SATURDAY 09 NOVEMBER 2024
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0024p41)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 Shattered by Hanif Kureishi (m0024p2s)
5: 'I will make something of this.'
Art Malik reads Hani Kureishi's brutally frank memoir of life after a catastrophic injury that left him almost completely paralysed.
‘A few days ago, a bomb went off in my life, but this bomb has also shattered the lives of those around me.’
On Boxing Day 2022, in Rome, Hanif Kureishi had a fall. When he came to, he was horrified to realise he had lost the use of his limbs, and was now completely dependent on the help of others, requiring constant hospital care. So began an odyssey of a year through the medical systems of Italy and the UK, with the hope of somehow being able to return home to his house in London.
While confined to a series of hospital wards, he felt compelled to write, and, unable to type or to hold a pen, he began to dictate his thoughts to family members. The result is an extraordinary series of dispatches from his hospital bed – a diary of a life in pieces, recorded with rare honesty, clarity and courage. It's also a portrait of a new life, shaped by new feelings – of gratitude, humility and love.
Today: almost a year since his fall, Kureishi is back home. His life has been smashed, remade and altered, but he's determined to make something of it.
Writer: Hanif Kureishi
Reader: Art Malik
Abridger: Julian Wilkinson
Producer: Justine Willett
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024p43)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024p45)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024p47)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0024p49)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024p4c)
Butter, Sugar, and second helpings
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good morning.
When the Soviet Union invaded Germany in the 1940s, my uncles were just boys in shorts. But even today, they recall the terror, the losses, the hunger, and the very long walk from East Prussia to Northern Germany.
Now in their 80s, my uncles, like many older people around the world, delight in the simple things like butter, sugar, and second helpings, as though they were still in short trousers. And they detest violence, injustice, and quite frankly, walking anywhere at all.
So much is lost in times of war. For those who were there – wherever there was - it’s impossible to forget – it’s formed who they are in so many ways, that they don’t need a special day to remember.
But for those of us, who didn’t fear for our lives, or sleep with aching bellies, it’s a time to give thanks for the service, the sacrifice, and the selflessness of those who died for the freedoms, and the simple pleasures like butter, sugar, and second helpings, that we, and the children of yesterday’s wars, now get to enjoy.
In the Bible, we can find these words “Greater love has no-one than this, than to lay down one’s life for another”.
So, heavenly father, I thank you for all those who have worked and fought for peace in our world, and especially for those who lost their lives in doing so. Thank you for their sacrificial love. We honour their courage and cherish their memory.
For the children of wars, young and old today, Lord, thank you that you brought them to safety. Help them and us to live lives worthy of the tremendous sacrifices made. For those in the midst of war today I pray for peace.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Something to Declare (m0024q90)
How to Embrace Imperfection
Jack Boswell explores the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi and how it challenges our pursuit of perfection by embracing the beauty of imperfection and transience.
Joining him is Dr Takeshi Morisato, a lecturer in non-Western philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, who introduces the basics of Wabi Sabi - an art of acceptance that finds beauty in life’s flaws and incompleteness. Takeshi explains that Wabi Sabi offers a different perspective from the Western pursuit of happiness and perfection, instead teaching us to acknowledge life’s challenges without trying to erase them. Through this philosophy, we’re encouraged to see each experience, good or bad, as valuable in its own right.
Later in the episode, Jack speaks with Bonnie Kemske, a ceramic artist and Japanese tea ceremony practitioner, who delves into the practice of Kintsugi - the art of mending broken pottery with gold. Bonnie explains how Kintsugi embodies Wabi Sabi’s message - broken things aren’t simply discarded but are repaired in a way that highlights their unique history and resilience. Kintsugi invites us to honour what we’ve endured, as the cracks in a pot are like marks from our own experiences, showing strength in their repaired beauty.
Through personal stories, Bonnie shares how the concepts of Wabi Sabi and Kintsugi can help us find meaning in pain and celebrate our resilience. She reflects on her journey through loss, relating how the practice of Kintsugi helped her accept grief as a part of her own history rather than a flaw to erase.
This episode invites listeners to find beauty in everyday moments and to embrace imperfections - both in the world around us and within ourselves - as a source of strength and comfort. Wabi Sabi offers a way to be more present and accepting, giving us the freedom to see our lives as ever-evolving works in progress.
Host: Jack Boswell
Producers: Leo Danczak & Emma Crampton
Senior Producer: Harry Stott
Executive Producer: Sandra Ferrari
Production Coordinator: James Cox
Audio Supervisor: Tom Biddle
Sound Editor: Alan Leer
A Message Heard production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m0024vmw)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m0024lzj)
River Itchen - Hampshire
Clare explores the banks of the River Itchen in Hampshire with Andrew Simkins who has just completed walking around the coast and borders of England. It’s taken him eight years, and it’s been an extraordinary journey in more ways than one. His beloved daughter, Alice, died age 28 in 2016 and he discovered that devoting himself to the process of walking helped him deal with the grief; it gave him a feeling of solace and a sense of connection with her. When people asked him if he was walking alone, he would reply 'I’m often in the best of company’.
This isn’t a sad episode of Ramblings, though, it’s very much about the positive impact of walking even in the most awful circumstances, and Andrew is a cheery companion.
The route Andrew is sharing with Clare isn’t part of the coast OR borders, but he explains that he chose to divert away from the coast at this point as the Itchen Way appealed to him so much.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m0024vmy)
09/11/24 Farming Today This Week: Saltmarshes, Treating Sheep Disease, Budget Reaction
On the programme this week, we investigate concerns over plans for new saltmarshes near the Hinkley C nuclear power plant. Upland sheep farmers tell us why they're struggling with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme. We visit the islands of Lewis and Harris to look at a new approach to treating sheep disease. And there's further reaction to the Budget: farmers explain their opposition to new inheritance tax plans and the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, responds. And farming tax advisor, Rob Hitch, gives his view on what the changes might mean.
Presented by Charlotte Smith.
Produced by Heather Simons at BBC Audio Bristol
SAT 06:57 Weather (m0024vn0)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m0024vn2)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m0024vn4)
Rick Stein, Lady Anne Glenconner, Andy Cato, Kate Humble
Celebrated chef, restaurateur and TV star Rick Stein, is more than a master of seafood - he’s a well-travelled storyteller with a deep-seated love for food that transcends borders. He has a new heart and a fresh outlook on life.
Andy Cato, best known as one half of the pioneering electronic duo Groove Armada, is equal parts DJ, musician and forward-thinker - and now mostly a pioneering sustainable agriculture farmer.
Lady Anne Glenconner is an aristocrat, author, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. She’s lived a life that reads like a dramatic novel - from royal escapades and tumultuous relationships to personal tragedies; but always with glamour and grit.
All that, plus we have the Inheritance Tracks of the author, broadcaster and lover of the outdoors, Kate Humble.
Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Huw Stephens
Producer: Ben Mitchell
SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m0024053)
Series 1
6. The Shock Factor
If there’s one type of discharge you really want to avoid, it’s lightning, but what happens when it hits you?
We hear from lightning survivor Kerry Evans, and discover that the best place to shelter – if you ever find yourself in a similarly charged storm – is in a car, or low to the ground. And why this is never a good time to take a selfie.
Dr Dan Mitchard from Cardiff University’s excitingly-named Lightning Lab explains why there's no lightning at the poles, and the presenters lament that polar bears and penguins are missing out.
We all know about the gods of lightning, but the mysticism doesn't stop there. Above cloud level there are many other types of unusually-named phenomena, reaching to the edge of space, including sprites, trolls and even pixies.
And Professor Karen Aplin reveals that lightning has even been discovered on other planets, in a science story that could affect our plans to colonise Mars.
Contributors:
Dr Daniel Mitchard, Lightning Laboratory, Cardiff University
Professor Karen Aplin, University of Bristol
Producer: Marijke Peters
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production
SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m0024vn6)
Benedictus
Sir Karl Jenkins' Benedictus is the penultimate movement from his anti-war mass, The Armed Man. Written twenty-five years ago this year and performed over three thousand times, Sir Karl dedicated it to the victims of the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. It was originally commissioned by The Royal Armouries Museum and premiered for the millennium.
The Armed Man as a whole reflects the descent into war, but the movement of Benedictus' emerges as a message of hope and peace in the aftermath. Benedictus is recognised for its haunting cello theme, in a register unusually high for this resonant instrument. The cello solo gradually expands into a full choir and orchestra.
Benedictus has given solace to listeners through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We hear some of their stories. Featuring:
British Armed Forces Veteran Michael Young, who served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan;
Reverand Charles Thody, Priest in Lincolnshire and chaplain for the NHS;
Dane Coetzee, cellist in Cape Town, South Africa;
And the composer of Benedictus himself, Sir Karl Jenkins and his wife, Lady Carol Jenkins.
Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
Sound Engineer: Ilse Lademann
Editor: Emma Harding
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m0024vn8)
Ben Riley Smith of The Daily Telegraph looks back on the week in Westminster.
In the week of the election of Donald Trump as the next US President, Ben discusses the implications of the result with Stewart Woods, Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown and Sir Liam Fox, the former Conservative Defence Secretary - and International Trade Secretary during Donald Trump's first presidency.
To discuss the impact of the changes to inheritance tax on farms Ben is joined by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Dyke and the Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Helen Miller.
The former Universities Minister and Conservative peer, Jo Johnson, discusses the government's announcement, earlier this week, that tuition fees for students in England would rise next year.
And, as the new Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, faced Sir Keir Starmer for the first time at Prime Minister's Questions, Quentin Letts, political sketchwriter for the Daily Mail and Jessica Elgot, Deputy Political Editor of the Guardian give us their verdict.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0024vnb)
Donald Trump's Historic Victory
Kate Adie presents stories from the US, Lebanon, Spain, Morocco and Greenland
Donald Trump won a resounding victory in the US election, heralding an imminent return to the White House. This was achieved through a new coalition of support - especially among African-American and Hispanic voters. Anthony Zurcher has followed the campaign from the outset, and reflects on how, despite a well-funded Harris campaign, Donald Trump pulled off a decisive win.
Israel’s invasion of Lebanon has continued, sparked by almost a year of cross-border hostilities, tied to the war in Gaza. Orla Guerin has been there since the conflict intensified six weeks ago.
In Spain, thousands of troops, civil guards and police helped with the relief effort following flash floods in Valencia that killed more than 200 people. Amid a febrile atmosphere of blame and recrimination, Nick Beake has been building a picture of how events unfolded - and heard how tragedy hit one family.
Morocco is a launch pad for many Africans trying to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean into Europe. Now, it's coming under increased pressure due to political instability in the Sahel. Richard Hamilton was in Tangier.
In Greenland, an Inuit community living in the island’s most remote settlement is facing profound changes to their traditional way of life amid melting sea ice. Mark Stratton went to hear about the challenges facing the community, such as climate change, tourism and polar bears.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m0024vnd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m0024vng)
Lost Pensions and Student Loans
New research estimates that there are more than 3 million lost pension pots in the UK. These are pensions that have been paid into by an employer but the scheme can no longer find the person who owns it. The Pensions Policy Institute research also found number of lost pots has risen more than 17% since 2022. The Department for Work and Pensions told us millions of people will be saved from losing track of their pension pots thanks to its plans to consolidate deferred small pots in its forthcoming Pension Schemes Bill. The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association says the industry has funded campaigns to raise awareness. Go to gov.uk and search 'pension tracing' to find contact details for your old pensions.
Hundreds of thousands of former university students are being urged to check if they have paid too much towards their student loan and if so to claim a refund. The campaign group Save the Student made the call in response to new figures from the Student Loans Company, published for the first time, which show former students are eligible for refunds worth £184m.
And in last week's Budget the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced a reduction in the level of debt repayments that can be taken from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month. The new "Fair Repayment Rate" will reduce Universal Credit deductions from 25% to 15% per month. The government says that means that 1.2 million households will keep more of their award each month and those who benefit will gain an average of £420 a year.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Emma Smith and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast
12pm Saturday November 9th 2024)
SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m0024p3g)
Series 25
Dead Ringers: Ep 2. America Went There
What really swung it for Donald Trump and how did Joe Biden really react to the result? Kemi Badenoch’s first decision as Tory leader, and Nigel Farage’s Trump victory podcast.
This week's impressionists are Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, Jess Robinson and Ducan Wisbey.
The episode was written by: Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden and Tom Coles, Rob Darke, Edward Tew, Cody Dahler, Joe Topping, Peter Tellouche, Duncan Wisbey with additional material by Jennifer Walker and Vicky Richards.
Song lyrics by Bill Dare and Duncan Wisbey
Music by Duncan Wisbey
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Produced and created by Bill Dare
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
SAT 12:57 Weather (m0024vnj)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m0024vnl)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0024p3n)
Dame Harriett Baldwin MP, Lord Darroch, Emily Thornberry MP, Ann Widdecombe
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the American Museum in Bath with shadow business minister, Dame Harriett Baldwin MP; Lord Darroch, formerly the UK's ambassador to the US; foreign affairs committee chair Emily Thornberry MP; and Ann Widdecombe, Reform UK's immigration spokesperson.
Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Nick Ford
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m0024vnn)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week.
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m0024p3j)
As Kirsty and Rex sadly discuss plans for winding down Rewilding Ambridge, Justin barges in brandishing a contract which needs their signature. When Rex says he’s not jumping to Justin’s command, Kirsty stops him - she can’t believe what she’s reading. Justin confirms that it’s a contract for the lease of BL land at a peppercorn rent. They just need to sign it. Justin’s there to save the day!
Rex and Kirsty celebrate later at The Bull but can’t get over Justin’s about-turn. As they raise a toast, Lilian says they should spread the word that Justin has a heart as warm as anyone in Ambridge.
Justin’s frustrated when he can no longer get into the rewilding website. Lilian’s delighted by his rewilding decision, but says that everyone else thinks Justin must have an ulterior motive. Justin confirms he simply did it to help Kirsty and Rex – it’s a cause that he now sees is important.
Fallon heads off to sign her EV Charging Station contract. Emma appears explaining that she needed to see Fallon to wish her well, producing a gift of a miniature bonsai tree. The one a Tearoom customer gave to Emma when she started up the tree surgery business. Fallon confesses she’s feeling nervous about it all, but Emma reckons the new café is the perfect thing for Fallon to do.
But later Fallon tells Harrison she hasn’t signed the contract – they offered her an even smaller space and she’s not sure it’s going to work. She has a few days to make the decision. What is she going to do?
SAT 15:00 Breaking the Rules (m0024vnq)
O is for Orson
From when he blagged a lead role at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, aged 16, to when he shocked America with his War of the Worlds radio drama and struck the most outrageous deal in movie history to direct Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’ energy and creative genius is unparalleled.
His production of Citizen Kane would make an enemy of Randolph Hearst, one of the most powerful men in the world. This could – perhaps should - have been a step foo far, but Welles still manages to turn out one of the greatest films of all time.
Featuring Lucas Aurelio as Welles, with Laurel Lefkow playing Hearst’s lover Marion Davies who tries to stop the film being made, and Miles Jupp as John Houseman, Welles’ producer and close collaborator.
Jonathan Myerson’s drama tells the story of how Welles became a titan of American culture by tearing up the rulebook at every turn and finding ever more creative ways to get his work made and seen.
Cast:
John Houseman. Miles Jupp
Marion Davies Laurel Lefkow
Orson Welles Lucas Aurelio
Macliammoir and others Nathan Wiley
Toland and others Nigel Whitmey
Blitzstein and others Danny Mahoney
Written by Jonathan Myerson
Sound design by Alisdair McGregor
Produced and directed by Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m0024vns)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Susie Wiles, Athlete Julien Alfred, ‘Dear Sirs’, Dating red-flag questions, The Balkan Kitchen
In one of his first moves since his victory in the US election, President-elect Donald Trump has named his 2024 campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as his chief of staff in the White House. She will make history as the first woman to hold the title. But what do we know about the woman Trump referred to as the "ice maiden"? Kylie Pentelow was joined by Anne McElvoy, Executive Editor at Politico and host of the Power Play podcast to discuss.
The Women's 100 metre Olympic champion Julien Alfred joined Clare McDonnell in the studio. Her gold medal in Paris was the first time St Lucia had won an Olympic medal. She discusses what it took to become a champion and also having a national day named after her.
A Woman's Hour listener is fed up with the phrase 'Dear Sirs'. Ellie Rees is the co-founder of Brickworks Estate Agency and despite her team being all female, they are often addressed in this way. Clare was joined by Ellie and by Susie Dent, the author and lexicographer to discuss this.
Do you have a first date red-flag question? What would be an absolute sure-fire, definite no-no answer which would tell you there is definitely going to be no second date? Olivia Rodrigo, the American singer-songwriter and actor, is quoted as saying that if her date wants to go to space, that is a red flag for her. Krupa Padhy spoke to Helen Coffey, senior journalist at the Independent who's written her take on questions she would ask, and Poppy Jay, director and podcaster most famously on Brown Girls Do It Too and now the spin-off Big Boy Energy.
Irina Janakievska is a food writer and recipe developer. Born in what is now North Macedonia, she left her career in corporate law to follow her passion for sharing her love of Balkan cuisine. In her new cookery book, The Balkan Kitchen, she takes us on a culinary and cultural journey across the former Yugoslavia with recipes that speak for the vast and varied cuisine of a region overshadowed by conflict in recent years – from North Macedonia to Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Kosovo.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Rebecca Myatt
SAT 17:00 PM (m0024vnv)
Full coverage of the day's news.
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m0024vnx)
The Darren Jones One
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury sits down with Nick to chart his rise to the heart of Starmer's government.
How did a Bristol boy, whose parents sometimes went without meals to ensure he had food, end up at the Chancellor's side, in charge of the purse-strings of the government?
Producer: Daniel Kraemer
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0024vnz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m0024vp1)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024vp3)
Qatar withdraws as key mediator.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m0024vp5)
John Bishop; Lucy Shepherd; Adrian Chiles; Grace Campbell; Stuart Maconie; Ron Sexsmith; Seckou Keita
The comedian and actor John Bishop is about to head off on a tour celebrating 25 years in stand up - a quarter century since he took to the stage on a whim and ended up one of the UK's favourite stars. The explorer Lucy Shepherd is more likely to be found fighting off venomous spiders than hecklers. For her latest TV series she's embarked on a never before completed journey across Guyana. How did she cope with the threat of trench foot, zero daylight and the ominous warnings from the locals - "don't go, you might not get back"? The Comic and podcaster Grace Campbell is also one for exploration but hers involve the world of dating and parties in her tour - On Heat. She'll be competing on tall tales and ominous warnings, no doubt. And broadcaster and columnist Adrian Chiles will cast a cool eye on proceedings as he does in his much-shared newspaper articles on chewy topics such as home urinals, favourite spoons and the biggie - we can go to the moon, so why can’t we stop my glasses sliding down my nose?
With music by "the songwriter's songwriter" Ron Sexsmith and "Hendrix of the kora" Seckou Keita.
Presented by Stuart Maconie
Produced by Olive Clancy
SAT 19:00 Profile (m0024vp7)
Yvette Cooper
She is one of the highest-ranking women in the Labour Party, now holding the position of home secretary.
Yvette Cooper, born in Inverness in 1969, grew up in Hampshire and went on to forge a career in politics full of firsts.
She served as the first female chief secretary to the Treasury. She also became the first minister to take maternity leave, and she was one half of the first married couple in the cabinet - alongside Ed Balls.
But not everyone is convinced Yvette Cooper has the answers to the big problems in her in-tray, particularly on the small boats issue.
Stephen Smith talks to friends and political allies, to understand the views and events that have shaped this veteran Labour politician.
Production team
Producers: Emma Close and Nathan Gower
Editor: Ben Mundy
Sound: James Beard
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele
Credits
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (BBC)
1991 Harvard Commencement Address
1992 Bill Clinton Campaign Speech
Tony Blair 1997 Election Victory Speech
2015 Election Exit Poll (BBC)
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m0024lz2)
Thelma Schoonmaker
Thelma Schoonmaker has, for over five decades, been Martin Scorsese’s cutting room collaborator. Having edited his first feature film in 1967, she has worked on every Scorsese movie since Raging Bull, including Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, Wolf Of Wall Street, right up to his most recent features The Irishman and Killers Of The Flower Moon. As the widow of the legendary British filmmaker Michael Powell, she has also played a key role in the restoration of classic Powell and Pressburger films including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and A Matter Of Life And Death. Thelma Schoonmaker has won three Academy Awards, more than any other film editor.
