SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 2018

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0001s14)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:15 Dr John Cooper Clarke at the BBC (b081qztt)
Series 1

Textiles

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

Ep 2 - Textiles

Set List:

To a Tikki Shirt
Smooth Operetta
George
Who Stole Bongo’s Trousers?
21 Gun Salute Suit

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


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001s16)
Blowing the Bloody Doors Off

Episode 5

Hollywood legend and British national treasure Sir Michael Caine, now 85, shares some of the lessons that life has taught him in his remarkable career.

One of our best-loved actors, Michael Caine has starred in a huge range of films, including some all-time favourites, from the classic British movies Alfie, Zulu and The Italian Job to the Hollywood blockbusting Dark Knight trilogy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hannah and Her Sisters and Cider House Rules.

In episode 5, Michael Caine reflects on how fame can affect the behaviour of those in the limelight. He looks back on some starstruck encounters and ahead to his continuing role as a granddad.

Written and read by Michael Caine
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001s18)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001s1b)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001s1d)
The latest shipping forecast


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0001s1g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001s1j)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


SAT 05:45 iPM (m0001s1l)
Ring out the old

iPM listeners take the programme around the country - in 2018 we’ve been wild swimming in Cumbria, up tower blocks in Manchester, in to outer space, and over the seas to remote islands. We’ve also delved into divorce proceedings, surrogate pregnancies, online dating and into all manner of family secrets, surprises and upsets.

Here are just a handful of some of the best from the year.

And Stephen Fry returns to read our Your News bulletin. Email your sentence of news to iPM@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Luke Jones. Produced by Cat Farnsworth.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0001szy)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m0001rmv)
Reservoirs and lost villages

In this programme Helen Mark is in Derbyshire to hear the stories of the reservoirs of the Derwent valley. Under one of them, Ladybower, lie the remains of two villages which were demolished and flooded to make way for a new reservoir in the 1940s. After an exceptionally dry year, water levels have dropped so low that the stones of the past can once again been seen emerging from the mud. Helen meets the people who have travelled to the area to catch a glimpse of a long-gone community, and learns about the fascination the story of the lost villages holds. Meanwhile, further up the valley, are the remains of another village - largely ignored by the tourists. Birchinlee, or "tin town" as it was known, was built to house the navvies working on the construction of the other two reservoirs of the valley - Dewent and Howden. Helen meets an archaeologist who shows her how traces of this once-bustling settlement can still be seen in the landscape today.

Produced by Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0001t00)
Review of the Year

Anna Hill presents a Review of the Year - looking back at the biggest food and farming stories of 2018.

Topics include the Agriculture Bill, the badger cull, seasonal labour shortages, future trade opportunities, the Fisheries Bill and of course...the weather!

Produced by Lucy Taylor


SAT 06:57 Weather (m0001t02)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (m0001t04)
News headlines and sport.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0001t06)
Gabrielle and the inheritance tracks of Brian Conley

Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles are joined by Gabrielle, she was THE pop star of the 90s – inspiring lyrics, cool image, intriguing eye patch, hit after hit, and then she went quiet. After time out as a mum of two she has just released her first album for 11 years, and she is back.
Will Farmer’s life seems only to exist on a summer’s day surrounded by beautiful objects in the garden of an English stately home, for he is an expert on Antiques Roadshow. But he’s joining us in the midst of winter to talk about his role as an auctioneer and his passion for the past.
Emma Rosen spent a year trying 25 careers before turning 25 doing archaeology in Transylvania, being an extra in a major movie, alpaca farming in Cornwall and assisting a crisis team during the terror attack on Parliament in March 2017. Emma now works as a writer and speaker, focusing on millennials in the workforce.
Saturday Live listener Gary Horrocks joins us to talk about being a fan of Judy Garland – he heads the international fan club.
JP meets Philip Pittack and Martin White who run the last surviving Spitalfields cloth merchants.
and Brian Conley tells us his inheritance tracks. He chooses Elvis Presley performing Jailhouse Rock and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons performing Who Loves You.

Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0001t08)
Series 23

Melton Mowbray

Jay Rayner and the panel are in Melton Mowbray. Dr Zoe Laughlin, Sophie Wright, Jordan Bourke and Tim Hayward answer the audience questions.

As befitting their location, the panellists discuss delicious pork pies, pastry and blue cheese. They answer audience questions on warming drawers, leftover gammon and how best to blow off a diet.

As usual, Zoe Laughlin has brought along a bizarre invention to help her play with her food.

Produced by Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Hester Cant

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Forum (m0001syc)
Who Was the Real Cleopatra?

The myths that have grown up around Cleopatra since her eventful reign in the first century BCE are so vivid and alluring that they seem to have taken on a life of their own. The Egyptian queen has been portrayed in art and literature as a wily temptress whose devastating beauty seduced two of Rome’s most powerful men; or as a ruthless killer who murdered her own relatives to get ahead; or as a tragic lover who took her own life using the bite from a poisonous snake. But how much of this is actually based on historical fact? There is evidence that Queen Cleopatra was in fact a clever stateswoman and scholar, who spoke multiple languages and successfully governed Egypt for over 20 years, becoming one of the most powerful female rulers in the ancient world.

Bridget Kendall unpicks Cleopatra fact from fiction with Joyce Tyldesley, Reader in Egyptology at the University of Manchester; Maria Wyke, professor of Latin at University College, London; and Christian Greco, Director of the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin, Italy.

Image: Cleopatra on Papyrus (DeAgostini/Getty Images)


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0001t0c)
Fairytales and Memorable Meetings

Winter’s majestic carpet may transform Karabash, in the Russian rust belt, into a fairytale world that seems sprinkled with icing sugar, says Steve Rosenberg, but the reality is far from magical. There he meets a man who might just be a spy.

Kate Adie introduces some of the many memorable meetings our correspondents have shared in 2018.

Mathew Charles spends a twitchy night out in the company of a drug dealer and cartel hitman who explains how Colombia’s narco trade is changing.

Helen Nianias has coffee with a man who left Kosovo to fight jihad in Syria, but who was back less than two weeks later before his mum even realised he'd gone.

Aisha Gani stumbles across a rave in a refugee camp in Bangladesh – home to some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who’ve fled violence in neighboring Myanmar.

And Gabriel Gatehouse has a mysterious encounter with a troll in Sweden.

Producer: Joe Kent.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0001t0f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0001syf)
Perfect Pensions Storm

More than 2000 steel workers - many of them in the Welsh steel town of Port Talbot - were persuaded to transfer out of their final salary pension scheme. Many now deeply regret their decision, and believe they were mis-advised by"sharks" who descended on the town to take advantage of a period of confusion. Tony Bonsignore hears how the men's lives have been affected, what lessons have been learnt, and whether enough has been done to stop something similar happening again.

Presenter: Tony Bonsignore
Producer: Alex Lewis
Editor: Richard Vadon


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0001s0h)
Series 98

Best of 2018

In this special programme, Miles Jupp looks back at the best bits of News Quizzing from 2018. Featuring news stories big and small from international diplomatic wranglings to the pomp of a royal wedding via some less familiar "and finally" whimsy. Also features the pick of listener cuttings sent in across the year - well, the broadcastable ones at least.

Writer: Mike Shephard
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m0001t0h)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (m0001t0k)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Correspondents Look Ahead (m0001s0q)
Correspondents Look Ahead 2018

How do you look ahead in a world which constantly takes us by surprise, sometimes shocks us and often makes us ask 'what happens next?'

Who would have predicted that President Trump would, to use his words, fall in love with the North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, whose country he had threatened to totally destroy? Who could have imagined that a prominent Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, would be murdered and dismembered in a Saudi Consulate? And, on a happier note, we’re relieved that, as the year ends a climate change conference in Poland did manage to save the Paris pact, and maybe our world.

The BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet talks to correspondents from around the globe about what might happen in the world in 2019.

Guests:

Katya Adler, Europe editor
Yolande Knell, Middle East correspondent
James Robbins, Diplomatic correspondent
Steve Rosenberg, Moscow correspondent
Jon Sopel, North America editor

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Penny Murphy


SAT 14:00 Art in Miniature (b0952zlc)
Tiny bathers relax in a puddle of oily water on a pavement; a galleon sails on the head of a pin, a dancer twirls next to a mote of dust under a microscope - Dr Lance Dann, lover of miniature worlds, crouches down on hands and knees to better observe the world of tiny art.

Prompted by advances in technology, and the enduring wonder of things created on a really, really tiny scale, Lance Dann follows his own obsession with the miracle of miniature art.
Knocking on the tiny doors of creators from street artist Slinkachu, whose mesmerising cityscapes are created, photographed and abandoned in the street, to the collection of antique miniature portraits in Sotheby’s where expert Mark Griffith Jones delicately reveals the hidden treasures that span from over 500 years of art history.

The 21st century has experienced a revival of the small in art Desiree De Leon has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers for her Instagram account of small doodles, whilst the ‘the chewing gum man’ Ben Wilson, has gathered a loyal following for his hidden gems scattered about the London streets.
Every morning Ben gets up and starts creating tiny tiles on which his innermost feelings are expressed - and then he leaves them on the Underground for people to find.

Then there is the barely visible - Willard Wigan MBE - the poster-boy of microscopic art, a dyslexia sufferer who has found relief in the creation of tiny art works. Recognised globally, his sculptures, which are small enough to fit on the head of a pin, sell for six-figure sums.
"I work between my heartbeats. I have one-and-a-half seconds to actually move. And at the same time I have to watch I don't inhale my own work."

Then there is the nearly invisible – Jonty Hurwitz - who sculpts with Nano-technology, and sometimes loses sight of it in the process.
“When I found the sculpture it was one of the most moving moments of my life, you see all these grotesque pieces of dust as the microscope is moving around and suddenly there’s a woman, dancing”

What is the enduring appeal of the miniature in art, and where has this revival come from?
To discover where it hides, why it appeals, and how the artists’ work on such delicate objects, Dann plays with scale, sound and voices to bring a closer, more microscopic focus on the art world.

Presenter: Lance Dann is an associate member and former sound designer of The Wooster Group, a writer and director of a range of radio dramas including podcast “Blood Culture”, commissioned by The Welcome Trust, and won a Prix Marulic for his production of Moby Dick for BBC Radio 4.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall

Photo credit: Slinkachu
Music sourced by Danny Webb


SAT 14:30 Drama (m0001t0m)
The Canterbury Tales

Part 1

1/2 Queen of Ambridge amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, takes charge of this barnstorming new adaptation of Chaucer’s classic tales. Join the cast of The Archers to enjoy stories of courtly love, deadly rivalry and boisterous sex - with a little bit of magic thrown in for good measure.

“A festive feast of spellbinding stories and bawdy banter … Another Lynda Snell triumph!” – The Borchester Echo

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer
Dramatised by Nick Warburton

Director …. Kim Greengrass
Producer …. Alison Hindell

Tellers of the Tales:
Ruth Archer & Chaucer .... Felicity Finch
David Archer & the Host .... Timothy Bentinck
Kirsty Miller .... Annabelle Dowler
Eddie Grundy .... Trevor Harrison
Lilian Bellamy .... Sunny Ormonde
Jazzer McCreary .... Ryan Kelly

The Knight’s Tale:
Theseus .... Nick Barber
Woman of Thebes .... Sunny Ormonde
Jailer .... Trevor Harrison
Palamon .... Barry Farrimond
Arcite .... James Cartwright
Emily .... Emerald O’Hanrahan
Soldier & Jolly Theban .... Ryan Kelly
Gatekeeper .... Timothy Bentinck
Diana .... Felicity Finch

The Miller’s Tale:
John .... Timothy Bentinck
Alison .... Annabelle Dowler
Nicholas .... James Cartwright
Absolon .... Nick Barber

The Wife of Bath’s Tale:
Knight .... Barry Farrimond
King Arthur .... Trevor Harrison
Queen .... Annabelle Dowler
Crone .... Carole Boyd

The Sailor’s Tale:
Merchant .... James Cartwright
Monk .... Nick Barber
Wife .... Emerald O’Hanrahan

Other roles played by members of the company.

Studio Managers .... Andy Partington & Vanessa Nuttall
Production Co-ordinators .... Sally Lloyd & Mel Ward


SAT 15:30 How to Play... Beethoven's Symphony No 7 (m0001rmc)
We eavesdrop on rehearsals as world famous conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Southbank Sinfonia prepare for a performance Beethoven’s beloved Symphony No. 7. They give us their insiders' perspective on this celebrated music and show how they work together to make this 200-year-old masterpiece come alive in the concert hall. Sir Roger Norrington shares his experiences of conducting orchestras in Beethoven over the last 50 years, and Erica Buurman looks at what inspired the famously grumpy composer to produce his most joyful symphony yet.

Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Wales

Photo credit: Sam Olivier


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0001t0q)
Turning 18 in 2018 One Year On, Lily Collins, Sexuality and Power in the Music Industry

We hear from four women who turned 18 in 2018. Rachel, Amika, Jayde and Cerys tell us how their year has been and what their hopes and aspirations are for the future.

We discuss sexuality and power in the music industry with the singer Becky Hill, the music journalist and academic Jacqueline Springer and the singer songwriter Victoria Hesketh also known as Little Boots.

We hear from you about the efforts you make for others at Christmas with Sue, Kasha, Anna and Tony.

Lily Collins tells us about playing Fantine in the new BBC adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century classic novel Les Miserables.

The chef Prue Leith, the comedian Bridget Christie, the actor Kelechi Okafor and the Deputy Editor of the New Statesman Helen Lewis tell us how they have triumphed over life pitfalls.

The singer Becky Hill performs her latest single Sunrise in the East.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was started by a group of women with a singular purpose to stamp out the fashion for feathers in hats. We hear about Etta Lemon who led campaign and why she was a staunch anti feminist.

Presented by Tina Daheley
Producer:Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor: Beverley Purcell


SAT 17:00 PM (m0001t0s)
Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 iPM (m0001s1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0001t0w)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m0001t0y)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001t10)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0001t12)
Hugh Grant, Catherine Tate, Janis Ian, David Sedaris and many more

Clive Anderson and Nikki Bedi pick their Loose Ends highlights from 2018. Conversation, comedy and music comes courtesy of an eclectic line up: Hugh Grant, Catherine Tate, Janis Ian, David Sedaris and many more.

Producer: Sukey Firth


SAT 19:00 Profile (m0001sxw)
Melania Trump

Melania Trump is the second foreign-born First Lady and Donald Trump’s third wife; an ex-model, 24 years his junior, who once posed pregnant in a gold bikini on the steps of her husband’s jet. It was modelling that took Melania from small-town Slovenia to New York and her fateful encounter with the future President. But despite being one of the most recognisable woman in the world she remains something an enigma. So who is Melania Trump? What does she believe? And what might she do on the global stage which – however improbably, given her origins in far away Slovenia – she now shares with the President of the United States?

Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producer: Ben Crighton

Photo by Stane Jerko


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (m0001t14)
Listeners' suggestions for the best of 2018

Find out what Saturday Review listeners chose as their cultural highlights of 2018. We'll discuss all the regular genres: films, theatre, exhibitions, books and television. And lots of items which we didn't get a chance to review from the past 12 months. Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Tiffany Jenkins and Ekow Eshun and lots of listeners on the phone from around the country, who tell us what particularly impressed them last year.
The producer is Oliver Jones
Podcast extra recommendations:
Ekow: Strange days exhibition
Tiffany: pre-sale auction houses
Tom; Bill Viola


SAT 20:00 Doorstep Daughter (m0001t16)
Doorstep Daughter - Omnibus

Two families from very different backgrounds, one street and a baby on a doorstep. This series charts the story of how a young Christian couple came to entrust the care of their little daughter to a Muslim family that lived nearby in 1990s Watford. They were strangers but the couple - Peris Mbuthia and Martin Gitonga - needed help, as immigrants from Kenya working in low paid jobs with a child to support and no family to step in. They were struggling and their relationship was under strain. Early one morning, Martin left his flat with six month old Sandra zipped inside his jacket and handed her over to the Zafars across the road while he went to work at a warehouse. This arrival at the door was an event that changed the course of all their lives - that day the baby girl became the Zafars' Doorstep Daughter. And a special, enduring bond developed between Sandra and the Zafar’s daughter Saiqa. It is a story of faith, trust and love - a modern day telling of how it takes a village to raise a child.

Producer: Sally Chesworth
Sound: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Gail Champion
Exec Editor: Richard Knight


SAT 21:00 Drama (m0001q5y)
Born to Be Wilde: An Ideal Husband

Oscar Wilde's classic comic melodrama is given a sparkling and surprising new production, featuring the music of The Troggs, Adele and Daft Punk.

Robert Chiltern has been blackmailed by the devilishly witty Mrs Cheveley. Unless he supports her financial scheme, she'll reveal to the word that, in his youth, he sold a cabinet secret for money. The walls have already begun to close on Robert; his wife Gertrude has learned of the crime and the two face almost certain estrangement. Cue Lord Goring, the idlest man in London. Does he have it in him to face down Mrs Cheveley? Well, he was engaged to her once.

Robert Chiltern . . . John Heffernan
Laura Cheveley . . . Miranda Raison
Arthur Goring . . . Ryan Whittle
Gertrude Chiltern . . . Lucy Doyle
Mabel Chiltern . . . Saffron Coomber
Lord Caversham . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Lady Markby . . . Elizabeth Counsell
Phipps . . . Tony Turner
Mason . . . Sean Murray

Musical direction and arrangement by Colin Sell

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko

An Ideal Husband is part of a celebration of Oscar Wilde's life and Work, Born to be Wilde, offering a 21st century perspective on the making of a modern celebrity. Featuring energetic adaptations of his best-loved plays, and an imaginative approach to the less familiar aspects of his biography - this is Wilde's life before the fall.

We encounter Wilde on the make, Wilde in his pomp, Wilde on the edge of the abyss.

We see the young Wilde create his own celebrity and fame, before he'd produced any work to be famous for. We see Wilde the devoted family man, having to confront his growing estrangement from his wife. We see a hubristic Wilde, flirting with danger by publically hinting at his own sexuality.

These biographical elements are given greater poignancy by our knowledge of what happened next. And the successes of An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895 marked the climax of his theatrical career, but also the point of his downfall.

Each of the plays is introduced by Oscar Wilde himself (played by Max Bennett).


SAT 22:00 Archive on 4 (b09p2kfc)
Back to Vietnam

Julian Pettifer, the BBC's 'man in Saigon' during the Vietnam War, reflects on the Tet Offensive of 1968 as a turning point in world history.

On the evening of 30th January 1968, Julian dined with his cameraman Ernie Christie in a hotel in Saigon, while reporting the Vietnam War. There were few journalists there at the time because the Communists had agreed to a truce during Tet, the Vietnamese festival of New Year, and many of the international press corps had left the city.

It was Ernie's telephone call, in the darkness of the early hours of the 31st January, which alerted Julian to the Tet Offensive. Ernie was staying in a hotel close to the Presidential Palace and he called Julian to tell him there was heavy fighting in the streets nearby. As Julian says, "In Saigon we were used to the lullaby of distant gunfire, but this was something much more immediate - the unmistakable thump of a heavy machine gun, far too close for comfort."

Julian and Ernie took up a position in the driveway of an elegant house and shot close-up footage which at the time would only be seen in the movies. For several hours they remained in this position, trapped in the driveway by gunfire, with the mutilated body of a red-headed, bespectacled American military policemen hanging out of a Jeep beside them. Julian says that the face of that man still haunts him to this day.

It was not until that evening that they begin to learn the scale of the Tet Offensive - thousands of Communist troops had infiltrated Saigon, attacking dozens of targets including the American Embassy. Almost every provincial town and major US base in South Vietnam had also been assaulted.

Julian's reporting of Tet got to the heart of the conflict. He interviewed American GIs and Vietnamese civilians caught up in the war, bringing a human side to the tragedy that was unfolding. His style was serious, yet honest and down-to-earth and ground-breaking, the "soldier's-eye view" reportage he produced of the Tet Offensive won him a BAFTA and later an OBE for his services to broadcasting.

Tet turned out to be the turning point in the Vietnam conflict, coming completely out of the blue, it caught the American military and the world at large off-guard. Against the armed might of the USA and its allies, the Communists suffered a tactical defeat, but in the long term they won an extraordinary strategic and propaganda victory. It was those images, nightly on television, that finally turned the US public against the war and convinced them that it could not be won.

Fifty years on, Julian returns to his archive to recount his personal experiences, drawn from the heart of the Vietnam war. He recounts how during his time reporting in Vietnam, the Joint US Public Affairs Office threatened to take away his accreditation because they believed his reports to be 'Anti-American' and unbalanced.

Julian explores how Tet was the spark which ignited a series of explosive events that made it a turning point, not only in the Vietnam war, but in modern history. The anti-Vietnam war movement, which spread worldwide, gave powerful moral support to other causes that challenged the establishment. The Civil Rights Movement in the US, and women's rights and student rights movements almost everywhere, took inspiration and courage from the growing opposition to the war.

Contributors include: Martin Bell; Don North, formerly of ABC News; Lien-Hang Nguyen, Professor of History at Columbia University; Andrew Preston, Professor of American History at Cambridge University; Tariq Ali; Sheila Rowbotham.

Produced by Melissa FitzGerald.
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 23:00 The Symbols of Bliss (b08y26qf)
Charles Bliss was a remarkable utopian visionary, whose experiences as a young witness to the pogroms and then Dachau and Buchenwald made him determined to put all his effort into finding a means of bringing about peace between nations. His big inspiration was his belief that conflict arose when people misunderstood each other, or misinterpreted the other’s language.

A new visual language based on ideograms would, he felt, prevent such misunderstanding - and he spent years both perfecting and then trying to sell his new system, which he named Semantography and which has become commonly known as Blissymbolics. 

As Michael Symmons Roberts will explain, Bliss and his wife Claire sent thousands of letters to academics and librarians across the world without success, but then decades later his language was taken up in an entirely unexpected way - as a means of communicating with children with cerebral palsy. Sadly this apparent turn of good fortune did not lead to a happy ending, and Bliss died an apparently frustrated and lonely man.

Nonetheless, as Michael will explain, he was a great utopian visionary whose determined effort to change the world single-handedly might not have finally paid off, but he left a great legacy behind in his linguistic achievement and in the thousands whom he helped to communicate with the world. Michael meets one of those people, Peter Zein, as well as Shirley McNaughton, the nurse who was one of the key figures in applying Blissymbolics to special needs education, and Brian Stride, a personal friend and admirer of Bliss. 

Presenter: Michael Symmons Roberts
Producer: Geoff Bird
Exec Producer: Jo Meek
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 The Digital Human (b05tkvkj)
Series 7

Seduction

Aleks talks to Tinder users Harriet Southgate and Kira Cheers who speak not only about the seductive nature of the app, but how they promote the gamification of dating. Biological anthropologist, Helen Fisher argues that dating apps like Tinder and Grindr can cause cognitive overload because humans are just not used to having so much choice when it comes to picking a date. Aleks also speaks with Paul Ross, known as the Father of Seduction, about a rather chilling and systemised approach to seduction and explores whether dating apps are in fact missing out the slow play of the seduction process.

Produced by Kate Bissell
Researched by Elizabeth Ann Duffy



SUNDAY 30 DECEMBER 2018

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0001t18)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:15 Dr John Cooper Clarke at the BBC (b0832rjq)
Series 1

Crime and Retribution

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

Ep 4 - Crime and Retribution

Set List:

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

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


SUN 00:30 Short Works (m0001s03)
Fear of Flying by Anna Freeman

A woman and her new boyfriend take a trip. But can she conquer her fear of flying? An original short work for radio by Anna Freeman.

Anna is a novelist, a multiple poetry slam champion, am associate lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University and the producer of Bristol's acclaimed spoken word series, Blahblahblah. She is the author of two novels, The Fair Fight, a historical adventure set within the world of female prize-fighters and their patrons in 18th century Bristol, and Five Days of Fog, which follows a gang of female criminals through the great smog of 1952.

Produced by Mair Bosworth
Written and performed by Anna Freeman


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001t1b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001t1d)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001t1g)
The latest shipping forecast


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0001t1j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0001syk)
St Edward's, Stow on the Wold

Bells on Sunday comes from St. Edward’s, Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire. The tower has a ring of eight bells. The tenor, weighing twenty-seven-and-three-quarter hundredweight, is tuned to D. We hear them ringing 'Gloucestershire Triples’


SUN 05:45 Profile (m0001sxw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (m0001swj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (m0001swl)
Hibernation

On this midwinter day, with Christmas behind us and the New Year still to come, Mark Tully sits in front of an open fire and contemplates hibernation.

For some animals, hibernation is a natural state, brought about by changes in their bodily functions. We humans can’t hibernate as they do, but we do respond to the urge to escape the winter. For that we need a safe and secure refuge, and companionship – things we do share with those hibernating animals.

All too often, we feel that we must keep going in winter, ignoring the rhythm of the seasons and rushing around as we usually do. But stepping back from our daily commitments, and shutting ourselves away – hibernating, you might say – can bring us peace and joy; it can strengthen our faith and allow our creativity to flourish. Maybe, like WH Auden, Arnold Bax, Frédéric Chopin and many others, we should all pause now and then and hibernate, just for a little while.

Readers: Rachel Atkins and Paterson Joseph
Producer: Hannah Marshall
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 The Living World (m0001swn)
Wild Boar

The wild boar has had a checkered history in the British countryside. This once native species was hunted out of existence in the 13th Century and despite a number of reintroductions finally disappeared from our fauna in the 17th Century. And for the next 300 years the sound of boar, the onomatopoeia collective term for boar is , sound, lay silent across the landscape. Until around 20 years ago, when wild boar once again roamed some areas of the British countryside. But how did they get there?

To find out more, in this Living World, Lionel Kelleway heads to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire on the trail of this shy and evasive animal, which although now firmly re-established in the British landscape is surprisingly hard to track down. Lionel enlists the help of boar expert, Dr Martin Goulding and after a day in the woods, the result was a surprise to both of them.

In the decade since the programme was first broadcast, the situation of wild boar has of course changed. Wildlife presenter Lindsey Chapman revisits this Living World from 2007 before bringing the story up to date for today's audience.

Producer Andrew Dawes


SUN 06:57 Weather (m0001swq)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0001sws)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0001swv)
Immigration and religion - a Sunday special

William Crawley presents a special edition of the Sunday programme looking at immigration and how different religious groups in the United Kingdom engage with this issue.

As we look ahead to 2019 and the UK’s exit from the European Union, immigration is an issue which will continue to dominate politics. In this special edition of the programme William Crawley is joined by Dr Anna Rowlands from Durham University and the author Shelina Janmohamed to explore how different religious groups have engaged with refugees and migrants and the challenges they have faced.

Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics at Birkbeck College, explains the difference religious belief can have on someone’s views of immigration.

Kevin Hyland, the UK’s former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, discusses why he resigned, the role of religious groups in tackling human trafficking, and the rise of anti-migrant sentiment across Europe.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0001swx)
AfriKids

Broadcaster June Sarpong makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of AfriKids.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘Afrikids’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Afrikids’.

Registered Charity Number: 1141028.


SUN 07:57 Weather (m0001swz)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0001sx1)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0001sx3)
'Get up and flee!' - The Flight to Egypt

It’s the dead of night and Joseph is lying asleep, his wife Mary and the infant Jesus are close by. He is disturbed by the arrival of an urgent message - “Get up, take your child and his mother, and flee”. They hastily pack what they can carry and run from the slaughter, heading to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod.

Sarah Teather and Fr. Dominic Robinson SJ explore this gruesome and terrifying epilogue to the Nativity story which sees the Holy Family flee from violence to a foreign land as refugees. They consider how this two thousand year old story is reflected in the lives of many refugees in the world today. They are joined at Farm Street Jesuit Church in Mayfair by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and the Jesuit Refugee Service Choir, singing Gospel songs and carols.

MUSIC
Go tell it on the mountain
Silent Night
Born to Die
Amazing Grace/I’m a believer
I need you to survive
Kwaze kwaze

Band Leader: Peter Yarde Martin
Directors of Music: Magda Supel and Miko Giedroyc

Producer: Katharine Longworth


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0001s0s)
To Parks

Howard Jacobson on the joys of city parks.

"I am, and always have been, a lover of city parks", he writes. "A park finishes, that's its beauty. It is circumscribed. If you want more you can walk it twice. If you want less you can slip back out into the city".

Producer: Adele Armstrong


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0001sx5)
Becky Unthank's Wren

For Becky Unthank her interest in birds goes beyond just watching them while out in the countryside, as she has recently named her son wren to reflect her love of the natural world.

Along with her sister Rachel who will present her own Tweet of the Day next week, The Unthanks is a family affair from the North East of England. As one of the leading exponents of traditional music they have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and represent the only British folk group in the The Guardian's and Uncut's best albums of last decade. Categorizing their music is difficult, but The Unthanks see their work and songs as less a style of music and more delivering an oral history for the modern audience. Which is perfect for Tweet of the Day, as Becky Unthank recalls how her son was named wren and also how she has been inspired by the story of the King of the Birds.

