SATURDAY 27 JUNE 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002y25n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001rykw)
Potential futures

Digital technology has become an essential part of our everyday lives, enabling us to communicate, find information and increasing our range of leisure activities.

Kate Mason looks at how the growth of such technologies could impact on our potential. In the workplace technology can speed up menial tasks, would this free up time and allow more human creativity ? And how can such tech help us explore our potential throughout our lives?

Ghislaine Boddington discuses the concept of digital twins, our very own personalised form of AI https://www.gre.ac.uk/people/rep/las/ghislaine-boddington

And Sophie Scott considers the potential of the human brain. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/icn/people/sophie-scott

Presenter : Kate Mason
Producer : Julian Siddle


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002y25q)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002y25s)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002y25v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002y25x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002y25z)
Prayers from the Hymnal: ’Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Prayer for the Day presented by Julia Loveless, worship leader & singer-songwriter.

Good morning. In 1879, Louisa Stead - an Englishwoman who had immigrated to the States - was walking with her family around Long Island in New York. While walking, they suddenly heard the frantic sounds of a child who had fallen into the waters and was drowning. Louisa’s husband immediately jumped into the water in an attempt to save the boy but, tragically, both he and the boy ended up drowning in the waves. Somehow, remarkably, from this place of utter despair and enormous tragedy, Louisa wrote the lyrics to the simple hymn “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus”. It’s hard to imagine such a beautiful statement of faith coming from such an experience, and yet so many of our beloved hymns seem to stem from such circumstances. Perhaps there is something about the starkness of human suffering and grief that actually propels us towards a hope that can not be shaken by them. An eternal hope that remains steadfast and unaffected by the turbulent, chaotic and cruel happenings of life. It leaves us in a place of recognising both the beauty and power in our faith, but also our need for more of it. And so I pray simply this morning using her lyrics; “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him. How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus, O for grace to trust Him more.” Amen.


SAT 05:45 The Hackers (m0012r78)
Series 1

Broken

In the past, it was natural to open your phone and pop in a new battery. Today, to do that you may have to be a hacker. Biella speaks to representatives from the EU Right to Repair Movement, and farmers Nebraska to talk about this new, and unexpected frontier in hacker culture we may all soon belong to - the Right to Repair Movement.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002y8ss)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002y1hp)
Bosham to West Itchenor in West Sussex

Clare joins Marian Spain and Paula Brunt as they explore a stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path in West Sussex. After more than forty years working in environment and conservation, Marian is retiring later this year from her role as CEO of Natural England, the organisation responsible for creating and delivering this route which, at almost 2,700 miles, is the longest managed coastal walking path in the world. She says that overseeing its completion is her proudest achievement.

Marian’s lifelong connection to nature goes back to childhood walks with her mum, who taught her the folklore of flowers. She also recalls an inspiring biology teacher who opened her eyes to the science of the natural world. Growing up, walking was central to family life and a way of keeping up with older siblings. In her working life she enjoys taking colleagues on walking meetings, where conversations flow more freely.

They began their walk in Bosham and walked to West Itchenor, via the Itchenor Ferry which crossses Chichester Harbour. Paula Brunt, a campaigner with Disabled Ramblers, joined them midway to test a section of the route for accessibility. Tree roots prove an issue and cut the walk a little short.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
Ramblings is a BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002y8sv)
27/06/26: Farming in the heat, England's Farming Roadmap, global agritourism.

This week farmers have coped with heavy thundery rain and record breaking temperatures. We hear from a pig farmer keeping his stock cool, a livestock auctioneer who's had to cancel sales due to the heat, and a major potato and beetroot grower contemplating an irrigation bill of £3 million this year. But for winemakers the sunshine has come at just the right moment.

The Government has invested in strategic teams of specialist firefighters in England and South Wales to tackle wildfires. The Fire Chiefs Council's wildfire expert tells us the teams are trained in techniques to cope with a ferocity of fire becoming more common due to the effects of climate change.

Despite all the Prime Ministerial flux the Government revealed its long term (and long awaited) vision for farming: England's Farming Roadmap 2050. The idea is to have a 25 year vision for agriculture, to give farmers certainty 'beyond the next harvest'. It was the brainchild of Steve Reed when he was secretary of state for the environment. Two years down the line, the current incumbent, Emma Reynolds announced the plan in the House of Commons this week.

Aberdeen hosted the first Global Agritourism Conference this week. Anna Hill met some of the delegates to hear about farm tourism in India, Ukraine, Italy, and Canada.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002y8sx)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002y8sz)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002y8t1)
Paul Merton, Professor Lady Sue Black, David James and the Inheritance Tracks of Mark Billingham

Adrian Chiles presents Radio 4's Saturday morning programme. On today's programme:

Paul Merton’s been at the top of his game for BBC One's Have I Got News for You and a familiar voice here on BBC Radio 4’s Just A Minute. He is about to take his Improv show with his wife Suki Webster to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. They’ll also be taking the show back to The Comedy Store in London from November through to December.

Professor Lady Sue Black - Baroness of Black Strome – is a world‑renowned forensic anthropologist, celebrated for her pioneering work in forensics and human identification.

David James is a football pundit and a former England international. His career as a goalkeeper has taken him from grassroots sport in Welwyn Garden City to the international stage and World Cup tournaments.

Plus we'll have the Inheritance Tracks of the best selling crime author Mark Billingham.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Imy Harper
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Andrea Kennedy


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002y8t3)
The Iliad and Odyssey: heroic epics from ancient Greece

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by historian Dr Emily Hauser and comedian and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about the epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. Traditionally attributed to the poet Homer, these works tell parts of a legend that has fascinated us for centuries: the story of the Trojan War. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters – Achilles, Odysseus, Paris, Helen, Hector and Agamemnon – the war between ancient Greece and Troy has inspired writers, artists and filmmakers for over a millennium. But the Iliad and Odyssey only recount episodes of this much bigger story. The Iliad, focusing on the hero Achilles, takes place in the closing stretches of the war. And the Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus’s perilous voyage home after the Greeks have triumphed. In this episode, we trace the origins of the poems in the 8th century BCE, looking at whether Homer really wrote them and how these originally oral tales came to be written down, before exploring the fantastical tales they tell. Along the way, we also look at whether or not the Trojan war really happened, how the ancient Greeks defined heroism, and examine the role of gods and monsters in the poems and the lives of their heroes.

If you’re a fan of fantastical myths and legends, heroes behaving badly, and ancient Greek culture, you’ll love our episode on the Iliad and Odyssey.

If you want more from Kiell Smith-Bynoe, listen to our episode on Viking explorer Leif Erikson. And for more historical epics, check out our episodes on the Legends of King Arthur, and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh.

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


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002y8t5)
Series 52

Worthing

Jay Rayner and the Kitchen Cabinet panel are at Rooms in Worthing, where seaside traditions meet a thriving modern food scene.

Joining Jay to answer listeners’ culinary questions are chefs, cooks and food writers Melissa Thompson, Melek Erdal, Lerato and Dr Zoe Laughlin.

The panellists discuss mackerel, a fish woven into the town’s identity, exploring inventive ways to cook with it, from comforting classics to fresher, lighter dishes.

Later, Jay is joined by local distiller Phil Duckett, who shares insight into Worthing’s flourishing gin scene, bringing a taste of the town’s beachside gin culture to the programme. Inspired by this, the panel suggests ways to cook with gin, from curing fish to creating dressings.

There are also ideas for standout dipping dishes, a lively debate over the correct way to cook roast potatoes, and creative approaches to smoked mackerel beyond the usual pâté.

As ever, expect practical tips, lively debate, and a few memorable tales of kitchen chaos along the way.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002y8t7)
Caroline Wheeler discusses the resignation of the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and what this means for the government. She is joined by Labour backbencher and Andy Burnham supporter Clive Lewis and Labour peer Charlie Falconer, who held a number of positions under Tony Blair, and has been a close ally of the Prime Minister.

To discuss the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote, Caroline brings together Labour MP Stella Creasy, who is the chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, and Conservative peer Ross Kempsell, who was special adviser to Boris Johnson during Brexit years.

Andy Burnham was not the only new MP being sworn in this week. Caroline spoke to the SNP’s Lara Bird and the Conservative Douglas Lumsden, both of whom won the two recent by-elections in Scotland, about their first week in Westminster as MPs.

We will soon have our seventh Prime Minister in ten years. To discuss why, Caroline is joined by Conservative peer and Times columnist Daniel Finkelstein and
Caroline Slocock, a former civil servant, who was private secretary to Margaret Thatcher and John Major. She has written a book called: ‘Bad Government: And How To Make It Better'.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002y8t9)
Afghanistan's secret schools for women

Kate Adie introduces stories on Afghanistan's secret schools, the tension around Jerusalem's holy sites, how Jamaica is bouncing back from Hurricane Melissa, Thailand's snakebite problem, and some nervous laughter in Moscow's comedy clubs.

In Afghanistan women are facing ever tighter restrictions in almost every aspect of public life. Yogita Limaye has been in Afghanistan where she spoke to a young woman determined to keep her dreams alive by covertly flouting Taliban rules.

