SATURDAY 15 AUGUST 2009

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00lyx7v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00m0lsb)
Bluestockings

Episode 5

Miriam Margolyes reads from Jane Robinson's account of the pioneering British women who overcame all odds to get a university education.

Women had to wait until 1869 before they could enrol at Cambridge University, and even then the odds were stacked against them. Female brains were considered too small to compete with those of men, and the country's leading doctors warned that if women studied too hard their wombs would wither and die.

Although more and more women graduate during the 1920s and 30s, the Great Depression reinforces the pecking order, prioritising jobs for men. While critics begin to wonder whether academia is breeding white elephants, the bluestockings remain undaunted. While all too many join the teaching profession, others venture down unexplored career paths as diplomats, aviation engineers, writers and lawyers, all paving the way for future generations of bright young women.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00lyx98)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00lyx9b)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00lyx9d)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00lyx9g)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00lyx9j)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


SAT 05:45 Backstreet Business (b008pxsz)
Episode 4

Nicola Heywood Thomas visits small businesses. Ronnie Scott works alone in an ageing Edinburgh workshop, repairing bowls which have lost their bias.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00lyxb2)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00m0gd1)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00m0gd3)
Trouble on the Teifi

Matt Baker reports on the dispute going on between anglers and canoeists on Welsh rivers.

The River Teifi, almost exactly in the geographical middle of Wales, is set against a backdrop of heather moors and rugged Cambrian mountains. Matt visits the valley town of Llandysul in Ceredigion, which lies along the banks of the river.

The people who use the river are in bitter dispute, because Llandysul is one of the most popular places in Wales both for freshwater angling and for white-water canoeing. The anglers have to pay to fish in the river, and the canoeists want access for free. The canoeists are campaigning to change the law to allow full access to use the river, and the anglers are unhappy about it.

In fact, this is not just an isolated problem - the Welsh Assembly is conducting an inquiry into this issue across all rivers in Wales.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b00m0gd5)
Farming Today This Week

There must be a radical rethink of what we eat and how we produce our food; some campaigners and farmers have been saying this for years, but now the government is too. It has launched its new long-term food strategy addressing how we are going to feed ourselves and where that food will come from in the light of a rising world population, the threat of climate change and water and energy shortages. A range of people take to the Farming Today soapbox to tell us how we should secure food supplies over the next 20 years.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00m0gd7)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00m0gd9)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Evan Davis.

Ian Pannell reports from Kabul, where a suicide bomb has killed three people.

Scotland correspondent James Cook discusses the possible release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Correspondent Jim Hancock discusses why universities are under strain.

Economist Bridget Rosewell discusses the points raised by leading economists in a letter to the Queen.

Adam Mynott reports on latest sightings of a missing Arctic Sea ship. Andrew Linnington of the maritime union Nautilus International discusses how a ship can go missing.

Sir John Sawers, Britain's ambassador to the UN, discusses whether the US might be changing its approach to dealing with Burma.

Thought for the Day with Canon David Winter.

Martin Weale, of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and economist Stephen Radley discuss what will happen to employment as output starts to grow.

Barack Obama has been defending his proposals for health care reform. Washington correspondent Daniel Sandford discusses President Obama's plans.

Former NHS chairman Roy Lilley and Michael Cannon, of the CATO Institute in Washington, discuss the British and American healthcare systems.

Evan Davis speaks to the Prime Minister Galmo Williams about the British takeover of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British overseas territory a thousand kilometres off the coast of Florida.

Reporter Nicola Stanbridge meets some of the world's best free runners, who demonstrate a few of their moves around BBC Television Centre.

Criminal psychologist Professor David Canter and Baroness Warnock discuss the media portrayal of Baby P's mother and her lover.

A gun battle in Gaza between Hamas and a group of Islamist radicals has left one man dead. Katya Adler reports.

Thirty years ago the world 1500 metre record was broken by British runner Sebastian Coe. Lord Coe and sports writer Patrick Collins discuss the occasion.

The organiser of the Edinburgh International Festival Jonathan Mills says he believes there is too much of a focus on 'easy culture' in the UK. Mr Mills explains his comments.

MP Denis MacShane and Lance Price, former director of communications for the Labour party, discuss Lord Mandelson's current standing.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00m0gdc)
Real life stories in which listeners talk about the issues that matter to them. Fi Glover is joined by Professor Anthony Hollander. With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00m0gdf)
John McCarthy explores the Lake District, interesting British lakes and rivers and swimming holidays in Finland.

NB: Before you swim in rivers, like the River Dart, please check that it is permitted to do so.


SAT 10:30 Miles Jupp - By Jove Carruthers! (b00k8lg1)
Miles Jupp goes in search of the real Carruthers, the character who inspired a thousand silly quips and cod Edwardian accents. At least seven different Carruthers crop up in Edwardian boys' tales, but who exactly was he, what did he do, and how did he assume such a strange kind of posthumous fame?

Miles finds out about the Carruthers who appears in the Sherlock Holmes short story The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist and the one which narrates Erskine Childers' 1903 spy novel The Riddle of the Sands.


SAT 11:00 Beyond Westminster (b00m0gr2)
Looking at politics beyond and outside the Westminster parliament.

The average student debt is now almost 22,000 pounds, and is set to increase as universities look to raise the cost of tuition. Jim Hancock visits Leeds, a city with one of the largest student populations in the country, to talk to undergraduates who in some cases will see fees go up by 60 per cent.

With 100,000 students registered to vote in Leeds alone, could the issue of tuition fees determine the outcome of some seats in the next general election?


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00m0gr4)
Kate Adie introduces BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the headlines.

Afghanistan's presidential elections, a visit to Delhi's Speakers' Corner and a meal in an Iranian restaurant in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00m0gr6)
Coping with the Recession

Episode 1

Penny Haslam looks for advice to help small businesses cope with the recession. Many small firms are struggling to survive in an economy where customers are tightening their belts and banks are reluctant to lend.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b00lyx3g)
Series 28

Episode 8

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present a satirical review of the week's news, with help from Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, Mitch Benn and Andy Zaltzman.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00m0gr8)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00m0grb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00lyx6c)
Eddie Mair chairs the topical debate in Rye, East Sussex. The panellists are journalist Toby Young, general secretary of the RMT Bob Crow, farmer Oliver Walston and literary critic Sarah Churchwell.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00m0grd)
Eddie Mair takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00m0grg)
Trumbo

Christopher Trumbo's drama about his father, the American screenwriter and novelist Dalton Trumbo's ordeal at the hands of the House Un-American Activities Committee and its anti-communist witch-hunt.

Trumbo was one of the original Hollywood Ten - those accused in 1947 and subsequently blacklisted, ostracised and forced into poverty, obscurity and in some cases exile, because of their beliefs.

The play is based on transcripts of those now notorious HUAC hearings and the extraordinary letters written by his father during this period, both to his son and to others.

Directed by Roger Mitchell.

A Catherine Bailey Limited production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 15:30 Tales Before the Stave (b00lybns)
Francis Fyfield unpicks the hidden codes of a beautiful 11th-century manuscript that confirms that the English were pioneers of musical notation long before the arrival of staves.

With the help of Professor Susan Rankin and the French performer Dominique Vellard, Francis tells the story of the Winchester Troper, a tiny book belonging to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and written in Winchester around the year 1030, and how scholars have used it to clarify the way musical notation developed in the 11th and 12th centuries.

The magical discovery in the Troper was that polyphony, the use of two-part harmony, which many thought did not appear in manuscript form before the 13th century, was actually captured by the cantor scribbling in the Troper at a time when Winchester was at the heart of Anglo Saxon culture. This little book provides us with insights into the soundscape of Edward the Confessor's England.
But it only does so thanks to the scholars like Susan and Dominique who have deciphered what looks like modern shorthand notation.

The programme describes the process of unravelling the musical language and how that fits in to the broader story of the development of musical notation in Europe. Frances tries to get an idea of who this cantor was who managed to preserve a golden era of Anglo Saxon music well before the universal staves and notes were developed to simplify the process.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0grj)
Weekend Woman's Hour

Highlights of this week's Woman's Hour programmes with Sheila McClennon.

Including Sara Payne and Shy Keenan on their work to help victims of child sex abuse; Bollywood comes to the Proms; being positive about pessimism; a marriage made in prison; using reminiscence to help people with dementia; the lives of Londoners in 1950s Soho; piano duo The Labeque Sisters on their classical repertoire.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00m0grl)
Saturday PM

Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Ritula Shah, plus the sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b00m0grn)
The weekly interactive current affairs magazine featuring online conversation and debate.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00m0grq)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00m0grs)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0grv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00m0grx)
Peter Curran presents an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

He is joined by the actor Neil Morrissey, conductor Charles Hazlewood, choreographer Craig Revel Horwood and the entrepreneur and chef Levi Roots.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00m0grz)
Hamid Karzai

Lucy Ash profiles Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan and almost certain to win the forthcoming election there.

Karzai is in a difficult position, though; he has to appeal to Western powers embroiled in military efforts to extend his authority across his country, but also to war-weary Afghans, who resent foreign interference and want a return to ancient tribal traditions and values. It is a complex balancing act requiring courage, leadership and character. Lucy Ash asks if he is up to it.

Featuring contributions from Christina Lamb, Rory Stewart, Jason Amerine, Afghan friends of Karzai, Elizabeth Rubin, Jawed Ludin and Christopher Alexander.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00m0gs1)
Nicholson Baker's novel The Anthologist, and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by writer Louise Welsh, musician Pat Kane and comedian Danny Robins to discuss the cultural highlights of the week, featuring gang violence, writer's block and some surprises from Edinburgh.

Orphans is a new play by Dennis Kelly at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre and opens with Danny (Jonathan McGuinness) and Helen (Claire-Louise Cordwell) enjoying a candlelit dinner at home. The meal is immediately interrupted by Helen's brother Liam (Joe Armstrong) who bursts into the room, covered with blood. As his story is gradually revealed, Kelly asks us to consider how far we would go and what moral compromises we would make to protect our families.

Cary Fukunaga is a film maker who isn't afraid of some rigourous research. Prior to making his debut feature Sin Nombre, he made several journeys with immigrants on the roofs of freight trains, heading north through Mexico in search of a new life in the USA. In his film, a young woman, Sayra, sets off from Honduras with her father and uncle, on this same journey. On the train, they encounter Willy, a member of the feared Mara Salvatrucha street gang, who is there to steal from the immigrants. Part road movie, part love story, it also evokes the marginal world of those who risk their lives for the dream of a better existence.

There is a lot of poetry in Nicholson Baker's novel The Anthologist. That's because the protagonist, Paul Chowder, is a poet who is trying to write a foreword to an anthology of rhyming poetry. But his partner, Roz, has left him and his life seems to be falling apart, little by little. His endless digressions about rhyme, poets and poetry cannot disguise the fact that the foreword remains unwritten, he is running out of money and may be having some kind of a breakdown.

