SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER 2023

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001rr06)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Behind These Doors by Alex South (m001rr08)
Episode 5

Behind These Doors is a vividly honest interrogation of what it is like to live and work in the UK prison system. The individuals Alex South introduces us to are, for the most part, living on the margins of society and the impact of the cycles of violence that so often accompany those lives is clear to see.

Alex takes us by the hand, behind the gates and through security into prison cells, and shared kitchens, to meet men who will surprise and shock us in equal measure, as well as prison officers who struggle with the physical and emotional challenges the job presents.

This is an unflinching and eye-opening depiction of life in prison and its many devastating and sometimes inspiring, consequences.

The names, offences and identifying features of all individuals described have been altered.

The opening and closing recordings made in a UK prison are used with kind permission of the Prison Radio Association. Find out more here : https://prison.radio

Written by Alex South
Read by Hattie Morahan
Abridged by Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001rr0b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001rr0d)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001rr0g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001rr0j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001rr0l)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Iwan Russell Jones, a lay reader for the Church in Wales

Bore da – good morning!

Saturday is the big sporting day in the week, isn’t it – for spectators and participants. And whether we’re watching a great event like tonight’s Rugby World Cup Final , or standing on the touchlines applauding our kids’ efforts, or taking part in a game ourselves, it’s an indication of the important place that sport has in our lives.

I love watching my children, and now my grandchildren, playing. They might be dressing up as Robin Hood, or getting stuck in on the football field, making up songs with their friends, or trying to avoid dying another death on PlayStation – but it’s always fantastic to see them completely absorbed in what they’re doing. The game matters to them – it’s a serious business!

It's possible, of course, to think of play as just a frivolous indulgence – fundamentally non-productive, a waste of time. But that’s a big mistake. Educationalists tell us that play is extremely important in a child’s development in all kinds of ways. And it matters to adults, too. Far from being pointless, it’s a glorious expression of human freedom and possibility, individuality and team endeavour, a celebration of life. The American philosopher, Michael Novak, wrote that, if God loves to see humans straining to their utmost to be the best He made them, making moments of imperishable beauty, then He must be a sports fan! That’s a wonderful thought – God our Maker as a sports fan, someone who is there as our companion on the terraces!

We thank you, Creator God, that you love your creation and take delight in all that you have made. Help us to see the world as you see it and to live joyfully, freely and playfully as your children. Amen.


SAT 05:45 Close Encounters (m001mt4j)
Clara Amfo and Amy Winehouse

The seventh of Martha Kearney’s new series celebrating portraits and portraiture through the eyes of ten Great Britons. Her guest is the British radio broadcaster, television presenter, podcast host, Clara Amfo. Her choice is the singer songwriter Amy Winehouse.

After three years of closure for major refurbishment and expansion the National Portrait Gallery, just off London's Trafalgar Square is set for re-opening. To mark the occasion the gallery, along with BBC Radio 4 have launched a celebration of great Briton's, with Martha Kearney hosting a Close Encounter between the likes of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Katherine Grainger and Edward Enninful and a portrait they choose to champion. For Sir Tim Berners-Lee it's the Suffragette campaigner Christabel Pankhurst, for Dame Katherine Grainger it's the first English woman to swim the channel, the largely forgotten Mercedes Gleitze.

In each episode we find out about the subject of the portrait, the moment at which their image was captured for posterity and the importance of image and identity for those who find themselves in the eye of the nation's attention today.

Producers: Tom Alban and Mohini Patel


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001ry5n)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m001rq4p)
Hope Valley with Anita Sethi

In 2019 Anita Sethi was on a trans Pennine train journey when she was racially abused by a man who later pleaded guilty to the offence. During the attack he told her to go back to where she belonged. Having been born and raised in Manchester Anita feels very strongly that the North of England is where she belongs and as a way of working through the shock and trauma of the incident she began a journey through the Pennines on foot beginning at the uplifting and positively named Hope in the Peak District. Clare joins her for a hike in the steep countryside to Edale taking in Mam Tor and Kinder Scout.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001ry5t)
28/10/23 Farming Today This Week: Floods, Beavers, Welsh food producers, Bracken, Livestock marts, Food & Farming award winner.

As communities across the UK recover after widespread flooding brought by Storm Babet, the National Farmers Union is calling on the government to set up a comprehensive water strategy for England to improve flood resilience. They want more investment to stop crops on fertile farmland being washed away.

Wildlife and conservation groups say the English government's approach to re-introducing native species is 'astonishing' after remarks made by the Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey earlier this week. She told MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that management plans for species like beavers and eagles, were not a priority for Defra.

Farmers and food producers been showing off their produce at "Taste Wales", a big trade fair in Newport. We caught up with Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Rural Affairs.

Farmers across the country say they're concerned by the withdrawal of a product used to control bracken. This year Asulox was not approved for use in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and allowed only under emergency authorisation in England. Government rules mean the herbicide would need additional health and safety testing work to be allowed for future use and the company that makes it has decided not to do that. We speak to an expert on bracken.

We visit livestock marts - great and small. Hereford Market is the outskirts of the city and sales have quadrupled since the mart moved to a purpose-built facility 12 years ago. In the Western Isles of Scotland, we visit a livestock mart that only operates a few times a year, but it's a lifeline for crofters.

The Green Farm Collective has been named winner of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards Farming for the Future category.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001ry5y)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001ry62)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001ry66)
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Russell Watson, Philippa Gregory, Rev Kate Bottley

If you’re feeling adventurous this weekend, we have just the guest to inspire you. The world’s greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes joins us – but who inspires him?

Multi-award-winning author of The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory is here to cast a light on the unsung women of history.

The Man....The Voice....The Ostrich-farmer. Opera-singer Russell Watson has ditched his bow-tie to tell us why he’s now just as happy in his overalls.

Plus...we have the Inheritance Tracks of rock and roll reverend...Kate Bottley.

Presenters: Jon Kay and Dawn O'Porter
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001ry69)
Maisie Adam: Rovaniemi, Finland

Shaun, a Santa-like figure himself, considers a freezing cold holiday in Santa's snowy hometown. Maisie Adam is sure he'd love the Northern Lights and the heavy metal bands, the black drinks and reindeer. Which Shaun says would be a great band name. Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence is on hand to tell him more about the nation that is officially the happiest on earth. But would that actually suit Shaun?

Your Place Or Mine is the travel series that isn’t going anywhere. Join Shaun as his guests try to convince him that it’s worth getting up off the sofa and seeing the world, giving us a personal guide to their favourite place on the planet.

Producers: Beth O’Dea and Sarah Goodman.

Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001ry6c)
Pata Pata

Miriam Makeba recorded 'Pata Pata' in 1967 with the help of American producer Jerry Ragovoy. It became a huge hit and Miriam Makeba used newfound fame to speak the injustices of apartheid. Her records were banned and South Africa and she was forced to live in exile. Here, people from around the world share their stories about what this iconic track means to them.

Actor John Kani grew up in Johannesburg remembers dancing to the song when it came on the radio and says that Miriam Makeba became an inspiration for how art could bring about change. He would meet her years later after a concert in New York, and again in Johannesburg after apartheid ended.

Author of 'Makeba: the Miriam Makeba Story', Nomsa Mwamuka, charts the history of 'Pata Pata' and why Makeba would come to see it as "frivilous".

Buks van Heerden is a pace-runner who has completed over 800 marathons. He plays 'Pata Pata' late in the race when the runners he's pacing are getting tired and says it always lifts the mood.

Angelique Kidjo says Miriam Makeba was the first African woman on the cover of an album. Hearing 'Pata Pata' inspired her to perform, and later in life she and Makeba became friends.

Dr. Niyi Coker devised 'Mama Africa: The Musical' in Cape Town when he realised that a younger generation of South Africans weren't aware of Miriam Makeba of her work. 'Pata Pata' would see two generations of 'Miriam' singing together and it would bring the house down.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field
Technical Producer: Ilse Lademann
Editor: Emma Harding

With thanks to Rita Ray, Dr. Niyi Coker, and Moses Molapisane at the BBC bureau in Johannesburg.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001ry6f)
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001ry6h)
Israel, Gaza and the view from the Middle East

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel and Gaza, South Korea and Turkey.

Three years ago the Gulf states of Bahrain and the UAE agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel - and it was Joe Biden's hope that Saudi Arabia would soon join them. But where do the Arab nations stand today amid a new Israel-Gaza conflict, asks the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner.

Reporting on the Israel-Gaza conflict is a particular challenge, as so few journalists currently have access or permission to work in Gaza. As a former BBC correspondent in Gaza, Jon Donnison reflects on the current difficulties of reporting on the reality of life there today.

The trauma of what happened on the 7th of October continues to reverberate in Israel, as those killed during Hamas’ attack are buried. Helping to ensure families are able to bid farewell to their loved ones, is a team of volunteers tasked with recovering the bodies of the dead – a job they see as a religious duty. Joel Gunter has been to meet them.

This weekend marks a bleak anniversary in South Korea, as it was a year ago that revellers gathered in Seoul's party district to celebrate Halloween – only to never return home. A deadly crush that formed during the night, killed 158 people, and injured nearly 200 more. Jean Mackenzie returned to the streets she reported from last year, and meets survivors still looking for answers.

The Republic of Turkey is 100 years old, and Misha Glenny has been recording a series for Radio 4 on the history of the formation of the state. He recounts an incident at Istanbul’s ornate Dolmabahce Palace – the former residence of Ottoman Sultans, and, in his final days, Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Attaturk.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001ry6k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001ry4v)
Loan Sharks and Car Insurance

The official body which tackles loan sharks tells Money Box that for the first time in its almost 20 year history it is seeing people turn to loan sharks to pay for essentials like food and fuel. The England Illegal Money Lending Team investigates and prosecutes loan sharks and supports those threatened by them.
We report from Blackpool and visit a credit union - CLEVR Money - where people can borrow money legally and at reasonable cost.

Why some pensioners may have to pay tax next year on their state pension even if they have no other income.

A cost of living payment of £300 will drop into the bank accounts of people on means-tested benefits from Tuesday - find out who's eligible.

And what's driving a rise in the cost of car insurance?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 28th October, 2023)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m001rqzm)
Series 112

Episode 8

Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news. Providing the answers, hopefully, are Ian Smith, Ria Lina, Hugo Rifkind, and Robin Morgan

In this final episode of the series Andy and the panel discuss some problematic protests, the looming general election, and BRITS IN SPACE!

