SATURDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2018

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgp8k2)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b0bgrwlz)
In My Mind's Eye, Episode 5

In her newly published 'diary of my thoughts', renowned author and traveller Jan Morris covers much ground:

She recalls her late brother Gareth, a 'siffleur' of the highest order. Then ascending Mount Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa, one day. And then a chaotic yet comic walk to lunch on another day..

Reader Janet Suzman

Producer Duncan Minshull.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgp8k4)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgp8k6)

SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgp8k8)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgp8kb)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bgtq71)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b0bgp8kd)
I'm not looking to be a father

iPM listener, James, told us how he'd finally made contact with his biological father, who'd donated his sperm 30 years ago. Now that man explains what led him to be a donor in the first place, and what he expects when he meets James for the first time.

Radio 2's Simon Mayo reads our Your News bulletin.

And we hear from our listener Fabida who's returned from Kerala, where the worst flooding in a century left thousands homeless.

Let us know your story on iPM@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Luke Jones. Produced by Cat Farnsworth.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b0bgp8kg)

The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b0bgrw44)
The Malvern Hills

Helen Mark visits the Malvern Hills. She meets a landscape historian, who shows her how human history has left its marks on the topography - if you know where to look for them. She finds out about the inspiration which the composer Edward Elgar drew from the area, and learns how the landscape is reflected in his music. Malvern is famous for its spring water, which has been bottled in the town since the 17th century. Helen meets the man who bought one of the springs by accident - and then went on to revive the Malvern spring water brand. The area is also known for its gas lamps, which are believed to have inspired C.S. Lewis in his description of the entrance to Narnia in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. Helen finds that there are some very 21st century developments afoot for the Victorian gas lamps, and meets the man who's worked out how to power them using something which is in plentiful supply on the hills - dog poo!

Produced by Emma Campbell.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b0bgp8kl)
Farming Today This Week

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b0bgp8kn)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b0bgv7hf)

News and current affairs including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b0bgp8kq)
Susan Calman, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, Simon's Cat

Morning magazine show presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles. Featuring Susan Calman, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and Simon's Cat. Plus Naga Munchetty's Inheritance Tracks.


SAT 10:30 World War One: The Cultural Front (b0bgv8tq)
Series 5, 1918: Chaplin Goes to War

As large numbers of U.S. troops start arriving on the Western Front in 1918, Francine Stock examines the response of artists and movie stars to their country's commitment to war.

The Bryce report on alleged German outrages causes George Bellows, one of the most acclaimed American artists of his generation, to drastically change his views on the war effort. The nephew of modernist painter Claggett Wilson talks about his uncles ability to portray the feeling, not just the sight, of war.

And Charlie Chaplin moves away from what he calls 'sausage pictures' to make Shoulder Arms - a film about a private with dreams of becoming a war hero.

Plus, in Britain, the mysterious lost film of David Lloyd George, and how Shakespeare was misquoted in the name of war.

Presenter: Francine Stock
Producers: Georgia Catt and Mark Burman
Production Coordinator: Anne Smith.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b0bgv8ts)

Anne McElvoy of the Economist looks behind the scenes at Westminster.
The editor is Marie Jessel.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b0bgp8ks)
The Yazidis still missing in Iraq

Some are buried in mass graves; others are still in the hands of Islamic State militants. Kate Adie introduces stories from Iraq, Chile, India, Colombia, and Sweden:

Four years since IS swept through northern Iraq and carried out what the UN called a genocidal attack on the Yazidi people who lived there, Lyse Doucet returns to see what remains.
Linda Pressly meets a Chilean woman who posed as a young boy online in her quest to get her local priesthood investigated.
Vivienne Nunis learns how women and their pink rickshaws are transforming the working world in Jaipur - much to the disapproval of some local men.
Nick Thorpe makes the long journey through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range to reach the Ciudad Perdida - the Lost City which was abandoned by the indecorous people who once lived there when Spanish conquistadors arrived at the Colombian coast in the 16th century.
And Gabriel Gatehouse has a mysterious but revealing encounter with a real-life troll in Stockholm.

Producer: Joe Kent.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (b0bgp8kw)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (b0bgv8tv)

Paul Lewis presents the latest news from the world of personal finance.


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b0bgt9vj)
Series 97, Episode 2

With Miles Jupp out of the office, comedian Simon Evans takes the guest host chair for this week's show.

Featuring all the week's stories big and small as told by Phill Jupitus, Ayesha Hazarika, Phil Wang and Rory Bremner.

Written by: Madeleine Brettingham, Dan Evans and Jenny Laville with additional material by Will Duggan, Laura Major and Mike Shephard.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b0bgp8kz)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b0bgp8l1)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b0bgt9vn)
Stewart Jackson, Lord Pickles, Naz Shah MP, Polly Toynbee

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Leeds Minster with a panel including the political commentator Stewart Jackson, the Conservative peer Lord Pickles, Shadow Women and Equalities Minister Naz Shah MP and the Guardian newspaper columnist Polly Toynbee.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b0bgp8l3)

Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Drama (b0bgvdmf)
Unmade Movies, Dennis Potter's The White Hotel

Dennis Potter's unproduced screenplay of DM Thomas's award-winning novel, starring Anne-Marie Duff and Bill Paterson. With strong language and sexual scenes.

Circus performer Lisa visits Dr Probst, a celebrated Berlin psychoanalyst, to discover the cause of the mysterious pains she is experiencing in her in her left breast and pelvis. As Probst attempts to unravel the true cause of her pains, he is sure that the answer to Lisa's condition lies in her past and her realisation, after her mother and uncle are killed in a hotel fire, that the two of them were having an affair.

When Lisa allows Probst to read her secret journal, he is stunned by her erotic fantasies and sexually charged description of an imaginary relationship with a lover at a white hotel, a grand baroque Spa.

Their passionate lovemaking seems to provoke strange disasters - premonitions of the catastrophe that will soon overwhelm Lisa and Kolya.

Lisa initially plays along with Probst's investigations of her past, but eventually reveals that she also experiences unsettling premonitions. "I see what is going to happen. And what is going to happen cannot be endured."

Is her trauma really the result of childhood memories, or could it be a dark premonition of the future?

The drama is preceded by a short documentary, The Long Road to the White Hotel, telling the story of the many failed attempts to bring DM Thomas's novel to the screen and the making of the Radio 4 drama of Dennis Potter's screenplay.

Written by DM Thomas
Original Screenplay by Denis Potter under licence from Briarpatch Limited L.P
Directed by Jon Amiel

The Long Road to the White Hotel feature by Overtone Productions.

Producers: Laurence Bowen and Peter Ettedgui
A Dancing Ledge production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 16:15 Woman's Hour (b0bgvf03)
Wendy and Colin Parry. Why everyone will be wearing corduroy this season, and the poet Aviva Dautch

Wendy and Colin Parry discuss the film Mother's Day which follows the events in 1993 when the IRA planted two bombs in Warrington which killed their son Tim.

Corduroy was popular in the 70s and is undergoing something of a revival. We discuss why with Amber Butchart fashion historian and Victoria Moss senior fashion editor at the Telegraph.

As children begin the new school year this week how are parents managing jobs, school and childcare? Christine Armstrong is the author of Mother of All Jobs and Sian Griffiths the education and parenting editor at the Sunday Times, discuss.

Richard Madden is TV's latest heart throb but how do men feel about being objectified? We hear from Matthew Chambers an actor and director who works with the BBC Soap, Doctors. Danny Mac is an actor who was a runner up in Strictly in 2016 and Dr Peter Lucas is a senior lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Central Lancashire.

And the poet Aviva Dautch performs her poem The House, about growing up with a mother who hoards.

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


SAT 17:00 PM (b0bgp8l5)
Saturday PM

Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b0bgp8kd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b0bgp8l7)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b0bgp8l9)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgp8lc)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b0bgp8lf)
Cerys Matthews, Simon Beaufoy, Jill Johnson, The Coral, Chilly Gonzales, Rebecca Trehearn, Sara Cox, Nikki Bedi

Nikki Bedi and Sara Cox are joined by Simon Beaufoy, Cerys Matthews, Jill Johnson and Rebecca Trehearn for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Coral, Chilly Gonzales and Rebecca Trehearn.

Producer: Debbie Kilbride.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b0bgvdmh)
John McDonnell

From foster father to Labour's second most powerful politician, Mark Coles profiles shadow chancellor John McDonnell.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b0bgp8lh)
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Humans, Killing Eve, Miriam Toews, I Object

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a new film set in the US in the 90s; Cameron (played by Chloe Grace Moretz) is a teenage lesbian sent to a gay conversion centre but not really motivated to try and change
Humans has transferred from an award-winning run on Broadway to The Hampstead Theatre in London. An American family gather together for Thanksgiving supper and all the worries and fears bubble to the surface. But it's not all grim soul-searching
Phoebe Waller Bridge is the name behind Killing Eve on BBC3; a new slick female assassin TV series starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer as the detective tracking down the killer and the ruthless killer herself respectively
Miriam Toews' novel Women Talking is set in a Mennonite settlement in rural Canada where a series of rapes has torn their world apart when it is discovered that the rapists come from within their own community
I Object, Ian Hislop's Search for Dissent is at The British Museum, tracing the history of dissent subversion and satire hidden within the Museum's vast collections
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Meg Rosoff, Francis Wheen and Stephanie Merritt. The producer is Oliver Jones.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b0bgvfgk)
The Dream of World Government

2018 marks the 100th anniversary since the end of World War 1, followed by the founding of the League of Nations the following year which offered a vision of peaceful world government and collaboration. History of course didn't turn out that way, and the fate of the League of Nations is often seen as symbolic of the dream of world government, fragile, utopian, and ultimately doomed to collapse in the face of resurgent and aggressive nationalism.

But the dream of world government is surprisingly stubborn. In one form or another, battered and bruised, it underlies every transnational political body which has followed, from the Red Cross, to the UN itself. It holds out a vision of political authority which crosses borders, and which dares to dream that universal values can sustain in the face of local angers, anxieties and chauvinisms.

In this archive hour the former Foreign Secretary David Milliband looks at the history of world government over the last century, with its successes and its failures.

Historical Advisor Patricia Clavin Professor of International History Jesus College University of Oxford

Producer Mark Rickards.


SAT 21:00 Tommies (b07hhwyf)
30 June 1916

Tommies reveals a hidden true story, based on secret German documents, of how a British signalling blunder contributed to the terrible death toll on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

By 30th June 1916, the German lines have been under constant bombardment for days. An attack is coming, but it's vital that the enemy don't know exactly when.

As vast numbers of men, machinery and armaments move to their final jumping-off points, the Indian cavalry of the 34th Poona Horse face their battle plan. And Mickey Bliss is training the signallers of the Tyneside Scottish - according to his unique methods. Mickey has every last point of preparation covered.

But there's one tiny detail he has missed.

Lee Ross stars in this story by Nandita Ghose.

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: Jonquil Panting.


SAT 21:45 In Therapy (b082kdp0)
Series 2, Amelia and Grace 2

Psychotherapist Susie Orbach explores the private relationship between therapist and patient. We join Susie in her consulting room, where she meets a different client each day.

Today, Susie meets mother and daughter Amelia and Grace.

All of the clients are played by actors, but these are not scripted scenes. Each client profile has been carefully constructed by therapist Susie, director Ian Rickson (former artistic director at the Royal Court, and director of the highly acclaimed Jerusalem) and radio producer Kevin Dawson. The client profiles have been given to the actors who have learned about the characters' lives, backgrounds, and reasons for seeking therapy. The scenes have then been improvised and recorded on concealed microphones at Susie's surgery.

