SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2009

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00nrtlh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00npdgf)
The Magnetic North

The Gulag

Adjoa Andoh reads from Sara Wheeler's account of her journey to the lands that border the Arctic Ocean.

Sara journeys to a remote archipelago, visiting the ancient holy site which became one of the most feared places in 20th-century Russia.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nrtlk)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nrtlm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nrtlp)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00nrtlr)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nrtlt)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b00nrtlw)
The weekly interactive current affairs magazine featuring online conversation and debate.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00nrtly)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00nrtvj)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00nxhz4)
A Journey Through the New Forest

Matt Baker joins the team involved in a unique restoration project which is using a light railway to help restore areas of New Forest wetland that have been missing since Victorian times. He takes a wander along part of the 800-metre long rail line, learning more about the project which it is hoped will see the return of habitat and wildlife lost to the forest for years.

Matt also joins the team involved in the hugely successful British-built Steam Car ahead of its triumphant return home to the New Forest after smashing the 100-year-old world land speed record for a steam-powered car. Finally, Matt reduces his hoof-print even further and rounds off the day at nature's pace by meeting the Suffolk Punch horses of the New Forest Horse-Drawn Omnibus.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b00nrvrk)
Farming Today This Week

To meet UK renewable energy targets by 2020, around 5,000 onshore wind turbines will have to be built. Farmers and landowners could benefit if they install turbines - as from 2010 the government will award payments to anyone creating electricity from renewable sources. Each turbine can earn up to £15,000 a year after start-up costs. There appears to be no shortage of people offering sites for turbines.

Charlotte Smith hears from those in favour of turbines in the countryside and from those who believe wind energy is not the solution to meeting the UK's renewable energy targets.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00nrvrm)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00nrvrp)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.

The Ministry of Defence says it is investigating 33 new allegations of abuse by UK troops during the years they spent in Iraq. World affairs correspondent Caroline Hawley reports on the allegations.

The BNP's national conference is taking place in Wigan. North west political editor Arif Ansari reports on the event.

It is beginning to look unlikely that the Copenhagen climate talks will agree on the level of CO2 cuts being demanded by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to avoid what they consider to be a dangerous level of warming. Environment analyst Roger Harrabin reflects on the implications.

President Obama says he will decide soon if he is to send many more troops to Afghanistan. John Zogby, one of the US's leading pollsters, gives his analysis of the effect of the decision on the president's popularity.

A convicted murderer who had been released from prison on licence has been convicted of raping a woman at knifepoint, re-enacting the crime he had committed 22 years before. Home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw reports on the background to the case and James McGuire, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Liverpool University, discusses the implications for the parole board's decision.

Four weeks ago the Pakistani army started an offensive against militants in the tribal area of Waziristan. Few westerners have been to the area but three years ago Art Keller was the acting chief of one of the CIA bases there, charged with tracking down Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda operatives. He told reporter Zubeida Malik what was likely to be the situation on the ground in Waziristan.

Thought for the Day with Canon David Winter.

What would Britain be like if drugs were legal and there was a regulated market in their sale? Pressure group Transform Drug Policy Foundation is publishing a report suggesting just that. Their head of research, Steve Rolles, discusses the issue with Tom Wainwright, home affairs correspondent for The Economist.

The Ministry of Defence has said it is investigating 33 new allegations of abuse by the UK military in Iraq. Lawyers acting for former Iraqi detainees are calling for a full public inquiry into all abuse claims made during UK military involvement there. Iraqi human rights campaigner Mazin Younis, who has been collating and documenting the stories of alleged victims of abuse, outlines the allegations. Minister for the Armed Forces Bill Rammell discusses whether there is a widespread problem of abuse in the UK armed forces.

Five hundred years ago Venice was one of the most highly populated cities in the world. Now, inhabitants number just 60,000. Some of those who remain are staging a mock funeral to try to provoke the government to save the city. Architect Francesco da Mosto, who presented Francesco's Venice on BBC2, and author Donna Leon discusses the death of Venice.

Last month NASA deliberately crashed two spacecraft into a crater near the south pole of the moon to see if the impact would kick up water. NASA yesterday revealed that they did. Author and astronomer Dr David Whitehouse analyses the importance of the discovery.

In Washington, President Obama is facing the toughest decision of his short presidency over whether ornot to send more troops to Afghanistan. The issue has split opinion both in the US and here. Reporter Bob Walker went out in Nottingham to ask people what they thought about the continuation of the war and constitutional theorist Professor Philip Bobbitt discusses Barack Obama's strategic options.

The World Memory Championships are taking place in London. Contestants have to memorise long streams of numbers or the sequence of 35 entire decks of cards. Reporter Sanchia Berg went along to speak the world's top brain athletes.

Millions are watching it, the tabloids are obsessing on it, but Sting hates it. Paul Gambaccini discusses whether The X Factor does anything to nurture real musical talent.

Everyone knows there is a difference between our left brain and our right brain, but most are not clear on the difference. Now, one of the world's leading brain experts has published research that sheds new light on the split, which he says has real implications for the way the modern world is changing. Dr Iain McGilchrist discusses his book, The Master and His Emissary.

Over the past month we've been hearing from Major Richard Streatfeild, who is serving in Helmand province with the Rifles. In a grim irony, Remembrance Week coincided with the first deaths among the members of A Company, which he commands. In his latest despatch, Major Streatfeild reflects on the loss, and what Remembrance Week means for him and his men.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00nrvrr)
Real life stories in which listeners talk about the issues that matter to them.

Fi Glover is joined by writer William Boyd.

With poetry from Murray Lachlan Young.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00nrvrt)
Jan Morris has been travelling and writing about her journeys for more than 50 years. John McCarthy talks to her about some of the individuals she has encountered all over the world in that half century - rich and poor, renowned and obscure, friendly and unwelcoming. They reflect on the nature of travel and whether it is more about places or people.

John also talks to travel writer and journalist Dea Birkett, who is a judge for the Oldie magazine Travel Awards. She reveals which was the worst airport, the best railway station and why there should be an award for cruelty to trees. She and John discuss what can make journeys more pleasurable for the older traveller.


SAT 10:30 Armatrading for Mayor (b00nrvrw)
Singer Joan Armatrading reports on her time spent during the last year with the current Lord Mayor of London, the 681st to take the trip in the golden coach for the traditional Lord Mayor's Show through the streets of the City of London.

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b00nrvry)
Andrew Pierce of The Daily Telegraph looks back over the week’s events in Westminster.

A week of remembrance for those killed in conflict brought the war in Afghanistan into sharp focus this week. Two MPs with military backgrounds Eric Joyce (Labour) and Adam Holloway (Conservative) discuss government strategy in Afghanistan.

The last week of the parliamentary session, is a time to complete outstanding legislation. One aspect of the Coroner’s and Justice Bill (now an act) allowing sexual infidelity to be considered a qualifying trigger in murder cases, has produced a lot of controversy. The Shadow Attorney General Edward Garnier thinks it is bad law, and Emily Thornberry (Labour) regards it is necessary for the protection of women.

Also in the programme:

Is nuclear power the best solution to our energy problems? Zac Goldsmith, a Conservative candidate in the next election and an environmental campaigner, discusses Britain’s energy problems with Des Turner,a Labour member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.

And should the Foreign Secretary David Milliband invoke the charge of anti-semitism when criticising the Conservatives for their alliances in the European parliament? Lord Young, former Conservative cabinet minister says it is “gutter politics,” and Louise Ellman, chair of the Jewish Labour Movement says he is only doing his job.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00nrvs0)
Kate Adie introduces BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the headlines.

A new danger in the Sahara Desert, and it's proving bad for business in Timbuktu. Andrew Harding is in Mali. Both the British and American governments have been warning of the possible dangers of travelling there. Over lamb stew, Andrew talks to the governor, a police chief and an imam. And modern Mali, he later discovers, is a contradictory sort of place: 'crumbling mud houses with satellite dishes on the roof. Turbaned Tuareg tribesmen, texting.'

Jo Fidgen in Lusaka reports on a trial that's gripping Zambia. Is it all about pornography, or politics? It started with a nurses' strike, then an anti-government newspaper became involved, and then the president. Jo speculates on what it reveals about Zambian culture.

The prayer police go on the offensive in the Spanish city where once Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in blissful harmony. Cordoba, under Islamic rule in the 10th century, was the capital of a flourishing civilisation, a centre of art and learning. Today its population is almost entirely Christian and the historic clash of the three religions there has left it with a tangled legacy.

Kieran Cooke takes a boat through the Mississipi Delta to see how violent storms and damage done by the oil industry have combined to bring the Bayou to the brink of collapse. The network of marshes, lagoons and slow-moving streams is rich in wildlife: catfish, crayfish and crocodiles. But this fragile ecosystem is now under extreme pressure.

And why do rogues and scoundrels so often find a place in French hearts? There's yet another French film out in which the hero is a baddie. Emma Jane Kirby in Paris contends that, in the affections of France, it's always the good guys who are the losers.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00nrvs2)
Paul Lewis with the latest news from the world of personal finance.

Co-operative business banking? Why online customers are logging off for good.

'Sin stocks': can you get a good deal for a bad deed?

Are residents of purpose-built retirement homes being exploited?


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b00nrs1w)
Series 69

Episode 8

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz, recorded at Cardiff University. The panellists include Jeremy Hardy, Holly Walsh and Andy Parsons.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00nrvs4)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00nrx5y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00nrs1y)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Cardiff University. The panellists are Chuka Umunna, Labour parliamentary candidate for Streatham, Tim Montgomerie, editor of the ConservativeHome website, Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas, and the writer AN Wilson.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00nrx60)
Jonathan Dimbleby takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00nrx62)
1989: The Shape of the Table

Originally staged by the National Theatre in 1990, David Edgar's powerful play charts the dramatic and dangerous transition of a fictional eastern European country from hard-line communism to the beginnings of western-style democracy.

It is 1989, crowds are gathering in the streets and the Soviets are refusing to send in the troops. The government is on its own and faces a stark choice - suppress the demonstrators or instigate reform.

Pavel Prus ...... Tim McInnerny
Josef Lutz ...... Henry Goodman
Michal Kaplan ...... Jeremy Clyde
Victor Spassov ...... Michael Elwyn
Petr Vladislav ...... Jonathan Keeble
Jan Matkovic ...... Robert Lister
Andrei Zietek ...... Joseph Kloska
Vera Rousova ...... Carolyn Pickles
Jan Milev ...... Christian Rodska
Victoria Brodskaya ...... Laura Matthews
Monica Freie ...... Emerald O'Hanrahan

Original music by Malcolm McKee

Direcred by Peter Leslie Wild.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b00nrx64)
Weekend Woman's Hour

Highlights of this week's Woman's Hour programmes with Jane Garvey.

How a daughter took on the state to win payment for her mother's dementia care; Caprice on canine chic, Chihuahuas and fashion; lighting up the skies with art on a grand scale; actress Romola Garai on her latest film role; taking anti-depressants in pregnancy; proverbs and their wisdom; Darina Allen cooks sizzling apple fritters.


SAT 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00nrx66)
14th November 1989

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

Czechoslovakia eases restrictions on foreign travel; an inquiry begins into the Guilford Four case to establish whether police did in fact falsify evidence; black nationalist party SWAPO wins Namibia's first democratic elections, after 20 years of rule by neighbouring South Africa.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00nrx68)
Saturday PM

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


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b00nrrd7)
Evan Davis is joined by a panel of top business guests, including two leading Silicon Valley investors, to discuss one of the most successful business clusters of them all and why it is that businesses tend to bunch up. They also explore the future of television; can it survive the downturn in advertising revenues and competition from the internet?

Evan is joined by Michael Moritz, a partner at Sequoia Capital, Dawn Airey, the chief executive of Channel 5, and Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman at LinkedIn and partner at venture capital firm Greylock.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00nrx6b)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00nrx6d)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00nrx6g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00nrx6j)
Clive Anderson and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

He is joined by American singer Jack Jones, comedian Alan Davies and our regular guest interviewer, Emma Freud.

Martha Wainwright sings Edith Piaf, there's blues from Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears.


SAT 19:00 From Fact to Fiction (b00nrx6l)
Series 7

Episode 2

Playwright Annie Caulfield creates a fictional response to the week's news.

As the price of gold hit record levels this week, an Australian exploration company publicised its plans for full-scale production at Scotland's first goldmine in 2011.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00nrxkm)
Joan London's novel The Good Parents and the newly-released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by historians Amanda Vickery and Dominic Sandbrook and professor of theatre and screen arts Maria Delgado to review the cultural highlights of the week.

Michael Haneke's film The White Ribbon, winner of this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes, is set in a northern German village in 1913. In striking black and white, recalling the photographs of German photographer August Sander, a succession of mysterious acts of malice and cruelty unfold and the pillars of this small society are revealed as compromised. Typically ambiguous, this is being feted as Haneke's finest film to date.

When it was published in 1889, Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata was banned in both Russia and the US for its explicit argument on the corrupting power of sexual obsession and jealousy. In Nancy Harris's adaptation at the Gate Theatre in London, Hilton McRae plays Pozdynyshev, a man in a train carriage pouring out his confession and self-justification to a captive audience. In Natalie Abrahami's production we intermittently see his wife and his best friend, behind a screen, playing Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, the piece of music which indirectly leads to tragedy.

In Joan London's novel The Good Parents, Jacob and Toni are an ageing, hippyish couple who live in a small town in Western Australia. Their 18-year-old daughter, Maya, has moved away to Melbourne, but when they go to visit her they find that she has disappeared. As they wait for her, the novel moves backwards and forwards in time, showing that they too have run away from things in the past and, in some ways, are still running.