Written by Andy Zaltzman

With additional material by
Cody Dahler
Mike Shephard
and Adam Greene

Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001ry6m)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001ry6p)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001rqzt)
Dr Halima Begum, Lord Blunkett, Lord Darroch, Lord Hannan

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Victoria Hall, Sheffield with the Chief Executive of ActionAid UK Dr Halima Begum, the Labour peer and former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett, the former UK Ambassador to the US and former National Security Adviser Lord Darroch and the Conservative peer and adviser to the UK Board of Trade Lord Hannan.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Booth


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001ry6r)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week


SAT 14:45 The Planet Earth Podcast (m001rzf1)
1. How do we film wildlife?

Mike Gunton uncovers just what goes into capturing the amazing animal sequences that have featured in the Planet Earth series since 2006. Sir David Attenborough shares what it was like in the field in his earlier days, and discusses how things have changed while filmmakers Jonny Keeling and Justine Evans describe a close call while filming a night-time Lion hunt for the original Planet Earth series. The team behind the upcoming Planet Earth III share some of the impressive stats that go into delivering animal stories from around the world.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001140k)
Lolly Willowes

by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Adapted by Sarah Daniels

Laura ..... Louise Brealey
Titus ..... Hugh Skinner
Henry ..... Robert Bathurst
Caroline ..... Rhiannon Neads
Mrs Leek ..... Ellie Piercy
Satan ..... Sam Dale
Pandora ..... Grace Cooper Milton
Shopkeeper ..... Joseph Ayre
Mr Arbuthnot ..... Shaun Mason

Directed by Sally Avens

Lolly Willowes lives a quietly dull life with her over bearing brother Henry and his family, but when she decides to move to the countryside she discovers a darker calling: witchcraft.

Sylvia Townsend Warner's wondrous novel was her attempt to show the world the unfulfilled potential that was to be found in women who were tied to hearth and home. Women were 'sticks of dynamite' waiting to explode on to the world stage but so often denied the chance. Published in 1926 the novel has been adapted by the feminist playwright, Sarah Daniels. It's a joyously comic ride that defies genre and pulsates with originality.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001ry6t)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Rescuing seal pups, Tell-all celebrity memoirs

Leigh-Anne Pinnock - a name you may know, as a member of one of the biggest girl bands in the world, Little Mix. This year - almost two years since the band announced a hiatus - Leigh-Anne has embarked on her own solo career. She tells Anita Rani about her new memoir Believe, all about her life growing up, what it was really like going through The X Factor and how she found her voice.

Ukraine claims it has identified 20,000 children who it alleges have been abducted by Russia since the start of the war. Arrest warrants have been issued to President Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights. It's the subject of the latest work from film-maker Shahida Tulaganova, who joins us to discuss her ITV documentary Ukraine's Stolen Children.

Lizzi Larbalestier has cared for 139 seals in her home in Cornwall. She also helped set up a new seal hospital with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, and has just won an animal action award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Ruth Birch and Julia Curry are a couple from South Wales. They met as young women in the British Army, but had to leave because of the pressure they were under to lie about their sexuality and conceal their relationship. The stress led to them breaking up, but 20 years later they reunited. They join us to share their story.

Britney Spears has been in the news again after spilling personal stories in a memoir. Are women being pressured to overshare in order to sell books? And are men also expected to publicise their personal lives? Nina Stibbe, whose newest memoir is Went to London, Took the Dog, and Caroline Sanderson, Associate Editor of The Bookseller, joins us to discuss.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lucy Wai


SAT 17:00 PM (m001ry6w)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001ry6y)
The Michelle Donelan One

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology talks to Nick Robinson about the UK's AI summit and how the world can balance protection against AI's dangers and harnessing it for good.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001ry70)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001ry72)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ry74)
The Israeli military says the Gaza City region is now a battlefield. And, a former SNP leadership candidate, Ash Regan, has defected to the rival Alba party.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001ry4x)
Jimmy McGovern, Ian Broudie, Lady Anne Dodd, OMD, Martha Goddard, Kate Robbins, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Kate Robbins are joined by Jimmy McGovern, Lady Anne Dodd, Ian Broudie and Andy McCluskey for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from OMD and Martha Goddard, recorded at Liverpool Everyman Theatre.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001ry48)
Sir Lenny Henry

One of Britain's most popular comedians, Sir Lenny Henry, has spent nearly 50 years in show business. His new TV drama series 'Three Little Birds' is inspired by his mother's generation, who came to Britain from the Caribbean to make a new start in post-Windrush Britain.
Timandra Harkness charts his life from impersonator and stand-up comedian, to Shakespearean actor, scriptwriter and campaigner for diversity in the media. She discovers how his talent as an entertainer was first discovered as a teenager on the disco floor in Dudley, in the West Midlands. Timandra talks to family, friends and colleagues to find out what drives Sir Lenny to keep trying new things.

Presenter: Timandra Harkness
Producer: Sally Abrahams and Natasha Fernandes
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Simon Watts

Archive credits:
Three Little Birds ITV - Douglas Road and Tiger Aspect Productions under Banijay UK
Graham Norton Show
New Faces - Associated Television (1973-1978), ITV Central (1986-1988)
BBC Seaside Special
BBC Comic Relief 1988
Northern Broadsides Othello on Radio 4
BAFTAs Guru 2014 Speech


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m001ry77)
Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog is one of the most idiosyncratic, original and prolific filmmakers of modern times, having made nearly 80 films over six decades. His features include Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre Wrath of God and Rescue Dawn, and his documentaries include the multi award-winning Grizzly Man, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams and Into the Abyss. Werner Herzog productions are the stuff of cinema legend, with stories of audacious shoots in inaccessible locations. He’s also written several books, including a newly published memoir called Every Man For Himself And God Against All.

Speaking to John Wilson from Los Angeles where he lives, Werner Herzog recalls his impoverished childhood in a remote Bavarian valley at the end of the Second World War. He says that, as a teenager, his discovery of a book about the Lascaux cave paintings was ‘like a bolt of lightning’ to his creative imagination, and led to him making a documentary film about prehistoric cave art many years later. He describes how his films often start with a vivid or unusual image, and how he seeks to capture a sense of awe at the power of the natural world. Werner Herzog discusses the extremely arduous and dangerous conditions in which he made some of his best known films, including Fitzcarraldo and four other films starring the temperamentally volatile lead actor Klaus Kinski. Known for his deadpan, Bavarian-accented narration of his own documentary films, Herzog also reflects on how his distinctive voice has led to him being cast in menacing roles in Hollywood films, including Jack Reacher alongside Tom Cruise, and even a cameo in The Simpsons.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001ry79)
The Greyhound Diaries 2023

American singer-songwriter Doug Levitt expected his tour to last just the six weeks printed on the face of the Greyhound pass he bought. The idea was to compose a fuller portrait of the United States by writing songs about the lives and struggles of fellow riders. That was over 15 years, 100 songs and 150,000 miles back.

Travel by Greyhound is a favored lower-cost option for people who are often just scraping by on the margins of society; many living through profound challenges with employment, family relationships, addiction and incarceration. On the bus, after many hours on the road sitting next to a stranger the stories begin to flow. Maybe it’s the hypnotic rumble of the bus wheels beneath. Or sitting side-by-side staring straight ahead into darkness as passing headlights and taillights streak by. Coming from disparate lives, our stories are where we meet, they are the crossroads of human experience.

In 2018, Levitt traveled with radio producer David Goren on a cross-country trip for Greyhound Diaries, and again in 2022 and ‘23. Drawing from more than 75 hours of sound recordings we encounter riders, stations, drivers and highways from New York to California and Minnesota to Texas. We hear from Charmaine, a professional care-giver on her way to a job in Wisconsin; Ricky, a father of 6 who transcended teenage fatherhood and the gang life; Ronald, just released from prison after 15 months for drug dealing; and Melissa, who moved her sons away from a violent neighborhood in Chicago.

Presented by Doug Levitt
Produced by David Goren
Songs and instrumentals by Doug Levitt.


SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vx3f)
Series 6

Episode 3

It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Sir Joseph Olinska MP, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

CAST
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope/ Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov/ Clive Bunter - Matthew Marsh
Leah - Jasmine Hyde
Margaret - Flora - Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Kemp
Pongo - David Ajao
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
Tony Blair - Nigel Cooke
DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Mrs Jinks - Suzan Sylvester
Hamid Afzal - Akbar Kurtha
Magistrate - Nick Sampson

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001rq84)
Series 10

Episode 3

Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes. This week - 'Umble Starmer, Planet Earth III presents All Out War, and The Fall of The House of Sunak.'

The Skewer: Three Twisted Years, a brand new TV version of The Skewer looking back over the last three years is now available on BBC iPlayer.

Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m001ry7c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001rqzr)
Emma Rawicz and Ben Gernon take us from Argentina to Korea

21-year-old saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz, finalist of BBC Young Musician 2022, and conductor Ben Gernon add five more tracks to the playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye. The musical links take them from a Langston Hughes poem set to jazz to a seventies Spanish disco classic via the dusty plains of Argentina.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Life is Fine by Langston Hughes
Estancia/Danzas del Ballet: IV by Alberto Ginastera
Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Baccara
Something to Believe In by Madison Cunningham
Hands Up by Cherry Bullet

Other music in this episode:

Phlox by Emma Rawicz
The A-Team TV theme by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
Gangnam Style by Psy


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001rqq1)
Heat 11, 2023

(11/17)
The penultimate heat of this year's Brain of Britain tournament comes from London's Radio Theatre, with Russell Davies asking the questions. Which Chancellor of the Exchequer is remembered for the phrase 'Je ne regrette rien'? Who painted the canvas known as 'The Night Watch'? And of which reality TV show was Craig Phillips the first ever winner?

There's a place in the semi-finals on offer to the person who notches up the most points today. A listener also stands to win a prize if the questions he or she has devised succeed in Beating the Brains.

Appearing in today's quiz are:
Dan Adler from Surrey
Hazel Humphreys from Essex
Anne McElhinney from South Wales
Richard Pyne from Richmond on Thames.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria

Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Uncanny (m0011bgy)
Series 1

Classic Case: The Todmorden UFO

Retired policeman Alan Godfrey tells us the story of the case that has obsessed him for his whole life. When Alan tries to solve a weird and seemingly impossible murder in the small northern town of Todmorden, it leads to a bizarre UFO sighting and then a strange and sinister government cover up that ends up affecting Alan’s life.

Danny Robins explores if there is real evidence of extra-terrestrial visits to Earth. Did Alan genuinely have an alien encounter and, if not, why were the real-life ‘men in black’ from the government so interested?

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: David Clarke and Colin Lyall
Editor and Sound Designer: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Lanterns on the Lake
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001ry7f)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Rethinking Music (m001k7v4)
Sounding the Future

What could the future of music education in the UK look like? In the final part of the series Soweto Kinch looks at how to keep music education relevant to today's world and tomorrow's musicians.

