SATURDAY 02 MAY 2020

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m000hq2x)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Intrigue (m0009t2b)
Tunnel 29

10: The Shoes

“I started dancing with Eveline.” A final twist in the final chapter.

Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Helena Merriman tells the extraordinary true story of a man who dug a tunnel into the East, right under the feet of border guards, to help friends, family and strangers escape. The series is based on original interviews with the survivors as well as thousands of documents from the Stasi archives and recordings from the tunnel.

Producer & Presenter: Helena Merriman
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore
Translation and additional research: Sabine Schereck
Editor: Richard Knight
Joachim Rudolph's original interviews voiced by Mark Edel Hunt

#tunnel29


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hq2z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hq31)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hq33)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hq35)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher

Good morning.

In 2014, I left London to live and study the philosophical tradition of Advaita Vedanta in an ashram in Mumbai. I wasn’t sure what to expect and had never met the teacher from whom I would be learning. Each day began at 4AM and ended at 10PM, and for someone who had never woken up before 6AM, it was a huge change. The weather was different, the food was different, the people were different, the facilities were different. But the two years were an unbroken period of learning, in the classroom and out and in fact, it has been the most valuable experience of my life so far.

We are faced with change every day. From a change in the weather to a national lockdown, change is unavoidable. Sometimes, that change is overwhelming, and it seems that all we can do is get through to the end of the day.

What allows us to deal with change? To cope, but also to adapt and make the best of it? During that time in the ashram and even now, I find that being flexible was possible if I wasn’t set in my expectations: for people to behave a certain way, even for my own mind to think in a particular way. But it was also remembering my goal: as long as I could do that and stay inspired, I could face whatever the day brought.

Of course, not everyone has the freedom to be flexible, and we must remember this too.

Let us pray for the ability to be strong in our flexibility and to adapt to change. Let us pray that we do not lose sight of our goals, nor of God, who is constant in our lives throughout all change.

Hari Om


SAT 05:45 The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread? (m000hn4v)
Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening toothpastes, strips and gizmos are more popular than ever. But what is the evidence that any of them actually work? And what about the HiSmile Teeth Whitening Kit that's been doing the rounds on social media?

Are these products The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread or marketing BS?

Greg Foot talks to fashion commentator and broadcaster, Grace Woodward about her experience with these products while Professor Martin Ashley, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at the University Dental Hospital of Manchester, is on hand to separate the science fact from the science fiction.

Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Beth Eastwood


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m000htmx)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m000hpdg)
Closed Country: A Spring Audio-Diary with Brett Westwood

It seems hard to believe, when so many of us are coping with lockdown and more, that the power of nature continues unfettered: Spring, in all its fecundity, is altering our landscape as it always does. To chart this time of great change we gave the naturalist, Brett Westwood, a microphone at the end of March and asked him to record a nature diary. He lives in urban Stourbridge in the West Midlands, which doesn’t sound an obvious setting for a spring journal but actually it’s perfect: What he sees at close quarters, with his expert eye, is available for us all if we know where and how to look. His sightings include feather-footed flower bees who live in the brickwork of our houses, buzzards that might steal frogspawn from your pond, bee-flies which coat their eggs with dust before shooting them at the nests of solitary bees, and mistletoe... which doesn't sound as intriguing, but it really is: Brett can explain why our behaviour is causing it to spread further than ever before.

Note: The podcast contains extra material that couldn't be squeezed into the original programme: see the 'related links' box below for how to access and download the BBC Sounds App.

Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m000htmz)
02/05/20 - Farming Today This Week

The way we buy our food is changing as a result of the coronavirus. The chief executives of both Tesco and Sainsbury’s have told the BBC the big weekly shop is back, and figures from market researchers Kantar show total grocery sales were up 9% in the 12 weeks to 19 April. Meanwhile, some producers have lost their normal market in restaurants and food service, and are reaching out directly to consumers instead. So will we keep any of these changes to our food systems post COVID-19?

This weekend is International Dawn Chorus Day - we find out what we should be listening out for.

And we tour the British countryside through the medium of sound.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m000htn1)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m000htn3)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m000htn5)
Marian Keyes and Tori Amos

Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by writer Marian Keyes, who has just published her 14th novel and has over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages.
Also with us is Tori Amos, the Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who has made 15 studio albums, sold 15 million records and also branched off into the worlds of classical music and musical theatre.
John Partridge is known for his contribution to EastEnders and Celebrity MasterChef - which he won - he'll be talking about how cooking helped him through difficult stages of his life.
And Flavian Obiero, the Sussex pig farmer who arrived in the UK from Kenya aged 15 and, as a keen sportsman, entered Britain's Fittest Farmer competition.
We have the Inheritance Tracks of DJ and presenter Janice Long, and your thank yous.

Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m000htn7)
Series 27

Home Economics: Episode Five

Jay Rayner hosts the culinary panel show. He's joined by our panel of culinary experts from their kitchens at home - Tim Anderson, Andi Oliver, Jeremy Pang and Dr Zoe Laughlin answer questions sent in via email and social media.

This week, the panellists discuss the perfect fry-up, including whether or not the tomato has a place on the plate, and recommend uses for tinned tuna (that aren't a pasta bake).

Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m000j0kg)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m000htn9)
New York - The City Which Couldn't Sleep

At the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in April, a New Yorker was dying almost every two minutes — more than 800 a day - four times the city’s normal death rate. The pandemic appears to have passed its peak and a gradual reopening is planned after more than 40 days of lockdown. Nick Bryant describes the impact of the virus on the city he loves and on his own family.

Ever since Kim Jong-un failed to show up in mid-April for the festivities marking his grandfather's birth the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. The sheer number of theories about the North Korean leader's whereabouts and state of health reflects the dearth of information about how things work inside the Hermit Kingdom says Laura Bicker.

As the coronavirus pandemic forces countries everywhere to keep people indoors, those who live with abusive partners are even more vulnerable. In Jordan, social media is providing one outlet for those unable to step outside says Charlie Faulkner.

So far Ukraine seems to be weathering the Covid-19 outbreak better than many other parts of Europe. But with an antiquated health system and an economy battered by a six year old conflict with Russian backed separatists in the east, the outlook is far from bright. Ukraine’s best known contemporary novelist , Andrei Kurkov, focuses on people living near the frontline in the war ravaged Donbas region in his latest book, which is called The Grey Bees.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m000htnc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m000htnf)
Furlough problems and obtaining cash refunds

On this week’s Money Box we hear from people who’ve been furloughed by their employer but are being pressured into working anyway - something very much against the rules of the Job Retention Scheme. And can an employer force those people still working to take a pay cut? Paul talks through the legal implications with Susie Al-Qassab, partner at Hodge, Jones and Allen Solicitors.

As the consumer watchdog threatens legal action against companies refusing to refund customers during the coronavirus pandemic, we hear about the struggles some listeners have been having with various companies. Gary Rycroft, partner at Joseph A Jones Solicitors, and consumer rights champion Helen Dewdney from The Complaining Cow website talk through the issues.

And we have exclusive figures from the National Gambling Helpline about a sharp drop in callers and how it’s worried about what that might mean for 100,000s of problem gamblers during lockdown. Paul talks to one of the problem gamblers affected and speaks to Anna Hemmings, CEO at Gamcare.

Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Emma Rippon


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m000hq2j)
Series 102

Episode 3

Angela Barnes hosts series 102, leading a panel of regular News Quiz comics and journalists in rounding up the news stories of the week. Joining Angela this week is Michael Deacon, Andy Zaltzman, Suzi Ruffell and Kiri Pritchard McLean.

Produced by Suzy Grant

A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m000htnh)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m000htnk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m000hq2n)
Robert Buckland MP, Professor Anthony Costello, John Swinney MSP, Nadia Whittome MP

Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from Broadcasting House in London with the Justice Secretary Robert Buckland MP, public health expert Professor Anthony Costello, Deputy First Minister of the Scottish government John Swinney MSP and the Labour MP Nadia Whittome who has just returned to work as a carer during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m000htnm)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 15:00 How to Flee From Sorrow, by Frank Cottrell-Boyce (b06vf1x6)
Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682) conjured music of sublime formality out of a life of chaotic violence. At a time when composers were expected to abase themselves before their patrons, Stradella swindled his, and seduced their mistresses before falling foul of hired assassins. Our central characters are all real historical figures, brought back to life by Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Stradella enjoys enormous success in Rome but has to flee to Venice after he and his sidekick, the hunchback violinist Lonati, get a rich man drunk and then con him into marrying a poor, old woman of ill repute. Incapable of settling into a comfortable life at court, Stradella becomes one of the first truly freelance composers - juggling commissions, scrabbling after money, fleeing from scandal. The number of midnight flits he has to make give the story a comic tempo, but one story gives the drama its heart, the love story between Stradella and Agnese, the ‘niece’ of the Doge of Venice.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce (who includes the London Olympics opening ceremony in his many credits) has researched the original historical letters to create Stradella’s fiery, funny and charismatic voice and uses Stradella’s beautiful and innovative music to tell this story. The Director of Music, Dr Alberto Sanna, is one of the leading interpreters of Stradella and Corelli. How To Flee From Sorrow is based on an original idea by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Dr Alberto Sanna.

Alessandro Stradella ..... Trystan Gravelle
Arcangelo Corelli ..... Harry Treadaway
Agnese van Uffele ..... Alice St Clair
Lonati ..... Ralf Little
Cardinal Cibo..... David Hounslow
Contarini, Doge of Venice ..... Chris Pavlo
Duchess Maria Giovanna ..... Amelia Lowdell
Stage Manager..... George Watkins
Nuns ..... Debra Baker, Rebecca Hamilton, Katie Redford
Domenico ..... Caolan McCarthy
Innkeeper..... Stephen Critchlow
Damiano ..... Leo Wan
Violin ..... Dr Alberto Sanna
Sound Designer...Gary Newman

Written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Director of Music: Dr Alberto Sanna
Directed by Allegra McIlroy


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m000htnp)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week


SAT 17:00 PM (m000htnr)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 The Inquiry (m000htnt)
Why are people attacking 5G mobile phone masts

Why are people attacking 5G mobile phone masts?

Tanya Beckett looks at 5G and examines why it’s become the centre of conspiracy theories linking it to the coronavirus and others. What is it about the latest mobile technology which some find so alarming that it drives them to attack and burn down this infrastructure? And what draws people to conspiracy theories - even when all available evidence says they’re wrong.

Reporter Tanya Beckett
Producer Jim Frank


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000htnw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m000htny)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000htp0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m000htp2)
Mel Giedroyc, Brian Conley, John Niven, Self Esteem, Melissa Laveaux, Emma Freud, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Mel Giedroyc, Brian Conley and John Niven for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Self Esteem and Melissa Laveaux.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m000htp4)
Kim Yo-jong

The Supreme Leader of NK has not been seen in public for a number of weeks.

Speculation is rife as to who would succeed him, if he is gravely ill or dead.

The most likely candidate is his closest confidant. A young woman whose always by his side.

Becky Milligan pieces together the mystery of Kim Yo-jong. Politician and sister of Kim Jong-un.

Producer Smita Patel
Researcher Darin Graham
Editor Ravin Sampat


SAT 19:15 The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed (p087hs2b)
Maxine Peake

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes .

Actress Maxine Peake drops into the shed to talk about taking on a role and accents, which the birds in the poem discuss. Maxine talks about her TV break as Twinkle in Dinner Ladies as well as taking on roles such as Hamlet in the theatre. The conversation ranges from accents and being cast as a brassy Northerner to communism and rave culture.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000htp7)
Four Dead in Ohio

May 4th 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Kent State massacre in Ohio. On the day the shootings occurred, Michael Goldfarb was in his second year at another university just down the road. By the end of the week he was being tear gassed in front of the White House.

For him, that event and the days and weeks that followed remain a turning point not just in his life but also in the history of political activism in the US. By creating the conditions that would inevitably lead to the shootings at Kent (and at Jackson State, a historically black college in Mississippi, ten days later) a message was sent by government - you can protest this far and no further. We will kill you.