Throughout the encounters in this series, we get to hear the therapist at work, experiencing what it's like to eavesdrop on the most intimate of exchanges.

To help us with our understanding of the process, Susie Orbach commentates on what is happening in the room, giving us an insight into her role as a therapist and shining a light on the journey both she and her patient have embarked upon.

Psychotherapist: Susie Orbach
Amelia: Lia Williams
Grace: Shannon Tarbet
Producer: Kevin Dawson
Director: Ian Rickson

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b0bgp8lk)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 The Fix (b0bgrsrc)
Series 2, Growing up Digital

This week: how to better protect young people from the harmful effects of social media?

Follow ten of the country's brightest minds as they gather in the library of Bartley Green school, in Birmingham. They have just one day to come up with a solution that will convince a panel of judges - and the students of the school.

Who will impress and who will fall short?

Presented by Matthew Taylor and facilitated by Cat Drew from Uscreates.

Team One:
- Rebecca Ford - head of design programme, RSA
- Tobias Revell - Artist and designer
- Sam Howey Nunn - Director of Free Ice Cream
- Marialuisa Ferro - Social media blogger for UScreates
- Luke Newbold - Founder of Lens Change and Studio You London
- Asha, pupil at Bartley Green school

Team two:
- Lil Adair - Design consultant, USCreates
- Vasant Chari - Senior Policy Adviser, Policy Lab
- Molly Thompson - Community manager, Silicon Canal
- Megan Highcock - YouthSight, Research and Marketing
- Hamda Mohamed - Young leader, Uprising youth leadership
- Maisy, pupil at Bartley Green school

Expert witnesses:
- Victoria Goodyear - Pedagogical researcher into digital technologies, University of Birmingham
- Alan Earl - Online safety consultant

Series producer: Estelle Doyle and Producer: Jordan Dunbar.
Editor: Penny Murphy.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (b0bgpqgc)
Series 32, Heat 5, 2018

(5/13)
What was the most notable musical achievement of Lys Assia, who died in 2018? If you can answer this you'd get off to a flying start in this heat of Radio 4's music quiz - but would you be as confident with questions about Tchaikovsky ballets, Mendelssohn oratorios or classic 1970s jazz-funk albums? All of these topics crop up in the opening round - after which today's competitors get the chance to pick a special musical subject on which they think they'll be able to score plenty of points. Paul Gambaccini provides musical extracts both familiar and surprising - and even improvises his own musical clues from time to time. A semi-final place awaits today's winner.

Taking part are:
Roderick Cromar, a chartered accountant from Inverurie
Ed Newsome, who works in arts marketing in Cardiff
Jack Spearing, a student from Baldock in Hertfordshire.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 The Lightning Field (b0bgpcgz)

In 1977 the sculptor Walter De Maria erected a field of stainless steel poles in the New Mexico high desert, where lighting frequently strikes. The only way to see this electrifying art work, one of the largest sculptures on earth, is to spend the night in a log cabin, in a remote and eerie location, off the grid.

We join acclaimed American poet Kim Addonizio as she drives hundreds of dusty miles to Quemado, the remote town closest to the Lightning Field. At the Dia Art Foundation Office, cowboy Robert Weathers drives the pre-booked guests out into the Field and leaves them alone overnight, with no phones, cameras, or digital devices, to experience the art work.

De Maria believed that no gallery could compete for impact with the power of a natural disaster - "Flood, forest fire, typhoon, sand storm, earthquake... it is in the unpredictable disasters that the highest forms are realised."

Addonizio responds, "Maybe that's part of his aim, to put us out here where we may experience an unpredictable disaster."

In a grid 1 mile by 1 kilometre, the 400 stainless steel poles reach an exact height on which an invisible pane of glass could be balanced. They are in themselves a remarkable sight. The added challenge for this very urban poet is a night in the desert, with heat, rattlesnakes and the potential thrill and danger of lightning strikes.

On the journey, Addonizio also dips into her favourite desert poems, including ones by Native American poets Joy Harjo, Simon Ortiz and others, and finds both personal and poetic inspiration.

We also hear from writer Geoff Dyer, who has twice visited the field, to enjoy his dry take on a pilgrimage on many an art fan's bucket list. "De Maria has rightly insisted that the light is as important as the lightning. But calling it the Lightning Field is a sensational piece of marketing..."

Addonizio is making a visit to the Field in June this year, where she will consider the personal and existential meanings of De Maria's steel rods, each a polished pointed spear aimed at the heavens.

An atmospheric journey through the desert to an extraordinary location, with one of the USA's most acclaimed contemporary poets.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall

"Rattlesnake" by Stanley Vestal
"Culture and the Universe" by Simon Ortiz
"To the Desert" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
"Invisible Fish by Joy Harjo
Readings from "White Plains" by Geoff Dyer

Photograph is of Walter De Maria's, Lightning Field, 1977. A permanent earth sculpture, 400 stainless steel poles arranged in a grid array measuring one mile by one kilometer, average pole height 20 feet 7 inches, pole tips form an even plane. Quemado, New Mexico. Collection Dia Art Foundation, New York. Photo: John Cliett. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York.



SUNDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2018

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw2lw)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Short Works (b0bgt6y8)
Kind

In this new story by James Meek, we meet his Lordship, known as Gerry, who's flat broke and needs some heavy stones shifting at the manor. The required 'muscle' will come from an unexpected quarter..

Reader David Horovitch

Producer Duncan Minshull.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2ly)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw2m0)

SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2m2)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw2m4)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b0bgw3cx)

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St George, Brailes, in Warwickshire. The tower holds the third heaviest peal of six bells. The tenor cast in 1877 by Blews of Birmingham weighs twenty nine hundredweight and is tuned to the key of C. The second is the oldest bell in the tower cast by William Chamberlain of London in 1440. We hear them ringing call changes.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b0bgvdmh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b0bgw2m6)

The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0bgw2m8)
Sacred Sounds, Dangerous Women

Journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly explores the turbulent relationship between Islam and the female singing voice.

Over the course of history, Islam has had a troubled relationship with music, with some believers arguing that it should be banned. Female singers have been particularly hard hit. Despite periods of repression that have seen Muslim women banned from singing in public and performing solo in front of men, there is a rich tradition of women using music to deepen their Islamic faith.

Remona interweaves the stunning tones of the "queen of Sufi music", Abida Parveen, with the young hijabi singer-songwriter Sevval Kayhan, who wowed the X-Factor Holland judges. We hear silken Quranic recitations from Indonesia alongside Olivia Newton John's rendition of one of Islam's oldest songs - Tala'al Badru 'Alayna.

In order to find out more about the current state of affairs in Britain, Remona speaks to Sakinah Lenoir and Rabiah Abdullah who together make up the acoustic duo Pearls of Islam. The band explain that they believe the negative reactions some have to the sound of the female singing voice is due to fear. Far from trying to revolutionise Islam, the pair explain that their work refers back to the time of Prophet Muhammad who surrounded himself with vocal women, female singers and poets. Following their interview, Pearls of Islam perform their beautiful track Mercy live.

Remona concludes that, while the controversy over female singers remains within certain quarters of her faith, these female singers are far from dangerous. For Remona, the real danger lies in stripping away an avenue of spiritual expression for women whose only aim is to reach out to the divine through music.

Presenter: Remona Aly
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b0bgw3cz)
Happy Chickens

Chicken is often the cheap form of protein we find in sandwich fillings and ready meals but at Fosse Meadows Farm Nick Ball and Jacob Sykes hope to challenge our view of this humble bird and put it back at the centre of the dinner table. Ruth Sanderson visits Nick and Jacob at their farm in South Leicestershire to discover why they believe letting chickens roam freely and slow-rearing the birds to 81 days is both a good choice for the ethical consumer and a better tasting roast dinner.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b0bgw2mb)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b0bgw2md)

The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b0bgw2mg)
Religious education, Recovery walks, Moral economy

Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme, presented by William Crawley.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b0bgw3d1)
Khulisa

Jon Snow makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Khulisa.

Registered Charity Number: 1120562,
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That's the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope 'Khulisa'.
- Cheques should be made payable to 'Khulisa'.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b0bgw2mj)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b0bgw2ml)

The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b0bgw6qg)
Let Us Adore

An anticipated ten thousand Catholics from across England and Wales gather in Liverpool for the first National Eucharistic Congress in 110 years. This unique event sees people of all backgrounds coming together in thought, prayer and reflection, focussing on the Sacrament of the Eucharist and how this central tenet of the Catholic faith has an impact on their lives and the world around them.

A dynamic element of the congress is the meeting of thousands of young people at Liverpool Echo Arena. The day is based around worship, with music from Jo Boyce and CJM Music and One Hope Collective. Reflections come from the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols and international speaker and author, Katie Prejean-McGrady. The Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, presides at the gathering. Producer: Katharine Longworth.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b0bgt9vq)
On Prefixes

Adam Gopnik on why the prefixes we use speak volumes about us.

The "pregnant prefix", Adam writes, "is now the giveaway of class identity - and class bound condescension. The "um"s, "like"s, "look"s, "well"s and particularly "so"s of the world tell all".

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b0bgw7lf)
Mark Whitley Countryman Takeover

Editor of The Countryman magazine Mark Whitley reveals how moving offices recently has opened up a whole new vista of bird species in this Tweet of the Day.

Mark begins his two weeks curating the back catalogue from Tweet of the Day. You can hear all five programmes chosen this week, and some thoughts from Mark and his passion for the natural world via the the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available via the Radio 4 Website.

Producer Andrew Dawes.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b0bgw2mn)

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 (b0bgw2mq)

There's yet another shock for Elizabeth and Helen fears for Henry.


SUN 11:15 The Reunion (b0bgw7lh)
Sierra Leone Civil War

In 1991, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attacked Sierra Leone from Liberia, backed by Charles Taylor, a warlord who later became Liberia's president. Their target was the rich alluvial diamond fields of Kono District, which would not only provide them with personal wealth, but facilitate the purchase of arms.

Amongst the catalogue of horrors that emanated from Sierra Leone in the decade-long civil war that followed was the forcible conscription of children, some as young as seven years old. Kidnapped by rebel forces or drawn into the Government's army, they were forced to become soldiers, human shields, spies and sex slaves.

The lowest point came on January 6 1999, when the rebels entered Freetown and began razing the city. In a hellish two-week period, thousands suffered amputation and more than 6,000 were killed. Eventually the rebel forces were driven out of Freetown by West African peacekeepers, but they also carried out despicable acts against the civilians they were supposed to be protecting.

Joining Sue MacGregor around the table to look back at the war and the subsequent pursuit of justice are Emmy-award winning camera-man Sorious Samura, who risked his life to film the systematic murder of his countrymen (his film Cry Freetown shocked the United Nations into sending 17,000 peacekeepers to Sierra Leone - the largest UN deployment at the time); former British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone Peter Penfold, who found himself as right-hand man to the country's beleaguered President Kabbah; and social activist Zainab Bangura, who spoke out against the atrocities committed by the RUF during the war.

Producer Emily Williams

Series Producer David Prest

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw2ms)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (b0bgpssx)
Series 82, Episode 5

Nicholas Parsons expertly corrals four Just a Minute regulars in the form of Paul Merton, Pam Ayres, Josie Lawrence and Julian Clary.

This week the rare achievement of an uninterrupted minute! But from who?

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b0bgw7lk)
The carnivore's guide to meat and fire

Meat, drink, fire and bands - every year top chefs gather in London for a hearty celebration that has become a carnivore's delight. Tim Hayward arrived fork in hand to see if there is any substance to the Meatopia craze. Lennox Hastie, 'Lord Logs' Mark Parr and the Hang Fire Barbecue Girls are among the names he interviews, while Genevieve Taylor reveals how easy it is to cook on fire back home. With music from Charlie Mingus, Wendy Rene and Fats Waller.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b0bgw2mv)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b0bgw2mx)

Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.


SUN 13:30 The Art of Now (b0bgw7lm)
Outsiders

"Art saved my life", says David Tovey.

He experienced homelessness, homophobia, and despair so deep that he killed himself - twice - before being resuscitated. His ongoing recovery is intertwined with his stunning visual and textile work, which has been showcased at Tate Liverpool, Tate Modern and Gloucester Cathedral.

But will David ever stop being an outsider artist? Does the ex-homeless label hinder him, or does it serve him?

Can anyone declare themselves an artist? David considers the so-called rules as he wonders how open the established art world is to outsiders. He leads an uncompromising - and at times uncomfortable - discussion about activism, criticism, exploitation, entitlement, preconception and power.

Contributors include:
Liv Wynter, artist, activist and writer
Matt Peacock, artistic director, Streetwise Opera
Tony Heaton, artist, sculptor and chair of Shape Arts
The White Pube (Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad), critics and curators
Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England

Producer: Steve Urquhart
A Boom Shakalaka production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b0bgt6y6)
Merseyside

Eric Robson and his panel of experts visit Merseyside. Bunny Guinness, Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew answer the audience questions.

This week the panelists offer advice on when to harvest sweet potatoes, what to grow in a semi-shaded patch, and how to tackle a nasty case of Pytophthora.

They also suggest uses for homemade compost, ways to spruce up a messy alleyway, and methods for clearing an allotment of brambles.

Bunny Guinness meets with Ed Bastow of Material Change to track where green waste goes after it's been taken to the tip.

Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b0bgw7vv)
Omnibus - Making a Difference

Fi Glover introduces conversations about dyslexia, body confidence and independent sperm donation. 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 (b08xx9tn)
Marathon Man

William Goldman's dark cult thriller about a student whose world is turned upside down by a Nazi dentist and a network of spies.

Dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.

Starring Jack Lowden, Ian McDiarmid and Tom Burke.

Directed by Kirsty Williams.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b0bgw8c6)
John Boyne, Mrs Gaskell revisited, Mutism in fiction

John Boyne talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new novel A Ladder to the Sky, a satirical look at the literary world.

What does Mrs Gaskell mean to young women today? Nell Stevens, author of a new book called Mrs Gaskell and Me, and Georgia Thurston, who is writing her PHD on Gaskell, explain.

Novelist Catherine Chanter explores the ways that mute characters can speak volumes in fiction.

And in our Reading Clinic, Peter F. Hamilton recommends six novels to help a listener learn about the science fiction genre.


SUN 16:30 Clarke's Psalter (b0bgw8vl)

A contemporary poet examines his process of engaging with the Psalms and scrutinises his belief that poetry is the most powerful means of negotiating and making sense of ourselves and the world today.

Edward Clarke charts his journey writing a collection of modern Psalms. It began with an accidental attempt to write a Psalm in rhyming couplets, but has become a compelling part of his life - getting up in the early hours every morning and juggling writing with commitments to family and teaching.

His poems are not translations but imitations that draw on his daily life and on the "holy book2 which he sees as central to a way of life.

His wife Francesca observes her husband's commitment to the project, and how his poetry provides him with a means to critique the modern world. She concludes that, while she prefers life to poetry, Edward seems to prefer poetry to life.

Edward writes according to the old rhythms of English poetry, and uses old stanzas as well as inventing his own in the manner of the Sidneys, John Donn, and George Herbert. This attention to form embodies his hope that his Psalter will outlive other contemporary poets.

He writes out of a conviction that the role of poetry is to negotiate the boundaries between the material world and spiritual realms - an attempt to wake himself up as much as his audience.

Throughout the programme we also hear a developing sound track by the Italian Composer Corrado Fantoni who is setting some of Edward Clarke's poems to music.

Producer: Anna Scott-Brown
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 The Last Enemy (b0bgrhy1)

Of all the horrors of the Great War of 1914-1918, perhaps the worst was saved for the end. Writer Nicholas Rankin tracks how the outbreak of influenza in the late summer of 1918 turned into the worst pandemic since the Black Death of the 1340s. Ten million died in WW1, but the 'flu virus' of a century ago killed between 50 and 100 million people in every corner of the globe. In that last year of the war scientists understood bacteria and the germ theory of disease, but they did not have the technology to see viruses, let alone understand them. The unique conditions of the First World War gave the flu virus unparalleled opportunities to reproduce and kill. Millions of healthy young men, packed together into troopships, crowded in camps and trenches, living in battlefields contaminated by poison gases, were like a giant petri dish. Soldiers died like flies, but civilians who flocked together to celebrate the Armistice on 11th November 1918 also infected each other. Modern transport - steamships, railways, bicycles in Africa - helped deadly influenza spread world-wide as troops returned home at the war's end. Once dubbed 'the forgotten pandemic' it is now being re-researched by scientists and historians who wish to learn its lessons for today. In the 1970s, the writer Richard Collier advertised in the newspapers of 29 countries asking for survivors' stories, and in the Imperial War Museum Nicholas Rankin leafs through his huge archive of vivid replies. He also travels to Dublin to hear about the impact of the pandemic in Ireland. And he learns how influenza devastated native peoples worldwide, particularly in Polynesia, where a quarter of the population of Western Samoa died.
PRODUCER: MARK BURMAN.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b0bgvdmh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2mz)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b0bgw2n1)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgw2n3)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b0bgw2n5)
Liz Barclay

Liz Barclay chooses her BBC Radio highlights.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b0bgw9wf)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting.


SUN 19:15 Michael Frayn's Matchbox Theatre (b06r8cjk)
Episode 3

Michael Frayn: the most comic philosophical writer of our time. An all-star cast has great fun with his hilarious view of us all. People talking. To each other, to themselves. To no one. Trying to communicate. To explain.

In Episode 3, a controlling theatre director (Alex Jennings) thinks he can direct anything. Lloyd Owen and Rosalind Ayres talk to each other on their mobiles, yards apart. Patricia Hodge and Roger Allam can't agree on how to deal with household repairs. And Matthew Wolf decides to take a short break from this very programme. Ian Ogilvy, Julia McKenzie, Julian Sands and Sophie Winkleman attend an unusual Memorial, and Janie Dee and Richard Sisson enjoy a musical invitation list. Martin Jarvis lectures on being 'quite clear'.

So no worries about queuing up to get a drink in the interval or finding the loo. We're on the radio - the theatre of the listener's imagination. Sit back and enjoy.

Episode 3 cast: Alex Jennings, Patricia Hodge, Roger Allam, Rosalind Ayres, Mathew Wolf, Ian Ogilvy, Julia McKenzie, Sophie Winkleman, Julian Sands, Janie Dee, Richard Sisson, Martin Jarvis

Written by Michael Frayn

Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:45 Annika Stranded (b0bgw9wh)
Series 4, Eight Bells

Eight new cases to challenge the detective wit of Annika Strandhed, queen of the Oslo Police boat patrol.

Since we last met her, Annika has been promoted to Chief Inspector. Her first act was - apart from choosing a new speedboat - to co-opt Mikel, her forensic photographer of choice, to accompany her. Her son Tor is about to start school.

Being Chief Inspector means a bigger case-load. What follows will test her physically and emotionally as never before.

Episode 4: Eight Bells
Annika is sent to Sandefjord where a body has been found at the harbour front.

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 previous series of Annika Stranded were broadcast in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

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 (b0bgt6yd)
Heart age calculator; Danish sperm imports; The size of the services sector; The 'safest car on the road'; Counting goats.

Public Health England says people over 30 should take an online test to find out their heart age, which indicates if they are at increased risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke. But how useful is the online calculator really? Loyal listeners have been querying the results. Tim Harford speaks to Margaret McCartney, GP and regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Inside Health.

Does Britain rely on imports of Danish sperm?

A listener contacted the programme to say they'd heard on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 80% of the UK economy is services. Could that really be right, they asked. We speak to Jonathan Athow from the Office for National Statistics to find out whether the claim is correct (Clue: it is).

And are there really more statues of goats than women in the UK?

Producer: Ruth Alexander.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b0bgt6yb)
Burt Reynolds, Lord Peter Melchett, Rita Borsellino, Ajit Wadekar

Pictured: Burt Reynolds

Matthew Bannister on

The prolific career of the movie star Burt Reynolds. The 'Deliverance' director John Boorman pays tribute.

The environmental campaigner Lord Melchett who, as executive director of Greenpeace, was arrested during a protest against GM crops.

The Italian anti-mafia campaigner Rita Borsellino who took up the cause after her brother was killed by a car bomb.

And the Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadeker, who led the national side to victory against the West Indies and England in the 1970s.

Archive clips from: Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 30/01/2000; Outlook, World Service 16/03/2017; Test Match Special: Seasons To Savour, Radio 4 1971.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b0bgv8tv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b0bgw3d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b0bggnbm)
How Sex Toys Became Sexy

Do you own a sex toy? And if so, would you admit it to your friends? Increasingly, the answer to both questions is yes.

Once a seedy mail-order product advertised in the back pages of porn magazines, sex toys today are marketed as a fun way for couples to enhance their relationships. And in the process, the global sales of these objects of arousal have grown exponentially into the billions of dollars.

Laurence Knight explores how this came about, speaking to industry pioneers such as Sam Roddick, Doc Johnson and LoveHoney. And he travels to China, where many of them are manufactured.

Produced and presented by Laurence Knight.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b0bgw2n7)

Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b0bgrw46)
Desiree Akhavan on The Miseducation Of Cameron Post

With Antonia Quirke.

Desiree Akhavan discusses her new film about gay conversion therapy, The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, and her misgivings about lesbian drama Blue Is The Warmest Colour.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b0bgw2m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2018

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw2py)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Short Cuts (b0b7fj32)
Series 16, The Other Side

Josie Long hears stories of crossing over to the other side - from radio waves permeating political barriers to the migratory routes of eels.

Radio 100
Featuring Leslie Rosin, Cornelia Saxe and Gregor Schuster
Produced by Leo Hornak

The Other Side
Featuring Laura Barton

The Last Night
Featuring Anny Shaw
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft

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


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b0bgw3cx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2q0)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw2q2)

MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2q4)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw2q6)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bjnkm9)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b0bgw2q8)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:56 Weather (b0bgw2qb)

The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b038qk4j)
Great Spotted Woodpecker

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

Brett Westwood presents the Great Spotted woodpecker. In spring Great Spotted Woodpeckers drum loudly with their bills against tree bark to advertise their territories. Unlike many of our woodland birds, which are declining, Great Spotted Woodpeckers have increased rapidly over the last few decades - up to 250% since the 1970's.


MON 06:00 Today (b0bgw2qd)

News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b0bh423z)
The Reality of War

The Vietnam War was a 30-year conflict in which three million people died and the reputations of successive US presidents were wrecked. Max Hastings tells Andrew Marr about the extraordinary political meddling, strategic failure and lack of compassion that characterises that war.

The historian Helen Parr was seven years old in 1982 when her uncle was killed in the Falklands War. She brings to life his experiences in the Parachute Regiment, often known as the Paras, an elite fighting force founded in 1940.

