SATURDAY 10 MAY 2025
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002bv4j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 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
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002bv4l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002bv4n)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002bv4q)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002bv4s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002bv4v)
Slow walk
Good morning.
We live near a little patch of woodland. Walking there with our three small children, my habit of rushing around, is exposed, coming into direct conflict with the ways that the kids experience the woods.
I noticed recently that I spend a lot of time on these walks asking the children to hurry up, moving them along with a promise that we can pause again at the next log, that there might be more bluebells around the corner, that there’s something nice at home for tea.
And so I determined to have one walk in which I didn’t say “come on” or “hurry up” at all, but allowed us to meander through the woods at child’s pace. I didn’t realise when I promised this, what a challenge I was setting myself. It was excruciating – and also beautiful.
Many Quakers seek spiritual sustenance in the Bible. One of my favourite verses comes when Moses hears God calling to him from within a burning bush. “Take off your shoes”, God says, “because the place where you are standing is holy ground”.
I love this reminder that the holy and the sacred are not somewhere else, somewhere different and special, but right here. We can hear the voice of God in birdsong and child’s play, if we only stop to listen.
So may we find a moment today to pause, to resist the onward pressure to hurry. Take off our shoes (metaphorically if not literally); get grounded, get grateful. Whether in the woods, at work, waiting in traffic, or for the kettle to boil, let us notice that we are here already, standing on holy ground.
Thank you friends.
SAT 05:45 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
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002c297)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:07 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
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002c299)
10/05/25 - Farming Today This Week: India and US trade agreements and their impacts on agriculture, land girls, seed potatoes
Farmers have welcomed a new UK trade deal with India, with tariff reductions for whisky, salmon and lamb. And the UK Prime Minister and the US President announced a trade arrangement between the two countries, with UK tariffs removed on imports of American ethanol, and a reciprocal agreement on beef. But the UK ban on American chlorine washed chicken and hormone treated beef continues.
To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we hear from one of the 'land girls', who ploughed crops, milked cows and drove tractors on British farms during WII.
And as part of our week digging into spuds, we hear how Scottish seed potato growers are trying to resume trade with the EU.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
SAT 06:57 Weather (m002c29c)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m002c29f)
Today (Saturday)
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002c29h)
Reeta Chakrabarti, Alistair Wood, Jack Rutter, Rory Kinnear
Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.
SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002c29k)
Series 23
Aches and Rains
The team test the theory that you can use the weather to predict pain, separating science fact from fiction. It's an area with a huge amount of conflicting research, but one man who has investigated this is Professor Will Dixon, who explains that low pressure could be causing people's joints to ache more. Dara and Hannah are intrigued to hear our genes may also be responding to changes in temperature and hear how we might be pre-programmed to produce more inflammation during wintertime to fight off bugs - which has the unfortunate side effect of making other some conditions worse. But don't despair! The pair find out 21 degrees is the optimum temperature for health and wellbeing - a perfect English summer day.
Contributors:
Dr Chris Wallace
Professor Will Dixon
Professor Trevor
Professor Trevor Harley
Producer: Marijke Peters
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production
SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002c29m)
Series 48
Ashford
Jay Rayner and a panel of top chefs, cooks and food writers are in Ashford, Kent answering questions from a hungry audience of home cooks.
Joining Jay are Mallika Basu, Lerato Umah- Shaylor, Rob Owen Brown and food historian, Dr Annie Gray.
The panel discuss what to cook with buckwheat flour, recipes involving broad beans and settle the most fiery of food debates - do baked beans and peas belong on the same plate.
They discuss flour and custard in all their forms and hear from Pat White of Ashford's Willesborough Windmill, about its 150 year history.
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002c29q)
Sonia Sodha delves in to the latest developments at Westminster.
Sir Keir Starmer celebrated not one, but two, new trade deals this week: with the United States and India. But has Britain got good deals? The Labour chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee, Liam Byrne, and former Conservative trade minister and UK trade envoy to the US, Sir Conor Burns, discuss the merits of the agreements.
Following the local election results, in which Reform UK made strong gains at the expense of the main parties, restive Labour MPs have been making their feelings known to the Prime Minister about the government's performance. One of those MPs, Jo White, chair of the Red Wall Group, joined Joe Dromey, General Secretary of the Fabians, to discuss whether Labour needs a change of direction.
A spate of recent cyber attacks on retailers including M&S and Co-op have caused alarm in business circles and in government. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden this week said the attacks were a "wake-up call" for business. To discuss that Sonia speaks to Ciaran Martin, former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre and now a professor at Oxford University.
And, to reflect on the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Sonia is joined by Lord Michael Heseltine, former Deputy Prime Minister, who witnessed the celebrations in 1945, and Alex Baker, the first Labour MP to represent Aldershot - the home of the British Army.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002c29s)
Fear and mistrust in Syria
Kate Adie presents stories from Syria, the US-Mexico border, Poland and Germany.
As Syria tries to rebuild after the fall of Assad, a wave of sectarian violence is fueling suspicion between communities, and long-held grievances are proving a thorny issue for the country's new leadership. Lucy Williamson travelled to Syria's coastal region, where minority Alawite communities recently came under attack.
In Texas, many Hispanic voters came out in support for Donald Trump in last year's election. Now he is back in the White House, his hard-line approach to immigration is leading some voters to have second thoughts, says Nomia Iqbal. who travelled to the Rio Grande river along the US-Mexico border.
Sitting on the border of Ukraine and Russia, Poland has pledged to up its military spending this year, and is also rolling out military training for civilians. Will Vernon visited a military training camp - but found not everyone is keen to enrol.
And in Germany, Amie Liebowitz has been to a reunion of pensioners born at the Bergen-Belsen camp, around the time allied forces liberated Nazi concentration camps. While there, she also traced her own family's history, and story of survival.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002c29v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002c29x)
Cancer Costs and Mortgage Deals
Around 1 in 2 people living in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime according to Cancer Research UK. That stark statistic is a reminder how the disease can impact families up and down the country, but it's not just the health of people diagnosed that can forever be changed. The finances of those who survive the disease can also be devastating too. We'll hear from a man recovering from a cancer diagnosis about how it impacted his life, and speak to a charity that is calling for better financial support for cancer survivors.
As the Bank of England cuts interest rates to
4.25%, we’ll discuss what the best deals are at the moment. Data shows that while some lenders are offering deals at less than 4%, you’d need a big deposit and have to pay a fee, so what is out there and who can get it?
And investment platforms should be required to pass on voting rights to shareholders. That's the call from the trade body, the Association of Investment Companies. If you buy a share in a company you have the right to vote on corporate decisions. At the moment, some investment platforms pass on the right to vote, others require you to opt-in, some don't pass on the rights at all and some even charge to do it. The AIC wants that to change so that all platforms are required to pass on the rights, which would require a change in the law. In response, the Personal Investment Management and Financial Advice Association says a wholesale change to regulation to force this issue could result in significant costs to firms and an overwhelming level of paperwork for customers.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast on Radio 4 at
12pm on Saturday 10th May 2025)
SAT 12:30 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
SAT 12:57 Weather (m002c29z)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m002c2b1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 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
SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002c2b3)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002bv40)
At the Tearoom Emma and Natasha chat about Peggy and her passing. Natasha spots Lynda and wants to show her some high concept cricket tea ideas. Emma wonders why she’s bothering, but Natasha thinks it will help change public perception after the sewage leak. However, just as Natasha’s about to present them, Lynda tells her she won’t pander to snobbery in the division and wants to go back to basics. Lynda’s going to employ Fallon’s services though, because she’ll deliver the basics at a lower cost. Natasha’s disappointed, but accepts Lynda’s decision isn’t personal.
Lynda consoles Lilian, who’s upset The Laurels want Peggy’s room cleared straightaway for a new resident. Emma comes over to share her condolences. Lilian reckons Peggy recognised a kindred spirit in Emma, who shares that she’ll miss Peggy and offers to help clear her room.
Joy visits Brian to see how the family are and thinks Peggy must’ve died just as St Stephens’ bells rang out. Brian thinks Peggy would’ve liked the drama of that. When Joy says she’s found a recording of Peggy, Brian suggests joining them all at The Laurels.
Later at The Laurels, Emma and Lilian comfort tearful Kate when she comes across a decoration she made for Peggy as a child. Kate can’t get over Peggy not seeing Hilda before she died, only for Hilda to emerge from under Peggy’s bed. She must have visited Peggy before she died! When Joy and Brian arrive they all settle down to listen to the recording of Peggy reciting Tennyson’s “Ring Out Wild Bells”.
SAT 15:00 Devils (m000rv6x)
Part 2
Jonathan Forbes, Cecilia Appiah, Gary Lilburn and Joseph Arkley star in Dostoevsky’s unsettling tale of revolution and betrayal.
Nicholai’s darkest secrets are revealed, and Lisa’s reputation is hanging by a thread as the factories are being burned to the ground in a town on the brink of revolution.
Dramatised by Melissa Murray.
Nicholai ..... Joseph Arkley
Pyotr ..... Jonathan Forbes
Stepan ..... Gary Lilburn
Krillov ..... Hasan Dixon
Marya ..... Georgia Henshaw
Shatov ..... Stefan Adegbola
Mrs Stavrogina ..... Jane Whittenshaw
Lisa ..... Cecilia Appiah
Darya ..... Charlotte East
Virginsky ..... Ian Dunnett Jr
Written by Melissa Murray
Directed by Carl Prekopp
Produced by Marc Beeby and Anne Isger
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002c2b5)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Naga Munchetty, Women designing for women, How we learn from our mistakes, Bristol sex workers doc
Four years ago the 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 spoke to Anita Rani to discuss her book ‘It’s Probably Nothing’.
A wave of female designers have been appointed to some leading high street brands - including Jacqui Markham at Whistles, Maddy Evans at M&S, and Clare Waight Keller, the former Givenchy designer, to Uniqlo. So how much of a difference does it make for consumers that women are at the helm? Nuala McGovern spoke to Jacqui Markham, creative director at Whistles and Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO and founder of Savvy Marketing.
A BBC documentary The Sex Detectives: Keeping Kids Safe follows a ground-breaking 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 charity Barnardo’s and partnered with Bristol’s street sex workers to gather intelligence about dangerous offenders and paedophiles. Nuala was joined by social worker Jo Ritchie, at Barnardo’s, and sex work liaison officer Rose Brown.
In a special programme exploring 'mistakes' and our relationship with the word, Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Nicole Mowbray who tells about the mistake she made at The Observer newspaper which caused an 'international incident'.
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, owner of her own company Noon and Helen Lord, co-founder of Rehome, a UK-based business specialising in the resale of used and ex-display kitchens, join Kylie Pentelow to discuss.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Emma Pearce
SAT 17:00 PM (m002c2b7)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002c2b9)
The Joe Biden One
To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, former president Joe Biden sits down with Nick Robinson for an exclusive interview, his first since leaving the White House.
He issues a stark warning about the future of the western alliance and criticises his successor’s approach to foreign policy.
In this extended interview, Biden also reflects on his decision to drop out of the 2024 election and the state of democracy in the US.
Producers: Kirsty MacKenzie, Daniel Kraemer and Daniel Macadam
Editor: Giles Edwards
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002c2bc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m002c2bf)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c2bh)
India and Pakistan have announced an immediate end to cross-border attacks. And, Sir Keir Starmer is in Ukraine -- where he's called for a 30 day ceasefire.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002c2bk)
Gruff Rhys, Phina Oruche, Kate Mossman, Divina De Campo, Joe Kent-Walters
Joining Stuart Maconie in the Salford studio are the actress Phina Oruche who began her career modelling in America. She's best known for playing Liberty Baker in Footballers Wives. Phina is currently on stage at the Liverpool Everyman in Nathan Powell's new play 'Takeaway', where she stars as Carol, the matriach behind Hyltons Caribbean takeaway.
Kate Mossman is facinated by 'Men of A Certain Age'. so she's written a book to try to get to the bottom of why she's so enthralled by a certain kind of wrinkly rock star. Drag Race star Divina De Campo has been touring her solo show, a mix of comedy, song and storytelling, and Joe Kent-Walters won best newcomer at this year's Edinburgh Comedy Awards for his show in the guise of Frankie Monroe, the owner of Rotherham's finest working men's club 'The Misty Moon'.
And there's music from Gruff Rhys, who has just released a remastered version of his 2014 album 'American Interior'
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Jessica Treen
SAT 19:00 Profile (m002c2bm)
Zia Yusuf
Reform UK triumphed in May’s local elections, winning many more council seats up for grabs than the other major parties. Behind the scenes, the party has gone through major changes. Millionaire businessman and donor Zia Yusuf was appointed chairman last summer, and has been credited with professionalising the party. The son of Sri Lankan immigrants, he made his money co-founding a luxury concierge business, before moving into politics; and all before the age of 40.
But where do his ambitions lie beyond being chairman? And where does the future of the party lie beyond the central figure of Nigel Farage?
In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith explores the life, career and journey of the man some say is responsible for Reform UK’s growing success.
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Lucy Pawle and Nik Sindle
Researcher: Gabriel May
Editor: Max Deveson
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Archive:
‘Communication Problems’ - Fawlty Towers
BBC / writers: John Cleese and Connie Booth
SAT 19:15 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
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002c2bp)
Philadelphia's Forgotten Bomb
On May 13th 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a bomb from a helicopter on a terraced house on Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia. The target was MOVE, a radical, back-to-nature group who had been locked in a years-long conflict with the police, city authorities and their neighbours. The fire that followed destroyed 61 homes, left 250 homeless, and killed 11 people, five of whom were children. Yet these dramatic events have been largely forgotten.
Philadelphia journalist Linn Washington reported on MOVE for almost 50 years. He was one of a handful of journalists on the scene on 13 May 1985 and saw first hand the bombing and its aftermath. Now he pieces together the story from MOVE’s beginnings in the 1970s as a non-violent countercultural group, to the deadly confrontation little more than a decade later.
Few people could have more authority to tell this extraordinary story. For most of the tumultuous 1970s, Linn was a young reporter on the Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest continuously published African-American newspaper in the United States. He reported frequently on the police violence and the politics of City Hall which, he says, created the context for the Osage Avenue bombing. Looking back today as Professor of Journalism at Temple University, Philadelphia, Linn asks why the incident is so little remembered.
Philadelphia’s Forgotten Bomb draws on news archive and the official commission inquiry into the bombing. We feature conversations with MOVE members Ramona Africa, Janet Holloway Africa, Eddie Goodman Africa, Delbert Orr Africa and Janine Phillips Africa, an ex-Philadelphia police James Berghaier, and Baba Renfrow - one of MOVE’s Osage Avenue neighbours who lost their home in the fire.
With thanks to People Power Lunch Hour and Heather Ann Thompson.
Producer: Nadia Mehdi
Mixing and sound design: Arlie Adlington
Executive producer: Monica Whitlock
A TellTale Industries production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 You Do Not Have to Say Anything (m002c2br)
Omnibus (1)
Defence Barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind lifts the curtain on the real criminal justice system and the real people working within it - beneath the wigs, under the uniforms and in the dock.
Presenter: Joanna Hardy-Susskind
Producer: Georgia Catt
Assistant Producer: Danita McIntyre
SAT 22:00 News (m002c2bt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 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
SAT 23:00 Call Jonathan Pie (m002c0cb)
Series 2
7. Japanese Whisky
Jules and Pie find themselves trapped together with just a bottle of whisky for company. What can go wrong?
Call Jonathan Pie is written and performed by Tom Walker
With additional material from Nick Revell and Daniel Abelson
Jules ….. Lucy Pearman
Sam ….. Aqib Khan
Roger ….. Nick Revell.
