SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER 2008

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00g0zpt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00g2dlm)
Nella Last's Peace

Episode 5

Imelda Staunton reads from the postwar diaries of 'Housewife, 49', Nella Last, which give a frank account of the difficulties of adapting to life in Britain after the end of WWII.

Nella reflects on her experience of two world wars and compares the peacetime optimism of 1918 with the mood of the late 1940s. What, she wonders, does the future hold for the next generation?


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g0zpw)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g0zpy)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g0zq0)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00g0zq2)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g0zq4)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


SAT 05:45 A Voyage to Lundy (b008tzzm)
Episode 4

Contemplating a change in direction in her life, writer and poet Gwyneth Lewis investigates Lundy island myths and a particular quality of timelessness.

Producer: Penny Arnold

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00g0zq6)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00g1hqr)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00g1hqw)
Countryside magazine. Matt Baker reports from a valley in Yorkshire in which an unusually high number of monks and nuns have taken up residence.


SAT 06:35 Farming Today This Week (b00g1hr2)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00g1hr6)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00g1hr8)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.

Joe Lynam explains what could improve the image of the banks.

The Australian Navy is trying to reach a yacht taking part in the Vendee Globe Around-The-World race in which the sailor has been badly hurt. Nick Bryant reports.

Simon Gathercole discusses the scepticism of the British towards the Bible.

Kevin Connolly reports on the legal measures that George W. Bush is making without the approval of Congress.

MP Major Eric Joyce and Colonel Tim Collins discuss if UK troops will be sent to Afghanistan once they have withdrawn from Iraq.

Dr Manoj Ramachandran says sneezing may be a sign of sexual arousal.

Mihir Bose considers if a bid from England to host the 2018 World Cup could be successful.

Thought for the day with the Rev Dr Giles Fraser.

Solicitor Julian Weinberg and Paul Roffey, of RWA Child Protection Services, discuss if sex offenders should remain on the sex offenders register.

John Kay discusses what needs to be done to restore the public's confidence in the banks.

Michael Stockdale, of the Royal Mail, says additional measures have been made to cope with the run-up to Christmas.

Justin Webb considers the US public's reaction to the announcement of a multi-billion dollar aid package for US carmakers.

Major General Andy Salmon and Iraqi expert Dr Toby Dodge discuss the announcement that UK troops will leave Iraq by June 2009.

David Whitehouse discusses the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 8 mission.

Andrew Baker discusses how the Madoff scandal will affect the investment industry.

William Cash of Spear's Wealth Management Survey, and Jonathan Bartley of think tank Ekklesia, discuss the notion of the Church guiding financial decisions.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00g1rml)
Real life stories in which listeners talk about the issues that matter to them. Presenter Richard Coles is joined by David Rooney, writer, historian of technology and curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. With poetry from Matt Harvey.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00g1rmn)
Gobi Desert - Travel Poetry

GOBI DESERT - WILD BACTRIAN CAMEL
John Hare is a writer, adventurer, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation. John’s latest book tells the story of his search for the wild, nearly extinct, Bactrian camel and his travel to some uncharted parts of the vast and mysterious Chinese Gobi Desert.

TRAVEL POETRY
Sandi Toksvig is joined by travel writer Christopher Somerville who has compiled an anthology of his poetry entitled Greenwood Dark- A Traveller’s Poems and novelist, biographer and literary editor A.N. Wilson who recently edited a collection of English ‘poetry of place’ called England.
They discuss the power of poetry as a way of describing, mapping and evoking people, places and journeys and celebrate the poem as a means to reflect on and explore the travelling life.


SAT 10:30 We Three Kings (b00g1rmq)
Ian Hislop examines the myths and realities surrounding the Three Kings of the Christmas story.

They merit only a small mention in the Bible but they have had a huge impact on our understanding of Christ's birth story, so much so that they even have their own feast day. Ian examines 2,000 years of the telling of their story to see how history has shaped the legend of the Kings. Along the way he meets theologians, historians, the Archbishop of Canterbury and, curiously, a lot of people from Colchester.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b00g1rms)
A look behind the scenes at Westminster with Steve Richards.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00g1rmv)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00g1rmx)
Paul Lewis with the latest news from the world of personal finance.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b00g0zl0)
Series 25

Episode 4

Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes and special guest Holly Walsh.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00g1rmz)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News Briefing (b00g1rn1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00g0zl2)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. The panel includes director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti, businessman Sir Gulam Noon, columnist and author Peter Oborne, and broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00g1rn3)
Jonathan Dimbleby takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00g1rvd)
Nicholas Wright - Mrs Klein

Nicholas Wright's dramatisation of the troubled relationship between influential child psychoanalyst Melanie Klein and her own children.

Faced with coming to terms with the news of the death of her son, Mrs Klein decides against going to his funeral. Frustrated with her mother's behaviour, Klein's daughter Melitta confronts her with some home truths.

Mrs Klein ...... Janet Suzman
Melitta ...... Eve Best
Paula ...... Clare Corbett

Directed by Alison Hindell.


SAT 16:00 Weekend Woman's Hour (b00g1zyk)
Highlights of this week's Woman's Hour programmes with Jane Garvey.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00g1zym)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn, plus the sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b00g1zyp)
The weekly interactive current affairs magazine featuring online conversation and debate.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00g1zyr)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00g1zyt)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g1zyw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00g1zyy)
Clive Anderson presents an eclectic mix of conversation, comedy and music.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00g1zz0)
Dame Liz Forgan

Sheena McDonald profiles Dame Liz Forgan, named this week as the first woman to chair the Arts Council. She began her career as a journalist and rose at some speed through the ranks to become one of the most powerful figures in British broadcasting, responsible for Channel 4 News, Dispatches and the launch of BBC Radio 5 Live as a news and current affairs-driven channel.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00g1zz2)
Twilight, Once on a Moonless Night, and Crooked House

Guests: Playwright Mark Ravenhill
Historian Amanda Vickery
Screenwriter Howard Schuman

Twilight
The vampire genre has been around a long time, but remains resolutely undead. Its latest incarnation has come in American writer Stephanie Meyer’s sequence of novels about a girl who falls in love with a vegetarian vampire, which have become an international success since the first was published in 2005. Now that first novel, Twilight, has been adapted for the screen. So will the movie version carry the story beyond the books’ core fan-base of teenage girls? And is its bite as sharp as Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Twilight is on general release across the country, certificate 12A.

Loot
The playwright Joe Orton, who was murdered by his lover Kenneth Halliwell in 1967, is now at least as well known for his anarchic life, traced in Alan Bennett’s 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears, as for his plays. Now, though, his first two full-length plays are being revived. The second, Loot, turns a black farce on the run-up to a funeral into a scathing attack on such 1960s taboo subjects as the Catholic Church and police corruption. But does it still shock today – and if not, what else does it have to offer?

The Tricycle Theatre production of Joe Orton’s Loot runs until 31 January.

Once on a Moonless Night
The France-based Chinese film-maker Dai Sijie is best known for his novel and movie Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. In his new novel, a young French woman in Beijing works on the Bertolucci movie The Last Emperor – and then discovers a story about the real last emperor and an ancient Buddhist text which leads the reader into stories within stories, covering almost a century of China’s past…

Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie is published by Chatto and Windus in January.

Crooked House
As one of the comedy trio the League of Gentlemen, Mark Gatiss carved out a reputation for reworking British horror movies into pitch dark comedy. Now he has written a trilogy of short dramas set around a much-haunted house. So can he revive the tradition of the Christmas ghost story pioneered by the likes of MR James?


SAT 20:00 The Archive Hour (b00g1zz4)
Home Recorded Voices

Sean Street goes in search of the audio archives to be found in the attics, cellars and understairs cupboards across the country. From the late 1950s, people with a passion for sound were purchasing reel-to-reel tape machines and recording audio letters, diaries, family histories and even their own 'radio' programmes.

In the company of Richard Harrison, a collector of domestic recordings and Tony Crimlisk, who has been making such recordings since 1957, Sean uncovers the social history of home-recorded voices.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00fy3l1)
Jamila Gavin - Coram Boy

The Coram Man

Jamila Gavin's dramatisation of her own novel, which tells the story of two orphans at the Coram Hospital for Deserted Children in mid-18th century England.

Young aristocrat Alexander Ashbrook and his best friend Thomas, a carpenter's son, are separated when Alexander runs away from the hospital.

Alexander as narrator ...... Jonathan Slinger
Otis Gardner ...... Marc Warren
Meshak ...... Paul Ready
Meshak's Mother ...... Rachel Atkins
Young Alexander ...... Finlay Glen
Young Thomas ...... Tom Hope
Mrs Lynch ...... Deborah Findlay
Lady Ashbrook ...... Jenny Funnell
Lord Ashbrook ...... Pip Torrens
Mrs Milcote ...... Serena Evans
Melissa ...... Abby Ford
Isobel ...... Julie Cox
Alice ...... Alice Hoskyns-Hill
Edward ...... Sebastian Davies
Matron ...... Joanna Wake

Other parts played by Ian Masters, Roger May, Richard Owens, David Holt, Sara Markland, Thomas Deedigan, Zooey Gleaves, Sam Shiels, Abigail Sitton, Sam Hoiles and Tom Glenister.

Music arranged by Margaret Vincent and performed by The Dulwich 'Coram Boy' Choir and Musicians.

Directed by Celia de Wolff.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00g1zz6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b00g053l)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Clifford Longley, Kenan Malik, Michael Portillo and Claire Fox cross-examine witnesses as the programme asks, can there be too much democracy?

Have the expectations of the TV phone-in vote generation gone too far? Is representative democracy undermined by continued government consultation exercises? Or are more votes needed on contentious issues, to encourage people to engage with the political process?


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b00fz12j)
Robert Robinson chairs the final heat of the perennial general knowledge contest, with four contestants from Scotland and the north of England.


SAT 23:30 Adventures in Poetry (b00fy446)
Series 9

Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love

Peggy Reynolds explores the background, effect and lasting appeal of some well-loved poems.

Peggy hears from those to whom the exuberant lyrics of Cole Porter's song speak volumes, including agony aunt Bel Mooney and pianist Simon Townley.



SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2008

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00g20lx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SUN 00:30 The Late Story (b007njhv)
Back Chat

Squeezed

Series of specially commissioned stories exploring the traumatic and occasionally comical subject of back pain.

Victor the physio should not be allowed near any patients.

