The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on R4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 08 DECEMBER 2012

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b01p2sy2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b01p58n6)
The Horologicon

Episode 5

As the ploughman drops into the western bay, we offer you bene darkmans dear listener. Mark Forsyth is feeling finifugal as his Horologicon reaches the end of the day.

Written by Mark Forsyth
Read by Hugh Dennis
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p2sy4)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p2sy6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p2sy8)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b01p2syb)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p458t)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4 with Canon Jenny Wigley.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b01p458w)
'I gave Spandau's Tony Hadley his voice.' Listener and ghostwriter Maria Malone explains how to bring the life stories of pop legends to the page. She's worked with the likes of Cheryl Cole, Mica Paris and Tony Hadley. Military artist David Rowlands and D-Day veteran Ken Parker talk about how they've collaborated on turning Ken's memories into an oil painting. Royal Correspondent Peter Hunt reads listeners' sentences in Your News. With Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey. iPM@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b01p2syd)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b01p2syg)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b01p42w4)
The Canal That Never Was

A spectacular aqueduct hangs in limbo above the village of Coleford whilst deep green ridges carve their way through forest and fields. Tucked away at the eastern end of the Mendips in Somerset, Jules Hudson discovers the secrets of 'The Canal that Never Was'.

Started in the late 1700s, the Nettlebridge branch of what would have been the Dorset and Somerset Canal, stretches eight miles though a quiet valley between Edford and Frome. The canal itself was planned in order to link the Bristol and English Channels and to connect the counties of Dorset and Somerset into the canal network. The Nettlebridge branch was planned to have boat lifts instead of locks and in a feat of extraordinary engineering one balance lock was built by James Fussell as a trial. The site of Fussell's Trial Balance Lock was located and excavated by The Dorset and Somerset Canal Society who revealed an almost completely conserved masonry chamber.

The route was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1796 but unplanned factors including underestimated costs and inflation due to the Napoleonic Wars meant that the canal was abandoned. Today ghostly structures still rise and fall through the landscape weaving their trail of what might have been.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b01p6n7q)
Farming Today This Week

The new National Centre for the Uplands says a shortage of skilled young hill farmers must be averted, as landowners like the National Trust predict a large proportion of its tenants will retire in the next 10-15 years. Charlotte Smith visits Exmoor to discuss where that next generation of farmers will come from, with the National Farmers' Union Uplands Chair Robin Milton.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sarah Swadling.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b01p2syj)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b01p6n7s)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b01p6n7v)
Richard Coles and Sian Williams with Pam Ayres and the Inheritance Tracks of Neil Sedaka

Sian Williams and Richard Coles meet Pam Ayres, talk to artist Annie Morgan who can't stop painting, etching and sculpting- a compulsion that began after she tried to take her own life by jumping under a train, hear from former Flt Lt Alan Pollock who remembers his time in the RAF- he abruptly left in 1968 having decided to fly his Hunter fighter bomber under Tower Bridge on the river Thames, follow up on last week's discussion about squatting with former squatter Rosie Ellis, find out why on earth J.P. Devlin went to Hackney with Les McKeown of The Bay City Rollers, swoon to Neil Sedaka's Inheritance Tracks and thrill to Benedict Allen musing on the pleasures of 'dangerous' travel.

Producer: Chris Wilson.


SAT 10:30 The Secret Power of Trees (b01p7fgv)
Britain's woodlands were planted for timber or hunting but nowadays you're as likely to find ex-prisoners or mentally ill elderly folk in the woods.

With the rise of "social forestry", woodlands have come to be seen as therapeutic and healing, and not just by new age eco types. In Japan, doctors take seriously the practice of "forest air bathing", and claim all kinds of health benefits from simply being in the woods.

Ian Marchant explores whether trees really do have miraculous powers and asks what happened to the idea of forests as scary places, full of evil spirits and outlaws.

Producer: Jolyon Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b01p6n7x)
Sue Cameron of The Daily Telegraph looks behind the scenes at Westminster.

The Chancellor's autumn statement gave a gloomy economic outlook for the next few years. But who does the public hold responsible for this state of affairs? Pollster Peter Kellner of You Gov, and former Conservative Cabinet minister Peter Lilley who has experienced two recessions in the past, discuss the politics of austerity.

Recently the government has had some success in keeping announcements secret as was the case with the appointment of the new governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney. On the other hand Whitehall leaks occur with some regularity and even sometimes with approval. Is there a new impetus to preserve secrecy and if so how necessary is it in an open accountable society? Peter Riddell director of the Institute for Government and George Jones of the Leveson inquiry recount their involvement with secrecy.

With the success of parliament's select committees in banging multi- national companies and bankers to rights, is there a quiet revolution taking place in the halls of Westminster? Margaret Hodge MP Chair of the Public Accounts Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie chair of the Treasury Select Committee and the Joint parliamentary Banking Commission, plus former MP Tony Wright on the these new developments.

And the royal succession, is it as simple as the Prime Minister claims, to ensure a first born girl can be monarch? Dr Bob Morris former civil servant and now of The Constitution Unit at UCL considers the move.
The Editor is Marie Jessel.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b01p6n7z)
Dark days in Damascus

The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen examines claims that a conclusion to the long conflict in Syria is within sight.

After a year of protests against President Putin, Steve Rosenberg finds support for him is still strong -- particularly in cities away from the capital, Moscow.

Bethany Bell's in South Tyrol where some are angry that the Italian authorities, in the midst of financial crisis, want this wealthy Alpine province to contribute more to the national exchequer.

The Turks know that the television soap opera's an effective means of extending influence throughout the Middle East. And the BBC man Rajan Datar gets offered a screen part!

And they've been harvesting the olives in the hills of Tuscany. Dany Mitzman's been lending a hand and observing that the harvest methods have changed little since ancient times.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b01p6n81)
Autumn statement; landmark shake-up for investors; plastic rights and wrongs

Paul Lewis and guests discuss the implications of the autumn statement. Benefits expert Lee Healey from Income Max and pensions guru Tom McPhail will answer your questions.

Financial advice has never been free but it has not always been clear how advisers are paid. That situation will change from the start of 2013 when the long awaited retail distribution review changes are implemented. But how will the changes affect investors and financial advisors.

Paying by credit card often attracts a surcharge but consumers are left safe in the knowledge that if things go wrong any goods or services costing more than £100 are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. But banks now operate a service called Chargeback if you pay for the same items by debit card. So what is Chargeback? Is it as comprehensive as Section 75? And if it is, why pay a surcharge when paying by credit card? James Daley from Which will reveal all.

Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Vadon.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b01p457k)
Series 38

Episode 5

In the week that George Osborne announced the Autumn Statement, and the Windsors made a statement about a royal arrival, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week in topical stand-up and sketches. With Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, Mitch Benn and special guest Holly Walsh. Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b01p2syl)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b01p2syn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b01p457r)
Queen Elizabeth High School, Gainsborough

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Queen Elizabeth's High School in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. Guests include the Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, Dr Samantha Callan from the Centre for Social Justice and the Leader of the House of Commons Andrew Lansley MP.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b01p6p7d)
Listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00pdkqx)
Educating Rita

By Willy Russell. A comic, sparky and touching portrayal of the relationship between a working-class Open University student and her middle-aged, alcohol-fuelled tutor.

Rita ...... Laura Dos Santos
Frank ...... Bill Nighy

Directed by Kirsty Williams

Part of the BBC Christmas 2009 season.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b01p6p7g)
Lisa Riley, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Doris Day

Campaigner Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the rights of women under Islam. Lisa Riley, a big hit in this season's Strictly Come Dancing tells how she's defied those who thought she was the comedy booking by doing so well in the show. Is Doris Day underestimated as a great actress? Karen Krizanovich and David Benedict from Vanity Fair discuss. Two prostitutes give their views on proposals that would criminalise paying for sex. We discuss the government's relaunched, This Is Abuse campaign aimed at teenagers. Melanie Verwoerd tells us about growing up in an Afrikaner home, her involvement with the ANC, diplomatic career and love affair with Irish radio and TV presenter Gerry Ryan. Mark Lawson and Lucy Cavendish on whether the rules are different for men and women when it comes to publicly admitting that you fancy an actor?


SAT 17:00 PM (b01p6p7j)
Saturday PM

Full coverage of the day's news with Ritula Shah.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b01p458w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b01p2syq)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b01p2sys)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p2syv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b01p6p7l)
Harry Hill, Boris Johnson, David Suchet, Rebecca Front, Alice Russell and Kathleen Edwards

Mayor of London Boris Johnson takes a break from running the Capital to talk to Clive about 'The Spirit of London'. First published as 'Johnson's Life of London', it's released with new material following 2012's Jubilee and Olympics and is told through a relay-race of great Londoners illustrating that the ingenuity, diversity and enterprise of the city are second to none.

Clive solves a mystery with actor David Suchet, who's played the lead role in 'Agatha Christie's Poirot' since the detective series launched. David's about to investigate the life of St Paul, exploring the latest archaeological and historical research associated with the story of this charismatic man and his mission. 'David Suchet: In The Footsteps Of St Paul' is on BBC One on Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th December at 09.00.

Clive's aboard the Big Train with actress Rebecca Front, who plays hapless MP Nicola Murray and is frequently 'Tuckered' by co-star Peter Capaldi in 'The Thick of It'. Rebecca's now co-writing and starring in one of Sky 1's 'Little Crackers;' a series of shorts which recreates Christmas stories from childhood. 'Little Crackers' is on Tuesday 11th December at 21.00.

Comedian Harry Hill rides in on his tiny horse to talk to Clive about belching his way through 'TV Burp' for the last eleven years. His DVD 'Harry Hill's Cream of TV Burp' features classic clips, skits, an alcoholic dog and an aggressive tortoise! And if you want to know about Harry's book 'A Complete History of Tim (the Tiny Horse)' - there's only one way to find out..

With music from blue-eyed soul singer Alice Russell, who performs 'Heartbreaker' from her album 'To Dust'.

And classy Americana from Canadian chanteuse Kathleen Edwards, who performs 'Football In The Grass.'

Producer: Cathie Mahoney.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b01p6p7n)
Sir Philip Green

Sir Philip Green is one of the UK's most successful, and colourful, businessmen; his stores are estimated to make up 10 per cent of the high street and his wealth runs into the billions. This week he sold a stake in his flagship fashion chains Topshop and Topman for a reported £500 million. Lesley Curwen profiles the man who is perhaps the most successful retailer of his generation, with contributions from Sir Stuart Rose, Bill Kenwright and Kate Phelan.

Producers: Ben Crighton and Hannah Barnes.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b01p6p7q)
Martin McDonagh's latest film Seven Psychopaths is his follow-up to the hit In Bruges. It's just as blood-soaked, but it's left Belgium behind for the more traditional movie settings of LA and the American desert, as screenwriter Marty, played by Colin Farrell, struggles to write a script for his film that has only a name: Seven Psychopaths. Do a star-studded cast and some fabulous lines add up to another great film?

A highly-anticipated all-women production by Phyllida Lloyd of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse includes cast members from the prison theatre group Clean Break, along with stars Harriet Walter, Frances Barber and the increasingly acclaimed Cush Jumbo.

Herta Muller is the Romanian-born German novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009. Her latest book, "The Hunger Angel", is a powerful account of life in the labour camps to which thousands of the German population in Romania were sent after 1945. To write it she spoke at length to a poet, Oskar Pastior, who was himself deported to such a life - as was Muller's own mother.

There's a new exhibition at the Royal Academy: Constable, Turner, Gainsborough and the Making of Landscape. Does the rise of British landscape painting in the 18th century have any resonance with our own attitudes towards the land?

And "Loving Miss Hatto", a new film for television written by Victoria Wood, is her version of an extraordinary story about the relationship between the pianist Joyce Hatto and her adoring husband Barry. It led him to carry out what has been called "the greatest music fraud ever".

Joining Tom Sutcliffe this week to review are the journalist Miranda Sawyer, writer Gillian Slovo and poet Cahal Dallat

Producer: Sarah Johnson.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b01p6p7s)
Lawrence of Arabia: The Man and the Myth

David Lean's epic film Lawrence of Arabia was premiered in London fifty years ago. It perpetuated but also critiqued the myth of TE Lawrence, the Imperial desert adventurer, and proved a turning point in the representation of the Empire on screen.

Allan Little examines the film and Lawrence's own account of his desert campaign on which it was based, Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He considers how they may be read in the light of the modern Middle East.

With archive of those who knew and served with Lawrence, recollections of his brother and his biographer, contributions from Arab scholars and Lawrence's own words, Allan Little makes a case for Lawrence as a man of great foresight - both as the 'father of guerrilla warfare' and as a strategist who championed the Arab cause.

The programme includes recordings from Jordan, where a team of archaeologists from Bristol University is currently excavating the remains of The Great Arab Revolt and Lawrence's part in it.

Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 21:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p3151)
Episode 2

It's 1838, and the Count has arrived in Paris.

His enemies, Baron Danglars, Gerard de Villefort and Fernand de Morcerf have no idea that Edmond Dantes, who they betrayed in Marseilles a quarter of a century earlier, is plotting to destroy them.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas first published in 1844.

The Count/Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Younger Haydee ...... Amber Rose Revah
Baron Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Gerard de Villefort ...... Paul Rhys
Fernand, Count de Morcerf ...... Zubin Varla
Mercedes de Morcerf ...... Josette Simon
Heloise de Villefort ...... Kate Fleetwood
Abbe Faria ...... Richard Johnson
General Noirtier ...... Karl Johnson
Hermine Danglars ...... Stephanie Racine
Albert de Morcerf ...... Will Howard
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Valentine de Villefort ...... Lizzy Watts
Coachman ...... Paul Stonehouse

Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan.

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b01p2syx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b01p424r)
Ethical consumerism

Christmas is fast approaching and as usual, the competition for where we should spend our money is hotting up. This season we've been joined by a new phenomenon - where not to spend it. Campaigners are appealing to consumers to boycott companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Google that have been accused of immorally avoiding paying their fair share of tax, even though what these companies are doing is perfectly legal. Is it our duty as consumers to not only spend our money wisely, but to also think about the moral consequences of where we spend our money? Is the pound in our pocket a tool to express our moral and political outrage, or are these boycotts just empty gestures and like those ethical Christmas presents, is it more about assuaging our own guilt about all that conspicuous consumption? It might be easy to make a joke of all those goats being bought for Christmas for African villagers, but, at this time of year especially, shouldn't we think of others as well as ourselves? At times it might feel like the competition from charities for our money is as fierce as on the high street and the endless Christmas appeals with their increasingly emotional tones may overwhelm and irritate in equal measure, but don't we have a moral obligation to contribute to charity? If the latest figures are anything to go by, more of us are putting our own needs before those of others. Charitable donations have fallen by 20% in real terms in the past year - that's the equivalent of £1.7bn less being given to good causes. We live in one of the richest countries in the world. If we wouldn't think of passing a drowning child in a pond without trying to save them, why don't more of us donate more to charities that undoubtedly save lives? And do charities really care if we're giving out of a sense of guilt, rather than a sense of genuine empathy and pity? Morality and money on the Moral Maze - the gift that keeps giving. Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Michael Portillo, Anne McElvoy, Matthew Taylor and Claire Fox. Witnesses: Andy Redfern - Director, Ethical Superstore, Toby Ord - James Martin Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy, University of Oxford, George Monbiot - Journalist & environmental campaigner, Jack Lundie - Director of Brand & Communications, Save The Children UK.


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b01p40h3)
(2/17)
What does the musical instruction 'da capo' mean? And which national newspaper features the motto 'Without fear and without favour' on its front page?

Russell Davies is in the questionmaster's chair for the second heat in the current series of the evergreen general knowledge quiz. This week he's welcoming competitors from London, Hampshire and Kent to the BBC Radio Theatre.

As always they'll need the widest possible knowledge of science, history, the arts, current affairs, music and popular culture, to stand a chance of making it through to the series semi-finals in the new year, and possibly being named the 60th Brain of Britain champion.

There will be a chance for listeners to try to outwit the contestants by suggesting their own intriguingly tricky questions, in the 'Beat the Brains' feature.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 Brubeck at 90 (b00w7cmk)
'Take 5' by the Dave Brubeck Quartet is possibly one of the best known jazz pieces of all time. For many it reflects the hip West coast sound of fifties America and its success propelled Brubeck on to the international stage. In light of the sad passing of this jazz great, Radio 4 gives you another chance to hear a remarkable programme. In Autumn 2010 Paul Gambaccini traveled to the Connecticut home of the jazz legend to explore his music and career reflecting his war years, world famous Quartet, best known tunes and family. In the programme we hear about the Dave Brubeck Quartet classic line up featuring - drummer Joe Morello, bassist Eugene Wright and saxophonist Paul Desmond. The huge success of Paul Desmond's composition 'Take Five' was followed by many tunes played in Brubeck's unusual time signature best know of which - is 'Blue Rondo A La Turk'. What distinguishes Brubecks experiments in time is his innate sense of song and commitment to musical populism. As we hear, in 'Brubeck at 90' we discover Dave as still harvesting the highest awards his nation and his profession can offer, including the BBC Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award and most recently the Kennedy Center Honour in America alongside Bruce Springsteen, Robert Di Niro and Mel Brooks. A remarkable night as Brubeck rubbed shoulders with President Obama and got the surprise of his life as we hear in this revealing programme in the month of his sad passing one day shy of his 92nd birthday.



SUNDAY 09 DECEMBER 2012

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mlt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b012036k)
New Welsh Writing from Ty Newydd

Translation

Ty Newydd, near Snowdonia, is the National Writing Centre for Wales as well as being the former home of Lloyd George. These three stories were created there on a Writing for Radio course, and showcase both new and established Welsh writers.

Translation is Julie Ma's story about a young Chinese girl having to translate sensitive information for her mother. It's read by Liz Sutherland.