At the time of the 18th century Enlightenment, Edinburgh was fizzing with ideas and questions. For its exhibition The Enlightenments, the Edinburgh International Festival has brought together work by nine artists, spread across various sites in the city, which offers a contemporary view of the concepts which were current at the time. They include Tacita Dean's film Presentation Sisters, Joseph Kosuth's An Interpretation of This Title, and Hark! by Gabrielle de Vietri, in which visitors to the Dean Gallery have the news headlines sung to them.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, comprising more than 2,000 different shows. There was only so much that Tom and his guests could see in 24 hours, but they crammed in as much as they could. Danny Robins had the credit crunch in mind when he went to various events under the Festival For A Fiver banner, Louise Welsh was charmed by NIE's My Life With The Dogs, Pat Kane had a magical experience at Power Plant in the Botanic Garden, and Tom went to gaze at Richard Herring's Hitler Moustache.


SAT 20:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (b00ltmpv)
Series 1

Rev Jesse Jackson

Witness to the murder of Martin Luther King; the first African-American to make a significant bid for the US Presidency: in a new series on BBC Radio 4, the Reverend Jesse Jackson joins presenter John Wilson to reflect on the soundtrack to his life, drawn from a half century of BBC archive.

Being close to Dr King during the troubled years of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement was just one of the formative experiences for the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Here he gets the chance to listen back to his younger self, recall his thoughts at the time, and apply the self-knowledge that comes from distance.

Other episodes in his life include addressing the first black political rally; negotiating with President Saddam Hussein of Iraq over hostages; running twice for President of the USA; witnessing the swearing in of the first black President; and most recently defending one of America's most controversial black icons, Michael Jackson.

Producers: Emma Kingsley and Sara Jane Hall (SNF).


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00lxwh4)
Ruth

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Ellen Dryden of the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Abandoned in Wales, Ruth is taken in by the preacher Benson and his reluctant sister. The cause of Ruth's illness is established and brings with it a secret which could destroy her unless it is kept from everyone.

Ruth ...... Laura Rees
Benson ...... Anton Lesser
Faith ...... Anne Reid
Bellingham ...... Rory Kinnear
Bradshaw ...... David Schofield
Sally ...... Marcia Warren
Jemima ...... Amy Ewbank
Mrs Bradshaw ...... Abigail Thaw
Elizabeth ...... Helen Jenkinson
Mary ...... Daisy Ashford
Richard/Hickson ...... Dudley Hinton

Directed by Ellen Dryden.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00m0gys)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Reality Check (b00lynzj)
Series 2

Episode 3

Justin Rowlatt presents a discussion series involving experts and people closely involved in the issues.

The growth of surveillance is said to have made Britain one of the most watched nations on earth. Faced with the threats of crime and terrorism, how do we reconcile the demands for the protection of privacy with the benefits to security that new surveillance techniques can bring?

Justin presents a debate between people who seek to influence policy with those affected by such policies, and asks if surveillance in Britain is out of control.


SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (b00lycln)
Tom Sutcliffe chairs the cryptic general knowledge quiz, featuring teams from the Midlands and Scotland.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b00lxwh8)
Roger McGough presents a special edition devoted to the poetry of Tennyson, as part of the poet's bicentenary celebrations. Tennyson is one of the most frequently requested 19th-century poets on the programme, and this edition features readings of his works including The Lady of Shallot, The Throstle and Crossing the Bar.



SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2009

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0h0y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b0081191)
Cheltenham Festival Readings

The Cruise

Five stories from the 2007 Cheltenham Literature Festival. When Kate's parents went on a cruise, she realised they would die. Written and read by Anne Enright.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0j4y)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0j50)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0j52)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0j54)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00m0j56)
The sound of bells from Durham Cathedral.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b00m0grz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00m0j58)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00m0j5b)
Follow My Leader

Mark Tully considers great leaders and the source of their power to galvanise the cynical and apathetic to hope and action on local, national and global levels.

The readers are Adjoa Andoh, Frank Stirling and David Westhead.


SUN 06:35 Living World (b00m0jv4)
Cuckoos

Cuckoos are one of a small group of parasitic birds that covertly use other birds to unknowingly rear chicks on their behalf. Lionel Kelleway heads to Dartmoor to get close to a juvenile cuckoo and its unwitting foster parents.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00m0j5g)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 Weather (b00m0j5j)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00m0jv6)
Jane Little 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 (b00m0jv8)
The International Rescue Committee

John Hurt appeals on behalf of The International Rescue Committee.

Donations to the International Rescue Committee should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope the International Rescue Committee. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide the International Rescue Committee with your full name and address so they can claim the Gift Aid on your donation. The online and phone donation facilities are not currently available to listeners without a UK postcode.

Registered Charity No: 1065972.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00m0jvb)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00m0jvd)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00m0jvg)
Rev Dr David Clark, Principal of the Von Hugel Institute, Cambridge, preaches at a service from the Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge, marking the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Leader: Monsignor Tony Rogers.

Music Director: Nigel Kerry.

Organist: Joseph Fort.


SUN 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lyx6f)
Series 1

The Serpent's Stare

Underground animals are very different to the animals that spend their life on the surface. They are a different shape, their senses are tuned in a very different way and they manifestly come from a different world.

Does this explain the stare of the snake?

Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00m0jvj)
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson in Helmand speaks about the news that over 200 British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan. There's a reflection on the public behaviour of politicians, after both Alan Duncan and Hillary Clinton got into trouble for speaking their minds. Could the concept of 'mate-dom' be the key to the Australians' cricketing success? There's advice for the incoming US ambassador, and the newspapers are reviewed by Sam Leith, Iain Dale and Bridget Christie.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00m0jvl)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00m0jvn)
Roberto Alagna

Kirsty Young's castaway is the singer Roberto Alagna. He is one of the most celebrated tenors in the world and one half of opera's golden couple; his wife is the soprano Angela Gheorghiu. Yet, his is not a voice that was honed through early years in a conservatoire. He was brought up in Paris in a family of keen amateur musicians. He used to sing in nightclubs and in those early years, he says, the world of opera was, to him, no more than an impossible dream.

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

Favourite track: One Day from the Immortal Heights by Giuseppe Verdi
Book: The works by Victor Hugo
Luxury: Guitar.


SUN 12:00 Just a Minute (b00lycz6)
Series 55

Episode 3

Nicholas Parsons' 60-second challenges to Paul Merton, Stephen Fry, Charles Collingwood and Jenny Eclair. From August 2009.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00m0jvq)
Chefs' Choices Number 2: Cauliflowers

Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and founder of Ottolenghi's food shops and restaurant, brings some much-needed passion to the neglected cauliflower.

Cauliflower has fallen from culinary favour, eclipsed by its superfood cousin broccoli. Bland, white and often smoothered in cheese sauce, the cauliflower is no longer a fashionable ingredient, and sales are falling. But are we missing out?

Yotam grew up in Jewish west Jerusalem, while executive chef and partner in the business Sami Tamimi grew up in the Arab east Jerusalem. Both grew up eating cauliflowers, and in this programe are trying to afford the cauliflower its rightful place alongside the other members of the brassica family, cabbage and brocoli.

Phillip Effingham is chairman of the British Brassicas Association and Director of Farming and Agronomic Development at Marshall Bros, growers of cauliflowers in Boston, Lincolnshire. Cauliflowers are well suited to the rich soils of the Wash, the centre of cauliflower production today. The biggest problem for cauliflower growers is that its peak season, during the warm summer months, coincides with a general drop in sales as shoppers turn to salad. Low prices used to encourage sales often mean it is not worth growers spending the money to harvest them, and excellent quality cauliflowers are left to rot in the field.

But cauliflower is a perfect summer ingredient, and lends itself to many different styles of cooking, from traditional British to Middle Eastern and Indian. Yotam and Sami give the cauliflower the Ottolenghi treatment in two dishes: fritters, a dish from Sami's childhood, and chargrilled in a salad.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00m0jvs)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00m0jvv)
A look at events around the world with Shaun Ley.


SUN 13:30 The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (b00c67jq)
Phill Jupitus follows the celebrated ensemble of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players who command a cult following.

Their unique blend of comedy and music fills venues worldwide and boasts many celebrity fans. Musicologists explain the finer nuances of their subversive and high-quality ukulele playing and arrangements.

Co-founder of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Kitty Lux sadly died in July 2017.

Produced and written by Turan Ali.

Made for BBC Radio 4 by Bona Broadcasting and first broadcast in 2008.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00lywv6)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Matthew Biggs, Anne Swithinbank and Bob Flowerdew answer questions posed by members of St Ann's Allotments in Nottingham.

Matthew introduces Britain's oldest and largest allotment site and meets a selection of allotment-holders occupying a 670-garden enclosure, including the owners of a greenhouse constructed entirely from plastic bottles. He also talks to prize-winning fruit grower Adrian Baggley, who identifies and propagates rare heritage fruit trees as part of the allotments' National Lottery Heritage Project.

Including Gardening weather forecast.


SUN 14:45 The Tribes of Science (b00m0jvx)
The Zoologists

Peter Curran visits members of the many and varied disciplines of science, from astronomy to zoology, to explore their habitat, customs, rituals and beliefs.

Peter meets zoologists and spends time at the Institute of Zoology at London Zoo. Are the otter specialists as quick-witted, sociable and fun as the aquatic animals they study? And does the office hierarchy mirror the pecking order of the food chain?


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00m0jvz)
Ruth

Episode 3

Dramatisation by Ellen Dryden of the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.

The unexpected return of Bellingham presents real danger, and a distant connection from Ruth's past threatens to reveal the truth about Leonard. Meanwhile Mr Bradshaw's two eldest children face very different dilemmas.

Ruth ...... Laura Rees
Benson ...... Anton Lesser
Faith ...... Anne Reid
Bellingham ...... Rory Kinnear
Bradshaw ...... David Schofield
Sally ...... Marcia Warren
Jemima ...... Amy Ewbank
Mrs Bradshaw ...... Abigail Thaw
Farquhar ...... Gus Brown
Mrs Pearson ...... Anna Francolini
Dr Davies ...... Tim Hardy
Leonard ...... Jordan Clarke

Directed by Ellen Dryden.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00m0jw1)
Diana Evans, The Novelist's Health, Gay Fiction, and Reading Dictionaries for Fun

Muriel Gray talks to novelist Diana Evans, who won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2005 with her first book, 26a. She explains how her early experience as a dancer inspired her new novel The Wonder, about an all-black dance troupe in 1960s Notting Hill.

Is writing bad for your health? Peter Kemp joins Muriel to reveal how the sedentary existence of the novelist can conceal major risks and outlines some of the surprising injuries caused by the literary life.

Novelist Patrick Gale offers advice to an Open Book listener who's looking for gay fiction that isn't depressing or about teenagers.

And reading dictionaries for fun: author of Schott's Miscellany Ben Schott, writer Kevin Jackson and editor of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Camilla Rockwood reveal why they enjoy curling up with a reference book.


SUN 16:30 Ahlberg at 70 (b00bvz8x)
Janet Ellis meets children's author Allan Ahlberg to reflect on his career and influence.

Allan Ahlberg is an institution in children's literature. Books such as Burglar Bill, Each Peach Pear Plum, The Jolly Postman and Peepo became immediate hits with parents and children and have remained hugely popular ever since.

