SATURDAY 03 MAY 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002bjrd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Conflict and Co-operation: A History of Trade (m002bjq3)
Age of Anxiety

Author and economist Paul Seabright concludes his series by looking ahead and asking what the events of 2025 will look like a couple of decades from now.

Produced by Chris Ledgard for BBC Audio Bristol


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bjrg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bjrk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002bjrp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bjrt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bjry)
Our place in the universe

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


SAT 05:45 Child (m001xl5b)
Series 1

17. Milk

Milk. However it comes its a vital source of life. India Rakusen explores it’s various forms and the history and politics that have shaped the way we view how we feed our babies.

The pressures around feeding our new-borns can be intensely difficult to navigate. India speaks to a new mum, Kerry, about her experience expressing and feeding in neonatal wards. She also finds out how milk is built from scientist Mary Fewtrell and talks to historian and author Joanna Wolfarth about the way milk has ruled motherhood, and how we can move forward.

Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Ellie Sans
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and ESKA Mtungwazi
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed

A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002brp6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m002bj73)
Wild and Windy Fylde

The Fylde peninsula stands between Morecombe Bay, the Bowland Hills and the Irish Sea. Its position means that it's a very windy spot. Windmills have been a feature of the area for hundreds of years, built to grind grain and drain marshy areas in order to turn them into agricultural land. At one point there were over thirty-five windmills on the Fylde coast. Rendered obsolete by the arrival of new technologies – first steam, then electricity - only a few are still standing today. In this programme, Martha Kearney visits one of the last remaining windmills, Little Marton in Blackpool. Built in 1838, it inspired the author Charles Allen Clarke to write 'Windmill Land', documenting the windmills of rural Lancashire. Martha is shown around the mill by the author's grand-daughter, who explains its significance.

Martha travels inland to discover how some of the impacts of the previous generations' decisions about landscape management are being reversed. Where land was once drained, in some places it is now being "re-wetted". She visits Winmarleigh carbon farm where Lancashire Wildlife Trust is running a project to restore peatland which was damaged in the past by drainage, involving planting 150,000 plugs of sphagnum moss. She learns how that's done, and meets the scientist who's monitoring the effect this has on greenhouse gas emissions.

Back on the coast again at Lytham St Annes, Martha finds out about the role the wind has to play in 21st century activities in the area, where sports like kite-surfing and land-yachting are growing in popularity. She meets a man whose father set up the local land-yachting club, and who - now in his 80s - is still going strong in the sport.

Producer: Emma Campbell
Assistant producer: Jo Peacey


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002brp8)
A challenge to Britain's ban on commercial fishing for sandeels in the North Sea has been partially upheld. The ban was introduced by both the English and Scottish governments in March last year because of concerns that so many sandeels were being fished that seabirds along the UK's East coastline were losing out. But Danish commercial sandeel boats said it threatened their future, and that claimed the move was discriminatory and disproportionate. They then took the case to the EU's Permanent Court of Arbitration, which upheld the ban in Scottish waters, but not the English one.

The British Veterinary Association and the Pig Veterinary Society have issued a new joint statement calling for farrowing crates to be banned. Farrowing crates are the small pens that 60% of sows in the UK are kept in around the time they give birth to ensure they don't roll on and crush their piglets.

New research published this week suggests that a spray, which boosts the equivalent of a plant's blood sugar, could improve wheat yields by 12%.

Conservation groups in Scotland are urging ministers to reject plans for an offshore windfarm which the developer predicts will kill tens of thousands of seabirds.

We grow some pulses in the UK and most go into animal feed for the high protein, things like beans and peas and even lupins. There is a drive to grow more pulses for feed here in the UK to replace imported soya, and research into the best options for British farmers is underway.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002brpb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002brpd)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002brpg)
Mark Addy, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, Mike and Andrew Lamport, Jason Mantzoukas

Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002brpj)
Series 23

Furnishing with Fungi

From mouldy bread to athlete’s foot, fungi don’t exactly scream “home improvement.” But what if this misunderstood kingdom is the secret to the sustainable materials of the future?

Listener Alexis - definitely not a gnome - wants to know how much of our homes we could build with fungi. Professor Katie Field describes how the mushroom is the just tip of the iceberg - it’s the network of thread-like filaments called mycelium where fungi really do their best work. Architect Phil Ayers explains how fungi, like yeast in bread, can bind waste products into firm, MDF-like blocks. And while we’re not constructing skyscrapers with mushrooms just yet, it turns out fungi-based materials are already making waves in interior design. Think sound-absorbing wall panels or insulation that’s both eco-friendly and chic.

And here’s a cool one: mushroom leather! Using discarded stalks from mushroom farms, one company is crafting strong, flexible material for trainers, handbags, and even car dashboards. Move over, cows - mushrooms are pushing their way up.

Oh, and NASA? They’re dreaming big with fungi too - to grow habitats in space. From mould...to the moon!

Contributors:

Katie Field - Professor of Plant-Soil Processes at the University of Sheffield
Phil Ayres - Professor of Biohybrid Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy
Patrick Baptista Pinto - co-founder of Really Clever
Maurizio Montalti - Co-founder and Chief Mycelium Officer of SQIM / MOGU
Lynn Rothschild - Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames research centre

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (b06pttqp)
Series 21

Mr Blue Sky

Mr Blue Sky is the Electric Light Orchestra's brilliantly off-beam classic song.

It was released as a single in 1978, having first appeared on the ELO album 'Out of the Blue' in 1977. Written by Jeff Lynne, it was a no.6 hit in the UK, and has endured on the radio airwaves ever since.

Tracey Collinson whose husband, Nigel, loved the track tells of the meaning it has for her.

Musicologist, Allan Moore, discusses the anomolous use of the word 'blue': usually associated with downbeat emotions, this is a peculiar subversion of that cultural norm with the word 'blue' conjuring happiness and good weather.

Tremayne Crossley and his friend, Jo Milne, tell the extraordinary story of how Jo heard music for the first time. This track played an important role in that event.

For Dr. Sam Illingworth, Mr Blue Sky will always take him back to the low-flying research-flights he made over the wetlands, greenlands and seas of the Arctic Circle with the shadow of the BAE146 plane beneath him and clear blue skies above.

The children of King's St. Albans in Worcester sing the track featuring at the end of the programme.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Karen Gregor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002brpl)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002brpn)
Protests in Gaza and Israel

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel and Gaza, China, Romania, Bolivia and the Vatican City.

In Gaza and Israel people have been taking to the streets to demand an end to the war. The protests have taken different forms, and as Paul Adams notes, also involve very different risks.

Amid the on-going trade war between China and the US, Laura Bicker speaks to Chinese traders at one of the world's biggest wholesale markets in Yiwu, to find out how Donald Trump's tariffs are affecting business.

After election results were annulled in Romania last year, the country faces a rerun this Sunday. The political chaos that followed the Constitutional Court's decision left a sour taste among many voters, finds Tessa Dunlop, who met people from across the political spectrum in Bucharest.

The Bolivian city of Potosi was once at the heart of the Spanish empire, thanks to the discovery of a mountain of silver in the 16th Century. Carolyn Lamboley paid a visit to the city, which is now a shell of what it was and met some of the miners who still work in the region.

Rome's trattorias and cafes are bustling with cardinals and their supporters as they deliberate the kind of leader they want as their new Pope. Veteran BBC Vatican correspondent, David Willey, has been observing the hushed conversations ahead of the Conclave which gathers in the Vatican on Wednesday.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002brpq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002brps)
Wealth Divide and Domestic Abuse

People over the age of 60 hold nearly £3 trillion of wealth in the value of their homes, almost all of it mortgage free. That is more than half of all housing wealth in the UK. Under 35s by contrast control only £600 billion and half of that is mortgaged. These startling figures were published recently by the upmarket estate agent Savills which has analysed housing data in Britain for many years. It says this disparity between young and old has never been bigger.

MPs, charities and free debt advice providers are calling for an urgent change in the law to help protect the finances of thousands of domestic abuse survivors. At the moment people, mainly women, who are left in debt after fleeing abusive relationships normally have to have their names and addresses published as part of the process of getting that debt written off. Something campaigners say not only puts their personal safety at risk, but can also put them off addressing financial problems altogether. The government has said its currently reviewing this matter and will update in due course.

And, annuities are a safe, regular income in retirement. You can use your pension fund to buy one and a growing number of people are doing just that. Sales of annuities have seen an 83% increase since 2020, based on figures from the Association of British Insurers. We'll discuss what's behind that rise.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This programme was first broadcast at 12pm Saturday 3rd May 2025)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002bjqt)
Series 117

3. Power Outrage

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Geoff Norcott, Lucy Porter, Ed Byrne and Marie Le Conte to unpack the week in news. Topics include the loss of power in the Iberian Peninsula, the gaining of power in the Canadian election, the US-Ukraine mineral deal, cyberattacks on M&S, and the medical benefits of Champagne.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Ruby Clyde, Eve Delaney, Cameron Loxdale and Laura Major.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002brpv)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002brpx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002bjr0)
Nigel Huddleston MP, Tim Montgomerie, Helen Morgan MP, Lucy Powell MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Epperstone Village Hall in Nottinghamshire with the co-chair of the Conservative party Nigel Huddleston MP, the political commentator Tim Montgomerie, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health and Social Care Helen Morgan MP and the Labour MP and Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell.

Producer: Robin Markwell
Lead Broadcast Engineer: Nat Stokes


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002brpz)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002bjqw)
When Freddie goes into work Vince updates him on the police and Food Standards Agency investigations. They’re shutting the abattoir for four days to conduct a deep clean, while their products are being recalled from when Rochelle started. At least the live-stream conked out halfway through, but the Academy contract has probably gone.

Rochelle turns up at Rex’s boat, saying she owes him the truth. Rex is furious and doesn’t believe her claim that she didn’t know what they were planning to do. He accuses her of abusing Joy’s good reputation and betraying the community. Rochelle is sorry for what she’s put Joy through, but still believes their cause is right. When she bangs her elbow Rex reluctantly gives her painkillers, before Rochelle admits Saskia became a mother-figure to her. But the group kicked her out before Christmas and this was her way of getting back in with them. Rex feels completely betrayed, even though Rochelle insists she fell in love with him. When Rex tells her to hand herself in to the police Rochelle promises she will, after the weekend.

While discussing the protest Chelsea reckons they went about it the wrong way and Pat becomes defensive about animal welfare standards. Pat feels patience is the key to a good protest, like with Borsetshire Water. Chelsea wants Pat to ask Peggy about war hero, Reginald D. Later, Pat reports another Laurels resident told her Reginald saved two children from drowning in the Am. Pat and Chelsea then look at more wartime photos – all the people in them were unsung heroes, Pat reckons.


SAT 15:00 Devils (m000rm9b)
Part 1

Gary Lilburn, Jane Whittenshaw , Georgia Henshaw and Jonathan Forbes star in Dostoevsky’s unsettling tale of revolution and betrayal. After years away from home, Nicholai Stavrogin returns to his old home town bringing with him the radical ‘free-thinkers’ of Petersburg, hell-bent on causing civil unrest. Dramatised by Melissa Murray.

Stepan ..... Gary Lilburn
Mrs Stavrogina ..... Jane Whittenshaw
Nicholai ..... Joseph Arkley
Pyotr ..... Jonathan Forbes
Darya ..... Charlotte East
Virginsky ..... Ian Dunnett Jr
Krillov ..... Hasan Dixon
Shatov ..... Stefan Adegbola
Lisa ..... Cecilia Appiah
Marya ..... Georgia Henshaw

Written by Melissa Murray
Directed by Carl Prekopp
Produced by Marc Beeby and Anne Isger


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002brq2)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Headteacher Emma Mills on smartphones, Paula Radcliffe, Met Gala fashion, London Grammar’s Hannah Reid

The negative effects that smartphones and social media access can have on students has become a national conversation in recent months, with differing views on who should take the lead in protecting children. Anita Rani was joined by secondary head teacher Emma Mills, whose school in Warrington has banned smartphones. Birchwood High attracted national attention two years ago when teenage student Brianna Ghey was murdered.

Paula Radcliffe held the marathon world record for more than 16 years. The four time British Olympian secured the Six Star Medal last week, and has now run all six original marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. Recently she's had her resilience tested in a whole new way - supporting her teenage daughter Isla through a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Now in recovery, Isla ran the London marathon last Sunday and Paula joined Nuala McGovern to discuss the experience.

With the Met Gala fast approaching, we take a closer look at the business behind the red carpet with International Style Correspondent for the New York Times, Elizabeth Paton, and Fashion Editor for Glamour Magazine, Rosie Lai.

For the last decade, Frances Ryan has been a columnist and reporter at The Guardian. She joined Nuala McGovern to discuss her new book - Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life. Part memoir, part manifesto, it explores six facets of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships and representation, as well as how to survive life's bumps in the road.

And London Grammar frontwoman Hannah Reid joined Nuala to discuss more than a decade at the helm of the band, their fourth album The Greatest Love, and what it’s been like navigating the music industry as a new parent.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Sarah Jane Griffiths


SAT 17:00 PM (m002brq4)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m002bj6s)
Sleep Headbands and Sleep Bars

Which products are best for bedtime listening?

According to a YouGov poll nearly half of us listen to music or podcasts to help us get to sleep and there are a range of products designed to do just that.

Listener Nick has seen wearable sleep headbands with speakers woven in to the fabric which he hopes will stop him waking up in the middle of the night with headphones or earbuds digging into his ears.

And listener David says his social media is promoting sleep bars that go under the pillow and claim to transmit sound via bone conduction.

To find out more, Greg is joined by acoustic expert Professor Trevor Cox and Lecturer at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, Ullrich Bartsch. They discuss the sound quality of these devices and whether it's a good idea to listen to music or podcasts at bedtime at all. Is there any evidence that it results in a good night's sleep?

All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807

PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002brq6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002brq8)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002brqb)
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wins re-election.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002brqd)
Alex Horne and The Horne Section, Susie Dent, Anoushka Shankar, Kate Wiliams, Callum Scott Howells, Clive Anderson

Taskmaster star, comic and sitcom actor Alex Horne joins Clive Anderson to talk about season two of his sitcom, to introduce his comedic band The Horne Section and tell us why he's never running out of taskmaster tasks. The lexicographer and broadcaster Susie Dent is now a mystery thriller writer too, she'll be with us to talk about twisty word clues and her all-encompassing love of the English language. Star of Its A Sin, Callum Scott-Howells is currently appearing on stage in Ibsen's Ghosts - he'll tell Clive why this 19th century play still has plenty to tell us today. The historian Kate Williams is often found on our TV screens telling us what's going on during coronations and royal weddings. But she's here to talk about her less sober side hustle - a podcast dishing the gossip from royal history. With music from Anoushka Shankar's latest album, the concluding part of a trilogy which has been orchestrated and will be part of this years' BBC Proms programme.

Presented by Clive Anderson
Produced by Olive Clancy


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002brqg)
Peter Navarro

President Trump shocked the world earlier this year when he announced plans to impose tariffs affecting nearly all goods entering America.

But rather than coming as a surprise, the US President had made the policy one of the key cornerstones of his re-election campaign. He'd also implemented some tariffs during his first term in office too.

Despite strong opposition to the move, President Trump enjoys the unflinching support of economist Peter Navarro, who is seen by many as the architect of the agenda. Having advised the US President during his first term in office, Navarro is back in the White House to see it through.

In this episode of Profile, Mark Coles explores the life, career and journey of Trump's key economic advisor on global trade.

Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Cooper, Lucy Pawle and Smita Patel
Researchers: Chloe Scannapieco and Darin Graham
Editor: Max Deveson
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Archive:
BBC News
C-SPAN
Politico


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002bj6l)
Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason was born in Nottingham in 1999 into a big musical family. He and his six siblings all grew up learning classical instruments, and appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. Sheku first made his mark as a solo performer the following year when he won the BBC Young Musician Of The Year competition. In 2018 a global audience of over a billion watched him perform live at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Since then he has received two classical Brit awards, An MBE for services to music, and performed at the Proms every year since 2017. His book The Power Of Music charts his creative journey, whilst his new album - his fifth release - includes recording of works by Shostakovich and Britten.

Sheku talks to John Wilson about the early influence of his paternal grandfather, a classical music lover who encouraged an appreciation of chamber music, including Schubert's Trout Quintet. Sheku also discusses his cellist heroes Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich and explains how the music of reggae superstar Bob Marley has been an inspiration throughout his life.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0014wnj)
It's The Pictures That Got Smaller

Telegraph film Critic Robbie Collin has committed a mortal sin against the gods of cinema themselves. Instead of brushing up on film history during the pandemic, he spent hours on the end on his phone, scrolling through TikTok.

But the more he watched, the more patterns began to emerge, with the popular skits and dances of TikTok echoing the earliest days of silent film. Robbie believes it was the narrow vertical frame of the smartphone screen that made for such sharp creativity and compelling viewing, much like the boxy constraints of early film shaped the work of the first filmmakers.

These screen shapes and sizes have been stretched and squeezed into a range of different standards since the inception of film in the late 1800s, shaping our understanding of the images we watch.

From the Victorian viral hits to the trending TikToks of the present day,the evolution of the closeup, the jostling technologies of widescreen cinema and television and the rise of film streaming, as the pictures got smaller, cosying into our smartphone screens, Robbie argues they’ve found new and enthralling ways to make us look at them.

With film critic Hanna Flint, BFI silent film curator Bryony Dixon, BFI Head of Technical Services Dominic Simmons, filmmaker and TikTokker Madelaine Turner, journalist and author Chris Stokel-Walker, film historian Dr Sheldon Hall, Professor Tim Smith, cognitive psychologist at Birkbeck University and filmmaker Charlie Shackleton.

Presenter: Robbie Collin
Producer: Pippa Smith
Researcher: Emily Gargan
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Music, Sound Design and Mix: Nicholas Alexander
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4.