Director Kate McAll
BBC Cymru Wales.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mly)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mm0)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mm2)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mm4)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b01p6ryd)
The bells of St. Nicholas' Church, Durweston, Dorset.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b01p6p7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b01p6mm6)
The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01p6ryg)
The Gloaming

The writer and broadcaster Sarah Cuddon considers the inspirational and meditational qualities of the 'in-between moments' of twilight at the start and end of each day.

Sacred aspects of this time are explored alongside the work of artists and photographers who refer to it as the 'blue hour' and writers who have attempted to capture 'the gloaming'. With music inspired by twilight from, among others, Radiohead and Richard Strauss.

Produced by Alan Hall.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b01p6ryj)
Would you give your neighbours a say in how to run your business? Caz Graham meets farmers who are doing just that, in an attempt to improve their farming and boost profits.

The 'Monitor Farm' project started as a concept in New Zealand, and they have now been running for nine years in Scotland. At a new Monitor Farm in Peeblesshire Caz finds out what farmers Kate and Ed Rowell hope the local farming community will bring to their business.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rich Ward.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b01p6mm8)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b01p6mmb)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b01p6ryl)
On the Sunday programme this week with Edward Stourton

As plans to build a mega mosque in east London are turned down, Trevor Barnes has a report examining who is behind the project and why there were objections.

The new vicar of St Martin in the Field, the Revd Canon Dr Samuel Wells, has been sleeping out with London's homeless this week. He has recorded his thoughts on his experiences for us.

Nurses are being asked to be more compassionate...so can we be taught to be more compassionate? And how much does religious faith play a part in making us so? We discuss with Karen Armstrong and sociologist Ian Wilkinson.

A monk at Assisi's Portioncule monastery is riding high in the pre-Christmas charts. We have a report from John Laurenson on how the Franciscan friar has become the new Italian tenor superstar.

Census figures on religious adherence are published next week and its thought they'll show a huge drop in the number of people calling themselves Christian. How useful are census figures on showing what people actually believe...and where might the figures leave the church? Professor Linda Woodhead and Bishop Alan Wilson discuss.

Should Pagans and Druids be taken more seriously as a religion in this country? Emma Restall-Orr talks about their beliefs and image.

And as the Prime Minister backs plans to allow churches to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies, we hear from both those in favour and opposed to the idea.


SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b01p6ryn)
Build Africa

Beatrice Achieng presents the Radio 4 Appeal for Build Africa
Reg Charity:298316
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Build Africa.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b01p6mmd)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b01p6mmg)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b01p6ryq)
Advent Expectations - Expect the Unexpected. Live from The Salvation Army's Regent Hall, London; Preacher: Commissioner William Cochrane; Leader: Major Richard Gaudion; The Regent Hall Band and Songster Brigade are directed by Steve Hanover; Producer: Simon Vivian.

Advent is a time of expectation. The Biblical texts are filled with anticipation of the coming Messiah, promises of hope for the future, and expectations of the Second Coming of Christ. It's a time that we're called on to question what's expected of us and reflect upon what we can expect from God. As we prepare for Christmas our hearts are filled with expectations, which may or may not be fulfilled. And we are also reminded that God does not show His love for us in the way we expect; rather than making a great and triumphant entry into the world, he comes to us as a tiny, vulnerable child.

Christians believe that the coming of Christ turns to the world on its head. The focus is not on the great and the powerful but rather, at this time, we turn our thoughts to the small and the weak. Jesus was not born in the manner befitting of a great leader, a Messiah, but he came into the world homeless, without even a bed to sleep in. And the most unexpected thing is that this tiny child would be the one to bring about a new world order in which unexpected things happen; where the lion and the lamb lie down together, where the poor are brought good news and prisoners set free.


SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b01p457t)
Trustworthiness Before Trust

Onora O'Neill reflects afresh on questions of trust, a decade after her Reith lectures on the subject. She argues that rather than asking, "how can we restore trust" in general, following recent scandals and failures, we should ask specific, practical questions about how better to measure trustworthiness. "Placing and refusing trust intelligently is not a matter of finding guarantees or proofs; we often have to assess complex and incomplete evidence, which the masters of spin and PR may be massaging to make things look better than they are." Systems of accountability or transparency can be ineffective or even counter-productive whereas easily assessable communication is "important and often indispensable."
Producer: Sheila Cook.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b01p6rys)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b01p6ryv)
For detailed synopsis see daily episodes.

Writer ..... Simon Frith
Director ..... Kim Greengrass
Editor ..... Vanessa Whitburn

Kenton Archer..... Richard Attlee
David Archer..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer..... Felicity Finch
Elizabeth Pargetter..... Alison Dowling
Tom Archer..... Tom Graham
Matt Crawford... Kim Durham
Lilian Bellamy..... Sunny Ormonde
Jamie Perks..... Dan Ciotkowski
Joe Grundy..... Edward Kelsey
Eddie Grundy..... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Edward Grundy..... Barry Farrimond
Mike Tucker..... Terry Molloy
Vicky Tucker..... Rachel Atkins
Roy Tucker..... Ian Pepperell
Hayley Tucker..... Lorraine Coady
Brenda Tucker ..... Amy Shindler
Robert Snell..... Graham Blockey
Lynda Snell..... Carole Boyd
Jim Lloyd..... John Rowe
Paul Morgan..... Michael Fenton Stevens
James Bellamy..... Roger May
Leonie Snell..... Jasmine Hyde
Rhys Williams..... Scott Arthur
Iftikar Shah..... Pal Aron
Joyce Walters..... Ann Beach
Matthew Watkins..... Paul Stonehouse.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b01p6ryx)
Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles. After flirting with Communism in his teens he joined the Conservative party and enjoyed a heady rise through local politics, heading up Bradford City Council in the 1990s. He tells Kirsty about his early life above a shop in Keighley, how Mrs Thatcher got him an interview to be a candidate for MP, and how a prolonged hug from David Cameron softened the blow of a disastrous appearance on Question Time.

Producer: Alison Hughes.


SUN 12:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b01p40hc)
Series 58

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Jeremy Hardy with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment. Producer - Jon Naismith.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b01p6ryz)
Sheila Dillon looks at the role food plays in different faiths and how increasingly churches, temples and mosques are being tasked with feeding people who have fallen victim to recession.

Producer: Maggie Ayre.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b01p6mmj)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b01p6rz1)
The latest national and international news, presented by Shaun Ley. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.


SUN 13:30 Hardeep's Sunday Lunch (b01p314w)
Series 1

Episode 3

This week's Sunday lunch takes Hardeep Singh Kohli to London where he meets Peter Woolf and Will Riley. Over lunch they tell Hardeep about their unusual friendship which developed after Peter broke into Will's house. Sitting in the house where the burglary took place, Peter describes his life of crime which began as a small child, whilst Will talks of his affluent upbringing and his hardworking life as a business man. But as Hardeep hears, their lives were changed for ever when Will disturbed Peter burglarising his house and was injured during an ensuing fight. After a restorative justice meeting in Prison both men eventually formed a friendship which enabled Peter to go straight.

Producer: Dawn Bryan.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b01p4510)
Rayleigh, Essex

Eric Robson chairs BBC Radio 4's horticultural panel programme from Rayleigh in Essex, where he is joined by Matt Biggs, Christine Walkden and Bunny Guinness, to field questions from gardening enthusiasts.

Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Q. When is the best time to take cuttings from a Photinia 'Red Robin'?

A. As Photinia is an evergreen, take semi-hardwood cuttings in September. Also, you could take new growth in the spring. Put the cuttings in a 50/50 mix of peat and grit and put polythene over the top. Rooting hormone could also be added. Alternatively, it might be easier to go to the garden centre!

Q. In what way will this year's wet weather have affected the Essex clay, and what can be done to improve it again?

A. Clay is one of the few materials that holds on to nutrients, so while nitrogen will have been lost, potash, phosphates and many other trace materials will still be there. Soil holding a lot of water will take longer to warm up in spring, so polythene and cloches could be useful in generating some heat.

Q. My 12-year-old Musa Basjoo (Japanese banana) has never flowered. Can the panel give any tips?

A. The banana is unlikely to flower and fruit in this climate, but can still be enjoyed as a foliage plant!

Q. Is the Mexican Sunflower Tithonia available to buy as a plant, or does it only come in seed form?

A. As a short-lived perennial, there are not many nurserymen who grow it on! To grow from seed, sow it in late April or May and keep on a windowsill.

Q. How can I encourage parsnips and carrots to grow well underground - the foliage looks very healthy, but the vegetables do not.

A. On a heavy site that is regularly manured, the plants may simply have too many nutrients! High nitrogen generally will encourage top growth rather than bottom growth. On the year you intend to plant, do not manure the site. In addition, Brassica, which are nitrogen demanding, could be planted alongside.

Q. I have a Tree Peony, purchased two years ago. It is 18in tall and has not grown in that time. What's gone wrong?

A. Some of the Japanese hybrids are slower growing, so patience is required!

Q. What is the panel's experience of using Mycorrhizal Fungi to aid root growth? Could it be of benefit when repotting Orchids, or rooting 'Kiki' Orchids?

A. This has most benefit when the natural soil is quite poor. For orchids specifically it is probably worth trying - though it may have no effect!

Q. My polytunnel-grown tomatoes were affected by blight this year. I removed the rotten tomatoes, but left the plant. Healthy tomatoes then went on to grow on the same truss. Why is this?

A. Blight relates to the growing conditions, the surrounding humidity and temperature. If conditions change sufficiently, they will not be conducive for blight.

Q. My wife feeds wild birds at one end of our garden, whilst I struggle to grow vegetables at the other end. Are we incompatible?!

A. If adequately covered, the vegetables should be OK. Try a large fruit cage or similar.


SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b01p6rz3)
Lyn and Mary - Where Do We Go Now?

Fi Glover dedicates this edition of The Listening Project to a single extraordinary conversation: civil partners Lyn and Mary re-consider their relationship after Lyn served six weeks in Styal prison for drink-driving. Mary, a retired civil servant and Lyn, a trained counsellor, have been together nine years, but Lyn's time in prison has had a huge impact on their relationship and they are now uncertain of their future. With astonishing honesty they lay bare their feelings and reveal problems with which many will identify.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
This programme was originally broadcast as a Sunday Edition on 9 Dec 2012
Producer: Marya Burgess.


SUN 15:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p6rz5)
Episode 3

With Fernand de Morcerf dead, the Count begins to tighten the net around Baron Danglars and Gerard de Villefort, and their unsuspecting wives.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

The Count/Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Mercedes de Morcerf ...... Josette Simon
Gerard de Villefort ...... Paul Rhys
Heloise de Villefort ...... Kate Fleetwood
General Noirtier ...... Karl Johnson
Baron Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Hermine Danglars ...... Stephanie Racine
Fernand de Morcerf ...... Zubin Varla
Caderousse ...... Ben Crowe
Andrea Cavalcanti ...... Will Howard
Madame Lascelles ...... Sarah Thom
Coachman ...... Paul Stonehouse
Bertuccio ...... Paul Stonehouse
Valentine de Villefort ...... Lizzy Watts
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Eugenie Danglars ...... Eleanor Crooks
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Operator ...... Robert Blythe
Banker ...... Paul Stonehouse

Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan.

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b01p6szd)
Mariella Frostrup talks to India Knight about her hilarious new novel "Mutton" featuring 46 year old heroine Clara Hutt and her encounters with the opposite sex. Clara Hutt has appeared in two previous novels by India Knight, "My Life On A Plate" and "Comfort and Joy." In this novel Clara is struggling with her appearance after meeting a long lost school friend who looks like a radiant 34 year old. She considers the botox route too, but comments that a consultation with Doctor Halliday, is like "horse inspections when people force their mouths open to pronounce on the quality of their teeth, and pick their hooves up to examine their feet." A book which explores the cattle market world of cosmetic surgery.

M C Beaton proves that age is no bar to high achievement for women: now aged 76 this year sees the publication of the 23rd novel in the Agatha Raisin Murder Mystery series - "Hiss and Hers"- and she has become the second most borrowed adult crime author from libraries nationwide. She discusses the secret of her success and why she keeps on writing.

James Patterson beat M C Beaton for the top spot as the most borrowed author from public libraries, but what else are library users reading and how does it vary across the country? Dorcas Taylor, Director of Workquake, from East Riding Library Service and Annie Bell, Readership Development Officer, from Edinburgh Library Service reveal what their readers are enjoying locally with some surprising run-away successes. What are the rest of us missing out on?

Producer: Hilary Dunn.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b01p6szg)
Roger McGough presents some tree poems, old and new, as the country contemplates losing its ashes. Part of a short season of tree programmes on BBC Radio 4. Poets Simon Armitage, Kathleen Jamie, Alice Oswald and Robin Robertson read some of their own poems, including new work, and some much loved and requested favourite tree poems including work by DH Lawrence, Philip Larkin, Thomas Hardy, WB Yeats and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Producer: Tim Dee.


SUN 17:00 Inside the Academy School Revolution (b01p41hl)
Zoe Williams steps inside Education Secretary Michael Gove's academy revolution to find out if removing schools from local authority control is really a magic formula for success.

More than half of England's secondary schools have already converted or are in the process of converting to academy status, gaining greater control over curriculum, length of school day and how they spend their money. Many are adopting innovative teaching techniques from abroad.

But teachers unions and other critics warn that academies are democratically unaccountable and that this 'privatisation' of the education system will lower teaching standards and divide communities.

Zoe Williams spends time inside two flagship academies sponsored by the charity ARK. Does their 'depth before breadth' policy of focusing on core curriculum subjects provide a rounded education? She finds out how pupils and teachers respond to a longer school day and challenging targets. And she talks to ARK's co-founder, hedge fund manager Paul Marshall, about his reasons for getting involved in sponsoring schools, and his concerns that academies may need closer supervision.

Zoe also visits academies where staff and sponsors have struggled. St Aldhelm's in Dorset achieved the worst exam results in England in its first year as an academy and Sir Robert Woodard in West Sussex was placed in "special measures" after an Ofsted inspection found teaching standards to be inadequate.

And can success be bought by academies with wealthy sponsors? The head of a US-based sponsor of an academy about to begin operating in the Midlands says his organisation will do whatever it takes to ensure the school, and others they plan to sponsor, are successful.

Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b01p6p7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mml)
The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b01p6mmn)
The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mmq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b01p6szj)
Napoleon wasn't short and he wasn't permanently cross - we set the record straight about The Not so Petit Corporal. The gutsy singing that was an escape for cotton pickers in the Deep South how Sacred Harp Singing is enjoying new found popularity. Andre Previn on how he survived Morecambe and Wise and saved the London Symphony Orchestra. And enriching your vocab - how about gongoozle, guttles and Gundyguts for starters, although you might need a nooning scalp first.

All will make sense in Pick Of The Week, presented by Sheila McClennon.

Programmes on Pick of the Week this week:

Polyoaks - Radio 4
Book of the Week - The Horologicon - Radio 4
Our Language in Your Hands - Radio 4
Sacred Harp Singing - Radio 4
Rebuilding the LSO - Radio 4
It's My Story - Radio 4
Today in Parliament - Radio 4
Tony Livesey - 5Live
The Verb - Radio 3
Archive on 4 - Lawrence of Arabia - Radio 4
Touchline Tales - Radio 4

If there's something you'd like to suggest for next week's programme, please e-mail potw@bbc.co.uk.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b01p6szl)
Oliver worries that Ed could be too proud to admit he's getting into deep financial trouble. Caroline suggests they get something a bit special for Christmas for Keira and George.

Ruth commiserates with David, who lost the election for chair of the county NFU branch to an arable farmer. The silver lining for David is being able to spend more time with the family.

Neil's surprised at how much Ed's paying for feed. He'll try to speak to him and will do anything he can to help.

Lilian's fretting over Christmas. She doesn't know what to get Tony. Matt jokingly suggests snow-boarding lessons, which is what Rich will be getting, according to Brenda. Matt tells Lilian it's been difficult getting through to her lately. He thinks she's taking on too much and insists they go out to lunch.

Caroline's impressed by Matt's praise for Lilian but Lilian's in her own world. Matt suggests a break after Christmas but Lilian can't think that far ahead, and makes an excuse to go and phone Paul. She gets his voicemail and leaves a message saying she's thinking of him all the time and will let him know as soon as she can make plans to see him again.


SUN 19:15 Nick Mohammed in Bits (b00tmt9h)
Lila

It's the start of term time, and second year student Lila is going to teach the Freshers everything she knows. Featuring Nick Mohammed as Lila with Colin Hoult as the reporter and Anna Crilly (Lead Balloon) as Lila's best friend.

Bits is a series of character pieces showcasing the best of Nick Mohammed's idiosyncratic characters in a series of one off comic plays.

Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


SUN 19:45 Astray (b01p6szn)
What Remains

Four short stories from Emma Donoghue's new collection Astray. These fact-inspired fictions, about travels to, in and from North America, focus on emigrants, runaways or drifters all gone astray for love or money, under duress or incognito. Emma's compassionate imagination crosses borders of race, law, sex, and sanity bringing the reader through a scattered scrap-book of history.

What Remains, read by Liza Ross, imagines the old age of a sculptor couple, Frances Loring and Florence Wyle. Straying across the line between clarity and confusion this story explores the most painful space that can occur between people.

Dublin born Emma Donoghue is an emigrant twice over; she spent eight years in Cambridge doing a PHD before moving to southwest Ontario where she now lives. Emma is probably best known for her international bestseller Room, winner of the Roger's Writers' Trust Fiction prize and the Hughes & Hughes Irish novel of the year and a finalist for the Man Booker. Emma has also written The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask alongside many short story collections, most recently Three and a Half Deaths. Emma has also written drama for radio, theatre and screen.

What Remains was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Laura Conway.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (b01p4514)
Royal twins and the Autumn Statement

In light of the Royal pregnancy Tim Harford asks what severe morning sickness tells us about the chances of having twins. Yan Wong helps him look at the figures.

