The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
A poignant, powerful autobiography in letters. Sylvia Plath's letters give us a privileged insight into her inner world, as a poet and as a person. This selection offers a fresh perspective on her as a writer as well as some stunning personal revelations in letters written to her psychiatrist Dr Beuscher .
This collection of the letters of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet cover the years 1956 and her marriage to the poet Ted Hughes to the final days leading to her suicide in 1963.
One of the most talented and beloved poets, Sylvia Plath continues to fascinate and inspire . The tragedy of her untimely death at age thirty, almost fifty-five years ago, has left much unknown about her creative and personal life. In this remarkable selection of correspondence , the full range of Plath’s ambitions, talents, fears, and inner world is revealed in her own powerful words.
The Letters of Sylvia Plath are read by Lydia Wilson and produced in Salford by Susan Roberts
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College.
Retirees and teenagers who meet once a fortnight for a chat. iPM@bbc.co.uk
Evan Davis reads our Your News bulletin.
And we have an update from the iPM listener who hadn't yet fulfilled the deathbed promise she'd made to her stepmother - has she done it now?
Presented by Luke Jones. Produced by Cat Farnsworth.
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
The composer Benjamin Britten is closely associated with the Suffolk coast at Aldeburgh where he lived and worked for most of his life. This episode of Open Country explores how this landscape and the sea inspired some of Britten's most famous work. Lucy Walker from the Britten-Pears Foundation describes how Britten became rooted in Suffolk and how important it was for him to write music specifically for the people and places in Aldeburgh. Two of Britten's well-known operas Billy Budd and Peter Grimes are about people who made their living from the sea - we hear from fishermen in Aldeburgh about how the industry has changed since Britten's day.
Britten often walked along Aldeburgh beach to think and compose in his head. An open stretch of this shingle ridge just north of the town is now home to the Scallop, Maggi Hambling's 15-foot stainless steel sculpture dedicated to Britten. Maggi tells the story of how Scallop was inspired by Britten and his achievements, and the row that erupted in the local community after it was installed.
Poultry... but not chicken!
Charlotte Smith kicks off December with a trip to a turkey farm in Wales. She discusses the state of the poultry industry - from labour to feed costs - and finds out how farmer, Nick Davis, manages to get 60,000 turkeys ready in time for Christmas.
We also visit a quail egg farm, discuss duck welfare and hear about a start up feeding brewing waste to geese.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Heather Simons.
Slade guitarist Dave Hill; Young People’s Laureate for London Momtaza Mehri; Listener Mary Diggory takes JP Devlin back to the woods that gave her sanctuary; Shona Davies on finding love as she sailed around the world. Joanne Froggatt shares her Inheritance Tracks: Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush and Proud Mary performed by Ike and Tina Turner. Dr Xand van Tulleken talks about combining medicine and presenting, with his twin brother.
One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and an unheard story unfolding in a corner of Britain we wouldn’t otherwise know about.
Earlier this year, producer Polly Weston discovered a random postcode generator on the internet. It sparked a radical idea. Maybe by randomly generating postcodes, and then going there, we'd find stories which are being overlooked - stories of national importance which we never would have noticed without stumbling into them.
Each week, a new postcode is randomly generated. This postcode becomes Polly's patch. Near or far, populated or not, this is the area where she must go to make the programme.
Week three takes us to a Lincolnshire town, where cigarettes are a hot topic everywhere you go.
George Parker, Political Editor of the Financial Times, looks behind the scenes at Westminster. If the Prime Minister's Brexit plan doesn't get through Parliament, are we heading for no deal? How is Theresa May bearing up? And we eavesdrop as MPs let their hair down. The Editor is Mandy Baker.
Correspondents around the world tell their stories and examine news developments in their region
This week the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that it currently has 69,609 Carer's Allowance overpayments outstanding. The benefit is paid to more than 850,000 people. Money Box hears from George Henderson who cares for his adult son who has mental health and drug addiction problems. Mr Henderson says he was not aware that his earnings from his job with a taxi firm would impact on his entitlement to Carer's Allowance. Six years later DWP informed him that he'd been overpaid by £19,500. He was charged and found guilty of failing to disclose information to the DWP. In addition to a suspended sentence he has to pay the money, plus fines, back by February next year, or he'll face 7 months in prison. Mr Henderson also has a possession order on his home after it was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The DWP told Money Box it makes benefit claimants "aware of their responsibility to provide correct information and report any change in circumstance, to avoid receiving the wrong amount" and is "introducing new technology to make it easier to identify and prevent overpayments and improve debt recovery." Guests: DWP Committee member Ruth George MP and Emily Holzhausen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carer's UK.
If you're planning on switching energy firms for a cheaper deal, or because your former small supplier has gone bust, how can you keep your Warm Home Discount? Guest: George McNamara Director of Policy, Independent Age.
A number of retirement interest-only mortgages have appeared in recent weeks. How do they differ from what’s gone before and what are the risks? Guest: Jane King independent mortgage and equity release adviser, Ash Ridge Private Finance.
Hugh Dennis presents the week via topical stand-up and sketches and looks ahead at what we've got to look forward to in the news this winter.
Zoe Lyons compares the incredible achievement of the Insight Mars probe with the achievements of the British rail system; Ken Cheng tell us what Christmas is like with non-British parents and Jake Yapp takes us to the G20 summit.
Gemma Arrowsmith and Luke Kempner provide additional voices.
It was written by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis with the cast - additional material from Jenny Laville, Sarah Morgan, Ian Smith, Ania Magliano, Laura Major and Mike Shephard.
The production coordinator was Sarah Sharpe.
Jonathan Dimbleby presents topical debate from the University of East London's Docklands Campus with the journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, the Conservative MEP Dan Hannan, the crossbench peer and historian Lord Hennessy and Shadow Treasury Minister Clive Lewis MP.
David Cornwell (the real name of the spy and thriller writer John Le Carré) is the star of this comedy drama as we follow his desperate efforts to uncover the latest mole in the secret service. John F Kennedy's official visit to Berlin looms and the pressure is on to get to the truth. Dramatic tension and big laughs abound in this seventh comedy play by acclaimed sketch group The Penny Dreadfuls. Also starring Miles Jupp as Cornwell and Mark Heap as the narrator. Recorded in front of an audience in the Radio Theatre.
There have been many creative responses to the Troubles in Northern Ireland – the violent conflict that raged between 1969 and the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 – but a substantial collection of them in Northern Ireland has proved elusive.
Peter Curran examines how a cultural institution, a national museum of Northern Ireland, tells the story of the Troubles comprehensively through art and objects in new galleries.
Until recently, The Ulster Museum clung to less contested parts of the past - Spanish doubloons from the wrecked Armada, superb African canoes, and fossils. Peter Curran loved coming in to the museum's quietness during the 1980s to see history not pressed into the service of murdering friends and destroying families and the architecture of his city.
For this programme, he goes behind the scenes with a new generation of curators to the museum's secret off-site store of treasures and into the studio of artist Colin Davidson whose extraordinary Silent Testimony paintings of those who have experienced loss have just moved from the Ulster Museum to the United Nations in New York.
He discovers a universality in the story of how any place of conflict tells its story in the aftermath, through art and objects.
Produced and presented by Peter Curran. A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4
Spice Girl Mel B, Dame Joan Collins unscripted, Live music from Freya Ridings as featured on Love Island
Melanie Brown, achieved global fame as ‘Scary Spice’ in the Spice Girls. In her autobiography "Brutally Honest" she talks about the painful relationships she’s had and why she thinks her friendship with the Spice Girls has stood the test of time.
We look at why shapewear has grown in popularity and crossed over into the fitness community.
We hear from mother and daughter Cheryl and Abigail Byron who were separated for two years when Cheryl served a prison sentence. How did they coped without each other and what difficulties did they face rebuilding their relationship.
Plus Dame Joan Collins unscripted. The art of "blackfishing " where women use hair products, make up and even have surgery to appear black or ethnically ambiguous. The women in fur coats who found themselves on the front line driving ambulances during World War 1 now the subject of a musical for Opera North. And Live music from Freya Ridings whose song Lost Without You has been in the top 40 since the summer, when it was featured in the ITV2 show Love Island.
Guest Melanie Brown.
Sir Michael Parkinson, Andy Nyman, Felicity Cloake, Cariad Lloyd, Jalen N'Gonda, Luke Sital-Singh, Arthur Smith, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Sir Michael Parkinson, Andy Nyman, Cariad Lloyd and Felicity Cloake for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Jalen N'Gonda and Luke Sital-Singh.
It's almost crunch time for Theresa May as she prepares for the Commons vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement. The numbers do not appear to be on her side. It's thought as many 100 Conservative MPs are planning to vote against it. The government's chief whip is Julian Smith. It's his rather daunting job to persuade rebel Tory MPs to vote with the PM. Can he do it? We look for clues in his life story so far.
Jean Genet's play The Maids has been adapted for an all-male cast at HOME in Manchester
Alfonso Cuaron's latest film Roma won the top prize at this year's Venice Film Festival. Made with funding from Netflix it is getting a limited cinema release before it is available online in order to be eligible for Oscar consideration.
Turbulence is the newest book from David Szalay; a collection of 12 interconnected short stories all of which revolve around international flights
London's National Gallery has an exhibition of work by two astounding artists who happened to be and brothers-in-law: Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini. It tells a story of art, family, rivalry, and personality.
Gun No.6 is a documentary which tells the story of each crime carried out over a decade, using Britain's most deadly, illegal gun.
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Deborah Moggach, Catherine O'Flynn and Cahal Dallat. The producer is Oliver Jones
Paul Morley tells a parallel story of Elvis and America, from the vantage point of the King's finest hour in 1968.
"I've got to do this sooner or later," Elvis says sheepishly, "so I may as well do it now."
And so the 1968 Comeback Special begins: his quiff defying gravity and his leather jumpsuit chafing, as he bursts into an elemental rendition of Heartbreak Hotel. It had been one of his first singles thirteen years before, initially recorded when he was still a teenager living in the Jim Crow South at the beginning of rock and roll.
Much had happened in the meantime: JFK, the Beatles, the hippies and Detroit soul. And Elvis had become a different person, depressed, addicted and increasingly irrelevant.
So by 1968, after his stint in the army, the uninspired films and the years of absence from the stage, the Comeback Special was an opportunity to resuscitate Elvis's career, to claw back his status as a powerful, credible force.
And it did, fleetingly. He was fabulous, and his discography is never better showcased than on that day.
But it also marked the point at which it became clear that the King was fragile.
He was thirty-three, a new father, and he would never be this good again.
Paul Morley believes the 1968 Comeback Special shows us Elvis at his best. But also that it offers a vantage point from which to look backwards, forwards and outwards to a changing America - remembering where the hillbilly kid had come from and poignantly aware of where he would end up.
Featuring historian Mary Frances Berry, filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, writer Luc Sante and theatre artist Greg Wohead.
2/3. Dramatisation of Patrick O’Brian's novel and its sequel, The Surgeon’s Mate. Jack, Stephen and Diana escape from Boston in a rowing boat with a cache of American intelligence papers and stolen diamonds. A Royal Navy frigate, HMS Shannon, on blockade duty outside the harbour, takes the fugitives on board. In the climactic naval battle of the War of 1812 HMS Shannon defeats the USS Chesapeake but at a heavy cost. At a ball in Nova Scotia to celebrate the great victory Jack has a dalliance with the amorous Amanda Smith before our heroes board a mail packet bound for London. But they are pursued by two American ships intent on recovering Diana, the papers and the priceless jewels.
Dramatised by Roger Danes.
Major Beck.............................................................DON GILET
Lt. Falkiner..........................................CAMERON PERCIVAL
Other parts are played by the cast.
It’s the time of the year to dust off the Christmas card list and perhaps delete one or two of the names on it. Who’s been naughty and who’s been nice? Who should never have been on the list in the first place? The Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell has made the honest admission that he can’t be friends with his Tory colleagues, saying he can’t “forgive them for what they’ve done” to the country. And yet Tony Benn was friends with Enoch Powell. Tee-shirts with the slogan ‘NEVER KISSED A TORY’ have been popular this year, but so have those that read ‘EMPATHY IS NOT ENDORSEMENT’. When it comes to friendship, where should we draw the line? Some believe it is morally corrupting to befriend, date or marry anyone with different values, beliefs and lifestyle to their own. For others, friendship trumps morality, and we should do everything in our power to remain friends with others, short of those who have committed an irredeemably evil act. This goes beyond personal relationships. Many have voiced the concern that hatred is infecting public discourse, where ‘opponents’ who are ‘wrong’ become ‘enemies’ who are ‘evil’. Is this the sign of a more morally-empowered society, or are we are losing the ability to debate and disagree? Do we have a moral duty to befriend those who hold views and values we don’t share?
Quote … Unquote, the popular humorous celebrity quotations quiz, returns for its 54th series.
In almost forty years, Nigel Rees has been joined by writers, actors, musicians, scientists and various comedy types. Kenneth Williams, Judi Dench, PD James, Larry Adler, Ian McKellen, Peter Cook, Kingsley Amis, Peter Ustinov… have all graced the Quote Unquote stage.
Join Nigel as he quizzes a host of celebrity guests on the origins of sayings and well-known quotes, and gets the famous panel to share their favourite anecdotes and quotes.
The house where Emily Dickinson lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, is now The Emily Dickinson Museum. The museum has restored her bedroom, where she wrote most of her poetry, and they offer writing sessions for those who wish to spend an hour or two alone in Emily's Room.
In this programme we invite three very modern writers, Cheryl Strayed, Ocean Vuong and Sharon Olds to visit her room, to write, and to examine their writing through their own personal connections with Emily Dickinson's life and work.
For someone who has had such a huge impact on American poetry, Emily Dickinson lived a very small life. She published only a handful of poems in her lifetime, and as she grew older became a recluse who wore only white. Dubbed 'the myth of Amherst', her posthumous fame poses her as a puzzle to be solved. In visiting her room and meeting her on the page Cheryl, Sharon and Ocean reclaim her as a passionate, politically engaged writer whose work speaks powerfully to our present moment.
