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 24 FEBRUARY 2018

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b09rwtfr)

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


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b09scdxy)
Yorkshire, Episode 5

Yorkshire is one of Europe's most geologically varied areas - a realm where mountain, plain, coast, chalk hills, wetland and heath intermingle.

In Richard Morris' Yorkshire, we discover the county through eyes of artists like J M W Turner, William Callow and Henry Moore - and the imagination of writers such as The Brontes, Winifred Holtby and J B Priestley.

We travel to the county's netherworld of caves, mines and tunnels, and confront dark subjects such as the part played by Whitby and Hull in the emptying of Arctic seas and shores of whales and bears.

Yorkshire explores the tumultuous history of the county and asks why it has so often been to the fore in times of conflict or tension - think Wars of the Roses, Civil War, Cold War, the miners' strike of 1984.

Both in area and population, Yorkshire today is larger than many member countries of the UN, yet remains just an English county. Richard Morris delivers a wide-ranging, lyrical and very personal history of God's Own County.

Richard Morris is an Emeritus Professor of the University of Huddersfield. He was Director of the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) from 1991 to 1999. His interest in churches, settlement, historical topography, cultural history and aviation are reflected in essays, articles and books. His book Time's Anvil: England, Archaeology and the Imagination was longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and shortlisted for the 2015 Archaeological Book of the Year. His other publications include Churches In The Landscape (1989) as well as biographies of Guy Gibson (1994) and Leonard Cheshire (2000).

Written by Richard Morris
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Reader: Philip Jackson
Produced by Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09rwtft)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09rwtfw)

SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09rwtfy)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b09rwtg0)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09rx7tv)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b09rx7tx)

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 (b09rwtg2)

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


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (b09rznj2)
Series 38, Greens Norton, Northamptonshire

Clare Balding joins Christina Edwards as she returns to her childhood home in Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, to retrace the walk she took most nights as a teenager, when suffering from anorexia. Christina lived with her mother in a small cottage on the village green. At seventeen Christina stopped eating and as she explains to Clare, as hunger would wake her in the middle of the night, she'd slip out of the house, always accompanied by their dog Jamie and set off on a long walk around the village to try and tire herself out and soothe her mind. Jamie would never leave her side as she strode across the fields and along footpaths, always listening to the same album on her Walkman, The Waterboys, This is the Sea.
Christina now lives in New Zealand with her husband and three children, she talks to Clare about the strength it took to overcome her condition and how she still needs to battle with it today.

If you need support with eating disorders, help and support is available. Visit the BBC Action http://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/a-z

Producer Lucy Lunt.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b09rwtg4)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b09rwtg6)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b09sdgnl)

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


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b09rwtg8)
Debbie McGee

Debbie McGee tells us about her time on Strictly, how she needs to keep busy and life two years after the death of her husband, Paul Daniels.
Joe Cushnan's father walked out on his family, never to return or make any contact. Joe is now trying to find out about the life his father subsequently embarked on.
Rosamund Thorpe is sure she has Scottish blood and knows where it came from.
Peter Lovatt aka Dr Dance tells us how dance helped him learn to read and go on to have a career as a dance academic.
Composer Debbie Wiseman chooses her Inheritance Tracks - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing by The New Seekers and Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major, Opus 9 No 2.

Debbie McGee will be appearing on The Pilgrimage on BBC 2 over Easter.
Peter Lovatt's Boogie on the Brain Tour takes place in April, June and July.
Debbie Wiseman's new album, The Glorious Garden, a collaboration with gardener and writer Alan Titchmarsh, is out on 2 March.


SAT 10:30 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b09sdlkx)
Series 8, Titanic

Paul Gambaccini nears some of the tears and triumphs that surrounded the production of what was the most expensive film ever made.

Diving to the wreck of Titanic, 12,000 feet under the North Atlantic, became an obsession for director James Cameron.
Over many dives Cameron came to know every detail of the celebrated catastrophe. He visited the wreck more times than any other human being, and the moviemaker felt a compulsion to tell the tale of those on board the first and final voyage in 1912.

But to make a new film about a familiar tragedy on the scale he wanted required a very big budget.
When the production hit the $200 million mark, the studios that back it feared ruin - but ended up with the biggest grossing film of all time.
Titanic, in every sense. was a work of extraordinary scale and wonder.
The passion of director James Cameron for the real ship wreck drove the production, but how was it for cast and crew?
We hear of arguments and walk outs, but also the work of consummate professionals working together.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b09sdlkz)

Paul Waugh of HuffPost UK looks behind the scenes at Westminster. The editor is Marie Jessel.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b09rwtgb)

Reports from writers and journalists around the world. Presented by Kate Adie.


SAT 12:00 News Summary (b09rwtgd)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (b09sdll1)
Could a cold-calling ban stop pension scams?

A ban on cold calls, aimed at protecting people from the risk of transferring their pension savings to scammers, has yet to become law. Following a report from MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee which backed speeding up introducing the ban, the government promised to "continue to work swiftly" to make it happen. John reveals how answering a cold call resulted in him releasing £240,000 from his pension. Michelle Cracknell, Chief Executive of the Pensions Advisory Service and Scott Gallacher, Chartered Financial Planner at Rowley Turton Private Wealth Management, who was one of the initial sponsors of a 2016 parliamentary petition calling for a ban on cold calling, discuss how effective the new law might be.

George Bull, Senior Tax Partner with accountants RSM explains why cryptocurrency owners who are expecting to claim tax relief for Bitcoin losses might be in for a surprise.

What are the options for anyone considering whether to save or to invest money? Guests: Anna Bowes, Director at the independent savings advice website savingschampion.co.uk and Maike Currie, Investment Director with Fidelity International.


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b09rzxh1)
Series 95, 23/02/2018

Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Vicki Pepperdine and Susan Calman are Miles's guests for the last episode in the current series.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b09rwtgg)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b09rwtgj)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b09rzxh5)
Jenny Chapman MP, Tom Harwood, Femi Oluwole, Baroness Warsi

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from the Life Science Centre in Newcastle with a panel including Shadow Brexit Minister Jenny Chapman MP, Tom Harwood, an activist and commentator who ran the national student wing of the Vote Leave campaign in 2016 , Femi Oluwole the co founder of OFOC - Our Future Our Choice - a youth campaign group committed to democratically stopping Brexit and the conservative peer and former cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b09rwtgl)

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


SAT 14:30 Drama (b09sdsrk)
The Good Companions

John Retallack's dramatisation of J B Priestley's classic story of a 1929 Concert Party tour charts new adventures for factory worker Jess Oakroyd and newly independant Miss Trant.

Music composed by Neil Brand

Musicians Neil Brand, Michael Hammond & Alex Hammond.

Director: David Hunter.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b09rwtgn)
Weekend Woman's Hour

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


SAT 17:00 PM (b09rwtgq)
Saturday PM

Caroline Wyatt with coverage of the day's news.


SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (b09rznjb)
Who Owns British Companies?

What has happened to Margaret Thatcher's dream of creating a nation of shareholders? Over the last decade there's been a big increase in the amount of foreign ownership. ONS figures show foreign investors now own over fifty per cent of shares listed on the stock exchange. Evan Davis and guests discuss why this has happened and whether it matters.

GUESTS

John Dawson, Founding Partner, Statera

Gillian Karran-Cumberlege, Founder, Fidelio Partners

Gervais Williams, Fund Manager, Miton Group.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b09rwtgs)

The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b09rwtgv)

The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09rwtgx)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b09rwtgz)
Rupert Graves, Sandhya Suri, Tom Burke, Garry Robson, Rae Morris, Nilufer Yanya, Nikki Bedi, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Nikki Bedi are joined by Rupert Graves, Tom Burke, Garry Robson and Sandhya Suri for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Rae Morris and Nilüfer Yanya.

Producer: Sukey Firth.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b09sjt48)
Daniel Kaluuya

Series of profiles of people who are currently making headlines.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b09rwth1)
Dark River, The B*easts, BBC TV's Civilisations, Fire Sermon, Pop! Art in Chichester

Ruth Wilson stars in British film Dark River; a tragedy about a family coping with death on a rundown farm in Yorkshire,
The B*easts at London's Bush Theatre is an exploration of the pornification of culture and the sexualisation of children.
Kenneth Clark's landmark 1969 BBC TV series Civilisation explored the history of Western art, architecture and philosophy since the Dark Ages. It's now been remade as Civilisations.
Fire Sermon is a novel by Jamie Quatro about a mother devoted to her family who begins an affair, throwing all her moral certainties into a spiral.
Pop! Art in a Changing Britain is a new exhibition at Chichester's Pallant Gallery. The issues raised by pop artists in the 50s and 60s about mass media, the cult of celebrity, questions of identity and prevalent political concerns still resonate today.

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Kate Maltby, Viv Groskop and Kevin Jackson. The producer is Oliver Jones.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b09th2km)
The Bald Truth

For thousands of years, bald men have been the subject of ridicule. As a result they've felt ashamed and have resorted to desperate measures to hide their condition. During the decades when hair style was a cultural battleground between youth and the establishment, the balding man was at the bottom of the heap. No prime minister since Clement Attlee has been bald. But increasingly, bald men are coming out of the closet and shaving their heads - and some women too. Research shows that bald men are perceived as less attractive but more dominant. Now that we are more relaxed about hair style, and more willing to tolerate tonsorial diversity, are bald men finally able to shed the stigma? And could the comb-over finally make a come back? Ian Marchant, who has shaved his head since the early 1980s, investigates.

Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.


SAT 21:00 Riot Girls (b09rwzvs)
The Robber Bride, Episode 1

by Margaret Atwood
dramatised by Sarah Wooley

1/2
In Margaret Atwood's brilliant and contemporary re-working of the Grimm's fairy story, three old university friends
are about to be shockingly reminded of a dark secret from their pasts - which they had hoped was buried forever....

Zenia ..... Tanya Moodie
Roz ..... Teresa Gallagher
Tony ..... Barbara Barnes
Charis ..... Isabella Inchbald
West ..... David Reakes
Billy ...... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Uncle Vern ..... Rupert Holliday-Evans

Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow

In "The Robber Bride" Margaret Atwood brilliantly turns this Brothers Grimm fairytale on its head, by re-casting all the roles as female. In the original tale, the Robber Bridegroom steals young maidens for his own ends, but Atwood casts the bridegroom as a predatory woman (described by Lorrie Moore in the New York Times as "Richard III with breast implants") and looks at the effects her manipulation has on three female friends in Toronto, as they go through university and into their adult lives, between 1967 and 1990.
Canadian born British actress Tanya Moodie stars as Zenia.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b09rwth3)

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


SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (b09rzhxl)
Religious orthodoxy versus liberal values

Orthodox faith schools have long been crucibles in which enlightenment values and religious freedoms have simmered uncomfortably. The bubbling grew fiercer this week with the prospect of more faith schools and the scrapping of the rule that they have to take in non-believers. The concern among many about what religious conservatives are teaching children has hardly been assuaged by a group of ultra-orthodox rabbis in Hackney, who are urging their schools not to accept government funding for teaching the 'lie' that the Earth is more than 6,000 years old. The influence of religious conservatism, of course, extends beyond the education system. Halal slaughter, considered cruel by many outside the Muslim faith, is on the rise and we're increasingly and unwittingly eating the product of it, according to Lord Trees, former president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Many believe that such orthodox beliefs and practices have no place in modern society; Iceland, for example is proposing to criminalise male circumcision. Yet, conservative adherents of minority faiths believe such interference displays religious illiteracy. The attempt to snuff out thousands of years of tradition in the name of recently acquired 'liberal' values is, they say, ignorant, arrogant and oppressive, because truly liberal values should respect cultural and religious diversity, not flatten beliefs into state-sanctioned uniformity. Their opponents draw the line when they perceive harm to others - children, animals or society. Can we - should we - live in a society that accepts religious orthodoxy?
Witnesses are Dr Susan Blackmore, Prof Philip Booth, Stephen Evans, and Jonathan Arkush.