Thelma tells John Wilson how enrolling on a six week film making course as a young graduate in New York led to her meeting and helping Martin Scorsese edit a short film he was making. He then asked her to edit his 1967 feature film debut, Who's That Knocking at My Door and their partnership began in earnest. She recalls how she and Scorsese were part of the editing team on Michael Wadleigh's music festival documentary, Woodstock for which she received her first an Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing - the first documentary ever to be nominated in that category. Thelma reveals the process of working with Scorsese in the cutting room and how, through him, she met her late husband Michael Powell, whose films with Emeric Pressburger, both she and Scorsese had so admired from childhood.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
Archive and music used:
The Red Shoes, Powell & Pressburger, 1948
Who's That Knocking at My Door, Martin Scorsese, 1967
I Can't Explain, The Who, Live at Woodstock, 1969
See Me. Feel Me, The Who, Live at Woodstock, 1969
Star Spangled Banner, Jimi Hendrix, Live at Woodstock, 1969
Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese, 1980
Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie-editing, BBC4, 30 August 2005
Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ, Peter Gabriel
Sunshine of Your Love, Cream
Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, Pietro Mascagni
Love Is Strange, Mickey & Sylvia
Layla, Derek & The Dominos
A Matter of Life and Death, Powell & Pressburger, 1946
Michael and Martin, BBC Radio 4, 30 June 2005
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0024vp9)
Famous Last Words
It’s been 30 years since the playwright Dennis Potter sat down with Melvyn Bragg to record one of the most memorable interviews of the last century.
Potter, weeks away from dying of cancer, shared his unforgettable reflections on seeing the world anew in this last phase of his life. His comments on the ‘nowness of everything’ and the ‘blossomest blossom’ on the pear tree outside his window were a revelation to the many thousands of viewers who were touched and changed by this landmark interview.
Oral historian Sarah O’Reilly delves into the rich archive of notable ‘last interviews’ that followed in Potter’s wake. Clive James, Diana Athill, Jenny Diski, Steve Hewlett and Nicholas Dimbleby are just a few of the public figures who recorded powerful and moving conversations at the end of their lives, dramatic performances that live on in the public imagination. These encounters set out to record and make sense of their speakers’ experiences of navigating illness and dying, creating road maps towards ‘The End’ which embrace and celebrate life.
Looking at the growth and proliferation of the ‘last interview’ over time, Sarah asks what motivates people to speak about this intimate aspect of their lives, and what are the messages they want to leave behind. What does it feel like to interrogate the dying, is there a toll on those who take part, and why do we want to hear these dispatches from the edge of mortality?
With insights from Damian Barr; Mary Beard, Melvyn Bragg, Michael Brennan, Rachel Cooke, Brian Dillon, Jonathan Dimbleby, Michael Erard, Michael Grade, Kathryn Mannix, Eddie Morgan, Alexandra Pringle, Nick Robinson and Julia Samuel.
With thanks to Erica Borgstrom.
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald & Sarah O'Reilly
A Zinc Audio production
SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m0024p0w)
VAT on private school fees: justice or spite?
The tax increases on private schools, though long trailed, were among the most emotive measures in last week’s blockbuster budget, because they’re widely seen to be as much a moral issue as a question of politics or economics. It was a former Conservative education secretary, Michael Gove, who asked: why should the state support the already wealthy to buy advantage for their children? Others see it as an attack on aspiration and excellence, ”a vindictive piece of class warfare on parents who scrimp and save to pay fees”, according to Mr Gove’s former colleague David Davies.
Taxing private schools – justice or spite?
PANELLISTS: Ash Sarkar, Ella Whelan, Giles Fraser, Mona Siddiqui
PRESENTER: Michael Buerk
PRODUCER: Catherine Murray
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Ruth Purser
EDITOR: Tim Pemberton
SAT 22:00 News (m0024vpc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m0024p2q)
Fishing for Change
Five seafood species make up 80% of what is consumed in the UK – while at the same time the vast majority of what is caught in UK waters gets exported. But is that trend beginning to shift?
In this episode, Sheila Dillon hears how initiatives like the "Plymouth Fishfinger" are hoping to make more use of fish that has often been seen as ‘by-catch’, and how seafood festivals are working to connect the public with local seafood, and can even help regenerate coastal communities.
She also hears how the Fish in Schools Hero programme is working to get young people to try more seafood, and shows how simple it can be to prepare.
Also featured are Ashley Mullenger (@thefemalefisherman) and tv chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan.
SAT 23:00 Parish Matters (m0024vpf)
Series 1
1. "Don't come crying to me when the robots take over!"
A new sitcom-sketch hybrid made in Belfast and starring voices from all over Ireland. Each week we join the eccentric inhabitants of the parish in their weekly council meeting to air their problems and grievances.
The parish is in the grip of a technological revolution and the council meets to try to understand what exactly it all means and where they can noisily wade in. So what will they do about the gargantuan data centre in the good field? Why do the drone deliveries keep blowing up? How did two council members nearly die? What’s the update on the upcoming Manifestival? And can the best (and only) cop in town solve the case of the man going round stealing everyone’s jobs?
Parish Matters is a window into an everlasting argument and an energetic and original comedy show written by Michael McCullagh and Phil Taggart and starring the writers alongside Michael Fry, Ciara Knight, Hannah Mamalis, Mary Flanigan, Michael Stranney and Peter McGann.
Producer: Keith Martin
Executive Producer: Sam Michell
A Fabel Radio production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Brain of Britain (m0024llz)
Heat 10, 2024
(10/17)
With just three remaining heats in this year's tournament, Russell Davies welcomes four more quizzers to the Radio Theatre in London. At least one of them will take another of the semi-final places, and stand a chance of making it all the way to the Final in Christmas week.
Appearing today are
Diane Balne from Woking
Jack Bennett from Lancaster
Charmian Griffiths from North London
Jamie Mair from Oadby in Leicestershire
To win through to the Final they'll need to show their knowledge of the Olympic Games, European lakes, detective fiction, African flags and John Williams' movie soundtracks - along with a legion of other unpredictable topics. There will also be the chance for a listener to Beat the Brains with clever questions he or she has devised.
Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2024
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m0024vpk)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m0024llx)
Carys Davies: The Mission House
The writer Carys Davies talks to readers about her beautifully-crafted novel, The Mission House, which follows the character of Hilary Byrd, a British librarian in his fifties, who is seeking to find himself again in modern-day southern India.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024vpm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024vpp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024vpr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0024vpt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0024vpw)
Worcester Cathedral
Bells on Sunday comes from Worcester Cathedral. The Cathedral was founded in 680, the earliest surviving fabric dates from 1084. Much of the church is medieval with the large central tower completed in 1374. The Cathedral’s ring of twelve bells were cast at Taylor's of Loughborough in 1928 as a Great War memorial. There are also four semi-tone bells. We hear them ringing Stedman Caters on the harmonic minor ten which includes three of the semi-bells and a tenor bell weighing nearly thirty five hundredweight in the note of C sharp. The bells are half-muffled to mark Remembrance Sunday
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m0024nhb)
The Budget: Answers to Your Questions
In Touch reflects on a specific element of the Autumn Budget that relates to the Work Capability Assessment, following concerns raised by the dual-disability charity, Sense. Their CEO, Richard Kramer explains how the proposed amendments could impact people's ability to find and maintain work and the receipt of certain benefits.
We get answers to your questions: including why some visually impaired people are having issues with accessing a survey about the future of the NHS and why some people are having difficulty calling back their guide dogs when they are free running.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m0024vxs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m0024ngr)
Tech Workers
Laurie Taylor lifts the lid on a sector of the economy associated with wealth, innovation & genius. Mark Graham, Professor of Internet Geography at the Oxford Internet Institute, uncovers the hidden human labour powering AI. His study, based on hundreds of interviews and thousands of hours of fieldwork, is the first to tell the stories of this army of underpaid and exploited workers. Beneath the promise of a frictionless technology that will bring riches to humanity, the interviews he has conducted reveal a grimmer reality involving a precarious global workforce of millions labouring under often appalling conditions. Also, Paula Bialski, Associate Professor for Digital Sociology at the University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, discusses her research with software developers at a non-flashy, run-of-the-mill tech company. Beyond the awesome images of the Gods of Silicone Valley, she finds that technology breaks due to human-related issues and staff are often engaged in patch up and repair, rather than dreaming up the next killer app.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m0024vxv)
Buzzing About Bugs
Dr Sarah Beynon runs a farm in St Davids in Pembrokeshire with a difference. The Bug Farm is a nature reserve, a visitor attraction, and a working farm. Alongside growing crops, Sarah and her husband, Andy Holcroft, also educate visitors to the farm about the importance of insects in our ecosystems, and they create insect based foods.
In this programme, Mariclare Carey-Jones visits the farm to find out where Sarah’s passion for invertebrates comes from and why she wants to share her love for bugs with visitors to the farm. Sarah says, “Growing up on the farm here in St Davids, we’d take our little bug collecting pot and we’d go on mini safaris and just developed that love for the natural world. And then when I was at Oxford doing an undergraduate biology degree, I went to the Natural History Museum and I remember having a tour of the insect collections and being blown away! And I wanted other people’s eyes to open up to this incredible world."
As Mariclare and Sarah explore the farm, they discuss the various projects Sarah is involved in, all with the aim of increasing insect populations. They talk about the practical steps she takes which she believes allow her to farm alongside nature. “We couldn’t farm without nature”, Sarah says, “we are 100% reliant on it. That’s what I want to showcase, little elements of how farmers can incorporate nature on their farms”.
Mariclare will also talk to Sarah and Andy about Grub Kitchen - the on-site cafe at the bug farm, where insects are always on the menu, as it is the first edible-insect restaurant in the UK. “You might say its unusual now” Andy says, “maybe in five or ten years time it will be a bit more of a normality”.
Presented and produced by Mariclare Carey-Jones
SUN 06:57 Weather (m0024vxx)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m0024vxz)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m0024vy1)
Trump victory, Church of England abuse cover up, Guildford’s new Rabbi
In this week’s US election, Donald Trump secured the backing of 80% of white evangelical Christian voters. We hear insights from Rev. Robert M. Franklin, Jr., a senior fellow at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, and Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals.
John Smyth ran Christian summer camps in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s. His “horrific” and violent abuse of over 100 boys and young men was concealed by the Church of England for decades, according to a new report. Edward Stourton speaks with Andrew Graystone, author of Bleedings For Jesus: John Smyth and the Cult of the Iwerne Camps, and Dr Joanne Grenfell, Area Bishop of Stepney and safeguarding lead bishop for the Church of England.
Guildford, Surrey, has had a Jewish community for centuries, though it has lacked a rabbi since the expulsion of Jews from England 750 years ago. Now, change is afoot as Alex Goldberg has recently been appointed the town’s new rabbi.
Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Katy Davis & Amanda Hancox
Studio Managers: Amy Brennan & Helen Williams
Editor: Rajeev Gupta
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m0024vy3)
Galapagos Conservation Trust
The actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Galapagos Conservation Trust.
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 ‘Galapagos Conservation Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Galapagos Conservation Trust’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 1043470. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://galapagosconservation.org.uk
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
SUN 07:57 Weather (m0024vy5)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m0024vy7)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m0024vy9)
Devotion and Duty
In this service on Remembrance Day the two Archbishops of Armagh, the Church of Ireland’s Most Rev John McDowell and the Most Rev Eamon Martin of the Roman Catholic Church reflect on the lives and service of two military chaplains during the Second World War.
Led by the Rev Dr Lesley Carroll.
Wisdom 3.1-9
Romans
8.31-39
Be thou my vision
Psalm 121 (Walford Davies)
Kyrie Eleison (Karl Jenkins)
Dona nobis Pacem (JS Bach)
Guide me O thou great Jehovah
Producer: Bert Tosh
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0024p3q)
Time Travel
Sara Wheeler reflects on the valuable perspective offered by out-of-date guide books. They shed light on the life of the early traveler - advised to pack an iron bedstead and a portable bath tub - and reveal how destinations may have evolved or be frozen in time.
'The chief question I ask the old guides is whether the spirit of a place - the genius loci - can survive the upheaval of the years. Is the spirit of the place immutable or can it change?' asks Sara.
Producer: Sheila Cook
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0024vyc)
Stephen Moss on the Great White Egret
A new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories from some fresh voices who have been inspired by birds, their calls and encounters.
When ornithologist and nature writer Stephen Moss began birdwatching in the 1970's the nearest great white egrets to Britain were in eastern Austria. Now, due to a combination of factors including climate change, not only have they spread across Western Europe, but from his home in Somerset he can see great white egrets on his local patch on the Somerset Levels. Something to celebrate at least for this tall white elegant bird.
Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio in Bristol
Studio engineer : Ilse Lademann
SUN 09:00 News and Papers (m0024vyf)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers
SUN 09:15 The Archers Omnibus (m0024vyh)
WRITER: Nick Warburton
DIRECTOR: Kim Greengrass & Marina Caldarone
EDITOR: Jeremy Howe
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Justin Elliott…. Simon Williams
Miranda Elliott…. Lucy Fleming
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
George Grundy…. Angus Stobie
Will Grundy…. Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin…. Taylor Uttley
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Megan Miller…. Susan Twist
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
Sarah Byron…. Michelle Greenidge
SUN 10:30 Ceremony of Remembrance from the Cenotaph (m0024vyk)
Paddy O’Connell sets the scene in London's Whitehall for the solemn ceremony when the nation remembers the sacrifice made by so many in the two world wars and in other more recent conflicts.
The traditional music of remembrance is played by the massed bands. After the Two Minutes Silence and Last Post, wreaths are laid at the foot of the Cenotaph by members of the Royal Family, political leaders and representatives of Commonwealth countries, before a short Service of Remembrance.
Producer: Katharine Longworth
SUN 11:45 Soul Music (m0024vn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
SUN 12:15 Profile (m0024vp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m0024l40)
Series 3
Merthyr
Paul hosts a round of his perfect pub quiz in Merthyr Tydfil, the first time the show has visited Wales - so he takes the opportunity to quiz the locals on their language, their flag and their cities.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Recording engineer: Steve Martin
Mixed by: Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:57 Weather (m0024vym)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m0024vyp)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.
SUN 13:30 Reform Re-formed (m0024vyr)
This summer, Reform UK won the third highest vote share at the general election, with five MPs elected to Parliament. Since that result, the party's leader Nigel Farage has made plans to "professionalise and democratise" a central focus. At their autumn conference, Reform UK members signed off on a new constitution. The party has been setting up a branch structure, changing some of the members of its central team, and says it is also changing the way it vets candidates.
Alex Forsyth has been reporting on parties led by Nigel Farage for a decade. In this documentary, she tells the story of Reform UK - examining how a party officially named in early 2021 won over four million votes in 2024. She examines the party's professionalisation and democratisation plans, speaking to the party's chairman Zia Yusuf. Reform UK has big ambitions for local and national elections. Alex speaks to those close to the party and to other observers and expert voices to ask whether Reform UK's plans might work.
Presenter: Alex Forsyth
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0024p34)
The National Memorial Arboretum
Do the panel have any idea of who or what has stolen our apples? When is the best time to plant my Prunus Incisa? How do I successfully grow fennel?
Peter Gibbs and his team of gardening experts visit The National Memorial Arboretum, to solve the gardening queries of the audience. On the panel this week are grow-your-own legend Bob Flowerdew, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood and garden designer Bunny Guinness.
Later in the programme, Bunny discusses planting for remembrance with the National Memorial Arboretum's head of estates Andy Ansell, as they explore 150 acres of reflective spaces.
Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m0024vyt)
Our Mutual Friend - Episode 2
“I have made up my mind that I must have money,” says the character Bella Wilfer in Charles Dickens’ last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend – and she is one of many characters in the book for whom “money, money, money, and what money can make of life” is an overriding concern.
Dickens was deeply concerned with the increasing levels of inequality he saw around him in 1860s London, a city at the heart of the largest and richest empire in the world. In Our Mutual Friend he presents characters trapped by their pursuit of money, and who reveal just what they are prepared to give up of their better selves in order to achieve financial gain.
John Yorke is joined by Dickens’ own great-great-great grand-daughter Lucinda Hawksley, novelist and critic Philip Hensher, and Dr Emily Bell from the University of Leeds.
John has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.
Contributors:
Philip Hensher, novelist and critic
Dr Emily Bell, from the University of Leeds
Lucinda Hawksley, author
Reader: Paul Dodgson
Researcher/Broadcast Assistant: Nina Semple
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Geoff Bird
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Dickensian (m0024vyw)
Our Mutual Friend: Episode 2. The Bend of the River
Our Mutual Friend is as relevant now as it was 160 years ago, when it was written. Charles Dickens’s epic novel is all about
“…money, money, money, and what money can make of life!”
Bella Wilfer, Book 3, Chapter 4.
Born and bred Londoner Dan Rebellato, award winning audio dramatist, brings this huge, vivid novel to life for the 21st century, with a dynamic, ensemble cast.
The third and final adaptation for the BBC Radio 4 Dickensian season, Our Mutual Friend is a coruscating picture of then-contemporary London with striking affinities to now: a world of huge inequalities and cruelties, where ignorance is held up as knowledge, where vast wealth is built literally on dust, where predatory citizens defraud and murder each other, and money is made fishing corpses from the Thames. It’s a world of fraud, deception, rapacity, dishonesty and cynicism; but it’s also a book that battles through all of that to affirm honesty, generosity, and love.
It’s also a novel of great joy. This comes from Dickens’s acute observation of the absurdities of life and his usual cast of intriguing characters: the wealthy illiterate Mr Boffin; the scheming fantasist Silas Wegg; the pompous philistine Mr Podsnap; the stylish fraudsters Sophronia and Alfred Lammle; the dandyish shark Fascination Fledgeby. And it's a book with heart: the stories of petulant but vulnerable Bella Wilfer, traumatised and gullible Georgiana Podsnap, and the resourceful survivor Lizzie Hexam are all powerful tales of survival.
Throughout it flows the Thames, filthy and powerful, bobbing with boats and bodies, on and in which key scenes unfold, mixing class and culture to panoramic effect.
Episode 2: The Bend of the River
After the death of her father, Lizzie finds herself in receipt of unwanted attentions of Bradley Headstone, so seeks shelter with kindly Mr Riah; young Georgiana Podsnap unexpectedly finds romance with the ironically named Fascination Fledgeby, thanks to the Lammles, opportunistic social climbers, whose secret debts grow ever more pressing. Lightwood and Wrayburn continue their pursuit of the mysterious Julius Handford, now suspected of the murders of both John Harmon and Gaffer Hexam. The Boffins’ new-found wealth brings them short-lived happiness when they adopt young Sloppy, so they invite Bella Wilfer into their home. She enjoys her improved material circumstances, and even begins to grudgingly appreciate the company of John Rokesmith.
Cast
Silas Wegg ..... Mat Fraser
Lizzie Hexam ..... Bukky Bakray
Mortimer Lightwood ..... Sule Rimi
Eugene Wrayburn ..... Issam Al Ghussain
Mr Podsnap and Mr Boffin ..... Gordon Kennedy
Mr Riah, Mr Veneering and R Wilfer ..... Henry Goodman
Mrs Wilfer and Mrs Veneering ..... Liz Sutherland- Lim
John Rokesmith and Headstone ..... Jeremy Ang Jones
Mrs Podsnap and Mrs Boffin ..... .Frances Grey
Bella and Sophronia Lammle ..... Bettrys Jones
Jenny Wren and Lavinia Wilfer ..... Delilah Tahiri
Georgiana Podsnap ..... Clare Lawrence-Moody
Fascination Fledgeby ..... Harrison Knights
Alfred Lammle ..... Harley Viveash
Betty Higden ..... Lucy Speed
In Love composed and sung by Harrison Knights
Dramatist: Dan Rebellato.