The former head of the British Army Richard Dannatt, looks at the present health of the military - and considers the difficulties that lie ahead.

While the Defence Editor of The Times newspaper, Deborah Haynes, scrutinises the defence budget and criticises the prevailing media and public narrative of the soldier as hero or victim.

Producer: Katy Hickman.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b0bh4241)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine, Power

Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts? Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms which can be found behind almost every aspect of our modern lives. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.

Written and read by Hannah Fry
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0bgw2qg)
Kate Atkinson, Cricket Builds Hope, Deborah Harkness

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh4243)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 1

A new series of AL Kennedy's comic drama starring Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall as John and Maggie attempting to give love one more chance.
Their tempestuous relationship means they couldn't manage a week's holiday together so how is John going to persuade Maggie that they have a future?

Written by AL Kennedy
Directed by Sally Avens.


MON 11:00 Divine Power: The Search for the Dalai Lama (b0b86bpq)

Cambridge anthropologist David Sneath examines the past, present and future of the institution of the Dalai Lama. He reports from the Himalayan foothills of India, home of the exiled Tibetan leader.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet is one of the world's most famous religious figures. He has tens of thousands of followers around the world, even though his image and name is banned in his native Tibet.

As the Dalai Lama prepares to celebrate his 83rd birthday, David Sneath travels to Dharamsala in the foothills of the Himalayas in India. He meets the present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, in his residence overlooking the plains of India and talks to leading members of the Tibetan community in exile.

David explores the colourful history of the Dalai Lama from the 14th Century. He describes the significance of Mongolia in the creation of the Dalai Lamas. He looks at the traditional role of the Dalai Lamas inside Tibet and considers the extraordinary transformation of the current Dalai Lama, as he became the rallying point for exiled Tibetans following the Chinese military takeover of Tibet in the late 1950s.

The present Dalai Lama has wide-ranging interests - from environmental issues to women's rights. He takes a passionate interest in science and in promoting secular ethics and interfaith dialogue around the world. He is famed for his humour and for his work as a scholar monk with a rigorous and sometimes austere spiritual regime.

There is much speculation on whether the title of Dalai Lama might end with the current incumbent. He has both hinted that there will be another Dalai Lama and also suggested that the title might finish with him. Either way, the death of the present Dalai Lama would almost certainly cause anguish around the world and provoke new conflict with China. The Chinese controversially chose their own version of Tibet's second most prominent religious figure - the Panchen Lama - even though the Tibetans had already selected someone else. That Tibetan choice, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, has mysteriously disappeared.

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 11:30 Believe It! (b0bh4245)
Series 4, Money

A fourth series of Richard Wilson's Radiography in which writer Jon Canter delves into the true and not so true nooks and crannies of Richard's life and works.

Cast:
Richard Wilson - himself
Ian McKellen - himself
David Tennant - himself
Anthony Sher - himself
Miriam Margolyesi - herself
Kathy Clugston - herself
Aunt Hilda - Sandra Voe
Cashman - Elliot Levy
Angela Carey - Nesba Crenshaw

Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw2qj)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 A History of Ideas (b05nt099)
How Do I Live a Good Life?

A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices.

Each week Melvyn is joined by four guests with different backgrounds to discuss a really big question. This week he's asking 'How do I live a good life'?

Helping him answer it are historian Justin Champion, neuropsychologist Paul Broks , theologian Naomi Appleton and philosopher Jules Evans.

For the rest of the week Jules, Paul, Justin and Naomi will take us further into the history of ideas about the good life with programmes of their own. Between them they will examine Aristotle's idea of flourishing, selfishness, the Protestant work ethic and Buddhism's Four Noble Truths.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby.


MON 12:15 You and Yours (b0bgw2ql)
Building skills, Bookshop takeover, New chocolate

News and discussion of consumer affairs.


MON 12:57 Weather (b0bgw2qn)

The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b0bgw2qq)

Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


MON 13:45 The New Age of Capitalism (b0bh4247)
The Intangible Economy

Why can't some of the most profitable companies in the world be valued? From fitness classes to global tech firms and coffee chains, Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake reveal the growing dominance of the intangible economy and the implications for society, equality and productivity. David Grossman tells ten stories which help explain the world of contemporary capitalism.

Producer: Diane Richardson
Editor: Hugh Levinson.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b0bgw9wf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b081t6xc)
Superstar Me

By Jessica Mitic

Laura's come to Thailand for the parties and the selfies, while Mike's here for the culture. They make unlikely travelling companions. And before long Laura's quest for online approval lands them in hot water.

A romantic comedy about travel, social media and living in the moment. Starring Gwyneth Keyworth (Misfits), Liam Williams (Together) and William Thomas (Gavin and Stacey). Jessica Mitic (née Brown) is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers programme. Her debut play Chocolate Bounty won the Write Now New Writing Competition and premiered at The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre to great reviews. Jessica then won the competition for the second year running with her play Skinhead. Her first play for Radio 4, Lost or Stolen, was part of the Original British Dramatists season, broadcast in 2014.

Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.


MON 15:00 Counterpoint (b0bh431d)
Series 32, Heat 6, 2018

(6/13)
Paul Gambaccini is in Salford for the latest heat of the wide-ranging music quiz. The competitors have no idea whether they'll be asked about opera, Broadway musicals, 1980s pop hits, minimalism, classic soul or nostalgic TV themes. Whatever their individual strengths, they have a love of music in common - and the winner will be the one who can demonstrate the widest knowledge across the board, and make the cleverest choice of special musical topic in the individual round.

Taking part today are:
Sue Bates, a former schoolteacher from Loughborough
Bill Cawley, a supermarket checkout operator from Leek in Staffordshire
Roger Mason, a nurse from Littleborough in Lancashire.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b0bgw7lk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Art of Now (b0bh431g)
Atmosfears

Three Japanese poets create new work in a landscape shaped by a dark past.

The world is shaped by the words we give to it. Locations across the globe are coloured by our own thoughts and feelings towards them. We worship and sanctify certain areas while dreading, demonising and recoiling away from others.

In certain places, the layers of words are so close to the surface that we cannot ignore them. They are palpable, alive and tangible.

This is the Atmosfear.

A group of poets have chosen to travel to one of these locations with a tragic history. Here, they try to overcome the negative vibrations that persist by reconnecting with the land underneath.

Poet and translator Jordan Smith travels with Yasuhiro Yotsumoto, Takako Arai and Sayaka Osaki to the Aokigahara forest in Japan.

The Japanese nickname given to it is Jukai - meaning Sea of Trees. It is a site where many people have taken their own lives. Initially, they converse about what this landscape says to each of them individually - but most importantly they discuss the new words, the new meaning and the new story they want to write onto it. They then write original works of poetry and come together to read them to one another.

As a group, they decide what Atmosfear they think should be left behind.

Produced by Anishka Sharma and Barney Savage
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b0bh431j)
Disability

The issue of why a loving God would create a world full of suffering has exercised the minds of the world's greatest thinkers. How can you reconcile a loving God with dreadful illnesses for which there is no known cure? For millions who live with disability it is no mere academic question. If they are men and women of faith, they have to wrestle with this question on a daily basis. Developments in science now allow expectant parents to make informed choices based on scientific evidence about whether to allow a severely disabled baby to come to full term. Is this a good thing? Or are we heading down a morally slippery slope? How can religion and disability make sense of each other? Ernie Rea discusses these questions with three guests who all live with a disability: Amoghavajra, who is ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order; Rev Zoe Heming, a Church of England priest and the broadcast journalist Ahmad Bostan.
Producer: Helen Lee.


MON 17:00 PM (b0bgw2qs)

Coverage and analysis of the day's news.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgw2qv)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b0bh431l)
Series 82, Episode 6

Year 51 and Series 82 of the nationally treasured panel game. In this episode Nicholas Parsons introduces another four dynamic players of the game, Paul Merton, Sheila Hancock, Jan Ravens and Rufus Hound.

Bad apples and pasta are on the menu this week.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b0bh431n)

Emma hatches a plan to help the family and Helen has a radical solution.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b0bgw2qx)

Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh4243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 The New Age of Consent (b0bh4361)
Re-writing the Rules

Actress and broadcaster Jameela Jamil tackles the explosive conversation around sexual assault to determine what consent in sex and relationships should look like in a modern, digital world.

The recent sexual assault allegations that have surfaced from the #MeToo movement have radically changed how men and women view consent. The invisible contracts that get passed between sexual partners have begun to feel outdated for many.

With every new story that comes out, a series of opinion articles are published overnight. Broadcaster Jameela Jamil joined the conversation - and her concise, blunt and cutting article spread like wildfire across social media. In this two-part series, Jameela asks if our legal and moral interpretation of "consent" is no longer fit for purpose, particularly for a new social media and sexually literate generation that behaves differently, and expects different standards of behaviour.

In this second episode, Jameela explores what fundamental aspects of society need to change in order to bring about a form of consent that works for all. She looks at education, asking at what age consent should be taught to children, and considers whether the fact our wider lives play out in a non-consensual society ultimately translates into our sex lives.

Produced by Anishka Sharma
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b0bgrw3r)
Nevada's Brothels Face the Axe

In parts of Nevada, prostitution is legal - the only such state in the US. The 'live and let live mentality' is a hangover from the gold rush days and in certain counties, brothels have been officially licensed since 1971. Today no fewer than seven of them are owned by one man, Dennis Hof, a gun-toting restaurateur, entrepreneur and reality TV star. He calls himself the "Trump from Pahrump," - after a town where he recently won the Republican primaries for the Nevada State Legislature. Now though, there is a backlash from religious and social activists who have managed to get a referendum on the ballot during this November's mid-term elections. Voters in Lyon County will be asked if the legal brothels there should be allowed to continue to operate - and ultimately, the campaigners aim to end legal sex work across the whole state. They say it is an exploitative, abusive trade and prevents other businesses from investing in the area. But some sex workers are worried that a ban could push them onto the streets where they would face potential danger. Lucy Ash talks to Dennis Hof, the women who work for him, and those who are pushing for change.

Producer Mike Gallagher.


MON 21:00 Natural Histories (b0bgq6f4)
Dog

Dogs have changed us and we've changed them. Brett Westwood visits Battersea to meet the animals whose history is most inextricably linked with our own. And in the process very nearly loses a furry microphone cover to an enthusiastic lurcher named Trevor (pictured above)... As the first domestic animals, dogs made it possible for humans to spread into the areas of the world that they did, to eat more protein and to take up activities from hunting to sledding. But it was only in the Victorian period that the dogs we know today were "invented", by breeding. And throughout all of this dogs have also been changing human lives as companions.
Producer Beth O'Dea
Taking part:
Professor Greger Larson, Director Palaeogenomics & Bio-Archaeology Research Network, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Dr John Bradshaw, anthrozoologist and author of In Defence of Dogs and The Animals Among Us
Susan McHugh, Professor of English at the University of New England
Naomi Sykes, Lawrence Professor of Archaeology at the University of Exeter
Julie-Marie Strange, Professor of British History at the University of Manchester
Dr Krithika Srinivasan, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Edinburgh.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b0bh423z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b0bgw2qz)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0bh4363)
Transcription, Episode 6

Taking place during WWII, Kate Atkinson's new novel puts idealism on the spot and asks who can be trusted when loyalty is pushed to its limits.

In 1940 Juliet is about to be given one last undercover mission by her unlikely new fiancé Perry Gibbons.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


MON 23:00 The Literary Adventures of Mr Brown (b071vjrt)
Episode 2

Imagine if London's genteel literary scene had a bit more swag and a gangsta's lean. You've just imagined The Literary Adventures of Mr. Brown.