Producer: Dan Tierney.


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (b09rx3w2)
Top Brain 2018

Every three years the 'Brain of Brains' contest determines which of the most recent 'Brain of Britain' winners is named the champion of champions. In this contest the 'Brain of Brains' winners play for the ultimate general knowledge title, 'Top Brain 2018'. The winner of last week's 'Brain of Brains 2018' contest joins formidable former champions Mark Grant and Ian Bayley, in a nail-biting run-off for the title.

A listener also stands to win a prize by attempting to outwit the champions with questions of his or her own devising.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b09rx0hb)
Liz Berry

Liz Berry joins Roger McGough to present a selection of her favourite poems from listener requests. Choices include, Dylan Thomas, Charlotte Mew, Kathleen Jamie, James Wright, Thomas Hardy, Sharon Olds, Wendy Pratt and Jackie Kay.

Producer: Sarah Addezio.



SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2018

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b09smglh)

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


SUN 00:30 Short Works (b09rzxgv)
Series 1, The Man Who Loved Birds

By Alex Preston. A man who grew up surrounded by birds and birdsong misses them badly when, as an adult, he lives and works in the city. He decides to solve the problem by setting off on a journey.

Alex Preston is an author and journalist and teaches creative writing at the University of Kent. His most recent novel, In Love and War, was produced as a Book at Bedtime for BBC Radio 4. His personal anthology of nature writing, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, was published in 2017. Alex lives in Kent with his wife and two children.

Writer: Alex Preston
Reader: Joe Sims
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smglk)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smglm)

SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smglp)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b09smglr)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b09smnh2)
Blessed Virgin Mary, Wambrook

This week's Bells on Sunday comes from the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wambrook in Somerset. The tenor weighs 8 hundred weight, and is tuned to A. There's a ring of five bells, with the oldest dating from the 14th century. We hear them ringing, 'Winchendon Place Doubles'.


SUN 05:45 Lent Talks (b09rzhy9)
More than Bread Alone - Sharman Apt Russell

Every year, to mark the Christian season of Lent, Radio 4 invites contributors to offer a personal take on an aspect of the Passion story. The series opens with the Science writer Sharman Apt Russell who writes about the hunger that is for more than bread alone.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.


SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b09smglt)

The latest national and international news.


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b09smglw)
The Masks We Wear

To mark the Jewish festival of Purim, when observants wear masks and costumes, Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand examines the many forms of mask we wear.

Purim commemorates the story of Queen Esther of Persia, who hid her identity as a Jew when she entered the royal harem. Within the palace, not even her husband, the King, realises she's a Jew. But when the anti-Semitic villain of the story, Haman, reveals his evil plot to murder all of the Jews, Esther is forced into a moment of reckoning.

Her uncle Mordecai challenges her to take off her metaphorical mask and reveal her true identity. Mordecai argues that her current disguise won't save her from destruction. He also suggests that there has been a higher purpose to her masquerade - the redemption of her people. Esther's bravery and leadership save the day. She reveals her Jewish identity to the King and the evil Haman's plot is foiled.

So, Purim has become Judaism's topsy-turvy day, when masks are worn, identities played with and the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred.

Shoshana explores the significance of masks during Venice's carnivals, where the frivolity of the celebrations belies the profound historical origins of the masks. She also draws upon Giuseppe Verdi's opera A Masked Ball, which shows masks to reveal much about the human condition.

Masks can be used to hide physical deformity, as is the case in The Phantom of the Opera. They can also take the non-physical form of what Carl Jung called the persona - a kind of mask used to "conceal the true nature of the individual".

Shoshana concludes that masks can be used to hide or reveal who we are, depending on how we use them.

Presenter: Shoshana Boyd Gelfand
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b09smnh4)
Farming Pirate Island

Clare Island, off Ireland's west coast, was once the home of the legendary Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley who negotiated a peace treaty with Elizabeth I. Nowadays the residents lead quieter lives, with farming and tourism the main sources of income. More than 40 farms still survive on Clare Island. Sarah Swadling meets a modern day O'Malley, Joe, who combines farming with work on the local ferries. She also catches up with one of Clare Island's youngest farmers, Christian Pinder, as well as farmer and fisherman James O'Toole.


SUN 06:57 Weather (b09smgly)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b09smgm0)

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


SUN 07:10 Sunday (b09smgm2)
Syria update, Purim and ecumenical marriage

Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (b09smnh6)
Gingerbread

Robert Peston makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Gingerbread.

Registered Charity Number: 230750
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 'Gingerbread'.
- Cheques should be made payable to 'Gingerbread'.

Photo: Alan Davidson.


SUN 07:57 Weather (b09smgm4)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b09smgm6)

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


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b09smnh8)
Establishing Authority

On the second Sunday of Lent, the Rev. Canon Dr. Sarah Rowland Jones continues the theme of "Stories of Hope". The live service from the City Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Cardiff, led by the Rev. Dyfrig LLoyd, explores ways to seek out, know and trust the authority of God. Reading: Mark 6: 7-13. Music by The Cantemus Chamber Choir, directed by Huw Williams and accompanied by Peter King, includes Ubi Caritas (Mealor); Requiem: Psalm 23 (Howells); Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (Blaenwern) and All My Hope on God is Founded (Michael) . Producer: Karen Walker.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b09rzxh7)
The Dangers of a Higher Education

A weekly reflection on a topical issue.


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b09rx1zy)
Joe Acheson on the Wren

Musician Joe Acheson of Hidden Orchestra describes how slowing down recordings he made of the diminutive wren song during a dawn chorus, sounded like the morning calls of gibbons across the rainforest.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. In this latest 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
Photograph: Sam Linton.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b09smgm8)

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 (b09smgmb)

Brian goes too far, and there is a shock for Will.


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b09smnhb)
Dame Minouche Shafik

Dame Minouche Shafik is the director of the London School of Economics and a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.
She was born in Egypt but her family had to flee the country when she was four years old, because her parents lost everything during President Nasser's nationalisation programme. Her father, a scientist, found work in America, and Minouche and her sister attended numerous schools there, before she went back to Egypt at the age of 16. She trained as an economist, studying at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the London School of Economics before receiving her doctorate at Oxford.
Minouche Shafik was the youngest ever Vice President of the World Bank, at the age of 36. She later served as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development from 2008 to 2011. She joined the Bank of England as its first Deputy Governor on Markets in 2014, and was a member of the bank's monetary policy committee. She became a Dame in the 2015 June Birthday Honours list.

Producer: Sarah Taylor.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (b09smgmd)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (b09rx4s5)
Series 80, Episode 1

Nicholas Parsons presents the iconic panel show. Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Jenny Eclair and Tony Hawks try to speak for a minute on a variety of topics.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b09smnhd)
Eat to Run, Part 3

Dan Saladino meets the runners convinced low or no carbs is the way to peak performance.


SUN 12:57 Weather (b09smgmg)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b09smgmj)

Global news and analysis.


SUN 13:30 When Greeks Flew Kites (b09smnhg)

In this monthly series, 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 a different modern day anxiety, hope or idea as its starting point each month, the series considers how certain questions are constant, yet also change their shape over time. Sarah celebrates the role of imagination in History and History as a discipline is at the heart of the programme, showing how historians are continually changing the questions they ask of the past.

The programme takes its name from the industrialist Henry Ford who, in 1921 reportedly told the New York Times, "History is Bunk" and asked "What difference does it make how many times the ancient Greeks flew kites?"

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


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b09rzxgs)
Bodnant Gardens

Eric Robson and the panel are hosted by Bodnant Gardens in North Wales. Pippa Greenwood, Bob Flowerdew and Matt Biggs answer the audience's horticultural questions.

Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b09smnhk)
Omnibus - Men of Ulster

Fi Glover introduces four conversations about life in Northern Ireland between men who have music in common 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 Riot Girls (b09smtrv)
The Robber Bride, Episode 2

by Margaret Atwood
dramatised for radio by Sarah Wooley

2/2

Zenia's reappearance from the dead has unsettled her 3 old university friends. As we go back to the 1980s and
successful businesswoman Roz's story, will there be anything to make her - or us - believe Zenia is who she says she is
or, more crucially, that she can be trusted?

Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow

In "The Robber Bride" Margaret Atwood has brilliantly turned this Brothers Grimm fairy tale on its head, by re-casting all the roles as female. In the original tale, the Robber Bridegroom steals young maidens for his own ends, but Atwood casts the bridegroom as a predatory woman (described by Lorrie Moore in the New York Times as "Richard III with breast implants"). She looks at the effects Zenia's manipulation has on three female friends in Toronto, as they go through university and into their adult lives, between 1967 and 1990. Having heard how Zenia has lied to both Tony and Charis and stolen each of their men, it's now the turn of successful businesswoman, Roz. Surely Zenia can't pull the wool over her eyes? But we all have our Achilles' heel......
Canadian born British actress Tanya Moodie stars as Zenia.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (b09smtrx)

Prize winning short story writer Jessie Greengrass discusses her debut novel, Sight which deftly interweaves an intimate portrait of bereavement, pregnancy and motherhood with a history of some landmark medical advances.

And more experimental fiction: Jeremy Gavron talks about creating a brand new original novel from classic texts and Danny Denton celebrates John Moriarty.

And, marking 100 years of the Suffrage Act, Caitlin Davies explores the books that offered solace to the suffragettes when they were sent to Holloway Prison.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b09smtrz)
Liz Lochhead

Roger McGough is joined by his old friend Liz Lochhead, who shares a selection of her favourite poems from the Poetry Please archive of listeners' requests. Her choices include Norman MacCaig, Seamus Heaney, Mark Doty and John Cooper Clarke.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b09ry6k8)
On the Critical List? Britain's Ageing Hospitals

Can the NHS afford to run and replace its ageing hospitals?

Many hospitals are crumbling and have huge backlogs of required maintenance work. It affects patients - sometimes life-saving operations are being cancelled due to lack of capacity - or practical problems such as leaks or faulty air conditioning.

Money from capital budgets has been used to plug gaps in day to day spending - meaning an ever growing black hole of building work is backing up. So where to get the money?

The Government is adopting plans which would encourage NHS trusts to sell off spare land and try to get money for new buildings from the commercial sector.

But private finance initiatives are no longer an option. Trust deficits make borrowing difficult and hospital leaders say its difficult to get access to the money they need - like wading through treacle, one says - because of perverse rules and regulations.

So how should we pay for much needed life support for our hospitals?

Reporter: Lesley Curwen
Producer: Rob Cave
Editor: Gail Champion.


SUN 17:40 Profile (b09sjt48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b09smgml)

The latest shipping forecast.


SUN 17:57 Weather (b09smgmn)

The latest weather forecast.


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smgmq)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b09smgms)
Gerry Northam

Gerry Northam's star voice of the past week is Andrew Scott who read Book At Bedtime so beautifully it kept him awake.
We hear a great pianist Joanna MacGregor rehearsing Chopin.
Bill Nighy is louche and down-on-his-luck and slightly sozzled in a murder mystery.
A sceptic tries out a machine that is promised to give you free electricity for life.
And a Scandinavian theme features the legendary forerunners of Wagner's Ring Cycle and a dazzling doggerel version of Hamlet by Ronnie Barker.

Produced by Dave James
Production support by Kay Bishton.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (b09smts1)

The village is in shock, and Jennifer has a dilemma.


SUN 19:15 In and Out of the Kitchen (b03srgv9)
Series 3, The Awards

Damien is nominated for a 'Melvyn' for his TV show about the culinary habits of the great poets but finds it hard to think of what to write in his column for a new gentleman's magazine. Meanwhile, Anthony busies himself preparing for an audition for an amateur production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever.


SUN 19:45 The Computer Speaks (b062n4nl)
Secondary Memory

An original short story for radio by Danielle McLaughlin.