Ahlberg has been writing children's fiction for over 30 years. His popularity is such that he has sold 17 million copies of his 150-plus titles. His books are regularly in the chart of most-borrowed children's authors, and have been in the top ten every year for the past decade.

Ahlberg was adopted and grew up in the Black Country. At the age of 13 he 'became an intellectual snob and joined three libraries'. On leaving school he worked as a postman, a soldier, a plumber's mate and a gravedigger. It was a superintendent of parks and cemeteries that suggested Allan become a teacher.

He began writing in his 30s when his wife Janet asked him to write something for her to illustrate. He sought 'to produce William Morris books at Penguin prices'.

Janet Ellis read his books to her children. She uses archive, readings and expert opinion to assess Ahlberg's life and work.


SUN 17:00 The Fraud Capital of Britain (b00lyfr8)
Thamesmead was one of the most exciting new towns to be built in the 1960s, intended as a vibrant, riverside community of 60,000 people in south east London. Forty years on, the area is perhaps best known as a notorious hub of fraud, dubbed 'Little Lagos' because of its association with west African criminal gangs.

Phil Kemp investigates how this reputation has stuck. He talks to a former fraudster and meets residents fighting to turn the community around and shake off its crime-ridden image.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b00m0grz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00m0k51)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00m0k53)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0k55)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00m0k57)
Clive Coleman introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.

Programmes featured this week were:

Fry's English Delight - Radio 4
The Naming of Genes - Radio 4
No Triumph, No Tragedy - Radio 4
Reality Check - Radio 4
The High Price of Alder Hey - Radio 4
Great Lives - Radio 4
Archive on 4 - Radio 4
The Movie That Changed My Life - Radio 2
Selling Cheese to the Chinese - Radio 4
Bluestockings - Radio 4
The Election Agent - Radio 4
Ballet Russes- Radio 3
The Long View - Radio 4
Secrets of the Super Old - Radio 4
Classical Collection - Radio 3
The Art of Laughter - Radio 2.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00m0k59)
Wayne's reminiscing about the past while Jolene and Fallon change his sheets. He remembers a family trip to Weston-super-Mare with fondness, which Fallon later reminds him was one of the rare occasions when he and her mother weren't at each others' throats. Jolene observes that he's seeing the event through rose coloured spectacles. Fallon tells Jolene that she'd thought at first that Wayne was putting on his illness to get sympathy, but when she went in at lunchtime he was breathing badly. They agree to see how he is in the morning.

At the Lodge Jennifer finds Jack very confused; he doesn't recognise her. Peggy says he's tired. They had a dreadful night. She thinks she'll give church a miss. Jennifer thinks Peggy's barely managing since they lost Barney.

Later Jennifer finds that Lilian has barely moved all day, except to call Veronica and take a drive past the Dower House. Jennifer loses her temper, telling Lilian that wallowing won't bring Matt back. Moments later Jennifer's in tears. Peggy's in such a bad way and Jack's getting worse. Lilian promises to start concentrating on their mum. She'll pop round to the Lodge later. If necessary she can always stay the night.

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


SUN 19:15 Americana (b00m0k5c)
Matt Frei presents an insider guide to the people and the stories shaping America today. Combining location reports with lively discussion and exclusive interviews, the show provides new and surprising insights into contemporary America.

Matt asks why communists are still banned from entering the USA, and why Delaware is the only state in the Union without a national park.

He also explores the world of competitive eating, and meets the man who can eat a turkey in a matter of minutes.


SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b008dk9k)
An Audience with Max Wall

Foundations of a Wall

Tony Lidington plays entertainer Max Wall in a series of shows recorded before an invited audience at the Concert Artistes' Association in Covent Garden.

Max describes his own comedy dance routine, which influenced Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. He recalls his exploits as a successful entertainer in the nightclubs of Berlin and Paris, where he performed with Maurice Chevalier in the late 1920s.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (b00lyvz9)
Tim Harford presents the magazine which looks at numbers everywhere, in the news, in politics and in life.

An Open University co production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00lywv8)
Jane Little 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 Face the Facts (b00m0k5f)
Jobcentre Plus - Not Working

At a time of record unemployment, more and more people are visiting the Jobcentre Plus. There are now over one and a half million people claiming Jobseekers Allowance, and nearly twice as many people sign on at one of 747 jobcentres across the UK than since the start of the recession.

This where the new jobless meet their Personal Advisor, who is there to help them find a job and assess whether or not they are entitled to benefits. It is a key service in helping tackle unemployment. But there is concern that advisors are not able to deliver the personalised and professional service promised by the government because they are so badly stretched.

John Waite asks whether the tough targets imposed on Personal Advisors mean they don't have time to help jobseekers look for work, only administer benefits. This is despite assurances from the Jobcentre Plus that there are jobs out there - it boasts that an average of 10,000 new vacancies are advertised in its offices every day.

John examines claims that Personal Advisors are under-resourced, under-trained, under pressure and unprepared for the demands of this growing unemployment crisis, and asks how they can provide the personal and professional service that is promised, and so desperately needed, during the recession.


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00m0jv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b00lytq4)
Women's Work

Some business leaders think that the credit crunch crisis marks a great opportunity for women. Peter Day asks whether female skills can help to guide the world out of the ruins.


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00m0k5h)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00m0k5k)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including The Election Agent.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b00lywvb)
British actress Jean Kent on James Mason, Stewart Granger and why Marilyn Monroe was a bit grubby.

Christoph Walz reveals why he turned down every Nazi officer role he has been offered, except for one Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Mark Gatiss picks a neglected classic from the 1960s.

Critic Jane Graham enters the fourth dimension with The Time Traveler's Wife.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00m0j5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 17 AUGUST 2009

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0rdf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00lynzd)
The British Bobby - Scottish Diaspora

Laurie Taylor explores the myths and enduring realities of the British police with Clive Emsley and Dick Hobbs.

Robert Peel brought the Metropolitan Police Force into being in 1829; it was a centralised body of 3,000 uniformed men expected to patrol designated areas. They were the original 'Bobbies on the Beat'. However, in an age of mass public protests, Chartism and agitation for electoral reform, the police were founded more as a response to a crisis in public order than in a move to protect private property. The Weekly Dispatch of 1829 warned, 'The New Police is a military body employed in civil duties ... it is a powerful engine in the hands of government, and may be employed for the suppression of public freedom.' How much has changed?

Laurie also discusses the worldwide influence of the Scottish diaspora and asks why such an enormous number Scots left their country of birth even when times were good. Tom Devine enlightens Laurie ahead of his talk at the Festival of Politics in Edinburgh.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00m0j56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rph)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0s02)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rzp)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0s59)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00m0sdz)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00m64f4)
Organic farmers in Wales say they could be forced out of business by changes to their subsidy payment. The Welsh Assembly is replacing three schemes with the new Glastir payment. Farmers say some will lose 80 per cent of their money, making it unviable to keep going.

We eat more than 800 million ready meals a year in the UK, more than any other country in Europe; Caz Graham asks if we are we about to change our ways.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00m0z1k)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00m0svx)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Evan Davis.

General Secretary of Compass Gavin Hayes discusses calls for the government to establish a High Pay Commission.

The World Cancer Research Fund is urging parents not to use processed meats in their children's packed lunches. Lisa Cooney of the WCRF explains the risks.

Journalist and MP Martin Bell explains his plans, alongside former Church of England envoy and hostage Terry Waite, to clean up politics.

Correspondent Andy Gallagher goes on the hunt for pet pythons released into the wild in Florida.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis and criminal solicitor Rob Brown discuss a new initiative to target drug driving.

Official UFO files are being released online by The National Archives. National Archives consultant Dr David Clarke explains what the newly released records tell us.

Professor Karol Sikora discusses his view that health systems like the UK's are 'doomed' with Dr Michael Dixon, chair of the NHS Alliance.

Thought for the day with Canon Dr Alan Billings.

Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run the four-minute mile, discusses Usain Bolt's new world record in the 100m sprint at the World Championships in Berlin.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth discusses whether British troops are coping with the mounting casualties in Afghanistan.

The timetable for the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, is still being disputed. Scottish political editor Brian Taylor analyses the latest developments.

John Simpson reports from Kabul on fears that Taliban violence will deter Afghans in the upcoming elections.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell and terrorism expert Andy Hull examine the foreign Secretary David Miliband's remarks that some terrorism is 'justifiable' and 'effective'.

Natalia Antelava reports from Baghdad on a surge in violence against gay men.

Dr Julian McDougall, Reader in Media Education at Newman University College, Birmingham, discusses this much-criticised subject.

London Assembly member Murad Qureshi discusses whether the US embassy can continue to avoid the London congestion charge.

Professor Bernd Greiner discusses the parallels that can be drawn between the Vietnam War and the war in Afghanistan with the journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings.


MON 09:00 Peston and the Money Men (b00m0z1m)
John Gieve

As the first anniversary of global financial meltdown approaches, the BBC's business editor Robert Peston talks to four key individuals who were in the eye of the storm. Why did they fail to see the warning signs of economic catastrophe and what are the long term consequences?

As a senior civil servant at the home office, John Gieve had been grilled by select committees over prisoner releases and charged with investigating allegations of ministerial impropriety. But if he had hoped for a graceful denouement at the end of his 40-year career, he was out of luck.

Gieve joined the Bank of England in 2006; less than two years later he would be called on to help form a rescue plan as bank after bank teetered on the brink of collapse.


MON 09:30 The Call (b00m0z1p)
Series 1

The Transplant

Dominic Arkwright talks to people who have taken or made life-changing phone calls.

Tony Roth suffered his first heart attack when he was in his early 30s. Within six months he had a triple bypass operation, but two more heart attacks and more bypass surgery followed. In failing heath, he was forced to give up work, and waited for the call to tell him that a donor heart was available.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00m82z8)
My Father's Places

Episode 1

Sian Thomas reads from Aeronwy Thomas' memoir of her childhood in Laugharne on the south Wales coast with her father, Dylan Thomas, and mother Caitlin.

Aeronwy and her parents move into the Boat House in Laugharne.

Abridged by Jane Marshall

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0v36)
Cleavage on show; Ceausescu's Romania

How much cleavage should a woman show? Plus, life in Ceausescu's Romania; and activity camps for bereaved service families.


MON 11:00 Mind Changers (b00m0zz3)
Arden House

Claudia Hammond presents a series looking at the development of the science of psychology during the 20th century.

She re-visits Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin's 1976 study, conducted in a New England nursing home, Arden House.

When the two psychologists set up the experiment so that residents on two floors of the 360-bed home for the elderly would experience some changes in their everyday life, they had no idea that they were introducing factors which could prolong life.

While residents on both floors were given plants and film shows, only those on the fourth floor had the opportunity to control these events: choosing the plant and looking after it themselves, and choosing which night of the week to view the film.

Eighteen months later, when Langer and Rodin returned to the home, they were astonished to discover that twice as many of the elderly residents in this 'choices' group were alive, compared with the control group on the second floor, who had been given plants that the staff tended, and were told which was their film night. It appeared that taking control made you live longer.

These findings fit in well with the work on learned helplessness in dogs which Martin Seligman had done in the late 1960s, and on Langer and Rodin's own studies on the perception of control.

