SATURDAY 02 JULY 2011

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b0124r5n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b0124qt5)
The House in France

Episode 5

Written by Gully Wells.

Abridged by Jane Marshall. It is 1969, the Summer of Love, and Gully is 19 and keen to shed her studious image before going up to Oxford. Then after another summer in France, with the strains of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin in her head, she meets up with an old friend, Martin Amis, and falls hopelessly in love.

Read by Rosalind Ayres

Produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0124r5q)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0124r5s)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0124r5v)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b0124r5x)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0124r7b)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b0124r7d)
"Tabloids destroyed my friend's life." Listener Gillian Maher talks about how press intrusion can ruin ordinary lives. With Eddie Mair. iPM@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b0124r5z)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b0124r61)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b0128fk5)
Hay Meadows

When we hear about the threat to some of our precious and important habitats, our minds often turn to the polar ice cap or the rainforests of the Amazon. But one of our most threatened natural environments is right here in the UK and that is the traditional upland hay meadow - fields packed with grasses and wild flowers, alive with bird song and the buzz of bees. Sadly these meadows have almost disappeared from our landscape. There are less than 4 square miles of this habitat left in the UK and around 40% of that is in the North Pennines. A lot of hard work is currently being undertaken to protect and preserve what we have left. For this week's Open Country Helen Mark travels across the north of England, meeting and chatting with some of the people who are working to preserve these precious habitats. Rebecca Barrett of the North Pennines AONB tells Helen about the work they are doing with farmers such as Karen Scott from Low Way Farm in Middleton-in-Teesdale to save the hay meadows. This work involves harvesting seed from a donor field to sow elsewhere in the hope that the hay meadows of the future will begin to grow. Vet, Neville Turner, shows Helen his former beat where he has travelled over a million miles in 30 years in his work , always accompanied by his trusty camera which captured a year in the life of an upland hay meadow. These photographs now accompany a touring play 'Sward! Story of A Meadow' and Helen catches up with the Blaize Theatre Company and its artistic director, Mike Bettison, in the Yorkshire village of Reeth as they prepare for their afternoon performance. And Helen meets hay meadow expert Professor John Rodwell, who tells Helen about his concern over the decline in our upland hay meadows.......after all, who needs a hay meadow museum?

Presenter: Helen Mark
Producer: Helen Chetwynd.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b0128fk7)
Farming Today This Week

Chicken is the UK's favourite meat and we consume three times the amount that we did 40 years ago - but some say this has been at the cost of a bird's welfare.

Charlotte Smith visits the Food Animal Initiative in Oxfordshire to hear about work to improve the welfare of chickens, whilst still keeping costs down. Anna Hill visits both intensive and free range chicken farms in Norfolk. And we hear about the new technology of a 'chicken harvester' to catch chickens, which the RSPCA says could improve welfare and be less stressful for the birds.

Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Emma Weatherill.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b0124r63)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b0128fk9)
With James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b0128fkc)
Clare Balding at Wimbledon with jazz legend Al Jarreau; poet Matt Harvey; a former Wimbledon ball-boy, and a man whose life was put on track by poet and musician Gil Scott Heron. There's a Soundsculpture of a dairy parlour and Inheritance Tracks from Blue Peter Editor Biddy Baxter.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b0128fkf)
Rites of Passage - Mexico

Sandi Toksvig looks at rites of passage with Anders Ryman who spent seven years photographing the ceremonies associated with key events in human life; birth, coming of age, marriage and death from Micronesia to Madagascar and Norway to Nepal. They are joined by author Sarah Murray who has travelled the world looking at rituals associated with death and Lucy Neville whose memoir of her time in Mexico includes her experiences of the Day of the Dead festival and the Saint of Death religious cult.

Producer: Harry Parker.


SAT 10:30 Taboo be Doo (b0128fkh)
Episode 2

When Terence Blacker started looking for new music to play in his duo with guitarist Derek Hewitson, he found many of the songs they wanted to play were likely to cause offence - to women, black people, gays, disabled people, foreigners - pretty much everybody really.

Terence started to wonder more and more about these songs and the questions they raised - were they written to offend? Has what offends us changed over time? What's politically incorrect now? Is a song, however offensive, ok if it's funny? And most important of all, can he and Derek get away with playing these songs in front of an audience?

Some of the songs Terence will be listening to - and playing - will have been specifically written to provoke outrage. More often, though, they will simply reflect the prevailing moods, prejudices, fears and hang-up of the times in which they were written.

Running through this programme is Terence and Derek's gig recorded at the Aldeburgh Literary Festival. How will the audience react to politically incorrect songs from the 1920s to the present day? Can they really play Frank Zappa's Jewish Princess without being run out of town?

And of course we get to hear all those politically incorrect songs from the past - and can judge for ourselves their ability to amuse, provoke, shock and delight.

Presenter: Terence Blacker is the author of numerous children's books and eight novels for adults as well as the acclaimed biography of his friend Willie Donaldson, You Cannot Live As I Have Lived and Not End Up Like This. He has written a twice weekly column for the Independent since 1998 and is a regular broadcaster. Terence is also one half of the acoustic guitar duo Something Happened.

Producer: Jane Greenwood
A Loftus Audio production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b0128fkk)
Jackie Ashley of The Guardian looks behind the scenes at Westminster.

Number 10 said this week's strike by teachers and civil servants was a flop, But not everyone thought so. Here, two former teachers, the Labour MP Nicholas Dakin and the Lib Dem Phil - now Lord - Willis weigh the issues as public sector workers resist plans to cut their pensions.

Ed Miliband was condemned by some union leaders for saying industrial action was wrong. Strikes always seem to put a Labour leader on the spot - as the former industrial correspondent Nick Jones reflects here with former TUC insider, Adam Lent.

The Big Society is being investigated by a committee of MPs. They took evidence this week from the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, and the Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, Andrew Copson. How important are the Churches to David Cameron's big idea?

Finally, the Tory MP Mark Pritchard reveals the response to his defiant speech in the Commons last week calling for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

The editor was Peter Mulligan.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b0128fkm)
The Greek austerity bill may have been passed by the Athens parliament, but Justin Rowlatt's wondering if anyone expects it to be fully implemented. It may be one of the most polluted cities in the world but Delhi, as Anu Anand has been finding out, is home to an astonishing collection of bird life. The Libyan Mediterranean city of Misrata is still coming under rocket fire from troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, but Andrew Harding's been seeing that families still enjoy an afternoon at the beach there. Thaksin Shinawatra may be living in self-imposed exile in Dubai but Rachel Harvey, who's been there to meet the former Thai prime minister, says he's still dominating discussion about the upcoming Thai election. And is the Amazon a resource to be exploited or one simply to be protected - some of the questions Robin Lustig's had in mind during his travels in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b0128fkp)
This week, the selling of the personal details of motor accident victims hit the headlines. It is a practice Money Box investigated in February, uncovering the merry-go-round of fees that have turned even a minor car accident into a lucrative commodity for a whole procession of firms trying to make money out of it. From the breakdown truck that tows your car to the personal injury lawyers that try to involve you in the £2 billion a year whiplash business the fees that change hand at every stage have been blamed for the 33% rise in car insurance premiums last year. Paul Lewis interviews Steve Hardy, head of personal lines at Axa, about the insurer's decision to stop taking referral fees from personal injury lawyers ; and he interviews Andrew Wigmore of the Claims Standards Council, about the hunt for nuisance text messagers who claim you could be due compensation for an accident you have had - even when you haven't had one.

Meanwhile, Tesco Bank has announced that two-thirds of customers who were locked out of their accounts throughout last week have now logged back in online. It said on Thursday that 1,650 of the 2,500 who were excluded owing to technical issues are now back in the system. But, almost two weeks on, Money Box continues to receive emails from frustrated customers who haven't resolved their access problems. The programme investigates what is behind the technical problems.

Also this week, more information about how the new financial services watchdog will work has been announced. The industry faces "tougher and bolder" regulation, under plans for the forthcoming Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). One of the successors to the Financial Services Authority (FSA), it will come into being by the end of 2012.The FCA will oversee the way 27,000 firms, including banks, do business with customers and with each other. It aims to prevent any more of the mis-selling that cost customers billions of pounds in the past two decades. Paul Lewis interviews Hector Sants, chief executive officer of the FSA, about his vision for the new protection body.

Also in the programme, Money Box hears just how a student's eight pence overdraft attracted more than £200 in charges. And, a listener asks, "Any news on where Habitat gift cards are being accepted, and for how long?" Money Box has the answer.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Producer: Ruth Alexander.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b0124qty)
Series 34

Episode 4

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by Mitch Benn, Susan Calman, Laura Shavin, Boothby Graffoe and Nik Pynn, to present a mix of topical stand-up, sketches and comedy songs.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b0124r65)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b0124r67)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b0124r4h)
Your chance to have your say. Call Jonathan Dimbleby on 03700 100 444 or email us at any.answers@bbc.co.uk about Iain Duncan Smith's call for firms to employ Brits before foreigners; public versus private pensions; the Liberal Democrats' role in the Coalition and bailing out Greece. Respond to last night's panel from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire: musician Billy Bragg, businesswoman Deborah Meaden, Work and Pensions minister, Steve Webb and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b0128fkr)
Listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b0128fkt)
White Nights

By Ann Cleeves.

Dramatised for radio by Iain Finlay MacLeod.

Atmospheric crime drama set in Shetland at midsummer - the time of white nights, when the sun never quite leaves the sky and birds sing at midnight.

The launch of Bella Sinclair's art exhibition, at the Herring House Gallery in the remote hamlet of Biddista, is ruined by the appearance of a distressed stranger, claiming amnesia. The man is later found hanged but local detective Jimmy Perez has a hunch that it's murder not suicide.

When the dead stranger is finally identified, strands of clues point towards a dark secret held deep within the collective memory of the community, one which has brought death to the present.

Cast:

D.I. Jimmy Perez ..... Steven Robertson
Kenny ..... Finlay Welsh
Edith ..... Anne Lacey
Bella ..... Eileen McCallum
Fran ..... Tracy Wiles
D.I. Roy Taylor ..... Robin Laing
Peter ..... Steven McNicoll
Roddy ..... Finn den Hertog

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.


SAT 15:30 The Politics of Dancing: How Disco Changed the World (b0124284)
Disco is one of the most maligned and misunderstood of musical genres, thought to be musically vapid, hedonistic and frivolous. Far from it. Disco was utopian and subversive, and political to its core. Born in New York's deepest underground, it brought together strands of gay liberation and post Civil-Rights racial integration. Disco put into practice what the Sixties preached. This feature uncovers the politics of the disco movement, beginning in the lofts of New York and culminating in a racially charged backlash and the mass burning of disco records in football stadiums across America.

Presented by Martha Reeves, with contributions from Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Frankie Knuckles, Jocelyn Brown, Nicky Siano and Vince Aletti.

Producer: Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b0128fqj)
The stigma of being ginger? Sexual grooming of children

Highlights from the Woman's Hour week. Presented by Jane Garvey. First national report into the problem of the sexual grooming of children, the stigma of being ginger? The story of one woman's experience of pancreatic cancer. The latest treatments to deal with problem snoring, the dishwasher: has it revolutionised the life of women, New Domestic Violence Orders to combat abuse and music from Avery Sunshine.


SAT 17:00 PM (b0128fql)
With Ritula Shah. A fresh perspective on the day's news with sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b0124pxl)
The Future of the Web

The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.

This week Evan's panel of business leaders hail from the worlds of social networking and retail. He challenges them to cast their minds forward and imagine how the Web will look by the year 2020. What will have changed? Will bricks and mortar matter any more, or will everything be in the cloud? They also consider the value of storytelling in business. So many brands these days seem to have a story to tell - but what business benefit really is there in a good yarn?

Evan is joined in the studio by Michael Birch, internet entrepreneur and founder of social networking website Bebo; Laura Tenison, founder and managing director of maternity and babywear retailer Jo-Jo Maman Bébé; Justin King, chief executive of supermarket chain Sainsbury's.

Producer: Ben Crighton.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b0124r69)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b0124r6c)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0124r6f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b0128fqq)
Clive Anderson and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

Rita Rudner joins Clive as she returns to the London stage for the first time in fifteen years with her one-woman show 'Rita Rudner Live in London. Rita is Las Vegas's most successful female comedian, with the longest running solo show in history with over one million tickets sold.

Designer and co-founder of the Red or Dead fashion label Wayne Hemingway talks about his Vintage Festival, celebrating seven decades of British cool with live music from Sandie Shaw, Percy Sledge and Robin Gibb. With DJ sets from Norman Jay and Craig Charles. And it's all indoors with proper toilets!

Michelle Ryan is best known for playing Zoe Slater in Eastenders but she has also appeared in Dr Who, Merlin and was The Bionic Woman. She stars in Ben Miller's directorial debut feature film Huge with Noel Clarke and Johnny Harris as a double act trying to make it big in the comedy world.

Listen Against and The Now Show's Jon Holmes talks to the comedian Dave Gorman. His past projects have involved a worldwide search to find other Dave Gorman, an obsession with Googlewhacks and a road trip to find non-corporate America. His latest book 'Dave Gorman Vs The Rest of the World, sees him challenge people all over the UK to a variety of games of their choice, from cards, darts, scrabble and Monopoly to Khet, Kubb, Tikal and Smite. And in August he returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in eight years with his new show, Dave Gorman's Powerpoint Presentation.

Born on a hippie commune in Ontario then raised in another in Virginia, USA, singer-songwriter Devon Sproule returns to the Loose Ends studio. With a full band behind her, she performs the title track from her latest album 'I Love You, Go Easy'.

And the soundtrack of summer comes folky Vetiver from San Francisco. They play 'Wonder Why' from their album The Errant Charm.

Producer: Cathie Mahoney.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b0128fqs)
Christine Lagarde

The IMF elects the French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde as its new Managing Director. Front-runner Ms Lagarde, who's used to breaking glass ceilings in the world of politics and economics, becomes the first female head of this international financial institution. A yoga and exercise enthusiast - she once represented France in synchronised swimming - she wears Chanel and treasures the simple pleasures of her rural retreat in Normandy. A healthy contrast perhaps to the challenges facing the International Monetary Fund in Europe as Greece struggles to manage its political crisis and the threat of default. Adrian Goldberg reports.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b0128fqv)
Sarfraz Manzoor and his guests writer Bidisha, actor Kerry Shale and theatre writer David Benedict review the cultural highlights of the week including Richard III at the Old Vic.

The last time Sam Mendes directed Kevin Spacey was in the 1999 film American Beauty and they both won Oscars. Now the pair are reunited at the Old Vic in London for Mendes' production of Richard III with Spacey playing the power-crazed Plantagenet.

The action in Aatish Taseer's novel Noon takes place over two decades - from the mid 80s to the present day - and focuses on Rehan Tabassum as he travels from the West back to India and Pakistan, trying to reconcile himself with his long absent father and struggling to come to terms with his ambivalent feelings for his homeland.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's film A Separation is set in present-day Tehran. It tells the story of a couple - Simin and Nader - whose marriage runs into trouble when they can't agree on whether or not to leave the country with their 11 year old daughter and Nader's senile father. The film has picked up a succession of awards including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

The BBC1 drama Stolen - written by Stephen Butchard and directed by Justin Chadwick - stars Damian Lewis as a police officer working in the Human Trafficking Unit, investigating cases of children being trafficked into the country to be sold on and exploited.

Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century is an exhibition at the Royal Academy in London which demonstrates the extraordinary influence that a handful of photographers had when they left Hungary after the First World War and moved to Western Europe and the USA. More than 200 photographs showcase the trailblazing work of Brassai, Robert Capra, Andre Kertesz, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Martin Munkacsi.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.


SAT 20:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (b0128fqx)
Series 3

Bob Geldof

The first programme in the new series of "Meeting Myself Coming Back", the series in which leading public figures explores their lives through the BBC Sound archive, features an intimate, revealing and emotional interview with Sir Bob Geldof, in conversation with John Wilson.

When Bob Geldof exploded onto the pop scene with "The Boomtown Rats" in the 1970s, he quickly forged a reputation for being outspoken. This trait would stand him in good stead when he used his skill as an organiser and negotiator to persuade fellow musicians to sing for famine relief in Africa, first on the Band-Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and then for the subsequent Live Aid concert. It was to be the start of campaigning work which has lasted to the present day and brought him a knighthood, meetings with the world's leaders and recognition upon a global stage.

In the first programme of the new series of "Meeting Myself Coming Back", Bob Geldof meets his younger self in the BBC archives in an experience which provokes both laughter and tears. At one point he becomes overwhelmed by reliving his first experience of being in Ethiopia and seeing the consequences of the famine for himself.

He hears his own career progression from opinonated rock star through to Live Aid organiser and world anti-poverty ambassador.

And he relives his reactions to personal tragedies like the death of his former wife, Paula Yates.

Revised Repeat.

Producer: Emma Kingsley.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b0122r2m)
LP Hartley - The Hireling

Episode 2

In this 1957 thriller by the author of The Go-Between, L.P.Hartley, ex-Sergeant Stephen Leadbitter, raised from an unhappy working class childhood between the wars, is on a peacetime mission to business success as a chauffeur and car for hire. He uniformly despises his clients, especially the ladies, until the young, widowed, naive and immensely rich Lady Franklin hires him to take her on trips to cathedrals which she had visited with her late husband.

Lady Franklin has been in mourning for her late husband - a man considerably older than her and an invalid - for two years, and is finding it impossible to return to normal life. In the confines of the car, and in search of a cure for her depression, she shares her burden with him. He obliges with a story of his own, a fiction, which grows, monster-like, to plague the inventor. Two alien classes are put on a collision course, causing salvation or destruction to all involved, from the epicentre of an unexpected burst of love.

Simon Day (The Simon Day Show (R4), The Fast Show) stars as the lonely damaged anti-hero and Lisa Dillon (Cranford, Bright Young Things) as the hugely rich and very young widow who is the unwitting cause of his downfall. Kenneth Cranham narrates.

Dramatised by Judith Adams from the novel by L.P.Hartley.

Cast:
Narrator ...... Kenneth Cranham
Steve Leadbitter ..... Simon Day
Lady Franklin ..... Lisa Dillon
Hughie ..... Joseph Millson
Constance ..... Ursula Burton
Clarice ..... Nicola Duffett
Simmonds ..... Anthony Gleave
Bert Standing ..... Kevin James
Landlady ..... Jane Purcell
Porter ..... Andrew Cullimore

Producer/Director: Chris Wallis
An Autolycus production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b0124r6h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 The Reith Lectures (b012402s)
Securing Freedom: 2011

Aung San Suu Kyi: Liberty

The Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, explores what freedom means in the first of the 2011 Reith Lecture series, 'Securing Freedom'.

Reflecting on her own experience under house arrest in Burma, she explores the universal human aspiration to be free and the spirit which drives people to dissent. She also comments on the Arab Spring, comparing the event that triggered last December's revolution in Tunisia with the death of a student during a protest in Burma in 1988.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (b0122tgg)
Series 25

Episode 13

(13/13)
The 25th anniversary series of the evergreen music quiz reaches its grand Final, with Paul Gambaccini in the questionmaster's chair.

The winners of the three semi-finals gather in the BBC Radio Theatre for the tense climax of the series. One of them will take away a handsome silver trophy and join the roll of honour as the 25th Radio 4 Counterpoint champion. To achieve it, they'll have to show knowledge of the widest possible range of music, from the classical repertoire to light music, show tunes, film themes, jazz, rock and pop.

As always, Paul will have plenty of musical extracts on hand, some familiar and some surprising.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b0122rkl)
Roger McGough presents listeners' poetry requests.



SUNDAY 03 JULY 2011

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b0128gp8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b00n9k19)
Lyrical Ballads

The Nightingale and the Lucy Poems

A selection of poems from Wordsworth and Coleridge's 1798 collaboration which marked the beginning of the English Romantic poetry movement.

The Nightingale, Coleridge's 'conversation poem' in which he disputes the traditional association of the nightingale with melancholy. And Wordsworth's series of elegiac poems about the narrator's love for the enigmatic Lucy. Recorded on location in the Quantock Hills, Somerset and in the Wye Valley, Monmouthshire.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge ...... Julius D'Silva
William Wordsworth ...... Mark Meadows

Adapted by Emma Harding.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0128gpb)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0128gpd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0128gpg)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b0128gpk)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b0128hrt)
The bells of All Saints Church, Harpole, Northamptonshire.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b0128fqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b0128gpn)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0128hrw)
Gardens

Mark Tully celebrates the healing power of gardens, and talks to Rev. Lizzie Hopthrow, Chaplain of the Pilgrims' Hospice in Canterbury, about how her hospice garden brings hope to patients and their families. With poetry from 14th century Persia, to contemporary writers Karl Capek and Diana Athill, and music by de Falla, June Tabor and Stevie Wonder.

Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Audio production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b0128hry)
The price of British wool is at a 25 year high making shearing a sheep profitable for the first time in years. 70% of that wool gets exported, mainly to China, for use in carpets and rugs. A sheep's fleece is now being sold to the Wool Marketing Board at around £2.50 each - double what it was last year.

Shearing day is the most frenetic time on a sheep farm. Sarah Swadling joins in at Lower Hunescote Farm in Warwickshire, and learns how to shear a sheep. Three local farmers are doing the shearing - each year they gather the fleeces of around 10,000 ewes.

Presented by Sarah Swadling. Produced by Emma Weatherill.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b0128gpq)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b0128gps)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b0128hs0)
The first of the blockade-busting flotilla of boats bound for Gaza has set off; there are fears of a repeat of the violence last year which led to the death of nine protesters. The BBC's Yolande Knell describes the mood in Jerusalem.

Two weeks ago, we joined Symon Hill as he set off on a walk of repentance from Birmingham to London. Symon finishes his walk this weekend and he will tell William about his journey.

Files have revealed that a Christian socialist group, which had the future Archbishop of Canterbury as one of its members, was being watched by MI5 and was called 'the most subversive group in the Church'. William finds out more about it with two of the group's former members.

The race for the Republican Presidential nomination is hotting up, and the religion of the two front runners is playing a big factor. William speaks to US political analyst Mark Pinsky and author Tricia Erickson.

What effect has one posting on YouTube of a female had on the role of women in the strict kingdom of Saudi Arabia? We'll hear from women's rights activist Hala Al Dosari.

This week the Pope ventured into cyberspace, tweeting from the Vatican. We will hear William's visit to the Vatican's Observatory at Castel Gandolfo just outside Rome, the Catholic Church's own link to outer space.

The Department of Health wants women who are considering an abortion to have the choice of independent counselling. Trevor Barnes explores what this will mean for pro choice and pro life groups.

And a pavilion in a field in north Wales will be transformed into Noah's Ark for one night this week, as 200 schoolchildren, dancers and an orchestra take to the stage in a community production of Benjamin Britten's opera, Noye's Fludde.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b0128hs2)
Village Aid

A Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Village Aid.

Donations to Village Aid should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope Village Aid. 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 Village Aid 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: 1067322.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b0128gpv)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b0128gpx)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b0128hs4)
The Art of Worship

The Revd Nicholas Holtam and the Revd Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts at King's College London, reflect on paintings in the National Gallery inspired by scripture. They alert us to the details that reveal the depth of association and the reverberations within the canvas that give fresh insight into the perennial themes which are part of any human life journey. With the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields directed by Andrew Earis and accompanied by Martin Ford. Producer: Stephen Shipley.


SUN 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
Series 2

Elsa

David Attenborough recalls how, whilst en route to Madagascar, his BBC bosses asked him to break his journey in Kenya to visit the Adamsons.

Joy and George Adamson were famous for hand rearing a Lioness whom they named Elsa. She was the central character in the book written by the couple "Born Free".

Sir David cleverly takes us from the romanticism of Born Free and being close to habituated lions, to the harsh reality of befriending a big cat.

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b0128hs6)
We hear calls to remove passports from errant fathers from the Labour MP and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Dame Anne Begg.

Ahead of a new report into long-term care, Britain should grow up about growing old. So says Katherine Whitehorn on ageing.

Hugh Sykes visits a bookshop in Kabul for opinions on war and peace.

On the day of the Mens' Finals we've a tennis test for you. Can the sound of the shot tell you its success in advance?

And with the papers, Ian Anderson who played the flute in Jethro Tull, Rebecca Front who played a minister on TV, and Michael Portillo who was the real thing.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b0128hs8)
For detailed synopsis, see daily episodes

Written by: Joanna Toye
Directed by: Kim Greengrass
Editor: Vanessa Whitburn

Kenton Archer ..... Richard Attlee
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Pip Archer ..... Helen Monks
Elizabeth Archer ..... Alison Dowling
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Kate Madikane ..... Kellie Bright
Jolene Perks ..... Buffy Davis
Fallon Rogers ..... Joanna Van Kampen
Kathy Perks ..... Hedli Niklaus
Jamie Perks ..... Dan Ciotkowski
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ..... Rosalind Adams
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Edward Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Vicky Tucker ..... Rachel Atkins
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Hayley Tucker ..... Lorraine Coady
Oliver Sterling ..... Michael Cochrane
Caroline Sterling ..... Sara Coward
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Usha Franks ..... Souad Faress
Harry Mason ..... Michael Shelford
Rhys Williams ..... Scott Arthur
Zofia ..... Izabella Urbanowicz
Spencer Wilkes ..... Jonny Venkman
Police Officer ..... Alun Raglan.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b0128hsb)
Tony Robinson

Kirsty Young's castaway is the actor and broadcaster Tony Robinson.

His Baldrick to Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder turned idiocy into an art form and the series went on to become one of our best-loved comedies. The role changed his life but, he says, when he first saw the script he didn't think much of it: "It was only about eight lines of dialogue and none of them were funny - but it was with these incredible people. On the one hand, I thought what a lousy part and on the other hand I thought, I'd love to work with these people".

Record: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band
Book: Middlemarch - George Eliot
Luxury: A luxury bed and mattress.

Producer: Leanne Buckle.


SUN 12:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b0124sc5)
Series 55

Episode 1

The 55th 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 in front of an audience of 2,500 at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by special guest Marcus Brigstocke, 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.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b0128hsd)
Food in the Scottish Borders

Ben Weatherall farms rare Blackface sheep and Galloway cattle on his remote hill farm near Dumfries, and aims to rear his animals with as little input as possible. He's one of a number of people working to keep food traditions alive in the Scottish Borders.

Following the River Nith downhill, as the animals will be doing later in the year, Sheila Dillon also meets Jim Henderson who has overseen the transformation of this stretch of the river. Formerly polluted and with low fish stocks it is now clean and stocks are thriving. Jim also plays a key part in the ongoing battle with poachers.

Ben's brother's farm is home to a rare herd of pedigree indigenous Ayrshire cattle. They're well known for their incredible cream and milk - but the raw (unpasteurised) milk is not allowed to be sold under Scottish law.

Robbie Cowan, Tom Brown and Ronnie Clark practice the ancient Norse fishing technique known as Haaf Netting, a practice in harmony with fish stocks. They believe the survival of this method to be essential to preserving local heritage, yet it's not possible to make a living from it now as fish numbers are down.

Producer: Rich Ward.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b0128gpz)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b0128hsg)
Shaun Ley presents the latest national and international news, with an in-depth look at events around the world. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.


SUN 13:30 It's My Story (b0128hsj)
Letting Go of James

"I've driven home from work in tears many times recently, because I just don't want to let go", says Jane, James mother at the start of Letting Go of James. But the truth is that the family isn't coping with him living at home. He is 16, severely autistic, does not speak and can attack other members of the family.

He has been offered a place in full time residential care, and the family is now going through the process of transition. James three brothers take part in several visits to the school and Charles, James' father, comments on the irony that the family is spending more times with James just as they are about to say goodbye.

Before the final goodbye they have a last family holiday, which despite some magical moments, underlies the fact that James needs to go.

On the final evening tensions are running higher than normal as his parents prepare James for bed, but there is a real moment of revelation when they all do finally say goodbye, as the youngest sibling touches James for the first time, and with time the boys begin to experience a new side of James.

The process of adjusting continues for the family who do not say that they are 'happier'. They all miss James more than expected, although they can enjoy doing more together, relax a bit more and are relieved it has happened.

James has a number of successful visits home - although just where home is becomes a heartbreaking issue in the programme.

At Christmas he pulls his first ever cracker, but New Year leads Jane to reflect on her ongoing fears for her son. The initial honeymoon period does pass and Jane and Charles admit there are no fairytale endings. Letting Go of James ends with the recognition - from the whole family - that life will never be easy for James and that there will always be difficult choices.

Producers: Anna Scott-Brown & Adam Fowler
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b0124qtp)
Plympton St Maurice

Eric Robson leads a horticultural discussion in this small village in Plymton, Devon. A fly-on-the-wall report from Plympton St Maurice's unique Open Garden Day. Anne Swithinbank visits a community nut forest in Totnes.

Produced by Howard Shannon.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 Mabey in the Wild (b0128jbv)
Series 1

Wild Daffodils

Wordsworth wrote his famous poem about them and they were once so plentiful that a special train service was employed to distribute them around the country...the wild daffodil is Richard Mabey's first choice of plant in his new series 'Mabey in the Wild'.

From an ancient wood in Suffolk where the wild daffodil grows in profusion, Richard tells the story of this plant - its natural history and the important part it still plays in the life of the villages of the 'Golden Triangle' in Gloucestershire where once the Daffodil Express came to collect thousands of bunches of the flower.

Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio.


SUN 15:00 Saturday Drama (b00k2mfh)
JM Barrie - The Admirable Crichton

Russell Tovey stars in JM Barrie's classic satire about the changing fortunes of Crichton, the perfect butler.

Liberal aristocrat Lord Loam favours a return to nature, with masters and servants living together as equals, but Crichton is the perfect butler and the perfect snob who adores the intricacies of the class system. He cannot help but be horrified by his master's opinions, and it will take a sea change to alter them.

Crichton ...... Russell Tovey
JM Barrie ...... David Bannerman
Lady Mary ...... Beth Chalmers
Lord Loam ...... David Timson
Lady Agatha ...... Martha Howe-Douglas
Ernest Woolley ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Tweeny ...... Lizzy Watts
Rev John Treherne ...... Adrian Grove
Lord Brocklehurst ...... Stephen Hogan
Lady Brocklehurst ...... Tina Gray

Abridged and directed by Fiona Kelcher.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2009


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (b0128jbx)
William Fiennes - The Music Room

James Naughtie and readers talk to William Fiennes about his memoir The Music Room.