Agent ….. Daniel Abelson
Alice .... Emily Houghton
The callers: Ed Kear, Laura Shavin and Daniel Abelson.
Original music by 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 (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.
SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002c2by)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:15 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 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c2c2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c2c6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002c2cb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c2cg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002c2cl)
St Mary’s Church in Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire
Bells on Sunday comes from St Mary’s Church in Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The church was established in the first half of the 12th century to serve the burgeoning wool, cloth and leather trading community. There are twelve bells all cast by the John Taylor foundry in Loughborough. The Tenor weighs thirty four and three quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of D flat. We hear them ringing Stedman Cinques.
SUN 05:45 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.
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002c2h5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 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)
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002c2h7)
Sister Act
Sisters Kath Birkinshaw and Andrea Jolley, run an upland sheep farm in one of the busiest tourist areas of the Peak District National Park, facing challenges from changing farm payments to nocturnal running clubs.
Their farm, on National Trust Land in the Upper Derwent Valley, covers around 650 hectares of open moorland - crucial habitat for the declining curlew population. To help manage their flock, the pair breed and work New Zealand heading dogs - intelligent and athletic border collie equivalents. Known locally as expert dry stone wallers and for their sheep gathering skills, Kath and Andrea have seen female farmers gradually become more accepted through their lifetimes.
In an archive clip from 1967, we hear that their grandfather believed the future of farming lay in consolidation of upland farms. Two generations later, his granddaughters have maintained both the biodiversity and traditional skills of this upland Derbyshire area.
Archive credit to ATV Today/MACE Archive, originally broadcast on
21.06.67.
Produced and presented by Nina Pullman
SUN 06:57 Weather (m002c2h9)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002c2hc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002c2hf)
Live from Rome - all you need to know about Pope Leo XIV
The world was watching as American Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter's Basilica earlier this week.
William Crawley, live from Rome, gathers reaction from around the world. He’s joined by Austen Ivereigh, biographer of Pope Francis, and Professor Anna Rowlands, Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice at Durham University.
British Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe gives his first interview after voting in the conclave and tells the programme how he found the experience.
We hear the reaction from Catholics in the UK and around world and explore how an American Pope will shape not only the Catholic church, but global politics going forwards.
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Dan Tierney in Rome; Katy Davis & Rosie Dawson in Salford
Studio Managers: Jonathan Esp and Amy Brennan
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Editor: Chloe Walker
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002c2hh)
The Prison Phoenix Trust
Actor Jeremy Irons makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of The Prison Phoenix Trust. The charity's purpose is to bring yoga and meditation into prisons across the UK and Ireland.
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 ‘The Prison Phoenix Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Prison Phoenix Trust’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
Registered Charity Number: 1163558. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.theppt.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m002c2hk)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002c2hm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002c2hp)
A service with reflections on the 'Woven Lives' of the people of Bradford
This service from St Stephen’s Church in Bradford, celebrates the Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 project "Woven Lives" and explores how lives and stories can be drawn together through the rich diversity of Bradford’s people, cultures, and faith communities. The service is led by Rev. Jimmy Hinton and the reading is from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. Musician and storyteller Furaha Mussanzi will share the joy of working and growing together in creative communities. Music will come from the choir of St John's CE Primary School, St John's Bowling Church worship team and the Mussanzi Family Choir with singers from Bradford Cathedral Choir. The producer is Abi Thomas.
SUN 08:48 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 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002c2hr)
Frances Tophill on the Green Woodpecker
Gardener, author and television presenter Frances Tophill shares a vivid memory of seeing - and hearing - a green woodpecker in a misty orchard. Frances was amazed by its bright green and red feathers, but it was the sound of its call, or "yaffle", echoing amongst the trees that really stood out to her.
The green woodpecker is known for this striking, laughter-like call, along with its distinctive, bouncing flight and brightly coloured feathers. The largest of the three species of woodpecker that breed in the UK, this bird is found mostly in lowland areas across Great Britain, apart from the most northerly and westerly parts of the country.
Presented by Frances Tophill and produced by Jo Peacey.
A BBC Audio Bristol Production.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002c2ht)
Putin's 'peace' play
We discuss the Russian president’s invitation to Ukraine for 'serious negotiations' next week, an intervention made hours after European leaders met in Kyiv to demand a ceasefire. Also, we speak to science minister Lord Vallance about how AI could revolutionise the health service.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002c2hw)
Danny Dyer, actor
Actor Danny Dyer became a household name when he joined the cast of EastEnders as Mick Carter, landlord of the Queen Victoria pub. He recently stole the show from some stiff competition playing Freddie Jones in the television adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals which won him a Royal Television Society Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Danny was born in Custom House, East London in 1977. He loved drama at school and, with his teacher’s encouragement, he signed up for after-school classes in north London which were run by a charity called Wac Arts. When he was 14 he was cast in the television drama Prime Suspect 3 alongside Helen Mirren and David Thewlis.
He went on to star in a series of films including Human Traffic and Football Factory. In 2000 he played the waiter in Harold Pinter’s new play Celebration and went on to appear in two other productions by the playwright - No Man's Land and The Homecoming.
In 2013 he took over the Queen Vic and his performances earned him three National Television Awards. He appeared on the BBC genealogy programme Who Do you think you Are? in 2016 and discovered he was descended from King Edward III and related to Thomas Cromwell.
Danny lives in Essex with his wife Jo. They have three children and three grandchildren.
DISC ONE: Slave to Love - Bryan Ferry
DISC TWO: Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
DISC THREE: Move Closer - Phyllis Nelson
DISC FOUR: Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
DISC FIVE: Playing with Knives - Bizarre Inc
DISC SIX: Columbia - Oasis
DISC SEVEN: Nebraska - Lucy Rose
DISC EIGHT: Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
BOOK CHOICE: Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft: A Handbook of Survival
LUXURY ITEM: A Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Playing with Knives - Bizarre Inc
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002c2hy)
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
SUN 12:15 Profile (m002c2bm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 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
SUN 12:57 Weather (m002c2j3)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002c2j7)
Immigration: the government to reveal plans
As the government prepares to unveil its immigration plan, former Conservative Brexit Minister Steve Baker reflects on decades of missed net migration targets.
SUN 13:30 Currently (m002c2d3)
The Big Mortgage Time Bomb
Vicky Spratt investigates how people have remained trapped in high interest mortgages since the financial crash of 2008.
Some of these so-called ‘mortgage prisoners’ are homeowners who were formerly customers of Northern Rock, a bank which was famously nationalised by the UK Government.
Since then, these customers have not been able to move out of their high interest mortgages and many are now living in poverty, and often suffering from poor mental and physical health.
There are tens of thousands of ‘mortgage prisoners’ in the UK, and housing journalist Vicky travels to Hartlepool and Blackpool to speak with two of them. She wants to find out how the issue arose and what the Government can do to help.
Presenter: Vicky Spratt
Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Assistant Producer: Sam Stone
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:00 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
SUN 14:45 Little Lifetimes by Jenny Eclair (m0016xrw)
Series 7
Visiting Time
Written by Jenny Eclair
Performed by Felicity Montagu
Producer ..... Sally Avens
Julia has always been a disappointment to her mother whilst her sister have always shone, but as her mother becomes increasingly incapacitated Julia finds a way to redress the balance.
Felicity Montagu is best known for her role as Lynn, Alan Partridge's long suffering assistant. She has recently been seen in 'Landscapers' with Olivia Coleman and David Thewlis.
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002c2jc)
Victory at Ambridge
Victory at Ambridge, Part 2
Travel back in time to 1945 Ambridge for a thrilling, wartime prequel to The Archers.
As the war continues, Ambridge is unsettled and on edge. At Brookfield Farm, Londoner Peggy struggles to adapt to a new way of life in the countryside, and comes under suspicion from her mother-in-law, Doris. Meanwhile, land girl Wanda is perturbed by revelations about the past.
Meanwhile, village gossip is preoccupied by the ancient prophecies which have been unearthed in the grotto at Lower Loxley. With the prophecies now taking on a darker tone, it is a race against time for the residents of wartime Ambridge (played by the cast of The Archers) to solve a cryptic mystery, which comes to an explosive climax on VE Day.
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
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 Take Four Books (m002c2jj)
Ben Okri
Booker-prize winning writer and poet Ben Okri talks to Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, about his new novella - Madame Sosostris & the Festival for the Broken-Hearted - and its three key influences. Ben's new book takes us to a forested chateau in the South of France for a special, one-night-only event – a fevered fancy dress ball attended by anyone, and everyone, who has been wounded by love. His three literary influences for this episode are: The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot from 1922 ; Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare from 1600; and The Outsider by Albert Camus from 1942. Our rule-breaking bonus book, was Alain-Fournier’s Les Grand Meaulnes, known as The Lost Estate in English and originally published in 1913.
The supporting contributor for this episode was the Oxford academic and writer Emma Smith.
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 16:30 Round Britain Quiz (m002c2jm)
Programme 1 - The Midlands vs Northern Ireland
(1/12)
Teams from all over the UK will face Kirsty Lang's cryptic questions across the series, with Kirsty offering support and the odd hint where it might be needed.
The rivalry promises to be fierce as last year's champions Frankie Fanko and Stephen Maddock, representing The Midlands, face Paddy Duffy and Freya McClements for Northern Ireland.
As always, they'll drop points every time they need a clue from the chair to steer them towards the right solution.
You can follow the questions in each edition on the Round Britain Quiz webpages.
Teams:
Frankie Fanko and Stephen Maddock - The Midlands
Paddy Duffy and Freya McClements - Northern Ireland
Host: Kirsty Lang
Recorded by: Phil Booth
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow
Producer: Carl Cooper
Questions set by:
Lucy Porter, Alan Poulton, and public contributors.
Questions in today's edition:
Q1 (from Ed Porter) What kind of question might occupy you while visiting Ecuador, Mongolia, Pakistan and Croatia - and why would it be absolutely unique?
Q2 On your way here to our Darlington retreat, you’ll have passed the junction for the A66 and seen a road sign - only to find yourself craving a warming bowl of lamb and barley soup, a snack invented by Fortnum & Mason in 1738, or even a staple of Caribbean cuisine.
But why might you also be searching for something that doesn’t exist?
Q3 Music: why might this trio love Italian food?
Q4 (from Phil Ware) Which selfish author is responsible for this short story:
"A Distracted Boyfriend can’t resist Mocking SpongeBob. Pikachu watches in surprise as Roll Safe taps his head with a knowing smile. A little girl gives them all the side eye, clearly unimpressed, as a Dancing Baby, cha-cha’s its way into Calista’s dreams?"
Q5 Why would a Gabonese president, a leading Rezillo, a Diversity pioneer, 'the man who invented the 80s' and an EGOT-winning actress, all together aboard a mysteriously deserted ship, not be the most harmonious combination?
Q6 Music: while you’re listening to these three extracts, have a think about why they might make you angry.
Q7 (from Patrick Hauge) What order would you arrange the following to release the fumata bianca?
-Britain’s smelliest cheese
-An 18th-century poet who counselled self-examination
-A small baton for killing fish or game
-An 80s Glaswegian band that might be thought melancholy
-North, South, East, and West on the compass
Q8 (from David Piper) In this Crime Conundrum…
The deuteragonist behind a well mannered Windsor Gardens resident…went off to town on the
8:21…to meet an earthy diamond thief…only to find that a member of Anthony E. Pratt’s original cast had vanished after the first edition.
Can the encyclopedic boy detective narrow down the suspects and solve the mystery? Or can you tell us Whodunit?
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5ydp)
Conservative wipe-out in Canada
In Canada's 1993 election, the governing Progressive Conservative Party was routed, ending up with just two seats.
In the 1980s, the party won the largest majority in Canadian history. But by 1993, it was in crisis and the new Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, called an election. But she didn’t bank on the emergence of a new populist party called Reform, which stormed Canada’s traditionally two-party system, claiming 52 seats. The Progressive Conservatives never recovered.
Ben Henderson speaks to the former Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, and Preston Manning, founder and former leader of Reform.
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: Preston Manning. Credit: Peter Power/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
SUN 17:10 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.
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002c2jq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m002c2js)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c2jv)
Labour's plans to cut immigration
Labour's plans to cut immigration. Plus, the diplomatic moves leading to Ukraine's President Zelenksy, confirming he will meet Vladimir Putin on Thursday for talks about the war.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002c2jx)
Anneka Rice
This week, Anneka discovers the extraordinary adventures of glaciologist Liz Morris, as well as musing on the woman who played a central role in Edward Elgar’s life and livelihood. Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason puts down the bow, taking a Springtime stroll with Tom Service, and as we welcome more blue skies, musicologist Allan Moore reveals the secrets of Mr Blue Sky. And it’s not a round-up of the week's radio without a trip to Ambridge – although, this version is slightly different than you may have imagined.
Presenter: Anneka Rice
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Peddle
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002c2cz)
With Nova, Seren and the boys out with Helen, Tom brings Natasha breakfast outside. They speculate on plans for the garden. They might be able to use some of the money from Peggy’s will. And if Helen uses hers for a house deposit, she could be in her own place by autumn. Tom wants to laze around gaming this morning; Natasha suggests they go back to bed. Later at the cricket they admire the play of Kalathma and Rex, who look like a killer pairing. Natasha praises Tom for his brilliant fielding before heading off with the girls.
The cricket sees a small celebration at tea as Ambridge has put on a great performance in the field. Lynda’s not impressed by the showy spread offered by the Borchester Fourths side and looks forward to Fallon’s little local pies at the next home game. There’s more joy later as Ambridge celebrates a win. Rex admits it beats driving his taxi on a Sunday afternoon. Lily incautiously lets slip Vince’s secret sponsorship deal, and Lynda detects subterfuge. Rex tries to take responsibility but Lily comes clean, admitting she and Vince were the ones who arranged for Rex and Kalathma to be paid. She points out how well it’s all working and begs Lynda not to tell Tom. But Lynda’s disappointed. It’s against the whole spirit of village cricket and the antithesis of what’s needed to build a solid, trusting team. Lynda tells Lily she needs an evening to digest this information and then she’ll let her know what she plans to do.
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002c2jz)
A Map of the Moon
When you look at the moon, what do you see?
Producer and artist Siddharth Khajuria encounters competing human imaginations for the moon. Starting with some of the earliest lunar maps, he works with moonlight to illuminate thornier questions about our own behaviour on earth. What motivates the desire to etch a name into the landscape?
The humanity woven through our modern map of the moon – Seas of Tranquility and Crises, Lakes of Death and Dreams, an Ocean of Storms – is the work of a 17th century Italian priest, Giovanni Battista Riccioli. Siddharth meets Riccioli’s poetic mapmaking in the context of a heated European race to name the moon’s many craters, mountains, valleys and maria.
From these celestial cartographers etching names into the first detailed lunar maps, to the Cold War era Apollo missions and commercially-fuelled landings that lie ahead of us, the story of humanity’s relationship with the moon is one of a growing intimacy.
Featuring astronomer and lunar biographer David Whitehouse, librarian at the Edinburgh Royal Observatory Karen Moran, space lawyer Frans von der Dunk, and a late night, torch-lit conversation between Siddharth and his eldest son.
Photograph: Siddharth Khajuria
Music composed and performed by Phil Smith
Produced by Eleanor McDowall and Siddharth Khajuria
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001y2z6)
Enjoy Olive Oil
Michael Mosley discovers that enjoying more olive oil in your daily diet can come with a whole host of surprising benefits, including protecting your brain, improving your memory and reducing chronic inflammation. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be one of the healthiest in the world, and a major component of this is olive oil. Dr Bill Mullen from the University of Glasgow tells Michael about his recent research, which found that two tablespoons of olive oil a day can significantly reduce biological markers of heart disease. Meanwhile our volunteer Ellen, an avid home cook, reaps the benefits of switching to olive oil.
Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 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
SUN 20:30 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
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002c29x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002c2hh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002c29s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002c2k1)
Sunday evening political briefing with Ben Wright and guests
Ben Wright's guests are the Labour peer and former trade unionist, Frances O'Grady, Conservative backbencher Kit Malthouse and Financial Times columnist, Miranda Green. They look ahead to the Keir Starmer's announcement on changes to the immigration system and the return of the assisted dying Bill to the Commons. James Heale from The Spectator brings additional insight and analysis.
SUN 23:00 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
SUN 23:45 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".
MONDAY 12 MAY 2025
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002c2k3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 00:15 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
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002c2cl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c2k5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c2k7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:00 News Summary (m002c2k9)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002c2kc)
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.
MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c2kf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002c2kh)
Simplicity
Good morning.
When I say Quakers, I wonder if you think of the guy on the box of porridge oats? For nearly two hundred years, a simple style of dress, meant that Quakers were instantly recognisable. Their distinctive strict dress code, allowed Quakers to avoid the vagaries of changing fashions, and the waste that this produces; it freed up energy to focus on the things that are eternal; and, it meant that economic distinctions between different social backgrounds were less visible, supporting efforts to create a community of equals.
British Quakers relaxed their rules about plain dress in 1860, having realised that the rules themselves had become a distraction. Go into a meeting house in Britain this week, and you’ll see people of all ages wearing completely ordinary clothes.
But Quakers still hold to a testimony of simplicity, trying to let go of whatever gets in the way, whatever holds us back, from following the promptings of love and truth. This might include the way we present ourselves physically, the technologies we use, the stuff we accumulate in our homes, and the forms of our worship.
We are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of human consumption, for our beautiful world, and of the heavy burdens borne by communities who help tidy up the waste, our economy produces.
In a world obsessed with fast fashion and flashy tech, may I find the strength to live with integrity, my outer appearance matching my inner truth, evaluating my decisions, against my values. Can I shop, dress, and live, in ways that reflect truly who I am, my spiritual experiences, and the values and convictions that arise from them?
Thank you friends.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002c2kk)
12/05/25 - Ash dieback, viticulture and spring grass growth
The tree disease ash dieback has been less devastating than initially feared. 2500 trees that show signs of resistance to ash dieback have been planted at a tree archive site in Scotland. It's part of ongoing Government research that suggests there are more tolerant trees than at first expected, and those left in the wild are regenerating naturally.
We visit a vineyard in Norfolk at a crucial time of year for viticulture. As the vines come into flower, growers are hoping for no late frosts, which could damage their prospects for a good crop of grapes.
And spring is usually a time of rapid grass growth, but this year's dry weather has left some farmers with less of it than they’d like. For livestock farmers grass is a critically important crop, providing fresh feed in the fields through spring and summer and a relatively low-cost source of fodder for the winter.
Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons
MON 05:57 Weather (m002c2km)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m002c2bx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002c2c1)
History: private, personal and political
The cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins looks at the long history of the private life from Ancient Athens to the digital age. In her new book, Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and fall of the Private Life, she examines how our attitudes to the intimate and personal, have shifted over time. She argues that the challenge of big tech is simply the latest development that has seen our private lives increasingly exposed for public consumption. It is only through understanding the history of the very idea of the private life, that we might protect it.
Homework: A Memoir is Geoff Dyer's new book. In it he tells his own story, that of a boy growing up in a working class family in the 1960s and 1970s. He charts the transformative opportunities afforded by the post war settlement for an eleven year old boy who wins a place at a grammar school. Evoking deep personal memories, he explores the challenges of his childhood and teenage years in the mid twentieth century England.
Lanre Bakare is interested in the stories of the Black Britain we don’t often hear – the one that exists beyond London. In moving his focus outside the capital, he explores the economic and social unrest of 1970s and 1980s from very different perspectives. His new book, We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain suggests that we need to incorporate a broader range of the experiences of Black Britons into the fabric of our national story.
Producer: Ruth Watts
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002c2c5)
Choral communities
Chrissy Foster, from Bittersweet Harmonies, tells Rachel Burden how her community choirs have brought people together regardless of talent, physical ability, or mental health.
She runs three choirs, including one specifically for Carers, providing them with a brief respite from their caring role ‘Care Free Choir’, then a further ‘Breathless Singers’, for people who have been diagnosed with chronic breathing and respiratory conditions.
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 (m002c2c9)
Beverley Knight, Care workers, ADHD and menopause, Barrister Robin Moira White
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was known as the ‘godmother of rock and roll’ and influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. Now Olivier Award-winning performer Beverley Knight is playing Sister Rosetta in a new production, Marie and Rosetta, which has just opened at the Rose Theatre in London. It tells the story of Rosetta and her singing partner, Marie Knight, described as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history. Beverley joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman’s Hour studio to discuss how the show hopes to restore these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight.
The Government has announced that care workers will no longer be recruited from overseas as part of a crackdown on visas for lower-skilled workers. The care sector has criticised the plans as "cruel" and "short-sighted". To discuss this and what good care looks like, Nuala is joined by Gavin Edwards, Head of Social Care at Unison, and care worker Kathryn Faulke, author of the memoir Every Kind of People: A Journey into the Heart of Care Work.
It’s thought that around 3 to 4% of people in the UK, that’s one in 20, have ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However many women still remain undiagnosed for decades of their lives, with those in their 40s, 50s and 60s only now discovering they have it for the first time. Jo Beazley was diagnosed with ADHD just two years ago at the age of 49, after her symptoms worsened during the menopause. She joins Nuala along with Amanda Kirby, the former chair of the ADHD Foundation and a professor in the field of neurodiversity.
This week we'll be hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued interim guidance that, in places open to the public, trans women shouldn't use women's facilities such as toilets. Today Nuala speaks to Robin Moira White, a barrister who specialises in taking discrimination cases, and who is also a trans woman. Robin transitioned in 2011 and is co-author of A Practical Guide to Transgender Law.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths
MON 11:00 Indispensable Relations (m002c2cf)
Maturing
Tom Bateman concludes the story 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 final episode, Tom brings the story right up to the present. He'll take us inside the peace processes, examine the extraordinary impact of 9/11, consider the growing importance of Christian Zionism, and ask how political realignments in both countries have begun to shift the relationship.
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 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6nl)
Episode 1 - The Dig
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer, and in his new book an archaeological dig alongside a busy highway inspires him to take a journey through place and time. Joseph Ayre reads.
In his new book Rob Cowen sets out to explore The Great North Road, the 400 mile highway which has run like a backbone through Britain in one form or another for 2000 years. As Rob walks the route he uncovers stories of those who went before him, from wealthy merchants terrified by murderous highwaymen, to boxers locked in a brutal and bloody fight. In Doncaster, where his great-grandfather Bill Cowen made a living down the mines, he learns about the high price paid by many who worked in the collieries. Lastly, he takes a journey with his mum to the road's end leading to profound reflections on time past and time passing.
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His best-selling debut book of poetry, The Heeding, was published in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
MON 12:00 News Summary (m002c2ck)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002c2cp)
Puppy Scam, US Travel, Male Botox
Criminals are cloning the Facebook accounts of people in the dog world and scamming those in search of a pet out of money. In this episode of You and Yours we hear from people who found fake Fakebook profiles of themselves online but have found there's little they can do about getting them removed. We'll have advice from the Dogs Trust about how to spot a scam when it comes to ads for pets online.
Also on the programme, are more strictly enforced boarder controls putting people off from travelling to the US? As some airlines report a downturn in bookings we hear from two people who've changed their travel plans to the US and we'll get some advice for anyone due to go or planning a trip.
And male botox is on the up, We hear from one man who's been having it for ten years and hear from a leading clinic in Liverpool about the changes they have seen when it comes to male cosmetics.
PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER - CATHERINE EARLAM
MON 12:57 Weather (m002c2cr)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m002c2ct)
Starmer: UK risks becoming 'island of strangers'
Sir Keir Starmer promises to "significantly" cut net migration with new English tests for all visa applicants and their adult dependants, and stricter residency rules. We speak to migration minister Seema Malhotra.
MON 13:45 Welcome to Holland (m002c2cw)
1. Italy
Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has.
The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’.
BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’s birth.
Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society.
Episode 1, Italy: the shellshock moment with Emily Perl Kingsley, and Stuart Reid.
Presenter: Katy Watson
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Series consultant: Emma Tracey
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland.
MON 14:00 The Archers (m002c2cz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001xmj0)
Series 5
6. Out of Time
A spider rescue, a wedding and a huge shock. Can Joanna and Roger's marriage survive?
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam play loving, long-marrieds, in the 5th series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy.
This week, Joanna rescues a spider from the bedroom ceiling and there are joyful preparations for the wedding of Auntie Hilda and Jack in the care home. ‘The last wedding we planned was our own’ Joanna says, reminding Roger they’ve been together for 50 years. ‘On and off’ Roger responds. Then Roger has a visitor from his past that will rock the foundation of their marriage. Struggling through Auntie Hilda’s wedding day, a devastated Joanna tells him ‘I feel like I’m looking down on myself and trying to work out how I can live with this’ and she finally has to make a decision that breaks Roger’s heart.
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 (m001t3hf)
Episode 7
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.
Attendance is compulsory as Mrs Featherstone-Hogg hosts a meeting of Silverstream worthies, determined to root out the troublesome author in their midst.
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 (m002c2d1)
Raymond Blanc on Professor Nicholas Kurti
The chef Raymond Blanc nominates his mentor and friend, the physicist Professor Nicholas Kurti.
Kurti was born in Hungary but fled to Oxford when Hitler came to power. Pushing the frontiers of low-temperature physics during his career, he went on to create‘molecular gastronomy’ in retirement. Raymond Blanc approached Kurti after a lecture the professor gave in his 80s. Blanc asked to help him understand the science behind his trials with leaky puff pastry and souffles that wouldn’t rise. Kurti agreed and so began a friendship of fun and great respect.
As Raymond Blanc says; “Imagine! Two complete geniuses!”
Raymond Blanc also promises to give Matthew “The best steak of your life”.
Presented by Matthew Parris and produced by Ellie Richold in Bristol for BBC Studios Audio
MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002c29k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Saturday]
MON 16:00 Currently (m002c2d3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002c29m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m002c2d5)
PM promises migration drop as government tightens visa rules
As Sir Keir Starmer unveils new measures to try and reduce legal migration to the UK - we have a full briefing on the potential impact and hear from the skills minister Jacqui Smith. Plus, President Trump wants to slash the cost of prescription drugs - an expert explains how that might affect us in the UK. And we hear from the Royal Horticultural Society about the explosion of aphids this spring.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c2d7)
Sir Keir Starmer promises to cut legal migration to the UK
The prime minister has promised to significantly cut the number of people coming to live in the UK, as part of plans to tighten up every area of the immigration system. Also: Stocks have risen around the world after the US and China agreed to reduce tariffs on each other's goods. And one of India's greatest ever cricketers, Virat Kohli, has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002c2d9)
Series 31
Episode 5
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.
Lucy Porter, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Henning Wehn are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as weddings, teeth, shoes and board games.
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 (m002c2dc)
Joy’s been visiting Rochelle, who’s grateful for the peace and quiet at Mick’s mate’s house but wants get on with her life. She’s applied for a job so she can start looking for a place of her own. Joy repeats her offer to help with the deposit. With Joy’s car at the garage she’s booked a taxi, but to their horror it’s Rex who turns up. Rochelle panics about her bail conditions and quickly goes inside. On the journey Rex hears Rochelle’s looking for work and jokily suggests she shouldn’t ask Freddie for a reference. Joy asserts that Rochelle mostly feels bad about what she did because of Rex.
At the shop Lily’s angry with Joy for seemingly not caring about what Rochelle did to Freddie. Joy acknowledges Lily’s entitled to feel that way, but Lily storms off. Usha sympathises with Joy, who assures Usha she’ll pay the legal fees owed, but is grateful when Usha tells her not to worry yet.
Lily tries persuading Rex to continue playing for Ambridge purely for the love of cricket – she’s pretty confident Lynda won’t say anything, so long as the payments stop. Rex can’t afford to give up his taxi work though and suggests playing the odd Sunday instead, but Lily doubts Lynda or Freddie would agree. When talk turns to Joy and Rochelle, Rex starts defending Rochelle and Lily accuses him of taking sides. Rex doesn’t think Lily should be annoyed with Joy for something which wasn’t her fault. Lily gets it – they’re allowed to hate Rochelle, but not Joy.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m002c2df)
Suzanne Vega sings in the studio, P Diddy trial, Mother Courage in County Durham
Suzanne Vega has just released her first album of all-new material for nearly a decade. "Flying With Angels" continues her folk-influenced sound and introduces influences of soul as well as a song in tribute to Bob Dylan's "I Want You". She performs in the studio with guitarist Gerry Leonard.
Sean Combs aka P Diddy is on trial in New York, charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. We look at the first day's proceedings
And there's a unique community-led production of Bertolt Brecht's play Mother Courage and her Children, taking place in Horden, County Durham. The cast combines a unique combination of newly trained-up actors drawn from the surrounding area and established South African actors. We speak to drector Mark Dornford-May and first time professional actor, Julie Ainsell.
Presenter Samira Ahmed
MON 20:00 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
MON 20:30 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.
Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002c2c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002c2c5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002c2dh)
Starmer: Immigration could make Britain an ‘island of strangers’
The government has published a white paper outlining its plans to reduce immigration to the UK. Keir Starmer warned that immigration could turn Britain into an ‘island of strangers’.
Also on the programme: the Trump administration is to grant dozens of white South Africans refugee status; and Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli announces his retirement from the Test format.
MON 22:45 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (m002c2dk)
Episode One
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from? What changes will he bring?
Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news . . .
Set over twenty years, Garrett Carr’s 'The Boy from the Sea' is about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world, and a town caught in the storm of a rapidly approaching future.
The Author
Garrett Carr was born and brought up in the harbour town of Killybegs, County Donegal where his father was a fisherman. Garrett now teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. His non-fiction book ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. ‘The Boy from the Sea’ is his debut novel.
Reader: Niall Cusack
Author: Garrett Carr
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Nuremberg (m000zv8k)
By Their Fruits We Know Them
20th November 1945 and the Defendants take their place in the dock – 22 of the most senior Nazis, representing each component of Hitler’s machine. But without simultaneous translation the trial will be unworkable – are the interpreters ready?
Seen through the eyes of Tatiana, a young Russian interpreter, the trial opens and the interpreters struggle - Nuremberg was the first ever use of simultaneous interpreting. They said it couldn’t be done.
And once the indictments have been read, Robert Jackson, Chief US Prosecutor makes the opening speech. The accused men in the dock seem almost proud of what they did. But the American team is relying too heavily on documents – they're chilling but there's a danger of the trial becoming bogged down by documents alone. The Defendants are even starting to feel they’re winning -n until the American Prosecutors change tack and show a 60-minute film of footage of the concentration camps.
The courtroom is reduced to silence, the defendants finally cowed.
Cast:
Tatiana Sablikova - AMANDA RYAN
Robert H Jackson - JOSEPH MYDELL
Sir Geoffrey Lawrence - NICHOLAS WOODESON
Leon Dostert - CLIVE WOOD
Robert Storey - HARI DHILLON
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - FORBES MASSON
Julius Streicher - HENRY GOODMAN
Albert Speer - JOSEPH ALESSI
Hermann Goering and other roles - NIGEL LINDSAY
Hans Marx and other roles - ILAN GOODMAN
Hans Fritzsche and other roles - NATHAN WILEY
Joachim von Ribbentrop and other roles - JASPER BRITTON
Wilhelm Keitel and other roles - JONATHAN CULLEN
Adolf Hitler and other roles - ANDREW WOODALL
German Interpreter and other roles - MARK EDEL-HUNT
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 Today in Parliament (m002c2dn)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the home secretary about controls on immigration.