He believes that, over the decades, this has affected expressions of activism - it has constrained, particularly in the Democratic Party, its more radical wing.

Now, as the US faces arguably its most consequential election since the Kent State shootings - with the country even more divided today than back then - is the Democratic party still feeling the effect of Kent? Since the Million Woman March, what sustained political movement has arisen? Which activists have risked jail or death to build a popular movement to turn the country around?

As the Democrats go through their primaries to select a presidential candidate, Michael Goldfarb explores through archive and personal memory what America was like at the time of that terrible weekend 50 years ago - and what it is like today.

Today, the site of the shooting is a National Historical Landmark and Kent State's current administrators are making a huge effort to mark the anniversary. The programme illuminates the continuities of history - Kent State does not exist in the past perfect tense. It is still shaping lives. It is, to appropriate Faulkner, not even the past.

A Certain Height production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Pilgrim, by Sebastian Baczkiewicz (b03hwn0r)
Series 5

Lyall Park

By Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

Episode 1: Lyall Park

The immortal wanderer William Palmer - Pilgrim – comes to Lyall Park where he uncovers an astonishing and disturbing family secret.

William Palmer ..... Paul Hilton
Kenny ..... Sean Murray
Harry ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Colville ..... Annette Badland
Bryony ..... Carolyn Pickles
Lavinia ..... Priyanga Burford
Threadgold ..... James Lailey
Cashier ..... Georgie Fuller
Sound ..... Colin Guthrie

Directed by Marc Beeby

A fifth series of four dark adventures. Pilgrim, cursed with immortality by the King of the Greyfolk, is forever forced to walk between the human world and the world of Faerie in a never-ending quest to preserve the uneasy balance between the two. In this series, Pilgrim finds himself in pursuit of the mysterious Radiant Boy. On the way he encounters a ballroom filled with un-dead dancers, a cursed village, a woman in love with a man with a fox's tail and a medium who takes him across the line between life and death...


SAT 21:45 Rabbit Redux (b09gyhsx)
Episode 4

John Updike's masterful Rabbit quintet established Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom as the quintessential American White middle class male. The first book Rabbit, Run was published in 1960 to critical acclaim. Rabbit Redux is the second in the series, published in 1971 and charting the end of the sixties - featuring, among other things, the first American moon landing and the Vietnam War.

Despite its very strong language, sex, and reflection of racist attitudes of the time, Time Magazine said of the book and its author, "Updike owns a rare verbal genius, a gifted intelligence and a sense of tragedy made bearable by wit. A masterpiece."

It's extraordinary how many of its themes reverberate down to the present day.

Abridged by Eileen Horne
Read by Toby Jones
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News (m000htp9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Virus Hunters (m000hn63)
Tracking the virus hunters who race to understand and extinguish new pathogens. Sars Cov 2 is the virus responsible for the pandemic of 2020. But there are millions of other viruses living around the world, any one of which could mutate and infect us at any time. Scientists are in a never-ending race to identify these viruses and contain their dangerous effects. Oxford Professor Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network, hears from some of the virus hunters who work against the clock to research and combat these threats. Fighting epidemics requires effort from across the scientific spectrum. What we learn from the outbreak of Covid-19 will be crucial beyond understanding this coronavirus, but also when the next Virus X comes - and it will come.

Producer: Sandra Kanthal


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m000hmnb)
Heat 4, 2020

(4/17)
In which decade were the first ever Nobel prizes awarded? Which painter had an expletive added to his name in the title of a Lana Del Rey album? And what did John Kay invent that revolutionised the clothing industry?

These and many other questions await the contenders in today's heat of the prestigious general knowledge quiz. Russell Davies welcomes the contestants to the Radio Theatre in London in a programme recorded before restrictions were imposed on public gatherings.

Taking part are:
Brian Chesney, a retired university librarian from Malvern in Worcestershire
Rev Judith Maizel-Long, a Methodist minister from Romford in Essex
Danny McMillan, a risk analyst from Walthamstow in East London
Andrew Smithies, an actuary from Tonbridge in Kent.

A Brain of Britain listener also stands the chance to win a prize, if a pair of questions he or she has suggested turn out to outwit the panel.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 The Dam (m000hmxn)
Forty years ago, a great dam was constructed across the Kielder Valley in one of the wildest corners of Northumberland. Once, this had been a place of farms and homesteads, a school and a stretch of railway. It had also been a place of music and song, dancing and legends. Now it was all to be flooded in order to create the largest artificial lake in the UK.

The award-winning writer David Almond tells a true story about the father and daughter who visited the abandoned homes on the eve of the sealing of the dam, playing one last song before the diggers moved in, the valley was submerged and they were lost forever.

"He woke her early. 'Bring your fiddle,' he said. The day was dawning. Into the valley they walked....."

In a programme resonant with birdsong, running streams, sighing trees, leaping salmon and first-person testimonial, this is a story about the reservoirs of music, poetry and song in us all.

Featuring Northumbrian folk music, with additional fiddle-playing by Georgia Russelll, the programme culminates in a revelation by David about the identity of the protagonists in this haunting story.

Based around David Almond's picture book, The Dam, with illustrations by Levi Pinfold, published by Walker Studio. With additional fiddle-playing by Georgia Russell

Producer: Beaty Rubens



SUNDAY 03 MAY 2020

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m000htpc)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 The Way I See It (m0009c8w)
Steve Martin and the Lonely Synchromists

Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, continues his deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.

Today's edition features award-winning comedian and actor Steve Martin - he finds two "lonely" works that speak to him; Stanton Macdonald-Wright’s Synchromy and Morgan Russell’s Color Form Synchromy.

Producer: Tom Alban

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Synchromy, 1917. Oil on canvas, 31 x 24" (78.8 x 61 cm). Given anonymously. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 346.1949


SUN 00:30 Short Works (m000hq28)
Using A Gun As A Symbol

An evocative new short story by the award-winning writer, Isabella Hammad.

When Jalal loses his job, it triggers a series of changes to his life and to his sense of self.

Credits

Writer ….. Isabella Hammad
Reader ….. Zubin Varla
Producer ….. Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000htpf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000htph)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000htpk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m000htpm)
The Church of All Saints, Writtle in Essex

Time now for Bells on Sunday. Currently there is no ringing taking place across UK towers, a situation not encountered since the Second World War. This week’s recording comes from the Church of All Saints, Writtle in Essex. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 the Parish is one of the largest in Essex. The Tower contains a peal of ten bells with two extra trebles to provide an additional light ring of eight. The complete ring was cast by John Taylor of Loughborough in 2004. The Tenor weighs thirty one and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the key of D. We now hear part of a quarter peal rung in 2016 of Plain Bob Royal.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m000htp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News (m000htpp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b09fj97b)
Past and Present

Theologian Dr Jane Williams reminisces and finds the dangers of being trapped in the past.

She suggests that nostalgia is a powerful emotion, but not always a constructive one - looking back can make it impossible to look forward.

Memory can stifle and constrain, or it can free and enable. We can't help being shaped and formed by the past, but there is still an intriguing degree of freedom about how we face the future. Jane reflects on her times, sharing memories of a childhood spent in India with her sisters. She argues that what we create as we remember is a deeper sense of our shared past that means we trust our shared future.

Through the writings of Kafka and George Elliot, the poetry of Kavanagh and Herbert and the music of Mozart and Hildegard of Bingen, Jane reveals the God who stands fully past, present and future, yet is not constrained by them. God remembers even the future and, in God's memory, endings and beginnings are not opposites.

Presenter: Jane Williams
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m000htpr)
Bard of the Beef

We meet author of The Cow Book and farmer, John Connell, struggling with lockdown in County Longford, Ireland.

Produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m000htpt)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m000htpw)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m000htpy)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m000htq0)
Hello World

Stephen Fry makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Hello World.

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 ‘Hello World’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Hello World’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1148596


SUN 07:57 Weather (m000htq2)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m000htq4)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m000htq6)
Unless the Lord builds the house...

The Bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtam marks the 800th anniversary of Salisbury Cathedral and its move from Old Sarum. The original Salisbury Cathedral was completed at Old Sarum in 1092 under Osmund, the first Bishop of Salisbury. In 1220 the foundations were laid for this Cathedral on the 'New Sarum' site and within 38 years the main body of the building was completed. Bishop Nicholas and the Cathedral's Canon Precentor, the Revd Anna Macham, reflect on what this very special building means for the people of God in the city and diocese, and the vision, faith and human ingenuity that not only saw this building raised, but eight centuries on ensure it remains open, if only virtually.

Producer: Andrew Earis


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m000hq2q)
Cultural success and the Aboriginals

"I can't have been alone among those quarantined these past few weeks," writes Will Self, "in seeking out the greatest imaginative spaces with which to counterpoint my confinement."
Courtesy of Google Earth, Will sets out to simulate a trip he was planning to make to central Australia and ponders what lessons Aboriginal culture might have for the days of pandemic.

Producer: Adele Armstrong


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378y3z)
Barred Warbler

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

Michaela Strachan presents the barred warbler. With its glaring yellow eyes, banded chest and long white-tipped tail, the Barred Warbler is always an exciting find. Look out for them in late summer and autumn, when young Barred Warblers turn up here regularly as they migrate south.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m000htq8)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m000htqb)
Writer, Liz John
Directors, Kim Greengrass & Peter Leslie Wild
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Lilian Bellamy ….. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns ….. James Cartwright
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Philip Moss ….. Andy Hockley
Gavin Moss ….. Gareth Pierce
Johnny Phillips ….. Tom Gibbons
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Robert Snell ….. Graham Blockey
Leonie Snell ….. Jasmine Hyde
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell


SUN 11:00 The Reunion (b05rl3j8)
Far East Prisoners of War

Sue MacGregor's guests remember their time as Far East POWs during the Second World War.

Early in the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese made major military advances throughout the Far East. The fall of Singapore in February 1942 resulted in the single largest surrender of British-led military personnel. Winton Churchill called it "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". In total, the Japanese took 140,000 Allied prisoners, including 67,000 British.

The prisoners were sent to forced labour camps throughout South-East Asia. The Thailand-Burma Railway is perhaps the best known project, but many more POWs were shipped via "hell ships" to islands like Java and Ambon. The Japanese captors treated the prisoners horrifically, subjecting them to brutal beatings, intense work, starvation, disease and searing heat. Over a quarter of POWs died in the camps.

Sue MacGregor's guests include: Bob Morrell, who remembers his "coffin duty" on the island of Ambon; centenarian Bill Frankland, who was a medical officer treating prisoners near Singapore.; William Mumby who was shipped throughout the region, and Tony Lucas, who was sent to the Thailand-Burma Railway and helped carve "Hellfire Pass". Sue is also joined by historian Sibylla Jane Flower who made a special study of Allied prisoners held by the Japanese.

After the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and V-J Day, the POWs undertook the arduous journey back to Britain. Many were reunited with their families who were unaware of their survival. In the following decades, many former prisoners of war kept quiet about their experiences.

Producer: Colin McNulty
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 11:45 Encounters with Victoria (m0004sfj)
4: The Governess

Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces explores Queen Victoria's reign through significant encounters.4: The Governess-3 September 1842

An important event is missing from Victoria's diary entry for 23 September 1842. It was actually only her mother's diary which tells us that this was the way that Victoria’s old governess, Louise Lehzen, slipped away from Windsor Castle without saying goodbye. Lehzen, who had been a second mother to Victoria, and who instilled her with her stiff - possibly inflexible - standards, had fallen out with the increasingly powerful Prince Albert, who’d taken over the running of the Royal Household. 'I could pardon wickedness in a Queen but not weakness’, Lehzen had told her princess, and now her former pupil now showed no weakness in dismissing her former governess without a word. A last sad glimpse of Lehzen comes from the years of her retirement to her native Germany, where she compiled a scrapbook of memories of the girl she loved. Lehzen even went to the station to wave as Victoria steamed past on a royal tour. The train did not stop.