Claudia Hammond meets Ellen Langer, now Professor of Psychology at Harvard, and hears about Arden House and the work she has gone on to do on what she calls 'mindfulness'. She visits Arden House, which is still a nursing home, and is shown around by current administrator Joanne Scafati.

Dr Zelda Di Blasi, who lectures in psychology at University College, Cork, sets the study in context, and Rosalie Kane, Professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, and Howard Kaplan, CEO of City Club Living accommodation for the elderly, discuss the impact of Langer/Rodin on care of the elderly.


MON 11:30 Hazelbeach (b00m0zz5)
Series 2

Weed

Nick and Ronnie discover that there is a fate worse than James.

Caroline and David Stafford's comedy about likeable conman Ronnie Hazelbeach starring Jamie Forman.

Ronnie Hazelbeach.... Jamie Foreman
Nick..........Paul Bazely
James.........Neil Stuke
Chloe......... Tracy Wiles
Vince.......... David Hargreaves
Joe Snow........ David Stafford

Director: Marc Beeby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00m0vt0)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00m0vvc)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00m0vy6)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


MON 13:30 Round Britain Quiz (b00m107y)
Tom Sutcliffe chairs the cryptic general knowledge quiz, featuring teams from Wales and Northern Ireland.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00m0k59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b00m1082)
Rep

By Jonathan Holloway. Actor George Friendly has just started work in one of Britain's last surviving seaside repertory theatres. His first part is in Clubfoot the Avenger, and he thinks he knows how the rest of the summer is going to go.

George ...... Jay Villiers
Florence ...... Lucy Liemann
Vivian/Derek ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Rupert/Cafe owner ...... Mark Meadows
Raymond/Earl ...... Paul Mundell

Directed by Tim Dee.


MON 15:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (b00ltmpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 Tea and Biscuits (b00m0w31)
Episode 1

Hardeep Singh Kohli joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Hardeep joins a group enjoying tea and biscuits before they take part in their British Citizenship ceremony at Brent Town Hall.

A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00m0jvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00m10h7)
God and Neuroscience

Ernie Rea and guests discuss what cognitive neuroscience is revealing about belief in God. What does research into our brain indicate about religious and spiritual experiences?


MON 17:00 PM (b00m0xwm)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0xwz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b00m10h9)
Series 55

Episode 4

Nicholas Parsons' 60-second challenges to Paul Merton, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Gyles Brandreth and Shappi Khorsandi. From August 2009.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00m0w08)
Wayne has bronchitis so Jolene insists they can't just chuck him out. Besides it's good for Fallon to have him around for a bit longer. Sid's scornful; the pub's the worst possible place for an alcoholic. Jolene insists Wayne hasn't touched a drink while he's been there, and accuses Sid of being jealous.

Tony thought Turkey was lovely once he'd learned to relax, although the Turkish bath wasn't quite how he imagined. Tom tells him the only problem they had while they were in charge was ordering detergent. Tony's annoyed that the company they've been dealing with for years should be awkward. He's not sure it's necessary for Tom to be a signatory on the farm account, even though Pat thinks it's a good idea.

Helen and Leon get a chance to talk properly, and she mentions Annette. Leon senses she's nervous and asks about her past. When Helen tells him about Greg, surprised Leon apologises for pushing for information.

Back at his flat, Leon flatters Helen but she's taken by surprise when he kisses her and asks her to stay over. Out of her comfort zone, Helen tells him it's a kind offer but she really must go home.

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00m0ybx)
Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson.

Victoria Wood joins Mark Lawson to talk about the new performance of her play Talent, first performed in 1979. Set backstage at Bunter's niteclub, Julie and her fat friend Maureen are waiting for their chance to win the talent competition.

Film critic Matt Thorne assesses Quentin Tarantino's new film Inglourious Basterds, a thriller set in Nazi-occupied France and starring Brad Pitt as the captain of a troupe of Jewish-American renegades fighting behind enemy lines.

Brothers Conn and David Iggulden discuss the book they wrote together, The Dangerous Book Of Heroes. It's a follow-up to The Dangerous Book For Boys, which Conn co-wrote with another of his brothers, Hal. They talk about the process of writing together, explain their reasons for the book and consider the qualities that make a hero.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00m0v38)
Katie Hims - Five Wedding Dresses

True Love

Series of dramas by Katie Hims about brides dressing for wedding ceremonies and the significance and symbolism of the dress itself.

Maggie's dress is so beautiful she can't bear to take it off.

Maggie ...... Olivia Colman
Eric ...... Trystan Gravelle
Air Steward ...... Gunnar Cauthery

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


MON 20:00 A Moment Too Soon (b00l54wj)
Vivienne Parry talks to the doctors, researchers and parents involved in, and who have experienced, pre-term birth to find out how the UK is going to cope with its premature future.

Premature birth in the UK is costing the NHS an estimated extra one billion pounds a year, causing distress and challenges to families and doctors, but science in many cases still does not seem to know why seven per cent of babies in the UK are born prematurely.


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b00m9jff)
VenIran

Apart from being oil producers, Venezuela and Iran seemingly have little in common, but over the last five years they have grown increasingly close. The relationship has caused a good deal of international disquiet. Rumours abound about uranium sales and terrorist cells, but the Venezuelan government denies the claims and insists that it is all about economic development. Linda Pressly sifts the evidence in Caracas.


MON 21:00 Why Do the British Love Wildlife? (b008m7zk)
Francesco Da Mosto leaves his native Italy to explore the apparent special relationship between the British and the natural world. From buzzards to hedgehogs or dormice to snails, we seem to love them all, but why? Francesco discovers that the answer seems to lie in the 19th century.


MON 21:30 Peston and the Money Men (b00m0z1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00m0ydg)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00m0yrr)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

Will Afghanistan's elections do much for the rule of law and women's rights?

The hijacked cargo ship, Arctic Sea, is found.

The limits to athletic speed.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00lrqhw)
Travels Through France and Italy

Episode 1

Roger Allam reads from the 1766 travel memoir by Tobias Smollett. He and his wife set off on a long journey, determined to see France and Italy, but was rarely happy with what he found there.

The road from Dover to Calais provides endless opportunity to be lodged uncomfortably, fed indifferent food and robbed on every occasion.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b00lyfm6)
The dentist's chair, the taxi rear seat, the hairdresser's salon; just what are the rules of conversational engagement for these everyday encounters? Chris Ledgard goes for a ride, a trim and a filling to find out.


MON 23:30 Lives in a Landscape (b00f9k6n)
Series 4

Five Units on Fazeley Street

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today.

Alan Dein meets the diverse group of people that work in the units of Birmingham's Fazeley Street industrial estate, where every unit tells a story.

As the sun rises over this ramshackle grouping of canalside workshops, warehouses and offices, an unexpected array of characters set about their diverse businesses. Whatever their line, industry is very firmly the name of the game here. At 7.30am sharp, workaholic Roger opens up Clifton Steel and starts his daily rounds checking stock. Surveying his vast stockyard and reflecting on life in the steel business, he proudly proclaims, 'I'm an industrialist'.

Next door, young Adam is starting his first car window tinting job of the day, a blue VW. Heatgun in hand, he talks of the skill required to do it properly, declaring, 'I'm an artist'. Upstairs, solitary Derek - a real Mr Fixit - is slowly but assiduously drilling 300 precision steel components, alone in his workshop save for the accompaniment of classical music.

Their businesses are different but their hopes and fears strikingly similar. They talk of the influence of their fathers - for good or ill - their fears for the future and their pride in a job well done.

But as night settles and the industry ceases, Fazeley Street shifts gear. Adam finishes his last tint of the day, Derek drills his final hole and next door a group of 20 African evangelists don white gowns and prepare to praise God, while slick young rockers Copter rehearse at full volume for their next gig.



TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2009

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0rdh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00m82z8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rmx)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0rzr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rpk)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0s51)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00m0s7w)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00m0sf1)
One hundred conservation groups, led by the RSPB, are calling for a fundamental review of how police handle wildlife crime. They say there is insufficient manpower and funding and inconsistencies across forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wildlife crime includes attcks on birds of prey and bats but the groups say it is put to the back of the queue. Charlotte Smith hears about cases that have collapsed, which the RSPB blames on the shortfall, and how likely a review is to happen.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00m0sq6)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Evan Davis.

Editor of technology website and magazine ZDNet Rupert Goodwins discusses whether more can be done to make online transactions safe.

CWU leader Billy Hayes considers how the disagreement over cuts to Royal Mail jobs and services could be resolved.

Julian Radcliffe of the Art Loss Register explains what could have happened to stolen diamonds in a 40 million pound raid on a London jewellery store.

Reporter Paola Buonadonna visits Poundbury to discover whether local residents agree with Prince Charles's idea of good architecture.

Ian West of the RSPB says the performance of UK police forces on wildlife crime is inconsistent.

Wes Streeting, of the National Union of Students, and Nicholas Barr, of the London School of Economics, discuss whether student debt is at the right level.

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson discusses whether there is a useful comparison between zombies and swine flu.

Thought for the day with the novelist and columnist Anne Atkins.

Former CIA officer Robert Baer and former ambassador Sir Richard Dalton discusses the fate of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Ian Pannell reports from Kabul on widespread corruption ahead of elections in Afghanistan.

John Thornhill, chairman of the Magistrates' Association, discusses on-the-spot fines for careless driving.

BBC historian Jean Seaton and biographer Andrew Lownie discuss the BBC career of the spy Guy Burgess.

David McKittrick, of The Independent, explains the history of the Real IRA.

Former England captain Will Carling and sports writer Oliver Holt of the Daily Mirror discuss a year in rugby which has already included drug-allegations and eye-gouging.

Reporter Zubeida Malik describes her correspondence with a teacher from Mingora who describes what life was like for her and other women in Pakistan under Taliban rule.

Ruth Davison, director of the National Housing Federation, says even a small reduction in rental income could have a big impact on their programme for more social housing.

Simon Calder, travel editor of the Independent, discusses examples of airports being not quite in the centre of the city they are named after.


TUE 09:00 Fry's English Delight (b00m15v8)
Series 2

Speaking Proper

Stephen Fry explores the highways and byways of the English language.

It may be that elocution classes for children are being replaced with 'presentation skills' courses for adults, but we still see effective communication as the key to success. Stephen announces a field day for pedants in his investigation into what nowadays counts as 'speaking proper'.


TUE 09:30 Lost, Stolen or Shredded (b00m17q8)
Series 2

The Lost Career of Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Series of programmes in which antiquarian book dealer Rick Gekoski tells the stories that lie behind five very different missing works of art.

Architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh is internationally celebrated as one of the most significant talents of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. His creative genius and contribution to modern architecture and design is unquestioned, with his design for the Glasgow School of Art undoubtedly his masterpiece. But commissions were few and support for his work limited.

Rick examines Mackintosh's life and work and asks why he received so little support during his lifetime.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00m82yr)
My Father's Places

Episode 2

Sian Thomas reads from Aeronwy Thomas' memoir of her childhood in Laugharne on the south Wales coast with her father, Dylan Thomas, and mother Caitlin.

While her father composes Under Milk Wood in the garden shed, Aeronwy makes as much noise as she can outside.