You can hear more from Becky in her Tweet of the Week podcast, downloadable from BBC Sounds

Producer Andrew Dawes


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0001sx7)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0001sx9)
Writer ..... Caroline Harrington
Director ..... Jeremy Howe
Editor ..... Jeremy Howe

Jill Archer ..... Patricia Greene
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Pip Archer ..... Daisy Badger
Josh Archer ..... Angus Imrie
Ben Archer ...... Ben Norris
Jolene Archer ..... Buffy Davis
Tony Archer ..... David Troughton
Brian Aldridge .... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Ruairi Donovan ..... Arthur Hughes
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
PC Harrison Burns ..... James Cartwright
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Will Grundy ..... Philip Molloy
Emma Grundy .... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Kirsty Miller ..... Annabelle Dowler
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Lily Pargetter ..... Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers ..... Joanna Van Kampen
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Oliver Sterling ..... Michael Cochrane
Russ ..... Andonis James Antony


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m00014y2)
Hella Pick, journalist

As one of the Guardian’s first female foreign correspondents, Hella Pick reported on events that shaped the world in the second half of the 20th century, from Martin Luther King's civil rights activism to Watergate, the Gdansk shipyard strikes to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Born in Vienna in 1929, she was raised by her mother who, in March 1939, put her on a Kindertransport train to Britain to escape the Nazis. Her mother was able to follow her to England a few months later and Hella spent her formative years in the Lake District. After reading Politics at London School of Economics, she worked as commercial editor of a London-based weekly publication called West Africa. After she left, she offered her services to The Guardian – and spent the next 35 years or so with the paper.

While UN correspondent, she worked alongside Alistair Cooke in New York and subsequently held posts as European Integration correspondent, Washington correspondent, Eastern Europe correspondent, and diplomatic editor before retiring in the mid-1990s. Since leaving The Guardian, she has nurtured a new career as a writer, publishing a biography of Simon Wiesenthal and a book about Austria’s post-war history.

BOOK: Scorn by Matthew Parris
LUXURY: Recliner armchair
FAVOURITE TRACK: Mozart's Marriage of Figaro

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Cathy Drysdale


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m0001sxc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001qj9)
Series 21

Episode 1

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.

Sandi Toksvig, Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Denmark, hair, smells and fish.

Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m0001sxf)
Weak, small and free: How no and low alcohol is finding power without strength

As people cut down and cut out booze, no and low alcohol drinks are pouring onto the market. Brewer Jaega wise explores this show against strength that's shaking up alcohol sector. Jane Peyton from the School of Booze puts on a tasting session at London's first no alcohol bar Redemption and there Jaega and Jane meet Laura Willoughby and Jussi Tolvi, founders of a mindful drinking movement called Club Soda. Jaega heads to Small Beer where they're reviving the tradition of weak beers that before water purification were drunk by everyone, even school children. She visits Nirvana, a low alcohol and zero alcohol brewery in Leyton, East London, and talks bubbling apothecary with Ben Branson from non-alcoholic spirit, Seedlip.

Producer: Tom Bonnett


SUN 12:57 Weather (m0001sxh)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0001sxk)
Global news and analysis; presented by Mark Mardell


SUN 13:30 Pursuit of Beauty (m00013nr)
Art Beneath the Waves

Artist Emma Critchley meets filmmakers, photographers, sculptors and painters who are drawn beneath the sea to create underwater art.

Julie Gautier performs a graceful, lyrical ballet on the floor of the deepest pool in the world. Without a tank of air or mask, she dances magically through crystal-clear waters across a sunken stage.

In the azure waters of the world, sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor uses the seabed as his canvas. He has installed hundreds of life-sized, concrete people on the sea floor. Fish weave through his couple playing on sea-saw, tourists taking photographs or migrants huddling in a raft. As Jason works towards the opening of his first cold water installation, Emma asks what draws him to the sea, the meaning of his work and how audiences can engage with underwater art.

She explores the unpredictability of working with the sea, hearing stories of storms, seasickness and near drowning.

Suzi Winstanley is petrified of the deep, but her passion for documenting wildlife has taken her to the remotest and coldest places in the world. With fellow artist Olly Williams, they collaborate to paint, lightning-fast, their experience of encountering white shark and leopard sea.

Emma braves the wintery British waters to talk concentration, boundaries and time with artist Peter Matthews who immerses himself in the ocean for hours, sometimes days, floating with his drawing board and paper.

Sunlight dances on the twisting fabrics of headless bodies in photographer Estabrak’s pictures. For her, working in Oman, underwater is the only safe space to tell stories.

For some the pull of the sea is political, for others environmental, but all the artists find extraordinary freedom in this huge untapped underwater world.

Producer: Sarah Bowen


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0001s01)
North Downs

Eric Robson hosts the programme from the Kentish North Downs. Matthew Wilson, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden answer the questions.

The panellists discuss plants that rabbits won't devour, planting alliums, and replacing a columnar juniper.

They also make suggestions for climbers and hedges, and native plants, and consider which heritage tree they would pass onto future generations.

Peter Gibbs chats to BBC technology correspondent Jane Wakefield and puts gardening apps to the test.

Produced by Laurence Bassett
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m0001sxm)
Omnibus - Artists, horse riders and gamers

Three conversations involving artists, horse riders and gamers. Fi Glover presents another omnibus edition of the series that proves it’s surprising what you hear when you listen.

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

Producer: Mohini Patel


SUN 15:00 Drama (m0001sxp)
Graeae's Amy Dorrit

Episode 1

Iconic Dickensian heroine fights her way out of poverty in 21st century Britain. Graeae theatre company present a radical new imagining of Charles Dickens' classic Little Dorrit, dramatised by April De Angelis and Nicola Werenowska.

Inequality and the overpowering burden of debt were Dickens’ key themes in Little Dorrit, which resonate just as powerfully today. This bold new version places women, disability and housing to the fore.

Amy Dorrit is a young woman fighting to get through A Level resits, while caring for her disabled father and coping with the demands of a varied group of tenants on the same council estate. When the threat of redevelopment looms large, the tenants have to fight for their homes and Amy finds herself an unexpected leader and completely out of her depth.

Graeae, a disabled led company, is one of the most exciting, radical high impact theatre companies in the UK. Jenny Sealey, Graeae artistic director, and Polly Thomas, Naked Productions' co-producer, have formed a close creative partnership over many years to create new interpretations of classic texts for BBC Radio 4. led by casts of deaf and disabled actors whose voices are otherwise rarely heard on radio. Amy Dorrit follows their 2017 version of The Midwich Cuckoos.

Episode 1:
Amy struggles to find time to revise for her English Literature A Level resits, as her aging disabled father makes demands on her, her talentless aspiring singer sister warbles tunelessly all day and her many friends on the estate constantly want her advice and support. When she is hired by Mrs Chaudry and a chance reunion with her son Arthur rekindles the possibility of dormant romance, Amy thinks her problems are solved. But when the housing estate is in danger of being sold off, the local community is up in arms, and Amy Dorrit’s life becomes more complex than ever.

Cast:
Amy Dorrit - Audrey Brisson
Maggie - Kalijoy Perkins
Mrs Chaudry - Liz Carr
Wanda - Ania Sowinski
Tatia - Anna Elijasz
Flora - Tracey Anderson
Vienna - Matti Houghton
Mr Dorrit/voice of Dickens - John Kelly
Mr Blander – ‘Pickles’ Wayne Norman
Arthur Chaudry - Narinder Samra
Benefits officer – Charles Mills

Amy Dorritt was adapted by April De Angelis and Nicola Werenowksa from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

Directors - Polly Thomas and Jenny Sealey
Sign Language Interpreters – Jude Mahon and Vikki Gee Dare
Access worker – Autumn Bonham Cox

Producer - Eloise Whitmore
Executive Producer - Jeremy Mortimer

A Naked production in collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m0001sxs)
John Steinbeck Special

On the 50th anniversary of John Steinbeck's death, novelists and academics Patrick Flanery, Christopher Bigsby and Helena Maria Viramontes discuss the enduring appeal of landmark works such as The Grapes of Wrath, as well as the great American author's legacy today.

Fellow Pulitzer Prize winner, Jane Smiley takes us on a literary tour of Cannery Row in "Steinbeck Country", where he lived and extensively wrote about, reflecting on the diverse landscape that inspired both their writing.

And Mariella goes on a surprising quest to discover more about Steinbeck's time searching for Arthurian legends in rural Somerset.


SUN 16:30 Conversations on a Bench (m0001tnh)
Strabane - Maureen Boyle

Anna Scott-Brown hears more stories from the people who stop to sit beside her on benches around the country.

In this edition, Anna sits on a bench in Strabane on the Irish Border. Throughout the programme, a specially commissioned work by the poet Maureen Boyle draws on the voices of those passing by – and sometimes pausing on – the bench in Abercorn Square.

These hidden stories are glimpsed through snatched moments and the painful and beautiful stories people tell Anna in this busy urban setting - the carer who lost a longed for baby during pregnancy and memories of the Troubles in this hot spot on the border, those who smuggled goods across the closed border and whose relatives moved to Northern Ireland via the hiring fair that used to take place in the square.

Once an employment blackspot, how is the town faring now? And what difference will Brexit make here on the border?

Throughout the programme, Maureen Boyle’s poem interweaves a personal elegy for her grandfather who worked at the nearby Linen factory in Sion Mills and her own memories of growing up in the area.

Hidden lives are revealed and common threads recur as Anna’s gentle but insistent, and sometimes extremely direct, questions elicit poignant and profound responses from those sitting on the bench.

Presented and Produced by Anna Scott-Brown
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 The Equity Release Trap (b0bd8h78)
In recent years equity release has become the fastest-growing way for older homeowners to fund their retirement. And it's easy to see why.

Customers can borrow tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds secured against their home, with a guarantee they will never owe more than its value. This means they can never go into negative equity, no matter how long they live or what happens to house prices.

But while the equity release industry has made sure that the customer is shielded from financial risk, it leaves the lenders exposed.

In the Equity Release Trap, Howard Mustoe investigates whether equity release providers are properly accounting for the guarantees they offer borrowers, and looks into concerns that the industry is making over-optimistic bets on the housing market. Plus, Howard speaks to a whistleblower from the regulator at the Bank of England, about accounting rules that could be making insurance companies look healthier than they actually are.

Reporter: Howard Mustoe
Producer: Marie Keyworth
Editor: Andrew Smith

First broadcast in August 2018


SUN 17:40 Profile (m0001sxw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0001sxy)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m0001sy0)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001sy2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0001sy4)
Liz Barclay

Broadcaster Liz Barclay's pick of the week provides the perfect antidote to that post Christmas lull. We hear the best and the worst family gatherings can bring, we're joined by the Doctor, and Miles Jupp is back with a new series of the news Quiz, while Michael Caine is blowing the bloody doors off. Neil Gaiman shares the list of books and writings that have been important in his life, and comedian Mark Thomas explains the song that means the most to him. There are disturbing tales of seal folk from Scotland, we learn how to play Beethoven with the Southbank Sinfonia chamber orchestra, and Paddington Bear has his own musical adventure.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0001sy6)
Jennifer struggles with her emotions and Pat attempts to find out the truth


SUN 19:15 The Rivals (b080r360)
Series 4

The Clairvoyants

By Arthur B Reeve.

Dramatised By Chris Harrald.

Inspector Lestrade was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he gets his own back, with tales of Holmes' rivals. After his protégé Constance Dunlap saves a woman from drowning, the woman mumbles "this was meant to happen". Lestrade helps Constance investigate her suspicions that this was no accident and that the woman is in mortal danger.

Lestrade ..... James Fleet
Constance .... Susannah Fielding
Mildred .... Olivia Poulet
Mr Forest and Tom Knowles .... Chris Pavlo
Madame D'Urfe .... Claire Perkins
Jim Dainty .... Brian Protheroe
Penman .... Sean Baker
Secretary .... Kirsty Oswald

Producer: Liz Webb.


SUN 19:45 Turbulence (m0001sy9)
Budapest to London

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 daughter flies back to London, where her father is about to receive some life-or-death news....

Writer: David Szalay
Reader: Ellie Kendrick - Ellie Kendrick is known for her role as Anne Frank in the 2009 BBC TV series, and for her role as Meera Reed in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Producer: Justine Willett
Original Music: Kirsten Morrison


SUN 20:00 The Forum (m0001syc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Saturday]


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0001s05)
Sister Wendy Beckett, Nicolas Roeg, Inge Borkh, Professor Sir Aaron Klug, Geoff Emerick

Pictured: Sister Wendy Beckett

Julian Worricker on:

The nun, Sister Wendy Beckett, who became an unlikely television star when she brought her knowledge of the history of art to the small screen...

Nicolas Roeg, the film director behind such classics as Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth...

The German soprano, Inge Borkh, described as one of the most exciting operatic performers of her era...

The Nobel prize winning scientist, Professor Sir Aaron Klug, credited with ground-breaking work on the structure of viruses...

And Geoff Emerick, a recording engineer regarded as the technical genius behind the sound of the Beatles...

Producer: Paula McGinley


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0001syf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0001swx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (m0001rnc)
On the Rails

It’s been a challenging year on Britain’s railways with timetable chaos, over-running engineering works, cancelled trains and irate passengers, not to mention a private operator handing back control to the government. The transport secretary, Chris Grayling has announced yet another review of the industry. Meanwhile, Labour and many of the public want to see rail re-nationalised. Rail professionals point to the industry’s successes – a doubling in passenger numbers since privatisation, and a current strong safety record. But the government says the rail industry hasn’t kept pace with customer demand. So is there another way? Matthew Gwyther goes to Italy to experience their take on free competition on their high speed lines. He also speaks to rail experts at home – all searching for answers.

Producer Caroline Bayley


SUN 22:00 News Review of the Year (b09lvhc3)
2018

What have been the big news stories of 2018?
It was the year when the Brexit negotiations rolled on and on.
The journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.
There was an attempt to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.
There were two Royal Weddings.
England played in a World Cup semi-final.
President Trump defied international agreements, met the North Korean leader and hung onto the Senate in the mid-term elections.
It was also a year when Stephen Hawking, Tessa Jowell and Aretha Franklin died.

Jonny Dymond and a panel of guests discuss all of these, and more.

Producer: Julie Ball
Editor: Penny Murphy


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m0001rmx)
Nic Roeg

With Francine Stock.

Nic Roeg, who died in November, had a profound effect on many British film-makers. Francine Stock hears from some of the directors who fell under his spell, including Danny Boyle, Asif Kapadia, Carol Morley, Andrew Haigh and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey. And there's a chance to listen to the man himself, including highlights from an edition of The Film Programme that was recorded in Roeg's living room. Plus, Jenny Agutter, Paul Mayersberg, Jeremy Thomas and Terence Stamp from The Film Programme vaults.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (m0001swl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 31 DECEMBER 2018

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0001syh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m0001r8v)
Identity

Identity: Laurie Taylor presents a special programme exploring the ways in which we define ourselves and gain a sense of belonging – from race, religion and nationality to membership of a subcultural tribe. He talks to Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University, and author of a new book which takes issues with fixed notions of identity; Carrie Dunn, author of a study of female football fandom and Karl Spracklen, Professor of Music, Leisure and Culture at Leeds Beckett University and author of a new book about the ‘Goths’, a counter cultural identity originating in the 1980s.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0001syk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001sym)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001syp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001syr)
The latest shipping forecast


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0001syt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001syw)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0001syy)
Where do all the trees in our public forests come from?

Millions of trees are planted out in our public forests each year...but where do they come from?

We visit a specialist nursery where the timber trees of the future are being grown from seed. A new £5 million glasshouse is being used to grow a greater variety of species, to help make our forests more resilient and able to cope the changing climates.

