SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002kfp0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang (m002kfmj)
Episode 5

In this sequel to her memoir Wild Swans, Jung Chang charts her path from arriving as a 26-year-old student in the UK in 1978, through the years of post-Mao liberalisation, to the more recent authoritarian and increasingly repressive rule of President Xi Jinping. The constant thread throughout these years has been her powerful bond with her mother, the woman to whom this book is dedicated.

Jung and her fellow students grew up in complete isolation from the West, and lived in fear as to what might happen if they broke any of the strict rules imposed upon them by their government. The chance to travel to Britain and then to study at York University was an invaluable opportunity. But the freedom of expression that she chose to exercise once she became a British citizen eventually exacted a high price.

Although for many years she was able to return to China and visit her family while researching her subsequent books, there came a point when the political situation meant permanent separation from her mother and those family members who she left behind in China. Today Jung Chang is unable to return to bid farewell to her frail mother who is now in her 90s, but she remains determined to honour the freedom that her mother encouraged her to embrace.

Written by Jung Chang
Read by Sarah Lam
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002kfp2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002kfp4)
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 (m002kfp6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002kfp8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002kfpb)
Trampolines and Toddlers

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning.

My daughter made me realise something in the park a while ago. She loves trampolines and at the time she was only one, so she jumped like her shoes were glued to the floor. She’d take a few steps, attempt a few jumps and then fall over.

Usually, whenever she falls, I pick her up straight away because she’s only little. But one Saturday morning, as I looked at the bigger kids causing chaos, I imagined my daughter at school in a few years. I realised I won’t always be there to pick her up, and if I keep doing it now, she won’t learn to do it herself. So instead of rushing to the rescue, I waited.

In my own life I’ve made mistakes, some big, some small, some because I was young, others where I should have known better. There are times I’ve felt God has bailed me out, and times it felt like He just stood there. When it’s been the latter, maybe it was for my own good. It was hard, but I never felt alone because I knew He was there.

As my daughter lay on that trampoline, I think she felt safe because she knew I was there. She twisted and turned, set her feet and got herself back up. Of course, as a loving parent I will give her a hand when she really needs it. But now she knows when you fall, you get up and you go again.

My mum used to say God helps those who help themselves but my prayer, and my belief, is that He helps those who can’t help themselves, by letting them know He’ll never leave them.

Amen


SAT 05:45 Untaxing (m0029j9j)
3. Jaffa Cake or Biscuit?

A biscuit or a cake? That was the question that landed biscuit company McVities in court in 1991 - and the fate of the Jaffa Cake rested on the most unexpected piece of evidence.

But behind the absurdity lies a deeper issue - how the UK’s messy VAT system distorts prices, creates baffling tax battles, and might just be costing us over £20 billion a year.

Producer: Tom Pooley
Music: Jaffa Cake Musical is by Gigglemug Theatre, with songs by Sam Cochrane, arrangements by Rob Gathercole, and Katie Pritchard singing 'Tax Man'.

A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002kpw8)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002kgs3)
Clare Balding's in Town!

Clare Balding’s In Town! To kick off the new series, Clare is walking in Rutland with comedian Mark Steel. Since they’re in the same place at the same time, Clare is also making a cameo appearance on Mark’s hugely successful Radio 4 show, Mark Steel’s In Town, in Oakham, Rutland’s largest town.

Mark has been making In Town for 450 years (he told us) and each show involves intense research before he performs a stand-up routine about the area to a local audience. As Clare and Mark amble around the Hambleton Peninsula, which stretches into Rutland Water, Mark and his producer Carl Cooper discuss what it takes to pull together an episode of In Town.

Mark also discusses the theme of his new book, Leopard in My House, about his recovery from cancer. Guiding Mark and Clare is keen local walker Richard Cooper, who has lived in the area for 20 years and is both knowledgeable and passionate about Rutland. Mark Steel's In Town – Oakham, Rutland will be broadcast on Tuesday, 7 October, with Ramblings following on the 9th... with both available forever on BBC Sounds...

Map: OS Explorer 234 - Rutland Water
Map Ref: SK901075 for Ketton Road where they started the walk

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002kpwb)
11/10/25: Rural crime, River Wye court case, skilled workers visas

This week we're looking at the fight against rural crime and how it feels to be the victim of theft, waste dumping, and illegal hare coursing on farmland. A rural crime expert tells us she believes some police forces are investing less time and resourcing, as they manage limited funding. We visit Cumbria where the Rural Crime Team is making a difference, with initiatives including volunteer horseback patrols. Meanwhile, in Hertfordshire we meet a farmer cleaning up tonnes of so-called Trommel waste, material left from the refuse recycling process, dumped on his land. In the Vale of Glamorgan, farmers are coping with an increase in illegal hare coursing.

Also in the programme: What's been described as the biggest ever legal claim for environmental pollution has been filed at the High Court. And, the Scottish dairy farmers concerned about future staffing on their farms following changes to the skilled workers visa.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002kpwd)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002kpwg)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002kpwj)
Susie Dent, Winemaking, Speed Ploughing and Joanna Lumley's Inheritance Tracks

Susie Dent joins Adrian Chiles for extraordinary stories from remarkable people.


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002klmj)
Series 24

Good Vibrations?

It turns out that the whole world wobbles. Everything has a natural frequency - the rate at which it moves when disturbed - be it a cup of tea, a building or a human organ.

Even more incredibly, if an external force matches an object's natural frequency, it causes it to absorb that energy and vibrate with increasingly large waves; and that can have consequences, from helping a spider find its lunch to making a bridge collapse.

On the trail of good and bad vibes and everything in between, Hannah and Dara investigate whether the famous 1940 collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the USA was really down to resonance, explore examples of resonance in nature, and find out what this mysterious vibration can do to the human body: from the pressures of repetitive tractor-driving, to absorbing the reverberations of certain instruments...

To submit your question to the Curious Cases team, please email: curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:
- Helen Czerski, Professor of Physics at University College London
- Wanda Lewis, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at Warwick University
- Phillip Moxley, Senior Research Associate at the University of Southampton
- Sana Bokhari, sound therapy practitioner

Producers: Lucy Taylor & Emily Bird
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 10:30 Legend (m002kpwl)
The Bruce Springsteen Story

1. My Hometown

How did Bruce become The Boss, and what did it cost him to get there? Laura Barton explores the extraordinary life story of Bruce Springsteen, taking a front-row seat at five important gigs to reveal the life behind the legend.

Bruce’s story begins in the small factory town of Freehold, New Jersey. His father, Douglas, is distant. The love from his Grandmother Alice is fierce. His life changes forever when he hears Elvis and The Beatles, and learns the guitar.