TUESDAY 13 MAY 2025
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002c2dq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6nl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c2ds)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c2dv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002c2dx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002c2dz)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question Home Secretary Yvette Cooper over plans to cut net migration. Also, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly tells the Northern Ireland Assembly how she continues to feel afraid over online threats to kill her.
TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c2f1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002c2f3)
Mozart’s starling
Good morning.
Mozart bought a starling in 1784, recording in his notebook not only the cost of the bird, but also a snippet of its beautiful song, carefully transcribed. What a remarkable thing: Mozart, whose head and home were already full of the most sublime music, listening attentively, open to inspiration from the humblest places.
The founders of Quakerism made two completely radical claims. The first was that divine revelation was ongoing – it didn’t end when the New Testament writers laid down their quills. Early Quakers considered that ultimate authority rested, not in the Biblical text, but in the living word of God, speaking in the heart of the listener, and tested in the community of the faithful. The second radical claim was that this direct spiritual experience was available to everybody, regardless of gender, social background, age, level of education. There was no need for ministers, because ministry could come from anyone, anywhere. Quakerism was founded on the principle of absolute equality.
Quakers today strive to be open to new light, from whatever source it might come. In our meetings for worship, Friends share passages from the Bible, and the sacred texts of other traditions, read non-religious poetry, or simply share the meditations and questions that have arisen in their hearts. Our duty as listeners is to reach for the meaning within what we hear, whoever is speaking, seeking the truth and the beauty that the words may contain for us, even if the words themselves are strange or unfamiliar.
May I seek to respond to that of God in everybody I encounter today, ready, like Mozart, to find something beautiful.
Thank you friends.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002c2f5)
13/05/25 - SFI update, herbal leys and deep soil carbon testing
DEFRA says an "error was made" when closing the Sustainable Farming Incentive to new applications earlier this year, and people who had applications in progress when it was shut, could now be allowed to submit them. The Sustainable Farming Incentive - or SFI - is part of the new system of farm payments in England, replacing the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. It pays people to do things like grow cover crops, plant flowers for pollinators, and manage hedgerows on their land. But in March this year, the Government announced, with no warning, that the SFI would be closed to new applications.
We visit one farmer who could be affected by the change: dairy farmer, Sarah Godwin, had planned plant a mixture of grasses, enriched with legumes and other species - called a herbal ley - paid for by the SFI...but the scheme was abruptly closed in March before her application was complete. She says the farm had spent more than a thousand pounds on agents' fees to help with the forms.
And testing top soils is often done to measure nutrients and organic matter - but recording what lies at a much lower depth could be key to enhancing soil health, and help achieve agriculture's net zero targets. We visit CAFRE, Northern Ireland's College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, where a major, deep soil carbon-coring project has been underway.
Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons
TUE 06:00 Today (m002c3fn)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002c36v)
Neil Lawrence on taking down the 'digital oligarchy' and why we shouldn't fear AI
When you think of Artificial Intelligence, does it inspire confidence, or concern?
Although it's now generally accepted that this technology will play a major role in our future, a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning come back to the argument over us losing control and robots taking over.
Happily, Neil Lawrence has a more optimistic view of the power of AI, and how we might navigate the potential pitfalls. Neil is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, and over the course of his career has been involved in deploying AI and machine learning in both academic and commercial scenarios, with a stint at Amazon as well as working across fields as varied as movie animation, Formula 1 strategy, and medical research.
Speaking with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Neil says ultimately his efforts are all about making a difference to our everyday lives - and that we need to learn how to embrace AI, albeit with a healthy dollop of scepticism; not least when it comes to how our data is used, and the power of 'the digital oligarchy'...
Presented by JIm Al-Khalili
Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor
TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002c36x)
What is interoception, and how mood can affect how well your vaccine works
This week we’re talking about interoception. That's the way the brain interprets the many signals that come from the body.
How useful is this skill, can you perfect it – and when might it have a more negative effect?
In the studio with Claudia is health psychologist Professor Kavita Vedhara who explains why watching 15 minutes of the Two Ronnies, some Fawlty Towers and a bit of Elvis Presley, could boost how well your vaccine works.
And Claudia meets a group from Essex who are finalists in this year’s All in the Mind awards.
The group teaches women who are experiencing anxiety, depression or abusive relationships how to ride a bike. We’ll hear how this simple community initiative is connecting people and even transforming lives, and why they just can’t stop smiling.
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, Hannah Fisher and Helena Selby
Studio Manager: Jackie Margerum
Production Coordintator: Siobhan Maguire
Content Editor: Glyn Tansley
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002c3fq)
Chemical Control, Nadia Conners, Kirsty Wark
Kate, not her real name, has spoken to BBC Radio 4's File on Four Investigates and has revealed that her husband was secretly drugging and raping her for years - in a story that has echoes of the Gisele Pelicot case which rocked France, and the world, at the end of last year. Nuala McGovern speaks to BBC reporter Jane Deith who explains that Kate had to fight for justice and also to Dr Amy Burrell, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham.
Imagine you’re preparing to host a party at your house when a lost elderly woman shows up at your door. What would you do? This actually happened to writer and director Nadia Conners. Nadia explains to Nuala why the interaction stuck with her for years and has now inspired her debut feature film, The Uninvited.
Kirsty Wark, a familiar face on our screens thanks to her long-standing and impressive journalism career, has just been awarded the BAFTA Fellowship - the Academy's highest honour. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what it means to have been given this recognition after nearly 50 years as a journalist and broadcaster.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Laura Northedge
TUE 11:00 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
TUE 11:45 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6r6)
Episode 2 - Beginnings
The award-winning writer, Rob Cowen, makes his way to London to begin his journey long the Great North Road, but there are questions about where to begin. Meanwhile, he unearths Smithfield's bloody history. Joseph Ayre reads.
In his new book Rob Cowen sets out to explore The Great North Road, the 400 mile highway which has run like a backbone through Britain in one form or another for 2000 years. As Rob walks the route he uncovers stories of those who went before him, from wealthy merchants terrified by murderous highwaymen, to boxers locked in a brutal and bloody fight. In Doncaster, where his great-grandfather Bill Cowen made a living down the mines, he learns about the high price paid by many who worked in the collieries. Lastly, he takes a journey with his mum to the road's end leading to profound reflections on time past and time passing.
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His best-selling debut book of poetry, The Heeding, was published in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002c3fs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002c3fv)
Call You and Yours: Cosmetic Treatments
There were 27,462 cosmetic procedures performed privately in 2024 - a 5% rise on 2023. So for Call You and Yours, we'd like to hear about your experience of paying to have work done on your body. Clinics say treatments are cheaper and easier to access these days. Is that what you've found? You can get everything from Botox and fillers to hair transplants, facelifts, dental implants and tummy tucks. Some people go abroad to try to keep the costs down.
Have you had anything done? How did it go? Would you have it again?
Get in touch - email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please include a number so we can call you back. And after
11am on Tuesday 13 May you can call us on 03700 100 444.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
TUE 12:57 Weather (m002c3fx)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m002c3fz)
Could Trump's visit bring peace in Middle East closer?
The US President arrives in Saudi Arabia on a trip to discuss business, while the UN says Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. We'll ask where peace in the region sits on the list of the White House's priorities. Plus: the heritage crafts at risk of extinction.
TUE 13:45 Welcome to Holland (m002c3g1)
2. Holland
Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has.
The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’.
BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’ birth.
Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society.
Episode 2, Holland: what happens when the dust settles after the shock of a diagnosis? Katy speaks to Chris Read and Stuart Reid, both fathers of pre-school children.
Presenter: Katy Watson
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Series consultant: Emma Tracey
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland, and Chris Read, songwriter of 'Every Atom of You'.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002c2dc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002c3g3)
Four Gammons and a Unicorn
Imogen is a classic left-wing student. War is bad, minorities are good, and I don’t care if I’m ruining Christmas, Mum, it’s important!
But when she accidentally falls foul of campus orthodoxy, she finds herself alone, dejected, and friendless - until a firebrand right-wing news channel arrives to pick up the pieces...
A satirical comedy about how a teenage girl becomes the new face of the culture wars.
Starring:
Imogen - Alyth Ross
Mick - Daniel Mays
Theo - Rufus Jones
Alex - Harry Trevaldwyn
Pete - Steve Edge
Michelle - Robin Weaver
Cally - Karise Yansen
Jake - Iain Ferrier
Sam - Joe Barnes
Lucy - Ada Player
Tom - Freddie Walker
Imam Ali - Naveed Khan
Will - James Taylor-Thomas
Zoe - Jade Groves
Cara - Sapphire Joy
Written by Katie Sayer
Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:00 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m002c3g5)
Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley - Series 2
41. Mary Bateman - Yorkshire Witch
Lucy Worsley is back with a brand new series of Lady Swindlers, where true crime meets history - with a twist. Lucy and her team of all female detectives travel back more than a hundred years to revisit the audacious and surprising crimes of swindlers, hustlers and women on the make. Women trying to make it in a world made for men.
In this first episode, Lucy is investigating the life of Mary Bateman who is living in Leeds in the first decade of the 19th century - a time when, despite huge leaps forward in science, many people still believe in the power of the supernatural. Mary is working as a ‘wise woman’ selling magic charms and potions, and showing off her prophetic chicken. But, as Lucy discovers, there’s a very dark side to Mary’s business too.
With Lucy to explore Mary Bateman’s story is the writer and broadcaster Deborah Hyde, known to millions as one of the sceptical voices on the hit BBC podcast about the supernatural, Uncanny.
Lucy is also joined by historian Rosalind Crone, Professor of History at the Open University. Lucy and Ros visit the part of Leeds where Mary lived and worked among a rapidly expanding population, and York Castle Prison where Mary’s story ends.
Lucy wants to know if Mary Bateman believe she has special powers to heal and defeat the powers of evil - or if she's just a ruthless swindler. And what can Mary’s story tell us about women and belief in the supernatural today?
Producer: Jane Greenwood
Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble
Sound design: Chris Maclean
Executive producer: Kirsty Hunter
A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Heart and Soul (w3ct5tgn)
Kai Höss: My Grandfather - the Commandant of Auschwitz
In a cinema in south-west Germany an audience is gathered to watch an Oscar winning film, Zone of Interest, about the life of Rudolf Höss, Commandant of Auschwitz. Those present comprise Jewish people from around the world, and the special guest is Rudolf’s grandson.
The topic was rarely visited during Kai's childhood. It was only after a school history lesson that Kai began to comprehend Rudolf’s role as head of the largest mass murder site in history.
Reporter Shiroma Silva travels to his home in Germany to interrogate Kai on his personal struggle. She tracks Kai’s outlook today through Christianity, in which he uses his past to look forward and understand the particular place of Jewish people in the Bible. He questions how anti-Semitism thrived in Christian societies and his grandfather’s early life in a devout Catholic family.
Awaiting execution at Nuremberg in 1947, Rudolf Höss returned to Catholicism, regretting his unquestioning pursuit of Nazi ideology and crimes against humanity. But little was said about the Jewish prisoners who made up the majority of the dead at Auschwitz.
Today his grandson speaks to Jewish communities globally, and Shiroma Silva talks to Pastor Kai Höss as he seeks to disabuse congregations of the thinking that has all too often blamed Jewish people for all the world’s ills, and describes himself as a Gentile who has been saved by Jewish leaders.
Producer/presenter: Shiroma Silva
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
(Photo: Kai Uwe Höss attends the Berlin premiere of Der Schatten Des Kommandanten at Delphi Lux,10 June, 2024, Berlin, Germany. Credit: Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
This content was edited on 02/04/25
TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002c3g8)
Three Faces of DH Lawrence
1. Sex
D.H. Lawrence was, according to EM Forster, “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation” and while he was undoubtedly one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, he was also one of its most controversial.
During his lifetime, his books, including Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Rainbow, were sometimes banned and sometimes burnt… but the incandescence of his writing and its sometimes scandalous subject matter saw him become a beacon of freedom and liberty to his millions of passionate fans. The lifting of the Lady Chatterley ban in 1960 was famously for Philip Larkin a key moment in the dawning of a sexual revolution though the puritanical monogamist Lawrence would have no doubt disliked becoming a poster-boy for free love.
Effectively cancelled following accusations of misogyny levelled by Kate Millett in her 1970 book ‘Sexual Politics’, he is now finally being brought back into the cultural conversation - principally by women. In this new three-part series Michael Symmons Roberts, who came to Lawrence via his poems and the 1969 Ken Russell adaptation of Women in Love, speaks to guests including Joan Bakewell, Robert Lindsay, Alison MacLeod, Lara Feigel, Derek Owusu and Professor Phil Davies in a bid to better understand three key aspects of Lawrence’s life and work - class, nature - and first of all, sex.
Reader: Michael Socha
Producer: Geoff Bird
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002c3gb)
How to have a difficult conversation
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
How do you tell your friend that something they’ve been doing is really starting to hurt your feelings? Talk to your mum about her health? Or even ask your partner to try something new in bed?
If just thinking about these types of conversations makes your stomach flip, you’re not alone. Most of us avoid moments like these, but how important is it to confront our interpersonal issues head on?
The docs are joined by Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson to explore how we can better prepare for life’s tough but important conversations. Chris and Xand are committed to sharing their personal health and wellbeing journey on What’s up Docs, and in this episode they unexpectedly found themselves having a difficult conversation of their own.
If you’d like to share your thoughts on difficult conversations or anything else that caught your attention in this episode - you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp us on 08000 665123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Kimberley Wilson
Producers: Emily Bird and Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Researchers: Emily Bird
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 (m002c3gd)
Exonerated after 38 years in prison for murder
We'll hear the details of his case as Peter Sullivan is exonerated following the longest running miscarriage of justice in British history. We speak to one of the 75 Labour MPs who has written to the government pushing for the recognition of a Palestinian state. We'll bring you a report on a new approach to treating patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancer and, Gary Younge, gives his take on race and politics on both sides of the Atlantic.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c3gg)
Peter Sullivan Freed From Jail
Peter Sullivan, jailed for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall, freed after DNA test.
TUE 18:30 Unspeakable (m002c3gj)
Series 2
1. A real nail-biter
We hear Clive Anderson's new word for the mystery of hotel bathrooms, Sindhu Vee's term to measure cuteness, and a nail-biting finish from Ed Gamble.
Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words.
Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent
Guests: Clive Anderson, Ed Gamble and Sindhu Vee
Created by Joe Varley
Writers: Matt Crosby and Katie Storey
Recorded by Jerry Peal
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash Lockmun
A Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002c364)
Lilian’s finding lots of poignant reminders of Peggy while sorting through a box of her things. Tony doesn’t understand how old shopping lists can evoke fond memories, but Lilian sees each of them as telling a story. Lilian points out that Tony’s surrounded by his children and grandchildren, whereas hers are not only far away, but don’t need her like Peggy did. She feels lost without her mum. When Henry arrives he’s intrigued by a glass dolphin. Lilian declares he can keep it. Henry’s in charge of the goats for Open Farm Sunday – he’s planning on buying some leather halters for them when he gets his money. Tony asks what money he’s expecting and Henry thinks it’s from Peggy. Tony thinks Henry shouldn’t be talking about inheritance money, but Lilian disagrees. It’s only natural Henry should speculate. Besides, he’s missing his great grandma as much as she is. Tony apologises for snapping at Henry; he thinks they would all benefit from a family outing.
At Brookfield Rex wonders how David is after their ordeal at the abattoir. Pip maintains her dad’s his usual grumpy, stoical self, unlike Rex, who proved himself strong, brave and capable. Pip’s puzzled when Rex appears to defend Rochelle. He then questions what he’s doing with his life, wishing it had worked out differently. Rex doesn’t want to end up old and resentful, mulling over regrets. Later David surprises Pip by suggesting they need to do a major security audit at Brookfield, admitting he’d prefer it if they didn’t do Open Farm Sunday at all.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002c3gm)
Morcheeba perform, Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway 100th anniversary
Novelist Elif Shafak, artist and writer Edmund de Waal and Professor Rachel Bowlby join Samira to discuss the centenary of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway.
As the Semi Finals of Eurovision start tonight in Basel, Switzerland, Paddy O'Connell talks about this year's contest.
Four hundred leading British Artists such as Paul McCartney and Kate Bush have been giving their support to a campaign to try and stop tech films being able to use their work for AI training. Film director and peer Baroness Beeban Kidron talks about leading a successful amendment to this Data bill in the House of Lords.
Morcheeba's Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey are celebrating 30 years in the music business with new album Escape the Chaos. Formed in 1995 the band, who have been called trip hop pioneers, have had 3 top ten albums and gained global success. They perform, for the first time, an acoustic version of Call For Love from their forthcoming album.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Claire Bartleet
TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002c35p)
Chemical Control: Drugged and Raped by My Husband
The story of Gisele Pelicot shocked the world. For almost a decade, the 72-year-old French grandmother’s husband Dominique secretly sedated her with sleeping pills and anxiety medication and raped her. He invited fifty other men to rape her too - documenting the abuse in thousands of photographs and videos. Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years. But Gisele is not alone.
One British woman, Kate (not her real name) has told File on 4 Investigates how she confronted the unthinkable – that the man she thought loved her, had been secretly drugging and sexually assaulting her for years. He laced her bedtime cup of tea with medication so he could commit his crimes in secret.
Kate talks to reporter Jane Deith about what it’s like to discover you’re married to a monster. Kate’s children describe the devastating impact on learning their father was a rapist.
File on 4 investigates hears from the police detective who built the case against Kate’s now ex-husband, and how he almost avoided being brought to justice after the Crown Prosecution Service initially said there wasn’t enough evidence to put him on trial. It was left to Kate to fight the system to get justice – and keep herself safe.
File on 4 Investgates discovers domestic spiking is disturbingly common in cases of domestic abuse. One academic has coined the term ‘chemical control ’ to describe the administration of medication to physically subdue women. Unlike physical violence, spiking may leave no trace and hence go unnoticed by victims, the police, doctors, and social workers.
A new named offence of spiking is soon to be introduced. But with much of the focus still on spiking in settings like bars and clubs, will it address the threat behind closed doors?
Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Emma Forde
Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston
If you've been a victim of sexual abuse or violence, detais of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002c3gp)
Visual Impairment Registration; An Interview with Meta
The Association of Optometrists will be asking MPs to amend what they regard as an outdated administrative task that is delaying thousands of patients getting their certificates of visual impairment. These certificates allow people to get access to essential care services after a diagnosis, but at the moment only ophthalmologists can sign them off. Adam Sampson is the Association's Chief Executive and he tells In Touch about the situation and about how thousands of optometrists across the country could help with this problem.
The Rayban Meta Smart Glasses have been on the market in the UK for a little while now, but for some months, many visually impaired users have been waiting for a particularly helpful AI feature to land in the UK. The roll out of the Look and Tell feature has been happening over the past few weeks, but some visually impaired users had questions about the seemingly random way in which is was rolled out. We ask this, and other listener's questions to Chris Yiu who is Director of Public Policy at Meta.
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.
TUE 21:00 Crossing Continents (m002c3gs)
Syria - Return to Ruins
Thirteen million Syrians - half the population - left their homes during their country's 13-year civil war. Seven million were internally displaced. Six million fled abroad. Bringing them home is perhaps the biggest challenge facing Syria's new rulers. But many can’t return, because their homes are in ruins, and jobs and essential services are lacking. Tim Whewell follows a variety of returnees back to Homs, Syria’s third city, which saw some of the worst destruction of the war. A private charity organises convoys of families wanting to return from camps in the north of the country. But once returnees like Fatima Hazzoura get back, they're left to cope on their own. Some who came back earlier have managed to repair their homes. But others find their houses are just empty, burnt-out shells. Meanwhile, some in Homs who stayed throughout the war - members of the Alawite minority, whose neighbourhoods remained intact - are thinking of leaving now, fearful that the new government of former Islamist rebels will not protect them. And Homs people who made new lives abroad are hesitant to return permanently while the situation is so unstable , and the economy still crippled by international sanctions. Can the fabric of an ancient and diverse city be rebuilt? Tim finds grief and fear among the ruins - but also laughter, and flashes of Homs's famous humour.
Production: Tim Whewell
Research/field production/translation: Aref al-Krez
Translation: Maria Mohammad
Security/photography: Rolf Andreason
Sound mixing: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy
TUE 21:30 Stakeknife (m002c3gx)
6. Playing God
Orla and Kevin Coyle tell the story of their father who was killed as an alleged informer by the IRA. The profound shadow cast by their father’s death has lasted almost 30 years.
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 (m002c3h2)
Scottish assisted dying bill clears first hurdle
Members of the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of an assisted dying bill. The initial vote on the bill's general principles was carried by 70 votes to 56. As with the similar legislation currently passing through Westminster, it will need to clear more phases of parliamentary scrutiny before it can become law.
A man who has served almost 38 years in prison for the murder of a woman has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after new DNA evidence emerged. We look at the technology that enabled his release.
And a new museum of Prime Ministers will open this week in London.
TUE 22:45 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (m002c3h5)
Episode Two
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from? What changes will he bring?
Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news . . .
Set over twenty years, Garrett Carr’s 'The Boy from the Sea' is about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world, and a town caught in the storm of a rapidly approaching future.
The Author
Garrett Carr was born and brought up in the harbour town of Killybegs, County Donegal where his father was a fisherman. Garrett now teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. His non-fiction book ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. ‘The Boy from the Sea’ is his debut novel.
Reader: Niall Cusack
Author: Garrett Carr
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001f549)
Episode 5: The Poisoned Land
Does the answer to the haunting lie in the land that Bill and Liz's farmhouse is built on? Dowser Dickie Dodds investigates a theory that there are powerful ley lines under the house, while Danny gets a modern-day lesson in dowsing from a real-life druid. What will they discover?
The Witch Farm reinvestigates a real-life haunting – a paranormal cold case that has been unsolved for nearly 30 years - until now. Set 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
Dickie Dodds …… Reece Shearsmith
Bethan Morgan ...... Rhian Morgan
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 (m002c3hc)
Susan Hulme reports as the Conservatives warn the Government against backsliding on Brexit. And Thames Water bosses say they may have to impose water restrictions this summer.
WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2025
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002c3hh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6r6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c3hm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c3hp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:00 News Summary (m002c3hr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002c3ht)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as a committee of MPs gets the chance to question the boss of Thames Water.
WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c3hw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002c3hy)
Wordy prayer
Good morning.
What are you doing when you pray? It’s a question so personal it feels almost rude to ask, but I’ve learned such a lot from people willing to share their experience and their practice.
Lots of us have versions of a Sunday school mnemonic, the image of a hand, a finger each representing thanksgiving, repentance, intercession, petition, worship. As someone who’s always talked a lot, this kind of praying can become a very wordy business, even when it appears to be silent. Lots of talking inside my head; not much listening.
I’ve been learning to move away from words, towards a deeper, wordless worship. It’s easier said than done, finding a place that is “inwardly quiet”, but it’s this reaching down into love that connects me to the Light.
For most of us I guess, moments that feel like revelation don’t come every day. They happen, and they are transformative, but they’re fleeting – we hardly become conscious of them, before they are overtaken by the thinking, analytical, wordy brain – and there’s no knowing when they’ll come again. I love what the American contemplative Jim Finley has to say about this experience: I won’t break faith with my enlightened heart. The moment dissipates, but I choose to allow it to shape me anyway.
One way of doing this is by honouring the convictions that arise in prayer. A twentieth century Quaker wrote that “a prayer is always a commitment”. We have to be prepared, that we ourselves might be the answer to our prayer.
And so the wordless prayer, leads us back to the world of words and action.
Thank you friends.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002c3j0)
14/05/25 US Agriculture Secretary in UK. Grazing system.
The US Agriculture Secretary has been in the UK to discuss trade deals with importers and exporters. Brooke Rollins said the 'historic' trade deal announced by Donald Trump and Keir Starmer would create billions of dollars in opportunity for U.S. export markets and more choice for British consumers. She also said she would like to see the UK and US more aligned on food standards regulations. We speak to the NFU for their response.
All week we're taking a closer look at grassland - vital to livestock farmers for their animal feed. Improving the soil under the pasture is key and helps the farm become more sustainable by sequestering more carbon. We visit a farm in Herefordshire which has been improving soil health and bio-diversity with a system of rotational grazing.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
WED 06:00 Today (m002c35h)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m002c35k)
The Yachtsman Survivor
Robin Elsey Webb is a young and already very successful yachtsman with a dream of tackling the famous Vendee Globe, the single-handed round the world yacht race. But his plans were shattered during a trip to Antigua, when he was violently attacked and suffered severe head injuries. With his life hanging in the balance, it fell to his partner Liz to make swift and bold decisions about his treatment. Robin's job was to try and stay alive.
Robin and Liz join Dr Sian Williams to piece together their own very different experiences of that terrifying ordeal, which changed so many things for both of them.
Producer: Tom Alban
WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002c4wp)
Half-Life
2. The Quiet Town by the River
Dangers lurk beneath the soil, in the town where Joe's great-grandfather worked.
Written and presented by Joe Dunthorne
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 (m002c35m)
Isabel Allende, Sex Matters, Julia Gillard, P Diddy trial
Nuala McGovern is joined by the best-selling author Isabel Allende about her latest book My Name is Emilia Del Valle. It follows a young female journalist intent on covering the civil war in Chile in 1891 despite having to write under a man’s name.
This week we'll be hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. Today we hear from Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality
Broadcaster Yinka Bokinni discusses the latest in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial. He’s been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has denied all charges.
Today the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership is launching the Gender Equality Index UK (GEIUK). It measures gender equality across 372 local authorities and says no area has achieved full parity between women and men. Exploring the complex links between gender equality, regional disparities and economic productivity we discuss how it can lead to a better future for women and men? Dr Caitlin Schmid who has lead the project and ex- Australian Prime Minister and Chair of GIWL -Julia Gillard are in the Woman's Hour studio.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002c35p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002c35r)
May 12 - May 18
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 12th – May 18th
- 13th of May 1981. While conducting blessings to a crowd in St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul the Second is shot four times in front of twenty thousand witnesses.
- 15th of May 1536. After only three years as Queen, Anne Boleyn goes on trial at the Tower of London, accused of treason, adultery, and incest.
- 14th of May 1796. Edward Jenner conducts a groundbreaking experiment on his gardener's son, creating the world's first 'vaccination', and beginning the fight against smallpox.
Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Ron Brown
Produced by Luke Doran
WED 11:45 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6w9)
Episode 3 - A Boxing Match
A mighty clash between two champion boxers in the East Midlands leads to troubling questions about prejudice, fairness and decency in nineteenth century England. Joseph Ayre reads.
In his new book Rob Cowen sets out to explore The Great North Road, the 400 mile highway which has run like a backbone through Britain in one form or another for 2000 years. As Rob walks the route he uncovers stories of those who went before him, from wealthy merchants terrified by murderous highwaymen, to champion boxers locked in a brutal and bloody fight. In Doncaster, where his great-grandfather Bill Cowen made a living down the mines, he learns about the high price paid by many who worked in the collieries. Lastly, he takes a journey with his mum to the road's end leading to profound reflections on time past and time passing.
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His best-selling debut book of poetry, The Heeding, was published in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
WED 12:00 News Summary (m002c35t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002c35w)
Grand Piano Scam, Peak Trains, Running Sales
Would you accept a free grand piano? Our reporter Shari Vahl learns how musicians are being targeted by scammers offering them expensive musical instruments that are free to a good home. All they would need to do is pay the postage.
Hairdressers are reporting a rise in customers asking for low-maintenance hairstyles as they try to reduce the amount of money spent on salon visits. We hear about the products and styles that are proving popular and discuss what this means for the hair and beauty industry.
Running is experiencing a boom in popularity. Last week, a record-breaking 1.1 million people applied to take part in next year's London Marathon, and according to fitness tracking app Strava, the amount of people entering races increased by almost 10% in the last year. This is now translating to an increase in spending, as market researchers Kantar found that sales of running clothing, footwear and accessories increased by 30% in the year to March 2025.
From September, peak rail fares will no longer exist in Scotland. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Scotland, explains why this change is being made and what difference it is likely to make to consumer’s pockets and Scotland’s emissions.
According to StuRents - one of the largest student rental websites - only 36% of student rooms are currently booked for next year, down from 52% at this point in 2023. As the number of international students attending University in the UK drops, some purpose-built private student apartments in cities like Coventry and Plymouth are almost empty. We discuss whether there’s an oversupply of private student accommodation in parts of the country and whether it can be repurposed to ease the housing crisis.
WED 12:57 Weather (m002c35y)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m002c360)
President Trump meets Syria's leader
President Trump meets Syria's president after lifting US sanctions on the country - as he continues his tour of the Middle East. The former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tells us his country’s blockade of aid to Gaza is ‘intolerable’, and former Traitor Paul Gorton gives his assessment on the Celebrity Traitors star-studded line up.
WED 13:45 Welcome to Holland (m002c362)
3. Windmills
Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has.
The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’.
BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’ birth.
Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society.
Episode 3, Windmills: Katy speaks to Nina Tame and Melanie Dimmitt about their experience of parenting school aged children.
Presenter: Katy Watson
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Series consultant: Emma Tracey
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland.
WED 14:00 The Archers (m002c364)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 The Citadel (m000wz4l)
Series 8
Episode 1
The Citadel - EPISODE 1/2
written by Christopher Reason and Tom Needham. Based on the novel by AJ Cronin.
Today's episode is set over 24 hours, where both doctors deal with unexpected events; Dr. Denny is shocked to receive a visit from a former soldier from his past, and worries that a potential epidemic is about to strike the valley, whilst Dr. Manson finds himself in a luxurious flat with an attractive woman. (Concludes tomorrow)
Dr. Andrew Manson ...................... Richard Fleeshman
Phillip Denny ..................... Matthew Gravelle
Christine Manson .................. Catrin Stewart
Frank Trevithick ............ Carl Prekopp,
Arthur Greenwood ......................Conrad Nelson
Mrs. Roberts /Receptionist ................. Kath Weare,
Eleanor/Bronwyn ..............Emily Pithon
Gwyneth................ Charlotte Sienna Lee
Producers: Pauline Harris and Gary Brown
Directed by Pauline Harris
WED 15:00 Money Box (m002c366)
Money Box Live: The 'Sadmin' of Bereavement
Earlier this spring the Financial Conduct Authority warned that some banks and firms lack empathy when dealing with bereaved customers and called for them to do more.
Money Box Live received a huge response from our listeners when we covered the story, with emails from listeners about how they coped with their grief while managing finances following the death of a loved one.
Felicity Hannah is joined by lawyer Gary Rycroft and Sarah Middlemiss, from the end of life charity Marie Curie, to answer those questions and hear those experiences.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Catherine Lund and Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle
(This episode was first broadcast at
3pm on Radio 4 on the 14th of May 2025)
WED 15:30 The Animal Employment Agency (m002c368)
We live in a time of automation and robotics; the machines run the factories, and AI will soon take all the jobs. And yet, even today, there are certain niche jobs where only an animal will do. Comedian and biologist Simon Watt is out to meet some of them, and the people who train them, study them, and love them. And he asks the key questions: HOW do they do what they do, and WHY, with all our ingenuity, haven't we invented anything that can compete with them?
We start with a business of ferrets (yes, that is their collective noun) at the National Ferret School in Derbyshire, who have swapped rabbit holes and trouser legs for drain-clearing, re-wiring, and laying fibre optic cables. Ferret Trainer James McKay demonstrates why they're perfect for the job, as he casually folds one trainee into a tight pretzel.
Simon visits the HQ of 'Medical Detection Dogs', a training facility in Milton Keynes where dogs are being trained to sniff the tell-tale signs of a host of diseases. You may have heard of their 'cancer dogs', but it goes much further: epilepsy, malaria, Parkinson's, even Covid-19. Dr Claire Guest explains.
Can technology keep up? Maybe. Although we have no real idea exactly HOW dogs do what they do, AI may be on the cusp of solving this puzzle for us. Simon speaks to Dr Andreas Mershin from start-up Realnose, which is developing “electronic noses".
Finally, Simon meets some real heroes. 'HeroRats', to be precise. Not the same species that haunts our sewers, these are African Giant Pouched Rats, and their job as landmine detection specialists is saving lives across Thailand, Mozambique, Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Dr Cynthia Fast from UCLA trains them for the job.
Presented by Simon Watt, and produced in Cardiff by Emily Knight
WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002c36b)
The Spy Who Leaked Me
Spying tends to be a fairly secretive game, for obvious reasons. So eyebrows have been quizzically raised (a bit like Roger Moore's 007) following the naming of the woman apparently favourite to become the new chief of MI6.
This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis explore the murky world of leaks. Who benefits from them, why are they done and just how damaging can they be?
They'll explain why leaking is far from victimless and reveal their own experiences of turning on the news and realising someone is out to get you.
And in the extended episode on BBC Sounds, have the Beckham's lost control of their PR? With pages of newspaper coverage devoted to their supposed family rift, David and Simon look at when two PR tribes go to war.
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 (m002c36d)
The weather influencers taking social media by storm, Sir Peter Bazalgette, reporting the mushroom murder trial in Australia
Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall on the week's big media stories from around the world.
What next for presenter Jo Coburn who leaves Politics Live next week after nearly thirty years with the BBC? She's covered the tumultuous years of the Scottish and EU referendums, Brexit, the pandemic, lockdown and shifting political landscape. We hear about her highs, lows, and plans for the future.
Who to trust for news in the India/Pakistan conflict as disinfomation spreads across the media from all sides? Shayan Sardarizadeh a senior journalist at BBC Verify has been monitoring the situation.
Nino Bucci the justice and courts reporter at Guardian Australia tells us about the mushroom murder trial which has gripped the interest of the global media.
As the BBC's Director General Tim Davie delivers a speech about the unique role the corporation can play in the future, the media executive Sir Peter Bazalgette considers the long term future for all public service broadcasters in the UK.
And the weather influencers taking social media by storm. Are they as reliable as traditional forecasters? We hear from Max Velocity, a YouTube weatherman based in the United States and ITV's Laura Tobin.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai
WED 17:00 PM (m002c36g)
Will UN calls to 'prevent genocide' in Gaza make a difference?
UN humanitarian affairs chief calls to “prevent genocide” in Gaza as international condemnation grows. What difference do these interventions make?
And the Prisons Minister Lord Timpson explains the governments plans for new prisons.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c36j)
Donald Trump holds talks with a former jihadist who's now president of Syria.
WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002c36l)
Live from the UK
Mark Nelson, Louise Young, Hayley Ellis & Josh Pugh
Live from the UK brings you the best comedy talent from around the country, all from the comfort of your own headphones.
Stand up legend Angela Barnes talks to Glasgow about their swearing, Newcastle about their love of getting starkers on holiday, and Manchester about the rude origins of their city's name.
She brings you acts from all of these places and more, covering topics as far and wide as heatwaves, Gazza, hen dos and the George Foreman grill. How many shows can say that?
This week you can hear;
Mark Nelson at The Stand, Glasgow
Louise Young at The Stand, Newcastle
Hayley Ellis at the Frog and Bucket, Manchester
and headliner Josh Pugh at the Glee Club, Birmingham
Additional Material by Eve Delaney
Recorded by Sean Kerwin and David Thomas
Sound design by David Thomas
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
An EcoAudio Certified Production.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m002c36p)
A mystery deepens one for one family, and there’s a rare night out for some villagers.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m002c36r)
Ocean with Attenborough, Garden Design, Turning Contemporary Politics into Opera
Colin Bulfield, Executive Producer of the new film Ocean With Attenborough, talks about working with the celebrated broadcaster and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough on his latest project, an exploration of the vital importance of healthy oceans to our planet which is in cinemas around the country now.
Current exhibitions at V&A Dundee and the British Library in London shed light on the history and future of garden design. Curator James Wylie and academic and author Becca Voelcker discuss how gardens reflect society, how they have influenced other fields such as art and philosophy, and what gardens might look like in 50 years time.
And librettist Emma Jenkins and composer Toby Hession talk about how their new operetta for Scottish Opera and the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, A Matter of Misconduct!, which is inspired by political scandals, the No.9 Downing Street press briefing room and classic British comedy from Hancock's Half Hour to The Thick of It.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan
WED 20:00 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
WED 20:45 The Prophets of Profit (m0027d7d)
New Prophets
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 fourth episode he examines how a new generation of business leaders pushed back against the idea.
WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002c36v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002c36x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002c36z)
Donald Trump meets Syrian President in Saudi Arabia
After today's historic meeting between President Trump and the interim Syrian President - we hear from a former US representative to Syria. Also: the BBC learns that immigrants - currently in the UK - could also have to wait up to ten years before they can apply to stay permanently; a notable absentee from the Russian delegation to talks with Ukraine in Turkey; and are we about to enter the Age of the Double Decker train?
WED 22:45 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (m002c371)
Episode Three
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from? What changes will he bring?
Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news . . .
Set over twenty years, Garrett Carr’s 'The Boy from the Sea' is about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world, and a town caught in the storm of a rapidly approaching future.
The Author
Garrett Carr was born and brought up in the harbour town of Killybegs, County Donegal where his father was a fisherman. Garrett now teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. His non-fiction book ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. ‘The Boy from the Sea’ is his debut novel.
Reader: Niall Cusack
Author: Garrett Carr
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Michael Spicer: No Room (m002c373)
Series 2
3. Deep State Conspiracies and Discount Merch
A modern-day classic is back. From the mind of Charlie Brooker comes a dystopian nightmare. It's a new season of Black Mirror and things are going to get mildly inconvenient. Comedian turned far right vlogger, Danny Tulip takes us on a spiritual journey into the Covid cover up. And the Tims solve overcrowding in jails through Feng Shui.
Satirist Michael Spicer tackles everything in the modern world that is annoying, frustrating and insane with his unique comic vision.
The latest series of this sketch comedy comes after a critically acclaimed first run that built on Spicer'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 (m002c375)
Series 13
Starmer Turns Right, and a Mission from God.
Jon Holmes remixes the news into a satirical current affairs comedy concept album. News meets popular culture in a multi-award-winning satirical mash up.
This week - we're on a Mission From God, Starmer Turns Right, and the Tragedy of Donald Caesar.
Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002c377)
Sean Curran reports on Prime Minister's Questions, delays in payouts for victims of the infected blood scandal and the future of public libraries.
THURSDAY 15 MAY 2025
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002c379)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b6w9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c37c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c37f)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:00 News Summary (m002c37h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002c37k)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions.
THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c37m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002c37p)
Praying for peace
Good morning.
What does it mean to me to pray for peace when every day brings news of violence? I see those who profit from war enriching themselves, while war’s victims are ignored, rejected, even vilified. Those who have power use it against those who don’t, at every level of society, and there seems little to hold them to account. I come back to the beautiful words attributed to St Francis: make me a channel of your peace; where there is hatred, let me bring love; where there’s despair, hope; where there’s darkness, only light.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but the Quakers’ principal stance against war and conflict in all its forms, which we call the peace testimony, kept me away from Quakers for a long time. How could I find a place amongst these heroically peace-loving folk? I can’t even manage the school run without losing my cool, and the news makes me furious.
I’ve learned that the Quaker commitment to peace is not a claim to perfect equanimity, but a journey, a daily choice, to put faith in human potential. As the Quaker founder Margaret Fell wrote, “We are a people that follow after those things that make for peace, love and unity”.
Optimism about what people are capable of leads to practical action – not passive wishful thinking, but the hard, slow, unglamorous work of peacebuilding. It’s at the United Nations, in MP’s offices, in campaigns for prison reform and climate justice, in peace education in schools. It’s at my own breakfast table. May I follow after those things that make for peace, love and unity. May I choose hope over despair. May I be a channel of peace.
Thank you friends.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002c37r)
So-called ‘chlorinated chicken’ has been a major sticking point in US-UK trade talks, one of the red lines British farmers say the Government cannot cross. But US Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, says we’ve got the wrong end of the stick about how their chicken is produced nowadays. So is chlorine washed chicken merely a “myth to dispel”? We look for some clarity.
It’s been obligatory to keep all poultry and captive birds indoors in some parts of England under the Government’s mandatory housing restriction order to help prevent the spread of bird flu. That order has been lifted this morning because the risk of avian flu has reduced.
As part of our week looking at grass, today we visit a turf farm. There’s a big market for turf from gardeners, golf courses and for sports pitches and parks, and it’s not just for the pristine tightly-mown grass, you can even buy specialist turfs for green roofs, and species-rich and wild-flower turfs too.
The Government’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has funded river re-wiggling, school visits to farms and even the creation of Lake District tweed since it began in 2021, and now it’s making life easier for rock climbers with disabilities in the Peak District.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 06:00 Today (m002c3bk)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002c3bm)
Copyright
In 1710, the British Parliament passed a piece of legislation entitled An Act for the Encouragement of Learning. It became known as the Statute of Anne, and it was the world’s first copyright law.
Copyright protects and regulates a piece of work - whether that's a book, a painting, a piece of music or a software programme. It emerged as a way of balancing the interests of authors, artists, publishers, and the public in the context of evolving technologies and the rise of mechanical reproduction.
Writers and artists such as Alexander Pope, William Hogarth and Charles Dickens became involved in heated debates about ownership and originality that continue to this day - especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence.
With:
Lionel Bently, Herchel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Cambridge
Will Slauter, Professor of History at Sorbonne University, Paris
Katie McGettigan, Senior Lecturer in American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Producer: Eliane Glaser
Reading list:
Isabella Alexander, Copyright Law and the Public Interest in the Nineteenth Century (Hart Publishing, 2010)
Isabella Alexander and H. Tomás Gómez-Arostegui (eds), Research Handbook on the History of Copyright Law (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016)
David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu, Who Owns this Sentence? A History of Copyrights and Wrongs (Mountain Leopard Press, 2024)
Oren Bracha, Owning Ideas: The Intellectual Origins of American Intellectual Property, 1790-1909 (Cambridge University Press, 2016)
Elena Cooper, Art and Modern Copyright: The Contested Image (Cambridge University Press, 2018)
Ronan Deazley, On the Origin of the Right to Copy: Charting the Movement of Copyright Law in Eighteenth Century Britain, 1695–1775 (Hart Publishing, 2004)
Ronan Deazley, Rethinking Copyright: History, Theory, Language (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006)
Ronan Deazley, Martin Kretschmer and Lionel Bently (eds.), Privilege and Property: Essays on the History of Copyright (Open Book Publishers, 2010)
Marie-Stéphanie Delamaire and Will Slauter (eds.), Circulation and Control: Artistic Culture and Intellectual Property in the Nineteenth Century (Open Book Publishers, 2021)
Melissa Homestead, American Women Authors and Literary Property, 1822-1869 (Cambridge University Press, 2005)
Adrian Johns, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates (University of Chicago Press, 2009)
Meredith L. McGill, American Literature and the Culture of Reprinting, 1834-1853 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002)
Mark Rose, Authors and Owners: The Invention of Copyright (Harvard University Press, 1993)
Mark Rose, Authors in Court: Scenes from the Theater of Copyright (Harvard University Press, 2018)
Catherine Seville, Internationalisation of Copyright: Books, Buccaneers and the Black Flag in the Nineteenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2006)
Brad Sherman and Lionel Bently, The Making of Modern Intellectual Property Law (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
Will Slauter, Who Owns the News? A History of Copyright (Stanford University Press, 2019)
Robert Spoo, Without Copyrights: Piracy, Publishing and the Public Domain (Oxford University Press, 2013)
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002c3bp)
Yes or No?
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando take a step back and look at whether we're seeing the death of nuance in political debate. Is everything boiled down to 'yes or no' questions? What are the shibboleths of modern politics, and does the language you use, or decline to use, put you firmly on one side of a debate?
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 Kate Mac
Production Coordinator - Katie Baum
Executive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.
An EcoAudio Certified Production.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002c3br)
Rose Ayling-Ellis, abandoned babies, Royal Albert Hall's organist Anna Lapwood
Police have said they are searching for the parents of three new-born babies, all abandoned in East London between 2017 to 2024. The search is focusing on about 400 nearby houses. Anita Rani speaks to Met Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford and clinical psychologist Professor Lorraine Sherr - head of the Health Psychology Unit at UCL.
Actor Rose Ayling-Ellis also joins Anita to discuss her lead role in ground breaking new ITVX drama Code of Silence, along with the show’s writer Catherine Moulton. Rose plays Alison, a deaf caterer who gets drawn into a covert police operation thanks to her exceptional lip-reading skills. It was inspired by writer Catherine’s own experience with lip-reading and sees Rose take on an executive producer role too.
In August 2022 the then Conservative MP for Stafford, Theo Clarke, gave birth to a daughter. She had a 40-hour labour, and a third-degree tear. She needed a two-hour operation and was in hospital for a week. Her experiences led her to set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma in the House of Commons, she also co-chaired the Birth Trauma Inquiry in Parliament. She joins Anita to discuss her experience, campaigning and new book Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need To Talk About Birth Trauma.
Anna Lapwood is one of the world’s most famous organists and an internet sensation, with over two million social media followers. Hailed as ‘classical music’s Taylor Swift', she’ll be telling Anita about co-curating a special BBC Prom, the music she’s included in her album Firedove which is out later this month, and what it mean to her to be appointed as the first ever official ‘Organist of the Royal Albert Hall.’
THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002c3bt)
James Rhodes
Pianist James Rhodes was a relative latecomer to a professional music, and was 30 when he performed his first concert. In 2010 he became the first core classical pianist to be signed to the world’s biggest rock music label, Warner Brothers. He has recorded nine albums, including his most recent one, Mania, which features work by Bach, Chopin Brahms and other composers. He has also presented television documentaries about classical music and written five books, including his international bestselling memoir, Instrumental. But James Rhodes’ adult life story is also one involving mental illness, addiction and suicidal despair in the wake of violent sexual abuse over several years as a small child.
