SATURDAY 24 MAY 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002cf4z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Ten Second Showdown (m0020y77)
Usain Bolt

There's something special about the 100m. Even for those who don't watch athletics, it's one of those contests that seems to transcend sport.

In Ten Second Showdown, Mike Costello has been exploring the stories that lie behind the races.

This time, he takes us to Beijing and a man who did the 100m unlike anyone else. The 2008 Olympics was when Usain Bolt became a global superstar, showboating over the line as he smashed his own world record.

Mike speaks to Bolt's agent about what makes him tick, a photographer who captured the iconic photo of Bolt crossing the line - and hears what it's like to race against the great Jamaican.

PRESENTER: MIKE COSTELLO
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cf51)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cf53)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002cf55)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cf57)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cf59)
Easier to pray on a Saturday?

Good morning.

I seem to always find it easier to pray on a Saturday. Who knows why. Perhaps it’s because it’s a day that I rarely have to work or go to the office, and the level of concern or potential stress I wake up with, is a little less. I’m sure there’s some psychoanalysis that could be done on me, to decode the link between ease of mind, and ability to pray. It seems to contradict what happens in scripture, or in other parts of life, where it is when people are most under pressure, or closer to the end of themselves, that they turn to the divine and seek help, and or transformation of their circumstances.

Perhaps I’m just unusual - for which, read ‘wrong’ - or perhaps others listening this morning will resonate with something of what I’m saying. Either way, as the day begins today, there is a sense that it is good, important and will be a beautiful moment for me to recognise the closeness of God, and God’s love, and to be thankful for what has been and all that is to come. Here’s hoping that when Monday comes, and work is beginning somewhat more in earnest, my hypothesis is proved to be incorrect, and I’m equally inspired to pray that day and every day following, in the week ahead.

Thank you for the chance we have to draw close to you this morning God. I pray you fill us with your love and knowledge of your presence, with thankfulness for your gift of peace and mercies enough for this new day. Thank you for the chance to rest, love you, ourselves and others today.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 Child (p0hhrq1b)
Series 1

20. Playtime

As parents start to think about the development of the child within, they might head out to classes. The advice on how a baby ‘should be’ and the pressures on parents to ‘get it right’ can be a lot, but does it all matter? Lucy Jones, journalist and author, guides us through the history of why there is so much pressure on carers.

We also hear more from Rebecca Saxe, a cognitive neuroscientist and Dean of Science at MIT about what babies are learning from play, and from Graham Music about what makes good play.

But, put down your wallet - the best toys for a baby are free, and with you all the time.

Presented by India Rakusen
Producer: Lucy Hunt
Series Producer: Ellie Sans
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon
Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King

A Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002cnk7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002cfkp)
Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe

This is a very special series of Ramblings. To mark Clare’s 25th year of presenting Radio 4’s walking programme she is off to Spain to fulfil her long held desire of hiking one of the world’s most famous pilgrimage footpaths, the Camino de Santiago. Translated roughly as The Way of St. James, the Camino isn’t just one route, rather it’s a network of trails across western Europe converging on Santiago de Compostela, the reputed burial place of St. James.

Clare's first companion is Manni Coe. He first walked the Camino 22 years ago with his brother Reuben, following the Francés, or French, path. This is probably the most famous route, which starts in the French town of St Jean Pied de Port. Reuben has Down’s Syndrome and Manni recalls their journey together as the most magical yet challenging time of their lives.

Manni now lives in Spain and works as a tour guide, including leading pilgrims along the Sanabrés which begins in Granja de Moreruela and stretches around 225 miles to Santiago.

Manni is also an author about to publish his second book, ‘Little Ruins’. As he explains to Clare, the simple act of walking has been invaluable in enabling him to complete this personal project which is about recovery from childhood trauma.

This is the second time Clare has walked with Manni: search in our episodes list for ‘Brotherly Love in Burton Bradstock’ to hear Manni and Reuben walking in Dorset. For this episode, Manni and Clare walked from Bendoiro (What3Words: tuxedos.unwed.enjoys) to Silleda (W3W: expecting.shortcuts.outsells)

Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002cnk9)
24/05/25 - Farming Today This Week: The EU-UK Summit

Five years on from Brexit, the Prime Minister has re-set the UK's trade relationship with the EU, with a new, wide-ranging deal. In this programme Caz Graham looks at what it could mean for food, farming and fishing.

The UK and EU will now move towards an agreement which would reduce the paperwork and border checks involved in exporting foods like fish, meat and dairy, and fresh produce like plants and flowers. It also means the export of some products to the EU which has been banned since Brexit - like many farmed mussels and oysters, as well as sausages, burgers and seed potatoes - could now resume.

While many exporters have welcomed the deal, it's also lead to uncertainty over the future of Border Control Posts - facilities set up since Brexit to handle similar checks on imports. A senior civil servant confirmed this week that some such facilities could be decommissioned, and the industry want compensation.

Meanwhile, another part of the deal is focussed on fishing, and allows EU boats access to fish in UK waters until 2038. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has called the deal "a horror show" - but the DEFRA Secretary told MPs this week that it's "reasonably good" for UK fishing.

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002cnkc)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002cnkf)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002cnkh)
LIVE from the Hay Festival!

Fresh from her recent BAFTA success – the award-winning actress, writer and producer - Ruth Jones is with us. Ruth’s latest book of fiction is a story where the main character embarks on one last investigation for a council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit... and along the way, the character discovers the importance of holding onto friendship and community.

He's the architectural alchemist who has guided us through communities around the UK, where people who turn their creative dreams into homes. The TV presenter and writer - Kevin McCloud – is with us under the canvas of this delightful Hay Festival tent.

And GT Karber is the mastermind behind the phenomenon – Murdle – a series of murder mystery puzzle books. Greg is the son of a judge and a civil rights attorney who grew up in the community of Arkansas in the United States. But he’s taken a break from conjuring up his puzzling and logical creations to join us in the Hay-on-Wye countryside.

Plus the Inheritance Tracks of the comedian Ivo Graham.

Presenters: Huw Stephens and Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002c70p)
Series 23

Chuckle, Snigger and LOL

Why do we giggle, snort, and bust a gut laughing? Is it just humans being weird, does it serve some higher function or do other animals crack up too? And, okay, Dara is a comedian, but has he ever really made anyone laugh, like properly?

With help from Professor Greg Bryant and Professor Sophie Scott, they dive into the science of LOLs, exploring how laughter bonds us, eases stress, and even spices up flirting. They uncover the difference between genuine belly laughs and those polite chuckles that pepper everyday interactions.

Contributors:

Sophie Scott - Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL
Greg Bryant - Professor of Communication at UCLA
Betty La France - Professor or Communication, Northern Illinois University

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


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002cnkk)
Series 48

Episode 3

Jay Rayner and a panel of expert chefs, cooks and food writers are at the Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield, answering questions on bilberries and treacle. Joining Jay are Sarah Rankin, Angela Gray, Rob Owen Brown and food historian Dr Annie Gray.

The panellists discuss their favourite ways to use up miso paste, the best savoury recipes involving treacle, and what to do with vegetables that have seen better days. They also share their true feelings about fried bread on a full English and what to do with a glut of homegrown berries.

Situated on the cusp of the Peak District, Jay chats to local forager Richard McManus about the upcoming bilberry picking season, and the unique flavour profile of the bilberry.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002dd63)
To discuss the government's U-turn on taking winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners, Caroline is joined by the Conservative peer, David Willetts - president of the Resolution Foundation, which focuses on people on lower incomes; and Claire Ainsley, former policy director to Sir Keir Starmer, now at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Also this week, the UK and the EU struck a trade deal. Caroline speaks to the EU Ambassador to the UK, Pedro Serrano about it.

Reform UK’s newest MP Sarah Pochin, who served as a magistrate for twenty years and the Labour MP and barrister Catherine Atkinson discuss plans by the former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke for the biggest shake-up of sentencing in England and Wales for more than 30 years.

And, this week marks the first anniversary of a public inquiry report into the infected blood scandal. The former Health Secretary, now Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has campaigned on behalf of victims and came into the studio with Lee Moorey, who was given contaminated blood.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002cndj)
Turkey's chance for peace

Kate Adie presents stories from Turkey, the South China Sea, Ukraine, the US and Angola.

Outlawed Kurdish group the PKK, which has waged a 40-year insurgency against Turkey, has announced it's disbanding. More than 40,000 people were killed during its fight for an independent Kurdish state - now the group says the Kurdish issue 'can be resolved through democratic politics'. Orla Guerin reports from Diyarbakir, in the Kurdish heartland.

In the South China Sea, the tiny island of Pagasa is at the centre of a dispute between the Philippines and China. For the past 10 years, China has been expanding its presence in the region - but the Philippines is one of the few southeast Asian countries to stand its ground. Jonathan Head gained rare access to the island.

Over the last decade, the Ukrainian Orthodox church gradually distanced itself from the Moscow Patriarchate, until it formally severed ties in 2022. But some priests and parishioners are reluctant to give up the traditions that were so familiar to them. Nick Sturdee reports from Western Ukraine.

In Arizona, we meet the Native American 'knowledge keepers', who are now willing to share some of their secrets, as part of a cultural project which is uniting some of the major tribes, including the Navajo, the Hopi and the Apache nations. Stephanie Theobald went to find out more about their vision.

Angolan president, João Lourenço, has made it his mission to claw back millions of dollars stolen by corrupt past leaders. At the National Currency Museum in the capital Luanda, Rob Crossan reflects on the meaning of money - asking where has it all gone?

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


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002cnkm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002cndf)
'Making Tax Digital' and Bank Charges

Hundreds and thousands of sole traders and landlords are facing a significant change in how they file their tax returns. In less than a year 800,000 people with a turnover of above £50,000 who fill out self assessment tax returns will have to fill out summaries four times a year, and then do their final self assessment too. It's all part of something called "Making Tax Digital". Paul Lewis interviews James Murray who is the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

Hundreds of millions of pounds has been paid out to people who were underpaid their state pensions. We'll discuss who they are, and talk about another group of people who could be eligible but haven't claimed.

And, listeners who volunteer with community groups like film clubs, girl guides and charity fundraising groups have been contacting Money Box upset over new charges they're facing to use their bank accounts. What options are there for those affected?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 24th May 2025)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002cf4d)
Series 117

6. Big Deals

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Andrew Maxwell, Ian Smith, Alex Kealy and Times columnist, Cindy Yu. They cover a triumph or a surrender (depending on who you ask) as well as reflecting on where you're most likely to spot a billionaire in the wild and the death of the semi-colon.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Laura Major and Christian Manley.
Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002cnkp)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002cnkr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002cf4l)
Annabel Denham, Rachael Maskell MP, Neil Shastri-Hurst MP, Matthew Taylor

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, with Annabel Denham, columnist and acting comment editor at the Telegraph; Labour MP Rachael Maskell; Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst; and Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation and former government adviser.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Andy Lenton


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002cnkt)
Topical discussion posing questions to a panel of political and media personalities


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002cf4g)
With things still frosty between Ed and Emma, they’re horrified when they get stuck in the Grey Gables lift. They manage to alert Zainab, but it’s her first day and she’s still feeling her way. Emma suggests she calls an engineer, and Zainab assures them she’s on it. Akram arrives and sees Zainab’s predicament. He also points out she’s done everything right so far and doesn’t need to stress. Meanwhile the atmosphere in the lift thaws and Emma and Ed apologise to one another. They admit it can be hard working together but it’s mostly brilliant. They pledge to move their anniversary celebration to tonight, staying in at Little Grange. When they’re finally free, relieved Zainab tells them Dane’s offered another night at Grey Gables by way of compensation. Ed reckons they’ll stay home tonight and save the offer for another time.

Naomi brings some flowers as a thankyou for Lilian, who’s tearful and caught unawares. She shares that she’s having a difficult time, and the two chat. Naomi’s kicking herself about her date, but Lilian assures her it’s not her fault. They laugh about the objectionable Darren. Naomi hopes things get brighter for Lilian. Later worried Kenton calls in on Lilian. Lilian comments it was nice to chat with Naomi, but nothing’s making her feel better. She guesses you just have to go with grief, but it’s exhausting. Her heart is broken at the loss, and she has nothing to tether her any more. Ambridge doesn’t feel like home without Peggy. Perhaps it’s time to leave.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000qhgn)
Dinner with Dylan

"My name’s Jon Canter and I’m a Bobaholic. That means I’m addicted to the songs and mystery of Bob Dylan. But it’s an addiction from which I never want to recover, because it’s sustained and nourished and challenged me for nearly 50 years.

There are millions of people like me and this play is dedicated to them. But it’s also dedicated to the people who know and love Bobaholics and have to live with their addiction, which isn’t always easy."

Drama about three grown men - Bobaholics - who meet in a restaurant to chat about the meaning of life and Dylan.

It's set in 2017, in the week when Dylan played a series of shows at the London Palladium and after an accidental meeting between playwright Jon Canter and writer and producer Richard Curtis.

This is what happened next....

Himself ...... Richard Curtis
Himself ...... Kerry Shale
Himself ...... Lucas Hare
Herself ...... Eileen Atkins
Sam ...... Akbar Kurtha

Director: Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002cnkw)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Chronic UTIs, Welsh women’s football, Kathryn Turman, ‘Trad wives'

If you've ever had the bad luck of getting a UTI - or urinary tract infection - you'll know how painful they can be. It's a bacterial infection which can affect the bladder, urethra or kidneys and give a burning or stinging sensation when you urinate. Yesterday, in a powerful parliamentary session, the Labour MP Allison Gardner spoke through tears as she described her experiences of chronic UTIs. The MP for Stoke-on-Trent is now hoping to launch a cross-party parliamentary group to look at chronic UTIs. Allison joined Anita Rani, along with GP Ellie Cannon.

This week, the BBC launches the Women’s Summer of Sport, marking the start of a bumper summer of coverage including the Euros, the Rugby World Cup and Queen’s tennis tournament. The Welsh women’s football team have been called 'history makers' after qualifying for the European Championship for the first time. Three of the players, Josie Green, Lily Woodham and Elise Hughes, tell us what this means for them and how they are preparing for their debut tournament.

The Bombing of Pan Am 103, is a new BBC drama series. It's based on the true story of the bombing of a passenger flight over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, in which 270 people were killed. Kathryn Turman was an assistant to a federal senator at the time of the bombing. After the trial, she joined the FBI, where she founded the agency’s first-ever Victim Services Division. Her experience in the aftermath of the Pan Am bombing proved invaluable to the FBI’s response to the 9/11 attacks, and she has aided victims and families throughout major moments in history, including the Las Vegas shooting and the Boston marathon bombing. She discusses her mission to help victims, and what inspired her work in public service.

Five years after the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, a new BBC documentary is reflecting on the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed, including in the UK. Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd tells the story through the eyes of some of those who found themselves on the frontline during the spring and summer of 2020, including Khady Gueye, who made headlines after a local protest she planned in the Forest of Dean was initially cancelled. She joined Nuala McGovern, along with author and producer Nova Reid, to reflect on the impact the events of that time have had on their lives, and what has changed since then.

Liane Child’s novel The Trad Wife’s Secret is inspired by influencers who believe in traditional gender roles in marriage. So is this a wholesome phenomenon or a dangerous and sexist regression? And what is the appeal to the millions of people who follow 'trad wives' online? Liane Child joined Nuala along with British 'traditional housewife' and influencer Charlie Gray.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
Editor: Andrea Kidd


SAT 17:00 PM (m002cnky)
Hundreds of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners exchanged

We speak to the uncle of a Ukrainian released in a previous exchange. Plus, NHS plans to expand specialist mental health A&E centres.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002cnl0)
The Eluned Morgan One

The First Minister of Wales sets a marker to the left of Keir Starmer, setting out her vision of a "Red Welsh Way", drawing inspiration from Gavin and Stacey.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002cnl2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002cnl4)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cnl6)
Ukraine and Russia each swap more than three hundred prisoners

The second part of what could become the largest prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine has taken place, with renewed concern from Kyiv about how its citizens were treated.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002cnl8)
Paloma Faith, Mike Bubbins, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Helen Carr, Euros Childs, Kizzy Crawford

Clive Anderson brings us Loose Ends from the Hay Festival. Joining Clive in front of a Hay audience are singer Paloma Faith who last year released her most personal album 'The Glorification of Sadness'. She also published her first book 'MILF' (no, not that one), a rousing call to arms for women to take up space, based on her experiences in the music industry, and as a mother. Welsh comedian Mike Bubbins is the star of the sitcom 'Mammoth', in which he plays Tony Mammoth, a PE teacher from the 70's who finds himself in 2024. Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce has an impressively diverse CV, having written films such as 24 Hour Party People, Hilary & Jackie, Code 46 as well as the 2012 London Olympics Ceremony. He's the author of many beloved children's books including Millions, and his latest 'The Blockbusters'. Historian Helen Carr is the author of the best-selling 'The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and her new book 'Sceptred Isle: A new history of the fourteenth century'

And there's music from Euros Childs and Kizzy Crawfod

Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Jessica Treen


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002cncf)
Rosemary Coogan

In April 2024 Rosemary Coogan became only the third person from the UK to qualify as an astronaut after completing basic training with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Originally from Northern Ireland, she excelled academically and holds two master's degrees from Durham University and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Sussex. She became an ESA astronaut after a challenging selection process which whittled down 22,000 applicants. The agency hopes to send Rosemary to the International Space Station by 2030.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith explores the life and career of the woman who has a chance of becoming the first person from the UK to walk on the moon.

Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Tom Gillett and Lucy Pawle
Editor: Nick Holland
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Sabine Schereck


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002cfk5)
Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend is the songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of The Who. The band first stormed the pop charts sixty years ago, with teenage anthems including I Can’t Explain, Substitute and My Generation. Broader songwriting ambitions led him to create the rock opera Tommy in 1969, and the concept album Quadrophenia four years later. Both projects were adapted as films, and Quadrophenia has now been staged as a ballet by Sadlers Wells. Throughout the seventies, The Who were regarded as the biggest and loudest live act in the world. They played at Woodstock, at Live Aid, Live 8 and the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony. Despite the deaths of drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwhistle, Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey continue to perform as The Who.

Pete Townshend talks to John Wilson about the influence of his parents, who were both musicians. His father, the saxophonist Cliff Townshend, played in the popular dance band The Squadronaires, but it was his mother Betty, a singer, who was most supportive of Pete's early musical talent. Seeing Bill Haley and The Comets at Edgware Road Odeon in 1956 was another formative moment that introduced the teenage Townshend to the possibilities of a rock 'n' roll performance.

Pete also reveals how his art school tutor Roy Ascot, who was head of the Ground Course at Ealing Art School, shaped his his approach to his band that was to become The Who. He also recounts how reading Labyrinths, a book of short stories by Jorge Luis Borges on the first US Who tour in 1967 opened his imagination and helped him expand his musical storytelling.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002cnlb)
The Braveheart Effect

Thirty years on from its release, Braveheart remains the most successful film about Scotland ever made, historical accuracy be damned. Comedian Susan Morrison selects some choice cuts from the Mel Gibson epic to pierce the myths and stereotypes of Scotland in the decades before and since its release in 1995.