Our relationship with computers is an intimate one. What do they know of our lives? And what would they say about us if they could speak? The second of three stories about computers finding their voice.

Danielle McLaughlin's stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines such as The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times, The Penny Dreadful, Long Story, Short and The New Yorker. She is currently Editor for Short Stories in English at Southword Journal. Her debut collection of short stories, Dinosaurs on Other Planets, will be published in Ireland in October 2015 by The Stinging Fly Press, and in the UK (John Murray), US (Random House) and Germany (Luchterhand) in 2016.

Producer: Mair Bosworth
Reader: Samuel Barnett.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (b09rzxgx)

Is it impossible to cover Brexit impartially? What goes into a hit detective radio drama? And why has Quentin Letts decided to quit listening to the Today programme?

Roger Bolton returns with a new series of Feedback and starts by hearing listeners weigh in on the ongoing row over equal pay at the BBC.

Chris Morris sits down with Roger to answer listener concerns over his programme Brexit: A Guide for the Perplexed and explore how the passion of the Brexit debate affects impartiality.

Hugo Speer is an actor known for both TV and film but, for Radio 4 listeners, he is best known as the detective starring in the gritty drama series Stone. The latest ten-part series of the show has caused listeners to flood the Feedback inbox with praise. Hugo and Roger discuss what it takes to elevate a drama like Stone beyond the usual cop show cliches.

Finally, waspish columnist Quentin Letts recently appeared on Radio 4 to reveal why he had decided to stop listening to the Today programme and relax with Radio 3 instead. But what do listeners make of this battle of the breakfast shows?

Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:30 Last Word (b09sm771)
Billy Graham, Laura Lee, John Morris, John Bosco McAtasney, John Pitman

Photo: Billy Graham

Matthew Bannister on

The evangelist Billy Graham who preached to millions around the world and offered spiritual advice to 12 American Presidents.

Laura Lee, the sex worker who campaigned for the rights of her colleagues.

John Morris who composed many film soundtracks, including the music for Mel Brooks' comedies The Producers and Blazing Saddles.

John Bosco McAtasney, the last hand weaver of damask linen in Ireland.

And John Pitman, the TV reporter and producer who started his career on Braden's Week and took Sheena Easton into the Big Time. Esther Rantzen pays tribute.

Archive clips from: I GOT UP OUT OF MY SEAT, Radio 4 25/05/2007; THE FROST COLLECTION, Radio 4 20/05/2008; MEN'S HOUR, Radio 5 Live 18/05/2014; COUNTRY TIMES, Radio Ireland 03/04/2000; STILL STANDING, Radio Ireland 06/04/1992; BRADEN'S WEEK, BBC TV 29/4/1972; MAN ALIVE, BBC TV 16/01/1979; THE BIG TIME:SHEENA EASTON:THE MAKING OF A STAR, BBC TV 21/04/1981; JUST ANOTHER DAY: GREYHOUND RACING, BBC TV 12/12/1986.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (b09sdll1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b09smnh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Analysis (b09rx4z9)
Political Electricity

Electricity is crucial to modern life - and in the digital or electric vehicle age, that dependence is going to grow even more. But will we all get the power we need? Chris Bowlby discovers what life is like when power suddenly fails, and how a revolution in the way we generate electricity is posing huge political questions. This could give everyone secure, cheap power - or leave society divided between those with a bright future, and those left increasingly in the dark.

Producer: Chris Bowlby

Editor: Hugh Levinson.


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b09smgmv)

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


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b09rznj4)
Clio Barnard

With Francine Stock

Award winning film-maker Clio Barnard discusses her latest drama Dark River, based on scientific research conducted at the Wellcome Institute.

Critics Gavia Baker-Whitelaw and Briony Hanson go toe-to-toe to get their chosen director into the Film Programme's A to Z. This week it's the Wachowskis versus Wong Kar-Wai. As an alternative option, Pamela Hutchinson makes the case for film pioneer Lois Weber.

Composer Neil Brand reveals how Ennio Morricone's score for Cinema Paradiso changed the sound of romantic pictures

Rosemary Fletcher re-watches Kill Bill in the light of Uma Thurman's recent complaints about its director Quentin Tarantino's behaviour on set.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b09smglw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2018

MON 00:00 Midnight News (b09smgpv)

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


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b09rz657)
Artisanal food - Natural foods

The politics and meaning of 'alternative' foods: Laura Miller, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University, discusses her study of 'Natural Foods'. How did what was once a culturally marginal set of ideas evolve from associations with spirituality and bohemian lifestyles to being a mainstream consumer choice? She's joined by Ton Hayward, food writer and broadcaster.
Also, Harry West, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Exeter, considers the 'authenticity' of artisanal and heritage foods.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b09smnh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smgpx)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smgpz)

MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smgq1)

The latest shipping forecast.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (b09smgq3)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09tmf3j)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (b09smgq6)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:56 Weather (b09smgq8)

The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09sn13x)
Helen Moncrieff on the Black Guillemot

Conversational voices of those inspired by birds.


MON 06:00 Today (b09smgqc)

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


MON 09:00 Start the Week (b09smgqf)
Who Am I? The Brain and Personality

Brain damage can radically change a person's character - but does that mean they are no longer themselves?

Consultant neurologist Jules Montague works with people suffering dementia and brain injuries. She tells Tom Sutcliffe what happens when the brain misbehaves. Memories may fade and names disappear - but does that mean a person no longer has the same identity?

Behavioural scientist Nick Chater is sceptical about whether we have an inner self at all. His book The Mind is Flat exposes what he calls the 'shocking shallowness' of our psychology, and argues that we have no mental depths to plumb. Only by understanding this can we hope to understand ourselves.

The problem of self-awareness challenges psychiatrists hoping to diagnose depression, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Neuropsychiatrist Anthony David explores self-reflection and the stigma of mental illness in a series of lectures at King's College, London.

And fear of the mind runs through Ingmar Bergman's classic film Fanny and Alexander, now staged as a play at the Old Vic, London. Stephen Beresford has adapted it, and explains how the clash between a stern stepfather and his imaginative stepson reveals our unease at the power of the mind.

Producer: Hannah Sander.


MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b09sn13z)
The Line Becomes a River, Episode 1

Former US Border Patrol Agent Francisco Cantú worked on a remote spot on the US/ Mexican border from 2008-2012. In The Line Becomes a River he recounts how he tracks down an unending stream of men, women and children who risk all for a better life in the US away from the violent crime that underpins their lives in Mexico. He tells the personal stories of the weary and the spent who he turns backs, and of the many who don't survive the gruelling journey through the vast desert during summer's searingly hot days and freezing nights.

Born to the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, the border is in his blood and his decision to become a law enforcer came after four years of learning about it through policy and history while studying international relations, and the realisation that theory isn't enough. He needs to be on the ground to understand the border in all its beauty, ugliness and danger. After four years the personal toll is more than he can bear and he leaves the Patrol but when an immigrant friend does not return from a trip to Mexico to visit his dying mother he is returned to a world that he discovers is impossible to leave behind.

His account is interwoven with reflections on the history, culture, nature and psychology of the border, and is more broadly about life on either side of an arbitrary line, wherever it is.

Francisco Cantú's is a Fulbright fellow, and in 2017 he was a Whiting Award winner. Previous recipients of this prize for writers who show great promise include Colson Whitehead, August Wilson and Jeffrey Eugenides

The reader is Joseph Balderrama who is known for his roles in the James Bond film, Spectre and The Game of Thrones.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09smgqj)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


MON 10:45 Riot Girls (b09sn141)
The Good Terrorist, Episode 6

As part of Radio 4's season of Riot Girls dramas, with transgressive women at their core, Sarah Daniels' new dramatisation of Nobel laureate Doris Lessing's 1985 satire about a ragtag group of revolutionaries. Alice and Philip have found Faye bleeding after a suicide attempt. But Alice has promised not to involve the authorities. Starring Olivia Vinall and Gary Duncan.

Directed by Emma Harding.


MON 11:00 Civilisation: A Sceptic's Guide (b09sn1hj)

Professor David Cannadine argues that history has been wrong to categorise people according to their civilisation.

Far from belonging to a distinct grouping of this sort, peoples have always been interdependent and what may have looked like boundaries between empires and cultures turn out to be much more porous than we might imagine.

Nor do descriptions of 'we' (the civilised') and 'they' (the barbarians) stand scrutiny.

Cannadine looks at moments in history when these alleged divisions were most pronounced. The 18th century, under the influence of Gibbon's great Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire, for example, chose to trace Western civilisation in a straight line back to Greece and Rome, carefully sidestepping the vital influences of the east. The same is true of the story of the Renaissance and of the New World discoveries where so called encounters between civilised and primitive peoples are much more finely nuanced.

Most importantly, the recent incarnation of the Us and Them theory of world divisions, which is enshrined in Samuel Huntington's book The Clash of Civilisations, predicted that the conflicts which would replace the Cold War battle of ideologies would be 21st century battles between the West and Islamic or Confucian 'civilisations'. Cannadine argues that this idea is sweeping, dangerous and wrong.

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 11:30 To Hull and Back (b09sn1hl)
Series 3, Stockholm Syndrome

Sophie tries to find some new customers for the salon. However, in doing so, she unwittingly attracts the attention of a couple of animal rights activists who are looking for somewhere new to protest...

Written by Lucy Beaumont

Produced by Sam Michell.


MON 12:00 News Summary (b09smgqm)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b09sn2fn)
Series 9, The Enigma of Sex, Part 1

"Why do we only have two sexes and are there any anomalies in the animal kingdom?" asks Robert Turner from Leeds.

From reptilian virgin births to hermaphrodite sea slugs, over the next two episodes Drs Rutherford and Fry examine the weird ways other creatures reproduce.

In this first instalment, they tackle what's been called 'the hardest problem in evolutionary biology' - why does sex exist?

Why aren't we all one single sex that clone ourselves to produce offspring? It makes perfect evolutionary sense - you could pass on all of your genes and don't need to bother finding a partner.

Hannah visits London Zoo to meet a fierce komodo dragon named Ganas, the result of a virgin birth. And Adam meets some tiny bdelloid rotifers, microscopic worm-like females who have survived for 50 million years by cloning themselves.

You can send your questions in to curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.


MON 12:15 You and Yours (b09smgqp)
Care costs, Paying to throw rubbish away, Boiler cover

Ninety families are trying to claim back £1 million in care costs from the NHS.
The move follows a BBC investigation last year, in which health-workers claimed medical opinions were being ignored in assessments by Arden and Greater East Midlands, an NHS Commissioning Support Unit.
Since then the BBC has discovered that some contracts with NHS Clinical Commissions Groups have ended with claims of poor practice and financial mismanagement.
But Arden and Greater East Midlands insists its aim is to provide a professional service at all times. The company says it works very closely with CCGs to investigate all complaints thoroughly.
Jo Taylor, the reporter behind the story, brings us the latest.

Pay-as-you throw schemes are often cited as a way to make people cut down on what they're throwing away.
But how many people in the UK would be prepared to pay to get rid of their rubbish and would it really reduce waste?
Our reporter, Anna Holligan, visits Flanders in northern Belgium where people have been paying to throw for the last ten years.

We investigate complaints into boiler breakdown cover. We ask if it's really the worth the money and whether companies offering this service can be relied upon in an emergency.
We hear from people who say they've been let down by their provider and had to seek outside help to get an annual service or a repair that should be part of their package.
We also speak to James Walker from the online complaints site, Resolver, about what people should do if their plan isn't delivering what's been promised.

Presenter: Melanie Abbott
Producer: Tara Holmes.


MON 12:57 Weather (b09smgqs)

The latest weather forecast.


MON 13:00 World at One (b09smgqv)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


MON 13:45 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09sn2fq)
Series 1, Beatrice and Sidney Webb and the Fabian Society

Anne McElvoy explores how an unlikely marriage between social researchers Beatrice Potter and Sidney Webb would have a profound effect on the story of British Socialism and the development of the modern welfare state.

