SATURDAY 23 JULY 2011

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b012lj65)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b012pd5g)
Let Not the Waves of the Sea

Episode 5

Let Not The Waves Of The Sea is Simon Stephenson's account of his emotional journey following the death of his brother Dominic - and his brother's girlfriend Eileen - in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

Simon's journey takes him back to the scene of the disaster in Thailand, where the redemptive power of the people and the culture, which his brother loved, help the healing process.

Thirty two year old Simon Stephenson is a writer and doctor who lives in London. For several years, the Scot made his living as a screenwriter. Let Not The Waves Of The Sea is his first book.

Let Not The Waves Of The Sea
Written by Simon Stephenson
Abridged by Pete Nichols

Reader: Mark Bonnar

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


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012lj67)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012lj69)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012lj6c)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b012lj6f)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012lmks)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b012lmkv)
'Rupert loves papers, we found him inspirational.' Listener David Sinclair worked for several Murdoch titles, and praises his boss's contribution to journalism and national life. With Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey. Mishal Husain reads Your News. iPM@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b012lj6h)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b012lj6k)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b012ql51)
Northumberlandia

How are the people of Cramlington reacting to the open cast mining in their area and to the creation of the largest replica of the human body in their landscape? Will it attract tourists and put Cramlington on the map or will they become the laughing stock of Northumberland?

For this week's Open Country, Jules Hudson visits Cramlington in the north east where work has started on a giant sculpture of a naked woman which is to be carved into the Northumberland landscape. It will be made from 1.5 million tonnes of overburden from the Shotton open cast mine, near Cramlington. It will be 400 metres long and will stand higher than the Angel of the North. The sculpture, known as Northumberlandia, will form the centrepiece of a 29 hectare public park on the Blagdon Estate and, once developed, it is believed it will be the largest human form to be sculpted into the land, in the world. But these plans have prompted opposition from some, as did the plans for the open cast mine.
From the car park of the Snowy Owl pub, Jules hears from landlord Colin Ward about his thoughts on his newest and nearest neighbour, before heading off to check on progress. Taking the route along the leg, knee and thigh of Northumberlandia, Jules arrives on the sculpture's forehead with Mark Dowdell and Iain Lowther of the Banks Mining Group to find out about their reasons for embarking on such an ambitious project and what they hope it will bring to the local economy and community.
But not everyone is happy. Back at the Snowy Owl, Jules meets Tony Ives who set up a local opposition group, SCRAM - Support Cramlington Residents Against Mining. Tony tells Jules why he is so unhappy with the idea of Northumberlandia, which has been given the alternative nickname of 'Slag Alice' by some people who are against the idea. However, at nearby North Shotton farm, tenant farmers Julie and Robson Philipson are looking forward to the completion of the sculpture and the park. Despite losing much of their farm to the open cast mine, and being left with only two of their fields, Julie and Robson are adapting to a different way of life on the farm and are excited about the prospect of Northumberlandia opening in 2013.

Presenter: Jules Hudson
Producer: Helen Chetwynd.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b012ql53)
Farming Today This Week

Badgers will be shot in an attempt to control the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in cows - in England. The programme reports from a farm run by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. The cows there are used solely to graze the land - not provide milk or meat. In the next few weeks the badgers on this farm will be trapped, marked, vaccinated against TB and released. The Trust is one of only a handful of organisations in the UK to do so. Secretary of State Caroline Spelman explains the details of the two planned six week trial culls. It aims to see if killing badgers in targeted areas will help reduce the number of cattle with TB and if the badgers can be destroyed humanely. Both species carry the same strain of the disease, which cost taxpayers £90 million pounds last year in compensation to farmers and to pay for testing. The results of the trials will then be assessed to determine whether a widespread cull can go ahead.

A recent poll for the BBC suggested a majority of Britons in both town and country opposed killing badgers to curb cattle tuberculosis. Across the country, 63% said badgers should not be killed for cattle TB.

Discussing the issues for conservationists and the farming community are Dr Gordon McGlone, the Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Robert Warren, a dairy farmer in Gloucestershire. The Badger Trust give their initial thoughts on the plans and the Labour Party raise concerns over the financial implications.

Presenter: Sarah Swadling; Producer: Angela Frain.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b012lj6m)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b012ql55)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
07:50 Somali Islamist organisation al-Shabab has denied that there is a famine in the Horn of Africa.
08:30 Latest on the gun and bomb attack in Norway.
08:45 Why do corporate cultures go wrong?


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b012ql57)
Paul Jackson, Aoife Mannix, Martin Pistorius, Steve Hewlett and Tessa Peake-Jones

Richard Coles with comedy supremo Paul Jackson, poet Aoife Mannix, Martin Pistorius who was locked into his own body, ventriloquist Steve Hewlett who's brought Archie Andrews back to life, a Thing About You feature telling the story of a very special perfume bottle, and Inheritance Tracks of actress Tessa Peake-Jones.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b012ql59)
Hawaii - Buskers

Sandi Toksvig is joined by country singer Hank Wangford to hear about life on the ranch with paniolo cowboys in Hawaii. There is music from cellist Li Lu who is accompanied by artist Johan Andersson, her rival in a televised international busking competition. And Sandi talks to seasoned busker Kevin Barry White about life on road with just an accordion for company.
Producer: Laura Northedge.


SAT 10:30 How Dolly Got Rotherham Reading (b012ql5c)
Dolly Parton grew up in poverty in rural East Tennessee, where children only attended school if there was no work to be done on the farm. She came to regard good literacy skills as one of the key passports to enhanced life chances and in 1995 she launched the 'Imagination Library'.

The idea was quite simple. All children in the area were sent one book a month from birth until five years. In 2007 she took South Yorkshire by surprise when she turned up in Rotherham - not a city used to celebrity visits. But what happened next? Did her library capture the imagination of Rotherham's children? We follow up to ask whether it was just a flash in the pan or a serious project.

Travelling to Dollywood for an Imagination Library conference, Sarfraz Manzoor meets people from all over the world who have signed up for the literacy project. From Alaskan children in remote communities to young readers in Nottingham, Sarfraz finds that Dolly's influence is global.

Sarfraz will meet Dolly Parton in Dollywood to talk about her life and work. We'll hear from those who knew her as a child and understand the motivations for this charitable work she undertakes with such passion.

It will be a journey to the glamourous heart of country music, but one which reveals much more about one of the world's best loved country singers. Dolly Parton in her own words and in her own personal world of the Imagination Library.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b012ql5f)
With MPs and peers having left Westminster for their summer holidays, George Parker of The Financial Times reflects on the ups and downs, and the fortunes good and bad, of a turbulent political year. He weighs the scales with Steve Richards of the Independent, Jackie Ashley of The Guardian, Fraser Nelson of The Spectator and Tim Montgomerie of the website, ConservativeHome.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b012ql5h)
Will Thursday's eurozone agreement be enough to save the European single currency and the union of European nations? Chris Morris in Brussels considers the deal designed to prevent the debt crisis from spreading. Michael Buchanan was in Helmand province Afghanistan as the city of Lashkar Gah was returned to Afghan control. For the westerners leaving, he says, their job was far from done. Some Ethiopian girls are getting married at the age of five and Claudia Hammond has been finding out about the efforts being made to stamp out the practice of child marriage. Ever wondered what sound a post-coital baboon makes? Wonder no longer. Jake Wallis Simons imitates it as part his extraordinary story about the Australian much more at home in the real jungle than its urban equivalent. And Berlin's a city noted for its counterculture, its anti-establishment stance. Steve Evans is there exploring its more gentle side.


SAT 12:00 Poorer Than Their Parents (b012tpzg)
Jobs

Politicians have been talking a lot more about younger people in recent months. The Chancellor George Osborne says the Coalition Government has to tackle the deficit now because it wouldn't be fair to future generations to leave them a legacy of debt. While the Labour leader, Ed Miliband says Britain's in danger of raising the first generation for some time to be worse off than their parents. Financial guru Alvin Hall assesses these claims and offers advice to young people and their families about how to tackle the financial problems facing today's youth.

Each programme in this four-part series will focus on a different theme, from housing and employment through to pensions and inheritance. Through the families and individuals he meets, Alvin will assess whether the sons and daughters of Britain's bulging baby-boomer generation really will be worse off than their parents. From the young estate agent struggling to get on the housing ladder while his father controls a large buy-to-let portfolio, to the student struggling to fund a vital internship to kick-start his career - Alvin Hall explores how younger people are navigating their way through an economy shaped by the previous generation.

The series will also shed light on a growing movement committed to raising the profile of intergenerational inequality. Alvin speaks to the founders of a new think-tank dedicated to the issue hoping to shape public policy and he speaks to the young journalist who's dubbed his contemporaries the 'jilted generation'. The financial guru hears their arguments in this new series, which broadcasts this summer while BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme takes a break.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b012lm0h)
Series 34

Episode 7

Stop the press! It's all about Newspapers in the Now Show Series 34 finale. Who's writing them, who's reading them, who's having to resign because of them and who's been sending local newspaper stories in to us (thanks for that by the way).

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by Mitch Benn and Jon Holmes, with special guests Robin Ince and Margaret Cabourn-Smith.

Producer: Colin Anderson.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b012lj6p)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b012lj6r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b012lm4r)
The BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, chairs a discussion of news and politics from the Harlington Centre in Fleet, Hampshire, with former Cabinet minister Tony Benn, columnist Dominic Lawson, Conservative MP and chairman of his party's Economic Affairs Committee John Redwood, and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Maria Eagle.

Producer: Victoria Wakely.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b012ql5k)
Have your say by ringing Nick Robinson on 03700 100 444 or email any.answers@bbc.co.uk on the issues raised in Any Questions? Including: Greek bailout, cuts to police numbers, future of the EU, media coverage of Murdoch and News International. Last night's panel from Fleet included Tony Benn, John Redwood MP, Angela Eagle MP and journalist Dominic Lawson.


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00773ft)
Playing with Fire

Originally produced at the National Theatre in 2005, David Edgar's play is set against the background of a riot in the fictional northern town of Wyverdale, in the early part of the 21st century. In a revised version for radio, Edgar offers a powerful combination of political and personal drama.

Alex Russell ..... Emma Fielding
George Aldred ..... David Troughton
Frank Wilkins ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Riaz Rafique ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Anwar Hafiz ..... Pal Aron
Arthur Barraclough ..... David Fleeshman
Jack Ross ..... David Bannerman
Joan Cummings ..... Marian Kemmer
Shirley Honeywell ..... Fiona Clarke
Les Slater ..... Peter Meakin
Stephen Croft ..... Sam Dale
Ricks ..... Graham Padden
Lord Stanley ..... Robert Lister
Counsel ..... Susan Brown
Leena Harvey-Wells ..... Souad Faress
Shaz ..... Bethan Walker

Directed by Peter Leslie Wild.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b012ql77)
Cook the Perfect... Carrot Cake, Varicose Vein Treatments

Highlights from the Woman's Hour week. Presented by Jane Garvey. Taking other people's kids on holiday: a recipe for familial harmony? Could a woman be appointed to head the Met Police? Women and Twitter; new BBC show "The Hour"; varicose vein treatments; Eileen MacKenny talks about her life of crime; and Cook the Perfect... Frosted Carrot Cake.


SAT 17:00 PM (b012ql79)
With Samira Ahmed. A fresh perspective on the day's news with sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b012lmkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b012lj6t)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b012lj6w)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012lj6y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b012qlbq)
Peter Curran and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy and this week we have an exclusive session as Dave Stewart plays 'The Gypsy Girl and Me' from help with Noah and the Whale.

Rick Stein has been going to Spain on holiday since he was a child. And that's where he returns in his latest BBC Two series and accompanying book 'Rick Stein's Spain' to discover such treats as Asturian cider, pimenton and the best anchovies to be found in the world.

Legendary Broadway star Ellen Greene joins the cast of the new West End musical Betwixt!. Famous for her role as Audrey in the quirky and hugely successful Little Shop of Horrors, she has more recently appeared on the small screen in various US television productions, such as Heroes and Pushing Daisies.

Dave Stewart talks to Peter about life after Eurythmics. Not only has he written the music and lyrics for 'Ghost The Musical' which opened this week to critical acclaim in the West End, he also has a new album out called 'The Blackbird Diaries'. And if that isn't enough, he's one the members of a new band SuperHeavy (alongside Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman) who released their first single 'Miracle Worker' earlier this month.

Comedy's favourite poetry man Tim Key con'verses' with Nikki Bedi. His book 'The Complete Tim Key' is heavy with poems on love, sex, death and fruit (strawberries, beans etc) and it's of a nice weight. He'll also be in Edinburgh in August with his one man show 'Masterslut'.

Fresh from headline dates in the US and now back for their UK tour - music comes from Noah And The Whale playing a track from their Top 10 album 'Last Night on Earth'.

Producer: Cathie Mahoney.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b012qlbs)
Elizabeth Filkin

There were cheers and jeers in the House this week when Elizabeth Filkin was named as head of the enquiry to advise on cleaning up the relationship between the Met and the media following the hacking scandal.

As former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards she challenged vested interests at Westminster, until she was 'hounded out' by MPs in 2002 after questioning the probity of some of their number. She took on Keith Vaz - who this week chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee's questioning of recently resigned Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson - during her investigation into his links with the Hinduja family and accused him of deliberately trying to thwart her enquiries.

Supporters describe her as "fair but firm... someone who cannot be bribed, bought or bullied."

Filkin doesn't come with the typical background for a Government-appointed inquisitor. She is a former community worker, having worked in the London Borough of Brent back in the 1970s. She went on to to be an academic, as well as Chief Executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Now over 70, in recent years Elizabeth Filkin may have been out of the limelight, but as Shari Vahl reports, her antecedence suggests she's someone who wants to get at the truth - and isn't too concerned who she upsets along the way.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b012qlbv)
Tom Sutcliffe and his guests the writers Malorie Blackman, David Aaronovitch and Lindsay Johns review the week's cultural highlights including the film Beginners.

Mike Mills' film Beginners stars Ewan McGregor as Oliver, a lonely graphic designer mourning his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) who came out when he was widowed at the age of 75. Oliver's only companion is the dog he's inherited from his father until he meets a beautiful French actress.

Hari Kunzru's novel Gods Without Men features a set of interlocking narratives stretching from the 18th century to the present day, all located around a mysterious rock formation in the California desert. Echoing through them all are child disappearances, mysterious arrivals and the possibility of contact with extraterrestrial beings.

Loyalty at the Hampstead Theatre in London is writer Sarah Helms' first play. Described as a fictionalised memoir, it is based on Helms' experience as the partner of Jonathan Powell - Tony Blair's former Chief of Staff - before and during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Laura (played by Maxine Peake) is opposed to the war, while her partner Nick (Lloyd Owen) is busy planning it with Tony Blair (Patrick Baladi) leading to inevitable conflict on the home front.

Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern at the Design Museum in London is a celebration of the designer behind a host of hugely familiar objects including the parking meter, the Kodak Instamatic camera, the Kenwood Chef, the Wilkinson Sword razor and the Intercity 125 high speed train.

Marcus du Sautoy is the current Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and the presenter of the BBC2 series The Code. Over three programmes he aims to show how profound mathematical principles underlie everything we perceive in the natural and manmade world.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b012qlbx)
The 1981 Ashes

In 1981 Mike Brearley - 39 years old, retired and greying - took over the England team in the middle of a six-match series, already one-nil down against the Australians. His predecessor as captain was still in the side, but the side had not won a game for a year and that captain's poor performances were partly to blame. On his first two days back Australia ran up another huge total and Brearley's own side collapsed. Amidst baying newspaper headlines England were 500 - 1 against winning the game.