Sound designer: Jon Nicholls
Assistant producer: Nicola Miles Wildin
Production Manager: Darren Spruce
Studio assistant: Louis Blatherwick
Image: YanKi Darling
Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore
Producer: Polly Thomas
A Thomas Carter Projects production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 16:00 The Lost Archives of James Baldwin (m0021vyz)
When James Baldwin died at his home in the South of France in December 1987, the world lost a towering intellect and one of America’s literary giants. He was buried in New York a few weeks later. But what remained in France, and still to this day, are thousands of personal and professional effects connected to Baldwin. Journalist Tony Phillips travels to Provence to discover why these items are stored in an Englishwoman’s home on the Côte d’Azur.
Producer Tony Phillips
SUN 16:30 Brain of Britain (m0024vyy)
Heat 11, 2024
(11/17)
Another four hopeful competitors join Russell Davies at London's Radio Theatre, to decide who takes another of the places in the semi-finals of Brain of Britain 2024. Would you know with which film series Fred Quimby's name is associated, or which English King's consort was called Henrietta-Maria? Or which British folk singer was honoured with a Prom concert this year on the 50th anniversary of his death?
Answering these and many other questions today are:
Suzanne Bosman from South-East London
Joan Dell from Gosport in Hampshire
Farrar Hornby, also from South-East London
Ryan Lewendon from Poole in Dorset.
Brain of Britain is a BBC Studios Audio production.
Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ypm)
The Irish shopworkers strike against apartheid
In 1984, a 21-year-old Irish shopworker refused to serve a customer buying two South African grapefruits. Mary Manning was suspended from the Dunnes store in Dublin, and ten of her colleagues walked out alongside her in protest.
It was the start of a strike that lasted almost three years, and ended when Ireland became the first western country to impose a complete ban of South African imports.
Why did Mary do it? In 1984, she and her colleagues were part of the Irish workers’ union, IDATU, which had told its members not to sell items from South Africa.
At the time the 11 strikers knew little about apartheid – South Africa’s system of racial segregation - but they soon learnt.
Their protest would lead to them addressing the United Nations, winning praise from Bishop Desmond Tutu, and meeting with Nelson Mandela.
Mary tells Jane Wilkinson about what drove the strikers to continue despite little initial support.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: Strikers outside Dunnes store in Dublin in 1985. Credit: Derek Speirs)
SUN 17:10 Complex (m00201xc)
Episode 1: Home
It's said that it takes a village to raise a child, and never is that more true than for families raising children with complex disabilities. They rely on health, social care and other professionals to help keep their children healthy, happy, and living at home. But this tangled network of support has been worn thin by growing demand and dwindling resources.
Seven year-old Nora has a rare genetic disorder and complex care needs. This three-part series guides us through the concentric circles of Nora’s life, beginning in this first episode with the centre of her world - home.
Nora is now so tall she has outgrown her bed, and bathing in their small bathroom is too risky. Can her family get the support they need to adapt their home so that she can live there safely with her parents Dave and Tors, and brother Harry?
Presented by Tors and Dave
Produced by Redzi Bernard
Music by Lily Sloane
Executive Producer: Rachel Hooper/Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m0024vz1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m0024vz3)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024vz5)
Moscow and Kyiv launch their biggest drone attacks since the start of the Ukraine war.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m0024vz7)
Tom Sutcliffe
There is nothing quite like radio for getting perfect strangers to tell you about the most important moments of their lives. This week, we have heart-stopping stories of a nightmare call home, the unexpected fallout of a Christmas present, and what it’s like to be kidnapped by militiamen in Algeria — but we’ve got beauty too in the first record Bryan Ferry ever bought, breaking down the music of Gabriel Fauré, and an Edwin Muir poem that served one husband through two weddings, first unhappy and then more successful. Plus, we revisit the moment Grace Archer found she was being written out of existence for good.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Co-ordinator: Jack Ferrie
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m0024vz9)
At Bridge Farm, Helen’s impressed when Tony shows her what a good job Henry’s done trimming the goat’s hooves. They talk about the new buck arriving on Thursday and how committed Henry is to looking after it. Henry’s told Tony they’ll be having roast goat for dinner within eighteen months – he’s clearly growing up to be a farmer and planning ahead.
Later, Tony asks Helen about the Beechwood house. Helen’s had the surveyor in and may need to negotiate a lower price with Kirsty, but her real problem is her ambivalence about living somewhere that’s like suburbia. She might start looking at other options. Tonys says they’d be welcome to move back in with him and Pat. Tony’s dream is to one day build and move into an eco-house at Bridge Farm, but admits it’s probably pie in the sky.
At Woodbine Fallon tells Harrison she doesn’t want to go ahead with her new café, now she’s being offered an inferior unit. When Jolene drops in she offers help financially, admitting it’s a change of heart after turning Fallon down months ago. That was because of Markie though, and the dog attack on Kenton. Jolene asks Fallon and Harrison to at least think about her offer. Harrison then suggests he could talk to his parents about a loan and put in for regular overtime. But Fallon insists he’s completely stressed by work already. They’re not going to try and make it happen at all costs. She’s turning down the unit and that’s that.
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002525p)
The Sun Does Shine
The story of Anthony Ray Hinton who spent years on death row for crimes he didn't commit, with a soundtrack composed by Harvey Brough and performed by Vox Holloway Community Choir.
In June 1988, Mr Hinton was convicted of two murders, in one of the most shockingly cynical miscarriages of justice in US history. He spent the next 28 years on death row, before all charges were dropped and he was finally released in April 2015.
The Sun Does Shine is the title of his memoir, in which he tells how he found life and freedom on death row. His story reflects the compassion, faith and heroic courage of a remarkable man. In prison he befriended Henry Hays, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, who was convicted and eventually executed for a racist murder.
The unlikely friendship of Hinton and Hays lies at the heart of this story.
The Sun Does Shine features an extended interview with Hinton, in which he talks about how he survived years of imprisonment, facing the constant threat of execution, and how the multiple appeals launched by his lawyer Bryan Stevenson ultimately led to his release.
His words are accompanied by an oratorio composed by Harvey Brough, based on Hinton's memoir and performed by the Vox Holloway Community Choir. Vox Holloway’s work on The Sun Does Shine was supported by Arts Council England
Since leaving prison, Anthony Ray Hinton has worked tirelessly, alongside Bryan Stevenson, campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty and for reforms to the criminal justice and prison systems in America
PRESENTER: Christina Gill
PRODUCERS: Abigail Morris and Sam Liebmann with Osman Teezo Kargbo
COMPOSER: Harvey Brough
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Andrew Wilkie and Tricia Zipfel
A Vox Holloway / Prison Radio Association production
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001j42f)
Clean Your Teeth
Taking good care of your teeth can prevent tooth decay and boost your oral health - but, surprisingly, the benefits extend well beyond your mouth. Keeping your teeth and gums clean can help your heart and your brain, reducing the risk of diseases from diabetes to dementia. To find out why, Michael Mosley speaks to Dr. Sim Singhrao from the University of Central Lancashire School of Dentistry. She reveals bacteria in your mouth can travel from your gums into your blood causing problems in other organs, including your brain. Meanwhile, our volunteer Lowri has a go at brushing and using interdental brushes every day to see if it’s something she’d like to fit into her lifestyle.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m0024lzl)
The US election, and the end of Open Book
As the dust settles on the American election, we hear from Ric Bailey, Chief Adviser for Politics in BBC Editorial Policy, about how the corporation has tackled its coverage of an eventful campaigning period, and a momentous result.
After we heard from listeners on what seemed like an abrupt end to long-running literature programme Open Book, Andrea talks to former presenter Mariella Frostrup, and Arts Commissioner for Radio 4 Matthew Dodd about its legacy and what the station's future literary offerings look like.
And one listener nominates George Clarke's interview about the Grenfell Inquiry on the Today Programme for Interview of the Year.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0024p38)
Quincy Jones, Janey Godley, Lyudmila Trut, Dr Paul Stephenson
Matthew Bannister on
Quincy Jones, the music producer, composer and arranger who worked with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson.
Janey Godley, the comedian who used her challenging childhood and youth in Glasgow as material for her shows.
Lyudmila Trut, the Russian geneticist who dedicated her life to a revolutionary – and evolutionary - experiment investigating the domestication of silver foxes
Dr Paul Stephenson, who led the Bristol bus boycott to end race discrimination in employment.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Archive used:
Jeremy Vine : Live from Glasgow, Radio 2,
17.11.14; Janey, BBC Scotland,
14.05.24; JANEY GODLEY INTERVIEW, BBC 1 Scotland,
17.01.24; Janey Godley “The C bomb Shall We Start At The Beginning” BBC Radio Four,
01.06.23; Janey Godley Stand Up Specials, BBC Radio Four,
01.02.2023; BBC Points West,
18.07.14; BBC World Service, The Bus Boycott,
28.08.23; Windrush, BBC4,
24.06.08; Horizon: The Secret Life of the Dog, BBC 2,
06.10.2010
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m0024vng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m0024vy3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m0024vnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m0024vzc)
Ben Wright and guests discuss the re-election of Donald Trump and what it means for the UK
Ben Wright is joined by the Labour MP and Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Dame Meg Hillier; Conservative backbencher Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst; and Anand Menon - Professor of Foreign Affairs and Director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank. They discuss the implications of a second Trump presidency for UK trade and defence, and whether his conclusive election win will spur populist politics elsewhere. Rosa Prince - deputy editor of Politico - brings additional insight and analysis, and Theresa May's former chief of staff, Fiona Hall, talks to Ben about dealing with Donald Trump first time round in the White House. The panel guests also consider the legalisation of assisted dying, ahead of publication of a private member's Bill on the issue.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m0024lyy)
George Herbert
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poet George Herbert (1593-1633) who, according to the French philosopher Simone Weil, wrote ‘the most beautiful poem in the world’. Herbert gave his poems on his relationship with God to a friend, to be published after his death if they offered comfort to any 'dejected pour soul' but otherwise be burned. They became so popular across the range of Christians in the 17th Century that they were printed several times, somehow uniting those who disliked each other but found a common admiration for Herbert; Charles I read them before his execution, as did his enemies. Herbert also wrote poems prolifically and brilliantly in Latin and these he shared during his lifetime both when he worked as orator at Cambridge University and as a parish priest in Bemerton near Salisbury. He went on to influence poets from Coleridge to Heaney and, in parish churches today, congregations regularly sing his poems set to music as hymns.
With
Helen Wilcox
Professor Emerita of English Literature at Bangor University
Victoria Moul
Formerly Professor of Early Modern Latin and English at UCL
And
Simon Jackson
Director of Music and Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Amy Charles, A Life of George Herbert (Cornell University Press, 1977)
Thomas M. Corns, The Cambridge Companion to English Poetry: Donne to Marvell (Cambridge University Press, 1993)
John Drury, Music at Midnight: The Life and Poetry of George Herbert (Penguin, 2014)
George Herbert (eds. John Drury and Victoria Moul), The Complete Poetry (Penguin, 2015)
George Herbert (ed. Helen Wilcox), The English Poems of George Herbert (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
Simon Jackson, George Herbert and Early Modern Musical Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Gary Kuchar, George Herbert and the Mystery of the Word (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017)
Cristina Malcolmson, George Herbert: A Literary Life (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)
Victoria Moul, A Literary History of Latin and English Poetry: Bilingual Literary Culture in Early Modern England (Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Joseph H. Summers, George Herbert: His Religion and Art (first published by Chatto and Windus, 1954; Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, New York, 1981)
Helen Vendler, The Poetry of George Herbert (Harvard University Press, 1975)
James Boyd White, This Book of Starres: Learning to Read George Herbert (University of Michigan Press, 1995)
Helen Wilcox (ed.), George Herbert. 100 Poems (Cambridge University Press, 2021)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production
SUN 23:45 Short Works (m0024p36)
No Good Deed by Riley Johnston
An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the author Riley Johnston. Read by Tara Lynne O’Neill (Derry Girls.)
Riley Johnston was first published in ‘The 32: An Anthology of Working-Class Voices’ (2021) Her novel ‘A Holy Show’ was long-listed in the Discoveries prize (2021) and Irish Writers Centre, Novel Fair (2023). Riley’s short fiction has been published and won awards, including the Mairtín Crawford Award, 2022. Riley is supported by the Arts Council, Northern Ireland.
Writer: Riley Johnston
Reader: Tara Lynne O’Neill
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
MONDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2024
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m0024vzf)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 The Bottom Line (m0024lz8)
Ideas: How To Turn Your Dreams Into Business Reality
You've had a brilliant business idea. At least, you think you have. What do you do next? Evan Davis speaks to three successful entrepreneurs- including former contestants on The Apprentice and Dragons' Den. Where do the best ideas come from and how do you know when they are worth pursuing? What are the top tips for pitching and when is it time to let an idea go?
Evan is joined by Rob Law, the inventor of the Trunki ride-on suitcase for kids, Pippa Murray, founder of the nut butter brand Pip & Nut and Tom Pellereau, who invented the curved nail file for his company Stylideas.
Production team:
Producers: Simon Tulett and Michaela Graichen
Researcher: Drew Hyndman
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
(Picture: Getty Images, Credit: Teerachai Jampanak)
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0024vpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024vzh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024vzk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024vzm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m0024vzp)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024vzr)
From the cradle to the grave
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good morning.
I was a funny little thing as a child – ever so sensitive. I recall a day when I was looking at baby pictures of myself, and seeing one particular snapshot of infant me soundly sleeping in my cradle, I promptly burst into tears. I felt terribly sorry for this poor little baby in the photo, all alone, with nobody there to look after her.
I don’t know how mum kept a straight face, but she calmly reassured me that I hadn’t been alone – how could I be, when someone must surely have been there to take the photo!
Childish daftness aside, I had a sense even then, that nobody should be alone.
But from the cradle to the grave, most of us will be alone, and experience loneliness at some time. It’s worse for older people, when loneliness is magnified by bereavements, declining health, digital exclusion, and often poverty. Apart from not being very nice, loneliness is also bad for our health – apparently worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day!
So I’m grateful, for all the churches, community groups, friendly neighbours and family members who infuse the lives of older people with friendship, purpose and a sense of belonging – the antidote to loneliness.
Heavenly Father, thank you that in the Bible you promise never to leave us or forsake us. Like the photographer in my baby photo, you are unseen but ever present, always ready to give comfort. Thank you for all those who bring love and laughter into the lives of older people. And for anyone, at any age, who is feeling lonely today – I pray that they will find connections and hope that bring them life.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m0024vzt)
Cop29, Scottish Agriculture, Sark Dairy
Cop29 must lead to investment in agriculture to meet the climate challenges - that's the National Farmers Union's call to delegates at the meeting. This is the 29th COP - Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change - being held this time in Azerbaijan. Governments, businesses and NGOs will all be represented.
This week we're looking at Scottish agriculture policy. Agriculture is devolved, so now that we've left the EU the 4 nations of the UK are developing their own policies - four different strategies being introduced at four different speeds. Under the old EU system farmers received direct payments based on the amount of land they had - with a percentage being awarded for any environmental work - things like improving soil and planting hedges. In England, farmers will only get money based on this environmental work. Wales and Northern Ireland are still designing new systems.
In Scotland, where much of the land is difficult to farm, direct payments will continue, though with tougher conditions attached.
We visit the Channel Island of Sark, where they're looking for a new dairy farmer to take over. With a population of fewer than 600 people, and just 15 dairy cows, it's an unusual role.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Bristol by Sally Challoner.
MON 05:57 Weather (m0024vzw)
Weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m0024w78)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m0024w7d)
Sex and Christianity
Sex has become one of the most controversial topics in the history of the Church. But the historian Diarmaid MacCulloch shows in his book, Lower Than the Angels, that in the last 2,500 years Christianity has encompassed a much greater diversity of beliefs, including on homosexuality and the role of women. He argues that far from there being a single Christian theology of sex, there have always been a wide range of readings and attitudes.
In one of the foundational stories of the Bible, in Genesis, Eve is created as an afterthought, from one of Adam’s ribs, to be his companion. The classicist Helen King puts the female body at the centre of her book, Immaculate Forms, and examines the ways in which religion, and medicine, have played a gatekeeping role over women’s bodies.
The prize-winning poet, Ruth Padel, re-imagines the Christian story of the Virgin Mary – a girl in a Primark t-shirt facing a life shaped by divine will. Her new collection, Girl, unravels the myths and icons surrounding girlhood, and also paints a portrait of the Cretan ‘snake goddess’ as she’s unearthed and reshaped at the hands of a male archaeologist.
Presenter: Amanda Vickery is Professor in Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London
Producer: Katy Hickman
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m0024w7j)
Pulling together for a pint
Marting Booth tells Rachel Burden how his village came together to buy their local pub. Through the Hudswell Community Charity, they now rent out three cottages for affordable housing in the village, as well as running a shop, library and bee hives.
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.
We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.
You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0024w7n)
Forgotten Children, Headteacher Evelyn Forde, The Archers' June Spencer remembered
A new Woman's Hour series, Forgotten Children, explores the impact on families when one or both parents are sent to prison. Reporter Jo Morris hears from Kerry Wright, who was just 17 and living in Spain with her parents when British police arrived at their door and arrested both of them. Kerry’s parents were sentenced to prison in the UK, forcing her to leave her studies at an international school in Spain and return to England, uncertain of how to support herself.
COP29, the UN's annual climate conference, kicks off today in Baku, Azerbaijan, where leaders from around 200 nations will gather to discuss strategies for limiting climate change. Emiliya Mychasuk, climate editor at the Financial Times, joins Nuala McGovern to talk about the new women’s leadership coalition.
Evelyn Forde was the first black female President of the Association of School and College Leaders, awarded an MBE for services to education, and named Times Educational Supplement Headteacher of the Year in 2020. In her book Herstory: A Leadership Manifesto, she shares her journey through the education system, her experiences of racism in her career, alongside the testimonies of other black leaders in the sector. With just 1% of headteachers in state schools in England from a black background, she joins Nuala to discuss why she thinks urgent action is needed to address the issue in education.
June Spencer, who played matriarch Peggy Woolley in The Archers for nearly 70 years—from 1951 until her retirement in 2022—has died at the age of 105. As one of the show’s original cast members, she was described by current editor Jeremy Howe as "a legend." Pat Gallimore, who plays Pat Archer and was Peggy's daughter-in-law in the series, joins Nuala to pay tribute.
A hundred years on we celebrate the Electrical Association for Women. It became pivotal in emancipating women from the drudgery of everyday manual household tasks through the use of electricity, enabling women more time and opportunity to enter the labour market. It also pioneered electrical safety, standardising the three pin plug. Nuala hears from 91-year-old Adrienne Peters, who was an early member and, Henrietta Heald, historian and author of Magnificent women and their revolutionary machines.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Dianne McGregor
MON 10:59 Armistice Day Silence (m0024w7s)
The traditional two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day.
MON 11:04 Menopause Matters (m0024w7x)
The Manopause
Dr Foster, a passionate advocate for men’s midlife health, can see why the term manopause is used: “I think the comparisons with menopause are very similar in the sense that they're both the drop in the main sex hormone.”
In the second of these three documentaries on unusual experiences of the menopause, The Times’s Science Editor, Tom Whipple, explores whether the manopause is imminent for him.
He discovers there is scientific debate about how common it is, and the best way the manopause or as it medically known, testosterone deficiency, is treated.
Dr Jayasena, a leading consultant, maintains that a middle-aged man’s wellbeing is embodied in their penis’s performance: “Physical activity and eating a healthy balanced diet and thinking holistically about one's well-being, emotional wellbeing, and treating mental illness that all get synthesized into, I'm going to say it, your penis.”
Despite the debate, Tom uncovers that the manopause is increasingly being accepted as a medical stage in the workplace.
Through Freedom of Information requests to every British police force, he discovers a surprising amount have a policy or guidance for the manopause. Yet even more surprising is how many police forces don’t have a menopause policy for their female staff. Hayley Ayley, the Wellbeing Lead for the Police Federation, believes this could have serious consequences: “If you don't feel that your organization recognizes the importance of supporting you through something that can be so life changing, you're going to leave.”
Another Freedom of Information request to every hospital trust in the UK about the manopause reveals that even through the NHS call it “an unhelpful term”, some trusts still have a provision for it. For Dr Jayasena this is a misguided approach: ”I think assigning and supporting the term manopause is a real missed opportunity and actually does a disservice and harms the very people who I think well-meaning people to do with staffing are trying to protect.”