How are we going to ensure that systemic barriers to music are reduced? We visit Tomorrow’s Warriors, a jazz scheme in London that has diversity at its core, and is building bridges with conservatoires and the industry. The charity Youth Music argues that the curriculum could better cater to the young people of today by reflecting their passions and making it more relevant to today’s world. Ben Turner, a former classroom music teacher, tells us how his cohort of students completely changed his approach to education, and how a lunchtime Rap Club ended up forging a path for them into the industry. At DJ School UK in Leeds, we dig into the inclusivity of technology, and reconsider the way music is taught. Soweto asks how access to music and the way we teach it could change the cultural landscape of Britain.

Soweto Kinch looks at music education across the UK and assesses how cutbacks and policy changes over the years are playing out. What impact is decades of underfunding going to have on our economy, culture, and children's development? How are new National Plans for Music announced last year going to address the situation across the UK? Reflecting on his own route to music, Soweto asks what music education could look like, and how much it matters if we don't get it right. Contributors include Nicola Benedetti, Anna Meredith, Nubya Garcia, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin and a range of music professionals and providers across the UK.

Produced by Megan Jones and Amelia Parker

Photo: Tomorrow's Warriors (credit Graeme Miall)


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ry7h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ry7k)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ry7m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001ry7p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001ry53)
The Minster Church of St Mary’s in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Bells on Sunday, comes from Minster Church of St Mary’s in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The Minster is the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham. The upper part of the tower is 12th century and houses a ring of twelve bells which were cast by the John Taylor foundry of Loughborough in 2017. The Tenor weighs twenty one and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of A. We hear them ringing Cambridge Surprise Maximus.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001ry48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001ry2t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (m001ry2w)
Waiting for the Barbarians

Mark Tully draws on CP Cavafy’s famous poem Waiting for the Barbarians. He asks if Cavafy was right to suggest that every culture and community needs a sense of The Barbarian outside the gate in order to give meaning to its sense of identity and civilisation.
First broadcast in 2005.

A Unique Broadcasting Company production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001ry2y)
New ventures at Goldsland Farm

Abi Reader is a well-known figure in the farming community, frequently in the media especially in her current role as Deputy President of NFU Cymru. She's also a third generation farmer at Goldsland Farm in Glamorganshire, where daily life goes on apace with a 200-strong dairy herd, sheep, beef cattle and 120 acres of arable land. Like many however, Abi’s current focus is on making the farm future-proof. Emissions and inputs need reducing and new markets need to be explored. To that end, Abi is getting into agroforestry – growing trees and intercropping them with a plant species new to UK farms, called sida. Sida is perennial, produces high protein forage that could potentially replace soya and has woody stems which are good for turning into nitrogen-fixing biochar. Alongside these pioneering endeavours, Abi also finds herself erecting a polytunnel in an attempt to start growing vegetables for her local community – something she’s not entirely sure she’s going to enjoy! She's also a fierce advocate for the upcoming generation, and on the day Verity Sharp visits Goldsland Farm, she meets the young farmers Abi has currently taken under her wing.

Produced and presented by Verity Sharp


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001ry30)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001ry32)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001ry34)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001ry36)
Inside Justice

Actor Tom Conti makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Inside Justice.

To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- 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 ‘Inside Justice’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Inside Justice’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Registered charity number: 1178336


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001ry38)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001ry3b)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001ry3d)
Sung Morning Prayer for All Saints

A Service of Sung Morning Prayer for All Saints, live from St Gabriel's Church, Pimlico.

Worship is not just with God’s people on earth, but is always part of the greater worship of God in heaven. Today, as the Church approaches All Saints Day, Christians celebrate all God’s saints and remember their brothers and sisters who have gone before them.

The service is led by the parish priest, Fr Owen Higgs and the preacher is the Bishop of Fulham, Jonathan Baker. The music is led by the London-based youth choir, Inner Voices, directed by Ed Watkins.

Producer: Andrew Earis


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001rqzw)
Red Squirrel Good?

Sara Wheeler challenges the idea that there's an equivalence between loving nature and being a good person.

'This queerly opaque idea has embedded itself in the collective subconscious since Granny Smiths ripened in the Garden of Eden,' writes Sara, 'but recent concerns have raised its stock.'

She argues that the logic of that is flawed.

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03x45lf)
Snow Goose

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

Bill Oddie presents the snow goose. Snow geese breed in the Canadian Arctic and fly south in autumn to feed. Their migrations are eagerly awaited and the arrival of thousands of these white geese with black-wingtips is one of the world’s great wildlife spectacles. Here, on the opposite side of the Atlantic, snow geese are seen every year, often with flocks of other species such as white-fronted geese. Snow geese are commonly kept in captivity in the UK, and escaped birds can and do breed in the wild. So, when a white shape turns up amongst a flock of wild grey geese, its origins are always under scrutiny.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001ry3g)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001ry3k)
Writer: Daniel Thurman
Director: Marina Caldarone

Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer …. Blayke Darby
Lilian Bellamy ….. Sunny Ormonde
Lee Bryce ….. Ryan Early
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Mia Grundy ….. Molly Pipe
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Jakob Hakansson ….. Paul Venables
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Azra Malik ….. Yasmin Wilde
Adil Shah ….. Ronny Jhutti
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001ry3m)
Professor Dame Lesley Regan, obstetrician and gynaecologist

Professor Dame Lesley Regan is the Government’s first Women’s Health Ambassador for England. She is one of the main drivers behind the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy which aims to tackle the gender health gap and improve services for women.

As a former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – only the second woman to hold that post in its 94-year history – she shone a light on historically taboo subjects from period problems and contraception to the menopause.

Lesley was born in London in 1956. When she was seven she told her father that she wanted to be a doctor and although the sciences weren’t her strongest subjects at school, she won a place at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School in London in 1975.

In 1991 she was appointed a senior lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital in London and consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The following year she set up the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic at St Mary’s which is the largest miscarriage referral service in the world.

In 2020 she was appointed a DBE for services to women’s healthcare.

DISC ONE: Mr Bojangles – Nina Simone
DISC TWO: Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp. Composed by Mahler and performed by Berliner Philharmoniker
DISC THREE: Agnus Dei. Composed by Bach and performed by Iestyn Davies, (counter-tenor), The English Consort, conducted by Harry Bicket
DISC FOUR: I Cried for You - Katie Melua
DISC FIVE: Norma: Act I, Scene 1: Casta diva (Norma/Coro) Composed by Vincenzo Bellini and performed by Maria Callas (soprano), The Teatro Alla Scala Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
DISC SIX: The Best – Tina Turner
DISC SEVEN: Metamorpheme – Shakespeare and the Bible
DISC EIGHT: Clarinet Concerto In A, K. 622 - II. Adagio. Composed by Mozart and performed by Karl Leister (clarinet) and Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert Von Karajan

BOOK CHOICE: The Works of George Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: Marmite on toast
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Best – Tina Turner

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001ry3p)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001rqr6)
Series 2

Episode 8 - Andover

Who's the most famous man to have been educated in Andover? What was the QE2 supposed to be called? And who is the only actor to appear in all of the top-three highest-grossing movies of all time? This week, Paul Sinha is in Andover to test his audience's knowledge on these questions, and more.

Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience

Original music: Tim Sutton

Sound engineer: David Thomas

Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:32 Food and Farming Awards (m001ry3r)
Food and Farming Awards 2023

BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023: First Course

Join Sheila Dillon from the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport for the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023.

In this first episode from the ceremony, we hear the winners of awards including Best Food Producer, Best Drinks Producer and the brand new for 2023 Digital Creator Award.

Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001ry3v)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001ry3x)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Gangster (p0gjb2wf)
Killing Death Row

Killing Death Row: 2. How to Kill the Killers

Welcome to the Allan Polunsky unit in Huntsville, Texas, where Livvy Haydock meets a murderer with three weeks to live. This killer will die by lethal injection; we talk to the inventor of that jab, and learn how it was hailed by some as a humane solution for a modern death penalty.

Join Livvy Haydock as she takes us deep into Death Row in the USA. While support for the Death Penalty in the US remains at over 50 per cent, there’s been a steady decline in the number of executions – from the modern era peak of 98 in 1999 to just 20 in 2023 so far. Only a handful of states actually carry out the killings. It’s even become more difficult for executioners to get hold of the drugs used in lethal injections, which is what led Livvy Haydock to a surreal story about a man in Acton, West London, who was supplying these lethal drugs to state penitentiaries in the US, and on to the macabre world of Death Row – and the people who live, work, and die on it.

Whether it’s the bizarre hunt for new lethal injection supplies, or the tip of the glasses that mark an executioner’s signal, Livvy goes right behind the scenes into the chamber itself to examine the pressures on the system that have left just 5 US states actively carrying out executions this year and around 2,400 Death Row prisoners in limbo. We’ll hear from an inmate waiting to die, and one saved at the last moment. We’ll chat to the wardens who make it happen, and the campaigners who want to stop it. And throughout it all, we’ll discover the possible future for Death Row in the only western democracy still carrying out capital punishment.

Presenter: Livvy Haydock
Series producer: Anna Meisel
Sounds design and mix: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production coordinator: Janet Staples


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001rqyr)
Mottistone Gardens, Isle of Wight

What’s the best way to protect my terracotta plant pots from frost? What should I do if I spot an Asian hornet in my garden? What tall plants can I grow that are resistant to snails?

Kathy Clugston and her team of horticultural experts visit the peaceful, Mottistone Gardens on the Isle of Wight for a postbag edition of the programme, where they answering your questions from the inbox.

Kathy's joined by organic gardener Bob Flowerdew, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood, and curator of RHS Wisley Matthew Pottage. And taking our panel on a tour around the magical gardens while offering his own advice is Senior Gardener, Ed Hinch.

Producer: Dom Tyerman

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Hannah Newton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001ry40)
She Who Was No More

John Yorke looks at the 1952 psychological suspense novel from French crime-writing team Boileau-Narcejac. The plot centres around travelling salesman Ferdinand Ravinel who conspires a plot with his mistress Lucienne to murder his wife. After the icily dark bathtub murder, Ravinel’s wife Lucienne’s body strangely disappears- and so begins Ravinel’s psychological unravelling.

Noted for the ingenuity of their plots and narrative twists, this was the first novella from duo Boileau-Narcejac. The pair are credited with creating an authentically French subgenre of crime fiction and a number of their works were adapted for the screen - She Who Was No More became the 1955 cinematic classic Les Diaboliques, followed by Alfred Hitchcock’s adaption of Vertigo in 1958.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. From EastEnders to the Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book ‘Into the Woods’. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.

