The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Laurie Taylor explores new research that resonates in society. In the recent Arab Spring a Syrian singer has his vocal chords cut after singing at protest rallies. Forty years ago the Chilean musician Victor Jara had his hands chopped off before being murdered by government forces. In both cases, music was seen as challenging the power of a dictatorship. Thinking Allowed explores popular music as a threat to national security.John Street, Professor of Politics at the University of East Anglia joins Laurie to discuss a paper on the subject written by Thierry Cote, Research Associate at the York Center for International and Security Studies in Toronto, Canada
Laurie also looks at a new book co-authored by economist Professor Ian Goldin, a former Vice President of the World Bank, which examines the history, present and future of immigration and argues that, overall, immigration is essential for economic and cultural prosperity.
Producer. Chris Wilson.
Charlotte Smith hears calls for school farm visits to be made compulsory. The Countryside Alliance says unless this happens the future of the countryside is under threat. The organisation Farm and Countryside Education tells Farming Today there is no requirement to teach anything about farming in schools, and they fear this is unlikely to change in the current review of the National Curriculum.
And after a summer drought which caused a 30% drop in yield on one Lincolnshire farm, farmer Mark Ireland fears next years crop will also be affected. The seeds have been drilled but September's hot spell has already done the damage.
Morning news and current affairs, with James Naughtie and Sarah Montague, including:
God and science with the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Richard Dawkins and Lisa Randall
Andrew Marr discusses the wonders of the universe with Lisa Randall, Richard Dawkins and the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. The cosmologist Professor Randall looks at the how the latest developments in physics have the potential to alter radically our view of the world around us, and our place within it. Richard Dawkins explores the beauty and magic of scientific reality, from rainbows and shooting starts, to our genetic ancestors, and believes the facts far exceed the stories of ancient myth. Jonathan Sacks rejects the false dichotomy of science and religion, and argues that faith has a complementary role to play in the understanding of the human condition.
Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's violent coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada. And when, a few years later, the Chilean resistance calls for exiled activists to return to fight the cause, Carmen's mother heeds the call. Determined to make mini revolutionaries of her two daughters, she takes them with her - and so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, not to mention political theory and revolutionary history. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of who to trust, and who to fear.
From Pinochet's repressive rule in Chile, to Shining Path Peru, dictatorship-run Bolivia to post-Malvinas Argentina, this is a darkly comic coming-of-age memoir is a rare first-hand account of a life as teenage revolutionary. It is also the story of a young girl trying to reconcile her commitment to the cause with her very unrevolutionary new interests in boys, music and fashion.
Today: dressed as an all-American teenager, Carmen returns to Latin America with her mother and sister to join the underground, and a new life of subterfuge and danger.
Author: Carmen Aguirre is a playwright and actor, now living in Vancouver.
Reader: Mia Soteriou.
Diana Athill discusses the clarity brought by old age and how she came to meet child killer Myra Hindley. Heston Blumenthal Cooks the Perfect soup. What new research into links between ovarian and breast cancers means for women and how treatment could change. Live performance from Nigerian singer-song writer Asa.
Following his son's separation, Ray is forbidden to see Ellie, his granddaughter, And so the legal struggle begins for access to the child he loves. By Richard Monks.,
This is the heartbreaking story of Ray's fight for the right to see his granddaughter, Ellie, after his son and the girl's mother, Rachel, separate. When Rachel takes custody of Ellie, Ray is denied access. He has done nothing wrong but he soon learns that he has no legal right to see his granddaughter. What's more, there is precious little in the way of support for people in his situation. When Ray's son is killed in an accident and his ex-wife goes off the rails, Ray's struggle becomes even more urgent. His granddaughter needs him. And then Ray discovers that he is not alone.
Britain is a country with one of the highest rates of divorce, and the highest rate of teenage pregnancy, in Europe. Yet it's institutions, it's laws, are founded on an ever less common model of how the contemporary family is constituted. Children's primary carers may still be mothers and fathers, but with the rise in broken marriages and single-parenthood, there is an increasing reliance on atomised extended families - grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings - as carers. Yet these people, who can form deep bonds with the children they look after, have no legal status should things go wrong.
Over the course of five episodes, it becomes clear that this issue is not black and white - there are no simple solutions. 'Disconnected' explores this complex dilemma in its most immediate and most moving form as it follows a sympathetic protagonist battling against a system seemingly devoid of feeling.
The village of Woodhouses is half-rural, half-suburban idyll. It has two pubs, a bowling green, a working men's club, a golf course and a thriving cricket club. Just ten minutes from the heart of Manchester, the village is full of excitement and anticipation because, as Alan Dein discovers, it's just won the semi-final of the 2011 Village Cricket Cup; the final - at Lords - is only a few weeks away.
However this proud Lancashire cricketing village, once home to quarter of a million pigs, suddenly finds itself part of a broader national debate about Britain's threatened countryside, because Woodhouses is today in real danger of being consumed by bricks and concrete. Although the very, very smelly pigs have all but gone, a handful of horses remain, keeping the builders at bay. But how long will Woodhouses remain a village? Will the bowling green become a car park as the rumour has it? If the building does not stop will Woodhouses be eligible to enter the National Village cup? The future could be up to a few horses, six small pigs and the final result at Lords.
A comedy series written by Lynne Truss set in and around a Brighton police station in the 1950s a few years after the end of World War Two.
Second World war Bomb disposal hero Captain 'mad Hoagy' Hoagland, now fallen on hard times, appears at Brighton Police Station to deliver two boxes. One contains a silver truncheon; an award for valour for Sergeant Brunswick. The other contains the head of one of Mrs Groynes' old criminal accomplices Birthmark Potter. It is a warning to them all that Mrs G's criminal nemesis Adelaide Vine is heading back to Brighton, and that the sadistic criminal Terence Chambers is heading for town too ; both hell bent on havoc and revenge..
Inspector Steine ....... Michael Fenton Stevens
Mrs Groynes ........ Samantha Spiro
Sergeant Brunswick ...... John Ramm
Twitten ....... Matt Green
Captain Hoagland ....... Robert Bathhurst
We hear from Mitch Winehouse who is planning to set up the Amy Winehouse Foundation to help young people, especially those with problems such as addictions. But what is the best way to treat these youngsters, should they go into rehab or be treated in other more community based ways?
Would you like to invite tourists into your home? That's what the Icelandic president has asked people to do to boost tourism.
With Martha Kearney. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
Northern Ireland take on the South of England in the game of lateral thinking and cryptic connections, with Tom Sutcliffe in the chair to ensure all is fair. The last time these teams faced one another, the South of England won - will the tables be turned today?
The writer Polly Devlin and historian Brian Feeney play for Northern Ireland, while the South of England regulars are Fred Housego and Marcel Berlins. As usual they'll need to dredge their memory banks for chunks of history, literature, music, science, etymology and popular culture, in order to answer Tom's fiendish questions.
The programme also includes a selection of questions suggested by Round Britain Quiz listeners, and Tom will be providing the answer to last week's teaser question: 'If you enjoyed our hospitality with the navigator and the general, you might welcome a night out with Bruce Wayne and Annie - why would this be?'
The return of Frank Twist and his team of Manchester legal eagles. When a pop entrepreneur is arrested for alleged fraud Frank discovers a personal connection.
Five portraits of people who relocated to other countries, influenced by music.
The man now known as Jesse Lee Jones went by a different name when he was living in Brazil. His decision to change his name was an expression of his desire to reinvent himself following his move to the USA.
Throughout a difficult upbringing, Jesse Lee always found solace in American music and dreamed of being there, but as a young man, he "was going nowhere fast". Then, out of the blue, the members of his church, in an effort to help him, clubbed together and bought him a plane ticket. Shortly afterwards, Jesse Lee arrived in Miami, Florida with a 12 string guitar but no English and no plan. On his first day, while travelling on a Greyhound Bus, he was robbed of the few possessions he had - including his money and that guitar.
He got off the bus in Peoria, Illinois. Out of pity, some people from a local church took him in. They became his "American family" and Peoria was his home for the next decade. Jesse Lee took a series of jobs (including training as a law enforcement officer) but he kept up with the music on the side - playing all kinds of American music in local bars. Then a friend gave him a CD by the country and western legend Marty Robbins. After that, Jesse Lee realised that his true passion was traditional country music. He headed to Nashville and got a job scrubbing the decks of the General Jackson Showboat for $
an hour. However, within a few years, a series of serendipitous encounters led to his becoming first leader of the house band, then owner, of the "best honkytonk in Nashville" right in the heart of Lower Broadway.
Simon Cox with the latest from the digital world. From robotic scalpels to recreating the thrill of a ski run, technology aims to put feel back into touch.
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.
Hosted by the Professor of Ignorance from the University of Buckingham John Lloyd C.B.E. and the intensely curious comedian Dave Gorman.
Coming from a long line of vicars, Robin Ince is the UK's most rational comedian, and he tests his reason to the limit once every year by performing at least four shows a day at the Edinburgh fringe. His infamous Bad Book Club, which in which he invites his fellow comedians to celebrate awful literature, has become an institution, and his massive Christmas show Nine Lessons and Carols For Godless People is now a huge event, featuring the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Dara O Briain and Richard Dawkins.
Roger Highfield is a scientist, science author and the editor of New Scientist, but if you met him, you wouldn't immediately guess that science is his thing. He's jolly and worldly and has the hearty laugh of a comic supervillain. He first made his name as a scientist be being the first person ever to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble. Roger has written and co-written 9 best-selling science books, including a book on the hows and whys of Dolly the sheep, an explanation of the science of Harry Potter and a biography of Einstein.
Gareth Edwards is a filmmaker whose success and methods of achieving it have sent ripples of fear through the studios of Hollywood. His movie Monsters is an apocalyptic blockbuster which he made for one five hundredth of the budget for Avatar by shooting with a small, mobile team, hiring non-actors on the spot and using dazzling-but-cheap CGI effects.
Tony's upset about his row with Jennifer. He opens up to Pat about how difficult it was growing up with his father. He and Jennifer have been through a lot together. Pat doesn't believe Jennifer said things intentionally to hurt him. Tony thinks Jennifer has changed because of Brian's money.
