SATURDAY 01 JANUARY 2011

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00x2xjn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:15 Afternoon Reading (b00lgfqr)
Mick Jackson - Bears of England

Spirit Bears

In the days before electric light and oil lamps most of England was troubled by spirit bears. But one village believed itself to be victim to an especially wicked gang and sought to find an answer.

Adapted by Booker-nominated writer Mick Jackson from his collection 'Bears Of England.'

Reader: Ian Holm

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00wr5sb)
Proust's Overcoat

Episode 5

By Lorenza Foschini. Jacques Guerin offers up his collection to the world and the author opens a cardboard box.

Producer: Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x2xlb)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x2xns)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x2xnv)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00x2xnx)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x2xnz)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b00x2xp1)
A dying father explains why he'll be an 'incurable optimist' to the end. Mature students baulk at running up bigger debts. And trad jazz goes high tech. Also, we announce the name of the winner of the iPM New Year's Honour. With Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey. ipm@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00x2xp3)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00x2ymz)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00x2yn1)
River Thames

The River Thames was recently selected as the winner of the international Theiss River Prize, an award which celebrates outstanding achievement in river management and restoration. Fifty years after being declared biologically dead, the Thames scooped the prize thanks to a dramatic turnaround in its environment. Environment organisations now say that the Thames is the cleanest it has been in more than 150 years, with almost 400 new habitats being created to allow wildlife back to the river which is now teeming with fish, and home to returning salmon, otter and sea trout populations.
Helen Mark begins an exploration of the Thames at Woolwich in South East London with author, Iain Sinclair, who has described the river as a story of ruin and revival and the very lifeblood of London. Travelling west along the river to the Millennium Bridge, Helen meets up with Fiona Haughey. Fiona describes herself as an inter-tidal archaeologist and the river as one of the world's largest self-excavating sites and Helen joins her in a beachcombing search for some of the river's neolithic roots.
Further along the river banks at Putney Bridge, Helen finds a group of volunteers from environmental charity, Thames 21. Led by Vic Richardson, the group are working on Project Habitat, an initiative to enhance certain areas of the River Thames by building artifical islands and river banks to encourage suitable habitats and attract wildlife.
Leaving the city behind, Helen heads out into the Berkshire countryside where she meets Alastair Driver, conservation manager with the Environment Agency. Cycling along the river through Sonning-on-Thames, Alastair tells Helen how this particular stretch of water near his home now runs crystal clear in the summer and how sheer hard work along the whole of the Thames has resulted in this amazing clean-up story.
Finally, Helen joins volunteer river warden, Dick Mayon White from the River Thames Society, a charity which aims to protect and preserve the river. Dick takes Helen for a stroll along a stretch of the river near Port Meadow and explains why it means so much to him and why it is so important to preserve the river for future generations.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b00x2yn3)
Farming Today This Week

Caz Graham looks at winter on farms around the country. Life on farm doesn't grind to a halt for the festive season, so while you may be tucked up in bed, spare a thought for the farmers out in the cold, the dark, the wet and the snow.

Farming Today This Week visits Rugeley in Staffordshire, where there's a broken milking machine as the cold snap causes dozens of metres of pipes to freeze in the milking parlour. Meanwhile on a Norfolk sheep farm, it's a round trip of hundreds of miles to check on all the animals. And it's not just livestock - there are sprouts to harvest and eggs to collect. And for farmers working with the RSPB there are birds to feed and wildlife to be tended.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Melvin Rickarby.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00x2yny)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00x2yp0)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Sarah Montague, including:
08:10 How can the government increase organ donation?
08:15 Fears of all out civil war in Ivory Coast.
08:30 BBC editors reflect on 2010.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00x2ys7)
Fi Glover looks forward to the year ahead with comedian Jon Holmes and poet Luke Wright. We hear from a Lanarkshire couple whose baby arrived unexpectedly in the early hours of the new millennium, and a woman who helped make the wedding cake for the Queen and Prince Philip. Crime writer Patricia Cornwell reveals her Secret Life, and singer Annie Lennox OBE shares her Inheritance Tracks.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00x2ys9)
Walking in Madeira, Europe and Gambia

John McCarthy talks to the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell about his enthusiasm for hiking in Tasmania and Madeira, glaciologist Richard Sale about long distance walking routes in Europe and to photographer Jason Florio and his partner Helen Jones about travelling all around Gambia on foot.
Producer: Harry Parker.


SAT 10:30 The Politics of Ambridge (b00x2ysc)
Episode 1

Two programmes in which the author Michael Dobbs explores the sixty-year relationship between the fictional world of The Archers and real-life politics.

The first programme traces the political history of the series from its roots in post-war austerity through the polarised party-politics of the seventies and eighties, and meets a number of heavyweight political fans - including Glenys Kinnock and two former home secretaries, Michael Howard and David Blunkett.

The second programme considers how The Archers has tried to reflect changing social attitudes over the decades, tackling issues such as racism, snobbery, and the role of contentious country sports like fox-hunting.

Along the way we revisit memorable clips from the archives, and hear contributions from the cast, the editor of The Archers, Vanessa Whitburn, and two of her predecessors, William Smethurst and Liz Rigbey.

Producer: John Beesley.


SAT 11:00 Beyond Westminster (b00x3n8v)
Lessons learned from Coalitions past

In a special New Year's Day edition of "Beyond Westminster", Andrew Rawnsley considers the lessons of history for Britain's coalition government - and its opponents.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers are busily advancing their ambitious political and economic agenda - albeit amid parliamentary revolts and embarrassing comments to undercover reporters. Exactly a hundred years ago too, no party had an outright majority at Westminster, and a Liberal government relied on Irish Nationalists and a fledgling Labour Party to enact reform of Parliament, a radical budget and social changes.

Lloyd George continued in coalition with the Conservatives after World War One only for peacetime tensions within the government to culminate in the ejection from Downing Street of Britain's last Liberal prime minister, amid mass disaffection with Liberal splits. Can Nick Clegg avoid a similar fate befalling today's Liberal Democrats? And can the present Conservative leadership prevent tensions at Westminster - and across the country - from undermining David Cameron's and Nick Clegg's "new politics"?

For Labour too, past coalition experience is ambiguous. Some aims were achieved, but the 1930s National Government and its break-up left a legacy of bitterness that has long endured. How savvy will Labour be in opposing the coalition parties not just at Westminster but in this year's polls for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly and in local government?

Seven months into "new politics", Andrew Rawnsley explores with historians Juliet Nicolson and Martin Pugh the record of past coalitions. And he discusses with The Rt. Hon. David Davis MP, Simon Hughes MP and Tristram Hunt MP the lessons of the past and if this coalition will re-shape British politics.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00x2ysf)
A special edition which includes: eating off plates the size of satellite dishes, discovering the warmth of the American spirit on a freezing night in the midwest, wondering if it's futile using the French language in rock music, drinking in the atmosphere in an iconic Irish pub, travelling on a curiously-named Indian express, crashing on the night train to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and a number of harrowing experiences faced by our foreign correspondents at the dinner table.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00x2yt8)
Paul Lewis and guests look at the key personal finance themes for 2011.
Will interest rates go up - meaning many homeowners will face a mortgage hike?
What about hard pressed savers? Will they get a better return on their cash?
And if you are willing to take more of a risk - where might you invest your money for the long term?


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b00wrbt0)
The News Quiz team take a look back at 2010.

Sue Perkins, Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, and Francis Wheen make up the panel dissecting the events, people and stories that made this year's headlines. Presented by Sandi Toksvig.

Produced by Sam Bryant.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00x2yts)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00x2yw7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Correspondents' Look Ahead (b00wrbt2)
For many 2011 will be a year of austerity but will the tough economic medicine work or are we set for further financial turmoil and public disorder? The Euro will probably survive but don't put your mortgage on it.

After ten years of war in Afghanistan, British and American troops will begin to withdraw: is it the beginning of the end?

Twitter is five years old but where is our social media taking us and in sport, who will triumph in the Cricket and Rugby World cups?

Stephen Sackur is joined by some of the BBC's top correspondents as they predict the events and people who'll shape our world in 2011.

Radio 4 listeners can have their say on next year's big stories by joining the 'Listeners Look Ahead' with Stephen in the chair at two o'clock after the programme is repeated on Saturday, 1 January.

Producer: Jim Frank.


SAT 14:00 Listeners Look Ahead (b00x2z1j)
2011

After hearing the predictions of BBC Correspondents, what and who do you think will be the big stories, trends and people shaping the world in 2011?

Call or email Stephen Sackur as he looks ahead to what the Radio 4 listeners think will happen in the world in 2011.

Telephone: 03700 100 444
Email: lookahead@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Jim Frank.


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

The Lady in the Van
by Alan Bennett

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

Music composed by Simon Morecroft
Adapted and Directed by Gordon House

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

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

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

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

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


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b00x2z7b)
Weekend Woman's Hour

Jane Garvey celebrates some of the most inspirational women who've appeared on the programme in 2010. Jane is joined by the author and broadcaster, Joan Smith; and young knife crime campaigners, Getride Sukama Lumengo and Mildred Edoukou, who've received a Diana Award for their efforts. Including: Davinia Turrell - the 'woman in the mask' who became the image of the 7/7 London bombings. Christina Schmid talks about life after the death of her husband Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid. Lisa Robinson laid down in front of a train in protest at sexist abuse from drunken football fans on a train. The film director Gurinder Chadha talks about her career, balancing movie making with motherhood and her ambitions. The choreographer and Artistic Director, Judith Jamison has been named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine and was honoured at The White House with Michelle Obama for her contribution to dance. Marie-Louise Stenild talks about making history by becoming the first woman to run seven marathons in seven days over seven different continents. And the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire reveals her passion for Elvis.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00x2z7d)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news, plus the sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b00x2xp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00x2zpn)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00x2zpq)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x2zps)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00x2zpv)
Clive Anderson and guests see in the New Year with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

Clive is joined by actor Tamsin Greig who is reuniting with Green Wing star Stephen Mangan in the new comedy series "Episodes". Tamsin talks about acting with A-listers and why Hollywood is just like Chertsey.

Adrian Lester joins Clive to discuss his enormous success as Mickey Bricks, the wheeler-dealing leading man of British television hit Hustle. As the seventh series is set to begin on BBC One, Adrian talks about his career and his attempt to bring Shakespeare to teenagers.

Stage star and panto regular Clive Rowe joins Clive Anderson to discuss the ins and outs of pantomime etiquette, the back end of horses and enormous bloomers.

And Arthur Smith talks to comedy duo Ronna and Beverly, a pair of American Jewish housewives who are in the UK to impart their relationship wisdom to the British public with their book You'll Do Better Next Time.

With music from The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Producer: Cathie Mahoney.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00x2zpx)
Prince William

The royal wedding this year will bring Prince William back to Westminster Abbey, the place where he first attracted global attention as the son mourning his mother's tragic death. Since then he has had to negotiate his relations with the Spencer and Windsor families, and follow the carefully constructed training of the man likely to be king. His time as a student, professional and military careers have all been steps on this path. So how difficult an inheritance has this been? And what does the preparation of William the young prince tell us about plans for the future role and image of the monarchy?

In this week's Profile, Chris Bowlby considers the mix of family duty, personal choice and careful PR that has gone into the making of Prince William.

Producer: Daniel Tetlow.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00x469p)
Tom Sutcliffe and his guests Director of the National Theatre of Scotland Vicky Featherstone, Director of the Serpentine Gallery Julia Peyton-Jones and writer and Artistic Director of the Bath Literature Festival James Runcie look at the future of funding for the arts and ask if the new austerity is a problem - or an opportunity?

Historian Dominic Sandbrook, theatre critic David Benedict, former Chairman of the Arts Council Sir Christopher Frayling, Chairman of the UK Film Council Tim Bevan and CEO of Faber & Faber Stephen Page also offer their views on what happens to the cultural life of the nation when the purse-strings are tightened.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b00x2zpz)
Sex in the Classroom

During the First World War, when syphilis rates rocketed, the UK government had to take matters into their own hands seeking to educate the public about venereal disease in films that were shown around the country. The first of these 'Whatsover a Man Soweth,' was a moral tale to show men the dangers of consorting with loose women. The approach was that fear was the best prophylactic. Ever since, politicians have reluctantly found themselves at the centre of a debate and constantly reacting to events - the emergence of the teenager, the arrival of the pill, AIDS, gay rights, public health versus individual morality - what should we know about sex, who should teach us; when does innocence become ignorance?

Sex education in the classroom was virtually unheard of before World War II but the impact of STD's on the country's young men forced the government into action. Early lessons focused on biology and information on birth control was deemed only appropriate for married people. The birth of the teenager and the sexual revolution of the 1960s brought discussion into the open and much time was spent debating what children should be taught and at what age. In the last 50 years there have been a series of controversial decisions and debates as the rates of teenage pregnancy in Britain have continued to rise.

In this edition of Archive on 4 Mariella Frostrup, the mother of two young children and an advice columnist, looks at how we are coping in an age where a different threat is forcing the debate - the easy availability of information about sex outside the classroom including porn. Are we finally becoming more grown up about talking to our children about sex or is it still taboo?

Producers Sara Conkey and Rachael Howorth.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00wr4j7)
I, Claudius

Claudius

Robert Graves' wickedly enjoyable histories of Imperial Rome, dramatised by Robin Brooks.

How the Sibyl's prophecy came true, for the most unwilling Emperor of them all.

Claudius ..... Tom Goodman-Hill
Caligula ..... Samuel Barnett
Herod Agrippa ..... Zubin Varla
Messalina ..... Jessica Raine
Calpurnia ..... Sally Orrock
Cassius Chaerea ..... Jude Akuwudike
Gratus ..... Sam Dale
Cornelius ..... Iain Batchelor
Bassus ..... Lloyd Thomas
Asiaticus ..... Sean Baker
Lupus ..... Henry Devas
Sentius ..... Tony Bell
The Executioner ..... Adeel Akhtar

Specially composed music by David Pickvance.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00x2zsc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Unreliable Evidence (b00wr9q8)
Legal Aid

In this week's edition of Unreliable Evidence, Clive Anderson and a panel of top lawyers discuss concerns that proposed Government cuts to the legal aid budget will deny access to justice for the poor and weak in society.

The Ministry of Justice proposals target the civil and family law budget and will severely restrict legal aid available for divorce, welfare, employment, immigration, clinical negligence and personal injury cases.

Chair of the Bar Council, Nicholas Green QC warns that the cuts, which include a 10 per cent reduction in lawyers' fees, will create 'justice desserts' as barristers and solicitors increasingly opt out of legal aid work.

Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b00wr6qt)
(10/17) Russell Davies is in the questionmaster's chair for the tenth heat in the current series. At stake is another automatic place in the semi-finals, which begin in the new year. This week's competitors are from Widnes, Coventry, Chesterfield and Greater Manchester.