Presented and produced by Heather Simons.


MON 05:56 Weather (m0001sz0)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwsxw)
Curlew

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

Martin Hughes-Games presents the story of the curlew. The UK is a vital wintering ground for flocks of curlews. Some birds fly in from as far away as Belgium and Russia, probing our coastal mudflats and thrilling us with their mournful cries.


MON 06:00 Today (m0001t8y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 As Others See Us (m0001t90)
Programme 1. Germany

2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a new series of five programmes, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain. India, Egypt, Nigeria and Canada are explored in the rest of week, but he begins his journey in Munich and Berlin.

To what extent can the essence of the relationship between Germany and Britain can be traced back to key events or cultural influences, and what impact do those events still have on the nature of that relationship today. Wolfgang Schäuble, the President of the Bundestag; TV host, writer and cultural commentator Thea Dorn and Hartmut Dorgerloh, the new Director of Berlin's Humboldt Forum each reveal what they learnt about Britain at school and how their first encounters with British cities and culture have shaped their perception of Britain now - whether it is Shakespeare, the 1966 World Cup final or the Sissinghurst Castle Garden.

Producer: Paul Kobrak


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001t93)
Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Episode 1

Last thoughts on a range of topics, taken from the extraordinary career of Stephen Hawking; and abridged for radio by Katrin Williams:

First of all he recalls his upbringing and his youthful research work, enabling him to say: 'I am a scientist with a deep fascination with physics, cosmology, the universe and the future of humanity."

Reader Anton Lesser

Producer Duncan Minshull


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001t96)
Books That Changed Your Mind

Tina Daheley discusses how reading challenges us emotionally and intellectually. We hear about the books that have changed the way critics and writers think about life. And we hear about the legacy books of Woman's Hour listeners.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001t98)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts

Act I: Another Year Begun

Michael Chaplin’s new five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.

For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.

Not many get this close to history.

It's 1953 and, on the eve of Elizabeth II’s coronation, the BBC interviews Queen Victoria’s dresser, Winnie Powell, who takes us on a journey into the past.

Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.

Cast:
Queen Victoria ….. Brigit Forsyth
Old Winnie Powell ….. Marcia Warren
Interviewer ….. Carl Prekopp
Mary Tuck ….. Wendy Nottingham
Young Winnie Powell ….. Lauren Cornelius
Sir James Reid ….. Ross F Sutherland
Sir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom Turner
Kaiser Wilhelm ….. Hywel Morgan
Prince of Wales ….. Gerard McDermott

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Carl Prekopp
Producers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards

A Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production for BBC Radio 4


MON 11:00 The Untold (m0001t9c)
Like Riding a Bike

Roni never got to learn to ride a bike as a child. Her dad died when she was nearly six years old, and her Mum was left to bring up five children on her own so there was no-one to teach Roni or help her. As Roni grew older, it just became embarrassing to talk about it, and it made her feel inadequate, so she stopped even mentioning it to anyone. But the longing for the freedom and independence she thought cycling would bring has never left her. So, when her friend Clare bought her a second-hand pink bike, she decided it was time to turn her dream into action.
Producer: Sara Conkey


MON 11:30 Drama (m0001t9f)
For the Love of Leo

Part One: Margot of the Eighteenth Green

By Michael Chaplin.

This wry, narrative comedy begins with the funeral of Tamsin, killed in a traffic accident, mother of Laura and beloved wife of Edinburgh artist Leo.

The funeral is barely over before Leo acquires a new status as an eligible bachelor. The women in his circle begin to seek his company and win his affection.; while his mother, his grown up arctic weather analyst daughter and newly acquired, sparky, opinionated cleaning lady offer unasked for advice. His life becomes ever more complicated and demanding.

Each episode traces his growing relationship with a different woman, as the ghost of Tamsin, who knew all of these women well, turns up at bedtime to venture an opinion too. Leo becomes increasingly haunted by the mystery surrounding Tamsin’s accident, which occurred many miles from her home. What was she doing there? Leo becomes convinced Tamsin was having an affair, but in the end the truth turns out to be very different. The series is wry, funny, sometimes sad - but always warm hearted and tender.

Cast:
Leo Fabiani ... Mark Bonnar
Tamsin Fabiani ... Beth Marshall
Rose Fabiani ... Sandra Voe
Sadie ... Tracy Wiles
Margot ... Louise Ludgate
Laura ... Samara MacLaren

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m0001t9h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001t9k)
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years

Episode 1

The fourth book in Radio 4’s serialisation of Adrian Mole’s hilarious diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers. Read by Harry McEntire.

This diary starts in April 1997. Adrian is no longer a spotty teenager, but a balding 30 year old, recently separated from Jo Jo, the mother of his two year-old son, William.

On the eve of the General Election, Adrian returns home to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to vote for his local Labour Party candidate, and childhood sweetheart, Pandora Braithwaite. He is working as Head Chef in a restaurant in Soho where there is tinned tomato soup on the "traditional English, no choice" menu.

Adrian’s literary ambitions remain unrealised, but his career is about to take an unexpected turn and throw him into the limelight. And that is not the only life-changing surprise in store for the hapless yet irrepressible diarist.

The Cappuccino Years highlights how much attitudes have changed in the past twenty years and, once again, showcases Sue Townsend’s fearless and razor-sharp wit.

Read by Harry McEntire
Written by Sue Townsend
Abridged by: Sara Davies
Produced by Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:18 You and Yours (m0001t9p)
True love, Tinder cheats, sugar babies

The biggest month in the dating calendar is beginning. In recent years technology has changed how we find a mate forever. But our research suggests that many people who are online or using mobile phone apps do not end up going on dates at all. Are we getting fed up of dating? Or is it that we are getting too caught up in the search? Melanie Abbot discusses with the dating historian Zoe Strimpel and the researcher Elizabeth Tinnnemans, who has found that as many as one in five tinder daters are already in a relationship.

We examine the booming dating industry and ask if it is delivering on its promise. As Facebook is getting into the dating business, we find out how careful they will be about the personal data that you share whilst dating online or on an app.

Dating danger is a major concern - last year over three thousand five hundred romance frauds were reported to Action Fraud, an average of 10 a day. The real figures are likely to be far higher because people are reluctant to report such crimes. We take a look at the murky world of "catfishing" and wonder if cynicism about dating has led to the phenomenon of "elevated dating". Melanie Abbott talks to two young "sugar babies". Duncan Cunningham of the Online Dating Association tells us how they deal with it all and what you can do to stay safe.

But we won't lose sight of what dating is supposed to be about. We follow the fortunes of newly single Chris, who hasn't dated in almost twenty years. We'll hear from a group of people aged seventy seven to ninety five about how they found true love - without technology. And relate-trained counsellor and agony aunt Suzi Hayman will have her top tips for tackling the modern dating scene.

Presenter: Melanie Abbott
Producer: Olive Clancy


MON 12:57 Weather (m0001t9r)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (m0001t9t)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


MON 13:45 New Year Solutions (m0001t9w)
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen tackles the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.

We're often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.

But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?

Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m0001sy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b085trs7)
Rumpole

Rumpole and the New Year's Resolutions

Rumpole shares some of his favourite yuletide poetry, carols, and pantomime stories as he recounts seasonal legal cases which reveal, as always, the true nature of men, women, children - and She Who Must Be Obeyed!

Cast:
Rumpole...............................Julian Rhind-Tutt
Hilda....................................Jasmine Hyde
Erskine-Brown /
Gwent-Evans.........................Nigel Anthony
Skimpy Simpson /
Fred Timson.........................Stephen Critchlow
D.I. Grimble /
Eric Streeter.........................Ewan Bailey
Edmund................................Adam Greaves-Neal

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (m0001t9z)
Programme 1, 2019

(1/12)
The 2019 season of radio's longest-running quiz show gets under way with a special edition recorded before an audience at the Harrogate Literature Festival. The North of England (Stuart Maconie and Adele Geras) are on home turf, while the visitors are the defending RBQ champions Wales (Myfanwy Alexander and David Edwards). Tom Sutcliffe asks the questions, hands the teams hints where required, and awards the points.

Any hopes the teams may have had that the questions might have got easier are dispelled as, from the off, they face problems such as: If you met an arrow-maker, Hull Truck's local hero, Thatcher's last Lord Chancellor and the Rovers' long-term landlord, why might you mistake them for a glam-rock group?

The remaining teams from the Midlands, the South of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland join in over the next couple of weeks, all of them hoping to break the apparent Welsh stranglehold on the series title in recent years.

As always, the series includes a generous selection of the questions listeners have suggested since we were last on air.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m0001sxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Amo Amas Amusical (m0001tb2)
Accompanied by a Women's Duet and a Chorus of Trolls, Mary Beard uncovers the deliberately concealed story of two Victorian sisters who wrote an iconic Latin text-book, setting it against the ugly 19th and early 20th century opposition to women’s Higher Education and the abuse of clever women today

Strikingly original high-fibre fun, with Victorian verses - Latin and English - set to specially commissioned music by composer Emily Levy, and performed in the Radio Theatre

Kennedy’s Revised Latin Primer was the iconic text-book when learning Latin was essential to becoming a gentleman. Its author was always assumed to be Cambridge professor, Benjamin Hall Kennedy

Mary Beard uncovers the truth: that Kennedy’s unmarried daughters, Marion and Julia, largely wrote it. She draws on archives confirming their role in writing the "memory verses" used for learning grammar and often sung to hymn-tunes. These are sung by a Women's Duet

Against their story, Mary sets the long history of the opposition to women acquiring degrees – riots and banners but also toxic “light verse” published in student magazines. These are sung by a Chorus of Trolls

Did this intimidating atmosphere cause Marion and Julia to work anonymously? Mary draws parallels with contemporary trolling of clever women. Its language is unbroadcastable, so Mary has had it translated into Latin, which the Trolls sing

In a harmonious finale, the men and women sing about Latin nouns common both to male and female - hoping for a time when the "gender wars" are no more

Featuring Professor Chris Stray, Jane Robinson, Damaris Kennedy Hayman, pianist Jeremy Limb and singers Clemmie Franks, Gwendolen Martin, Daniel Thomson, Michael Solomon Williams and Richard Moore

Producer Beaty Rubens


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m0001tb4)
Superheroes

2019 looks set to be a huge year for superhero movies with eleven films due for release. From X-Men: Dark Phoenix to Captain Marvel, Marvel studios' first movie led by a female; the superhero movie craze looks set to continue long into the future. Yet the idea of heroes has religious and cultural roots that go way back. The Epic of Gilgamesh written in 2100 BC is thought to be the oldest hero story. “Hero cults” were one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion. In the ancient Greek epic poem The Illiad “Homeric Heroes” are seen as exemplars of moral and physical action. Perhaps then it is not surprising that our modern day superheroes have such deep, on-going appeal.

On this New Year’s eve edition of Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea discusses how the idea of heroes has developed, why those characters often have supernatural as well as superhuman dimensions and what religious and cultural meaning underlines their enduring appeal. He is joined by Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at Sheffield University, Natalie Haynes, Classicist and Comedian and Ajinbayo "Siku" Akinsiku, British/Nigerian Artist and Writer and creator of the Manga Bible.

Producer:
Catherine Earlam

Series Producer:
Amanda Hancox


MON 17:00 PM (m0001tb6)
PM at 5pm: interviews, context and analysis.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001tb8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:15 15 Minute Musical (m0001tbb)
Eurovision Gone Wrong Contest

While the UK has been busy obsessing over Brexit in 2018, the other leaders of Europe have had more pressing things to think about. Angela Merkel is beginning her swansong as Chancellor and Emmanuel Macron’s honeymoon period is apparently over. All under the watchful eye of one Mr Putin.

A Eurovision Song Contest-inspired performance from our non-Brexit-obsessed counterparts on the Continent as they look back on their action-packed 2018s and recall those classic Eurovision favourites.

Starring: Pippa Evans, Alex Lowe and Richie Webb

Writers: Dave Cohen, David Quantick and Richie Webb
Composer: Richie Webb
Music production: Matt Katz

Production co-ordinator: Nick Coupe
Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Studios Production


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001tbd)
Series 21

Episode 2

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.

Richard Osman, Holly Walsh, Susan Calman and David O'Doherty are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as sleep, mobile phones, stealing and pets.

Produced by Jon Naismith.
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m0001tbg)
Ben and Ruairi face disappointment and there's a near miss for Helen


MON 19:15 Front Row (m0001tbj)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001t98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Right Click: The New Online Culture Wars (m0000qv5)
Gavin Haynes, editor-at-large of VICE UK, goes in search of this new wave of political thought.

On the internet, and on YouTube specifically, a huge new political movement is taking shape in the shoes of a very old one. Some are calling it classical liberalism, the intellectual dark web, anti-SJW, or the skeptic movement.

It’s on the right of the political spectrum - but not the right as we knew it. It’s socially libertarian, economically centrist, nativist - but anti-identitarian. It's sympathetic to Trump and to Brexit - yet large parts still don’t consider themselves to be right wing.

The phenomenon has American roots, but a British contingent has found massive online support.

The 36-year-old self-styled classical liberal Paul Joseph Watson, a man from Sheffield who used to broadcast from his mum’s basement, has over a million followers on YouTube. He also has more twitter followers than any UK political journalist. Another, who goes by the handle Sargon of Akkad, preaches to 850 000 subscribers from a converted garage in Swindon. Thanks to his patrons, he makes £20 000 a month. A Glaswegian free speech activist called Count Dankula has in excess of 350,000 subscribers.

The traditional press doesn’t matter to these people – in fact, they style themselves as its enemies. They call themselves the Alternative Media. They don’t consider themselves journalists, but Activists. And one thing they know above all else is that they are warriors in a culture war.

Gavin Haynes explores how the new media are shaping a particular kind of message, and how the blind spots of the old media may have allowed this ideological land grab to occur in the first place.

An SPG production for BBC Radio 4


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m0001rm9)
Armenia: Return to a Town That Died

Thirty years on from the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, what’s happened to the devastated town of Spitak? Rescuers from all over the world came to help search for survivors – among them a team of British firefighters. Now, with reporter Tim Whewell, two of those men are returning - to see how the town’s been rebuilt - and to remember a rescue effort that marked a turning point in East-West relations. The disaster came as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was developing his policy of glasnost (openness) – and his request for foreign assistance was the first such appeal the Kremlin had made in decades. The firefighters relive the drama, grief and courage of those days – and renew old friendships. They discover that Spitak has still not fully recovered from the quake, with many living to this day in squalid temporary housing.

Reporter Tim Whewell.


MON 21:00 Wired Love (b099xpwg)
Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes, published in 1879, was a ground breaking book about a long-distance romance conducted over the telegraph wire - aptly termed The Victorian Internet. Written by the previously unknown Ella Cheever Thayer, Wired Love's Manhattan publisher trumpeted it as "a bright little telegraphic novel" that told "the old, old story - in a new, new way". But Thayer's story was grounded in Victorian reality. Men and women alike worked as telegraph operators, with predictable results. At least one wedding was conducted over the wires and Electrical World magazine even warned of "the dangers of wired love".