By Adam Thorpe, read by Gerard McDermott.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g20m0)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g20m2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g20m4)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00g20m6)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00g20m8)
The sound of bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b00g1zz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00g20rz)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00g20s1)
Birth

At the time of the year when we celebrate the most famous of all nativities, poet laureate Andrew Motion considers perceptions of birth.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b00g20s3)
Topical farming magazine. Elinor Goodman examines the work that goes into producing the nation's Christmas trees.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00g20s5)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00g20s7)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00g20s9)
Roger Bolton with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, both familiar and unfamiliar.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00g20sc)
The Tropical Health and Education Trust

Zeinab Badawi appeals on behalf of the Tropical Health and Education Trust.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00g214w)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00g214y)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00g2150)
Good Tidings to Zion

From Albany Road Baptist Church in Cardiff, featuring Cambrensis and the St David's Praise Choir. The service is led by Jeanette Minns and the preacher is Rev Dr John Weaver, president of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Musical director: Kelvin Thomas. Organist: Jonathan Davies.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b00g0zl4)
It’s a Wrap

The hardest part of Christmas is not socialising with family, nor hauling coal or peeling potatoes - it's wrapping the presents, says Clive James, as he anticipates with some dread the seasonal tasks awaiting him as he uncovers the deeper meaning of gift wrapping.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00g2152)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00g2154)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00g2156)
James Nesbitt

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is James Nesbitt. He is one of our most popular and successful actors and his long list of credits includes Cold Feet, Bloody Sunday, Jekyll and Murphy's Law. In this warm and illuminating interview he recalls his childhood in County Antrim where he grew up in a close-knit, rural community. He was the only boy and the youngest of four children and, when he was told he was 'spoilt', says he always understood that it meant the same as 'loved'.

His father was the headmaster of the local primary school and there was an expectation that his children would follow him to become teachers. But James was a keen actor and says it is only now, in his 40s, that he can look back clearly and see he always felt an affinity to being on the stage. The first role he was cast in was as the Artful Dodger in Oliver. It's a character, he jokes, that has stayed with him through many of the roles he has taken on since.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
Book: Collected writings by James Lawton
Luxury: A bottle of chilled Sancerre for every night.


SUN 12:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b00fz863)
Christmas Special

David Mitchell hosts a special Christmas edition of the game show in which panellists are encouraged to tell lies and compete to see how many items of truth they are able to smuggle past their opponents. The panel are Graeme Garden, Jack Dee, Armando Iannucci and Sean Lock.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00g2158)
Forgotten Christmas Meals

Sheila Dillon and food historian Ivan Day join a family of keen cooks to prepare a feast of extraordinary, and forgotten, Christmas meals. Dishes include a 19th-century Christmas cake made entirely from ice cream, a seasonal potage with raisins and currants, an evolving series of mince pies and the mother of all goose dishes, roasted on an open fire.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00g215b)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00g215d)
A look at events around the world with Shaun Ley.


SUN 13:30 Where Scotland Meets England (b00dn030)
Episode 2

Hardeep Singh Kholi traces the history of the border country between England and Scotland.

Beginning the second leg of his journey at Liddesdale in the County of Roxburgh and ending at Gretna in the west, Hardeep explores the history of the area. Also, at a time when Scottish devolution and the promise of a referendum on independence has brought renewed attention to the borderline, he hears the views of those who live there, including the politician Lord Steel and the broadcaster Eric Robson.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00g215g)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and John Cushnie are guests of Hassocks Horticultural Society, West Sussex.

Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.


SUN 14:45 A Box of Wittgensteins (b00g215j)
The Moody Genius

Margaret Stonborough, the great-niece of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, talks to artist and historian Michael Huey as she delves into six boxes of newly-inherited family archives. As she digs deeper into the talented but tortured lives of the Wittgensteins she finds her cramped London house becoming ever more crowded with her larger-than-life forbears.

At the end of the First World War, letters and artefacts show that the surviving Wittgensteins were attempting to pick up their lives but they are rarely far from tragedy. Within a few years, the family history of suicide loomed over them once again.

The readers are Sarah Finch, Nicholas Rowe and Dan Starkey.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00g215l)
Jamila Gavin - Coram Boy

Angel Child

Jamila Gavin's dramatisation of her own novel, which tells the story of two orphans at the Coram Hospital for Deserted Children in mid-18th century England.

While Toby dreams of one day finding his parents, his benefactor Gaddarn has other plans for his future and Aaron is determined to save him.

Alexander Ashbrook ...... Jonathan Slinger
Thomas Ledbury ...... Tom Riley
Gaddarn ...... Marc Warren
Meshak ...... Paul Ready
Meshaks Mother ...... Rachel Atkins
Aaron ...... Oscar North
Toby ...... Oriel Agranoff
Mrs Lynch ...... Deborah Findlay
Lady Ashbrook ...... Jenny Funnell
Lord Ashbrook ...... Pip Torrens
Mrs Milcote ...... Serena Evans
Melissa ...... Abby Ford
Isobel ...... Julie Cox
Mr Burney ...... David Collings
Handel ...... David Holt
Mrs Hendry ...... Mel Hudson

Other parts played by Ian Masters, Roger May, Zooey Gleaves, Catherine Hindmarsh, Beatrice Born, Rebecca Hindmarsh.

Music arranged by Margaret Vincent and performed by The Dulwich 'Coram Boy' Choir and Musicians.

Directed by Celia de Wolff.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00g2281)
Nigella Lawson and debut novels

Mariella Frostrup presents the books magazine. She is joined by Nigella Lawson, who reveals the five books that mean the most to her. And in the year that a debut novelist won the Man Booker Prize, how important is it for a writer to make an impression with their first book?


SUN 16:30 Ezra Caged (b00g2283)
Jeremy Harding reads and explores the Pisan Cantos, the poems written by the American Modernist poet Ezra Pound during his time in prison in Italy at the end of WWII.

He had been arrested towards the end of the war after making pro-Mussolini radio broadcasts, and for a time was held in a wire cage at a detention camp near Pisa. It was in these conditions that he drafted what have gone on to be regarded as the finest section of his long Cantos sequence.


SUN 17:00 Reckless beyond Reason (b00g311m)
Winifred Robinson investigates the extent and effects of teenage drinking in Britain.

The programme charts efforts to turn around problem drinkers, including a 12-year-old boy who has been hospitalised twice following heavy drinking sessions near his home.

Winifred follows the progress of some of the youngsters arrested by Scottish police in an underage drinking crackdown as professionals try to help them. She finds out what does and does not work and how successful initiatives like this can be.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b00g1zz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00g22tz)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00g22v1)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g22v3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00g22v5)
John Waite introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00g22v7)
With Willow Farm still a building site, Mike will spend Christmas day with Roy and Hayley at Hayley's parents. Brenda invites him to then spend the week with her and Tom. She's sure Tom will be fine about it.

With everyone rallying round for the all day rehearsal, Lynda begins to think the pantomime might be successful. But Clarrie and Eddie are far from ready for the dancing cow scenes.

David's appearance gives Lynda renewed optimism. He's dosed with paracetamol but ready for action. Using the giant props, he and Kenton produce a great performance. The slapstick scenes prove they are a natural double act.

To Lynda's annoyance, Eddie stops rehearsing to answer his mobile, and then wants to tell Joe that William's booked a B&B for Joe's visit to Gloucester to see Eddie's brother, Alf.

Jill and Shula are at St Stephens for the Nine Lessons and Carols. Shula's taken aback to see Usha handing out the orders of service. They make polite conversation, with Shula emphasising how she's looking forward to Christmas with Alistair's father in Scotland - away from Ambridge and St Stephens. Having heard that Mabel's coming to stay, Jill knowingly wishes Usha the best of luck.

Episode written by Keri Davies.


SUN 19:15 Go4it (b00g22v9)
Children's magazine. Natalie Barrass receives a chocolate tutorial from author Vivian French, who likes chocolate so much she wrote a book about it.


SUN 19:45 The Railway Children (b00g22vc)
Episode 2

Joanna Tope reads from E Nesbit's classic 1906 children's novel which tells the story of the trials and adventures of a middle-class Edwardian family.

A cold June causes a disastrous coalmining incident and the children ask a favour of the Old Gentleman.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (b00g0nq4)
Strictly Voting Fiasco - Imperial Measures - Childhood Obesity - Knife-Crime Statistics

Strictly Voting Fiasco
Saturday's edition of Strictly Come Dancing was thrown into chaos. The TV show's producers realised that it was mathematically impossible for a public telephone vote to influence the contest.

This came after the marks the studio judges awarded put two of the contestants in joint first place. The BBC executive in charge of the programme put the problem down to "exceptional circumstances".

More or Less listener Dirk Nachbar disagrees. From his hospital bed, he ran a computer simulation, based on past scores, and concluded that the chance of such a problem was 1 in 8.

Our reporter, former computer programmer Oliver Hawkins, has run his own simulation and come up with a similar result. Watch him explain it.

More Credit Crunch Maths
Financial mathematics guru Paul Wilmott continues with his More or Less series explaining how mathematical blunders contributed to the credit crunch.

This week, he talks us through the maths error that might have contributed to the mispricing of financial derivatives and thus to the travails of the banks, the credit crunch, and the recession.

Imperial Measures
Tim Harford talks pounds and kilos with Derek Pollard. Pints, miles, pounds and inches. They are fiendishly complicated and politicians have tried to ban their use, but for some reason imperial measures have proved impossible to kill off.

This week, the European Parliament voted to allow UK consumers to use both metric and imperial measures. It marks the end of a long campaign to make Britain fully metric.

Warwick Cairns, author of About the Size of It explains the appeal of imperial whilst Derek Pollard, Secretary of the Metric Association vows to carry on the fight for a "single rational system".

Childhood Obesity
The Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, this week reiterated his appeal for urgent action on childhood obesity, claiming in an online article for BBC News that "the obesity epidemic" is a national crisis and that to do nothing was not an option.

According to the Health Survey for England, a quarter of 5 year olds are obese or overweight. Simon Cox, presenter of our sister programme The Investigation explains why the figures exaggerate the extent of the problem.

Knife-Crime Statistics
"Fewer teenagers are being wounded by knives" claimed a Home Office press release issued last week. How accurate are the latest government figures on knife crime?

Figures in the document purported to show that the government's Tackling Knives Action Plan had been a great success. The head of the UK Statistics Authority, Sir Michael Scholar, disagreed.

On Friday he condemned the government for releasing "unchecked" and "selective" numbers against the advice of professional statisticians. So why might an apparent fall crime be not all it seems? It could be something to do with a concept called "regression to the mean".


