SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2016

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b08296w0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b082kbbx)
Fear, Episode 5

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has climbed the Eiger and Mount Everest. He has crossed both Poles on foot. He has been a member of the SAS, and fought a bloody guerrilla war in Oman. And yet he confesses that his fear of heights is so great that he'd rather send his wife up a ladder to clean the gutters than do it himself.

In Fear, the world's greatest explorer delves into his own experiences to try to explain what fear is, how it happens and how he has overcome it so successfully.

He examines key moments from history where fear played an important part in the outcome of a great event. He shows us how the brain perceives fear, how that manifests itself in us, and how we can transform our perceptions, shedding new light on one of humanity's strongest emotions.

In today's episode, Sir Ranulph considers the psychology of our irrational fears.

Read by Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Produced by David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b08296w2)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b08296w5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.

SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b08296w7)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b08296wc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b082ktdx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.

SAT 05:45 iPM (b08296wf)
To e safety, and beyond!

Jennifer Tracey visits a school where children lead the way on e safety. The actor James Macpherson reads Your News. iPM@bbc.co.uk.

SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b08296wh)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SAT 06:04 Weather (b08296wm)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 06:07 Open Country (b082j2yz)
David Lindo on the Isle of Man

David Lindo is the Urban Birder. He loves the birds he finds in parks and open spaces in the city but for this weeks Open Country he sets sail for the open spaces and cliffs of the Isle of Man, a landscape he has always wanted to visit. Stuck out in the middle of the Irish Sea The Isle of Man is a birders paradise with rare sightings of elusive birds such as choughs, hen harriers and falcons. David crosses the Sound to visit the Bird Observatory on the Calf of Man where the Manx Shearwater is making a comeback and hears about how to keep the sea god Manannan happy.

SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b08296wr)
Farming Today This Week: Food Safety

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Mark Smalley.

SAT 06:57 Weather (b08296wt)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 07:00 Today (b082sxzv)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b08296x0)
Dave Gorman

Dave Gorman talks to Kate Silverton and the Rev Richard Coles about his various comedy challenges, his love of darts and the story behind his regrettable tattoo.

Phoebe Wainman comes from a stock car racing dynasty and is currently the British Stock Car Champion. She discusses the thrills and dangers of her sport.

Mark Grist gave up teaching English when his other career as a rapper took off. He explains how a chance encounter at a poetry performance evening ended up with him taking part in battle rapping competitions around the globe.

Photographer Richard Weston reveals why taking a picture of his son Sam had a tremendous effect on both their lives.

And Everton superfan Dr David France explains how he amassed the biggest collection of Everton memorabilia in the world.

Plus guitarist from the Smiths, The The and Electronic Johnny Marr shares his Inheritance Tracks.

Producer: Steven Williams

Editor: Beverley Purcel.

SAT 10:30 Reimagining the City (b082sywy)
Series 3, Barcelona

Writer Colm Toibin offers us a different vision of Barcelona, a city he first fell in love with as a student. For him, it's a city which has dreamed itself into existence.

In 1975, Colm had just graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. He heard that there were jobs going in a language school in Barcelona, so travelled there, despite his lack of Spanish and knowing little other than it was a port city.

"I was really shocked when I saw the Gothic quarter first. I just thought the streets were extraordinarily beautiful. In those days there was no photography of them, there was no one around at night. I was just amazed by the city".

That sense of amazement has never left him.

He moved away after three years in the city, returning ten years later to write Homage to Barcelona. He now visits every year.

Colm walks us around from the old city through to the new. We hear the impact of the new Pakistani community which has taken over decrepit parts of the old town and turned them into new thriving areas of commerce. Ever the consummate storyteller, Colm weaves in stories of his own time in the city with a description of how the city views itself - built on the remains of a roman city, a city of two languages, a capital without a parliament.

"If you don't have a parliament, then other forms of utterance beside political speeches become dominant. One of those is music and music was immensely important here. For nations attempting to become a state their 'dream life' is often more important than their waking life".

Colm has draws the listener into understanding a city which has taken brave decisions with its architecture, history and narrative.

Produced by Rachel Hooper
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 11:00 Week in Westminster (b082syx0)
Peter Oborne of the Daily Mail asks what lies behind the vote for Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. He talks to Michael Gove about life after ministerial office. What next for Nigel Farage? And how should we celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration which redrew the map of the Middle East?

The Editor is Peter Mulligan.

SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b08296x2)
Neither Love Nor Money

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories: Dan Isaacs is on Aleppo's frontline with the last shopkeeper of the Old City; Soutik Biswas is thwarted in his search for cash in India; Tulip Mazumdar has an uncomfortable encounter with a "cutter" and undergoes a demonstration of what really happens during FGM. A year ago four Italian banks collapsed on the same day; Ruth Sunderland hears how thousands lost their life savings and even those who didn't find little hope in the future. South Korea is a technological giant, seemingly hurtling into the future, but Steve Evans observes how old-fashioned sexism persists across society.

SAT 12:00 News Summary (b08296x6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 12:04 Money Box (b082syx2)
False promises: the energy savings that disappear

The latest news from the world of personal finance.

SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b082klfg)
Series 49, Episode 3

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by Andy Zaltzman, Pippa Evans, Tez Ilyas, Gemma Arrowsmith and Matt Burgess to present the news via topical stand up and sketches.

Written by the cast with additional material from Max Davis, Carrie Quinlan, Robin Morgan and Michael Odewale.

Producer Alexandra Smith

BBC Studios Production.

SAT 12:57 Weather (b08296xb)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 13:00 News (b08296xd)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b082kmwc)
Lord Blunkett, Nigel Farage MEP, Eimear McBride, Sir Patrick McLoughlin MP

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from Westwood College in Leek, Staffordshire, with a panel including the former cabinet minister Lord Blunkett, UKIP interim leader Nigel Farage MEP, the author Eimear McBride and the Chairman of the Conservative Party Sir Patrick McLoughlin MP.

SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b08296xj)
Listeners have their say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?

SAT 14:30 Drama (b082sz7r)
Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Neil Brand's fast-moving version of Robert Louis Stevenson's disturbing tale of a scientist who experiments on himself to release the uncontrollable dark side of his personality. Lawyer's daughter Lorna Utterson, passionate about justice, is determined to bring Hyde to book.

With an introduction from David Tennant

Music by Neil Brand

Director: David Hunter.

SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b08296xp)
Rochelle Clark, England's most capped rugby player; Magda Szubanski, star of Kath & Kim; the Gilmore Girls back after 16 years.

Rochelle 'Rocky' Clark Britain's most capped Rugby player. Actor Magda Szubanski, the star of comedy Kath & Kim. Parents Estelle Clarke and Liz Dutton and the Education Correspondent Sean Coughlan look at the cost of higher education and the struggle to pay for it. In light of our recent 70th anniversary poll which said 32% of you would consider having cosmetic surgery - we look at why women consider invasive procedures to enhance their looks.
Netflix is releasing four new episodes of the hit US TV series Gilmore Girls, 16 years after it was first created. We hear from Lauren Graham who plays Lorelai and Alexis Bledel who plays Rory. Plus we discuss why so many of us fill our conversation with phrases like 'so',' like', and 'you know what I mean'. And winner of The Women's Engineering Society Karen Burt Award, Clare Lavelle, a chartered engineer who's worked on big projects in the energy sector - including the development of the world's first commercial wave farms.

Presented by Jane Garvey.
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor: Beverley Purcell.

SAT 17:00 PM (b08296xt)
Saturday PM

Full coverage of the day's news.

SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b082j3zr)
If the word auction conjures up pictures of a man with a gavel in a packed room shouting 'going, going, gone' - think again. These days governments and businesses rely on complicated online auctions to buy and sell. Auctions are also the preferred mechanism for the allocation of radio spectrum licences to mobile phone companies and the selling of mineral rights. Auctions come in a huge variety of forms, and the precise design can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes. Do you know a sealed bid from a "combinatorial clock" auction? Evan Davis and guests discuss the business of auctions.

Guests include:
Dan Maldoom, DotEcon
Samantha Collett property developer
Stephen Lerner, 3 UK

Producer: Lesley McAlpine.

SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b08296xy)
The latest shipping forecast.

SAT 17:57 Weather (b08296y2)
The latest weather forecast.

SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b08296y4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b08296y8)
William Bell, Elaine C Smith, Amy Lennox, Allegra McEvedy, Lewis & Leigh, Clive Anderson, Arthur Smith

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by William Bell, Elaine C Smith, Amy Lennox and Allegra McEvedy for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from William Bell and Lewis & Leigh.

Producer: Sukey Firth.

SAT 19:00 Profile (b082szm5)
Stephen Bannon

A profile of Stephen Bannon, chief strategist and senior counsellor for president-elect Donald Trump.

SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b08296yb)
RSC's Tempest, Indignation, Divines, Zadie Smith, Design Museum

The RSC's production latest Tempest features Simon Russell Beale as Prospero and has a holographic Ariel. Does cutting edge technology sit comfortably inside Shakespeare's play which is so full of magic?
Philip Roth's novel Indignation, set in 1950's America is now a film. Dealing with social mores, the desire to rebel and how it affects the rebel
Zadie Smith's latest novel Swing Time is a story of the long and complicated friendship between two girls whose lives diverge.
Divines is a Cannes Award winning French film set in the banlieue where crime seems the only way out of the social structure
The Design Museum has reopened at a new site in Kensington in London - formerly The Commonwealth Institute, it has cost £38m to adapt - does it impress?

Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Tom Holland, Sarah Crompton and Louise Jury. The producer is Oliver Jones.

SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b082szm7)
Being Bored: The Importance of Doing Nothing

Is boredom under threat? There are more TV channels than we can count, Smartphones keep us engaged around the clock, and the constant white noise of social media coerces us to always 'interact'. In fact, there is so much to stimulate our everyday lives in this digital age that we need never be bored ever again. So do we still need to be bored? And what would we miss if we did eliminate boredom completely from our lives?

The happily bored Phill Jupitus takes a creative look at our attitude to this misunderstood emotion. He will examine what boredom is, and how it has influenced our leisure time, our workplaces, our creativity and our evolution. Phill will examine its impact on comedy, art, music, and television, taking us from punk to prison, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Sherlock Holmes, from Danish sex clubs to London's 'Boring Conference'.

This will be a lively look at the simple, very real and essential emotion of boredom, and a stout defence of the right to sometimes just sit down and do nothing.

Interviews include - the Reverend Richard Coles, the writer Natalie Haynes, the artist George Shaw, the comedy writer & producer Robert Popper, the psychologist Peter Toohey, the punk musician Gaye Black (formerly of The Adverts), the psychologist Sandi Mann, the BBC newsreader Simon McCoy, Dr Teresa Belton and the social media entrepreneur Jodie Cook.