The book is his account of growing up in a castle with an epileptic brother. It's an honest yet discrete story of a fascinating family and how they deal with the eldest brother's struggle with epilepsy. In his upbeat moments, Richard brims with tenderness and high spirits, and at his worst he is threatening and even violent.

Richard dies of a seizure at forty-one; his life defined by damage done to his brain by his epilepsy. The book is potted with medical histories of epilepsy alongside anecdotes about the film crews, country fairs and conventions that dominated daily life for Fiennes' family in the castle. Twelve thousand visitors passed through the castle every year - giving, he says, new meaning to the phrase 'tidy your room.
But the book is also a testament of a family's love for their ill and sometimes difficult son.

William talks about his family story and the result is an unforgettable picture of the disordered world that he experiences through his brother, set in an ancient house where the music room of the title is the place where he sought refuge and enjoyed playing as a child.

August's Bookclub choice : 'Death at La Fenice' by Donna Leon.

Producer : Dymphna Flynn.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b0128jp5)
Roger McGough with another selection of listeners' requests. Subjects this week include sleeplessness and famous quotations taken from poems. With specially recorded readings by contemporary poets Colette Bryce and Imtiaz Dharker.

Producer Christine Hall.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b01247gy)
Elderly Care

Over the last month Britain's biggest provider of care homes for the elderly, Southern Cross, has been beset by financial woes. But across the country an even deeper crisis is unfolding as local authorities implement massive budget cuts.

This week File on 4 investigates how cutbacks are leaving elderly people with insufficient care, and councils with a major financial headache.

The programme also hears from small care home providers who say they are being forced out of business because the fees local authorities now pay them are too low.

And with the report from a Government commission due in a few days, the programme asks whether the gap in funding for the care of elderly people can be closed..

Reporter: Fran Abrams
Producer: Gail Champion.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b0128fqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b0128gq1)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b0128gq3)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0128gq5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b0128jp7)
Liz Barclay makes her selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio

You'll be singing along with Pick of the Week this week - and reminiscing about your first InterRail adventure - just how did you end up in staying in that red light district? Mum's the word when it comes to dangerous secret missions, David Attenborough's eye to eye with a large ginger cat, and Glasgow residents wax lyrical about their favourite famous painting. Plus the politics of disco and the legacy of the Festival of Britain - join Liz Barclay for Pick of the Week

The Dali Christ - Radio 4 - Reading by Simon Tait
The Politics of Dancing - How Disco Changed The World - Radio 4
Meeting Myself Coming Back - Radio 4
Does Happiness Write White? - Radio 4
Half-Blood Blues - Radio 4
David Attenborough's Life Stories - Radio 4
All About Suffolk - Radio Suffolk
The Essay - Radio 3
An Interior Life - Radio 4
It's My Story - Radio 4
The Battle for Byker - Radio 4
Don't Make Fun of the Festival - Radio 3
Outlook - World Service
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - Radio 4
Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Cecile Wright.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b0128jp9)
As Pip prepares the lambs for the show, she tries to talk to David about the farm but he's not receptive. She tells Spencer how she wants to make the business work more efficiently. Spencer reminds Pip that once she gets to university she'll want to keep her options open.

Pip sees Jamie, and wants to make sure he's ok. Jamie wants to know how Steve is but Spencer hasn't seen him much. It seems that Steve is hiding away in his room hoping for the situation to disappear. Spencer's not happy with how Steve's behaviour is affecting his parents. His parents can't help feeling responsible that their son got into this sort of trouble.

Jamie's concerned about giving evidence in court on Friday, especially after talking to a very angry Marty. Kathy reassures him he's done the right thing. Natalie says the same.

As they enjoy the sunshine, Jamie reminisces about his dad and tells Natalie he wants to make his dad proud of him. Natalie urges Jamie to come to sixth form with her. Once the court business blows over he can move forward with his life.


SUN 19:15 Americana (b0128jpc)
America looks to the universes beyond earth to solve the mysteries of a mysterious nation. This week Americana examines how the fascination with outer space shapes the goals of the USA.

Americana talks to George Takei about "Star Trek". The show began broadcasting on TV when space travel was science fiction but the characters Mr Sulu, Captain Kirk and Spock helped guide the nation in its real aspirations into the unknown.


SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b00nqbl5)
The Diaries of Edith Appleton

Episode 2

Series of readings featuring extracts from the diaries of Edith Appleton, a nurse working close to the front line during the First World War.

It is 1915 and Edie has been moved to a hospital in Etretat on the Normandy coast, where she must supervise members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. These are well-meaning but relatively untrained girls and, at times, Edie finds their presence somewhat trying.

Read by Rachel Atkins

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b0124qtm)
The BBC complaints system needs an overhaul says an influential House of Lords Committee. Frustrated listeners agree.

Roger visits the BBC Weather Centre to find out where north ends and south begins and to find out what a "sandwich of weather" is. Should forecasts substitute detail for metaphor?

Hundreds of listeners have contributed to PM's Privacy Commission which is drawing a line between public interest and personal intrusion. Roger interviews the programme editor to find out how useful listener comments have been and to see what happens to all the information that's been gathered.

Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b0124qtr)
Arthur Goldreich, Peter Falk, Terry Marsland and Mario Cassandro

John Wilson on:

Arthur Goldreich, who sheltered and taught the young Nelson Mandela and led the armed wing of the ANC in the fight against South African apartheid.

Crime writer Mark Billingham pays tribute to actor Peter Falk who created shambolic television detective Columbo.

We hear about union activist - and feminist campaigner - Terry Marsland.

And restaurateur Mario Cassandro - who helped introduce Italian cuisine to 1950s Britain - is remembered by chef Antonio Carluccio.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b0128fkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b0128hs2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (b0123x03)
Is America Doomed?

Justin Webb, the BBC's former North America Editor, regards the United States with affection and respect. But he is worried that America is in denial about the extent of its financial problems and therefore incapable of dealing with the gravest crisis the country has ever faced.

A decade of tax cuts and increased public spending took the United States from an era of budget surpluses to one of growing deficits. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that federal debt could reach 90 per cent of GDP within a decade. The nation's partisan political culture, argue some, means its leaders are incapable of taking the necessary action to avert financial disaster and a loss of international influence.

Justin Webb examines the consequences of failing to deal with the growing debt and looks for any signs that the United States might start to tackle its problems before it is too late.

Interviewees include Diane Coyle, David Frum, Richard Haass, Jeffrey Sachs and Anne Applebaum.

Producer: Bill Law.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b0128jpf)
Carolyn Quinn talks to the Chief Political Commentator of the New Statesman, Rafael Behr, about the week ahead at Westminster. They discuss the Dilnot report into long term care, the report by Labour MP Graham Allen into intervening in the lives of socially deprived children and the plan by Labour leader Ed Miliband to scrap elections to the Shadow Cabinet.

The Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George comments on the proposals likely to be made by the Dilnot commission into care. He also explains his party's attitude to the reforms of Housing Benefit and responds to concerns about the Liberal Democrat performance in the Inverclyde by election.

The Conservative MP Matthew Hancock and the Labour MP Liz Kendall debate the big political stories including long term care, Housing Benefit, Prime Minister's Questions and reforms to public sector pensions.

Political commentator James Macintyre discusses his biography of the Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Programme Editor: Terry Dignan.


SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b0128jph)
Episode 59

Iain Martin of The Daily Mail analyses how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b0124qtt)
Francine Stock meets with Tom Hanks to discuss his new comedy Larry Crowne, and reveals why smoking marijuana and watching pornography doesn't necessarily make a character irredeemable.

Asghar Farhadi's A Separation was the first Iranian film to win the Golden Bear award at the Berlin film festival earlier in the year. As it gets its UK release, critic Karen Zarindast discusses this tale of a troubled marriage.

Director Bob Rafelson looks back at his celebrated feature from 1970, Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson.

They were the first country to send a man into space but did Russia also win the cinematic space-race? Film historian Ian Christie discusses a glut of Russian-made films inspired by the cosmos.

Producer: Craig Smith.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b0128hrw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 04 JULY 2011

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b0128gqt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b0124nty)
Chavs - Ageing Goths

Have the working class in modern Britain become objects of fear, scorn and ridicule? That's the claim of Owen Jones who joins Laurie and Imogen Tyler on today's Thinking Allowed. He claims that the media and politicians alike dismiss as feckless, criminal and ignorant a vast, underprivileged section of society whose members have become stereotyped by one, disgust-filled word - 'chavs'. If this is true, then how has the reality of the working-class majority become regularly served up as a feral rump for our contempt and amusement?
Also, what happens to Goths when they get old? Laurie talks to Paul Hodkinson about his study of members of that youth cult which used to be called Gothic Punk. How have they adapted their love of black clothes, multiple piercings, make up and androgyny to mortgages, children and the rites of passage incumbent upon middle age?
Producer: Charlie Taylor.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b0128hrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0128gqw)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0128gqy)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0128gr0)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b0128gr2)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0128l6r)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b0128l6t)
Charlotte Smith looks at new country of origin labelling. Compassion in World Farming warn animals could still be born in Britain and raised abroad, but receive a UK stamp. MEPs will vote this week on whether to make it illegal not to add country of origin on fresh pork, lamb and poultry.

There are around 125 thousand hectares dedicated to vegetable growing in the UK, valued at more than a billion pounds. As the main vegetable harvest gets underway this month Farming Today hears concerns the drought will affect onions and potato yields.

Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock.


MON 05:57 Weather (b0128gr4)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b0128l6w)
Morning news and current affairs with James Naughtie and Evan Davis, including:
07:50 What does Britain owe to Ronald Reagan?
08:10 How should England pay for elderly care?
08:30 Acpo president Sir Hugh Orde's warning on police service reform.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b0128l6y)
Andrew Marr talks to the science fiction writer China Mieville, whose latest planetary creation explores the links between language and thought, and asks what it means to have no concept of lying. AN Wilson explores a world closer to home, but no less alien, medieval Florence, as he tries to uncover the life and work of Dante. Jonathan Bates' play, Being Shakespeare also attempts to bring to life the work of the Bard and the real man behind the legend, by placing him in his historical context. And the prize-winning poet Jo Shapcott argues for the transformative nature of poetry.
Producer: Katy Hickman.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b012cyhs)
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde

Episode 1

Written by Franny Moyle.

Constance was a shy child with a bullying mother. After the death of her father she escapes to live with her grandfather and blossoms into a confident, outgoing young woman.

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably.
Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.

But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name, she lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle's biography tells Constance's story with a fresh eye and new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

Reader: Rachel Atkins
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0128l72)
Presents for teachers, Social Care, Cook the Perfect Risotto

Presented by Jane Garvey. An overhaul is expected to be recommended in how the care of older people and adults who need support in England is paid for when a report is published later today. With women expected to live longer, what will it mean for them and for those who make up the majority of carers? As part of our Cook the Perfect season, Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett shows Jane how to get the flavour and texture of a risotto just right, and adds a twist by using red wine and chorizo. An apple for teacher? End of year gifts have become an annual ritual and today are more likely to range from expensive vouchers to a bottle of champagne. We hear what teachers think of them and discuss the playground politics of deciding to opt out. As an organist Dame Gillian Weir ranks as one of the finest performers in the world. Through her performances with leading orchestras and conductors, she has succeeded in transforming the image of the organist. Hear her in conversation and listen to her stirring music.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0128qtd)
Cath Staincliffe - Blood in the Mountains

Episode 1

4 Extra Debut. Probate researchers Dan and Rachel scour their family line for their true heir to get a slice of the fortune. Stars William Ash.


MON 11:00 Down and Out in the City of Angels (b0128lmt)
Rob Campbell used to be in charge of a top secret computer system for the US military; he now camps down for the night in a doorway, his hair matted, his fingernails grimy, alert for trouble from cops. Corporal Hernadez left the US Infantry in 2006, and considers himself pretty sorted out; but he still gets jumpy hearing fireworks on the 4th of July.

It's Veteran's Day in California. It's a day to celebrate returning heroes, and in true Hollywood style, Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving the address. But Los Angeles, city of sunshine and movie stars, is also the homeless capital of America - estimates vary between 50 and 75 thousand - and returning US veterans from Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, make up a fifth of that number.

Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than any other demographic in the US, and to try and end the crisis, one year ago, President Obama gave a speech in which he not only promised to fight the problem, but end homelessness completely amongst veterans by 2015.

Can Obama succeed in his plan to avert a human crisis as a flood of newly discharged soldiers, carrying with them the trauma of war, re-enter an economy in recession?

Peter Bowes heads out to skid row - more than just a row, actually 50 square blocks of down town LA - to find out what the challenge will be, meeting the down and outs on skid row, a city within a city, to find out where things went wrong for America's heroes, and whether Obama has a hope of turning round America's hidden shame.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


MON 11:30 When the Dog Dies (b00sddnk)
Series 1

Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man

Sandy's daughter Ellie is an artist but he's never liked her work. The trouble is that she never sells anything - until Sandy buys a canvas anonymously. He instantly regrets doing such a thing - what if she finds out? He must go to any length to ensure that she doesn't, even admitting to a strange predilection involving nuns...

Ronnie Corbett reunites with the writers of his hit sitcom Sorry - Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent - for a new comedy for Radio 4 about Sandy Hopper, a granddad happily growing old along with his dog Henry and his lodger, Dolores (Liza Tarbuck).

Sandy ..... Ronnie Corbett
Ellie ..... Tilly Vosburgh
Mrs Pompom ..... Sally Grace
Lance ..... Philip Bird
Dolores ..... Liza Tarbuck
Estate Agent ..... Jon Glover

Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b0128lmw)
Peter White discusses new proposals for funding social care with economist Andrew Dilnot, head of the independent Commission. And we gauge reaction from Age UK and the insurance sector.
And as Habitat puts most of its stores into administration, we explore the health of British contemporary design.


MON 12:57 Weather (b0128gr6)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b0128lmy)
With Martha Kearney. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


MON 13:30 Quote... Unquote (b0128ln0)
The popular quotations quiz returns for a new series, hosted by Nigel Rees. This week the panellists are former BBC Chairman, Michael Grade, comedian Simon Munnery, poet Ian McMillan and psychiatrist Dr Sandra Scott.

The reader is Peter Jefferson.
Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b0128jp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b0128m45)
Ditched

Episode 1

After the dream-turned-nightmare of their wedding in 'Hitched' we revisit the bride and groom, Emma and Richard, two years after their big day. The couple have been living in America and have a young baby daughter, but the honeymoon is well and truly over and wedded bliss hasn't turned out to be, well, blissful.

With their relationship reaching crisis point, Emma returns from America with her young daughter to discover her life isn't the only one that has changed. Her troubled brother, Sam, has returned home and is living with their father, Max, while her mother, Ellie, has an unexpected new romance in her life.

But just what has happened between Emma and Richard, and what has Richard done to provoke Emma to return home alone?

When Richard in turn flies back to the UK, the stage is set for another unforgettable family encounter. As Richard's parents, the long-suffering Jenny and increasingly insufferable Barry, prepare to host a 'family summit' the in-laws are about to come face to face once again.

With sparks sure to fly at a family reunion no one wants to attend, Emma and Richard must finally decide what the future holds for their marriage.