Cheryl Strayed is the author of four books and is best known for her memoir of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, 'Wild', which was turned into a film starring Reese Witherspoon. She also wrote the beloved advice column 'Dear Sugar', the best of which was collected into 'Tiny Beautiful Things'.
Ocean Vuong won the 2018 TS Eliot prize in 201 for his debut poetry collection 'Night Sky with Exit Wounds'. Born in Vietnam, Ocean has lived most of his life in Emily Dickinson's New England, and currently teaches at the University of Massachusetts, based in Amherst.
Sharon Olds is one of America's leading contemporary poets, the author of many collections of poetry and the recipient of many prizes, including the Pulitzer and the TS Eliot.
SUNDAY 02 DECEMBER 2018
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0001dnd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 From Fact to Fiction (m0001cc2)
The Grandmother
A new short story by Andrew O'Hagan written in response to this week's news.
Read by Sudha Bhuchar
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001dng)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001dnj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001dnl)
The latest shipping forecast
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0001dnn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0001cwh)
St Edith’s Church, Monks Kirby in Warwickshire
Bells on Sunday comes from St Edith’s Church, Monks Kirby in Warwickshire. Sitting just off the Fosse Way the large tower dominates the village and contains a peal of eight bells with the 24 and a half hundred weight tenor tuned to D. They’re ringing Bristol Surprise Major.
SUN 05:45 Profile (m0001cw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (m0001dcy)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (m0001cy7)
Self Portraits
In this exploration of the self-portrait, the poet Michael Symmons Roberts starts with the modern phenomenon of the ubiquitous selfie and questions whether it really is such a quantum shift in the way we see ourselves in the world. Or is this just the latest tech-twist in the story of self-portraiture?
“It’s become a cliché to mock and revile it,” Michael says, “characterising it as a narcissistic exercise, but the reality is more complex”.
Self-portraiture goes way back to cave paintings, he suggests, and has a long and complex history. “I still remember when I first saw one of Rembrandt’s self-portraits in the flesh, or LS Lowry’s red-eyed, searing vision of himself staring back. There’s something about them that makes us feel they are giving us the real person, a glimpse of the painter’s true self.”
Michael goes on to extend his definition of the self-portrait from just painters and sculptors to include poets and novelists. The poetry of Nobel Prize winning Polish poet Wistawa Szymborska, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Emily Dickenson, and the music of Philip Glass, singer songwriter Don McLean and Nile Rogers, helps Michael conclude, “Self-portraits, at their best, aspire to portray the inner world, not just the surface appearance.”
Presenter: Michael Symmons Roberts
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0001cxz)
Snowdonia Shepherd
Ruth Sanderson meets a young trainee shepherd in Snowdonia. Teleri Fielden has taken on the task of managing a 600 acre farm single handed. She's in the second year of a National Trust scholarship at Llyndy Isaf, one of the most challenging and physically demanding farming environments. Ruth joins her as she gets her Welsh mountain ewes ready for the winter.
Producer: Beatrice Fenton.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0001ddx)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0001ddz)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0001df1)
Hanukkah and Christingle; Funeral costs
This Sunday is the first day of Hanukkah - the Jewish festival of light. It is also the first Sunday in Advent on which Christingle services will be held in many Christian churches. We look at the significance of both festivals. The competition regulator has issued a report highlighting the rising costs of funerals. We discuss whether this will lead to transparency and lower funeral costs.
The Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into the Buddhist group, the Rigpa Foundation. The founder and former Spiritual Director Sogyal Rinpoche faces accusations of sexual abuse and assault. Harry Farley reports.
Continuing our series on public servants and the moral dilemmas they face, Dr Claire Foster-Gilbert talks to Sir David Normington, former permanent secretary at the Department of Education and the Home Office and first civil service commissioner.
80 years ago today the first Kinder transport arrived in Harwich bringing 196 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin. Rosie Wright hears from Kinder who made that journey to the UK and examines the political debates that took place to allow child immigration into Britain.
Producers: Carmel Lonergan and Harry Farley
Editor: Amanda Hancox
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001df3)
Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields 2018
The Revd Dr Sam Wells makes the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields with homeless and vulnerably housed people.
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84
- Freepost St Martin's Christmas Appeal
- Cheques should be made payable to 'St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.'
- Online: search for Radio 4 Christmas Appeal
Reg Charity: 1156305 / 261359
The BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields is now in its 92nd year. The money raised from this annual appeal supports homeless and vulnerable people across the UK, through the work of The Connection at St Martin's in London and the Vicar's Relief Fund around the country.
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0001df5)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0001df7)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0001df9)
The Candle of Hope
Live from St Catharine's College Cambridge. The Advent wreath traditionally holds five candles; the one lit on Advent Sunday is traditionally known as the Prophet's candle or the Candle of Hope. Jeremiah 33: 14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13; Matthew 25: 1-13. O come, O come Emmanuel; Come Thou long expected Jesus; Give us Grace (Joanna Forbes); Leader: the Revd Ally Barrett; Preacher: the Revd Dr David Neaum, Dean of Chapel. Producer: Ben Collingwood.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0001ccq)
The witch-hunt culture
Roger Scruton argues that political correctness, far from being the cure to our conflicts, is actually the ultimate source of them.
The "isms" and "phobias", he says, have been used in order to "put some complex matters beyond discussion, so that only one perspective can be publicly confessed to".
"In the world of political correctness", he writes, "there is no presumption of innocence, but only a hunger for targets".
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0001cy1)
Brian Briggs Shearwater Takeover
Brian Briggs, former singer, lyricist, and guitarist with the band Stornoway, takes over the Tweet of the Day output this week. Brian who has had a lifelong passion for the natural world and birding, even completed a PhD on ducks. Stornoway, who's third album Bronxie (the colloquial name for the arctic skua) finally disbanded in 2017, allowing Brian to convert his hobby and long standing love affair with birds into a career. He is now is the reserve manager of the Wetlands and Wildlife Trust's Llanelli Wetland Centre.
With a lifetime of bird knowledge, Brian recalls the other-worldly sound of Manx Shearwaters, calling from their burrows on the island of Skomer in west Wales, the largest known concentration of these birds in the world.
You can hear more from Brian in the Tweet of the Week Omnibus, available on the Radio 4 website and on BBC Sounds
Producer Andrew Dawes
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0001dfc)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 09:45 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001dff)
Making a Difference
Aasmah Mir reports on how your donations from last year's Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin in-the-Fields have been spent on changing the lives of homeless people through the work of The Connection at St Martin's in London, and how crisis grants from the Vicar's Relief Fund have helped secure housing or have kept vulnerable people in accommodation all around the UK. The appeal is now in its 92nd year.
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 website.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0001cy3)
Writer ..... Naylah Ahmed
Director ..... Gwenda Hughes
Editor ..... Jeremy Howe
Jill Archer ..... Patricia Greene
Ben Archer ...... Ben Norris
Kenton Archer ..... Richard Attlee
Tony Archer ..... David Troughton
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer ..... William Troughton
Brian Aldridge .... Charles Collingwood
Harrison Burns ..... James Cartwright
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Justin Elliott ..... Simon Williams
Rex Fairbrother ..... Nick Barber
Shula Hebden Lloyd .... Judy Bennett
Jazzer McCreary .... Ryan Kelly
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Lily Pargetter ..... Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers .... Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Lexi Viktorova .... Ania Sowinski
Hannah Riley ..... Helen Longworth
Natasha .... Mali Harries
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m0001dfh)
Tom Kerridge, chef
Tom Kerridge is a chef, restaurateur and TV presenter.
Tom made his name with his Buckinghamshire pub The Hand and Flowers, which he opened with his wife in 2005. It is the only British pub with two Michelin stars.
Tom grew up near Gloucester. After his parents divorced when he was 11, his mother took two jobs to support the family, and Tom was often left to cook for himself and his younger brother. As a teenager, he worked as a TV actor, playing small roles in dramas such as Miss Marple.
He entered his first professional kitchen at 18, and immediately fell in love with the world he found, with its constant pressures and rushes of adrenalin. He studied at catering college at the same time.
As well as now running his own pubs and a London restaurant, Tom has presented numerous TV series and is the author of five best-selling cookbooks. More recently, he made headlines with his weight loss. He shed twelve stone after deciding that he needed to change his life as he reached the age of 40.
He is married to the sculptor Beth Cullen-Kerridge.
BOOK CHOICE: White Heat by Marco Pierre White
LUXURY: A Shaving Kit
FAVOURITE TRACK: Proof by I Am Kloot
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m0001dfy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m00019n4)
Series 70
Episode 3
The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. Old-timers Barry Cryer, Graeme and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Kerry Godliman with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
It is a BBC Studios production.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m0001d9f)
Cookbooks of 2018
Sheila Dillon is joined by cook and food-writer Chetna Makan, Tom Tivnan from The Bookseller’—the book industry’s bible, and Kate Young who won the Guild of Food Writers Blogger of the Year award in 2017 discuss the cookbooks of 2018. The list includes books by Diana Henry, Caroline Eden, Thom Eagle, Bosh!, Yasmin Khan and Snoop Doggy Dogg. They also discuss the inspiration for writing a book, how the books are produced, and the role social media plays in deciding who gets a book deal and how the books are produced and marketed. Rachel Roddy also gives her favourites of the year.
There are also nominations from Mitch Tonks, Olia Hercules, Russell Norman, Bee Wilson and Paula McIntyre.
Producer: Toby Field
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0001dg1)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0001dg3)
News with Mark Mardell including the global implications of the Ukraine / Russia standoff in the Black Sea. Plus, why the night sky will be more boring next year.
SUN 13:30 Sketches: Stories of Art and People (b0bggq0n)
Series 1
Escapes
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 first episode, Anna and the Sketches producers find stories about escapes…
Mair talks to Mark Knight about his quest to track down a painting which he fell in love with as a child. Becky meets Bradley Warwick to hear how he plays music through a computer system which he controls with his eyes. And Polly meets two people for whom writing is an escape; the fantasy fiction writer Icy Sedgwick, and Leesa Harker, whose filthy spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey granted her a whole new life.
Producers: Mair Bosworth, Becky Ripley and Polly Weston
Presenter: Anna Freeman
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0001cc0)
Godmersham
Eric Robson and the team are in Godmersham, Kent. Matthew Wilson, Christine Walkden, and Pippa Greenwood are on-hand to answer the questions from enthusiastic gardeners this week.
The panellists offer advice on saving vegetable seeds, how to overwinter agapanthus, and how to prevent bitter pit in apples. They also help gardeners who are despairing over mealybugs and discuss how to overwinter banana trees.
Also, Matthew Pottage visits James Wong’s apartment and they explore how you can be green-fingered in a flat without a garden.
Produced by Laurence Bassett
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra
A Somethin’ Else Production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m0001dg5)
The Past Shaping the Future
Three conversations on the challenges of trying to move on from a troubled past - friends who met through charity work talk about helping victims of domestic abuse obtain legal aid; mother and daughter on mother's long history of drug taking and rebuilding their relationship after her release from prison; and a retired couple coming to terms with a history of financial fraud and a prison sentence, by devoting themselves to helping others.
Fi Glover presents another conversation in a 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: Mohini Patel
SUN 15:00 Drama (m0001dg7)
The Fortune of War
Episode 3
3/3/ Dramatisation of Patrick O’Brian's novel and its sequel, The Surgeon’s Mate.
Diana is pregnant. Stephen offers to marry her but she refuses because it’s not his child. Jack is given a fresh command, HMS Ariel, with a mission to subvert the Catalan garrison of Grimsholm island, guarding the passage between Denmark and Sweden. But on the voyage home the Ariel is shipwrecked off the coast of Brittany. Jack and Stephen are taken prisoner by the French and transported to Paris for interrogation – where Stephen is accused of being a spy.
Dramatised by Roger Danes.
Captain Jack Aubrey............................................DAVID ROBB
Doctor Stephen Maturin.........................RICHARD DILLANE
Diana Villiers..............................................CANDIDA BENSON
Lt. Jagiello................................................................TOM CAWTE
Lt. Cornelius Hyde...........................................CARL PREKOPP
Sir Joseph Blaine.........................................STRUAN RODGER
Killick........................................................................JON GLOVER
Bonden..........................................................................SAM DALE
Major Clapier.... ...........................................STEPHEN HOGAN
Admiral Dommet...............................................TONY TURNER
Captain Babbington.................................................DON GILET
Sophie Aubrey.........................................JEANETTE PERCIVAL
Amanda Smith...................................................EMMA HANDY
Rowbotham........................................LIAM LAU FERNANDEZ
Other parts are played by the cast.
Producer/director Bruce Young
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m0001cy5)
Meg Wolitzer - The Interestings
American author Meg Wolitzer discusses her novel The Interestings, which follows a group of friends from teenage years through to middle age and marriage and children.
Aged 15, the group first meet at on a warm night at Spirit in the Woods summer camp in 1974. They drink, smoke pot and share their dreams and vow always to be interesting. Although not strictly an autobiographical novel, the idea for the book came from Meg's own experience as a teenager at summer camp in the same era and how the experience can give young people the opportunity to re-invent themselves. What links the six teenagers in The Interestings is their creativity – but how many of them will be successful in their chosen fields?
Decades later, aspiring actress Jules has resigned herself to a more practical occupation, Cathy has stopped dancing, Jonah has laid down his guitar and Goodman (a bit of a misnomer) has disappeared. Only the animator Ethan and theatre director Ash, now married, have remained true to their adolescent dreams and have become shockingly successful.
As the group's fortunes tilt, their friendships are put under strain and Meg Wolitzer explains to Bookclub how the strain of envy and disappointment drives the story.
Meg Wolitzer has been enjoying great success this autumn with the film version of her novel about a Nobel prize winning writer, The Wife.
Presented by James Naughtie and recorded with a group of invited readers.
