SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 2025

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002kfp0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang (m002kfmj)
Episode 5

In this sequel to her memoir Wild Swans, Jung Chang charts her path from arriving as a 26-year-old student in the UK in 1978, through the years of post-Mao liberalisation, to the more recent authoritarian and increasingly repressive rule of President Xi Jinping. The constant thread throughout these years has been her powerful bond with her mother, the woman to whom this book is dedicated.

Jung and her fellow students grew up in complete isolation from the West, and lived in fear as to what might happen if they broke any of the strict rules imposed upon them by their government. The chance to travel to Britain and then to study at York University was an invaluable opportunity. But the freedom of expression that she chose to exercise once she became a British citizen eventually exacted a high price.

Although for many years she was able to return to China and visit her family while researching her subsequent books, there came a point when the political situation meant permanent separation from her mother and those family members who she left behind in China. Today Jung Chang is unable to return to bid farewell to her frail mother who is now in her 90s, but she remains determined to honour the freedom that her mother encouraged her to embrace.

Written by Jung Chang
Read by Sarah Lam
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002kfp2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002kfp4)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002kfp6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002kfp8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002kfpb)
Trampolines and Toddlers

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning.

My daughter made me realise something in the park a while ago. She loves trampolines and at the time she was only one, so she jumped like her shoes were glued to the floor. She’d take a few steps, attempt a few jumps and then fall over.

Usually, whenever she falls, I pick her up straight away because she’s only little. But one Saturday morning, as I looked at the bigger kids causing chaos, I imagined my daughter at school in a few years. I realised I won’t always be there to pick her up, and if I keep doing it now, she won’t learn to do it herself. So instead of rushing to the rescue, I waited.

In my own life I’ve made mistakes, some big, some small, some because I was young, others where I should have known better. There are times I’ve felt God has bailed me out, and times it felt like He just stood there. When it’s been the latter, maybe it was for my own good. It was hard, but I never felt alone because I knew He was there.

As my daughter lay on that trampoline, I think she felt safe because she knew I was there. She twisted and turned, set her feet and got herself back up. Of course, as a loving parent I will give her a hand when she really needs it. But now she knows when you fall, you get up and you go again.

My mum used to say God helps those who help themselves but my prayer, and my belief, is that He helps those who can’t help themselves, by letting them know He’ll never leave them.

Amen


SAT 05:45 Untaxing (m0029j9j)
3. Jaffa Cake or Biscuit?

A biscuit or a cake? That was the question that landed biscuit company McVities in court in 1991 - and the fate of the Jaffa Cake rested on the most unexpected piece of evidence.

But behind the absurdity lies a deeper issue - how the UK’s messy VAT system distorts prices, creates baffling tax battles, and might just be costing us over £20 billion a year.

Producer: Tom Pooley
Music: Jaffa Cake Musical is by Gigglemug Theatre, with songs by Sam Cochrane, arrangements by Rob Gathercole, and Katie Pritchard singing 'Tax Man'.

A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002kpw8)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002kgs3)
Clare Balding's in Town!

Clare Balding’s In Town! To kick off the new series, Clare is walking in Rutland with comedian Mark Steel. Since they’re in the same place at the same time, Clare is also making a cameo appearance on Mark’s hugely successful Radio 4 show, Mark Steel’s In Town, in Oakham, Rutland’s largest town.

Mark has been making In Town for 450 years (he told us) and each show involves intense research before he performs a stand-up routine about the area to a local audience. As Clare and Mark amble around the Hambleton Peninsula, which stretches into Rutland Water, Mark and his producer Carl Cooper discuss what it takes to pull together an episode of In Town.

Mark also discusses the theme of his new book, Leopard in My House, about his recovery from cancer. Guiding Mark and Clare is keen local walker Richard Cooper, who has lived in the area for 20 years and is both knowledgeable and passionate about Rutland. Mark Steel's In Town – Oakham, Rutland will be broadcast on Tuesday, 7 October, with Ramblings following on the 9th... with both available forever on BBC Sounds...

Map: OS Explorer 234 - Rutland Water
Map Ref: SK901075 for Ketton Road where they started the walk

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002kpwb)
11/10/25: Rural crime, River Wye court case, skilled workers visas

This week we're looking at the fight against rural crime and how it feels to be the victim of theft, waste dumping, and illegal hare coursing on farmland. A rural crime expert tells us she believes some police forces are investing less time and resourcing, as they manage limited funding. We visit Cumbria where the Rural Crime Team is making a difference, with initiatives including volunteer horseback patrols. Meanwhile, in Hertfordshire we meet a farmer cleaning up tonnes of so-called Trommel waste, material left from the refuse recycling process, dumped on his land. In the Vale of Glamorgan, farmers are coping with an increase in illegal hare coursing.

Also in the programme: What's been described as the biggest ever legal claim for environmental pollution has been filed at the High Court. And, the Scottish dairy farmers concerned about future staffing on their farms following changes to the skilled workers visa.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002kpwd)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002kpwg)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002kpwj)
Susie Dent, Winemaking, Speed Ploughing and Joanna Lumley's Inheritance Tracks

It’s often said that one pretty sure route to happiness is to find something you love doing, and then make a career out of doing it, and seems to be exactly what Susie Dent has managed to do with her lifelong fascination with words. In her new book "The Roots We Share" Susie spreads her love of language.

Fekky grew up in Lewisham, and used music as his escape from a life of gangs and violence. But during lockdown he, like many of us, found his green fingers and has since upped sticks and moved to the countryside to set-up his own farm, charting his experiences on his YouTube channel "Hood2Farm".

Richard Sharp began an urban wine collective after a holiday in France to a vineyard opened his eye to the power of community projects. Grapes from allotments, balconies, public gardens all across London are harvested and brought together to create a single unique wine.

Also, three time World Champion Plougher, John Hill, joins us LIVE from the British National Championships.

Plus the Inheritance Tracks of Joanna Lumley.

Presenter: Adrian Chiles
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002klmj)
Series 24

Good Vibrations?

It turns out that the whole world wobbles. Everything has a natural frequency - the rate at which it moves when disturbed - be it a cup of tea, a building or a human organ.

Even more incredibly, if an external force matches an object's natural frequency, it causes it to absorb that energy and vibrate with increasingly large waves; and that can have consequences, from helping a spider find its lunch to making a bridge collapse.

On the trail of good and bad vibes and everything in between, Hannah and Dara investigate whether the famous 1940 collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the USA was really down to resonance, explore examples of resonance in nature, and find out what this mysterious vibration can do to the human body: from the pressures of repetitive tractor-driving, to absorbing the reverberations of certain instruments...

To submit your question to the Curious Cases team, please email: curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:
- Helen Czerski, Professor of Physics at University College London
- Wanda Lewis, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at Warwick University
- Phillip Moxley, Senior Research Associate at the University of Southampton
- Sana Bokhari, sound therapy practitioner

Producers: Lucy Taylor & Emily Bird
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

A BBC Studios Audio Production


SAT 10:30 Legend (m002kpwl)
The Bruce Springsteen Story

1. My Hometown

How did Bruce become The Boss, and what did it cost him to get there? Laura Barton explores the extraordinary life story of Bruce Springsteen, taking a front-row seat at five important gigs to reveal the life behind the legend.

Bruce’s story begins in the small factory town of Freehold, New Jersey. His father, Douglas, is distant. The love from his Grandmother Alice is fierce. His life changes forever when he hears Elvis and The Beatles, and learns the guitar.

Laura travels to 23rd January, 1971. Bruce is 21 years old. This wiry figure with long curly hair takes the mic at the Upstage Club, Asbury Park. There is a vast distance between this scruffy boardwalk town venue and the stadiums he will one day fill, but Springsteen has a plan. Off stage, Bruce is a shy and introverted teenager. But when he plays, the transformation is startling. People liken it to Bruce Banner turning into the Incredible Hulk. This is where he finds his congregation - his vision of community forms here.

~~~

“I'm here tonight to provide proof of life to that ever elusive, never completely believable, particularly these days, us. That's my magic trick.”

In Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, we uncover the magic trick to discover how a scrawny, long-haired introvert from small-town New Jersey became the iconic, muscular, and oft-misunderstood rock star of the 1980s, to the eloquent elder statesmen he is now. What can his story tell us about America today?

In each episode, Laura takes us to the front row of a live performance that reveals a different side of The Boss, and hears him across the decades in his own words from the archive. We'll also hear from fellow worshippers in the Church of Springsteen and disciples from the E Street Band, including drummer Max Weinberg, tributes from those influenced by Bruce, such as Bryce Dessner from The National, as well as Freehold town historian Kevin Coyne and music critics and biographers such as Richard Williams, Eric Alterman, Steven Hyden, Warren Zanes and Diane H. Winston.

The Bruce Springsteen Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning Joni Mitchell Story, and the podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).

Producers: Eliza Lomas and Mair Bosworth
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Series Developer: Mair Bosworth
Production Coordinator: Stuart Laws
Additional Research: Sarah Goodman
Series Editor: Emma Harding
Commissioning Editors: Daniel Clarke and Matthew Dodd


SAT 11:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002kgsq)
Climate Migration: Confronting the Reality of Global Warming (Gaia Vince)

As extreme weather forces people from their homes, the journalist and author Gaia Vince makes the positive case for immigration.

Projections show that billions of people will be displaced by 2050 due to the effects of global warming, a phenomenon she has reported on in her book ‘Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval’.

She argues that if governments plan for the mass movement of people they can reap the economic rewards of immigration despite public concern about the issue.

And with news that renewable energy overtook coal as the world's leading source of electricity in the first half of 2025, Gaia tells Amol why she thinks we’re approaching a “tipping point” which will see the end of our reliance on fossil fuels and green energy become the dominant source of power.

GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002kpwp)
Ukraine's death messenger

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Madagascar, St Helena, Uzbekistan and Bolivia.

We follow a Ukrainian army officer in the western city of Lviv who has the unenviable task of informing families that their loved ones have been killed on the battlefield. Richard Pendry witnesses the heartbreak and anger that has faced Major Serhiy Laziuk every day for the past three years.

Gen Z led protests have erupted in Madagascar recently. What began as a demonstrations against persistent power cuts, has evolved into demands for full-scale political change. Luke Freeman reports from the capital, Antananarivo.

The British overseas territory St Helena in the South Atlantic - home to just four thousand people - largely depends on British grants and remittances from abroad. While renowned for its natural beauty, many locals are looking to leave to find their fortune abroad. Beth Rose spoke to islanders about the future.

Uzbekistan is making art and culture a central pillar of its economic development, as the former Soviet republic looks to rebrand itself. Kirsty Lang visited the new biennial exhibition in Bukhara, where tradition merges with modern art.

And finally, with their pleated skirts, fringed shawls and bowler hats, the 'Cholitas' are a common sight in Bolivia’s capital La Paz. Once a derogatory term for people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage, many women are now reclaiming the title, and transforming from outcasts to icons in the process, finds Jane Chambers.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002kpwr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002kpwt)
Investing and Car Finance Compensation

The Chancellor wants more people to invest in shares, UK companies and infrastructure projects in a bid to boost growth in the economy. Rachel Reeves argued in her recent Mansion House speech that it would make people better off, but this kind of investment involves risk and is making some people nervous. We put those concerns to Treasury Minister Lucy Rigby.

When is the best time to start a pension? Around 45,000 parents and grandparents seem to think saving should start when you're born. Figures from HMRC show nearly £80 million was invested in private pensions for children in 2022/23 that's up 15%.

And the buyers of around 14 million cars who were deceived or misled about the commission paid to the dealer when they took out a car loan are set to receive an average payout of £700 for each deal. That estimate came from the Financial Conduct Authority this week when it set out details of a plan to compensate them, but it's less than the 'up-to-£950' it had suggested just a few months ago.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Catherine Lund
Producers: Robert Cave, Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Justin Bones

(First broadcast at 12pm on Saturday 11th October 2025)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002kfng)
Series 118

6. Peace Deals and Police Powers

In the week where Trump brokered a peace deal in the Middle East, buzz was generated at the Conservative Party Conference (honestly), the Home Office announces greater restrictions on protests, and the world's first footballer billionaire is crowned, Andy Zaltzman is joined by Scott Bennett, Ayesha Hazarika, Kate Cheka and Ian Smith to break down this weeks news.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Jain Edwards, Ruth Husko and Alfie Packham
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002kpww)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002kpwy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002kfnn)
David Blair, Baroness Coffey, Bobby Dean MP, Kim Leadbeater MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from York St John University with David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator at the Telegraph; Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, Baroness Coffey; Liberal Democrat frontbencher Bobby Dean; and Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Booth


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002kpx0)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002kfnj)
Amber and George have been enjoying some quality time together before the party in honour of George’s return. Amber can’t wait to see him back with his mates. As everyone starts to get things ready for the evening, George decides to go for a bike ride. Brad and Amber fill in time gaming. Amber wonders if she’s upset George but Brad reckons he’ll just be enjoying time out in the countryside after being stuck inside a cell.

Meanwhile Ed finds George at Bartleby’s field. George admits to not feeling as good as he thought he would. He had to shut his mind down in prison so as not to miss the sights and smells of home. And his romantic reunion with Amber at Grange Farm didn’t happen. It wasn’t the same doing it outside the prison. Ed takes him to get a big bunch of flowers for Amber. He suggests if George works hard now, he’ll show his sisters how you can make a bad thing good.

Amber wants to get changed. Emma assures her she looks lovely as she is but Amber wants to make a good impression on George’s friends. As Emma and Ed leave them to party Brad ramps up the music. Later it becomes clear that no-one’s coming. Amber’s furious on George’s behalf, but George reckons he’s not bothered. He’s got his two best friends here, what more does he need? He thanks Amber and Brad for keeping him going; he doesn’t know if he’d have survived without them. They share a group hug.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000rct8)
Star of the Sea

Episode One

Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor dramatised for radio by Clare McGowan.
It is 1847 and American journalist Grantley Dixon is investigating a murder on board the Star of the Sea of bankrupt landowner, husband and father Lord David Merridith. The ship is bound for New York and full of fleeing refugees escaping from Ireland and the Potato Famine that has torn the country they have left apart.
The ship is full of characters, all of whom may have a reason as to why they would want to kill Lord Merridith. But who is the actual murderer? Someone on board this ship is hungry for vengeance and and has a need to see justice executed…
Could it be Laura his wife, or their maidservant Mary or the pitiful Pius Mulvey who drags his maimed leg behind him as he stalks the deck at night….
There are many characters for Grantley to choose from.
Few novels have been written about the Irish Potato famine by the great writers but Joseph O’Connor shows us in glorious technicolor just what effect this famine had on Ireland and its people.

Cast
Grantley Dixon ... Kyle Soller
Lord David Merridith ... Johnny Flynn
Laura ... Georgina Beedle
Pius ... Rory Keenan
Mary ... Charlene McKenna
Captain ... Daniel Flynn
Leeson ... Carl Prekopp
David's father ... Stephen Critchlow
Doctor Mangan ... Niall Buggy
Nicholas Mulvey ... Kwaku Fortune
Jonathan ... Ronan Casey
Robert ... Alfie Hurley
Young Mary ... Joni Martin
Young David ... Hugo Mallon
Mary's mother ... Tallulah Bond

Writer, Joseph O'Connor
Dramatised by Claire McGowan
Director, Celia de Wolff
BBC Northern Ireland Production


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002kpx2)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Sally Wainwright, Kellie Bright, AI girlfriends, lessons from the Pelicot trial

100m sprinter Bebe Jackson, 19, won a bronze medal on her debut at the IPC World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India, last week. Bebe was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, widely known as club foot, and when she’s not competing for Britain, she works nights caring for children with complex disabilities. She tells Anita Rani how she does it.

In Sally Wainwright’s new BBC drama Riot Women, a group of women in mid-life escape the pressures of caring for parents and kids - and the menopause - by forming a rock band. Rosalie Craig stars as the incredible singer that brings them together. Anita Rani talks to Sally and actor Rosalie about the power of female friendship.