Adam's still hurt that Debbie went behind his back. And he's convinced a big dairy farm without pasture will impact on the whole farm. He worries about having to plough land that they graze sheep and deer on, and doesn't want to lose their independence and be tied to Borchester Land . Ian encourages Adam to share these feelings with Debbie and Brian. Adam doesn't think they'd listen.
Tom's disillusioned after receiving the contract from Underwoods. They've driven down the unit price, and want him to contribute towards the promotion of the sausages. They're treating it as if it's a new product. Tony and Pat are unsurprised to hear this, especially after how Doug Somerville treated them in the past. Tom tells Brenda that he's going to convince Doug to change his mind about the contract.
Director Lynne Ramsay's new film We Need to Talk About Kevin won considerable acclaim at this year's Cannes festival. She discusses adapting Lionel Shriver's Orange Prize-winning novel for the cinema, where Tilda Swinton plays the tortured mother of Kevin, who goes on a horrific rampage two days before his 16th birthday.
Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh is 65 today. He discusses his four decades in the business, in which he has defied critics with international successes including The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, which is now set to become a film staring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. He also reflects on working with Andrew Lloyd Webber and finding talent via TV audition shows.
Writer Haruki Murakami is a literary superstar in his native Japan, and his books have been translated into dozens of languages. His latest title 1Q84 sold a million copies in one month in his homeland, and is published in English for the first time this week, as three books in two volumes. Novelist Toby Litt reviews.
" Germany as we understand it, unified and strong, only came into existence a mere 140 years ago. Before then ? Well there was Bavaria and Prussia, Saxony, Baden Wurttemberg, Pomerania, Westfalia, Schleswig Holstein .this list is extremely long. And defining where one bit ended and the next began - well, it was utterly bewildering."
Misha Glenny presents a three part history of Germany before the world wars, revealing how weak and fragmented it used to be.
The series starts with the siege of Magdeburg of 1631, when a city the size of Paris was burnt to the ground. The events of the Thirty Years War hugely influenced later German nationalists, as Swedes, French, Danish, Spanish and huge numbers of Scottish mercenaries rampaged through the area we now call Germany.
"Germany was in many ways more sinned against than sinning," concludes contributor Simon Winder.
Misha Glenny is a former BBC central European correspondent and winner of a Sony gold. The producer is Miles Warde, who collaborated with Misha Glenny on previous series about the Alps, the Habsburgs and Garibaldi.
As opinion polls reveal that half the British population would vote in favour of withdrawal from the European Union, it seems the political class is catching up with public opinion when it comes to the EU.
While perhaps just dozens of MPs are publicly calling for a referendum on the UK's EU membership, behind closed doors there are many more closet secessionists: at least 40 per cent of Conservative MPs according to one party insider.
"In public I call for renegotiation of the Lisbon treaty. In private I argue for complete withdrawal from the European Union. And there are plenty of others like me," says one anonymous sceptic.
Edward Stourton asks whether the crisis in the eurozone has emboldened more politicians to speak frankly on their attitudes towards EU membership and talks to supporters of withdrawal from both the left and right wings of British politics.
Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.
The Government urges us to switch energy suppliers - but how much difference will that make to our bills?
The Cat's Table follows the course of a 21 day voyage from Colombo to Tilbury on a luxury passenger ship called the Oronsay.
The Oronsay arrives at the Suez Canal: a vivid moment of dream like transition which ripples out into their future lives in England.
Radio 4's Radio 4's 2009 Poetry Slam kicked off with performance poets competing in heats all round Britain for a place in the semi-finals, the first of which was held at The Bluecoat in Liverpool and hosted by popular poetry performer, slammer and former Poet Laureate of Birmingham, Dreadlock Alien. The competition was fierce, the energy high and the rhymes came thick and fast as nine poets battled it out for a place in the final. They were: Ash Dickinson, Harry Giles, Mark Madden, Ben Mellor, James Oates, Abby Oliveira, Scott Tyrell, Sohia Walker and Michael Wilson.
A slam is a knockout performance poetry competition in which poets perform their own work to a time limit and are given scores based on content, style, delivery and level of audience response. In the space of two minutes, performers must demonstrate their word-play, performance skills and inventiveness; over two or three rounds, poets are knocked out until one top scorer emerges as the winner. Slams attract a wide range of performers and styles, from heartfelt love poetry to searing social commentary, uproarious comic routines, and bittersweet personal confessional pieces.
Susan Hulme presents the day's top news stories from Westminster. MPs debate calls for all government documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster to be released in full. On committee corridor - builders, the National Trust and planning officers give evidence to the Communities and Local Government Committee as it investigates the planning system.
TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER 2011
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b015shbc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b015yt3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b015shbf)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b015shbh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b015shbk)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b015shbm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0167gny)
Short reflection and prayer with Canon Noel Battye.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b015zm8w)
It's a red letter day in the life of the dairy cow Farming Today is following through a year of milk production as she faces a TB test. If the test is positive she will face compulsory slaughter. Anna Hill discusses the Scottish Government's policy on where fish farms should be sited. And, Anna discovers how one urban primary school overcomes challenges like cost and risk assessments to make farm visits a priority.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling.
TUE 06:00 Today (b015zm8y)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (b015zm90)
Steven Pinker
Cognitive psychologist, Steven Pinker, has been dubbed "science's agent provocateur".
Pinker studies how the mind works. Presenter Jim al-Khalili wants to find out how his mind works. Pinker replies: "as a psychologist you look at your own life as data and say geez that's what I'm like".
From verbs to violence, he's author of several books that many say are mind-changing.
He's now something of a science superstar, but his early experiments with electrodes on rats didn't quite go according to plan: "I realised then that that kind of science required a level of meticulousness that I just didn't have". So instead of studying neuroscience, he became a cognitive psychologist.
Now perhaps better known for his writing than his science, he shot to fame with his book The Language Instinct, based on his early studies of how children tackle irregular verbs, for example saying "holded" not held, and "digged" instead of dug. These cute sounding mistakes are proof that three year olds are grammatical geniuses, he says. And he met his wife Rebecca Goldstein over an irregular verb.
Later, Pinker set the cat among the social science pigeons by stressing the importance of nature rather than nurture: an assertion that led to some bitter arguments with, among others, the psychologist Oliver James.
He readily admits that genes aren't everything: he's decided not to have children and says "if my genes don't like it, they can go jump in the lake". But he says, "there's a phobia of genetics that it's time to get over". Our failure to even think about genetic influences has given us a false impression of the amount of influence parents have over their children: it's skewed the science.
Parents like to think that they mould and shape their children in certain ways but Pinker argues, as long as children are not abused, parenting makes little difference to how they turn out at 18.
His most recent book 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' is about the decline in global violence from 8500 BC. Despite two World Wars, Vietnam, Kosovo, Iraq, Darfur and many others, Pinker asserts that we are living in the most peaceful times ever and wants to know why our better angels triumph over our inner demons. Is he now showing the better angel of his Nature?
Each week on The Life Scientific, Jim al-Khalili invites a leading scientist to tell us about their life and work: he wants to get under their skin and into their minds. And he'll ask what their discoveries might do for us. He talks to Nobel laureates as well as the next generation of beautiful minds and finds out what inspired them to do science in the first place and what motivates them to keep going. Fellow scientists will comment on their work, putting it in context and offering alternative perspectives.
Future guests include: astronomer Jocelyn Bell-Burnell; the brains behind the Human Genome Project, John Sulston; Molly Stevens, a tissue engineer who's work growing bones could mean the end of metal pins for broken legs; Hugh Montgomery, who discovered the fitness gene.
Themes and ideas from the interviews will be explored on The Life Scientific website, which will aggregate some of the best Radio 4 Science archive around the topics discussed in the programmes.
TUE 09:30 One to One (b015zm92)
Lyse Doucet with Saad Mohseni
Lyse Doucet presents the second in Radio 4's new interview series where respected broadcasters follow their passions by speaking to the people whose stories interest them most.
Lyse has a long-standing connection to the country and people of Afghanistan, having reported from there for over 20 years. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the American led invasion, a good time to reflect on recent history and consider the future. This week she's talking to a media mogul who's changed the face of popular culture in a country where, until recently, TV was banned:
Saad Mohseni has become known as Afghanistan's answer to Rupert Murdoch. Until recently he would have accepted that as a huge compliment, perhaps no longer. But, either way, Mohseni is a big player. Running his media empire out of offices in Dubai and Kabul, he's revolutionised TV and Radio broadcasting in Afghanistan by
introducing local versions of international hits like Afghan Star (a singing competition in the X-Factor mould) and controversial radio programmes where male and female broadcasters are in studio together.
His father was an Afghan diplomat who moved his family around the world - London, Tokyo, Kabul, with a long period in Australia. where, eventually, Saad became an investment banker.
But shortly after the fall of the Taliban, Saad Mohseni returned to Afghanistan and, long fascinated with the media, established a hugely successful media empire.
Join Lyse as she speaks to Saad Mohseni for One to One.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b015zm94)
Carmen Aguirre - Something Fierce
Episode 2
Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America.
Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear.
Today: After a perilous visit to her beloved Chile, Carmen finds herself questioning her commitment to the cause.
Author: Carmen Aguirre.
Reader: Mia Soteriou.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b015zm96)
Grieving and clothes; Angie Le Mar; pianist Di Xiao
Presented by Jane Garvey. When you lose a loved one, how do you help keep the memories alive? Jane Garvey finds out why, for one woman, cuddling up in her husband's cricket sweater, is a powerful reminder of happier times - and also talks to counsellor and psychotherapist Philip Hodson about just how this helps in the grieving process. Jane interviews the acclaimed stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Angie Le Mar as she returns to the London stage. Pianist Di Xiao performs live in the studio. In the latest in our plant selector series we look at Autumn plants including Escallonia Iveyi. And Jane talks to Kingwa Kamencu, the 28 year-old Oxford University student campaigning to be the next President of Kenya.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zpdz)
Disconnected
Episode 2
By Richard Monks
2 of 5.
Following the death of his son, Ray finds himself caught in a web of legal difficulties as he fights for the right to see his beloved granddaughter.
Ray.....Paul Copley
Rachel.....Julia Ford
Ellie.....Grace Clarke
Annie.....Paula Wilcox
Alex.....Simon Bubb
Howard.....James Lailey
Craig.....Carl Prekopp
Judith/Mourner.....Elaine Claxton
Judge.....Jane Whittenshaw
Solicitor.....Alun Raglan.
TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b015zm98)
Series 2
Episode 22
We report from the city of Bristol on the behaviour of Herring Gulls. Herring Gulls, with their characteristic cry typical of the UK seaside soundscape, can become very habituated to people and our habits. There are reports of Herring Gulls stalking, waiting and seizing opportunities to snatch food from picnics on the beach and it's well known in the city of Bristol that Herring Gulls scavenge fast food in the streets. And yet Herring Gulls are in decline, they are now listed in the Red Data Book of threatened species. What is causing the Herring Gull decline in the UK when so much food seems available.
And - all part of living with nature, we report on the status of the Wild Boar in the UK. Can there ever be too many of them?
Our news hound Kelvin Boot will be live on the line with topical news and events.
Presenter Brett Westwood
Producer Mary Colwell
Editor Julian Hector.
TUE 11:30 Change of Art (b015zm9b)
Public artist Andrew Shoben explores a controversial new idea to 'rotate or retire' public artworks.
The last three decades have seen a flourishing of public art in our towns and cities with works adorning every new housing estate, shopping centre or local park. But what was bold and innovative in the 1980s may now seem tired, decrepit or meaningless.
In a bid to refresh our cities and rescue 'orphaned' works, Andrew sets out to explore the arguments around relocating more of our artworks.
In London’s Trafalgar Square, he examines the Fourth Plinth phenomenon with Sandy Nairne of the National Portrait Gallery, and a trip to Antony Gormley's studio reveals the artist's hopes for his most famous creation, Angel of the North. Andrew also visits the Cass Sculpture Park in Sussex where owner, Sir Wilfred Cass, offers works from top sculptors. We hear from local authority art departments about the process of commissioning and de-commissioning work for our communities.
There's a historical precedent too. Italians weren't afraid of moving their public art around, or retiring it and replacing it with something else.
With his company Greyworld, Andrew has created public artworks for several UK cities, including the robotic bust close to the Tate Modern in London. But who decides how long his works, or any artworks in the public realm should occupy their space?
Tasting his own medicine, Andrew speaks to people passing one of his own sculptures to find out if they love it or if they'd prefer that it be replaced by something, anything else.
Producers: Joby Waldman & Kathryn Willgress
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2011.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b015zm9d)
Call You and Yours with Julian Worricker. 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 (b015shbp)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b015zvlg)
With Martha Kearney. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:30 Tales from the Stave (b015zm9j)
Series 7
Episode 1
Returning for a seventh season, crime writer Frances Fyfield once again leads off her series exploring the tales and tribulations revealed in the hand-written music manuscripts of some of the greatest works of classical music.
The opening programme of the series takes us to Paris where a beautifully crafted wooden box made in London in the mid 19th century houses Mozart's handwritten score of 'Don Giovanni'.
The Mozart expert and renowned conductor Jane Glover and arguably the world's finest living singer of the title role, Simon Keenlyside join Frances at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France as guests of their head of music manuscripts Elisabeth Giuliani.
How the score came to be in Paris after a spell in London, what secrets it reveals of Mozart's rush to complete it for a premiere in Prague and why one of the boldest lines in his entire operatic output should have been crossed out with a clear intent for it to be put back as soon as the censor's back was turned, will be revealed.
It's also a chance to be astonished by the sheer detail of Mozart's musical invention, his professionalism as he adapts the odd line or the shaping of a phrase to fit the singers he was writing for, and blotches and coffee stains which give a vivid sense of the speed at which he was working.
All that plus the story of Giovanni's ruthless seductions, hell-raising lifestyle and some of the most celebrated music ever composed for the operatic stage - in Tales from the Stave.
Producer: Tom Alban
Also featured in the series: Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b015yt82)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b015zm9l)
All the Dark Corners
The Desk
All the Dark Corners: The Desk by Andrew Readman
The first in our chilling series of three plays. Davis Finch is a hack TV writer with aspirations to write a novel. In order to be a real writer he feels he needs a proper desk. The one he buys changes his life. He becomes a success - but at what price? A spooky psychological thriller.
Producer/Director Gary Brown
Davis Finch covets a desk he has seen in an antique shop. He feels it will somehow magically help him write his novel. Make him complete. He gets sacked for his TV hack work and sets to write his novel at the new desk. Then he finds a secret drawer...
TUE 15:00 Making History (b015zpdj)
Tom Holland explores the history of the English 'grammars' and the usage books that followed. He asks Professor Ingrid Tieken of the University of Leiden why Britain doesn't have a language watchdog like the French Academie Francais and finds out how Making History listeners can join in a new project about usage books being run in the Netherlands.
Helen Castor goes to Greenwich to meet Dr John Cooper of the University of York to hear whether a Thomas Appletree really did take pot-shots at Elizabeth 1st in 1579 and why his death sentence was never carried out.
Reporter Caz Graham in in Stockton on Tees where, in 1933, local communists and other anti-fascists took on Moseley's Blackshirts who had been bussed in from throughout the north of England. Why did the violence that followed break out here a full three years before the better known battle in Cable Street, East London.
Finally, a listener in the Scottish Highlands has a passion for the history of an old medieval shield called the 'targe'. About eighteen inches round it was still in use at the Battle of Culloden. Tom Holland talks to Tony Pollard of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at the University of Glasgow who explains more about a battle in which new and old military tactics and technologies met head on.
Producer: Nick Patrick
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b015zpdl)
The Mystery of the Hills
Making Contact
By Andrew Greig.
Read by Liam Brennan.
A poet reflects upon a romantic encounter from his youth, which taught him the value of language and the nature of identity.
First in a series of stories commissioned to mark the centenary of the birth of the Highland poet Sorley MacLean. Awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1990, MacLean is regarded as the greatest Gaelic poet of the Twentieth Century, giving new literary standing to a language which has at times seemed close to extinction.
MacLean was born in October 1911 on Raasay, a small island lying off the east coast of Skye, into a family immersed in Highland history and culture. It is often said that what Hugh MacDiarmid did for Scots, Sorley MacLean did for Gaelic, sparking a Gaelic renaissance in Scottish literature. He was also instrumental in preserving and promoting the teaching of Gaelic in Scottish schools. He died in 1996.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
TUE 15:45 Musical Migrants (b015zqv7)
Series 3
Milan
Five portraits of people who relocated to other countries, influenced by music.
Pedro Carrillo is from Venezuela. He fell in love with Italian opera when he was five years old and heard a recording of Verdi's Rigoletto playing in his father's study.
When he grew up, Pedro fulfilled his childhood ambition and began singing regularly in the main theatre of Caracas. However, not long into his career, the political regime in Venezuela encroached on the nation's cultural life and Pedro, who had not hidden his anti-government views, found himself blacklisted. For three years - "three terrible years" - he was unable to work as a singer. He grew depressed. His voice suffered. He thought about giving up.
Eventually, despite many misgivings and his love for his homeland, he decided to emigrate. He moved, with his wife Victoria, to Milan - the city of La Scala and of Verdi. There, in the birthplace of opera, he had to start again and rebuild his career from zero.
Producer: Rachel Hopkin
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b015zpdn)
The August Riots
The riots which hit England in August of this year presented the legal system with significant challenges. In this programme, Joshua Rozenberg explores how the system responded to this very unusual situation.
The programme asks why many people were refused bail and examines the sentences given to those arrested during the riots. It also explores the notion of speedy justice, and looks into proposals that the government hopes to use to make the courts quicker, even outside of emergency situations. When does rushed justice become rough justice?
CONTRIBUTORS
Nick Herbert, criminal justice minister
Alison Saunders, chief crown prosecutor for London
Joseph Wright, duty solicitor with the firm Hodge, Jones and Allen
Julian Young, defence solicitor
Richard Bristow, chairman-elect, West London Magistrates' Court
John Thornhill, chairman, Magistrates' Association
Jonathan Levav, associate professor of marketing, Stanford University
Rod Morgan, criminologist
Producer: Mike Wendling
Researcher: Lucy Proctor.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b015zpdq)
Rick Stein and Michael Dobbs
Chef Rick Stein and Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, recommend favourite books to presenter Harriett Gilbert.
Rick Stein talks about Lifting the Latch (A Life on the Land) by Sheila Stewart, which he enjoyed because it's set in the area of Oxfordshire in which he was born and spent his childhood. The true-life story of rural labourer Mont Abbott, It's been described as a rival to Lark Rise of Candleford.
Lord Dobbs' choice is Train to Trieste by Domnica Radulescu, a powerful love story set in Ceausescu's Romania.
Then Harriett Gilbert brings something completely different to the table: Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.
Producer: Beth O'Dea
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.
TUE 17:00 PM (b015zpds)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b015shbr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Hard to Tell (b015zpdv)
Series 1
Episode 2
One of those parties that starts out as a great way to get to know each other better, but promptly gets taken over by fake tans, jerk chicken, insomniac parents and berets.
Hard To Tell is a four part relationship comedy by Jonny Sweet (Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2009). It conjures up characters depicting every relationship from father and daughter to the mirror in the bathroom and the feller hiding at a party; from the stalker and the stalked to dog owners and their dogs; and from lifelong friends to long term partners and their dearly departed.
The series revolves around Tom Sheffield (played by Jonny himself), his immediate family (Getting On's Vicki Pepperdine, The Thick Of It's Alex MacQueen and Not Going Out's Katy Wix), and Tom's longed-for-and-lusted-after new girlfriend Ellen (played by Charlotte Ritchie), her best friend Hermione (Him & Her's Sarah Solemani) and Ellen's zealously protective father (Simon Greenall).
Tim Key and Tom Basden both make deliciously awkward cameo appearances.
Recorded on location, Hard To Tell's naturalistic, contemporary and conversational style brings new meaning to pub toilets, themed parties, early morning phone calls and Christmas Editions of Jonathan Creek.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b015zpdx)
Will can't help wondering where Clive got the games console he gave George. George decides to play "burglar" at Emma and Ed's, despite being told that it's wrong. Susan reassures Emma that George playing burglar is harmless.
Lynda tells Susan that Hilary's still resistant to having the usual bonfire on the green. The noise upsets Hilary's cockatoos and other people with pets aren't keen on fireworks going off close to their homes. Lynda asks Emma and Susan if they want to take part in the Christmas play, even including little Keira in the final Nativity tableau.