For Tom questions remain as to whether the term manopause is appropriate and whether as a society we should be treating it as equivalent to the menopause.
Producer: Jane Fellner
MON 11:30 One to One (m001n8dl)
Acceptance: Lois Pryce and Ian Marchant
Travel writer Lois Pryce has learnt a thing or two about acceptance over the last few years having been hit by long Covid. She went from somebody who solo motorcycled around the world to somebody who couldn't walk to the corner shop. A big turning point in her recovery was when she realised she couldn't fight it; she had to accept it. Today, she talks about this idea of acceptance with author - and dear friend - Ian Marchant, who has done a lot of accepting of his own over the last few years after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2020.
Photo by Austin Vince. Produced for BBC Audio by Becky Ripley.
MON 11:45 Money by David McWilliams (m0024w82)
A Plutophyte Species
Irish economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humanity and money with expertise, insight and humour. From a Stone Age tally stick to the micro-financing scheme revolutionising the developing world, ‘Money’ takes us on a journey through the history and future of money.
Written and read by David McWilliams
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He is the founder of Kilkenomics, the world’s only economics and stand-up comedy festival. ‘Davos with jokes’ takes place in November in Kilkenny.
MON 12:00 News Summary (m0024w84)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m0024w86)
Screen Sharing Scam, Baby Milk Report, Driving Test Delays
In this programme, a scam so new even some banks haven't heard of it: We reveal how criminals are using What'sApp screen sharing to scam people out of money.
Also today, the government's consumer watchdog has reported back on its investigation into the baby milk market after prices rose by up to 36% for some brands. Winifred Robinson talks Hannah Brinsden from The Food Foundation about the CMA's findings and whether they go far enough.
And we reveal the latest data on driving test delays. The bad news is it's still going up. We'll hear from two people about the efforts they've had to go to get a test and we ask a man who's set up a business buying and selling whether he's helping people or making the situation worse? Camilla Benitz from the AA Driving School is also on the programme with their analysis of the situation and what needs to happen next.
PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM
MON 12:57 Weather (m0024w88)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m0024w8b)
Ukraine will have to negotiate with Russia: ex UK army chief
Ukraine will have to negotiate a peace deal says Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army. Also the return of oysters to the Firth of Forth.
MON 13:45 The Moderators (m0024w8d)
Episode One - The Wild West
Over 500 hours of video are posted on YouTube every minute. Over 4 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every hour. There are around 500 million posts to X (formerly Twitter) every single day. These numbers are growing by the second.
How do you even begin to monitor and police such a relentless avalanche of information? In this new series, Zoe Kleinman journeys into the world of the online content moderators.
Big social media platforms rely on automation for much of the work, but they also need an army of human moderators to screen out the content that is harmful. Many moderators spend their days looking at graphic imagery, including footage of killings, war zones, torture and self-harm. We hear many stories about what happens when this content falls through the net, but we don’t hear much about the people trying to contain it. This is their story.
The battle against harmful online content is hitting the headlines more every day, even as AI moderation gathers pace. Ironically it needs moderation itself.
The first episode looks back at the early days of the internet and the birth of the content moderation business in Silicon Valley.
How did Big Tech begin to make the rules? Did they know what they were doing and what they were up against? Zoe speaks to early moderators about how policing the internet really started.
Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Assistant Producer: Reuben Huxtable
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Sound Designer: Dan King
Series Editor: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m0024vz9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Jack & Millie (m0024w8j)
Series 3
4. Sunrise, Sunset
Whilst Mel and Del’s daughter Scarlette is arrested for locking on to a TV celebrity, a combination of fake superfood and mispronounced turmeric lead to a wellness disaster
So Millie’s son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?
So suddenly Jack & Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them? And for this, we should be grateful?
Well YES! - because this is the new series of the comedy show written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack & Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world.
Starring
Jack - Jeremy Front
Millie - Rebecca Front
and
Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry - Nigel Lindsay
Melvin - Tim Downie
Delphine - Jenny Bede
With special guest
Joseph May as Ethan
Imogen Front as Scarlette
Written by Jeremy Front
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:45 Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (m001748l)
Episode Seven
Helen Fielding's iconic 1996 novel of life as a single thirty-something woman in London.
"I’m falling apart. Do not know what to believe in or hold on to any more."
Bridget Jones begins the new year full of resolutions. She pledges in her diary to drink less, smoke less, lose weight, find a new job, stay away from unsuitable men and learn to programme the VCR. But her resolve is tested by the horrors of attending dinner parties with the "smug marrieds", the confusing behaviour of her charming rogue of a boss Daniel Cleaver, and her increasingly embarrassing encounters with Human Rights lawyer Mark Darcy.
Bridget Jones's Diary started life as a weekly column in the pages of The Independent in 1995, when Fielding worked on the news desk. 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. It was first published as a novel in 1996 and has gone on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a series of films.
Read by Sally Phillips
Abridged by Sara Davies
Produced by Mair Bosworth and Mary Ward-Lowery
MON 15:00 A Good Read (m0024w8n)
Jenny Kleeman and Sam Knight
EDUCATED by Tara Westover, chosen by Jenny Kleeman
THE WREN, THE WREN by Anne Enright, chosen by Harriett Gilbert
GIVING UP THE GHOST by Hilary Mantel, chosen by Sam Knight
Journalist and broadcaster Jenny Kleeman (of Radio 4's The Gift and author of The Price of Life) chooses Tara Westover's memoir Educated, which caused a sensation when it was first published. It's about her childhood growing up in an isolated Mormon family in rural Idaho, who were preparing for the end of the world, and didn't believe in school, doctors or medicine. It's about how she studied her way out of a difficult upbringing, eventually earning a PhD at Cambridge University.
Sam Knight (staff writer at the New Yorker and author of The Premonitions Bureau) also picks a memoir, but of a very different kind. He goes for Hilary Mantel's beguiling Giving Up The Ghost. In it, she explores the real, and imaginary, ghosts of her life - the illnesses that have haunted her body, the family she would never have, and the art of writing.
Harriett Gilbert brings a work of fiction by a writer she loves, the Irish writer Anne Enright. They discuss her latest novel The Wren, The Wren, a story which speaks about the inheritance of trauma and the price of love.
Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol
Join the conversation @agoodreadbbc Instagram
MON 15:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m0023jl2)
Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley
37. Madame Rachel - Beauty Scammer
In this new series Lucy Worsley switches her attention from Lady Killers to Lady Swindlers - con women, thieves and hustlers.
This is where true crime meets history - with a twist. Lucy and her team of all female detectives travels back more than a hundred years to revisit the audacious and surprising crimes of women trying to make it in a world made for men.
This time Lucy is in London telling the story of Madame Rachel - Sarah Rachel Russell - an utterly ruthless Victorian beauty scammer and blackmailer who promises her clients she will make them ‘beautiful for ever’.
Madame Rachel’s exotic salon in Bond Street attracts the rich, and the posh, and – so she claims – the royal family. Her beauty products sell for outlandish prices. But when she turns to extortion and blackmail the full extent of her swindles are revealed.
With Lucy to explore Madame Rachel’s story is the journalist and beauty editor Anita Bhagwandas, author of Ugly: Giving us back our beauty standards . They discover how Madame Rachel preys on the insecurities of women to sell her products, and how her notoriety fuels debates in Victorian England about the immorality of cosmetics and how much control women should have over their finances.
Lucy is also joined by historian Professor Rosalind Crone. They visit the site of Madame Rachel’s salon in Bond Street, and London’s Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, where Madame Rachel’s career ended in disgrace – and where the truth about what was actually in her beauty products was finally revealed.
Lucy wants to know: is Madame Rachel a pioneering Victorian businesswoman or is she the biggest beauty scammer of her day? And why are women today still in thrall to the beauty industry selling them promises of youth and beauty?
Producer: Jane Greenwood
Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble
Singer: Olivia Bloore
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
Executive producer: Kirsty Hunter
A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4.
If you're in the UK, listen to the newest episodes of Lady Killers first on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/3M2pT0K
MON 16:00 Reform Re-formed (m0024vyr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 How to Play (m0022t6x)
Holst's The Planets with the Royal College of Music and Sibelius Academy Orchestra
Two student orchestras come together and invite us to eavesdrop on their rehearsals as they prepare to play Holst's epic work The Planets at the 2024 Proms.
From Helsinki, the young players of the Sibelius Academy join forces with London's Royal College of Music and conductor Sakari Oramo. Rehearsing just metres away from the Royal Albert Hall, we hear how they grapple with the musical universe conjured up by Gustav Holst, based on his fascination with astrology. Musicians across the orchestra share their insider's perspective on one of the most exciting pieces in the repertoire, and reveal the micro and macro details that help pull off a stellar performance.
With insights from conductor Sakari Oramo, flautist Cliodhna Scott, double bassist Sam Lee, percussionist Atte Karhinen, trombonist Meggie Murphy and conductor/broadcaster Ben Gernon.
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
Image: BBC (credit Chris Christodoulou)
MON 17:00 PM (m0024w8s)
Pressure mounts on the archbishop of Canterbury to resign
The Bishop of Newcastle calls for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to stand down after a damning report into abuse by a prolific child abuser associated with the Church. Plus, the COP 29 climate summit opens in Azerbaijan.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024w8y)
The Archbishop is facing claims he lied about when he knew about abuse at summer camps
MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m0024w92)
Series 3
South London - home to Stanleys and Georges and two of the Magnificent Seven
Stand-up and quizzer Paul Sinha tests the people of South Norwood on their knowledge of places with SE postcodes, and the people who have lived, worked and studied there.
So if you know your Stanleys from your Stanleys and your Gilberts from your Gilberts, grab yourself a pencil and see how many you can get right.
The audience also test Paul on their favourite questions - such as the connection between Elon Musk and Hilary Mantel, and what makes a particular member of Girls Aloud unique.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Recording engineer: David Thomas
Mixed by: Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0024vtz)
Natasha has called Emma in to the Tearoom and offers Emma the position of part-time manager, as Natasha’s other commitments mean she can’t manage it on her own. Emma barely hesitates before accepting the offer and thanks Natasha for trusting her.
Fallon tells Harrison she’s just informed Cell Charge that she’s not going ahead with the café at the Charging Station. Harrison thinks Justin should feel bad about what’s happened, but Fallon is already making other plans.
Fallon then goes to see Natasha and asks for her old job back. It’s awkward and embarrassing, coming just days after her leaving do. Natasha is sympathetic when she hears Fallon’s reasons, but she’s just given the job to Emma. As she leaves, Fallon bumps into Emma but doesn’t say anything. Natasha though tells Emma and Tony what Fallon asked, but wants them to keep it to themselves. Natasha then phones Fallon to offer her shift work at the Tearoom, but Harrison doesn’t want Fallon to go back. And then guilty Emma comes round and begs Fallon to take back her old job, but Fallon is adamant - she can’t do it to Emma.
Meanwhile, Tony tells distracted Natasha about his dream of building an eco house at Bridge Farm, but admits he’d more or less given up on the idea until Helen mentioned she may not buy the house on Beechwood. Natasha jokes that she and Tom could buy it instead. Tony leaps on this - if they buy Beechwood then Helen could move into the farmhouse, and he and Pat could live in the new eco house. Perfect!
MON 19:15 Front Row (m0024w96)
Ronnie Wood, the rise and fall of boybands, Mishka Momen
Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood discusses his parallel career as an artist. As a new exhibition of his work opens at the Andrew Martin showroom in London, Ronnie talks about how he has drawn inspiration from Delacroix, Caravaggio and Picasso. As a new three part series Boybands Forever starts on BBC2 and the iplayer, we explore what was behind the rise and fall of the boybands of the nineties and noughties with Richie Neville of Five and Hannah Verdier from Smash Hits. And, keyboard music from before the invention of the piano. Pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen performs from her new album Reformation, a collection of pieces by Tudor-era composers William Byrd, John Bull, Orlando Gibbons and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Ruth Watts
MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m0024lzn)
What does the Budget mean for the UK’s economy?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered the first Labour Budget in 14 years. Naturally there was a flurry of instant responses to individual tax measures, but what about the big picture?
Well, more than a week has passed, and the dust is settling. We thought it was time to return to a panel of experts who we spoke to in September. Is this really a once in a generation budget? What will it mean for the government’s finances and services? Will it bring much needed growth? And what might the re-election of Donald Trump mean for the British economy?
Guests:
Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Mehreen Khan, economics editor of The Times
Chris Giles, economics commentator at The Financial Times.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Diane Richardson and Kirsteen Knight
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar and Neva Missirian
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m0024lzq)
COP29: Are climate summits working?
This year is set to be the world’s hottest on record, likely shattering the aspiration to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
So where does this leave COP29, the upcoming UN climate conference in Azerbaijan?
This week Inside Science is asking, are climate summits really working? What is the point of them - and are they doing enough?
Joining Marnie Chesterton to discuss this are:
- Joanna Depledge, expert on international climate negotiations at the University of Cambridge
- Mark Maslin, climate change professor from University College London (UCL)
- Jim Watson, professor of energy policy, also from UCL
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
If you want to test your climate change knowledge, follow the links on this page to The Open University to take a quiz.
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m0024w7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m0024w7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m0024w9c)
Bill to legalise assisted dying is published
A private members' bill to legalise assisted dying has been published ahead of the first debate on the issue at the end of this month. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP, who says it will contain "the strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world". We speak to a co-sponsor of the Bill and a doctor who opposes it.
Pressure is growing on the Archbishop of Canterbury to quit after a report heavily criticised his handling of a child abuser in the Church of England.
Gary Lineker will step down as presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season.
And the owner of half a century's worth of NME magazines takes us on a musical odyssey through his collection as he prepares to auction the lot.
MON 22:45 Precipice by Robert Harris (m0024w9h)
Episode One
PRECIPICE by Robert Harris
For Armistice Day - 110 years after the outbreak of the First World War - a story of intrigue and secrets in the corridors of power.
In the summer of 1914, the young aristocrat and socialite Venetia Stanley is having an affair with a married, much older man.
That man is the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith.
As well as meeting regularly at social events they see each other privately on Friday afternoon drives in the Prime Minister’s limousine. In between times, Asquith writes to Venetia obsessively, but when he starts sharing sensitive matters of state and top secret documents, the letters are no longer merely evidence of an illicit relationship but a matter of national security …
Episode 1
Along with other members of her social set - known as ‘the Coterie’ - Venetia is invited to a boat party on the London Thames.
Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting, is best known for his best-selling fiction, including Fatherland, Enigma, The Ghost Writer, Archangel and An Officer And A Spy. Precipice is his sixteenth novel.
Writer: Robert Harris
Reader: John Heffernan
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Limelight (m001955r)
English Rose - Series 1
English Rose - Episode 1: The Call of the Wild
by Helen Cross.
Eighteen-year-old Rose travels from Whitby to New York to work as nanny to a glittering but secretive family. It’s a culture shock and Rose seems unprepared for the mostly male attention she elicits. But it turns out she is quite capable of looking after herself: bloody revenge is her speciality.
She's not like the other girls. And Gulliver is no ordinary baby. This is a world not just of champagne, but shadows, where all is definitely not as it seems.
Stylish and surprising fantasy horror with a comic twist, starring Alexandra Mardell (Coronation Street) and Demetri Goritsas (Ten Percent). With music by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Mercury-nominated band, Porridge Radio.
Helen Cross wrote ‘My Summer of Love’ which won a Betty Trask award and was made into a Bafta-winning film with Emily Blunt (recently rated her best film in The Guardian top ten Emily Blunt films). Mary Ward-Lowery won Best Director in 2020 Audio Drama Awards.
Rose ... Alexandra Mardell
Maya ... Miranda Braun
Austin ... Demetri Goritsas
Siobhan ... Deirdre Mullins
Delphine ... Yasemin Özdemir
Randy ... Michael Begley
Art Guy ... Mathew Durkan
Beatrice ... Alexandra Hannant
Newsreader ...Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jason ... Joseph Tweedale
Mam ... Jane Thornton
Including the voices of Jo Makel, Paul Murphy, James Hoggarth, Freya Pollaidh, Augusta Chapman, Becky Ripley and Ben Casswell.
Original music written and performed by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Porridge Radio, and produced, mixed and engineered by Sam Yardley.
Sound design by Ilse Lademann
Producer Mary Ward-Lowery
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0024w9m)
On Armistice Day, Alicia McCarthy reports as ministers clash with Tory MPs over defence spending.
TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2024
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m0024w9r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Money by David McWilliams (m0024w82)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024w9x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024wb1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024wb5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m0024wbb)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024wbj)
Autumn Adventures
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good Morning,
When my boys were young, autumn was a time for adventures and treasure hunting — you’d see them in the woods, or under trees in the park in their little wellies and waterproof overalls finding acorns, conkers, chestnuts, special leaves – and not forgetting those huge sticks that had to be hauled home for some undetermined purpose.
Once home, they’d craft their finds into little people and big weapons, and we’d decorate the house with creation’s bounty.
These times were no less special than our summers of finding shells and feathers on the beach, digging deep holes in the sand, and eating ice creams in the sun.
It seems that Autumn is finally getting the recognition it deserves. On social media friends can’t wait to announce the change in season, showing off their gorgeous pictures of transformed golden landscapes, twinkly lights, and pumpkin spiced lattes.
Likewise, the autumn of our lives has much to commend it. For many people, later life is a season to devote time to passions, to help with grandchildren, to notice and enjoy things again, to explore the world, and for some to serve God more richly.
So today, I pray for older people. Heavenly Father, thank you, for the changing seasons and for your promise in the Bible that you will be with us in each one. Thank you that older people everywhere are embracing their autumn and their winter years. Help us who are still in the summer of our lives to cheer on our older friends, to love them through their golden season, and to see for ourselves your goodness to us for the whole of our lives.
Amen
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m0024wbq)
12/11/24 - Avian flu in American cows, Scottish Agriculture Act, apple harvest
Bird flu is back in the UK. Two years ago a strain of the virus called H5N1 caused outbreaks across the world, killing millions of birds, on poultry farms and in the wild. In America, that same strain has infected dairy cows on nearly 500 different farms, and in some cases also been passed on to humans. The UK has just seen its first avian flu outbreak of the winter in a commercial poultry flock in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but this time the strain's been identified as H5N5. What difference does that make, and should UK dairy farmers be worried?
Scotland’s new Agriculture Act came into force in June. NFU Scotland says it got what it wanted from the Act, but with much of the legislation aimed at improving the environment, and with little detail as yet, there are still concerns over what the changes will actually mean.
And as the UK apple harvest draws to a close, growers are reporting that although the wet weather's made picking difficult, the crop is high quality this year.
Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons
TUE 06:00 Today (m0024vt8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Young Again (m0024vtb)
18. Malcolm Gladwell
Kirsty Young asks the writer and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell what advice he would give his younger self.
Gladwell's writing, in books such as The Tipping Point and Outliers, successfully distil complex ideas for a mass audience, and he has worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker. His podcasts include Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood. Gladwell recalls his childhood in a largely Mennonite community in rural Canada, reflects on the shared culture of his English father and Jamaican mother, and shares his joy at becoming a parent later in life.
A BBC Studios Audio production.
TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m0024vtd)
Olympian Sir Chris Hoy wants more tests for prostate cancer - should it happen?
Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy is calling for more prostate cancer testing after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Prostate cancer can often present without symptoms, and for people like Sir Chris, this can mean it isn't diagnosed until it has spread and become incurable. Unlike breast, bowel, or cervical cancer, there is currently no national screening programme that routinely invites men for prostate cancer testing. Instead, men over 50 can request what's known as a PSA blood test from their GP, but it's not automatically offered.
Sir Chris wants that to change and is calling for the test to be made more easily available for men under 50, especially those with a family history of prostate cancer. But, expanding prostate screening is a divisive issue. While it could help detect cancer earlier in some cases, there are potential drawbacks.
Inside Health's James Gallagher talks with Professor Frank Chinegwundoh, Consultant Urological Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, Professor Hashim Ahmed, Chair of Urology at Imperial College London and Inside Health's resident GP Dr Margaret McCartney about the evidence for and against prostate cancer screening - and whether Sir Chris's campaign could and should change the guidance.
