The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
Mortgage expert Ray Boulger discusses the impact limited borrowing will have on homeowners and first time buyers.
Mark Mardell reports on how attitudes in Germany are shifting away from feelings of European solidarity.
Science correspondent Tom Feilden explains the implications of finding water on Mars.
Italian chef Ermano Furlanis describes his trip to Pyongyang to train North Korean dictator General Kim Jong-Il chefs in the art of pizza making.
Health expert John Heyworth and Nigel Edwards of the NHS Confederation discuss what can be done to prevent mistakes in patient care from being repeated.
The creators and stars of the science fiction TV series Battlestar Galactica have taken part in a public discussion with UN officials in New York. UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan explains.
Sean Hodgson was convicted of murder in 1982, but new DNA evidence suggests he may have been innocent. Mr Hodgson's solicitor Julian Young discusses what could turn out to be a huge miscarriage of justice.
Financiers Jon Moulton and Terry Smith discuss whether proposed FSA changes will change banking culture.
Patrick Barclay, chief football correspondent at The Times, and the author Musa Okwonga examine the various skills that are required to be a good football manager.
Pope Benedict XVI has commented that handing out condoms can only worsen the crisis of HIV/AIDS. Martin Prendergast, from the charity Catholics for Aids Prevention and Support and Dr William Oddie, the former editor of the Catholic Herald, consider whether or not the Pope was right to make the statement.
Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who kept his daughter in a cellar and fathered her children, changes all his pleas to guilty. Steve Rosenberg reports.
An NHS trust has become the first in the country to try fitting dementia patients with tracking devices. Clive Evers of the Alzheimer's Society explains the benefits of the system.
Figures suggest that for one in seven children in school, English is their second language. We speak to headmaster Tim Benson.
Professor Alston explains what has been happening to human rights defenders in Kenya since he left the country.
Professor David Spiegelhalter, a leading Cambridge statistician, has accused the media of misusing statistics by making too much of one-off events, such as a spate of stabbings. He outlines how journalists have used statistics wrongly in the past.
Sam Dale reads an adaptation of the diary kept by Chris Mullin during his time as a minister in the New Labour government.
How can knowing about brain chemicals help you find and keep love? Plus crime writer Karen Campbell on After the Fire, and the first ever student branch of the Women's Institute.
Naresh Fernandes, editor of Time Out Mumbai, visits the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, one of the Mumbai hotels that was at the centre of the terrorist attacks on the city in November 2008, to see the extraordinary recovery that it and the city as a whole is making.
He talks to some of the hostages, the deputy commissioner of police and TV presenter Shreenivasan Jain about the effect of the attacks on the city and the country. He also speaks to Karimbir Kang, the general manager of the Taj, who lost his family in the blaze, and to conservation specialists about the damage done to the hotel.
It's a busy week for Clare who organises a petition to keep the Sparrowhawk Family Centre open and also hosts a garden party to get to know her new neighbours.
Sally Phillips plays Clare Barker the social worker with all the politically correct jargon but none of the practical solutions.
Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Financial Services Authority chairman Lord Turner has put forward 'profound' proposals on lending and seeks to cut banks' ability to take excessive risks.
'Predictors of beaconicity' and 'taxonomy' are among the words and phrases which staff should avoid according to the Local Government Association.
A lawyer who acts as the public face of the Tvind training network has been jailed for tax fraud and embezzlement.
The rise of the serviced apartment has proved a big hit with stag and hen parties in Liverpool but created some bad nights in for the residents living next door.
The European consumers association, BEUC, says a cap on charges for using mobiles abroad should have been set lower.
The sight of playing fields being paved over by developers prompted tighter controls on the loss of sports facilities. But smaller pitches have continued to slip through the net - so can new safeguards protect them? We speak to the Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe and Lib Dem MP Don Foster.
Despite news that the largest mill in the Hebrides is to be mothballed for at least a year, people working in the Harris tweed industry insist it does have a future. We hear from the Stornaway catwalk show designed to pitch tweed as a fashionable cloth, and why Japan is the target market.
Steve Hewlett presents a topical programme about the fast-changing media world.