Video games are big business these days. The newly-released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 broke all sales records by notching up 1.23 million sales in its first 24 hours of release. It also attracted some media attention for a sequence in which the player takes part in a terrorist attack on civilians in order to maintain his cover. It is the first game to get a Leicester Square premiere and has been described as 'the Citizen Kane of repeatedly shooting people in the face'; will Tom and his guests get off on the state-of-the-art adrenaline rush?

Nottingham Contemporary opens its doors to the public this weekend. It's a new space for contemporary art, designed by the architectural firm Caruso St John. The inaugural exhibitions are a David Hockney retrospective and work by young Los Angeles artist Frances Starck. Part of the programming strategy is to point out connections between older contemporary work and new pieces. The Hockney show - A Marriage of Styles - features work from 1960 to 1968 and traces his career from student days at the Royal College of Art to his first move to southern California.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b00nrxkp)
Radio Hollywood

Sponsored by a well-known 'toilet soap', the Lux Theater brought the silver screen to the airwaves, with specially adapted versions of new Hollywood products including The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen and The Wizard of Oz. Professor Jeffrey Richards takes us back to the place where cinema and radio united and produced an unlikely lovechild.

From its first production in 1935, The Legionnaire and The Lady with Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich, The Lux Radio Theater strove to have the same stars as the films. Over its 19-year history, it boasted the biggest names in Hollywood - Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra, Spencer Tracy and many more.

Sometimes the original players were not available, so the Theater offered audiences a glimpse of an alternative universe, as listeners discovered what these films would have been like with different actors. On a few occasions the radio version boasted a more stellar cast, for instance when Cary Grant stood in for Montgomery Clift in I Confess.

At the start of each show Cecil B De Mille offered 'greetings from Hollywood', gave a short introduction to the film and told listeners a little about the stars. Twenty-five minutes later, he would turn up in the interval for some 'movie news', which was a barely-concealed advertisement for Lux and its frothy lather, and would return at the end for an informal and, of course, unscripted chat with the actors, in which they would invariably reveal their preference for a well-known toilet soap.

These productions were performed live with full orchestra, and the audience's reaction was often audible, which occasionally put the actors off their lines. They also had to be half an hour shorter, and were therefore much pacier than the originals, while retaining key dialogue - so phrases like 'this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship' and 'round up the usual suspects' are still present and correct in Casablanca. But being live presented its own problems, with stars sometimes falling ill the day before, or, on one occasion, arriving at the studio 10 minutes after transmission had begun.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00nnrcq)
Guy de Maupassant - Bel Ami

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Frances Byrnes of Guy de Maupassant's story of political corruption in the newspaper world of 19th-century France and the inexorable rise of Georges Duroy - 'Bel Ami' - a charming, ruthless man of little talent but plenty of ambition.

Bel Ami's first wife and mistress are in the church to see him marry again, but will their knowledge of his past threaten his glittering future?

Duroy ...... Jonathan Slinger
Marelle ...... Emma Fielding
Madeleine ...... Mali Harries
Msr Walter ...... Steffan Rhodri
Rachel ...... Sara McGaughey
Suzanne ...... Catrin Morgan
Mme Walter ...... Nickie Rainsford
The Bishop ...... Richard Nichols

Directed by Polly Thomas.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00nrxt5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b00nqj80)
What is the best way to bring up a child? According to the think tank Demos the answer is clear. Children whose parents adopt a 'tough love approach' are much more likely to develop vital life than those whose parents took a more laissez-faire attitude to rules and boundaries. The research also found it was middle-class and married parents that were most likely to take the tough love approach. Demos believe this study shows the best way to bring up children and it's time to be more honest about the damage that poor parenting is causing our society. With so much at stake should parenting be a private matter or should the state take more action to support the most vulnerable children and their parents? What is the nature of good parenting, can we teach it and what should be the government's role in it all?

Witnesses:

Sue Cohen, director of Single Parents Action Network

Nola Leach, general director of CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education)

Dr Ellie Lee, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Kent

Richard Reeves, director of DEMOS.


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b00npr8j)
Russell Davies chairs the fifth heat of the perennial general knowledge contest.


SAT 23:30 Adventures in Poetry (b00nnsrk)
Series 10

Adlestrop

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

Written in 1915 about a two-minute stop at a railway station in the Cotswolds, this poem has long been loved for its evocation of high summer, rural England and the intimation of changes to come.



SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2009

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00nryck)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Original Shorts (b008pvmw)
Series 3

Blue Afternoon

New short stories by well-known authors.

Julia Stoneham's moving account of an uneasy sibling relationship, brought to an unusual conclusion in Manhattan.

Read by Martin Jarvis.

A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nrycm)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nrzgk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00ns209)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00ns20c)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00ns20f)
The sound of bells from St Mary's Church, Lamberhurst in Kent.


SUN 05:45 The Cases That Changed Our World (b00nqj82)
Episode 2

Clive Coleman tells the stories of cases that shaped our lives but which are little known outside the legal world.

The curious saga of the Carbolic Smoke Ball, a bizarre Victorian quack medicine. The case established important principles about truth in advertising and the relationship between companies and their customers.


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00ns20h)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00ns20k)
Mirror Image

Mark Tully reflects on reflections - in mirrors, photographs, film and art. What particular insight do these different reflectors offer us?

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

A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 Living World (b00nsg9g)
Sika Deer

Sika Deer are aliens to the UK but now are established as part of the landscape. Lionel Kelleway heads to Purbeck in Dorset to experience the sights and unusual sounds of sika at the start of the rutting season.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00nsg9j)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00nsg9l)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00nsg9n)
Jane Little discusses the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, both familiar and unfamiliar.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00nsg9q)
Ataxia-Telangiectasia Society

Lian Yarlett appeals on behalf of Ataxia-Telangiectasia Society.

Donations to Ataxia-Telangiectasia Society should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope A-T Society. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide A-T Society 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: 1105528.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00nsg9s)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00nsg9v)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00nsg9x)
Hearing the Voices of Creation

During three days in early November leaders from many world faiths, hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh and attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, gathered at Windsor Castle to announce their own commitments to long term environmental action.

This Sunday Worship, specially recorded at the Alliance of Religions and Conservation celebration, is led by Martin Palmer and Sally Magnusson, with Bishop Richard Chartres.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b00nrs20)
The Man on the Fourth Plinth

Clive James celebrates the honouring of Battle of Britain commander Sir Keith Park with a temporary statue on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00nsgcj)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00nsgcl)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00nsgg1)
Julia Donaldson

Kirsty Young's castaway is the children's author Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo is her best known creation. Published 10 years ago, it's become a modern classic; it has sold more than four million copies, won an armful of awards and been turned into a film. But Julia nearly gave up when she was half way through writing it, and only the encouragement of her son persuaded her to continue. Its latest accolade is that BBC listeners have just voted it their favourite book for reading out loud at bedtime.

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

Favourite track: An Die Music by Felicity Lott
Book: Poem for the day by Wendy Cope
Luxury: A piano.


SUN 12:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b00npwh2)
Series 4

Episode 6

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.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00nsgjf)
30th Anniversary

Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister and Blondie was in the charts, but 1979 was also the year that The Food Programme first came on air, with Derek Cooper presenting.

This programme, the first of two, marks the 30th anniversary with a look back at the people whose ideas have shaped our thinking on food and a look forward to some of the issues that could dominate the next 30 years.

Randolph Hodgson of Neal's Yard Dairy, which has also just marked its 30th anniversary, recalls how he decided to devote his life to developing and encouraging British artisan farmhouse cheesemakers.

Sheila speaks to John Gummer MP, former minister of agriculture and secretary of state for the environment in the last Conservative government. He discusses how western society has opted for 'fast food' over quality food, and volume rather than value. He abhors the levels of food waste in society and explains how he thinks we have lost respect for food.

In the studio, Sheila discusses some of the important global issues for the future of food security in the company of Dr Susan George, author of How the Other Half Dies and The Lugano Report. Also joining Sheila is Alex Evans, author of Feeeding the Nine Billion, which was produced for Chatham House.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00nsgjh)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00nshqm)
A look at events around the world with Edward Stourton.


SUN 13:30 The Candidates (b00nshqp)
Shaun Ley examines the motivations of aspiring MPs. Following PPC selections for the three main parties, he asks if a new type of candidate is emerging after the expenses row and the subsequent rush of MP retirements.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00nrs1p)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.

Chris Beardshaw, Bob Flowerdew and Pippa Greenwood are guests of Transport for London at the London Transport Museum.

Pippa talks to recent contestants of the Underground in Bloom competition about how to get the best out of container gardening of the most challenging kind.

Including Gardening weather forecast.


SUN 14:45 Brother Mine (b00cm7h6)
Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

Famous sibling Julian Lloyd Webber takes a closer look at what it is to be a sibling and why that relationship can be a lifelong source of love, hate, conflict and peace.

Julian explores non-blood siblings and how shared experience can be a greater bond than blood.

He looks at this through the stories of Phillip Frampton - who grew up in care homes - and Eric White, who arrived in Britain as a Jewish refugee during WW2. Growing up in a Christian family, when it came to returning to his Jewish roots and siblings, Eric felt insecure and unsettled. Phillip Frampton (author of "The Golly in the Cupboard") spent his childhood in 1960s children's homes: his care siblings are as real to him as any blood brothers and the bond persists to this day.

Producer: Terry Lewis
A Tinderbox production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00nshqr)
HE Bates - Fair Stood the Wind for France

Episode 1

Dramatisation by Maddy Fredericks of HE Bates' classic tale of danger, suspense and romance in Second World War France.

When a British aircrew ditch over Occupied territory in the summer of 1942, injury and suspicion dog their attempts to survive and escape.

Franklin ...... Rory Kinnear
O'Connor ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Francoise ...... Louise Brealey
Grandmother ...... Ellie Haddington
Father ...... Bruce Alexander
Doctor ...... Ewan Hooper

With Kate Layden and Kenneth Collard.

Directed by Jonquil Panting.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00nshqt)
Frances Fyfield; John Cheever; San Francisco Reading Matter

Mariella talks to Frances Fyfield, whose bestselling crime novels are influenced by her previous career as a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service. She explains how a recently discovered fascination with her local butcher's shop influenced her latest book, Cold to the Touch.

The short story writer John Cheever was sometimes described as the Chekhov of the suburbs. As a new biography of this chronicler of the American middle class is published, Mariella talks to its author, Blake Bailey, and the novelist Paul Bailey, who interviewed him for the BBC 30 years ago, to find out more about Cheever's life and work.

And there's advice for another book lover with a problem from The Reading Clinic. The editor of Granta, John Freeman, has some suggestions for an Open Book listener who is in search of reading matter for a trip to San Francisco.


SUN 16:30 Adventures in Poetry (b00nshqw)
Series 10

To My Dear and Loving Husband

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

Anne Bradstreet's poem has been anthologised in nearly every collection of love poetry published. How did a near-invalid woman, who had to endure not only the privations of migrating to the New World but also the strict Puritan ethic established there, manage to write something so warm and personal that it still speaks to us today?


SUN 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00nshqy)
15th November 1989

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news in 1989.

Chancellor John Major gives his first Autumn Statement - City analysts predict gloom for the 90s; Lech Walesa, leader of Poland's reformist Solidarity party, lobbies the US Senate for financial aid; Mikhail Gorbachev warns the West not to try exporting capitalism to the East.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b00nqcy5)
Funding the Frontline Police Force

Some of Britain's police forces are warning of a funding crisis, with staff cuts, stations closing and parts of the motorway network left unpatrolled. Allan Urry investigates the effects on the frontline and asks if the police could still do more to deliver better value from the money they get.


SUN 17:40 From Fact to Fiction (b00nrx6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00nshr0)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00nshr2)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00nshr4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00nshr6)
John Waite introduces his selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.

Find Me a New York Jewish Princess - Radio 4
Jo Caulfield Won't Shut Up - Radio 4
Child of the State - Radio 4
Whatever Happened to the Teapots? - Radio 4
Front Row - Radio 4
The Choice - Radio 4
Britain's Other Music Hall - Radio 4
How David Hasslehoff Brought Down The Wall - Radio 2
The Unbelievable Truth - Radio 4
Archive on 4: Radio Hollywood - Radio 4
Between The Ears - Radio 3
A Cymbal Tale - Radio 4
Manilow on Mercer - Radio 2
Chris Evans - Radio 2
Lives in a Landscape - Radio 4
Calling Time on Student Bars - Radio 4
The Blagger's Guide To Jazz - Radio 2.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00nshr8)
Lynda and Elizabeth find time to tidy the flowerbeds around the war memorial. Lynda won't have much free time once Coriander and Oscar arrive. They're staying a few weeks whilst Justin's in America. She's disappointed that they're choosing to go to Justin's parents for Christmas.

Elizabeth's busy in the run up to Christmas too. There's the Antiques Fair to arrange, followed by the 'Deck the Hall' event involving themed trails in and around Lower Loxley. Meanwhile, Robert's feeling creative. He's made a baby mobile for Oscar out of Christmas decorations and a couple of coat-hangers.

Matt rings Lilian from prison. She's desperate to visit him but he seems reluctant. He tells her to wait until he's been transferred. Lilian's left feeling upset - why won't he let her visit him? Jolene thinks he's just trying to protect her but Lilian's worried that he blames her for forcing him to come home to face the music. Jolene tells her she needs to keep positive for Matt. Lilian knows Jolene's right, she's got to snap out of it.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


SUN 19:15 Americana (b00nshrb)
Matt Frei talks to newsman George Stephanopoulos and civil rights attorney and political commentator Arsalan Iftikhar about the news that's in the forefront of American minds.

The three discuss America's strategy for moving forward in Afghanistan, the healthcare debate and the impact of the Fort Hood shootings on the American military and America's civil liberties.