Laura travels to 23rd January, 1971. Bruce is 21 years old. This wiry figure with long curly hair takes the mic at the Upstage Club, Asbury Park. There is a vast distance between this scruffy boardwalk town venue and the stadiums he will one day fill, but Springsteen has a plan. Off stage, Bruce is a shy and introverted teenager. But when he plays, the transformation is startling. People liken it to Bruce Banner turning into the Incredible Hulk. This is where he finds his congregation - his vision of community forms here.

~~~

“I'm here tonight to provide proof of life to that ever elusive, never completely believable, particularly these days, us. That's my magic trick.”

In Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, we uncover the magic trick to discover how a scrawny, long-haired introvert from small-town New Jersey became the iconic, muscular, and oft-misunderstood rock star of the 1980s, to the eloquent elder statesmen he is now. What can his story tell us about America today?

In each episode, Laura takes us to the front row of a live performance that reveals a different side of The Boss, and hears him across the decades in his own words from the archive. We'll also hear from fellow worshippers in the Church of Springsteen and disciples from the E Street Band, including drummer Max Weinberg, tributes from those influenced by Bruce, such as Bryce Dessner from The National, as well as Freehold town historian Kevin Coyne and music critics and biographers such as Richard Williams, Eric Alterman, Steven Hyden, Warren Zanes and Diane H. Winston.

The Bruce Springsteen Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning Joni Mitchell Story, and the podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).

Producers: Eliza Lomas and Mair Bosworth
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Series Developer: Mair Bosworth
Production Coordinator: Stuart Laws
Additional Research: Sarah Goodman
Series Editor: Emma Harding
Commissioning Editors: Daniel Clarke and Matthew Dodd


SAT 11:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002kgsq)
Climate Migration: Confronting the Reality of Global Warming (Gaia Vince)

As extreme weather forces people from their homes, the journalist and author Gaia Vince makes the positive case for immigration.

Projections show that billions of people will be displaced by 2050 due to the effects of global warming, a phenomenon she has reported on in her book ‘Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval’.

She argues that if governments plan for the mass movement of people they can reap the economic rewards of immigration despite public concern about the issue.

And with news that renewable energy overtook coal as the world's leading source of electricity in the first half of 2025, Gaia tells Amol why she thinks we’re approaching a “tipping point” which will see the end of our reliance on fossil fuels and green energy become the dominant source of power.

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 Anna Budd. 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 (m002kpwp)
Ukraine's death messenger

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Madagascar, St Helena, Uzbekistan and Bolivia.

We follow a Ukrainian army officer in the western city of Lviv who has the unenviable task of informing families that their loved ones have been killed on the battlefield. Richard Pendry witnesses the heartbreak and anger that has faced Major Serhiy Laziuk every day for the past three years.

Gen Z led protests have erupted in Madagascar recently. What began as a demonstrations against persistent power cuts, has evolved into demands for full-scale political change. Luke Freeman reports from the capital, Antananarivo.

The British overseas territory St Helena in the South Atlantic - home to just four thousand people - largely depends on British grants and remittances from abroad. While renowned for its natural beauty, many locals are looking to leave to find their fortune abroad. Beth Rose spoke to islanders about the future.

Uzbekistan is making art and culture a central pillar of its economic development, as the former Soviet republic looks to rebrand itself. Kirsty Lang visited the new biennial exhibition in Bukhara, where tradition merges with modern art.

And finally, with their pleated skirts, fringed shawls and bowler hats, the 'Cholitas' are a common sight in Bolivia’s capital La Paz. Once a derogatory term for people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage, many women are now reclaiming the title, and transforming from outcasts to icons in the process, finds Jane Chambers.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002kpwr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002kpwt)
The latest news from the world of personal finance


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002kfng)
Series 118

6. Peace Deals and Police Powers

In the week where Trump brokered a peace deal in the Middle East, buzz was generated at the Conservative Party Conference (honestly), the Home Office announces greater restrictions on protests, and the world's first footballer billionaire is crowned, Andy Zaltzman is joined by Scott Bennett, Ayesha Hazarika, Kate Cheka and Ian Smith to break down this weeks news.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Jain Edwards, Ruth Husko and Alfie Packham
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002kpww)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002kpwy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002kfnn)
David Blair, Baroness Coffey, Bobby Dean MP, Kim Leadbeater MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from York St John University with David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator at the Telegraph; Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, Baroness Coffey; Liberal Democrat frontbencher Bobby Dean; and Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Booth


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002kpx0)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002kfnj)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davis
Chris Carter.... Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter.... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
Mick Fadmoor.... Martin Barrass
Amber Gordon.... Charlotte Jordan
Clarrie Grundy..... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy..... Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
George Grundy.... Angus Stobie
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin.... Taylor Uttley
Adam Macy.... Andrew Wincott
Paul Mack.... Joshua Riley
Lily Pargetter.... Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen
Prison Guard.... Janice Connolly


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000rct8)
Star of the Sea

Episode One

Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor dramatised for radio by Clare McGowan.
It is 1847 and American journalist Grantley Dixon is investigating a murder on board the Star of the Sea of bankrupt landowner, husband and father Lord David Merridith. The ship is bound for New York and full of fleeing refugees escaping from Ireland and the Potato Famine that has torn the country they have left apart.
The ship is full of characters, all of whom may have a reason as to why they would want to kill Lord Merridith. But who is the actual murderer? Someone on board this ship is hungry for vengeance and and has a need to see justice executed…
Could it be Laura his wife, or their maidservant Mary or the pitiful Pius Mulvey who drags his maimed leg behind him as he stalks the deck at night….
There are many characters for Grantley to choose from.
Few novels have been written about the Irish Potato famine by the great writers but Joseph O’Connor shows us in glorious technicolor just what effect this famine had on Ireland and its people.

Cast
Grantley Dixon ... Kyle Soller
Lord David Merridith ... Johnny Flynn
Laura ... Georgina Beedle
Pius ... Rory Keenan
Mary ... Charlene McKenna
Captain ... Daniel Flynn
Leeson ... Carl Prekopp
David's father ... Stephen Critchlow
Doctor Mangan ... Niall Buggy
Nicholas Mulvey ... Kwaku Fortune
Jonathan ... Ronan Casey
Robert ... Alfie Hurley
Young Mary ... Joni Martin
Young David ... Hugo Mallon
Mary's mother ... Tallulah Bond

Writer, Joseph O'Connor
Dramatised by Claire McGowan
Director, Celia de Wolff
BBC Northern Ireland Production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002kpx2)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Sally Wainwright, Kellie Bright, AI girlfriends, lessons from the Pelicot trial

100m sprinter Bebe Jackson, 19, won a bronze medal on her debut at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India, last week. Bebe was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, widely known as club foot, and when she’s not competing for Britain, she works nights caring for children with complex disabilities. She tells Anita Rani how she does it.

In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot Women, a group of women in mid-life escape the pressures of caring for parents and kids - and the menopause - by forming a rock band. Rosalie Craig stars as the incredible singer that brings them together. Anita Rani talks to Sally and actor Rosalie about the power of female friendship.