Abridged by Jane Marshall

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0tzh)
Cath Kidston on her success; Philippa Gregory on The White Queen

Designer Cath Kidston on retro chic and its continuing success. Plus, author Philippa Gregory on The White Queen Elizabeth Woodville; and the origins of the demon child.


TUE 11:00 Nature (b00m17qb)
Series 3

Episode 1

Brett Westwood encounters the large blue butterfly on the Somerset Downs, which was reintroduced 25 years ago after being declared extinct in 1979. It has become established there with the help of scientists who have unravelled its bizarre, carnivorous life cycle. The large blue's caterpillar spends most of its life in the nests of ants who milk it for its sweet honeydew, but as Brett discovers, the ants get more than they bargained for.


TUE 11:30 With Great Pleasure (b00m17qd)
Stuart Maconie

Guest performers select their favourite pieces of writing.

Writer and DJ Stuart Maconie presents a selection of favourite verse and prose illustrating some personal memories, in front of an audience at the Latitude Festival. The readers are Michael Maloney and Lucy Briers.

Stuart has a wide-ranging fan base thanks to his eclectic body of work; in addition to having written several books on music and travel, he is a frequent contributor to magazines including the Radio Times, a regular guest on television programmes and an established part of the radio schedules on Radio 2 and 6 Music.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00m0vqz)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00m0vt2)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00m0vxv)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


TUE 13:30 Luting the Past (b00m17qg)
Celebrated soprano Emma Kirkby tells the story of a unique musical instrument, a 400 year old lute whose ancient wood presents a vivid window into a golden age of music making.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00m0w08)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00bw01g)
The Highest Tide

Jim Lynch's coming-of-age adventure story set on the Pacific Coast, adapted by Rebecca Trick-Walker.

Thirteen-year-old Miles escapes the fallout of his parents' impending divorce by taking his kayak out on the mudflats at night, looking for rare sea creatures to sell to the local aquarium. One night, he comes across a remarkable sight.

Miles ...... Forrest Landis
Florence ...... Katherine Helmond
Angie ...... Missy Yager
Professor Kramer ...... David Selby
Mom ...... Shannon Cochran
TV Reporter ...... Kirsten Potter

Directed by Kate McAll.


TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00m17qj)
A good night's sleep is one of life's simple pleasures, and a lack of sleep can cause all sorts of problems from simple irritation to dramatic hallucinations. Give a thought, then, to animals who are often on the go for long periods of time. Do they suffer from sleep deprivation or have they developed ways of avoiding the consequences of too little rest?

Sadly, many of the UK's rivers carry a burden of rubbish, plastics, supermarket trolleys and the like. Is there, you ask, a system that filters out this debris and stops it heading out to see, or will those floating plastic bottles one day make it to the ocean?

Plus the puzzle of the water-smooth pebbles buried deep in a clay bed, the possible fishery-protection role of windfarms and when will new types of new energy production technologies be up and running?

Answering theSE questions are marine biologist Prof Graham Underwood, alternative energy expert Dr Nick Riley and Prof Philip Stott. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?


TUE 15:30 Pavilion Pieces (b00m175f)
The Prince's Favourite

Written by Emma Barnes. Not long after the death of George IV, a group of visitors are given a tour of the Brighton Pavilion by a servant of the Royal Household. Mr Hodges takes no particular interest in the group until the oldest of the party, a dowdy spinster, drops some remarks which suggest she is less respectable than she seems. Her sister, she reveals, had a connection with the Prince Regent. As the Prince was a notorious womaniser, Mr Hodges immediately scents the whiff of scandal.

As they proceed through the marvels of the Pavilion, the old lady seems to be searching for something, beyond the many artefacts on display. Mr Hodges is so curious that he allows her access to the private Royal Apartments, in the hope of discovering more about her and her mysterious sister. The revelation, when it comes, takes Mr Hodges completely by surprise.

Read by Claire Skinner

Producer/Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:45 Tea and Biscuits (b00m5qjb)
Episode 2

Hardeep Singh Kohli joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

After you give blood at one of the National Blood Service Centres, tea and biscuits are on the menu to restore the donors. Hardeep meets those about to offer their own life-giving liquid, and enjoy the warm offering afterwards.

A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b00m17ql)
The Plain English Campaign is 30 years old this summer, but are they champions of common sense and clarity, or a self-appointed censor? Chris Ledgard talks to their founder and gets some lessons in language.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b00m17y6)
Series 19

John Cornford

Matthew Parris presents the biographical series in which his guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.

George Galloway chooses British poet and political activist John Cornford, who died at the age of 21 fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War. Professor Stan Smith joins in the discussion.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00m0xt4)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0xwq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Laurence & Gus: Hearts and Minds (b00m17y8)
Series 2

Episode 6

Comic sketches starring Laurence Howarth and Gus Brown.

Sketches on the theme of 'Remembering and Forgetting'.

With Duncan Wisbey, Isy Suttie and Kate Fleetwood.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00m0vzt)
Ian and Kenton are in the shop. Annette tells them she doesn't think Helen's date went well, as she didn't stay over at Leon's. Ian tells Annette that isn't obligatory on a first date, but Annette says Leon might think Helen doesn't like him. Kenton and Ian agree they're glad they aren't young any more.

Pat tells Helen that Tony isn't keen on Tom and Helen being farm account signatories but she's sorted it - he's outvoted. Later, Pat calls in on exhausted Peggy. Pat says they went away in the wrong week. Peggy doesn't know what she'll do if they can't find another carer.

Kenton goes with Jim to a vintage car showroom. They end up deciding on a sky blue Riley. They're late back at Jaxx, so Jim calls Naomi with an elaborate excuse for Kenton.

Ian and Helen have lunch together and talk about Helen's date. Annette's already given Ian the lowdown. Helen thinks Leon will reckon she's a neurotic freak after she bolted. Ian says if Leon's as nice as he sounds, he'll call.

Later, Helen tells Annette not to gossip about her. Helen's phone rings. It's Leon, asking her out again. She's delighted, but Annette mustn't breathe a word to anyone.

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00m0y9f)
Dialect coach Penny Dyer gives Mark Lawson a masterclass in speaking with an accent, explaining that using physicality and imagination is as important as using one's ears.

Three Glasgow crime writers, Craig Russell, Caro Ramsay, and Denise Mina, discuss how they each go about setting their stories in the same hometown.

Poet and playwright Liz Lochhead reviews The Enlightenments, Edinburgh International Festival's celebration of 18th-century Scottish intellectual and aesthetic ideals.

Film critic Andrew Collins assesses Afterschool, a new film which explores the effect of the torrent of modern media on American schoolchildren.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00m0vh7)
Katie Hims - Five Wedding Dresses

The Rescue

Series of dramas by Katie Hims about brides dressing for wedding ceremonies and the significance and symbolism of the dress itself.

Lauren resorts to drastic measures to stop her sister getting married.

Lauren ...... Bethany Filler
Dwayne ...... Verelle Roberts
Charlene ...... Jade Williams
Jackie ...... Elaine Lordan
Patrick ...... Alex Lanipekun

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


TUE 20:00 It's My Story (b00m15s8)
Father Farewell

Since the age of 16, Tinu Adeniji Adele has shared her life with the Radio 4 audience, including her quest to meet the Nigerian father she never knew. Finally reunited in 2002, she confronted him with many questions and began to come to terms with her Nigerian legacy.

She faces the realisation that she is both a London girl and a true Princess of Lagos. Returning to the bustle of Lagos, she now marks his passing and closes a chapter of her life.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00m18n1)
Pakistan's blind cricketers are the reigning world champions and were due to be in England playing a four-game series. They were invited by Blind Cricket England and Wales, but the team's visa applications have been rejected. The UK Border Agency says it did not have sufficient evidence to be convinced the players would return to Pakistan once the tour was over. The BBC's correspondent in Islamabad, Aleem Maqbool, tells us what happened, and we talk to Ian Martin from the England and Wales Cricket Board about the repercussions.

Audiobooks: who decides which titles make it onto audio? We put listeners' questions to Ali Muirden of the Audio Book Publishers Association and to Chris McKee, managing director of Audible.co.uk.


TUE 21:00 Case Notes (b00m18n3)
Blood Clots

Up to 25,000 hospital patients die every year in England, of which only around 1,500 are from hospital superbugs. Doctors at King's College hospital in London are leading the way in trying to cut the number of deaths by assessing the risk to surgical patients and giving preventative treatments.

Dr Mark Porter hears from patients who have had clots in their legs travel up to their lungs, known as a pulmonary embolism, and finds out what you should do to prevent risk if you end up in hospital.


TUE 21:30 Forbidden Families (b00cxr1k)
Anne Askew

Bettany Hughes tells the stories of remarkable women denied their families by the march of history.

Destined to live the life of a rural housewife in Tudor England, Anne Askew married and had two children. But a new religious faith, Protestantism, came between her and her staunchly Catholic husband.

Her new-found faith tore her family apart, causing her to leave her children to follow her God and to enter the deadly games of the Tudor court. Bettany follows her transformation from mother to martyr.

Image: The Protestant martyrs Anne Askew, John Lascelles and others about to be burnt at the stake at Smithfield, with a large crowd surrounding them; illustration to John Foxe's, 'Acts and Monuments' ('Book of Martyrs'). Woodcut with letterpress. British, 16th century. © The Trustees of the British Museum.


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00m0ybz)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00m0ydj)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

The IMF says global economic recovery has begun.

A US senator tells us why the Lockerbie bomber should not be released.

The man who took direct action on punctuation.

Corby council appeals against a ruling that it is responsible for children's birth defects.

The BBC learns of vote selling in Afghanistan, but is some democracy better than none?


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00m0yrt)
Travels Through France and Italy

Episode 2

Roger Allam reads from the 1766 travel memoir by Tobias Smollett. He and his wife set off on a long journey, determined to see France and Italy, but was rarely happy with what he found there.

It seems impossible to find the right kind of coach in France, and Smollett is unimpressed with both Versailles and Paris fashion.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 Heresy (b00c1fd6)
Series 5

Episode 6

Victoria Coren chairs the programme which challenges established ideas. The panellists are Arthur Smith, Michael Bywater and David Mitchell.


TUE 23:30 The Hollow Men (b0089k4c)
Series 2

Episode 3

Comic sketch show written and performed by David Armand, Rupert Russell, Sam Spedding and Nick Tanner, with Katy Brand.



WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2009

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0rdk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00m82yr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rmz)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0rzt)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rpm)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0s53)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00m0s7y)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00m0sf3)
People in rural market towns often talk of the 'Tesco Effect': the impact on small high street shops when one of the big supermarkets moves in. Saxmundham in Suffolk fought off plans for a Tesco, and subsequently got a Waitrose. Now some high-end traders there say that the 'Waitrose Effect' is having a marked impact on their businesses.


WED 06:00 Today (b00m0sq8)
With John Humphrys and Evan Davis. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Between Ourselves (b00m195y)
Series 4

Episode 3

Olivia O'Leary presents the series which brings together two people who have had profound and similar experiences, to hear their individual stories and compare the long-term effects on each of their lives.