We disentangle the Chancellor's Autumn Statement and ask: where is the economy really at?

As Nigeria prepares to revise its GDP statistics with an expected jump of 40-60%, we ask how reliable are African GDP statistics?

Another Daily Telegraph headline comes under scrutiny.

And we return to our Lego tower and look at how Lego can be used to teach maths with Eugenia Cheng of Sheffield University.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b01p4512)
Brazil's most famous architect, an eminent jazz musician, an outrageous boxer and a radical Indian politician

Matthew Bannister on

The Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The lover of curves designed most of the important buildings in his country's capital city. Lord Foster pays tribute.

Also: Dave Brubeck - the jazz composer and pianist, known for writing in unusual time signatures. Julian Joseph pays tribute at the piano.

The Indian politician Bal Thackeray, a former cartoonist who cited Walt Disney and Adolf Hitler as his key influences and led the extremist Hindu party which dominated Mumbai.

And the flamboyant Puerto Rican boxer Hector Camacho. Notorious for his party lifestyle, he died in a drive-by shooting.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b01p6n81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:00 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b01p6ryn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b01p4349)
Strong Medicine

Big problems loom over the pharmaceutical industry which influences so many people's lives. Giant corporations are beset by scandal and their pipelines of new treatments are running dry. Peter Day looks at the future of the industry through the eyes of two Swiss pharma companies, one very big and one of them tiny. Both are linked by their quest for a treatment for Alzheimers.

Producer: Sandra Kanthal.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b01p6wdn)
Preview of the week's political agenda at Westminster with MPs, experts and commentators. Discussion of the issues politicians are grappling with in the corridors of power.


SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b01p6wdq)
Stephen Glover of The Daily Mail analyses how newspapers are covering the biggest stories in Westminster and beyond.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b01p42w6)
Francine Stock meets with director Martin McDonagh and actor Sam Rockwell to discuss their new film, Seven Psychopaths.

Neil Brand deconstructs the distinctive score for Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai Western - Yojimbo.

We sample a fine Bordeaux, the French film Tu Sera Mon Fils (You Will be My Son), a dynastic drama set in a vineyard, starring Niels Arestrup.

As Britain's largest independent cinema chain, Picturehouse, joins forces with Cineworld, what does this mean for cinemagoers? Clare Binns, director of programming at Picturehouse, explains all.

Mother and son team, Charlotte Rampling and Barnaby Southcombe, discuss their London neo-noir film, I, Anna.

Producer Craig Smith.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01p6ryg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 10 DECEMBER 2012

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mnq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b01p424c)
Work identity on the railway; how to be gay

How to be Gay - Laurie Taylor talks to David Halperin, the US Professor of History and Theory of Sexuality, whose controversial new book explores the way in which a gay male sensibility subverts mainstream culture, from Grand Opera to Broadway Musicals. Whilst some gay men repudiate what they perceive as a narrow and stereotypical version of their sexual identity; Halperin argues that a love of kitsch, camp and melodrama is, in fact, linked to a uniquely gay culture: Furthermore, its genius lies in some of its most despised features, namely its snobbery, caricatures of women and adoration of glamour. They're joined by the writer and cultural critic, Owen Jones. Also, Tim Strangleman discusses his study into work identity and 'loss': how older railway workers have reacted to change in their industry.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b01p6ryd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mns)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mnv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mnx)
The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mnz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p6wvd)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4 with Canon Jenny Wigley.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b01p6wvg)
Britain's waterways are the worst in Europe. A new European water blueprint says more money should be diverted into helping farmers improve water quality.

The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group re-launches after going into administration over a year ago.

And Farming Today hears warnings that more food processors will go to the wall unless they quickly adapt their businesses.

Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Ruth Sanderson.


MON 05:57 Weather (b01p6mp1)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 06:00 Today (b01p6wvj)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and James Naughtie. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b01p6wvl)
Scotland - Ian Rankin and Alasdair Gray

On Start the Week Andrew Marr explores what it means to be Scottish. The streets and history of Edinburgh come alive in Ian Rankin's crime novels, while the Glaswegian writer and artist Alasdair Gray marries elements of realism, fantasy and science fiction in his work. With a long history of Scottish emigration, T M Devine looks at the impact on the nation left behind. And the theatre critic of The Scotsman, Joyce McMillan, believes that despite the coming Referendum on Independence, it's the arts and not politics that define Scottish-ness.

Producer: Katy Hickman.

Image © Alasdair Gray, A Life in Pictures, Canongate Books.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b01p6wvn)
Looking for Mrs Livingstone

Episode 1

Written by Julie Davidson.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Read by Tamara Kennedy.

Scottish journalist and writer Julie Davidson journeys through contemporary Southern Africa in search of the traces that remain of Mary Livingstone: the courageous and stoical wife of renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone.

In the history books, Mary is hidden by her husband's shadow yet she played an important role in Livingstone's success and her own feats as an early traveller in uncharted Africa are unique. She was the first white woman to cross the Kalahari, which she did twice - pregnant - giving birth in the bush on the second journey. She was much more rooted in southern Africa than her husband: he has a tomb in Westminster Abbey, London; she has an obscure and crumbling grave on the banks of the Zambezi in a destitute region of Mozambique.

In the thrall of Africa, the author has travelled extensively over several years in the footsteps of Mary Livingstone, from her birthplace in a remote district of South Africa to her grave on the Zambezi. She explores the places the Livingstones knew as a couple and, above all, explores the detail of the life and family of this little-known figure in British - but not African - history.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01p6wvq)
Allison Pearson and Deborah Orr on Xmas adverts, Ruchira Gupta

Where do you get your relationship advice from - an agony aunt or online websites? Allison Pearson and Deborah Orr debate this year's Christmas adverts - sexist or a recognition of the work done by mum? Trafficking campaigner Ruchira Gupta. Gemma Malley explains the appeal of Tolkein and fantasy fiction. Diana Henry makes Poire William.

Producer Kirsty Starkey.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p6wvs)
Little Grudges

Episode 1

Prunella Scales and Hannah Gordon star in this sparkling comedy by Hattie Naylor, inspired by the experiences of listeners to Radio Four.

Everyone loves Bonnie's cafe for the chintz, the coffee and her comforting presence; her uncanny knack of knowing what's wrong. But every single one of them has a secret grudge against someone. Even Bonnie.

Writer...Hattie Naylor

Director...Mary Ward-Lowery.


MON 11:00 Our Language in Your Hands (b01p6zt6)
South Africa

Anthropologist and linguist Dr Mark Turin travels to South Africa to get to grips with the country's complex language politics and policies. Until the mid 1990s, there were just two official languages, English and Afrikaans, while other indigenous African languages were sidelined. Today the situation is different, with eleven official languages recognized by the Constitution of South Africa as having equal value and importance.

But what does that mean in reality? How can so many languages operate alongside each other in Parliament? And can they all have equal weight? Mark Turin visits a Soweto school to find out which languages children learn and what they speak in the playground, and talks to multilingual journalists and writers about the importance of their mother tongues.

He meets Afrikaans speakers to learn whether their language can shake off its associations with the racist apartheid regime, and visits Cape Town to see the South African Parliament in action and meet the interpreters that make it work.

Mark Turin is used to heated discussions when it comes to politics and language, and in South Africa he finds his greatest challenge.


MON 11:30 Jeeves in Manhattan (b00wr6qm)
The Artistic Career of Corky

Martin Jarvis performs 'The Artistic Career of Corky', the first of two of P.G. Wodehouse's celebrated 'New York' stories, starring blithe Bertie Wooster and his urbane valet Jeeves.

Recorded in front of a live audience - a packed house at the Everyman Theatre - it was a highlight of this year's Cheltenham Festival of Literature. In this one-man tour de force, as well as the characters of Jeeves and Wooster, Jarvis also portrays spineless American artist Corky, choleric Manhattan millionaire Alexander Worple and winsome chorus girl Muriel Singer. The laughs abound!

Wodehouse wrote these sparkling stories in 1925 during the period when he was enjoying success in Manhattan as a lyric writer for American musicals. The tales provide a brilliantly humorous perspective for Jeeves and Bertie Wooster on how to deal with eccentric Americans, plus how to cope with the Brits abroad.

In 2007, Jarvis's previous one-man Wodehouse at the Festival received outstanding reviews. The Times wrote: "Outshining all was Martin Jarvis in the funniest performance of the year... an astonishing one-man tour-de-force... Jarvis switched unerringly from one character to the next, but it was more than that. He caught the essence of Wodehouse's writing in a way I thought only possible through reading." Martin Jarvis received a Theatre World Award for his performance as Jeeves in 'By Jeeves' on Broadway.

Producer/Director: Pete Atkin
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 You and Yours (b01p6zt8)
Puppy farming, helping the hoarders and Twitter v Instagram

Loaned artefacts were sold from the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol without the permission of the owners. Inside Out West reports on the story.
Why twitter and instagram don't want to share.
Celebrity cleaner Aggie Mackenzie gives the storage hoarders a helping hand.
We hear about the need to regulate puppy sales.
Social care and housing provider Family Mosaic fears the Care sector in this country is in danger of slipping back into the Victorian era. On the eve of the Government's statement on Winterbourne we hear why. Plus a British Red Cross report highlights the value of preventative care, while reporting that more than a third of Councils are cutting these budgets.
We hear about one of the communities hitting the jackpot today as part of the Big Lottery's largest community led regeneration project.
And do we really need so many different sorts of toothpaste?

Presenter: Julian Worricker
Producer: Rebecca Moore.


MON 12:57 Weather (b01p6mp3)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b01p6ztb)
Martha Kearney presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


MON 13:45 The Global Gap (b01p6ztd)
Series 2: Turkey

Religious Leaders

Global Gap is a series of five programmes where two people who do the same job, one from the UK and one from another country (for this week, Turkey), have a thought provoking conversation, to compare and contrast their working lives and the issues that arise in their jobs.

A predominately Muslim country, Turkey nevertheless straddles Western and Eastern culture - and the series this week focuses on the religious versus the secular, capturing the differences in attitudes and society between Turkey and UK through conversation and recordings in workplaces.

Episode 1 (of 5): The Religious Leader
Rev Canon Rosie Harper, vicar of a small church in Great Missenden and Chaplain to the Bishop of Buckingham, speaks to Ishak Kizilaslan, Imam at the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul. Her father was a non-conformist minister. She wanted to be a vicar from early childhood and was one of the first to be ordained after women were accepted into the Church of England in 1994. She compares her experience and responsibilities as a religious leader to those of Imam Kizilaslan, who was appointed Imam by the Turkish Government because of his understanding of Islam, including having learnt the Qur'an by heart as a 10-year old boy.

Reporter: Sara Parker
Producer: Laura Parfitt
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b01p6szl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 McLevy (b01p704f)
Series 9

A Pearl in the Oyster

Victorian detective drama series, starring Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond.

Written by David Ashton.

Episode three: A Pearl In The Oyster.

A young prostitute falls in love and decides to leave Jean's employment - but she later returns to die on the doorstep of the Just Land.

Other parts are played by the cast.
Producer/Director: Bruce Young.


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (b01p704h)
(3/17)
Which film actor was known as 'The Great Stone Face'? And which Welsh rugby coach is credited with first using the phrase 'get your retaliation in first'?

The competitors in Brain of Britain will have to come up with the answers, and many others, as they face Russell Davies' questioning in the third heat of the current series. The programme comes from Salford and the contestants this week hail from Liverpool, Norwich, Leeds and Lincoln. If their general knowledge carries them through to the next stage in the new year, they'll stand a real chance of becoming the sixtieth holder of the prestigious quiz title, 'Brain of Britain'.

As always, a Brain of Britain listener stands to win a prize, as the competitors try to answer a pair of fiendish questions he or she has devised.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b01p6ryz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Blackout Ballet (b01p704k)
Ismene Brown uncovers the untold story of the International Ballet Company, founded by the young British ballerina Mona Inglesby. It was a hugely successful British ballet company that toured Britain throughout the war and for 12 years afterwards, performing lavish, full-scale ballets and playing in cinemas where theatres weren't available, taking ballet to the people at a price they could afford.

They rivalled Ninette de Valois' Sadler's Wells company (now the Royal Ballet) and Alicia Markova's Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet) and played an essential role in the creation of a British ballet tradition and also in the salvation of the Russian ballet classics, yet now they are forgotten.

Surviving dancers now in their 70s and 80s, ask why Mona Inglesby never received the acknowledgement she deserved.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie.


MON 16:30 The Infinite Monkey Cage (b01p704m)
Series 7

Brain Science

Will science ever understand the human mind? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian and former psychiatric nurse, Jo Brand, and neuroscientists Sophie Scott and Brian Butterworth. With ever more sensitive brain scanning techniques and advances in brain science, how close are we to understanding the inner workings of the human mind - or is this a quest that still remains in the hands of the philosophers?

Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Presenters: Robin Ince and Brian Cox.


MON 17:00 PM (b01p704p)
Carolyn Quinn with interviews, context and analysis.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mp5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b01p704r)
Series 58

Episode 5

The 58th series of Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games' promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family. The series starts its run at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable, where regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Tony Hawks, with Jack Dee as the programme's reluctant chairman. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer - Jon Naismith.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b01p704t)
Jolene needs Kenton's help behind the bar but he's busy trying to avoid Lynda. He doesn't have time for her to tell him exactly how he ought to play his MC role at her show. But Lynda tracks him down. As Lord of Misrule, she expects Kenton to introduce the acts with a few light-hearted remarks, without lapsing into bad taste. Kenton insists he intends to really get inside his character.

Jolene's surprised to see Kenton suddenly keen for the show to be a success. He's got a plan to encourage ticket sales, which have been a bit slow. He assures Jolene he's just doing his bit for the community.

James is off to hospital to have his plaster removed. Lilian offers to take him but James agrees with Matt that Lilian is working too hard and needs to ease up a bit.

On his return, James explains it could be another month before he can put full weight on his leg. Matt perks up when James announces that he's arranging to carry on his treatment back in London. He's leaving on Thursday. Lilian understands he needs to get back to his business.

Matt heads for the Bull, where he tells Jolene that Thursday can't come soon enough.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b01p704w)
Danny Boyle switches on the Front Row neon artwork

With Mark Lawson.

When Danny Boyle took on the role of Artistic Director of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, some saw it as poisoned chalice. What could possibly follow the spectacle of Beijing? In his first major interview since the opening ceremony, Danny Boyle joins Mark in Salford to discuss creating art from an army of volunteers.

Danny will also be switching on the Front Row neon artwork in MediaCity, which features a word of his choice, in his handwriting.

First broadcast 25 years ago, the American TV drama thirtysomething centred on a group of middle-class professionals in Philadelphia. It won critical acclaim and a devoted audience, and the influence of its title is acknowledged in the Oxford English Dictionary. As the complete series appears on DVD, writer Charlotte Keatley and broadcaster Chris Hawkins discuss whether the drama now shows its age.

Writer Adam Gopnik has published five reflections on winter, in which he analyses his own long-standing fascination with the season. He also examines how film-makers turn to this time of year to evoke memories, and reflects on the culture winter has inspired.

Producer Ekene Akalawu.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p6wvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Positively Flawed? Affirmative Action and the Future of America (b01p704y)
When Abigail Fisher lost out on a place at university, she believed she had been judged on the basis of her skin colour. She applied to the University of Texas at Austin which, like many universities across the United States, takes race into account as part of its admissions policy. Soon the Supreme Court of the United States will decide whether UT Austin discriminated against her because she's white. Their decision is likely to have major repercussions - not just for university admissions policies, but for the future of race relations in America.

At the UT Austin campus, Gary Younge meets staff and students and asks what the future holds for affirmative action. President Lyndon Johnson kick-started the policy almost half a century ago to address the legacy of slavery and segregation. Has it worked and is it still relevant today?

It's a debate that goes to the heart of the American dream: the idea that, no matter who you are or what you look like, if you work hard you can achieve anything. Is affirmative action a sign of a country determined to make that dream real, or is it doing the opposite?

Producer: Peggy Sutton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b01p3n7l)
Sexual Abuse in US Prisons

Linda Pressly investigates why rape and sexual abuse is so common in America's huge prison system - and asks if new measures to fight it will succeed.
Producer: Helen Grady.


MON 21:00 Material World (b01p42w8)
With the on-going climate talks in Doha not hitting the headlines Quentin Cooper asks whether such large scale and largely incomprehensible meetings are effective at delivering anything worthwhile on climate change. Can science take the initiative from the policymakers and present the subject in a way which interests and inspires the public?

We also interview James Watson the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA on the reissue of his classic work on the subject 'The Double Helix'.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b01p6wvl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:58 Weather (b01p6mp7)
The latest weather forecast.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b01p706f)
Two years after its start, has the Arab Spring become the Islamist Spring?

More trouble in Northern Ireland?

Will Italy's PM Mario Monti continue?

With Ritula Shah.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01p70cs)
Julian MacLaren-Ross - Of Love and Hunger

Episode 1

1/5 Julian Maclaren-Ross' darkly comic semi-autobiographical novel about the low life, as lived by a struggling salesman in a seaside town. With the shadow of war looming, Richard Fanshawe is eking out an existence in a boarding house. He's trying in a half-hearted way to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door... First published in 1947.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

Music: The Touch Of Your Lips by Hildegarde.


MON 23:00 Mastertapes (b01p70cv)
Series 1

Corinne Bailey Rae (the B-Side)

John Wilson continues with his new series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.

Programme 6, the B-side. Having discussed the making of her second album, "The Sea" (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Tuesday 4th December and available online), Corinne Bailey Rae responds to questions from the audience and, together with pianist Steve Brown, performs acoustic live versions of some of the songs discussed.

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01p70cx)
MPs argue over whether to allow gay marriages in churches and other religious building in England and Wales. Plus, new laws could be on the way to hold to account those who run care homes following the Winterbourne View scandal. And could plans to scrap housing benefit for under-25s be revived? Sean Curran and the team round up the main news from Westminster. Editor: Alan Soady.