Contributors:
Claire Gorrara, Professor of French & Dean of Research and Innovation at Cardiff University, specialised in post-war French crime fiction
Ginette Vincendeau, Professor of Film Studies at King’s College London

Readings by Matthew Gravelle

Credits
Les Diaboliques. 1955 film by Henri-Georges Clouzot, produced by Arrow Films

Produced by Lucy Hough
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
Sound by Sean Kerwin
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001ry42)
She's Not There

Dominic Power's adaptation of Boileau-Narcejac’s mesmerising thriller Celle qui n’etait plus. A story of toxic love and betrayal. A maze of deceit and shifting allegiance, where no-one can ever be sure who is the victim.

Fernand ….. John Heffernan
Lucie ….. Emma Fielding
Mariel ….. Lyndsey Marshal
Max ….. Ewan Bailey
Gautier ….. Gerard McDermott
Gendarme/Driver ….. Hasan Dixon

Directed by Tracey Neale

She’s Not There brings the world of post-war French noir to Radio 4. This adaptation of Boileau-Narcejac’s mesmerising thriller Celle qui n’était plus from 1952 is a tour de force, melding a study of the French psyche after occupation, with a story of toxic love and betrayal. Its plot is a masterpiece of deception and misdirection. It became the basis of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic film, Les Diaboliques.

The story revolves around a ménage à trois, as a husband, his wife and his/her lover, play an elaborate charade of infidelity and murder. Fernand is a controlling narcissist, his wife, Mariel is devout, driven by desperation, while Lucie is the enigmatic figure in both their lives. All three are caught in a maze of deceit and shifting allegiance, where no-one can ever be sure just who is the victim.

This first British radio adaptation of Celle qui n’était plus will introduce listeners to the addictive world of Boileau-Narcejac. The intimacy of audio heightens the story’s atmosphere of unease and shock and the adaptation’s music, melancholy or with an aura of cheerfulness, mocks the dangerous liaisons of the trio.

Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac reinvented the French crime novel, exploring the frustrations of post-war France through dark humour and devilishly ingenious plots, which work as a kind of literary trompe l'oeil. On its publication Celle qui n’était plus enjoyed phenomenal success. Alfred Hitchcock was eager to film it but lost out to Clouzot. Their 1954 novel D'entre les morts became the basis for Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Vertigo.

Dominic Power was an Associate Director and Editor for Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. He created new versions of All’s Well That Ends Well, Two Gentleman of Verona, A Comedy of Errors, as well Sheridan’s A School for Scandal and Middleton and Rowley’s The Changeling. He collaborated with Andrew Hilton on a new, updated version of Moliere’s Tartuffe. Work for radio includes adaptations of Northanger Abbey and The History Man. For Drama on 3 Dominic collaborated with Sarah Hall on The Strangers’ Will and an adaptation of Sarah’s acclaimed novel, The Carhullan Army. Dominic wrote the libretto for Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour’s opera The Doll Behind the Curtain, which was produced at the Theatre Royal, Copenhagen and was released on CD this year.

John Heffernan (Fernand) played Benedick in the National Theatre’s Much Ado About Nothing last year. His television credits include A Gentleman in Moscow and This Town. Recent radio includes 50 Berkeley Square and A Room with a View.

Emma Fielding (Lucie) was in the RSC’s A Museum in Baghdad and her television credits include Sanditon and Van Der Valk. Recent radio The Cherry Orchard for Drama on 3.

Lyndsey Marshal (Mariel) was in The Bridge Theatre’s A Christmas Carol and Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse. Television includes Dracula and Inside Man and recent radio Joseph Andrews Revisited.

Ewan Bailey, Gerard McDermott and Hasan Dixon are currently on the Radio Drama Company.

Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001ry44)
AI and the Novel

Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts present a special edition of the programme exploring AI and the novel.

Recorded at the London Literary Festival at the Southbank Centre; novelists Naomi Alderman, Adam Thirlwell and Julianne Pachico join Elizabeth and Johny on stage to discuss depictions of AI in their fiction – and what AI might mean for fiction.

Naomi Alderman’s new novel, The Future, is the tale of a daring heist hatched in the hope of saving the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it. Adam Thirlwell’s The Future, Future takes us from the salacious gossip of pre-revolutionary Paris to a utopian lunar commune, and Julianne Pachico tells the story of a young girl raised by artificial intelligence in her novel Jungle House.

Sound Engineers: Emma Harth and Duncan Hannet
Producer: Kirsten Locke

Book List – Sunday 29 October and Thursday 2 November

The Future by Naomi Alderman
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The Future Future by Adam Thirlwell
Jungle House by Julianne Pachico
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
Ulysses by James Joyce
A Mote in the Middle Distance: A Parody of Henry James by Max Beerbohm
The Inheritors by William Golding


SUN 16:30 The Exploding Library (m001ry46)
Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter

“Am I fact or am I fiction?”

So asks the six-foot-something winged woman, Fevvers, the acclaimed aerialiste at the heart of Angela Carter’s epic, Nights at the Circus. It’s a question that has haunted almost every performer who’s stepped onto a stage and seen their ‘real’ self and ‘stage’ selves blur.

Yet a woman with wings with the world at her feet is almost run-of-the-mill in this extravaganza. There’s dancing tigers, murderous clowns, shamanic visions in the Siberian wilderness, and the odd pair of stinky tights.

Labels and genres are flung around - gothic, magical realism, fantasy - but the book, like Angela Carter’s writing in general, evades categorisation at every turn. Twist the kaleidoscope and another vision emerges, twist again and the human condition is re-revealed.

Kiri Pritchard Maclean runs off with the circus to consider the performer underneath the greasepaint, and find out what happens when the performance comes to an end. (Plus chickens).

With contributions from:
Dr Marie Mulvey Roberts, UWE
Dr Caleb Ferrari, UWE
Dr Becky Munford, Cardiff University
Emma Rice, Director of Wise Children,
and Susannah Clapp, Carter's literary executor and author of A Card from Angela Carter

Producer: Leonie Thomas
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
---

Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.

As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Angela Carter, BS Johnson and Octavia Butler, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.

Featuring the comedic voices of Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Rob Auton and Desiree Burch, and featuring the work of award-winning producers Leonie Thomas, Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), and Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat), this is an arts documentary series like no other.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001rqrl)
The Anatomy of a Fraud

File on 4 highlights one fraud phone call, in order to shine a light on how scammers work. A man rings a company pretending to be from the bank. How does he persuade a victim he is legitimate? We consider the psychological, financial and emotional impact fraud has on those involved, and we hear from experts hunting the perpetrators.

Producer: Vicky Carter
Reporter: Iona Bain
Technical Producer: Kelly Young
Production Coordinators: Tim Fernley and Jordan King
Editor: Clare Fordham


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001ry48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001ry4b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001ry4d)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001ry4g)
The United Nations warns civil order is beginning to collapse in Gaza.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001ry4j)
Pat Nevin

This week Pat Nevin is mired in crime; we've got a scam lasting 50 years, a very convincing phone call in The Anatomy of a Fraud and filmmaker - sorry, writer - Werner Herzog shamelessly stealing his first movie camera, as related to John Wilson in This Cultural Life. We're also celebrating the life of Bobby Charlton, reminiscing about first dates and hearing personal stories from this caught in the conflict in the Middle East.

Presenter: Pat Nevin
Producer: Jessica Treen
Production Coordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001ry4l)
Paul’s had enough of Josh and Lily bickering. Lily wants to host a Halloween party, but Josh doesn’t want the hassle. They apologise to Paul. He doesn’t think their banter creates a good atmosphere and they promise to tone it down. They’ve agreed on a party plan too.

Denise arrives at The Stables with a favour to ask. She explains to Paul that Uncle Rufus is coming to stay. She asks Paul if she can stay with him because she can’t face being in the same house as Uncle Rufus. She’s told her husband she’s away on a course in Bradford. Paul thinks it would be wiser to be honest, but Denise doesn’t want Paul putting the record straight. Paul is sure Josh and Lily will love having Denise around for a while. Besides, they owe him anyway.

Tony tells Brian that Lee has left following his break-up with Helen. Brian wonders if Rob’s got anything to do with it, but Tony doesn’t think so, at least not on the surface. Their attention turns to some robotic farm tech that Stella’s keen on, until Brian’s phone rings. Brian bids goodbye to Tony and answers the call, which is from Rob. Later, Brian lets Tony know that Rob rang to ask if he would be his sponsor for Rob’s baptism. Brian tells Tony not to worry, he told Rob to get lost. Tony wonders at the significance of Rob approaching Brian. Brian thinks there’s nothing to it, and it’s best to stay well clear. But Tony’s set on doing something. He just needs to decide what that will be.


SUN 19:15 Agendum (m0009bp4)
Series 2

Good Luck Everybody

A current affairs parody and stupidly feasible visit to the 24-hour Hall Of Opinion Mirrors, helmed by helmster Alexandra Palisades, in this parody created by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris. Because there are two stories to every story.

In this show, we save some succulents, stir the financial soup and discover whether Britain will be better off under a cheese and tomato sandwich.

With Carrie Quinlan as Alexandra Palisades and, at the very least, the voices of:

Justin Edwards
Melanie Hudson
Simon Kane
Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jess Robinson
Kerry Shale
Luke Sumner

Produced by David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:45 The State of the Art (m001ry4q)
1: The Reinvention of Giles Flint-Greenfield

Ed Stoppard kicks off William Boyd's savagely funny short story series skewering the contemporary art world.

Giles Flint-Greenfield, a St James' art dealer with a penchant for post-war British watercolours, is finding his world rather small. But when Ludo Abernathy, an old and far more successful art dealer friend, cuts him in on the mother of a deal, new and potentially terrifying horizons open up for him in East London. All too soon Giles has swapped his tweed for black leather, and St James’ for a car maintenance shop, and is feeling very much out of his depth among the art lovers of Leyton. Not least because he isn’t quite sure how Ludo is making him so much money….

Reader: Ed Stoppard. Other readers in the series: Tom Hollander, Adrian Scarborough, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Hayley Atwell.
Writer: William Boyd is the author of 17 novels, including A Good Man in Africa, winner of the Whitbread Literary Award and the Somerset Maugham Award; An Ice Cream War, winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and shortlisted for the Booker prize; Any Human Heart, winner of the Prix Jean Monnet; and Restless, winner of the Costa Novel of the Year
Producer: Justine Willett


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001rqz4)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001rqz0)
Sir Bobby Charlton, Dr Evelyn Fox Keller, Julian Bahula, Haydn Gwynne

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Bobby Charlton, who is hailed as England’s greatest ever footballer.

Dr. Evelyn Fox Keller, who explored the effects of gender on the study of science.

Julian Bahula, the South African musician and anti- apartheid activist

And Haydn Gwynne, the versatile actor known for her roles in Billy Elliott and The Audience on stage and The Windsors and Drop the Dead Donkey on screen. Andy Hamilton pays tribute.

