SATURDAY 02 NOVEMBER 2019
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0009t3h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 The Great Flood: Travels Through a Sodden Landscape (m0009t1p)
Episode 5
Journalist Edward Platt explores the ways in which water has shaped Britain and its inhabitants. The author considers how flooding affects our sense of self alongside the stories we tell.
Abridged by Laurence Wareing
Read by Peter Collins
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009t3k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009t3m)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009t3p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0009t3r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0009t3t)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good morning!
It’s a grey old time of the year, between the mellow mists of harvest time and the hectic fun of Christmas and New Year, the time we’ve come to use as the season of remembrance and the weather seems to fit that feeling of nostalgia.
Yesterday was All Saints Day, when we remember and give thanks for all those high-profile, special people who inspire our lives – the Mother Theresa’s and Francis of Assisi’s of this world. But today is All Souls Day, the day for remembering and giving thanks for all the others; people like my parents, and family and friends who, I believe have gone on to Heaven ahead of us but who stay tied to our hearts by cords of love and memories.
Inevitably, I wonder where those people are and what it’s like; the Old Testament prophet Isaiah talked about a banquet and that sumptuous image continues all the way through the Scriptures; they say that Heaven’s a feast with everything we could possibly wish for. A place where there’s no sorrow or suffering, no wars or worries, a place where we will be well and whole and free, dancing, laughing and enjoying the peace of eternity together with God and the whole company of Heaven.
This time of year can be very sad for those of us who are left but the love we’ve shared is eternal and lasts when everything else is gone.
Lord of love, Hear us as we remember all those we love but see no longer; inspire us with memories of happy times past and reassure us that, as Jesus promised, one day we will all be together in your heaven.
Amen
SAT 05:45 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m0009qtl)
Series 14
A Frytful Scare Part 1
It was a dark and stormy night around the time of Halloween. A secret message arrived addressed to Rutherford & Fry from a mysterious woman called Heidi Daugh, who demanded to know: "Why do people like to be scared? For example, going on scary amusement park rides and watching horror movies that make you jump.”
What followed was an investigation over two chapters, which would test our intrepid duo to their very limits. In this first instalment, they explore the history of horror, starting with its literary origins in the Gothic fiction classic 'The Castle of Otranto'.
Adam challenges Hannah to watch a horror film without hiding behind a cushion. She quizzes horror scholar Mathias Clasen to find out why some people love the feeling of terror, whilst it leaves other cold.
Sociologist Margee Kerr and psychologist Claudia Hammond are also on hand to explore why scary movies are so powerful and popular.
Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0009z21)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m0009t5d)
Folklore and Ghost Stories in Northumberland
Jez Lowe is a singer and writer and in this Halloween episode of Open Country he explores the slightly sinister song and story of Northumberland. This is a county filled with history; from Roman walls to Border battles, and that may be one reason why it is also a place of legends, mythical creatures and ghostly stories. In Northumberland National Park Jez learns about the history beyond the iconic Hadrian's Wall. Further into the park he learns about the murderous Duergarr and meets Rachel Unthank to hear about the traditional song that depict maidens turned into serpents and cruel sisters. The mist and moors and castles of the county lend themselves to tales and songs with magic at their heart and at Featherstone Castle Jez uncovers the historical truth behind some of Northumberland's most spooky tales and finds out why we all love a good ghost story.
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0009z23)
02/11/19 Farming Today This Week: Root veg
Parsnips. Swedes. Carrots. This is a mere snapshot of the vegetables grown by Phil Collins on his farm near Calne in Wiltshire. To conclude Farming Today's week on root veg Phil shows Charlotte around his fields and explains how when he started in the 70s cauliflowers were selling for a £1, and now forty years on they're still only two for £
2.50. By selling direct he can guarantee freshness for his customers but how does he find it competing with the supermarkets which suppress prices and prevent him charging what produce is worth. They also talk about how he sustains himself and his business when he's working six and a half days a week and he says were his sons not looking to take the business on he'd probably have sold up by now. This is the story of one man and a life devoted to vegetable production.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Toby Field
SAT 06:57 Weather (m0009z25)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 07:00 Today (m0009z27)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0009z29)
Extraordinary stories, unusual people and a sideways look at the world.
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0009z2c)
Series 26
Liverpool
Jay Rayner and the panel are in Liverpool. Dr Annie Gray, Nisha Katona, Jeremy Pang and Tim Anderson answer the culinary queries from the audience.
This week, the panel discusses the perfect hangover brunch, custard and how best to top your jacket potato this Bonfire Night.
Hayley Turner from Speke Hall discusses Wet Nelly, and Rob Sawyer and Jamie Yates from the Everton Football Club Heritage Society talk about Everton toffees.
Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Food Consultant: Anna Colquhoun
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m0009z2f)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0009z2h)
Rugby and Typhoons
The Rugby World Cup has drawn the attention of the world to Japan for the last six weeks. But the tournament has not been without its difficulties, mostly ones beyond the power of the authorities to control. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been sheltering from the storm.
Veganism is on the rise in many countries in the world. Switching to a plant-base diet is said to be one of the biggest contributions an individual can make to reducing their impact on the environment. But veganism has its own dangers, as Ashitha Nagesh finds out in St. Petersburg.
South Korea is today a beacon of democracy and economic stability in East Asia. Street rallies have recently forced the resignation of the justice minister. But it wasn't always thus. The country was run by the army within living memory. And John Kampfner says protest then was a different matter.
Somaliland, a small breakaway territory in East Africa, has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden. But strangely it doesn't have much of a fishing industry. That's changing now and Amy Guttman finds people getting to know an entirely new cuisine.
Guinea - in West Africa - is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many look overseas for ways to earn money. There is much demand for domestic workers in the Gulf and in the age of the smart phone, these workers are often recruited via a mobile app. As Owen Pinnell discovered, the recruits are often under age.
Presenter: Kate Adie
Producer: Tim Mansel
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0009z2k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0009z2m)
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m0009t2z)
Series 55
Episode 2
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Zoe Lyons, Ken Cheng, Jess Robinson and Josh Berry.
It was written by the cast with additional material by Gareth Gwynn, Liam Beirne, Catherine Brinkworth and Eleanor Morton.
Produced by Matt Stronge.
It was a BBC Studios production.
SAT 12:57 Weather (m0009z2p)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m0009z2r)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0009t35)
Iain Dale, John Healey MP, Nicola Horlick, Gillian Keegan MP
Chris Mason presents political debate from the University of Liverpool with a panel including the political commentator and broadcaster Iain Dale, the Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey MP, the businesswoman and Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate Nicola Horlick and the Conservative MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary Gillian Keegan MP.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0009z2t)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?
SAT 14:45 Drama (m0009z2w)
Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall Of The British Empire) is an album by The Kinks, originally released in October 1969. The songs feature autobiographical stories and characters from Ray Davies' early life and offer a fascinating snapshot of this period in British history - a period of upheaval that resonates strongly with the present.
The story is simple - a close-knit, working-class family is torn apart when Ray's brother-in-law, Arthur, decides to move his family half way around the world to Australia. The whole family is trying to come to terms with what it means to live in post-war Britain - the lost empire, the lack of respect, the broken institutions, a country in flux, a country split over whether or not to join the European Economic Community and a country struggling to come to terms with its own identity.
The drama has plenty of music - with songs written at that pivotal time in British culture re-versioned especially for BBC Radio 4, 50 years later. The songs have special resonance for Ray Davies, who was devastated when his older sister Rose emigrated to Australia in 1964 with her husband Arthur Anning. It inspired him to write the song Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, included on the 1966 album Face to Face.
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is a study in song of what it means to be British - then and now.
THE KINKS are recognised as one of the most important and influential British rock groups of all time. From their explosive beginnings as part of the British Beat movement to forays into concept albums, The Kinks have a legacy of classic songs, many of which form the building blocks of popular music as we know it today.
SIR RAY DAVIES is the iconic founder member and presiding genius of The Kinks. As his songwriting developed, he emerged as a witty, compassionate social commentator chronicling the aspirations and absurdities of English life. He is the Olivier award-winning writer of the musical plays Sunny Afternoon (4 Oliviers, Pinter Theatre, West End), Come Dancing (Stratford East) and 80 Days (La Jolla Playhouse). This is his first radio play.
PAUL SIRETT (co-writer) is a multi-award-winning writer of The Big Life (Apollo Theatre, West End and BBC World Service), Come Dancing (with Ray Davies, Theatre Stratford East) and Reasons to be Cheerful (Graeae Theatre Company).
THE SONGS:
VICTORIA
Performed by The Kinks
THE FUTURE
Performed by Arthur & The Emigrants
THE VILLAGE GREEN
Performed by Rosie Cavaliero
ARTHUR version 1
Performed by Arthur & The Emigrants
ARTHUR version 2
Performed by The Kinks
SOME MOTHER’S SON
Performed by The Kinks
THE FUTURE
Performed by Mark Newnham
YES SIR, NO SIR version 1
Performed by The Kinks
YES SIR, NO SIR version 2
Performed by Lee Ross
DRIVIN’
Performed by The Kinks, Lee Ross and Rosie Cavaliero
MR CHURCHILL SAYS
Performed by The Kinks
BRAINWASHED
Performed by Ben Norris, Mark Newnham, Stephen Lloyd and Arthur Hughes
WATERLOO SUNSET
Performed by Mark Newnham
AUSTRALIA
Performed by Lee Ross and The Kinks
PICTURES IN THE SAND
Performed by Lee Ross
YOUNG AND INNOCENT DAYS
Performed by Rosie Cavaliero
NOTHING TO SAY
Performed by Ben Norris
POSTCARD FROM LONDON
Performed by Rosie Cavaliero and Ray Davies
YOU REALLY GOT ME
Performed by The Kinks
SHANGRI-LA
Performed by The Kinks
Guitar by Bill Shanley
CAST AND CREW:
Arthur……....……...LEE ROSS
Rose…………….......ROSIE CAVALIERO
Ray…….................STEPHEN LLOYD
Dave………….........MARK NEWNHAM
Terry………….........BEN NORRIS
Bobby…...............ARTHUR HUGHES
Julie/Sally…….......EMERALD O’HANRAHAN
Mr Henderson…...DAVID HOLT
Mum…………….......KAREN SPICER
Dad/Jones……......WAYNE NORMAN
Writers: Ray Davies and Paul Sirett
Sound Engineers: David Thomas and Matt Jaggar
Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
Musical Director: Harvey Brough
Director: Karen Rose
Producers: Karen Rose and Ray Davies
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0009z2y)
Singer-songwriter Lisa Simone, Women in the horror films industry, What is it really like being a teenage mum?
Lisa Simone, songwriter, singer and daughter of Nina tells us all about her new album. Maddy Prior the folk singer and member of Steeleye Span talks about a career in music that's spanned more than 50 years. At BBC Introducing Live we look at how to get into the music business and once you're there how to thrive.
Plus what’s it really like to be a teenage mum? Genetic Counselling – how do families deal with the news that the man they thought was dad isn’t biologically related?
Women in the horror films industry what’s behind their creations? And author Jenny Downham joins on her latest novel Furious Thing about a fifteen year old girl struggling with her feelings of anger.
Presenter Jane Garvey
Producer Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor Beverley Purcell
Guest; Lisa Simone
Guest; Maddy Prior
Guest ; Jenny Downham
Guest; Chyna Powell-Henry
Guest; Dr Kim Jamie
Guest; Aislinn Clarke
Guest; Anna Bogutskaya
Guest; Lizzie Franke
Guest; Nicola Dunn
SAT 17:00 PM (m0009z30)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news, plus the sports headlines.
SAT 17:30 The Bottom Line (m0009t5v)
Managing Conflict
How should businesses deal with workplace quarrels? At a time when the nation seems increasingly divided and hot-tempered, is there a way to bring harmony among staff when there are differences of opinion and personality? Evan Davis and his guests explore what can go wrong and look for some possible solutions. In a very cooperative spirit, naturally.
GUESTS:
Naomi Shragai: psychological business consultant and Financial Times contributor
Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Chief Strategy Officer, Blend Network
David Liddle, founder and CEO, The TCM Group
Producer: Julie Ball
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0009z33)
The latest shipping forecast.
SAT 17:57 Weather (m0009z35)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0009z37)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0009z39)
Jeff Goldblum, Sir Trevor McDonald, Tricky, Ruth Wilson, Emma Freud, Clive Anderson
Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Jeff Goldblum, Sir Trevor McDonald, Tricky and Ruth Wilson for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Jeff Goldblum and Tawiah.
Producer: Sukey Firth
SAT 19:00 Profile (m0009z3c)
Eddie Jones
Becky Milligan, looks at the life and career of Eddie Jones. The England rugby coach everyone is talking about. Half Australian, half Japanese, he’s credited by many for turning teams around and being a hard task master. But does he have a softer side? We look at how a teacher from the suburbs of Sydney came to lead England’s national team into the Rugby World Cup.
Producer Smita Patel
Researcher May Cameron.
SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (m0009z3f)
Making Waves, The Antipodes, Hanne Orstavik, His Dark Materials, Joy Labinjo
Making Waves: The Art Of Cinematic Sound is a documentary looking at (and listening to) the work of sound designers in film. What do they do and how do they affect the viewer?
The Antipodes the latest play by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Annie Baker. Set in a brainstorming meeting for some undisclosed creative company, the tensions of office relationships and the need to be imaginative lead to tensions
Hanne Orstavik's novel Love unfolds in a village in far northern Norway. Jon is a young boy, looking forward to his birthday tomorrow, always thinking of his mother even though the attention isn't reciprocal
The BBC has a brand new version of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. It's been a book, a BBC Radio play, a film and now a TV adaptation. How does the small screen incarnation fare?
Joy Labinjo is a young Nigerian/British painter who has an exhibition of her work at The Baltic in Gateshead.
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, Christopher Frayling and Kathryn Hughes. The producer is Oliver Jones
Podcast Extra recommendations:
Ellah: Media Democracy podcast
Christopher: The Dublin Murders and Paolozzi exhibition at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert in London
Kathryn: The Reinvention of Humanity by Charles King
Tom: Guilt on BBC2 and The CryptoQueen podcast
Main image: Dafne Keen
Photo credit: Bad Wolf/BBC One/HBO
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0009z3h)
Desert Island Myths: Three Centuries of Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe was first published on 25 April 1719. By the end of the 19th century it had become the most reissued, adapted and translated novel in the world.
Over the years, this island adventure story has been interpreted in a huge variety of ways: by critics as the first ever novel in English; by political theorists as an allegory of colonialism; by economists as a story of primitive accumulation; by anthropologists as a classic statement of nature and civilisation; and by educationalists as a story of learning by doing.