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00g0zkw)
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.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b00g1rmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00g20sc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b00g0npc)
How to Go Bust

Peter Day asks if there is a right or wrong way to tackle intractable business problems and seeks hints about surviving the current hard economic times.


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00g22vf)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00g22vh)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including Secret Lives.


SUN 23:00 In Living Memory (b00c1d1k)
Series 8

The Little Red Schoolbook

Contemporary history series.

Jolyon Jenkins recalls the small paperback published in 1971 which advised children about sex, drugs and how to assert their rights at school. Although banned as an obscene publication, the book continued to be distributed by radical groups, becoming something of a cause celebre in the process.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00g20s1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 22 DECEMBER 2008

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00g23dx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00g0534)
Chinese Capitalism - Concepts in Education

CHINESE CAPITALISM
On June1989 the tanks moved into Tiananmen Square, there was widespread shooting by Chinese soldiers and as the people lay dying on the streets of Beijing the student pro-democracy demonstration was brought to an end. In his new book Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics, the economist Yasheng Huang examines China’s change from a rural orientated liberalising entrepreneurial economy to a state led, urban based economy dedicated to the manufacture of foreign goods. Laurie Taylor is joined by Yasheng Huang and Will Hutton, Chief Executive of the Work Foundation and author of The Writing On The Wall: China in the 21st Century, to discuss the impact for China of its economic reforms as the world heads into recession.

CONCEPTS IN EDUCATION
“Think of the tools in a toolbox: there is a hammer, pliers, a saw, a screwdriver, a rule, a glue-pot, glue, nails and screws. The functions of words are as diverse as the functions of these objects.” A quotation from the introduction to a new book entitled Key Concepts in Education. Fred Inglis co-author with Lesley Aers outlines what this alphabetical guide has to offer and explores how familiar educational terms have been variously used by people with different material and philosophical interests.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00g20m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g23jq)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g2456)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g245n)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00g24dt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g24gj)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00g24mn)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00g2v4z)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00g24rm)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

Robert Peston says that Sir John Gieve of the Bank of England did not believe the economic crisis would be so severe.

South African journalist Heidi Holland discusses the significance of Robert Mugabe's statements.

Ian Kelcey of the National Law Society says the proposals for legal aid are unfair.

Sarah Mukherjee travels to the site of a proposed reservoir in Sussex to gauge public opinion.

Duncan Bartlett reports from Tokyo on Japanese car maker Toyota's expected drop in profits.

Dr Frank Gunn-Moore explains the difficulties in diagnosing Alzheimer's.

Aleem Maqbool is repeating on foot the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem made by Mary and Joseph. He has reached Al Bireh, north of Ramallah, and pauses to give us an update on his trip.

Thought for the day with the John Bell of the Iona Community.

Africa minister Lord Malloch Brown discusses the British government's position on Robert Mugabe.

A row has erupted between the senior police officer investigating Home Office leaks and the Conservatives. Sir Chris Fox and former Home Secretary and conservative MP David Davis discuss the furore.

Nick Ravenscroft travels to the Peak District to discover the set of local Christmas carols that stretch back for generations and owe their existence to the village pub.

Author Martin Amis considers the impact of the financial crisis on the state of capitalism.

26-66, the final novel by the late Roberto Bolano, has been translated into English five years after his death. Philip Hensher and Natasha Wimmer pay tribute.

Dr Thomas Stutterford explains what clinics can do to improve Alzheimer's diagnoses and treatment.

Economists Lord Skidelsky and Julian Le Grand discuss the economic downturn.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00g2vb3)
Journalist JOHN PARKER believes that society is not ‘dumbing down’ but instead ‘wising up’. He cites the rapid growth in literary festivals, operas being screened in cinemas and audio books of Ulysses to argue that people are now much more discerning about culture and actively seek intellectual stimulation. John’s article ‘Mass Intelligence’ is in the Winter 2008 edition of Intelligent Life magazine.

Writer TOM HOLLAND argues that in Britain we do not know our own past because it is unfashionable to learn a narrative history of it. He argues that we need a working knowledge of our history to facilitate informed debates about contemporary life. Tom’s article ‘Golden Thread, National Myth’ is in New Statesman.

DEBORAH MOGGACH’s new adaptation of the diary of Anne Frank and her family confronts and overcomes the challenge of bringing to life people who actually lived, giving voices to people whose voices were never recorded, and reconstructing events from their tragic description in the diary of a young girl. The Diary of Anne Frank is on BBC1 from 5 to 9 January.

ANDREW PRICE, Professorial Fellow in Biological Sciences at Warwick University, believes that the modern world has put its faith in high-tech processes that have left it weakened and ill-equipped to withstand catastrophe. The reckless pursuit of efficiency and cost-effectiveness frequently backfires, he says. Unexpected and counter-intuitive, his book Slow-Tech offers an alternative vision for life in the twenty-first century, based on balance and robustness that would be healthier for the planet and healthier for us. Slow-Tech: Manifesto for an Overwound World is published by Atlantic Books.


MON 09:45 Susie Boyt - My Judy Garland Life (b00g24xs)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Tamsin Grieg reads from Susie Boyt's tribute to her screen idol Judy Garland. Interweaving her childhood memories of Judy with parallels from her own rather unconventional family life, including her father Lucien Freud's move from Berlin under the Nazis to postwar London, Susie explains how Judy helped her to escape the 'hellish bits of the everyday'.

Susie remembers the moment she became hooked on Judy, during a childhood trip to see The Wizard of Oz.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00g28pp)
David Cameron on violence against women; Author Judith Kerr

David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party on tackling violence against women. Plus, children's author Judith Kerr talks about her life and work.


MON 11:00 Together against the Odds (b00g2vb5)
Series 2

Episode 1

Janet Reibstein presents a series on relationships which have survived in the face of serious challenges.

Jamie and Nuala Garnder's experience of bringing up their severely autistic son, Dale, nearly led to the break up of their marriage and to Nuala nearly taking her own life. They describe how their shared determination to do what was best for Dale kept them together.


MON 11:30 Spending My Inheritance (b00g2xfz)
Just One Night

Sitcom by Clive Coleman, starring Kris Marshall as cash-strapped forty-something Harry, who has to watch from the sidelines as his newly retired parents start spending their hard-earned cash on themselves.

When faced with domestic disaster, Harry and Jo turn to his parents to put them up for a night. However, despite their recent equity release, it seems that they are as tight as ever.

Harry ...... Kris Marshall
Jo ...... Raquel Cassidy
Brian ...... Kenneth Cranham
Liz ...... Judy Parfitt
Jess ...... Antonia Thomas
Amanda ...... Manjeet Mann
Boguslaw ...... Stephen Critchlow
Pizza Boy ...... Inam Mirza

Directed by Sam Hoyle.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00g29qn)
Presented by Julian Worricker.

Peter White interviews Cynthia Bower, the head of the new inspectorate that, from April, will be responsible for monitoring health care, social care, mental health services, the NHS and care homes.

Shari Vahl looks at one of the biggest players in the online secondary ticket market.

One in four dogs is overweight, according to the RSPCA. In the worst cases, the organisation has the powers to remove a dangerously obese pet from its owner, which is what happened to two dogs belonging to Marie Davidson.

The two main bodies which certify organic food have asked the government for farmers to be allowed a break from the usual strict standards. The idea is to help them survive the downturn.

Sorry seems to be the hardest word, as Kate Fox found when she was delayed for two hours on a flight from Glasgow to London.

This year 22 million people are expected to travel by rail in the seven days up to Christmas. If you are one of them, have you managed to get cheap advance tickets or are you paying the full price?

The Olympic Park in East London is the largest construction project in Europe, with over 800 firms involved. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is now speeding up payments to ensure no contractor gets into financial difficulty. We speak to David Higgins, Chief Executive of the ODA.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00g29xz)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00g29zq)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


MON 13:30 Brain of Britain (b00g2z1h)
Robert Robinson chairs the first semi final of the perennial general knowledge contest.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00g22v7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b00g2z1k)
The Borrowers

Episode 1

Adaptation of Mary Norton's children's classic. 14-year-old Arietty is getting impatient to escape the confines of her cosy home.


MON 15:00 Money Box Live (b00g2z1m)
Paul Lewis and guests answer calls on financial issues.


MON 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00bfq0b)
The Hair of the Dog

Short story by Jane Gardam. Humour and tenderness colour Eleanor's reflections on her daughter Rosie's wedding 25 years before. Abridged by Jules Wilkinson.


MON 15:45 Songs Everlasting (b00g31lr)
Series 2

Unto Us a Child Is Born

In the first of a new series examining classic Christmas songs, Bryn Terfel tries to find out what it is that makes some of them them so popular.

Featuring interviews with the archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and composer John Rutter.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00g2158)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00g2z66)
Ernie Rea explores the place of faith in today's world, teasing out the hidden and often contradictory truths behind the experiences, values and traditions of our lives.


MON 17:00 PM (b00g2gb2)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g2gf1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


MON 18:30 Genius (b00g2zrr)
Genius Christmas Special

A Christmas edition of the show in which Dave Gorman and guest Lee Mack chew over ridiculous and unworkable inventions and ideas which nonetheless display an element of genius in their creator.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00g2b03)
While they wait for Mabel's train to arrive, Amy tells Usha about her midwifery course. Mabel accepts that Alan's too busy to meet her and does her best to be polite with Usha. Usha's relieved when Alan finally joins them.

Mabel's surprised but pleased to learn that Usha attended the Nine Lessons and Carols service but is shocked to see the changes at the vicarage. Alan and Usha awkwardly explain that the sideboard given as a wedding present to Alan and Catherine has now been given away to charity.

Mabel's determined to keep up her usual tradition of cooking the Christmas evening meal with Amy. It's all a bit much for Usha, so she's relived when Amy accepts her offer of a lift back to Manchester on Saturday.

Eddie and Joe are pleased with this year's turkeys, especially as they haven't got too many like last year. Eddie claims he's been too busy to practice the cow dance. When he's finished preparing the turkeys he's off for a Christmas drink with Baggie and Fat Paul.

Joe reminds him that Lynda will be expecting an improvement tomorrow, especially as the cow costume will have arrived, which should sort the men from the boys!

Episode written by Keri Davies.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00g2gf9)
Presented by John Wilson.