Producer: Ed Prendeville


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001ry4v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001ry36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001ry4x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001ry4z)
Leila Nathoo is joined by the Shadow Cabinet Minister Darren Jones, Conservative MP and former Digital Minister, Matt Warman, plus foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston, from the Policy Exchange think tank. The discuss the latest developments in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the tensions exposed in UK politics - especially over calls for a ceasefire. Ahead of the government's AI summit at Bletchley Park, Leila also interviews the renowned computer scientist, Professor Dame Wendy Hall, but about the potential benefits and risks of the new technology. Cat Neilan - political editor at Tortoise Media - brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001rq7h)
Identity Labels

Is it moral to attach identity labels to ourselves and others? We often label people by nationality, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability and many more categories. Is this a good and helpful or something that should be avoided?

The King has said that he wants the UK to be ‘a community of communities’, whereas some commentators have said that this is a call for permanent racial division in our society. Have the use of labels increased or diminished racism and other forms of prejudice society?

Labels can identify an individual as a member of a collective. Others want the unique identity of each of us to be respected for its differences from everyone else. If our loyalty should be to a group, should that group be defined by the colour of its skin, its politics or its passports?

Panellists: Giles Fraser, Sonia Sodha, Tim Stanley & Ash Sarkar
Producer: Peter Everett

MONDAY 30 OCTOBER 2023

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001ry51)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m001rq6n)
Intersections

Intersections - Laurie Taylor talks to world-renowned, Black feminist scholar, Patricia Hill Collins, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Maryland and author of a new study looking at how violence differentially affects people according to their sex, class, sexuality, nationality, and ethnicity. These invisible workings of overlapping power relations give rise to what she terms 'lethal intersections,' where the risk of death is much greater for some than others. Drawing on a rich tapestry of cases she asks us to think about what counts as violence today and what can be done about it.

They’re joined by Joyce Jiang, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at the University of York, whose latest research examines abuses against female migrant domestic workers in the UK which include long working hours, harsh working conditions, but also verbal, physical and sexual abuses.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001ry53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001ry55)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001ry57)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001ry59)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001ry5c)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001ry5f)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Iwan Russell Jones, a lay reader for the Church in Wales

Bore da, good morning!

I vividly remember starting my first proper job, after way too many years as a student. When I arrived for work on the first day my new boss congratulated me on being selected out of hundreds of applicants. But then, with impeccable timing, he added – “… of course, you were the compromise candidate”. It was a good joke and I laughed along with him. But then… was it a joke? For all I knew, it was true, and I was not the number one choice. It certainly put me on notice that I’d better get my act together and justify the faith that had been placed in me.

Starting new things – whether it’s a new job, a new challenge, a new relationship, or simply a new week – can be exciting and exhilarating. But, if you’re anything like me, it can be daunting and intimidating, too. Am I up to the task? Will I be unmasked as an imposter? Can I stay the course? Do I have what it takes?

Unfortunately, there’s no answer to these questions other than by getting started. That’s the only way of finding out. I’m encouraged by what many coaches tell their athletes - it’s not just how you start that matters, but how you finish. This is actually an image that is used by the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews in the New Testament, and it reminds me of my need for commitment, integrity and getting on with the tasks that have been entrusted to me:

God of new beginnings, be with us on our journeys and keep us faithful in the way we live. Help us to run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001ry5j)
30/10/23 - Trail hunting, diversity in farming and hedgerows in winter

It's hunting season. Though hunting - chasing wild mammals with dogs - is illegal in England, Scotland and Wales, hunts will still meet up and down the country. They are trail or drag hunts - two different ways of hunting without doing anything illegal. In drag hunting the hounds follow a non-animal scent laid by a drag pulled on a string, in trail hunting they follow an animal scent. Critics say trail hunting can be used as a smokescreen for illegal hunting, and it's been banned by some landowners, including the National Trust and suspended by others, like the Forestry Commission. We find out how it works.

Farming needs to do more to attract people from diverse backgrounds into the industry - according to a Nuffield Farming report from cattle vet, Dr Navaratnam Patheeban. He says that while 17 per cent of the population are black or people of colour, they represent just 0.8 per cent of people in farming.

And hedges were originally a way of marking boundaries, keeping stock safe and providing firewood. Now they're recognised for their benefits to wildlife and grants are available for farmers to plant new, and improve old, hedges. We visit the Barker family's farm in Suffolk, where they have invested heavily in researching the right hedge for the right place, creating wildlife corridors.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


MON 05:56 Weather (m001ry5p)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkdpz)
Pink-Footed Goose

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

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Pink-Footed Goose. To see and hear a skein of pink-footed geese as they fly from their roost on coastal mudflats to feed inland is a stirring experience. In winter the British Isles hosts well over half the global population of pinkfeet.


MON 06:00 Today (m001ry9c)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001ry9f)
Soundtrack to life

The American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant often uses fictional or mythological characters in her songs, to capture contemporary and political concerns. Her latest album, Keep Your Courage, is a song cycle composed entirely of love songs. She tells Kirsty Wark she wanted to explore the isolation of illness and the power of care, felt in the last few years.

In his new book, Musical Truth, the educator and broadcaster Jeffrey Boakye creates a soundtrack that encapsulates key historical moments of the 20th and 21st century – from the carving up of Africa to feminism and football. Using jazz, disco and hip hop he explores how music both feeds into and mirrors its time, as well as its political and cultural impact.

But the writer Michel Faber is more interested in how music affects the individual. In a collection of essays, Listen: On Music, Sound and Us, he explores what’s going on inside when we listen to a whole range of tunes. And he asks two questions: how do we listen to music and why?

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 How to Spot Potential (m001ry9n)
Sporting success

Kate Mason looks at how potential can be assessed in the world of professional football with Brentford FC player Michael Olakigbe and talent spotter Lee Dykes.

From cycling Dan Bigham tells us how the potential of technology helped him take on the professionals.

Cricketing broadcaster and Director of women’s cricket at Surrey, Ebony Rainford Brent, discusses the Ace programme which helps young people from a range of backgrounds find their potential as cricketers.

And we also go back to the 1970s to discover a technique to help us improve our own sporting potential. That idea has now also been widely adopted in business.

Presenter : Kate Mason.
Producer : Julian Siddle


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ry9k)
Bianca Williams, Sandra Hüller, Living with your parents too long

Bianca Williams and her partner, fellow athlete Ricardo dos Santos, were stopped outside their home in London in July 2020. They had their three-month-old baby with them in their car. Both were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons. None were found and neither was arrested. A police Misconduct Hearing was held involving the five officers present. Last week that hearing found that two Met officers must be sacked as the stop and search was found to have amounted to gross misconduct - allegations against three other officers were not proven. The two officers have since been dismissed. Bianca joins Krupa Padhy to discuss how she's been affected by the experience.

Living at home too long - An Italian court has ruled that a 75-year-old Italian woman can evict her “big baby” sons in their 40s. So how long is too long to live at home? We talk to Journalist Adriana Urbano.

Actor Sandra Hüller on her two Oscar nominations for roles in Anatomy of the Fall – where she plays a wife suspected of murdering her husband - and The Zone of Interest where she plays Hedwig Höss, the wife of a Nazi commander.

Amina Noor from London was found guilty at the Old Bailey last week of taking a three-year-old British child to Kenya for female genital mutilation in 2006. We talk to Jaswant Narwal the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London North on the wider implications of the case.

And Ellen Miller from Refuge, tells Krupa about her concerns for survivors of domestic abuse and stalking now that GP practices across England have been instructed to grant access to patients' medical records through the NHS app and other online portals.

Presenter: Krupa Padhy
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Sue Maillot


MON 11:00 Fed with Chris van Tulleken (m001ry9p)
Series 1: Planet Chicken

1. The Invention Of Chicken

Dr Chris van Tulleken is on a mission to find out what we’re eating, why, and who or what might be influencing our decisions. And he’s starting his quest to uncover food truths with the most eaten meat in the world, and one of the most numerous animals on our planet: chicken

He’s recently been forced to confront a serious gap in his food knowledge - what happens before it gets to our plates - and has decided this, the world’s most popular meat, is an ideal starting point.

Chris’ initial investigations reveal the vast scale of modern chicken consumption; and how a once revered jungle fowl was manipulated to become a modern food success story, a fast-growing heavy-breasted beast to feed the masses.

Now, he's torn: is this a triumph of human ingenuity – or the creation of a monster?

Produced by Lucy Taylor and Emily Knight.

Archive audio:
'Chicken of Tomorrow' (1948) from the Prelinger Archive.
'Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas' (1975) from the BBC.


MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001rq70)
In denial

Bad behaviour and big mistakes can destroy careers and even entire businesses if they're not addressed quickly, so why do some companies and their leaders try to downplay or even deny them?

Evan Davis and guests discuss the culture of defensiveness and denial that exists in some organisations, from the private to the public and charity sectors.

A former Oxfam worker describes how she was forced to blow the whistle on widespread sexual exploitation and abuse inside the charity, and the panel explores the ways in which leaders can tackle wrongdoing and encourage their teams to call it out.

Evan is joined by:

Helen Evans, former head of global safeguarding at Oxfam, now CEO of Cavernoma Alliance UK:
John Higgins, researcher on workplace activism and author of “Speak Up: Say What Needs to Be Said and Hear What Needs to Be Heard”;
Sarah Miller, CEO of Principia Advisory.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Graham Puddifoot and Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinators: Gemma Ashman and Sophie Hill

(Picture: A businessman with his head in the sand. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001rybs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001ry9y)
First-time Buyers, Safe Hands Investigation and Garden 'Pub-sheds'

As first time buyer woes mount up, is home owning just for elites now?

How a flat-owners energy contract was taken away from her by a mistaken click of someone else's mouse.

Some of the 46 thousand people who bought funeral care from a collapsed company still have had no idea it has gone into administration - why?

Competition for the Pub Shed of the Year 2023 is more intense than ever, we'll hear from last year's winner

So, the government will pay us £7500 to fit a heat pump - tempted?

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: KEVIN MOUSLEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m001ryb0)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001ryb2)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


MON 13:45 The Cows Are Mad (m001ryb4)
6. Stray Burger

Mother Christine Lord becomes obsessed with the now infamous episode of agriculture minister John Gummer feeding his daughter a beef burger on TV in 1990. She wants to know what killed her son - and beef is the prime suspect. But as she investigates, she finds all is not as it seems.

Three decades on from the incident, John Gummer casts doubt on the widely-believed story that infected beef is what caused vCJD in humans.

Written, presented and produced by Lucy Proctor


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001ry4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 This Cultural Life (m001ry77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001ryb6)
Heat 12, 2023

(12/17)
Russell Davies chairs the twelfth and last of the 2023 heats, with four quizzers from around the UK vying for the one remaining place in the semi-finals. Will they know who led the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which country Dame Sandra Mason is President of, and what the title of the first ever episode of Dr Who was?