This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Editor: Holly Squire
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0024vtg)
Giovanna Fletcher, Laura Bates, Al-Fayed victims
Following our reporter Jo Morris' interview yesterday with Kerry as part of our Forgotten Children series, Nuala McGovern investigates the impact on families when one or both parents are sent to prison. She is joined by Sarah Burrows, founder of Children Heard and Seen, a charity supporting children and families with parents or partners serving prison sentences, and Lucy Baldwin who is a research fellow at Durham University and a criminal justice consultant.
Laura Bates is best known for her work founding the Everyday Sexism Project and she has written several non-fiction books including Misogynation and Men Who Hate Women. Now she is writing a series of Young Adult novels about an alternative Arthurian legend. The latest is Sisters of Fire and Fury and it asks what if the knight destined to unite Britain was not King Arthur, but a woman?
Laura joins Nuala in the Woman’s Hour studio.
Back in September, in a BBC documentary and podcast, we heard testimony from more than 20 former Harrods employees who accused the billionaire and former Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed of sexually assaulting them. Since the documentary first aired, many more women have come forward with allegations of assault, harassment and rape over a period of more than 30 years before his death. Nuala is joined by BBC correspondent Ellie Price, as well as two victims, Jen and Lindsay, who say they have found a bond since sharing their experiences.
Nuala speaks to TV presenter and author Giovanna Fletcher from the Himalayas at the start of her trek to raise money and awareness for CoppaFeel! - the breast cancer charity.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Emma Pearce
TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m0024p3l)
Las Vegas
Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora is the latest in a long line of movies to use Las Vegas as a setting. So why is the desert gambling city such catnip for filmmakers? Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore Vegas on screen.
Ellen speaks to author Shawn Levy about the unparalleled showbiz glamour of midcentury Las Vegas and the quintessential Rat Pack Vegas movie - Ocean’s 11. And she talks to DJ and producer David Holmes about his work on the soundtrack for director Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 Ocean’s Eleven remake, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Meanwhile, Mark looks at how the dark underbelly of the gambling city has been captured on screen by filmmakers from Martin Scorsese to Paul Verhoeven, with critic Christina Newland. And he talks to Mike Figgis about directing Nicolas Cage to Oscar glory in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas - the tale of an alcoholic who goes to the city to drink himself to death.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:45 Money by David McWilliams (m0024vtj)
The Secret Saracen Tool
Economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humanity and money with expertise, insight and humour. From a Stone Age tally stick to the micro-financing scheme revolutionising the developing world, ‘Money’ takes us on a journey through the history and future of money.
Today, David explores the mysterious power of zero.
Read by the author
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He is the founder of Kilkenomics, the world’s only economics and stand-up comedy festival. ‘Davos with jokes’ takes place in November in Kilkenny.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m0024vtm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m0024vtp)
Call You and Yours: Finding a Trader
We want to hear your experiences of finding a trader - like a builder, a plumber or an electrician - for your home. How easy is it to find someone good? New guidance has been drawn up for trusted trader websites by the Competition and Markets Authority. It says companies should vet the people they promote, and make sure there's a proper complaints process. Do you find those services useful - or is relying on personal recommendations the best way? Perhaps you've always had great builders and want to tell us how to find a good one. Or if you've had a bad experience - did you manage to get it put right?
Please get in touch - email youandyours@bbc.co.uk, and leave a number so we can call you back. And you can call us on 03700 100 444 after
11am on Tuesday 12 November.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0024vtr)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0024vtt)
PM to speed up emissions cuts
Sir Keir Starmer targets emissions cuts of 81% by 2035 but won't 'tell people what to do'. And is the BBC right to let Gary Lineker go?
TUE 13:45 The Moderators (m0024vtw)
Episode Two - Trauma
Over 500 hours of video are posted on YouTube every minute. Over 4 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every hour. There are around 500 million posts to X (formerly Twitter) every single day. These numbers are growing by the second.
How do you even begin to monitor and police such a relentless avalanche of information? In this new series, Zoe Kleinman journeys into the world of the online content moderators.
Big social media platforms rely on automation for much of the work, but they also need an army of human moderators to screen out the content that is harmful. Many moderators spend their days looking at graphic imagery, including footage of killings, war zones, torture and self-harm. We hear many stories about what happens when this content falls through the net, but we don’t hear much about the people trying to contain it. This is their story.
The battle against harmful online content is hitting the headlines more every day, even as AI moderation gathers pace. Ironically it needs moderation itself.
In the second episode of this series, a former Facebook content moderator reveals the impact this work can have on the mental health of employees.
Zoe hears what the day to day life of a moderator is like and the challenges of working out what to keep and what to remove. And she finds out from former moderators and Silicon Valley reporters how this tech landscape is changing today.
Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Assistant Producer: Reuben Huxtable
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Sound Designer: Dan King
Series Editor: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0024vtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0024vv1)
The Mosquito
A new satire from award winning writer Anita Sullivan, set at a fictional COP conference, with a talking Mosquito. Developed with leading climate scientists.
Peter is a hapless politician representing the UK at COP in Paris. Hoping to retire soon – he didn’t really want this assignment, but now he’s caught like a rabbit in the headlights between the fiercely intelligent business analyst who has taken the place of his usual PA, and the changing landscapes of contemporary politics and climate crisis speak. Will he talk absolute rubbish? Will he keep his job? Will he sell our children’s future to the highest bidder? What is African Horse Flu? And can anyone else hear that whining voice?
The Mosquito was developed through OKRE Experimental Stories supported by Wellcome, in consultation with Professor Andy Morse (Professor of Climate Impacts at the University of Liverpool) and Dr Omnia El Omrani (Climate and Health Policy Fellow at Imperial College London).
Interviews are used with permission from:
https://hub.connectingclimateminds.org/lived-experiences
CAST
Peter- Robert Bathurst
The Mosquito- Laila Alj
Farah - Laila Alj
Addy - Audrey Brisson
Faith - Ruth Everett
Miles - Laurence Saunders
The Volunteer and other roles - Nuhazet Diaz Cano
Production Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Noa Dowling
Sound Design - Catherine Robinson
Directed by John Norton.
A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 Punt & Dennis: Route Masters (m0023zjc)
Series 1: From Beer to Eternity
7 – From the Sargasso Sea to the Trombone
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are on a mission to get from everyone’s favourite ocean gyre, the Sargasso Sea, to the trombone in the most entertaining way possible, in a warm and witty podcast that celebrates new and half-remembered trivia as they try to find unlikely links between random places, people and things.
Across the series, they’ll be joined by guests including Ken Cheng, Kiri Pritchard McLean, Isy Suttie and Marcus Brigstocke, on a scenic route which takes in Shampoo, The Gruffalo, Watford Gap Services and Yoghurt.
Written and hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis
With Kae Kurd
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
Recorded at Maple St Creative
Mixed by Jonathan Last
A Listen production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 A Square Gogh (m0024vv3)
Ross Muir is a self-taught artist who has struggled with drug addiction all his life. Despite the turmoil, he began painting at the age of 30 when he was given a set of paints as a gift. He began deconstructing famous works of art in a Scottish context, imbuing a modern personality into the lauded and the familiar.
He struck gold when he painted Vincent Van Gogh in an Adidas tracksuit, the struggles of the famous painter brought up to date to the streets of Glasgow. The image is now infamous throughout Scotland and found a second revival throughout the first lockdown in 2020 with variations of his 'Square Gogh' painting decorating cash machines, buses and trains throughout Glasgow with the aptly titled message, 'Jist Gogh Hame'. It was an immediate hit with his website crashing due to the volume of people trying to buy their own square of Scottish Gogh.
Presenter: George McDermott
Producer: Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:00 The Poetry Detective (m0024vv5)
Poet, Philosopher & Failure
Our Poetry Detective Vanessa Kisuule investigates two headstones with mysterious epitaphs and finds out about people drawing on poetry to help them choose the words to mark their loved one's final resting place.
Listener Michelle Thomas asks Vanessa if she can find anything out about a grave she encountered years ago, in the cemetery of St Peter's, Heysham - a small village overlooking Morecambe Bay. The epitaph on the headstone reads "Poet, Philosopher & Failure". Who is buried there, why were they deemed a 'failure', and can we find any of their poetry?
David Bingham is the author of 'The London Dead', a blog he has been adding to for more than 10 years with stories of London's cemeteries and graveyards. He tells us about a striking and unusual grave he's encountered, bearing text from three separate poems. Who wrote the poems? And why were they chosen? Vanessa investigates, with the help of the writer Damian Le Bas.
And we visit the Oxfordshire workshop of stone carver Fergus Wessel where the walls are covered in lines of poetry cut into stone. He tells us about supporting people through the process of choosing an epitaph for a headstone, and how poetry might be one source of inspiration as we search for the right words.
Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio
TUE 16:30 When It Hits the Fan (m0024vv7)
Why Trump means boom times for PR, and a Rivals spat
In his first presidency, Donald Trump vowed to “drain the swamp of Washington DC” - PR agents and all. So, how can a second Trump presidency possibly look promising for PR? David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss how change can create opportunity.
In this episode they explore how Trump’s return to office might impact business both in the US and abroad, how powerful players go about influencing the new president and what does money (lots of it) have to do with it all?
Also, how condescending criticism isn’t a good look. David and Simon address the hostile review of hit series Rivals by the producer of Wolf Hall.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Assistant Producer: Ella Blaxill
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 17:00 PM (m0024vv9)
The Archbishop of Canterbury resigns
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned after calls for him to stand down because of his handling of a child abuse scandal. We also get the latest from the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, and we look back at the life of artist Frank Auerbach, who’s died at the age of 93.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024vvc)
Justin Welby was criticised in a report about an abuser linked to the Church of England
TUE 18:30 Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living (Omnibus) (m0024vvf)
3. Finding happiness
Comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis. Stuart looks back at the death of his mum and shares the lessons he has learnt that have brought him true happiness.
Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story.
A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living.
Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell
Produced by Lauren Mackay
An omnibus version of Episodes 5 and 6 of Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m0024vvh)
Rex calls Kirsty to the Rewilding site to discuss their future, following Justin’s volte face over funding. What will they do now the land and money has been guaranteed for five years? Rex’s left-field idea is beavers, to encourage biodiversity and provide a natural defence against flooding. Kirsty suggests talking to Tony, their farming consultant. Later, when Rex puts the case for introducing beavers to the local environment, Tony reckons they’d need to convince the whole of Ambridge about the benefits, particularly farmers suffering poor crop yields as a result of standing water over the last year. Rex admits there would be considerable costs involved, but argues the benefits would outweigh these in the longer term. Tony is basically for it, but wants another meeting once Rex has done more research to build his case. Kirsty’s already convinced, though. Rex could sell her anything with his passion.
At Ambridge View Emma tells Susan how bad she feels about Fallon, after taking her job - and about George, especially now she’s seen him in prison. Emma’s scared about the influence other prisoners could have on George, but Susan thinks George still has a good heart. Later, they both talk to Neil about how upsetting it is that George doesn’t want to see his grandparents and what they can do to protect him from bad influences while he’s inside. Neil then puts in another request to visit George, reports back later that he got a holding message in reply, but at least it wasn’t a flat refusal like last time. They’re both desperate to see him, whatever it takes.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m0024vvk)
Booker Shortlisted Authors
Ahead of tonight's Booker Prize ceremony, Front Row hears from all of the shortlisted authors: Percival Everett, Samantha Harvey, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, Yael van der Wouden and Charlotte Wood.
Then at
9.30pm, in a special extra edition of Front Row, Samira Ahmed hosts the ceremony. Find out who will win the prestigious literary prize.
Producer: Claire Bartleet
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
TUE 20:00 Phone Hacking, Spying and Politicians (m0024vvm)
The story of phone hacking by News International has evolved. No longer just a way to get celebrity gossip, was it also used against politicians as a form of corporate espionage?
Presenter: Ceri Thomas
Producer: Katie Gunning
Original Music: Tom Kinsella
Editor: Jasper Corbett
A Tortoise Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m0024vvp)
The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses; Accessible Yoga
The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses is a range of smart glasses that work in conjunction with a smart phone app. We have been hearing excited murmurings about their potential benefits for blind and partially sighted people and now they will soon work in conjunction with the free service, Be My Eyes. This service connects visually impaired people with sighted volunteers to assist with daily tasks. What we are also hearing is that there is some confusion surrounding certain AI capabilities, especially as UK users had to wait before being told it that it can now be accessed here. The picture, however, is not the same for everybody and so we have brought together two visually impaired people who have the specs, to assess the issue.
The charity, Sight Scotland has tried to find a way to make the ancient practice of yoga accessible to blind and partially sighted people. Our reporter Ian Hamilton went along to a class in Edinburgh to find out more.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: David Baguley
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
TUE 21:00 The Law Show (m0024p0k)
The Renters' Rights Bill
In this new series of the Law Show, Dr Joelle Grogan and guests look at the legislation that affects your life.
One of the flagship pieces of legislation for the Labour Government is the Renters' Rights Bill - scrapping no-fault evictions, and imposing new obligations and penalties on rogue landlords. How will it benefit tenants and affect landlords?
Also on the programme: a raft of new laws are coming into effect this autumn, but who decides when a law becomes active or is enforceable?
And family law solicitor Tracey Moloney joins us to look at an aspect of divorce that fills many people with dread: the division of assets. Can your ex claim against property you brought into the marriage? Can they claim your pension? And how can the answers to those questions differ, dependent upon where you live in the UK?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Tara McDermott
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Contributors
Dr Sam Fowles, author and barrister at Cornerstone Barristers
Tracey Moloney, from Moloney Family Law, also known as the Legal Queen on social media
Dr Christy Burzio, barrister at Tanfield Chambers
Sarah Taylor, partner at Excello Law in Bristol
TUE 21:30 Front Row (m0024vvr)
Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize announced live from the ceremony
Samira Ahmed is live from the Booker Prize 2024 ceremony. As well as hearing from the six shortlisted authors, Samira speaks to judges novelist Sara Collins and musician Nitin Sawhney. Campaigner for social justice Baroness Lola Young talks about the transformative power of literature. Chair of judges, artist and writer Edmund de Waal announces the winner of this prestigious award for fiction.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Claire Bartleet
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0024vvw)
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigns
The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced he will step down from his role following a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England. The review found that Justin Welby "could and should" have reported John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men to police in 2013. We look at the future of the Church and the challenges it faces in selecting a new leader.
The BBC understands that more than 100 Post Office branches and hundreds of head office jobs are at risk as part of a radical shake-up of the business.
And the Booker Prize has gone to Samantha Harvey’s for her "beautiful and ambitious" novel Orbital.
TUE 22:45 Precipice by Robert Harris (m0024vw0)
Episode Two
PRECIPICE by Robert Harris
For Armistice Day - 110 years after the outbreak of the First World War - a story of intrigue and secrets in the corridors of power.
In the summer of 1914, the young aristocrat and socialite Venetia Stanley is having an affair with a married, much older man.
That man is the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith.
As well as meeting regularly at social events they see each other privately on Friday afternoon drives in the Prime Minister’s limousine. In between times, Asquith writes to Venetia obsessively, but when he starts sharing sensitive matters of state and top secret documents, the letters are no longer merely evidence of an illicit relation-ship but a matter of national security …
Episode 2
Sergeant Deemer investigates the drownings at the society boat party and interviews Venetia Stanley at her home.
Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting, is best known for his best-selling fiction, including Fatherland, Enigma, The Ghost Writer, Archangel and An Officer And A Spy. Precipice is his sixteenth novel.
Writer: Robert Harris
Reader: John Heffernan
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 Uncanny (m0024qds)
Halloween: Trilogy of Terror
Halloween Special: Meadow Cottage Part 2
For the last of our chilling Halloween episodes, we return to Meadow Cottage for the gripping second half of this brand new investigation into a terrifying haunting in the Lake District that spanned two decades.
As Helen’s young son Jake grows up, events take an even more sinister turn. What is going on in that house?
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King
Voice of old lady: Ruth Sillers
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake
Commissioning executive: Paula McDonnell
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0024vw6)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as MPs backed the government's plans to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2024
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m0024vwb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Money by David McWilliams (m0024vtj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024vwh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024vwm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024vwr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0024vww)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024vx0)
Anti Age
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good Morning
In a society that celebrates youth, ‘anti-ageing’ has become a bit of a buzzword. I’ve long suspected that it’s a misnomer, but now I’m certain. You see, I looked up the meaning of the word ‘anti’ recently, and it means ‘the opposite of’, ‘preventing’, or ‘opposed to’.
Although we can limit some of the effects of ageing, unless you’re Benjamin Button, there is no ‘opposite’ of ageing. Ageing can’t be ‘prevented’ any more than time can be dialled back, and what use is being ‘opposed to’ ageing – are we to march in a demonstration outraged at the injustice? And against who?
Now I’m not thrilled at the sight of the ever-increasing circles under my eyes either, or indeed some of the other changes I’m experiencing as a woman who turned 50 this year.
But these changes are natural, aren’t they? And there are good things that come with our advancing years – experience, meaningful relationships, stability, and dare I say it, ‘wisdom’.
Perhaps pro-ageing is a more helpful term than anti-ageing – we can’t actually age backwards, so we may as well celebrate the changes in our lives as we age forwards, and make the most of the good ones.
In the Bible we find that God designed us to age. You could say that God is pro-ageing. And that’s a good thing. Ageing means living. Life is the antidote to death. It also tells us that age is a divine blessing. Isn’t that something?
So heavenly father, thank you for the blessing of ageing and the wonderful things that come with time. Help us to navigate the challenges of later life, and to embrace each year you give us.
Amen
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m0024vx4)
13/11/24 - Seafood carbon emission, Crofters Bill and NI sheep taskforce
A new tool is being used by the seafood sector to collate carbon emissions data from all along the supply chain - from farming catching the fish in the wild, all the way through to processing and packing.
The Scottish Government is consulting on a new Crofting Bill, aimed at making it easier for people to get into crofting and to support things like peatland restoration and environmental work on crofts. We ask crofters on the Western Isles what they make of it.
And a 'sheep industry task force' has been set in Northern Ireland, to help farmers work with Government. Under the post-Brexit plan in Northern Ireland, there's funding for beef and arable and environmental schemes, but there's currently little specific sheep support, and some sheep farmers say they could go out of business.
Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons
WED 06:00 Today (m0024w8h)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m0024w8m)
Buried Trauma
Sarah Fairbairns spent much of her life feeling she was a bit different. Growing up in the 1960's and 70's she had the reputation of a wild child. On a student exchange in the United States she got to dance on stage with the caste of the famous counter-culture musical Hair. In her early 20s she travelled to India with her boyfriend in search of hippy culture, tuning out, dropping out, taking drugs and becoming what was known at the time as a 'freak', a group at the extreme end of the hippy spectrum. And yet all the while she faced bouts of sadness and depression and a confusion as to why that should be.
It lead eventually to an attempted suicide and psychiatric treatment.
Things improved and stabilised. She married, had children and came to terms with her life, while never really feeling settled. She even trained and qualified as a Psychotherapist. And yet it was only towards the end of her training that she started to connect an event from her childhood with the unsettled life she'd lead and the fragility she felt.
That trauma had happened when, at the age of eleven, she had been diagnosed with lateral idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, resulting in curvature of the spine. The result was a period in an orthopaedic hospital away from her family with dramatic surgery on her back and incarceration in a restrictive plaster caste. That long, isolated hospital stay and the process she went through to stabilise her spine was ultimately deemed a success, but the girl that emerged from hospital was more than just a medical success story.
In her 70s, and with the threat of further surgery on her back, Sarah began to recognise that a failure to deal with the trauma of that childhood hospitalisation had been a key factor in her state of mind and behaviour throughout her life.
She wrote in to Life Changing and told Dr Sian Williams about her slow recognition of her buried and Life Changing childhood trauma, and why confronting and understanding it had provided belated but extraordinary relief.
Producer: Tom Alban
WED 09:30 The Gift (m0024w8r)
Series 2
2. Switched - Part 2
After discovering who she really is, Claire has decided to tell her side of the story.
It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future.
In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe.
For the second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database.
Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide?