As Chief Executive of her local council, Robyn has just days to stop recycling being wiped from her ambitious environmental plans. But the credit crunch continues to put pressure on other priorities. Meanwhile her daughter Afrah provides a safe house for a fiercely committed environmentalist from Eastern Europe.
Robyn ..... Lesley Sharp
Anastasia ..... Anamaria Marinca
Afrah ..... Lizzy Watts
Mike ..... Sam Dale
Don ..... Ben Askew
Bob, Professor Stevens ..... Stephen Hogan
Councillor Larby, Sacha ..... Philip Fox
Vincent Duggleby and guests answer questions on tax and tax planning. He is joined by John Whiting, a tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Jane Moore, tax faculty technical manager at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
A series in which three women writers describe their personal connection with the Welsh landscape and how their encounter with nature has shaped their lives.
Patricia Barrie recalls the view from her bedroom window when she was confined to bed as a child with a serious illness. Read by Sharon Morgan.
Science enthusiast Dave Dodd visits the UK's biggest and brightest new experimental facility, the Diamond Light Source.
Unusual iron deposits are implicated in both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
According to Oscar Wilde “Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the centre of town”. Laurie Taylor re-appraises this sport of gentleman with Social Historian, Tony Collins who’s charted the class wars that have beset rugby union, from Tom Brown’s Schooldays to England’s victory in the English World Cup in 2003 and Dr Dominic Malcolm, Senior lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University. They discuss how rugby has championed the virtues of patriotism, physical courage and manliness.
Professor Owen Davies is the author of a new book entitled Grimoires; A History of Magic Books, he talks about the past and present significance of magical books and spells.
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
Comedian Mark Steel visits the attractive market town of Skipton in Yorkshire and presents a show from the a livestock auction hall to discover what makes the town and its inhabitants distinctive.
Matt's singing the praises of Swiss banks. His money's secret there. Lilian offers to keep his money in her Guernsey accounts. Matt upsets Lilian; what if they split up? Look how poisonous Yvette was during the divorce. Lynda appears. She's keen to talk about the Antony Gormley plinth. Matt disappears, leaving Lilian with Lynda.
Later, Matt does his best to apologise to Lilian by offering to help with the supermarket shopping.
Usha goes for a run. A car speeds past, rather too close. Usha's forced to jump into the hedge. The car stops and the driver apologises, but tells Usha she shouldn't be running in the gloom. He offers her a lift home, but she refuses, and runs off. The driver takes offence. What does he get for his hurt feelings? He demands her MP3 player, and seems to want more. Eventually he goes, leaving Usha very shaken.
Matt and Lilian are returning from the shops and see Usha on the roadside. They take her home. Alan's at the Vicarage, having a meeting with Lynda. Lilian, Matt and Usha arrive. Lilian tells Alan that Usha's had a fright. Usha's annoyed with herself about it but says she'll phone the police and then she'll be right as rain.
The David Cohen Prize for Literature is awarded to a writer who has contributed a significant amount to British literature, so much so that their work warrants recognition for a lifetime's achievement. Mark reveals and talks to this year's winner of one of the UK's most coveted literary awards.
Author Alain de Botton discusses his latest book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, which explores the joys and perils of the modern workplace and aims to understand what makes work both one of the most exciting and most painful of all our activities.
Flash of Genius tells the tale of one man's fight to prove his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper was stolen by the US automobile industry. Trevor Baylis, best known for inventing the wind-up radio, discusses the film.
Fourteen authors have made it on to the Judges' List of Contenders for the third Man Booker International Prize. The writers come from 12 countries and seven are writers in translation. Chair of judges, the novelist Jane Smiley, joins Mark from New York to discuss the contenders.
By Sian Evans. A man is forced to re-examine everything when he sees a UFO one Saturday night in a pub car park.
Jon begins to wonder if he can believe in what he saw - until he receives an unexpected phone call.
Jon ...... Richard Greenwood
Anna/Voicemail ...... Tamara Kennedy
Naomi/Witness 3 ...... Meg Fraser
Colonel Hall/GP ...... Simon Donaldson
Ellie ...... Clare Yuille
Si ...... Grant O'Rourke
Dasa ...... Lesley Hart
The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson shines a light on the process by which controversial decisions are reached behind closed doors in Whitehall. With a panel of inside experts, he examines the problems that future governments will face and hear the arguments about how they might be resolved.