Damon Albarn reveals how, after more than a decade apart, he and guitarist Graham Coxon renewed their friendship and decided to reform their band Blur over an Eccles cake. He also says that, prior to their open air concerts in Hyde Park in summer 2009, Blur will be returning to their hometown of Colchester, Essex, to play warm-up gigs under their original name, Seymour. He also explains why he wants to rewrite the band's biggest hit, Country House, as a folk song.

Author Kathy Lette reviews Baz Luhrmann's latest film, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Alex Ross is The New Yorker's music critic and this year's winner of the Guardian's First Book award. 'The Rest Is Noise' is Ross's journey through twentieth century music, from Strauss to The Velvet Underground. He theorises and analyses the relationship between history and the development of music throughout the century, attempting to explain the stories behind some of the century's most important works.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00g2gqn)
Old Peter's Russian Tales

Salt

Magical folk tales from Russia by Arthur Ransome, as told by Old Peter the forester to his grandchildren Vanya and Maroosia.

Ivan the Ninny, the youngest and least successful of three brothers, builds his fortune on the rare commodity of salt, winning the love of a princess and suffering the jealous rage of his brothers.

Old Peter/Sailor ...... Trevor Cooper
Vanya/Sailor ...... Harry Hughes
Maroosia/Sailor/Chef ...... Megan Williams
Ivan ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Tsar ...... Stephen Critchlow
Princess ...... Helen Longworth
Father ...... John Rowe
Old Salt/Brother/Voice 1 ...... Dan Starkey
Giant/Cook ...... Ben Crowe.


MON 20:00 Things We Forgot to Remember (b00g2zrt)
Series 4

Alfred the Great

Michael Portillo presents an edition of The Things We Forgot to Remember which looks at the reputation of King Alfred the Great: bold English hero or Anglo Saxon spin-doctor?

Alfred the Great sits at the root of English history. The man who burnt the cakes, the man who held the line against the marauding Vikings and the man who, more than almost any other monarch in our history, defined the national identity. He was a bulldog before the bulldog had been bred. But Michael Portillo explores the reality of Alfred's reign in Wessex. To what extent was he a great saviour? Have we forgotten to remember that the most important thing about his reign was that he sponsored the reporting of it in the form of the Anglo Saxon Chronicles? Michael travels to Winchester to get try and disentangle the Anglo-Saxon spin.

Producer: Tom Alban

(repeat).


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b00g0nnl)
Islam and Canada

Bill Law investigates the extent of Islamist extremism in Canada, after the foiling of a plot by a gang of young Islamists, born and raised in Canada, to blow up the country's parliament. In a country which prides itself on equality and fairness and where many Muslims have prospered while maintaining their cultural and religious identity, how deep are the twin threats of Islamist extremism and of official over-reaction?


MON 21:00 Science Friction (b00g2zv8)
Series 2

Animal Experiments

Sue Nelson presents a series of debates looking at controversies within science. Should scientists be using animals for experiments or concentrating on finding alternatives?


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00g2vb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00g2j7p)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00g2jk1)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including reports on Russian protests over the state of the economy, drug wars in Mexico and the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00g2zvb)
A Christmas Carol

Episode 6

David Jason reads from Dickens's festive classic. The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals scenes of festivity and deprivation to Scrooge.


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b00fzw0x)
Another journey into the world of words, language and the way we speak. Michael Rosen hears how singing might make it easier to learn a second language.


MON 23:30 1968 The Sixty-Eighters at Sixty (b00ctjzz)
Episode 1

David Aaronovitch assesses the legacy of 1968, talking to the self-styled revolutionaries of 40 years ago.

He talks to Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, then a leader of the Hornsey Art College occupation. Feminist Sheila Rowbotham recalls the communal house she was living in. John Birt explains why his rigorous reforms as BBC director general followed on from his youthful anti-establishment views. Right-wing columnist Bruce Anderson talks about his youthful communist self and why he changed, partly as a result of the conflict in his native Northern Ireland

Finally, David visits Northern Ireland itself to explore the outcome of the civil rights movement and the aggression it provoked, now seen by many as a crucial step in Ulster's descent into violence.



TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2008

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00g2310)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


TUE 00:30 Susie Boyt - My Judy Garland Life (b00g24xs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g23dz)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g23js)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g2458)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00g24br)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g24dw)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00g24gl)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00g24mt)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

Adam Brimelow explains how Sir Richard Branson wants to tackle MRSA.

Chris Hogg meets a couple, Gao Hong and Yang Xiaoling, who decided to pack in their lucrative careers in advertising and move to a quiet house in the Chinese countryside.

Prof Beatrice De Gelder explains how a man left totally blind by brain damage has astounded scientists by flawlessly navigating an obstacle course without the help of a cane.

There is now a new version of the Bible that uses Manga illustrations. Robert Piggott finds out what teachers and children think of it.

Caroline Wyatt reports on how life has changed in Basra.

Aleem Maqbool continues his journey through the Holy Land.

Thought for the day with the Right Rev James Jones.

Russia wants to set up the equivalent of OPEC for gas-producing countries. So how would it affect prices and supply to Britain? Niall Trimble explains.

US ambassador Robert Tuttle evaluates the presidency of George W. Bush.

Joanna Bogle, of the Catholic Times, and Cristina Odone,who used to edit the Catholic Herald, discuss the Pope's address.

Mark Enright discusses Sir Richard Branson's view that the NHS's track record on hospital infections is 'horrific' and that if it were an airline it would have been grounded years ago.

How does Britain's most famous atheist, Richard Dawkins, celebrate Christmas?

Steve Rosenberg reports on an energy saving system which lets you switch street lights on with your mobile phone

Richard Reeves, of the think tank Demos, and MP David Willetts discuss whether old and young are destined to be at odds.


TUE 09:00 Taking a Stand (b00g3336)
Lana Vandenberghe

Fergal Keane talks to people who have taken risks and made sacrifices to stand up for what they believe in. Lana Vandenberghe was working as a secretary for the Independent Police Complaints Commission when she found herself assigned to an investigation into one of the most controversial police actions of recent times: the shooting dead of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station in London. When, during the course of her work, she saw pictures and letters that seemed to contradict what the police were saying about the incident, she decided to leak the documents to the press. It was a decision that would have dramatic consequences for her and contribute to calls for the resignation of Sir Ian Blair, then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.


TUE 09:30 The Fortune Hunters (b00g3374)
Episode 2

Series in which Max Flint investigates the 15 billion pounds in unclaimed assets in the UK and asks if and how these funds are distributed to their rightful owners.

The Dormant Banks and Building Society Accounts Bill dictates that, after 15 years or dormancy, any assets that lie unclaimed in accounts can be used for charitable purposes.

Max talks to a building society in north Staffordshire which turned detective and found 10,000 pounds for a local charity.

A Tinderbox Broadcast production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00g255s)
My Judy Garland Life

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Tamsin Grieg reads from Susie Boyt's tribute to her screen idol Judy Garland. Interweaving her childhood memories of Judy with parallels from her own rather unconventional family life, including her father Lucien Freud's move from Berlin under the Nazis to postwar London, Susie explains how Judy helped her to escape the 'hellish bits of the everyday'.

Susie remembers her fabulous 'Judy-like' family Christmases and her many attempts to emulate her heroine on stage.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00g296m)
Footballer Kelly Smith; Pain relief for the elderly

Arsenal and England striker Kelly Smith on being one of the world's top female football players. Plus, Baroness Julia Neuberger on pain relief for the elderly.


TUE 11:00 Jumbo to Jockey (b00g36l2)
Following an overweight middle-aged man, Dominic Prince, as he spends a year pursuing his lifetime ambition to become a jockey.

At the beginning of 2008, Dominic Prince was 47 years old, weighed sixteen and half stones and felt his life was churning in neutral. A very pleasant neutral, but neutral nonetheless. As a child he had a dream, to become a jockey and ride competitively. But the dream didn't even come close to being realised - until now, when he decided to give it one last shot.

Dominic confronts his mid-life crisis, tries to lose a quarter of his body weight, learns to ride like a professional and seeks to fulfil his dream, 30 years behind schedule.

He is put through his paces on a horse simulator at the British Racing School, receives advice from top jockeys and trainers and hears the misgivings of the other stable lads when he turns up for work.


TUE 11:30 I Was... (b00g36l4)
Series 1

David Lean's Boy Star

Andrew McGibbon analyses great artists at a significant time in their careers but from the perspective of someone who worked for them, inspired them, employed them or even did their job for them while no one was looking.

John Howard Davies played Oliver Twist in David Lean's 1948 black and white classic. For the eight-year old boy on a film set for the first time in his life, surrounded by the likes of Alec Guinness, Robert Newton and Anthony Newley it was an exciting and dizzying break from the privations of a post war childhood.

Nevertheless the fame that followed the success of the film did not suit John and he struggled for many years afterward to adjust.

With authentic insights into the making of the film, fresh views on the legendary actors John reveals a fascination and respect for David Lean that led him to chose a similar career path to his mentor - that of a director and producer of some of the BBC's most classic comedies in the seventies.

Featuring contributions from producer Ronald Neame and biographer Kevin Brownlow.

Producers: Andrew McGibbon and Nick Romero
A Curtains For Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00g29qj)
Call You and Yours

Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.

Personal Finance: Do you know your APR from your AER?

Call You and Yours looks at the consequences of being financially illiterate.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00g29wp)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00g29y1)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


TUE 13:30 Christmas Past and Christmas Present at King's (b00g36l6)
As the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge marks its ninetieth birthday, former choir member Brian Kay uncovers the WWI origins of the service and explores its enduring appeal.

Those sharing their memories include former director of music Philip Ledger and organ scholar-turned-conductor Sir Andrew Davis.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00g2b03)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00g371v)
The Borrowers

Episode 2

Adaptation of Mary Norton's children's classic. Having emigrated to the field at the back of the house, the Clock family must find shelter before the sparrowhawks get them.


TUE 15:00 Making History (b00g3786)
Southall

Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.

Vanessa visits Southall, Middlesex, where listeners ask about the story of immigration from East Africa, the pre-urban landscape and the origins of the doll's house.


TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b007ll56)
Vanilla Bright Like Eminem

Richard Schiff reads a short story by Michael Faber, abridged by Richard Hamilton. A husband and father is close to experiencing the happiest moment of his life.


TUE 15:45 Songs Everlasting (b00g31pp)
Series 2

Deck the Halls

Bryn Terfel explores classic Christmas songs and tries to find out what it is that makes some of them them so popular.