Presenter : James Naughtie
Interviewed guest : Meg Wolitzer
Producer : Dymphna Flynn
January 2019's Bookclub choice : The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (2014)
SUN 16:30 Mrs Death Misses Death (m0001dg9)
Salena Godden is known for the graphic power of her work and is one of the foremost poets in the UK, as well as an author and singer songwriter.
Mrs Death Misses Death is a new work in progress by Salena in which she personifies death as a woman. The work is a collaboration of a novel and an album - with fiction, poetry, and music. Imagine your own death, Godden writes. But death is a reality few of us want to confront, so how do we talk about our mortality? Salena allows us to follow the development of this experimental new work from page to stage. Mrs Death Misses Death she says is not simply a novel about dying, but about ritual, mourning and love, and ultimately, it's a novel about life.
Producer: Cecile Wright
SUN 17:00 Trust Me, I’m a Scientist (m0001b1k)
Presenting his first programme for Radio 4, the evolutionary biologist, author and former Professor for Public Understanding of Science, Richard Dawkins, investigates trust in science.
It's an issue of concern for scientists as well as others. Despite our scientific and technological advances, many people still believe the Earth is flat and that vaccines cause autism. Even the President of the United States has called climate change a hoax.
Richard Dawkins considers what scientists are doing right and what they're doing wrong, concentrating on the process of science, communication, education, and policy with experts in their field. These include Bad Science author and academic Ben Goldacre, physicists Dr Jess Wade and Prof Jim Al-Khalili, science policy fellow and podcast presenter Dr Maryam Zaringhalam, Virginia Tech’s Marc Edwards who exposed the Flint water crisis, Norman Lamb chair of the science and technology select committee, education consultant Tom Sherrington, head teacher Alan Grey and director of the Science Media Centre Fiona Fox.
The programme looks at an increasing divide between scientific evidence and public opinion and concerns that science communicators are simply preaching to the converted. Is there a need for greater openness and accountability to restore trust?
Producer: Sue Nelson
A Boffin Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:40 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001dff)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0001dgc)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0001dgf)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001djs)
"We shouldn't make the perfect the enemy of the good", says the Environment Secretary. France's Prime Minister to hold talks with anti-government protesters, after riots in Paris.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0001dkt)
Caz Graham
We’re off with Caz Graham on a short but action packed pilgrimage through the all week’s best radio, with Lynn Truss who’s on her own short but action packed pilgrimage. Jamie Dornan gets hot and bothered on the lure of polo neck sweaters. We’ve singing dogs from New Guinea, a spider orchestra, we come face to face with a 15 foot scallop and we’ve underground music in a Polish salt mine.
All that and the words of Sylvia Plath - and the Farming Today Brexit Jingle makes its daytime debut.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Production Support: Helen Surtees
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0001d97)
Tom and Helen discuss how Lower Loxley is expecting a low turnout for Deck the Hall this year. Pat has been getting compliments since Natasha’s make-up gift. Susan’s miffed about losing her “manager” title with the end of kefir. Helen admits it was Tom’s excitement about agroforestry that pushed her into buying the Montbeliardes.
Jill wants to make Christmas special – it’ll be Rosie’s first and suggests to Pip and Ben that all the family should come to Brookfield for Christmas Day lunch. Later, Jill reports back that Shula, Elizabeth and Lily are coming as well as Jolene and Kenton (Dan’s going to Alistair). Ben reluctantly agrees to help Jill with the Christmas cooking – he is the best helper out of him, Pip and Josh.
While Tony fixes the Bridge Farm Shop freezer, Helen explains her plans for her trip to France next week. Johnny can’t go with her. Helen asks Tony to come with her but he says no. Tom thinks Tony should go with Helen, aware of how anxious Helen is about the trip, and pushes him to ask Pat if he can go.
SUN 19:15 Mrs Hudson's Radio Show (m0001dkw)
Episode 1: Rare Medium
Behind every great man there is an even greater woman - demanding rent.
Comedy legend Barry Cryer brings his unique brand of silliness to the world of Sherlock Holmes’ landlady in a special Radio 4 double bill recorded in front of an audience in London.
Barry plays chestnut salesman Harry Fryer and is joined by Patricia Hodge as Mrs Hudson and Miriam Margolyes as her mischievous friend and neighbour, Mrs Brayley.
The show has been written by Barry and his son, Bob Cryer (familiar to Hollyoaks fans as Glenn Donovan) and is based on their book, Mrs Hudson's Diaries.
When her tenant, a magician known as The Great Mysto, goes missing, Mrs Hudson is suddenly in urgent need of rent money and new lodgers. This half hour episode sees Mrs Hudson attempting to reclaim her lost money and encountering everything from crooked showgirls and Music Hall eccentrics to German strongmen and dodgy clairvoyants. Meanwhile, Mrs Hudson’s maid Martha (Ruth Bratt) has secretly advertised for new tenants and it’s not long before a doctor (Stephen Critchlow) and a consulting detective (Orlando Wells) come knocking. Time is not on her side as villainous Sir Charles Swift is ready to swoop and reclaim her house if she doesn’t pay her ground rent.
CAST:
MRS HUDSON - Patricia Hodge
MRS BRAYLEY - Miriam Margolyes
HARRY FRYER - Barry Cryer
HOLMES/BESSINGBY - Orlando Wells
MYSTO / ARCHIE / WATSON - Stephen Critchlow
MARTHA/BELLA/MYRTLE /CUSACK - Ruth Bratt
GUSTAV / MD - Jeremy Limb
LESTRADE / SWIFT - Bob Cryer
Written by Bob and Barry Cryer
Produced and Directed by Ned Chaillet and Ben Walker
Executive Producer: Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Turbulence (m0001dkz)
Saigon to Delhi
Twelve flights. Twelve travellers. Twelve stories.
In David Szalay's masterful short story series, twelve travellers circumnavigate the globe en route to see lovers, children, parents, brothers and sisters, or nobody at all. From London to Madrid, Dakar to Sao Paolo, Seattle to Hong Kong, and beyond, these are stories of lives in turmoil, each in some way touching the next.
Today: a son flies in to see his increasingly frail and forgetful father in Delhi...
Writer: David Szalay
Reader: Emilio Doorgasingh
Producer: Justine Willett
Original Music: Kirsten Morrison
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0001cc6)
Checking Reality Check
This week Roger Bolton explores the role of the BBC’s Reality Check correspondent following a series of heated Brexit debates on Today and PM. He turns to a professor of journalism, Justin Lewis, for some impartial guidance on this most incendiary of subjects.
In part two of Roger’s interview with James Purnell, he asks the BBC’s Director of Radio and Education to respond to criticism from older listeners who feel shunned by the Corporation.
BBC Radio Sheffield is on the hunt for new local talent, and they’re going about it in a rather unusual way. The station’s editor, Katrina Bunker, reveals that a new voice will be recruited via X-Factor style auditions in an effort to reach out to local communities.
And whodunit? Roger tracks the mystery of the missing episode of a BBC drama, and we hear the bizarre explanation for its absence from the BBC Complaints Unit.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0001cc4)
Baroness Trumpington, Roy Bailey, Chief Inspector Henry Stevens GC, Bernardo Bertolucci
Pictured: Baroness Trumpington
Matthew Bannister on
Baroness Trumpington, who worked for Lloyd George and at Bletchley Park during the war then became a government minister noted for her cheerfully unstuffy attitude.
Roy Bailey the socialist folk singer who teamed up with Tony Benn in an award winning live act.
Henry Stevens, the police officer who won the George Cross for repeatedly tackling a burglar who shot him in the face.
Bernardo Bertolucci, director of the acclaimed film "The Last Emperor" and the controversial "Last Tango In Paris".
Interviewed guest: Martin Simpson
Interviewed guest: Stephen Stevens
Interviewed guest: Simon Stevens
Contributor: Angie Errigo
Producer: Neil George
Archive clips from: Have I Got News For You, BBC One 27/05/16; Profile, Radio 4 14/10/17; Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 25/11/90; 5 Live Breakfast 27/11/18; Today, Radio 4 27/11/18; Mike Harding, Radio 2 Folk Show 08/10/08; Front Row, Radio 4 29/04/13; The Last Emperor directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, RPC/Hemdale/Yanco Films/TAO Film 1987; The Conformist directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Mars Film/Marianne Productions/Maran Film 1970; Last Tango in Paris directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Les Productions Artistes Associés/Produzioni Europee Associate 1972.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0001cvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001df3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (m0001bqs)
Are Freeports the Future?
In the 1970s a young Jiang Zemin headed to Shannon on the rural west coast of Ireland. The time he spent here at the world's first free trade zone would inspire the monumental industrial transformation of the Pearl River Delta and China itself.
The 'Shannon Model' as it became known came from the customs and tax deals around land at Shannon airport, its extraordinary transformation from green fields around a small airport to an industrial manufacturing hub inspired many of the world's most successful trade zones.
Now with Brexit looming Jonty Bloom heads to Teeside to see plans for it to become the UK's first 'freeport' offering customs free imports which it is hoped will encourage advanced manufacturing, utilising the region's deep water port.
With local and international business on board can this new scheme bring back manufacturing jobs not seen in decades to one of the UK's most industrialised and deprived regions?
Contributors;
Jerry Hopkinson - PD Ports
Sharon Lane- Tees Components
Ben Houchen- Tees Valley Combined Authority
Patrick Edmonds - Shannon Airport
Kevin Thompstone- Thompstone Group
Dr Meredith Crowley - University of Cambridge
Presenter: Jonty Bloom
Producer: Jordan Dunbar
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0001dl1)
Preview of the week's politics with politicians, pundits and experts.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m0001bqb)
Moving Image - The Godfather
With Francine Stock.
In the next instalment of her new series, Moving Image, Francine Stock talks to McMafia director James Watkins about a key influence on his film-making career, The Godfather. He is joined by legendary editor Walter Murch who worked his magic in the cutting room of Francis Ford Coppola's epic crime drama.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (m0001cy7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 03 DECEMBER 2018
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0001cy9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m0001b93)
Night-time Economy
The Night-time Economy: Laurie Taylor talks to Adam Eldridge, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Westminster, about the origins and changing nature of the after dark economy. They're joined by Emily Nicholls, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Portsmouth and author of a new, Newcastle based study into the phenomenon of the 'girls night out'. How do young women negotiate friendships, flirtations and fun on a night out with mates?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0001cwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001cyc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001cyf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001cyh)
The latest shipping forecast
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0001cyk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001cym)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0001cyp)
Fodder shortage bites, Shellfish
Farmers are being forced to pay higher prices for fodder this winter because of the unusual weather this year. Sybil Ruscoe reports from the country’s biggest hay and straw auction, and Charlotte hears how the charity Forage Aid - set up by farmers to help others affected by extreme weather by donating fodder – is struggling to cope. British fishing fleets land thousands of tonnes of shellfish each year but UK consumers won’t eat it, preferring to eat white fish such as cod, Hazel Curtis the chief economist at the independent advisory body Seafish explains how the industry will be affected by Brexit.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Alun Beach.
MON 05:56 Weather (m0001cyr)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09r7h4v)
Penny Anderson on the Mandarin Duck
Mandarin Ducks are flamboyant, brightly coloured ducks which originally hail from the Middle East. A feral population established here in the last century here and a pair regularly visit the garden of ecologist Penny Anderson where they waddle across the lawn, roost on her ponds and perch in her trees.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Derek Morgan.
MON 06:00 Today (m0001d8b)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0001d8d)
Power in Politics
Today's battle for political power began with Thomas Cromwell, argues Diarmaid MacCulloch. In a landmark new biography he tells Tom Sutcliffe how Henry VIII's chief reformer claimed power from Europe and the pope - and gave it to an English parliament instead. But Cromwell is one of the most notorious figures in history, admired as a master statesman and reviled as a Machiavel.
Acclaimed playwright James Graham dramatises the political power-play of the Brexit campaign in his new Channel 4 drama. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings, the driving force behind Vote Leave, Graham depicts ten weeks of machinations that forever changed Britain's relationship with Europe.
Isabel Hardman, Assistant Editor of the Spectator, has followed the political upheavals of Brexit closely. In her book Why We Get the Wrong Politicians she looks at the demands made on MPs and how this has changed over time. She argues that their role has shifted from legislator to constituency worker - and that our political system is worse as a result.
And Professor Steven Fielding looks back at the MPs have been depicted in culture. But where novelist Anthony Trollope's fictional Prime Minster is a hero, Fileding argues that the MPs found in The Thick of It and Yes Minister are uniformly venal and cowardly.
Producer: Hannah Sander
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001d8g)
Born Lippy
Family
Jo Brand turns advice giver in a typically irreverent guide to life. She says she's messed up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway.
Once upon a (very, very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as "a nice little girl". Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue.
The plot thickened when, due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16.
Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable journey and, in this memoir, she reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future. As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.
In today’s episode, Jo begins with the wisdom (or otherwise) of giving advice, and guidance on how to survive your family. From her own battlefield experiences, she suggests the best attitude for family holidays and Christmas. Sometimes, it’s just a case of lowering your expectations.
Written and read by Jo Brand
Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001d8k)
Sammy Woodhouse wants the law allowing rapists to have contact with their children changed. She started a petition last week and more than 200, 000 people have signed it already. Sammy was a victim of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and was 15 when she became pregnant by her attacker. She’s waived her anonymity twice: once about the rape, and now in connection with her rapist being offered the chance to apply for parental rights. She talks to Jane Garvey about her situation.
Is all the talk about gender identity ignoring sexuality? In the next part of our series about sex and gender we explore why some lesbians feel uneasy about being grouped together with transgender lesbians and others don't.
There's a new BBC series on TV called Babies: Their Wonderful World. You might have watched it already. In it, the paediatrician Dr Guddi Singh explores the crucial changes and developmental milestones in the first two years of a child’s life. The programme brings together 200 babies, families and scientists from around the world to take part in experiments and research. Guddi joins Jane to discuss how babies learn to talk, how they form ideas about gender roles and when they develop a sense of self.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001d8m)
Gudrun
1/10
By Lucy Catherine.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
On a remote island, Gudrun seeks out an old friend.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Aoife . . . . . Lucy Doyle
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
Iceland is now an occupied country, its people forced to convert to Christianity by rival Norse kingdoms. After many years away, with plans to overthrow the regime and rescue her daughter who is being brought up in the new faith, Gudrun once more sails into Icelandic waters.