TUESDAY 11 DECEMBER 2012

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mq4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b01p6wvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mq6)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mq8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mqb)
The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mqd)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p70gd)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4 with Canon Jenny Wigley.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b01p70gg)
Leading scientists welcome the Environment Secretary's clear support for GM crops, saying it's good news for UK technology.

Can world food prices be stabilised? Think tank Chatham House says a new international body should be set up to help regulate global commodity prices.

And as food processor Vion searches for a buyer for its 38 UK sites, Anna Hill hears warnings that not all 13,000 jobs will survive the sale.

Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Ruth Sanderson.


TUE 06:00 Today (b01p70gj)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Evan Davis. Including Sports Desk; Yesterday in Parliament; Weather; Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Analysing the Child Sex Offender (b01pc2p5)
Psychoanalyst and author Susie Orbach reviews the latest research with experts in the field, to establish how far we understand the psychology of the child sex offender.

Research shows that 10% of children (7% of boys, 16% of girls) have been sexually abused. While high profile cases hit the press at intervals - Savile and Rochdale recently, Cleveland and Orkney in the past - the abuse is going on consistently. The evidence shows that most sexual abuse is not committed by high profile offenders, but by family members or acquaintances within the home.

Susie Orbach discusses the issue with Anthony Beech, Professor in Criminological Psychology at Birmingham University, consultant clinical psychologist Jackie Craissati, Head of Psychology for Forensic Services with Oxleas NHS Trust, Julia Davidson, Professor in Criminology & Sociology at Kingston University, and James Cantor, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Together they look at who offends and why, whether treatment works, and why society finds the issue so difficult to confront and deal with consistently.

Producers: Marya Burgess and Sarah Bowen.


TUE 09:30 One to One (b01p70gn)
Olivia O'Leary meets John Banville

For 'One to One' Olivia O'Leary is interviewing three people at the peak of their profession about growing older. This week she meets the Booker Prize winning author, John Banville, who also writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Benjamin Black.

Producer: Karen Gregor.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b01p70ny)
Looking for Mrs Livingstone

Episode 2

Written by Julie Davidson.

Read by Tamara Kennedy.

Scottish journalist and writer Julie Davidson journeys through Southern Africa in the footsteps of Mary Livingstone: the courageous and stoical wife of renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone.

In today's episode, the author travels through the Kalahari Desert to reach the mission station at Kuruman ("the oasis of the Kalahari") where Mary and David Livingstone were married in 1845. The mission station was established in the 1820s by Mary's parents, the Moffats, and is famous for its church which still stands there today.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01p70p0)
Christmas after divorce; Frances Fyfield; Women in Afganistan

Negotiating Christmas post divorce - what works best for children and parents? Women in Afganistan. Author Frances Fyfield. Has life improved for working class women in the UK? Vivenne Westwood at the V&A. Presented by Jane Garvey. Producer: Karen Dalziel.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p70p2)
Little Grudges

Episode 2

Sissy has met her lover's wife, Fiona has a shock for Shirley and Bonnie is bothered by pixies. Comedy by Hattie Naylor.

See Monday for cast details.


TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b01p70p4)
Series 3

Rewilding/Devonshire Beavers

Many conservationists say that the British countryside is too crowded and managed to be of real benefit to our native wildlife. For Saving Species this week Brett Westwood takes a close look at this premise and asks the question, can some areas of our managed landscape be returned to their former glory and therefore become hotspots to support our native wildlife?

Brett Westwood travels to Sussex to Knepp Castle Estate to find out how landowner Charlie Burrell is managing his land in a wilder way. Once a traditional arable and dairy farm, for the last 11 years the estate has been restoring and regenerating the land to boost biodiversity and allow less intensive meat production. The 1,400 hectares are grazed by roaming herds of Old English Longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, pigs and deer as part of the estate's Wildland project. A stretch of the River Adur which flows through the estate is also being changed - having been canalised in the past, the path of the river is being more naturalised to restore meanders and to incorporate natural floodplains.

Chris Sperring returns to Devon a year on from his last visit to find out how some of nature's architects are managing their local patch in the second year of a three year experimental project run by the Devon Wildlife Trust. Fenced within a 2.8 hectare site, the 2 beavers, a male and female have continuing to create dams and large pools and manage the water flow across the site.

Also in the programme - News from around the world with our regular news reporter, Kelvin Boot. And we'll update you on the activities of the Open University's iSpot.

Presenter: Brett Westwood
Producer: Sheena Duncan.


TUE 11:30 An Alternative Christmas (b01p70p6)
In An Alternative Christmas, Reverend Richard Coles is on a mission to compile a playlist full of songs that were recorded for Christmas but have mostly been unplayed and forgotten, until now.

The programme starts with a pair of uplifting Christmas sermons that were originally advertised in the December 17th, 1927 edition of the Chicago Defender: Rev. J.M. Gates' "Will The Coffin Be Your Santa Claus?" and "Did you spend Christmas Day in jail?". There were plenty of Christmas sermons in the 1920's and 1930's when recorded sermons, many which were sung and performed with a blues guitar, rivalled blues in popularity among black audiences.

We'll hear other songs and the stories behind them, such as Santa's Rap Party, a favourite hidden Christmas treasure of Radio 1 DJ, Huw Stephens.

Rev Coles finds someone on a similar mission to him. Andy Cirzan is the longtime vice president of concerts at Jam Productions in Chicago. He's searched high and low to add to his own collection of wildly obscure Christmas recordings for his own playlist for more than a quarter of a century. He plays Richard some of his treasured recordings from the 50's and 60's, including the cold war era's 'Santa Miss Those Missiles' and the dark Christmas track, 'There is No Sanity Claus II', with its references to guns, missiles and napalm.

Music critic and recent Christmas album curator Pete Paphides also shares his well stocked alternative Christmas record box.

Producer: Jo Meek
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b01p70p8)
Call You and Yours: Charities

On Call You&Yours tomorrow we're asking, Have we given up on giving?

Christmas is the season for giving and is often the big year-end push for many charities. But according to a report compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations charitable donations have fallen by 20% in real terms in the past year, with £1.7bn less being given.

The number of people donating fell - as did the amounts they gave, from an average of £11 to £10 a month and one in six charities may have to close next year because of falling donations and public spending cuts.

On Call You and Yours, we want to hear your views. Are you still giving to charity or have you cut back. Perhaps you are still giving but giving less? Or perhaps you have given more this year.
Maybe you think charity begins at home and it's not your problem?

Call us too if you believe that charities play an essential role in our society as they provide care to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Maybe you've had to turn to charity for help this year for the first time? What has that been like?

03700 100 444 is the phone number to call or you can e-mail via the Radio 4 website or text us on 84844. Join me at four minutes past twelve tomorrow.

Presenter: Julian Worricker
Producer: Maire Devine.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b01p6mqg)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b01p70pb)
National and international news with Martha Kearney. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


TUE 13:45 The Global Gap (b01p7ff1)
Series 2: Turkey

Business Women

Global Gap is a series of five programmes where two people who do the same job, one from the UK and one from another country (for this week, Turkey), have a thought provoking conversation, to compare and contrast their working lives and the issues that arise in their jobs.

A predominately Muslim country, Turkey nevertheless straddles Western and Eastern culture - and the series this week focuses on the religious versus the secular, capturing the differences in attitudes and society between Turkey and UK through conversation and recordings in workplaces.

Episode 2 (of 5): Women in Business
Leading Turkish businesswoman Nur Ger talks to CEO Anne Walker MBE. Both have built up their companies over the past 30 years and now export all over the world. Both campaign for women to get a better deal and equality in business, although in Turkey the battle for recognition and acceptance is harder for business graduate Nur who would have found it difficult to take the lead on the family business and turn it into a multi-million Euro fashion export company if it hadn't been for the early death of her father. For dance teacher Anne, being brought up solely by her teacher mother fuelled her ambition. And her mum's £50 loan to buy her first sewing machine was the beginning of International Dance Supplies (IDS).

Reporter: Sara Parker
Producer: Laura Parfitt
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b01p704t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b01p70pd)
John Taylor - A Bottle on the Shore

By John Taylor. Based on the book by Karen Liebreich.

A heart-stopping message found in a bottle on a Sheppey beach persuades Dr Liebreich to turn detective.

Director ..... John Taylor

A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (b01p70pg)
Series 3

Neath

Jay Rayner chairs Radio 4's culinary panel show, this week recorded in Neath, Wales, where the team field questions from the local audience on all aspects of cooking, eating, and drinking.

As well as talking about South Wales culinary traditions including faggots and peas and laverbread, the panel tackle whether it's safe to eat pork if it's pink in the middle, and how eating a lot of chilli could make you a masochist.

On the panel is acclaimed food critic, broadcaster, and proprietor of Cambridge restaurant Fitzbillies, Tim Hayward; Glaswegian born Catalan food specialist Rachel McCormack; the food scientist who is a consultant for Heston Blumenthal and regular to The Kitchen Cabinet, Peter Barham; and for the first time on the programme, originally from the East End of London, the food writer and chef Sophie Wright.

Food Consultant: Anna Colquhoun.

Produced by Robert Abel and Peggy Sutton.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 15:30 Mastertapes (b01p71gb)
Series 1

The Zombies (the A-Side)

John Wilson concludes his series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.

Programme 7. Forty five years after it was recorded, Rod Argent, Chris White and Colin Blunstone recall the making of the Zombies album 'Odessey And Oracle'. When it was released in 1968, after the band had split up, it was indifferently received. But since it has been described as: "one of the great undiscovered works of the psychedelic era" - Pitchfork; "an album that should grace any record collection... essential" - BBC; and "combining the adventure of Sgt. Pepper with the concision of British Invasion Pop" - Rolling Stone.

Those who have cited the Zombies as influences include everyone from Courtney Love to the Magic Numbers and from the Arctic Monkeys to Paul Weller. 'Odessey And Oracle' (the title was mis-spelt by the designer of the cover) contained only one stereotypically summer-of-love hit ('Time Of The Season') - the darker tones and dramatic third-person feel of much of the album (including the likes of 'Care of Cell 44', 'The Butcher's Tale' and 'A Rose For Emily') makes it sound ahead of its time.

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


TUE 16:00 Pound Shops R Us (b01p71gd)
BBC Business Correspondent Jonty Bloom embarks on a behind the scenes exploration of a retail explosion that is bucking all trends. As British high streets wither in the drought of recession, forcing hundreds of shops to close, one retail phenomenon is bursting with health and vitality - the pound shop. And, with the discount sector in the UK now worth £7 billion and predicted to rise to £11.2 billion by 2016, pound shops are breeding like rabbits and big brands want a slice of the pie.

Are pound shops the saviours of the British high street or the death knell of quality? Where does all that eclectic stuff come from? And how come it still only costs a pound? Psychologists, academics, punters and pound shop operators help discover the origins of the pound shop and examine what their meteoric rise has to say about all of us.

We follow the trail of the weird stuff they stock on their shelves, from China to the UK and back again, in a pound shop equivalent of the old silk route. A potent mix of bargains, surprises, convenience and easy maths.

Produced by Jim Carey.
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b01p71gg)
Series 29

Jean Cocteau

Children’s author Francesca Simon chooses artist, writer and film-maker Jean Cocteau. With Matthew Parris. From December 2012.


TUE 17:00 PM (b01p71gj)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Includes Weather.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mql)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Bleak Expectations (b01p71gl)
Series 5

A Writerly Life Made Dreadfully Different

There's a novel writing showdown between Pip and Charles Dickens to find out who is the greatest writer in Britain.

Mark Evans's epic Victorian comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.

Sir Philip ..... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ..... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ..... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ..... James Bachman
Clampvulture ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ..... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ..... Susy Kane
Lily ...... Sarah Hadland

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b01p71gn)
Fallon tells Kirsty that she's set rules for their double-date - no talking sport or Shakespeare.

Iftikar tells Rhys that he's struggling to find a suitable Christmas present for Kirsty. Rhys has Fallon's sorted but refuses to say what it is. He tells Iftikar that her extra present will be a music voucher but Iftikar thinks he should buy her an album, and offers to help find a good choice.

Over the meal, it's difficult for the lads to not talk sport. So Iftikar changes the subject to music and gets Fallon to reveal the best track she's heard recently. To Rhys's surprise it's a beautiful Christmas song by Ella Fitzgerald. When Kirsty laughs that music is the food of love, Iftikar quickly points out the Shakespeare connection.

Elizabeth discusses the dairy plans with David. They talk through her plan for ten large bedrooms for weddings and holiday lets, and the bank's idea for the big overnight conference market. David feels holiday lets could clash with weddings, whereas overnight conferences fit the existing business. And the new accommodation would still help build up the wedding business. Elizabeth appreciates David's advice. It's nice to share her thoughts with someone who's on her side.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b01p71gq)
Paul Thomas Anderson on The Master; Jim Cartwright returns to the stage

With Mark Lawson.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson reflects on his film The Master, which has already won numerous awards and is heavily tipped for Oscar success.

In the week that Green Day release the third in a trilogy of albums and Peter Jackson announced that The Hobbit will be divided into three parts, Mark asks whether three is the magic number for films, novels and albums, with Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Toby Litt and David Hepworth.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in the film Smashed, a comedy drama which examines the strains experienced by an alcohol-dependent married couple, when the wife decides to get sober. Critic Mark Eccleston gives his verdict.

Playwright Jim Cartwright, best known for Road and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, has just written his first play in 12 years. A Christmas Fair is a commission by The Milton Rooms in Ryedale, Yorkshire, and is a community project staffed by volunteers. Jim Cartwright discusses the play and what it was about the Yorkshire venue that appealed so much to him.

Producer Stephen Hughes.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p70p2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Pension Off the Old Lady! (b01p71gs)
The role of Governor of the Bank of England is one of the most important in the financial world. Mark Carney, whose appointment was announced in November by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will have vast oversight of everything from the level of mortgage finance to the way the British financial system functions. The role is unique in its power, scope and influence.

So what should the new Governor's plan for Britain's economic future be? In this programme, Kamal Ahmed considers the prospects for jobs, growth and economic well-being under the new Governor. And he examines what will be the likely impact on the value of everyone's debts, borrowings and savings.

For some observers, the Bank of England failed to see the approach of the financial crisis and, when it did arrive, did not act decisively to mitigate its effects. Responsible for targeting inflation at 2%, managing monetary policy and smoothing the economic cycle, the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street - as the Bank is known in the City of London - has, they claim, consistently disappointed. And we have all paid the price.

Yet others argue that it has done no worse than other major central banks. Ministers seem to agree: the government is making the Bank responsible for more of the UK's financial system.

Talking to former Bank insiders, prominent politicians, business leaders, economists and bankers, Kamal Ahmed asks what lessons the Bank needs to draw from its role in the crisis. Given its new responsibilities, what and how does it need to change about how it is currently run and managed? Can it be made more effective - while also being properly accountable for its actions? And should it emulate how other central banks do their job or do its own thing?

Producer Simon Coates.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b01p71gv)
PIPs, Xmas presents and Windows 8

The Government is expected to release its revised assessment criteria for claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) by the end of this week. PIPs is the new benefit designed to replace the current Disability Living Allowance, the benefit which can provide visually impaired people with financial assistance for care, mobility and specialist equipment. The new criteria will inform who will qualify for PIPs and who will miss out. Peter White considers the process thus far, with the RNIB's Parliamentary Officer Matt Davies.

Microsoft recently brought out Windows 8, its new-look operating system. Léonie Watson from the British Association of Blind Computer users talks us through the major changes.

And, looking for what to get that visually impaired someone for Christmas? Santa Shearman comes to the rescue with some Christmas present ideas.


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b01p71gx)
Preventing PTSD; Archaeology and mental health; Organophospates

"Bob", the Armed Forces, the Police and PTSD

A former member of the armed forces and a policeman, "Bob", suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD following the shocking death of a young woman that he was spending the evening with. He tells Claudia Hammond that he's only recently received the help he needed to get his life back on track and admits that he believes many people in the emergency services have, like him, untreated PTSD.

The statistics confirm "Bob's" suspicions, which is why research at Kings College, London, and Oxford University is of such interest. Dr Jennifer Wild and her doctoral student, Rachel White, have discovered that by training people to concentrate on HOW the event is unfolding rather than WHY, significantly fewer PTSD-type symptoms are reported.

Researchers exposed volunteers to traumatic films with visuals of accidents and deaths, but whereas those in the WHY group were encouraged to focus on the abstract, on why such terrible things happen and what it would mean for the people involved and their families, the HOW group was prompted to focus on the specific and objective details of the event without straying into its greater meaning.

The results showed that the WHY group suffered from more intrusive memories, flashbacks and hyper-arousal than the HOW group, suggesting that if emergency workers could be trained to change their thinking, then psychological trauma could be reduced.

Past In Mind

A chance meeting on a train between archaeologist Ian Bapty and Herefordshire MIND worker, Jenny McMillan, led to an unusual collaboration: an archaeological dig to excavate a lost village. The Past In Mind project brought together archaeologists, historians and people recovering from mental health problems on the Lower Brockhampton Estate in Herefordshire to search for the lost medieval settlement of Studmarsh. Volunteers made an audio diary for All in the Mind from the dig.

Organophosphates

Government advisers on the Committee on Toxicity have been sent a new review on organophosphates which suggests that low level exposure causes damage to the brain and nervous system. Dr Sarah Mackenzie Ross, a neuropsychologist from University College London is one of the authors of the meta-analysis - a systematic review of the best available evidence - and she tells Claudia Hammond that the evidence suggests that people who have been exposed to low levels of organophosphates have impaired cognitive function.