Bryn speaks to composers and scholars about the carol Deck the Halls: how it evolved from an ancient Welsh dance tune, the origination of the words, its association with New Year and why it has become a favourite for recording artists of all persuasions.


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b00g3788)
Michael Rosen takes another journey into the world of words, language and the way we speak.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b00g505c)
Series 17

Beachcomber

Series of biographical discussions with Matthew Parris.

Raymond Briggs celebrates Beachcomber, the newspaper columnist who inspired both Spike Milligan and Private Eye. Richard Ingrams offers details of the column's early life and the current Beachcomber reveals his own influences.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00g2g9t)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g2gch)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


TUE 18:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00bw01s)
Series 2

Episode 2

Divorcee Carol has a fruit surplus and Adrian is asked to be a Bond girl.

Award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series

With Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Moor and Ben Willbond.

Written by Laura Solon.

With additional material by Stephen Carlin, Ben Moor and Charlie Miller.
.
Producer: Colin Anderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00g29zs)
Alistair's in a hurry. Chris reckons he's off to buy Shula's Christmas present and teases Alice that he hasn't bought hers yet.

Alistair's not shopping though. The panto technical rehearsal means Alistair can't make tonight's Gamblers Anoymous meeting, so Alistair asks Maurice to keep an eye out for Ryan. Maurice points out Ryan is not Alistair's responsibility but agrees to help.

Eddie's uncomfortable in the cow costume, Alistair's struggling to control the giant hands and Lynda's exasperated. The rehearsal's not going well. Things improve when Eddie gives Alistair a hand with the hands, but soon Eddie's needed back in the cow costume.

Alistair insists he still needs Eddie's help, so Lynda decides she'll have to take over the back end of the cow. This suits Eddie but Clarrie's not prepared to be so intimate with Lynda. Lynda makes more decisions. Robert can be the front end of the cow and Christopher can take over calling the cues. Christopher can't see how he'll have time, so Alice offers to play in the music and sound effects.

Clarrie's not upset at losing her part. In fact, with William coming home tomorrow, things are looking up.

Episode written by Keri Davies.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00g2gf3)
People of the Year - Part 1

Apart from David Tennant's Hamlet, 2008 was Kenneth Branagh's year. From his West End triumph in Ivanov to his portrayal of Kurt Wallander on BBC One, Kenneth Branagh reflects on a year of critical acclaim in the first of two programmes in which performers and artists who have had a good 2008 look back over the last 12 months.

Tilda Swinton discusses Michael Clayton, for which she won an Oscar, and her recent film Julia; Man Booker Prize-winning Aravind Adiga discusses Mumbai and the effect the terrorist attacks had on his home city; and we also hear from Damien Hirst, Rose Tremain, AL Kennedy, Kate Summerscale and Mercury Prize-winning Guy Garvey of Elbow.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00g2j1r)
Old Peter's Russian Tales

Fish Tales

Magical folk tales from Russia by Arthur Ransome, as told by Old Peter the forester to his grandchildren Vanya and Maroosia.

An old fisherman's kindness to a golden fish is repaid almost endlessly when his shrewish wife starts making ever-increasing demands.

Old Peter/ Golden Fish ...... Trevor Cooper
Vanya/Roach ...... Harry Hughes
Maroosia/Ersh ...... Megan Williams
Gudgeon ...... Ben Crowe
Perch ...... Liz Sutherland
Old Man ...... John Rowe
Wife ...... Helen Longworth.


TUE 20:00 Great White Hopes (b00fzw11)
Henry Bonsu investigates current debates about class and poverty in education policy, in the light of calls by Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, for Britain's white working class children to receive special educational funding, alongside other underachieving minorities.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00g37dg)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b00g38j5)
Money for Medication - Psychogenic Seizures - A Knitting Prescription

MONEY FOR MEDICATION
Could small cash payments persuade people with severe mental illness to keep taking their medication? Lack of adherence is a major obstacle in the treatment of schizophrenia. Those patients who are particularly hard to treat regularly find themselves back in hospital. Twelve patients at the East London Community Mental Health Trust are currently being paid to receive their injected medication in a pilot study. But is this immoral exploitation or a just reward? Professor Stefan Priebe at Queen Mary University of London is encouraged by the results of the pilot and has funding for a national trial.

PSYCHOGENIC SEIZURES
When someone faints for no physical reason, they're said to have had a psychogenic seizure. The symptoms can be similar to an epileptic fit, and over half of patients get wrongly diagnosed with this, even though medication for epilepsy doesn’t work. Neurologist Dr Markus Reuber treats the condition at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. Pauline Pinkney, like many patients, found it difficult to accept that her condition had a psychological cause. She talks to Claudia about how Dr Reuber’s treatment has helped her.

A KNITTING PRESCRIPTION
Could patients, one day, be able to knit their way out of their pain or depression? There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that hobbies like knitting are good for the soul. Now researchers at the Universities of Cardiff and Bath are trying to establish whether there is any truth in it.


TUE 21:30 Taking a Stand (b00g3336)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00g2j6n)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00g2jfs)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. A look at the record falls in US house prices and what that signals for the country's economy. Plus champagne loses its fizz and soaring UK flu cases.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00g2jk3)
A Christmas Carol

Episode 7

David Jason reads from Dickens's festive classic. Scrooge is taken to a family party, unbeknownst to the guests.


TUE 23:00 David O'Doherty: It's David O'Doherty Time (b00fzw17)
2008 If.com award-winning comedian David O'Doherty combines stand-up, documentary and song to to tell the story of the entire day he once spent trying to tidy his Dublin bedsit.


TUE 23:30 The Dirty Dozens (b00g4gqd)
Benjamin Zephaniah, known for his own high-octane performance poetry, tells the story of The Dozens, a 17th century language game and precursor to today's rap battles.



WEDNESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2008

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00g2312)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00g255s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g23f1)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g23jv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g245b)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00g24bt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g24dy)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00g24gn)
News and issues in rural Britain with Mark Holdstock.


WED 06:00 Today (b00g24n3)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

Former minister Chris Leslie says council offered mortgages would help borrowers keep the housing market afloat.

GP and women's health expert Dr Sarah Jarvis has attacked a pilot scheme that would allow pharmacists to give women the contraceptive pill without a prescription.

Army officers in the West African state of Guinea have staged a coup attempt, but civilian and military leaders say they failed to overthrow the government. Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, says the instability could impact heavily on the whole region.

Rev David Wiley, chaplain of Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade in Helmand reflects on Christmas for soldiers in Afghanistan.

The Bishop of Liverpool joins religious commentator Theo Hobson to discuss the purpose served by the Church.

A Christian website has mounted a campaign against what it claims is a surreptitious attempt to change the words of Christmas carols to make them more politically correct. Robert Pigott has been studying the corrected lyrics.

Thought for the day with Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian and Andreas Whittam Smith, the first editor of The Independent, discuss what 2009 might have in store for print journalism.

The Today programme has reconvened a group of ordinary consumers from Watford to discuss how they see the next year unfolding. Six of the original 12, who met John Humphrys back in October, discuss how they see the economic downturn unfolding in 2009.

Professor John Curtice is an expert on voting and has some sage advice for the producers of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said the international community should consider using force to get rid of the Zimbabwean leader, President Mugabe.

Aleem Maqbool has reached Bethlehem, having retraced the journey made by Joseph and Mary 2,000 years ago.

Economists Jim O'Neill and Liam Halligan discuss the government's decision to borrow and try to get us to keep spending during the economic crisis.

British troops in Iraq are preparing for their last Christmas in Basra, as the forces will withdraw by July next year. Caroline Wyatt speaks to two of them, a father and son in the Queen's Royal Hussars.

Cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis and political commentator Tony Howard consider the importance of physique to a politician or businessman.


WED 09:00 Midweek (b00g38my)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00g255x)
My Judy Garland Life

You Made Me Love You

Tamsin Grieg reads from Susie Boyt's tribute to her screen idol Judy Garland.

Susie reflects on her unshakeable passion for Judy and on the other unshakeable infatuations of her life, including an embarrassing girlhood crush on a female teacher. Then, when she finally meets Judy's daughter Liza, Susie wonders why neither of them can bring themselves even to mention her.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00g296p)
Wearing red; Major Janet Pilgrim

The dos and don'ts of wearing red. Plus, Major Janet Pilgrim on having been awarded a rare Royal Red Cross, and The Choir with No Name, Britain's first homeless choir sings live.


WED 11:00 Nowhere Fast? (b0094yp2)
Martin Plimmer looks at the ever-increasing pace of life and its consequences for modern human beings. He asks how much damage we are doing to our physical and emotional health and looks at ways to stem the tide.


WED 11:30 A Charles Paris Mystery (b00wmxj3)
Dead Side of the Mic

Episode 3

The actor-sleuth heads to New York for a funeral, and to pursue his investigation into a death at the BBC. Stars Bill Nighy.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00g29ql)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.

A website has launched which aims to put individuals directly in touch with haulage companies, so that they can take advantage of journeys that lorries are already making. We speak to founder Robert Matthams and Kate Gibbs from the Road Haulage Association.

Urban living entrepreneur Tom Bloxham, co-founder of Urban Splash Group Ltd looks to the future.

Caz Graham has been finding out about a whole new pet-care industry.

You can't have a pay rise -but what about a fancy job title? Columnist Guy Browning is about to introduce you to a new expression.

Are we spending so much time in front of the television because we are too afraid to get out there and do something adventurous for ourselves?

The Forestry Commission is to phase out licences that allow individuals to collect wood. Chris Hawksworth has been to a wood in West Yorkshire with Rudie Humphrey of the Forestry Commission.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00g29wr)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00g29y3)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00g3cfn)
Steve Hewlett presents a topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00g29zs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b00g3cfq)
Christmas Eve

Festive comic drama by Imison Award-winner Adam
Beeson, based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol.

As the snow falls on Christmas Eve in the Ukrainian
village of Dikanka, the local witch is in league with a
devil to steal the moon and the stars. Meanwhile,
the witch's son goes on a magical night flight to St
Petersburg to borrow a pair of shoes from Catherine the Great.

Gogol...................... Dave Anderson
Solokha.................. Juliet Cadzow
Vakula .................... Steven McNicol
Devil ........................ Paul Thomas Hickey
Chub.................... Mark McDonnell
Oksana................... Lucy Paterson
Mayor ............. Crawford Logan
Deacon ........... Ralph Riach
Producer/director: Bruce Young.


WED 15:00 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (b00g3d64)
Stephen Cleobury directs the choir for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge.