Readers: Joseph Ayre, Bea Behlen, Sarah Ovens & Sabine Fischer
Producer: Mark Burman


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m000htqd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (m000hmnn)
Series 4

The Cruiseman

Milton thinks his luck is in when he unexpectedly wins a luxury cruise. But who would want him out of the way? Apart from everyone, that is.

Mention Milton Jones to most people and the first thing they think is "Help!". Each week, Milton and his trusty assistant Anton set out to help people and soon find they're embroiled in a new adventure. Because when you're close to the edge, then Milton can give you a push.

"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.

"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times

"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail

Written by Milton with James Cary (Bluestone 42, Miranda), and Dan Evans (who co-wrote Milton's Channel 4 show House Of Rooms), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.

The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill (Spamalot, Mr. Selfridge) as the ever-faithful Anton, Josie Lawrence and Dan Tetsell (Peep Show, Upstart Crow).

With music by Guy Jackson

Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m000htqg)
Sheffield: A story of a city through its food

Leyla Kazim finds the independent spirit of Sheffield’s self-employed ‘little mesters’, who once combined to power the city’s steel industry, is now being channelled into new models for how food and drink can shape the future of cities. To guide her through the city’s story, artist Pete McKee and musician Richard Hawley tell Leyla what food was like in Sheffield when they were growing up, what’s changed and how a bottle of table sauce called Henderson’s Relish has become iconic.
She has pie, chips and peas and a few drops of ‘the black stuff’ with Kane Yeardley who runs pubs and bars in the city, roasts coffee and brews beer with his company True North. Jules Gray from Hop Hideout bottle shop talks about striking out to move to run a bar, Matt Bigland who owns the city’s Cutlery Works food hall talks about the regeneration happening north of the city centre and Professor Vanessa Toulmin and Tim Nye sit down for a coffee at Marmadukes café near the famous Crucible Theatre to explain why the future of Sheffield’s independents could be opening up in the heart of the city.

Presenter: Leyla Kazim
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Picture: Meat 'N' Tater Pie by Pete McKee


SUN 12:57 Weather (m000htqj)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m000htqm)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.


SUN 13:30 The Listening Project (m000htqr)
When Talking Matters Most

Fi Glover presents a new and extended weekly edition of the programme with voices past and present on the shared experience of being in lockdown.

A police trainer in South Wales talks to a sergeant in the Response Unit in Cheshire for the first time about front line policing; Fi catches up with hairdressing sisters in Cambridgeshire about the place of hairdressers in the new world order; and listens in on a chat between Scarborough-based café owners who have come together to form a community kitchen project while in lockdown to provide meals to local people in need; and an older father and teenage daughter living in separate households, have a chat in a way they might not have done before.

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. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moments 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 this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Mohini Patel


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000hq26)
GQT At Home: Episode 5

Kathy Clugston hosts the horticultural panel show from home. This week, Matthew Wilson, Bunny Guinness and Bob Flowerdew are on hand to answer questions which have been sent in by budding gardeners on email and social media.

The panellists tackle questions on growing sweetcorn in pots , pruning Lavender, and growing the perfect Rhubard.

Away from the questions, Matthew Pottage has some tips and tricks for keeping houseplants looking healthy and happy while you are at home, and Anne Swithinbank gives us this week's Gardening Glossary explaining all the horticultural terms surrounding seeds and seedlings.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Jemima Rathbone

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 The Way I See It (m0009ddk)
Jason Moran and Piet Mondrian

Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, continues his deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.

Today's edition features jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran. He shares his view of Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie and feels moved to music by its straight lines and blocks of colour.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

"The Way I See It" is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Main Image: Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie, 1942-43. Oil on canvas, 50 x 50" (127 x 127 cm). Given anonymously. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 73.1943


SUN 15:00 Electric Decade (b01gf4lq)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime

Episode 1

Dramatised by Archie Scottney

Joyous all-star spring fever, led by Alfred Molina, Patricia Hodge, Jared Harris, Martin Jarvis and Rufus Sewell. A pig-napping romantic thriller! PGW's dialogue dances across the Blandings Castle lawns. Charming Earl of Ickenham (Uncle Fred) has received a plea from affably dotty Lord Emsworth to help foil a plot to steal his prize-winning pig. And to examine the sanity of eccentric Duke of Dunstable.

Delighting in such entertainment, Uncle Fred arrives at Blandings in the guise of "brain specialist" Glossop, with nephew Pongo posing as his secretary. Lively Polly Pott is the third imposter, secretly engaged to Dunstable's nephew Ricky and hoping to charm her prospective uncle-in-law. Emsworth's devious secretary Rupert Baxter (Jared Harris) spots them but can't call their bluff for fear of blackmail. Emsworth's sister Connie suspects they are jewel thieves. Bosham, Emsworth's son, thinks all is above board. But then Polly's detective Dad is called in. Will the pig-napping happen?

Cast:
Uncle Fred ..... Alfred Molina
Lady Constance ..... Patricia Hodge
The Duke of Dunstable ..... Christopher Neame
Rupert Baxter ..... Jared Harris
Ricky Gilpin ..... Rufus Sewell
Horace Davenport ..... Lloyd Owen
Mustard Pott ..... Julian Holloway
Polly Pott ..... Sophie Winkleman
Lord Emsworth ..... Martin Jarvis
P.G. Wodehouse ..... Ian Ogilvy
Lord Bosham ..... Simon Templeman
Pongo Twistleton ..... Matthew Wolf
Beach ..... Kenneth Danziger
Valerie Twistleton ..... Moira Quirk
Webster/Footmen ..... Darren Richardson
Singing Gardener ..... Mark Holden

Director: Martin Jarvis
Producer: Rosalind Ayres

A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m000htqw)
Rebecca Solnit - The Faraway Nearby

Rebecca Solnit is a leading American essayist and writer. She talks to James Naughtie and a group of invited readers about The Faraway Nearby, her recollections of her mother's advancing Alzheimer's and the power of storytelling.

One summer, as their mother was diagnosed with dementia Rebecca's brother decided to harvest all the apricots from their mother’s tree, whether they were ripe or not. He delivered over 100lbs of the fruit to Rebecca and she found herself under deadline to sort them – to throw them out, make chutney, or make preserves. The huge pile of fruit on her floor reminded her of the tasks in fairytales, like the girl in Rumpelstilksen who must spin a room full of into gold over night; the mountain of sand which must be moved by teaspoon. And at the heart of The Faraway Nearby is the voice of her mother, and how she is losing her memory and her own stories.

In the course of sharing stories from her own past, her difficult relationship with her mother growing up, a trip to Iceland, of an illness - Rebecca Solnit entertains other stories: about arctic explorers, Che Guevara among the leper colonies, and Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein. She explores the ways we are all connected by empathy, narrative and imagination, and talks about how the book resonates at a time when we many of us are faraway from those we love.

To take part in future Bookclubs apply at bookclub@bbc.co.uk

June's Bookclub choice : Lanny by Max Porter (2019)

Presenter: James Naughtie
Interviewed guest : Rebecca Solnit
Producer : Dymphna Flynn


SUN 16:30 The Miners' Way (m000htr0)
Irish poet Jane Clarke lives in Glenmalure, a remote and rugged valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. The valley marks the start of the Miners' Way, a long-distance path developed by a local community group, traversing three Wicklow valleys, Glenmalure, Glendalough and Glendasan, and taking in six old, disused mine sites.

The Miners' Way has inspired Jane to write a sequence of poems responding to this rich natural and cultural heritage.

As she walks the Miners' Way, Jane meets some of her neighbours - local historian Carmel O'Toole who shows her one of the old mining buildings, farmer Pat Dunne who tells her how sheep farming in the valleys has changed over the years, and mountain leader Charles O’Byrne who knows the area like the back of his hand.

She also visits Robbie Carter, one of the few people who can talk first-hand about working in these valleys in the mining industry, which came to an end in 1957. Now in his 80s, Robbie became a miner at the age of 16. He describes his life as a miner in the mid-20th century and the story of a fatal mining accident in January 1957 when a workmate died. Robbie was seriously injured and never worked in a mine again.

The poems in the programme by Jane Clarke include Birthing the Lamb from her 2019 collection When the Tree Falls. All other poems are new works inspired by the landscape, heritage and stories of the Miners’ Way.

Producer: Claire Cunningham
Executive Producer: Julien Clancy

A Rockfinch production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Jamaica: A Brother's Story (m000hmh7)
Steve Walker investigates the murder of his brother Delroy, a child of the Windrush generation. He came to Britain from Jamaica in the 1960s and built a new life here - but always yearned for the pleasures of home. He eventually got the money together to build a dream home, but soon after returning, he was brutally killed. Steve, a BBC technical operator, and BBC journalist Nesta McGregor travel to Jamaica, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. They discover that some believe that criminals target “returnees”, who are viewed with envy as wealthy foreigners. Yet talking to a group of British-Jamaicans who have returned to the island in retirement, he finds they regard Jamaica as home. Steve and Nesta’s journey raises questions about migration, identity and belonging.
Presenters: Steve Walker and Nesta McGregor
Producer: Nesta McGregor


SUN 17:40 Profile (m000htp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000htr4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m000htr8)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000htrd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m000htrj)
Antonia Quirke

Why did Cary Grant go AWOL for three weeks at the height of his fame? Why did Ravi Shankar give up dancing in favour of playing the sitar?
Does the peacock trigger monsoons? Does the nightingale come from outer space? Do we exist in 10+ dimensions??

Big questions; melodic answers, and the appearance of a rogue owl …

Presenter: Antonia Quirke
Producer: Stephen Garner
Production support: Kay Whyld


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b05vhlc6)
The Archers Revisited

Ed & Emma's Wedding

Three weeks of themed programmes from the last two decades reliving key moments from the characters’ lives and the events that make Ambridge unforgettable. This episode forms part of the first week looking at how four different couples tied the knot and how one much loved character left the series.

Emma may once have been married to Will Grundy but she’s walking down the aisle with his brother Ed and Will is to be best man; the bitter feud between the two brothers it seems is finally over.

This programme was originally broadcast on Friday 22nd May 2015

Ed Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Clarrie Grundy ..... Heather Bell
Will Grundy ..... Philip Molloy
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Tom Archer ..... William Troughton

Writer, Mary Cutler
Director, Sean O'Connor


SUN 19:15 Just a Minute (b05nt9bf)
Series 71

Episode 8

After an incredibly successful debut earlier in this series, David Tennant is back on the show, joining Julian Clary, Stephen Fry and Paul Merton.

But will he manage to speak for an entire minute this time..? Subjects include "To Be or Not to Be" and "My Dog's Got No Nose".

Nicholas Parsons rules over BBC Radio 4's classic panel game in which the contestants are challenged to speak on a given subject for a minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation.


SUN 19:45 Short Works (b0bk1srp)
BBC National Short Story Award 2018

Dear Herbert

Five commissioned short stories to celebrate this year's BBC National Short Story Award:

In Dear Herbert by Simon Van Booy, an elderly uncle at the Nutmeg Care Home hopes his young nephew will visit him more often. He writes to him, explaining the current situation. How to believe this!

Reader Oliver Ford Davies

Producer Duncan Minshull


SUN 20:00 A Cure At What Cost? (m000htrs)
What should the strategy be for getting out of lockdown? As Britain - and the rest of the world - braces itself for an economic crisis set to dwarf 2008, how do we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic saving as many lives as possible now without causing long-lasting damage?

The science writer, Tom Chivers, doesn’t dispute the need for drastic action against Covid-19. He’s deeply concerned. But he's also worried about his children's future, the wide-ranging economic, social and political fallout from this shock, and the question of whether our strategies to deal with the pandemic might be doing more harm than good in the long run.

The decisions being made now by our politicians, our doctors, our scientists and business leaders will affect us all for years to come. Tom meets with leading experts and asks whether the cure is always worth the cost.

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m000hq2b)
Ronan O'Rahilly, Sir John Houghton CBE, Sue Davies OBE, Barbara Smoker

Pictured: Ronan O’Rahilly

Matthew Bannister on

Ronan O’Rahilly, the Irish businessman who ran the pirate radio station Radio Caroline on a ship off the coast of Essex.

