SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 2009

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00n5w91)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00n8vvz)
The Defence of the Realm

Episode 5

Peter Firth reads from Christopher Andrew's history of the British Security Service, MI5.

Using material released by the organisation's archives to mark its centenary year, this charts MI5's successes and failures through the two World Wars, the Cold War and the complex modern world of counter-terrorism.

Bringing the story up to date.

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n5w93)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n5w95)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n5w97)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00n5w99)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n5w9c)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b00n5w9f)
The weekly interactive current affairs magazine featuring online conversation and debate.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00n5w9h)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00n6tc7)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (b00n6tc9)
Series 13

Northumberland - St Oswald's Way: Rothbury

Clare Balding walks the length of St Oswald's Way in Northumberland.

Former hill shepherd Russell Tait, Northumberland's answer to George Clooney, is Clare's guide as she walk's the fifth leg of the route from Rothbury to Simonside.

St Oswald's Way is a 97-mile route, running from Holy Island in the north, along the stunning Northumberland coast before heading inland to Heavensfield and Hadrian's Wall. The path links some of the places associated with St Oswald, the King of Northumbria in the early-seventh century, who played a major part in bringing Christianity to his people.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b00n6v43)
Farming Today This Week

Presented by Justin Webb and James Naughtie.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), have confirmed they are investigating the tax affairs of 27 MPs, following revelations from expenses claims. HMRC said it would not reveal the identities of the MPs involved or elaborate on what is being looked into. Political correspondent Adam Fleming explains the investigations.

SNP leader Alex Salmond is to outline details of his plan for the SNP to triple its representation at Westminster at the general election. Political correspondent Tim Reid reports from the party's conference in Inverness.

Legislation to provide compensation for people suffering from the asbestos-related condition, pleural plaques, has cleared the Commons. The Bill, put forward by Labour MP Andrew Dismore, will now be considered by the House of Lords. Parliamentary Correspondent, Mark D'Arcy, reports on Mr Dismore's year long fight for the legislation.

Ascension Island, a British territory that gained fame for its role in the Falklands War, is facing financial ruin because the Royal Air Force will not pay its tax bill. Ministers in London have been asked to intervene. Howard Peters, one of the island's seven councillors, discusses its financial predicament.

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has said his Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC), has 'disengaged; from the unity government over the treatment of his senior aide. Roy Bennett was released after two days in prison, but Mr Tsvangirai says the deal that was struck between his MDC and Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF has to be re-examined. Alex Vines, head of the Africa programme at the foreign affairs institute Chatham House, examines the political deadlock.

Foreign secretary, David Milliband, is appealing against a High Court ruling that secret information detailing the alleged torture of an ex-UK resident can be released. Ethiopian-born Binyam Mohamed, 31, who spent four years in Guantanamo Bay, claims the documents show that he was subjected to torture at the request of the CIA before he was moved to the detention camp, and that the British security services were aware of his torture. Kurt Volker, former US ambassador to Nato, discusses the implications of the ruling for future intelligence relations.

A new book by French linguist Claude Hagege, explores the death of languages. 25 languages die each year, threatening centuries of oral history and tradition. Mr Hagege examines the cultural impact of languages being permanently lost.

Thought for the day with Brian Draper, associate lecturer at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.

It has been a bloody week in Pakistan, with attacks in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore, which is seen as the 'beating heart' of Pakistan. In 12 days, at least 160 people have been killed. Analysts and politicians of the country have warned it is teetering on the edge of collapse, but how do ordinary Pakistanis live with this escalation of violence and do they feel that their country is falling apart? Reporter Zubeida Malik, has been talking to three people from Lahore about the attacks on their city, and Victoria Schofield, a close friend of the former Prime Minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, comments on the continuing violence pounding the country.

The bonus culture seems to have returned to the banking sector, with news this week that employees at investment bank Goldman Sachs are receiving big bonus pay-outs. Rolling Stone magazine's political reporter this week called Goldman Sachs a 'great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity.' Anatole Kaletsky, associate editor of the Times, and Sir George Cox, former director general of the Institute of Directors, discuss whether banking culture will ever change in the aftermath of the banking collapse.

The report on primary education this week raises fundamental questions about how the system in England works. The report criticised the system for being too narrow, and that children should not start school until they are six. An example of where two systems have worked is in Wandsworth, south London. Wandsworth council has joined forces with the French Lycee Charles de Gaulle in London. Children are taught for part of the week in English with an English primary school teacher and the rest of the week in French, with a French teacher. Mark Wolstencroft, head of the Wix Primary School, and Paul Marie Blanchard of the Lycee, explain how the system works.

A ruling this week by the Court of Appeal is the first time a person exposed to asbestos as a child at school has managed to win compensation. The court upheld a judgement that 49 year-old Dianne Willmore had been negligently exposed to asbestos as a child at school. She died a day after the ruling was made. Michael Lees, the husband of a woman who died of an asbestos related disease nine years ago, comments on the implications of the landmark ruling.

The question of 'super-injunctions' has been in the headlines aft


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00n6v45)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00n6v47)
Presented by Justin Webb and James Naughtie.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), have confirmed they are investigating the tax affairs of 27 MPs, following revelations from expenses claims. HMRC said it would not reveal the identities of the MPs involved or elaborate on what is being looked into. Political correspondent Adam Fleming explains the investigations.

SNP leader Alex Salmond is to outline details of his plan for the SNP to triple its representation at Westminster at the general election. Political correspondent Tim Reid reports from the party's conference in Inverness.

Legislation to provide compensation for people suffering from the asbestos-related condition pleural plaques has cleared the Commons. The Bill, put forward by Labour MP Andrew Dismore, will now be considered by the House of Lords. Parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy, reports on Mr Dismore's year-long fight for the legislation.

Ascension Island, a British territory that gained fame for its role in the Falklands War, is facing financial ruin because the Royal Air Force will not pay its tax bill. Ministers in London have been asked to intervene. Howard Peters, one of the island's seven councillors, discusses its financial predicament.

Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has said his Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC), has 'disengaged' from the unity government over the treatment of his senior aide. Roy Bennett was released after two days in prison, but Mr Tsvangirai says the deal that was struck between his MDC and Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF has to be re-examined. Alex Vines, head of the Africa programme at the foreign affairs institute Chatham House, examines the political deadlock.

Foreign secretary David Milliband is appealing against a High Court ruling that secret information detailing the alleged torture of an ex-UK resident can be released. Ethiopian-born Binyam Mohamed, 31, who spent four years in Guantanamo Bay, claims the documents show that he was subjected to torture at the request of the CIA before he was moved to the detention camp, and that the British security services were aware of his torture. Kurt Volker, former US Ambassador to Nato, discusses the implications of the ruling for future intelligence relations.

A new book by French linguist Claude Hagege explores the death of languages. Twenty-five languages die each year, threatening centuries of oral history and tradition. Mr Hagege examines the cultural impact of languages being permanently lost.

Thought for the Day with Brian Draper, Associate Lecturer at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.

It has been a bloody week in Pakistan, with attacks in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore, which is seen as the 'beating heart' of Pakistan. In 12 days, at least 160 people have been killed. Analysts and politicians in Pakistan have warned that it is teetering on the edge of collapse, but how do ordinary Pakistanis live with this escalation of violence and do they feel that their country is falling apart? Reporter Zubeida Malik has been talking to three people from Lahore about the attacks on their city, and Victoria Schofield, a close friend of the former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, comments on the continuing violence pounding the country.

The bonus culture seems to have returned to the banking sector, with news that employees at investment bank Goldman Sachs are receiving big bonus payouts. Rolling Stone magazine's political reporter has called Goldman Sachs a 'great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity'. Anatole Kaletsky, associate editor of The Times, and Sir George Cox, former director general of the Institute of Directors, discuss whether or not banking culture will ever change in the aftermath of the banking collapse.

The report on primary education this week raises fundamental questions about how the system in England works. The report criticised the system for being too narrow, and said that children should not start school until they are six. An example of where two systems have worked is in Wandsworth, south London. Wandsworth council has joined forces with the French Lycee Charles de Gaulle in London. Children are taught for part of the week in English with an English primary school teacher and the rest of the week in French, with a French teacher. Mark Wolstencroft, head of the Wix Primary School, and Paul Marie Blanchard of the Lycee, explain how the system works.

A ruling this week by the Court of Appeal is the first time a person exposed to asbestos as a child at school has managed to win compensation. The court upheld a judgement that 49-year-old Dianne Willmore had been negligently exposed to asbestos as a child at school. She died a day after the ruling was made. Michael Lees, the husband of a woman who died of an asbestos-related disease nine years ago, comments on the implications of the landmark ruling.

The question of 'super-injunctions' has been in the headlines afte


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00n6v49)
Real life stories in which listeners talk about the issues that matter to them.

Rev Richard Coles is joined by five-time Olympic gold medal winner Sir Steve Redgrave.

With poetry from Luke Wright.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00n6v4c)
The urge to visit the scene of a family member's wartime experiences often follows the realisation of what dangers they have been through. Journalist Tom Carver's father escaped from a prison camp in Italy in 1943 and went on the run behind German lines. Tom found himself tracking down the Italian family who had helped him and exploring the cave in the Abruzzi countryside where his father had hidden out. Julie Summers's grandfather was the senior British officer building the bridge on the River Kwai, and when she went there she found the real story very different from the image given in the famous film - most notably the fact that it is still in use.

John McCartthy also talks to Diego Torres, an award-winning tour guide from Ecuador, who explains that, although his country lies firmly on the Equator, it is far from being just Equatorial. It has a dazzling variety of landscapes from jungle to mountain plains, as well as the renowned Galapagos Islands.


SAT 10:30 Twice Ken is Plenty: The Lost Script of Kenneth Williams (b00mbkk2)
A special broadcast of a lost script written for Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams in 1966 by Horne and his ghost writer, Mollie Millest. Robin Sebastian and Jonathan Rigby take the lead roles as the two Kenneths, with contributions from Charles Armstrong, who takes on the role as the announcer.

The plot, evoking memories of Round the Horne, finds the two Kenneths working together in advance of their own radio programme and follows them as they journey around Broadcasting House meeting a weird and wonderful assortment of characters.

The script was discovered by writer and broadcaster Wes Butters, who purchased a collection of Kenneth Williams memorabilia from Williams's godson. Butters introduces the performance, which was recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre in London and features old sound effects and props, including the famous door from the popular Tommy Handley radio series, It's That Man Again.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b00n6v70)
This week the Week In Westminster devotes most of the programme to an extended interview with the speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.
In his first full length interview since elected to his new role, he talks to Steve Richards about the ongoing saga of MPs expenses, the reform of that system, and how to modernise parliamentary procedures to make the institution more accessible to the public at large.

Also in the programme:

Andrew Cooper, of the polling organisation Populus, and the BBC’s head of political research, David Cowling, discuss the main parties’ current standing in the polls after the party conference season.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00n6v72)
Kate Adie introduces BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the headlines.

Allan Little finds the Bosnian town of Srebrenica still full of ghosts as a date is set for the trial of the one-time Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic.

Will Grant sees police in Venezuela trying to shed a reputation for being the most violent and corrupt in the Americas.

Gabriel Gatehouse looks on as a mad cow turns nasty while US soldiers hunt Al-Qaeda in northern Iraq.

And the jokes about Lada cars are wearing thin at the huge car plant on the banks of the River Volga in Russia. Rupert Wingfield Hayes has been talking to workers who fear they may lose their jobs.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00n6wfj)
Paul Lewis with the latest news from the world of personal finance.

We reveal a major loophole in one bank's chip and PIN security.

How to find the best low-cost pension schemes.

Could a high court ruling help hundreds of thousands of Equitable Life policyholders?


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b00n5w35)
Series 69

Episode 4

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz. The panellists are Jeremy Hardy, Fred MacAulay, Simon Evans and Sue Perkins.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00n6wfl)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00n6wfn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00n5w37)
Eddie Mair chairs the topical debate from Cerne Abbas in Dorset. The panellists are the Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Royall, columnist and writer Viv Groskop, Howard Davies, Director of the London School of Economics, and Grant Shapps, shadow minister for housing, communities and local government.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00n6wfq)
Eddie Mair takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00n6wfs)
Erich Kaestner - Emil and the Detectives

Dramatisation by Katie Hims of the comic children's detective novel by Erich Kaestner.

Country boy Emil Tischbein, up from Neustadt for the first time, enlists the aid of hundreds of Berlin street boys to help him catch a thief.

Emil ...... Joshua Swinney
Kaestner ...... Bruce Alexander
Grundeis ...... Ewan Hooper
Gustav ...... Daniel Cooper
Professor ...... Neil Reynolds
Traut ...... Bertie Gilbert
Peters ...... Josh Robinson
Tuesday ...... Harry Child
Pony ...... Agnes Bateman
Mrs Tischbein ...... Melissa Advani
Cashier ...... Tessa Nicholson
Jeschke ...... John Biggins
Guard ...... Rhys Jennings
Taxi Driver ...... Joseph Cohen-Cole
Grandma ...... Kate Layden

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


SAT 15:30 The Number 1 Ladies' Opera House (b00n8swn)
The author of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, has converted a disused garage in Botswana into an opera house. Pauline McLynn charts his progress as he trains local people to sing.