WED 16:30 Thinking Allowed (b00g3d66)
Detectives

DETECTIVES
Laurie Taylor brings past and present together to explore the culture of the detective. He talks to criminologists Louise Westmarland and Dick Hobbs and Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher; or, The Murder at Road Hill House. They discuss the theory and practice of detection based on Kate’s book, a gripping story of a real-life 19th century murder as well as a sociological treatise on the nature and significance of the detective in fact and fiction.


WED 17:00 PM (b00g2g9w)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g2gck)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


WED 18:15 Alistair Cooke's Seasonal Letters from America (b00g4dv3)
Episode 1

The BBC's North America editor Justin Webb introduces eight of Alistair Cooke's seasonal Letters from America, broadcast in December and January over the five decades of his career and covering topics ranging from Christmas in Vermont to presidential inaugurations.

The first letter is from Christmas 2001 which for Alistair and most Americans, still recovering from the shock of the September 11th attacks, was a sombre occasion.


WED 18:30 Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (b00g3dcp)
Episode 2

Comedy series in which comedian Will Smith seeks help and advice - primarily from his godfather Peter - on coping with the onset of middle age. Peter invites Fashion presenter Kathy to help Will dress better.

With Roger Allam, Morwenna Banks, Janice Acquah, Jill Cardo, Gunnar Cauthery, Lobo Chan, Donnla Hughes, Dan Starkey, Tom Wu.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00g29zv)
Ruth is surprised when Usha turns up at The Elms, a day early, to help prepare the Christmas meal for the homeless. Usha's just glad of an excuse to be away from the vicarage; Amy's being wonderful but Mabel is really hard going. Mabel may be in charge of tomorrow's evening meal but Usha's determined that she'll be in charge of the buffet on Boxing Day.

Usha notices there's no cream in the fridge. Ruth realises David must have forgotten it. She manages to get hold of Ed who, after a word with Oliver, comes to the rescue and turns up with plenty of cream to go with the Christmas pudding.

Jazzer reckons some new piglets are okay. Unconvinced, Hannah persuades him to look again. Jazzer admits they're under-nourished and realises the sow has mastitis. This means getting the sow inside to give her a shot. Hannah reckons she could give her a shot in the run. Slyly, Jazzer challenges Hannah to try, When she succeeds easily, Jazzer compliments her on her natural skill with the pigs.

Ed's happily reading to George when Will turns up to take him to Keeper's Cottage. Will defiantly reckons they're going to have the best Christmas ever.

Episode written by Keri Davies.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00g2gf5)
People of the Year - Part 2

Mamma Mia! the movie has taken 500 million dollars in box office worldwide and broken British sales records for cinema tickets and DVDs. Julie Walters, who co-starred alongside Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, joins the writer of the original stage version, Catherine Johnson, and director Phyllida Lloyd to talk about the making of the film.

Canadian singer songwriter Leonard Cohen talks about writing his most famous song Hallelujah, at numbers one and two in the charts at Christmas, as performed by X factor winner Alexandra Burke and Jeff Buckley.

There's also operatic bass John Tomlinson on the challenges set by playing the half man half beast in Harrison Birtwhistle's new opera Minotaur; Andrea Risborough on playing a young Margaret Thatcher in BBC 4's The Long Walk to Finchley, the heroine of Channel 4's The Devil's Whore, and co-starring with Kenneth Brannagh in Chekhov's Ivanov.

Martin Creed takes Mark for a run around Tate Britain as part of his Work No 850, in a reminder of the year's very interactive exhibitions which also involved rowing across a lake on the Hayward Gallery roof, and wading ankle deep through talcom powder in the dark at Tate Modern.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00g2j2m)
Old Peter's Russian Tales

Prince Ivan

Magical folk tales from Russia by Arthur Ransome, as told by Old Peter the forester to his grandchildren Vanya and Maroosia.

A kingdom and the fortunes of a young prince are thrown into disarray when a new baby is born in the palace with iron teeth, knock-knees and an uncanny resemblance to the most terrifying witch in all Russia, the Baba-Yaga.

Old Peter/Groom ...... Trevor Cooper
Vanya/Ivan ...... Harry Hughes
Maroosia/Sunsister ...... Megan Williams
Tsar ...... John Rowe
Baba-Yaga ...... Helen Longworth
Treepuller ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Mountain Thrower ...... Stephen Critchlow
Gran ...... Joan Walker.


WED 20:00 Loose Ends (b00clsdr)
Peter Curran presents an eclectic mix of conversation, comedy and music from the Latitude Festival.

Guests include Guillemots, Simon Day, Seasick Steve, Emma Freud and Esther Freud, Miles Jupp, Gary Dourdan and Eli 'Paperboy' Reed.


WED 20:45 Secret Lives (b00g3djl)
Episode 1

Gyles Brandreth persuades politicians to talk about their true selves: where they come from, what inspired them, their ups and downs, private fears and private lives.


WED 21:00 Music Feature (b00d6zqj)
Musical Comedy Was My Dish

Ben Elton explores a forgotten side of his greatest literary hero. PG Wodehouse wrote lyrics for hundreds of songs which appeared in many musical comedies. He worked with composers such as Jerome Kern and Cole Porter, making an invaluable contribution to the development of musical comedy on Broadway and in the West End.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b00g38my)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00g2j6q)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 News (b00g4ckc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 22:06 The World Tonight (b00g2jfv)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00g2jk5)
A Christmas Carol

Episode 8

David Jason reads from Dickens's festive classic. Scrooge is visited by the fearsome Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.


WED 23:00 The Cornwell Estate (b00g3dtx)
Series 1

Keith Butler

The ups and downs of life on a fictional housing estate, told from the perspective of characters played by the comedian Phil Cornwell.

Keith drives a taxicab and lives on the Cornwell estate with his wife Hilda. He has forthright opinions on everything, but when his wife goes into hospital he is forced to re-evaluate his view of the world.


WED 23:15 The Ladies (b00g3dtz)
Series 1

Episode 2

Series of comedy sketches by Emily Watson Howes set in a ladies' public toilet, featuring various female characters as they come and go.

An unattended bag left by the sinks causes panic and confusion, and Lisa tries to deal with her pushy mother.

With Emily Watson Howes, Kate Donmall, Fran Moulds.

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:30 Midnight Mass (b00g3dv1)
The first Mass of Christmas is celebrated in the spectacular setting of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

In his homily, the archbishop of Liverpool the Most Rev Patrick Kelly explores how the birth of a baby into poverty and fear 2,000 years ago could have significance in our lives today.

Music includes popular traditional carols including O Come, All Ye Faithful and Haydn's St Nicholas Mass.

Director of music: Timothy Noon
Organist: Richard Lea.



THURSDAY 25 DECEMBER 2008

THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g23f3)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:11 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g23jx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g245d)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00g24bw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g24f0)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00g24gq)
News and issues in rural Britain with Sarah Swadling.


THU 06:00 The Archive Hour (b008nbj1)
Snowy Streets of St Petersburg

Martin Sixsmith explores the lives and works of artists and writers who fled the former Eastern Bloc. He revisits archive interviews with Josef Brodsky, Vladimir Nabokov and Isaiah Berlin, explores the writings of Pushkin and others, and talks to contemporary writers Josef Skvorecky, Antonin Liehm and Andrei Makine. He is joined by Maria Rubins, an expert on East European literature.


THU 07:00 Desert Island Discs (b00fbl6n)
Allan Ahlberg

Kirsty Young's castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of our best-loved children's authors, Allan Ahlberg. He started writing stories for children at his wife Janet's suggestion - she wanted someone to write the words so that she could provide the illustrations. They went on to produce more than three dozen picture books together including The Jolly Postman, Each Peach Pear Plum and Peepo! and their books sold in their millions.

In this moving programme, Allan describes the impact of Janet's diagnosis, how she faced up to the knowledge that she was dying and how, after her death, he worked through his grief by compiling another book - a very personal collection about her life and work.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Closing Time by Leonard Cohen
Book: Selected Stories by Alice Munro
Luxury: A wall to kick a football against.


THU 07:45 Lennon's Private Passion: Cape Wrath (b00dtx55)
John Lennon is usually associated with either Liverpool or New York, and few know of his love for Cape Wrath, a wild and beautiful corner of the Scottish Highlands where he holidayed as a child. Sarfraz Manzoor takes a journey to the far north coast to meet those who knew him there.


THU 08:00 The Archive Hour (b00dtqh2)
How Radio Comedy Changed a Nation

Nicholas Parsons explores how radio comedy has developed and how it reveals much about the way the British live. Through rarely-heard archive material and interviews with writers, performers and comedians, he investigates the impact that radio comedy has had upon the nation.

Including contributions from Paul Merton, Barry Cryer, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and Sanjeev Bhaskar.


THU 09:00 Christmas Service (b00g3fg0)
A service from Bath Abbey, led by the Rector, Rev Prebendary Edward Mason. Preacher is Rev Dr Alan Garrow, the Abbey's vicar theologian. Music comes from the Abbey choir, directed by Dr Peter King. Organist: Marcus Sealy.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00g2560)
My Judy Garland Life

I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Tamsin Grieg reads from Susie Boyt's tribute to her screen idol Judy Garland.

Explaining the all-important differences between good and bad Judy fans, Susie reflects on the notion of fandom, before demonstrating her devotion at the ultimate Judy convention and going Judy-crazy in a Garland museum.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00gdf05)
The Best of 2008

A special programme looking back over the best of the year's music, drama and comedy. Including Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley, Dawn French, Vanessa Mae and Cynthia Nixon.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00g3fg4)
The Iraqi Backstreet Boys

Caroline Hawley meets the Iraqi boyband Unknown to No-one who, after years of separation and uncertainty, have reformed in Beirut.

Formed in the last days of Saddam Hussein's regime, Caroline first met them during the chaotic aftermath of the fall of the regime, when they hoped that their love songs would make them a hit in the West. She hears their stories about life in exile, about having to sing for Saddam and finds out what has happened to their dreams of stardom.


THU 11:30 Strictly Come Brucie (b00g3h56)
In a rare in-depth interview, Bruce Forsyth talks revealingly to Paul Morley about his life in showbiz.

The master of Light Entertainment looks back over his professional career spanning over seven decades. Bruce was 14 when he turned professional as 'Boy Bruce - The Mighty Atom' and he never looked back.

Aged a sprightly 80, Bruce recalls his family background, auditioning at The Windmill, his National Service and 16 years paying his dues on the provincial circuit before hitting the big time presenting ITV's Sunday Night At The London Palladium.