Sir John Houghton, the atmospheric physicist who was Director of the Met Office and co-chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change.

Sue Davies, who founded and ran the Photographers' Gallery in London, supporting the careers of many leading photographers.

Barbara Smoker, the outspoken atheist and anarchist who was President of the National Secular Society.

Interviewed guest: Ray Clark
Interviewed guest: Hannah Malcolm
Interviewed guest: Dave Roberts
Interviewed guest: Paul Hardaker
Interviewed guest: Amanda Hopkinson
Interviewed guest: Chris Steele-Perkins
Interviewed guest: Professor Anthony Costello
Interviewed guest: Denis Cobell

Producer: Neil George

Archive clips from: Arena: Caroline 199: A Pirate's Tale, BBC Two 01/03/1991; The Story of Pop, Radio 1 26/01/1974; Ray Clark on Radio Caroline 1987; Belief, Radio 3 10/06/2012; Interview with Sue Davies, courtesy of The Photographers’ Gallery; Seeds of Faith, Radio 4 14/07/1996; Today, Radio 4 16/12/2002.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m000htnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m000htq0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (m000hpdz)
Clean cooking in Rwanda

More than seventy percent of households in Rwanda cook over wooden and charcoal fires. This means women often sit for hours every day in smoky conditions which can damage their health, increasing the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease, strokes and lung cancer. These traditional cooking methods are also the cause of widespread deforestation. The Rwandan government is aiming to halve the number of people using these cooking fuels in the next six years. They're investing in infrastructure and offering tax incentives to try and support businesses to entice customers to other products which could give them a cleaner and safer way to cook. In other countries who’ve made this move though, changing from traditional stoves to modern clean cooking took the best part of a century - can that really be achieved here in just six years?

Producer/Presenter: Kate Lamble


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m000htrw)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m000hpdj)
Raging Bull

With Francine Stock

The Film Programme's recommendation for a film to watch in self isolation this week is Raging Bull. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker and director Martin Scorsese guide Francine through the making of a classic.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b09fj97b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 04 MAY 2020

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m000htry)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m00035p8)
Spectacular Cities

Spectacular urbanisation: The world’s tallest building is in Dubai and the 2022 World Cup in soccer will be played in fabulous Qatar facilities. But what role do the sensational cities of the Arabian Peninsula play in urban development across the Earth? Laurie Taylor talks to Harvey Molotch, Professor of Sociology at New York University and to Davide Ponzini , Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Also, Natalie Koch, Associate Professor of Geography at Syracuse University, asks why autocrats in resource rich nations build spectacular new capital cities.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m000htpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hts0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hts2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hts4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hts6)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher

Good morning.

We’re learning all the time, and now through technology, remotely. Although there are advantages to this method, I guess I’m not alone in having an even greater appreciation for face-to-face learning.

In Hinduism, special reverence is given to the guru, ones teacher. There is a story of a King who comes across an ascetic in a forest. The ascetic is radiant with peace and joy but lives with no possessions. The King asks him how it is possible, and the ascetic replies, “Oh King, I have many teachers.”

There is an infinite amount to learn from the world we live in: from people, but also from nature, from other being. There is even more to learn about ourselves. Through philosophy, we explore ourselves, the world and God. That learning can begin when we become students and when we have a teacher: that unique individual who brings the message of the scriptures to life through their words and their own life.

Advaita Vedanta teaches us that we are not limited beings, compelled to look for happiness outside. We are one with the infinite divine; we are full, and infinite peace is within us all.

As I live my life trying to imbibe this teaching, I pray for humility to help me keep learning throughout my life, and I give thanks to God for all my teachers; especially those who help me to understand myself. I owe them a debt that cannot be repaid but which I carry with honour and gratitude.

Hari Om


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m000hts8)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:56 Weather (m000htsb)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09qdjvp)
Dave Leech on the Water Rail

Dave Leech from the British Trust for Ornithology describes his excitement at finding a Water Rail nest containing the most beautiful eggs after having spent three years searching for a nest. Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus?

In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Nathian Brook.


MON 06:00 Today (m000hv99)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m000hv9c)
Globalisation

Andrew Marr discusses the origins and growth of globalisation, and the impact of the coronavirus on the global world order with Valerie Hansen and Gideon Rachman.

In her latest book, The Year 1000, the historian Valerie Hansen challenges the idea that globalisation began in 1492, the year Columbus discovered America. She argues that it was 500 years earlier when for the first time new trade routes linked the entire globe. New archaeological finds show how goods and people travelled far and wide from this earlier period, marking the beginning of an era of exploration, trade and exploitation.

The last 500 years or more has seen an explosion in global interactions, with a huge growth in multi-national companies, as well as international trade, ideas and culture. But the economist Gideon Rachman says today’s worldwide pandemic has seen the nation state making a comeback. The emergency has revealed the fragility of global supply chains and increased demand for local production and tougher border controls. Rachman also believes that the geopolitical effects of the coronavirus on the world order will linger long after travel restrictions have been lifted.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:30 Homeschool History (m000hv9f)
Mary Queen of Scots

What would you do if you became Queen when you were six days old, all your friends were called Mary, and your brother (and a lot of other powerful people) kept trying to ruin your life?

Welcome to the life of Mary Queen of Scots. From Baby Queen to Executed Martyr, join Greg Jenner for a homeschool history lesson on one of the most magnificent monarchs of the 16th century.

Presented by Greg Jenner
Produced by Ben Green
Script by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch and Emma Nagouse
Historical consultant: Professor Kate Williams
A Muddy Knees Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 09:45 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvc1)
Part One

Pete Paphides recalls his early childhood, when he refused to speak to anyone but his immediate family. He tries to untangle the causes of his selective mutism, and he remembers, with great affection, the music that shaped those early years – from Leo Sayer to The Rubettes.

Broken Greek is written and read by Pete Paphides, and produced by Nicola Holloway.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000hv9k)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


MON 10:45 The Citadel (m000hv9m)
Series 7

Episode 1

The Citadel written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by A J Cronin.
It's 1929, and Denny indirectly causes Manson's young daughter Gwyneth to have an accident, leading to drastic action.

Dr Manson - Rupert Hill
Dr Denny - Matthew Gravelle
Christine - Jenny Platt
Ivan Brice - Joe Belham
Returning Officer - Gerrard Fletcher
Gwyneth - Charlotte Sienna Lee

Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown


MON 11:00 The Untold (m000j0t6)
What Happened Next?

Grace Dent revisits two stories featured over the last few series.
Last year The Untold followed Christina Martin, a local government worker in Sussex, whose job is to organise the funerals of people with no family or friends.
She was desperately trying to identify a woman whose badly decomposed body was found in the sea. Police had very few clues as to who she was and what might have happened to her, so Christina was tasked with trying to organise as caring and dignified a funeral as she could. One year on, we ask if she ever did find out any more about the woman.
In 2017 Gubs was planning his wedding to the love of his life. He is Sikh and from a traditional Indian family. Would his father accept the fact that his only son was gay and that the love of Gubs' life was Gary? What's more would he come to the wedding?
Three years on we catch up with Gubs to find out what happened on the day, and how his father has reacted to his son's marriage.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m000htp2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


MON 12:00 News Summary (m000hv9s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hv9v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 12:06 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hv9x)
Episode 1

Ann Petry’s powerful, ground breaking novel set in 1940s Harlem tells the story of a single mother’s determination to make a better life for her son. Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Lutie Johnson lives with her eight year old son Bub in a few airless rooms at the top of a dark and grubby tenement building in Harlem. It’s the only place she can afford after leaving her cheating husband and quitting her job as a maid to a wealthy white family.

However, Lutie has faith in the American dream.

She believes that, if she works hard, studies hard and saves hard she can build a new life for herself and Bub, away from the violence and poverty that surrounds her. But as a young, single, black mother in 1944, her choices are limited - not only does she have to confront the racism of the white world that employs her, she’s also preyed upon by the men around her who find her good looks irresistible.

As she tries to keep her son safe and earn enough money to move away from the street that defines and traps them, Lutie finds herself faced with some brutal and painful decisions.

Ann Petry was one of America’s most distinguished writers. She lived in New York City, where she wrote short stories for young people, and worked as a journalist and editor for two Harlem newspapers. The Street was her first novel, published in 1946, and it was an immediate success, making Petry the first Black American novelist to sell over a million copies.

Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:20 You and Yours (m000hv9z)
Cruise refunds; Influencers; Post-lockdown commuting

Some cruise companies are pushing customers towards receiving credit notes rather than a full refund. What are your rights?

Brands are ending sponsorship contracts with social media influencers. Post covid will we still care about the glossy lifestyles promoted by influencers? Clare Seal, who runs the My Frugal Year blog thinks not, and we'll be wanting to follow influencers who promote practicality and something meaningful.

West Midlands Trains tells us how it's thinking of getting its service back to normal when restrictions are eased, and how it plans to keep commuters safe.

The food suppliers and farmers trying to figure out how to get production back up to pre-lockdown levels as food outlets like Greggs and McDonalds think about reopening.

And, the customers conned by fraudsters to move money out of their bank accounts find they're still not entitled to a fund set up by banks to refund them.

Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Lydia Thomas


MON 12:57 Weather (m000hvb1)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m000hvb3)
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 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00qb5yf)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

King Den's Sandal Label

This week, Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor investigates the impact on human society of large numbers of people coming together in the world's first cities between 5000 and 2000 BC. As they did so, they developed new trade links, the first handwriting, and new forms of leadership and beliefs.

All of these innovations are present in today's object; a small label made of hippo ivory that was attached to the sandal that one of the earliest known kings of Egypt, King Den, took his grave. The label not only depicts the king in battle against unknown foes but also boasts the first writing in this history of the world - hieroglyphs that describe the king and his military conquests.

Neil MacGregor and contributors consider whether this is just the first indication that there would never be civilisation without war


MON 14:00 The Archers (b05vhlc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Brief Lives (b0bktlt5)
Series 10

Episode 1

Brief Lives by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly
Episode 1
Frank is roped in to help what he thinks is a community of retired people. But what exactly have they retired from?

FRANK............ David Schofield
SARAH........ Kathryn Hunt
LANA…….….. Susan Twist
SHIRLEY-ANN.….Sue Jenkins
JARVIS………….…Kate Coogan
JACK……………....John Henshaw
STAN……….……..Lloyd Peters

Director/Producer Gary Brown


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m000hvb6)
Heat 5, 2020

(5/17)
In astronomy, what is a P.H.O? Which are the hills that make up Yorkshire's so-called Three Peaks? And which is the first event in the women's heptathlon? Russell Davies asks the questions of four more potential Brains of Britain, in a contest recorded before the restrictions on public gatherings.

Taking part are:
Jon Clatworthy, a risk assessor from Chichester
Nicki Cockburn, a student from Cardiff
William Dunbar, a journalist from London
Simon O'Brien, a digital editor, also from London.

A semi-final place awaits today's winner, and there'll also be a chance for a Brain of Britain listener to win a prize by outwitting the contestants with his or her own questions.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m000htqg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Beyond Belief (m000hvbc)
Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world


MON 16:30 PM (m000hvbf)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000hvbh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 47 Years Without A Clue: A Tribute to Tim Brooke-Taylor (m000hxzw)
A celebration of the late actor and comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor, best known to Radio 4 listeners as a founder member of the self-styled “antidote to panel games”, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. The programme features excerpts of his work as well as reminiscences from friends and colleagues. It’s written and introduced by Graeme Garden.

Producer...Jon Naismith
A BBC Studios Production.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m000hxhw)
The Archers Revisited

Adam and Ian’s Civil Partnership

Three weeks of themed programmes from the last two decades reliving key moments from the characters’ lives and the events that make Ambridge unforgettable. This episode forms part of the first week looking at how four different couples tied the knot and how one much loved character left the series.

Ambridge has its first civil partnership when Adam and Ian hold their ceremony at Lower Loxley.