Discussing Tom's contract at Underwoods, Doug Somerville expects Tom to be grateful for being taken on at all, due to the bad press Bridge Farm has received. Doug convinces Tom that the contract on offer is the best thing available to him in his situation. He even states that the best thing for Tom to do is either re-brand everything that comes out of Bridge Farm or go it alone without his parents.
Brenda reassures Tom that he's lucky to have someone backing him. Tom decides to concentrate on British sausage week and editing the footballing pigs video.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b015zrfc)
Terry Pratchett; Mark Rylance; Contagion
With Mark Lawson.
In the new film Contagion, an untreatable deadly virus is threatening the world's population. Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Jude Law head the cast, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Matt Thorne reviews.
As the hit play Jerusalem returns to the London stage after great success on Broadway, Mark Rylance discusses the role that won him his second Best Actor Tony Award. He describes the subtle changes made to the very English play for the benefit of American audiences and why after more than 250 appearances as Johnny Byron, he still looks forward to every performance.
Sir Terry Pratchett reflects on his career as he publishes Snuff, his 50th book and part of the bestselling Discworld series, which began in 1983. He reveals the inspiration behind his latest novel, which centres on a policeman investigating a brutal murder, and discusses the impact of living with Alzheimer's since his diagnosis in 2007.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zpdz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b015zpf1)
Madrassas
Earlier this year, an imam working in Stoke-on-Trent was jailed for raping a 12 year old boy at his mosque. In the wake of the case, File on 4 investigates whether the thousands of children who visit mosques and madrassas each week to study the Quran are being properly protected.
The leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain has warned that without urgent action, his religion could face an "avalanche" of historic cases similar to the ones which have swamped the Roman Catholic church. Already, several other abusers whose crimes remained undetected for decades have been brought to court.
How can parents be sure their children are safe in unregulated madrassas where no-one ensures proper criminal record checks are made on staff and volunteers? And should the ban on corporal punishment in schools be extended to cover madrassas when some children still face physical punishment?
Fran Abrams investigates.
Producer: Sally Chesworth.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b015zpf3)
Guide dogs on London Transport escalators & Kindle loses speech. 18/10/2011
What will the decision by Amazon not to put text to speech on their latest Kindle reader mean for users? Peter White talks to Ian Macrae, Editor of Disability Now and Melanie Brunson from the American Council of the Blind about accessible reading for visually impaired people .
Guide dogs are to be allowed onto London Underground escalators, after undergoing appropriate training by GDBA. What's it been like in the past taking your dog on the Underground? What training will be offered to help people use escalators in the future? And how do guide dog owners in countries like Australia, where dogs are already allowed onto escalators, manage. Guests: Dave Kent guide dog user; Olly Burton from Guide Dogs and reporter Lee Kumutat.
Producer Cheryl Gabriel.
TUE 21:00 The Sound of Fear (b015zpf5)
A door creaks, footsteps echo, someone's breathing - and we are terrified. But why? Sean Street investigates the psychology of fear, so potently sensitive to sound.
He hears from musician and writer David Toop and film-maker Chu-Li Shrewring how sounds trigger fear and the way this inspires them. The neuro-scientist Sophie Scott explains how our brains process terror.
Context is important: anomalous noises, disembodied voices and sounds whose origins are mysterious - all these frighten us. David Hendy reveals that, in its early day, radio itself was alarming. Louis Niebur, author of a book on the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop, reveals how in the 1950s, the advent of electronic sounds allowed programme-makers to use sounds that frightened people because they didn't know what made the noises. Sound researcher Marcus Leadley explains how this triggers a state called schizophonia.
Sean also questions whether sound and fear are culturally specific, and hears about an experiment with the Himba, a nomadic people in Namibia. Do they recognise our expressions of fear, and do we theirs.
Nigel Paterson, director of 'Planet Dinosaur' explains how his team created sounds for animals about whose calls we know next to nothing. Sean hears, too, a drill sergeant-major whose voice is, in reality, very scary. And in an anechoic chamber, Sean experiences what might be the most frightening sound of all - absolute silence.
Through the whole programme are woven an array of scary sounds, noises and music, from foxes fighting in the north London night to cicadas in the jungle, from the voices of the Daleks to the music from the film 'Psycho', and from a tiger to a rain drop. That, and some Freud, too, in The Sound of Fear.
Producer: Julian May.
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (b015zm90)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b015shbt)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b015zpf7)
With Robin Lustig. National and international news and analysis.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b015zpf9)
The Cat's Table
Episode 7
Written by Michael Ondaatje.
The Cat's Table follows the course of a 21 day voyage from Colombo to Tilbury on a luxury passenger ship called the Oronsay.
Relationships past and present fracture and shift. Michael reflects on his brief marriage to Ramdhin's sister and continues to look back at the voyage which launched him upon the shores of the adult world.
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sam Dastor
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Curiosity Killed the Cabaret (b00tgct1)
The Edinburgh Fringe is the home to some of the best cabaret acts the world has to offer and back in 2010 Fringe Radio 4 bought you a selection of some of the most talked about cabaret acts who appeared over the Festival.
Australian cabaret legend Ali McGregor (La Clique and Opera Burlesque), who recently hosted a Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night at The Assembly Rooms, hosted a special Radio 4 late night review show Curiosity Killed The Cabaret.
She introduced the cream of the cabaret acts appearing at the 2010 Fringe including Frisky and Mannish, Oompah Brass, Asher Treleaven and Fitzrovia Radio Hour.
Producer: Paul Russell
A Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b016bvrb)
The Prime Minister faces demands in the Commons for him to make a statement to MPs on the resignation of Liam Fox as Defence Secretary.
The new Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, up-dates MPs on the situation in Afghanistan.
The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, and his new shadow, Andy Burnham, clash over controversial plans for a radical shake-up of the NHS in England.
While in the Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury condemns the failure of the Egyptian security forces to guarantee the safety of Christians in the country.
Sean Curran and team report on today's events in Parliament.
WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER 2011
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b015shcd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b015zm94)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b015shcg)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b015shcj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b015shcl)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b015shcn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0167gp2)
Short reflection and prayer with Canon Noel Battye.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b015zq2h)
Dartmoor Hill Ponies will be injected with a contraceptive in a pilot project to try to cut the number of foals. The market for the ponies has shrunk and in the last two years around a thousand unsold ponies have been shot. Experts from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology predict that unless wet weather comes soon the groundwater that crops rely on will be severely depleted next year, in central England and East Anglia. And, we explore the breadth of knowledge that children can pick up from a week on the farm.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling.
WED 06:00 Today (b015zq2k)
Morning news and current affairs, with James Naughtie and Evan Davis, including:
07:50 Should the compensation for egg donation be increased to £750?
08:10 Calls to persuade elderly people with empty family homes to move for the sake of the housing market.
08:20 The secrets of Churchill's diplomatic dinners.
Presenters: James Naughtie and Evan Davis.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b015zq2m)
This week Libby Purves is joined by Gloria Elliott, Des Bishop, Michael Morpurgo and Stanley Jackson.
Gloria Elliott is the Chief Executive of the Noise Abatement Society. Her father, John Connell founded the society in 1959 when he realised that there was no authority to turn to about noise complaints, that noise was in his words, ' the forgotten pollutant'. The Noise Abatement Society are collaborating with 'Sounding Brighton' for Brighton & Hove White Night where a series of sonic artworks, produced especially for the occasion, will challenge notions of sound in public spaces.
Des Bishop is a stand-up comedian. His book 'My Dad Was Nearly James Bond' tells the story of his dad who, as a model and actor in the sixties, nearly became James Bond, but gave it all up to raise a family. For years, Des had wanted to write a show about his dad, and when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2009, the insights that emerged during his dad's illness triggered his stand up show and now the book. 'My Dad Was Nearly James Bond' is published by Penguin.
Michael Morpurgo is the children's author of books including War Horse and Private Peaceful. This month, the National Army Museum is launching its largest exhibition to date, War Horse: Fact & Fiction. The exhibition explores Michael Morpurgo's book to tell the real-life stories of horses in war and how they have shaped history from the Charge of the Light-brigade to the present-day.
Stanley Jackson is a celebrity booker. Through his company, Performing Artistes, he hires famous people for corporate events. In his book 'Get Me A Celebrity' he gives advice on how to write a well-crafted speech and discusses the role of agents and the crucial role of TV exposure. 'Get Me A Celebrity' is published by Ecademy Press.
Producer: Chris Paling.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b015zq2p)
Carmen Aguirre - Something Fierce
Episode 3
Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a teenage revolutionary in Latin America.
Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It's a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear.
Today: when the situation in Bolivia becomes to dangerous, Carmen finds herself in rural Argentina in the depths of a harsh winter.
Author: Carmen Aguirre.
Reader: Mia Soteriou.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b015zq2r)
Women and Tattoos, Are MBAs worth the money and effort?
Presented by Jane Garvey. Tattoos - love 'em or loathe 'em? The judgement of mothers: Why are mums often so harsh about each other? Women and Pensions latest and MBAs - are they really worth the money and effort?
Producer: Jane Thurlow.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zq2t)
Disconnected
Episode 3
By Richard Monks
3 of 5
Ray hopes that he will soon be granted legal access to his beloved granddaughter. But things are not as straightforward as he would like to believe.
Ray.....Paul Copley
Rachel.....Julia Ford
Ellie.....Grace Clarke
Annie.....Paula Wilcox
Judith.....Elaine Claxton
Security Guard.....Simon Bubb
Petrol Attendant/BailiffRay.....Alun Raglan.
WED 11:00 David Hume and the Triumph of Reason (b010lyyb)
Recorded on location in Edinburgh, Allan Little pays a 300th anniversary tribute to his hero, the philosopher David Hume.
Hume was a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment at a time when Edinburgh was 'a hotbed of genius'. His scepticism and alleged atheism got him into trouble - but broke the shackles of the old beliefs and paved the way for new thinking in science and politics and economics.
We hear not only about these radical thoughts but about Hume the man - intensely convivial, a bon viveur and cook - he was the toast of Paris and became, eventually, the highest paid man of letters ever to write in English.