The contest comes from the Radio Theatre in central London and the contenders are:
Sue Brooks from Broadstairs
David Hopkins from mid-Suffolk
Graham McNeilly from Tunbridge Wells
Elizabeth Mowbray from East London.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 Food and Farming Awards (m001ry3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 How to Play (m001pfb7)
Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' with the Heath Quartet

The Heath Quartet invites us behind the scenes as they get ready to perform Schubert's poignant "Death and the Maiden" string quartet, one of the great pillars of the chamber music repertoire.

At their living room rehearsal, we eavesdrop on violinists Sara Wolstenholme and Juliette Roos, viola player Gary Pomeroy and cellist Christopher Murray as they tackle Schubert's tricky technical corners, test out different interpretations, and share the joys and challenges of working on this beloved piece as an ensemble. Also, music researcher Katy Hamilton tells us the backstory to this epic work and why Schubert had mortality on his mind as he wrote it.

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West

Photo: The Heath Quartet (credit Kaupo Kikkas)


MON 16:30 The Digital Human (m001ryb9)
Series 30

Cursed

Emails from friends should be safe. From a trusted friend especially. Hey, Aleks, check out this cool attachment. The message is a bit brief, sure, but you check that it isn’t a phishing account masquerading as a friend, it doesn’t seem like a hack. And the image, Smile.JPG, sounds like it might be something silly but cute. So ok, you open it up.

And you see… dog… smiling. A smiling dog, with human teeth.

Now the dog haunts your dreams, with it’s terrible human but inhuman smile, promising to leave you be if only you’d ‘spread the word’.

For this Halloween Aleks traces the origin of curses in the online world, discovering what Smile Dog reveals about our subconscious fears, our own culpability in sharing anything and everything online, and how the evolution, and disintegration, of this iconic curse sheds light onto something deeper - the rot of the internet itself, and the possibility that we may all now exist within a cursed internet.


MON 17:00 PM (m001rybc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001rybk)
One of the hostages has criticised her country's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu


MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001rybm)
Series 2

Episode 9 - Ipswich

Can AI write a good pub quiz? Paul Sinha finds out in this episode, recorded in Ipswich.

Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Chat GPT
Additional questions: The Audience

Original music: Tim Sutton

Sound engineer: David Thomas

Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001rybp)
While doing a routine health check at Berrow pig unit, Paul tells Hannah that his mum is staying, so he’s sleeping on the sofa. He invites Hannah to join his quiz team tonight, but she doesn’t fancy it. Meanwhile, on another part of the unit, Jazzer recommends the Grundys’ Halloween Trail to Alistair because he looks like he could do with a laugh. Jazzer reports that Hannah still hasn’t found anywhere to live locally. If she ends up moving away he’ll be gutted.

After the vet visit, Hannah says she needs to be realistic about her future. She was thinking Jazzer should take on her role if she leaves. Jazzer says he does pigs, not paperwork.

At the pub, Stella’s disappointed that it’s only her and Paul on their quiz team. When Hannah turns up, she says she’ll make up the numbers, but doesn’t plan on joining in. Hannah and Stella meet one another properly before Hannah ends up providing plenty of quiz answers.

After the quiz, Paul, Stella and Hannah celebrate winning the first prize of bar credit. While Paul gets the drinks in, Hannah explains her homeless situation. Stella mentions the Bungalow has a spare room, but then pulls back saying it would actually be a decision for Brookfield. Hannah understands and presumes it’s a no-go. Meanwhile, outside the pub, Alistair tells Jazzer he knows Denise is staying at The Stables, but hasn’t yet gone over to say hello. Jazzer says Hannah would recommend him for her Berrow job, but Jazzer doesn’t feel it would be right. However, Alistair convinces him to give it a go.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001rybt)
Backstairs Billy, Jonathan Escoffery, National Theatre Wales

Backstairs Billy is a new play about Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, and her loyal, camp and working class servant, William Tallon. Penelope Wilton, who plays the Queen Mother, and Luke Evans, who plays her Steward and Page, talk to Tom Sutcliffe about creating these characters.

Jonathan Escoffery has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize for his novel If I Survive You. Through a series of interlinked short stories it explores issues of race, masculinity and living in the United States as a second-generation Jamaican immigrant.

The decision by the Arts Council of Wales to stop funding National Theatre Wales has made headlines in and outside Wales. Executive Editor of Wales Art Review, Gary Raymond, and theatre director and producer, Yvonne Murphy, join Front Row to discuss the ramifications.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Julian May


MON 20:00 Election Countdown: America on the Edge (m001rybx)
The rise of Donald Trump changed American politics, and his influence has lasted despite his defeat in 2020. Running as outsider he is tilting at a political and governmental Establishment in the language of battle, as if the future of America were at stake. And that is precisely what his opponents say, too: that another Trump term would be a disaster.

James Naughtie gets behind the rhetoric of the campaign to explore the arguments about a democracy - the great American experiment - that both sides say is now itself on the ballot.

Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, predicts disaster if he were to win again; but his agitator-in-chief Steve Bannon says that nothing less than a revolution from his 'populist nationalist' movement will save the country. These are arguments from both on the Right and among liberals that stir memories of the great American disruption of the 19th century, the Civil War. Although few would predict an outcome on that scale, there is a steep rise in violence across the political divide, and the programme hears of alarm about how violent rhetoric is having consequences in the streets.

Trump himself is facing four criminal trials, and the severe financial consequences of a fraud judgement in New York, yet seems on course to claim the Republican nomination for president for the third time. If he were convicted of any of the 91 charges he faces before the election, would he still run? And if he did, how would American voters react to the prospect they never faced before, of a president judged to be a criminal?

Election day is a year away on November 5th. The atmosphere is already hot and raw, and in this programme we hear how, on both sides, it's expected to become even more fevered before the first votes are cast. Already, it's a contest for the presidency like we've never seen before.

Reporter: James Naughtie
Producer: Paul Grant
Editor: Clare Fordham
Technical producer: Richard Hannaford
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover


MON 20:30 Analysis (m001rybz)
France: a constitutional crisis in the making

The USA, the UK and France, which have led the democratic world, are all suffering problems with their constitutions. But the problem is most acute in France, where President Macron has lost his parliamentary majority, and forced his pension reforms through by decree. But worse is to come; Macron can only serve as President until 2027 and will leave a vacuum at the heart of French politics when he steps down. And unlike Charles de Gaulle, he doesn’t seem likely to leave an enduring movement or an obvious successor. He hoovered up centrist support when he swept to power, and his main rivals now are either far-left or far-right. They both are populists, anti-NATO and pro-Putin. Edward Stourton explores if France is heading towards a constitutional crisis and asks what political turmoil in our nearest neighbour might mean.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producer: Jonathan IAnson
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 21:00 Young Again (m001rqlt)
4. Naomi Klein

In Young Again Kirsty Young asks her guests what advice they would give to their younger selves. In this episode Naomi Klein shares the origins of her political activism. Having shot to fame aged 29 with the anti-globalisation bestseller No Logo, Naomi Klein has gone on to publish several books about politics, climate, capitalism and the disorienting impact of social media. Growing up in a political family, Naomi initially rejected her parents' activism, but, as she describes to Kirsty, a series of painful events instilled in her the importance of campaigning for social change. She talks to Kirsty about the battles she has won and lost.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Research by: Martha Owen
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young

A BBC Audio Production


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001ry9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ryc2)
Netanyahu rules out a ceasefire in Gaza

The families of three Israeli hostages seen in a distressing video released by Hamas today have expressed their anguish - but also their relief to know that their loved ones are still alive. We talk to a hostage negotiator about what happens next.

We hear from a mother in Gaza struggling to keep her five children safe and fed, as the head of the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees tells the UN the human tragedy unfolding there is "unbearable"

And we'll have the first in a series of special reports from Taiwan ahead of next year's elections.


MON 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gkgh5m)
Ep 1 - The Haunter of the Dark

Three years on from Heawood's dramatic disappearance at Pleasant Green, Kennedy has lost hope of ever seeing him again.

Following the dramatic end to The Shadow Over Innsmouth, she has travelled extensively, following apparent leads, and there is no trace of him. But then a mysterious man leaves a message on the Red Hook answerphone. Perhaps the story isn't over yet.

Kennedy Fisher and The Lovecraft Investigations podcast are back in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.

Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Eleanor Peck - Nicola Walker
Laura Gibson - Catherine Kanter

Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas

Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


MON 23:00 Lights Out (m001ryc5)
Series 6

Threads

Documentary adventures that invite a closer listen.

Infamous during the Greenham Common protests of the 1980s for the recklessness of her activism and her multiple prison sentences (as heard in Lights Out: Greenham Convictions), Lyn Barlow now lives quietly in Somerset. She spends her time making textile art, huge tapestries that document the turbulence of her childhood in care and the struggles of her adulthood - both with the State and herself.

Now that her work is on display in Watchet's East Quay gallery, in an exhibition shared with Grayson Perry called Common Thread, Lyn reflects on the textures, the threads and the imagery of her life.

Produced by Alan Hall
(with music by Alabaster DePlume, licensed courtesy of Domino Publishing Company Limited.)
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Limelight (m0012swl)
SteelHeads

Steelheads – Episode 1: Lady in the Water

When a young British tennis pro, Joleen Kenzie (Jessica Barden), is diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, she has herself cryogenically frozen at an experimental lab in Seattle, in the hope that one day – perhaps hundreds of years into the future - there will be a cure and she can be revived.

She wakes up to a world divided... and Joleen is now captive.

From the creators of The Cipher and Passenger List, a chilling new medical thriller inspired by true events starring Jessica Barden.

Cast:
JOLEEN – Jessica Barden
LUTHER – Bruce Lester Johnson
IZZY – Lizzie Stables
LUCINDA – Annabelle Dowler
WAYNE – Daniel Ryan
PADMA – Jennifer Armour
EARL – Kerry Shale
OSCAR – Jason Forbes
RICHARD – Eric Meyers
ANDREI – Andrew Byron
SUE – Laurel Lefkow
GREG – Christopher Ragland
STOLYA – Yanina Hope

Original Theme composed by Pascal Wyse

Written and Created by Brett Neichin and John Scott Dryden
Script Editing by Mike Walker
Sound Design by Steve Bond
Sound Editor: Adam Woodhams
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Mein
Trails by Jack Soper
Produced by Emma Hearn
Director and Executive Producer: John Scott Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4

TUESDAY 31 OCTOBER 2023

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001ryc9)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001ry9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001rycc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001rycf)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001rycl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001rycr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001rycx)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Iwan Russell Jones, a lay reader for the Church in Wales

Bore da, good morning!

It’s Halloween and many will be making plans to celebrate later. But perhaps it’s missed your notice that it’s also Reformation Day, marking an event that hit Europe like an earthquake in the 16th century and whose aftershocks are still being felt today.

