SATURDAY 09 AUGUST 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002gqzw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 The Autism Curve (m002bv3k)
5. The Spectrum

Has the idea of autism expanded so far that it’s breaking?

The rapid upwards curve in autism diagnoses and a social media-fuelled trend for self-diagnosis have led to tension. Autism’s centre of gravity has shifted: now those without an intellectual disability are most visible. But where does that leave autistic people who do have an intellectual disability and who could also be non-speaking? Who speaks for them? And what is diagnosis for anyway?

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002gr00)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002gr04)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002gr08)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002gr0c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002gr0j)
Celebrate and embrace differences

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Yousra Samir Imran.
Good morning.

There are many species of plant life, that we equate with being English, but which in fact gradually migrated across from other continents to our shores, or were introduced to our soils by other empires.

Take the rose, the national flower of England. Only a handful are in fact native to Britain; and the majority were introduced to our lands by the Romans, such as the demure white alba, which we know as the white roses of York, or brought back by returning Crusaders from Syria, during the Medieval period, like the fragrant and vibrant pink rosa damascena.

These delicate flowers travelled thousands of miles, yet managed to survive and re-acclimatise here, in a climate that is vastly different to the temperate one of their homelands. They integrated themselves so well, that they have become part-and-parcel of English culture.

And that got me wondering about people – if flowers and plants manage to assimilate so well, that they are now considered part of English culture, what does it mean for us to be considered native, and belong to a land?

It is the variety and assortment of flower and plant species, that enable a meadow to thrive. I believe it is our differences as people, that contribute to a society that thrives. I also think it is our differences that make it interesting and fun to get to know each other.

All faiths agree that God loves all His creatures. And so I pray, that I am able to whole-heartedly celebrate and embrace everyone’s differences, and recognise that everyone is important to this land, to help it flourish.

Ameen.


SAT 05:45 Uncharted with Hannah Fry (m0022swq)
14. Whispers from the Cosmos

In a shabby brick hut in 1967, a young researcher spots a bizarre, pulsing signal: a cosmic whisper picked up a huge receiver she helped to build. Is it just mundane interference - or could it be alien life?

Hannah Fry shares a tale of one woman’s journey through the male-dominated halls of 1960s academia, to a groundbreaking discovery that transformed our understanding of the universe.

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls
Story Editor: John Yorke


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002gzgr)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 This Natural Life (m002gqzn)
Jeanette Winterson

The author Jeanette Winterson grew up in Accrington in Lancashire, but has made her home in a village in rural Gloucestershire. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of her best-known novel 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit'. In this programme she talks to Martha Kearney, giving her unique access to the garden of her cottage, where she grows her own fruit and vegetables. She explains why nature, wildlife and life in the countryside are so important to her, as she gives Martha a tour of her veg patch.

Producer: Emma Campbell


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002gzgt)
09/08/25 Harvest 2025 - from barley and peas, to cherries and sweetcorn.

Harvest is the highlight of the farming calendar but this summer's harvest is one of contrasts. It's a good year for some crops like oil seed rape but for others yields are down. We take stock of the crops - from barley and peas to cherries and sweetcorn.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002gzgw)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002gzgy)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 What's Up Docs? (m002grrb)
Will laughter help you live longer?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around health and wellbeing.

In this episode, the Doctors turn their attention to laughter. You’ve probably heard the phrase 'laughter is the best medicine', but have you ever wondered if there’s actually any science behind that? Can a good belly laugh really help with stress, pain, or even your immune system? How does it help to improve our relationships? And why do we laugh at all - even when nothing’s particularly funny?

To find out, Chris and Xand sit down with Professor Sophie Scott CBE, a leading expert in the neuroscience of laughter from University College London.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Sophie Scott
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 09:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (m002grqk)
The Women Poets of Ancient Greece

Natalie is joined by Edith Hall and Nikita Gill to tell the stories of the Nine Earthly Muses, the most admired Greek women poets. They are Sappho, Myrtis, Corinna, Moero, Anyte, Nossis, Erinna, Praxilla and Telesilla. The idea was that these "divine voices" had been nurtured by the Muses themselves.

Sappho's magnificent poetry offers a different perspective from Homer's. Her Helen of Troy feels no guilt at all about leaving her family to be with Paris. The poets provide funny, inventive and unexpected angles: Corinna writes about a contest between two local mountains to see which of them can play the best song on the lyre. The disgruntled loser, Mount Helicon, then rains down boulders like snow in displeasure. Praxilla writes drinking songs using her own meter and rhythms. But their work has been scorned and misunderstood by critics and Natalie wants to redress that.

'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greek and Rome.

Nikita Gill is an Irish-Indian poet whose work offers a shift of perspective which centres women in both Greek and Hindu myth as well as folklore. She has been shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award in poetry and the Children's Poetry Award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Her new book is Hekate: The Witch.

Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University, specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Producer...Beth O'Dea


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002gzh0)
Renaissance Beauty: hair, makeup and skincare in the 16th century

Greg Jenner is joined in sixteenth-century Italy by historian Professor Jill Burke and comedian Tatty Macleod to learn all about Renaissance beauty standards and treatments. Early modern Italy is renowned for the gorgeous artworks created by painters like Titian, Rubens and Botticelli, many of them featuring beautiful women looking at themselves in mirrors or getting made up for a night out. In this episode, we take you through a Renaissance Get Ready With Me as we explore how these women would have been taking care of their hair and skin. We look at what hairstyles and makeup men and women wore, how often they bathed, whether or not they removed their body hair, and how they shaped their bodies through dieting and underwear. Along the way, we dive into the recipes for popular cosmetics and skincare treatments, ask where Renaissance beauty standards came from, and uncover the sexist, racist and classist ideas that often underpinned them. But we also explore how their beauty routines could be an avenue for women’s self-expression, and show the importance of the history of beauty, even amidst the turbulent politics and warfare of the early modern period.

If you’re a fan of women’s creativity through time, whacky historical recipes and early modern Italian art, you’ll love our episode on Renaissance beauty.

If you want to know more about the beauty standards of the past, why not listen to our episode on the history of high heels, or haircare entrepreneur Madam CJ Walker. And for more from Renaissance Italy, check out our episodes on the Borgias and Leonardo Da Vinci.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Emma Bentley
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars


SAT 10:30 Artworks (m002b6rq)
Art that Conquered the World

The Mona Lisa

When President Macron gave a press conference at the Louvre in January 2025, you can guess what painting he was standing next to. The Mona Lisa is probably the most celebrated artwork ever made, visited by millions of tourists every year, constantly re-invented by film-makers, meme-makers and advertisers.

But for art historian James Fox, the Mona Lisa is not the greatest painting in the world, nor the greatest painting in the Louvre. For James, it's not even the greatest painting in the room. So how and why did Mona hit the big time?

In this series, James traces the twists of fate and happy accidents that pushed a handful of artworks to the forefront of global pop culture.

The story of the Mona LIsa is an eventful one. Stolen, vandalised, hidden in wartime and ruthlessly monetised for decades, the Mona Lisa has been a cultural ambassador for France, a tourist destination, a muse, a target and an advertiser's dream. It's a combination that has made her a global celebrity, seemingly impervious to shifts in cultural tastes.

To explore the Mona Lisa's journey to fame, James is in conversation with the art historian Noah Charney, author of The Theft of the Mona Lisa, and Margaret Leslie Davis, author of Mona Lisa in Camelot. Also contributing are Paris tour guide Sophie Gacheny, Benoit Roques of media production company Iconoclast and David Masterman of advertising agency VCCP.

Producer: Julia Johnson
Executive Producer: Laurence Bassett
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002gr0r)
Books v Screens: Why Every School Needs a Library (Katherine Rundell)

Only one in three children in the UK enjoy reading in their spare time – the lowest rate recorded in 20 years, according to a survey for the National Literacy Trust.

Best-selling children’s author Katherine Rundell, whose books include Impossible Creatures and The Explorer, says that represents a crisis of reading which will make it harder to tackle disinformation.

She thinks every school should have a library that is subject to an Ofsted inspection and literacy should be included in teacher training programmes to try to tackle the decline in children reading for pleasure.

Amol and Katherine also discuss why Donald Trump’s re-election as US president led her to donate all the royalties from US sales of The Golden Mole (published under the title Vanishing Treasures in America) to climate charities.

GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002gzh2)
Ukraine's summer camp for children of the missing

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Japan, Bahrain and Croatia.

Nestled in the forest, far away from falling bombs is a pioneering summer camp for Ukrainian children whose parents have gone missing during the war. A Ukrainian charity is working to give them some relief – and much needed support – to help them cope with the ongoing uncertainty of not knowing where their parents are. Will Vernon visited the camp where art, exercise and self-expression are all vital to the healing process.

It’s 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. Some 200,000 people were killed - but the bombing had other long-lasting effects. Jordan Dunbar travelled to Hiroshima to speak to survivors who shared their stories of discrimination and social stigma.

Bahrain has just one synagogue - The House of the Ten Commandments. The building was destroyed back in 1947 in a wave of communal violence, but after several decades, it was eventually restored and re-opened its doors again a few years ago. Today the synagogue serves people of all faiths, finds Iram Ramzan.

The tiny Croatian island of Krapanj has long been renowned for its tradition of sponge diving, shaping the island’s identity for hundreds of years. Today, this trade is under threat from climate change and over-fishing. Mary Novakovich met one of the island’s remaining divers, determined to keep the culture alive.