We hear from Hume biographer Roderick Graham and from academics Miranda Fricker, Nicholas Phillipson, Tom Devine, Simon Blackburn and Michael Fry.
Brian Pettifer plays the part of David Hume.
We hear too how Hume's ideas are still relevant - how 'Enlightenment for the 21st Century' has become the new strap line for the RSA.
Presenter: Allan Little
Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 11:30 The Rivals (b015zq2w)
Series 1
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
By Edgar Allan Poe.
Dramatised by Chris Harrald.
Inspector Lestrade was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he has a chance to get his own back, with tales of Holmes' rivals. He begins with the famous case of the Murders In The Rue Morgue, and the eccentric talents of Auguste Dupin.
Lestrade . . . . . James Fleet
Dupin . . . . . Andrew Scott
Lucy . . . . . Alex Tregear
Granjean . . . . . Sean Baker
Duborg . . . . . Brian Bowles
Mme Duborg . . . . . Jane Whittenshaw
The Sailor . . . . . Stuart McLoughlin
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b015zq2y)
The French car giant Renault on its vote of confidence in the electric car market.
The research which suggests changes to housing benefit payments, due to come into effect in the UK in 2013, will hit vulnerable people the hardest.
A report out this week recommends a massive expansion in credit union lending, but is this feasible?
And we go foraging in the New Forest with mushroom expert Roger Phillips as he celebrates the 30th anniversary of his well-known book.
The presenter is Peter White. The producer is Kathryn Takatsuki.
WED 12:57 Weather (b015shcq)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b015zq30)
With Shaun Ley. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b015zq32)
The PCC and BSkyB's results
The Press Complaints Commission has appointed Lord Hunt as its new chairman, after Baroness Buscombe resigned following criticisms of the PCC's handling of the phone hacking scandal. To hear about the challenges facing Lord Hunt and how the PCC might change, Steve Hewlett is joined by former PCC chairman Sir Christopher Meyer.
James Murdoch is back under the spotlight as a House of Commons Media Select Committee hears more about his alleged involvement in negotiating a pay off with phone hacking victim Graham Taylor. Lawyer Mark Lewis, who gave evidence to the committee, discusses the most recent revelations.
As BSkyB announces its first quarter results, there are also suggestions that some shareholders are unhappy with James Murdoch's role on the board. Financial Times Media correspondent Ben Fenton discusses BSkyB's results and whether the call for Murdoch's resignation will be answered.
The US public broadcaster PBS is set to launch a subscription channel in the UK which it hopes will find a wider audience for its news, current affairs and documentary programmes. Paula Kerger, the CEO of PBS, explains what the brand, which is highly regarded in the US, can bring to UK viewers more used to watching US comedy and drama.
The producer is Simon Tillotson.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b015zpdx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b015zq4p)
All the Dark Corners
Something in the Water
All the Dark Corners: Something in the Water by Paul Cornell.
The second in our chilling series All the Dark Corners.
When crusading scientist and committed atheist James Woolmer is sacked from his job as a columnist, he decides to up sticks and move his family to the country to get away from it all. What he finds is a village gripped by hysteria and fear and a lucrative tourist industry surrounding Standlake's resident lake monster, Lachey. Despite the weird skin abrasions and the rumbling in the pipes James is utterly sceptical, until he sees something in the water.
James.....James Nickerson
Erica.....Zara Turner
Ben.....Joel Davies
Ruskin.....Conrad Nelson
Peter.....Jonathan Keeble
Batley.....Stephen Hoyle
Helen.....Ruth Alexander Rubin
directed by Nadia Molinari.
WED 15:00 Stephanomics (b016bhdj)
Series 1
Episode 1
In the first of a brand new series of conversation programmes about economics, Stephanie Flanders discusses the global financial crisis with a panel of top economic thinkers. Together they'll debate the future: how will the current crisis play out a decade from now? Will the euro even exist by then? What will happen to jobs and can Western economies expect to grow at all over the next few years? Stephanie will be joined this week by David Roche, President of Independent Strategy, a global investment research firm, Nicola Horlick, Chief Executive of Bramdean Asset Management and Will Hutton, Chair of the Big Innovation Centre, a new think tank set up by the Work Foundation.
Producer: Caroline Bayley
Editor: Stephen Chilcott.
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b015zqv5)
The Mystery of the Hills
The Girl with the Red Hair
By Mairi MacLeod.
Read by Mairi Morrison.
A young Skye woman, Eilidh, stops for a break during a walk in the Cuillin mountains. In her rucksack she carries a recent gift: the collected poems of Sorley MacLean. As she begins to read, she hears a woman singing and is transported by the sadness in her voice. Who is the stranger; what tragedy has she suffered?
Second in a series of stories specially commissioned to mark the centenary of the birth of the Highland poet Sorley MacLean. A warded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1990, MacLean is regarded as the greatest Gaelic poet of the Twentieth Century, giving new literary standing to a language which has at times seemed close to extinction.
MacLean was born in October 1911 on Raasay, a small island lying off the east coast of Skye, into a family immersed in Highland history and culture. It is often said that what Hugh MacDiarmid did for Scots, Sorley MacLean did for Gaelic, sparking a Gaelic renaissance in Scottish literature. He was also instrumental in preserving and promoting the teaching of Gaelic in Scottish schools. He died in 1996.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
WED 15:45 Musical Migrants (b015zs0x)
Series 3
Zanzibar
Watching the Live Aid concert on television in the mid 80s changed the life of Englishman, Yusuf Mahmoud. At the time, Yusuf was working as a milkman in Cheltenham and doing the odd bit of DJ-ing, but when he realised that music could be used as a tool for change he got involved in music promotion and festival organising for the Anti-Apartheid movement and similar operations.
After several years of doing that, an opportunity arose for him to work at the first Zanzibar International Film Festival. Driven by his interest in the music of the region, he headed off to Tanzania intending to stay for only 6 months. Thirteen years on, he's still there and has set up the Sauti Za Busara Festival - a thriving festival that promotes the music of East Africa.
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world; Yusuf is used to going for months without power and his daily shower consists of a beaker and a bucket of water. Yet such things don't faze him because - he says - he's nourished by the cultural richness of his adopted land.
Produced by Rachel Hopkin
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b015zqv9)
Becoming Yellow - Journalist bias
Laurie Taylor explores impartiality in TV political interviewing and he examines how the colour 'yellow' became applied to people of Asian origin.
Professsor Ian Hutchby from the University of Leicester discusses a recent seminar 'Going Ballistic: Non-neutrality in the Televised Hybrid Political Interview'. In it, he outlines the structures of a new form of televised political journalism, the Hybrid Political Interview (HPI), which combines standard forms of interview technique with much more tendentious, opinionated, and even argumentative reporting. Laurie and Ian are joined by the Director of Broadcasting at City University, Lis Howell.
Laurie also discusses a new book called 'Becoming Yellow: A short history of racial thinking'. Professor Michael Keevak from The National Taiwan University explores how the notion of the colour yellow became attached to people of Asian origin.
Producer: Chris Wilson.
WED 16:30 The Sound of Fear (b015zpf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b015zqvc)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b015shcs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b014gmfm)
Series 4
Ian Hislop
Marcus Brigstocke invites Private Eye editor and broadcaster Ian Hislop to try new experiences, including buying his first ever pair of jeans.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen the film Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2011.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b015zrdv)
Jazzer tries to cheer Tom up, but says he doesn't quite understand how footballing pigs are going to sell sausages. Before Tom can explain, Lynda arrives trying to persuade them both to take part in her Christmas Around The World performance. Jazzer's reluctant. However, one mention of Rhys representing Wales prompts Jazzer to represent his native Scotland. He'll read poetry by Rabbie Burns.
Ruth tells David that Christine's back from London. They're worried how she's going to feel when she finds out that Clive's been let out of prison. They remember Clive's vendetta and how traumatising it was.
Ivy's health is continuing to deteriorate which means that Clive will probably not be leaving any time soon. They realise it's better Christine finds out that he's around sooner than later. David speaks to Chris and they arrange to meet up. It seems like she has no idea that Clive is in town.
Emma's worried that George may grow up to be rebellious. She and Ed are horrified that George stole a toy fire truck from Jake's house so that he could show Clive how skilled he is as a burglar.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b015zrdx)
Thandie Newton; Romola Garai; The Slap
With Mark Lawson,
The actress Thandie Newton has set herself a challenge for her first ever stage role. Taking time out from her film career - she won a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for Paul Haggis's Crash - she discusses playing the role of Paulina Salas, a former political prisoner in a Latin American country who was incarcerated and raped by her captors, in Ariel Dorfman's play Death and the Maiden.
Romola Garai, star of The Hour and Atonement, reviews a new exhibition of historical actress portraits depicting such superstars of their time as Nell Gwyn, mistress of Charles II, and Dorothy Jordan who had 10 illegitimate children with William IV. The exhibition includes Joshua Reynolds's depiction of Sarah Siddons as a noble Tragic Muse, and a full frontal portrait of a bare-breasted Nell Gwyn.
The Slap is a new TV drama series starting on BBC Four, based on Christos Tsiolkas' best-selling novel. At a summer barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his son and the story traces the repercussions of a single event upon a group of family and friends. Rachel Cooke reviews.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a best-selling book and now an acclaimed film, and its title is being widely re-worked by headline writers, authors and organisations. Comedian Danny Robins assesses why some titles prove so alluring.
Producer Claire Bartleet
Presenter Mark Lawson.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zq2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b015zrkg)
The Law and Government Spending Cuts
In the first of a new series, Clive Anderson and guests discuss how the courts are increasingly being used to try to prevent government and local authorities from implementing spending cuts.
Clive is joined by former Justice Secretary Lord Falconer, human rights lawyer, Hugh Southey QC, former appeal court Judge, Sir Stephen Sedley and solicitor Louise Whitfield, who specialises in representing clients fighting spending cuts.
They discuss how human rights and equalities law can be used to stop government or local authorities from cutting back on such things as disability benefits, libraries, advice centres, national parks and school building.
While acknowledging that the courts have a legitimate role in ensuring that public bodies fulfil their legal obligations, he admits that he and his government colleagues were often more than a little peeved at being prevented from doing the things they wanted to do.
But how likely is it that challenges to spending cuts will be successful? Will such legal action simply delay the implementation of the cuts or force reductions in other services? And are the courts being drawn into the political arena, effectively threatening the sovereignty of parliament?
Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b015zrkj)
Series 2
Ed Yong: The Philosophy of Bacteria
Science journalist and blogger Ed Yong explores the physical and philosophical implications of being host to billions of microbes.
He reports the latest science showing how the bacteria we come into contact with can profoundly affect our lives - from the ability to digest different foodstuffs to our susceptibility to asthma, diabetes and even stress and anxiety.
And, he asks whether he should be seen as a human, or a universe of bacteria in a "human shaped sack"?
Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling.
Recorded 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: Giles Edwards.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b015zrkl)
March of the Pylons
Britain's electricity grid needs replacing. Our old power network is approaching obsolesence. That means that there's a real threat of a new army of pylons spreading out across some of our most beautiful landscapes.
Since the advent of electricity, power cables have spread out from large, centrally-located coal-fired power stations. In the future we're going to be extracting our power from small sources dotted around the periphery of the country- wind, wave and hydro-electric stations far from the big power users of the major cities. To cope with this change a new national grid will have to be constructed. The shape of that grid and the method for transferring power is already provoking controversy. How acceptable are large pylons in our National Parks? How much more expensive is an underground cable? Tom Heap investigates the options.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b015zq2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b015shcv)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b015zrkn)
Turkish troops have fought rebels from the PKK in Northern Iraq, in response to one of the most deadly attacks by the Kurds in decades.
Protests against cuts in Greece on the first day of a 48-hour-strike have turned violent. What alternatives are the demonstrators offering to deal with the Greek debt crisis?
A new island is being formed by an underwater volcanic eruption in the Canaries. Are there reasons to fear a major eruption?
On the World Tonight, with Ritula Shah.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b015zrkq)
The Cat's Table
Episode 8
Written by Michael Ondaatje.
The Cat's Table follows the course of a 21 day voyage from Colombo to Tilbury on a luxury passenger ship called the Oronsay.
The history of the silent girl, Asuntha, has profound implications for the other passengers on the Oronsay. Veiled connections and mysterious promises are made.
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sam Dastor
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Don't Start (b015zrks)
Series 1
Dream
Kim's bad dream sparks a heated debate that incorporates Elvis on fire, Stoke on Trent car washes and the literary merits of the New Testament.
What do long term partners really argue about? Sharp comedy from Frank Skinner. A masterclass in the great art of arguing. Starring Frank Skinner and Katherine Parkinson.
Well observed, clever and funny, Don't Start is a scripted comedy with a deceptively simple premise - an argument. Each week, our couple fall out over another apparently trivial flashpoint - a text from a friend, a trilby and a bad night's sleep. Each week, the stakes mount as Neil and Kim battle with words. But these are no ordinary arguments. The two outdo each other with increasingly absurd images, unexpected literary references (Androcles and the Lion pop up at one point) and razor sharp analysis of their beloved's weaknesses.
Cast:
Neil ..... Frank Skinner
Kim ..... Katherine Parkinson
Producer/Director: Polly Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 The Music Teacher (b00sk6jn)
Series 1
Episode 5
Written by Richie Webb.
Another week; another barrage of useless pupils for music teacher Nigel Penny in this new musical comedy written by and starring 2009 Writers' Guild Award winner Richie Webb. Featuring Vicki Pepperdine as Arts Centre Manager Belinda.
Episode 5: Shut away in his tiny windowless practice room Nigel endures his usual steady stream of talentless pupils: a vocalist claiming a sub-bass range and a wannabe Avant-Garde composer stretching his already taut patience. But hidden amongst the dross is a little ray of light in the shape of Martha - a local folk singer/songwriter who reignites not only his passion for performing, but his passion for - well, passion.
Will Nigel be able to make this opportunity count both on and off stage? Not if Belinda has anything to do with it: she's forgotten to get Nigel's CRB clearance sorted, and the local Beavers and Brownies gang show is in town.
Cast:
Nigel Penny ..... Richie Webb
Belinda ...... Vicki Pepperdine
Other roles by Dave Lamb, Jim North and Jess Robinson.
Produced by Richie Webb
Directed by Nick Walker
A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b015zrkv)
David Cornock presents the day's top news stories from Westminster.
THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER 2011
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b015shdh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b015zq2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b015shdk)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b015shdm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b015shdp)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b015shdw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0167gpj)
Short reflection and prayer with Canon Noel Battye.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b015zrrd)
Around 200 teachers have so far attended a course on the basics of farming. The lessons at the Harper Adams University College aim to boost the confidence of the teachers before they go back to the classroom. Senior Lecturer Nicky Hunter says when the teachers arrive some know more than others. In one rare example, one teacher didn't know that pork came from pigs or that male cows could not be milked. Meanwhile, farmers and food producers should be going into schools to market their industry, according to an organisation which works to link schools with business. Chris Horton from Magnified Learning says the industry needs to sell the creative and exciting aspects of the job. And as food inflation soars, Farming Today asks how expensive the Sunday roast could become. The price of a beef joint for has gone up by around 11% since this time last year. A Somerset auctioneer explains the global shortage of beef animals is the main reason, and says he hasn't seen prices so high in his career.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Angela Frain.
THU 06:00 Today (b015zrrg)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b015zrrj)
Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Delacroix's painting Liberty Leading the People. In 1830 revolution once more overtook France, when a popular uprising toppled the French king Charles X. A few months later, the artist Eugene Delacroix immortalised the events of the July Revolution in a painting which remains one of the icons of the age. His allegorical depiction of a Paris barricade, with the figure of Liberty clutching a tricolore while standing on a pile of corpses, is a powerful image which has provoked much debate in the years since it was first unveiled to an enthusiastic public.Producer: Natalia Fernandez.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b015zrrl)
Carmen Aguirre - Something Fierce
Episode 4
Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge. It is a time of high excitement, but also one of fear and paranoia, of not knowing who to trust, or who to fear.
Today: a mission across the Andes goes perilously wrong, and Carmen is forced to risk all.
Author: Carmen Aguirre.
Reader: Mia Soteriou.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b015zrrn)
Presented by Jane Garvey: Actress Sharon Gless, best known as Christine Cagney from the TV programme Cagney and Lacey, talks about her new stage show. Parental rights in difficult economic times, the appeal of the card game Bridge, and the history of the domestic iron.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zrrq)
Disconnected
Episode 4
By Richard Monks
4 of 5.
Following the meeting with Ellie at the CAFCAS offices, Ray is beginning to believe that access to Ellie will never be granted. But Annie has other ideas.
Ray .... Paul Copley
Rachel.....Julia Ford
Ellie.....Grace Clarke
Annie.....Paula Wilcox
Alex.....Simon Bubb
Judge.....Jane Whittenshaw
Solicitor.....Alun Raglan
Volunteer/Operator.....Elaine Claxton.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b015zrrs)
Jonathan Head, who has been on the frontline in Sirte, in Libya, ponders what makes men - many without military training - carry on fighting and taking risks when they are not compelled to, and it brings thoughts of his grandfather. Sue Lloyd Roberts gives us an insight into life trapped in one's own flat with young children, in the city of Homs, in Syria, as the revolution continues outside. Natalia Antelava explores the distressing story of child abuse in the United States, which is alleged to have the worst child abuse rates in the industrialised world. Celeste Hicks is in Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began, as they try to get to grips with the strange concept of voting. And Jonathan Barker is in Aceh, in northern Sumatra, in Indonesia with big orange primates, the Orang Utans who are benefitting from the Asian Tsunami.
THU 11:30 When Hollywood Met Halifax (b010r7bw)
Liza Tarbuck discovers how Jayne Mansfield sprinkled Hollywood glamour on the northern club circuit during the last turbulent year of her life. Jayne Mansfield's story is a story of our times - the celebrity whose life unravelled. In 1967, the year she was to die in a tragic road accident at 34, she packed up her furs and embarked on a little known tour of English northern clubs.
Her unique act of breathy ballads and risque lap dancing routines astonished her audiences more used to it's-the-way-I-tell-'em comedians and inoffensive covers bands. At the time Mansfield was spiralling into alcoholism and her life was imploding - realities she kept hidden from her English fans. The programme traces how the once glittering star of the Girl Can't Help It and Too Hot to Handle was forced to get out on the road as her movie career faded.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b015zrrv)
After more than a decade the government has agreed to appoint an official to deal with disagreements between supermarkets and suppliers. Will they have the power to make a difference? Discounted travel for children - do firms have to provide it? And has the promise of a clampdown on silent calls really been fulfilled?
Producer Siobhan Tighe.
THU 12:57 Weather (b015shdy)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b015zrrx)
With Martha Kearney. National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b015zrkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b015zrdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b015zrrz)
All the Dark Corners
The Dying Wish
The Dying Wish
by Rosemary Kay
Fran and her partner Abe are befriended by a lonely old woman, Joy, who lives in the flat above.
Joy persuades them to perform an ancient ritual after she's died. They unwittingly agree without
realising the terrifying consequences of their action. A quest for eternal life and the living dead
permeate this chilling horror story.
Directed by Pauline Harris.
THU 15:00 Ramblings (b015ydzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b015ygx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b015zs0v)
The Mystery of the Hills
Hallaig
By Iain Finlay MacLeod.
Read by Tony Kearney.
A man reflects upon the consequences of a decision made too lightly.
Hebridean writer Iain Finlay MacLeod completes this series of stories specially commissioned to mark the centenary of the birth of the Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean. The title of this story refers to MacLean's great poem "Hallaig", while lines from the poem "The Choice" are central to the story's theme. Both poems can be read in full on MacLean's official website (see link opposite).
Sorley MacLean was born in October 1911 on Raasay, a small island lying off the east coast of Skye, into a family immersed in Highland history and culture. Awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1990, he is regarded as the greatest Gaelic poet of the Twentieth Century, giving new literary standing to a language which at times seemed close to extinction.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
THU 15:45 Musical Migrants (b015ztm9)
Series 3
Cajun
Five portraits of people who relocated to other countries, influenced by music.
We join Ann Savoy cooking up some chicken sauce piquant in the kitchen of her traditional Arcadian home in Eunice, Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun country.