Six well-known figures explore ideas of the absence of God from their own perspective.
Sister Frances Dominica, founder and trustee of Helen and Douglas House hospice, reflects on her experiences alongside children and their families.
Nature detective Tom Heap investigates who, or what, is killing the common sparrow.
Once one of our most common garden birds, it is now a rarity. Since the mid-1990s, London alone has lost more than two thirds of its sparrows and there are similar cases in Bristol, Edinburgh and Dublin.
In an attempt to unravel the mystery, Tom delivers a dead sparrow to the laboratories of the Zoological Society and observes the autopsy which demonstrates that the cause of death is not always what it seems. He speaks to experts from various conservation bodies including the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology to weigh the latest scientific evidence.
Tom finds out about the chief suspects, including cats, sparrowhawks, unleaded petrol, mobile phones, garden make-over programmes and loft conversions.
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on why the justice system failed a man who served 27 years in jail for a murder he did not commit, whether Britain is well or badly placed to face recession and what President Obama's new Sudan envoy can do about President Bashir.
Hannah Gordon reads Nina Bawden's psychological thriller which tells the story of recently-widowed Fanny Pye, and how her life is changed when she intervenes to stop a street brawl.
Is Jake's visit the act of a solicitous neighbour or is there something more menacing in his intentions?
Performance poetry series, recorded in London's Troubadour Coffee House. Featuring Polar Bear, Felix Dennis and Scroobius Pip.
Written by David Quantick and starring Dan Maier, Lizzie Roper, Graeme Garden, Deborah Norton, Andrew Crawford, Dan Antopolski, Simon Greenall and Kate Gielgud, with Bill Oddie and Jeremy Clarkson as themselves.
THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2009
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00j2xg3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00j7ly7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00j31vg)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00j320k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00j31x9)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00j32bq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00j32gk)
Daily prayer and reflection with Glenn Jordan.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00j32q9)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
THU 06:00 Today (b00j32z1)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.
The Competition Commission's report on the future of BAA's airports has concluded that it will need to sell Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Christopher Clarke, of the Competition Commission, and Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, examine the extent to which this will level the playing field when it comes to competition between the UK's airports.
The British actress Natasha Richardson has died after sustaining head injuries whilst on a skiing holiday in Canada. Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway, discusses brain injuries.
David Willetts, Shadow Secretary for Innovation, Universities and Skills, discusses what he thinks might be the financial blunders made by the Learning and Skills Council.
Stefanie Marsh from the Times and Florian Klenk, of Austrian paper Falter, discuss the differing media responses to the Josef Fritzl case and what they signify.
Tony Wright, of the Public Administration Select Committee and Paul Braithwaite, of the Equitable Members' Action Group, discuss the report into the government's handling of the problems at Equitable Life.
Philosopher Professor Roger Scruton and design consultant Stephen Bayley debate if Britain has become indifferent to beauty.
Thought for the day with Reverend Giles Fraser.
Professor John Beddington explains how population increase will put huge strains on food and water supplies.
Kim Catcheside reports on the errors that led to the college funding chaos. Minister for Further Education Sion Simon says the government is urgently trying to find out how the situation arose.
Reporter Michelle Robinson looks back at the life and career of actress Natasha Richardson.
The reversal of Sean Hodgson's murder conviction after 27 years in prison signalled the end of one of the longest miscarriages of justice in legal history. Chief Constable Peter Neyroud and journalist Bob Woffinden discuss how the investigation can move forward.
Dr James Hansen from NASA and Sir Leszek Borysiewicz of the Medical Research Council discuss whether scientists have an obligation to present people with the facts and remain impartial or are right to speak out on contentious issues such as climate change.
Reporter Sanchia Berg travels to Swindon, one of the towns worst affected by unemployment.
Correspondent Kevin Connolly discusses the enduring appeal of Blues music with veteran Mississippi guitarist T-Model Ford.