The book has also inspired countless creative works, from Gulliver’s Travels, Swiss Family Robinson and Treasure Island to Lost In Space, Cast Away and The Martian. Not forgetting several reality TV shows and the ever popular Desert Island Discs.
Three hundred years on from Robinson Crusoe's publication, cultural historian Christopher Frayling sets sail through the BBC archive to explore the creation and legacy of this controversial text.
Interviewees:
Charles Boyle, author of Good Morning, Mr Crusoe
Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London
Andrew Lambert, Professor of Naval History at King’s College London
Olivette Otele, Professor of History at Bath Spa University
Andrew Pollard, writer, director and pantomime dame
Brian Sibley, author and broadcaster
Producer: Jane Long
A Hidden Flack production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time (m0007xpj)
Episode 10
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s adaptation from the French of Marcel Proust’s allegorical reflection on time, memory, art and love.
Society and culture are changing and suddenly it is the Verdurins who are socially on the rise as the Guermantes’ influence fades, like time.
The Baron de Charlus has a stroke and, in his vulnerability, reveals more of his heart to Marcel.
Gilberte enlightens Marcel on the complexities of the lives and relationships of people they know and Marcel can finally reflect on time. He discovers he has found the inspiration at last to write his book. He will become the writer he has always yearned to be.
Cast:
MARCEL (narrator) ………Derek Jacobi
MARCEL ………Blake Ritson
FRANCOISE …………Susan Brown
DUCHESS DE GUERMANTES (ORIANE) ……… Fenella Woolgar
MOREL …………Tom Glenister
BARON DE CHARLUS …………Simon Russell Beale
BUTLER ……… Daniel Flynn
BLOCH ………Nicholas Gleaves
MARQUIS DE CAMBREMER..………Ben Crowe
WOMAN GUEST ..... Emma Amos
GILBERTE …………Emma Mackey
Translated and adapted from the French by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Produced and directed by Celia de Wolff
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Recording and Sound Design: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:00 News and Weather (m0009z3k)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 22:15 Moral Maze (m0009qw6)
The Morality of Risk
Fireworks are fun; they’re also dangerous. Hundreds of people are injured every November 5th and pets are frightened by the noise. What’s to be done? Sainsbury’s has become the first UK supermarket to stop selling fireworks and some MPs have called for an outright ban. They are heroes to some; to others, they are spoilsports, determined to see every jot of joy fizzle out like a damp roman candle. We take risks all the time, for better or worse, but is the long march of health and safety – from the Factory Act of 1833 to the smoking ban and beyond – taking us to a better place, or are we becoming an over-anxious, risk-averse nation? Risk assessments are vital – they can prevent lots of people from dying – but, despite the fact that ‘health and safety culture’ has extended its reach into almost every aspect of our lives, it failed to prevent the Grenfell Tower disaster. Risk aversion starts early. Children are nowadays less likely to walk to school on their own. Scotland is likely to become the first country in Europe to ban young footballers from heading the ball after research suggested they could be heading for dementia. When should statistical evidence of risk prompt a change of behaviour, either voluntary or state-enforced? Is it moral to accept a tiny level of personal risk for ourselves and our children, when the same statistics show that, across the population as a whole, that percentage risk adds up to hundreds or thousands of lost or ruined lives? Is risk-taking itself sometimes a good thing? In the world of economics it might cause a recession but it can also generate prosperity. In medicine a risky operation might kill the patient or it might be the way to save a life. Is it worth the risk of getting rid of risk? Featuring Kate Blincoe, Prof. Nick Chater, David Halpern and Dr Jamie Whyte
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SAT 23:00 Have You Heard George's Podcast? (m0009z3m)
Welcome to the World of George the Poet
Award-winning podcaster and spoken word artist George the Poet comes to the BBC’s own Radio Theatre for a one-off live show exploring what rap can teach us about education.
For George, rap was always a vehicle for knowledge. But it isn’t always taken seriously by an establishment that often sees it as unconstructive. Rap was an essential part of George’s own development as a poet, and studying Sociology at Cambridge University allowed him to look more closely at what rap can do for marginalised communities. This show charts George’s own story of education – his evolution from Grime MC to Cambridge student to spoken word artist – and pays homage to the rap music that shaped him and his peers.
George brings a number of friends to the stage to explore what rap can teach us about education.
DJ Target is a 1Xtra DJ and a founding member of UK Grime collective Roll Deep. In his book Grime Kids he charts the creation of the groundbreaking music genre that gave voice to a generation.
Neuroscientist Dr Becky Inkster and psychiatrist Dr Akeem Sule are co-founders of Hip Hop Psych. Hip Hop Psych dissects hip hop lyrics to analyse the mechanisms of mental health problems, signals which are sometimes overlooked because of their mode of communication.
Temi Mwale has been committed to the fight against youth violence since her childhood friend Marvin Henry was murdered. At 17, Temi founded the 4Front Project, a grassroots organisation based in the estate she grew up in, which delivers specialist programmes that support personal development, legal empowerment and social action across vulnerable communities.
Holly Branson joined the Virgin Group as an active member of the Leadership team in 2008, after achieving medical and physiology degrees from University College London and realising her dream of working as a doctor. She is Chair of Virgin Unite, a Founder and trustee of education charity Big Change and Co-Chair of WE Day UK. In 2018, Holly published her first book, co-authored with Marc and Craig Kielburger: WEconomy: You can find meaning, make a living, and change the world.
Sonita Alleyne OBE is the new Master of Jesus College, Cambridge. She is the first woman to be the Master of Jesus College and the first black person to lead any Oxbridge college. Sonita is the co-founder and former CEO of media production company Somethin’ Else. Alleyne’s board roles have included the National Employment Panel and the London Skills and Employment Board, chair of the Radio Sector Skills Council and non-executive director of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
With performances from the BBC Concert Orchestra and Maverick Sabre.
An extended version of this programme is available as a podcast on BBC Sounds, and on iPlayer.
Produced by Anne Isger
SUNDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2019
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0009z3p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:30 Short Works (m0009t2l)
From Fact to Fiction: After Midnight
Inspired by the news, Zoë Strachan writes a story centring on the legalisation of equal marriage in Northern Ireland and the school protests in Birmingham.
Zoë Strachan is an award-winning novelist and librettist who also writes stories, plays and criticism. Her recent book, Ever Fallen in Love, was shortlisted for the Scottish Book of the Year Award and the Green Carnation Prize. Her opera The Lady from the Sea, composed by Craig Armstrong, premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival and won a Herald Angel Award. She co-edited New Writing Scotland for three years and in 2014 curated Out There, the first anthology of LGBT writing from Scotland in over 20 years. She teaches at the University of Glasgow.
Writer Zoë Strachan
Reader Neshla Caplan
Producer Gaynor Macfarlane
A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009z3r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009z3t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009z3w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0009z3y)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0009z40)
The Parish Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas, Pier Head, in Liverpool
Bells on Sunday comes from The Parish Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas, Pier Head, in Liverpool. The present ring of twelve bells with a tenor of forty one and three quarter hundredweight was cast and hung by John Taylor of Loughborough for the opening of the new church in October 1952 following wartime bombing in December 1940 which in fact had left the tower intact. We hear Pudsey Surprise Maximus.
SUN 05:45 Profile (m0009z3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (m0009zl2)
The latest national and international news headlines.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b06y96gs)
Living With Poverty
Mark Tully considers social, religious and personal attitudes towards poverty.
The Archbishop of Canterbury recently said, “It’s a tragedy that hunger still exists in the United Kingdom in the 21st century. Yet, we continue to live with scandalous inequality”.
Living in Delhi, Mark Tully is also concerned by the poverty that he sees around him there. In this edition of Something Understood, he contemplates poverty and explores the social obligations to do something about it. He talks to Dr. John Kirkby about the practical solutions to the relief of poverty on an individual level. There are readings from poet Robert Sosa, theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and philosopher Loren Eiseley - with music from Bessie Smith, Femi Kuti and J.S. Bach.
The readers are Polly Frame, Francis Cadder and Jasper Britton
Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0009zl4)
Farming for Beetles
Verity Sharp meets a farmer who's a leading expert on dung beetles. Sally-Ann Spence is a passionate entomologist who's created a haven for insects on the family arable farm. By grazing carefully selected sheep and cattle, she's restored ancient chalk grasslands in Wiltshire. Sally-Ann's transformed an old dairy into a laboratory and lecture room. She calls it "The Berrycroft Hub" and each year welcomes scores of people, from children and conservationists, to farmers and villagers, teaching them how agriculture and bio-diversity can work side-by-side.
Producer: Rebecca Rooney
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0009zl6)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0009zl8)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0009zlb)
Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme.
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0009yxn)
Lymphoma Action
Trombonist Carol Jarvis, who had lymphoma, makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Lymphoma Action.
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 ‘Lymphoma Action'.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Lymphoma Action'.
Registered Charity Number: 1068395 (England and Wales) and SC045850 (Scotland)
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0009zld)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0009zlg)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0009zlj)
Their hope is full of immortality
For over a thousand years, All Souls’ Day has been set aside for the Church to care about the souls of those who have ‘departed’. It was a day kept solemn for prayers and intercessions on behalf of those souls who ‘are in the hand of God, [where] no torment will ever touch them’. The biblical Wisdom literature does not see death as an unremitting disaster, but is confident that those who have died are ‘at peace’ with God and they ‘abide with him in love'. More unexpectedly perhaps ‘their hope is full of immortality’. Preacher the Revd Dr Steve Nolan, Chaplain, Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, Surrey and Visiting Research Fellow at University of Winchester, casts further light both on this biblical Wisdom literature and on ancient and modern understandings of death. Recorded at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich, Chaplain: The Revd Patricia Mann; Director of Music: Ralph Allwood; Organist: Joseph Wicks. Readings: Wisdom 3: 1-9; 1 Corinthians
11:23-26; Music: Jerusalem the Golden (Ewing); In Paradisum (Faure); Crossing the Bar (Parry); The Lord’s my shepherd (Crimond); Holy is the true light (Harris); Ye holy angels bright (Darwall’s 148th); The Lord bless you and keep you (Rutter); Producer: Ben Collingwood
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0009t37)
The Great Divide
For many, three or four years away from home at a residential university is "a kind of rite of passage into adulthood", says David Goodhart.
But - given most other countries seem to do fine without it - is it time to think again about this very British tradition?
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b09byxlf)
Paul Evans on the Barn Owl
In a house on the marsh which has been abandoned for forty years, Paul Evans disturbs a Barn owl and the ghosts of a tragic past as he recalls in this specially commissioned Halloween tale.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Joshua Myers.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m0009zll)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m0009zln)
The Grundy’s attempt to complete Joe’s legacy and Alice hatches a plan.
Writer, Paul Brodrick
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Jolene Archer ….. Buffy Davis
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ….. Angela Piper
Chris Carter ….. Wilf Scolding
Alice Carter ….. Hollie Chapman
Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ….. Heather Bell
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Jakob Hakansson….. Paul Venables
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Robert Snell ….. Graham Blockey
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Carmen ….. Mia Soteriou
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m0009zlq)
Russell T Davies, screenwriter
Russell T Davies is one of the UK’s most successful television writers. He spent his teenage years learning his dramatic craft with the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre, and his career in television began in the children’s department at the BBC.
His first solo hit TV series was the groundbreaking, sexually frank drama Queer as Folk, first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1999.
A lifelong Doctor Who fan, he relaunched the series in 2005 for a new generation of viewers. Such was its success, he found himself working around the clock.
More recently, he wrote the highly acclaimed series A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe, and the dystopian drama Years and Years.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m0009zls)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 The Museum of Curiosity (m0009r6d)
Series 14
Episode 5
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Bridget Christie welcome comedian Andrew Maxwell, medical historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris and actor Celia Imrie.
This week, the Museum’s Advisory Committee donate a half-burned candle, an example of prisoner art and a piece of kit to ward off would-be body snatchers.
The Museum’s exhibits were catalogued by Mike Shephard, Mike Turner and Lydia Mizon of QI.
The producers were Anne Miller and Victoria Lloyd.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m0009z7n)
Smoke and Celebration: Exploring Bonfire Night food traditions
Autumn is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – when the air is perfumed with bonfire smoke, sweet crisp apples are weighing down orchard branches, and root vegetables are plump and ready for picking beneath the soil.
It’s a time of year when a whole new palette of British produce is ripe and ready to turn into pies, pickles, chutneys, cakes, jams and stews: hearty comfort food to warm and nourish as the weather turns colder.
Autumn is also a season for festive gatherings: with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night leading swiftly into the frenzied run-up to Christmas, providing plenty of opportunity to eat, drink and be merry - and on November 5th in particular, food traditions abound across the UK; from regional specialities to family favourites.
In this programme, Sheila Dillon heads to North Yorkshire, to gather round a fire with Michelin-starred chef Tommy Bank; cook and food writer Meera Sodha; and chef and restaurateur Andrew Nutter. Together, they keep the autumn chill at bay with a bonfire feast – whilst sharing stories of their seasonal food memories.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0009zlw)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0009zly)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 13:30 China and the World (m0009zm0)
Hearts and Minds
Time was when communists shunned the Western media, disdained its journalists and denounced its perceived ideological links to capitalism and liberal values. Random arrests helped to intimidate questioning minds while restrictions on internal travel and access to local people ensured awkward scandals were kept largely secret and foreigners were mistrusted.
Now, seemingly, China has adopted a radically different approach. Glitzy television channels proliferate broadcasting in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. Beijing regularly invites journalists from developing countries on all-expenses-paid trips to Beijing and other major cities; inserts in such Establishment newspapers as "The Washington Post" in the US and the "Telegraph" in the UK present a positive image of today's one-party state; while Hollywood focuses now on box office revenues in China.
Less visible, though, is the work of the United Front Work Department, a key component of the Chinese Communist Party's operations, targeting influential figures in politics, culture and business to support China's interests and attack its enemies. A close watch is kept on Chinese students abroad, the Chinese diaspora and people of Chinese descent. Censorship of published journals persists and a whole new area of control has been established in "management" of social media and online sources of information.
In the second programme of her series, sinologist Isabel Hilton explores how new methods are being exploited to achieve traditional ends by China's rulers and what lessons ought to be drawn from them.
Producer Simon Coates
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0009t2j)
Calne, Wiltshire
Peter Gibbs and the panel are in Calne, Wiltshire. Chris Beardshaw, Matthew Wilson, and Anne Swithinbank are answering the horticultural questions.
This week, the panellists discuss tree peonies, making workable soil in a new build and caring for a Clematis. They also debate the importance - or not - of tidiness in the garden.