Ann was born in Richmond, Virginia and was raised to be a 'southern lady'. But her love for the wild freedom she found in Cajun music drew her to relocate to the Deep South and the prairies of south-western Louisiana - an area which she describes as 'Virginia blown to smithereens'. There, alongside her husband Marc Savoy (who hails from a Cajun family with many generations of musicians), Ann earned her stripes by playing Cajun guitar for hours at all-night parties out on the bayou, while gumbo bubbled away in trash cans. She also began documenting the old-time Cajun musicians and their way of life, interviewing some of the greats like Dennis McGee and Wade Fruge, whilst also raising a family who are now forming the new generation of Cajun musicians.
Producer: Rachel Hopkin
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b015ykws)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b015zs0z)
Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.
Producer: Deborah Cohen
THU 17:00 PM (b015zs11)
Eddie Mair presents the day's top stories. Including Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b015shf2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 So Wrong It's Right (b00sjmvq)
Series 1
Episode 4
Charlie Brooker presents the comedy panel show about the wrong side of life.
'So Wrong It's Right' is the game where guest compete to suggest the best in bad ideas.
Actress & presenter Liza Tarbuck - plus comedians Richard Herring and Jack Whitehall - are special guests for this edition. Are they up to Charlie's 'wrong' challenges? These include confessing their worst ever excuses and also their creative suggestions for the most terrible new gimmick for a TV Detective show.
The host of 'So Wrong It's Right', Charlie Brooker, also presents BBC4's acclaimed 'Newswipe' and 'Screenwipe' series - and is an award winning columnist for 'The Guardian'. He also won 'Best Newcomer' at the British Comedy Awards 2009.
Produced by Aled Evans
A Zeppotron Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b015zs13)
Emma tells Will about George stealing Jake's toy fire truck. They're worried that he may start stealing from children at school. They agree that something has to be done. George must realise that his actions can hurt other people and what he has done is unacceptable. Emma and Will say that they have to show solidarity in this situation. They know that George is kind-hearted and will realise that what he's done is wrong.
David visits Christine, who quickly realises he's not just there to pick out a Christmas present for Jill. She's shocked to learn that Clive is out of prison and even more shocked that he's staying in Felpersham. Christine's grateful that David told her himself but is clearly shaken up about it. It all comes back to her as she thinks about how much she lost because of Clive Horrobin.
Christine's suddenly afraid that Clive will come after her. She is adamant that she cannot stay in Ambridge if he's going to be around, despite David's protests. Ruth and David are naturally very worried for her, and don't know what to do.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b015zs15)
Peter Gabriel; Edward Burra
With John Wilson.
Peter Gabriel's latest project was inspired by his 2010 CD Scratch My Back, in which he gave an orchestral treatment to some of his favourite artists' songs. The former Genesis frontman discusses his new album New Blood, in which he gives highlights from his own solo back-catalogue a similar makeover, including Don't Give Up and Solsbury Hill.
Doctor Who's Karen Gillan makes her professional stage debut in a new production of John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence, which stars the Olivier and Tony award-winning actor Douglas Hodge in the massive central role of a disintegrating middle-aged lawyer, clinging to the human wreckage he's left in his wake. Sarah Churchwell reviews.
The first major show for over 25 years of the work of surrealist painter Edward Burra opens this weekend. Despite suffering with acute arthritis so that his hands could hardly hold the brush, Burra is one of the most original 20th century British artists, fascinated by the seedy side of life, and inspired by a mixture of old masters and the pop culture of jazz and Hollywood films. John reports from Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.
Gus Van Sant, whose films include Good Will Hunting and Milk, has now directed Restless, the tale of a terminally-ill girl who befriends a funeral gate-crashing drop-out. Starring Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper, the film has divided critics in America. Antonia Quirke gives her verdict.
Producer Nicki Paxman.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zrrq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 Law in Action (b015zpdn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b015zs17)
Producers or Parasites?
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.
With protests continuing around the world against the financial sector, three guests from that industry swap candid thoughts about it. Evan puts to them a fundamental question: is their industry creating genuine wealth, or is it essentially parasitic, finding clever ways of distributing other people's wealth to its own workers?
Joining Evan in the studio are Ken Olisa, chairman of boutique technology merchant bank Restoration Partners; Ian Gorham, chief executive of financial advisory firm Hargreaves Lansdown; Julian Roberts, chief executive of savings and investment group Old Mutual.
Producer: Ben Crighton Editor: Stephen Chilcott.
THU 21:00 Saving Species (b015zm98)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b015zrrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b015shf4)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b015zs19)
Colonel Gaddafi has been killed in his hometown of Sirte. His death led to celebrations across Libya, a country he ruled for 42 years. What now for Libya? How split is the country and what are the political and economic challenges?
We'll also have a special report from Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began. Tunisia is holding general elections on Sunday.
On The World Tonight, with David Eades.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b015zs1c)
The Cat's Table
Episode 9
Written by Michael Ondaatje.
The Cat's Table follows the course of a 21 day voyage from Colombo to Tilbury on a luxury passenger ship called the Oronsay.
Michael's enduring connection with Emily prompts recollections of events in the Mediterranean, as the ship nears England.
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sam Dastor
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 Tonight (b0164693)
Series 1
Episode 2
Who is to blame for the global economic crisis? Topical sketch show with Rory Bremner and Andy Zaltzman. From October 2011.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b015zs1f)
Sean Curran and the BBC's parliamentary team with the day's top news stories from Westminster where MPs object to what they see as the Government's strong-arm tactics over next week's debate on the European Union. There were also concerns about the decision to bring the debate forward from Thursday to Monday.
There's a report on controversial changes to England's planning rules and on a Lords debate about the rights of householders to defend themselves against intruders.
Also on the programme: the decision to scrap plans for the UK's first carbon capture project - and the an MP who brought an American football into the Commons chamber.
FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER 2011
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b015shfq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b015zrrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b015shfs)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b015shfv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b015shfx)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b015shfz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0167grl)
Short reflection and prayer with Canon Stephen Shipley.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b015zsbx)
As the Government announces more funding for large scale renewable energy, Farming Today looks at the impact on smaller scale energy projects on farms. Anaerobic digesters convert farm and food waste into power, but there are only 65 in the UK compared to 2,500 in Germany. Charlotte Smith asks energy minister Charles Hendry what he is doing to bridge the gap.
And as the Countryside Alliance campaigns for farm visits to become a compulsory part of the school curriculum, Farming Today visits a school in Essex which has taken things into their own hands, and has a farm on site. The teachers say it says helps bring subjects like maths and science vividly to life.
And Countryfile presenter Adam Henson travels to the Cotswolds, to meet one of the finalists for the Farmer of the Year competition at the BBC Food and Farming awards. He rounds up the sheep alongside Adrian Dolby , who manages the largest organic arable farm in the UK.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith; Producer: Angela Frain.
FRI 06:00 Today (b015zsbz)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b015ygxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b015zsc1)
Carmen Aguirre - Something Fierce
Episode 5
Mia Soteriou reads Carmen Aguirre's coming-of-age memoir of life as a revolutionary in Latin America.
Born a week after the death of Che Guevara, Carmen Aguirre was always destined to become a revolutionary. After Pinochet's coup in Chile in 1973, her family is forced to flee to Canada, but a few years later return to join the underground movement against Pinochet. And so Carmen's double life begins. Posing as a westernised teenager by day, at night she is drilled in surveillance techniques, cryptography and subterfuge, until she finally takes the resistance oath herself.
Today: secret police, paranoia and mistrust, as the resistance begins to falter...
Author: Carmen Aguirre.
Reader: Mia Soteriou.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b015zsc3)
Suffolk prostitute murders - five years on. Sophie Barker sings live. The first nightclub chaplain
Presented by Sheila McClennon. In December 2006 the bodies of five murdered sex workers were found in and around Ipswich. The women had all been working as prostitutes and killed by one man, Steve Wright. Five years on, Suffolk County Council has issued a report claiming street prostitution in the town has ended and over eighty women have been helped to turn their lives around. How has the council achieved this and should other cities be copying the Ipswich approach? Superintendent Alan Caton of Suffolk Police, and Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon, author of 'The Price of Sex', join Sheila to discuss.
Singer songwriter Sophie Barker's songs have been described as "modern coffee table music" - a rich and glossy sound appealing to all ages. Known for her vocals in bands such as Groove Armada and Zero 7, Sophie's now performing solo and currently touring her first solo album "Seagull". She'll talk about - and play- her music live.
Beth Tash is the first person to be appointed as a Night Life Chaplain. Working in Leeds, she's the new Pioneer Minister to Night Life in the City, appointed by the Leeds Diocese. She's been talking to students and bar managers , and will be looking to help meet the spiritual needs of Leeds clubbers. Beth Tash tells Sheila about her plans.
When the Nazis occupied France, an airbase just outsde ithe city of York became home to around 3000 members of the French Airforce. Geoff Bird reports on special celebrations at York to mark this extraordinary period in the city's history- and which also produced several lasting relationships - and even marriages- between French aircrew and local women.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zsc5)
Disconnected
Episode 5
By Richard Monks
5 of 5.
Increasingly desperate, following his row with Annie, Ray is beginning to believe that he will never be granted access to his beloved grandchild.
Ray.....Paul Copley
Rachel.....Julia Ford
Ellie.....Grace Clarke
Annie.....Paula Wilcox
Howard.....James Lailey
Craig/Clerk.....Carl Prekopp
Judge.....Jane Whittenshaw
Volunteer/PA.....Elaine Claxton.
FRI 11:00 Up To Scratch (b015zsc7)
Kit Hesketh Harvey follows the fortunes of judges and competitors taking part in this year's Nailympics. With delegates coming from all over the world to take part, Kit follows the fortunes of Kirsty Meakin from Staffordshire.
Rated number three in the world, Kirsty is already so renowned in the world of nail art that her work is currently being shown as part of the V&A's exhibition ,The Power of Making.
He also meets Marian Newman one of the worlds top manicurists who has over sixty British Vogue covers to her name. She started out as a forensic scientist and explains that the development of the nail industry comes from advances made in dentistry.