The film arrived at a seminal moment in Scottish political history, and had a significant impact on national debate and politics in the run up to the devolution referendum in 1997. Love it or loathe it, Susan learns that Braveheart still looms so large in cultural representations of Scotland at home and abroad.

Susan looks through the BBC archive to show how the film rides roughshod over Scottish history, presenting a Victorian vision of Scottishness. She discovers the origins of Tartanry, a ‘sentimental Scottishness' that reduces Scottish culture to kitsch, twee, distorted imagery based on well-worn stereotypes, such as tartan, bagpipes and kilts.

Picking through the news reports and listening to archive interviews with Gibson, Peter Mullen and Brian Cox, Susan sends up these stereotypes and uses the iconic film to mock Scotland’s mythical image of itself.

She speaks to historians Fiona Watson and Callum Watson about the "Braveheart Effect", and the boost it gave to tourism. In the shadow of Edinburgh’s Scott Monument, film lecturer Jonny Murray mocks the most common tropes of the Scot on screen. Susan tracks down American screenwriter Randall Wallace, and hears how a fateful trip to Scotland planted the romantic seed of an idea that would come to gross $209 million at the global box office.

Presented by Susan Morrison
Produced by Robbie Armstrong
Mixed by Joel Cox
Executive produced by Mark Rickards

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Illuminated (m0026x15)
In Pieces

For some, burnout feels like an unravelling - a slow, creeping dissolution where the threads of your life and identity loosen and fray until you are completely undone.

For others, it’s a breaking point - a sharp, sudden, collapse where everything shatters all at once. It doesn’t just kill physical vitality it also guts the entire internal mechanism of us. Like lifting the hood off a car and finding no engine. There’s nothing, a void, which feels very shameful and fragile to those who have defined themselves by performance and always had the ability to bounce back.

Driven by extensive rumination both burnout and shame thrive in silence.

Stories are often how we create shape from the mess, they turn shame into something softer; something shared. They are how we make sense of the world, and often how we survive it. Giving us the power to hold what feels unholdable and ultimately creating a space where someone else can say, “me too”.

And sometimes what is required isn’t the courage to keep it all together, but to surrender and come apart.

Recovery is messy, non-linear but also deeply creative.

This is where the feature maker Hana Walker-Brown finds herself in this tender and intimate programme, sifting through the fragments, the scattered pieces of a life upended, considering how to start putting it back together.

With contributions from Luca and Theo Walker-Brown, Hana’s swimming companions Zoë and Gabby, Dr Sophie Mort, Dr Aaron Balick, Andrew Tobert and Services Director for Calm Wendy Robinson.

With thanks to Kenwood Ladies Pond and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)

Featuring the use of "Prayer" by PJ Harvey

Produced and presented by Hana Walker-Brown

Sound design and original music by Hana Walker-Brown

Executive Producer: Anishka Sharma

Mix and Mastering: Peregrine Andrews

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:30 Artworks (m0029hm4)
Hip-Hop Homework

Hip-hop taught Nkem Ifejika everything - how to dress, how to speak, how to be a black man. Now he has a dilemma - as his young son develops his musical preferences, how does Nkem navigate aspects of the genre that he thinks haven’t aged well.

Nkem’s son wants to go to a Kendrick Lamar concert. Before he decides if he’ll allow that or not, Nkem has some homework to do.

He sets out to get advice from other hip-hop heads, his family, friends and experts.

Nkem’s introduction to hip-hop came from his “naughty uncle” Ken who smuggled him MTV videos and tapes from America. From the outset, listening to hip-hop was something that seemed naughty and rebellious. Nkem and actor Babou Ceesay recall the thrill of discovering Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle while at school in West Africa and sparking their interest in everything the music conjured. As fathers now to young children, do they want their kids to feel that same excitement?

Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah from LSE’s School of Law tells Nkem she’s deeply concerned with the way the music is being used by prosecutors to build criminal cases. It’s starting to stifle artists’ freedom of expression.

American Sociologist Tricia Rose says Nkem’s right to take this seriously. It takes effort to critique something you love when it falls short. They discuss the representation of women in the music.

Comedian and broadcaster Romesh Ranganathan created a kid-friendly hip-hop playlist. But just because there’s no swearing doesn’t mean that the issues raised in some of the tracks are easy to swallow. He tells Nkem to be realistic. Hip-hop reflects life. Don’t shy away from it.

Thanks to Romesh Ranganathan, Tricia Rose, Babou Ceesay, Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah, Pete Paphides and everyone in the queue for JPEG MAFIA, The Roots, De La Soul and The Pharcyde.

Presented by Nkem Ifejika
Produced by Alexandra Quinn
Executive Producer Rami Tzabar
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m002cnld)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002cf3c)
Coffee Crisis: Why are Prices Breaking Records?

Dan Saladino hears from coffee industry insiders about the current spike in global prices.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002cfl2)
1. Political Pandering

Can political discussion be funny? Er - yes!

Top political comedian Matt Forde convenes his focus group in front of a live theatre audience with guests comedian Pierre Novellie, Baroness Ayesha Hazarika and former Director of Communications at Number 10, Guto Harri - to see if a few sparks fly as they examine different ways people are pandered to and whether they have ever done any pandering themselves.

Written and performed by Matt Forde
Additional writing from Karl Minns, Katie Storey and Richard Garvin
Producer: Richard Garvin
Co Producers: Daisy Knight and Jules Lom
Broadcast Assistant: Jenny Recaldin
Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Round Britain Quiz (m002cckh)
Programme 2 - The South of England vs Wales

(2/12)

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.

In the second match in the series The South of England faces Wales.

Teams:
Paul Sinha and Marcus Berkmann - The South of England
Myfanwy Alexander and Cariad Lloyd - Wales

Questions in today's edition:

Q1 (from Bill March) As autumn creeps in, how might we connect:
-A video game turned TV series about a mutated fungus.
-A Leatherstocking Tale featuring Natty Bumppo or Hawk-eye.
-A singing Sophie.
-An 1855 painting of departing emigrants.
-A 1969 Neil Simon comedy about a middle-aged man's attempt at infidelity…
… and connect them to the final drops of Tinto de Verano?

Q2 Where might you find huddled: Patrick Bateman’s creator, the writer of the Summerhouse Trilogy and an EastEnders actor turned dancer, eating a mass of oysters?

Q3 Music: Why might these tracks take us on a world tour?

Q4 With Anne’s manipulative ambition, Diane’s quirky charm, Leslie’s elegant grace, Jessica’s quiet wisdom, and the haunting void of a woman whose presence is defined by her absence, what type of film would you make and why would it stand out from 91 others?

Q5 A prince, an unmarried butcher, an orphan, a boxer, and a composer all possess a piece of work by George Stanley. You know their names. What are they, and why are they the only ones to receive such an honour?

Q6 Music: I’d like you to think about how all of these people might be travelling?

Q7 (from Patrick Haigh) How, specifically appended, might ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ lead you to:
-A Scottish lager
-A wizard eternally imprisoned in a rock
-Both a general pastime and a particular footballing game
-A picaresque pickle?

Q8 A legendary manager, a red-legged crow, a golfer’s nightmare, a poetic target of bombs, and a ventriloquist walk into a pub. Which one stands out? And what type of pub lunch might they order when they get there?

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, Paul Bajoria and public contributors.

SUNDAY 25 MAY 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002cnlg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002cckf)
Ocean Vuong

In this episode of Take Four Books James Crawford is joined by the multi-award winning  Vietnamese-American poet and author, Ocean Vuong. Together with the writer and editor Heather Parry, they discuss Ocean’s latest novel - ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ - and three key influences behind its creation.

Set in the fictional town of East Gladness Connecticut in the early years of the 21st century, the ‘Emperor of Gladness’ is centred on nineteen-year-old Hai, and the unlikely bond he forms with with Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. This vivid, poetic epic explore loss, hope, class and the power of human connection in the post-industrial opioid infused margins of the American Dream.

Ocean’s literary influences include, 'The Brothers Karamazov'by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 'The Town and the City' by Jack Kerouac, and 'Class Fictions' by Pamela Fox.

Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

This was a BBC Audio Scotland production, made in Glasgow.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cnlj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cnll)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002cnln)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cnlq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002cndq)
The Minster Church of All Saints, Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

Bells on Sunday comes from the Minster Church of All Saints, Rotherham in South Yorkshire. The Minster is a prominent example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture featuring a central tower and spire rising to a height of 180 feet. The ringing of bells from the tower can be traced back to 1501 and by the 18th century it is known there was a ring of six bells. Today there are tweleve bells, all cast by the John Taylor foundry of Loughborough. The Tenor weighs thirty four and a quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of D-flat. We hear them now ringing Stedman Cinques.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002cdh4)
The European Accessibility Act; The Audio Description Association

The European Accessibility Act is a new piece of legislation that will apply to EU member countries from the end of June, but what effects might it have on the UK given that it is no longer an EU member state. The Act covers a wide range of products and services that blind and partially sighted people use daily. To help analyse this are Antoine Fobe, head of advocacy and campaigns with the European Blind Union and Léonie Watson, Director of accessibility consultancy and auditing company TetraLogical.

The Audio Description Association is looking for more visually impaired people to join their organisation as members, with the aim of shaping the future of audio description provision for consumers. They are currently offering some free memberships and to find out more, email: membership@audiodescription.co.uk

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word ‘radio’ in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002cnbl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vnm)
Guns, grief and god

On 4 September 2024, the town of Winder in the US state of Georgia became the latest scene of a school mass shooting. Two students and two teachers were killed. The suspect was 14 years old. The deadly attack at Apalachee High School left a community torn apart by guns and brought together in grief. In each of the previous four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States - almost two a day on average.

Edward Stourton has been to Georgia to visit the church community attached to the high school, as they try to make sense of the senseless violence in their hometown. He meets Pastor Frank Burnat and his pastoral team, who are ministering to a community in which both God and guns are a part of everyday life. Where is God in such a tragedy and its aftermath?

Producer: Dan Tierney
Presenter: Edward Stourton
Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

(Photo: From left to right, Edward Stourton, Megan Gomez, Matthew Brown, Frank Burnat. Credit: Dan Tierney)


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002cnbn)
Green Shoots from the Ashes

A series of traumatic events bought Eddie Rixon to a mental breakdown. His journey to recovery was also a journey to reshape his Oxfordshire farm towards a more resilient future. He tells Sarah Swadling how he wants to use the farm to tackle both the biodiversity and mental health crises, whilst still producing food. It's now home to a number of creative and wellbeing businesses including an art based forest school, and performing arts classes. Eddie explains how a chat on the school run led to a research project applying Life Centred Design principles to his farming practice. As he explains to Sarah Swadling, this is about farming 'ecocentrically rather than egocentrically'. Eddie is restoring habitats and leaving some unproductive areas untouched, for wildlife. In a newly planted agroforestry orchard of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire apples and cherries, Sarah meets Eddie's close friend, zoologist, Dr Joe Smith. Joe guided Eddie towards the mental health support he needed, and he now speaks as the voice of nature during decision making on the farm.

Produced and presented by Sarah Swadling


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002cnbq)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002cnbs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002cnbv)
Gaza Aid; Pope Diplomacy; Faith on TikTok

Humanitarian aid is now reaching Gaza, although the required levels remain a point of dispute between the Israeli Government and aid agencies. It comes in a week when human tragedies in Gaza and Washington continue to mount. Julie Etchingham examines the key questions in a seemingly intractable conflict.

The Vatican has been thrust front and centre in attempts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. How realistic is it to hope that the papacy might achieve a breakthrough for peace where so many others have failed?

And Ramblings presenter Clare Balding describes the experience of walking the iconic pilgrim route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (way of St James) and recommends 'pilgrimages' to others.

PRESENTER - Julie Etchingham
PRODUCERS - Bara'atu Ibrahim and Linda Walker
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR - Kim Agostino
STUDIO MANAGERS - Kelly Young and Sam Mills
EDITOR - Tim Pemberton


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002cnbx)
Epilepsy Action

England rugby player Tommy Freeman makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Epilepsy Action. The charity supports people with epilepsy, and their friends and family, through its helpline and website.

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 ‘Epilepsy Action’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Epilepsy Action’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 234343. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002cnbz)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002cnc1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002cnc3)
Salvation Army Band and International Staff Songsters

From Bellshill Salvation Army Church, North Lanarkshire. Led by Major Jo Moir and Col Peter Forrest, with the musicians of The International Staff Songsters under the direction of Dorothy Nancekievill and the Bellshill Salvation Army Band, led by Yvonne Ferguson.
Readings: Jeremiah 29: 10-14
2 Corinthians 5: 7
Hymns:
Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven (Tune: Lauda Anima)
In Christ Alone (Townend/Getty)
I’ll Go In The Strength Of The Lord
International Staff Songsters:
Hail, Holy Light (arr. Howard Helvey)
Precious Jesus (Bottome/Ballantine) (Tune: Ae Fond Kiss)
Share my yoke (Joy Webb)
The Lord Will Bless And Keep You (Street/Fisher)


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct4xhd)
Axis Sally: World War II traitor who broadcast for the Nazis

In 1949, Mildred Gillars – otherwise known as Axis Sally – became the first woman in American history to be convicted of treason.

The former Broadway showgirl broadcast antisemitic Nazi propaganda on German State Radio during World War Two.

Her weekly shows were heard by thousands of American servicemen who gave her the nickname Axis Sally.

After her capture, she denied being a traitor, but a jury in Washington convicted her of treason, and she served 12 years in prison. Jane Wilkinson has been looking through the BBC archives to uncover her story.

(Photo: Mildred Gillars. Credit: Bettmann, Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002cnc5)
Michael Malay on the Blue Tit

Blue tits are among some of our most common garden visitors, often flocking with other birds of the tit family on the hunt for food.

Author and academic Michael Malay tells the story of how these small but colourful birds, with their blue, white and yellow plumage, bring with them the joy of spring. Delving into the letters of the revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, which she wrote to her friends from prison in 1917, Michael reads about the happiness Rosa found in a blue tit’s call. He feels a connection with Rosa’s words of joy as he himself experiences a poignant moment on a Spring evening, hearing a blue tit singing at a friend’s allotment.

Presented by Michael Malay and produced by Jo Peacey. Tweet of the Day is a BBC Audio Bristol production.

Rosa Luxemburg's letters published by Young Communist International in the book "Letters from Prison" by Rosa Luxemburg, translated by Eden and Cedar Paul.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002cnc7)
All aboard Great British Railways

South Western Railway becomes the first train company to be renationalised under Labour. Also, we visit the PM’s constituency and Labour MPs debate welfare cuts.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002cnc9)
Abdulrazak Gurnah, writer

Abdulrazak Gurnah is emeritus Professor of Post-Colonial Literatures at the University of Kent and the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

Born in Zanzibar in 1948, the second of six children, Abdulrazak grew up in the dying days of the island’s status as a British protectorate before independence was declared in 1963. The revolution which followed made Zanzibar an undesirable and unsafe place to live in for young men of Arab heritage. In 1967, he left to seek opportunities in Britain.

He subsidised his studies through a series of low paid jobs which included strawberry picking, factory work and time as a hospital porter. In the evenings he was studying at night school and after gaining a PhD in English, he joined the University of Kent, eventually becoming a Professor.

Alongside his academic career, Abdulrazak was writing and it took him twelve years to find a publisher for his 1987 debut novel, Memory of Departure.

He has published ten more novels since then, including 1994’s Paradise and 2001’s By the Sea (short and longlisted for the Booker Prize respectively) which explore themes of exile, displacement, belonging and colonialism. He was awarded the 2021 Novel Prize in Literature for his body of work and “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”.

He lives in Kent, with his wife, the Guyanese-born scholar, Denise de Caires Narain.

DISC ONE: Hit the Road Jack - Ray Charles
DISC TWO: Petite Fleur - Sidney Bechet
DISC THREE: Nipepee - Seif Salim
DISC FOUR: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7 - 1. Allegro maestoso. Composed by Clara Schumann. Performed by Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano) and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Holly Mathieson
DISC FIVE: A Day in the Life - The Beatles
DISC SIX: Kaira - Toumani Diabaté
DISC SEVEN: So What - Miles Davis
DISC EIGHT: Folon - Salif Keita

BOOK CHOICE: That Glimpse of Truth: The 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written selected by David Miller
LUXURY ITEM: A nail clipper
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Petite Fleur - Sidney Bechet

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002cncc)
Writer: Sarah McDonald Hughes
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe

David Archer…. Timothy Bentinck
Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer…. Blayke Darby
Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Tom Archer…. William Troughton
Lilian Bellamy…. Sunny Ormonde
Ian Craig…. Stephen Kennedy
Ed Grundy…. Barry Farrimond
Emma Grundy…. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Akram Malik…. Asif Khan
Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari
Lily Pargetter…. Katie Redford
Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane
Dane…. Stavros Demetraki
Naomi…. Aoife Moss


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002cncf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002cdm1)
Series 31

Episode 6

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

Angela Barnes, Mark Steel, Ria Lina and Alan Davies are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as wheels, cows, condiments and toys.

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 (m002cnch)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002cnck)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002cncm)
The Three Babies Mystery

On a cold night in January 2024 a dog walker finds a baby in a bag - a foundling. She's named Elsa, after the Frozen character.

Reporter Sanchia Berg begins to follow the case, gaining rare access to the Family Court and to the police investigation. DNA tests reveal Elsa is the sibling of two other babies found abandoned in the same area over recent years. What has happened to the mother?

Produced by Lucy Proctor
Mixed by James Beard
Edited by Matt Willis


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002cf40)
Postbag Edition: RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Kathy Clugston and a panel of green-fingered gurus, Kirsty Wilson, Pippa Greenwood, and Dr Chris Thorogood, explore the spectacular Chelsea Flower Show!

Meanwhile on the vibrant main avenue, roving reporter Peter Gibbs explores gardens shaped by climate challenges. He steps into the thought-provoking Save for a Rainy Day Garden to chat with designer Baz Granger about clever water-saving ideas. Then, he ventures into the lush creativity of the Hospitalfield Arts Garden, where he meets celebrated garden designer Nigel Dunnett for a conversation on art, ecology, and sustainable planting.

Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod and Suhaar Ali

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002cncp)
Next Season

The series that examines books, plays and stories and how they work. John Yorke looks at the 1968 theatre novel Next Season by Australian writer and director Michael Blakemore. Based on Blakemore’s lived experience as an actor in English repertory theatre in the late 1950s in Stratford-upon-Avon, the novel has been described as one of the true great theatre novels.

The novel follows young Australian actor Sam Beresford as he joins a six-month repertory season in the fictional town of Braddington, where he brushes up with the company’s great stars and battles with its powerful and aloof director. That the novel’s characters were based on real-life theatre greats that Blakemore knew and worked with meant it caused a stir at the time of publication.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.

Contributors:
Simon Callow, actor
Greta Scacchi, actor
Michael Billington, author and arts critic

Readings from Next Season by Michael Blakemore (Faber & Faber, 1968)

Reader: Ciaran Owens
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Producer: Lucy Hough
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002cncr)
Next Season

Episode 1

It is 1959 and actor Sam Beresford has his first big break when he is asked to join the repertory theatre company in Braddington. Sam is excited to join the famous and experienced actors like Ivan Spears in this renowned company headed up by a brilliant new director Tom Chester. Sam navigates the early days of this new company from nervous greetings and formation of temporary alliances on day one, through vexed rehearsals, and onto triumphant first nights - or disastrous ones. Sam has also attracted the attention of local lass Valerie and is getting close to a fellow company member, Amanda Maitland.

This is an authentic, insider's view: the adventures of the Sam Beresford, are based on those of the writer, Michael Blakemore. For those who work in theatre it is a legendary novel. This is really how it is, this is really how it feels.

SAM......Luke Thallon
IVAN SPEARS.....Roger Allam
TOM CHESTER / PAUL PAULSON .....Calam Lynch
AMANDA MAITLAND/ MRS SHRAPNEL.....Megan Louise Wilson
RICHARD WAYLAND.....Joseph Kloska
VALERIE/ HELEN……Katie Bernstein
TOBY BURTON/ SIDNEY COHEN……Elliot Cable
FRED BELL.....Jonathan Tafler

Written by Michael Blakemore
Dramatised by Jonathan Tafler
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes
Technical Producers: Keith Graham, Neva Missirian, Oliver Nelson
Production Co-ordinators: Vicky Moseley and Ben Hollands

BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002cnct)
Seán Hewitt

Take Four Books presents Open, Heaven, the debut novel from Seán Hewitt - an award-winning poet renowned for his critically acclaimed 2022 memoir of heartbreak and queer identity, All Down Darkness Wide.

Open, Heaven is a tale of suppressed adolescent desire set in the pastoral surroundings of rural northern England. In this episode, Seán reflects on three literary influences that shaped his novel: The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley, Maurice by E. M. Forster, and The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien.

The supporting contributor is author and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton, Dr Bea Hitchman.

There is also an extract from The Go-Between audiobook, narrated by Sean Barrett and published by Naxos AudioBooks.

Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Round Britain Quiz (m002cncw)
Programme 3 - The North vs The Midlands

(3/12)

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.

This third contest features The North of England and The Midlands.

You can follow the questions in each edition on the Round Britain Quiz webpages. Each week's questions will be posted on the day of transmission.

Teams:
Stewart Maconie and Jenny Ryan - The North
Frankie Fanko and Stephen Maddock - The Midlands

Questions in today's edition:

Q1 What can you draw from this report on tonight’s football fixtures?
“There was a peaceful turnout here in Darlington this evening, but Plymouth are at the start of a very long journey, Southampton are seeking their salvation, and in Woking, the faithful donned their traditional crimson robes.”

Q2 Where might you find these hidden in Asia?
A chandelier-swinging singer
Plans for future wealth
A boy in striped pyjamas
A ship’s tracking system
Wonder’s ‘always’ song
And thus, in Spain, it is thereabouts–like this. ,
And yes.

Q3 Music: What ties these tracks together? And why would adding the first two and subtracting the third one make the perfect score?

Q4 In this rhyme we’re looking for three people and another ditty that links them all…
A Clement soap matriarch with earrings so grand,
A flame-haired drummer with sticks in hand,
A big, sleepy novelist, noir in shade-
what links their names in the world of trade?

Q5 (from Sam Fugill) What connects all of these:
Where might Peter and Pat,
try to stop Paul and Jenny,
as they cross paths with Judith, Athol, Keith, and Bruce,
and who might they hope to find working on a grouse moor, to help drive away Australian Loafers.

Q6 (from Daniel Kitto) Music: Think about why you might be particularly wary of this combination in Prague?

Q7 (from Susan Chlopicki) What connects these four women, and who was the lucky one?
One ruled in an 80s dynasty and survived a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.
She served dinners in a Manchester canteen and found love in Halifax.
She sold shampoo and fed imaginary milk to a controversial politician.
She sang her heart out in a notorious women’s prison.

Q8 Why would… a chemist and part-time composer, a city of the Otago peninsula, Hanna Diyab’s Chinese tale, the first Sultan of Egypt, and a ‘cow whisperer’ (who was the subject of a 2010 film), all cause a racket on a networking site?

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.


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct3c1d)
The 'Nixon Shock' and the end of the Gold Standard

In 1971, inflation was a huge problem in the USA so the President, Richard Nixon, made one of the most drastic moves in economic history: abandoning the Gold Standard. It became known as the 'Nixon Shock' and nearly caused a trade war between America and its allies. But, it also saved the US's economy from a crisis. Ben Henderson spoke to Bob Hormats, an economic adviser in the Nixon administration, who was at the heart of decision-making.

(Picture from Bettmann via Getty Images: President Nixon with his economic advisers in 1971)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002cncz)
Peter Mackay, Tishani Doshi, Scanner, Lorna Goodison

Ian McMillan's guests are the Scottish Makar Peter Mackay, Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison, as well as Indian dancer and poet Tishani Doshi, and the musician Scanner.

Scanner lets us into the baffling and mysterious 'poetry' of album titles by Autechre, Aphex Twin and other electronic music artists. Scanner has worked with Laurie Anderson, and Pauline Oliveros amongst other artists, as well as creating sound design for installations at museums, at an airport and for dancers at the London Olympics. For this week's Verb Scanner has created sound design for poems by Peter Mackay, inflected with uncertainty and nostalgia

We hear new poetry by Peter Mackay, in Gaelic and English, written in response to 'O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast' by Robert Burns. Peter explains why Burns is a great poet for uncertain times, and why the Gaelic word 'ta' is so useful. His poems can be also heard at the Poetry Jukebox, at the Linenhall Library in Belfast (part of a set of curated poems by ten different writers responding to work in the 'Fragments of Scottish Poetry Project').

Queen's Gold Medal winning poet, and former Poetry Laureate of Jamaica Lorna Goodison explains why Miss Lou, (the ground-breaking champion of nation language in Jamaica, and a good friend to Lorna) is a key character in her new version of Dante's Inferno (Carcanet).

Indian Poet and dancer Tishani Doshi presents the next in our recurring series 'The Neon Line' - where we celebrate a stand-out line from a poem, and work out why it's powerful, beautiful, or memorable. Tishani also shares new poetry that explores the connection between human emotions and the natural world.

https://scannerdot.com/
https://www.tishanidoshi.com/
https://linenhall.com/event/launch-of-the-mcadam-poetry-jukebox/


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002cnd1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002cnd3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cnd5)
The former BBC executive and presenter, Alan Yentob, has died

One of the most influential figures in British television, the former BBC executive and presenter, Alan Yentob, has died at the age of 78.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002cnd7)
William Crawley

This week, from the king of the lions to the queen of rock – William discovers the life-changing moments for two individuals where music is and was the driving passion in their lives. Speaking of passion, there’s a whale of a time to be found for anyone who enjoys Radio 3’s Private Passions, and we hark back to the impact of Braveheart for Scotland's identity, both culturally and politically. There are plenty of stand-up stories in store, from the personal to the downright impractical, and if you find yourself laughing, you can even join Dara Ó Briain and Hannah Fry as they examine the science behind a good giggle.

Presenter: William Crawley
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Coordinator: Caroline Peddle

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002cnd9)
Fallon chats to Susan and Joy in the Shop about the EV Charging Station opening today. Fallon wants to go over there and Joy says she’ll go too. They’re both very impressed by how modern and smart the station looks, before heading inside the posh Underwoods Local store. Clarrie greets them, also having a nosey, while Fallon contemplates getting balloons for Harrison’s fortieth birthday next week. Back in Ambridge they discuss tomorrow’s T20 Cricket match between teams led by Hannah and Jolene, before Susan joins them. Despite hearing how impressive the Charging Station looks, Susan’s confident the Shop can cope with the competition. She does though accept Joy’s suggestion of a customer survey, to see what they can improve on.

At the Stables Lilian saddles up Amir for a ride, confessing to Alice she’ll avoid going near The Laurels. Her normal coping mechanism would be to busy herself with the funeral arrangements, but Peggy has already done all that. Alice rides with her, on Aziz, reminiscing about Peggy as they go, whilst also speculating about her will and not choosing Alan to conduct the funeral service. Lilian then indulges herself with thoughts of Canada, where her first husband, “Nick”, came from. She shocks Alice with the idea that she might leave Ambridge to go and live there, before admitting she hasn’t mentioned the idea to Justin. Alice implores Lilian not to go – they’d never manage without her. All Lilian will promise though is that she won’t make any decisions until after Peggy’s funeral.


SUN 19:15 Artworks (m002bswq)
Surrounded by Sound: Ray Dolby and the Art of Noise Reduction (Binaural Version)

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

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

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

Producer: Graham Rogers

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


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001yj87)
Try Flax Seeds

Michael Mosley gets his flax fix, as he finds out how flax seeds, also known as linseeds, can protect your heart, reduce your blood sugar levels, and might even keep your skin feeling smooth and hydrated! With the help of Dr Grant Pierce from the University of Manitoba in Canada, Michael learns about the key components of flaxseed, including alpha-linolenic acid, and how they contribute to its array of impressive benefits. Through his research, Grant has demonstrated that daily flaxseed can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing your chance of a heart attack or stroke by a remarkable 50%! Meanwhile, our volunteer Rena finds flaxseed a welcome addition to her diet.

Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Editor: Zoë Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002cfkr)
The language that changed the world

Michael Rosen hears the fascinating story of the origin of all Indo-European languages from Laura Spinney, the author of Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language and Laura has been investigating how that came to be.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, 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 (m002cf46)
Hannah Deacon, Andrew Norfolk, Dame June Clark, Martin Graham

Matthew Bannister on

Hannah Deacon who ran a successful campaign to allow her son – and many others – to be treated with cannabis after he was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.

Andrew Norfolk, the journalist who exposed the Rotherham grooming gang scandal.

Dame June Clark, the President of the Royal College of Nursing who argued for more education to increase the skills of the nursing profession.

Martin Graham the businessman who built his own opera house in the Cotswolds so he could stage Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used:
No More Nightingale, BBC, 1991; One O’Clock News, BBC, 03/04/1989; Open Country, BBC Radio 4, 27/06/2019; The Longborough Ring 2024: Wagner – Der Ring des Nibelungen, Longborough Festival Opera, Music Director Anthony Negus, Director Amy Lane; Today, BBC Radio 4, 2013; Utopia: In Search of the Dream, BBC Four, 05/05/2020; Sportsday, BBC News 24, 15/09/2016; BBC Breakfast, BBC, 19/02/2018; This Morning: Should Medical Cannabis Be More Accessible, ITV, Uploaded to YouTube, 29/10/2018; Morning Live, BBC, 07/11/2022; The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/2018; ITV News, ITV, 19/06/2018; Wogan, BBC, 19/01/1990; Raising a Glass to Cheers, BBC Radio 4, 26/07/2012; Cheers, TV Programme, Produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions; Groomed for Sex, BBC Three, 06/12/2011; The Media Show, BBC Radio 4, 27/08/2014; Frontlines of Journalism, BBC Radio 4, 04/07/2023; Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, KV 543: Adagio. Allegro, Performed by Bruno Walter, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Siegfried, Act II Scene 3: Willkommen, Siegfried, Performed by Manfred Jung, Heinz Zednik, Bayreuther Festspielorchester, Conductor Pierre Boulez, Composed by Richard Wagner; Le nozze di Figaro, K.492, Act 3: Ricevete, o padroncina, Performed by Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, RIAS Kammerchor, Conductor Ferenc Fricsay, Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Das Rheingold, Scene 1: Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lacht in den Grund, Performed by Norma Sharp, Ilse Gramatzki, Marga Schiml, Hermann Becht, Bayreuther Festspielorchester, Conductor Pierre Boulez, Composed by Richard Wagner


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002cndf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002cnbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002cndj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002cndl)
Iain Watson and guests discuss benefit cuts and spending priorities

Iain Watson is joined by the senior Labour backbencher, Dame Meg Hillier; Conservative former Treasury minister, John Glen; and journalists Ailbhe Rea from Bloomberg and Ben Riley-Smith, political editor of the Daily Telegraph. They discuss the challenges faced by the government over cuts in welfare, and the performance of Tory party under Kemi Badenoch's leadership. Labour MP Peter Lamb tells the programme that he will vote against cuts in disability benefits. And the Defence minister Al Carns describes his record-breaking ascent of Everest and his innovative training methods.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002cfjz)
Paul von Hindenburg

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and role of one of the most significant figures in early 20th Century German history. Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) had been famous since 1914 as the victorious commander at the Battle of Tannenberg against Russian invaders, soon burnishing this fame on the Western Front and Hindenburg was to claim he would have won there too, if enemies at home had not 'stabbed Germany in the back'. He won Germany’s Presidential election twice during the Weimar Republic, as a candidate of national unity and, while he gained his second term as a ‘stop Hitler’ candidate, President Hindenburg was to appoint Hitler as Chancellor and transfer some of his charisma onto him – a move so disastrous that Germans were later to ask if the myth of Hindenburg had always been an illusion.

With

Anna von der Goltz
Professor of History at Georgetown University, Washington DC

Chris Clark
Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge

And

Colin Storer
Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Warwick

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

William J. Astore and Dennis E. Showalter, Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism (Potomac Books, 2005)

Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power (William Heinemann, 2018)

Andreas Dorpalen, Hindenburg and the Weimar Republic (first published 1964; Princeton University Press, 2016)

Jürgen W. Falter, 'The Two Hindenburg Elections of 1925 and 1932: A Total Reversal of Voter Coalitions' (Central European History, 32/2, 1990)

Peter Fritzsche, 'Presidential Victory and Popular Festivity in Weimar Germany: Hindenburg's 1925 Election' (Central European History, 32/2, 1990)

Larry Eugene Jones, Hitler Versus Hindenburg: The 1932 Presidential Elections and the End of the Weimar Republic (Cambridge University Press, 2016)

Martin Kitchen, The Silent Dictatorship: The Politics of the German High Command under Hindenburg and Ludendorff, 1916-1918 (first published 1976; Routledge, 2021)

John Lee, The Warlords: Hindenburg and Ludendorff (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005)

Frank McDonough, The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall, 1918-1933 (Apollo, 2023)

Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic (Oxford University Press, 2022)

Richard Scully, 'Hindenburg: The Cartoon Titan of the Weimar Republic, 1918-1934' (German Studies Review, 35/3, 2012)

Colin Storer, A Short History of the Weimar Republic (Revised Edition, Bloomsbury, 2024)

Anna von der Goltz, Hindenburg: Power, Myth and the Rise of the Nazis (Oxford University Press, 2009)

Alexander Watson, Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918 (Penguin, 2015)

J. W. Wheeler-Bennett, Hindenburg: The Wooden Titan (first published 1936; Macmillan, 1967)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002cf44)
A Survival Thing

A middle-aged woman’s secret tree climbing habit is disrupted by a group of teenage boys. When one of them is rejected by the group, he joins her in the branches.

An original short fiction for radio by Philippa Holloway, author of the The Half-life of Snails and the Parthian Books short story collection Untethered.

Reader: Catrin Powell
Sound: Nigel Lewis
Producer: John Norton

A BBC Audio Wales Production

MONDAY 26 MAY 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002cndn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002cdh6)
Colombia's webcam women

Colombia’s second largest city, Medellín, is booming and one of the biggest industries revolves around the city’s live webcam studios which stream women performing sex acts. 

It’s estimated there are hundreds of studios in the city employing thousands of women and turning over millions of pounds as men – primarily in the US and Europe – pay to watch the women perform.

The work is legal with studios running glossy websites to attract models - and even hosting their own annual trade show. Though despite its success, Colombia's president has himself criticised the country's burgeoning industry.

Sofia Bettiza meets two women with contrasting experiences of the webcam business, and asks if their  work is exploitation - or a pragmatic way to earn a living in a country where wages for women are often low and where opportunities are limited.

Presented and produced by Sofia Bettiza
Produced by Bob Howard
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy and Richard Fenton-Smith


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002cndq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cnds)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cndv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002cndx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002cf46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cndz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cnf1)
Gratitude for Emergency Services

Good morning.

Bank Holiday Mondays are funny things to me. On the one hand the opportunity - for most - of an extra day off or an extended weekend is a great gift. Especially so in our culture which does not seem to value pausing, resting or stepping aside from everyday life. Even as I say this though, two thoughts come to mind. One is that every work week which includes a Bank Holiday is an increased challenge for me. If I take the rest day then I always seem to end up with a sense that I need to fit the work of a full working week, in to 20% less time. That is not fun. It’s also not strictly true but a pressure that I seem to put on myself. Why do I do this? Who knows, but it is quite deeply ingrained within me.

The second awareness about Bank Holidays which I have become increasingly conscious of, and this one is perhaps more important than my own more self-involved musings, is that they’re not available to everyone. So many people are so busy serving us in statutory, medical or emergency services, that they would barely notice the loudly trumpeted and benevolent gift of a public holiday. If you are one of those people listening to this this morning, thank you for all you do for your community and for society as a whole.

Father, thank you that you invite us to work together, all together, for the common good. Thank you for those who work today so others can rest, I pray that rest might come for them too, and soon. Make this a holy day for us all, I pray.

Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002cnf3)
26/05/25 - A Wild Night Out in the North Pennines

Helen Millican heads out in search of nocturnal wildlife, as dusk falls over the Cumbrian North Pennines. Keen naturalists Guy Broome and Jim Shaw lead her through a night-time landscape, which is not only a prolific courting and breeding ground for birds like woodcock and snipe, but also prime hunting ground for barn owls. They enjoy an unexpectedly close encounter with a trio of prickly nocturnal mammals, culminating in a spectacular light display in the night sky.

Produced and presented by Helen Millican for BBC Audio in Bristol.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002cnf5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002cpqn)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002cpqq)
Hay Festival: exposing the secrets of rubbish

In front of an audience at the Hay Literary Festival Tom Sutcliffe talks to The archaeologist and presenter of the hit TV show, The Great British Dig, Chloë Duckworth, who explains how every object tells a story. She reveals how even the rubbish our ancestors threw away can offer a window on the past and forge a connection with the present day.

Business journalist Saabira Chaudhuri's new book Consumed, examines how companies have harnessed single-use plastics to turbocharge their profits over the last seventy years. Consumer goods makers have poured billions of dollars into convincing us we need disposable cups, bags, bottles, sachets and plastic-packaged ultra-processed foods. Taking in marketing, commercial strategy and psychology, she explains just how we got here.

The paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott is more interested in looking at how what we throw away today becomes the fossils of tomorrow. Discarded (co-authored with Jan Zalasiewicz) highlights the cutting-edge science that is emerging to reveal the far-future human footprint on Earth.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 At Your Own Peril (m0027l5n)
The Gamble

The modern world is full of risks, from natural hazards such as flooding to the existential threat of nuclear war, artificial intelligence and climate change.

With the scientific and technological progress of the past few centuries, we’ve created new hazards that threaten our very survival and, in this series, emergency planner and disaster recovery expert Lucy Easthope explores the history of risk to find out how it’s understood, perceived and managed, and to ask how we can become more resilient as individuals, as a society and as a planet.

The Ancient Romans had a passion for dice and would even consult them to predict the future, but despite a love of gambling - and a life of danger - they didn’t have a theory of risk. Fate was in the hands of the gods.

With the discovery of probability during a game of chance between a French nobleman and two brilliant mathematicians in the middle of the 17th century, there was a revolution in human thought as, for the first time in history, we could calculate risk and begin to look - however dimly - into the future.

But did this give us mastery over our fate or simply the illusion of control? Is prediction an art or a science? Are the ‘superforecasters’ of today like the oracles of the past? And how much are we simply gambling with our future, playing with dice while the volcano smokes in the distance.

Lucy Easthope is the co-founder of the After Disaster Network in the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience at the University of Durham, Professor in Mass Fatalities and Pandemics at the University of Bath and the author of When The Dust Settles.

Presenter: Lucy Easthope
Producer: Patrick Bernard
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002cpqs)
Women in farming | A Woman’s Hour special

In a special bank holiday programme, Anita Rani escapes from the studio and spends the day at a dairy farm in Devon to explore the reality of female farmers’ lives.

Farmer Lorna Burdge shows Anita what a day in her life as a dairy farmer involves, from milking at 6am to feeding calves, measuring grass, looking after her three children and tackling invoices in the office.

We hear about a groundbreaking three-year study into the health and wellbeing of female farmers announced by the University of Exeter and Farming Community Network. Dr Rebecca Wheeler, the project lead from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research, and Linda Jones, from the charity Farming Community Network, explain why the study is needed, who they want to hear from and what they hope it will achieve.

Farming Today and Countryfile presenter Charlotte Smith gives Anita some of the context and policy changes of the last few years in the industry which some say have impacted farmers’ wellbeing.

Anita has a cup of tea in the farmhouse kitchen and hears from three women farmers about the challenges, stresses, achievements and joys of their jobs. Joining Anita and Lorna are Sinead Fenton, an edible flower and herb farmer in East Sussex, and Caroline Millar, who has an arable, lamb and beef farm near Dundee in Scotland.

What action is being taken to address some of the challenges for women in this industry? Anita hears from Rachel Hallos, the Vice-President of the National Farmers’ Union for England and Wales, an organisation which represents thousands of farmers and is looking at the experience of female farmers.

And finally, Katie Davies, who was awarded Farming Woman of the Year at the National Women in Agriculture Awards 2025, tells Anita why she’s trying to inspire more women to get into farming.

For more information on the three-year study on the wellbeing of female farmers, and how to take part in the research, head to: https://exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5pqBN1BBqIxEns2

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Olivia Bolton
Assistant Producer: Claire Fox
Editor: Karen Dalziel


MON 11:00 The Patch (m002cpqv)
Bruton

One random generated postcode and a story you probably haven't heard before. Today it's Bruton, Somerset.

This small town in rural Somerset has become a magnet for contemporary art, celebrities, and newspaper journalists who like to write about "the new Notting Hill" and "the new Montecito", interchangeably. It's a new challenge for producer Polly Weston, who is not used to being sent to such well documented destinations. Ten years ago, the international contemporary art titans, Hauser and Wirth, decided to open a gallery here. A decade on, and rarely a week goes by without a journalist writing a spread about the town. But what Polly finds most surprising is the number of smaller art galleries she notices on her first visit. How does this contemporary art business work? And what does the town make of it all?

Produced and presented by Polly Weston
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Mixed by Ilse Lademann


MON 11:45 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cpqx)
Episode 1: The Truck from Tennessee

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver introduces her first book, now published in the UK for the first time - an eye witness account of the Great Arizona Mine Strike of the 1980s. Stepping up when the men of the union were barred from picketing, the women miners, wives and sisters of the community took on the battle as Kingsolver looked on, capturing a cast of fascinating women at a transformative point in their lives.

Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

In the decades since Kingsolver wrote 'Holding the Line', she has become the global prize-winning and bestselling author of ten novels including 'Unsheltered', 'The Poisonwood Bible' and 'Demon Copperhead'. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has earned literary awards and a devoted readership at home and abroad. She has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice, and the Pulitzer. She lives with her family on a farm in southern Appalachia.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002cpqz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002cpr1)
Vape Ban, RTS Switch Off, Turbine Tourism

On June 1st it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply all single-use or ‘disposable’ vapes. It is estimated that billions have be thrown away in just the past 3 years with many people remaining unaware of how to dispose of their vapes or recycle them properly. Will this legislation improve things and be enforceable and effective?
Peter White talks to Scott Butler Executive Director of recycling charity Material Focus and John Dunne from the UK Vaping Industry Association.

You and Yours has been told that at the current rate it would take almost two years to replace all the old style RTS meters that are being used in homes across the UK. And yet the deadline for the switch off of the technology that supports these meters is July the 1st. We hear from one person who has one and Dan Hopkinson the CEO of Electralink, a company that compiles data on meter switches.

Also on the programme - does co-living, where you share communal facilities and chores, offer an affordable solution to spiralling living costs? And would you be tempted by a spot of turbine tourism? We hear about how one wind farm off the coast of Sussex is offering boat tours of the turbines and hear from some of those onboard.

PRESENTER: PETER WHITE
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m002cpr3)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002cpr5)
Ukraine: Trump anger at Russian bombardment

The US Senate threatens Russia with more sanctions after drones attack Ukraine. Would they work? We ask a US diplomat involved in previous rounds of sanctions while our Russia editor looks at the state of the Russian economy. And a reporter just back from the front line describes the devastating capabilities of Russia's drone warfare.


MON 13:45 Shadow World (m002cpr7)
The Smuggler

1. The Passport

British builder Nick is struggling after the 2008 financial crash. He receives an offer from an Albanian people smuggling gang that’s too good to refuse.

Presenter - Annabel Deas
Producer - Hayley Mortimer
Sound design - Neil Churchill
Editor - Matt Willis
Commissioning Executive - Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor - Dan Clarke
Series music - Ambit Sound


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002cnd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m002cpr9)
Series 6

2. Don’t Go to Strangers

Joanna and Roger are faced with a mouse invasion – and, even worse, the prospect of therapy.

Joanna Lumley & Roger Allam return as the loving, long-married couple, in the series 6 of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy.

This week, there’s a mouse invasion. Joanna insists on ‘rehabilitating’ each one on the common but she’s becoming increasingly distressed and Roger observes: ‘This is not about the mice, is it?’ Joanna admits she’s still struggling with the news of Roger’s new family. He suggests she sees a therapist, in spite of her claim that: ‘All I need is swimming’. She eventually takes his advice and tells Roger she will go and see the therapist again: ‘…But she wants to see you first’

Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington and produced by Claire Jones.

Wilfredo Acosta - Sound Engineer
Jon Calver - Sound Designer
Sarah Nicholls - Production Coordinator

An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4


MON 14:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001t374)
Episode 9

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.

Although doctor’s wife Sarah Walker has denied being the secret scribe behind ‘Disturber of the Peace’, busybody Mrs Featherstone-Hogg remains unconvinced.

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 (m002clfh)
Emily Williamson, co-founder of the RSPB

For over a hundred years no one thought too much about the origins of the RSPB, but among its founders was a woman in Didsbury opposed to the use of feathers in fashionable hats. Emily Williamson was outraged by the widespread slaughter of egrets and the crested grebe. She had tried to join the all-male British Ornithological Union, and when that failed she established her own Society for the Protection of Birds.
Nominating Emily is Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author of Fledgling and Nature Needs You, which is about her own campaign for the introduction of swift bricks into all new buildings. Helping Hannah discover more about this little known life is author Tessa Boase, who discovered Emily's role; plus Beccy Speight the current head of the RSPB. Matthew Parris presents.
The producer in Bristol for BBC Studios Audio in Miles Warde.


MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002c70p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002cncm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002cnkk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002cprc)
Full coverage of the day's news


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cprf)
Moscow suggests Donald Trump is "emotionally overloaded"

Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had gone "absolutely crazy" by escalating air strikes on Ukraine. Also: Palestinian officials say that more than 50 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight. One hit a school sheltering displaced families. And the King and Queen arrive in Canada for a visit being seen as a show of support in the face of President Trump's threat to annexe the country.


MON 18:30 It's a Fair Cop (m002cprh)
Series 9

1. Bus Stop Assault

In this week’s case Alfie investigates an assault on an elderly man at a bus stop. But what could have provoked such a cowardly crime?

Join former-cop turned stand-up comedian, Alfie Moore and his audience of sworn-in deputies as they ask if compassion is a thing of the past.

It's a Fair Cop is the show where you, the audience, help deal with the cases Alfie's unearthed from 20 years of policing experience, to take a comic look at the law.

Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Producer: Sam Holmes

A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002cpn5)
At Chris’s Forge captain Hannah gets very frustrated by Chris and Adam’s lack of competitive edge for this afternoon’s T20 cricket match against Jolene’s team. Alice joins them and promises Chris that she and Martha will be there, cheering on both sides.

Over lunch at the Dower House Justin catches Lilian scrolling through a world cruises website. Justin’s appalled as Lilian outlines her plans for their retirement, going on exotic holidays. Just the thought of the family holiday Peggy stipulated in her will is enough to make Justin quail. In any case, he enjoys working far too much to give it up, but reluctantly agrees to talk about Lilian’s proposal later.

During the cricket innings break Hannah chastises her ‘Elite’ team-mates for batting so poorly and can’t understand why Chris and Adam aren’t taking it more seriously. Jolene however is loving how well her ‘Underdog’ team performed in the field. Alice joins Justin and Lilian on the boundary edge, apologising for not being more receptive yesterday to Lilian’s idea of leaving Ambridge. She now thinks Lilian should go ahead and do whatever is best for her and Justin. Once Alice has gone though, Justin makes it clear to Lilian he’s still not keen.

The cricket ends in defeat for Hannah’s team, with everybody repairing to The Bull for drinks and a T20 photograph. Chris and Alice tentatively agree to spend more family time together with Martha, and Alice says she’ll accompany Adam to keep an eye on Helen when she goes for her date at Grey Gables on Wednesday.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002cprl)
Alison Steadman live from Hay Festival

Live from the Hay Festival, Alison Steadman talks to Samira about her career, from Abigail's Party to Gavin and Stacey.

Laura Bates and Gwyneth Lewis discuss Arthurian Legends and The Mabinogion.

Hisham Matar champions the Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz.

And transatlantic husband and wife country duo Outpost Drive perform on stage.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Oliver Jones


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002cfkt)
What is ransomware and what can be done to stop it?

In the past few weeks Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods have all been grappling with the effects of cyber attacks. The most profitable form of cyber attack at the moment is ransomware where criminals infiltrate computer systems, shut them down and then demand a ransom to restore services, or even to stop them publishing data they’ve stolen. This is now a global criminal industry which can affect the running of whole businesses. Marks & Spencer said this week that disruption to its online ordering service would continue throughout June and into July. David Aaronovitch asks his guests how ransomware works, who is responsible and what can be done to stop it.

Guests:
Emily Taylor, CEO of Oxford Information Labs and co-founder Global Signal Exchange
Geoff White, investigative journalist and author and co-host of the BBC’s podcast series, The Lazarus Heist
Susan Landau, Professor of Cyber Security and Policy at Tufts University
Professor Alan Woodward, a computer security expert at the University of Surrey

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Nathan Gower
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Engineers: James Beard and Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002cfkw)
Does the pandemic agreement make the world safer?

The World Health Organisation has agreed a treaty looking at tackling the issue of future pandemics. It’s hoped it will help to avoid some of the disorganisation and competition for resources like vaccines and personal protective equipment that were seen during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Gill speaks to global health journalist Andrew Green from the World Health Assembly in Geneva to ask if this will help to make the world a safer, fairer place.

Marnie Chesterton visits Kew Gardens in London to speak to some of the artists and scientists behind a new installation that’s digitally recreated one of the site’s most famous trees.

As it’s announced the iconic American children’s TV programme Sesame Street is moving to Netflix, Victoria speaks to the programme’s scientific advisor and Associate Professor of Elementary and Environmental Education at the University of Rhode Island, Sara Sweetman, about exactly how the likes of Elmo, Big Bird and the Cookie Monster go about informing young people about science.

And Caroline Steel joins Victoria in the studio to look through the most fascinating highlights from the world’s scientific discoveries this week.

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


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002cpqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 The Shipping Postcards (m002cvkj)
Dogger

To mark the centenary of broadcasting of the Shipping Forecast, members of the Radio 4 Continuity team, the voices of the on-air forecast, leave the Radio 4 studio behind and travel the UK visiting some of the iconic areas we only know by their official descriptions on the daily forecast. Dogger, Irish Sea, Wight, Lundy and Forth. They meet the residents, sailors, fishermen, radio lovers and many others who live and work on the coastal areas – and who have a connection to the Shipping Forecast.

Episode 1 - Dogger

Mark Forrest travels to the beautiful seaport of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast, and explores its connection to the forecast area of Dogger. Along the way he learns all about the port's history with Captain Cook, its relationship with windfarms, and even fulfils a lifelong dream to operate the famous swing bridge.

Presenter - Mark Forrest
Producer - Sara Jane Hall


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002cprq)
Car ploughs into people at Liverpool FC parade

A 53-year-old man has been arrested after a car ploughed into Liverpool football fans during a parade to celebrate the team’s Premier League victory. Police detained the man at the scene.

We speak to a Ukrainian woman weighing up whether to flee Sumy amid the threat of a Russian offensive into the region.

And how bad for Labour is Nigel Farage’s pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap and bring back winter fuel payments?


MON 22:45 Shakedowns in Hyperspace by Naomi Wood (m002cprt)
1: 'Helen! Helen! Helen!'

The first in a darkly comic new series about women and space, from the award-winning author Naomi Wood, written for BBC Radio 4,

From disassociating astronauts to zero-gravity threesomes, explorations of nothingness to space lust and Pokemon hunts, this brilliantly original series with a feminist twist is a savagely funny take on the near future of women and space.

Today: It's 2034 , and on a mission to mine valuable minerals, one astronaut's struggle with reality puts her team at risk...

Reader: Julianna Jennings
Writer: Naomi Wood is the author of three novels, including the award-winning Mrs Hemingway, and a short story collection, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things. She won the BBC National Short Story Award in 2023.
Producer: Justine Willett


MON 23:00 Nuremberg (m00106kq)
He Pointed to the Sky

The trial continues but British and American reporters are only interested in the gruesome stories. The camps, the slave labour ministry, the euthanasia programme. The German people either don’t believe the evidence or choose to ignore it. But they have to start paying attention, only then can the healing begin.

Seen through the eyes of Madeleine Jacob, a French Foreign correspondent, and Christa, the young German girl who works in the court cafeteria.

When Otto Ohlendorf, who led an SS Einsatzkommando, admits to shooting 90,000 Jews, Christa thinks it’s lies - if not, why don't the Americans just get on and execute them? The defendants find a range of limp excuses for their behaviour - they knew nothing, it was all Himmler (now dead), they had no choice. But the testimony of Hermann Graebe, a German engineer posted to occupied Ukraine, silences the courtroom and brings home to Christa the enormity of the Nazi crimes.

Cast:
Madeleine Jacob - ALEX KINGSTON
Christa - ROSIE SHEEHY
Hermann Graebe - HENRY GOODMAN
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - FORBES MASSON
Otto Ohlendorf - JONATHAN CULLEN
Daily Mirror Reporter - ANDREW WOODALL
New York Post Reporter - HARI DHILLON
Herald Tribune Reporter - CLIVE WOOD
Sir Geoffrey Lawrence - NICHOLAS WOODESON
John Amen - JOSEPH ALESSI
Roman Rudenko - NIGEL LINDSAY
Rudolf Hoess - JASPER BRITTON
Fritz Sauckel - MARK EDEL-HUNT
Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier - KATE PHILLIPS
Rudolf Hess - JOSEPH MYDELL
Charles Dubost and other roles - ILAN GOODMAN

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 A Good Read (m00193p5)
Sophie Hannah and Viv Groskop

Sophie Hannah and Viv Groskop join Harriett Gilbert to talk about books they love.

Sophie, an Agatha Christie expert and superfan, recommends The Rose and the Yew Tree, a book – misleadingly billed as a romance, she says – that Christie wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. She claims it can rival any detective novel for suspense and intrigue. Will Harriett and Viv agree?

Harriett champions Dame Eileen Atkin’s recent memoir Will She Do? which charts the first 30 years of the actor's life, including her time as a child soubrette, performing in working men’s clubs as ‘Baby Eileen’.

Writer, podcaster and stand-up Viv Groskop recalls her time living in Russia in the 1990s and explains why she thinks The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, a 1920s satire about science gone very wrong, will become increasingly relevant in the months and years ahead.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sarah Goodman.

TUESDAY 27 MAY 2025

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002cprz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cpqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cps7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cpsd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002cpsj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:04 Currently (m002cncm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cpsm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cpsp)
Mercy

Good morning.

God’s mercies are new every morning, we’re told. That does, to me, make each morning, whether I am just waking up, or whether my day is coming to an end as morning breaks, a pretty good day. It can often seem like there just isn’t enough mercy to go around. Certainly not between individuals, communities or nations. Sometimes, all the more, the lack of mercy shown, indicates the biggest issue that we have with ourselves, that we don’t think we should receive it, or that we don’t deserve it.

We know what we’re really like, after all, and it takes a particularly self-confident person to think that not only would we like to have it all together and have everything as it ought to be, but that this is something that we have actually achieved. I don’t say this to do such people down. Quite the opposite. I’m almost envious. It’s also my opinion that mercy is not needed because of an innate human failing, but actually because mercy is an indicator of the kindness of God. It’s all too easy to think of God as a disappointed parent or a cantankerous school teacher. What if God is love, full of mercy and enthusiasm to see us transformed in to the full-lived and joyful people that we were made to be? That would be pretty spectacular to take hold of, I reckon.

Thank you that all people receive enough mercy, love, hope, joy and peace for this day and that tomorrow will be just the same. Thank you that you never leave us, nor let us go. Help us to walk with you step by step, full of joy and love today.

Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002cpsr)
27/05/25 National Parks, impact of dry weather, plastic in insects.

All week we're looking at National Parks, last week the Supreme Court ruled that wild camping on Dartmoor is legal. Some areas, however, are dealing with anti-social behaviour and 'fly camping'. We talk to Kevin Bishop CEO of Dartmoor National Park who also sits on National Parks England about the challenges.

The prolonged dry spell has had affected the growth of crops and water levels in rivers and reservoirs, but what about wildlife? We ask the British Trust for Ornithology what impact it's likely to have on wading birds and also discuss their new report which examined the impact of bird flu on wild birds like swans and barnacle geese.

Plastic pollution is contaminating insects at the base of food chains, raising fresh concerns about the long-term impacts on wildlife, according to a new study by the University of Sussex. Researchers have discovered fragments of plastic in a wide range of invertebrates, which are prey for small mammals like hedgehogs. Polyester fibres, commonly shed from clothing, were the most frequently detected type of plastic and scientists think it comes from treated sewage sludge used to fertilise fields.

Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Rebecca Rooney


TUE 06:00 Today (m002cpmg)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002cpmj)
Tim Coulson on how predators shape ecosystems and evolution

As a young man, traveling in Africa, Tim Coulson - now Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford - became seriously ill with malaria and was told a second bout would probably kill him. Aged only 20, this brush with his own mortality led him to promise himself he would write a complete guide to science: life, the universe and everything. His aim was to understand the existence of all living things - no mean feat!

Over the course of a colourful career, Tim's work has taken him all over the world: including researching wolves in Yellowstone National Park, little fish called guppies in the rivers of Trinidad and silvereye birds on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Using complicated mathematical models he builds up a picture of ecosystems seeking to explain how predators impact both evolution and ecosystems. And finally, more than thirty years after he vowed to write the book that would explain everything we know about science, he's done just that.

In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Tim talks about his journey from youthful ambition to science demystifier.

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Geraldine Fitzgerald


TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002cpml)
Aha moments and contagious laughter

What's going on in your brain when you experience an 'aha!' moment?

Imagine you've been stuck on a problem for ages, but then the answer suddenly comes to you out of nowhere, like a bolt of lightning. Claudia Hammond is joined in the studio by professor of cognitive neuroscience Sophie Scott to understand how these 'aha' moments happen.

Sophie also brings us her own research into contagious laughter and why some types of laughter are more likely to give us the giggles than others.

And Claudia meets another All in the Mind Awards finalist. This time it's Flynn Mellor, nominated by his mum Janine for his unwavering care whilst she was unwell. Claudia visits the pair at home and hears from Janine how Flynn's support saved her life.

The All in the Mind Awards ceremony takes 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.

If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Hannah Fisher and Gerry Holt
Studio Manager: Emma Harth
Editor: Glyn Tansley


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002cpmn)
Sian Gibson, International aid, Author Agustina Bazterrica, Shein

Known to many as Kayleigh in Peter Kay’s Car Share, Sian Gibson joins Kylie Pentelow to discuss her hit BBC comedy The Power of Parker which returns for a second series this week. Sian co-wrote and stars in the series as Kath, a mobile hairdresser by trade and the devoted mistress of her sister’s husband. Set around the fortunes of the Parker family’s electrical shop in 1990s Stockport, the next instalment sees a shift of power between the trio of Kath, her sister Diane and the object of their affection, Martin Parker.

If you open the website for online retailer Shein, a pop-up immediately appears offering a ‘special deal’ just for you. But are these savings what they seem? Yesterday the EU told the Chinese fast-fashion website that these discounts, as well as other pressure-selling tactics on its website, infringe EU consumer law and they’ve given Shein one month to respond or face fines. Mitch Labiak, senior business journalist for the BBC, explains more.

Argentinian author Agustina Bazterrica’s novel Tender is the Flesh became a worldwide sensation, with sales of over half a million copies in the English translation alone. She talks about her most recent novel, The Unworthy, which is set post-climate apocalypse in a walled sanctuary known as the Sacred Sisterhood. But is it a refuge from the disease and violence that exist outside its walls or a dangerous prison for the women who live there?

Announcements of cuts to foreign aid this year from both the UK government and US government, amongst others, have left many organisations facing funding issues and putting their programmes at risk. As humanitarian crises continue across the world, including in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, with many vulnerable people suffering including women and girls, the need to provide aid remains as high as ever. Dr Helen Pankhurst, Senior Advisor on Gender Equality for Care International UK, and Sofia Calltrop, the UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Aid, discuss the effects of these cuts on women and girls globally and the importance of gender equality programming.

Since Labour has come to power, there’s been a number of issues that have divided the party. From tax rises to whether it should be a two or three-child benefit cap, the tension has been tangible. And with accusations of briefings against female cabinet ministers, what impact is this Labour in-fighting having on women in the party? We spoke to chief political commentator for the I paper, Kitty Donaldson, and UK politics commentator for Bloomberg, Rosa Prince.

Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m002cf4j)
Errollyn Wallen and Neil Brand launch a brand new playlist

Errollyn Wallen, composer and Master of the King's Music, and musician and writer Neil Brand are the studio guests of Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they launch a brand new series. From Lady Gaga to an early Disney classic and ending up in Mexico, the journey begins.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Abracadabra by Lady Gaga
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas
Never Let Her Slip Away by Andrew Gold
You’re So Vain by Carly Simon
Rata de Dos Patas by Paquita La Del Barrio

Other music in this episode:

Good Thing by Fine Young Cannibals
Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees


TUE 11:45 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cpmq)
Episode 2: 'They'll never be rid of us'

As both sides of the dispute dig in, the women of Clifton are forced to step up.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver's first book is now published in the UK for the first time. In her eye witness account of the Great Arizona Mine Strike of the 1980s, Kingsolver captures a cast of fascinating women at a transformative point in their lives.

Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

In the decades since Kingsolver wrote 'Holding the Line', she has become the global prize-winning and bestselling author of ten novels including 'Unsheltered', 'The Poisonwood Bible' and 'Demon Copperhead'. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has earned literary awards and a devoted readership at home and abroad. She has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice, and the Pulitzer. She lives with her family on a farm in southern Appalachia.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002cpmt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002cpmw)
Call You and Yours: Housing ladder

Do you feel home ownership is within your reach?

Are you struggling to save up for your own place? Or struggling to keep up with the cost of rent. Perhaps you’re the bank of mum and dad, trying to help with deposits or rents… but can’t…

A survey by the flat share site SpareRoom, suggests expectations around homeownership has shifted. While 56% believe they will be able to buy property at some point, 14% don’t think they’ll ever get on the property ladder, and 30% are unsure.

The average house price now sits at £271,000, £16,000 pounds higher than a year ago.

Of those who don’t think they’ll ever be able to afford to buy, almost two thirds (65%) said they are unable to save a deposit, while a similar proportion (67%) said they don’t earn enough to qualify for a mortgage.

What's your housing situation at the moment? Do you feel home ownership is within your reach?

Let us know - email youandyours@bbc.co.uk, and leave a number so we can call you back. And after 11am on Tuesday 27th May you can call us on 03700 100 444.


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002cpmy)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002cpn0)
Whole country stands with Liverpool after 'horror' of car ploughing into crowds, Starmer says

Four people remain 'very ill' in hospital. Plus, Farage calls for reversal of the two-child benefit cap and annual income tax personal allowance of £20,000.


TUE 13:45 Shadow World (m002cpn2)
The Smuggler

2. Nick’s First Time

Nick is desperate to provide for his new family. He travels to Dunkirk to smuggle an illegal migrant into the UK. Meanwhile, a police operation swings into action.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002cpn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002cpn7)
John from Hemel

July 2021. England's footballers are on the cusp of glory. At the Magic Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead, delivery driver John is up against the clock if he's to get to the pub in time for kick off.

But when a Nissan Micra clips his bumper, John's road rage is unleashed, and he's suddenly confronted by fragments of memories which, in one way or another, have driven him to a place of anger and hurt. As John grapples with his past and as a woman emerges from the car, he's forced to reckon with the man he wants to be.

Written by award-winning actor, playwright and screenwriter, Sid Sagar (Middle Men, BBC Radio 4), John From Hemel is an exploration of life on England’s margins. It’s about the weight of class and family, the mess of multiculturalism, and the delicate threads holding us all together.

Cast, in order of speaking:
John - James Corrigan
Leanne / Katie - Pearl Mackie
Anita - Rakhee Thakrar
Max - Paul Chahidi
Jina - Sudha Bhuchar
Paul - Adrian Scarborough
Sarah - Emma Cunniffe

Written by Sid Sagar
Directed and produced by Hunter Charlton
Executive Produced by David Hunter

An Ember production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m002cpn9)
Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley - Series 2

43. Catharine Murphy - Money Maker

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.

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 (w3ct5tgd)
Spirituality in Sin City

In Spirituality in Sin City, presenter Rajeev Gupta takes listeners on an unexpected journey through the hidden spiritual side of Las Vegas—a city famed for its glitz, glamour, and indulgence. Beyond the flashing lights and high-stakes casinos, Las Vegas is home to a growing community of spiritual practitioners and seekers, drawn to the city in search of transformation and meaning.

The documentary explores stories of resilience and renewal, including Erin Raymond, a mother navigating profound personal loss while seeking healing in the spiritual community. It also features Chaplain Ryan from Westcare, who supports addiction recovery through a unique blend of Christian and Eastern spiritual practices. Together, their experiences paint a vivid picture of how spirituality thrives in a place known for excess.

From meditation sessions to spiritual detoxing and the serene Brahma statue on the Strip, Spirituality in Sin City reveals a side of Vegas few would expect—a city where faith and transformation flourish in the most surprising ways.

Produced and Presented by Rajeev Gupta.
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002cpnd)
Three Faces of DH Lawrence

3. Nature

The natural world was central to DH Lawrence in both his work and his life. As a child he discovered the wonder of nature through his visits to the Hags farm through his relationship with Jessie Chambers. Later on as he travelled to countries as varied as Italy, America, Australia and Tahiti, the natural world offered enormous succour to Lawrence as his health declined through tuberculosis. It’s no surprise then that nature featured so heavily in his writing, whether in novels like The Rainbow and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, or some of the best nature poems ever written, including most famously The Snake. Michael Symmons Roberts suggests, in this third and final episode of ‘Three Faces of DH Lawrence’, that it could well be his nature writing that ensures that we’ll be coming back to this most vivid and vital writer’s work for another hundred years.


TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002cpng)
What’s happening to your memory when you take photos?

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.

In this episode, they want to find out about photographs and memory. How does our memory work? How can taking photos impact our ability to form memories? And can we use photos to enhance our memory? They speak to Linda Henkel, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Fairfield University, to find out.

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

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Linda Henkel
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Assistant Producer and Researcher: William Hornbrook
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 (m002cpnj)
Police update on the Liverpool FC parade crash

Police question a 53 year-old local man on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving. They say the vehicle involved followed an ambulance through road blocks into Liverpool's football victory parade.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cpnl)
Police confirm man held on suspicion of attempted murder after Liverpool parade crash

Police say the man detained after a car was driven into crowds at Liverpool's Premier League victory parade was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving while unfit through drugs. Also: Thousands of Palestinians are reported to have overrun a controversial new aid distribution centre in southern Gaza. And the England goalkeeper Mary Earps announces her retirement from international football.


TUE 18:30 Unspeakable (m002cpnn)
Series 2

3. F is for fig leaf

This episode we hear Russell Kane's cunning code for swearing, Sophie Duker's ingenious word for being in two places at once, and Glenn Moore's invention for offering condolences to somebody you've never heard of.

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: Sophie Duker, Russell Kane and Glenn Moore.
Created by Joe Varley
Writers: Matthew 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 (m002cpnq)
Joy reckons the Village Shop customer survey drawn up by Susan and Emma is too comprehensive and offers to cut it down. Susan won’t give way though, before explaining the survey’s purpose to Jazzer. Both him and Joy wax lyrical about a superior shopping experience at Underwoods Local, pushing Susan into agreeing to take a look for herself. Later on, after bumping into Jazzer again, Susan is gobsmacked to discover Clarrie is working there. Clarrie tells Susan most of the village have been in already - and they’re all dead impressed. Susan fears it could be the end of the Village Shop.

Chris is at The Stables trimming some of the horses' hooves. He catches up with Alice and they discuss taking Martha to Peggy’s funeral, agreeing that she should go. They arrange to meet up later over a curry to discuss preparing Martha for the day itself. At lunchtime Alice is joined by Joy at the Playground and they talk about how Alice’s family are coping with Peggy’s death, before comparing notes on the hard times both have been through recently. Joy then prompts Alice, she and Chris have cracked co-parenting, so she doesn’t have to cope with everything on her own, does she? But then Chris phones and tells Alice that Imaani, the nursery manager, has called them in for an unscheduled meeting on Friday to talk about making sure Martha’s school-ready. Chris doesn’t think it signifies much, but Alice is unsettled by it. Later she calls Chris and cancels their catch-up later; there’s things she needs to do at The Stables.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002cpns)
Will Butler formerly of Arcade Fire on his play set in a recording studio

Stereophonic is a play about the creative process, power dynamics and fraught personal relationships of a 1970s rock band. It won a Tony and many other awards on Broadway. Now Stereophonic has come to the West End. Playwright David Adjmi and Will Butler, sometime of Arcade Fire, who has written the music, discuss their own artistic process as they created it. Plus Skin from Skunk Anansie on their first LP in almost a decade, news of a new exhibition shedding light on painter Joseph Wright of Derby's artistic process and Alexander Larman joins Antony Gormley to pay tribute to Alan Yentob.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Simon Richardson


TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002cdh2)
Abortion on Trial: The Nicola Packer Story

Nicola Packer went to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for help after she delivered a 26-week-old foetus in her bathroom. But she was reported to the police - and arrested as she lay in bed recovering from major surgery. She was then escorted to a waiting police van and forced to spend the night in a police cell. File on 4 Investigates hears her story and reveals how, behind the scenes of the investigation, police had serious concerns over her controversial arrest. She believed she was only six weeks pregnant when she took abortion medication during lockdown - but she was prosecuted anyway. Her ordeal lasted nearly half a decade and, she says, it has had life-changing consequences for her. The case has also led to renewed calls from MP's and health professionals for a change in the law.

Reporter: Kate West
Producer: Anna Meisel
Assistant producers: Jim Booth and Ben Robinson
Techincal producer: Richard Hannaford
:Production coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002cpnv)
Joking about Blindness

In Touch invites three stand-up comedians - Jake Donaldson, Sydney May and Lizzy Lenco - to discuss how they use their blindness as a source of material in their comedy routines.

For more information on our three comedians and where to see them live:
Jake Donaldson: linktr.ee/jakedonaldson
Sydney May: sydneymay.co.uk and Sydney May on social media.
Lizzy Lenco on social media.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Jack Thomason
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 The Law Show (m002cf06)
My data's been stolen in a cyberattack - can I sue?

What legal responsibilities does a company have to keep your data secure?

M&S, and the Co-op are picking up the pieces after their systems were hacked.

The cyber criminals claim to have the private information of 20 million people who signed up to Co-op's membership scheme, but the firm have not confirmed that number. The Co-op says the breach did not include members’ passwords, bank or credit card details. However, experts say seemingly innocent information can be used to commit fraud or identity theft.

Companies aren’t the only target; on Monday this week, the Ministry of Justice revealed that the Legal Aid Agency was also hacked in April.

So can you sue if your private data is stolen in this way? And if you're the employee who clicked on a hacker's dodgy link in an email, how liable are you for any losses that occur?

Also on the programme:
How survivors of domestic violence in Scotland want to be told if their attackers make plea deals.

Presenter: Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors
Joe Tidy, BBC Cyber Correspondent
Tim Capel, Legal Counsel for the Information Commissioner’s Office
Ian Jeffrey, Chief Executive of the Law Society
Brian McConnachie KC, a former crown prosecutor and now a senior advocate:


TUE 21:30 Stakeknife (m002cpnx)
8. The General and the Agent

We return to the solicitor’s office in West Belfast as Mark meets three crucial people to discuss the end of Scappaticci’s time in the IRA and his eventual uncovering as the agent Stakeknife.

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 (m002cpnz)
Thousands of Palestinians overrun aid distribution site in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians stormed an aid distribution site in Gaza, which is being administered by a controversial body backed by the US and Israel. It was the first full day of operations for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has faced criticism from the UN as unethical. Tonight we hear from former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who says the Israeli government is committing war crimes, as well as a pro-government MP.

King Charles has opened Canada's parliament, the first time a monarch has done so since 1977. His speech referred to the importance of protecting Canada's sovereignty, as US President Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex the country.

And is pro-natalism set to become a force in British politics, as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says he wants to make it easier for people to have children?


TUE 22:45 Shakedowns in Hyperspace by Naomi Wood (m002cpp1)
2: Hypervoid Troika

The second in a darkly comic new series about women and space, from the award-winning author Naomi Wood, written for BBC Radio 4,

From disassociating astronauts to zero-gravity threesomes, explorations of nothingness to space lust and Pokemon hunts, this brilliantly original series with a feminist twist is a savagely funny take on the near future of women and space.

Today: It's 2034, and a mission for three astronauts could spell possible rejection for one. But three can be an unexpectedly thrilling number....

Reader: Ell Potter
Writer: Naomi Wood
Producer: Justine Willett


TUE 23:00 The Witch Farm (m001fmch)
Episode 7: A Dark Place

As the terrifying phenomena reach extreme heights, Bill and Liz are at their most desperate and scared. David Holmwood has convinced them it is the work of the Devil, but do the answers lie in the mysteries of the past? Danny learns about a violent murder that occurred 150 years ago – could it be linked to the events at Heol Fanog?

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
David Holmwood …… Guy Henry
Liz Jones ..... Laura Dagleish
Laurence Rich ...... Jonathan Case
Ben Rich ...... Tom Barnard

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 A Good Read (m001dds3)
Patience Agbabi and Andy Miller

Poet Patience Agbabi and the writer and podcaster Andy Miller advocate for their favourite books. Andy wrote a memoir about reading fifty great books, so it can't have been an easy choice. He plumps for My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley. Patience loves The Animals in that Country, Laura Jean Mackay's novel which starts with a pandemic but soon moves in to less familiar territory. Harriett talks about A Month in Siena, Hisham Matar's memoir of art, architecture and life.

Producer Sally Heaven

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2025

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002cpp5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cpmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cpp7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cpp9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:00 News Summary (m002cppc)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:04 BBC Inside Science (m002cfkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cppf)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cpph)
Not knowing how the season will end

Good morning.

Reaching the middle of the week can feel like a major achievement. A bit like reaching the middle of a project, or the middle of a football season - which for most has just finished. I am club chaplain for Northampton Town, a League One team who have just successfully completed a second successive season in that division. In the middle of the season it wasn’t clear what the eventual outcome of it would be. Would the team stay in the league, finish in mid-table or be fighting against relegation? That uncertainty of what the outcome of a season will be is difficult to live with for players, staff, supporters, board members and sponsors, for different reasons.

If it was possible in mid-season to know what the end would be, I wonder if people would find that more relaxing, or not. There’s something of the jeopardy and uncertainty of not knowing how things will end, which can energise and galvanise people. Happily this season the team pulled together to reach a good outcome. Even as they were working hard for that shared goal, I was reminded of the truth that nothing surprises God. God knows the end from the beginning, in fact is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last. Even as I, sometimes, struggle on in my uncertainties, I am safely held by God, who promises to see me safely to and over the finish line.

Father, thank you that nothing surprises you. Thank you for holding all, guiding all, nurturing all. I look to you and rely on you today. Increase hope, faith and trust today, I pray.

Amen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002cppk)
The Scottish Government is due to make a statement this week about whether Galloway is to get a new National Park - or not. Galloway, in the south west of Scotland, was chosen from five potential locations and the first round of consultation on the plan was completed earlier this year, with its report now being considered by Scottish ministers. We hear from those in favour and against.

Farmers who supply wheat to Britain’s biggest bioethanol plant have been told it may have to close unless the government intervenes. Bioethanol is added to the E5 and E10 petrol you see at the pumps to reduce its carbon emissions - it's made by fermenting wheat to make alcohol, with the leftovers being used for animal feed. Vivergo Fuels says it will be impossible to compete with subsidised American ethanol, after the recent trade agreement with the US promised to scrap tariffs on imports.

And as tractors get bigger and faster, how safe are they on our roads?

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons


WED 06:00 Today (m002cqky)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Life Changing (m002cq5k)
The Vicar of Bray's Daughter

In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great. Not long after, life took her in a completely different direction. Shortly after her 70th birthday, while thinking of names for a grandson to be, she remembered Benedict. Where was he now? After a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned.

Carol tells Dr Sian Williams about the emotional moment they reunited, after almost half a century.

Producer; Tom Alban


WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002cfq5)
Half-Life

4. Young Republic

Joe follows in his great-grandfather's footsteps to Turkey where he was employed, it seems, making gas masks.

Written and presented by Joe Dunthorne
Produced by Eleanor McDowall
Music by Jeremy Warmsley
Mixing engineer, Mike Woolley
With thanks to David McDowall
Story consultant, Sarah Geis
Executive producer, Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002cql2)
Pakistan child marriage, I'm With Her, Sex bias in natural history museums

Despite opposition from clerics in Pakistan, a bill banning child marriage in Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad, has recently been passed by the National Assembly and awaits the signature of the President. Azadeh Moshiri, BBC Pakistan correspondent and Senator Sherry Rehman, who has spent more than 7 years campaigning to get it through, join Kylie Pentelow.

The American folk trio I’m With Her have routinely taken time out from their individual careers to dream up songs together. On their long-awaited second album Wild and Clear and Blue, they sing about reaching into the past, navigating a chaotic present, and bravely moving forward into the unknown. They join Kylie in the studio.

From displays to collections, the lack of female specimens at natural history museums shows a clear gender bias -- that's according to Assistant Director of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Cambridge Jack Ashby. Jack has written about this as part of his new book, and he joins Kylie to tell us more.

Metro journalist Alice Giddings has been spat on, not once, but twice, as she was out jogging on the streets of west London. Keen to find out other women's experiences, she began an investigation, in partnership with the organisation Women's Running, to discover other women's experiences. She joins Kylie.

Madeline Potter grew up in a Roma family in post-communist Romania. She’s traced the history and stories of her community, as well as her own experiences and treatment across continental Europe and the UK in her book, The Roma: A Travelling History.

Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Emma Pearce


WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002cdh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002cq60)
May 26 - June 1st

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 26th – June 1st
- 29th May 1953. At 1130 in the morning, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood at the peak of mount Everest, becoming the very first people to do so.
- 28th May 1588. After two years of development, the Spanish Armada leaves the port of Lisbon, on an ill-fated attempt to invade England.
- 1st June 1935. By the 1930 there were around a million cars on the road, and thousands being killed by road accidents. Something had to be done. In 1935 Compulsory Driving Tests began.

Presented by Viji Alles and Ron Brown
Produced by Luke Doran


WED 11:45 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cql7)
Episode 3: The Women Take Over

While the women of Clifton have committed wholeheartedly to the struggle, natural disaster is around the corner.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver's first book is now published in the UK for the first time. In her eye witness account of the Great Arizona Mine Strike of the 1980s, Kingsolver captures a cast of fascinating women at a transformative point in their lives.

Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

In the decades since Kingsolver wrote 'Holding the Line', she has become the global prize-winning and bestselling author of ten novels including 'Unsheltered', 'The Poisonwood Bible' and 'Demon Copperhead'. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has earned literary awards and a devoted readership at home and abroad. She has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice, and the Pulitzer. She lives with her family on a farm in southern Appalachia.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:00 News Summary (m002cqlb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002cqld)
Property Scam, Park Festivals, Spanish Tourism Protests

More than twenty-five thousand people from around the world invested their money in Dolphin Trust, a company that promised lucrative returns on its development of derelict listed buildings in Germany. The firm collapsed in 2020 with losses of more than £1 billion, leading thousands of people from the UK to lose their savings and pensions. Our reporter Shari Vahl brings us an update on the story as its founder begins trial for fraud.

From tomorrow, households in England will not need to submit a planning application to install an air source heat pump. We hear about what this means for heat pump installation and whether it is likely to increase consumer’s concerns about noise pollution.

Music festivals are taking place in city parks across the UK this summer, but some local residents believe this is limiting their access to green spaces. Local authorities say that renting out these green spaces provides important funding to assist with their upkeep, so should there be a festival limit or do they provide a much-needed boost to culture and the local economy?

More protests against overtourism are planned across Spain next month. From Barcelona to the Balaeric Islands, residents are protesting rising rents, overcrowding and strained infrastructure. 18 million people from the UK travelled to Spain last year but will protests make holidaymakers think twice? We hear from someone caught up in last year’s protests and a campaign group in Tenerife.


WED 12:57 Weather (m002cqlg)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m002cqlj)
Calls for investment ahead of spending review

We'll hear the challenge facing Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of the spending review. As the Pope calls for a ceasefire for the children of Gaza, there are tributes to an eleven year old girl  who was recently killed. Plus, the pilot and CEO of the company testing the first so-called “flying taxi” in Europe.


WED 13:45 Shadow World (m002cqll)
The Smuggler

3. The Mistake

Nick is growing in confidence, smuggling migrants across the channel on ferries. But human error is impossible to avoid.


WED 14:00 The Archers (m002cpnq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 The Citadel (m001p23b)
Series 9

The Citadel

The Citadel by Mike Harris based on the book by A J Cronin.
Episode 1

It is 1931 and a foundling is left on the doorstep of Dr Manson's house. Christine wants to take care of the baby but she is heavily pregnant herself. Matters become even more complicated when an aristocratic birth control campaigner breezes into town.

Denny................................Matthew Gravelle
Manson.............................Richard Fleeshman
Christine...........................Catrin Stewart
Frances..............................Emily Pithon
Dai/Father Michael.......Stephen Marzella
Olwyn.................................Sacha Parkinson
Gwynnie.............................Juno Robinson

Production Co-ordinator - Jessica Bellamy
Tech Team- Sue Stonestreet, Simon Highfield
Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet
Producer/Director - Gary Brown

A BBC Audio Drama North Production.


WED 15:00 The Law Show (m002cqln)
Wrongful convictions: why private prosecutions face reform

Wrongful convictions in the Post Office scandal and for train fare evasion have been described by the Government as ‘catastrophic failures’, and it's held a consultation in England and Wales to reform private prosecutions.

It covers private prosecutions brought by organisations, and also, the SJP - the single justice procedure - where a minor criminal offence is decided by a magistrate behind closed doors. Tens of thousands of rail fines have been quashed, after train companies were found to have misused the SJP system.

So how should private prosecutions be reformed?

Also on the programme:
how "No Further Action" and police cautions can leave a lasting mark on safeguarding and criminal records checks.

(Note that in Scotland, the nearest equivalent to a police caution is a Procurator Fiscal warning which is usually issued for low level offences such as street drinking or breach of the peace).

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editors: Tara McDermott and Nick Holland

Contributors:
Dr Jonathan Rogers, part of the campaign group Criminal Justice Reform Now and Co-Deputy Director of the Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice
Tristan Kirk court correspondent at the London Evening Standard
Nathalie Potter head of DBS at Olliers solicitors in Manchester


WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002cqlq)
Why Is AI Stealing Books?

Books are at the heart of an ongoing AI controversy with 7.5 million books being used to train AI without the authors’ knowledge or consent. So, should AI be allowed to steal books?

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong speak to award-winning author Kate Mosse about the growing debate over AI and authorship. They’ll also explore how the publishing industry is responding and whether AI systems have the legal right to absorb millions of books?

Plus, with AI generated books on the rise, could this technology ever truly replace human writers? What does the future hold for authors, readers, and the publishing world?

Presenters: Kevin Fong & Aleks Krotoski
Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Sound: Gav Murchie


WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002cqls)
You're Banned!

It's that moment when a boss, a CEO or football manager goes all Peggy Mitchell and screams: 'You're Barred'. It might work in EastEnders but is it sensible in the world of PR?

In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the motivations behind banning journalists. Is a ban just one big power play and does it ever achieve anything? And more importantly, are there darker arts that can be more effectively employed to freeze someone out?

Also, in the extended episode on BBC Sounds, they'll be answering your burning PR questions - including how to fight back against cuts and what you should really tell your client in the moments before a big interview.

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


WED 16:15 The Media Show (m002cqlv)
Daytime TV crisis? Police media strategy shift after car ploughs into crowd at Liverpool FC parade, Simon Reeve

Katie Razzall presents some of the big stories in the media this week, including how the police in Merseyside changed their media strategy after a car ploughed into crowds attending a football victory parade in Liverpool. Rebecca Camber, who is security and crime editor at the Daily Mail and chair of the Crime Reporters Association, explains what is behind the shift.

Travel presenter Simon Reeve joins YouTube influencer Alfie Watt, who won Race Across the World last year, to discuss the different media platforms selling the excitement of exploration to a range of audiences.

And with news that ITV is to radically trim the air time of two of its long-running shows, Loose Women and Lorraine, presenter Kirstie Allsopp and media analyst Bella Monkcom from Enders Analysis discuss if there is a crisis in Britain's daytime TV sector.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai


WED 17:00 PM (m002cqlx)
Full coverage of the day's news


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cqlz)
Germany agrees to help Ukraine develop new long-range missiles

Germany is to help Ukraine develop new long-range missiles, capable of striking targets deep inside Russian territory. President Zelensky warns that Moscow is again gathering thousands of troops at its border. President Trump says he believes Vladimir Putin may be intentionally delaying negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Also: The government's plans to release some prisoners early have faced criticism from the most senior police chief in England and Wales. And charges against the Tate Brothers are confirmed in the UK for the first time.


WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002cqm1)
Live from the UK

Josh Jones, Tal Davies, Stephen Buchanan and Lauren Pattison

Live from the UK brings you the best comedy talent from around the country, all from the comfort of your own headphones.

Comedy queen Angela Barnes talks to Manchester about their gym culture, Birmingham about how they inspired a major film franchise (but don't go on about it, unlike our friends in the Southern Hemisphere) gets to know some of the Glasgow locals.

She brings you top acts from all of these places and more. Expect to hear material on performing at a yoga festival, adopting a stick insect, the embarrassment of forgetting people's names and the feeling of finding out your partner is secretly posh.

This week you can hear;

Josh Jones at the Frog and Bucket, Manchester
Tal Davies at the Glee Club, Birmingham
Stephen Buchanan at The Stand, Glasgow
and headliner Lauren Pattison at The Stand, Newcastle

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 (m002cqm4)
When Helen turns up for her date with Dane, the new manager at Grey Gables, Ian waylays her with an escape plan, which includes Adam keeping an eye on them. Adam assures Helen he’ll intervene as soon as Helen gives a prearranged signal. Then Alice arrives, suggesting Helen could hide in the Ladies, but Helen insists a dropped napkin will suffice. When Dane appears though, both women think he looks gorgeous, before Helen goes to greet him. Dane compliments Helen, before adding a touch of self-deprecation, and they soon hit it off.

Meanwhile, awkward Adam and Alice watch from a nearby table. Ian may think Dane’s a massive phony, but Adam finds him attractive. They talk about Open Farm Sunday, before Adam mentions the nursery and Alice says they’re seeing the manager on Friday, about Martha becoming “school ready”. Despite Adam’s attempts to reassure her Alice is worried that none of the other parents have been called in, so what it’s about? Then they move on to talk about the disappointingly small inheritance Peggy has left each of them and what they would do with a more generous legacy.

Dane fills Helen in on his personal history, before asking Helen about hers, which she edits quite severely. When Ian notices Helen’s dropped her napkin he sends Adam to interrupt. But Helen insists it was an accident and Dane immediately susses what’s been going on. Helen is mortified, but Dane treats it as a great joke. Relieved Helen then suggests another date, at Harrison’s fortieth birthday party next week.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m002cqm8)
Paul Hartnoll of Orbital on the band's Brown album, and a new biography of Muriel Spark.

Paul Hartnoll of electronic music duo Orbital talks about the reissue of the band's Brown album which was originally released in 1993, with the addition of 23 extra tracks of rarities and previously unreleased material and about the intersection between dance music and politics.

Frances Wilson, who has previously published acclaimed biographies of D H Lawrence and Thomas De Quincy tells us about her latest book Electric Spark: The Enigma of Muriel Spark, about the great Scottish writer, poet and essayist.

And the creator of Netflix's new detective series Dept. Q, Scott Frank, who previously wrote and directed The Queen's Gambit and has written the scripts for Hollywood movies from Minority Report to Marley & Me, talks to us about adapting bestselling Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen's books for the screen and why he's transposed the setting for the series from Copenhagen to Edinburgh.

Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002cf3h)
Grit and resilience

The government has launched a new initiative to help teachers address a crisis in mental health among young people and a sharp drop in school attendance since the pandemic. The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says she wants schools to teach children greater "grit and resilience" to handle "life's ups and downs".
It's the latest in a long line of interventions from education secretaries seeking to encourage the values they think children should be learning in school.

Is this the promotion of an important life skill or the latest gimmick burdening teachers?

Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Josephine Casserly, Viv Jones, Jason Murugesu and Nik Sindle
Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Studio Engineer: Hal Haines


WED 20:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001x4v8)
Get Gardening

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

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


WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002cpmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002cpml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002cqmg)
Russia proposes more direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul

Russia’s foreign minister has briefed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on a “peace memorandum” to end the war in Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov has suggested direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday, when he says the memorandum will be presented to Ukrainian negotiators. Meanwhile the German chancellor has pledged more military aid to Ukraine, as Russia masses thousands more troops on the country’s north-eastern border. We speak to someone living in a city in the region.

Joel Le Scouarnec, the former surgeon who has admitted sexually abusing hundreds of patients, mostly children, between 1989 and 2014 has been sentenced to a maximum term of 20 years in jail. We explore reaction to the case in France.

And the man who wrote Succession, Jesse Armstrong, speaks to us about his directorial debut, a movie about “tech bros”.


WED 22:45 Shakedowns in Hyperspace by Naomi Wood (m002cqml)
3: Quester of the Prickly Desert

The next in a darkly comic new series from the award-winning author Naomi Wood, written for BBC Radio 4,

From disassociating astronauts to zero-gravity threesomes, explorations of nothingness to space lust and Pokemon hunts, this original series with a feminist twist is a savagely funny take on the near future of women and space.

Today: It's 2034, and, on a mission with her daughter, an astronaut fears she hears a distress signal. She hopes it's nothing. But what is nothing in space?

Reader: Hattie Morahan
Writer: Naomi Wood
Producer: Justine Willett


WED 23:00 Michael Spicer: No Room (m002c42x)
Series 2

5. Oi Oi Big Ants

Trump is a genius according to Stuart Piper-Aloysious in the latest episode of The Rest is Stuart. Until his wife Gwendoline's charity has its funding threatened, that is. Find out what bants, sarnies and trolleyed really mean when 'working class' British actor Robbie Chappell interprets London slang for his American fans . Also features 'content shaping' and Doctor Doctor jokes.

Prolific online satirist, Michael Spicer, tackles the disintegrating modern world in this sketch comedy that takes on politics, culture and everything that is sending us doolally.

Michael is famous for his Room Next Door government advisor character whose withering take downs 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 Welcome to the Neighbourhood with Jayde Adams (m0018p56)
Helen Bauer

Jayde Adams and guest Helen Bauer dive into the feisty world of community apps and messageboards, sifting through the angry neighbourhood bins to find disgruntled comedy gold.

From biggest beefs to weirdest news, Jayde discovers a hotbed of (largely unintentional) hilarity with graffiti-daubed wheelie bins, stray cats, e-scooters and more.

Producer: Cornelius Mendez

An Unusual Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2022.


WED 23:30 A Good Read (m001hwx7)
Adrian Chiles and Martyn Ware

This week broadcaster and writer Adrian Chiles and musician and sound artist Marty Ware join Harriett Gilbert with their reading suggestions. Martyn nominates A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess which he says has influenced his career as a musician. He even named his band Heaven 17 from a reference in the book. If you can get past the brutality and violence it's a novel that throws up many moral questions about the nature of good and evil. Both he and Adrian Chiles are fascinated by the use of Russian language throughout the book.
Adrian Chiles chooses Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s it's a slow burn love story of a couple who meet at a writers' conference and begin exchanging letters that lead to a deepening friendship and feelings before they make their way to the glamour of New York City.
Nina Simone's Gum by musician Warren Ellis receives a resounding Hooray and thumbs up from both Adrian and Martyn as Harriett's choice. It's an eclectic book about the importance and emotion of objects centred around Ellis' custodianship of a piece of chewing gum discarded by the singer Nina Simone at one of her final British concerts. Ellis spotted her take out the gum and put it on a towel on the piano before beginning her concert at the Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre which was being curated by Ellis' friend and bandmate Nick Cave. After the singer left the stage Warren Ellis jumped onto the stage and took the towel and kept it safe for twenty years in an almost shrine like setting before releasing it into the world and realising the emotional power such an object holds.

Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Maggie Ayre

THURSDAY 29 MAY 2025

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002cqmq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cql7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cqms)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cqmv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:00 News Summary (m002cqmx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:04 Shadow World (m0029hdg)
The Willpower Detectives

8. Nearest and Dearest

When The Willpower Detectives aired on BBC Radio 4, just before Christmas 2024, hundreds of listeners contacted the BBC with their own stories about power of attorney and the way it can be abused. The series revealed how a partner at an Essex based law firm – Ron Hiller – was taking over the finances of vulnerable clients, clearing and selling their homes and leaving them without access to information about where their money had gone.

In many of the stories from listeners, it was family members - siblings, partners, and grandchildren - who were taking control of assets and in some instances, overseeing the drafting of new wills. This additional episode relates one extraordinary story among those hundreds. A wealthy businessman gifted each of his grandchildren a property. Sue Mitchell discovers what happened when one grandchild used power of attorney to take more.

The programme exposes the difficulties involved when assessing mental capacity, especially when it comes to deciding who has financial control.

Presented by Sue Mitchell
Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson.
Sound design by Tom Bignell


THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cqmz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cqn1)
God’s Love

Good morning.

Somewhere in the world the sun is shining, right now. In other parts of the world the weather that the day will have as part of it is not yet clear, as the day feels like it's just beginning, whilst elsewhere, even as this is broadcast, a day is coming to an end.

Isn't the world a strange, beautiful, staggeringly complex place. And yet we share a collective humanity whoever we are, wherever we are, and whatever we think about ourselves, others, the wider world, and even God, faith and so on.

I’ve been amused to realise again recently that it is not my belief, or otherwise in God, that makes God true, or not. It’s not my belief in the stories of Christianity, or indeed any other faith, which would make them true, or otherwise, effective or otherwise. If God is real, if God is love, if hope is real because of the hope of salvation that we can have, then those things are objectively true. I can’t make them more or less true. It’s been freeing, and helped me to worry less, to realise this. It doesn’t make my faith any weaker, though. Quite the contrary, really. I’m excited because my faith and trust in God feel like they’re on solid ground. This gives me confidence to do my best to live well, following the example of Jesus, who laid down his life for his friends. What a beautiful example.

Father thank you for the example of Jesus who laid down his life for his friends, in the greatest act of love ever shown. Help me to love and to serve following that example I pray.

Amen.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002cqn3)
29/05/25 New Reservoirs, Golden Eagles, Coastal National Park

Two proposed reservoirs have been given 'nationally significant' status by the government to speed up the planning process. Decisions on the Lincolnshire Reservoir which is planned for an area near Sleaford and the Fens Reservoir near March in Cambridgeshire will now be accelerated. Ministers say the law will also be changed so that in the future all projects which are, as they put it, 'fundamental to national water resilience' will automatically be designated as 'nationally significant'. Farming communities are concerned about the impact on productive farmland, and one farmer says the Lincolnshire scheme will wipe out her home and her business.

Golden Eagles have been extinct in England since 2015 when a solitary bird died in the Lake District. But could that be about to change? A conservation project in the south of Scotland which began in 2018 has seen a huge increase in the eagle population there, and some of those birds have begun exploring places like the Northumberland National Park where one was spotted just a few weeks ago

All week we're talking about the nation's national parks. There has been much debate over the past few years about the state of nature in the parks and how it can be improved while also supporting farming. In Pembrokeshire a nature recovery project was launched two years ago with the aim of enhancing biodiversity on farmland by the coast - we speak to those involved.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


THU 06:00 Today (m002cqq1)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002cqq3)
Hypnosis

Ever since Franz Anton Mesmer induced trance-like states in his Parisian subjects in the late eighteenth century, dressed in long purple robes, hypnosis has been associated with performance, power and the occult.

 It has exerted a powerful hold over the cultural imagination, featuring in novels and films including Bram Stoker’s Dracula and George du Maurier’s Trilby - and it was even practiced by Charles Dickens himself.

But despite some debate within the medical establishment about the scientific validity of hypnosis, it continues to be used today as a successful treatment for physical and psychological conditions. Scientists are also using hypnosis to learn more about the power of suggestion and belief.

With:

Catherine Wynne, Reader in Victorian and Early Twentieth-Century Literature and Visual Cultures at the University of Hull

Devin Terhune, Reader in Experimental Psychology at King’s College London

And

Quinton Deeley, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, where he leads the Cultural and Social Neuroscience Research Group.

Producer: Eliane Glaser

Reading list:

Henri F. Ellenberger, The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry (Vol. 1, Basic Books, 1970)

William Hughes, That Devil’s Trick: Hypnotism and the Victorian Popular Imagination (Manchester University Press, 2015)

Asti Hustvedt, Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris (Bloomsbury, 2011)

Fred Kaplan, Dickens and Mesmerism: The Hidden Springs of Fiction (first published 1975; Princeton University Press, 2017)

Wendy Moore, The Mesmerist: The Society Doctor Who Held Victorian London Spellbound (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2017)

Michael R. Nash and Amanda J. Barnier (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Hypnosis Theory, Research, and Practice (Oxford University Press, 2012)

Judith Pintar and Steven Jay Lynn, Hypnosis: A Brief History (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)

Amir Raz, The Suggestible Brain: The Science and Magic of How We Make Up Our Minds (Balance, 2024)

Robin Waterfield, Hidden Depths: The Story of Hypnosis (Pan, 2004)

Alison Winter, Mesmerized: Powers of Mind in Victorian Britain (Chicago University Press, 1998)

Fiction:

Thomas Mann, Mario and the Magician: & other stories (first published 1930; Vintage Classics, 1996)

George du Maurier, Trilby (first published 1894; Penguin Classics, 1994)

Bram Stoker, Dracula (first published 1897; Penguin Classics, 2003)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002cqq5)
An Announcement President (with Jon Stewart)

This week, we have a very special guest, Jon Stewart! Jon joins Armando and Helen to discuss whether Trump is the political equivalent of Miles Davis, the quaintness of UK politics compared to the US, Jon does a flawless Margaret Thatcher impression and they answer the age old question... are escalators the most emascualting form of travel?

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King
Production Coordinator - Sarah Nicholls
Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.
An EcoAudio Certified Production.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002cqq7)
Transcripts in sexual assault cases, Multigenerational living, Women's matches at the French Open

On Friday, a one-year pilot, which gives victims of serious sexual assault access to transcripts of judge’s sentencing remarks, will end. The Ministry of Justice has said the scheme will be made permanent, although it will stay under review as more victims access the service. Anita Rani is joined by BBC London home affairs correspondent Sonja Jessup, along with forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes, to discuss the success of the pilot and how the experience of being a victim-witness might psychologically impact victims.

With housing costs rising and social care stretched, more families are choosing - or needing - to live under one roof. Anita speaks to two women navigating the ups and downs of multigenerational life: Alison Taylor, who moved her parents in with her children, and Katie Fforde, who welcomed her grown-up children and grandchildren back home.

A new report conducted in collaboration with the dating app, FEELD, has suggested that in reaction to the loneliness felt during and after the pandemic, more people have looked at exploring the different types of romantic relationships available – such as consensual non-monogamy and polyamory. How do those engaging in new relationship hierarchies navigate "relationship anarchy"? Anita talks to Ana Kirova, CEO of FEELD, Ana Kirova and to author, Chloe Seager, about her experiences with non-monogamy.

And Anita talks to Catherine Whitaker about the primetime night session slot on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open where, according to reports, a women's singles match has not taken place since 2023.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Laura Northedge


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002cqq9)
Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson’s breakthrough television role in the sci-fi series The X Files made her a global star in 1993, and she played cool-headed Agent Dana Scully for nearly a decade. She also starred in period dramas, including an acclaimed film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel The House Of Mirth and, on television, in Bleak House, Great Expectations and War and Peace. Her theatre credits include A Doll’s House, A Streetcar Named Desire and All About Eve, all of which saw her nominated for Olivier Awards. Gillian Anderson has won Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for the X Files, and also for The Crown in which she played Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. More recently, she found a new generation of fans for role as a sex therapist in the series Sex Education. Her latest film is The Salt Path, adapted from the bestselling memoir by Raynor Wynn.

Gillian Anderson tells John Wilson how, after being born in Chicago, she moved with her parents to Crouch End, London, when she was five, and then to Michigan at the age of 11. After what she describes as ‘rebellious' teenage years, she studied at Chicago’s DePaul University with drama teacher Ric Murphy, whom she cites as a major influence on her early acting ambitions. After a series of minor stage roles in New York, she auditioned for The X Files and the role of Agent Scully changed her life. She also chooses the actor Meryl Streep as a major inspiration after seeing her with Robert Redford in the 1985 romantic drama film Out Of Africa. Gillian also reveals how the work of the Serbian-born conceptual performance artist Marina Abramović has also been an influential cultural figure for her.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


THU 11:45 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cqqc)
Episode 4: 'Things are fair in America.'

From Springsteen to the NUM, after two months public opinion is turning in the strikers' favour.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver's first book is now published in the UK for the first time. In her eye witness account of the Great Arizona Mine Strike of the 1980s, Kingsolver captures a cast of fascinating women at a transformative point in their lives.

Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

In the decades since Kingsolver wrote 'Holding the Line', she has become the global prize-winning and bestselling author of ten novels including 'Unsheltered', 'The Poisonwood Bible' and 'Demon Copperhead'. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has earned literary awards and a devoted readership at home and abroad. She has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice, and the Pulitzer. She lives with her family on a farm in southern Appalachia.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:00 News Summary (m002cqqh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m002cqql)
Gap Finders: Dr Andrew Birnie from Altruist

Our Gap Finder today is Dr Andrew Birnie, a consultant dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon who's founded the sun cream brand Altruist.

Andrew is an NHS doctor and has seen a rising number of patients who need surgery for skin cancer. He found that people were being put off from wearing sunscreen regularly because of the high cost of a good quality cream, but they also disliked how greasy cheaper formulas made their skin.

While working training surgeons in South Africa, he befriended David Westerbeek van Eerten, a Dutch economist who worked in the skincare industry. Andrew and David were discussing the barriers to people wearing sunscreen regularly, despite rising cases of skin cancer, and David told Andrew there was a high margin on suncare products which means high quality products are pretty expensive. Andrew and David wondered if they could make a high quality sun cream brand, that people enjoyed wearing, that could undercut their rivals on price.

Because of their connections in the skincare industry the partners were able to make the Altruist line - first selling it through Amazon. By word of mouth news and recommendations about the brand spread, and the company is now stocked in a range of retailers including Tesco.

Winifred talks to Dr Birnie about founding the brand, but also about why there are increasing cases of skin cancers in the UK, and tips to protect yourself when you're in the sun.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002cqqr)
Toast - Woolworths

Woolworths was once a family favourite with well over 1,000 UK stores selling everything from kitchenware to pick and mix. So, why did the business collapse when other general retailers were on the rise?

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, charts the company's highs and lows before asking 'what went wrong at Woolies?'.

Alongside him is the entrepreneur, Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions, based only on what she has heard and her own business acumen.

Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including:

- Richard Hawkins - an honorary research fellow at the University of Wolverhampton and president of the marketing history organisation, Charm, who has written about the company’s early days

- Clare Bailey - a retail consultant who was employed by Woolworths

- Claire Robertson - whose retail career began with a Saturday job at her local Woolies and led to her running a spin-off business (called 'Wellworths') after the original failed.

- Tony Page - Commercial and Marketing Director at Woolworths from 2006 who tried to save the business after it went into administration

Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.


THU 12:57 Weather (m002cqqt)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002cqqw)
US court blocks Trump tariffs

As President Trump's sweeping tariffs are blocked by a federal court we'll hear live the reaction from the White House and speak to the UK's former chief trade negotiator. We speak to a former Director of GCHQ as the government seeks to bolster the UK's cyber warfare capabilities, and the latest edition of our Figuring It Out series focuses on whether we should be paying more tax.


THU 13:45 Shadow World (m002cqqy)
The Smuggler

4. The Final Border

After serving time in prison for people smuggling, Nick becomes an informant, providing information about the Albanian gang.


THU 14:00 The Archers (m002cqm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001c85x)
Calls From Far Away

Science Fiction drama by Katherine Soper delving into humanity’s capacity to come together after a moment of great change.

An unexpected discovery on Pluto promises to have profound ramifications back down on earth. Freelance journalist, Jodie, finds herself in the right place at the right time when the discovery is made - her life is set to be turned upside down.

Jodie ….. Maimie McCoy
Leo ….. Tom Glenister
Young Leo ….. Bertie Cresswell
Ted ….. Jonathan Forbes
Elliott ….. Chloë Sommer
Lorelei ….. Joanna Monro
News presenter ….. Tom Kiteley
Scientists ….. Ruth Everett and Roger Ringrose

Sound design by Alison Craig
Directed by Gemma Jenkins

Katherine Soper’s debut stage play, Wish List, won the prestigious Bruntwood Prize for playwrighting. This is her first audio drama.


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m002cqr0)
Camino Francés with Maggie McLean

Clare walks with Reverend Maggie McLean today on a stretch of the Camino de Santiago, the world famous pilgrimage route that concludes at Santiago de Compostela’s glorious Cathedral in northern Spain. The Camino can be completed in numerous ways, with one of the most popular routes being the French Way otherwise known as the Francés. It begins in the French town of St. Jean Pied de Port and ends 790km/490miles later in Santiago. Maggie is trekking part of this route and Clare joins her at Triacastela to hear her story as they make their way to the Benedictine Monastery at Samos, which is about 150km from Santiago itself.

Maggie is a lifelong keen walker, and was one of the first women to be ordained in the Church of England. She works as a Canon at York Minster, and would like to see some kind of pilgrimage established there, so her time on the Camino is not just a spiritual journey, it’s also a way of conducting some research. On their walk she tells Clare about her life and journey in faith, including working in homeless centres, probation hostels and a seafarers’ mission in Australia.

En route Clare and Maggie bumped into Arthur, a pilgrim who has spent several weeks every year for seven years on the Camino, which he started by walking out of his front door in Switzerland. Despite suffering cancer three times, and having one quarter of a lung removed, he still carries a 10kg backpack and never plans where he’s going to stay overnight.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002cnbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Word of Mouth (m002cqr2)
The Welsh Language with Huw Stephens at the Hay Festival

In a special recording at the Hay Festival, Michael Rosen talks to bilingual Welsh radio and television presenter Huw Stephens about the Welsh language. And then Huw gets Michael to try reading 'Dyn Ni yn Mynd i Hela Arth, also known as We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, 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 Rethink (m002cqr4)
Rethink...social housing

For most of this century, the UK has had a housing shortage, but for one section of society, that shortage has become a crisis.

Prices have risen so much that people who need social housing are completely locked out of the private renting market, and owning a home for many is only a pipe dream. And when politicians speak about "affordable homes", these are also out of reach for many people. "Affordable" means homes available at 80% of the market rate. Typical social housing rents are much lower- around 30% of the full rate.

And this type of home is in very short supply. In 1980, there were around seven million dwellings in the social rent sector, largely owned by councils. Today that's just over four million, the majority of which are owned by housing associations instead.

To the average person, the answer seems simple - just build more homes.

And that’s being done, but not enough are being built - only around 10,000 social homes are constructed each year - far lower than the estimated 90,000 we need every year. So how can we speed up the process to help the million households in England currently sat on council waiting lists?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Ravi Naik

Contributors:
Anna Minton, Reader in Architecture at the University of East London and author of the book "Big Capital, Who is London For?"
Jasmine Basran, Head of Policy at the homelessness charity Crisis.
Richard Hyde, founder of Thinkhouse.org, an open library of housing research, and chair of Solihull Community Housing.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Graham Kauders, commercial director at EDAROTH, an AtkinsRéalis company.

Rethink is a BBC co-production with the Open University


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002cqr6)
Your science questions answered

We’ve been rummaging through the Inside Science mailbox to pick out a selection of the intriguing science questions you’ve been sending in, and assembled an expert panel to try to answer them.

Marnie Chesterton is joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, and Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, to get to the bottom of your scientific mysteries.

Why is the moon sterile when the earth is so full of life? Are new organisms going to evolve to eat microplastics? And did Nikola Tesla really find a way of creating free electricity?

Listen in as we try to uncover the answers.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Dan Welsh & Debbie Kilbride
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


THU 17:00 PM (m002cqr8)
Starmer: Reform's policies would 'crash the economy'

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones speaks to PM. Plus, reports that Israel will accept a US ceasefire proposal – we have live analysis and reaction.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cqrb)
The suspect in the Liverpool car ramming is charged

Prosecutors have announced the charges against the 53-year-old man who was arrested on Monday, after a car drove into crowds at Liverpool football club's victory parade. Paul Doyle is accused of dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Also: President Trump has described a legal block on his global tariffs as a judicial coup. And complaints about social housing have increased fivefold in as many years.


THU 18:30 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002cqrd)
Episode 2 - The Political Silver Bullet

Can politics be funny? Absolutely.

Top political comedian Matt Forde returns with his focus group in front of a live theatre audience - with guests comedian Ahir Shah, journalist Miranda Green and former Conservative special advisor, Salma Shah - to see if a few sparks fly as they examine different ways the 'Silver Bullet' has been deployed in politics.

Written and performed by Matt Forde
Additional writing from Karl Minns, Katie Storey and Richard Garvin
Producer: Richard Garvin
Co Producers: Daisy Knight and Jules Lom
Broadcast Assistant: Jenny Recaldin
Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m002cq57)
Susan summons Jim and Joy to the Shop, telling them its future is at stake due to the threat from Underwoods Local. Jim proposes calling a village meeting. And making sure to emphasise the benefits of a village shop, Joy adds, such as lower prices. But Susan’s heard the introductory discounts at Underwoods Local could go on all summer. Susan then tells them to look for common threads in the few surveys that have been completed, so they can root out any issues. Reporting back later it appears unfriendliness is the big one. Susan then dismisses the comments as biased, but Joy insists they act on it by working on their customer service skills. Both Jim and Susan are highly sceptical though, leading Joy in despair to suggest they try at least to be more positive with all their customers. Jim and Susan agree, but remain unconvinced that they’re really doing anything wrong.

On the phone Helen worries to Ian about Dane not getting back to her after she suggested another date. He’s always responded so quickly before online. Ian still has his doubts, but Helen insists Ian find out what Dane thinks about her. However, when Ian tackles Dane about the meal last night and his companion, Dane cleverly avoids giving his opinion of Helen. Ian tries again later, but is embarrassed when Dane reveals he knows Ian is trying to find out what Dane thinks about Ian’s best friend, Helen. Dane thinks she’s amazing, then realises his message to Helen about the date never got sent. When he sends it again Helen excitedly tells Ian – he said yes!


THU 19:15 Front Row (m002cqrg)
Imelda Staunton in Mrs Warren's Profession

Samira Ahmed and writers Dreda Mitchell and Mark Ravenhill review Imelda Staunton and her daughter, Bessie Carter, in Mrs Warren's Profession.

They consider, too, theatre director Marianne Elliott's first foray into film, The Salt Path, based on a Raynor Winn's bestselling memoir of how she and her husband, after they have lost their house and farm and he has been diagnosed with a rare terminal disease, walk the 600 miles of the South West Coast Path. It features Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs - with and the land and seascape of the end of England in a starring role.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a collection of 4.5 million artefacts. Inevitably, many are stored away. But now the museum is inviting everyone backstage, to the V&A East Storehouse, where half a million objects are looked after. It is a wonderful gallimaufry, ancient ceramics next to plastic chairs from the sixties, a huge Picasso, a Frank Lloyd Wright office and a child's pedal car. Samira, Freda and Mark wander the gantries.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May


THU 20:00 A Celebration for Ascension Day (m002cqrj)
Rhidian Brook, the novelist and screenwriter, is the preacher at A Celebration for Ascension Day, live from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.

There's spoken word from poet Dai Woolridge. The leader for the service is the vicar, the Revd Dr Sam Wells, with contributions from Canon Ann Easter, Ennette C Lainchbury, Reverend Denzil Larbi and Major Jo Noir.

There’s choral music from St Martin’s Voices directed by Andrew Earis and this year’s winners of BBC Young Chorister Sharon and Anna.

Producer: Alexa Good


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002cnl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002cqq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002cqrl)
Biggest West Bank settlement expansion in decades

Israel has announced plans to recognise 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Will it make a Palestinian state impossible? We hear from an Israeli settler and a Palestinian.

A group of Labour MPs is pressing the UK government to officially recognise Palestine. We ask a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee why she thinks that could make a difference.

As the NHS puts a figure on how many people in England have ADHD, we hear the experiences of those who've struggled to get diagnosed.

And Turkey says airline passengers who stand up too soon should be fined. We ask a former member of cabin crew why we really should obey the seat belt sign.


THU 22:45 Shakedowns in Hyperspace by Naomi Wood (m002cqrn)
4: Spite, Sucker, Clip

The next in a darkly comic new series from the award-winning author of Mrs Hemingway, written for BBC Radio 4,

From disassociating astronauts to zero-gravity threesomes, explorations of nothingness to space lust and Pokemon hunts, this original series with a feminist twist is a savagely funny take on the near future of women and space.

It's 2037, and breaking up in space is hard to do, even with retro Pokemon hunts for distraction, as one married couple discover on their final mission...

Reader: Rose Robinson
Writer: Naomi Wood
Producer: Justine Willett


THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002cqrq)
Is your mobile phone the best or worst friend you’ve ever had?

Over half term this week Radio 4’s Today is conducting an exciting experiment: asking teenagers to abandon their smartphones for a week.

On the podcast Amol discusses the monumental impact the smartphone has had on our lives and what the future of the smartphone might be with Professor Jim Ang, an expert in Human-Computer interaction, and digital regulation campaigner Baroness Beeban Kidron.

Amol also takes a moment to pay tribute to his friend, former BBC executive Alan Yentob, who died last weekend.

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 Tom Smithard with Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Izzy Rowley. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 A Good Read (m001jsl8)
Janet Street-Porter and Felicity Ward

The broadcaster and comedian discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Janet's choice is The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks, set in 1960s London, which was also Janet's stomping ground. Felicity loves Carlo Rovelli's Seven Lessons on Physics, which provokes much disagreement between the three women, none of whom studied much science at school. Harriett's choice is Hubert Mingarelli's A Meal in Winter, a moving and morally complex tale of three Nazi soldiers in wartime Poland.

Producer Sally Heaven

FRIDAY 30 MAY 2025

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002cqrs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cqqc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002cqrv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002cqrx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002cqrz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:04 Rethink (m002cqr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Thursday]


FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002cqs1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002cqs3)
Productivity isn’t everything

Good morning.

For a good number of people in the UK the shortened work week comes to an end today. Have you got everything done that you were hoping to achieve this week? I hope so. The trouble is that many of us put pressure on ourselves by setting unrealistic expectations for what we will get done in a day, a week, or even a month or a year. Productivity isn’t everything. Always aiming higher, bigger and for more and more doesn’t always get us to the outcome we think we are aiming for.

Growth can be both positive and negative. Not taking time to focus on what is beautiful around us, taking each day as they come and following the threads of life wherever they lead, runs the risk that I've became somewhat robotic in outlook, tied to my desk, staring at a laptop, thinking ‘it will be ok if I just finish one more thing’. I doubt it actually will though, really. There’ll always be something else to do.

Whilst I’ve been busy ‘doing’ this week, I think I’ve missed out on ‘being’ who I am supposed to be - a person of peace, a person of faith, hope and love, of which the greatest is and always will be love. It’s time for a resetting of priority for me. Perhaps you’ll resonate with that, and join me yourself today and in the days to come.

Father, I am always changing, developing and growing. Help me to embrace the changes that come, and keep sight of the faith, hope and love I was made to have, receive as a gift and equally share as a gift with those around me.

Amen.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002cqs5)
30/05/25 - Galloway National Park turned down, the impact of deer and rare breed passion

Plans for a new National Park in Galloway and Ayrshire have been dropped. The Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon, has announced that following a consultation, the park doesn't have enough support locally, and so will not go ahead.

In the Broads National Park in Norfolk, a rise in the number of deer is having an impact on habitats and farmland. A drone survey to asses the numbers has revealed as many as 20 per square km. Work is underway to generate a market for local venison to help support culling.

And we meet Vice Chair of the Rare Breed Survival Trust, Ryan Perry. He started off feeding the pigs at his local city farm in Gateshead at the age of 7, where he fell in love with Tamworths. Now he's on a smallholding where he keeps pigs, three breeds of sheep, goats, poultry and cattle...alongside a full time job in the NHS as a biomedical scientist.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons


FRI 06:00 Today (m002cq4n)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002cnc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002cq4q)
Carey Mulligan, Mary Earps' England retirement, New head of MI6

Two deeply disturbing cases in France have reignited national debate about how the justice system handles sexual violence. In December last year, Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife while she was unconscious and inviting other men to do the same. This week, Joël Le Scouarnec, a retired surgeon, was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in jail for sexually abusing almost 300 people, mostly children. His victims have spoken out against this sentence and lawyers have called for a change in the law. Jessica Creighton is joined by Blandine Deverlanges, a feminist activist and the Founder of Les Amazones d’Avignon, and BBC correspondent Hugh Schofield to discuss the situation.

Three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, known for roles in films such as Maestro, Promising Young Woman and Suffragette, returns to our cinema screens in the comedy drama The Ballad of Wallis Island. She talks about playing ex-folk singer Nell, working on a film set with a young baby, and how she feels about turning 40.

The Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, is about to appoint a new chief and it's looking very likely that it will be a woman for the first time in the organisation's 115-year history. Former BBC defence correspondent Gordon Corera and spy novelist Ava Glass tell Jessica who's in the running and how significant it is that this organisation could be run by a woman.

A new blood test which will help develop personalised cancer treatment is going to be rolled out across the NHS. The technique, known as a 'liquid biopsy' will be offered as a standard for lung cancer patients, and the NHS is now planning on expanding this testing to advanced breast cancer patients. Jessica is joined by Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, to discuss how this works and the impact it could have.

Earlier this week, goalkeeper Mary Earps, one of England's most high profile footballers, announced her retirement from the international game. Her decision comes just five weeks before the Lionesses go to the European Championships to defend their title. Joining Jessica to discuss her decision is football writer for the Guardian Suzy Wrack, and sports lecturer at the University of Worcester and professional goalkeeping coach, Dr Julia West.

Presenter: Jessica Creighton
Producer: Andrea Kidd


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002cq4s)
Sourfaux

Campaigners are calling for the ingredients of sourdough to be laid out in law. So are there too many loaves on sale that are more sourfaux than sourdough? Leyla Kazim investigates.

This programme features a visit to the Batch event at the Long Table in Stroud to meet baker and author David Wright as well as Chris Young from the Real Bread Campaign. Nutritionist Dr Vanessa Kimbell discusses how sourdough impacts on our gut health and bread historian Professor Steven Kaplan chews over whether more regulation is strictly necessary and questions how it would be enforced.

Cereal scientist Stanley Cauvain shines a light on a huge moment in British baking - the invention of the Chorleywood process - and Jules Chambe from the award-winning Wild Frog Bakehouse in Oxfordshire looks to his native France where the government did act to protect the beloved baguette.

Produced in Bristol by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio
Featuring the "Happy Knocker-Upper" 1960s Mother's Pride television advert featuring Dusty Springfield


FRI 11:45 Holding the Line by Barbara Kingsolver (m002cq4v)
Episode 5: Planting Fruit Trees

As the strikes grinds to its inevitable conclusion, the women prepare to take on the struggle outside their communities.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver's first book is now published in the UK for the first time. In her eye witness account of the Great Arizona Mine Strike of the 1980s, Kingsolver captures a cast of fascinating women at a transformative point in their lives.

Read by Laurel Lefkow
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

In the decades since Kingsolver wrote 'Holding the Line', she has become the global prize-winning and bestselling author of ten novels including 'Unsheltered', 'The Poisonwood Bible' and 'Demon Copperhead'. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has earned literary awards and a devoted readership at home and abroad. She has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice, and the Pulitzer. She lives with her family on a farm in southern Appalachia.

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002cq4x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m002cq4z)
Are insects the answer?

Insects are the quiet engineers of the environment - pollinating our plants, balancing our ecosystems and clearing up our waste. Some insects can digest plastic, and they play a vital role in crop production. At the same time their populations are under threat from pesticides, habitat loss and climate change. In this programme, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap explore the largely ignored world of insects. Could they be the answer to some of the environmental problems we have created? Would eating them help lower our carbon footprint, and will the western world ever overcome its squeamishness to the idea? Helen and Tom explore the weird and wonderful world of insects with a panel of experts.

Producer: Emma Campbell

Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University


FRI 12:57 Weather (m002cq51)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002cq53)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4


FRI 13:45 Shadow World (m002cq55)
The Smuggler

5. The Crossing

Nick buys a boat and searches for a new smuggling route across the English Channel.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002cq57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002cq59)
Pretender Prince

Episode 3: Shiny Our Silver

In 1745 Charles and his army of Highlanders cross into England and conquer Carlisle, Manchester, and Derby with surprising speed. But can they march on London and reclaim the British throne for the Stuart dynasty?

Jack Lowden presents the dramatic story of the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the 1745 Jacobite rebellion.
Written by Colin MacDonald with original music by Duncan Chisholm.

Narrator……………………………………………..…....Jack Lowden

Bonnie Prince Charlie ……………….…………....Lorn Macdonald
Colonel John O’Sullivan ………………………...Gavin Mitchell
Lord George Murray……………………………….Robert Jack
Allan Ramsay………………………….……………....Kenny Blyth
Donald Cameron………………….………………..Sam James Smith
Allan Cameron……………………………………….Douglas Yannaghas
Catherine Cameron………………………..………Helen Mackay

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 (p0hhrq63)
Series 1

21. Sleep

Go on, be honest. Is this the first episode you clicked? It drives people crazy. It’s a firecracker of a topic, and emotions run high around sleep.
So let’s talk about it. When did we start getting so anxious about baby sleep, and what’s ‘normal’ for a baby anyway? India talks to anthropologist Dr Helen Ball about all this and the controversial topic of bed sharing as well as economist Emily Oster, who’s crunched the numbers and research on… sleep training.

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

A Listen Production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002cq5c)
RHS Chelsea Bandstand Show

How do I take care of a kokedama? How do you take care of a sedum living roof? Why won't my trollius flower?

For the first time ever, GQT sets up shop at the heart of the iconic RHS Chelsea Flower Show, broadcasting from the charming bandstand. Kathy Clugston is joined by a panel of horticultural heavyweights, including Bunny Guinness, Matthew Wilson, and James Wong.

Keep your ears pricked up for some familiar voices - among the questioners are none other than Scott Mills, David Tennant and Zoe Ball, each bringing their own garden problems to the table.

Later, Peter Gibbs takes a tranquil detour to the stunning Songbird Survival Garden on Main Avenue. There, he chats with designer Nicola Oakey and dedicated volunteer Bee about how we can turn our outdoor spaces into welcoming sanctuaries for Britain’s beleaguered songbirds.

Producer: Daniel Cocker
Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Producer: Matthew Smith
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
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 – I’ve got a floppy snake plant – is this because I’ve overwatered it? (01'17")

Q - Why do the flower buds fall off my chameleon each year? (02'38")

Q - Hello, it's David Tennant here. I've been gifted a beautiful kokedama. How do I water this? How do I not kill it? (05'26")

Q – Could you recommend some pretty and low maintenance for flowers for window boxes? (07'34")

Bunny Guinness –
Verbena officinalis 'Bampton', vervain ‘Bampton’
Polystichum setiferum, soft shield fern
Salvia rosmarinus (Ro), rosemary

Matthew Wilson –
Thymus vulgaris, common thyme
Thymus praecox

James Wong –
Portulaca, porcelain
Mesembryanthemum
Delosperma.

Q- My trollius hasn’t flowered this year. What am I doing wrong? (12’58")

Feature – Peter Gibbs visits the ‘Songbird Survival Garden” on main avenue, where he meets with designer Nicola Oakey and volunteer Bee (17’22”)

Q - We've got a garden room with a sedum living roof – how do we look after it? (22'20")

Q – Hello! Zoe Ball here! How do I stop squirrels from eating all my plants? (32'06")

Q - My trachycarpus and dicksonia antarctica. They're getting thinner and thinner each year – how do I appropriately thin them out? (28'54")

Q – Hi GQT, it’s Scott Mills. How do I stop my dog’s pee from ruining my lawn? (28'54")

Q – I’d like you to recommend plants for a red hot, south facing gravel garden? (36'25")

James Wong –
Hardy aloes
Aloe polyphylla
Eschscholzia californica, california poppy
Bunny Guinness –
Salvia confertiflora, sabra spike sage

Matthew Wilson –
Rosa 'Sally Holmes' (S), rose 'Sally Holmes'
Dasylirion wheeleri, spoon flower
Aloiampelos striatula, striped-stemmed aloe
Beschorneria yuccoides, yucca-leaved beschorneria


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002cq5f)
Girl at a Window by Dermot Bolger

An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the Irish author and playwright Dermot Bolger. Read by Michelle Fairley.

The Author
Born in Dublin in 1959, the poet, playwright and novelist Dermot Bolger worked as a factory hand, library assistant and small press publisher before settling for the precious life of a full-time writer in 1984. Bolger is the author of fourteen novels including Tanglewood and An Ark of Light. He is a member of the artist's association Aosdána and received an honorary doctorate in literature from the National University of Ireland in 2022. He lives in Dublin.

Writer: Dermot Bolger
Reader: Michelle Fairley
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002cq5h)
Alan Yentob, Richard Garwin, Dr Joy Schaverien, Anne Merriman

Matthew Bannister on Alan Yentob, the BBC’s only Creative Director, who commissioned many successful TV programmes, was known as an impresario of talent and also presented Imagine.

Richard Garwin, the American physicist who developed the Hydrogen bomb, but then devoted his life to nuclear disarmament.

Dr. Joy Shaverien, the psychoanalyst who identified “boarding school syndrome” suffered by some who were sent away to school at an early age.

Dr Anne Merriman, the former nun who made it her life’s work to bring effective palliative care to Africa.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive used
ichard Garwin Interview, Voices of the Manhattan Project – Atomic Heritage Foundation, Los Alamos Historical Society, The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, 22/09/2018; Pride and Prejudice, Episode 2, BBC Four, Drama, Classic & Period; imagine...: Winter 2004 – Arthur Miller: Finishing the Picture, BBC; Desert Island Discs: Alan Yentob, BBC Radio 4, 08/10/1995; Cracked Actor: David Bowie, BBC, 04/04/2013; Boarding School Syndrome: In Conversation with Joy Schaverien, Interviewed by Joana de Waal, British Psychotherapy Foundation (bpf), YouTube Upload, 23/09/2019; Dr Anne Merriman Interviewed by Scott Murray, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2023; orth West Tonight, BBC, 21/07/2009; Anne Merriman – Harvard University Talk; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 13/05/2011


FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m002cq5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002cq5m)
Gerry Adams wins libel case against BBC

Ex Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams wins libel case against BBC. A new test for heart and lung cancer made available on NHS. Sport on steroids, a controversial tournament discussed.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002cq5p)
Gerry Adams wins libel case against the BBC

Gerry Adams sued the BBC over a documentary and online article which included allegations that he ordered the murder of a former Sinn Féin official who'd admitted spying for British intelligence. The jury at the High Court in Dublin ruled that he was defamed. Also: The government sells its last stake in the bank formerly known as RBS, 17 years after it was partly nationalised during the financial crisis. And Taylor Swift wins back the music rights to her original recordings.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002cq5r)
Series 117

7. Tariff Turmoil

Andy Zaltzman is joined by Armando Iannucci, Ria Lina, Ian Smith and Cindy Yu for more topical comedy quizzing. This week they explore Trump’s tariff turmoil, the King’s Canadian holiday, mixed messages in the Middle East and how the Department of Justice is having trouble finishing its sentences.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Peter Tellouche, Sascha LO and Eve Delaney.
Producer: James Robinson
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 (m002cq5t)
At the Shop Jim tries a super-courteous approach to get Lilian to fill in the survey, while Jazzer adds a mocking commentary. It’s only when Jim spells out the existential threat Underwoods Local poses that Lilian agrees to answer the questions. Between them Jazzer and Lilian come up with several suggestions for improvements. Then Jazzer points out the biggest issue is friendliness – or the lack of it - and despite Jim’s denial Lilian agrees that it’s an issue. Later on Jazzer snatches Lilian’s completed survey, reading out her score for friendliness: three out of five. He tells Jim it’s not going to save the shop. Jim confesses how exhausting he finds maintaining the façade of friendliness and his relief at going to stay at his daughter’s next week. But Jazzer loves it when Jim is grumpy!

While Chris is relatively relaxed before the meeting about Martha at the nursery, Alice can’t help thinking there must be a serious problem. The manager tactfully points out that Martha has haphazard concentration levels and limited attention span. She suggests working together with the staff to get Martha to focus on tasks for longer. Chris is happy to go along with this but Alice seems more troubled. Back at the Stables Lilian pushes Alice to confess her fear that her drinking during pregnancy is now affecting Martha’s development. And if Lilian leaves Ambridge then that’s another huge plank of Alice’s support network gone, after Jennifer and Peggy. Lilian tells her she’s changed her mind and she’s not going anywhere.


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m002cq5w)
Claire Booth and Gavin Higgins on a few very famous notes

Composer Gavin Higgins and soprano Claire Booth take us from a massive Wembley chant to a ground-breaking early rap by a famous white rock group as they join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add five more tracks to the playlist.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
The Alien by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow
Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple
In a Foolish Dream by Stravinsky
Rapture by Blondie

Other music in this episode:

Tickle Toe by Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
Horn Concerto III: Mycelium Rondo by Gavin Higgins
Rata de Dos Patas by Paquita La Del Barrio
Firestarter by The Prodigy
Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin
Highway to Hell by AC/DC
Enter Sandman by Metallica
I Love Rock 'n Roll by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Walk This Way by Aerosmith
Stay Another Day by East 17


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002cq5y)
Justin Madders MP, Christina McAnea, Fraser Nelson, Baroness Stowell

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Liverpool Hope University with the business minister and Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, Justin Madders; Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison; Times columnist Fraser Nelson; and Conservative peer Baroness Stowell of Beeston.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Jonathan Esp


FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002cq60)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:40 on Wednesday]


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002cq62)
Power: A User's Guide

Political power can take many forms, from the top-down model of the Roman Empire, to operating in the democratic politics of today, to the possibilities offered by new technologies for more horizontal power structures in the future.

Matthew Sweet is joined on a stage at the Hay Festival by historian Tom Holland, whose new translation of Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars examines Roman power politics from the inside; Guto Harri, who saw the inside workings of power as Downing Street Director of Communications; Adam Greenfield, whose book Lifehouse looks at local networks of mutual aid that have emerged in response to climate crisis; and political philosopher Sophie Scott-Brown, whose book The Radical Fifties: Activist Politics in Cold War Britain is out in July.

Producer: Luke Mulhall


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002cq64)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk give a joint news conference

The last day in the White House for the Tesla boss - but what about the many other federal employees who've lost their jobs? Also: Gerry Adams wins his libel case against the BBC; Dutch art theft; Mexico judges; France smoking ban; and does Doctor Who have a future?


FRI 22:45 Shakedowns in Hyperspace by Naomi Wood (m002cq66)
5: Roll Over, Dead Old Me

The final story in a darkly comic and brilliantly new series from the award-winning author of Mrs Hemingway, written for BBC Radio 4,

From disassociating astronauts to zero-gravity threesomes, explorations of nothingness to space lust and Pokemon hunts, this original series with a feminist twist is a savagely funny take on women and space in the near future.

It's 2034: one female astronaut's desires are unexpectedly ignited as she leaves Earth behind. But will her ardour fall with a return to Earth?

Reader: Ashleigh Haddad
Writer: Naomi Wood
Producer: Justine Willett


FRI 23:00 Americast (m002cq68)
Join the Americast team for insights from across the US.


FRI 23:30 A Good Read (m001kh65)
Donna Leon and Margaret Heffernan

The author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series, Donna Leon, is joined by writer-entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan and the presenter Harriett Gilbert.

Donna has chosen a book by an author she greatly admires, Ross MacDonald, who she read before she became a writer herself. His 1971 noir novel, The Underground Man, follows a detective as he tries to track down a missing child, whilst a mysterious fire rages through the hills of Southern California. Margaret loves Butcher's Crossing, the lesser-known book by John Williams, the author of Stoner. Set in 1871, this is about a young Harvard drop-out who heads out into the American West to discover a new way of living and which Margaret describes as an 'anti-Western' novel. Meanwhile Harriett's choice is A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, which follows a mother's struggle to protect her children as Bangladesh fights for independence.

Produced by Eliza Lomas.
Comment on instagram: @agoodreadbbc