Organophospate pesticides are the most widely used insecticides in the world in agriculture and horticulture. They're also used in industry as lubricants, plasticizers and flame-retardants and pest-control teams use them too.
But it's been known for some time, despite their importance in food production and disease prevention, that in high doses, they damage the brain and the nervous system. What's more controversial is whether there is a risk from low-level exposure to organophosphates, so this latest publication will be of interest to the Committee on Toxicity which is currently reviewing this subject.

Producer: Fiona Hill.


TUE 21:30 Analysing the Child Sex Offender (b01pc2p5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 21:58 Weather (b01p6mqn)
The latest weather forecast.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b01p71gz)
UK government says there'll be no gay marriages for the Church of England; Cairo protests escalate both for and against President Morsi; and will EU send trainers for Mali's army following today's forced resignation of the prime minister? Tonight with Robin Lustig.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01p71h1)
Julian MacLaren-Ross - Of Love and Hunger

Episode 2

2/5 Julian Maclaren-Ross' darkly comic semi-autobiographical novel about the low life of a struggling salesman in a seaside town. With the shadow of war looming, Richard Fanshawe is eking out an existence in a boarding house. He's trying in a half-hearted way to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door. His colleague, Derek Roper, introduces Fanshawe to his wife, Sukie, and the three of them begin to go about together. First published in 1947.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

Music: The Touch Of Your Lips by Hildegarde.


TUE 23:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (b01p704m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Monday]


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01p71h3)
The Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, says Labour will vote against plans to limit most welfare payment rises to 1%.
MPs join in condemning the recent violence in Northern Ireland.
David Cameron faces one of his regular sessions in front of the MPs who chair the Commons select committees.
The Scottish Finance Minister, John Swinney, insists an independent Scotland would remain part of the EU.
And the Culture Secretary says the Church of England and Church in Wales will be banned from offering same-sex marriages.
While in the House of the Lords, ministers insist the badger cull in England will go ahead.
Susan Hulme and team report on today's events in Parliament.



WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mrh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b01p70ny)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mrk)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mrm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mrp)
The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mrr)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p71w4)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4 with Canon Jenny Wigley.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b01p71w6)
A new report by the National Audit Office finds that the system for inspecting farms is costing taxpayers - and farmers - too much. An estimated 114,000 visits were made by government bodies in 2011-12. Anna Hill talks to David Corner, who oversaw the study, and a farmer who has changed how he farms because of red tape.

A woodland charity is concerned that a lack of information about private woodland ownership - more than sixty per cent of Britain's woodland is privately owned - is getting in the way of co-ordinated efforts to tackle diseases like ash dieback and find resistant trees for future ash woodland.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced in Birmingham by Rich Ward.


WED 06:00 Today (b01p71w8)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Evan Davis, including:

0751
Taxpayers are paying out more than £200m a year to repair street surfaces which are poorly re-laid by utility companies' contractors after road works, according to research released today. Peter Box, chairman of the LGA's economy and transport board, and Les Guest, a consultant for the utility sector, examine the results that say councils in England and Wales are having to redo 340,000 shoddy resurfacing jobs a year.

0810
There has been widespread condemnation of a long-range rocket launch by North Korea, which went ahead in defiance of international warnings. North Korea said it had succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit - a claim backed by international observers. The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and John Everard, a former British ambassador to North Korea, reflect on the significance of the launch.

0815
Patrick Finucane, who represented a number of accused republicans, including IRA members, was shot dead in front of his family at home in 1989. A report looking into how the security forces colluded in the killing of the prominent Northern Ireland solicitor is published today. The BBC's Andy Martin reports from Belfast and Today presenter Evan Davis speaks to Pat Finucane's son, John, about the family's feelings towards the murder.


WED 09:00 Midweek (b01p71wb)
John Lithgow, Shelby Holmes, Nick Bullock, David Green

Libby Purves meets actor John Lithgow; climber Nick Bullock; Shelby Holmes, who comes from a family of fairground showmen, and David Green, grandson of composer Ignatz Waghalter.

Shelby Holmes comes from five generations of fairground showmen and is now studying English at Trinity College, Oxford. Her childhood was filled with stories of her ancestors: her great-great-great-great-grandmother was Ellen Brown, niece of Mr Brown, the close friend of Queen Victoria who entertained the royal children with his travelling animal menagerie.

John Lithgow is a Broadway star and Emmy-award-winning television actor. He is currently performing the title role in 'The Magistrate', Arthur Wing Pinero's farce set in Victorian London. Lithgow is a versatile character player whose previous performances range from a transsexual ex-football player in The World According To Garp to an extraterrestrial in 3rd Rock From The Sun. 'The Magistrate' is at the National Theatre, London.

Nick Bullock is a climber who was once employed as a prison officer. Working in a maximum-security jail with some of Britain's most notorious criminals, he felt trapped in a world of aggression and fear until he discovered the mountains. His book 'Echoes - One Climber's Hard Road to Freedom' takes him from Pakistan to Peru in his search for a new way to see the world. 'Echoes' is published by Vertebrate Publishing.

David Green's Jewish Polish-German grandfather was Ignatz Waghalter, a successful composer who was forced to leave Berlin for the US when the Nazis came to power. After the war Waghalter's music lost its popularity and in 1949 he died in relative obscurity in New York. In 1988 David Green discovered his grandfather's long lost music in the family attic. This missing music has now been recorded by the Royal Philharmonic and violinist Irmina Trynkos. Waghalter's complete violin repertoire is released on Naxos Records.

Producer: Paula McGinley.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b01p71wd)
Looking for Mrs Livingstone

Episode 3

Written by Julie Davidson.

Read by Tamara Kennedy.

Scottish journalist and writer Julie Davidson travels through Southern Africa in the footsteps of Mary Livingstone: the courageous and stoical wife of renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone.

In today's episode, the dangers and hardships of being a Victorian missionary wife are revealed in an account of a journey through the Kalahari Desert made by Mary Livingstone (heavily pregnant and with two young children in tow) in the wake of her explorer husband. David.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01p71wg)
Nigella Lawson; Tanya Byron; Girl Power!

Nigella Lawson Cooks the Perfect...Italian Christmas Pudding Cake - a delicious light alternative to traditional Christmas pud. The Spice Girl legacy - who has Girl Power now? We discuss with Alice Jones from the Independent and Lucy Jones from NME. Tanya Byron and Nigella Lawson on parental guilt - and how to get over it. And what impact is the current unrest in Egypt having on women: are sexual attacks making them afraid to protest?
Presenter Jenni Murray
Producer Dianne McGregor.


WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p71wj)
Little Grudges

Episode 3

Ellie learns the extraordinary truth about an old flame. Comedy by Hattie Naylor.

Prunella Scales and Hannah Gordon star in this sparkling comedy which has been inspired by the experiences of listeners to Radio Four on the subject of grudges.

Writer...Hattie Naylor

Director...Mary Ward-Lowery.


WED 11:00 The Tree Scientists (b01p7g10)
With 80 million Ash trees in the country under threat, can anything be done to save them from the devastating effects of Ash dieback? Dr. Adam Hart looks at what scientists know about the fungus that causes Ash dieback, he travels to Poland - where the fungus was first isolated and identified and speaks to leading scientists not only there but in the UK and Denmark to determine if our Ash trees will suffer the same fate as they have across the continent.

Photo courtesy of the Forest Managers of Wloszczowa Polish State Forests


WED 11:30 A Charles Paris Mystery (b01p71wn)
An Amateur Corpse

Episode 2

What starts as a simple voiceover job soon leads Charles to the discovery of a dead body.

Bill Nighy stars as actor-cum-sleuth, Charles Paris.

By Jeremy Front - based on Simon Brett's novel.

Charles ..... Bill Nighy
Frances ..... Suzanne Burden
Joan ..... Geraldine McEwan
Maurice ..... Jon Glover
Hugo ..... Paul Ritter
Ellie ...... Amaka Okafor
Saskia ..... Christine Absalom
Geoff ...... Patrick Brennan
Clive ...... Sam Alexander

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


WED 12:00 You and Yours (b01p71wq)
Loans to the developing world, beer tax and empty homes

If you're keen to save money, why not try a radical approach - follow the example of one woman and simply stop buying clothes. Ethical Christmas presents have been with us for a while, but instead of buying something to support a good cause, why not make a loan instead through a scheme aimed at helping entrepreneurs in the developing world? Landlords are unhappy at plans by some local authorities to levy extra council tax charges on properties that are lying empty.

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.


WED 12:57 Weather (b01p6mrt)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b01p71ws)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


WED 13:45 The Global Gap (b01p7fx5)
Series 2: Turkey

Sports Teachers

Global Gap is a series of five programmes where two people who do the same job, one from the UK and one from another country (for this week, Turkey), have a thought provoking conversation, to compare and contrast their working lives and the issues that arise in their jobs.

A predominately Muslim country, Turkey nevertheless straddles Western and Eastern culture - and the series this week focuses on the religious versus the secular, capturing the differences in attitudes and society between Turkey and UK through conversation and recordings in workplaces.

Episode 1 (of 5): Sports Teachers
Sports teachers Kerry Barber in UK and Sinem Varder in Turkey share their experiences. Birmingham's Golden Hillock School has a large number of Muslim pupils, many of whom wear the hijab, and sports lessons with girls and boys segregated - while Sinem's Turkish school has mixed classes and forbids girls to cover their head. Sinem sees this as liberating for women and is concerned that a proposal by the current Turkish Government to re-introduce the wearing of the hijab in schools is a backward step.

Kerry and Sinem discuss these perhaps unexpected contrasts in their schools, as well as their own international success in male dominated sports - rugby for Kerry and basketball for Sinem.

Reporter: Sara Parker
Producer: Laura Parfitt
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b01p71gn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b01p71wv)
Bearing Witness

By Philip Palmer

Set in the Dutch city of The Hague in 2000, Philip Palmer's legal drama takes us inside the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as a defence lawyer is challenged by the moral and legal complexities of defending a man accused of war crimes.

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.


WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b01p720f)
Pensions

Paul Lewis and a panel of guests will answer your questions about pensions and buying an annuity on Wednesday's Money Box Live.

Whether you have a query about the state pension or joining an occupation scheme our experts will be ready with advice. Perhaps you need information about the types of scheme on offer or the latest news on auto enrolment? How will your money be invested and how much will be taken in charges?

If you'd like to talk it over, call Money Box Live on Wednesday. The number to call is 03700 100 444 and lines are open between 1pm and 3pm. Or you can e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.


WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b01p71gx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b01p720h)
Children in hospitals; History, heritage and tradition in British politics

British politics, heritage and history. Laurie Taylor explores the divergent stories political parties construct about our history and their own historical roles. From disputes over the National Curriculum for History to the assertion of a lost 'social democratic' tradition by New Labour. Research Fellow, Emily Robinson, argues that politicians' manipulation of the past leaves them unable to speak of different futures. Also, Allison James talks about her research on the experience of sick children in hospital.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (b01p720k)
In today's programme with Steve Hewlett:

The BBC's Robert Peston and Roy Greenslade of The Guardian on James Harding's resignation from The Times; Adam Smith of Group M media buyers on sharp declines in print circulation and falling advertising revenue; Carla Buzasi of Huffington Post UK and Emily Bell of Columbia University on regulating the internet, the big issue avoided in the Leveson report; and Prof John Horgan, Ireland's press ombudsman, on the direction the Leveson process is now taking.

The producer is Simon Tillotson.


WED 17:00 PM (b01p720m)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mrw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b01p720p)
Series 4

Handsworth

Comedian Mark Steel returns with a new series, looking under the surface of some of the UK's more distinctive towns to shed some light on the people, history, rivalries, slang, traditions, and eccentricities that makes them unique.

Creating a bespoke stand-up set for each town, Mark performs the show in front of a local audience.

As well as examining the less visited areas of Britain, Mark uncovers stories and experiences that resonate with us all as we recognise the quirkiness of the British way of life and the rich tapestry of remarkable events and people who have shaped where we live.

During this 4th series of 'Mark Steel's In Town', Mark will visit Tobermory, Whitehaven, Handsworth, Ottery St Mary, Corby, and Chipping Norton.

This week, Mark takes a trip to Handsworth in Birmingham to explore reggae and riots, white supremacist gardening, and how takeaway food affects the time space continuum. From December 2012.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.
Produced by Sam Bryant.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b01p7bxm)
It's the twins' birthday but Iftikar arrives for Freddie's lesson. Elizabeth apologises. She forgot to cancel it but he's welcome to stay for the party. Still needing to find a special Christmas present for Kirsty, Iftikar declines but asks if he can look round the grounds before he leaves.

Elizabeth goes with Ifty and he's impressed by it all. Elizabeth is grateful for Iftikar's work with Freddie Bringing up two children on her own is a big responsibility. Iftikar understands. He lost his dad when he was 14.

Kenton tells Jill that Lynda's show is bordering on disaster. It needs more fun. He has a flash of inspiration and asks Jill to help him source some Elizabethan fashion accessories. Jill wishes he'd tell her what he's up to, and hopes it won't upset Lynda.

Ed and Emma agree that George needs to be told that they're moving in with Neil and Susan. He seems fine with the idea. Now Emma worries about Will. She doesn't want him to hear about it from George. She explains their situation to Nic, who is sympathetic and tells her not to worry about Will. She'll tell him.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b01p7bxp)
William Boyd; Ravi Shankar remembered; video games of the year

With Kirsty Lang.

Writer William Boyd discusses the television adaptation of his novel, Restless, which stars Michael Gambon, Michelle Dockery and Charlotte Rampling.

Ravi Shankar, who has died at the age of 92, took the sitar to a global audience, and was a huge influence on many musicians. Choreographer Akram Khan pays tribute.

Dramatist Martin Crimp discusses his new play In the Republic of Happiness. It centres on a family Christmas interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Uncle Bob, who's not seen his relatives for a long time. Their world will never be the same again.

The video gaming year is reviewed by writer Naomi Alderman.

Producer Jerome Weatherald.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p71wj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b01p7bxr)
Who's to Blame?

In the first of a new series, Clive Anderson and guests discuss the legal liability of organisations for crimes or other misbehaviours committed by people who work for them.

In the wake of Jimmy Savile and other recent abuse cases, complex legal questions have arisen about who, apart from the perpetrators themselves, should be held to blame - and liable to pay compensation.

Clive's guests, all leading experts in the field, argue about the way the courts are currently applying the law of vicarious liability to hold employers to blame for the actions of their staff, even when there is no indication of any fault on their part.

In what all agree is rapidly becoming a legal minefield, the courts are widening their interpretation of who can be legitimately sued in these circumstances. Bodies are increasingly being held liable for the actions of people for whom they are responsible but do not formally employ. This could include freelancers or other casual workers or even volunteers working for a charity.

Senior barrister, Edward Faulks says the law is being misused to identify parties with deep pockets and to ensure victims receive compensation from someone.

Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (b01p7bxt)
Series 3

Nancy Lublin: 21st-Century Social Activism

Nancy Lublin, CEO of DoSomething.Org, discusses how the next generation are doing social activism. She describes the impact of the web on social activism, making it faster, cheaper and easier to do than ever before, and argues that this has big implications for societies around the world.

Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded live in front of an audience, speakers air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


WED 21:00 Frontiers (b01p7bxw)
Forensic Phonetics

Many crimes are planned, executed and sometimes gloated over using mobile phones. And the move to digital means that recordings are cheap and easy to make for the criminals themselves, as well as for their victims and witnesses.

Ranging from death threats left on voicemails and hoax 999 calls to fraudulent calls to banks and conversations between terrorists, phoneticians analyse the minute acoustic components of the human voice to determine not only what was said but to create a profile of the culprit, or work out if a suspect's voice matches the voice in the criminal recording.

While it's not possible to identify a unique 'voiceprint', as it is with fingerprints and DNA, speech scientists are developing new ways of teasing out the distinctive characteristics in human speech to improve their ability to identify a particular speaker.

Forensic audio specialists can now determine with surprising accuracy whether a digital recording has been tampered with, and when exactly it was made. The gentle 'hum', that is constantly emitted from electrical power sources, is embedded in digital recordings. So by extracting this 'hum', which is emitted in a random pattern, forensic scientists can now pinpoint the date and time of the recording.

Rebecca Morelle looks at some of the new research in this growing area of forensics, including the credibility of ear witness accounts and whether it's possible to distinguish hoax 999 calls from genuine ones.

This branch of forensics has played a crucial role in a number of high profile cases, including the conviction of John Humble as the hoax caller claiming to be the Yorkshire Ripper, and identifying the mystery cougher who tried to defraud the gameshow 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'.

Producer: Beth Eastwood.


WED 21:30 Midweek (b01p71wb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 21:58 Weather (b01p6mry)
The latest weather forecast.


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b01p7bxy)
An official report on the murder of a prominent lawyer in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles has concluded the killing was "furthered and facilitated" by the police, Army and secret services. David Cameron said the family of Pat Finucane had suffered "grievous wrongs", but there hadn't been an "over-arching conspiracy". They've described the report as a "whitewash". Washington says North Korea must face consequences for carrying out a banned rocket launch that put the country's first satellite into orbit. And the "dozenalists" rising up against the "tyranny of ten". Presented by Robin Lustig.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01p7by0)
Julian MacLaren-Ross - Of Love and Hunger

Episode 3

3/5 Julian Maclaren-Ross' darkly comic semi-autobiographical novel about the low life of a struggling salesman in a seaside town. With the shadow of war looming, Richard Fanshawe is eking out an existence in a boarding house. He's trying in a half-hearted way to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door. He's been asked by his friend, Roper, to look after his wife, Sukie, while he's away at sea. Then Fanshawe is sacked from his job, and joins up with rival firm "Sucko". First published in 1947.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

Music: The Touch Of Your Lips by Hildegarde.


WED 23:00 Warhorses of Letters (b01p7by2)
Series 2

Episode 3

The romantic correspondence between two of history's most important horses: Napoleon's mount Marengo and the Duke of Wellington's own Copenhagen.

The opposing armies are on the march through Belgium, but our lovers face a more immediate challenge to their relationship as Marengo's stablemate Marcy turns out to be a stalking horse.