SAT 21:00 Drama (b0829dcv)
Watership Down, Episode 2

Part 2

Richard Adams' award-winning novel from 1972. The rabbits have found a new home on Watership Down but to ensure the warren's future they must now confront the terrifying General Woundwort.

Produced by Gemma Jenkins
Directed by Marc Beeby.

SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b082t0gd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.

SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b082j0gg)
Social Integration

Do we have a moral duty to make friends with people of different races, social backgrounds and sexuality? The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, is warning that a lack of social integration in the UK is costing our economy about £6bn and he says the answer lies in our own hands. Talking at an international conference on the issue he said "Promoting social integration is a matter for everyone, for every citizen of our cities. It means ensuring that people of different faiths, ethnicities, sexualities, social backgrounds and generations don't just tolerate one another or live side by side but meet, mix and forge relationships as friends and neighbours as well as citizens." London is said to be one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, with over 300 languages spoken in it and more than 50 non-indigenous communities with a population of more than 10,000. Yet even there it's clear that some groups choose to settle in areas where there are already a high proportion of people from the same background. Go outside London and that effect is even more pronounced. At a time when social polarisation is an issue in many communities, is it time to see social integration not only as a policy priority but also a personal moral imperative? Should it be as unacceptable to admit to having a mono-cultural social network as to admit being prejudiced? Or is this the kind of PC interference in our lives which fires public resentment and actually encourages division by fostering identity politics?
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Michael Portillo, Mona Siddiqui, Anne McElvoy and Matthew Taylor. Witnesses are Ludi Simpson, Jon Yates, Jemma Levene and James Delingpole.

SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (b082fjk3)
Programme 3, 2016

(3/12)
Tom Sutcliffe welcomes the only two teams who haven't yet appeared in the current series, as Stephen Maddock and Rosalind Miles of the Midlands take on Polly Devlin and Brian Feeney of Northern Ireland.

They'll need all their ingenuity to connect Parisian sculptures with heavy metal music, Bond villains with American vice-presidents, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with Handel.

Tom Sutcliffe will be on hand to award and deduct points according to how much help they've needed in working out the answers. He'll also be supplying the answer to the teaser question he set for the audience last week.

A slightly longer version of today's programme is available as a podcast.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.

SAT 23:30 Voices of the Earth (b082l8m3)
Andrew Motion uses interviews with scientists and environmentalists to form the basis of a new series of poems that address the subject of climate change.

He writes, "what is happening to our planet and its creatures it a question that should keep us all awake at night. I've responded to it here by writing a series of collaborate poems by talking to people who deal with this question everyday."

Andrew spoke to scientists and environmentalists on the front line of climate change, including Ellie Owen, Conservation Scientist at the RSPB; Fisherman Sandy Patience; David Barbour and Mark Wynn from the Highlands Branch of Butterfly Conservation; Marine Ecologist Professor Lloyd Peck and Palaeoclimatologist Dr. Liz Thomas, at the British Antarctic Survey.

He then wrote a series of collaborative poems based on these conversations. He says, "What emerged in the end was a swirl of voices. A story that has no single clear narrative line, but offers instead a succession of utterances linked by similar preoccupations."

Here the interviews and poems are set side by side, which in turn provides an illustration of how one becomes the other and creates a unique audio poem addressing one of the most disquieting subjects of our time.

Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.


SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2016

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b082vymz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

SUN 00:30 Annika Stranded (b049xyj0)
Series 2, All Human Life

Annika Strandhed is a leading light in the murder squad of the Oslo police. Her neuroses - and she has a few - are mostly hidden by a boisterous manner and a love of speedboats. As fictional Scandinavian detectives go, she's not as astute as Sarah Lund or Saga Norén, perhaps, but probably better company.

In this second series of stories by Nick Walker - commissioned specially for Radio 4 - Annika is learning to juggle the demands of policing the Oslofjord with a new challenge. Namely, single motherhood.

Episode 3 (of 3): All Human Life
Frogner Park had always been a place of happy associations for Annika - until three men were found dead at the base of its famous monolith.

Nick Walker is the author of two critically-acclaimed novels, Blackbox and Helloland. His plays and short stories are often featured on BBC Radio 4, including Arnold In A Purple Haze (2009), the First King of Mars stories (2007 - 2010), the Afternoon Drama Life Coach (2010) and the stories Dig Yourself (2011) and The Indivisible (2012). The first series of Annika Stranded was broadcast in 2013.

Reader: Nicola Walker

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

SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vyn1)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vyn7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.

SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vynf)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b082vynh)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b082wtgd)
All Saints Church, Worcester

This week's Bells on Sunday, comes from All Saints Church in Worcester. The church has a ring of 12 bells, the earliest 4 were cast at the Rudhall Foundry in Gloucester in 1692. The tenor weighs 20 hundredweight and was recast by Thomas Mears and Son in 1815. We hear them ringing Call Changes.

SUN 05:45 Profile (b082szm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b082vynk)
The latest national and international news.

SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b082vynm)
Set Them Free

Writer and priest Malcolm Doney examines the importance of affording our loved ones the freedom they need to blossom.

For Malcolm, the hardest part of being a parent is to let his children go in order for them to fledge. From encouraging them to walk, to taking the stabilisers off their bike, it means allowing them to make mistakes, get hurt and ultimately learn from the process. Malcolm also looks at how having faith is really a matter of letting go. In conclusion, Malcolm argues that it is by letting go that we set ourselves free.

The programme features poems from Clare Pollard and A S J Tessimond which evoke the spirit of freedom, contrasted with readings from Carl Sagan who documents the human hunger for absolute certainty and Nina Simone who argues that true freedom is the absence of fear.

Presenter: Malcolm Doney
Producer: Jonathan O'Sullivan
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b082wtgg)
Shores of Loch Katrine

How do you farm the land around Glasgow's water supply? Nancy Nicolson joins the Forestry Commission staff who manage the Highland Cattle on the shores of Loch Katrine.

SUN 06:57 Weather (b082vynp)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b082vynr)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SUN 07:10 Sunday (b082vynt)
Secrets from the early Christian graves, Travellers join new church, Salafi Muslim Women

Religious and ethical news.

SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b082wtgj)
Children in Need

Presenter Matt Baker appeals on behalf of the charity Children in Need.
Donations: BBC Children in Need Appeal, PO Box 1000, London W12 7WJ, or you can give online at bbc.co.uk/pudsey, or call 0345 733 2233 (Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than UK geographic rates (as for 01 and 02 numbers) and will be included as part of any inclusive minutes. This applies to calls from any network including mobiles.

SUN 07:57 Weather (b082vynw)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b082vyny)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.

SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b082vyp0)
Live from the Chapel of Leeds Trinity University

Live from the Chapel of Leeds Trinity University

Mass of Christ the King, sung by the Leeds Trinity Cathedral Boys' and Girls' Choirs
Director of Music: Lucy Haigh
Organist: David Pipe
Celebrant: Bishop Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds
Preacher: Father Sean Crawley

Producer: Stephen Shipley.

SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b082kmws)
The Week Gone By

Adam Gopnik asks what hope is there of a liberal, open society in America during the next 4 years.

He argues that Americans must hold to the faith that liberal politics really do rise from the ground up.

SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkc26)
Redwing

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Redwing. The soft thin 'seep' calls of redwings as they fly over at night are as much a part of autumn as falling leaves, damp pavements and the smoke of bonfires. In winter up to a million redwings pour into our islands, most of them from Scandinavia and Iceland.

SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b082vyp2)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.

SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b082vyp4)
Lynda rolls up her sleeves, and Shula surprises Elizabeth.

SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b082wtgl)
Nicola Adams

Kirsty Young's castaway is Nicola Adams. She made history when she won the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's boxing at London 2012, retaining it in Rio 2016. She is the first woman fighter to hold European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic titles.

Having watched classic Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard fights on TV as she was growing up, she entered the ring for the first time at a working men's club when she was only 13. When she was 14, her mother contracted meningitis and for several months Nicola looked after herself and her younger brother. She turned to acting in order to help fund her boxing training, appearing as an extra in Coronation Street and Emmerdale. She first represented her country when she was 18. In 2009 it was announced that women's boxing would feature for the first time at the London Olympics, although before her selection for Team GB she fell down stairs and had to recover from a fracture in one of her vertebra.

In 2012 she topped The Independent newspaper's Pink List of the most powerful LGBT people in public life, was made an MBE for services to boxing in 2013 and received a 'Paving The Way' award at the 2016 Mobo awards.

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

SUN 12:00 News Summary (b082vyp6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b082fjk9)
Series 66, Episode 1

The 66th series of Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games' promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family. The series starts its run at the Charter Hall in Colchester where regulars Barry Cryer, Tony Hawks and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Pippa Evans, with Jack Dee as the programme's reluctant chairman. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano. Producer - Jon Naismith. It is a BBC Studios production.

SUN 12:32 Food Programme (b082wwlb)
Our Wild Spice Rack

Sheila Dillon heads to Galloway, Scotland, to meet forager and wild food teacher Mark Williams - who claims to be able to match anything in our spice racks with flavours found in the wild, in the UK. Can he assemble a 'native spice rack'? What might a 'wild Scottish curry' taste like?

Presenter: Sheila Dillon
Producer: Rich Ward.

SUN 12:57 Weather (b082vyp8)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b082vypb)
Global news and analysis.

SUN 13:30 Swapping Psalms for Pop Songs (b07m7z0r)
Mark Vernon explores the phenomenon of the Sunday Assembly.

Founded in London in 2013 by comedians Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones, the Sunday Assembly has grown rapidly in three years to have over 70 'parishes' around the world.

A secular congregation with a motto of 'live better, help often, wonder more', it piqued the interest of many after it was described by Sanderson Jones as The Atheist Church. By borrowing aspects of organised religion but dropping God, they secularise the church service providing gentle reflections, inspiring stories and rousing pop songs in place of prayers, sermons and hymns.

Mark talks to founders Sanderson and Pippa and tries to get to the heart of the Sunday Assembly, considering how well the term Atheist Church explains the nature of the organisation, and what it offers that other secular gatherings might not.

He speaks to Professors Linda Woodhead, Grace Davy and Isaac Gagne about the Assembly's global spread from the UK to America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and asks if the Sunday Assembly can gain any lasting traction beyond the Christian-shaped west.

We hear from the President of the National Secular Society Terry Sanderson, vicar Dave Tomlinson and Free Church of Scotland minister David Robertson about some criticisms directed at the Sunday Assembly from those with and without faith.