Nuala McGovern talks to the French philosopher Manon Garcia. Manon watched the court proceedings of the Pelicot case in France, in which Dominique Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the rape of Dominique’s wife Gisèle. In her book Living with Men, she examines French and other societies in light of the case and questions what more needs to be done.

When you think about music from 500 years ago, you might picture monks chanting, or the voices of choirboys, but what’s been largely forgotten over the course of history is that some of the most striking music during this time was being written and sung by nuns, hidden away in convents across Europe. Nuala speaks to Laurie Stras, Director of Musica Secreta, an all-female renaissance ensemble.

Elon Musk's Artificial Intelligence company xAI recently introduced two sexually explicit chatbots. He's a high-profile presence in a growing field where developers are banking on users interacting and forming intimate relationships with the AI chatbots. Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Amelia Gentleman, who has just returned from an adult industry conference in Prague, where she saw a sharp rise in new websites offering an increasingly realistic selection of AI girlfriends, and Gina Neff, Professor of Responsible AI at the Queen Mary University of London, who tells us what this means for women.

EastEnders actor Kellie Bright took part in a Woman’s Hour special last year which asked whether the SEND system is working for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Tonight Kellie presents a special one-hour BBC Panorama. Drawing on her own experience as the mother of an autistic son, she investigates how parents navigate the complex system to secure the right help at school. Kellie joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what she found.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson


SAT 17:00 PM (m002kpx4)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002kpx6)
Free Speech Tsar: Arif Ahmed on how to avoid the 'abyss' of political violence

How do you protect and police freedom of speech on campus and in society?

Arif Ahmed is a Cambridge Philosopher who is now responsible for enforcing new freedom of speech rules on universities, colleges and students.

He took office at a time when there is particular focus on a vexed question: where the boundary should lie between free speech - which should be protected - and speech that threatens, intimidates and leaves people feeling unsafe, which can and should be restricted.

He talks to Nick about why he ended up so passionate about this subject, and warns of society falling into an "abyss" of political violence.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Fiona Fairmaner
Editors: Giles Edwards and Leela Padmanabhan


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002kpx8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002kpxb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002kpxd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002kpxg)
Dom Joly, Lauren Lyle, Lorn Macdonald, Sarah Rankin, Tide Lines, Cara Rose

Clive Anderson is joined in Glasgow by comedian Dom Joly who first introduced the world to the concept of a very loud man yelling in to a giant mobile phone 25 years ago. He’s celebrating Trigger Happy TV on a national tour. Lauren Lyle is used to an investigation in her role as Val McDermid's Karen Pirie, and in new psychological thriller The Ridge she embarks on another kind of search for the truth, this time in New Zealand. In his varied career, actor Lorn Macdonald has made us chuckle with his turn as Albion Finch in TV hit Bridgeton, taken on Trainspotting on stage and now plays the tormented young playwright Konstantin in Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. After becoming a finalist on MasterChef in 2022 Sarah Rankin has cooked up a storm in the culinary world, and her newest cookbook Feast has the perfect recipes for hosting cosy dinner parties all through the darker months. Plus – she’ll be explaining why she’s been hanging out with the world champions of porridge-making.

Cara Rose shares her reflective new single, and Highlands four-piece Tide Lines look ahead to their 10th anniversary celebrations.

Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002kpxj)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002kgrj)
Thomas Adès

One of the most revered and prolific British classical musicians, Thomas Adès made his name with his 1995 opera Powder Her Face, written when he was just 24 years old. His orchestral composition Asyla was nominated for the Mercury Prize for album of the year in 1999. Recordings of his opera The Tempest and, more recently, his score for the ballet The Dante Project have both won Grammy Awards. His ten symphonic works, three operas and numerous chamber pieces are performed all round the world. In 2024 Adès was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious Gold Medal, previous recipients of which include Stravinsky, Brahms and Elgar.

Thomas Adès talks to John Wilson about the influence of his family, including his art historian mother who is an expert in surrealism. Through her he was introduced to the surrealist artists, the films of Luis Buñuel and met the painter Francis Bacon. His grandmother introduced him to the work of T.S. Eliot as read by Sir Alec Guinness on a cassette recording, and it was some of these poems that he was to eventually set to music for his first ever composition. Adès also recalls getting to the semi-finals of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year in 1990, a watershed moment for him as it prompted him to pursue music as a composer rather than a pianist. He also cites going regularly to the English National Opera as a formative influence and talks about writing his own operas including Powder Her Face about the Duchess of Argyll, and The Exterminating Angel, based on the film by Luis Buñuel.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002kpxl)
War & Peace: The UN at 80

Eighty years after its founding, the United Nations stands at a crossroads. Created in the aftermath of the Second World War to keep the peace and promote global cooperation, it has been celebrated for moments of decisive diplomacy and condemned for political paralysis.

Its story is one of ambition and compromise, ideals and realpolitik, from Cold War brinkmanship and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the surge of newly independent nations demanding a voice on the world stage.

Among its most intriguing chapters is the quiet, steady leadership of U Thant, the Burmese diplomat who guided the organisation through turbulent times and championed the perspectives of the Global South. His era highlights the UN’s enduring tensions - balancing sovereignty and unity, mediating between superpowers and responding to global crises that transcend borders.

Today, with climate change, pandemics, technological disruption and shifting geopolitical alliances redefining the global landscape, the question is whether the UN can adapt quickly enough to remain effective.

This programme examines the lessons of its past and asks what kind of peacekeeping role it can realistically play in the 21st century.

A 2 Degrees West production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 The History Podcast (m002kpxn)
The Fort. Omnibus 1

For the first time, commanders, soldiers and pilots who served in Afghanistan tell their story of the gruelling assault on Jugroom Fort - and an astonishing rescue mission.


SAT 22:00 News (m002kpxq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002kfmg)
The Food Innovators: 2025

Dan Saladino meets people behind pioneering projects rethinking the future of chocolate, seafood and food forests. Which one will win this year's BBC Best Food Innovation Award?

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m002kf9g)
Series 14

1. Oakham

First stop of the new series is Oakham, nestled in the UK’s smallest county – Rutland.

Oakham is proudly twinned with Paris (even if the Parisians don’t know), has Europe’s largest man-made lake (which required flooding a local village) and hangs its horseshoes the other way round (so the devil falls out, obviously).

Joining Mark is Clare Balding, who’s also in town to take him on a ramble around Rutland, which you can hear in Ramblings, this Thursday on Radio 4.

This is the 14th series of Mark's award winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience. As well as Oakham, in this series, Mark be will also be popping to Wrexham, Cambridge, Lewisham and, Lerwick and Unst in Shetland.

This is an extended edition of the broadcast version.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4


SAT 23:30 The 3rd Degree (m002kfjv)
Series 15

4. Worcester College, Oxford

This episode coming from Worcester College, Oxford, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Maths, Theology and History, so naturally we’ll be looking at exotic 4-spaces, the concept of homoiousion and a little heraldic bird with no feet. And a slug called Shaun. And Wittgenstein.