Talking to John Wilson, James remembers how hearing a recording of Bach’s Chaconne from his Partita no. 2 transcribed for piano, was a life-changing experience, offering a sense of hope and wonder at a time when he was suffering terrible abuse. He also chooses his secondary school piano teacher Colin Stone as a major inspiration, although his early musical ambitions were thwarted at the age of 18. After some years working in the City, then suffering breakdowns and periods in psychiatric institutions, he returned to music after a decade away from he piano. He also credits a chance meeting with his future manager as a moment that led to him becoming an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
Details of organisations offering information and support with mental health and self-harm, and for victims of child sexual abuse, are available at: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline
THU 11:45 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b70j)
Episode 4 - Mine
Doncaster's mining past takes up the next stop on the award-winning writer's journey as he makes his away along the Great North Road. A the same time, Rob's finds out about his great-grandfather's past. Joseph Ayre reads.
In his new book Rob Cowen sets out to explore The Great North Road, the 400 mile highway which has run like a backbone through Britain in one form or another for 2000 years. As Rob walks the route he uncovers stories of those who went before him, from wealthy merchants terrified by murderous highwaymen, to boxers locked in a brutal and bloody fight. In Doncaster, where his great-grandfather Bill Cowen made a living down the mines, he learns about the high price paid by many who worked in the collieries. Lastly, he takes a journey with his mum to the road's end leading to profound reflections on time past and time passing.
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His best-selling debut book of poetry, The Heeding, was published in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
THU 12:00 News Summary (m002c3bw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 You and Yours (m002c3by)
Gap Finders: Niall Harbison from Happy Doggo
Our Gap Finder today is Niall Harbison, founder of the dog rescue charity Happy Doggo.
Originally from Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland, Niall was a successful Michelin chef, cooking for celebrities like Bono at Cannes, and later started his own marketing business. But during a trip to Thailand, he not only fell in love with the country, but also wanted to help the thousands of street dogs on the island of Koh Samui.
Niall is an alcoholic who also suffers from depression, and after a stint in hospital where he nearly died, he started to rethink what he wanted to do with his life. Niall saw the street dogs and thought he'd start feeding them; feeding one pack led to feeding more, and then sterilising and getting medicines for these dogs.
Niall posted videos online telling stories about the animals, and he started rescuing the dogs that had been neglected, mistreated and injured, funding medical treatment at the vets for them. He also finds homes for the dogs across the world; many in the UK. A famous adopter is Liam Gallagher who adopted a dog called Buttons!
Niall's social media posts gain tens of thousands of views - using his marketing skills - Niall tells happy and uplifting stories about the dogs he rescues.
Niall has recently registered Happy Doggo as a charity in the UK and is releasing a new book called Tina: The Dog who Changed the World.
Charity giving in the UK is at a ten year low - donors are citing cost of living pressures and a distrust in big charities and transparency in where the money is spent. There's also thousands of dog rescue charities across the world - but Happy Doggo is growing and growing - what does Niall think the secret is to him managing to attract donors from the UK?
PRESENTER: PETER WHITE
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002c3c0)
Vagus Nerve Stimulators
Do Vagus Nerve Stimulators help your mental health?
The vagus nerve could be one of the most important body parts you might never have heard of. It's a large nerve that connects major organs like the heart and lungs to the brain and studies have found that stimulating it with electrical pulses can lead to dramatic improvements in some people with depression and other mental health conditions. Those trials were for medical devices implanted into the chest, but listener Karin has seen commercially available versions that you wear over your ear.
But do they work? Karin joins Greg in the studio along with leading experts in the field to do a deep-dive into the studies and separate out the science fact from the marketing fiction.
All of 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.
RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT
THU 12:57 Weather (m002c3c2)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m002c3c4)
UK GDP boost as growth better than expected
UK's economy improves - with strong services and manufacturing. We get business reaction. Also with talks on a potential Ukrainian peace deal a report from the front line.
THU 13:45 Welcome to Holland (m002c3c6)
4: Tulips
Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has.
The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’.
BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’ birth.
Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society.
Episode 4, Tulips: Katy speaks to Kristen Groseclose about being the parent of a disabled adult.
Presenter: Katy Watson
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Series consultant: Emma Tracey
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland.
THU 14:00 The Archers (m002c36p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000q8nw)
London Particular
Episode 3
By Nick Perry
Finding herself caught up in tumultuous historical events from London’s past, Alice is forced to question her sanity and her own true identity. Running for her life from a powerful conspiracy of shadowy forces, Alice embarks on series of bizarre adventures at the end of which she is convinced she will learn the fate of her missing brother.
Alice . . . . . Scarlett Brookes
Alan . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr
Morris . . . . . Joseph Ayre
Jack . . . . . Stefan Adegbola
Jill . . . . . Charlotte East
Isaac . . . . . Aaron Gelkoff
Churchill . . . . . Roger Ringrose
Mum . . . . . Jane Whittenshaw
Lizzie . . . . . Emma Handy
Pianist: Peter Ringrose
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko
THU 15:00 Open Country (m002c3c8)
Flutterings on the Fleet
Tucked in behind Dorset's famous Chesil Beach is a unique and beautiful place - the Fleet Lagoon. Martha Kearney explores a thousand year history of human guardianship of birds on the lagoon. On the way she gets a close-up view of little tern dating platforms on the Fleet itself, learns why the swans of the ancient Abbotsbury Swannery are much safer now and who they hate the most, and - of course - learns to build a nest.
Contributors include:
Angela Thomas - Assistant Warden, Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve
Chris Goding - RSPB Project Officer & Assistant Warden, Chesil Little Tern Recovery Project
Steve Groves - Swanherd, Abbotsbury Swannery
With thanks to Dorset Wildlife Trust.
Presenter: Martha Kearney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002c2hh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Word of Mouth (m002c3cb)
The End of the Full Stop?
The use of punctuation is rapidly changing within the quickfire back-and-forth of instant messaging. Are these changes causing misunderstandings? Presenter Michael Rosen and his guest Dr Christian Ilbury discuss. Is the full stop on the way out? What about capital letters? Exclamation marks and question marks seem to be holding their ground, but what about the rest?
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley, 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 (m002c3cd)
What is Israel's plan for Gaza?
Dire warnings of famine in Gaza, a broken ceasefire and the threat by the Israeli government of a new “intense” offensive which would forcibly displace Palestinians to an area in the south of Gaza and perhaps out of the strip altogether, plus the latest release of a US hostage. This is the war between Israel and Gaza 19 months on from the deadly attack by Hamas which killed 1200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages.
So what chance of peace between Israel and Gaza? Can a new ceasefire be negotiated with US backing or will Israel go it alone and forcibly occupy most of Gaza?
Guests:
Yolande Knell, BBC Middle East Correspondent
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent at The Economist,
Yossi Mekelberg, Senior Consulting Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Shibley Telhami, Professor of Government and Politics at University of Maryland and a non resident senior fellow at Brookings Institution.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Engineer: David Crackles
Editor: Richard Vadon
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002c3cg)
Will the Hole in the Ozone Layer Close?
40 years ago scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the Ozone layer. The world acted quickly, phasing out harmful CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons. Evidence suggests the hole has been getting smaller. But in 2025, there are new pollutants threatening to slow progress. Eloise Marais is Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality at University College London and tells Victoria Gill about her work monitoring the impact of space travel on the Ozone layer.
It's the first day of the traditional ‘bathing season’ when wild swim spots are regularly tested throughout the UK summer. Victoria asks Professor of Environmental Microbiology and Health at Lancaster University, Roger Pickup to break down the science behind our water quality classifications. And May also means wildflowers. Dr Sarah Scott is pollinator ecologist and toxicologist at Cambridge university. She has a warning that planted in the wrong place, wildflowers could be harming bumble bees.
Gareth Mitchell, broadcaster and lecturer in science communication at Imperial College London is in the Inside Science studio to bring Victoria new scientific findings which will shape our future.
Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
THU 17:00 PM (m002c3cj)
Uncertainty over Ukraine peace talks in Turkey
After President Putin fails to attend talks in Turkey about ending the conflict in Ukraine, President Zelensky says Russia doesn't seem serious about peace. We analyse what might happen next. We also hear interviews with the Catholic cardinal for Jerusalem, the head of the TUC - and the stunt director for the Mission Impossible films.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c3cl)
The UK economy has grown more than expected
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said the economy is "beginning to turn a corner", after figures showed that output grew by more than expected in the first three months of the year. The figures don't take into account last month's tax rises or the impact of President Trump's global tariffs. Also: Sir Keir Starmer says the UK is in talks about creating hubs in other countries for processing failed asylum seekers. And the railway carriage that was used by Sir Winston Churchill has been restored.
THU 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002c3cn)
Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Tough Crowd
Have you ever considered becoming a foster carer?
Multi award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean hadn’t - until a chance radio advert changed everything.
In this heartfelt and inspiring half-hour special, recorded in front of a live audience, Kiri shares the unexpected and deeply personal journey that led her to become a Local Authority foster carer on the Welsh island of Ynys Môn. With her signature wit and warmth, Kiri lifts the lid on the system and offers a moving, candid, and funny account of what it truly means to open your home - and your heart - to a child in need.
First broadcast during Foster Care Fortnight in the UK, this programme shines a timely spotlight on the extraordinary power of ordinary people to make a difference.
Written and performed by Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Tashi Radha
Executive Producer : Suzy Grant
Sound Engineers: Jerry Peal & Jon Last
Production Manager: Sarah Sharpe
A Listen production for Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m002c3cq)
Usha’s impressed by the topic Alan’s chosen for his sermon, that of peace, observing that he’s never one to take the easy route. Later Helen breaks it to Alan that amongst Peggy’s comprehensive instructions for her funeral she stipulated a different vicar to officiate. Alan frets to Usha that Crispin can’t possibly know the family as well as he does. He wonder’s whether Peggy’s decision was to do with his involvement in Rob’s baptism. Whatever the reason, he resolves to ensure the church will look its best for the funeral.
Lynda’s interested when Helen lets slip that Henry’s really started liking cricket at school. Later she tells Rex she’s disappointed in him, having had him down as a man of integrity.
Brian informs Rex that Peggy set aside some money for a natural artwork at the Rewilding site. Rex thinks Peggy took an impressive gamble with the rewilding, commenting ruefully that he’s always been the sensible one in his family. Brian reckons there’s nothing wrong with being level-headed. Rex wonders how you know when it’s time to settle down. Brian observes if it’s with the right person he’ll know, counselling Rex to think carefully before taking any risks.
Helen sympathises with Natasha over how tight finances are. Natasha comments it was unfair of Peggy not to warn them there was so little money to go round. Helen thinks they shouldn’t have counted their chickens. And besides, Tom has already had plenty from Peggy, so not everyone in the family has the same right to feel aggrieved.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m002c3cs)
Review: Sondheim's final musical Here We Are, The Marching Band, Daniel Kehlmann's The Director
David Benedict and Viv Groskop review Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are, a surreal story of brunch and existential dread; French film about about grassroots music, The Marching Band and Daniel Kehlmann’s new novel, The Director, about a real life German filmmaker navigating the Third Reich.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Simon Richardson
THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002c36b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002c36d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:15 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002c2bk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002c3bp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002c3cv)
Expected negotiations in Istanbul descend into acrimony
It's believed Ukrainian and Russian negotiators will meet face to face tomorrow for the first time in three years. That's after President Putin of Russia announced overnight he wouldn't attend the meetings held in Istanbul personally. Ukraine's President Zelensky did turn up and accused Moscow of failing to take the talks seriously. We hear from Ukrainian and Russian civilians on their expectations for the negotiations.
The clock ticks down further to a planned EU-UK "reset" summit on Monday. But with reports negotiators are struggling to reach a draft communique amid disputes over fishing rights, we ask what the UK should be prepared to give up.
And a previously unpublished ghost story written by Graham Greene has finally made it into print.
THU 22:45 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (m002c3cx)
Episode Four
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from? What changes will he bring?
Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news . . .
Set over twenty years, Garrett Carr’s 'The Boy from the Sea' is about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world, and a town caught in the storm of a rapidly approaching future.
The Author
Garrett Carr was born and brought up in the harbour town of Killybegs, County Donegal where his father was a fisherman. Garrett now teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. His non-fiction book ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. ‘The Boy from the Sea’ is his debut novel.
Reader: Niall Cusack
Author: Garrett Carr
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m002c3cz)
Eurovision: Europe’s biggest election
Why does Eurovision find itself at the centre of political controversy when it’s supposed to be non-political?
This year, Israel’s participation has been questioned because of its role in the war in Gaza whilst Israeli fans have been warned by their country's National Security Council not to wear Jewish or Israeli symbols while attending Eurovision.
Amol is joined by Times columnist (and Eurovision superfan) Fraser Nelson and Dr Dean Vuletic who is a leading Eurovision historian to discuss the politics of the song contest through the years. (
1:39)
Fraser also gives his assessment of the state of Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK after the recent local elections in England. (
28:36)
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 James Piper. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002c3d1)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as ministers defend releasing more prisoners in England and Wales early to ease overcrowding.
FRIDAY 16 MAY 2025
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002c3d3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b70j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002c3d5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002c3d7)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002c3d9)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002c3dc)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the government about the early release of inmates to free up space in prisons in England and Wales.
FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002c3df)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002c3dh)
Finding words
Good morning.
There’s an app on my phone that identifies birds from their songs. Unlike most of what’s on my phone, this app has the capacity to connect me more deeply to the present moment, to help me to listen. I’m getting better at predicting what it’s going to tell me about the symphony of song around me, learning to differentiate robin from blackbird, from song thrush from chiff chaff.
I wish there was something equivalent for talking about other experiences in life – something that would help me tune in, to what’s happening to me, what’s happening in me, as I read a powerful poem, listen to a piece of music, or sit in a Quaker meeting for worship. These are experiences that take place beyond language, and the words I reach for to try to articulate them, even to myself, feel inadequate. I could just rest there I suppose, satisfied with not speaking of what I have felt. But, like the bird app, I suspect that there are benefits to trying.
I want my encounter with the Light, to be the engine-room at the centre of my life. It might be fundamentally a mystery, but it’s a mystery I want to get to know, to become familiar with, to have a language for.
So my prayer today is for all spiritual seekers. However and wherever our encounters with the transcendent happen, may we have the courage to try out words, to share something of them, and may we have the blessing of friends to share them with, so that we can learn to listen better, so that we can find the strength to follow the convictions that arise from what we hear.
Thank you friends.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002c3dk)
16/05/25 -The Balmoral Show
A special programme from The Balmoral Show outside Lisburn in Northern Ireland.
Helen Mark meets farmers showing rare breed pigs, as well as talking politics.
Earlier this month, a consultation was launched by Northern Ireland's Farming Minister on a new Nutrients Action Programme or NAP - rules for farmers to help reduce water pollution. It includes a limit on the amount of excess phosphorus produced by intensively stocked livestock farms. The Ulster Farmers Union says it's the wrong approach, but DAERA says it's needed to reduce the impact of excess nutrients on waterbodies like Lough Neagh.
Presented by Helen Mark
Produced by Heather Simons
FRI 06:00 Today (m002c3jz)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002c2hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002c3k1)
Teaching 'grit', Amnesty International UK, Brain Aneurysm play, New Age of Sexism
How do we teach children to have grit? That's what the Government is suggesting needs to be a new focus in schools, to bolster children's mental health. To discuss how parents can help their children develop resilience, Anita Rani is joined by Sue Atkins, parenting coach and author of Parenting Made Easy and child psychologist Laverne Antrobus.
We are currently hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. Today Anita speaks to Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK.
At age 20, actor Sam Ipema was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Her highly successful play, Dear Annie, I Hate You details this experience and is currently on at Riverside Studios in London. She joins Anita Rani and neurologist Dr Faye Begeti to discuss.