Wyre Davies reports on how the decades old agreement known as the 'Status Quo' is under threat, as Israeli nationalists flout the rules that govern Jerusalem's holiest site, which is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary).

Last October, Hurricane Melissa - one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record - hit Jamaica, killing at least 45 people, and causing widespread devastation across the island. Eight months on, communities are rebuilding and recovering - Antonia Windsor went to visit them.

In Thailand’s capital Bangkok, emergency service a receive snake-related call roughly every 15 minutes. Rebecca Root spent time with experts exploring the rise of human-snake encounters - and why their work on anti-venom production is vital.

And after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow enacted new laws that made public criticism of the war a potential imprisonable offence. For the country’s comedians – for whom political satire has long been a staple of their performance - there’s now a tricky tightrope to tread, reports Ben Tavener in Moscow.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

NOTE: The audio of the original transmission of this programme has been edited to remove a factual error in the opening menu segment of the programme, related to the Jerusalem dispatch.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002y8tc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002y8tf)
Chair of the Banking Review and Winter Fuel Payments

More than 15,000 people have responded to a Government review into access to banking services in just three weeks since it opened. The review comes after a decade which has seen almost 7,000 bank branches close, with hundreds more happening this year and some announced in just the past few days. Richard Lloyd, a former Director at the consumer group Which?, gives his first interview since being appointed to lead the review.

HMRC must "learn lessons" for the future after incorrectly suspending child benefit payments from thousands of claimants last year. That is the conclusion of a report published this week by the National Audit Office. The mistake happened during the wider roll out of a pilot scheme designed to cut some of the hundreds of millions of pounds estimated to be lost to fraud and error in child benefit claims each year.

People who are 66 today, born 27 June 1960, are the youngest people who will get the Winter Fuel Payment this year. Normally the qualifying date is three months later. How does the payment work?

And, VAT has been cut on summer attractions used by children - from theme parks to fast food - what kind of discounts are there?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Sarah Rogers and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast at midday on Saturday 27th June, 2026)


SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m002y253)
Series 27

Heat, Hydration and Harry Kane

The Dead Ringers team train their vocal firepower on the week’s news. This week: Keir is ex-Prime Minister, Rob is ex-army, and Liz Truss is ex-cited. Oh and it’s ruddy HOT.

Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, Duncan Wisbey and Jess Robinson.

Produced by Jon Holmes
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002y8th)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002y8tk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002y259)
Sarah Champion MP, Dr Caroline Johnson MP, Gerard Lyons, Danny Sriskandarajah

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Sheffield High School For Girls, with the Labour MP and chair of the Commons international development committee, Sarah Champion; shadow health minister, Dr Caroline Johnson MP; economist Gerard Lyons; and Danny Sriskandarajah from the New Economics Foundation.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Jo Dwyer
Production co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Sam Grist
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Booth
Editor: Andrea Kennedy


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002y8tm)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002y255)
It’s the day of Brian’s mediation meeting with Adam and he’s made biscuits, rebutting Kate’s suggestion that they’re an olive branch. He doesn’t need one; he’s the good guy. When she asks whether he’s thought about division of the partnership’s profits, he laughs that there aren’t any. Kate wishes him luck, reminding him he can’t be both the good guy and a stubborn stick-in-the-mud.
Ian advises Adam to stay calm and remember that Brian’s refusal to pay the family what they’re owed is immoral. Ian confides to Kate he fears Adam will lose his cool if Brian doesn’t play ball. Adam’s worked night and day to keep the farm afloat. Kate agrees, though she worries Xander’s relationship with his grandfather’s getting a little lost. Ian insists Brian sees Martha as more of a real grandchild than Xander.
Brian declares to Ruth that his main goal is to put a stop to the claims for money. Ruth reminds him today’s about negotiation and compromise. However when Adam arrives it’s clear Brian won’t shift his in view, insisting he’s bankrolled his children for years. Seeing an impasse, Ruth suggests a break and another meeting, but Brian declares there’ll be no more meetings. When Adam leaves Ruth asks Brian what he actually wants.
Later when Adam declares it’s the end of the road, Ian ventures they still have information on Ruairi. They know the secret and could mention this to Brian. Adam’s against this. Ruairi’s his brother and he’ll never do anything that puts him at risk. Family is more than just blood.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001gtrw)
HashtagPublicEnemy

“The Haven” is a Norfolk eco-village on the cusp of a grand opening, which is jeopardised by the discovery of toxic waste in the water table. Based on Henrik Ibsen’s tragi-comedy about a whistle-blower, An Enemy of the People, Steve Waters’ original play HashtagPublicEnemy brings Ibsen’s themes into the 21st Century to explore colliding pressures around the economy, ecology, cancel-culture, corruption and popularism.

Dr Tom Stockman has returned from a medical career in Uganda to his birthplace, Branwich, on the Norfolk coast. The town is governed by his sister Penny, a dynamic politician seeking to restore its fortunes with The Haven, a state-of-the art eco-village including holiday homes and an aqua-park. Having joined the executive team as an adviser, Tom realises that The Haven sits on a landfill site. Rising sea levels have caused toxins to enter the water table, threatening a tender ecosystem which risks undermining the idyllic vision, and economic promise of The Haven. When Tom breaks the unwelcome news he finds himself at the heart of a spiral of media interest.

Tom Stockman ..... Joseph Millson
Penny Stockman ..... Alexandra Gilbreath
Petra ..... Norah Lopez Holden
Maggie Killingworth ..... Anna Savva
Conor Houston ..... Carl Prekopp
Millie Goff ..... Silvia Presente
Ajay Charkraborti ..... Sartaj Garewal

Writer: Steve Waters
Sound design: Alisdair McGregor
Producer and director: Jeremy Mortimer
Executive Producer: Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3

This is the latest ecologically-minded fictional work by Steve Waters following The Contingency Plan, a diptych of plays about climate change, and his role as co-convenor of the Writing and Science Project at UEA. He returned to environmental themes with his solo show 'In a vulnerable place' performed in 2014-2015 and is currently working on an AHRC Leadership Fellowship funded project 'The Song of the Reeds: Dramatising Conservation', an 18-month long collaboration with Wicken Fen and Strumpshaw Fen nature reserves, which has led to a series of acclaimed Radio 4 audio dramas.


SAT 16:30 Woman's Hour (m002y8tp)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Joanna Cherry and Inclusive Fashion

Joanna Cherry was elected as an MP in 2015, part of the SNP landslide when they took 56 out of 59 Scottish seats, just a year after the referendum on Scottish independence resulted in a No vote. Joanna went on to lose her seat in 2024 and has become a vocal critic of the party, and of Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership. She was also well-known for expressing gender-critical views and concerns at a time when the SNP was trying to deliver a gender self-ID law in Scotland. She joins presenter Nuala McGovern to talk about what she describes in her memoir as a "tumultuous decade" in Scottish politics.

More than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. That’s according to Donna Ockenden’s review into the maternity services there. Anita Rani speaks to mothers Sarah Hawkins and Sarah Andrews whose babies, Harriet and Wynter, both died from preventable errors.

An inclusive fashion show happening in Manchester this weekend is hoping to shine a light on how difficult it can be for people with disabilities, including autism, to find clothes which suit their bodies and feel good. Ellie Brown, the founder of inclusive clothing brand ReCondition, is behind the fashion show and joins Nuala alongside Sam Stein, a YouTuber who makes content about living with autism, who shares how small changes can go a long way.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty McQuire


SAT 17:00 PM (m002y8tr)
'Millions' affected by Venezuela earthquakes

With thousands of people still missing in Venezuela, we get an update on recovery efforts from our correspondent Will Grant in Caracas. British search and rescue worker Jay McNeill who's travelling to the country to help outlines what he and his team are preparing for. We get a briefing on the government's new refugee sponsorship route into UK, and we hear about flight delays affecting Heathrow and Gatwick caused by thunderstorms. Correspondent Sarah Rainsford tells us about Ukraine's latest attacks on Crimea, where a state of emergency has been declared. And, Italy marks eighty years since the invention of one of its best-known exports, the Vespa. We hear from Robin Quartermain, the Honorary President of The Vespa Club of Britain.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002y8tt)
'A bad start even before he starts' - Welsh First Minister on why trouble's brewing with Burnham

The new First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth on what Wales really wants, why Reform surged in the Senedd election, and how working as a nightclub bouncer will help him deal with Andy Burnham.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002y8tw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002y8ty)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002y8v0)
Aid arrives in Venezuela

Venezuela's main airport, near the epicentre of Wednesday's twin earthquakes, has partially reopened, raising hopes that mobile hospitals can be brought in for the many casualties.

The government is introducing what is calls a "capped, safe and legal" route for refugees to come to Britain, starting in the autumn.