SAT 23:30 Adventures in Poetry (b00wr4jc)
Series 11

The Wreck of the Hesperus

Peggy Reynolds continues her Adventures in Poetry by asking why one of the most popular poems of the 19th century 'The Wreck of the Hesperus' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, has since fallen out of favour. The ballad of a reckless sea captain who takes his young daughter on a voyage despite warnings of an approaching storm, the poem was recited in parlours across the English speaking world, and learnt by every schoolchild in America for decades. Peggy explores the poem with Jay Parini, who has made a study of Longfellow; talks to the former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo; and to Linda Greenlaw, a sea captain who sails the same sea as the captain in the poem. With them, she uncovers the events in Longfellow's life which inspired the poem and discovers that it still retains the power to terrify and move its readers.
Producer: Jane Greenwood.



SUNDAY 02 JANUARY 2011

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00x30yy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:15 Biggles: Adventures Through Time (b00mcvgg)
Alexander Armstrong explores the lasting appeal of action hero Biggles and examines the life of his creator, Captain WE Johns.

Captain James Bigglesworth could easily have been found in any Royal Flying Corps mess during the grand days of 1917 and 1918 when air combat had become the order of the day and air duelling was a fine art. The 'spirit' of Biggles still exists today, and his influence and impact can be seen on screen, music and in numerous comic parodies. Biggles memorabilia is much sought after by collectors, who bid thousands of pounds on internet auction sites.

His adventures through time total almost 100 books, which have seen him journey through two world wars, finally ending with the Special Air Police. He first took to the skies in 1916 in his FE2 'pusher' and made his final descent, 50 years later, in a Hawker Hunter.

Armstrong examines Biggles' origins and how the character contrasts with that of his creator. He reveals why the Biggles books were also surprisingly enjoyed by women, considering their negative portrayal in them. He also considers whether some of Biggles' stories, with their perceived imperialist and alleged racist content, are still acceptable reading in public libraries and schools today.

With readings by Geoffrey Wheeler the programme is written and produced by Stephen Garner


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x30z0)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x30z2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x30z4)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00x30z6)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00x31f6)
The bells of St Mary's Church, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b00x2zpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00x30z8)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00x31j3)
Place of Safety

Mark Tully contemplates the secure environments we construct for our own protection, and the places of safety we yearn for within ourselves.

He is joined by Caspar Walsh, whose autobiography 'Criminal' and novel 'Blood Road', draw on his early life of crime and drug abuse. Amidst his dangerous environment Caspar occasionally found a sense of safety with his chaotic father. He talks of his father's violence, but also of their love for each other which created a sanctuary.

Caspar, now free of his addictions, describes his current work with prisoners and his attempts to provide them with an environment in which they can feel safe to express their fears and come to terms with dangerous emotions.

The programme features lullabies, fairy stories, poetry and literature which both comfort and disturb, to evoke our need to immunise ourselves from danger. In the end, Mark Tully conjectures that true safety lies not in outward barriers, but inner peace.

Producer: Adam Fowler
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b00x31k2)
Adam Henson visits a large-scale pig farm in Indiana to find out how pigs are raised in the USA. His visit highlights differences between pig farming in the USA and the UK and Adam asks if pig farming on a massive scale would ever be viable in this country.
Presented by Adam Henson and produced by Martin Poyntz-Roberts.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b00x30zb)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00x30zd)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00x31kg)
On the first Sunday of 2011, Presenter Edward Stourton is joined by a panel of guests, Stephen Pollard Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Sarah Joseph OBE, Editor and CEO Emel Magazine and Paul Vallely, Columnist on the Independent on Sunday and the Church Times. They'll be reflecting on some of the key events for them from 2010 and looking ahead into 2011.

This year marks the Tenth Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Our reporter Kevin Bocquet explores how the relationship between Islam and the West has developed since then.

On January 9th, South Sudan will hold a referendum on Independence from the Northern based Government in Khartoum. Matt Wells has been following some of those Southerners living in the North on their journey home to register their vote.

And we've been inviting you the listener to send in your Religious Limericks for 2011. You've responded in your droves. This weekend we'll be reading out a selection of 'Sundayricks' with the help of our Panel, and the Poet and Broadcaster Ian McMillan.

E-mail: sunday@bbc.co.uk

Series producer: Amanda Hancox.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00x31lk)
The Sequal Trust

Hannah Cheetham and her mum, Jackie Cheetham present the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity The Sequal Trust.

Donations to The Sequal Trust should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope The Sequal Trust. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. You can also give online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide The Sequal Trust 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 Number: 260119.


SUN 07:58 Weather (b00x30zg)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00x30zj)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00x31p9)
As Methodists renew their new year covenant of service to God in times of suffering or prosperity, Leslie Griffiths leads a meditation reflecting on the Haiti earthquake, the anniversary of which falls later this month. For several years Leslie served the Methodist Church in Haiti before returning to the UK as Superintendent at Wesley's Chapel. Has God broken his covenant with the people of Haiti? Producer: Mark O'Brien.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b00wrbt4)
Dear Diary

Joan Bakewell celebrates the art of diary writing by public figures and private individuals whose accounts of everyday life help shape our view of the past.
Producer: Sheila Cook.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00x31qp)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00x31rr)
For detailed synopses, see daily episodes

Written by: Joanna Toye
Directed by: Julie Beckett
Editor: Vanessa Whitburn

Kenton Archer ..... Richard Attlee
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Nigel Pargetter ..... Graham Seed
Elizabeth Pargetter ..... Alison Dowling
Tony Archer ..... Colin Skipp
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Adam Macy ..... Andrew Wincott
Ian Craig ..... Stephen Kennedy
Fallon Rogers ..... Joanna Van Kampen
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Brenda Tucker ..... Amy Shindler
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Kirsty Miller ..... Annabelle Dowler
Jazzer McCreary ..... Ryan Kelly
Harry Mason ..... Michael Shelford
Coriander Snell ..... Alexandra Lilley.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b00x31sq)
Tony Iveson

Kirsty Young's castaway is the veteran RAF pilot Tony Iveson.

Aged 21, he survived being shot down in his Spitfire over the North Sea during his first taste of combat in the Battle of Britain. Unusually for a fighter pilot, he then went on to join Bomber Command and the famous Dambusters squadron, sinking the German battleship The Tirpitz and winning a Distinguished Flying Cross.

Aged 89 he returned to the skies, becoming the oldest man to fly a Lancaster bomber: "Well, I got out of that aeroplane and looked at it and it and thought how did we do it?" he says. "I know it was a long time ago and I was young and fit and a professional flier. But I thought about some of my friends who had been lost and it was an emotional experience."

Record: Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor
Book: A volume of Somerset Maugham's short stories
Luxury: Two established vines and a tin bath to make wine

Producer: Rachel Simpson.


SUN 12:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b00wr6r8)
Series 54

Episode 1

The 54th series of Radio 4's multi award-winning antidote to panel games promises more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family, as the series starts its run from the Town Hall in Leeds. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Phill Jupitus, with Jack Dee as the programme's reluctant chairman. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer ..... Jon Naismith.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00x31xd)
Food Writing 2010

Sheila Dillon traces the legacy of Elizabeth David's more scholarly work and reviews food writing in 2010 with blogger and critic Tim Hayward, photographer Jason Lowe and publisher Anne Dolamore.
We hear from Elizabeth David's literary Executor Jill Norman about the shift in her work from recipe-driven writing in her early career to the later, more academic books and debate who has taken on her legacy of more scholarly food writing today.

Producer: Elaine Lester.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b00x30zl)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00x338j)
A look at events around the world.


SUN 13:30 The Wire (b00x338l)
The Music of the Wires: wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson is captivated by the extraordinary sounds of the wind and the weather as they play on vast lengths of fencing wire stretched across the Australian landscape.

Alan Lamb is an artist, biomedical research scientist and composer who has long been fascinated by the vibrating qualities of telegraph wires. As a young boy he was introduced to the music of the wires during walks with his sister and their nanny, who showed the children how to press their ears against a telegraph pole to 'hear the sound of the world'.

Years later, when he was a student on a camping holiday in Mull, Alan pulled into the side of the road and fell asleep in his van. He was woken by an extraordinary sound. It was produced by the telegraph wires overhead as they waxed and waned in the wind. Alan was transported by the sounds and became determined to record their music.

Since then, he has worked with abandoned telegraph wires on several sites across Australia and installed new structures in order to produce and record music from them. Alan has also completed extensive research into auditory perception and developed theories relating to the wire music and its behaviour.

In this programme, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson, who has long been interested in the sounds of the wind, travels to Australia to meet Alan Lamb and some of his colleagues at The Wired Lab Project. He discusses their work and its evolution and records for himself some of the extraordinary music of the wires.

Presenter: Chris Watson
Producer: Sarah Blunt.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00wrbrz)
Essex

Peter Gibbs chairs a lively New Year's Eve edition from Essex with Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Wilson and Anne Swithinbank.

In addition, Anne joins the experts at a cactus convention. Part two in our houseplants series.

Produced by Lucy Dichmont
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 What the Minister Saw (b00x3pcm)
Becoming a Minister has many perks, but one they can see every day is the art hanging in their office, often borrowed from the Government Art Collection. Art historian Philip Mould speaks to new ministers about what they chose and why they chose it, and he asks what it says about them.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00x3pcp)
I, Claudius

Messalina

Dramatisation by Robin Brooks of Robert Graves' great histories of first century Rome.

The ageing Emperor Claudius works to restore the Republic. But his beautiful young wife Messalina has other plans.

Claudius ..... Tom Goodman-Hill
Messalina ..... Jessica Raine
Narcissus ..... Robin Soans
Calpurnia ..... Sally Orrock
Burrhus ..... Jude Akuwudike
Britannicus ..... Ryan Watson
Euodus ..... Adeel Akhtar
Asiaticus ..... Sean Baker
Frontinus ..... Tony Bell
Tacitus ..... Sam Dale
Callistus ..... Henry Devas
Agrippinilla ..... Claire Harry
Soldier ..... Iain Batchelor

Specially composed music by David Pickvance.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (b00x3pv9)
Howard Jacobson

James Naughtie and readers talk to this year's Man Booker prize winner - Howard Jacobson. The chosen book for this edition of Bookclub is the one he says he wants people to read : The Mighty Walzer, first published in 1999.

Peculiarly, it is a comic novel about the joy and despair of table tennis.

It's also a portrait of a Jewish boyhood in Manchester, showing how the main character - Oliver Walzer - comes to terms with the demands of puberty and his sporting genius; as well as the attentions of his mother, grandmother and assorted aunties.

Back in the 1950s Jacobson, like his alter-ego Oliver Walzer, was one of the top 10 junior table tennis players in the country. This is a heavily autobiographical novel from a writer who's has been called 'the master of confessional humour'.

As always on Bookclub, a group of readers join the author in the discussion and James Naughtie chairs the programme.

February's Bookclub choice : 'Blood River' by Tim Butcher.

Producer : Dymphna Flynn.


SUN 16:30 Adventures in Poetry (b00x3pvc)
Series 11

Journey of the Magi

"A cold coming we had of it, / Just the worst time of the year / For a journey, and such a long journey ..." TS Eliot's poem for Epiphany, "Journey of the Magi", is one of his most popular poems. Yet it is deceptively complex and, as Peggy Reynolds discovers, takes us on our own journey to somewhere very far removed from the simple certainties of the Three Wise Men at the manger.

Producer Christine Hall.


SUN 17:00 Amnesty at 50 (b00wr8px)
As it reaches its 50th year, John Tusa reflects on the distinguished past of an organization awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 but which has recently attracted criticism, sometimes from those who have been its most committed activists. Has Amnesty lost its way? And what will be its future role?

Producer: Merilyn Harris
A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b00x2zpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00x30zn)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b00x30zq)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x30zs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00x3q79)
Liz Barclay makes her selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio

Who rode across the desert tied to a camel; which doubting nonagenarian discussed faith this week with the Archbishop of Canterbury; does the UK have a road worthy to be called Britain's route 66? Pick of the Week has the answers plus Helena Bonham Carter lets us in on one of the benefits she's found to growing older, Lionel Blair reminds us why Sammy Davis Junior had a great life and we follow the British Reggae Revolution.

Great Lives - Radio 4
The Good Conductor - Radio 4
Sally Boazman: In Search of a British Route 66 - Radio 2
The Little Prince Died at Dawn - Radio 3
Plumbers and Penguins - Radio 4
Today - Radio 4
The Darkness of Wallis Simpson - Radio 4
Amnesty at 50 - Radio 4
The British Reggae Revolution - Radio 4
The Wire - Radio 4
News Quiz - Radio 4
Great Lives - Radio 4

PHONE: 0370 010 0400
Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Louise Clarke.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00x3q7c)
Nigel and Elizabeth welcome family and friends to Lower Loxley.

Helen's got a headache, and when Amy sees her swollen ankles, she advises Helen to get to hospital. The doctors diagnose pre-eclampsia. While Tom and Tony wait for the baby to be delivered by an emergency caesarean section, Tony's distraught that he's not been supportive of Helen. His fear turns to joy when Pat comes out and announces they have a beautiful grandson, Henry Ian Archer.

As the party guests await news of Helen, David suggests he and Nigel take the New Year banner down, to save him having to come back tomorrow. Elizabeth won't hear of it, and when Brenda receives the good news from Tom, Elizabeth sends Nigel off to get Champagne from the cellar. David persuades him that they've got time to get the banner down, while the women discuss the news of the baby. Nigel's confident he knows all the footholds on the roof. It's secret Pargetter knowledge passed down from his father, but he loses his footing when the wind blows the banner into his face. Nigel clings on as David desperately tries to reach him but it's too late, the wind carries a terrified Nigel over the edge.


SUN 19:30 Americana (b00x3q7f)
As the new year begins, all across America people are setting resolutions in the hopes of living a healthier life in 2011. Goals could include a new diet, less alcohol, or just a bit of regular exercise. New York City Health Commissioner, Dr Thomas Farley, takes Americana along on his daily jog through Central Park (even as New York is buried under the snow from a recent storm) and explains what can be done to improve the health of all Americans.

Every ten years, the US Census Bureau releases a fresh report on where, why and how Americans live from coast to coast. As the population of the United States continues to multiply, the Latino community is among the fastest growing segment of the population. Reporter Rajini Vaidyanathan visits the culturally rich, increasingly influential Latino community of Baltimore Maryland.

New Year's resolutions come in all shapes and sizes. So too, do champion chess players. Samuel Sevian just became the youngest US Chess Master at the age of 9 years, 11 months and 11 days. His goal is now to become an international master, but first he agrees to a game against presenter Jonny Dymond.

Though the understanding of America is refreshed each decade with the help of US Census figures, for Elonka Dunin the greatest mystery of America remains unsolved. She is one of the nation's leading cryptologists and she explains how the Kryptos code, located at the Central Intelligence Agency's headquarters in Virginia, continues to stump even the brightest minds.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (b00wrbrx)
Tim Harford and the More or Less team explore 2010 in numbers. Contributors include Ben Goldcare, Robert Peston, the National Statistician and the Swedish statistical guru Hans Rosling.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00wrbsr)
On Last Word this week:

Elisabeth Beresford, the prolific children's author who created the Wombles. We have tributes from Bernard Cribbins and Mike Batt.

The influential political commentator Anthony Howard - we hear from his friend Lord Hattersley.

The BBC news reporter Brian Hanrahan, who covered the Falklands War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Judge James Pickles, who often made the headlines for his outspoken comments and, after retirement, wrote a column for the Daily Sport.