Presenter Lucy Hawking looks at how the invention of the telegraph led to social changes in the role of women as well as providing the inspiration for this first on-line romance novel, published over 100 years before the internet. Finding parallels in today's e-mail world she profiles the life of Ella Cheever Thayer, discusses the appeal of the novel and talks to Laura Otis, Britt Peterson and Thomas C Jepson, about the revolutionary technology and the social changes it encouraged.

Presenter: Lucy Hawking
Drama adapted by Danny Westgate
Performers: Samantha Dakin, Tom Bevan and Anna Farnworth.
Sound Design: Nick Romero
Producer: Julian Mayers
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 21:30 As Others See Us (m0001t90)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001tbl)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001t9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


MON 23:00 Loose Ends (m0001tbn)
Loose Ends Lounge: Music from Joan Armatrading, Beverley Knight, George Ezra, Jeff Goldblum and many more

A selection box of music from across the Loose Ends year, featuring Joan Armatrading, Beverley Knight, George Ezra, Jeff Goldblum and many more.

Producers: Sukey Firth and Suzy Roylance



TUESDAY 01 JANUARY 2019

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0001tbq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:15 Christmas Compass (m0001rn5)
Christmas Compass: East

Four festive stories from four corners of the British Isles.

A young primary school teacher is guided to change the course of her life by a trailblazing head teacher.

Jessica Hardwick reads Ruth Thomas’s playful and evocative story set in Edinburgh.

Credits

Writer ….. Ruth Thomas
Reader ….. Jessica Hardwick
Producer ….. Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001t93)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001tbs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001tbv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001tbx)
The latest shipping forecast


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0001tbz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001tc1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0001tc3)
Your Farming Questions Answered

You've sent us your questions about farming - we've had a go at answering them...

Topics include: "factory farming", food prices, horse meat, international trade and dairy cow breeding strategies.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k6rrj)
Dipper

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

David Attenborough presents the dipper. On a cold winter's day when few birds are singing, the bright rambling song of a dipper by a rushing stream is always a surprise. Dippers sing in winter because that's when the males begin marking out their stretch of water, they're early breeders.


TUE 06:00 Today (m0001tyh)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 As Others See Us (m0001tyk)
Programme 2. Egypt

2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a new series of five programmes, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.

In this programme he is in Cairo to explore the extent to which the relationship between Egypt and Britain can be traced back to such key events as the Battle of the Nile or the Suez Crisis or whether there are other events and cultural influences that have a greater impact on the nature that relationship today. Writer Ahdaf Soueif and political historian Said Sadek are among those revealing what they learnt about Britain at school, how their first encounters with Britain and British institutions had the greatest impact in shaping their perception of Britain today.

Producer: Simon Elmes


TUE 09:30 The Leopard (m0001tym)
Episode 1

By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

'The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. It is set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento: the unification of Italy.

An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms. Don Fabrizio is about the business of preserving what remains of his family’s feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a gorgeous masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode One: The Prince and his family are assembling for dinner.

Reader...Alex Jennings
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001tyq)
Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Episode 2

Last thoughts on a range of topics, taken from the extraordinary career of Stephen Hawking.

This time our two fundamental belief systems, religion and science, are discussed. "My work is about finding a rational framework to understand the universe around us - says the author. Universal laws are the thing!

Reader Anton Lesser

Producer Duncan Minshull


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001tys)
Life challenges, resilience and self compassion

We've brought together four different women - women who have faced or are still facing huge challenges with remarkable wisdom, resourcefulness, courage and resilience.

Nequela Whittaker works in South London with young people in danger of getting into trouble.

Sophie Sabbage was diagnosed four years ago with stage four terminal cancer. Since then she has written two books, The Cancer Whisperer and Lifeshocks.

Josie Bevan is the author of the award-winning blog, Prison Bag. Her husband is serving 9 years in jail. She believes her role is to speak up for prisoners' families.

Dr Kristin Neff is a professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas Austin. She has pioneered ground-breaking research into self-compassion.

Presenter: Jane Garvey
Interviewed guest: Nequela Whittaker
Interviewed guest: Sophie Sabbage
Interviewed guest: Josie Bevan
Interviewed guest: Kristin Neff
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001tyv)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts

Act II: The Angel of Death

Michael Chaplin’s new five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.

For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.

Not many get this close to history.

As the Kaiser arrives unexpectedly at Osborne House to say farewell to his Grandmamma, the Queen breathes her last surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.

Cast:
Queen Victoria ….. Brigit Forsyth
Old Winnie Powell ….. Marcia Warren
Interviewer ….. Carl Prekopp
Young Winnie Powell ….. Lauren Cornelius
Sir James Reid ….. Ross F Sutherland
Sir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom Turner
Kaiser Wilhelm ….. Hywel Morgan
Prince of Wales ….. Gerard McDermott
Princess Mary ….. Wendy Nottingham

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Carl Prekopp
Producers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards

A Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 11:00 The Leopard (m0001tyx)
Episode 2

By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

Set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy, 'The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. The Prince realises his family's best hope of surviving Garibaldi's plans lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode Two: Tancredi visits.

Reader...Alex Jennings
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 11:30 Remembering Iolaire (m0001tyz)
In the early hours of January 1st 1919 the Iolaire, a naval yacht carrying servicemen home, ran aground within sight of Stornoway Harbour in the Outer Hebrides. On board were 280 men, and by dawn 201 had perished. The island of Lewis was devastated by the loss.

'Future generations will speak of it as the blackest day in the history of the island.' William Grant, founder of the Stornoway Gazette January 1919

One hundred years after the tragedy, musician Anna Murray looks at the impact it had on the community and the way in which artists have responded to the event. For many years it was hardly spoken about, and a veil of silence lay over the island. Today she discovers that art has played its part in helping heal the deep wounds created by one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in the British Isles.

Producer Mark Rickards

image credit: image supplied by Acair of HMY Iolaire, photo supplied to Acair by author Malcolm MacDonald for The Darkest Dawn.
Thanks


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0001tz1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001tz3)
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years

Episode 2

The fourth book in Radio 4’s serialisation of Adrian Mole’s hilarious diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers. Read by Harry McEntire.

This diary starts in April 1997. Adrian is no longer a spotty teenager, but a balding 30 year old, recently separated from Jo Jo, the mother of his two year-old son, William.

On the eve of the General Election, Adrian returns home to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to vote for his local Labour Party candidate, and childhood sweetheart, Pandora Braithwaite. He is working as Head Chef in a restaurant in Soho where there is tinned tomato soup on the "traditional English, no choice" menu.

Adrian’s literary ambitions remain unrealised, but his career is about to take an unexpected turn and throw him into the limelight. And that is not the only life-changing surprise in store for the hapless yet irrepressible diarist.

The Cappuccino Years highlights how much attitudes have changed in the past twenty years and, once again, showcases Sue Townsend’s fearless and razor-sharp wit.

Read by Harry McEntire
Written by Sue Townsend
Abridged by: Sara Davies
Produced by Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:18 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b07ctt11)
Series 2

The Tea Leaf Mystery

Today the team examine the chemistry of tea, in answer to the following question sent in by Fred Rickaby from North Carolina:

"When we are preparing a cup of tea and the cup contains nothing but hot, brewed tea we need to add milk and sugar. My wife always adds the sugar first, stirs the cup to make sure it is dissolved and then add the milk. So, is that an optimum strategy for adding milk and sugar to a cup of tea?”

Adam consults Prof Andrea Sella from University College London about the perfect formula for a cup of tea. Inside his tea factory in Kent, Master Blender Alex Probyn teaches Hannah an unusual method for tasting tea.

Most importantly, the duo discovers whether you should add milk first or last. But can tea professionals really tell the difference?

If you have any questions for Drs Rutherford & Fry to investigate send them to curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin


TUE 12:30 The Leopard (m0001tz5)
Episode 3

By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

'The Leopard' draws us into world of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina. It is set in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy. An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms.

Don Fabrizio is about the business of preserving what remains of his family’s feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode 3: The family have arrived at their summer estate, Donnafugata. Concetta has confessed her love of Tancredi to her father, but Don Fabrizio knows that Tancredi needs a wife with money.

Reader...Alex Jennings
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 13:00 World at One (m0001tz7)
Monday-Thursday: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Friday: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


TUE 13:45 New Year Solutions (m0001tz9)
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen tackles the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.

We're often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.

But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?

Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0001tbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 The Leopard (m0001tzc)
Episode 4

By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

Don Fabrizio Corbera is the Prince of Salina in Sicily, during the Risorgimento; the unification of Italy. An irresistible giant of a man whose hands are like paws and who makes the ground tremble when he rises to his feet, the Prince is clear-eyed, intelligent and languid, aptly represented by the leopard on his coat of arms.

The Prince knows he must attempt to preserve what remains of his family’s feudal power in a period of political turmoil. He realises their best hope lies in his charming and resourceful nephew, Tancredi, who knows that "everything must change so that everything can stay the same".

Abridged in five parts across New Year's Day, The Leopard is a masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode 4: Tancredi has fallen in love with the beautiful Angelica, the daughter of the nouveau-riche commoner Don Calogero.

Reader...Alex Jennings
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0001t08)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 Making History (m0001tzf)
Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence consider fascinating and multi-faceted aspects of history.

The new series of this long-running programme focuses on lines - historical and historic lines and routes that may be physical or conceptual and that criss-cross our geographical and cultural landscape. It looks at why and how they came about and discusses what they offer us in our understanding of our past and present.

Programme 1. The Prime Meridian - the journey from Stonehenge to Jazz
As it's New Year's Day, it seems the perfect opportunity to explore the history of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich and our relationship with Time. We start at Stonehenge and finish at the National Jazz Archive, located on the meridian at Loughton in Essex. Along the way, Tom and Iszi take in the Romans, French-Anglo rivalry and which animals can hear a beat.

Tom Holland is a writer and historian who has written a number of popular and successful works including Dynasty and Rubicon.

Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and broadcaster who's appeared on Making History as a guest but is now the new co-presenter.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 The Leopard (m0001tzh)
Episode 5

By Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, translated by Archibald Colquhoun and read by Alex Jennings.

The final part of this masterpiece of European political fiction: beguiling, beautiful and subtle, evoking a centuries-old way of life on the cusp of change.

Episode Five: Twenty years on from the ball that marked the changing fortunes of his family, The Prince knows his time is running out.

Reader...Alex Jennings
Abridged by Sara Davies
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m0001tzk)
Series 47

Nikesh Shukla on the undefeated Muslim wrestler the Great Gama

Ghulam Mohammad, or the Great Gama Pehlwan as he was more commonly known, was a Muslim wrestler born into a Kashmir family in India in 1878.
When writer Nikesh Shukla first came across him in a book at the airport, he thought must be a fictional character- the stories seemed so far-fetched. Gama reportedly drank 10 litres of milk and ate six chickens a day. He also grappled with 40 wrestlers a day and did 5000 squats,
Surely this was an action hero figure and not a real man?
But Gama was real with a career spanning over 50 years, unbeaten not only in India, but also in England and Europe. In 1910 he was dubbed the strongest man in the world. And the press feared his strength might inspire rebellion in India, then under British rule.
Joining Nikesh to tell the story of the Great Gama is Dr Majid Sheikh.
The presenter is Matthew Parris and the producer is Perminder Khatkar.


TUE 17:00 PM (m0001tzm)
PM at 5pm: interviews, context and analysis.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001tzp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:15 15 Minute Musical (m0001tzr)
The Sixth in Line to be King and I

The life story of Meghan Markle: actor, model, style icon, equality campaigner and now wife of the sixth in line to the British throne. This is a Rodgers and Hammerstein-inspired celebration of Meghan’s life to date and a look ahead to what promises to be an exciting 2019 for the happy royal couple as they expect their first child in the spring.

We get the inside story on what happened when Meghan and Harry first set eyes on each other and began “Getting to Know You”, and relive the biggest wedding of 2018.

Starring: Pippa Evans, Alex Lowe and Richie Webb

Writers: Dave Cohen, David Quantick and Richie Webb
Composer: Richie Webb
Music production: Matt Katz

Production co-ordinator: Nick Coupe
Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Studios Production


TUE 18:30 Love in Recovery (m0001tzt)
Series 3

Les McKeown's Autograph

Third series of the award-nominated comedy drama set in Alcoholics Anonymous. Written by Pete Jackson and inspired by his own road to recovery. Stars Rebecca Front, John Hannah, Sue Johnston, Paul Kaye and Johnny Vegas.

Love in Recovery follows the lives of five very different recovering alcoholics. Johnny Vegas is Andy, the sweet but simple self-appointed group leader. Sue Johnston plays straight talking Julie, who's been known to have the odd relapse here and there - and everywhere. Rebecca Front is the snobby and spiky Fiona, an ex-banker who had it all and then lost the lot. John Hannah is Simon, a snide journalist who’s not an alcoholic – he got caught drink driving, his boss made him attend the meeting, but he fell in love with Fiona and stayed. And, despite her best efforts, she fell in love with him too. Paul Kaye is Danno, a down and out two-bit chancer with a shady past but a lot of heart, who’s desperate to turn his life around.

As we follow their weekly meetings, we hear them moan, argue, laugh, fall apart, fall in love and, most importantly, tell their stories.

This week, Fiona has been distant and her boyfriend Simon thinks he knows exactly what’s on her mind. He decides to help her, and believes the best way to start is by casually bringing this private issue up in the weekly meeting. What could possibly go wrong?

Writer Pete Jackson is a recovering alcoholic and has spent time in Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there he found, as most people do, support from the unlikeliest group of disparate souls, all banded together due to one common bond. As well as offering the support he needed throughout a difficult time, AA also offered a weekly, sometimes daily, dose of hilarity, upset, heartbreak and friendship.

Love in Recovery doesn’t seek to represent an AA meeting exactly as it might happen in real life, but to capture the funny stories, the sad stories, the stories of small victories and of huge milestones, stories of loss, stories of hope, and most importantly, the many highs and lows in the journey of recovery.

Cast:
Fiona….. Rebecca Front
Simon….. John Hannah
Julie….. Sue Johnston
Danno….. Paul Kaye
Andy..... Johnny Vegas

Written and created by Pete Jackson
Producer/Director: Ben Worsfield

A King Bert production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0001tzw)
Lily has a confession to make and Adam plots a cover up


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0001tzy)
Keeley Hawes

Actress Keeley Hawes has long been a household name and seems to have an uncanny ability to pick parts that place her in the most talked about TV shows of their moment.

In this extended interview we look back on her career, considering those key roles including the Home Secretary in the hugely popular Bodyguard, working on cult lesbian drama Tipping the Velvet, MI5 agent Zoe in spy thriller Spooks, playing a cop sent back to the 80s in Ashes to Ashes, a policewoman under investigation in Line of Duty and a mother of four starting a new life on Corfu in The Durrells.