Mark - a psychotherapist and philosopher - investigates this seemingly paradoxical movement and considers the role it has played in the lives of attendees and the outlook for its future.

Producer: Sarah Harrison
A Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b082kjv7)
Pangbourne College

Peter Gibbs and the panel visit Pangbourne College in Berkshire. Joining Peter to answer the horticultural questions are James Wong, Anne Swithinbank and Matthew Wilson

Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b082wwlf)
Sunday Omnibus - Children in Need

Fi Glover introduces conversations between children who benefit from a community farm and mothers who find support from a charity for disabled children (both receive funding from Children in Need) plus friends who live in the shadow of cancer. All in the Omnibus edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

SUN 15:00 Drama (b082wxvk)
Robert Louis Stevenson: Kidnapped, Episode 1

1 / 2. David Tennant introduces RLS's gripping adventure story, dramatised by Chris Dolan.
In 1751 - in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellions - young David Balfour, a staunch supporter of George II,
is newly orphaned and goes in search of his father's family near Edinburgh. When he is press-ganged on board
a ship bound for the slave plantations of America, he forges an unlikely alliance with the charismatic Highlander, Alan Breck.

Other parts played by the cast.
Producer/Director Bruce Young
BBC Scotland.

SUN 16:00 Open Book (b082wwlk)
David Grossman and Steve McCurry

Mariella Frostrup talks to Israeli novelist David Grossman about his new book, A Horse Walks Into A Bar, which is all set during one evening in a stand- up comedy club.

And acclaimed photographer Steve McCurry talks about a new collection of images of people reading.

SUN 16:30 A Vision on Peckham Rye (b082wwlm)
"Sauntering along the boy looks up and sees a tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough, like stars"

When Levi Roots was 15, a teacher read out William Blake's The Tyger to the class. For Levi, it was a life-changing moment. The singer and entrepreneur had only just learned to read and describes the poem as exploding into his brain the way no words ever had before.

Levi returns to South East London to find out more about his favourite poet and uncover the story of Blake's supposed first vision of angels bespangling the branches of a tree on Peckham Rye at the age of "8 or 10".

Writers, poets and artists continue to draw inspiration from this idea and we hear from some of them about why Blake, and especially this story, continues to have such powerful resonance.

David Almond, explains how Blake crept into his novel Skellig and why he thinks that childhood imagination is different from that of adults. Chris McCabe has been researching the poetic vibrations of the area across the centuries for a book about the lost poets of Nunhead Cemetery, Cenotaph South, and accompanies Levi on a quest to find Blake's tree. The filmmaker Sarah Turner recreated the angel incident for her film Public House, about the successful community takeover of a local pub. Levi, his guests, and students from Harris Girls Academy, a school that sits on the Rye take some time to look into the trees and see if they can find any traces of Blake's angels. What could those angels be and why does Blake, despite his difficulty, seem to ignite the passions of young people?

The programme includes readings by Peter Marinker, Chris McCabe, Levi Roots, Georgia Peskett, Barnaby Steed, David Almond and the students of Harris Girls Academy East Dulwich.

The choral piece, Criers of Peckham Rye, was for the film Public House by Duncan Macleod and performed by Dulwich Folk Choir and Duncan Macleod. The programme features other extracts from the film Public House made and sound designed by Sarah Turner.

Producer: Natalie Steed
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 17:00 After Cathy (b082hg9s)
Fifty years ago, the groundbreaking film "Cathy Come Home" shocked Britain by revealing the desperate state of housing and its human implications. Half a century later, Sarah Montague hears the harrowing personal stories that lie behind today's headlines.

This documentary follows three homeless people over the course of this year: Stewart Parkinson - a once successful businessman, now in a homeless hostel in High Wycombe; Bernard Davey - a folk singer in Leeds, struggling with alcoholism, and Zahra (not her real name) - a homeless teacher with two children in London.

"Cathy Come Home" broke many boundaries in its gritty, realistic documentary style, shot on hand-held 16mm cameras. "After Cathy" captures a similar sense of authenticity today...in place of the 16mm film, audio recorded on the mobile phones of the people in our documentary.

The detail of the day-to-day lives of these three people, as told in some powerful audio diaries, is - at times - starkly grim. It's a story of fear, violence, individuals worn down by an inhuman system - but there's some remarkable human spirit.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

SUN 17:40 Profile (b082szm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b082vypd)
The latest shipping forecast.

SUN 17:57 Weather (b082vypg)
The latest weather forecast.

SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vypj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b082vypl)
Liz Barclay

The Pick of the Week running order reads like a DIY manual this week..... How to..... save your mum's life though you're only 4; cope with three children after the death of your husband, overcome your biggest fears, and annex a disputed piece of land and set up your own country......

All wrapped up with wonderful music from Soweto, country music down under, and strangled cat sounds from Sorry I haven't a Clue - plus poetry, drama, and the glamour of cinema.....

Liz Barclay shows you how to do it all, this Sunday at quarter past six.

SUN 19:00 The Archers (b082wwlp)
Helen and Pat have interesting reading, and battlelines are drawn at Home Farm.

SUN 19:15 John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music (b082wwlw)
Series 2, Episode 1

John Shuttleworth invites celebrated pop stars to his Sheffield home to perform one of their own songs and also, more importantly, one of his.

In the first show of this series, John welcomes Chris Difford from Squeeze - but not before he has ejected Ken from the front door with his unwanted request to show John and Chris his new windows.

Chris is soon invited to "show us what you can do" and plays his classic song Up the Junction. John is duly impressed - but the admiration starts to fade when John finds out that Chris once took 50p from his mum's purse to place an advert in a shop window. Can John condone theft and forgive Chris, or will Chris have to redeem himself with his rendition of John's song Fish and Chips?

Also, Tom Robinson gives advice on how to become a radio DJ following pop success in Top Tips on the Telephone.

Written and Performed by Graham Fellows with special guests Chris Difford and Tom Robinson
A Chic Ken production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 19:45 Annika Stranded (b082wwlz)
Series 3, False Signals

Four new cases land on the desk of Detective Annika Strandhed, queen of the Oslo Police boat patrol.

Annika's neuroses - and she has a few - are mostly hidden by a boisterous manner and a love of speedboats. As fictional Scandinavian detectives go, she's not as astute as Saga Norén or Sarah Lund, but may be better company.

Although Mikel, her long-suffering forensic photographer, might disagree.

Episode 1: False Signals
The Asker Accident - a plane disaster in 1972 - seems to have a bearing on a murder inquiry when a body is found near the crash site.

Nick Walker is the author of two critically-acclaimed novels, Blackbox and Helloland. His plays and short stories have often featured on BBC Radio 4, including the First King of Mars stories (2007 - 2010) and the plays Life Coach (2010) and Stormchasers (2012). The first two series of Annika Stranded were broadcast in 2013 and 2014.

Writer: Nick Walker
Reader: Nicola Walker
Sound Design: Jon Calver
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 20:00 More or Less (b082klf9)
Is dementia the number one killer?

The official statistics for England and Wales appear to show a rise in the number of people dying from dementia. But what does that mean? Do more people have dementia? We explore what’s going on behind the numbers.

Oliver Hart interview
The Nobel memorial prize in economics was recently awarded to Oliver Hart. He talks to Tim Harford about his work on incomplete contracts. He explains how people drawing up a contract to work together can never foresee every eventuality – and what can be done about it.

The chocolate muffin puzzle
Last week we set a puzzle for listeners. Two members of the team ate a chocolate muffin… but which of them has crumbs on their face? Mathematician Alex Bellos gives us the solution.

Immigration and Brexit
Some people have argued that the EU Referendum was really a vote on immigration. But was it? We look at polling data to see if we can gauge what the public thinks about immigration. We find it to be a complicated answer.

Image: A woman suffering from Alzheimer's (Photo Credit: Sebastien Bozon/Getty)

SUN 20:30 Last Word (b082klf7)
Robert Vaughn, Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Carolyn Hardy OBE, Ewen Whitaker, Claude 'Curly' Putman

Matthew Bannister on

Robert Vaughn - the actor who made his name as Napoleon Solo in "The Man From Uncle" TV series and also appeared in films like "The Magnificent Seven", "Bullitt" and "The Towering Inferno".

Ewen Whitaker, the self taught astronomer who became an expert on the geography of the moon and helped direct Apollo 12 to its landing site.

Carolyn Hardy, who turned the National Gardens Scheme into a stand alone charity and was vice chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Sir Sigmund Sternberg, the businessman who founded the Three Faiths Forum to encourage dialogue between Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Claude "Curly" Putman - the country singer who wrote "D.I.V.O.R.C.E" and "The Green Green Grass of Home".

Producer: Neil George.

SUN 21:00 Money Box (b082syx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]

SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b082wtgj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]

SUN 21:30 Analysis (b082fjkh)
Brexit: What Europe Wants

How political forces in other countries will shape any future UK-EU deal.

As a younger man, Anand Menon spent a care-free summer Inter-railing around Europe. Some decades later, and now a professor of European politics, he's taking to the rails again - this time with a more specific purpose. While British ministers squabble over what they want for a post-Brexit UK, less attention is paid to the other 27 countries in the negotiations. Each can veto any long-term deal between Britain and the European Union. And each, critically, has its own politics to worry about. Professor Menon visits four European countries where politicians will face their electorates next year. What forces will decide their political survival? And how will those forces shape the EU's future relationship with the UK?

Producer: Simon Maybin.

SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b082vypn)
Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.

SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b082j2z1)
James Schamus

Producer, writer, professor and former studio boss James Schamus tells Francine Stock why he took the plunge and directed his first film, Inidgnation, after three decades in the business.

In an exclusive interview, award-winning writer/director Carol Morley reveals what her next project will be, even before a word is written or a scene is filmed.

SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b082vynm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]


MONDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2016

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b082vyrl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b082hzzf)
Population change - Chronic illness

Population change - how will it transform the world? Laurie Taylor talks to Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford, about one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. She's joined by Robert Mayhew, Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Bristol.
Also, a cross cultural study of chronic illness management. Ivaylo Vassilev, Senior Research Fellow in Health Sciences at the University of Southampton, discusses the different experiences and perceptions of people suffering with diabetes in the UK and Bulgaria.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.

MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b082wtgd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]

MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vyrn)
The latest shipping forecast.

MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vyrr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vyrt)
The latest shipping forecast.

MON 05:30 News Briefing (b082vyrw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b083scr1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev'd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport.

MON 05:45 Farming Today (b082vyry)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

MON 05:56 Weather (b082vys0)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.

MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03tj99h)
Wigeon

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

John Aitchison presents the wigeon. Wigeon are dabbling ducks and related to mallards and teal but unlike these birds Wigeon spend much of their time out of the water grazing waterside pastures with their short blue-grey bills. The drakes are handsome-looking birds with chestnut heads and a cream forehead which contrasts well with their pale grey bodies.

John Aitchison recorded a flock of wigeon, for Tweet listeners, on a pool in Norfolk where they had found a safe place to roost on an island.

MON 06:00 Today (b082vys2)
News and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

MON 09:00 Start the Week (b082x79f)
Rewriting the Past: from Empire to ivory

On Start the Week Andrew Marr looks back to the end of Empire when government officials systematically destroyed the records of imperial rule, and he explores the impact of outside organisations on a nation's ability to govern. The journalist Ian Cobain has uncovered details of the mass bonfires of sensitive official papers across Africa, which subverted the legal obligation to preserve important historical records. Edna Adan Ismail first came to Britain in the 1950s to train as a nurse before championing women's rights and health at the WHO and in her native Somaliland. She explains how the self-declared independent state of Somaliland, once a British protectorate, has been fighting for international recognition for the last 15 years. Baroness Amos has worked in international affairs both for the government and the UN. Now as the head of SOAS University she says it's vital to think about the world differently, from the perspective of the countries themselves. Keith Somerville has investigated the illegal ivory trade in Africa and argues that regulation - not prohibition - is the best way to stop uncontrolled poaching and smuggling.
Producer: Katy Hickman.

MON 09:45 Letters from America (b0834d0j)
Zoe Heller

As the dust settles after America's most controversial election campaign, BBC Radio 4 asks five acclaimed writers to give their point of view on where American goes now.

What lasting impact will Donald Trump have on American politics? Is race an even more toxic issue after 8 years of a Black President? And have we reached a point where the United States is too divided to govern?

Each weekday at 9.45 am one writer will give their perspective. In the first programme on Monday 21st of November, the novelist Zoe Heller will give her perspective as a Brit living in New York.

MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b082vys4)
Diana Athill, Male survivors of sexual abuse, Alice Sara Ott

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b082x79m)
Wild Things, Davina's Episode

The transformative Brighton Ladies Sea Swimming Club alters lives. Five very different women's paths cross at this tough wild swimming club.
Episode 1 - Davina's Episode. Why does 70 year old Davina force herself to swim in the freezing sea, despite her rheumatoid arthritis, and will she be able to keep the stagnating club that she founded afloat.

By Charlotte Jones

Directed by Liz Webb.

MON 11:00 The Untold (b082x79q)
Songs of the Bothy Balladeer

17-year old Rachel Carstairs speaks and sings in Doric. It's a dialect not commonly used outside Rachel's native north-east Scotland, but she has grown up unusually steeped in local folk traditions.

She started singing the area's unique traditional farm-worker's songs, known as 'Bothy Ballads', aged just 4, when she entered a music festival competition.

This is why her music teachers now see her as an exciting 'tradition bearer'; with the potential to be a leading voice in the Scottish folk scene's next generation.

But before that can happen, she has just 15-minutes to impress an audition panel at the world renowned Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Will she take her place at Scottish traditional music's top table?

Producer: Dave Howard.

MON 11:30 The Rivals (b082x79t)
Series 4, The Mystery of the Scarlet Thread

By Jacques Futrelle.

Dramatised By Chris Harrald.

Inspector Lestrade was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he gets his own back, with tales of Holmes' rivals. Lestrade enlists the help of 'the Thinking Machine' Professor SFX Van Dusen with what he suspects may be a series of attempted murders. City dealer Nicholas Henley, has nearly been gassed three times in apparent accidents in the luxury flats of Malplaquet House. All the residents have secrets, but which one of them is out to get Henley?

Producer: Liz Webb.

MON 12:00 News Summary (b082vys6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 12:04 Witness (b083lt5n)
The Stockholm Syndrome

In August 1973 Kristin Enmark and three of her colleagues were taken hostage during a bank siege in Stockholm, Sweden. Kristin came to trust one of the kidnappers more than the police, a condition which was later named the 'Stockholm Syndrome'. Dina Newman spoke to Kristin about her story.

MON 12:15 You and Yours (b082vys8)
Consumer affairs programme.

MON 12:57 Weather (b082vysb)
The latest weather forecast.

MON 13:00 World at One (b082vysf)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

MON 13:45 The Power of Negative Thinking (b082xc01)
The Backfire Effect

To achieve any major life goal, conventional wisdom tells us we must think positively. Picture yourself delivering the perfect presentation and it shall be so; envisage the ideal job interview and it will go well; imagine yourself sprinting first across the finish line and you will romp home as champion. While these strategies sound compelling, they have been shown to backfire. In the first of 5 programmes on The Power of Negative Thinking, psychology writer and proud curmudgeon Oliver Burkeman explores the positivity 'backfire effect', and finds that people are often more successful - as are organisations, armies and governments - when they focus on reasons they are likely to fail.

MON 14:00 The Archers (b082wwlp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]

MON 14:15 Drama (b082xc03)
Stone, Disclosure

First episode of the sixth series of Stone created by Danny Brocklehurst.
In Disclosure written by Richard Monks DCI John Stone and his team are called to a school following a suspected arson attack that has lead to the death of the caretaker of the school. As their investigation deepens they uncover threats, blackmail and dark secrets.

Directed by Nadia Molinari.

MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (b082xc05)
Programme 4, 2016

(4/12)
'Why might 'Night-hawks' and 'Automat' appear to move in the same way as works by John Godber and Tom Stoppard?'

Tom Sutcliffe is in the chair for another bout of convoluted verbal problem-solving. This week the South of England pairing of Paul Sinha and Marcus Berkmann take on the Scots, Val McDermid and Alan McCredie - both teams playing their second fixture of the season. As they work their way through the questions they'll be looking for guidance from the chairman to steer them away from blind alleys and false trails - but the more help he has to give them, the more points he'll deduct from their scores.

The programme includes the usual scattering of suggestions from Round Britain Quiz listeners, and Tom will be setting another teaser puzzle at the end of the programme to keep you guessing until next time.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.

MON 15:30 Food Programme (b082wwlb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]

MON 16:00 Short Cuts (b082xc07)
Series 10, Vox

Finding your voice, life or death conversations and seeking anonymity - Josie Long explores the power of the human voice. From losing yourself in a crowd of others to the medium who finds herself conversing with a murderer.

Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b082xc09)
A newborn prefers the face of its mother to that of other people within a day of being born; the experience of being in love involves gazing at the face of the beloved. Face to face encounters are at the heart of human intimacy for most people so its understandable that many religions choose to speak of the individuals relationship with God as a facial encounter. What are the advantages and dangers in giving God a face?

Ernie Rea's guests are Dr Chetna Kang, consultation psychiatrist and Hindu priest in the Bhakti Yoga tradition, Aaron Rosen. Professor of Religious Thought & Director of Cultural Projects, Rocky Mountain College, Montana U.S.A and Ben Quash, Professor of Christianity and the Arts, Kings College, London.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

MON 17:00 PM (b082vysj)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vysl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b082xc0c)
Series 66, Episode 2

The 66th series of Radio 4's multi award-winning antidote to panel games promises more homespun wireless entertainment for the young at heart. This week the programme pays a return visit to the Charter Hall in Colchester. Regulars Barry Cryer, Tony Hawks and Tim Brooke-Taylor are once again joined on the panel by Pippa Evans with Jack Dee in the chair. At the piano - Colin Sell. Producer - Jon Naismith. It is a BBC Studios production.

MON 19:00 The Archers (b082xc0f)
The Grundys pull out all the stops, and Jennifer is caught in the middle.

MON 19:15 Front Row (b082vysn)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b082x79m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

MON 20:00 The Man Who Wanted to 'Cure' Smoking (b0832kq6)
John Waite looks back at the life and work of the anti-smoking guru Allen Carr who died ten years ago of lung cancer after helping millions of people quit smoking with his books and clinics.

Carr, a former accountant, was a chain smoker who smoked a hundred cigarettes a day before giving up in the early 1980s following a visit to a hypnotherapist. Carr then devised his own method for quitting cigarettes and wrote his first book, The Easyway to Stop Smoking, which became an international best-seller. After running smoking cessation sessions in his own home, he launched a company that has now grown to run clinics in more than 45 countries around the world.

John Waite, who smoked for nearly fifty years himself, considers how Carr devised his famous method and what made it so popular with people trying to quit smoking. He visits the Easyway organisation's London clinic where he meets a group of smokers who are taking part in an all-day session and are desperate to kick the habit.

John also speaks to some of the UK's leading experts on smoking cessation as he considers Carr's strongly held belief that nicotine products, such as patches and gum, should not be used in fighting tobacco addiction. He examines Carr's controversial views that there is a conspiracy involving not just tobacco companies but also the government, the media and the medical profession to keep people addicted to nicotine because of the huge revenues it generates.

Finally, John talks to Allen Carr's widow about her husband's genuinely held desire to cure the world of smoking and, with tobacco use now at a record low at least in the UK, he asks how close we are to making that a reality.

A White Pebble Media production.

MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b082j2q8)
Cleansing Turkey

Thousands of public employees in Turkey have been 'purged' by the government for being associated with the Gulen movement and the recent coup attempt. Tim Whewell travels across the country to meet some of those struggling to regain their jobs who say the government's just used the coup as an excuse to get rid of opponents - and others who insist President Erdogan's only aim is to make Turkey safe for democracy.

Shabnam Grewal producing.

MON 21:00 Natural Histories (b082hg39)
Fly Agaric

Brett Westwood seeks out the magical mushroom fly agaric, with its red cap and white spots. Its story is entwined with Father Christmas, Alice in Wonderland and the founding of religion itself. The mushroom's hallucinogenic properties and its appearance in fairy tales make it the most evocative of all British fungi.
Brett goes into the woods with River Cottage forager John Wright and talks to Richard Miller and Patrick Harding about its surprising importance in human culture. With readings by Claire Skinner.
Producer Beth O'Dea.

MON 21:30 Start the Week (b082x79f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

MON 21:58 Weather (b082vysr)
The latest weather forecast.

MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b082vyst)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0832fyv)
The Power, Episode 6

A historical novel - written 5000 years in the future.

We meet Roxy, a tough London girl from an underworld family; Tunde, a young Nigerian man who is studying to be a photo-journalist; Allie, a mixed-race girl from Jacksonville whose foster parents use their religion to hide some very dark practices; Margot, an ambitious New England politician and her troubled daughter, Jocelyn.

Their world is much like ours until The Day Of The Girls.