Marengo ..... Stephen Fry
Copenhagen ..... Daniel Rigby
Narrator ..... Tamsin Greig

Written by Robbie Hudson and Marie Phillips.

Producer: Gareth Edwards.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


WED 23:15 Mission Improbable (b01p7by4)
Series 1

Egypt!

The international adventures of journalist Jane, manhunter Lucy and zookeeper Amelia continue - this time in the Egyptian desert.

When Jane's mum reveals that a member of her travel party, the gorgeous Dr Ralph, recently disappeared while they were on a guided tour of King Mufitez's tomb just outside Cairo, Jane reckons she's onto a sure-fire front-pager.

Chronically single Lucy is more than happy to drop everything in pursuit of the good doctor and Amelia is enticed along by the promise of a camel ride. However their sandy quest turns out to be far from straightforward. Our heroes are forced to endure extremes of temperature, fierce desert winds and a ten thousand year-old cobra - with only their foul smelling, asthmatic and worryingly cheap camel to help them.

Will they make it to King Mufitez's tomb? Will they find Dr Ralph? And will they ever get all that sand out of their pants?

Jane...................Catriona Knox
Lucy...................Lizzie Bates
Amelia................Anna Emerson
Angela................Felicity Montagu

Written by Anna Emerson, Lizzie Bates and Catriona Knox.
Audio production by Matt Katz.
Produced by Dave Lamb and Richie Webb.
A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01p7by6)
Ed Miliband has accused the Chancellor of bringing in a tax on strivers. At Prime Ministers Question time, the Labour leader told David Cameron his party was only interested in looking after the wealthy and was less interested in lower-paid workers. The Prime Minister accused Ed Miliband of standing up 'for those who claim'. Sean Curran follows the weekly tussle of claim and counter claim in the Commons.
Also on the programme:
* Reaction in the House of Lords to the firing of a long-range rocket by North Korea.
* Simon Jones follows a Labour-led debate on health service funding.
* Alan Soady listens to the Public Accounts committee's verdict on how money was spent on the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer
* Chris Bond reports on the newly published review into the shocking story of state collusion in the murder of the Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane 23 years ago.



THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER 2012

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mt1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b01p71wd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mt3)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mt5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mt7)
The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mt9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p7dcn)
A reading and a reflection to start the day on Radio 4 with Canon Jenny Wigley.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b01p7dcq)
The debate on whether shale gas exploration - or fracking - is the best way to meet the country's energy needs is raging. But will it damage the environment? The industry says that new measures mean it's safe to go ahead, but countryside campaigners claim that fracking would blight the rural landscape.

New research shows that vaccinating groups of badgers against TB has a significant impact even on badger cubs that haven't been vaccinated. The scientist who led the analysis tells us why.

We continue to take a look at the food manufacturing sector. The Food and Drink Federation says that it's an exciting time for young people to join the industry, as they aim to boost their number of apprenticeships. Meanwhile Anna Hill joins a carrot farmer in Norfolk to look at his crop in the fields, then follows it into the processing plant.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Polly Procter.


THU 06:00 Today (b01p7dcs)
Morning news and current affairs with Sarah Montague and John Humphrys. Including Sports Desk; Yesterday in Parliament; Weather; Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b01p7dcv)
Shahnameh of Ferdowsi

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the epic poem the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, the 'Book of Kings', which has been at the heart of Persian culture for the past thousand years. The poem recounts a legendary history of Iran from the dawn of time to the fall of the Persian Empire in the 7th century and serves, in a sense, as a creation myth for the Persian nation.

The Shahnameh took Ferdowsi thirty years to write and, consisting of over 50,000 verses, is said to be the longest poem ever written by a single author. Laced with tragedy, Ferdowsi's epic chronicles battles, romances, family rifts and Man's interior struggle with himself. Although the stories may not always be true they have a profound resonance with Iranians even today, and the poem has been referred to as both the 'encyclopaedia of Iranian culture' and the identity card of the Persian people.

With:

Narguess Farzad
Senior Fellow in Persian at SOAS, University of London

Charles Melville
Professor of Persian History at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge

Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis
Curator of Middle Eastern Coins at the British Museum

Producer: Natalia Fernandez.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b01p7dcx)
Looking for Mrs Livingstone

Episode 4

Read by Tamara Kennedy.

Writer Julie Davidson travels in the footsteps of of Mary Livingstone, the courageous and stoical wife of renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone.

Mary Livingstone and her young family are sent to stay with relatives in Scotland, to allow her intrepid husband to travel unencumbered for four years, plotting a route from the Cape through to the Indian Ocean. It was a dark and lonely time for Mary, who was born and brought up in Africa, and who dearly missed her home and the support of her husband.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01p7dcz)
Nadja Swarovski, Lisa Randall, Kathryn Stone

Nadja Swarovski on her role in the family crystals business, Harvard professor Lisa Randall talks physics, Kathryn Stone was recently appointed Northern Ireland Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, Professor Jack Zipes explains why the fairy tale Baba Yaga is feminist and Jenni Murray discusses cosmetics from Shakespeare's time to now with the head of research at the Globe Theatre Dr Farah Karim-Cooper and beauty editor and author Jo Fairley.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p7dd1)
Little Grudges

Episode 4

Bonnie shouts at everyone after throwing Miss Lonely Heart out of her cafe. Tom finds out what's got under her skin.

Prunella Scales and Hannah Gordon star in this sparkling comedy which has been inspired by the experiences of listeners to Radio Four on the subject of grudges.

Writer...Hattie Naylor

Director...Mary Ward-Lowery.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b01p7dd3)
Libya: Life after the Revolution

The city of Misrata arguably suffered the most during the Libyan conflict as missiles rained on it for months on end. By the end of the revolution though, fighters from Misrata had exacted their revenge on neighbouring towns and had been responsible for the capture of Colonel Gaddafi, as well as Gaddafi strongholds. More recently Misratan fighters have been in action against the city of Bani Walid. Many residents of Bani Walid, accused of being Gaddafi supporters, have been expelled from their homes. Misrata has, effectively, set itself up as a city state, outside the control of Libya's new government.
Writer and journalist Justin Marozzi, who has been visiting Libya over the last twenty years, including during the revolution, returns to examine if this fragmented country can rebuild itself and come together. Is reconciliation possible while different armed groups continue to fight each other?
Producer: John Murphy.


THU 11:30 Mr X: Julian Maclaren-Ross (b01p7dd5)
Julian Maclaren Ross, was an eccentric dissolute dandy - one of those writers who, really did live his life out of suitcase, and whose later career was a spiral of precarious commissions and unpaid debts. Maclaren Ross was portrayed as the saturnine 'X. Trapnel' in Anthony Powell's 'A Dance to the Music of Time'.

He was taken up by the distinguished critic Cyril Connolly, who printed his stories in the celebrated wartime magazine Horizon. His great days were the period 1940 to '45 when he spent 12 hour days in the Soho pubs, before returning home to his squalid bed sits for night long amphetamine fuelled writing sessions. He got called up into the army - see the short story collection The Stuff to Give the Troops - and was eventually court-martialled.

He was a novelist (Of Love and Hunger, 1947), short story writer, journalist and autobiographer (Memoirs of the Forties, published posthumously 1965). His path lay down, and ever down, through poorly-paid hack-work to a series of romantic obsessions that included the stalking of Orwell's widow Sonia, and a premature death, from heart-failure, in 1964. It is a dense, extraordinary story, with overtones both exotic (South of France journeyings) and mundane (door-to-door vacuum cleaner selling in Bognor Regis). In this programme, the writer and critic, David Taylor argues that this rackety Bohemian is ripe to be compared with both Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Powell, both of whom greatly admired him.

David speaks to Powell's son Tristram, who filmed Maclaren Ross for a BBC documentary. We hear from his son, Alex and from his biographer Paul Willetts. Anthony Thwaite remembers working with Maclaren Ross in the 50s, and the writer and agony aunt Virginia Ironside, explains how she raised money to put a head stone on Maclaren Ross's unmarked grave. The programme is presented by David Taylor. The producer is Nicola Swords.


THU 12:00 You and Yours (b01p7dd7)
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme with Winifred Robinson. 3D printing - how we all may be printing our own objects at home, anything from jewellery to lamps or even spare parts..We'll be talking about the latest technology that means a quicker way to pay at the till - the virtual wallet. And...It's cold, it's Christmas - will you be getting out the festive jumper? Gyles Brandreth tells us why he became famous for the reindeer woolly...


THU 12:57 Weather (b01p6mtc)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b01p7dd9)
Edward Stourton presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


THU 13:45 The Global Gap (b01p7ddc)
Series 2: Turkey

Tour Guides

Global Gap is a series of five programmes where two people who do the same job, one from the UK and one from another country (for this week, Turkey), have a thought provoking conversation, to compare and contrast their working lives and the issues that arise in their jobs.

A predominately Muslim country, Turkey nevertheless straddles Western and Eastern culture - and the series this week focuses on the religious versus the secular, capturing the differences in attitudes and society between Turkey and UK through conversation and recordings in workplaces.

Episode 4 (of 5): Tour Guides
Chris Allen is a tour guide at St Paul's Cathedral, and Saliha Kismet is a tour guide in Istanbul taking tourists round the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque). Chris is retired from ICT and now volunteers as a guide, while 36 year-old Salida, a geology graduate, had to work hard to pass the Government exams to become a professional tour guide.

In conversation, they compare their jobs. They also compare the atmosphere and meaning of two of the world's most iconic religious buildings. The Blue Mosque is in daily use - tourists are ushered out during prayers, which take place five times daily, and they must take off their shoes to enter and women must cover their heads. St Paul's, however, is much more than a place of prayer - visitors are often more interested in the architecture and history than the religious nature of the building. It is also a place where people gather at times of crisis or disaster, such as following the 7/7 London bombings (the day Chris went for his interview) and it was a symbol of survival during the Blitz.

Producer: Laura Parfitt
Reporter: Sara Parker
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b01p7bxm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b01p7ddf)
The Loving Ballad of Captain Bateman

The writer Joseph Wilde and musician Tim van Eyken's play is a modern love story based on a very old folk song in which a noble lord goes abroad, lands in prison and falls for the gaoler's daughter. In the play, Captain Bateman is badly wounded in Afghanistan. Sofia and her father give him shelter and succour in accordance with pashtunwali, the code of honour and hospitality. But when Bateman inconveniently refuses to die they face grave danger from the Taliban for harbouring him and from the British army for keeping him prisoner.

Directed by Julian May
Original music by Tim van Eyken.


THU 15:00 Costing the Earth (b01p9dcp)
Future Forests

The crisis in Britain's ash forests came as a shock to public and politicians. But is it a vision of the future for our woodlands? Stressed by climate change and vulnerable to pests and diseases crossing the English Channel the prospects seem grim.

In a special edition of Costing the Earth Tom Heap asks what our forests will look like in the future. Is there anything we can do to stem the flow of disease, can our native trees be made more resilient or should we consider planting a wider range of trees? Tom visits Lithuania where ash dieback disease first came to attention in Europe to find out how they've come to terms with new threats to their forests and meets the experts and enthusiasts with a fresh approach to protecting our forests.

Producer: Alasdair Cross.


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b01p6ryn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:55 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (b01p6szd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b01p7ddk)
Peter Jackson on The Hobbit

Francine Stock talks to Sir Peter Jackson about his new film The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, the first in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien, which was published 75 years ago this year. Sir Ian McKellan reprises his role as Gandalf from The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and the film also stars Andy Serkis as Gollum, Christopher Lee as Saruman and Cate Blanchett as Galadriel.

Critic Alice Tynan on Hobbit mania: with commemorative stamps and coins, and Air New Zealand inflight safety video featuring air crew dressed as Hobbit characters, will it outstrip that provoked by The Lord of the Rings trilogy when the New Zealand government appointed a new Minister especially for the film?

As the Golden Globes nominations are released, critic Tim Robey and Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions at Picture House, look back at the films of 2012.

And film journalist Chris Laverty provides a master class in how to read the subtle clues in costume design which make cult film Cabin in The Woods such a subversive take on the horror film genre - as Laverty says "a jacket is never just a jacket, it is always there for a reason."

Producers: Timothy Prosser and Hilary Dunn.


THU 16:30 Material World (b01p7ddm)
Earlier this week, Steven Hawking was awarded 3 million dollars for his contribution to theoretical physics. 7 scientific leaders at CERN received the same amount between them. We look at the impact of awarding such prizes. While they create headlines for the scientists involved - do they help promote the science and are they fair, given the collaborative nature of contemporary scientific research?

We also look at the mystery of Piltdown man. Once thought of as the missing link between ancient apes and humans this Sussex fossil was exposed as a fake more than 50 years ago. The mixture of human, orang-utan and chimpanzee parts is the subject of a new scientific investigation using modern techniques including DNA analysis. Researchers hope to solve the mystery of who produced the hoax and why.

Also on the programme we speak to mathematicians who may have found a way of making computers process information thousands of times faster than they do now.

And we discuss the 'science of Middle earth' how far the fantasy of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit stories accurately reflect science.


THU 17:00 PM (b01p7ddp)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mtf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Births, Deaths and Marriages (b01j6wgv)
Series 1

Episode 2

In this episode, the team are horrified that the media have been invited to one of Malcolm's citizenship ceremonies, Anita's got problems with childcare and Luke's having a 'quarter life' crisis.

Births, Deaths and Marriages is a brand new sitcom set in a Local Authority Register Office where the staff deal with the three greatest events in anybody's life.

Written by David Schneider (The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge), he stars as chief registrar Malcolm Fox who is a stickler for rules and would be willing to interrupt any wedding service if the width of the bride infringes health and safety. He's single but why does he need to be married? He's married thousands of women.

Alongside him are rival and divorcee Lorna who has been parachuted in from Car Parks to drag the office (and Malcolm) into the 21st century. To her, marriage isn't just about love and romance, it's got to be about making a profit in our new age of austerity.

There's also the ever spiky Mary, geeky Luke who's worried he'll end up like Malcolm one day, and ditzy Anita who may get her words and names mixed up occasionally but, as the only parent in the office, is a mother to them all.

Cast:
Malcolm ...... David Schneider
Lorna ....... Sarah Hadland
Anita ........ Sandy McDade
Luke ....... Russell Tovey
Mary ....... Sally Bretton
Mr. Arnold/Peter Stephenson ...... Andrew Brooke
Bereaved woman/New Citizen/Mum ...... Jane Whittenshaw

Producer: Simon Jacobs
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b01p7ddr)
Vicky starts maternity leave tomorrow so will be able to help Lynda with the costumes for the show. Nic notices a big sticker's been slapped on the poster in the shop - "Featuring the Lord of Misrule". Lynda has no idea where it's come from. She sees another sticker on the poster on the green.

Will suggests it might be Kenton, as he's the Lord of Misrule, but Lynda's already questioned him and he knew nothing about it. Will reckons it makes the show sound interesting. He'll probably get tickets now. Lynda decides to leave the posters as they are. But if Kenton's to live up to this, she'll have to find him more jokes.

Will's furious to learn that George isn't going to have a proper home. Nic wants Will to calm down. She knows what it's like to have money worries. Getting angry isn't going to help George.

Lilian travels to London with James, and sees him safely back in his flat. Lilian then goes straight to Paul's hotel. Snuggled up in bed, Paul feels like a very lucky guy. He's wanted this so much. Lilian wishes life wasn't so complicated but when Paul asks if she's happy, Lilian tells him that she is.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b01p7ddt)
Don McCullin; Martin Freeman; albums of the year

With John Wilson.

Photographer Don McCullin was on Front Row earlier this year talking about an exhibition of some of his most famous photographs of conflict, from Vietnam to Iraq. He said then that - at the age of 75 - his days on the frontline were over. But this morning The Times newspaper published new McCullin photographs of life on the streets of Alleppo, Syria, taken over the last few days. He explains why he decided to go back.

Martin Freeman discusses playing Bilbo Baggins in the first of the trilogy of films that form the screen-version of Tolkien's classic, The Hobbit. The story focuses on events 60 years before The Lord Of The Rings, when Bilbo was still a young hobbit. Martin reflects on how he'll cope with the possibility that he'll forever be identified with this role.

Gemma Cairney, Suzy Klein and Kate Mossman look back at 2012 in music, choosing their CDs of the year and talking about the importance of record labels, the role of technology and the Olympic opening ceremony.

Since the start of 2012, The Listening Project has been collecting conversations between friends and family throughout the country. To mark its first year, composer Gary Carpenter has been commissioned to set fragments of the conversations to music. The result is The Listening Project Symphony which receives its premiere on Radio 4 tomorrow evening. Gary discusses how he approached creating music to fit the words.

Producer Ellie Bury.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p7dd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Report (b01p7ddw)
Women Bishops

Since the House of Laity in the General Synod voted not to push ahead with the ordination of women bishops there have been calls for reform. Many believe that the House of Laity does not represent the views of the majority of churchgoers and overly represents the evangelical conservative and anglo-catholic perspective. Is that the case or are these calls for reform indicative of a bad case of sour grapes? Linda Pressly investigates what it would take to create common ground between traditionalists and liberals within the Church and, if that is not possible, what the future might hold.


THU 20:30 In Business (b01p7ddy)
Strike Up the Broadband

The government's aim is clear: by 2015, it wants Britain to have the best superfast broadband network in Europe. The internet is so essential to businesses, the argument goes, that the network over which internet traffic travels is becoming a vital part of the UK's infrastructure - as important as energy and roads.
Right now, though, the country is a long way off from the target. Nowhere is this more apparent than in rural and remote areas of the country. In Norfolk, some small businesses are struggling just to get connected, much less plug into the high-speed network the government has pledged to help expand.
A decade ago, internet access was a luxury for many small firms, but today it's essential. Orders are placed and received online, a website is a key marketing tool for all sorts of companies, and businesses must now file VAT returns via a website.
This week on In Business, Peter Day evaluates the government's plans for broadband and finds out how close the UK is coming to a high-speed future online.