Series producer: Farhana Haider
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002gzh4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Sliced Bread (m002d8tn)
Toast - Nike's FuelBand

Nike's FuelBand was among the first fitness trackers to be launched and was worn by sports stars including the tennis player, Serena Williams. So, why did Nike give up on it so soon after its launch?

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, is joined by Nike's former Vice President of Digital Sport, Stefan Olander, to get the inside story on what happened to the successful product.

Alongside them is the entrepreneur, Sam White, who at the end of the show, based only upon what she has heard and using her business acumen, has to reach her own conclusions.

Other guests include:

- Nikki Legg - a FuelBand fan who bought one as soon as they came out and wrote to Toast suggesting we cover the fitness tracker on the show.

- Chris Smith - a sports and technology journalist who has written about the FuelBand and is an early adopter of wearable tech

Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.


SAT 12:30 Too Long; Didn't Read (m002gqys)
Series 2

Let's get this party started

Why does Britain have so many new parties? And why are none of them the fun kind? Catherine Bohart investigates the rising challengers to the two-party system, with the help of Zoe Lyons, Ian Dunt and roving correspondent Sunil Patel.

Written by Catherine Bohart, with Madeleine Brettingham, Gareth Gwynn and John Tothill.

Producer: Alison Vernon Smith
Executive Producers: Lyndsay Fenner & Victoria Lloyd
Sound Design: David Thomas
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Sayer

A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002gzh6)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002gzh8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002gqz5)
Halima Begum, Lord Falconer, Sir Andrew Mitchell MP, Isabel Oakeshott

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Wiston House in West Sussex, with the chief executive of Oxfam GB, Halima Begum; the Labour peer and former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton; Sir Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP and former deputy foreign secretary; and Talk TV international editor and Telegraph columnist, Isabel Oakeshott.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Caitlin Gazeley


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002gzhb)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002gqyx)
Ruth’s having a great time doing the harvest despite despite finding the tractor seat uncomfortable. There’s still a big chunk left to do so after a break she and Stella get back to it. Stella continues filming on ‘combine cam’ and the two of them happily give a running commentary. However Stella’s stopped short by a hare leaping out in front of them. She’s reminded of her dog Weaver for a second. Ruth confesses she finds it hard not to beat herself up about the accident and his death. Stella reiterates Weaver was just following his instincts. Ruth knows Stella’s forgiven her – but wonders if she’s forgiven herself? Stella admits she’s not sure if she’s ready yet to get another dog.

After a sumptuous picnic lunch with David the two women crack on with their task. Stopping to deal with a slow puncture on the trailer, they chat about Stella’s dad. She admits harvest time brings back the memory of when he died. Ruth feels similar about her mother, recalling the harvest before her death of a stroke. They agree it’s easy to get absorbed with work and miss precious moments, especially when there’s no warning of what’s to come.

Later they wrap up combine cam and the wheat harvest, pausing to admire the view of the beautifully cut fields. Stella reckons she’ll get another dog after all. Suddenly Brian appears, shocked and furious that Stella’s defied him. He hurls insults and they quarrel bitterly, until outraged Stella quits. Brian’s left to wonder what Stella’s done.


SAT 15:00 And Other Stories: Katherine Mansfield (m000lmkp)
1. Marriage a la Mode, Something Childish and Very Natural, Bliss

Katherine Mansfield’s best-loved short stories fully-dramatised in two box-sets.

This first instalment contains three surprising love stories: Marriage a la Mode, Something Childish & Very Natural and Bliss.

* MARRIAGE A LA MODE: Isabel’s new friends come between her and husband William.

Katherine Mansfield ...... Hattie Morahan
Isabel ...... Ellie Piercy
William ...... Carl Prekopp
Moira ...... Charlotte East
Bobby ...... Ian Dunnett Jr
Dennis ...... Joel MacCormack
Vendor ...... Luke Nunn
Paddy ...... Eliza Pearce
Jonny ...... Orla Pearce

* SOMETHING CHILDISH AND VERY NATURAL: Henry and Edna meet and fall in love, just as passionately as they always hoped they might.

Katherine Mansfield ...... Hattie Morahan
Henry ...... Joel MacCormack
Edna ...... Cecilia Appiah
Moth Girl ...... Eliza Pearce

* BLISS: Bertha’s life is dedicated to happiness, and her will for happiness folds around every experience, until this one.

Katherine Mansfield ...... Hattie Morahan
Bertha ...... Charlotte East
Harry ...... Luke Nunn
Pearl ...... Ellie Piercy
Eddie ...... Joel MacCormack
Mary ...... Cecilia Appiah
Mr Norman Knight ...... Ian Dunnett Jr

Dramatised by Katie Hims.

Sound by Peter Ringrose.

Director: Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2020.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002gzhd)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Female breadwinners, Married but living apart, Traditional craftswomen

What happens when a woman earns more than her partner, or is the sole earner in a household? For some couples, it’s a practical arrangement that works well. For others, it can bring unexpected tensions, challenging traditional ideas about gender, identity and power. Listener Karla emailed the programme to say that she wanted to talk about what it means to be a female breadwinner. She joined Anita Rani along with Melissa Hogenboom, author of the book Breadwinners.

After 30 years of marriage, Margaret Murphy moved from the family home in Australia to the UK—alone. Fifteen years later, she and her husband are still married, despite living on opposite sides of the world. She talks to Nuala McGovern about how she believes her later-life choices reflect a freer, more modern way to look at traditional married life.

Listener Brenda wrote in about her situation: 'I would love to hear you talking about a mother's play-book or instruction manual for getting through cancer. I would love to know how others are doing it.' Ailsa McDonagh also got in touch after an on-air shout out. She has been living with cancer for almost ten years and received her diagnosis when her children were aged one and three. Both Brenda and Ailsa joined Anita to discuss.

Mary-Havana Little is a traditional fibrous plasterer. She got in touch for Listener Week to suggest we talk about traditional crafts. Mary is one of the few women in the plastering world, working to create ornate decorative mouldings using techniques from hundreds of years ago. She joined Anita to speak about working in this male-dominated craft, and why she wants to inspire more women and girls into the industry.

Listener Sally Ruffles describes herself as a 68-year-old woman with one daughter and no grandchildren. She got in touch with Woman's Hour for Listener Week to say: 'There’s this common assumption that having grandchildren is always a wonderful thing. But nobody really stops to think that not having them might also be okay—or even a positive thing for some people.' She joined Nuala with her daughter Hannah, who persuaded her mother to write to Woman's Hour, to discuss why it can be difficult to talk about not being a grandparent.

To kick this week off, we heard from listener Melanie Williams. Melanie is forever having to adjust her seatbelt because of her bust size. She worries if she were to be in an accident she would end up choking or being strangled by her seatbelt rather than protected by it. Melanie joined Nuala, along with motoring journalist Maria McCarthy who has been looking into the issue.

Jess wrote in to tell us about a poem she came across on social media about the post-partum period, calling it 'absolutely beautiful'. She added: 'There are hundreds of comments across Instagram and TikTok of mothers feeling exactly the same way. Please check it out, I would love to hear more from this poet.' We’ve tracked her down and her name is Amy Williams. She joined Nuala to perform the poem live in the studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Rebecca Myatt


SAT 17:00 PM (m002gzhg)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m002gqyt)
Nail Polish and Gels

Greg Foot gathers the experts, and "chips" away at the science for listener Helen.

Each episode Greg investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread' and should you spend your money on them?

All of our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH & GREG FOOT


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002gzhj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002gzhl)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002gzhn)
Hundreds Arrested At Palestine Action Demo

Police arrested more than 200 people at a demonstration in central London in support of Palestine Action on Saturday 9th August - as protesters said free speech was under attack. Palestine Action is proscribed by the government as a terrorist organisation, but the High Court ruled on 30 July that proscription of Palestine Action, which has carried out break-ins at defence firms linked to Israel as part of direct action protests, should be reviewed. Palestine Action was banned under terrorism law after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June, and sprayed two Voyager planes with red paint. In other news, President Zelensky says there'll be no surrender of Ukrainian land to Russia -- ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin next week. And there's been a heartfelt plea for world peace from the Mayor of Nagasaki on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on his city by the United States.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002gzhq)
Tom Rosenthal, Thanyia Moore, Karine Polwart, Michael Elsener, Niall Moorjani, Couplet

Clive Anderson hosts a Loose Ends party with some of the many musicians, comedians, writers and stars of the stage lighting up the Edinburgh Festivals.

Tom Rosenthal is a comedian best known as Jonny on Friday Night Dinner, though I suppose you can describe him however you’d like as his new show is Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am. Thanyia Moore is back at the Edinburgh Fringe for her first time since 2022 – a summer that she looks back at in her aptly named August. Switzerland’s answer to John Oliver – Michael Elsener – gives his top tips on How to Live in Paradise, and explains where flooding a leading politician's post box with compression stockings comes in to it. Plus writer and storyteller Niall Moorjani shares how their new show Kanpur: 1857 manages to incorporate gender, an Indian uprising against British colonial forces, and comedy.

With music from Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan who are raising a parting glass to a 200-year-old palm tree in Windblown, and Couplet who are spending their Honey Honey Moon Moon performing at the festival.

Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon


SAT 19:00 The Bottom Line (m002gzhs)
The Decisions That Made Me

Alan French (Thomas Cook, CEO)

When high street travel firm Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, it triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, with 150,000 holidaymakers needing to be brought home. Alan French was the Group Strategy and Technology director at the time and had to preside over the disaster. Despite that, he was determined to revive the company, and the next year relaunched Thomas Cook as a digital only brand. The travel executive talks to Evan Davis about how he managed to turn his fortunes around and resurrect the Thomas Cook name.