The Public Accounts Committee is to publish a report recommending a review of public funding for Trident. Defence economist Professor Ron Smith and Commander John Muxworthy, of the National Defence Association, examine the implications for the country's security.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00j4hmv)
The Boxer Rebellion
In the hot summer of 1900, Peking, the capital of China, was under heavy siege. But the surrounding forces were not foreign, they were Chinese. This was the Boxer Rebellion, the moment when the 'Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists', known as the boxers, purged China of foreign merchants and missionaries. The Boxers had came out of the northern provinces, they claimed their fists were stronger than fire and they were invincible to bullets. But they were also desperate and starving and they blamed foreigners for their plight. In the end, the Boxer rebellion failed but it changed China and, more than a hundred years later, the spirit of the Boxer Rebellion lives on. They may have lost their battles but they may have won their war.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00j7ly9)
A View from the Foothills
Episode 4
Sam Dale reads an adaptation of the diary kept by Chris Mullin during his time as a minister in the New Labour government.
It is January 2004 and travelling the baking plains of Africa seems far away from Sunderland.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00j6lym)
European Parliament; Melody Gardot
Female representation in the European Parliament discussed. Plus shared care for disabled children, and US singer Melody Gardot on her curious path to musical success.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00j4hmx)
Israel's Goodness Gracious Me
Mukul Devichand meets the creators and cast of Arab Labour, a prime-time Israeli TV comedy that sees the humorous side of Arab lives in the Jewish state.
Israel's elections and its military operation in Gaza have polarised relations between Jewish Israelis and the 20 per cent Arab minority. Mukul examines the dark humour and moral dilemmas of an Arab population caught between feelings of Palestinian brotherhood and a determination to remain Israeli citizens.
THU 11:30 With Great Pleasure (b00j4hmz)
Joanne Harris
Author Joanne Harris’ selection includes Ray Bradbury, Emily Bronte, Molesworth, Ted Hughes and one of Neil Gaiman's graphic novels.
The readers are Amanda Root and Jon Strickland.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00j358j)
Presented by Peter White.
Some civil liberty groups are unhappy at the government's proposed 'e-borders' data collection scheme, whilst other travel agents and tour operators are worried that the burden of collecting all this sensitive data will fall on them.
In April the largest organisation for older people in the UK comes into existence. We speak to Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age UK, the legal name for the new charity.
Actor Jim Broadbent is demanding that more money be put into dementia research. The actor's mother had dementia, and he won his Academy Award for his role as the husband of novelist Iris Murdoch, who had Alzheimer's.
Some of the biggest names in the department store business have seen profits plunge during the recession. So how are much smaller, family-run firms managing to survive?
MP Grant Shapps was shocked to find that when he came to renew his car insurance with Admiral, his premium had increased by sixty pounds, despite the fact he had never made a claim on the policy. Louisa Scadden from Admiral responds.
A family who lost their case against the Bank of Scotland for alleged harassment are applying to appeal the judge's decision.
Setanta is reported to be struggling to find the cash for a 10 million-pound payment it owes the FA. We speak to BBC sports editor Mihir Bose.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00j359l)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00j35c6)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
THU 13:30 Off the Page (b00j4hsc)
So Bad It's Good
Dominic Arkwright, Bidisha, Toby Young and Safraz Manzoor discuss bad taste and guilty pleasures. From March 2009.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00j3k5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00j4jw7)
Baring Up
Comedy by Frank Rickarby. Fictionalised account of 47-year-old grandmother, Conservative councillor and naturist Eileen Jakes' 1979 campaign to win the right to bare her naked body on the pebbles of Brighton beach.
Eileen ...... Paula Wilcox
Brian ...... Kim Wall
John Blackman ...... Malcolm Tierney
Adam Trimingham ...... Stephen Hogan
Joan ...... Joanna Monro
Frank ...... Philip Fox
Alan Goodwin ...... Sam Dale
Grace Clarke ...... Janice Acquah
Robin Crossly ...... Benjamin Askew
Connie Hamilton ...... Caroline Guthrie
Spike Rawlings ...... Paul Rider
Chairman of Council ...... Matt Addis
Henry Ireland ...... Jonathan Tafler
John Humphys ...... Himself
Directed by Tracey Neale.
THU 15:02 Open Country (b00j1z0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00j26xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00j4d56)
In Her Element
No Refund for Clouds
Series of three readings by women writers that describe their personal connections with the Welsh landscape.