Away from the questions, James Wong goes to the Citrus Centre to meet Amanda and Chris Dennis.
Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Jemima Rathbone
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m0009zm2)
Sunday Omnibus - Children, Parents and Grand-parents
Fi Glover presents the Sunday Omnibus edition with three conversations spanning the generations.
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: Mohini Patel
SUN 15:00 Drama (b08cq790)
Inspector Chen Novels
Red Mandarin Dress
The fifth in Qiu Xiaolong's series of crime novels following the career of academic turned Special Case Squad detective, Inspector Chen. A serial killer is loose on the streets of Shanghai but Chen is otherwise engaged on a high-level corruption case. With bodies appearing at the rate of one a week, Homicide are in desperate need of help. Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.
Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson
Directed by Toby Swift.
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m0009yxq)
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
To mark Bookclub's 21st birthday Helen Fielding talks about her creation Bridget Jones, with the first novel in the series, Bridget Jones's Diary. Bridget has now become an iconic figure in modern fiction.
Bridget Jones started life as a weekly column in the pages of The Independent in 1995, when Fielding worked on the news desk. Refusing to use her own byline, Helen’s column chronicled the life and antics of fictional Bridget Jones as a thirty-something single woman in London trying to make sense of life and love - and was published as a novel in 1996. Helen says in Bookclub that she honestly expected the column would be axed after six weeks for being too silly. She also describes how much she leaned on the plot of Pride and Prejudice, as in 1995 it seemed the whole country was watching the BBC adaptation with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. Bridget eventually finds love with aloof lawyer Mark Darcy, who of course was played by Firth in the film of the novel.
With fans from women in their twenties now to others in their fifties who lived the life of Bridget at the time, Helen answers questions about the identity of unmarried women in their thirties in the 1990s, with Bridget feeling as alone as Miss Havisham and how perceptions have changed since; as well as how Bridget would fare in this #MeToo, Instagram image obsessed and internet dating world.
Recorded as part of the BBC's BBC Arts year-long celebration of literature, The Books That Shaped Us; and presented by James Naughtie and with a group of readers asking the questions.
December's Bookclub choice : Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner (2012)
Presented by James Naughtie
Produced by Dymphna Flynn
SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (m0009zm4)
Vicki Feaver
Vicki Feaver delves into the listener poetry requests and shares her favourites with Roger McGough. Her choices include work by William Wordsworth, Sylvia Plath and Stevie Smith. Producer Sally Heaven.
SUN 17:00 Into the Manosphere (m0009rjr)
Young men are facing a crisis of masculinity. To deal with it, they have options - the manosphere, a mainly online world where the challenges facing 21st century men are exclusively the fault of women, or the anti-manosphere.
Philip Tanzer is a Men Rights Activist (or MRA) and manosphere convert who lives in Scotland. He’s already a keyboard warrior, fighting the ‘feminist establishment’ from the highlands of Scotland and giving motivational talks to the young men who come to his salon and art gallery. He allows producers to follow him as he attends the International Conference on Men’s Issues in Chicago where many of the main leaders and thinkers that together form the nebulous community congregate, including a British MP, far-right YouTubers and a surprising number of women. Along the way, he gives a unique insight into the individual stories behind the growing group of men in the UK and US who find their tribe in the online forums dedicated to reversing the feminist agenda.
He also meets and debates with men and women who believe the manosphere is a dangerous and misogynist place and looks at alternative ways to address the growing levels of mental ill health and suicide in young men – could drumming around a campfire be a better way for men to connect?
Produced by Lucy Proctor and Alvaro Alvarez
SUN 17:40 Profile (m0009z3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0009zm6)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0009zm8)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0009zmb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0009zmd)
John Waite
This week a symphony to a strip of cement, as the M1 celebrates its sixtieth birthday. How Noah wasn’t alone in surviving a flood by building an ark - lots of religions have their heroes in the same boat. Harry Connick Jr sings Cole Porter and the cattle getting a spiritual send off to their winter pastures, We explore haunted castles and ghostly gibbets in Northumberland, get naked for a wintry ocean dip, and ram-bam-thank you-ma’am, it’s tupping season down on the farm. Gentlemen listening, prepare to feel very humbled.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0009z7j)
Clarrie struggles with her grief and Johnny spots an opportunity.
SUN 19:15 The Joy of Text (m0009zmg)
Debra Humphries and Gary Slaymaker had been nodding acquaintances for a number of years but, in March 2017, Debra used Facebook’s Messenger app to ask Gary if he had any stand-up gigs arranged in Cardiff. This innocent little enquiry started a conversation, which developed over the next few weeks into late night chats.
It became clear they had a lot in common and shared a sense of humour.
They met for a drink, and then an official first date and, following that, spent the entire week in each other’s company (and beds). Shortly afterwards, they changed their social media profiles to “In a relationship with…”
Things couldn’t have been any better for the pair - until Debra’s 17-year-old son, Brychan, became ill. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer and underwent an operation. Despite the very best efforts of the staff at Cardiff’s Heath Hospital, Brychan died just two weeks after falling ill.
Since that day, it’s been a matter of coping with the loss for Debra, with Gary doing his best to be a shoulder for her to lean on.
The Joy of Text distils that year, through the messages and texts they sent each other from day one. It's sometimes raw, sometimes sweet, but often shot through with the quirky humour that made them fall in love with each other in the first place.
Debra and Gary are an unlikely romantic pairing. She’s beautiful, quiet, and thoughtful - he’s not. They have seen pretty much the best and worst that life has had to offer throughout their first year together.
Despite the ups and downs, the laughs keep on coming in this poignant and funny (honestly!) programme.
A Slaycorp production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 A Run in the Park (m0009zmj)
Episode 1
A group of strangers in Belfast have formed a running group, determined to go from absolute beginners to completing a 5K Parkrun in just nine weeks. As their shared runs get longer and tougher, friendships are forged and relationships challenged. But will any of them actually make it over the finish line?
Young couple Brendan and Angela are running from their doubts about their rapidly approaching wedding; librarian Cathy is in pursuit of a new life following a health scare; Syrian refugee Yana races from the trauma of her past; and recent retiree Maurice is determined to get fit for his family, step by painful step, even if he’s not actually part of their lives right now…
Author
David Park is one of Northern Ireland's most acclaimed writers. He is the author of nine novels and two collections of short stories. He has been awarded the Authors' Club First Novel Award, the Bass Ireland Arts Award for Literature, the Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the American Ireland Fund Literary Award and the University of Ulster's McCrea Literary Award, three times. He has also received a Major Individual Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. His most recent novel ‘Travelling in A Strange Land’ won the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and was a Radio 4 ‘Book at Bedtime’.
Writer ..... David Park
Reader ..... Des McAleer
Producer ..... Michael Shannon
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0009t2q)
Does the Radio 4 series The Corrections need correcting? In Feedback this week, its presenter Jo Fidgen faces some critical questions from listeners.
The head of the BBC news output, Gavin Allen, tells Roger Bolton he is actually looking forward to the General Election campaign. But will he get rid of those vox pops which irritate many Feedback listeners?
And does the World Service care about listeners in the UK? If so why does the schedule shift when the clocks change?
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Kate Dixon
Executive Producer: Samir Shah
A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0009t2n)
Charles Jencks, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Irene Shubik, Raymond Leppard
Pictured: Charles Jencks
Matthew Bannister on
The architectural historian Charles Jencks, who was known as the godfather of postmodernism. He also involved leading architects in designing cancer treatment centres named after his wife Maggie. Lord Foster pays tribute.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the fanatical leader of ISIS who was behind the killing and torture of thousands of victims.
Irene Shubik, the TV producer who created "Rumpole of the Bailey" and "The Jewel in the Crown".
Raymond Leppard, the conductor and arranger who revived interest in baroque Italian opera with acclaimed productions at Glyndebourne.
Interviewed guest: Dame Laura Lee DBE
Interviewed guest: Lord Norman Foster
Interviewed guest: Oliver Wainwright
Interviewed guest: Andrew Hosken
Interviewed guest: Judith Burnley
Interviewed guest: Sir Nicolas Kenyon
Producer: Neil George
Archive clips from: Desert Island Discs, Radio 4 06/07/2012; Look North, BBC One 29/12/11; Islamic State Leader, Wall Street Journal 05/07/2014; In Tune, Radio 3 15/11/2013; In Tune, Radio 3 13/12/2010; Rumpole of the Bailey, BBC One 1975; The Jewel in the Crown, Granada Television 1984; Edna, the Inebriate Woman, BBC One 21/10/1971.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0009z2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0009yxn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (m0009r6l)
State Aid: Brexit, Bailouts and Corporate Bonanzas
When the steelworks at Redcar went bust in 2015 the government said it couldn’t bail out the company that ran the plant because of the EU’s state aid rules, which regulate how much money the government can give to businesses and industry. 1700 jobs were lost in the North East of England, which has the highest unemployment rate in the UK. Voices on the left and right say the state aid rules are holding Britain back from supporting its industry. Are they right? Does Brexit give Britain the chance to take back control of how it manages its industrial policy? Or do the state aid rules protect taxpayers from governments handing out large subsidies to big corporations? In this edition of Analysis, James Ball, global editor of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, explores the EU’s state aid rules, how they affect our livelihoods, and what might happen if the UK decides to stop playing by the rules after Brexit.
Producer: Xavier Zapata
Editor: Jasper Corbett
Interviewees:
Brian Dennis, former Labour Councillor
Mariana Mazzucato , Professor of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, author of the Entrepreneurial State and Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Usha Haley, the W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business at Wichita State University
Nicole Robins, head of the state aid unit at Oxera
Corri Hess , reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio
Kenneth Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at The University of Missouri, St Louis
George Peretz QC, Barrister at Monckton Chambers and co-chair of the UK State Aid Law Association
Nicholas Crafts, Professor of Economic Historian at Sussex University
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0009zmn)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m0009t5g)
Rebecca O'Brien
With Francine Stock.
Producer Rebecca O'Brien, who has collaborated with Ken Loach on 19 films, discusses the movie that inspired her to join the industry - The Conversation. While watching Francis Ford Coppola's conspiracy thriller in 1974, the thought never entered Rebecca's mind that "a young woman could have anything to do with making a film." She reveals how she went on to become the producer of two Palme D'Or winners at the Cannes Film Festival.
SUN 23:30 Counterpoint (m0009r5y)
Series 33
Heat 9, 2019
(9/13)
Three more music lovers join Paul Gambaccini in Salford for the last of the 2019 heats in the music quiz tournament. Today's winner will take the sole remaining place in the semi-finals, and stand a chance of making it all the way to the 33rd Counterpoint champion's title. To get there, they'll have to answer Paul's questions on everything from Schubert to New Order, and from Mary Poppins to Kraftwerk. They'll also each be asked to choose a special musical topic on which to answer a set of individual questions, without any prior warning of the categories available.
Today's competitors are:
Steve Davismoon, a university department head from Manchester
George Spann, a health and social care regulator from Solihull
Brian Thompson, a retired schoolteacher from Liverpool.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MONDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2019
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0009zmq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m0009qvr)
Immortality - transhumanism
Immortality: Pursuing a life beyond the human. Anya Bernstein, Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University, talks to Laurie Taylor about the Russian visionaries and utopians who seek to overcome the limitations of our material bodies. Also, Alex Thomas, Lecturer in Media Production at the University of East London, explores the ethical dilemmas relating to transhumanism. Who will benefit from technologies which assist the desire to transcend our mortal state?
Producer: Jayne Egerton
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0009z40)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009zms)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009zmv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009zmx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0009zmz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0009zn1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good morning!
I have been a minister in the Church of England for many years, first as a deaconess, then a deacon, and then I was one of the first women to be ordained priest on a glorious day in 1994. I worked full time in a parish at for nine years but, as time went on, I felt that I needed new challenges and I became what’s officially known as a Self Supporting Minister, SSM or worker priest. I managed a wonderful Crossroads project that supported carers then I moved on to lead a community development organisation; nowadays, I’m an elected member of our local Council.While doing all these different jobs, I’ve been licensed to a parish, generally working in churches most Sundays and fitting in things like funerals and meetings when I can.
I’m always known as the Reverend Canon, whichever hat I’m wearing, and I feel that I experience the church and the world as parts of a whole, closely entwined with each other, as I believe they are. Sometimes, clergy have been portrayed as eccentric, other-worldly types, far removed from reality and, when I’m wearing my clerical clothes, those waiting with me in the supermarket queue have been surprised to discover that I shop for food - and even alcohol, just like everyone else!
They say that we worker priests bring the mud and blood of the world into the sanctuary and I hope that I take the glory and the story of God’s love out to the world too, just like all those faithful lay people who go to work and live out their faith in real life.
God, whatever our role in life, help us to show your love in all that we do today.
Amen
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0009zn3)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
MON 05:56 Weather (m0009zn5)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09c0m4k)
Paul Evans on the Merlin
Merlins are "ariel sprites" says writer Paul Evans, but they also kill skylarks in a rather gruesome manner as we hear in this specially commissioned dark Halloween tale.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photographer: David Gibbon.
MON 06:00 Today (m0009z6s)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0009z6v)
Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo
Esther Duflo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics this autumn for her work in the developing world. In her latest book, Good Economics for Hard Times, the French economist turns her attention to the thorniest issues of our time, from global immigration to climate change. She tells Tom Sutcliffe how the lessons from the world's poorest countries can be applied to Western economies, and why we should be wary of complacency.
One of the worst economic crises imaginable struck Weimar Germany in the 1920s. Hyperinflation led to prices in 1923 that were astonishingly a billion times higher than they had been in 1914. But historian Richard J Evans explains that the chaos and suffering caused by sky-high prices did not affect all Germans equally. The middle classes saw their mortgages and rent fall to practically nothing, while many businesses expanded rapidly. Evans explores the fracturing of society that followed this hardest of times.
The Booker prize-winning author Julian Barnes looks back at France’s Belle Epoque, an era known for luscious Renoir and Monet paintings, for flamboyant nights at the Moulin Rouge, and for widespread glamour and wealth. In The Man in the Red Coat, Barnes looks beneath the surface of this glittering era, and instead finds rampant prejudice, nativism, hysteria and violence. He depicts an era of enormous social change, with striking parallels to our own time.
Producer: Hannah Sander.
MON 09:45 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009z8l)
Episode 1
Book of the Week.Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0009z6z)
Helen Mirren, Talking about abortion, Samantha Power
Helen Mirren talks about equal pay and her new film, The Good Liar, in which she co-stars with Sir Ian McKellen.