And a personal homage to cult musician Captain Beefheart from the poet Ian Macmillan.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b00x2yt8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00x31lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b00wr9vz)
Back on the Road

BACK ON THE ROAD
The United States auto industry has just limped through the biggest industrial car crash in history. The Ford Motor Company has an industry outsider, Alan Mulally, at the helm as its new chief executive. He tells Peter Day how he changed the way Ford works and it is now back in the business of selling cars.

Producer: Caroline Bayley.


SUN 21:58 Weather (b00x30zv)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00x3qbb)
Carolyn Quinn previews the year at Westminster with three political bloggers: Tim Montgomerie of the ConservativeHome website, Mark Park of the Liberal Democrat Voice website and Daily Telegraph blogger and commentator John McTernan who used to advise the Blair government.

There is an interview with D.R. Thorpe, author of 'Supermac,' the acclaimed biography of the former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Using archive from interviews and speeches by Macmillan, D.R. Thorpe discusses the extraordinary life of a Prime Minister who survived terrible wounds in the First World War to become a Tory rebel in the 1930s before rising to high office under Winston Churchill. As Prime Minister Macmillan took Britain out of Africa but failed to take the country into the Common Market. After leaving Number Ten in 1963, he wrote his extensive memoirs and then re emerged in Parliament with a witty and emotional speech in the House of Lords not long before he died.

Programme Editor: Terry Dignan.


SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b00x3qbd)
Episode 33

BBC Radio 4 celebrates a much loved TV favourite - What the Papers Say. Kevin Maguire takes a wry look back at how the broadsheets and red tops treated the year's news.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b00wrbst)
Francine Stock talks to Oscar winning scribe Simon Beaufoy, writer of The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire, about 127 Hours, his second collaboration with film director Danny Boyle. Based on the real life story of Aron Ralston, the mountaineer who cut off his own arm in order to save his life in a mountaineering accident, Simon Beaufoy talks about the challenge of dramatising a narrative in which the ending is already widely known.

Critic Jonathan Romney profiles Joann Sfar's bio pic Gainsbourg which explores the life of French singer song writer Serge Gainsbourg and is released on dvd this week. He is joined by critic Maria Delgado to discuss what to watch out for in World Cinema in 2011.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00x31j3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 03 JANUARY 2011

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00x3qbx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00wr9q0)
Utopia

Laurie Taylor talks to Professor Russell Jacoby, Professor Ash Amin, Professor Barbara Graziosi and The Bishop of Whitby, Martin Warner, about whether we can imagine 'utopia' in the 21st century. In an age that some describe as filled with anxiety and uncertainty, are we breeding a kind of fatalism towards the future that excludes any notion of utopia? How indeed might we define and describe utopia? Can utopian ideas be not only practical and pragmatic but also democratic? When considering utopia where does religious faith and thinking intertwine with the secular world? Can we even talk about commonly held utopian ideals or are we condemned to imagine utopia only as fantasy, as an intellectual or artistic excerise that is, ultimately, futile.

producer. Chris Wilson.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00x31f6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x3qbz)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x3qc1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x3qc3)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00x3qc5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x3qq5)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00x3qq7)
In the past sixty years storylines in The Archers have reflected the hot topics in farming. In the 1950's Dan bemoaned that he no longer had a farm worker to do his hedging, back in 1984 Tony planted an organic vegetable patch and in the past decade foot and mouth scares have worried David and Ruth.

Charlotte Smith talks to The Archers editor, Vanessa Whitburn and Graham Harvey the agricultural story editor about the big farming stories throughout the years. Producer, Emma Weatherill.


MON 05:57 Weather (b00x3qc7)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b00x797z)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Sarah Montague, including:
07:50 NUT opposition to the government free school scheme.
08:10 Can the government prevent another boom in house prices?
08:30 Military aircraft are flying supplies to the residents of an Australian city submerged in floodwater.


MON 09:00 King James Bible (b00x3qy7)
The Story of the King James Bible

The Commission

The King James, or Authorised, Version of the Bible remains the most widely published text in the English language. It has been called the "noblest monument of English prose" and has been recognised for centuries as both a religious and literary classic.

In the first of three programmes marking the 400th anniversary of its publication, James Naughtie tells the story of how and why King James VI of Scotland and I of England decided on a new translation of the Bible.

The programme is recorded at Hampton Court Palace. A conference here in early 1604 led to the commissioning of the King James Version. The Chief Curator at the palace, Lucy Worsley and James Naughtie walk the palace grounds, scene of so much Tudor and Stuart frivolity, and a refuge from the plague. Before the earnestness of the January conference there had been masques and feasting and Shakespearean drama. England was still revelling in its new monarch after the stultifying later years of Elizabeth's reign and breathing a sigh of relief that the accession had been a smooth one.

The Chapel Royal provides a fitting setting for James to discuss the position of the monarchy in Jacobean England with Professor Pauline Croft. The King sat in the Royal Pew, high above his bishops and clergy. James had written about his ideas of divine kingship in "Basilikon Doron," addressed to his young son.

In The Great Watching Chamber we hear about the religious background to James' reign. Elizabeth's death had lifted the lid on the tensions between the godly (Puritans) and the conformists (Anglican bishops). The godly had presented a petition to James on his journey from Scotland to London demanding the end to religious practices they found beyond the pale; wearing vestments, making the sign of the cross, the exchange of wedding rings, the power of the bishops. It was to address these concerns that James had called the conference.

We follow in the footsteps of the conference delegates through the palace and into the Kings state apartments. James Naughtie learns about the key characters at the conference - the pugnacious puritan-basher Bishop of London, Richard Bancroft, the great preacher and conformist Lancelot Andrewes and the leader of the Puritan delegation, John Rainolds. The Puritans had a delicate line to pursue, criticising the establishment and the episcopacy without undermining royal supremacy. But James was having none of it - "No Bishops, no King!" It was an ill tempered conference, with James harrying the protagonists on both sides. He was a brilliant theologian himself, and in him some of the most learned men in the country met their match.

The suggestion for a new translation of the Bible was made by John Rainolds. He was hoping to undermine the authorised Bishops Bible and elevate the Geneva version favoured by Puritans. James acceded to the request because he agreed that all the various translations on offer had their faults. A victory for Rainolds? Not so. James singled out the Geneva Bible, with its controversial marginal notes, as the worst of them all.

After the conference, Bancroft drew up the rules for translation, had them approved by the king, and brought together six companies of translators based in Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster.

Work began at once. Barely a year later the Gunpowder Plot traumatised England. It turned out to be one of James' finest moments as a statesman, and it gave impetus to his vision of a new translation of the Bible that could unite the country's church and people.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00x3qy9)
The Winter of Our Disconnect

Episode 1

By Susan Maushart.

How one mother imposed techno-silence on three angry teenagers for six months - and lived to tell the tale..

For anyone who's ever taken their phone to bed or sneaked a look at their Blackberry mid-conversation and any parent who has ever texted their child to the dinner table - or yanked the modem from its socket in a show of primal parental rage - this account of a family's six-month, self-imposed exile from the Information Age will leave you ROFLing (Roll on the Floor Laughing) with recognition. But it will also challenge you to take stock of your own connections, technical and otherwise. The news of the impending techno silence is broken to the family and is greeted with various shades of shock, outrage and bitterness.

Susan Maushart is the digitally-devoted, iphone obsessed mother of three teenage children - two girls and one boy.

Reader: Haydn Gwynne

Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00x3r0x)
Jane Garvey presents: Gardener's World's Carol Klein on "Life in a Cottage Garden", boardroom quotas for women? or is self regulation possible? Female pig farmers and author Susan Maushart talks about taking away all her children's techie equipment and describes the effect it had on their family life.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x3r0z)
A Small Town Murder, series 3

Episode 1

Written by Scott Cherry.

When 38-year-old Melanie Brant is murdered on the way to her wedding, Family Liaison Officer, DC Jackie Hartwell, soon finds herself suspecting the bride-to-be's parents.

Why do they insist they knew nothing of their daughter's marriage even though she was still living at home? Who's the mysterious Robbie that she'd intended to marry? And why is her father so desperate to avoid all questioning?

Jackie's soon convinced that Melanie was murdered by her father and sets out to prove it - a task made more difficult by the increasingly erratic behaviour of her senior officer, DI Sanders, as his personal life implodes.

Cast:
DC Jackie Hartwell ..... Meera Syal
DI Sanders ..... Matthew Marsh
Sylvia Brant ..... Susan Brown
George Brant ..... Roderick Smith
Rachel ..... Sian Brooke

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 11:00 Lords a Living (b00x3r11)
Episode 1

In this new series, Lords A Living, Ruth McDonald accompanies members of the House of Lords to the titular land of their peerage to meet the communities who live there now. Does reality match-up to expectation for a peer who hasn't visited "home" in several decades, or has never been there at all? And what will "home" make of them?

In the first programme of the series Ruth McDonald accompanies the 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford to the area he inherited - Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. It's his first ever visit and one which he undertakes with great trepidation. The last time he used his title in Ireland he was advised to keep it quiet! But as Lord Shrewsbury lands in the Republic in early October in 2010 it's clear Waterford - in common with every other part of the country - is reeling from what is now dubbed "Black Thursday". The day the Irish government revealed the extent of the losses incurred by the Irish banks during the financial crisis.

It's an education for Shrewsbury as he comes face to face with the reality of the struggles of the Republic and the impact they've had on the life of this small city. As he travels around this former industrial powerhouse it's clear Waterford is desperately trying to rebrand itself after the loss of its most iconic industrial name - Waterford Crystal; but there's still real anger at the failing of what was the city's biggest employer. It's an interesting time too for a peer of the realm, and a throwback to the old Anglo-Irish relationship, to be visiting "home". From his conversations with the city fathers to the "gallows" welcome at Spraoi, Ireland's largest community arts group, to his crash course in the sport of hurling and drinks in the local with ex-crystal workers, it's quite an eventful visit to what used to be Ireland's second city - the birthplace of the Anglo-Irish relationship. The question is what will Lord Shrewsbury take away from this encounter and how will the citizens of Waterford react to this titled stranger?

Producer: Regina Gallen.


MON 11:30 An Audience with Ed Reardon (b00vcptn)
This August at the Edinburgh Festival, Radio 4's most celebrated impoverished author came before a privileged few to present selections from his favourite prose and poetry. Yes, the nation's favourite author, cat-lover, scrimper and saver invited people to attend 'An Audience With Ed Reardon'.

Ed would like to describe this event as "a celebration of his career", and so it is that rather like 'With Great Pleasure', Ed introduces a selection of his favourite prose and poetry.

Anyone familiar with the goings on of Ed Reardon's Week will know that Ed is the author of several plays, television dramas, many works of non-fiction and letters to the newspapers about the pitiful decline in standards of literature, and so it is that the works chosen are justifiably all from his own canon, albeit that much of it has appeared under the names of others. So it is that he presents excerpts from the ghost-written 'Jane Seymour's Household Hints', the acclaimed novel 'Who Would Fardels Bear', his numerous radio plays, his jeu d-espirit about celebrity cats and dogs, 'Pet Peeves' and, of course, his now infamous episode of 'Tenko'.

Ed is helped in his endeavour by two actors - Andi Osho and Iain Robertson - who read out the excerpts, despite the fact he could easily done the readings himself and pocketed their fees.

So join Ed and his audience for a unique insight into what makes Ed Reardon the inimitable character he is today.

Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Performed by Christopher Douglas, Andi Osho and Iain Robertson
Produced by Dawn Ellis.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00x3rg8)
As cinemas prepare to show The Kings Speech, speech and language therapy is in the spotlight. The profession's Royal College is warning that provision is being cut. We speak to a Speech and Language Therapist, who himself has a stammer, about why he thinks the service is so crucial.

An increasing interest in cycling has led to inexperienced or "rusty" cyclists taking to the road. London councils and Transport for London are running free or cheap courses offering one-to-one instruction where would-be cyclists can re-learn how to ride a bike and acquire confidence.

Train fares are set to rise by an average of 6.2% this week. The current average price for a single journey is £4.89; this will rise to £5.19. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) says that above inflation fare rises are the only way to sustain investment, and put the hike onto passengers not taxpayers.

Vat rises to 20% on January 4th. We will look at how well Britain's 4.7 million small businesses are coping during this latest recession and how will they fare in the coming 12 months. The government is hoping they will grow so that jobs will be created in the private sector to make up for those lost in the public sector. But could 2011 be more difficult than last year?

We launch a new series looking at the how different sized businesses are coping in the downturn. How will they fare over the next year? We take a look at two very different manufacturers in the steel industry - Tata Steel in Rotherham, part of the giant Tata group and one of the ten biggest steel manufactures in the world, and R Baker in Liverpool, a small manufacturing company of hand built transformers for the defence industry.


MON 12:57 Weather (b00x3qc9)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b00x3s7v)
National and international news.


MON 13:30 Brain of Britain (b00x3sx4)
(11/17)
Russell Davies welcomes another four competitors to the BBC Radio Theatre in London, for the penultimate heat in the quest for the 2011 Brain of Britain champion. This week's contenders are from London, Surrey and Worcestershire. A listener also gets the chance to win a prize by suggesting questions to outwit the participants, in 'Beat the Brains'.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b00x3q7c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:30 Drama (b00x3sx6)
The Better Half

This delicious comedy of marital disharmony was written when its young author, Noel Coward, was 22 years old. Rediscovered after nearly 90 years, the play was originally considered too 'racy' for public performance, since it deals - in part - with the subject of female sexual desire.

'The Better Half' is a devastatingly accomplished relationship comedy, focusing on a husband, wife and her best friend. In an unusual psychological ploy the unhappy wife (Federay Holmes) encourages the husband (Samuel West) to leave her to pursue a happier connection with her friend (Lisa Dillon.) But the wife's apparent selflessness may conceal a hidden agenda. Even now the play is surprisingly unconventional, cannily perceptive - and funny. The author himself makes an unexpected appearance as a typically witty musical narrator.

Cast:
Husband ..... Samuel West
Friend ..... Lisa Dillon
Wife ..... Federay Holmes

Producer/Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00s6svj)
Morecambe and Wise: The Garage Tapes

Jon Culshaw uncovers an extraordinary audio archive of early Morecambe and Wise material, including a number of long lost tapes.

This is a genuine archive find of real importance. A few years ago, Doreen Wise, widow of Ernie, cleared the old family garage of piles of tapes and 78 recordings.

At the end of last year, Independent radio company Whistledown were contacted by Eric and Ernie's agents, and producer David Prest offered to look at the material.

"It was an extraordinary sight - a couple of old fruit boxes full of reel to reel tapes and a musty old red suitcase brimming with 78 records," says producer David Prest.

The most important finds are a number of long-lost episodes of Eric and Ernie's first radio show, "You're Only Young Once" which was made for the BBC between November 1953 and June 1954.

These feature songs, sketches, their trade mark banter and guest cameo appearances from other well-known performers including Bob Monkhouse.

The tapes in Ernie's garage are believed to be "run off" copies recorded at 33/4 ips by studio engineers immediately after the recordings, and probably never played since, as well as acetate copies which Doreen paid the studio engineer a few shillings for.