Olivia talks to two chefs about their careers: Michael Caines, a Michelin-starred chef who lost his right arm in a car accident, and Irish chef Darina Allen, who runs the famous Ballymaloe cookery school in Cork. They reveal their worst days in the kitchen - involving an undercooked duck and a temperamental French chef with a cold - and discuss how fine restaurants can survive in the recession.


WED 09:30 Very Amazing: Behind the Scenes at the V and A (b00m19m2)
Episode 3

Rosie Goldsmith goes behind the scenes at London's Victoria and Albert Museum as it attempts to transform itself from 'the nation's attic' to a 'very amazing' modern museum.

Rosie goes backstage to examine the concept of the blockbuster exhibition.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00m82yt)
My Father's Places

Episode 3

Sian Thomas reads from Aeronwy Thomas' memoir of her childhood in Laugharne on the south Wales coast with her father, Dylan Thomas, and mother Caitlin.

When life gets too much at the Boat House for the young Aeronwy, she finds sanctuary with her grandmother at the Pelican.

Abridged by Jane Marshall.

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0tzk)
Trunks v swimming shorts; Ariana Franklin

Male swimwear debated. Plus, author Ariana Franklin on her feisty female sleuth; and what needs to be done to help Asian women into work?


WED 11:00 Written in Stone (b00lyfl3)
Llewelyn Morgan tells the story of how an ancient stone inscription came to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul.

The journey that the Rabatak Inscription took is a tale of determination and bravery, passing through the hands of an Afghan warlord called Sayad Jafar Naderi, British archaeologist Jonathan Lee and also the Taliban. It is now the job of Omar Khan Masoudi, director of the National Museum, to keep it safe and reunite it with other Afghan treasures that are currently abroad.

The programme explores the lengths to which people have gone to protect the archaeological and cultural heritage of Afghanistan, and the role that history may play in the country's future.


WED 11:30 Ayres on the Air (b00m19m6)
Series 3

Passion

How to get all loved up. Poetry and sketches from Pam Ayres. With Felicity Montagu and Geoffrey Whitehead. From August 2009.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00m0vr1)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00m0vt4)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00m0vxx)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00m1dn9)
Media Studies courses have once again had a bad press recently, with the Conservatives advocating that schools should score fewer points in league tables for passes in 'soft' A Level subjects like this. Is it really a soft option and what do people in the business actually make of it?

The BBC has received 200 complaints after George Alagiah was told to step down as patron of the Fairtrade Foundation charity. Most of these are keen to see him reinstated. In the week that the first of his programmes on the Future of Food was aired, we ask if the BBC was right to ask George Alagiah to relinquish his patronage over their concerns about impartiality? What do the public pleas to reinstate him tell us about how the viewers see the BBC's duty to be impartial? And where does the notion of journalistic professionalism start and end?

To coincide with the start of a new series of The X Factor, Oxo is launching a new advertising campaign, asking the public to make their own 'Oxo family' advert. The programme asks whether user-generated content is the future of advertising. How successful will Oxo be in getting members of the public to make their own ads? And what happens when advertisers hand over creative control to 'the great unwashed'?


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00m0vzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b009y1st)
Hudson and Pepperdine Save the Planet

Comedy about climate change and how to combat it. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has set up a working party from within the broadcasting industries to brainstorm solutions to the current crisis. Hudson and Pepperdine are on the the Comedy sub-list, above the Chuckle Brothers, but below Jimmy Carr.

Can Hudson and Pepperdine save the planet? Can they even get to the first meeting? More importantly, will they be back in time for the school run?

Mel/Lily Allen/Vanessa Feltz ...... Mel Hudson
Vicki ...... Vicki Pepperdine
Announcer/Bus driver/Phil ...... Felix Dexter
Marina/Carol Smillie ...... Samantha Holland
Russell T Davies ...... Rupert Degas
Bruce Parry ...... Dave Lamb
Rob/Policeman/DCMS Minister ...... Ben Crowe.


WED 15:00 Money Box (b00m0gr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


WED 15:30 Pavilion Pieces (b00m17ft)
The Indian Hospital

Written by Kellie Jackson

It is 1915 and Brighton's Royal Pavilion is transformed into a hospital for Indian Soldiers. A goodwill visit from the King and Queen has a disturbing impact on two young Gurkha brothers.

Read by Judy Parfitt

Producer/Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 15:45 Tea and Biscuits (b00m5qjd)
Episode 3

Hardeep Singh Kohli joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

John Chapple keeps thousands of bees in his garden and looks after hives all over London, from the Royal Parks to housetops in Hackney. But at least twice a day, everything stops for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Ringing a bell to alert his neighbour that the kettle is on the boil, John invites Hardeep to join him and neighbour Dennis in his daily ritual.

A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00m1nlh)
Personal Insecurity and Religious Belief - Oxford Admissions

Tom Rees has conducted research into religion and personal insecurity in 50 countries. Using figures on how much people pray and how unequal income is in each of them, he claims to have found evidence to show that the most religious societies are the most unequal, and concludes the inequality leads to religion. Is it fear and hardship that makes people of one country more religious than another, or is there a mysterious third factor that can explain why some nations pray so much more than others? Laurie Taylor talks to Tom Rees about his findings, and to sociologist of religion David Voas.

What are the key factors the underlie acceptance to Oxford University? New research explores the influence of cultural factors on the decisions that admissions tutors make at the elite university. After allowing for exam results and for cultural knowledge, Alice Sullivan tells Laurie that men were twice as likely to get a Science place than women and that some ethnic minorities faced an even greater disadvantage.


WED 16:30 Case Notes (b00m18n3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 17:00 PM (b00m0xt6)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0xws)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 The Odd Half Hour (b00m1nlk)
Series 1

Episode 3

Another chance to hear the sketch show for anyone who's beginning to find this exciting new century a bit too much like all the rubbish previous centuries.

Find out what it's like to own your own Hadron Collider and how a spelling mistake landed a man in court. Starring brilliant stand-up comedians, Stephen K Amos and Jason Byrne and the fantastic comic actors, Justin Edwards and Katherine Parkinson.

Produced by Alex Walsh-Taylor.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00m0vzw)
Alistair takes Jim to collect his new car. Jim thinks Alistair should be pleased. This is the last time he'll need a lift. Only until his new old car breaks down, says Alistair, who thinks it will be useless around the lanes of Borsetshire.

Tony thinks Jim's car is a cracker but is concerned about its restoration. A car like that needs constant maintenance and he doesn't think Jim knows much about it.

Joe finds Wayne wheezing badly in the bar at the Bull. Wayne insists he's feeling better and doesn't want to cause trouble for Sid and Jolene, so if Fallon tells him where his boots are, he'll be off. Fallon takes him back upstairs, insisting he stays there till he's better. He's proud she's a musician and believes it's in the blood.

Ed seeks Tony's advice on how to approach Borchester Land. Tony's advice is not to touch them with a bargepole. Ed feels deflated but Joe insists if anyone's got a right to the land round here, a Grundy has. The worst that can happen is BL says no, so Joe persuades Ed to grasp the nettle and have a word with Brian Aldridge.

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00m0y9h)
Mark Lawson presents a special edition from the Edinburgh Festival.

Alistair McGowan discusses returning to the Fringe for the first time in 10 years, both as an impressionist depicting the likes of Gordon Brown, Jo Brand, Michael Caine and David Beckham, and as an actor in a tribute to Noel Coward in which he appears with the singer Charlotte Page.

Rona Munro on her play The Last Witch, based on the account of Janet Horne, the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in Scotland.

Will Gompertz has switched his role as director of the Tate Gallery for a stint as a stand-up comedian who gives art lessons.

Bob Golding discusses his role as Eric Morecambe in a new play which charts the late comedian's life.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00m0vgz)
Katie Hims - Five Wedding Dresses

The Scarecrow

Series of dramas by Katie Hims about brides dressing for wedding ceremonies and the significance and symbolism of the dress itself.

Carla suddenly finds herself the object of attention for all the village men.

Carla ...... Claudie Blakley
Victor ...... Sam Dale
Darren ...... Benjamin Askew
Peter ...... Paul Rider

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


WED 20:00 The Atheist and the Bishop (b00m1nlm)
Episode 1

Series in which an atheist and a bishop come together to apply their own philosophies to the experiences of people they meet, with Jane Little chairing the discussion.

Public debates between those who believe in God and those who resolutely do not appear more polarised than ever, often obscuring central human questions about how we should live and how modern ethics should work.

In this programme, atheist philosopher Dr Miranda Fricker and Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the former Bishop of Oxford, tackle suffering and death.


WED 20:45 The Election Agent (b00m1nq9)
Episode 3

Shaun Ley finds out what really goes on behind the scenes of an election campaign. For 50 years election agents have been central figures in the political drama, but their profession is dying out. Shaun hears their stories.


WED 21:00 Nature (b00m17qb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 Between Ourselves (b00m195y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00m0yc1)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00m0ydl)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

The worst attack for months hits central Baghdad.

A-level results are due, but what should school leavers do in a recession?

Political pressure over Eurovision votes.

Afghan women discuss the election.

Lockerbie: the view from Libya.

Is running as addictive as heroin?


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00m0yrw)
Travels Through France and Italy

Episode 3

Roger Allam reads from the 1766 travel memoir by Tobias Smollett. He and his wife set off on a long journey, determined to see France and Italy, but was rarely happy with what he found there.

The horses in France seem uncontrollable; even more so when Smollet decides to demonstrate his blunderbuss.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 Dave Podmore's Ashes (b00m2z4q)
Comedy written and performed by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds, with Nick Newman.

While England's cricketers do battle with Australia, where is Dave Podmore, the game's laziest bits-and-pieces player, to be found?

Dave Podmore ...... Christopher Douglas
Andy Hamer ...... Andrew Nickolds

With Nicola Sanderson and Simon Greenall.

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:30 Kicking the Habit (b007w2w4)
Series 1

Barrow Rage

Comedy drama by Christopher Lee, set in a Carmelite monastery where the brown habit is no protection against the problems and temptations of the modern world.

Brother Luke's past continues to catch up with him and Father Athanasius' carbon footprint has an impact on the friary's weeding and watering policies.

Father Bertie ...... Alfred Molina
Brother Martin ...... Roy Dotrice
Father Michael ...... Martin Jarvis
Brother Luke ...... Darren Richardson
Mave ...... Rosalind Ayres
Gemma ...... Moira Quirk

Friars played by Kenneth Danziger and Alan Shearman

Directed by Pete Atkin.

A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4.



THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 2009

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0rdm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00m82yt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rn1)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0rzw)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rpp)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0s55)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00m0s80)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00m0sf5)
A three million-pound pot of money has been announced to help areas which are struggling in the current recession. While half our local authorities are rural, only six of the 57 to win funding are in the countryside. The Commission for Rural Communities says the way of allocating the money is unfair and skewed towards urban cities, and argue that rural villages are being left out.

Also in the programme, Charlotte Smith hears about the council-owned farm which local residents are fighting to save.


THU 06:00 Today (b00m0sqb)
With John Humphrys and Evan Davis. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 No Triumph, No Tragedy (b00m33n1)
Peter White talks to disabled people who have bucked the odds and achieved outstanding success in a variety of fields.