Americana visits Dearborn, Michigan where community members discuss the challenges faced by American Muslims in the wake of the shootings at Fort Hood. Dearborn has one of the largest concentrations of American Muslims in the world. Matt Frei talks to Kamran Pasha about how American Muslims at Fort Hood are feeling about their service.

The American company Kraft Foods has put in a hostile bid to takeover Cadbury. Americana travels to Hershey, Pennsylvania where Hershey Kisses line the streets and tourists come to visit the chocolate town. Chocolate lovers there are asked, 'How would you like it if an international company tried to launch a hostile takeover of your chocolate company?'.


SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b0090mt9)
Stories from the Bath Literature Festival

Mrs Somerville's Garden

By Crysse Morrison.

Everyone in Mrs Somerville's family has an opinion on whether she should move from family home to sheltered accommodation. However, she has her own surprising view on the matter.

Read by Alison Reid.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b00nrs1k)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00nrs1r)
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.

Marking the lives of epidemiologist, Professor Jeremy Morris; Chinese author and historian Nien Cheng; linguist and dialect expert Stanley Ellis; public campaigner Lady Tumim; and inventor, lawyer and 'Nessie' hunter, Robert Rines.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b00nrvs2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00nsg9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (b00npwh8)
Death to the Deficit!

Frances Cairncross explores the UK's options in the face of a growing deficit, and asks if the coming cuts in public service spending might afford us an opportunity rather than represent an unmitigated disaster.


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00nshrd)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00nshrg)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including The Cases That Changed Our World.


SUN 23:00 1989: Day by Day Omnibus (b00nshrj)
Week ending 14th November 1989

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

East Berlin's party chief declares all citizens can leave immediately; bulldozers tear down sections of the Berlin Wall to make more crossing points; 300,000 protestors meet in Leipzig to demand further reforms from the East German government.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00ns20k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2009

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00nsk19)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00nqht5)
White Collar Crime: Regulation of Crime

2/3 In a series of special programmes in association with the Open University, Laurie Taylor explores the subject of white collar crime, from its late addition to the statute books to the increasing difficulty in securing a conviction. He speaks to the key academic experts in the field, explores the latest sociological research and hears from professionals on both sides of the law about the culture, the practice and most often the non-prosecution of white collar crime.

In this edition, Laurie explores the culture of corporate crime and how regulatory bodies serve to keep the police at arm's length. In the UK, people are twice as likely to suffer a serious injury at work than to be a victim of violent crime, yet only a fraction of safety crimes are actually prosecuted.

Globally, more people are killed at work each year than are killed in war. Why has corporate crime had a low priority, why has it been so hard to prosecute corporations and will the new crimes of corporate manslaughter and corporate murder make firms more responsible for the crimes they commit?


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00ns20f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmm0)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nsmt5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmq1)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00nsn2f)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nsnby)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00nsnf4)
Rural crafts like hedge laying, thatching and dry-stone walling have recently been on the decline, leaving a shortage of workers skilled in countryside tasks. But Charlotte Smith hears that more young people are taking to a career in rural Britain and are breathing new life into these dying traditions.

Also, as winter approaches, the Farming Today bees have their final preparations to get them through the cold days and even colder nights.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00ntlyd)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00nsnvw)
Presented by Evan Davis and Sarah Montague.

Barack Obama is in China for his first presidential visit and has said that the two countries are not predestined to be adversaries. China correspondent Damian Grammaticas reports on the visit.

The prison service is failing to stop the most dangerous Al Qaeda leaders from radicalising other inmates or smuggling out propaganda on the internet, according to think tank the Quilliam Foundation. Report author James Brandon explains the allegations.

People in Greater Manchester can apply for the government's identity card as part of a voluntary scheme. Home office minister Meg Hillier explains why it is being introduced.

Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has apologised for the hardship and institutionalised abuse suffered by thousands of British children who were sent to Australia up until the 1970s with the promise of a new life. Sydney correspondent Nick Bryant reports on the apology and child migrant John Hennessy describes the terrible treatment he faced when he arrived in Australia.

A man has been charged with 22 rapes, assaults and burglaries by police investigating attacks on elderly people in London over 17 years. Home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw reports on the arrest.

The singer Natalie Merchant is in the UK performing music she has written around poems about childhood. Reporter Nicola Stanbridge spoke to the singer about her hope that the music could be used to tackle difficult issues including war and coping with bereavement

Thought for the Day with Canon Dr Alan Billings.

The new chairman of the Press Complaints Commission has praised the exposure of MPs' expenses claims by The Daily Telegraph. Baroness Buscombe discusses her belief in the importance of the independence of the press.

The Queen's Speech will be listened to with particular care by bankers, who are to learn what the government intends to do to limit their pay. Reforms announced in the speech will give regulators the power to stop bankers from pocketing big bonuses that could destabilise the financial system. Former chairman of RBS Sir George Mathewson and chairman of the Treasury Select Committee John McFall discuss the proposals.

Authorities in Mexico have said that 15 people, including a child, three women and a university professor, have been killed in a single day in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez. It is further evidence that the Mexican government's attempts to bring an end to the drug-related violence are simply not working. Correspondent Matthew Price was in Juarez with the Mexican police as the latest murders took place.

If a writer deliberately sets out to deceive his or her readers and they succeed, should they be complimented or criticised? Melissa Katsoulis, author of Telling Tales, and author William Boyd, who ten years ago fooled the art world by inventing the artist Nat Tate, discuss the literary hoax.

A report by the Children's Rights Alliance for England has found that Britain is the most punitive nation in Europe and that its child protection services are 'not fit for purpose'. The report's author, Dr Mike Lindsay, and Jill Kirby, director for the Centre for Policy Studies, discuss the findings.

Britain is an international haven for people to attack scientists, according to the former director of public prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald. He discusses how he believes the libel laws of England and Wales need to change.

In 1960 there was a huge controversy when British interrogators were accused of using brainwashing techniques on prisoners during World War II. Prime ,inister Harold Macmillan emphatically denied that such methods, which involved subjecting captives to hypnosis and drugs, were ever used. But, as Mike Thomson reports, new evidence suggests that Macmillan misled the country.

Fraudsters are duping internet users into laundering stolen money, according to a report by Get Safe Online. Managing director of Get Safe Online, Tony Neate, explains how 'money mules' are being recruited via job websites.

The Australian government has now apologised to child migrants treated appallingly there up to the 1970s. Historians Andrew Roberts and David Cesarani discuss whether it is difficult for governments to apologise for the activities of predecessors.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00ntlyg)
Tom Sutcliffe discusses tradition and modernity with musician Nitin Sawhney, drama and wartime plots with writer and director Stephen Poliakoff, progress and conservation with the science historian Harriet Ritvo, and the uses and abuses of scientific ideas with Dennis Sewell.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00nsp2k)
Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography

Episode 1

By Keith Floyd, with James Steen.

Keith Floyd was one of the first chefs to become a celebrity and led the way in filming cookery programmes on location. With trademark bow tie and glass of wine in hand, he inspired a generation to cook.

Read by Michael Cochrane.

Abridged by Libby Spurrier.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00ntnp0)
Middle class welfare; Amelia Earhart

A look at the arguments for scrapping child benefit for all. Plus, Amelia Earhart discussed; and how best to support disabled young people in transition.


MON 11:00 The Probate Game (b00ntlyj)
Jolyon Jenkins investigates the probate industry and meets genealogists whose job it is to unite people with assets and the beneficiaries of intestate estates. He asks why there is so little regulation of this often lucrative industry and examines how a national register of wills, common to most developed countries, could ease the strain in times of grief.

People in the UK are three times as likely to review their gas bill than make a will, yet this important document is the difference between loved ones receiving our assets after their death and not.


MON 11:30 Tickets Please (b00nv6nh)
Episode 1

Why does an intercity train journey turn into an emotional roller-coaster?

Because the train staff have to battle with their thwarted infatuations - for each other! And those toughies in the wedding carriage aren't helping matters...

Sitcom on rails by Mark Maier.

Robin …. Jeremy Swift
Nadine …. Alex Kelly
Peter …. Malcom Tierney
Diana …. Melissa Advani
Linda/Lady …. Kate Layden
Keith …. Stephen Hogan
Carol …. Tessa Nicholson
Man One …. Philip Fox
Man Two/William …. Joseph Cohen-Cole

Producer: Peter Kavanagh

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00nsp6q)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00ntbc5)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00ntbcw)
National and international news with Edward Stourton.


MON 13:30 Brain of Britain (b00nv7j5)
Russell Davies chairs the sixth heat of the perennial general knowledge contest, with contestants from the north of England.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00nshr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b00nv7j7)
Forty-Three Fifty-Nine - Wake

Comedy by Katie Hims.

The story of Jess' day trip to kiss her dead first love, Danny, goodbye. One lie leads to another and, before they know it, Jess and her mother Avril are in a real pickle.

Jess ...... Claire Rushbrook
Avril ...... Rachel Davies
Joe ...... John Lightbody
Tara ...... Emily Beecham
Shane ...... Tom Meredith
Fiona ...... Kate Fitzgerald
Cab Driver ...... David Webber

A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00nrxkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 The Garden (b00ntc0w)
Episode 1

An evocative series telling the story of an Oxfordshire garden through time and the seasons, from its earliest creation to the challenges it faces in the 21st century. This is a fictional tale based on fact, set against a backdrop of specially recorded sounds.

Throughout the winter, robins have been singing to hold their territory, but now, in early spring, they are joined by the explosive song of the wren, the beautiful sounds of the blackbird and the sharp percussive notes of the great tit.

Narrated by Peter France

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00nsgjf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Debating Animals (b00jd9kd)
Series 1

The Otter and the Mink

Rod Liddle examines our differing responses to related animal species and tries to establish what those responses tell us not merely about the animals but about ourselves.

Rod considers the otter and the mink - the one a playful, affectionate emblem of British environmental awareness, the other invariably depicted as a voracious invader.

Sir David Attenborough and ecologist Johnny Birks help Rod to separate fact from fiction and understand why one member of the Mustelid family should have us cooing and handing over money to environmental causes while the other can expect loathing at best and, more often than not, calls for a mass cull.

A keen amateur naturalist, Rod begins his debate with mink expert Johnny Birks on the banks of the River Lugg in Herefordshire. Otters and mink roam these banks side by side as uneasy neighbours. But the popular myth that mink were part of the reason for the dramatic decline in otter numbers in the 1950s was just that - a myth - albeit a convenient one.

He also hears from people involved in the Hebridean mink cull who are acting to save indigenous bird species in the Western Isles.

As the debate matures, it appears that below the biodiversity arguments lies a more fundamental clash between the pure Darwinists who believe that nature should be left unchecked and those who say it is unrealistic to abandon our position of power over the wild animals and their habitats. It follows that we must make difficult choices about which species we want to control and in some cases cull in order to protect the many.


MON 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00ntd3n)
16th November 1989

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

Foreign secretary Douglas Hurd crosses the Berlin Wall, the government publishes its proposals for the future of community care and South Africa's president announces that its beaches are to be opened to all races.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 17:00 PM (b00ntd94)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ntd9n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b00nv8ng)
Series 52

Episode 1

The perennial antidote to panel games comes from the Old Vic Theatre in London, with Jack Dee taking over the chairman's role.

Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined by Rob Brydon.

With Colin Sell at the piano.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00ntbkz)
Pat's unhappy with Brian for sending round a builder to look at converting the shop into a flat. Her research has shown that people are keen on the idea of a community shop. Brian agrees it's a marvellous idea but the flat is the simplest solution and that's what Peggy needs.

Helen offers to babysit for Nic and Will so they can go to a friend's 30th party. To her dismay Jake and Mia play her up. She just can't get them to sleep.

Lilian confides in Brian and Jennifer about Matt. Prison's enough to crack anyone up. Brian assures her that Matt's a tough cookie, he'll get through it. Neil's been round to offer his support. After Susan's jail term he knows exactly what Lilian's going through. Lilian never thought she'd have something in common with the Carters!

Jennifer wonders how the bank will recover all the money that Matt and Chalkman owe. Matt's assets have been frozen but the Dower House is in trust so it's safe. Nightingale Farm might have to go but Lilian doesn't care. She'd give it all away if she could just have Matt back.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00ntfkw)
Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson.

Singer Rosanne Cash is the eldest daughter of late country star Johnny Cash. Her new album The List is a series of cover versions of songs her father recommended in a list of 100 country and American songs he gave her when she was 18. Rosanne discusses the list, her father, and the brain surgery she had to undergo in 2007.

Bill Nighy and Romola Garai star in Stephen Poliakoff's new film, Glorious 39, a thriller set among the upper classes keen to preserve a privileged way of life on the eve of the Second World War. AN Wilson reviews.

The National Gallery's Sunley Room has been turned into a walk-through evocation of Amsterdam's Red Light district by American artists Ed and Nancy Keinholz, as their installation piece 'The Hoerengracht' opens to the public this week. Author Lionel Shriver meets Mark Lawson at the National Gallery to review the piece.

Channel 4 is broadcasting a range of programmes in 3D, including The Queen in 3D which tells the story of film makers Bob Angell and Arthur Wooster who used a pioneering 3D camera rig to film a colour newsreel called 'Royal Review'. Boyd Hilton, television editor of Heat Magazine, and media technology consultant Colin Birch discuss the role of 3D on television screens of the future.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ntfmw)
Our Mutual Friend

Episode 6

Adaptation by Mike Walker of Charles Dickens' classic novel.

Bella Wilfer, whose life has become decidedly more comfortable, confides in her father.