Production team:
Producer: Drew Hyndman, Georgiana Tudor
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: John Scott
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m002fxn2)
Series 33

Technofossils - Sarah Gabbott, Mark Miodownik and Aurie Styla

Brian Cox and Robin Ince dig deep into the strata of an imagined human history to unearth the curious concept of technofossils. Joined by paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott, material scientist Mark Miodownik and comedian and tech enthusiast Aurie Styla the panel unearth how the everyday objects that we throw away today compare to fossils of the past.
Together, the panel investigates how these modern artifacts could degrade over time to become the fossils of the future. From old smartphones buried in bedside drawers to sprawling landfill sites, they imagine how these remnants of the Anthropocene might puzzle future archaeologists—and speculate on what these researchers might infer about our technology, customs, and way of life.

Series Producer: Melanie Brown
Assistant Producer: Olivia Jani
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0010wp5)
Plastic: The Biography

The remarkable story of how plastic became such a major player in the worlds of industry, medicine and design (among many others) before becoming persona-non-grata thanks to its intimate involvement in our current ecological plight is Shakespearean in its scale and one of the great tales of the last century. Laura Barton sets out to create a biography of this most multi-faceted and fluid titan of the manufacturing world, using the fabulously rich archive from TV, radio, advertising and film - as well as fresh interviews with contemporary experts including Rebecca Altman, Jeff Miekle, Charlotte Hale and Lauren Bassam. Plastic’s story is one of of incredible power, hubris and more recently disparagement, but it is also endlessly complex and morally ambiguous; while plastic’s negative impact on our environment is inescapable, as Laura will set out to describe it has also revolutionised the way we live our lives in any number of invaluable ways.

Produced by Geoff Bird

The exhibition 'Plastic: Remaking Our World' will be co-produced in 2022 by V&A Dundee, the Vitra Design Museum and MAAT.


SAT 21:00 Understand (m002gzhv)
The Trip

The Trip: Omnibus 1

During the early weeks of the pandemic, Tim Hayward spent 14 days in a coma. He remembers this time vividly – his days and nights filled with strange, incandescent visions and hallucinations. That experience is something he would never choose to revisit but, around the world, large numbers of people are deliberately seeking out powerfully altered states.

In this series, Tim sets out to better understand a group of substances that induce altered states: psychedelics.

There’s been a surge of interest in their therapeutic potential for various mental health conditions - as well as a range of other clinical possibilities. As research around the world ramps up after years of taboo and prohibition he tries to get to grips with - or at least get a clearer sense of - how science, culture, politics and business might all interact in this changing psychedelic landscape, and what it all might mean.

He also explores what might be happening in the brain during a trip and whether, by studying psychedelics, we might uncover more about consciousness, imagination and even the mysteries of reality itself.

This is the first of two omnibus editions.

Presenter: Tim Hayward
Series Producer: Richard Ward
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Written by Tim Hayward and Richard Ward
Sound Design and Mixing: Richard Ward
Researcher: Grace Revill
Production Executive Lisa Lipman
Voiceover Artist: Sandra-Mae Lux
Special thanks to Zoë Dubus
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m002gzhx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002gqxg)
Polski Sklep: A Recent History of the Polish Shop

Since the early 2000s, one type of shop has quietly become a regular feature on British high streets: the Polski sklep – or Polish shop.

Known for their smoked sausages, sour pickles, and wide selection of herbal teas, these shops offer more than just food. With Polish people now the largest non-British nationality in the UK, and Polish the next most spoken language after English and Welsh, they also reflect a broader story of migration and community. Jaega Wise explores what makes these stores worth visiting for everyone, not just Poles, and how they’re adapting to the challenges facing the high street.

To find out more, Jaega visits Peterborough – a city she once lived in and remembers for its vibrant Polish community. There, she explores the busy Europol supermarket and a popular home-style restaurant, Pierogarnia.

In Walthamstow, she meets cultural historian and second-generation Pole Dr Kasia Tomasiewicz, who explains the background behind the herbal teas and how they connect her to her ancestors. And back in Hackney, Jaega makes pierogi at home with food writer Zuza Zak, using a mix of Polish and British ingredients. She also hears from Dr Kathy Burrell, Professor of Migration Geographies at the University of Liverpool.

Producer: Eliza Lomas


SAT 23:00 Crybabies Present... (m002gzhz)
Series 1

Dances with Rats

Mark's got it all. All in this case being a failing marriage and a rat problem. So when a mysterious stranger gives him a chance to go behind enemy lines, he has no choice but to say cheese (rat for yes). But nothing can prepare him for the world that awaits.

Step into a sweeping fantasy epic as Crybabies bring the big screen to your normal sized radio.

Written and performed by Michael Clarke, James Gault & Ed Jones.

Featuring Susan Wokoma and Celeste Dring

Production Co-ordinator - Laura Shaw

Sound Design by David Thomas and Victoria Freund

Producer - Benjamin Sutton

Executive Producer - Joe Nunnery

A Boffola Pictures production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Nature Table (m001fm83)
Series 3

Episode 1

Celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.

Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, in each episode Sue Perkins is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

Recorded at The Eden Project, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests: Billy Heaney (Zoologist), Holly Smith-Baedorf (RSPB & Ecologist) and comedian Anna Keirle.

In this episode, Sue welcomes:

* Zoologist Bill Heaney
* RSPB and ecologist Holly Smith-Baedorf
* Comedian Anna Keirle

Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts.

Producer: Simon Nicholls

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.

SUNDAY 10 AUGUST 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002gzj1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m002gq8s)
Kit de Waal

Presented by James Naughtie, BBC Radio 4's Bookclub, speaks to the award-winning writer Kit de Waal about her heart-rending debut novel, My Name Is Leon. Published in 2016 by Penguin it's the story of two brothers separated after one is adopted. The book, now taught on the curriculum in English schools, takes us back to 1980s Birmingham, and while brothers Leon and Jake share the same mother, Carol, their futures look very different. Jake is adopted, while Leon remains in foster care. The story follows Leon over the course of one difficult year in his life, and when he's given a bike it opens up his horizons. He often goes to the local allotments, where he meets the characters of Mr Devlin and Tufty, and sees a different slice of life.

This recording takes place at the Rare Birds Bookshop in Edinburgh.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002gzj3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002gzj5)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002gzj7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002gzj9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002gzjc)
The parish church of St Teilo in Llantilio Pertholey, in Monmouthshire

Bells on Sunday comes from the parish church of St Teilo in Llantilio Pertholey, in Monmouthshire. The thirteenth century medieval church is named after a sixth century Bishop of Llandaff and is a fine example of a rural Welsh church with three chantry chapels dating from about 1350. There are six bells, the 16th century tenor bell weighs twelve hundredweight and tuned to the note of F sharp. We now hear them ringing Grandsire Doubles.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002grs9)
Natalie's Story: Being Transgender & Blind

Natalie is a blind transgender woman and she contacted In Touch wishing to highlight the intersectional impacts of the UK Supreme Court's ruling in April, that ruled that a woman is to be defined by biological sex under equality law. Natalie describes how this could have major implications for how sex-based rights are applied and how society responds to her and especially those with disabilities.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002gzpt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vp0)
Verses for Women: Egypt's Quran Reciters

Salma El-Wardany meets young women in Egypt using their voices to amplify their faith – drawing inspiration from the long tradition of female Quran reciters in the country. Following in the footsteps of pioneering women like Sheikha Munira Abdou who was first heard on Egyptian Radio 100 years ago and the renowned singer Umm Kulthum, more Egyptian women are sharing their recitations of the Quran publicly. They’re stepping out of the shadows of a fatwa that denounced women’s voices as awrah (to be covered or not heard) which led to a ban of public recitation on the radio in the 1940s. The ban lasted years but the tradition is being restored thanks to a new generation, with women boldly reciting and chanting about the Prophet Mohammed on social media.

Salma visits Aya Mahmoud and Horeya Boreya, two young women who have both gained hundreds of thousands of followers thanks to their reciting online, and have the backing of Al Azhar Mosque, who announced a fatwa in 2021 that it was permissible. Salma visits the El Hour troupe, the first all-female chanting group to meet the founder Neama Fathy and hears about the challenges of overcoming conservative opinions. While the female voice is still a controversial topic – Salma meets Dr Yasmin Asmin, a feminist scholar who argues there isn’t basis in scripture to say women’s voices are awrah – women spoke and were heard in the Quran and were central to sharing and teaching the Quran in the time of the Prophet onwards.

Presenter: Salma El-Wardany
Producer: Miriam Williamson
Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002gzpw)
Mrs Kirkham and her Lancashire cheese

Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire is the last traditional raw milk cloth-wrapped Lancashire cheese made all year round. Graham Kirkham learnt how to make it from his mum, she learnt from her mum and it’s made with the same starter culture and recipe Graham's grandmother used some 60 years ago.

Produced in a modern dairy next to the farm’s milking parlour in the Lancashire village of Goosnargh, it's now found on cheeseboards at Michelin star restaurants and sold in the most prestigious cheese shops around the UK and in the States.