Will it be Hitched or Ditched?

Doug Lucie's satirical sequel to 'Hitched' stars:

Max - Stephen Moore

Ellie - Frances Barber

Barry - David Schofield

Jenny - Cheryl Campbell

Richard - Harry Lloyd

Emma - Lydia Leonard

Peter - Adrian Lukis

Sam - Brendan Patricks

Joy - Alison Pettitt

Sheila - Lynn Farleigh.


MON 15:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (b0128fqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 The Making of Music (b007nf4j)
Series 1

The Reformation

James Naughtie discovers how history has shaped the development of classical music.Why should the Devil ahve all the best tunes? Luther changed religion and religious music forever. He harnessed secular songs for sacred purposes and introduced congregational singing.

Reader: Benedict Cumberbatch
Produced by Rosie Boulton, Sara Conkey, Lucy Lunt

BBC Birmingham.


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b0128hsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Infinite Monkey Cage (b0128mlk)
Series 4

Science vs The Supernatural: Does Science Kill the Magic?

Robin Ince and Brian Cox are joined on stage by actor and magician Andy Nyman, psychologist Richard Wiseman and neuroscientist Bruce Hood as they take on the paranormal. They'll be looking at some of the more popular claims of supernatural goings on, and asking whether a belief in ghosts, psychic abilities and other other-worldly phenomena, is just a bit of harmless fun, or whether there are more worrying implications in a belief in the paranormal.


MON 17:00 PM (b0128mlm)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0128gr8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b0128mlp)
Series 55

Episode 2

The 55th 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 Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are once again joined on the panel by Marcus Brigstocke, 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 (b0128mlr)
Clarrie's feeling better and tells Nic it was the barbecued sausages that made her ill. Clarrie thinks it's a shame that Emma and Ed are too busy to help George make a troll for the scarecrow competition.

Kirsty and Pat discuss the positive results of Patrick's bird survey. It's exciting to see the numbers increasing. As Kirsty goes off to find Tom, Pat warns her he may be snappy - he hasn't slept much due to his rowdy neighbours.

Clarrie and Susan chat away as they're labelling the ice-cream. Susan's been busy looking for an outfit for the Christening. They look forward to all the events ahead but agree it's strange that Caroline turned down being godmother to Keira considering she's been a great Godmother to William.

Nic tells Will about George wanting to be part of the scarecrow competition. Will gets angry that Emma and Ed are too busy. Nic suggests that they make the troll scarecrow that George wants. It'll be fun for all of them as well as for Mia and Jake.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b0128mlt)
Terrence Malick's film The Tree Of Life reviewed

With Kirsty Lang.

Terrence Malick's much-anticipated film The Tree Of Life won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival this year. It explores the origins and meaning of life while focussing on a Texan family in the 1950s, and stars Brad Pitt. Adrian Wootton reviews.

Writer Aatish Taseer discusses his latest novel, Noon, which is set across two decades and the two different cultures of India and Pakistan. The main character, Rehan, has been brought up without his father, which mirrors Taseer's own experience: he was estranged from his own father, Salman, who was assassinated in Islamabad earlier this year.

Composer Harvey Brough discusses the cancellation of Beached, a community opera he was working on with writer Lee Hall. Beached was commissioned by Opera North and was due to be performed in Bridlington, but a primary school has pulled out of the project following disagreements about the content of the show.

Northumbrian pipes virtuoso Kathryn Tickell has composed a new work for brass band, to be played by the Trimdon Concert Band in this year's Durham Miners' Gala. She tells Kirsty how the piece evokes memories of her pitman grandfather.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0128qtd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 The Private Lives of British Pakistanis (b0128mlw)
When former Home Secretary Jack Straw suggested some men of Pakistani origin tend to see white girls as "easy meat", he was accused of stereotyping. He spoke out after two Asian men who abused white girls in Derby were given long jail sentences and said there is a specific problem which involves Pakistani men who target white girls because Pakistani girls are off limits.

Presenter Adil Ray, himself a British-born Pakistani, was also shocked by the comments at first but felt that there was a bigger problem at the heart of the debate which had yet to be aired or addressed. Many of his peers, who were born and raised here in the liberal, permissive sexual culture of the west, had little choice but to create a web of secrets and lies to live the way they wanted to live whilst also appeasing their parents - who lived by a very different sexual and moral code based their strict Islamic upbringing in Pakistan.

Adil talks to ordinary young Pakistanis who are caught up in this web about how they navigate the system and asks why that system has managed to last so long.

Producer: Mohini Patel.


MON 20:30 Analysis (b0128mly)
The SNP and Scotland

No university tuition fees, free personal care for the elderly, reduced prescription charges. In all sorts of ways, Scotland seems to have kept a level of public service the rest of the UK is denied. How has this happened, and can Scotland continue to enjoy this as overall UK spending is cut? Will English resentment grow if Scotland is seen to be enjoying an unfair advantage? Or can the SNP persuade Scots that their economic vision will deliver a public service paradise? And how will all this flow into the increasingly urgent debate about Scotland's constitutional future after the SNP's recent electoral success? Instead of all the theoretical debate about Scottish independence, Anne McElvoy discovers the hard bargaining already underway about who gets the best UK deal, and who pays for it - a deal that will be crucial in deciding whether the UK will survive.

Presenter: Anne McElvoy
Producer: Chris Bowlby.


MON 21:00 Material World (b0124pxb)
Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week: how climate models may be underestimating the severity of sudden climate change; how our interest in happy faces is in our genes; how the most distant quasar ever seen throws light on the early universe and how mobile phones are transforming our behaviour and revealing social and cultural differences.

Producer: Martin Redfern.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b0128l6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b0128grb)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b0128mm0)
The Dilnot commission proposes a shake-up in the funding of long-term care - but will politicians act?

Protests continue in Syria.

The books most donated to charity shops - what does it say about our literary tastes?

With Ritula Shah.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0128mm2)
Half Blood Blues

Episode 6

Shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940, Hieronymus Falk - a brilliant young jazz trumpeter who made his name in Berlin - is arrested in a café and never seen nor heard from again. He is black - and a German citizen. Falk and his fellow bandmates Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones fled Berlin the previous year. But as Sid puts it: "We ...known [we] wouldn't fend off the chaos forever. Ain't no man can outrun his fate."

But what really happened to Hieronymus Falk?

Fifty years later, Sid and Chip return to Berlin - but Chip has received a mysterious letter which sets the pair of them on a new journey to uncover the secrets of past. But the heart of the story is set in those wartime days in Berlin and Paris. It's a jazzman's tale, with a language and preoccupations that give us a very fresh take on some well-known historical events.

Half Blood Blues sings of betrayal, loyalty and creative ambition, with the thought that if you don't tell your own story others may tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong ...

The Hot-Time Swingers are disintegrating. Paul has been sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Fritz has decided to stay in Berlin and still there's no word from Delilah. Ernst, Sid, Hiero and Chip have driven to Hamburg waiting for papers that will take them to Paris and a meeting with Louis Armstrong.

Esi Edugyan has degrees from the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003. Half Blood Blues is her second novel. Her first The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - written when she was 25 - was published in 2004. Esi currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne
Read by Ricky Fearon

Produced by Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Off the Page (b0124pp5)
Always On

Mobile phones, laptops and tablet computers give us the opportunity to be constantly deluged by information wherever we are in the world. And if we have one of these devices and don't turn it off then we can be reached, wherever we are. So is being always on a good thing? Here with new writing and discussion are the Financial Times Slow Lane columnist Harry Eyres, Guardian digital media correspondent Jemima Kiss and the best selling author William Powers who has written a guide book on how to live wisely and happily in a connected world.
Producer Paul Dodgson.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0128mm4)
The Government responds to an independent review which says social care costs in England should be capped so people do not lose a large chunk of their assets.
The Government announces emergency legislation is to be rushed through Parliament to reverse a controversial legal ruling on police bail.
And MPs debate moves aimed at discouraging the growth in high-cost lending.
In the Lords, peers debate the allocation of Olympic tickets.
Sean Curran and team report on today's events in Parliament.



TUESDAY 05 JULY 2011

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b0126d4f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b012cyhs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0126d4h)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0126d4k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0126d4m)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b0126d4p)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012bv2r)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b0128py5)
Anna Hill hears the price of wool has reached a 25 year high. British fleece is providing carpets for the Chinese and even supplying the global cosmetics industry. Wool buyer Martin Curtis tells Farming Today that fleece grease is now used in lipstick, soap and even fish food.

The Royal Horticultural Society is calling on shoppers and gardeners to help save rare apples. It says more than half of England's orchards have been lost in the last 25 years, with many of the less common varieties falling out of favour. Anna Hill hears from fruit specialist Jim Arbury who says old fashioned apples can be crunchy, delicious and easy to grow.

And as the warm weather continues growers of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflowers are suffering. One Lincolnshire grower tells Farming Today that as people reach for the salad tongs and neglect cooked veg, profits for brassica growers are being halved.

Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Melvin Rickarby.


TUE 06:00 Today (b0128py7)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
07:50 As drought hits, what is the long term future of the Horn of Africa?
08:10 What will be the repercussions if the News of the World did hack Milly Dowler's voicemail?
08:30 Are scientists more creative than you would think?


TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (b0126d70)
Securing Freedom: 2011

Aung San Suu Kyi: Dissent

The pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, examines what drives people to dissent in the second of the 2011 Reith Lecture series. 'Securing Freedom'.

Reflecting on the history of her own party, the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, examines the meaning of opposition and dissident. She also explains her reasons for following the path of non-violence.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b012f3l3)
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde

Episode 2

Written by Franny Moyle.

Constance is engaged to Oscar Wilde and the couple are blissfully happy. But her brother Otho has doubts about Oscar's suitability as a prospective husband.

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably.

Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.

But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name, she lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle's biography tells Constance's story with a fresh eye and new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

Reader: Rachel Atkins
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0128py9)
Children and lying; women in business overseas; Kate Middleton fashion

Presented by Jane Garvey. Is the Coalition putting family ahead of gender-focused policies? Psychologist Tanya Byron on children and lying; in the latest in our Women and Business series: developing an overseas market with Mylene Klass; and the Kate Middleton effect on fashion: how to dress as a modern royal.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0128pyc)
Cath Staincliffe - Blood in the Mountains

Episode 2

When the weekly list of unclaimed estates is published, probate researchers, brother and sister team Dan and Rachel, search backwards through the family line to find the true heir and get a slice of the fortune. Their quest leads them to uncover a broken family with a terrible secret.

Henry Gaunt died leaving a sizeable estate but no Will. Dan and Rachel have discovered that Henry's father George died fighting in the Spanish Civil War and that his cousin Eric joined the International Brigades with him. If Eric is still alive he might be the rightful heir.

DAN.....William Ash
RACHEL.....Claire Keelan
YOUNG ERIC.....Tom Hughes
GEORGE.....Stephen Hoyle
CORPORAL REEVES.....Russell Richardson
ERIC.....Russell Dixon

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b0128pyf)
Series 2

Episode 11

11/30 The Green Turtle is one of nature's great travellers, migrating from feeding grounds to breeding grounds traversing the oceans of the world. Like so many species reported in the series, Green Turtles are in decline. Our reporter James Brickell reports from the Great Barrier Reef with biologists who are both trying to understand the natural history of these magnificent creatures and help in their conservation. And we have turtle biologist Brendan Godley from Exeter University live in the studio.

We'll have an update from the two Beavers we're following in Devon - Chris Sperring has been down to visit the site and to see the Beavers.

And how is Chris the Cuckoo doing? We'll be spying in on his migration south.

Presenter: Brett Westwood
Producer: Sheena Duncan
Editor: Julian Hector.


TUE 11:30 Tim Key's Suspended Sentence (b0128pyh)
Truths universally acknowledged. Clocks striking 13. Bests and worsts of times. A truly great opening line can make a novel iconic. But what makes these famous first sentences sing to us?

Comedian and poet Tim Key is on the case!

After chasing down the meaning of Nikolai Gogol's enigmatic short story "The Overcoat", Tim tries to sleuth out what makes a great literary opening line with the help of author Joe Dunthorne, comedian Mark Watson, and literary critics Maureen Freely and John Sutherland.

You see, Tim's desperate to write his first novel - it's in him, just waiting, waiting to be unleashed. If only he could think of a good beginning with the ultimate opening line...

Tim also tries to galvanise his imagination - taking a spin of one of the world's strangest literary board games...

The pressure's on, as we hear a roll-call of some of the finest and most famous first lines in publishing history - from Dickens to Dostoevsky to uh, Dan Brown.
Overwhelmed with information, we also hear a crash course on what not to do - as Tim visits Knebworth House, ancestral pile of a man whose most famous first sentence is legendary for all the wrong reasons: Edward Bulwer-Lytton, author of the infamous "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Finally it's time to try out Tim's sentence of the unsuspecting public, as he visits the award-winning Brick Lane Book Club for a focus group...before in the final moments, he unleashes that killer first sentence on the world...(so then Tim: what comes next?).

Producer: Steven Rajam

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b0128pyk)
Saving money or denying access to justice? How will you be affected by the government's planned cuts to legal aid in England and Wales? The government wants to reduce the current £2.1 billion legal aid bill by £350 million by 2015. It's planning to scrap financial help for civil cases including those involving welfare benefits, employment, clinical negligence, complaints against the police, education, private family law, most immigration cases and some debt and housing issues. Critics say society's most vulnerable will lose out because they can't afford to pay for their own legal costs. The government argues the reforms will target those who need it most and provide value for money for taxpayers. So who's right?
Call You and Yours with Winifred Robinson. Your chance to share your views on the programme. Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk, text 84844 and we may call you back or call 03700 100 444 (lines open at 10am Tuesday).


TUE 12:57 Weather (b0126d4r)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b0128pym)
National and international news, with Martha Kearney. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


TUE 13:30 The Bird Fancyer's Delight (b0128pyp)
In the 18th century, musical manuals circulated showing songbird keepers how to teach their birds to sing human tunes. These treatises were known as the Bird Fancyer's Delight, sheets of music specially written to play to a pet bullfinch, linnet or canary in order that it would learn the tune and sing it back. The idea was to engineer primordial feathered recorders in the home, 100 years before the arrival of the phonograph and the advent of recorded sound. Musician and inventor Sarah Angliss explores to what extent this interplay was successful and looks for its modern day equivalent.

Her journey takes her via Yorkshire's 'Champion of Champion' canary fancyer Ken Westmorland, whose prize birds' rolling sounds are not their natural music. She listens for song during a Northumbrian dawn chorus with poet Katrina Porteous and ornithologist Geoff Sample and reflects on human attempts to control nature and birdsong. And she joins composer Aleks Kolkowski who worked with canaries and a string quartet to make some highly unusual inter-species music.

Producer: Neil McCarthy.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b0128mlr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b0128pyr)
Ditched

Episode 2

After the dream-turned-nightmare of their wedding in 'Hitched' we revisit the bride and groom, Emma and Richard, two years after their big day. The couple have been living in America and have a young baby daughter, but the honeymoon is well and truly over and wedded bliss hasn't turned out to be, well, blissful.

With their relationship reaching crisis point, Emma returns from America with her young daughter to discover her life isn't the only one that has changed. Her troubled brother, Sam, has returned home and is living with their father, Max, while her mother, Ellie, has an unexpected new romance in her life.