With:
Michael Ward, researcher and writer working on a biography of the Webbs
Baroness Dianne Hayter, former General Secretary of the Fabian Society
Professor Steven Fielding of the University of Nottingham

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare.


MON 14:00 The Archers (b09smts1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama (b09sn38s)
Twenty Four Hours From Tulse Hill

A romantic comedy by Guy Meredith and Zalie Burrow set in an estate agent in North London.

Would-be writer Mark and artist Lisa work alongside each other, but both are yearning for a more rewarding life. Their boss comes up with an exciting challenge that could earn them a lot of money and increase their chances of leaving, but it is conditional on making one big sale. Their prospective client seems wealthy enough and all seems to go well - but a hitch sees their dream fading.

Along the way, they have fallen for each other, but the prospect of the sale falling through means the possible end of both their professional and romantic futures.

Guy Meredith has written many dramas and comedies for Radio 4 and Radio 3, including BBC entries for the Prix Italia and Prix Futura.

Catrin Stewart (Lisa) and John Heffernan (Mark) are both successful young actors - Mark recently played Lord Altringham in the second series of The Crown, while Catrin has been a regular in Doctor Who as well as starring in the acclaimed theatre production 1984.

The cast also features the very experienced film and TV actor Philip Jackson as their very pushy estate agent boss, Ricky Norwood from EastEnders as his over-keen assistant, and leading stage and TV actor Nicholas Le Prevost as Myles the wealthy client, with Rachel Atkins as Selena, his much younger girlfriend.

Director Cherry Cookson has produced and directed many award winning plays and comedies for the BBC.

Writers: Guy Meredith and Zalie Burrow

Producer/Director: Cherry Cookson
A Wireless Theatre production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (b09sn38v)
Heat 1, 2018

(1/17)
The 2018 season of the venerable general knowledge quiz gets under way. Russell Davies welcomes the first four competitors, who come from Surrey, Merseyside, Aberdeen and Winchester. Over the next four months 48 competitors engage in the knockout tournament, which will see one of them lift the trophy in the summer as the 65th BBC Brain of Britain.

The series will include a selection of the best question suggestions received from listeners, who stand to win a book voucher prize if their questions manage to Beat the Brains.

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b09smnhd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Portrait of the Artist (b09sn512)
Series 1, Amy Gear

Amy Gear graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art, but after two years in London, she was adamant she wanted to return to live and work on her native Shetland. The landscape, language and Norse legends inform her identity as an artist but the realities of trying to make a living in a remote part of the world mean she has to take a collaborative approach to her work, and be adaptable. That means running art projects in schools and care homes while she tries to set up a studio space for herself and other artists. "It's not the most romantic thing to say, but being an artist now is about being a project manager and being able to do a budget".

Producer: Maggie Ayre.


MON 16:30 The Digital Human (b09sn514)
Series 13, Tribe

One of the major criticisms of social media is that it's disconnecting us, as individuals, from society and from real physical interactions.

But if a key element of 'tribe' is communication and connectivity then the digital world arguably holds unlimited bounds for tribes.

Mumsnet for instance has changed how we view mums as a social group. While marketers and advertisers may have seen them as a target market, they probably never thought they would be an ever-connected all-powerful tribe who could even make politicians quiver in their boots.

In this weeks' episode of The Digital Human, Aleks Krotoski asks if rather than separating us, the digital world is helping us revive old tribal connections.

If the internet has heralded the death of distance, what do these new kind of tribes look like? And do we relate to each other in different ways now that so much of our lives are lived online?

Contributors: zoologist Desmond Morris; author of The Patter Michael Munro; academic and journalist Meredith Clark; internet activist Ethan Zuckerman and digital anthropologists Daniel Miller and Elisabetta Costa.

Producer: Caitlin Smith.


MON 17:00 PM (b09smgr3)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smgr7)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b09sn516)
Series 80, Episode 2

Nicholas Parsons invites Shappi Khorsandi, Jo Caulfield, Julian Clary and Paul Merton to speak for 60 seconds on the subjects like Chicken Nuggets, Cowboys and The Grand Canyon.

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


MON 19:00 The Archers (b09sn518)

Tony offers the benefit of his experience, and Pip has a change of heart.


MON 19:15 Front Row (b09smgrf)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


MON 19:45 Riot Girls (b09sn141)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Superfast Politics (b09h6x6m)

A week used to be a long time in politics. Not anymore. Today, an hour can feel like an eon.

From the race against time to deliver Brexit, to the apparently near-daily earthquakes generated by the Trump presidency, we seem to be living through an era of superfast politics. But what has caused the speed-up -and where is it leading?

We live in a world of instant messaging, 24-hour news, and same day delivery. It can feel exhausting, but has it also made us impatient? And is impatience damaging our engagement with politics?

Travelling back through history, to the Reformation and the French Revolution, historian Rhys Jones explores other eras of superfast politics, and wonders whether our need for speed today is rushing us headlong towards catastrophe.

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


MON 20:30 Analysis (b09sn5f8)
The dictator's survival guide

When Robert Mugabe was deposed last year, he had ruled Zimbabwe for nearly four decades. How do dictators and authoritarians stay in power? James Tilley, a professor of politics at Oxford University, finds out what's in the dictators' survival guide. How do they control ordinary people and stop revolts? How do they stop rivals from taking over? And how do they manipulate apparently democratic procedures like elections to secure their rule?
Producer: Bob Howard.


MON 21:00 The Global Farm (b09rxyjs)
Series 1, Cheap and Plentiful

Charlotte Smith continues her investigation into the complex global food networks that are able to give us what we want to eat, whenever we want it. In episode two, Charlotte looks at how money flows around the food chain and at the drive for ever more efficient production. Why have the Netherlands been so successful both as producers and exporters of food - and how are fraudsters making money out of the complexities of the global food system?

Producer: Chris Ledgard.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (b09smgqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b09smgrk)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b09sn5fb)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Episode 6

James Joyce' autobiographical masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott and abridged by Sara Davies.

The sixteen year old Stephen has confessed his terrible sins and been forgiven. Relieved and restored to faith, he is determined to adhere strictly to the most pious Catholic practice.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b09ry6k0)
Haggard Hawks

Why do we 'let the cat out of the bag' or 'go the whole nine yards'? What is a hackle and why might it be raised? What does it mean to 'fribble'? Or to have a 'schnapsidee'? And what are 'cupid's kettle drums'?

Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright are joined by Paul Anthony Jones, the writer behind the popular etymology blog Haggard Hawks to talk about the origins of common idioms, the stories behind words we use every day, and the forgotten words Paul would like to see brought back into use.

Paul is the author of six books of word lore and linguistic trivia, including Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons: The Origins of English in Ten Words, The Accidental Dictionary: The Remarkable Twists and Turns of English Words and - most recently - The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words.

Producer: Mair Bosworth.


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b09sn6pw)

Sean Curran reports from Westminster.



TUESDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2018

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b09smgxm)

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


TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b09sn13z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smgxp)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smgxr)

TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smgxt)

The latest shipping forecast.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b09smgxx)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09ttz17)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b09smgxz)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09sn7yh)
Helen Moncrieff on the Northern Wheatear

Conversational voices of those inspired by birds.


TUE 06:00 Today (b09smgy1)

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


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (b09sn7yk)
Ailie MacAdam on the biggest construction project in Europe.

Ailie's first engineering challenge was working out how to get the solids to settle in a mixture of raw sewage at a treatment plant in Stuttgart. Years later, she worked on the Boston Big Dig and realised that large scale construction projects were her thing. A seven lane highway was rerouted underground and a bridge built using blocks of expanded polystyrene to support the on off ramps. When Bostonians complained about the vibrations from all the drilling, their beds were put on springs. She returned home to the UK to run the transformation of St Pancras Station in London, creating an international terminal for Eurostar while preserving the historic features of the original building. Preventing 690 cast iron pillars that supported the platform from 'breaking like carrots' was a particular challenge, as was keeping the Midlands mainline running. Next she took on Crossrail and was in charge of the challenging central London section, with a budget of £7.5 million. Aware that diverse teams tend to be more successful she recruited a top team of engineers in which 30 % were women.

Ailie talks to Jim about how she rose from doing experiments with sewage to become one of the most successful engineers in the UK.

Producer: Anna Buckley.


TUE 09:30 One to One (b09sn7ym)
Jay Brave and Lawrence Hoo

Jay Brave speaks to the poet Lawrence Hoo about his upbringing in Bristol and how it informs his attitude towards race and identity.

Producer: Toby Field.


TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b09sn7yp)
The Line Becomes a River, Episode 2

Francisco Cantu, a former Border Patrol Agent recounts how the US/Mexican border was created, and finds beauty in the landscape as well as despair. Joseph Balderrama reads

Francisco Cantu's memoir about working for the US Border Patrol also tells the personal stories of those who risk all for a better life in the US.

Born to the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, the border is in his blood. His decision to become a law enforcer came after four years of learning about it through policy and history while studying international relations, and the realisation that theory isn't enough. He needs to be on the ground to understand the border in all its beauty, ugliness and danger. After four years the personal toll leads him to leave the Patrol but when an immigrant friend does not return from a trip to Mexico Cantu is returned to a world which he discovers is impossible to leave behind.

His evocative account is interwoven with reflections on the history, culture, nature and psychology of the border, and is more broadly about life on either side of a boundary, wherever it is.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09smgy3)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


TUE 10:45 Riot Girls (b09sn7yr)
The Good Terrorist, Episode 7

Nobel laureate Doris Lessing's 1985 satire about a band of incompetent, bourgeois revolutionaries living in a London squat. Starring Olivia Vinall, Joe Armstrong and Pippa Bennett-Warner. Dramatized by Sarah Daniels.

Comrade Jocelin tests out her bomb-making abilities.

Directed by Emma Harding.


TUE 11:00 The Global Farm (b09sn7yt)
Series 1, The Good Consumer

What's the difference between a consumer and a citizen? Research suggests many of us talk in an environmentally conscious way outside the supermarket, then turn into ruthless bargain hunters once we're inside. Charlotte Smith ends her look at global food value chains by exploring the role of the shopper, and how much influence it has over where our food comes from.

Producer: Chris Ledgard.


TUE 11:30 The Art of Now: Greek Revival (b09sn8j7)

As Athens struggles through what's been called a "forever crisis", the critic Alastair Sooke reports on the arts boom in Greece.

Culture is experiencing a moment of richness in debt-stricken Athens. In light of declining state support for the arts, young Athenians are taking matters into their own hands. They're benefitting from the city's cheap rents, generous studio spaces and its new galleries popping up in abandoned spaces.

Alastair explores the city, meeting a generation of artists coming to terms with a new Greece. ATH1281, one of the most prolific street artists in Athens, takes him on a graffiti tour, to explain how his murals provide a cutting commentary on modern Athenian life.

At the 2004 Olympic Park on the outskirts of town, many of the buildings are now derelict. Filmmaker Sofia Exarchou used this village as the setting for her award-winning feature film Park. Her collaborator, the musician The Boy (Alexander Voulgaris) also used the crisis as an artistic catalyst, writing and recording an entire album in one week, in response to the 2015 referendum.

When Documenta, one of the world's most influential art exhibitions, was held in Athens last year, Greece's resurgent arts scene was put on the international map. Alastair meets some of the British artists who have moved to Greece, including digital artist James Bridle and recent graduate Catriona Gallagher. What's it like to be a newcomer in a city brimming with new artist-run spaces? And what do they make of the idea that Athens is the "New Berlin" for the arts?

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (b09smgy5)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b09sn980)
Series 9, The Enigma of Sex, Part 2

The second instalment in our double bill on the science of sex, answering this question from Robert Turner, a Curio from Leeds: "Why do we only have two sexes?"