Germany has broken its all-time temperature record, with a reading of 41-point-5 celsius taken in in the east of the country.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002y8v2)
Harry Shearer, Bella Hull, Joanna Cannon, Gabriella Cilmi, Gina Birch

Harry Shearer is a comedy legend. He’s the voice of Mr Burns in the Simpsons (and many other characters), he’s Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, and he’s over here with a brand new musical about J Edgar Hoover. Bella Hull first performed stand up a decade ago at the age of 17. In her new show ‘Mad Cow Disease’ she looks back on her decade in comedy. She also spills secrets from the writing room of Saturday Night Live UK. Best Selling novelist Joanna Cannon’s latest book is ‘An Unlikely Visitor’, the story of recently widowed Margaret, who is finally facing up to her past. And there’s music from Gina Birch whose band The Raincoats are a cult favourite. She performs from her latest solo album, ‘Trouble’ and we're also joined by Gabriella Cilmi whose song 'Sweet About Me' was a massive global hit. She performs new material and tells us about meeting her hero, Robert Plant.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Jessica Treen


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002y8v4)
Harry Styles

The former boyband member and teen heartthrob, Harry Styles, is going into the final week of his sold-out residency at Wembley before continuing his world tour.

After winning music competitions while at school in Cheshire, Styles entered television’s biggest talent show, The X Factor, in 2010. While not making it as a solo star he was grouped together with four other contestants to form One Direction and becoming one of the most successful boybands of all time selling over 100 million records worldwide.

One Direction created a modern-day Beatlemania before going on permanent hiatus in 2016. Since then Style’s has released four solo albums and launched a career beyond music seeing him take on film roles, modelling gigs and become known as a fashionista. His celebrity best friend the actor James Corden, who used to ‘babysit’ the teenage Harry when he first started out in London is among the guests who speak to Mark Coles for this week’s Profile.

Production:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Annabel Deas, Mhairi Mackenzie and Nathan Archer
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele and Siobhan Reed
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang

Carpool karaoke: The Late Late Show (CBS)
Harry Styles singing with White Eskimo (YouTube: OneDirectionNews)
Harry Styles X Factor audition tape (ITV, The X Factor UK)
Fans screaming at One Direction ‘This is Us’ Premier (YouTube: Poveelive)
'As It Was' by Harry Styles (Erskine and Columbia)
'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction ( Syco and Columbia)
'Sign of the Times' by Harry Styles (Columbia)
'Watermelon Sugar) (Erskine and Columbia)


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002y1h6)
Anish Kapoor

The artist and sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor talks to John Wilson about his career and cultural influences. Renowned for his innovative, often monumental works, Kapoor gained international recognition in the late 1980s. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1990 and won the Turner Prize the following year. His public artworks include Cloud Gate in Chicago, the Orbit sculpture next to the London Arena, commissioned to mark the 2012 Olympics, and the 110m-long structure of giant rings and connecting wires known as Temenos in Middlesborough. In 2025 a piece called Butchered, a collaboration with Greenpeace, was installed on to an active Shell oil rig in the North Sea as a protest against the fossil fuel industry. The Hayward Gallery in London is one of several cultural institutions around the world that is hosting major exhibition of the work of Anish Kapoor in 2026.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002y8v6)
Ramones at the Roundhouse

One of the defining moments in rock history saw Ramones made their triumphant UK debut in front of 2,000 fans at The Roundhouse in Camden on July 4, 1976, blitzkrieging the London crowd with NYC punk attitude. The following night they played Dingwall’s.

The arrival of the Ramones in the UK had been hotly anticipated due to the hype created by music journalists Nick Kent and Lisa Robinson and Malcolm McLaren, who had seen the band at CBGB’s in New York and made plans with record label supremo Seymour Stein to bring them to the UK to spread the Gospel of Punk.

That weekend, members of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Slits, The Buzzcocks, The Pretenders, The Ruts, The Stranglers and The Adverts (and even Marc Bolan!) saw those gigs.

As Joe Strummer from The Clash said afterwards, “We all saw them play fast and hard, so we went away and immediately sped everything up. It was the sound of the next generation getting angry. It made us realise we weren’t alone. That kick started everything.”

Fifty years later, with exclusive access to key people who played a huge part in the early success of the Ramones - including Craig Leon who discovered the band, signed them to Sire Records and then produced the band’s debut album - Mariella Frostrup revisits one of the most important weekends in the history of Punk.
 
With previously unheard tracks from both those London gigs and their debut recording sessions the previous April, along with contributions from those inspired by those Ramones gigs including Chrissie Hynde, Glen Matlock, Hugh Cornwell, Paul Simonon, John Giddings, Gaye Black, Rob Lloyd and Rat Scabies - along with New York compatriots Debbie Harry, Chris Frantz, Roberta Bayley and Mickey Leigh.

Mariella Frostrup explains the importance and influence of those London concerts that cemented the Ramones' reputation as the godfathers of Punk and provided a huge impetus for the nascent UK punk scene.

A Zinc Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m002xzjl)
Do we care more about the place where we live than about the nation we live in?

If Andy Burnham has a four-word philosophy, it is 'the politics of place', a phrase he uses often. Burnham argues that politics must concentrate on meeting local needs, on the devolution of power and on 'levelling up' the places that have been doing badly.

While he was winning in Makerfield, the Scottish Conservatives were winning in Aberdeen South, on a promise to revive the North Sea oil and gas industry. That too was the politics of place.

Burnham’s philosophical opponents say that 'the politics of place' is wrong-headed. What really matters is the destiny of the United Kingdom as a whole. Localism, they argue, undermines national cohesion and elevates nimbyism. It rewards failure and punishes success. The Americans call it pork-barrel politics.

The battle between localists and UK nationalists engages all politicians. Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party are by definition on one side of the line; the DUP in Northern Ireland is on the other. At Westminster, MPs go cross-eyed trying to watch over their constituencies and their careers at the same time. Boris Johnson created a Department for Levelling-Up. Angela Rayner called it ‘government by gimmick’ and abolished it in 2024.

If localism is the answer for Makerfield, is it also the answer for Sparkbrook, where voters might like different licensing laws? Or for Adlington, where locals hate the idea of a new housing estate? Or for Harmondsworth, which doesn’t want a Heathrow third runway at the bottom of the garden?

The politics of place; it looks good. But will Burnham, like Pandora, open this tempting box, only to release all the troubles of the world? In his victory speech he promised us ‘hope’. In the Greek myth, the gift of hope was merely a consolation prize.

Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Anne McElvoy, Ash Sarkar, Giles Fraser, and Sonia Sodha
Witnesses: Paul Vallely, Maxwell Marlow, Sir Paul Collier and David Goodhart.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant Producer: Peter Everett
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SAT 22:00 News (m002y8v8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002y24d)
The Weight of the World

Why did obesity become a global problem? Professor of Diet and Population Health Susan Jebb explores a heavy history, our changing relationship with food and reasons for optimism. She believes we live in an 'ultra-processed food system' which drives more of the world's population towards health harming diets and a lifetime of being overweight or obese. But she also believes change is possible, and the conditions are right for a food systems change.

Also featuring Hannah Ritchie of Our World in Data, Henry Dimbleby, author of the 2020 National Food Strategy, and Alicia Weston of Bags of Taste, a programme of change for people with few cooking skills on low incomes.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 Parish Is Burning (m0016820)
Surreal, silly vibrations from the flatlining, radio desert somewhere near the Irish Border.

First picked up by lorry drivers trying to find a signal in the flatlining radio desert of the Irish border, Parish Is Burning is a wild, silly and surreal sketch show. A genuine metaphysical anomaly, a mysterious broadcast from an alternative universe (near Omagh) with that uniquely warped, unpredictable, big-hearted, Northern Irish whiff and featuring new comedy talent from all over Ireland.

In this pilot episode, visit Mo Farragh’s Ostrich Farm, eavesdrop on the parish helpline, find out if Sargent Gerry Rafferty can crack the case of the man beaten to death with his own kettle, experience Rural Fury at the Parish youth club and catch up on Belfast soap opera Van Dad.

Parish Is Burning is created by Michael McCullagh and Phil Taggart, and stars Michael Fry, Ciara Knight, Michael Stranney, Hannah Mamalis, Mary Flanigan and Peter McGann.

Producer: Keith Martin
Executive Producer: Victoria Lloyd

A Fabel production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Déjà News (m002xzpz)
Episode 2

Lucy Porter hosts a brand new quiz as contestants are questioned on a century of news archive which tests their knowledge of the sound of stories from the last 100 years.

Presenter: Lucy Porter
Team One – Ian Musgrave and James Musgrave
Team Two – Jason Hill and Harriet Anderson

Writers: Ali Panting and Laura Grimshaw
Researcher: Hannah Ratcliffe
Production Co-Ordinator: Molly Punshon
Consultants: Paul Bajoria and Lizzie Foster
Producers: Jon Holmes and Laura Grimshaw

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 28 JUNE 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002y8vb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002xzpx)
Maggie O'Farrell

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel - Land - which is a soaring history set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Famine.
Maggie has sold more than eight million books worldwide and is translated into 44 different languages. She won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.

For her three influences Maggie chose: Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea from 2002; Marie Heaney’s Over Nine Waves from 1994, which is a retelling of many of the Irish myths; and the non-fiction book, Map Of A Nation, by Rachel Hewitt from 2010.