But just what has happened between Emma and Richard, and what has Richard done to provoke Emma to return home alone?

When Richard in turn flies back to the UK, the stage is set for another unforgettable family encounter. As Richard's parents, the long-suffering Jenny and increasingly insufferable Barry, prepare to host a 'family summit' the in-laws are about to come face to face once again.

With sparks sure to fly at a family reunion no one wants to attend, Emma and Richard must finally decide what the future holds for their marriage.

Will it be Hitched or Ditched?

Doug Lucie's satirical sequel to 'Hitched' stars:

Max - Stephen Moore

Ellie - Frances Barber

Barry - David Schofield

Jenny - Cheryl Campbell

Richard - Harry Lloyd

Emma - Lydia Leonard

Peter - Adrian Lukis

Sam - Brendan Patricks

Joy - Alison Pettitt

Sheila - Lynn Farleigh.


TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b0128pyt)
Southern Ocean Wanderers

The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any bird and spends much of the southern hemisphere winter at sea. It encounters some of the most violent storms on the planet, freezing temperatures and mountainous seas.

This week one Home Planet listener wants to know how these birds survive and even thrive in these extremely inhospitable conditions. Then there's the violent behaviour of a mob of crows, why did they kill one of their own? Who has the biggest impact on the environment, the rich with their bigger carbon footprint or the poorest people forced by circumstances to pillage the land on which they live. And we explore some of the links between poverty and environmental degradation.

Answering these and other questions this week are Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology, Ros Taylor, development specialist from Kingston University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b0128pyw)
Three for My Baby

Awesome Day

These stories take their cue from the Johnny Mercer classic 'One For My Baby' - made famous by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and especially Frank Sinatra. Each of these specially-commissioned pieces tell of a 'brief episode' of the kind the song alludes to but doesn't describe. In other words, these are stories about doomed love: affairs that turned sour, were thwarted by circumstance or were never, ever, going to work.

Awesome Day by Shena Mackay

"Rick looked up at the clock above the counter. A quarter to three. It was always a quarter to three at the Wooden Nickel ... It had been quarter to three when he and Meriel first came to the Wooden Nickel and it was still quarter to three when they left." Meriel loves the theatre. Rick loves Meriel. Or is it New York he's in love with?

Shena Mackay was born in Edinburgh. She is author of two novellas, three collections of short stories and eight novels. Her novel Dunedin and the collection of short stories, The Laughing Academy, both won Scottish Arts Council Book Awards and the bestselling The Orchard On Fire was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize and the McVitie's Prize. Her most recent book, The Atmospheric Railway: New and Collected Stories was published in paperback in 2010. Shena lives in Southampton.

Reader: Burn Gorman

Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:45 The Making of Music (b007nlbn)
Series 1

The Counter Reformation

James Naughtie discovers how history has shaped the development of classical music. Luther's hymns were accessible - and popular. The Counter Reformation responded to Luther's musical revolution by giving an edict that the words of church music had to be clear and understood. This is the story of the composer Palestrina who became embroiled in the politics of the high church.

Reader : Simon Russell Beale
Produced by Rosie Boutlon, Sara Conkey, Lucy Lunt
BBC Birmingham.


TUE 16:00 Debating Animals (b00yrfwm)
Series 2

The Fox and the Rat

They're both on the wanted list, dead rather than alive, and they're both classed as vermin, but there's a world of difference between our national attitudes to the Fox and the Rat.

Once again Rod Liddle sets out to find out why we think and react as we do to these creatures. What are we to make of the statistics that periodically terrify newspaper readers as rats threaten to over-run our cities? But this debate is moving all the time. Twenty years ago the Fox was the emblem of the put-upon. The hounded beauty standing between the Toff and his stirrup cup it was always hard work for the hunting fraternity to persuade us of their menace. But with urban attacks and foxes scavenging on every street corner the tide is turning against 'the foxy whiskered gentleman'.

Rod takes to the field and lane with experts involved with both animals and he seeks guidance from literature and history as he debates our reaction to The Rat and The Fox.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b0128q6y)
Fay Weldon and Louise Welsh

Fay Weldon, Louise Welsh and Harriett Gilbert discuss favourite books by Lionel Shriver, HG Wells and Jean Rhys.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Publisher: Penguin

Fay Weldon's choice: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Publisher: Penguin

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Publisher: Serpent's Tail

Producer: Beth O'Dea

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.


TUE 17:00 PM (b0128q70)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0126d4t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b011d6rf)
Series 2

4. 'It's me or the dog'

"It's me or the dog!"

"My phobias are out of control but I'm too scared to even admit it"

Sarah Millican is a life counsellor and modern-day agony aunt tackling the nation's problems head on, dishing out real advice for real people.

Assisted by her very own team of experts of the heart - man of the people local cabbie Terry, and self qualified counsellor Marion,

Sarah tackles the nation's problems head on and has a solution for everything.

Sarah ...... Sarah Millican
Marion ...... Ruth Bratt
Terry ...... Simon Daye
Laura ...... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Barry ...... Harry Peacock
John ...... Tim Key

Written by Sarah Millican.

Producer: Lianne Coop

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b0128q72)
Jamie's concerned for Marty, who's alone and preparing to stand up in court. Kathy suggests Jamie spends time with Kenton. During a shift at The Bull, Kenton asks for Jamie's help in convincing Freda to change the menu. Jamie, as Kenton's "secret agent" will drop hints about what food he likes. Kenton suggests that Natalie join in. He'll pay for their 'research' lunch at Jaxx. Kenton then tells Jamie he's proud of him.

Usha reassures Kathy that it's unlikely Jamie will have to give evidence in court as it will probably be taken to the youth court. Jamie's relieved and thanks Kathy for finding out.

Roy meets Phoebe's Head teacher but returns with bad news. Although the school's supportive and believes that going to South Africa would be a life-changing experience for Phoebe, they cannot guarantee her a place when she returns after such a long absence.

Roy gives Kate the curriculum information for the school in South Africa. He and Hayley tell Kate that they'll be taking Phoebe on holiday to Wales before she flies to South Africa.

Hayley doesn't think Kate has any idea how much they'll miss Phoebe, and hopes they've made the right decision.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b012bv7b)
Romola Garai, David Schwimmer's film Trust

With Mark Lawson.

AN Wilson reviews a pair of exhibitions focused on religious works of art: Devotion by Design: Italian Altarpieces Before 1500 is at the National Gallery and Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe is at the British Museum.

Mark talks to Romola Garai, whose film and TV work has included adaptations of The Crimson Petal and the White, Emma, Atonement, Vanity Fair and I Capture the Castle. She discusses acting on stage at the Royal Court in a play about sex and on TV in '50s newsroom drama The Hour.

David Schwimmer's film Trust follows the repercussions of an online stalker targeting a teenage girl. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener play the parents. Matt Thorne reviews.

More than 30 years after its heyday, the Rubik's cube is still popping up in current culture - in films, plays, music videos and art. Mark talks to Canadian artist, Josh Chalom, who's re-creating the entire Sistine Chapel ceiling using Rubik's cubes, and considers some of the cube's other contemporary cameo appearances.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0128pyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b0128q7z)
Business As Usual?

In the wake of the financial disaster, policy makers and regulators around the world pledged to make banking safer and more transparent. But the reality, many experts claim, is proving very different.
For this edition of File on 4, Michael Robinson investigates some of the apparently straightforward financial products banks now offer and uncovers disturbing complexity.
One product, called Exchange Traded Funds, appears to offer private individuals and pension funds a cheap and simple way to invest - in anything from the top 100 companies on the British stock exchange, to obscure companies in emerging economies or even to baskets of commodities.
Beneath this apparent simplicity, the programme discovers that many EFTs hide a forest of financial engineering designed to increase the profits of the banks which provide them. But at what risk?
Another product, so-called "Naked Credit Default Swaps" may have an obscure name but they were at the heart of the financial crisis and are still one of the most widespread instruments used by banks. They are now accused by some of exacerbating Europe's sovereign debt problems.
A leading British financial academic likens them to taking out insurance on someone else's life. There is then an obvious incentive, he tells the programme, to push the person who's life you have insured under a bus.
On both sides of the Atlantic, regulators hoped to reduce the risks of this massive market. But, as the programme discovers, there's widespread doubt among financial professionals that they've succeeded.
Producer: Sally Chesworth.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b0128q81)
What arrangements are being made for blind sports fans with Olympic tickets?

What arrangements are being made for blind sports fans with Olympic tickets? We find out how much assistance is available and how to apply for it.

Plus, have you ever fancied becoming a broadcaster? Audioboo is a form of social media which helps you make your own audio recordings and broadcast them, but how useful is it for visually impaired people?

And we hear your views on the idea of a merger between two of the biggest charities for blind and partially sighted people.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b0128q83)
Gambling and Superstition - Gardening for Mental Health - Metaphors

New research from the only NHS funded clinic to treat pathological gamblers is the first of its kind to study the psychological profile of UK gamblers. Claudia finds out about the results of their new study into the links between impulsivity and irrational beliefs, superstition and ritual and why some people may go on to become problem gamblers while others don't. Dr Luke Clark from Cambridge University explains.

Gardening for Mental Health:
Clinical psychologist, Dr Victoria Winson works with older people in Barking and Dagenham in London and has set up a gardening group called Young At Heart. Claudia reports from their allotment and finds out how it helps older men with mental health difficulties.

The Power of Metaphor:
Now new research from the University of Stanford has found that something as simple as describing crime as a "beast" or a "virus" can change the way we think about crime and the solutions we suggest to tackle it. But if simple words can make such a difference, what implications does this have for the social policy decisions that affect us all? Assistant Professor of Psychology, Lera Boroditsky talks to Claudia about the power of metaphor to change what we think.


TUE 21:30 Europe: Driving on the Right (b00yj924)
Austria and Germany

Continuing his series on successful new populist political forces in Europe, Chris Bowlby meets the Freedom Party in Austria, ahd questions its charismatic leader HJ Strache. He goes on to investigates links between the new populists across Europe, visiting a continental campaign against the building of mosques in European cities such as Cologne. And he asks whether mainstream parties have fundamentally changed their position, accepting the new populists as a permanent part of the political scene.

Producer: Daniel Tetlow.


TUE 21:58 Weather (b0126d4w)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b0128qsk)
Will the allegations of hacking by tabloid newspapers mark a turning point in the way they operate?

We hear from an eyewitness of today's violence in the Syrian city of Hama.

And what can be done to stop Africa's droughts turning into famines?

With Felicity Evans.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0128qsm)
Half Blood Blues

Episode 7

Shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940, Hieronymus Falk - a brilliant young jazz trumpeter who made his name in Berlin - is arrested in a café and never seen nor heard from again. He is black - and a German citizen. Falk and his fellow bandmates Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones fled Berlin the previous year. But as Sid puts it: "We ... known [we] wouldn't fend off the chaos forever. Ain't no man can outrun his fate."

But what really happened to Hieronymus Falk?

Fifty years later, Sid and Chip return to Berlin - but Chip has received a mysterious letter which sets the pair of them on a new journey to uncover the secrets of past. But the heart of the story is set in those wartime days in Berlin and Paris. It's a jazzman's tale, with a language and preoccupations that give us a very fresh take on some well-known historical events.

Half Blood Blues sings of betrayal, loyalty and creative ambition, with the thought that if you don't tell your own story others may tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong ...

Reunited with Delilah in Montmartre, Sid, Chip and Hiero meet Louis Armstrong. Delilah tells Sid what really happened in Berlin.

Esi Edugyan has degrees from the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003. Half Blood Blues is her second novel. Her first The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - written when she was 25 - was published in 2004. Esi currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.
Read by Ricky Fearon.

Produced by Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (b0128mlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Monday]


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0128qsp)
Susan Hulme reports on a gathering storm at Westminster about the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. She hears the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, grant an emergency debate on the latest allegations, to be held tomorrow.



WEDNESDAY 06 JULY 2011

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b0128q8r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b012f3l3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0128q8t)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0128q8w)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0128q8y)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b0128q90)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012btwy)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b01291vr)
Women who choose organic milk could be compromising the brain development of their children according to new research by the University of Surrey. The study claims organic milk has a 42% lower concentration of iodine than conventional milk - deficiencies of which they say can lead to a lower IQ and reading levels. Anna Hill speaks to the researchers and hears form dairy co-operative OMSCO which says the study is alarmist and that organic milk has other nutritional and health benefits.

New packaging has been developed which means a sandwich can last for up to two weeks. Anna finds out how the technology can help other fresh foods stay on the shelves for longer.

As the vegetable harvest continues Anna visits potato growers who supply one of the world's largest crisp manufacturers who are ready to respond to an hour by hour demand from the processors.

Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock.


WED 06:00 Today (b012by37)
Morning news and current affairs with James Naughtie and Justin Webb, including:
07:30 Call for laws be put in place to protect the rights of the family of murder victims.
08:10 What are the commercial and legal ramifications for News International over the phone hacking scandal?
08:20 What is the most boring piece of classical music ever written?


WED 09:00 Midweek (b01291vt)
This week Libby Purves is joined by Rev. Nicholas Holtam, Rye Barcott, William Rees-Mogg and Sue Tilley.

Rev. Nicholas Holtam has been vicar of St Martin in the Fields for the last sixteen years. He will be ordained as Bishop of Salisbury on 22nd July. In a new book, 'The Art of Worship', he reflects on the pictures in the National Gallery that have inspired him during his time at St Martins. 'The Art of Worship' is published by Yale University Press.

As an American college student on his way into the US Marines, Rye Barcott spent the summer in the Nairobi slums to better understand the ethnic violence he would face in uniform. There, he forged a friendship with a community organiser and a widowed nurse and subsequently set up the organisation, Carolina for Kibera (CFK). He tells his story in the book 'It Happened on the Way to War', published by Bloomsbury.

William Rees-Mogg is the journalist and former Editor of The Times. During his long career he has also been Chairman of the Arts Council, Head of the Broadcasting Standards Council, and Vice-Chairman of the BBC. In his memoirs he looks back over his life and reflects on some of the people and events of his times, including Rupert Murdoch and the war with the print unions, Margaret Thatcher, and Mick Jagger. 'Memoirs' is published by Harper Collins.

Sue Tilley is an author and model as well as manager at a Jobcentre in London's West End. During the 1990s she was the artist Lucian Freud's muse and his nude portrait of her - 'Benefits Supervisor Sleeping' - became the most expensive painting ever sold by a living artist back in 2008. She is taking part in Wayne Hemingway's Vintage festival at the Southbank. In the "Soundtrack of Their Lives" catwalk show, she presents her personal take on the fashion and music of the eighties.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b012f3zr)
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde

Episode 3

Written by Franny Moyle.

Oscar and Constance are married with two young sons. But Constance is determined not to let motherhood stand in the way of her own literary ambitions.

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably.
Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.

But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name, she lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle's biography tells Constance's story with a fresh eye and new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

Reader: Rachel Atkins
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01291vw)
Arianna Huffington; novelist Joanna Briscoe; women in the boardroom

Will an EU vote on quotas make a difference to the number of women in the boardroom? Jenni Murray is joined by Arianna Huffington - the brains behind the Huffington Post - to talk about a new London base for her news website.