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, universities include Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, Kent, Worcester College Oxford, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002kpxs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m002kfjs)
John Niven

Led by presenter, James Naughtie, the writer John Niven speaks to Radio 4's Bookclub programme about his 2008 novel, Kill Your Friends, which is a darkly comic satire of the UK music industry, as told through the perspective of the sadistic, Steven Stelfox, an A&R executive (Artists and Repertoire) for a London record label. The year is 1997, the height of the Britpop era, and Stelfox has his eyes on promotion.

This recording takes place in the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow, Pacific Quay.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

It was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002kpxv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002kpxx)
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 (m002kpxz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002kpy1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002kpy3)
The church of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury in Gloucestershire

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury in Gloucestershire. Originally built in the 11th century the Grade One listed church has a ring of 8 bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1550 by Henry Jefferies of Bristol. The tenor bell weighs thirteen and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E flat. We hear them ringing Ruby Alliance Major.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002kf9p)
Access to Work; Access to STEM

The rumours continue to circulate about cuts to the government's Access to Work scheme. The scheme provides additional support for disabled people to get into and maintain work - such as specialist equipment and support workers. Following a summer of consultations, Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms is due to begin a review of the scheme but what do we know at this point? To help dig into this is Liberal Democrat spokesman on work and pensions Steve Darling, who has been trying to seek his own answers from government about what is happening to the scheme, the RNIB and Sassy Wyatt, who is a blind freelance travel journalist and accessibility consultant. Sassy describes the issues she's facing when attempting to renew her award.

Design engineering masters student and keen space enthusiast, Abi Way is in the process of setting up a new charity called Boomerang. It aims to assist and encourage more visually impaired youngsters to pursue STEM subjects. STEM being Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Abi describes how the charity will do this and about her own accessibility barriers throughout her education that led to her trying to help other students overcome them.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
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 (m002kr9x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m002kf94)
Prison Conversions

In this episode of Beyond Belief, Giles Fraser explores the deeply personal and often transformative phenomenon of religious conversion in prison. From heroin addiction and violence to spiritual awakening, we hear the raw and powerful testimony of Tony Winter, whose journey to faith began behind bars & Maliki Clique aka Ali Abdul Raheem, a former US inmate whose conversion to Islam during incarceration reshaped his life and message to over 700,000 TikTok followers. Panellists Pastor Mick Fleming who leads the Church On The Street ministry based in Burnley, researcher Alex Beaumont from the University of Law, Manchester, psychotherapist Jackie Oglethorpe who's also Chair of Trustees at the Community Chaplaincy Association and Suleman Amad Project Manager Criminal Justice at Maslaha unpack the motivations behind prison conversions, discuss how prisoners find faith as a path to redemption and how to distinguish sincere transformation from strategic adaptation in the prison context?

Presenter: Giles Fraser
Producer: Bara’atu Ibrahim & Linda Walker
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002kr9z)
Jockey/Farmer

Harry Cobden is one of the country's top jockeys in jump racing. He was Champion Jockey in the 2023-24 season and at 26 years old has ridden more than 900 winners, and counting. When he's not racing he's working on his family's beef farm in Somerset. Harry tells Sarah Swadling how his farming life provides a release from the pressures of an elite sporting career.

Presented and produced by Sarah Swadling


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002krb1)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002krb3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002krb5)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002kq3k)
Children on the Edge

Actress Susannah Fielding presents the Radio 4 appeal on behalf of Children on the Edge. The charity helps marginalised children, including those living in refugee camps, access quality education.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week. Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0754 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 ‘Children on the Edge’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Children on the Edge’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Please ensure you are donating to the correct charity by checking the name of the charity on the donate page.

Registered Charity Number: 1101441. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://childrenontheedge.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002krb7)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002krb9)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002krbc)
Farsi Christians - hope in the midst of trial

Suffering for being a Christian - 1 Peter 4: 12-19

Many Farsi Christians have come to the UK from Iran, often leaving behind homes, families, and familiar ways of life. Their journeys carry both sorrow and hope: sorrow for what has been lost, and hope for the new life God is shaping. We hear from those who have travelled a long way — both in miles and in faith – in this service of thanks for the living faith of Farsi Christians, who in the midst of trial and displacement have discovered the promise of Christ’s welcome.

The leader is the Revd Canon Omid Moludy, Priest in Charge, Saint Aphrahat the Persian Sage and Priest for Cultural Diversity, Diocese of Manchester. The preacher is the Bishop of Chelmsford, The Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, she reflects on her personal experience of suffering and growth as an Iranian-born Christian.

Lord of All Hopefulness (Slane) (Sung in Farsi)
Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness (Bernadette Farrell)
Purify my heart (Refiner’s Fire) (Brian Doerksen)
Jesus lover of my soul (Aberystwyth) (Sung in Farsi)
You do not walk alone (Elaine Hagenberg)
Lighting the Way (Will Todd)
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Faithfulness)

Producer: Alexa Good


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct74q4)
Greece’s debt crisis

It was a week that brought the future of Greece and the Eurozone to the brink. Ten years ago, on 6 July the Greek people voted against the terms of a financial bailout which included raising taxes and slashing welfare spending.

Greece owed €323bn to various countries and banks within Europe. Its banks were closed. A quarter of the population and half of Greece’s young people were unemployed.

The morning after the vote, Euclid Tsakalotos was brought in to replace Yanis Varoufakis as finance minister. His predecessor had accused European leaders of “terrorism” in their handling of the crisis. Parachuted in to last-ditch talks with angry European leaders, Euclid Tsakalotos describes to Josephine McDermott the make-or-break 17-hour summit in Brussels.

He reveals that when Angela Merkel, the leader of Greece’s biggest lender Germany, said she was leaving the room because she could not accept what was on the table, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, actually locked the door to stop her leaving and force an agreement to be reached.

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 queue outside a bank in Greece in 2015. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002krbf)
George McGavin on the Red-backed Shrike

Entomologist and wildlife presenter George McGavin describes his lifelong fascination with the red-backed shrike. When George bought his first bird guide at the age of 10, this small shrike caught his eye because of its habit of impaling large insects and small vertebrates on thorns. This 'butcher bird' was once a common visitor to the south of England but was lost as a British breeding species by the 1990s - and it wasn't until 50 years after first reading about it that George finally got to see one.

Presented by George McGavin and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Featuring a recording from Xeno-canto by Elias A. Ryberg (Red-backed shrike - XC676551)