Despite the warmongering and bloodshed Gudrun is a story of family and a mother’s love. An avenging angel forged from violence, she continues to try and lead a good life in a man's world. She longs for the freedom to live according to her own rules. She's under the protection of Freija, the Norse Goddess of love and war. Freija’s voice cries out for a new kind of leadership. She can sometimes be as slippery a customer as her protégée - is she really on Gudrun’s side or does she have an agenda of her own?
The series is inspired by the famous Icelanders' saga known as The Laxdoela Saga. Written in the 13th century, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area of Iceland from the late 9th century to the early 11th century. The Laxdæla saga remains popular and appreciated for its poetic beauty and pathetic sentiment. Since the saga has often been regarded as an unusually feminine saga, it has been speculated that it was composed by a woman.
Kate Phillips reprises the role of Gudrun. Previous roles include Jane Seymour in Wolf Hall, Linda in Peaky Blinders and Lise in War & Peace, all on BBC1.
Lucy Catherine has written extensively for BBC Radio Drama, including Friday Plays, Classic Serial adaptations and Woman’s Hour series. Her 95' adaptation of THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov was broadcast in early 2015 and won the BBC ‘Best Audio Drama (Adapted); her 2 x 60' adaptation of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN was broadcast in December 2012 as well as her half hour ‘Gothic Horror’ original LOOTED. Original 10 x 14' Woman’s Hour drama series HALFWAY HERE and 2 x 45' Afternoon Drama in the series ‘Riot Girls’, SUSAN AND EMMA were broadcast in 2016. Other recent commissions for Radio 4 include BOY and GOING SOLO, adapted from Roald Dahl’s autobiography; LIGHTS, CAMERA, KIDNAP! based on a true story about Kim Jong Il.
MON 11:00 The Untold (m0001d8q)
The Unidentified Woman
This is the 100th episode of The Untold.
Grace Dent follows the story of an unidentified woman found washed up on a beach in East Sussex in 2017. Who was she? And why has no one come forward to claim her body? Despite the best efforts of the police and a long-running missing persons appeal, she has never been identified.
A year on, Christina, an employee of the Rother District Council’s Environmental Health team has been given the task of organising a funeral for the woman. She is determined to solve the mystery of the woman's identity and to track down her relatives. And to ensure that, even though no loved ones have come forward, her passing will not go unmarked.
Produced by Mair Bosworth
Office Ambience Copyright 2013 Iwan Gabovitch, CC-BY3 license.
MON 11:30 Chain Reaction (b08hlt48)
Series 12
Sara Pascoe Interviews Harry Hill
In this edtition, Sara Pascoe turns interviewer and invites her chosen guest Harry Hill into the Chain Reaction hot seat.
Chain Reaction is the talk show with a twist where one week's interviewee becomes the next week's interviewer. John Cleese was first in the hot seat back in 1991 and since then, a procession of big names from the world of comedy and entertainment including Jennifer Saunders, Jarvis Cocker and Eddie Izzard have helped continue the chain.
Harry Hill is an award winning comedian and world class swingball player. Born in Woking in 1964, he holds a medical degree from the University of London. His books include Flight from Deathrow and Tim the Tiny Horse. He has been a stand-up since the early 90s and is well known as the star of TV Burp and the voice of You've Been Framed. Harry can currently be seen on Alien Fun Capsule.
Sara Pascoe is a comedian, writer and actor known for her acclaimed live shows - Sara Pascoe the Musical and Sara Pascoe vs History to name just two - as well as numerous high profile TV appearances on programmes ranging from Live at the Apollo, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and W1A. Her debut book Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body was released in 2016.
In this edition, Sara talks to the very first comedian that she ever saw live - Harry Hill. Sara and Harry discuss Gogglebox, constructive criticism, remaking the Godfather and the merits of sharks.
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios Production
Photo credit: Matt Stronge.
MON 12:00 News Summary (m0001d8s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001d8v)
Episode 1
The new novel from Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, THE LACUNA and FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR, interweaves the past and the present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval. It is a portrait of life in precarious times - when characters discover that the past has failed to prepare them for the future.
Alternating between two centuries, Kingsolver examines the personal and social shocks that ensue when people’s assumptions about the world and their place in it are shaken to their foundations.
2016. Willa discovers that most of what she has founded her life upon is under threat. There is bad news about her family home but tragedy is just around the corner.
Abridged by Sian Preece
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
MON 12:18 You and Yours (m0001d8y)
Choking in care homes, Black ballet, Energy price cap
We investigate complaints that poor care is driving up deaths from choking in care homes in England and Wales.
Government figures show that an average of 69 people are dying in care homes each year following a choking incident.
We hear from a man whose elderly mother died after choking in a care home.
We also speak to Judy Downey from the Relatives and Residents Association and Martin Green from Care England about whether poor care is to blame.
Traditionally, there haven't been many black or Asian dancers in mainstream ballet companies but that's starting to change.
Disney's new Christmas film, Nutcracker, stars the African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
Here in the UK, a company called Freed of London has started making shoes to match the skin tones of black and Asian dancers.
They're selling them in partnership with the British dance company, Ballet Black.
Our reporter, Tara Holmes, met its founder and some of the dancers during their recent UK tour.
We look at claims that suppliers are pushing up prices ahead of the energy price cap coming in next year.
In September, the Energy regulator Ofgem said the cap will limit the amount charged for standard variable tariffs and default fixed tariffs, costing a typical household, paying by monthly direct debit, around £1,136 a year. The cap means that 11 million households on default deals will save about £75 on average.
We hear from Joe Malinowski from the comparison site, the energyshop, who has done research into suppliers who've raised their prices ahead of the cap. We also speak to Phil Levermore, chief executive of Ebico, one of the companies that's decided to charge customers more.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes
MON 12:57 Weather (m0001d90)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (m0001d92)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
MON 13:45 A History of Delusions (m0001d94)
Napoleon and 'Delusions of Grandeur'
Clinical psychologist Professor Daniel Freeman begins an exploration of delusions, looking at both historic and contemporary case studies. He hears first about the fourteen "Emperor Napoleons" who presented at Bicetre Asylum in Paris in 1840, the year Napoleon's body was returned to the city.
This "Delusion of Grandeur", featuring Napoleon in particular, continued as an intriguing phenomenon for many decades afterwards.
"That first day we found him dressed elegantly, head held high, with a proud, haughty air; his tone was that of command, and his least gestures indicated power and authority. He soon informed us that he was the Emperor of France, with millions in riches, that Louis Philippe was his chancellor, etc. Then... he pompously recited verses of his own commission, in which he allocated kingdoms, settled the affairs of Belgium and Poland, etc. During the day he smashed everything because people would not obey his every order."
Charenton Asylum, Paris. Register of Medical Observations. Patient admitted June 10th 1831.
Daniel Freeman also meets a woman who experienced a "Delusion of Grandeur" in more recent years, and hears her first-hand account of believing for a time that she was Christ.
Producers: Victoria Shepherd and Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0001d97)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (m0001d99)
Close Both Eyes
Fiona Shaw stars in a new psychological thriller from writer Matthew Graham.
For professional skeptic Julie Salander, the internet vlogger Patrick Starr is just another online psychic who thinks he can speak to the dead. But then one day out of the blue, he rings her up. Why has he got in touch today of all days? A chilling look at the borders of reason and emotion.
Matthew Graham is the co-creator of Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes. His previous drama for Radio 4, Jayne Lake, won the Sarah International Audio Fiction award in 2018.
Cast:
Julie Salander – Fiona Shaw
Patrick Starr – Toby Jones
Woman In Crowd – Lucy Russell
Darren – Christian J Wilde
Writers – Matthew Graham and Sam Graham
Sound design – Alisdair McGregor
Director – Kate Rowland
Producer – Russell Finch
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
MON 15:00 Quote... Unquote (m0001d9c)
Quote … Unquote, the popular celebrity quotations quiz, returns for its 54th series.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m0001d9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Art of Living (m0001d9h)
Drawing in the Dark
Close your eyes, take a breath, and join artist Stephanie Smith as she invites you to draw in the dark.
An artist based in Sunderland, Stephanie has spent the past eight years developing a new artistic process, which she’s called 'skin-mapping'.
Her participants close their eyes and put charcoal to canvas, to really feel the tactile sensations in their faces & bodies. Stephanie guides artists and beginners alike through her practice.
These paintings, these scratchings onto thick paper, are interlaced with the stories, backgrounds and memories of the contributors; following the speed, the rhythm, the stresses and compresses on the canvas.
Featuring the voices of Olivia Glover, Mariam Khattab, Stephen Banks, Rafal Marzec, Anna Debska, Laura Hind and Barrie West.
Producer: Jay Sykes
A Soundscape Production for BBC Radio 4
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m0001d9k)
The Far Right and Christianity
For many years Europe has been seen as increasingly secular but earlier this year Bavaria passed a law requiring public buildings to display a “clearly visible” crucifix near the entrance, the President of Hungary has vowed to preserve the country’s Christian culture and large crosses are seen in demonstrations by far right populist movements.
Professor Robert Beckford discusses why some far right populist movements in Europe are using Christian symbols and wanting to defend Christian culture with Tobias Cremer, a Phd Student at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge; Timothy Peace, Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Fellow of the School of Social and Political sciences at the University of Glasgow and Jasjit Singh a Research Fellow in the School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science at the University of Leeds.
Producer: Amanda Hancox
MON 17:00 PM (m0001d9m)
PM at
5pm: interviews, context and analysis.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001d9p)
The Attorney General angers Brexiteers by saying Britain could become trapped in fall-back customs arrangements for Northern Ireland post-Brexit.
MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0001d9r)
Series 70
Episode 4
The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. Old-timers Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Kerry Godliman with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
It is a BBC Studios production.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0001d9t)
Feeling under the weather, Elizabeth delegates showing new manager, Glen, around Lower Loxley to Lily.
The buyer for Home Farm wants the sale to completed by Christmas which Lilian thinks is ridiculous. Jennifer is trying to hold things together under the stress of it all. They know nothing about the buyer except that they are called Gill.
Rex has a taxi job to Deck the Hall and catches up with Lily. Glen has settled in quickly. Lily’s looking forward to going back to university but she misses Freddie. Rex shares his woes over the Canterbury Tales – it’s not the laugh he thought it would be. Rex tells Lily that Roy and Lexi have split up.
While they wait for Lynda, Lilian and Rex discuss The Canterbury Tales. Fallon won’t show anyone the stunt bottom prop she’s making for The Miller’s Tale.
Lily wakes Elizabeth who has fallen asleep in the office and then goes to call Russ. He is frustrated he didn’t call her earlier and is fed up of being alone. Lily reassures him she will be with him on Wednesday.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0001d9w)
For his final role as an actor, Robert Redford plays a charming bank robber in The Old Man and the Gun, harking back to his early roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Tim Robey reviews.
Booker prize winning narrator of Anna Burns’s Milkman reads 19th century novels as she cannot bear the 20th century. What do other fictional characters read and what does it reveal about them, their authors and the period in which the books were written. John Bown, Professor of Literature at York university joins to discuss fiction within fiction
Poet Fred D'Aguiar's new collection, Translations from Memory, starts with Gilgamesh, the earliest poem and ends with with a response Kamau Brathwaite, the poet from Barbados, who is still alive. It includes responses to philosophers - Spinoza, Hume, Kant - to writers - Lorca, Akhmatova, Seferis - to scientists such as Marie Curie, to political leaders - Nelson Mandela - to religion - Islam - and great movements such as the Reformation. He talks to Samira Ahmed about writing
poems about what amounts to the whole of western civilisation and history.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001d8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Belonging (m0001d9y)
Old Ties
Why have the ties that gave so many of us a shared sense of belonging weakened? Former Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander explores the erosion of class, religion and security and asks why the future he expected to see - of greater togetherness - has not emerged. The programme starts in the place he considers his "true north", the village of his childhood in West Central Scotland. He assesses the role that technology, migration and a now discredited story of progress have all played in creating a sense of "us" and "them".
Producer: Rosamund Jones
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m0001bpp)
A Stark Choice for Cambodia's Surrogates
In a Cambodian hospital, a group of terrified new mothers nurse tiny babies under the watch of police guards. They're surrogates, desperately poor women promised $10,000 to bear children for parents in China. But they were arrested under new anti-trafficking rules, and now they face an agonising choice: either they agree to keep children they didn't want and can't easily afford to bring up, children who aren't genetically theirs - or they honour their surrogacy contracts, and face up to 20 years in jail. Tim Whewell reports on the suffering as country after country in Asia cracks down on commercial surrogacy - and asks whether the detained mothers are criminals - or victims.
MON 21:00 The Wolves Are Coming Back (m0001b0f)
The rise of the right wing in eastern Germany. Rebecca Pates draws on her work in politics at the University of Leipzig and her experiences as a half-English, half-German woman.
As the programme opens we hear an eerie wind blowing through the disused industrial buildings of a former communist factory in eastern Germany. In the distance wolves are howling. Professor Rebecca Pates walks through this desolate landscape in the former East Germany and introduces her theme - the wolves are a metaphor for what’s happening in German politics.
The right-wing Alternative Fur Deutschland (AfD) is now the third biggest party in the German parliament. They draw much of their support from places that have been referred to as the ‘post-traumatic cities’ of the former communist areas, characterised by high unemployment and an ageing disaffected population.
In this portrait of a society coming to terms with the demons of its past, Rebecca talks to other women about why, as she sees it, the problem is men.
Using archive recordings, she examines how the anti-immigrant Monday demonstrations in contemporary Dresden are a deliberate echo of the late 1980s Monday demonstrations against the the communist authorities in the former East Germany. We also hear contemporary audio recorded at an AfD rally featuring nationalistic anti-immigrant songs.