"Much of the value of the material is in what it shows about their comedy development. The early radio series are very naturalistic, and feature historical sketches and songs which precede the 1970s BBC TV shows by almost 15 years", says David.

Other treats include: Andre Previn's speech to Eric and Ernie at a Variety Club lunch in 1974, rare recordings of their Great Yarmouth and Blackpool shows from the mid-late sixties.

Also included are many original master tapes of songs, written for the duo, which show their skill in the recording studio.

The producers are David Prest and Stewart Henderson, and this is a Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:45 Five Guys Named Mohammed (b00x3sx8)
Episode 1

As Mohammed - in all its spellings - becomes the most popular name for boys born in Britain, five men reflect on their lives and about what it's like to be a Mohammed this country today.

In the first in a new series, hard working medical student Mohammad Razai tells of his journey to Cambridge. Brought up in Kabul, his family were persecuted and disappeared in prisons. He was sheltered anxiously behind closed doors, but life was so dangerous his family told him to escape. Mohammad tells of his trek across the world and how it was a further struggle arriving to Britain without documents and barely any English.

Across the series we talk to a car mechanic in Huddersfield, a Scottish care worker and a rapper who converted to Islam, taking on the name Mohammed.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00x31xd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00x3t7r)
Translating sacred texts

Ernie Rea chairs Radio 4's discussion programme in which guests from different faith and non-faith perspectives debate the challenges of today's world.

Each week a panel is assembled to represent a diversity of views and opinions, which often reveal hidden, complex and sometimes contradictory understandings of the world around us.

As 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Ernie Rea and guests discuss how sacred texts, such as the Bible, Koran or Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy book, should be translated. Are translations given equal consideration by followers as the original text? Does it matter whether you understand the language of your Holy book? Is there a place for contemporary interpretations such as the comic book Bible?

Joining Ernie to discuss translating holy books is Jasjit Singh, a doctoral researcher from the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Leeds; Dr Sahib Bleher, a professional translator who is currently working on a translation of the Qur'an into English; and the Rev Dr Maggi Dawn Fellow at Robinson College Cambridge and author of "The Writing on the Wall: High Art, Popular Culture and the Bible."

Producer: Karen Maurice.


MON 17:00 PM (b00x7cvj)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news. Plus Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x3qcc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:15 15 Minute Musical (b00fbclw)
Series 5

Ramsey Todd

Radio 4's 15 Minute Musicals are delicious, bite-size musical delicacies.

Johnny Depp plays Gordon Ramsey Todd, the demon chef of Fleet Street who finds a new ingredient that makes his pies the talk of London Town in this 15 Minute Musical from 2008 and Winner of the Writer's Guild Award for Radio Comedy.

Starring: Richie Webb, Dave Lamb and Jess Robinson
Written by: Richie Webb, Dave Cohen and David Quantick
Music by: Richie Webb
Music Production: Matt Katz
Producer: Katie Tyrrell

The fun-size yet satisfying musicals take an easily identifiable public figure and give them a West End Musical make-over. The fabricated, sugar-coated story is told in an original, never heard before, musical.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b00x3tvr)
Series 54

Episode 2

The 54th series of Radio 4's multi award-winning antidote to panel games promises more homespun wireless entertainment for the young at heart, as the programme pays a return visit to the Town Hall in Leeds. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are once again joined on the panel by Phill Jupitus, with Jack Dee in the chair. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer ..... Jon Naismith.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b00x3tvt)
Elizabeth's in a daze while the family rally round helping to distract Lily and Freddie.
Shula has the responsibility of telling the rest of the family the tragic news about Nigel. She breaks down in front of Pat and Tony as she remembers the looks on the twins' faces when Elizabeth tried to explain what had happened.

The post mortem's due on Wednesday. Jill thinks that whilst it's too early to begin planning the funeral, it would be a help if Alan could talk to Elizabeth as he lost his wife when Amy was small. Shula reflects that she was pregnant when she found out about Mark's death; the baby was the only thing she had left of him to hold on to.

Pat and Tony tell Helen the tragic news; they don't want to ruin her happiness but they'd rather she hear it from them than anyone else. Helen asks Tony for a hug.

David's exhausted after giving his statement to the police, he just can't stop picturing the dreadful moment when he saw Nigel fall. He tried to save him but it all happened too fast. He asks Jill if she thinks that Elizabeth will ever be able to forgive him.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b00x3tvw)
Oscar-winning film and stage director Danny Boyle in conversation with Mark Lawson.

Danny Boyle, Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, discusses his forthcoming work for the cinema, theatre and the 2012 Olympics, in conversation with Mark Lawson.

His new film 127 Hours, based on the true story of a mountain climber who became trapped and made a brave and desperate decision in order to save his life, opens in cinemas this week.

Danny Boyle is also directing a new staging of Frankenstein for the National Theatre, as well as starting the preparations for the opening ceremony of the forthcoming Olympics in London.

Producer Gavin Heard.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x3r0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Buying Health Care (b00x46zn)
"It will turn the NHS upside down" is one description of the proposed changes in the Health White Paper published in July.GPs are to be put in charge of buying services for their patients, a role currently held by the Primary Care Trusts. Penny Marshall investigates how this will change the NHS and asks what it will mean for patients.

Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald.


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b00x44dx)
Syrian corruption

Corruption in Syria is commonplace. You can see it almost everywhere you go: from a small tip for a government worker to process paperwork, to customs officials requiring payments to allow goods into the country. The single-party government says it's stamping out corruption and that it's determined not to let it stand in the way of the country's economic development. But with economic reforms opening Syria up to foreign investment, it's claimed corruption is getting worse. And those who raise the issue in public can find themselves thrown in jail.

The BBC's Damascus correspondent Lina Sinjab investigates the impact of corruption and bribery in the country, and looks at whether Syria's drive to modernise is being hampered by the millions of dollars lost in graft.

Producer: Duncan Crawford.


MON 21:00 Material World (b00wr9vn)
Quentin Cooper catches up with the four finalists of the So You Want to Be a Scientist talent search that was featured in Material World across the summer. Have they continued to do research and think about science? 2010 has also been a year when the Royal Society aimed to engage the public more with science, through the events that were part of its Year of Science. What impact have these activities had?

Producer: Pamela Rutherford.


MON 21:30 King James Bible (b00x3qy7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b00x3qcf)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00x3v3g)
Ed Miliband calls the VAT rise tonight 'the wrong tax at the wrong time'.Will the charge hurt the coalition politically ?

The exponentially increasing cost of natural disasters. A case for climate change ?

More work,less play ! Dominic Lawson exhorts the nation's children.

with Roger Hearing.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00x3v3j)
Snowdrops

Episode 1

By A.D. Miller. Snowdrop: 1. An early-flowering bulbous plant,having a white pendent flower. 2. Moscow slang. A corpse that lies buried or hidden in the wintersnows, emerging only in the thaw.

Nick Platt is an English lawyer living in Moscow during the Russian oil boom. Riding the subway on a September day, he rescues two sisters, Masha and Katya, from a would-be bag thief.

Their world soon becomes his world too, and as winter envelopes the city, the sisters introduce him to Tatiana Vladimirovna, their aged aunt, who needs some help from the English lawyer.

Platt is drawn into a complex web of deception and before the snows melt in spring, he will travel down to the Black Sea and the Arctic circle, and make disturbing discoveries about his job, his lover and, most of all, himself.

Snowdrops is a tale of erotic obsession, self-deception and moral freefall. It is set in a land of hedonism and desperation, corruption and kindness, magical hideaways and debauched nightclubs; a place where secrets and corpses come to light when the snows thaw.

"In Russia there are no business stories. And there are no political stories. There are no love stories. There are only crime stories."

Nick sees a beautiful girl leaning against a pillar on the platform of a Moscow Metro station. But does he look at her longer than he should?

Reader: Stephen Mangan
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b00wr8pn)
Christmas is over and now the TV ads are all about holidays. Michael Rosen considers the language of travel and tourism.

At the World Travel Market he collects the adjectives that are used to sell holidays, then discusses them with a professor of linguistics who specialises in the subject. Travel journalist Simon Calder adds some travel trade jargon.

Producer: Peter Everett.


MON 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00j0h9n)
Series 2

Sandi Toksvig

Marcus Brigstocke gets Sandi Toksvig to try some new experiences, seeing the world from a whole new level. From March 2009.



TUESDAY 04 JANUARY 2011

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00x3v9f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:15 Water Song (b0076zv4)
4 Extra Debut. From dripping stalactites to the roar of a waterfall, wildlife recordist Chris Watson explores the soundscape of water.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00x3qy9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x3v9h)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x3v9k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x3v9m)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00x3v9p)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x790y)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00x3x66)
Anna Hill hears the lives of thousands of barn owls could be saved by technology. Britain's roads are death traps for owls, and the Hawk and Owl Trust are trying to make them safer by installing alarms which are triggered by cars and will scare off the birds. Anna sees the technology in action at Sculthorpe Moor near King's Lynn.

And as politicians, farmers and environmentalists ready themselves for the distinguished Oxford Farming Conference, Farming Today hears from the organiser of a rival event who warns as long as economics and commodity trading stay at the heart of farming, there will always be hungry people in the world.

It has been the coldest December in over 100 years, according to the Met Office. But farming is an industry that just can't stop, despite the weather. Farming Today visits a Leicestershire dairy farm where cold threatens to freeze pipes, and hundreds of cows must be milked every day.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Melvin Rickarby.


TUE 06:00 Today (b00x798h)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Sarah Montague, including:
07:30 Mike Thomson returns to Haiti, one year after the earthquake.
08:10 Chancellor George Osborne on the VAT increase.
08:30 Is the coalition creating a "lost generation" of young unemployed people, as Labour claim?


TUE 09:00 King James Bible (b00x3x68)
The Story of the King James Bible

The Translation

In the second of two programmes marking the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, James Naughtie tells the story of how six companies of men produced a new translation of Bible which has come to be regarded as one of the greatest works of English literature ever produced.

The programme opens in the main quadrangle of the Bodleian library. A statue of King James stands high over the courtyard, books in hand. The King loved the Bodleian. In a visit there in 1605 he said that he would love to spend his life chained alongside the library's chained books.

The translators in London, Cambridge and Oxford drew on several earlier translations of the Bible as they went about their work. In the chapel at Hertford college, Oxford, Jim sees a stained glass window of William Tyndale, the first man to translate the Bible into English directly from Hebrew and Greek. The translators drew heavily on his work. Many of the phrases that come to mind when we think of the King James Bible are in fact those of Tyndale. The translators had several other Bible translations at their disposal too. Each had their own agenda; the Great Bible with its frontispiece depicting the idea of Royal Supremacy; the Puritans' Geneva Bible which challenged that very idea.

One of the Oxford companies of translators worked in the Tower room at Corpus Christi college. It looks much as it did in the 17th century with the crests of the Oxford colleges embossed around the ceiling and wooden panelling. This was the room of John Rainolds, the college president and one of the "godly." It was Rainolds who as head of the Puritan faction had initiated the new translation at the Hampton court conference. The company met there because Rainolds suffered from gout. He died in 1607 - but most of his company's work was already complete.

James is shown two extraordinary documents which reveal how the translators worked. One, a 1602 copy of the Bishops Bible, contains annotations made by the scholars suggesting alternative translations. The other is a copy of notes made by one which reveals the mind of the revision committee which met to review the translations of all the companies.

James Naughtie goes to Stationers Hall in London where that revision committee met. It's here that the King James Bible would have been read out loud for the first time. As James hears the opening words from Genesis, he reflects on the achievement of the translators in giving a version of the Bible which has come to be our "national epic.".


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00x7b4g)
The Winter of Our Disconnect

Episode 2

By Susan Maushart.

The day of the big switch - off has arrived - and the family contemplate a screen-free existence. Susan Maushart chooses this moment to research the history of boredom.

Reader: Haydn Gwynne

Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00x76rz)
Presented by Jane Garvey. Judith Flanders' latest book is about the Victorians' fascination with murder. She talks to Jane about some of the most gripping and gruesome cases. There's evidence that women in the countryside are becoming more entrepreneurial than their urban counterparts. So what kinds of businesses are rural women setting up and why are they on the increase? Can men and women ever just be good friends? Tanya Gold thinks they can, Mark Mason says not, they join Jane to discuss the issues. And New Yorker Sheena Matheiken on The Uniform Project - why she chose to wear the same black tunic dress every day for a year.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c0t)
A Small Town Murder, series 3

Episode 2

Written by Scott Cherry.

Family Liaison Officer, DC Jackie Hartwell, wants to know who Melanie was about to marry on the day she died.

Cast:
DC Jackie Hartwell ..... Meera Syal
DI Sanders ..... Matthew Marsh
Sylvia Brant ..... Susan Brown
George Brant ..... Roderick Smith
Rachel ..... Sian Brooke

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b00x3y26)
Series 1

Episode 36

36/40 In 2008 we broadcast a year long event on BBC Radio 4 following the trials and tribulations of migrating animals as they moved from breeding ground to feeding ground. One of the great animal travellers we followed in "World on the Move" were geese - especially: Brent, Greenland White-front and Barnacle Geese as they migrated from the UK to Arctic Canada, Greenland and Svalbard respectively. The project "Top Goose", led by Colin Pennycuick of Bristol University, the research staff of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust - And with with crucial weather data being provided by BBC weatherman Richard Angwin - generated new information to science. "Top Goose" not only plotted the migration on a map - Pennycuik's work, for the first time, measured fuel consumption by the geese en route. The work is now published in a peer reviewed paper, and shows these geese set off on their migration with a 100% redundancy in fuel - put another way, they could fly to their breeding grounds and back again without feeding! Why so much extra fuel? We ask Colin Pennycuick and re-live the moment we followed these geese live on air in 2008.

And Sarah Pitt presents another "Memories" piece, this week with Graham Martin from Birmingham University on the abundance of Tawny Owls.

We're also in Malaysia on the trail of a new species of Gecko.

And the mystery of the slime deposits around the British countryside. Ispot users crack the riddle. We have Jonathon Silvertown from the Open University telling the story.

Presented by Kelvin Boot
Produced by Sheena Duncan
Series Editor Julian Hector.


TUE 11:30 A Family Business: The Chaplin Legacy (b00x3y28)
The legacy of Charlie Chaplin extends far beyond the celluloid archive. There is a living strand of creative performance, which sees the grandchildren of Sir Charles exploring an adventurous new world of physical theatre, and adding a new dimension to those well-worn silent film images of The Little Tramp, battling against a hostile world.

The children of Victoria Chaplin - Aurelia and James Thierree - were born in a tent, and brought up in their parents' world of travelling circus. In their adult life, both are theatrical pioneers, always pushing at the limits of stagecraft, to create original work that mixes acrobatics, illusion, music, mime and comedy.

In this backstage documentary, Tim Brooke-Taylor goes behind the scenes with James Thierree as he prepares to launch his new one-man show RAOUL, combining mime, acrobatics, music, comedy and illusion. How does the Chaplin legacy inform his ideas? How do the marketing people sell his shows, which always defy easy categorisation? How will audiences respond, in London and Paris?