Charles Dickens ...... Alex Jennings
Bella Wilfer ...... Daisy Haggard
Lizzie Hexam ...... Lizzy Watts
John Rokesmith ...... Carl Prekopp
Eugene Wrayburn ...... Patrick Kennedy
Mortimer Lightwood ...... Matt Addis
Betty ...... Lynn Farleigh
Sloppy ...... Benjamin Askew
Mrs Boffin ...... Pauline Quirke
Pa Wilfer ...... Philip Fox
Pleasant Riderhood ...... Annabelle Dowler
Charlie Hexam ...... Adam Arnold
Bradley Headstone ...... Neil Stuke
Silas Wegg ...... Lee Ross
Venus ...... Stephen Hogan
Jenny Wren ...... Nicola Miles Wildin
Rogue Riderhood ...... Jamie Foreman
Jenny's Father ...... Paul Rider
Radford ...... Jonathan Tafler

With Janice Acquah.

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer

This episode is available until 7.45pm on 11th December as part of the Series Catch-up Trial.


MON 20:00 Document (b00nv91x)
Mike Thomson presents the series using documentary evidence to throw new light on past events.

Mike tracks down formerly secret reports from MI5 that describe how brainwashing techniques were being used inside British intelligence bases in North Africa during the Second World War. There, prisoners were exposed to truth drugs and other methods that shocked even a senior agent who went on to head the secret service. Allegations appeared in the press in 1960 and questions were asked in parliament. The claims were denied by then prime minister Harold Macmillan, but Document has evidence that he misled the country.


MON 20:30 Analysis (b00nvdgd)
Divorcing Europe

What would happen if Britain chose to leave the European Union? The new Lisbon Treaty contains a clause whch sets out the exit process for the first time. But, as Chris Bowlby reports, the final deal between Britain and its former EU partners would depend a lot on the mood of their 'divorce' - amicable or acrimonious.


MON 21:00 Frontiers (b00nvdgg)
The Placenta

The placenta is the baby's life support system, but much is still not known about how it works and how to help when things go wrong. The charity Tommy's has created the UK's first placenta clinic in Manchester. Sue Broom meets the patients hoping that the scientists in the labs there can discover why the placenta can fail to implant or produce the wide blood vessels crucial to the baby's growth.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00ntlyg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00ntfrm)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ntg25)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

Gordon Brown proposes a conference to plan the timetable for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Environment secretary Ed Miliband says Copenhagen must agree on numbers.

Tory candidate Liz Truss wins her selection battle.

The IAEA says Iran might be hiding more nuclear secrets.

Are disaster movies popular in recessionary times?


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ntk5c)
The Glass Room

Episode 6

Greta Scacchi reads from the novel by Simon Mawer.

German troops are advancing across Europe. How long can the Landauers, and their new nanny Kata, stay in what is left of Czechoslovakia?

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 With Great Pleasure (b00lrv4y)
Honor Blackman

Guest performers select their favourite pieces of writing.

Honor Blackman introduces a selection of the poetry and prose which has inspired her through her long acting career. The pieces are read by Eleanor David, Nickolas Grace and Honor herself.


MON 23:30 Happy Feet (b00fl05j)
Deborah Bull meets Australian tap dancer Nada Karsakov and travels with her to Lancashire to find out whether some of her dance steps may have originated from the Lancashire Clog Dance. They meet dance historians and enthusiasts to explore the way in which dance steps have been borrowed, improved and taught around the western world for the past 300 years.



TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2009

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00nsk11)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00nsp2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmk6)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nsmq3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmm2)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00nsmt7)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nsn2h)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00nsnc0)
There's not enough money in agricultural research and development required to tackle the problem of feeding the world, according to Lord Taylor of Holbeach, but where will the extra money come from? Anna Hill talks to Lord Taylor about the importance of an injection of research funding.

With traditional rural crafts such as dry-stone walling and hedge-laying enjoying a resurgence in popularity, Anna meets a thatcher and his apprentice who are hoping to keep these skills alive and thriving.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00nsnvf)
Presented by John Humphrys and Evan Davis.

Dementia patients are receiving poor care in NHS hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to a new report by the Alzheimer's Society. The charity questioned more than 2,000 nurses and carers, and found that some patients were not assisted with eating or drinking. Nurses reported having insufficient or no training in the area. Kieran Mullan, director of policy at the Patients Association, examines the report's findings.

A Tory parliamentary candidate has fought off a de-selection vote, over revelations of an affair. Liz Truss kept her Norfolk constituency association seat by a comfortable margin. The association were not informed of the affair, despite Westminster knowing of it, exposing tensions between the 'Turnip Taliban' and the 'Notting Hill Set' within the Tory party. John Strafford, chairman of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, and Eric Pickles, chairman of the Conservative Party, discuss the implications for the reputation of the Conservative Party.

President Obama is in China to meet its leaders and improve relations with the country. There are concerns within the US government over China's increasing strength and international dominance. China correspondent Damian Grammaticas reports on China's growing military forces and the rise of nationalism.

The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) has said it wants more information on Iran's nuclear site at Qom. Inspectors are concerned that delay in declaring the uranium enrichment plant raises questions about the existence of other nuclear secrets. Sir Richard Dalton, former British ambassador to Iran, comments on Iran's nuclear policy.

As the debate continues over what to do in Afghanistan, Today has been hearing from Major Richard Streatfeild, who is serving with the Rifles in Helmand Province. Much of that debate has focused on whether or not the local population want British forces there or not. In his latest despatch Major Streatfeild describes his early efforts to win the confidence of the people of the upper Sangin Valley, where he is stationed.

Thought for the Day with Vishvapani, a member of the Western Buddhist Order.

The charity Barnardo's is warning that thousands of children across the UK are being sexually exploited by adults. The charity says there is evidence that abusers are becoming increasingly organised and are transporting children across the UK to be sold for sex. Correspondent Kim Catcheside reports on the rise in child trafficking, and chief executive of Barnardo's, Martin Narey, discusses policies to help trafficked children.

President Obama has been meeting China's leaders in attempts to seek closer co-operation and trust. China's growing political, economic and military powers are raising concerns in the West. Jonathan Fenby, China director at the Research Service Trusted Sources, and China expert Dr Stephen Tsang examine the US's relationship with China.

Gordon Brown has delivered a speech defending Britain's involvement in Afghanistan. The prime minister announced that seven out of the top twelve Al Qaeda figures have been killed, and that there should be a timetable for transferring control - district by district - to full Afghan control starting next year. Security correspondent Gordon Corera comments on the speech.

Eyebrows were raised when multi-billionaire Warren Buffet spent 34 billion dollars buying a stake in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. But did the Oracle from Omaha make a good move? Correspondent Kevin Connolly reports from Santa Fe, amid signs that the US railroad industry is making a comeback.

The Alzheimer's Society has launched a new report criticising care for dementia sufferers in hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Counting the Cost: Caring for People with Dementia on Hospital Wards suggests that patients are leaving hospital far worse off than when they went in. The cost of ineffective hospital care for people with dementia is estimated to be at least 80 million pounds a year. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Association, and Care Services Minister Phil Hope discuss whether dementia patients are being cared for properly.

The Mexican city of Juarez is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places to live in the world. Yesterday a funeral was held for a seven-year-old boy, one of the latest victims of the violence. Mexico's president has pledged to wipe out the drug cartels which he blames for the breakdown of law and order. Thousands of troops have been sent to Juarez, but have so far failed to stop the killing. Correspondent Matthew Price reports from Mexico.

Thousands of microscopic worms have been blasted into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which took off from Cape Canaveral last night. The worms are part of study into human physiology. Nathaniel Szewczyk, of the University of Nottingham's Institute of Clinical Research, discusses how the worms are being use


TUE 09:00 1989: Simpson Returns (b00nvdv3)
Episode 2

The BBC's World Affairs Editor John Simpson tells the story of 20 years of post-communist life. Through personal stories, he traces the different roads that East Germany, the Czech Republic and Romania have taken since 1989.

John returns to Prague to speak to those who lived through the Velvet Revolution and asks what they feel about what has happened in the two decades since. The Communist regime was overthrown in 1989 but the Communists are still proudly there, and appear to have some fervent new recruits. So did the playwrights, actors and rock musicians deliver the country they had hoped for?


TUE 09:30 Parting Shots (b00nvdv5)
Series 1

Episode 5

Valedictories which embarrassed ministers. Featuring an interview with Sir Ivor Roberts, whose 2006 valedictory led to the Foreign Office banning their circulation.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00ny29m)
Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography

Episode 2

By Keith Floyd, with James Steen.

Keith Floyd was one of the first chefs to become a celebrity and led the way in filming cookery programmes on location. With trademark bow tie and glass of wine in hand, he inspired a generation to cook.

After a short-lived career in journalism and a stint in the army, Keith decided to become a full-time cook.

Read by Michael Cochrane.

Abridged by Libby Spurrier.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00ntnng)
The Kelly Review; Volunteer doulas

Will the Kelly reforms put women off from standing as MPs? Plus, how do midwives feel about an increase in the number of doulas? And, Audrey Hepburn's style.


TUE 11:00 1989: A German Story (b00nvdv7)
Westernising East Berlin

Series in which German programme-makers reflect and report on aspects of the country that rarely, if ever, find their way into the British media.

Award-winning Berlin-based feature maker Jens Jarisch explores the shifting identity of five places in the former eastern sector of the city.

For Jarisch, Berlin is a landscape of dreams and nightmares. His tortured picture of low-life on the city's Kurfurstenstrasse (Die K) won some of radio's biggest prizes. Now, he again turns to the city to meet the denizens of several iconic places that were famed in the days of the GDR. He finds that some have changed completely and yet others remain much as they were 20 years ago.


TUE 11:30 Gurinder, The Movie (b00ldblk)
On the set of her latest film, director Gurinder Chadha tells the story of her ‘dual nationality’.

She discusses how her early life in Southall in west London, where she grew up conscious of both her Asian and British inheritance, has informed and enriched her hit films including Bend It Like Beckham.

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2009.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00nsp6g)
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00ntb6b)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00ntbc7)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


TUE 13:30 The Inner World of Music (b00nvdvc)
Composer Matthew King discovers how the extraordinary abilities of musical savant Derek Paravicini are unlocking the secret of how we all makes sense of music.

Pianist Derek Paravicini is a phenomenon, possessor of a truly extraordinary musical mind. His abilities are renowned: he can play virtually any piece, in any style you wish, in any key, and identify complex chords of more than a dozen notes in split seconds. He has wowed crowds from London to Las Vegas, performed at Ronnie Scott's and Queen Elizabeth Hall, and been the subject of media attention across the world.

Yet Derek was born totally blind, with severe developmental and learning disabilities. He finds everyday tasks difficult, and requires 24-hour support. Derek is a musical 'savant' - owner of a talent that far transcends his disability, like the autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire or Dustin Hoffman's character Raymond Babbitt in the film Rain Man. Over the last three decades Derek has stunned experts with his seemingly effortless musical understanding, an innate ability to know what 'fits' in any musical context, from classical to jazz to rock.

Prof Adam Ockelford has been Derek's friend and mentor since he was a small child. Now one of the UK's leading experts in music psychology, Prof Ockelford believes that Derek's remarkable abilities may hold the key to understanding how humans make sense of music, and the unique effect it has on us all.

Matthew King explores the world of the musical savant, meeting Derek Paravicini to try and find out how his brain processes, understands and remembers music. The programme features contributions from Dr Darold Treffert, adviser on Rain Man and the world's most renowned expert on savant syndrome, and the parents of a young autistic girl with remarkable musical gifts.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00ntbkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00cmb4s)
The Secret Place

By Clare Bayley.

Andy and Safi are getting married, but this is no normal wedding. There won't even be a wedding night because Andy is serving a life sentence for murder.

Andy ...... Paul Hilton
Safi ...... Helen Longworth
Leyla ...... Tracey Wilkinson
Patrick ...... Rod Arthur

Directed by Claire Grove.


TUE 15:00 Making History (b00nvdvf)
Vanessa Collingridge investigates the life and times of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century polymath; Lady Blanche Scott Douglas's epic flight to India; more drovers place names, and a short agricultural history of hemp.


TUE 15:30 Shorts (b00nvfbx)
Series 10

One of Us

Stories showcasing new Scottish writing.

By Julia Butler.

A young boy struggling to adapt to a new environment comes alive on the football pitch.

Read by Simon Tait.


TUE 15:45 The Garden (b00ntcw4)
Episode 2

An evocative series telling the story of an Oxfordshire garden through time and the seasons, from its earliest creation to the challenges it faces in the 21st century. This is a fictional tale based on fact, set against a backdrop of specially recorded sounds.

It's late spring and the summer migrants return - the swallows, swifts and house martins. A hungry heron preys on frogs in the garden pond, and in March a queen bumble bee is spotted moving among the flower beds, hunting for nectar.

Narrated by Peter France

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson.


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b00nvfg8)
In a special edition of the programme for Radio 4's 1989 season, Michael Rosen talks to playwright David Edgar about the rise and fall of the language that became synonymous with communism - from the hyperbole of Ceaucescu's Romania ('General Secretary, President, President of the State Council, Chairman of the National Defence Council, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Socio-Economic Development' was his own job description) to phrases that have passed into the very definition of the Marxist-Leninist dialectic. The demolition of the Berlin Wall led to dramatic changes not only in the political and economic lives of those living in the former Eastern Bloc, but also to the language of those countries too, as they tried to shed the years of euphemism built up within a strongly ideological political system.

Also, political journalist Anne McElvoy tells of her lingustic adventures in East Germany both before and after 1989, and Dr Zoran Milutinovic examines how Serbo-Croat has changed since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00nvfmz)
Erica Wagner and Francis Gilbert

Sue MacGregor talks to a husband and wife team, literary editor at The Times Erica Wagner and teacher and writer Francis Gilbert, about their favourite books, which include Ursula Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea.

Books featured in the programme:

Erica's choice: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, Puffin

Francis's choice: The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera, Penguin

Sue's choice: Deaf Sentence by David Lodge, Penguin.