At a public debate organised through the research project Fremde im Eigenen Land (Strangers in Their Own Land), we hear people discussing what many see as their loss of identity in the united Germany.
The Wolves Are Coming Back is an internal perspective on an issue which is uniquely German, but also has ramifications globally in a new era of populism.
Producer: Trevor Dann
Executive Producer: Kevin Marsh
A Folder & Co production for BBC Radio 4
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m0001d8d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001db2)
Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, defends Brexit agreement as "a sensible compromise".
BBC learns about network of secret torture and detention sites in Burundi.
80 year old woman becomes latest casualty of anti-government protests in France.
Sir David Attenborough tells climate change summit that time is running out.
MON 22:45 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001d8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
MON 23:00 When Greeks Flew Kites (m0001db4)
Sarah Dunant presents a monthly dive into stories from the past that might help us make sense of today. In this month's episode, Sarah looks at the use of poison in history.
After a year that saw the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, When Greeks Flew Kites focuses on how this deadly weapon leaves a trail of confusion, fear and doubt through the centuries. From the courts of Renaissance Europe, where rumours of poison spread like wildfire, to the new science but thorny old problem of proof in 19th and 20th century murder trials, poison has always opened up and exposed the tensions of the society in which it is wielded. Its dark fascination has also spawned legends and myths that endure through history, such as Mithridates, the poison-proof enemy of Rome and geopolitical trouble-maker.
Sarah’s guests are:
Professor Alisha Rankin, Associate Professor of History, Tufts University
Dr John Carter Wood, Leibniz Institute of European History, Mainz, Germany
Dr Carol Atack, postgraduate researcher in Classics at the University of Oxford
Professor Ian Burney, Director of the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester
Presenter: Sarah Dunant
Producers: Natalie Steed and Nathan Gower
Executive Producer: David Prest
Readers: Matt Addis and Karina Fernandez
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0001db6)
Should the Government publish the legal advice it's received on Brexit? Sean Curran follows lively exchanges in the Commons.
Also on the programme:
* Sports Direct supremo Mike Ashley relates his formula on how to revive Britain's ailing high streets.
* The Government's chief Brexit adviser faces the questions of the Brexit committee.
* Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clash over the conflict in Yemen and the murder of a Saudi journalist.
TUESDAY 04 DECEMBER 2018
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0001db8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001d8g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001dbb)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001dbd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001dbg)
The latest shipping forecast
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0001dbj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001dbl)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0001dbn)
The environment secretary Michael Gove has said that Britain will be at the forefront of the next agricultural revolution with the use of gene editing technology. We hear reaction from the John Innes Centre and the Soil Association.
Marine Scotland are investigating reports of alleged illegal scallop dredging off Wester Ross. It's understood there have been two incidents in recent weeks, in an environmentally protected area near Loch Gairloch, leading to calls for changes in the way smaller fishing vessels are tracked.
Northern Ireland has recently taken delivery of its first 'sea-bin', designed to go to sea and trap plastics. It's been placed on the southern shores of the intertidal Belfast Lough, and will be there until January.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09hs3cv)
Fyfe Dangerfield on the Bluethroat
For musician Fyfe Dangerfield seeing a rare bird on his travels is as exciting as seeing a celebrity on the street, and the bluethroat he saw in India is on top of his list.
Producer Mark Ward
Photograph Kevin Mayhew.
TUE 06:00 Today (m0001dzx)
News and current affairs, including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m0001dzz)
Sky at Night presenter Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Maggie Aderin-Pocock has been fascinated by space since she was a young child. When she was six years old she caught the bug when she saw a picture of an astronaut on the front of a book in her primary school library. As a teenager she built her own telescope.
After studying physics and mechanical engineering, Maggie worked in industrial research before returning to her first love, astronomy, when she managed the building of an instrument on a giant telescope in Chile. Now, she spends her time presenting TV programmes, in particular the BBC’s Sky at Night, and inspiring the next generation of schoolchildren to become scientists. Maggie’s come a long way since her own childhood. Her parents separated when she was four years old, and their prolonged custody battle meant she attended 13 schools in as many years. In addition, she was diagnosed as dyslexic and put in remedial classes where she wasn't ever expected to achieve academically.
TUE 09:30 One to One (m0001f01)
The last space shuttle
In 2011, tech journalist Jack Dearlove was at university and won a competition to go to the Kennedy Space Center to "live tweet" the last American Space Shuttle. As a self-confessed space nerd, it was one of the most exciting - and emotional - days of his life. But what was it like for the astronauts on board? Here he talks to Doug Hurley, one of the four on board. Now in his fifties, Doug is still planning one last mission into space, with Elon Musk's new generation of space craft. If successful, it will allow American astronauts once again to go into space from American soil.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001f03)
Born Lippy
Love and Friendship
Jo Brand turns advice giver in a typically irreverent guide to life. She says she's messed up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway.
Once upon a (very, very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as "a nice little girl". Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue.
The plot thickened when, due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16.
Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable journey and, in this memoir, she reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future. As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.
Today, Jo turns unflinchingly to love and friendship. This includes the story of an unsuitable teenage boyfriend and the appalling poetry he inspired, as well as Jo’s five golden rules for keeping friends (even if they do say you look like Brian Blessed in drag).
Written and read by Jo Brand
Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001f05)
Trans women are keen to share the social, health and intrinsic benefits of playing sport with other women. Trans women athletes can compete with women at international level, but many women feel that transgender sportswomen are at a natural physical advantage in any competition. We look at the arguments and the evidence about whether it’s fairer to include or exclude trans women from women’s sports. Jane is joined by Dr Beth Jones and Dr Nicola Williams
The NSPCC has analysed police crime figures to find that cases of child neglect and cruelty have doubled over the past five years. In the last year alone police recorded 17,000 cases of parents deliberately neglecting, mistreating or assaulting their children. Last night they launched their ‘Light For Every Childhood’ Christmas Appeal. Jane talks to Emily Hilton from the NSPCC and to Paula Hudgell who fostered and went on to adopt a little boy who was neglected by his parents.
Monika Fahlbusch was shortlisted for ‘Women of the Year and ‘Transformation Leader’ at this year’s Computing’s Women’s in IT Excellence Awards. In 2016, she was named a Silicon Valley ‘women of influence’. She’s senior vice president, chief employee experience officer at BMC Software. BMC is a company that provides systems that help large companies such as the Bank of England run their IT infrastructure. She tells us why she's passionate about working in tech.
According to Channel 4 boss Ian Katz rising house prices mean that young people forced to live at home for longer are spending more quality time with their parents watching television. But how easy is to find something that everyone wants to watch? And is it actually bonding time? Listener Caroline has moved back in with her parents as she works on her PhD thesis, and she joins us with her mum to discuss their experience. Plus, TV Critic Emma Bullimore tells us what will bring the whole family together in front of the box over Christmas.
Presented by Jane Garvey
Produced by Jane Thurlow
Interviewed guest: Beth Jones
Interviewed guest: Nicola Williams
Interviewed guest: Emily Hilton
Interviewed guest: Paula Hudgell
Interviewed guest: Monika Fahlbusch
Interviewed guest: Emma Bullimore
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001f07)
Gudrun
2/10
By Lucy Catherine.
After a long absence, Gudrun returns to the Sacred Land. Some welcome her as a hero, while others view her as a mortal threat.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Hakon . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Bolli . . . . . Lewis Bray
Aslak . . . . . Tony Turner
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
TUE 11:00 Does Trade Matter? (m0001f09)
International trade is the glue that holds the world economy together. But in the era of the Trump presidency, China's Belt and Road Initiative and Brexit, global trade has become highly contentious at home and abroad.
Contrasting Jeremy Corbyn's 'Build it in Britain' campaign with Brexiteer visions of a new 'Global Britain', President Trump's protectionist language with President Xi's defence of free trade, economist George Magnus sorts spin from substance and asks how conflicting visions of trade might transform Britain's trading future and the wider global economy.
As he hears from the workers shifting containers in Britain's ports to trade experts such as Harvard's Dani Rodrik, George asks how trade is changing and how much shifts in terms and tariffs really matter in today's world of hyper-globalisation.
Producer: Julia Johnson
TUE 11:30 The Art of Living (m0001f0c)
Elvis - A Tribute in Dance
Claire Cunningham is a Scottish choreographer and contemporary dancer who performs with crutches. We join her in the studio during the research period for a new work, Thank You Very Much, which draws on Claire’s current fascination with Elvis Tribute Artists.
Claire is intrigued by the difference between impersonation and tribute, what it means to train to become someone else - or an ideal of someone else - and relating this to the lived experience of disability. She asks, “Is this also a life of being pressured to be someone you are not?”
The programme is a fun, exuberant and occasionally poignant mix of dance, music, singing, text and, of course, fabulous costumes.
Claire is a hugely respected artist who tours all over the world in both disabled and non-disabled arts festivals. For this new work, she has brought together an ensemble of professional performers who all identify as disabled - Dan Daw, Marissa Perel, Tanja Erhart and Victoria Malin - and they are all involved in the creation of the piece, which has been commissioned by Manchester International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland for 2019.
Through one-on-one masterclasses with Elvis Tribute Artists, practising harmonies, and offering up their own personal experiences of physiotherapy and speech therapy, the group not only learn to sing and dance like Elvis Presley, but also explore how paying tribute involves bringing something of themselves into the act. These tasks become part of improvisations in the studio, from which the final show will be devised.
As a choreographer, Claire is interested not so much in traditional dance techniques but in individual languages of bodies, particularly disabled bodies. For her, the lived experience of disability is inherently creative due to the ways it requires you to rethink how to move through the world.
Produced by Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0001f0f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001f0h)
Episode 2
The new novel from Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, THE LACUNA and FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR, interweaves the past and the present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval. It is a portrait of life in precarious times - when characters discover that the past has failed to prepare them for the future.
Alternating between two centuries, Kingsolver examines the personal and social shocks that ensue when people’s assumptions about the world and their place in it are shaken to their foundations.
1874. Thatcher Greenwood has to break the news to his wife that their house is in a perilous state. Meanwhile the curious behaviour their neighbour, the scientist Mary Treat, becomes fascinating to them.
Abridged by Sian Preece
Read by Patrick Kennedy
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
TUE 12:18 You and Yours (m0001f0k)
We want to know.....how are you earning enough to get by?
New figures suggest you are more likely to be working and in poverty than any time in the past 20 years.
That's according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Their research shows 4 million workers are living in poverty -- that's up by half a million over the past 5 years.
So how do you make ends meet?
How are you earning enough to get by?
Email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk - and please include your phone number so we can call you back...
PRESENTER: Winifred Robinson
PRODUCER: Pete Wilson
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0001f0m)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0001f0p)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Edward Stourton.
TUE 13:45 A History of Delusions (m0001f0r)
Cotard: the 'Walking Corpse Delusion'
Clinical psychologist Professor Daniel Freeman continues his exploration of delusions, looking at both historic and contemporary case studies.
In this programme, he examines Cotard's Syndrome - the belief that you are dead.
In Paris in 1880, Jules Cotard wrote the case study of a 43-year-old woman he called Mademoiselle X. He described her condition as “le délire des negations”. He recorded how she claimed to have “no brain, no nerves, no chest, no stomach and no intestines”. The “delusions negation” wrote Cotard, “extended to the metaphysical”, as Mademoiselle X believed “she has no soul and accordingly she does not need to eat in order to live.” She is recorded as dying of starvation.
Cotard’s Syndrome is often an extension of severe depression, a person’s explanation of experiences of disassociation and detachment. To find out more Daniel meets Sophie, who shares her own experience of believing she was dead.
Daniel's research at the University of Oxford focuses on improving our understanding and treatment of delusions – strongly held and preoccupying false beliefs. In this series he unearths case studies from the Renaissance, through to the asylums of 19th-century Paris and Victorian Britain. He meets people who have experienced delusional thinking first-hand and discovers more about the latest thinking on delusions from psychologists and psychiatrists. The purpose is to better understand this common but too-often unexplored human experience.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd and Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0001d9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b08y1bw6)
The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The Fat Cattle Club
A new two-part dramatisation of Alexander McCall Smith's latest No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency book, 'Precious and Grace'. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi return to Radio 4 for a new two-part adventure based on the popular novels set in Bostwana, dramatised by the author.
Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi help a Canadian lady to face the truth about the past, save Mr Polopetsi from involvement in some dangerous dealings and also try to resolve the problem of Fanwell's dog. All while waiting for the rain to come.
Episode 1: The Fat Cattle Club
Mma Ramotswe ..... JANICE ACQUAH
Mma Makutsi ..... NADINE MARSHALL
Mr J.L.B. Matekoni ..... BEN ONWUKWE
Mr Polopetsi ..... STEVE TOUSSAINT
Mma Potokwani/Bandie ..... SARAH NILES
Susan Peters ..... BARBARA BARNES
Mma Rosie/Mma Kentse ..... ELEANOR CROOKS
Fanwell/Cool ..... KEDAR WILLIAMS-STIRLING
Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m0001f0t)
Series 17
Untethered
Navigating the technological nightmare of the afterlife, the feeling of weightlessness during a late night drive and finding yourself adrift at sea - Josie Long presents short documentaries and mini works of fiction about finding yourself untethered to the world around you.
Please Hold (Extract)
Originally made for the podcast 'Imaginary Advice'. Featured in the episode 'After This'
Produced by Ross Sutherland
Night Rider
Produced by Ariana Martinez
Lauren and Ken
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m0001f0w)
The Future of Our National Parks
2019 is the 70th anniversary of the legislation that created the first National Parks in the UK. At this crucial moment for the future of our countryside, Tom Heap asks how our best-loved landscapes can work better for people and wildlife. There are now 15 National Parks – all are protected areas because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. However, much has changed since the original legislation and many of these landscapes face significant challenges, including declining wildlife, a need for housing and poor public access. Tom visits two very different parks, the Cairngorms and the South Downs, to ask communities how they think National Parks should be improved to meet the needs of the 21st century. He considers some of the key issues; such as how to balance agriculture with enhancing and connecting habitats and how to deliver rural development and housing in protected landscapes.