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002krbh)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002krbk)
Ronnie Wood, musician

Ronnie Wood is a musician and artist who has been a major player on the UK music scene for over 60 years. In 1975 Ronnie became a member of the Rolling Stones, one of the most influential and enduring bands of the rock era.

Ronnie’s parents were born and worked on barges moving cargo up and down the canals between Manchester, Stratford-upon-Avon and London. Ronnie and his two older brothers were the first in the family to be born on dry land.

Ronnie’s brothers, Ted and Art, were accomplished musicians and played in highly respected bands. Ronnie made his debut at nine-years-old when he played the washboard in Ted’s band during a performance at their local cinema. Ronnie formed his first band, The Birds, with some friends. In 1967 he joined the Jeff Beck Group with his lifelong friend Rod Stewart. Two years later they formed the Faces with the remaining members of the Small Faces.

Ronnie joined the Rolling Stones in 1975, replacing the band’s previous guitarist Mick Taylor. Ronnie’s love of art developed in childhood and he studied at Ealing College of Art. His work has been shown in exhibitions around the world.

Ronnie lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Sally and their two children.

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

There are more than 2000 programmes in our archive available for you to listen to. We have cast away other musicians and songwriters including Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper. Ronnie’s fellow Stones, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, are in our archive too along with Ronnie’s friend Paul McCartney. You can find their episodes on BBC Sounds or on our Desert Island Discs website.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002krbm)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davis
Chris Carter.... Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter.... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
Mick Fadmoor.... Martin Barrass
Amber Gordon.... Charlotte Jordan
Clarrie Grundy..... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy..... Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
George Grundy.... Angus Stobie
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin.... Taylor Uttley
Adam Macy.... Andrew Wincott
Paul Mack.... Joshua Riley
Lily Pargetter.... Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen
Prison Guard.... Janice Connolly


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002kpxj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002kfqc)
Series 4

Walking On Ayr

Paul Sinha tests his audience in Ayr on their knowledge of their home county. So, if you're not after half an hour of amazing facts about scientists, poets and football then, well... keep walking.

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

Original music: Tim Sutton

Recording engineer: Hamish Campbell
Mixed by Rich Evans.
Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002krbp)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002krbr)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002kfn2)
From the Archives: Woodland

Is it possible to grow mushrooms on a living log? How do we control the spread of alder beetles in our garden? How can I remove wild garlic from a woodland garden?

Kathy Clugston delves into the rich Gardeners’ Question Time archives to unearth timeless wisdom on gardening in woodland conditions.

Drawing on decades of expertise, GQT panellists and chairs - past and present - offer trusted advice for every green-fingered challenge. From ethical ways to tackle moss and effective methods to control alder beetles, to planting schemes that gently deter unwanted wildlife, the team’s knowledge is as deep-rooted as the trees themselves.

Later, grow-your-own guru Bob Flowerdew rounds off our autumn feature series with a comprehensive guide to allotment tasks that will help ensure a plentiful harvest.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 One to One (m001q0r9)
Aleighcia Scott's Reggae Heroes: Chris 'Peckings' Price

In the 1960s George Price moved to London from Jamaica. George took his knowledge of Jamaican music and started importing records into the UK, becoming the only place to sell vinyl from famed record label Studio One. George sold these records to sound-systems and DJs and in doing so helped establish and grow Reggae music across the UK. He opened his shop Peckings Records in Shepherd's Bush in 1974 and its run today by his sons, Duke and Chris Price.

Reggae artist and Radio Wales presenter Aleighcia Scott speaks to George's son Chris about his father and how on Sundays legends like Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Prince Buster would pop round to the house. George started selling records out of a suitcase but people used to come to the house so often that his wife Gertrude insisted that he open a shop. They speak about the roots of Reggae music and why Aleighcia still sticks to those sounds when she performs with her live band. They discuss the enormous popularity of Reggae in countries like Japan, France and Brazil and why you can hear tracks by Rick Astley and Celine Dion dropped into dance hall sets in Jamaica.

Presenter: Aleighcia Scott
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field.


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002krbt)
Stormy Applause

Episode 1

Stormy Applause is adapted from the memoir of Rostislav Dubinsky, first violin of the Borodin Quartet. In 1953, as Stalin lies in state, four young musicians find themselves catapulted from idealistic students to unwilling cultural ambassadors of the Soviet Union. For Rostik and his closest friend Valia, every step forward brings new pressures: fame, censorship, KGB minders, and the gnawing question of how far they can compromise without betraying the music they love. Witty, moving and suspenseful, this is a story of friendship and survival - where every performance is political, and every note could cost everything.

Cast:

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
James Corrigan
Ashley Margolis
Danny Ashok
Lilit Lesser
Nick Murchie
Roger Ringrose
Maggie Service
Django Bevan

Musicians:

Andrew O’Reilly
Isabell Karlsson
Vivek Dinesh
Yixuan Ren

Sound design: Peter Ringrose.

Adapted by Nick Perry.

Produced & directed by Luke MacGregor and Sasha Yevtushenko.

A BBC Studios production.


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002krbx)
John Banville

Booker Prize winning Irish author John Banville speaks about his new novel Venetian Vespers and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other works of literary art.

Set in the year 1899, Venetian Vespers is told from the perspective of the unfortunate Evelyn Dolman, a self-confessed hack-writer who marries Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat, but in the midst of a mysterious rift between Laura and her father, Evelyn’s plans of a substantial inheritance are thrown into doubt.

For his three influences John chose: the Daphne Du Maurier short story, Don’t Look Now, from 1971, which is also the inspiration for director Nicolas Roeg’s classic film of the same name; The Aspern Papers by Henry James from 1888; and Death In Venice by Thomas Mann, from 1912.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 The 3rd Degree (m002krbz)
Series 15

5. Manchester Metropolitan University

This episode coming from Manchester Metropolitan University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Mental Health Nursing, Law and Digital Marketing, so there’ll be questions on the serious topic of Epigenetic Development Theory, the very serious topic of what legal form you need to ask about your drains, and the incredibly serious topic of what McDonalds tweeted back to Kanye West. And just what is going on with Blackpool’s postcode?

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, universities include Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, Kent, Worcester College Oxford, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct7461)
Lunch atop a Skyscraper

In 1932, a photo was taken showing 11 New York ironworkers casually eating their lunch while sitting on a steel beam at the top of a skyscraper.

No safety harnesses, no helmets. Their legs dangled freely over the death-defying drop. 'Lunch atop a Skyscraper' is now one of the most famous pictures in the world but it's an image surrounded in mystery.

For years, the identity of its photographer and the 11 men have been unknown. Christine Roussel, archivist at the Rockefeller Center, tells Vicky Farncombe about her mission to uncover the photo’s secrets.

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: Lunch atop a Skyscraper. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002krc1)
Maria Popova, Aditya Narayan, Kimberly Campanello, DM Black

Writer and poet Maria Popova on taking inspiration from 19th century ornithological studies for her new publication, An Almanac of Birds – 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days.