Yet Brearley's team achieved a victory to rival any in sport, which galvanised the nation and saw many who had never been interested in cricket before glued to the events on the pitch as Ian Botham led the team to the front pages.

Brearley himself goes back to the archives to tell the inside story of what remains one of the most remarkable summers of sport there has ever been. As the Royal wedding, the rise of the SDP and the inner city riots all came and went, the cricket united the nation. We hear from the players of both sides including Botham, Border, Willis and Lillee, as well as the memories of Sam Mendes, Donald Trelford, Scyld Berry and Gideon Haigh.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b012kn23)
The History of Titus Groan

Titus Inherits

By Mervyn Peake, dramatised by Brian Sibley
Episode Two 'Titus Inherits'
As tension between Mr Flay and Swelter, head chef of Gormenghast, takes a deadly turn, Titus's foster mother Keda is drawn back into her old life amongst the bright carvers. Meanwhile, the first of Steerpike's great plans comes to fruition as he manipulates the ladies Clarice and Cora to great and tragic effect.
Titus ...Luke Treadaway
Artist...David Warner
Steerpike...Carl Prekopp
Sepulchrave, Earl Of Groan...Paul Rhys
Gertrude, Countess Of Groan...Miranda Richardson
Dr Prunesquallor ...James Fleet
Irma Prunesquallor...Tamsin Greig
Clarice ...Fenella Woolgar
Cora ...Claudie Blakley
Fuchsia ...Olivia Hallinan
Flay ...Adrian Scarborough
Abiatha Swelter ...Mark Benton
Sourdust...James Lailey
Nannie Slagg ...Jane Whittenshaw
Keda...Susie Riddell
Barquentine ...Gerard McDermott
With Simon Bubb, Jonathan Forbes, Peter Polycarpou, Alun Raglan, Alex Tregear
Music by Roger Goula
Directed and Produced by Jeremy Mortimer.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b012lj70)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:30 The Story of Economics (b00zm0hy)
Cogs

In this three-part series Michael Blastland lays out the history of economic ideas to understand why economics goes wrong and whether it can ever go entirely right.

In the second programme, 'Cogs', Michael travels to Chicago to explore another view of economics: that it is a science, explaining the irrefutable mechanism of the market.

But has economics, with its language of 'laws', 'models' and 'forces', deceived itself and others by creating a false impression of precision? Why, despite decades of mechanical economics, do answers to some of biggest economic questions still elude us?

In the next programme, 'Monsters', Michael asks whether the problem is not the machine, but the people within it. In recent years economics has looked increasingly to the human factor, to experimental studies of behaviour, and to psychology. And that's where we turn next week.

Producer: Richard Knight.


SAT 23:00 Quote... Unquote (b012krrh)
The legendary quotations quiz Quote...Unquote returns for a new series, hosted by the incomparable Nigel Rees. This week's panellists are the Irish comedian Ardal O'Hanlon, Sony Gold-winning broadcaster Shelagh Fogarty and celebrated actor Martin Jarvis.

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


SAT 23:30 Tagore at 150 (b012kn27)
Poets, singers and ecological activists share their favourite Tagore verse at a festival at Dartington Hall in Devon to mark the 150th anniversary of the poet's birth.

Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913 for his collection Geetanjali ("The Song Offerings"). He wrote more than 1,000 poems and 2000 songs and his work has been translated into all the major languages of the world.

UNESCO has declared 2011 as the Year of Tagore and his life and work are being celebrated at events throughout the world.

This programme comes from the recent Tagore Festival in Dartington Hall, the centre for poetry, music, arts and crafts in Devon that was founded at the suggestion of Tagore himself.

We hear from poets such as William Radice (whose new translation of Geetanjali has just been published), Ketaki Kushari Dyson and former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, singers Debashish and Rohini Raychaudhuri, environmentalist Jonathon Porritt and internationalists such as Clare Short and Satish Kumar, Artistic Director of the Festival who is a devotee of Tagore's ecological teachings as well as his poetry.

Producer: Mukti Jain Campion
A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4.



SUNDAY 24 JULY 2011

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b012qk7p)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Shorts (b00nvfbz)
Series 10

Fifty-One

SCOTTISH SHORTS
Stories showcasing new writing from Scotland

Fifty-One
by Tat Usher

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


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qk7r)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qk7t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qk7w)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b012qk7y)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b012qmf9)
The bells of St Mary's Church, Dunsford, Devon.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b012qlbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b012qk80)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b012qmfc)
Side Effects

In this week's Something Understood, the poet and novelist Christie Dickason reflects on how we deal with the unexpected. How do we recover from the troubles which can shift an individual off-track - like loss, illness or accident?

Featuring readings from Rebecca Solnit, Pablo Neruda and Antonio Machado, music from Louis Armstrong, Peteris Vasks and Radiokijada, and an interview with the writer Simon Brett.

Produced by Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b012qmff)
Golden fields of oilseed rape increase as the UK is set to harvest more than ever before. Caz Graham joins a Cheshire farmer as harvest approaches. Richard Reeves farms in the grounds of Tatton Park. 30 years ago he had never grown oilseed rape, but as the crop has become increasingly profitable he has replaced wheat with rape, and now contributes to the 2.3 million tonnes that the UK is set to produce this year.

700,000 hectares of arable land is now used for growing UK oilseed rape, and its production is outstripping the capacity of Britain's seed crushers. So the export market is growing, both for cold pressed rapeseed oil for salad dressings, and for use as a biofuel.

Presented by Caz Graham. Produced by Emma Weatherill.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b012qk82)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b012qk84)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b012qmfh)
Jane Little with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories familiar and unfamiliar
"We cannot wait for politicians to sort things out. We have got to make a difference ourselves." The words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, this week at the conclusion of a conference highlighting the plight of Christians living in the Holy Land. Trevor Barnes spoke to some of those attending.
Lord Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of More than Gold on why it's imperative that local churches partake in the spirit of the Olympic Games.
The race to be the Republican challenger to President Obama in next year's election is well and truly underway. Even though that's not until February, most candidates are hard at work wooing the voters through the summer, and as Matt Wells reports from Des Moines, Christian Conservative activists are calling the tune - for now.
We look at the conflict between Beijing and the Holy See over the appointment of Bishops.
As the UN declares a famine in parts of Southern Somalia we talk to Christian Aid's Sarah Wilson who has just returned from the refugee camps in Northern Kenya and met many of those who have fled from Somalia.
The Reform Movement in Judaism has appointed its first national Rabbinical spokesperson. In her first broadcast interview we speak to Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner about her vision for the role and ask is this a direct threat to the Orthodox Chief Rabbi?


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b012qmfk)
Cardiac Risk in the Young

John Inverdale and Stephanie Hunter together present the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young.

Donations to Cardiac Risk in the Young should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope CRY. 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 Cardiac Risk in the Young 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: 1050845.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b012qk86)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b012qk88)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b012qmfm)
Let the earth hear his voice!

Each summer, thousands come together for the Keswick Convention, held in the heart of the Lake District, to worship God and to grow in faith. This service, from the big tent, explores how faith affects our words and actions in the world. Preacher: Dr Ajith Fernando, National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka. Leader: Jonathan Lamb, Director of Langham Preaching International. Music directors: Ray Monk & Steve James. Producer: Simon Vivian.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b012lmhc)
What's in a marriage

Alain de Botton on our high expectations for modern marriage. He argues that expecting one person to be a good partner, lover and parent is - almost - asking the impossible. And he shows how different it all was before the mid eighteenth century...

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b012qn4v)
With Paddy O'Connell. News and conversation about the big stories of the week.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b012qn4x)
For detailed synopsis, see daily episodes

Written by: Caroline Harrington
Directed by: Jenny Stephens
Editor: Vanessa Whitburn

David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Pip Archer ..... Helen Monks
Tony Archer ..... Colin Skipp
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Jack Woolley ..... Arnold Peters
Peggy Woolley ..... June Spencer
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ..... Rosalind Adams
William Grundy ..... Philip Molloy
Nic Hanson ..... Becky Wright
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Edward Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Robert Snell ..... Graham Blockey
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Alan Franks ..... John Telfer
Adrian Pegg ..... James Lailey
Sally Collins ..... Jane Whittenshaw.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b012qn4z)
Heather Rabbatts

Kirsty Young's castaway is the businesswoman Heather Rabbatts.

Born in Jamaica and raised in Britain, her early years were unpromising and she left school with just a few O levels. But after evening classes, she studied law and became a barrister before making her name as the youngest council chief in the country.

She's at home in the toughest business environments - from Millwall Football Club to the Royal Opera House - and says: "I definitely like being in charge and I've always felt that I can gather everyone's spirits and energies to take that jump into the unknown together."

Record: Que Sera Sera by Corinne Bailey Rae
Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Luxury: A solar powered digital photo album

Producer: Isabel Sargent.


SUN 12:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b012l0rd)
Series 55

Episode 4

The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a return visit to the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by David Mitchell, with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b012qn51)
School Food

Sheila Dillon follows two schools as they attempt to transform the way their pupils eat.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b012qk8b)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b012qn53)
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 Children of the Olympic Bid (b012qn55)
Series 6

Episode 1

When Sebastian Coe presented London's bid for the Games on the international stage in 2005 he was surrounded by 30 East End youngsters who represented the rich cultural diversity of their community. Faces of young sporting hopefuls appeared on billboards and the hopes and dreams they embodied became those of the nation. Radio 4's commitment to follow them has resulted in tremendous access to teenagers from very different backgrounds as they emerge into adulthood and deal with issues ranging from sporting successes and failures to romantic ones.

As 2012 draws near we hear from Ellie - the face of the London bid as she dived from the Thames Barrier. In earlier programmes we followed her family as they made the difficult decision to move to Australia, with its plentiful supply of 50 metre pools and access to top quality swim coaching. Now she's firmly on course to compete in 2012 and has her sights set on a gold medal.

By way of contrast Tom Brown - who proudly carried the torch through the streets of London - has experienced several setbacks on the road to swimming success. His parents have thrown him out of the family home and have reluctantly resorted to an injunction to stop him returning. He is living in a bed and breakfast hostel and he must soon undergo a kidney operation which could keep him out of the pool for several weeks.

Danielle still hopes to dance her way into the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. The Singapore trip having shaped many of her experiences to date, so much so that she thinks the main reasons she's made the semi-finals of Miss England is due to the confidence she gained on that Singapore trip. Meanwhile Amber, who first presented London's Olympic bid to the IOC in Geneva in 2004, is honing her basketball skills at an American University. She received a full scholarship on the basis of her ability but since moving there she's fallen madly in love and is even thinking of marriage.

Peter White catches up these and the others who inspired London's Olympic bid, from Perry - currently coaching football in America, to Amy about to start on a football scholarship at an American college. There's Alex, who as a teenager dreamed of Olympic glory as he pounded the streets on his East London council estate and now pounds a punch bag as he trains in his new sport - boxing. And Ashley, the economics student with an eye on a future in banking and dreams of riches way in excess of anything imagined by his mother, who struggled to bring him up on her own.

Producer - Sue Mitchell.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b012llz4)
RHS Show Tatton Park

What is the magic number when it comes to growing jumbo leaks? What can an ant teach you about the state of your compost heap? Chris Beardshaw, Matthew Biggs and Bunny Guinness have the answers.

In addition, Bunny Guinness talks to Daniela Coray, Daniela Coray - winner of the RHS Young Designer of the Year Competition 2011.

Matthew Biggs investigates 'Blue Mouse Ears' and 'Frosted Mouse Ears' Hostas.

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


SUN 14:45 Mabey in the Wild (b012qnl4)
Series 1

Indian Balsam

Indian balsam is a contentious plant. It may be beautiful and prolific, attractive to bees and first to colonise the empty mud banks of rivers - but many revile its invasiveness and accuse the plant of shading out and squeezing out native varieties. They have declared war on Indian balsam.

Richard Mabey takes a different view. He celebrates the plant that was introduced to British gardens in 1839 and then 'escaped' into the wild. He reflects on its robust nature and wonders at the wisdom of trying to eliminated it.

Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b012qnl6)
The History of Titus Groan

Titus Discovers

By Mervyn Peake, dramatised by Brian Sibley
Episode Three 'Titus Discovers'
Ten year old Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast, makes an unexpected discovery in the forest, as the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance deepens. Elsewhere, Irma Prunesquallor grows determined to find a husband, and Steerpike's ambitions may well claim the life of a second member of the Gormenghast household.
Titus...Luke Treadaway
Artist...David Warner
Young Titus...Hugo Docking
Steerpike...Carl Prekopp
Gertrude, Countess Of Groan...Miranda Richardson
Dr Prunesquallor ...James Fleet
Irma Prunesquallor...Tamsin Greig
Bellgrove...William Gaunt
Clarice ...Fenella Woolgar
Cora ...Claudie Blakeley
Fuchsia ...Olivia Hallinan
Flay ...Adrian Scarborough
Barquentine...Gerard McDermott
Nannie Slagg ...Jane Whittenshaw
Keda...Susie Riddell
With the voices of Paul Rhys and Mark Benton
With Jonathan Forbes, James Lailey, Alun Raglan, Alex Tregear
Music by Roger Goula
Directed by David Hunter and produced by Jeremy Mortimer.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b012qnl8)
A History of Women's Writing Part Three; Has Crime Writing Become Too Gory?

In the third instalment of her history of women's twentieth-century writing, A Book of One's Own, Mariella investigates the era of sexual liberation in the 1960s and 70s and how it ignited feminist fiction. She also traces the explosion in feminist literary theory, a development which has not been welcomed by some women writers, as Mariella finds out from novelist AS Byatt.

In the week of Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, Mariella asks writers N.J. Cooper and Tess Gerritsen, if the genre has become too gory.

Plus with the news that houses once belonging authors JG Ballard and JK Rowling are up for sale, Olivia Cole - poet and Literary Editor at GQ - provides a countdown to her top 5 author abodes.


SUN 16:30 Down off the Pedestals (b012qnlb)
The nineteenth century witnessed a flourishing of dialect poets in the new industrial centres. Though they were very popular locally, they were typically sneered at by the metropolitan literary establishment, and their reputations have fared badly in the years since.

Now Simon Armitage sets out to explore the lives and works of two writers whose influence in his Pennine home is felt - Samuel Laycock and Ammon Wrigley. Armitage grew up hearing their poems recited as party pieces, and while he initially wanted to, "get past them" and forge his own reputation, he's now keen to show why they deserve more serious attention from the reading public beyond their home turf.

Along the way Armitage speaks with musicians who've helped keep the poems alive as songs, and writers such as Glyn Hughes who have long championed the works. Hughes, sadly, has died since the programme was recorded.

Producer: Geoff Bird
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b012l2yv)
An Emergency Crisis?

Why are ambulances queuing up to unload patients needing treatment at hospital Accident and Emergency Departments? Some senior A and E medics say there are too few beds and not enough staff in a front line service struggling to cope. Cash strapped NHS Trusts are closing casualty units, or replacing them with lower grade Urgent Care Centres but what's been the impact on patients? Allan Urry asks whether A and E is on life support, at a time when the NHS is trying to make £20 billions savings without compromising patient care.
Presenter: Allan Urry
Producer: Samantha Fenwick.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b012qlbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b012qk8d)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b012qk8g)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qk8j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b012qnld)
Frank Cottrell Boyce makes his selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio

Saturday Live - Radio 4
BBC Proms - Radio 3
Stravinsky and the King's Horse - Radio 3
The Story of Hip Hop Protest - Radio 1xtra
Today - Radio 4
Fry's English Delight - Radio 4
Front Row - Radio 4
Russia - The Wild East - Radio 4
The Lunatic Line - Radio 4
Meet the Roma - Radio Scotland
Making Tracks - Radio 4
Americana - Radio 4
Top of the Class - Radio 4
Let Not The Waves of the Sea - Radio 4
Erased Memories and Spotless Minds - Radio 4
Words and Music - Radio 3

Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Cecile Wright.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b012qnrt)
It's the Village Fete. George takes Emma and Chris to see Will's scarecrows. They are most impressed with the Billy Goats Gruff. It even has a water feature! Emma's no longer convinced theirs will win.