Is it about time to introduce a right to know policy for those at risk of domestic violence? And the novelist Joanna Briscoe discusses her new novel 'You' about the illicit and obsessive relationship between a pupil and her teacher.


WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01291vy)
Cath Staincliffe - Blood in the Mountains

Episode 3

When the weekly list of unclaimed estates is published, probate researchers, brother and sister team Dan and Rachel, search backwards through the family line to find the true heir and get a slice of the fortune. Their quest leads them to uncover a broken family with a terrible secret.

Henry Gaunt died leaving a sizeable estate but no Will. Dan and Rachel have discovered that ninety four year old Eric Beatty is the rightful heir to his estate but Eric is refusing to take what is rightfully his.

DAN.....William Ash
RACHEL.....Claire Keelan
YOUNG ERIC.....Tom Hughes
GEORGE.....Stephen Hoyle
JO.....Eithne Brown
MR GHYLL.....Russell Richardson

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


WED 11:00 Wandering Souls (b012h98z)
American veterans of the Vietnam War are often described as 'haunted'. In the USA, it's a metaphor, shorthand for psychological trauma or PTSD. But what happens when the veterans return to Vietnam - and the ghosts become real?

Nearly four decades after what's known in Vietnam as the 'American War', more than 300,000 Vietnamese people are still classified as Missing in Action. Their families continue to search for remains. They believe their loved ones have become 'wandering souls' - doomed to eke out an impoverished existence on the edge of the everyday world.

These ghosts are often angry. They're imprisoned by bad memories - the traumatic and unjust nature of their final moments. Many Vietnamese believe these unhappy spirits cause bad luck and frightening dreams... or worse, can possess the living and make them experience the physical agony of a battlefield death.

During the War, the American military exploited this belief - playing the desperate moans of a wandering soul from helicopters to scare the opposition. The 'wailing ghost' psy-ops tape was so frightening soldiers were instructed not to play it over friendly South Vietnamese forces - in case it encouraged desertion.

But nearly forty years on, some American veterans are moved by the beliefs of their old enemies. They feel a connection with the Vietnamese ghosts... it could so easily have been them. And perhaps the identification goes deeper - between the ignored and angry wandering souls... and the survivors of a war America would rather forget.

Cathy FitzGerald follows a group of American Vet.s as they search for a mass grave of soldiers they once killed.

Producer: Cathy FitzGerald
A Rockethouse Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 11:30 Everyone Quite Likes Justin (b01292g0)
Series 1

Episode 2

Justin is a Manchester DJ who tries to balance love, work and everything else without much success.

Now his job seems to be on the line.

Starring Justin Moorhouse, Anne Reid and Paul Copley.

Sitcom written by Justin Moorhouse and Jim Poyser.

Despite his messy life, Justin always remains positive. Every new day is a new opportunity, "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade".

Recorded in front of an audience in Manchester.

Anne Reid ..... Gran
Christine Bottomley ..... Lisa
Justin Moorhouse ..... Justin
Lloyd Langford ..... Bryn
Paul Copley ..... Ray
Susan Cookson ..... Tanya

Producer: Steven Canny

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b01292g2)
As the High Street faces yet another bout of contraction what does the decline of the local, independent, high street shops and the rise of 'clone towns' of identikit chains mean for the retail sector? Some experts have advocated government intervention to 'save' our high streets but would greater regulation and intervention be an expensive solution which might actually increase costs for consumers. And just how does land use planning impact on retail productivity? Is bigger better?

The government has just launched another attack on red tape - this is only a year after their Red Tape Challenge. So what has changed? And haven't we heard it all before?

And have the European Commission finally found a long term solution to cut roaming charges.


WED 12:57 Weather (b0128q92)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b012bxfs)
With Shaun Ley. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b01292g4)
The phone hacking scandal at the News of the World moved to another level this week after it emerged that private investigators working for the paper hacked the phone of Milly Dowler after her abduction.

As further revelations about phone hacking come to light and MPs call an emergency debate, The Media Show hears from the experts about what this means for the News of the World and its owner News International.

Have the allegations about phone hacking irreparably damaged the paper? And can Rebekah Brooks, who was the editor at the time phones were hacked, continue?

Steve Hewlett hears from Lord Fowler, who has launched a campaign for an official inquiry, Bob Satchwell of the Society of Editors, Stuart Purvis, former partner at the media regulator Ofcom, Ben Fenton of the Financial Times and Dan Sabbagh of The Guardian, about what the latest developments mean for the British press.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b0128q72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b01292g6)
Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think of You

By Molly Naylor

How does it feel to have your world blown apart? Molly moves to London full of naive dreams, high hopes and on a quest to make her life just like the movies. Then on 7/7/2005 she finds herself on a tube train blown up by terrorists and her life is forced to take a different direction. Funny, frank and poetic; this is the true story of what happened next and how things are put back together after they've been blown apart.

To be broadcast to mark the 6th anniversary this year.

Molly ..... Morven Christie
Dan ..... Bryan Dick
Dad ..... Sam Dale
Mum ..... Susie Riddell
Pavel ..... Jonathan Forbes
Matt ..... James Lailey

Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b01292g8)
If you need advice about mortgages you can put your questions to a team of mortgage experts on Wednesday's Money Box Live.

Whether you are looking for a cheaper rate, struggling to choose between products or anxious about deposits and fees, our experts will be ready with tips and advice.

Whatever your mortgage question, phone lines open at 1.30pm on Wednesday 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.


WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b01292gb)
Three for My Baby

Mighty

These stories take their cue from the Johnny Mercer classic 'One For My Baby' - made famous by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and especially Frank Sinatra. Each of these specially-commissioned pieces tell of a 'brief episode' of the kind the song alludes to but doesn't describe. In other words, these are stories about doomed love: affairs that turned sour, were thwarted by circumstance or were never, ever, going to work.

Mighty by Tom Connolly

It has been going well for the Man and his lover. So much so that they plan to start a family. But the arrival of a cat in the neighbourhood seems to call his lover back to a painful past ...

Tom Connolly is a film-maker and writer. His first novel, The Spider Truces, was published in 2010. This is his first story for Radio 4. He lives in a remote corner of the Rother Valley, in East Sussex.

Reader: Tom Goodman-Hill

Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 15:45 The Making of Music (b007njhr)
Series 1

Venice

James Naughtie discovers how history has shaped the development of classical music. An uncle and nephew, Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli wrote music that filled St Marks Basilica, using the space as a stage for many voices. The music inspired travellers who passed through the Serene City, then the crossroads of the known world.

Reader: Laurence Fox.
Produced by Rosie Boulton, Sara Conkey, Lucy Lunt
BBC Birmingham.


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b01292gd)
Comedy capital - Work's intimacy

British comedy, from Music Hall to TV sitcom, was once a democratic medium. Humour united people otherwise divided by class and education. But new research finds that the Alternative Comedy Movement transformed comedy's place in our culture. It rejected the 'lowbrow' tone of earlier humour, creating the basis for comic taste to provide new forms of social distinction. The sociologist, Sam Friedman joins Laurie Taylor to debate comedy snobbery. Also, mobile communications have elided the distinction between work and home. The cultural studies lecturer, Melissa Gregg, and the Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, Rosalind Gill, ask if the lines between our personal and professional lives are increasingly blurred.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.


WED 16:30 All in the Mind (b0128q83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 17:00 PM (b012fqtr)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0128q94)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00xhbcz)
Series 7

From Bean to Cup

Radio 4's most curmudgeonly author is back for a new series, complete with his trusty companion Elgar, his pipe and his never ending capacity for scrimping and scraping at whatever scraps his agent, Ping, can offer him to keep body, mind and cat together.

Ed Reardon ..... Christopher Douglas
Felix ..... John Fortune
Jaz Milvane ..... Philip Jackson
Ping ..... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Heidi ..... Matilda Ziegler
Window Cleaner ..... Dan Tetsell
Pearl ..... Rita May
Olive ..... Stephanie Cole
Stan ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Houseowner ..... Paul Merton
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis

Ed finds himself working on a corporate video with the high powered team of director and old sparring partner Jaz Milvane, and Oscar-winning producer Heidi Fisher. He's also house-sitting for a well-heeled neighbour and enjoying all the benefits this civic duty brings, such as the use of comfortable furniture in agreeable surroundings, electrical appliances that work, and access to decent stationary and a well-stocked fridge. Perhaps Ed is about to enjoy his week and be well paid for a change.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b01292gg)
It's show time in Borsetshire! Eddie helps Pip with the lambs before adjourning to the beer tent. Pip's delighted when her lambs win but wants to run some figures past a farm management company before celebrating.

David congratulates Pip. She tells him that the farm management people think they've done well to get costs down, but they're not that strong on the output side. Pip's happy with today but wishes David showed the same enthusiasm. Spencer reminds her that David was busy meeting and greeting as NFU Chair.

Enjoying the show with Keira, Emma warns Ed not to get too attached to a swanky tractor. Emma suggests Alice as godmother, but Ed tells Emma about the trouble Alice and Chris got into in Southampton. They see some decorative scarecrows and can't wait to see how excited George will be when they surprise him with them.

Ed makes it clear to Oliver how grateful he is for doing the milking. He asks Oliver if he'd like to take it on twice a week. Oliver's happy to be useful again, especially as Caroline is so busy. He doesn't want payment either, he'll do it as a friend. Ed's touched and delighted.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b012btms)
Bertrand Tavernier and Jean-Luc Godard's new films; Cy Twombly, Tom Rob Smith

The Princess Of Montpensier and Filme Socialisme: Films from two French cinematic legends are released this week. Bertrand Tavernier's new film, The Princess Of Montpensier, is a sumptuous tale of thwarted love and ambition in 16th Century France - a time of fierce fighting between Huguenots and Catholics - which alternates between domestic strife and battlefield bloodshed. Celebrated director Jean-Luc Godard returns to the screen with Filme Socialisme: a filmic essay on the decline of European Civilisation, set on a Mediterranean cruise ship. Author Jonathan Fenby reviews both films.

Tom Rob Smith was long listed for the Man Booker prize for his first novel Child 44. He talks to Mark Lawson about ending the trilogy featuring the former secret service agent Leo Demidov in his new novel Agent 6 - a story which moves from 60s New York to Afghanistan in the 80s.

Painter Maggi Hambling discusses the career of the American artist Cy Twombly who died yesterday in Rome aged 83.

As the eighth and final instalment of the Harry Potter films - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - arrives in our cinemas, actors Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes and David Thewlis talk about their experiences of working on this epic franchise.

Rachel Cooke considers transatlantic TV transfers, as she views new American versions of two European successes, The Killing and Shameless.

Producer Andrea Kidd.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01291vy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Leader Conference (b01292gj)
Series 1

Phone hacking; UK manufacturing; JK Rowling

In a new series, Andrew Rawnsley chairs a live debate with fellow journalists in the style of a newspaper leader conference. They discuss which three top news stories at home and abroad should be the subject of leading articles and what points those editorials ought to make and why.

From tabloids to broadsheets, from London to Edinburgh, from left, right and centre the gamut of journalistic opinions are on offer as the newspaper leader conference comes to the air. Top writers on Britain's newspapers distil the complex events of the week into a concise, easily digested summary and seek to put it all into perspective.

Those taking part in this week's edition are: Danny Finkelstein of The Times; Melanie McDonagh of the London Evening Standard; Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror; Ros Taylor of the Guardian; Jon Walker of the Birmingham Post; and Chris Cook of the Financial Times.

The three leaders decided upon were: the aftermath of phone hacking at the News of the World; British manufacturing after the job losses at Bombardier UK; and the debt we owe to J.K. Rowling.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (b012fr3w)
Series 2

Penny Pepper: Disability and Identity

Writer and cabaret artist Penny Pepper gives her perspective on human identity from her personal experience as a disabled person and wheelchair user.

Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling.

Recorded live in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.

Producer: Sheila Cook.


WED 21:00 Frontiers (b01292gn)
Ageing and Telomeres

Is there a test for how long you will live? If you believe what you read in some newspapers recently, perhaps the answer is yes. Recent media coverage of an intriguing area of ageing research suggested that measuring the ends of your chromosomes can tell you when you will die. Andrew Luck-Baker looks at the science behind the headlines by talking to leading scientists at an international meeting organised recently by the Swedish Society of Medicine.

Chromosomes are topped and tailed by special protective structures known as telomeres. During the course of our lives they become shorter. When they erode to a critical length, cells die or shut down. The shortening of telomeres is considered by many scientists to be a key mechanism of ageing, and means of measuring the rate at which the body is ageing. Different people lose the telomere length at different rates.

In population studies, short telomere length has been linked to reduced longevity and increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, depression, dementia and cancers. Environmental and behavioural factors such as smoking, not exercising, obesity, chronic stress and lower social class also linked the erosion of the chromosome caps.

The biotech company, Life Length, set up by Spanish scientists, was the first to offer telome length tests to members of the public at the end of last year. In a few months, another based in the USA plans to do the same. The company in California, Telome Health, was co-founded by Professor Elizabeth Blackburn who shared the Nobel prize for Medicine in 2009 for her early research on telomeres. Neither firm claims to predict when you will die but they do believe their tests offer valuable medical information and could help in the prevention and treatment of diseases of old age.

So why are many other researchers dubious about the value of telomere measurements for individual patients?

Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b01291vt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b0128q96)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b01292gs)
With Robin Lustig. National and international news and analysis.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01292gv)
Half Blood Blues

Episode 8

Shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940, Hieronymus Falk - a brilliant young jazz trumpeter who made his name in Berlin - is arrested in a café and never seen nor heard from again. He is black - and a German citizen. Falk and his fellow bandmates Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones fled Berlin the previous year. But as Sid puts it: "We ... known [we] wouldn't fend off the chaos forever. Ain't no man can outrun his fate."

But what really happened to Hieronymus Falk?

Fifty years later, Sid and Chip return to Berlin - but Chip has received a mysterious letter which sets the pair of them on a new journey to uncover the secrets of past. But the heart of the story is set in those wartime days in Berlin and Paris. It's a jazzman's tale, with a language and preoccupations that give us a very fresh take on some well-known historical events.

Half Blood Blues sings of betrayal, loyalty and creative ambition, with the thought that if you don't tell your own story others may tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong ...

As the war closes in around them, Sid, Chip and Hiero get to play with Louis Armstrong. But for Sid, disappointment is waiting around a Paris street corner.

Esi Edugyan has degrees from the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003. Half Blood Blues is her second novel. Her first The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - written when she was 25 - was published in 2004. Esi currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.
Read by Ricky Fearon.

Produced by Rosalynd Ward.
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 The Adventures of Inspector Steine (b00mx6bf)
Separate Tables

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

Brunswick has been sent undercover indefinitely in the hope that it will make him forget his deadly grudge against Inspector Steine. But Mrs Groynes seems more interested in Twitten's criminal records.

Inspector Steine ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Sergeant Brunswick ...... John Ramm
Constable Twitten ...... Matt Green
Mrs Groynes ...... Samantha Spiro
Unknown Villain ...... Adrian Bower
Ventriloquist Vince ...... Ewan Bailey
BBC Announcer/Tony ...... David Holt.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01292gx)
David Cameron has told the Commons that he supports calls for an independent and public inquiry into phone-hacking at the News of the World.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said the inquiry would have to wait until a police investigation had finished - but said a broader look at media standards could start sooner.
The Labour Leader, Ed Miliband gave the news a qualified welcome.



THURSDAY 07 JULY 2011

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b0128q9s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b012f3zr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0128q9v)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0128q9x)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0128q9z)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b0128qb1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012bxf4)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b01292tq)
The European Food Safety Agency now believes that the source of the E. Coli outbreak which killed more than 50 people was Egyptian Fenugreek seeds. Charlotte Smith hears that a batch of the implicated seeds has been imported to the UK. Most are still in storage but officials are working to trace the remainder. Also in the programme: the Crown Estate's farmland is worth more than £1 billion for the first time, and it seems pay of up to a hundred pounds a day isn't enough to induce British workers to pick vegetables.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling.


THU 06:00 Today (b012bxf6)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and James Naughtie, including:
07:50 Former US presidential candidate John McCain on the war in Afghanistan.
08:10 Boris Johnson and PCC chairman Baroness Buscombe on the latest phone hacking allegations.
08:20 Archbishop Desmond Tutu's young person's guide to the orchestra.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b01292ts)
The Minoan Civilisation

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Minoan Civilisation.In 1900 the British archaeologist Arthur Evans began excavating some ancient ruins at Knossos on the island of Crete. He uncovered an enormous palace complex which reminded him of the mythical labyrinth of King Minos. Evans had in fact discovered the remnants of a Bronze Age society; in honour of Crete's legendary king he named it the Minoan Civilisation.The Minoans flourished for twelve centuries, and their civilisation was at its height around three and a half thousand years ago, when they built elaborate palaces all over the island. They were sophisticated builders and artists, and appear to have invented one of the world's earliest writing systems. Since Evans's discoveries a hundred years ago, we have learnt much about Minoan society, religion and culture - but much still remains mysterious.With:John BennetProfessor of Aegean Archaeology at Sheffield UniversityEllen AdamsLecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College LondonYannis HamilakisProfessor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton.Producer: Thomas Morris.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b012f4kt)
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde

Episode 4

Written by Franny Moyle.

Constance has become close friends with Lady Mount-Temple which, conveniently for Oscar, leaves him free to spend more time with Lord Alfred Douglas.

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably.
Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.

But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name, she lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle's biography tells Constance's story with a fresh eye and new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

Reader: Rachel Atkins
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01292tv)
Shirin Ebadi; selection and Free Schools; Sudan

Free schools: will they be accessible to a wide social mix? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi on her new book and why she had to leave Iran. What will independence mean for the women of Sudan, both in the north and the south. Jane Austen's greatest rival, the author Maria Edgeworth: why have so few of us heard of her? Presented by Jenni Murray.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01292tx)
Cath Staincliffe - Blood in the Mountains

Episode 4

When the weekly list of unclaimed estates is published, probate researchers, brother and sister team Dan and Rachel, search backwards through the family line to find the true heir and get a slice of the fortune. Their quest leads them to uncover a broken family and a terrible secret.

Henry Gaunt died leaving a sizeable estate but no Will. Dan and Rachel have discovered that ninety four year old Eric Beatty is the rightful heir to the estate but with Eric's refusal to accept the estate and Eric's daughter Jo desperate to get her hands on the inheritance Dan and Rachel must think creatively if they are to get their percentage.

DAN.....William Ash
RACHEL.....Claire Keelan
YOUNG ERIC.....Tom Hughes
GEORGE.....Stephen Hoyle
JO.....Eithne Brown
REEVES / BENNY.....Russell Richardson

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b01292v1)
The end of the world is nigh! Well, it is according to one estimate. But Chris Bockman who's in the French Pyrenees says there's a village there where you might just be safe. Much joy's being reported in South Sudan. Peter Martell's in this region which has experienced generations of civil war but is now getting ready to usher in independence. Could the mighty US be about to default on its debts? Lesley Curwen says the government in Washington's been given a deadline by which time it must pay up. But before that can be achieved, Republicans and Democrats must sort out their differences. Alex Renton's been learning that these are tough times in Armenia but still there's pride in the country's fine brandy which was, so they say, a favourite of Winston Churchill's. And Emily Lethbridge has been finding out that a good place to research the mediaeval sagas of Iceland is a petrol station, not far from the capital Reykjavik.


THU 11:30 A Hundred Years of Mervyn Peake (b01292v3)
"The intense love for my parents, with its resultant anguish, lives on for me". Sebastian Peake, eldest son of Mervyn Peake, the remarkable author and artist, takes a return trip to the Island of Sark where he spent his childhood.
Peake, whose centenary is being celebrated this week, is best known for his 'Titus Groan' series of novels, and to a lesser degree his art and illustrations; but he was also a passionate husband, married to artist Maeve Gilmore, and family man. Never too busy to indulge his children, he enriched their lives with his fantastical imagination as much as those who read his novels or relished his art.
Here, Sebastian revisits the family home in the Channel Islands, walks the traffic free byways, recalling his remarkable father; the day he sketched 50 of the islanders at the annual fair; the acts of derring-do, climbing down to dangerous coves to gather semi-precious stones for Maeve; his time as one of the Sark Group of painters; and finally the days spent writing his most famous novel, 'Gormenghast'.
With his brother Fabian, he pours over diaries, paintings and sketches to talk about their father's artistic legacy, from the best loved "Treasure Island" illustrations to poignant sketches of the last inhabitants of Belsen. With his sister Clare, he mourns his fathers struggles in later life, the onset of Parkinson's and the difficult final years for the family, and their mother in particular.

This is the life of Mervyn Peake, from his youth as an artist, to his untimely death in 1957, having become one of the most truly imaginative and haunting writers in the world, talking to those who knew him best.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b01292v5)
Is it really The End? As the final Harry Potter hits the big screen, Winifred Robinson explores what economic legacy the world's most famous wizard has left in his wake.

Why more people than ever are illegally downloading films.

Should green taxes, including fuel levies, be ringfenced to support environmental projects? Roger Harrabin looks at the Environmental Audit Committee recommendations, and at the wider debate within the energy market.

Beijing Olympic online ticket fraudsters to be jailed - we hear how they stole £6million.

And we return to the Stafford hospital public enquiry - after six months of deliberation tomorrow it adjourns til the autumn leaving relatives of those who died still waiting for answers.


THU 12:57 Weather (b0128qb3)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b012bxf8)
Thirty minutes of news, analysis and comment from the UK and around the world. Presented by Shaun Ley.


THU 13:30 Off the Page (b01292v7)
The Games People Play

George Bernard Shaw reckoned that we don't stop playing because we're old, but we grow old because we forget to play. Putting that idea to test are David Goldblatt, author of The Ball is Round; Helen Bentley, one of the organisers of Igfest in Bristol - the Interesting Games Festival; and the man behind The Importance of Being Trivial, Mark Mason. Are we really as playful as we like to think, and what does our choice of game say about us ? The presenter is Dominic Arkwright, and the producer Miles Warde.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b01292gg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b01292v9)
Roy Apps - Life Begins at Crawley

In Roy Apps's comedy, Penelope Keith plays Eleanor Prendergast - the wife of a newly imprisoned Tory MP who's been fiddling his expenses big time! She's driven to crime to make ends meet (she's got her Porsche to run after all, and the mortgage on Sunnybrook Farm to pay) and soon finds herself at the wheel of a stolen articulated lorry full of vodka, facing down an armed Russian mobster and - perhaps most scary of all - eating chips out of a polystyrene tray on Brighton Pier!

The trouble begins when she meets young Kerry (Kelly Adams) in the prison car park after her first visiting session. Eleanor's at her wits' end, but Kerry advises her to get a grip and 'take up crime, like the rest of us.' 'But that's just the point, I'm not like the rest of you!' snobby Eleanor complains. However, she decides to pick Kerry's brains and invites her down to her house in deepest Sussex.

While Kerry is at Eleanor's discussing the relative merits of armed robbery over demanding money with menaces, an articulated lorry packed with Russian vodka gets stuck outside in the lane, due to sat nav error. The lorry driver trips and cracks his head open on Eleanor's mannequin pis. Eleanor, with years of experience driving horse-boxes for her daughter behind her, moves the lorry so the ambulance can get through.

If she is serious about a life of crime, this is an opportunity not to be missed. Kerry gets a text offering a lucrative deal on the vodka and soon, any doubts Eleanor may have had about the venture quickly disappear. With Kerry at her side, and with a crash of gears, Eleanor sets off in the articulated lorry for a 'meet' at a warehouse in Crawley....

Written by Roy Apps

Cast:
Eleanor ...... Penelope Keith
Kerry ...... Kelly Adams
Charles ...... David Collings
Malky ..... Russell Floyd
Andronnikov ..... Richard Attlee
Sasha ......Rob Heaps
Agency Man ..... Nicholas Boulton
Agency Girl ..... Jessica Carroll
Kelvin ..... Sam Taylor

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


THU 15:00 Open Country (b0128fk5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b0128hs2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b01292vc)
Three for My Baby

Harold Lloyd Is Not the Man of My Dreams

These stories take their cue from the Johnny Mercer classic 'One For My Baby' - made famous by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and especially Frank Sinatra. Each of these specially-commissioned pieces tell of a 'brief episode' of the kind the song alludes to but doesn't describe. In other words, these are stories about doomed love: affairs that turned sour, were thwarted by circumstance or were never, ever, going to work.

Harold Lloyd Is Not The Man Of My Dreams by Morven Crumlish

She met Walter on the day she was supposed to fall in love. But Walter had no inkling of the conflicting emotions that could be aroused by silent comedians ...

Morven Crumlish's stories have been published and broadcast widely, and she also contributes to the Guardian. Her work has featured in three previous Sweet Talk productions for BBC Radio 4. 'Loulou and Barbie and the Seven Deadly Sins' appeared in Curly Tales 2 (2005); Dilemmas of Modern Martyrs - five of her stories - in 2008; and most recently 'A Good Impression' (Platform 3, 2010). Morven lives in Edinburgh.

Reader: Morven Christie

Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet talk production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 15:45 The Making of Music (b007njht)
Series 1

Elizabeth I

James Naughtie discovers how history has shaped the development of classical music. Two composers, William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, turned the end of the sixteenth century into a golden age for English music, despite being on the wrong side of the political and religious divide.

Produced by Rosie Boulton, Sara Conkey and Lucy Lunt
BBC Birmingham.


THU 16:00 Bookclub (b0128jbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b01292vf)
This week, Quentin Cooper hears how krill fertilise the Southern Ocean. He visits the Royal Society's Summer Science exhibition to hear about hearing, see about seeing and smell rotten fish. And he hears how science meets art in a new exhibition in which the artist is his own canvas.

Producer Martin Redfern (BBC).


THU 17:00 PM (b012bxk8)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0128qb5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 It's Your Round (b00zm32d)
Series 1

Episode 6

Angus Deayton hosts the comedy panel show with no format.

Johnny Vaughan, Alan Davies, Roisin Conaty and Arthur Smith battle it out to see who can beat each other at their own games each has brought along.

Angus valiantly tries to make sure everyone comes out of it with their reputations intact.

Writers: Angus Deayton, Ged Parsons and Paul Powell

Devised by Benjamin Partridge

Producer: Sam Michell.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b01292vh)
At the Village Shop, Rhys enquires about the poster for a tenant for the flat above. He phones Peggy, who agrees to Susan showing him the flat. Susan describes Jack to Rhys, who's impressed with the flat.

Jill's taking Lily and Freddie to Brookfield to see Tig. Elizabeth is adamant that she wants them to have a normal relationship with their cousins, but Jill reminds her that the situation has become more difficult than that. Elizabeth doesn't want to talk about it.

Lily and Freddie can't wait to play with Tig. Jill suggests that they stay at Brookfield for dinner but Elizabeth would rather Lily and Freddie stick to their routine.

Ruth thinks it's great to have the twins over. She tells Jill how much David has been doing to keep himself busy. Ruth hopes he can start moving forward and mentions Pip's enthusiasm for the farm. She admits they'd be chuffed if Pip did work on the farm, but don't want her to get her hopes up in case the numbers don't stack up. Ruth's determined not to let the situation with Elizabeth affect David. He and the farm come first to her.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b012bxkb)
Anna Maxwell Martin; Sondheim's Road Show

With Mark Lawson.

Stephen Sondheim's musical Road Show received its European premiere last night. Sarah Crompton reviews the the production, a tale of two early 20th century fortune seekers, and their schemes to get rich.

Actress Anna Maxwell Martin has been in several dramatisations of novels - from the stage adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, to the BBC's Bleak House, South Riding and Channel 4's Poppy Shakespeare. She's now starring in a TV version of Sarah Waters' tale of gay love in wartime London, The Night Watch. She explains why she generally prefers to ignore the original book when preparing for a role, and why nude scenes don't bother her.

Robert Hughes made his name with a polemic about modern art in the 1980 TV series and book The Shock of the New. Since then he has written about Barcelona, the transport of convicts to Australia and now, in his 70s, he's published a history of the city of Rome and its cultural life going back to its foundation. Mark interviews him in his home in New York.

Beached, a new community opera created by Lee Hall and Harvey Brough, will go ahead next week, after changes to its libretto. Earlier this week, as reported on Front Row, the show was cancelled, after a primary school pulled out of the project. Harvey Brough tells Mark how the creative team and the community achieved a resolution.

Producer Jack Soper.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01292tx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Report (b01292vk)
NHS Whistleblowers

Patient safety has become a growing concern for the NHS. And significant numbers of clinicians are aware of failings in care. Yet when they raise concerns, some find themselves facing allegations themselves and can find themselves suspended from their jobs. They may end up at home on full pay for years at considerable cost to the taxpayer. In some cases clinicians have highlighted serious concerns which, had they been listened to, might have averted subsequent tragedies. In The Report today Simon Cox hears the stories of whistleblowers in the NHS. He asks why their bosses sometimes ignore their concerns and investigates the use of gagging orders and other methods aimed at stopping whistleblowing clinicians from telling their stories.
Producer: Rosamund Jones.


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b01292vm)
Profits and Pitfalls

The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.

This week Evan asks his panel of top executives about the perils and the possibilities of running a fast-growing business. Many a company has spiralled out of control because of a failure to manage rapid growth - but what are the speed limits? They also chew over the role of the business lunch.

Evan is joined in the studio by Clive Schlee, chief executive of sandwich retail chain Pret A Manger; Peter Bamford, chairman of SuperGroup, the fashion retailer behind the SuperDry brand; Giles Andrews, founder and chief executive of Zopa, an online lending service.

Producer: Ben Crighton.


THU 21:00 Saving Species (b0128pyf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Tuesday]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b01292ts)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b0128qb7)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b01292wz)
Rupert Murdoch closes The News of The World . Will this rescue his bid to takeover BSkyB?

We explore the life and times of the 'News of the Screws' . And will this satisfy the Dowler family and the other victims of phone hacking ?

with Robin Lustig.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01292x1)
Half Blood Blues

Episode 9

Shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940, Hieronymus Falk - a brilliant young jazz trumpeter who made his name in Berlin - is arrested in a café and never seen nor heard from again. He is black - and a German citizen. Falk and his fellow bandmates Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones fled Berlin the previous year. But as Sid puts it: "We ... known [we] wouldn't fend off the chaos forever. Ain't no man can outrun his fate."