In a new series, listeners talk about their experiences of abortion. Today it is a woman we are calling Clare who got pregnant in the 1980s in rural Scotland just before her 18th birthday.
Samantha Power was President Obama's ambassador in the UN between 2013 and 2017. A Pulitzer Prize winner, her latest book is a memoir, The Education of An Idealist.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Interviewed guest: Helen Mirren
Interviewed guest: Samantha Power
Reporter: Henrietta Harrison
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore
MON 10:45 Tracks (m0009z71)
Series 4: Indigo
Indigo: Episode Six
Part six of the conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton. Starring Romola Garai and Jonathan Forbes.
Helen learns that her baby might be 'Indigo'. While Irene's cryptic note leads them closer to the 'child-mother'.
A gripping thriller, chart-topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with a 10 part headphone-filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Romola Garai
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Ram….. Ashleigh Haddad
Serena.... Scarlett Courtney
Policeman.... Adam Courting
Tony.... David Hounslow
Irene.... Sally Orrock
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
MON 11:00 Journey of a Lifetime (m00099x5)
Mountains, Mules and my Mum
Redzi Bernard is this year's winner of the 'Journey of a Lifetime' travel bursary where the RGS -in conjunction with Radio 4 - awards £5000 to someone with a brilliant idea for a radio adventure.
Redzi recreates a journey her mother made in 1968 through the Ethiopian mountains to the holy city of Lalibela, often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World.
She begins in the capital Addis Ababa where her parents met and after night of Ethiopian jazz she hits the road north, avoiding ethnic clashes along the way. With guides and mules Redzi embarks on an arduous trek into the mountains to find a vertiginous landscape, gelada baboons and children - who've never seen foreigners before - fleeing on sight.
Her destination, Lalibela, is a complex of Ethiopian Orthodox churches all hewn out of a single piece of rock below ground level. She arrives to find a scene of pilgrimage and devotion unchanged for centuries. Redzi reflects on her own pilgrimage and struggle as well as that of her mother, who is suffering from cancer.
Producer Neil McCarthy
MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m0009z39)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
MON 12:00 News Summary (m000b06l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 Bog Child (m0009z76)
Episode 1
By Siobhan Dowd. Award-winning novel set on the Northern Irish border during the Troubles.,Abridged by Sara Davies and read by Finnian Garbutt.
As he's out digging illegally for peat with his uncle, Fergus finds the body of a child, who seems to have been murdered. He tries to concentrate on revising for his A levels, as a means of escape from the 'insane' world around him: his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and being blackmailed into acting as a courier for the IRA . A voice comes to him in his dreams and the story of the bog child unfurls.
Set in the summer, 1980s, in Northern Ireland, this beautiful, subtle, intriguing and uplifting story, a 'radiant work', is one you’ll never forget. Its setting is a vital historical context for current Brexit confusion: a deeply appealing and timely story set around the complex politics of the Northern Irish border.
Mel...Catherine Cusack
Reader...Finnian Garbutt.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
MON 12:18 You and Yours (m0009z78)
Passwords, Digital Giving and Heraldry
Tech experts say businesses will dump password protection within five years in favour of biometrics. How long before we are all at it? Plus, the rise of a career break.
MON 12:57 Weather (m0009z7b)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m0009z7d)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
MON 13:45 The Extinction Tapes (m0009z7g)
The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel
Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.
The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half buried in the silty banks of the Mobile river, they filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters. But that's not all they filtered. There were dark secrets and forgotten history buried in the riverbed. And when the last Alabama Pigtoe closed its shell forever, those secrets came boiling up to the surface.
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0009z7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b098nbbz)
Velvet Blackout
In 1942 a young woman with amnesia is pulled from a bombed building. A doctor and a policeman think she may know something vital to the British war effort - and they use some unorthodox techniques to force her to remember.
Written by Vincent O'Connell
Directed by Marc Beeby.
MON 15:00 Counterpoint (m0009z7l)
Series 33
Semi-Final 1, 2019
(10/13)
The Counterpoint Semi-Finals for 2019 are under way, with the nine heat winners across this series returning to compete for places in the Final. Can you remember the name of the colourful starring soprano at the Last Night of the Proms this year? Or who won the 2019 Mercury Music Prize? If our competitors can't, the Final may be slipping from their grasp.
Back to compete today are:
Nick Reed, a local government clerk from Masham in North Yorkshire
Stephen Smith, a psychologist from Eastleigh in Hampshire
Greg Spiller, a retired software engineer from Stockport.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m0009z7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 First Words (m0009z7q)
For over a decade the spoken-word organisation ‘Young Identity’ has been producing some of the best new performance poets in the country.
Led by the poet Shirley May, who herself found her voice with earlier groups in the city’s vibrant spoken-word scene, the young writers create headline work for top-flight events such as MIF (Manchester International Festival) and Contains Strong Language.
In ‘First Words’ Shirley introduces us to some of the current crop of poets including Isaiah Hull, Scarlett Rose and Jardel Rodriguez - who finally set his mind to becoming a writer while standing in a hole in the ground shovelling human waste.
Producer: Geoff Bird
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (m0009z7s)
Series 18
Character Witness
Gangs are territorial, every street, every block is mapped out according to who’s in charge, where. It’s still true today. But now that the internet is where we do so much of our social lives, gangland has also gone online. Territory isn’t just where you physically operate, but where the mind wanders as well, but what happens when staking out territory online is then used as evidence to convict you in the real world? In this episode, we’re looking at what this means for the people caught up in gang warfare, how a social media profile can keep you safe but at the same time be used as a character witness against you. Featuring former gang members and gang mediators from Chicago Aleks finds out how social media along with poverty is trapping young people in fractured communities, into a cycle of violence and revenge.
MON 17:00 PM (m0009z7v)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0009z7z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 The Museum of Curiosity (m0009z81)
Series 14
Episode 6
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Bridget Christie welcome psychotherapist Philippa Perry, architect and inventer Carlo Ratti and underwater cameraman Doug Allan.
This week, the Museum’s Guest Committee donate a swarm of fruit flies, a bionic arm and the feeling you get when a wild animal trusts you.
The Museum’s exhibits were catalogued by Mike Shepherd, Mike Turner and Emily Jupitus of QI.
The Producers were Anne Miller and Victoria Lloyd.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0009z83)
There's a face off for Lily, and Rex struggles to look on the bright side.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0009z85)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
MON 19:45 Whodunnit? (b0938k8v)
The Calendar Conspiracy
The Difference a Day Makes
Children born in summer do worse than children born in autumn or winter. Not every one of them of course, but on average the effect is strong and clear. Their grades are likely to be worse, they're less likely to go to grammar school and research indicates admission to Russell Group universities is lower too. It's also suggested they are more likely to be told they have behavioural problems or learning difficulties, and they are more likely to be bullied, more likely to be excluded.
The disadvantage appears to goes on after education. So what's behind this and why isn't there more of an outcry?
Michael Blastland is on the case in the second series of non-fiction whodunnits, unravelling the causes at the root of the biggest trends. These are true-life mysteries that creep up on us until the pattern of our lives is altered. He examines the culprits and punctures presumptions about causation and its implications for policy making.
Whodunnit? is a new kind of investigation. It owes its style to detective storytelling. But the cases are unequivocally real. These are societal mysteries - true-life changes in the pattern of our lives.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Research: Daniel Hardoon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 20:00 Welcome Money (m0009z87)
Between the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 and the policy's hastily enforced end on 29 December 1989, East German citizens claimed an estimated four billion Deutschmarks in so-called ‘Begrüßungsgeld’ or ‘welcome money’ from the West German authorities.
Tens of thousands stood in line at banks and town halls up and down West Germany, waiting to collect their state-sanctioned gift of 100DM (around €80 today). For most East Germans, shortages of basic goods were a fact of daily life and luxuries were all but non-existent, this modest windfall represented the first true spending money that they had ever possessed, and in spending it they would have their first encounters with modern-day capitalism and consumerism.
In this programme, journalist and teutonophile Malcolm Jack heads to Berlin to find out what East Germans bought with their Begrüßungsgeld and, 30 years on, what became of those purchases.
In Berlin, Malcolm meets Jens ‘Tasso’ Muller from Saxony, who, on his first trip west, travelled with friends to Kreuzberg in Berlin. It was the first time he had ever seen graffiti tags, on every corner in every place. Having never seen graffiti tags before, he worked out it must be done with a marker so that was the first thing he bought. As it cost an exorbitant 11DM, he just bought one, but it would be the first of many. Today Jens is better known by the alias 'Tasso' and his tag is recognised all over the world - as a professional graffiti artist he has visited 31 different countries and counting; all thanks to one black ink Edding marker, igniting a passion for street art he didn't even know existed.
Amongst other East Germans and East Berliners, Malcolm meets fashion designer and former international model Grit Seymour. Grit’s welcome money was spent on fresh exotic fruit and a copy of Italian Vogue which was previously inaccessible to her in the GDR. Malcolm also visits a former Stasi prison with tour guide and former inmate Peter Kreup, whose welcome money provided a sense of power and freedom that he had previously been denied after spending 10 months incarcerated by the regime. Performance artist and lecturer Else Gabriel shares her unorthodox approach to the welcome money, and the bounty it brought her which she still keeps in her studio. Nicole Hartmann was just 11 years old when the wall fell, and remembers the feeling of solidarity that she felt when her East German village banded together to look after the people in the streams of cars, all travelling to Berlin to collect their Begrüßungsgeld. We also hear from Professor of German History at University College, London about the reasons for the introduction of the welcome money itself, and its impact on the process of reunification.
MON 20:30 Analysis (m0009z89)
Can I Change Your Mind?
There’s a widespread belief that there’s no point talking to people you disagree with because they will never change their minds. Everyone is too polarized and attempts to discuss will merely result in greater polarization. But the history of the world is defined by changes of mind –that’s how progress (or even regress) is made: shifts in political, cultural, scientific beliefs and paradigms. So how do we ever change our minds about something? What are the perspectives that foster constructive discussion and what conditions destroy it?
Margaret Heffernan talks to international academics at the forefront of research into new forms of democratic discourse, to journalists involved in facilitating national conversations and to members of the public who seized the opportunity to talk to a stranger with opposing political views:
Eileen Carroll, QC Hon, Principal Mediator and Co-founder, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Jon Connor-Lyons, participant, Britain Talks
James S. Fishkin, Janet M. Peck Professor of International Communication and Director, Centre for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University
Danielle Lawson, Post Doctoral Research Scholar, North Carolina State University
Ada Pratt, participant, Britain Talks
Mariano Sigman. Associate Professor, Torcuato Di Tella University, Buenos Aires
Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School
Jochen Wegner, Editor, Zeit Online
Ros Wynne-Jones, columnist, Daily Mirror
Presenter: Margaret Heffernan
Producer: Sheila Cook
Editor: Jasper Corbett
MON 21:00 The Silence of the Genes (m0009rhs)
In summer of 2019 NICE approved the use of a completely new class of drugs: the gene silencers. These compounds are transforming the lives of families who have rare debilitating – and sometimes fatal - diseases such as amyloidosis and porphyria. James Gallagher, BBC Health and Science Correspondent, reveals the ups and downs in the story of how a Nobel prize winning discovery of RNA interference has become a useful drug in less than a quarter of a century.
Professor Craig Mello, one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in 2006 for revealing the mechanism of RNA interference, and Professor Mark Kay of Stanford University, look back at the discovery.
Sue Burrell, who has acute intermittent porphyria, explains how a gene silencing drug has reversed her symptoms of extreme pain. Dr Carlos Heras-Palou, an orthopaedic surgeon at Royal Derby Hospital, who has hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis has had his career saved by taking another gene silencing drug, patisaran. It has restored the feeling in his hands he had lost and means that he can continue to carry out operations. Professor Philip Hawkins, of the National Amyloidosis Centre at the Royal Free Hospital, tells James about how his team showed that this drug reverses some of the symptoms caused by the disease.
As well as treating these rare conditions James discovers that this approach is being tried in untreatable neurodegenerative conditions. He talks to Professor Sarah Tabrizi of UCL about her research into stopping Huntington's disease, which is currently inevitably fatal.
Akshay Vaishnaw of the biotech company Alnylam talks to James about the ups and downs of developing effective RNAi drugs.
And Professor John Kastelein of Amsterdam University discusses the findings of a study into finding out if gene silencing could help prevent one of the biggest global killers; bad cholesterol that causes heart attacks and stroke.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (m0009z6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0009z8d)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 Bog Child (m0009z76)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
MON 23:00 Have You Heard George's Podcast? (m000b18m)
Chapter 2
9. Sabrina’s Boy
George reflects on the role of trauma in black art. A slice of American history provides insight into the ghettoisation of African voices, leading to a strangely familiar story.
Written by George The Poet.
Produced by Benbrick & George The Poet.
Original music by Benbrick.
Featured songs: Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack, The Message by Grandmaster Flash, Ghetto Quran by 50 Cent, Many Men (Wish Death) by 50 Cent
Featured guests: Julie Adenuga as Dija
This episode features clips taken from Foxy Brown, Trouble Man, The Spook Who Sat By The Door, and The Mack. It also features comments from Vonetta McGee, Oscar Williams, and Jim Brown taken from the documentary Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation And Advancing An Independent Black Cinema. The clip of Cicely Tyson is taken from an interview with ABC News.
The quotes by Ari Melber on 50 Cent growing up in Queens and surviving a 9 shot gun attack are taken from the October 2nd episode of The Beat With Ari Melber produced by MSNBC Network.
Foxy Brown (1974) directed by Jack Hill. Production Company: American International Pictures (AIP), Hollywood West Entertainment. Distributor: American International Pictures (AIP).
Trouble Man (1972) directed by Ivan Dixon. Production Company: JDF/B Productions. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox.
The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973) directed by Ivan Dixon. Production Company: Bokari. Distributor: United Artists.
The Mack (1973) directed by Michael Campus. Production Company: Harbor Productions, Harvey Bernhard Enterprises. Distributor: Cinerama Releasing.
Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation And Advancing An Independent Black Cinema (1984) directed by Howard Johnson and featuring clips of Actress and Producer Vonetta McGee, Writer and Director Oscar Williams, and Actor and Producer Jim Brown.
Additional clips from the BBC Archive:
Panorama Crack Crisis – Is Britain Next?
The U.S. Presidential Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross (courtesy of Open Mike Productions)
Top Of The Pops Saturday
The Graham Norton Show (courtesy of So Television)
We also used clips from the Pan African Alliance documentary The Nation of Gods and Earths: Who are the Five Percenters?
Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a George the Poet production for BBC Sounds.