Chris tells Emma he's looking forward to Alice's graduation but not the prospect of spending the day with Brian and Jennifer.

The problem at Bridge Farm is affecting Tom's trade. He assures Vicky that the E coli is limited to the ice-cream. Vicky can't imagine how Bridge Farm has got infected, and tries to find out more from Susan.

Everyone agrees there are some really good imaginative scarecrows - from Little Bo Peep to Little Miss Muffet. Susan and Vicky also agree that Carinthia Hart is a disappointment. She doesn't look up to writing such a raunchy book. Vicky is amazed when she learns that Mistress of the Paddocks is based on Brian's affair with Mandy Beesborough.

Lewis steps up to announce the results of the scarecrow competition. First prize goes jointly to the Billy Goats Gruff at Rickyard and Casa Nueva. George is delighted to be a double winner and Vicky insists everyone joins together for a winners' photo.


SUN 19:15 Americana (b012qnrw)
As the presidential campaign for 2012 ramps up Americana checks in with leaders and laymen from the African American community about how interest in this season may compare to voter engagement in years past. Political commentator Michelle Bernard and professor of political science Dr Hasan Crockett weigh in.

Comedian Alonzo Bodden has become a master of laughter. He explains how to dance across the line politically, socially and racially.

Mumbo sauce is hitting markets across the Washington DC area, playing well with soul food fans from across the nation. Americana takes a taste.

And trombonist Fred Wesley explains the political language of jazz versus funk.


SUN 19:45 Bright Young Things (b00pfsqw)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair

And now the second of our stories celebrating the riotous, cocktail-swilling, 'Bright Young Things' of the interwar years. Laurel Lefkow reads F Scott Fitzgerald's classic Jazz Age tale set in 1920s California, 'Bernice Bobs her Hair', in which revenge comes in the shape of a daring new hairstyle.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of 'The Beautiful and the Damned', 'Tender is the Night' and 'The Great Gatsby', is regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. His stories epitomised the Jazz Age, which he defined as a 'generation grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken'.

Written by F Scott Fitzgerald
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Justine Willett.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b012lls5)
Roger Bolton gives a Feedback listener an access all areas backstage pass to the Today programme. Francesca Fenn talks to Sarah Montague, Charlotte Green and John Humphrys.

Roger puts your queries to Ceri Thomas the editor of Today including length of items, gender balance and Murdoch overkill.

A Feedback listener has a miserable Sunday night listening to Pick of the Week.

And will the "visualisation of radio" mean early retirement for those with "a good face for radio"?
Plus the World Service's Director of Global News Peter Horrocks talks about falling listeners and new funding models.

Contact the Feedback team to let Roger 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.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b012llz8)
Lucian Freud, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Hanna Segal, Roland Petit, Manuel Galban

Matthew Bannister on

The painter Lucian Freud - we evaluate his life and work and talk to three people who saw him paint.

Also Ahmed Wali Karzai, half brother of the Afghan president and a noted powerbroker in the country.

The French choreographer Roland Petit who created renowned works for his glamorous wife Zizi Jeanmaire.

And Hanna Segal, the leading psychoanalyst who studied patients who suffered from psychosis and also worked to understand the artistic impulse.


SUN 21:00 Face the Facts (b012l4nl)
The Loan Cowboys

Debt management can be a crucial tool in helping people get to grips with their finances. But some companies have left many of their vulnerable customers owing more than ever. John Waite investigates how these companies offered to help hard-up families ease their debts but held on to their cash, leaving many of them close to the financial edge.

Debt management companies sprung up in the mid Nineties, offering to save struggling people from the threats of banks and creditors by settling their debts. For a monthly fee, customers believed their debts were being paid off but, as Face the Facts discovers, some companies took advantage of a weak regulatory system and accepted money from their desperate clients without passing it on to the creditors.

Producer: Paula McGinley.


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b012qmfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b012lkzp)
Europe on the Edge

The Euro crisis in Greece is creating effects that can be felt across the continent. Peter Day finds out how this turbulence is affecting businesses in Spain and Poland.

Producers: Sandra Kanthal and Julie Ball.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b012qpwk)
Mark D'Arcy talks to the Political Editor of The Independent, Andrew Grice, about the week ahead in British politics. The main topic is the latest figure for UK economic growth, due out on Tuesday.

Three MPs take part in our weekly live discussion about the big political stories - Conservative Amber Rudd, Liberal Democrat Duncan Hames and Labour's David Lammy. They debate government policy on economic growth, the prospect of the UK taking back powers from the EU, the hacking scandal and the terror attacks in Norway.

Leala Padmanabhan reports on 'Refounding Labour,' the consultation Labour leader Ed Miliband is holding on how to encourage the public to get involved in the party. She talks to a former Labour general secretary, a prominent Labour commentator, two grassroots activists and Professor Paul Whiteley of Essex University.

Programme Editor: Terry Dignan.


SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b012qpwm)
Episode 62

Andrew Porter, Political Editor of The Telegraph, analyses how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories in Westminster and beyond.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b012llzb)
Modern love is the focus in this week's film programme presented by Matthew Sweet. A septuagenarian Christopher Plummer comes out after forty years of marriage when his wife dies in Mike Mills' Beginners; Jennifer Aniston plays a randy dentist in Seth Gordon's new film, Horrible Bosses; and Rita Hayworth torments herself and Glenn Ford in the luminescent, Gilda -- King Vidor's classic film noir which has just been re-released. All are subject to scrutiny -- Matthew discusses the part autobiography plays in Beginners with the director; probes Jennifer Aniston on the need for boundaries in comedy; and muses on the femme fatale with the novelist,Linda Grant, who is passionate about Rita Hayworth. There's also the first of six trips into the weird and wonderful world of horror with the comedian and actor, Mark Gatiss. This week he takes Matthew Down Under to a terrifying nursing home where one of its residents, Patrick, casts his deadly spell.

Producer: Zahid Warley.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b012qmfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 25 JULY 2011

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b012qk95)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b012l4p1)
Privacy and parenting by mobile phone.

What is personal, what is confidential and what is private? These are all questions which are addressed in a new sociological study of the nature of privacy. Christena Nippert-Eng claims that 'privacy violations' are particularly damaging because they go to the heart of our rights to determine ourselves as individuals. Her work brings precision to an analysis of current reactions to the unwarranted intrusions of the press.
Also on the programme, how the millions of migrants from the Philippines attempt to parent their stay at home children by mobile phone. Do they think they are successful? Do their children agree? Mirca Madianou talks about her study of mothers in Britain and their children back home.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b012qmf9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qk97)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qk99)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qk9c)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b012qk9f)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012qq7d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b012qq7g)
European eggs need to be salmonella free according to Edwina Currie. The former Public Health Minister thinks that recent outbreaks of salmonella from Spanish are not acceptable and that European Ministers need to introduce higher standards.

More than one UK dairy farmer leaves the business each day. Dairy farming analyst Ian Potter believes that dairy farmers need to become more efficient and run effective businesses. Dairy farmer Roger Lewis thinks that there is a danger in dairy farmers moving to niche products.

Presented by Sarah Swadling. Produced by Emma Weatherill.


MON 05:57 Weather (b012qk9h)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b012qq7j)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Justin Webb, including:
07:50 Former record label bosses Alan McGee and Marc Marot reflect on whether the music industry should do more to protect young, vulnerable artists.
08:10 Norwegian philosopher Lars Gule and Matthew J Goodwin, author of New British Fascism, analyse the thinking of Anders Behring Breivik.
08:45 Rev David Newton explains why he offered listeners a wedding for £100.


MON 09:00 Fry's English Delight (b012qq7l)
Series 4

Persuasion

The language of persuasion interrogated. Advertisers, lawyers, cold callers and politicians are all, in a way, language experts. And we are all targets for people who try to persuade us of something, whether to buy a particular brand of soap powder, change our car insurance, or vote for a political party, for instance. And most of us at one time or another try to persuade other people to do something that we want them to do for us. It might be that it's to give us a job, come on holiday with us, or lend us a fiver until pay day. Is it possible to maximize your chances of success with the right approach, and by simply using the right words control someone else's behaviour?

How did the great persuaders of the past sway their audiences? We look at rhetoric and gesture, as well as hearing from an advertising executive, a professor of political history, a legal expert, and someone who runs one of the country's most successful telemarketing companies. Just how good do you have to be to sell someone something over the telephone? How hard is it to sell anything face-face with your client? We hear what happens when someone from one of Britain's most influential management training institutions observes a man selling sausages for his living from a stall in a London market. Does a humble street trader use the same devices as a vast multi-national corporation when it comes to getting you to put your hand in your pocket? You will listen, won't you? You know you deserve it.

Producer: Ian Gardhouse
A Testbed Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 09:30 Blind Man's Bete Noire (b012qq7n)
Being Introduced to Other Blind People

Peter White is joined by author Sue Townsend who is also blind, to discuss their pet hate of being introduced to other blind people. Peter says that often sighted people will suggest that he meets someone, not because they may have anything in common, but purely because they are both blind. Visually-impaired BBC News correspondent Gary O' Donoghue also comments.

But Peter then meets Irene, June and Kathleen who disagree with his sentiments and point out what they consider to be the benefits of meeting other people who are also visually-impaired.

Producer : Cheryl Gabriel.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b012qq7q)
Hood Rat

Episode 1

Written by Gavin Knight. The reader is Siobhan Redmond.

Journalist Gavin Knight reports from the frontline of Glasgow's ganglands. This serialisation taken from his new book 'Hood Rat' follows the efforts of Karyn McCluskey recently appointed as head of intelligence at Strathclyde police force. Karyn is determined to understand the stories behind the horrifying statistics of violent knife crime and murder.

Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b012qq7s)
Rape Trials, Nawal El Saadawi, Women and Public Toilets

Are women inconvenienced by a lack of public toilets and might the answer lie in more unisex provision? A seminar today considers whether it's fair for equal numbers of loos to be provided for both sexes or whether women need more. Outspoken writer and activist Nawal El Saadawi is one of Egypt's leading feminists of a generation. She joins Woman's Hour to discuss her hopes of real change in the post-revolutionary era. We discuss new research based on the observation of rape and sexual assault trials which is claimed shows that the court experience is failing victims. What problems remain with the criminal justice system and how might it be improved? Treating depression with a course in gardening is being piloted by one mental health charity - we find out more about the horticultural therapy on offer. Presented by Jenni Murray.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b012qq7v)
The Little Ottleys, Series 2

Episode 1

Episode One
It's 1916. The Little Ottleys, as they were called, have a new daughter and have moved from their very concise flat to a very concise house. Time has passed and Edith has tried to forget Aylmer Ross. A little difficult when you are married to someone like Bruce. But they are about to have a visitor ..

Ada Leverson..............Haydn Gwynne
Edith..........................Juliet Aubrey
Bruce.........................Bertie Carvel
Madame Frabelle.........Jane Whittenshaw

Directed by Tracey Neale.


MON 11:00 The Lunatic Line (b012qq7x)
Episode 2

The 600-mile railway line from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Uganda, built by the British between 1895 and 1901 through hostile tribal lands and malarial swamps, became known as "The Lunatic Line". Spiralling costs and massive engineering challenges were just a few of the problems facing the railway. Hundreds of Kenyan and indentured Indian labourers died during the railway's construction, mostly from disease, although the man-eating lions of Tsavo also devoured many.

Yet the railway created modern Kenya, and Nairobi hardly existed until the railway workers set up camp there just over a century ago.

Today, the old British-built railway still runs - but only just - and more as a tourist curiosity than a functioning service. Semi-privatised 25 years ago, it has suffered woefully from lack of investment, and today is but a decrepit relic of its former self.

Now Kenya has announced hugely ambitious plans to shunt its rail network into the 21st century by commissioning a new high-speed line with double-decker passenger and freight trains cruising at up to 100mph, reducing the journey time from Mombasa to Nairobi from 13 hours to three.

Ayisha Yahya travels on the existing creaking line and asks whether plans to rebuild and expand the railway network are little more than another lunatic notion? Or will they have as great an economic and social impact on the region as the Lunatic Line's original construction?

Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.


MON 11:30 Meet David Sedaris (b011tzmn)
Series 2

The Incomplete Quad, The Squirrel and the Chipmunk

The multi-award winning American essayist brings his wit and charm to BBC Radio 4 for a second series of audience readings. This week a memoir of one nefarious summer while studying at college: "The Incomplete Quad" and a modern take on the anthropomorphic fable in: "The Squirrel & The Chipmunk".

Producer: Steve Doherty
A Boomerang production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b012qq7z)
Consumer news with Julian Worricker, looking at the plan to get more of us building our own homes. Can it help to solve the housing crisis -- and give us the homes we want to live in?

Fighting back against the metal thieves who steal everything from litter bins to goalposts.

Can we really make our cities car-free? The head of Ford Europe talks to us about the future of the car.

And we look at new research which says family businesses are the best places to work.


MON 12:57 Weather (b012qk9k)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b012qq81)
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 (b012qq83)
Episode 4 in the new series of Quote...Unquote, hosted by Nigel Rees. This week's quotation quizzers 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 (b012qnrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b012qq85)
A9

Article 9 of the Tokyo Judgement at the end of WWII withdrew from the Japanese constitution the state's right of belligerency. Traumatised and guilt ridden for having killed enemy soldiers in war, Bernard has to attempt to coerce his children to continue his life's work, and makes their awaiting inheritance dependent on their abandoning their present careers and dedicating their lives to the promotion of A9.

Article 9 of the Tokyo judgement. 1948:

Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. The right of belligerency of the State will not be recognised.

Writer:

Though a hugely experienced writer, Helen Cooper is new to Radio Drama.
Three of her plays: Mrs Gauguin(Almeida Theatre) Mrs Vershinin (Riverside Studios) and Three Women and a Piano Tuner (Hampstead Theatre) were nominated for The Susan Smith Blackburn Award. She wrote the screenplay for Miss Julie directed by Mike Figgis, wrote and produced a short film Station, which received two Scottish Bafta nominations and is currently working on Desiderius Ersamus, a new commission from The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Director: Eoin O'Callaghan.


MON 15:00 Archive on 4 (b012qlbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 15:45 Russia: The Wild East (b012qq9d)
Series 2

The Great Patriotic War

The words of Konstantin Simonov's poem 'Wait for me and I shall return,' is an anthem of loss, courage and yearning for the terrible months that followed the outbreak of war in 1941.

Untrained volunteers fought with pikes and sticks, entire divisions were wiped out, but the Red Army did not collapse as Hitler had predicted. One General reported, "It is increasingly plain we have underestimated the Russian colossus... if we destroy a dozen, the Russians present us with a dozen more." Neither did the Soviet people welcome the Germans as saviours. Some Baltic states, where the invaders were seen as allies helping to throw off the Soviet yoke, greeted German soldiers with bread and salt, but they were repaid with brutality. Martin Sixsmith visits the suburb of Kiev that witnessed the biggest single massacre of the holocaust, immortalized in Yevgeny Yevtushenko's epic poem 'Babi Yar'. A heartrending account of one woman who survived is set against music from Shostakovich's 13th Symphony that uses the words of the poem. But German casualties were mounting. As winter approached, Hitler urged his generals to capture the major Soviet cities.

By early November the exhausted Germans were within 50 miles of Moscow. 600 miles and two fifths of the Soviet population were under enemy control, but the people's determination to fight was passionate. Stalin evoked heroes of the past to inspire new Russian heroes, but Sixsmith reflects, "their motives were not always the ones the Kremlin desired: people were fighting not for Stalin, not for the revolution or the Soviet Union, but for the Russian land." In the hit song of 1942 Napoleon speaks to Hitler from the grave saying 'I'll move over and you can join me down here." The Soviet Union had been facing annihilation, but it had survived.

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b012qn51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b012qqr1)
If there is one idea on which David Cameron has staked the reputation of his government it is the Big Society, and he has stressed the role he believes faith groups have to play in it. Their reaction has, however, been mixed with the Archbishop of Canterbury describing it as a "stale slogan" in danger of being seen as an opportunistic cover for spending cuts. So what is the Big Society, and are its values consistent with religious values? Ernie is joined by Phillip Blond, Director of the Think Tank Respublica and widely credited as being the originator of the government's Big Society idea, Maleiha Malik, Professor in Law at King's College, London: and Antony Lerman, former founding director of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research.


MON 17:00 PM (b012qqr3)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qk9m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b012qqr5)
Series 55

Ep.5

The godfather of all panel shows pays a first visit to the Grassington Festival in the Yorkshire Dales. Old-timers Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Jeremy Hardy, with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell accompanies on the piano.

Producer - Jon Naismith.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b012qrtl)
Susan's off to Ambridge Organics. With Clarrie not working, she knows it's only a matter of time before everyone realises Clarrie's the cause of the E coli outbreak. Neil's sympathetic and although Susan intends to ring Clarrie again later, she points out that Clarrie's only got herself to blame.

Clarrie's off to give another sample to Environmental Health, and will need to continue until she's cleared. Clarrie can't imagine where she picked up E coli. Eddie insists Pat's still obliged to pay Clarrie's wages but, knowing how angry she is, Clarrie worries that Pat will sack her.

Pat and Tony hope the unaffected yoghurt and ice cream will sell at Ambridge Organics but they're not confident. Pat's desperate to get the dairy steam-cleaned so they can get things running again as soon as possible.

Eddie, Susan and Neil admire the group photo Vicky took at the fete. Eddie can't remember the last time Ed and Will were in the same photograph.

Pat calls into Underwoods and finds they're stocking from a different dairy. At least Tony's managed to bring forward the steam-cleaning to Friday. It's going to cost but Pat doesn't care. It will just be a relief to get it done.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b012qrtn)
Captain America: The First Avenger, has already defeated Harry Potter to take top spot in the US Box office and this patriotic American superhero is coming to UK screens this week. The film, set in 1941, focuses on the story of a scrawny military wannabe Steve Rogers, whose determination to help his country transforms him into a Super Soldier. Dr Jason Dittmer, a political geographer and specialist on nationalist superheroes, like Captain America, gives his thoughts on the film.

Moni Mohsin talks about satirizing life amongst the westernised high society of contemporary Lahore, in her novel, Tender Hooks - where she comments on Pakistan's troubles through the voice of Butterfly, a shallow, fashion-obsessed matchmaker who resents the beardo-weirdos (fundamentalist terrorists) because they interfere with her pedicures.

Mansfield Park is a new opera, based closely on the Jane Austen novel, which is set to be performed, amid the genuine historic finery of stately homes and historic buildings, across Northern England this Summer. Composer Jonathan Dove, who was commissioned to write the piece by Heritage Opera, talks about the art of writing initimate opera and making it relevant for new audiences.

Sir Michael Parkinson is a patron of the National Jazz Archive and today he is announcing a £346,000 investment in the archive from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The National Jazz Archive tells the story of Jazz and Blues in the UK through artwork, photographs, printed articles and the personal papers of leading musicians including John Dankworth. Michael Parkinson and jazz bass player Gary Crosby discuss the significance of this new investment.

On his forthcoming album, singer Tony Bennett performs a duet with Amy Winehouse, in what will now be one of her last recordings. Bennett and jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch reflect on the musical artistry of the iconic singer, following her sad and sudden death this weekend.

Producer Nicki Paxman.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b012qq7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Waiting for Independence Day (b012qrtq)
Quebec has been asked twice whether it wants to become independent. Scotland will be asked the same question soon. Iain MacWhirter travels to Montreal and Ottawa to ask whether the experience of having a referendum hanging over it has harmed or galvanised Quebecois society?


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b012lkkd)
Libyan refugees

Crossing Continents joins a British doctor volunteering to help women and children stranded in Tunisian refugee camps while the men fight Gaddafi's forces in the mountains south of Tripoli.
Producer: Bill Law.


MON 21:00 Material World (b012lkkv)
Quentin Cooper hears about the arrival of NASA's Dawn spaceprobe at the asteroid Vesta, the landing of the last Space Shuttle flight, attempts to reduce the number of animals used in scientific research and testing, and, as the two thousandth test match begins, the physics of cricket.

Producer: Martin Redfern.


MON 21:30 Fry's English Delight (b012qq7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b012qk9p)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b012qrzt)
National and international news and analysis.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012qs0b)
Pereira Maintains

Episode 1

Derek Jacobi reads this prizewinning novel set in the sweltering summer of 1938 when Portugal was under the Fascist shadow of Spain.

Pereira Maintains tells a tale of reluctant heroism. The editor of the arts page of a Lisbon newspaper, Dr Pereira, wants nothing to do with politics. Something of an academic he spends his time immersed in nineteenth century French literature. His closest confidante is a photograph of his late wife. But all this changes when he meets Francesco Monteiro Rossi, a charismatic young man with links to the anti-Franco International Brigade. As Pereira comes to realise the extent of the suppression of free speech in the country he loves, he is drawn into a reckless act of rebellion.

Abridged by Jane Marshall.

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


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b012l253)
Foreign Language Learning

Students are no longer choosing to study modern foreign languages. In the first of a new series of Word of Mouth, Chris Ledgard asks how much this matters.

In 2001, 78% of pupils in England did a language GCSE. By last year that had fallen to just 43%. Chris Ledgard talks to Andy Burnham, Shadow Secretary of State for Education; Vivienne Hurley of the British Academy; Professor Andrew Hussey of the University of London Institute in Paris; John Rushforth, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UWE; Swansea University language student Catherine Rendle; Luke Young, President of the NUS in Wales and Glyn Hambrook, a former language lecturer, to find out the true picture and ask if it really matters.


MON 23:30 Polyoaks (b011jx09)
Series 1

Episode 1

First episode of a new Sitcom written by Private Eye medical columnist Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer set in the Bewildering New World of the NHS.

As responsibility for the Health Service is stripped from managers and handed to doctors, brothers-in-medicine Roy & Hugh Thornton are struggling to work out what to do with all this sudden money and power. If they can diagnose acute appendicitis surely they can manage an £80 billion health budget. Can't they?

But a useless Celebrity TV Doctor, an overly-aggressive South African Nurse and a sinister GP Consortium Chairman don't make their lot any easier.

Anyone who wants to know what's really happening to the Nation's Health Service, (but can't wade through the 367 page Health & Social Care Bill) should listen to 30 minutes of Polyoaks, starring Nigel Planer, Tony Gardner, Celia Imrie and David Westhead.

Cast:
Dr Roy Thornton ..... Nigel Planer
Dr Hugh Thornton ..... Tony Gardner
TV's Dr Jeremy ..... David Westhead
Betty Crossfield ..... Celia Imrie
Vera Du Plessis ..... Carla Mendonca
Mr Devlin/ Patient ..... Phil Cornwell
Mr Ridgewell/ Mr Dawson ..... David Holt
Mrs Briggs ..... Kate O'Sullivan

Written By Phil Hammond and David Spicer

Producer/Director: Frank Stirling
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.



TUESDAY 26 JULY 2011

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b012qkb8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b012qq7q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qkbb)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qkbd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qkbg)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b012qkbj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012qs5n)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b012qs5q)
As the government plans a badger cull trial in England, to help control TB in cattle, Sarah Swadling hears why cattle TB tests and culls are needed to safeguard human health.

The National Farmers Union calculates the average milk price is three pence a litre below the cost of production. As one dairy farmer a week continues to leave the industry, a visit to a Worcestershire farmer illustrates how a good contract can mean make or break for the business.

And as harvest gets underway, Farming Today looks ahead to the expected yield in Scotland.

Presenter: Sarah Swadling; Producer: Angela Frain.


TUE 06:00 Today (b012qs5s)
With John Humphrys and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Long View (b012qs5v)
BBC Salford and the Manchester Guardian

In the late 1950s The Manchester Guardian demonstrated its national ambition by dropping Manchester from its title. The Guardian wanted to establish itself as far more than a high-brow regional paper with a strong reputation for international coverage. And so, in 1961 the paper started to print in London. It wasn't a great success, furnishing parodists with acres of Grauniad style material to parody while leaving ink all over the hands of the expanding Southern readership. But in 1964 the editorial headquarters followed the printing presses to the capital. Manchester and the north were in decline, yesterday's cities. To be a national paper, the feeling was that you had to be based in London. Spool forward four decades and the BBC have taken an entirely different approach to being a national media organisation. The move of substantial programme-making operations including Five Live and BBC 1 Breakfast to Salford is a statement of intent. A new and exciting northern contribution to output, far greater than the old regional headquarters could ever manage, appears to be the way forward.

So do you achieve national coverage by going to London or by leaving London? The Long View examines whether the decisions are right and why they were made. It tells a story of the changing balance of the North South divide examines the relationship between how you cover the UK and where you are within it.

Image: Part of the reporters' room at the Manchester Guardian.


TUE 09:30 Top of the Class (b012qs5x)
Series 3

Andrea Levy

Andrea Levy is now part of the literary establishment. She was short listed for the Booker Prize in 2010 with her novel, The Long Song. In Top of the Class, she goes back to the building where her creative success took root - the old City Literature building in London's Covent Garden.

As a school girl, Andrea's literary talent never shone - it was only when she started doing an adult education class in creative writing that she realised hers was a voice which had something powerful and resonant to say.

Encouraged by her classmates, some of her early classroom forays into creative writing were the starting point for her first novel, Every Light in the House Burnin'.

John Wilson takes Andrea back to the building and reunites her with her creative writing tutor, Alison Fell and class mate, Albyn Hall. They retrace their steps - try and find their former classroom of more than twenty years ago and tell the story of Andrea's literary journey from classroom to international success.

Producer: Sarah Taylor.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b012trd8)
Hood Rat

Episode 2

Written by Gavin Knight. The reader is Siobhan Redmond.

There is anger and a sense of urgency when four young men are murdered in South London in a single weekend. But that level of crime is normal for Glasgow and instead of anger the reaction is indifference and acceptance. Karyn McCluskey and her colleague John Carnochan are determined to find a way to break the cycle of violence.

Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b012qs5z)
China's one-child policy; Aruna Sairam; holiday packing; language in the boardroom

Pressure on the Chinese government to relax its one-child policy. Indian singer Aruna Sairam. The politics of packing: how much do you take, and packing for the whole family. Is the language they use in the boardroom holding women back at senior level? Presented by Jenni Murray.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r6kc)
The Little Ottleys, Series 2

Episode 2

Episode Two
Edith is devastated to discover that Aylmer Ross has been injured in the War. She's desperate to know how seriously hurt he is ...

Ada Leverson..............Haydn Gwynne
Edith..........................Juliet Aubrey
Bruce.........................Bertie Carvel
Aylmer.......................Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle.........Jane Whittenshaw
Dulcie.........................Leah Brotherhead

Directed by Tracey Neale.


TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b012qs61)
Series 2

Episode 14

14/30 Chris the cuckoo is south bound, heading for Africa - but where exactly is he? We visit the British Trust for Ornithology's HQ in East Anglia and find out latest progress of him and his compatriots. We also have a report about the UK Lady Bird Survey being conducted by the Biological Records Centre. Over recent years we have heard much about the invasive harlequin ladybird pushing out our native species - but is this really the case. And how easy is it to see all the ladybrid species found in the British Isles? We'll be encouraging you to join in and if you don't know your ladybirds, why not use ispot.

We also feature Tree Sparrows with a report in the field from northern England and an interview with the RSPB on why we should care about this species in particular.


TUE 11:30 With Great Pleasure (b012qsdh)
Simon Singh

Science journalist Simon Singh presents some of the pieces of writing which have captured his imagination, including a blog, an online hoax, a nursery rhyme and a well-loved contemporary novel. Simon's readers are his performance collaborator Robin Ince and writer and actress Meera Syal.

Producer Christine Hall.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b012qsdk)
Call You and Yours with Julian Worricker.

Cast your mind forwards by nearly forty years...can you imagine the centre of Europe's main cities being car free? That's what an EU white paper is recommending...no petrol or diesel powered vehicles allowed, just electric or so-called greener ones? All by 2050. Practical in your mind....desirable....where do you stand on our love affair with our cars? Is it a relationship we need to take a long look at in the years to come?

An opportunity to contribute your views to the programme. Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk or call 03700 100 444 (lines open at 10am).


TUE 12:57 Weather (b012qkbl)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b012qsdm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4. Thirty minutes of intelligent analysis, comment and interviews. To share your views email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


TUE 13:30 Composer Joseph Horovitz: No Ordinary Joe (b012qsdp)
This is the story of a composer of the kind of music that just fits so beautifully, that you hardly notice yourself humming along.

Joseph Horovitz composes concertos and ballets, operas and chamber music, yet he’s best known for Rumpole of the Bailey, and Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo.

Joseph journeys through his remarkable life and career in conversation with composer, Debbie Wiseman.

Captain Noah has been translated into six languages, and is one of Horovitz’s best sellers. The Berkshire Maestros, and conductor David Hill with the Bach Choir, have all rehearsed and performed this work, and give their views on its lasting popularity. Dancer Wayne Sleep, conductor John Wilson, and TV executive producer Tony Wharmby, also discuss their musical collaborations with Horovitz.

Horovitz's story begins with his escape from the Nazis as they entered Vienna in 1938, to then include giving wartime musical appreciation lectures to the forces, being awarded two Ivor Novello awards for later compositions, and working with such comic legends as Gerard Hoffnung and Michael Flanders.

This life journey has been one of distinction in many ways, yet Horovitz has not been taken as seriously as he'd like. Debbie Wiseman grapples with this issue, to understand why Horovitz has not received the acclaim that his artistry deserves.

Producer: Luke Whitlock

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b012qrtl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b00b0swj)
Dear Writer

Anna Massey stars as a writer who is finding it impossible to begin her next book. Her brother has died and in clearing out his house - troubling memories keep invading her mind - memories that hint at a family secret and a forgotten tragedy.

'Dear Writer' is written by Jane Rogers and stars Anna Massey as The Writer and Leah Verity White as Polly.

The play is being broadcast as a tribute to Anna Massey - one of the UK's most treasured actresses - who passed away earlier this month.

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


TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b012qsdr)
Clouds, Boats and Pond Life

It's a rather watery programme this week. First up is a question about the measurement of water in the atmosphere and the impact this has on climate change.

Then we descend to the seas, lakes and rivers where those who can spend time relaxing on the water. But are the anti-fouling paints, engine exhausts and various other boating paraphernalia polluting the waters in which we play? One listener wants to know what's eating what in a garden pond. We move onto land to find out whether roadside pollution makes picking blackberries from the verge a hazard? And what links swarms of jellyfish, Himalayan glaciers and a recent poll of the British public?

We have a trio of professors lined up to do the answering this week, they are Sue Buckingham - Professor of Social Work at Brunel University; Mike Hulme - Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia and Graham Underwood - Professor of Marine and Freshwater Biology at Essex University.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel

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


TUE 15:30 Opening Lines (b012qtb9)
Series 13

Writing in Chalk

A return of the series which gives first-time and emerging short story writers their radio debut.

A young girl, struggling with her reading and writing in school, looks to her mother for support in this touching story by Helen Barton

Read by Claire Skinner
Produced by Robert Howells

In 2009, Helen won the Orange Harper's Bazaar short story award and has written a novel and several short stories, as well as a series of literary quiz books.


TUE 15:45 Russia: The Wild East (b012qtbc)
Series 2

Redemption through Blood

Having retreated from Moscow, Hitler focused on capturing the oilfields of the Caucasus, penetrating farther into Russia than any western army. Stalin urged the Red Army to greater sacrifices: "we must throw back the enemy whatever the cost. Those who retreat are traitors . and must be exterminated on the spot." 150,000 soldiers were executed for cowardice.

Those who survived were sent to penal battalions "to redeem by blood their crimes against the Motherland," drawing on the deep-seated Russian belief that the individual must sacrifice himself for the good of the state. Women took the strain in industry and agriculture, overtime was obligatory, holidays suspended and the working day increased to 12 hours. Food supplies were limited; the author Fyodor Abramov wrote of "little girls with runny noses" working in the forests: "you didn't dare come back without fulfilling your quota! Not on your life! "The front needs it!"' Hitler had pledged to make Leningrad a terrifying symbol of Nazi invincibility and for 900 days the city was shelled nonstop and starved of fuel and food. One in three of the city's 2.5 million inhabitants starved to death.

Martin Sixsmith stands in the concert hall where Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, which he dedicated to "our struggle against fascism ...our coming victory over the enemy and to my native city, Leningrad..." was first performed on August 9th 1942. So many members of the orchestra had died in the siege that amateur players were brought in to fill their seats, and the brass section was given special rations to give them the strength to play. But the performance was a triumph. It was broadcast on national radio and then around the world as a symbol of the strength of Soviet resistance that would eventually defeat the Nazi menace.

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b012qtbf)
Surnames

What's in a name? Chris Ledgard looks at where our surnames come from and what they mean to us. He meets two people with very unusual stories, then visits the team of researchers at UWE who are tracing the origins of 43,00 family names in the UK - many for the first time.
And Gregory Clark is using surnames to track the wealth and status of families over forty generations, with surprising results.
Producer Beth O'Dea.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b012qtbh)
Alexander Waugh and Xanthe Clay

Harriett Gilbert talks to Alexander Waugh and Xanthe Clay about their favourite books.

Letters Between a Father and Son by VS Naipaul
Publisher: Picador

Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book by Jane Grigson
Publisher: Penguin

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
Publisher: Penguin

Producer Beth O'Dea

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.


TUE 17:00 PM (b012qttz)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qkbn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack (b012qtv1)
Series 2

Episode 1

The human chameleon's host of characters from a chatty school girl to a decrepit charwoman.

Multi-paced, one woman Fast Show showcasing the exceptional talent of Lucy Montgomery.

With:

Philip Pope
Sally Grace
Waen Shepherd
Natalie Walter

Written by Lucy Montgomery with additional material by Steven Burge, Jon Hunter, Fay Rusling and Barunka O'Shaughnessy.

Script Editor: Dan Tetsell

Music by Philip Pope

Producer: Katie Tyrrell.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b012qtvr)
Pip thinks Elizabeth's a bit on edge, with Roy away. She wants to bring Freddie and Lily over tomorrow, so they can see Tig the puppy again. Ruth suggests laying on a nice tea for the twins. Pip is fretting about her A level results but hopes she and Spencer will get away in September.

Pat and Tony are being hounded by a journalist. Pat wonders if they ought to make a statement but Tony refuses to be bullied by the press.

It's a relief when the next knock on the door is David. Pat tells him the E coli was down to a member of staff but mentions no name and asks David to keep it to himself. David suggests the NFU could advise on how to deal with the media enquiries.

Tom wishes he could say more to the press so is pleased to hear that Tony has listened to David's suggestion. After talking with the NFU press office, Tony agrees to make a statement. Tom still thinks they should sack Clarrie but Pat and Tony won't hear of it. Tom's adamant it's their best option.

Tony has put together a press statement and is ready to send it off. It will be in the Borchester Echo on Thursday.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b012qtvt)
Horrid Henry the movie, and Nicholas Crane on Towns

With Mark Lawson.

Horrid Henry has made the transition from Francesca Simon's books to the big screen in 3D. Mark Eccleston reviews the film starring Richard E Grant, Anjelica Huston, Jo Brand and lots of kids.

Nicholas Crane, co-presenter of the TV series Coast, discusses his new four-part series Town in which he explores alternatives for urban living by focusing on four British towns: Perth, Totnes, Scarborough, and starts his journey in the Shopshire market town of Ludlow.

After the judges have met today to decide this year's Man Booker Prize longlist, chair of judges Stella Rimington reveals the list of novels that captured the panel's imagination and the ones that didn't quite make it.

Tomorrow an exhibition opens celebrating the life and work of the painter Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, who became the first director of the National Gallery in London, and was described by one contemporary as the 'Alpha and Omega' of the Victorian art world. Charles Samaurez Smith, himself an ex-director of the National Gallery, explains why we should thank Eastlake for the quality of today's collection.

Producer Jerome Weatherald.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r6kc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b012qtvw)
Revolving Doors

Each year scores of senior civil servants and ex-government ministers quit Whitehall for higher-paid posts in business. Companies in the fields of defence, health, energy and transport are particularly keen to recruit experienced politicians, policy makers and managers with close links to the wheels of power and procurement. This is the so-called "revolving door" between government and the world of commerce and industry. In recent years a free flow of talent both ways has been encouraged in the name of both efficiency and better communication between Whitehall and the wider world. But Government orders for goods and services are worth billions of £'s every year, and critics say the system is vulnerable to abuse and conflict of interest. For 'File on 4' Julian O'Halloran examines the effectiveness of the independent committee whose job it is to police the divide and protect the public interest.
Producer: Andy Denwood.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b012qtvy)
NICE refuses to approve Lucentis for Diabetic Macular Oedema. 26/07/11

We look at the impact of NICE's decision not to approve a drug used for treating diabetic macular oedema, a condition affecting 50 000 people in the UK. Plus more from Sight Vilage, the exhibition which showcases the latest technology for blind and partially sighted people.


TUE 21:00 Am I Normal? (b012qtw0)
Series 8

Episode 2

Over the winter, every other advert tells us that we need to boost our immune systems. If we get a cold, it's proof that our immune system must be failing. Two and it's not normal. But how do you know what's normal? The immune system is incredibly complex and no two people are the same - even siblings. Factors like aging - the older you are, the weaker your immune system is likely to be; stress; exposure to microbes - yes, being around dirt!; and genetics all play a part. Vivienne Parry does her best to find out what's normal.


TUE 21:30 The Long View (b012qs5v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b012qkbq)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b012qtw2)
What's taken the froth off the British economy ?

Britain changes tack on removing Colonel Gaddafi from Libya to face war crimes charges.

Iceland or bust! How letting its banks fail has saved the country's economy.

with Robin Lustig.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012tr1t)
Pereira Maintains

Episode 2

Dr Pereira has met a charismatic young man and offered him a job on the culture page of his newspaper but he is concerned by the company the young man keeps, for this is Portugal in 1938 and one has to be careful who one is seen with and what one says.

Written by Antonio Tabucchi

Read by Derek Jacobi

Producer: Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 Bigipedia (b012qtwd)
Series 2

BigiBuzz!

This episode premiers the latest social networking add-on, BigiBuzz - find out the things that are popular so you can be one of them!

At last, the long-awaited release of Bigipedia 2.0 - the infallible, ever-present cyberfriend is back. Now with all errors and mistakes.

In this episode, Britain's least-haunted house is visited by terrified ghost-hunter Felix Richard and we find out the true meaning of pilk and pleather.

Bigipedia was conceived by Nick Doody, and written by Nick Doody, Matt Kirshen and Sarah Morgan, with Carey Marx. It features Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Nick Doody, Neil Edmond, Pippa Evans, Martha Howe-Douglas, Lewis Macleod & Jess Robinson. Occasionally you can hear Matt Kirshen.

Guy Jackson has done some music and that.

Bigipedia is a Pozzitive production, produced by David Tyler. His radio credits include Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Cabin Pressure, Another Case Of Milton Jones, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The 99p Challenge, The Castle, The 3rd Degree and even, going back a bit, Radio Active. His TV credits include Paul Merton - The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan's Run, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon and Executive Producer of Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies.

Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:30 Lost Albums (b007cnxj)
Series 1

Bright Phoebus

Pete Paphides reveals the story and music behind the 1972 folk album by Mike Waterson, Martin Carthy and Ashley Hutchings.



WEDNESDAY 27 JULY 2011

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b012qkc9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b012trd8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qkcc)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qkcf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qkch)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b012qkck)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012r6jj)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b012r6jl)
Sarah Swadling visits the Nantwich International Cheese Show to discusses why milk for cheesemaking tends to command lower prices than milk for bottling. Farmers say that processors and retailers need to value the raw material for cheese more highly. British cheesemaking is itself enjoying a revival, with more than 700 varieties of cheese now being produced. The industry body Dairy UK says that the creation of more, higher value, types of cheese will eventually lead to better milk prices for farmers. But as choice increases for consumers there are some losers - we meet a prize-winning farmhouse Cheshire cheesemaker who is giving up because of declining sales.
Presenter: Sarah Swadling.
Producer: Emma Weatherill.


WED 06:00 Today (b012r6jn)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Sarah Montague, including:
07:50 Why do probation officers spend 3/4 of their time on paperwork? We speak to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.
08:10 The one year countdown to the 2012 Olympics begins.
08:30 Should Catholic priests in Ireland break the seal of the confessional, if there are claims of child abuse?


WED 09:00 Voices from the Old Bailey (b012r6jq)
Series 2

Riots

Amanda Vickery explores the culture of 18th century Britain through its dramatic court cases. In this first programme of the new series, she hears evidence from 3 bloody riots. Ordinary Londoners caught up in violence on the streets tell their story, and rioters argue their case in court, desperately attempting to avoid the noose.

The 3 riots span the 18th century and reveal huge political change: we move from a group of sailors destroying a brothel in a drunken rampage to the first modern political riot, the 'Wilkes and Liberty' riot. Finally we hear evidence from the anti-Catholic Gordon riots, the worst episode of civil unrest in British history. The whole of central London was garrisoned with mounted troops, who shot to kill. Professor Vickery reveals that left-wing historians of the 70s and 80s ignored the Gordon Riots because they didn't fit their ideological model of the noble rioter.

Three contributors discuss the court cases: Professor Peter King, Dr Katrina Navickas and Professor Tim Hitchcock, co-founder of the online archive, OldBailey Online. With a ballad about a food riot sung by Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie; recorded on location in the oldest pub in London, the Guinea in Mayfair, and with a visit to a Catholic chapel which was attacked in the Gordon Riots. The music used in this programme was arranged by David Owen Norris, from original 18th century ballads.

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


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b012trfz)
Hood Rat

Episode 3

Written by Gavin Knight. The reader is Siobhan Redmond

Saturday night in Glasgow and the wasteground around Easterhouse becomes the scene of a regular pitched battle. The undernourished boys of the estates bolster their fragile sense of self with cheap alcohol, desperate posturing and vicious weapons.

Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b012r6js)
A year from the Olympics we talk to the women who've helped build the Olympic Park. The ethics of IVF as a lottery prize. How to deal with a terrible boss. Elaine Sciolino on La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life. Presented by Jenni Murray.


WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r6jv)
The Little Ottleys, Series 2

Episode 3

Episode Three
Aylmer Ross has returned to London and the attraction between him and Edith is as electric as ever but where do they go from here? ...

Ada Leverson..............Haydn Gwynne
Edith..........................Juliet Aubrey
Bruce.........................Bertie Carvel
Aylmer.......................Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle.........Jane Whittenshaw

Directed by Tracey Neale.


WED 11:00 The Shipwrecked Bears (b012r6tt)
3,000 teddy bears went missing in 1903, supposedly en route for New York from their native Germany.

Bear expert and storyteller-par-excellence Gyles Brandreth attempts to discover what really happened to these earliest toy bears.

In 1902 the first ever toy bear was designed in Germany by Richard Steiff: Bär 55 PB, a lifelike bear with joints, a humped back and a snout. A New York toy company placed an order at the Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903 for 3,000 of the novelties to be ready in time for the Christmas market. The bears were made and packed up for shipment, but there is no record of them reaching their destination and none of this load of US-bound bears has ever been found.

The templates, patterns and even photos of this bear exist but not even one sample was kept. One popular explanation is that there was a shipwreck and the bears had a watery end. All that is certain is that if one of these bears turned up now it would be 'open chequebook' time for certain museums and collectors.

Witty, magical and heart-warming, the documentary reveals fascinating detail behind the making of the bears, including a trip to the Steiff factory and a rifle through their detailed archives, as Gyles delights us with this little-known story, and imagines where water-logged bears might have washed up.

Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


WED 11:30 The Pickerskill Reports (b012r6tw)
Series 2

Paul Whitney Beauchamp

Retired English Master Dr Henry Pickerskill recalls a bullied day boy and his mother. Stars Ian McDiarmid. From July 2011.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b012r6ty)
Consumer news with Shari Vahl.
A market trader in Oldham has won his case against trading standards who accused him of selling fake goods. The watches and sunglasses in question sported logos similar to those of major designers - but the judge in the case said he had, "severe doubts whether this prosecution should ever have been brought." So how close can you get to a trademark before you're in breach of the law?

The difference between the cheapest litre of unleaded and the most expensive now stands at a whopping 24 pence. We check out the means consumers are using to track down a cheaper tankful.

And why plans for picnic spots beside motorways have been scrapped.


WED 12:30 Face the Facts (b012wxxw)
Prescribed Addiction

Prescribed Addiction: John Waite investigates the "scandal" that has left up to 1.5 million people addicted to drugs prescribed to them by their GPs. Experts in the field tell us that addicts to benzodiazepine tranquillizers, the most popular of which are diazepam and temazepam, far outnumber those addicted to illegal drugs. There's evidence that some family doctors are ignoring guidleines by prescribing the drugs for much longer than is recommended, while successive Governments are accused of turning a blind eye to the problem and offering little by way of treatment to the victims who want to withdraw.

Producer: Kathryn Takatsuki.


WED 12:57 Weather (b012qkcm)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b012r6v2)
National and international news, with Martha Kearney. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


WED 13:30 The Media Show (b012r6v4)
How's the jewel in the crown of the Murdoch empire coping following the hacking scandal ?
James Harding the Editor of The Times talks to Steve Hewlett about the impact it's having on its reputation its readers and its revenue.

And the challenges facing ITV. Profits may be up but can they keep pulling in the viewers.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b012qtvr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b012r6v6)
Georges Simenon - The Other Simenon

In Case of Emergency

Georges Simenon, best known for Maigret, published scores of other novels, often tough, gripping and psychologically-penetrating dissections of small lives confounded by fate. Ronald Frame dramatises three of these stories beginning with the obsessive affair between a lawyer and a jewel thief. When her plan to rob a jeweller's shop goes wrong, Yvette - young, beautiful and dangerously impulsive - asks middle-aged lawyer, Lucien, to defend her in court. When he wins the case they begin an affair but he discovers that Yvette has a boyfriend who has no intention of giving her up.

Other parts played by the cast.
Producer/director Bruce Young.


WED 15:00 Poorer Than Their Parents (b012tpzg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


WED 15:30 Opening Lines (b012r6vb)
Series 13

Ladies of the Soil

A return of the series which gives first-time and emerging short story writers their radio debut.

A meditative tale by Gill Blow about unspoken tensions between a husband and wife as they look to an uncertain future.

Read by Philip Jackson
Produced by Gemma Jenkins

A graduate of the Sheffield Hallam creative writing course, Gill's one-act play was performed as part of the New Writers Drama Festival in Lincoln last year and her story, Pol Creek, was recently published in The New Writer Magazine.


WED 15:45 Russia: The Wild East (b012r6vd)
Series 2

Episode 13

Victory at Stalingrad in February 1943 turned the tide of the war. For 6 months, 2 million soldiers had battled for a city that was already in ruins.

German conscripts recorded the brutality of the combat: "Stalingrad is no longer a city ... Even the hardest stones cannot bear it. Only men endure." Soviet forces were trapped in a thin strip of land on the edge of the Volga. But for all the horror and all the losses, they did not retreat. The world watched: if Stalingrad could be held, it seemed the war could be won. At last, a counter offensive trapped 300,000 enemy troops in a sealed enclave christened the 'cauldron'.

When the Germans finally surrendered only 90,000 of them remained alive. Just 5,000 would make it home. The retreat westward gathered pace and 6 months later Hitler ordered his final offensive on the eastern front. Martin Sixsmith visits Kursk where the "biggest tank battle in history" dealt Hitler his final body blow. Within a year, the Germans had been driven out of the Soviet Union. The Red Army swept westwards to Warsaw. Andrzej Wajda's 1957 film 'Kanal' depicts the final harrowing hours of the destruction of Warsaw by the Nazis, but its anger is also directed against the Soviets, who allowed 50,000 civilians to be wiped out to secure the future dictatorship of Communism. In mid-April, the Soviet assault on Berlin began. The Nazi capital was pounded with more shells than the Allied bombers had dropped on it in five years. A week later the Hammer and Sickle was planted on the roof of the Reichstag.

On the 9th of May, Stalin told the Soviet nation Germany had surrendered. "Our mighty nation - our mighty people - have triumphed over the forces of German imperialism... All our sacrifices, all our suffering and all our losses have not been in vain."

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b012r6vg)
Creating capabilities

Development of a country is conventionally measured by GDP, but that can mask a growing inequality in that nation and makes no reference to freedoms, rights or education. The philosopher Martha Nussbaum outlines her 'human capabilities' approach which she has developed with the Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen. She tells Laurie that her index can be applied around the world and across all cultures as an index which measures how populations are flourishing or flailing.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.


WED 16:30 Am I Normal? (b012qtw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 17:00 PM (b012r6vj)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qkcp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00y5hvy)
Series 7

Writer in Residence

Episode 5:
"Writer In Residence"

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.

Fed up with everything on the radio originating from Cambridge, Ed decides to immerse himself in popular culture and retunes away from Radio Four. The new outlook on the world that Radios 1, 2 and 5 bring to Ed proves fortuitous when his daughter, Eli, manages to secure him an interview at her husband's university. So it is that Ed finds himself 'Writer in residence' with all the benefits that this affords, including discussing the merits of the worst Lady Gaga wardrobe malfunction of the year.

Cast list:

Ed Reardon ..... Christopher Douglas
Professor Judith ..... Rachel Atkins
Announcer ..... Lewis Macleod
Ping ..... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Felix ..... John Fortune
Eli ..... Lisa Coleman
Bill ..... Darren Boyd
Pearl ..... Rita May
Olive ..... Stephanie Cole
Stan ..... Geoffrey Whitehead

Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b012r6z0)
Jill takes some flyers for the open gardens weekend round to Lower Loxley. Elizabeth's happy to put them out during the Garden Festival. Elizabeth's coping with Roy being on leave but feels guilty about not spending more time with the children. She's grateful to Pip who's taken them to see the puppy at Brookfield, and she's looking forward to their holiday in Cornwall in September.

Lynda's pleased to see a poster in the shop window for the open gardens weekend. She also notices Bridge Farm yoghurt and ice cream is back in stock, although Susan tells her that nobody's buying it. Alice is surprised at how expensive things are, compared to the supermarket.

Chris is anxious to go through his business plan again, ahead of tomorrow's meeting, even though he's convinced the bank will think him crazy when he asks for a £200k loan. Chris knows what a big opportunity it is, and is determined to do all he can to secure the purchase of Ronnie's business. It would mean so much to get the business up and running - their own achievement. Whatever happens, Alice tells him he's a hero. Tomorrow is their first wedding anniversary and she loves him even more than she did then.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b012r6z2)
Anime film Arrietty and Mansfield Park, the opera

With Kirsty Lang

Arrietty is the latest film from the Japanese anime team behind Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Inspired by Mary Norton's The Borrowers, the adaptation follows Arrietty's growing friendship with a human boy called Sho.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews

Mansfield Park is the title of a new chamber opera, by composer Jonathan Dove, commissioned by Heritage Opera specifically for performances in historic buildings around northern England this summer.
Jonathan Dove talks about setting Jane Austen to music and the art of creating intimate opera - with the piano replacing an orchestra.

Robert Muchamore, author of the best-selling Cherub series, explains why he set out to write books designed particularly to appeal to reluctant teenage boy readers.

This weekend the WOMAD festival in Wiltshire plays host to musicians from all over the world.
Among them this year is Aurelio - a singer from Honduras whose people, the Garifuna, have kept a strong sense of African cultural identity ever since their shipwrecked ancestors settled on the Caribbean island of St Vincent in 1675. Aurelio talks about Garifuna life, his time as the first Garifuna congressman in Honduras and the advice he got from his mentor - the Senegalese singer, Youssou N'Dour

Producer Claire Bartleet.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r6jv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Leader Conference (b012r6z4)
Series 1

Libya; the UK economy; and how shop staff should speak to customers

In the fourth edition of Leader Conference, Andrew Rawnsley was joined by Anushka Asthana of the Times; Rafael Behr of the New Statesman; Stephen Glover of the Daily Mail; Sarah Sands of the London Evening Standard; and Martin Shipton of the Western Mail.

We debated: UK policy in Libya; the UK economy after the latest official estimates for growth; and Selfridges' reported policy at its Manchester store of discouraging informal greetings to customers.

LIBYA: SEEING THINGS THROUGH
We note that British intervention under United Nations Resolution 1973 of 17 March was in large part to provide protection to Libyan citizens from the heinous acts of the Gaddafi regime and that this laudable aim continues to be served by NATO enforcement of the no-fly zone.

Nevertheless, in our view the original mandate has been stretched considerably beyond the language used in the Resolution and has come to mean simply regime change. We suspect that this "mission creep" has contributed significantly to the current military stalemate.

Accordingly, given the unease which we sense from UK parliamentarians of all parties about the situation on the ground and the escalating cost of military operations, we advocate a stronger role for diplomacy.

This is a problem on Europe's borders which requires European governments to concert together and act decisively, not one on which they should expect the United States to take the initiative.

The Foreign Secretary's announcement on 27 July that the UK government recognises the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's sole governmental authority is right - although it is clear that the NTC does not enjoy support across the country.

We are doubtful, however, about the government's reversal of its stance on the need for Gaddafi to leave Libya, not least because the International Criminal Court may seek to bring charges against him and other members of his regime for alleged abuse of power.

THE UK ECONOMY: MORE ENERGY REQUIRED
Amidst all the talk about "plan Bs" for the British economy, we are not persuaded that the strategy to reduce the budget deficit very significantly by 2015 is wrong. However, where the role of the public sector is important (e.g. Wales and the north-east of England), the government needs to be alert to the effects of job losses.

The UK's sluggish recovery convinces us that more emphasis needs to be placed on growth. We note Labour's proposal to reduce VAT to 17.5% but we prefer other measures at this stage.

We see the argument for further quantitative easing by the Bank of England, as urged by the Business Secretary, Vince Cable. But we advocate bringing forward the coalition's existing plans to cut taxes for those on low incomes. The less well-off spend more of their money and spend it in the UK compared with those on higher incomes.

For these reasons as well as on grounds of fairness, we reject the Mayor of London's call for a cut in the top rate of income tax for those earning more than £150,000 a year.

High inflation and the pressure on family incomes are curbing back consumer spending. A particularly important factor in this is the rapidly rising price of gas and electricity.

The major suppliers have established in recent years a pattern of hiking prices to consumers following rises in the wholesale market, while often failing to pass on price reductions as fast. Such behaviour is particularly worrying for people on fixed incomes.

We think the gas and electricity companies should be referred to the Competition Commission to establish whether they are operating against the public interest and to promote far greater competition in those markets, as promised at the time of privatisation.

TALK FRIENDLY!
We are disappointed that the highly-regarded Selfridges department store in Manchester has apparently told staff to avoid local speech patterns, such as "Ey up, chuck!" and "See ya!" when speaking to customers.

We regret this and urge a change of heart. Regional dialects and turns of phrase enrich our lives and enhance local identities. Over-formality can be alienating - or not cool, if you prefer - even if others like it.

We feel Selfridges' approach, if motivated by genuine concern for customers, runs the risk of taking the "Mank" out of Manchester and curbing the widely celebrated friendliness of the locals. As if! (as Mancunians are known to scoff).

So let's not crudely impose what may be regarded as London norms - especially since we're not sure that they are, judging by our recent visits to West End stores!

Producer Simon Coates.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (b012r6z6)
Series 2

Clare Lockhart: Rethinking Aid and the Developing World

Clare Lockhart, co-founder and director of the Institute for State Effectiveness, talks about the need for a new model of engagement for the developing world to reduce dependence and build economic growth.

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 British, More or Less (b012r6z8)
In 2010, scientists in Dublin successfully sequenced the first entire genome of an Irish person. This research revealed some startling differences between the 'Irish' and that of already sequenced 'English' genomes. With the explosion in the rate of DNA sequencing, it is only a matter of time before countless genomes from across the British Isles are available, allowing direct comparisons to be made between the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

In this programme, Tracey Logan explains how analysis of DNA can be used to trace back ancestral lineages. She considers what the results of such studies might tell us about ancient Britons and how this is reflected in the multi-cultural British Isles of the 21st century. She asks should we be prepared to draw further lines of difference between the four nations or will we be forced to accept a shared ancient heritage?

She travels to Edinburgh where she finds a Scottish Chieftain who is fearful of the impact that hard genomic facts might have on his much-loved clan heritage. She meets geneticists who are looking for traces of Viking ancestry amongst modern day residents of the Wirral peninsula. She joins volunteers in Canterbury who have elected to share their DNA with the People of the British Isles Project and she decides to have her own maternal and paternal ancestral lineages revealed though DNA analysis.

Producer: Helen Toland


WED 21:30 Voices from the Old Bailey (b012r6jq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b012qkcr)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b012r6zd)
Britain recognises Libyan rebels
Olympic legacy - who will be the real winners?
Egyptian TV after the revolution.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012tr4z)
Pereira Maintains

Episode 3

Pereira has taken on a young assistant to help him with the culture page of a Lisbon newspaper. But the young man, though charming and eager to help, writes articles that are unpublishable in the repressive political climate of Portugal in 1938. And yet inexplicably, Pereira finds himself paying the young man out of his own pocket.

Written by Antonio Tabucchi

Read by Derek Jacobi

Producer: Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 The Adventures of Inspector Steine (b00n9llk)
In Praise of Love

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

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

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


WED 23:30 Just One More Thing: Columbo! (b007y9sl)
The Hollywood actor Peter Falk, whose name became synonymous with the TV character Columbo whom he played for 35 years, died last month after a long illness. In a programme first heard in 2007, crime-writer Mark Billingham delves into the mystery that was one of the small screen's greatest detectives.

The raincoat, the cigar, the spluttering convertible car, the villain's deed in the first scene and the final "...just one more thing". The American TV detective series Columbo was a literature inspired, award winning, rule breaking television original.

Billingham tracks down the unusual suspects who made it possible including star Peter Falk, creator William Link, writer Steven Bochco, director Jonathan Demme and guest star villain Robert Vaughn.

Producer: Peter McHugh.



THURSDAY 28 JULY 2011

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b012qkdb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b012trfz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qkdd)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qkdg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qkdj)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b012qkdl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012r7jg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b012r7jj)
EU protected food status could not save four UK cheeses from disappearing from sale. Currently no one is producing 30% of the recognised UK cheese brands, which include Bonchester and Teviotdale from Scotland; and Buxton Blue which has to be made in the Peak District. As the European status lasts forever, one expert says taking over the brand could be a great business opportunity for an aspiring cheese maker.

Green topped milk bottles of raw or unpasteurised milk used to be a common sight on doorsteps. Now, the majority of milk sold in England is pasteurised to remove bacteria like E.coli, TB and MRSA. Farming Today visits one Berkshire dairy farmer who is meeting the demand for the raw white stuff by selling direct from his farm.

Also in the programme, a vision of the dairy industry in 2020 predicts fewer farmers, larger farms and cows producing thirteen per cent more milk. John Allen, the author of a new report explains his thoughts on how the industry could change.

Finally, farmers groups welcome the findings by a party of MPs who are calling for changes to the role of the new supermarket watchdog. The National Farmers' Union says it will give its members a voice but the British Retail Consortium says it could mean unnecessary bureaucracy and costs.

Presenter: Sarah Swadling; Producer: Angela Frain.


THU 06:00 Today (b012r7jl)
Morning news and current affairs with James Naughtie and Sarah Montague, including:
07:30 How good should your English have to be if you want to live in the UK?
08:10 Why do some children go to school not even knowing their own name?
08:20 As MTV turns 30, has the internet killed the TV music star?


THU 09:00 Inside the Ethics Committee (b012r7jn)
Series 7

Withdrawing Treatment

Palliative Care teams are used to supporting patients at the end of life. But recent requests by two patients with motor neurone disease make some medical staff feel uncomfortable.

They both want to stop using the ventilator mask that is keeping them alive.

Initially prescribed to support breathing at night, their symptoms have progressed to such a degree that they can nolonger breathe without the mask.

They are aware that removing it will lead to death within hours or minutes. They both ask the palliative care team to ease their suffering during the process.

Patients have a legal right to refuse treatment, but these requests make some staff uncomfortable. Can they conscientiously object to supporting these patients at the end of their lives? Could they be accused of assisting in their deaths?

Producer Beth Eastwood

Presenter Joan Bakewell.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b012trk8)
Hood Rat

Episode 4

Written by Gavin Knight. The reader is Siobhan Redmond.

Cathy is a social worker in the East End of Glasgow - her clients are mostly young men desperate for love, products of families riddled with domestic abuse and almost all of them had fatherless childhoods. But even Kenny, one such young man, still clings to hope for the future.

Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b012r7jq)
Stella Rimington; Young Teetotallers; Fighting Fibroids

Drinking trends amongst young people: why do they drink, what can be done to help young alcoholics and why are some choosing to turn teetotal? The author and former Director General of MI5 Dame Stella Rimington joins Jenni to talk about Rip Tide, the latest novel in her spy series. Female taxi drivers in India. And, we discuss whether women are getting the most appropriate treatment for fibroids. Presented by Jenni Murray.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r7js)
The Little Ottleys, Series 2

Episode 4

Episode Four
Bruce and Madame Frabelle appear to be two of a kind and Edith has set Aylmer thinking by telling him that Dulcie is in love with him ...

Ada Leverson..............Haydn Gwynne
Edith..........................Juliet Aubrey
Bruce.........................Bertie Carvel
Aylmer.......................Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle.........Jane Whittenshaw
Hyacinth.....................Alex Tregear
Dulcie.........................Leah Brotherhead
Lady Conroy................Joanna Monro

Directed by Tracey Neale.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b012r7jv)
Escape from North Korea

Lucy Williamson reports from Seoul on the dangerous trade of the people brokers, smuggling desperate people out of North Korea to the safety of the South. She investigates the way the South Korean government tries to integrate refugees from the North into their own modern, open society - and the challenges this creates for people who have only known poverty and extreme political repression.


THU 11:30 My Empire of Dust (b012r7jx)
Wolfgang Stoecker is on a mission to explore the cultural meanings of dust, swept up from historic buildings.

Cologne-based artist Stoecker has collected samples of dust from historic buildings across Europe and beyond. With the help of scientists and an electro-microscope at Augsburg University he has analysed the dust and discovered it contains tiny fossils, dust from the Sahara, pollutants of various kinds and human debris.

Aeolian research, research into dust particles and sediments, is an established branch of geographical study, often concerned with the history and future of climate change, desertification and landscape erosion, but as Wolfgang has discovered, dust can also tell us something about human culture.

Wolfgang has been surprised and delighted by the excitement his requests for dust generate, and the enthusiasm of curators of historic buildings to comply. John Campbell is the Dean's Verger at Lincoln cathedral. He received Wolfgang's initial email with some scepticism but it made sense too, because dust is often on his mind as the person responsible for the upkeep of this great building. He collected two samples for Wolfgang's collection: 'secular' dust near the entrance, where the traffic of feet is greatest, and 'sacred' dust, near the altar, where traces of candles, incense and sacred silverware are to be found.

'I've challenged him to tell me which is which', says John. 'I like to think that the dust here at Lincoln might contain traces of the pilgrims and worshippers who've been coming here over the centuries.

Everyone leaves a trace of themselves behind in the dust.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b012r7jz)
New Dragon Hilary Devey meets Peter White

There's a new Dragon in the Den. Hilary Devey made her millions in haulage and logistics, and discovering that Leicester is at the centre of the universe. Peter White finds out what aspirant entrepreneurs can expect, and finds out whether today's Red Tape rationalisation will help businesses.

Ebay has put up their charges to business users. They argue their increased costs will make their designer goods more expensive for shoppers, and leave them at a disadvantage from overseas sellers. So are these charges a useful simplification or an easy way to make more money?

Revised village green laws are being used by residents to block development according to developers. But this could soon change. Melanie Abbott reviews the issues.

Community Alcohol Partnerships are part of the alcohol industry's Responsibility Deal with Government, which aims to foster a culture of responsible drinking without the need for more regulations. This month the Wine and Spirit Trade Association announced an expansion of the CAPs, but what is the evidence they are effective, and is the industry money committed to their expansion significant compared to the huge promotional spend of drinks producers?


THU 12:57 Weather (b012qkdn)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b012r7k1)
National and international news, with Martha Kearney. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


THU 13:30 Questions, Questions (b012r7tc)
Stewart Henderson presents another sparkling series of Questions Questions - the programme which offers answers to those intriguing questions of everyday life, inspired by current events and popular culture.
Each programme is compiled directly from the well-informed and inquisitive Radio 4 audience, who bring their unrivalled collective brain to bear on these puzzlers every week.

In the programme this week, Stewart is pondering the universal appeal of the protest chant, he'll also be letting you in on the secret signals frogs use to let each other know the exact day to spawn. Our roving reporter Dave Dodd has been to Dunwich to investigate whether you can hear the church bells from drowned villages tolling under the waves. And County Durham, why is it the only County in England to use the prefix County? A tale of powerful bishops and penny posts unravels a complex history.

Producer: Kate Taylor
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b012r6z0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b00j4hjw)
Welcome to the Wasteland

Welcome to the Wasteland
By DJ Britton.

As Chief Executive of her local council, Robyn has just days to stop recycling being wiped from her ambitious environmental plans. But the credit crunch continues to put pressure on other priorities. Meanwhile her daughter Afrah provides a safe house for a fiercely committed environmentalist from Eastern Europe.

Robyn ..... Lesley Sharp
Anastasia ..... Anamaria Marinca
Afrah ..... Lizzy Watts
Mike ..... Sam Dale
Don ..... Ben Askew
Bob, Professor Stevens ..... Stephen Hogan
Councillor Larby, Sacha ..... Philip Fox

Produced by Pam Marshall.


THU 15:00 Open Country (b012ql51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:07 on Saturday]


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b012qmfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Opening Lines (b012r7tf)
Series 13

The Marzipan Husband

Sarah Dunnakey's radio debut in the series for emerging short story writers.

A charming fable about letting go in which a wife discovers that her husband appears to be turning into marzipan.

Read by Melanie Kilburn
Produced by Gemma Jenkins

Sarah Dunnakey is a quiz question writer and verifier. Her TV and radio credits include Mastermind, University Challenge and Round Britain Quiz. As a short story writer she has been published in Leaf Fiction, bluechrome and Fish Publishing anthologies.


THU 15:45 Russia: The Wild East (b012r7th)
Series 2

The Spoils of War

Victory had been a remarkable national achievement and a chance for national unity that might have healed a fractured society.

But instead Stalin used the war as a pretext, to carry out a cynical campaign of ethnic engineering against those nationalities he viewed with suspicion: ethnic Soviet Germans were deported to Siberia; hundreds of thousands of Chechens, Ingush, Kalmyks and Tartars were expelled from their homes; anti-semitism, briefly forgotten during the war resurfaced. People who expected their heroism to be rewarded with freedom and the right to participate in the running of their country found the party-state apparatus had reasserted its grip on power and did not intend to let go.

Major Yershov, in Vasily Grossman's novel Life and Fate, sums up the hopes of the nation: "He was certain that he was not only fighting the Germans, but fighting for a free Russia: certain that a victory over Hitler would be a victory over the death camps of the Gulag where his father, his mother and his sisters had perished..." Instead, the state was seeking to suppress the very qualities it had encouraged during the years of fighting. Courage, initiative and enterprise were deemed dangerous, former soldiers were regarded as a potentially hostile force, freedoms (religious and artistic) granted during the war were swiftly withdrawn, and the regime acted to prevent unrest in the only way it knew how - by sending potential troublemakers to the Gulag.

Set against Shostakovich's Anti-Formalist Rayok, written in private having been forced to publicly recant, Martin Sixsmith concludes, "if nothing had changed after the war, if Soviet society was simply going back to the old ways, the question inevitably arose in many people's minds of what exactly they'd been fighting for."

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


THU 16:00 Open Book (b012qnl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:30 Material World (b012r7tk)
This week, Quentin Cooper asks if physicists are seeing the first signs of the elusive Higgs particle and if culling badgers really can control bovine TB. He hears how flawed diamonds give clues to the first continental drift and how the drama at the axon terminal in brain cells has inspired music.

Producer: Martin Redfern.


THU 17:00 PM (b012r7tm)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qkdq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Another Case of Milton Jones (b012r7tp)
Series 5

International Diplomat

Diplomat Milton Jones is on the run after leaking all the UN's emails - except for the Swiss ones, which were too dull. And he meets a shadowy hacker. And the shadowy hacker's mum. He's joined in his endeavours by his co-stars Tom Goodman-Hill ("Camelot"), Dan Tetsell ("Newsjack") and Lucy Montgomery ("Down The Line").

Milton Jones returns to BBC Radio Four for an amazing 9th series - which means he's been running for longer than Gardeners' Question Time and answered more questions on gardening as well.

Britain's funniest Milton and the king of the one-liner returns with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes for a series of daffy comedy adventures

Each week, Milton is a complete and utter expert at something - brilliant Mathematician, World-Class Cyclist, Aviator, Championship Jockey...

... and each week, with absolutely no ability or competence, he plunges into a big adventure with utterly funny results...

"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.

"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times

"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail

The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill ( "Spamalot"), Lucy Montgomery ("Down The Line"), Dave Lamb ("Come Dine With Me") and Ben Willbond ("Horrible Histories")

David Tyler's radio credits include Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Cabin Pressure, Bigipedia, Another Case Of Milton Jones, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The 99p Challenge, The Castle, The 3rd Degree and even, going back a bit, Radio Active. His TV credits include Paul Merton - The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul & Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan's Run, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon and exec producing Victoria Wood's dinnerladies.

Written by Milton with James Cary ("Think The Unthinkable", "Miranda"), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.

Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b012r7tr)
Will and George return from a walk. George excitedly tells Nic about the fox that has killed some birds, and Will's plans to shoot it. Later that afternoon, Will and Nic take George, Mia and Jake to see the pheasants. They are impressed by George's interest in the birds and how countrified Jake and Mia are becoming.

It's Alice and Chris's wedding anniversary, but Chris is nervous about his meeting with the bank. He's worried that his plan is unrealistic rather than ambitious, and Alice tries to reassure him. When he returns he reveals that the bank rejected his loan application, but suggested that a smaller loan might be possible if they were to rent the premises from Ronnie. Chris determines to ask him.

Bridge Farm is headline news as the source of the E coli outbreak. Helen has had to fend off questions in the shop, with people still returning their products despite being given the all clear. Pat's deeply concerned about nine year old Milly Robson, who is in intensive care. If she doesn't make a full recovery her parents may sue. Pat's desperate to get the dairy up and running again, but a court case could set them back years.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b012r7tt)
Philippa Gregory on The Borgias, Kid Acne, and Ealing comedies

Best-selling writer Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Bolyn Girl, reviews The Borgias, a new TV series set in 15th century Italy charting the rise of the scheming and infamous Borgia family. Jeremy Irons stars as the family patriarch Rodrigo Borgia who bribes and muscles his way into becoming Pope.

Kid Acne, former graffiti artist, fanzine creator, and now urban artist, has opened his first solo exhibition in his home town of Sheffield, with murals, illustrations and sculpture from throughout his career. Mark met Kid Acne at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield to discuss his work, his name, and how his art career all started with Rolf Harris

Jeff Park selects new crime fiction from authors including Nicci French and Thomas Enger

It's been 60 years since Alec Guinness played the shy and retiring bank employee who engineered a plot to commit the perfect gold robbery in The Lavender Hill Mob. To celebrate the anniversary, the film is being digitally restored and back in cinemas, along with other classic Ealing comedies including the 1949 film Whisky Galore. Both films feature ordinary people plotting crimes to outwit the system. But have these films really stood the test of time? Ealing expert Professor Jeffrey Richards and new recruit Natalie Haynes discuss.

Producer Ella-mai Robey.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r7js)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Report (b012r7tw)
The MOD's Missing Kit

How did the MOD lose track of over 5bn pounds worth of military equipment? Firearms, ammunition, even a plane fuselage are unaccounted for. A tenth of all the specialist and valuable Bowman radios have strayed from their rightful place. The Ministry of Defence insist that doesn't mean they are not being put to good use somewhere - but there's no way of knowing. Antiquated systems mean that accurately recording and despatching items from the hundreds of thousands of lines of stock is a virtually impossible task - nearly half of all deliveries to Afghanistan are late. Adrian Goldberg enters the labyrinthine world of the military stores and distribution networks and asks where some of the 'mislaid' equipment is, how it got there, and the impact on troops.

Producer: Rob Cave.


THU 20:30 In Business (b012r7ty)
New Dimension

Three-D printing may be the next revolution in manufacturing. It's being used to make things in a completely different way from the mass production we've been familiar with ever since Henry Ford introduced the production line more than 100 years ago. Ford made a succession of almost identical items and that's what mass production still does today. 3D printing --or additive manufacturing as it's also known -- means that every product can be individual. It's a completely different way of thinking about manufacturing and costs little more to customise than it does to mass produce. This could potentially revolutionise manufacturing and businesses from top to bottom. Peter Day investigates.
Producer: Caroline Bayley.


THU 21:00 Inside the Ethics Committee (b012r7jn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:45 Talking to the Enemy (b00tgf16)
From agreements to peace

How do agreements in the negotiating room develop into peace? Should we always talk or are some terrorists beyond the pale? Jonathan Powell presents the final programme on negotiating with terrorists. Produced by David Stenhouse.


THU 21:58 Weather (b012qkds)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b012r7v0)
National and international news and analysis.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012tr5k)
Pereira Maintains

Episode 4

Pereira escapes from Lisbon to a health spa in the country but when he returns to the city he discovers his young assistant is in need of his help. In spite of the fact that he is putting his own reputation at risk Pereira finds himself agreeing to the unusual request.

Written by Antonio Tabucchi

Read by Derek Jacobi

Producer: Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 The Headset Set (b012r7v2)
Series 1

Episode 6

The call centre staff at catalogue company Smile5 discover why Sailesh left Bangalore.

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 July 2011.


THU 23:30 Elvenquest (b010j3zz)
Series 1

Episode 1

Comedy set in lower Earth where fantasy writer Sam has been coerced into joining a band of intrepid heroes as they battle the dread forces of evil in search of the legendary sword of Asnagar!

Fantasy sitcom written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.

Elf Lord, Vidar ...... Darren Boyd
Dean The Dwarf ...... Kevin Eldon
Amis, The Chosen One ...... Dave Lamb
Sam ...... Stephen Mangan
Lord Darkness ...... Alistair McGowan
Amazon Princess, Penthiselea ...... Sophie Winkleman

Producers: Anil Gupta & Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.



FRIDAY 29 JULY 2011

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b012qkfc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b012trk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b012qkff)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b012qkfh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b012qkfk)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b012qkfm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b012r990)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Clair Jaquiss.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b012r992)
Sarah Swadling hears why fluorescent chicken feed is being developed to combat food poisoning. Each year in the UK around 80 people die and up to 300,000 people get food poisoning from campylobacter. Scientists at Aberystwyth University have developed a fluorescent chicken feed that highlights the bacteria to prevent it spreading in the abattoir so it doesn't reach our kitchens.

A parliamentary committee warns that more UK dairy farmers will go out of business unless the Government takes action. Anne McIntosh MP, Chair of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Select Committee and the Minister of Agriculture Jim Paice MP discuss the issue with Sarah Swadling.

And it is harvest time for the wheat reed which is used in thatched cottages. Devon farmer Roger Hill explains the process from field to roof.

Presented by Sarah Swadling. Produced by Emma Weatherill.


FRI 06:00 Today (b012r994)
Morning news and current affairs with Sarah Montague and James Naughtie, including:
07:50 Why some NHS patients are having their operations delayed in an effort to save money.
08:10 Scientists working on chronic fatigue syndrome have been subjected to death threats and a campaign of abuse.
08:20 Should satirists be allowed to use footage from the House of Commons?


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b012qn4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b012tn9j)
Hood Rat

Episode 5

Written by Gavin Knight. The reader is Siobhan Redmond.

Discovering an innovative new way of confronting gang crime which has been developed in the US, Karyn McCluskey decides to try it out in Glasgow. There is scepticism amongst the cops on the street, but Karyn is determined that something has to change.

Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b012r996)
Faberge Eggs, Mother and Daughter Olympians, Cook the Perfect Scone

Presented by Jenni Murray. At the turn of the 20th century they represented the ultimate luxury item. Now Fabergé eggs are being made again for the first time since the Russian Revolution. Toby Faber, author of 'Fabergé's Eggs' tells Jenni the romantic but turbulent story behind the most famous eggs in art and why Russia now wants them back.

This week marks one year to go until London 2012. The Olympics were last held in London in 1948, the post-war 'Austerity Olympics'. Muriel Hearnshaw (née Pletts) ran in the 1948 Games in the women's relay, in a race which was won by the Dutch team including Fanny Blankers-Koen who was later voted Female Athlete of the Twentieth Century. Muriel's daughter Sue won bronze in the long jump at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Jenni is joined by mother and daughter Olympians Muriel and Sue.

And the cooking the perfect series continues with cooking the perfect scone.


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r998)
The Little Ottleys, Series 2

Episode 5

Episode Five
Has Madame Frabelle discovered Edith's secret love for Aylmer? ...

Ada Leverson..............Haydn Gwynne
Edith..........................Juliet Aubrey
Bruce.........................Bertie Carvel
Aylmer.......................Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle.........Jane Whittenshaw

Directed by Tracey Neale.


FRI 11:00 The New Silk Road with Roger Law (b012r99b)
Roger Law visits the Chinese city of Yi Wu, the world's largest market place for consumer goods. Its massive exhibition halls are temples to the gods of consumerism and globalisation. But it's not for the west. As Roger soon discovers, it is Arab traders who have been visiting Yi Wu since 9/11. Entrepreneurs from the Middle East found it virtually impossible to travel to America due to visa restrictions, so turned their attention to a much more welcoming China. Now mosques and Middle Eastern restaurants are sprinkled across Yi Wu as traders make themselves at home.

Forget selling DVDs to America and shoes to Europe, Yiwu is making a fortune selling to the developing world. Anything from plastic ducks to rubber rings are on sale in Yi Wu. Roger finds himself in a hall full of thousands of sock sellers and gets lost amongst wall-to-wall soft toys. Adrift in a sea of plastic, he tries to make sense of the new consumerism spreading across emerging countries around the world.

The route to Yi Wu is set to be the new silk road, connecting China to the Middle East and beyond, with trade routes onward from Dubai to Africa and South America. Roger Law is our erudite guide as he cuts his way through the jungle of consumer goods at the epicentre of global trade.


FRI 11:30 Cabin Pressure (b012r99d)
Series 3

Rotterdam

It's Lifejacket, Camera, Action as stardom beckons for one of the crew of MJN Air.

But who will get to blow the final whistle? And will they look good in a vest?

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
Capt. Herc Shipwright ..... Anthony Head
Martin Davenport ..... Gus Brown

Producer/Director: David Tyler

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


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b012r99g)
Olympic Journey

The Association of Independent Tour Operators say a loophole in the Package Travel Regulations means they're not fit for purpose.

We hear how one council clamped down on free leafleting in its shopping areas,. But has reducing the litter also reduced the vibrancy of their town?

Plus deaf comedian Steve Day gives his assessment of the Olympic journey from Heathrow to Stratford.

And the US fashion giant 'Forever 21' has opened its flagship store in London's Oxford Street. They offer cheap fashion to the young but also a dose of religion with a bible verse on every shopping bag.

Presented by Peter White. Produced by Karen Dalziel.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b012qkfp)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b012r99j)
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 (b012r99l)
The controller of Radio 4 Gwyneth Williams takes questions directly from listeners on her recently announced plans to shake-up the schedule. Listeners tackle her on the controversial decision to cut afternoon readings from three to just one a week from next April.

She also defends the axing of On The Ropes and The Choice and explains why more news is needed at lunchtime.

Andy Parfitt, the controller of Radio 1 tells Roger Bolton why he is leaving the station after 13 years at the helm.
And this summer, Radio 3 is making every one of its Proms concerts available in high definition. But will the sound quality be that much better?

Contact the Feedback team to let Roger 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 (b012r7tr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b012r99n)
DeLorean

Northern Ireland was a very dark place in the 1980's. A hunger strike was looming and street violence and tit for tat murders were an everyday occurrence but in a small corner of West Belfast something extraordinary was happening. In a factory in Dunmurry a unique new sports car was being built, a DMC 12, a style icon for the late twentieth century. For two years John DeLorean brought hope to communities flattened by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, where every other person was out of work and the unemployment rate was the highest in Western Europe. This is the story of that two year dream as seen through the eyes of key employees - including a union representative, an assembly line worker and a supervisor. Over 9,000 DMC's were produced during this period, cars which today still retain their cult status. The workforce put their heart and souls into this car plant believing that this was going to be the start of a better future, they too could 'live the dream.'

Glenn Patterson is one of Northern Ireland's leading contemporary novelists. He has also written various plays for radio and is co-writer on the feature film 'Good Vibrations' which is to shortly commence filming in Northern Ireland.

Cast

Liz - Michelle Fairley
Anto - Richard Dormer
T.C. - Rhys Dunlop
Al Benetar - Stuart Milligan
James Callaghan - Anton Lesser
Robert - Patrick Fitzsymons
Various Roles - Paul Kennedy

Producer - Clare Delargy
Director - Gemma McMullan
Writer - Glenn Patterson.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b012r99q)
Postbag Edition, Sparsholt College

Why do trees bleed? Can you eat the leaves and stalk from your Brussels sprouts? How do I grow blueberries from a bathtub?

Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Biggs figure out the answers to your questions sent by post and email.

Eric Robson chairs this postbag edition recorded at Sparsholt College, Hampshire.

Questions covered:
1. Are certain plants able to extract heavy metals from the soil?
2. In light of the E-coli outbreaks, is it safe to use manure?
3. Is it safe to grow a fruit tree in the in run-off from a septic tank?
4. Why do trees bleed? How do I stop it?
5. Fungal wilt is attacking my lupins. Will the neighbouring roses and lavendar get infected?
6. How does watering a plant before the frost settles prevent frostburn?
7. Most of my potatoes came out large and smooth-skinned. Why did some come out small, dark and tough when cooked?
8. Is it OK to empty my hot-water bottle into my waterbut?
9. Why do my green peppers have thin skins?
10.Why won't my Goji berries flower (or fruit)?
11. Did tap water kill my potted blueberries?
12. The fruit on my Sharon fruit tree drop before they ripen. Why?
13. Can you get another crop of peas after you harvest?
14. Can you re-root a cut cherry-tree branch
15. Can you eat the leaves from Brussels sprouts?
16. How to eliminate Niger seeds.

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


FRI 15:45 Russia: The Wild East (b012r99s)
Series 2

The Iron Curtain

In 1946 Winston Churchill defined the realities of post-war Europe and etched an image in the world's imagination: "an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe ... This is certainly not the liberated Europe we fought to build up, nor is it one which contains the essentials of permanent peace."

Martin Sixsmith argues, "there were genuine fears that Stalin had designs on the West, but the allies had a crucial advantage: the atomic bomb." The motherland was defenceless and Stalin exhorted Igor Kurchatov, leader of the Soviet nuclear programme: "Build us an atomic weapon in the shortest possible time! You must build the bomb to save us from a grave danger." Kurchatov called his team 'soldiers' in a new scientific war. They were driven hard and lived under the threat of reprisals if they failed to deliver. Then on the 29th of August 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic weapon in the deserts of Kazakhstan. Neither side could now prevail unscathed.

When the Western Powers merged their half of divided Germany into a new semi-independent state, the Federal German Republic, the Soviet sector became a separate, socialist state and to underline the split, the Soviet authorities halted all Western shipments into Berlin, an "island of capitalism in a sea of communism" which irritated Stalin. It was the first flashpoint of the post war years and Khrushchev later said Stalin was "prodding the capitalist world with the tip of the bayonet". But he hadn't counted on the West's determination. The Berlin airlift forced Stalin to capitulate. On the 12th of May 1949, Moscow lifted the blockade but it left a legacy of bitterness and mistrust. The Cold War had begun.

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b012r99v)
Cec Thompson, Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, Robert Ettinger and Googie Withers

Matthew Bannister on

Cec Thompson - the first black man to play rugby league for Great Britain, he overcame a troubled childhood to become an inspirational teacher and successful businessman.

Also Dekha Ibrahim Abdi who won international awards for her work in bringing peace and reconciliation to her native Kenya

Robert Ettinger who pioneered cryonics and has now been frozen along with his two wives and his mother.

Germany's answer to Rupert Murdoch - media tycoon Leo Kirch

And the stage and screen actress Googie Withers.


FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b012r99x)
In this week's Film Programme Matthew Sweet talks to Hollywood royalty, Anjelica Huston. Their extended conversation embraces her latest excursion into kids films, Horrid Henry but also her reflections on Montgomery Clift, Jean Paul Sartre, Dick and Dom, her father and childhood in Ireland. She's joined by the designer, Wayne Hemingway, who shares his enthusiasm for the vintage film, Jazz on a Summer's Day and by Mark Gatiss who reveals the extraordinary story of the Spanish Dracula in the second instalment of his series about foreign horror.

Producer: Zahid Warley.


FRI 17:00 PM (b012r99z)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b012qkfr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 Chain Reaction (b012r9b1)
Series 7

Rhys Thomas talks to Simon Day

Chain Reaction is Radio 4's tag-team interview show. Each week, a figure from the world of entertainment chooses another to interview; the next week, the interviewee turns interviewer, and they in turn pass the baton on to someone else - creating a 'chain' throughout the series.

This seventh series starts with Rhys Thomas - perhaps better-known to the Radio 4 audience as Gary Bellamy, host of Down The Line - interviewing the actor Simon Day. They have worked together since The Fast Show, when Simon was an established member of the team, and Rhys was a supporting cast member; Simon also appeared in the sitcom Swiss Toni, which Rhys co-wrote, and provides voices for Down The Line. But Simon, sixteen years older than Rhys, came to prominence in a very different comedy culture to Rhys. He also came from a live background, as opposed to Rhys's first break working as a runner on Shooting Stars; he also waited until this year to have his own show (Radio 4's The Simon Day Show), whereas Rhys had written two series of his own sitcom by the age of 21. All these differences, and all this common ground, makes for an absorbing and hilarious interview.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b012r9kv)
The dairy is being steam-cleaned, and Pat explains to Tony that they can reopen after being checked by the environmental health officer on Monday.

Tom is frustrated. He thinks his parents are handling the outbreak badly and can't let it drop. In The Bull he explains to Brenda that he thinks they should go public on how it happened, narrowly avoiding offending Eddie in the process. Helen agrees that the business is more important than any village hostility. The two of them go to Pat and Tony to explain their opinions, but Tom's parents are adamant that they won't hang Clarrie out to dry.

Clarrie is depressed, and resists Nic's distraction techniques. Eddie tells Nic that Clarrie has been given the all clear, and suggests that Clarrie calls Pat to let her know.

Clarrie tells Pat the good news, and says that she can come back to work if Pat wants her to. Pat's response is guarded, as she explains to Clarrie that the dairy isn't yet open but she'll be in touch very soon. Keen to know what Pat said, Eddie's disappointed by Clarrie's lack of information, which has clearly upset her.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b012r9kx)
Bjork and Sonia Friedman

The Icelandic singer Bjork has recently completed her residency at this year's Manchester International Festival, where she premiered her new multimedia project Biophilia in which she explores the universe and its physical forces. Bjork discusses the project which comprises apps, custom-made musical instruments, a live show, and a new interactive album and website, and the involvement of Sir David Attenborough.

Sonia Friedman's theatre production company is a force that can't be ignored in the West End and on Broadway. Since 1990, Sonia has initiated and produced over 100 new productions. Current shows include the multi award winning Jerusalem, Legally Blonde and Much Ado About Nothing, with Catherine Tate and David Tennant. The producer discusses with Mark Lawson her instinct driven career and the financial risks involved in theatre production.

Film director George Lucas has lost his copyright battle with the British designer who was selling replicas of the original Stormtrooper helmets he had created for Star Wars. In another judgement author Sarah Thornton won £65,000 in libel damages from the Daily Telegraph for publishing a "spiteful" review of her book. Also actor Joe Pesci has taken legal action against the producers of his next film.
Media lawyer Duncan Lamont comments on a busy legal week and speculates on what repercussions these cases may have for the arts.

Producer Andrea Kidd.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b012r998)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b012r9kz)
Jonathan Dimbleby presents a discussion of news and politics from the RAF Museum in Colindale, London, with Leader of the House and Lord Privy Seal, Sir George Young; New Statesman columnist and senior editor, Mehdi Hasan; Director of the Institute for Government and former Labour Cabinet member, Andrew Adonis; and columnist for the Spectator and GQ magazines, Melissa Kite.

Producer: Victoria Wakely.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b012r9l1)
On Social Climbing

Alain de Botton reflects on social climbing - and argues that the activity should be seen - at times - as evidence of a natural curiosity about the modern world. And he says in the current environment, it's often not idle pleasure-seeking, but an attempt to keep yourself in a job.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


FRI 21:00 Russia: The Wild East (b012r9l3)
Series 2 Omnibus

War and (Uncertain) Peace

Germany swept across the Soviet Union, but failed to take Moscow before winter, and as Stalin urged the Red Army to ever greater sacrifices, Soviet society became an all-consuming military state. 1 in 3 of the inhabitants of Leningrad died during the 900-day siege when the city was shelled nonstop, but Victory at Stalingrad in February 1943 turned the tide of the war. The retreat westward gathered pace.

The Red Army pursued the Nazis to Warsaw but let the retreating SS murder 50,000 civilians in order to secure the future dictatorship of Communism. In mid April the Soviet assault on Berlin began and on May the 9th Stalin told the Soviet nation Germany had surrendered. "Victory had been a remarkable national achievement and a chance for national unity that might have healed a fractured society," says Martin Sixsmith. Instead Stalin used the war as a pretext to destroy those nationalities he viewed with suspicion. People who expected their heroism to be rewarded with freedom and the right to participate in the running of their country, found the party-state had reasserted its grip on power and was not letting go.

Courage, initiative and enterprise were deemed dangerous; former soldiers were seen as a potentially hostile force; freedoms (religious and artistic) granted during the war were withdrawn. The pre-war suspicion between the Soviet Union and the Western powers returned and Churchill's powerful image of "an iron curtain" dividing Europe came to define the realities of post-war Europe; once Russia developed the bomb neither side could prevail unscathed. The first flashpoint in this conflict of ideologies centered on Berlin. The allied airlift forced Stalin to capitulate humiliating the Soviets, which left a legacy of bitterness and mistrust. The Cold War had begun.

Historical Consultant: Professor Geoffrey Hosking

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


FRI 21:58 Weather (b012qkft)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b012r9l5)
The head of the Press Complaints Commission resigns .

The Sun and the Daily Mirror are fined for contempt of court over allegations about Chris Jefferies, Joanna Yeates's landlord.Is this a blow for the common citizen against tabloid journalism?

The UN says Aid agencies are being targeted by Al Shabaab.Have NGOs been wilfully blind over aid for Somalia?

Why the Netherlands are going cold on the EU.

with Samira Ahmed.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b012trbj)
Pereira Maintains

Episode 5

Pereira is worried that his young assistant is being drawn into politics by his beautiful girlfriend. His fears are confirmed when the young man fails to keep an appointment at the Café Orquidea, but the girl comes in his place and tells Pereira that he has gone to Alentejo, to recruit dissidents to go and fight the fascist regime in Spain.

Written by Antonio Tabucchi

Read by Derek Jacobi

Producer: Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b012qtbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Rhapsody in Bohemia (b0076vcv)
In the three decades since the group Queen's extravagant existentialist six minute pop production about 'a poor boy' who'd 'just killed a man' first topped the British charts, Bohemian Rhapsody has become woven into the musical, visual and literary fabric of all our lives - with the exception of Times music critic Hilary Finch who offers here an 'innocent ear' review, having somehow never heard it!

Other musicians and writers - including the classical singer Jane Manning, tribute band 'Freddie Mercury' Rob Comber, singer-songwriter (and unrepentant Queen fan) Andy Watts, film buff Tommy Pearson, broadcaster Andrew McGregor and the composer and former pop band member Joby Talbot - evaluate the song's cultural legacy in this award-winning feature that includes glimpses of Queen themselves and reference to Camus, the Qur'an, commedia dell'arte and, of course, the film comedy Wayne's World.

Producer: Alan Hall
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.