The Chaplin biographer, David Robinson, explores the theatrical connections of the Chaplin family: additional commentaries are provided by Thierree admirers Bill Nighy and Terry Gilliam, and by producer Rachel Clare. The voice of Charlie Chaplin himself also makes a contribution from the archives, with shrewd observations on genes and genius.

Producer: Tony Staveacre
A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00x3y2b)
The British Chambers of Commerce say the economy will grow by less than expected this year. What impact will that have on small businesses? With many already struggling to get loans, grappling with increased red tape and bureaucracy and having to cope with rising inflation and VAT increases alongside a reduction in consumer demand, are some businesses just too damaged and beyond the point of recovery?


TUE 12:57 Weather (b00x3v9r)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b00x7c3q)
National and international news.


TUE 13:30 Music in the Dark Years (b00x3y2g)
Episode 1

Stephen Johnson explores how Paris's vibrant musical scene survived - and flourished - through the 'dark years' of Nazi Occupation.

On 14th June 1940, Germans tanks rolled into a humbled and deserted Paris. The Nazi war machine had abruptly plunged the celebrated "City of Light" into darkness, condemning the city to four long years of Occupation.

Yet these 'dark years' were not to be ones of silence. Within weeks, musical life in the French capital - previously perhaps Europe's most vibrant and eclectic cultural hub - had resumed. Opera houses, jazz clubs, cabaret theatres, concert halls - before long, all were playing again to packed houses of German soldiers and French music-lovers alike.

As the continent tore itself apart, Paris's unique and strange renaissance suited both occupier and occupied. The Nazis were happy to provide cultural distractions for the subjugated French - not to mention their own battle-weary soldiers - whilst the French proudly showed off that whatever happened, their musical spirit had not been defeated. From Maurice Chevalier to Francis Poulenc, Django Reinhardt to Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet to Alfred Cortot - the city rang once more to the sound of some of Europe's most brilliant musical figures.

But was this cultural co-habitation appropriate at a time of war? What exactly were the moral duties of France's great composers and musical celebrities? And were musicians 'saving' or 'betraying' France by performing and creating new work?

Broadcaster and music journalist Stephen Johnson travels to Paris some seven decades after the city's fall, to untangle the mythology of "la France resistante musicale" - telling the story of this brief firework of brilliant - and controversial - period of frenetic musical activity.and its bitter aftermath.

In the first of two programmes, Stephen investigates how the Occupation affected France's proud tradition of classical music and music hall: from defiant songs by Maurice Chevalier and Edith Piaf, to the remarkable story of Conservatoire director Claude Delvincourt, a disillusioned former fascist who shielded his students from being seized by the secret police.

Stephen also explores what constitutes 'resistance' and 'collaboration' in music - and how even the most ardent anti-fascist couldn't resist the vibrant (and artfully stage-managed) performances of the touring Herbert von Karajan and the iconic Berlin Philharmonic.

Interviewees Jewish violinist Devy Erlih, who was a teenage prodigy at the famous Paris Conservatoire at the time of Occupation. He also speaks to Alan Riding, author of a new cultural history of the Occupation, and radio presenter and cultural historian Karine Le Bail.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00x3tvt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00g6g7q)
Rony Robinson - 43 Letters

By Rony Robinson

Julia and David work together in the family archives. One day a mysterious envelope arrives for David, with letters from 43 women, all answering a lonely hearts advert he didn't place.

Cast List
David...............David Calder
Julia.................Barbara Marten
Miranda..........Helen Flanagan
Ruskin............Sacha Dhawan

Directed by Pauline Harris.


TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00x3y2j)
Today we explain what produced the mysterious ice spike that appeared in a frozen beaker of water. A skilled motorcyclist can stay upright at very low speeds. The wheels help by acting as gyroscopes but is the effect enough to explain such slow stability?

We discover why rays of sunlight seen emerging from behind clouds appear to be pointing in different directions. Discuss the practicalities of scavenging trace amounts of precious metals from dirty water.

And does the gravitational tug of the Sun and Moon have an effect on volcanic activity here on Earth.

Doing the thinking this week are Dr Jo Baker of the journal Nature; Dr Ehsan Masood of Research Fortnight and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:30 Shorts (b00x3y3j)
Series 12

Fear in a Hat

A shy schoolgirl fears the worst when she attends a compulsory religious retreat with her catty classmates.

Read by Sally Reid

Written by Nicola White
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

'Scottish Shorts' showcases the best new writing from Scotland. Nicola White lives on a peninsula in Argyll, between a picturesque sea loch and an MOD arms depot. A former art curator and documentary producer, she turned her back on the city and steady wages a few years ago. Since then she has been invited to read her work at the Blue Room, Newcastle and the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin. In 2008 she received a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award.


TUE 15:45 Five Guys Named Mohammed (b00x7cg1)
Episode 2

As Mohammed - in all its spellings - becomes the most popular name for boys born in Britain, five men from across the country reflect on their lives and what it's like to be a Mohammed here today.

Driven to succeed from a young age but never fully at home in the classroom, Mohammed Asif Ali only ever felt truly comfortable when working with his hands. After securing an apprenticeship scheme to learn the secrets of motor vehicles he has not looked back. With a busy Huddersfield auto-repair business that was set up less than a year ago he is already able to give an apprentice the same chance that he had. A tale of hard graft, deeply held principles and tenpin bowling.

Producer: Rich Ward.


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b00x3yjn)
In January 1961 in New York's Greenwich Village, Bob Dylan was beginning a career that would revolutionise song-writing. Michael Rosen lends an ear to the last fifty years of the song-lyric.

Dylanologist Michael Gray explains why Bob matters. A sceptical David Quantick argues that Dylan's influence was not entirely helpful to rock music. And singer-songwriter KT Tunstall pays tribute to one of her biggest influences.

Producer: Peter Everett.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b00x3yjq)
Series 23

Aneurin Bevan

In his time, Aneurin Bevan was, according to one biographer, "the most colourful and controversial, most loved and most loathed political personality in Britain".

The founding father of the NHS is the choice of Lord Kinnock, the former leader of the Labour Party who, like Bevan, grew up in Tredegar, in the heart of the Welsh coalfields, where he met his hero many times.

Kinnock regards Bevan as a hero on a level with Nelson Mandela and believes it was Nye alone who had the force of personality and political will necessary to get the Health Service established after the war. But the presenter Matthew Parris and his other studio guest, Bevan's biographer, John Campbell are more sceptical. Campbell goes so far as to argue that, the achievement of the NHS not withstanding, Nye Bevan's life was essentially a failure because, in his commitment to socialism, he misread the trend of history so completely.
Now, with the NHS facing radical reform, this programme captures some of the passion and debate that surrounded its inception and provides personal insights into the life and character of the man responsible for its creation.

The producer is Isobel Eaton.

Future subjects in the series include Barry Cryer on JB Priestley.


TUE 17:00 PM (b00x9y96)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news. Plus Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x3v9t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 My Teenage Diary (b00x3ywb)
Series 2

Julian Clary

Rufus Hound invites Julian Clary to read embarrassing extracts from his teenage diary and read it out in public for the very first time.

Producer: Victoria Payne
A TalkbackThames production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00x3ywd)
David's working flat out in the office at Lower Loxley. He doesn't want the business to falter but if they can't get someone from an agency to take on Nigel and Elizabeth's role, they'll have to do it themselves. Kenton offers to help as it's easier for him to get cover at Jaxx than it is for David at Brookfield. He knows David can't do it all on his own, what happened was an accident and David can't keep blaming himself.

Pip comes home early from college, she just can't concentrate. Ruth reminds her that the last thing Elizabeth would want is for Pip to fail her exams. Pip decides to go to see Elizabeth but it feels like she's talking to someone from a different world.

Kenton asks Brian if he could go to check on Ruth at Brookfield as she's having to run the farm single-handedly without David. Brian offers Ruth his services as he'd be more than happy to get his hands dirty again. He tells Adam that David might be at Lower Loxley for some time. Brian and Adam wonder about the funeral. The family are all really worried as Elizabeth doesn't want to talk about it at all.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00x3ywg)
Colin Firth and Costa Book Category Winners revealed

With Mark Lawson, including news of the winners of each category in the Costa Book Awards - best novel, first novel, biography, children's book and poetry.

Colin Firth and director Tom Hooper on portraying royalty and how to act with a stammer in The King's Speech - a film based on the relationship between George VI and his Australian speech therapist .

And from the Front Row archives actor Pete Postlethwaite, who died yesterday. Writer Alan Bleasdale remembers working with him in Liverpool theatres when their careers began.

Producer Robyn Read.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 The Vaccine Casebook (b00x4013)
Richard Phinney reports from the West African country of Guinea Bissau, where a team of Danish and African medical sleuths have pieced together evidence that could change public health care forever. They have discovered that vaccines and vitamin supplements have unexpected effects - good and bad - on the immune systems of children.

It's the first time a British journalist has visited the Bandim health surveillance unit, where Dr Peter Aaby and his team has toiled for more than 30 years - through wars, natural disasters and epidemics. A small army of doctors, nurses, field workers and lab technicians now monitor the health of 100,000 people.

Their health detective work has generated more than 600 scholarly articles in the world's leading medical journals, and been responsible for the withdrawal of a potentially deadly measles vaccine by the World Health Organisation.

But the WHO has not acted on the most explosive findings yet coming from Guinea Bissau. They show that the world's most commonly used vaccines can strengthen - or weaken - a child's immune system in the long term, and affect their ability to fight off disease. The results directly challenge the WHO's global health advice, followed by most countries in the developing world, and could mean that thousands of young lives, in Africa and beyond, are needlessly at risk.

We'll hear from some of world's most respected public health scientists who back Aaby's findings. The documentary also asks why the WHO has not yet acted on the evidence generated so far. And whether safety tests for new vaccines and vitamin supplements, heavily promoted by donor agencies and pharmaceutical companies alike, are sufficiently far-reaching.

Producer: Anthony Baxter
A Wantok Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00x4016)
PC David Rathband, Programme 2

PC David Rathband was blinded last July as a result of a high profile shooting.
In the second of two programmes, he tells Peter White how he intends to get his life back on track.
He is not interested in talking books or the various gadgets designed for blind people. David wants to be treated as an individual and feels that too much of the rehabilitation provided for blind people is catering for the masses and not necessarily to someone's individual needs.
David tells Peter he needs a computer that will recognise his voice without him having to talk like a robot.
He hopes to be able to return to the Police force, but is not sure, and a little scared by the prospect of not being able to find a satisfying role now that he is blind.
Peter is the first blind person with whom David has spoken and he said he found it beneficial as Peter has demonstrated to him that it is possible to achieve one's goal without sight.


TUE 21:00 Follow the Leader (b00x4018)
Episode 1

Carolyn Quinn looks under the bonnet of leadership in this two-part series, from business to politics and sport.

What traits do you need to become a great leader? Is leadership 'in the blood' or can you train people to develop the right skills?

Ming Campbell and Michael Howard reflect on their time as political leaders. Both suffered perception problems during their time at the top, from jibes about their age and looks. Developing a thick skin, they say, is the key.

Dragon's Den investor Deborah Meaden describes herself as a 'born entrepreneur'. What does she think makes a good leader?

Plato began the study of leadership in 350 BC. Since then, academics have tried to distil the ingredients for the perfect leader, but still fail to agree. Some psychologists think that it boils down to having right personality traits, others that timing is essential.

Comedian Mark Steel studied great historical leaders for his series of lectures for TV and radio and found that many rose to the top by being at the right place at the right time. They were also far from perfect, and their personal lives were disastrous.

Today the leadership industry - from self-help books to management courses - is a multimillion pound industry promising to turn underperforming managers into great bosses. Carolyn visits the London Management Centre to see if they can make her into a great leader.

Producer: Michelle Martin

Featuring: Sir Menzies Campbell, Lord Howard of Lympne, Deborah Meaden, Mark Steel, Deborah Mattinson, Prof Alex Haslam (University of Exeter), Prof Adrian Furnham (University College London), Binna Kandola (Pearn Kandola).


TUE 21:30 King James Bible (b00x3x68)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b00x3v9w)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00x7drd)
In Ivory Coast signs that the incumbent President Gbagbo may be ready to compromise following the disputed elections

We report from Sudan ahead of the referendum that is expected to lead to the break away of the South

Anna Coote of the New Economics Foundation gives us her personal view on whether long hours are really the answer to facing the competive challenges of the global economy

With Roger Hearing.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00x7f0n)
Snowdrops

Episode 2

By A.D. Miller. Three weeks have passed since Nick foiled the bag-snatcher on the Metro. But he has heard nothing from Masha and his mind has re-focused on work.

Reader: Stephen Mangan
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 Rhyme and Reason (b00x401b)
Florence Welch

Poet Mr Gee presents first programme in a four part series, Rhyme and Reason. His first guest is singer songwriter Florence Welch whose album Lungs was the fastest selling debut in 2009.
Reading and discussing their favourite poetry, Mr Gee delves deeper into Florence's relationship with poetry and looks at how it has inspired her music.


TUE 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00hdb84)
Series 2

Arthur Smith

Marcus Brigstocke tries to tempt Arthur to ventures new, but what's new for a man who sang nude in Balham? From February 2009.



WEDNESDAY 05 JANUARY 2011

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00x3v9y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00x7b4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vb0)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x3vb2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vb4)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00x3vb6)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x792y)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00x98wl)
Anna Hill finds out why free range egg producers say they face losses running into tens of thousands of pounds. Campaigners in the Forest of Dean are arguing it shouldn't be part of the coalition government's proposals to sell off Forestry Commission land. Plus, the Norfolk farmer filling the 'hungry gap' for migrant birds.

Presenter: Anna Hill. Producer: Sarah Swadling.


WED 06:00 Today (b00x798r)
Morning news and current affairs with Sarah Montague and Evan Davis, including:
08:10 Are employment tribunals unfair on employers?
08:20 Why are beds getting bigger?
08:40 One of the world's greatest pianists, Alfred Brendel, on his new career as a poet.


WED 09:00 King James Bible (b00xln78)
The Story of the King James Bible

The Legacy

The King James Bible is everywhere. We see it in hair commercials, film titles, novels, music, even in the way we speak. It is lauded with praise as "The great monument to English Prose." But how and why has it achieved such a status? What is its significance in the English speaking world? In the final programme to mark the 400th anniversary of its publication, James Naughtie assesses the legacy of the King James Bible.

He begins in the pub. James meets linguist and Renaissance scholar Gordon Campbell, the Jamaican poet Kei Miller and Rachel Holmes from the Southbank centre to discuss the surprising and unusual places we hear of the King James today. "Salt of the earth", "skin of their teeth", "Apple of his eye" are all phrases that
have come into the English language through the King James Bible, but do any of the drinkers in the pub know this?

The King James Bible became part of our everyday speech because of the role that Christian belief and practice has played in our national story. Jim will meet Giles Fraser at St. Paul's Cathedral to discuss the central place of the Bible and Christianity within British culture. For 300 years the King James Bible reigned supreme. Nearly everyone went to church and the King James Bible was the only translation to be used. Preachers would draw crowds of over a thousand and the words of the King James gradually worked their way into the bloodstream of all those in the country.