Commissioning Executive for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Jason Phipps
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0009z8g)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
TUESDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2019
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0009z8j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009z8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009z8n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009z8q)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009z8s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0009z8v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0009z8x)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good morning‘
Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot!
So went the rhyme we used to sing as children, while the more enterprising among us found a few clothes and an old hat and dressed a stick, which was then paraded around, asking for a penny for the guy. Now, more than four hundred years after the event, we still commemorate the foiled plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Recently, there have been quite a few explosive moments there, and angry scenes of disagreement, but I trust that no-one has been found with barrels of gunpowder!
So, apart from my dog who’s not keen, many of us enjoy a bonfire, with jacket potatoes and hot chocolate, while watching the glorious spectacle of a firework display – strange that something as destructive as gunpowder can also create a gorgeous show.
In this case, at least, we have transformed the horror of mass destruction into something beautiful and made an opportunity to get together and enjoy ourselves. Oh that we could do that with all our struggles! I don’t want to minimise problems and I know that so many of us live in terrible and terrifying conditions – but I also know that much of what bothers me is actually very little in the grand scheme of things.
So how could I transform my barrel of anxieties into something that gives glory to God and to enriches other’s lives too? It’s so often simply a case of time – things change and life moves on.
God, help us to trust in your love, to offer all our worries to you in the sure and certain hope that you turned even the shadow of death into the morning and to go forward today with courage and love.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0009z8z)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09c0pw0)
Paul Evans on the Raven
In his final tale for Halloween, writer Paul Evans encounters a pair of ravens and reflects on their dark associations and their playful and ominous voices.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photo: Michael Davey.
TUE 06:00 Today (m0009zbd)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m0009zbj)
Demis Hassabis on artificial intelligence
In the 200th episode of The Life Scientific, Jim Al-Khalili finds out why Demis Hassabis wants to create artificial intelligence and use it to help humanity.
Thinking about how to win at chess when he was a boy got Demis thinking about the process of thinking itself. Being able to program his first computer (a Sinclair Spectrum) felt miraculous. In computer chess, his two passions were combined. And a lifelong ambition to create artificial intelligence was born.
Demis studied computer science at Cambridge and then worked in the computer games industry for many years. Games, he says, are the ideal testing ground for AI. Then, thinking memory and imagination were aspects of the human mind that would be a necessary part of any artificially intelligent system, he studied neuroscience for a PhD.
He set up DeepMind in 2010 and pioneered a new approach to creating artificial intelligence, based on deep learning and built-in rewards for making good decisions. Four years later, DeepMind was sold to Google for £400 million. The company’s landmark creation, Alpha Go stunned the world when it defeated the world Go champion in South Korea in 2016. Their AI system, AlphaZero taught itself to play chess from scratch. After playing against itself for just four hours, it was the best chess computer in the world. (Humans had been defeated long ago).
Many fear both the supreme intelligence and the stupidity of AI. Demis imagines a future in which computers and humans put their brains together to try and understand the world. His algorithms have inspired humans to raise their game, when playing Go and chess. Now, he hopes that AI might do the same for scientific research. Perhaps the next Nobel Prize will be shared between a human and AI?
Producer: Anna Buckley
TUE 09:30 One to One (m0009zbm)
City or Country? Alys Fowler meets Ruth Allen
Acclaimed gardening writer, Alys Fowler, tries to work out where she wants to live, in the city or the countryside, with the help of outdoor counsellor, Dr. Ruth Allen. Alys grew up in deepest rural England, but for years has lived in Birmingham. She loves the city, and her small garden and allotment, but is starting to feel a pull to return to her roots. But should she? If she does, will the countryside offer her what she feels is missing from her life, a deeper connection with nature, or does the city provide all she needs?
Producer: Karen Gregor
TUE 09:45 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009zbp)
Episode 2
Book of the Week.Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0009zbr)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
TUE 10:45 Tracks (m0009zbt)
Series 4: Indigo
Indigo: Episode Seven
Part seven of the conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton. Starring Romola Garai and Jonathan Forbes.
Helen and Freddy visit the 'child-mother' and uncover a dangerous secret.
A gripping thriller, chart-topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with a 10 part headphone-filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Romola Garai
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Polly….. Sinead MacInnes
Luke.... Andrew Gower
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
TUE 11:00 The 21st Century Curriculum (m0009zbw)
Radio 4 documentary.
TUE 11:30 Art of Now (m0009zby)
Playing Well: Frightened Rabbit
In the first of the three-part series "Playing Well" Chris Hawkins has an intimate conversation with the band mates of Scott Hutchison, who took his own life in May 2018.
In conversation with Scott's brother Grant, drummer in Frightened Rabbit, and guitarist Andy Monaghan, Chris discovers more about the anxious child who reframed his family nickname as a band name - and how he channeled a rare lyrical talent, determination and energy into the creation of one of Scotland's most important and influential rock bands.
Charting the rise of the band and Scott's intense, occasionally hilarious approach to live performance, Grant frankly addresses the pressures his brother faced - and the structural pressures faced by anyone in the music industry. Charting the exhausting aftermath of suicide, Grant talks about defining Scott as a songwriter, in the hope that the existence of works which appear to presage his death don't create a misleading impression of Scott's life.
It's a moving portrait of a fascinating artist, and an attempt to reclaim Scott's musical legacy from the inaccurate assumption that the combination of musical celebrity and mental illness can only end in tragedy.
Details of organisations offering information and support with mental health are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 155 998.
Presented by Chris Hawkins
Produced by Kevin Core
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0009zdz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 Bog Child (m0009zc2)
Episode 2
By Siobhan Dowd. Fergus knows his A levels are a way out of this place. He doesn't want to end up in the Maze prison, like his brother Joe.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Mel...Catherine Cusack
Reader...Finnian Garbutt
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
TUE 12:18 You and Yours (m0009zc4)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0009zc6)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0009zc8)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
TUE 13:45 The Extinction Tapes (m0009zcb)
The Yangtze River Dolphin
Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.
The Yangtze River Dolphin, the "Goddess of the Yangtze", was blind, graceful, sociable, and... pink. As the river became a highway for international trade and commerce, the Goddess was pushed further and further from their ancestral home. Can the natural world and the advance of human progress ever march in step?
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0009z83)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (m0009zcd)
Escape Kit
This is William Thirsk Gaskill's first play for radio, having previously confined himself to short stories.
It's a bitter sweet comedy about two misfits who find solace in each other's dilemmas.
Cast:
Bradley ..... Will Taylor
Arthur ..... Reginald Edwards
Celia ..... Verity Kirk
Edmund ..... Patrick Knowles
Davina ..... Tanya Loretta Dee
Grandpa and Train Guard ..... David Shaw Parker
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill Production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m0009z2c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m0009zcg)
Thames Revival
In 1957 the River Thames through London was declared biologically dead. The retreat of industry from the city lifted the curse and today the river hosts more than 3000 seals, 156 species of fish, porpoises, dolphins and the occasional very confused whale.
That’s just the start. Over the next decade more than £4bn will be spent radically reducing the pollution that enters the river and improving the riverbank habitat. What can we expect to see in the Thames of the future? What impact will sea-level rise and increasing water temperature have on the insects, birds, fish and mammals that make their living along the river now and in the future?
Physicist, Helen Czerski of University College London is co-ordinating a large-scale study of the River Thames. For ‘Costing the Earth’ she cruises the river meeting the engineers and naturalists determined to give Londoners a river to be proud of.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (m0009yy7)
Joshua Rozenberg presents Radio 4's long-running legal magazine programme, featuring reports and discussion on matters relating to law.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m0009zcj)
Stewart Lee & Dave Haslam
The comedian Stewart Lee chooses his favourite good read to discuss with fellow guest DJ and author Dave Haslam and presenter Harriett Gilbert. He chooses Lint by Steve Aylett, the spoof biography of a science fiction writer which has him chuckling in studio as he reads bits to his fellow readers, while Dave has picked The Lonely City by Olivia Laing, an account of artistic life in 80s New York. Harriett's choice is Reading Allowed, a warm sometimes passionate tribute to our public libraries by Chris Paling.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
Photo by Steve Ullathorne
TUE 17:00 PM (m0009zcl)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0009zcq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 The Missing Hancocks (m0009zcs)
The Diamond Ring
The Missing Hancocks recreates those episodes of the classic Hancock's Half Hour that have been wiped or lost from the archive.
The first modern sitcom, Hancock's Half Hour made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show were missing from the BBC archives. Now, after four highly successful series, the final batch of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Tonight's episode: Hancock finds a diamond ring, but when Moira gets it into her head that marriage is in the air, Tony is forced to turn to Sid for help.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Margaret Cabourn-Smith. The Diamond Ring was first broadcast on 9th November 1954.
Produced by Neil Pearson & Hayley Sterling.
Written by Ray Galton & Simpson
Music recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Levon Parikian.
A BBC Studios Production.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0009zcv)
The pressure is on for Helen and Russ finds himself in trouble
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0009zcx)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
TUE 19:45 Whodunnit? (b095bdqf)
The Calendar Conspiracy
The Mind Game
Children born in summer do worse than children born in autumn or winter. Not every one of them of course, but on average the effect is strong and clear. Their grades are likely to be worse, they're less likely to go to grammar school and research indicates admission to Russell Group universities is lower too. It's also suggested they are more likely to be told they have behavioural problems or learning difficulties, and they are more likely to be bullied, more likely to be excluded.
The disadvantage appears to goes on after education. So what's behind this and why isn't there more of an outcry?
Michael Blastland is on the case in the second series of non-fiction whodunnits, unravelling the causes at the root of the biggest trends. These are true-life mysteries that creep up on us until the pattern of our lives is altered. He examines the culprits and punctures presumptions about causation and its implications for policy making.
Whodunnit? is a new kind of investigation. It owes its style to detective storytelling. But the cases are unequivocally real. These are societal mysteries - true-life changes in the pattern of our lives.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Research: Daniel Hardoon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 20:00 99 Days in Number Ten (m0009zcz)
Anne McElvoy tells the story of Boris Johnson's premiership from the day he took office on 24th July until 31st October, the day set for the UK to leave the European Union. Throughout these dramatic 99 days, we hear from current and former members of Johnson's Cabinet, as well as his friends, allies and critics.
The programme examines key moments and crises in Downing Street including the Prime Minister's controversial decision to suspend Parliament, losing his working majority in the House of Commons, and the thwarted attempt to call a general election. Anne McElvoy speaks to the insiders who have been at the heart of an extraordinarily eventful period in British politics.
Producer: Peter Snowdon
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0009zd1)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m0009zd3)
Stress at work. Junior doctor turned author and stand up Adam Kay's diary of his time of working in the NHS struck at chord and sold over a million copies in the UK.
It's a story of working under duress, long hours and limited resources which many people can identify with and he delivered over 1200 babies in those circumstances.
Gail Kinman is Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the University of Bedfordshire. Gail's worked with doctors, nurses, prison officers and social workers.
Together with presenter Claudia Hammond and an audience they will look at what stress is, how people get burnt out as well as how to spot the warning signs. What can individuals do to protect themselves and what are the responsibilities of the organisations they work for.
But if someone is part of the gig economy, on a zero hours contract, juggling several jobs or a digital nomad - how can they look after their mental health?
TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m0009zbj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0009zd5)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 Bog Child (m0009zc2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
TUE 23:00 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b09fzbfm)
Series 2
The Financial Crash
Episode 2 - The Financial Crash
Alexei considers the causes and fall-out of the 2008 financial crash, the appeal of Donald Trump and laments his lack of mainstream success.
Written by Alexei Sayle
Performed by Alexei Sayle with Sean Baker
Original music and lyrics by Tim Sutton
Produced by Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0009zd7)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
WEDNESDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2019
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0009zd9)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009zbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009zdc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009zdf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009zdh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0009zdk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0009zdm)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good morning!
Our bishop asked me to work with a church where there were lots of problems and difficulties; he wanted me to help that church sort out some of the issues so that they might grow into a community that better expressed the love and welcome of Jesus.
Things were slow to change at first but I suggested that we might have a Christmas party and the people were keen to try my idea. We had a happy afternoon together and, when it was time to go home, I was delighted to see church members leaving the hall chatting and laughing.
And as I said goodbye to the last few, I was so thrilled with the little success we’d enjoyed, that I hugged one of our senior members, a dear lady called Betty, and I was taken aback to see tears in her eyes.
I said nothing then but, later, I visited Betty and mentioned that I hoped I hadn’t offended her by hugging her –still less that I'd stood on her toes!
And Betty said’ I wasn’t upset, dear – quite the opposite. You see, I haven’t been hugged for years and it was lovely when you hugged me’.
I’ve often thought about that lady, now long gone to the embrace of her God, and I wondered what we might do to help and support people like her who are rarely hugged.
Clearly, there have been incidences when unscrupulous people abused those for whom they should have cared, but, at it's best, a place of worship should be a sanctuary of warmth and kindness, especially for those who are lonely and feel unloved.
God has no hands on earth but ours; help us to use our hands today to enable those around us to feel your love.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0009zdp)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09by75m)
Paul Evans on the Carrion Crow
On the eve of Halloween, the silence of a graveyard is broken by the raucous calls of an inky black Crow "Throwing her voice as if coughing up a bone" says Paul Evans in the first of four specially commissioned Halloween tales.
Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.
Producer: Sarah Blunt
Photograph: Derek Wood.
WED 06:00 Today (m000b0b4)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Only Artists (m000b0b8)
Katie Paterson meets David Mitchell
The artist Katie Paterson meets the novelist David Mitchell.
Katie Paterson is an award-winning artist whose conceptual works have included the sounds of melting glaciers and a map of 27,000 dead stars. She also sent a meteorite back into space. An exhibition of her work can be seen at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art until May 2020.
The best-selling author David Mitchell has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize twice – for number9dream and Cloud Atlas. Next year he will publish his ninth novel.
Photo © Brendan McNeill
Producer Katy Hickman
WED 09:30 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m000b0bb)
Series 14
A Frytful Scare Part 2
Rutherford and Fry delve into the history of roller coasters in the second instalment of their investigation into why we enjoy being scared.
Amelie Xenakis asks: "Why do people enjoy roller coasters? I am a thrill-seeker and I am always terrified before riding a roller coaster but I enjoy the ride itself. (I would like BOTH of you to ride a roller coaster if possible)."
Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the pair attempt to channel their inner adrenaline junkies with a trip on one the UK's scariest roller coasters at Thorpe Park.
They discover the birth of the roller coaster in the 18th century, when Catherine the Great enjoyed careering down Russian Ice Mountains covered in snow. Adam talks to scary sociologist Margee Kerr, author of 'Scream! The Science of Fear', about how the modern roller coaster evolved.
