ...... Rory Kinnear
Sophia ...... Anna Maxwell Martin
Taverner ...... Phil Davis
Josephine ...... Grianne Dromgoole
Aunt Edith ...... Judy Parfitt
Philip ...... Ben Crowe
Magda ...... Anna Chancellor
Roger ...... Simon Treves
Clemency ...... Rachel Sanders
Directed by Sam Hoyle.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00f65yl)
Presented by Peter White.
Campaigners want the Welsh Assembly Government to decide the future of a caravan park at the heart of mismanagement claims in the Brecon Beacons.
Pub landlords are stepping up the pressure on the companies who they say are charging them too much rent and too much for the beer, making it harder for them to compete.
Defying the financial downturn, the boom in private jets.
Young people making movies for each other across the continents discover they have much in common.
The Michelin-starred chef and face of TV's The Restaurant, Raymond Blanc, heads for the forest and hunts for mushrooms on his rare weekends off.
Whilst the new Bond film has been accused of containing more product placement than plot, other film directors are told that not all publicity is good publicity.
Kipping on a stranger's sofa or letting a stranger sleep on yours - the latest in budget travel?
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00f65zz)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00f661h)
National and international news with Brian Hanrahan.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00f8p64)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00f6gx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b007gzjm)
In Afghanistan - Poppy Seeds
By Rachel McGill.
An aid worker in Afghanistan decides that the fight to contain the opium trade is not working and that a fresh approach is needed. She starts buying opium direct from the farmers, ensuring not only that they obtain a fair price for their crop but also that the product is not bought by drug cartels.
Katherine ...... Haydn Gwynne
Syed ...... Sharif Dorani
Jamila ...... Nathalie Armin
Emma ...... Lynsey Pow
Naseer ...... Jeff Mirza
Poet ...... Hemi Yeroham
Afghan woman ...... Zolfa Zahedi
Directed by Graham Frost.
FRI 15:00 Tracing Your Roots (b00f8pd2)
Sally Magnusson presents a special edition of the programme marking the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI. She and resident genealogist Nick Barratt explore how letters, diaries and medals can shed light on family WWI stories.
FRI 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00f66dh)
Jura: Writers in Residence
Almost 1948
Kathleen Jamie introduces work by leading writers inspired by the Isle of Jura, all of whom have taken up a residency on the idyllic Scottish island.
Janice Galloway's story reimagines the time George Orwell spent on the island writing Nineteen Eighty-Four.
FRI 15:45 Beyond These Walls (b00f6gph)
Episode 5
Ritula Shah hears the stories of people living in hiding. She talks to them about what it is like to live in fear, with false names and rejected by friends and neighbours.
Fiona Mont went on the run while on bail, sparking rumours that she had faked her own death.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00f8pf3)
John Wilson presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00f8pf5)
Toby Jones, who starred as Truman Capote in Infamous, essays another real-life character, Karl Rove, in Oliver Stone's controversial new Bush bio-pic.
Producer Don Boyd discusses his collaboration with Derek Jarman on War Requiem, Laurence Olivier's last film.
This Sporting Life: Critic Jane Graham reviews Lindsay Anderson's sporting masterpiece with Richard Harris.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00f6gsz)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00f6gvp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00f8pqv)
Series 66
Episode 7
Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz. The panellists include Fred MacAulay and Jeremy Hardy.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00f6gx3)
Tom's decided to let Gary stay on after the loose pigs incident. Brenda just hopes Gary gets his act together. Brian can't help wondering if Tom's made a mistake. Tom says he's apologised to Adam about the damage to the wheat and as far as Adam's concerned it's history.
Brian seems satisfied and changes the subject. He's looking forward to seeing Tom's recommendations from the bacon marketing survey. Brenda's finished it and Tom's very grateful; things are looking up for them.
With preparations for Ruairi's birthday underway, Jennifer's wondering if she should arrange a birthday party for Peggy too. Brian suggests Jennifer pops to the Lodge to ask Peggy about it.
Peggy's irritated by Jennifer's unexpected visit and is dubious about the party idea. But when Jack causes mayhem later in a futile search for Sammy, Peggy's former cat, she's more than a little relieved when Ian turns up. Ian soon has Jack calm and occupied. Peggy thinks it's unforgivable that she lost her temper with Jack. Ian consoles her, but suggests things might be getting a bit much for her. Peggy assures him she's feeling better every day, and she'd rather Ian respects her wishes and says nothing to the family.
Episode written by Carole Simpson Solazzo.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00f6gzb)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Historian and filmmaker Laurence Rees joins Kirsty to discuss the art of modern documentaries and why Stalin was the toughest negotiator of them all.
As one of his broken crockery paintings goes on display in Tate Modern, New York-based artist Julian Schnabel gives a rare interview in which he discusses his work and his subsequent film career.
The epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is thought to have been written around 1400. Its popularity was boosted two years ago when the poet Simon Armitage wrote an acclaimed new translation. Now Armitage's translation has been adapted for the stage. Front Row explores the process of dramatising this violent and lyrical medieval tale.
In his victory speech, President Elect Barack Obama quoted a song by soul singer Sam Cooke: A Change is Gonna Come. Cooke's biographer Peter Guralnik tells Kirsty the story of a song which has come to embody America's perhaps greatest struggle.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00f6j29)
A Life of Chekhov
The Trap Pony
Michael Hastings's adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky's biography of Anton Chekhov, dramatising crucial points in his life, from his tough childhood in the remote port of Taganrog to marriage in his final years.
Anton falls in love with an actress, Olga Knipper, but his marriage to her brings him into conflict with his sister.
Anton Chekhov ...... Andrew Scott
Masha Chekhov ...... Romola Garai
Olga Knipper ...... Niamh Cusack
Uncle Mitrofan ...... Alan Williams
Paul Chekhov ...... Dave Hill
Guard ...... Bo Poraj
Sasha Chekhov ...... Keith Dunphy
Directed by Lucy Bailey.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00f8pqx)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in London. The panellists include the historian Andrew Roberts, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hilary Benn, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May and Ros Scott, Liberal Democrat peer and would-be President of her party.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00f8pqz)
Changing the Government
Clive James reflects on the aftermath of the US election. As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office he examines the significance of the word ‘election’ and its relationship with democracy depending on the country you happen to live in.
FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b0076z4g)
Lorilei
By Thomas Wright.
A powerful drama telling the true story of a Louisiana mother, Lorilei Guillory, who testified to keep her son Jeremy's killer from death row. In part using her own words.
With Anna Galvin and Kerry Shale.
Directed by Susan Roberts.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00f6ltr)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00f6lw2)
National and international news and analysis with Carolyn Quinn.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00f6m2z)
The Ruling Passion
Episode 10
David Horovitz reads from David Pownall's novel, recounting the life of Edward II, his troubled reign and his divisive relationship with the knight Piers Gaveston.
Gaveston is exiled to Bruges, but Edward cannot do without him.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00f71gc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00f6m51)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.