With the help of his naively affable intern, Charlie, the heroic, absurd and frankly bad-ass Kurtis Brown fights for his clients in London's entertainment industry.

When you need your fights fought and your books bought, who are you going to call? The best damn literary agent in the world, Kurtis Brown. He'll solve all your problems... For 15%.

Written and performed by Chris Gau and Mike Orton-Toliver

Producer: Zoe Rocha
Executive Producer: Ralf Little

A Little Rock production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:15 The Celebrity Voicemail Show (b08dnws2)
Series 2, Episode 2

The Celebrity Voicemail Show is an entirely fictitious comedy show written, improvised and starring only Kayvan Novak in which he imagines what it might be like to hear the answerphone messages of the rich and famous.

This week we listened to Nigel Farage's voicemail as he flies off to America.

The producer was Matt Stronge.

A BBC Studios production.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0bh43fv)

Sean Curran reports from Westminster.



TUESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2018

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw2ss)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b0bh4241)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2sv)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw2sx)

TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2sz)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw2t1)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bjnnf1)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b0bgw2t3)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09dxz18)
Dermot O'Leary on the Coal Tit

Since his early teens, presenter Dermot O'Leary has into birdlife and from his kitchen in Central London he loves gazing into the garden and watching the effort small birds like the coal tit put in as they troop back and forth from the bird feeders.

Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photo: Tom McKibbin.


TUE 06:00 Today (b0bgw2t5)

News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Living for the City (b0bh440w)
Series 1, Corinne Bailey Rae

Singer songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae on why she's chosen to stay in Leeds, her home city, to live and work.

"I'm always singing in my head when I'm walking... I think the rhythm of walking is very musical. I still find it helps me to write songs so there are places I return to over and over again..."

In Living for the City, musicians take the listener on a personal tour of a city they love - exploring how buildings and street corners, train lines and park views hold stories of heartache and inspiration as they project their inner worlds onto the canvas of the city.

Corinne Bailey Rae grew up in Leeds, the eldest of three girls. In her teens, after initially starting out on the violin, a youth leader bought her a guitar and encouraged her to form a band. But it was as a solo artist that she found fame - quickly - with Put Your Records On.

Corinne takes us to Leeds Town Hall, where she first performed as a nine year old with her violin. She recalls her last gig, where family and friends were part of a huge celebration of her music. Gigs for her are now a semi-spiritual experience.

Church and faith were a huge part of Corinne's life growing up and continue to run as a thread through her work. She takes us to the bus stop which was her whole world as a teenager - waiting to get to school, to town, to church. And she reflects on the tragic death of her first husband and its impact on her music as she journeys through the city.

Corinne's profile is now so international that she spends part of each year in the United States. It can feel surreal, moving between Stevie Wonder in LA and returning to Leeds - but she always does return because her sense of belonging and identity are grounded in the city.

(Photo credit: Chris Turner)
Produced by Rachel Hooper
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b0bh44d1)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine, Data

Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts? Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms behind almost every aspect of our modern lives; lifting the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.

Data: In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, can our personal information ever be safe online?

Written and read by Hannah Fry
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0bgw2t7)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh44t3)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 2

John may have moved in with Maggie but how can she get the rest of the village to accept her unconventional lover?
AL Kennedy's comic drama about love in later life when you're older but not necessarily any wiser starring Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall.

Written by AL Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens.


TUE 11:00 Natural Histories (b0bh44t5)
Orchid

Mark Flowers is a wildlife film maker and a man with a passion for orchids. He has been collecting and growing orchids since he was a child - and as he guides Brett round his collection he reveals just how these stunningly beautiful plants have captivated him over the years. The story of our relationship with Orchids is a story of obsession, money, deceit, beauty, femme fatales, ghosts deception and let's be honest, sex. Orchid flowers come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes - but they all have one thing in common - they have evolved to maximise their chances of luring a pollinator and be fertilised - and they do so with such style! It's easy to see why have they captivated and lured us too! Producer Sarah Blunt.

Contributors
Chris Cleal - Head of Botany at the National Museum Wales
Mark Flowers - Wildlife filmmaker and keen orchid grower
Amy Hinsley - Researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme and a member of the IUCN's Orchid Specialist Group.
Karl Kusserow - John Wilmerding Curator, Princeton University Art Museum
Susan Orlean - staff writer at the New Yorker magazine and author of eight books including The Orchid Thief.
Jacob Phelps - lecturer at the Environment Centre at Lancaster University and a member of the IUCN's Orchid Specialist Group.
Fiona Stafford - Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford
And the reader is Elizabeth Counsell.


TUE 11:30 Sound Lines (b0bh44tt)
Series 1, The Tropic of Capricorn

We experience and understand music through genre - it's organised through playlists, the live gigs we go to, the records we buy. But what if we listened to the world in a different way?

In a four-part series, music broadcaster Verity Sharp listens along latitudinal lines, hearing local stories that are having a direct impact on music and musicians. Could there be echoes along these "sound lines"? Might music that's created thousands of miles apart, but on the same latitude, share common ground? And can listening in this way allow us to understand the impact of the vast and often immeasurable forces that are changing our planet?

In the first episode, we circumnavigate the globe along the Tropic of Capricorn, hearing three stories.

Teila Watson, aka Ancestress, is a Birri Gubba Wiri and Kungalu Murri woman from Queensland, Australia. She sings and raps about the colonisation and industrialisation of land that her people have lived on for tens of thousands of years, surviving ice ages and fluctuating sea levels.

Alfredinho runs a samba café in Rio de Janeiro, a city struggling under the weight of severe austerity measures and economic hardship. Local journalist Sofia Perpétua pays him a visit.

And Pearl is a young professional and mother, living on the outskirts of Gaborone, Botswana. But she's leading a double life, and lets us into the musical subculture she adores, but which is seen as controversial by many in Botswanan society.

Producer: Chris Elcombe
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw2t9)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 A History of Ideas (b05nv3t8)
Philosopher Jules Evans on Aristotle and Flourishing

Philosopher Jules Evans wants to prove there's been a revival of Aristotle's ideas about flourishing and how to live a good life. "These ideas, which many of you might think are a bit dusty, they are central to modern politics, so the National Office of Statistics now measures national eudaimonic wellbeing, their flourishing."
To prove his point he visits Gus O'Donnell, former head of the civil service, who explains: "If you think of one thing governments could do, it would be to get rid of misery. Making multi-millionaires a little happier, to me that's not one the pressing public policy issues of our age."
And James O'Shaughnessy explains why he's helping to set up a chain of schools called Floreat based on Aristotle's flourishing concept.
Jules Evans is the author of Philosophy for Life.
The producer is Miles Warde.


TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b0bgw2tc)
Call You and Yours

Consumer phone-in.


TUE 12:56 Weather (b0bgw2tf)

The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b0bgw2th)

Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


TUE 13:45 The New Age of Capitalism (b0bjp0mn)
Episode 2: The Attention Economy

Feeling the need to check your smartphone, like or post on social media? Then you're part of the attention economy. David Grossman discovers why it's so hard to resist the billion-dollar industry of digital distraction.

David talks to Tim Wu, author of 'The Attention Merchants, The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads' and former Google executive James Williams, author of 'Stand Out of Our Light, Freedom and Persuasion in the Attention Economy'.

Producer: Diane Richardson
Editor: Hugh Levinson.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b0bh431n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b0bh454h)
In Vino Veritas

Lenny Henry plays Reverend Marcus Campbell, a charismatic pastor with an adoring congregation. But has all the success gone to his head?

Reverend Marcus Campbell ..... Lenny Henry
June Campbell ..... Nadine Marshall
Jesus ..... John Bradley
Deacon Edwards ..... Peter Bankolé
Mrs Dawson ..... Martina Laird
Cornell Dawson ..... McKell David
Tailor/Homeless Man ..... Sean Murray
Homeless Guy 1/ Group Leader ..... Lewis Bray
Homeless Guy 2 ..... Cameron Percival
Homeless Guy 3 ..... Liam Lau Fernandez
Homeless Woman ..... Elizabeth Counsell
Sat Nav ..... Emma Handy
Emergency Services ..... Ryan Whittle
Mourner ..... Jeanette Percival

Director ..... Mary Peate
Writer ..... Lenny Henry

In addition to Lenny Henry's array of other achievements - as a comedian, an actor, a diversity campaigner, as co-founder of Comic Relief and more, Sir Lenny is having great success as a playwright. His autobiographical TV drama 'Danny and the Human Zoo' was broadcast on Channel 4 last year to great acclaim, this is the fifth play Sir Lenny has written for Radio 4, and there are more film and TV projects in the pipeline.


TUE 15:00 Tara and George (b0bh454k)
Episode 5: The Long, Hot Summer

Life on the streets is hard and precarious but every soul who sleeps on a pavement has a story. Tara and George is a six-part series exploring the lives of two people in their late forties who sleep rough in London's Spitalfields. It asks the simple questions - what led them there and why do they remain?

Journalist Audrey Gillan has come to know them as neighbours in this diverse and fashionable area of the capital, and has been recording her conversations with Tara and George for nearly two years.

In this fifth episode, Tara and George endure the hottest summer the country has experienced for years, Tara carries signs of having suffered an assault and George, his health visibly deteriorating, returns increasingly often to his hostel.

Written and presented by Audrey Gillan
Produced by Audrey Gillan and Johnny Miller
Original music by Francis Macdonald
Series Producer: Alan Hall

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b0bh454m)
Verity and the Bees

Verity Sharp wants to keep bees. She already grows her own organic fruit and vegetables. To pollinate her garden and provide delicious honey, bees seem like the perfect addition. And then there's the warm glow of righteousness to look forward to- bees are in trouble and she'll be doing her bit.

Or will she? As Verity seeks out the best advice on beekeeping she quickly discovers moral, philosophical and environmental problems to swerve, alongside the practical issues she'd been expecting. Could honeybees be in competition with hard-pressed wild pollinators? Will her hive actually reduce the insect diversity of her corner of the British countryside?

Producer: Alasdair Cross.


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b0bh454p)
Stephen Fry and Michael Rosen talk language

Stephen Fry talks to presenter Michael Rosen about their mutual obsession with language: the particular joys they both find in speech and in writing and how language is developing. Starting at the very beginning with Stephen's theory about where a facility with words may come from, then dashing through the joy of finding connections between words in different languages, of listening to the rhythms of music-hall patter, in telephone voicemail messages and in rap, to sketch-writing with Hugh Laurie, presenting QI, the essential seriousness of comedy, the virtues of email and text as opposed to the sheer horror of having to talk on the telephone, and one time when Stephen's famous fluency broke down..
Producer Beth O'Dea.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b0bh454t)
Series 46, Cherie Blair on Dame Rose Heilbron

For Cherie Blair, leading barrister and QC, picking her great life was simple - her role model is Rose Heilbron, England's first woman judge.
When Cherie was growing up in Liverpool, Rose Heilbron was always the name that excited her grandmother the most. Rose was a barrister and when she was arguing a case before a jury in her home city, Cherie Blair's grandmother would follow her cases avidly, sometimes from the public gallery. Then she would come back and tell young Cherie all about what had gone on. And so Heilbron became a great example of what a Liverpool girl could achieve in the law.
And she had a remarkable career - first woman in silk, first to lead in a murder case, first woman treasurer of Gray's Inn.
Cherie is joined in the studio by Hilary Heilbron QC , daughter and the author of the biography: 'Rose Heilbron , Legal Pioneer of the 20th century'; plus Dr John Tribe - senior lecturer in law from the University of Liverpool.