Producer: Sophie Anton
TUE 16:00 No Triumph, No Tragedy (b09h0c26)
Adam Hills
Peter White and Adam Hills explore the boundaries of humour and who can mock who. Adam sprang to fame with his series The Last Leg, which began life as an accompaniment to the 2012 Paralympics, but has now become a staple of Friday night viewing to round off the week's news.
In No Triumph No Tragedy Peter White, blind since birth, challenges Adam about the ethics of disability humour - its cruelty, its inconsistency - and asks what the rules really are. The two take an irreverent tour of the jokes you can and can't tell and just who can tell them.
Adam reveals how he even took humour to his father's death bed and says that it's the greatest way to cope with all that life throws at you. He grew up in Sydney and his parents were told not to treat him differently from his brother - he grew up thinking there was nothing he couldn't do:
"The problem with the word disabled, he says, is that it has so many negative connotations: "I don't think people who are disabled consider themselves disabled."
His shows are based on audience interaction and he loves the liberation of performing in this way. On stage he feels most closely that he's the person he wants to be: "When I'm performing it's the closest I get to the person I wish I was every day - positive, interested in people, nothing rattles me and in the moment I feel relaxed and happy."
No Triumph No Tragedy is a no holes bared interview with prominent disabled people and later in the series Peter meets up and coming politician Cyrus Habib, dubbed the man to watch by the Washington Post. Cyrus lost his eyesight to cancer when he was eight but has gone on to become America's first blind Lieutenant Governor.
His rise through the political ranks brings with it change to the way that Government runs. He controls who speaks in the Senate, which has now been kitted out so that lawmakers will push a button before jumping in - the list transmitting in braille to Cyrus, who can then call on them to speak in turn. He discusses the impact technology is having on improving the opportunities of disabled people in the workplace.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m0001f0y)
Pioneer girl Laura Ingalls Wilder nominated by broadcaster Samira Ahmed
In the summer of 2018 the name of Laura Ingalls Wilder was erased from a children's literary medal set up in her honour six decades ago. Readers of the Little House on the Prairie series of books were widely perplexed, but the original American pioneer girl now finds herself at the centre of the culture wars in the US.
Nominating her is the broadcaster and superfan Samira Ahmed, who has been to Rocky Ridge Farm, now an historic museum in Missouri and Laura Ingalls Wilder's home. Joining Samira in studio is the novelist Tracy Chevalier. president of the Laura Ingalls Wilder club at the age of eight. At the centre of the controversy - the depiction in these books of native Americans. “Her works reflect dated cultural attitudes toward indigenous people and people of colour that contradict modern acceptance, celebration, and understanding of diverse communities,” was the judgment of the ALSC.
This programme also includes Laura Ingalls Wilder's biographer, Pamela Hill; plus the Commanche writer Paul Chaat Smith in an extract from The Invention of the USA.
"I feel worried," says Samira Ahmed, "that we've lost the ability to have nuance. I cannot read these books without feeling aspects of racism, but why shouldn't we be able to read them and still see the beauty in them."
The presenter is Matthew Parris and the producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.
Future programmes include Matt Lucas on Freddie Mercury, and Mark Steel on Charlie Chaplin on Christmas Day.
TUE 17:00 PM (m0001f10)
PM at
5pm: interviews, context and analysis.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001f12)
Ministers found in contempt of parliament. MPs back plan giving them more say over Brexit. France suspends plans to raise fuel taxes, after violent protests in Paris.
TUE 18:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m0001f14)
Series 2
Political
Nominated for this year’s main Edinburgh Comedy Award, and winner of the Newcomer in 2014, American comedian Alex Edelman is back for a second series of his show PEER GROUP in which he takes a comic look at what it’s like being a millennial today.
This episode is all about his relationship with politics and what it means to be political in today's world, from Donald Trump to YouTube comedians.
We also hear from Alex's "peer group" - fellow millennials - comedians Alfie Brown, and Brandon Wardell, journalist Rebecca Nicholson and cultural commentator David Burstein.
It is written and presented by Alex Edelman, with additional material by Ivo Graham.
Producer: Sam Michell.
A BBC Studios production.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0001f16)
Brian is being chased for an answer to the buyer’s request to have the house sale done by Christmas. He thinks they could wait for another offer but Jennifer impresses on him how much they need the money. The buyers compromise on the sale being done by New Year. Later, Jennifer has worked out that it will just be her and Brian, Ruairi and Kate over Christmas so they’ll put most of their stuff into storage on the farm and make do for the festivities.
Kirsty and Phoebe persuade heartbroken Roy to come out to see the Christmas Lights switch on where Kirsty meets up with Helen. Helen is really pleased Tony is coming with her to France and opens up about feeling scared travelling alone. She still feels anxious about leaving Henry and Jack even though it’s only for two days. Meanwhile, Phoebe questions Roy about Lexi and suggests he asks her to marry him to show he’s committed.
On her return home, Helen discovers that Tony can’t go to France after all because Tom’s trees are arriving earlier than expected.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0001f18)
Twelve flights. Twelve travellers. Twelve stories. David Szalay talks about his new book, Turbulence, which features lives in turmoil, each in some way touching the next. David Szalay was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016 – and Turbulence is an original Radio 4 commission.
The 55th annual Golden Horse awards, dubbed the "Chinese Oscars", saw An Elephant Sitting Still win best picture. Created by novelist-turned-director Hu Bo, who adapted it from his own book, it tells the story of four people in a society plagued by cruelty and violence. As the film is released in the UK, critic Simran Hans gives her verdict and Asian film expert, Andrew Heskins, discusses the wider landscape of cinema in China and the way the industry is changing.
This weekend UNESCO added the reggae music of Jamaica to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a programme that looks to protect and promote traditions or living expressions of cultural identity. To discuss the programme and the decision to include reggae on this year’s list we speak to Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO Ernesto Ottone, plus music journalist Kevin LeGendre considers what this means for reggae.
Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Hannah Robins
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001f07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 In the Child's Best Interests (m0001f1b)
How and when should the decision be made to end the life of a critically ill child?
The BBC’s Medical Correspondent Fergus Walsh reflects on the legal and ethical challenges raised by controversial and emotionally charged cases, like those of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans.
Their impact reverberated around the world, prompting protests on the streets, an outpouring of emotion on social media and the vilification of hospital staff. Even the US President and the Vatican got involved. Though these cases were very different, in each the parents were locked in a bruising battle with the hospital for the right to make decisions about how and where to treat their children.
The current legal test focuses on what is in the child’s best interests and, in court, the hospital, the parents and the child all have separate legal representation.
But the potentially adversarial nature of the court system and the presence of ferocious debate on social media means these intensely difficult decisions can became even more emotionally charged.
The programme examines whether it’s possible to improve the current system, to prevent more cases reaching court and whether the legal process itself could be improved.
Producer: Matt Willis
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0001f1d)
Going to university presents special challenges if you are blind or visually impaired. It may be your first time away from home. You have to learn a whole new level of independence from finding your way around unfamiliar spaces, to decoding lectures and fitting in with your new friends. Peter White talks to three students about their experiences.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m0001f1g)
Self-care, Schadenfreude, How maths ability might relate to ball-catching skills
What is self-care and what's the evidence that it works for anxiety and depression in young people? Claudia talks to Professor in Evidence Based Practice and Research at UCL, Miranda Wolpert and Maggy Van Eijk, author of Remember this when you're sad - Lessons learned on the road from self-harm to self-care. They discuss how useful is self-care and what are the kinds of strategies that work. Liam Hill from the University of Leeds explains why mathematical ability might relate to ball catching skills and his work with pupils at a primary school in Bradford. Claudia discusses schadenfreude with historian of emotions, Tiffany Watt-Smith and psychologist, Wilco Van Dijk from the University of Leiden.
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m0001dzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001f1j)
Theresa May's authority takes another blow.
Commons could get far greater say on Britain's future relationship with EU.
Government also forced to release full Brexit legal advice.
and we speak to "Danny The Red" about the French protests.
TUE 22:45 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001f0h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
TUE 23:00 Tudur Owen - Where on Earth is Anglesey? (m0001f1l)
Episode 2
What do CenterParcs, Sky Sports and The Royal Horticultural Society all have in common? They’ve all accidentally omitted Anglesey from their official maps of the UK in the recent past.
It seems that despite being the largest island in the Irish Sea and the largest island of Wales, Anglesey remains a mystery to most and so one man is going to have to work his socks off to put it firmly back on the map.
Hosted by Wales and Anglesey’s very own favourite stand-up, Tudur Owen, this programme is one man’s mission to both rejoice in and roast the island he calls home.
In Episode 2 Tudur introduces us to the people of Anglesey and asks if it's fair to call them a rather unique bunch.
Written by Tudur Owen with additional material by Gareth Gwynn. Also featuring Gareth Pierce and Lisa-Jên Brown.
Recorded at Canolfan Beaumaris on Anglesey.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0001f1n)
Susan Hulme reports on today's sitting at Westminster as Theresa May fights to save her proposed Brexit agreement after MPs inflict three damaging defeats on the Government.
The Prime Minister faced MPs at the start of the five-day debate on the draft Withdrawal Agreement insisting it is the only deal on offer. But the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, continues to oppose Mrs May's plan saying it would leave the country "worse off".
WEDNESDAY 05 DECEMBER 2018
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0001f1q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001f03)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001f1s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001f1v)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001f1x)
The latest shipping forecast
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0001f1z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001f21)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0001f23)
Farmers around the world are being urged to be 'the solution to soil pollution' on World Soil Day. We hear what UK farmers are doing make their soil stay healthy for longer.
For oyster fishermen it's crucial to know when their stocks are ready to reproduce - but how can you tell? Marine biologists at the University of Essex have begun using a magnet to help find out.
Nancy Nicolson has been to the Scottish National Fatstock Show to see what makes a prize winning beef carcase.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5c3r)
Sanderling
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the sanderling. Twinkling along the tideline, so fast that their legs are a blur, sanderlings are small waders. It's the speed with which they dodge incoming waves that catches your attention as they run after the retreating waters and frantically probe the sand.
WED 06:00 Today (m0001fck)
News and current affairs, including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Only Artists (m0001fcm)
Series 6
Katherine Parkinson meets Roxana Halls
The actor Katherine Parkinson meets the artist Roxana Halls.
Katherine Parkinson is best known for her role as Jen in the Channel 4 sit-com The I T Crowd, which won her a British Comedy Award and a BAFTA. She has also appeared in the long-running drama Doc Martin and the science fiction series Humans. Her most recent stage work was at the National Theatre, where she starred as Judy – an obsessive housewife stuck in the 1950s - in Home, I’m Darling by Laura Wade. The production transfers to the West End next year.
Roxana Halls is a figurative painter who has exhibited across the UK and around the world. Her work has been included five times in the renowned BP Portrait Award exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and has been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Show. She has won numerous prizes , and next year her art will feature in a touring show reflecting the life of Christine Keeler.
Producer: Clare Walker
WED 09:30 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m0001fcp)
Series 12
Two Infinities and Beyond Part 1
“Is anything in the Universe truly infinite, or is infinity something that only exists in mathematics?”
This momentous question came from father and son duo from Edinburgh Sorley aged 10 and Tom, aged adult. It's a subject so big, that we've devoted two episodes to our never-ending quest to investigate infinity.
The first installment is a story of mathematics, music and murder. We'll find out why the ancient Pythagoreans decided that infinity was evil, and why some infinities are bigger than others.
Featuring the marvellous mathematical minds of Steven Strogatz from the Cornell University and Eugenia Cheng, author of 'Beyond Infinity'.
Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry
Presenter: Michelle Martin
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001fcr)
Born Lippy
Being Kind
Jo Brand turns advice giver in a typically irreverent guide to life. She says she's messed up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway.
Once upon a (very, very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as "a nice little girl". Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue.
The plot thickened when, due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16.
Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable journey and, in this memoir, she reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future. As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.
In today’s episode, Jo draws on her nursing experiences and walking from Hull to Liverpool to give guidance on the vital life skill of being kind. She applauds Billy Bragg for his motivational music and describes the moment he "almost" made her cry on telly.
Written and read by Jo Brand
Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001fct)
Some newspapers are reporting a feud between the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex. But how much is this really the case? How much is it simply a made-up misogynistic storyline? We hear from Victoria Murphy, a journalist who has written royal stories for the Mirror and the political commentator Jane Merrick.
New research from Contact, the charity for families with disabled children has revealed a sharp rise in disabled children going without vital therapies and equipment. This is leading to increased ill health for both the parents and the children. Jenni hears from Gabriella whose two year old daughter Thea, has a severe life-limiting condition and from the CEO of Contact Amanda Batten.
A new website '100 Voices that made the BBC: Pioneering Women' explores the contribution that women have made to shaping close to 100 years of British broadcasting. Jenni speaks to one of the curators Dr Kate Murphy, Principal Academic at Bournemouth University.
The musical Caroline, or Change now on at the Playhouse theatre, London continues to provoke and entertain with its fierce social observation and a gospel-and-Motown-inflected score delivered by a cast that includes kitchen appliances and a rising moon. Jenni speaks to Sharon D. Clarke who plays the African-American maid working in a liberal Jewish household in 1960’s Louisiana.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Dianne McGregor
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (m0001fcw)
Gudrun
3/10
By Lucy Catherine.
Gudrun's has returned to Iceland, hoping for a quiet, modest life with her daughter. But to many, she is a heroine and the rebels seek to recruit her to their cause.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Hakon . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Bolli. . . . . Lewis Bray
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
Leif . . . . . Don Gilet
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m0001fcy)
The Joy of Playing Goalball
Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it’s surprising what you hear when you listen. Two 13 year old friends talk about the joys of playing Goalball - the sport developed for visually impaired people using a ball with a bell inside it. The club they both play at receives funding from Children in Need.
WED 11:00 Belonging (m0001d9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b07j7j6f)
Series 1
Episode 2
A new show from the internationally acclaimed master of the one-liner Tim Vine sees Tim interview members of his live audience as he embarks on a quest to hear the life stories of the Great British public while simultaneously showcasing his trademark mirthful wordplay and preposterous songs.
