SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2009

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00hlxwz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hn6s2)
Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire

Hackney Brook

Neil Pearson reads Iain Sinclair's account of the chequered history and inhabitants of Hackney in East London and his own life there.

Iain attempts to locate the lost river of Hackney and in so doing finds himself on the set of EastEnders, by way of the Olympic construction site.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hm576)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hm578)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hm57b)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00hm57d)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hm57g)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b00hm57j)
The weekly interactive current affairs magazine featuring online conversation and debate.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00hm57l)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00hmbvq)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00hmbvs)
Helen Mark finds out how whisky production has shaped Speyside in Scotland, with the opening of a new 'green' distillery in Roseisle.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today This Week (b00hmbxd)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00hmbxg)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00hmbxj)
Presented by Evan Davis and James Naughtie.

Correspondent Quentin Sommerville examines US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first overseas tour.

Correspondent Kevin Connelly discusses if human rights campaigners will be disappointed with Barack Obama's decision that detainees held by the US in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights.

Vice-chairman of Progress Chris Leslie discusses if consumers could help the UK out of the economic slump.

Correspondent Ian Pannell reports on the US strategy to provide weapons to villagers in Afghanistan.

Prof Iain Begg of the London School of Economics discusses why thousands of people will attend a march to protest about pay and pensions.

Reporter Jack Izzard explains The National Fund, founded more than 80 years ago, which amassed 280 million pounds but has now been dormant for decades.

Hillary Clinton has marked her first overseas visit as US Secretary of State by calling for a deeper partnership with China. Authors James Kynge and George Walden discuss the problems facing the Chinese government.

Former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg and terror legislation expert Lord Carlile discuss if Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed poses any risk to the UK.

Editor Martha Dow Fehsenfeld and critic Philip Hensher discuss the publication of the first volume of Irish writer Samuel Beckett's letters.

Former Downing Street adviser Paul Sinclair and Matthew Taylor, former head of the Number 10 policy unit, discuss if Harriet Harman could run for leader of the Labour Party.

Arts correspondent Rebecca Jones looks at some of the best examples of adapted film works, from Gone With The Wind to Ben-Hur.

Chief economics correspondent Hugh Pym dissects another extraordinary week for the economy.

The National Gallery is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first ever television documentary to be broadcast in colour in the UK. Historian Dr Jonathan Conlin and documentary maker Laurence Rees discuss the 1969 BBC Two series Civilisation.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00hmby5)
Clare Balding is joined by Radio 2's 'Whispering' Bob Harris. Bob is the patron of Cancer Research UK's music heritage event Sound and Vision.

Saturday Live listener Martin Hart heard the shot fired by Ruth Ellis that led to her being the last woman to be hanged in this country.

David Morrison was 14 years old when his girlfriend got pregnant. He tells Clare how the experience transformed his life.

Pat Gresham recalls how she spent her working life never knowing whether she was going to be legless in Southend or headless in Margate.

Founder member of The Zombies Rod Argent chooses his Inheritance Tracks.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00hmc50)
Filming Wildlife

FILMING WILDLIFE
John McCarthy is joined by two wildlife filmmakers. Karen Bass has travelled from the Okavango Delta in Southern Africa to the Arctic for her latest series Nature’s Great Events, while Harry Marshall has often returned to the country of his birth, India, to film everything from irate elephants to snow leopards.


SAT 10:30 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b00hmc52)
Series 2

West Side Story

Another chance to hear "And The Academy Awards Goes to.... West Side Story". Continuing his series on Oscar-winning films, Paul Gambaccini turns his attention to one that tackled tough issues through the medium of the musical. With a young fresh cast - Natalie Wood in her first adult role, Rita Moreno sweeping everyone else off the dancefloor, and a relatively inexperienced but dazzling array of support actors - the movie sizzles with colour, drama, the outstanding choreography of Jerome Robbins, the music of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of a young Stephen Sondheim. Who could tell that behind the scenes there were arguments, voice dubbings and overruns, plus issues over racial casting and 'blacking up'? What emerged from a tumultuous production was a triumph.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall.


SAT 11:00 Beyond Westminster (b00hmc54)
Series looking at politics beyond and outside the Westminster parliament. Andrew Rawnsley discovers how political parties are appealing to more mature voters and asks if the Tories' apparent advantage with that section of the electorate will persist. Among Britain's population, older people are more likely to vote than younger ones and are more inclined to favour the Conservatives. But will the 1960s generation change this?


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00hmc87)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00hmcw7)
Repossession Rises

Paul Lewis with the latest news from the world of personal finance. As the number of homes in the UK repossessed by lenders rose last year by 54 percent, why aren't lenders doing more to help struggling homeowners? Are you covered by your credit card provider if you buy something online that turns out to be faulty? And what should you do if you have some savings but do not want to see them withering away?


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b00hlspn)
Series 67

Episode 7

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz, with panellists Jeremy Hardy, Fred MacAulay, Shappi Khorsandi and Mark Steel.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00hmcw9)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00hmcwc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00hlspq)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Manchester. The panellists are secretary of state for culture, media and sport Andy Burnham, Conservative Party chairman Francis Maude, Sunday Times columnist Minette Marrin and author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00hmcwf)
Jonathan Dimbleby takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00hmlhk)
The Lady in the Van

The Lady in the Van
by Alan Bennett

Cast
Miss Shepherd ..... Maggie Smith
Alan Bennett ..... Adrian Scarborough
Alan Bennett 2 ..... Alan Bennett
Mam ..... Marcia Warren
Rufus ..... Matt Addis
Pauline ..... Janice Acquah
Underwood ..... Stephen Critchlow
Social Worker ..... Caroline Guthrie
Fairchild ..... Philip Fox
Doctors ..... Jonathan Tafler and Malcolm Tierney

Music composed by Simon Morecroft
Adapted and Directed by Gordon House

The Lady in the Van is the first radio production of Alan Bennett's autobiographical stage play, starring Alan Bennett himself as one of the two "Alan Bennetts" featured in the drama, and reprising the brilliant stage performance of Dame Maggie Smith as Miss Mary Shepherd, the lady who takes refuge in his Camden garden for three months, and ends up staying fifteen years.

When Alan Bennett adapted his short autobiographical memoir The Lady in the Van, into a full length stage play, it received some excellent critical reviews. "One of the saddest, funniest and most distinguished offerings for years" wrote John Peter in the Sunday Times, while Charles Spencer, in the Daily Telegraph, thought it was "without doubt, the best new play of the year. Now Radio 4 brings this wonderfully bitter-sweet comic diary to the airwaves, with Maggie Smith once more playing the eccentric and cantankerous Miss Shepherd, and Alan Bennett and Adrian Scarborough playing the two Alan Bennetts - one in the role of the omniscient narrator, and one experiencing events as they occur.

Miss Shepherd was the genteel vagrant who parked her Bedford van near Mr. Bennett's Camden house in 1971 and eventually browbeat him into pushing it into the mini-driveway leading to his front door. And there she steadfastly remained until her death in 1989, emerging, every so often, to make a complaint, share a loony observation or simply fill Mr. Bennett's tiny garden with "a right Suzie Wong" - stench and filth that he compared to ''the inside of someone's ear."

But the play is as much about the author himself, as Miss Shepherd. What are Alan Bennett's motives in becoming landlord to such a lethally dotty tenant? Is he too feeble to reject her? Is he guiltily compensating for not spending enough time with his own mother (played here by Marcia Warren) Or is he, as his neighbours suggest, a modern-day saint? Was there (he suggests it himself) always part of him that wanted to exploit Miss Shepherd for literary profit? They play invites us both to ponder these questions, and asks what responsibility we ourselves have for the vagabonds who walk our streets and sometimes land up on our doorsteps.

But above all 'The Lady in the Van' is simply hugely enjoyable entertainment, now brought vividly to radio. Simon Morecoft composes original music in a production adapted and directed by the former Head of Radio Drama, Gordon House.


SAT 16:00 Weekend Woman's Hour (b00hmll4)
With Sheila McClennon.

Including:

Lindsay Duncan talks about the challenge of playing former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in a new BBC production that dramatises the demise of Britain's first female prime minister.

Breast Cancer Screening: According to a recent letter in The Times, many healthy women in this country are receiving unnecessary surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The 23 signatories say the government is not providing women with all the facts when they go for breast screening and cite research by Peter Gotzsche of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen in support of their claims. Jenni speak to Prof Stephen Duffy and Dr Paul Paroah about the issue.

As Nick Clegg approaches fatherhood for the third time, he argues that the recession could provide us with an opportunity to rethink old assumptions about who cares for children.

Paraplegic adventurer Karen Darke talks about her recent expedition where she sea-kayaked to the San Rafael glacier in Patagonia and about a new lecture tour she is to begin.

We examine a new report from the International Research Unit at the Warwick Business School that has found male actors have longer careers than their female counterparts and ask why so few of the opinion writers in the national newspapers are women.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00hmll6)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Ritula Shah, plus the sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b00hmn81)
Evan Davis hears some negotiating tips from three top businesspeople, including the chief executive of Asda. What are the keys for success when negotiating with suppliers or buyers? Plus a discussion about the commercial property market. The current global economic troubles had their roots in the housing market, but the business property market is suffering as well. The panel discusses what to look for in a property, how to buy and when to sell.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00hmn83)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00hmn85)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hmn87)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00hmn89)
Clive Anderson presents an eclectic mix of conversation, comedy and music. He is joined by Nigel Planer, Simon Yates and Adam Nicolson, and Jo Bunting finds out about Karl Pilkington's unique take on the world. With music from Woodpigeon and Soap and Skin and comedy from Keith Farnan.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00hmn8c)
MIA

Stephen Sackur profiles MIA, the British-born Tamil singer and artist who has become known for her fiery and politicised style of songwriting and has been nominated for an Oscar for the song she contributed to the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. Stephen hears about MIA from friends, family and fellow musicians and asks if, amid the success and the hype, she is the real deal or whether she may be just another world music flash in the pan.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00hmn8f)
Gran Torino, Lenny Henry plays Othello, and Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half by Lissa Evans

Guests:
Novelist Dreda Say Mitchell
Journalist Anne McElvoy
Historian Tristram Hunt

Gran Torino
In what is reported to be his last onscreen performance, Clint Eastwood directs himself as a cantankerous old racist whose Dirty Harry-like approach to local hoodlums draws him into an unexpected friendship with his Vietnamese neighbours. So is this twist on Eastwood’s old persona a fitting climax to one of the great Hollywood careers?