Peter interviews the blind Zimbabwean cricket commentator Dean du Plessis about his eventful journey from creating make-believe matches to commentating on real ones.

Dean uses his intimate knowledge of the foibles of the players and the sound effects of well-placed microphones around the grounds to inform and captivate radio and television audiences. But his broadcasts have also got him into trouble, and as one of the dwindling number of white people still in Zimbabwe, he has been and intimidated by Mugabe supporters for his outspoken comments.

Dean's career is not what those teaching him at South Africa's world-famous Worcester School for the Blind would have imagined. He admits he was an umpromising student, but he has relentlessly pursued what really interested him and is still building a career as a cricket pundit. He now has to make a decision about whether he can carry on living in Zimbabwe or whether he might have to leave the country of his birth in order to continue pursuing his dream.


THU 09:30 Islam, Mullahs and the Media (b00m36bg)
Episode 2

Writer Kenan Malik explores how perceptions of Islam have been shaped by the media.

Kenan explores the popular perception of Muslim women and compares the debate that surrounds the wearing of the hijab with that of hoodies. He talks to Maryam Namazie, spokesperson for One Law for All Campaign, an organisation that works against Sharia Law in Britain, and Greater London Authority culture tsar Munira Mirza.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00m82yw)
My Father's Places

Episode 4

Sian Thomas reads from Aeronwy Thomas' memoir of her childhood in Laugharne on the south Wales coast with her father, Dylan Thomas, and mother Caitlin.

Dylan flies out to America for the first of his tours, and Aeronwy and Caitlin settle into a new routine without him.

Abridged by Jane Marshall

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0tzm)
Speech Debelle; Domestic violence

Are the needs of men who have survived domestic violence the same as those of women? Plus, women's fight for tertiary education and rapper Speech Debelle performs live.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00m36bj)
Afghanistan

Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, many fear it is unwinnable. In response, the US-led international force has decided to adopt a counter-insurgency strategy, abandoning 40 years of military doctrine. It emphasises security and development for the civilian population rather than simply battling the Taliban.

Lyse Doucet investigates if the US army can embrace a radical new strategy and if it will be successful.


THU 11:30 Henry Cyril Paget: Lord of the Dance (b00m36bl)
As a child Sheila McClennon spent her summer holidays in Anglesey, where she became obsessed with the story of the Fifth Marquis, Henry Cyril Paget, an extravagant eccentric who converted the chapel at his stately home into a a theatre and spent enough to bankrupt the family in the space of six years.

His was a life of jaw-dropping excess. After the bankruptcy, a series of auctions held to recoup some of the money he had spent lasted several months and consisted of 17,000 lots, including some of the most lavish costumes in existence and jewels worth millions of pounds in today's money.

The family was keen to erase him from their history, and little has been known about him until now, as Sheila returns to the scene of her family holidays to find out more about the man dubbed by locals, 'The Mad Marquis'.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00m0vr3)
Consumer news and issues with Carolyn Atkinson. Including Face the Facts, presented by John Waite.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00m0vt6)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b00m0vy0)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


THU 13:30 Questions, Questions (b00m36bn)
Stewart Henderson answers those intriguing questions from everyday life.

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00m0vzw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b00m38hv)
Higher - Partners

The first of two plays chronicling the comic chaos of the Geography department at Hayborough University - ranked 132nd in the academic league table. When neurotic and emotionally stunted lecturer David Poll is delegated the task of finding partners in industry he blunders into a scheme which doesn't quite benefit the department. By Joyce Bryant

Karen..............Sophie Thompson
David..............Robert Daws
Jim...............Jonathan Keeble
Alannah.............Kathryn Hunt
Fiona...............Lisa Allen
Joselyn...............Natasha Byrne

Producer Gary Brown.


THU 15:00 Open Country (b00m0gd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00m0jv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Pavilion Pieces (b00m17fx)
Youthful Folly

By Sylvestra Le Touzel Teale.

The breaking of a cherished mirror, seems like an omen to Frances Hughes, fifty, and on tour at the Theatre Royal. Twenty eight years earlier, in Brighton, in love, and about to make her West End debut in a play with a cast three times her age, she had been captivated by her first visit to the Pavilion, which seemed to embody her dreams of glory and romance. Once again she is drawn to the baroque palace, and finds its fading splendour awakens old ghosts.

Read by Sophie Thompson

Producer/Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 15:45 Tea and Biscuits (b00m5qjg)
Episode 4

Hardeep Singh Kohli joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

The sounds of the waltz, jive and rumba bring couples to their feet as they glide round the ballroom. But it is the tea break when the conversation really flows, as Hardeep finds out when he visits the Bushey Tea Dance Club.

A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 16:00 Open Book (b00m0jw1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b00m40wd)
Quentin Cooper talks to Dr Mark Lythgoe, author of a study on the use of magnets and iron filings to guide stem cells to their intended site. As all the materials involved have had prior approval for use with patients, this development could mark a rapid step towards cinical trials and treatments.

Usain Bolt claims that he can beat his own sprint record, but just how fast is it possible for a human to run? Steve Haacke and Jan Magnus discuss their work in energy analysis and statistical modelling in attempts to pinpoint an unbeatable time.

As a red tide affects Cornwall and sea lettuce threatens Brittany, Dr Eileen Cox discusses algae blooms, their causes, effects and indications about the current state of the environment.

Formed 90 years ago, the International Astronomical Union gathers every three years to discuss the naming and classifications of celestial bodies, the wider cosmological agenda and how to tell the world, among other issues. Quentin speaks to Ian Robson, just back from the last IAU meeting in Rio, to find out what has been decided this time.


THU 17:00 PM (b00m0xt8)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0xwv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Electric Ink (b011kvmn)
Series 1

Episode 3

Editor Oliver wants Terry from Tottenham, as 'street boy' Freddy inadvertently breaks a top story in the Treasury.

Old hacks meet new media in Alistair Beaton’s satire set in the changing world of the newspaper industry.

Maddox ...... Robert Lindsay
Oliver ...... Alex Jennings
Amelia ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Tasneem ...... Zita Sattar
Masha ...... Debbie Chazen
Freddy ...... Ben Willbond
Announcer ...... Matt Addis

With additional material by Tom Mitchelson.

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00m0vzy)
It's early. Elizabeth feels like a naughty schoolgirl, weeding the memorial garden without permission, but as a member of the parish council Lynda 'grants' them both permission. Alan sees them but Lynda asks him to keep their little secret to himself. As all their clearing has left some gaps, Elizabeth suggests they use some cuttings from Lower Loxley. Lynda can't wait to get planting but won't be able to start until next week. Elizabeth wonders if anyone will even notice. Lynda agrees that most people walk around with their eyes closed.

Alan tells Jennifer that he doesn't think Peggy can manage with Jack. Jennifer's worried but she knows Peggy won't consider residential care.

Ed nervously tells Brian about Mike's idea for expanding their business. Brian thinks it's ambitious. Ed explains that Vicky's putting up the money but wonders if Borchester Land would rent them fifty acres. Brian tells Ed to put a formal proposal together. He'll table it for the board but is making no promises.

Jennifer doesn't think BL would be interested but Brian thinks it's a great advertisement for local enterprise and would win them brownie points in the community. BL could use a bit of good PR at the moment. So... who knows?

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00m0y9k)
Arts news and reviews with Kirsty Lang.

Director Kathryn Bigelow tells Kirsty Lang about The Hurt Locker, her new film focussing on the courage of US soldiers working in a bomb disposal squad, serving in Iraq.

Kirsty Lang looks at the rise in popularity of adventure books for children with authors Geraldine McCaughrean, David Miller and Graham Marks. They consider the influence of classics like Treasure Island and discuss whether adventure books have a role to play in a risk-averse culture.

Writer Bidisha reviews the latest album from the Arctic Monkeys, Humbug.

Daniel Barenboim is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra - his ensemble of young musicians from both sides of the Arab-Israeli divide - with two concerts at the Proms. The Late Night Prom includes Barenboim's violinist son Michael and his pianist protege Karim Said, nephew of the orchestra's co-founder, Edward. Michael and Karim explain the growing importance of classical music in the Middle East.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00m0vh1)
Katie Hims - Five Wedding Dresses

Janey's Big Day

Series of dramas by Katie Hims about brides dressing for wedding ceremonies and the significance and symbolism of the dress itself.

Janey is unprepared for quite how involved her mother is in her wedding plans.

Janey ...... Lizzy Watts
David ...... Hogan
Valerie ...... Caroline Guthrie

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


THU 20:00 The Report (b00m40wg)
Will Wind Energy Ever Take Off?

Within days of the government announcing its new renewable energy policy promising a massive expansion of wind power and the creation of 400,000 new jobs, the UK's only factory making wind turbine blades closed and put 600 people out of work. Simon Cox investigates whether Britain will ever develop a viable wind energy industry and how our European neighbours are profiting from our failures.


THU 20:30 In Business (b00m40wj)
Battery Power

The world may soon need huge supplies of the lightest metal, lithium, if plug-in cars really are a future replacement for the internal combustion engine. Half the world's supplies of lithium are high up in the Andes in the landlocked country of Bolivia. Peter Day asks if Bolivia really could become what experts are calling 'the Saudi Arabia of lithium'.


THU 21:00 A Problem With Noise (b00m42tw)
Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson investigates the man-made noise pollution which is becoming increasingly invasive in our lives and in our environment, affecting both humans and wildlife. He explores what noise is, the impact of man-made noise and the possible long-term consequences if we don't turn the volume down.

In the oceans, increasing levels of background noise is disrupting long-distance communication among whales. On land, studies of Great Tits have revealed how birds near busy roads sing at higher frequencies than those in nearby quieter woodlands.

In 1996 the European Commission issued a Green Paper which stated that an estimated 20 per cent of all EU citizens were exposed to noise levels that scientists and health experts considered to be unacceptable, at which most people become annoyed, sleep is disturbed and health may be at risk. Noise is a health issue as well as a nuisance. Recent studies have demonstrated excessive risks of hypertension in people living near airports, even when asleep.

Following the Green Paper, the European Commission issued a directive for member states to map noise levels of major cities. Today, noise, like air and water pollution, is an environmental issue which governments and policy makers cannot ignore.

Chris discovers that education is the first step in taking personal responsibility when he explores the potential damage of exposure to loud music in public venues or on personal listening devices.


THU 21:30 No Triumph, No Tragedy (b00m33n1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b00m0yc3)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00m0ydn)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

The Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi returns to Libya.

The latest news from the Afghan elections.

A report on the American healthcare row.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00m0yry)
Travels Through France and Italy

Episode 4

Roger Allam reads from the 1766 travel memoir by Tobias Smollett. He and his wife set off on a long journey, determined to see France and Italy, but was rarely happy with what he found there.

It is snowing in the south of France, which gives Smollett only one option - to head to Italy. Will the Italians impress him more than the French? It seems unlikely.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00dgjn6)
Series 1

Phill Jupitus

Marcus Brigstocke invites Phill Jupitus to try new experiences.