This week's show comes from the Wakefield Theatre Royal where Tim meets a secretary and sings an imaginary country song.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.
WED 12:00 News Summary (m0001fd0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001fd2)
Episode 3
The new novel from Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, THE LACUNA and FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR, interweaves the past and the present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval. It is a portrait of life in precarious times - when characters discover that the past has failed to prepare them for the future.
Alternating between two centuries, Kingsolver examines the personal and social shocks that ensue when people’s assumptions about the world and their place in it are shaken to their foundations.
2016. The roof of Willa's house is being patched together and over dinner her daughter and son clash in a fundamental disagreement about politics and the shape of the future.
Abridged by Sian Preece
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
WED 12:18 You and Yours (m0001fd4)
Victims of domestic violence are reporting a big rise in abusers spying on them using mobile phone software. Front line workers say women and children escaping violence don’t realise abusers have put tracker apps on their phones.
Figures from Transport for London suggest the number of cars being cloned has increased by 50% in one year. We hear how Vehicle History Checkers fail to alert buyers that the car they might be about to buy is stolen.
A Natwest customer who was violently assaulted and robbed of his bank card has been refunded £20,000 after the bank had refused for a year to accept he had been a victim of fraud. According to regulations, it is the responsibility of the bank to prove that the customer had been 'grossly negligent'. RBS has apologised to the customer after BBC Watchdog Live stepped in.
And an insurance company tells us it is the first in the UK to use robots known as Chatbots on Facebook Messenger to sell insurance to hard to reach Millennial customers.
Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Natalie Donovan
WED 12:57 Weather (m0001fd6)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (m0001fd8)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
WED 13:45 A History of Delusions (m0001fdb)
Francis Spira and the 'Delusion of Despair'
Clinical psychologist Professor Daniel Freeman continues his exploration of delusions, looking at both historic and contemporary case studies.
In this programme he examines the Delusion of Despair.
He begins with the story of Francis Spira, the 15th-century Italian lawyer who believed he was damned by God – a case of delusional thinking that haunted the 16th and 17th centuries, and inspired Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus.
In the last 20 years, our appreciation and understanding of delusions - a strongly held, fixed, false belief - has begun to shift enormously. Delusional ideas are remarkably common in the population. And delusions are closely tied to a person’s sense of self, their views of the world and what is happening in the environment.
Daniel talks to Cheryl to find out how an excessively negative sense of self can set in motion a troubling line of thought that other people may be judging you, observing you, and waiting to punish you.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd and Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0001f16)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b08y26qm)
The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Precious and Grace
A new two-part dramatisation of Alexander McCall Smith's latest No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency book, 'Precious and Grace'. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi return to Radio 4 for a new two-part adventure based on the popular novels set in Bostwana, dramatised by the author.
Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi help a Canadian lady to face the truth about the past, save Mr Polopetsi from involvement in some dangerous dealings and also try to resolve the problem of Fanwell's dog. All while waiting for the rain to come.
Episode 2: Precious and Grace
Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
WED 15:00 Money Box (m0001fdd)
The competition regulator has stepped up its investigation into the £2 billion a year funerals market, after finding prices have risen above inflation for over a decade.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m0001f1g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m0001fdg)
The White Power Movement in the US: Laurie Taylor talks to Kathleen Belew, Assistant Professor of US History at the University of Chicago, and author of a new book which traces the origins and development of the racist far right. They're joined by Liz Fekete, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, who discusses her study of similar (and different) forces in Europe.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m0001fdj)
As part of our series of audience events exploring the media revolution, how the radio industry is being disrupted by new technology. From podcasts to music streaming, the choice of what to listen to has never been greater - but where will the revolution go next?
Amol Rajan is joined in the BBC Radio Theatre by Scott Taunton, CEO Wireless Group, Gill Hind, Enders Analysis, Helen Zaltzman, The Allusionist, and Helen Thorn, Scummy Mummies.
Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper
WED 17:00 PM (m0001fdl)
PM at
5pm: interviews, context and analysis.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001fdn)
The advice warns measures to avoid a hard border in Ireland could "endure indefinitely".
WED 18:30 Women Talking About Cars (m0001fdq)
Series 3
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders talks to Victoria Coren Mitchell about her life and some of the cars she has driven along the way, from the much-polished Ford Zephyr of her childhood that her father let her steer as a special treat to the day her husband to be Adrian Edmondson reversed into her much-loved Alfa Spider, nearly ending their romance before it began.
Car descriptions read by Sarah Hadland.
Produced by Gareth Edwards
A BBC Studios Production
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0001fds)
Elizabeth finds herself overwhelmed and Will is feeling the strain
WED 19:15 Front Row (m0001fdv)
Maggi Hambling discusses her new exhibition The Quick and the Dead at Jerwood Gallery in Hastings, which centres on paintings and drawings made over the past decade, in which she has portrayed four fellow artists - Sebastian Horsley, Sarah Lucas, Julian Simmons and Juergen Teller - whose lives have intersected at various points, and who have created their own reciprocal artistic interpretations.
Nearly 40 years ago, three white Jewish teenagers called Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch and Michael Diamond became Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D when they stopped playing hardcore punk and took up rap. The hip hop group Beastie Boys went on to gain 3 Grammy awards and sell 50 million records worldwide. Stig talks to Mike D and Ad Rock about their new book - which is as much dedicated to MCA, who died in 2012, as it is to documenting the band’s history.
With actor Ellie Kendrick making her professional debut as a playwright with Hole at the Royal Court in London this week, she and theatre critic David Benedict consider the long tradition of the actor-turned-playwright, from Shakespeare and Garrick to Pinter and Rory Kinnear.
Presenter Stig Abell
Producer Jerome Weatherald
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001fcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Brexit on the Border (m0001fdx)
Sarah Smith speaks to an audience of twenty- and thirty-somethings discuss their own prospects in a post Brexit world. Are they prepared for improved job prospects as the UK conducts more trade with the rest of the non-EU world? Or are they fearful that their fragile finances will be even more vulnerable with the UK no longer a member of the European Union?
WED 20:45 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m0001fcp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m0001f0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Only Artists (m0001fcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001fdz)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
WED 22:45 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001fd2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
WED 23:00 Nurse (m0001ff1)
Series 3
Episode 6
Episode 6
Written by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings.
Bittersweet comedy drama about a community mental health nurse.
It’s Nurse Elizabeth’s last week on the job. Billy has stolen a leaving present for Nurse Elizabeth, which she feels unable to accept. Cat Lady April has got rid of all of her cats, a move which makes Elizabeth frankly anxious.
Starring Paul Whitehouse & Esther Coles, with Rosie Cavaliero, Simon Day and Cecilia Noble.
Produced by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings; Associate Producer Tom Jenkins.
A Down The Line Production
WED 23:15 Lenny Henry's Rogues Gallery (b07dm8tg)
Series 1
Moone Sisters
Another twist-in-the-tail story from Lenny Henry. Set in World War II, he plays an American GI serving in Cornwall whose relationship with a local woman - who runs a cafe deep in the woods - will change his life forever.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0001ff3)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
THURSDAY 06 DECEMBER 2018
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0001ff5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001fcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001ff9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001fff)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001ffk)
The latest shipping forecast
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0001ffp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001ffv)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0001ffy)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0skg)
Horned Screamer
Michael Palin presents the Venezuelan horned screamer. Soundling as if someone is using a giant plunger in the Venezuelan marshes, these are the mating calls of the Horned Screamer. They're sounds that only another Horned Screamer could love, but then screamers are very odd birds. Over the years ornithologists have struggled to classify them, modern thinking puts their closest living relatives as the primitive Australian Magpie Goose.
Protruding from its head is a long wiry horn made of cartilage, which could rightfully earn it the title of "unicorn of the bird world" Usually seen as pairs or, outside the breeding season in small groups in the marshes and savannas of the northern half of South America, as you'd expect from their name , they are very vocal and these primeval bellows which sound more cow like than bird like and can be heard up to 3 kilometers away.
THU 06:00 Today (m0001fv0)
News and current affairs, including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0001fv2)
Listener Week 2018
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of several hundred topics suggested for our annual Listener Week. In previous years, Listener Week's prompted programmes on Moby Dick, Kafka's The Trial, Captain Cook's voyages and Garibaldi. This year's will be revealed on Today at
8.30am on 6th December.
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001fv4)
Born Lippy
Clothes
Jo Brand turns advice giver in a typically irreverent guide to life. She says she's messed up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway.
Once upon a (very, very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as "a nice little girl". Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue.
The plot thickened when, due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16.
Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable journey and, in this memoir, she reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future. As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.
In today’s episode, Jo acknowledges she is a bit weird about clothes because she doesn’t like them much and can’t be bothered with them, except her lucky steel toe-capped boots. She is keen to point out that - whatever else you may be if you’re female - you are not what you wear.
Written and read by Jo Brand
Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001fv6)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001fv8)
Gudrun
4/10
By Lucy Catherine.
The rebels want Gudrun to lead them into battle against the authorities. However, she's committed to diplomacy - at least for now.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Hakon . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
Leif . . . . . Don Gilet
Guard 1 . . . . . Lewis Bray
Frederick . . . . . Simon Scardifield
Heidr . . . . . Jeanette Percival
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m0001fvb)
An investigation into the 'killing machine' of one of Africa's most repressive and secretive countries. Three years ago there was widespread unrest in the East African country of Burundi when the country’s president ran for a third term. Protestors said he was violating the constitution that limits presidential terms to just two. Since then street protests have ended but a BBC investigation has now uncovered evidence of government sponsored torture and killings designed to silence dissent. The government has always denied any human rights violations, and declined to comment on the allegations in this programme. Reporter Maud Jullien. Producers Charlotte Atwood and Michael Gallagher.
*This programme contains graphic scenes of torture and killing.
(Image: A computer generated image of an alleged detention house in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. A red liquid, which looked like blood, was seen pouring from its gutter. Credit: BBC)
THU 11:30 Dwelling (m0001fvd)
Strange Boats
In the last of a three part series exploring the theme of ‘Dwelling’, Marie Louise Muir looks at the shifting cultural landscape of the Derry and Donegal region, a place shaped for generations by arrivals, departures and many different ‘Strange Boats’.
In summer 2018, an immersive theatre project called The Foyle Punt comes to the shores of the river Foyle in Derry. It is inspired by the tale of family of boat builders who fled Scotland in 1745 in search of a new home.
Meanwhile, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo tries to rebuild his singing career when he forms a new band with other migrants who now call Derry home.
As these stories come together by the banks of the river Foyle, Marie Louise considers what home means,, and the different ways in which migrants and present continuously shape the cultural landscape of this Atlantic North West region.
Produced by Conor McKay for BBC Northern Ireland.
Credits:
The Foyle Punt was created by Róise Goan and Caitríona McLaughlin of The Local Group.
Music from Farah El Neihum, Little John Nee and the Mohamad Noor Band.
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0001fvg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001fvj)
Episode 4
The new novel from Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, THE LACUNA and FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR, interweaves the past and the present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval. It is a portrait of life in precarious times - when characters discover that the past has failed to prepare them for the future.
Alternating between two centuries, Kingsolver examines the personal and social shocks that ensue when people’s assumptions about the world and their place in it are shaken to their foundations.
1874. Thatcher Greenwood visits his intriguing neighbour, Mary Treat, a scientist in correspondence with Charles Darwin, who is undertaking unusual scientific experiments in her home.
Abridged by Sian Preece
Read by Patrick Kennedy
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
THU 12:18 You and Yours (m0001fvl)
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme.
THU 12:57 Weather (m0001fvn)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (m0001fvq)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
THU 13:45 A History of Delusions (m0001fvs)
Long Shadows: Trauma and Delusions
Clinical psychologist Professor Daniel Freeman continues his exploration of delusions, looking at historic and contemporary case studies.
In this programme, he looks at delusions relating to trauma.
He begins with a case study from 1800 recorded by the pioneering mental health physician Philippe Pinel in Paris, of a man who believed he had lost his head on the scaffold. It is one of many accounts of how guillotine trauma created delusional responses in people during the French Revolution.
It is vivid cases such as these most likely to be recorded in psychiatric studies. But today there is a growing awareness of the "clinician's illusion" and how mental health services see only the rare, extreme end of a continuum. Delusional thinking is actually more common then once thought, and for most people it is not problematic or in need of care.
In fact, is there an untold story in the history of delusions - that they can be helpful?
Daniel talks to John about the delusion he believes sustained him in the aftermath of a traumatic childhood.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd and Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0001fds)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Tracks (m0001fvv)
Series 3: Tracks - Chimera
Episode Six
Part 6 of the conspiracy thriller. Written by Caroline Horton, starring Hattie Morahan.
Helen forms an unlikely friendship with another patient in the psychiatric hospital where she's been sectioned. The decision whether to terminate her unexplained pregnancy hangs over her.
A gripping thriller, chart topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with another 9 part headphone filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Hattie Morahan
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Nasrah…. Amerah Saleh
Lance.... Adam Deacon
Andrea….. Eiry Thomas
Nasrah's Father….. Bijan Daneshmand
Policewoman.... Emma Handy
Lead writer…. Matthew Broughton
Directed by Rebecca Lloyd-Evans
Produced by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
THU 15:00 Open Country (m0001fvx)
Life on the canals at Foxton Locks
Life on the canal is not just a place of leisure and tourism as Helen Mark finds out that more and more people are now full time residents on the water. For this Open Country Helen chugs along on ‘Ardley Way‘ a 60 foot narrow boat with Pete and Bev Ardley who are full time residents at Foxton Locks in Leicestershire. Will Helen be convinced of this lifestyle?
Meanwhile ,Carolyn Watts is taking her lock keepers assessment, will she remember everything she’s been taught and get the narrow boats through Foxton locks and become a qualified lock keeper? A nurse by profession she started volunteering last year as the canals have always have always been part of her families history.
Foxton Locks consists of 10 locks all after each other and is the steepest and longest flight staircase of locks on the English canal system explains Alex Goode, the Site Manager whose father worked there too. Every year he and his team are responsible for almost 5000 boats going through the locks.