The presenter is Matthew Parris and the producer is Perminder Khatkar.


TUE 17:00 PM (b0bgw2tk)

Coverage and analysis of the day's news.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bfsq4v)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Start/Stop (b07myyr1)
Series 3, Tinder

Start/Stop is a sitcom by Jack Docherty about three marriages in various states of disrepair.

Barney and Cathy have been married for ages and it shows, Evan and Fiona's marriage is one big, noisy argument and David is old enough to be Alice's father.

Start/Stop follows the story of these three couples as they try to make the best of their marriages and friendships, and the characters are able to stop the action, explain themselves to the audience and start it all up again.

This week: 'Tinder'. Barney and Cathy come up with a plan to find out which of them is the most attractive. What could possibly go wrong? Meanwhile Alice has joined a life drawing class but husband David is jealous and wants to replace the person sitting for it.

Written by: Jack Docherty
Producer: Claire Jones

A BBC Studio Production.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b0bh4684)

Jim digs himself a hole and Brian is rumbled.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b0bgw2tp)

Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh44t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Politics Supreme (b0bh4686)

James Naughtie examines how the retirement this summer of a single Justice on the US Supreme Court could dramatically reshape the United States.

The Supreme Court was once derided as the third branch of government, but in recent years it has become the busiest and most powerful institution in American politics. With the Justices' black robes, sober judgments and air of mystique, people often imagine that the Court acts simply as an impartial arbiter in the American body politic. But that has rarely been true, and in recent decades the Court has become a battleground for some of the most contentious issues in American society, from abortion and contraception to civil and voting rights, affirmative action and immigration reform.

The latest vacancy on the Court offers President Trump a once-in-a-generation opportunity to dramatically alter its ideological composition. In this programme James travels to Boston to hear from those whose lives might be affected. He speaks to the Massachusetts Attorney General suing the federal government over issues as varied as healthcare, the environment and immigration. He hears from gun owners excited by the chance to extend their right to own weapons, from opponents of affirmative action who believe their time has now come, and from LGBT advocates concerned that their task may get a lot more difficult.

And as he makes his way to Washington, DC, and to the foot of the Court's marble steps, he speaks to historians about how the Court came to be so central in American public life, to lawyers about how the court operates, and to politicians about how the current dysfunction in Washington is pushing the Court to take on more contentious cases and what that might mean for the country.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b0bgw2tr)

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.


TUE 21:00 On and Off the Valley Lines (b0b64r4d)
Change

Marsha Owen presents the stories of those who live and work along the rail network that fans out from Cardiff up into the South Wales Valleys.

Broadly covering the ex-coalfield of South Wales, the Valleys is a collection of towns and villages ranged along, and separated by, hills and mountains. Running roughly north to south, the Valley Lines connects these towns and villages to each other - and to the growing city of Cardiff on the south coast.

Trains can offer up a slice of life, a window onto a world - glimpsed back gardens, frozen street scenes, snatches of lives and overheard conversations - and the Valley Lines provide an opening onto the people and places - and the culture and economics - of this region, defined by its geography.

As resistant to generalisations as any place, the meaning of the Valleys depends upon who you ask: a collection of deeply rooted communities with an enviable sense of cohesion and identity; a cradle of industrial and socialist history; a sublime natural resource and increasingly a rural playground; a predicament to be confronted, a problem to be solved.

And certain statistics do seem to back up this last concern: according to metrics of deprivation and economic inactivity, of educational attainment, health and life expectancy, the problems in the Valleys seem very real.

It's easy to be blinded by these statistics. And one proffered solution to 'the problem of the Valleys' that surfaces from time to time calls for, effectively, a managed clearance of large parts of the area, to rewild them, creating a tourist-focused region comparable perhaps to the Lake District.

One response to these intentions can stand as a premise for these programmes: what about the people?

It's a story usually told in a current affairs context, but these programmes hope to loosen that form to tell part of the story of the Valleys through the Valley Lines railway, its passengers and passers-by.

Producer: Martin Williams.


TUE 21:30 Living for the City (b0bh440w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b0bgw2tt)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0bh4688)
Transcription, Episode 7

Taking place during WWII, Kate Atkinson's new novel puts idealism on the spot and asks who can be trusted when loyalty is pushed to its limits.

It's 1950 and Juliet's occasional work running a safe house for the Security Service allows her to investigate the threatening note she has received.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


TUE 23:00 Agendum (b0bh468b)
Series 1, Threat

Current affairs parody and stupidly feasible visit to the 24-hour Hall Of Opinion Mirrors. Because there are two stories to every story .

The very young, the very old and Stevenage all come under the microscope of talking, collimated by Alexandra Palisades in this parody created by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris

With Carrie Quinlan as Alexandra Palisades and also starring:
Justin Edwards
Melanie Hudson
Simon Kane
Jess Robinson
Luke Sumner
Tony Way

Written by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris

Produced by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0bgw2tw)

All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.



WEDNESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2018

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw2ws)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b0bh44d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2wv)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw2wx)

WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2wz)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw2x1)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bjnp0h)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b0bgw2x3)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bks90)
Jack Snipe

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 Jack Snipe. The song of the Jack snipe has been likened to the sound of a distant horse cantering along a road. To hear it though, you need to visit Scandinavian bogs and mires where these small waders breed. When the ice seals their northern breeding areas jack snipes head south and west and many winter in the British Isles.


WED 06:00 Today (b0bgw2x5)

Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 The Sound Odyssey (b0bh51zc)
Series 1, Nadine Shah travels to Beirut

The Sound Odyssey is a new series in which Gemma Cairney takes British artists for musical collaborations in different countries around the world, hearing the musicians in a new light, and exposing their artistic process as they create something new in different and unfamiliar surroundings with an artist they have never met before.

In the first of a series of journeys Nadine Shah a British Muslim artist travels to Beirut, to collaborate with Lebanese singer songwriter and musicologist Youmna Saba. The challenge will be for them to create a track together in Beirut in just two days.

Both have very different musical styles and cultural heritages. Nadine was born in Whitburn, South Tyneside, to an English mother of part-Norwegian ancestry and a Pakistani father. Her music is very much inspired by conflict, immigration, and cultural and religious identity, and her latest Mercury Prize nominated album, Holiday Destination was written about the Syrian refugee crisis. Although Nadine's lyrics have been very much inspired by the conflict in Syria she has never been to the Middle East.

Youmna Saba holds a master's degree in Musicology, focusing mainly on the parallels between classical Arabic music and Arabic visual art. She is a part-time instructor at the musicology department at the Antonine University. Her sound borrows elements from the Arabic music tradition, and blends them with electronic treatments, sonic textures and loops.

They will meet and collaborate in Beirut, a city once ravaged by civil war that has been gaining a reputation as a burgeoning cultural hub where cultural and religious diversity sits side by side.

Once dubbed "the Paris of the Middle East", the Lebanese capital is a beautiful and daringly hopeful vision of what the future of the region might hold - A city of new ideas -art, fashion, political movements, multiculturalism and a thriving music scene.

Whilst in the city Gemma Cairney meets local artists including Dima Matta the host of Cliffhangers, a storytelling group and platform which offers a safe space for people to express themselves in a country where this is very problematic and censorship is very much a real thing. And we hear from Syrian rock group Tanjaret Daghet, who now live in Beirut as exiles, anxious about their families and homes.

Presented by Gemma Cairney
Produced by Jax Coombes
A BBC 6 Music Production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 09:30 The Questionnaire (b0b3c76n)
Series 1, Education and Aspirations

Alan Dein presents a new series in which he asks several generations of five families from across the UK revealing questions about every aspect of their lives.

From Bedlington in Northumbria to Tonbridge in Kent, every family faces the same searching questions. Today, Alan explores the importance of education and ambition across the generations. Among those in the hot seat, 20 year old maths prodigy Caleb Thomas from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, his father Ian and grandmother Barbara.

Alan's questions are drawn from a survey conducted by the University of Essex in the 1980s which interviewed 100 families across the country.

Producers: Laurence Grissell & Paul Kobrak.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b0bh52s0)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine, Medicine

Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts? Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms behind almost every aspect of modern life; lifting the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.

Medicine: the cutting edge areas of research that offer a model for humans and computers working together.

Written and read by Hannah Fry
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0bgw2x7)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b0bh52s2)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 3

AL Kennedy's comic drama about love in later life.

John and Maggie are attempting a new phase in their rambunctious relationship - living together.
When John fears imminent death Maggie diagnoses corns but their trip to buy new shoes leaves Maggie staring at the abyss.

Directed by Sally Avens.


WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b0bh566q)
Ken and Peter - Staying in Touch

The benefits of long-time friendship and the hazards of texting when your thumbs are too big. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


WED 11:00 The New Age of Consent (b0bh4361)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Michael Fabbri's Dyslexicon (b07c56j3)
School Days

Comedian Michael Fabbri is dyslexic, but this programme is not a message of hope and encouragement. This programme is a catalogue of mistakes and challenges that Michael has faced throughout his life.

This hilarious account of his school years details the mental scarring of being forced to play Romeo and being confronted with surprise bible readings.

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw2x9)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 A History of Ideas (b05nvj7j)
Justin Champion on Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic

Hardworking families, alarm clock Britain, shirkers and strivers...there's no doubt that ideas about the moral power and value of hard work are embedded in our culture. But where did these ideas come from? The historian, Justin Champion, explores the ideas of the German thinker and father of sociology Max Weber.

In his most famous book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber set out his idea that the roots of our beliefs about the value of hard work and material success are to be found in the religious thinking of Protestantism, the Puritans especially and Calvin in particular. For them finding a vocation, working hard and achieving material success were evidence that they were one of the elect: the people God had saved from eternal damnation.

Those religious ideas have resonance today, albeit translated into a secular setting: Justin talks to Steve Finn, a former armed robber now involved in running, Blue Sky, a social enterprise that offers employment to ex-offenders so they can turn their lives around. He also hears from the entrepreneur Sara Murray for whom work and life are happily intermingled and whose sense of mission around the success of her company, Buddi, drives her.

Justin also looks at the darker side. With the writer Madeleine Bunting, he explores how our culture's obsession with the "work ethic" can leave people unable to participate feeling deficient and judged.

Producer: Natalie Steed.


WED 12:15 You and Yours (b0bgw2xc)

Consumer affairs programme.


WED 12:57 Weather (b0bgw2xf)

The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b0bgw2xh)

Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


WED 13:45 The New Age of Capitalism (b0bjppgn)
Episode 3

David Grossman tells ten stories which help explain the world of contemporary capitalism.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b0bh4684)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b0938f8w)
Prime Cut, Episode 1

Banished to the Stock Squad after his involvement in a police frame up, one-time golden boy DSC Cato Kwong is given a final chance at redemption. When the Great Southern Ocean washes up a headless torso, Cato is called in from the cold and sent to the remote mining town of Hopetoun, Western Australia to investigate. If he can quickly solve the case then maybe he can get his career back on track. Only his investigation takes him deep into the murky waters of migrant worker exploitation and multiple senseless murders.

Crime Down Under showcases the best crime fiction from contemporary Australia. Prime Cut by Alan Carter was shortlisted for the 2010 Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award. It is the first in a series of Cato Kwong mysteries. Prime Cut has been adapted for radio by Adrian Bean.
Part 1 of 2.

Directed by Helen Perry
A BBC/Cymru Wales production.