We'll also hear how Keeley got started as an actress, how she chooses her roles and what changes she's seen in TV over the last 20 years.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Hannah Robins


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001tyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Brexit: Bewitched, Bothered or Bewildered (m0001v00)
As we enter the New Year Adrian Chiles returns to voters he first met for the BBC more than two years ago and who come from both sides of the Brexit divide. Being alongside them he focuses on the issues they now feel lie at the heart of this complex debate as it enters its end game

When Adrian first recorded with voters living close to his West Midlands home he encountered a range of reactions and listened to the emerging divisions not just across the region, but also within families themselves. More than two years later he encounters a much more nuanced, but no less passionate, debate that is taking place across the land.

Going beyond the usual culture of sound bites and slogans, Adrian meets young and old, wealthy and hard-up, white and non-white, who share a belief that their views have been ignored, diluted or misrepresented by mainstream politicians. He learns about their lives and their continuing concerns about immigration, jobs and the elusive benefits of an increasingly globalised world.

Producer: Sue Mitchell


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0001v02)
Books for the New Year

Sally Clay’s recommended audiobook: Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson
Ryan Kelly ‘s audiobook recommendation: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Peter White’s audiobook recommendation Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Presenter: Lee Kumutat
Producer: Peter White


TUE 21:00 Would You Go To Bed With Me? (m0000z50)
Forty years after the infamous 'would you go to bed with me?' experiment, what are the social repercussions of biological inequality if men have a higher sex drive than women?


TUE 21:30 As Others See Us (m0001tyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001v04)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001tz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


TUE 23:00 Wireless Nights (m0001v06)
Series 6

A New Year's Resolution

Jarvis Cocker continues his nocturnal exploration of the human condition. He often lies awake at night trying, unsuccessfully, to nod off. But, not one to give up, his New Year's resolution is to crack this habit and attain the perfect night's sleep. His restless search leads him to fellow insomniac Marina Benjamin, sleep coach Max Kirsten, Greek goddesses and a cave where night meets day and peace may possibly reside.

Producer Neil McCarthy


TUE 23:30 The Digital Human (b06kbjdy)
Series 8

Doppelganger

The online world abounds with doppelgangers, cyber-twins, bots and mind-clones; in this Halloween episode of The Digital Human Aleks Krotoski explores the uncanny world of these digital doubles.

On the most simple level social networks and the now seemingly permanent cult of the selfie means that finding our visual double has never been easier. And its the appeal of this that was the inspiration for Niamh Gearney's website Twin Strangers where people register to hopefully track down their double. Niamh herself has found 3 doubles and she hopes to track down 7 having found that number in researching doppelganger myths.

For artist Daniel Bejar sharing his name with a famous musician has turned the online world into a battlefield for identity an idea he's exploring by changing his appearance to that of his more famous namesake and posting pictures to the web. While for Joanna McNeil she created her own cyber-twin; a bot to share answering her emails and messages. She hoped this would help her understand the ways in which emotion is conveyed online by delegating communication to an algorithm.

Its how the digital world makes doppelgangers of us all that fascinates Sara M Watson; technology critic and affiliate of the Berkman centre for internet and society at Harvard. We catch glimpses of these shadowy digital doppelgangers in ads that don't quite match who we think we are online or in recommendations make us feel uneasy. Its the attempts at personalisation of our digital experiences that she compares to the idea of the uncanny valley of robotics when something is so close to being human that it becomes repellent.

Producers: Peter McManus and Elizabeth Ann Duffy



WEDNESDAY 02 JANUARY 2019

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0001v08)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001tyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001v0b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001v0d)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001v0g)
The latest shipping forecast


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0001v0j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001v0l)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0001v0n)
Farm safety, Oxford Farming Conference, Oxford Real Farming Conference

Farm safety seems to be a continuing problem for the agricultural sector. According to the Health and Safety Executive, an average of 32 workers are killed in the industry every year. And although farm workers represent just 1% of the Great British workforce, they account for 20% of workplace fatalities.

Charity organisation The Farm Safety Foundation is trying to change that, with a safety course targeting the younger generation. Heather Simons joins students at Bridgwater and Taunton College, as they inspected a mocked-up accident scene. We also hear from Luke Messenger from the Health and Safety Executive's agricultural safety team, to find out how they're trying to address on-farm fatalities.

Meanwhile Farming Today kicks off a week broadcasting from Oxford, at the city's January agricultural conferences: the Oxford Farming Conference, which has been running since 1936; and the Oxford Real Farming Conference, celebrating its 10th year as the self-confessed "antidote to the official Farming Conference".
Charlotte gets the OFC overview from Oxfordshire farmer and agricultural journalist Tom Allen-Stevens, the Oxford Farming Conference chairman. Then ahead of the Oxford Real Farming Conference's start tomorrow, she asks co-founder Ruth West how the event has evolved over its 10-year history.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b08yn32k)
Eleanor Matthews on the Magpie

Writer Eleanor Matthews recalls how the magpie came into her life at a time of change for Tweet of the Day.

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 Eliza Lomas.


WED 06:00 Today (m0001v6n)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 As Others See Us (m0001v6q)
Programme 3. Nigeria

2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a new series of five programmes, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.

In this programme he travels to Kano and Lagos to see how far the relationship between Nigeria and Britain can be traced back to key events or cultural influences, and what impact those events still have on the nature of that relationship today. The Emir of Kano; Africa's first Nobel Laureate for Literature Wole Soyinka; and Yeni Kuti, dancer, singer and eldest child of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti each reveal what they learnt about Britain at school and how their first encounters with British cities and culture have shaped their perception of Britain now.

Producer: Tom Alban


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001v6s)
Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Episode 3

Last thoughts on a range of topics, taken from the extraordinary career of Stephen Hawking.

This time, a thrilling question is posed. "Why should we go into space? The obvious answer is because it's there.. all around us.." And where to? Well, the author reveals some possibilities.

Reader Anton Lesser

Producer Duncan Minshull


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001v6v)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (m0001v6x)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts

Act III: A Country in Mourning

Michael Chaplin’s new five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.

For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.

Not many get this close to history.

The country grinds to a halt as Bertie is proclaimed King and the Royal household squabbles over the funeral arrangements.

Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.

Cast:
Old Winnie Powell ….. Marcia Warren
Interviewer ….. Carl Prekopp
Young Winnie Powell ….. Lauren Cornelius
Sir James Reid ….. Ross F Sutherland
Sir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom Turner
Kaiser Wilhelm ….. Hywel Morgan
King Edward VII ….. Gerard McDermott
Queen Alexandra ….. Wendy Nottingham
Daniel ….. Douglas Clarke-Wood

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Carl Prekopp
Producers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards

A Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m0001v6z)
Carolyne and Caroline - A Safe Space

Two friends from childhood celebrate 50 years of friendship. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.


WED 11:00 I Work for the Government, and Let's Leave It at That (b07j47py)
The secret services tried to recruit Westminster Lobby Correspondent Julia Langdon at school. Ever since she has been fascinated by espionage. She uncovers how women are recruited then and now.

Julia goes "behind the wire" at GCHQ to discover how they are targeting potential female employees at university and school. She interviews former head of MI5 Eliza Manningham-Buller who tells her how she was recruited, chats to two sisters about their secret work in the Second World War, and meets a former Miss Moneypenny who talks about working for MI6.

Presenter: Julia Langdon
Producer: David Morley
A Bite Media production for BBC Radio 4


WED 11:30 Cracking Up (m0001v71)
Pre-Occupation

Divorcee and psychotherapist Spencer Pandy takes his newly radicalised, feminist daughter Tilly to work where he’s addressing a conference on Family Negotiation.

Tilly’s attempts to explain her unusual school uniform result in a sharp dressing-down from her father who is unaware that his radio-mic is broadcasting to a shocked auditorium.

Meanwhile, Spencer’s ex-wife Tina is attempting to negotiate her own position with writing agent Camilla, while looking after the next-door-neighbour’s six-year-old Ruby, who has arrived in the character of racist and sexist Northern pensioner Mrs Roberts. Camilla is awestruck by the directness and attitude she witnesses and offers Ruby a book deal.

Spencer’s attempts to alleviate his day’s frustrations via the Internet are thwarted when he accidentally types 'racy’ search terms into his Facebook status rather than Google.

A Big Talk production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m0001v73)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001v75)
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years

Episode 3

The fourth book in Radio 4’s serialisation of Adrian Mole’s hilarious diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers. Read by Harry McEntire.

This diary starts in April 1997. Adrian is no longer a spotty teenager, but a balding 30 year old, recently separated from Jo Jo, the mother of his two year-old son, William.

On the eve of the General Election, Adrian returns home to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to vote for his local Labour Party candidate, and childhood sweetheart, Pandora Braithwaite. He is working as Head Chef in a restaurant in Soho where there is tinned tomato soup on the "traditional English, no choice" menu.

Adrian’s literary ambitions remain unrealised, but his career is about to take an unexpected turn and throw him into the limelight. And that is not the only life-changing surprise in store for the hapless yet irrepressible diarist.

The Cappuccino Years highlights how much attitudes have changed in the past twenty years and, once again, showcases Sue Townsend’s fearless and razor-sharp wit.

Read by Harry McEntire
Written by Sue Townsend
Abridged by: Sara Davies
Produced by Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:18 You and Yours (m0001v77)
Call You and Yours: Are you fed up with dating online or via apps?

On Call You & Yours today we're asking: Are you fed up of dating online or via apps? Lots of us are using them but are you finding love?

New research for this programme says many people using dating apps don't go out on a date. Tell us how you're using online to meet new partners. Has online dating worked for you or have you fallen out of love with it all?

We want to hear your story. Please get in touch and tell us about your experience.

Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and don't forget to leave a phone number, so we can call you back.
From 11am on Wednesday January 2nd, call us on 03700 100444.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes


WED 12:57 Weather (m0001v79)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (m0001v7c)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


WED 13:45 New Year Solutions (m0001v7f)
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen explores the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.

We're often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.

But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?

Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4


WED 14:00 The Archers (m0001tzw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (m0001v7h)
Me, Mum and Meena Kumari

A young actor struggles to care for his bi-polar Mum, his fledgling career and the truth about his sexuality. Not easy when your Mum sometimes thinks she’s the actress Meena Kumari. By Samina Baig, based on a true story by Akbar Kurtha.

Directed by Emma Harding

Akbar ..... Akbar Kurtha
Zubeida ..... Shelley King
Uncle ..... Nish Nathwani
Lia ...... Emma Handy
Simon ..... Cameron Percival
Other parts played by Saffron Coomber, Don Gilet, Lewis Bray, Jeanette Percival and Lucy Doyle

Sitar player, Jonathan Mayer
Tabla player, Sandyman


WED 15:00 Money Box (m0001v7k)
In August, Jessica Hurst wrote to the media asking them to investigate how her dad’s debts of just under £12,000 became a bill of just under £73,000. Nigel Hurst killed himself eighteen months ago after learning that bailiffs were to repossess his family home. It was the bailiff who found him.Student, Jessica, was left with a pile of debt recovery letters and bank statements which she hoped would hold the clue to his financial troubles.

After an old school friend offered legal advice, Jessica has persuaded the creditors to reduce their demands back to a manageable level. How did they do that? And what did they learn in going through the process? Helen Grady - who reported on the case for File on 4 - asks Jessica about the response to the programme.

Presenter: Helen Grady
Producer: David Lewis
Editor; Andrew Smith


WED 15:30 The Art of Living (m000198p)
From the Heart

How can art and science work together to help patients with heart disease better understand their illness and treatment? The artist, Sofie Layton and bioengineer, Giovanni Biglino worked with patients at Great Ormond Street to look inside themselves and reflect on the uniqueness of their bodies to discover the stories they carry inside their hearts. The heart holds a unique place in our bodies and lives so we meet Tahera, mother of Arif, one the patients who took part in this journey of discovery and an exploration of both his medical heart and poetic heart.

Producer Sarah Addezio


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m0001v7m)
Work - what is it good for?

Work: What is it good for? Laurie Taylor presents a special programme which takes a provocative look at work as a cultural norm. Josh Cohen, Professor of Modern Literary Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London, considers the joys of inertia - of being rather than doing; Andrea Komlosy, Professor in the Department of Economics and Social History at the University of Vienna, probes the debate about work as burdensome toil versus work as creative expression and Anthony Lloyd, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology at Teesside University, examines workplace harms in the service sector.
Producer: Jayne Egerton


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m0001v7p)
The Art of Public Relations

How do you organise a publicity stunt, how do you deal with being doorstepped and what do you do if you think your reputation has been trampled on by an errant journalist? Andrea Catherwood speaks to a panel of experts from PR and journalism who shed light on the art of public relations.

Guests:
Alan Edwards is the founder of the Outside Agency which has looked after many celebrities from the world of music and entertainment including the Rolling Stones, The Spice Girls and David Beckham.
Keren Haynes is a former TV journalist who runs PR company Shout! Communications
Ian Gregory is Managing director of Abzed which has represented clients from the fracking industry, e-cigarettes and grouse shooting.
Polly Curtis is the Former Editor in Chief of Huff Post UK.

Producer: Steven Williams


WED 17:00 PM (m0001v7r)
PM at 5pm: interviews, context and analysis.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001v7t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You (m0001v7w)
Series 2

Domestic Bliss

Award-winning comedian and super-sharp everywoman Angela Barnes tackles life and love and, with the help of the audience, packs herself a fantasy coffin.

In part tribute to Angela's beloved late father - a larger than life gregarious character, he was a sex shop manager, naturist, and a big fan of caravans and pranks - Angela celebrates his carpe diem approach to life, and his motto "You Can't Take It With You".

When her father died very suddenly in 2008, Angela and her family proved him wrong and stuffed his coffin with sentimental keepsakes for his final journey. Angela now does the very same thing, nominating objects that she would choose to send on with her as mementoes of her life, and asking the audience to share items they would take with them, all acting as prompts for contemplative, heart-warming and captivating comedy.

Angela Barnes is a vivacious, critically acclaimed stand-up comic from Maidstone, Kent. After a career in health and social care, at the age of 33, she decided to pursue a long-held ambition and give comedy a go. Within a couple of years, Angela and her witty worldview had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award by a public vote, secured a weekly star slot in Channel 4's Stand Up For The Week and appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Loose Ends, The Now Show, The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Russell Howard's Good News (BBC 3), and Mock The Week and Live at the Apollo (BBC 2). She has been the host of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack for the last two series.

An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m0001v80)
Hannah has concerns about Tom and things are looking up for Ed


WED 19:15 Front Row (m0001v82)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001v6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]


WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (b09th2km)
The Bald Truth

For thousands of years, bald men have been the subject of ridicule. As a result they've felt ashamed and have resorted to desperate measures to hide their condition. During the decades when hair style was a cultural battleground between youth and the establishment, the balding man was at the bottom of the heap. No prime minister since Clement Attlee has been bald. But increasingly, bald men are coming out of the closet and shaving their heads - and some women too. Research shows that bald men are perceived as less attractive but more dominant. Now that we are more relaxed about hair style, and more willing to tolerate tonsorial diversity, are bald men finally able to shed the stigma? And could the comb-over finally make a come back? Ian Marchant, who has shaved his head since the early 1980s, investigates.

Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.


WED 21:00 Science Stories (m0001v84)
Series 8

Lady Mary Montagu's Smallpox Experiment

Naomi Alderman's Science Story reveals how Lady Mary Wortley Montagu experimented on her own child in a quest to prove that smallpox inoculation works. Born in 1689 in a position of some power and influence, Lady Mary travelled to Constantinople as the wife of the ambassador to Turkey and witnessed 'variolation parties'. Here 'a nut shell' of virus on a needle is put in an opened vein to infer immunity. Having lost her own brother to smallpox and survived with terrible scaring herself, Lady Mary knew first hand the dangers of the deadly disease. She became the first person to bring smallpox inoculation to the West. Medical historian Lindsey Fiztharris tells the remarkable story of how condemned prisoners are given the opportunity to escape execution under the order's of King George I if they are given the virus and survive.


WED 21:30 As Others See Us (m0001v6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001v86)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


WED 22:45 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001v75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


WED 23:00 The Damien Slash Mixtape (m0001v88)
Series 2

Episode 4

Multi-character YouTube star Damien Slash makes the move from online to Radio 4, in this new fast-paced, one-man sketch comedy show. From the surreal to the satirical, from the zeitgeist to the absurd, Damien serves up a range of high octane characters, all from his own voice. Adverts, actors, hipsters, trolls - no aspect of modern life is left un-skewered.

Written by and starring Damien Slash (aka Daniel Barker).
Guest starring Natasia Demetriou
Production coordinated by Hayley Sterling
Produced by Matt Stronge
A BBC Studios production.


WED 23:15 15 Minute Musical (m0001tbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Monday]


WED 23:30 The Digital Human (b06j1kdr)
Series 8

Vigilante

Aleks Krotoski delves into vigilantism on the web and looks at the moral and philosophical implications of fighting the good fight in a digital space. Can we consider the web to be a superhero?



THURSDAY 03 JANUARY 2019

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0001v8b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001v6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001v8d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001v8g)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001v8j)
The latest shipping forecast


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0001v8l)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001v8n)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0001v8q)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b098jn2p)
YOLOBirder on the Peregrine Falcon

Birdwatching's irreverent Tweeter YOLOBirder tells how a kindly hotel owner took him to see peregrine falcons and got him hooked on watching these magnificent flyers for the rest of his life.

Producer: Andrew Dawes
Photograph: Adrian Dancy.


THU 06:00 Today (m0001vk9)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 As Others See Us (m0001vkc)
Programme 4. Canada

2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a new series of five programmes, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.

In this programme he explores how far the relationship between Canada and Britain can be traced back to key events or cultural influences, and what impact those events still have on the nature of that relationship today. In Montreal, Ottawa (and New York), French-Canadian film director Denys Arcand; Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland and Booker Prize nominee Madeleine Thien reveal what they learnt about Britain at school and how their first encounters with British cities and culture have shaped their perception of Britain now.

Producer: Paul Kobrak


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001vkf)
Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Episode 4

Last thoughts on a range of topics, taken from the extraordinary career of Stephen Hawking.

The author turns his gaze towards artificial intelligence. "I think there is no significant difference between how the brain of an earthworm works and how a computer computes."

Reader Anton Lesser

Producer Duncan Minshull


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001vkh)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001vkk)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts

Act IV: Chaos and Confusion

Michael Chaplin’s new five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.

For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.

Not many get this close to history.

The Queen’s secret burial instructions are carried out as chaos looms over the country’s largest ever state funeral.

Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.

Cast:
Old Winnie Powell ….. Marcia Warren
Interviewer ….. Carl Prekopp
Mary Tuck ….. Wendy Nottingham
Young Winnie Powell ….. Lauren Cornelius
Sir James Reid ….. Ross F Sutherland
Sir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom Turner
Kaiser Wilhelm ….. Hywel Morgan
King Edward VII ….. Gerard McDermott
Daniel ….. Douglas Clarke-Wood

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Carl Prekopp
Producers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards

A Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production for BBC Radio 4


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m0001vkm)
The Brazilian Footballer Who Never Was

At 12, Douglas Braga arrived in Rio de Janeiro, a wide-eyed boy, ready to live out the Brazilian dream and become a professional footballer. At 18, he was signed by one of the country’s top teams - but was also starting to realise he couldn’t be true to himself and be a footballer. By 21, he’d quit the game. He knew he was gay and felt there was no place for him in a macho culture where homophobia is commonplace and out gay men are nowhere to be seen.

Now, at 36, Douglas lives in a country that just elected a self-styled “proud homophobe” as president, which some football fans have taken as a licence to step up their homophobic abuse and threats. But Douglas is back on the pitch and - with a growing number of other gay footballers - fighting back.

Reporter David Baker
Producer: Simon Maybin


THU 11:30 The Art of Now (b0bjzq66)
Identity Crisis

The art world is in a crisis, an identity crisis. That’s according to writer and art critic Sohrab Ahmari in this impassioned polemic, He argues that contemporary art is being stifled by an obsession with identity politics.

Identity politics in art is certainly nothing new, nor is the criticism of contemporary art. However, Sohrab argues that art’s current infatuation with identity politics is going too far.

Whether it’s artwork dealing with race relations, sexuality, gender, power or privilege, Sohrab says a desire for political point-scoring in the art world has far-reaching consequences - not only does it affect the quality of the artwork itself, but it also fuels narcissism, social division and political conformity.

Speaking to artist and critic Alexander Adams, Sohrab hears how identity politics drives artists to only create work about their own lived experience and results in a bland wash of politically correct slogans.

So what’s driving these artists to pursue identity politics? Sohrab speaks to the current crop of young impassioned artists to find out how and why identity politics features in their work. They suggest that art can and should be a tool for bringing about societal change.

So what’s at stake? Central to this programme is Sohrab’s concern that identity politics threatens art’s traditional search for truth, freedom and beauty. Moreover, in the current climate where activists are calling for certain artworks to be destroyed, he argues that, far from bringing the art-loving public together, identity politics is increasingly dividing us.

A TBI production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m0001vkp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001vkr)
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years

Episode 4

The fourth book in Radio 4’s serialisation of Adrian Mole’s hilarious diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers. Read by Harry McEntire.

This diary starts in April 1997. Adrian is no longer a spotty teenager, but a balding 30 year old, recently separated from Jo Jo, the mother of his two year-old son, William.

On the eve of the General Election, Adrian returns home to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to vote for his local Labour Party candidate, and childhood sweetheart, Pandora Braithwaite. He is working as Head Chef in a restaurant in Soho where there is tinned tomato soup on the "traditional English, no choice" menu.

Adrian’s literary ambitions remain unrealised, but his career is about to take an unexpected turn and throw him into the limelight. And that is not the only life-changing surprise in store for the hapless yet irrepressible diarist.

The Cappuccino Years highlights how much attitudes have changed in the past twenty years and, once again, showcases Sue Townsend’s fearless and razor-sharp wit.

Read by Harry McEntire
Written by Sue Townsend
Abridged by: Sara Davies
Produced by Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:18 You and Yours (m0001vkt)
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme.


THU 12:57 Weather (m0001vkw)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (m0001vky)
Monday-Thursday: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Friday: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


THU 13:45 New Year Solutions (m0001vl0)
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen tackles the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.

We're often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.

But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?

Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4


THU 14:00 The Archers (m0001v80)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (m0001vl2)
The Receiver of Wreck

"Unusual? I’ve seen unusual. More than you would believe. Driftwood that looks like bodies and bodies that look like driftwood. Thirty thousand left footed trainers on a beach in Peterhead. A pod of seals living in a … whatever the collective noun is for a load of Zanussi fridges. That’s unusual. What you’re talking about is impossible. Ships do not disappear, float round the Irish Sea, never once being sighted, then reappear four and a bit decades later. That’s impossible…"

Fleetwood, Lancashire, the depths of a dead winter, the bleakest in years. The small town - part failed seaside resort, part former fishing port - wakes to find a rusted old ship has washed up on its silting estuary. There is no-one on board, no craft have been reported missing anywhere in the Irish Sea and the boat is so weather-beaten that positive identification proves impossible.

Jen Green, The Receiver of Wreck, arrives to find rumour sweeping the town as to just what the boat might be. From pirate radio station to pirate ship, Russian spy vessel through to Gaddafi’s gunrunning shipment to the IRA - no theory is too maverick for the small crowd sheltering at the front as to what the strange boat might have been…

CAST
Jen ..... Alice Lowe
Prudence Peacock/Denisa/The Voice ..... Jane Horrocks
Malcolm ..... Pearce Quigley
Kelly ..... Lucy Gaskell
Adam ..... Tom Meeten
Jeanicia/Hannah ..... Hayley Doherty
Tanicia ..... Hannah Livingston
Ben ..... Ben Cottam

Writer, Ben Cottam
Directed by Alison Crawford

Recorded on location at Weston-Super-Mare. Many thanks to Weston-Super-Mare Golf Club, Beachlands Hotel and North Somerset Council.


THU 15:00 Open Country (m0001vl4)
The Strawberry Line Community

The first trains ran on the officially named Cheddar Valley Line after opening in 1869. A branch line providing a vital local link for farmers and growers along the Mendip Hills and on through the moors of the North Somerset Levels. Their trade was destined for the mainline and then on to Bristol, Exeter, London and beyond. While the railway line was a vital economic link for passengers, its function developed for the the transportation of products particularly from local quarrying and agriculture, including a hectic month in high summer when strawberries rushed from the Mendip farms along the line, destined for the rest of the UK.

Then in 1963 what is now known as the Strawberry Line story could have ended. Along with many branch lines it was closed under the axe of the Beeching cuts. Over the years, the landscape consumed the track and it all but disappeared from the landscape it once dominated. Then, a few decades ago, local people got together and took it upon themselves to resurrect the line for the benefit of wildlife, for the benefit of local communities and as a green transport route. The Strawberry Line was reborn.

Local wildlife expert Chris Sperring MBE walks along the line to offer a glimpse into the function of the Strawberry Line today. It would be easy to go back in time and reflect on the past but this is a story about the future. From slow beginnings slowly the line brought the community along it together with a common purpose that of being part of this linear feature in the landscape. From a national cider producer who has created a permissive path through its orchards, to a cafe managed and run by people with learning disabilities. A local wildlife group manages the track for the benefit of everyone who uses it, as well as for the nature which now finds its home there. And a local heritage centre, run and managed by community volunteers, provides the history of this local line with a national reach. But, as they say, nothing is new and the Strawberry Line is now poised to play another role in a much more ambitious project to connect this least known area of Somerset to a regional, and national, network once again.

Producer Andrew Dawes
Presenter Chris Sperring MBE


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0001swx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (m0001sxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m0001vl6)
Timothée Chalamet, Yorgos Lanthimos

With Antonia Quirke.

Timothée Chalamet talks about avoiding the cliches of playing a drug addict in his new drama Beautiful Boy and what happened to him after the success of Call Me By Your Name.

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos admits he wasn't that interested in historical accuracy when making The Favourite, his award-winning period drama about the court of Queen Anne with its sexual and political intrigue.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0001vl8)
Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.


THU 17:00 PM (m0001vlb)
PM at 5pm: interviews, context and analysis.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001vld)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b088fg48)
Series 6

Episode 4

John Finnemore, writer and star of Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore's Double Acts and regular guest on The Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth, returns for a sixth series of his multi-award-winning Souvenir Programme, joined as ever by Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, and Carrie Quinlan.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described by The Radio Times as "the best sketch show in years, on television or radio", and by The Daily Telegraph as "funny enough to make even the surliest cat laugh". Already the winner of a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Radio Academy Silver Award, John was named the 2016 Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild for his work on Souvenir Programme.

4/6
In this week's Souvenir Programme, we meet a man on the way to St Ives; a President is given two speeches; and we hear from a couple who get on like a house on fire. And, well... Since you ask him for a tale of love...

Written by & starring ... John Finnemore
Cast ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Cast ... Simon Kane
Cast ... Lawry Lewin
Cast ... Carrie Quinlan

Producer ... Ed Morrish

A BBC Studios Production.


THU 19:00 The Archers (m0001vlg)
Elizabeth attempts a brave face and Tracy declares war


THU 19:15 Front Row (m0001vlj)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001vkk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 Black Girls Don't Cry (b0b9zfws)
Journalist Marverine Cole explores why some black women in the UK are more prone to anxiety and depression.

Research suggests that women of African-Caribbean heritage living in the UK are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks and OCDs than white women. A recent study by academics at Cambridge University also revealed a disturbing rise in the rates of self-harm among black women aged 16-34.

Is the age old "strong, independent and sassy" black woman stereotype to blame? Or, as some clinical experts argue, are there far deeper issues at play like culture and black history?

Marverine meets Jay, 33 and Jade, 39 - two Birmingham women who bravely discuss the challenges their mental illnesses present, from the harrowing experience of being sectioned and hospitalised, through to the frustrations they have about their own treatment and community care. She follows Jay and Jade as they attempt to stay positive and focus their lives on the things they enjoy and want to achieve.

For decades, the rates of detention under the Mental Health Act among people with a black or minority ethnic background have been disproportionate compared to white people and, last October, the Government finally sanctioned an independent review of the act to find ways of improving treatment and outcomes across the UK.

The programme investigates the practical steps and actions mental health managers and grassroots workers are already taking in the West Midlands to improve mental health care for the African-Caribbean population. And, away from the formality of treatment, Marverine sheds light on her own personal experience of depression and therapy, and discovers a burgeoning form of self-help which has attracted hundreds of people in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 20:30 In Business (m0001vll)
Home Truths

Does the house building industry need to change? Manuela Saragosa meets the disruptors, the companies trying to transform how the vast majority of residential property is built. Across the country new factories are springing up - in a bid to manufacture our homes in much the same way as we do our cars. The risks are huge.

Significant investment is required to get things moving and demand for these new homes has yet to be tested. But the disruptors claim that the house building industry must modernise or die. Productivity is falling and traditional skills are in short supply - something that is likely to get worse as immigration reduces. Other countries, too, already build huge numbers of homes off-site, claiming that this results in quicker and cheaper construction. So, just how many of the hundreds of thousands of homes that we need to build might end up being factory produced?

Producer: Rosamund Jones


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m0001vl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 As Others See Us (m0001vkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001vln)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


THU 22:45 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001vkr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


THU 23:00 TEZ Talks (m0001vlq)
Series 3

16. Teztopia

Series 3. Episode 8. Teztopia

In this final episode in the series, Tez realises that he has been so successful that he's changed the world for the better, therefore he has nothing left to say.

Written and performed by... Tez Ilyas
Produced by... Carl Cooper

This is a BBC Studios Production.


THU 23:15 The Pin (b07wgj2v)
Series 2

Ep 4: Evolution

Following a hugely successful first series, which drew praise from the likes of David Walliams and Ben Stiller, Alex and Ben are back with their weird twist on the double-act sketch show. Strap in for a 15 minute delve in to a world of oddness performed in front of a live studio audience.