Today most people don't attend church, but they will come across the King James in one of the most famous pieces of music the world has ever known, Handel's Messiah.
Handel and Charles Jennens, who composed the libretto for Messiah, were accused of blasphemy for staging a sacred work in the immoral world of the theatre. They had moved the Bible away from its original place and purpose and reinvented it for a changing audience. But today Handel keeps the King James Bible in our hearts and minds like no other artist. His oratorios are the conduits through which the Bible comes to us.

The KJB was the book of the Empire. Where the empire spread, the Bible spread and that Bible was the KJB. Back in the OBE chapel at St. Pauls, James discusses the spread of the King James Bible through the Empire.

It was used both to defend and challenge the slave trade. When slaves learnt to read, they read the Bible in a whole new way. They read the story of the Exodus and the Sermon on the Mount and changed the way the world thought. The KJB would be used in the abolition addresses of Abraham Lincoln, in the famous speeches of the civil rights movement and in the writings of African-American authors. The tool of oppression became the tool of liberation.

In the late 19th Century the demand for a more accurate and a more accessible translation of the Bible became apparent. This led to the publication of The Revised Version in 1881. Keeping very much in the tradition of the King James Bible, it posed no immediate threat but it did open the flood gates for numerous translations which appeared throughout the 20th Century. Today in churches it is the RSV, NIV and Good News that reign supreme; the King James is like the best china which is only brought out for special occasions.

The KJB has become one among many, serving a consumerist society. What is important to Christians now is not the elegance of the language but the ability to understand. People want a Bible which is suitable for them.

So where is the support for the King James Bible today? Rather surprisingly its keenest proponents today are secularists. They praise it for the beauty of language, extol its place within our culture and vehemently campaign for it to be taught in schools and universities but as a work of literature rather than a work of God.

Knowledge of the King James Bible may be waning, but its place in our culture is secure. It can still be used for religious devotion but its impact is far wider reaching. It has a great power to challenge and subvert but also to amuse and entertain. It constantly reinvents itself for new audiences and situations. The KJB is very much alive today and pops up in the most surprising of places.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00x7b4q)
The Winter of Our Disconnect

Episode 3

By Susan Maushart.

It's half way through the experiment and it's time for a techno-free check up. Along the way the role of multi-tasking in our lives is examined and found wanting. It seems the only effective way to live your life is through a series of mono tasks.

Reader: Haydn Gwynne

Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00x76vm)
Jenni Murray presents: Dieting Special. We look at the history and business of the diet industry and ask to what extent maintaining a healthy weight is all in the mind. Our panel of experts discuss the science of dieting and consider the relative effects of portion control, exercise and food combining on weight.


WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c1v)
A Small Town Murder, series 3

Episode 3

Written by Scott Cherry.

Family Liaison Officer, DC Jackie Hartwell, makes a shocking discovery about the man Melanie was going to marry.

Cast:
DC Jackie Hartwell ..... Meera Syal
DI Sanders ..... Matthew Marsh
Sylvia Brant ..... Susan Brown
George Brant ..... Roderick Smith
Rachel ..... Sian Brooke

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 11:00 Where England Meets Wales (b00x40ny)
Episode 2

Hardeep Singh Kohli begins the second half of his journey at the site of a famous battle where Welsh forces routed the attacking English sent by Henry IV. This was the Battle of Pilleth, a battle recorded in Shakespeare's Henry IV part I. The castle at Hay-on-Wye, straddling the Border, also saw combat, but is now home to the largest second-hand bookshop in Europe. Its international book festival attracts the literary glitterati, as well as BBC Radio 4.

From Hay the gentle Border landscape heads into the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. Here Hardeep comes across the Offa's Dyke Path, a 177 mile long trail that links the remaining chunks of Offa's Dyke and winds its way down the whole length of Wales. If Hardeep were fitter he might have attempted it, but the next stop on his journey offered a visit to one of the vineyards in Monmouthshire, a date which was slightly more attractive.

David Davies is MP for Monmouth and hears at first hand some of the problems of today's Border people. Separate Health and Education policies can be confusing, and the coming referendum may make separation more evident.

There is one area though that has offered beauty and inspiration since the 18th century - the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley. Poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge, and writers like Tolkien and JK Rowling were captivated by forest, woodland and river, now designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Hardeep makes a final nod to the Norman conquistadors at Chepstow Castle, before succeeding in walking the final half mile of the Offa's Dyke Path. He ends his journey at the mouth of the Severn, reflecting on a Border which has seen the marks of history and is now heading towards a future in which more history will be made.

Producer: Richard Bannerman
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 11:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b00x40p1)
Series 6

The Curse of Count Arthur

With all things 'horror' on his somewhat confused mind, Arthur receives a phone call from his good friend Barry Cryer to say that they have somehow lost Barry's briefcase containing the tickets they require to attend a lunchtime Hammer Horror convention at which they are due.

They decide to re-trace their steps from the previous night, which includes taking in a visit to some local haunts and shops, as well as the Shoulder of Mutton.

With the briefcase (and thus the tickets) nowhere to be found, Arthur and Barry are left to decide what they should do - try and get in to the convention by relying on their good names and reputations alone, or risk missing out on the Hammer Horror lunch...?

Cast:
Count Arthur Strong ..... Steve Delaney
Dracula/Himself ..... Barry Cryer
Sally ..... Melanie Giedroyc
Gerry/Jack ..... Dave Mounfield
Shop Assistant/Wally/
Bouncer/Wilf ..... Alastair Kerr

Producers: Richard Daws, Mark Radcliffe & John Leonard
A Komedia Entertainment & Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00x7c32)
On Saturday the government will start re-running last year's "Catch it, Kill it, Bin it" advertising campaign to raise awareness of how to guard against flu. It reverses a previous decision to scrap it. But with the number of deaths from flu continuing to rise, will better awareness counter the problem?

Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary has announced he's looking at a major reform of the electricity market and wants extra investment in the country's energy infrastructure. So what change, if any, can consumers expect to see in their bills in 2011?

And what is crowd-sourcing? We'll look at how companies and government organisations are tapping into the wisdom of crowds to develop products and policies.


WED 12:57 Weather (b00x3vb8)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b00x7c43)
National and international news.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00x40p3)
Facebook starts 2011 on a high as the company has been valued at $50bn after new investment. But can Facebook be worth that much? Benjamin Cohen, Technology Editor for Channel 4 News and Matthew Horsman, founder of Medatique, discuss what the world's biggest social network is really worth.

The attorney general issued a warning to editors last week after some newspapers and broadcasters reported personal details about Chris Jefferies, the man arrested in connection to the murder of Joanna Yeates. Media lawyer Susan Aslan, journalism professor Brian Cathcart and former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie discuss whether the coverage went too far and ask if Britian's contempt of court laws are outdated.

Over the Christmas period, stories about seasonal flu dominated the news. But has this year been significantly worse or were reports exaggerated? BBC Health correspondent Branwyn Jeffreys discusses how the media reports the flu.

And, as ITV News is banned from a press conference on the Joanna Yeates case by Avon and Somerset police, we speak to ITV's editor-in-chief David Mannion about his reaction to ITV's exclusion.

The producer is Olivia Skinner.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b00x3ywd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b00x41n8)
Burned to Nothing

Matthew returns to Nigeria, the land of his birth. He has come to secure the release of his son who has become caught up in the politics of a land in turmoil; a land he has fallen in love with. By Rex Obano.

Matthew .... Lucian Msamati
The General .... Jude Akuwudike
Medina .... Lorraine Burroughs
Keith .... David Ajala
Sunday .... Obi Abili
Inenevwerha .... Gbemisola Ikumelo

Director: Femi Elufowoju, jr.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00x41nb)
Do you know your rights to refunds and returns for faulty goods or unwanted presents?

Or perhaps you're unhappy with a service you've paid for?

If you've a question about your consumer rights and how to assert them, Paul Lewis and a team of experts will be waiting to help on this afternoon's Money Box Live.

Phone lines open at 1.30 this afternoon and the number to call is 03700 100 444. Standard geographic charges apply. Calls from mobiles may be higher. The programme starts after the three o'clock news. That number again 03700 100 444.


WED 15:30 Shorts (b00xckhv)
Series 12

The Last Cup

Set on a windswept Western Isle, a kindly old fisherman and his stern minister find a poignant sliver of common ground over tea from a chipped china cup.
Read by Matthew Zajac.
Written by Merryn Glover.
Producer: Patricia Hitchcock

'Scottish Shorts' showcases the best new writing from Scotland. Merryn Glover is a playwright and author of short stories and received a Scottish Arts Council bursary. She has written plays for BBC Radio Scotland.


WED 15:45 Five Guys Named Mohammed (b00x7cgq)
Episode 3

As Mohammed - in all its spellings - becomes the most popular name for boys born in Britain, five men from across the country talk about what it's like to be a Mohammed here today.

Rapper and spoken word poet Mohammed Yahya has set up a unique Muslim Jewish band promoting understanding and tolerance. He tells how he fled civil war in Mozambique, poverty and racism in Portugal and fell in love with hip hop.

Producer: Sarah Bowen.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00x41nd)
Softer masculinity in the sixth form - Dr Who

The Daleks are obsessed with racial purity and dedicated to a policy of genocide: they represent the Nazis. The Jagrafess is a loathsome alien purveying useless information - which he has censored, rewritten and controlled: he represents a modern day media mogul. This is the theory of the US academic Marc Edward DiPaolo who has analysed the political content of five decades of Doctor Who. He finds that the Time Lord is a liberal, bohemian, pacifist environmentalist, and definitely anti-American. Is Doctor Who a closet radical? Laurie and Marc discuss the contention with journalist, broadcaster and some-time Dr Who script-writer Matthew Sweet.
Also on the programme: Softening Masculinities. New research by Mark McCormac finds that British secondary school boys are far less restrictive in their behaviour than they used to be. It is okay to use conditioner, comment on someone's clothes, and even give each other a hug.


WED 16:30 Follow the Leader (b00x4018)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 17:00 PM (b00xc3x2)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news. Plus Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x3vbb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Shappi Talk (b00x41ng)
Series 2

History

Shappi Khorsandi looks at a variety of subjects close to her Iranian heart - including Politics, Addiction and, in this programme, History.

Having an incident filled, historical background herself, Shappi looks back at a variety of historical figures and moments in history, comparing our current lives.

Joining her is iconic comedian Simon Evans, who puts his own idiosyncratic spin on history, and TV historian Adam Hart-Davis, who has a chat with Shappi about his love of everything historic. There's also a comic song from Duncan Oakley.

Producer: Paul Russell
An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b00x41nj)
Jill's concerned that Elizabeth hasn't cried yet, all she seems to do is stare into space. Jill worries that she's picturing Nigel's fallen body. When Alan visits Elizabeth she tells him that Nigel would want to be buried at Loxley Barratt with his ancestors, he was very proud of his family. She begins to open up, recognising that Alan understands what she's going through. She's worried about explaining it all to the children, and he reminds Elizabeth that even though they might no longer be able to see their loved ones, the love never dies. He tentatively suggests next Thursday for the funeral.

Ian and Brenda visit Helen and the baby and Ian is delighted when Helen lets him hold Henry Ian. Helen apologises for being such a control freak during her pregnancy. Despite all her planning, nothing could prepare her for how much she loves Henry. Helen's due to be discharged on Friday although Henry will need more time in hospital to recover from his early arrival. Brenda and Ian agree that the old Helen would have freaked out about leaving him. Brenda wonders who this calm serene woman masquerading as Helen Archer is. Becoming a mother seems to have changed her, she's happy.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b00x41nl)
Stephen Mangan, Pianists Barry Douglas and Leslie Howard

Kirsty Lang talks to actor Stephen Mangan about his new comedy, Episodes, which satirises the American TV industry, and he also explains why appearing on Celebrity Mastermind was the single most terrifying thing he ever did.

To mark the bicentenary of the birth of Franz Liszt, pianists Barry Douglas - who plays the Second Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra this week - and Leslie Howard, president of the British Liszt society (for 21 years) and the only person to have recorded all Liszt's complete solo piano works - consider the unique demands made by the piano-writing of this quintessential Romantic performer and composer.

Lucien Pisarro's Eragny Press is the subject of an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; the curator John Whiteley discusses Pisarro's desire to foster links between artists in France and England.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b00x41nn)
Trade Unions

With strikes apparently back in fashion, Unreliable Evidence explores the law relating to trades unions and industrial action.

Wildcat strikes and secondary picketing are now illegal, and new legislation imposes complex rules on how and when strikes can be called. Clive Anderson and guests, including a judge and the assistant general secretary of one of Britain's largest unions, discuss why both employers and trades unions are now, increasingly, fighting each other in the courts.

Also taking part are the senior barristers who have represented either side in the ongoing British Airways cabin staff dispute. Alleged irregularities in the strike balloting process have already resulted in a series of court hearings, injunctions and high court appeals.

Both the TUC and the CBI are calling for reform of trades union law, but whom does the law currently favour - the bosses or the workers?

Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 20:45 It Happened Here (b00sb22y)
Admiralty House

In the first of three programmes showing how places have influenced political events, the leading historian of post-war Britain, Peter Hennessy visits Admiralty House in London.

The government building at the north end of Whitehall, close to Trafalgar Square, has frequently been the office and home of post-war prime ministers when 10 Downing Street has needed refurbishment.

Peter first recalls the momentous events of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and reveals that it was from Admiralty House that the dramatic order was given by prime minister Harold Macmillan for Britain's nuclear weapons to be put on standby for imminent launch. He also discusses the remarkable "Night of the Long Knives" that summer when Macmillan notoriously sacked a third of his Cabinet.

Thirty years later, during John Major's premiership, Peter shows how Admiralty House once again became the focus of worldwide political and public attention as the place where the United Kingdom's membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (the ERM) finally collapsed in ignominy, causing lasting damage to the reputation and credibility of the recently-elected government.

Producer: Simon Coates.


WED 21:00 The Stunning Controversy (b00x41nq)
Their formal title is 'conducted-energy devices', but to the public they're stun-guns or tasers.

11,000 law enforcement agencies in the US use them and there is good evidence for the claim that they reduce the need for police officers to use lethal force. But there is an intensifying debate in the States as to whether tasers are really as safe as claimed. . Mark Whitaker reports from California and Arizona.

Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 21:30 King James Bible (b00xln78)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b00x3vbd)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00x7drs)
The UN warns of rising food prices as concern grows that high oil prices could reduce growth prospects. We look at the implications for the UK and the world

Should people be allowed to sell their own organs?

Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, is accused of assuming dictatorial powers - we report from Caracas

Why is China stepping in to support the Euro?

With Robin Lustig.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00x7f13)
Snowdrops

Episode 3

By A.D. Miller. Soon after their first night together, Nick takes Masha and Katya to the Rasputin nightclub and learns more about their lives.

Reader: Stephen Mangan
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 iGod (b00x41ns)
Fame

iGOD is a highly original and funny late-night comedy series. It stars Simon Day (The Fast Show) and David Soul (Starsky & Hutch) and is written by one of the head writers of the BAFTA award-winning The Thick Of It, Sean Gray and produced by Simon Nicholls (Ed Reardon's Week / News At Bedtime).

We all worry about the end of the world, as economists and environmentalists speak in apocalyptic terms everyday. iGOD says that trying to predict the end of the world is as pointless as moisturising an elephant's elbow.