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


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002y8vd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002y8vg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002y8vj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002y8vl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002y8vn)
St James’ Church in Sutton, Cheshire

Bells on Sunday comes from St James’ Church in Sutton, Cheshire. In 1879, following the installation of the clock in the tower, a ring of six bells was installed in a wooden frame. Sadly, there were serious problems with the frame and in 1926 a new peal of six bells was cast and installed in a cast-iron frame by John Taylor of Loughborough. The Tenor bell weighs eleven and three-quarters hundredweight and is tuned to the note of G. We hear them on the centenary of their installation ringing Cambridge Surprise Minor.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002y1c8)
Modified Exam Papers

In Touch explores the barriers faced by visually impaired students when sitting their GCSE and A-Level exams, when obtaining both exam papers and revision materials in braille and large print formats.

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


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002y8yg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m002y1bt)
Strikes, Solidarity and South Asian Britain

How have South Asian communities in Britain fought for rights, dignity and belonging - and what can that history teach us today?

Laurie Taylor explores the overlooked histories of labour struggle, resistance and political activism among South Asian communities in Britain. From early anti-colonial networks to the strikes and campaigns of the 1970s and 80s, the programme traces how successive generations confronted discrimination while shaping British society.

He is joined by Taj Ali, writer and historian whose forthcoming book 'Come What May, We’re Here to Stay' (publishing in September) charts more than four centuries of South Asian presence in Britain. Drawing on oral histories and archival research, he traces a long tradition of workers campaigning for better pay and conditions, communities organising against racism, and alliances forming across movements. Ali reflects on tensions within the labour movement and on moments of solidarity, including the Grunwick dispute and links forged during the miners’ strike.

Also joining the discussion is Aleena Din, Simon Research Fellow from the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on Huddersfield as a local site of resistance, where communities responded to racism, fascism and deindustrialisation. Through archival work and “witness seminars,” she reconstructs networks of support while also revealing the disagreements and competing ambitions that shaped them.

The programme highlights how these struggles unfolded not only in major cities but also in smaller industrial towns, challenging London-centric accounts of race and activism. It also brings into focus the role of women, from grassroots organising to leading disputes such as Grunwick, where South Asian women challenged both racism and sexism at work.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Editor: Robyn Read


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002y8yj)
The Women of Hill Top Farm

Hill Top Farm above Windermere was bought by Beatrix Potter in 1905 with the profits from her most famous children's book, the Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was there that Jemima Puddleduck, Tom Kitten and other famous fictional animals that populated her "little books" first came to life, inspired by what she saw in her vegetable garden on and her land.
It was also where she became a farmer, a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep, a prominent member of the farming community and a fierce campaigner for conservation.
Now, for the first time since Beatrix, the farm is back in female hands. Amy Dixon, alongside her partner Daniel Fletcher, have just taken over the tenancy of this National Trust farm from Amy's dad.
Caz Graham hears their plans for the future, meets some very wet herdwick sheep and visits the old farmhouse to hear about Beatrix’s legacy for fell farming, conservation and her beloved herdwick sheep.

Presented and produced by Caz Graham.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002y8yl)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002y8yn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002y8yq)
Venezuela earthquakes, America 250, pilgrimages

With the number of people known to have died following earthquakes in Venezuela rising, rescue teams are racing to find those who are still missing. Operations Manager of the Lutheran World Federation based in Caracas, Maria Caraballo, speaks about the work her organisation has been doing.

The United States of American will mark 250 years since its independence this week. The separation of Church and State - religious freedom - came a few years later in the 1st amendment to the constitution and has been debated ever since. We continue that debate with Dr Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of the Interfaith Alliance and Pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual adviser to President Trump.

Pilgrimages are tremendous social occasions, whatever their religious inspiration. The British Pilgrimage Trust says more of us are attracted to them and the Italian government is now promoting five pilgrim routes, known as the Antichi Cammini d'Italia, or Ancient Ways of Italy. People who have completed their journey tell us about their experiences.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Katy Booth and James Leesley
Studio Managers: Kelly Young, Matthew Dempsey and George Willis
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002y8ys)
The National Youth Advocacy Service

Writer and poet Lemn Sissay makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of The National Youth Advocacy Service. The charity's Side-by-Side programme trains volunteers who support young people after they leave care, helping them with day-to-day admin like paying bills and grocery shopping.

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 ‘The National Youth Advocacy Service’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘The National Youth Advocacy Service’.
- 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: 1012485. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.nyas.net/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002y8yv)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002y8yx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002y8yz)
Common Ground

A quarter of a century ago – just after the turn of the millennium – Burnley experienced racial violence that divided communities. As part of Radio 4’s Common Ground season, Sunday Worship visits St Matthew the Apostle in Burnley to hear from its diverse congregation about what brings the community together despite their differences and the many initiatives that have unified the town’s faith communities.

The service is led by Rev Victor Sohail and Rev Kat Gregory-Witham. The preacher is Father Alex Frost.
The St Matthew's Church Choir and the Daily Service Singers provide the music for this service. The Director of Music is Andrew Earis. The organist is Peter Harrison.

Readings:
Proverbs 11:14-22
1 John 4: 7-19

Music:
Be Thou My Vision
Peace I Leave With You (Amy Beach)
A New Commandment
Make Me A Channel of Your Peace
Goodness Is Stronger than Evil (John Bell)
Love Divine (Blaenwern)

Producer: Alexa Good


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct985t)
The fossil that revealed the first dinosaur feathers

In 1996, a fossil unearthed in China became the first confirmed record of a dinosaur covered in feathers.

Before this discovery, some palaeontologists had suggested that dinosaurs might have developed feathers and eventually evolved into modern birds, but the idea remained controversial due to the lack of concrete evidence.

Canadian palaeontologist Philip Currie was among the first experts to examine the specimen and recognise it as a feathered dinosaur. He tells Stefania Gozzer about the scientific debate the fossil ignited, as well as the challenges of accessing the specimen at a time when it was still difficult for Western researchers to study fossils in China.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: A cast of a Sinosauropteryx prima is on display in the Royal Ontario Museum. Credit: Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002y8z1)
Horatio Clare on the Grey Heron

The writer Horatio Clare reflects on the many tales told about the grey heron. They were seen as birds of augury by the Romans, or with a religious bent by the poet Dylan Thomas, and for Horatio their appearance makes them seem like judges, rather aloof and out of touch. But Horatio has watched herons, and writes of their patience and spearing in catching fish, and the intensity of their concentration on every eddy of water.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.

This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto by Joost van Bruggen (XC760392 and XC947557 - Grey Heron)


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002y8z3)
Will Andy Burnham get his coronation?

Andy Burnham's path to Number 10 looks clear as he prepares to set out his vision for the economy. He could have just three weeks until taking office. Also on Broadcasting House, we meet teenage carers looking after their loved ones whilst sitting their exams, Harry Redknapp gives his half time report on the World Cup - and we hear moments that bring us together from Buckingham Palace to the pub piano.

Our news reviewers are Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator for The Times, relationship coach and therapist Lucy Cavendish, and DJ Fat Tony, author of 'Recover Me'.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002y8z5)
Norman Cook, DJ and musician

Norman Cook, DJ and musician, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002y8z7)
The week's events in Ambridge.


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002y8v4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002xzs9)
Series 85

3. Song Stoppers

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Cambridge Corn Exchange. On the panel are Miles Jupp, Tony Hawks, Lucy Porter 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 (m002y8z9)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002y8zc)
Life after the International Space Station

For years the International Space Station has stood as the pinnacle of international scientific collaboration. As it nears the end of its life, we examine what humanity stands to lose as tech titans replace governments in space. We hear from a former head of mission control, British astronaut Tim Peake, and former commander of the ISS Luca Parmitano, recently announced as pilot for next year's Artemis III mission.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002xzs3)
Ten years after Brexit: Ireland and the border poll

Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union, yet Brexit has significantly reshaped its politics. Predictions of a border poll, a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should remain in the UK or join a united Ireland, were widespread. Ten years on that vote has not taken place.

Andrea Catherwood revisits this story - which she has followed over the past decade. Returning to contributors first interviewed after the EU referendum she asks whether early concerns about Brexit, including claims of broken promises and the impact of new trading arrangements in the Irish Sea, have come to pass and whether those experiences have influenced attitudes towards a united Ireland.

Predictions of a swift referendum proved premature but the question of why there hasn't been a border poll remains. Andrea explores how demographic change has developed in unexpected ways, challenging assumptions that any future vote could be decided simply by population trends.

She also examines the role of a significant middle ground, voters who say Brexit has made them more open to constitutional change, yet remain cautious without details on what a united Ireland would involve, including healthcare, education, pensions and public finances. And Andrea considers what might shift the current position. Could change come from within Northern Ireland, or from developments in Westminster or Dublin? And if a vision for a future Ireland were presented would that influence public opinion?

A decade after Brexit this is a story about uncertainty, identity and the continuing impact of a historic decision on Northern Ireland.

Reporter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Production Co-ordinator: Lauren Stewart
Content Assistant: Findlay Adams
Executive Producer: Steven Hobson


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002y24s)
From the Archives: A Tribute to Matthew Biggs

In this special episode, Kathy Clugston and Peter Gibbs dip into the archives to celebrate the life and work of Matthew Biggs.