Of course, ragged nerves and family politics are customary at any wedding - and the union of Adam and Ian is no exception. By the time they make it down the aisle, Ian has already faced the painful ordeal of "coming out" to his father and brothers - something of a double-whammy for the Craig family, as the announcement was swiftly followed by news of his engagement to Adam.

Adam also has a potential family crisis to face on his big day, in the shape of stepfather Brian Aldridge. Brian says his reservations about the relationship lie in concerns for the future of Home Farm - he is uncomfortable with the idea that his new son-in-law Ian might get his sullied chef's hands on part of his legacy.

But Jennifer suspects that her husband's real motives are based in homophobia and old-fashioned bigotry. After all, he's always showered stepdaughter Debbie with the love and affection of a natural father - so what's stopping him displaying a similar loyalty to Adam?

Despite Brian's reservations Adam and Jennifer were unprepared for the news that he wouldn't be attending the wedding, preferring instead to sulk alone in his expensive farmhouse.
Attending, and therefore endorsing, the union will take an unprecedented volte-face from Brian. But refusing to go would surely drive a wedge between the Aldridge family members.

This programme was originally broadcast on Friday 14th December 2006

Kathy Perks ..... Hedli Niklaus
Kenton Archer ..... Richard Atlee
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Kate Aldridge ..... Kellie Bright
Sid Perks ..... Alan Devereux
Charles Collingwood ..... Brian Aldridge
Glen ..... Gerard Murphy
Adam Macy ..... Andrew Wincott
Ian Craig ..... Stephen Kennedy
Debbie Aldridge ..... Tamsin Greig

Writer, Tim Stimpson
Director, Julie Beckett


MON 19:15 Front Row (m000hvbp)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 19:45 The Citadel (m000hv9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 The Price of Life (m000hvbr)
How is it possible to put a price on a human life? Are all lives equally precious or are some worth more than others? Anita Anand meets the people whose job it is to make these calculations, as well as people who have been valued in this way. Are the decisions made fair and morally justifiable?

Following 9/11, lawyer Ken Feinberg administered the government-funded victim compensation fund. It involved the seemingly impossible task of deciding exactly how much each life lost was worth in dollars, and then explaining that decision to the bereaved relatives. Ken explains this bizarre process to Anita, who then finds out what it feels like to be valued in this way from Danielle Barrani, who volunteered to help at Ground Zero and now suffers from life-threatening conditions due to the toxic air she inhaled.

How much would you pay for another year of life? Technology Appraisal Committees run by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) make that decision for you. They evaluate the cost effectiveness of treatments to determine whether the NHS should offer them. Health economist Dr Susan Griffin takes Anita inside these deliberations, and breast cancer patient Stephanie reveals what it is like to be on the receiving end of the process.

How is the price of human life calculated when the canvass is bigger - when we are talking millions, or even billions of lives? Climate and health researcher Gerardo Sanchez explains how a measure called the ‘value of a statistical life’ influences policymakers. Fijian climate activist Komal Kumar highlights the gap between statistics and real injustices. ‘Sceptical economist’ Jonathan Aldred argues that we need to move climate policy completely outside of cost-benefit thinking.

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m000hpct)
Spain’s care home nightmare

Why did so many people die in just one elderly care home in Madrid? After Covid-19 smashed its way across the globe, Spain - one of the worst-hit nations of Europe - is beginning to take stock of the devastation the virus has left in its wake. Most painful perhaps, will be an assessment of how the deadly contagion was able to rip through Spanish care homes at such speed, killing thousands of elderly people. In March 2020, the alarm was first sounded in a privately run institution, Monte Hermoso in Madrid. It is a story that has stayed with the BBC’s producer in Spain, Esperanza Escribano. She was in the capital when the reports of deaths at Monte Hermoso came to light. For Crossing Continents, she joins Linda Pressly, to piece together the story of what happened within the care home’s red brick walls.

Editor: Bridget Harney

(Photo: Isabel Costales and her husband Ramon Hernandez. Isabel died during the coronavirus pandemic in a care home in Madrid. Photo Credit: Paula Panera)


MON 21:00 The NHS Front Line (m000hmfz)
Week 6 on the covid wards

Dr John Wright has been recording on the wards for BBC Radio 4 – starting on March 16th, the day the Prime Minister gave his first televised address about the danger of Covid-19. This is week six of his diaries, recorded as the number of cases continues to increase and the pressures on the frontline team intensify.

These recordings with frontline NHS staff at all levels, take you behind the scenes on the wards as they plan for what is to come and then cope as the patients arrive. They let us share in the pressures, personal and professional, and in the decisions being made in the face of this unprecedented threat.

Professor John Wright is helping Bradford Royal Infirmary to get ready for Covid-19. He’s looked after patients all over the world – cholera and HIV in Southern Africa, Ebola in Sierra Leone. He thinks it’s important we should all know what we are facing.

Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Sue Mitchell
Sound Production by Richard Hannaford


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m000hv9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m000hvbt)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hv9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


MON 23:00 Forest 404 (p074lxcg)
Ep2: The Fumetown Priest

Pan goes on the run from Daria and The Hands to find answers deep down in Fumetown.

An environmental thriller starring Pearl Mackie, Tanya Moodie & Pippa Haywood. With theme music by Bonobo. Written by Timothy X Atack and directed by Becky Ripley.

Each episode comes with its own talk and soundscape. And you can take part in our interactive experiment to see how you respond to sounds of nature at: bbc.co.uk/forest

#Forest404


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000hvbx)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



TUESDAY 05 MAY 2020

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m000hvbz)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvc1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hvc3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hvc5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hvc7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hvc9)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher.

Good morning.

When faced with any new situation, one of the most challenging factors to deal with is uncertainty. Uncertainty creates room for doubt, fear, anxiety, often leaving us feeling emotionally isolated. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is part of Hindu scripture, Arjuna, a soldier, stands on a battlefield facing – paradoxically - family and friends who have turned against him and his brothers. There is uncertainty in his mind, as there often is in ours, when we find ourselves in circumstances beyond our control. One of the most powerful teachings that is given to him is regarding faith.

There’s an old story, beautiful in its simplicity which is often told: in the midst of a drought, a village was coming to the end of its resources. The villagers decided to gather at the temple to make an appeal to God for rain. On the appointed day, as everyone began to gather in the temple premises, one of the villagers spotted a young child carrying an umbrella. In disbelief, he asked her why she should bring it with her, when there hadn’t been any rain for several weeks and none was forecast. She replied, “we have come to pray to God for rain; I don’t want to get wet when we go home!”

Faith is not blind belief; faith guides the way that we think, allows us to ask questions, and the ability to have faith sets us apart from the rest of creation.

In this time of uncertainty, let us pray for faith. May our faith dispel doubt, fear, and anxiety. May we have faith in our own ability to withstand and overcome difficult circumstances. May we have faith in the infinite compassion and love of God.

Hari Om


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m000hvcc)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09qh78s)
Ben Darvill on the Common Rosefinch

Ben Darvill of the British Trust for Ornithology recalls his first encounter with the Common Rosefinch after it woke him up when he was camping on the Island of Canna in Scotland.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Eero Kiuru.


TUE 06:00 Today (m000hvkk)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m000hvkp)
Jim McDonald on power networks

Jim McDonald grew up in Glasgow. He was the son of a rope-maker and the first in his family to go to university. Now he’s the Principal of Strathclyde University, a non-executive director of Scottish power and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He worked in the electrical power industry for many years before becoming an academic. And has been spent much of his life making sure that we all have access to the electricity we need, when we need it. That includes when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow! As we rely more and more on renewable energy and more of us start driving electric cars, making sure the National Grid is fit for purpose is going to be a real challenge. But Jim is on the case.
Producer: Anna Buckley


TUE 09:30 One to One (m000hvkr)
Personality: Katya Adler talks to Simon Hattenstone

For the second in this interview series about personality - what it is, how it's formed and how it can change - Katya Adler talks to Simon Hattenstone, features writer at The Guardian newspaper.
For over two decades, Simon has interviewed famous personalities, pulling back their masks to reveal the essence beneath - what motivates them, what drives them, what they are really like. Katya talks to Simon about how he tries to get under the skin of his interviewees, how the personalities of his interviewees change and what place there is in the interview for the personality of the person asking the questions.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair


TUE 09:45 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvm3)
Part Two

From Abba’s Money Money Money to Black Betty by Ram Jam, Pete Paphides looks back on the music that was the soundtrack to his mid- seventies childhood as Top of the Pops became a crucial part of his musical education.

Broken Greek is written and read by Pete Paphides and produced by Nicola Holloway


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000hvkw)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


TUE 10:45 The Citadel (m000hvky)
Series 7

Episode 2

The Citadel written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by A J Cronin.
Denny has to perform surgery on Manson's young daughter, Gwyneth.

Dr Manson - Rupert Hill
Dr Denny - Matthew Gravelle
Gwyneth - Charlotte Sienna Lee

Director - Gary Brown
Producers - Pauline Harris and Gary Brown


TUE 11:00 The NHS Front Line (m000hvl0)
Week 7 on the covid wards

Dr John Wright has been recording on the wards for BBC Radio 4 – starting on March 16th, the day the Prime Minister gave his first televised address about the danger of Covid-19. This is week seven of his diaries, recorded as the number of cases continues to increase and the pressures on the frontline team intensify.

These recordings with frontline NHS staff at all levels, take you behind the scenes on the wards as they plan for what is to come and then cope as the patients arrive. They let us share in the pressures, personal and professional, and in the decisions being made in the face of this unprecedented threat.

Professor John Wright is helping Bradford Royal Infirmary to get ready for Covid-19. He’s looked after patients all over the world – cholera and HIV in Southern Africa, Ebola in Sierra Leone. He thinks it’s important we should all know what we are facing.

Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Sue Mitchell
Sound Production by Richard Hannaford


TUE 11:30 A Cure At What Cost? (m000htrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m000hvl2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hvl4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 12:06 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hvl6)
Episode 2

Ann Petry’s powerful, ground breaking novel set in 1940s Harlem tells the story of a single mother’s determination to make a better life for her son. Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Lutie Johnson lives with her eight year old son Bub in a few airless rooms at the top of a dark and grubby tenement building in Harlem. It’s the only place she can afford after leaving her cheating husband and quitting her job as a maid to a wealthy white family.

However, Lutie has faith in the American dream.

She believes that, if she works hard, studies hard and saves hard she can build a new life for herself and Bub, away from the violence and poverty that surrounds her. But as a young, single, black mother in 1944, her choices are limited - not only does she have to confront the racism of the white world that employs her, she’s also preyed upon by the men around her who find her good looks irresistible.

As she tries to keep her son safe and earn enough money to move away from the street that defines and traps them, Lutie finds herself faced with some brutal and painful decisions.

Ann Petry was one of America’s most distinguished writers. She lived in New York City, where she wrote short stories for young people, and worked as a journalist and editor for two Harlem newspapers. The Street was her first novel, published in 1946, and it was an immediate success, making Petry the first Black American novelist to sell over a million copies.

Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:20 You and Yours (m000hvl8)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


TUE 12:57 Weather (m000hvlb)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m000hvld)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


TUE 13:45 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00qb5xv)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

Standard of Ur

Neil MacGregor with this week's examination of the first great civilisations with one of the most spectacular discoveries of ancient royal goods. The magnificent gold and silver jewellery was found nearly 100 years ago at a royal burial site in the City of Ur in Southern Iraq, at the heart of one of the first great civilisations in the world. It leads Neil MacGregor to contemplate the nature of kingship and power in Mesopotamia. The Standard of Ur is a set of mosaic scenes that show powerful images of battle and regal life and that remain remarkably well preserved given its fourand a half thousand year old history.