But what really happened to Hieronymus Falk?

Fifty years later, Sid and Chip return to Berlin - but Chip has received a mysterious letter which sets the pair of them on a new journey to uncover the secrets of past. But the heart of the story is set in those wartime days in Berlin and Paris. It's a jazzman's tale, with a language and preoccupations that give us a very fresh take on some well-known historical events.

Half Blood Blues sings of betrayal, loyalty and creative ambition, with the thought that if you don't tell your own story others may tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong ...

With the Wehrmacht closing on Paris, Delilah tries to get visas to get Sid, Chip and Hiero out of France and on to America.

Esi Edugyan has degrees from the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003. Half Blood Blues is her second novel. Her first The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - written when she was 25 - was published in 2004. Esi currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.
Read by Ricky Fearon.

Produced by Rosalynd Ward.
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 The Headset Set (b01292x3)
Series 1

Episode 3

Everyone is falling ill in the open-plan offices of Smile5, the catalogue company that sells anything and everything.

Eavesdrop on both sides of the bizarre, horrific and ludicrous phone calls when customers call in as events unfold with company staff.

Aleesha and other characters ..... Chizzy Akudolu
Bernie and other characters ..... Margaret-Cabourn Smith
Big Tony, Ralph and other characters ..... Colin Hoult
Sailesh, Bradley and other characters ..... Paul Sharma
Various ..... Philip Fox

Writers: James Kettle, Stephen Carlin, Celia Pacquola, Andy Wolton, Benjamin Partridge, Colin Hoult, Kevin Core, Madeliene Brettingham, Rebecca Hobbs and Dan Tetsell.

Script editor: James Kettle
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01292x5)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster on a day when MPs ask more hard questions about the phone hacking scandal. Peers cast doubt on the proposed full takeover of BSkyB by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. And should lawyers be able to buy your details from an insurance company after you've had a car accident?



FRIDAY 08 JULY 2011

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b0128qbt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b012f4kt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0128qbw)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0128qby)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0128qc0)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b0128qc2)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0129tcn)
With Rev. Dr. Craig Gardiner.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b01293bl)
Caz Graham hears five of the eight species of tuna could be at risk from extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is calling for urgent action to prevent over fishing. Although Bluefin tuna - the species most at risk - are rarely eaten in the UK, Albecore and Yellowfin tuna are eaten both tinned and fresh. Farming Today hears the numbers of both have decreased dramatically.

New government statistics show the average cost of feeding cattle, pigs and poultry outstripped inflation in the first quarter of this year, and some pig farmers have seen feed prices double in the last 12 months. A visit to a prize-winning pig breeder shows the challenges faced in balancing the books.

And Caz Graham visits one of a dwindling number of vegetable growers in Cumbria. Production in the county dropped by 22 percent between 2009 and 2010 and the small-scale producer is becoming something of a rare breed. James Walton in Dalston is one of the survivors.

Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Melvin Rickarby.


FRI 06:00 Today (b01293bn)
Including Sports Desk, Weather, Thought for the Day, Yesterday in Parliament.


FRI 08:57 Emergency Appeal for the Crisis in East Africa (b012rtf0)
Kate Adie presents a DEC Appeal for the crisis in East Africa.

You can give on line, at DEC.org.uk
Or you can call 0370 60 60 900
Cheques made payable to ‘DEC’ can be processed at any High street bank or you can post them to:
PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b0128hsb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b0128l70)
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde

Episode 5

Written by Franny Moyle.

When Oscar loses his libel case against Queensbury and is charged with acts of indecency, Constance realizes she must move quickly to protect the children.

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably.
Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society the Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.

But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. Having changed her name, she lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle's biography tells Constance's story with a fresh eye and new material. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, she uncovers key revelations about a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

Reader: Rachel Atkins
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01293bq)
Presented by Jenni Murray. The art of embroidered graffiti; Cook the Perfect Fish Soup with chef Giorgio Alessio; Harriet Harman and human rights activist Dalia Ziada discuss the future for Egyptian women; Mother and daughter - Bev and Jazz Burkitt - talk about their new series starting on BBC3 on Monday, 11th July.


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01293bs)
Cath Staincliffe - Blood in the Mountains

Episode 5

When the weekly list of unclaimed estates is published, probate researchers, brother and sister team Dan and Rachel, search backwards through the family line to find the true heir and get a slice of the fortune. Their quest leads them to uncover a broken family and a terrible secret.

Henry Gaunt died leaving a sizeable estate but no Will. Ninety four year old Eric Beatty, the rightful heir to the estate has rejected the money. Eric fought for the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War alongside Henry Gaunt's father George who was killed there. But Eric has been holding a terrible secret about George's death and Dan and Rachel are about to uncover it.

DAN.....William Ash
RACHEL.....Claire Keelan
YOUNG ERIC.....Tom Hughes
GEORGE.....Stephen Hoyle
JO.....Eithne Brown
ERIC.....Russell Dixon

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


FRI 11:00 Supermarket Symphony (b01293bv)
Nina Perry's composed feature 'Supermarket Symphony' reveals the beauty, musicality and personal stories found in supermarkets over a day.

Specially composed music and the sounds of the supermarket are interwoven with some of the human encounters to be discovered along with the weekly shop.

Amongst stories and rituals of shoppers and supermarket workers, we hear from Michael, a theatrical cheese counter assistant, who now in his 70's reveals his many past lives, and the happiness he finds serving people with cheese; Father Pat, a priest who enjoys the chance to connect with his local community whilst wheeling his trolley down the aisles and Julie who works on the tills, and has a gift for turning a frown into laughter.

Producer: Nina Perry

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2011.


FRI 11:30 Cabin Pressure (b01293c9)
Series 3

Paris

When a bottle of highly expensive whisky goes missing, Martin becomes the Miss Marple of MJN Air with Arthur assisting as his trusty Doctor Watson and Douglas hindering as his untrusty prime suspect.

John Finnemore's sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small and many jobs are too difficult.

Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ..... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ..... Roger Allam
Capt. Martin Crieff ..... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ..... John Finnemore
Mr Birling ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Mrs Birling ..... Flip Webster
Phil ...... Ewan Bailey

Producer/Director: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2011.


FRI 12:00 The Media Show (b012t97p)
Special: The Demise of the News of the World

A special edition of The Media Show investigates the lasting impact of the end of the News of the World. Does the end of Britain's best selling newspaper signal the end for "red-top" investigative print journalism? Or is it just a staging post on the way to establishing a Sunday edition of that other top-selling News International title, The Sun?

And what does the closure mean for Mr Murdoch's plans to increase his share of the UK television market?

Steve Hewlett is joined by News of the World columnist Carole Malone, former Guardian editor Peter Preston, and former People editor Bill Hagerty to discuss the history and legacy of the News of the World.

Clare Enders of Enders Analysis and media relations expert Andrew Gowers are also in the studio to discuss the commercial implications and whether closing the paper can salvage News International's reputation.


FRI 12:30 You and Yours (b0129426)
Is the National Citizen Service - which begins this week - the most cost effective way to get young people involved in their communities? We talk to two of the teenagers involved.

Car hire insurance - do you know what you're buying? A new survey exposes the ignorance of many British travellers leaving them liable for high penalty fees.

Peter White presents.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b0128qc4)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b0129428)
With Shaun Ley. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


FRI 13:30 Feedback (b012942b)
Was the Today programme interview with boxer David Haye below the belt? Many listeners felt robustness strayed unnecessarily into rudeness.

Listeners query whether the fashion sense of Christine Lagarde, the new Head of the IMF, would have been scrutinised as it was on Radio 4's Profile if she was a man.

And Lord Patten uses his first public lecture to announce the streamlining of the BBC complaints procedure, and substantial cuts in the pay and perks offered to the corporation's executives.

Contact the Feedback team to let Roger Bolton know what you'd like him to tackle this series about anything you've heard on BBC radio.

Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b01292vh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b012942d)
Gilda and her Daughters in Looking for Goldie

Comedy drama by award winning film maker Carine Adler. Eccentric Romanian Gilda finds herself in the middle of yet another family argument, as her bickering daughters fight for their deceased father's fortune. Thankfully Gilda's toy boy lover Vip is on hand to provide a welcome distraction.

Produced and directed by Charlotte Riches.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b012942g)
GQT Summer Garden Party

Join gardening pilgrims from far and wide at this horticultural celebration: Bunny Guinness, Christine Walkden. Anne Swithinbank and Chris Beardshaw formulate the answers.Eric Robson chairs the discussion.

Produced by Lucy Dichmont and Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 The Making of Music (b007njhw)
Series 1

The Birth of Opera

James Naughtie discovers how history has shaped the development of classical music. Opera was invented by a group of Italian intellectuals called the Camerata in Florence around 1600. They stumbled across something extraordinary - why not tell a story in music? It took off and soon theatres were springing up all over Italy - forty in Venice alone.

Reader Benedict Cumberbatch
Produced by Rosie Boulton, Sara Conkey and Lucy Lunt.
BBC Birmingham.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b012942j)
Otto von Habsburg, Cy Twombly, Anna Massey, Robin Nash and Robert Widmer

John Wilson on

The great American abstract expressionist painter Cy Twombly.

Otto von Habsburg, the last heir to Austro-Hungarian empire who was exiled as a child and later became a campaigning MEP.

Anna Massey, star of stage, screen - and Radio 4's This Sceptred Isle.

Robert Widmer - inventor of the supersonic bomber.

And Robin Nash, who directed some of BBC television's biggest hits - including Top of the Pops - is remembered by Tony Blackburn.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b012942l)
Terrence Malick is one of the most thrilling and charismatic directors working in America. He's not prolific and his films - like some wine -- only seem to be released in good years. This is one of those vintage years. His new feature,The Tree of Life, is in cinemas this week and Francine Stock talks to one of its stars, Jessica Chastain, about working with Malick.
Francine will also be assessing David Schwimmer's new film Trust and Bertrand Tavernier's The Princess of Montpensier. Even though the stories they tell are separated by five hundred years both focus on the enduring sexual allure of teenage girls and both act as cautionary tales. To round things off the keyboard wizard,Neil Brand, is on hand to explain how music helps to conjure the ghostly and the unseen into cinematic life.

Producer: Zahid Warley.


FRI 17:00 PM (b012byfy)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0128qc6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:27 Emergency Appeal for the Crisis in East Africa (b012rtf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:57 today]


FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b012942n)
Series 34

Episode 5

Topical stand-up, sketches and songs. Steve Punt is joined by Jan Ravens, Gareth Gwynn, John Finnemore and Laura Shavin, plus songs and satirical Darth Vader impressions from Mitch Benn.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b012942q)
Natalie stresses that if Jamie doesn't go to sixth form he'll miss out on going to college with her for two years. He sees it as more hard work, and doesn't even know what A levels he'd be doing. While they have lunch at Jaxx, Marty and Steve are in court. Natalie convinces Jamie to ring Marty so that he can relax. It's good news! Jamie doesn't have to give evidence and Marty was fine with him.

Emma's cousin, Samantha, has agreed to be Godmother to Keira. Alice is also up for being Godmother. With everything that's happened with Chaz, Ed thinks things may not be great between Alice and Chris. He warns Emma against getting involved. Alice is back from Southampton and is happy to see Emma and Keira but gets tense when Emma mentions that she knows about her troubles.

Emma is upset when George isn't that impressed with the scarecrow. He tells her that Nic and Will's scarecrow is better. Ed reassures her that it's still a work in progress.

Back from dropping Kate at the airport, Jennifer asks if things are alright between Alice and Chris. Tetchy Alice insists she's fine, telling Jennifer to back off.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b012byg0)
Barry Norman on Hollywood Glamour; Mick Jagger's new group SuperHeavy, Commonwealth Institute

With Kirsty Lang.

Barry Norman explores the glamour of the golden age of Hollywood and the power of the still image, as he reviews an exhibition of vintage film photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.

The former Commonwealth Institute building has been closed for almost a decade. Built in the early 1960s, with a distinctive tent-shaped roof, it now opens its doors to the public again as the venue for performances inspired by the building itself. Kirsty pays a visit with architect Maxwell Hutchinson, and talks to some of those involved in the new show.

The Palestinian writer and theatre director Amir Nizar Zuabi discusses his latest production In the Penal Colony, a dramatic retelling of Kafka's fable of injustice and violence.

Producer Andrea Kidd.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01293bs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b012942s)
Jonathan Dimbleby presents a discussion of news and politics from the English Martyrs School, Leicester, with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman; Labour's candidate for Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone; columnist for the Independent, Steve Richards; and the Times columnist, Matthew Parris. In the week News International is closing down its Sunday paper News of the World; a former editor and David Cameron's former communications director Andy Coulson is arrested; and more revelations about phone hacking come to light.

Producer: Victoria Wakely.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b012942v)
In Praise of the Zoo

Following the birth of a baby moose in Whipsnade zoo - a rare event - Alain de Botton muses on the value of exotic animals in helping to give us perspective on our own lives. He explains why he's rediscovered wild animals and suggests a zoo trip as a perfect summer outing!

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


FRI 21:00 Stone (b00j9kbx)
Series 1

God's Witness

By Danny Brocklehurst.

Last in a series of four detective dramas featuring DCI John Stone. A woman witnesses the murder of a young boy by a notorious gang and chooses to speak up, but can she really risk her safety and that of her family?

Stone ...... Hugo Speer
Paula ...... Maxine Peake
Liz/Sue ...... Deborah McAndrew
Ray ...... Tony Mooney
Anna/Shirley ...... Fiona Clarke
Kyle/Michael ...... Oliver Lee
Tanner ...... Craig Cheetham
Catriona ...... Zoe Henry
Ned ...... James Quinn

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b0128qc8)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b012942x)
David Cameron defends appointing Andy Coulson , who has been arrested today.

OFCOM says it's monitoring developments closely before it decides whether News Corp is 'fit and proper' to take over BSkyB.

Grammar schoolboy David Davis MP on the social mobility crisis in England's schools.

with Robin Lustig.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012942z)
Half Blood Blues

Episode 10

Shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940, Hieronymus Falk - a brilliant young jazz trumpeter who made his name in Berlin - is arrested in a café and never seen nor heard from again. He is black - and a German citizen. Falk and his fellow bandmates Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones fled Berlin the previous year. But as Sid puts it: "We ... known [we] wouldn't fend off the chaos forever. Ain't no man can outrun his fate."

But what really happened to Hieronymus Falk?

Fifty years later, Sid and Chip return to Berlin - but Chip has received a mysterious letter which sets the pair of them on a new journey to uncover the secrets of past. But the heart of the story is set in those wartime days in Berlin and Paris. It's a jazzman's tale, with a language and preoccupations that give us a very fresh take on some well-known historical events.

Half Blood Blues sings of betrayal, loyalty and creative ambition, with the thought that if you don't tell your own story others may tell it for you. And they just might tell it wrong ...

Poland 1992. After long coach journey from Berlin, Sid and Chip, both in their 80s, arrive at a strange, remote house. Have they finally found Hiero?

Esi Edugyan has degrees from the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003. Half Blood Blues is her second novel. Her first The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - written when she was 25 - was published in 2004. Esi currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.
Read by Ricky Fearon.

Produced by Rosalynd Ward.
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b0128q6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0129431)
Mark D'Arcy with the day's top news stories from Westminster.