Matt spent four decades doing what he loved most - sharing his extraordinary knowledge of the natural world with anyone who would listen. And through the power of radio, listen they did!

In this episode you'll hear Matt in his own words - from his very first appearance on Gardeners' Question Time in 1994, to the remarkable final broadcast he made just weeks before his passing.

Alongside clips of Matt's encyclopaedic and witty gardening advice, you'll hear from friends, colleagues and fellow horticulturalists who knew and loved him, as well as messages from listeners, whose lives he touched in ways that go far beyond gardening.

Producers: Matthew Smith, Rahnee Prescod and Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Naturebang (m002hmqv)
Grooming Apes and the Origins of Kissing

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight discover the hairy history of the human kiss. Where did it come from? Why do we like doing it? And how is it good for us?

Featuring Dr Adriano Lameira, primatologist turned evolutionary psychologist from the University of Warwick, and Dr Dean Burnett, neuroscientist, lecturer, and author of The Idiot Brain and The Happy Brain, among others. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002y8zf)
Finn Family Moomintroll

Finn Family Moomintroll, by Tove Jansson, adapted by Robin Brooks, is another chapter in the astonishing, marvellous, always comic and often thought-provoking adventures of the Moomins.

Moomintroll and his friends wake from their long winter sleep to discover that the legendary Hobgoblin has dropped his hat in Moominvalley. Anything put into this hat will undergo a magical transformation, but it takes a while for them to understand this, during which time several things go into the hat with unfortunate consequences, including Moomintroll himself.

How will the Moomins cope with the hat, with a terrifying visit from the Groke, and finally with the reappearance of the hat’s owner? All will be revealed to those wise souls who tune in to listen to Finn Family Moomintroll.

Reuniting the team that brought you Moominland Midwinter, Comet in Moominland and Moominsummer Madness, John Finnemore reprises the role of Moomintroll, and Moominpappa is once again played by Samuel West.

Narrator . . . . . GEORGIE GLEN
Moomintroll . . . . . JOHN FINNEMORE
Moominpappa . . . . . SAMUEL WEST
Moominmamma . . . . . ANN BRYSON
Snufkin . . . . . ALEX WALDMANN
Sniff . . . . . CLARE CORBETT
Snorkmaiden . . . . . JASMINE NAZIHA JONES
Hemulen . . . . . JUDE AKUWUDIKE
Thingumy . . . . . CHARLIE CAMERON
Bob . . . . . JAMES ANTHONY-ROSE

Written by Tove Jansson
Dramatised by Robin Brooks

Sound Design by Alisdair McGregor
Directed and Produced by Fiona McAlpine

An Allegra production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

Picture Credit : © Moomin Characters™


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002y8zh)
Tahmima Anam

The Bangladeshi-born British writer, Tahmima Anam, speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, Uprising, and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction. Set on a fictional, sinking island, Uprising, is told from the perspective of a group of children who witness their mothers living lives of cruelty and servitude.

Tahmima Anam is a multi-award-winning writer and journalist. In 2013 she was named as one of the 'Best Young British Novelists' by Granta. She also holds a PHD in anthropology from Harvard University.

For her three influences, Tahmima chose: The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka, from 2012; Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain from 1905; and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, also from 2012.

This episode was recorded at the Hay Festival.

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


SUN 16:30 Your Number's Up (m002y8zk)
1. How many Yorkshire puddings in Yorkshire?

A brand-new, number-crunching comedy quiz for Radio 4 hosted by presenter, comedian and YouTuber Max Fosh. In the Every Answer Counts round, players must solve general knowledge equations such as adding the number of US Supreme Court justices to the number of Strictly Come Dancing judges. In Bestimate Guesstimate, players must calculate how many eggs Nigella Lawson would need to make a Yorkshire pudding for everyone in Yorkshire, and how much it would cost Lou Bega to send a Valentine’s card to all of the women named in Mambo No. 5. In Twenty-One – the quizzing equivalent of blackjack – players must try and build a winning hand using countries and the number of times they have won the Eurovision Song Contest.

Presenter: Max Fosh
Writers: Benjamin Sutton, James Trickey and James Rawson
Line Producer: Natascha McQueen
Assistant Producer: James Rawson
Producer: Benjamin Sutton
Executive Producers: Simon Urwin and Kitty Walshe

A QITV production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct74kd)
The American Freedom Train

In April 1975, the American Freedom Train set out on a tour across the United States to celebrate 200 years of American independence.

On-board were more than 500 priceless artefacts, documenting important moments in America's history - including an original copy of the Constitution, Thomas Edison's first working light bulb and a NASA lunar rover.

Over the next 21 months, seven million people visited the travelling museum as it made its epic journey around 48 states.

Jacqueline Paine speaks to former train security guard Lou Nelson, about taking America's history to the people, as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.

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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: People in Archbold, Ohio queue to see the American Freedom Train, June 1975. Credit: AP)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002y8zp)
Poetry to keep you afloat

Ian McMillan and poets Vona Groake, Jardel Rodrigues, Mira Rosenthal and Malgorzata Lebda bring poetry that helps us navigate storms, rivers and seas - real and metaphorical, and sound artist and musician SHHE (Su Shaw) immerses us in surprising sounds of the sea.

Vona Groake’s latest collection Infinity Pool was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize this year. She’s writer in residence at St John’s College Cambridge and the Ireland Professor of Poetry at Trinity College in Dublin. Vona chooses a 'neon line' to explore and reads her own work.

Su Shaw, who works as SHHE, is a sound artist and composer, whose music has been shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year. Su is based in Dundee – and has always been intimate with that city’s river - the River Tay. Her new album ‘THALASSA’ was produced sustainably, in keeping with her ecologically minded projects - and is is a six-part ambient work giving voice to the Mediterranean Sea.

Jardel Rodrigues is from Old Trafford in Manchester – he’s won the BBC Words First Spoken Word Poetry Competition, and he’s a titan of Manchester’s shining spoken word institution 'Young Identity'. He brings us a new commission on the theme 'How to get through'.

We hear the voice and the work of Malgorzata Lebda, a Polish poet who writes poems that reveal what flows between people and landscape. Malgorzata ran the length of the longest river in Poland, the Vischula – driven by her sense of how threatened our rivers are, a kind of poetry activism.
Malgorzata's translator, Mira Rosenthal joins us to explain how she managed to convey Malgorzata's innovative way of writing about the body in her collection 'Mer de Glace' (Fitzcarraldo). Mira is a poet, and a Professor of Creative Writing based in California.

Produced by Faith Lawrence


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002y8zt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002y8zy)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002y902)
England cricket captain Ben Stokes announces shock retirement

Ben Stokes, the captain of England's men's test cricket, has announced his retirement from the international game. Iran has warned that any challenge to its control of the Strait of Hormuz will only further increase tensions, as the ceasefire with the US remains under strain. Venezuela's interim president says thirty-three people have this weekend have been rescued from rubble - after Wednesday's twin earthquakes.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002y906)
Julian Worricker

This week, as most of the country bakes in record-setting temperatures, we look back at one political decision a decade ago that has turned up the heat at Westminster and further afield since day one. We tune the dial to some niche broadcasts, from one solely for a handful of Britons stationed in Antarctica, to another with a global following involving digestive systems, saxophones and who knows what else. Plus, there’s classic Clue comedy from Henning Wehn - you might need to cover your ears though.

Presenter: Julian Worricker
Producer: Anthony McKee
Editor: Steven Hobson
Production Coordinators: Caoilfhinn McFadden and Sylvie Conway

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.

Programmes featured in this episode include:

Archive on 4: Resonance FM - The Art of Listening
Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast
Jazz Records Request, 21/06
Politically: Ten Years after Brexit - Episode 10: Impact on Politics
Witness History: Ireland watches the vote unfold
Composer of the Week: Henry Purcell, 22/06
Illuminated: If We Can Walk Together
Ancient Lives with Mary Beard - Being Greek: Courtroom Drama
Sporting Witness: Brazil 1-7 Germany: Brazil's heaviest defeat
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: S85, E3: Song Stoppers
One Hit Wonders with OJ Borg: World Cup Special Part 2 - with Eat My Goal
Today, 19/06: Red Sox's organist Josh Kantor


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002y90b)
Kirsty and Helen speculate on the sort of pastimes Kirsty’s baby will grow up to have. Helen wonders whether Kirsty’s told Tom about the pregnancy. Kirsty responds that she hasn’t really told anyone yet.

Tom’s admiring images of greenhouses, and Natasha humours him. He’d prefer her to take a proper interest and be supportive. She confirms her support but is more focused on the boxes of botanicals she’s received to inform her own business idea. She assures Tom that even though she’s open-minded about the new parlour, she’s still on board with his project. Heartened, Tom grins that Helen might have a fight on her hands.