Including analysis of clips from the following films:
The Grand Budapest Hotel / Fox Searchlight Pictures / TSG Entertainment / Wes Anderson
Gilda / Columbia Pictures / Charles Vidor
A Star is Born (1937) / United Artists / Selznick International Pictures / William A. Wellman
Man Drinking a Glass of Beer / George Albert Smith
The Miller and the Sweep / George Albert Smith
The Passion of Joan of Arc / Société Générale des Films / Carl Dreyer
The Bridge on the River Kwai / Columbia Pictures / Horizon Pictures / David Lean
How to Marry A Millionaire / 20th Century Fox / Jean Negulesco
Ben Hur / Loew’s Inc. / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / William Wyler
The Sound of Music / 20th Century Fox / Argyle Enterprises / Robert Wise
Star Wars: A New Hope / 20th Century Fox / Lucasfilm LTd. / George Lucas
The Door in the Wall / British Film Institute / Glenn H. Alvey Jr.
The Hateful Eight / The Weinstein Company / Shiny Penny and FilmColony / Quentin Tarantino
Cache / Les films du losange / Wega Films / Michael Hanneke
World War Z / Paramount Pictures / Skydance Productions / Marc Forster
Out of Africa / Universal Pictures / Mirage Enterprises / Sydney Pollack
Back to the Future / Universal Pictures / Amblin Entertainment / Robert Zemeckis
Prometheus / 20th Century Fox / Scott Free Productions / Ridley Scott
The Dark Knight / Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures / Christopher Nolan
Searching / Sony Pictures / Bazelevs Company / Aneesh Chagnaty
Host / Vertigo Releasing / Shadowhouse Films / Rob Savage
Ring / Toho / Ringu/Rasen Production Committee / Hideo Nakata
The Lighthouse / Focus Features / A24 / Robert Eggers
Sunset Boulevard / Paramount Pictures / Billy Wilder


SAT 21:00 My Poetry and Other Animals (m002brqj)
Flies & Crickets, Dogs, Fish, and Birds

The Poet Laureate Simon Armitage meets different animals (he gets close to crickets, goes for a walk with a French bulldog, goes fishing with Feargal Sharkey and encounters birds and their ancestors) - as he drafts a brand new poem.

Simon’s written a lot about animals in the past, but always at a distance. He wants that to change, and to feel that he has captured the spirit of an animal, and done it justice. In this series, across different creaturely encounters, meetings with poets, and some of the most vivid poems about animals ever written . Simon asks whether a poem can bring an animal closer to us, and if poetry can help us grasp what other animals really mean to humans, in an age when so many other species are under threat.

Featuring 'The Fish' read by Elizabeth Bishop

Produced by Faith Lawrence
Flies, Dogs and FIsh Mixed by Sharon Hughes ( Shush)

Birds and their ancestors mixed by Simon Highfield


SAT 22:00 News (m002brql)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002bjq1)
Feeding the Nation

With the Government pledging to overhaul the way food is sourced for public institutions like hospitals, schools, prisons, and army bases, Sheila Dillon explores how these changes could be implemented and why they are deemed essential by many.

Sheila visits St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, where chef Raouf Mansour has transformed the canteen for staff and visitors. After bringing the operation in-house post-Covid, the hospital began collaborating with local suppliers to provide fresh, seasonal produce. Raouf emphasises that retraining chefs to prepare nutritious, mezze-style meals has been crucial in encouraging staff to dine at the restaurant. The hospital is also working on plans to revamp patient meals, which are all prepared off-site, by working with smaller local caterers who can better meet some of the specific needs of patients there.

Following her visit, Sheila returns to the studio to discuss whether the changes in Chertsey could signal a broader trend. She is joined by:

Kevin Morgan, Professor of Governance and Development at Cardiff University and author of "Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals, and Prisons"
Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive of Sustain
Katie Palmer from Food Sense Wales, who is working on the Welsh Veg in Schools Project
Derek Wright from Blackpool Catering Services, which has expanded its school meal provision over the past five years, with on-site chefs and locally sourced produce.

Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan


SAT 23:00 Call Jonathan Pie (m002brqn)
Series 2

6.Identity Crisis

As the team face the pain and pitfalls of diversity training, Pie’s prejudices are painfully exposed. 

Call Jonathan Pie is written and performed by Tom Walker.
With additional material from Nick Revell and Daniel Abelson
Alice …..Emily Houghton
Jules ….. Lucy Pearman
Sam ….. Aqib Khan
Roger ….. Nick Revell
Agent ...Daniel Abelson

The callers: Laura Shavin, Daniel Abelson, Ellie Dobing and Ed Kear
Original music ...Jason Read.
Voiceover ..... Bob Sinfield
Newsreader .... Rob Curling

Producers: Alison Vernon-Smith and Julian Mayers
A Yada-Yada Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Nature Table (m000g4zz)
Series 1

Episode 5

Sue Perkins’ ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.

Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.

Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts.

We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

In this episode, Sue welcomes:

* Award-winning wildlife cameraman Doug Allan
* Ant expert Dr. Claire Asher
* Comedian Sindhu Vee

Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter.

Producer: Simon Nicholls

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2020.

SUNDAY 04 MAY 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002brqq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002bgx6)
Vincenzo Latronico

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to the writer Vincenzo Latronico on his new novel Perfection - which has been shortlisted for the International Man Booker prize - and explores its connections to three other literary works. Perfection (translated by Sophie Hughes) follows the lives of millennial expat couple Anna and Tom, who work as digital creatives, and seek to live out, what should be, their dream existence in a chic flat in Berlin filled with flea market furniture and house plants, and yet an undefinable feeling of unfulfillment gnaws away. For his three influences Vincenzo chose: Things: A Story Of The Sixties by Georges Perec from 1965; Wilful Disregard by the Swedish author Lena Andersson from 2013; and No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood from 2021.

The supporting contributor for this episode was the Italian writer and translator Claudia Durastanti, author of Strangers I Know.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002brqs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002brqv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002brqx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002brqz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002brr1)
All Hallows Church in Twickenham, Greater London.

Bells on Sunday, comes from All Hallows Church in Twickenham, Greater London. The bells originate from the church of St Dionis, Lime Street in the City of London. Demolished in 1879 the ten bells were transferred to a nearby church in Lombard Street. However, in 1938 that church was demolished and the bells were relocated again to the new All Hallows church in Twickenham along with the entire tower structure. Today there are ten bells, six of which survive from the original 18th century ring of St Dionis. The Tenor weighs eighteen and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them now ringing Grandsire Caters.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002bhxp)
Accessible Menus in Restaurants, Children's Author Jixie Dye

Matt Wadsworth has, for the last decade or so, been working to make fellow visually impaired people's access to the food industry much easier. He developed the concept of Good Food Talks, which is now available as a free app, and it can provide a raft of restaurant menus in an accessible format and on the go. Matt has been working with food data management company Nutritics, to reach more providers in the industry. Nutritics are currently conducting research, that aims to better understand visually impaired people's access to the food industry. If you would like to contribute to their research by providing your experiences, you can do so via the link below:

https://app.glowfeed.com/survey/727a96ce-a100-4560-b6e0-e4e02527dda7?linkId=c807f9ee-c876-4e70-9ede-bc033b3e1f3a&channelId=b212f786-3cc7-4dc2-b762-bd2762389ab7

Also on the programme: Jixie Dye has been visually impaired all her life, and she has recently fulfilled a long-standing ambition of becoming a published author. She joins Peter White in the In Touch studio to discuss her new children's book, The Welsh Witch and her subsequent series.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
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 of 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 (m002bs06)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct5tgj)
Becoming a Buddhist Bhikshuni in Bhutan

What does it take to break the glass ceiling in Buddhism and be fully ordained as a female monk or bhikshuni?

In 2022 the kingdom of Bhutan ordained 144 women in an unprecedented ceremony. Among them was Emma Slade, also known as Lopen Ani Pema Deki, from Kent in the UK. She was the only Western woman to take part.

Emma’s faith has been a part of her life since she was held at gunpoint and robbed in Indonesia in 1997. She studied in Bhutan and set up a charity that supports children with special needs in the country. Now she divides her time between the Himalayan kingdom and the UK. She talks to Julia Paul about life as a bhikshuni in the UK and Bhutan, her memories of taking part in the historic mass ordination and what it means for Buddhist nuns in Bhutan and other countries.

[Photo Credit: British Buddhist bhikshuni Emma Slade and Dr Tashi Zangmo, Executive Director of the Bhutan Nun’s Foundation o(left to right)]

Producer/presenter: Julia Paul
Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002bs08)
Farming in Fashion

James and Katie Allen aren't from a farming background, but always dreamed of having their own base to produce food, and fashion - both with nature in mind. In 2022, the dream was realised when they bought an old dairy farm in Wiltshire.

At Great Cotmarsh Farm, Katie uses the fleeces from her rare breed sheep to produce yarn, which she knits into jumpers and hats, meanwhile James started researching how he could use the hides from his cattle to produce leather. In this programme, Marie Lennon visits the farm in the final week of the construction of the UK's first micro vegetable tannery, which James and Katie are hoping will not only help them produce leather garments from the farm, but also boost a struggling leather industry.

Presented and produced by Marie Lennon


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002bs0b)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002bs0d)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002bs0g)
Live from St Peter's Square in Rome: cardinals get ready to cast their vote for the next pope

While Sistine chapels’ voting booth remains unpredictable, there are still potential runners and riders. To discuss these front runners as well as the intriguing internal politics of the papal conclave, William Crawley is joined by papal expert Edward Pentin and Vatican reporter Colleen Dulle.

Also in the programme, we hear from the Gammarelli family, who have been dressing bishops, cardinals and popes for over 200 years. They were the personal tailors to Pope Francis, as well as his predecessors. William Crawley speaks to the shop owner, Lorenzo Gammarelli near the Pantheon in Rome.

And William interviews Sister Nathalie Becquart, who has served as an undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops since 2021. She is the first woman to hold such an important position and the first to have voting rights in the Synod.

Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Catherine Murray in Rome; Bara'atu Ibrahim & Ruth Purser in Salford
Studio Managers: Phil Booth and Sharon Hughes
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002bs0j)
Medical Aid for Palestinians

Alexei Sayle makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Medical Aid for Palestinians.

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 ‘Medical Aid for Palestinians’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Medical Aid for Palestinians’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1045315. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.map.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002bs0l)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002bs0n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002bs0q)
Living in the Moment

A service from the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons, exploring the theme of ‘Living in the Moment’ in the light of the 80th Anniversary of VE Day which we will mark as a nation later this week. Our service takes us on a journey that both looks back and looks forward as we seek to find what it means to live in the moment. We visit the Royal Welsh Museum to view an active service edition of the Bible, carried by a Captain Pope at the D-Day Landings. We visit the Barracks at Brecon, to speak with Warrant Officer Ben Brookman about VE Day as on opportunity to reflect, and with Padre Nicola Frail, Senior Chaplain to the 160th Welsh Brigade, about her experience of pastoral care and community within the forces and beyond. We also speak to 100 year old, VE Day veteran, Mel Hughes, about his memories of the day. And as we look back and reflect on VE Day, on the lives of those who lived moment to moment, we, too can be inspired to look ahead and live well with courage in our own times of trial.

The service is led by Rev Dr Emma Whittick, with reflections from Bishop John Lomas, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, who was himself a Weapons Engineer and Chaplain in the Royal Navy.

The service includes archive recordings of:
Christ is the World’s True Light
O God our Help in Ages Past
Nunc Dimittis, from Howells’ Gloucester Service
For the Fallen
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Take my life, and let it be

Readings:
Luke 2:25-32
1 Corinthians 13

Producer: Jonathan Thomas


SUN 08:48 Witness History (p00gdb2r)
Victory in Europe Day

On 8 May 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Defeat for Germany meant great rejoicing in Britain.

Alan Johnston spoke to people at the centre of celebrations that day including Australian bomber pilot Geoffrey Cornish and British sailor George Broomhead.

These first-hand accounts are brought together with archive recordings in this programme which was first broadcast in 2011.

(Photo: George Broomhead in Trafalgar Square. Credit: Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002bs0s)
Anna Hill on the Dawn Chorus

In a programme to mark International Dawn Chorus Day, broadcaster and Farming Today presenter Anna Hill tells the story of rising very early on a Spring morning to experience the dawn chorus in her local woods.

We join Anna on a journey through the sounds of the dawn chorus as the sun gradually rises, from the familiar songs of the robin and the wren, to the orchestral drone of the wood pigeon and sustained melodies of the blackbird. These chorusing birds are mainly males, staking out their territory and showing off to prospective mates.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Jo Peacey. The Studio Engineer was Ilse Lademann. This programme is a BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002bs0v)
Local Elections mean the Government must deliver

Labour’s Health Secretary says the local election results are disappointing and mean the Government must deliver. We hear one eyewitness account of the cyberattack at M&S. And BH kicks off the VE day commemorations by delving into the BBC archive.


SUN 10:00 The Reunion (m0029ypd)
The Coalition of 2010

As dawn breaks on Friday 7th May 2010 it is clear that no one has won the general election. David Cameron’s Conservative party has failed to gain a majority. Gordon Brown’s Labour has lost over 90 seats and, despite a storming performance in the campaign, Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats have actually lost 5 MPs. No one is sure what happens next.

It is a unique moment in British political history - five tense and dramatic days as exhausted politicians try and find a way to form a government.

What emerges on day five is Britain’s first peacetime coalition since the 1930s, an agreement to rule for five years between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Things had moved incredibly fast.

But there is a clear winner, and a clear loser from sharing power. The 2015 election reduces the Lib Dems to eight seats in Parliament and Cameron finally gets his Conservative majority. Was going into power worth the political consequences for the junior coalition partner?

Kirsty Wark talks to some of the men who were in the rooms negotiating, and to journalists Anne McElvoy and Nick Robinson, and discusses how the dynamics of that coalition shaped policy and party politics for years to come.

Contributors: Danny Alexander, Vince Cable, Ed Balls, Nick Robinson, Anne McElvoy, William Hague.

Producer: Marie Helly
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002bs0x)
Writer: Liz John
Director: Marina Caldarone
Editor: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Vince Casey…. Tony Turner
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Chelsea Horrobin…. Madeleine Leslay
Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Akram Malik…. Asif Khan
Azra Malik…. Yasmin Wilde
Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Saskia…. Alison Belbin
Carl…. James Bartlett


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002brqg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002bhkh)
Series 31

Episode 3

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Angela Barnes, Mark Steel, Ria Lina and Alan Davies are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as spies, bread, numbers and names.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002bs0z)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002bs11)
Strategic Defence Review: How will Starmer balance the costs ?

Ahead of the publication of the Strategic Defence Review we discuss the dilemma faced by the Prime Minister.  The Government is committed to increasing defence spending in the face of Russia aggression and warnings from the US.  Meanwhile the message many have taken from Thursday’s election results is that voters want rapid improvements in public services.  How can the PM square this circle?  Also; Peggy Seeger at 90 on the release of her new album.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002bs13)
The Landscape Revolution

After Brexit, we left the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, the CAP. For many people - whatever they made of Brexit - this was a golden opportunity to come up with something better. A NEW farming policy, which would encourage efficient food production while rewarding farmers for environmental work.

Nearly a decade later, where have we got to?

This is a programme about agricultural policy, so if you're not a farmer you may not think it's for you. But farm policy is also environmental policy and food policy...so the seismic shift that farmers are going though right now will have an impact not just on their lives and businesses, but on the landscapes we see, the food on our plate and price we pay for both.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002bjqh)
Wokingham Borough: Pet Friendly Gardens, Homemade Compost and Silly Advice

What's your recommended recipe for homemade seed compost? What makes a dog friendly garden? What is the most inappropriate piece of garden advice that you've received?

Peter Gibbs and the panel offer advice to an audience of keen gardeners in the borough of Wokingham. Joining Peter are house plants expert Anne Swithinbank, garden designer Bunny Guinness, and proud plantsman Matthew Biggs.

Later in the programme, for Plant Health Week, Kirsty Wilson visits the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to meet biosecurity officer Matt Elliot and discover how new pests and diseases are threatening our gardens — and what we can do to fight back.

Producer: Matt Smith
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.

Q - Do the panel have any favourite help or design features in their gardens made by their pets? (01'45")

Q- Could you give me some top tips on growing Dahlias? (05'40")

Q- How do you manage a wildflower area after the first year of flowering? (10’18")

Feature – Kirsty Wilson and Biosecurity Officer of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh discuss how we can protect our plants from new pests and diseases (14'20")

Q- My Fatsia Bush has flowered – do I prune it back or leave the fruits for the birds? (19'30")

Q - Which exciting new plants should we be looking forward to growing in the south-east of England?
(22'31")

Bunny Guinness –
Diospyros virginiana (F), common persimmon
Diospyros 'Nikita's Gift' (F), Nikita’s Gift Persimmon.
Salvia involucrata 'Hadspen', rosy-leaf sage ‘Hadspen’

Matthew Biggs –
Salvia officinalis 'Bicolor', sage 'Bicolor'
Echium
Echium wildpretii, tower of jewels
Echium pininana giant viper's bugloss

Anne Swithinbank –
Leonotis Leonurus, lion's tail
Dictamnus albus, burning bush
Eriobotrya, loquat

Q - What is your recommended recipe for homemade seed compost? (28'00")

Q - I have a small starter allotment; can the panel advise me on how to make the most of my small plot? (32'10")

Bunny Guinness –
Onion
Garlic
Lettuce

Matthew Biggs –
Lettuce,
fresh beetroot,
fresh carrots,
finger carrots
Baby leaf
Spinach
radish
courgettes
French beans
Runner beans

Anne Swithinbank –
Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum, florence fennel

Q - What is the most inappropriate piece of garden advice that you've received, and did you follow it? (37'24")


SUN 14:45 Little Lifetimes by Jenny Eclair (m0016prt)
Series 7

Millie Makes Her Mind Up

Written by Jenny Eclair
Read by Maggie Steed
Producer ..... Sally Avens

A grandmother is determined not to lose touch with her granddaughter even when she has a whole new family in the posh part of London.


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002bs15)
Victory at Ambridge

Victory at Ambridge, Part 1

Travel back in time to 1944 Ambridge for a thrilling, wartime prequel to The Archers.

At Brookfield Farm, with eldest son Jack away in the army, Dan and Doris Archer worry about Jack’s pregnant wife, Peggy, stuck in bomb-stricken London. Should they invite her to Ambridge? How will a city girl like Peggy cope with living in the sticks? Meanwhile, Brookfield land girl Wanda is embracing rural life, particularly when dashing RAF war hero Max Gilpin moves to the village.