Producer: Mike Wendling.


THU 21:00 Saving Species (b01p70p4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Tuesday]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b01p7dcv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 21:58 Weather (b01p6mth)
The latest weather forecast.


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b01p7df2)
The government pays a Libyan more than £2m compensation after he was sent home and tortured under Col Gaddafi; Litvinenko hearing revelations; Maria Miller faces expenses questions; and Robin presents his last edition of the programme.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01p7df4)
Julian MacLaren-Ross - Of Love and Hunger

Episode 4

4/5 Julian Maclaren-Ross' darkly comic semi-autobiographical love story about the low life of a struggling salesman in a seaside town. With the shadow of war looming, Richard Fanshawe is eking out an existence selling Sucko vacuum cleaners. He's working for the dubious "Smiler" Barnes. He's looking after his friend Roper's wife Sukie, while Roper is away - and he has fallen in love with her. First published in 1947.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

Music: The Touch Of Your Lips by Hildegarde.


THU 23:00 The Simon Day Show (b010dw09)
Series 1

Geoffrey Allerton

Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's characters come to perform at The Mallard and we hear the highlights of that night's show along with the backstage and front-of-house goings on at the theatre itself.

In show one the theatre is visited by acclaimed Yorkshire poet, Geoffrey Allerton (Simon Day). Geoffrey reads poems and excerpts from his recent memoir "Marking Time" and struggles to get a hot meal from sound and lighting technician, Goose (Felix Dexter). Meanwhile in the bar two local mums are getting to know each other over several bottles of wine.

Cast list:

Geoffrey Allerton ..... Simon Day
Anna / Claire ..... Catherine Shepherd
Sarah ..... Arabella Weir
Goose ..... Felix Dexter
Ron Bone ..... Simon Greenall

Written by Simon Day
Produced by Colin Anderson.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01p7df6)
The Chancellor, George Osborne, answers questions from MPs about his autumn mini-budget.
The Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, confirms in the Commons the go ahead for gas fracking.
MPs hear from the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, that the coalition is set to publish a "mid-term review" setting out new policy ideas.
Ministers reveal 300,000 people will see their disability benefits axed or cut under the Government's new welfare system.
And there's renewed criticism in the House of Lords of the recent Police and Crime Commissioners elections.
Susan Hulme and team report on today's events in Parliament.



FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER 2012

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b01p6mvd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b01p7dcx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mvg)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01p6mvj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01p6mvl)
The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b01p6mvn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01p7hck)
A short reflection and prayer.with Bishop Donal McKeown, Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b01p7hcm)
Farming minister David Heath says live animal exports should come to an end.

4000 jobs are saved as private equity firm Endless buys Vion's UK pork business. But 8000 jobs remain under threat at Vion's poultry and beef processing plants.

More deer must be culled to save Ash Dieback-resistant saplings, the Country Land and Business Association tells Farming Today. But the British Deer Association disagrees and says deer-proof fences will do the job just as well.

Presenter Charlotte Smith. Producer Ruth Sanderson.


FRI 06:00 Today (b01p7hcp)
Morning news and current affairs with Sarah Montague and James Naughtie. Including Sports Desk; Yesterday in Parliament; Weather; Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b01p6ryx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b01p7hcr)
Looking for Mrs Livingstone

Episode 5

Read by Tamara Kennedy.

Writer Julie Davidson searches for traces of Mary Livingstone, the courageous and stoical wife of renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone.

The author's travels through Southern Africa come to an end, when she reaches Mary Livingstone's final resting place: a crumbling grave on the banks of the Zambezi River, in a remote part of Mozambique.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01p7hcw)
Cervical cancer, terms of endearment, shepherdess Emma Gray

'Darling', 'sweetheart', 'honey', 'snookums' - do you use pet names for your partner or are they just too embarrassing for words? How are the terms of endearment we use affected by where we live, and how do they define our social status and our relationships with our nearest and dearest? Sheila McClennon is joined by newspaper columnist, Lucy Mangan, and language expert, Dr Rob Drummond. A new screening programme for cervical cancer being piloted across England could mean women will undergo intrusive tests less frequently. But there is concern it could lead to more anxiety for women. Professor Julietta Patnick, is the director of NHS cancer screening programmes, and she joins me to explain why the new tests are being introduced. It was Lord Acton, the British historian, who said: "All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." Is it possible to become powerful and still be the same person you once were? Labour MP Margaret Beckett, and broadcaster Nina Myskow join Sheila to explore the nature of power, and its affect on those who find themselves at the top. Emma Gray is a farmer and shepherdess in her mid-20s who lives alone on an isolated farm on the Northumberland moors. Caz Graham went to meet her to find out about her solitary life.


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p7hcy)
Little Grudges

Episode 5

Tom finally plucks up the courage to invite his Dad's girlfriend to lunch.

Prunella Scales and Hannah Gordon star in this sparkling comedy by Hattie Naylor, inspired by the experiences of listeners.

Director...Mary Ward-Lowery.


FRI 11:00 Touchline Tales (b01p7hd0)
Series 3

Episode 3

Old friends Des Lynam and Christopher Matthew venture out to different sporting venues - to enjoy, observe, reminisce and trade tales about some of the greatest pleasures in their lives. Today, they're at the Queen's Club in south-west London for the qualifying rounds for this year's Real Tennis British Open. They're there to try and make sense of both the sport and the rules and also to consider other sporting endeavours they can cover in future series... including one involving headless goats.

As a commentator and friend of sporting stars, Des has, as ever, a fund of stories to tell, and insights to reveal. But Christopher gamely tries to match him stride by stride with his own experiences as a lifelong spectator at the highest levels of sport (and, like Des, an occasional participant at the lowest).

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


FRI 11:30 Polyoaks (b01p7hd2)
Series 2

The Age Old Problem

In the NHS satire by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer, a general practice somewhere in Bristol is faced with challenges and opportunities in equal measure as they adjust to another 'biggest shake-up of the NHS in a lifetime'.

None of us are getting any younger. And none of us getting any younger for longer and longer. Polyoaks' eldest patient is a sprightly 102. Something must be done to reduce the cost of caring for the elderly, while emphasising NHS clinics like Polyoaks have best practice in mind.

Will a training day sponsored by Burgerland help the staff come up with an innovative approach to looking after the crumblies - sorry, older service users? Guest-starring Phyllida Law.

Dr Roy Thornton........................................Nigel Planer
Dr Hugh Thornton......................................Simon Greenall
TV's Dr Jeremy.........................................David Westhead
Nurse Vera Duplessis................................Polly Frame
Betty Crossfield........................................Jane Whittenshaw
Mr Devlin..................................................Phil Cornwell
Mary MacLean..........................................Phyllida Law
Barry from Burgerland................................Lewis McLeod

Written by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer
Directed by Frank Stirling

Producer: David Spicer
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b01p7hd4)
EU food laws, rare burgers and dangerous face paint

More than forty thousand tried but only 241 were accepted by the EU as they framed new rules governing the health claims a manufacturer can make to promote their products.

Westminster council want tougher preparation rules for restaurants that wish to serve hamburgers cooked rare. Purveyors of these American inspired gourmet 'treats' are outraged but the UK's leading microbiologists says they risk infecting consumers with e.coli

Supermarkets and stores selling charity Christmas cards are criticised for taking too big a cut of the profits.

Sainsbury's will be 'stretching' Sunday shopping regulations on the Sunday before Christmas by allowing shoppers longer to pay for the purchases.

E-book sales have surged faster than expected in the last 12 months- they now account for almost 30% of the value of the book market in the UK.

Are you spoilt for choice or dazzled by the increasingly cluttered market for online film and TV services like Love Film and Netflix. We offer a user's guide for the festive period and beyond.

Buying presents for visually impaired people is not as hard as you may.


FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b01p7hd6)
Helen and Janette: Life-Changing Decision

Fi Glover presents a conversation between the mother who decided her daughter should be one of the first children in the UK to have a cochlear implant, and that daughter - now 21 - in Radio 4's series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b01p6mvq)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b01p7hd8)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.


FRI 13:45 The Global Gap (b01p7hdb)
Series 2: Turkey

Club Owners

Global Gap is a series of five programmes where two people who do the same job, one from the UK and one from another country (for this week, Turkey), have a thought provoking conversation, to compare and contrast their working lives and the issues that arise in their jobs.

A predominately Muslim country, Turkey nevertheless straddles Western and Eastern culture - and the series this week focuses on the religious versus the secular, capturing the differences in attitudes and society between Turkey and UK through conversation and recordings in workplaces.

Episode 5 (of 5): Nightclub Owners
Blackpool nightclub owner Basil Newby shares his experiences with Suleyman Demir, millionaire owner of the famous Halikarnas nightclub in Turkey's fashionable Bodrum resort. Suleyman has good connections in Turkey, attracting stars on their mega yachts to the large open air Halikarnas, recently refurbished with white marble and palm trees.

Basil is equally famous in Blackpool with his drag queen show Funny Girls, who performed before the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance, and as the owner other big clubs in Blackpool. Basil often has celebrities from Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing, and Joan Collins opened Funny Girls to a huge crowd.

Both have had to resolve issues around bureaucracy and licensing, but in Turkey there is nothing like going to the top man. Suleyman sought permission from the former President before he used one of the largest laser beams in the world, reaching to the Greek Islands, and he was allowed to continue running the Halikarnas at night in 1984 even though there was a curfew following Turkish/Kurdish unrest.

Producer: Laura Parfitt
Reporter: Sara Parker
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b01p7ddr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b01mw2ds)
The Beat Goes On

Inspired by the election of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. The drama explores the tensions that are sparked when politics and policing are mixed.
Peter Livermore is a newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner who passionately believes he can be a force for good and make a difference to how his community is policed. He learns hard lessons about the realities of contemporary policing, and political compromise when he clashes with a Chief Constable with an iron will and no interest in having her position undermined.

Writer...Peter Bleksley
Producer ... Stephen Wright.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b01p7hdg)
Cranleigh, Surrey

Peter Gibbs and the team are in Cranleigh in Surrey for this week's GQT. On the panel taking questions are gardening experts Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew.

Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Questions answered in the programme:

Q. We are about to move from the Surrey/Sussex border to a loch-side croft in the highlands of Scotland, taking our garden with us. Could the panel advise what will be the survivors of this move?

A. If you do want to take plants with you, take small ones or even cuttings. Spring plants will not do as well, but late-summer and autumn plants such as Asters or Crocosmias will. Avoid plants with hairy foliage and go for bold, glossy foliage or plants that are woody.

Q. My garden floods occasionally. Which evergreen shrubs might withstand these conditions?

A. Evergreens suffer more from drowning, due to the climates they originate from. Most plants that will withstand water logging tend to be deciduous. Taxodium Distichum, the Swamp Cyprus, and Metasequoia, though both deciduous would give long seasonal displays. Willows and Alders should also be considered.

Q. Is it possible for an amateur gardener to mix their own compost accelerators in order to avoid paying for branded varieties?

A. Grass clippings and nettle tops have high nitrogen and moisture content, as does poultry manure, which will aid composting.

Q. Our chickens roam happily underneath our boundary of Leylandii. Will the chickens' waste have a negative effect on the trees?

A. More than one chicken per tree might! Watch for the chickens dust bathing under the trees, which can cause them to destabilise.

Q. My previously successful Ceanothus was killed of by frost in early 2012. Could the panel suggest a replacement climber for the now vacant spot on my north-facing wall which backs on to a patio?

A. Hydrangea Petiolaris will thrive in a north-facing aspect, as will Schizophragma. You could also replace the Ceanothus, insulating the insides of a large container to prevent losing it to frost again!

Q. Is there a potential problem with liver fluke worms in watercress grown in a water butt?

A. Liver fluke worms are really more of a risk when harvesting watercress from ponds or rivers, especially where there are sheep in the area.

Q. Is it OK to collect the leaves from a seemingly healthy mature ash tree and include them in the compost heap?

A. If in doubt about the risks of infection from Ash Dieback Disease, the leaves can be collected and burnt.

Q. How can I protect my Phormiums over the coming winter?

A. Cold winds and wet conditions can cause foliage scorch and root rot respectively. As such, try to grow your Phormiums in ground that's unlikely to get too wet. Shelter the plant from the wind with other, hardier plants nearby, or wrap the sides of the plant in loose fleece.

Q. Could the panel recommend some colourful, low-growing plants for the north-facing flowerbed at the front of my house?

A. Pulmonarias (Lungworts), Lamiums such as 'Silver Beacon' or 'White Nancy', and Heucheras should meet the criteria and do well.

Q. Many local residents where I live enjoy watching the local rabbit population. Is there a secret deterrent I could use to protect my gardening plot?

A. There are electronic, ultrasonic devices on the market, which might be worth trying. Other than fencing or high raised beds, there are few 'non-violent' methods of discouraging a rabbit population.


FRI 15:45 Morven Crumlish - Murals (b01p7hdj)
Pomegranate

These three stories by Morven Crumlish, commissioned specially for Radio 4, are inspired by the work of the artist Phoebe Anna Traquair.

Traquair (1852-1936) was born in County Dublin and, in the 1870s, moved to Edinburgh where she would later become a prominent figure in the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.

Probably her best-known works are the vibrantly-coloured murals in what was formerly the Catholic Apostolic Church in Broughton Street, Edinburgh which Traquair took eight years to complete (1893-1901). When the church fell out of ecclesiastical use, the murals suffered badly through neglect but, following the formation of the Mansfield Traquair Trust, a major restoration was undertaken, completed in 2005.

While art is at the core of all three fictions, Murals also mirrors the evolution of a similar building: from church, to brickyard, to present-day use for visitors and as a venue for events.

1/3. Pomegranate

"With such an enormous task sometimes artistry had to be abandoned in favour of completion." At the top of her ladder, painting her mural, an artist is adding detail to the robes of a priest: "a pomegranate and a bell. And a pomegranate and a bell ..."

Morven Crumlish's stories have been broadcast widely, and she also contributes to the Guardian. Her work has featured in four previous Sweet Talk productions for BBC Radio 4, including Dilemmas of Modern Martyrs - five of her stories - in 2008; and most recently 'Harold Lloyd Is Not The Man Of My Dreams' (Three For My Baby, 2011).

Morven lives in Edinburgh.

Reader: Gillian Kearney
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b01p7hdl)
An astronomer, a sitar player, a surgeon, an engineer, a singer and a newsreader

Matthew Bannister on

The sitar player and composer Ravi Shankar who found fame in the West after collaborations with George Harrison and Yehudi Menuhin.

Joseph Murray - the American surgeon who carried out the world's first successful human organ transplant

The astronomer Sir Patrick Moore - Murray Lachlan Young pays tribute in verse.

The bicycle designer Alex Moulton

And the influential folk singer Ian Campbell - he's recalled by Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and Mike Harding.


FRI 16:30 More or Less (b01p7hdn)
The Census, and what is 'rare'?

This week Tim Harford asks why the estimate for the number of Eastern Europeans likely to come to the UK made back in 2003 was so wrong.

Tim asks what is rare? And are words sometimes better than numbers when communicating information.

Nassim Taleb explains anti-fragility

And we'll debunk the oft quoted 'you're never more than 6ft from a rat'.


FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b01p7hdq)
Linford and Whit: How We Lived as Immigrants

Fi Glover presents a conversation between Linford and Whit about life in Manchester for immigrants when they first arrived from Jamaica in Radio 4's series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.


FRI 17:00 PM (b01p7hds)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01p6mvs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b01p7hdv)
Series 38

Episode 6

Census and Censorability. In the week that the findings of the 2011 England and Wales Census were released, and the UK Government enshrined a "quadruple lock" in law that would prevent same sex couples marrying in the Church of England or the Church of Wales, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week in topical stand-up and sketches. Joining them this week are Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, Mitch Benn and special guest Roisin Conaty. Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b01p7hdx)
Neil reminds Susan that they agreed to have a real Christmas tree this year, to make it more special for George and Keira. He's ordered one from Mike.

Lilian's enjoying Paul's flattery. She's been shopping so that she's got something to go home with. But Paul promises that one day soon he'll take her out so she can treat herself to something really special. Lilian suggests Wednesday next week. She can say she's still way behind with her shopping.

Paul drops Lilian off at Hollerton. She wishes their time together hadn't ended so soon. Paul's going to miss her too.

Neil arranges to help Ed with the move to Ambridge View. Ed appreciates it. Neil also offers to have a look at Ed's book-keeping but Ed insists there's no need - he can handle it. Neil tells him the offer's there if he needs it.

Later that evening Ed asks for Neil's help. They agree to sit down together in a couple of days.

Lilian receives a warm welcome home from Matt. He's even organised supper. Now that they've got the house back to themselves he wants them to have a really great Christmas. Just the two of them.


FRI 19:15 The Listening Project (b01p7hdz)
The Listening Project Symphony

BBC Radio 4's Listening Project captures intimate, heartfelt encounters between friends and loved ones - the nation in conversation.

In this unique celebration, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra presents a new work by composer Gary Carpenter accompanied by highlights from the series compiled by producer Cathy FitzGerald. Fi Glover hosts the event live from MediaCityUK in Salford, where the BBC Philharmonic will perform in front of a specially invited audience of Listening Project participants.

Presenter: Fi Glover
Composer: Gary Carpenter
Conductor: Terry Davies

Producer: Ekene Akalawu/Cathy Fitzgerald
A Rockethouse production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01p7hcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b01p7hf1)
Balshaw's CE High School, Leyland

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Balshaw's Church of England High School in Leyland Lancashire. Guests include the journalist Alastair Campbell, Camila Batmanghelidjh from Kids Co, Tim Montgomerie from Conservative Home and the Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs Mark Littlewood.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b01p7hf3)
Digital Past

Will Self reflects on the effect of digital technology on his perception of the passage of time. "Perhaps the reason I feel quite so liberated from the present while more and more attached, not to the individually recalled 'good old days', but to a collectively attested and ever-present past, is because the hard drive of my computer is overloaded with digital images of the places I've been and the people I've met, all of them time-coded to within a tenth of a second."
Producer: Sheila Cook.