Kate seeks Ian’s advice on a customer complaint at Grey Gables but he’s too busy to help, and snaps at her. He later apologises; he’s not sure he’s cut out for this work. There’s only so far the Martyn Gibson management coaching handbook can go. Kate probes further and Ian admits to being unsettled at home. As well as keeping Xander away from Brian, he’s spotted that Adam’s looking at properties far afield. They’ve made a life in Ambridge, and Ian’s afraid Adam could burn himself out. Kate thinks the one good thing that’s come out of the situation is the amount of quality time Adam can now spend with Xander. She counsels Ian to see Adam’s enforced banishment from Home Farm as an opportunity rather than a disaster. Ian concedes


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002y90g)
July Morning

We're at the Black Sea coast on the last night of June. Everything is building up to the sunrise.

This is Bulgaria’s ‘July Morning’ observance - somewhere between a counter-cultural musical festival, and a secular pilgrimage marking the start of July. It revolves around reaching the coast in time to meet July’s first sunrise.

This celebration has an unlikely origin story - a 1971 song, also called July Morning, by English rock band Uriah Heep.

Starting in Sofia, we make the road trip across Bulgaria to Kamen Bryag, one of Bulgaria's easternmost points, where the sun rises earliest over the horizon. Audio producer Carys Wall travels with friend Kami and Bulgarian musician and veteran July Morning attendee Milenita.

Uriah Heep still have a significant following in the Balkans, and the band’s late singer John Lawton performed at the celebration several times.

In the 80s, during the social and cultural restrictions of state-socialist Bulgaria, Uriah Heep and July Morning gained massive underground appeal, as a protest anthem. The festival grew from that – with fire, rock music, and Metal-inspired fashion.

Many attendees are long-time rockers who remember these protest origins. For others – revellers in their teens and 20s – Bulgaria’s July Morning celebration is a coming-of-age, a social event to mark the start of summer, and a chance to listen to really loud music.

Whichever way you look at it, it is a celebration of freedom.

As the sun peaks over the sea, the song blares from speakers.

There I was on a July morning
Looking for love
With the strength of a new day dawning
And the beautiful sun
And at the sound of the first bird singing
I was leaving for home
With the storm and the night behind me
And the road of my own
With the day, came the resolution

With thanks to Kmetal Tsonko Tsonev, Alex Boreva, Katie Revell, Andrea Morán and Cicely Fell.

Producer: Carys Wall
Executive producer: Dave Howard
Sound designer: Jonathan Webb
A Bespoken Media Scotland Production


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001ryhr)
Embrace the Rain

Get that brolly out! It may feel deeply counter-intuitive - but rainy days could offer a host of health and mood-lifting benefits. Rain improves air quality, literally washing fine particulate pollution away, and rainfall also releases Geosmin, a fragrant compound which is linked with relaxation and increased serotonin levels. What’s more, Professor Michael Terman, from Columbia University in New York, introduces Michael to negative air ions created after rainfall. He is researching how high levels of negative ions could potentially reduce stress, stave off depression and maybe even boost your immune system. Meanwhile, our volunteer Dennis steps outside and embraces the rain.

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB

Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer:: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002y1hr)
BBC Cuts, and David Baddiel's 60 Years of Hurt

Recent headlines have announced that the BBC is set to implement a massive wave of cuts across all of its programming, in order to make a saving of £500 million. The first of these major cuts has just been announced and listeners will soon notice the effects of these changes, with Radio 4 programmes like much-loved The World Tonight being axed. But who's making these choices, and why weren't listeners consulted first? Andrea Catherwood talks to John McAndrew, the Director of BBC's Live and Daily News to get some answers.

Radio 4 might not be the first place you look to for football, and admittedly some listeners might view it as a safe haven from the world's most played sport. But David Baddiel's recent series 60 Years of Hurt for The History Podcast aimed to pin down what "Englishness" means through the history of the England's men's football team. David joins Andrea to hear listener feedback on the series.

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 (m002y24x)
"He became one of the most powerful men in the world” - the story of the man who shaped modern economics

A giant of American economics, former US Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, was an economic pioneer who shaped the modern American economy and believed in free markets and light touch regulation. A world financial crisis after he left the job, however, forced him to question some of his economic assumptions. We hear from Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders.

Tulsi Vagjiani survived the plane crash which killed her family, but it left her with burns over much of her body. She went on to be a legendary camapigner for better treatment for people who have visible differences. Phil Gorf from Changing Faces and broadcaster model and fellow campaigner Katie Piper pay tribute to her work.

French sailor Charlie Dalin, smashed the record in the non-stop round-the-world Vendée Globe race. It was only afterwards that he revealed that he had taken part in the gruelling competition with a rare cancer. We hear from friend and Vendée Globe competitor Pip Hare.

Teddie Beverley was the last surviving member of the original girl group, The Beverley Sisters. The trio found huge fame in the 1950s, with hits such as I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Teddie's daughter Sasha Felix tells us how they became the highest-paid female entertainers in the UK, and why some of their tracks were banned from the airwaves.

Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards

Archive:
Beverley Sisters: London Plus, BBC, 04/02/1985; Legends: The Beverley Sisters – Tickled Pink, BBC Two, 31/12/2010; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 05/03/2022; Changing Faces: Visible Hate campaign, YouTube, 23/01/2020; Changing Faces: Our ambassador Tulsi on our #IAmNotYourVillain campaign, YouTube, 14/10/2021; Charlie Dalin: Vendée Globe, 14/01/2025; Alan Greenspan, Capitalism, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Alan Greenspan, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Evan meets Alan, BBC Radio 4, 23/10/2013


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002y8tf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002y8ys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002y8t9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002y90m)
Andy Burnham's economic policies

Ben Wright is joined by Labour backbencher Gordon McKee; Conservative former Cabinet minister, Sir Andrew Mitchell; and Theo Bertram - an adviser to the Blair and Brown governments, now Director of the Social Market Foundation. They discuss Andy Burnham's approach to the economy and plans for further devolution. They also consider the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. Geraldine Scott - assistant political editor of The Times - brings additional insight and analysis.
.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002y1gt)
Vigée Le Brun

Misha Glenny and guests discuss the French portrait painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755 - 1842). From her teens she delighted her high society subjects in and around Paris, notably Marie Antoinette who she painted around 30 times, and she invariably found ways to show her sitters at their best. Some critics were affronted that she, a young woman, dared paint at all and, when they saw how good her portraits were, some spread a rumour that surely this could not really be her work and she must have had a secret male lover finishing her portraits in a studio. The French Revolution forced Vigée Le Brun out of France and so she set off from one European court to another to find more success from Naples to Vienna to St Petersburg and to London, eventually settling back in France. Today her works are on show in major galleries around the world.

With

Rosalind Polly Blakesley
Master of Pembroke College and Professor of Russian and European Art at the University of Cambridge

Robert Wenley
Deputy Director of Collections and Research at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

And

Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French Paintings at The National Gallery, London.

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Joseph Baillio, Katharine Baetjer and Paul Lang (eds), Vigée Le Brun (exhibition catalogue in English, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016)

Joseph Baillio et al., Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun: 1755-1842 (exhibition catalogue in French, Grand Palais, Paris, 2015/16)

Rosalind P. Blakesley, Women Artists in the Reign of Catherine the Great (Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd, 2023), especially chapter 8 ‘The Triumphant Refugee’

Lucy Davies, Vigée Le Brun: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (National Gallery Global, 2025)

Angelica Goodden, The Sweetness of Life: A Biography of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (Andre Deutsch Ltd, 1997)

Franny Moyle, Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The Entwined Lives of Two Great Eighteenth-Century Women Artists (Apollo, 2025)

Jordana Pomeroy, Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (Getty Publications, 2025)

Mary D. Sheriff, The Exceptional Woman: Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and the Cultural Politics of Art (University of Chicago Press, 1997)

Paris Spies-Gans, A Revolution on Canvas: The Rise of Women Artists in Britain and France, 1760-1830 (Paul Mellon Centre, Yale University Press London, 2022)

Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (trans. Sian Evans), The Memoirs of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (Camden Press, 1989)

Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Souvenirs de Madame Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (first published 1869; Tredition Classics, 2012)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios production

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 Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002y24v)
The Day of the Papering by Bernie McGill

An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the writer Bernie McGill. Read by Amy Molloy.

The Author.
Bernie McGill is the winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection ‘This Train is For’. She is the author of the novels ‘The Butterfly Cabinet’, ‘The Watch House’ and one previous short story collection ‘Sleepwalkers’. She has written audio scripts for heritage projects and stage scripts for theatre. She is a Writing for Life Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund and an honorary member of The Linen Hall Library in which building her writing archive is held.

Writer: Bernie McGill
Reader: Amy Molloy
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.

MONDAY 29 JUNE 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002y90r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 The Artificial Human (m002xzj4)
Are we all AI hypocrites?

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore a curious contradiction: why do we bristle at AI‑generated emails and writing, even while many of us quietly rely on them ourselves? What does this reveal about how we judge not only the output of these technologies, but the people who use them — while still excusing our own behaviour?

To unpack this double standard, they begin with Katrina Collier, recruitment expert and author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter and Reboot Hiring. Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the quest find a job. Applicants are increasingly turning to AI to polish and promote their CVs, frustrating hiring managers who, in turn, are often all too happy to use AI to sift through a flood of applications on their behalf.