Village life continues against the backdrop of the seemingly unending war. However when a series of ancient prophecies are unearthed, predicting death and destruction, the residents of wartime Ambridge (played by the cast of The Archers) are drawn into solving a cryptic mystery which sets the village alight.

Dramatised from the novel by Catherine Miller, Victory at Ambridge is a vivid portrait of village life in England at a turning point in history.

Dan Archer .... Timothy Bentinck
Doris Archer .... Felicity Finch
Peggy Archer .... Emerald O’Hanrahan
Wanda Lafromboise .... Madeleine Leslay
Max Gilpin .... Angus Stobie
Grayson Lemmon .... Taylor Uttley
Frances Bissett .... Mali Harries
Henry Bissett & ‘Cad’ Cadwallader .... John Telfer
Bob Little .... Ryan Kelly
Pamela Pargetter & Roza Topolska .... Susie Riddell
Gerald Pargetter & Walter Gabriel ..... Nick Barber

Other parts played by members of the company

Written by Catherine Miller
Dramatised by Tim Stimpson

Producer & Director, Kim Greengrass
Executive Editor, Jeremy Howe
Technical Producers, Andy Partington & Vanessa Nuttall
Production Coordinator, Nikita Berry

A BBC Audio Drama Birmingham production


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m002bs17)
Natalie Haynes

Led by presenter James Naughtie, a BBC Bookclub audience in Glasgow speaks to the author Natalie Haynes about her 2019 novel - A Thousand Ships - which retells the ancient Greek myths from a woman's perspective. Penelope, Clytemnestra, Andromache and Cassandra among others, all make appearances, but their stories are given a new voice and a fresh emphasis. This is the Trojan war and its impact as never seen before. The book was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.

Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Nature Table (m000gcwr)
Series 1

Episode 6

Sue Perkins’ ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.

Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.

Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts.

We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

In this episode, Sue welcomes:

* Zoologist Lucy Cooke
* Crustacean expert Miranda Lowe
* Actress and writer Sally Phillips.

Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter

Producer Simon Nicholls

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2020.


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ynt)
First spacewalk

On 18 March 1965, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to spacewalk.

He spent around 10 minutes floating above the Earth, tethered to the spaceship by a 5-metre “umbilical cord”.

Recalling that moment, he said: “I felt almost insignificant, like a tiny ant compared to the immensity of the universe. At the same time, I felt enormously powerful.”

But the mission didn’t go smoothly. The lack of atmospheric pressure in space had caused the Soviet’s spacesuit to inflate and become stiff – meaning he couldn’t fit back through the spaceship airlock.

“It had become a dangerous situation. Very dangerous. Life threatening”, he said.

Vicky Farncombe has been reading and listening to archive interviews with Alexei, who died in 2019, to bring you his dramatic story.

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: Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 Indispensable Relations (m002bhjh)
Beginning

Tom Bateman examines the history of the special relationship between the United States and Israel.

The alliance, going back decades, is one of the most consequential between two single countries on earth – and one of the most contested. The dynamics in the relationship not only amount to a matter of life and death for both societies on the land – Israelis and Palestinians – but form a bedrock of US policy for the entire Middle East.

In this series Tom will go back to 1947, when President Harry Truman had to decide whether to back the Zionist dream for a Jewish state. He'll examine the wars and crises which have gripped the region. But he will also venture well beyond the political, diplomatic and military relationships to examine the religious and cultural connections between the two countries. He'll explain how books, museums, Holy Land tours and newspaper coverage have profoundly affected what Americans think and feel about Israel, in a variety of different ways. As he does, he'll reveal how much the relationship has changed, as well as what has stayed the same.

In this first episode, Tom covers the beginning of the relationship. He'll look at the debate within President Harry Truman's administration about whether to back Zionism; at the book and film which Americanised the story of Israel's founding for millions of Americans; and at how the wars in 1956 and 1967 changed Americans' perceptions of Israel.

As the BBC's State Department Correspondent, covering US foreign policy in a time of extraordinary change, and previously a Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem for 7 years, Tom is perfectly placed to tell this story.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002bs1b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002bs1d)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002bs1g)
Eight men including seven Iranians are arrested in separate counter-terror operations.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002bs1j)
Jason Mohammad

This week, Jason Mohammad’s selection of the best of BBC Radio take us from tales of past courage, to the dangers of an AI future - from behind the scenes with musical masters, to front line factories under threat of bombardment. Dr Sian Williams brings us an incredible tale of survival and heroism from the 1987 Zeebrugge ferry disaster, while Lynsey Chutel considers where the line between cultural exchange and betrayal of the anti-apartheid movement when revisiting Paul Simon’s Graceland, and we learn all about the science behind what makes us fall in love… with a single football team.

Presenter: Jason Mohammad
Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Production Coordinator: Caroline Peddle
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002bs1l)
The police turn up at Beechwood looking for Rochelle or anything that could help locate her. While officers search the house Joy tells DC Tanners that Rochelle has been staying with Rex, then left a message about going away. Joy had no idea what Rochelle was planning though. DC Tanners then explains about taking away all their internet enabled devices, including mobile phones. After the police have gone Mick helps Joy tidy up. Joy still believes Rochelle’s a good person with strong beliefs, but she’s never been good at knowing when to stop. Later, Rochelle rings Joy on the landline. She’s handed herself in to the police but doesn’t want a solicitor. Nevertheless Joy tells Mick she’s calling Usha.

At the cricket, against Roserran-in-the-Vale, Lawrence quizzes reluctant Lynda and Freddie about what’s been going on with Rochelle, then makes a cutting remark about supermarket sandwiches. After he’s gone Lynda commends Freddie for his bravery, both on Thursday at the abattoir and following the explosion at Grey Gables. Freddie admits he’s not sleeping well, constantly thinking how things could have gone worse. Vince has given Freddie a list of things to work through, to take his mind off it. To Lynda they are both heroes, setting a fine example for the team to follow. The match itself is hotly contested with Ambridge just managing their first victory of the season, thanks to Rex. Lawrence is gracious in defeat, but Lynda isn’t convinced by his sentiments, a feeling that is confirmed by Lawrence’s patronising comments about Ambridge’s tea offering.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002bs1n)
The Organ Symphony

An extraordinary one-off symphony brings to life the stories of five people and their relationship with one of their vital organs.

Like a symphony orchestra, our organs work in harmony to execute the movement that is human life. We don’t often think about our relationship to these internal cogs that keep us alive. For most people, the connection remains distant. For others, it is ever present.

In The Organ Symphony, we encounter our five vital organs – the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys and liver – through the eyes of five people, each with a special relationship to one of the five organs.

Our brain is an Emeritus Professor in Computer Science, Steve Furbar, whose work is focused on understanding the human brain via computing. Our kidney is writer Alison Moore, who donated one of her kidneys to her husband and simultaneously wrote a horror novella, based on the experience. Our liver is Dr Zhong Jiao, a Chinese Medical Doctor who focused on treating her postnatal depression by caring for her liver. Our heart is a men's group facilitator and agony uncle Kenny Mammarella-D'Cruz, who draws on his traumatic experiences of leaving his homeland and subsequent journey of self-discovery to help others foster positive relationships with their heart and emotions. Liz, our representative of the lungs, unexpectedly experienced both her lungs collapsing in the space of two years

Each representative worked with the producer, Maia Miller-Lewis to illustrate their relationship to their organ through music, creating musical sketches that capture how they imagine their organ sounds.

These sketches were then taken by composer, David Owen Norris, who turned them into individual classical scores. In this way the five organs have become five sections of an orchestra. The heart, the vocals. The lungs, the brass. The kidneys the woodwind. The brain, the percussion. The liver, the strings.

David ultimately brought the five pieces together, working them into harmony to form the completely unique Organ Symphony.

With the wonderful assistance of Simon Webb, Carolyn Hendry, Jonathan Manner and Matthew Swann at the BBC, the individual pieces and the combined symphony was played out by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers at Maida Vale Studios in March 2025.

You can hear the full Organ Symphony piece here: https://loftusmedia.co.uk/project/the-organ-symphony/

Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Executive producers: Jo Rowntree and Kirsten Lass
Composer and conductor: David Owen Norris
With thanks to the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001x4v8)
Get Gardening

Michael dons some gardening gloves and gets grubby. It’s no surprise that digging, hoeing and heaving bags of soil around is great for our physical fitness. But Michael learns how gardening can also impact our microbiome from Dr Hannah Holscher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She explores how gardening can boost the gut microbiome, benefitting our health and wellness. Our volunteer Caspar, tests his green fingers by growing some kitchen herbs and visiting a community garden.

Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Researcher: Sophie Richardson
Researcher: Will Hornbrook
Production Manager: Maria Simons
Editor: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002bj75)
Coverage of Pope Francis funeral. Radio 3's Music on the Front Line. Our BBC, Our Future.

The death of Pope Francis on the 21st April understandably led to a wave of media coverage, but did the BBC get it right? Andrea Catherwood puts your views to Aleem Maqbool, Religion Editor for BBC News, and hears about what it takes to prepare for such a solemn occasion. And what did listeners think of the episode of Witness History that came directly after the Pope's Requiem Mass on the Sunday morning?

Listeners talk about Clive Myrie's Music on the Front Line which returned for another series as part of Radio 3's Music Matters this Spring. Clive interviews fellow journalists about the music they've turned to while reporting from some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones.

And you might have noticed a questionnaire - Our BBC, Our Future - in your email inbox recently, asking what you watch and listen to and your thoughts on the future of the Corporation. We hear your reactions, and Andrea talks to Professor Matt Walsh, Head of the Journalism School at the University of Cardiff, about the biggest public engagement exercise the BBC has carried out.

Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002bjqm)
Virginia Giuffre, Rosy Bremer, LJ Smith, Wizz Jones

Matthew Bannister on

Virginia Giuffre, who waived her anonymity to accuse the billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell of sex abuse and trafficking.

Rosy Bremer, a leading campaigner against nuclear weapons at the women’s protest at Greenham Common airbase.

LJ Smith, author of the best-selling “Vampire Diaries” series of novels

And the influential folk and blues guitarist Wizz Jones. His friend Ralph McTell pays tribute.

If you have been affected by the issues reflected in tthis programme, you can visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Interviewee: Sean Coughlan
Interviewee: Fran Vigay
Interviewee: Julie Divola
Interviewee: Ralph McTell

Archive used:
The Prince and the Epstein Scandal, FKBH539N/02, Sixty Minutes: Greenham Common, BBC, 14/11/1983, BBC Wales, 17/06/1982, Rosy Bremer, interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019, Greenham Women Everywhere, https://greenhamwomeneverywhere.co.uk/ , Podbite 8. Singing, Greenham Women Everywhere, 17/12/2020 , LJ Smith interviewed by Matthew Peterson, The Author Hour radio show, 19/11/2009  https://theauthorhour.com/l-j-smith/ , The Vampire Diaries, Season 1; Episode 1, developed for TV by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, Production companies: Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television, Outlook – BBC World Service. Sept 2014 , Tonight BBC 29/08/1960


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002brps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002bs0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002brpn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002bs1q)
Ben Wright and guests analyse the results of the local elections in England

Ben Wright is joined by Labour MP Chris Curtis, Conservative backbencher Danny Kruger and the Liberal Democrat Pippa Heylings to discuss the fallout from the local elections in England. Polling expert Scarlett Maguire and the Guardian's deputy political editor Jessica Elgot are on the panel too, bringing their expertise and analysis. And the programme includes an interview with the former deputy leader of Reform UK, David Bull - who says his party is attracting support from across the spectrum and its appeal is nationwide.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002bj6d)
The Korean Empire

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Korea's brief but significant period as an empire as it moved from the 500-year-old dynastic Joseon monarchy towards modernity. It was in October 1897 that King Gojong declared himself Emperor, seizing his chance when the once-dominant China lost to Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War. The king wanted to have the same status as the neighbouring Russian, Chinese and Japanese Emperors, to shore up a bid for Korean independence and sovereignty when the world’s major powers either wanted to open Korea up to trade or to colonise it. The Korean Empire lasted only thirteen years, yet it was a time of great transformation for this state and the whole region with lasting consequences in the next century…

With

Nuri Kim
Associate Professor in Korean Studies at the faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Wolfson College

Holly Stephens
Lecturer in Japanese and Korean Studies at the University of Edinburgh

And

Derek Kramer
Lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Isabella Bird Bishop, Korea and her Neighbors: A Narrative of Travel, With an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country (first published 1898; Forgotten Books, 2019)

Vipan Chandra, Imperialism, Resistance and Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century Korea: Enlightenment and the Independence Club (University of California, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1988)

Peter Duus, The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1859-1910 (University of California Press, 1995)

Carter J. Eckert, Offspring of Empire: The Koch'ang Kims and the Colonial Origins of Korean Capitalism, 1876–1910 (University of Washington Press, 1991)

George L. Kallander, Salvation through Dissent: Tonghak Heterodoxy and Early Modern Korea (University of Hawaii Press, 2013)

Kim Dong-no, John B. Duncan and Kim Do-hyung (eds.), Reform and Modernity in the Taehan Empire (Jimoondang, 2006)

Kirk W. Larsen, Tradition, Treaties, and Trade: Qing Imperialism and Chosŏn Korea, 1850-1910 (Harvard University Asia Center, 2008)

Yumi Moon, Populist Collaborators: The Ilchinhoe and the Japanese Colonization of Korea, 1896-1910 (Cornell University Press, 2013)

Sung-Deuk Oak, The Making of Korean Christianity: Protestant Encounters with Korean Religions, 1876-1915 (Baylor University Press, 2013)

Eugene T. Park, A Family of No Prominence: The Descendants of Pak Tŏkhwa and the Birth of Modern Korea (Stanford University Press, 2020)

Michael E. Robinson, Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History (University of Hawaii Press, 2007)

Andre Schmid, Korea Between Empires, 1895-1919 (Columbia University Press, 2002)

Vladimir Tikhonov, Social Darwinism and Nationalism in Korea: The Beginnings, 1880s-1910s (Brill, 2010)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002bjqk)
Blue Circle by Charlotte Runcie

Two days after the worst break-up of her life, a council registrar has to officiate a wedding. A wedding unlike any she's ever been to.

An original short story for radio by Charlotte Runcie, author of Salt on Your Tongue: Women and the Sea, and of a new novel, Bring the House Down.

Writer: Charlotte Runcie
Reader: Bettrys Jones
Producer: Mair Bosworth

A BBC Audio Bristol production for BBC Radio 4

MONDAY 05 MAY 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002bs1s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002bhxr)
Leaving Israel for Cyprus

Increasing numbers of Israeli people are moving to the nearby island of Cyprus. Sky high property prices, disillusion with domestic politics and security concerns following the Hamas attacks of 7th October have led several thousand families to leave. They’re building on a rich history of Cypriot hospitality towards Jews. But in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, huge luxury developments built by Israeli companies are causing controversy.

Presenter: Lucy Proctor
Producer: Mike Gallagher
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Studio mix: Simon Jarvis
Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002brr1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bs1v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bs1x)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002bs1z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002bjqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bs21)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bs23)
A week of remembering

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002bs25)
Farming in War and Peace

It’s 80 years since VE Day and the nationwide celebrations to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe. Six years of conflict changed almost every aspect of British life and heralded a revolution in the way we grew, and thought about, food. It was the era of ration books, powdered egg, Dig for Victory and the Women’s Land Army – all part of strenuous efforts to keep the nation fed in the face of shortages, the privations of the war effort and the German U-boat blockade hitting crucial imports.

When peace came in 1945 the mindset and momentum of wartime farming continued, and brought about a renewed drive for efficiency, productivity, profitability and mechanisation. In this programme we hear how arable, dairy and pig farming were transformed in the decades after the war and how the echoes of that agricultural revolution can be heard loud and clear today.

On the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens, it’s possible to experience post war farm life on a visit to Walnut Tree Cottage. The handsome buff brick dwelling is part of the Farmland Museum at Denny Abbey and it’s furnished in 1949 style, complete with a treadle sewing machine, meat safe, scullery and outdoor privy. The cottage stands as a permanent reminder of a time of incredible transition, when a farmworker’s home could still resemble a Victorian household while their working environment embraced innovative technology, synthetic fertilisers, new livestock breeds and pioneering machinery.

Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002bs27)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002bsyx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002bsyz)
Smell – the underrated sense

Our sense of smell is vital to appreciating food and drink, it can warn us of danger, and enhance enjoyment of our environment, and yet it is one of our least explored sensory systems. In The Forgotten Sense, olfaction specialist Dr Jonas Olofsson explains the science behind our sense of smell.

Dr Ally Louks caused a stink on social media when she mentioned the subject of her PhD thesis, Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose. But she shows just how much readers can learn from paying attention to the aroma of a writer’s work.

While imagining the stench of a Dickensian city street can enhance a reader’s experience, what about actually smelling burning rubber as you play a video racing game? Professor Alan Chalmers explains the groundbreaking research currently ongoing to make gaming a more immersive experience, with smell at its centre.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002bsz1)
Hi-vis hose down

Andrew Salim, tells Rachel Burden how his cleaning company is tidying up Liverpool's parks in their free time, jetwashing play equipment, weeding and picking up litter.

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 (m002bsz3)
How to learn from our mistakes with psychologist Dr Julie Smith and guests

In a special programme exploring 'mistakes' and our relationship with the word Nuala McGovern speaks to clinical psychologist and best-selling author of Open When, Dr Julie Smith, and hears why we dislike making mistakes in our personal and professional lives.

Journalist Nicole Mowbray tells Nuala how she felt when her mistake at The Observer caused an 'international incident'.

Are women judged more harshly for the mistakes they make in the workplace? Sarah Ellis, co-founder of Amazing If and the co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, and marketing specialist and co-host of the Working On It podcast, Lauren Spearman, discuss how to deal with errors that occur at work.

What impact does it have on you growing up if you were told you were conceived by ‘mistake’? Nuala speaks to journalist Sophie Heawood, who says she got pregnant by ‘mistake’ and journalist Bethan Ryder who was the baby of a ‘mistake’, they discuss what the word means to them.

And maths teacher, Gloria Dalafu tells Nuala how her love of mistakes inspires her pupils to make their own mishaps.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sophie Powling


MON 11:00 Indispensable Relations (m002bsz5)
Deepening

Tom Bateman continues his history of the special relationship between the United States and Israel.