In each episode, an unnamed, all-seeing narrator (David Soul - Starsky and Hutch) shows us that it is stupid to be worrying, as he looks back at some of the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths. Each week our case study is a normal bloke called Ian (Simon Day) who manages to accidentally initiate the apocalypse of a different parallel world through a seemingly harmless single act (telling a lie, being lazy, cooking some lambshanks). A succession of comic vignettes ensue that escalate to the end of a parallel world.

With a full-range of sound effects and wonderfully funny and surreal twists, iGOD will be a true aural extravaganza.

In this episode - how Parallel Earth 888 was wiped out by Ian's desire for fame, which occurs when a meteor crashes into his nose.

Ian ...... Simon Day
The Narrator ...... David Soul

Also starring
Rosie Cavaliero
Alex MacQueen
Dan Tetsell

Written by Sean Gray.

Produced by Simon Nicholls.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.


WED 23:15 Comic Fringes (b00tg2nr)
Comic Fringes: Series 6

The Woman Who Sniffed

Take front row seats for a new series of short stories written and read by comedians and recorded last week in front of an audience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Susan Calman gets the series underway with a wry look at office politics in "The Woman Who Sniffed".

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


WED 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00hq2xz)
Series 2

Jan Ravens

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

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



THURSDAY 06 JANUARY 2011

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00x3vbg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00x7b4q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vbj)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x3vbl)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vbn)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00x3vbq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x7936)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00xmx44)
Anna Hill reports from the Oxford Farming Conference. The Secretary of State for DEFRA, Caroline Spelman tells Farming Today that increasing demand for food will make farming profitable without government payments. And, as global population increases, warnings are raised that UK food supplies may not be secure in the future.

Presenter: Anna Hill. Producer: Melvin Rickarby.


THU 06:00 Today (b00x799b)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and James Naughtie, including:
07:30 A Today programme investigation finds that US death chamber drugs are being sold from a driving school in London.
08:10 Is it fair for average pay to fall in real terms while executive pay goes up?
08:30 Journalist James Dao describes his year with US troops on the front line in Afghanistan.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00xmx42)
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.In 1812 the 24-year-old Lord Byron published the first part of a long narrative poem. It caused an instant sensation. "I awoke one morning and found myself famous", wrote Byron in his memorandum book, and the first edition sold out in three days. The poem narrates the life of an aristocrat on a grand tour of Europe. Its central character is the first Byronic hero, a flawed but charismatic young man modelled on the poet.As well as offering a self-portrait of Byron as a young man, Childe Harold is a fascinating snapshot of Europe at the beginning of the nineteenth century, a place ravaged by revolution and war; the poem also gives us an insight into the political and intellectual concerns of its author.With:Jonathan BateProfessor of English Literature at the University of WarwickJane StablerReader in Romanticism at the University of St AndrewsEmily Bernhard JacksonAssistant Professor in Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Arkansas.Producer: Thomas Morris.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00x7b57)
The Winter of Our Disconnect

Episode 4

By Susan Maushart.

Despite having myriads of friends on facebook it seems we only ever really communicate with seven of them with any intimacy. So why this obsession with network expanding?

Reader: Haydn Gwynne

Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00x781n)
Presented by Jenni Murray. Are you a habitual dieter? What strategy has worked - or gone horribly wrong - for you? Why? How much have we been conditioned to think we have to watch our weight every minute of the day? And can dieting ever be the answer, or should we just learn to love ourselves the way we are?

Jenni hears your dieting stories in our special phone-in. Call 03700 100 444. Lines open at 0800.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c25)
A Small Town Murder, series 3

Episode 4

Written by Scott Cherry.

Family Liaison Officer, DC Jackie Hartwell, is now totally convinced George Brant killed his daughter.

Cast:
DC Jackie Hartwell ..... Meera Syal
DI Sanders ..... Matthew Marsh
Sylvia Brant ..... Susan Brown
George Brant ..... Roderick Smith
Rachel ..... Sian Brooke

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00wr9v8)
Palliative Care in India

It's estimated that nearly one million Indians with conditions like cancer die in acute, unnecessary pain because of the lack of palliative care. Restrictions on morphine prescription are being lifted, but too slowly.

One of the most sophisticated systems of palliative care in the developing world has been established in the Indian state of Kerala. The grassroots movement to create a much-valued and effective palliative care system in Kerala has been called a silent revolution. Every week, thousands of volunteers across the state give up their time to go and tend to those who are dying. They may cook food, help with chores, or simply provide a listening ear. Hundreds of thousands more people in Kerala belong to Palliative Care Societies. They donate money regularly - even just a few rupees - to help support this kind of outreach. The hope is that people will not die alone, and in pain, without any support.

Linda Pressly travels to Kerala, which has more palliative care centres than the rest of the country put together, and ask whether this is a model to treat the dying that could be rolled out in other nations, as well as other parts of India.


THU 11:30 In Search of the Villa Noel Fleuri (b00x44dz)
The American thriller and travel-writer, David Dodge (1910-1974), is best known for his 1952 novel To Catch A Thief, which Hitchcock turned into an iconic film three years later. Unusually for Hitchcock, half the film was shot on location, and the Riviera is as much a star as Grace Kelly (in her final film - she met Prince Rainier during a publicity shoot and became Princess of Monaco) and Cary Grant (whom Hitchcock tempted out of retirement with this script).

Dodge's book was inspired by a real incident when he briefly became the number 1 suspect for a daring cat-burglary at his rich neighbour's villa. It is the story of John Robie, a reformed cat-burglar who must prove his innocence by catching the thief who is duplicating his methods. His pursuit leads him into the arms of beautiful American heiress Francie Stevens.

Jean Buchanan tells the story and attempts to locate the Villa Noel Fleuri, where these dramatic events ultimately resulted in one of Hollywood's best-loved films. In the course of her quest Jean visits Golfe Juan, the fishing port between Canne and Nice where the Dodges arrived in France; she's given a tour of the Carlton hotel in Cannes by the Chef-Concierge, Stephane Fanciulli, who shows her the very room where Grant and Kelly watched - and made - fireworks; she makes a notable discovery in the Nice-Matin newspaper archives and attempts to consolidate her finds on maps held in Vallauris.

She is assisted by Randal Brandt of the Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley and by Dirk Dominic, an expert in To Catch A Thief locations. While Paul Gambaccini lends his expertise in film.

Jean Buchanan has adapted Dodge's novel, To Catch A Thief, as a play for BBC Radio 4, to be broadcast on 08/01/2011.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00x7c36)
Why web developers are being asked to close down free mobile phone apps for commuters.

How a resurgence in commuting to work by bike has led to a welcome boom for the cycling industry.

And as UK retailers predict a decline in business in 2011, what price will consumers have to pay?


THU 12:30 Face the Facts (b00xf5dy)
Care workers

Tens of thousands of foreign migrants work in the UK care sector. But many are exploited by the agencies and gangmasters who hire them. John Waite hears from some of these workers, and from the regulator who wants the power to regulate the care home industry - where not only the residents are vulnerable to abuse.


THU 12:57 Weather (b00x3vbs)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b00x7c49)
National and international news.


THU 13:30 Questions, Questions (b00x44f1)
Stewart Henderson continues his sparkling series of Questions Questions - the programme which offers answers to those intriguing questions of every day life, inspired by current events and popular culture.

Each programme is compiled directly from the well-informed and inquisitive Radio 4 audience, who bring their unrivalled collective brain to bear on these puzzlers every week.

How do woodpeckers keep their beaks sharp? How do you know if a volcano is extinct? This is the programme which answers listener questions on just about everything.

Email Questions.questions@bbc.co.uk

Tel: 03700 100400

Or you can reach us online via our Radio 4 message board.

Producer: Kevin Dawson
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b00x41nj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b00k3xld)
Mark Burgess - A King's Speech

By Mark Burgess.

The action of A King's Speech takes place on Coronation Day, 12th May 1937, and deals with King George VI's preparations for his evening BBC Radio broadcast to the Nation - a terrifying prospect for perhaps the most notable Briton to have suffered from a stammer.

The Coronation Ceremony in Westminster Abbey completed, the new King must face a further challenge - the dreaded royal broadcast, to be delivered under the watchful gaze of the BBC's first Director General, Sir John Reith himself. As the tension mounts, speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Trevor Littledale) must work hard to calm the King's nerves and to prepare him for his ordeal at the microphone. No easy task. As the King says himself, exploding in fury:

"Dammit!! I can't say 'crowned', can't say 'King'! What use is that? The whole speech is a minefield of 'Commonwealths', 'Queens' and 'Kings'! Five hundred and seventy-two words in total, and most of them impossible for me to say!"

The central scenes of the play feature Logue and his pupil. Comfortable in each other's company, they discuss the speech the King must make in a few hours' time. Logue's working methods are revealed: the tongue-twisters, breathing exercises, Shakespearean quotations - all designed to relax the speaker. The King's dependence on, and great friendship with Logue becomes apparent. Their conversation is wide-ranging, dealing with, among other things, the Abdication Crisis; George VI's childhood - when being both left-handed and a stammerer was frowned on; the King's envy of his elder brother; and his uneasy relationship with his father, King George V.

This is Mark Burgess's sixth play for BBC Radio 4, all of which have dealt with prominent people at pivotal moments in their lives.

Producer/Director: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 15:00 Open Country (b00x2yn1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00x31lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Shorts (b00xckjh)
Series 12

Matryoshka

A spoilt princess craves possession of the one thing she can't have in this new spin on a familiar tale.

Read by Nicola Jo Cully

Written by Kirsty Logan
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

'Scottish Shorts' showcases the best new writing from Scotland. Kirsty Logan graduated in 2009 from Glasgow University's Creative Writing MLitt; over the next year she won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust, the Gillian Purvis Award, and third place in the Bridport Prize. She regularly performs her own work and recently read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her short fiction has been published in around 80 anthologies and literary magazines. Kirsty is currently working on her first novel and a short story collection.


THU 15:45 Five Guys Named Mohammed (b00x7ch8)
Episode 4

As Mohammed - in all its spellings - becomes the most popular name for boys born in Britain, five men from across the country talk about what it's like to be a Mohammed here today.

Drawn to Glasgow in the seventies, Mohammed Anwar now manages the Muslim Elderly Day Care Centre at the Central Mosque. A qualified chartered accountant who had to abandon his dreams due to family constraints, his role is to look after and entertain the men and women at the Centre - the "Uncles" and "Aunties".

Producer: Rich Ward.


THU 16:00 Bookclub (b00x3pv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b00x44f3)
2011 is the International Year of Chemistry: Quentin hears about the largest molecule, how legitimate research on neurochemicals was subverted by designer-drugs makers, the value of rare earth elements, and green chemistry.

The producer is Roland Pease.


THU 17:00 PM (b00xc3w1)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including at 5.57pm Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x3vbv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Mark Thomas: The Manifesto (b00x44lw)
Series 3

Episode 1

Comedian-activist, Mark Thomas returns for another series in which he collates policies suggested by his studio audience into the People's Manifesto.

This week Mark and the audience consider an agenda which includes a shame-based pay-policy for professional footballers, compulsory relationship MOTs and the public funding of political parties, plus there's "any other business" suggestions from the theatre audience.

Mark also starts to pursue one of the winning policies from last series - that he should invade Jersey.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b00x44l3)
Despite all their fears for Helen and the baby, Pat thinks things have turned out for the best. Helen's grateful that Henry's safe and healthy and Tony's besotted with his grandson. Clarrie remarks that babies often bring families together. Tony apologises to Pat for making life difficult during Helen's pregnancy. It wasn't until he thought he might lose Helen and her baby that he regretted his behaviour. He hopes he'll be able to make it up to her now. Pat thinks that the look on his face when he saw Henry for the first time was enough for Helen.

Jim's impressed with the way Shula has been so strong for her family, he can see why Alistair married her now, and even Kenton's shown true strength of character. Jim thinks that the Archers are quite a remarkable family.

As Eddie predicted, the latest scheme to sell grow your own mistletoe kits for a fiver doesn't go as well as Joe had planned. But Jim's done some research that might just turn their fortunes round. He's discovered that mistletoe was sacred to the druids, who had rituals to help make it grow. Joe's impressed and is eager to see the research.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b00x44ly)
Alan Bleasdale and The Next Three Days

Alan Bleasdale's new TV drama is The Sinking of the Laconia, about the cruise liner carrying civilians, British soldiers and Italian prisoners of war which was torpedoed 600 miles off the coast of west African by a German U-boat in 1942. Bleasdale discusses the seven-year journey it has taken since he first started researching the incident and the surprising aftermath of the attack which lies at the heart of the story.

Russell Crowe and Olivia Wilde star in a thriller about a husband's attempt to free his wife from jail after she is accused of murdering her boss. The Next Three Days is a remake of the French film (Pour Elle) and is directed by Paul Haggis. Writer Dreda Say Mitchell reviews.

Violinist Thomas Zehetmair discusses his musical influences and why he's fallen in love with North East England.

Following reports that Samantha Womack was distressed by the cot-death storyline in EastEnders, actor Michael Simkins discusses the kinds of subjects which have caused performers to question whether they should take on a role.

Producer Jack Soper.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c25)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Report (b00x44m0)
Bats, Balls and Bungs

The tribunal into allegations of fixing by three Pakistan cricketers begins in Qatar today, but whatever the outcome, the ability of the game to tackle the threat of corruption to cricket is also on trial. Betting on sport is hugely popular in Asia, and particularly India where it's banned, but millions of pounds worth of bets are taken by illegal bookmakers on international and County games which are broadcast on television.

Betting syndicates - sometimes involving bookmakers - are believed to be to targetting players in the UK. The ICC tell The Report "A very large number of players and officials have reported.. inappropriate approaches made by potential corruptors". We hear claims that the English and Welsh County game is being targeted by bookmakers from India, on the lookout for vulnerable players, perhaps with a gambling addiction or a debt. The Professional Cricketers Association monitor the facebook pages of members, because of worries that they might reveal information which would be useful to a potential corruptor.

Adrian Goldberg explores this murky world, and asks whether the game is succeeding in preventing players being lured by handsome rewards for not playing by the rules.

Producer: Paul Grant.


THU 20:30 In Business (b00x44m2)
China Dispossessed

The vast national urbanisation plan to take Chinese people out of poverty leaves behind many who are dispossessed of land and homes, or see their farms drowned by huge new water and power projects. Peter Day hears about some of the problems caused by China's rush for prosperity.

Producer: Julie Ball.


THU 21:00 Saving Species (b00x3y26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Tuesday]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00xmx42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b00x3vbx)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00x7ds9)
Radio 4's daily evening news and current affairs programme bringing you global news and analysis.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00x7f1y)
Snowdrops

Episode 4

By A.D. Miller. Nick has met Tatiana Vladimirovna, for the first time. On his way in to his apartment, his neighbour Oleg Nikolaevich shares some worrying news.

Reader: Stephen Mangan
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 Spread a Little Happiness (b00kjjyp)
Series 1

Episode 1

Comedy by John Godber and Jane Thornton, set in a Yorkshire sandwich bar.