David Poeppel from New York University studies the science of screaming, and we discover what makes screams uniquely terrifying. Plus, psychologist and broadcaster Claudia Hammond describes some early experiments which tested how fear affects our body.
Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry
Producer: Michelle Martin
WED 09:45 The Man in the Red Coat (m000b0d0)
Episode 3
Book of the Week.Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000b0bg)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
WED 10:41 Tracks (m000b0bj)
Series 4: Indigo
Indigo: Episode Eight
Part eight of the conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton. Starring Romola Garai and Jonathan Forbes.
Helen and Freddy embark on a dangerous mission to free a kidnapped boy.
A gripping thriller, chart-topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with a 10 part headphone-filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Romola Garai
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Luke….. Andrew Gower
Paramedic.... Adam Courting
Bobby.... Milo Robinson
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m000b0bl)
Sarah and Vicky - Time on the Taps
Sisters share stories and laughs about their adventures in hairdressing. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
WED 11:00 Welcome Money (m0009z87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 Woof (m000b0bn)
True Tales of Romance and Failure
A Foreign Tongue & The Price of Luxury
A special double bill of bittersweet comic real life stories written and performed by Chris Neill with Martin Hyder and Isy Suttie. This week - the transformative effects of a hard-boiled egg, an encounter with a violinist and... is France the answer?
Written by Chris Neill
Starring: Chris Neill, Isy Suttie and Martin Hyder
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
Music:
Title: Dance Away
Perf: The Bryan Ferry Orchestra (from the soundtrack to Babylon Berlin)
Title: C'est Si Bon
Perf: Stanley Black and His Orchestra
Title: Belles, Belles, Belles
Perf: Claude Francois
Title: Les Champs-Elysees
Perf: Joe Dassin
Title: The Swan (from Carnival of the Animals/Saint-Saens)
Perf: Yo-Yo Ma with Kathryn Stott
Title: For Me Formidable
Perf: Charles Aznavour
Track: Needles and Pins
Perf: The Searchers
Track: Hackney Carriage
Perf: Unknown (KPM Light Atmospheres)
Track: What Becomes Of the Broken Hearted?
Perf: Jimmy Ruffin
Track: Cavatina
Perf: Craig Ogden
Track: It Might As Well Rain Until September
Perf: Carole King
Track: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Perf: Neil Sedaka
Track: I Get The Sweetest Feeling
Perf: Jackie Wilson
Track: Forever And Ever
Perf: Demis Roussos
WED 12:00 News Summary (m000b0jc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 Bog Child (m000b0bs)
Episode 3
By Siobhan Dowd. As the person who discovered her, Fergus has named the bog body: Mel. Now the archaeologist and her daughter are coming to stay in his family's B&B.
Abridged by Sara Davies and read by Finnian Garbutt.
WED 12:18 You and Yours (m000b0bv)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
WED 12:57 Weather (m000b0bx)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m000b0bz)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
WED 13:45 The Extinction Tapes (m000b0c1)
Miss Waldron's Red Colubus
Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.
Miss Waldron's Red Colobus was a black and russet-coloured West African monkey, living in the treetops in large, sociable troops, when human activity began to encroach on their land, and their way of life.
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0009zcv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (m000b0c3)
Shrapnel
by Isabel Wright
Having escaped from a war-torn city, reporter Nadine assumes that she can handle anything. But in reality her mind remains trapped and under siege.
Nadine ..... Monica Dolan
Rafael .... Javier Marzan
Donna ..... Nicola Ferguson
Sofia ..... Sinead MacInnes
John ..... Ikky Elyas
Girl ..... Asiyah Williams
A BBC Scotland production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
WED 15:00 Money Box (m000b0c5)
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m0009zd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m000b0c7)
New research on how society works.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m000b0c9)
Making the Mouse Roar
As CEO of Disney since 2005, Bob Iger has transformed the company with the acquisition of entertainment brands like Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.
In this UK exclusive interview, Bob Iger talks about his life and career, from working as a weatherman to becoming one of the most powerful figures in global media. Iger’s autobiography is called Ride of a Lifetime.
Presenter: Amol Rajan
Producer: Richard Hooper
This programme includes a clip of Michael Eisner presenting on The Disney Channel (September 1990), a clip from The Lion King (1994) directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, a clip of the late Roy E. Disney speaking in a promotional video for his Save Disney campaign (2005), and a clip from the trailer for Toy Story (1995) directed by John Lasseter.
WED 17:00 PM (m000b0cc)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000b0ch)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (m000b0ck)
Series 2
3/4 - Diplomacy
Malawi's most famous comedian Daliso Chaponda returns for a second series.
The UK and Africa have had a long a complicated past. This series looks at the history of this relationship as well as current issues, with Daliso as our relationship guidance counsellor, helping us navigate the rocky historical waters between the two places.
Episode 3: ‘Diplomacy’
In this episode, Daliso talks about the difficulties of diplomacy in both international relations and in relationships between family and friends.
Sharing his experiences growing up with a father who was a politician and diplomat in Malawi and discussing different diplomatic strategies, Daliso notes the trend towards isolationism and argues that although maintaining relationships can often take a lot of work, ultimately it is worth it, as being single is not all it is cracked up to be.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0009yxg)
Lily makes a big decision and Eddie awaits the results of his experiment
WED 19:15 Front Row (m000b0cm)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 19:45 Whodunnit? (b095c53g)
The Calendar Conspiracy
Born Lucky
Children born in summer do worse than children born in autumn or winter. Not every one of them of course, but on average the effect is strong and clear. Their grades are likely to be worse, they're less likely to go to grammar school and research indicates admission to Russell Group universities is lower too. It's also suggested they are more likely to be told they have behavioural problems or learning difficulties, and they are more likely to be bullied, more likely to be excluded.
The disadvantage appears to goes on after education. So what's behind this and why isn't there more of an outcry?
Michael Blastland is on the case in the second series of non-fiction whodunnits, unravelling the causes at the root of the biggest trends. These are true-life mysteries that creep up on us until the pattern of our lives is altered. He examines the culprits and punctures presumptions about causation and its implications for policy making.
Whodunnit? is a new kind of investigation. It owes its style to detective storytelling. But the cases are unequivocally real. These are societal mysteries - true-life changes in the pattern of our lives.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Research: Daniel Hardoon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m000b0cp)
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Giles Fraser, Matthew Taylor, Melanie Philips and Tim Stanley. #moralmaze
WED 20:45 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m000b0bb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m0009zcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Only Artists (m000b0b8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m000b0cr)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 Bog Child (m000b0bs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
WED 23:00 Twayna Mayne: Black Woman (p07r9rm5)
1. Trans-racial adoption
Comedian Twayna Mayne's upbringing as a trans-racial adoptee is explored as she searches for her own Black British female identity. Along with stand-up in front of a live audience she chats to other women about their shared experiences, with this episode featuring a contribution from lead singer of the two tone band The Selecter, Pauline Black.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios Production
WED 23:15 Bunk Bed (b05zl1bn)
Series 2
Episode 1
Two men in darkness, sharing a bunk bed and a stream of semi-consciousness about family, relationships, work and imagined life.
We all crave a place where our mind and body are not applied to a particular task. The nearest faraway place from daily life. Somewhere for drifting and lighting upon strange thoughts which don't have to be shooed into context, but which can be followed like balloons escaping onto the air. Late at night, in the dark and in a bunk bed, the restless mind can wander.
After an acclaimed reception by The Independent, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer and Radio 4 listeners, Bunk Bed returns with its late night stream of semi-concsciousness.
In this episode, under cover of darkness, the bedfellows discuss the first time they kissed a girl as youths, and older men they would consder leaving their families for - if only theoretically.
Elsewhere in the series, Patrick and Peter deal with therapy, Chas and Dave, children's happiness, JRR Tolkien, Babycham, Aldous Huxley and correction fluid - among a ragbag of subjects.
Written and performed by Patrick Marber and Peter Curran
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000b0cw)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THURSDAY 07 NOVEMBER 2019
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m000b0cy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 The Man in the Red Coat (m000b0d0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000b0d2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000b0d4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000b0d6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m000b0d8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000b0db)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good Morning!
Earlier this year, I was upstairs when I heard our doorbell ring; my daughter was bringing her puppy round for me and my dog to look after. I ran downstairs, bare-footed, missed the last two steps and went flying. I knew immediately that I had broken my ankle. The ambulance crew were confident and competent and I was carefully examined before being taken to our local hospital’s Accident and Emergency department – and that was a whole new level of hell!
I spent all day watching the staff deal gently and patiently with an endless stream of people with a variety of health issues, some of whom clearly had mental health problems too. A man who was handcuffed to police officers shouted abuse, others moaned and called for help and one lady, evidently a regular, called drunken greetings to all!
I was eventually seen by the orthopaedic doctors who decided to operate next day; there were no beds free but somehow one was found; I had the operation and was soon sent home.
I have vivid memories of the overwhelming scale of need that was dealt with politely and carefully by staff who had come to work in our hospital from all over the world. The Albanian haematologist who showed me photos of his daughters; the Spanish nurse who phoned my husband to let him know where I was and the Scottish anaesthetist who listened to my fears and calmed and reassured me.
Most importantly, they were all kind; they acknowledged our common humanity and used their finest skills and strength of kindness to ease our pain and distress.
Lord God of Wellbeing, We thank you for everyone who works to bring healing to the world; strengthen the international language of kindness.
Amen
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m000b0dd)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b098n5pq)
Joe Acheson on the Starling
Musician Joe Acheson describes recording the sounds of starlings at the Lizard in Cornwall to use in his work as Hidden Orchestra.
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photograph: PeskyMesky.
THU 06:00 Today (m0009ywl)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0009ywn)
The Treaty of Limerick
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 1691 peace treaty that ended the Williamite War in Ireland, between supporters of the deposed King James II and the forces of William III and his allies. It followed the battles at Aughrim and the Boyne and sieges at Limerick, and led to the disbanding of the Jacobite army in Ireland, with troops free to follow James to France for his Irish Brigade. The Catholic landed gentry were guaranteed rights on condition of swearing loyalty to William and Mary yet, while some Protestants thought the terms too lenient, it was said the victors broke those terms before the ink was dry.
The image above is from British Battles on Land and Sea, Vol. I, by James Grant, 1880, and is meant to show Irish troops leaving Limerick as part of The Flight of the Wild Geese - a term used for soldiers joining continental European armies from C16th-C18th.
With
Jane Ohlmeyer
Clare Jackson
and
Thomas O'Connor
Producer: Simon Tillotson
THU 09:45 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009ywq)
Episode 4
Book of the Week.Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0009ywt)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 10:45 Tracks (m0009yww)
Series 4: Indigo
Indigo: Episode Nine
Part nine of the conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton. Starring Romola Garai and Jonathan Forbes.
Helen is confronted by the notorious Valerie Peluso.
A gripping thriller, chart-topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with a 10 part headphone-filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Romola Garai
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Valerie.... Juliet Cowan
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m0009ywy)
Insight, and analysis from BBC correspondents around the world
THU 11:30 House of Dreams (m000897k)
"I always say, it's my house - I'll do what I want. People choose to come into the house, that's fine by me, of course you're extremely welcome to come through the door, but when you come into my world it's my rules."
Step inside the House of Dreams...
Inspired by outsider art environments like Picassiette in Chartres, Palais Ideal in Hauterives, and the home of Bodan Litnianski, the artist Stephen Wright has been slowly transforming every inch of his East Dulwich home since 1998.
The surfaces inside and outside the house have been covered with found objects - broken dolls hanging from the ceiling, his parents' dentures cemented into the wall, photographs, records, discarded glasses, wigs and bottle tops. A riot of colour and texture, each object reverberant with past lives - the scent of old perfume on fabric, the marks of damage and use on a well-loved toy. The walls, floors and ceilings are also covered with hand-written 'memory boards' in black and white, detailing important events in Stephen's life. A life marked by painful loss and deep love.
"All of these [outsider artists] are fighting the world by doing this, that's what this is about... they are fighting the world. It's about imposing your own personality and your own vision on a world that is uniform."
Original music composed by Jeremy Warmsley
Produced by Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0009yx0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 Bog Child (m0009yx2)
Episode 4
By Siobhan Dowd. Today Fergus is helping to move the bog body. It'll keep his mind off the fact that Joe has joined the hunger strike.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Mel...Catherine Cusack
Reader...Finnian Garbutt
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
THU 12:18 You and Yours (m0009yx5)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
THU 12:57 Weather (m0009yx7)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m0009yx9)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
THU 13:45 The Extinction Tapes (m0009yxc)
Stellar's Sea Cow
Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.
Stellar's Sea Cow was a gentle giant of the Bering Sea, a nine-meter long relative of the Dugong and the Manatee. This is a story of swaying forests of kelp; insatiable urchins covering the sea-floor; families of sea-otters, displaced by hunting, and a growing fur-trade which threatened them all. When a delicate ecosystem gets thrown out of balance, the effects can be far-reaching, and devastating.
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0009yxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (m0009yxj)
When Fanny Met Germaine
"In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the impossible." Germaine de Stael
Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre’s first radio drama takes a delightfully naughty romp through the real-life friendship of two phenomenal – but very different - women writers of the eighteenth century.
Before Jane Austen, there was Fanny Burney: England’s most celebrated female author, with two international hit novels under her belt: "Cecilia" and "Evelina". Now 41, her poor publishing choices, and the banning of her satirical plays by a father worried about scandal has left her broke. Fanny walks a fragile line between propriety and creativity. Independence is a distant dream.
For Germaine de Staël, daughter of “God’s Banker”, political fixer and literary prodigy, financial independence isn’t a problem. At 26 her creativity is boundless, and propriety… well, across Europe, her reputation for writing is only equalled by her reputation for scandal.
It’s 1793, and King Louis XVI has just met the guillotine, when Germaine and Fanny meet for the first time. All seems set for the literary friendship of the age – but if Fanny is ever going to publish again, can she afford to be associated with Germaine?
Diaries get burnt, and letters get lost: little now remains from a passionate encounter that we know took place.
Luckily, Germaine’s real-life African servant Louise-Marie was there, and she’s determined to tell the tale of Fanny and Germaine in their own words - and her own inimitable “novelish style”...
Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre was part of the BBC Writersroom Drama Room in 2018, and the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course in 2019. She continues her three-decade acting career, her songwriting is published by Universal, and directing includes work with Theatre de Complicité, and the National Theatre.