Slam poet Aditya Narayan has had an impressive winning streak this year – winning the Roundhouse Poetry Slam in April and the Loud Poets Grand Slam final in August. He discusses writing poetry for performance and rhyming English, Hindi, and Urdu.

Kimberly Campanello and D.M. Black are members of a distinguished group - poets who have translated Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy. They reflect on their different approaches to the 14th century three part work which takes the reader to hell, purgatory, and heaven - Kimberly weaving in her personal history including her Parkinson's diagnosis and the history of Italy in her translation of Part 1: Inferno, and D.M. Black drawing upon his experience as a psychoanalyst in his award-winning translation of Part 2: Purgatorio, and his recently published Part 3: Paradiso.

Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002krc3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002krc5)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002krc7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002krc9)
Susan Hulme

This week, as Today in Parliament celebrates its 80th birthday, Susan gets a taster of how political broadcasting has changed, and how one late politician both competed at the polling booth and for pole position on the racetrack. As the BBC's Wild About Wildlife Week gets under way, Katherine Rundell leads A Carnival of Animals on Radio 4 whereas Curious Cases are considering crabs and carcinisation. Plus, like them or loathe them, aubergines are causing havoc on The Kitchen Cabinet yet again - Hairy Biker Si King has got involved.

Presenter: Susan Hulme
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Coordinators: Caroline Peddle and Caoilfhinn McFadden

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002krcc)
The Grundys make plans, and there's tension at the Bull.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002krcf)
Returned to Sender

Clint Buffington spends his time where land meets sea, searching for a very specific treasure - messages in bottles that have drifted across oceans. Over the past 20 years he has recovered more than 140 of them, each carrying a clue - sometimes decades old - waiting to be discovered.

Finding a bottle is only the beginning. The real mystery unfolds when Clint carefully extracts the fragile paper in his Utah home lab. He first teases out the faint, salt-blurred words, deciphering a message damaged by years at sea. Only then does Clint begin tracking down the person who sent it, often many years after they let it go. Each investigation is part detective work, part conversation across time.

The messages reveal remarkable journeys - a German sailor who cast a note into the Bermuda Triangle on his birthday in 1979, three French women who paddled across the Atlantic to set a world record, Puerto Rican students at a crossroads, even a pair of tiny dolls wrapped in a spell.

Join Clint on his search and the unexpected revelations it sparks - a reminder that across vast distances and years at sea, the quest for human connection is timeless.

A Sound & Bones production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001817f)
Meditate

In this episode, Michael uncovers the secret of mindfulness - how just a short mindful meditation a day can enhance your mood, your immune system and your brain. Our willing volunteer Peter has a go at ten days of daily mindfulness practice, and Dr Sara Lazar from Harvard University expertly guides Michael through the mechanisms by which meditation can train your attention, improve working memory, and even rewire your response to physical pain.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002kgs5)
Inside the Migrant Hotel, Train Tracks and In Our Time

The first episode in a new series of Feedback, presented by Andrea Catherwood.

A recent edition of File on 4 Investigates went inside the migrant hotels at the centre of anti-immigration protests in England to talk to residents about their experiences. But listeners were divided in what they thought of the documentary. The journalist who made programme, Sue Mitchell, joins Andrea to answer your comments and questions.

While Feedback was off air we heard the news that veteran presenter Melvyn Bragg would be stepping down from presenting In Our Time after 27 years at the programme's helm. You've been suggesting your favourite names to take over - and we talk to radio critic Simon O'Hagan about the end of Melvyn's reign.

And Radio 3 took the time to celebrate 200 years of the birth of the modern railway recently. There was a day of specially scheduled programming - Train Tracks, in which listeners heard Petroc Trelawney travelling from Inverness to London by train in the company of other Radio 3 presenters, soundtracked by themed playlists. Petroc joins us to hear what listeners had to say about the celebration.

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 (m002kfn6)
Patrick Bradley, Dame Jilly Cooper, Sara Jane Moore, Dame Patricia Routledge

Matthew Bannister on

Patrick Bradley, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Dame Jilly Cooper, the best-selling author of the racy “Rutshire Chronicles”.

Sara Jane Moore, the political extremist who tried to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.

Dame Patricia Routledge, the actor best known for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the TV comedy Keeping Up Appearances.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
With Bennett: Patricia Routledge, BBC Radio Ulster FM, 01/05/2004; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 13/08/1999; Rivals, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Plus UK / Happy Prince, 25/09/2024; Mark Lawson Talks to Jilly Cooper, BBC4, 19/09/2006; In My Own Words: Jilly Cooper, BBC One, 30/09/2024; Hay Festival, BBC Arts, 31/08/2018; Riders, Anglia Films, ITV, 1993 (writer: Jilly Cooper, Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady; dir: Gabrielle Beaumont), LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE, BBC One Scotland, 19/05/1989; Gerald Ford assassination attempt, YouTube; New Voices (RU) 2015/16: Time of Our Lives (Ep. 38), BBC Radio Ulster FM, 31/01/2016


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002kpwt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002kq3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002kpwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002krch)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (b016lh15)
The Moon

After 27 years, Melvyn Bragg has decided to step down from the In Our Time presenter’s chair. With over a thousand episodes to choose from, he has selected just six that capture the huge range and depth of the subjects he and his experts have tackled. In this first pick, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins, science and mythology of the moon.

Humans have been fascinated by our only known satellite since prehistory. In some cultures the Moon has been worshipped as a deity; in recent centuries there has been lively debate about its origins and physical characteristics. Although other planets in our solar system have moons ours is, relatively speaking, the largest, and is perhaps more accurately described as a 'twin planet'; the past, present and future of the Earth and the Moon are locked together. Only very recently has water been found on the Moon - a discovery which could prove to be invaluable if human colonisation of the Moon were ever to occur.

Mankind first walked on the Moon in 1969, but it is debatable how important this huge political event was in developing our scientific knowledge. The advances of space science, including data from satellites and the moon landings, have given us some startling insights into the history of our own planet, but many intriguing questions remain unanswered.

With:

Paul Murdin
Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University

Carolin Crawford
Gresham Professor of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge

Ian Crawford
Reader in Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, London.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002kfn4)
The Victim

When her ex-boyfriend suddenly vanishes, forensic accountant Natalie decides to turn detective. She's done an online training course, and she's bought a vintage trench coat. So what could possibly go wrong? A brand new detective comedy from J.D. Brinkworth, read by Ada Player.

J.D. Brinkworth is an award-winning comedy writer, and the author of The Pie & Mash Detective Agency.
Ada Player (BAFTA nominee) is an actress and comedian, and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe.

Producer: Katie Sayer

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

MONDAY 13 OCTOBER 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002krck)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Soul Music (m0029rgc)
I Feel Love

Stories of love, loss and legacy surrounding Donna Summer's iconic 1977 hit. Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte wanted to make something which sounded like the future, and sure enough 'I Feel Love' went on to revolutionise disco and pave the way for electronic dance music. Almost 40 years on, it still sounds fresh to this day: the pumping arpeggiated bassline, the synthesized drones, and Donna's soaring multi-tracked vocals.