Teenage girls now find they have an electrical power coursing through them - they can harm at will, cause excruciating pain and even death.

"As it is written: 'She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.'"

This is the power. And it changes everything.

Episode 6:
Allie - now known as Mother Eve - is the leader of an ever-growing religious movement. She and Roxy make plans for the future.

The author, Naomi Alderman, won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. In 2012 and 2013 she was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Also in 2013, she was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Writers. The Power is her fourth novel. Naomi lives in London.

Written by Naomi Alderman
Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 23:00 Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine (b05077kd)
Series 1, David Bowie and Iggy Pop

The BBC's archive is justifiably and inarguably world-famous, but most of this attention and praise is showered on the riches contained within the Beeb's music archive - the life-changing Peel performances, seminal sessions from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.

But these musical marvels risk over-shadowing another archive that's just as diverse, rich and rewarding - the BBC's spoken word, music archive.

As long as there have been pop stars, the BBC has spoken to them. Marc Riley and his trusty Time Machine - a rickety rust-bucket, back-firing jalopy - travel back through the years to visit the great and the good, the famous and the infamous, safely ensconced within the treasure trove of the BBC archive. Marc replays candid snapshots at crucial points in the careers of some of the biggest names in music.

In each episode, Marc lines up the Time Machine to travel to two different points in time and revisit two interviews with something in common - a person or place, a shared influence or ideology, a discovery, a misunderstanding.

In this first episode, the interviews share a geographic connection - Berlin. David Bowie, in conversation with Radio 1's Stuart Grundy from 1977, explains why the city was so good for his creativity. The second interview comes from 1990 when Iggy Pop spoke to Nicky Campbell about how he hooked up with Bowie and offered another perspective on their time together in Germany.

Produced by Ian Callaghan
A Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0832l58)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster.


TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2016

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b082vyvv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

TUE 00:30 Letters from America (b0834d0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]

TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vyvx)
The latest shipping forecast.

TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vyvz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vyw1)
The latest shipping forecast.

TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b082vyw3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b084jmd0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev'd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport.

TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b082vyw5)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Sybil Ruscoe and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mzv59)
Lesser White-Fronted Goose

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the story of the Lesser White-Fronted Goose. The lesser white-fronted goose is now a very rare bird in the UK, but the siting in Bristol of the BBC's Natural History Unit, owes much to this bird.

TUE 06:00 Today (b082ymnv)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (b082ymnx)
Roger Penrose on Black Holes

Sir Roger Penrose talks to Jim Al-Khalili about his trailblazing work on how black holes form, the problems with quantum physics and his portrayal in films about Stephen Hawking.

TUE 09:30 One to One (b082ymnz)
Miranda Rae on the challenges of being a single parent

Miranda Rae meets Gill Sargent to explore the challenges of being a single mum with a child of dual heritage - something they both have in common. Life for any single parent is far from easy, but whilst trying to raise her son, Gill has also had to endure prejudice and racism in addition to exhaustion, isolation and homelessness. Producer Sarah Blunt.

TUE 09:45 Letters from America (b083h0k4)
As the dust settles after the controversial US presidential election campaign, five acclaimed writers give their point of view on where America goes now.

TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b082vyw7)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b082ymp3)
Wild Things, Jane's Episode

The transformative Brighton Ladies Sea Swimming Club alters lives. Five very different women's paths cross at this tough wild swimming club.
Episode 2 - Jane's Episode. Why has Jane left friends and family in Australia and exchanged the warm Australian waters for the freezing rough sea round Brighton pier.

By Charlotte Jones

Directed by Liz Webb.

TUE 11:00 Natural Histories (b082ymp5)
Yew

Brett Westwood steps inside the trunk of an ancient Yew Tree in a Churchyard in Bennington with the writer and naturalist Richard Mabey. From their extraordinary vantage point the two men begin to unravel the history of our relationship with this most ancient and fascinating of trees. Over the centuries, Yews have inspired poets, writers, painters and topiarists who have shaped them into everything from peacocks to policemen's helmets. And with the help of writer and botanist Paul Evans, we discover the Yew is a tree unlike any other; a long-lived, regenerating, poisonous, evergreen, revered, medicinal rule breaker. Producer Sarah Blunt.

TUE 11:30 The Sound of Soweto (b082ymp7)
Programme 2 -
Johannesburg-based poet Thabiso Mohare looks at the music of Soweto since the transition to democracy in South Africa in 1990, when Kwaito emerged as the sound of freedom for black people around the country. From Kwaito stars, youth choirs and Afropsych bands, to platinum selling soul groups making waves around the world, he talks to musicians about the way they have interpreted and adapted their rich musical heritage, asking how important the strong tradition of dissent in South African music is to them, and looks at why influences both local and global have always come into play in Soweto.

TUE 12:00 News Summary (b082vyw9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 12:04 Witness (b083lt7z)
Marcel Duchamp in New York

In October 1942 the great French conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp helped to put on the first major surrealist exhibition in New York. Carroll Janis' parents were friends of Duchamp. He has been speaking to Louise Hidalgo about his own minor role in that exhibition, and about Duchamp and his art.

TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b082vywd)
Call You and Yours

Consumer phone-in.

TUE 12:57 Weather (b082vywg)
The latest weather forecast.

TUE 13:00 World at One (b082vywj)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

TUE 13:45 The Power of Negative Thinking (b0845ws5)
Abandon Hope

Jim Trodden has recently retired, after decades as a safety supervisor on North Sea oil rigs. In this harshest of workplace environments, merely hoping for good outcomes, or remaining positive, was inherently to invite disaster. Instead, Jim describes his dominant offshore mindset as one of 'chronic unease'. Constantly and vividly envisaging the worst possible outcome of every scenario was a key tool in helping to prevent disaster and - potentially - saving thousands of lives. It's just one example of deploying "Negative Visualisation" - a technique extolled in Sun Tzu's Art of War and by philosophers in Seneca's Stoic tradition, and grasped instinctively by generations of military leaders from Alexander the Great to Winston Churchill. In part 2 of Oliver Burkeman's series The Power of Negative Thinking, the psychology writer finds it can also be applied in modern contexts, and in all our lives.

TUE 14:00 The Archers (b082xc0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]

TUE 14:15 Drama (b082ymp9)
The Truth About Anna, Episode 1

Set in California, and inspired by a true story. A radical group of environmental activists becomes suspicious of their latest recruit, the mysterious Anna. Believing she might be an FBI infiltrator, members of the group attempt to unmask her before carrying out their most audacious act - a plan to blow up a dam.

But when Anna begins a romantic relationship with their leader Greg, tensions threaten to destroy the group from within.

This fast paced, two-part thriller tells the story from two perspectives - episode one from within the group, and episode two from outside listening in.

Written by Michael Butt
Sound: David Chilton
Producer: Emma Hearn
Director: Carl Prekopp
Executive Producer: John Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 15:00 Cinema's Secret History (b082ympf)
How Richard Burton Got His Voice

EP 2 How Richard Burton got his Voice

Film presenter Antonia Quirke reports from Pontrhydyfen a small village in the Afan Valley, in Neath Port Talbot Port Talbot in South Wales which is the birthplace of one of her favourite movie actors; Richard Burton. Here she uncovers the development of his cinematic voice.

In this programme Antonia uses Burton's voice to illustrate how cinematic voices have changed and she meets with leading dialect coach Penny Dyer to deconstruct it along with examining the new methods deployed in today's films
Richard Burton had a strong Welsh accent and a weak voice as a child. However when his adoptive father saw how talented he was at remembering Shakespeare and other poetry, he ironed out the Welsh accent and took him outside to the valleys to project loudly across them. For months and years the young Richard did this - literally yelling King Lear across the mountains - until he arrived at the incomparably strong almost-Welsh voice we know and love.

Burton's voice was idiosyncratic, often strange and powerful with unusual speech patterns. His public and private voice was one and the same.

Sian Phillips discusses her film roles alongside Burton, and in a new study, cultural historian Peter Stead tells how Burton's Welshness shaped his character and career.

We also hear from actor and voice over artist Simon Greenall and impressionist Jon Culshaw who dissect Burton's voice and reveal how they create their own vocal sounds and adapt their mimicry. .

Producer: Stephen Garner.

TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b082ynk0)
America's Energy Independence

New President elect of the USA Donald Trump is a climate change denier, and so what does his rise to power mean for the environment?

Among his early pledges he states: "The Trump Administration will make America energy independent. We will end the war on coal, and rescind the coal mining lease moratorium, the excessive Interior Department stream rule, and conduct a top-down review of all anti-coal regulations issued by the Obama Administration. "

He promises to rip up climate deals and get the USA mining and burning fossil fuels again, giving jobs back to areas that need them.

Costing The Earth will take each sector and try to predict what the next four years will hold for each energy generator. Is there any good news for the environment or will Trump's election usher in a return to dirty, polluting, fossil fuel-burning days that we were pulling away from?

Presenter: Tom Heap
Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.

TUE 16:00 A Freedom Too Far? (b082ynk2)
Melanie Phillips examines where we should place the limits on free speech.

Freedom of speech is often taken for granted in the UK - it's one of the pillars of our democracy. But, in reality, what we can say is limited in all sorts of ways - not just by the laws of the land, but increasingly, Melanie Phillips suggests, by the fear of giving offence.

She argues that we're placing limits on freedom of speech in the wrong place, outlawing certain points of view for fear of upsetting certain groups in our society, while allowing others which should be prohibited because they pose a danger to the state.

Melanie explores the idea that, since the fall of the Soviet Union, the security services have lost a huge amount of accumulated expertise in identifying and dealing with subversive behaviour and that, in our understandable concern to protect freedom of speech, we have driven out the idea that the state needs to be protected not just against violent acts but against incitement to insurrection against the established order.

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b082ynk4)
Charles Moore and Nadifa Mohamed

Journalist and Margaret Thatcher's biographer Charles Moore and writer Nadifa Mohamed discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Books on the table include Northanger Abbey, but which of the guests have never read Jane Austen? And what did they make of it? Also up for discussion is another gothic adventure, Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick de Witt, which Harriett has to defend against some incisive criticism from her guests. In an entirely different genre, The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden re-examines the real life case of a homeless Nigerian man apparently hounded to his death by police officers in Leeds in the 1960s.
Producer Sally Heaven.

TUE 17:00 PM (b082vywm)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vywp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

TUE 18:30 Clare in the Community (b0832fpz)
Series 11, Hell on Wheels

Episode 2 - Hell On Wheels

It's 'Disability Awareness Day' so Clare has taken it upon herself to raise awareness. Back at home, Nali has plans to become an internet sensation.

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.

Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer Alexandra Smith

A BBC Studios production.