I have to say that, despite being from a Protestant background myself, it’s never been a day in which I’ve invested much time and effort. In an age like ours, when faith of any kind often seems to be in short supply, I’m not interested in commemorating old battles in the wars of religion or celebrating divisions in the Christian church.

But I think there’s one very good reason for continuing to mark Reformation Day in the 21st century. When Martin Luther published his 95 Theses – his arguments against the established church of his day, which sparked the Protestant revolt – he wasn’t just objecting to what he saw as corrupt religious racketeering. He was protesting against the buying and selling of something precious that money can never buy, what Jesus called ‘the pearl of great price’ - the love and grace of God that is freely offered to all. And today I think that’s something on which Christians of all traditions can agree. It is by grace that we have been saved, through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God”.

Loving God, forgive us the cynicism and pride that lead us to imagine we can package you up as a product for the market-place. Help us to turn outwards from ourselves and to receive the gift of life that you alone offer. Amen


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001ryd1)
Some meat factories in Northern Ireland say they may have to stop production as Government vets take five days of strike action. The Nipsa union, which represents the vets, described a government pay award as 'derisory'.

In Scotland, field voles are a favourite meal for predators like pine martens, but when the tiny rodents' population drops, the pine martens will attack endangered capercaillie birds instead. Now, conservationists are developing what they call 'diversionary feeding' to get around the problem - leaving out deer carcasses for predators when vole numbers are low.

And as more rain is forecast, we join some Yorkshire beef farmers as they bring their herd in for the winter.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09by75m)
Paul Evans on the Carrion Crow

On the eve of Halloween, the silence of a graveyard is broken by the raucous calls of an inky black Crow "Throwing her voice as if coughing up a bone" as writer Paul Evans encounters a crow in a cemetery.

Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Derek Wood.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001ryck)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001rycq)
Edward Witten on 'the theory of everything'

The Life Scientific returns with a special episode from the USA; Princeton, New Jersey, to be precise.

Here, the Institute for Advanced Study has hosted some of the greatest scientific minds of our time - Einstein was one of its first Professors, J. Robert Oppenheimer its longest-serving director - and today's guest counts among them.

Edward Witten is Professor Emeritus at the Institute and the physicist behind M-Theory, a leading contender for what is commonly referred to as ‘the theory of everything’, uniting quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of gravity.

He talks to Jim Al-Khalili about a career that’s spanned some of the most exciting periods in modern theoretical physics - and about one particular problem that's both obsessed and eluded him since his days as a student…

Produced by Lucy Taylor.


TUE 09:30 One to One (m001rycw)
Future Cities: Tori Herridge meets Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

As a palaeontologist Tori Herridge spends her life poking at things from the past, but she has a secret obsession – the future. And she refuses to accept that it will be rubbish. In the first of three episodes exploring how future cities might work, she speaks to Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman, an urban anthropologist and founder of the Women Led Cities Initiative who is helping to redesign part of Philadelphia.

Can the cities of the future be fairer for everyone? Could the ancient city of Çatalhöyük inspire us to adapt to climate change? And when do we finally get our flying cars?

Presenter: Tori Herridge
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton


TUE 09:45 How to Spot Potential (m001ryd0)
Education, education, education

For many university is not something they’d consider. It can appear expensive, elitist and alien. And in any case there just aren’t the opportunities.

Kate Mason looks at one initiative which is making strides to change those perceptions and the lack of opportunity. We look at a project involving an Oxford college designed to give people with huge potential - but not usually the opportunity, their chance to study at a top university.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of Prospect magazine, explains how the scheme came into being when he was Principal of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford.

Vee Kativhu tells us how the project set her on a journey to empower others and a role with the United Nations .

Jake Pickering discusses how he went from teaching himself to a PHD at Cambridge

Aneela Shah on overcoming family resistance to the idea of university

And Ras. I Martin on his journey from a inner London council estate to Oxford’s spires.

Presenter : Kate Mason.
Producer : Julian Siddle.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001ryd3)
Failures in maternity care, Spain's Princess Leonor turns 18, Women's Ballon d'Or

A group of families affected by failures in NHS maternity care are calling for a full statutory public inquiry into maternity safety in England. Emily Barley from the Maternity Safety Alliance group told Jessica Creighton why she thinks fundamental reform is needed. And presenter Krupa Padhy draws on her own personal story of baby loss in her BBC Radio 4 investigation, How safe is maternity care?

The Covid inquiry is already under way and has heard about an internal report into the culture at the top of Government in the early months of the pandemic. This found that female staff were talked over and ignored. So what is the impact on the workplace when women can't speak out? And how can women get their voices heard in the workplace? Barbara Nixon is a success and leadership coach and she joined Jessica to discuss.

There is a new superstar in women's football. Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí has won one of the sport's most presitgious awards... the Ballon d'Or. She is also one of five women nominated for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award. Jo Currie, the BBC's Women's Football Correspondent, outlines the nominees.

Princess Leonor of Spain turns 18 today and has been swearing allegiance to the country. So who is the young princess, and what role might she play in Spanish public life? Rafa de Miguel is the UK and Ireland correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El Pais and he joined Jessica to discuss.

Producer: Hannah Sander
Presenter: Jessica Creighton


TUE 11:00 Young Again (m001ryd5)
5. Steve Coogan

Kirsty Young talks to comedian and actor Steve Coogan about what he's learned from his life so far. He describes his evolution from impressionist and stand-up comedian to award-winning actor, and reflects on how fame offered him a hedonistic lifestyle that quickly caught the attention of the tabloid press. What advice would he give his younger self? Steve talks candidly to Kirsty about class, recovery and sharing a parallel life with his alter-ego Alan Partridge.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant
Presenter: Kirsty Young

A BBC Audio Production


TUE 11:30 Poet Laureate in the Arctic (m001ryd7)
Episode 4

Simon Armitage is spending a few days at the Natural Environmental Research Council's Arctic Station in Ny Alesund in Svalbard. This is the world's most northerly community, consisting of a group of buildings housing scientists from 11 different nations. He's here to see for himself what's happening in this part of the world, and to talk to research scientists who can explain the importance of the work they are doing in the Arctic, which is warming faster than the rest of the planet.

Travelling by by bike and on foot, Simon heads out from the base, joining Dr Jaz Millar, Emily Broadwell and Madeleine Lewis from the University of Bristol on their trek to a glacier to take samples for the iDAPT project. This four-year study is examining how the earliest plants were able to make the transition from fresh water to land, one of the most important steps in the evolution of the Earth. Simon finds out why this project is relevant to the current rapid change happening in the Arctic now.

Having heard thunderous cleaving of ice from the snout of the sea glaciers in the fjord, Iain and Simon go for a closer look in the station's boat. Finding it impossible to get close to the front of the glacier, the boat is left to drift as they listen to the sound of the ice popping and melting in the 24-hour-long sunshine.

As well as experiencing the Arctic for himself - whist keeping a watch our for polar bears - Simon is trying to capture the majesty and vulnerability of this region in new poems written in response to what he finds.

with:

iDAPT field scientists Dr Jaz Millar, Emily Broadwell and Madeleine Lewis
Iain Rudkin, station leader, the Natural Environment Research Council Arctic station

Producer Susan Roberts


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001ryd9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001rydc)
Call You and Yours - Christmas Spending

In this week's You and Yours phone-in we're talking about Christmas spending. A third of people are planning to scale back on Christmas celebrations due to worries about costs with 40 percent planning to spend less on food.

So we want to know about your plans to cover the cost of Christmas this year?

Have you been budgeting? Have you scaled back? Or are you planning to splash out?

Are you making small changes or really big ones?

You can email us about that right now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk. Please include your contact number.

Our phone lines open at 11am on Tuesday. The number to ring is 03700 100 444

We really want to hear from you so please do get in touch.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001rydf)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001rydh)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


TUE 13:45 The Cows Are Mad (m001rydk)
7. Factor X

The BSE crisis becomes a lightning rod for other safety issues in the countryside. Organic farmer Mark Purdey becomes convinced pesticides are to blame for making cows go mad, and thinks they caused vCJD in humans too.

He sets out to prove his claims by crowd-funding for lab experiments. He becomes the star of the alternative mad cow disease community, for people who refuse to believe the official government narrative on BSE – or any other official narrative, for that matter.

Written, presented and produced by Lucy Proctor


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001rybp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001rydm)
Rehab

Phyllis Logan and Brian Vernel star in a new drama by Philip Palmer about finding redemption.

Glasgow Social Worker, Jenny, makes it her personal mission to save a young offender from making the same mistakes she did.

Jenny ….. Phyllis Logan
Finn ….. Brian Vernel
Anne ….. Anna Spearpoint

Directed by Gemma Jenkins


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001rydp)
Series 36

Creature Features

From a creature that leaps in the darkness of your basement to a fish that drains the life force of its partner - Josie Long presents creature features and creepy crawly short documentaries for Halloween.

In Spirit
Featuring James Maclaine, Senior Curator of Fish, at the Natural History Museum, London
Produced and sound designed by Meera Kumar

The Seventh Sense
Thanks to Emma Rathbone, Gaye Williams, Ben Pagac, Mary Jane Epps, and everybody who shared a camel cricket story
Music by Cue Shop, Big Lazy, and Blue Dot Sessions
Produced by Jesse Dukes

For the Pigeons
Produced by John Luke Roberts

Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (p0c2550y)
4. Grace Marks

Lucy Worsley investigates the ordinary lives and extraordinary crimes of Victorian women.

This story is about a young servant, Grace Marks, accused of two brutal murders that generated enormous attention in the new world of Upper Canada in 1843. In that time and in that place, murders were rare - and rarer still was a female murderer.

Grace Marks and stable boy James McDermott went on the run, ending up in Lewiston, New York after their employers Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy were found dead. Grace insisted she didn't kill them and was forced by James McDermott to run away with him. But when Grace was arrested she was even wearing the clothing of the woman she was accused of murdering.

Lucy examines the evidence, including duelling confessions from the accused, with the help of psychological scientist and host of the Bad People podcast, Dr Julia Shaw.

They ask if the 16-year-old housemaid who had worked in five different houses in three years could be responsible for the violent killings.

We also hear from historian Susan Houston from York University, Toronto, who has written about the case and discusses the legal and social environment that is stacked against Grace.

In the case made famous by Margaret Atwood in Alias Grace, we speculate on what happened and ask if Grace would have been treated differently if she had more power. Or was she actually a naïve 16-year-old caught up in the doomed plot of a disgruntled stable boy? You decide….

Producer: Sandra Bartlett
Readers: Colleen Prendergast and William Hope
Sound Design: Chris Maclean

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 Law in Action (m001rydr)
Prison sentences: too long or too short?