Hilary Lloyd remembers life on a smallholding in the Welsh Marches. Read by Eiry Thomas.
THU 15:45 The Synchrotron View (b00j3kqy)
Episode 4
Science enthusiast Dave Dodd visits the UK's biggest and brightest new experimental facility, the Diamond Light Source.
Exploring the mysteries of earthworms. How are they able to survive in the copper and arsenic-laced soil of an abandoned Devon mine?
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00j2jk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00j4kbx)
Medical Isotopes - The End of Harappa
Quentin Cooper hears about medical isotopes, one of the staples of modern medicine which allow doctors to track down damaged tissue and diseased organs.
These radioactive tracers are in danger of vanishing from our medical shelves because the ageing nuclear reactors that they are made in keep breaking down. Quentin talks to a supplier of medical isotopes and a leading user, to hear about our need for these chemicals and what can be done to ensure their availability.
The End of Harappa
Four and a half thousand years ago, one of the great civilisations in the world thrived in the north western corner of the Indian subcontinent.
Great, intricately ordered cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were home to tens of thousands citizens. And then within five hundred years the Harappan civilisation faded away.
THU 17:00 PM (b00j3ktn)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00j3kw6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 Old Harry's Game (b00j4kbz)
Series 7
Episode 5
Hell is not what it was since the baby turned up.
Satan's become a one-man adoption agency whilst his chief demon is reading Penelope Leach. But can Satan place the baby with a good family?
Stars Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn and Jimmy Mulville as Thomas.
Other roles played by Mike Fenton Stevens, Philip Pope and Felicity Montagu.
Written by Andy Hamilton.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00j3k5q)
Hayley and Brenda are in the shop buying food for the Willow Cottage housewarming. Susan says that because of Usha's mugging Neil's picking her up from the shop later.
Alan's waited in, until Usha's home safely. Usha says she's fine. She wishes she'd got the car's number plate, and she's sick of being village gossip. Usha says she'll carry on training, but will go to the gym tonight. On her way, Usha calls at the shop. Susan asks how she is. Usha says she's fine. And she'd like everyone to know that.
At Willow Cottage, Brenda tells Mike how lovely it looks. Slightly unconvincingly, Mike says it's going to be perfect for him. Tom doesn't make it over. Brenda says maybe he's had a tip-off about Harry the missing boar. Susan says Tom should put a 'missing' poster in the phone box. Brenda notices she has a voicemail message so goes outside. Mike admits to Susan that living on his own is going to be hard. Susan says he'll be fine. He's got loads of friends.
Brenda calls the person who's left a message. It's Lisa Ramsey from the Serious Fraud Office. They'd like to talk to her. Would tomorrow be convenient?
Episode written by Keri Davies.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00j3ky6)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Richard Curtis talks to Kirsty about his latest two projects: the return of Alexander McCall Smith's private eye Precious Ramotswe in a new TV series of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and his cinematic tribute to the power of '60s pirate radio, The Boat That Rocked.
Kirsty talks to Benjamin Zander, the pioneering Music Director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, about what orchestras can teach business leaders during the credit crunch, and why Mahler has been such an abiding passion throughout his career.
Writer and academic Hermione Lee joins Kirsty to review an English language version of Madame De Sade, a drama by the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright talks to Kirsty Lang about making his debut as an opera composer.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00j6qn1)
Seeing is Believing
Episode 4
By Sian Evans. A man is forced to re-examine everything when he sees a UFO one Saturday night in a pub car park.
Jon's wife, Anna, issues an ultimatum.
Jon ...... Richard Greenwood
Si/Witness 4 ...... Grant O'Rourke
Dasa/Clare ...... Lesley Hart
Anna ...... Tamara Kennedy
Jude ...... Monica Gibb
Ellie ...... Clare Yuille
Naomi ...... Meg Fraser
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
THU 20:00 Anglomania (b00g447z)
John F Jungclaussen, Die Zeit's UK correspondent, sets out to discover why so many of his fellow countrymen are in thrall to all things British.
Among his travels around Germany he experiences British Day in Hamburg, with its very own Last Night of the Proms, an evening in a Bayreuth pub where the locals only speak English and, in the Ruhr valley, a German rock band called Claymore, who perform in full Highland dress.