In this programme, Mrs Kirkham - Ruth - tells Caz Graham about the tradition of Lancashire cheese-making and her son Graham, now in charge, explains how he never really planned to be a cheese-maker, and how he has to explain to customers that his mum is real, not just a made-up brand! He also shares the secrets, joys and challenges of making this traditional delicacy, the smearing of butter on the maturing cheeses to seal in moisture, how happy cows make better cheese and the rigours of ensuring food safety with raw milk.

Presented and produced by Caz Graham


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002gzpy)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002gzq0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002gzq2)
The role of AI in faith and spirituality; Haredi draft row in Israel

BBC Director Ellena Wood talks about her documentary and podcast 'Inside the Cult of Jesus Army' which examines the puritanical sect founded by Noel Stanton and tells how former members are coming to terms with the damage it inflicted on their lives.

Stand-up David Rose takes his show: 'Our Hebrew Friend' to the Edinburgh Fringe. It tackles the complicated legacy of his great grandfather, a music hall entertainer who found fame by playing up to anti-semitic stereotypes.

Our reporter Rosie Dawson is in Lancashire where vicars and imams are building bridges on the cricket pitch.

Is there a role for AI chatbots when it comes to faith and spirituality? Emily Buchanan explores whether they could help with prayer and guidance, hears from Paul Powers who developed a GPT Jesus and looks at the ethics behind using artificial intelligence in religion with Dr Scott Midson - Lecturer in Digital Theology, at Manchester University - and Dr Alba Curry - Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Leeds.

Correspondent Jon Donnison is in Jerusalem where a date of Oct 7th has been set for residents to leave Gaza City after a controversial Israeli government plan to take control of the area.

Emily hears about the row over Haredi conscription in Israel which has caused some Ultra-Orthodox leaders to declare war on the government

PRODUCERS : CATHERINE MURRAY & LINDA WALKER
STUDIO MANAGERS: MIKE SMITH & ETHAN CONNOLLY-FORSTER
PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR: LIZ POOLE
EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002gzq4)
Doctors for Nepal

Joanna Lumley makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Doctors for Nepal. The charity provides scholarships for medical fees to train doctors and nurses who then return to their isolated communities in Nepal to provide essential healthcare.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week. Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0755 for 7 days.
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘Doctors for Nepal’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Doctors for Nepal’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1133441. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://doctorsfornepal.org
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002gzq6)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002gzq8)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002gzqb)
From the festival city of Edinburgh

Live from Canongate Kirk with Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Rev Neil Gardner. Canongate congregation are joined by folk trio Siskin Green, and singers of Edinburgh University Chamber Choir directed by Jack Oades. Organist: Simon Leach.
Sally speaks with Edinburgh International Festival performer, djembe-player Sidiki Dembele, about how his instruments and music bring people together in spiritual connection.


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct74j3)
Ten countries join the EU in one night

On 1 May 2004, the European Union went through its biggest ever enlargement. 10 countries joined including eight from the former Soviet Union’s sphere of influence. For some, it was the moment the Eastern Bloc threw off the shackles of the Cold War and embraced a prosperous future in the EU. For others, it was the moment European countries lost control of their borders, leading to mass migration. Twice Italian Prime Minister, Prof Romano Prodi, was President of the European Commission at the time. He speaks to Ben Henderson.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: People celebrate the Czech Republic joining the EU. Credit: Sean Gallup via Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002gzqd)
Hannah Stitfall on the Chiffchaff

For wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter Hannah Stitfall, the chiffchaff's song is the first sign of Spring. Each year in March and April she will spend hours following these little birds along the hedgerows trying to get some good shots, watching them feeding from flowering blackthorn, with their beaks covered in pollen. By mid-summer chiffchaffs shift their energy from courtship to preparation, as they will soon be off on their long migration to their wintering grounds. Hannah always listens out for the chiffchaff's last song of the season, before they head back to southern Europe and North Africa.

Presented by Hannah Stitfall and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002gzqg)
Will the map of Europe be redrawn this week in Alaska?

Will the meeting of Trump and Putin in Alaska see land swaps agreed? Labour peer Maurice Glasman gives his analysis from Ukraine. Also Tiger Moth mapping and a look at renting.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002gzqj)
Professor Dame Carol Robinson, scientist

Professor Dame Carol Robinson is a scientist who was the first female professor of Chemistry at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities. She has been awarded scientific prizes from all over the world for her pioneering work studying complex macromolecules using an instrument called the mass spectrometer.

Carol was drawn to science as a child growing up in Folkstone where she started collecting flowers and shells before moving on to breeding mice because she was fascinated by their genetic makeup. She grew to love chemistry in particular and pored over the periodic table in her bedroom.

She left school at 16 and joined Pfizer, the pharmaceutical and biomedical company, as a laboratory technician. At Pfizer she began working with the mass spectrometer which measures the mass of all the atoms in a particular sample. She studied for an ONC and HNC in Chemistry in the evenings and at weekends and later gained a PHD in Chemistry from Cambridge University.

She was appointed DBE in 2013 for services to science and industry. In 2021 she founded the Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, an interdisciplinary science institute dedicated to studying structures and materials at an ultra-small scale.

Carol has three children from her first marriage and lives in Oxfordshire with her second husband David.

DISC ONE: Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys
DISC TWO: She’s Leaving Home - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2, Op. 64b: I. Montagues and Capulets - Dance of the Knights. Performed by London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado
DISC FOUR: Sonnet - The Verve
DISC FIVE: Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
DISC SIX: Golden Brown - The Stranglers
DISC SEVEN: Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
DISC EIGHT: The Scientist - Coldplay

BOOK CHOICE: The Herbal Apothecary: 100 Medicinal Herbs and How to Use Them by JJ Pursell
LUXURY ITEM: A portable mass spectrometer
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002gzql)
Writer: Liz John
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer…. Ben Norris
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer…. Felicity Finch
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Justin Elliott…. Simon Williams
Amber Gordon…. Charlotte Jordan
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Will Grundy…. Philip Malloy
Jakob Hakansson…. Paul Venables
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Kate Madikane…. Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Stella Pryor…. Lucy Speed
Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane
Dane…. Stavros Demetraki


SUN 12:15 The Bottom Line (m002gzhs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002gqgq)
Series 83

5. On the Buzzer

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Bristol Beacon. On the panel are Adrian Edmondson, Rachel Parris, Miles Jupp and Henning Wehn, with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002gzqn)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002gzqq)
Send: how to fix a broken system?

We examine the system providing for children with special educational needs in England ahead of the government's planned reforms.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002gzqs)
White Coats v the White House

What is going on with US science? Science Journalist Roland Pease asks whether the rounds of cuts, reorganisations and political strong-arming can be weathered, and how they will likely affect us all.

80 years after Vannevar Bush proposed what became the pact between government and universities that led to decades of global scientific dominance, is the edifice being toppled?

Bush’s report “Science, The Endless Frontier” led to the unwritten pact between university scientists and government funding that underpinned US leadership until now. “Trust us with the money, we’ll give you the global scientific advantage”.

Today, US scientists fear the Trump administration is ripping up that agreement. Mandating what and what can’t be studied, who can study it, and re-defining expertise, government funded science in the US is being withered. The specialist agencies are either being closed down or defunded to the extent that many tens of thousands of government scientists are already unemployed. Multi-year experiments are being closed down uncompleted. Top universities are besieged by mandates on who and how they hire, tied to their future funding. Data streams that benefit researchers around the globe are being switched off. Even definitions of what counts as evidence are being re-drafted.

Science is a complex, interwoven and international activity. The administration's declared aim is "Restoring Gold Standard Science", but scientific bodies fear its actions will cede global leadership to China, and that the whole world may be poorer.

Can the coming storm be weathered, even if we can no longer predict it?

Produced by Alex Mansfield
Written and Presented by Roland Pease


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002gqy0)
Summer Garden Party

Kathy Clugston and a crack team of top horticultural experts celebrate the return of the GQT Summer Garden Party in style — this year set against the stunning backdrop of RHS Garden Hyde Hall in the heart of Essex.

Kathy is joined by an all-star panel, including visionary garden designers Matthew Wilson and Bunny Guinness, RHS head gardener Matthew Pottage, and the king of all things edible, Bob Flowerdew. Together, they tackle a lively mix of questions from an enthusiastic audience of budding green thumbs, sharing expert tips, clever tricks, and plenty of inspiration to get your garden growing.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rocky Cocker
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002gzqv)
Hiroshima

In the months that followed the end of the Second World War, very few people in the West knew the true power of the atomic weaponry that had forced the Japanese surrender. John Hersey’s article Hiroshima would change that.

Released a year after the bombs were dropped, the New Yorker piece was journalistic dynamite and sold out in hours. Published in one instalment - taking up the whole edition of the magazine - Hersey’s meticulous and unflinching account of what happened after the atom bomb detonated brought home the horror of atomic weaponry to the world and changed journalism in the process.

John Yorke speaks to Janine di Giovanni, award winning war reporter and founder of The Reckoning Project (a war crimes unit that operates in Ukraine and the Middle East) about how pivotal the article was and how it impacts her work today.

John has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and shares his experience with listeners 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. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative, including many podcasts for R4.

Contributors:
Janine di Giovanni, war reporter and founder of The Reckoning Project.
David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker
John Hersey, author

Archive:
The David Remnick audio, and the John Hersey interview (taken from the American Audio Prose Library interview conducted by Kay Bonetti Callison, 1988) were both originally broadcast as part of Hersey’s Hiroshima produced by Dora Productions Ltd, BBC Radio 4 2016.