Drs Rutherford and Fry look for anomalies in the animal kingdom that go beyond the traditional mechanics of human reproduction. Biologist and author Carin Bondar describes some of the wild and somewhat disturbing ways other animals like to do it.

Take the hermaphrodite sea slug who races to stab its penis into its partner's brain during sex, or the female redback spider who loves to indulge in a spot of post-coital cannibalism.

But the greatest number of different sexes is found in the world of fungi. Some species can have hundreds of distinct mating types. Fungal ecologist Lynne Boddy explains how mushrooms have sex and why on earth they need so many polygamous partners.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.


TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b09smgy9)
Call You and Yours

Consumer phone-in.


TUE 12:57 Weather (b09smgyh)

The latest weather forecast.


TUE 13:00 World at One (b09smgyt)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


TUE 13:45 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09sn9hh)
Series 1, Ernest Bevin v Stafford Cripps

In the 1930s, the Depression hit Britain, fascism advanced in Europe, and the Labour Party was thrown into crisis by its leader's decision to form a National Government with Liberals and Conservatives.

In this episode, Anne traces the battle between rival traditions of British socialism amid the crises of the 1930s.

Should the Labour Party's goal be pragmatic reform in concert with the trade unions - as advocated by union leader Ernest Bevin?

Or should socialists follow revolutionary barrister Sir Stafford Cripps and aim for all-out transformation of Britain, however ferocious the ensuing right-wing opposition? Even if it meant suspending democracy?

With: Laura Beers, Steve Fielding, David Howell, Jon Lawrence

Producer: Phil Tinline.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (b09sn518)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama (b06mc9xc)
Louis B Mayer and the Bolshevik Beast

by Stephen Sheridan

Director ..... Sally Avens

A comic re-imagining of the 1934 Gubernatorial campaign in California when socialist writer Upton Sinclair stood for election under the slogan End Poverty in California. Movie Mogul Mayer was determined to stop him and began a battle of political mudslinging the like of which had never been seen before.


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (b09snj8y)
Series 15, Colours

Blue skies, a rainbow of strangers and lipstick shades weave through today's short documentaries about colour. Josie Long explores how it affects the way we experience the world.

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


TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b09snj90)
Defenders of the Reef

Marine biologist and film-maker, Ellen Husain studied the Great Barrier Reef for her Masters degree thirteen years ago. Today she's back to dive with her old supervisor. The picture is grim. So much of the life she remembers has gone, wiped out by the great coral bleaching events caused by rising sea temperatures.

Some who love the reef are in despair, others who once chose to ignore the signs are finally energised, determined to do what they can to slow or even reverse the decline. Ellen meets the people of the reef- tour operators, aboriginal Sea Rangers and coral scientists- to discover if one of the great natural wonders of the world really can be saved.

Producer: Alasdair Cross.


TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b09snj92)

Legal magazine programme presented by Joshua Rozenberg.


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b09snj94)
Professor Mark Miodownik and Diana Henry

Materials engineer and presenter Mark Miodownik and Diana Henry, the food writer for the Sunday Telegraph, tell Harriett Gilbert about the books they love. Books tossed into the discussion are: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton and The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor.
Producer Beth O'Dea.


TUE 17:00 PM (b09smgzb)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smgzd)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09snj96)
Series 1, Jealousy

Brand new stand-up from Sara Pascoe.

Sara will be exploring our modern social world though theories of Evolutionary Psychology and more. How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions?

In show two Sara's looking at an emotion that we don't often like to admit to - Jealousy. It's unattractive but in evolutionary terms, it's a survival tactic - it's good to be competitive for resources! But in the modern world are we just hairless apes comparing ourselves on social media? And what can we do about it?

Recorded on location at The Foundling Museum.

Written by and starring Sara Pascoe
Production co-ordinator Toby Tilling
Producer Alexandra Smith

A BBC Studios production.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (b09snj98)

Alice feels guilty, and Neil needs a solution.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (b09smgzg)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


TUE 19:45 Riot Girls (b09sn7yr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b09snj9b)
Disclosing the Truth

The Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have been accused of failing to disclose important information in several recent high profile sexual assault cases.

But Allan Urry asks if the current disquiet about disclosure should also extend to the Magistrates' Courts where almost all criminal cases start off. Some defence lawyers say evidence that could be helpful to their clients' cases is being with-held and are they're concerned that justice isn't always being served.

Reporter: Allan Urry
Producer: Alys Harte
Editor: Gail Champion.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (b09smgzl)

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


TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b09snj9d)

Dr Mark Porter presents a series on health issues.


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (b09sn7yk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b09smgzn)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b09snj9g)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Episode 7

James Joyce' autobiographical masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott and abridged by Sara Davies.

Stephen has rejected the idea of the priesthood, on instinct. He wants to embrace a wilder and more vivid kind of life.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.


TUE 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b09snj9j)
Series 4, Cuisine

By Tim Key

Tim Key takes a comic look at the concept of cuisine, while indulging in a tasting menu at the top of the Shard in London. Tom Basden has the night off, so Tim is dining with a very special guest.

Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production

The Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian returns for a fourth series of his Late Night Poetry Programme. Currently performing his latest critically acclaimed solo show 'Megadate', Tim Key is never far from stage and screen - from Peep Show to Alpha Papa. But now he's back on late night Radio 4 doing what he does best - attempting to recite poetry whilst tormenting his friend and musician, the equally brilliant Tom Basden.

Praise for Tim Key

"...You never know when Key will suddenly toss you a fantastic joke or startlingly well-constructed line." Radio Times

"The show... has a kind of artistry and strange beauty that makes it unlike any other hour of stand-up you are likely to see." The Observer

"In any other sphere apart from comedy, we'd probably class this way of looking at the world as certifiable. Here it feels like genius." The Telegraph.


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b09smgzq)

Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.



WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2018

WED 00:00 Midnight News (b09smh1m)

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


WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b09sn7yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smh1p)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smh1r)

WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smh1t)

The latest shipping forecast.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (b09smh1w)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09ttp82)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (b09smh1y)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09snn7p)
Helen Moncrieff on the Fulmar

Conversational voices of those inspired by birds.


WED 06:00 Today (b09smh20)

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


WED 09:00 Only Artists (b09snn7r)
Series 4, Mark Haddon and Tai Shan Schierenberg

The writer Mark Haddon meets the portrait and landscape artist Tai Shan Schierenberg. They talk about the connection between painting and short stories, capturing the English landscape and creative flow.

Mark's best-selling novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time has won numerous awards and become an internationally successful play. Most recently he published his first ever collection of short stories called The Pier Falls.

Tai Shan Schierenberg won the National Portrait Gallery's Portraiture Award in 1989, and the Ondaatje Prize in 2011. His works hang in the National Portrait Gallery and notable sitters include the Queen with Prince Philip, Seamus Heaney and Stephen Hawking.

Producer: Clare Walker.


WED 09:30 You're Doing It Wrong (b09snrb7)
Series 1, Work

"Choose a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!". Or so we're told. Usually by some kind of nauseating lifestyle blog or motivational poster.

These days it's not enough just to turn up, work hard and bring home a wage; we should all be following our passions, chasing that dream job, and waking up every morning raring to get to the office. If your job is tedious, you hate your boss, and Monday mornings make you want to cry, it's probably YOUR FAULT for not being ambitious enough.

Adam Buxton takes a sideways look at some of our confusing modern ideas about work. Is the idea of a 'dream job', one that inspires and fulfils us and makes our lives worth living, really possible? Or idealistic nonsense designed to make you feel guiltier, work harder, and complain less? Can we really be happy at work? Should we be?

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight.


WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b09snrb9)
The Line Becomes a River, Episode 3

The former Border Patrol agent, Francisco Cantu begins to question his work policing the US/ Mexican border and how it is affecting his humanity. Joseph Balderrama reads.

Francisco Cantu's memoir about working for the US Border Patrol also tells the personal stories of those who risk all for a better life in the US.

Born to the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, the border is in his blood. His decision to become a law enforcer came after four years of learning about it through policy and history while studying international relations, and the realisation that theory isn't enough. He needs to be on the ground to understand the border in all its beauty, ugliness and danger. After four years the personal toll leads him to leave the Patrol but when an immigrant friend does not return from a trip to Mexico Cantu is returned to a world which he discovers is impossible to leave behind.

His evocative account is interwoven with reflections on the history, culture, nature and psychology of the border, and is more broadly about life on either side of a boundary, wherever it is.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09smh22)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


WED 10:41 Riot Girls (b09sns75)
The Good Terrorist, Episode 8

Doris Lessing's 1985 satire about inept revolutionaries, dramatised by Sarah Daniels.


WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b09sns77)
Sue and Lloyd - It's a Lifelong Process

A mother and son reflect on his experience of stammering. Fi Glover presents another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

Producer: Marya Burgess.


WED 11:00 The Skipped Beat (b09h2z82)

There's science, music, poetry and the deepest human experience in the rhythm of the heartbeat. That rhythm - the normal, heaving violence and beauty of an inner beast - sets the tempo for everything we do.

That is when it's dancing in time. Because about a third of us will one day have an agitating discordance at the heart of our lives - an irregular heart rhythm.

For presenter Michael Blastland, the experience of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation made him confront his own heartbeat for the first time. "It is one of the most disconcerting things to have this turbulence in your chest. This broken rhythm. I feel utterly unhinged in that state. I cannot think, cannot sit still."

In this programme, Michael explores what that rhythm, largely taken for granted, means to us. And what happens when it goes wrong.

We meet Mike, whose team mates kept him alive with CPR for over half an hour when he collapsed on the rugby pitch, and Paul, whose heart often stopped for eight seconds at a time. The poet George Szirtes argues that Tennyson's verse enacts his heartbreak. Director Kezia Cole reveals what happened when she projected an audience's heartbeats onto the set. And we follow consultant cardiologist Mike Koa-Wing into the operating theatre at Watford General hospital as he burns away the heart cells responsible for a patient's irregular heartbeat.

Ultimately, Michael asks, is disruption a worthy price to pay for appreciation? Is the heightened awareness of his own heartbeat, and the life that it fuels, worth the disturbing disturbance of arrhythmia?

Featuring original music by Simon Jarvis

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 11:30 State of the Nations (b088fp46)
Scotland

Star of BBC3's Josh and Radio 4 News Quiz regular Elis James hosts four stand-up shows from the four nations of the United Kingdom which explore what it means to be variously Welsh, English, Scottish and Northern Irish in today's United Kingdom.

For the final programme in the series, Elis is at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow where he is joined by Jim Smith, Fern Brady and Scott Gibson.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.


WED 12:00 News Summary (b09smh24)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b09snwmm)
Series 9, The Tiniest Dinosaur

"What is the tiniest dinosaur?" asks younger listener Ellie Cook, aged 11.

Today's hunt takes us from the discovery of dinosaurs right up to the present day, which is being hailed as a 'golden age' for palaeontology. One new species of dinosaur is currently being unearthed on average every single week.

But what's the smallest dino? And what can size reveal about the life of extinct animals?

Hannah goes underground at the Natural History Museum to look through their vaults in search of the tiniest dinosaur with palaeontologist Susie Maidment.

Meanwhile Adam chats to dinosaur expert Steve Brusatte from Edinburgh University about why size really does matter, especially when it comes to fossils.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.


WED 12:15 You and Yours (b09smh26)

Consumer affairs programme.


WED 12:57 Weather (b09smh28)

The latest weather forecast.


WED 13:00 World at One (b09smh2b)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


WED 13:45 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09snwmp)
Series 1, 1945

In 1945, socialists formed a majority government in Britain for the first time. Anne follows 'Red Ellen' Wilkinson from the Communist Party to the Jarrow March to a seat in Cabinet as Secretary of State for Education.

And she traces how - at least for a short while - the three competing strands of British socialism came together to create the Welfare State, before diverging once again.