This week, The Pin are out to evolve - which means new features (and new total misunderstandings about how existence works).

About The Pin
The Pin are an award-winning comedy duo, and legends of Edinburgh festival. They deconstruct the sketch form, in a show that exists somewhere between razor-sharp smartness and utterly joyous silliness.

After a sold-out run in Edinburgh, and a string of hilarious performances across BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC 3, Channel 4, and Comedy Central, this is The Pin’s debut solo show for Radio 4. Join them as they celebrate, make, collapse and rebuild their jokes, each other, and probably the radio too.

For fans of Adam and Joe, Vic and Bob, and Fist of Fun - a show of absurd offerings from two loveable idiots.

- 'The Pin prove it's still possible to play with the conventions of the medium of sketch comedy.’ - The Guardian
- 'Knowing and inventive: a 15 minute blast.' - The Times
- 'The sketches are funny, and made special by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen also examining, subverting and reversing familiar tropes. The material is excellent.' - Radio Times
- 'Eviscerating their chosen form completely.' - The Sunday Times
- 'A very classy, very funny show indeed.' - The Telegraph

Producer: Sam Bryant
A BBC Studios Production


THU 23:30 The Digital Human (b0bkqv3z)
Series 15

Jigsaw

Even if you are the most careful person in the world when it comes to your data, little pieces of your personal information are constantly being uploaded into the digital world without you being aware of it. How? Because of your connections to everyone around you.

The idea of personal privacy might not even apply any more. Your family, friends, even a random guy you bought a couch from a decade ago all have information about you that is incredibly valuable to technology companies - from phone numbers and emails in a contact list, to new baby photos and even the code of your DNA - all of it is being harvested, sold and used without you having any way to know about it, let alone have any control.

And Aleks Krotoski discovers that when those little pieces of the digital jigsaw are put together, they can have unexpected and sometimes shocking consequences in our real lives.



FRIDAY 04 JANUARY 2019

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0001vls)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (m0001vkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0001vlv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0001vlx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0001vlz)
The latest shipping forecast


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0001vm1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0001vm3)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Jo Bailey Wells, Bishop of Dorking


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0001vm5)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0939v81)
Hugh Thomson on the Woodpigeon

For this Tweet of the Day writer and explorer Hugh Thomson suggests his love of the call of the wood pigeon song in an English woodland is as good as that of the nightingale.

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: Tom Bonnett
Picture: Steve K.


FRI 06:00 Today (m0001w2z)
Radio 4's flagship news and current affairs programme; including Thought for the Day


FRI 09:00 As Others See Us (m0001w31)
Programme 5. India

2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a new series of five programmes, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.

In this programme he travels to mumbai and Delhi to see how far the relationship between India and Britain can be traced back to key events or cultural influences, and what impact those events still have on the nature of that relationship today. Ram Narasimhan, Proprietor of The Hindu Newspaper; the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Shobana Kamineni; and outspoken historian Kavita Singh are among those who reveal what they learnt about Britain at school and how their first encounters with Britain and British culture have shaped their perception of the country now.

Producer: Tom Alban


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (m0001w4l)
Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Episode 5

Last thoughts on a range of topics, taken from the extraordinary career of Stephen Hawking.

What lies ahead in the scientific realm? Especially for the young? One thing is for certain the author - "I don't believe in boundaries" This is followed by a poignant afterword from the author's daughter.

Readers Anton Lesser and Lucy Hawking

Producer Duncan Minshull


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0001w35)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001w37)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts

Act V: Rest in Peace

Michael Chaplin’s new five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.

For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.

Not many get this close to history.

A full military state funeral almost ends in disaster as the Queen’s coffin topples on the gun carriage and a royal tradition is born.

Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.

Cast:
Old Winnie Powell ….. Marcia Warren
Interviewer ….. Carl Prekopp
Mary Tuck ….. Wendy Nottingham
Young Winnie Powell ….. Lauren Cornelius
Sir James Reid ….. Ross F Sutherland
Sir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom Turner
King Edward VII ….. Gerard McDermott
Almeric Fitzroy ….. Hywel Morgan
Daniel ….. Douglas Clarke-Wood

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Carl Prekopp
Producers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards

A Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 11:00 Perfect Husband, Pitiable Artist (b09w0bv7)
"I have often felt that an artist is a detestable, interior kind of man, and perhaps also a deplorable husband. Put another way," wrote the composer Claude Debussy, "a perfect husband can sometimes produce a pitiable artist."

Debussy died one hundred years ago this week. His admission to being a "deplorable husband" is supported graphically by the attempted suicide of his wife and his subsequent behaviour. The extent to which any of this was balanced or justified by the greatness of his music is questionable, though other artists have expressed similar sentiments.

The pianist Lucy Parham traces the turbulence of Debussy's personal life, in words and music. Also we hear from Sebastian Faulks whose fictional singer-songwriter Anya King overthrows her own 'precious one' (as Leonard Cohen famously described it) in the novel A Possible Life, and from a real-life singer-songwriter Laetitia Sadier who reflects on the tension between the artistic and the domestic during her years with Stereolab and her own bands.

With readings by Joanna David.

Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 11:30 Relativity (m0001w39)
Series 2

Episode 1

Drawing on his own family, the second series of Richard Herring’s comedy drama, Relativity, builds on the warm, lively characters and family dynamics of the first series. His affectionate observation of inter-generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind will resonate with anyone who has ever argued with their dad about who the current Pope is.

Amid the comedy, Richard broaches some more serious highs and lows of family life.

Richard Herring is a comedian, writer, blogger and podcaster and the world's premier semi-professional self-playing snooker player.

Episode 1:
The funeral of beloved grandmother Doris brings the family together in sorrow. Chloe thinks this is the perfect time to share her and Ina’s forthcoming baby news - until she is unexpectedly pipped at the post.

Cast:
Margaret…………….Alison Steadman
Ken……………..Phil Davis
Jane…………….Fenella Woolgar
Ian……………….Richard Herring
Chloe…………..Emily Berrington
Pete………………..Gordon Kennedy
Holly………………...Tia Bannon
Mark………………Fred Haig
Nick………………..Harrison Knights
Billy………………..Danny Kirrane

Written by Richard Herring
Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore

Produced by Polly Thomas
Executive Producers: Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner

An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0001wbq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001w3g)
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years

Episode 5

The fourth book in Radio 4’s serialisation of Adrian Mole’s hilarious diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers. Read by Harry McEntire.

This diary starts in April 1997. Adrian is no longer a spotty teenager, but a balding 30 year old, recently separated from Jo Jo, the mother of his two year-old son, William.

On the eve of the General Election, Adrian returns home to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to vote for his local Labour Party candidate, and childhood sweetheart, Pandora Braithwaite. He is working as Head Chef in a restaurant in Soho where there is tinned tomato soup on the "traditional English, no choice" menu.

Adrian’s literary ambitions remain unrealised, but his career is about to take an unexpected turn and throw him into the limelight. And that is not the only life-changing surprise in store for the hapless yet irrepressible diarist.

The Cappuccino Years highlights how much attitudes have changed in the past twenty years and, once again, showcases Sue Townsend’s fearless and razor-sharp wit.

Read by Harry McEntire
Written by Sue Townsend
Abridged by: Sara Davies
Produced by Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m0001w3j)
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme.


FRI 12:57 Weather (m0001w3l)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (m0001w3n)
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 New Year Solutions (m0001w3q)
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen tackles the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.

We're often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.

But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?

Producer: Robert Nicholson

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0001vlg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b08586nn)
Deceit, Desire and the Viking Helmet

A surreal and tragi-comic love story by poet and comedian John Hegley, packed with original songs and poems. John stars with Graham Fellowes, sometimes better known as his alter-ego John Shuttleworth. A musical and lyrical treat, inspired by an Anthony Thwaite poem.

John ..... John Hegley
Mr Cooper ..... Graham Fellowes
Mrs Cooper ..... Alison Belbin
Dog ..... Myfanwy

Directed by Anne Edyvean

Lyrics by John Hegley
Original music by John Hegley, Tony Curtis and Nigel Piper
Rameau piano playing by Clare Elstow

Special thanks to the football-playing children and members of the audience at the Lowry Centre who provided background action.
And - in case you were wondering - the Latin for badger is Melis Melis.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0001w3s)
Chelmsford

Peter Gibbs hosts the horticultural panel show from Chelmsford, Essex. Christine Walkden, James Wong and Matthew Wilson are ready to answer this week’s questions from keen gardeners.

The panellists discuss the best way to use horse manure, how to look after a Senecio during winter, and the best aquatic plant for a small pond. They also talk about getting rid of scale insects, why some plants become variegated and keeping a cherry tree alive.

Garden designers Manoj Malde and Caro Sanders talk about turning a front garden into something environmentally friendly - instead of just leaving it as an off-road parking space.

Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0001w3v)
Wedding Speech by Big Tom Fallon

An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 by the writer Kit de Waal. As read by Don Wycherley (Sing Street, Taken Down.)

Kit de Waal has won numerous awards for her short stories and flash fiction. Her first novel ‘My Name Is Leon’ won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2017 and was shortlisted for numerous other awards including the Costa First Book Award and the Desmond Elliott Prize. ‘The Trick To Time’ her second novel, was published in 2018 and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Writer ….. Kit de Waal
Reader ….. Don Wycherley
Producer ….. Michael Shannon


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0001w3x)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant.


FRI 16:30 A Good Read (b081lkmp)
Sally Phillips and Julia Donaldson

Bridget Jones and Clare in the Community actress Sally Phillips and Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert. A surprising theme of angels emerges as Sally chooses John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, Julia Donaldson's selection is The Visiting Angel by Paul Wilson, and Harriet picks Outline by Rachel Cusk. A scene in one of the books prompts Sally to talk about why she decided to become a comedian. Producer Sally Heaven.


FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (m0001w3z)
Emily and Louise - Our Different Paths

Two friends who met at secondary school explore the different paths they chose to follow. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.


FRI 17:00 PM (m0001w41)
PM at 5pm: interviews, context and analysis.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0001w43)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m0001w45)
Series 98

Episode 2

Miles Jupp returns with a new series of the News Quiz. Hugo Rifkind, Simon Evans and Zoe Lyons are among the guests as we hurtle/sashay our way into a news-packed 2019.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0001w47)
Writer ..... Keri Davies
Director ..... Marina Caldarone
Editor ..... Jeremy Howe

Ben Archer ...... Ben Norris
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... William Troughton
Brian Aldridge .... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Ruairi Donovan ..... Arthur Hughes
Phoebe Aldridge ..... Lucy Morris
Christine Barford ..... Lesley Saweard
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ..... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy ..... Barry Farrimon
Jim Lloyd ..... John Rowe
Adam Macy ..... Andrew Wincott
Elizabeth Pargetter ….. Alison Dowling
Lily Pargetter ..... Katie Redford
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Lexi Viktorova ..... Ania Sowinski
Peggy Woolley ..... June Spencer
Hannah Riley ..... Helen Longworth
Natasha ..... Mali Harries
Lee .....Ryan Early
Russ ..... Andonis James Antony
Tracy Horrobin ..... Susie Riddell
Tim ..... Cark Prekopp


FRI 19:15 Front Row (m0001w49)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m0001w37)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Archive on 4 (b09r37tz)
A Brief History of Cunning

How cunning is Donald Trump?

In Queenan on Cunning, the satirist Joe Queenan explores a word rarely associated with the current President of the USA.

"From Odysseus to Bismarck, via Brer Rabbit and Machiavelli's The Prince, there's a fine tradition of tricksters and hucksters, but where does the Donald fit in the mix?
You need patience, intelligence, forward planning - some of these are Trump-like qualities. Stress on the some. But he's by no means a modern day Odysseus. Not much of a sailor."

With contributions from Adam MacQueen, author of The Lies of the Land; Edith Hall, who wrote a cultural history of Homer's Odyssey; and Tibor Fischer, whose forthcoming novel is called How to Rule the World.

Plus John Sergeant, Kathy Lette, Richard Nixon, Alistair McAlpine, Laura Barton ... and a campaigning American president cross-faded with a much loved song from The Jungle Book.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.


FRI 21:00 The Art of Now (b0bfz9pw)
The Architecture of Incarceration

As Britain opens the latest in a series of large new jails, architect Danna Walker looks at the unique tensions in architecture's relationship with the judicial system - where the go-to design for prisons is 250 years old, and where ideological conflicts between incarceration and rehabilitation dominate.

In the late 18th century, British utilitarian thinker Jeremy Bentham developed the Panopticon - a circular design featuring a central hub from which a single watchman could observe all prisoners without them knowing they were being watched. Bentham described the design as "a mill for grinding rogues honest".

Over the centuries, the standard, go-to design for prisons has been based on Bentham's ideas, apparently unchallenged. Yet report after report damns poorly-designed buildings, inadequate for rehabilitation. Outcomes are concerning - people who have already been through the criminal justice system commit approximately half of all crime, at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £10-15 billion per year.

A prison transformation programme is underway, with the Ministry of Justice earmarking 10,000 places in old Victorian prisons for replacement with new purpose-built facilities.

New prisons like HMP Berwyn in Wrexham are not places of beauty - they follow the centuries-old blueprint of plain facades, punctuated by tiny windows. Yet the work that takes place inside them is of fundamental importance to the safety of our society.

Visiting London's oldest jail, HMP Brixton, as well as the unusual setting of HMP Styal near Manchester, the programme questions the role of prison, whether it should make people feel happy and whether good design can drive better outcomes.

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
A PRA production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 21:30 As Others See Us (m0001w31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0001w4c)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (m0001w3g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m0001tzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:25 The Persistence of Analogue (b0bgmxgc)
Technology writer Leigh Alexander explores the growing popularity of analogue culture in a digital world.

For 30-something technology writer Leigh, the digital world is just a part of her everyday life - there’s no logging off. But despite all the boundless conveniences of the digital world, she says it can sometimes feel as if something has been lost in the transition to an intangible, instantaneous, always-on virtual society. Perhaps that’s why analogue formats remain timeless - in fact, they seem more popular now than ever, especially among people of her generation.

From board games and vinyl records to books, calligraphy and even old-fashioned letter writing, people are increasingly seeking avenues to bring a little more face-to-face back into their lives.

Leigh hears from Colleen Cosmo Murphy, founder of listening events that bring participants into a room to enjoy a single album uninterrupted by phones. A 17 year-old student explains why he prefers reading news magazines in print. Leigh hears from a couple who fell in love over vinyl and Leigh’s own husband, Quintin Smith, explains why board games are experiencing a huge boom. People just like being with other people, he says.

And Guardian columnist John Harris argues that the persistence of analogue is nothing less than a cultural revolt against industrialisation, one that’s been present ever since the late 18th century.

Presenter: Leigh Alexander
Producer: Sarah Peters
Executive Producer: Iain Chambers
A Tuning Fork and Open Audio production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m0001w4g)
Paula and Vivien - Friends Since University

Friends reflect on life since meeting on their first day at Aberdeen University in 1970. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.