Produced by Bill Lloyd.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b00n6wfv)
Weekend Woman's Hour

With Jane Garvey.

Singer Leona Lewis on her rise to fame; Sheryl Gascoigne talks about life before and after Gazza; one woman's story of transforming the lives of children in the Philippines; opera singer Rachel Nicholls performs the work of Handel; the experience of being the first in a family to go to university; can you ever be too old to wear jeans?


SAT 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n6wfx)
17th October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

The Guildford Four have their sentence overturned after 14 years in prison, ambulance workers threaten hunger strike to demand higher pay, and an earthquake measuring seven on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco in the evening rush hour, causing a double-decker motorway to collapse.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00n6wfz)
Saturday PM

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


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b00n5rc9)
Evan Davis presents a special edition of the business magazine from the University of Derby. He asks his panel of guests about the role played by lawyers in business and how we can fill the hole left by financial services in the UK.

Evan is joined by:

Ian Livingstone, life president of Eidos Interactive, the company that produced Lara Croft, one of the best-selling video games of all time

Colin Walton, chairman of Bombardier Transportation, who runs the only train factory left in the UK

David Gold, senior partner at Herbert Smith, one of Britain's leading law firms.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00n6wg1)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00n6wg3)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n6wg5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00n6wg7)
Clive Anderson and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

Clive talks to Katherine Jenkins, Liverpudlian actor David Morrissey talks about directing his first feature film and David Heathcote discusses his new series, Art Deco Icons.

Jon Holmes interviews surrealist comedian Rich Fulcher, star of The Mighty Boosh.

With music from Seasick Steve and Mumford and Sons, and comedy from teenage stand-up Daniel Sloss.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00n6wg9)
Sir Thomas Legg

Sir Thomas Legg is the lawyer who has been combing through the past five years of MPs' expenses. The letters he sent out to MPs about their claims have surprised and angered many of them. Chris Bowlby takes a closer look at the retired, unknown civil servant, who is suddenly at the centre of a media and political storm.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00n6wgc)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and The Book of Genesis by Robert Crumb

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by writers Antonia Quirke and Peter Stanford and comedian Danny Robins to discuss the cultural highlights of the week - featuring an immortal showman, a 3,000-year-old book and some short-lived comedy careers.

Trevor Griffiths's play Comedians was first produced at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1975. Six aspiring stand-ups, under the tutelage of old hand Eddie Waters (Matthew Kelly), vie for a possible shot at the big time when they perform before talent scout Bert Challoner (Keith Allen). Will they stay true to Waters's vision of humour as a repository of morality and truth, or will they pander to Challoner's more pragmatic demands for populism? In the end, van driver Gethin Price (David Dawson) is the one who delivers the most uncompromising set.

1975 was also the year in which Terry Gilliam directed his first feature film, Monty Python And The Holy Grail. The one aspect of his latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, that inevitably comes to the fore is that its star - Heath Ledger - died halfway through filming. Following Ledger's death, Gilliam drafted in Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to play his character, Tony, in the remaining scenes. Fortunately, these take place in the imagination of the immortal Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), accessible via a mirror on the rackety old wagon his troupe travels around in, so the fix works surprisingly well. At the heart of the film is a battle between good and evil, with Tom Waits as the Devil trying to get his hands on Parnassus's daughter (Lily Cole).

'The First Book of the Bible Graphically Depicted! Nothing Left Out!' Thus runs the legend on the cover of The Book of Genesis, Illustrated by Robert Crumb and it describes exactly what lies inside. From the Creation to the death of Joseph, Crumb provides a strip-cartoon interpretation of all the action - the sex, the violence, the visions - without any deviation from a text gleaned from the King James version and a more recent translation by Robert Alter. A surprisingly uncontentious yet fascinating treatment of one of the founding texts of Western civilisation by an artist who created a defining look for the '60s counter-culture.

Murderland sees Robbie Coltrane returning to crime drama for the first time since the highly-acclaimed Cracker. This three-parter on ITV1, written by David Pirie, features Coltrane in the role of DI Douglas Hain. The action centres around the murder of Sally Walsh (Lucy Cohu), who worked as a prostitute, and her daughter Carrie's (Bel Powley/Amanda Hale) attempts, as a teenager and later as an adult, to sift the truth from the murky events surrounding the crime. DI Hain is in charge of the investigation, but it seems that his involvement may run deeper than that.

The Wallace Collection - featuring paintings by artists such as Titian, Rembrandt and Velazquez in an elegant London townhouse - may not seem a natural home for erstwhile enfant terrible of the Young British Artists, Damien Hirst. However, this is where Hirst has chosen to hang his latest work: No Love Lost, Blue Paintings. The exhibition comprises a series of 25 paintings created between 2006 and 2008 which marks the artist's return to the solitary practice of painting, rather than employing a team of assistants to assist in producing his work.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b00n6wgf)
The Anniversary Anniversary

Dominic Sandbrook explores the compelling appeal of the anniversary. How often on the radio, on television or in print is our attention enticed by the simple fact that an event, a birth or a death happened a year, or five or ten, fifty, even several hundred years ago?

There is a huge category of archive material dedicated to particular happenings or personalities which would never have been produced without the prompt of an anniversary.

Remembering war predates broadcasting, but in the past the remembering was cast in stone, unchanging even as the memories of those involved frayed and faded. In broadcasting, that increasing remoteness results in the memories being endlessly reworked with a different slant and attitude. Ten years after the end of Second World War, the response was limited but jovially triumphal. Sixty years on and there is a far greater energy in remembering and rediscovering, particularly of the details that didn't seem to matter at the time. A perfect example is The Radio Four series Coming Home.

Dominic also looks at artistic, literary, sporting and musical anniversaries. In music there seems to be a constant stream of anniversary commemorations, fuelled by the recording industry. For example, there is the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death or the 250th anniversary of his birth; and, if that's not enough, then there are similar anniversaries for each of his operas.

At the very heart of all this is the simple business of marking the turning of the years, best illustrated by the birthday, that most domestic of anniversaries.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00n47q5)
Beau Geste

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Graeme Fife of PC Wren's classic story of honour, love and adventure.

The Geste brothers become the focus of suspicion and hostility from an assortment of international ne'er do wells thrown together as a platoon of the French Foreign Legion. A sudden attack on a remote desert fort by Toureg raiders brings matters to a head and provides the explanation for the disappearance of the Blue Water sapphire.

Beau ...... Chris New
John ...... Rob Hastie
Lawrence ...... Michael Culkin
Major Jolivet ...... Timothy Ackroyd
Aunt Patricia ...... Tessa Worsley
Isobel ...... Candida Benson
Gussie ...... Anthony Schuster
Burdon ...... Scott Richards
Young Beau ...... Nick Hockaday
Young Gussie ...... Freddie Hill
Young John ...... Alex Hockaday
Young Claudia ...... Hannah Sharpe
Young Isobel ...... Melissa Gardner
Lejeune ...... Nick Fletcher
Boldini ...... Laurence Possa
Hank ...... Greg Wohead
Buddy ...... Don Mousseau
The Sergeant ...... Alasdair MacEwan
Recruiting Officer ...... Max Bennet
Schwartz ...... Simon Scardifield

Original music by Roger Pasto Cortina

Directed by Willi Richards

An Art and Adventure Ltd production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00n6wgh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b00n59ww)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Michael Portillo, Melanie Phillips, Clifford Longley and Matthew Taylor cross-examine witnesses.

When should we forgive and should we ever forget? It's the 25th anniversary of the Brighton Bomb and the man who planted it will be sharing a platform in Parliament with the daughter of one of the people he killed - talking about forgiveness. Is anyone ever beyond redemption? Are any crimes ever too heinous to forgive? How do we balance the desire for retribution with society's need to pursue wider understanding and reconciliation?

Witnesses:
Paul Bowman
Father of Sally Anne Bowman who was murdered in 2005

Bishop Peter Price
Bishop of Bath and Wells

Ruth Dudley Edwards
Historian, commentator and author of Aftermath: The Omagh Bombings and The Families Pursuit of Justice

Hon Timothy Knatchbull
Lost his grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, and twin brother 30 years ago in IRA bombing.


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b00n4zgx)
Russell Davies chairs the first heat of the perennial general knowledge contest.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b00n48k6)
Roger McGough celebrates the programme's 30th birthday from the Theatre Royal at Bristol Old Vic, and introduces a selection of the most frequently-requested poems from the past 30 years. The special guest readers, including Stephanie Cole, Helen Baxendale and Patrick Malahide, all have a strong connection with the city.

Including poems by Keats, Hardy, Betjeman, Wendy Cope and Carol Ann Duffy.



SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 2009

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00n6wq0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b008v8zh)
Dilemmas of Modern Martyrs

Day to Day Dilemmas of Modern Martyrs

Series of stories by Morven Crumlish.

After a day spent consoling a stressed-out single mum, Rebecca sets about addressing some issues of her own.

Read by Neve McIntosh.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n6wq2)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n6wq4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n6wq6)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00n6wq8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00n6x6f)
The sound of bells from St Edward's church, Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b00n6wg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00n6x6h)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00n6x6k)
The Bullying Circle

Mark Tully considers bullying - the bully, the bullied and the circle of bystanders and followers who make bullying possible.

The readers are Emily Raymond, David Westhead, Frank Stirling and Jordan Scowen.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b00n6x6m)
Alex James visits Woodlands Organic Farm in Boston to meet one of the nominees for the 2009 BBC Farmer of the Year award. Andrew Dennis does organic on a big scale with cereals, traditional livestock and vegetables. But the decision in the mid-1990s to make the conversion from conventional agriculture was a risk. Alex discovers how Andrew has made it a success and whether the recession threatens such large-scale organic farming.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00n6x6p)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00n6x6r)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00n6x6t)
Roger Bolton discusses the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, both familiar and unfamiliar.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00n6x6w)
Fauna & Flora International

Sir David Attenborough appeals on behalf of Fauna & Flora International.

Donations to Fauna & Flora International should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope FFI. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide FFI 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: 1011102.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00n6x6y)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00n6x70)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00n6x72)
From the Chapel of Unity, Methodist College, Belfast, conducted by Rev David Neilands. Preacher: Rev Dr Ruth Patterson. Director of Music: Ruth McCartney.


SUN 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00n5w39)
Series 1

Collecting

Why do we collect things? Is it a male response to ancient hunting instincts to provide food for the family?

Today, collecting by children is in decline, and with it the development of an early fascination with the natural world around them.

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 October 2009.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00n6x74)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00n6x76)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00n6x78)
Jan Pienkowski

Kirsty Young's castaway is the illustrator Jan Pienkowski. He was born in Warsaw before the Second World War and lived through the uprising of 1944. He spent his childhood in Poland, Bavaria, Vienna and Italy, before making his home in England more than 60 years ago. The folk traditions of central Europe are still much in evidence in his work though; twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, his illustrations see childhood terrors realised in gothic scenes, with witches a constant presence.

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

Favourite track: Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
Book: Audiobook of Martin Jarvis reading Just William by Richmal Crompton
Luxury: Large supply of moleskin sketch books.


SUN 12:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b00n510l)
Series 4

Episode 2

David Mitchell hosts the game show in which panellists are encouraged to tell lies and compete to see how many items of truth they are able to smuggle past their opponents.

With Clive Anderson, Dom Joly, Fi Glover and Henning Wehn.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00n6x7b)
Duck Shoots

Eaten any duck recently? More duck is being cooked at home, served in gastro pubs and used in the ubiquitous Hoi Sin duck wrap. It is now the second most bred species in the world. So where is all this meat coming from? How is it being reared? How have factory systems changed in recent years, and is the gap in taste between wild and farmed birds changing?

As the duck shooting season gets underway, and consumption climbs steadily towards Christmas, Sheila Dillon investigates the culinary value and welfare conditions of wild and farmed duck.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00n6x7d)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00n6x7g)
A look at events around the world with Shaun Ley.


SUN 13:30 Beyond This Life (b00n6x7j)
Episode 1

Tim Gardam, Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford, confronts our response to death in 21st-century Britain. He reflects on how we deal with death as a society and considers the relationship between those who have gone and those who are left behind.

Most people can remember their first funeral - everyone can remember the first time they saw someone who had died. But how we respond to death and our own mortality varies greatly in multicultural Britain?

Two teenagers face the unexpected death of their schoolfriend and seek the comfort of an afterlife despite not believing in God. And a 70-year-old British Hindu takes his fight to have an open funeral pyre to the High Court, believing that, if he doesn't, his soul will haunt those left behind.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00n5vrf)
Peter Gibbs chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew and Pippa Greenwood meet the valley gardeners of Itchen Abbas, near Winchester.

The country's top groundsman advises on autumn lawn maintenance and keeping the perfect lawn or sports field.