The alliance, going back decades, is one of the most consequential between two single countries on earth – and one of the most contested. The dynamics in the relationship amount to a matter of life and death for both societies on the land – Israelis and Palestinians – and form a bedrock of US policy for the entire Middle East.

In this series Tom will go back to 1947, when President Harry Truman had to decide whether to back the Zionist dream for a Jewish state. He'll examine the wars and crises which have gripped the region. But he will also venture well beyond the political, diplomatic and military relationships to examine the religious and cultural connections between the two countries. He'll explain how books, museums, Holy Land tours and newspaper coverage have profoundly affected what Americans think and feel about Israel. As he does, he'll reveal how much the relationship has changed, as well as what has stayed the same.

In this second episode, Tom shows how the relationship deepened, examining how the fallout from the 1967 war profoundly affected the views of the American foreign policy establishment, many American Jews, and many American Christians. He'll look at how the Arab world responded, at the 1973 war with Egypt, and how that eventually led to a peace treaty signed on the White House lawn. He'll consider how the Holocaust became a central part of American public life, and how the 1982 Lebanon war began to change many Americans' perceptions of Israel.

Tom is the BBC's State Department Correspondent, covering US foreign policy, and was previously a Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem for 7 years.

Producer: Giles Edwards.


MON 11:45 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bsz8)
Episode 1: Anima

This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. Robert Macfarlane asks us to imagine that rivers are not mere water for human use, but living beings, who should be recognised as such in both imagination and law.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway worldwide to recognise the lives and rights of rivers. This young ‘rights of nature’ movement has lit up activists, artists and lawmakers across six continents, and become a focus for revolutionary thinking.

In Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane explores rivers across the world, journeying to northern Ecuador, southern India and north-eastern Quebec. In all these places rivers are under threat - but dedicated activists are battling to defend them.

In this first episode, Robert Macfarlane explores the philosophical challenge of transforming how we think about rivers:
‘I began these river-journeys in doubt and uncertainty. I knew the question to which I wanted an answer –– Is a river alive? –– to be a formidably hard one, even as I wished it to be simple. How we answer this strange, confronting question matters deeply. But even the asking of it is a first step. For our fate flows with rivers, and always has.’

Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people and place. His best-selling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as a book-length prose-poem, Ness. As a lyricist and performer, he has collaborated with musicians including Karine Polwart, Johnny Flynn and Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Read by Robert Macfarlane
With music by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002bszb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002bszd)
Balkan Holidays, Rail Fines and Renting v Buying

What's cheaper - paying rent every month, or a mortgage? We'll hear about some new research. Fare dodging, innocent or not, is a huge problem for the rail industry. But how should people who don't buy the proper tickets for a rail journey be dealt with? Ahead of the publication of a review into this very question, we'll hear from someone unhappy at how he was dealt with for using an expired railcard. Is Costco with its giant warehouse stores a threat to the regular supermarkets? And the UK arm of the travel company Balkan Holiday has collapsed - we'll hear what that means for people with bookings.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m002bszg)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002bszj)
VE Day at 80

As 80th anniversary celebrations for VE Day begin, we're live from Parliament Square and hear from the former head of the British Army on how war and peacetime have changed.


MON 13:45 The Autism Curve (m002bszl)
1. The Data

What do the data showing a steep rise in autism diagnoses reveal - and hide?

A 20-year study in the UK showed an astonishing eightfold rise in new autism diagnoses on an exponential curve. We hear from the study’s author Ginny Russell and ask how the numbers compare in other parts of the world. And Professor Joshua Stott explains how a surprising discovery at a dementia clinic led him to calculate that that enormous rise in diagnoses may still undercount the country’s autistic population by as much as 1.2 million.

Archive: BBC; CSPAN; Fox News; CNN.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002bs1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001xdgb)
Series 5

5. Get the Party Started

Roger feels abandoned as Joanna heads off for a daily sunrise swim.

Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam star as the loving, long-married couple, in the 5th series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy.

This week, Roger feels abandoned as Joanna heads off for a daily sunrise swim, reminding him ‘Don’t let your tea get cold!’ Their younger neighbours are having a party. Roger finds excuses not to go - including the dog’s upset tummy. ‘You’re going,’ Joanna snaps. Inevitably, Roger leaves early and Joanna stays, drinking martini in the hot tub. Next morning, she is hungover but Roger’s goddaughter, Rosie, is arriving, with her babies. ‘They like a runny egg with soldiers’, Roger tells her. She begs him to stay and do breakfast but he’s off on a bike ride ‘Don’t let your tea get cold!’

Conversations from a Long Marriage is Written by Jan Etherington. It is produced and directed by Claire Jones. And it is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Charlotte Sewter - studio assistant
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator

Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020, was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award in 2022 and a British Comedy Guide award in 2024.

‘Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ RADIO TIMES
‘Peppered with nostalgic 60s hits and especially written for the pair, it’s an endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
‘Sitcom is what marriage is really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’. RICHARD CURTIS


MON 14:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001t34c)
Episode 6

As ripples from the Great Depression reach a cosy English village, Barbara Buncle finds an inventive way to supplement her meagre income. Life in Silverstream will never be the same once her thinly fictionalised novel has laid bare the life, loves and eccentricities of her neighbours.

‘Disturber of the Peace’ lives up to its name as the residents of Silverstream find themselves provoked into action – beginning with the book’s author.

Read by Madeleine Worrall
Written by D.E. Stevenson
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

An EcoAudio certified production

Scottish author D.E. Stevenson was a prolific name in the light romantic fiction genre, topping best seller lists from the 1930s to the 1960s. MISS BUNCLE’S BOOK, her best-known publication, is a delight; funny, engaging and well worth rediscovering just over 50 years after the author’s death.


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002bszn)
Dervla Murphy, author of the classic Full Tilt

At the age of 10 Dervla Murphy was given an atlas and a bicycle, and so began an adventurous life. Her account of a journey to India became a classic called Full Tilt but she also went to Cuba, Ethiopia and the Andes where our guest first met her in a doss house. Hilary Bradt is the founder of the Bradt Travel Guides and is picking Dervla Murphy as a great example of the adventurous female traveller, never afraid of a little hardship. Joining her in studio is Rose Baring who edited Dervla's last three books. A joyful episode which includes some excellent archive of Dervla Murphy plus the writer Antonia Quirke.

The producer for BBC studios Audio in Bristol is Miles Warde


MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002brpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002bs13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (b06pttqp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002bszq)
Full coverage of the day's news


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002bszs)
The 80th Anniversary of VE Day

The celebrations in central London featured a military procession and a Red Arrows flypast over Buckingham Palace. The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other senior members of the Royal Family were in attendance. Also: Israel's government has officially backed a plan to occupy more of Gaza, but says there will be a window for a hostage deal. And what was once one of the most popular digital tools in the world, Skype, hangs up for good.


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002bszv)
Series 31

Episode 4

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.

Marcus Brigstocke, Holly Walsh, Lou Sanders and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as legs, cheese, New York and guitars.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002bswn)
At the Tearoom downbeat Emma tells Natasha she heard some of the Roserran crowd made disparaging remarks about yesterday’s cricket tea, knowing it came from Bridge Farm, home of the sewage leak. But Emma’s bad mood is more to do with it being the anniversary of George crashing Alice’s car. Natasha is very sympathetic, but later tells Emma they need to up their game with the cricket teas.

Phoning from the police station Usha gives Joy details of Rochelle’s arrest, explaining that potentially the charges could be very serious. Despite the mention of terrorism Mick tries playing down Joy’s fears, suggesting they go for breakfast at the Tearoom. Without her mobile Joy insists on staying home in case Usha rings back. At the Tearoom Mick compares Emma’s situation with George to Joy’s with Rochelle, both standing by their errant child. He understands it now, where he didn’t before.

At the police station Usha cautions Rochelle against a “no comment” approach. Rochelle is fully committed to the cause, having been told the charges probably won’t stick. She accuses Usha of bleeding heart vegetarianism, quoting Saskia, who’s dismissive of people who don’t take action. Usha spells out the risk of Rochelle ending up in prison and the effect it could have on her children. Rochelle agrees to at least think about a defence based on non-violent action and trying to minimise harm on the day. Later, Usha tells Joy that Rochelle will be in court tomorrow. They agree Rochelle’s stubborn and impassioned, but at least Rochelle’s now working with Usha, not against her.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002bszx)
A snapshot of culture on VE Day 1945

To mark the 80th anniversary this week, we explore British culture around VE Day in 1945, reflecting on the music, books, films and theatre that defined the moment and the complex emotional landscape that followed the war’s end. Songwriter and pianist Kate Garner joins us at the piano.

Guests: Michael Billington, theatre critic; Ian Christie, film historian; Kevin Le Gendre, music journalist and broadcaster; Lara Feigel, Professor of Modern Literature, King's College London; Kate Garner, singer and songwriter

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Simon Richardson


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002bj77)
Are India and Pakistan on the brink of war over Kashmir?

Tension is high in Indian administered Kashmir following the killing on 22nd April of 26 civilians almost all of whom were Hindu tourists. They were visiting Pahalgam - an area often described as the “Switzerland of India”. Militants opened fire on them and in the days since relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full but only administer it in part, have deteriorated. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants and Islamabad rejects the allegations. This is the latest attack in a decades-long dispute over the region. David Aaronovitch and guests ask what happens next and what sort of a response we are likely to see from India and also Pakistan?

Guests: Andrew Whitehead: Former BBC India correspondent and expert on Kashmir and its history, author of ‘A Mission in Kashmir’
Anbarasan Ethirajan: BBC South Asia Regional Editor
Husain Haqqani : Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC and former Pakistan ambassador to Sri Lanka and the US
Michael Kugelman - South Asia analyst based in Washington DC and author of Foreign Policy magazine’s South Asia Brief newsletter
Sumantra Bose: Professor of International and Comparative Politics at Krea University in India and author of Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002bj79)
How vulnerable is our power supply?

Severe power cuts hit Spain, Portugal and parts of France this week, cutting the lights and stopping flights, trains, and ATM machines in their tracks. The Spanish grid operator has said it’s ruled out a cyber-attack, but the reason behind what happened is still unclear. We speak to Keith Bell, Professor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, and David Brayshaw, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Meteorology at the University of Reading, to ask whether the UK’s power supply could be just as vulnerable to a major blackout.

Presenter Victoria Gill hears about how cyborg cockroaches are being developed to try to help at disaster scenes. We’re also joined by science journalist Caroline Steel to discuss the week’s standout science news. And we find out how a critically endangered salamander, the axolotl, could hold the biological key to repairing damaged spinal cords.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh and Gerry Holt
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002bsyz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002bsz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002bszz)
Five months after Assad, where is Syria heading?

Syria sits at a figurative crossroads - five months after an Islamist-led rebellion brought an unexpectedly swift end to the long, dynastic dictatorship of the Assad family. The former rebel leader who now rules Syria - Ahmed Al Sharaa – has been trying to convince the world of his efforts to pursue a path of peace and reconciliation. But a recent upsurge of sectarian violence, which has seen the deaths of hundreds of civilians, mainly from the Alawite minority, has called that into question. All this week we hear from our correspondent who has been in the country’s capital, Damascus.

Also on the programme: 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe; and US President Donald Trump says he wants to reopen Alcatraz prison after more than 60 years.


MON 22:45 The Artist by Lucy Steeds (m002bt01)
6: 'Where is the female Degas? The female Tartuffe?’

Provence 1920.

Aspiring journalist, Joseph Adelaide, arrives at a remote farmhouse house, hoping to make his name by interviewing the reclusive and supposedly tyrannical painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.

Meanwhile, Tartuffe's niece Ettie moves silently through the farmhouse - cooking, cleaning, selecting props, creating the tableaux that make her uncle's artistic genius possible.

But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.

Over this sweltering and sultry summer, passions will be ignited, mysteries will be revealed, and egos shattered...

Today: a visit from a group of American art-lovers opens a crack in the door to the outside world for Ettie...

Readers: Tuppence Middleton and Luke Treadaway
Writer: Lucy Steeds is a graduate of the Faber Academy. This is her first novel.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 23:00 Nuremberg (m000zkzb)
The 24 Names

September 1945. Everyone is gathering in Nuremberg for the trial. But the courtroom isn’t ready, the judges are still in Berlin and none of the Nazis have lawyers.

Seen through the eyes of Airey Neave, fluent German-speaker and first man to escape from Colditz, who has to serve the indictments. But the names of those to be indicted keep changing – and there are still some surprises.

Meanwhile, with less than a month until the trial is due to start, the Russians seem to be employing delaying tactics – is it because they might also be accused of war crimes? In fact, the Kremlin is having trouble providing translations of its documents – Stalin had executed most people in Russia who could speak a foreign language. And it’s Neave who now has to find the German lawyers to represent the 22 defendants.

Cast:
Major Airey Neave - FREDDIE FOX
Peggy - ROSIE SHEEHY
Robert H Jackson - JOSEPH MYDELL
Sir Geoffrey Lawrence - NICHOLAS WOODESON
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - FORBES MASSON
Judge Biddle - CLIVE WOOD
Iona Nikitchenko and other roles - HENRY GOODMAN
Joachim von Ribbentrop and other roles - JASPER BRITTON
Sir Norman Birkett - ANDREW WOODALL
Colonel Burton Andrus and other roles - JOSEPH ALESSI
Hermann Goering and other roles - NIGEL LINDSAY
Dan Kiley and other roles - ILAN GOODMAN
Colonel Gill and other roles - NATHAN WILEY
Henri Donnedieu de Vabres and other roles JONATHAN CULLEN

Sound Designer - ADAM WOODHAMS
Studio Manager - MARK SMITH
Casting Director - GINNY SCHILLER
Original Score - METAPHOR MUSIC
Writer and Director - JONATHAN MYERSON
Producer - NICHOLAS NEWTON

A Promenade Production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


MON 23:30 You're Dead to Me (p0f508nx)
The Indus Civilisation: life in Bronze Age South Asia

Greg Jenner is joined by guests Dr Danika Parikh and comedian Ahir Shah in the Bronze Age to explore the ancient Indus civilisation. They take a close look at the terracotta, toilets and even the unicorns of this vast civilisation which was in existence some 2,000 years before Pompeii.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Research by: Aimee Hinds Scott
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Aimee Hinds Scott and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow
Project Management: Isla Matthews
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

TUESDAY 06 MAY 2025

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002bt03)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bsz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bt05)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bt07)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002bt09)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:04 Currently (m002bs13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bt0c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bt0f)
Majesty upon majesty

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002bt0h)
6/5/2025 Drought warnings in Scotland, seed potatoes, asparagus

Scottish farmers are being warned to prepare for a possible summer drought. SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued a water scarcity alert as 17 river catchments are so low. In England the Environment Agency says two thirds of rivers are below normal or lower for the time of year.

This week we're digging into the world of potato production - none of which would be possible, of course, without healthy, disease-free seed to get the crop started. Growing seed potatoes is a high-value, tightly regulated, specialist sector, and in the UK it's largely concentrated in Scotland where the disease risks are lower thanks to a cooler climate. Europe was a key market for Scottish seed, but Brexit changed all that. The EU's plant protection rules mean the trade is no longer allowed. However growers haven't given up on resuming exports and efforts continue.

The asparagus season is underway, traditionally, the spears of this tender crop are only picked from 23rd April, St George’s Day, to 21st June, the longest day of the year. It’s crucial for growers to have their best produce ready at the right time. Not only that, getting it to market and making sure it’s quality is perfect can pay real dividends when supplying top end restaurants and catering. We join one grower who welcomed the whole supply chain to his farm to see how the asparagus they buy from him, is grown.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 06:00 Today (m002bsvy)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002bsw0)
Liz Morris on Antarctic adventures and the melting polar ice sheets

A frozen, white world at the far-reaches of the globe, where you're surrounded by snow and silence, might sound rather appealing. Factor in temperatures that drop to -57°C and a few of us might be put off - but for glaciologist Liz Morris, that's very much her happy place.

Liz is an Emeritus Associate at the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute, and was among the first British women scientists to work on the planet’s coldest continent, Antarctica. Over the course of her career, Liz has gathered vital data on polar ice sheets and how they’re affected by climate change. She's also made numerous research trips across the Greenland Ice Shelf, and has a glacier named after her in Antarctica.

In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Liz discusses her fascination with glaciers and ice - and explains her unwavering determination to break into what was once a heavily male-dominated field.

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor


TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002bsw2)
Is ‘are you ok?’ a good question and how your eyes give away memory precision

Are you ok?

It’s a question that might be at the front of your mind during a traumatic event. But how helpful is it and can it even make matters worse? We answer a very intriguing listener question.

And in the studio with Claudia is Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, who’s excited about a study that has uncovered a fascinating way of measuring just how precise our memory is. Clue: It’s all about the eyes.

We also reveal the latest finalist in the All in the Mind awards. This week it's Dr Rajeev Kumar who was nominated by Holly Batyka-Berry for his support through Holly's experiences of severe postnatal depression.

The awards take place at the BBC Radio Theatre in London on 18 June and there is a ballot for free tickets which closes at midday on 31 May. You can enter online by going to www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt and Hannah Fisher
Studio Manager: Bob Nettles
Production Coordintator: Siobhan Maguire
Content Editor: Glyn Tansley


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002bsw4)
Women designing for women, The Sleep Room, Singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini

A wave of female designers have been appointed to some of the leading high street brands - most recently Jacqui Markham at Whistles, Maddy Evans at M&S earlier this year, and Clare Waight Keller, the former Givenchy designer who joined Uniqlo last year. So how much of a difference does it make for consumers that women are at the helm? Nuala McGovern speaks to Jacqui Markham, who has only just become the creative director at Whistles and Catherine Shuttleworth, retail commentator, CEO and founder of Savvy Marketing.

Imagine a medical facility where almost exclusively female patients are kept in a drug-induced slumber for months at a time, woken only to be fed and bathed and given electro-convulsive therapy to erase their memories- sometimes even their identities- all without their consent.  It sounds like the stuff of dystopian sci-fi, but in fact it was a real psychiatric ward in a 1960s NHS hospital, as uncovered in a new book, The Sleep Room: A Very British Medical Scandal. Nuala speaks to the author, Jon Stock, about his investigation and hears from a former patient, Mary Thornton, about her experiences and a consultant psychiatrist, Professor Linda Gask from Manchester University.

Daisy Crawford says she was left feeling embarrassed and tearful by the treatment of Easyjet staff who threatened to charge her for an extra bag when she tried to board a flight with a bag containing her breast milk, a breast pump and cool packs as well as her hand luggage. Daisy joins Nuala to explain why she thinks her treatment was discriminatory against breastfeeding mums. 

Have you ever written or received any love letters? A new performance film, The Extraordinary Miss Flower, was inspired by just that – in fact a suitcase full of them - sent to just one woman. Icelandic-Italian singer/songwriter Emilíana Torrini felt so inspired by the letters that were sent to Miss Geraldine Flower, her friend Zoe’s mum, that it led her to get back into the studio to create her first solo record in 10 years as well as an accompanying film. She joins Nuala live in in the studio to talk about both – and to perform live.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m002bjqy)
Sex Work

Pretty Woman was released in 1990. One of the most beloved and successful romantic comedies of all time, the film tells the Cinderella story of a sex worker, played by Julia Roberts, who finds love with a slick businessman - Richard Gere - after he picks her up on Hollywood Boulevard.

Fast forward to 2025 and the astonishing Oscar success of Anora - director Sean Baker’s tale of a young sex worker whose whirlwind affair with a Russian billionaire’s son turns bad, fast.

So how has the way we treat sex work on screen changed? Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode delve into the long and thorny relationship between cinema and sex work.

Mark speaks to film historian and critic Pamela Hutchinson about how sex work has been tackled in over a hundred years of movies - from early silent films like Pandora’s Box, to the work of Sean Baker. They discuss Jane Fonda’s Oscar-winning turn as a ‘call girl’ in Klute, and look at how male sex worker films like Midnight Cowboy might approach the subject differently.

Meanwhile, Ellen talks to Andrea Werhun, the writer, performer and real-life sex worker who served as a consultant on Anora - about her work on the film, and her love for another Richard Gere sex work film, American Gigolo.

And Ellen also speaks to Kristen Lovell and Zachary Drucker, whose 2023 documentary The Stroll traced the history of trans sex workers in New York City’s Meatpacking District. Kristen and Zachary discuss why sex work has been a key part of trans history - and what they think Anora’s success means for sex workers.

Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 11:45 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bsw6)
Episode 2: The River of the Cedars

This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. Robert Macfarlane asks us to imagine that rivers are not mere water for human use, but living beings, who should be recognised as such in both imagination and law.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway worldwide to recognise the lives and rights of rivers. This young ‘rights of nature’ movement has lit up activists, artists and lawmakers across six continents, and become a focus for revolutionary thinking.

In Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane explores rivers across the world, journeying to northern Ecuador, southern India and north-eastern Quebec. In all these places rivers are under threat - but dedicated activists are battling to defend them.

In this second episode, Robert Macfarlane travels to northern Ecuador:
‘It’s night, a few miles from the Equator, high in the cloud-forest, many miles from any road. We’re at more than 9000 feet. The young river sings on, tirelessly, in a gorge below. The name of this forest is Los Cedros, the Forest of the Cedars, and the name of its river is the River of the Cedars. I have travelled to the mountains of northern Ecuador because in 2008 this small country changed the world…’

Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people and place. His best-selling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as a book-length prose-poem, Ness. As a lyricist and performer, he has collaborated with musicians including Karine Polwart, Johnny Flynn and Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Read by Robert Macfarlane
With music by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane and field recordings from Ecuador.
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002bsw9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002bswc)
Call You and Yours: Buying Second Hand

On this week's phone-in we're asking: Have you made the shift to second hand online shopping?

Last week second hand online marketplace, Vinted, reported its profits had jumped by 330% in 2024. A survey by Oxfam last year found that 41 per cent of UK adults now buy and wear more second-hand clothing than they did two years ago. So is that you? Have you made the shift to second hand online shopping?

If so, what was it that got you to make the change from buying new? Was it how online websites and apps for shopping preloved work? Was it the tech that got you to make the shift? Or was it more to do with changing attitudes to second hand? Has the stigma gone? Has it become 'normal'? Or did environmental factors play a part?

Or perhaps you still prefer to buy new - if so what's holding you back? Perhaps you've tried it and found it lacking - we want to hear from you.

What are the pros and cons to buying and selling online - whether for one-off purchases or a money making side hustle?

We want to hear your experience. Have you made the shift to second hand online shopping?

PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM
PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002bswf)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002bswh)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 13:45 The Autism Curve (m002bswk)
2. The Past

How has autism changed to include those - like women - who were previously missed?

To make sense of the steep upwards curve in autism diagnoses, we go back to the start, to understand who we counted then compared with now. Professor Francesca Happé describes the evolution and expansion of the definition of autism, including the role played by Hans Asperger and controversy around his alleged Nazi sympathies. And we hear from Sarah Hendrickx, author of Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum, about how women have been misdiagnosed with mental health conditions rather than autism; and from education consultant Frances Akinde about the experience of autistic people in ethnic minority groups.

Archive: BBC.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002bswn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000h7xr)
Breaking Blake

George Blake, a member of MI6, passed secrets to the Russians and was sentenced to an unprecedented term of 42 years imprisonment. But after only four years, he was sprung from Wormwood Scrubs. Many assumed the KGB was behind the daring break-out.

The truth is much stranger.

Barnaby Kay revisits this incredible story.

Cast:
George Blake................................Michael Maloney
Michael Randle.............................Elliot Levey
Anne Randle..................................Claire Rushbrook
Pat Pottle.......................................Tony Gardner
Sean Bourke..................................Lloyd Hutchinson
Alim/Doctor....................................Walles Hamonde
Hawkins/Nice Barry........................Ben Crowe
Boys...............................................Kellan & Merryn Dowley
News reports.................................David Holt
Secretary/Mum..............................Freya James

Director ........................................Barnaby Kay
Sound Recordist and Designer ......David Thomas
Production Coordinator ................Sarah Tombling
Producer........................................Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m0028vdc)
History's Secret Heroes: Series 3

Ita Ekpenyon and the Blitz

After twelve weeks of nightly bombings, tensions are running high in London’s air raid shelters. Can warden Ita Ekpenyon stop a riot from breaking out?

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.

Contact: historys.heroes@bbc.com

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Emma Weatherill
Assistant Producer: Rachel Oakes
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Alex von Tunzelmann
Ita Ekpenyon read by Jude Akuwudike
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts


TUE 15:30 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vnq)
After Francis: What do Catholics want next?

Following the death of Pope Francis, Catholics around the world are looking to Rome and the Vatican as the Church prepares to elect its next leader. But what do Catholics around the world hope to see in their future pontiff?

Colm Flynn is in Rome to speak to Catholics gathered from different corners of the globe. From pilgrims in St Peter's Square to others from the USA and Africa, Colm explores the diverse expectations, aspirations, and concerns they hold for their new spiritual leader.

What kind of attributes should the next pope possess? What pressing issues must he urgently address - be it social justice, inclusivity, climate change, or the evolving role of women within the Church? And how will the incoming Pope guide over one billion Catholics through these challenges?

Presenter: Colm Flynn
Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

(Photo: St Peter's Basilica, from the Pincio. Credit: Sylvain Sonnet)


TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002bswq)
Surrounded by Sound: Ray Dolby and the Art of Noise Reduction (Binaural Version)

Matthew Sweet goes in search of Ray Dolby, the extraordinary inventor whose Dolby Noise Reduction system revolutionised recorded sound, transformed the cinema experience, and whose company, Dolby Laboratories, celebrates its 60th birthday in 2025.

To hear the programme with elements in binaural sound, listen with headphones on BBC Sounds to experience some of it in a 3D soundscape with a sense of space and distance.

Matthew talks to some of the people who knew Dolby best, including his widow Dagmar and two of his earliest employees, sound engineers David Robinson and Ioan Allen (who still works for Dolby Laboratories 60 years on), and to veteran Hollywood sound designer and director Midge Costin about the transformative impact Noise Reduction had on cinema, from its earliest use in the 1970s on Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and George Lucas’s Star Wars, to the subsequent development of digital and surround sound. He visits the Dolby studios in Soho, London, to be immersed in Dolby’s legacy, the latest cutting-edge technological developments in sound and vision, and gets to grips with the technology that Dolby pioneered. The famous double-D logo was ubiquitous on domestic cassette tapes throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s - but what actually is Noise Reduction, and how does it work? This programme reveals all.

Producer: Graham Rogers

The programme includes short audio clips from:
Brief Encounter (1945) dir. David Lean
Star Wars (1977) dir. George Lucas
Days of Thunder (1990) dir. Tony Scott


TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002bsws)
How can I help my headaches?

Are headaches clouding your day? Join Chris and Xand as they speak to Dr Katy Munro, a senior doctor at the National Migraine Centre, to delve into the science behind those nagging pains. Discover practical remedies to ease the throbbing, best ways to avoid getting them in the first place and common headache myths.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Katy Munro
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Researchers: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m002bswv)
UK and India agree a free trade deal

We'll discuss the details of the free trade deal agreed between the UK and India, and explore what each side stands to gain. We'll also hear a report on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza as the Israeli blockade continues, and Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt joins us live from the blue carpet for the premiere of David Attenborough's newest film


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002bswx)
The UK has signed a free trade agreement with India

The UK and India have signed a free trade agreement that Sir Keir Starmer has hailed as a "landmark" projected to boost the British economy by up to five billion pounds a year. Also: The Government insists there will be no U-turn in the policy of means-testing pensioners' winter fuel payments. And Sir David Attenborough launches what he says is one of the most important films of his career.


TUE 18:30 Meet David Sedaris (m002bswz)
Series 10

Friends

"One day he hung one that was of a sexy woman you could only see from the top of her chest up, but that you knew was naked. On her shoulder was a white rat. The poster made me feel threatened though I couldn’t say why. Then I realised it was tacky."

It's so hard to explain why your childhood best friend was your childhood best friend - it just sort of happens. Thing is, one minute they're there and the next, they're not. In this week's story, Friends, David gets some bad news which makes him think about the good times he had, as a child with his neighbour, Dan.

We also hear a short essay about mispronunciations and misunderstandings that become family sayings in Lupreeshun.

David Sedaris is a renowned American essayist - winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humour and member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Written and performed by David Sedaris
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002bsx1)
Elizabeth tells David at Brookfield about a nightmare in which she was desperately trying to stop David wreaking bloody vengeance with a broken bottle while trapped on a cruise ship. David admits he’s had nightmares about the abattoir protest too, wondering if he should have done more. They discuss Lower Loxley’s plans for VE Day and Ruth’s attempts to contact Reginald Dodge, wartime hero. Talk turns to Jill’s memories of the war, David suspecting Phil had a crush on Wanda, the Brookfield Land Girl. They also discuss the slideshow Pat’s putting together with Peggy. Later, David surprises Elizabeth with news that they’ve tracked down ‘Dodgy’ (Reginald) through his granddaughter, who’s emailed Ruth a potted life history. David suggests printing it out and putting it on display at Lower Loxley.

At the Magistrate’s Court, Rochelle’s grateful to be given bail – and she won’t be tagged, as long as she sticks to her bail conditions. Mick and Joy are grateful to Usha too, before Joy hands over a bag of clothes and other essentials. Apologetic Rochelle gives Joy a heartfelt hug, then leaves with Mick for the bail address he’s arranged with a friend. On the way, Rochelle is relieved to hear Joy isn’t angry with her and tells Mick she loves Joy, despite everything. Back at Beechwood, Joy confesses she blames herself for damaging Rochelle. Usha admires Rochelle’s passion and determination, and thinks she never really intended to harm anyone. Usha then encourages Joy to stay and help with VE Day, despite the temptation to run away. Joy agrees, because running away never works.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002bsx3)
Hamlet Radiohead mashup, Stoke-on-Trent pottery in crisis

In the wake of President Trump's proposed film tariffs, Jake Kanter, International Investigations Editor at Deadline, discusses what the impact could be for the British film industry.

Last week Moorcroft became the latest heritage ceramic company to close its doors in Stoke-On-Trent. Emma Bridgewater, founder of the eponymous ceramics company, and Alasdair Brooks from Re-Form Heritage, discuss the decline of pottery in The Potteries.

A new genre-bending production of Hamlet created in collaboration with Thom Yorke from Radiohead has just opened at Factory International in Manchester. Co-directors Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett discuss their vision for Hamlet Hail to the Thief.

When it opened in 2000, The Lowry in Salford was one of the many beneficiaries of cultural infrastructure funding from the Millennium Commission. Twenty five years on, its CEO, Julia Fawcett, joins Front Row to discuss the significance of this national funding programme.

David Hockney and Vincent van Gogh have had the immersive art treatment. Now the National Portrait Gallery is using this approach for its collection in a new exhibition, Stories Brought To Life, that has just opened in MediaCity, Salford Quays. Art critic Laura Robertson gives her thoughts.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002bsx5)
Anatomy of a Firetrap

Around the UK, a hidden crisis has been growing over the past eight years.

Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, something extraordinary has become clear about many of Britain's high-rise residential buildings. They are nothing like as safe as we had imagined.

In fact, the latest statistics show that more than 5,000 high-rise buildings have faults so serious they pose a risk to life. Clearing this up has quietly become one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of our generation, with a bill totalling £16.6 billion and rising, and a project which could continue for the next 20 years.

Author and housing journalist Peter Apps investigates the building safety crisis through the story of one building which has many of the problems afflicting places across the country.

What is the reality for people living there? Why was it built like this? And with the government's promise of 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, do we risk making the same mistakes again?

Presenter: Peter Apps
Producer: Ant Adeane
Assistant Producer: May Robson
Executive Producer: Anishka Sharma
Mix: Mike Woolley

A Reduced Listening production for Radio 4


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002bsx7)
Guide Dogs - The Future

Times are hard for many charities, and those in the sight loss sector are no exception. In a previous episode of In Touch, we heard how Guide Dogs needed to take action to avoid a deficit of some twenty million pounds. So what form will that action take and what does it mean for jobs, services and waiting lists?

We're joined by Guide Dogs CEO, Andrew Lennox who tells us about the charity's plans to deal with the challenges it faces and he responds to concerns being raised.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual 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 of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


TUE 21:00 Crossing Continents (m002bsx9)
Russia's Church in Texas

Not that long ago many church-going Americans saw Russia as a godless place, an “evil empire” in the words of Ronald Reagan. But in President Trump’s second term, US-Russia relations have been turned on their head. The White House sided with the Kremlin at the United Nations, voting against a resolution to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.

Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Lucy Ash has been to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.

Presenter: Lucy Ash
Producer: Linda Pressly
Sound mix: James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


TUE 21:30 Stakeknife (m002bsxc)
5. Someone Bigger

Brendan Hughes wants to question Joe Fenton and find the “main mover.” Is Stakeknife suspected? We meet the former IRA man who interviewed Hughes and whose hero was Scappaticci.

Credits

Reporter: Mark Horgan
Produced and written by: Mark Horgan and Ciarán Cassidy
Co-Producer: Paddy Fee
Editing and Sound Design: Ciarán Cassidy
Composer: Michael Fleming
Sound mixing: Ger McDonnell
Theme tune by Lankum
Artwork by Conor Merriman
Assistant Commissioners for BBC: Lorraine Okuefuna and Sarah Green.
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins

Stakeknife is a Second Captains & Little Wing production for BBC Sounds.


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002bsxf)
UK and India agree landmark trade deal

The UK and India have finalised a major trade agreement, reducing tariffs on UK exports including gin, whisky and cars. The government says the agreement will eventually add £4.8bn per year to the UK economy, but the Conservatives say a National Insurance exemption for temporary workers from India is ‘two tier’ taxation.

Also on the programme: India carries out air strikes on what it called ‘terrorist targets’ in Pakistan and Pakistani administered Kashmir; and we hear from Syria where families are trying to find the remains of their loved ones killed by the Assad regime.


TUE 22:45 The Artist by Lucy Steeds (m002bsxh)
7: 'Where would you be without me?'

Provence 1920.

Aspiring journalist, Joseph Adelaide, arrives at a remote farmhouse house, hoping to make his name by interviewing the reclusive and supposedly tyrannical painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.

Meanwhile, Tartuffe's niece Ettie moves silently through the farmhouse - cooking, cleaning, selecting props, creating the tableaux that make her uncle's artistic genius possible.

But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.

Over this sweltering and sultry summer, passions will be ignited, mysteries will be revealed, and egos shattered...

Today: stunned by Tata's lies that have helped keep her here, Ettie makes an astonishing revelation ...

Readers: Tuppence Middleton and Luke Treadaway
Writer: Lucy Steeds is a graduate of the Faber Academy. This is her first novel.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


TUE 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001dwv8)
Episode 4: The Painted Horse

Frightened and desperate, Liz and Bill enlist the help of a psychic medium, who becomes a divisive figure, suggesting that the haunting is the fault of somebody in the house. But, when strange, disturbing problems start affecting local farmers, Bill and Liz wonder if he could be right - are they responsible for all of this?

The Witch Farm re-investigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set in in the beautiful, remote Welsh countryside, this terrifying true story is told through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary.

Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit 2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into a real-life mystery.

Cast:
Bill Rich ...... Joseph Fiennes
Liz Rich ...... Alexandra Roach
Larry Harry …… Tom Price
Wyn Thomas ...... Owen Teale
Laurence Rich ...... Jonathan Case
Marijke …… Laura Dalgleish
Jan …… Dan Starkey

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound design by Charlie Brandon-King and Richard Fox
Music by Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Gwenno
Researcher: Nancy Bottomley
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard

Consultant: Mark Chadbourn, author of the book on the case 'Testimony'

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002bsxl)
Sean Curran reports as the Security Minister Dan Jarvis updates MPs on the arrests of Iranian nationals over an alleged terror plot. Also, MPs are briefed on the UK-India trade deal and hear the stories of victims of "cowboy" car park operators.

WEDNESDAY 07 MAY 2025

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002bsxn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bsw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bsxq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bsxs)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:00 News Summary (m002bsxv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002bsxx)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question the Government about the weekend's anti-terrorism operations.


WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bsxz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bsy1)
Ovations in Vienna

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002bsy3)
07/05/25 - India Trade Deal, gene edited potatoes and green finance

A former Government trade advisor says the new trade deal with India could be good news for UK farmers. The deal comes after three years of negotiations and includes reduced tariffs on exports of products including whisky, lamb and salmon.

Many potatoes end up getting wasted because of bruising and discoloration. We hear from a potato producing company in Lincolnshire where they're hoping gene editing can produce a bruise-resistant spud.

And a select committee of MPs is urging the Government to do more to encourage private investment in schemes which restore nature. A report from the Environmental Audit Select Committee says new regulations should be introduced to enable landowners to realise their natural capital while protecting the farmers' ability to grow food.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons


WED 06:00 Today (m002btxs)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Life Changing (m002btxv)
The Great Escape

Dr Sian Williams' guest on today's edition of Life Changing takes us into the often lonely and overwhelmingly anxious world of agoraphobia.
As a bright adventurous sixteen-year-old Angela Tilley was thrilled to get a job in a busy London office. But after a year's unwanted attention from one of her co-workers, attention that today we'd call stalking, she started having panic attacks on the way to work. The attacks became a debilitating daily occurrence, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. Her courage in pushing back against her fears, forging a career and having a family came at a huge personal cost.
She talks to Sian about her challenges, and about the seemingly innocuous purchase that made a Life Changing difference, enabling her to stop her phobia defining her life.

Producer: Tom Alban


WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002c4x0)
Half-Life

1. Daughter of Radium

Drawn to a family legend about his German-Jewish family’s dramatic escape from Nazi Germany in 1936, the writer Joe Dunthorne accidentally discovers a far more disturbing history.

A conversation with his granny, who spent her childhood brushing her teeth with the radioactive toothpaste her father Siegfried manufactured, leads Joe to finally read his great-grandfather's nearly 2000-page long unpublished memoir. Hidden on page 1692 he finds an unsettling confession.

Written and presented by Joe Dunthorne, (based on his book Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance)
Produced by Eleanor McDowall
Music by Jeremy Warmsley
Mixing engineer, Mike Woolley
Story consultant, Sarah Geis
Executive producer, Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002btxx)
Model Leomie Anderson, Solo female travel, Bristol sex workers documentary

A BBC News documentary The Sex Detectives: Keeping Kids Safe follows a groundbreaking project in Bristol which engages the help of street sex workers to protect children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation. Avon & Somerset Police have teamed up with children’s charity Barnardo’s and partnered with Bristol’s street sex workers to gather intelligence about dangerous offenders and paedophiles. Nuala is joined by social worker Jo Ritchie, who is employed by Barnardo’s, and sex work liaison officer Rose Brown.

Model Leomie Anderson was just 14 when she was scouted, and has since gone on to work with fashion houses like Burberry, Giorgio Armani and Vivienne Westwood. She became the first Victoria Secret Angel from a Black British background. She's also the presenter of the BBC series Glow Up, the search for Britain's next top make up artist, which is back for it's 7th series. Leomie joins Nuala in the studio.

More women than ever are deciding to not wait for friends, or family, to go on an adventure. The hashtag #Solotravel has over 5 million posts across TikTok and Instagram and in a recent Press Association interview Hostelworld's CEO, Gary Morrison, said that a surge in solo travellers - especially young female backpackers - is reshaping the travel industry. So, is 2025 the year of the solo female traveller? Journalist Chanté Joseph and Solo in Style creator, Deborah Ives, tell Nuala why women are deciding to go on holiday alone.

Women in the North of England can expect to live fewer years in good health, are more likely to be unable to work due to long-term sickness and disability and are losing out in terms of wages, compared to other areas of England, according to new analysis. Health Equity North academics studied the latest available data to see whether there have been improvements in the inequalities faced by northern women since the publication of last year’s damning Woman of the North report. Nuala discusses the findings with Professor Clare Bambra of Newcastle University and co-director of Health Equity North.

We have an update from Tilly Cripwell about her campaign to protect the Molly Malone statue in Dublin.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Emma Pearce


WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002bsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002btxz)
May 5 - May 11

Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.

BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.

This week. May 5th – May 11th
- 8th of May 1945. Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allied forces, and Victory in Europe Day – VE Day – was declared.
- 6th of May 1937. A disaster captured in real time, as the radio reporter Herbert Morrison reports on the crash of the LZ 129 Hindenburg airship.
- 9th of May 1671. The audacious attempt of the notorious Colonel Blood to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, the last man to ever try such a feat.

Presented by Ron Brown and Viji Alles
Produced by Luke Doran and Kerry McCarthy


WED 11:45 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bty1)
Episode 3: Chennai

This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. Robert Macfarlane asks us to imagine that rivers are not mere water for human use, but living beings, who should be recognised as such in both imagination and law.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway worldwide to recognise the lives and rights of rivers. This young ‘rights of nature’ movement has lit up activists, artists and lawmakers across six continents, and become a focus for revolutionary thinking.

In Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane explores rivers across the world, journeying to northern Ecuador, southern India and north-eastern Quebec. In all these places rivers are under threat - but dedicated activists are battling to defend them.

In this third episode, he travels to Chennai in southern India, where the region’s rivers are being poisoned by pollution, and the region is locked into a brutal cycle of floods and drought. Following the river from its source to the Indian Ocean, he joins a turtle patrol trying to rescue baby turtles on the beach.

Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people and place. His best-selling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as a book-length prose-poem, Ness. As a lyricist and performer, he has collaborated with musicians including Karine Polwart, Johnny Flynn and Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Read by Robert Macfarlane
With music by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane and field recordings from Chennai.
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m002bty3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002bty5)
Podcast Scam, Allergies, Cryptocurrency Regulations

We hear how a dog groomer and influencer was invited onto a reputable podcast, only to find out it was a scam that took control of her social media accounts and accessed her personal information – putting her livelihood at risk.

Many people thought that the pandemic would bring an end to smart office wear, as more people opted for casual clothes. However, as people return to the office, sales of smarter clothing are on the rise. Retailer Charles Tyrwhitt has achieved record sales and Savile Row tailors are also reporting improved business.

We hear from a number of customers that have been turned away from restaurants due to their allergies. In the last decade, regulations have changed meaning that pre-packaged food must have all ingredients labelled and restaurants should provide written information about potential allergens in dishes. Restaurants say that they are turning people away to keep diners safe from potential cross-contamination, but is it fair?

Over the last few months, many people have had an email claiming to offer a free gift hamper from Marks and Spencer. However, despite looking like it comes from the retailer, the email has nothing to do with them and when customers pay for the postage they are in fact signed up to a subscription. We hear about how to spot these scams and what you can do if you’ve fallen foul of one.

More than one in ten adults in the UK either owns, or has owned, crypto currency, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. As a result, the government has revealed plans to regulate the industry in the same way as traditional financial markets. Will it encourage more people to invest in cryptocurrency and is it welcomed by those in the industry?


WED 12:57 Weather (m002bty7)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m002bty9)
Pakistan vows response against India following air strikes.

WATO speaks to a former Pakistani ambassador to the UN and a member of the BJP's executive. And Labour's Louise Haigh MP tells us the government should do more to stop abusive NDAs


WED 13:45 The Autism Curve (m002btyc)
3. The Science

What’s the evidence that there’s been a rise not just in diagnosis, but in autism itself?

We’ve heard that the exponential trend in autism diagnosis can be explained in large part, at least, by a widening definition and the diagnosis of groups - like women - who were previously missed. But could the amount of underlying autism also be rising? And if so, why? Professor Francesca Happé explains the role of genetics, environmental factors, and vaccine scares. And Ginny Russell, author of The Rise of Autism, talks through her research into the plausibility of various causes that people claim are behind a real rise in autism.

Archive: The White House; Fox News; NatureDocHealth; Dr Josh Ax; NonToxicDad; BBC.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


WED 14:00 The Archers (m002bsx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002btyf)
The Talented Mr Shakespeare

It is the last day of 1591 and William Shakespeare, a talented but incredibly pompous writer, is thrown out of the pub for being drunk, disorderly and for carving his name in the furniture. He's been ruining everyone's New Year's Eve. He stumbles home alone, pondering why success does not always equate to popularity.

Meanwhile, the less talented but slightly less annoying writer, Christopher Marlowe, discovers that Shakespeare is claiming sole authorship over their collaborations on the Henry VI plays. It's the final straw and he plots with renowned actor Will Kemp to kill Shakespeare.

When Kemp gets cold feet and tells Shakespeare of Marlowe's intentions, a counter plot evolves, and soon they team up with Lady Audrey Walsingham, a close personal friend of the Queen, who has her own axe to grind with the unfortunate Marlowe.

Cast:
Mark Gatiss as Sir Robert Cecil
Arthur Hughes as Christopher Marlowe
Harry Kershaw as Will Kemp
Renee Lamb as Lady Audrey
Tom Mothersdale as Will Shakespeare
Alana Ramsey as Queen Elizabeth & Martha
Travis Ross as John the Messenger

Original Music By Ed Scolding
Sound Presentation by Wilfredo Acosta

Written and Directed by Wilf Scolding
Producer: David Morley
A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4


WED 15:00 Money Box (m002btyh)
Money Box Live: Move or Improve?

If your home isn't working for you, should you pack up and move or get the builders in and improve?

Moving is expensive, aside from the price of the house there's Stamp Duty and solicitors fees to think about. So, is it worth getting the builders in instead if you're desperate for an extra bedroom? Insurance firm Aviva predicts 7 million of us will renovate over the next two years, spending an average of £14,000 each.

But what happens if the renovations go wrong, you run out of money, or you're hoping to move but no-one wants to buy your home?

Felicity Hannah is joined by Beth Rudolf from the Conveyancing Association and Harvey Fremlin, Managing Director at The National Self Build & Renovation Centre.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers/Helen Ledwick
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 7th of May 2025)


WED 15:30 Bodies (m002btyk)
The London Anatomy Office accepts around 350 human bodies donated for medical research and education annually. You may imagine that these bodies are persevered in chemicals for medical students to study over weeks and months. And some are. But many are used - almost fresh - to train surgeons in the procedures which may one day save your life.

Journalist Jenny Kleeman gains rare access to a surgical training course at Brighton and Sussex Medical School which uses these "fresh" donor bodies. She talks to the people who work with them every day and the surgeons who have come to be trained to find out how they feel about the people who have given the ultimate gift and if we still need real human cadavers in medical education.

For further information on body donation please search for the Human Tissue Authority to find your nearest medical school.

Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Ella Hubber
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Coordinator: Jana Holesworth


WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002bt92)
Prince Harry's bombshell interview

As far as royal interviews go, it'll take some beating.

This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis sift through Prince Harry's BBC interview - and discuss whether it's a PR disaster. They discuss what sort of advice Harry is being given and why, when it comes to doing a big interview, the golden rule is 'never go in hot'.

Listen to the full extended version on BBC Sounds, where David and Simon also look at how Marks & Spencer responded to a cyber attack - and why saying nothing can sometimes be the best policy. Plus, what everyone in PR could learn from two of the great master communicators, Michelle Obama and Sir David Attenborough.

Producer: Duncan Middleton
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4


WED 16:15 The Media Show (m002bt94)
Self-professed media diva Tina Brown and Chris Best, cofounder of the publishing platform Substack

Ros Atkins & Katie Razzall talk to the self professed Media Diva Tina Brown. The former editor in chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and the founding editor in chief of The Daily Beast talks about the changing media landscape and her recent move onto the online publishing platform Substack with her Fresh Hell diary. She's joined by Chris Best cofounder of Substack.
Allegations that Viktor Orban is subsidising supportive media outlets with the BBC's Central European Correspondent Nick Thorpe and after Reform UK’s successes in last week’s English elections the BBC’s chief political adviser Ric Bailey, Anna Gross from the Financial Times and James Heale from the Spectator consider how the media has handled Nigel Farage in this campaign – and over the years.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai


WED 17:00 PM (m002btym)
Calls for restraint as Pakistan vows response to Indian strikes

As tensions rise between India and Pakistan, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has warned of the dangers of "miscalculation". In a wide-ranging interview with PM, Mr Lammy also spoke about Gaza, Trump and the Labour government. Plus, we report from Rome as the conclave to elect a new pope begins.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002btyp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 18:30 Henry Normal: A Normal... (m001tgx4)
Journey

"Shove up National Treasures. We need to make room for Henry Normal" Simon O'Hagan - Radio Times

Join Henry Normal for the eleventh instalment of his acclaimed, occasional series in which the acclaimed, occasional writer tackles those subjects so big only radio can possibly contain them.

So far on this journey Henry has covered the subjects of ‘Family’, ‘Life’, ‘Love’, ‘Imagination’, ‘Nature’, ‘The Universe’, ‘Communication’, ‘Ageing’, ‘Community’ and ‘Home’; in this new episode he’ll be concentrating on the ‘Journey’ itself.

Through poems, jokes, and stories, we’ll discover what has made him the man he is today, and how everything in his life so far has led to this point - recording this latest show in Bury at The Met.

--
Henry Normal is a multi-award winning writer, producer and poet. Co-writer of award winning TV programmes such as The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, Coogan’s Run and Paul Calf, and producer of, amongst many others, Oscar-Nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge.

He’s published ten collections of poetry including his most recent ‘The Fire Hills’. Plus his memoir written with Angela Pell ‘A Normal Family’ everyday adventure with our autistic son.

Praise for previous episodes in this series:

-"It's a rare and lovely thing: half an hour of radio that stops you short, gently demands your attention and then wipes your tears away while you have to have a little sit down"
-"It's a real treat to hear a seasoned professional like Henry taking command of this evening comedy spot to deliver a show that's idiosyncratic and effortlessly funny"
-"Not heard anything that jumps from hilarious to moving in such an intelligent, subtle way as Henry Normal's show"

Written and performed by Henry Normal
Production Coordinator - Katie Baum
Sound manager - David Thomas
Produced by Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

An EcoAudio certified production


WED 19:00 The Archers (m002bt8h)
Freddie’s pleased when Elizabeth tells him Vince thinks he’s a solid, dependable man. They discuss last week’s abattoir protest, relieved that at least the live-stream was stopped quickly and they’ve managed to block the online footage too. But it’s the product recalls that are damaging them most. Freddie assumes the potential Academy contract is probably a no-goer too, and is proved right later, when they pull out.

Joy turns up at Lower Loxley to drop off a poster about Ambridge’s VE Day events. She bumps into Freddie and apologises for Rochelle’s involvement with the Casey Meats protest. Freddie tells Joy it’s not her fault, just like him ending up in young offenders wasn’t Elizabeth’s fault. Joy finds Elizabeth and they discuss Lower Loxley’s VE Day display, featuring all of Chelsea and Brad’s impressive research. Talk turns to Hilda the cat, who’s gone missing: Kate’s had to make excuses to Peggy about why she’s not around. Then Joy broaches the subject of Rochelle and the trouble she’s caused, before opening up to sympathetic Elizabeth about their past relationship.

Clarrie shadows Chelsea in The Orangery, but when she learns there isn’t much work available she decides it’s not enough, she needs a proper job. Elizabeth mentions Borchester Green are looking for an Assistant School Cook and Clarrie reckons she’d be a good fit. Elizabeth then reveals some photographs and letters belonging to Squadron Leader Reginald Dodge, sent by his granddaughter. He was awarded an OBE after dedicating his life to helping others and Elizabeth decides to add them to her display.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m002btyr)
Leni Riefenstahl, Queen Elizabeth Memorial, Keli

Acclaimed German journalist and film producer Sandra Maischberger talks about her new documentary about Leni Riefenstahl, which re-examines the life and career of the filmmaker and Nazi propagandist who was one of the most controversial women of the 20th century.

Art historian and curator Sandy Nairne, a member of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, and journalist and broadcaster Nancy Durrant discuss digital designs by teams shortlisted to create the permanent memorial to Queen Elizabeth in St James's Park in London.

And Ivor Novello Award-winning musician Martin Green talks about his debut musical for the National Theatre of Scotland, Keli, a story of creativity, music and community which marks 40 years since the Miners' Strikes.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002bjq7)
Gentle Parenting

A campaign to get verbal abuse on the agenda has sparked debate with headlines that say shouting at children is as bad as physical abuse.

What does the evidence actually say about the words we use when speaking to children? Where did the phenomenon of gentle parenting come from, and how do you do it? And who decides how we treat our kids?

Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Lucy Proctor, Josephine Casserly, Bethan Ashmead Latham, Tom Gillet
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Penny Murphy


WED 20:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027cty)
The Managers

It’s been called the dumbest idea in the world. But many believe shareholder value is the most important, the most consequential idea of the last hundred years.

In Prophets of Profit the BBC’s Business Editor Simon Jack discovers why so many believe the prime responsibility of business is to increase profits and maximise returns to shareholders. Simon reveals how this powerful idea was propelled by a few influential individuals from academic cloisters to dominate boardrooms across the world from the 1980s onwards. He shows how the consequences have enriched many people but devastated many too. How the separation of the idea of money-making from other social obligations has led to severe social tensions and a profound misunderstanding of business within communities and governments alike.

Speaking to investors managing trillions, the most powerful union boss in Britain, and CEOs who’ve been at the very top of some of the world’s biggest companies, Simon tracks how a simple idea became so powerful and why it shapes all of our lives today. In this episode he looks at how the idea changed the role of company executives.


WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002bsw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002bsw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002btyv)
Can Pakistan and India avoid war?

Pakistan's Prime Minister says the country has responded to India's air strikes by downing Indian jets during the operation. New Delhi has yet to respond to the claims that its planes were shot down. Diplomats are asking whether Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's remarks mean Pakistan will desist from responding directly to the attack. We explore whether other countries can temper the conflict.

The first vote has taken place in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope, but no choice has been made.

And researchers have used AI and scanning technology to "digitally unfurl" an ancient scroll that was burnt by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago.


WED 22:45 The Artist by Lucy Steeds (m002btyx)
8: 'In here I am God.'

Provence 1920.

Aspiring journalist, Joseph Adelaide, arrives at a remote farmhouse house, hoping to make his name by interviewing the reclusive and supposedly tyrannical painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.

Meanwhile, Tartuffe's niece Ettie moves silently through the farmhouse - cooking, cleaning, selecting props, creating the tableaux that make her uncle's artistic genius possible.

But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.

Over this sweltering and sultry summer, passions will be ignited, mysteries will be revealed, and egos shattered...

Today: while Ettie finally faces her past, Joseph learns what keeps Tata in exile in remote Provence...