Produced by Mark Smalley.

First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2009.


TUE 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00ntd2c)
17th November 1989

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

A Labour peer declares the chances of catching AIDS through heterosexual relations are statistically invisible and in Prague the police beat protesters as they call for reforms and the ousting of the Czech leadership.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00ntd81)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ntd96)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Jo Caulfield Won't Shut Up! (b00nvhld)
Episode 2

Jo Caulfield is back with her glorious mixture of bitchy friendliness and foot-in-mouth populism.

In this episode, Jo is failing to shut up about the Daily Express, the Leicester Herald, cheese & onion crisps and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Starring Jo Caulfield, with Zoe Lyons, Nick Revell and Simon Greenall.

Written by Jo Caulfield & Kevin Anderson.

Additional material by Michael Beck, James Branch, Dan Evans, Brian Mitchell, Joseph Nixon, Nick Revell and Matt Ross.

Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00ntbk8)
Peggy goes shopping with Jennifer, leaving Lilian looking after Jack. Jack instantly becomes difficult, and aggressively knocks her against the wall. Lilian tries to calm him down, and suggests that they go out. She drives him to the prison - thus fulfilling her desperation to see where Matt is being held. Peggy thanks Lilian for taking care of Jack. Lilian guiltily tells Peggy that they went out - but doesn't say where they went.

Ed tells Joe he wishes he could find a way to thank Oliver for all his support. Later, Joe's Christmas shopping in Borchester, and sees Peggy and Jennifer. He asks after Jack, and offers to go and chat to him one day, to give Peggy a break. Peggy's grateful for the gesture, but tells Joe that Jack is in a pretty bad way at the moment. Joe says how sorry he is. Peggy is touched.

Later, Joe and Clarrie talk about Christmas, and their usual plans for the turkey slaughter and preparation for sale. Joe comments on how lucky they all are. Clarrie cannot help but wonder what Joe might mean - until he refers to Jack and Peggy. Clarrie shares Joe's sentiments that the Grundys are, indeed, fortunate.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00ntdf4)
Alan Bennett celebrated his 75th birthday in 2009, and his latest play The Habit of Art opens at the National Theatre five years after The History Boys, which enjoyed great success both in the UK and on Broadway.

In conversation with Mark Lawson, Bennett discusses his new work, which imagines a meeting between WH Auden and Benjamin Britten, and reflects on his own shyness, his early success and his brushes with the British press.

Bennett also gives his forthright views on government education policies, and reveals his feelings about the approach of old age - he is, after all, the writer who claimed that if you live to be 90 in England and can still eat a boiled egg, then they think you deserve a major honour.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ntfky)
Our Mutual Friend

Episode 7

Adaptation by Mike Walker of Charles Dickens' classic novel.

A new life for Lizzie Hexam, a new mentor for Charlie, and new complications.

Charles Dickens ...... Alex Jennings
Bella Wilfer ...... Daisy Haggard
Lizzie Hexam ...... Lizzy Watts
John Rokesmith ...... Carl Prekopp
Eugene Wrayburn ...... Patrick Kennedy
Mortimer Lightwood ...... Matt Addis
Betty ...... Lynn Farleigh
Sloppy ...... Benjamin Askew
Mrs Boffin ...... Pauline Quirke
Pa Wilfer ...... Philip Fox
Pleasant Riderhood ...... Annabelle Dowler
Charlie Hexam ...... Adam Arnold
Bradley Headstone ...... Neil Stuke
Silas Wegg ...... Lee Ross
Venus ...... Stephen Hogan
Jenny Wren ...... Nicola Miles Wildin
Rogue Riderhood ...... Jamie Foreman
Jenny's Father ...... Paul Rider
Radford ...... Jonathan Tafler

With Janice Acquah.

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer

This episode is available until 7.45pm on 11th December as part of the Series Catch-up Trial.


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00nvhlg)
Illegal Gold Mining

With record gold prices stimulating demand, Jenny Cuffe reports from the Democratic Republic of Congo on the scale of illegal mining and asks if the industry does enough to ensure that gold supplies aren't being used to fund conflict.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00nvhlj)
Geoff Long withdrew £120 at his bank. He wasn't offered a receipt and found out later that £170 had been taken from his account. The bank's area manager met Geoff to discuss his needs. Even so, he feels blind customers shoud be provided with a witness to avoid discrepancies.

Lee Kumutat reports from Sight Village London and looks at some of the latest access technology there.

Tim Gebbels is a blind actor and one of six disabled people starring in a new drama from Channel Four, about a group of disabled people who are in a reality TV proramme. Tim talks about the personal challenge he faced on his first major drama. Working with five other disabled people was not as easy as non-disabled people might imagine. Each person knows how to deal with their own particular disability but not necessarily those of others.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b00nvhvn)
Happiness and Optimism

In a special edition, Claudia Hammond talks to the father of Positive Psychology, Professor Martin Seligman, about why optimism is not only good for your health, but could also help you live longer. Claudia visits a school that has introduced happiness lessons with some surprising results. And we hear from Dr Julie Norem about why, for some of us, a more pessimistic approach might be the winning strategy.

The programme also hears from listeners regarding the previous week's programme on the side effects of anti-psychotic medication for women.


TUE 21:30 1989: Simpson Returns (b00nvdv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00ntfmy)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ntfrp)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.

Israel approves 900 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem.

President Obama ends his China tour.

Are bigger brains always better brains?

The UN food security conference calls for more aid for farmers in developing countries.

What do Afghans think of NATO troops in their country?


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ntk2k)
The Glass Room

Episode 7

Greta Scacchi reads from the novel by Simon Mawer.

During the Landauers' first year in exile, Liesel makes a heartbreaking discovery.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 As Told To Craig Brown (b00bfp2j)
Episode 6

In the crosshairs of satire are hysterical media and busty starlets.

Craig Brown introduces a mixture of satire, social observation and nonsense.

Narrated by Juliet Stevenson and Steve Wright

With John Humphrys, Ronni Ancona, Jon Culshaw, Lewis MacLeod, Sally Grace, Ewan Bailey and Margaret Cabourn-Smith.

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2008


TUE 23:30 Macavity's Not There: TS Eliot in the 21st Century (b00lp043)
TS Eliot may be regarded by some as the most significant poet in the English language over the past 100 years, but how much does he mean to modern readers? As a major project begins to edit everything he wrote, author and critic Michael Alexander explores where Eliot, and poetry in general, stand in national culture.



WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2009

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00nsk13)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00ny29m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmk8)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nsmq5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmm4)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00nsmt9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nsn2k)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00nsnc2)
Anna Hill hears that the world's largest dairy is to be built in London. Plus, straw houses could be the future, benefitting farmers and the environment. Trials are underway in Bath, subjecting these eco-friendly buildings to fire, wind and ice.


WED 06:00 Today (b00nsnvh)
Presented by Justin Webb and Sarah Montague.

The government is to set out its legislative proposals in the Queen's Speech, the last before the general election. David Cameron has predicted the speech will focus on 'dividing lines between Gordon Brown and the Conservatives'. Michael Gove, shadow secretary of state for children, schools and families, outlines his party's views on the speech.

Social networking site Bebo is introducing a link on every profile to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). By clicking on the CEOP Report button, users will be able to access to the latest advice and help regarding issues such as viruses and hacking. Other major social networking sites including MySpace and Facebook have been criticised for failing to introduce the button. Jim Gamble, chief executive of CEOP, discusses the anti-bullying device.

What is it like to have Osama Bin Laden as your father? New book Growing Up Bin Laden describes the upbringing of one of his sons, Omar, and his mother, who fled from Bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan war. Author Jean Sasson discusses the book.

The Welsh Assembly should be given full law-making powers, according to the results of a two-year report into devolution. The report found that a majority of Welsh people want a clearer, more efficient and greater division of power from Westminster. Sir Emyr Jones Parry, chair of The All Wales Convention, which conducted the report, comments on its findings.

Australia is viewed as the bridge to gap relations between the West and China. But the relationship has been soured in recent months by what many people regard as China's bullying behaviour. Correspondent Nick Bryant reports from Melbourne.

Thought for the Day with the Right Rev Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark.

It has emerged that the company of a soldier killed in Helmand province on Sunday were awaiting new body armour, raising further questions about the protection of British troops. Former chief of the defence staff Lord Guthrie examines the whether the military can sustain their current level of engagement.

The Labour Party is set to deliver proposals for its election manifesto in the Queen's Speech, the last before the general election. Among the bills being considered are the provision of free personal care for thousands in England and the limiting of bankers' bonuses. Political editor Nick Robinson comments on the upcoming speech, and business secretary Lord Mandelson discusses his party's policies.

A senior NHS manager has criticised hospital soap operas for the way they portray doctors and nurses. Antony Sumara, chief executive of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, has criticised programmes such as Casualty and Holby City for portraying doctors and nurses as adulterers, and not washing their hands. Mr Sumara and John Yorke, head of BBC Drama Production, debate whether or not hospital dramas portray reality.

The partner of Rachel Nickell, who was killed on Wimbledon Common, has complained to the Independent Police Complaints Commission about the Metropolitan Police's handling of the investigation. Ms Nickell was stabbed in front of her toddler son 17 years ago. An innocent man, Colin Stagg, spent more than a year in prison suspected of the crime before being freed by a judge. Last year, Robert Napper admitted her manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was ordered to be detained in Broadmoor indefinitely. Andre Hanscombe, Rachel Nickell's partner, discusses the police handling of the case.

A survey has found that nine in ten mothers cook the same meals again and again. The top mother's choice is traditional spaghetti bolognaise. Diana Henry, mother and Sunday Telegraph food writer, and Arabella Weir, actress and mother of two, discuss whether the rise of the celebrity chef has influenced cooking habits.

The Queen's Speech today could be the last for this Labour government. Correspondent Mark Sanders looks back on the party's 1997 Queen's Speech, and political commentator Anthony Howard reflects on the history of the occasion.

European leaders are meeting tomorrow to decide who will be the first President of the EU. For the Today Programme, correspondent Jonny Diamond assesses the chances of Herman Van Rompuy, the the prime minister of Belgium. David Rennie, EU correspondent for the Economist, and Martin Winter, EU correspondent for German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, examine the candidates.


WED 09:00 Midweek (b00nvt2k)
Libby Purves is joined by Desmond Fforde, Mariatu Kamara, Richard Williams and Graham Poll.

Desmond Fforde is a former chief officer in the Merchant Navy, who has gathered together some of his favourite nautical stories in a new collection, A Seaman's Book of Sea Stories. They are the stories that inspired him to spend 23 years travelling the world in the Merchant Navy. Now semi-retired, he works as a boat safety examiner and delivery skipper and owns his own 70-ft Dutch barge moored in London's Canary Wharf. A Seaman's Book of Sea Stories is published by Accent Press, with all profits going to The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Mariatu Kamara was born and raised in Sierra Leone. At the age of 12, she became a victim of the country's civil war when rebels attacked her village; she was tortured and during a brutal attack had both her hands cut off. However, she miraculously survived and eventually arrived in Toronto where she has rebuilt her life. Now a student, she is also a UNICEF Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflicts and speaks to groups about her experiences. Her book, Bite of the Mango (with Susan McCelland) is published by Bloomsbury.

Richard Williams is a world renowned animator. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, he has won three Oscars and three British Academy Awards and was the creative mind behind classic films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Return of the Pink Panther and A Christmas Carol. Known as one of the true innovators in the world of animation, a new edition of his best-selling book The Animator's Survival Kit, has just been published.

Graham Poll is probably Britain's highest profile football referee. In a period of 20 years, he has taken charge of more than 300 top flight games involving more than 15 million spectators and has been involved in two World Cups. He became a referee in 1980 and turned professional in 2001. Poll retired from top level refereeing in 2007, following the infamous 'three yellow cards incident' and is now a radio and television pundit and football writer for the Daily Mail. His book, Geoff Hurst, The Hand of God and the Biggest Rows in the World of Football, is published by Harper Sport.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00ny29p)
Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography

Episode 3

By Keith Floyd, with James Steen.

Keith Floyd was one of the first chefs to become a celebrity and led the way in filming cookery programmes on location. With trademark bow tie and glass of wine in hand, he inspired a generation to cook.

Having set up his restaurant, Floyd's, in Bristol, Keith agreed to film a cookery slot for local television show, RPM.

Read by Michael Cochrane.

Abridged by Libby Spurrier.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00ntnnj)
Too selfish to be parents; Prison Mother and Baby units

Are we too selfish to have children? Plus, the special prison Mother and Baby units allowing female prisoners to keep their babies with them; and why vampires are so fascinating.


WED 11:00 The Herschel Space Telescope (b00nvt8r)
Episode 1

The first of two programmes which follows the engineers and astronomers who worked on the biggest telescope ever sent to space, in one of the most important missions in the history of European spaceflight. Jonathon Amos joins Professor Matt Griffin of Cardiff University and his international team as they aimed to peer through the areas in space that are invisible to other telescopes. This is the story of their aims to solve the mystery behind galaxy and star formation and how these processes eventually gave rise to life-bearing planets like Earth. In this episode, first broadcast in 2009, the team are approaching the biggest milestone in their twenty year project - the launch of their work on a rocket from a spaceport in French Guiana.


WED 11:30 Hut 33 (b01kbhx3)
Series 3

Entente Cordiale

1942: can the wartime code breakers improve Anglo-French relations with a little derring-do?

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 Featherstonhaugh-Marshall …. Alex MacQueen
Minka …. Olivia Coleman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley

Producer: Adam Bromley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00nsp6j)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00ntb6d)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00ntbc9)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00nvtzl)
The chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Baroness Buscombe, responds to criticism of the recent PCC report into allegations of phone tapping at the News of the World, which found no evidence of wrongdoing. The editor of The Guardian newspaper, Alan Rusbridger, has called the report 'worse than pointless' and 'dangerous to the press'.