THU 20:30 Analysis (b00j56l9)
The Financial Tsunami
Ngaire Woods considers how the financial crisis is affecting the world's most vulnerable people. As global leaders prepare to meet in London to try to clear up the western world's economic mess, where does the global banking meltdown leave developing countries?
THU 21:00 Oceans: What Lies Beneath (b00j56lc)
Episode 2
Gabrielle Walker explores why we know so little about the oceans that make up nearly 80 per cent of our planet.
Gabrielle meets the oceanographers who have gone where so few have gone before - the deep ocean. They have made discoveries that the most imaginitive science-fiction writers would have trouble imagining. The deep ocean is the most unexplored part of our planet, and makes up more than 50 per cent of the Earth's surface.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00j4hmv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00j3l02)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00j3l1c)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.
Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a psychiatric hospital.
French unions take to the streets to protest against president Sarkozy's handling of the economy, while EU leaders meet in Brussels to find a common way out of the recession.
Plus, are comedians replacing mainstream journalists in American media?
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00j3lq6)
Family Money
Episode 9
Hannah Gordon reads Nina Bawden's psychological thriller which tells the story of recently-widowed Fanny Pye, and how her life is changed when she intervenes to stop a street brawl.
The departure of Jake and his canal boat has unexpected consequences for Fanny.
THU 23:00 The Personality Test (b007rlx5)
Series 3
Janet Street-Porter
Comedy quiz presented by a fresh guest host every episode.
All the questions are about the host.
Broadcaster and Youth TV Pioneer Janet Street-Porter takes the chair.
Facing up to a quiz based on her career, whims and interests are panelists - Sue Perkins, Lucy Porter, Nick Doody and Will Smith.
Script by Simon Littlefield and Kieron Quirke
Devised and produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2007.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00j3ls4)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2009
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00j2xg5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00j7ly9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00j31vj)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00j320m)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00j31xc)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00j32bs)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00j32gm)
Daily prayer and reflection with Glenn Jordan.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00j32qc)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00j32z3)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.
Former Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt explains her reasons for proposing amendments to the law regarding assisted suicides.
Correspondent Andrew Hosken hears from supporters and detractors of the NHS database in England.
Chairman of the Normandy Veteran Association Ed Slater explains the significance of a trip to this year's D Day commemorations in France.
The National Audit Office has released a report that reveals Northern Rock was allowed to lend 800 million pounds in high risk mortgages for six months after it was nationalised. Business editor Robert Peston reports.
Chris Leslie, the director of the NLGN, and Derek Watson, chief executive of the Dental Practitioners Association, discuss the future of dentistry in the UK.
President Barack Obama has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. North America Editor Justin Webb reports.
Thought for the day with Sir Jonathan Sacks.
Correspondent Ian Pannell describes the present situation in Afghanistan from Kabul, and Foreign Secretary David Miliband discusses the policy changes that may be needed.
Lesley Close, who accompanied her brother John to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile discuss the political, legal and moral implications of an amendment to the Coroner's and Justice Bill.
There has been an upsurge in the popularity of Chinese philosopher Confucius. Correspondent James Reynolds and expert in Professor Joachim Gentz explain the sudden interest.
The Healthcare Commission has released a report on Birmingham Children's Hospital, which reveals a 'catalogue of failings' including delays in treatment and bed shortages. Dr Charlie Ralston, the medical director at the hospital, explains how these problems came about.
Correspondent Rory Maclean examines the UK's anti-terrorism strategy, known as Contest.
Dr Gillian Braunold, the clinical director in the NHS responsible for the NHS database, discusses privacy issues.
Philosopher Slavoj Zizek gives his take on the current economic crisis.
Documents revealing the thoughts of the main British prosecutor at the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes trials, David Maxwell Fyfe, have been opened to the public. Tom Blackmore, Mr Maxwell Fyfe's grandson, and Allen Packwood, from the Churchill Archives Centre, discuss.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00j26xw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00j7lyd)
A View from the Foothills
Episode 5
Sam Dale reads an adaptation of the diary kept by Chris Mullin during his time as a minister in the New Labour government.