With: Laura Beers, Steve Fielding, Jon Lawrence

Producer: Phil Tinline.


WED 14:00 The Archers (b09snj98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama (b09snwmr)
An Instinct for Kindness

by Chris Larner

Chris ..... Chris Larner
Allyson ..... Caroline Catz
Vivienne ..... Carolyn Pickles
The Doctor ..... Georgie Glen
Arthur ..... Philip Bretherton
Petra ..... Julie Teal
Chambermaid ..... Kerry Gooderson
Young George ..... Oliver Zetterstrom
Older George ..... Luke Bailey
Directed by Sally Avens

The powerful and personal account of how Chris Larner was asked by his ex-wife if he would accompany her to Dignitas to die when her illness became too much for her to bear. Adapted from his one man stage show.

MS Society provides information & support to people with MS, including support groups, mobility and benefits
Phone: 0808 800 8000 (weekdays 9am-9pm)
www.mssociety.org.uk

The MS Trust provides information for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, including diagnosis and treatment
Phone 0800 032 38 39
www.mstrust.org.uk

MS-UK provides support and information to anyone affected by MS
Phone: 0800 783 0518 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
www.ms-uk.org

Cruse Bereavement Care provides support after the death of someone close including face to face, telephone,& group support
Phone: 0808 808 1677 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
0845 600 2227 (Scotland)
www.cruse.org.uk

Hopeagain (Cruse for young people) - support for children & young people affected by the death of someone close
Phone: 0808 808 1677 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
www.hopeagain.org.uk

The Bereavement Trust offers comfort, support & practical advice to the bereaved from 6pm until 10pm every evening of the year
Phone: 0800 435 455
http://bereavement-trust.org.uk

Samaritans is available 24 hours a day for anyone struggling to cope & provide a safe place to talk where calls are completely confidential
Phone: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
www.samaritans.org.


WED 15:00 Money Box (b09smh2d)
Money Box Live: Job Vacancies in the UK

Financial phone-in.


WED 15:30 Inside Health (b09snj9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b09snwmt)

Sociological discussion programme, presented by Laurie Taylor.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (b09smh2g)

Topical programme about the fast-changing media world.


WED 17:00 PM (b09smh2j)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smh2l)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Bridget Christie's Utopia (b09snwmw)
Series 1, Money

Award-winning stand-up comedian Bridget Christie returns to BBC Radio 4 with her brand new comedy series, Bridget Christie's Utopia.

As Bridget Christie struggles to come to terms with current world events - Kim Jong-un, the melting polar ice caps, the Brexit negotiations and Nick Knowles singing a cover of The Beatles "Here Comes The Sun", she embarks on a comic quest for her Utopia - a way of living that will make her less anxious and enable her to have her first happy wee since the Brexit vote in 2016.

EPISODE 4 : Money : In the final episode of the series, Bridget explores money and being super rich - to see if that will make her happier. Will auditioning for a lucrative TK Maxx commercial and playing a Capitalists vs Marxists Board game with former Labour leader Ed Miliband enlighten Bridget over the happiness that lots of money could bring her? Could being super rich be the answer to all Bridget's problems and bring her inner calm? Or will life still be completely rubbish?

Stand-up show recorded in front of a studio audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.

Written by and Starring: Bridget Christie.
Producers: Simon Nicholls and Alison Vernon-Smith.
A BBC Studios Production.


WED 19:00 The Archers (b09snwmy)

Roy is frustrated, and Adam fears for the future.


WED 19:15 Front Row (b09smh2n)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


WED 19:45 Riot Girls (b09sns75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:41 today]


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b09snwn0)

Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Mona Siddiqui, Michael Portillo, Giles Fraser and Melanie Philips.


WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b09snxq7)
Performing Penitence - Theo Hobson

Every year, to mark the Christian season of Lent, Radio 4 invites contributors to offer a personal take on an aspect of the Passion story.
Today writer and artist Theo Hobson writes about Performance Art as a way of expressing penitence.

Producer. Rosie Dawson.


WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b09snj90)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 Only Artists (b09snn7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b09smh2q)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b09snxqf)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Episode 8

James Joyce' autobiographical masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott and abridged by Sara Davies.

Stephen has had a revelation that makes him more certain about his rejection of the priesthood. Now he has started studying at the university.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.


WED 23:00 Domestic Science (b09snxqp)
Series 2, Episode 2

A heady combination of maths, science and comedy with Festival of The Spoken Nerd trio who are stand-up Mathematician Matt Parker, Physicist Steve Mould and Physicist-Musician Helen Arney. It's science that you can play along with at home as the team look at domestic phenomena that we relate to on a day to day basis.

Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.

A BBC Studios Production.


WED 23:15 John Kearns (b05wykhz)
Lunch Break

The 3rd of four 14 minute vignettes in a brand new series from John Kearns, the Winner of the Main Prize at the 2014 Edinburgh Comedy Festival, as well as the Best Newcomer Award in 2013. John and his work colleagues test each other's patience at the Dinosaur Museum, in "Lunch Break."

Producer: Arnab Chanda.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b09smh2v)

Sean Curran reports from Westminster.



THURSDAY 01 MARCH 2018

THU 00:00 Midnight News (b09smh4v)

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


THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b09snrb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smh4x)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smh4z)

THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smh51)

The latest shipping forecast.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (b09smh53)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09tt4r2)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (b09smh55)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09sqgkp)
Helen Moncrieff on the Shetland Starling

Conversational voices of those inspired by birds.


THU 06:00 Today (b09smh57)

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


THU 09:00 In Our Time (b09smh59)
Sun Tzu and The Art of War

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas attributed to Sun Tzu (544-496BC, according to tradition), a legendary figure from the beginning of the Iron Age in China, around the time of Confucius. He may have been the historical figure Sun Wu, a military adviser at the court of King Helu of Wu (who reigned between about 514 and 496 BC), one of the kings in power in the Warring States period of Chinese history (6th - 5th century BC). Sun Tzu was credited as the author of The Art of War, a work on military strategy that soon became influential in China and then Japan both for its guidance on conducting and avoiding war and for its approach to strategy generally. After The Art of War was translated into European languages in C18th, its influence spread to military academies around the world.

The image above is of a terracotta warrior from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, who unified China after the Warring States period.

With

Hilde De Weerdt

Tim Barrett

and

Imre Galambos

Producer: Simon Tillotson.


THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b09sqhl0)
The Line Becomes a River, Episode 4

Francisco Cantu's experiences of policing the US/Mexican border become personal when an immigrant friend attempts to make the perilous crossing. Joseph Balderrama reads.

Francisco Cantu's memoir about working for the US Border Patrol also tells the personal stories of those who risk all for a better life in the US.
Born to the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, the border is in his blood. His decision to become a law enforcer came after four years of learning about it through policy and history while studying international relations, and the realisation that theory isn't enough. He needs to be on the ground to understand the border in all its beauty, ugliness and danger. After four years the personal toll leads him to leave the Patrol but when an immigrant friend does not return from a trip to Mexico Cantu is returned to a world which he discovers is impossible to leave behind.

His evocative account is interwoven with reflections on the history, culture, nature and psychology of the border, and is more broadly about life on either side of a boundary, wherever it is.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09smh5c)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


THU 10:45 Riot Girls (b09sqhl2)
The Good Terrorist, Episode 9

Nobel laureate Doris Lessing's 1985 satire about wannabe revolutionary Alice and her hapless band of bourgeois revolutionaries, who live in a London squat. Starring Olivia Vinall and Sian Thomas. Dramatized by Sarah Daniels.

Alice goes to visit her mother, Dorothy, who's now living in greatly reduced circumstances, thanks to the financial drain of Alice and her boyfriend Jasper. Not that Alice takes any responsibility for this.

Directed by Emma Harding.


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b09sqhl4)

Reports from writers and journalists around the world. Presented by Kate Adie.


THU 11:30 The World in 3D (b09sqk02)

Kaethe Kollwitz's most famous sculpture, Mother and Her Dead Son, sits in the middle of the Neue Wache (The New Guardhouse) on the Unter Den Linden in Berlin. It's visited each year by thousands of people from all over the world and few fail to be moved by this life size bronze in the stark stone-line chamber.

For three, very cold days last November, producer Lucy Lunt sat there to watch and talk to the people who came to visit. They talked to her about the emotions it evoked, the nature of motherhood, the tragedy of war and the desire to do better for future generations. For one young man, it inspired him to call his mother, over six hundred miles away, to say ' thank you' and ' I'm sorry'.

The Neue Wache was designed in the nineteenth century as a guardhouse for the Prussian Royal family, today it serves as the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Dictatorship. It was rededicated as such in 1993 . It was the personal suggestion of the then Chancellor, Helmut Kohl that the Kollwitz sculpture should be placed there. Kaethe's grandson, Arne, explains how controversial this decision was how he and his sisters took their time to give their permission.
Music: Brahms German Requiem with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle..

Producer Lucy Lunt.


THU 12:00 News Summary (b09smh5f)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b09sqk04)
Series 9, The Atomic Blade

"What makes things sharp? Why are thinner knives sharper? What happens on the molecular level when you cut something?" All these questions came from Joshua Schwartz in New York City.

The ability to create sharp tools allowed us to fashion clothing, make shelters and hunt for food, all essential for the development of human civilisation, according to materials scientist Mark Miodownik.

We hear from IBM scientist Chris Lutz, who has used one of the sharpest blades in the world to slice up individual atoms.

Plus palaeoarchaeologist Becky Wragg Sykes reveals the sharpest natural object in the world, a volcanic glass used by the Aztecs called obsidian.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.


THU 12:15 You and Yours (b09smh5h)

Consumer affairs programme.


THU 12:57 Weather (b09smh5k)

The latest weather forecast.


THU 13:00 World at One (b09smh5m)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


THU 13:45 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09sqk06)
Series 1, Socialist Feminism and 1968

Anne McElvoy explores how the Women's Liberation Movement and the politics of 1968 changed the language of socialism in Britain by reconciling the politics of identity with a wider socialist politics.

With:
Professor Sally Alexander, Goldsmith University of London
Professor Barbara Taylor, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Jon Lawrence, University of Exeter

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare.


THU 14:00 The Archers (b09snwmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama (b0639vpq)
Pact of Silence

Set during the brutal dictatorship of the late 1970s in Argentina, a young woman's life is turned upside down when she is confronted with the shocking truth about her origins.

"If you were born between 1975 and 1980 and have doubts about your identity - if you think you might not be who they say you are, contact the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo."

This is an advertisement that has appeared in Argentine newspapers since 1997.

In 1976, the dictatorship in Argentina tortured and killed up to 30,000 people. Pregnant women were kept alive until they gave birth and their babies given to childless military families to bring up as their own.

For the past four decades, the Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo in Argentina have campaigned for those responsible to be brought to justice and to find out the fate of their children and the whereabouts of five hundred children stolen from their families during the military regime. The Grandmothers' mission is to identify these now grown up children and reunite them with their biological families.

A Pact of Silence tells the story of Mariana, a young woman who has been identified by the Grandmothers as one of these kidnapped children, and the anguish she experiences as she comes to realise that her beloved adoptive father might have had a significant role to play in the disappearance of her birth parents.

Written and Directed by Penny Woolcock
Produced by Natasha Dack
A Tigerlily production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 15:00 Ramblings (b09sqrmj)
Series 38, Aberlady Bay

Clare explores the beautiful beaches of Aberlady Bay in Midlothian, just outside Edinburgh. She joins the pupils, parents and staff of Saltersgate school which supports children and young people who have additional learning needs. Mary Higgins is the outdoor learning teacher and she's discovered that for some pupils, a long walk on a Monday morning sets them up for the week. She's thrilled by how far and well they ramble and joy they derive from being outside whatever the weather. With special dispensation, some of the parents come along to explain to Clare the pleasure and benefit their non-verbal sons gain from this weekly adventure.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b09smnh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (b09smtrx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b09sqrml)
A Fantastic Woman

With Francine Stock

Director Sebastian Lelio discusses his ground-breaking drama A Fantastic Woman, with transgender star Daniela Vega in the lead.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b09smh5p)

Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.