Today's the day that Jodie opens her own business, a sandwich bar in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and she is excited and a bit anxious. But fortunately for her she has Hope, who has just left her husband and come to live on Jodie's floor, and is very willing to help.

Hope ...... Suranne Jones
Jodie ...... Susan Cookson
Milkman ...... Shaun Prendergast
Dustbinman ...... Ben Crowe

Directed by Chris Wallis.


THU 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00htwhd)
Series 2

Suggs

Suggs reads A Brief History of Time, listens to Vivaldi, changes the oil in a car and has his first tap-dancing lesson.



FRIDAY 07 JANUARY 2011

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00x3vbz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00x7b57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vc1)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00x3vc3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00x3vc5)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00x3vc7)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00x793q)
with Canon Patrick Thomas.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00xmx4x)
UK taxpayers must continue to subsidise farmers in the future, Dacian Ciolos the EU Agriculture Commissioner tells Anna Hill at the Oxford Farming Conference. Farm subsidies cost almost £50 billion across Europe, and around £3 billion is distributed each year to UK farmers. The government wants to phase this out but Peter Kendal, President of the National Farmers' Union, says they are still necessary to keep farms in business.

Presenter, Anna Hill. Producer, Melvin Rickarby.


FRI 06:00 Today (b00x799l)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and James Naughtie, including:
07:50 David Blunkett and Shami Chakrabarti, of Liberty, debate control orders.
08:10 Have the coalition "botched" their bonfire of the quangos?
08:49 What made the England cricket team so good?


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00x31sq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00x7b5c)
The Winter of Our Disconnect

Episode 5

By Susan Maushart.

The end of the experiment is nigh. What has everyone learned? And has a techno-free life changed their ways forever? The whole family contemplate this as they rush en masse for their computers......

Reader: Haydn Gwynne

Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00x7830)
With Sheila McClennon

Typing vs Handwriting: The number of people employed as typists fell by 59% between 2001 and 2009, the typing pool is almost a thing of the past and nowadays most of us do our own typing on the computer. We'll hear from Nadine Loxham who runs a secretarial services business but started out earning her living as a typist. Sheila also talks to the novelist Marina Lewycka who always writes on a computer, and to the children's author Jean Ure, who always writes a first draft by hand. Each of them explains how their method impacts on the creative process.

Getting fit - Whether it's the result of an extended period of overindulgence, or the promise of a brand new year, January is a time which sees gyms, parks and streets overflowing with those who've made getting fit their new year's resolution. To discuss how to stick by your guns and not give up before February, Sheila is joined by fitness trainer Sarah Hudson Jones and by fitness recidivist, the journalist Alison Craig

Noor Inayat Khan - A fundraising campaign has been launched to erect a sculpture in memory of Noor Inayat Khan, a secret agent for Britain during the Second World War. Sheila talks to her biographer, Shrabani Dasu, about why Noor Inayat Khan should become the first Muslim, and also first Indian, woman to have her own monument in this country.

And swine flu in children. This year the Department of Health did not include children under 5 in its flu vaccination programme. Meanwhile high street pharmacies which can offer the vaccine privately for those not eligible on the NHS, say they are unable to vaccinate children. This comes amid reports that flu levels in young children are on the increase. So which children should be eligible for the vaccine, and which ones actually are? And should it in future be an NHS priority to vaccinate children under 5?


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c2f)
A Small Town Murder, series 3

Episode 5

Written by Scott Cherry.

Family Liaison Officer, DC Jackie Hartwell, finally finds out why Melanie was killed.

Cast:
DC Jackie Hartwell ..... Meera Syal
DI Sanders ..... Matthew Marsh
Sylvia Brant ..... Susan Brown
George Brant ..... Roderick Smith
Rachel ..... Sian Brooke

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 11:00 Gurinder - the Indian Sequel (b00s1n43)
We're off to Goa with British film director Gurinder Chadha, who's a special guest at India's biggest and most colourful film festival, in Goa.

Her movies - Bend It Like Beckham, Bride And Prejudice, Bhaji on the Beach - are big hits in India. For millions of Indians, her portrayal of life for British Asians is the most realistic view they've had of their diasporic counterparts in the UK. Not only have her films changed our notion of what 'British' means by putting the Asian community firmly in the mainstream consciousness, but the way that Indian audiences respond to her films also tells us something about the changing relationship between India and the UK, and the Indian diaspora who live here.

As a twice migrant herself, she brings elements of Indian, Kenyan, and British themes to her work - a fusion of cinematic methods and subject matter.

In the glamorous setting of the flamboyant Goan film festival, we'll discover how huge Gurinder is there, and talk to Indian cinemagoers, directors, actors, and movie buffs about the larger than life director, her films, and how, whilst they're clad in their designer labels in a country that's a new world power, they see the British Asian community as endearingly old fashioned.

Producer: Lucy Greenwell.

A Just Radio production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.


FRI 11:30 Electric Ink (b01kkqc9)
Series 2

Episode 6

Maddox's future is uncertain as a rather shady character plans to buy the newspaper.

Alistair Beaton and Tom Mitchelson's comic satire set in the struggling world of newspapers.

A group of dysfunctional journalists attempt to cover major news stories whilst grappling with the demands of a multi-platform environment, as circulation figures plummet as the recession means half the workforce is laid off.

Maddox ..... John Sessions
Oliver ..... Alex Jennings
Freddy ..... Stephen Wight
Carol ..... Polly Frame
Masha ..... Debbie Chazen
Andrei Zinoviev ..... Ewan Bailey
Steward ..... Adeel Akhtar

Producer: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00x7c3b)
Chef Michel Roux Junior talks about why great service matters as much as great food.
His new reality TV programme on BBC 2 - Michel Roux's Service - will train members of the public to provide impeccable front of house service. Plus, he shares his views on celebrity chefs and the pressures of earning that coveted third Michelin star.

Plus an aural flavour of the future with Ian McMillan's 'You and Yours January Soundscape'.

And, in the final part of our series focussing on retail businesses, we examine the book trade. What are we buying now and where do we prefer to shop?


FRI 12:57 Weather (b00x3vc9)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b00x7c4p)
National and international news.


FRI 13:30 More or Less (b00x44l1)
Contraception deception

This week much of the media reported that nearly 600 women have fallen pregnant despite using a popular contraceptive implant. But no-one thought to include the numbers which would make sense of the story - how many women use the implant, and how does its failure rate compare to that of other contraceptives? More or Less corrects some seriously sloppy reporting.

Death yodel

Archers fans were shocked to hear Nigel Pargeter fall to his death from the roof of Lower Loxley Hall this week. But what does the length of Nigel's "death yodel" tell us about the height of Lower Loxley?

VAT spat

More or Less examines the heated claims and counter claims made about this week's rise in VAT from 17.5% to 20%. Is it progressive? Will it cost more jobs than a rise in National Insurance would have done? And does the International Monetary Fund really support the Chancellor's stance?

Proofiness

You will have noticed that we think numbers can all-too-easily be used to confuse, or to mislead. We aren't the only ones who think so. Charles Seife is a professor of journalism at New York University and author of a new book - Proofiness - which exposes what he describes as "the dark arts of mathematical deception".

Game over, Jack

England are bringing home the Ashes. But here on More or Less, our celebrations are tempered by a twinge of sadness. Earlier in the series we asked a monkey - Jack - to predict the outcome of each of the Ashes tests. We did so in honour of Paul the octopus who correctly predicted the outcomes of eight football World Cup matches in the summer. Unfortunately, Jack didn't do so well. Finally, we reveal what we've been up to.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00x44l3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b00k9p0w)
The Great Hargeisa Goat Bubble

The Great Hargeisa Goat Bubble was the first short story to be published in The Financial Times. Written by the Irish comic writer and blogger on economics, Julian Gough, winner of the BBC National Short Story Prize in 2007, it is that rare thing - fiction which delves into the world of derivatives, arbitrage and futures.
Set in Somaliland, at a moment unspecified, when markets were fully de-regulated, it follows the fortunes of one Dr Ibrahim Bihi, a leading economist and the man who woke up the sleepy goat market of Hargeisa with his 'glorious notion'. Now marooned on a snowy station platform in England, Dr Bihi relates his tale of triumph and tragedy to a young Irish orphan named Jude, and along the way illuminates ideas of profit and loss, boom and bust, securitisation and futures. With the help of the BBC's Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders, Dr Bihi interprets the mysteries of modern economics and follows the follies of the market to their logical conclusion!

Hugh Quarshie, star of the RSC and famously Ric Griffen in Holby City, plays Dr Bihi and Sam O'Mahony-Adams plays Jude. With Stephanie Flanders as herself.

Adapted by Julian Gough from his story of the same name.
The director is Di Speirs.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00x44q2)
Bradford

The GQT panel meet members of the Grow Organic project in Bradford. Eric Robson is in the chair.

Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew meets the Bangladeshi and Pakistani women taking part in the Grow Organic outreach programme.

Producer: Howard Shannon
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 Five Guys Named Mohammed (b00x44q4)
Episode 5

As Mohammed - in all its spellings - becomes the most popular name for boys born in Britain, five men reflect on their lives and about what it's like to be a Mohammed this country today.

Property developer Muhammad Hasan loves real estate. Whether he is looking at a high-rise glass and steel office block, or dodging stray dogs on a deserted industrial estate in Birmingham, Muhammad bubbles with enthusiasm and passion. After his father's early death, Muhammad became the family breadwinner, with little time beyond work. But now he is hunting for more than the perfect plot of land, he is looking for the ideal wife.

Producers - Gillian Darlington and Sarah Bowen.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00x44q6)
On Last Word this week:

Jayaben Desai, the diminutive leader of the 'strikers in saris' during the controversial Grunwick dispute of the 1970s.

Gerry Rafferty, the singer-songwriter who partnered Billy Connolly, enjoyed success with Stealers' Wheel and made his fortune with 'Baker Street'.

Prunella Stack, glamorous leader of the Women's League of Health and Beauty.

Chief Anthony Enahoro - campaigner for Nigerian independence and democracy.

And why actor Pete Postlethwaite became an adoptive Shropshire lad.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00x44q8)
Francine Stock talks to Helena Bonham Carter about playing the Queen Mother in The King's Speech and why she was like "marshmallow made with a welding machine".

In anticipation of Radio 4's film season, the Film Programme is asking its listeners to keep a diary of their film-viewing during the month of January to get a snap-shot of how we watch movies in the 21st century

Actor Diego Luna discusses his directorial debut Abel, which broke box-office records in his native Mexico

Neil Brand begins a new series in which he demonstrates the unusual ways that film music can paint pictures in our heads.


FRI 17:00 PM (b00x44qb)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including at 5.57pm Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00x3vcc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00x44qd)
Series 73

Episode 1

Sandi Toksvig presents another episode of the ever-popular topical panel show. Guests this week are Jeremy Hardy, Sue Perkins, Phill Jupitus and Francis Wheen.

Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00x44qx)
Jill thinks that Freddie and Lily should go back to school. It might help them to cope and would give Elizabeth more time to think about Nigel's funeral. Jill calls the rest of the family together to discuss what needs to be done to help. To her surprise Elizabeth turns up and announces that the funeral will be next Thursday. She appreciates all their support but wants them to go back to their own homes now, she just needs some time on her own with the children.

Kenton reveals to Jolene that he feels responsible for Nigel's death, he was the one who persuaded Nigel to put the banner on the roof. Jolene tells him that thoughts like that will drive him crazy. She suggests a walk up Lakey Hill to blow the cobwebs away.

David confides to Ruth that he blames himself. If it wasn't for him, Nigel would never have been on the roof. Ruth comforts him - he's doing everything he can to support Elizabeth, and that's what matters now.

Elizabeth tells Shula that she doesn't know how she's going to deal with the pain. Booking Nigel's funeral was hard enough. How's she going to carry on without him? She doesn't think she can do it.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00x44st)
Hiliary Swank interview; School of Comedy

Kirsty Lang talks to double Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank about her role in the film Conviction, in which she plays a working mother who puts herself through law school so that she can defend her brother against a murder conviction.

As an after-school club which teaches children comedy plans to expand, Kirsty Lang talks to the teachers and pupils, and to some of the performers in the Channel 4 series it sparked.

The curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery, Ian Dejardin, describes how they plan to celebrate the bicentenary of the first purpose-built art gallery in England, which was designed by Sir John Soane and opened in 1811.

After Batman and Spider-Man comes The Green Hornet. Film critic Ryan Gilbey reflects on the way films are now based upon B-list superheroes.

Producer: Robyn Read.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00x7c2f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00x45c7)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical discussion from Hinde St Methodist Church in Marylebone, London with questions for the panel including Michael Portillo, former Tory MP, Ken Livingstone, Labour's candidate for London mayor, Matthew Parris, columnist and writer and the designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Producer: Victoria Wakely.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00x44sw)
What humanities should teach

Alain de Botton with his topical reflections. In the first of a new series, Alain argues that teachers of humanities in universities have only themselves to blame for many of the swingeing cuts they're facing. He says they've failed to explain to the government - and the public at large - why what they do really matters. And he says humanities teaching must find a new relevance in today's cash-strapped Britain.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b01ghgtg)
Julian Simpson - Bad Memories

In 2004, a successful architect and his family mysteriously disappear from their home. Six years later five bodies are found in the cellar of their house. They are identified as Jonathan and Imogen Blake and their son, Matthew; Philip Gibson, who was on the missing person's register and a woman, identity unknown. Forensics determine that not only were they murdered, but the time of death was1926. Can audio files found with the bodies solve the mystery?

Cast:
Rachel Weir ..... Nicola Walker
Jim Marquez ..... Rupert Graves
Phillip Gibson ..... Steven Mackintosh
Jonathan Blake ..... Anthony Calf
Imogen Blake ..... Jana Carpenter
Matthew Blake ..... Oscar Richardson
Mary Marston ..... Imogen MCCurdy
Boy 1 ...... Ashley Cook
Boy 2 ...... Marcus Webb

Written and directed by Julian Simpson.

Recorded by Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton at Stanmer House in Brighton.
Sound design by David Chilton

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b00x3vcf)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00x7dsr)
Radio 4's daily evening news and current affairs programme bringing you global news and analysis with Robin Lustig.

David Chaytor, the former Labour MP, begins an 18-month jail sentence today for dishonestly claiming more than 22 thousand pounds in Parliamentary allowances - the first politician to be convicted in connection with the expenses scandal.

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the control orders that restrict the movement of terror suspects don't work in their current form - but what could replace them?

People of southern Sudan prepare for a referendum which everyone expects will deliver a resounding vote in favour of secession - before Sunday's crucial vote we hear voices from both the south and the north.

And after more than half a century of Fidel Castro's centrally regulated economy, Cuba is embarking on an economic experiment aiming to introduce a reform programme that some are likening to China's mixed economy - we report from Havana.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00x7f2c)
Snowdrops

Episode 5

By A.D. Miller. Masha and Katya take Nick to a borrowed dacha. The Russian dacha is a place of the imagination - but the girls have a business proposition for Nick.

Reader: Stephen Mangan
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00x3yjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00hcr5l)
Series 2

Barry Cryer

Marcus Brigstocke invites comedian Barry Cryer to try new experiences, including changing a nappy. From February 2009.