TUE 19:00 The Archers (b0832fq1)
Rob acquires new ammunition, and Alan has a job on his hands.

TUE 19:15 Front Row (b082vyws)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b082ymp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

TUE 20:00 GCHQ: Minority Report (b0832fq3)
The domestic challenge facing Britain's biggest secret intelligence service. What's stopping members of the ethnic minorities from playing a key part in Britain's spy network: discrimination, loyalty or simple old-fashioned prejudice? DJ Nihal Arthanayake, Five Live and Asian Network presenter, gets rare access to GCHQ, the government's secret communication headquarters in Cheltenham Spa. He talks to staff from the black, Asian and ethnic minorities and hears from members of those communities outside about their attitude to the intelligence-gathering organisation. A report leaked to the Sunday Times six years ago suggested that black and Asian intelligence officers were concerned about there being a racist culture. If GCHQ's workforce was truly representative of Britain's ethnic makeup, then 12 per cent would be black, Asian or from other ethnic minorities, but it's not even a quarter of that. Can the organisation change?
Produced by Mark Savage.

TUE 20:40 In Touch (b082vywv)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.

TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b0832fq5)
Claudia Hammond presents a series that explores the limits and potential of the human mind.

TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (b082ymnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b082vywx)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0832fq7)
The Power, Episode 7

A historical novel - written 5000 years in the future.

We meet Roxy, a tough London girl from an underworld family; Tunde, a young Nigerian man who is studying to be a photo-journalist; Allie, a mixed-race girl from Jacksonville whose foster parents use their religion to hide some very dark practices; Margot, an ambitious New England politician and her troubled daughter, Jocelyn.

Their world is much like ours until The Day Of The Girls.

Teenage girls now find they have an electrical power coursing through them - they can harm at will, cause excruciating pain and even death.

"As it is written: 'She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.'"

This is the power. And it changes everything.

Episode 7:
While Mother Eve visits the republic of women in Bessapara, Roxy makes a devastating discovery about her family.

The author, Naomi Alderman, won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. In 2012 and 2013 she was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Also in 2013, she was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Writers. The Power is her fourth novel. Naomi lives in London.

Written by Naomi Alderman
Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 23:00 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b0832mwg)
Careerism

The Godfather of Alternative Comedy delivers a mixture of stand-up, memoir and philosophy from behind the counter of his Imaginary Sandwich Bar.

Episode 2 - Careerism

Alexei reveals the surprising reason he disappeared from our TV screens in the 1990's, recounts a chance meeting with Ed Miliband, discusses rampant nepotism in most coveted careers and draws a striking comparisons between capitalism and all you can eat buffets.

Written and performed by Alexei Sayle
Additional Material from Liam Beirne
Produced by Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.

TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0832mwj)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.


WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2016

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b082vyzb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

WED 00:30 Letters from America (b083h0k4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]

WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vyzd)
The latest shipping forecast.

WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vyzg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vyzj)
The latest shipping forecast.

WED 05:30 News Briefing (b082vyzl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b084jq4d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev'd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport.

WED 05:45 Farming Today (b082vyzn)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5bgq)
Gadwall

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the gadwall. Gadwall were rare ducks until a few decades ago, now though, gadwall are spreading fast in the UK. Gadwall can be sneaky thieves, exhibiting what scientists call klepto-parasitic tendencies. They often wait for birds such as coot and mute swans to bring up aquatic vegetation beyond their reach and seize it before their victims can eat it themselves.

WED 06:00 Today (b084jq4g)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

WED 09:00 Midweek (b0832rj2)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.

WED 09:45 Letters from America (b083h0nh)
As the dust settles after the controversial US presidential election campaign, five acclaimed writers give their point of view on where America goes now.

WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b082vyzr)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b0832rj6)
Wild Things, Angie's Episode

The transformative Brighton Ladies Sea Swimming Club alters lives. Five very different women's paths cross at this tough wild swimming club.
Episode 3 - Angie's Episode. What difficult secret is Angie refusing to share with the group?

By Charlotte Jones

Directed by Liz Webb.

WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b0832rj8)
Terry and Judy - A Mixed Race Journey

Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a mixed race couple who met at a time when their relationship was a lot more unusual than it is today. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

WED 11:00 The Man Who Wanted to 'Cure' Smoking (b0832kq6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]

WED 11:30 Gloomsbury (b05y16mx)
Series 3, Women in Love and Men in Disgrace

Ginny Fox has planned a trip with Vera Sackcloth-Vest to see her sister, Nesta Bell, at Charlatan House in Sussex, so that Nesta can paint Vera's portrait.

Lionel disapproves of the Bohemian lifestyle of Nesta and her husband Cliff and goes off to spend the weekend with Henry at Sizzlinghurst. Cliff is a rogue who spends half of his time away from the house living with his lover, Mrs Hutchinson. Nesta only tolerates Cliff's dalliance because there's another man living at Charlatan with whom she's really in love - Duncan Grunt. Unfortunately for Nesta, Duncan only has eyes for his homosexual lover, who also lives in the house, and whose name is Flopsy. And to top it all, Nesta's two children run up and down the garden without any clothes on.

When Ginny and Vera turn up at Charlatan House, Nesta makes an improper suggestion when she asks if she can paint Vera in the nude. Vera is shocked and wants to leave. Unable to share Vera with her sister, Ginny storms out too, and she and Vera return to Sizzlinghurst, where their mood is not lightened by the discovery of Henry and Lionel wrestling naked in front of the library fire as research for DH Lollipop's new book.

Produced by Jamie Rix
A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 12:00 News Summary (b082vyzt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 12:04 Witness (b083ltrs)
The Concordski Crash

In June 1973 the Russian rival to Concorde, the Tupolev Tu-144, crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and people on the ground. At the time the Soviet Union was competing with the West to produce the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft. Former British test pilot, John Farley, recalls the day of the fatal crash of the plane dubbed 'Concordski'.

WED 12:15 You and Yours (b082vyzw)
Consumer affairs programme.

WED 12:57 Weather (b082vyzy)
The latest weather forecast.

WED 13:00 World at One (b082vz00)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

WED 14:00 The Archers (b0832fq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]

WED 14:15 Drama (b083h5b5)
The Truth About Anna, Episode 2

Set in California, and inspired by a true story. A radical group of environmental activists becomes suspicious of their latest recruit, the mysterious Anna. Believing she might be an FBI infiltrator, members of the group attempt to unmask her before carrying out their most audacious act - a plan to blow up a dam.

But when Anna begins a romantic relationship with their leader Greg, tensions threaten to destroy the group from within.

This fast paced, two-part thriller tells the story from two perspectives. In this concluding episode, the clock turns back, and the story unfolds again, this time from the perspective of the FBI.

Written by Michael Butt

Sound: David Chilton
Producer: Emma Hearn
Director: Carl Prekopp
Executive Producer: John Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 15:00 Money Box (b082vz04)
Money Box Live: Autumn Statement 2016 -what's in it for you?

Financial phone-in.

WED 15:30 The Power of Negative Thinking (b0845xcb)
The Lottery Winner and the Paraplegic

In episode 3 of Oliver Burkeman's series The Power of Negative Thinking, the psychology writer asks where happiness comes from, and whether we look for it in the wrong places. We hear from someone who won over £13 million on the Euromillions lottery, as well as someone who will live the rest of her life as a wheelchair-user after a serious illness affected her spine. In each case, are they happier or unhappier than before the incident that changed their lives? According to psychology studies, the answer is neither. Even the most life-changing events, after an initial adjustment period, have little impact on our overall happiness levels. Understanding this may calm our pursuit for the presumed external trappings of happiness. By the same token, can it help us to stop neurotically avoiding, or being terrorised by, sad or negative experiences?

WED 15:45 One to One (b082ymnz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]

WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b0832rjb)
Sociological discussion programme, presented by Laurie Taylor.

WED 16:30 The Media Show (b082vz07)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.

WED 17:00 PM (b082vz09)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vz0c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

WED 18:30 The Brig Society (b0832rjd)
Series 4, Scandal!

Marcus Brigstocke becomes a victim of his own newspaper as he gets caught up in a scandal and discovers that it's really, really difficult to doorstep yourself.

This week, there's sex, scandal and saucy secrets on Radio 4! But enough about Moneybox Live. In this show, Marcus examines how the great British press combine the difficult jobs of both selling newspapers and ruining peoples' lives.

Helping him peek through the curtain will be Margaret Cabourn-Smith ("Miranda"), William Andrews ("Sorry I've Got No Head") and Colin Hoult ("Derek")

Written by Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Salsby, Toby Davies, Nick Doody, Steve Punt and Dan Tetsell

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

WED 19:00 The Archers (b0832rjg)
Tony's patience is tested, and Elizabeth fishes for information.

WED 19:15 Front Row (b082vz0f)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0832rj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]

WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b0832rjj)
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Michael Portillo, Claire Fox, Anne McElvoy and Melanie Phillips.

WED 20:45 Four Thought (b0832rjl)
Sensitive Souls

Hannah Jane Walker makes the case for being a bit sensitive.

As a child Hannah was told to toughen up, not to be so sensitive, but now she says her sensitivity is who she is, and it's how she makes her income. And she thinks that people should embrace their sensitivity, and not pretend to be tough if they're not.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b082ynk0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]

WED 21:30 Midweek (b0832rj2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

WED 21:58 Weather (b082vz0h)
The latest weather forecast.

WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b082vz0k)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0832rjn)
The Power, Episode 8

A historical novel - written 5000 years in the future.

We meet Roxy, a tough London girl from an underworld family; Tunde, a young Nigerian man who is studying to be a photo-journalist; Allie, a mixed-race girl from Jacksonville whose foster parents use their religion to hide some very dark practices; Margot, an ambitious New England politician and her troubled daughter, Jocelyn.

Their world is much like ours until The Day Of The Girls.

Teenage girls now find they have an electrical power coursing through them - they can harm at will, cause excruciating pain and even death.

"As it is written: 'She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.'"

This is the power. And it changes everything.

Episode 8:
Tatania Moskalev, President of Bessapara, holds a reception which leads to severe consequences for Roxy and Tunde.

The author, Naomi Alderman, won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. In 2012 and 2013 she was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Also in 2013, she was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Writers. The Power is her fourth novel. Naomi lives in London.

Written by Naomi Alderman
Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 23:00 Dr John Cooper Clarke at the BBC (b0832rjq)
Crime and Retribution

The Bard of Salford performs a mixture of classic and previously unheard poems, recorded at the BBC's Radio Theatre in London.