India Knight gives Steve the inside story of her interview with Dr Brooke Magnanti, the woman behind the Belle de Jour blog. Dr Magnanti's decision to talk to India at the Sunday Times spoilt the Daily Mail's plans to reveal her identity.

James Partridge has a facial disfigurement and he has been reading the news on Channel 5 this week. He will be telling Steve why he hopes this is more than a gimmick.

Media consultant Tim Suter gives his reaction to the changes at ITV, from the appointment of Archie Norman as the new chairman to the plans laid out in the Queen's Speech to replace ITV's regional news programmes.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00ntbk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b00nvtzn)
The Loop

By Nick Perry.

When a young boy toys with his dad's mobile phone, middle-aged Englishman Nick Perry finds himself speaking to a young stranger called Jim in New York - in 1959.

As they talk, they discover that they are both writers: Nick is struggling with his first radio play and Jim's just started on an ambitious new TV show, The Twilight Zone.

Nick Perry ...... Ivan Kaye
Jim Giller ...... Edward Hogg
Old Man ...... Peter Marinker
Policeman ...... Rhys Jennings
Dolores ...... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Woman ...... Melissa Advani

Directed by Toby Swift.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00nvvwj)
Vincent Duggleby and a panel of guests answer calls on pensions.

Guests:
Malcolm McLean, The Pensions Advisory Service
Amanda Davidson, Bairgrie Davis
Tom McPhail, Head of Pensions Research, Hargreaves Lansdown.


WED 15:30 Shorts (b00nvfbz)
Series 10

Fifty-One

SCOTTISH SHORTS
Stories showcasing new writing from Scotland

Fifty-One
by Tat Usher

A teenager spends her evenings swimming lengths of her local pool until a familiar face makes her question her motivation.


WED 15:45 The Garden (b00ntcw6)
Episode 3

An evocative series telling the story of an Oxfordshire garden through time and the seasons, from its earliest creation to the challenges it faces in the 21st century. This is a fictional tale based on fact, set against a backdrop of specially recorded sounds.

In summer, the air is filled with sounds of hoverflies, bees, butterflies, beetles and dragonflies. The appearance of so many insects also provides food for other creatures, including hungry nestlings.

Narrated by Peter France

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00nvwg6)
White Collar Crime: Punishment of Crime

3/3 In a series of special programmes in association with the Open University, Laurie Taylor explores the subject of white collar crime.

Is it right that middle-class offenders should spend more of their sentence in open prisons? Should the loss of a professional position be taken into account when sentencing white collar criminals? Is our prison system set up to cope with professionals who offend? Laurie concludes his exploration of white collar crime and talks to past offenders including Jonathan Aitken, leading criminologist Michael Levi, and the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald, about the punishment of white collar criminals.

Is it time we changed our attitude to crime in the workplace? Should we put more effort into enforcing the law and detecting white collar crime?


WED 16:30 All in the Mind (b00nvhvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00ntd2f)
18th November 1989

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

Bulgaria witnesses its biggest demonstrations in 40 years, European leaders meet to discuss the reshaping of Europe and, in Prague, rumours spread that the police have killed a Czech student.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 17:00 PM (b00ntd84)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ntd98)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00nvwg8)
Series 3

Episode 1

Perrier Award-winning comedian Laura Solon presents her third series of sketches, monologues and one-liners.

With characters ranging from infuriating call-centre staff, drunk mothers intent on ruining everyone else's Christmas and recently deposed ex-soviet tyrants trying to settle in the British suburbs, Laura Solon continues to turn the things that most irritate us all into sharply observed and occasionally surreal comic gems.

Laura is joined once again by Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Moor and Ben Willbond.

Produced by Colin Anderson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00ntbkb)
Mike doesn't share Vicky's enthusiasm about their shopping expedition, especially when she encourages Mike to try on young, slim-fitting styles. Later, over lunch, they talk about Mike's birthday. Mike doesn't want a fuss.

Nigel and Elizabeth brief the Lower Loxley staff about their Christmas 'Deck the Hall' event. There's a lot to do, with finding a choir, organising the trails and the demos... Nigel and Lizzie really have their work cut out for them.

Jennifer learns that a spare room at the Laurels has been given to someone other than Jack, because Peggy specifically requested a garden view. Jennifer confides in Ruth about how difficult Jack has become, and that she's worried he's getting violent - perhaps even being responsible for breaking Peggy's glasses.

Ruth offers to take Ruairi to see the Christmas lights switch-on in Borchester - but Jennifer insists she'll cope; she's already promised to take Ruairi and his friend.

Later, Mike, Vicky, Ruth, Jennifer, Hayley and their respective kids, meet at the Borchester Christmas lights switch-on. Vicky mentions Mike's 60th birthday. When Jennifer tells her it's the same day that the Ambridge Christmas lights get switched on, Vicky sees it as a sign - Mike's got to have a party.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00ntdf6)
Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson.

Comedian Bill Bailey talks about his guide to the Orchestra - very different from Benjamin Brittens', a live touring show in which he lets his eccentric imagination loose on classical music, soon to be released on DVD.

Fay Weldon reviews The Original of Laura, the posthumous novel that Nabokov asked his heirs to burn. The book was written, as was all of Nabokov's work, on index cards and Penguin have reproduced the text exactly as written on 138 cards with a transcript of the text on the opposite page.

A Serious Man, the latest film from the Coen brothers - whose earlier works include Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men - is a black comedy set in the Midwest in 1967 as a college professor tries to establish some clarity in his life when things unravel around him. Critic Diane Roberts reviews.

Maverick veteran American film director Joseph Strick caused controversy with his adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses in 1967 and his version of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was banned in the UK. In 1971 he won an Oscar for Best Short Documentary for Interviews with My Lai Veterans. On a rare visit to the UK ahead of a short season of his films at the Barbican Centre in London, the 87-year-old director looks back over his eventful career.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ntfl0)
Our Mutual Friend

Episode 8

Adaptation by Mike Walker of Charles Dickens' classic novel.

Wegg comes to an agreement with Venus, as Bradley tries to do likewise with Eugene Wrayburn.

Charles Dickens ...... Alex Jennings
Bella Wilfer ...... Daisy Haggard
Lizzie Hexam ...... Lizzy Watts
John Rokesmith ...... Carl Prekopp
Eugene Wrayburn ...... Patrick Kennedy
Mortimer Lightwood ...... Matt Addis
Betty ...... Lynn Farleigh
Sloppy ...... Benjamin Askew
Mrs Boffin ...... Pauline Quirke
Pa Wilfer ...... Philip Fox
Pleasant Riderhood ...... Annabelle Dowler
Charlie Hexam ...... Adam Arnold
Bradley Headstone ...... Neil Stuke
Silas Wegg ...... Lee Ross
Venus ...... Stephen Hogan
Jenny Wren ...... Nicola Miles Wildin
Rogue Riderhood ...... Jamie Foreman
Jenny's Father ...... Paul Rider
Radford ...... Jonathan Tafler

With Janice Acquah.

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer

This episode is available until 7.45pm on 11th December as part of the Series Catch-up Trial.


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00nvx6v)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Claire Fox, Matthew Taylor, Melanie Phillips and Michael Portillo cross-examine witnesses.

Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has apologised to the thousands of child migrants taken from the UK to Australia after the war, often without their parents' consent. No one in the current government was involved in the policy, which ended in 1970 and Kevin Rudd wasn't even born when it started. For some, such declarations are at best meaningless and at worst offensive. By expressing contrition for other people's behaviour, does it make a mockery of the very notion of apology?

From politicians to celebrities, the culture of the public apology has been gaining ground. But how do we measure the value of these gestures? When should we say sorry and what should we apologise for?

With:

Douglas Murray
Author and commentator

Professor Aaron Lazare
Author of On Apology, Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist

Professor Kathryn Ecclestone
Professor of Education and Social Inclusion

Laurie Humphries
A child migrant - sent from the UK to Australia in 1947.


WED 20:45 The Cases That Changed Our World (b00nvx6x)
Episode 3

Clive Coleman tells the stories of cases that shaped our lives but which are little known outside the legal world.

The case of Reginald Woolmington, a young farm labourer who shot his wife dead with a sawn-off gun in 1934. But had he intended to kill, and thus was it murder? The case against him seemed strong, but Woolmington's legal battle eventually reinforced the presumption of innocence for all defendants.


WED 21:00 The Eureka Years (b00cdvk0)
Series 4

1650: Coffee, Cosmology and the Civil War

Adam Hart-Davis explores spectacular years in the history of science.

The first coffeehouse opens in Oxford and signals the beginning of a new age of reason. A coffee-powered network of scientists, theologians, politicians and traders swap ideas and information over a steaming dish of coffee, and the true nature of gravity is revealed after a coffeehouse argument.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b00nvt2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00ntfn0)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ntfrr)
National and international news and analysis.

What was in the Queen's Speech and how much may actually become law?

Iraq suspends preparations for elections.

Can Europe decide who will become its first president?


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ntk2m)
The Glass Room

Episode 8

Greta Scacchi reads from the novel by Simon Mawer.

As war rages in Europe, a letter from Hana brings news of what has happened to the Glass Room.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 The Ladies (b00g0nmp)
Series 1

Episode 1

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

Pippa tries to work out why her date with a manic depressive is going so badly, in the company of the other women in the Ladies.

With Emily Watson Howes, Kate Donmall, Fran Moulds, Suzanne Hislop.

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:15 All Bar Luke (b00d45p6)
Series 3

The Prang

Poignant comedy drama series by Tim Key.

Luke crashes his car and meets the perfect bystander after his brother tells him some shattering news.

An Angel Eye Media production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00nvyj6)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.



THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2009

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00nsk15)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00ny29p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmkb)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nsmq7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmm6)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00nsmtf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nsn2m)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00nsnc4)
Food security - how we'll produce enough food to meet the needs of our growing population - is a high level of concern among world leaders. Now one of the UK centres carrying out major research in this area faces major cuts.

The University of Warwick is to scale down research at Wellesbourne horticultural centre, Warwick HCI, and make a third of its staff redundant. Charlotte Smith asks what this will mean for the research and the industry.


THU 06:00 Today (b00nsnvk)
Presented by John Humphrys and Justin Webb.

North-west England and south-west Scotland are at a high risk of flooding, and river levels are being monitored, the Environment Agency has warned. The agency's Elliot Robertson discusses the warnings.

The Office of National Statistics is to release figures for public sector finances in October. Figures last month revealed that public sector net borrowing reached £14.8bn in September, the highest ever figure for September since records began. Economics editor Stephanie Flanders examines the levels of borrowing.

Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai is set to deliver his second inauguration speech. The ceremony in Kabul will be attended by Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Kabul correspondent Ian Pannell comments on the speech.

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and Republican vice-presidential candidate, has written her memoirs. The book is flying off the shelves and many of her supporters hope she will run in the next presidential election. Washington correspondent Kevin Connolly met Ms Palin at her first book-signing session, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The author of the report into MPs expenses has said he is disappointed that there was no parliamentary allowances legislation in the Queen's speech. Sir Christopher Kelly, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said there was no reason why new laws could not be introduced before the next election. Political editor Nick Robinson comments on Sir Christopher's reaction.

At least 16 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Peshawar, Pakistan. Correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports on the latest attack.

Environmentalists have warned that the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed at a terrifying rate. Amazon tribes are in London as part of a major push to highlight the risk to the rainforest and the threat to tribes' way of life. Chief Tashka of the Yawanawa tribe and environmentalist Stanley Johnson discuss the dangers of deforestation and climate change.

Thought for the day with Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner.

A drug that could prolong the lives of patients with advanced liver cancer has been rejected for NHS use in England and Wales. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said providing the drug Nexavar would not be 'a cost effective use of NHS resources'. Campaigners, patients and doctors say the decision is devastating news for thousands of cancer sufferers who will be left without a treatment option. Kate Spall, who fought for her mother to receive the drug, recounts her battle. Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer UK, and Professor Peter Littlejohns, Nice's clinical and public health director, debate provision of the drug.

The Conservative party has criticised the Queen's speech, accusing the government of using it as a 'Labour press release on Palace parchment'. The party condemned the government for failing to include legislation to tackle MPs' expenses and NHS reform, and Tory peer Lord Strathclyde has threatened to block the proposed bills. David Cameron, leader of the Conservative party, discusses his response to the Queen's speech.

The classic BBC comedy, Yes Minister, is to be reworked for audiences in the Ukraine. The satirical sitcom, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, has become an international phenomenon and is enjoyed in Turkey, India and Holland. Sir Antony Jay, co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, and Andrey Kurkov, a Ukrainian writer and satirist, reflect on the programme's popularity.

The cannibalistic practices of a community in Papua New Guinea are helping researchers understand more about the disease CJD. Scientists have discovered a mutation in a gene which has helped villagers resist Kuru, a disease very similar to CJD. Scientists say this is the strongest example yet of recent natural selection in humans. Professor John Collinge, director of the Medical Research Council which carried out the study, discusses the findings.

The 27 leaders of the EU are to vote on who should be the first EU President and EU Foreign Secretary. Tory peer Lord Patten discusses what the new jobs will entail.