Bruce reveals what it takes to remain at the top of the entertainment tree, how he likes to relax, and the dedication required to maintain such a calm exterior when fronting such family favourites as The Generation Game, Bruce's Price is Right and Strictly Come Dancing.

Bruce Forstyth was born in 1928 and died in 2017.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.


THU 12:00 With Great Pleasure (b00g3fg2)
With Great Pleasure at Christmas

A special festive edition in which Terry Pratchett revels in some of his favourite pieces of writing with the help of Helen Atkinson Wood, Michael Fenton Stevens and Michael Maloney.

Featuring readings from:

The Specialist by Charles Sale
Published by Souvenir Press

Household Noises by Paul Jennings
From The Penguin Jennings
Published by Penguin

The Maze Maker by Michael Ayrton
Published by Longmans

Lamb-Thoughts by JB Morton (writing as Beachcomber)
From By the Way
Published by Sheed and Ward

Her Majesty's Mails: a history of the Post-office and an industrial account of its present condition, by William Lewins
Published by Samson and Low, 1865

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Published by Pan MacMillan

Roughing It by Mark Twain
Published by Routledge

The Poison Principle by Gail Bell
Published by Picador

The Junkman Smiles by GRG Worcester
Published by Chatto and Windus

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley
Published by Little, Brown

Sir George Caley by J Laurence Pritchard
Published by Max Parrish

Republican Party Reptile by PJ O'Rourke
Published by Pan Books

Once Upon an Ice Age by Roy Lewis
Published by Terra Nova Editions

Job 9, vv1-11
King James Bible

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Published by Oxford World's Classics.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00g29wt)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 News (b00g63p8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 13:15 Songs Everlasting (b00g31ps)
Series 2

Ave Maria

Bryn Terfel explores classic Christmas songs and tries to find out what it is that makes some of them them so popular.

Bryn explores various settings of the Ave Maria with the help of musicians and theologians, including the composer John Rutter and director of music at Kings College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury.


THU 13:30 Open Country (b00g1hqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00g29zv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Pick of the Year (b00g3h5b)
Sandi Toksvig chooses her favourite moments from the best of BBC radio in 2008.


THU 15:00 HM the Queen (b00g3h5d)
The Queen's Christmas message to the Commonwealth and the nation, followed by the national anthem.


THU 15:05 Drama (b00g3h5g)
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Dramatisation of The Miracle at Speedy Motors, the ninth book in Alexander McCall Smith's series of novels.

Precious Ramotswe, owner and founder of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is preoccupied - by the absence of postboxes in Botswana, by an anonymous letter and by an adopted child's poignant search for her true family. Meanwhile Mr JLB Matekoni pursues an expensive cure for their foster daughter Motholeli.

Mma Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Mma Makutsi ...... Nadine Marshall
Mr JLB Matekoni ...... Ben Onwukwe
Mma Potokwani ...... Janice Acquah
Phuti Radiphuti ...... Jude Akuwudike
Mma Mapoi ...... Adjoa Andoh
Violet Sepotho ...... Anna Bengo
Mma Sebina ...... Noma Dumezweni
Charlie ...... Maynard Eziashi
Shop Assistant ...... Emmanuel Ighodaro
Mr Polopetsi ...... Chuk Iwuju
Chair Lady ...... Alibe Parsons

Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.


THU 16:30 Open Book (b00g2281)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 17:00 The Archive Hour (b00cps5c)
Carry On Britain

Carolyn Quinn celebrates the Carry On films.

What does the long-running series of comedies tells us about British society from the late 1950s to the late 70s?

Featuring: Fenella Fielding, Barbara Windsor, June Whitfield, Shirley Eaton and Norman Hudis.

Producer Jane Ashley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.


THU 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00g3hcj)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 17:57 Weather (b00g3hg7)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g2gcm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


THU 18:15 Alistair Cooke's Seasonal Letters from America (b00grz63)
Episode 2

The BBC's North America editor Justin Webb introduces eight of Alistair Cooke's seasonal Letters from America, broadcast in December and January over the five decades of his career and covering topics ranging from Christmas in Vermont to presidential inaugurations.

In a letter from Christmas 2003, Alistair talks about his love of Christmas and why he thinks Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol is a parable for our times.


THU 18:30 Act Your Age (b00g3hr8)
Series 1

Episode 5

Simon Mayo discovers which generation is the funniest. With Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Roy Walker. From December 2008.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00g29zx)
Jack's excited to learn that it's Christmas. Jack loves Christmas, and Peggy's touched when he tells her he loves her too.

After a family meal at Grey Gables, Jennifer, Alice and Peggy chat together while Alice waits for Chris. Jack's in a world of his own and reminisces about Christmases past, believing he still owns Grey Gables. Jennifer remarks that Matt seems clingy with Lilian, in sharp contrast to how he was at Christine's drinks do earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Jack wanders off. They find him in Caroline's office - which he thinks is still his.

Joe's pleased to receive a phone call from Mildred, and Eddie's also enjoying Christmas. Clarrie wishes Joe wasn't off to see Alf later but is looking forward to Edward and Emma arriving, and the whole family being there for tea. But Clarrie's disappointed. Edward turns up alone and wants to get straight off to take George to Susan and Neil's. Eddie doesn't want it to spoil the day. Once Will has taken Joe off to Gloucester, he thinks he and Clarrie should make the most of Christmas night.

Episode written by Keri Davies.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00cxbwb)
Presented by Mark Lawson.

Elaine Stritch has just finished a series of performances of her Tony Award-winning show Elaine Stritch At Liberty in London. In a rare interview, she takes time out of her busy schedule to reflect on a life treading the boards, her close association with Noel Coward and Stephen Sondheim, and the difficulties she faced in giving up alcohol.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00g2j4q)
Old Peter's Russian Tales

The Stolen Turnips

Magical folk tales from Russia by Arthur Ransome, as told by Old Peter the forester to his grandchildren Vanya and Maroosia.

Broad and Long share a meagre existence until their turnips are stolen by a troupe of magical forest-dwelling children.

Old Peter ...... Trevor Cooper
Vanya/Child ...... Harry Hughes
Maroosia/Child ...... Megan Williams
Broad ...... Dan Starkey
Long ...... Chris Pavlo.


THU 20:00 Let Me Entertain You (b00dc2mt)
Ancestors

John Sessions series charting the history of popular entertainment in the UK.

But rather than the usual wade through the shifting sands of film and TV celebrity, John is covering the period before electronic media.

He starts with our medieval ancestors and attempts to unpick a few myths about wandering minstrels and motley fools keeping the toiling peasants entertained.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.


THU 20:30 Let Me Entertain You (b00djlcr)
Elizabethan London

Elizabethan London, from Bankside theatre to ringside gambling, from merry jigs to brutal bear-baiting.

John Sessions continues his series charting the history of popular entertainment in Britain, from medieval minstrels to Victorian freakshows.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.


THU 21:00 Let Me Entertain You (b00dl98j)
The Sporting Hero

A look at the hundred-year period from the Restoration of 1660 onwards, and the rise of a new figure in popular entertainment: the sporting hero.

Plus, the importance of the increasing use of printing, as a way of spreading popular entertainment around the country and of establishing popular tunes and songs.

John Sessions continues his series charting the history of popular entertainment in Britain, from medieval minstrels to Victorian freakshows.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.


THU 21:30 Let Me Entertain You (b00dpw98)
Episode 4

High-diving elks, the sporting munificence of Charles Dickens and the explosion in music hall entertainment all help bring to a close the merry little stroll John Sessions has been taking through the history of popular entertainment in the UK.

Having joined the restoration celebrations of 1660 and witnessed the rise of a new popular entertainment phenomenon, the sporting hero, John now ventures into the industrial heartlands of Victorian Britain to see how the masses were kept amused before the dawn of cinema and the emergence of a global entertainment industry worth billions of pounds.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.


THU 21:58 Weather (b00g2j6s)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 News (b00g3j57)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 22:15 Christmas Past and Christmas Present at King's (b00g36l6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Tuesday]


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00g2jk7)
A Christmas Carol

Episode 9

David Jason reads from Dickens's festive classic. Scrooge is seized by a terrible curiosity - who is the dead man that everyone reviles?


THU 23:00 The Penny Dreadfuls (b00gpbcx)
More Brothers Faversham

Marcus Faversham

The comedy trio's swashbuckling tale of Victorian Britain's greatest actor - Marcus Faversham.

Written by and starring Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck.

With Miles Jupp and Ingrid Oliver.

Script edited by Richard Turner.

Producer: Julia McKenzie

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in October 2008.


THU 23:30 Leonard and Marianne (b00csph9)
In 1960, on the Greek island of Hydra, a young Canadian poet on a state scholarship, Leonard Cohen, met Marianne Ihlen, the beautiful wife of a Norwegian novelist. The story of their romance, following her husband's desertion of her, and their eventual separation are immortalised in one of Cohen's earliest and best known songs, So Long, Marianne.

Forty-five years later, Cohen talked to Norwegian Radio about the song and then, in 2008, Marianne spoke for the first time in English about her role as 'muse'. With Marianne's death at the end of July, this is another opportunity to hear the story of their shared love, the passing of the years and their dearly-held memories.

Produced by Alan Hall (with thanks to NRK)
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.



FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2008

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00g2316)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


FRI 00:15 Christmas Meditation (b00g3t1c)
Dr James Hanvey SJ, director of the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life, leads a spiritual reflection on the incarnation at the end of Christmas Day.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00g2560)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00g23f5)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00g23jz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00g245g)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00g24by)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00g24f2)
Daily prayer and reflection with Commissioner Betty Matear.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00g24gs)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.


FRI 06:00 The Archive Hour (b00771vc)
Not Like That, Like This

Imagine being taught the piano by Daniel Barenboim, or the cello by Jacqueline Du Pre. Well for the last 60 years, the BBC has been producing masterclasses that have revealed how great musicians approach their craft.

Julian Worricker asks what is being taught in these lessons and what makes them such riveting broadcasting? With archive recordings of, among others, Georg Solti, Paul Tortelier and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - and contributions from Steven Isserlis and Maxim Vengerov.


FRI 07:00 Today (b00g24nf)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he will not hesitate to use more force against Gaza if rocket attacks on Israel do not stop. Mark Regev, the Israeli government spokesman, explains.

Caroline Wyatt has been spending Christmas with British troops in Basra.