Including Gardening weather forecast.


SUN 14:45 Runaway Train (b00n6ygv)
March 9th 1987 began as a normal day for railwayman Wesley MacDonald, as he loaded a train of 50 cars with ore at a mine in northern Canada. But that all changed when the brakes failed to hold the load and Wesley suddenly found himself aboard a runaway train.

This programme tells the story of what happened next, featuring audio footage of the radio communication between him and the rail traffic controller as Wesley wrestles with the decision of whether to jump or take his chances onboard.

Producer: Russell Finch
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00n6yws)
Howards End

Episode 1

Two-part dramatisation of EM Forster's classic novel.

When Helen Schlegel goes to stay at Howards End, the country home of the Wilcox family, her own life, along with that of her sister Margaret, is changed forever.

Narrator ...... John Hurt
Margaret Schlegel ...... Lisa Dillon
Helen Schlegel ...... Jill Cardo
Tibby Schlegel ...... Tom Ferguson
Aunt Juley ...... Alexandra Mathie
Henry Wilcox ...... Malcolm Raeburn
Ruth Wilcox ...... Ann Rye
Charles Wilcox ...... Joseph Kloska
Leonard Bast ...... Joseph Prospero
Dolly Wilcox/Jacky Bast ...... Christine Marshall.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00n6z0d)
William Boyd, Ruth Rendell, Colm Toibin, Hari Kunzru and Susan Hill nominate Neglected Classics

Mariella Frostrup presents the first of two programmes in which ten leading novelists nominate books they think have been unfairly neglected. In this edition William Boyd, Ruth Rendell, Colm Toibin, Hari Kunzru and Susan Hill unveil their choices.

Once the final five authors have made their choices, listeners can vote for their favourite neglected classic, and the winning title will be dramatised on Radio 4.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b00n6z0g)
A second programme celebrating the 30th birthday of Poetry Please in the show's home town of Bristol. Roger McGough is joined at Bristol Old Vic by special guest readers, including Stephanie Cole and Patrick Malahide, for some of the best-loved poems in its history.


SUN 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n702x)
18th October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

Erich Honecker, the East German leader of 18 years and architect of the Berlin Wall, resigns; all Commonwealth countries agree on sanctions against South Africa - except for the UK; the Atlantis Space Shuttle launches successfully from Cape Canaveral, initiating a six-year research mission to Jupiter.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b00n569w)
Levels of Executive Pay

Fears over deep cuts in council jobs and services have brought predictions of a winter of discontent and strife unlike anything seen for 30 years. But as councils prepare to wield the axe, Julian O'Halloran asks if some authorities have added to their budget crises by awarding over-the-top pay, perks and severance terms to their own top executives.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b00n6wg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00n7031)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00n7033)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7035)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00n70bx)
John Waite introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.

The Mario Lanza Story - Radio 2
Brighton: The Bomb That Changed Politics - Radio 4
Terry Nutkins: in the Ring of Bright Water - Radio 4
Archive on 4: The Anniversary Anniversary - Radio 4
The Choice - Radio 4
Nature - Radio 4
Lyrical Ballads - Radio 4
Beyond This Life - Radio 4
Legacy - Radio 4
The No. 1 Ladies Opera House - Radio 4
My Yiddisher Mother Tongue - Radio 4
Le Chanson de Serge - Radio 2
The Essay - Radio 3
World Routes - Radio 3.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00n70bz)
Lynda accepts Brian's proposal - the gift of a strip of land near Millennium Wood
which is actually in return for her dropping her opposition to the moving of the Home
Farm footpath. Brian is very pleased.

After church, Susan tries to talk to Peggy about the closing of the village shop, but Neil doesn't think she should. Even so, Susan goes round to see Peggy later and tries to find out what's going on. She is very forceful, and Jennifer sends her away with a flea in her ear. This is not comforting to Susan, who now knows that it is indeed on the cards that the shop may close - though no decision has yet been made.

Jennifer is furious with Susan for coming round and troubling her mother. She and Brian agree that the best thing all round would be to close the shop and convert it into another flat. Brian will start to cost the project.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


SUN 19:15 Americana (b00n70c1)
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.

President Barack Obama makes his first visit to New Orleans since becoming president. Matt Frei talks to New Orleans-born trumpeter Irvin Mayfield about what life is like these days in the city still coming back to life from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

As major news networks scramble to innovate and meet the changing demands of their audiences, Matt Frei talks to former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather about the ways Americans consume news.

Many American big-city newspapers are holding on for dear life - and sometimes not holding on at all - but some small-town papers are doing just fine. Matt Frei talks to publisher Gloria Trotter in Oklahoma, who has co-published the Tecumseh Countywide News and Sun for the last 26 years. She explains how small papers like hers are managing to continue going strong.

After 40 years of Monty Python humour, many Americans can still quote a trove of the troupe's lines, verbatim, and with very bad English accents. Hayes Davenport, editor of the Harvard Lampoon, tries to explain why.


SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b0090mt5)
Stories from the Bath Literature Festival

Zippin' Up Your Boots

By Gill Edwards.

Every middle-aged person needs to know certain things when asked to a school reunion, especially if they are planning to lie about almost everything they have done since leaving.

Read by Alison Reid.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b00n5vjq)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00n5vt7)
John Wilson presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b00n6wfj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00n6x6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (b00n51z3)
Small States

Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign commentator of The Times, asks if small nations can survive as independent states.

Tiny states like Liechtenstein, Brunei and Monaco give hope to independence movements elsewhere that size does not matter. Bronwen Maddox asks if the world's smallest countries are quite as independent as they appear and examines the difficulties of being small but truly sovereign.


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00n70c3)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00n70c5)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including Conserving What?


SUN 23:00 1989: Day by Day Omnibus (b00n70c7)
Week ending 17th October 1989

Another chance to look back at the events making the news 20 years ago, with Sir John Tusa.

Chancellor Nigel Lawson speaks at the Conservative party conference to defend the 15 per cent interest rate, Douglas Hurd declares war on the 'scourge of acid house parties', and ANC leader Walter Sisulu is released from prison, sparking nationwide celebrations.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00n6x6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 2009

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00n7cyf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00n58kh)
Modern-day Grave Goods - Politics of Alcohol

Laurie Taylor finds out about what we leave with the dead and why. From clothes to jewellery, photographs, hats, eye glasses, walking sticks, letters and even food, alcohol and tobacco, the objects mourners leave in the coffins and caskets of their loved ones tells us a huge amount about our attitudes to death and the rituals it involves.

Laurie talks to Sheila Harper, sociologist at the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath, whose new study about 'modern-day grave goods' uncovers the fascinating, touching and often moving examples of our gifts to the dead and why the objects we leave today are remarkably similar to the kinds of items uncovered by archaeologists in graves going back thousand of years.

Duncan Sayer, archaeologist from the Centre for Death and Society, discusses how human society has buried their dead.

Also in the programme: alcohol as a lens to understand social change. The links between drink, national identity and economic prosperity.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00n6x6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n7czv)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n7f9q)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n7d0c)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00n7fcz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n7fmj)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00n7fmz)
It's costing farmers and taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds every day as organised crime muscles in on fly-tipping in the countryside.

With 10 rural pub closing each week, Charlotte Smith hears many are now growing their own veg and rearing their own animals to help make ends meet.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00n7ym8)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00n7gf3)
Presented by James Naughtie and Evan Davis.

The Commons Education Select Committee are at odds with the government over the appointment of a new Children's Commissioner for England. Maggie Atkinson, head of children's services in Gateshead, is not favoured by the committee, who doubt her ability to champion children's rights. The committee's chairman, Labour MP Barry Sheerman, discusses its concerns over her appointment.

Iranian diplomats go to Vienna today for the latest six-nation talks on its nuclear programme. It comes after a suicide bomber targeted Iran, killing five senior commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard and at least 26 others near the Pakistani border. Former British Ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, discusses what impact this may have on the talks.

The Conservatives have promised to encourage the repeal of the fox hunting ban. The shadow environment secretary, Nick Herbert, is putting the issue on the same level as civil liberties issues like 42-day detention and the removal of trial by jury for some fraud cases; he explains the party's proposals.

The family who said they feared their son had blown away in a balloon could face prosecution after police say it was a hoax. Kevin Connolly went to the Heenes' home in Fort Collins, Colorado to see what the neighbours were making of it all.

It is the second day of Pakistan's offensive against the Taliban in which 30,000 troops have been deployed in South Waziristan. Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbass discusses the offensive.

There is a level of desperation at the slow progress of talks in the run-up to the climate conference to be held in Copenhagen in December. One of the key issues is the relationship between the USA and China. Earlier in the year our environment analyst Roger Harrabin charted the political difficulties facing President Obama in getting a climate bill through Congress. He now reports from China on how far its policies are shifting.

Thought for the Day with Clifford Longley, religious commentator.

Royal Mail are in last-ditch talks aimed at preventing postal strikes that have been planned for later in the week. Union leaders are considering a legal challenge to the recruitment of up to 30,000 temporary staff by Royal Mail. Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail letters, discusses the company's position and if the strikes can be avoided.

New rules to ensure that mortgages are only given to people who can afford the repayments are due to be announced by the banking regulator the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Economics editor Stephanie Flanders discusses the implications of the announcement and Hector Sants, chief executive of the FSA, outlines their findings.

Pakistan's army is engaged in fierce fighting for the third consecutive day as it continues its drive against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in South Waziristan. Correspondent Aleem Maqbool analyses the available information on the offensive.

The Department for Transport has started consulting on whether dual metric and imperial signage should now be used in the UK to mirror signs on European roads. Robin Paice of the UK Metric Association and Derek Clarke, UKIP MEP for the East Midlands, discuss whether using metric signage will decrease the risk of accidents on Britain's roads.

The Commons education committee has refused to endorse the new Children's Commissioner, Maggie Atkinson, who is expected to take up her job next year. The committee said they didn't think Ms Atkinson would do enough to champion children's rights. Sir Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau and an independent member of the government-appointed panel that recommended Ms Atkinson's appointment, defends the decision.

US forces officially withdrew from urban areas in Iraq at the end of June, but there is one city where they have been quietly continuing operations. Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Kirkuk, which is divided between Arabs and Kurds. Neither can agree on who should be in control or how to share the area's vast oil wealth.

The post-election demonstrations in Tehran have stopped but does that mean President Ahamadinejad has won? Presenter of a recent edition of Radio 4 Analysis programme about Iran, Edward Stourton, discusses how the opposition to Ahamadinejad is now coming from the most unexpected source.

Jenson Button sealed the F1 drivers' championship with a sublime recovery drive at a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix, which was won by Red Bull's Mark Webber. Commentator Murray Walker discusses Button's championship victory.

The latest round in the battle for the electronic book opens with Amazon launching its reader, the Kindle, in the UK. Robert Topping, an independent bookseller, and Peter Florence, director of the Hay Festival, discuss whether or not this will spell the end of the good old-fashioned book.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00n7ymb)
Andrew Marr discusses game theory with CIA advisor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Charles II with Jenny Uglow, the Russian holocaust with historian Orlando Figes and Kwame Kwei-Armah's new play Seize the Day.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00n7gf5)
The Blaze Of Obscurity

Episode 1

Clive James reads from his fifth volume of memoirs, charting the TV years that shot him into the public eye.

The discovery of the game show Endurance and a strange interview with Michael Heseltine.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00n7gl4)
Jennifer Pike; Pregnant women and Swine flu

Violinist Jennifer Pike plays live. Plus, why are pregnant women so at risk from Swine flu? And, should you ration your children's use of computers, games consoles, and TVs?


MON 11:00 How to Run a City (b00lb26t)
Episode 1

Series in which Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities who are bidding to blow the cliches and stereotypes out of the water.

Shari meets some of the trainees on the National Graduate Development Programme, set up to encourage bright graduates to do a job they might not previously have considered - working for council.

She follows Saima Khan, an ambitious and idealistic trainee in Stafford, as she goes about setting up a scheme to help council workers volunteer. Shari also meets Natalie Howard, who swapped a glamorous career with a high street fashion retailer for a job in local government, and is trying to bring the dynamism of the business world into her new role. On the other hand, she also meets Dominic Campbell, who was running a team of more than 20 people by the age of 26 yet left to set up a consultancy business.

So can the brightest graduates thrive in local government and help change the sector, or will they be lured away - particularly in the face of coming cuts?


MON 11:30 Beauty of Britain (b00n7zd1)
Series 1

Girl With a Polycotton Tabard

Beauty wonders why so many British men get stuck in the emotional wilderness and find it hard to communicate with each other, as she deals with an elderly gentleman and his son.

Beauty's dreams of becoming a model are given a boost when she applies to be the Face of the Social Services.

Comedy by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson.

Beauty Olonga works as a carer for the Featherdown Agency and sees herself as an inspiration to other African girls hoping to achieve their goals in the land of semi-skimmed milk.

Beauty ...... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Mr Clark ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Julian ...... Christopher Douglas
Georgie ...... Emma Fryer
Sally ...... Felicity Montagu
Karen ...... Nicola Sanderson
Mrs Gupte ...... Indira Joshi
Anil ...... Paul Sharma
Race Commentator ...... Christopher Douglas

Music by The West End Gospel Choir.

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00n7gp7)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00n7h54)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00n7jcz)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


MON 13:30 Brain of Britain (b00n7zhg)
Russell Davies chairs the second heat of the perennial general knowledge contest.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00n70bz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b00n7zq2)
Filthy Rich

Black comedy by Michael Butt. Max is set to inherit a small fortune when he turns 25, but standing between him and the money is his sister Katrin. And then there's the grandmother. It's dog-eat-dog on the mean streets of Weston-super-Mare.

Max ......William Beck
Katrin ...... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Maria ......Anna Massey
Susie ...... Rachel Spence
Dougie ...... Piers Wehner
Man ...... Rhys Jennings
Young Katrin ...... Isadora Dooley Hunter
Young Max ...... Joshua Swinney

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.


MON 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00n6wgf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7kth)
Servants

Historian Amanda Vickery goes below stairs to find out about domestic workers in a household, many without a bed of their own.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00n6x7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Click On (b00n809z)
Series 5

Episode 3

This week Simon Cox explores augmented reality: what can a digitally-enhanced landscape offer that the real one can't? He also speaks to a man who is creating an online archive of his entire life. Plus Pirate Party politics, and the importance of the online world to today's teens.


MON 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n7ml6)
19th October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

The Guildford four are released; volunteers help to deal with the effects of the recent San Francisco earthquake; ANC leader Walter Sisulu considers the end of the armed struggle in South Africa.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 17:00 PM (b00n7mls)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7nmd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b00n80b1)
Series 4

Episode 3

David Mitchell hosts the game show in which panellists are encouraged to tell lies and compete to see how many items of truth they are able to smuggle past their opponents.

With Arthur Smith, Phill Jupitus, Tony Hawks and Graeme Garden.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00n7jd9)
Ruth is getting ready for the family's week in Egypt, surrounded by packing and lists of things for the Grundys to remember. She's been to Wolverhampton with Usha for the family Diwali celebrations, and really enjoyed herself. Usha drags her down to the pub for an hour off from the packing.

Ed and Mike are pleased with the Guernsey cows they've seen so far, but Ed is crossing his fingers that Vicky won't be coming with them on their next trip to a farm.

Down at the pub, Jazzer is a bit twitchy about Fallon's obvious delight in the talented Rollo. He thinks it'll be bad for the band if she fancies him. Fallon assures him she really doesn't fancy Rollo. The band is her main concern and he could be really good news.

Vicky gets everyone organised into a team of girls and a team of boys for the pub quiz. Jazzer is on a team with Ed and Mike, but he can't concentrate on the questions. He just keeps looking at Fallon.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00n7p1r)
Jane Horrocks returns to the musical stage for the first time in 15 years to play the gun-toting Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun. How will Horrocks's rendition of There's No Business Like Show Business compare with Ethel Merman's? This revival by the Young Vic is directed by Richard Jones and designed by Ultz.

A new exhibition at The British Museum focuses on the great age of Mexican print making which gained pace between 1910 and 1920 during Mexico's socialist revolution. Artist John Keane reviews.

American country singer Lyle Lovett's home state of Texas features heavily in his new album, Natural Forces. The Grammy award-winning singer brings his guitar into the studio and discusses his musical career as well as his occasional forays into film acting.

As Fawlty Towers receives a new remastered DVD release 30 years after the series ended, a panel of media studies students reveal whether or not it stands the test of time for a new generation of viewers.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00n7p1t)
The Dead Hour

Episode 1

Dramatisation by Chris Dolan of the novel by Denise Mina, set in Glasgow in 1984.

Cub reporter Paddy Meehan is called to a domestic dispute in a wealthy suburb where a female lawyer has been injured. A well-dressed man at the house slips 50 pounds into Paddy's hand and shuts the door. Next day the lawyer is found murdered.

Paddy Meehan ...... Amy Manson
Billy ...... Stevie Hannan
Neilson ...... Simon Donaldson
Trisha ...... Cara Kelly
Gourlay ...... Laurie Ventry
Sean ...... Paul Thomas Hickey
JT ...... Finlay McLean
Kate ...... Patricia Kavanagh
Sullivan ...... Andrew Clark
Burns ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ramage ...... Mark McDonnell

Other parts played by the cast.

Directed by Bruce Young.


MON 20:00 Morecambe: Chill Winds on the Bay (b00n0qrb)
Episode 2

Following 12 months in the life of the seaside town of Morecambe.

The town's hopes are pinned on a good summer season, but in the chill of recession, its fortunes will depend on the vagaries of the British weather.


MON 20:30 Analysis (b00n80b5)
Ayatollogy

Edward Stourton asks if a battle over theology could help bring about the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The demonstrations have been suppressed and the president is still in power, so has the storm that blew up in Iran after this summer's elections been stilled? Far from it, and now the opposition is coming from where you'd least expect. Some of the country's top theologians and clergymen think that President Ahmadinejad is doing grave damage to the standing of Islam and they want him out.

The programme contains an exclusive email interview with one of Shia Islam's most senior and respected clerics, Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri, who calls on Iran's clerics to work with political activists to bring about reform and 'be in step with the people'. Other interviewees include Professor Ali Ansari from the Institute for Iranian Studies, journalists Amir Taheri, Baqer Moin and Nazenin Moshiri, theologian Mehdi Khalaji and human rights campaigner Roya Kashefi.


MON 21:00 Costing the Earth (b00n80vl)
Guilt-Free Flying

Can technology turn aviation green? A new report suggests that flying has a 4.9 per cent share of the overall contribution to climate change. That is a figure that seems certain to rise once the dampening effects of recession disappear.

Tom Heap asks if this means that the era of cheap flights is over, or can man's infinite capacity for invention keep the industry alive? Tom explores the options with Iron Maiden singer, professional pilot and keen enthusiast for 'green aviation', Bruce Dickinson.

They examine the use of lighter materials for aircraft, changes in air traffic control to cut down time spent in the air and more radical solutions, from biofuels to the rebirth of the airship.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00n7ymb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00n7pm9)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00n7y3k)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

President Karzai's election as Afghan president is cast into doubt after a report from the Electoral Complaints Commission.

Gordon Brown foresees a climate catastrophe.

A tribute to Sir Ludovic Kennedy.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00n7y3m)
And Another Thing...

Episode 6

Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Read by Stephen Mangan, with Peter Serafinowicz.

The dangers of posting videos on the Sub-Etha.

Abridged by Penny Leicester.


MON 23:00 With Great Pleasure (b008xh3z)
Martha Kearney

Martha Kearney chooses pieces of writing which have a special meaning for her, either personally or in her work as a broadcaster. Readers are Niamh Cusack and David Morrissey.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00n7y51)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Susan Hulme.



TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER 2009

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00n7cwk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00n7gf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n7cyh)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n7f7q)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n7czx)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00n7f9s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n7fd1)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00n7fml)
Struggling dairy farmers will receive a 280 million euro handout, but an industry analyst tells Anna Hill that is still not enough to save UK dairy farms. Plus the RSPCA call on restaurant-goers to ask chefs for a list of ingredients, to help animal welfare.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00n7fzh)
Presented by James Naughtie and Evan Davis.

Five senior prison managers are expected to be charged with serious disciplinary offences for moving problematic inmates during inspections to create a good impression. A report published by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Anne Owers, shows that some prisoners had been transferred between Pentonville and Wandsworth prisons in order to mislead inspectors. Dame Anne explains the findings of her report and the charges facing the managers.

The battle between the Taliban and Pakistan army is continuing in South Waziristan. Masud Shah, former Inspector General of police in the north-west frontier province, examines the strategic and political importance of the outcome of the fighting.

China has been experiencing a green revolution. The country, which is normally associated with pollution and dirty coal-fired power stations, has become the world's biggest producer of solar water heaters. In one key technology, electric batteries, it is attempting to become an international leader. Environment analyst Roger Harrabin reports on China's green tech boom.

Ambassadors have an important role maintaining diplomacy, calm, and sharing respectful views at all times. But they do have one chance to tell their superiors at home what they really do think about the country in which they serve, in the valedictory dispatch as they leave their post. Matthew Parris, presenter of Parting Shots, a new series for Radio 4, reveals some of the poignant, mischievous or on occasion downright rude, valedictory dispatches of former ambassadors.

Many banks have announced that they will be paying bonuses to their employees. This is despite being bailed out with billions of pounds of taxpayers money, and the Bank of England cutting interest rates to extraordinarily low levels to make it easier to be a borrow money. The government has responded by saying it will impose a windfall tax on bank profits. At the 1981 Budget, the then chancellor Geoffrey Howe introduced a windfall tax. Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee John McFall and the former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir George Matthewson discuss how a windfall tax would work and the effect it might have.

People have been remembering Sir Ludovic Kennedy, who died yesterday at the age of 89. Sir Ludovic was a pillar of broadcasting at the BBC and ITN from the 1950s onwards. A former BBC Panorama journalist, Sir Ludovic spent decades investigating miscarriages of justice, including the case of the Birmingham Six. His book on the Rillington Place murders was an important element in the eventual posthumous pardon for Timothy Evans and the abolition of capital punishment. Michael Cockerell, who worked with Ludovic Kennedy for many years, remembers his colleague and friend.

Thought for the day with The Right Reverend James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool.

The Independent Electoral Commission in Afghanistan is deciding whether to hold a presidential run-off. Investigations into fraud in Afghanistan's elections cut President Karzai's share of the vote from about 55 per cent to 48 per cent, below the threshold for an outright win. Peter Galbraith, former UN deputy special envoy to Afghanistan, discusses whether the Karzai government will accept a run-off and be prepared to share power.

Five senior prison managers are facing serious disciplinary charges after vulnerable inmates were transferred between two jails in London to manipulate inspections. The inmates were transferred between Pentonville and Wandsworth prisons for the duration of the inspections. Two prisoners at Wandsworth prison self-harmed as a consequence of the move. Phil Wheatley, Director-General of the National Offender Management Service, examines the report's impact on the reputation of England's prisons.

Freddie Spencer Chapman is one of the greatest unknown war heroes. Mr Chapman spent three years of World War II living behind enemy lines in Malaya, attacking Japanese soldiers. He also took field notes on birds and picked up seeds to send to Kew Gardens. Lord Mountbatten recommended Mr Chapman for a Victoria Cross, but without success. Brian Moynahan, former Sunday Times correspondent and author of Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddie Spencer Chapman, and the principal historian at the Imperial War Museum, Nigel Steel, detail Mr Chapman's extraordinary life and just what it takes to win a VC.

In Afghanistan, President Karzai is expected to accept a second round of elections. Correspondent Andrew North discusses the latest developments.

A group of former generals has warned that the reputation of Britain's armed forces is being tarnished by political extremists. Their comments are published today by a group campaigning against the BNP. The campaign, Nothing British, has the support of several distinguished generals who have penned an open letter condemning what they describe as an attempt to hijack the good name of the army. Former head of the army Gener


TUE 09:00 The Choice (b00n811n)
Michael Buerk interviews people who have made life-altering decisions and talks them through the whole process, from the original dilemma to living with the consequences.

He talks to Father Aidan Troy about his decision to face sectarian violence and death threats in Belfast.


TUE 09:30 Parting Shots (b00n85qk)
Series 1

Episode 1

Matthew Parris delves into the archives to find valedictories in which ambassadors heading into retirement poked fun at foreign nations where they had served.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00ncttt)
The Blaze Of Obscurity

Episode 2

Clive James reads from his fifth volume of memoirs, charting the TV years that shot him into the public eye.

The advent of the TV satellite link made interviews possible with people like Tammy Faye Bakker and Willie Nelson.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00n7gj4)
Women and binge drinking; Marianne North

What can be done to tackle the problem of young women binge drinking? Plus the life of Victorian botanical artist Marianne North explored.


TUE 11:00 How to Run a City (b00n86h2)
Episode 2

Series in which Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities who are bidding to blow the cliches and stereotypes out of the water.

Shari meets two dynamic, innovative chief executives who explode the stereotypical image of a local authority boss - Katherine Kerswell in Northamptonshire, and Sean Harriss in Bolton, who became a chief executive at 38.

With access to the inner workings at the top of both authorities, Shari explores how Harriss and Kerswell are each bringing business methods, and people, into their authorities to help drive up performance.

Shari watches Harriss joust with leading Bolton councillors and map out tactics for handling senior staff undergoing a pay review. In Northamptonshire she asks Kerswell why, when she was so upset by her staff's lack of pride in their work, she tackled it by inviting them to 'taste the strawberry' via an online video.

But, Shari asks, are they paid too much, do they have too much power, and how well do their new methods work?


TUE 11:30 Gormley on Epstein (b00n86t3)
Artist Jacob Epstein attracted criticism during his turbulent career - his work was seen as too graphic or hard hitting, too 'ugly' or 'distorted', even 'cannibal'.

After his death, the younger sculptor Henry Moore paid tribute to his courage as a pioneering artist who bore the brunt of critical derision, but even today, Epstein has never been properly celebrated for his work at the vanguard of British art.

In this programme made to mark the 50th anniversary of Epstein's death, contemporary artist Antony Gormley redresses the balance, to show Epstein's vital position in art.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00n7gl6)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00n7gp9)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00n7j35)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


TUE 13:30 The Sound of Magnolias (b00n5404)
Writer Irma Kurtz travels to Paris and Madrid to investigate the period just before the war when blind Spanish composer Rodrigo composed his famous Concerto de Aranjuez. She goes to the gardens of Aranjuez with his only daughter, Cecelia, and talks to guitarist Pepe Romero about the music's lasting impact.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00n7jd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00c833g)
Dickens Confidential

The Deal

Series of plays looking at how Charles Dickens, as the head of a daily paper, would have tackled bringing the news to the masses.

By Rob Kinsman.

When a timid doctor is accused of murdering his wealthy older lover, Dickens alone is convinced of his innocence. His journalistic team's investigations descend into the harsh territory of the debtors' prison. Everything, it seems, comes down to money.

Charles Dickens ...... Dan Stevens
Agnes Paxton ...... Eleanor Howell
Daniel Parker ...... Andrew Buchan
Brickman ...... Gerard McDermott
Harper ...... Stephen Critchlow
Blind Bill ...... John Rowe
Maria ...... Liz Sutherland
Dr Widdershins ...... Simon Treves
Prosecutor ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Turnkey ...... Dan Starkey
Judge ...... Chris Pavlo

Directed by David Hunter.


TUE 15:00 Making History (b00n87sl)
Vanessa Collingridge joins the residents of Mildenhall in Suffolk as they remember the early aviators who took part in an air race to Melbourne in 1934. On the coast she meets the team from the University of East Anglia that is mapping Second World War defences, and near Norwich she sees the human remains that may well shine a new light on the world of Boudicca.


TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00n881p)
A Glimpse of Stocking

Hold-Ups

A short story in celebration of 'something shocking' - the nylon stocking.

Alice Herring seems like the perfect witness but all is not as it seems in this comic tale of robberies, romance and cubic zirconia. Written by Jojo Moyes and read by Siobhan Redmond.


TUE 15:45 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7kt7)
Bachelors

Historian Amanda Vickery investigates the complicated arrangements that limited a man's search for a suitable wife.


TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00n88cz)
Freedom of Information: A More Open Society?

When the Freedom of Information Act was finally born on New Year's Day 2005, it was supposed to usher in a new age of governmental openness and transparency. The inner workings of all public bodies, from the Prime Minister's office to your local council, would now be required by law to disclose information held by them to anyone who asked.

But has freedom of information actually made us less trustful of government? And what sort of things do we know now, thanks to the law, which we didn't before? Clive Coleman examines the impact of the powerful Freedom of Information Act.

Guests on the programme include:
Professor Robert Hazell - Director of the Constitution Unit, University College London
Maurice Frankel - Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information
Lord Falconer - Labour Minister responsible for piloting the Freedom of Information Act through the Lords.
Christopher Graham - UK Information Commissioner.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00n88d1)
Tony Juniper and Katie Hopkins

Sue MacGregor talks to environmental campaigner Tony Juniper and former BBC Apprentice contestant Katie Hopkins about their favourite books.

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas
Publisher: HarperPerennial

Heartsnatcher by Boris Vian
Publisher: Dalkey Archive

Sue's Choice: Gigi, and The Cat by Colette
Publisher: Vintage Classics

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.


TUE 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n7mjg)
20th October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

Nuns lose their fight to save 5,000 chickens, and actors pay a final tribute to Sir Laurence Olivier at Westminster Abbey.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00n7ml8)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7msm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 The Music Group (b00nd105)
A recording from The University of Derby. In the college courtroom, the musical tastes of former NUS president, Wes Streeting, agony aunt Anna Raeburn and comedian and 'Inbetweener' Simon Bird are rigorously put on trial.

Phil Hammond grills his guests about a record of their choosing and hears what the jury have to say.

Producer: Tamsin Hughes
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00n7jd1)
Lilian makes a point of telling Susan just how difficult Peggy's life is at the moment; how she has had to accept that Jack will have to go into a home. Shocked Susan didn't realise. At home with Neil she is upset. She had no idea how bad things had got with Jack. And now she feels they won't think twice about closing the shop.

Matt goes to see Russell, his solicitor, who now has full disclosure from Chalkman's side. Matt is horrified. It's clear to him that Chalkie is trying to dump it all on him - saying that everything they did was Matt's idea. He gets very wound up, so that Russell suggests he might like to think about some counselling. Matt can't believe it.

When Matt tells Lilian, she thinks Russell might be right. Matt says he's bound to be in a state, he's facing ten years in gaol! When Lilian suggests he should at least go to a doctor and get something for his nerves, Matt is furious. There's nothing wrong with his head. What he is facing is real. And apparently, he's going to have to face it on his own.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00n7nr2)
Antonia Fraser reviews a new exhibition of Spanish religious art and sculpture at the National Gallery. This reappraisal of religious art from the Spanish Golden Age includes paintings by masters such as Velázquez displayed alongside polychrome wooden sculptures not seen before in the UK.

As the world's first historical thesaurus is published, after more than 40 years in the making, authors Tibor Fischer and Lawrence Norfolk discuss whether or not writers should use a thesaurus.

Architect David Chipperfield has recently completed perhaps his most complex project to date - the ten-year reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin, destroyed by bombs during the Second World War and subjected to decades of neglect. As the Design Museum opens a major new overview of his work, he talks to Mark Lawson about his career and the future of architecture.

Based on the story by Roald Dahl, new animated film Fantastic Mr Fox features the voices of George Clooney as Mr Fox and Meryl Streep as his wife. Directed by Wes Anderson and using old-fashioned stop-motion animation, the film also features the voices of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon and Willem Dafoe. Front Row delivers its verdict.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ncbyt)
The Dead Hour

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Chris Dolan of the novel by Denise Mina, set in Glasgow in 1984.

Cub reporter Paddy Meehan is pursuing the biggest scoop of her career, but it is a story the police don't want her to report.

Paddy Meehan ...... Amy Manson
Billy ...... Stevie Hannan
Neilson ...... Simon Donaldson
Trisha ...... Cara Kelly
Gourlay ...... Laurie Ventry
Sean ...... Paul Thomas Hickey
JT ...... Finlay McLean
Kate ...... Patricia Kavanagh
Sullivan ...... Andrew Clark
Burns ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ramage ...... Mark McDonnell

Other parts played by the cast.

Directed by Bruce Young.


TUE 20:00 Return from Guantanamo (b00ncb0x)
In 2001 a journalist called Sami al-Hajj was arrested on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. For more than six years he was held in the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention centre until, in 2008, he was suddenly released. In an exclusive interview, he talks to Gavin Esler about what happened to him, and why.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00n89k4)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.

Entering the world of work when unemployment is around three million is tough; only one in three blind people between 18 and 29 has a job. Liz Cooke, from Access Made Easy, believes you have to regard the process of getting a job as a full-time job in itself. She shares practical advice about the role of agencies, technology and government in the quest for employment if you are blind or visually-impaired.

Anna Barham, 12, has already decided on her career - she wants to be a writer and has just won an international essay competition writing about how braille has changed her life. We hear her read an extract from her fairy-tale and she explains what braille means to her.

Also, the man who's spent his working life trying to improve the situation of deaf-blind people. Lex Grandia is the president of the World Federation of Deaf-Blind and has just won a lifetime achievement award from Sense. He tells Mani Djazmi about his work and how he relaxes with the piano.


TUE 21:00 Trials For Life (b00n89kx)
Episode 3

Vivienne Parry explores the world of clinical trials.

Doctors can offer traditional treatments or places on clinical trials, but, when all else fails, what can patients do for themselves? Vivienne visits a Challenging Pain course run by Arthritis Care in Plymouth and hears how patients are trialling their own pain relieving techniques at home.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the whole body, but especially the joints, and it can be so painful that a normal life is not possible. Even the newest 'biologic' drugs - which target individual molecules that cause the inflammation and damage in the joints - don't work for everybody, and so ongoing research is needed. Patients who volunteer for such studies are closely monitored and often hope for success for future patients, as well as relief of their own pain.


TUE 21:30 The Choice (b00n811n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00n7pkt)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00n7xxj)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

Afghanistan's presidential election goes to a run-off. President Karzai accepts the decision, but what will it mean?

The Governor of the Bank of England gives his views on reform of the banking system.

Russia's biggest car maker could face bankruptcy.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00n7y3p)
And Another Thing...

Episode 7

Stephen Mangan reads from Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Read by Stephen Mangan, with Peter Serafinowicz.

Discovering the importance of the Cheese.

Abridged by Penny Leicester.


TUE 23:00 Dave Podmore (b00nct5b)
Strictly Dave Podmore

This is the hitherto untold story of Strictly series Seven, when England's least co-ordinated cricketer Dave Podmore spun his way onto the dancefloor of Strictly Come Dancing, stumbling in the twinkle-toed footsteps of Messrs Ramprakash, Gough and Tuffnell.

Can England's legendary journeyman, never known for his timing and footwork on the field, pull it off on the night? Will he manage the Rhumba without spilling his Red Bull?

Its Saturday Night Fever meets Test Match Special. Not exactly Dirty Dancing, but certainly a disappointing standard of hygiene. Dave Podmore is written and performed by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds with Nick Newman.

Producer: Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00n7y4s)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.



WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 2009

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00n7cwm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00ncttt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n7cyk)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n7f7s)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n7czz)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00n7f9v)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n7fd3)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00n7fmn)
A group of Britain's leading scientists from the Royal Society say genetically modified food is crucial if we're to feed the world's growing population. And Anna Hill visits a pub where locals can barter for beer with their home grown fruit and vegetables.


WED 06:00 Today (b00n7fzk)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague

The first swine flu vaccinations are to be carried out. The first people to get the vaccination will be those deemed most at risk such as pregnant women, babies and the elderly. Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer for England, discusses the vaccination programme.

The government's tax receipts are falling. They dropped by 15.5 billion pounds in the three months to September, compared with the same period last year. Tax accountants BDO say this means the government's budget estimate of a deficit of 175 billion pounds at the end of this fiscal year will be exceeded, and that spending cuts alone will not cut the deficit. Stephen Herring, senior tax partner at BDO, examines the implications on taxes.

A new report by the Royal Society states that genetically modified (GM) foods could be the solution to global food security. The report calls for two billion pounds to fund a 'Grand Challenge' to help feed the world over the next ten years. Correspondent Tom Feilden looks back on the history of the GM revolution.

There is to be a run-off in Afghanistan's presidential election on 7 November. A UN panel found that the first election was marred by fraud and has provoked allegations that the British army is propping up a corrupt regime. Correspondent Huw Williams has been talking to people in one of the army's key recruiting grounds along the Fife coast.

The debate over secret inquests is being raised today as the Coroner's Bill goes to report stage in parliament. Clauses within the Bill include provisions for secret inquiries to replace secret inquests, which critics say could have even tighter restrictions on attendance for family and the press. It will also lead to the disclosure and publication of any documents. Baroness Miller, home affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, examines the public interest issues around the new Bill.

The Pope is setting up a new legal structure within the Catholic church which could allow entire parishes or even dioceses to leave the Church of England and become Catholics. Christina Rees, a member of the Church of England's general synod, and Rev Dr Giles Fraser of St Paul's Cathedral discuss the move.

A new version of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess is beginning its national tour in Cardiff. The classic story of racism, abuse and drugs in the American south has been translated to contemporary South Africa, with a cast from that country. Reporter Wyre Davies joined one of the rehearsals.

Thought for the day with Akhandadhi Das, a Vaishnav Hindu teacher and theologian.

The Royal Society is urging the government to spend two billion pounds on crop research to combat global food shortages. A report from the society warns that current agricultural methods will not provide enough food for the world's rising population. Professor Sir David Baulcombe of Cambridge University, who chaired the panel which undertook the study, explains how GM technology can aid global food shortages.

Afghanistan will hold a deciding round of its presidential poll on 7 November, pitting Hamid Karzai against his rival Abdullah Abdullah. News of the run-off vote came a day after a UN-backed panel said it had clear evidence of fraud in August's first round, lowering Mr Karzai's vote share below 50 per cent. Mr Karzai told a news conference that he accepted the findings, adding they were a 'step forward' for democracy. Foreign Secretary David Miliband discusses whether a second election will be more democratic than the first.

Residents in Barnet, north London, could be given the option of lower council tax, if their bins are collected less often. The blueprint could be rolled out across other councils. Barnet councillor Mike Freer and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts Mathew Taylor discuss the move to "local choice".

The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, says plans to reform UK banking are not enough. He wants to see a fundamental rethink of how banks are structured and says that some banks should be broken up to protect the taxpayer from a future dominated by institutions which are "too big to fail". Terry Smith, chief executive of specialist broker Tullett Prebon, and Steven Bell, chief economist at hedge fund GLC, analyse whether Mr King's recommendations could improve the banking sector.

One of the most extraordinary books ever written about relations between the races is being published to mark Black History Month. Black Like Me tells the story of how the white American writer John Howard Griffin took drugs to darken his skin and then embarked on a dangerous journey through the then-segregated deep south of the United States, exactly 50 years ago. Correspondent Kevin Connolly has been reflecting on the book's impact.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been warning other countries of a catastrophe if there is no agreement on climate change at Copenhagen. But, here in the UK, one of the government's key prog


WED 09:00 Midweek (b00n8b3d)
Arturo Brachetti is the magician, actor and quick-change artist who has almost single-handedly revived the lost art of quick change, practiced in Italy since the 16th century. With his vast repertoire of characters from James Bond to Sid Vicious and the Queen, his new show, Change, tells the story of a renowned artiste of the Golden Age of cabaret who, after a career that has taken him to some of the greatest theatres in the world, will finally take his place on the stage of London's West End. Change is at London's Garrick Theatre.

Virginia Fraser Johnson is the widow of Frank Johnson, the parliamentary sketch writer whose work enriched The Daily Telegraph for more than 30 years as well as The Times, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator. She has put together a collection of his work in a book, Best Seat in the House: The Wit and Parliamentary Chronicles of Frank Johnson, which is published by JR Books.

David Wilson is Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University and director of the University's Centre for Criminal Justice Policy. He is widely recognised as the UK's leading expert on British serial murders. His work as a criminologist and profiler, and previously as a prison governor, brought him into close contact with several infamous serial killers. In his book A History of British Serial Killing, published by Sphere, he investigates some of these crimes.

Rachel Podger is a violinist and leading interpreter of the Baroque and Classical periods. She holds four professorships including Professor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and the newly-founded Michaela Comberti Chair for Baroque Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She is releasing a new CD with Pavlo Beznosiuk and the Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment - Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Haydn's Violin Concerti 1 and 4 - and is running and starring in the Brecon Baroque Festival.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00nctk3)
The Blaze Of Obscurity

Episode 3

Clive James reads from his fifth volume of memoirs, charting the TV years that shot him into the public eye.

The TV postcard series saw Clive travelling the world. He remembers Las Vegas, San Francisco and a surreal stay at the mansion owned by Hugh Hefner.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00n7gj6)
Melanie C; Sexism in the city; Maternity rights

Former Sporty Spice Melanie C on motherhood and her theatrical debut. Plus, the sex industry's infiltration of the modern workplace; and have maternity rights gone too far?


WED 11:00 How to Run a City (b00n8b3g)
Episode 3

Series in which Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities who are bidding to blow the cliches and stereotypes out of the water.

Shari meets chief executives who have left local authorities for the national stage, to find out what they have brought with them from local government, and why they left.

Sir Bob Kerslake used to run Sheffield City Council - now he runs the Homes and Communities Agency. Walking through rainswept central London streets, he takes Shari to see an impoverished part of Pimlico which to him embodies the local causes at the heart of his national job.

Carolyn Downs, meanwhile, went from running Shropshire County Council to becoming Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. So how different is her new role?

Lin Homer succeeded Sir Michael Lyons as chief executive of Birmingham's huge city council. Shari visits each of them in their current roles - Homer is now head of the UK Borders Agency, and Sir Michael is chair of the BBC Trust. Each explains how the sometimes punishing experience of running a city has prepared them for their present work.

And Shari asks Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, another of the country's biggest authorities, why, even after 40 years with the same authority, he finds the prospect of working in London utterly untempting.


WED 11:30 Hut 33 (b01jk1bx)
Series 3

Big Machine

1942: can Gordon's new computing invention help the Bletchley Park code-breakers?

James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.

Professor Charles Gardner …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Gordon ...... Fergus Craig
3rd Lieutenant Joshua Fanshawe-Marshall …. Alex MacQueen
Minka …. Olivia Coleman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley

Producer: Adam Bromley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00n7gl8)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00n7gpc)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00n7j37)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00n8b3l)
The Press Complaints Commission has received more than 22,000 complaints about an article on the death of the Boyzone singer Stephen Gately in the Daily Mail. Was this an orchestrated internet 'hate' campaign or a spontaneous response to a provocative article? Emily Bell, director of digital content at The Guardian, gives her thoughts.

It's been another big week for the BBC Trust. First the shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt called for it to be abolished, then Peter Hain asked the chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, to block the appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time. David Elstein joins Steve to discuss how successful the BBC Trust has been in doing the job it was set up to do.

Steve also talks to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ben Bradshaw, about his plans for the future of UK broadcasting, print and online.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00n7jd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b00n8b3n)
Daniel Thurman - Those Hard to Reach Places

'Cleaner...only dirtier' is not how your average domestic cleaner describes themselves. But then Rita is anything but your average domestic cleaner as an unfortunate former mayor is about to discover in Daniel Thurman's sparkling comedy.

Fawcett ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Mrs Randle ..... Anne Reid
Rita ..... Janet Dibley
Bus Driver ..... Piers Wehner
Phone voice ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan

Directed by Toby Swift.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00n8b3q)
Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on energy saving.

Guests:
Clare Corbett, energy campaigner, Which?
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy, Uswitch
Rob Bell, Energy Saving Trust.


WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00n881r)
A Glimpse of Stocking

The Hostess With the Mostest

A short story in celebration of 'something shocking' - the nylon stocking.

If bus hostess Jill is to afford a summer holiday, she's got to win the monthly customer satisfaction bonus. All that stands in her way are some curling sandwiches, a top-loading video cassette player and a pair of American Tan tights. Well, it is 1984...

Written by Laura Marney and read by Gayanne Potter.


WED 15:45 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7kt9)
Spinsters

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.

When we think of the history of home, the cosy experiences of the nuclear family spring easiest to mind. But what of those who had no family or home of their own?

Probably as many as one in five women never married in 18th-century England. What about their story? What did the comforts of home mean for them? Prof Vickery tells the story of one admirable and disabled spinster, whose letters she discovered in a record office in Reading.

Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00n8m2s)
Suburbia Planning - Modernity Forgets

How do housing estates and suburbs serve or fail to serve their residents? Three out of four British people live in the suburbs, many of which grew as cities and their populations expanded. Laurie Taylor is joined by Paul Barker and Lynsey Hanley to discuss housing estates and suburbs. What form of housing most fulfills people's desires? And will urban planning ever be able to fulfill Aneurin Bevan's dream of social integration?

Also on the programme, why modernity makes us forgetful. Does the speed and transience of life today damage our shared and individual memories? The social anthropologist Paul Connerton thinks it does. He discusses his latest book with Laurie Taylor.


WED 16:30 Trials For Life (b00n89kx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n7mjj)
21st October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

Thousands of protestors march through East Germany; a BBC survey suggests one third of British muslims believe Salman Rushdie should be killed because of his book, The Satanic Verses.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 17:00 PM (b00n7mlb)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7msp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Rudy's Rare Records (b00n8nk9)
Series 2

Oh Carolina

Adam finally goes out on a date, but is the lady in question quite what she appears? Starring Lenny Henry. From October 2009.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00n7jd3)
Leon goes round to see Helen, but she's not there. Annette is though, and so he invites himself in. He soon gets Annette talking about Max, and the breakup - and then about all her previous disastrous relationships. Annette clearly enjoys talking to him, though they both jump up to tidy the room when Helen finally gets home.

Clarrie and Eddie are looking forward to living at Brookfield for the week next week. Ed comes round to Keeper's Cottage to see them, not knowing that Will is there. Will overhears them talking about how much George loves Ed's cows. When the brothers are alone together it escalates into a row. Clarrie and Eddie have to calm things down.

Afterwards, Clarrie is upset. She was hoping they could put all their differences on one side and have a family meal together in Brookfield's spacious kitchen. But there's no chance of that now.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00n7nr4)
Kenny Ortega; Jane Campion; Ulster Museum re-opening.

The choreographer Kenny Ortega was working on Michael Jackson's This Is It tour before Jackson died in June. He also directed Jackson's memorial service, one of the most-watched events of all time. Ortega has subsequently worked on a film using rehearsal footage of Jackson. He discusses the various questions hanging over Jackson's motivation for the ambitious world tour and his other great choreography success, High School Musical.

The New Zealand director Jane Campion's latest project is Bright Star, a film which follows the Romantic poet John Keats's love affair with Fanny Brawn until the poet's early death in 1821 at the age of 25. Campion discusses her fascination with Keats and looks back over her film career, including her Oscar nomination for The Piano.

The Ulster Museum in Belfast re-opens tomorrow following a multi-million pound overhaul, headed up by a major exhibition from Sean Scully. Fellow artist Rita Duffy describes the changes visitors can expect to see.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ncby5)
The Dead Hour

Episode 3

Dramatisation by Chris Dolan of the novel by Denise Mina, set in Glasgow in 1984.

Paddy decides to tell the police that she has been bribed by the killer.

Paddy Meehan ...... Amy Manson
Billy ...... Stevie Hannan
Neilson ...... Simon Donaldson
Trisha ...... Cara Kelly
Gourlay ...... Laurie Ventry
Sean ...... Paul Thomas Hickey
JT ...... Finlay McLean
Kate ...... Patricia Kavanagh
Sullivan ...... Andrew Clark
Burns ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ramage ...... Mark McDonnell

Other parts played by the cast.

Directed by Bruce Young.


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00n8nkc)
Michael Buerk and the team travel to Derby University for an edition of the programme recorded on campus. He is joined by panel members Claire Fox, Melanie Phillips, Clifford Longley and Matthew Taylor.

Higher education is more popular than ever; universities are crammed to the rafters as they struggle to achieve the aim of 50 per cent of young people getting a university education. The increased popularity of vocational degrees has changed the culture of academia. But students now have to balance the increasing cost of getting a degree with uncertain job prospects when they graduate. So there's no better time to ask the question, 'what are universities for and who are they for?'

Witnesses:

Professor Dennis Hayes
Professor of Education, University of Derby. Founder of the campaign group Academics for Academic Freedom (AFAF)

Professor John Coyne
Vice Chancellor, University of Derby and chairman of skills and enterprise Think Tank CFE, which is an independent specialist in skills employment and economic development.

Greg James
University of Nottingham medical student, anti-tuition fees campaigner.

Andrew Long
Young entrepreneur and CEO of Ten, named one of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in the UK by the Sunday Times.


WED 20:45 Conserving What? (b00n8nkf)
Episode 3

Series in which Peter Oborne investigates the meaning of Conservatism through its philosophical roots and the character of different Conservative governments.

Peter tries to discover where David Cameron sits in Conservatism's intellectual and emotional tradition.


WED 21:00 The Plight of the Bumblebee (b00n8pdk)
It is commonly known that honeybees have been dying in large numbers, but much less well known that bumblebees are just as important when it comes to pollinating crops and flowers, and that they too are in serious decline.

Louise Batchelor investigates the reasons for their plight and looks at efforts to conserve the most threatened species - and even reverse the last extinction. The programme also features the world's first working bumblebee sniffer dog, trained to find their elusive nests, which is a vital part of the research.

A Square Dog Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b00n8b3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00n7pkw)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00n7xxm)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

The nationwide postal strike is to go ahead.

The UN mission in Afghanistan begins replacing election officials accused of corruption, ahead of a presidential run-off.

Why the party's over for pass the parcel.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00n7y3r)
And Another Thing...

Episode 8

Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Read by Stephen Mangan, with Peter Serafinowicz.

An immortal battle is waged.

Abridged by Penny Leicester.


WED 23:00 One (b00n8pdm)
Series 3

Episode 3

Sketch show written by David Quantick, in which no item features more than one voice.

With Graeme Garden, Dan Maier, Johnny Daukes, Deborah Norton, Katie Davies, Dan Antopolski, Andrew Crawford and David Quantick.


WED 23:15 Rik Mayall's Bedside Tales (b00n8pdp)
22nd May

Settle down, brush your teeth, do whatever it is you do at this time of night. But, most of all, listen because Rik would like to talk to you. One on one. Tonight he'd mostly like to tell you about The 22nd of May.

Performer ..... Rik Mayall
Writers ..... Rik Mayall & John Nicholson
Producer ..... Steven Canny

We open a small and peculiarly shaped window in to the mind of Rik Mayall. Written by Rik and John Nicholson, it's a woozy, strange and resonant series from one of the country's most loved comic performers. Rik wants to sit with you in your room - one on one. He wants to let you know things - important, secret things, things about your neighbours. About him. About you.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00n7y4v)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.



THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER 2009

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00n7cwp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00nctk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n7cym)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n7f7v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n7d01)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00n7f9x)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n7fd5)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00n7fmq)
There are warnings that a lack of skilled workers in farming will threaten our ability to grow enough food according to Lantra, the skills council for agriculture. Plus campaign group Pub is the Hub recommend that publicans diversify if they want pubs to survive in rural areas.


THU 06:00 Today (b00n7fzm)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

Royal Mail staff begin the first of two 24-hour walkouts this week, in an increasingly bitter dispute over modernisation. Paul Tolhurst, operations director of Royal Mail, explains why talks broke down.

The appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin on tonight's Question Time panel has clear parallels with the first appearance of far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the Front National, on a French TV programme in 1984. Dr Jim Shields, Associate Professor in French Studies at the University of Warwick, explains how Le Pen used the show to gain the acceptability that had eluded him previously.

The White House has indicated it is to limit the bonuses and other remuneration given to the executives who run companies which have been bailed out by the American taxpayer. Former Wall Street banker William Cohen, author of House of Cards: How Wall Street Gamblers Broke Capitalism, examines the implications.

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, published today, has taken more than 40 years to compile. It is twice the size of Roget's Thesaurus and contains more than 600,000 words. Professor Christian Kay, lead author of the dictionary, explains why it has taken so long.

It is 25 years since the world learned of the terrible famine in Ethiopia. Michael Buerk's television news reports were the inspiration for Bob Geldof's fundraising efforts, including Live Aid, and all those pledges that it would never be allowed to happen again. But our reporter Mike Wooldridge, who had actually broken the story of the famine on this programme 48 hours earlier, has been back to Ethiopia to find that it is happening again.

Breakfast with Socrates, a new book by Robert Rowland Smith, explores the hidden philosophy of everyday life in the company of some of the greatest thinkers in history. The author explains what is going through our minds as we get up in the morning.

Thought for the Day with Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner from Alyth Gardens Synagogue.

The BBC Trust has said it was a 'question of editorial judgement' whether or not it was appropriate for the BNP to appear on tonight's Question Time. Mark Byford, deputy director general of the BBC and head of all its, journalism and the former Mayor of London and chair of Unite against Fascism, Ken Livingstone, discuss leader Nick Griffin's appearance.

Workers at Royal Mail have begun a two-day strike after talks between the company and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) broke down. It is the first nationwide strike in two years, with more dates expected to be announced. Correspondent Nick Ravenscroft reports from a business that has been badly affected by the strike action and the CWU's general secretary Billy Hayes and shadow business secretary Kenneth Clarke discuss the future of Royal Mail.

The think tank Reform has published a report into the cost of middle-class benefits. The report has calculated that these payments, including free TV licences and child benefit, total 31 billion pounds. Reform's director, Andrew Haldenby, and Guardian columnist Deborah Orr discuss whether the welfare the middle classes receive is responsible.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, has delivered an attack on the Conservative Party's plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a British bill of rights. Mr Starmer's comments came during a speech last night to mark his first anniversary in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service. Mr Starmer explains the significance of the Human Rights Act on British law.

The financial crisis has brought many new words and phrases into our vocabulary. Comedian Harry Shearer, best known as the voice of Mr Burns and other characters on The Simpsons, has plundered the lexicon of the crisis to produce a new album of satirical songs. He gives us a taste of some of his new work including Bonus Baby, Little GM and Troubled Assets.

Israel has been talking with Iran about nuclear weapons. It is the first time official talks have been disclosed since the 1979 revolution. Correspondent Paul Wood comments on the latest developments.

The first recipients of money from the organisers behind the Cultural Olympiad will be announced today. The Olympiad, part of London's winning bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012, is aimed at showcasing Britain's arts and culture. While the Olympics venues promise to leave a legacy, what future is there for the artists? Reporter Nicola Stanbridge met some of the first artists to be commissioned, and the chair of the Cultural Olympiad Board, Tony Hall, discusses the Olympiad's legacy.

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is published today. It has taken more than 40 years to compile and is twice the size of Roget's Thesaurus. Especially for the Today programme, the lead author of the dictionary, Professor Christian Kay, has re-written one of the reports from our news bulletin using an entirely different s


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00n8t48)
The Geological Formation of Britain

Melvyn Bragg and guests Richard Corfield, Jane Francis and Sanjeev Gupta discuss the geological formation of Britain.Around 600 million years ago the island that we now call Britain was in two parts, far to the south of the Equator. Scotland and north-western Ireland were part of a continent (Laurentia) that also included what is now North America. To the south-east, near the Antarctic Circle, meanwhile, you would have found southern Ireland, England and Wales. They formed a mini-continent (Avalonia) with what is now Newfoundland.Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, as they inched their way north, the two parts came together - first as part of a vast unitary continent (Pangaea), later as a promontory on the edge of Europe, and eventually, as sea levels rose, as an island. The story of how Britain came to be where it is now, in its current shape - from the separation of North America and Europe to the carving out of the English Channel - is still being uncovered today.Richard Corfield is Visiting Senior Resarch Fellow at Oxford University; Jane Francis is Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds; Sanjeev Gupta is a Royal Society-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow at Imperial College London.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00nctk6)
The Blaze Of Obscurity

Episode 4

Clive James reads from his fifth volume of memoirs, charting the TV years that shot him into the public eye.

The star interview became a regular feature and Clive gained revealing insights about Katharine Hepburn, Roman Polanski and Luciano Pavarotti.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00n7gj8)
A Room of One's Own

Celebrating Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, 80 years on. Woman's Hour examines this remarkable essay and its continuing relevance to women today.


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00n8t4q)
Kate Adie introduces BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the headlines.

Mohammed Hanif in Karachi hears a nervous humming of Abba tunes, as urban Pakistanis try to carry on as usual as the Taliban carry their fight to the cities.


THU 11:30 Texting Andy Warhol (b00n9097)
Does a picture made from words count as literature or art?

Bidisha talks to gallery visitors reading Richard Long's words on the walls - how is that different from a book by Dali?

With Keith Tyson, Fiona Banner, Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari.

Producer: Robyn Read

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00n7glb)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00n7gpf)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b00n7j39)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b00n80vl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00n7jd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b00n90tt)
The Decoy

Thriller by Matthew Broughton. Daniel is plucked from the factory floor and groomed by the state as a body-double.

Daniel ...... Ifan Meredith
Victor ...... Stephen Hogan
Katrina ......Abigail Hollick
Adam ...... Joseph Cohen Cole
Simon ...... Rhys Jennings

Other parts played by Kate Layden, Piers Wehner, Rhys Jennings, Emerald O'Hanrahan, Tessa Nicholson and Melissa Advani.

Directed by Faith Collingwood.


THU 15:00 Ramblings (b00n6tc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00n6x6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00n881t)
A Glimpse of Stocking

A Silly Gigolo

Series of stories celebrating 70 years of nylon stockings.

By Shena Mackay, read by Joanna Tope .

A shy schoolgirl feels the pull of the stage after a humiliating encounter with a glamorous fellow pupil.


THU 15:45 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7ktc)
Widows

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.

When we think of the history of home, the cosy experiences of the nuclear family spring easiest to mind. But what of those who had no family or home of their own?

Widows had enormous status and power in the 18th century. And for some women, the death of a spouse was a fairytale release. This programme tells the story of the richest widow in England, Elizabeth Montagu, and how she spent her late husband's coal fortune.

Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 16:00 Open Book (b00n6z0d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b00n90tw)
NASA plans to launch its massive Ares 1 rocket, the first test flight of its vehicle planned to replace the Shuttle in the next decade. Gareth Mitchell looks forward to this first step in NASA's Constellation programme for human space exploration.

Also, earlier this month, the cover of Science was graced with a collection of bones - the fossil of Ardi, possibly the most important human ancestor yet found. With its two key discoverers at the Royal Society, Gareth grabbed the chance to hear what it's like to uncover such a rare piece of pre-history.

And if you thought you'd already about the most important human ancestor this year, that was Ida, the much-celebrated 47 million-year-old lemur lookalike, which scientists now report in Nature had nothing to do with our origins after all.


THU 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n7mjl)
22nd October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

Margaret Thatcher causes consternation at the Commonwealth over sanctions against South Africa, and, following the release of the Guildford Four, the Irish prime minister calls for a review of the Birmingham Six case.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 17:00 PM (b00n7mld)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7msr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b00h34d1)
Series 4

Coach Trip

Spoof reminiscences of a former variety star. Count Arthur Strong is an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origins of the species, all false starts and nervous fumbling, poorly concealed by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance.

After an attempted coach trip to Bridlington goes terribly wrong, Arthur decides the only way out of a sticky situation is to go 'native'.

With Steve Delaney, Mel Giedroyc, Dave Mounfield and Alastair Kerr.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00n7jd5)
Will sounds off to Brian about Borchester Land renting the 50 acres to Ed. He thinks it will be damaging for his birds, he says. Brian gives him short shrift. This is really all about Will's relationship with his brother, and Brian isn't having it. It's a short lease, if it doesn't work it won't be renewed, and that's all there is to it.

The whole family is very concerned about Jack, who is becoming increasingly difficult for Peggy to manage. Peggy takes him on a visit to the Laurels again - just quietly, the two of them. They have a calm and quiet time in the garden there.

Gossip is spreading about the shop closing. Lynda talks to Elizabeth, who doesn't really know anything about it. Concerned Pat approaches Brian about it. Brian tells her he is convinced that the easiest thing for Peggy is to close the shop and turn it into a flat. He's already told Peggy he'll handle the conversion. But Pat thinks they don't need to move quite so quickly. There must be something else they can do.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00n7nr6)
Actor Richard Wilson talks about playing a famously comical grumpy old man - Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Composer Michael Nyman, best known for his classical film scores, has teamed up with soul singer David McAlmont for a new album, The Glare. They discuss how McAlmont went about putting his own spin on some of Nyman's best-known pieces.

The criminal mastermind Dr Mabuse features in three of Fritz Lang's films, starting with his silent 1922 film Dr Mabuse the Gambler, followed by The Testament of Dr Mabuse in 1933 and ending with The 1,000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse, which was the final film of Lang's career in 1960. Gary Lachman, who as Gary Valentine was a founding member of the rock group Blondie, reviews a new box set of the Dr Mabuse trilogy.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ncby7)
The Dead Hour

Episode 4

Dramatisation by Chris Dolan of the novel by Denise Mina, set in Glasgow in 1984.

As redundancies loom at the newspaper, Paddy tries to sell her murder investigation to the new editor.

Paddy Meehan ...... Amy Manson
Billy ...... Stevie Hannan
Neilson ...... Simon Donaldson
Trisha ...... Cara Kelly
Gourlay ...... Laurie Ventry
Sean ...... Paul Thomas Hickey
JT ...... Finlay McLean
Kate ...... Patricia Kavanagh
Sullivan ...... Andrew Clark
Burns ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ramage ...... Mark McDonnell

Other parts played by the cast.

Directed by Bruce Young.


THU 20:00 Law in Action (b00n88cz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00n911b)
Evan Davis is joined by a panel of top business guests to discuss technology. From electric cars to satellites to jet engines, can it really solve the world's problems? He also asks how long is too long to work for the same company?

Evan is joined by Nani Beccalli-Falco, president of General Electric International, Candace Johnson, serial entrepreneur who co-founded the satellite company SES Global, and John Fleming, chief executive of Ford of Europe.


THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00n911d)
Humans and Robots

Geoff Watts meets robotics expert Professor Noel Sharkey and explores the relationship between humans and robots - past, present and future.

One day in the early 1940s, a boy playing in the basement of his house discovered a robot; it became his secret playmate. A few years later the robot disappeared, and they didn't meet again for 50 years. The robot, called Elektro, was built by Westinghouse corporation in 1937. Over two metres tall, it was remarkably advanced for the time. Although he was actually intended as a PR stunt, he was designed by some of the finest engineers of the time and represented the forefront of technology. Elektro rapidly became a superstar, and received a rapturous welcome at the New York World's Fair in 1939. For a couple of years he lived the high life - then everything changed.

When war came he was packed away and ended up in a basement where the boy found him. After the war, he (the robot that is) fell in with the wrong people and ended up playing a randy robot called Thinko in a 1960 porn movie. After that he disappeared, only to be rediscovered recently by the man, now in his 70s, who had played with it as a child.

Robots are now taking on new tasks beyond assembly lines and science fiction films. Can robot nannies look after our child care and befriend the elderly? Should they be left in charge of our weapons systems?

The programme also includes a report from the University of Hertfordshire on robot-human interractions. How can robots be made more personable so that, for example, they don't invade our personal space? Might they help to teach social skills to autistic children who cannot relate to other people?


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00n8t48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b00n7pky)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00n7xxp)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

The BNP leader Nick Griffin appears on Question Time; despite protests the BBC defends the move.

The postal workers' union announces more strikes - we examine the strategy of both sides of the dispute.

Drought in Ethiopia: 25 years on from the terrible famine of 1984, why are Ethiopians still dying from hunger?

A new champion skier - from Ghana?


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00n7y3t)
And Another Thing...

Episode 9

Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Read by Stephen Mangan, with Peter Serafinowicz.

More fighting, but thankfully no Vogon poetry.

Abridged by Penny Leicester.


THU 23:00 Pick Ups (b00n911g)
Series 2

The Angel of Death

Sitcom by Ian Kershaw, set around a Manchester taxi company.

Mike ...... Paul Loughran
Lind ...... Lesley Sharp
Dave ...... Phil Rowson
Rebel ..... Parvez Qadir
Carol-Ann ...... Anne Hornby.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00n7y4x)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.



FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2009

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00n7cwr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00nctk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00n7cyp)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00n7f7x)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00n7d03)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00n7f9z)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00n7fd7)
Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00n7fms)
The Farming Today bees produce their most valuable crop of the year.

With rural pubs having a tough time in the recession, Charlotte Smith meets publicans who bought a farm in Surrey to grow all the food for their four London pubs.


FRI 06:00 Today (b00n7fzp)
Presented by Justin Webb and John Humphrys.

The debate continues over the BNP's appearance on Question Time last night. The Welsh secretary Peter Hain has criticised the BBC but justice secretary Jack Straw, who appeared on the programme's panel, said that for the first time the views of the BNP had been properly scrutinised. Correspondent Angus Stickler went to hear what the audience members thought of the programme.

It is the deadline for school application forms to be received in some areas of the country, but the postal strike has led to a backlog and could affect children's chances of going to the secondary school of their choice. Local authorities have said that if applications do not arrive on time then they cannot be considered. Shirie Ritchie of the Local Government Association discusses whether some children will consequently lose a place at their school of choice.

Moves to to arrange a reconciliation agreement between the rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, are continuing. An agreement could pave the way for elections, but also allow the Palestinians to present a united front in future negotiations with Israel. Middle East correspondent Tim Franks reports on how the Islamist Hamas movement is no longer as popular as it was, after two-and-a-half years in power.

Food Standards Authority officials are in Brussels to discuss the findings of tests into the quality of chicken sold in the UK. They have discovered that chicken is pumped with protein powders made from pork and beef, and want better labelling to inform consumers. Campaigners want the practice to be banned. The officials will present their findings to the European Commission. Geoffrey Dovey, who runs a poultry supply company and has long campaigned on this issue, discusses the campaign.

Members of the Metropolitan Police's specialist firearms unit are to start patrolling with visible guns. The armed officers will target the capital's most dangerous streets and housing estates alongside neighbourhood officers. Pilot patrols have already begun in Brixton, Haringey and Tottenham. Brian Paddick, former deputy assistant commissioner at the Met, examines whether armed police will combat gun crime.

The clocks go back this Sunday and there are the usual complaints that the move only benefits Scottish farmers. Historian Sir Alistair Horne has been arguing that, with devolution and increasing Scottish powers to make their own legislation, Scotland should have its own time zone. Sir Alistair discusses his suggestions.

Thought for the Day with Lord Harries of Pentregarth, Gresham Professor of Divinity.

Trawler skippers in parts of the UK have already exhausted their fishing quotas for the year and will be without a job until the 2010 quotas in January. A group of fisherman's wives, the Cod Crusaders, says that EU rules are pushing the next generation out of the industry and are meeting the Scottish fisheries minister to discuss how to improve the industry. Reporter Tamasin Ford went to Fraserburgh, on the north-east coast of Scotland, to speak to fishermen and their wives.

Lawyers for a ten-year-old Nigerian girl, Adeyoti Ogunsola, and her mother Clementina have won a judicial review of their case. Adeyoti tried to strangle herself after being put in an immigration detention centre by the UK Border Agency, against medical advice. She and her mother were facing deportation to Nigeria but, just hours before their flight, they were granted with a judicial review. Clementina had spent more than five years in the UK, but her application for asylum had been refused. Reporter Sanchia Berg has the latest developments.

Several hundred people protested outside the BBC's Television Centre against BNP leader Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time. While many have criticised the BBC for allowing the BNP to appear on the programme, others have praised them. The morning after, how did the leader of the British National Party Nick Griffin perform? David Aaronovitch, columnist for The Times, and Kelvin Mackenzie, former editor of The Sun, examine who won the debate.

The White House is expected to make a decision on its Afghanistan policy within the next few weeks. Correspondent Gordon Corera examines President Obama's options for Afghanistan.

The Republic of Congo is to give away vast tracts of land rent-free on a 30-year lease to South African farmers. It is hoped that the South African farmers will be able to cultivate the land and help kick start the market for homegrown produce in the country. Johan Pienaar, who helped negotiate the deal for the South African farmers' union, and Mark Ashurst, director of the Africa Research Institute, analyse whether the deal will help the Congo to rise out of poverty and use its rich natural resources.

There have been two bomb blasts in Pakistan. Correspondent Mark Dummett reports on the attacks.

Much has been made of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII this year, yet there has been


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00n6x78)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00nctk9)
The Blaze Of Obscurity

Episode 5

Clive James reads from his fifth volume of memoirs, charting the TV years that shot him into the public eye.

Clive makes a programme out of his attempts to learn to drive, tutored by Stirling Moss, and makes a postcard in Rome where he only just escapes the advances of Leonard Bernstein.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00n7gjb)
Rebecca Front; Late terminations

The consequences of details on late abortions to be made available discussed. Plus, actor Rebecca Front on The Thick of It; and Hollywood's Red witch-hunt.


FRI 11:00 Terry Nutkins: In the Ring of Bright Water (b00n9l1h)
Episode 2

Following the sad death of Terry Nutkins, we revisit two documentaries he made about his unusual childhood spent with the author, Gavin Maxwell, in the remote west highlands.

When Terry Nutkins was 13 he moved from London to the isolated west highlands to live with Maxwell, whose most famous book is 'Ring of Bright Water' . Forty years after Maxwell's death (in 2009) Terry told the remarkable story of his life with this mercurial man and his famous otters, Edal and Teko.

Part 2:

The romantic setting of Camusfearna has become almost mythical since Ring of Bright Water was published in 1960; it's now a place of pilgrimage for people who love the otters, the landscape and the wildlife described in the book. But, according to Terry, the purity of this little white cottage in pristine surroundings was sullied after Maxwell made his money from the book: the cottage was extended, pools were constructed and Maxwell himself became a reluctant celebrity, under constant pressure to live up to the reputation he had established.

Maxwell, a homosexual, entered into an unhappy marriage; the otters began a series of savage attacks and a fire devastated Sandaig House. In this programme Terry spoke exclusively to Gavin Maxwell's former wife, Lavinia Hankinson; to the naturalist and writer, Sir John Lister Kaye who knew Maxwell shortly before his death, and to Maxwell's biographer, Douglas Botting.

'Ring of Bright Water' is, arguably, the finest book ever written about a man's relationship with landscape and wildlife. Maxwell's poetic observations of otter behaviour and the detailed sketches and photographs in the book helped to change - on a worldwide basis - the reputation of these animals which were widely persecuted at the time.

Producer: Karen Gregor.


FRI 11:30 The Adventures of Inspector Steine (b00n9llk)
In Praise of Love

Comedy drama series by Lynne Truss set in 1950s Brighton.

Inspector Steine is compering a beauty pageant on Brighton seafront. But when Brunswick's old flame Doris reappears as a contestant, Brunswick is thrown into emotional turmoil - which is probably why he doesn't notice that the south east's big-shot criminals are converging on Brighton.

Inspector Steine ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Sergeant Brunswick ...... John Ramm
Constable Twitten ...... Matt Green
Mrs Groynes ...... Samantha Spiro
Doris/Maisie ...... Rachel Atkins
Roy ...... Douglas Hodge
Diamond Tony ...... David Holt.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00n7gld)
Consumer news and issues with Peter White.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00n7gph)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00n7j3c)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00n9llm)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00n7jd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00c5j0n)
The Day the Planes Came

Romantic comedy by Caroline and David Stafford.

The events of 9/11 cause many American flights to be diverted to Canada. The sleepy town of Gander in Newfoundland finds itself accommodating over 6,000 stranded passengers, including Sarah and her teenage daughter Polly. A selfless and put-upon divorcee, Sarah is seduced by the local people's hospitality. Finally, she learns to let her hair down. She has her first kiss in years, catches a fish, meets Crazy Pete, dabbles in a bit of karaoke and finally gets the few hours of sleep that have eluded her for so long.

Sarah ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Polly ...... Jade Williams
Gary ...... William Hope
Chris ...... Stephen Critchlow
Airport Announcer ...... Peter Marinker

Directed by Marc Beeby.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00n9llp)
Peter Gibbs chairs the popular horticultural forum.

John Cushnie, Bunny Guinness and Matthew Biggs are guests of the Aileymill Primary Group in Greenock.

Matthew Wilson discusses how to achieve multi-coloured autumn brilliance in your garden.

Including Gardening weather forecast.


FRI 15:45 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7ktf)
Two Widowers

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.

When we think of the history of home, the cosy experiences of the nuclear family spring easiest to mind. But what of those who had no family or home of their own?

The story of two different widowers and their desperate search for a new wife, based on original material from two unusual sets of diaries which Prof Vickery found in Lincoln.

Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00n9llr)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00n9llt)
Fantastic foxes, werewolves and vampires star in this edition, with Wes Anderson, Park Chan Wook and John Landis.

Wes Anderson tells Francine Stock about his adaptation of Roald Dahl's tale about a fox's tail. John Landis reveals why there's not a silver bullet to be seen in An American Werewolf in London. Ex-England cricket captain Mike Brearley discusses the relationship between cinema and psychoanalysis.


FRI 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00n7mjn)
23rd October 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

A quarter of a million East Germans march in Leipzig in the country's biggest-ever demonstration; in Hungary, tens of thousands of people remember the victims of their 1956 anti-communist uprising; Garry Kasparov beats the computer Deep Thought at chess.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00n7mlg)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00n7mst)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00n9llz)
Series 69

Episode 5

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz. The panel includes Jeremy Hardy, Rory Bremner and Francis Wheen.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00n7jd7)
David shows Eddie round the farm, and Joe tags along. The presence of Joe doesn't do anything to reassure David that the farm will be in safe hands next week when the Grundys are in charge. Ruth drags David off to pack - she's sure they'll be fine.

Lilian worries that Matt has taken to driving at speed again, but he denies it. She is sure he is hiding something from her. When she presses him to tell her what on earth it is, he finally admits that he has lied to the Serious Fraud Office - by not telling them about a substantial amount of money he has hidden in an offshore account.

Lilian is deeply angry. She tells him just how stupid he has been, but there is worse to come. Matt can remember boasting to Chalkman about the account. If Chalkie remembers, he could be waiting to bring it up in court. Bleak Lilian says she didn't think it could get any worse. They could be looking at Matt spending years in prison. Matt tells her that's why he's so scared. He's not going to get through it without her.

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00n7nr8)
It's 25 years since Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their classic album Welcome to the Pleasuredome, which contained their three hit singles Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love. The band's producer Trevor Horn and their master of spin Paul Morley look back on the creation of the band and its distinctive sound.

Anthony Cartwright discusses his novel Heartland, which explores grass-roots politics, football and the far right in a fictional Black Country community.

A long, dark underpass beneath the railway tracks on Neville Street in Leeds has been transformed by new work from artists Hans Peter Kuhn and Andy Edwards. Geoff Bird reports from the opening and finds out whether the city's pedestrians appreciate the change.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ncby9)
The Dead Hour

Episode 5

Dramatisation by Chris Dolan of the novel by Denise Mina, set in Glasgow in 1984.

Paddy refuses to accept the police theory that the murder was committed by an ex-boyfriend.

Paddy Meehan ...... Amy Manson
Billy ...... Stevie Hannan
Neilson ...... Simon Donaldson
Trisha ...... Cara Kelly
Gourlay ...... Laurie Ventry
Sean ...... Paul Thomas Hickey
JT ...... Finlay McLean
Kate ...... Patricia Kavanagh
Sullivan ...... Andrew Clark
Burns ...... Grant O'Rourke
Ramage ...... Mark McDonnell

Other parts played by the cast.

Directed by Bruce Young.


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00n9lm1)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Burgess Hill in West Sussex. The panellists are former home secretary Jacqui Smith, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union Billy Hayes and the director of the counter-extremist think-tank Quilliam Foundation, Maajid Nawaz.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00n9lm3)
Clive James: The Golf Ball Potato Crisp

Clive James reflects on the importance of scepticism in every walk of life, and he criticises extreme reactions to those who are sceptical about man-made global warming.


FRI 21:00 A History of Private Life: Omnibus (b00n9lm5)
Episode 4

Omnibus edition of Prof Amanda Vickery's series revealing the hidden history of home over 400 years, drawing on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.

What life was like for those who had no family or home of their own.

The readers are Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

The singers are Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00n7pl0)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00n7xxr)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

Recession deepens in Britain.

Iran hesitates over a nuclear deal.

Radovan Karadzic faces justice.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00n7y3w)
And Another Thing...

Episode 10

Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Read by Stephen Mangan, with Peter Serafinowicz.

We come to an end.

Abridged by Penny Leicester.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00n88d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00n7y4z)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.