Reader: Riley Neldam
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Producer: Tolly Robinson
Executive Producer: Sara Davies

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002gzqx)
Hersey's Hiroshima

John Hersey's searing account of the bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath.

John Hersey's Hiroshima is a ground-breaking piece of journalism that gave voice to the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing. Written after two weeks spent interviewing citizens in the devastated city, the article was originally published in The New Yorker in 1946 under tight secrecy, due to U.S. suppression of the bomb’s long-term effects. It sold out rapidly and helped shift public understanding from triumphalist narratives to the harrowing human cost of nuclear war.

Hailed by New York University as the most important work of journalism in the 20th century, Hiroshima remains a moving testament to the power of bearing witness.

Hersey focuses his account on six of the survivors he interviewed. Miss Toshiko Sasaki; Dr. Masakazu Fujii; Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura; Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge; Dr Terufumi Sasaki; Reverend Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto.

Part One takes us through the morning of the bombing and its immediate aftermath.

Read by:
Akie Kotabe
Ami Okumura Jones
Dai Tabuchi
Kae Alexander
Mark Edel-Hunt
Matt McCooey

Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Andy Garratt
Production co-ordination by Sara Benaim and Jon Powell

A BBC Studios Audio Production


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002gzqz)
Irvine Welsh

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, this week speaks to the writer Irvine Welsh about his new novel Men In Love - the direct sequel to Trainspotting - and hears of the three other literary works that influenced and inspired Irvine's writing. More than thirty years after Trainspotting was published the iconic cast of characters of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie are back, and entering a new phase of their lives looking for love.

For his three choices Irvine chose: William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream first performed between 1584-1596 and published in 1600; Ulysses by James Joyce from 1922; and In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust which was published in seven parts from 1913 to 1927 and is listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as the longest novel ever written.

The supporting contributor for this episode is the writer and author of Scabby Queen - Kirstin Innes.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Nature Table (m001fvzx)
Series 3

Episode 2

Celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.

Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, in each episode Sue Perkins is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

Recorded at ZSL London Zoo.

In this episode, Sue welcomes:

* Zoologist and Author Lucy Cooke
* Conservationist and Zoologist Megan McCubbin
* Comedian Felicity Ward

Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts.

Additional material by Kat Sadler.

Producer: Simon Nicholls

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct743r)
Sweden’s shocking sugar experiment

In the 1940s, some vulnerable Swedish hospital patients were fed large amounts of sugary sweets as part of an experiment to see what it would do to their teeth.

Researchers considered the study a success as it led to new recommendations for children to eat sweets just once a week.

In the 1990s, the unethical aspects of the experiment emerged when Elin Bommenel became the first researcher to gain access to the original documents from the experiments. Sweden's government has never formally apologised for what happened, although it has greatly improved care for vulnerable children and adults.

Elin tells Frida Anund about the revelations.

A PodLit production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A sugar cube. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Invention Of... (m002dmkm)
Hungary

The Butcher and the Poet

"Brussels is abusing its power," said Victor Orban, "just as Vienna once did." The date, March 15 2025 - this year - but the reference was to March 1848 when Hungary rose up against its Austrian overlords, a great moment for many Hungarians today. Misha Glenny and producer Miles Warde were in Budapest when Viktor Orban made his speech, looking for the source of that revolution, who turned out to be a poet, Sandor Petofi. So is Viktor Orban right to draw parallels between then and now, or is he using history as a political tool?

With contributions from Paul Lendvai, Andras Gero, Viktor Sebesteyen, Kamilla Marosi and Krisztina Rohaly, a school teacher in Budapest.

Further reading:

The Hungarians: A Thousands Years of Victory in Defeat by Paul Lendvai
Under The Frog and How to Rule the World by Tibor Fischer
Budapest: Between East and West by Victor Sebestyen


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002gzr2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002gzr4)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002gzr6)
Israel Faces UN Security Council Criticism

Israel has faced fierce criticism at the UN Security Council in New York of its plan to step up the war in Gaza. Britain's envoy said an expanded offensive would open the way to more bloodshed. But the US representative insisted Israel could decide how to ensure its own security. Also, the Met Police says the majority of the more than 500 people arrested for supporting the banned group Palestine Action yesterday were aged over 50. And the voice of Mr Benn -- the actor Ray Brooks -- has died.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002gzr8)
Len Pennie

This week, Len's walking down the Royal Mile to bring us some splendid snippets from the Edinburgh Festivals via BBC radio, including marriage counselling and musical comedy from Loose Ends, and the actor Brian Cox on Front Row. Plus, perhaps not a surprise, but there’s plenty of poetry – from the female lyricists of Ancient Greece to post-partum poetics on Woman’s Hour. However, those keen for a verse or two, put your notebooks and quills away; comedian Ken Cheng is back to school us all, and is seeing red when it comes to the art form.

Presenter: Len Pennie
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Coordinator: Caroline Peddle

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002gzrb)
It’s the day of the village fête and a stressed Dane is struggling to enlist help with last minute tasks. Kenton’s pulled out of refereeing duties for the tug of war, and the Grey Gables team is looking patchy. Lynda boasts the Ambridge side has a full house. She extolls the virtues of mindfulness; good management starts with a calm mind.

Susan’s bottle stall starts slowly, though Neil assures her it will pick up as the day goes on. She hopes so. The shop needs money coming in and a proper plan. Tracy comes up with the bright idea of selling the wine at a lower price with paper cups, to be consumed at the fête itself. Grateful, Susan runs with this and it’s a huge success. Lilian teases Susan that her stall has ruined the day for the Bull’s beer tent, until oblivious Tracy exclaims the beer tent’s rammed, blowing Lilian’s joke out of the water.

Lilian picks up the baton as referee and the tug of war gets underway. After a close tussle and some motivational talk from Lynda, Ambridge are the victors. Lynda sees the competition as a metaphor for the true soul of a village – succeeding by collaboration and communication. Dane laughs that his team will be unbeatable next year. Lynda admires his fighting spirit. However, Lynda makes an error in the closing speeches by omitting to thank Akram for his help with the fête. Akram assures Zainab he’s happy to fade into the background, but Zainab declares Lynda shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m000r3n8)
Art Came in the Night

Kevin Harman is an Edinburgh artist best known for creating 'situations', such as borrowing all his neighbours’ doormats to create an installation, smashing the window of an art gallery and transforming rubbish in skips into sculptures. In this programme he explores what happens when public art and people clash and gets a sense of what it's like when 'art comes in the night'. Whilst working on his own installation in Govan, he ponders what success and failure really mean in the sometimes controversial world of public art.

Some public art is loved, some even defended from packs of roving art dealers, some is brushed off with indifference, or grumbling about wasted tax money. But when art comes out of the galleries and is splashed on the wall of someone's house or stuck outside on a shared stretch of grass the community can't help but be changed by its presence, and the art is at the mercy of those surrounding it.

Kevin meets architect Lee Ivett who, in 2017, embarked on a new project in Govan, a huge sculptural installation constructed from ropes taken from the former shipyards. Within 48 hours it had been burned to ashes by local teens. Although always intended as a temporary installation, community anger at large pots of money being given to artists erupted, stoked by articles in the press. But was this destruction simply vandalism or a sign that some important local needs weren't being met? Artist Nicola Atkinson has created public art all over the world, including recently in Dunfermline. She talks to Kevin about different ways she's found to engage with communities and cautions against the scandalisation of public art which can disempower artists and undermine the idea that art should be for everybody.

Presented by Kevin Harman
Produced by Lynsey Moyes
Contributors: Ross Galbraith, Lee Ivett, Aaron Andrews, Nicola Atkinson, Rakel McMahon


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001k0wg)
Write It Out

When things go wrong, you might think that focussing on the bad and writing about them would make things worse. But in some cases, the opposite seems to be true. Michael Mosley investigates a technique called “expressive writing”, a simple tip which can have surprising benefits for your health. The idea is to set aside 15 minutes to write about any worries that keep you up at night, showing many benefits - from improving lung function in people with asthma, to improving scores on exams and cognitive tests. In this episode, Michael Mosley speaks to the man who kick-started it all, Professor James Pennebaker from the University of Texas, Austin. He tells Michael about his original findings in the 1980s and the astonishing link between expressive writing, reduced doctor’s visits, your immune system and how quickly your body heals wounds…


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002gqzs)
Jeremy Bowen on reporting from Gaza, and the RAJARs

It's been almost two years since the most recent conflict between Israel and Palestine broke out, and it has generated almost constant radio news coverage, as well as plenty of challenges for BBC journalists while reporting. BBC News International Editor Jeremy Bowen joins Andrea Catherwood from Jerusalem to answer listener questions about the coverage of the conflict and the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Radio consultant Matt Deegan returns to discuss the recent RAJAR figures on radio listening. Matt gives his view of the data across all radio in the UK.

And listeners share their thoughts on the ongoing BBC Sounds overseas saga, with an update on plans for 'catch up' listening on the new BBC App and bbc.com.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002gqy8)
Dame Stella Rimington, Sylvia Young, Sir Jamie McGrigor, Joan Anderson

Matthew Bannister on

Dame Stella Rimington, the first woman to be Director General of MI5, who made the service more open and accountable.

Sylvia Young, whose drama school turned out countless stars of stage, screen and music.

Sir Jamie McGrigor, the Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands, who introduced a bill to protect tartan.

And Joan Anderson the former model who brought the hula hoop to America.