Ep 4 - Crime and Retribution

Set List:

36 Hours
Kamarad Klaak (All Rise)
Crazy Mixed Up Killer
Kung Fu International

Written and performed by Dr John Cooper Clarke
Introduction by Johnny Green
Produced by Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.

WED 23:15 Jigsaw (b04g8rwd)
Series 2, Episode 3

Award-winning stand-up comedians Dan Antopolski, Tom Craine and Nat Luurtsema combine their talents to piece together a rapid-fire and surreal sketch show.

Produced by Colin Anderson.

WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0832rjs)
Sean Curran reports as Chancellor Philip Hammond delivers his first Autumn Statement.


THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2016

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b082vz2h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

THU 00:30 Letters from America (b083h0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]

THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vz2l)
The latest shipping forecast.

THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vz2n)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vz2q)
The latest shipping forecast.

THU 05:30 News Briefing (b082vz2s)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b084jqdg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev'd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport.

THU 05:45 Farming Today (b082vz2v)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k2gq8)
Teal

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the teal. Teal are our smallest duck and the drakes are striking birds, heads burnished with chestnut surrounding a green mask fringed with yellow. They whistle softly in a piping chorus which sounds, from a distance, like the chime of tiny bells. That sound of the male's call is probably the origin of the bird's name, teal.

THU 06:00 Today (b084jqx6)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

THU 09:00 In Our Time (b0832rmz)
Baltic Crusades

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Baltic Crusades, the name given to a series of overlapping attempts to convert the pagans of North East Europe to Christianity at the point of the sword. From the 12th Century, Papal Bulls endorsed those who fought on the side of the Church, the best known now being the Teutonic Order which, thwarted in Jerusalem, founded a state on the edge of the Baltic, in Prussia. Some of the peoples in the region disappeared, either killed or assimilated, and the consequences for European history were profound.

With

Nora Berend

Aleks Pluskowski

and

Martin Palmer.

THU 09:45 Letters from America (b083h0tp)
As the dust settles after the controversial US presidential election campaign, five acclaimed writers give their point of view on where America goes now.

THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b082vz2x)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0833sfc)
Wild Things, Cassie's Episode

The transformative Brighton Ladies Sea Swimming Club alters lives. Five very different women's paths cross at this tough wild swimming club.
Episode 4 - Cassie's Episode. Can newcomer Cassie be accepted by the group after stealing from them.

By Charlotte Jones

Directed by Liz Webb.

THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b0833sff)
Checkmate for the King of Chess?

The bizarre and extraordinary story of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the eccentric Russian tycoon and president of FIDE, the international chess governing body. His twenty years in office have been dogged by allegations of corruption and vote-rigging and he's recently been banned from entering the United States by the US Treasury for his alleged involvement in assisting the Assad regime in Syria. It's prevented him from presiding over this month's World Chess Championships in New York. His humiliation has been seized on with delight by the man who's been battling for more than a decade to replace him as the head of FIDE - the brash, Putin-loathing champion-turned-politician, Russian-turned-American, Garry Kasparov. Ilyumzhinov and his many supporters in the chess world believe the US sanctions against him are simply part of a wider anti-Putin campaign. For Crossing Continents Tim Whewell reports from Moscow and New York on the deeply politicised game of chess and asks if it's finally checkmate for the king of chess.

Dina Newman producing.

THU 11:30 24 Hours of Sunset (b0833sfh)
Night

Sunset Boulevard is one of those long, long American streets, 22 miles that tell the story of film, of Hollywood, of course, but Laura Barton thinks this street tells the story of America itself. Laura Barton loves Sunset Boulevard and walking through LA, a city utterly devoted to driving. At foot level, you see things you'd never see in a car.

In this 2 part series, Laura walks the length of Sunset Boulevard in 24 hours. Along the way, she uncovers the contemporary arts stories and the iconic artistic legacy of this street. She meets artists and historians, as well as ordinary people who live and work along one of the most famous streets in the world.

The second episode takes Laura Barton from the glamourous, raucous Sunset Strip out to the coast, the edge of the Pacific Ocean - through the wealthy Beverly Hills neighbourhood and its manicured, lawns. She meets with professor of public policy Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, cultural historian David Ulin, soul band KING, former poet laureate Luis Rodriguez, and architect Alice Kimm, revealing the famous and the hidden stories of Sunset's artistic life.

Sunset Blvd's cultural landmarks tell LA's story - the drought threatening a city by the sea, the mixed up sub-cultures and ethnic and racial communities that come together to make the city - this is why Laura thinks Sunset is a microcosm of today's American story.

In 24 Hours on Sunset, Laura finds how Sunset Boulevard and its artistic legacy have become a shorthand for what LA represents in our collective imagination.

Presented by Laura Barton
Produced by Nija Dalal-Small.

THU 12:00 News Summary (b082vz2z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

THU 12:04 Witness (b083lttd)
The Abduction of Mehdi Ben Barka

Series looking at key events in history, featuring archive accounts from the people who were there.

THU 12:15 You and Yours (b082vz31)
Consumer affairs programme.

THU 12:57 Weather (b082vz33)
The latest weather forecast.

THU 13:00 World at One (b082vz35)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

THU 13:45 The Power of Negative Thinking (b084608h)
Send In the Fungineers!

"Are we having fun yet?!" There is a growing trend for companies, particularly in fields of technology and new media, to employ happiness engineers or - in at least one case - 'fabulous facilitators' to boost morale among the workforce. Oliver Burkeman, psychology writer and proud curmudgeon, is a firm believer that forced fun is no fun. He is appalled and perplexed by the idea that happiness should be prescribed - even enforced - in our workplaces. In episode 4 of The Power of Negative Thinking, Oliver explores a phenomenon that has come to be called 'fungineering'. He meets a 'Head of Happiness', and asks what really motivates employees and makes them happy.

THU 14:00 The Archers (b0832rjg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]

THU 14:15 Afternoon Drama (b01g63vr)
Red and Blue, Behind Enemy Lines

By Philip Palmer

Troy is at war with Sparta in Bradley Shoreham's latest war game. A team of British Special Forces are about to face a challenge that will test them to the limit.

Bradley Shoreham . . . . . Tim Woodward
Tom . . . . . Ifan Meredith
Ricky . . . . . Warren Brown
Julie . . . . . Liz White
Andy . . . . . Don Gilet
Jim . . . . . Paddy Wallace

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.

THU 15:00 Open Country (b0833vmw)
Sathnam Sanghera goes home to Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton, at the heart of the industrial revolution, has never been known for its beautiful landscape. The story goes that when Queen Victoria passed through she asked for the curtains in her carriage to be drawn because she was so offended by the sight of the town.
Writer, Sathnam Sanghera grew up with a railway running through his back garden and an industrial estate running alongside his street. For this edition of Open Country he returns to his home town, now a city, and finds a burgeoning natural scene, he goes birdwatching at Smestow Valley, discovers why otters are thriving along a particular patch of the Staffordshire and Worcester canal and even canoes in a thriving local waterway.
The producer is Perminder Khatkar.

THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b082wtgj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]

THU 15:30 Open Book (b082wwlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]

THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b0833vmy)
Cinemas Special

Francine Stock visits Campbeltown on the west coast of Scotland where the community have come together to save their art deco cinema, one of the most architecturally important in Europe, from terminal decline.

THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b082vz39)
Adam Rutherford explores the science that is changing our world.

THU 17:00 PM (b082vz3c)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vz3f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

THU 18:30 The Fair Intellectual Club (b0833vn0)
A Sojourn with Mr Swift

Lucy Porter's sitcom set in early 18th Century Scotland.

It's festival time in Edinburgh, but in the early 18th century it's not a place for comedians and actors, but priests and storytellers like Jonathan Swift. This young Irish clergyman wants help with his tales, and the members of the Fair Intellectual Club are keen to help him win the So You Think You're Holy competition.

Alison's idiot brother Robert needs assistance too - and an unfortunate mix-up leads to the creation of a literary masterpiece.

Music by Aly Macrae
Director: Marilyn Imrie
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 19:00 The Archers (b0833vn2)
Lilian has to face the music, and Pip gets bad news.

THU 19:15 Front Row (b082vz3h)
Arts news, interviews and reviews.

THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0833sfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (b0833vn4)
Series looking at important issues in the news. Presented by David Aaronovitch.

THU 20:30 In Business (b0833vn6)
The Italian Banking Crisis

Why are Italy's banks in crisis and what's the impact on business? The country's banks have huge numbers of non-performing loans, the result of nearly a decade of recession. The economy has shrunk by nearly 10% in that time. Some small banks have already failed, others may follow. What has it been like to do business through these very lean times? Are banks continuing to lend? And what solutions might there be for one of Europe's biggest players? Ruth Sunderland visits small businesses, the backbone of the Italian economy, and asks what is required to strengthen the banking system.
Producer : Rosamund Jones.

THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b082vz39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]

THU 21:30 In Our Time (b0832rmz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

THU 21:58 Weather (b082vz3l)
The latest weather forecast.

THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b082vz3n)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0833w18)
The Power, Episode 9

A historical novel - written 5000 years in the future.

We meet Roxy, a tough London girl from an underworld family; Tunde, a young Nigerian man who is studying to be a photo-journalist; Allie, a mixed-race girl from Jacksonville whose foster parents use their religion to hide some very dark practices; Margot, an ambitious New England politician and her troubled daughter, Jocelyn.

Their world is much like ours until The Day Of The Girls.

Teenage girls now find they have an electrical power coursing through them - they can harm at will, cause excruciating pain and even death.

"As it is written: 'She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.'"

This is the power. And it changes everything.

Episode 9:
While Mother Eve extends her control, Tunde finds himself trapped in the middle of the violence in the mountains of North Bessapara.

The author, Naomi Alderman, won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. In 2012 and 2013 she was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Also in 2013, she was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Writers. The Power is her fourth novel. Naomi lives in London.

Written by Naomi Alderman
Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 23:00 Thom Tuck Goes Straight to DVD (b01rr371)
Faith Films

In his debut solo Radio 4 show, comedian Thom Tuck recounted heart-rending tales of loves lost while drawing comparisons with 54 Straight-to-DVD Disney movies he'd watched, so we don't ever have to.

Thom now turns his attention to other genres of Straight-to-DVD movies - seeking out further underrated gems and drawing parallels with captivating personal tales from his own life experience, backed by cinematic music, so we can rest easy.

In this second episode, Thom looks at the strangely lucrative world of faith films, and draws parallels to the narrative in these underrated gems with stories of his own experiences as a child growing up whilst his family travelled the globe through Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Yorkshire.

"...a seductive experience" The Guardian

Produced by Lianne Coop.

THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0833w1b)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.


FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2016

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b082vz5n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.