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Conor Garrett
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Editor: Philip Sellars
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0024w8v)
Bishop Rachel Treweek on Justin Welby, Forgotten Children, COP29 and maternal outcomes
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned, following pressure to stand down over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth. What's the reaction from female leaders in the Church of England? Nuala McGovern speaks to Bishop of Gloucester Rachel Treweek, and Reverend Canon Lucy Davis, Chair of the National Association of Diocesan Advisers in Women’s Ministry.
We hear the third part of our week-long series Forgotten Children, which looks at the impact on families when one or both parents serve time in prison. Reporter Jo Morris spoke to Nan (not her real name), whose daughter was sentenced to prison. This left Nan to care for her five grandchildren for two years in her two bedroom house.
COP29 - the UN's annual climate conference - is underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. To discuss the issues for women Nuala is joined by Fiona Harvey, the Guardian’s Environment Editor, and Adelaide Lusambili, an associate professor at Africa International University in Kenya, who looks at how climate extremes are affecting maternal outcomes.
A new musical – Mozart: Her Story - tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sister Maria-Anna, who taught him how to play the piano. Nuala is joined by the lyricist, Tegan Summer, and actor, Gabrielle Brooks who gives a performance from the new show.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Lottie Garton
WED 11:00 Phone Hacking, Spying and Politicians (m0024vvm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:45 Money by David McWilliams (m0024w91)
Friends in High Places
Economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humanity and money with expertise, insight and humour. From a Stone Age tally stick to the micro-financing scheme revolutionising the developing world, ‘Money’ takes us on a journey through the history and future of money.
Today, David reveals how the father of monetary economics slipped the hangman’s noose.
Read by the author
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He is the founder of Kilkenomics, the world’s only economics and stand-up comedy festival. ‘Davos with jokes’ takes place in November in Kilkenny.
WED 12:00 News Summary (m0024w95)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m0024w98)
Football Ticket Scam, Will Writing and Wizz Air Annual Pass
The football fans falling victim to a ticket fraud and the Scottish marketing executive whose stolen ID is being used to scam them.
Only half of households will tuck into turkey this year and there's a whole new holiday called 'Betwixtmas' - the time between Christmas and New Year. Those insights have come from Good Housekeeping magazine. It surveyed 2,600 of its readers about their Christmas spending plans.
Why the government's consumer watchdog has warned unregulated will writers to do better, after a rise in complaints about the legal services industry.
Clothes swapping fairs are becoming a thing. The numbers grew rapidly after the pandemic and this year, Eventbrite - a global events marketplace - listed more than 300 clothes swapping events across the UK. We visit a fashion swap in Kirkdale, Merseyside to see how the swapping works.
The budget airline Wizz Air took the market by surprise in August when it launched an "All You Can Fly" annual pass. Behind the headlines there are terms and conditions, but even so, ten thousand All You Can Fly passes were quickly snapped up when Wizz Air released them. They say they'll release 15,000 more soon, so who do they work for?
WED 12:57 Weather (m0024w9d)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m0024w9j)
US says Israel has improved aid deliveries to Gaza but more is needed
The US says Israel has improved Gaza aid but calls for pauses in the fighting so it can get to those who need it. We get an assessment of Donald Trump's foreign policy appointments from the former British ambassador to the US, Lord Darroch. And we look back at the life of the actor Timothy West, who has died age 90.
WED 13:45 The Moderators (m0024w9n)
Episode Three - Outsourcing
Over 500 hours of video are posted on YouTube every minute. Over 4 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every hour. There are around 500 million posts to X (formerly Twitter) every single day. These numbers are growing by the second.
How do you even begin to monitor and police such a relentless avalanche of information? In this new series, Zoe Kleinman journeys into the world of the online content moderators.
Big social media platforms rely on automation for much of the work, but they also need an army of human moderators to screen out the content that is harmful. Many moderators spend their days looking at graphic imagery, including footage of killings, war zones, torture and self-harm. We hear many stories about what happens when this content falls through the net, but we don’t hear much about the people trying to contain it. This is their story.
The battle against harmful online content is hitting the headlines more every day, even as AI moderation gathers pace. Ironically it needs moderation itself.
But a lot of this work happens very far away from the centre of the tech industry in Silicon Valley. In episode three, Zoe discovers how online content moderation has been outsourced to sites across the world, including Kenya, India and the Philippines.
Why has content moderation become such a global business? How is imagery from global conflicts finding its way to moderators in East Africa? And how are moderators there challenging the status quo?
Zoe speaks to former moderators based in Nairobi and hears how this work has changed their lives.
Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Assistant Producer: Reuben Huxtable
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Sound Designer: Dan King
Series Editor: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m0024vvh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m0024w9s)
If It Kills Me
If It Kills Me by Eve Steele
Charlotte was a dancer who led an active life until a bout of Covid 19 transforms into Long Covid. Now her life is on hold. She can no longer do the job she loves or participate fully in family life. But then she becomes involved in something that finally brings her back to life. Inspired by the writer's real life experience of the illness.
Charlotte............................................Eve Steele
Remi.....................................................Tachia Newall
Jasmine...............................................Sade Malone
Jess/Eco Farmer...............................Danielle Henry
Pauline/Podcast...............................Eithne Brown
Greg/TV Presenter..........................Jon-Paul Bell
Rap Vocals by Tom Vernon
Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley
Studio Manager - Amy Brennan
Sound Design - Sharon Hughes
Producer/Director - Gary Brown
A BBC Studio Audio Production.
Risk factors for Long Covid are higher age, female sex, having asthma, and having had a more severe initial Covid-19 infection. There are no validated effective treatments. Globally, over 400 million people have experienced Long Covid and it may be responsible for a loss of 1% of the world's gross domestic product.
WED 15:00 The Law Show (m0024w9w)
Inside the Family Courts
Last year, more than a quarter of a million cases started in Family Court in England and Wales.
Yet, to most people, the way they work is a mystery.
Traditionally, they were always held in private, because they discuss sensitive information about peoples' personal lives, and to protect children from harm.
Since 2009 reporters have been allowed to attend hearings. But they weren't allowed to tell anyone what was said without the permission of the court, and judges could exclude them.
Now, a pilot has been operating in 19 areas across England and Wales to allow journalists and legal bloggers to report Family Court cases, subject to strict rules of anonymity. Last week, it was extended to cover both private and public family cases at magistrates courts in the pilot areas.
But will it improve confidence and help people understand how the family courts work?
This week, Dr Joelle Grogan is joined by BBC correspondent Sanchia Berg and Lucy Reed KC, chair of the charity, the Transparency Project, to explain how the family courts work, what people attending them can expect, and why the reporting pilot is vital.
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Tara McDermott
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Contributors:
BBC Correspondent Sanchia Berg.
Lucy Reed KC, family law barrister at St John's chambers, legal blogger, and chair of the Transparency Project.
Samantha Woodham, family law barrister at 4PB chambers and co-founder of the Divorce Surgery
WED 15:30 Menopause Matters (m0024w7x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:04 on Monday]
WED 16:00 The Media Show (m0024wb0)
How to cover Trump now, Taskmaster creator Alex Horne and who will replace Gary Lineker?
When Donald Trump won in 2016, it boosted cable news and newspaper subscriptions, with some outlets taking an avowedly anti-Trump stance; some even called this the ‘resistance’. What’s going to happen now? We talk to journalists with different approaches. As popular Channel 4 gameshow Taskmaster celebrates its tenth anniversary, creator Alex Horne shares the secrets of its success. And we assess the choices facing BBC Sport after it was announced Gary Lineker will be standing down from Match of the Day.
Guests: Edward Luce, Associate Editor, The Financial Times; Megan McArdle, Columnist, The Washington Post; Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director, Wired; Alex Horne, creator, Taskmaster; Caroline Frost, columnist, Radio Times
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson
Assistant Producer
WED 17:00 PM (m0024wb4)
Trump and Biden meet at White House
Joe Biden welcomes Donald Trump back to the White House and promises a "smooth transition". Former Obama advisor Jeremy Shapiro explains what's likely to happen.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024wb8)
Mr Trump said the transition of power would be "as smooth as you can get"
WED 18:30 You Heard It Here First (m001y1hr)
Series 2
'You're no help at all Chris!'
Chris McCausland asks Iain Stirling and Su Pollard to take on Alasdair Beckett-King and Sophie Duker. A raucous motormouth round creates a unique bond between Iain and Su. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and guess what sounds their teammates are trying to recreate.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
A BBC Studios Production
An EcoAudio certified production
WED 19:00 The Archers (m0024wbg)
At Bridge Farm, Tom and Tony talk about Neil and Susan visiting George tomorrow, plus the imminent arrival of the buck goat and how expensive it must be. Pat joins them, worrying about her promise to bake the cake for Peggy’s 100th birthday today. Pat then confesses the goat cost £750, which is why she didn’t want to tell Tony, who’s suitably appalled. Once Pat’s gone Tony tells Tom about his dream of building an eco-house, which leads onto the idea of Helen potentially moving into the farmhouse. How would Tom and Natasha feel about that? Tony worries about Tom feeling it would be unfair. Tom admits it’s not something he’s thought about, but finds it amusing Tony hasn’t even mentioned the eco-house idea to Pat yet. Tony makes the excuse that there have been so many other things to think about.
Chatting to Helen at Beechwood Kirsty bemoans her poor choice of men in her life. Her mum, Megan, keeps pushing her towards Rex, but Kirsty has never been interested in him. However it has made her look at him in a slightly different light. The conversation turns to Helen buying Kirsty’s house, but Helen says it will only be possible if Kirsty drops the price. Kirsty can’t though, as the pressure is now on for her to buy Willow Farm before Brenda sells it to someone else. Helen’s uneasy with rushing into such an important decision affecting Henry and Jack’s future happiness. But Kirsty won’t let her off the hook. The boys love the house and she desperately needs to sell, so what’s Helen waiting for?
WED 19:15 Front Row (m0024wbn)
American guitarist Pat Metheny, New initiatives to encourage musical theatre, and Does Glasgow look after its built heritage?
American guitarist Pat Metheny on how the discovery of a particular Argentinian guitar string took his latest album Moondial in a new direction.
As a school by the renowned Victorian architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh comes to the open market, we discuss whether Glasgow does enough to look after its built heritage.
And we hear from the outgoing artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the artistic director of Birmingham Hippodrome about new initiatives to promote musical theatre.
Plus we remember actor Timothy West, whose death was announced earlier today.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m0024wbt)
Does intent matter?
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pulled his new children's book from the shelves after complaints that it stereotyped Indigenous Australians. Some First Nations leaders have called the book "offensive". Oliver says it was not his “intention".
This case raises philosophical questions about the role of intent in the way we act and in the way we judge the actions of others. If harm is measured by the impact of an action rather than the intention behind it, how much does the intention matter at all? The fact that the law distinguishes between murder and manslaughter suggests that intent is indispensable in assessing moral culpability. On the other hand, being tired or incompetent at the wheel of a car may result in a more deadly outcome than knowingly driving recklessly. In our everyday relationships, we all make excuses for our behaviour when we mess up, but what makes a good excuse – a work-deadline, a wailing infant, ignorance? More complicated still, how can we discern someone’s intent not to cause harm or offense, particularly if we don’t inhabit the same social or cultural reality?
Does intent matter? After all, you know what they say about the road to hell…
Chair: Michael Buerk
Panellists:
Ash Sarkar, James Orr, Mona Siddiqui and Giles Fraser
Witnesses:
Daniel Browning, Brendan O'Neill, Dr Paul Youngbin Kim, Professor Paulina Sliwa.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producer: Ruth Purser
WED 21:00 Illuminated (m0023fv4)
Lasting Lessons
Alongside their A-levels, five 17 year-olds volunteer for six months at a hospice in Surrey. These are young people who hope to work in healthcare one day and, for one reason or another, feel drawn to helping others.
Their hopes and fears are similar to most people who've never been to a hospice, which includes their parents, and they have have no idea what they'll encounter. Above all, there are worries that it will be very sad, and too much for people of their age to handle.
Pretty quickly, they get to know the nurses at the hospice, who have a great sense of humour and are not in the least bit despairing. The volunteers feel awkward at first, and scared of getting things wrong, but with the nurses' encouragement, they begin talking with patients, feeding them, moving them, brushing their teeth, and helping them to the toilet.
Little by little, they get to know patients, gain confidence and maturity and start to form a new understanding of dying and death.
With many thanks to the staff of the Princess Alice Hospice and to Lizzie Leigh in particular.
Presented by Farida Abdelhamid
Produced by Tim Moorhouse
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:30 The Conflict (m0024wby)
Middle East
Operation Opera (1981): How Important Is the Israel-America Relationship?
What can history teach us about the conflict in the Middle East?
We look back on the region’s history and discuss what it can teach us about the future.
Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully assembled panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the conflict in the region.
This week Jonny is joined by Dr Giordana Pulcini, who teaches History of Transatlantic Relations at the University of Roma Tre, and geopolitical analyst, Dr Hellyer from the Royal United Services Institute.
They take a closer look at Israel’s 1981 raid on a French-built nuclear plant in Iraq, and discuss what impact Operation Opera had on the Israel-America relationship.
The Conflict: Middle East was made by Keiligh Baker and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producers were Ricardo McCarthy and David Crackles. The assistant editor is Ben Mundy. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
This episode is part of a BBC Sounds series. It was recorded at
14:00 on Tuesday 12 November 2024.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m0024wc2)
What do Trump's top job picks mean for the world?
As Donald Trump returns to the White House for a handover chat with Joe Biden, the president-elect learns that his Republican Party will fully control Congress - and makes a series of eye-catching nominations for top jobs. We try to unpack what it all means for America - and the world.
Also tonight:
The Chancellor will unveil plans tomorrow for what she calls the biggest pensions shake up in decades. We have the latest.
And as a nation frets over the great taramasalata shortage - Jay Rayner helps us make a do-it-yourself dip.
WED 22:45 Precipice by Robert Harris (m0024wc6)
Episode Three
PRECIPICE by Robert Harris
For Armistice Day - 110 years after the outbreak of the First World War - a story of intrigue and secrets in the corridors of power.
In the summer of 1914, the young aristocrat and socialite Venetia Stanley is having an affair with a married, much older man.
That man is the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith.
As well as meeting regularly at social events they see each other privately on Friday afternoon drives in the Prime Minister’s limousine. In between times, Asquith writes to Venetia obsessively, but when he starts sharing sensitive matters of state and top secret documents, the letters are no longer merely evidence of an illicit relation-ship but a matter of national security …
Episode 3
As the world drifts ever closer to war, the Prime Minister shares confidential information with Venetia.
Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting, is best known for his best-selling fiction, including Fatherland, Enigma, The Ghost Writer, Archangel and An Officer And A Spy. Precipice is his sixteenth novel.
Writer: Robert Harris
Reader: John Heffernan
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:00 BBC New Comedy Awards 2024 (m0024wc9)
Lucy Beaumont hosts highlights from the BBC New Comedy Awards Grand Final 2024. Babatunde Aléshé, Josh Pugh and Shaparak Khorsandi judge the comedy stars of the future to crown this year's winner.
Host .... Lucy Beaumont
Judges ..... Babatunde Aléshé, Josh Pugh and Shappi Khorsandi
Performers ..... Jonathan Oldfield, Maia Tassalini, Marty Gleeson, Dane Buckley, Paul Hilleard and Jake Donaldson.
Producers: Lindsay Jex and Alison Vernon-Smith
A Phil McIntyre production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0024wcf)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the fall out from last month's budget dominated this week's session of Prime Minister's Questions.
THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2024
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m0024wck)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Money by David McWilliams (m0024w91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024wcq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024wcv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024wcz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m0024wd3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024wd6)
You can run but you can’t hide
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good Morning.
By the time I had my third little boy you’d think I’d have been prepared. And in many ways, I was – we had the clothes, the toys, and a pretty good idea of how a day in the life of a little boy might go.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the running and the hiding – whether we were in the supermarket, or dropping his big brothers off at school, or trying to enjoy a walk along Clevedon seafront, my little cherub would run!
And when he finished running, he would hide! When I say ‘hide’ I mean he did his best. At 2 or 3 years old, he hadn’t quite grasped a sense of perspective – he may have thought he was hiding behind the bananas in the grocery isle, but I could see his chubby little leg poking out.
Not only that, when he hid in the bushes he would endearingly shout ‘mummy, you don’t know where I am – you can’t see me’. Oh the fun I had, coaxing him out of the bushes and into my arms.
In the Bible we’re reminded that God is the God who sees. I believe he sees everything, including us. There’s no hiding from God. He sees us fully wherever we are, and he is always with us.
Sometimes what God sees undoubtedly exasperates him, but like a tender parent, he always loves us and calls us out of hiding and into his embrace.
Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the God who sees me, you know me completely, and you love me with an everlasting love. Help me to live today with that childlike trust, confident that you have me in your sight.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m0024wdb)
14/11/24 Regenerative agriculture and advertising standards, Scottish payments for farmers, Rothbury Estate
The Advertising Standards Authority has issued guidance to advertisers to make sure consumers aren't misled about the term "regenerative agriculture".
Scotland's first minister John Swinney says inheritance tax changes in the budget are causing unacceptable levels of stress among farmers in Scotland.
We’re discussing farming in Scotland all this week. The new agriculture act now requires every farmer and crofter to complete an annual whole farm plan in order to claim their basic support payments. The plan is a series of audits to measure things like the carbon footprint and biodiversity, and the aim is to identify where and how farmers can make their businesses more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The first reports are due next May and while a lot of advice is available from the agricultural advisory services, the whole farm plan has caused confusion and uncertainty for some farmers.
The Wildlife Trusts have bought a chunk of the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, now they've begun a £30 million appeal to buy the rest. We ask what it means for food production and the tenant farmers who live and work there.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
THU 06:00 Today (m0024x0d)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m0024x0g)
The Antikythera Mechanism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 2000-year-old device which transformed our understanding of astronomy in ancient Greece. In 1900 a group of sponge divers found the wreck of a ship off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the items salvaged was a corroded bronze object, the purpose of which was not at first clear. It turned out to be one of the most important discoveries in marine archaeology. Over time, researchers worked out that it was some kind of astronomical analogue computer, the only one to survive from this period as bronze objects were so often melted down for other uses. In recent decades, detailed examination of the Antikythera Mechanism using the latest scientific techniques indicates that it is a particularly intricate tool for showing the positions of planets, the sun and moon, with a complexity and precision not surpassed for over a thousand years.
With
Mike Edmunds
Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University
Jo Marchant
Science journalist and author of 'Decoding the Heavens' on the Antikythera Mechanism
And
Liba Taub
Professor Emerita in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Scholar at the Deutsches Museum, Munich
Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
Reading list:
Derek de Solla Price, Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism (American Philosophical Society Press, 1974)
M. G. Edmunds, ‘The Antikythera mechanism and the mechanical universe’ (Contemp. Phys. 55, 2014)
M.G. Edmunds, ’The Mechanical Universe’ (Astronomy & Geophysics, 64, 2023)
James Evans and J. Lennart Berggren, Geminos's Introduction to the Phenomena: A Translation and Study of a Hellenistic Survey of Astronomy (Princeton University Press, 2006)
T. Freeth et al., ‘Calendars with Olympiad display and eclipse prediction on the Antikythera mechanism’ (Nature 454, 2008)
Alexander Jones, A Portable Cosmos: Revealing the Antikythera Mechanism, Scientific Wonder of the Ancient World (Oxford University Press, 2017)
Jo Marchant, Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World’s First Computer (Windmill Books, 2009)
J.H. Seiradakis and M.G. Edmunds, ‘Our current knowledge of the Antikythera Mechanism’ (Nature Astronomy 2, 2018)
Liba Taub, Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2022)
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m00250lb)
In Listening Mode
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, as the Democrats lick their wounds, and Kemi Badenoch looks to rebuild her party, we are talking about politicians in 'listening mode'.
Who are they listening to? Why weren't they listening sooner? Is it a tick-box exercise, or do they make meaningful changes based off their listening?
They also look at Wes Streeting's big public consultation on the NHS, and Elon's plans to 'crowdsource' policy from the US population.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at
9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King
Production Coordinator - Katie Baum
Executive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.