They then hear from Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team, originally the UK government’s ‘Nudge Unit’. He argues that AI disrupts one of our core measures of value: effort. When we believe something has been created with little labour, we instinctively see it as worth less. Using AI can create mixed feelings, and while we can find rationalisations to let ourselves off the hook for using it, that doesn't mean we'll excuse others.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Researcher: Rachael O'Neil
Sound: Fraser Jackson


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002y8vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002y90w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002y910)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002y914)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002y918)
Alicia McCarthy reports on Parliament under a new Prime Minister, wildfires and who should pay for preserving the nation's churches


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002y91d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002y91j)
Prayers from the Hymnal: How Great Thou Art

Prayer for the Day presented by Julia Loveless, worship leader & singer-songwriter.

Good morning. It’s a lesser known fact, but the hymn How Great Thou Art is actually a rough translation of a traditional Swedish hymn written by Carl Boberg in 1885. Boberg is said to have been inspired after witnessing a dramatic thunderstorm that suddenly gave way to clear skies and birdsong. Moved by the power and beauty of Creation, he penned the words that recognised both the majesty of the world around him and the greatness of the God who made it. And perhaps that is something we all need reminding of from time to time. In lives so often filled with noise, worry and distraction, Creation still quietly and consistently sings of God’s goodness. The rolling thunder, the vastness of the sea, the stars stretched across the night sky, the gentle rhythm of birdsong in the morning; all of it points beyond itself. All of it reminds us that we are not alone in a chaotic universe but held within the care of a Creator who knows us and loves us. And so whatever today looks like, I pray that my eyes are opened to the beauty and power of Creation all around - and that it would point me beyond itself towards its maker. That I may find myself echoing Boberg’s lyrics to make them mine; “then sings my soul, my saviour God to thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art.” Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002y91n)
29/06/26 Water resilience on farms, rural place names, soil

Calls for more government action to protect water supplies for farming.

A series of workshops are taking place across Wales this year to collect hyper-local place names, particularly in rural areas.

Later this week we'll be at Groundswell, the regenerative agriculture festival now in its 10th year. Regen ag puts an emphasis on soil, so this week here on Farming Today it's all about earth.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002y91s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002ybg8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Common Ground (m002ybgb)
Common Ground: Place

In Common Ground, Evan Davis travels around the UK to find out how divided we really are. The series asks whether our society is becoming increasingly polarised and what people across the country are doing to build stronger communities and connections. In this first episode he begins with place. How are we divided by where we are born and where we choose to live? Do we have a proper sense of national identity? How can places where residents feel overlooked be better served, and more connected to the country as a whole? Evan travels to Grimsby in Lincolnshire and Briton Ferry in Wales to talk to people in their communities. He’ll also be joined by an expert panel to discuss the role of place in how well we live together: playwright James Graham, and Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in the US and former official of the National Security Council during President Trump's first term, and the current Chancellor of Durham University.

Presenter: Evan Davis
Producers: Emma Close, Scott Adam and Katie Haseldine
Reporter: Katie Haseldine
Editor: Alicia Queiro
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: James Beard and Neil Churchill


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002ybgj)
Helen George, Wimbledon, Met Police and VAWG

The most prestigious tennis tournament in the world begins today. But Wimbledon has already attracted global attention before the courts even open, with the wildcard return of tennis legend Serena Williams announced earlier this month, and the shock exit of British number one Emma Raducanu due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. Nuala McGovern is joined by former British number one tennis champion, Annabel Croft.

The Metropolitan Police says that harm to women by London’s most dangerous men has been cut by more than half under their V100 initiative. Over 200 of the worst perpetrators of violence against women and girls have been convicted since they threw out the normal tactics and started employing counter-terrorism techniques, allied with data crunching. Nuala speaks to Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes about how it works.

Long before she picked up a pair of forceps as Nurse Trixie Franklin in the BBC drama Call the Midwife, actor Helen George trained in musical theatre. She’s returning to those roots to play Tracy Lord in Cole Porter’s High Society, a role made famous by Grace Kelly. She tells Nuala about coming back to the stage and treats us to a live performance of a classic Cole Porter song.

As part of Radio 4's Once Upon a Time season we're delving into shape-shifting feminist fairy tales, stories which have been constantly evolving ever since the early oral tradition, via the ground-breaking works of writers like Angela Carter to the present day. Award-winning author Kirsty Logan, joins us down the line from Glasgow and the mythologist and psychologist Dr Sharon Blackie joins us from Cumbria. They'll tell us why they believe women need fairy tales now more than ever and, crucially, why we should keep re-writing them for ourselves.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


MON 11:00 The Patch (m002ybgl)
Blackley, North Manchester

One random postcode and a story you probably haven't heard before. In North Manchester, producer Polly Weston stumbles on a roadside memorial covered in Manchester City shirts and flowers, and discovers the extraordinary story behind it.

With thanks to everyone on Chapel Lane.

Produced and presented by Polly Weston
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Theme music by Jair Claudino Rodrigues, Guilherme Lopes Rodrigues and Pablo Love
Additional music is Forest Floor by Kayla Painter


MON 11:45 Mr Jefferson's Library (m002ybgn)
Books

Thomas Jefferson was not so much a bibliophile as a bibliomaniac of the first rank. He read books, copied them out and annotated them. So much of his reading was distilled into the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson ultimately accumulated 6000 volumes during his life. They form the basis of America's Library of Congress in Washington DC. Michael Goldfarb visits the Library of Congress and Jefferson's home at Monticello in Virginia to tell the story of how Jefferson's reading shaped the American Revolution and the beginnings of American history, along the way he tells the story of why and how British America decided to declare its independence.

Presenter: Michael Goldfarb
Producer: Julia Hayball
Sound design: Chris Maclean

A Certain Height production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002ybgq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002ybgs)
AI Shops, Barbecues, House Building

According to Trading Standards, more than 1 in 10 of us have lost money after buying something from a fake advert on search engines or social media. As AI becomes more sophisticated, only half of us believe we would be able to spot them. We’ll hear from a listener who bought clothing from an online shop that used AI-generated images to make it seem like a family-run business with physical stores in London.

A pressure group made up of builders and suppliers to the construction industry is calling on the government to do more to help get new homes approved and completed. Labour has promised to build one and a half million new homes in England alone over the lifetime of this Parliament, but it doesn't look like the target will be met. Those in the construction business say that rising costs and a slow planning system are making it impossible to build homes, so is the government doing enough to help?

British barbecues used to be a £20 disposable tray and a few burnt sausages, but there’s been a transformation in recent years. A growing outdoor cooking culture has seen millions of us fire up the barbecue with regularity, and as a result, some are spending big on the best equipment available.

How many of you went to an out-of-town retail park this weekend to pick up food, garden equipment or sports gear? According to new data from estate agents Savills, the UK's retail parks are almost full. However, despite such success there are very few new ones are being built.

The average car on UK roads is now close to 10 years old. The data suggests that we are holding onto vehicles for longer or buying older ones in the first place. This shift is thought to be due to rising costs, a shortage of newer used cars after the pandemic and uncertainty around electric vehicles.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT


MON 12:57 Weather (m002ybgv)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002ybgx)
Burnham vows "greatest rebalancing of power" in country's history

In a major speech ahead of his expected entry to Downing Street, Andy Burnham also promises to build a 'Number 10 of the North' in Manchester. We'll bring you reaction, including from the deputy leader of the Labour party Lucy Powell. Plus - we remember Dame Penelope Keith, who has died aged 86.


MON 13:45 Understand (m002ybgz)
Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement

1. Rebellion

We follow Extinction Rebellion on one of its first ever actions. Before the rebels shut down London, before they became a household name, they occupied an office building in Islington. Their target? Not a fossil fuel company or government, but Greenpeace - perhaps the world’s most high profile environmental campaign group.

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt
Series Producer: Ellie House
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound Design and Mix: James Beard
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Brenda Brown, Sabine Schereck
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Archive:
‘Extinction Rebellion occupy Greenpeace HQ’, Real Media, 18/10/2018
‘LONDON Walk TOUR - Extinction REBELLION Protest PINK BOAT at Oxford Circus - England’, Walking Tour, Walking Tour, 16/4/2019


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002y90b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Alone (m000vq62)
Series 3

One's Company

A sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London .- written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron,

Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother. Elsewhere in the building are schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

In the fifth episode, One’s Company…, it’s a bank holiday and nobody knows what to do with themselves, or with anyone else for that matter, until Morris reveals his feelings for Nina, his secret roof terrace and plenty more besides.

Cast
Angus Deayton- Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden- Ellie
Pearce Quigley- Will
Kate Isitt- Louisa
Bennett Arron- Morris

Created and Written by Moray Hunter
Script Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Recorded and Edited by Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios
Produced by Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 One to One (m001jkqy)
Suzy Wrack: The House I Grew Up In

Football writer Suzy Wrack meets with Joanne Marsden to share their stories of growing up on council estates.