Writer and AIDS activist Mark S. King reflects on what the song meant to him back when it was first released, and then later through the HIV/AIDS crisis. Retail consultant and author Mary Portas shares how the song got her through a difficult time of loss, taking her to a place beyond grief. A place of freedom and dance. Singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano, Donna Summer's husband of 32 years until her death in 2012, remembers the heady days when they first met. It was 1977, the same year that I Feel Love was written and released. And music journalist Danyel Smith, author of 'Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop', celebrates the incredible legacy of Donna and the power of this pioneering track. A track that still, decades later, gets people on the dance floor.

Producer: Becky Ripley


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002kpy3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002krcm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002krcp)
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 (m002krcr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002kfn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002krct)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002krcw)
Three words for three generations

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Morning

My mum told me she loved me most days of my life. My dad, though, wasn’t one for words. Let’s just say those three in a row felt like too much for him.

Since he passed away in 2017 after a short battle with cancer, I’ve often wondered if his silence had a negative affect on our relationship. I haven’t made my mind up. But something he always did was drive me places. He drove me to gigs and picked me up from the airport before I could afford airport parking. We didn’t say much in the car, but I felt secure knowing he had my back, even if he never said “I love you.”

Something wild happened on the day he died. As he was slowly drifting to sleep, he whispered, son, I love you. If I’d been sitting down, I’d have fallen off my chair. I accepted him as he was, but hearing those words meant the world because it removed all doubt.

I’m a bit like my dad. I don’t say much, maybe five words a day. But since my son was born six years ago, I make sure I tell him how I feel. Ezra probably thinks I say it too much, but he’ll appreciate it one day.

Even though it’s not easy for me to be emotionally vulnerable, I know how much it can mean.

My prayer is that God can continue to help me open up. My dad saying “I love you” that one time wasn’t only a gift to me. It was also a gift to the grandson that he never met.

Amen


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002krcy)
13/10/25 Flood resilience, SNP Conference, county council farms

England's current approach to planning for floods is "underpowered and fragmented". That's according to a report from MPs which is published today.
The Environmental Audit Committee says the Government should set up a single joint flood reporting and information service and spend more on flood resilience, with a fairer funding formula for rural areas. The MPs say farmers can play a key role, for instance in storing water, but should be paid for their work.

We've been talking to all the major political parties over the past few weeks, during party conference season. The SNP conference continues in Aberdeen today and with elections to the Scottish Parliament in May there is a lot to discuss.

Over the past few decades many councils have been reassessing their property portfolios and council farms have been sold off. This week we'll look at why, and why some feel that's a mistake.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002krd0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002krkx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002krkz)
Endangered languages and vanishing landscapes

Of the 7,000 languages estimated to exist, half will have disappeared by the end of this century. That’s the stark warning from the Director of the Endangered Languages Archive, Mandana Seyfeddinipur. The evolution of languages, and their rise and fall, is part of human history, but the speed at which this is happening today is unprecedented. Mandana will be appearing at the inaugural Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages at the Barbican in October.

A sense of loss also runs through Sverker Sörlin’s love letter to snow. The professor of Environmental History in Stockholm writes about the infinite variety of water formulations, frozen in air, in ‘Snö: A History’ (translated by Elizabeth DeNoma), and his fears about the vanishing white landscapes of his youth.

In the Arctic the transformation from frozen desert into an international waterway is gathering pace. Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London and with co-author Mia Bennett sets out the fight and the future of the Arctic in ‘Unfrozen’. While territorial contest and resource exploitation is causing tensions within the region, there is also potential for new ways of working, from Indigenous governance to subsea technologies.

Producer: Katy Hickman
Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002krl1)
Saving lives at stadiums

Paul Gregory tells Rachel Burden how he's trying to get defibrillators fitted in each corner of every football stadium, in memory of his daughter Lauren who he used to go to games with.

The 29-year-old died following an illness, prompting Paul to set up a campaign known as 'Lauren's Legacy'. He's aiming to get them installed in all English Football League grounds.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.

We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.

You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Nicky Edwards
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002krl3)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002krl5)
The Owl

In this episode, writer Katherine Rundell explores the fascinating world of owls. She shares surprising stories, including how Picasso kept an owl that appeared in many of his artworks and even looked a little like him. Rundell explains how owls are incredibly well-designed predators—some, like the Eurasian eagle owl, are powerful enough to carry off a baby roe deer.

The programme also looks at owl behaviour and intelligence. Not all owls hoot; some make unexpected sounds, including beeping like a reversing truck. While they don’t use tools like crows, owls do decorate their nests and have strong memories. Rundell discusses how these traits contribute to their reputation for wisdom, and reflects on how that idea has evolved over time.

But the episode also highlights the threats owls face. Around 30% of owl species are either extinct or at risk, including the Laughing Owl, which has already been lost. Rundell ends with a warning, quoting philosopher Hegel: “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the coming of dusk.” It’s a reminder that wisdom often comes too late—and that action is needed now to protect these remarkable birds.

Presented and written by Katherine Rundell
Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.


MON 11:00 Three Ages of Child (m002krl7)
Episode 3: Adolescense

Dr Guddi Singh is a paediatrician looking for answers. She’s worried about the patients whose problems can’t be fixed with a prescription – babies who are not thriving because their parents can’t afford to heat their home or children who are obese because they don’t have access to outdoor space. Children in the UK face some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. Dr Singh wants to find solutions.

In a three-part series, she travels across England through the three ages of childhood: the early years, the primary school years and adolescence. She meets people in the community, from health workers to teachers, on a quest to discover what’s going wrong and what it will take to turn things around.

In the final episode, Guddi looks at mental health in adolescence. She finds out about a project in North Devon that’s been created by young people themselves to support neurodivergent children at school. She travels to Cambridge to learn about plans for a new children’s hospital that will integrate mental and physical health. She talks to Professor Sir Michael Marmot about his ground breaking work on health inequalities and she asks Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education, about the government’s plans for addressing the challenges to the health of our children.

Presenter: Guddi Singh Producer:
Jo Glanville Editor: Kirsten Lass
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Production Executive: Lisa Lipman
Sound Engineers: Dan King and Jon Calver
Photography of Guddi Singh courtesy of Anad Singh
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002krl9)
Episode 1

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002krlc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002krlf)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m002krlh)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002krlk)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