Gran Torino is on general release now, certificate 15.

Lenny Henry plays Othello
In 2006, Lenny Henry made a pair of documentaries for Radio 4 in which he tackled his Bard-phobia. The process was so successful that, by the end of the second programme, he was seriously contemplating a Shakespearean debut. The panel went to Leeds to see how he fared as Othello – one of the toughest roles in British theatre.

Northern Broadsides' production of Othello continues at the West Yorkshire Playhouse until 14 March, and then visits Scarborough, Coventry, Bath, Kingston-upon-Thames, Newcastle and Halifax.

Van Dyck and Britain
The panel visit Tate Britain to see some spectacular propaganda for the absolute monarchy of Charles I - the Flemish painter Van Dyck’s portraits of the King and the members of his court. As portraits, these may be magnificent, but as propaganda they arguably contributed to the rebellion against the monarchy that was to sweep the King from power soon afterwards.

Van Dyck and Britain is at Tate Britain in London until the seventeenth of May.

I Am the West
The British Muslim Forum and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have backed a series of nine adverts, aimed at young Pakistanis, as part of a campaign to deter those who are potentially vulnerable to radicalisation. The ads feature a range of British Muslims talking about their lives, and declaring themselves both British and Muslim. But how persuasively made are these 30-second films?

The I Am the West adverts start screening in Pakistan in Urdu and Pashtu from 23 February. English language versions will be available to watch at IMIB.

Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half
Lissa Evans, one-time producer of Father Ted and The Kumars at Number 42, sets her new novel amid the Blitz in 1940. An ill-assorted group of thespians and media types attempt the down-at-heel task of making an uplifting movie about Dunkirk…

Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half by Lissa Evans is published by Doubleday.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b00hmn8h)
Agony

Jenni Murray presents a history of personal advice, from the mythical, kindly agony aunts of women's magazines to the public confessional of the radio phone-in.

The advice column began life in the women's magazines. It was the role of the kindly, but mythical aunt to re-enforce the social codes of the day, dispensing jaunty, practical, nearly always morally serious advice to their readers.

Radio brought a new outlet for those doling out advice. It started in the buttoned-up 1940s with paternalistic lectures from Charles Hill, the Radio Doctor (and later chairman of BBC) on subjects such as tummy trouble and melancholia and bloomed into the frank and sometimes shocking phone-ins.

Today, the 'advice industry' has expanded from radio to TV, the internet and advice columns in the newspapers, where readers can offer their own comments. Throughout the history of agony we have moved from social etiquette to sexual etiquette in terms of the questions that are being asked, and agony aunts have both reflected and influenced trends.

The increasing candour of the programmes reflects a parallel shift in British emotional engagement and the rise of therapy culture, which, some would argue, is not necessarily something to be celebrated.

The programme tracks these developments, exploring the phenomenon of the agony aunt and examining how the way advice is delivered has changed to suit the times.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00hhflv)
Scoop

Episode 1

Dramatisation by Jeremy Front of Evelyn Waugh's satirical 1938 novel.

Hapless journalist William Boot is mistakenly sent to report on a war in Africa.

William Boot ...... Rory Kinnear
Lord Copper ...... David Warner
Salter ...... Nicholas Woodeson
Corker ...... Stephen Critchlow
Pigge ...... Chris Pavlo
Erik Olafsen ...... Dan Starkey
Jakes ...... Paul Rider
Benito ...... Cyril Nri
Paleologue ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Moke ...... Inam Mirza
Mr Baldwin ...... Jonathan Taffler
Julia ...... Fenella Woolgar
John Boot ...... Nicholas Boulton
Josephine ...... Imogen Front
Miss Holloway ...... Janice Acquah
Secretary ...... Manjeet Mann
Uncle Theodore ...... Malcolm Tierney
Evelyn Waugh ...... Tim McInnerny

Directed by Sally Avens.


SAT 22:00 Weather (b00hmn9b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b00hkprf)
Michael Buerk celebrates the 500th edition of the programme with a debate held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Melanie Philips, Michael Portillo, Claire Fox and Clifford Longley cross-examine witnesses Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, Professor Alistair McGrath, Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture at King's College and author of The Dawkins Delusion, Peter Cave, chair of the British Humanist Philosophers group and author of Humanism: a Beginner's Guide, and Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris.

Michael and the panel consider the question. if you do not believe in a set of divinely inspired moral rules, how do you decide right from wrong in a world with complex and competing interests? We live in an age where there is no longer general agreement on religion and the time when our society was united by a common set of values based on a belief in God is long gone. Is it hopelessly optimistic to believe that Man can create an ethical framework based on a belief in individual responsibility and mutual respect, or are those secular values a much a better guide than any sectarian dogma or religious text? Can a post-religious society be a moral society, and if so, whose morals will we live by?


SAT 23:00 Quote... Unquote (b00hhths)
Nigel Rees chairs the popular quiz involving the exchange of quotations and anecdotes. With guests Bonnie Greer, Ken Follett, John Simpson and Sir Richard Eyre.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b00hhft7)
Roger McGough introduces a selection of poems by the late Adrian Mitchell, chosen and read by some of his friends and fellow poets.

Music : Lover Man performed by Charlie Parker

All the poems in this week's programme are by Adrian Mitchell and the books are published by Bloodaxe

Back in the Playground Blues
From: Blue Coffee

To Whom It May Concern
From: Tell Me Lies - Poems 2005-2008

A Puppy Called Puberty
From: Blue Coffee

Ten Ways to Avoid Lending Your Wheelbarrow to Anybody
From: Tell Me Lies - Poems 2005-2008

Every Day is Mothering Sunday to Me
From: The Shadow Knows

The Doorbell
From: Tell Me Lies - Poems 2005-2008

Sorry Bout That
From: Tell Me Lies - Poems 2005-2008

Disguise
From: The Shadow Knows

William Blake Says Everything That Lives is Holy
From: The Shadow Knows

Death is Smaller Than I Thought
From: In Person, 30 Poets

A Spell to Make a Bad Hour Pass
From: Heart on the Left:– Poems 1953 - 1984

Music: Poetry Glues Your Soul Together
Words by Adrian Mitchell
Music by Mike Westbrook
From “Tyger” by Adrian Mitchell performed at the National Theatre



SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2009

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00hmp1f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b007v09b)
Be Prepared

Man's Best Friend

Series of stories inspired by the famous motto of the Scouting movement.

The dark story of a futuristic Britain in which dogs sniff out terrorist threats.

By Des Dillon, read by Nick Underwood.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hmp1r)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hmp1t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hmp1w)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00hmp6y)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00hmp70)
The sound of bells from St Leonard's in Hythe, Kent.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b00hmn8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00hmp72)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00hmp74)
The Road Taken

Mike Wooldridge explores what happens when we have to choose between different paths in life. How are our lives shaped by such decisions, and how are we changed by what we say 'yes' to and what we turn away from? He talks to Hollywood composer Matthew Ferraro about the decisions that have shaped his life and which have helped to bring about his massive new work The Tension of Opposites.


SUN 06:35 Living World (b00hmp76)
Southern Sea Shores

Lionel Kelleway travels to the Falkland Islands to find out how marine life in the Southern Atlantic compares with beachcombing back home. He joins the Shallow Marine Seas Survey team as they endeavour to chart what lives here.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00hmp78)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00hmp7b)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00hmp7d)
Roger Bolton discusses the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, both familiar and unfamiliar.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00hmp7g)
The Place2Be

Simon Marshall, headteacher, appeals on behalf of The Place2Be.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00hmpbn)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00hmpbq)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00hmpbs)
Another Music

A celebration of the 17th-century priest and poet George Herbert from Bemerton Church near Salisbury, where he was rector for three years. Led by Canon Judy Rees, with Ronald Blythe, Vikram Seth and the Farrant Singers directed by Daniel Cook.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b00hlsps)
Katharine Whitehorn considers the importance of words, their changing meanings and the influence they have on our perception of things.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00hmpbv)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00hmpbx)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00hmpbz)
David Walliams

Kirsty Young's castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is David Walliams. He has seen extraordinary success - as one half of the comedy duo behind Little Britain, as a cross-channel swimmer and more recently on the West End stage and as a novelist. In this frank interview, he describes his life away from the spotlight; how he used to practise comedy routines in his bathroom, the excitement of an early trip out wearing a John Paul Gaultier skirt, the inner drive that propels him and the unhappiness he feels when he has no company except his own.

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

Favourite track: Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths
Book: Collected Poems by Philip Larkin
Alternative to Bible: None - Bible not taken
Luxury: A gun.


SUN 12:00 Just a Minute (b00hhz2z)
Series 54

Episode 8

Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious word game, with panellists Paul Merton, Chris Neill, Justin Moorhouse and Tony Hawks.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00hmpz9)
Potatoes

Sheila Dillon looks at the history of the potato - its arrival in Europe and economic significance. She discusses the growing popularity of 'heritage' potatoes and visits chef Simon Hopkinson to sample some of his simple but exotic potato dishes.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00hmpzc)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00hmpzf)
A look at events around the world with James Robbins.


SUN 13:30 Letters to Myself (b00dx16j)
An insight into the experiences of people who have written letters to themselves to be opened in years to come. Some have sent letters to a website that acts as a temporary library before emailing them back to be read at a later date. The programme also follows a group of young adults as they open letters that they wrote to themselves years ago as school leavers.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00hls6m)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Anne Swithinbank, Chris Beardshaw and Pippa Greenwood answer questions posed by gardeners at Topsham Allotments and Garden Club, near Exeter.

Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.


SUN 14:45 My Mile of the River (b00hmpzh)
Episode 2

Chris Tally Evans evokes the sights and sounds of the River Wye as it flows yards from his garden in Rhayader in Mid Wales.

It is summer on the River Wye, and Chris reports on the two-person wheelbarrow championship as it races through a ford, listens to the Wye Valley Axemen and witnesses the coronation of the Carnival Queen.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00hmpzk)
Scoop

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Jeremy Front of Evelyn Waugh's satirical 1938 novel.

William finds life as a war correspondent somewhat tedious, but he does fall in love and find himself in the middle of a revolution.

William Boot ...... Rory Kinnear
Katchen ...... Claudie Blakeley
Lord Copper ...... David Warner
Salter ...... Nicholas Woodeson
Frau Dressler ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Erik Olafsen ...... Dan Starkey
Secret Policeman ...... Jude Akuwudike
Benito ...... Cyril Nri
Moke ...... Inam Mirza
Mr Baldwin ...... Jonathan Taffler
Uncle Theodore ...... Malcolm Tierney
Sir Jocelyn Hitchcock ...... Michael Simkins
Corker ...... Stephen Critchlow
Pigge ...... Chris Pavlo
News Editor ...... Paul Rider
Hechel ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Evelyn Waugh ...... Tim McInnerny

Directed by Sally Avens.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00hmpzm)
Sanjida O'Connell, Dame Beryl Bainbridge and the work of Hans Fallada

Mariella Frostrup talks to Sanjida O'Connell about her novel The Naked Name of Love and Dame Beryl Bainbridge reflects on her admiration for the work of the German writer Hans Fallada.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b00hmpzp)
Roger McGough introduces listeners' requests for poems by Derek Walcott, Linda Pastan and Russian poets Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Inna Kabysh. The readers are Burt Caesar, Mark Meadows and Nadia Williams.

Letter from Brooklyn by Derek Walcott
From Derek Walcott – Collected Poems 1948-1984
The Noonday Press

People by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, translated by Robin Milner-Gulland
Selected Poems – Yevtushenko
Penguin

The Five Stages of Grief by Linda Pastan
From: The Five Stages of Grief
Publ: Norton

Different Beds by Roger McGough
From: Selected Poems
Publ: Penguin

The Fallow Deer at the Lonely House by Thomas Hardy
The Oxford Authors – Thomas Hardy
Oxford University Press

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams
From: The Oxford Book of American Poetry

Daffodils by William Wordsworth
From: William Wordsworth – The Major Works
Publ: Oxford

Love Poem by Linda Pastan
From: The Norton Introduction to Literature (6th edition)

Love III by George Herbert
From: The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918

To Anthea, Who May Command Him Anything by Robert Herrick
From: The Poems of Robert Herrick
Publ: Oxford

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
The New Faber Book of Love Poems
Faber

Me Cyaan Believe it by Michael Smith
It a Came
Creation for Liberation

Making Jam in July by Inna Kabysh, trans Fay Marshall
Modern Poetry in Translation New Series No.20 – 2002

My Parents Kept Me From Children Who Were Rough by Stephen Spender
From: Collected Poems
Publ: faber

Happiness by Raymond Carver
From: All of Us. Collected Poems
Publ: Alfred A Knopf


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b00hkc70)
The legacy of toxic lending

Michael Robinson investigates the legacy of toxic lending by British banks and reveals why the threat it poses to UK jobs, homes and incomes is especially acute.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b00hmn8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00hmq2g)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00hmq2j)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hmq2l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00hmq2n)
Edward Stourton introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00hmq2q)
Alistair and Shula are on their way to the cathedral for the morning service. Shula thanks Alistair for coming with her, but Alistair says it's a thank you for support she's given him over Ryan.

Will, Clarrie and Nic are at Casa Nueva, relaxing. Clarrie and Nic have tidied up for Will's homecoming, and have really enjoyed themselves! Will's really grateful, but Nic can see he's itching to go and look at the Estate. Nic doesn't mind; she'll go to the swings with Jake.

Alistair and Shula enjoy the service, and Shula's very uplifted by it. They meet Jill on the way back. She asks whether they've heard anything about their burglar. Jill hears crying from the swings, and goes over.

Back at the Stables, Alistair tells Shula how much he hates lying to Jill about the burglary. But he's glad to have turned his back on the gambling world.

Jake's grazed his hand, so Jill takes Jake and Nic to Glebe Cottage for a plaster. Jill tells Nic it took her years to get used to country life. Jill encourages Nic to get involved with the village. Later, at Casa Nueva, Will tells Nic how right it feels, being there together. Nic agrees.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


SUN 19:15 Go4it (b00hmq2s)
Children's magazine presented by Barney Harwood. Angela Robson hears about a Comic Relief project in southern Ethiopia that is helping children to get to school.


SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b007vhn7)
Caravan Club

Wayfaring Days

Series of short stories celebrating a British institution.

Series of short stories to mark the 100th anniversary of a British institution.

A boy holidaying in a well-appointed caravan park meets an eccentric hermit who prefers to travel without mod cons.

By Andrew Martin, read by Mark McDonnell.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b00hls6k)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00hlspj)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b00hmcw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00hmp7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (b00hlczq)
Rolling Stones

Alison Wolf asks whether human beings have an innate need to travel and, if so, whether that raises profound questions for transport policy.

As we get richer, so we choose to travel faster, despite the damage it does to the planet. But what does the wrong kind of travelling or no travelling at all mean for our personal health and happiness?

How should governments respond to this complex side of our psyche? Is it right to subsidise any form of transport or should towns and cities be designed in such a way that we are forced to abandon our cars?


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00hmq4d)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00hmq4g)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster with Carolyn Quinn. Including How to Explain Europe.


SUN 23:02 The Film Programme (b00hlspl)
Clive Owen, the star of Croupier and Children Of Men on his new thriller in which bankers are the bad guys.

Francine talks to Michael Shannon and Viola Davis, two actors who are in the running for Oscars for best supporting roles, even though they only feature in a couple of key scenes in Doubt and Revolutionary Road.

Director Sacha Gervasi discusses Anvil, his new documentary about the demi-gods of Canadian metal and their calamitous European tour.

Claude Lelouch, the director of A Man And A Woman talks about fast cars, the beauty of lying and why he made his latest film under a pseudonym.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00hmp74)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2009

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00hnc59)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00hkpr9)
Kissing Cousins - Big Cats in Rural Wales

KISSING COUSINS
Like the queen, and many of his own class in the nineteenth century Charles Darwin was married to his first cousin. However he became increasingly anxious about the consequence of such close intermarriage; he attempted to have Parliament amend the census include a question on cousin marriage, and even asked his son George to scientifically investigate close-kin unions on a national scale. By the new century, though, it was a statistical rarity and by the 1920s only one marriage in 6,000 was with a cousin.

Laurie Taylor is joined by Professor Adam Kuper, author of ‘Changing the subject – about cousin marriage, among other things’ to discuss Charles Darwin, Victorian marriage and the sudden demise of kissing cousins.

BIG CATS IN RURAL WALES
Samantha Hurn, Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Wales, Lampeter talks about her research on feral big cats in Ceredigion, West Wales between 2001 and 2008.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00hmp70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc9v)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hncgp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hncby)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00hndl8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hnfhy)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00hnfld)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00hpdnz)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00hnmgd)
Presented by Sarah Montague and James Naughtie.

Business editor Robert Peston outlines what the lending increase in mortgage lending by Northern Rock will mean.

Entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson runs through this year's Oscar winners.

Former haemophilia patient Haydn Lewis and Dr Mark Winter discuss the after effects of the blood transfusion disaster.

Reporter Sanchia Berg met Alison Hindmarsh, who worked for 16 years at Woolworths' main distribution warehouse in Swindon.

The government has announced plans to increase mortgage lending by up to 14 billion pounds at Northern Rock. Chancellor Alistair Darling explains.

Thought for the day with Reverend Joel Edwards, the international director of the Micah Challenge.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne says the government should help all companies get the credit they need.

Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones is in Los Angeles to talks about this year's Oscar results.

Author James Lovelock discusses how we should focus on saving the human race and leave the planet to look after itself.

Professor Frank Partnoy discusses the lessons to be learnt from the 1930s fraud king Ivar Kreuger.

Writer Simon Beaufoy, who won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Slumdog Millionaire, talks about what winning has meant to him.

James Crabtree of Prospects magazine and NUS President Wesley Streeting discuss whether a civic service scheme could help unemployment.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett and former shadow Home Secretary David Davis discuss why the issue of civil liberties has returned to centre stage.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00hpdp1)
Andrew Marr sets the cultural agenda for the week. His guests include Amos Oz, Miri Rubin, Alistair Crooke and Penny Woolcock.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hnn57)
Martin Gayford - Constable in Love

Episode 1

Passion, money and art - the story of John Constable and his pursuit of the love of his life. Read by Anton Lesser.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hp7l0)
Minorities in parliament; Connie Fisher

What efforts are political parties making to get more black and Asian women into parliament? Plus Connie Fisher on working with Andrew Lloyd-Webber.


MON 11:00 Gangs, Guns and Families (b00hphbl)
Professor Jon Silverman takes a mother who grew up on the notorious Stonebridge Park estate in north west London, and now studies criminology, back to the estate to see the changes experienced by those who live there and the growing prevalence of knife and gun crime.

Suzella Palmer is about to complete a PhD on youth crime at the University of Bedfordshire. She has garnered much of her academic research from the experiences of her 16-year-old son Zane, who has spent time in prison for violent affray and mixes with people who carry knives and would not hesitate to use them.


MON 11:30 The Yellowplush Papers (b00hphbn)
Deuceace

Series of five comic tales by William Makepeace Thackeray, adapted by Stephen Wyatt, recounting the rise and fall of early-19th Century footman Charles Yellowplush.

Charles finds himself in Paris in attendance on a young aristocrat of very dubious morals who has fled England to escape his creditors.

Charles Yellowplush ...... Adam Buxton
Deuceace ...... Chris Pavlo
Crabs ...... Trevor Peacock
Lady Griffin ...... Jill Cardo
Matilda ...... Laura Molyneux
Bailiff ...... Dan Starkey

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00hp9fv)
Presented by Peter White.

Government wants the concert and sporting event industry to protect the public. We hear from Rob Ballantine of the Concert Promoters Association, who has set up a new website for the reselling of tickets.

Mobility scooters provide a means of getting out and about for many disabled people but should the rules on their use and sale be tightened?

The makers of probiotic products maintain that taking them can enhance digestion and boost our overall health. But now some scientists say consumers may be wasting their money because the products contain too few bacteria to make an impact.

Water bills are up an average of 4% - but are we getting good value for money? Dame Yve Buckland of The Consumer Council for Water explains that it is building a new network of pipes, finding new water sources and taking environmental measures which account for the increases.

Ray Gosling offers his peculiar take on lifelong prudence.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00hp9h8)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00hp9k6)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


MON 13:30 Quote... Unquote (b00hpj94)
Nigel Rees chairs the popular quiz involving the exchange of quotations and anecdotes. With guests Celia Walden, Katharine Whitehorn, Richard Coles and Simon Singh.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00hmq2q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b00hpj96)
The Nine Days Queen

By Amanda Whittington. The story of the trial of Lady Jane Grey, proclaimed Queen of England in 1553 at the age of 16, nine days later locked in the Tower and, within a year, dead.

Jane ...... Loo Brealey
Nurse Ellen ...... Emma Stansfield
Frances ...... Helen Sclesinger
Young Jane ...... Agnes Bateman
Katharine Parr ...... Janice Acquah
Henry ...... Paul Rider
Guilford ...... Robert Lonsdale
Northumberland ...... Stephen Critchlow
Gentleman-Gaoler ...... Malcolm Tierney
Judge ...... Zebedee Soanes.


MON 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00hmn8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00hp9py)
From Boom to Bust

Series charting the history of America. The story of the Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression and the failure of Herbert Hoover.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00hmpz9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00hpj98)
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 (b00hpb05)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hpb1n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b00hpj9b)
Series 54

Episode 9

Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious word game, with panellists Paul Merton, Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock and David Mitchell.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00hp9kl)
Hannah's with the pigs at Home Farm, and Brian appears, offering his help. He tells Hannah what a great team they'll make. Hannah says she's changed her mind about staying. Brian's shocked - he needs her! He tries to tempt her to stay but she says she can't.

Brenda's in the outer office at the Dower House looking for her phone. She overhears Matt and Stephen Chalkman. Matt's furious with Chalky - he's off on holiday when their company's in real danger. Matt says they'll be lucky if they're not found out. Chalky tells Matt to calm down - he could blow things for both of them.

Brenda's phone rings and she's discovered. Chalkman tells Matt he shouldn't trust her, then leaves. Matt asks a shaken Brenda what she's heard. Matt plays down the significance of his row with Chalky, but tells her she mustn't repeat anything. And how about he helps Tom with his pigs after all? Later, Matt reassures Chalky on the phone - Brenda knows what'll happen if she squeals.

Brian tells Adam that Hannah's leaving. Adam says surely this means Brian will have to sell to Tom now? Brian's insistent he'll manage. He's not letting go of the supermarket deal.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00hpb23)
Presented by Mark Lawson.

Clive Owen and Naomi Watts star in the new thriller The International, set against a background of global banking corruption and international arms dealing. Critic Jason Solomons gives his verdict.

Melvyn Bragg discusses the writing of his book Remember Me and the shattering real life event it is based upon.

Critics Chris Tookey and Jason Solomons reflect on the winners and losers at this year's Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles.

Jimmy Osmond is about to finish his run in the musical Grease before moving on to join the touring production of Chicago. Mark talks to the former 'Long Haired Lover from Liverpool' about a life on stage and the tensions of having your family as your work colleagues.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hpb3z)
Heartburn

Episode 1

Satire on the world of the American East Coast smart set, by Nora Ephron.

Pregnant Washington-based cookery expert Rachel discovers that her journalist husband is having an affair.

Rachel ...... Lorelei King
Mark ...... William Hope
Mother/Vera ...... Liza Ross
Richard/Man ...... Jon Guerrasio
Betty ...... Laurence Bouvard
Father/Leo ...... Vince Marzello
Julie/Nurse ...... Debora Weston
Detective Nolan/Arthur ...... Garrick Hagon
Jonathan ...... Jonathan Tafler

Directed by Sara Davies.


MON 20:00 It's My Story (b00hpj9d)
The Boxing Civil Servant

Journalist Jackie Ashley tells the story of how her fifty-something friend Miranda Carter, a high-flying civil servant at the Department of Transport, astonished friends and family when she announced that she was applying for a licence as a boxing promoter.

By day she continues to work in the corridors of power in Whitehall, but in the evenings and at weekends she mixes with the raucous boxing crowd of York Hall, Bethnal Green, in the East End of London.


MON 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00hmn81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:30 on Saturday]


MON 21:00 Islam and Science (b00hpj9g)
Episode 2

Writer and journalist Ehsan Masood explores the status of science in the modern Islamic world, and asks whether measures taken to promote science are having an impact on the working lives of Muslim scientists.

A series of damning reports have thrown the dismal state of science in Islamic countries into the spotlight. Speaking to young scientists in Pakistan, Ehsan assesses whether new investment in scientific research is having an effect. He asks whether, after years of neglect, science could once again play a key role in the fortunes of the Islamic world.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00hpdp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00hpb98)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00hpb9x)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including reports on the return to the UK of Binyam Mohamed, the British resident held in Guantanamo Bay; the impact of the recession on pensioners; and should there be an arms embargo on Israel and Hamas?


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00hjn4m)
The White Tiger

Episode 1

Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.

The White Tiger gets his name.


MON 23:00 Off the Page (b00hlbp4)
Organisation

Dominic Arkwright chairs a discussion on the word 'organisation' with former director general of the British Council Sir David Green, punk poet Attila the Stockbroker and writer Jay Griffiths.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00hpct3)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.



TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2009

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00hnc51)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hnn57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc8p)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hncc0)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc9x)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00hncgr)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hndlg)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00hnfj0)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00hnflg)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.

Labour MP Mike Gapes discusses the alleged torture of Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed.

America editor Justin Webb discusses the attitude of US politicians towards government ownership of banks.

The Today programme is launching a website to gauge how early signs of spring are appearing around the country. Science reporter Tom Feilden explains.

University Challenge winner Gail Trimble discusses if her performance was an 'intellectual blitzkrieg'.

Ed Husain, of the Quilliam Foundation, and Seyyed Ferjani, chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, discuss if young Muslims are becoming more susceptible to extremist influence.

Reporter Sanchia Berg meets Alan South, who worked in the City of London for 30 years before he lost his job.

Thought for the day with Reverend Dr Giles Fraser, Vicar of Putney.

Banking expert Peter Hahn and Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie discuss if banks should remain in private hands.

Former Pensions Secretary Peter Hain, who objects to the sale of Royal Mail, discusses the possible consequences for the postal service.

Constance Barter explains how she overcame anorexia and her mother Sarah discusses what it is like to live with the disorder. Dr John Morgan describes the problems faced by those trying to treat anorexia.

Labour MSP Margaret Curran discusses how witnesses in sexual offence cases should be treated.

Reporter Mike Thompson goes on the search for dumped shopping trolleys and Jane Milne of the British Retail Consortium discusses who should be responsible for recovery costs.

Postal minister Pat McFadden discusses what can be done to help the postal service.

Front Row presenter John Wilson talks to singer Bono about the band U2's new album.

Different genders appreciate art differently, a new study has found. Art critic Richard Cork and Louisa Buck, of the Art Newspaper, discuss.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (b00hc54x)
Murder in Liverpool: Rhys Jones/Michael Burns

Jonathan Freedland presents the series that looks for the past behind the present.

He examines the parallels between the murder of Liverpool youngster Rhys Jones in 2007 and another murder of a child by another child in Liverpool in 1883. Michael Burns was an innocent bystander, set upon by a gang of youths and left for dead in one of the city's 'no-go areas' for police. This 'shocking brutality among boys' created a new moral panic in 19th-Century England.


TUE 09:30 The Prime Ministers (b00hpjlc)
Series 1

Sir Robert Walpole

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson explores how Britain's prime ministers have used their power, responded to the challenges of their time and made the job what it is today.

The first of Nick's eight portraits is of Sir Robert Walpole, the first and longest serving prime minister, who served from 1721 to 1742.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hslbl)
Martin Gayford - Constable in Love

Episode 2

Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.

Constable first met Maria Bicknell, the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, in the Suffolk village of East Bergholt when he was 24 and she was 12. Nine years later they began courting.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hq728)
Autism bill; Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on cooking

Jane Garvey discusses issues surrounding the Autism Bill and who is responsible for care. Plus Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on The Settler's Cookbook, and buying lingerie in Saudi Arabia.


TUE 11:00 Colour Me White (b00hpjzy)
Aasmah Mir reports on the skin lightening industry in Britain and asks why some British Asians feel pressurised by both their peers and the media to have paler skin. Her journey takes her to Oldham and Wembley, and shows how what is happening in Asia is influencing taste and fashion in Britain.


TUE 11:30 There Was a Young Man from Limerick (b00hpk00)
John Hegley celebrates the limerick and delves into the history of this versatile form of comic verse, encountering nursery rhymes, Shakespearian songs, nonsense poems and some smut along the way.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00hp9dd)
Call You and Yours

Presented by Winifred Robinson.

Recession and the green agenda: have your priorities changed?

Financial meltdown has replaced glacial meltdown in the news. Has the recession pushed spending on all things green down your priority list? Would you pay the voluntary green donation on a plane ticket? Have you quit the local farmers' market for the discount store? Have you put those expensive solar panels on hold? If you sell green products, are the customers still coming in? You and Yours asks listeners for their response.

With guests:
Roger Harrabin, BBC Environmental Analyst
Leonie Greene, Renewable Energy Association
John Slaughter, Home Builders Federation.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00hp9fx)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00hp9hb)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


TUE 13:30 Robert Winston's Musical Analysis (b00hpk02)
Series 1

Ivor Gurney

Series in which Professor Robert Winston explores the relationship between the music and the medical conditions of composers who suffered mental and physical illness.

Robert investigates the tragic case of English composer and poet Ivor Gurney, who died of tuberculosis in the City of London Mental Hospital, Dartford, in 1937.

For many years he was thought to have been the victim of shell-shock as a result of his service in the trenches of the First World War, but that diagnosis is now discounted and there is even evidence in his letters to suggest that the physical activity and comradeship of military service may have been a saviour to his mental health.

Robert hears from Gurney biographer Pamela Blevins, chairman of the Ivor Gurney Society Anthony Boden and singer and Royal Academy of Music researcher April Frederick.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00hp9kl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00hpk3t)
Mole

Richard Monks' comic tale of an amateur gardener who becomes dangerously obsessed with hunting down the mole that has dared to desecrate his pristine lawn. But his obsession hides a deeper and more damaging problem.

Margaret ...... Lesley Sharp
Colin ...... Neil Dudgeon
Mathew ...... Robert Lonsdale
Jonte ...... Paul Rider
Nurse ...... Manjeet Mann
Doctor ...... Gunnar Cauthery

Directed by Marc Beeby.


TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00hpk4d)
Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the environment and the natural world.


TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b007zkt7)
Walk the Blue Fields

Walk the Blue Fields

Waiting at the altar for a bride, a priest battles with his memories of a love affair. Read by Dermot Crowley.


TUE 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00hp9pp)
New Deal

Series charting the history of America. How Franklin D Roosevelt got America working again.


TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00hpm2f)
Clive Coleman reports on legal issues behind the headlines.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00hpm2h)
Jenny Agutter and Adam Hart-Davis

Kate Mosse invites her guests - actress, Jenny Agutter, and photographer and author, Adam Hart-Davis - to discuss favourite books by Per Petterson, Anne Donovan and Josie Dew.

In the Wake by Per Petterson
Publisher: Vintage

The Wind in My Wheels by Josie Dew
Publisher: Sphere

Being Emily by Anne Donovan:
Publisher: Canongate

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00hp9wk)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hpb07)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


TUE 18:30 Cabin Pressure (b00cb5k4)
Series 1

Abu Dhabi

Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam star in the sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. Written by John Finnemore, writer for The News Quiz, The Now Show, and That Mitchell & Webb Sound.

In this week’s episode, the town of Bristol, a cat and a thermostat combine to present Martin with a career-breaking crisis.

Cast:
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey .............................. Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ...................... Roger Allam
Capt. Martin Crieff........................... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey.............................................. John Finnemore
ATC Fitton........................................................ Ewen MacIntosh

Written by John Finnemore

Produced and directed by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00hp9k8)
Kenton calls round at Brookfield, to persuade the family to come to his pancake night. David asks Kenton what's happened to his face. Kenton says Frank hit him with a frying pan! Although David says he's too tired - he's been up all night lambing - Ruth says Pip will need a lift as she's waitressing, so they'll be there.

At Jaxx, Josh tells Kenton what everyone would like: Ruth ends up with golden syrup and sausage! David asks Kathy what's happened to Kenton's face but she doesn't give anything away.

Kenton's pleased - the pancake night's a success. Kathy doesn't like seeing his face like that. She shouldn't have told Kenton to give Ryan the benefit of the doubt. Kenton tells her not to worry. Ryan's going down anyway.

Clarrie pops in at Willow Cottage to admire Mike's newly plastered walls. Mike tells her that Brenda's really stressed about Tom and Brian's disagreements. Mike's nervous about Neil and Susan's party. They haven't worked out how to keep Susan occupied while Neil packs her bags. Later at the Bull, Mike and Clarrie confirm all their plans, but how will they get Neil to the party? Just as Mike's leaving, Clarrie thinks she's come up with a plan.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00hpb1q)
U2 Special

Presented by John Wilson.

U2 Special.

Their first performance was in the school gym. They can now command the biggest arenas around the globe and the attention of world leaders.

John Wilson meets all four members of U2 in their Dublin rehearsal studio, where they reveal their working methods and guitarist The Edge demonstrates his distinctive sound. Singer Bono discusses his political activism, including his encounters with President Bush, while fellow band members Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton offer their own views on Bono's campaigning and consider how he balances his two careers.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hq7d9)
Heartburn

Episode 2

Satire on the world of the American East Coast smart set, by Nora Ephron.

Rachel walks out on her cheating husband Mark and goes to New York, where a session with her therapy group turns violent.

Rachel ...... Lorelei King
Mark ...... William Hope
Mother/Vera ...... Liza Ross
Richard/Man ...... Jon Guerrasio
Betty ...... Laurence Bouvard
Father/Leo ...... Vince Marzello
Julie/Nurse ...... Debora Weston
Detective Nolan/Arthur ...... Garrick Hagon
Jonathan ...... Jonathan Tafler

Directed by Sara Davies.


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00hpndg)
Zimbabwe's sanctions busters

Grant Ferrett investigates whether the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Britain and Europe are adequate to stop wealth being channelled out of the country by people close to the Mugabe government.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00hpndj)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.


TUE 21:00 Am I Normal? (b00hpndl)
Series 6

Lung function

Vivienne Parry continues her quest to find out what is normal.

She asks what is 'normal' lung function? Many factors include age, weight, height, fitness, gender, ethnic origin and smoking. Healthy lungs help us run faster, laugh louder and live longer, but do we take them for granted?


TUE 21:30 The Long View (b00hc54x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00hpb6y)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00hpb9b)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including reports on Labour MPs' passionate views about the Royal Mail, the new free online jukebox and are American banks soon to be nationalised?


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00hqbbm)
The White Tiger

Episode 2

Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.

Balram finds work in a teashop, but his eyes are set on greater things. When the chance of a job as a chauffeur comes up, he sees a way out of his family's grinding poverty.


TUE 23:00 Mastering the Universe (b00hpnk0)
Series 2

Episode 1

Comedy series starring Dawn French as Professor Joy Klamp, a specialist in the art of spoiling other people's pleasure.

Investigating the fun that can be had, at other people's expense, through DIY.

With Sally Grace, Katy Brand, Christopher Douglas, Dan Tetsell, Brian Perkins.

Written by Christopher Douglas and Nick Newman.


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00hpct5)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Susan Hulme.



WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00hnc53)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hslbl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc8r)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hncc2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc9z)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00hncgt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hndlv)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00hnfj2)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.


WED 06:00 Today (b00hnflj)
Presented by James Naughtie and John Humphrys.

Robert Peston reports on the questions the FSA will be asked by the Treasury Select Committee.

Sir Christopher Frayling, rector of the Royal College of Art, discusses if the Victoria and Albert museum should open an offshoot in Dundee.

Reporter Sanchia Berg visits a jobs fair in Sunderland to meet Shaun Fenwick, a former car worker now looking to change careers.

Science and security expert Jacqueline Shire discusses Iran's first test of a nuclear reactor.

North America editor Justin Webb examines Barack Obama's claims that the US will emerge stronger from the economic crisis.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears discusses if the era of political correctness should come to an end.

Science reporter Tom Feilden explains how a malfunction caused a NASA spacecraft to crash in the ocean near the Antarctic.

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

Economic commentator Professor Tim Congdon and Danny Gabay, director of Fathom Financial Consulting, discuss 'outside-the-box' thinking to solve the economic crisis.

Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay discuss if cabinet minutes should remain private.

Iran will launch the pilot operation of its first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. Jon Leyne reports.

Comedians Rob Brydon and Barry Cryer discuss the future of the BBC Radio 4 programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Security correspondent Gordon Corera reports on the arrival of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed back in the UK. Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands and Douglas Murray, director of think tank Centre for Social Cohesion, discuss what could now happen to Mr Mohamed.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw's email account has been hacked by internet fraudsters. Cyber-crime specialist Professor David Wall discusses how an email account could be accessed.

Neuroscientist Professor Colin Blakemore discusses social networking internet sites.

Correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports from Gaza City on negotiations between Hamas and Fatah.

Journalists Stryker McGuire and Bronwyn Maddox discuss Barack Obama's first speech to congress.


WED 09:00 Midweek (b00hq0n7)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hsl9y)
Martin Gayford - Constable in Love

Episode 3

Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.

Lacking 'that necessary article - cash', the courtship between Maria and John was never going to be straightforward, particularly when Maria's family began to make their disapproval felt.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hq720)
Vince Cable on marriage after being widowed

Vince Cable on finding love again after the death of his beloved first wife. Plus, the impact of Picasso's wives and mistresses on his paintings.


WED 11:00 Whatever Happened To The Working Class (b00hq0n9)
A Taste of Money

Sarfraz Manzoor examines the forces that have had an impact on the traditional 'working class' in Britain. After a decade of supposed 'classlessness', the issue of class is back on the agenda. Once again, it matters if you identify yourself as working class, especially, it seems, if you are white.

Sarfraz is taken on a tour of musical Manchester by DJ Dave Haslam, who reveals how the city has reinvigorated itself through an association with working class youth culture.

He also talks to a theatre group that creates plays for the working people of the city and to Gerald Kaufman MP about the role of education in his journey into 'classlessness'.


WED 11:30 Clare in the Community (b00hq0nc)
Series 5

Too Cool for School

Control freak and social worker, Clare Barker, likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis - so making friends isn't easy. However, in this episode she manages it.

Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Chloe ..... Alex Tregear
Mrs Boxer ..... Anna Bengo

Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden

Producer: Katie Tyrrell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00hp9dg)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.

Rail fares may come down next year for the first time since rail privatisation. Tony Miles from Modern Railways magazine discusses.

Students at Manchester Metropolitan University are being encouraged to text the student union if their lecturer is more than ten minutes late. We hear from Professor Kevin Bonnet and President of the Student Union, Nicola Lee.

Richard Wells reports from the Mersey on the biggest clean-up of a river system anywhere in the world.

Care Minister Phil Hope discusses proposals for changes to funding for care.

Retail analyst Robert Clark looks at the bargain Easter eggs on offer.

How are the mutuals like the Co-op doing in the recession?

Where are the jobs in the recession? Economist John Philpott gives us an overview.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00hp9fz)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00hp9hd)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00hq1z4)
Steve Hewlett presents a topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00hp9k8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b00hq1z6)
My Name is Iqbal Masih

My Name is Iqbal Masih
by Bettina Gracias

The extraordinary and tragic story of a young Pakistani boy forced into bonded labour in a carpet factory at the age of four and who became a figurehead for the Bonded Liberation Movement aged eleven.

Iqbal ..... Sagar Radia
Khan ..... Bhasker Patel
Carpet Master ..... Kaleem Janjua
Inayat ..... Manjeet Mann
Mustaf ..... Inam Mirza
Hasim ..... Gagan Sharma
Journalist ..... Janice Acquah
American ..... Chris Pavlo
Policeman/Worker/Pakistani Man ..... Saikat Ahamed

Director: David Hunter

Despite the valiant efforts of many there are still thousands of child labourers in factories across Asia, often working long hours in terrible conditions to provide cheap clothing and other goods for our high street stores. This play, the moving story of Iqbal Masih, brings to the foreground one of the less savoury elements of an increasingly global economy and contributes to the continuing debate about our wider responsibilities as consumers. It also celebrates the tragically short life of a remarkable individual.

My Name is Iqbal Masih won the 2009 Clarion Radio Drama Award.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00hq2mr)
Paul Lewis and guests answer calls on equity release.


WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b007zkt8)
Walk the Blue Fields

The Parting Gift

A selection of stories from Claire Keegan's collection.

While the scent of hay drifts up from neighbouring fields, a young woman comes downstairs to the family kitchen and explains why she is leaving. Read by Niamh Cusack.


WED 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00hp9pr)
A War for the Survival of Democracy

Series charting the history of America. The fight to keep America neutral and at peace while arming the allies.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00hq2xx)
Impact of Recession on Health Inequalities - Youth Culture

IMPACT OF RECESSION ON HEALTH INEQUALITIES
Laurie Taylor is joined by Mel Bartley, Professor of Medical Sociology at University College London Medical School, and Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick University to discuss the personal and psychological consequences of unemployment in the light of the current global recession.

YOUTH CULTURE
Dr David Fowler, author of a new book entitled Youth Culture in Modern Britain, c1920-c.1970, talks about the meaning of ‘youth culture’. He contends that authentic youth movements have a philosophy and way of life; they do not simply celebrate consumerism and popular music.


WED 16:30 Am I Normal? (b00hpndl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 17:00 PM (b00hp9wm)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hpb09)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


WED 18:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00hq2xz)
Series 2

Jan Ravens

Marcus Brigstocke invites his guest to try things they've never done before. Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is all about getting out of our comfort zones and embracing the new.

Host: Marcus Brigstocke
Guest: Jan Ravens
Devised and produced by: Bill Dare.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00hp9kb)
It's Tom's birthday, but he's up early. Brenda suggests they celebrate tonight at Susan and Neil's party. Tom says he's milking and won't feel like it.

Susan's helping Neil clean the glass in the phone box. He's inside when Sid jogs over. Neil appears from the phone box and Sid suddenly doubles over in pain - he's apparently done his back in.

Later, Clarrie, Sid and Susan decorate the pub for the party, and then wait for Neil.

Neil's on his way to pick up Susan when he gets a call from Mike. He's broken down and needs rescuing. Neil and Mike get stuck in traffic and Neil's furious. They'll never get to London! Mike asks to be dropped at the Bull, and for Neil's help to move one of Fallon's amps upstairs. Sid can't help, as he's hurt his back.

They get upstairs and everyone shouts 'surprise!' Neil's amazed at how they managed to get him there, and loves the party. But he supposes he needs to cancel London now. But Mike says there's no need, so Neil tells Susan he's got a surprise of his own.

After the party, Brenda finds Tom in the milking parlour - freezing, trying to fix a fuse. She's so upset. Why is he still working?

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00hpb1s)
Presented by Mark Lawson.

West Yorkshire,1974: a journalist investigates a series of child abductions only to discover a shockingly brutal, corrupt and all powerful police force. So starts a trilogy of interlinking films based on David Peace's cult novels, set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper case. Journalist Ian Jack reviews the drama Red Riding.

Pakistan-born author Kamila Shamsie talks about rewriting the twentieth century, from Nagasaki to Guantanamo Bay, in her new novel Burnt Shadows.

Professor John Deathridge reviews director Tim Albery's new interpretation of Wagner's opera The Flying Dutchman.

The French film The Class (Entre Les Murs) won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and was shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars. The film's director, Laurent Cantet, explains why he made his fictional film in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hq7g6)
Heartburn

Episode 3

Satire on the world of the American East Coast smart set, by Nora Ephron.

Mark wants a reconciliation. Rachel cannot stand to see a man cry, so heads back to Washington.

Rachel ...... Lorelei King
Mark ...... William Hope
Mother/Vera ...... Liza Ross
Richard/Man ...... Jon Guerrasio
Betty ...... Laurence Bouvard
Father/Leo ...... Vince Marzello
Julie/Nurse ...... Debora Weston
Detective Nolan/Arthur ...... Garrick Hagon
Jonathan ...... Jonathan Tafler

Directed by Sara Davies.


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00hq2y1)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Clifford Longley, Claire Fox, Matthew Taylor and Melanie Phillips cross-examine witnesses.

Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe, so what role should morality play in sex education? A new government leaflet advising parents on how to talk to their children about sex and relationships warns against trying to convince teenagers of what is right and wrong because it could discourage them from being open. Is this sensible practical advice? Is giving teenagers the room to form their own moral judgements about sex the right way to cut teenage parenthood?


WED 20:45 How to Explain Europe (b00hvsjn)
The BBC's Europe Editor Mark Mardell reveals why it is so difficult to explain what goes on in Brussels to a British audience.


WED 21:00 A Life With ... (b00hrg65)
Series 4

Tundra

Grant Sonnex meets people whose lives have been inextricably linked with Alaskan wildlife.

Grant Sonnex talks to Pete Abraham, a Yupik Eskimo who grew up in a tiny settlement with pet seagulls, seals and otters. But when he sold his pet otter to the fur trader his life as a subsistence hunter began. Grant hears about Pete's life, Yupik culture and why brown bear is his favourite meat.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b00hq0n7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00hpb70)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00hpb9d)
National and international news with Robin Lustig. Tributes flood in after the death of David Cameron's son, plus the EU proposes more pan-European financial regulation.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00hqb3d)
The White Tiger

Episode 3

Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.

Balram quickly learns the ropes in his new position as number two driver and leaves his family, his village and his scruples behind as he sets his sights on promotion.


WED 23:00 Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders (b00hqhzh)
The Enlightenment

Josie explores the history of collecting things and discovers the Enlightenment.

She tries to defy her student past, by becoming more scientific and takes controversial anatomist Professor Gunther von Hagens to task for being a "demon with ready access to plasticine".

With Maeve Higgins, Henning Wehn and Daniel Harkin.

Producer Colin Anderson

First broadcast BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.


WED 23:15 One (b00771by)
Series 1

Episode 2

Sketch show where no sketch features more than one voice.

Written by David Quantick and starring Dan Maier, Lizzie Roper, Graeme Garden, Deborah Norton, Andrew Crawford, Dan Antopolski, Simon Greenall, Kate Gielgud and Bill Oddie as himself.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00hpct7)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.



THURSDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2009

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00hnc55)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hsl9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc8t)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hncc4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hncb1)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00hncgw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hndlz)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00hnfj4)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.


THU 06:00 Today (b00hnfll)
Presented by James Naughtie and Evan Davis.

Business editor Robert Peston talks to the new chief executive of RBS, Stephen Hester, about record losses announced by the firm.

Economist Ian Senior discusses government plans to part-privatise Royal Mail.

Reporter Mark Hutchings speaks to two 16-year-olds with babies and their mothers from the valleys of Pontypridd and Aberdare in Wales.

Professor Mark Pagel of Reading University discusses some of the oldest words in use and the ones that are likely to become extinct.

Michelle Ricard, who had a gastric band fitted, and weight loss surgery specialist Mr Justin Morgan discuss why the numbers of people having obesity surgery have increased.

Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of the union Unite, discusses how many workers could be lost at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Reporter Sanchia Berg speaks to Lucy Bennett, an out-of-work young architect in London.

Thought for the day with the Reverend Dr David Wilkinson, principal of St John's College, Durham.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes discusses if figures for young pregnancies (which are expected to rise) can be curbed by government intervention.

Chancellor Alistair Darling discusses a scheme to siphon off RBS's toxic assets, said to be worth 325 billion pounds.

Reporter Angus Stickler accompanies one postman on his round in Oxfordshire to discover what people in the area think about part-privatisation.

Cllr Bob Jones and Elizabeth Truss of think-tank Reform discuss how police efficiency can be improved.

Arts correspondent Razia Iqbal talks to Antony Gormley about the ambitious plans to fill the vacant fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Orwell Prize director Jean Seaton and blogger Hopi Sen discuss if blogging has become as respected as novel writing or journalism.

Correspondent James Alexander reports on the transfer of many personal records underground to be stored down Britain's biggest salt mine, at Winsford in Cheshire.

Columnist Polly Toynbee and Anastasia De Waal of the think tank Civitas discuss why the UK still has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00hlb38)
The Waste Land and Modernity

Melvyn Bragg and guests, including Steve Connor and Lawrence Rainey, discuss TS Eliot's seminal poem The Waste Land and its ambivalence to the modern world of technology, democracy and capitalism that was being forged around it.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hslb0)
Martin Gayford - Constable in Love

Episode 4

Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.

Opposition to the courtship between John and Maria was particularly fierce from her wealthy and influential grandfather, Dr Rhudde. But Constable remained as determined that they should marry as he was to succeed as a landscape painter.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hq722)
Children and bereavement, Menage a trois

The effect the passing of a child has on families with several young children. Plus, the reality of a menage a trois, and the battle to change the status of women in Saudi Arabia.


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00hr4lf)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.


THU 11:30 The Art of Litter (b00hr4lh)
John Wilson explores the reasons why some artists use rubbish in their work.

Picasso, Dali, Georges Braque and Joan Miro all used discarded objects in their art, and in the last few decades there has been an explosion of artists using 'found objects' in their work to communicate many different messages about waste, consumerism and the dispensability of modern life.

Some artists are campaigners and artists in equal measure. John meets Fran Crowe, who creates installations and engages in performance art with the rubbish she finds on the beaches near her Suffolk home. He also talks to Sir Peter Blake, who celebrates litter and tries to create something of aesthetic value from it, and sculptor Gavin Turk, who looks for the beauty in objects that have been thrown away.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00hp9dj)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.

The Appeal court has ruled against the banks in the Bank Charges test case. So what happens now? We hear from Phil Jones of Which.

Gary Jones is from the credit services association – he represents the companies who collect debt and specialises in tracing people.

Next week a rock concert in Toronto two hundred deaf people will take it in turns to use chairs, designed for them to experience the music. Lee Carter reports.

Next week a debate in the House of Commons will call for new laws governing mobile home sites. Melanie Abbott reports.

Research has found we have the 8th biggest Islamic finance sector in the world. So what is an Islamic investment exactly and how good is what’s on offer?

An American salvage company has found HMS Victory – the forerunner of Nelson’s flagship. Sir Norman Browse of the Alderney Marine Trust explains me why the ship is so important.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00hp9g1)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b00hp9hg)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


THU 13:30 Off the Page (b00hr4lk)
Meeting a Star

Dominic Arkwright, James Delingpole, Agnes Poirier and Michael Simkins discuss stardom and our reaction to fame. From February 2009.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00hp9kb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b007tcmf)
A Short Ride to Dusseldorf

By Janice Okoh.

A chance meeting in a job centre offers Alison some easy money. All she has to do is fly to Germany and marry a complete stranger.

Alison ...... Katy Cavanagh
Friday ...... Steve Toussaint
Cher ...... Nadine Marshall
Sarah ...... Ayesha Antoine
Frau Nitsche ...... Liza Sadovy
Samson ...... Chu Omambala
German Official ...... Simon Treves

Directed by Claire Grove.


THU 15:02 Open Country (b00hmbvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00hmp7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b007zktb)
Walk the Blue Fields

Dark Horses

A selection of stories from Claire Keegan's collection. A farmer dreams of a fine woman and her hunter. Read by Dermot Crowley.


THU 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00hp9pt)
Floundering into War

Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the decision to go to war.


THU 16:00 Open Book (b00hmpzm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b00hr4lm)
Emil Abderhalden - The End of Gaia

Emil Abderhalden
Quentin Cooper tells the story of Emil Abderhalden, the biochemist who rose to the heart of the German scientific establishment on the back of a bogus theory of 'protective enzymes' he first conceived 100 years ago.

By the 1930s, his theory was being used in futile blood tests for pregnancy and schizophrenia, and the infamous Dr Josef Mengele employed them in his experiments at Auschwitz. Despite doubts about his work across the world, Abderhalden was nominated 51 times for the Nobel Prize.

The End of Gaia
Environmentalist James Lovelock argues that the living planet Earth is fatally wounded by humanity's activities, and argues in his new book The Vanishing Face of Gaia that we have to learn to face this grim fact.

Dr Lovelock explains to Quentin how he reached his conclusion, and why it is so much more stark than most forecasts for global warming and environmental degradation.


THU 17:00 PM (b00hp9wp)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hpb0c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


THU 18:30 Old Harry's Game (b00hr4lp)
Series 7

Episode 2

Satan needs to sort some stuff out with God but He has gone off to have some "me-time". Then Hell receives its strangest visitor yet...

Stars Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn and Jimmy Mulville as Thomas.

Additional roles played by Michael Fenton Stevens and Philip Pope.

Written by Andy Hamilton.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00hp9kd)
Oliver's milking when Mike appears, still buzzing from the party. He tells Oliver and Caroline about it, and that Will was there. Caroline says they must invite Will round.

Nic's at the bus stop when Caroline drives past. Nic tells Caroline she's been at the Mother and Toddler group, but Will doesn't know - she wanted to try it. Caroline asks if she and Will would be free this evening.

Later, Mike helps Will tidy up the shoot. It's been neglected while Will's been away. Will tells Mike he's so lucky with Nic. He feels he's been given a second chance.

At Grange Farm, Caroline tells Oliver they've had another cancellation at Grey Gables. They both hope things improve.

Caroline proposes a toast to Will, on his return to Ambridge. Will says he's hoping Nic will move back too. To his delight Nic says she's put Jake's name down at Loxley Barrett Primary.

Brenda tries to get hold of Matt, and eventually tracks him down. She'd like to accept his offer of going into partnership with Tom. Brenda asks if Chalkman will have forgotten she heard their conversation. Matt doesn't think so, but him helping Tom out should help her forget it. Then they'll all be happy.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00hpb1v)
Presented by Mark Lawson.

British sculptor Antony Gormley explains to Mark about One & Other, an installation situated at the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. The piece is a living art work where members of the public will be able to apply for a slot to do whatever they like.

Thirteen-year-old Faryl Smith has just signed a record-breaking deal with Universal Classics, only a year after her headline-grabbing performance on ITV show Britain's Got Talent. The teenage mezzo-soprano talks to Mark about finding fame and the release of her first album.

Chair of this year's judges for the Art Fund Prize David Puttnam announces the museums and galleries around the UK which have been long listed and discusses what makes an original and inspiring exhibition.

Playwright and creator of Mamma Mia Catherine Johnson speaks about her new play at the Bristol Old Vic. Suspension is set on the city's famous bridge and centres around the story of an estranged local family.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hq7h9)
Heartburn

Episode 4

Satire on the world of the American East Coast smart set, by Nora Ephron.

There is nothing like mashed potatoes when you are feeling down, but a proposal from an old friend is even more effective.

Rachel ...... Lorelei King
Mark ...... William Hope
Mother/Vera ...... Liza Ross
Richard/Man ...... Jon Guerrasio
Betty ...... Laurence Bouvard
Father/Leo ...... Vince Marzello
Julie/Nurse ...... Debora Weston
Detective Nolan/Arthur ...... Garrick Hagon
Jonathan ...... Jonathan Tafler

Directed by Sara Davies.


THU 20:00 Seven Days (b00hr4lr)
In Stoke-on-Trent

Jenny Cuffe, spends a week in the Potteries to see how the recession is affecting the area.

In one day in January 2009, Stoke-on-Trent lost over 1,000 jobs. It may be one of few remaining centres of British manufacturing, but the area has been in decline for several years. Now Wedgwood and JCB, key employers in the area, have been hard hit, and plans for regeneration are threatened.

Jenny meets a family of three who all lost their job on the same day, and the company boss who, with his staff already on a four-day week, is desperate to secure new orders.


THU 20:30 Analysis (b00hr4lt)
Anti Social Housing

Richard Reeves, director of the independent think tank Demos, argues that social housing has failed everyone - those who cannot get housing, those in social housing and the taxpayers who pay for it. The government is committed to a new wave of affordable housing, but have we learnt the lessons of the past?


THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00hr4lw)
Larynx Transplant and The First Fish Embryo

Larynx Transplant
Worldwide only one voicebox or larynx transplant has taken place, but accidents or disease of the larynx means thousands of people in Britain are left having to breath through a hole in the neck with a mechanical sounding voice. Transplants are now technically possible but the risks and benefits of a laryngeal transplant remain uncertain. Geoff discusses the future of the transplant procedure with medical ethicist Dr Daniel Sokol, and with surgeon Professor Martin Birchall.

First Fish Embryo
Placoderms are a type of fish that went extinct more than 300 million years ago. New work shows that natural selection not only finds solutions to problems, but may come up with the same answer on more than one occasion. The evidence, published in this weeks issue of Nature, comes from a very rare embryo.

Location, Location
Whenever you pay with a credit card or withdraw cash from a hole in the wall, you reveal where you were at a particular time. Some people resent the existence of this invisible computerised trail. Others, are untroubled by electronic disclosure of their whereabouts. Bill Thompson is a new technology guru. Where does he stand on the issue of location, location?

Understanding Cruelty
Cruelty is a new book by neuroscientist Kathleen Taylor. She believes that the rapid development of psychology and other brain sciences leads to a better understanding of cruelty.


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00hlb38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b00hpb72)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00hpb9g)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. The government apologises to Parliament over renditions, RBS reports a record loss in UK corporate history and China warns of the 'consequences' of selling ancient bronze artefacts.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00hqb3l)
The White Tiger

Episode 4

Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.

Balram's wealthy employers are moving to Delhi, but only one driver will be needed - Balram is determined to make sure the job is his.


THU 23:00 Inside Alan Francis (b00hr4mz)
Episode 2

Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.

Alan has come to the conclusion that he needs to talk to Jane about their relationship.

With Julian Dutton, Barnaby Power, Kali Peacock. Written by Alan Francis with Julian Dutton, Anthony Neilson and Richard Turner.

Producer Julia McKenzie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00hpct9)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.



FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2009

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00hnc57)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hslb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hnc8w)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hncc6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hncb3)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00hncgy)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hndm5)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mark Coffey.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00hnfj7)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.


FRI 06:00 Today (b00hnfln)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Evan Davis.

Michael Fallon, a Conservative member of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, discusses banker Sir Fred Goodwin's pension arrangements.

Jonny Dymond reports on the effects of the economic crisis on the people of Hungary.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been in Iraq on his first visit since April 2008. He discusses what he hopes the trip will achieve.

Business editor Robert Peston discusses the scale of losses announced by RBS, Lloyds Banking Group.

Academics Professor Don Braben and Lord Krebs discuss if the government should increase funding for science.

Farmers ploughing their fields in the Fens have been uncovering an unusually large number of 'bog oaks'. Environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee explains the importance of such finds.

Professor Tony Travers of the LSE and Sir Jeremy Beecham of the LGA discuss rises in council tax.

The former RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin has rejected calls to give up his £693,000-a-year pension. Political editor Nick Robinson reports on the Treasury's reaction to this announcement and Labour MP John Prescott discusses his reaction to Sir Fred's decision.

Today presenter Evan Davis has turned his talents to stand-up comedy for a Comic Relief series on Radio 4. Comedian Paul Merton, one of the mentors on the programme, discusses what makes a good stand-up routine.

Publisher Tim Hely Hutchinson and independent bookseller James Daunt discuss if exclusive deals benefit booksellers.

Nick Bryant reports on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the Aborigines.

Matthew Hill reports on a debate whether it is ethical to start clinical trials of voice box transplants.

Nicola Stanbridge reports on a new exhibition of Gerhard Richter paintings at the National Portrait Gallery.

Headteachers Anthony Seldon and Liz Steele discuss the efficiency of IT in schools.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00hmpbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hslb2)
Martin Gayford - Constable in Love

Episode 5

Anton Lesser reads Martin Gayford's account of the early career of John Constable and his long battle to win the hand of his future wife, Maria Bicknell, based on correspondence between the pair.

After seven years of courtship, Maria and John finally married in a quiet ceremony with no family members in attendance. Now the serious production of paintings and of children could begin in earnest.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hq724)
Ann Widdecombe; Wendy Richard obituary

Ann Widdecombe on why she glories in spinsterhood. Plus actor Wendy Richard remembered, and are Asian women in theatre today the 'Angry Young Men' of the 1960s?


FRI 11:00 Hairspray and Harmonies (b00hr5kt)
Episode 1

Kit Hesketh-Harvey follows the Birmingham-based ladies barbershop chorus Second City Sound as it prepares to compete in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers in Harrogate.

Kit attends rehearsals in Birmingham, where he meets the 60-strong chorus of singers - and they put him through his musical paces.


FRI 11:30 HR (b00hr5p5)
Series 1

A Commute

Senior manager Peter is late for work. But so is his Human Resources officer, Sam. They meet on the train, both fearful of a call from their new boss.

But, hold on, is that him in the next carriage?

Nigel Williams’ comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.

Peter ...... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Nigel ...... Paul Rider
Guard ...... Stephen Critchlow

Director: Peter Cavanagh

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00hp9dl)
Presented by Peter White.

Ryanair is considering charging customers to use the toilets on its planes and has decided to close down its check-in desks.

The Premier League wants to stop websites which it says screen unauthorised broadcasts of live football matches. So why is one of the world's biggest bookmakers and sports sponsors advertising on one of the websites involved?

Mary Wilkinson, former editor of Disability Now magazine, talks about her new book which gives an insight into those people who have fundamentality changed the way disability is viewed in Britain.

The office block where if you're fired the boss doesn't show you the door but the helter skelter.

One magazine company is hoping to beat the recession by persuading readers to try a new title every month. Simon Parkes takes a look at the magazine market.

An increasing number of barriers are being installed at railway stations. The novelist Andrew Martin is dismayed by this trend.

Mountain rescue teams in England and Wales have told us before they could do with greater tax relief and direct government funding. So why wouldn't our lifeboat crews welcome a similar deal?


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00hp9g3)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00hp9hj)
National and international news with James Robbins.


FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00hr5py)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00hp9kd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00hx63q)
This Repulsive Woman

This Repulsive Woman
By Christopher Reason

The first of two linked dramas about a fictional high profile court case. Deborah Hurst has been tried and convicted of an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978. For the general public, hanging would be too good for her. She is awaiting sentence and is now considered the most notorious woman in the country. In this real-time drama a probation officer conducts his assessment of 'This Repulsive Woman'.

Deborah Hurst.....Maxine Peake

Tony Jukes.....Neil Dudgeon

Directed by Stefan Escreet

Debbie is awaiting sentence and is now considered the most notorious woman in the country. She allowed her daughter Paige to dance semi-naked on the internet for paedophiles. Tony Jukes (Neil Dudgeon) works as a Probation Officer and is responsible for drawing up a pre-sentence report for the Court to consider. This real-time drama plays out the meeting between these two characters as the probation officer conducts his assessment of 'This Repulsive Woman'. For Deborah "It were nowt". But Tony digs deeper, trying to uncover what caused a mother to commit such an appalling crime. Is Debbie Hurst depraved or deprived?

Christopher Reason's television credits include 'Eastenders', 'The Golden Hour' and 'The Bill'. His writing for radio includes 'The Good Soldier Svejk', 'A Second to Midnight', and 'The Age of Innocence'.
Maxine Peake played Myra Hindley in 'See No Evil' and Veronica in three series of 'Shameless'. Neil Dudgeon has appeared in many TV dramas including 'Messiah', 'Sorted' and 'The Street'.

'Every Child Matters' which explores the repercussions of the case broadcasts tomorrow at the same time.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00hr5wl)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Bob Flowerdew, Chris Beardshaw and Bunny Guinness answer questions posed by gardeners at Long Eaton and District Horticultural Society, near Nottingham.

Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.


FRI 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00hp9pw)
A Hell of A War

Written and presented by David Reynolds. Segregation among the troops, the death of FDR and the atomic bomb.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00hr5wn)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00hr5wq)
Jamie Cullum recalls dueting with Clint Eastwood and Tessa Ross, head of Film 4 and the executive producer of Slumdog Millionaire, talks about the key to British film success.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00hp9wr)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00hpb0f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00hr5ws)
Series 67

Episode 8

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz, with panellists Jeremy Hardy, Fred MacAulay, Francis Wheen and Andy Hamilton.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00hp9kg)
Hannah's leaving Bridge Farm. She thanks Helen for her support over Brian and Tom's disagreement. Hannah invites Helen to her farewell drinks in the Bull. Tom tells Hannah he'll miss her, and wishes her luck. She and Brenda then head to the station.

Helen tells Tom he needs to cheer up. Brenda's completely carrying him at the moment. Tom lashes out - it's alright for Helen, she's sorted. Helen says Tom's obsessed with himself. He needs to take an interest in Bridge Farm.

Pip helps David in the lambing shed. Ruth pops in, having taken the cows out. Ruth tells Pip she'll cook for her tonight. Yes, she knows it's got to be local but she's fed up of Pip eating eggs every night! Later, they sit down to eat, but Pip's not happy. The food's got salt in it - that's not from within five miles! She'll eat what she can, but she'll cook for herself at the weekend.

Tom arrives home and Matt phones him. He wants a stake in his business. Tom's surprised but delighted. He apologises to Brenda for being grumpy. He'll make it up to her. She says she's so proud of him. He really deserves it.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00hpb1x)
Presented by John Wilson.

After 25 years, 22 Top 10 singles and 12 Top 10 albums, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have been honoured with the Brits' Outstanding Contribution to Music award. The pop-synth duo talk to John about quoting Tchaikovsky in their new album Yes and their latest project, a two-act ballet for Sadler's Wells.

John reflects on American-born poet Michael Donaghy's life and work in the company of two of his fellow poets, Jo Shapcott and Paul Farley.

Marcus Harvey, creator of the controversial 1997 artwork 'Myra Hindley', talks to John about his new mosaic of Margaret Thatcher, made from vegetables and sex toys, which sits alongside Winston Churchill with a mohican and a large bronze 1960s football, in his new show, White Riot.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hq7lb)
Heartburn

Episode 5

Satire on the world of the American East Coast smart set, by Nora Ephron.

Even a new baby cannot save Rachel's marriage, and, as she discovers further evidence of Mark's treachery, she takes sweet revenge at a dinner party.

Rachel ...... Lorelei King
Mark ...... William Hope
Mother/Vera ...... Liza Ross
Richard/Man ...... Jon Guerrasio
Betty ...... Laurence Bouvard
Father/Leo ...... Vince Marzello
Julie/Nurse ...... Debora Weston
Detective Nolan/Arthur ...... Garrick Hagon
Jonathan ...... Jonathan Tafler

Directed by Sara Davies.


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00hr5wv)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Gloucester. The panellists are writer and philosopher Roger Scruton, chief executive of the Royal Opera House Tony Hall CBE, financial journalist Gillian Tett and Guardian columnist and broadcaster John Harris.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00hr5wx)
Katharine Whitehorne reflects on diseconomies of scale.


FRI 21:00 America, Empire of Liberty Omnibus (b00hr5wz)
Boom to Bomb

Omnibus edition of the series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.

The Great Depression and the New Deal which got America working again. Plus how America floundered into war after Pearl Harbor and ended hostilities by dropping the atomic bomb on Japan.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00hpb74)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00hpb9j)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. President Obama sets out the US withdrawal timetable from Iraq, plus reports on data sharing and house price bubbles.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00hqb3p)
The White Tiger

Episode 5

Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.

Balram has made it to the city, and quickly learns that he will need some sharp survival tactics to make his way.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00hpm2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00hpctc)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.