It is May 2005 and Chris leaves the Foreign Office with his future unclear.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00j6lyt)
Saying 'I love you'; Hate crimes in South Africa
How important is it to say 'I love you'? Plus the growing concern over sexual assaults on lesbians in South Africa, and the impact of counselling in the early stages of dementia.
FRI 11:00 The Accidental Volunteer (b00j5883)
Sian Pari Huws visits Rhayader in Mid Wales which seems to be run entirely by volunteers. Like many communities, it increasingly depends on such people for essential services.
FRI 11:30 HR (b00j5885)
Series 1
A Bus Pass
The work machine has finally excreted Peter and Sam. Now the two friends meet, of all places, in the queue for their senior bus passes.
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
Man with no teeth ...... Malcolm Tierney
Mechanical voice ...... Stephen Critchlow
Director: Peter Cavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00j358l)
Presented by Peter White.
Since the '70s, Oldham Athletic has run out onto the pitch to the accompaniment of 'Mouldy Old Dough'. But their music licence fee has increased, and the club says it can't afford to use the tune.
We speak to Alan Hardy, Chief Executive Oldham Athletic FC and Adrian Crookes from PRS.
Dr Tiffany Jenkins challenges the Museums Association over policies for storing and displaying human remains. We also speak to Maurice Davies of the Museums Association.
We hear concerns from the Royal Opera House and others that world class performers will be put off coming to the UK by new VISA regulations aimed at controlling immigration.
The Football Association has said it will consider introducing a 'mercy rule' into youth soccer where games are stopped if a team takes a nine goal lead. Do children need to be protected from big defeats?
How green will the London 2012 Olympics be? We ask Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for A Sustainable London 2012, and Dan Epstein, Head of Sustainability for the Olympic Delivery Authority.
As part of the cultural Olympiad, money is available to fund 12 commissions of new art work around the UK to reflect London 2012. We speak to Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of Locog, and Moira Sinclair from Arts Council England.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00j359n)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00j35c8)
National and international news.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00j5887)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00j3k5q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00j5889)
Smoke and Daggers
Smoke and Daggers by Hugh Costello.
A political thriller by a skilful writer who is making an increasing reputation in movie and TV writing. "Holby City", Thin Ice (2005) "Auto da Fe", "On Home Ground" (2001) TV Series "The Ambassador" TV Series (writer) The Rope Trick. Hugh's latest film is the Emmy Award winning Bernard and Doris starring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes. Recently for R4, Slightly Larger Than West Virginia and The Forgetting Curve.
His latest play imagines its way inside the lives of a political elite who surrounded the former Taioseach, Bertie Ahern.
Dublin, 1997. When Joe Finnerty marries into Dublin's political aristocracy his fortune appears to be made. Lucrative government contracts and the ready patronage of his heavy hitting father-in-law ensure that Joe soon becomes a man to be reckoned with.
His own career in politics seems pre-ordained, until a disgruntled Party apparatchik leaks information concerning the unexplained death of Joe's ex partner, creating a scandal which shakes the Finnerty empire and threatens to destroy Joe and everything he once held dear.
A cautionary tale about an individual's pact with political preferment - Irish style.
Cast:
Joe Finnerty - Patrick Fitzsymons
Oliver McQuaid - John Kavanagh
Louise Finnerty - Amanda Hurwitz
Gemma - Cathy White
Fintan - Michael J Murphy
Murtagh - Hugh Costello
D.I. Glynn - Frankie McCafferty
Miriam - Nicky Doherty
And Conor Finnerty - Padraig Dooney
The play was directed by EOIN O'CALLAGHAN.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00j588c)
Peter Gibbs chairs the popular horticultural forum.
Pippa Greenwood, Bob Flowerdew and Matthew Biggs answer gardeners' questions sent in by post and email.
Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.
FRI 15:45 The Synchrotron View (b00j3kr0)
Episode 5
Science enthusiast Dave Dodd visits the UK's biggest and brightest new experimental facility, the Diamond Light Source.