MON 13:45 Winter Well (m002krlm)
Episode 1 - What Is SAD?

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode, we hear from Professor Norman Rosenthal, the man who first coined the term Seasonal Affective Disorder after he noticed a significant change in his mood during winter when he moved from South Africa to New York City in the early 1980's. This prompted him to conduct extensive research involving light therapy. GP and Writer Gavin Francis explains how light affects our circadian rhythms. And Ruth, Morven and Neina share their experiences of SAD, and a fear of winter especially when the clocks change at the end of October.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002krcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Alone (m000b6tk)
Series 2

The Big Scene

Louisa is due to make an appearance in a popular TV sitcom and invites everyone round to her flat to watch it go out ‘live’.

Under pressure from Ellie, Louisa also invites the show’s star, Maya Kumari, to come and watch it go out too.

The unattached Maya proves extremely popular with the men, particularly Mitch, and Ellie soon finds herself in a very awkward spot.

Sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London.

Mitch is a widower and part-time therapist, looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will, his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother.

Elsewhere in the building is schoolteacher Ellie who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa, and socially inept IT nerd Morris complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

Mitch ...... Angus Deayton
Will ...... Pearce Quigley
Ellie ...... Abigail Cruttenden
Louisa ...... Kate Isitt
Morris ...... Bennett Arron
Maya ...... Mina Anwar

Written and created by Moray Hunter
Produced by Gordon Kennedy
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2019.


MON 14:45 Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell (m0019rd6)
Episode 9

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

Mrs Bridge by Evan S. Connell
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002krlp)
Sarah Waters and Walter Murch

BEAR by Marian Engel, chosen by novelist Sarah Waters
THE TRUE BELIEVER by Eric Hoffer, chosen by film editor Walter Murch
THE VISITOR by Maeve Brennan, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilber

Sarah Waters, acclaimed author of Fingersmith and The Night Watch, and Walter Murch, legendary film editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient choose the books they love.

Sarah's choice is a cinematic novel set in Northern Canada. Bear by Marian Engel is the unusual tale of a woman's friendship and subsequent relationship with a bear when she travels to a remote island for the summer.

The True Believer is a remarkably prescient examination of mass movements from 1951. Author Eric Hoffer examines political fanaticism throughout the ages. Walter Murch chose it because so much of it rings true in today's fractured world.

Harriett's choice is the story of different generations of women in an unhappy home in Ireland. Maeve Brennan's novella The Visitor is a haunting tale of a chilly tight-lipped Dublin home.

Producer: Maggie Ayre, BBC Audio Bristol

Photo: Charlie Hopkinson


MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002klmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 The Documentary (w3ct82ky)
Kharkiv: Love in a War Zone

Over the past year, BBC Eye has documented life in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, helping to capture the deeply personal stories of those living under the continuing shadow of war. Just 30 kilometres from the Russian border, this Russian-speaking city has sustained some of the heaviest attacks of the war.

Reporter Albina Kovalyova follows the stories of people who have nevertheless chosen to continue to live in Kharkiv. One, Adela Knapova, a writer from the Czech Republic who unexpectedly found love during a visit to this frontline city last year - and who uprooted her life in Prague to move to Ukraine to be with him. He is an artist from Kharkiv, Konstantin Zorkin, who describes his belief in the transformative power of art and love.

These personal stories of love and life are intercut with the violence Russia continues to unleash on this city of over a million people. And they are set against a shifting geopolitical backdrop, of ultimatums and recriminations and talks, as all the while the attacks on Kharkiv and Ukraine continue.

Presenter/reporter: Albina Kovalyova
Producer: Louise Hidalgo
Editor: Rebecca Henschke
Executive producer: Michael Simkin

(Photo: Adela and Konstantin. Credit: Konstantin Zorkin)


MON 16:30 Legend (m002kpwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002krlr)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002krlt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002krlw)
Series 4

Walking In A Sinha Sunderland

Paul Sinha tests his audience in Sunderland on their knowledge of white suits, local football heroes and literary icons in a splendiferous half-hour of edutainment.

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

Original music: Tim Sutton

Recording engineers: Sean Kerwin & Hamish Campbell
Mixed by Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002krhf)
There's a shock for David, and Khalil is impatient.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002krly)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002kgs7)
Will the Gaza peace plan work?

There have been in celebrations in Israel and Gaza at the announcement of a ceasefire and the beginning of a longer term plan for peace and reconstruction in Gaza.
There have been ceasefires and hostage releases before, but then the death and destruction has resumed, so why is so much more hope being invested in the current plan? And what’s actually in it?

Guests:
Rushdi Abu-a-loaf, BBC Gaza Correspondent
Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London
David Makovsky, Director of the Program on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy
Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming
Studio engineer: Dave O’Neill
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002kgs9)
What can the UK learn from China on renewable energy?

This week, renewables overtake coal as the world’s biggest source of electricity. China is leading the renewable charge despite its global reputation as a coal burning polluter. Zulfiqar Khan, Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University and Tsinghua University in Beijing and Furong Li, Professor in the department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath explain what China is getting right and what UK science can learn.

The 2025 Nobel Prize winners have just been announced. The prize for physics has been awarded “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.” But what does that mean? Science journalist and author Phil Ball explains how the winning quantum engineering experiments in the 1980s laid the groundwork for devise used in today’s quantum computers.

Comedian Josie Long finds escapism in extinct megafauna. She speaks to Marnie Chesterton about her new stand up tour ‘Now is the Time of Monsters’. And Managing Editor for the new Scientist Penny Sarchet brings us her pick of the week’s most important new scientific discoveries.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Clare Salisbury
Content Producer: Ella Hubber
Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002krkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002krl1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002krm0)
In-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002krm2)
A Single, Determined Man

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

Michael takes up his burden and prepares to face Helm as Thomas opens his scientific investigations into the wind.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m0025bzz)
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir

2. The Music Box

Aldrich Kemp and the gang are back with some new faces as the race for the mysterious and elusive Rose of Pamir moves from London to Paris, New York to Amsterdam and the Maldives to Tajikistan.

Chapter Two: The Music Box

Clara Page's investigation of the Linnean Society break-in provided the first clues in the search and now Clara and Aldrich are heading south-west in a bid to beat the other side. Whoever they are...

Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Sebastian Harcourt & Dutch Interviewer – Kyle Soller
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter
Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt
Lionel – Steven Mackintosh
Selina & Miss Evesham – Catherine Kanter
Mister Dalton – Karl Davies

Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg.

Sound Design: David Thomas
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

New episodes available on Fridays. Listen first on BBC Sounds

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002krm4)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament