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 26 AUGUST 2017

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b091s87w)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b092sh31)
I Am, I Am, I Am, Daughter

Maggie O'Farrell's startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.

The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause her anaphylactic shock: "I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"

In this final episode, O'Farrell describes the challenges she and her family face trying to give her daughter as normal life a life as possible.

Reader: Hattie Morahan

Writer: Maggie O'Farrell

Abridger: Kirsteen Cameron

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b091s87y)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b091s880)

SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b091s882)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b091s884)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b091wh4d)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b09294g5)

An iPM listener is inspired by the words of a teacher in a war zone.

iPM is the news programme that starts with its listeners. Email ipm@bbc.co.uk. Twitter: @BBCiPM. Presented by Luke Jones and Eddie Mair.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b091s886)

The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b091wb2s)
Huw Stephens at Green Man Festival

Huw Stephens is our guide to the Green Man Festival in the Brecon Beacons. As a DJ Huw has been to many festivals but the Green Man is a favourite. Set in his homeland of Wales the festival is not just about rock music but also about the place in which it is set. This year festival goers are invited to spend time on the site before the music starts to get back to nature and settle into the spirit of the place. Huw meets festival goers, musicians, local food producers and druids to try to understand why hearing music in the great outdoors can be such a powerful experience.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b091s888)
Farming Today This Week: Harvest 2017

Sybil Ruscoe visits Overbury Estate Farm in Worcestershire to find out how this year's harvest is going. She joins Farm Manager Jake Freestone as he makes the critical decision whether to harvest or not. As they survey the fields he explains how the weather has affected progress this year, and talks about the pressure not only to get the crop out of the ground, but also on the the farmers themselves who work long hours at this time of year and have to drop everything at a moment's notice when the call to harvest comes.

Producer: Toby Field.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b091s88b)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b09293xy)

News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b091s88d)
Marty Wilde and Roger McGough

Sixty years in showbiz for Marty Wilde this year. The south London boy was signed by the famously unsentimental pop Svengali Larry Parnes, and rose to fame with the generation that included Sir Cliff and Billy Fury. He co-wrote Kids in America for his daughter, 80s pop star Kim Wilde, and has just produced his granddaughter's cover of the Lulu hit 'I'm a Tiger'. If that were not enough, this autumn he's off tour, the Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Tour

Lara Jewitt's office is pretty unusual - the Tropical Nursery and the Alpine Nursery at Kew Gardens - where the world's rarest plant life begins. She has travelled widely around South America in search of rare plants and most recently won Gold with her team at this year's Chelsea Flower Show.

Sweetpea Slight grew up I suppose unconventionally in Dorset, the daughter of artists, but it was theatre for which she was destined. Event intervened, when just before she went to audition for drama school she got rather annexed by the theatre producer Thelma Holt, as famous for her eccentricity as for her nouse. She spent the next twenty years as Thelma Holt's assistant before finally making her move upstage. She's written a very fine book about it with the very fine title, 'Get Me The Urgent Biscuits'.

There's not much Roger McGough doesn't know about poetry. He was one of three poets who contributed to the anthology The Mersey Sound back in 1967. He's president of The Poetry Society and has published more than 50 anthologies. This year is also the 50th anniversary of his love poem Summer With Monika.

Inheritance Tracks this week come from Robert Webb - his new book is a sort of literary memoir of his journey from Boyz2Men - but lately has been best known as the hopeless Jeremy in Peep Show; and his West End Bertie Wooster was the talk of the Drones. He's returning, firmly packaged with David Mitchell, in a new series for Channel Four called Back.

Thank Yous from Esta Charkham .....J P Devlin on Gnomes......and much much more

And, our question this week is

"What is the most unusual thing in your garden"

Get in touch and don't forget to leave a number in case JP Devlin wants to call you back

EMAIL: saturdaylive@bbc.co.uk

TEXT: 84844

TWEET: #bbcsaturdaylive

Presenters: Aasmah Mir & the Rev. Richard Coles
Producer: Maire Devine.


SAT 10:30 World War One: The Cultural Front (b09293yn)
Series 4, An Intimate War

By 1917 soldiers had been fighting what seemed like a never ending war. They yearned for entertainment, an escape from the horror surrounding them.

In the final episode of this year's series on the Great War, Francine Stock finds out about popular cross-dressing theatre troupes who by 1917 were taking the Front Line by storm.

Female impersonators with names like the Sensual Salome and Bodo Wild would perform in front of huge crowds of admiring soldiers, who would send them love letters, perfume and stockings.

Although there was a widespread expectation that war would cause society to return to Victorian ideals about the roles of men and women, instead it started challenged traditional norms.

There was tension between the model of the war hero - as depicted in popular literature - and the private experience of the combatants who read these books and poems. Novels spoke of war as a "rattling good adventure yarn", but the real life battlefield told a different story.

Producer: Caitlin Smith.


SAT 11:00 The Forum (b09293yq)
The Magic of Bronze

From Cellini's magnificent Perseus statue to the humblest of tools, people have been using bronze for at least five thousand years. So what makes bronze such a versatile material, how we first discovered it, and why is it that so many precious bronze art works have failed to survive?
Bridget Kendall is joined by Carol Mattusch, Professor Emerita of Art History at George Mason University, Professor Jianjun Mei, from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing and Director of the Needham Institute in Cambridge who specialises in ancient metallurgy, and David Ekserdjian, Professor of Art and Film History at Leicester University.
Also in the programme: Dutch sound artist Floris van Manen follows the key stages of making a bronze bell at Eijsbouts, one of Europe's leading foundries.

Photo: A rare Chinese bronze figure of a tapir dating back to the 4th century (Getty Images).


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b091s88g)

Kate Adie introduces dispatches from James Reynolds in Barcelona who considers the political and psychological questions facing Catalans and Spaniards in the aftermath of the attacks; from Olivia Acland in Sierra Leone who finds extraordinary resilience among those affected by the recent mudslide; from Alastair Leithead in Addis Ababa who tours the shiny industrial future Ethiopia's leaders want to embrace but wonders if they will have to include political reforms in the mix too; from Simon Calder in Uzbekistan who pays tribute to a humble survivor of the Soviet era; and from Sarah Wheeler who discovers the EU to be the unlikely hot topic of conversation when she visits her local nail bar in Macedonia.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (b091s88j)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (b09293yt)
The Death of Retirement, How Much Money Is Enough?

Pensioners retiring today are described as a fortunate generation. Many have benefited from generous workplace pensions, the ability to buy their own homes and soaring property values. Future generations may not be so lucky.

Until recently the number of people paying into a pension at work was falling. Now, it is rising again thanks to a system of automatic enrolment. But not enough is currently going into many of these pensions to allow people a 'comfortable' retirement. Plus we're all living longer so what funds we do have are having to go further.

In this final programme of our series looking at whether retirement as we know it is dead, we ask whether tomorrow's pensioners will be able to afford a twenty year paid holiday at the end of their lives? If not, then what are their options and what do policy makers need to do to adapt?

Presenter: Adam Shaw
Producer: Alex Lewis
Editor: Andrew Smith.


SAT 12:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b091wf81)
Series 11, Episode 5

This week, the Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator, the brilliant Romesh Ranganathan welcome:

A costume designer who has dressed Johnny Depp, Madonna and Tom Cruise, Penny Rose.

Truth seeker, commentator, author, biographer, columnist and Private Eye's Editor, Francis Wheen.

and

Professor of Volcanology at Cambridge University and author who travels from the Antarctic to darkest North Korea in search of the Hot Stuff, Clive Oppenheimer.

This week, the Museum's Guest Committee offer as exhibits a decorous device for lifting a Victorian lady's skirt, a letter that Karl Marx never wrote and a tin can full of liquid rock.

The show was researched by Anne Miller of QI and Mike Turner.

The production coordinator was Tamara Shilham.

The producers were Richard Turner and James Harkin.

It was a BBC Studios production.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b091s88l)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b091s88n)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b091wf86)
Dawn Butler MP, Alan Duncan MP, Ian Paisley Junior MP, Ella Whelan

Shaun Ley presents political debate from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House London with Dawn Butler MP the Shadow Minister for Diverse Communities, Europe Minister Alan Duncan MP, Ian Paisley Junior the MP for North Antrim for the Democatic Unionist Party, and the journalist Ella Whelan.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b091s88q)

Listeners have their say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Drama (b07m4lm6)
Reading Europe - Italy: My Brilliant Friend, Episode 1

From one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is the first in a quartet of books entitled The Neapolitan Novels. They are a forensic exploration of friendship between Lila and the story's narrator, Lena. This is no normal friendship, it's a friendship that loves, hurts, supports and destroys - and yet it is one that lasts a lifetime.

It begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets two girls, Elena and Lila, learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone - or anything - else as their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not always perfect shelter from hardship.

It is the story of a nation, of a neighbourhood, a city and a country undergoing momentous change.

This first book centres on their childhood and adolescence.

From the book by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein.
Dramatised by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 15:30 Roger Law and the Giant Pot (b091tv95)

Roger Law .. the artist. The name might just ring a bell as one of the two people responsible for a rather infamous satirical TV puppet show that was broadcast in the 1980s. But there's a lot more to this creator than that, and he's gone on record to say he hates puppets anyway. Since the show ended Roger's been very busy.

After a lengthy stint in Australia feverishly drawing the strange and the wonderful creatures he encountered on land or in the sea, he has returned to his roots in East Anglia for a different creative endeavour. But he's not staying put, as this new creative challenge involves making some of the biggest ceramic pots in the world, and the only place with kilns that can cope is thousands of miles away in a provincial city in China. Join him on his quest for porcelain perfection.

Presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon

Producer Mark Rickards.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b091s88s)
Children and gender stereotyping, Mother and daughter estrangement, Shirley Henderson

Highlights from the Woman's Hour week.Presented by Jane Garvey
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor: Jane Thurlow.


SAT 17:00 PM (b091s88v)
Saturday PM

Full coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b09294g5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b091s88x)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b091s88z)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b091s891)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b091s893)
Alan Johnson, Zinnie Harris, Ursula Martinez, Twayna Mayne, Pictish Trail, Kathryn Joseph, Arthur Smith, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Alan Johnson, Zinnie Harris, Ursula Martinez and Twayna Mayne for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Kathryn Joseph and Pictish Trail.

Producer: Sukey Firth.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b09294g7)
Crawford Falconer

Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines. This edition features Crawford Falconer.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b091s895)
A selection of highlights from the Edinburgh Festivals. Also Ned Beauman's new novel and Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit

Recorded at The Edinburgh Festivals, there's a selection of some of the highlights from this year's typically varied assortment of delights.
Also:
Ned Beauman's new novel; Madness Is Better Than Defeat, set in 1930s Honduras
An exhibition of British Realist painters at The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Kathryn Bigelow's film Detroit tells the story of the 1960s race riots in that city
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Inua Ellams, Louise Welsh and Peggy Hughes. the producer is Oliver Jones.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b0926flh)
Diana: A Life Backwards

Marking the 20th anniversary of her untimely death, Archive on 4 presents a unique and moving portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales - her life documented in reverse chronology.

Diana, Princess of Wales was arguably the most famous - and most photographed - woman in the world. Her life has been exhaustively discussed and disassembled in the media both before and since her untimely death on 31st August 1997. As the anniversary of that tragic event approaches, is there anything truly new for us to learn about her remarkable, turbulent, and short life - and how the way we reacted to it changed our society?

Drawing from hundreds of hours of footage, Archive on 4 presents a unique, unmediated portrait of the Princess - starting with the sombre events of her funeral and taking the listener on a journey backwards through her life and times: from the remarkable public outpouring of grief that followed her passing; the almost unbearable press intrusion into her private world in her last months; her new life as a single woman; her divorce, her married life and the public jubilation surrounding the Royal Wedding of 1981; right back to the announcement of the 19 year-old Diana's engagement to Prince Charles.

Unpresented and unmediated, the programme offers a unique audio montage of the events of, and reaction to, one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century. Featuring contributions from the archives from Piers Morgan, Andrew Neill, Jennie Bond, Richard Kay - as well as several of Diana's closest friends, and members of the British public.

Produced by Steven Rajam and James Roberts for BBC Radio 4

Contributors:
Andrew Neill
Arthur Edwards
Barbara Daly
Bea Campbell
David Emanuel
David Starkey
Denis Lawson
Eammon McCabe
Earl Spencer
Elizabeth Emanuel
Glenn Harvey
James Naughtie
James Reynolds
James Whitaker
Jennie Bond
Jeremy Paxman
John Humphrys
Ken Lennox
Martin Bashir
Michael Shea
Patrick Jephson
Penny Juror
Piers Morgan
Rosie Boycott
Tim Graham
Tom Cruise
Tony McGrath

Archive:
All Things Considered, BBC Radio Wales
Archive on 4 - A History of the Stiff Upper Lip, BBC Radio 4
A Royal Recovery, BBC Radio 4
BBC News Special - Diana: 10 Years On, BBC News 24
Capturing the Royals: The Story of Royal Photography, BBC2
Decisive Moments: A Rough Road, BBC2
Diana: The People's Princess, BBC1
Great Britons: Diana, BBC2
Heart of the Matter, BBC1
Fifty Years with the Firm: Prog 5: Doom & Gloom, BBC Radio 4
Mediumwave, BBC Radio 4
Memories of Diana, BBC1
Modern Times: The Shrine, BBC4
Newsnight, BBC1
Panorama, BBC1
Proms, BBC1
The Princess's People: A View from the Crowd, BBC2
The Reunion: The Wedding of Charles & Diana, BBC Radio 4
The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4
Thinking Allowed: Remembering Diana, BBC Radio 4
Top of the Pops, BBC1
Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4.


SAT 21:00 Drama (b07mw4f3)
Reading Europe - Italy: My Brilliant Friend, Episode 2

From one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is the first in a quartet of books entitled The Neapolitan Novels. They are a forensic exploration of friendship between Lila and the story's narrator, Lena. This is no normal friendship, it's a friendship that loves, hurts, supports and destroys - and yet it is one that lasts a lifetime.

It begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets two girls, Elena and Lila, learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone - or anything - else as their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not always perfect shelter from hardship.

It is the story of a nation, of a neighbourhood, a city and a country undergoing momentous change.

This first book centres on their childhood and adolescence.

From the book by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein.
Dramatised by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b091s897)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 The Fix (b091w5qc)
Series 1, Childhood Obesity

Can you take twelve bright young people and get them to solve a complex policy problem in just one day? It may sound ambitious but using techniques being used increasingly by governments around the world, our teams are going to do just that. The day is introduced by Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA and the teams will be led through the process by Cat Drew a director at design consultancy Uscreates.

In this episode the teams are going to be tackling childhood obesity and at the end they will have to pitch their ideas to our judges: Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, and David Willets former Cabinet minister and now Executive Chairman of the Resolution Foundation.

Who will impress and who will fall short?

Team One:

Jag Singh - tech entrepreneur and former political strategist.

Miriam Redi - social dynamics research scientist at Bell Labs Cambridge.

Margot Lombaert - creative director of Margot Lombaert Studio, an independent graphic design practice.

Solveiga Pakštaitė - industrial designer specialising in user-centred design.

Team two:

Emily Goldhill - strategist and research leader at creative youth network Livity.

Gemma Hitchens - Account Director at Signal Noise, which specialises in data visualisation and analysis.

Jasmine Robinson - RSA-award winning designer.

Dr Rebecca Roache - Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Team three:

Amanda Gore - Co-Director of The Liminal Space, a creative engagement consultancy.

Helen Steer - educator and maker who runs Do It Kits, a start-up that helps teachers use technology.

Matt Tinsley - Senior Economist with consultancy firm Oxford Economics.

Steve Wilson - chef, sociologist and entrepreneur.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (b091sz8v)
Series 31, Heat 8, 2017

(8/13)
Can you name the spectacular new concert hall in Hamburg, and the British tenor who performed at its inaugural concert? If not, what about the only musician ever to be co-credited on a hit record by the Beatles?

Paul Gambaccini will be trying these out on the Counterpoint competitors in today's heat, along with many other questions drawn from every musical genre. There'll be no shortage of musical extracts, some of which will jog your memory, and others you'll be hearing for the first time. The competitors will also each have to specialise in a musical topic which they've had no chance to prepare.

The winner will take another of the places in the semi-finals which begin soon.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 Boston Calling (b091snqv)

Boston in Lincolnshire is home to many settlers from Eastern Europe and has a long history associated with immigration and migration. It's where the pilgrim fathers who conquered America came from and it has a long cultural history associated with other parts of the world, including the Netherlands.

But the UK media focus in recent years has been on how the people of the Boston of the 21st Century struggle to live side by side. This was also the Brexit hot spot of Britain during the EU referendum.

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, himself a son of immigrants who grew up in the West Midlands visits Boston to hear, via poetry and interviews with the different people who live there, what Boston means to them.

He meets a variety of people - Romanians, Estonians, Lithuanians and Poles as well as members of the indigenous population - as they put pen to paper to convey their feelings about life in Boston and Britain more generally.

Broken English and foreign languages are mixed with the sound of the traditional Lincolnshire burr as he also hears from people who've lived in Boston all their lives.

Far from finding a town at war, as so often depicted in the media, he discovers a vibrant community who - despite their differences - seem eager to muddle along together and shape a common future.

A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4.



SUNDAY 27 AUGUST 2017

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b0929508)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SUN 00:30 Short Works (b091wf7q)
Series 1, Boys Grown Tall

"My eight year old daughter is cooler than me, FACT. Yes she has a rather questionable taste in music and she wears more neon than I'm comfortable with, but get her in a room and she owns it".

Boys Grown Tall is an original short work for radio about fatherhood, raising daughters and playing the drums.

Matt Grinter is a writer and director working in both theatre and film. He was the winner of the Papatango Prize for new writing in 2016 for his debut play ORCA for which he was shortlisted for 'most promising new playwright' at the 'Off West End' awards. His play THE DOG AND THE ELEPHANT ran at the Bristol Old Vic Studio and Vault Fest, produced in conjunction with Ferment. Matt is currently one of the Open Session Writers on attachment at the Bristol Old Vic. His short films include TEA LEAVES, SMALL TALK, JESSIE and THE PARTY PHOTOGRAPHER. Matt is also the artistic director of Red Rope Theatre Company, which he formed in 2012 with actor-producer Rebecca Robson

Read by Stuart McLoughlin
Produced by Mair Bosworth.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b092950b)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b092950d)

SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b092950g)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b092950j)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b0929r9b)
St Mary and St Benedict, Buckland Brewer

This week's Bells on Sunday, comes from the Church of St Mary and St Benedict, Buckland Brewer in Devon. The church contains a memorial plaque commemorating the bells' notable founder John Taylor of Oxford, who for ten years had a branch of his foundry here. The six bells with the tenor tuned to G, were cast in 1899 and rehung on ball bearings in 1937. We hear them ringing 'Devon Call Changes'.


SUN 05:45 Profile (b09294g7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b092950l)

The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b092950n)
The Fascination of Games

Games, puzzles and intellectual contests have exerted a fascination on humans for thousands of years. Mark Tully asks why people from so many different cultures are so devoted to games of skill, strategy and calculation.

He talks to Dr Irving Finkel who has been hooked on since childhood, now writes extensively on the subject and recently rediscovered the rules for the ancient Royal Game of Ur. He also explores the many purposes of game-playing, from military training to education and from holding communities together to psychological therapy.

There's music from saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Amy Winehouse and Georges Bizet, and readings from philosopher Bernard Suits and poet Ezra Pound.

Readers: David Westhead and Polly Frame.
Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b0929r9d)
Orkney's Ancient Grain

Tom Heap meets the farmers of bere, an ancient grain, grown on Orkney for centuries.

Producer: Sarah Swadling.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b092950q)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b092950s)

The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b092950v)
Religion and Artificial Intelligence

Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b0929r9g)
Cerebra

Richard Mylan makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Cerebra.

Registered Charity Number 1089812
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That's the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope 'Cerebra'.
- Cheques should be made payable to 'Cerebra'.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b092950x)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b092950z)

The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b0929r9j)
The Common Good

Set in the picturesque grounds of the Boughton Estate near to Kettering, Greenbelt brings top Christian thinkers and musicians together with 20,000 festival goers to spend the August bank holiday weekend reflecting on faith, justice and culture. The festival, which has been described as "Glastonbury with God", sees people of all ages, traditions and backgrounds, don their wellies and pitch their tents to consider the big questions of life.

Speakers, musicians and festival goers bring the sights and sounds of this extraordinary gathering to life as they explore this year's theme, The Common Good.

Producer: Katharine Longworth.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b091wf88)
Pottering towards the new socialist state

Roger Scruton looks at the impact of Harry Potter on our world view.

"People are starting to live in a kind of cyber-Hogwarts", he says, "a fantasy world in which goods are simply obtained by needing them, and then asking some future Prime Minister to wave the magic wand".

Producer: Adele Armstrong.


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b091stsb)
Clare Jones on the Little Egret

Clare Jones recalls the inspiration of seeing a little egret and how a small event can change an entire outlook on life in this Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Tom Bonnett.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b0929511)

Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b0929513)

Oliver needs to ask a favour, and Shula spots an opportunity.


SUN 11:15 The Reunion (b0929rts)
Eighties Fashion Designers

Sue MacGregor reunites the designers who transformed 1980s fashion.

The eighties are considered one of the most experimental periods in British style history, but trends weren't limited to massive shoulder pads with sizeable hair to match. It was in this era that people expressed themselves in any way they wanted and, at the heart of it all, was a celebration of the individual.

As a result, a new generation of fashion designers emerged. Buyers worldwide flocked to see London's creations and British designs were stocked in shops from New York to Tokyo.

It was on 19 October 1987 that Black Monday hit and everything changed. The American buyers turned their back on importing from the UK and many British designers struggled to make ends meet. So they forged new collaborations and paved the way for the modern fashion industry.

Sue MacGregor brings together the designers who established their careers in the 1980s.

Bruce Oldfield is known for dressing a wealth of celebrities, including Princess Diana.

Considered one of the most important milliners, Stephen Jones began his career in 1980, opening a hat shop in Covent Garden.

Betty Jackson launched Marks and Spencer's Autograph range, but her success goes back to when she was awarded the first of many accolades in 1985.

Wendy Dagworthy is a former fashion designer, turned academic, and now retired. In the eighties, her label could be found in Macy's and Saks and she helped to set up the first London Fashion Week.

Best known for presenting BBC's The Clothes Show, Caryn Franklin promoted new, emerging designers on the box as well as in i-D magazine.

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (b0929515)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (b091sz8z)
Series 79, 21/08/2017

Nicholas Parsons challenges Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Fred Macaulay and James Acaster in a special edition of the popular panel show - recorded at the Edinburgh Festival.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
A BBC Studios Production.


SUN 12:32 Food Programme (b0929rtv)
Salt Fish

Once a cheap dish to feed workers, salted cod has been preserved by cooks around the world who serve it to celebrate: On Sundays, at Carnival, at Christmas. It's an ingredient which has played a part in the forming of empires, fuelled armies and cured hangovers. Sheila Dillon meets cooks and hears the enduring and surprising stories of cuisines shaped by salt fish. She asks why some of the best new British chefs are choosing to include saltfish on their menus.

Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b0929517)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b0929519)

Global news and analysis.


SUN 13:30 When Greeks Flew Kites (b0929rtx)
Take it to the Brink

A monthly series in which broadcaster and acclaimed historical novelist Sarah Dunant delves into the past to help frame the present, bringing to life worlds that span the centuries.

Taking modern day anxieties as its starting point, the programme considers how certain questions are constant, yet also change their shape over time.

This month, Sarah takes us to the brink - to moments where leaders are willing to cross the ultimate line. She'll be asking what happens when the enemy you're negotiating with has nothing to lose, and questioning whether the threat of apocalypse can be good for the soul.

From Caesar crossing the Rubicon in ancient Rome, to medieval apocalyptic fears, via a radical preacher with rhetoric so powerful that it catapulted him onto the global stage, these are moments of fire and fury when the end seemed nigh.

Guests include Dr Hannah Cornwell from the University of Birmingham, Dr Stefano Dall'Aglio of the University of Edinburgh, and Dr James Palmer from the University of St Andrews.

Presenter: Sarah Dunant
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Assistant Producer: Nathan Gower
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b091wf7n)
Cardiff

Eric Robson and the panel are in Cardiff. Matthew Wilson, Bunny Guinness and Matt Biggs answer the audience's questions.

This week, the panellists recommend garden uses for sheep fleece, offer advice on overwintering chillis, and give the definitive 'dos and don'ts' for starting an allotment.

They also offer up a whole host of interesting and varied planting suggestions for one questioner with a riverbank garden, one looking to attract pollinators with fruit and veg, and one who is looking for plants to remind his wife of Yorkshire.

Finally, Matt Biggs lets his inner-thespian run amok as he investigates Shakespeare's connections to plants and horticulture.

Produced by Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b0929rxn)
Omnibus - The Things That Bind Us

Fi Glover introduces conversations about the morality lessons of horror film, the politics of haircare, and where we find our identity in the Omnibus edition of the 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. Most of the unedited 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 learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.


SUN 15:00 Midnight's Children (b092k685)
Omnibus, The Birth of a Nation

A new dramatization of Salman Rushdie's dazzling novel of love, history and magic. Saleem is born at the exact moment of India's Partition, August 1947 Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon.

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b0929rxs)
Revisiting Greek Myths

A voyage around Greek writing both ancient and modern. Kamila Shamsie talks to Mariella Frostrup about her new novel Home Fire, a pertinent and timely story of the two families torn apart by love and war, inspired by Sophocles's Antigone. It's one of a clutch of novels this summer spawned from Greek tragedies. Classicist Dr Nick Lowe discusses recent books by Colm Toibin, David Vann and Natalie Haynes and why the plays remain inspiring for novelists, while writer and translator Joshua Barley recommends more modern Greek writing.


SUN 16:30 In Search of Milton's 'Paradise Lost' (b0929s0c)

Joe Moshenska travels in John Milton's footsteps, 350 years after the publication of Paradise Lost, to understand how the real people and places he encountered helped to shape his poetic imagination and inspired the divine universe of his poem.

Writing Paradise Lost, the epic poem that tells the story of the fall of humankind, was an out-of-body experience for Milton. Although he was a blind, beleaguered old man by the time he composed the poem, he didn't see this as an obstacle - every night his muse would visit him while he slept and deposit the next parcel of verse in his mind.

Milton's imagination took him out into the farthest reaches of the universe, but also back into his own past, returning compulsively to his youthful travels through France and on to Italy, where he had met the great astronomer, Galileo Galilei.

Joe begins his journey at the cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where Milton found his muse and wrote large parts of the poem towards the end of his life. He then visits the Wren Library of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, which contains an early attempt to write Paradise Lost as a drama. This incredible manuscript gives Joe a glimpse of Milton as a young and uncertain poet, struggling to find his voice and vocation. Finally, Joe travels to Florence where Milton met Galileo, by then blind and under house arrest, who became Milton's exemplar for speaking truth to power, and was the only contemporary to be named in Paradise Lost - perhaps because Milton realised how closely he came to resemble the astronomer in old age.

Joe's journey reflects how Milton's poem thrums with an extraordinary cacophony of different traditions - biblical, historical and mythic, drawn from his wide imagination and travels.

Readings by Deirdre Mullins
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald

A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 17:00 The Edge of Life (b091v0tk)

Suicide is the number one killer of men under-50 in England and Wales. A 'zero suicide' approach to prevention first devised in Detroit is now changing attitudes to care in the UK. Merseyside is leading the way. Radio 4 gains exclusive access to a healthcare authority being transformed from the inside-out in a bid to treat suicide as a preventable condition and to bring lives lost down to 0% by 2020.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b09294g7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b092951c)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b092951f)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b092951h)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b092951k)
Carole Walker

Carole Walker chooses her BBC Radio highlights.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b0929s3z)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Ian doesn't like what he hears, and Roy's confidence takes a knock.


SUN 19:15 Dave Podmore (b036jhtl)
Dave Podmore's Ashes Shame

It's an Ashes summer Radio One County's Andy Hamer finds England's sleaziest ex-cricketer Pod at the lowest of unfair ebbs - suspended from his radio programme for disloyal tweets to a rival broadcaster and stripped of his role as global ambassador for cheapfags.com.

When the nation bids farewell to a controversial yet iconic figure from the East Midlands - his beloved dog Saxon - Pod blows his questionably-gotten fortune on the funeral.

With his prospects in the gutter, and bailiffs turning up faster than grey streaks in his mullet, has Pod finally met his match? Or can a precocious young Tyke help him save the day?

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:45 Hiding Out (b0929s7b)
Series 1, Episode 11

As part of their final Media Degree assessment at NUC in Northern Ireland, three final year university students - Natalie Driver, JJ Collins and Vic Grant - decide to make a podcast about a cold case which happened in Colecastle fourteen years ago. On Saturday April 26th 2003, Toby Ellis was minding his four month old nephew, Derek Ellis. He nipped into his local newsagents and left the pram outside on the street. He claimed he left the child for no longer than two minutes. During this time, the baby was abducted and six days later the infant's body was discovered buried in a nearby wooded area, Mountfort. Cause of death, a blow to the head. No one was ever charged with the murder and the case has remained on-going.

The first episode of Hiding Out is a podcast hosted by one of the students, Natalie; she reveals she is currently in hiding fearing for her safety. Having published their first podcast on The Murder at Colecastle, her fellow student Vic had received a call from someone who had heard the podcast claiming they had new evidence about the day the child was abducted. Vic and JJ met with the source. That was 3 days ago and no one has seen or heard from either Vic or JJ since... The only contact Natalie has received is a text sent from her classmate JJ's phone which reads "We're watching you. Stop this now." Natalie knows their disappearance is clearly linked to digging into the murder of Derek Ellis. If she finds them, she may finally find the truth of what happened in Colecastle. Natalie's nightly podcasts of 'Hiding Out' are attracting more and more interest - #whereisnatalie and #findvicandjj are rife with speculation. Are these three students actually in danger? Or - as their media lecturer believes - is this all an elaborate media hoax?

Sophie Jo Wasson ..... Natalie
Sanchi McCormack ..... Lena

Gerard Stembridge ..... Writer
Gemma McMullan ..... Series Producer & Director.


SUN 20:00 More or Less (b091wf7v)
25/08/17

Investigating the numbers in the news.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b091wf7s)
Abu Kifah, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Brian Aldiss, Blanche Blackwell, Jerry Lewis

Brian Aldiss - the gifted science fiction author who inspired the Hollywood movie AI artificial intelligence. Jerry Lewis the American comic who - with Dean Martin found fame as one of the most successful double acts of all time. Blanche Blackwell - the Jamaican society hostess who became Ian Fleming's lover and some believe - the inspiration for the Bond movie character Pussy Galore. Abu Kifah, the Syrian rescue worker who made headlines around the world after pulling a baby alive from the wreckage of a bombed out building - and Sir Bruce Forsyth whose death a week ago today has seen him fondly remembered for his contribution to British entertainment in a career spanning more than seven decades.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b09293yt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b0929r9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 In Business (b091wb36)
Private Prisons - Who Profits?

Twenty five years after the UK opened it's first privately run prison, Matthew Gwyther explores whether they have fulfilled their promise to deliver a cost effective, safe, and reliable prison service. Does incarcerating people for profit work? Or does it lead the sector to cut corners, sacrificing safety and security in the pursuit of profit?

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b092951m)

Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b091wb2w)
Detroit

With Antonia Quirke.

Will Poulter on the intense experience of playing a racist police officer in Kathryn Bigelow's new film Detroit.

Indian filmmaker Shubhashish Bhutiani tells us about Hotel Salvation, the story of a son accompanying his elderly father to the holy city of Varanasi to die.

And Best Visual Effects Oscar-winner Andrew Whitehurst rewatches Terminator 2: Judgement Day for us to see how the effects stand the test of time.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b092950n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 28 AUGUST 2017

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b092953b)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


MON 00:17 A Good Read (b072jlgx)
Joe Dunthorne and John O'Farrell

Writers Joe Dunthorne and John O'Farrell recommend great books with Harriett Gilbert.

John O'Farrell has written for Have I Got News for You, as well as novels like The Best a Man Can Get. His choice of book is less comic, a powerful memoir about life with a brother in a coma: The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Joe Dunthorne's novel Submarine was adapted for film by Richard Ayoade, and he recommends a slim collection of evocative short stories, Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson.

Harriett introduces them both to a modern classic: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, and asks why it is that men don't seem to read one of the greatest living novelists..

Producer Beth O'Dea.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b0929r9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b092953d)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b092953g)

MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b092953j)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b092953l)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b092cllj)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b092953n)
Scottish community land purchase

The Highland Clearances of the early 19th century saw thousands of crofters moved from their homes in Scotland to poorer, lowland areas, allowing landowners to shift land use to large-scale sheep farming. Called 'improvement', it was often anything but that for the crofters' families. Many were forced to emigrate, others stayed in Scotland but led poorer, harder lives, powerless to improve their lot or take charge of their own futures.
So when Sutherland Estates decided that it would make business sense not to continue their ownership of 3,000 acres of land on the east coast, at Helmsdale, and offered it for sale to the local community, there were obvious parallels with the fate of their ancestors, cleared to the area by the first Duke of Sutherland.
After a local ballot and many grant applications, the £300,000 they needed was raised - and the sale has been agreed.
Moira Hickey visits Helmsdale and hears why it's important for local people to take charge of the four townships to which the 19th century crofters were moved. They are, of course, a powerful reminder of the powerlessness of former generations, but also offer a practical opportunity for local people to create jobs, improve the land, apply for further funding and make it more likely that future generations will be able to stay in the area, if they choose to do so.


MON 05:56 Weather (b092953q)

The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092clll)
Amy Liptrot on the Arctic Tern

Orcadian author and conservationist Amy Liptrot laments of the disappearance of breeding Arctic terns from her family farm for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Mark Ward.


MON 06:00 Today (b092953s)

News and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Mastertapes (b092cmwl)
Randy Newman, Randy Newman (A-side)

With six Grammys, three Emmys and two Oscars (from 20 Academy Award nominations) - to say nothing of his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and membership of both the Songwriters and the Rock & Roll Halls of Fame - means that Randy Newman has one of the most crowded mantelpieces in the world of popular entertainment.

In this special edition of MASTERTAPES the legendary singer-songwriter and composer talks to John Wilson about 'Sail Away' - the album that Rolling Stone magazine described as "a work of genius" when it was released forty-five years ago.

Already with a good dozen years under his belt as a professional song writer (he was only 28 years old when this album was released), with 'Sail Away' we see an artist able to combine biting wit, novelistic complexity and deep understanding of the contradictions of the American psyche with sumptuous melodies and restrained arrangements. Nowhere more so than with 'Lonely At The Top' (originally written with Frank Sinatra in mind), 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' (later recorded by Tom Jones for The Full Monty), 'God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)' and the austere title track that kicks off the album.

MASTERTAPES is recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John Wilson initially quizzing the artist about a career defining key album, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.

The second part of this special edition is broadcast at 9.30pm on Monday 28 August 2017

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


MON 09:30 Oliver Burkeman Is Busy (b07v07pb)
Fetishising Busyness

Oliver Burkeman asks if we are talking ourselves into feeling overwhelmed with busyness.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b092cnpl)
How Not to Be a Boy, Episode 1

From comedy's award winning Robert Webb, a funny and moving memoir which looks back on his bittersweet childhood in Lincolnshire, and also has wise words on masculinity's pitfalls.

Best known for his work with David Mitchell in Radio 4's Sony award winning series That Mitchell and Webb Sound and TV's Peep Show, Robert Webb has written a memoir that is both laugh out loud funny and powerfully moving and tender. An uneasy early childhood growing up in Lincolnshire, is followed by schoolboy crushes on girls and boys, to discovering a talent for making people laugh, to grief, and to becoming a husband and father. As his life story unfolds, Robert questions the expectations thrust on boys and men and reflects on how these have shaped the man he is today.

Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b092953v)
Woman's Lab: Body Image

Woman's Lab: where Woman's Hour tackles issues and test solutions. Today, its body image. Presenters Gemma Cairney, Gia Milinovich and Michelle Dewberry take up the challenge over three days on the beaches of sunny Margate. They explore some practical ways to help us be less judgemental about what we see in the mirror. They meet real women, businesses, diet and fitness industry professionals and body experts. Can they finally crack how we can be happier with our bodies? Gemma Cairney goes on a bohemian adventure, inspired by taking her clothes off in a life drawing class. She tries to convince the women of Margate to do the same. Gia Milinovich's scientific research takes her on a journey through muscle gyms, bum toning machines and mindfulness. Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry struggles with a challenge that's not about making money, but spurred on by her own emotional relationship with her body, she creates a piece of installation art. Will the women of Margate think they're onto something?

Producer and presenter: Deborah Coughlin
Producers: Nicky Birch, Alannah Chance, Eva Krysiak, Jo Meek.


MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b092cnpn)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 1

by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

John and Maggie return as the lovers attempting to rekindle the flames of an on/off affair from their younger days only to discover that love doesn't get easier when your older but no wiser.

'A witty take on grown up romance' The Telegraph
A.L. Kennedy is an award winning writer of novels, short stories and drama and a stand up comedian.
Bill Nighy makes regular appearances on screen, stage and radio. He was most recently seen in the film 'Their Finest' and plays Charles Paris in 'The Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4.
Anna Calder-Marshall was most recently seen on stage at The National Theatre in Love in a 'stand out performance' The Telegraph.


MON 11:00 Jenny Eclair Is Listless Today (b092cnpq)

Comedian and writer Jenny Eclair throws away her To Do list. She wants to understand why women write so many lists and what life would be like without them.

She discovers there are to-do lists, to-buy lists, to take-back lists, holiday lists and even secret lists of hidden yearnings. Jenny talks to good friend and producer Judith Holder about her own lists. Judith has a small library of books, each with a different list inside. Jenny realises she's on the nursery slopes of lists by comparison.

Going to her local butcher's - listless - Jenny finds out that men who shop there keep their lists on a mobile phone. Not only that, they haven't written the list themselves and, according to the butcher, look wistfully at what they want to buy but don't, because it's not on the list.

Artist Alice Instone made an exhibition of lists called The Pram in the Hall. She wrote to successful women and asked for their lists - and was amazed at how much these women had to do. Alice tells Jenny she was particularly interested in the lists because they're one of the rare things people still hand write.

Jenny also talks to Gena-mour Barrett - who writes articles online made up of lists - about why they are so compelling. According to Gena-mour, you can tell a good list if it is shared and attracts a community of readers. The most successful one she wrote attracted three million readers.

Jenny finally returns to her lists but not without first consulting coach Juliet Landau-Pope about what the perfect list would look like. And she discovers a whole new world of lists just waiting to be completed.

A Pennine production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 11:30 Fags, Mags and Bags (b092cnps)
Series 7, Burger, Burger, Burger, Burger, Burger

The hit series returns for a seventh series with more shop based shenanigans and over the counter philosophy, courtesy of Ramesh Mahju and his trusty sidekick Dave. Written by and starring Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli.

Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop, the award winning Fags, Mags & Bags sees a return of all the shop regular characters, and some guest appearances along the way, from the likes of Sean Biggerstaff, Mina Anwar, Greg McHugh and Simon Greenall.

In this opening episode, we pick up on Dave's relationship with his best friend Lesley (Simon Greenall). Does Dave see a future in the friendship, and what does Lenzie think of his blossoming bromance?

Join the staff of Fags, Mags and Bags in their tireless quest to bring nice-price custard creams and cans of coke with Arabic writing on them to an ungrateful nation. Ramesh Mahju has built it up over the course of over 30 years and is a firmly entrenched, friendly presence in the local area. He is joined by his shop sidekick, Dave.

Then of course there are Ramesh's sons Sanjay and Alok, both surly and not particularly keen on the old school approach to shopkeeping, but natural successors to the business. Ramesh is keen to pass all his worldly wisdom onto them - whether they like it or not!

Producer: Gus Beattie for Gusman Productions
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 News Summary (b092953x)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 Home Front (b08yfynh)
28 August 1917 - Jessie Moore

On this day in 1917, severe gales across the country uprooted trees and damaged crops, while in Folkestone, Jessie's mood is bleak.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


MON 12:15 You and Yours (b092953z)
PPI

From Tuesday there are two years left to claim compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance or PPI. For years lenders sold PPI with loans and credit cards to cover payments if customers were sick or lost their work. But many of the people who bought the cover didn't want or need it or weren't eligible to claim. The Financial Conduct Authority - that has set the new two year deadline join the programme.

We hear about your experiences of airport parking.

We'll be talking street food with one of the nominees for the Food and Farming Awards.

Plus - we'll take a look at the apps that turn whole novels into 15-minute reads.

Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Helen Roberts.


MON 12:57 Weather (b0929541)

The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b0929543)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


MON 13:45 Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing (b092cnpz)
Series 1, Grenfell Tower

The Grenfell Tower disaster is a defining event in the history of social housing in Britain. Grenfell has brought to light some of the failures and attitudes that underpin our relationship to class, poverty, race and inequality. In this first episode of a ten part series, Lynsey Hanley will examine what Grenfell means for both social housing and for us as a society.

Lynsey argues Grenfell represents the culmination of the long story of how we have sought to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged in society through housing.

She talks to the Labour MP David Lammy about his upbringing. He tells her how social housing was once desirable, something people aspired to. But was the original dream of good quality housing for the poorer members of our society flawed from the beginning? Lynsey asks why we don't have decent housing for all, avoiding the stigma of paternalism and segregation by income and status. Did an original flawed plan create a marginalised class of people set away in isolated estates?

Presenter: Lynsey Hanley
Producer: Sara Parker and Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b0929s3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b092cnt6)
For the Time Being

A man travels back in time to give his younger self some advice that could change everything. He is sure he should have kissed Sarah - his first love - when he had the opportunity.

This is Tony Jones' second radio drama. His first, Quill, won the Writer's Guild Award for Best Radio Play in 2016. It will be repeated on Radio 4 on 31st August 2017.

Written by Tony Jones

Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 Counterpoint (b092cpb9)
Series 31, Heat 9, 2017

(9/13)
The last three of this year's Counterpoint hopefuls join Paul Gambaccini for the always-eclectic music quiz. There's just one place left in the 2017 semi-finals. As always, the questions cover all the bases - from Baroque music to early New Orleans jazz, TV and film themes, 20th century classical and pop music from the 50s to the present day.

The competitors will also be faced with a choice of specialist musical topics on which to answer their own individual questions, with no chance to prepare.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


MON 15:30 Food Programme (b0929rtv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Queens of Chapeltown (b092cqyt)

After the violence directed at black people in Nottingham and Notting Hill in the 1950s, and the naked racism expressed in Smethwick during the 1964 general election, a group of pioneering West Indians came up with a simple and defiant riposte: Carnival. In Queens of Chapeltown, Colin Grant goes behind the scenes of Carnival to its Leeds West Indian HQ in Chapeltown - amidst the glue guns, sequins and feathers - to capture that moment of extraordinary transformation, 50 years on: the birth of a tradition which, for one weekend in August, would wash away the bad taste of anti immigrant sentiment with a burst of colour and flash of exuberance that would forever change Britain. Grant travels to Leeds to talk with the pioneers and celebrate the endurance and growth of Carnival.


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b092ct07)
Begging

Is it a religious duty to give to beggars?
If you go into the centre of a city like Yangon or Bangkok, you will also come across people begging. Among them will be fine robed Buddhist monks with their begging bowls. They're highly respected members of society, following the tradition of religious mendicancy. What differentiates them from what we know as street beggars? What should inform our decision on whether or not to give?
Joining Ernie to discuss religious and moral attitudes to Begging are Jon Kuhrt, Chief Executive of the London City Mission; Eleanor Nesbitt, Professor Emerita from the University of Warwick and founder-member of the Punjab Research Group, and Dr Andrew Skilton, Senior Research Fellow in Buddhism at Kings College London.

Producer, Rosie Dawson.


MON 17:00 PM (b0929545)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b0929547)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b092ct0c)
Series 79, 28/08/2017

Nicholas Parsons challenges Paul Merton, Paul Sinha, Janey Godley and Mark Watson in a special edition of the popular panel show - recorded at the Edinburgh Festival.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
A BBC Studios Production.


MON 19:00 The Archers (b092ct0k)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Oliver is unable to say no, and Peggy is working hard in the garden.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b0929549)
Bill Nighy, The ever-changing appeal of Hamlet, Photographer Steve McCurry

More often associated with comic films, actor Bill Nighy turns his hand to gothic horror in his latest movie The Limehouse Golem. Based on the Peter Ackroyd novel, Nighy plays Inspector Kildare, a compassionate detective, drafted in to investigate a series of grisly murders in Victorian London. He talks to Samira about the safety of comedy and how he hates a challenge.

As Londoners were treated to three different productions of Hamlet this summer, we explore why audiences can never seem to get enough of The Prince of Denmark. Samira is joined by Dame Janet Suzman, who has both acted in and directed the play; Kosha Engler who is currently playing Gertrude and Ophelia in a 3 person abridged version with her husband Benet and her father-in-law Gyles Brandreth; and psychotherapist Mark Vernon.

American photographer Steve McCurry's most famous image is Afghan Girl, a photo taken in 1984 for the cover of National Geographic Magazine. The multi award-winning photographer has been travelling regularly in Afghanistan since the 1979 Russian invasion and tells Samira about his latest book; Afghanistan, a collection of pictures taken over a four decade career.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Edwina Pitman.


MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b092cnpn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Gordon Goes Forth (b092f4j7)

As the longest three-tower, cabled-stayed bridge in the world opens in Scotland, Gordon Brown shares the story of the three bridges over the Forth in whose shadow he lives.

Over the Forth river now stand three bridges spanning three centuries . First the famous rail bridge. Built in 1890, it remained the biggest and longest bridge in the world for a third of a century. Then in 1964 the Queen opened the road bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge outside the USA. Now the elegant Queensferry Crossing takes us into the 21st century.

Striding out onto the new bridge, Gordon celebrates the engineering genius that created these magnificent structures. Setting forth on a boat to view the bridges from the water, he remembers the bravery of those who built them, shares his personal memories of the bridges, and explores how they have touched the lives of people in surrounding communities. Gazing out from his home in North Queensferry towards the iconic Forth rail bridge that has become such an integral part of Scottish culture, Gordon asks if the arrival of yet another world class bridge to the Forth will make the view he sees everyday a site unique in the world - The Three Bridges.

Photo courtesy of Finlay Wells.
Extract from Iain Banks The Bridge courtesy of Little, Brown Book Group.


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b091w8h6)
The Sailors of Sevastopol

Tim Whewell meets the sailors of Sevastopol. The Crimean coast of the Black Sea has such an allure that Russia risked the world's censure by seizing it from Ukraine in 2014. Home of the Black Sea fleet; seaway to the Middle East and spiritual heart of Russian orthodox Christianity, Crimea and it's naval port, Sevastopol, is a defining part of Russian identity. The Russian navy is now modernising and expanding its historic fleet so as to strengthen Moscow's campaign in Syria in support of President Assad, and against the so-called Islamic State. But what have been the costs of gaining this valuable prize?

Producer: Monica Whitlock.


MON 21:00 Natural Histories (b091tv93)
Eel

We have been catching and eating them for centuries; jellied, smoked or stewed and yet there is still much we don't know about the life of an eel as Brett Westwood discovers when he joins a traditional eel fisherman on the banks of a river in Dorset and learns about bobs and worms. Eel skins were once worn as wedding rings and their heads used as finger puppets in Ely, otherwise known as the Isle of Eels which today holds an annual festival to celebrate all things 'eel' from a giant eel paraded through the streets to the World Eel throwing competition! Producer Sarah Blunt.


MON 21:30 Mastertapes (b092khwp)
Randy Newman, Randy Newman (B-side)

A special edition of the programme in which John Wilson 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.

Having discussed the making of "Sail Away" - the 45 year old album described by Rolling Stone magazine as "a work of genius" (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Monday 28th August 2017 and available online), Randy Newman responds to questions from the audience and performs live versions of both new and old tracks from his career in music and film that spanned almost 60 years (as well as six Grammys, three Emmys, two Oscars, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and membership of both the Songwriters and the Rock & Roll Halls of Fame)

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b092954c)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b092f4jc)
Afterworld, Episode 1

Written by Anthony Doerr. Esther, who is an epileptic, escaped Nazi Germany when she was a child and has lived contentedly in Ohio with her husband and their son. Now 85, her fits have intensified and she is haunted by visions of her childhood friends from the orphanage she grew up in. They appear to be calling to her, as memories from her past flood in.

Episode 1:
Esther's seizures open up a new world where old friends await.

Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All The Light We Cannot See which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Afterworld is taken from Memory Wall, a collection of stories about memory.

Writer: Anthony Doerr
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Allan Corduner
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:00 Pepys the Musician (b08kv3y8)

Lucie Skeaping tells the story of post-diary Samuel Pepys through the music he commissioned, some of it played for the first time in 300 years.

The songs, written for the celebrated diarist by his continental music master Cesare Morelli, provide fresh insight into both the man and the religious struggles of the 17th century, which enshrined aspects of our modern political system and shaped our national identity.

Lucie explores the relationship between Pepys and Morelli, a friendship which survived throughout a supposed Popish Plot to assassinate Charles II and the public terror and hysteria it created, implicating hundreds of innocent people. Pepys was among them - and by hiding his Catholic music master he faced execution for high treason.

Until now, the Morelli manuscripts for Pepys's voice and guitar have remained obscure and impenetrable. Enter Dionysios Kyropoulos, researcher and stage director who, as a bass singer and amateur lutenist like Pepys, found himself uniquely placed to interpret the music Morelli wrote for his master.

At the heart of the programme is a concert of Morelli's works, made possible by Dionysios, and heard for the first time since the compositions were played and sung by Pepys himself.

Featuring Bass Baritone David Ireland, Baroque Guitarist Toby Carr, and Theorbo player James Bramley.

Producer: Anna Scott-Brown.
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 23:30 Enlightenment After Dark (b092f55d)
Series 1, Utopia

In Enlightenment After Dark, Allan Little hosts a series of discussions in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment, in places associated with historical Enlightenment encounters. In this first programme Allan and guests Rutger Bregman and Mona Siddiqui discuss ideas of Utopia in the Professor's Room of the Botanic Cottage at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.



TUESDAY 29 AUGUST 2017

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b0929562)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b092cnpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b0929564)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b0929566)

TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0929568)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b092956b)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b092f776)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b092956d)
Rural churches, Salmon fishing in Wales

All this week Farming Today is looking at the future of rural churches. With congregations declining and maintenance bills ever increasing, many churches and chapels are finding they need to adapt in order to survive. Sybil Ruscoe talks to a spokesman from the Churches Conservation Trust, who explains that most of the churches which are listed buildings are in rural areas, where the congregations also tend to be the smallest. Meanwhile Emily Hughes visits a chapel in Wiltshire which has broadened its scope to include the village shop, the post office and even a the office of the local police community support officer.

The Angling Trust claims that Welsh fishermen will be unfairly penalised by new rules designed to reverse the decline in salmon and sea trout numbers. It's responding to plans by Natural Resources Wales to force anglers to throw back fish they catch on Welsh rivers for the next ten years. Steffan Messenger hears from both sides.

Presented by Sybil Ruscoe and produced by Emma Campbell.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092f778)
Amy Liptrot on the Hooded Crow

Writer Amy Liptrot recalls seeing hooded crows while living in Berlin and reflects on their namesakes back at her childhood home in Orkney for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Mark Ward
Photograph: Paul Smith.


TUE 06:00 Today (b092956g)

News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Conversations on a Bench (b092f83g)
Series 2, Manchester - Andrew McMillan

Anna Scott-Brown hears more stories from the people who stop to sit beside her on benches around the country. In this edition, she sits on a bench next to Manchester's gay village, in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Throughout the programme, a specially commissioned work by poet Andrew McMillan draws on the voices and stories of those passing the time in Sackville Gardens - a man with schizophrenia and a woman drinking to forget, a potter looking for inspiration in the shape of the trees, a man and his ex boyfriend walking a dog from one of the nearby penthouse flats, the young carer with great compassion, and the woman driven by her past to fulfil her dreams.

The impact of the recent bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena is never far away, while the stories depict a noble city with a distinctive spirit, which comes to the fore at moments of crisis.

Andrew McMillan's poem creates a glimpse of snatched moments and the painful and beautiful stories people tell Anna Scott-Brown in this busy urban setting.

Hidden lives are revealed and common threads recur as Anna's gentle - but insistent and sometimes extremely direct - questions elicit poignant and profound responses from those sitting on the bench.

Presenter: Anna Scott-Brown
Producer: Adam Fowler
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b092f8wp)
How Not to Be a Boy, Episode 2

In Robert Webb's funny and moving memoir it's the school years. A tough decision is reached and a new talent is uncovered. Meanwhile, the conventional demands of masculinity prove confounding as Robert reflects on the relationships that will define him in later years.

Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b092956j)
Women in technology, Australia and volunteer tourism, Life after widowhood

When 18 year-old Lydia Jones messaged a man online for advice about advancing her tech start-up business, she was surprised to receive not only tips but also questions about her sexuality and whether she had a boyfriend to help her. Lydia joins Jane to explain what it's like to be a young woman trying to get her foot in the door in a male-dominated industry and they are joined by Jacqueline De Rojas, President of TechUK which represents over 950 tech companies.

Why the Australian Parliament is currently considering banning volunteering in orphanages in developing countries in order to prevent child exploitation. Jane speaks to Senator Linda Reynolds, International Lawyer Kate Van Door and Georgette Mulheir CEO of the charity Lumos

Life after the death of a partner - three women talk about their experiences and how they started dating again.


TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b092f8wr)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 2

by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

Maggie is determined to rekindle her affair with John but an attempted seduction in a hotel doesn't go to plan.
Comic drama about love in later life.


TUE 11:00 Natural Histories (b092f8wt)
Louse

They infest our bodies and our clothes, are amongst our closet neighbours, have been made famous by Robert Burns and yet they are only a few millimetres in size. Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the louse; a creature that has lived alongside since our earliest evolution. Whether it's the head, clothes or crab lice these ancient creatures both repel and fascinate us. Producer Sarah Blunt.


TUE 11:30 Little Shop of Colours (b092f90h)

What stories are hiding among the paints and pigments in an art supplies shop?

L Cornelissen & Son has been supplying artists since the 19th century. Based in a little shop near the British Museum, it's a Victorian throwback - all dark wood, high shelves and creaky floorboards. Jars of pigment 'glint like jewels in the semi-dark' (as Derek Jarman put it), full of vibrant powders with mysterious names and long, strange histories - Lapis Lazuli, Rose Madder, Naples Yellow, Potters Pink, Egyptian Blue, Caput Mortuum.

Cathy FitzGerald holes up in the shop for a week to hear its customers' stories. What are they buying? What are they making?

Presented and produced by Cathy FitzGerald
Original music by Stephen Coates
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (b092956l)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 Home Front (b08yfz36)
29 August 1917 - Esme Macknade

On this day in 1917, President Wilson issued his reply to the Pope's Peace Note, while in Folkestone, Esme Macknade craves a little peace.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b092956n)
Call You and Yours

Consumer phone-in.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b092956q)

The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b092956s)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


TUE 13:45 Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing (b092fbqy)
Series 1, The First Council Homes

Lynsey Hanley visits the first ever council housing in Liverpool.

In 1842, Friedrich Engels went to work in his father's Salford mill. Shocked by the poverty he saw, he penned his observations in The Condition of the Working Class in England. For Engels, bad housing was the poor's unifying characteristic: "Every great city has one or more slums, where the working class is crowded together." Ever since, his identification of a direct link between poor housing and poverty has guided social reform.

Those ideas found their first expression not far away from Salford, in Liverpool, where the Saint Martin's Cottages - commonly thought of as the first municipal housing in the world - addressed the problems of Irish migrants fleeing the potato famine and living in appalling condition's in Liverpool's cholera-ridden slums. Eldon Grove was an example of later social housing in Liverpool - once beautiful, it now lies derelict.

Lynsey Hanley visits the Saint Martin's Cottages and Eldon Grove. She reflects on the fact that early ideas about council housing were aimed specifically at the skilled working class. This started a trend, which lasted right up to the end of the Second World War, that council housing would be aimed at the better off and socially better regarded strata of the working class. This kind of thinking about housing was based more on a pragmatic belief that workers would be happier if they had better living conditions than any more utopian ideal about providing everyone with safe and stable environments to live in.

Presenter: Lynsey Hanley
Producer: Sara Parker and Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b092ct0k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Test Case (b092fbr0)
Bournewood

Deborah Bowman, Professor of Medical Ethics & Law at St George's, University of London, explores the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most discussed legal cases, and how they've have transformed medical practice for us all.

When 'H' got on the bus to his Day Centre, one day in 1997, he began a journey which ended in four court cases, a landmark human rights judgement, and resulted in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). As the Law Commission considers replacing DoLS with a new way of ensuring that vulnerable people are not deprived of their liberty, H's remarkable story - and that of his campaigning carers - continues to have consequences for tens of thousands of people around the UK.

Closely based on interviews with those who were there, our eye-witness drama tells the story of 'H', and his life at Bournewood Hospital.

And after the three o'clock news, you can join the real-life participants as they discuss the case and its consequences, in "Test Case: The Legacy of Bournewood".

You can also meet the extraordinary character behind "Test Case: Mr C" and discover why his legal case has had such a lasting impact, in "Test Case: The Legacy of Mr C" on BBC iPlayer.

Test Case: Bournewood is written by Sasha Hails, with additional material by Jonquil Panting.

"H" ..... Samuel James
"Mr E" ..... Simon Ludders
"Mrs E" ..... Adie Allen
Robert Robinson ..... Peter Hamilton Dyer
Ailsa Flinders ..... Sanchia McCormack
Dr Manjubhashini ..... Sudha Bhuchar
Driver ..... Philip Fox
Careworkers ..... Julie Teal, Kerry Gooderson
Staff ..... Tom Forrister, David Sturzaker
Colleague ..... Sarah Ridgeway

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.


TUE 15:00 Test Case (b091tx5x)
The Legacy of Bournewood

Deborah Bowman, Professor of Medical Ethics & Law at St George's University of London, explores the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most discussed legal cases and examines how they've transformed practice for us all.

Our eye-witness drama "Test Case: Bournewood" told the story of H, a man in his forties with severe learning disabilities. His admission to the secure behavioural unit at Bournewood Hospital, away from his carers, triggered an historic legal case.

But what became of H, and why, twenty years on, does his legal case known as Bournewood continue to be discussed so widely?

As H's fate is revealed, Deborah Bowman is joined by a panel of experts, including one of H's carers and his solicitor.

They share their memories of what happened to H and discuss why his legal case continues to have such far-reaching consequences, transforming the way we think about dignity, disability and the rights of the most vulnerable.

You can also meet the extraordinary character behind "Test Case: Mr C" and discover why his legal case has had such a lasting impact, in "Test Case: The Legacy of Mr C" on BBC iPlayer.

Produced by Beth Eastwood.


TUE 15:30 Short Cuts (b092fhwg)
Series 13, Tough Love

Josie Long hears stories of heartbreak. Difficult love, women encoded in music and rebuilding yourself after you've been broken.

Laura Barton offers a tender exploration of complex, enduring love, Natalie Kestecher rebuilds herself after a sudden shock and we dive into the sound of heartache.

Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 16:00 Jarvis and Matthew (b07pjkhp)
Hanging In

Christopher Matthew & Martin Jarvis continue on their nostalgic journey into their past.

It was in the Seventies that Martin Jarvis and Christopher Matthews both made the moves that were to give their careers the second wind that would carry them through to the Eighties (and beyond).

For Martin it was his insistence (against the advice of his agent) that he follow up his portrayal as Nicholas Nickleby by auditioning for the role of Uriah Heap - suddenly he shook off the shackles of being the eternal youth and instead he took on a succession of more adult parts (from Oliver Pryde in 'Rings On Their Fingers' to the Governor in 'Doctor Who'). And it allowed him to become one of the best known voices in the country - through his extensive voice-over work on countless TV commercials and on the radio (ironically through his readings of 'Billy Bunter' and Richmal Crompton's 'Just William').

Meanwhile, Christopher left behind the advertising agencies of Berkeley Square and moved across to Fleet Street and Broadcasting House. A chance encounter with a travel editor for the Sunday Times persuaded him to become a freelance writer and the following week he was commissioned for his first piece. A life of travel writing and humorous columns followed - even the occasional book - mostly humorous.

In fact it was as a result of hearing him reading from the diaries of his accident-prone her Simon Crisp in Diary of a Somebody on Radio 4 in 1978 that Martin finally reached out to Christopher and thus began a friendship and frequent collaboration that has lasted for the nigh on 40 years.

Producer: Paul Kobrak.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b091v0c7)
Series 43, Tracy Chevalier on Mary Anning

Matthew Parris and his guest - novelist Tracy Chevalier - discuss the life of Mary Anning, the working class woman from Lyme Regis who discovered full dinosaur skeletons on Dorset's Jurassic Coast and sold them to collectors in the early 1800s. They are joined by Hugh Torrens, Emeritus Professor of History of Science and Technology at the University of Keele. Mary's remarkable finds came before Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and she believed them at first to be giant crocodiles, but as scientists began flocking to Lyme Regis to buy her specimens, she started to educate herself in geology, becoming an authority on fossils.

However, as with many of the subjects of Great Lives, she was never fully credited for her efforts and faded from public consciousness after her death.

Download the podcast for extra material

Producer: Maggie Ayre.


TUE 17:00 PM (b092956v)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b092956x)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Shush! (b06d9p9x)
Series 1, Tome Raider

Alice and Snoo have to elicit the help of Alice's father to save Dr Cadogan from disgrace. Meanwhile Simon's feelings for Alice face an unexpected obstacle.

Meet Alice, a former child prodigy who won a place at Oxford aged 9 but, because Daddy went too, she never needed to have any friends. She's scared of everything - everything that is, except libraries and Snoo, a slightly confused individual, with a have-a-go attitude to life, marriage, haircuts and reality. Snoo loves books, and fully intends to read one one day.

And forever popping into the library is Dr. Cadogan, celebrity doctor to the stars and a man with his finger in every pie. Charming, indiscreet and quite possibly wanted by Interpol, if you want a discrete nip and tuck and then photos of it accidentally left on the photocopier, Dr Cadogan is your man.

Their happy life is interrupted by the arrival of Simon Nielson, a man with a mission, a mission to close down inefficient libraries. Fortunately, he hates his mission. What he really wants to do is once, just once, get even with his inexhaustible supply of high-achieving brothers.

Written by Morwenna Banks and Rebecca Front
Based on an idea developed with Armando Iannucci

Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b092fhwk)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Justin can't hide his joy, and Kirsty wants to play cupid.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b092956z)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b092f8wr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Disrupted Development (b092fhwm)

Lesley Curwen explores the impact of the digital disruption - automation, artificial intelligence, robotics - in developing economies that have yet to experience its full force.

The idea that robots could be responsible for doing the work that people undertake today is well rehearsed insofar as it relates to the economies of developed countries. The rise of the robots is a well established narrative. But what might happen if that same scenario were to happen in developing economies?

Projections by researchers suggest that many jobs could be automated. What would be the consequences for those countries where large numbers of young people will be entering the workforce in coming years?

Lesley talks to experts in robotics, automation, economics and development, and hears from those involved in the digital economy in countries such as Tunisia, Kenya and India, asking how sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing could be impacted - and whether the numbers of jobs that experts say could be automated will be off-set by the creation of new forms of employment in the digital economy.

Producer: Philip Reevell
A Manchester Digital Media production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b0929571)

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.


TUE 21:00 Every Step You Take (b092fj9b)

With smartphones and fitbits, tracking elements of your life has moved on from the dedicated followers of the Quantified Self movement, to something that any of us can do. Accompanied at all times by her step-counting app which she can't help but check several times a day, Claudia Hammond asks whether tracking your every move can affect your behaviour in unexpected ways.


TUE 21:30 Conversations on a Bench (b092f83g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b0929573)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0940wnw)
Afterworld, Episode 2

Written by Anthony Doerr. Esther, who is an epileptic, escaped Nazi Germany when she was a child and has lived contentedly in Ohio with her husband and their son. Now 85, her fits have intensified and she is haunted by visions of her childhood friends from the orphanage she grew up in. They appear to be calling to her, as memories from her past flood in.

Episode 2:
Esther was ten when change came with the arrival of an emigration letter.

Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All The Light We Cannot See which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Afterworld is taken from Memory Wall, a collection of stories about memory.

Writer: Anthony Doerr
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Allan Corduner
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:00 The Stanley Baxter Playhouse (b048nsml)
Series 6, The Showman

In the year of our lord 1561, Mary Queen Of Scots and the protestant reformer John Knox clash in Edinburgh's old town over a harmless entertainment involving a wayward troupe of Scots comedians and song and dance acts - led by none other than a sixteen century thespian who could easily have been Stanley Baxter's ancestor. It's Murdo, the man with a fan club as big as the Royal Mile and leading light of a visiting troupe of players, Murdo and his Merry May Dancers.

Stanley Baxter was born in 1926 and began working for the BBC Scottish Home Service Radio Children's Hour when he was fourteen - in 1940. He was called up to do National Service at the age of eighteen and returned to perform on BBC Radio in Scotland in 1948 - continuing to do so in the 1950s with a variety of live comedy shows. He then went into films and ultimately into television - but he has continued to work in radio throughout his career.

In the week of his 88th Birthday and in the year of his 75th anniversary as a radio performer, we recorded the latest productions in the much loved, long running Radio 4 series The Stanley Baxter Playhouse.

Written by Rona Munro
Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 23:30 Enlightenment After Dark (b092t4gm)
Series 1, Bodies

In Enlightenment After Dark, Allan Little hosts a series of discussions in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment, in historically resonant places. Tonight Allan and guests painter Ken Currie and Professor Sue Black discuss the Body in the atmospheric setting of the Old Anatomy Theatre of Edinburgh University's Medical School.



WEDNESDAY 30 AUGUST 2017

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b092958t)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b092f8wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b092958w)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b092958y)

WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b0929590)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b0929592)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b092t7q7)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b0929594)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092fszs)
Amy Liptrot on the Corncrake

Writer and Orkney native Amy Liptrot recalls her work as the RSPB's corncrake officer on the look out for this largely nocturnal bird in the wee small hours for Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Mark Ward.


WED 06:00 Today (b0929596)

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Aleks in Wonderland: The Story of the Internet (b092fszv)
Series 1, Attack of the Zombie Baby Monitors

Can we Control the Dark Side of the Internet?

The Internet is the world's most widely used communications tool. It's a fast and efficient way of delivering information. However it is also quite dumb, neutral, treating equally all the data it passes around the world. From data that forms scientific research papers, the wealth of social media to keep us all connected with friends and relatives, entertainment or material we would rather not see- from political propaganda to horrific violence, the Internet makes no distinction.

Is it time to change that? And can we?
In this programme Aleks Krotoski looks at whether it's possible to use technological fixes to regulate the internet or whether a more political approach is needed to governance of this vital but flawed communications medium.


WED 09:30 All in a Chord (b088973x)
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Ivan Hewett examines a chord from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring to test the idea that harmony is a reflection of history. He's joined by musicologist Gerard McBurney and Professor Valentine Cunningham.

Music is never created in isolation - it's conceived in relation to what's going on around a composer in terms of personal and historical events, new technologies, new ideas and artistic endeavours in other fields. In this series, Ivan Hewett is looking at five very different chords which amply demonstrate the concept that harmony is a reflection of history.

Each programme is a bite size portion of rich musical and historical investigation - and each chord has had far reaching influence on other music and is emblematic of its era.

Stravinsky wrote his ballet The Rite of Spring for the 1913 Paris season of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company with choreography by Nijinsky. The ballet famously caused a riot at its premiere, largely because of the dance and the music - but partly also because the sense of clash that we hear in this famous chord was, in some senses, a reflection of tensions in the air.

Ivan Hewett is a writer on music for the Daily Telegraph, broadcaster on BBC Radio 3, and teacher at the Royal College of Music.

Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Monty Funk production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b092fszx)
How Not to Be a Boy, Episode 3

In Robert Webb's funny and moving memoir, it's the beginning of the sixth form and his vexed diaries reveal that his virginity is weighing him down. But it's not long before the laughter is brought to an abrupt stop by heartbreak.

Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0929598)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b092ft01)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 3

by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

John & Maggie have managed to reboot their romance but a date at a crematorium reminds them that they don't have much time left.


WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b092ft03)
Darren and Grace - Disabled Superheroes Would Help

A couple who both have disabilities understand each other well, but it's not why they are together. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


WED 11:00 Gordon Goes Forth (b092f4j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Bad Salsa (b092ft05)
Series 3, Something Cold

The final episode of the sitcom set in a salsa club. Jill plans to re-marry her ex-husband Colin to protect their son's financial future. This gives Terri an idea that involves Chippy.

A third and final series of the sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship. As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed.

The series is not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.

In this final series there's a funeral and a wedding. But who's funeral and who is marrying who?

Something Cold

Written by Kay Stonham.

Produced by Katie Tyrrell.

It is a BBC Studio Production.


WED 12:00 News Summary (b092959b)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 Home Front (b08yfzcf)
30 August 1917 - Howard Argent

On this day in 1917, 1500 Welsh miners, out on strike for the reinstatement of one man, returned to work, and in Folkestone, Howard Argent is kept busy.


WED 12:15 You and Yours (b092959d)

Consumer affairs programme.


WED 12:57 Weather (b092959g)

The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b092959j)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


WED 13:45 Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing (b092ft65)
Series 1, Model Villages, Model Workers

Lynsey Hanley heads to Port Sunlight on the Wirral. There she explores the Lever brothers' dream of housing workers in picturesque conditions.

Port Sunlight was the apotheosis of a movement started by men like Sir Titus Salt, who built Saltaire in 1851, to move workers out of congested and polluted cities and improve their productivity.

The idea of the model village goes back a long way in the English imagination. From Thomas More's Utopia to 17th century landowners trying to create a pastoral idyll on their estates, the thought of creating an ideal community is one that has captivated the wealthy and benevolent for centuries. But it was in the Victorian period that the idea really took off. Rich industrialists, schooled in high Victorian paternalism, wanted to create model communities for their workers to live in.

At Port Sunlight, started by the Lever Brothers in the late 19th century, Lynsey explores how these communities were places built in the image of their creators. These men thought of themselves as upstanding and benevolent, and believed in their own ability to tidy up the messier elements of human settlement.

Were model villages the vanity projects of industrialists that tried to impose Victorian values on the poor - or serious attempts to give workers a better quality of life and freedom from the slums?

Presenter: Lynsey Hanley
Producer: Sara Parker and Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b092fhwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Afternoon Drama (b01s7yw5)
The Interrogation - Series 2, Grace

by Roy Williams

2/3 The Story of Grace. An ambitious local woman, who made a name for herself during the London riots, has struggled to rise from her past, until only one thing stands in her way.

Music by David Pickvance
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


WED 15:00 Money Box (b09293yt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


WED 15:30 Every Step You Take (b092fj9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 The Slogan Warrior (b092fwx6)

The comedian Isy Suttie tackles a selection of platitudes for everyday living and challenges herself and friends to follow their advice.

Life slogans are presented to us on a wide variety of topics affecting our lives; destiny, love, friendship and more. Suttie is aware of numerous examples of people who casually offer these mottos on a regular basis, as though to 'live each day as if it is your last' is the easiest thing to do.

Whether on social media, fridge magnets, plaques in shops or even tattooed on a body, life-changing slogans invite Suttie to 'Live in the Moment', 'Start every day in a happy way' and inform her 'Every Day you wait is another day you won't get back'.

As Suttie tests her enthusiasm to 'Keep smiling' and 'Do small things with great love' she conducts an experiment which invites two of her friends to live by the words of a slogan and monitors the results.

Throughout the programme she attempts to discover whether these sayings offer real value to everyday living or just simply brighten up a kitchen wall or a dull social media page.

Producer: Stephen Garner.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (b092959l)

Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 17:00 PM (b092959n)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b092959q)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Ankle Tag (b092fwx8)
Series 1, Episode 2

Bob decides it's time to get back on the horse, dating wise, and strikes up a friendship with a woman he meets in a local museum. Meanwhile Gruff is delighted when his editor commissions an article about smoothies, and Alice joins the local neighbourhood watch.

Written by Gareth Gwynn and Benjamin Partridge.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
A BBC Studios Production.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b092fwxb)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Pip and Toby need to work together, and Susan's day goes from bad to worse.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b092959s)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b092ft01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]


WED 20:00 The Fix (b092fwxd)
Series 1, Reducing Reoffending

'The Fix' brings together twelve of the country's bright young minds and gives them just one day to solve an intractable problem. This week we have asked our teams to come up with ways to stop criminals re-offending when they leave prison. The day is introduced by Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA and the teams will be led through the day by Cat Drew, Director at design consultancy Uscreates. Can the teams do enough to impress our judges, Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund and David Willetts, former minister and Executive Chairman of the Resolution Foundation, or will they fall short?

Team One:

Thomas Wastling - recent winner of the RSA Student Design Awards.

Oliver Sweet - runs an ethnographic research department at Ipsos MORI.

Miriam Redi - social dynamics research scientist Bell Labs Cambridge.

Naho Matsuda - artist and designer.

Team Two:

Gemma Hitchens - account director at Signal Noise, which specialises in making sense of an increasingly complex world through data visualisation and analysis.

Laurence Grinyer - service designer at Parliament.

Thibault Guenat - marketing at Uscreates

Team Three:

Sarah Douglas - Co-director of The Liminal Space, a creative engagement consultancy.

Vasant Chari - project lead at the Policy Lab. Policy Lab is bringing new policy techniques to departments across the civil service.

Bola Adegbulu - co-founder and CEO of Predina Technologies. The company models how vehicles interact with their environments to quantify risk.

Zahra Davidson - designer with a background spanning service design, social innovation and visual communication.


WED 20:45 Four Thought (b092fwxg)
You're A Musician Too

Talks with a personal dimension.


WED 21:00 Good Psychologist, Bad Psychologist (b092fwzr)

In Good Psychologist, Bad Psychologist, almost a decade on from the release of documents on the CIA's so-called 'enhanced interrogation' programme, psychiatrist Raj Persaud explores the science behind such harsh methods, aspects of which were characterised by President Obama as torture. Dr Persaud talks to survivors of 'enhanced interrogation', psychologists and former members of the Intelligence Services to explore the impact of trauma both on the brains of individuals and on their mental integrity.


WED 21:30 Aleks in Wonderland: The Story of the Internet (b092fszv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b092959v)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0940wxm)
Afterworld, Episode 3

Written by Anthony Doerr. Esther, who is an epileptic, escaped Nazi Germany when she was a child and has lived contentedly in Ohio with her husband and their son. Now 85, her fits have intensified and she is haunted by visions of her childhood friends from the orphanage she grew up in. They appear to be calling to her, as memories from her past flood in.

Episode 3:
Miriam calls to Esther through a microphone.

Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All The Light We Cannot See which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Afterworld is taken from Memory Wall, a collection of stories about memory.

Writer: Anthony Doerr
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Allan Corduner
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 The John Moloney Show (b092fxgq)
Edward Gets Protection

The Godfather of British stand up, John Moloney, returns to the stage with stories of his much loved cat Edward. John has taken the advice of the Vet and decides to get a companion - or, more accurately, a "cat bouncer" to take care of Edward.

It's a lot more difficult to get a used cat than John remembers. John's wife tries to appease the interview panel - yes, that's right, an interview panel - but John can't quite help himself.

Featuring Karen Bartke, Julia Sutherland, JoJo Sutherland and Tyler Collins.

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:15 Before They Were Famous (b05vdtgg)
Series 3, Episode 1

Ian Leslie presents the show which brings to light the often surprising first literary attempts of the world's best known writers.

In this episode we're first treated to graphic novelist Alan Moore's early drafts for the popular Fred Bassett cartoon strip.

We then turn to crime writer Patricia Cornwell and her perhaps excessively gory descriptions of fast food menu items, written as an early commission by a high street restaurateur when work was scarce.

Finally we hear from great poet Byron as he first plied his trade for a quick paycheque, penning headstone verses for beloved deceased pets.

To end the show, the first of our disturbingly unseasonal Christmas cracker jokes by Henrik Ibsen.

Producer: Claire Broughton
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:30 Enlightenment After Dark (b092t89n)
Series 1, Enlightenment Beyond Europe

In Enlightenment After Dark Allan Little hosts a series of discussions in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment. In this third programme he is joined by the writer Pankaj Mishra and the economist Ha-Joon Chang in Edinburgh Library of Mistakes to discuss the resonance of the Enlightenment beyond Europe. He is joined by an invited salon audience of thinkers and commentators.



THURSDAY 31 AUGUST 2017

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b09295ck)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b092fszx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09295cm)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09295cp)

THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09295cr)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b09295ct)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b092vgxg)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b09295cw)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092fyw2)
Amy Liptrot on the Curlew

Writer Amy Liptrot reflects on her favourite bird, the curlew, whose evocative call reminds her of her childhood home back in the Orkneys, in this Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer: Mark Ward.


THU 06:00 Today (b09295cy)

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 Reflections with Peter Hennessy (b092fyw4)
Series 5, Michael Howard

In this series, the historian Peter Hennessy asks senior politicians to reflect on their life and times. Each week, he invites his guest to explore their early formative influences, their experiences and their impressions of people they've known.

In this programme, Peter Hennessy's guest is Michael Howard, former Leader of the Conservative Party and before that a combative and controversial Home Secretary. Michael Howard reflects on his family background and upbringing in South Wales, and tells of his love of soccer, despite living in a stronghold of Welsh rugby. Howard was a contemporary at Cambridge of other future Conservative politicians, including Kenneth Clarke, Norman Fowler and Norman Lamont. In 1966, Howard, fought a safe Labour seat on Merseyside and took the opportunity when visiting the constituency to watch Liverpool 's home games.

After finally being elected as an MP for Folkestone and Hythe in 1983, Howard rose swiftly through the ranks. He discusses his image and the difficult challenges he faced as a minister - he took the legislation for the 'poll tax' (community charge') through the House of Commons, and later, as Home Secretary, sought to reverse a seemingly inexorable rise in the level of crime by taking a tougher line than his predecessors - an approach epitomised by his comment that 'prison works.'

Although he failed in his to become Tory leader in 1997, Howard subsequently became leader in 2003 after Iain Duncan Smith's resignation. However, the Tory defeat in 2005 prompted him to stand down - his successor was David Cameron, his former Special Adviser at the Home Office. Today, Howard sits in the House of Lords and is chairman of Hospice UK, the national charity for hospice care.

Producer: Rob Shepherd.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b092fyw6)
How Not to Be a Boy, Episode 4

In Robert Webb's funny and moving memoir there's a new domestic arrangement and Dad's unexpectedly fastidious guidelines on hygiene prove a challenge to his seventeen year old son. At the same time, there are wise words on grief, rage and masculinity.

Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09295d0)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b092fyw8)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 4

by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

A brush with death or at least with the floor of a pub car park leaves John in the arms of a paramedic and Maggie contemplating her future without him.
A comic drama about love in later life.


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b092fywb)
Abdi in America

Reports from around the world.


THU 11:30 Costume Drama: The Wonderful World of Cosplay (b08rnz3l)

Yasmeen Khan dresses up as a radio presenter to talk to the people who put on the costumes and make-up of their favourite TV and film characters and gather together in halls and hotels for cosplay and costuming.

Many of these events, or Comic Cons, are huge with thousands of people flocking to mingle with each other and with some of the film and television stars who turn up to sign autographs, pose for photographs and top up their incomes.

But what do the so-called cosplayers get out of this? Costumes can be time-consuming and expensive, particularly as many cosplayers take pride in making their outfits as close to the real thing as possible. The bigger events can also be expensive. Yet many cosplayers will insist the costume world has changed their lives they have become more confident, have a secure social circle and all have a great deal of fun.

Yasmeen follows Star Wars cosplayer Beth Gourlay as she and her eight-year-old son Alexander son get ready for Digi-Con in Doncaster. Mum and son talk about what cosplay means to them as Beth helps Alex into his armoured Batman costume, making running repairs with needle and thread - and superglue. We also meet Kerry who is dressed as Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid and Julian - a perfectly terrifying Darth Vader.

A few weeks later, Yasmeen travels to Margate to meet Thanet Cosplay founder Victoria Johnson and cosplay mover and shaker Scott Mason. She also talks to a principal Dalek, Barnaby Edwards, and C.A.T.S. Eyes actress Roz Landor, who made one appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Producer: Neil Rosser
A Spools Out production for Radio 4.


THU 12:00 News Summary (b09295d2)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 Home Front (b08yfzf8)
31 August 1917 - Florrie Wilson

On this day in 1917, a retired Captain and his wife were fined £50 for food hoarding, and in Folkestone, Florrie goes shopping.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


THU 12:15 You and Yours (b09295d4)

Consumer affairs programme.


THU 12:57 Weather (b09295d6)

The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b09295d8)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


THU 13:45 Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing (b092g72s)
Series 1, Garden Cities of Tomorrow

Lynsey Hanley tells the story of Ebenezer Howard and the garden cities.

In 1898, a young court stenographer from London called Ebenezer Howard published a book. It was called Garden Cities of Tomorrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform and it would go on to transform the history of housing around the world. The book proposed using architecture to remodel city-dwellers' lives. Howard imagined a utopian metropolis, away from corrupted cities, in which the city and the countryside merged. There, workers from London could free themselves from the oppressive conditions of the city and live fruitful and happy lives.

Lynsey vists Letchworth, the first garden city, founded just six years after the publication of Howard's book. At Letchworth she finds a pretty little town predicated on the ideals of the arts and crafts movement and funded by wealthy progressive thinkers like George Bernard Shaw. But moving past the quaint buildings and green space, Lynsey also discovers the ideals of Howard and the architect Raymond Unwin ushered in a new era for housing reform and are still valid to this day.

Presenter: Lynsey Hanley
Producer: Sara Parker and Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b092fwxb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b06bp3bc)
Quill

Hunslet Fair 1851. Edward Quill is tasked to write a play by Mr Samuel Wragg - actor manager at Wragg's Theatrical Pavillion.
Since having a career at Drury Lane, Quill has fallen on hard times and eagerly accepts the commission which he needs to pay his rent.
He does not expect the commission to be quite so prescriptive; the play must contain a ghost, a hero, a heroine, a storm and a dog. Nor yet does he expect the characters he creates to take over his life, or the wife of his landlord to take over his heart.

Produced and Directed by Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 15:00 Open Country (b092g72v)
The Brecks - East Anglia's Secret

Helen Mark visits East Anglia's best kept secret, the Brecks around Thetford - a combination of sandy heathland, England's largest lowland forest and some highly productive farms.

Scraped clean by the last ice age, the poor sandy soil meant the Brecklands that straddle Norfolk and Suffolk were marginal land, sandy and unproductive. Rabbits were a major industry, reared on vast warrens for meat and fur, their dung collected for fertiliser. Fields were snatched from the heathland for a season, then left fallow to recover. Visiting the large farm operation at Elveden Estate, Helen hears how the use of fertilisers and irrigation has allowed the land to become extremely productive for high value crops like onions, carrots and potatoes.

Thetford Forest was planted with conifers after the First World War to create England's largest lowland forest, squeezing out much of the original heathland, home to rare plants and birds, such as the stone curlew. At Weeting Reserve, run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Helen is shown one of these distinctive birds, also known as goggle-eyed plovers.

The Brecks is also home to Grimes Graves, a prehistoric flint mine, that provided the highest quality stone implements before the invention of metal. Will Lord, who brings the Brecks' Stone Age past alive for visitors, knaps a great lump of flint into a very sharp hand axe for Helen. To her cost, she finds out just how sharp it is.

Producer: Mark Smalley.


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b0929r9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (b0929rxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b092g72x)

Looking at the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b09295db)

Adam Rutherford explores the science that is changing our world.


THU 17:00 PM (b09295dd)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09295dg)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 Chain Reaction (b05mtcjp)
Series 10, Sharon Horgan talks to Dennis Kelly

Chain Reaction is Radio 4's long running hostless chat show where last week's interviewee becomes this week's interviewer.

In the 6th episode of the series actress Sharon Horgan talks to BAFTA nominated & Tony Award winning writer Dennis Kelly- creator of shows as varied as "Pulling," "Utopia," and "Matilda the Musical."