Louise-Marie ..... Lorna Gayle
Fanny Burney ..... Heather Craney
Germaine de Stael ..... Fiona Button
General D’Arblay ..... Alexander Devrient
Count Narbonne-Lara ..... Philip Desmeules
Susannah ..... Jessica Turner
Voices ..... Will Kirk, Clive Hayward and Lucy Reynolds.
Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting
THU 15:00 Open Country (m0009yxl)
One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill: a famous landmark that connects us emotionally and confounds us archaeologically.
Otherwise known as Crookbarrow Hill or Whittington Tump it's instantly recognisable to anyone driving near junction 7 of the M5, the exit for Worcester. For generations this distinctive hill, with a solitary tree on top, has become a symbol of homecoming, an emotional way-marker. But ask around and nobody seems to know much about it. It's a Scheduled Monument, on private land inaccessible to the public, and it's never been excavated. However there are enough clues to warrant some educated speculation. So, for Open Country, Karen Gregor climbs the Tump with three local experts to pick their brains. She also speaks to Henry Berkeley who owns the Spetchley Estate on which the hill stands, and to locals who have personal stories to tell about it.
Scroll down to the Related Links section to click through to these interviewees' organisations.
Adam Mindykowski - Historic Environment Advisor for Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service.
Wendy Carter and Harry Green - Worcestershire Wildlife Trust
Henry Berkeley - Spetchley Park Gardens and Estate
The music in the programme:
Chris Flegg - A Hill So High
The Stands - I Will Journey Home
Oysterband - One Green Hill
Produced by Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0009yxn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (m0009yxq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m0009yxs)
The latest releases, the hottest stars and the leading directors, plus news and insights from the film world.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0009yxv)
Dr Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.
THU 17:00 PM (m0009yxx)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0009yxz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Alone (m0009yy1)
Series 2
Front Window
Written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton. A sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London - with Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron.
Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist, looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother. Elsewhere in the building is schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.
In this fourth episode, Front Window, the neighbours become obsessed with various goings-on at the front of the house. There’s bad parking to contend with, naked neighbours at night and, worst of all, someone keeps stealing the expensive bay tree plants that sit on the porch. An exasperated Ellie has had enough and suggests everyone gathers together on a stake out to protect their precious plants.
Cast
Mitch - Angus Deayton
Will - Pearce Quigley
Ellie - Abigail Cruttenden
Louisa - Kate Isitt
Morris - Bennett Arron
Connor - Fred Haig
Written and created By Moray Hunter
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Sound Engineer and Editor Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Recorded live at RADA Studios London
Produced by Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0009yy3)
Jim attempts to take a monumental step and Oliver tries to make amends
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0009yy5)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
THU 19:45 Whodunnit? (b095c5h5)
The Calendar Conspiracy
Whodunnit? Who cares?
Children born in summer do worse than children born in autumn or winter. Not every one of them of course, but on average the effect is strong and clear. Their grades are likely to be worse, they're less likely to go to grammar school and research indicates admission to Russell Group universities is lower too. It's also suggested they are more likely to be told they have behavioural problems or learning difficulties, and they are more likely to be bullied, more likely to be excluded.
The disadvantage appears to goes on after education. So what's behind this and why isn't there more of an outcry?
Michael Blastland is on the case in the second series of non-fiction whodunnits, unravelling the causes at the root of the biggest trends. These are true-life mysteries that creep up on us until the pattern of our lives is altered. He examines the culprits and punctures presumptions about causation and its implications for policy making.
Whodunnit? is a new kind of investigation. It owes its style to detective storytelling. But the cases are unequivocally real. These are societal mysteries - true-life changes in the pattern of our lives.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Research: Daniel Hardoon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 20:00 Law in Action (m0009yy7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m0009yy9)
Business Gurus
Do business gurus really hold the secret to success? Peter Drucker, Michael Porter and Gary Hamel are some of those who've found fame and influence via best-selling business books. But can following their lead transform a company - or are they really just selling themselves? Evan Davis and guests assess the pros and cons of buying from the ideas merchants.
GUESTS
Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice, London Business School, CEO The Hot Spots Movement
John Kay, economist, author and consultant
Eddie Obeng, founder and director of Pentacle
Producer: Julie Ball
Editor: Hugh Levinson
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m0009yxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (m0009ywn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0009yyd)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 Bog Child (m0009yx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
THU 23:00 Where's the F in News (m0009yyg)
Series 3
Episode 1
An energetic, intelligent female-anchored show with a female panel - using the events, trends and talking points they think should really be top of the news agenda in a series of fresh and funny challenges.
Host Jo Bunting is joined by a panel of women including Jo Brand, Jayde Adams and Bryony Kimmings.
Jo Bunting is a producer and writer of topical comedy and satire, with credits including Have I Got News For You, the Great British Bake Off spin off show An Extra Slice with Jo Brand, and the successful topical chat show That Sunday Night Show presented by Adrian Chiles on ITV. Jo was a guest interviewer on Loose Ends for several years and a panellist on Loose Women.
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:30 The Untold (m0006sg9)
Worth Her Weight
Growing up, Georgia was always the fiery one. Independent, determined and committed, she was the kind of student who gave everything her all, and achieved whatever she put her mind to. When she set her sights on Oxford University she taught herself A-level Classics from the kitchen table to get there.
In just one month’s time she’ll be competing in her first Strong Man competition. She’ll be pushing her body to its limits, running with 10 stone barrels, deadlifting 18 stone bars and pulling 20 stone sleds.
But this is not just a story about getting physically strong. This is a story of pushing through mental and emotional challenges, it is about leaving the past behind and gaining strength after things go wrong.
As we follow Georgia in the lead up to the competition, we get a rare glimpse into the Strong Man world: a male-dominated world that’s starting to open its doors to women.
They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but will weightlifting really help Georgia regain control of her life?
Presented by Grace Dent
Produced by Alice Homewood
FRIDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2019
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0009yym)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 The Man in the Red Coat (m0009ywq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0009yyp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0009yyr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0009yyt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0009yyw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0009yyy)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter
Good morning!
My husband Christopher and I met back in 1983 and we hadn’t been going out together for very long when he went away for a four month sabbatical in Oxford. I visited him there a few times and always, when it was time for me to go, he would come with me in the car as far as the motorway and, when he got out of the car, he would pick a bouquet of poppies and grasses from the roadside for me to take home.
Then, when we were on honeymoon, he saw a lovely watercolour of a poppy field and bought it for me and so began a collection of all things poppy – we have a poppy stamp from Peru, several embroideries, pictures and paintings, a teapot, mugs and even an umbrella, so I get a very special pleasure from seeing the poppies that everyone’s wearing at the moment ready for our national services of Remembrance on Sunday.
During the ghastly conflagration that was the First World War, millions of young men were killed on the battlefields of France and when his friend, Alexis Helmer, died, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae noticed how quickly and somehow protectively, poppies grew over the grave and he wrote the famous poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and, in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
God of Peace, We thank you for the radiant poppies which remind us to remember those who died in war and we ask that our remembering will influence our actions so that the world may know peace.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0009yz0)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b098njdj)
Joe Acheson on the Corncrake
Musician Joe Acheson of Hidden Orchestra describes how the scraping noise of a corncrake sounded like a ceaseless alarm as it carried over the island of Inishbofin.
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Photograph: Melvyn Fagg.
FRI 06:00 Today (m000b0q2)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m0009zlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 The Man in the Red Coat (m000b0s2)
Episode 5
Book of the Week.Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes takes us on a rich, witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris, via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000b0q8)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 10:45 Tracks (m000b0qb)
Series 4: Indigo
Indigo: Episode Ten
Final part of the conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton. Starring Romola Garai and Jonathan Forbes.
As the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, Helen comes face to face with the fish.
A gripping thriller, chart-topping podcast and winner of Best Sound (BBC Audio Drama Awards) and Best Fiction (British Podcast Awards), now Tracks is back with a 10 part headphone-filling thrill-ride.
Helen…. Romola Garai
Freddy….. Jonathan Forbes
Julia…. Georgia Henshaw
Doctor.... Marc Danbury
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
FRI 11:00 Natural Histories (m000b0qd)
Poppy
Poppies are associated with many things but to most people they are a symbol of remembrance or associated with the opium trade. Natural Histories examines the human fascination with the flower known mainly as papaver rhoeas or orientalis.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
FRI 11:30 Skeletons in the Cupboard (m000b0qg)
Hairy Moments
Lesley and Maureen, stripping Mum’s bed, find a hair - which leads to Lesley's confession about the circumstances surrounding their mother's death.
Her guilt about it has caused her agoraphobia. She can't leave the house, because she feels that people will know what she's done.
David arrives and Maureen tries hard not to let him in, but he forces his way into the hall to explain who he really is. By revealing his true identity he thinks that the sisters' antipathy will be allayed.
Cast:
Maureen - Alison Steadman
Lesley - Morwenna Banks
David - Nigel Planer
Written by Sue Limb
Produced and Directed by Jamie Rix
A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m000b156)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Bog Child (m000b0ql)
Episode 5
By Siobhan Dowd. Fergus is taking packages over the border illicitly. He has agreed to do it on condition that the IRA order Joe off the hunger strike. Abridged by Sara Davies, and read by Finnian Garbutt.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m000b0qn)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
FRI 12:57 Weather (m000b0qq)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m000b0qs)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 The Extinction Tapes (m000b0qv)
The White Tailed Eagle
Rob Newman tells the story of a species we very nearly lost forever, and asks what we can learn from their triumphant return.
The White Tailed Eagle went extinct in England in 1780. They held on in Scotland until 1916. In summer 2019, a White Tailed Eagle flew triumphantly across the British countryside once again. We played a huge role in their near-extinction. Perhaps by understanding what so nearly wiped them out, we can play a role in their return.
Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0009yy3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b09f2d2l)
The Rules of Palship
The young Noel Coward demanded fierce loyalty from his friends. To the point of laying down 'palship' rules. But did the as-yet unknown actor live up to his own high standards? Writer Jonathan Tafler imagines a testing moment in his relationship with two actor colleagues.
Written by Jonathan Tafler
Directed by Peter Kavanagh
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000b0qx)
The Chilterns
Kathy Clugston and the panel are in the Chilterns. Matthew Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden are answering the questions from the green-fingered audience.
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m000b0qz)
My Sister Was a Dancer
A story about sisters, bodies and what we put them through, My Sister Was a Dancer is an original short work for radio by Jessica Andrews, whose debut novel 'Saltwater' was published in early 2019.
Jessica Andrews writes fiction and poetry. She grew up in Sunderland and has spent time living in Santa Cruz, Paris, Donegal, Barcelona and London. She has been published by the Independent, Somesuch Stories, AnOther, Caught by the River, Shabby Doll House and Papaya Press, among others. She teaches Literature and Creative Writing classes and co-runs literary magazine The Grapevine, which aims to give a platform to under- represented writers.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000b0r1)
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (m000b0r3)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (m000b0r5)
Karolina and Richard - How Are We Friends?
Colleagues talk about how they became unlikely friends through the workplace. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
FRI 17:00 PM (m000b0r7)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000b0rc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m000b0rf)
Series 55
Episode 3
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Lucy Porter, Ian Smith and Gemma Arrowsmith.
It was written by the cast with additional material by Rose Johnson, Mike Shephard, Catherine Brinkworth and Amy Mason.
It was a BBC Studios production.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m000b0rh)
Contemporary drama in a rural setting
Writer, Gillian Richmond
Director, Marina Caldarone
Editor, Jeremy Howe
Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ….. Heather Bell
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Russ Jones ….. Andonis James Anthony
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Freddie Pargetter ….. Toby Laurence
Lily Pargetter ….. Katie Redford
Johnny Phillips ….. Tom Gibbons
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane
FRI 19:15 Front Row (m000b0rk)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
FRI 19:45 Whodunnit? (b095bg40)
The Calendar Conspiracy
The Anger Enigma
Children born in summer do worse than children born in autumn or winter. Not every one of them of course, but on average the effect is strong and clear. Their grades are likely to be worse, they're less likely to go to grammar school and research indicates admission to Russell Group universities is lower too. It's also suggested they are more likely to be told they have behavioural problems or learning difficulties, and they are more likely to be bullied, more likely to be excluded.
The disadvantage appears to goes on after education. So what's behind this and why isn't there more of an outcry?
Michael Blastland is on the case in the second series of non-fiction whodunnits, unravelling the causes at the root of the biggest trends. These are true-life mysteries that creep up on us until the pattern of our lives is altered. He examines the culprits and punctures presumptions about causation and its implications for policy making.
Whodunnit? is a new kind of investigation. It owes its style to detective storytelling. But the cases are unequivocally real. These are societal mysteries - true-life changes in the pattern of our lives.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Research: Daniel Hardoon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000b0rm)
Topical discussion in which a panel of personalities from the worlds of politics, media and elsewhere are posed questions by the audience. From a different location each week
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000b0rp)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue.
FRI 21:00 Intrigue (m000b0rr)
Tunnel 29 (Omnibus. Part 1)
Helena Merriman tells the extraordinary true story of a man who dug a tunnel right under the feet of Berlin Wall border guards to help friends, family and strangers escape.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000b0rt)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 Bog Child (m000b0ql)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (m0009zcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000b0rw)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m000b0ry)
Mark and Faye - Trainer and Trainee
A palliative health consultant in conversation with a registrar in palliative care. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
99 Days in Number Ten
20:00 TUE (m0009zcz)
A Good Read
16:30 TUE (m0009zcj)
A Good Read
23:00 FRI (m0009zcj)
A Point of View
08:48 SUN (m0009t37)
A Point of View
20:50 FRI (m000b0rp)
A Run in the Park
19:45 SUN (m0009zmj)
Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar
23:00 TUE (b09fzbfm)
All in the Mind
21:00 TUE (m0009zd3)
All in the Mind
15:30 WED (m0009zd3)
Alone
18:30 THU (m0009yy1)
Analysis
21:30 SUN (m0009r6l)
Analysis
20:30 MON (m0009z89)
Any Answers?
14:00 SAT (m0009z2t)
Any Questions?
13:10 SAT (m0009t35)
Any Questions?