Suzy grew up in on an estate in north east London, while Joanne was born on Park Hill estate in Sheffield; the council block inspired by the French architect Le Corbusier, who designed high-rises with community in mind. They discuss his idea of 'streets in the sky' - landings wide enough for milk floats to drive past high in the air and rows of shops within the estate. Together, they talk about how their experiences shaped their lives and interests in architecture and community - and how the design of spaces and buildings impacts us.

Produced by Caitlin Hobbs for BBC Audio in Bristol.


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002ybh1)
Philippa Perry and Stuart Maconie

A special episode of A Good Read, recorded live at the Hay Festival. The books are:

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe, chosen by psychotherapist and artist Philippa Perry
All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills, chosen by presenter and writer Stuart Maconie
Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilbert

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Maggie Ayre
Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc

Photo credit: Pal Hansen


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002y8t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002xzps)
Ten Years After Brexit: Tribal

It's often said that the Brexit vote exposed a deep schism over Europe at the heart of the country. Professor James Tilley argues this is not the case.

The Referendum simply forced people to pick a side. And the minute you pick a side, you enter the world of tribalism.

And tribalism goes some way to explain a decade of division and vitriol, amid the emergence of two entirely new political identities, the leaver and remainer.

This programme lists the phenomena that happen once you pick a side, from loving your own guys, to hating your opponents, to the motivated reasoning which sees the information around you processed in a way which aligns with your existing beliefs.

Citing examples from the tortuous aftermath of the vote, and speaking to experts on group thinking, Professor Tilley head to his first football match, to explore how it is indeed possible to become passionate, and committed, to a cause which just a short while ago, was not on your radar.

The challenge is, whether you can perceive the effects of tribalism in your own political thinking.

Presented by Professor James Tilley
Produced by Kevin Core


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002y8t5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002ybh3)
Andy Burnham sets out his stall for No. 10 North in speech

Andy Burnham says his plans for a "no 10 North" will be the biggest redistribution of power in the country's history. Jim O'Neill, Lord O'Neill gives his reaction. Also Penelope Keith remembered by her friend Giles Brandreth after she dies aged 86 and Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew on Ben Stokes' England career.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ybh5)
Andy Burnham sets out a vision to 'rewire Britain'

The likely next prime minister, Andy Burnham, has set out a vision for what he says would be the biggest change in the way the country is run in our lifetime. Also: Resident doctors in England have accepted the government's latest pay offer, ending a series of strikes. And one of the leading comedy actresses of the 1970s and early 80s, Dame Penelope Keith, has died.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002ybh7)
Series 85

4. Garden or Bedroom

The godfather of all panel shows returns to the Cambridge Corn Exchange. On the panel are Miles Jupp, Tony Hawks, Lucy Porter 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 (m002ybbn)
Brian struggles with a chemical order but is convinced he let Adam go at the right time, as he has Ed. Ed reminds Brian he’s only there to work the land. But when Ed quickly solves a problem, he’s thrown when Brian insists he needs Ed next Thursday to meet an engineer – Ed’ll have to miss the Borchester Show. Ed also agrees to shift manure to Broad Acre, despite his concerns it’s right by Spiritual Home. With her sessions disrupted by the smell, Kate confronts Ed and has it out with Brian, sensing a vendetta and telling Brian she supports Adam keeping Xander away from him. Brian’s stung.

Keira’s early for her first day of work experience at Rewilding, relieved to not be at Amside. Working on woodpiles with Kirsty, Keira opens up and admits she’s not looking forward to George and Amber’s baby arriving, as she thinks George will be useless. Kirsty encourages Keira to step up - not as a baby carer, but in holding George to account.

Despite not wanting to talk about babies, Keira enjoys the cute footage of the beavers. She opens up about running away last Christmas, and George always being the centre of attention. Keira has started to talk to her parents about it now, and Kirsty says to keep going. And if Keira ever needs space, there’s some here for her.
Later Keira enthuses about her work experience to Ed. Ed’s pleased, and takes the opportunity to ask a favour – can Keira show the Texels for him next Thursday at the Borchester Show?


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002ybh9)
Penelope Keith tribute, Russell Tovey, Katherine Rundell on fairy tales

We mark the passing of actress Dame Penelope Keith, speaking with John Lloyd and Mel Giedroyc about her long career.

Actor Russell Tovey plays a troubled police officer dealing with a late night emergency in The Guilty at The Donmar Warehouse in London.

Katherine Rundell on updating Cinderella for a contemporary audience, as part of Radio 4's Once Upon a Time series.

We discover the photographic genius of Jacques Henri Lartigue, whose work spanned almost the entire 20th century. An exhibition of his colour photographs has just opened in Milton Keynes

Presenter: Samira Ahmed


MON 20:00 Rethink (m002y1ht)
Rethink... the power of the US dollar

The US dollar is the backbone of global trade and held by governments around the world as a safe haven in times of crisis.

It's so powerful that countries like Ecuador and Panama have adopted the dollar as their official currency, while Argentina for many years has tried to "dollarize" its economy.

But what happens if nations and private institutions were to lose trust in the dollar?

How did we get here? Well, after WWII the world order was re-established in part by tying the monetary systems to the value of the dollar, backed by gold. But since 1971 President Nixon cut that link to gold and the entire exchange system has since been tied directly to the dollar itself, its historic success and access to its financial markets.

That success gave America what was dubbed an "exorbitant privilege" to print money without fear of inflation and to build up national debt without consequence.

It also enables the US to flex its muscles on the international stage by imposing sanctions on countries and cutting off access to their all-important currency. That has led some countries, most notably China, to call for the dollar to be replaced as the world's reserve currency.

How difficult would it be to untangle the dollar from global trade, can any other nations offer the same conditions which has allowed the US currency to thrive, and what would happen if the dollar's role was replaced by newer digital currencies which operate outside traditional government control?

Presenter: Professor Ben Ansell
Producer: George Dabby
Editor: Damon Rose

Contributors:
Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times
Barry Eichengreen, Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley
David Shrier, Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation with Imperial College Business School
Stephanie Flanders, Head of Economics and Politics at Bloomberg News
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist

Material from:
British Pathé, "Bretton Woods Money Pact Signed" (1946)


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct977s)
Can we engineer ourselves out of a heatwave?

As the UK and Europe battles with extreme weather warnings, is it time for us to consider some more extreme tactics to tackle the heat? Tom Whipple is joined by Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, to explore if solar geoengineering can help.

Also on the show, science journalist Lizzie Gibney discusses the "Salah effect", when exposure to celebrities from stigmatised groups can help increase tolerance. She also examines new research into how the atom nucleus contain energy which can be used for telling the time.

Plus, how laughter in great apes may have paved the way for the evolution of complex human language.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producer: Katie Tomsett, Alex Mansfield & Kate White
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Common Ground (m002ybgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002ybhc)
New 'No 10. North' plan will rebalance power in Britain, Burnham promises

Would-be PM Andy Burnham says a new Downing Street team based in Manchester, labelled 'No 10 North', would "oversee the biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen". But can so-called ‘Manchesterism’ be delivered nationwide? We ask former adviser to Rishi Sunak, Tim Leunig, and General Secretary of the FDA trade union Dave Penman.

Also in the programme: details emerge of the government’s delayed Defence Investment Plan, an early version of which sparked the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey. And authorities will tomorrow decide whether to attempt replacing ageing ferries with an undersea tunnel to connect the Shetland Islands.


MON 22:45 Once Upon a Time... (m002ybhf)
Mermaid by David Almond

David Almond reimagines The Little Mermaid.

Set on Holy Island in Northumberland, the story is written and read by the author.

When Joseph was a boy, fishermen on the island found a mermaid in their net. But no one believes those old stories, do they? Except his grandfather, who keeps a mysterious jar of jewels in a glass case on the wall.

This magical, evocative story encompasses the degradation of the seas; the small attention spans of modern lives; the pressure on young people to leave the place they call home; the beauty and history of the island. It is also a love story.

David Almond is 'A writer of visionary Blakean intensity.' The Times. He is also
winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, The Carnegie Medal, the Michael L Printz Award, the Nonino International Prize

This series of modern fairy tales reimagined by leading writers has been specially commissioned to celebrate a major new exhibition at The British Library dedicated to fairy tales, as well as the National Year of Reading.

Producer, Mary Ward-Lowery


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001jvhr)
Galapagos

2. Smashing It

Speculative thriller about big tech, data manipulation and the undermining of democracy, by Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day

With Galapagos out of the bag and Omar reeling from Bryony's ambition, the dust settles on a newly forged partnership between Shapeshift boss Sydney and Bryony. But will Bryony be able to keep her job at Mayfair Interventions and deal with her sister Gaynor's bad news back home?

CAST
Bryony......Hannah Daniel
Gaynor/Assistant......Sara Gregory
Omar......Danny Ashok
Max......Ewan Bailey
Sam......Claire Cage
Sydney......Ashleigh Haddad
Aneni/ Receptionist/ Woman......Ntombizodwa Ndlovu
Titus/ Driver/ Attendant......John Pfumojena
Fake Greta......Sunja Hyde

Production co-ordinators Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding for BBC Audio Drama Wales


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002ybhh)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as MPs debate the early release of sex offenders from prisons in England and Wales.