The Conservative party has accused the government of failing to legislate on MPs' expenses. Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman told the programme that the proposals from Sir Christopher Kelly's report would be taken forward by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

How can schoolchildren be introduced to thinking in a philosophical way? Peter Worley, founder of the Philosophy Shop which introduces young children to philosophy, and Anthony Grayling, professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College London, discuss how philosophy can be made to appeal to children.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00nvz72)
Sparta

Melvyn Bragg and guests Paul Cartledge, Edith Hall and Angie Hobbs discuss Sparta, the militaristic Ancient Greek city-state, and the political ideas it spawned.The isolated Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta was a ferocious opposite to the cosmopolitan port of Athens. Spartans were hostile to outsiders and rhetoric, to philosophy and change. Two and a half thousand years on, Sparta remains famous for its brutally rigorous culture of military discipline, as inculcated in its young men through communal living, and terrifying, licensed violence towards the Helots, the city-state's subjugated majority. Sparta and its cruelty was used as an argument against slavery by British Abolitionists in the early 1800s, before inspiring the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s.Yet Sparta also produced poets of great skill: Tyrteaus wrote marching songs for the young men; Alcman wrote choral lyrics for the young women. Moreover, the city-state's rulers pioneered a radically egalitarian political system, and its ideals were invoked by Plato. Its inhabitants also prided themselves on their wit: we don't only derive the word 'spartan' from their culture, but the word 'laconic'. Paul Cartledge is AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge; Edith Hall is Professor of Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London; Angie Hobbs is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00ny29r)
Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography

Episode 4

By Keith Floyd, with James Steen.

Keith Floyd was one of the first chefs to become a celebrity and led the way in filming cookery programmes on location. With trademark bow tie and glass of wine in hand, he inspired a generation to cook.

Keith's television career is revived when his agent calls with a three-series deal which will take him to Australia, Spain and the Far East.

Read by Michael Cochrane.

Abridged by Libby Spurrier.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00ntnnl)
Justine Roberts on the mums' vote; Tumble dryers v pegs

Mumsnet co-founder Justine Roberts on why politicians are targeting mothers. Plus, the ethics of drying washing; and former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00nvz74)
The Congo Connection

Peter Greste investigates whether Rwandans in France and Germany are controlling a deadly African militia. For the last 15 years, the rebels of the FDLR have enforced their control through a series of brutal atrocities. Now Crossing Continents has secret intelligence suggesting that they were taking orders from political leaders living openly in Europe.


THU 11:30 Oulipo (b00nvzys)
Writer and typographer Ben Schott investigates Oulipo, the French experimental literary group. Founded in 1960 and still in existence, Oulipo create work by imposing playful restrictions the way a text will be produced. Oulipo stands for Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle, meaning Workshop for Potential Literature. In this humourous history of the French literary group, Ben discovers that recently, Oulipo have even made a bridgehead into English-speaking territory.

In November 2008, for instance, the Canadian experimental poet Christian Bok published a novel called Eunoia (meaning 'beautiful thinking'), consisting of five chapters, each highlighting one vowel. Bok, who has previously created artificial languages for Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, says his new novel pays direct homage to Oulipo.

Oulipo's President, Paul Fournel, describes how Oulipo was founded by Raymond Queneau and Francois Le Lionnais as a reaction to the Surrealist movement to which Queneau in particular had previously attached himself. Instead of freely following the whims of the subconscious, Oulipians deliberately introduced conscious constraints, and discovered the results could be not only plentiful but also intriguing. Oulipians, according to Queneau, are 'rats, who build the labyrinth from which they will escape'. Queneau's works included Cent Mille Milliards de Poemes, or 100,000,000,000,000 Poems, in which each page contains a 14-line sonnet, split into 14 strips, which can be separated and re-combined in any order. Queneau thought it would take 190,258,751 years for someone to read every combination.

One of Oulipo's most famous members, George Perec, wrote an entire novel, La Disparition, as a lipogram, avoiding the use of the letter E. Translated into English under the title A Void, the novel is now required reading on some academic courses for computer programmers. Later, Perec devised a 'story-writing machine' based on the knight's tour of the chessboard, in the writing of his 1970 novel, Life: A User's Manual, which links every occupant in every room of a Paris apartment block.

Some other techniques used by Oulipians to generate work include the N+7 method (where every noun is replaced by the noun found seven entries further on in a dictionary), Cento (a poem patched together out of lines written by other poets), palindromes and multiple choice narratives.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00nsp6l)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00ntb6g)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b00ntbcc)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


THU 13:30 Off the Page (b00nvzyv)
Porky Pies

According to a recent survey we live in a world full of lies - concluding that most people tell at least two important lies a day, a third of conversations involve some sort of deception and 60 per cent of the population have cheated on their partners at least once.

To debate this and seek out the truth about lies are Professor Richard Wiseman, who has spent a lifetime trying to discover the clues that give away deception, writer Ian Leslie, who described the search for the perfect lie detector, and columnist Michele Hanson, whose mother was only ever able to tell the truth.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00ntbkb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b00d0hw2)
Ian Kershaw - Alan and Jean's Incredible Journey

Alan and Jean Warburton decide to spend their holiday in their bedroom. Poignant comedy drama starring Julie Hesmondhalgh.


THU 15:00 Open Country (b00nxhz4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00nsg9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Shorts (b00nvfc1)
Series 10

Miss Bell and Miss Heaton

Stories showcasing new Scottish writing.

By Janette Walkinshaw, read by Ann Louise Ross.

Jane Bell has some difficult news for her best friend in this elegiac tale of love in its many forms.


THU 15:45 The Garden (b00ntcw8)
Episode 4

An evocative series telling the story of an Oxfordshire garden through time and the seasons, from its earliest creation to the challenges it faces in the 21st century. This is a fictional tale based on fact, set against a backdrop of specially recorded sounds.

When autumn arrives, the bright colours of summer fade. The garden is now a quieter place, although not silent, as a robin sings to mark its territory. Swallows, swifts and house martins leave the garden and migrate south, while the frogs and toads search for a suitable place to hibernate for the winter.

Narrated by Peter France

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson.


THU 16:00 Open Book (b00nshqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b00nw3rq)
With little more than two weeks to go before negotiators gather in Copenhagen to debate cuts in greenhouse gases, the scientific pressure is rapidly growing for them to succeed. Quentin Cooper hears the latest from the scientific frontline: news of the continuing rapid growth in greenhouse gas emissions, and the threat to Antarctica from global warming.

It would have 'algae tubes', be made largely of glass and have an 'algae photovoltaic bioreactor' at its heart: the Algae House is the award-winning design of a house of the future.

A team of postgraduate students at Cambridge University have set out one possible future for the concept 'algaetecture'. They plan to exploit the properties of algae to generate hydrogen to be used in hydrogen fuel cells and to harvest the algae to create biofuels, all in the domestic setting of the home. Quentin Cooper meets the students who think the future's bright - the future's algae green.


THU 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00ntd2h)
19th November 1989

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

London ambulance workers continue their strike, New Kids on the Block reach number one and the Czech demonstrations gather pace.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 17:00 PM (b00ntd86)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ntd9b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nw3rs)
Series 3

A Horrible Life Un-Ruined and Then Re-Ruined a Lot

Pip, Harry, Pippa and Ripely are reduced to abject poverty on the banks of the Thames. Will Pip and Harry be able to find work, or will they have to end their days eating mud and listening to the gloating of Mr Benevolent?

Comedy Victorian adventure by Mark Evans.

Sir Philip ...... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ...... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Barker Wackwallop ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ...... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ...... Susy Kane
Vegetarian Lion ...... Mark Evans

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00ntbkd)
Lilian's grateful when Ian pops round with some pre-cooked meals. Ian is on his way for a double date with Adam, Helen and Leon. Lilian wonders if she'll meet Leon - or if he'll still be on the scene when Matt gets out.

At the date, Helen makes a fuss of Leon, inviting him to Anne Baxter's party in December, but Leon claims to be too busy at work. Helen hopes he'll be able to come to Mike's party, but Leon doesn't commit. Leon drops his charming persona as soon as Helen's back is turned, claiming his relationship with Helen is only casual. Helen's oblivious, and enjoys the date.

Later, Ian tells Adam that he can't help but feel worried. He didn't like Leon - and it's obvious he's got a bit of a wandering eye.

Matt calls - but he remains taut and withdrawn. Lilian's relieved to hear he's being moved to an open prison on Monday. Matt asks her to bring money when she visits, but insists that he doesn't want anything else. He confesses that the boredom of being locked up is driving him mad; but at least Chalkman won't be being transferred to the same prison as him.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00ntdf8)
Paranormal Activity is a ghost horror film, shot in seven days, Blair Witch-style, on a hand-held camera, in director Oren Peli's own home. A couple is haunted by a nightly presence that may or may not be demonic. Antonia Quirke reviews.

Comic books have traditionally been dominated by superheroes but a growing number of artists and writers are using the medium as a form of journalism or to explore new ideas. From the life of Bertrand Russell to political activism in China and life in Gaza, the comic book is taking on new shapes and becoming more popular. Kirsty Lang is joined by Dave McKean, Apostolos Doxiadis, Ian Rankin and Joe Sacco to discuss the power of the comic book and the relationship between image and text.

'I intended to just write a slick little thriller' Attica Locke said about her debut novel, Dark Water Rising, but it also tackles big themes of American race relations and the civil rights movement. The story is set in Houston in 1981 and focuses on a disillusioned black lawyer struggling to achieve material success while weighed down by a past as a civil rights worker. Attica was named after the 1971 prison rising and both her parents were civil rights activists.

The rock band Ash are coming to the end of their 26-date UK tour to promote their A-Z Singles Collection. Having started out in Aldershot, followed by Bradford, Carlisle and Dundee, tonight the band has made it to W in the alphabet. Lead singer Tim Wheeler talks to Kirsty Lang from Worcester before wrapping up the tour in Exmouth, Yeovil and Zennor.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ntfl2)
Our Mutual Friend

Episode 9

Adaptation by Mike Walker of Charles Dickens' classic novel.

John Rokesmith sets about straightening his very untidy life.

Charles Dickens ...... Alex Jennings
Bella Wilfer ...... Daisy Haggard
Lizzie Hexam ...... Lizzy Watts
John Rokesmith ...... Carl Prekopp
Eugene Wrayburn ...... Patrick Kennedy
Mortimer Lightwood ...... Matt Addis
Betty ...... Lynn Farleigh
Sloppy ...... Benjamin Askew
Mrs Boffin ...... Pauline Quirke
Pa Wilfer ...... Philip Fox
Pleasant Riderhood ...... Annabelle Dowler
Charlie Hexam ...... Adam Arnold
Bradley Headstone ...... Neil Stuke
Silas Wegg ...... Lee Ross
Venus ...... Stephen Hogan
Jenny Wren ...... Nicola Miles Wildin
Rogue Riderhood ...... Jamie Foreman
Jenny's Father ...... Paul Rider
Radford ...... Jonathan Tafler

With Janice Acquah.

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer

This episode is available until 7.45pm on 11th December as part of the Series Catch-up Trial.


THU 20:00 The Report (b00nw3rv)
Cannabis Reclassification Row

The sacking of the government's former chief drugs adviser caused outrage in some quarters of the scientific community. Professor David Nutt had criticised the government's decision to reclassify cannabis from class C to class B. James Silver investigates the causes of the row and asks if the government's cannabis classification policy is in disarray.


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00nw3rx)
Evan Davis is joined by a panel of top business guests to discuss creative accounting; do companies try to make their books look better than they are? And from the featureless to the funky, what is it that makes a productive office workplace?

Evan is joined by Ian Powell, UK chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the world's biggest accountancy firms; Mark Dixon, the chief executive of Regus, a global provider of serviced office space; John Hitchcox, chairman of Yoo, an international design and property development company.


THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00nw3rz)
Astronomical Discoveries and Future Space Exploration

2009 has been the International Year of Astronomy. It comes, says astronomer-historian Dr Paul Murdin, at the climax of the best century astronomers are ever likely to have; a period of exploration in which we have had our first look through many new windows on the Universe and our first close-up encounters with other planets. There is plenty left to do, he tells Geoff Watts, but never again can we have that exciting first view.

Our telescopes can see back to the dawn of the Universe, but in terms of space exploration, we've hardly stepped out of the door. In a year's time, the US Space Shuttle is due to be retired from service, leaving NASA without its own rocket that can launch humans and supply the International Space Station. Geoff hears how the space agency is turning to the private sector to design and build its launch vehicles and what that implies for a return to the Moon and exploration beyond, to Mars.

Plus news from the past and present of forensic science, in fiction and reality. Sherlock Holmes was arguably the first fictional character to make use of forensic science, but what techniques were available to him and how accurately did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle portray them? Today, TV series such as Silent Witness and Waking the Dead are built on forensic science. How do they compare to the realities of moden techniques?


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00nvz72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b00ntfn2)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ntfrt)
National and international news and analysis with Felicity Evans.

As he begins his second term as Afghan president, Hamid Karzai has said he wants Afghan forces to take charge of security within five years.

EU leaders meet in Brussels to choose the first President of the European Council.

Should football referees have help from instant replays?


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ntk2p)
The Glass Room

Episode 9

Greta Scacchi reads from the novel by Simon Mawer.

The Landauers are on the move again but when their train is stopped in Occupied France, Viktor faces a devastating loss.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 Pick Ups (b00nw3s1)
Series 2

Heroes and Villains

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

It's decision time - will Simon De Vere call time on Irwell Cars, and will Dave choose Milan over Lower Broughton Working Men's Club?

Mike ...... Paul Loughran
Lind ...... Lesley Sharp
Dave ...... Phil Rowson
Alan ...... Parvez Qadir
Simon De Vere ...... James Quinn
Stevie ...... Suranne Jones
Pat the Butcher ...... Andrew Grose.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ntk5h)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.



FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2009

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00nsk17)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00ny29r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmkd)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00nsmq9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00nsmm8)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00nsmth)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00nsn2p)
Daily prayer and reflection with Philip Robinson.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00nsnc6)
An EU ban on battery hens could mean massive imports of eggs from battery hens outside of Europe, and Defra figures show that farm incomes are set to rise by 25 per cent.

And the age-old art of dry stone walling is enjoying something of a revival.


FRI 06:00 Today (b00nsnvm)
Presented by Sarah Montague and Justin Webb.

The RAF and emergency services have been working through the night to rescue hundreds of people trapped by floods in Cockermouth, Cumbria. Squadron Leader Dave Webster discusses the rescue operation and Tony Walker, a resident of Cockermouth, describes the damage to the area.

European leaders have made concessions in the decision to choose an EU president and a high representative for foreign affairs. Today presenter Justin Webb reports from Brussels.

The government has published plans to allow further media access to the family courts in England and Wales. The new rules allow journalists to identify expert witnesses, with the reporting of their testimonies being down to the court's discretion. Lucy Theis QC, chair of the Family Law Bar Association, outlines the confusion surrounding the legislation.

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is deciding a on a new leader and has been debating its future direction in a series of hustings, which ended last night with a session in Cambridgeshire. Five candidates are aiming to succeed the party's current leader, Nigel Farage, who is standing down. Correspondent Andrew Hosken went to see the candidates battle it out.

Lady Ashton has been appointed the High Representative for Foreign Affairs in Europe, an unexpected choice for many. Lady Ashton's friend, Lord Kinnock, comments on her qualities and her suitability for the job.

Thought for the Day with Rev Rosemary Lain-Priestley, Dean of Women's Ministry in central London.

The new president of the Association of Chief Police Officers has warned that many chief officers would resign if the Conservatives introduced directly-elected commissioners to oversee them. Sir Hugh Orde has called for a radical reform of policing to be carried by an independent commission. Sir Hugh discusses the changes needed to the police system.

A police officer is missing after flood water caused a bridge to collapse in the town of Workington. Correspondent Naomi Cornwell reports on the latest in the flood rescue mission.

Belgian prime minister Herman Von Rompoy and Lady Cathy Ashton have been elected for the new top positions to represent the European Union on the world stage. The appointments have been seen in Brussels as an end to the accretion of power to the EU, with stronger candidates for the roles being overlooked. Lady Ashton discusses her new role.

Hundreds of people have been helped from their homes in overnight flood rescue operations in Cumbria and a search is underway for a police officer reported missing after a bridge collapse in Workington. Chief Superintendent Paul Kennedy of Cumbria Police discusses the search and Cockermouth resident Daniel Bancroft describes the scale of the flood damage. Environment secretary Hilary Benn comments on the government's flooding policies.

A gun battle has broken out between pirates in the in the Somali port of Haradhere. It is reported that the violence centred on the allocation of the millions of dollars they have received from recent hijackings. Middle East correspondent Paul Wood reports from the European naval force patrolling the seas in the area.

What are the benefits of moving from analogue to digital radio sets? Provisions for the switchover will be set out in the Digital Economy Bill, published today. Andrew Harrison, chief executive of Radio Centre, discusses the benefits of switchover.

A newly-discovered story by crime writer Agatha Christie is to be released in the United States. The short piece, The Incident of the Dog's Ball, was found in the author's papers when she died. Crime writer Harry Keating and managing editor of Strand Magazine, Andrew Gulli, discuss the work.

The furore over French star Thierry Henry's handball against Ireland has spilled into European politics, straining Irish and French relations. Dr Emily Ryall, philosophy of sport lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, and Simon Barnes, chief sports writer for The Times, debate whether sporting clashes should be given a political stage.

Elgar's trombone is to be played in concert for the first time since his death in 1934. Principal trombonist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sue Addison, will play the instrument at the Royal Festival Hall. Ms Addison plays some of the music.

The newspapers have written the first draft of history for the EU's appointment of a EU president and a high representative for foreign affairs. Philippe Ricard, correspondent for Le Monde, and Stephen Castle, New York Times correspondent, discuss the historical legacy.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00nsgg1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00ny29t)
Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography

Episode 5

By Keith Floyd, with James Steen.

Keith Floyd was one of the first chefs to become a celebrity and led the way in filming cookery programmes on location. With trademark bow tie and glass of wine in hand, he inspired a generation to cook.

Keith was beginning to hate food and his excessive drinking was about to take its toll.

Read by Michael Cochrane.

Abridged by Libby Spurrier.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00ntnnn)
Rights for cohabiting couples; Grandchildlessness

How would a cohabitation law benefit women? Plus, life without grandchildren; and Rachel Crolla the first woman to climb to the highest point of every country in Europe.


FRI 11:00 Lives in a Landscape (b00nw3wn)
Series 5

Balancing Act

When Joni met Howie: the story of a long-distance love affair that blossomed amid the torn ligaments and strained quadriceps of some of Britain's top circus performers. Joni, a leading Mayfair physiotherapist, could only marvel when she met the men and women of No Fit State circus, at the musculature and the perfection equilibrium of their bodies. But Howie, a former horticulturalist, advertising stiltwalker and all-round free spirit was special, and soon they were more than friends.

Now, as if keeping their two lives together - ministering to the muscular misfortunes of City financiers and performing high in the Big Top all over Europe - weren't enough, Howie faces a special, personal ordeal. He must undergo much-postponed surgery on his damaged left knee.

Meanwhile Joni has her own enormous physical challenges to face.


FRI 11:30 The Richest Man in Britain (b00nw3wq)
The Kidnap

Sitcom by Nick Hornby and Giles Smith about an ageing rock star and his search for fulfilment.

Trillionnaire rocker Dave Mabbutt finds the perfect excuse to get rid of shed-loads of cash when his mum is taken hostage.

Dave Mabbutt ...... Mark Williams
Dom ...... Russell Tovey
Mr Green the Banker ......Geoff McGivern
Dimitri the Kidnapper ...... Phil Cornwell
Sophie/Waiter ...... Matt Addis.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00nsp6n)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00ntb6j)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00ntbcf)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.


FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00nw3ws)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00ntbkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00nws6h)
Number 10 - Series 3

And Drugs Won...

Series of plays by Jonathan Myerson depicting life inside Downing Street.

In a pact with the Liberal Democrats, Labour have formed a government. But the new Lib Dem home secretary seems determined to stray off message, and the legalisation of drugs is top of her agenda.

Adam ...... Antony Sher
Monica ...... Sasha Behar
Polly ...... Penny Downie
Bill ...... Bill Paterson
Steve ...... Stephen Mangan
Gwen Donoghue ...... Denise Black
Helen Ridout ...... Lucy Robinson
Chair of Bolswell North CLP ...... Scott Cherry
Lucy, Channel 4 news reporter ...... Charlotte Lucas
Chief Superintendant ...... Paul Jesson

Directed by Clive Brill

A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00nws6k)
Peter Gibbs chairs a 'postbag' edition of the programme from Sparhsolt College in Hampshire.

Pippa Greenwood, John Cushnie and Anne Swithinbank answer questions sent in via post and email.

Plus an update on the slug trials set up at our garden party in Harlow Carr; how have our lettuces faired since September?

Including Gardening weather forecast.


FRI 15:45 The Garden (b00ntcwb)
Episode 5

An evocative series telling the story of an Oxfordshire garden through time and the seasons, from its earliest creation to the challenges it faces in the 21st century. This is a fictional tale based on fact, set against a backdrop of specially recorded sounds.

The story reaches the present day. Winter arrives, and for many creatures the garden is a sanctuary offering food and shelter, which may be difficult to find in the surrounding landscape.

Narrated by Peter France

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00nws6m)
Marking the lives of respiratory physician and TB expert Sir John Crofton, British actor Edward Woodward, travel trade pioneer Jimmy Hoseason, 80s rap artist Derek B and Cornish master boat builder Ralph Bird.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00nws6p)
The Coen brothers tell Francine Stock why they returned to their roots for their new comedy, A Serious Man, which is set in the Jewish community where they grew up.

The director of the new Twilight instalment, Chris Weitz, discusses the Pre-Raphaelite influence on his vampire movie.

Oren Peli, the film-maker responsible for the low-budget phenomenon Paranormal Activity, reveals the secrets of his success

Also, Mid-August Lunch, by the writer of Gomorrah, is reviewed and Jane Graham presents a 90-second guide to film censorship.


FRI 16:56 1989: Day by Day (b00ntd2m)
20th November 1989

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

In Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu receives 67 standing ovations during a six-hour speech as he refuses to take note of the changes sweeping Eastern Europe; US secretary of defense Richard Cheney announces the scaling back of troop numbers in Eastern Europe.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00ntd89)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ntd9d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00nws6r)
Series 69

Episode 9

Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz. The panellists are Jeremy Hardy, Francis Wheen, Carrie Quinlan and Sue Perkins.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00ntbkg)
Clarrie asks Ed for some ideas from George's Christmas list. She notices the pheasants that Emma will be cooking for Oliver and Caroline, and wants reassurance that they weren't poached. Ed pretends to be outraged by the suggestion.

Robert's preparing for Coriander's arrival. He buys extra soft drinks from the Bull, and promises Jolene he'll bring Oscar for a visit. Jolene and Clarrie comment on Vicky's plans for Mike's birthday party. They feel she's going over the top with the 'Mr Bubbles' theme.

Lynda is all of a fluster, already anxious that Oscar's routine should be maintained during his stay. Robert points out that they don't know whether Oscar has a routine yet. Coriander finally arrives - and comments on how hot the house is; it seems that Lynda has turned up the heat in readiness. Later, Lynda and Robert admire the new baby but Robert cannot help but feel terrified as Caz hands him his new grandson.

Lilian confesses to Jolene that she went to see the prison - with Jack in the car. Jolene reassures Lilian that Jack won't remember, and she understands Lilian's need to see where Matt is. Lilian is relieved. She's just anxious about seeing Matt once he's moved.

Episode written by Joanna Toye.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00ntdfb)
Arts news and reviews with Kirsty Lang. Director Richard Linklater discusses his latest film and the verdict on TV's search for the new Damien Hirst.

Richard Linklater: The US film director's eclectic CV includes Slacker in 1991, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, and the more mainstream The School of Rock with Jack Black. Linklater discusses his latest film, Me and Orson Welles, and his discovery of Welles's doppelganger.

School of Saatchi: TV's new four-part search for the next Damien Hirst. Charles Saatchi never appears on screen, but helped by judges including Tracey Emin and Matt Collings, chooses six finalists to study with top artists, and a winner to exhibit work in St Petersburg, from thousands of applicants. Christopher Frayling, former head of Arts Council England and The Royal College of Art, reviews.

The Woman in White Anniversary Project: 26 November 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the first appearance of the first episode of The Woman in White in the weekly periodical All The Year Round. It was an enormous hit; there were The Woman in White cloaks and bonnets, The Woman in White waltzes and quadrilles and it was even parodied in Punch magazine. Starting on the anniversary for 40 weeks, the Wilkie Collins Society will be putting the original text online week by week as it appeared in All The Year Round so people can read it just as they did in 1859/60.

Oprah Winfrey: The American talk show host has announced that she will broadcast her final show in 2011. In 1996, Oprah introduced an additional segment to her show: Oprah's Book Club, which has had a phenomenal impact on the American publishing industry, with many of the books she has championed topping the bestseller lists. Writer and literary critic Elaine Showalter reflects on why and how Oprah has achieved such huge influence in the literary world.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ntfl4)
Our Mutual Friend

Episode 10

Adaptation by Mike Walker of Charles Dickens' classic novel.

Bradley Headstone has a very clear picture of his future, and enlists Charlie Hexam to help him achieve it.

Charles Dickens ...... Alex Jennings
Bella Wilfer ...... Daisy Haggard
Lizzie Hexam ...... Lizzy Watts
John Rokesmith ...... Carl Prekopp
Eugene Wrayburn ...... Patrick Kennedy
Mortimer Lightwood ...... Matt Addis
Betty ...... Lynn Farleigh
Sloppy ...... Benjamin Askew
Mrs Boffin ...... Pauline Quirke
Pa Wilfer ...... Philip Fox
Pleasant Riderhood ...... Annabelle Dowler
Charlie Hexam ...... Adam Arnold
Bradley Headstone ...... Neil Stuke
Silas Wegg ...... Lee Ross
Venus ...... Stephen Hogan
Jenny Wren ...... Nicola Miles Wildin
Rogue Riderhood ...... Jamie Foreman
Jenny's Father ...... Paul Rider
Radford ...... Jonathan Tafler

With Janice Acquah.

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer

This episode is available until 7.45pm on 11th December as part of the Series Catch-up Trial.


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00nws6t)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the live debate from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, with questions from the audience for the panel including: leader of the House Harriet Harman; former leader of the Liberal Party Lord Steel; the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond; and historian Tristram Hunt.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00nws6w)
Blog de Jour

Clive James reflects on the revelation of the identity of Belle de Jour, the author of The Diary of a London Call Girl.


FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b00ny6r4)
Vent

Ben has survived a crippling brain lesion, but he won't engage with the world around him, preferring to stay safely in his own fantasy world. A funny and moving drama about not being dead.

Cast:

Ben... Neil Pearson
Mary... Fiona Allen
Mum... Josie Lawrence
Blitz... Leslie Ash
Naz... Robert Webb
Ellie... Rachel Isaac
Bitch nurse... Joanna Brookes
Karl / HG Wells... Matthew Kelly
Katy... Laura Doddington
Mr Arcola... Bruce Alexander
Bea... Scarlett Milburn-Smith

Directed by Nigel Smith
Produced by Gareth Edwards.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00ntfn4)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ntfrw)
National and international news and analysis with Felicity Evans.

Was the deluge in Cumbria a 'one in a thousand years' event?

France's plans to run Europe's single market.

How to report an eco crime.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ntk2r)
The Glass Room

Episode 10

Greta Scacchi reads from the novel by Simon Mawer.

Thirty years have passed since Viktor and Liesel left the Landauer House. But Liesel has one more chance to experience the Glass Room.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00nvfmz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ntk5k)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.