Contributors include sociologist Anthony Giddens, on the growing sophistication of societies at this time, and the archaeologist Lamia Al-Gailani who considers what Ancient Mesopotamia means to the people of modern day Iraq.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m000hxhw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Brief Lives (m0000mrg)
Series 10

Episode 2

Brief Lives by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly
Episode 2
Sarah and Frank have been called in to represent clients involved in a cold case investigation that has been reignited by some newly discovered DNA.
FRANK............... David Schofield
SARAH................Kathryn Hunt
LUCY…………….Gillian Kearney
DOMINIC….….Reece Dinsdale
BEN ...……….…Samuel Holland
D S ANDERSON.....Russell Richardson
FRANNY.................Beatrix Baxter

Director/Producer Gary Brown


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m000htn7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m000htxl)
Silencing with Noise

Sound is what the world does. From the tiniest bugs to the largest whales, animals use sound to communicate, for example, they sing to attract a mate and establish a territory. But this is all happening against a background of man-made noise that was, until the last few weeks, increasing in volume all the time. So what happens if you can’t hear or make yourself heard or you are too stressed or distracted to behave normally? Andy Radford, Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Bristol explores the impact of this global pollutant and the mitigation measures that could help.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


TUE 16:00 Great Lives (m000hvlh)
Victoria Wood

Victoria Wood grew up in a bungalow high up on the moors in Lancashire. The rooms were partitioned off with plywood, and she loved to play the piano on her own. She became the biggest comedy star in the UK, writing, directing, acting, and winning BAFTAS for being funny, and being serious too. Nominating the star of Wood and Walters, Dinnerladies and Housewife, 49 is Daniel Rigby. He won a BAFTA playing Eric Morecambe in 2011, and Victoria Wood played his mum. She also became his landlady. Joining the often joyful discussion is Jasper Rees - author of the upcoming authorised biography of Victoria Wood.

The presenter is Matthew Parris, the producer in Bristol Miles Warde


TUE 16:30 PM (m000hvlk)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000hvlm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 My Teenage Diary (m000hvlp)
Series 9

Shazia Mirza

Rufus Hound returns for another series of honest, intimate and hilarious interviews, with famous guests reading from their genuine teenage diaries.

Guests this series are Woman's Hour host Dame Jenni Murray, former Goodie Bill Oddie, comedian Shazia Mirza, impressionist Jan Ravens, podcaster Olly Mann and writer Julie Myerson.

In this first episode of new series, Rufus talks to the comedian Shazia Mirza about her experiences growing up in a strict Muslim family in the UK. In her teenage diaries, the young Shazia Mirza describes arguing with her parents, getting a Saturday job in McDonalds, bumping into a Rick Astley lookalike in a pub and dreaming about becoming a grand slam tennis ace.

Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b0418rct)
The Archers Revisited

Kirsty and Tom are Getting Married

Three weeks of themed programmes from the last two decades reliving key moments from the characters’ lives and the events that make Ambridge unforgettable. This episode forms part of the first week looking at how four different couples tied the knot and how one much loved character left the series.

Kirsty first got to know Tom when they were both young eco-warriors and she became part of the family at Bridge Farm continuing to work for Helen even after Tom had dumped her.
But she and Tom got back together and now their wedding has been planned down to the last detail. All they’ve got to do is make it through the day..

This programme was originally broadcast on 24th April 2014

Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Alan Franks ..... John Telfer
Kirsty Miller ..... Annabelle Dowler
Tony Archer ..... David Troughton
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison

Writer, Joanna Toye
Director, Sean O'Connor


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m000hvls)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


TUE 19:45 The Citadel (m000hvky)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Bellfield's Year (m000hxj2)
Following the fortunes of a primary school in a poor part of Birmingham as it reduces its teaching to four and half days a week in a battle to stay solvent.
Presenter: Emma Jane Kirby
Producer: Bob Howard


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m000hvlv)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted


TUE 21:00 Inside Health (m000htx2)
Inside Health: The Virus

Episode 6

Claudia Hammond reports on the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m000hvkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m000hvlx)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hvl6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


TUE 23:00 You'll Do (p08855xn)
Modern Love with Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper

Comedian Joel Dommett and model Hannah Cooper join Catherine Bohart and Sarah Keyworth to discuss "Modern Love".

In the relationship podcast that goes beyond social media filters, Joel and Hannah talk about their marriage, taking out the bins and sliding into the DMs.

And Joel reveals his secret to a happy relationship...

Producer: Kate Holland
Executive Producer: Lyndsay Fenner

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000hvlz)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



WEDNESDAY 06 MAY 2020

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m000hvm1)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hvm5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hvm7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hvm9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hvmc)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m000hvmf)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xcd)
Icterine Warbler

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

Michaela Strachan presents the icterine warbler. Icterine Warblers are fluent mimics and include phrases of other species in their song. Their name, icterine, is derived from ikteros, the ancient Greek word for jaundice and describes the bird's spring plumage...yellowish beneath and olive brown on top.


WED 06:00 Today (m000htvy)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m000htw2)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.


WED 09:30 The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread? (m000htw4)
Noise-cancelling Headphones

The promise of noise-cancelling headphones is enticing. Whether it’s cutting out the background chatter to hear the radio, or drowning out the snoring coming from the room next door. But do they live up to the marketing hype?

Are they The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, or BS?

Greg Foot is joined by BBC 6 Music DJ Host Mary Anne Hobbs, who lends her professional ear to a pair of noise cancelling headphones. While acoustic engineer Professor Trevox Cox unpicks the science fact from the science fiction.

Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Beth Eastwood


WED 09:45 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000htxx)
Part Three

Music journalist Pete Paphides continues the story of his 1970s childhood in the West Midlands and the music that provided the soundtrack. In this episode, Pete’s mother is hospitalised and he begins to feel a growing distance between him and his father.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000htw8)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


WED 10:45 The Citadel (m000htwb)
Series 7

Episode 3

The Citadel written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by A J Cronin
Denny believes a young boxer might be his son.

Dr Manson - Rupert Hill
Dr Denny - Matthew Gravelle
Christine - Jenny Platt
Ivan Brice - Joe Belham
Bryn the Book - Gerrard Fletcher

Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown


WED 11:00 The Price of Life (m000hvbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Plum House (m000htwf)
Series 3

6. Fete and Fortune

The third series of Plum House concludes with the annual summer fete in the grounds of Plum House itself. Mayor Gerry is minded to move the fete to a different location if this year's festivities are the disaster they were last year so everyone is told to be on best behaviour. Unfortunately this doesn't allow for the arrival of Maureen's old nemesis Sue at the fete as their annual rivalry is once again reignited. Meanwhile Emma is still mad at Tom for his deception over her contract. Will the team manage to keep up appearances to the Mayor throughout the day, and will Sue and Maureen manage to maintain civil relations...

Plum House features Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford.
This episode features special guests Miranda Richardson and Alex Lowe

Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Directed by Paul Schlesinger
Produced by Claire Broughton

It is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m000htwh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000htwk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 12:06 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000htwm)
Episode 3

Ann Petry’s powerful, ground breaking novel set in 1940s Harlem tells the story of a single mother’s determination to make a better life for her son. Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Lutie Johnson lives with her eight year old son Bub in a few airless rooms at the top of a dark and grubby tenement building in Harlem. It’s the only place she can afford after leaving her cheating husband and quitting her job as a maid to a wealthy white family.

However, Lutie has faith in the American dream.

She believes that, if she works hard, studies hard and saves hard she can build a new life for herself and Bub, away from the violence and poverty that surrounds her. But as a young, single, black mother in 1944, her choices are limited - not only does she have to confront the racism of the white world that employs her, she’s also preyed upon by the men around her who find her good looks irresistible.

As she tries to keep her son safe and earn enough money to move away from the street that defines and traps them, Lutie finds herself faced with some brutal and painful decisions.

Ann Petry was one of America’s most distinguished writers. She lived in New York City, where she wrote short stories for young people, and worked as a journalist and editor for two Harlem newspapers. The Street was her first novel, published in 1946, and it was an immediate success, making Petry the first Black American novelist to sell over a million copies.

Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:20 You and Yours (m000htwq)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


WED 12:57 Weather (m000htws)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m000htwv)
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 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00qb5xx)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

Indus Seal

The ancient city of Harappa lies around 150 miles north of Lahore in Pakistan. It was once one of the great centres of a civilisation that has largely disappeared, one with vast trade connections and boasting several of the world's first cities. At a time when another great civilisation was being forged along the banks of the river Nile in Egypt, Neil MacGregor investigates this much less well-known civilisation on the banks of the Indus Valley.

He introduces us to a series of little stone seals that are four-and-a-half thousand years old, covered in carved images of animals and probably used in trade. The civilisation built over 100 cities, some with sophisticated sanitation systems, big scale architecture and even designed around a modern grid layout. The great modern architect Sir Richard Rogers considers the urban planning of the Indus Valley, while the historian Nayanjot Lahiri looks at how this lost civilisation is remembered - by both modern India and Pakistan.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b0418rct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Brief Lives (m0000ngc)
Series 10

Episode 3

Brief Lives by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly.
Episode 3.
Frank gets to meet his childhood hero. But this footballing God has feet of clay.
FRANK................ David Schofield
SARAH................Kathryn Hunt
JOHNNIE ………Steve Evets
JASON …………..Rob Ward
KENDRICK…… Reuben Johnson
D C MARK TURNER ….William Fox

Director/Producer Gary Brown


WED 15:00 Money Box (m000htx0)
Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on personal finance.


WED 15:30 Inside Health (m000htx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 The Media Show (m000htx6)
Topical programme about the fast-changing media world


WED 16:30 PM (m000htx8)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000htxb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Quanderhorn (m000htxd)
Quanderhorn 2

2. Shoveleth in More Hazelnuts!

Professor Quanderhorn (James Fleet) and his rag-tag crew – test pilot Brian Nylon (Ryan Sampson), clockwork-emotioned Dr Gemini Janussen (Cassie Layton), caddish Martian hostage Guuuurk (Kevin Eldon) and Quanderhorn’s part-insectoid son Troy (Freddie Fox), along with factotum Jenkins (John Sessions) – have been scattered through time.

Reunited in Roman Britain, Brian, Guuuurk and Troy are trying to make their way to the rendezvous point in Londinium, when they find themselves arrested and condemned to death for crimes against Interior Decoration.

Can they escape with the help of Brian’s enormous mahogany phallus (don’t ask)?

Or will it require some slightly more subtle intervention from Dr Janussen?

Starring
James Fleet as Professor Quanderhorn
Ryan Sampson as Brian Nylon
Cassie Layton as Dr Gemini Janussen
Freddie Fox as Troy Quanderhorn
Kevin Eldon as Guuuurk
John Sessions as Sergeant 'Jenkins' Jenkins and Churchill
Rachel Atkins as Delores

Created and Written by Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall
Directed by Andrew Marshall

Studio Engineer and Editor: Alisdair McGregor
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios
Produced by Rob Grant and Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m000hxs9)
The Archers Revisited

Chris and Alice Return From Vegas

Three weeks of themed programmes from the last two decades reliving key moments from the characters’ lives and the events that make Ambridge unforgettable. This episode forms part of the first week looking at how four different couples tied the knot and how one much loved character left the series.

Alice started dating Neil and Susan’s Carter’s son Christopher in 2008. Jennifer wasn’t pleased at her daughter dallying with a pigman’s son but reassured herself that Alice’s imminent departure to Southampton University would put an end to it. But she was wrong. The couple worked hard to maintain the long-distance relationship – despite occasional temptations and Jennifer’s ham-fisted attempts to pair Alice off with uber-posh Sebastian ‘Basti’ Streatfield.

Alice pooh-poohed Chris’s worries that he was too lowly for her. She loved him – and he returned the sentiment. They headed off for a holiday to America and when they returned it was to announce that they had got married in Vegas.

This programme was originally broadcast on Monday 2 August 2010

Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Alice Carter ..... Hollie Chapman
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Chris Carter ..... Will Sanderson-Thwaite

Writer, Nawal Gadalla
Director, Rosemary Watts


WED 19:15 Front Row (m000htxj)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


WED 19:45 The Citadel (m000htwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Grounded with Louis Theroux (m000hw0b)
1. Jon Ronson

In Grounded with Louis Theroux, Louis’s using the lockdown to track down some high-profile people he’s been longing to talk to – a fascinating mix of the celebrated, the controversial and the mysterious.