Some stores opened their doors in the early hours, to try to make the most of the post-Christmas sales. John Thorne reports from the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Michelle Robinson describes the scene on Oxford Street in London.

Head of NICE, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Sir Mike Rawlins, says that many other countries see the body as a success story.

The government says that it has reached its target of removing 5,000 foreign national prisoners from the UK in 2008. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert and Home Office minister Lord West discuss the news.

Tributes have been pouring in to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, following his death from cancer.

Tom Hodgkinson, from the Idler Magazine, explains the art of idling.

Thought for the day with Canon Dr Alan Billings.

British soldiers will be leaving Iraq by the end of July. As they leave, how will the withdrawal affect Britain's relationship with Iraq? Christopher Prentice, Britain's ambassador to Iraq, discusses the UK's standing with the Baghdad government.

Remembering the singer Eartha Kitt who died on Christmas Day aged 81.

The National Trust is warning that 180 miles of its coastline in south-west England is disappearing because of coastal erosion. One of the worst affected areas is Studland beach in Dorset. Alison Harper reports.

The BBC's Home Affairs Editor, Mark Easton, Political Editor Nick Robinson, and Business Editor Robert Peston discuss how the world has changed in the past year - and try to guess what lies ahead.

The Guardian's theatre critic Michael Billington remembers Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter.

Joe Bageant delivers a redneck message to president elect, Barack Obama.

Will job losses in the financial sector be a good thing for the worlds of science and engineering? Hugh Pym, reports.

Steve Adams from the Broken Family Band provides a musical look back to 2008.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00g2156)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00g2565)
My Judy Garland Life

Get Happy

Tamsin Grieg reads from Susie Boyt's tribute to her screen idol Judy Garland.

After an unexpected duet with Mickey Rooney over breakfast, Susie gingerly accepts an invitation to perform at a 'Judy Night' in Brooklyn. Before she knows it, she is draped over the lid of a baby grand piano in her best satin dress, singing her heart out.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00g296t)
Older women in the press; Sulking; Child sponsorship

Manju Ghosh and Christine Jackson on travelling across England on their bus passes. Plus, shaking people out of a sulk, and is child sponsorship really the best way of giving?


FRI 11:00 The Eureka Years (b00g3t1f)
Adam Hart-Davis explores the history of the technology of Christmas, with balloons, stars and a stockingful of toys.

He travels to the town of Lauscha in Germany, where glass baubles are still blown by hand, a tradition that goes back to the mid-1830s. Adam finds a dizzying description of the first Christmas tree lit by electric light bulbs, looks at X-rays of teddy bear skeletons and pulls a cracker in the name of scientific investigation.


FRI 11:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b007728p)
Count Arthur Strong's Christmas Special

Count Arthur Strong, one-time variety star, makes his preparations for Christmas. From his altercation with a carol singer and his improvised 'reading' of the Nativity, to his show for the elderly at Leafy Glade old people's home. What could possibly go wrong? Stars Steve Delaney. From December 2006.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00g29qq)
Presented by Peter White.

Cheap clothing is creating a mountain of unwanted textiles. Michael Jack MP, Chair of the Environment Select Committee and Alan Wheeler of the Textile Recycling Association discuss.

A former call centre worker tells us what it is like to be on the receiving end of disgruntled customers.

Why Boxing Day is Ian Macmillan’s favourite day.

Irena Bauman thinks the credit crunch might provide opportunities for architects to reconsider their approach to projects.

Henrietta Harrison investigates whether the popularity of the live scene will continue during the economic downturn.

We look at the practicalities of self-publishing with guests Mindy Gibbins Klein, co-publisher and Michael Oke, self-publisher.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00g29ww)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00g29y5)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


FRI 13:30 More or Less (b00g3t1h)
Celebrity Quiz - Divorce at Christmas

Tim Harford is joined by two guests who share his love of numbers, former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq and comedian Dave Gorman. He gives his celebrity guests a second chance at numerical success with the More or Less Christmas numbers quiz.

Divorce at Christmas
Do more couples really divorce during the Christmas period? The prediction that up to 3.6 million people will consult a solicitor about divorce in the New Year has become a staple of the Christmas news stories. But there are fewer than 12 million married couples in the UK, so can this figure be correct? Chris Bowlby investigates.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00g29zx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00g3t1k)
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Remarkable Performance of Mr Frederick Merridew

Series of four new tales of mystery and murder by Bert Coules, inspired by the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

A night at the music hall ends in death, a Wild West sharpshooter finds a new personality, a brick wall crumbles and Holmes is engaged by a most unexpected client.

Sherlock Holmes ...... Clive Merrison
Dr John Watson ...... Andrew Sachs
Merridew ...... Hugh Bonneville
Stamford ...... Malcolm Tierney
Charlotte ...... Jill Cardo
Fragson ...... Jonathan Tafler
Flora ...... Donnla Hughes
George ...... Stephen Critchlow

Directed by Patrick Rayner.


FRI 15:00 Ramblings (b008crmp)
Series 9

Northumbria - Northumbrian Coast

Clare Balding walks the Northumbrian coast with Jonathan Manning. As editor of a walking magazine, Jonathan is evangelical about encouraging people to experience our countryside on foot. He takes Clare on what he considers the perfect walk.


FRI 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00g20sc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


FRI 15:30 Daphne Du Maurier (b007j7pb)
And His Letters Grew Colder

A passionate affair gradually dies. An early story by Daphne du Maurier that was only discovered in 2006. Read by Nigel Havers.


FRI 15:45 Songs Everlasting (b00g48vw)
Series 2

Fantasia on Christmas Carols

Bryn Terfel explores classic Christmas songs and tries to find out what it is that makes some of them them so popular.

Bryn marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams by examining the composer's 1912 work Fantasia on Christmas Carols.


FRI 16:00 Music Feature (b00cxqq9)
Killer Bs

Journalist Anthony Barnes celebrates a virtually extinct aspect of the music industry, the B-side of a record. Contributors include Tim Rice, Paul Gambaccini and Gloria Gaynor.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00g3tmm)
The latest movie news and reviews. Francine Stock discusses the best films of the year with Asif Kapadia, director of Far North and The Warrior. Plus an interview with Steve McQueen about his award-winning debut Hunger.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00g2gb0)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00g2gcp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


FRI 18:15 Alistair Cooke's Seasonal Letters from America (b00grz61)
Episode 3

The BBC's North America editor Justin Webb introduces eight of Alistair Cooke's seasonal Letters from America, broadcast in December and January over the five decades of his career and covering topics ranging from Christmas in Vermont to presidential inaugurations

From 1977, Alistair talks about the deaths of two friends - who just happen to be Groucho Marx and Bing Crosby.


FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00g3tmp)
Series 25

Episode 5

Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes and Marcus Brigstocke.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00g29zz)
Alice is up early to join the beaters at the shoot. Brian would rather she shot with him, but she'd rather be with Chris. She agrees to join the guns for lunch and tells Chris that the invitation extends to him.

Brian's taken aback to see Chris, especially as he's talking to Brian's acquaintance, Lord Elbury. Brian rushes over to make formal introductions and is amazed to find they're already on first name terms. Christopher had been recommended to Lord Elbury as a farrier, and they clearly get on. Brian manages to agree that Christopher is indeed very talented. Alice makes it clear they're more than friends and Lord Elbury tells her to hang on to him, leaving Brian lost for words. Christopher doesn't think it's done him any harm.

Will collects Joe to take him to see Alf. Joe asks Will how he felt when Emma didn't turn up yesterday. Will assures Joe that he's over Emma. He feels nothing for her now, and she can't hurt him any more. Joe tentatively asks him about Nic, but Will insists that they're just friends this time. That's what Nic wants, and that's fine with Will.

Episode written by Keri Davies.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00gy71c)
Harold Pinter

A special edition in tribute to the Nobel prizewinning playwright Harold Pinter, whose death has been announced.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2005, Pinter gave a rare full-length interview about his work, including his view of how to interpret the famous 'Pinter pause'. Presented by Mark Lawson.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00g2j5h)
Old Peter's Russian Tales

Frost

Magical folk tales from Russia by Arthur Ransome, as told by Old Peter the forester to his grandchildren Vanya and Maroosia.

Martha is the youngest of three sisters, the elder two of whom make her life a misery. When her stepmother decides to marry her to Frost himself, her father fears for her life, but her politeness and sweet nature bring her all that she deserves.

Old Peter/Old Man ....... Trevor Cooper
Vanya ...... Harry Hughes
Maroosia/Martha ...... Megan Williams
Old Woman ...... Joan Walker
Frost ...... Stephen Critchlow
Sour Sister 1 ...... Helen Longworth
Sour Sister 2 ...... Liz Sutherland.


FRI 20:02 With Great Pleasure (b00g3fg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Thursday]


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00g3tmr)
Jesus

Whatever you believe in when it comes to the birth of Christ, even if you believe in nothing at all, no one can doubt the personal force of Jesus says Clive James, as he reflects on life beyond the grave, Shakespeare’s beliefs and the man and spirit of Jesus Christ.


FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b007749z)
The Loved One

By Evelyn Waugh, adapted by Jonathan Holloway.

California, just after the Second World War: An elderly Englishman, who once made a living as a Hollywood scriptwriter, has taken in a younger version of the same species who is also struggling to make his way in the new world.

He thought he was a poet once, but now earns a living in a pet cemetery. Preoccupied with dead things, he meets a young female embalmer and suddenly everything begins to go right.

Evelyn Waugh's novel has been called 'one of the funniest and most significant books of the 20th century'.

Dennis Barlow ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Mr Joyboy ...... Mark Gatiss
Aimee ...... Jennifer Lee Jellicorse
Sir Francis Hinsley ...... Clive Swift
Sir Ambrose Abercrombie ...... David Troughton
Mrs Heinkel/Mrs Joyboy/Telephonist ...... Barbara Barnes
Mr Heinkel/Schultz/Slump ...... Peter Marinker.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00g2j6v)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00g2jfz)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00g2jk9)
A Christmas Carol

Episode 10

David Jason reads from Dickens's festive classic. Scrooge awakes on Christmas morning to find that there is still time to change the future.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00g505c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Bad Nature (b00936b3)
Jo Brand discovers what wildlife presenters really think of the animals they talk about.

Highlights include David Attenborough dishing the dirt on rats and Alan Titchmarsh letting rip at the cockroach. Michela Strachan, Steve Leonard and Mike Dilger all share their experiences of being bitten in exotic places.