Founder of the Everyday Sexism project, Laura Bates, has been looking into artificial intelligence. Laura argues that existing forms of discrimination are being enforced by AI through historic coding, prioritising profitability at the expense of women’s safety and rights. But also worrying is how simple it is for AI to enable users to create deepfake or AI girlfriends, that can perpetuate the abuse of women.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002c3k3)
From York to Dubai: The Rise of Chocolate
Leyla Kazim visits York, the UK's 'chocolate city', on the centenary of Joseph Rowntree’s death, to find out how the Quaker entrepreneur pioneered both social reform and iconic chocolate brands like Smarties and Kit Kat.
Today, many independent chocolate makers still call York home, as do some of the word's biggest multinational confectionary makers. Leyla Kazim wanders through York Chocolate Festival to trace the city’s unique chocolate heritage and find out what changed when global companies got involved.
As the so-called 'Dubai chocolate' drives a frenzy of demand for filled bars and imitations, Leyla meets a Newcastle chocolate maker with a penchant for wacky flavours and who inspired the original sell-out hit.
Leyla also hears how falling global production and high prices of cocoa could be the end of chocolate as we know it.
Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.
FRI 11:45 The North Road by Rob Cowen (m002b76s)
Episode 5 - Achavanich
The award-winning writer's journey along the Great North Road concludes with an archaeological discovery, and reflections on family and community. Jospeh Ayre reads.
In his new book Rob Cowen sets out to explore The Great North Road, the 400 mile highway which has run like a backbone through Britain in one form or another for 2000 years. As Rob walks the route he uncovers stories of those who went before him, from wealthy merchants terrified by murderous highwaymen, to boxers locked in a brutal and bloody fight. In Doncaster, where his great-grandfather Bill Cowen made a living down the mines, he learns about the high price paid by many who worked in the collieries. Lastly, he takes a journey with his mum to the road's end leading to profound reflections on time past and time passing.
Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer. His first book, Skimming Stones, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His best-selling debut book of poetry, The Heeding, was published in 2021. Rob has contributed to the New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002c3k5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002c3k7)
Island of strangers?
As the Prime Minister announced reforms to the UK's immigration system, he warned that without these changes we risk becoming an "island of strangers". This has drawn criticism comparing his remarks to historical examples of inflammatory language on immigration. Others say this comparison is unfair and his comments were part of a sensible conversation about immigration.
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Bethan Ashmead Latham, Josephine Casserly, Viv Jones and Nik Sindle
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Studio Engineer: Hal Haines
FRI 12:57 Weather (m002c3k9)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m002c3kc)
Two firefighters and member of public die in fire at former RAF site
Two firefighters and a member of the public have been killed in a fire at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire. MPs debate the assisted dying bill, and Paddy O’Connell on Eurovision.
FRI 13:45 Welcome to Holland (m002c3kf)
5. Rembrandt
Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has.
The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’.
BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’ birth.
Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society.
Episode 5, Rembrandt: Katy speaks to Emily Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland and to Lucy Baxter and her adopted son Otto Baxter.
Presenter: Katy Watson
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Series consultant: Emma Tracey
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002c3cq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002c3kh)
Pretender Prince
Episode 1: The King of Birds
Jack Lowden presents a drama-documentary series on the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
In 1745 Charles arrives in Scotland – with an army of just seven men. He must find a way to persuade thousands of Highland clansmen to risk their lives to join him in his bid to restore the Catholic Stuarts as the ruling monarchy of Great Britain.
Written by Colin MacDonald with original music by Duncan Chisholm.
Narrator ..... Jack Lowden
Bonnie Prince Charlie ..... Lorn Macdonald
Flora MacDonald ..... Hannah Donaldson
Colonel John O’Sullivan ..... Gavin Mitchell
Clan Chief MacDonald ..... Iain Macrae
Donald Cameron ..... Sam James Smith
Allan Cameron ..... Douglas Yannaghas
Written by Colin MacDonald
Music arranged by Duncan Chisholm
Music performed by Duncan Chisholm, Ingrid Henderson,
Martin O’Neill and Ross Ainslie.
With contributions by historians, Jacqueline Riding, Alistair Moffat
and Maggie Craig
Edited by Kris MacConachie
Studio Managers Sean Mullervy and Kris MacConnachie
Executive Producer Gordon Kennedy
Broadcast Assistant Clare Hipkiss
Producer/Director Bruce Young
Recorded at BBC Scotland Drama Studios, Pacific Quay, Glasgow
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:45 Child (m001xl5g)
Series 1
19. Time Warp
We’re taking a pause to lose ourselves down the rabbit hole of time. Because something strange happens to time in those first weeks of a baby's arrival. The rest of the world still seems to, mostly, rise with the sun, and sleep with the dark - but the world of a new parent has turned on its head.
So what would happen if we looked at time in a totally different way?
In this episode, India Rakusen explores the relatively new concept (but ancient experience of) Maialogical time with historian Joanna Wolfarth, discusses the impact of the first few months with Perinatal psychiatrist Trudi Seneviratne, and talks to musician and mother Eske Mtungwazi about her experience in the world of neonatal care.
Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: India Rakusen
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by Eska Mtungwazi
Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed
A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002c3kl)
From the Archives: Foliage Frenzy
Kathy Clugston prunes through the extensive GQT archive, which includes some much needed advice on all things Foliage.
With 77 years of experience in providing ample advice, our various GQT panellists are more than equipped to solve your gardening conundrums. They provide tips on the best plants for a foliage border, banana plants that can withstand the winter, and plants for a bed that never sees any sunshine.
Away from the questions, Matthew Wilson heads over to Sienna Hosta nursery to speak with Chris Potts, who explains how they keep their hostas slug and snail free.
Producer: Daniel Cocker
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 - What would be the best plants for a foliage border? (01'07")
Matthew Biggs –
Euonymus fortunei f. radicans 'Silver Queen', spindle ‘Silver Queen’
Euonymus fortunei var. radicans, wintercreeper
Anne Swithinbank –
Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'PBR , Siberia bugloss ‘Jack Frost’
Cornus canadensis, dwarf cornel
Matthew Wilson –
Hosta, plantain lily
Hosta sieboldiana, siebold’s plantain lily
Hosta 'Big Daddy' (_sieboldiana_ hybrid) (v), plantain lily ‘Big Daddy’
Q- Why isn't my Christmas berry 'Red Robin' in here a lovely bright colour, like others? (04'22")
Q- Can banana plants stay outside during the winter? (08'10")
Matthew Pottage –
Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish', banana 'Dwarf Cavendish'
Q – Why has my 12-year-old smoke bush has turned brown overnight? (11'19")
Feature – Matthew Pottage speaks with Managing Director of Sienna Hosta Nursery Chris Potts about how they nurture their Hosta’s to be pest free (17'07")
Q- What type of ferns should I use in my fernery? (22'40")
Matthew Wilson –
Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance', copper shield fern 'Brilliance'
Polystichum setiferum (Divisilobum Group) 'Herrenhausen', soft shield fern 'Herrenhausen'
Matteuccia struthiopteris, shuttlecock fern
Pippa Greenwood –
Primula vulgaris (Pr/Prim), primrose
Wild violets
Q - What could I plant in a bed that never sees any sunshine? (27'51")
Matthew Wilson –
Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign', lungwort 'Blue Ensign'
Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance', copper shield fern 'Brilliance'
Matteuccia struthiopteris, shuttlecock fern
Deschampsia cespitosa, tufted hair grass
Christine –
Rheum palmatum, Chinese rhubarb
Heuchera, cora bells
Ligularia
Q- How do I properly mow my lawn without ruining the foliage surrounding it? (32'33")
Q - What can I do to take care of my 3ft Poinsettias? (37'35")
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002c3kn)
Flash Annie by Lisa Blower
Amy Parker reads a new short story for Radio 4 from the award-winning short story writer, Lisa Blower.
A meeting at a supermarket cheese counter sparks memories of loss, grief and friendship - and perhaps an answer to a ghost story that has haunted Stoke-on-Trent's old steelworks for decades.
Writer: Lisa Blower is an acclaimed novelist, playwright and prize-winning short story writer from Stoke-on-Trent.
Reader: Amy Parker
Producer: Justine Willett
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002c3kq)
Sir Tom Farmer, Elaine Wynn, Sue Stapely, Joseph Nye
Matthew Bannister on:
Sir Tom Farmer, the Edinburgh born businessman who built up the tyre and exhaust company Kwik Fit.
Elaine Wynn, who worked with her husband Steve to create a casino empire in Las Vegas.
Sue Stapely, who transformed the way the legal profession communicates with the public and the media.
Joseph Nye, the American political analyst who came up with the concept of “soft power” in international relations
Interviewee: Michael Welch
Interviewee: Douglas Fraser
Interviewee: David Sanger
Interviewee: David McNeill
Interviewee: Christina Binkley
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Archive used:
Tom Farmer interview, Workwise Scotland, BBC Scotland, 03/02/1989; Tom Farmer, The House I Grew Up In, BBC Radio 4, 06/08/2008; Tom Farmer, First Light, BBC One, 22/11/2016; Joseph Nye On Soft Power, Foreign Policy Association, YouTube
22.02.2016; "Soft power" explained by the man who coined it, Council on Foreign Relations, uploaded to YouTube 09/05/2025; Joseph Nye on "The Future of Power", Harvard University, Centre for Public Leadership, uploaded to YouTube 04/02/2011; Doctor Who, Season 6, Episode 6, The Invasion, by Derrick Sherwin, Director: Douglas Camfied, BBC Television, 07/12/1968; An Interview with Sue Stapely, Fantom Films and Alex Moore, YouTube, uploaded 22/09/2021; PM, BBC, Radio 4, 31/03/1998; Coronation Street, Director: Michael Kerrigan, written by Tony Warren, Granada Television, ITV, 1998; The Archers, Omnibus Edition, BBC Radio 4, 21/07/1985; Mirage Resort Opens, 8 News Now, KLAS-TV, YouTube 13/07/2013; Elaine Wynn interview, KTVN Channel 13, YouTube, 03/11/2015; The Mirage Volcano erupts, 8 News Now - Las Vegas, YouTube 17/07/2024; Musings with Elaine Wynn, TheLifeYouCanSave.org, YouTube uploaded 27/09/2023;
FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m002c35k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m002c3ks)
MPs vote on assisted dying amendments
MPs back proposal to allow staff to opt out of taking part in the assisted dying process, amongst other amendments. Plus, the latest from Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002c3kv)
Two firefighters are among three people killed in a fire in Oxfordshire
A blaze at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire has killed two firefighters and a member of the public. Two more firefighters suffered serious injuries and are being treated in hospital. Also: The Hamas-run civil defence agency says that nearly 100 people have been killed in hours of intense Israeli strikes, focussed on northern Gaza. And a report has found the Scottish government failed to properly scrutinise lavish spending at the body which regulates Scottish Water.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002c3kx)
Series 117
5. An Island of Strangers
Andy Zaltzman is joined by Alasdair Beckett-King, Sara Barron, Daliso Chaponda and ITV Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana. Discussion points include this week's immigration White Paper, tighter controls on international students looking for gainful employment, the elusive definition of a 'skilled job', chimpanzees utility in medical emergencies, and the returns policy on a returns hub.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Samira Banks, Catherine Brinkworth, and Cody Dahler.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002c3kz)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Pip Swallow
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Pip Archer…. Daisy Badger
Tom Archer….. William Troughton
Tony Archer…. David Troughton
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Rex Fairbrother…. Nick Barber
Alan Franks…. John Telfer
Usha Franks…. Souad Faress
Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye
Rochelle Horville…. Rosie Stancliffe
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Lynda Snell….. Carole Boyd
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002c3l1)
Summer Blockbusters
Fifty years ago this summer, Jaws was released in the US. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the bestselling novel by Peter Benchley, the film - about a coastal resort town threatened by a great white stark at the busiest time of the year - was a groundbreaking box office phenomenon.
Jaws changed the industry overnight - pioneering new marketing and release patterns, and altering the focus and mix of movies that Hollywood made - some say for the worse.
From Jaws and Star Wars through to the double whammy of Barbenheimer, summer blockbusters have dominated cinemas. But is this changing? And is there more to the summer blockbuster than big box office and a summer release date? Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode join the queue for popcorn to explore the genre.
Mark speaks to critic and author Tim Robey about how Jaws went from potential disaster to record-breaking hit, and about the summer blockbusters that followed. And he also speaks to Jenny He, senior exhibitions curator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, about the museum’s forthcoming ‘Jaws: The Exhibition’ and the marketing techniques that helped make the 1975 film such a success.
Meanwhile, Ellen talks to pop culture critic Kayleigh Donaldson about box office mega-hits for the modern age - and how the inescapable megalith of Marvel has impacted the summer film landscape.
And Ellen also speaks to Canadian filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk about her 2022 film Slash/Back - a Spielberg-influenced summer-blockbuster-in-spirit sci-fi adventure movie set in the remote Arctic fishing town of Pangnirtung.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002c3l3)
Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, Jim Fairlie MSP, Douglas Ross MSP, Lorna Slater MSP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Ardfern on the Craignish peninsula in Argyll & Bute in the West of Scotland. On the panel: Dame Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of Scottish Labour; the agriculture and connectivity minister in the Scottish Government, the SNP's Jim Fairlie; the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross; and Lorna Slater, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens.
Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Joanne Willott
FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002c35r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:40 on Wednesday]
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002c3l5)
Political Visions
What is the role of vision in politics? Must politicians have a vision of what kind of society they’re working towards, ultimately? What kind of role does this vision play in the day-to-day practice of working politicians? Or is this a misunderstanding of the nature of politics?
We mark the anniversary of the landmark text of modern libertarianism, Anarchy, State & Utopia, by Robert Nozick.
Anne McElvoy is joined by the politician Gisela Stuart, General Secretary of the Fabian Society Joe Dromey, and political philosophers Thomas Simpson and Jeffrey Howard. Plus, writer and lecturer Sarah Jilani on the case for revolution.
Producer: Luke Mulhall
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002c3l7)
Israel tells people to leave northern Gaza, ahead of expected escalation in its offensive
A former Israeli ambassador to the US says signs that the Trump administration isn't consulting Israel could lead to a flashpoint between the two allies: MPs debating the bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales have voted to give health workers the right to opt out of the process - we speak to two politicians who took party in today's debate. And - Sir Jackie Stewart on 75 years of Formula 1..
FRI 22:45 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr (m002c3l9)
Episode Five
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from? What changes will he bring?
Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news . . .
Set over twenty years, Garrett Carr’s 'The Boy from the Sea' is about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world, and a town caught in the storm of a rapidly approaching future.
The Author
Garrett Carr was born and brought up in the harbour town of Killybegs, County Donegal where his father was a fisherman. Garrett now teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast. His non-fiction book ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. ‘The Boy from the Sea’ is his debut novel.
Reader: Niall Cusack
Author: Garrett Carr
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 Americast (p0lb8d5w)
Is Trump's free plane a gift too far for Republicans?
It’s Donald Trump’s first major trip in his second term as president and he’s chosen to visit the Gulf in a four-day whirlwind tour.
He began in Saudi Arabia for a friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Among other issues he agreed to lift sanctions on Syria and struck a number of trade deals, marking a big shift in relations between the two nations since Joe Biden’s presidency.
But the trip threatens to be overshadowed by the fallout from Qatar’s gift of a free luxury jumbo jet. The president has defended the gift and said he would be a “stupid person” to turn it down, which has prompted criticism from his supporters including the far-right influencer Laura Loomer.
Sarah and Anthony in Qatar join Justin to unpack a busy few days on the road, and discuss the new U.S. approach to the Middle East and what it means for the region, and the rest of the world.
HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
GET IN TOUCH:
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• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was James Piper. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002c3lf)
Alicia McCarthy reports as MPs debate plans to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.