An EcoAudio certified production.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0024x0j)
Preterm birth, Devil Wears Prada, Forgotten Children
Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal death in the UK. Today the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee have published a report calling on the government to do more to reduce the risks of babies being born prematurely and to improve the lives of those families who are affected. Anita Rani discusses proposed changes with Nadia Leake, who gave birth to twins eleven years ago at just 22 weeks and author of 'Surviving Prematurity,' Caroline Lee-Davey, CEO of the charity Bliss, which supports parents and families of premature or sick babies, and Baroness Laura Wyld, a member of the Preterm Birth Committee.
A Georgian heiress and her husband are suing a property developer for over £36 million after buying a mansion and discovering a “moth infestation”… “of extreme proportions”. The couple describe killing up to 100 moths a day, watching them land on their children’s toothbrushes, plates of food and cutlery. And they are now seeking damages including £50,000 for moth-shredded clothes. The property developer denies all claims. Well, it's that time of year where you may be getting your winter woollies out and we wondered what's the best way to deal with such an occurrence? Anita is joined by Harriet Walker, Fashion Editor at The Times, who has been having her own nightmare experience with moths.
In the next instalment of Woman's Hour's week-long series Forgotten Children, which looks at the impact on families when one or both parents serve time in prison, reporter Jo Morris speaks to Emily (not her real name), whose husband was sentenced to prison for crimes he committed against her. Emily discovered that, not only did she have to face the stigma of her children’s father being in prison, but as a single-parent she also struggled to access services to help her children cope with their father’s imprisonment.
As a new musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, with lyrics contributed by the American musician Shaina Taub and music by Elton John, hits London's West End, Anita is joined by the show’s leading ladies, Vanessa Williams, Georgie Buckland and Amy Di Bartolomeo to discuss the enduring appeal of this story.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
THU 11:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m0024x0l)
Series 31
The Cyber Codebreakers
Brian Cox and Robin Ince head to Bletchley Park with comedian Alan Davies, and cyber experts Victoria Baines and Richard Benham to decode cyberwarfare and discuss its future.
As computers have shrunk from the size of rooms to fitting in our jacket pockets, our cyber sleuths explore the changing nature of cyber-attacks and defence. They decipher the fancy jargon abounding in cyber land, from trojan horses to phishing scams and reveal how prolific these attacks are on nation states, businesses and the public. From digital army battalions to teenage freelance hackers, the cyber-villains are multiple and varied. Our panel discusses the aims of these malevolent forces; from extorting money and holding valuable commercial data hostage to influencing people’s electoral intent.
The panel explores how AI and quantum computing are supercharging cyberwarfare – but in good news, also cyber-defence. Alan Davies shares his susceptibility to being tricked online whilst our experts give some tips for staying safe online, and finally, Alan comes up with his surprising alter-ego hacking name.
Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani
BBC Studios Audio production
THU 11:45 Money by David McWilliams (m0024x0p)
"Until the Pips Squeak"
Economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humanity and money with expertise, insight and humour. From a Stone Age tally stick to the micro-financing scheme revolutionising the developing world, ‘Money’ takes us on a journey through the history and future of money.
David explores reparation and hyper-inflation in the Weimar Republic.
Read by the author
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He is the founder of Kilkenomics, the world’s only economics and stand-up comedy festival. ‘Davos with jokes’ takes place in November in Kilkenny.
THU 12:00 News Summary (m0024x0r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m0024x0t)
Gap Finders: Represent
Gap Finders returns with one of the founding brothers of the fashion brand Represent.
George Heaton started the company in 2011, as a college project with his brother Mike. The brand has been described as streetwear at a premium price, and has been worn by some of the world’s best known celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Dua Lipa.
They found growth in the pandemic when other businesses struggled, playing on their ability to react quickly to the customer demands using social media and online commerce.
In 2023 their takings were over £80 million, with around £13 million in profit, and now they are moving in to bricks and mortar, with stores in Manchester and Los Angeles opening this year - and all of this from an initial budget of £150 to make the first range of t-shirts back in 2011.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Dave James
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m00252q7)
Toast - Our Price Records
Our Price Records was one of Britain's biggest music retailers offering cut-price albums at over 300 local high street stores. So, why did the chain disappear even before the internet transformed the music industry?
The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, and the entrepreneur, Sam White, examine the retailer's fortunes.
How did it manage to become so successful? And why did it end up 'toast'?
The pair are joined by expert guests including:
-Neil Boote - former commercial director at Virgin Our Price
-Phil Cokell - former marketing director at Chrysalis Records
-Alison Warner who worked at Our Price Records in the 1980s
Produced by Jon Douglas. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk
Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.
Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in December, where Greg Foot investigates so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds
THU 12:57 Weather (m0024x0w)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m0024x0y)
Government denies splits on farming taxes
The government doubles down on plans for inheritance tax on farms after reports of splits between the Treasury and Defra. Plus the corruption inside jails as the Prison Officers Association warns a minority of staff letting the prison service down.
THU 13:45 The Moderators (m0024x10)
Episode Four - AI Moderation
Over 500 hours of video are posted on YouTube every minute. Over 4 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every hour. There are around 500 million posts to X (formerly Twitter) every single day. These numbers are growing by the second.
How do you even begin to monitor and police such a relentless avalanche of information? In this new series, Zoe Kleinman journeys into the world of the online content moderators.
Big social media platforms rely on automation for much of the work, but they also need an army of human moderators to screen out the content that is harmful. Many moderators spend their days looking at graphic imagery, including footage of killings, war zones, torture and self-harm. We hear many stories about what happens when this content falls through the net, but we don’t hear much about the people trying to contain it. This is their story.
What happens to the people doing this job? And will the work these human beings face every day be soon taken over entirely by Artificial Intelligence?
In episode four, Zoe hears how AI is trained to moderate content and how its role is evolving.
How do AI moderators tell the difference between offensive content and legitimate posting? Does AI moderation need moderating itself? And can AI really keep up with the amount of new and extreme material uploaded online everyday? Zoe speaks with former moderators and tech insiders to hear how AI is coping with the challenges of monitoring the web.
Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Assistant Producer: Reuben Huxtable
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Sound Designer: Dan King
Series Editor: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m0024wbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000gvmd)
Eavesdropper
Claire is a dedicated and highly successful secret agent, charged with the surveillance of potential terrorists. Her work is challenging but dangerous and, on a mission, she ignores instructions - with almost fatal consequences.
Suffering acute acoustic trauma, she is fitted with a new hearing device which she is promised will prevent her from becoming permanently deaf. But, just before she returns to work, she finds her hearing has become so vivid that she is increasingly aware of unusual sounds - and sometimes a voice instructing her what to do.
The stress of this leads to serious consequences in both her professional and private life, as her husband finds it even more difficult to cope with the demands her job puts on their relationship. His pleas for her to take things more easily are ignored and her life becomes increasingly difficult on all levels.
Cast includes Lydia Leonard [Gentleman Jack], Lee Ingleby [Line of Duty, The A Word], David Rintoul [The Crown] and Anton Lesser [The Trial of Christine Keeler, The Crown].
Cast:
CLAIRE ..... Lydia Leonard
PAUL ..... Lee Ingleby
VOICE ..... Anton Lesser
MIKE ..... David Rintoul
GRETA ..... Amaka Okafor
VALTERI ..... Stephen Critchlow
NURSE ..... Rachel Atkins
VOICES ..... David Holt
RECEPTIONIST ..... Beth Eyre
Author: Jeremy Raison
Director: Cherry Cookson
A Rockethouse Production for BBC Radio 4
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m0024x12)
The Old Lags - Bristol
Clare joins a long established group as they embark on their 100th walk. Their route takes them from Leigh Woods, under the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and into the heart of Bristol.
They call themselves The Old Lags, and every member was responsible during their careers for keeping our lights on and our kettles boiled as employees of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
They’re all retired now and David Miller, who runs the Old Lags, is certain they’d have lost touch had it not been for their shared love of a good stomp.
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m0024vy3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m0024x14)
BBC news service cuts. Johnny Marr's Great British Groups. In Our Time
Andrea Catherwood sits down with Director of BBC News Programmes John McAndrew to get answers on listeners' comments following the announcement of cuts - including the axing of long running World Service programme Hard Talk, with Stephen Sackur, the closure of the Asian Network's news team, a reshuffle for overnight bulletins on Radio 2 and 5Live and cutting R4's News Briefing at 0530.
Two music obsessives drop into our VoxBox to give their views on Johnny Marr's Great British Groups, a recent series on Radio 2. But did the legendary guitarist manage to settle the debate on the UK's best band once and for all?
And following a week of US election news, listeners got in touch about something that might seem unlikely - the discussion of the life and works of 17th century poet George Herbert on In Our Time. A reading of "the most beautiful poem in the world" in which Love welcomes us like a pub landlord, some singing, and the expertise of three Herbert-ologists made for, in some listeners' views, an uplifting audio experience.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m0024x16)
European defence in the new Trump era
All over Europe and in the corridors of Nato policy makers are discussing the implications for the continent of the Trump victory in the American presidential election. For 70 years the alliance with the USA has been the foundation stone of European defence. During his last term in office, it was reported that Trump wanted to take the US out of Nato. That didn’t happen but he made clear his discontent at the lack of defence spending among member states.
Can that alliance can be maintained, if so on what terms and if not, what then?
Guests:
Heather Conley, a senior advisor to the think tank, the German Marshall Fund's (GMF) board of trustees
Elisabeth Braw, who is now at the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative
Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, of The Economist
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m0024x18)
Nuclear medicine shortages and Jane Goodall on COP29
A shortage of medical isotopes used to detect cancer has experts concerned that the shortfall could be delaying diagnosis and could even be costing lives.
Exactly what these nuclear medicines are and how they are made is key to understanding the national scarcity. So, we’re going back to basics and learning all about medical isotopes.
We also speak to world-famous conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall who, now aged 90, continues to travel the globe campaigning to protect the natural world.
Dame Goodall reflects on a life of studying our closest living animal relatives, chimpanzees, and as COP29 gets under way, speaks about the “closing window of time” to turn the tide on climate change and nature loss.
Also this week, we answer the listener question “Why don’t we just throw nuclear waste into volcanoes?” and can Marnie spot AI vs real poetry?
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
THU 17:00 PM (m0024x1b)
Universities facing year of woe
Almost three-quarters of universities are heading towards financial difficulties next year. Also, former chief exec of Sainsbury's Justin King on government's growth strategy.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024x1d)
Figures show an rise in the number of staff sacked for misconduct in England and Wales
THU 18:30 Unspeakable (m0024x1g)
Series 1
3. Unlikely ways to get fit and keep warm
Amy Gledhill invents a new way to keep warm this winter, Andrew Maxwell has a new word for an unlikely way to get fit, and Rob Rinder evokes a surprising moment of secret happiness.
Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words.
Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent
Guests: Amy Gledhill, Andrew Maxwell and Rob Rinder
Created by Joe Varley
Writer: Matt Crosby
Recorded by Jerry Peal
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash Lockmun
A Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m0024x1j)
On their way to Handale Prison Neil and Susan are both feeling nervous, but pleased George has agreed to see them. When they get there though George is bitter and distant, seemingly more concerned about what other prisoners will think if he’s too friendly with his grandparents. Neil and Susan struggle finding a subject George doesn’t twist into an angry response. When Neil raises how worried they are about bad influences on him, George makes it clear he only invited them out of pity and wants them to go. Neil then has a go at George about how much it has cost Susan in particular coming on this visit, but George responds by guilt tripping them over what could happen to him in prison - and it will be all their fault. On their way home Neil and Susan admit the visit was awful and George was horrible. They wonder what they’re going to tell Emma, who texts, then rings. They consider glossing over the whole experience, but in the end it might be better to just tell Emma the truth.
At Bridge Farm Pat and Tony are pleased with the handsome new buck that’s arrived, hopeful that serious Henry won’t turn out anything like George. When Pat expresses her frustration that Helen hasn’t just gone ahead and bought Kirsty’s Beechwood house Tony tells her about his idea of building an eco-house. He admits they’d have to okay everything with Helen, Tom and Natasha, but Pat thinks they’re too old to make such a big change. However, Tony isn’t giving up on his dream just yet.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m0024x1l)
Paul Mescal on Gladiator II, Murakami's latest novel, Test Tube baby drama Joy
Tom Sutcliffe talks to Paul Mescal about slipping into Russell Crowe’s sandals in Gladiator 2 – as well as reviewing the film itself with classically-trained Guardian journalist Charlotte Higgins and film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh. They also talk about Haruki Murakami's first new book for six years, The City and Its Uncertain Walls and the Netflix drama Joy, about how beginnings of IVF.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Paula McGrath
THU 20:00 The Media Show (m0024wb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m0024vp5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 The Warsaw Ghetto: History as Survival (m001ljg7)
8. Uprising
The Oyneg Shabes project was history as survival. Anton Lesser narrates a 10 part series based on a remarkable archive of the life & destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. Episode 8-Uprising. 80 years ago this month the last days of the Warsaw Ghetto were played out in revolt & fiery destruction.
Before the Ghetto & its people perished, historian & activist Emanuel Ringelblum led a clandestine project to collect and record the world of half a million people. Codenamed Oyneg Shabes (Joy of the Sabbath), the archive gathered diaries, poetry, statistical studies, interviews, art & ephemera. The voices and thoughts of a people under Nazi occupation. Once it became clear that the Nazis intended to kill them all, it was buried for survival & the judgement of history.
By late 1942, few doubted that life in the Ghetto would last more than a matter of months. Those who had avoided deportation to Treblinka now contemplated resistance. For many that meant constructing deep shelters-living was resistance. A few hundred desperately acquired arms to fight the German murderers. A full scale uprising began on April 19th, 1943. The largest civilian uprising in Europe. A month of fighting would write a new legend of Jewish revolt, humiliate the Nazi occupiers and see the Ghetto burnt to the ground. Emanuel Ringelblum witnessed the first days of the fighting whilst Ghetto poet Wladyslaw Szlengel wrote words for battle.
Narration by Anton Lesser with the voices of Eliot Levey, Alfred Molina & Simon Russell Beale. Translation Emily Julia Roche, Marcel Weyland & Samuel Kassow. Written & produced by Mark Burman. For more information on the Oyneg Shabes archive go to https://www.jhi.pl/en/research/the-ringelblum-archive-and-the-oneg-shabbat-group/about-the-ringelblum-archive
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m0024x1n)
Could Trump presidency push UK closer to EU?
The UK must "rebuild relations" with the European Union "while respecting the decision of the British people" who voted to leave in 2016, the Bank of England's governor has said. We ask if the prospect of tariffs under a Donald Trump presidency could make the UK seek closer ties with the EU.
Donald Trump has nominated the anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Junior as his Health Secretary.
We're in South Africa where thousands of illegal miners are stuck underground, refusing to leave for fear of arrest. One person has already died.
And satirical magazine The Onion buys the consipiracy theory website - Infowars - with the help of parents who lost their children in a school shooting in Sandy Hook, in the US state of Connecticut.
THU 22:45 Precipice by Robert Harris (m0024x1q)
Episode Four
PRECIPICE by Robert Harris
For Armistice Day - 110 years after the outbreak of the First World War - a story of intrigue and secrets in the corridors of power.
In the summer of 1914, the young aristocrat and socialite Venetia Stanley is having an affair with a married, much older man.
That man is the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith.
As well as meeting regularly at social events they see each other privately on Friday afternoon drives in the Prime Minister’s limousine. In between times, Asquith writes to Venetia obsessively, but when he starts sharing sensitive matters of state and top secret documents, the letters are no longer merely evidence of an illicit relation-ship but a matter of national security …
Episode 4
As the crisis deepens, the Prime Minister is distracted by the desire to visit Venetia in Wales.
Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting, is best known for his best-selling fiction, including Fatherland, Enigma, The Ghost Writer, Archangel and An Officer And A Spy. Precipice is his sixteenth novel.
Writer: Robert Harris
Reader: John Heffernan
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m0024x1s)
Rural Revolt
Ahead of a planned protest by farmers who are angry about the Budget, Amol and Nick talk to farmer and best-selling author James Rebanks.
Plus, as Donald Trump's top team takes shape and he hires Elon Musk to jointly lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency”, they discuss what his appointments tell us about his approach to China and the war in Ukraine.
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you’ll get an alert every time we release a new episode and you won’t miss our extra bonus episodes either.
You can also listen to the latest episode of The Today Podcast any time on your smart speaker by saying “Smart Speaker, ask BBC Sounds to play The Today Podcast.”
If you have a question you’d like Amol and Nick to answer, get in touch by sending us a message on WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
The senior producer is Lewis Vickers, the producer is Nadia Gyane, research and digital production from Joe Wilkinson. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Daniel Ehrlich.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0024x1v)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question the government about how changes to National Insurance will affect care homes and hospices.
FRIDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2024
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m0024x1x)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Money by David McWilliams (m0024x0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0024x1z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0024x21)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0024x23)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m0024x25)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0024x27)
Clown Shoes and Curly Wig
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Alexandra Drew
Good morning.
My grandad didn’t earn any medals or achieve much in the way of certificates or qualifications. But he was a great man in my eyes. He worked the bars of many a Weston Super Mare hotel, had great banter with the guests, occasionally stepping out from behind the bar to dance them round the floor under the glittering disco ball for a turn or two, and making us all laugh by wearing his enormous red clown shoes and curly wig to match.
Grandad was the one who wordlessly collected me and take me home when I got into mischief, who would press £5 pound notes into my hand with that special secret grandparent handshake, who gave me a lifelong taste for a certain purple chocolate brand, and who was endlessly and vocally proud of me, not matter what I did.
You’ll have your own treasured memories of grandparents or special older relatives in your life, but those are just some of mine.
Many grandparents fulfil an important role in their families – making children laugh, looking after them, praying for them, and sometimes supporting their families financially too.
In the Bible, we can read about the important role of grandparents for future generations and that “grandchildren are the crown of the aged”.
So today I give thanks for grandparents and other older people whose kindness has been a blessing to us. Help us to remember them and replicate the love they showed us in our encounters with young people. Help us to be a blessing to grandparents and older people who now need our kindness and love. And comfort us in our sadness over those who are no longer with us.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m0024x29)
15/11/24 - Scotland's Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Farmer Time
The budget for agriculture in Scotland comes from the UK Government - but as of two weeks ago, it’s no longer ring fenced. The change has attracted criticism from farming groups. But the DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, has defended the decision, saying his Government believes in devolution, and that comes with the power to decide where money is spent. We hear from Scotland's Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon.
A change to the Suckler Support Scheme in Scotland aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making calf production more intensive. It’s being introduced as part of the country’s new Agriculture Act, and it’s rooted in the idea that more efficient beef farming means less carbon and less methane. Some beef farmers, however, fear it could have an impact on animal welfare as well as some farm incomes.
And "Farmer Time" is an initiative set up by Cambridgeshire farmer, Tom Martin, which connects teachers with farmers, so children can have regular catch ups with a farmer. So far ten thousand pupils have enjoyed lessons enhanced by their own ‘class farmer’ through a live video-link and the initiative is one of our three finalists in the "Farming for the Future" category of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards.
Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons
FRI 06:00 Today (m0024x40)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m000fdxw)
Ian Wright, former footballer and broadcaster
Ian Wright is a former professional footballer and now a football pundit on TV and radio. He began his career at Crystal Palace before moving to Arsenal where he became their highest goal scorer of all time, a record only surpassed eight years later by Thierry Henry.
Born to a Jamaican couple in south-east London, Ian grew up with his mother and step-father. His biological father had left the family when Ian was under two years old. Things at home were difficult and Ian spent as much time as possible outside playing football.
At his primary school a teacher, Mr Pigden, took him under his wing and Ian would later credit him with changing his life. He left his secondary school at the age of 14 to get a job. Although he took part in trials for many professional football clubs as a teenager, he was never selected. He continued to play for amateur sides. By the age of 21, he had three children to provide for, so when Crystal Palace came calling in 1985, he turned them down three times before accepting a two-week trial, followed by a three-month contract. His football career had finally begun.
After impressing as a forward at Palace, he was bought by Arsenal for a record fee in 1991. He was called up to the England squad the same year and would go on to collect 33 caps. He spent his last couple of years in professional football at a number of clubs around the country and in total, he played 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in England and Scotland. Since his retirement from football in 2000, he has had a career as a pundit on both TV and radio.