Melbourne-born Christine Stephen-Daly shot to small screen prominence as Lara Stone in BBC's Casualty and Holby City. Fellow Australian Mark Little is famous for playing Joe Mangel in the long-running Australian soap Neighbours. Richard Dillane spent ten years living in Australia before moving back to the UK. He is well-known for his TV (Silent Witness, Wolf Hall) and film roles (Argo, Oranges and Sunshine). Andrew Leung is a rising star of stage (Olivier winning Chimerica) and screen (Phoneshop, Doctor Who).


WED 15:00 Money Box (b0bgw2xk)
Money Box Live

Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on personal finance.


WED 15:30 On and Off the Valley Lines (b0b64r4d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b0bh566s)

Laurie Taylor explores the latest research into how society works.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (b0bgw2xm)

Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 17:00 PM (b0bgw2xp)

Coverage and analysis of the day's news.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgw2xr)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Rob Newman (b0bh5hp2)
Rob Newman's Total Eclipse of Descartes, The Inheritance

One of Britain's finest comedians Rob Newman sets his sights on the world of philosophy, unpicking 3000 years of good and bad ideas to discover how we got into this mess. In a world gone mad can philosophy provide the answer?

In episode one, Rob turns the spotlight onto the philosophy of education.

Written and performed by Rob Newman
Edited by John Whitehall
Produced by Jon Harvey
Executive Producer: Richard Wilson

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b0bh5hp4)

Phoebe expresses her concerns and Harrison tries to do the right thing.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b0bgw2xt)

Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh52s2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]


WED 20:00 The Fix (b0bh5hp6)
Series 2, Junior Doctors: Low Morale and Burnout

Junior doctors are the backbone of the NHS, including its emergency services. But more and more of them are now leaving the profession, due to low morale and burnout.

Can our two teams find a solution? Follow them as they gather in St Thomas Hospital in London where they have just one day to come up with a fix that will convince a panel of judges - including the hospital's medical director.

But with such a tricky problem, can they succeed?

Presented by Matthew Taylor and facilitated by Cat Drew from Uscreates.

Team One:
- Rebecca Ford - head of design programme, RSA
- Abi Freeman - Organisational psychologist, Brink
- Alma Berliner - IPSOS Mori
- Sanjan Sabherwal - Policy expert, Policy Lab

Team two:
- Lil Adair - Design consultant, USCreates
- Cathy Runciman - Atlas of the Future
- Oliver Sweet - IPSOS Mori
- Jennie Mcshannon - Organisational consultant, Tavistock Consulting
- Saskia Revell - National Investigator at Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

Expert witnesses:
- Roland Walker - Consultant surgeon
- Professor Dame Jane Dacre - Head of the Royal College of Physicians
- Azra Zyada - Junior doctor and independent researcher
- Celia Glass - Professor of Management Science, Cass Business School

Judges:
- Simon Steddon - Medical Director, Guy's and St Thomas' Trust
- Will Owen - Chief Registrar, Guy's and St Thomas' Trust
- Patrick Reyburn - Engagement manager, Guy's and St Thomas' Charity

Series producer: Estelle Doyle and Producer: Jordan Dunbar.
Editor: Penny Murphy.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (b0bh5hp8)
All The Music We'll Never Hear

Thought-provoking talks in which speakers explore original ideas about culture and society.


WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b0bh454m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 The Sound Odyssey (b0bh51zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b0bgw2xw)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0bh5hpq)
Transcription, Episode 8

Taking place during WWII, Kate Atkinson's new novel puts idealism on the spot and asks who can be trusted when loyalty is pushed to its limits.

Convinced that wartime deeds have caught up with her, Juliet turns to an old friend for answers.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


WED 23:00 Woof (b0bh5hpw)
Woof: True Tales of Romance and Failure, It's All in a Name

Bittersweet comic real life stories written and performed by Chris Neill with Martin Hyder and Isy Suttie.

This week - none of us are getting any younger and is kitchen matchmaking on the cards?

Written by Chris Neill
Starring: Chris Neill, Isy Suttie and Martin Hyder
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4

Music:

Title: Dance Away
Perf: The Bryan Ferry Orchestra

Title: The Way You Look Tonight
Perf: The Jaguars

Title: Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)
Perf: The Stylistics

Title: Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Perf: Marlena Shaw

Title: Twilight Time
Perf: The Platters

Title: It's Raining Again
Perf: Supertramp.


WED 23:15 Domestic Science (b07m7lmr)
Series 1, Episode 3

A heady combination of maths, science and comedy with Festival of The Spoken Nerd trio who are stand up Mathematician Matt Parker, Physicist Steve Mould and Physicist and musician Helen Arney. It's science that you can play along with at home as the team look at domestic phenomena that we relate to on a day to day basis.

In this episode the surprising musicality of Hot Chocolate is demonstrated, we find out when stats are funny and provide a lullaby to time travel to.

Producer... Julia McKenzie

A BBC Studios Production.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0bgw2xy)

All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.



THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2018

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw2zr)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b0bh52s0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2zt)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw2zw)

THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw2zy)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw300)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bjnpn7)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b0bgw302)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03wq2nz)
Lapwing

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

Bill Oddie presents the lapwing. The lovely iridescent greens and purples of the lapwing: with its delicate crest and broad rounded wings that almost seem to twinkle in level flight, they are seen less often on our farmland today. At one time they were so common that their freckled eggs were harvested and sent off to the cities to pamper the palates of urban epicures.


THU 06:00 Today (b0bgw304)

Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b0bh5x1y)
The Iliad

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great epic poem attributed to Homer, telling the story of an intense episode in the Trojan War. It is framed by the wrath of the Greek hero Achilles, insulted by his leader Agamemnon and withdrawing from the battle that continued to rage, only returning when his close friend Patroclus is killed by the Trojan hero Hector. Achilles turns his anger from Agamemnon to Hector and the fated destruction of Troy comes ever closer.

With

Edith Hall

Paul Cartledge

and

Barbara Graziosi

Producer: Simon Tillotson.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b0bh5x20)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine, Cars

Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts? Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms behind almost every aspect of our modern lives; lifting the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.

Cars: will algorithms power the perfect autonomous vehicle? Between Bayes theorem and the problem of mischievous humans, Hannah Fry has her doubts...

Written and read by Hannah Fry
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0bgw306)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh5x22)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 4

AL Kennedy's comic drama about love in later life starring Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall
Maggie wants John to integrate into village life so John decides to throw a dinner party with mixed results.

Writer ..... AL Kennedy
Director ..... Sally Avens.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b0bh5x24)
Chile - Sexual Abuse, Secrets and Lies

The dark secrets of Chile's Catholic Church. El Bosque is the wealthy Santiago parish where Fernando Karadima, a charismatic priest, attracted hundreds of young men to the priesthood. In 2010, he was exposed as a paedophile after survivors revealed he had sexually abused them. The Vatican sentenced Karadima to a life of penance and prayer. But this was no one-off, rogue priest. This year the scale of Chile's abuse scandal has been revealed - multiple allegations of sexual exploitation and cover-up are now being investigated across this Andean nation, including allegations made by a congregation of nuns. At first Pope Francis failed to respond. Subsequently he was forced to send his experts in sex crime to Santiago to hear evidence. Most recently, bishops have resigned, and nearly a hundred priests are being investigated by Chile's prosecutors. For Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly travels to Chile to meet survivors of sexual abuse, whistle-blowers and devout Catholics, and explores a story that continues to haunt the Francis papacy.

Presenter: Linda Pressly
Producer in Chile: Jane Chambers

(Image: Sister Yolanda Tondreaux is one of the Chilean nuns who complained of sexual harassment or abuse. Credit: BBC).


THU 11:30 Sketches: Stories of Art and People (b0bh5x26)
Series 1, Landscapes

True stories of life-changing encounters with art in all its forms.

Each week, writer Anna Freeman presents a showcase of stories about art and people around Britain. In this final episode, Anna and the Sketches producers share stories on landscapes.

Polly talks to photographer Kiara Mohamed about why she is driven to take drone images above her city of Liverpool. Becky goes on a windy walk with writer Vanessa Kisuule, who is starting to question why the words "black" and "urban" often get clumped together as if they are synonymous. And Mair visits Sonia Gill in the Isle of Skye to find out why the children at the local Gaelic-speaking primary school are now into Bollywood dancing.

Producers: Mair Bosworth, Becky Ripley and Polly Weston.
Presenter: Anna Freeman.


THU 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw308)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 A History of Ideas (b05nxhj6)
Naomi Appleton on the Buddha's Four Noble Truths

Naomi Appleton explores the Buddha's Four Noble Truths in a week of programmes asking how do I live a good life. She speaks to a buddhist nun in Edinburgh who used to be a model, and investigates the link between mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths. With contributions from Ani Rinchen Khandro and Professor Willem Kuyken.

Naomi Appleton is the Chancellor's fellow in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
The producer is Miles Warde.


THU 12:15 You and Yours (b0bgw30b)

Consumer affairs programme.


THU 12:57 Weather (b0bgw30d)

The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b0bgw30g)

Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


THU 13:45 The New Age of Capitalism (b0bjpplg)
Episode 4

David Grossman tells ten stories which help explain the world of contemporary capitalism.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b0bh5hp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b0938p7v)
Prime Cut, Episode 2

Disgraced, former golden boy of the police service, DSC Cato Kwong is brought in from the cold to investigate a washed up headless corpse in the remote mining town of Hopetoun, Western Australia. It's Cato's one final shot at getting his career back on track. Only his open-and-shut case is proving to be more complex than he'd hoped; drugs, murder, exploitation combined with false confessions, Chinese whispers and framed suspects. The truth seems far from straightforward. But Cato's investigation is about to take another dark turn, and crimes from the past are brought to light.

Crime Down Under showcases the best crime fiction from contemporary Australia. Prime Cut by Alan Carter was shortlisted for the 2010 Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award. It is the first in a series of Cato Kwong mysteries. Prime Cut has been adapted for radio by Adrian Bean
Part 2 of 2.

Directed by Helen Perry
A BBC/Cymru Wales production

Melbourne-born Christine Stephen-Daly shot to small screen prominence as Lara Stone in BBC's Casualty and Holby City. Fellow Australian Mark Little is famous for playing Joe Mangel in the long-running Australian soap Neighbours. Richard Dillane spent ten years living in Australia before moving back to the UK. He is well-known for his TV (Silent Witness, Wolf Hall) and film roles (Argo, Oranges and Sunshine). Andrew Leung is a rising star of stage (Olivier winning Chimerica) and screen (Phoneshop, Doctor Who).


THU 15:00 Ramblings (b0bh5x28)
Series 40, Herefordshire

Clare Balding walks on Hergest Ridge in Herefordshire with Dr. Kate Harding, who has a moving story to tell.

This is the second time Clare has walked with Kate. Their first ramble was around five years ago. The run-up to that recording had been stressful and Clare wasn't really up for it. She recalls - 'I was grumpy with the weather and grumpy with life. Not myself at all'.

However, when Kate and Clare started that walk, Clare realised it was what she needed most. Kate's advice about the power of mindfulness resonated strongly. It's an encounter that Clare has never forgotten.

Now, Clare is returning to Herefordshire to walk with Kate once more. However, Kate's circumstances have changed significantly. Last year, her husband killed himself. A consultant anaesthetist and specialist in intensive care, he had been suffering from crippling depression. Kate and her teenage children have, obviously, been left devastated. They had emigrated to New Zealand as a family of four. Shortly after Richard's suicide, they returned to Herefordshire, as three.