Producer: Ben Mitchell

Archive:
Al Murray’s Great British Spy Movies, BBC Four, 21/04/2015; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 28/07/2011; Newsround, BBC One, 25/02/1992; BBC News, BBC One, 16/07/1993; Stella Rimington: Security and Democracy – Is There a Conflict?, The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, BBC One, 12/06/1994; Death on the Rock, ITV (uploaded to YouTube), first broadcast 28/04/1988; BBC News, BBC One, 08/09/2001; EastEnders Feuds: The Beales vs The Mitchells, BBC Three, 18/05/2007; Doctor Who trailer – “Rose: I’ve got a choice”, BBC One (uploaded to YouTube), c.2005; BBC Radio Wales – Aled Jones, 06/06/2010; Through the Keyhole, BBC 1, 10/05/1999; Saving Our Salmon, BBC Two Scotland, 16/10/2018; The Radio Café, BBC Radio Scotland, 31/12/2008; Desert Island Discs: Allan Ahlberg, BBC Radio 4, 12/07/1980; Hula Girl (documentary), dir. Amy Hill & Chris Riess, Snap Pictures, 2018


SUN 21:00 Sliced Bread (m002d8tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002gzq4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002gzh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002gzrd)
Analysis of latest political developments hosted by Helen Catt

Helen Catt's guests are the Labour MP Rosie Wrighting, Conservative former minister Jesse Norman and the pollster and political strategist, Scarlett Maguire. They discuss the mass arrests at the recent Palestine Action protest and the government's latest announcements on deporting foreign criminals in UK jails. Geri Scott - assistant political editor at The Times - brings expert analysis and insight. Helen also speaks to the defence expert and commentator Edward Lucas about the case for introducing a system of digital ID. And Jon Culshaw tells her about the Dead Ringers team's 25th anniversary tour.


SUN 23:00 Artworks (m002gqy5)
What Happened to Counter-Culture?

1. Absolute Beginners

More than just a cultural trend – counter-culture became a social movement so powerful it shaped institutions, businesses, politics and the attitudes and aspirations of whole generations – including everything from haircuts to voting choices. In fact, it became so prevalent that it’s sometimes hard to remember how things have changed under its influence.

Comedian Stewart Lee presents a five-part series exploring the evolution and key ideas that have driven counter-culture from its beginnings with the Beats, folk and jazz in the 1950s, to its heights in the 1960s and 70s including the hippies and the early tech-communalists, the new liberation movements and punk, to the 1980s and early 90s, where political power on both sides of the Atlantic pushed back against the values of the ‘permissive society’.

Talking to artists, musicians, writers, activists and historians, Stewart continues to the present day asking where we are now, in the digital age of social media silos and the so-called ‘culture wars’ – what’s happened to counter-culture? Was it co-opted, did it sell out? Or did its ideas of freedom and identity become so entrenched within mainstream culture it’s legacy has become unassailable? Or has it migrated politically to the Right? Throughout the series, the counter-culture is explored not only in terms of its history, extraordinary cultural output and key events – but also its deeper political and philosophical impact, its continued meaning for our own age.

Part 1, Absolute Beginners, explores why the counter-culture happened when it did and the uniquely placed generation driving it forwards - the Beat poets, the folk scene and its ties to the growing peace movement. A younger generation rejected ideas of security and hyper-conformity – a fear of the automated society and of a repressed ‘One Dimensional Man’ - the life being lived by their parents, still shaken by World War Two. Freedom and self-expression would become the new currency and poet Alan Ginsberg’s Howl (1956) heralds the start of an unstoppable movement.

Contributors include musician Brian Eno, authors Iain Sinclair and Olivia Laing, music producer Joe Boyd, sculptor Emily Young, cultural historian Jon Savage and folk singer Shirley Collins, with Ian Kearey playing The Instrument.

Presenter: Stewart Lee
Producer: Simon Hollis

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 23:30 The History Podcast (m0024bg5)
The Lucan Obsession

5. The Tinderbox House

Many relationships have tricky patches, with couples struggling for money or over the children. But there’s a spark in this story that takes us from the Lucan’s glamorous society wedding to Sandra Rivett being murdered, Lady Lucan attacked and the children swept away. And it grips us.

Alex von Tunzleman hunts for what triggers this story, delving through a box of Lucan’s possessions not seen for decades. As she discovers cheque stubs, invoices and letters from the bank, she sees the reality of what life was like behind the Lucan’s veneer of respectability: a world of debt and alcohol, gaslighting, late night calls and stalking.

Producer: Sarah Bowen


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002gqy4)
The Market Photographer by Kamand Kojouri

David’s sixteen, misses his friends and London, and definitely does not want to be doing an unpaid internship with a photographer in Swansea market. But Kourosh has more to teach David than simply taking photos.
Kamand Kojouri was a finalist for the Rhys Davies National Short Story Prize, 2024. Read by Zak Ghazi-Torbati.

MONDAY 11 AUGUST 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002gzrg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002grsf)
Waiting for my Dad - Ukraine's children of the missing

A pioneering summer camp for Ukrainian children with missing parents.
According to the Ukrainian government, more than 70 thousand people are missing in the war, leaving families, including thousands of children, anxious for news of their loved ones and unable to move on.

Psychologists say these children are some of the most traumatised they have worked with.

Now for the first time a leading Ukrainian children’s charity is putting on a special summer camp for some of these children, offering them therapy, fun activities and a safe place.

For Crossing Continents, Will Vernon is given exclusive access to this project, where psychologists are developing a new framework to treat these deeply traumatised children.

Producer: John Murphy
Sound mixer: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002gzjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002gzrj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002gzrl)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002gzrn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002gqy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002gzrq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002gzrs)
It’s time for afternoon tea

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Yousra Samir Imran.

Good morning.

Did you know that today marks the beginning of Afternoon Tea Week? Having afternoon tea became popular in the 19th century, when society women would dress up and visit each other at four o’clock in the afternoon, usually for some good old-fashioned gossip, and be served trays laden with sandwiches, cakes, scones and tea.

It's said that it was the seventh Duchess of Bedford in 1840, who started the afternoon tea trend. Dinner in her household was served at eight o’clock in the evening, and by the late afternoon she would get hungry. So, she would ask that a tray of tea, bread and butter – the sandwich was still a relatively new concept back then – and cake be brought to her room. It became a habit, and soon she started inviting her friends over to join her.

Afternoon tea today, is no longer relegated to the upper class, nor is its prime purpose gossip. But what afternoon tea still achieves, is bringing friends together. The focus is spending quality time together, in a relaxed environment, where conversation and laughter can flow freely. It is excellent at maintaining friendships, and rekindling bonds.

In a society where we are increasingly living in the digital world, as opposed to the real one, many of us have unintentionally become lonely. Over half of the British population say they have between only one and four good friends. If there ever was the perfect setting to bring those friends together, it’s afternoon tea.

So today, I pray that we all get the opportunity, to have afternoon tea with our friends, very soon.

Ameen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002gzrv)
110825: environmental payments, meat carcass use

Farmers say they may have to plough up land currently managed for nature as the scheme that pays them isn't working. Thousands of countryside stewardship agreements come to an end this year, and applications for the replacement haven't opened yet. The Nature Friendly Farming Network is asking the government to roll over the current schemes to give farmers some certainty.

All this week we're looking at 'carcass balance' - using more of the animal's carcass to avoid waste. In the past the consumers in the UK would use the whole of an animal - including heart, lungs and liver - but tastes have changed and we need to find new markets for the unwanted offal.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002gzrx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002gztg)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Rory Stewart: The Long History of... (m002gjfx)
Heroism

2. Revolution and Pragmatism

Rory Stewart explores ideas of what it means to be a hero from the ancient world to the present day. How have these ideas changed? Why do heroes matter? Who are the heroes we need today?

With the help of leading historians, psychologists, philosophers and theologians, he examines how heroism is continually questioned and re-invented in every age, and how these contrasting visions of the hero might speak to us in our own time. What does it mean for our moral life? How should we perceive and pursue human excellence?

In this episode, Rory explores ideas of the hero in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Presenter: Rory Stewart
Producer and sound design: Dan Tierney
Editor: Tim Pemberton
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke


MON 09:30 Fool's Gold (p0l60266)
7. Follow the Money

George Powell is on the run from police, but trainee reporter Holly Morgan manages to track him down. She’s hoping he’ll finally reveal the truth about the missing coins, but George won’t make it easy.

As the pieces of treasure that have been recovered go on display in Herefordshire, the biggest question remains: with hundreds of coins unaccounted for, is the hoard gone for good – or is someone sitting on a fortune?

Narrator: Aimee-Ffion Edwards

Contributors: Holly Morgan, Sarah Chedgzoy, Peter Reavill

Sound Design: Peregrine Andrews

Production Co-ordinator: Dan Marchini

Additional Research: Holly Morgan

Associate Producer: David James Smith

Producer: Aron Keller

Exec Producer: James Robinson

A BBC Studios Audio Production


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002gztk)
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Celine Song on Materialists, Women in construction

England goalkeeper and Lionesses legend Hannah Hampton joins Nuala McGovern on Woman's Hour fresh from winning the UEFA European Women's Championship. Born with a serious eye condition, doctors told her she should never play football. She came into the recent Euros with questions over her ability to fill the gloves of recently retired Mary Earps. To add to that, she revealed her grandfather had died just days before the biggest tournament of her life began earlier this summer. Despite this, Hannah had an extraordinary tournament, particularly in those agonising penalty shootouts. She joins Nuala McGovern to chat all about it.

In June this year in Pakistan, Bano Bibi, a mother of five, and Ehsanullah Samalani, a father of three, were accused of having an affair and were shot - on the orders of a tribal leader, according to police. The event caused outrage, not just because it was another so-called ‘honour killing’, but because the authorities only took action after a video of the shootings went viral, more than six weeks later. Nuala is joined by Azadeh Moshiri, Pakistan Correspondent for BBC News, and Sheema Kermani, a woman's rights activist, dancer and theatre director who has been working with women in rural and marginalised communities for 50 years.

Writer and director Celine Song’s semi-autobiographical debut Past Lives earned her two Oscar nominations and a host of other accolades when it was released in 2023. She talks to Nuala about her second film, Materialists, a romantic dramedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, and how it was inspired by her own time working as a matchmaker for high-net-worth individuals in New York.

Construction employs around 1.4 million people in Great Britain, according to the Office for National Statistics, but only around 15% of those people are women. And they don’t always have a positive experience, with 30% having reported sexual assault at work and 64% saying men were paid more for the same role. So, as the industry faces a recruitment crisis, how could it evolve to become a safer and fairer place to work and encourage more women into construction? Nuala explores the problems and the opportunities with Faye Allen, author of Building Women, and Dr Carol Massay of Unity for Construction, who’ve both worked in the industry for more than 30 years.

And we remember long-serving Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter, renowned for turning the children's show into a television institution, who has died at the age of 92.

Presented by: Nuala McGovern
Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths


MON 11:00 En-Gulfed (m002gztm)
Tourism

Activist and satirist Heydon Prowse explores how Gulf countries have become some of the biggest tourism success stories ever, receiving almost 70m visitors in 2024.

From Saudi Arabia’s plans to build their own astonishing new buildings like Neom - a vast walled city in the desert, to Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, one of the most audacious engineering project the world has ever seen, Heydon asks what’s behind the drive to attract more tourists, and what it means for those who visit.

Written and presented by Heydon Prowse
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith


MON 11:45 Trauma Industrial Complex by Darren McGarvey (m002gztp)
Episode 1

There’s been an explosion of trauma culture in the West over the last decade, ramped up by social media and its encouragement to shape, present and broadcast our own stories. But is this ownership helpful, or is it keeping people trapped? Could it even be warping public debate? In his new book, the Orwell Prize-winning author of 'Poverty Safari' and 'The Social Distance Between Us' shares hard-won wisdom from a life spent recovering in the public gaze. Darren is currently performing 'Trauma Industrial Complex: The Live Show' at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“In order to interrogate the nature of personal storytelling, one must tell a personal story. And this is mine.”

Written and read by Darren McGarvey
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002gzts)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002gztv)
Online Gambling Glitch, Protein Products, Counterfeit Books

Dozens of Gala Bingo customers have written to us to say that their winnings on a recent promotion were removed. Gala Bingo say that this is because a computer glitch paid out money in error. We hear from a couple that both lost nearly £8,000.

According to the government, seven per cent of adults in the UK report high levels of loneliness. It’s why a growing number of people are joining clubs and societies. Members clubs in London in particular are growing in numbers and appealing to younger and more diverse demographics.

What was your first part time job? For many young people, part-time and seasonal work is a rite of passage. However, its getting a lot harder to find these jobs. According to UK Hospitality, job postings for temporary work in hospitality this summer are down 25 per cent year-on-year – with more than 20,000 fewer vacancies than this time last year.

According to online supermarket Ocado, searches for ‘high protein’ have doubled in the year to March, with 40 per cent of people increasing their protein intake. You can now find everything from protein crisps to protein cheesecake, with much of it marketed as being a healthier option. However, is it?

The comedian Rhys James has an autobiography coming out this month. Ahead of its release he highlighted the many fake versions of the book available on Amazon. He's not the only celebrity or public figure with fake books about him on the platform, many of which look to be written by AI. We hear from someone that has bought one of them, and boxing commentator Steve Bunce, who had one of the books written about him.

PRODUCER - CHARLIE FILMER-COURT
PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON


MON 12:57 Weather (m002gztx)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002gztz)
Five Al Jazeera journalists are killed in Gaza

The Israeli military accuses Anas al-Sharif of being a Hamas operative, as a targeted strike kills him and 4 others. We speak to Al Jazeera’s Managing Editor. Plus, a BBC Panorama report uncovers flaws in the evidence presented by Lucy Letby’s new defence team.


MON 13:45 Understand (m002gzv1)
The Trip

6. Critical periods

During the early weeks of the pandemic, Tim Hayward spent 14 days in a coma. He remembers this time vividly – his days and nights filled with strange, incandescent visions and hallucinations. That experience is something he would never choose to revisit but, around the world, large numbers of people are deliberately seeking out powerfully altered states.

In this ten-part series, Tim sets out to better understand a group of substances that induce altered states: psychedelics.

There’s been a surge of interest in their therapeutic potential for various mental health conditions - as well as a range of other clinical possibilities. As research around the world ramps up after years of taboo and prohibition he tries to get to grips with - or at least get a clearer sense of - how science, culture, politics and business might all interact in this changing psychedelic landscape, and what it all might mean.

He also explores what might be happening in the brain during a trip and whether, by studying psychedelics, we might uncover more about consciousness, imagination and even the mysteries of reality itself.

This episode features Dr Gül Dölen who is exploring a possible connection between psychedelic trips and how and when humans learn new things. The implications of her research are potentially ground-breaking.

Contributors:
Eugenia Bone, journalist and author of How to Have a Good Trip
Gül Dölen, neuroscientist, University of California, Berkeley

Presenter: Tim Hayward
Producer: Richard Ward
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Written by Tim Hayward and Richard Ward
Sound Design and Mixing: Richard Ward
Production Executive Lisa Lipman
Researcher: Grace Revill
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002gzrb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Believe It! (m00174kh)
Series 6

Journey Home

This is the sixth series of Jon Canter's "radiography" of Richard Wilson. Exploring elements of Richard's life that are very nearly true.
Expect visits from David Tennant, Sir Ian McKellen, Arabella Weir and Stephen Mangan to name but four.

In the first episode, Richard has an extraordinary urge to go back to his birth place, Greenock. Who better to accompany him than fellow Scot David Tennant? Richard persuades David to drive.

Written by Jon Canter

Starring Richard Wilson and David Tennant

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell (m0019k41)
Episode 1

Evan S. Connell's Mrs Bridge is an extraordinary tragicomic portrayal of suburban life and one of the classic American novels of the 20th century.

Mrs Bridge, a conservative housewife in Missouri, has three children and a kindly lawyer husband. Her married life begins in the early 1930s – and soon after she and her young family move to a wealthy country club suburb of Kansas City. She spends her time shopping, going to bridge parties and bringing up her children to be pleasant, clean and have nice manners. The qualities that she values above all else. And yet she finds modern life increasingly baffling, her children aren't growing up into the people she expected, and sometimes she has the vague disquieting sensation that all is not well in her life.

In a series of comic, telling vignettes, Evan S. Connell illuminates the narrow morality, confusion, futility and even terror at the heart of a life of plenty.

First published in 1959 it was perhaps overshadowed by the critical attention paid to contemporaries like Philip Roth and John Updike - although Mrs Bridge was a finalist for the National Book Award in that year. Ten years later Connell published Mr Bridge which follows that same events largely from the point of view of Walter Bridge. In 1990, James Ivory directed the film Mr and Mrs Bridge based on both novels and starring Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. Fans of the book today include the novelist David Nicholls and Tracey Thorne, author and singer.

Read by Fenella Woolgar
Written by Evan S Connell
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002gzv3)
DJ Deb Grant on John Prine

DJ Deb Grant picks US mailman turned country-folk singer John Prine, whose beautiful songs captured the world in which he lived.
Bob Harris, who first met him on the Old Grey Whistle Test, adds to the conversation.

"I came to know him through him speaking about his own music - it's his character, his personality and his attitude that I fell for," says Deb Grant. "When he died I was absolutely inconsolable."

Programme includes archive of John and his wife, talking after her husband died of complications arising from covid. There's also a reading of the lyrics from Sam Stone, his tale of a Vietnam vet returning from the war. "There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes," he sings.

This is series 67 of Great Lives and future guests include Miles Jupp, Stewart Lee and Elizabeth Day.

The producer for BBC Studios Audio in Bristol is Miles Warde


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002gzh0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002gzqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (m001msqn)
I Only Have Eyes for You

When I Only Have Eyes For You first emerged in 1934 it was a jaunty ditty written by Harry Dubin and Al Warren for the movie "Dames". But it gained huge popularity when the 1950s doo wop group The Flamingos under the musical arrangement of Terry Johnson transformed it into a dreamy otherworldly love song. Terry explains how he went about turning the song into an evergreen hit that has been covered by many including Art Garfunkel and Carly Simon.
Musicologist Luis Cruz attributes the genius of the song to its pedal chord - the repeated use of the C note. It adds to the feeling of fixation he says where the singer cannot see anyone else but the object of his affection.
The song is obviously one that speaks of deep love and Vivian Fransen was one of many who chose the song to play at her wedding. She'd been introduced to the Art Garfunkel version in 1975 when she met the man who was to become her husband. 12 years later he revealed a secret he'd been keeping from her which ended their marriage and caused her to reassess the song's meaning.
Jess Farr Cox would sing the song to her aged rescue dog Pico as his health deteriorated. Only that song and the theme to Antiques Roadshow would send him to sleep when he was in pain and distress and she still gets emotional when she hears it over a year after he was eventually put to sleep. People underestimate the love you get from a rescue dog, she says.
Chris Deerin is a political journalist and part of Scottish band Fat Cops. He recorded a version of I Only Have Eyes For You for the Tiny Changes Young People's Mental Health Charity founded following the death of the singer Scott Hutchison in 2018. Chris says he and fellow musician Bobby Bluebell had always loved the song and felt it was a fitting tribute to fellow musician Scott.