The day ends at Bridge 61 as Helen meets Sarah and Shane Kennedy the newest members of the boating community; they’ve never been on a narrow boat, never holidayed on one but decided to buy and live on one permanently this year. As the depth of winter approaches are they still confident they’ve done the right thing?
The producer is Perminder Khatkar.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001df3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (m0001cy5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m0001fvz)
Alfonso Cuaron; Boots Riley
With Antonia Quirke
Musician and director Boots Riley explains how he got the American film industry to fund his ferocious anti-capitalist satire Sorry To Bother You.
Alfonso Cuaron reveals just how autobiographical Roma, his tale of life in Mexico City in the 70s really is, and just how much power a blockbuster like Gravity gives a director.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0001fw1)
Marnie Chesterton investigates the news in science and science in the news.
THU 17:00 PM (m0001fw3)
PM at
5pm: interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001fw5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 The Missing Hancocks (m0001fw7)
The Winter Holiday
The Missing Hancocks recreates those episodes of the classic Hancock's Half Hour that have been wiped or lost from the archive.
The first modern sitcom, Hancock's Half Hour made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show were missing from the BBC archives. Now, after three highly successful series, another batch of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Tonight's episode: The Winter Holiday. Tony Hancock takes a break from his job as a lift attendant and decides to head to the seaside for a fortnight in Brighton...in winter!
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Susy Kane. The Winter Holiday was first broadcast on the 16th November, 1955.
Produced by Neil Pearson & Paul Sheehan.
Written by Ray Galton & Simpson
Music recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Levon Parikian.
A BBC Studios Production.
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0001fwb)
Emotions stir for Helen and Hannah attempts to conceal her true feelings
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0001fwd)
With Antonia Quirke
Musician and director Boots Riley explains how he managed to get the American film industry to fund his ferocious anti-capitalist satire Sorry To Bother You.
Alfonso Cuaron reveals just how autobiographical Roma, his tale of life in Mexico City in the 70s really is, and just how much power a blockbuster like Gravity gives a director.
In the latest part of the series Screen Reflections, writer Gena-Mour Barrett reveals how the sight of Whoopi Goldberg in a nun's habit in Sister Act changed the way she thought about herself.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001fv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0001fwg)
Current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations.
THU 20:30 In Business (m0001fwj)
The Business of Tutors
From stories of teachers in top schools being poached to tutor children on private yachts to single parents taking on extra cleaning jobs to afford a private tutor, tutoring is happening across the social divide - and is growing at a rate never seen before.
Mark Maclaine is one of Britain's "supertutors". He earns up to £1,000 an hour and has tutored the children of royal families, sports stars and musicians. But he also runs a charity giving free tuition to children who can't afford to pay.
Alanna and James are university students, tutoring GCSE and A Level physics to help pay for their studies.
The profile of Britain's army of tutors is varied.....but they're all part of a rapidly expanding sector now estimated as being worth £2 billion in the UK. Caroline Bayley looks at the profound effect tutoring is having on children, teachers and schools and asks if this industry is starting to change the very way we educate our children.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m0001fw1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m0001fv2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001fwm)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
THU 22:45 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001fvj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
THU 23:00 TEZ Talks (m0001fwp)
Series 3
3.4 The Elephant In The Room
Series 3. Episode 4. The Elephant In The Room.
Comedian Tez Ilyas returns for a third series of TEZ Talks.
In this episode Tez talks about people's attitudes towards animals.
Written and performed by... Tez Ilyas
Produced by... Carl Cooper
This is a BBC Studios Production.
THU 23:15 Sam Simmons Is Not a People Person (b088fp4b)
Glenn
Glenn
Sam Simmons Is Not a People Person Episode 4 of 4
Comedian. Writer. Ex-Zoo Keeper. Bird Watcher. Definitely NOT a people person.
Sam and Henry are making a documentary series about birds, each week - armed with Sam's 'Big Book of Birds' they seek out different species. Despite Henry's best efforts, Sam is continually aggravated by the people they run into. Each encounter sparks an investigation into Sam's past, because once they've sorted out his issues, they'll really be able to focus on the bird-watching.
This week finds Sam trudging through the desert in search of the Steppe Eagle.
The unique talents of the multi-award winning comedian Sam Simmons have landed on BBC Radio 4.
"If you can imagine someone combining the rage of Basil Fawlty with the lunacy of Spike Milligan you are getting somewhere close to Simmons. Painfully frank, riotously inventive and a deserving award winner." The Evening Standard (UK)
Written by and starring Sam Simmons
With:
Henry Paker
Sarah Kendall
Mike Wilmot
Freya Parker
Sound design by Craig Schuftan
Music by Craig Schuftan with Lani Bagley
Producers Joe Nunnery
Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios Production.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0001fwr)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
FRIDAY 07 DECEMBER 2018
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0001fwt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001fv4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001fww)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001fwy)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001fx0)
The latest shipping forecast
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0001fx2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001fx4)
A reading and a reflection to start the day with the Rev'd Dr Karen Smith, Tutor in Church History and Christian Spirituality at South Wales Baptist College
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0001fx6)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03x474w)
Rook
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Bill Oddie presents the rook. High in the treetops buffeted by March winds, rooks are gathering twigs to build their untidy nests. The bustle of a rookery is one of the classic sounds of the UK countryside, especially in farming areas, where rooks are in their element, probing the pastures and ploughed fields with long pickaxe bills.
FRI 06:00 Today (m0001g8m)
News and current affairs, including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m0001dfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001g8p)
Born Lippy
Being Different
Jo Brand turns advice giver in a typically irreverent guide to life. She says she's messed up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway.
Once upon a (very, very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as "a nice little girl". Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue.
The plot thickened when, due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16.
Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable journey and, in this memoir, she reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future. As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.
Today, Jo concludes with her singular perspective on "being different". Whether it was her rebellious teenage years or moving from a nursing career to the stand-up comedy circuit, Jo knows that it’s hard to find out who and what you are - and also in gaining equality for both sexes. But she’s hopeful that, as long as we’re on the same page (and that page isn’t 3), there’s scope for great strides forward.
Written and read by Jo Brand
Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001g8r)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001g8t)
Gudrun
5/10
By Lucy Catherine.
Gudrun goes on the run. She ends up in the mountains, at the hideaway of a powerful seeress and her followers.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Heidr . . . . . Jeanette Percival
Volva . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
FRI 11:00 Gyles Brandreth and the Art of Persuasion (b09x8qfh)
Persuasion, it would seem, is at the heart of our national life. Our politicians seek to persuade us and, with rather less success persuade each other, that they know what they're doing. Our adversarial legal system relies on the persuasive powers of Barristers and solicitors and we're under a constant barrage of advertising which endeavours to persuade us what we lack and therefore what we need to live a better life. Gyles Brandreth, who himself served time in the Tory party's whips office, and so knows a thing or two about what keeps politicians in line, sets out to take arms against a sea of persuasion by understanding this most subtle of arts in all its forms. He takes legal advice from his son Benet Brandreth QC who also happens to be Rhetoric advisor to the Royal Shakespeare Company, he visits a major advertising office, consults the American guru Juliet Erickson who helped London secure the 2012 Olympics by persuading the International Olympics Association that London was 'the flower of cities all', and he asks what a siren jazz singer can teach us about winning over an audience and all the individuals therein. Rhetoric, the rigours of relevance and the fine lines between manipulation, seduction and persuasion are all covered in Gyles' inimitable style, if only he can persuade anybody to listen.
Producer: Tom Alban
FRI 11:30 The Cold Swedish Winter (m0001g8y)
Series 4
Equality
In Danny Robins’ sitcom, Geoff (Adam Riches), persists in his efforts to assimilate in his new country. With Brexit looming, he has become a Swedish citizen, married his Swedish girlfriend , Linda (Sissela Benn) and their son, John (or Yon) is now old enough to start attending dagis (nursery school). But Geoff is still confused, entranced or infuriated by the unexpectedly Scandinavian on a daily basis. This year Geoff has to learn about conflicting attitudes towards health and safety, the perils of Pippi Longstocking and how to get ahead on the Swedish comedy circuit.
Last week, Geoff launched himself onto the job market. This week he struggles to get his head round the differences between British and Swedish attitudes to gender issues. His son wants to be a witch, his family accuse him of being a male chauvinist and his brother-in-law the Death Metal fan, Anders (Fredrik Andersson), is too frightened to ask the love of his life for a date.
Full Cast:
Geoff: Adam Riches
Linda: Sissela Benn
Anders: Fredrik Andersson
Gunilla: Anna-Lena Bergelin
Sten: Thomas Oredsson
Mattias: Thomas Eriksson
John: Harry Nicolaou
Woman in Supermarket: Johanna Wagrell
Written by Danny Robins
Produced and directed by Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0001g90)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001g92)
Episode 5
The new novel from Barbara Kingsolver, bestselling author of THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, THE LACUNA and FLIGHT BEHAVIOUR, interweaves the past and the present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval. It is a portrait of life in precarious times - when characters discover that the past has failed to prepare them for the future.
Alternating between two centuries, Kingsolver examines the personal and social shocks that ensue when people’s assumptions about the world and their place in it are shaken to their foundations.
2016. Willa clashes with her father-in-law when she takes him to a medical appointment.
Abridged by Sian Preece
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m0001g94)
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme.
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0001g96)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0001g98)
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 A History of Delusions (m0001g9b)
A Paranoid Conspiracy: James Tilly Matthews and the Air Loom Gang
Clinical psychologist Daniel Freeman explores cases of delusion from the archives and speaks to people who have experienced them first-hand.
In this programme, Daniel examines the most common type of delusion – paranoia. The incorrect belief that others are observing you and may be trying to harm you.
Occasionally in the archives, cases emerge that allow us to see what such a delusion might have meant on an existential level for a person suffering from it. One of them is the case of James Tilly Matthews. A London tea broker who was committed to Bethlem psychiatric hospital in 1797, Tilly Matthews became convinced of an elaborate conspiracy involving the British establishment and a mind-controlling machine called the Air Loom. He is considered to be the first fully documented case of paranoid schizophrenia.
Developing the understanding and treatment of paranoia has been the focus of Daniel's work as a clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford. Deciding whether to trust or mistrust is a vital aspect of human cognition, but accurate judgment of others’ intentions is often challenging. At a cultural level, a fear of others is variably connected to the political and social climate.
At the heart of the severest paranoia - persecutory delusions - is the unfounded belief in an ongoing threat from others. In people seen in clinical services with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, the fears can also be provoked by hearing negative voices (auditory hallucinations).
Daniel meets Toby, who volunteered to share his own experience of a paranoid delusion, and the isolation that takes hold as a consequence.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd and Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0001fwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (m0001g9d)
Holding Back the Tide
4/5 Selling The Capstan
by Nick Warburton
John ..... Ronald Pickup
Richard ..... Paul Ritter
Clare ..... Kate Duchêne
Lux ..... Michelle Asante
Robust Betty ..... Emma Handy
Brandi ..... Saffron Coomber
Librarian ..... Liam Lau Fernandez
A Heavy ..... Don Gilet
Wayne ..... Lewis Bray
Directed by Sally Avens
When the local tearoom is threatened with takeover by a major coffee chain The Breck Howe Preservation Society decide to take direct action to save it; John Hector has big ideas but unsurprisingly things don't go to plan.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0001g9g)
Peter Gibbs hosts the show from RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex. Joining Peter to answer the questions are Christine Walkden, Matthew Wilson and James Wong.
Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant producer: Laurence Bassett
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m0001dff)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Sunday]
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0001g9j)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m0001g9l)
Radio 4's forum for audience comment.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (m0001g9n)
Peter and Billy – The Fine Art of Pottery
Two full-time ceramics students talk about their shared passion for making pottery. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it’s surprising what you hear when you listen.
FRI 17:00 PM (m0001g9q)
PM at
5pm: interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001g9s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (m0001g9v)
Christmas Specials 2018
07/12/2018
Satire and impressions from Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, Lewis MacLeod and Debra Stephenson.
The series is written by Private Eye writers Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, together with Tom Coles, Ed Amsden, Laurence Howarth and others.
A BBC Studios Production.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0001g9y)
Writer ..... Naylah Ahmed
Director ..... Julie Beckett
Editor ..... Jeremy Howe
Jill Archer ..... Patricia Greene
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Pip ..... Daisy Badger
Ben Archer ...... Ben Norris
Jolene Archer .... Buffy Davis
Tony Archer ..... David Troughton
Helen Archer .... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... William Troughton
Brian Aldridge .... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Phoebe Aldridge ..... Lucy Morris
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns ..... James Cartwright
Rex Fairbrother ..... Nick Barber
Will Grundy ..... Philip Molloy
Jazzer McCreary .... Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ..... Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Lily Pargetter ..... Katie Redford
Johnny ..... Tom GIbbons
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Hannah Riley ..... Helen Longworth
Natasha .... Mali Harries
Lee ..... Ryan Early
Russ ..... Andonis James Antony
FRI 19:15 Front Row (m0001gb0)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001g8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m0001gb2)
Adam Price AM
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from St Peter's Church in Bromyard, Herefordshire.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0001gb4)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.
FRI 21:00 Living With The Gods (m0001gb6)
Living With The Gods Omnibus
The Power of Images
Neil MacGregor continues the omnibus editions of his series on the expression of shared beliefs in communities around the world and across time.
In this programme he focuses on images - how they are made, re-made and endlessly reproduced, how they can carry different meanings, and can change the way we behave. He also considers the spiritual communities who reject the image and focus instead on the word.
Producer Paul Kobrak
Produced in partnership with the British Museum
Photograph (c) The Trustees of the British Museum.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001gb8)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Barbara Kingsolver - Unsheltered (m0001g92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m0001f0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0001gbb)
All the news from today's sitting at Westminster.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m0001gbd)
Feeling Herd
Two mums who became friends through taking part in a project using the therapeutic benefits of horsemanship. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it’s surprising what you hear when you listen.