Since Richard's death, Kate has become determined to highlight the higher than average suicide rate amongst the medical profession, and would like to see a swifter process of complaint handling by the General Medical Council. This is why she's chosen to walk again with Clare; as well as to celebrate Richard's life by walking in one of the places he loved the most, Hergest Ridge, where his memorial was held.

Kate regards the openness and beauty of Herefordshire as something of a balm.

NB: If you are feeling emotionally distressed following this broadcast and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, you can access this site: bbc.co.uk/actionline

Producer: Karen Gregor.


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b0bgw3d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (b0bgw8c6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b0bh5x2b)
Atonement Redux

Antonia Quirke visits Redcar, where they are re-creating the famous five minute, one-shot scene from Atonement of British soldiers evacuating Dunkirk, but without the budget of a blockbuster movie.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b0bgw30j)

Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.


THU 17:00 PM (b0bgw30l)

Coverage and analysis of the day's news.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgw30n)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Plum House (b07j571n)
Series 1, Peter vs Prynne

Comedy about the inept staff at a historic house, starring Simon Callow, Miles Jupp and Jane Horrocks.

Every year thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District. But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country home of terrible poet George Pudding (1779-1848). Now a crumbling museum, losing money hand over fist, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator Peter Knight (Simon Callow).

Can anyone save Plum House from irreversible decline?

In this episode, Tom has organised a special summer event and invited the great and good from the world of George Pudding scholarship to gather round the museum's celebrated plum tree. It's bound to be a day to remember. But with Peter encountering his arch nemesis - the unbearably pompous Mungo Prynne (Roger Allam), Julian upsetting a neighbouring farmer and Emma rather enjoying the plum punch, will it be remembered for the right reasons?

Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Directed and Produced by Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b0bh5x2f)

Tony reaches a decision and Emma is impressed by a former acquaintance.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b0bgw30q)

Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh5x22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (b0bh5x2h)

Current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations.


THU 20:30 In Business (b0bh5x2k)
The Neopolitan Tech Experiment

Can tech entrepreneurs revitalise Southern Italy's failing economy? Manuela Saragosa visits Naples - which has seen a huge exodus of its talented young people - to explore if a change of direction might be possible. She meets Neapolitans starting up high-tech businesses against the odds and explores why, rather surprisingly, in recent years the city has attracted significant foreign investment from big tech firms. What has been the city's appeal? She also asks what the business reasons are for building a company in Naples rather than elsewhere. Can the benefits outweigh all the myriad problems?

Producer: Rosamund Jones.


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b0bgw30j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b0bh5x1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b0bgw30s)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0bh5x2m)
Transcription, Episode 9

Taking place during WWII, Kate Atkinson's new novel puts idealism on the spot and asks who can be trusted when loyalty is pushed to its limits.

It's 1940 and the secret listening post at Dolphin Square is uncovered, risking everything that Juliet and Godfrey have been working for.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


THU 23:00 Nick Revell: BrokenDreamCatcher (b0bh5yb1)
Series 1, The Treasure of the Illuminati Leprechauns

A series of contemporary comic tales that could almost be true. Anything can happen when this master storyteller combines comedy with magical realism - and it probably will.

This week, some sinister goings-on at The Vatican can all be safely explained.

Written and performed by Nick Revell
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0bgw30v)

All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.



FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2018

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b0bgw32k)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b0bh5x20)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw32m)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0bgw32p)

FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0bgw32r)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b0bgw32t)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0bjnpsm)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b0bgw32w)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09wvgfw)
Mark Cocker on the Curlew

High in the Derbyshire hills the bubbling melancholic sound of the curlew lifts nature writer Mark Cocker's heart in this Tweet of the Day.

Producer Tim Dee
Photograph: Kevin Carolan.


FRI 06:00 Today (b0bgw32y)

News and current affairs, including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b0bgw7lh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b0bh8vny)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine, Humans

Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts? Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms behind almost every aspect of our modern lives; lifting the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.

Humans: charting a course to a future where humans and computers work together.

Written and read by Hannah Fry
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0bgw330)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh8vp0)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 5

AL Kennedy's comic drama starring Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall as John and Maggie attempting to give love one more chance.
Why doesn't Maggie want to let her daughter know that John has moved in?
Maybe John is going to have to change to take their relationship to the next stage.

Written by AL Kennedy
Directed by Sally Avens.


FRI 11:00 Journeys in Afrofuturism (b0b7dlym)

In the light of the phenomenal success of the Black Panther movie, Emma Dabiri explores the resurgence of Afrofuturism in arts, and particularly in music.

Afrofuturism is a term used to describe much art and music of black of origin, often when it uses ancient African imagery and mythologies and fuses it with something other-worldly and futuristic.

From the cosmic sounds of jazz musician Sun Ra, who reinvented himself as an Egyptian-inspired space-traveller, to the syncopated beats of UK Jungle, Emma asks whether Afrofuturism has found a particular home among black British musicians and considers how it helps explore identity beyond limiting sterotypes.

Musician and artist Gaika and DJ, musician and producer A Guy Called Gerald talk about how they have mixed African and Caribbean beats with electronic music to examine life in the UK, and filmmaker Jenn Nkiru discusses the challenges of breaking down black sterotypes in film.

Writer Ekow Eshun tells Emma why Afrofuturism is having a resurgence at the moment, and young London rapper AM talks about his use of morse code and binary in freestyle rapping as a new kind of Afrofuturism.

Producer: Jo Wheeler
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 11:30 It's a Fair Cop (b0bh8vp2)
Series 4, Office Banter

Serving police officer Alfie Moore with the second episode of the series in which he makes his audience take the policing decisions in a real life case. This week he deals with the subject of sexual misconduct. What is the legal definition and how do you investigate allegations? With stories of cases he's dealt with and audience participation Alfie handles this very sensitive and current issue with skill and empathy.

Writer and presenter ..... Alfie Moore
Script editor ..... Will Ing
Producer ..... Alison Vernon-Smith.


FRI 12:00 News Summary (b0bgw332)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 A History of Ideas (b05ny11v)
Ayn Rand and Selfishness

The Russian-American novelist Ayn Rand believed that behaving rationally meant putting your own interests first: you actually have a moral duty to be selfish. Altruism or self-sacrifice are immoral, she claimed, as is asking for help from others. Clearly this goes against most traditional views of ethics, but Rand's views have become influential, particularly in some corners of American politics.

Rand's protege, Nathaniel Branden, developed her ideas to stress the importance of self-esteem - the route to personal fulfilment was feeling good about yourself. Many people, even those who would reject Ayn Rand's core philosophy, have subsequently believed that low self-esteem is at the root of social problems such as crime and educational underachievement, and that we should aim to boost it.

But is self-esteem really such a good thing? As Paul Broks discovers, the research suggests that some people have too much self-esteem, not too little. Maybe the route to a good life is not through feeling good about yourself, but being resilient to knocks that fate deals you.


FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b0bgw334)

Consumer news and issues.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b0bgw336)

The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b0bgw338)

Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


FRI 13:45 The New Age of Capitalism (b0bjppmr)
Episode 5

David Grossman tells ten stories which help explain the world of contemporary capitalism.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b0bh5x2f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b0bh8vp4)
The Unseen Government

An imagined satirical drama by Mark Lawson about the current impasse in the Northern Ireland government.

Just arrived from London in Belfast's George Best Airport, Ali is a special advisor to the UK government in Westminster. She is met by Jean-Christian, an advisor on non-elected governance to Northern Ireland's senior civil servants. Belgian Jean-Christian has a particular interest in Northern Irish affairs - in August 2018, Northern Ireland overtakes Belgium's world record of 589 days for the longest post-election period without an elected government.

Ali reveals London's fear that the Northern Ireland "government" may be about to collapse. Jean-Christian responds, "How do you know it hasn't already?" And it is with this this alarming possibility hanging heavily in the air that Ali embarks on a journey through the Wonderland of Northern Irish politics.

Ali has been sent to Belfast to observe a series of role-playing simulation exercises, aiming to report back to Westminster on the likeliest outcomes. In a university seminar room, Jean-Christian moderates the scenarios, with a group of civil servants playing the main roles. At this point, as the problems unfold, the recent revelation that Ali's given name is Alice starts to seem quite apt.

Written by Mark Lawson.

Cast:
JEAN-CHRISTIAN...................................................Anton Lesser
MAIRE........... .... .....................................................Michelle Fairley
ALI... .......................................................................Amaka Okafor
ASH.........................................................................Jonathan Harden
PAUL .....................................................................Lloyd Hutchinson

Written by Mark Lawson

Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b0bh8vp6)
Hadrian's Wall

Eric Robson takes his panel to visit Hadrian's Wall. Anne Swithinbank, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Wilson offer horticultural help to the audience.

Produced by Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (b0bh8vp8)
His Mother

An original short story by the Northern Irish writer Wendy Erskine commissioned by BBC Radio 4. As read by the actress Ali White.

Wendy Erskine's writing has appeared in several publications including 'The Stinging Fly' literary magazine and the anthology 'Female Lines: New Writing by Women from Northern Ireland'. Her debut short story collection 'Sweet Home' has just been published by The Stinging Fly Press.

Reader ..... Ali White
Writer ..... Wendy Erskine
Producer ..... Michael Shannon.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b0bh8vpb)

Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to the unsung but significant.


FRI 16:30 More or Less (b0bh8vpd)

Series devoted to the world of numbers.


FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b0bh8vpg)
Doreen and Florence - Age Is Just a Number

Friends recognise the passing of the years and the changes in their lives. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


FRI 17:00 PM (b0bgw33b)

Coverage and analysis of the day's news.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0bgw33d)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b0bh8vpj)
Series 97, Episode 3

Comedian Susan Calman takes the guest host chair this week and finds plenty to satirise in this week's news.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b0bh8vpl)

Elizabeth makes a desperate plea and Jazzer reveals his grand plan.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b0bgw33g)

Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0bh8vp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b0bh7yz9)
Sir Vince Cable, Sir Bernard Jenkin

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Worthing College in West Sussex with a panel including the Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse and Sir Bernard Jenkin the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee,in the House of Commons.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b0bh8vps)

Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


FRI 21:00 National Health Stories (b0bh8vpv)
Omnibus 4

In a series tracing decisive moments in the life of our National Health Service, medical historian Sally Sheard explores the archive to tell the stories behind five crucial moments, in this final omnibus edition from Radio 4's National Health Stories series.

The New Plague: At the start of the 1980s a mysterious disease, AIDS, appeared in gay men. Activists, doctors and politicians worked together to stop the disease spreading.

Policing the Bugs: When MRSA hit the headlines, the NHS had to clean up its act, with the infection control nurse leading the fight against antibiotic resistance.

Too Much Medicine: The breast screening programme forced the NHS to weigh up whether the lives saved, by early detection, justified the risk that some women would undergo treatment they didn't need.

Nurse!: Nursing is traditionally seen as a caring profession but recently this image has been overshadowed by tales of lack of compassion. What should we expect from nurses today?

Never Enough: Bevan knew that the NHS would never have enough money to meet the overwhelming need. How have health ministers attempted to deal with its problems over the last 70 years?

Producers: Beth Eastwood & Deborah Cohen.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b0bgw33j)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0bh7kry)
Transcription, Episode 10

Taking place during WWII, Kate Atkinson's new novel puts idealism on the spot and asks who can be trusted when loyalty is pushed to its limits.

An older and wiser Juliet has tried to make peace with the past but is finding out that some connections can never be severed.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b0bh454t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0bgw33l)

All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.


FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b0bh9dpg)
Steve and Debbie - Becoming Grandparents

Grandparents for the first time celebrate their new status and the part technology plays in keeping them close. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.