Last week, the House of Commons Justice Select Committee published a wide-ranging report about sentencing and public opinion. On the one hand, it said we shouldn't ignore what people think. On the other hand, MPs found that many people didn’t understand how sentencing worked. The justice committee's own research confirmed this lack of understanding. The committee's chair, the Conservative MP Sir Bob Neill, also points out the cost of longer sentences: £47,000 per prisoner per year.

Despite that level of expenditure, all is not well in the prisons of England & Wales. Self-harm, suicide and assault rates are all up. Prison officers are "voting with their feet," says Professor Alison Liebling, director of the Prisons Research Centre of Cambridge University's Institute of Criminology. She has been doing research in prisons for nearly 35 years, and thinks that this is "the most unstable, and unsafe period [she's] known". But she also has some suggestions for how to improve matters, and to free up prison spaces.

There's been yet another mass shooting in the United States, again involving a military-style assault weapon. Rather than try for tighter gun control to stop these killings, some people are taking the gun manufacturers to court instead. Chicago-based lawyer Antonio Romanucci is acting for many of those affected by a shooting in Chicago on Independence Day last year. They're bringing a civil claim under consumer marketing laws. Could it be successful?

The Scottish government is planning to give the people of Scotland new, enforceable human rights. These would largely be economic, social and cultural rights, as opposed to the current civil and political ones like freedom of speech. The plan is to incorporate several international treaties into Scottish law. The UK is a signatory to these treaties already, but the rights they proclaim can't be enforced through the courts. A new Human Rights bill in Scotland would change that. But could it avoid being scuppered by the limits of devolution?

Presenter: Joshua Rozenberg
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Researcher: Diane Richardson
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineers: Neil Churchill and Graham Puddifoot


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001rydt)
Cressida Cowell and Romy Gill MBE

Cressida Cowell MBE is the best-selling author illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once children's book series. Cressida's book choice is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - the story of a fractious mother-daughter relationship between a first generation Chinese immigrant to the USA and her Americanised daughter.

Romy Gill MBE is a renowned Indian chef and travel writer. She is the author of two cook books. Her favourite book is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, a novel that follows a similar theme of conflicting Eastern and Western cultures.

Harriett chooses the autobiography of actor Minnie Driver. Managing Expectations documents an unconventional and often difficult childhood in England and a successful Hollywood acting career, told with humour and self-deprecation.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


TUE 17:00 PM (m001rydw)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001rydy)
A diary entry from a former advisor said Mr Johnson was "obsessed" with the idea


TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m001ryf0)
Series 1

4. Surgical Microrobots, Backlash, The Immune System, Keeping an Open Mind

Joining Kiri this week are Dr Christos Bergeles demonstrating surgical micro-robots that can transport the surgeon to areas of the body that are normally impossible to operate on, historian Dr Elinor Cleghorn champions Backlash by bringing us the tale of Victorian medical hero Mary Putnam Jacobi, Professor Daniel Davis explores the beauty of the immune system, and comedian Sukh Ojla tells us to keep an open mind.

Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.

Each week, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.

Whether it’s micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it’s always something worth celebrating.

Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Featuring: Dr Christos Bergeles, Dr Elinor Cleghorn, Professor Daniel Davis and Sukh Ojla

Written by Laura Claxton, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben Rowse

Producer: Ben Worsfield

Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha

Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls

Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001ryf2)
After a chat with Alistair, Jazzer’s decided to go for Hannah’s job. Hannah’s pleased and walks him through all the office-based work she does.

Denise bumps into Hannah in the shop. Hannah explains she’ll have to move because she can’t find anywhere to live near Ambridge. Stella mentioned she had a spare room, but it’s not hers to rent out. Denise encourages Hannah to get Stella to ask Brookfield. Later, Hannah calls on Stella and, after some stalling, asks about the spare room. Stella can’t believe Hannah was nervous about asking. She will give it serious consideration and run it past David and Ruth.

Alistair bangs on the door at The Stables, complaining about the noisy party inside. To his surprise Denise answers. She shouts to Paul for the music to be turned down. Alistair has been meaning to stop by to say hello. Denise teases him gently. Alistair suggests they try out the Grundys’ Halloween Trail. They have a great time. Alistair recounts how he received a ring token with the barmbrack Eddie gave him the other week. He thinks it’s all rubbish, but Denise is less dismissive. Denise passes Alistair another helping of barmbrack, but declines to have one herself. When he gets another ring token Denise thinks Alistair’s fate is sealed. Alistair changes the subject to Denise’s work placement. It’s coming to an end, but Denise says she’ll find something else to save usurping Paul, who’s benefitted from working at the vets. Hiding his dismay, Alistair says he’ll do what he can.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001ryf4)
Duran Duran, Dobrivoje Beljkasic at 100 and Sandra Newman on retelling Orwell’s 1984

To mark Halloween, Duran Duran have released Danse Macabre, a “spooky concept” album. Samira talks to Simon Le Bon and John Taylor about working with Nile Rogers, covering The Specials’ Ghost Town and taking pop music seriously.

This evening Filkin’s Drift play the last of almost 50 concerts, concluding their two month that has seen them travel 870 miles…on foot. The duo has walked from gig to gig, carrying their instruments. As they reach Chepstow they tell Samira about their approach to sustainable touring and how this connects with ancient Welsh bardic tradition.

Born in 1923, the artist Dobrivoje Beljkasic found refuge in Bristol after the outbreak of the Bosnian War. His daughter Dee Smart and author Priscilla Morris celebrate his life and legacy on the centenary of his birth, marked by a new exhibition in Sarajevo.

George Orwell’s seminal Nineteen Eighty-Four continues to occupy a lauded, and sometimes controversial, position in political discourse and popular culture three-quarters of a century after it was first written. Sandra Newman discusses reimagining the story from the perspective of Winston Smith’s underwritten lover in her new novel, Julia.


TUE 20:00 How Safe is Maternity Care? (m001ryf6)
In 2013, broadcaster and journalist Krupa Padhy, one of the presenters for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, lost her first child because of medical negligence in a London Hospital.

Legal action was taken. Midwives and doctors were given extra training. Lessons were, apparently, learned. But Krupa's life has been changed forever.

Over the last few years, systemic failures at multiple maternity units have been uncovered: at Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent. An investigation is currently underway in Nottingham and there are calls for a review in Leicester.

Krupa wants to know what is happening in our maternity wards and how we make them safer.

Producer: Caitlin Smith
Researcher: Anna Miles
Execs: Peter McManus and Clare Fordham
Sound design: Eloise Whitmore


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001ryf8)
U-Turn on Rail Ticket Office Closures

The government's plans to close hundreds of train ticket offices in England have been cancelled. Since the plans were announced, we here at In Touch have been discussing the implications of the proposed closures for blind and partially sighted people. Now, we have invited a number of visually impaired people, campaign groups and Transport Focus, who are the transport watchdog and one of the operators of the public consultation on the closures of ticket offices, to discuss what this all means for you.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001ryfb)
Increasing humility, suppressing negative thoughts and talking about mental health at work

Humility is a quality often associated with self-deprecation. But by championing our achievements while also acknowledging our weaknesses, we could see benefits in many areas of our lives – and even increase our attractiveness. Claudia Hammond hears about this research from Daryl Van Tongeren, associate professor at Hope College in the US and author of ‘Humble: The Quiet Power of an Ancient Virtue’, who explores what a humbler world might look like.

Mental health is top of the agenda in many companies, though discussions about wellbeing might not be common practice amongst colleagues. But at Grundon Waste Management in Oxfordshire, these conversations are happening - from the tearoom to the workshops - thanks to a course designed by operational training manager, Tex. Claudia takes a trip to the facility to talk to Tex and his colleague Paul about how creating an open culture around mental health has improved their working environment.

Claudia is joined in the studio by Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds. He shares some of the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, including how expressing gratitude could help parental wellbeing, why suppressing negative thoughts might be a useful therapeutic technique and a look at how people can communicate while they're asleep using just their facial expressions.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Julia Ravey
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Production Co-ordination: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001rycq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001ryfd)
Israeli military confirms deadly strike on Gaza refugee camp

Dominic Cummings gives evidence to the Covid inquiry

Taiwan's foreign minister on the lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine


TUE 22:45 The Lovecraft Investigations (p0gl3cgd)
Ep 2 - The Haunter Of The Dark

Could a murder at the Marston House in 1935 have connections to the mysterious disappearances at the Blake House in 2010? How does Philip Gibson fit in? And why do so many roads seem to lead back to Joseph Curwen? More questions than answers as Kennedy and Byron move from Essex to Suffolk.

Three years on from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Heawood's disappearance at Pleasant Green, the Lovecraft Investigations are back and podcaster Kennedy Fisher is following new clues in Julian Simpson’s H P Lovecraft-inspired universe.

Cast:
Kennedy Fisher - Jana Carpenter
Marcus Byron - Ben Crowe
Eleanor Peck - Nicola Walker

Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg
Sound design: David Thomas

Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


TUE 23:00 Darren Harriott - Red Label (m000ysvk)
Part 1

Stand-up comedian Darren Harriott examines why he's in his thirties and has never been in love, and the perils of modern dating.

Having previously examined gangs, family and being a bouncer, Darren realised that he is in his early thirties and he's never been in love. But why can that be? Is it him, or is there more to it?

In this episode, Darren looks for answers by looking at his youth, and the relationships he grew up around. Be it his family, the characters on TV, or the early 90s RnB in his record collection; all these portrayals of love have shaped the relationships he's had.

Written and Performed by Darren Harriott
Therapist played by Mali Ann Rees
Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production


TUE 23:30 Limelight (m00132y6)
SteelHeads

Steelheads – Episode 2: The Conversation

When young British tennis pro, Joleen Kenzie (Jessica Barden), is diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, she has herself cryogenically frozen at an experimental lab in Seattle, in the hope that one day – perhaps hundreds of years into the future - there will be a cure and she can be revived.

She wakes up to a world divided...

From the creators of The Cipher and Passenger List, a chilling new medical thriller inspired by true events starring Jessica Barden.

Cast:
JOLEEN – Jessica Barden
REMI – Khalid Laith
LUTHER – Bruce Lester Johnson
PADMA – Jennifer Armour
EARL – Kerry Shale
JAVIER - Jason Forbes
RICHARD – Eric Meyers

All other parts played by:
Andrew Byron, Gianna Kiehl, Earl R Perkins, Laurel Lefkow and Christopher Ragland

Original Theme composed by Pascal Wyse

Written and Created by Brett Neichin and John Scott Dryden
Script Editing by Mike Walker
Sound Design by Steve Bond
Sound Editor: Adam Woodhams
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Mein
Trails by Jack Soper
Produced by Emma Hearn
Director and Executive Producer: John Scott Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4