THU 17:00 PM (b09smh5r)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smh5t)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 State of the Nations (b085xcfk)
Wales

In this episode, star of BBC3's Josh and Radio 4 News Quiz regular Elis James visits The Lyric theatre in his home town of Carmarthen where he is joined by Tudur Owen, Mike Bubbins and Kiri Pritchard-McLean to hear their thoughts on Wales and Welshness.

The full series was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.


THU 19:00 The Archers (b09sqrmq)

Will loses his temper, and Ruth offers a compromise.


THU 19:15 Front Row (b09smh5w)

Arts news, interviews and reviews.


THU 19:45 Riot Girls (b09sqhl2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 Law in Action (b09snj92)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b09sqrmv)

Evan Davis presents the business magazine.


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b09smh5p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (b09smh59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b09smh60)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b09sqrmx)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Episode 9

James Joyce' autobiographical masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott and abridged by Sara Davies.

Stephen is thinking about E.C., the girl who has long been the object of his affection. And his intellectual universe is expanding.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.


THU 23:00 Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy (b08hnpms)
Series 1, Shaken

Multi-award winning storyteller Sarah Kendall, brings her critically acclaimed trilogy of funny and moving, live shows to Radio 4.

Taking her audience on a trip, Sarah gives a unique snapshot of small-town life in Australia in the early nineties.

At a time when most people were seeing Australians through the filter of 'Home and Away' and 'Neighbours', Sarah's shows present a darker underbelly to the stereotype of the sun-loving, happy-go-lucky Aussie teenager.

Comedic and tragic in equal measure, Sarah's tales of her teenage life blend intricate narratives with a cast of memorable characters, bringing events to life in front of your very ears.

Episode 3: Shaken

"This show is a story, and it's a big story. But it actually starts in one of my therapy sessions..."

In 1989, 13 and unpopular, Sarah misses the school bus. This prompts her to tell a lie and suddenly she finds herself the focal point of the entire community.

This show is as much about the art of storytelling as it is about a teenager's want to be popular. Sarah examines why stories are so important to her and she leaves us with a message from Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and move around once in a while, you could miss it"

Written and performed by Sarah Kendall
Producer - Carl Cooper
Production Coordinator - Emily Hallett
This is a BBC Studios Production.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b09smh62)

Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.



FRIDAY 02 MARCH 2018

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b09smh7v)

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


FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b09sqhl0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b09smh7x)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b09smh7z)

FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b09smh81)

The latest shipping forecast.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b09smh83)

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b09ttz9q)

A reading and a reflection to start the day, with the Reverend Mary Stallard, director of the St Giles Religious Education Centre, Wrexham.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b09smh85)

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09sqvxm)
Helen Moncrieff on the Shag

Conversational voices of those inspired by birds.


FRI 06:00 Today (b09smh87)

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


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b09smnhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b09sqvxp)
The Line Becomes a River, Episode 5

The former Border Patrol agent Francisco Cantu gains a new understanding of the US/ Mexican border. Joseph Balderrama reads

Francisco Cantu's memoir about working for the US Border Patrol also tells the personal stories of those who risk all for a better life in the US.
Born to the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, the border is in his blood. His decision to become a law enforcer came after four years of learning about it through policy and history while studying international relations, and the realisation that theory isn't enough. He needs to be on the ground to understand the border in all its beauty, ugliness and danger. After four years the personal toll leads him to leave the Patrol but when an immigrant friend does not return from a trip to Mexico Cantu is returned to a world which he discovers is impossible to leave behind.

His evocative account is interwoven with reflections on the history, culture, nature and psychology of the border, and is more broadly about life on either side of a boundary, wherever it is.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b09smh89)

Programme that offers a female perspective on the world.


FRI 10:45 Riot Girls (b09sqvxr)
The Good Terrorist, Episode 10

Nobel laureate Doris Lessing's 1985 satire about a band of incompetent revolutionaries and their plan to blow up a prestigious London hotel. Starring Olivia Vinall, Joe Armstrong and Pippa Bennett-Warner. Dramatized by Sarah Daniels.

Directed by Emma Harding.


FRI 11:00 Out of the Ordinary (b09sqvxt)
Series 6, Whistling

Jolyon Jenkins attends an international whistling competition in Los Angeles to meet the people who want whistling to be taken seriously as a musical art form.

The competition is organised by the "Whistling Diva", Carole Ann Kaufman, herself a former international whistling champion. "If it comes from the heart, it's art," she says. But even though there have been featured whistling instrumentalists, in the big band era for instance, whistling struggles to be thought of as more than a novelty act. Even the whistlers at the convention find it hard to persuade their own families that their talent is worth celebrating. It's even led to the break up of marriages.

Occasionally, though, a whistler does make it to the (comparative) big time. Geert Chatrou is a Belgian whistler who won an international competition in 2004. he is now semi-professional and has recorded and performed with symphony orchestras and jazz bands.
So - will a new champion emerge this year?

Presenter/producer: Jolyon Jenkins.


FRI 11:30 Charles Paris Mystery (b09sqvxw)
Dead Room Farce, Episode 2

by Jeremy Front
Based on Simon Brett's novel

Directed by Sally Avens

Charles is starring in a revival of a 70's farce but the Director has dropped dead and the cast have plenty of skeletons in their cupboards which they don't want rattled.


FRI 12:00 News Summary (b09smh8c)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (b09sqvxy)
Series 9, The Cosmic Egg

"How do we measure the age of the Universe?" asks Simon Whitehead.

Today's episode takes us back to the beginning of time as we know it, and out to the furthest reaches of space.

The first person to put theory and observation together and discover that the Universe Is expanding was George Lemaitre, a physicist and Catholic priest. Wind back the clock, he said, and space would be a small dense 'cosmic egg'.

Helping to unravel how we measure the age of the Universe, and why a mysterious dark energy is causing a headache, are physicists Andrew Pontzen, Jo Dunkley and Jim Al-Khalili.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.


FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b09smh8f)

Consumer news and issues.


FRI 12:57 Weather (b09smh8h)

The latest weather forecast.


FRI 13:00 World at One (b09smh8k)

Analysis of news and current affairs.


FRI 13:45 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09sqvy0)
Series 1, Tony Benn

Anne traces how Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn turned from planning to populism.

Amid the crises of the 1970s, competing strands of British socialism struggled for dominance.

And one side, there were the statist technocrats who looked back to Labour's 1945 victory, and the building of the Welfare State.

But in the wake of the revolts of 1968, a new generation had revived a very different tradition - of a socialism focused more on radical self-realisation. Meanwhile, radical shop stewards forged a very different approach to trade unionism to the 'beer and sandwiches at Number 10' approach of the union General Secretaries.

So when Tony Benn moved from a mild, modernising emphasis on the possibilities of technology, and started marching alongside workers who had occupied their factories, and embraced identity politics too, it was a significant turn.

Anne explores what Benn's journey from Whitehall to the streets tells us about the paradoxes socialists faced in an era when they were often not on the margins, but in power.

With: Steve Fielding, Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite

Producer: Phil Tinline.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (b09sqrmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (b09sqwfw)
Playing Dead

Written by Vivienne Harvey

When her father's remains are found in a mass grave in Iraq, Mancunian Roza Riley returns to the war torn country she fled as a child. The only survivor of her family who were killed in the Anfal genocide of Kurdish people, she is determined to give her beloved father the burial he deserves. Her journey unearths the secrets of her past and ends with a miraculous discovery.

Cultural consultant.....Namak Khoshnaw

Directed by Nadia Molinari.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b09sr08b)
Sparsholt College

Peter Gibbs and the panel are at Sparsholt College in Hampshire. Bunny Guinness, Chris Beardshaw and Pippa Greenwood field the horticultural questions.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Laurence Bassett

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (b09sr08d)
Series 1, Lease on Life

The things you do for a flat in Zone 2. Lianne should've known it was too good to be true. A short story for radio by Laurie Penny.

Laurie Penny is an award-winning journalist, writer, activist, internet nanocelebrity and author of six books, including Unspeakable Things and Everything Belongs To The Future. Laurie writes essays, columns and gonzo journalism about politics, social justice, pop culture, feminism, technology, mental health and a splash of science fiction.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (b09sr08g)

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


FRI 16:30 Feedback (b09sr08j)

Radio 4's forum for audience comment.


FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b09sr08l)
Ben and Veronica - Always There

Losing his mother has created a strong bond between Ben and his grandmother. 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 (b09smh8m)

Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b09smh8p)

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b09sr08n)
Series 52, Episode 1

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis re-cap the week via topical stand-up and sketches with guests Pippa Evans, Phil Wang and more!

Producer: Matt Stronge

It's a BBC Studios Production.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (b09sr08r)

Brian takes the blame, and there is an unexpected offer for Rex.


FRI 19:15 Front Row (b09smh8r)

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


FRI 19:45 Riot Girls (b09sqvxr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b09sr105)
Germaine Greer, Nicky Morgan MP

Jonathan Dimbleby presents political and discussion from the Mersea Centre near Colchester in Essex with a panel including the feminist author Germaine Greer, and the chair of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee Nicky Morgan MP.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b09sr109)

A weekly reflection on a topical issue.


FRI 21:00 British Socialism: The Grand Tour (b09sr10c)
Series 1, Beatrice and Sidney Webb and the Fabian Society

Anne McElvoy traces the story of British socialism through the 20th century, from the Fabian Society's zeal to transform Britain through centralised state planning to the grassroots enthusiasm for Tony Benn in the 1980s.

Along the way, Anne traces three competing approaches to changing Britain in the interests of working people: utopian visions of transformation, mutualism, and plans to take control of the central state.

Producer: Phil Tinline.


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b09smh8t)

In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.


FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b09sr1k8)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Episode 10

James Joyce' autobiographical masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott and abridged by Sara Davies.

Stephen is sloughing off the ties of his life in Ireland, in order to be free to pursue the life of an artist.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.


FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b09snj94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b09smh8w)

Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.


FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b09sr1kb)
Gil and Abi - My Mother's Voice

Gil's diagnosis of MND made her daughter want to capture her mother's voice before it's gone. 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)

A Good Read 16:30 TUE (b09snj94)

A Good Read 23:00 FRI (b09snj94)

A Point of View 08:48 SUN (b09rzxh7)

A Point of View 20:50 FRI (b09sr109)

Analysis 21:30 SUN (b09rx4z9)

Analysis 20:30 MON (b09sn5f8)

And the Academy Award Goes To... 10:30 SAT (b09sdlkx)

Any Answers? 14:00 SAT (b09rwtgl)

Any Questions? 13:10 SAT (b09rzxh5)

Any Questions? 20:00 FRI (b09sr105)

Archive on 4 20:00 SAT (b09th2km)

BBC Inside Science 16:30 THU (b09smh5p)

BBC Inside Science 21:00 THU (b09smh5p)

Bells on Sunday 05:43 SUN (b09smnh2)

Bells on Sunday 00:45 MON (b09smnh2)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 MON (b09sn5fb)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 TUE (b09snj9g)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 WED (b09snxqf)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 THU (b09sqrmx)

Book at Bedtime 22:45 FRI (b09sr1k8)

Book of the Week 00:30 SAT (b09scdxy)

Book of the Week 09:45 MON (b09sn13z)

Book of the Week 00:30 TUE (b09sn13z)

Book of the Week 09:45 TUE (b09sn7yp)

Book of the Week 00:30 WED (b09sn7yp)

Book of the Week 09:45 WED (b09snrb9)

Book of the Week 00:30 THU (b09snrb9)

Book of the Week 09:45 THU (b09sqhl0)

Book of the Week 00:30 FRI (b09sqhl0)

Book of the Week 09:45 FRI (b09sqvxp)

Brain of Britain 23:00 SAT (b09rx3w2)

Brain of Britain 15:00 MON (b09sn38v)

Bridget Christie's Utopia 18:30 WED (b09snwmw)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 13:45 MON (b09sn2fq)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 13:45 TUE (b09sn9hh)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 13:45 WED (b09snwmp)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 13:45 THU (b09sqk06)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 13:45 FRI (b09sqvy0)

British Socialism: The Grand Tour 21:00 FRI (b09sr10c)

Broadcasting House 09:00 SUN (b09smgm8)

Charles Paris Mystery 11:30 FRI (b09sqvxw)

Civilisation: A Sceptic's Guide 11:00 MON (b09sn1hj)

Costing the Earth 15:30 TUE (b09snj90)

Costing the Earth 21:00 WED (b09snj90)

Desert Island Discs 11:15 SUN (b09smnhb)

Desert Island Discs 09:00 FRI (b09smnhb)

Domestic Science 23:00 WED (b09snxqp)

Drama 14:30 SAT (b09sdsrk)

Drama 14:15 MON (b09sn38s)

Drama 14:15 TUE (b06mc9xc)

Drama 14:15 WED (b09snwmr)

Drama 14:15 THU (b0639vpq)

Drama 14:15 FRI (b09sqwfw)

Farming Today 06:30 SAT (b09rwtg4)

Farming Today 05:45 MON (b09smgq6)

Farming Today 05:45 TUE (b09smgxz)

Farming Today 05:45 WED (b09smh1y)

Farming Today 05:45 THU (b09smh55)

Farming Today 05:45 FRI (b09smh85)

Feedback 20:00 SUN (b09rzxgx)

Feedback 16:30 FRI (b09sr08j)

File on 4 17:00 SUN (b09ry6k8)

File on 4 20:00 TUE (b09snj9b)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:30 SAT (b09rwtgb)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:00 THU (b09sqhl4)

Front Row 19:15 MON (b09smgrf)

Front Row 19:15 TUE (b09smgzg)

Front Row 19:15 WED (b09smh2n)

Front Row 19:15 THU (b09smh5w)

Front Row 19:15 FRI (b09smh8r)

Gardeners' Question Time 14:00 SUN (b09rzxgs)

Gardeners' Question Time 15:00 FRI (b09sr08b)

In Our Time 09:00 THU (b09smh59)

In Our Time 21:30 THU (b09smh59)

In Touch 20:40 TUE (b09smgzl)

In and Out of the Kitchen 19:15 SUN (b03srgv9)

Inside Health 21:00 TUE (b09snj9d)

Inside Health 15:30 WED (b09snj9d)

John Kearns 23:15 WED (b05wykhz)

Just a Minute 12:04 SUN (b09rx4s5)

Just a Minute 18:30 MON (b09sn516)

Last Word 20:30 SUN (b09sm771)

Last Word 16:00 FRI (b09sr08g)

Law in Action 16:00 TUE (b09snj92)

Law in Action 20:00 THU (b09snj92)

Lent Talks 05:45 SUN (b09rzhy9)

Lent Talks 20:45 WED (b09snxq7)

Loose Ends 18:15 SAT (b09rwtgz)

Midnight News 00:00 SAT (b09rwtfr)

Midnight News 00:00 SUN (b09smglh)

Midnight News 00:00 MON (b09smgpv)

Midnight News 00:00 TUE (b09smgxm)

Midnight News 00:00 WED (b09smh1m)

Midnight News 00:00 THU (b09smh4v)

Midnight News 00:00 FRI (b09smh7v)

Money Box 12:04 SAT (b09sdll1)

Money Box 21:00 SUN (b09sdll1)

Money Box 15:00 WED (b09smh2d)

Moral Maze 22:15 SAT (b09rzhxl)

Moral Maze 20:00 WED (b09snwn0)

News Briefing 05:30 SAT (b09rwtg0)

News Briefing 05:30 SUN (b09smglr)

News Briefing 05:30 MON (b09smgq3)

News Briefing 05:30 TUE (b09smgxx)

News Briefing 05:30 WED (b09smh1w)

News Briefing 05:30 THU (b09smh53)

News Briefing 05:30 FRI (b09smh83)

News Headlines 06:00 SUN (b09smglt)

News Summary 12:00 SAT (b09rwtgd)

News Summary 12:00 SUN (b09smgmd)

News Summary 12:00 MON (b09smgqm)

News Summary 12:00 TUE (b09smgy5)

News Summary 12:00 WED (b09smh24)

News Summary 12:00 THU (b09smh5f)

News Summary 12:00 FRI (b09smh8c)

News and Papers 06:00 SAT (b09rwtg2)

News and Papers 07:00 SUN (b09smgm0)

News and Papers 08:00 SUN (b09smgm6)

News and Weather 22:00 SAT (b09rwth3)

News 13:00 SAT (b09rwtgj)

On Your Farm 06:35 SUN (b09smnh4)

One to One 09:30 TUE (b09sn7ym)

Only Artists 09:00 WED (b09snn7r)

Only Artists 21:30 WED (b09snn7r)

Open Book 16:00 SUN (b09smtrx)

Open Book 15:30 THU (b09smtrx)

Out of the Ordinary 11:00 FRI (b09sqvxt)

PM 17:00 SAT (b09rwtgq)

PM 17:00 MON (b09smgr3)

PM 17:00 TUE (b09smgzb)

PM 17:00 WED (b09smh2j)

PM 17:00 THU (b09smh5r)

PM 17:00 FRI (b09smh8m)

Pick of the Week 18:15 SUN (b09smgms)

Poetry Please 23:30 SAT (b09rx0hb)

Poetry Please 16:30 SUN (b09smtrz)

Portrait of the Artist 16:00 MON (b09sn512)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 SAT (b09rx7tv)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 MON (b09tmf3j)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 TUE (b09ttz17)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 WED (b09ttp82)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 THU (b09tt4r2)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 FRI (b09ttz9q)

Profile 19:00 SAT (b09sjt48)

Profile 17:40 SUN (b09sjt48)

Radio 4 Appeal 07:54 SUN (b09smnh6)

Radio 4 Appeal 21:26 SUN (b09smnh6)

Radio 4 Appeal 15:27 THU (b09smnh6)

Ramblings 06:07 SAT (b09rznj2)

Ramblings 15:00 THU (b09sqrmj)

Riot Girls 21:00 SAT (b09rwzvs)

Riot Girls 15:00 SUN (b09smtrv)

Riot Girls 10:45 MON (b09sn141)

Riot Girls 19:45 MON (b09sn141)

Riot Girls 10:45 TUE (b09sn7yr)

Riot Girls 19:45 TUE (b09sn7yr)

Riot Girls 10:41 WED (b09sns75)

Riot Girls 19:45 WED (b09sns75)

Riot Girls 10:45 THU (b09sqhl2)

Riot Girls 19:45 THU (b09sqhl2)

Riot Girls 10:45 FRI (b09sqvxr)

Riot Girls 19:45 FRI (b09sqvxr)

Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey 18:30 TUE (b09snj96)

Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy 23:00 THU (b08hnpms)

Saturday Live 09:00 SAT (b09rwtg8)

Saturday Review 19:15 SAT (b09rwth1)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SAT (b09rwtfw)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SUN (b09smglm)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 MON (b09smgpz)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 TUE (b09smgxr)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 WED (b09smh1r)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 THU (b09smh4z)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 FRI (b09smh7z)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SAT (b09rwtft)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SAT (b09rwtfy)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SAT (b09rwtgs)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SUN (b09smglk)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SUN (b09smglp)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SUN (b09smgml)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 MON (b09smgpx)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 MON (b09smgq1)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 TUE (b09smgxp)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 TUE (b09smgxt)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 WED (b09smh1p)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 WED (b09smh1t)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 THU (b09smh4x)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 THU (b09smh51)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 FRI (b09smh7x)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 FRI (b09smh81)

Short Cuts 15:00 TUE (b09snj8y)

Short Works 00:30 SUN (b09rzxgv)

Short Works 15:45 FRI (b09sr08d)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SAT (b09rwtgx)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SUN (b09smgmq)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 MON (b09smgr7)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 TUE (b09smgzd)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 WED (b09smh2l)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 THU (b09smh5t)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 FRI (b09smh8p)

Something Understood 06:05 SUN (b09smglw)

Something Understood 23:30 SUN (b09smglw)

Start the Week 09:00 MON (b09smgqf)

Start the Week 21:30 MON (b09smgqf)

State of the Nations 11:30 WED (b088fp46)

State of the Nations 18:30 THU (b085xcfk)

Sunday Worship 08:10 SUN (b09smnh8)

Sunday 07:10 SUN (b09smgm2)

Superfast Politics 20:00 MON (b09h6x6m)

The Archers Omnibus 10:00 SUN (b09smgmb)

The Archers 19:00 SUN (b09smts1)

The Archers 14:00 MON (b09smts1)

The Archers 19:00 MON (b09sn518)

The Archers 14:00 TUE (b09sn518)

The Archers 19:00 TUE (b09snj98)

The Archers 14:00 WED (b09snj98)

The Archers 19:00 WED (b09snwmy)

The Archers 14:00 THU (b09snwmy)

The Archers 19:00 THU (b09sqrmq)

The Archers 14:00 FRI (b09sqrmq)

The Archers 19:00 FRI (b09sr08r)

The Art of Now: Greek Revival 11:30 TUE (b09sn8j7)

The Bottom Line 17:30 SAT (b09rznjb)

The Bottom Line 20:30 THU (b09sqrmv)

The Computer Speaks 19:45 SUN (b062n4nl)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry 12:04 MON (b09sn2fn)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry 12:04 TUE (b09sn980)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry 12:04 WED (b09snwmm)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry 12:04 THU (b09sqk04)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry 12:04 FRI (b09sqvxy)

The Digital Human 16:30 MON (b09sn514)

The Film Programme 23:00 SUN (b09rznj4)

The Film Programme 16:00 THU (b09sqrml)

The Food Programme 12:32 SUN (b09smnhd)

The Food Programme 15:30 MON (b09smnhd)

The Global Farm 21:00 MON (b09rxyjs)

The Global Farm 11:00 TUE (b09sn7yt)

The Life Scientific 09:00 TUE (b09sn7yk)

The Life Scientific 21:30 TUE (b09sn7yk)

The Listening Project 14:45 SUN (b09smnhk)

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The Media Show 16:30 WED (b09smh2g)

The News Quiz 12:30 SAT (b09rzxh1)

The Now Show 18:30 FRI (b09sr08n)

The Skipped Beat 11:00 WED (b09h2z82)

The Week in Westminster 11:00 SAT (b09sdlkz)

The World This Weekend 13:00 SUN (b09smgmj)

The World Tonight 22:00 MON (b09smgrk)

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The World in 3D 11:30 THU (b09sqk02)

Thinking Allowed 00:15 MON (b09rz657)

Thinking Allowed 16:00 WED (b09snwmt)

Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme 23:00 TUE (b09snj9j)

To Hull and Back 11:30 MON (b09sn1hl)

Today in Parliament 23:30 MON (b09sn6pw)

Today in Parliament 23:30 TUE (b09smgzq)

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Tweet of the Day 08:58 SUN (b09rx1zy)

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Westminster Hour 22:00 SUN (b09smgmv)

When Greeks Flew Kites 13:30 SUN (b09smnhg)

Woman's Hour 16:00 SAT (b09rwtgn)

Woman's Hour 10:00 MON (b09smgqj)

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Word of Mouth 23:00 MON (b09ry6k0)

World at One 13:00 MON (b09smgqv)

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You and Yours 12:15 MON (b09smgqp)

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You're Doing It Wrong 09:30 WED (b09snrb7)

iPM 05:45 SAT (b09rx7tx)