FRI 21:00 Saturday Drama (b00x88bs)
David Dodge - To Catch a Thief

David Dodge's novel is a fast-paced, entertaining page-turner that was subsequently turned into a memorable film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Now, Jean Buchanan's dramatisation brings it to radio. American John Robie is living quietly in the South of France, trying to put his career as a notorious jewel thief behind him. However, when a series of huge jewel thefts begins on the Riviera, targetting rich Americans, the police immediately suspect he's returned to his old ways. To prove his innocence, and trap the real thief, Robie must resort to subterfuge. But his plans go awry when the daughter of one of the rich American tourists takes rather too close an interest in him - and his past.


FRI 21:58 Weather (b01p6mvx)
The latest weather forecast.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b01p7hf5)
There's been a mass shooting at a primary school in the American state of Connecticut; local media say there could be more than 25 people dead - most of them children. Egyptians vote tomorrow on a draft constitution that will define the country's post-revolutionary state and society. And Japan prepares to vote in a general election likely to deliver a change of government. Presented by Ritula Shah.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01p7hf7)
Julian MacLaren-Ross - Of Love and Hunger

Episode 5

5/5 Julian Maclaren-Ross' darkly comic semi-autobiographical love story about the low life of a struggling salesman in a seaside town. With the shadow of war looming, Richard Fanshawe is eking out an existence selling Sucko vacuum cleaners. He's working for the dubious "Smiler" Barnes. He's looking after his friend Roper's wife Sukie, while Roper is away. They have fallen in love and started a passionate affair. First published in 1947.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Reader: Carl Prekopp
Producer: Beth O'Dea

Music: The Touch Of Your Lips by Hildegarde.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b01p71gg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01p7hgz)
Bishops, Bees and banning drugs. Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster as Dr Rowan Williams uses his last speech in the House of Lords as Archbishop of Canterbury to call for the creation of a pensioners' tsar for England. Also tonight: A group of MPs is worried about the safety of one of the world's most widely used insecticides because of the risk it poses to bees. There's a report from the European Parliament in Strasbourg. And Mark talks to members of the Home Affairs Select Committee whose report calling for the setting up of a Royal Commission on decriminalising drugs has split the leadership of the Coalition.


FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b01p7hh1)
Simon and Louisa: Living and Loving with PTSD

Fi Glover presents a conversation about living with PTSD between a former soldier and his fiance. Chosen to carry the Olympic torch, Simon proposed in front of the crowds that day, proving it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 MON (b01p6wvs)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 MON (b01p6wvs)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 TUE (b01p70p2)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 TUE (b01p70p2)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 WED (b01p71wj)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 WED (b01p71wj)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 THU (b01p7dd1)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 THU (b01p7dd1)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 FRI (b01p7hcy)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 FRI (b01p7hcy)

A Charles Paris Mystery 11:30 WED (b01p71wn)

A Point of View 08:50 SUN (b01p457t)

A Point of View 20:50 FRI (b01p7hf3)

Afternoon Reading 00:30 SUN (b012036k)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 21:00 SAT (b01p3151)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 15:00 SUN (b01p6rz5)

All in the Mind 21:00 TUE (b01p71gx)

All in the Mind 15:30 WED (b01p71gx)

An Alternative Christmas 11:30 TUE (b01p70p6)

Analysing the Child Sex Offender 09:00 TUE (b01pc2p5)

Analysing the Child Sex Offender 21:30 TUE (b01pc2p5)

Any Answers? 14:00 SAT (b01p6p7d)

Any Questions? 13:10 SAT (b01p457r)

Any Questions? 20:00 FRI (b01p7hf1)

Archive on 4 20:00 SAT (b01p6p7s)

Astray 19:45 SUN (b01p6szn)

Bells on Sunday 05:43 SUN (b01p6ryd)

Bells on Sunday 00:45 MON (b01p6ryd)

Births, Deaths and Marriages 18:30 THU (b01j6wgv)

Blackout Ballet 16:00 MON (b01p704k)

Bleak Expectations 18:30 TUE (b01p71gl)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 MON (b01p70cs)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 TUE (b01p71h1)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 WED (b01p7by0)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 THU (b01p7df4)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 FRI (b01p7hf7)

Book of the Week 00:30 SAT (b01p58n6)

Book of the Week 09:45 MON (b01p6wvn)

Book of the Week 00:30 TUE (b01p6wvn)

Book of the Week 09:45 TUE (b01p70ny)

Book of the Week 00:30 WED (b01p70ny)

Book of the Week 09:45 WED (b01p71wd)

Book of the Week 00:30 THU (b01p71wd)

Book of the Week 09:45 THU (b01p7dcx)

Book of the Week 00:30 FRI (b01p7dcx)

Book of the Week 09:45 FRI (b01p7hcr)

Brain of Britain 23:00 SAT (b01p40h3)

Brain of Britain 15:00 MON (b01p704h)

Broadcasting House 09:00 SUN (b01p6rys)

Brubeck at 90 23:30 SAT (b00w7cmk)

Costing the Earth 15:00 THU (b01p9dcp)

Crossing Continents 20:30 MON (b01p3n7l)

Crossing Continents 11:00 THU (b01p7dd3)

Desert Island Discs 11:15 SUN (b01p6ryx)

Desert Island Discs 09:00 FRI (b01p6ryx)

Drama 14:15 TUE (b01p70pd)

Drama 14:15 WED (b01p71wv)

Drama 14:15 THU (b01p7ddf)

Drama 14:15 FRI (b01mw2ds)

Farming Today 06:30 SAT (b01p6n7q)

Farming Today 05:45 MON (b01p6wvg)

Farming Today 05:45 TUE (b01p70gg)

Farming Today 05:45 WED (b01p71w6)

Farming Today 05:45 THU (b01p7dcq)

Farming Today 05:45 FRI (b01p7hcm)

Four Thought 20:45 WED (b01p7bxt)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:30 SAT (b01p6n7z)

Front Row 19:15 MON (b01p704w)

Front Row 19:15 TUE (b01p71gq)

Front Row 19:15 WED (b01p7bxp)

Front Row 19:15 THU (b01p7ddt)

Frontiers 21:00 WED (b01p7bxw)

Gardeners' Question Time 14:00 SUN (b01p4510)

Gardeners' Question Time 15:00 FRI (b01p7hdg)

Great Lives 16:30 TUE (b01p71gg)

Great Lives 23:00 FRI (b01p71gg)

Hardeep's Sunday Lunch 13:30 SUN (b01p314w)

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 12:00 SUN (b01p40hc)

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 18:30 MON (b01p704r)

In Business 21:30 SUN (b01p4349)

In Business 20:30 THU (b01p7ddy)

In Our Time 09:00 THU (b01p7dcv)

In Our Time 21:30 THU (b01p7dcv)

In Touch 20:40 TUE (b01p71gv)

Inside the Academy School Revolution 17:00 SUN (b01p41hl)

Jeeves in Manhattan 11:30 MON (b00wr6qm)

Last Word 20:30 SUN (b01p4512)

Last Word 16:00 FRI (b01p7hdl)

Loose Ends 18:15 SAT (b01p6p7l)

Mark Steel's in Town 18:30 WED (b01p720p)

Mastertapes 23:00 MON (b01p70cv)

Mastertapes 15:30 TUE (b01p71gb)

Material World 21:00 MON (b01p42w8)

Material World 16:30 THU (b01p7ddm)

McLevy 14:15 MON (b01p704f)

Midnight News 00:00 SAT (b01p2sy2)

Midnight News 00:00 SUN (b01p6mlt)

Midnight News 00:00 MON (b01p6mnq)

Midnight News 00:00 TUE (b01p6mq4)

Midnight News 00:00 WED (b01p6mrh)

Midnight News 00:00 THU (b01p6mt1)

Midnight News 00:00 FRI (b01p6mvd)

Midweek 09:00 WED (b01p71wb)

Midweek 21:30 WED (b01p71wb)

Mission Improbable 23:15 WED (b01p7by4)

Money Box Live 15:00 WED (b01p720f)

Money Box 12:00 SAT (b01p6n81)

Money Box 21:00 SUN (b01p6n81)

Moral Maze 22:15 SAT (b01p424r)

More or Less 20:00 SUN (b01p4514)

More or Less 16:30 FRI (b01p7hdn)

Morven Crumlish - Murals 15:45 FRI (b01p7hdj)

Mr X: Julian Maclaren-Ross 11:30 THU (b01p7dd5)

News Briefing 05:30 SAT (b01p2syb)

News Briefing 05:30 SUN (b01p6mm4)

News Briefing 05:30 MON (b01p6mnz)

News Briefing 05:30 TUE (b01p6mqd)

News Briefing 05:30 WED (b01p6mrr)

News Briefing 05:30 THU (b01p6mt9)

News Briefing 05:30 FRI (b01p6mvn)

News Headlines 06:00 SUN (b01p6mm6)

News and Papers 06:00 SAT (b01p2syd)

News and Papers 07:00 SUN (b01p6mmb)

News and Papers 08:00 SUN (b01p6mmg)

News and Weather 22:00 SAT (b01p2syx)

News 13:00 SAT (b01p2syn)

Nick Mohammed in Bits 19:15 SUN (b00tmt9h)

On Your Farm 06:35 SUN (b01p6ryj)

One to One 09:30 TUE (b01p70gn)

Open Book 16:00 SUN (b01p6szd)

Open Book 15:30 THU (b01p6szd)

Open Country 06:07 SAT (b01p42w4)

Our Language in Your Hands 11:00 MON (b01p6zt6)

PM 17:00 SAT (b01p6p7j)

PM 17:00 MON (b01p704p)

PM 17:00 TUE (b01p71gj)

PM 17:00 WED (b01p720m)

PM 17:00 THU (b01p7ddp)

PM 17:00 FRI (b01p7hds)

Pension Off the Old Lady! 20:00 TUE (b01p71gs)

Pick of the Week 18:15 SUN (b01p6szj)

Poetry Please 16:30 SUN (b01p6szg)

Polyoaks 11:30 FRI (b01p7hd2)

Positively Flawed? Affirmative Action and the Future of America 20:00 MON (b01p704y)

Pound Shops R Us 16:00 TUE (b01p71gd)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 SAT (b01p458t)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 MON (b01p6wvd)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 TUE (b01p70gd)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 WED (b01p71w4)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 THU (b01p7dcn)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 FRI (b01p7hck)

Profile 19:00 SAT (b01p6p7n)

Profile 05:45 SUN (b01p6p7n)

Profile 17:40 SUN (b01p6p7n)

Radio 4 Appeal 07:55 SUN (b01p6ryn)

Radio 4 Appeal 21:26 SUN (b01p6ryn)

Radio 4 Appeal 15:27 THU (b01p6ryn)

Saturday Drama 14:30 SAT (b00pdkqx)

Saturday Drama 21:00 FRI (b00x88bs)

Saturday Live 09:00 SAT (b01p6n7v)

Saturday Review 19:15 SAT (b01p6p7q)

Saving Species 11:00 TUE (b01p70p4)

Saving Species 21:00 THU (b01p70p4)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SAT (b01p2sy6)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SUN (b01p6mm0)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 MON (b01p6mnv)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 TUE (b01p6mq8)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 WED (b01p6mrm)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 THU (b01p6mt5)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 FRI (b01p6mvj)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SAT (b01p2sy4)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SAT (b01p2sy8)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SAT (b01p2syq)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SUN (b01p6mly)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SUN (b01p6mm2)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SUN (b01p6mml)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 MON (b01p6mns)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 MON (b01p6mnx)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 TUE (b01p6mq6)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 TUE (b01p6mqb)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 WED (b01p6mrk)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 WED (b01p6mrp)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 THU (b01p6mt3)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 THU (b01p6mt7)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 FRI (b01p6mvg)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 FRI (b01p6mvl)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SAT (b01p2syv)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SUN (b01p6mmq)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 MON (b01p6mp5)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 TUE (b01p6mql)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 WED (b01p6mrw)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 THU (b01p6mtf)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 FRI (b01p6mvs)

Something Understood 06:05 SUN (b01p6ryg)

Something Understood 23:30 SUN (b01p6ryg)

Start the Week 09:00 MON (b01p6wvl)

Start the Week 21:30 MON (b01p6wvl)

Sunday Worship 08:10 SUN (b01p6ryq)

Sunday 07:10 SUN (b01p6ryl)

The Archers Omnibus 10:00 SUN (b01p6ryv)

The Archers 19:00 SUN (b01p6szl)

The Archers 14:00 MON (b01p6szl)

The Archers 19:00 MON (b01p704t)

The Archers 14:00 TUE (b01p704t)

The Archers 19:00 TUE (b01p71gn)

The Archers 14:00 WED (b01p71gn)

The Archers 19:00 WED (b01p7bxm)

The Archers 14:00 THU (b01p7bxm)

The Archers 19:00 THU (b01p7ddr)

The Archers 14:00 FRI (b01p7ddr)

The Archers 19:00 FRI (b01p7hdx)

The Film Programme 23:00 SUN (b01p42w6)

The Film Programme 16:00 THU (b01p7ddk)

The Food Programme 12:32 SUN (b01p6ryz)

The Food Programme 15:30 MON (b01p6ryz)

The Global Gap 13:45 MON (b01p6ztd)

The Global Gap 13:45 TUE (b01p7ff1)

The Global Gap 13:45 WED (b01p7fx5)

The Global Gap 13:45 THU (b01p7ddc)

The Global Gap 13:45 FRI (b01p7hdb)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 16:30 MON (b01p704m)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 23:00 TUE (b01p704m)

The Kitchen Cabinet 15:00 TUE (b01p70pg)

The Listening Project 14:45 SUN (b01p6rz3)

The Listening Project 12:52 FRI (b01p7hd6)

The Listening Project 16:55 FRI (b01p7hdq)

The Listening Project 19:15 FRI (b01p7hdz)

The Listening Project 23:55 FRI (b01p7hh1)

The Media Show 16:30 WED (b01p720k)

The Now Show 12:30 SAT (b01p457k)

The Now Show 18:30 FRI (b01p7hdv)

The Report 20:00 THU (b01p7ddw)

The Secret Power of Trees 10:30 SAT (b01p7fgv)

The Simon Day Show 23:00 THU (b010dw09)

The Tree Scientists 11:00 WED (b01p7g10)

The Week in Westminster 11:00 SAT (b01p6n7x)

The World This Weekend 13:00 SUN (b01p6rz1)

The World Tonight 22:00 MON (b01p706f)

The World Tonight 22:00 TUE (b01p71gz)

The World Tonight 22:00 WED (b01p7bxy)

The World Tonight 22:00 THU (b01p7df2)

The World Tonight 22:00 FRI (b01p7hf5)

Thinking Allowed 00:15 MON (b01p424c)

Thinking Allowed 16:00 WED (b01p720h)

Today in Parliament 23:30 MON (b01p70cx)

Today in Parliament 23:30 TUE (b01p71h3)

Today in Parliament 23:30 WED (b01p7by6)

Today in Parliament 23:30 THU (b01p7df6)

Today in Parliament 23:30 FRI (b01p7hgz)

Today 07:00 SAT (b01p6n7s)

Today 06:00 MON (b01p6wvj)

Today 06:00 TUE (b01p70gj)

Today 06:00 WED (b01p71w8)

Today 06:00 THU (b01p7dcs)

Today 06:00 FRI (b01p7hcp)

Touchline Tales 11:00 FRI (b01p7hd0)

Unreliable Evidence 20:00 WED (b01p7bxr)

Warhorses of Letters 23:00 WED (b01p7by2)

Weather 06:04 SAT (b01p2syg)

Weather 06:57 SAT (b01p2syj)

Weather 12:57 SAT (b01p2syl)

Weather 17:57 SAT (b01p2sys)

Weather 06:57 SUN (b01p6mm8)

Weather 07:57 SUN (b01p6mmd)

Weather 12:57 SUN (b01p6mmj)

Weather 17:57 SUN (b01p6mmn)

Weather 05:57 MON (b01p6mp1)

Weather 12:57 MON (b01p6mp3)

Weather 21:58 MON (b01p6mp7)

Weather 12:57 TUE (b01p6mqg)

Weather 21:58 TUE (b01p6mqn)

Weather 12:57 WED (b01p6mrt)

Weather 21:58 WED (b01p6mry)

Weather 12:57 THU (b01p6mtc)

Weather 21:58 THU (b01p6mth)

Weather 12:57 FRI (b01p6mvq)

Weather 21:58 FRI (b01p6mvx)

Westminster Hour 22:00 SUN (b01p6wdn)

What the Papers Say 22:45 SUN (b01p6wdq)

Woman's Hour 16:00 SAT (b01p6p7g)

Woman's Hour 10:00 MON (b01p6wvq)

Woman's Hour 10:00 TUE (b01p70p0)

Woman's Hour 10:00 WED (b01p71wg)

Woman's Hour 10:00 THU (b01p7dcz)

Woman's Hour 10:00 FRI (b01p7hcw)

World at One 13:00 MON (b01p6ztb)

World at One 13:00 TUE (b01p70pb)

World at One 13:00 WED (b01p71ws)

World at One 13:00 THU (b01p7dd9)

World at One 13:00 FRI (b01p7hd8)

You and Yours 12:00 MON (b01p6zt8)

You and Yours 12:00 TUE (b01p70p8)

You and Yours 12:00 WED (b01p71wq)

You and Yours 12:00 THU (b01p7dd7)

You and Yours 12:00 FRI (b01p7hd4)

iPM 05:45 SAT (b01p458w)

iPM 17:30 SAT (b01p458w)