FRI 00:30 Letters from America (b083h0tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]

FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b082vz5q)
The latest shipping forecast.

FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b082vz5s)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b082vz5v)
The latest shipping forecast.

FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b082vz5x)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b084jytc)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rt Rev'd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport.

FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b082vz5z)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Mark Smalley.

FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkcwq)
Eider

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Eider. Eiders are northern sea-ducks perhaps most famous for the soft breast feathers with which they line their nests. These feathers were collected by eider farmers and used to fill pillows and traditional 'eider -downs'. Drake eiders display to the females with odd moaning calls which you can hear in the programme.

FRI 06:00 Today (b0833wbz)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b082wtgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]

FRI 09:45 Letters from America (b083h0x9)
As the dust settles after the controversial US presidential election campaign, five acclaimed writers give their point of view on where America goes now.

FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b082vz61)
Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.

FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0833x3h)
Wild Things, Shelley's Episode

The transformative Brighton Ladies Sea Swimming Club alters lives. Five very different women's paths cross at this tough wild swimming club.
Episode 5 - Shelley's Episode. Shelley is not a member of the club, but her life and that of her daughter, depend on it.

By Charlotte Jones

Directed by Liz Webb.

FRI 11:00 As Many Leaves (b0834084)
"I didn't realise how physical a process grief was - like being hit by a car."

One evening in the autumn of 2013, the American financial journalist and broadcaster Sally Herships received a short email from her husband telling her he was never coming home again. At first she thought it was a joke, but when she got home he and a suitcase had gone.

As Sally's life unravels, she begins to keep an audio diary. It's a way both of processing what's happened to her and of creating a support mechanism as she tries to cope with the aftermath. From the night he left, her husband cuts off all contact and Sally, broken-hearted, is tortured by a single question. Why?

"I think this is one of the stages of heartbreak. There's the ice cream stage, the comfort food stage and the doughnut stage. Maybe they all fall under comfort food, but I'm lactose intolerant so I can't really have ice cream. I'm just making up for that with doughnuts."

Sally's vulnerability, defiance and the mundane practicalities of survival are laid bare in her recordings and in her reflections on how she strove to heal herself after this seismic betrayal.

With specially composed music by Nina Perry and Danny Keane.

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

FRI 11:30 Mark Thomas: The Manifesto (b01s8qy0)
Series 5, Episode 6

Comedian-activist Mark Thomas concludes his "People's Manifesto" back in the BBC Radio Theatre. Producer: Colin Anderson.

FRI 12:00 News Summary (b082vz65)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

FRI 12:04 Witness (b083qvxh)
The Bugging of the US Embassy in Moscow

In the mid 1980s the Americans discovered that the Soviets had hidden listening devices deep inside the walls of its new embassy building in Moscow, while it was still under construction. The discovery led to a major trans-Atlantic row and President Ronald Reagan threatened to have the whole building pulled down. Mike Lanchin has spoken to Thomas Jendrysik, an American engineer stationed at the embassy, whose job was to find the secret Soviet equipment.

FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b082vz67)
Consumer news and issues.

FRI 12:57 Weather (b082vz69)
The latest weather forecast.

FRI 13:00 World at One (b082vz6c)
Analysis of news and current affairs.

FRI 13:45 The Power of Negative Thinking (b0845pmg)
Death Can Make You Happy

In the final episode of Oliver Burkeman's series The Power of Negative Thinking, it is finally time to confront what many of us see as the most negative of all experiences: death. Could there really be a path to happiness through thinking more about our own, and our loved ones', mortality? Oliver will speak to a death 'doula', and ask what lessons we can learn about living from those who are near-to-death. He'll also explore the modern-day rediscovery of "memento mori", constant reminders of death in daily life. In deliberately confronting death, can life take on a new and vivid sense of meaning?

FRI 14:00 The Archers (b0833vn2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]

FRI 14:15 Tommies (b0834086)
25 November 1916

After the horrors of the Battle of the Somme Captain Mickey Bliss is on leave in Paris where he is drawn into the shady world of intelligence and politics in this story by Nick Warburton.

With over a million casualties so far, a potential peace offer from Berlin generates a flurry of activity and manoeuvring amongst those in power.

Meticulously based on unit war diaries and eye-witness accounts, each episode of TOMMIES traces one real day at war, exactly 100 years ago.

And through it all, we'll follow the fortunes of Mickey Bliss and his fellow signallers, from the Lahore Division of the British Indian Army. They are the cogs in an immense machine, one which connects situations across the whole theatre of the war, over four long years.

Series created by Jonathan Ruffle
Producers: David Hunter, Jonquil Panting, Jonathan Ruffle
Director: David Hunter.

FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b08343jm)
Horticultural panel programme.

FRI 15:45 A Rage Explained (b08343jq)
Alex Wheatle's autobiographical account of his first visit to Jamaica in 1987, where he met his father for the first time since being placed in a children's home at the age of two. But the meeting is charged with conflicting emotions.

Alex Wheatle was born to Jamaican parents living in London. At 18 he was involved in the Brixton uprising and went to prison for three months. On his release, he continued to perform as a DJ and MC under the name Yardman Irie, moving in the early '90s on to the performance poetry circuit as The Brixton Bard. Alex has written nine novels, including East of Acre Lane, and was awarded the MBE for services to literature in 2008. He has just won the Guardian Children's Fiction prize.

Writer: Alex Wheatle
Reader: Anthony Welsh
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

FRI 16:00 Last Word (b08343js)
Obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died.

FRI 16:30 More or Less (b08343jx)
Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the news.

FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b08343jz)
Sigs and Pauline - They Shoot Horses Don't They

Fi Glover Fi Glover with a conversation between horse owners facing the decision of when to call it a day, now a beloved animal's health means he can be no more than a 'field ornament'. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

FRI 17:00 PM (b082vz6g)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.

FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b082vz6j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b08349f2)
Series 49, Episode 4

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by Andy Zaltzman, Mae Martin, Adam Kay to present the news via topical stand up and sketches.

Written by the cast with additional material from Jon Hunter, Liam Beirne, Jenny Laville, Max Davis and Laura Majors.

Producer Alexandra Smith

BBC Studios Production.

FRI 19:00 The Archers (b08349f4)
David serves an ultimatum, and Alistair moves forward.

FRI 19:15 Front Row (b082vz6l)
News, reviews and interviews from the worlds of art, literature, film and music.

FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0833x3h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]

FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b08349f6)
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from Sheffield University Technical College.

FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b08349f8)
A reflection on a topical issue.

FRI 21:00 Incarnations: India in 50 Lives (b083gxhp)
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives - Omnibus, Omnibus Series 1 Episode 5

An omnibus edition of Professor Sunil Khilnani's audio portraits of figures that have shaped the arc of Indian history over two thousand years.
Professor Khilnani begins with a study of one of the founding fathers of the study of Asia by the West. Sir William Jones set sail for India at the end of the 18th century where he became one of the greatest advocates for studying the glories of India's past. Already a master of many languages, he learned Sanskrit which he declared "more perfect than the Greeks, more copious than the Latin and more exquisitely refined than either". With a recital of an Indian composition on harpsichord, from the Oriental Miscellany by Jane Chapman.

His next subject is Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, the queen who fought against the British and became a heroine of India's 1857 Rebellion. 'She was certainly no ordinary queen," he says. She was listed by Time Magazine as one of its 'Top Ten Badass Wives'. A typical day for Lakshmibai involved weightlifting, wrestling and steeplechasing - all before breakfast. Yet, despite her physical prowess, she was a reluctant rebel. She was drawn into the uprising only when the British annexed Jhansi after her husband died. The legend goes that, when the Rani's fort was under siege from the British, she mounted her horse, her young son holding on tight behind her, and leapt to freedom from the ramparts.

His next portrait is of the social reformer and anti-caste campaigner Jyotirao Phule who set out to educate women and promote the cause of the lower-caste members of Indian society. Phule and his wife were castigated for challenging the caste system. In a defiantly symbolic act, he allowed all comers to drink from the well at his house, in an age when members of the lower castes were barred from drinking water used by the upper castes. Today there are many government funding schemes for schools which bear either Phule's or his wife's name but discrimination against the Dalits, then known as Untouchables, hasn't gone away. "Phule wanted to rock the system," says Professor Khilnani "not just to create tiny islands of equality".

Professor Sunil Khilnani ends with a profile of Birsa Munda, the young, charismatic healer who led his tribal community in revolt against the British and whose life, more than a century after his death, poses the question: 'Who owns India?' Scattered across the subcontinent, India's tribal peoples or Adivasis, match in size the populations of Germany or Vietnam. Yet the land rights of India's original inhabitants are regularly overridden in the name of development. One of history's great defenders of Adivasi rights was Birsa Munda, born in the late 19th century in what is now the north-eastern state of Jharkhand. At a time of famine and disease across northern India his community looked to the Birsa for healing and leadership. The young man who claimed he could turn bullets to water led a rebellion against the British, their Indian middlemen and Christian missionaries.

Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured in the series on the Radio 4 website.
Produced by Mark Savage and Jeremy Grange.

FRI 21:58 Weather (b082vz6q)
The latest weather forecast.

FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b082vz6s)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.

FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b08349fb)
The Power, Episode 10

A historical novel - written 5000 years in the future.

We meet Roxy, a tough London girl from an underworld family; Tunde, a young Nigerian man who is studying to be a photo-journalist; Allie, a mixed-race girl from Jacksonville whose foster parents use their religion to hide some very dark practices; Margot, an ambitious New England politician and her troubled daughter, Jocelyn.

Their world is much like ours until The Day Of The Girls.

Teenage girls now find they have an electrical power coursing through them - they can harm at will, cause excruciating pain and even death.

"As it is written: 'She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.'"

This is the power. And it changes everything.

Episode 10:
Mother Eve is now President of Bessapara. Will she choose to escalate the conflict?

The author, Naomi Alderman, won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. In 2012 and 2013 she was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Also in 2013, she was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Writers. The Power is her fourth novel. Naomi lives in London.

Written by Naomi Alderman
Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

FRI 23:00 Woman's Hour (b08349fd)
Late Night Woman's Hour

She's your BFF, your Bestie. Thelma to your Louise, or Eddie to your Patsy. This month on Late Night Woman's Hour, Lauren Laverne discusses female friendship, its rules, strengths and weaknesses, and how it changes over time, with psychologist Terri Apter, novelist Lucy Caldwell, and journalist Ceyda Uzun.

FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b08349fg)
Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.

FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b08349fj)
Graham and Derek - Dealing with People

Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a retired funeral director and a semi-retired journalist as they compare notes on how the notion of privacy has changed over the years. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.