Readers: Tuppence Middleton and Luke Treadaway
Writer: Lucy Steeds is a graduate of the Faber Academy. This is her first novel.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


WED 23:00 Michael Spicer: No Room (m002btyz)
Series 2

2. The Political Discourse Lip Balm Gift Pack

A new Banksy artwork has appeared and it's surprisingly decent. Disgraced former MP Stuart Piper-Aloysious makes an unexpected return with a centrist political podcast with another MP booted out at the last election. And the increasingly pixelated tactics of tabloid papers are revealed.

Michael Spicer aims his laser-guided satirical sight at the insanity of modern politics and culture in this sketch comedy where he plays every character.

The latest series of No Room comes after a critically acclaimed first run that built on Michael's social media output, which took off when he created his Room Next Door government advisor character. His withering takedowns of politicians have amassed more than 100 million views and helped keep his audience sane in fractured times.

Writer, Performer and Co-Editor: Michael Spicer

Composer and Sound Designer: Augustin Bousfield

Producer: Matt Tiller

A Tillervision production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m002btz1)
Series 13

Alca-Trump Prison, Reform the Children, and Nosfaragetu

Jon Holmes remixes the news into a current affairs comedy concept album. News meets popular culture in a multi-award-winning satirical mash up.

This week - we re-open Alca-Trump Prison, Reform the children, and embrace the coming of the Prince of Darkness Nosfaragetu.

Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002btz3)
Susan Hulme reports as the Prime Minister faces calls to resurrect winter fuel payments for pensioners and there's alarm over the impact of US tariffs on the UK film industry.

THURSDAY 08 MAY 2025

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002btz5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bty1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002btz7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002btz9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:00 News Summary (m002btzc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002btzf)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the Prime Minister defends the government's decision to means test winter fuel payments.


THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002btzh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002btzk)
Marking the 80th Anniversary of VE Day

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002btzm)
080525: rural homelessness, bugs, potatoes, Land Girls

Rural England is in the throes of a deepening housing crisis with homelessness up by 73 percent since 2018, according to the CPRE. The countryside charity, responding to new government figures on rough sleeping and homelessness, says a combination of higher rents and house prices along with much lower than average wages in rural areas are to blame, along with a lack of homes that are truly affordable.
As the nation celebrates 80 years since VE Day, we hear from a woman who was part of the wartime Land Army.
We've been hearing anecdotal evidence that the number of bugs on people's car windscreens has increased in recent years - pointing to a healthier insect population. Is this true, or just a blip? We ask an expert.
And all this week we're talking potatoes - and today we meet a farmer who sells her spuds not to the supermarket, but at the farm gate.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner.


THU 06:00 Today (m002bt7q)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002bt7s)
Lise Meitner

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the decisive role of one of the great 20th Century physicists in solving the question of nuclear fission. It is said that Meitner (1878-1968) made this breakthrough over Christmas 1938 while she was sitting on a log in Sweden during a snowy walk with her nephew Otto Frisch (1904-79). Both were Jewish-Austrian refugees who had only recently escaped from Nazi Germany. Others had already broken uranium into the smaller atom barium, but could not explain what they found; was the larger atom bursting, or the smaller atom being chipped off or was something else happening? They turned to Meitner. She, with Frisch, deduced the nucleus really was splitting like a drop of water into a dumbbell shape, with the electrical charges at each end forcing the divide, something previously thought impossible, and they named this ‘fission’. This was a crucial breakthrough for which Meitner was eventually widely recognised if not at first.

With

Jess Wade
A Royal Society University Research Fellow and Lecturer in Functional Materials at Imperial College, London

Frank Close
Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics and Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College, University of Oxford

And

Steven Bramwell
Director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology and Professor of Physics at University College London

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Frank Close, Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age, 1895-1965 (Allen Lane, 2025)

Ruth Lewin Sime, Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics (University of California Press, 1996)

Marissa Moss, The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner (Abrams Books, 2022)

Patricia Rife, Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age (Birkhauser Verlag, 1999)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002bt7v)
I Want My Country Back (with Phil Wang)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, following Reform's announcement they will remove all flags from all council buildings under their jurisdiction - other than the Union Flag and the St George's Cross - Helen and Armando are joined by Phil Wang to discuss Britishness, Englishness, Scottishness, Irishness, Welshness and Malaysianess.

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 Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator - Katie Baum & Sarah Nicholls
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 (m002bt7x)
Medical trials, VE day letters, Women entrepreneurs, Saba Sams

As WeightWatchers has filed for bankruptcy in the US, we ask what this means for the company and for the diet industry. Kylie Pentelow is joined by Daniel Woolfson, senior business reporter at the Telegraph.

Health experts are calling for more UK clinical trials to focus on finding new treatments for women, as “concerning” data reveals they are severely under-represented, with 67% more male-only studies than female-only. Professor Anna David, the director of the EGA Institute for Women’s Health at UCL, said the findings helped explained why some women “are not getting the care they need”. She joins Kylie to discuss her concerns.

Commemorations have been taking place all week to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. For members of the armed forces, the importance of mail during the war was said to be second only to food. Now a new play brings to life the compelling correspondence between a young war-time couple. Dear Loll, A Wartime Marriage in Letters is the work of Guardian journalist and author Rosanna Greenstreet and her husband Matthew Fay. It tells the story of Matthew’s grandparents, journalist Gerard ‘Ger’ Fay and his wife Alice, or ‘Loll’. Writing virtually every day, their correspondence over four years gives a fascinating insight into how one couple survived, and offers a deeply personal and refreshingly honest window into marriage, motherhood, separation, and survival. Rosanna joins Kylie in the studio.

Saba Sams’ debut novel Gunk is about Jules who works in a nightclub alongside her ex. Jules befriends a co-worker who becomes pregnant and has the baby. Then, for one reason or another, Jules is left to care for that baby. Saba – winner of the BBC National Short Story Award in 2022 -  joins Kylie to talk about breaking the rules around love, age-gap relationships and building alternative families, all themes of Gunk.

A new report by HSBC looks at the obstacles and opportunities facing midlife women entrepreneurs. With more midlife women starting businesses than any other demographic, what is it like to be a female founder at 50+? Author of the report, Eleanor Mills, tells Kylie about the findings and how she set up her own company, Noon, at 50. Plus, Helen Lord, co-founder of Rehome, a UK-based business specialising in the resale of used and ex-display kitchens, adds her experience of midlife entrepreneurship.

Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Corinna Jones


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002bt7z)
Doris Salcedo

Since the late 1980s, Colombian artist Doris Salcedo has made work in response to conflict and political violence, drawing on the testimonies of victims to create metaphorical sculptures and installations about trauma, loss and survival. She is now recognised as one of the most important living artists, with work shown in museums and galleries around the world, including in the turbine hall of Tate Modern in 2007. Doris Salcedo is the 2025 recipient of the Whitechapel Gallery’s prestigious Art Icon award, in recognition of her ‘profound contribution to the artistic landscape’.

She talks to John Wilson about the first time she saw Goya's painting The Third of May 1808, also known as The Executions of the Third of May. The painting depicts the brutal aftermath of the Dos de Mayo Uprising in Madrid, during the Peninsular War, in which Spanish civilians were executed by French soldiers. Salcedo recalls how this painting showed her what a work of art could accomplish. It was seeing this painting that inspired her artistic purpose of trying to reveal the true cost of war in her work.

Salcedo also explains how the poetry of Paul Celan, the French-Romanian poet and Holocaust survivor has been a significant influence on her and her art , and how the testimonies of the Colombian victims of violence have defined her work.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Archive used:

Paul Celan, Psalm, read by Robert Rietty


THU 11:45 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bt81)
Episode 4: Quebec

This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. Robert Macfarlane asks us to imagine that rivers are not mere water for human use, but living beings, who should be recognised as such in both imagination and law.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway worldwide to recognise the lives and rights of rivers. This young ‘rights of nature’ movement has lit up activists, artists and lawmakers across six continents, and become a focus for revolutionary thinking.

In Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane explores rivers across the world, journeying to Ecuador, India and Quebec.

In this fourth episode he journeys to Quebec, where the Mutehekau Shipu River is under threat from a major damming project. With an old friend, Wayne, he travels on foot and by kayak down the hundred-mile length of the river.

‘Ahead is a welter of white water. Water detonates, billows, bellows, shrapnels in all directions. Within seconds I hit the six-foot-high face of the first standing wave and the tip of my boat plunges deep into it, then lifts up shuddering out water thick as cream..’

Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people and place. His best-selling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as a book-length prose-poem, Ness. As a lyricist and performer, he has collaborated with musicians including Karine Polwart, Johnny Flynn and Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Read by Robert Macfarlane
With music by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane and field recordings from Quebec.
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 VE Day Silence (m002cc3b)
Two-minute national silence to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.


THU 12:02 News Summary (m002bt83)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:06 You and Yours (m002bt85)
Gap Finders - Charlotte Pearce

When was the last time you sent someone a handwritten letter? For this Gap Finders interview from the You and Yours team, Winifred Robinson speaks to Charlotte Pearce, who founded a company that does just that. Called Inkpact, it employs a team of freelance writers - who all have nice handwriting - to compose letters from companies to their customers. Charlotte talks about where the idea for this unusual business came from, and how it can compete in an era of AI-driven customer service.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002bt87)
Lip Balm

When staring at shelves full of sticks, tubs and tubes all promising us the perfect pout, how do you know which Lip Balms will really help keep chapped lips at bay?

Listener Kiran is a regular lip balm applier - saying she often suffers with dry or cracked lips, and recently splashed out on an expensive lip balm after seeing celebrity endorsed adverts for it online. But she isn’t sure it’s any better than her trusty tub of Vaseline.

To find out, Greg Foot speaks to Consultant Dermatologist and Dermatological Surgeon Dr Emma Craythorne about lips, lip lickers, mouth breathers and the causes of cracking - as well as lecturer in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry at the University of Sunderland, Dr Teresa Borrello about what is IN these lip balms to plump, smooth, or repair.

All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM


THU 12:57 Weather (m002bt89)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002bt8c)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


THU 13:45 The Autism Curve (m002bt8f)
4. The Identity

Autism today is not just medical but political. So who gets to decide who‘s autistic?

The neurodiversity movement has given autistic people a voice in discussions about autism and its growing diagnosis for the first time. Ari Ne’eman, who co-founded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, describes how he wanted to push back against groups run by the parents of autistic children, which advocated “pseudoscientific treatments and cures”. Today, people like Ellie Middleton, an autistic and ADHD content creator, celebrate their autistic identity online, inspiring others to self-diagnose. Are sceptics right to suspect a social media fad?

Archive: NBC; BBC; ITV; 7-Ahead; The Aspie World; List 25; Dr Sohom Das.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


THU 14:00 The Archers (m002bt8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000q3kf)
London Particular

Episode 2

By Nick Perry

While investigating a strange encounter with her missing brother on the London Underground, Alice is contacted by an oddball group of time-travel enthusiasts who are documenting London’s hidden gateways to the past. Late one night, they return with Alice to the "ghost station" where the encounter had taken place, and Alice finds herself transported to a bygone era where she learns an extraordinary secret about her own identity.

Alice . . . . . Scarlett Brookes
Alan . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr
Jill . . . . . Charlotte East
Jackie . . . . . Jane Whittenshaw
Lizzie . . . . . Emma Handy
Doctor . . . . . Roger Ringrose
Simon . . . . . Joseph Ayre
Kelechi . . . . . Stefan Adegbola

Pianist: Peter Ringrose

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko


THU 15:00 Open Country (m002bt8k)
Shipshape and Bristol Fashion

Helen Mark visits the port of Bristol – finding out how it changed the local landscape, and how the landscape in turn shaped it. She learns how and why Bristol became a port city in the first place and finds out about the creation of the floating harbour in 1809. She uncovers a tale of mud, the enemy of shipping, which scuppered the port’s ability to take on larger ships, resulting eventually in its move down to the mouth of the river in 1873. Helen visits the historic Underfall boat yard, which was badly damaged in an arson attack two years ago, but is now gradually returning to its former glory. She finds out how the modern port has managed to carve out spaces for wildlife, learns how it still continues to change the landscape today, and hears about plans to build a “compensatory” nature reserve further down the coast.

Contributors include:

Tiggy Latcham - Bristol Ferry Company
Sarah Murray - Director, Underfall Yard
Anne Hayes - Head of Environment and Sustainability, The Bristol Port Company
Lucy Taylor - Deputy Environment & Sustainability Manager, The Bristol Port Company
John Chaplin - Director of External Affairs and Special Projects at The Bristol Port Company

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002bs0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Word of Mouth (m002bt8m)
Street Names

Michael Rosen talks to sociolinguist Philip Seargeant from the Open University about where our street names come from, including Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate in York, and Michael's old address, Love Lane. Also, have you ever thought about the difference between a street and a road? Are there regional differences in the names given to streets? And why are street names sometimes changed?

Producer: Sally Heaven
Word of Mouth is produced by BBC Audio Bristol in partnership with the Open University
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz


THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002bt8p)
What are rare earths and why does everyone want them?

President Trump has signed a minerals deal with Ukraine, which will give the US access to some of Ukraine’s natural resources. The US president also said he’d like to take over Greenland and even Canada. Why? Well one reason may well be the rare earths and critical minerals found there. Critical minerals are vital for almost every industry from the manufacturing of computers to fighter jets. But in recent years the rise of green technologies has been fuelling demand for minerals used to make batteries for electric cars and other renewable infrastructure. One country dominates the minerals market - China - which has repercussions for the rest of the world, including the US. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss what and where these minerals are, why everyone wants them and how the rest of the world can compete with China.

Guests:

Ellie Saklatvala, Head of Nonferrous Metal Pricing, Argus, a provider of market intelligence for the global commodity markets.
Henry Sanderson, author of ‘Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green’ and Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute
Sophia Kalantzakos, Global Distinguished Professor in Environmental Studies and Public Policy at New York University in Abu Dhabi and the author of 'China and the Geopolitics of Rare Earths'
Olivia Lazard, a senior fellow affiliated with the think tank, Carnegie Europe and Berggruen Institute

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower and Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineer: David Crackles
Editor: Richard Vadon


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002bt8r)
The mysteries of the ocean floor

It’s often said we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the Earth’s deep sea, and a new study is backing that up. Research from the Ocean Discovery League says just 0.001% of the world’s deep seafloor has ever been seen by humans.

We speak to lead author and deep sea explorer Dr Katy Croff Bell and marine biologist Dr Anna Gebruk from the University of Edinburgh, to ask whether we should be making more effort to investigate our oceans.

As events take place to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, presenter Victoria Gill also speaks to Professor David Edgerton from King’s College London to discuss what impact the Second World War had on scientific research and innovation.

We’re also joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist, to look through some of the top science stories you might have missed this week.

And as David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday with the release of his latest film Ocean, we take a trip through the archives to hear some of his finest moments from more than 70 years of broadcasting.


THU 17:00 PM (m002bt8t)
Full coverage of the day's news


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002bt8w)
The UK and the United States have agreed a deal which reduces tariffs

The UK and the United States have agreed to reduce tariffs on imports, in a deal which the Prime Minister said would protect and create jobs. Also: Roman Catholic cardinals meeting in the Vatican have elected a new Pope, Robert Francis Prevost. He will be known as Leo the Fourteenth. And The King and Queen have joined 1800 people for a service at Westminster Abbey to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe.


THU 18:30 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001k7w5)
Series 4

Saturday's Child Is...

Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.

This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We've been making our way through the working week and tonight we reward ourselves with the weekend. Saturday's child 'works hard for a living'. But is that really what life's about? Would it be better to simply smell the flowers, like Sunday's child? Also, why did Mark recently claim to have been in prison?

Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as is Mark aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - tonight, we close it out with Zoe Lyons.

Producer: Lianne Coop

An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m002bt8y)
At The Bull, Lynda bumps into Lawrence, who’s just visited the Lower Loxley VE day exhibition. When Lawrence exclaims it makes him feel proud to be British, Lynda pointedly mentions troops from other countries who also fought in the war. Cutting Lynda off, Lawrence turns the conversation to Reginald Dodge’s family, who were also at the exhibition. Lynda’s irritated when Lawrence is then rude about the quality of Ambridge’s cricket teas, suggesting they need to up their game to rise up his catering league. Later, Lynda makes it clear to Lawrence how she feels about him. She didn’t appreciate his advances when they first met, and she won’t fraternise with a racist. When Lawrence tries to smooth things over, it’s clear Lynda has no time for him.
Lilian and Tony try to locate Hilda, who’s still missing. Peggy’s coming with Christine to the beacon lighting and WI tea later, and will expect a visit with Hilda en route. Lilian and Tony agree to pretend they saw Hilda this morning, but she’s now wandered off.
At the Village Hall later, Lilian and Tony wonder where Peggy is before Lilian gets a call from The Laurels. Lilian then approaches Tony in tears, telling him Peggy has died peacefully in her chair at the home. As the beacon blazes on Lakey Hill, Lilian, Brian and Tony share their feelings about Peggy. They head off to Peggy’s slideshow at the Village Hall, which Lynda has agreed to narrate at the last minute. Tearful Lilian just wishes Peggy was there to watch it with them.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m002bt90)
Review, The Wedding Banquet, Isabel Allende, The Brightening Air

Authors Matt Cain and Eimear McBride join Tom Sutcliffe to review a new remake of Ang Lee's 1993 classic The Wedding Banquet. They also discuss Isabel Allende's new novel My Name is Emilia del Valle and the play The Brightening Air, on at the Old Vic theatre in London. And the National Gallery is having a re-hang, we speak to Head of the Curatorial Department, Christine Riding.


THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002bt92)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002bt94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:15 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002brqd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002bt7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002bt96)
New Pope elected

As a new Pope is elected, we hear from one of his old school friends. Also: the US and UK announce a deal on tariffs, but are the industries involved happy with the outcome? Bill Gates on his plans to give away his fortune and close his Foundation. And as VE Day commemorations come to a close, we hear how a national dish has featured on many of the day's menus.


THU 22:45 The Artist by Lucy Steeds (m002bt98)
9: 'He's a monster.'

Provence 1920.

Aspiring journalist, Joseph Adelaide, arrives at a remote farmhouse house, hoping to make his name by interviewing the reclusive and supposedly tyrannical painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.

Meanwhile, Tartuffe's niece Ettie moves silently through the farmhouse - cooking, cleaning, selecting props, creating the tableaux that make her uncle's artistic genius possible.