Producer: Maggie Ayre


MON 17:00 PM (m002gzv5)
President Trump: Ukraine will have to give up land for peace

The EU's former foreign policy chief gives her verdict on the upcoming Trump-Putin talks. Plus, Countdown's oldest ever contestant tells us how he stays sharp at 96 years old.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002gzv7)
A missile strike kills six journalists in Gaza

Israel is facing mounting criticism for a missile strike which killed six journalists in Gaza. The Israeli military said the Al Jazeera correspondent, Anas al-Sharif, was the intended target. Also: The Home Secretary defends her decision to ban Palestine Action. And the businesswoman and philanthropist, Dame Stephanie Shirley, has died at the age of 91.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002gzv9)
Series 83

6. Dinner Table or Bedroom

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Bristol Beacon. On the panel are Adrian Edmondson, Rachel Parris, Miles Jupp and Henning Wehn, with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002gzvc)
Adam’s grateful Brian eventually agreed to do the BL harvest and offers his thoughts on getting new contracts for the seed drill. Brian admits he and Stella have argued, but warns Adam off talking to her – he could help him out in her place. Later Adam tells Brian he now knows, via David, that it was Stella who decided to do the BL harvest, not Brian. Brian insists that not doing the harvest gave him some leverage over Justin, but now that’s gone. Adam’s astounded Brian risked losing the crop and drove Stella away in the process. He thinks Brian should apologise. Later Brian rows back on his obstinacy and thanks Adam for his work. Adam admits he’s enjoyed it. He’s sure once Stella returns things will settle down again.

Lilian declares to Lynda how much she enjoyed yesterday’s fete, with its carousel and barrel organ. Lynda’s more effusive about the stalls which reflected rural heart and soul, like Kirsty’s craft area. She’s sent a photo of the summer wreaths to absent Robert. Lilian feels for James, so far away in New Zealand while Leonie’s suffering with her back. Lynda’s criticism of James for staying away so long while Leonie is incapacitated gets thrown back at her by Lilian, who accuses Lynda of thoughtlessness for forgetting to thank Akram in her closing speech yesterday at the fete. Lynda is mortified as realisation dawns, and she messages Akram to apologise. When he doesn’t respond Lynda becomes even more stressed, to the point where she starts talking about having to leave the village.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002gzvf)
Peter Sellers at 100

Peter Sellers was a comic genius who changed British comedy forever. With this year marking his centenary, Samira is joined by Dick Fiddy, curator of an new season of his films at the BFI, and comedy historian Robert Ross to discuss his films and legacy.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival got underway at the weekend. The theme is repair, but the festival has to navigate a fractious cultural landscape. Festival director Jenny Niven speaks to Samira.

A new novel from Nicola Barker is always an event. Her latest, Tony Interruptor, is set in a world that some Front Row listeners will recognise. That of live performance and what can happen when a member of the audience stands up and disrupts it.

The BAFTA Award-winning composer Jessica Curry talks about her new album of choral works, Shielding Songs.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Harry Graham


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002gqzx)
Should the government worry about debt?

In a time of sluggish economic growth, the favourite way of squaring the circle of spending more but not increasing taxes is to borrow - and we have.

Keeping everybody’s lights on during the pandemic and homes heated after the Russian invasion of Ukraine has helped send our national debt up from £1.8 trillion to £2.8 trillion in recent years.

But the question for the chancellor Rachel Reeves is how much more debt we can afford - and how much more debt do the markets think we can afford?

So what’s the answer to that?

Guests:

Duncan Weldon, economist and author of 'Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through'
Mehreen Khan, economics editor of The Times
Chris Giles, economics editor of The Financial Times

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Sally Abrahams
Productions co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002gr01)
What’s the evidence for vaccines?

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced plans this week to cancel $500 million dollars of funding for mRNA vaccine development. The research was focusing on trying to counter viruses that cause diseases such as the flu and Covid-19.

Marnie Chesterton is joined by Professor Anne Willis, Director of the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge, to explore the claims made by The US Department of Health and Human Services that the technology “poses more risks than benefits”, and to look at the evidence behind the vaccines.

We also visit the most powerful computer the UK has ever seen at the University of Bristol, and explore how the Isambard-AI supercomputer is being used to carry out groundbreaking new research.

After last week’s call for our listeners to pay homage to the satirical songwriter and mathematician Tom Lehrer, who died at the age of 97, we hear a range of your brilliant musical tributes.

And Marnie is joined by journalist Caroline Steel to explore the week’s fascinating scientific discoveries.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Changing the Odds (m0029hct)
Episode 3: Stoke-on-Trent; Britain's betting city

In the third and final episode of Changing the Odds, Lydia Thomas and Stewart Kenny head to Stoke-On Trent to investigate the deep bonds between the city and Bet365, Stoke's major employer.

Lydia Thomas has reported on the online gambling industry for many years, and Stewart Kenny is her guide to how gambling company's work; he founded Paddy Power in the 80s.

Bet365 is a British business success story. An online only betting company, it's been spearheaded by Denise Coates who led it to become one of the best known brands in online betting, with its website not only popular in the UK but also in the United States.

And despite most online betting companies being based offshore, Bet365 stayed in Stoke - employing nearly 10,000 people in high tech graduate jobs. Bet365 also sponsors the football team Stoke City and its sponsorship is on player's shirts and hoardings on the pitch when you watch matches.

But Stoke is also one of the poorest areas in the country, and its population does struggle with gambling addiction. Lydia and Stewart travel to a newly opened NHS Gambling Clinic in the city to hear from addicts, and why a facility like this is needed.

Stewart also opens up to Lydia why he quit the board of Paddy Power, did he do enough while he sat on the board to prevent customers experiencing harm from gambling and how could the industry reverse its reputation and become a betting industry that's safe and fair?

Presenter: Lydia Thomas
Producer: Lydia Thomas and Richard McIlroy
Main Contributor: Stewart Kenny
Assistant Producer: Emma Smith
Technical Producer: Michael Smith


MON 21:45 One to One (m001m4qk)
Crying: Keith Brymer-Jones and Craig Mealing

Keith Brymer-Jones from the Great Pottery Throwdown has become known for being moved to tears by a pot someone has crafted. In this episode of One to One, he talks to ex-serviceman Craig Mealing who is recovering from PTSD, about dealing with emotions and learning to cry.

Produced by Caitlin Hobbs for BBC Audio


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002gzvh)
Israel kills six journalists in targeted strike

There's been widespread intenrational condemnation after five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike in Gaza. A fellow Gazan journalist - a friend of one of those killed - tells us why she's carrying on reporting.

Also on the programme:

Ahead of what he's called Friday's "feel-out" meeting with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine - Donald Trump has set out what he hopes to achieve. We have a report on a lesser known aspect of the war in Ukraine: the Indian men fighting for Russia.

Two leading education thinkers tell us how England's special educational needs policy should change.

And we're live in one of the UK's darkest regions with a spotters' guide to shooting-stars.


MON 22:45 An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (m002gzvk)
6: 'Why don’t you simply face up to the past?'

Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro's classic novel set in post-WWII Japan, read by Tim McInnerny.

It is 1948. Japan is rebuilding after the horrors of the war, its people putting defeat behind them and looking to the future. The celebrated artist Masuji Ono fills his days in his garden with his two grown daughters and grandson, and his evenings drinking with old associates in the quiet lantern-lit bars of the old pleasure district. His should be a tranquil retirement. But as his memories continually return to the past, a dark shadow begins to grow over his serenity.

Today: it's now 1949, and with some of his old colleagues distancing themselves from him, and the meeting with his prospective in-laws now imminent, Ono decides it's time to talk to his former student Kuroda...

Writer: Kazuo Ishiguro
Reader: Tim McInnerny
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001kh2w)
Who Killed Aldrich Kemp?

2. The Man Who Sold the World

Clara's dispatched on a new mission by her new boss. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Two - just who is Remington Schofield?

Cast:
Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Sebastian Harcourt – Kyle Soller
Nakesha Kemp – Karla Crome
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters & Forsaken McTeague – Jana Carpenter.
Sabine Seah – Rebecca Boey
Remington Schofield – Barnaby Kay
Miss Lotte Amutenya – Cherrelle Skeete
Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt
Novak - Ben Crowe

Created and written by Julian Simpson

Recorded on location in Hove.

Music composed by Tim Elsenburg.
Sound Design: David Thomas
Director: Julian Simpson
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 What's Funny About... (m0027kzv)
Series 4

3. Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman are joined by Jonathan Lynn to hear the story of how he and his co-writer Sir Anthony Jay created their sitcom masterpiece Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.

Jonathan explains the challenges of writing a comedy about the on-the-face-of-it-not-entirely-hilarious subject of politicians and civil servants, and how he and Tony found such a rich vein of humour in the world of Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey. He reveals the politicians who inspired the character of Jim, and the unlikely role that John Cleese’s corporate training video company played in the creation of the series.

Producer: Owen Braben
An Expectation Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4