Nuala McGovern talks to the French philosopher Manon Garcia. Manon watched the court proceedings of the Pelicot case in France, in which Dominique Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the rape of Dominique’s wife Gisèle. In her book Living with Men, she examines French and other societies in light of the case and questions what more needs to be done.

When you think about music from 500 years ago, you might picture monks chanting, or the voices of choirboys, but what’s been largely forgotten over the course of history is that some of the most striking music during this time was being written and sung by nuns, hidden away in convents across Europe. Nuala speaks to Laurie Stras, Director of Musica Secreta, an all-female renaissance ensemble.

Elon Musk's Artificial Intelligence company xAI recently introduced two sexually explicit chatbots. He's a high-profile presence in a growing field where developers are banking on users interacting and forming intimate relationships with the AI chatbots. Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Amelia Gentleman, who has just returned from an adult industry conference in Prague, where she saw a sharp rise in new websites offering an increasingly realistic selection of AI girlfriends, and Gina Neff, Professor of Responsible AI at the Queen Mary University of London, who tells us what this means for women.

EastEnders actor Kellie Bright took part in a Woman’s Hour special last year which asked whether the SEND system is working for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Tonight Kellie presents a special one-hour BBC Panorama. Drawing on her own experience as the mother of an autistic son, she investigates how parents navigate the complex system to secure the right help at school. Kellie joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what she found.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson


SAT 17:00 PM (m002kpx4)
Return to Northern Gaza

Over half a million Palestinians head back to what's left of their homes. We hear from Gaza and Tel Aviv. Plus, a supporter of President Trump tells us he hopes the deal will hold. And the latest on the collapsed China spying case.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002kpx6)
Free Speech Tsar: Arif Ahmed on how to avoid the 'abyss' of political violence

How do you protect and police freedom of speech on campus and in society?

Arif Ahmed is a Cambridge Philosopher who is now responsible for enforcing new freedom of speech rules on universities, colleges and students.

He took office at a time when there is particular focus on a vexed question: where the boundary should lie between free speech - which should be protected - and speech that threatens, intimidates and leaves people feeling unsafe, which can and should be restricted.

He talks to Nick about why he ended up so passionate about this subject, and warns of society falling into an "abyss" of political violence.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Fiona Fairmaner
Editors: Giles Edwards and Leela Padmanabhan


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002kpx8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002kpxb)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002kpxd)
Paedophile singer Ian Watkins dies after prison attack

The former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison – where he was serving a lengthy sentence for child sex offences. Officials in Gaza say more than half a million people have returned to the territory's largest city since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Former US President Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer. Plus: the scramble for memorabilia from the set of Neighbours.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002kpxg)
Dom Joly, Lauren Lyle, Lorn Macdonald, Sarah Rankin, Tide Lines, Cara Rose

Clive Anderson is joined in Glasgow by comedian Dom Joly who first introduced the world to the concept of a very loud man yelling in to a giant mobile phone 25 years ago. He’s celebrating Trigger Happy TV on a national tour. Lauren Lyle is used to an investigation in her role as Val McDermid's Karen Pirie, and in new psychological thriller The Ridge she embarks on another kind of search for the truth, this time in New Zealand. In his varied career, actor Lorn Macdonald has made us chuckle with his turn as Albion Finch in TV hit Bridgeton, taken on Trainspotting on stage and now plays the tormented young playwright Konstantin in Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. After becoming a finalist on MasterChef in 2022 Sarah Rankin has cooked up a storm in the culinary world, and her newest cookbook Feast has the perfect recipes for hosting cosy dinner parties all through the darker months. Plus – she’ll be explaining why she’s been hanging out with the world champions of porridge-making.

Cara Rose shares her reflective new single, and Highlands four-piece Tide Lines look ahead to their 10th anniversary celebrations.

Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002kpxj)
Marina Abramović

Marina Abramović is the self proclaimed ‘grandmother of performance art’. Her latest work, a reimagining of Slavic fertility rites, opened in Manchester earlier this week.

Notorious for committing extreme acts to her body, the Serbian first achieved fame with her “Rhythm 0” performance, where she stood still in a room and invited guests to do anything they liked to her. They removed her clothes, cut her neck and held a loaded gun to her head.

Many of her biggest works were made in collaboration with German artist Ulay, her one-time romantic partner. They ended their relationship in 1988 by walking from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China and meeting in the middle.

In 2010, she received international acclaim for her performance The Artist is Present. It saw her sit in a chair for eight hours a day, 6 days a week for three months. She invited anyone to sit across from her. It famously ended with Abramović reuniting with Ulay.

Mark Coles looks back at her career.

Production
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Cooper, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus
Editor: Justine Lang
Sound Editor: Duncan Hannant

Archive
Abramović/ Ulay - Light/ Dark (1977)
Abramović/ Ulay - AAA-AAA (1978)
The Artist is Present trailer (2012)
TED Talk - An Art Made of Trust, Vulnerability and Connection (2013)
BBC - This Cultural Life: Marina Abramović (2024)
Marina Abramović at Glastonbury (2024)
Abramović - Balkan Erotic Epic (2025)


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002kgrj)
Thomas Adès

One of the most revered and prolific British classical musicians, Thomas Adès made his name with his 1995 opera Powder Her Face, written when he was just 24 years old. His orchestral composition Asyla was nominated for the Mercury Prize for album of the year in 1999. Recordings of his opera The Tempest and, more recently, his score for the ballet The Dante Project have both won Grammy Awards. His ten symphonic works, three operas and numerous chamber pieces are performed all round the world. In 2024 Adès was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious Gold Medal, previous recipients of which include Stravinsky, Brahms and Elgar.

Thomas Adès talks to John Wilson about the influence of his family, including his art historian mother who is an expert in surrealism. Through her he was introduced to the surrealist artists, the films of Luis Buñuel and met the painter Francis Bacon. His grandmother introduced him to the work of T.S. Eliot as read by Sir Alec Guinness on a cassette recording, and it was some of these poems that he was to eventually set to music for his first ever composition. Adès also recalls getting to the semi-finals of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year in 1990, a watershed moment for him as it prompted him to pursue music as a composer rather than a pianist. He also cites going regularly to the English National Opera as a formative influence and talks about writing his own operas including Powder Her Face about the Duchess of Argyll, and The Exterminating Angel, based on the film by Luis Buñuel.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002kpxl)
War & Peace: The UN at 80

Eighty years after its founding, the United Nations stands at a crossroads. Created in the aftermath of the Second World War to keep the peace and promote global cooperation, it has been celebrated for moments of decisive diplomacy and condemned for political paralysis.

Its story is one of ambition and compromise, ideals and realpolitik, from Cold War brinkmanship and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the surge of newly independent nations demanding a voice on the world stage.

Among its most intriguing chapters is the quiet, steady leadership of U Thant, the Burmese diplomat who guided the organisation through turbulent times and championed the perspectives of the Global South. His era highlights the UN’s enduring tensions - balancing sovereignty and unity, mediating between superpowers and responding to global crises that transcend borders.

Today, with climate change, pandemics, technological disruption and shifting geopolitical alliances redefining the global landscape, the question is whether the UN can adapt quickly enough to remain effective.

This programme examines the lessons of its past and asks what kind of peacekeeping role it can realistically play in the 21st century.

A 2 Degrees West production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 The History Podcast (m002kpxn)
The Fort. Omnibus 1

For the first time, commanders, soldiers and pilots who served in Afghanistan tell their story of the gruelling assault on Jugroom Fort - and an astonishing rescue mission.


SAT 22:00 News (m002kpxq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002kfmg)
The Food Innovators: 2025

Dan Saladino meets people behind pioneering projects rethinking the future of chocolate, seafood and food forests. Which one will win this year's BBC Best Food Innovation Award?

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SAT 23:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m002kf9g)
Series 14

1. Oakham

First stop of the new series is Oakham, nestled in the UK’s smallest county – Rutland.

Rutland has a village that's proudly twinned with Paris (even if the Parisians don’t know), has Europe’s largest man-made lake (which required flooding a local village) and hangs its horseshoes the other way round (so the devil falls out, obviously).

Joining Mark is Clare Balding, who’s also in town to take him on a ramble around Rutland, which you can hear in Ramblings, this Thursday on Radio 4.

This is the 14th series of Mark's award winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience. As well as Oakham, in this series, Mark be will also be popping to Wrexham, Cambridge, Lewisham and, Lerwick and Unst in Shetland.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4


SAT 23:30 The 3rd Degree (m002kfjv)
Series 15

4. Worcester College, Oxford

This episode coming from Worcester College, Oxford, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Maths, Theology and History, so naturally we’ll be looking at exotic 4-spaces, the concept of homoiousion and a little heraldic bird with no feet. And a slug called Shaun. And Wittgenstein.

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, universities include Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, Kent, Worcester College Oxford, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2025

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002kpxs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Bookclub (m002kfjs)
John Niven

Led by presenter, James Naughtie, the writer John Niven speaks to Radio 4's Bookclub programme about his 2008 novel, Kill Your Friends, which is a darkly comic satire of the UK music industry, as told through the perspective of the sadistic, Steven Stelfox, an A&R executive (Artists and Repertoire) for a London record label. The year is 1997, the height of the Britpop era, and Stelfox has his eyes on promotion.

This recording takes place in the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow, Pacific Quay.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

It was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002kpxv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002kpxx)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002kpxz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002kpy1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002kpy3)
The church of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury in Gloucestershire

Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury in Gloucestershire. Originally built in the 11th century the Grade One listed church has a ring of 8 bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1550 by Henry Jefferies of Bristol. The tenor bell weighs thirteen and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E flat. We hear them ringing Ruby Alliance Major.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002kf9p)
Access to Work; Access to STEM

The rumours continue to circulate about cuts to the government's Access to Work scheme. The scheme provides additional support for disabled people to get into and maintain work - such as specialist equipment and support workers. Following a summer of consultations, Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms is due to begin a review of the scheme but what do we know at this point? To help dig into this is Liberal Democrat spokesman on work and pensions Steve Darling, who has been trying to seek his own answers from government about what is happening to the scheme, the RNIB and Sassy Wyatt, who is a blind freelance travel journalist and accessibility consultant. Sassy describes the issues she's facing when attempting to renew her award.

Design engineering masters student and keen space enthusiast, Abi Way is in the process of setting up a new charity called Boomerang. It aims to assist and encourage more visually impaired youngsters to pursue STEM subjects. STEM being Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Abi describes how the charity will do this and about her own accessibility barriers throughout her education that led to her trying to help other students overcome them.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
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 (m002kr9x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Beyond Belief (m002kf94)
Prison Conversions

In this episode of Beyond Belief, Giles Fraser explores the deeply personal and often transformative phenomenon of religious conversion in prison. From heroin addiction and violence to spiritual awakening, we hear the raw and powerful testimony of Tony Winter, whose journey to faith began behind bars & Maliki Clique aka Ali Abdul Raheem, a former US inmate whose conversion to Islam during incarceration reshaped his life and message to over 700,000 TikTok followers. Panellists Pastor Mick Fleming who leads the Church On The Street ministry based in Burnley, researcher Alex Beaumont from the University of Law, Manchester, psychotherapist Jackie Oglethorpe who's also Chair of Trustees at the Community Chaplaincy Association and Suleman Amad Project Manager Criminal Justice at Maslaha unpack the motivations behind prison conversions, discuss how prisoners find faith as a path to redemption and how to distinguish sincere transformation from strategic adaptation in the prison context?

Presenter: Giles Fraser
Producer: Bara’atu Ibrahim & Linda Walker
Editor: Tim Pemberton


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002kr9z)
Jockey/Farmer

Harry Cobden is one of the country's top jockeys in jump racing. He was Champion Jockey in the 2023-24 season and at 26 years old has ridden more than 900 winners, and counting. When he's not racing he's working on his family's beef farm in Somerset. Harry tells Sarah Swadling how his farming life provides a release from the pressures of an elite sporting career.

Presented and produced by Sarah Swadling


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002krb1)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002krb3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002krb5)
Gaza ceasefire, Burnham and faith

It's a new dawn in Gaza as the ceasefire holds, we hear from the Catholic aid agency ready to send aid to Palestinians returning to where their homes once stood.

Israeli families countdown to the release of the hostages they've longed for: we hear from those already released on why their Jewish faith deepened in captivity.

Does Andy Burnham 'do God?' The Mayor of Greater Manchester says it is time for faith communities to help form a bedrock for a new vision of local government - and he credits Pope Francis with the idea of fostering a new culture of encounter.



PRESENTER: JULIE ETCHINGHAM
PRODUCERS: CATHERINE MURRAY & KATY BOOTH
STUDIO MANAGERS: MIKE SMITH & ADAM DOLAN
EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002kq3k)
Children on the Edge

Actress Susannah Fielding presents the Radio 4 appeal on behalf of Children on the Edge. The charity helps marginalised children, including those living in refugee camps, access quality education.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week. Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0754 for 7 days.

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 ‘Children on the Edge’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Children on the Edge’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Please ensure you are donating to the correct charity by checking the name of the charity on the donate page.

Registered Charity Number: 1101441. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://childrenontheedge.org/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002krb7)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002krb9)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002krbc)
Farsi Christians - hope in the midst of trial

Suffering for being a Christian - 1 Peter 4: 12-19

Many Farsi Christians have come to the UK from Iran, often leaving behind homes, families, and familiar ways of life. Their journeys carry both sorrow and hope: sorrow for what has been lost, and hope for the new life God is shaping. We hear from those who have travelled a long way — both in miles and in faith – in this service of thanks for the living faith of Farsi Christians, who in the midst of trial and displacement have discovered the promise of Christ’s welcome.

The leader is the Revd Canon Omid Moludy, Priest in Charge, Saint Aphrahat the Persian Sage and Priest for Cultural Diversity, Diocese of Manchester. The preacher is the Bishop of Chelmsford, The Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, she reflects on her personal experience of suffering and growth as an Iranian-born Christian.

Lord of All Hopefulness (Slane) (Sung in Farsi)
Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness (Bernadette Farrell)
Purify my heart (Refiner’s Fire) (Brian Doerksen)
Jesus lover of my soul (Aberystwyth) (Sung in Farsi)
You do not walk alone (Elaine Hagenberg)
Lighting the Way (Will Todd)
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Faithfulness)

Producer: Alexa Good


SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct74q4)
Greece’s debt crisis

It was a week that brought the future of Greece and the Eurozone to the brink. Ten years ago, on 6 July the Greek people voted against the terms of a financial bailout which included raising taxes and slashing welfare spending.

Greece owed €323bn to various countries and banks within Europe. Its banks were closed. A quarter of the population and half of Greece’s young people were unemployed.

The morning after the vote, Euclid Tsakalotos was brought in to replace Yanis Varoufakis as finance minister. His predecessor had accused European leaders of “terrorism” in their handling of the crisis. Parachuted in to last-ditch talks with angry European leaders, Euclid Tsakalotos describes to Josephine McDermott the make-or-break 17-hour summit in Brussels.

He reveals that when Angela Merkel, the leader of Greece’s biggest lender Germany, said she was leaving the room because she could not accept what was on the table, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, actually locked the door to stop her leaving and force an agreement to be reached.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A queue outside a bank in Greece in 2015. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002krbf)
George McGavin on the Red-backed Shrike

Entomologist and wildlife presenter George McGavin describes his lifelong fascination with the red-backed shrike. When George bought his first bird guide at the age of 10, this small shrike caught his eye because of its habit of impaling large insects and small vertebrates on thorns. This 'butcher bird' was once a common visitor to the south of England but was lost as a British breeding species by the 1990s - and it wasn't until 50 years after first reading about it that George finally got to see one.

Presented by George McGavin and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Featuring a recording from Xeno-canto by Elias A. Ryberg (Red-backed shrike - XC676551)


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002krbh)
Hope in Hostage Square

We hear from Hostage Square as families await the return of their loved ones. Gazans looking for homes in the rubble and look ahead to the talks in Egypt tomorrow. Also on the programme, we celebrate a former Nobel laureate with a hopeless school report by asking the great and the good about theirs. And actor Tom Hollander talks to Paddy about acting and AI.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002krbk)
Ronnie Wood, musician

Ronnie Wood is a musician and artist who has been a major player on the UK music scene for over 60 years. In 1975 Ronnie became a member of the Rolling Stones, one of the most influential and enduring bands of the rock era.

Ronnie’s parents were born and worked on barges moving cargo up and down the canals between Manchester, Stratford-upon-Avon and London. Ronnie and his two older brothers were the first in the family to be born on dry land.

Ronnie’s brothers, Ted and Art, were accomplished musicians and played in highly respected bands. Ronnie made his debut at nine-years-old when he played the washboard in Ted’s band during a performance at their local cinema. Ronnie formed his first band, The Birds, with some friends. In 1967 he joined the Jeff Beck Group with his lifelong friend Rod Stewart. Two years later they formed the Faces with the remaining members of the Small Faces.

Ronnie joined the Rolling Stones in 1975, replacing the band’s previous guitarist Mick Taylor. Ronnie’s love of art developed in childhood and he studied at Ealing College of Art. His work has been shown in exhibitions around the world.

Ronnie lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Sally and their two children.

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

DISC ONE: Guitar Shuffle - Big Bill Broonzy
DISC TWO: Shame, Shame, Shame - Jimmy Reed
DISC THREE: Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf
DISC FOUR: You Need Love - Muddy Waters
DISC FIVE: Adelaide - Frank Sinatra
DISC SIX: Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante \"Elvira Madigan\". Performed by Géza Anda (piano) and Camerata Salzburg (Orchestra)
DISC SEVEN: Roll Over Beethoven – Chuck Berry
DISC EIGHT: Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney

BOOK CHOICE: Just for Today: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts by Narcotics Anonymous
LUXURY ITEM: A chest containing art materials and a carpet
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf

There are more than 2000 programmes in our archive available for you to listen to. We have cast away other musicians and songwriters including Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper. Ronnie’s fellow Stones, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, are in our archive too along with Ronnie’s friend Paul McCartney. You can find their episodes on BBC Sounds or on our Desert Island Discs website.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002krbm)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Dave Payne
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davis
Chris Carter.... Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter.... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
Mick Fadmoor.... Martin Barrass
Amber Gordon.... Charlotte Jordan
Clarrie Grundy..... Heather Bell
Ed Grundy..... Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
George Grundy.... Angus Stobie
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin.... Taylor Uttley
Adam Macy.... Andrew Wincott
Paul Mack.... Joshua Riley
Lily Pargetter.... Katie Redford
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen
Prison Guard.... Janice Connolly


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002kpxj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002kfqc)
Series 4

Walking On Ayr

Paul Sinha tests his audience in Ayr on their knowledge of their home county. So, if you're not after half an hour of amazing facts about scientists, poets and football then, well... keep walking.

Written and performed by Paul Sinha.
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience

Original music: Tim Sutton

Recording engineer: Hamish Campbell
Mixed by Rich Evans.
Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002krbp)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002krbr)
Gaza peace process – a one-hour special episode

We hear from the relative of a hostage awaiting their return and from on the ground in Gaza. Also, a former Israeli Prime Minister and a former Palestinian diplomat on what comes next.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002kfn2)
From the Archives: Woodland

Is it possible to grow mushrooms on a living log? How do we control the spread of alder beetles in our garden? How can I remove wild garlic from a woodland garden?

Kathy Clugston delves into the rich Gardeners’ Question Time archives to unearth timeless wisdom on gardening in woodland conditions.

Drawing on decades of expertise, GQT panellists and chairs - past and present - offer trusted advice for every green-fingered challenge. From ethical ways to tackle moss and effective methods to control alder beetles, to planting schemes that gently deter unwanted wildlife, the team’s knowledge is as deep-rooted as the trees themselves.

Later, grow-your-own guru Bob Flowerdew rounds off our autumn feature series with a comprehensive guide to allotment tasks that will help ensure a plentiful harvest.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 One to One (m001q0r9)
Aleighcia Scott's Reggae Heroes: Chris 'Peckings' Price

In the 1960s George Price moved to London from Jamaica. George took his knowledge of Jamaican music and started importing records into the UK, becoming the only place to sell vinyl from famed record label Studio One. George sold these records to sound-systems and DJs and in doing so helped establish and grow Reggae music across the UK. He opened his shop Peckings Records in Shepherd's Bush in 1974 and its run today by his sons, Duke and Chris Price.

Reggae artist and Radio Wales presenter Aleighcia Scott speaks to George's son Chris about his father and how on Sundays legends like Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Prince Buster would pop round to the house. George started selling records out of a suitcase but people used to come to the house so often that his wife Gertrude insisted that he open a shop. They speak about the roots of Reggae music and why Aleighcia still sticks to those sounds when she performs with her live band. They discuss the enormous popularity of Reggae in countries like Japan, France and Brazil and why you can hear tracks by Rick Astley and Celine Dion dropped into dance hall sets in Jamaica.

Presenter: Aleighcia Scott
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field.


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002krbt)
Stormy Applause

Episode 1

Stormy Applause is adapted from the memoir of Rostislav Dubinsky, first violin of the Borodin Quartet. In 1953, as Stalin lies in state, four young musicians find themselves catapulted from idealistic students to unwilling cultural ambassadors of the Soviet Union. For Rostik and his closest friend Valia, every step forward brings new pressures: fame, censorship, KGB minders, and the gnawing question of how far they can compromise without betraying the music they love. Witty, moving and suspenseful, this is a story of friendship and survival - where every performance is political, and every note could cost everything.

Cast:

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
James Corrigan
Ashley Margolis
Danny Ashok
Lilit Lesser
Nick Murchie
Roger Ringrose
Maggie Service
Django Bevan

Musicians:

Andrew O’Reilly
Isabell Karlsson
Vivek Dinesh
Yixuan Ren

Sound design: Peter Ringrose.

Adapted by Nick Perry.

Produced & directed by Luke MacGregor and Sasha Yevtushenko.

A BBC Studios production.


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002krbx)
John Banville

Booker Prize winning Irish author John Banville speaks about his new novel Venetian Vespers and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other works of literary art.

Set in the year 1899, Venetian Vespers is told from the perspective of the unfortunate Evelyn Dolman, a self-confessed hack-writer who marries Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat, but in the midst of a mysterious rift between Laura and her father, Evelyn’s plans of a substantial inheritance are thrown into doubt.

For his three influences John chose: the Daphne Du Maurier short story, Don’t Look Now, from 1971, which is also the inspiration for director Nicolas Roeg’s classic film of the same name; The Aspern Papers by Henry James from 1888; and Death In Venice by Thomas Mann, from 1912.

Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan

This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 The 3rd Degree (m002krbz)
Series 15

5. Manchester Metropolitan University

This episode coming from Manchester Metropolitan University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.

The specialist subjects this week are Mental Health Nursing, Law and Digital Marketing, so there’ll be questions on the serious topic of Epigenetic Development Theory, the very serious topic of what legal form you need to ask about your drains, and the incredibly serious topic of what McDonalds tweeted back to Kanye West. And just what is going on with Blackpool’s postcode?

The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures.

In this series, universities include Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, Kent, Worcester College Oxford, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct7461)
Lunch atop a Skyscraper

In 1932, a photo was taken showing 11 New York ironworkers casually eating their lunch while sitting on a steel beam at the top of a skyscraper.

No safety harnesses, no helmets. Their legs dangled freely over the death-defying drop. 'Lunch atop a Skyscraper' is now one of the most famous pictures in the world but it's an image surrounded in mystery.

For years, the identity of its photographer and the 11 men have been unknown. Christine Roussel, archivist at the Rockefeller Center, tells Vicky Farncombe about her mission to uncover the photo’s secrets.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past.

We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Lunch atop a Skyscraper. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002krc1)
Maria Popova, Aditya Narayan, Kimberly Campanello, DM Black

Writer and poet Maria Popova on taking inspiration from 19th century ornithological studies for her new publication, An Almanac of Birds – 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days.

Slam poet Aditya Narayan has had an impressive winning streak this year – winning the Roundhouse Poetry Slam in April and the Loud Poets Grand Slam final in August. He discusses writing poetry for performance and rhyming English, Hindi, and Urdu.

Kimberly Campanello and D.M. Black are members of a distinguished group - poets who have translated Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy. They reflect on their different approaches to the 14th century three part work which takes the reader to hell, purgatory, and heaven - Kimberly weaving in her personal history including her Parkinson's diagnosis and the history of Italy in her translation of Part 1: Inferno, and D.M. Black drawing upon his experience as a psychoanalyst in his award-winning translation of Part 2: Purgatorio, and his recently published Part 3: Paradiso.

Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002krc3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002krc5)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002krc7)
More aid enters Gaza ahead of hostage release

More aid is entering Gaza, as humanitarian agencies scale up their response to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and final preparations are made for the release of the remaining hostages. A military coup appears to be underway in Madagascar, where an elite military unit has joined protesters calling for the president to resign. Plus: a 37-year-old man from Lincolnshire who says he practiced "for a couple of weeks in the office" has won the World Conker Championship.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002krc9)
Susan Hulme

This week, as Today in Parliament celebrates its 80th birthday, Susan gets a taster of how political broadcasting has changed, and how one late politician competed both at the polling booth and for pole position on the racetrack. As the BBC's Wild About Nature Week gets under way, Katherine Rundell leads A Carnival of Animals on Radio 4 whereas Curious Cases are considering crabs and carcinisation. Plus, like them or loathe them, aubergines are causing havoc on The Kitchen Cabinet yet again - Hairy Biker Si King has got involved.

Presenter: Susan Hulme
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production Coordinators: Caroline Peddle and Caoilfhinn McFadden

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002krcc)
After enjoying a Sunday roast with Clarrie and Eddie, George goes to help with the turkeys. George quickly shows he hasn’t lost his touch and Eddie’s delighted to have him back. But then one of the turkeys, Houdini, flies onto the Pole Barn roof and George climbs up to bring it back down. George and the bird come crashing down, but they manage to shut Houdini in with the others. In the process George splits his trousers, which they both find hilarious. But then George is downbeat about his reception back into the village, after his poorly attended party last week. Later, Clarrie promises to mend George’s trousers. George offers to take them out for lunch at The Bull on Tuesday, grateful that they took in Amber. Eddie admires George’s confidence, thinking he’ll be fine and things will get easier, but Clarrie’s not so sure.

At The Bull Lilian and Jolene look over the details of the upcoming Pub Awards event. Lilian thinks it’ll be a great opportunity for networking with important sponsors, but they’ve only been given two tickets. Jolene tells Lilian to take one of the other staff members. Jolene then approaches Tracy and Fallon, explaining there’s only one spare ticket and they think Fallon should have it. Fallon’s uncomfortable with the idea, while Tracy’s clearly disappointed not to go. They confront Lilian about the decision being unfair and Fallon says she won’t go under these circumstances. Lilian then suggests they draw a name from a hat instead.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002krcf)
Returned to Sender

Clint Buffington spends his time where land meets sea, searching for a very specific treasure - messages in bottles that have drifted across oceans. Over the past 20 years he has recovered more than 140 of them, each carrying a clue - sometimes decades old - waiting to be discovered.

Finding a bottle is only the beginning. The real mystery unfolds when Clint carefully extracts the fragile paper in his Utah home lab. He first teases out the faint, salt-blurred words, deciphering a message damaged by years at sea. Only then does Clint begin tracking down the person who sent it, often many years after they let it go. Each investigation is part detective work, part conversation across time.

The messages reveal remarkable journeys - a German sailor who cast a note into the Bermuda Triangle on his birthday in 1979, three French women who paddled across the Atlantic to set a world record, Puerto Rican students at a crossroads, even a pair of tiny dolls wrapped in a spell.

Join Clint on his search and the unexpected revelations it sparks - a reminder that across vast distances and years at sea, the quest for human connection is timeless.

A Sound & Bones production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001817f)
Meditate

In this episode, Michael uncovers the secret of mindfulness - how just a short mindful meditation a day can enhance your mood, your immune system and your brain. Our willing volunteer Peter has a go at ten days of daily mindfulness practice, and Dr Sara Lazar from Harvard University expertly guides Michael through the mechanisms by which meditation can train your attention, improve working memory, and even rewire your response to physical pain.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002kgs5)
Inside the Migrant Hotel, Train Tracks and In Our Time

The first episode in a new series of Feedback, presented by Andrea Catherwood.

A recent edition of File on 4 Investigates went inside the migrant hotels at the centre of anti-immigration protests in England to talk to residents about their experiences. But listeners were divided in what they thought of the documentary. The journalist who made programme, Sue Mitchell, joins Andrea to answer your comments and questions.

While Feedback was off air we heard the news that veteran presenter Melvyn Bragg would be stepping down from presenting In Our Time after 27 years at the programme's helm. You've been suggesting your favourite names to take over - and we talk to radio critic Simon O'Hagan about the end of Melvyn's reign.

And Radio 3 took the time to celebrate 200 years of the birth of the modern railway recently. There was a day of specially scheduled programming - Train Tracks, in which listeners heard Petroc Trelawney travelling from Inverness to London by train in the company of other Radio 3 presenters, soundtracked by themed playlists. Petroc joins us to hear what listeners had to say about the celebration.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002kfn6)
Patrick Bradley, Dame Jilly Cooper, Sara Jane Moore, Dame Patricia Routledge

Matthew Bannister on

Patrick Bradley, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Dame Jilly Cooper, the best-selling author of the racy “Rutshire Chronicles”.

Sara Jane Moore, the political extremist who tried to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.

Dame Patricia Routledge, the actor best known for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the TV comedy Keeping Up Appearances.

Producer: Ed Prendeville

Archive:
With Bennett: Patricia Routledge, BBC Radio Ulster FM, 01/05/2004; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 13/08/1999; Rivals, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Plus UK / Happy Prince, 25/09/2024; Mark Lawson Talks to Jilly Cooper, BBC4, 19/09/2006; In My Own Words: Jilly Cooper, BBC One, 30/09/2024; Hay Festival, BBC Arts, 31/08/2018; Riders, Anglia Films, ITV, 1993 (writer: Jilly Cooper, Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady; dir: Gabrielle Beaumont), LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE, BBC One Scotland, 19/05/1989; Gerald Ford assassination attempt, YouTube; New Voices (RU) 2015/16: Time of Our Lives (Ep. 38), BBC Radio Ulster FM, 31/01/2016


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002kpwt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002kq3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002kpwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002krch)
Ben Wright and guests discuss the Middle East, the China spy case and standards in public life

Ben Wright asks whether it's time to reassess the diplomacy of President Trump in the light of the Middle East peace agreement with Labour MP Fleur Anderson, senior Conservative backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin and Kirsty Blackman from the SNP. They also discuss the collapse of the China spying case and reflect on the party conference season. And Ben speaks to the incoming Chair of the new Ethics and Integrity Commission - Doug Chalmers - about upholding standards in public life.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (b016lh15)
The Moon

After 27 years, Melvyn Bragg has decided to step down from the In Our Time presenter’s chair. With over a thousand episodes to choose from, he has selected just six that capture the huge range and depth of the subjects he and his experts have tackled. In this first pick, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins, science and mythology of the moon.

Humans have been fascinated by our only known satellite since prehistory. In some cultures the Moon has been worshipped as a deity; in recent centuries there has been lively debate about its origins and physical characteristics. Although other planets in our solar system have moons ours is, relatively speaking, the largest, and is perhaps more accurately described as a 'twin planet'; the past, present and future of the Earth and the Moon are locked together. Only very recently has water been found on the Moon - a discovery which could prove to be invaluable if human colonisation of the Moon were ever to occur.

Mankind first walked on the Moon in 1969, but it is debatable how important this huge political event was in developing our scientific knowledge. The advances of space science, including data from satellites and the moon landings, have given us some startling insights into the history of our own planet, but many intriguing questions remain unanswered.

With:

Paul Murdin
Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University

Carolin Crawford
Gresham Professor of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge

Ian Crawford
Reader in Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, London.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002kfn4)
The Victim

When her ex-boyfriend suddenly vanishes, forensic accountant Natalie decides to turn detective. She's done an online training course, and she's bought a vintage trench coat. So what could possibly go wrong? A brand new detective comedy from J.D. Brinkworth, read by Ada Player.

J.D. Brinkworth is an award-winning comedy writer, and the author of The Pie & Mash Detective Agency.
Ada Player (BAFTA nominee) is an actress and comedian, and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe.

Producer: Katie Sayer

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

MONDAY 13 OCTOBER 2025

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002krck)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Soul Music (m0029rgc)
I Feel Love

Stories of love, loss and legacy surrounding Donna Summer's iconic 1977 hit. Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte wanted to make something which sounded like the future, and sure enough 'I Feel Love' went on to revolutionise disco and pave the way for electronic dance music. Almost 40 years on, it still sounds fresh to this day: the pumping arpeggiated bassline, the synthesized drones, and Donna's soaring multi-tracked vocals.