As part of the cabaret act Kit and the Widow, for many years a support act to Joan Rivers, Kit's very at home discussing all types of cosmetic enhancement and hopes to come away from the event with a few tips.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
FRI 11:30 Clare in the Community (b015zswt)
Series 7
Heroes
In Episode Five - 'Heroes'; Clare encounters Bradley Bigg - Pop's tub-thumping troubadour and Blue Collar balladeer whose music influenced and shaped her as a teenager. Meanwhile, Brian has to break some bad news to Nali and Helen takes on the role of Health and Safety Officer with uncharacteristic vigour.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Episode Five - Heroes
Clare: SALLY PHILLIPS
Brian: ALEX LOWE
Megan/Nali: NINA CONTI
Ray/Mr Trueman: RICHARD LUMSDEN
Helen: LIZA TARBUCK
Simon/Bradley: ANDREW WINCOTT
Libby: SARAH KENDALL
Chelsy: VICTORIA INEZ HARDY
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer Katie Tyrrell.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b015zswy)
Ageism in the travel industry
The travel firm which banned the over-80s from its tours because they slowed down sight-seeing.
Why buying books online could help your local independent bookstore.
And should film trailers tell you exactly what the movie's all about?
Presented by Peter White. Produced by Alex Lewis.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b015shg1)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b015zsx0)
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 (b015zsx2)
As the BBC's 40 local radio stations confront spending cuts, Roger hears your views about the impact on local democracy and community interaction. Listeners face having to share some programmes with neighbouring stations during off-peak times, and will see specialist evening programmes replaced with one England-wide show. No bad thing, say some of you. But others agree with the listener who described the plan as "destroying quality first".
Roger drops into the offices of The Last Word, Radio 4's obituary programme, to find out how he can ensure his slot on the show (in the fullness of time of course).
And hot on the heels of the Man Booker prize announcement, the contributors to the inaugural Feedback Listening Club cast their expert ears over Open Book. If you'd like more information about taking part in a future Listening Club, please contact the programme.
Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b015zs13)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00fpx7q)
Prayer Mask
Prayer Mask
By David Pownall
JOSEPH FIENNES stars as the young Lieutenant Richard Burton who in 1853 disguised himself as an Afghani pilgrim and undertook an expedition to Mecca. His aim was to explore the Holy of Holies. He chronicles this journey fraught with dangers and misadventure. But can he hide his identity from his two young guides?
Lieutenant Richard Burton .... Joseph Fiennes
Mohammed............... Akbar Kurtha
Nur.......................... Rasmus Hardiker
Wali..................... Paul Rider
Larking.................... Roger Hammond
Kaaba official............ Inam Mirza
Surgeon.................... Jonathan Tafler
Mohammed's mother ... Natasha Pyne
Director..... Peter Kavanagh.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b015ztlj)
Newport, Pembrokeshire
Peter Gibbs chairs this week's edition from Newport, South West Wales.
Christine visits the National Collection of Hollies. As part of the Listeners' Gardens series, Matt Biggs returns to St Anns Allotments in Nottingham to advise new plot holders on winter preparation.
Producer by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Musical Migrants (b015ztll)
Series 3
Norway
Five portraits of people who relocated to other countries, influenced by music.
Daniel Sanden-Warg grew up in Sweden listening to rock giants. As a teenager, he appeared on Swedish television playing the guitar a la Jimi Hendrix (including behind his back and with his teeth). Then a new boy arrived at his school and through him, Daniel discovered folk music, specifically the hardanger fiddle tradition of Norway's Setesdal Valley. Of hearing this music for the first time, he says "it was life-changing for me. I was sure at once that this is what I want to do. This is the music I want to play. I have to get good at it, and if I'm going to be poor, I don't care, that's going to be my life, that's it."
Daniel's dream was to study with the man who'd played on the first recording he heard - Hallvard Bjorgum. After practising for hours each day for months, he sent Hallvard a demo tape and waited anxiously for a response. On Christmas Eve, Hallvard called him. He told Daniel that his playing reminded him of his father and that he could come and study with him any time.
So Daniel moved to the extraordinary Setesdal valley in the south of Norway - an area famed for centuries for its fiddlers and where folklife is cherished. He became fully absorbed into the culture. He played side by side with Hallvard, built his own traditional log cabin, and learned the ancient art of silver-smithing - a craft typically practised by Setesdal fiddlers because it is gentler on their fingers than, for example, logging. Daniel, whom Hallvard describes as a genius, is now one of the most sought-after hardanger fiddle players in the world.
Producer: Rachel Hopkin
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b015ztln)
Muammar Gaddafi, Dennis Ritchie, Sylvia Robinson, and Betty Driver
Jane Little on
Muammar Gaddafi - Libyan authors reflect on growing up under the dictator and coming to terms with the news that he's gone.
Tributes from Tim Berners Lee and others to Dennis Ritchie, computer scientist whose work played a key role in shaping modern technology, from laptops to smart phones.
Sylvia Robinson, singer, songwriter and entrepreneur who launched Hip Hop and rap into the mainstream.
And the nation's longest-serving barmaid, Betty Driver, whose popular role on Coronation Street formed the second act in a career that spanned eight decades on stage and screen.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b015ztlq)
In a special edition of the Film Programme Francine Stock and guests travel back four decades to what might be the most extraordinary year in American cinema - 1971. The year that saw the release of such films as Klute, The Last Picture Show, The French Connection and Carnal Knowledge.
Filmmakers James Watkins and Marc Evans explain how they have been influenced by films from that era.
Director Jerry Schatzberg discusses his film from 1971, The Panic in Needle Park, starring Al Pacino in his first major film role.
Contributions also from critic Joe Queenan, professor Ed Guerrero, Cybill Shepherd and director William Friedkin.
FRI 17:00 PM (b015ztls)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b015shg3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b015ztlv)
Series 75
Episode 7
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig with panellists Jeremy Hardy, Fred Macaulay, Andy Hamilton and Matthew Parris.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b015ztlx)
Jim reassures Christine that she can always count on her friends to keep her safe. However, Christine's worried about the nights. Jim suggests that she stays at Brookfield or with Jill, but she feels that would endanger them.
Jim later shows up at Christine's with a suitcase. He's going to stay with her so that she feels safe.
George has learned a valuable lesson, and apologises to Jake for stealing his fire truck. He also apologises to Nic for having made her waste time looking for it and then having told Jake off for apparently losing it.
The Apple Day quiz is in full swing at The Bull. Jolene thanks Mike for his help. They'll be busy with Halloween and bonfire night soon. Jolene and Mike notice that Jim and Christine have spent the whole day together and speculate that there's something between them. This is exactly what Christine worried about when Jim was adamant about staying at her house.
After their success at the pub quiz and an evening full of romantic speeches, Will proposes to Nic. He says he's never felt this way before and wants to look after her forever. Moved and delighted, Nic responds with an emphatic "yes".
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b015ztlz)
Tintin; Brian Wilson interview.
With John Wilson.
Brian Wilson and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys reflect on their never-released album Smile, recorded in 1966 and 1967 and now made available for the first time. Brian Wilson remembers the destructive role drugs played in the creation of this legendary 'lost' album, and music broadcaster Paul Gambaccini assesses how it sounds four decades on.
Steven Spielberg's new film is an adaptation of the Tintin comic series using motion-captured CGI with Jamie Bell in the leading role of the intrepid boy reporter. Naomi Alderman considers how well the Hergé characters translate into film.
Peter Brook's 1964 production of Marat/Sade for the Royal Shakespeare Company caused huge controversy and public outcry. Now, as part of their 50th anniversary season, the RSC are restaging it. Has it retained its shock value? Andrew Dickson has the verdict.
Producer: Philippa Ritchie.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b015zsc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b015ztqk)
Torquay
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a live panel discussion of news and politics from Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Devon, with Bernard Jenkin, a member of the executive of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee and Chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee; Minister of State for Schools and Families, Sarah Teather; Rosemary Hollis, Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at City University in London; and Shadow Attorney General, Emily Thornberry.
Producer: Victoria Wakely.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b015ztqm)
Class, race and social mobility
Will Self reflects that racism is rarely a sole cause of social injustice but alongside other problems such as poverty it can limit people's social mobility. "All too often pundits and policymakers seek a single cause for social stratification when they should accept that in a nation where inequality in real, monetary terms is increasing....the reasons for being at the bottom of the heap are manifold. It's not a case of class or family or education or money or race, it's a matter of of class, family, education, money AND race."
Producer: Sheila Cook
Presenter Will Self.
FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b00k1wsx)
Des Res
Black comedy by Ed Jones. Scriptwriter Luke loses his TV job and has to downsize from a bohemian terrace in a leafy Manchester suburb to the dark heart of Salford. The house is a bargain and he's lived in worse; and he can handle those scallies that use his front doorstep as a youth club, can't he?
Luke ...... Ian Puleston-Davies
Toto ...... Szilvi Naray-Davey
Kenny ...... Luke Broughton
Adele ...... Michelle Tate
Ryan ...... Warren Brown
Lotta ...... Fiona Clarke
Script Editor ...... Natasha Byrne
Policeman ...... Greg Wood
Directed by Gary Brown.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b015shg7)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b015ztqp)
The UN wants to know why Gaddafi was killed. NATO says it didn't intend to attack him. How important is the rule of law when a dictator is overthrown?
And we report from Tunisia on the future for women in a new 'democratic' state.
with Ritula Shah in London and Paul Moss in Tunis.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b015ztqr)
The Cat's Table
Episode 10
Written by Michael Ondaatje.
The Cat's Table follows the course of a 21 day voyage from Colombo to Tilbury on a luxury passenger ship called the Oronsay.
Asuntha and her father were last seen as they leapt over the side of the ship into the sea. But Michael has never fully understood his cousin's role in those final dramatic days; years later they meet and he is able to ask her what happened.
Abridged by Jill Waters
Read by Sam Dastor
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b015zpdq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b015ztqt)
Both Houses of Parliament spent Friday debating Bills proposed by rank and file law makers. Mark D'Arcy reports on an attempt to oust the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords. And MPs can't agree on whether political correctness really has gone mad or not.
Looking ahead to next week Mark tests the political temperature as euro-sceptics from across the political parties gear up for a Commons debate on the European Union.
A Conservative MP - David Nuttall - will call for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. What the prospects of a Government rebellion? Mark's been talking to some of the leading players ahead of Monday night's vote.
And there are changes afoot to the way politicians carry out parliamentary surveillance on the UK's spooks. A former Foreign Secretary tells us why he thinks they're a big improvement.