20:00 FRI (m000b0rm)
Archive on 4
20:00 SAT (m0009z3h)
Art of Now
11:30 TUE (m0009zby)
BBC Inside Science
16:30 THU (m0009yxv)
BBC Inside Science
21:00 THU (m0009yxv)
Bells on Sunday
05:43 SUN (m0009z40)
Bells on Sunday
00:45 MON (m0009z40)
Bog Child
12:04 MON (m0009z76)
Bog Child
22:45 MON (m0009z76)
Bog Child
12:04 TUE (m0009zc2)
Bog Child
22:45 TUE (m0009zc2)
Bog Child
12:04 WED (m000b0bs)
Bog Child
22:45 WED (m000b0bs)
Bog Child
12:04 THU (m0009yx2)
Bog Child
22:45 THU (m0009yx2)
Bog Child
12:04 FRI (m000b0ql)
Bog Child
22:45 FRI (m000b0ql)
Bookclub
16:00 SUN (m0009yxq)
Bookclub
15:30 THU (m0009yxq)
Broadcasting House
09:00 SUN (m0009zll)
Bunk Bed
23:15 WED (b05zl1bn)
China and the World
13:30 SUN (m0009zm0)
Costing the Earth
15:30 TUE (m0009zcg)
Costing the Earth
21:00 WED (m0009zcg)
Counterpoint
23:30 SUN (m0009r5y)
Counterpoint
15:00 MON (m0009z7l)
Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere
18:30 WED (m000b0ck)
Desert Island Discs
11:15 SUN (m0009zlq)
Desert Island Discs
09:00 FRI (m0009zlq)
Drama
14:45 SAT (m0009z2w)
Drama
15:00 SUN (b08cq790)
Drama
14:15 MON (b098nbbz)
Drama
14:15 TUE (m0009zcd)
Drama
14:15 WED (m000b0c3)
Drama
14:15 THU (m0009yxj)
Drama
14:15 FRI (b09f2d2l)
Farming Today
06:30 SAT (m0009z23)
Farming Today
05:45 MON (m0009zn3)
Farming Today
05:45 TUE (m0009z8z)
Farming Today
05:45 WED (m0009zdp)
Farming Today
05:45 THU (m000b0dd)
Farming Today
05:45 FRI (m0009yz0)
Feedback
20:00 SUN (m0009t2q)
Feedback
16:30 FRI (m000b0r3)
First Words
16:00 MON (m0009z7q)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:30 SAT (m0009z2h)
From Our Own Correspondent
11:00 THU (m0009ywy)
Front Row
19:15 MON (m0009z85)
Front Row
19:15 TUE (m0009zcx)
Front Row
19:15 WED (m000b0cm)
Front Row
19:15 THU (m0009yy5)
Front Row
19:15 FRI (m000b0rk)
Gardeners' Question Time
14:00 SUN (m0009t2j)
Gardeners' Question Time
15:00 FRI (m000b0qx)
Have You Heard George's Podcast?
23:00 SAT (m0009z3m)
Have You Heard George's Podcast?
23:00 MON (m000b18m)
House of Dreams
11:30 THU (m000897k)
In Our Time
09:00 THU (m0009ywn)
In Our Time
21:30 THU (m0009ywn)
In Touch
20:40 TUE (m0009zd1)
Into the Manosphere
17:00 SUN (m0009rjr)
Intrigue
21:00 FRI (m000b0rr)
Journey of a Lifetime
11:00 MON (m00099x5)
Last Word
20:30 SUN (m0009t2n)
Last Word
16:00 FRI (m000b0r1)
Law in Action
16:00 TUE (m0009yy7)
Law in Action
20:00 THU (m0009yy7)
Loose Ends
18:15 SAT (m0009z39)
Loose Ends
11:30 MON (m0009z39)
Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time
21:00 SAT (m0007xpj)
Midnight News
00:00 SAT (m0009t3h)
Midnight News
00:00 SUN (m0009z3p)
Midnight News
00:00 MON (m0009zmq)
Midnight News
00:00 TUE (m0009z8j)
Midnight News
00:00 WED (m0009zd9)
Midnight News
00:00 THU (m000b0cy)
Midnight News
00:00 FRI (m0009yym)
Money Box
12:04 SAT (m0009z2m)
Money Box
21:00 SUN (m0009z2m)
Money Box
15:00 WED (m000b0c5)
Moral Maze
22:15 SAT (m0009qw6)
Moral Maze
20:00 WED (m000b0cp)
Natural Histories
11:00 FRI (m000b0qd)
News Briefing
05:30 SAT (m0009t3r)
News Briefing
05:30 SUN (m0009z3y)
News Briefing
05:30 MON (m0009zmz)
News Briefing
05:30 TUE (m0009z8v)
News Briefing
05:30 WED (m0009zdk)
News Briefing
05:30 THU (m000b0d8)
News Briefing
05:30 FRI (m0009yyw)
News Headlines
06:00 SUN (m0009zl2)
News Summary
12:00 SAT (m0009z2k)
News Summary
12:00 SUN (m0009zls)
News Summary
12:00 MON (m000b06l)
News Summary
12:00 TUE (m0009zdz)
News Summary
12:00 WED (m000b0jc)
News Summary
12:00 THU (m0009yx0)
News Summary
12:00 FRI (m000b156)
News and Papers
06:00 SAT (m0009z21)
News and Papers
07:00 SUN (m0009zl8)
News and Papers
08:00 SUN (m0009zlg)
News and Weather
22:00 SAT (m0009z3k)
News
13:00 SAT (m0009z2r)
On Your Farm
06:35 SUN (m0009zl4)
One to One
09:30 TUE (m0009zbm)
Only Artists
09:00 WED (m000b0b8)
Only Artists
21:30 WED (m000b0b8)
Open Country
06:07 SAT (m0009t5d)
Open Country
15:00 THU (m0009yxl)
PM
17:00 SAT (m0009z30)
PM
17:00 MON (m0009z7v)
PM
17:00 TUE (m0009zcl)
PM
17:00 WED (m000b0cc)
PM
17:00 THU (m0009yxx)
PM
17:00 FRI (m000b0r7)
Pick of the Week
18:15 SUN (m0009zmd)
Poetry Please
16:30 SUN (m0009zm4)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 SAT (m0009t3t)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 MON (m0009zn1)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 TUE (m0009z8x)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 WED (m0009zdm)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 THU (m000b0db)
Prayer for the Day
05:43 FRI (m0009yyy)
Profile
19:00 SAT (m0009z3c)
Profile
05:45 SUN (m0009z3c)
Profile
17:40 SUN (m0009z3c)
Radio 4 Appeal
07:54 SUN (m0009yxn)
Radio 4 Appeal
21:25 SUN (m0009yxn)
Radio 4 Appeal
15:27 THU (m0009yxn)
Saturday Live
09:00 SAT (m0009z29)
Saturday Review
19:15 SAT (m0009z3f)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SAT (m0009t3m)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 SUN (m0009z3t)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 MON (m0009zmv)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 TUE (m0009z8q)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 WED (m0009zdf)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 THU (m000b0d4)
Selection of BBC World Service Programmes
01:00 FRI (m0009yyr)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SAT (m0009t3k)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SAT (m0009t3p)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SAT (m0009z33)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 SUN (m0009z3r)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 SUN (m0009z3w)
Shipping Forecast
17:54 SUN (m0009zm6)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 MON (m0009zms)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 MON (m0009zmx)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 TUE (m0009z8n)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 TUE (m0009z8s)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 WED (m0009zdc)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 WED (m0009zdh)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 THU (m000b0d2)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 THU (m000b0d6)
Shipping Forecast
00:48 FRI (m0009yyp)
Shipping Forecast
05:20 FRI (m0009yyt)
Short Works
00:30 SUN (m0009t2l)
Short Works
15:45 FRI (m000b0qz)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SAT (m0009z37)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 SUN (m0009zmb)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 MON (m0009z7z)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 TUE (m0009zcq)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 WED (m000b0ch)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 THU (m0009yxz)
Six O'Clock News
18:00 FRI (m000b0rc)
Skeletons in the Cupboard
11:30 FRI (m000b0qg)
Something Understood
06:05 SUN (b06y96gs)
Start the Week
09:00 MON (m0009z6v)
Start the Week
21:30 MON (m0009z6v)
Sunday Worship
08:10 SUN (m0009zlj)
Sunday
07:10 SUN (m0009zlb)
The 21st Century Curriculum
11:00 TUE (m0009zbw)
The Archers Omnibus
10:00 SUN (m0009zln)
The Archers
19:00 SUN (m0009z7j)
The Archers
14:00 MON (m0009z7j)
The Archers
19:00 MON (m0009z83)
The Archers
14:00 TUE (m0009z83)
The Archers
19:00 TUE (m0009zcv)
The Archers
14:00 WED (m0009zcv)
The Archers
19:00 WED (m0009yxg)
The Archers
14:00 THU (m0009yxg)
The Archers
19:00 THU (m0009yy3)
The Archers
14:00 FRI (m0009yy3)
The Archers
19:00 FRI (m000b0rh)
The Bottom Line
17:30 SAT (m0009t5v)
The Bottom Line
20:30 THU (m0009yy9)
The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry
05:45 SAT (m0009qtl)
The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry
09:30 WED (m000b0bb)
The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry
20:45 WED (m000b0bb)
The Digital Human
16:30 MON (m0009z7s)
The Extinction Tapes
13:45 MON (m0009z7g)
The Extinction Tapes
13:45 TUE (m0009zcb)
The Extinction Tapes
13:45 WED (m000b0c1)
The Extinction Tapes
13:45 THU (m0009yxc)
The Extinction Tapes
13:45 FRI (m000b0qv)
The Film Programme
23:00 SUN (m0009t5g)
The Film Programme
16:00 THU (m0009yxs)
The Food Programme
12:32 SUN (m0009z7n)
The Food Programme
15:30 MON (m0009z7n)
The Great Flood: Travels Through a Sodden Landscape
00:30 SAT (m0009t1p)
The Joy of Text
19:15 SUN (m0009zmg)
The Kitchen Cabinet
10:30 SAT (m0009z2c)
The Kitchen Cabinet
15:00 TUE (m0009z2c)
The Life Scientific
09:00 TUE (m0009zbj)
The Life Scientific
21:30 TUE (m0009zbj)
The Listening Project
14:45 SUN (m0009zm2)
The Listening Project
10:55 WED (m000b0bl)
The Listening Project
16:55 FRI (m000b0r5)
The Listening Project
23:55 FRI (m000b0ry)
The Man in the Red Coat
09:45 MON (m0009z8l)
The Man in the Red Coat
00:30 TUE (m0009z8l)
The Man in the Red Coat
09:45 TUE (m0009zbp)
The Man in the Red Coat
00:30 WED (m0009zbp)
The Man in the Red Coat
09:45 WED (m000b0d0)
The Man in the Red Coat
00:30 THU (m000b0d0)
The Man in the Red Coat
09:45 THU (m0009ywq)
The Man in the Red Coat
00:30 FRI (m0009ywq)
The Man in the Red Coat
09:45 FRI (m000b0s2)
The Media Show
16:30 WED (m000b0c9)
The Missing Hancocks
18:30 TUE (m0009zcs)
The Museum of Curiosity
12:04 SUN (m0009r6d)
The Museum of Curiosity
18:30 MON (m0009z81)
The Now Show
12:30 SAT (m0009t2z)
The Now Show
18:30 FRI (m000b0rf)
The Silence of the Genes
21:00 MON (m0009rhs)
The Untold
23:30 THU (m0006sg9)
The Week in Westminster
11:00 SAT (m0009z2f)
The World This Weekend
13:00 SUN (m0009zly)
The World Tonight
22:00 MON (m0009z8d)
The World Tonight
22:00 TUE (m0009zd5)
The World Tonight
22:00 WED (m000b0cr)
The World Tonight
22:00 THU (m0009yyd)
The World Tonight
22:00 FRI (m000b0rt)
Thinking Allowed
00:15 MON (m0009qvr)
Thinking Allowed
16:00 WED (m000b0c7)
Today in Parliament
23:30 MON (m0009z8g)
Today in Parliament
23:30 TUE (m0009zd7)
Today in Parliament
23:30 WED (m000b0cw)
Today in Parliament
23:30 FRI (m000b0rw)
Today
07:00 SAT (m0009z27)
Today
06:00 MON (m0009z6s)
Today
06:00 TUE (m0009zbd)
Today
06:00 WED (m000b0b4)
Today
06:00 THU (m0009ywl)
Today
06:00 FRI (m000b0q2)
Tracks
10:45 MON (m0009z71)
Tracks
10:45 TUE (m0009zbt)
Tracks
10:41 WED (m000b0bj)
Tracks
10:45 THU (m0009yww)
Tracks
10:45 FRI (m000b0qb)
Twayna Mayne: Black Woman
23:00 WED (p07r9rm5)
Tweet of the Day
08:58 SUN (b09byxlf)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 MON (b09c0m4k)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 TUE (b09c0pw0)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 WED (b09by75m)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 THU (b098n5pq)
Tweet of the Day
05:58 FRI (b098njdj)
Weather
06:57 SAT (m0009z25)
Weather
12:57 SAT (m0009z2p)
Weather
17:57 SAT (m0009z35)
Weather
06:57 SUN (m0009zl6)
Weather
07:57 SUN (m0009zld)
Weather
12:57 SUN (m0009zlw)
Weather
17:57 SUN (m0009zm8)
Weather
05:56 MON (m0009zn5)
Weather
12:57 MON (m0009z7b)
Weather
12:57 TUE (m0009zc6)
Weather
12:57 WED (m000b0bx)
Weather
12:57 THU (m0009yx7)
Weather
12:57 FRI (m000b0qq)
Welcome Money
20:00 MON (m0009z87)
Welcome Money
11:00 WED (m0009z87)
Westminster Hour
22:00 SUN (m0009zmn)
Where's the F in News
23:00 THU (m0009yyg)
Whodunnit?
19:45 MON (b0938k8v)
Whodunnit?
19:45 TUE (b095bdqf)
Whodunnit?
19:45 WED (b095c53g)
Whodunnit?
19:45 THU (b095c5h5)
Whodunnit?
19:45 FRI (b095bg40)
Woman's Hour
16:00 SAT (m0009z2y)
Woman's Hour
10:00 MON (m0009z6z)
Woman's Hour
10:00 TUE (m0009zbr)
Woman's Hour
10:00 WED (m000b0bg)
Woman's Hour
10:00 THU (m0009ywt)
Woman's Hour
10:00 FRI (m000b0q8)
Woof
11:30 WED (m000b0bn)
World at One
13:00 MON (m0009z7d)
World at One
13:00 TUE (m0009zc8)
World at One
13:00 WED (m000b0bz)
World at One
13:00 THU (m0009yx9)
World at One
13:00 FRI (m000b0qs)
You and Yours
12:18 MON (m0009z78)
You and Yours
12:18 TUE (m0009zc4)
You and Yours
12:18 WED (m000b0bv)
You and Yours
12:18 THU (m0009yx5)
You and Yours
12:18 FRI (m000b0qn)