THU 23:30 Will Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac (b007wh7j)
Episode 4

Jersey-born comedian Will Smith continues his obsession with 1980s BBC TV detective series Bergerac.

He's using an audio book of its star, John Nettles, reading the Tao, to navigate the minefield of his life, with the help of a special guest.

How Will is wondering how he can defend his machismo when he is scared of his builders.

With Ewan Bailey, John Nettles, Dan Tetsell, Roger Drew and Rachel Bavidge.

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2007.



FRIDAY 21 AUGUST 2009

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00m0rdp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00m82yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rn3)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00m0rzy)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00m0rpr)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00m0s57)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00m0s82)
Daily prayer and reflection with Monsignor Tony Rogers.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00m0sf7)
One of the country's major soft fruit firms has gone into administration, leaving farmers in the lurch. Charlotte Smith hears how turning his fields over to pick-your-own has helped one blueberry grower who has lost his contract.


FRI 06:00 Today (b00m0sqd)
Presented by Edward Stourton and John Humphrys.

Caroline Wyatt reports on how many Afghans defied the Taliban to vote in the elections.

Correspondent Jonah Fisher examines allegations that new 800m world champion Caster Semenya is not a woman.

Sandra Horley, of Refuge, reflects on the latest step in the government's reform of the law on domestic violence.

Reporter Andrew Hosken examines whether the AA has come up with a 'credible' alternative to replace fines imposed by private enforcers.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and lawyer Tony Kelly discuss the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Simon Jack reports from Calais on why cheap alcohol retailers are struggling to stay afloat.

Thought for the day with The Right Reverend Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark.

Professor Les Ebdon, of Universities UK, discusses whether there is a lack of places at university after a record year for applications.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband discusses whether it was right to release Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Film critic James Christopher and Matt Little, of the Royal Marines Museum, discuss whether the new Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds, accurately depicts the truth of war.

Daniel Barenboim tells Edward Stourton about the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Former vice-president of the Lehman Brothers bank Larry McDonald - who left in the run-up to its collapse - discusses what he calls a colossal failure of common sense.

Oil analyst Dr Manouchehr Takin discusses the effect of the release of the Libyan man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing on UK-Libya relations.

Olympic medal winner Roger Black and former 200m world record holder Michael Johnson explains how Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt is able to be so much quicker than his competitors.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00m0jvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00m82yy)
My Father's Places

Episode 5

Sian Thomas reads from Aeronwy Thomas' memoir of her childhood in Laugharne on the south Wales coast with her father, Dylan Thomas, and mother Caitlin.

The cracks in Dylan and Caitlin's marriage begin to show and Aeronwy feels the effects.

Abridged by Jane Marshall.

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00m0tzp)
Richard Pankhurst; Celibacy; The West Eastern Divan Orchestra

Dr Richard Pankhurst on the famous women in his family. Plus, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at 10; and why do some people choose to become celibate?


FRI 11:00 How to Write an Instruction Manual (b00m4470)
Engineer Mark Miodownik presents an instruction manual on how to write an instruction manual, exploring the history and the future of product guides and how they chart our changing relationship with technology.

He looks at how product guides have changed over the centuries, from the very first examples, written by James Watt on his new 'copying' machine, to the latest Ikea pictograms.

In the first half of the 20th century, manuals not only described how to use your television, but also how to fix it. Now, the first few pages of any TV manual contain stern health and safety warnings about the dangers of tinkering inside the TV.

Mark travels to Yeovil to visit Mr Haynes, of Haynes car and motorcycle manuals, to ask whether people still need a manual to fix their vehicle. As our products get more sophisticated, is the instruction manual becoming extinct?


FRI 11:30 Cabin Pressure (b00m4472)
Series 2

Limerick

In the last of the series, an interminable flight with a very baffling cargo gives our crew the opportunity to pass the time by alternately opening their hearts up to each other and persuading Arthur not to play charades...

Starring
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ..... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ..... Roger Allam
Capt. Martin Crieff ..... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ..... John Finnemore

Written by John Finnemore.

Produced & directed by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00m0vr5)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00m0vt8)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00m0vy2)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


FRI 13:30 More or Less (b00m44rq)
Tim Harford and the team test the reliability of swine flu data and speak to one of the creators of the 'financial weapons of mass destruction' which, two years ago, led to the credit crisis.

An Open University co-production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00m0vzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00m44rs)
Higher - Series 2

Higher - Inspection

The second comedy about the Geography department at Hayborough University. Where if you have a pulse you can have a degree. In these straightened times there have to be cuts. So it does seem a bit of a coincidence that when David Poll is earmarked for disciplinary measures leading to possible dismissal the Quality Assurance Inspectorate turns up.

Karen.............Sophie Thompson
David..............Robert Daws
Jim..............Jonathan Keeble
Maura..............Maggie Fox
Sadie..............Fiona Clarke
Dick...............Malcolm Raeburn

Produced by Gary Brown.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00m44rv)
Peter Gibbs chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Pippa Greenwood, Bob Flowerdew and Bunny Guinness answer questions posed by members of Much Marcle, near Ledbury in Herefordshire.

Bunny draws inspiration from a medieval knot garden, adapting forgotten gardening techniques to the modern kitchen garden, and Bob wanders the ancient woodland of Hallwood, investigating the wealth of native British trees. Also, Peter gives his definitive guide to micro-climates, with examples from the Hereford area.

Including Gardening weather forecast.


FRI 15:45 Tea and Biscuits (b00m5qjj)
Episode 5

Hardeep Singh Kohli joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Specialist palliative care is offered at the Peace Hospice, and on the social side that includes the chance to chat over a cup of tea and a biscuit. Hardeep joins the patients, staff and volunteers.

A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00m44rx)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series.

Matthew Bannister talks to former Ambassador Warwick Morris and journalist Donald Kirk about Former President of South Korea, Kim Dae Jung.

He also talks to musician and friend of Mike Seeger, Ry Cooder, and hears from fellow folk musician Martin Carthy.

Former football managers Terry Venables and Tommy Docherty, and Chelsea Football Club historian, Rick Glanville discuss the former Chelsea chairman, Brian Mears.

Last Word hears from miller and friend of Heritage architect Kenneth Major, Mildred Cookson.

Hildegard Behrens was a German soprano who was widely regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerians of her generation and who dominated the role of Brunnhilde throughout the 1980s and 90s.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00m44rz)
Pedro Almodovar explains why he remade Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown as part of his new film, Broken Embraces. The outlandish comedy was Pedro's breakthrough hit in the 1980s and the director describes the profound effects of turning the clock back 20 years.

97-year-old cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky looks back at a career that took him from mining documentaries to Get Carter.

Mark Gatiss buffs up another neglected gem of British cinema.

Critic Jane Graham struts her stuff on the subject of dance in the movies.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00m0xtb)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00m0xwx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 I Guess That's Why They Call It The News (b00m44s1)
Episode 1

Fred MacAulay chairs a topical panel show in which two teams play games inspired by the week's headlines. The show asks both the big and the little questions, and provides thoroughly silly answers to both.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00m0w00)
Sid's convinced that Wayne and Eddie nicked two bottles of vodka last night. Wayne's mortified to learn of Sid's suspicion. Fallon thinks Wayne should stay until he's finished his course of antibiotics. Jolene's surprised. She thought Fallon wanted to see the back of him. Fallon just doesn't want him to end up back at square one. Jolene's desperate for Fallon to get to know her dad better.

When Sid realises he's mistaken about the vodka, Jolene says he must apologise to Wayne. She thinks Eddie's visit perked Wayne up. He should be out of their hair soon.

Alan proudly shows Usha his tent and camp beds but while out shopping with Ruth, Usha can't resist buying a new airbed. Usha's still apprehensive about camping. Ruth reminds her that she's doing it to thank Alan for being at her side when she trained for the marathon and was too scared to go out on her own. Usha accepts that she's returning the favour, so she'll smile, be jolly and pretend that she's having the most wonderful time. Ruth says Usha might even enjoy it. Usha asks if that's a flying pig floating past the window.

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00m0y9m)
Arts news and reviews with Kirsty Lang.

Mark Billingham reviews TV drama Gunrush, starring Timothy Spall as a father driven to take the law into his own hands after his daughter is shot dead.

The British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap talks about her new album and why she recently bid 10 million pounds on ebay for a missing promotional copy.

Film critic Jason Solomon reports on whether director James Cameron's new 3D film Avatar will change the face of cinema forever.

Kirsty Lang talks to Orange Prize-winner Valerie Martin about her latest novel: a dark comedy that tells the story of an aspiring young actor and his friends as they struggle to make their mark in the theatre world of 1970s New York, simultaneously dealing with sexual and professional rivalries. The book also explores a moral dilemma: what exactly do you owe someone who saves your life?


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00m0vh3)
Katie Hims - Five Wedding Dresses

The Perfect Dress

Series of dramas by Katie Hims about brides dressing for wedding ceremonies and the significance and symbolism of the dress itself.

Nell loves the stories behind the second-hand wedding dresses she sells, until Julia tells her story.

Nell ...... Chipo Chung
Carla ...... Claudie Blakley
Eric ...... Trystan Gravelle
Julia ...... Rosalind Philips

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00m45d0)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Middle Wallop, Hampshire. The panellists are writer Kate Mosse, environmental campaigner Jonathon Porritt, writer and broadcaster James Delingpole and lawyer Mark Stephens.


FRI 20:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00m45d2)
Series 1

Faking Fossils

Sir David recalls a key moment in his life, when he broke open a piece of Leicestershire limestone and there in his hand was an ammonite.

Over the intervening years, fossils have fascinated him and he has become a great collector, even of the odd fake.

Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009


FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b00m45d4)
Flesh and Blood

Poignant drama by Gillies Mackinnon, set and recorded in Glasgow.

Three generations of men have continually failed to understand one another. Kenny's teenage son leaves home without explanation. Kenny does not tell his own elderly father, Roddy, who he visits every day. But the old man, an ex-cop, smells a rat, and is determined to find his only grandchild.

Kenny ...... Gary Lewis
Roddy ...... David Hayman
Callum ...... Anthony Martin
Fiona ...... Kate Donnelly
Luke ...... Scott McKay
Tony ...... Kenny Blyth
Mags ...... Natalie McConnon.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00m0yc5)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00m0ydq)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

Scotland prepares to recall Parliament for the Megrahi debate

General Motors to decide on their preferred buyer for Opel/Vauxhall

Going round in circles: it's only human.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00m0ys0)
Travels Through France and Italy

Episode 5

Roger Allam reads from the 1766 travel memoir by Tobias Smollett. He and his wife set off on a long journey, determined to see France and Italy, but was rarely happy with what he found there.

Having given Rome the most cursory of glances, Smollett thinks he will fare better in Florence. But with a broken carriage he is forced to walk the last five miles. And will the great city gates stay open to receive him?

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00m17y6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Listen Against (b008drpb)
Series 1

Episode 4

A cheeky round-up of a week's worth of BBC radio that never happened.

Rewinding and mangling real programmes from across the networks, Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes take liberties with Steve Wright, Woman's Hour and Eddie Mair.

The brain-child of writer, comic and broadcaster Jon Holmes.

Producer: Bill Dare and Jon Holmes

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2007.