Producer: Arnab Chanda.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b092g8g6)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Lilian tries to explain herself, and competition is fierce at Bridge Farm.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b09295dj)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b092fyw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (b092g8g8)

Series looking at important issues in the news. Presented by David Aaronovitch.


THU 20:30 In Business (b092g8gb)
Fish to Share

Many British fishermen rejoiced after the UK vote to leave the European Union. They hoped it would mean fewer EU boats fishing in UK waters. Business reporter and sailor Lesley Curwen visits ports and harbours at both ends of Britain to talk to fishermen about their hopes and fears, and hears from a group of European fishermen who argue a hard Brexit would destroy thousands of their jobs.

Producer: Smita Patel.


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b09295db)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 Reflections with Peter Hennessy (b092fyw4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b09295dl)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0940x86)
Afterworld, Episode 4

Written by Anthony Doerr. Esther, who is an epileptic, escaped Nazi Germany when she was a child and has lived contentedly in Ohio with her husband and their son. Now 85, her fits have intensified and she is haunted by visions of her childhood friends from the orphanage she grew up in. They appear to be calling to her, as memories from her past flood in.

Episode 4:
Esther tells her grandson Robert about the girls from the orphanage.

Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All The Light We Cannot See which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Afterworld is taken from Memory Wall, a collection of stories about memory.

Writer: Anthony Doerr
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Allan Corduner
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:00 Bunk Bed (b092g8gg)
Series 4, Episode 2

Everyone craves a place where their mind and body are not applied to a particular task. The nearest faraway place. Somewhere for drifting and lighting upon strange thoughts which don't have to be shooed into context, but which can be followed like balloons escaping onto the air. Late at night, in the dark and in a bunk bed, your tired mind can wander...

The acclaimed Bunk Bed written by and featuring Patrick Marber and Peter Curran returns for its fourth series with a dozy vengeance. Up there with Brian Johnson's famous dissolve into helpless laughter while commentating on cricket, this Bunk Bed boasts a similarly hilarious breakdown as the award-winning actor and director Kathy Burke relates her memories of reading saucy novels aloud for an audience of fellow teenagers in the 1970s. Curran and Marber fight over concepts of male sensitivity, only to be severely admonished by their guest, and the unlikely bedfellows discuss how the words of The Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen now mock them in middle-age.

'Bunk Bed is funny, strange, enchanting, and beautifully put together.' - The Observer

'Bunk Bed on Radio 4 is beloved by broadsheet critics, but don't let that put you off.' - Metro

Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 23:30 Enlightenment After Dark (b092t9b8)
Series 1, Aging

In Enlightenment After Dark Allan Little hosts a series of discussions in the spirit of the Enlightenment in places with a historical Enlightenment connection. Here he hosts a salon on the Aging world at Newhailles House near Edinburgh with Professor Sarah Harper of the Royal Institution and writer and theologian Richard Holloway.



FRIDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2017

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b09295g6)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b092fyw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09295g8)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09295gb)

FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09295gd)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b09295gg)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b092g978)

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b09295gj)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b092t5j1)
Amy Liptrot on the Greylag Goose

Orcadian writer Amy Liptrot reflects on the greylag goose on Orkney, where seemingly no car journey can be completed without seeing a field of geese, in this Tweet of the Day.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Mark Ward.


FRI 06:00 Today (b09295gl)

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b0929rts)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b092g97b)
How Not to Be a Boy, Episode 5

In Robert Webb's funny and moving memoir the boy becomes a man. General expectations of masculinity and role models from his past catch-up with Robert and there's a reckoning.

Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09295gn)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b092g97d)
Subterranean Homesick Blues, Episode 5

by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

John & Maggie have finally rekindled their relationship and full of renewed vigour John is now ready to take the next step towards commitment - a holiday.
But going away together has always proved problematic for this pair.
A comic drama about love in later life when your older but no wiser.


FRI 11:00 The Funeral Singer (b092gb3p)

Reverend Kate Bottley investigates the increasing demand for professional funeral singers in Britain.

Live music has long accompanied the religious and secular farewells to our dear departed but, in the past, was more likely to be a reserved for a select few - Kings, Queens and Archbishops with a cathedral choir singing a requiem mass to send them on their way.

In the 19th Century, some ordinary people decided that what was good enough for the gentry was good enough for them and a diluted version of this practice spread to churches, with a choir singing a favourite hymn or two.

In more recent times, sophisticated sound equipment has meant that any song - usually performed by the artist that wrote it or made it famous - could be played at a church service or crematorium funeral. Favourites include My Way, Wind Beneath My Wings and Always Look On the Bright Side of Life.

But today, a simple CD is not enough for an increasing number of mourners. Only a live singer will do to mark the passing of their loved ones. Funeral singer websites and booking agencies - often a spin off from wedding singer providers - are proliferating.

Kate Bottley talks to agencies catering for this growth in demand, the singers, bereaved family members, funeral directors, clergy, academics and others - to discover why it seems that, increasingly, only live music is good enough to say a memorable farewell to people who cannot hear the performance, and what this says about death in Britain today.

A Butterfly Wings production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 11:30 The Cold Swedish Winter (b092gb3r)
Series 3, Summer: New Swedes

Edinburgh Comedy award winner Adam Riches stars as the bemused and culturally challenged comedian abroad - recorded in Sweden with a cast of the country's most popular comedy actors, and written by Danny Robins.

It's three years since Geoff moved to the tiny north Swedish town of Yxsjö with his girlfriend Linda (Sissela Benn from the Swedish version of The Office). It has been quite a culture shock and they've been through a lot in three years - rotting herring, moose and bears, battles with language, perfect ex-boyfriends and ice hockey, the birth of a son, a marriage proposal and a runaway hot air balloon.

In this third series, Geoff is faced with a road trip south with his disturbingly loved up parents-in-law, the vagaries of the Swedish immigration system, advanced Swedish lessons and the surprising generosity of the benefit system.

Episode 2:
Geoff's father-in-law Sten (Thomas Orredson) sponsors Ashkan, a young refugee from Afghanistan, who has applied for asylum. Was Trump right? Is Sweden being overwhelmed by refugees? Why is Sten friends with a Swedish cowboy, played by the original Wallnder, Krister Henriksson? And is football the only truly international language?

Writer Danny Robins is the co-creator of Lenny Henry's sitcom Rudy's Rare Records. Ashkan is played by Afghan refugee teenager Ajmal Shamsi.

Writer: Danny Robins
Director: Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:00 News Summary (b09295gq)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Home Front (b08yfzkk)
1 September 1917 - Adeline Lumley

On this day in 1917, Wilfred Owen wrote 'Many of us who came to the Hydro slightly ill are now getting dangerously well,' and Adeline Lumley is also beginning to find her voice.

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.


FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b09295gs)

Consumer news and issues.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b09295gv)

The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b09295gx)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


FRI 13:45 Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing (b092gb3t)
Series 1, New Towns, New Culture

Lynsey Hanley tells the story of post-war house building and the rise of the new towns.

World War Two presented planners with the opportunity to plan on an unprecedented scale. This led to the New Towns Act of 1946 which gave the government powers to create massive new and self-sufficient towns. Many in Britain still lived in appalling conditions in the country's towns and cities. Fixing that was part of Labour Health Minister Aneurin Bevan's plan to create a welfare state that would make sure people were looked after from the cradle to the grave.

But it wasn't just the Labour party that was interested in house building, the Tories were determined to compete with Labour as to who could build the most houses. This was a time of big thinking about housing, when both parties believed housing was one of the most important issues of the time.

Lynsey visits Harlow to find out what it was like for people who had to move to the new towns. Some saw them as an intense relief from the terrible conditions of London's slums, others found them disorientating and depressing - a condition that came to be known as 'new town blues'. Harlow was designed to be a self contained community rather than a satellite town for London.

But, as Lynsey finds out, all that is changing in 2017. She talks to hyper local journalist Michael Casey about the housing crisis and how, even in Harlow, social housing now seems like a relic from another era.

Presenter: Lynsey Hanley
Producer: Sara Parker and Joe Sykes
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b092g8g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b06r4gpl)
Further from Heaven

Drama: Further From Heaven by James O'Neill
Rural Ireland. Reckless and feckless Danny survives a serious car crash. His partner Catherine thinks he's very lucky. Maybe there's someone looking after him. Then an enigmatic old man knocks on the door and life for the couple will never be the same.

Director/Producer Gary Brown.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b092gbbn)
Lerwick

Peter Gibbs presents the horticultural panel show from Lerwick, Shetland. Matthew Wilson, Matt Biggs and Anne Swithinbank answer this week's questions.

Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (b092ggjf)
Series 1, Joseph

In JOSEPH, a specially commissioned story by David Szalay, two men leave the train and take up position by the waterside - in a foreign place. One of them depends on the other for instruction, until the day he goes missing..

Reader Nyasha Hatendi

Producer Duncan Minshull.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b092ggjh)

Obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died.


FRI 16:30 More or Less (b092ggjk)

Investigating the numbers in the news.


FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b092ggjm)
Judy and Babs - A Difficult Decision

The mother of a severely disabled daughter admits to her friend the enormous price she's paid in keeping her child. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


FRI 17:00 PM (b09295gz)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09295h1)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b092gkkl)
Series 11, Episode 6

This week, the Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator, the brilliant Romesh Ranganathan welcome:

The Australian writer of Puberty Blues, newspaper columnist, Simpsons writer, charity ambassador and formerly obsessive teen fan of Spike Milligan, Kathy Lette.

Author and adventurer, podcaster and editor, member of Team UK in the European Miniature Golf Championships and the man who has read all the books you should have, Andy Miller.

and

Comedian, actor, author, presenter, film director, documentary maker, social media guru, atheist, activist, businessman, charity patron, voice-over artist, panel show host, sitcom writer, movie star and ambassador for Norwich City FC, Stephen Fry.

This week, the Museum's Guest Committee offer as exhibits the mysterious thing that drives women to be mothers, a receptacle for honey that contains nothing more than a broken balloon and ... a bunch of grapes.

The show was researched by Anne Miller of QI and Mike Turner.

The production coordinator was Tamara Shilham.

The producers were Richard Turner and James Harkin.

It was a BBC Studios production.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b092gkkn)

Contemporary drama in a rural setting. Adam wants the truth, and Lexi clears up some confusion.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b09295h3)

News, reviews and interviews from the worlds of art, literature, film and music.


FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b092g97d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b092gkkq)
Minette Batters, Billy Bragg, Lisa Nandy MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from the Mariners' Hall in Beer, Devon, with the Deputy President of the National Farmers' Union Minette Batters, the singer and activist Billy Bragg, the Labour MP Lisa Nandy and the Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b092gkks)
The Religion of Rights

A reflection on a topical issue.


FRI 21:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b08yg5y8)
28 August - 1 September 1917

The fifth omnibus of Season 11, Broken and Mad, set in Folkestone, in the week, in 1917, when Wilfred Owen wrote 'Many of us who came to the Hydro slightly ill are now getting dangerously well'.

Cast
Jessie Moore ..... Lucy Hutchinson
Esme Macknade ..... Katie Angelou
Howard Argent ..... Gunnar Cauthery
Florrie Wilson ..... Claire Rushbrook
Adeline Lumley ..... Helen Schlesinger
Ulysses Pilchard ..... Khalid Abdalla
Phyllis Marshall ..... Christine Absalom
Norman Harris ..... Sean Baker
Gabriel Graham ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Juliet Cavendish ..... Lizzie Bourne
Alice Macknade ..... Claire Louise Cordwell
Sylvia Graham ..... Joanna David
Joan Edkins ..... Rachel Davies
Silas Morrow ..... Shaun Dooley
Oscar Hendrickx ..... Pierre Elliot
Hilary Pearce ..... Craige Els
Albert Wilson ..... Jamie Foreman
Chester Matthews ..... Samuel James
Maisie Harris ..... Cassie Layton
Victor Lumley ..... Joel McCormack
Lily Mott ..... Sanchia MacCormack
Kitty Lumley ..... Ami Metcalf
Clemmie Crayford ..... Joanna Monro
Olive Hargreaves ..... Rhiannon Neads
Jane Underdown ..... Susan Porrett
Agnes Hemmings ..... Jane Slavin
Dennis Monk ..... Sam Swann
Ivy Layton ..... Lizzy Watts
Charles Summer ..... Rufus Wright

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole

Story led by Katie Hims
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Composer: Matthew Strachan
Consultant Historian: Maggie Andrews.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b09295h5)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0940xmr)
Afterworld, Episode 5

Written by Anthony Doerr. Esther, who is an epileptic, escaped Nazi Germany when she was a child and has lived contentedly in Ohio with her husband and their son. Now 85, her fits have intensified and she is haunted by visions of her childhood friends from the orphanage she grew up in. They appear to be calling to her, as memories from her past flood in.

Episode 5:
Miriam's voice is getting stronger.

Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel All The Light We Cannot See which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Afterworld is taken from Memory Wall, a collection of stories about memory.

Writer: Anthony Doerr
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Allan Corduner
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b091v0c7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:27 Enlightenment After Dark (b092t33j)
Series 1, Digital

In Enlightenment After Dark Allan Little hosts a series of discussions in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment. Tonight Allan talks to Professor Jon Oberlander of Edinburgh University and tech philosopher Tom Chatfield about the digital world.


FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b092gkvk)
Claire and Findlay - When Your Parent Has MS

A support worker whose father had MS understands what a 12 year old is going through.Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

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 (b092cnpn)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 MON (b092cnpn)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 TUE (b092f8wr)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 TUE (b092f8wr)

15 Minute Drama 10:41 WED (b092ft01)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 WED (b092ft01)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 THU (b092fyw8)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 THU (b092fyw8)

15 Minute Drama 10:45 FRI (b092g97d)

15 Minute Drama 19:45 FRI (b092g97d)

A Good Read 00:17 MON (b072jlgx)

A Point of View 08:48 SUN (b091wf88)

A Point of View 20:50 FRI (b092gkks)

Afternoon Drama 14:15 WED (b01s7yw5)

Aleks in Wonderland: The Story of the Internet 09:00 WED (b092fszv)

Aleks in Wonderland: The Story of the Internet 21:30 WED (b092fszv)

All in a Chord 09:30 WED (b088973x)

Ankle Tag 18:30 WED (b092fwx8)

Any Answers? 14:00 SAT (b091s88q)

Any Questions? 13:10 SAT (b091wf86)

Any Questions? 20:00 FRI (b092gkkq)

Archive on 4 20:00 SAT (b0926flh)

BBC Inside Science 16:30 THU (b09295db)

BBC Inside Science 21:00 THU (b09295db)

Bad Salsa 11:30 WED (b092ft05)

Before They Were Famous 23:15 WED (b05vdtgg)

Bells on Sunday 05:43 SUN (b0929r9b)

Bells on Sunday 00:45 MON (b0929r9b)

Beyond Belief 16:30 MON (b092ct07)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 MON (b092f4jc)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 TUE (b0940wnw)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 WED (b0940wxm)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 THU (b0940x86)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 FRI (b0940xmr)

Book of the Week 00:30 SAT (b092sh31)

Book of the Week 09:45 MON (b092cnpl)

Book of the Week 00:30 TUE (b092cnpl)

Book of the Week 09:45 TUE (b092f8wp)

Book of the Week 00:30 WED (b092f8wp)

Book of the Week 09:45 WED (b092fszx)

Book of the Week 00:30 THU (b092fszx)

Book of the Week 09:45 THU (b092fyw6)

Book of the Week 00:30 FRI (b092fyw6)

Book of the Week 09:45 FRI (b092g97b)

Boston Calling 23:30 SAT (b091snqv)

Broadcasting House 09:00 SUN (b0929511)

Bunk Bed 23:00 THU (b092g8gg)

Chain Reaction 18:30 THU (b05mtcjp)

Conversations on a Bench 09:00 TUE (b092f83g)

Conversations on a Bench 21:30 TUE (b092f83g)

Costume Drama: The Wonderful World of Cosplay 11:30 THU (b08rnz3l)

Counterpoint 23:00 SAT (b091sz8v)

Counterpoint 15:00 MON (b092cpb9)

Crossing Continents 20:30 MON (b091w8h6)

Crossing Continents 11:00 THU (b092fywb)

Dave Podmore 19:15 SUN (b036jhtl)

Disrupted Development 20:00 TUE (b092fhwm)

Drama 14:30 SAT (b07m4lm6)

Drama 21:00 SAT (b07mw4f3)

Drama 14:15 MON (b092cnt6)

Drama 14:15 THU (b06bp3bc)

Drama 14:15 FRI (b06r4gpl)

Enlightenment After Dark 23:30 MON (b092f55d)

Enlightenment After Dark 23:30 TUE (b092t4gm)

Enlightenment After Dark 23:30 WED (b092t89n)

Enlightenment After Dark 23:30 THU (b092t9b8)

Enlightenment After Dark 23:27 FRI (b092t33j)

Every Step You Take 21:00 TUE (b092fj9b)

Every Step You Take 15:30 WED (b092fj9b)

Fags, Mags and Bags 11:30 MON (b092cnps)

Farming Today 06:30 SAT (b091s888)

Farming Today 05:45 MON (b092953n)

Farming Today 05:45 TUE (b092956d)

Farming Today 05:45 WED (b0929594)

Farming Today 05:45 THU (b09295cw)

Farming Today 05:45 FRI (b09295gj)

Food Programme 12:32 SUN (b0929rtv)

Food Programme 15:30 MON (b0929rtv)

Four Thought 20:45 WED (b092fwxg)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:30 SAT (b091s88g)

Front Row 19:15 MON (b0929549)

Front Row 19:15 TUE (b092956z)

Front Row 19:15 WED (b092959s)

Front Row 19:15 THU (b09295dj)

Front Row 19:15 FRI (b09295h3)

Gardeners' Question Time 14:00 SUN (b091wf7n)

Gardeners' Question Time 15:00 FRI (b092gbbn)

Good Psychologist, Bad Psychologist 21:00 WED (b092fwzr)

Gordon Goes Forth 20:00 MON (b092f4j7)

Gordon Goes Forth 11:00 WED (b092f4j7)

Great Lives 16:30 TUE (b091v0c7)

Great Lives 23:00 FRI (b091v0c7)

Hiding Out 19:45 SUN (b0929s7b)

Home Front - Omnibus 21:00 FRI (b08yg5y8)

Home Front 12:04 MON (b08yfynh)

Home Front 12:04 TUE (b08yfz36)

Home Front 12:04 WED (b08yfzcf)

Home Front 12:04 THU (b08yfzf8)

Home Front 12:04 FRI (b08yfzkk)

In Business 21:30 SUN (b091wb36)

In Business 20:30 THU (b092g8gb)

In Search of Milton's 'Paradise Lost' 16:30 SUN (b0929s0c)

In Touch 20:40 TUE (b0929571)

Jarvis and Matthew 16:00 TUE (b07pjkhp)

Jenny Eclair Is Listless Today 11:00 MON (b092cnpq)

Just a Minute 12:04 SUN (b091sz8z)

Just a Minute 18:30 MON (b092ct0c)

Last Word 20:30 SUN (b091wf7s)

Last Word 16:00 FRI (b092ggjh)

Little Shop of Colours 11:30 TUE (b092f90h)

Loose Ends 18:15 SAT (b091s893)

Mastertapes 09:00 MON (b092cmwl)

Mastertapes 21:30 MON (b092khwp)

Midnight News 00:00 SAT (b091s87w)

Midnight News 00:00 SUN (b0929508)

Midnight News 00:00 MON (b092953b)

Midnight News 00:00 TUE (b0929562)

Midnight News 00:00 WED (b092958t)

Midnight News 00:00 THU (b09295ck)

Midnight News 00:00 FRI (b09295g6)

Midnight's Children 15:00 SUN (b092k685)

Money Box 12:04 SAT (b09293yt)

Money Box 21:00 SUN (b09293yt)

Money Box 15:00 WED (b09293yt)

More or Less 20:00 SUN (b091wf7v)

More or Less 16:30 FRI (b092ggjk)

Natural Histories 21:00 MON (b091tv93)

Natural Histories 11:00 TUE (b092f8wt)

News Briefing 05:30 SAT (b091s884)

News Briefing 05:30 SUN (b092950j)

News Briefing 05:30 MON (b092953l)

News Briefing 05:30 TUE (b092956b)

News Briefing 05:30 WED (b0929592)

News Briefing 05:30 THU (b09295ct)

News Briefing 05:30 FRI (b09295gg)

News Headlines 06:00 SUN (b092950l)

News Summary 12:00 SAT (b091s88j)

News Summary 12:00 SUN (b0929515)

News Summary 12:00 MON (b092953x)

News Summary 12:00 TUE (b092956l)

News Summary 12:00 WED (b092959b)

News Summary 12:00 THU (b09295d2)

News Summary 12:00 FRI (b09295gq)

News and Papers 06:00 SAT (b091s886)

News and Papers 07:00 SUN (b092950s)

News and Papers 08:00 SUN (b092950z)

News and Weather 22:00 SAT (b091s897)

News 13:00 SAT (b091s88n)

Oliver Burkeman Is Busy 09:30 MON (b07v07pb)

On Your Farm 06:35 SUN (b0929r9d)

Open Book 16:00 SUN (b0929rxs)

Open Book 15:30 THU (b0929rxs)

Open Country 06:07 SAT (b091wb2s)

Open Country 15:00 THU (b092g72v)

PM 17:00 SAT (b091s88v)

PM 17:00 MON (b0929545)

PM 17:00 TUE (b092956v)

PM 17:00 WED (b092959n)

PM 17:00 THU (b09295dd)

PM 17:00 FRI (b09295gz)

Pepys the Musician 23:00 MON (b08kv3y8)

Pick of the Week 18:15 SUN (b092951k)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 SAT (b091wh4d)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 MON (b092cllj)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 TUE (b092f776)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 WED (b092t7q7)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 THU (b092vgxg)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 FRI (b092g978)

Profile 19:00 SAT (b09294g7)

Profile 05:45 SUN (b09294g7)

Profile 17:40 SUN (b09294g7)

Queens of Chapeltown 16:00 MON (b092cqyt)

Radio 4 Appeal 07:54 SUN (b0929r9g)

Radio 4 Appeal 21:26 SUN (b0929r9g)

Radio 4 Appeal 15:27 THU (b0929r9g)

Reflections with Peter Hennessy 09:00 THU (b092fyw4)

Reflections with Peter Hennessy 21:30 THU (b092fyw4)

Roger Law and the Giant Pot 15:30 SAT (b091tv95)

Saturday Live 09:00 SAT (b091s88d)

Saturday Review 19:15 SAT (b091s895)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SAT (b091s880)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SUN (b092950d)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 MON (b092953g)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 TUE (b0929566)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 WED (b092958y)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 THU (b09295cp)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 FRI (b09295gb)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SAT (b091s87y)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SAT (b091s882)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SAT (b091s88x)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SUN (b092950b)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SUN (b092950g)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SUN (b092951c)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 MON (b092953d)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 MON (b092953j)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 TUE (b0929564)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 TUE (b0929568)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 WED (b092958w)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 WED (b0929590)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 THU (b09295cm)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 THU (b09295cr)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 FRI (b09295g8)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 FRI (b09295gd)

Short Cuts 15:30 TUE (b092fhwg)

Short Works 00:30 SUN (b091wf7q)

Short Works 15:45 FRI (b092ggjf)

Shush! 18:30 TUE (b06d9p9x)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SAT (b091s891)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SUN (b092951h)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 MON (b0929547)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 TUE (b092956x)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 WED (b092959q)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 THU (b09295dg)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 FRI (b09295h1)

Something Understood 06:05 SUN (b092950n)

Something Understood 23:30 SUN (b092950n)

Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing 13:45 MON (b092cnpz)

Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing 13:45 TUE (b092fbqy)

Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing 13:45 WED (b092ft65)

Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing 13:45 THU (b092g72s)

Streets Apart: A History of Social Housing 13:45 FRI (b092gb3t)

Sunday Worship 08:10 SUN (b0929r9j)

Sunday 07:10 SUN (b092950v)

Test Case 14:15 TUE (b092fbr0)

Test Case 15:00 TUE (b091tx5x)

The Archers Omnibus 10:00 SUN (b0929513)

The Archers 19:00 SUN (b0929s3z)

The Archers 14:00 MON (b0929s3z)

The Archers 19:00 MON (b092ct0k)

The Archers 14:00 TUE (b092ct0k)

The Archers 19:00 TUE (b092fhwk)

The Archers 14:00 WED (b092fhwk)

The Archers 19:00 WED (b092fwxb)

The Archers 14:00 THU (b092fwxb)

The Archers 19:00 THU (b092g8g6)

The Archers 14:00 FRI (b092g8g6)

The Archers 19:00 FRI (b092gkkn)

The Briefing Room 20:00 THU (b092g8g8)

The Cold Swedish Winter 11:30 FRI (b092gb3r)

The Edge of Life 17:00 SUN (b091v0tk)

The Film Programme 23:00 SUN (b091wb2w)

The Film Programme 16:00 THU (b092g72x)

The Fix 22:15 SAT (b091w5qc)

The Fix 20:00 WED (b092fwxd)

The Forum 11:00 SAT (b09293yq)

The Funeral Singer 11:00 FRI (b092gb3p)

The John Moloney Show 23:00 WED (b092fxgq)

The Listening Project 14:45 SUN (b0929rxn)

The Listening Project 10:55 WED (b092ft03)

The Listening Project 16:55 FRI (b092ggjm)

The Listening Project 23:55 FRI (b092gkvk)

The Media Show 16:30 WED (b092959l)

The Museum of Curiosity 12:30 SAT (b091wf81)

The Museum of Curiosity 18:30 FRI (b092gkkl)

The Reunion 11:15 SUN (b0929rts)

The Reunion 09:00 FRI (b0929rts)

The Slogan Warrior 16:00 WED (b092fwx6)

The Stanley Baxter Playhouse 23:00 TUE (b048nsml)

The World This Weekend 13:00 SUN (b0929519)

The World Tonight 22:00 MON (b092954c)

The World Tonight 22:00 TUE (b0929573)

The World Tonight 22:00 WED (b092959v)

The World Tonight 22:00 THU (b09295dl)

The World Tonight 22:00 FRI (b09295h5)

Today 07:00 SAT (b09293xy)

Today 06:00 MON (b092953s)

Today 06:00 TUE (b092956g)

Today 06:00 WED (b0929596)

Today 06:00 THU (b09295cy)

Today 06:00 FRI (b09295gl)

Tweet of the Day 08:58 SUN (b091stsb)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 MON (b092clll)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 TUE (b092f778)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 WED (b092fszs)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 THU (b092fyw2)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 FRI (b092t5j1)

Weather 06:57 SAT (b091s88b)

Weather 12:57 SAT (b091s88l)

Weather 17:57 SAT (b091s88z)

Weather 06:57 SUN (b092950q)

Weather 07:57 SUN (b092950x)

Weather 12:57 SUN (b0929517)

Weather 17:57 SUN (b092951f)

Weather 05:56 MON (b092953q)

Weather 12:57 MON (b0929541)

Weather 12:57 TUE (b092956q)

Weather 12:57 WED (b092959g)

Weather 12:57 THU (b09295d6)

Weather 12:57 FRI (b09295gv)

Westminster Hour 22:00 SUN (b092951m)

When Greeks Flew Kites 13:30 SUN (b0929rtx)

Woman's Hour 16:00 SAT (b091s88s)

Woman's Hour 10:00 MON (b092953v)

Woman's Hour 10:00 TUE (b092956j)

Woman's Hour 10:00 WED (b0929598)

Woman's Hour 10:00 THU (b09295d0)

Woman's Hour 10:00 FRI (b09295gn)

World War One: The Cultural Front 10:30 SAT (b09293yn)

World at One 13:00 MON (b0929543)

World at One 13:00 TUE (b092956s)

World at One 13:00 WED (b092959j)

World at One 13:00 THU (b09295d8)

World at One 13:00 FRI (b09295gx)

You and Yours 12:15 MON (b092953z)

You and Yours 12:15 TUE (b092956n)

You and Yours 12:15 WED (b092959d)

You and Yours 12:15 THU (b09295d4)

You and Yours 12:15 FRI (b09295gs)

iPM 05:45 SAT (b09294g5)

iPM 17:30 SAT (b09294g5)