He has eight children and has been happily married to his second wife, Nancy, since 2011.
DISC ONE: The Marriage of Figaro: Duettino - Sull'aria by Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, composed by Lorenzo Da Ponte and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
DISC TWO: Looking For You by Kirk Franklin
DISC THREE: River Deep Mountain High by Ike and Tina Turner
DISC FOUR: Redemption Song by Bob Marley & The Wailers
DISC FIVE: Mysteries of the World by MSFB
DISC SIX: Endlessly by Randy Crawford
DISC SEVEN: Crown by Stormzy
DISC EIGHT: Just Fine by Mary J Blige
BOOK CHOICE: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
LUXURY ITEM: A seven iron golf club and golf balls
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Endlessly by Randy Crawford
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Cathy Drysdale
FRI 09:45 Continental Divides (m0023gjz)
Episode 5: Politics versus the Past
Misha Glenny explores a number of political divides facing Europe and asks whether the continent is undergoing the same crises it went through in the 1930s.
In this final episode, he explores the memory wars where extreme voices look to revise our understanding of past atrocities. In Spain, he hears from archaeologists on the front line of unearthing - literally - victims of Francoist repression. And historians in Croatia describe war crimes at a concentration camp run by Croatian fascists in WWII and explain how it has become an explosive political football.
Producer: Artemis Irvine
Executive Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mix: Simon Jarvis
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0024x42)
Forgotten Children, Women in the Green Industry, La Clique
This week Woman’s Hour has featured the Forgotten Children series about the impact on children when a parent is sent to prison. So what do the Government intend to do about the problem? Anita Rani speaks to Labour MP Jake Richards and Conservative MP Richard Holden about the possibility of cross party action on this issue.
A video has been going viral since yesterday: New Zealand MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke brought the country’s parliament to a halt by performing a haka in protest at a controversial bill seeking to reinterpret the country's founding treaty with Māori people. Maori journalist Jamie Tahana tells Anita what happened, and what it means for the country.
Actor Halle Berry attended a fashion show wearing the same dress she memorably wore while accepting the Oscar for best actress in 2002. Thanks to her role in “Monster’s Ball,” Berry was the first black woman in history to take home the accolade, making the gown — which features a burgundy skirt and sheer bodice adorned with floral appliqué — all the more special. Anita explores this with Rosana Lai fashion editor at Glamour UK.
COP29 - the UN's climate conference – has been taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan this week. The assembled delegates have been discussing ways to limit and prepare for future climate change with a particular focus on how to finance poorer countries adaptation to climate change. To coincide with this annual event LinkedIn has released some new data about green jobs and skills. Anita speaks to Sue Duke, VP of Global Public Policy for LinkedIn & their spokesperson for global gender parity.
The Oliver award-winning cabaret, comedy and circus sensation La Clique was born at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004 and has since toured the globe. It is celebrating twenty years with a new show just opened at London’s Leicester Square. We meet two of its artists: Katharine Arnold, an aerialist and choreographer and Miranda Menzies, who specialises in the ancient art of hair suspension.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Karen Dalziel
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m0024x44)
Frankopan on Food
Peter Frankopan, the author of Silk Roads and Earth Transformed, shares his insights with Dan Saladino on food, history and questions for our future.
Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.
FRI 11:45 Money by David McWilliams (m0024x46)
Cheap British Beer
Economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humanity and money with expertise, insight and humour. From a Stone Age tally stick to the micro-financing scheme revolutionising the developing world, ‘Money’ explores how we have shaped, and been shaped by, money.
Today, he considers the recent history of money as well as its possible future – from a run on the punt to the rise of M-PESA.
Read by the author
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He is the founder of Kilkenomics, the world’s only economics and stand-up comedy festival. ‘Davos with jokes’ takes place in November in Kilkenny.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0024x48)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m0024x4b)
Beak and Talon
Nothing beats the sight of a top predator as it hunts. In the British Isles that means looking up. Our birds of prey are bouncing back after decades of shooting, poisoning and habitat loss. Buzzard numbers are up by 80% since 1995 and Red Kite by 2000%. Peregrine Falcon are thriving in London and Marsh Harriers have returned to our wetlands.
Helen gets up close to Black Kites and an Eagle Owl at the Owl and Raptor Centre in Kent and travel writer Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent describes the extraordinary migration of tens of thousands of birds of prey through the Batumi Gap on the border of Georgia and Turkey.
The RSPB's Mark Thomas and Robert Benson of the Moorland Association discuss the threat that birds of prey still face on some of Britain's shooting estates and Jennifer Ackerman, author of 'What An Owl Knows' joins Tom and Helen to explore the science behind the night-hunting skills of so many owls.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
Assistant Producer: Toby Field
Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0024x4d)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0024x4g)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.
FRI 13:45 The Moderators (m0024x4j)
Episode Five - The Future
Over 500 hours of video are posted on YouTube every minute. Over 4 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every hour. There are around 500 million posts to X (formerly Twitter) every single day. These numbers are growing by the second.
How do you even begin to monitor and police such a relentless avalanche of information? In this new series, Zoe Kleinman journeys into the world of the online content moderators.
Big social media platforms rely on automation for much of the work, but they also need an army of human moderators to screen out the content that is harmful. Many moderators spend their days looking at graphic imagery, including footage of killings, war zones, torture and self-harm. We hear many stories about what happens when this content falls through the net, but we don’t hear much about the people trying to contain it. This is their story.
The battle against harmful online content is hitting the headlines more every day, even as AI moderation gathers pace. Ironically it needs moderation itself.
In this final episode of the series, Zoe explores what the future of moderation looks like.
Demand from many consumers and internet users for greater regulation and accountability is growing. But will government regulation be enough to solve the moderation crisis?
Zoe speaks with former moderators, academics and Silicon Valley insiders to get a sense of how big tech, AI and algorithms are all evolving. She hears how the field of moderation needs to change to cope with the challenges of an online world that seems to be moving at the speed of light.
Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
Assistant Producer: Reuben Huxtable
Sound Designer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m0024x1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m00238rn)
Central Intelligence - Series 1
Central Intelligence: Episode 10
The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in a 40-year career, became one of its most powerful women. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the staggering world events that shaped her career, as well as portraying her relationships with early CIA leaders, Allen Dulles (Ed Harris), Richard Helms (Johnny Flynn).
In Episode 10, emboldened by success in Iran, CIA boss Allen Dulles turns his attention to Guatemala, where the socialist-leaning reforms of President Arbenz are having a negative impact on US interests. If a popular uprising can be engineered, the spread of socialism amongst America’s neighbours can be nipped in the bud. But short-term wins can lead to unforeseen consequences.
Cast:
Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall
Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris
Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn
Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend
Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict
President Eisenhower..........Kerry Shale
Foster Dulles..........Nathan Osgood
Al Haney..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy
Richard Bissell..........Philip Desmeules
Tracy Barnes..........Adam Sina
Arbenz..........Walles Hamonde
David Philips..........Wayne Forester
Office Junior ..........Natasha Arancini
Original music is by Sacha Puttnam
Production:
Written by Greg Haddrick, who created the series with Jeremy Fox
Sound Designers & Editors: John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams, Martha Littlehailes & Andreina Gomez Casanova
Script Consultant: Misha Kawnel
Script Supervisor: Alex Lynch
Trails: Jack Soper
Archive Research: Andy Goddard & Alex Lynch
Production Assistant: Jo Troy
Sonica Studio Sound Engineers: Mat Clark & Paul Clark
Sonica Runner: Flynn Hallman
Marc Graue Sound Engineers, LA: Juan Martin del Campo & Tony Diaz
Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Sound Engineer, LA: Bruce Bueckert
Mirrortone Sound Engineers, NY: Collin Stanley Dwarzski & James Quesada
Director: John Scott Dryden
Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn
Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Scott Dryden.
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4
ANNOUNCEMENT - Series 2 of CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE will be released in 2025.
FRI 14:45 Something to Declare (m00252r6)
How to Build for Our Future
Jack Boswell explores northeast India to uncover the ancient, awe-inspiring tradition of Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges.
Joining him is Dr Wilfrid Middleton, a researcher in Living Architecture, who’s been studying these extraordinary structures since 2017. Grown from the aerial roots of the Ficus elastica tree, these resilient bridges are woven over generations, offering the community not just a passage across rivers but a deeper connection to nature and protection of their land, withstanding monsoon rains and landslides.
Wilfrid explains how these living bridges grow under the hands of villagers, shaped over decades by careful guidance and community collaboration. They thrive and strengthen over time, adapting to the changing landscape around them. The bridges serve both as a literal and symbolic bridge across generations, uniting people in a shared effort that will serve future villagers long after the builders have gone.
Jack also speaks with Morningstar Khongthaw, founder of the Living Bridge Foundation, who passionately describes his mission to preserve and nurture these bridges for future generations. Morningstar reflects on the responsibility he feels to educate younger villagers in the art of building and maintaining the root bridges - a skill passed down through stories, hands-on practice, and the patient guidance of elders. For him, these living bridges embody a philosophy of life that values endurance, harmony with nature, and a vision that stretches far beyond one lifetime.
This episode invites listeners to rethink modern building practices and embrace the wisdom embedded in Meghalaya’s living bridges. These remarkable structures offer a model of regenerative design, resilience, and community spirit, reminding us of the powerful legacy that thoughtful, patient care can create. In an age of rapid construction, the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya show us that sometimes, the best way forward is to take the long view.
Host: Jack Boswell
Producer: Emma Crampton
Senior Producer: Harry Stott
Executive Producer: Sandra Ferrari
Production Coordinator: James Cox
Audio Supervisor: Tom Biddle
Sound Editor: Alan Leer
A Message Heard production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0024x4m)
Birmingham: Emotional Plants, Green Manure and Scents
Do plants have feelings? When should I plant green manure? Why do leaves drop more in autumn than any other time of the year?
Kathy Clugston and a team of gardening experts visit Birmingham Botanical Gardens to solve the gardening issues of the audience. On the panel this week are ethnobotanist James Wong, proud plantsman Matthew Biggs and garden designer Juliet Sargeant.
Later, James Wong and Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Senior Nursery Horticulturist Bethan Collerton discuss some useful tips and tricks on how to protect your tender or less hardy plants during the winter months.
Senior Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0024x4p)
Grace's Cave
‘I haven’t had a birthday since I was ten years old. That makes me sound like I’m immortal or a vampire, but it’s really not like that.’
Kat is about to turn sixteen on the anniversary of her sister Grace’s disappearance 5 years ago and her anxious parents are on overdrive. Everything in Kat’s life since Grace failed to come home has been the result of loss; her life is defined by her sister’s absence. When Kat goes out running with her dog her Mum insists that both she and the dog wear a GPS tracker at all times. A message glimpsed on social media leads Kat to uncover the dark history of the local area but will she find out what really happened to her sister that terrible night 5 years ago?
A Short Work inspired by the history of the Mendip Hills.
Sanjida Kay has had four psychological thrillers published by Corvus Books: Bone by Bone, The Stolen Child, My Mother’s Secret and One Year Later. Bone by Bone went straight into the Amazon kindle best-selling list. It was long listed for the CWA Steel Dagger Award and nominated as one of the best crime and thriller books of 2016 by the Guardian and the Sunday Express. Her books have been optioned for TV, and published in other countries. She’s had two short stories published in collections: The Beautiful Game, in The Perfect Crime, published by Harper Collins, which was shortlisted for a CWA Short Story Dagger; and The Divide in The Book of Bristol (Comma Press), which won the CWA Short Story Dagger.
Under her own name of Sanjida O’Connell, she’s had four novels and four non-fiction books published. She’s also contributed to two encyclopaedias, had poetry and short stories published in anthologies and edited two collections of work by students for the charity, First Story. Sanjida has been shortlisted for the BBC Asia Awards, the Betty Trask Award for Romantic Fiction, the Daily Telegraph Science Writer's Award, Asian Woman of the Year, and was highly commended for BBC Wildlife Magazine's Award for Nature Writing.
https://www.sanjida.co.uk/
Written by Sanjida Kay
Read by Halema Hussain
Produced by Alison Crawford
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m0024x4r)
Timothy West, Sir John Nott, June Spencer, Nadia Cattouse
Matthew Bannister on the versatile actor Timothy West whose roles ranged from Shakespeare to soap operas. Sir Ian McKellen pays tribute.
Sir John Nott, the Conservative politician who was Defence Secretary at the time of the Falklands War.
June Spencer who played the matriarch of Ambridge, Peggy Wooley. She was the last original cast member.
Nadia Cattouse, who was born in what is now Belize. She signed up to serve Britain during the second world war and became a singer and advocate for the Windrush generation.
Interviewee: Sir Ian McKellen
Interviewee: Jeremy Howe
Interviewee: Sunny Ormonde
Interviewee: Sir Michael Heseltine
Interviewee: Sir Hugo Swire
Interviewee: Mike Lindup
Producer: Catherine Powell
Archive used:
Arena “ Theatre The Prospect Before Us” BBC Two 20th April 1977; “The Tragedy of King Richard II” 30th July 1970; “Great Canal Journeys, Bristol and North Devon”
Channel 4 Director Mike Taylor October 23rd 2016; “EastEnders” BBC One 17th November 2014; “Churchill & The General” BBC Two 23rd September 1979; The Archers BBC Radio 4 3rd November 2008/ 31st July 2022; Desert Island Discs 28th February 2022; Pick of the Week 14th August 2022; American Masters Digital Archive: “Nadia Cattouse Paul Robeson Here I stand”. 27th July 1998. American Archive of Public Broadcasting; BBC Radio: “Two of a Kind: Amid The Alien Corn. “ 26th November 1963;
“Angels” BBC TV 24th November 1975
FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m0024w8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m0024x4t)
Trump’s Health Secretary pick raises vaccine fears
Could Robert Kennedy’s vaccine scepticism damage public health? Professor Andrew Pollard assesses the risk. Plus, why Afghans make up the second-largest group of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon on AI efforts to write poetry.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0024x4w)
15/11/24 UK economy barely grows with Budget fears blamed
The UK economy barely grew between July and September, with Budget uncertainty blamed
FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (m0024x4y)
Series 25
Dead Ringers: Ep 3. New World Disorder
Donald Trump makes some surprising new additions to his team, there’s an unexpected guest at COP29, Nigel Farage accepts that climate change is real, and Justin Welby explains the real reason for his resignation.
This week's impressionists are Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, Jess Robinson, Duncan Wisbey and Jason Forbes
The episode was written by: Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Rob Darke, Edward Tew, Joe Topping, Christina Riggs, Pravanya Pillay with additional material by Lizzy Mansfield and Vicky Richards.
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Produced and created by Bill Dare
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m0024x50)
Writer: Katie Hims
Director: Mel Ward
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Harrison Burns…. James Cartwright
Neil Carter…. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter…. Charlotte Martin
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
George Grundy …. Angus Stobie
Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler
Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m00252r8)
Musicals
In the year that Jacques Demy’s beloved Umbrellas of Cherbourg turns 60, Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones reflect on their favourite aspects of the screen musical.
According to some, we’re currently in the midst of a movie musicals revival, with Jon M Chu’s Wicked hot on the heels of Emila Perez and Joker: Folie à Deux, but will any of them match what Ellen considers to be the pinnacle of the form, the 1950s Hollywood musical?
Her love of the classic MGM musicals primed Ellen to be a huge fan of the TV show Crazy Ex Girlfriend when it came along. This is the musical sitcom that took all of these essential elements of the 1950s Hollywood musical, then recombined them with a very 21st Century approach to relationships and mental health. Ellen speaks with Crazy Ex Girlfriend creator and star Rachel Bloom about Disney, writing jokes for the screen, and spontaneous singing.
But it’s essential to pay proper tribute to the classics, and in particular the work of American lyricist and producer Arthur Freed. Ellen sat down with writer, filmmaker and actor Manuela Lazic to talk about Freed’s masterpiece, 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain which stars Gene Kelly, who also co-directed with Stanley Donen.
And Mark meets Janis Pugh, director of Chuck Chuck Baby, a low budget, British indie charmer set in a chicken processing factory that is deeply influenced by Jacques Demy’s 1964 French hit The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
Janis Pugh is not alone in her love of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It follows the story of two young lovers whose future together is interrupted by the Algerian war, with the French dialogue entirely sung and set perfectly to the music of Michel Le Grand. Writer and editor of Little White Lies, David Jenkins, is a huge fan of Jacques Demy, and he speaks with Mark about the film’s influences and legacy.
Produced by Freya Hellier.
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m0024x52)
Baroness Brown, Sarah Champion MP, Lord Elliott, Catherine Pepinster
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St John's Church in Ranmoor, Sheffield, with Julia King, the Baroness Brown of Cambridge, who chairs the independent Climate Change Committee's adaptation committee; Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion MP, chair of the Commons international development committee; Conservative peer Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell, former chief executive of Vote Leave who is now president of the Jobs Foundation; and Catherine Pepinster, journalist and broadcaster who specialises in religious affairs.
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Lead broadcast engineer: Liam Juniper
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m0024x54)
Existentialism and an Escaped Monkey
From the escape of Cholmondley the chimp from London Zoo in 1848, to Chichi from the Kharkiv Zoo in 2022, to a group of 43 macaque monkeys from a research facility in South Carolina last week, Megan Nolan reflects on the great annals of animal escapes and why they hold an almost mystical appeal to humans.
She believes the reason they are so potent is that they contain the 'dazzling knowledge that things which ARE so, need not REMAIN so'.
'In a week where it felt especially apparent that we have no meaningful ability to shape the world in which we live', writes Megan, the realisation that we can defy inevitability is intoxicating.'
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m0024x56)
Cosy comfort reading or Nietzsche?
A cosy cottage with warming fireplaces, comfort food, crime dramas on tv: Matthew Sweet and guests discuss art, literature and drama that are comfortable to engage with and how difficulty, a dedication to campaigning or the reading of Nietzsche might disrupt this. Does a theatre critic tell audiences they are in for a thought provoking show? And what role does it play in social and politial thinking today? Our guests include:
Deborah Sugg Ryan, writer and broadcaster and Professor Emerita of Design History at the University of Portsmouth.
Sir Alexander McCall Smith prolific author of the best selling Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
Bioethicist and Fellow of the British Academy Tom Shakespeare
Theatre Critic Susannah Clapp.
Philosopher and Nietzsche expert Hugo Drochon.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m0024x58)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Precipice by Robert Harris (m0024x5b)
Episode Five
PRECIPICE by Robert Harris
For Armistice Day - 110 years after the outbreak of the First World War - a story of intrigue and secrets in the corridors of power.
In the summer of 1914, the young aristocrat and socialite Venetia Stanley is having an affair with a married, much older man.
That man is the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith.
As well as meeting regularly at social events they see each other privately on Friday afternoon drives in the Prime Minister’s limousine. In between times, Asquith writes to Venetia obsessively, but when he starts sharing sensitive matters of state and top secret documents, the letters are no longer merely evidence of an illicit relation-ship but a matter of national security …
Episode 5
Military Intelligence send Deemer to investigate the fragments of confidential government documents that have been found by members of the public.
Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting, is best known for his best-selling fiction, including Fatherland, Enigma, The Ghost Writer, Archangel and An Officer And A Spy. Precipice is his sixteenth novel.
Writer: Robert Harris
Reader: John Heffernan
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 Americast (m0024x5d)
The Trump-whisperers
The involvement of Donald Trump’s close-knit family defined his first term in the White House.
Eight years later, his circle of advisers appears to have expanded, welcoming a cadre of media personalities and influencers.
Who’s in Trump’s orbit now? Which of his family members are raising their profiles, and who is taking a step out of the spotlight?
Sarah and Marianna examine who has the president-elect’s ear with Trump biographer Marc Fisher.
HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent
GUEST:
• Marc Fisher, Associate editor at The Washington Post and co-author of ‘Trump Revealed’
GET IN TOUCH:
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• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Daniel Ehrlich. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m0024x5g)
Alicia McCarthy reports as peers debate prison sentences with no release date, MPs discuss "furniture poverty" and a former Deputy Speaker explains why the Speaker gets cross.