A sample cell is loaded with hydrogen under terrifying pressure and then moved to Diamond, where it is squashed with unimaginable force.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00j58sc)
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 (b00j58sf)
Francine Stock talks to Michael Sheen about his starring role as Brian Clough in the adaptation of David Peace's novel, The Damned United. She also talks to Polish film-maker Jerzy Skolimowski.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00j3ktq)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00j3kw8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00j58sh)
Series 27
Episode 3
Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes and Paul Sinha.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00j3k5s)
Joe helps Eddie set up a flower stall outside the phone box. Later, Ed appears. Why is Eddie packing up? Susan's said she doesn't want him flypitching. Ed, who has some news, helps Eddie pack.
Eddie and Joe are delighted with Oliver's proposal that Ed becomes Grange Farm's tenant; Clarrie is more cautious.
Petrified Brenda is interviewed by Lisa Ramsey from the SFO. Brenda says she had nothing to do with C3PL. She worked for Matt on Borchester Land business. But Ramsey shows Brenda her own signature on a C3PL document. Flustered Brenda says she often witnessed Matt's signature.
Brenda tells Ramsey she had no reason to think anything dodgy was going on, until Matt offered to help Tom. Ramsey asks how this is connected to C3PL. Brenda's forced to tell her she overheard Matt and Chalkman. Ramsey asks if Brenda thought Matt's offer of help was excessive. Brenda protests: she was surprised but didn't know it was anything to do with fraud.
Broken Brenda arrives home and tells Tom everything. Tom's furious. Brenda's got him involved with a bunch of crooks - he could have lost his business, again! Brenda feels terrible. Tom says he doesn't know her anymore.
Episode written by Keri Davies.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00j3ky8)
Presented by John Wilson.
24-year-old British singer and songwriter V V Brown talks to John about her 1950s music influences and how she wrote her first single on a one-stringed guitar she bought from a charity shop.
John discusses the pros and cons of Google Maps UK Street View with two writers who have an intimate understanding of a particular city: Ian Rankin, who brings Edinburgh to life in his Rebus novels, and Graham Hurley, who sets his books in Portsmouth.
Musician John Cale is probably best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Velvet Underground. But this summer his work as a visual artist will bring him to a different kind of audience, when he represents Wales at the Venice Biennale. He talks exclusively to John about his work as an artist and his relationship with his home country.
Chancellor Alistair Darling is to host a meeting of artists, producers and leaders of the cultural industries to discuss whether - with unemployment hitting two million - there are lessons to be learned from FDR. We talk to political journalist Martin Bright - who is proposing a New Deal Of the Mind - and DD Guttenplan, London correspondent of The Nation.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00j6qny)
Seeing is Believing
Episode 5
By Sian Evans. A man is forced to re-examine everything when he sees a UFO one Saturday night in a pub car park.
A family crisis forces Jon to reconsider everything.
Jon ...... Richard Greenwood
Witness/Priest ...... Simon Donaldson
Naomi/Witness ...... Meg Fraser
Anna ...... Tamara Kennedy
Si/Witness ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ellie/Witness ...... Clare Yuille
Clare/Dasa ...... Lesley Hart
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00j58sk)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in London. Panellists are Mayor of London Boris Johnson, employment minister Tony McNulty, director of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Professor Lisa Jardine and the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00j58sm)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue from Katharine Whitehorn.
FRI 21:00 Stone (b00j58sp)
Series 1
Dead Fishes
By Chloe Moss.
A young man with Down's syndrome admits to killing his mother. Then a woman turns up claiming that he was with her on the day that his mother was killed. Stone must discover who is lying and why.
Stone ...... Hugo Speer
Eammon ...... Tommy Jessop
Jacqueline ...... Christine Brennan
Tanner ...... Craig Cheetham
Catriona ...... Zoe Henry
David ...... Andrew Grose
Jay ...... Andrew Whitehead
Weeks ...... Luke Broughton
Directed by Stefan Escreet.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00j3l04)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00j3l1f)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on a new US strategy for Afghanistan, robotic fish which measures levels of pollution in the sea, EU leaders resist US calls for more money to combat the recession and President Obama proposes a new beginning in relations with Iran.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00j3lq8)
Family Money
Episode 10
Hannah Gordon reads Nina Bawden's psychological thriller which tells the story of recently-widowed Fanny Pye, and how her life is changed when she intervenes to stop a street brawl.
Jake's threatened return spurs Fanny into action, and she makes some decisions that surprise those closest to her.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00j4f1p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00j3ls6)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.