Louis speaks to writer and documentary-maker Jon Ronson, who is grounded in upstate New York. They discuss their professional rivalry, inhabiting similar worlds and how Jon is handling the lockdown.

Produced by Paul Kobrak
A Mindhouse production for BBC Radio 4


WED 20:45 The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread? (m000htw4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m000htxl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m000htx6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m000htxn)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


WED 22:45 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000htwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


WED 23:00 Rosie Jones: Box Ticker (m000htxq)
Being Northern

Stand-up comedy from triple-threat Rosie Jones. She’s disabled, gay and northern - so, of course, she has her own Radio 4 show.

However, she’s not a great example of any of these communities and she’s tired of being asked to speak on their behalf. This show checks what’s really inside the boxes and throws most of it out.

This week, Rosie ticks her last box - being Northern. She grew up in a small town on the east coast, and has enlisted comedian Chris Washington to share his experiences from the other side of the country.

Recorded in a live comedy club, prepare to be shocked and disappointed by Rosie’s lack of respect for your expectations.

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 Lenny Henry's Rogues Gallery (b09h3y8b)
Series 2

Murder Men

Another darkly comic tale from the mind of Sir Lenny Henry, who plays Phil Hedley, an actor known for his "tough guy" roles. When Phil is suddenly cut from his hit cop drama "Tough Diamonds", for getting too close to the executive producer's daughter, the work dries up and he is forced to take a job fronting documentaries on gangs for niche cable channel Man Planet. But although Phil acts the tough guy, when is finds himself interviewing a drug lord in the middle of the Jamaican bush, it turns out he might not actually be as tough as he first thought...

Written by and starring Sir Lenny Henry

Produced by Sam Michell.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000htxs)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



THURSDAY 07 MAY 2020

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m000htxv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000htxx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hty0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hty2)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hty4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hty6)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m000hty8)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378xj7)
Northern Wheatear

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

Michaela Strachan presents the northern wheatear. With their black masks, white bellies, apricot chests and grey backs, male wheatears are colourful companions on a hill walk. The birds you see in autumn may have come from as far as Greenland or Arctic Canada. They pass through the British Isles and twice a year many of them travel over 11,000 kilometres between Africa and the Arctic. It's one of the longest regular journeys made by any perching bird.


THU 06:00 Today (m000hvs8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b08cstfr)
John Clare

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Northamptonshire poet John Clare who, according to one of Melvyn's guests Jonathan Bate, was 'the greatest labouring-class poet that England has ever produced'. Clare worked in a tavern, as a gardener and as a farm labourer in the early 19th century and achieved his first literary success with Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery. He was praised for his descriptions of rural England and his childhood there, and his reaction to the changes he saw in the Agricultural Revolution with its enclosures, displacement and altered, disrupted landscape. Despite poor mental health and, from middle age onwards, many years in asylums, John Clare continued to write and he is now seen as one of the great poets of his age.

With

Sir Jonathan Bate
Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford

Mina Gorji
Senior Lecturer in the English Faculty and fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge

and

Simon Kövesi
Professor of English Literature at Oxford Brookes University

Producer: Simon Tillotson.


THU 09:45 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvsd)
Episode 4

Teenage Pete begins to notice the tensions between his parents’ Greek heritage, and traditions, and their daily lives in the West Midlands. The music he now enjoys seem to emphasise the differences.

Broken Greek is written and read by Pete Paphides and produced by Nicola Holloway


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000hvsg)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


THU 10:45 The Citadel (m000hvsj)
Series 7

Episode 4

The Citadel written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by A J Cronin
It's the day of the boxing match, and Manson breaks some distressing news to Denny about Ivan.

Dr Manson - Rupert Hill
Dr Denny- Matthew Gravelle
Ivan Brice - Joe Belham
Announcer/Refferee- Jason Done
Rose - Jenny Platt

Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m000hvsl)
Lithium: Argentina's 'White Gold' Rush

Are lithium-powered electric vehicles as ‘green’ as we think they are? With the advent of electric cars, manufacturers tell us we’re racing towards a clean-energy future. It’s lithium that powers these vehicles. Most of the world’s stocks of this lightest of metals are found in brine deep beneath salt flats, high in the Andes. In Argentina, in Jujuy - the province with the highest percentage of indigenous households in the country - massive projects are underway. But in a super-dry region, with water the most precious resource, and lithium extraction demanding huge quantities of it, there’s anxiety - and outright opposition.

Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly
Producer in Argentina: Gert De Saedeleer
Editor: Bridget Harney


THU 11:30 Five Knots (m000hmy1)
Timandra Harkness ties together five stories that begin with a knot to discover how knots have played a role in human history, technology, culture and mathematics

She visits the The Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Ropework – a shed in the garden of Des Pawson, one of the world's leading authorities on knots - who tells us where and when the first humans started to tie things together.

She also meets Mike Lucas, a forensic knot expert who helps police dealing with murders and suicides where rope has been involved. A knot can reveal a lot about the person who tied it.

Although not possessing one herself, Timandra finds out that there are in fact ‘85 Ways to Tie a Tie’ from physicist Thomas Fink, co-author of a book of the same name. He explains that that a humble tie connected in a loop is an example of an ‘unknot’ in a branch of mathematics called ‘knot theory’.

Closely connected to this is mathematical ‘braid theory’ which takes us across the Atlantic where Timandra talks to Chicago poet Raych Jackson, whose poem ‘A sestina for a black girl who does not know how to braid hair’ recounts the importance of hair braiding in black culture from someone who did not possess the skills herself.

Climber Dave Macleod tells Timandra of the importance of knots in mountaineering and abseiling and recalls how the lack of one almost lead to his death.

Finally, returning to the Museum of Knots, Timandra discovers that some of the earliest known knots can now be found on Mars – this most basic of technology is now being used on the NASA Mars Rover.

Producer: Julian Mayers
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m000hvsn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hvsq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 12:06 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hvss)
Episode 4

Ann Petry’s powerful, groundbreaking novel set in 1940s Harlem tells the story of a single mother’s determination to make a better life for her son. Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Lutie Johnson lives with her eight year old son Bub in a few airless rooms at the top of a dark and grubby tenement building in Harlem. It’s the only place she can afford after leaving her cheating husband and quitting her job as a maid to a wealthy white family.

However, Lutie has faith in the American dream.

She believes that, if she works hard, studies hard and saves hard she can build a new life for herself and Bub, away from the violence and poverty that surrounds her. But as a young, single, black mother in 1944, her choices are limited - not only does she have to confront the racism of the white world that employs her, she’s also preyed upon by the men around her who find her good looks irresistible.

As she tries to keep her son safe and earn enough money to move away from the street that defines and traps them, Lutie finds herself faced with some brutal and painful decisions.

Ann Petry was one of America’s most distinguished writers. She lived in New York City, where she wrote short stories for young people, and worked as a journalist and editor for two Harlem newspapers. The Street was her first novel, published in 1946, and it was an immediate success, making Petry the first Black American novelist to sell over a million copies.

Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:20 You and Yours (m000hvsv)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


THU 12:57 Weather (m000hvsx)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m000hvsz)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


THU 13:45 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00qb5xz)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

Jade Axe

This week's programmes in the history of the world look at the growing sophistication of modern humans around the globe between 5000 and 2000 BC. Mesopotamia had built the royal city of Ur, the Indus valley boasted the city of Harappa, and the great early civilisation of Egypt was beginning to spread along the Nile.

In Britain life was much simpler, although trade links with Europe were well established. In today's programme, Neil Macgregor tells the story of a beautiful piece of jade, shaped into an axe head. It is about 6000 years old and was discovered near Canterbury in Kent but was made in the high Alps. Neil MacGregor tells the story of how this object may have been used and traded and how its source was cunningly traced to the heart of Europe


THU 14:00 The Archers (m000hxs9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Brief Lives (m0000qlv)
Series 10

Episode 4

Brief Lives by Philip Meeks
Episode 4
At Sarah's prompting Frank is reluctantly looking at becoming a landlord to bolster his meagre pension. They view a property and unwittingly become involved in a neighbourhood dispute.
FRANK................ David Schofield
SARAH............... Kathryn Hunt
FINCH..…............Rupert Hill
BELBAY…….…….Eddie Capli
HARVEY….….…..Kenneth Alan Taylor
SGT DISHFORTH…Sue Kelly

Director/Producer Gary Brown


THU 15:00 Open Country (m000hvt2)
Changing seasons

The signs of spring are everywhere, transforming our gardens and fields with splashes of colour and signs of new life. Unable to travel to explore new locations and landscapes as she normally would for Open Country, Helen Mark takes a walk around her own family farm on the edges of Lough Foyle in Northern Ireland, spotting the signs of seasonal change. She talks to wildlife experts and local farmers, finding out how the rhythm of the seasons affects their relationship with the land.

Produced by Emma Campbell.


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m000htq0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Bookclub (m000htqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 BBC Inside Science (m000hvt6)
Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world


THU 16:30 PM (m000hvt8)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000hvtb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Ankle Tag (m00010z6)
Series 2

The Nappy Advert

The family need to increase their income, so Big Bob gets a job.

Bob – Steve Speirs
Gruff – Elis James
Alice – Katy Wix
Lauren – Ruth Bratt
Receptionist – Adelayo Adedayo
Canteen Guy – Naz Osmanoglu
Nappy Advert v/o - Anna Leong Brophy

Written by Benjamin Partridge & Gareth Gwynn
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production


THU 19:00 The Archers (m000b0rh)
The Archers Revisited

Joe Grundy’s Wake

Three weeks of themed programmes from the last two decades reliving key moments from the characters’ lives and the events that make Ambridge unforgettable. This episode forms part of the first week looking at how four different couples tied the knot and how one much loved character left the series.

After being part of the annual opening of the Cider Club at Grange Farm, Joe died peacefully in his sleep in October 2019. After the funeral, attended by most of the village, a wake was held at the Tearoom and later members of the Cider Club retired to the Bull to toast Joe with a glass of Tumble Tussock. The Grundys have done Joe proud.

The actor Edward Kelsey played Joe for thirty four years until his own death in April 2019.

This programme was originally broadcast on Friday 8th November 2019.

Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Alf Grundy ..... David Hargreaves
Emma Grundy ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Clarrie Grundy ..... Heather Bell
Jazzer McCreary..... Ryan Kelly
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Jim Lloyd ..... John Rowe

Writer, Gillian Richmond
Director, Marina Caldarone

Cast from earlier episodes this week:
Ed Grundy ..... Barry Farrimond
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Joe Grundy ..... Edward Kelsey
Will Grundy ..... Philip Molloy
Tom Archer ..... William Troughton
Sid Perks ..... Alan Devereux
Adam Macy ..... Andrew Wincott
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Glen ..... Gerard Murphy
Kathy Perks ..... Hedli Niklaus
Kate Aldridge ..... Kellie Bright
Kenton Archer ..... Richard Atlee
Ian Craig ..... Stephen Kennedy
Debbie Aldridge ..... Tamsin Greig
Kirsty Miller ..... Annabelle Dowler
Tony Archer ..... David Troughton
Roy Tucker ..... Ian Pepperell
Alan Franks ..... John Telfer
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Alice Carter ..... Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter ..... Will Sanderson-Thwaite

Writers in earlier episodes this week, Mary Cutler, Tim Stimpson, Joanna Toye and Nawal Gadalla.
Directors in earlier episodes this week, Sean O'Connor, Julie Beckett & Rosemary Watts


THU 19:15 Front Row (m000hvtg)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


THU 19:45 The Citadel (m000hvsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m000hvtj)
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders explore big issues in the news.


THU 20:30 In Business (m000hvtl)
Economic Recovery in the USA

With the highest Covid19 death toll in the world, and 26 million Americans claiming unemployment insurance, the US economy has taken a massive hit. But how quickly can it bounce back?