But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.

Over this sweltering and sultry summer, passions will be ignited, mysteries will be revealed, and egos shattered...

Today: As Ettie finally takes the step that could take her away from Tata, her uncle's suspicions are growing....

Readers: Tuppence Middleton and Luke Treadaway
Writer: Lucy Steeds is a graduate of the Faber Academy. This is her first novel.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m002bt9b)
Joe Biden, VE Day and the politics of nostalgia

On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Amol and Nick discuss what President Biden told Nick in his first interview since leaving office.

They’re also joined by Professor Lucy Noakes, author of The People’s Victory, and Professor Jason Arday, whose work focuses on inequality, race and education, to talk about how we remember World War Two as the wartime generation dwindles and the politics of nostalgia.

And Nick and Amol enjoy a vintage Today programme theme song.

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 hit 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.

GET IN TOUCH:
* Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346
* Email today@bbc.co.uk

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.

This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Izzy Rowley. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002bt9d)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the government sets out the details of its trade deal with the United States.

FRIDAY 09 MAY 2025

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002bt9g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bt81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bt9j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bt9l)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002bt9n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002bt9q)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question trade minister Douglas Alexander about the new US-UK trade deal. Also First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament.


FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bt9s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bt9v)
The joys of being glaikit

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rev Neil Gardner of Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002bt9x)
9/5/2025 UK trade deal with USA and what it means for British farmers

The UK and the US have announced a trade deal between the two countries. President Trump hailed it as an agreement which will 'dramatically increase' access to UK markets for American farmers involving he said billions of dollars and singling out ethanol - where the UK tariff on American imports will be removed, and beef, where a reciprocal agreement has been made. The UK ban on American chlorine washed chicken and hormone treated beef continues. The UK government says it opens up a new market for British farmers while keeping up welfare and environmental standards on imports.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


FRI 06:00 Today (m002bv31)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 The Reunion (m0029ypd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002bv33)
Naga Munchetty, Pope Leo XIV, Cancelling weddings, actor Laura Aikman

Four years ago the writer and broadcaster Naga Munchetty spoke out on air about her own awful experience of getting a coil fitted, and received a huge response from listeners. It led to her talking about her debilitating periods and an eventual diagnosis with adenomyosis aged 47. She’s written about this and included the experiences of other women. Naga speaks to Anita Rani to discuss her book ‘It’s probably nothing’: Critical conversations on the women’s health crisis.

Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new Pope and will be known as Leo XIV. He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru. Anita is joined by Kate McElwee, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, that calls for women's ordination and gender equity in the Roman Catholic Church and Ruth Gledhill Assistant Editor at The Tablet to discuss where he stands in the context women and the church.

Planning a wedding can be stressful, but what if you begin to question your relationship as the big day approaches? How do you know if it’s just nerves? And what if you realise that you’re not happy, that your engagement needs to end, and that you have to cancel your wedding? Anita talks to beauty and lifestyle creator Katie Snooks who cancelled her wedding in 2017 and to couples therapist Joanna Harrison about managing the emotional and practical fall-out of cancelling your wedding.

Laura Aikman discusses her role in new drama Suspect, which tells the story of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot by police at Stockwell tube station in 2005. He was mistaken for a terror suspect in the aftermath of London’s 7/7 bombings. Laura plays Lana Vandenberghe in the Disney+ drama, a Canadian secretary at the Independent Police Complaints Commission who became a whistleblower, leaking documents to a TV news producer which showed a discrepancy between what the police knew and what was being reported at the time. Laura also recently starred in BBC crime drama This City is Ours and surprised Gavin and Stacey fans by returning as Smithy’s fiancé for the recent Christmas finale, watched by more than 19 million people.

Presented by Anita Rani
Producer: Louise Corley


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002bv35)
School Dinners - Past, Present and Future

Baroness Floella Benjamin once said “childhood lasts a lifetime” and our experiences of school dinners can shape how we eat for the rest of our lives. In this edition of The Food Programme Sheila Dillon investigates the importance of those early food memories with the help of Dr Heather Ellis from the School Meals Project. The Project says its aim is to produce the first ever comprehensive history of school meals across the different nations of the United Kingdom The programme makes a trip to the Food Museum in Suffolk to see a landmark exhibition around school food and Sheila pays a visit to a forward-thinking school in West London which bakes its own bread with flour made from the wheat that it grows just outside the school kitchen!

Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin Markwell

Featuring an archive clip from BBC Breakfast in April 2025 with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP
Also a brief extract from the book The Farmer's Wife: My Life In Days by Helen Rebanks


FRI 11:45 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (m002bv37)
Episode 5: The Springs

This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. Robert Macfarlane asks us to imagine that rivers are not mere water for human use, but living beings, who should be recognised as such in both imagination and law.

Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful movement is also underway worldwide to recognise the lives and rights of rivers. This young ‘rights of nature’ movement has lit up activists, artists and lawmakers across six continents, and become a focus for revolutionary thinking.

In Is a River Alive? Robert Macfarlane explores rivers across the world, journeying to Ecuador, India and Quebec.
‘In the final, intense months of writing this book at home in Cambridge, my dreams became riverish. Night after night I would swim up rivers or sink into their waters…’

In this final episode he visits the springs near his home in Cambridge and imagines the birth of that river, 12,000 years ago. He explores how modern technologies are now able to map the ghost-paths of old rivers, and how the branching flow of rivers echoes the flow of blood within the human body.

Robert Macfarlane is internationally renowned for his writing on nature, people and place. His best-selling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as a book-length prose-poem, Ness. As a lyricist and performer, he has collaborated with musicians including Karine Polwart, Johnny Flynn and Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Read by Robert Macfarlane
With music by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane
Produced and abridged by Elizabeth Burke
Studio Production and Sound Design by Jon Calver
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002bv39)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002bv3c)
Disability Benefits

There's a row in the Labour Party about cutting the benefits paid to disabled people. Ministers say they're trying to manage a budget that's ballooning. That's partly because of more claims from the young and from people with mental health conditions. But others say that these payments are lifelines for people with both mental and physical disabilities.

Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Josephine Casserly, Viv Jones, Bethan Ashmead-Latham and Tom Gillett
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Studio Engineer: Hal Haines


FRI 12:57 Weather (m002bv3f)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002bv3h)
Two guilty of felling Sycamore Gap tree

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are convicted of felling the Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw. Their "moronic mission" in 2023 shocked the world and damaged Hadrian's Wall. We report from Newcastle Crown Court where they'll be sentenced. Plus, Vladimir Putin hosts more than 20 world leaders, including the Chinese president, for a show of Russia's military muscle on Victory Day.


FRI 13:45 The Autism Curve (m002bv3k)
5. The Spectrum

Has the idea of autism expanded so far that it’s breaking?

The rapid upwards curve in autism diagnoses and a social media-fuelled trend for self-diagnosis have led to tension. Autism’s centre of gravity has shifted: now those without an intellectual disability are most visible. But where does that leave autistic people who do have an intellectual disability and who could also be non-speaking? Who speaks for them? And what is diagnosis for anyway?

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Series Producer: Simon Maybin
Editor: Clare Fordham
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002bt8y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002b7yg)
Discretion

Episode 5

When Reid and Maria visit Kokorov at the palace it's clear he and the Ambassador have a special relationship.

Could Maria and Natsev be on course for a similar alliance but along different lines?

New alliances formed and previous suspicions now confirmed, it's time for Maria to make a decision about her next steps.

Maria...Sinead Keenan
Reid...Kevin McNally
President Kokorov..John Albasiny
Maria's Father...Piotr Baumann
Gilroy...Sean Rigby
Natsev...Avital Lvova

All other roles by Eddie Toll, Anna Krippa, Ani Russo and Hana Zidek

Written by Chris Brandon
Produced by Claire Broughton
Direction, Sound Design and additional production by John Wakefield
The Executive Producer is Jed Mercurio.

With thanks to Theresa Bubbear and Leigh Turner for their testimony and Tanya Nedashkovskaya for her translations.

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Child (m001xl5d)
Series 1

18. Fingers and Toes

How are mother and baby developing? Sure, we’ve counted their toes - but what happens now? So many huge emotional shifts are happening in the “Fourth Trimester”.

We talk about postnatal care with midwife Leah Hazard and the history of lying-in with Dr Sarah Fox. We also discuss postnatal depression, and inpatient support for mums. An area in which England is world leading. India visits a mother and baby unit to talk to Dr Trudi Seneviratne about the psychological support for new mothers.

Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Ellie Sans
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and Eska Mtungwazi
Mix and Mastering by Charlie-Brandon Hill

A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002bv3m)
Bangor: Second Chance, Shopping Lists and Hedgehog Gardens

How can you get a second season out of tulips grown in pots? What is the most natural and cost-effective way to add nutrients to my soil? How do you garden with hedgehogs in mind?

Kathy Clugston and her team of gardening experts return to Bangor, Northern Ireland where they solve some gardening dilemmas. Joining her are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous, and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson.

Later in the programme, continuing our Edible Essential Series is Bob Flowerdew, who provides the top fruits and vegetable to add to your shopping list this season.

Producer: Bethany Hocken
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.

Q- What should I do with my phalaenopsis orchid? (01'24")

Q- How do I look after auriculas during the summer? (05'02")

Q- How can you get a second season out of tulips grown in pots? (06’57")

Q- I’ve killed four Japanese acers over the years – what am I doing wrong? (19'30")

Feature – Bob Flowerdew’s edible shopping list. What fruit and veg you should grow this season (14'41")

Bob Flowerdew –
Asparagus officinalis, asparagus
Ribes nigrum, blackcurrant
Chillies
Allium sativum, garlic
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus, globe artichokes
Helianthus tuberosus, Jerusalem artichokes
Allium cepa, onions
Solanum tuberosum, potatoes
Raphanus sativus, radish
Rubus idaeus, raspberries
Ribes rubrum, redcurrants
Rheum rhabarbarum, rhubarb
Allium cepa var. aggregatum, shallots
Fragaria × ananassa, strawberries
Zea mays var. saccharate, sweetcorn

Q- My soil is very much depleted of nutrients. What is the most natural and cost-effective way to remedy this? (18'44")

Q – What shrubs could I grow in containers that are exposed to extreme winds and sea salt? (23'36")

Neil Porteous –
Grevillea rosmarinifolia, rosemary grevillea
Euphorbia stygiana subsp. Santamaria,
Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius, sea rosemary

Kirsty Wilson –
Phormium tenax, New Zealand flax
Hakonechloa macra, Japanese forest grass

James Wong –
Pinus pinea, stone pine

Q - How do you garden with hedgehogs in mind? (29'38")

Q - I’m just about to dig out an area for a large pond. What plants do the panel recommend I use to get me started? (31’20")

James Wong –
Soleirolia soleirolii, mind-your-own-business
Nymphaea, waterlilies

Kirsty Wilson –
Iris pseudacorus, yellow iris
Hosta, Plantain lily
Astilbe, astilbe
Meconopsis, Himalayan poppy
Cyperus alternifolius L., umbrella plant

Neil Porteous –
Eryngium, sea holly
Eryngium pandanifolium, pandan-like-leaved eryngo

Q - Can you recommend some plants that are showstoppers and conversation starters? (37'21")

Kirsty Wilson –
Nepeta 'Blue Dragon', catmint 'Blue Dragon'

Neil Porteous –
Vitex lucens, puriri

James Wong –
Mahonia, oregon grape
Daphne


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002bv3p)
The Give and Take

On a quiet riverbank a boy meets a stranger going through a rough patch, as the two keep tabs on a controversial rewilding project.
Written by Linda Cracknell
Read by Andy Clark
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Linda Cracknell is a writer of fiction, narrative non-fiction and radio drama. Her work often combines travel and writing with a particular interest in landscapes, place and memory. Publications include essay collection and Radio 4 Book of the Week, "Doubling Back" and fiction "Call of the Undertow" and "The Other Side of Stone".


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002bv3r)
Jane Gardam, Sir Roger Birch, Mike Peters, Francoise Hampson

Kirsty Lang on

The author Jane Gardam, whose works included The Queen of the Tambourine and Old Filth.

Sir Roger Birch, the former Chief Constable of Sussex Police who oversaw the investigation following the IRAs' Brighton bomb attack in 1984.

Mike Peters, the lead singer of the band The Alarm, whose own battle with cancer saw him become a campaigner and fundraiser for cancer treatment.

Professor Francoise Hampson, a lawyer who specialised in human rights in conflict zones.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
Front Row, BBC Radio 4, Presenter Kirsty Lang, 16/09/2009; World Book Club, BBC World Service, 12/10/2017; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 20/10/2017; “Somebody” by Jane Gardam, Read by Gillian Bevan, BBC Radio 4, 06/03/2022; File on Four, BBC Radio 4; Witness History, BBC, 2015; Human Rights Map, BBC Two, 05/12/1998; Human Rights and Human Wrongs, John Simpson, BBC TV, 02/11/1994; BBC Breakfast News, 14/08/1990; I Write the Songs, Archive: Mike Peters, BBC Radio Wales, 31/12/2014; Value Judgements, BBC Radio Wales, 30/06/2006; Brighton Bomb Attack, BBC News, 12/10/2009; Drink Drive Crackdown, BBC News, 12/10/1984; Breakfast Time – Drink Driving at Christmas, BBC News, 14/03/2020


FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m002btxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002bv3t)
Full coverage of the day's news


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002bv3w)
Two men convicted of felling Sycamore Gap tree

There was anger worldwide when the Northumberland landmark was cut down in 2023


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002bv3y)
Series 117

4. Conclave Concluded

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Geoff Norcott, Ria Lina, Ava Santina and Alasdair Beckett-King to break down the week in news. The panel discuss the results of the UK local elections, the reaching of a US-UK trade deal, the storm of online misinformation surrounding the India-Pakistan border stand-off, the statutes of statues, and the conclusion of the Conclave as we meet the world's first American Pope.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Eve Delaney, Jade Gebbie, John Tothill and Peter Tellouche.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002bv40)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Rosemary Watts
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Emma Carter…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass
Usha Franks…. Souad Faress
Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Kate Madikane…. Perdita Avery
Elizabeth Pargetter…. Alison Dowling
Freddie Pargetter…. Toby Laurence
Lynda Snell…. Carole Boyd
Lawrence…. Rupert Vansittart
DC Tanners…. Jane Slavin


FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002bv42)
Immigrant Epics

The Brutalist has been one of the most talked about films of the year and taps into a rich vein of films and television that dramatise the immigrant experience.

From The Godfather Part 2 to Small Axe, The Emigrants to Home and Away and An American Tail - Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode examine how filmmakers have investigated and portrayed the perils, patterns and adventure of human movement across the globe.

Mark speaks to film critic Christina Newland about the history of immigrant epics in Hollywood - from Once Upon a Time in America to The Brutalist.

Ellen then speaks to writer and creator of the tv series Get Millie Black, Marlon James, about his experience watching Small Axe for the first time. Ellen also talks to director Sir Steve McQueen about his anthology series Small Axe and how the films act as their own immigrant epic for the Windrush generation.

Producer: Queenie Qureshi-Wales
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002bv44)
Saqib Bhatti MP, Sir Chris Bryant MP, Sir Howard Davies, Alison Phillips

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the Shell Store, Hereford with Saqib Bhatti MP, the Shadow Minister Culture, Media and Sport; Sir Chris Bryant MP, the Minister of Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister of Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Sir Howard Davies, Economist and former Chair of NatWest Group and Alison Phillips, journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Mirror.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Lead broadcast engineer: Caitlin Gazeley


FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002btxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:40 on Wednesday]


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002bv46)
Peace

On the 8th May 1945, the Allies declared victory over Nazi Germany. How has war and the threat of war shaped society in the intervening years? Do 'war' and 'peace' mean the same things, 80 years on?
Matthew Sweet is joined by political scientist David Runciman, peace negotiator Gabrielle Rifkind, historian Ashleigh Percival-Borley

Producer: Luke Mulhall


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002bv48)
Will Pope Leo XIV clash with Trump administration?

Pope Leo XIV is finishing his first full day as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. We report from Peru where he was a Bishop until last year, and hear from a friend of JD Vance, who helped the Vice-President convert to Catholicism, on how likely it is that there'll be friction between the American-born Pope and the Trump administration.

The brewing conflict between India and Pakistan shows no signs of abating as India reports dozens of drone incursions across its border. We speak to a British-Kashmiri novelist on his reflections.

And people in Syria haven't had much to laugh about, but Damascus's comedy scene is showing signs of a revival.


FRI 22:45 The Artist by Lucy Steeds (m002bv4b)
10: 'Here I am.'

Provence 1920.

Aspiring journalist, Joseph Adelaide, arrives at a remote farmhouse house, hoping to make his name by interviewing the reclusive and supposedly tyrannical painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.

Meanwhile, Tartuffe's niece Ettie moves silently through the farmhouse - cooking, cleaning, selecting props, creating the tableaux that make her uncle's artistic genius possible.

But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.

Over this sweltering and sultry summer, passions will be ignited, mysteries will be revealed, and egos shattered...

Today: Tata's discovery of Joseph's affair with his niece brings events to a shocking climax...

Readers: Tuppence Middleton and Luke Treadaway
Writer: Lucy Steeds is a graduate of the Faber Academy. This is her first novel.
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett


FRI 23:00 Americast (p0l98vhv)
We Speak To Prof Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel Laureate) On The UK/US Trade Deal…

As more details of the trade deal between the UK and United States emerge, we get a view from the Novel prize winning economist and author, Professor Joseph Stiglitz. He explains to Justin why the deal is a mistake for the UK, why China has a better strategy against President Trump’s tariffs, and how the UK’s deal adversely affects the rest of the world.
Professor Stiglitz is a former Chief Economist at the World Bank, a former chair of the U.S. President’s Economic Council, and his most recent book The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society unpicks what real economic freedom means, and how to achieve it.

HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 Presenter

GUEST:
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate, former chief economist at the World Bank, former chair of the council of economic Advisers and author of The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society.

GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
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• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast

This episode was made by Grace Reeve and Purvee Pattni. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002bv4g)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Parliament as peers debate VE Day. And she'll be looking, too, at what's next for the Assisted Dying Bill, the future of the neon sign industry, and the hurdles encountered by the families of Britons who are murdered abroad.