Writer and AIDS activist Mark S. King reflects on what the song meant to him back when it was first released, and then later through the HIV/AIDS crisis. Retail consultant and author Mary Portas shares how the song got her through a difficult time of loss, taking her to a place beyond grief. A place of freedom and dance. Singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano, Donna Summer's husband of 32 years until her death in 2012, remembers the heady days when they first met. It was 1977, the same year that I Feel Love was written and released. And music journalist Danyel Smith, author of 'Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop', celebrates the incredible legacy of Donna and the power of this pioneering track. A track that still, decades later, gets people on the dance floor.

Producer: Becky Ripley


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002kpy3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002krcm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002krcp)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002krcr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Last Word (m002kfn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002krct)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002krcw)
Three words for three generations

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Morning

My mum told me she loved me most days of my life. My dad, though, wasn’t one for words. Let’s just say those three in a row felt like too much for him.

Since he passed away in 2017 after a short battle with cancer, I’ve often wondered if his silence had a negative affect on our relationship. I haven’t made my mind up. But something he always did was drive me places. He drove me to gigs and picked me up from the airport before I could afford airport parking. We didn’t say much in the car, but I felt secure knowing he had my back, even if he never said “I love you.”

Something wild happened on the day he died. As he was slowly drifting to sleep, he whispered, son, I love you. If I’d been sitting down, I’d have fallen off my chair. I accepted him as he was, but hearing those words meant the world because it removed all doubt.

I’m a bit like my dad. I don’t say much, maybe five words a day. But since my son was born six years ago, I make sure I tell him how I feel. Ezra probably thinks I say it too much, but he’ll appreciate it one day.

Even though it’s not easy for me to be emotionally vulnerable, I know how much it can mean.

My prayer is that God can continue to help me open up. My dad saying “I love you” that one time wasn’t only a gift to me. It was also a gift to the grandson that he never met.

Amen


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002krcy)
13/10/25 Flood resilience, SNP Conference, county council farms

England's current approach to planning for floods is "underpowered and fragmented". That's according to a report from MPs which is published today.
The Environmental Audit Committee says the Government should set up a single joint flood reporting and information service and spend more on flood resilience, with a fairer funding formula for rural areas. The MPs say farmers can play a key role, for instance in storing water, but should be paid for their work.

We've been talking to all the major political parties over the past few weeks, during party conference season. The SNP conference continues in Aberdeen today and with elections to the Scottish Parliament in May there is a lot to discuss.

Over the past few decades many councils have been reassessing their property portfolios and council farms have been sold off. This week we'll look at why, and why some feel that's a mistake.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002krd0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002krkx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002krkz)
Endangered languages and vanishing landscapes

Of the 7,000 languages estimated to exist, half will have disappeared by the end of this century. That’s the stark warning from the Director of the Endangered Languages Archive, Mandana Seyfeddinipur. The evolution of languages, and their rise and fall, is part of human history, but the speed at which this is happening today is unprecedented. Mandana will be appearing at the inaugural Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages at the Barbican in October.

A sense of loss also runs through Sverker Sörlin’s love letter to snow. The professor of Environmental History in Stockholm writes about the infinite variety of water formulations, frozen in air, in ‘Snö: A History’ (translated by Elizabeth DeNoma), and his fears about the vanishing white landscapes of his youth.

In the Arctic the transformation from frozen desert into an international waterway is gathering pace. Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London and with co-author Mia Bennett sets out the fight and the future of the Arctic in ‘Unfrozen’. While territorial contest and resource exploitation is causing tensions within the region, there is also potential for new ways of working, from Indigenous governance to subsea technologies.

Producer: Katy Hickman
Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002krl1)
Saving lives at stadiums

Paul Gregory tells Rachel Burden how he's trying to get defibrillators fitted in each corner of every football stadium, in memory of his daughter Lauren who he used to go to games with.

The 29-year-old died following an illness, prompting Paul to set up a campaign known as 'Lauren's Legacy'. He's aiming to get them installed in all English Football League grounds.

Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they’re doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.

We’re all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it’s always worth a go.

You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Nicky Edwards
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002krl3)
Dads and working flexibly, Baroness Margaret Thatcher centenary, Diane Keaton legacy

Half of working dads feel nervous asking for time off to care for their children, more than 20% have been asked ‘where’s your wife/partner?’ when requesting flexibility and 44% say employers treat mothers more favourably in terms of flexible working. These are the findings of a new study ‘Barriers to Equal Parenting’ by the charity Working Families. Nuala McGovern is joined by Elliott Rae founder of Parenting Out Loud and Penny East, chief executive of the Fawcett Society.

In 2012, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman and mother, was found dead in a septic tank near a British army base in central Kenya. More than a decade later, no one has been charged with her killing. Last month, a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of her murder. We hear from Agnes’ niece, Esther who is here in London today meeting with the Ministry of Defence calling for answers and for someone to be held responsible.

Today would have been Baroness Margaret Thatcher’s 100th birthday. Britain's Prime Minister for almost 12 years, she was the first woman ever to hold that position. Adored and revered by many, grudgingly respected by others, reviled by some on the left & criticised by feminists for doing little for women, can her legacy be clearly defined? To discuss Nuala is joined by Baroness Gillian Shephard who served in the ‘Iron Lady’s’ first government and Sarah Childs, Professor of Gender and Politics at the University of Edinburgh.

Over the weekend, we heard that the Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton died at the age of 79. Bette Midler called her "brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary", Goldie Hawn said "You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to ‘shut up’ honey. There was, and will be, no one like you.” They were two of her co-stars in the huge 1996 film the First Wives Club.... but Diane Keaton made her name decades before in American film classics such as Annie Hall, The Godfather, Reds. Victoria Moss, freelance fashion and lifestyle journalist and Leila Latif, film critic, discuss her impact.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey


MON 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002krl5)
The Owl

In this episode, writer Katherine Rundell explores the fascinating world of owls. She shares surprising stories, including how Picasso kept an owl that appeared in many of his artworks and even looked a little like him. Rundell explains how owls are incredibly well-designed predators—some, like the Eurasian eagle owl, are powerful enough to carry off a baby roe deer.

The programme also looks at owl behaviour and intelligence. Not all owls hoot; some make unexpected sounds, including beeping like a reversing truck. While they don’t use tools like crows, owls do decorate their nests and have strong memories. Rundell discusses how these traits contribute to their reputation for wisdom, and reflects on how that idea has evolved over time.

But the episode also highlights the threats owls face. Around 30% of owl species are either extinct or at risk, including the Laughing Owl, which has already been lost. Rundell ends with a warning, quoting philosopher Hegel: “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the coming of dusk.” It’s a reminder that wisdom often comes too late—and that action is needed now to protect these remarkable birds.

Presented and written by Katherine Rundell
Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.


MON 11:00 Three Ages of Child (m002krl7)
Episode 3: Adolescense

Dr Guddi Singh is a paediatrician looking for answers. She’s worried about the patients whose problems can’t be fixed with a prescription – babies who are not thriving because their parents can’t afford to heat their home or children who are obese because they don’t have access to outdoor space. Children in the UK face some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. Dr Singh wants to find solutions.

In a three-part series, she travels across England through the three ages of childhood: the early years, the primary school years and adolescence. She meets people in the community, from health workers to teachers, on a quest to discover what’s going wrong and what it will take to turn things around.

In the final episode, Guddi looks at mental health in adolescence. She finds out about a project in North Devon that’s been created by young people themselves to support neurodivergent children at school. She travels to Cambridge to learn about plans for a new children’s hospital that will integrate mental and physical health. She talks to Professor Sir Michael Marmot about his ground breaking work on health inequalities and she asks Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education, about the government’s plans for addressing the challenges to the health of our children.

Presenter: Guddi Singh Producer:
Jo Glanville Editor: Kirsten Lass
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
Production Executive: Lisa Lipman
Sound Engineers: Dan King and Jon Calver
Photography of Guddi Singh courtesy of Anad Singh
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002krl9)
Episode 1

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002krlc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002krlf)
Holiday Booking Scams, Conveyancing Complaints and Private Chefs