Will America’s economy will be strong enough to pull its weight in the global economy? Economist Jim O’Neill explores the current scale of the problem and asks how resilient are US businesses and the country’s economy.

In Business hears how Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer has devised A Roadmap to Responsibly Re-opening America, which seeks to balance the health priorities with the pressure to open up the economy again.

The story of a small bakery in Brooklyn, which has had to lay off its workers, is illustrative of the damage that has been inflicted on businesses across America. Has the fiscal response from the authorities been sufficient to protect businesses so that they can recover once lockdowns end?

Is American manufacturing sufficiently flexible to pivot and adapt to the changing circumstances of the Covid health crisis? And will one of the longer term consequences of the crisis be a re-thinking of the character of American capitalism?

The answers to these questions will shed light on whether American will still be able to play its traditional crucial role in the global economy.

Presenter: Jim O'Neill
Producer: Philip Reevel


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m000hvt6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b08cstfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m000hvtp)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


THU 22:45 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hvss)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


THU 23:00 Now Wash Your Hands (m000hvtr)
Episode 6

Comedy corona-cast as Jon Holmes, Jake Yapp, Salma Shah and Nat Tapley drop in on isolated home-bound guests.


THU 23:30 Art of Now (m000hmg1)
Raw Meat

Susan Bright gets bloody and fleshy with sculptors, performance artists and filmmakers who use animal parts as their raw material.

Images of meat in still life paintings have been a staple in art for centuries, but why are artists now incorporating animal flesh, offal and skin into their work. What draws them to this macabre material and what does it enable them to say?

Photographer Pinar Yolacan makes meat dresses for her models, frills from raw chicken, bodices from placenta and sleeves from tripe. Riffling through butchers stocks, she makes the perfect outfit for her models, designing and moulding it to them like a second skin.

In a high-vaulted church, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva hangs gigantic curtains of white pigs fat that look like long sheets of lace. Walking down through them, they rustle and reek as you feel encased inside an animal’s stomach.

Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr sculpt with live tissue making a semi-living leather jacket, growing wings from pigs and hosting a dinner party with lab grown meat. While Marianna Simnett violently slices open a cow’s udder reorganising our thinking about the body and gender. And with a cast of 100 performers, Hermann Nitsch's theatrical performances involve climbing inside carcasses, bathing in blood and having sex with offal.

Their work is shocking, disturbing and fun, making us face our responsibility to animals, each other and the planet and giving us a language to talk about the challenges ahead.

We lick our lips and feed on their creativity.

Producer: Sarah Bowen



FRIDAY 08 MAY 2020

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m000hvtt)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hvsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000hvtw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000hvty)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:33 Shipping Forecast (m000hvv0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000hvv2)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a novice Hindu monk and teacher


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m000hvv4)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03mzv60)
Moorhen

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

Chris Packham presents the story of the Moorhen. Almost anywhere there's freshwater you might hear or see a moorhen. They're easy to identify from their red and yellow bill, red shield on the forehead and green-ish yellow legs with a red patch that looks like a garter.


FRI 06:00 Today (m000hwrl)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b05rl3j8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Broken Greek, by Pete Paphides (m000hwtc)
Part Five

On holiday with his family, Pete writes a daring postcard home to one of his teachers and later discovers the joy of Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

Broken Greek is written and read by Pete Paphides and produced by Nicola Holloway.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000hwrs)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world


FRI 10:45 The Citadel (m000hwrv)
Series 7

Episode 5

The Citadel written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by A J Cronin
Christine helps discover the reason for Aled Evans's disruptive behaviour.

Dr Manson - Rupert Hill
Dr Denny - Matthew Gravelle
Christine - Jenny Platt
Tom Evans- Jason Done
Aled Evans - James Kelly
Gwyneth - Charlotte Sienna Lee

Directed by Gary Brown
Produced by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown


FRI 11:00 Life on Lockdown (m000hwrx)
May

Cathy FitzGerald weaves together stories about life on lockdown. How are people making sense of this strange new world?

Presented and Produced: Cathy FitzGerald
Executive Producer: Sarah Cuddon
Sound Engineer: Mike Woolley
Contributions from: Axel Kacoutié, Stephanie Rowlands, Orla O'Neill, Aoife Mannix, Catherine Silk, Geoff Bird, Chris Brooks, Rachel Unkovic, Tim Doyle and Thalissa Teixeira.

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 11:30 My Obsession (m000671f)
Series 1

Episode 2

Paul Merton and Suki Webster star in this warm-hearted comedy, exploring the obsessive narcissistic culture of so-called celebrity, the desire to be famous and the urge to be near it.

Surprisingly, after Sheryl broke into the hotel room of her favorite stand-up comedian Danny Heywood and castigated him for not replying to her fan mail, the pair met again and agreed to go on a proper date. All is going well until Danny spots TV producer Karen Francis. She is looking for a comedy magician to perform the “saw the woman in half" illusion.

Danny would love to perform the trick but he needs to find an assistant quickly. Much to Sheryl’s surprise, Danny asks if she’d like to become half the woman she used to be?

Then the TV producer throws a spanner into the works that could rip our would-be lovers apart forever.

Cast:
Danny – Paul Merton
Sheryl – Suki Webster
The Plumber – Terry Mynott
The Priest – Matt Addis
Karen Francis -Tilly Gaunt

Written by Suki Webster.
Producer: Liz Anstee

A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m000hwrz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:03 Shipping Forecast (m000hws1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 12:06 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hws3)
Episode 5

Ann Petry’s powerful, groundbreaking novel set in 1940s Harlem tells the story of a single mother’s determination to make a better life for her son. Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Lutie Johnson lives with her eight year old son Bub in a few airless rooms at the top of a dark and grubby tenement building in Harlem. It’s the only place she can afford after leaving her cheating husband and quitting her job as a maid to a wealthy white family.

However, Lutie has faith in the American dream.

She believes that, if she works hard, studies hard and saves hard she can build a new life for herself and Bub, away from the violence and poverty that surrounds her. But as a young, single, black mother in 1944, her choices are limited - not only does she have to confront the racism of the white world that employs her, she’s also preyed upon by the men around her who find her good looks irresistible.

As she tries to keep her son safe and earn enough money to move away from the street that defines and traps them, Lutie finds herself faced with some brutal and painful decisions.

Ann Petry was one of America’s most distinguished writers. She lived in New York City, where she wrote short stories for young people, and worked as a journalist and editor for two Harlem newspapers. The Street was her first novel, published in 1946, and it was an immediate success, making Petry the first Black American novelist to sell over a million copies.

Reader: Adjoa Andoh
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:20 You and Yours (m000hws5)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


FRI 12:57 Weather (m000hws7)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m000hws9)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.


FRI 13:45 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00qb5y1)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

Early Writing Tablet

This week's programmes in the history of the world looks at the growing sophistication of humans around the globe, between 5000 and 2000 BC. Mesopotamia had created the royal city of Ur, the Indus valley boasted the city of Harappa and the great early civilisation of Egypt was beginning to spread along the Nile. New trade links were being forged and new forms of leadership and power were created. And, to cope with the increasing sophistication of trade and commerce, humans had invented writing.

In today's programme, Neil MacGregor describes a small clay tablet that was made in Mesopotamia about 5000 years ago and is covered with sums and writing about local beer rationing. The philosopher John Searle describes what the invention of writing does for the human mind and Britain's top civil servant, Gus O'Donnell, considers the tablet as an example of possibly the earliest bureaucracy


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m000b0rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Brief Lives (m0000sx0)
Series 10

Episode 5

Brief Lives by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly
Episode 5
Sarah has started volunteering at the local Law Centre. But the lawyer who runs it has some unorthodox methods.
FRANK............... David Schofield
SARAH.............. Kathryn Hunt
DEBBIE………….Eve Steele
D C COLEMAN…….Natalie Grady
STUART …………..Graeme Hawley
SERENA…………..…Maria Major

Director/Producer Gary Brown


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000hwsd)
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m000hwsg)
Good For You

An original short work for BBC Radio 4 by the Irish author Caoilinn Hughes. As read by Fenella Woolgar.

Caoilinn Hughes is an Irish writer whose poetry collection 'Gathering Evidence' was awarded the Irish Times Shine/Strong Award and the Patrick Kavanagh Award. Her work has appeared in Tin House, POETRY, Granta, The Rumpus, Best British Poetry, Poetry Ireland, BBC Radio 3 and elsewhere. Her debut novel 'Orchid & The Wasp won the Collyer Bristow Prize. In September 2018 she won first and third prize in The Moth International Short Story Award. In 2019, she won an O. Henry Prize for her story ‘Prime’ which was also longlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Prize.

Writer ..... Caoilinn Hughes
Reader ..... Fenella Woolgar

Produced by Celia DeWolff for BBC Northern Ireland


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000hwsj)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant.


FRI 16:30 PM (m000hwsl)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000hwsn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m000hwsq)
Series 102

Episode 4

Angela Barnes hosts series 102, leading a panel of regular News Quiz comics and journalists in rounding up the news stories of the week. Joining Angela this week is Helen Lewis, Andy Parsons, Kerry Godliman and Simon Evans.

Produced by Suzy Grant

A BBC Studios Audio Production


FRI 19:00 Front Row (m000hwsv)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


FRI 19:45 The Citadel (m000hwrv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000hwsx)
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from venues around the UK.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000hwsz)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


FRI 21:00 A History of the World in 100 Objects (b00rbs1h)
The First Cities and States (4000 - 2000 BC)

Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum, presents an omnibus edition of five further items in his history of humanity as told through the objects it has made. Today he investigates the impact on human society of large numbers of people coming together in the world's first cities between 5000 and 2000 BC. As they did so, they developed new trade links, the first handwriting, and new forms of leadership and beliefs.

All of these innovations are present in Neil's first object; a small label made of hippo ivory that was attached to the sandal that one of the earliest known kings of Egypt, King Den, took his grave. The label not only depicts the king in battle against unknown foes but also boasts the first writing in this history of the world - hieroglyphs that describe the king and his military conquests. Is this just the first indication that there would never be civilisation without war

For his second item, Neil considers a set of mosaics from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, now in Southern Iraq. The Standard of Ur shows powerful images of battle and regal life and remains remarkably well preserved given its fourand a half thousand year old history. Contributors include sociologist Anthony Giddens, on the growing sophistication of societies at this time, and the archaeologist Lamia Al-Gailani who considers what Ancient Mesopotamia means to the people of modern day Iraq.

Neil then moves on to the ancient city of Harappa which lies around 150 miles north of Lahore in Pakistan. It was once one of the great centres of a civilisation that has largely disappeared, one with vast trade connections and boasting several of the world's first cities. At a time when another great civilisation was being forged along the banks of the river Nile in Egypt, Neil MacGregor investigates this much less well-known civilisation on the banks of the Indus Valley. He introduces us to a series of little stone seals that are four-and-a-half thousand years old, covered in carved images of animals and probably used in trade. The civilisation built over100 cities, some with sophisticated sanitation systems, big scale architecture and even designed around a modern grid layout. The great modern architect Sir Richard Rogers considers the urban planning of the Indus Valley, while the historian Nayanjot Lahiri looks at how this lost civilisation is remembered - by both modern India and Pakistan.

In Britain, at that time, life was much simpler, although trade links with Europe were well established. For his next item, Neil tells the story of a beautiful piece of jade, shaped into an axe head. It is about 6000 years old and was discovered near Canterbury in Kent but was made in the high Alps. He tells the story of how this object may have been used and traded and how its source was cunningly traced to the heart of Europe

And for his final item in this programme, Neil celebrates the arrival of writing into our history - with a 5000 year old clay tablet from Mesopotamia that deals not in poetry but in describing the local beer. The philosopher John Searle describes what the invention of writing does for the human mind and Britain's top civil servant, Gus O'Donnell, considers the tablet as an example of possibly the earliest bureaucracy


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000hwt3)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


FRI 22:45 The Street, by Ann Petry (m000hws3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m000hvlh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Life on Lockdown (m000hwrx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]