You've been telling us about a scam targeting people who have used Booking.com for a trip away. It's a convincing one because the criminals seem to know your booking details, and can even send messages through the official platform. So how are they doing it and how can you spot it?

There's a shortage of purpose-built student accommodation - but increasingly, rooms are lying empty. We'll ask if young people are being priced out of this type of student living.

More people are complaining about the service they get from conveyancers - and is eating in the new eating out? We'll hear about why private chefs are no longer the preserve of footballers and celebrities.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


MON 12:57 Weather (m002krlh)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002krlk)
Joy in the Middle East

Donald Trump hails ceasefire as Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are released. The US President tells the Knesset it's the 'historic dawn of a new Middle East'. We're live from Israel, the West Bank and discuss what's next for Gaza with a former Hamas adviser.


MON 13:45 Winter Well (m002krlm)
Episode 1 - What Is SAD?

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode, we hear from Professor Norman Rosenthal, the man who first coined the term Seasonal Affective Disorder after he noticed a significant change in his mood during winter when he moved from South Africa to New York City in the early 1980's. This prompted him to conduct extensive research involving light therapy. GP and Writer Gavin Francis explains how light affects our circadian rhythms. And Ruth, Morven and Neina share their experiences of SAD, and a fear of winter especially when the clocks change at the end of October.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002krcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Alone (m000b6tk)
Series 2

The Big Scene

Louisa is due to make an appearance in a popular TV sitcom and invites everyone round to her flat to watch it go out ‘live’.

Under pressure from Ellie, Louisa also invites the show’s star, Maya Kumari, to come and watch it go out too.

The unattached Maya proves extremely popular with the men, particularly Mitch, and Ellie soon finds herself in a very awkward spot.

Sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London.

Mitch is a widower and part-time therapist, looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will, his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother.

Elsewhere in the building is schoolteacher Ellie who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa, and socially inept IT nerd Morris complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

Mitch ...... Angus Deayton
Will ...... Pearce Quigley
Ellie ...... Abigail Cruttenden
Louisa ...... Kate Isitt
Morris ...... Bennett Arron
Maya ...... Mina Anwar

Written and created by Moray Hunter
Produced by Gordon Kennedy
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2019.


MON 14:45 Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell (m0019rd6)
Episode 9

Evan S. Connell's Mrs Bridge is an extraordinary tragicomic portrayal of suburban life and one of the classic American novels of the twentieth century. Mrs Bridge, a conservative housewife in Missouri, has three children and a kindly lawyer husband. Her married life begins in the early 1930s – and soon after she and her young family move to a wealthy country club suburb of Kansas City. she spends her time shopping, going to bridge parties and bringing up her children to be pleasant, clean and have nice manners. The qualities that she values above all else. And yet she finds modern life increasingly baffling, her children aren't growing up into the people she expected, and sometimes she has the vague disquieting sensation that all is not well in her life. In a series of comic, telling vignettes, Evan S. Connell illuminates the narrow morality, confusion, futility and even terror at the heart of a life of plenty.

First published in 1959 it was perhaps overshadowed by the critical attention paid to contemporaries like Philip Roth and John Updike. Although Mrs Bridge was a finalist for the National Book Award in that year. Ten years later Connell published Mr Bridge which follows that same events largely from the point of view of Walter Bridge. In 1990 James Ivory directed the film Mr and Mrs Bridge based on both novels and starring Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. Fans of the book today include the novelist David Nicholls and Tracey Thorne, author and singer.

Mrs Bridge by Evan S. Connell
Read by Fenella Woolgar
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002krlp)
Sarah Waters and Walter Murch

BEAR by Marian Engel, chosen by novelist Sarah Waters
THE TRUE BELIEVER by Eric Hoffer, chosen by film editor Walter Murch
THE VISITOR by Maeve Brennan, chosen by presenter Harriett Gilber

Sarah Waters, acclaimed author of Fingersmith and The Night Watch, and Walter Murch, legendary film editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient choose the books they love.

Sarah's choice is a cinematic novel set in Northern Canada. Bear by Marian Engel is the unusual tale of a woman's friendship and subsequent sexual relationship with a bear when she travels to a remote island for the summer.

The True Believer is a remarkably prescient examination of mass movements from 1951. Author Eric Hoffer examines political fanaticism throughout the ages. Walter Murch chose it because he says so much of it rings true in today's fractured world.

Harriett's choice is the story of different generations of women in an unhappy home in Ireland. Maeve Brennan's novella The Visitor is a haunting tale of a chilly tight-lipped Dublin home.

Producer: Maggie Ayre, BBC Audio Bristol

Photo: Charlie Hopkinson


MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002klmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 The Documentary (w3ct82ky)
Kharkiv: Love in a War Zone

Over the past year, BBC Eye has documented life in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, helping to capture the deeply personal stories of those living under the continuing shadow of war. Just 30 kilometres from the Russian border, this Russian-speaking city has sustained some of the heaviest attacks of the war.

Reporter Albina Kovalyova follows the stories of people who have nevertheless chosen to continue to live in Kharkiv. One, Adela Knapova, a writer from the Czech Republic who unexpectedly found love during a visit to this frontline city last year - and who uprooted her life in Prague to move to Ukraine to be with him. He is an artist from Kharkiv, Konstantin Zorkin, who describes his belief in the transformative power of art and love.

These personal stories of love and life are intercut with the violence Russia continues to unleash on this city of over a million people. And they are set against a shifting geopolitical backdrop, of ultimatums and recriminations and talks, as all the while the attacks on Kharkiv and Ukraine continue.

Presenter/reporter: Albina Kovalyova
Producer: Louise Hidalgo
Editor: Rebecca Henschke
Executive producer: Michael Simkin

(Photo: Adela and Konstantin. Credit: Konstantin Zorkin)


MON 16:30 Legend (m002kpwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002krlr)
Gaza ceasefire deal: world leaders gather in Egypt

Phase two being discussed after Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners released. We hear live from Sharm El-Sheikh. Plus, Rory Stewart on how to rebuild Gaza.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002krlt)
The last living hostages held by Hamas are reunited with their families in Israel

There have been celebrations across Israel and the Palestinian territories, as a major hostage and prisoner exchange marked a significant step towards ending two years of war in Gaza. Also: The Conservatives urge the government to "come clean" about the collapse of the China spying case. And the Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to three professors for their work explaining how technological innovation has helped to drive economic growth.


MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002krlw)
Series 4

Walking In A Sinha Sunderland

Paul Sinha tests his audience in Sunderland on their knowledge of white suits, local football heroes and literary icons in a splendiferous half-hour of edutainment.

Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience

Original music: Tim Sutton

Recording engineers: Sean Kerwin & Hamish Campbell
Mixed by Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002krhf)
Akram has walked to Brookfield to collect a birthday cake that Leonard’s made for Khalil. When the rain starts David offers to drive Akram home, with a detour to drop off a machine part to a neighbouring farmer, Mulligan. But when they get to Meadow Farm they hear the distressed sound of unmilked cows and discover Mulligan lying dead in the milking parlour, before calling the emergency services. Later, David is grateful for Akram’s company while milking the cows. They discuss what happened when the paramedics got there, waxing philosophical about the meaning of life and death. David worries that he could have prevented Mulligan’s death if he’d called earlier, lamenting he doesn’t even know the name of Mulligan’s next of kin, his daughter, to let her know what’s happened. The least David can do is keep milking the cows, until another solution presents itself. Akram offers to help and both hope Mulligan’s at peace.

At the Maliks, Zainab and Khalil banter about his 'surprise' birthday party and presents. Zainab jokes that she’s bought him socks and underpants. Khalil is suitably unimpressed. Later, Khalil complains about being kept waiting for his cake before Zainab gives him her real present: tickets to a match in the Women’s T20 cricket World Cup. Delighted Khalil answers his phone and Akram explains what’s happened to Mulligan. He’s going to help David milk and settle the cows, which means he’ll be late back. Akram apologises for the delay, but Khalil is more concerned that the cows will be looked after.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002krly)
Lang Lang plays in studio

Pianist Lang Lang's 2019 album Piano Book was one of the best selling classical albums that year, with over a billion streams and counting. He’s now followed it up with Piano Book 2, an eclectic selection of 32 short works from both classical and contemporary composers. He came into the studio to talk to us about the album and to play for us.

Diane Keaton passed away on Saturday, at the age of 79. She spoke to Front Row in 2017, where she discussed her philosophy around style and fashion.

The Booker Prize 2025 is just a month or so away, and we’re talking to all the nominees. Today it's the turn of author Ben Markovits, and his novel The Rest of Our Lives.

Rare books are going missing across Europe in what's been described as Europe’s largest book heist since War World Two. Nina Nazarova from BBC Russian has been investigating the story.

The third film in the Tron series, Tron Ares, is out now. Guardian writer Steve Rose is on to discuss the prescience of the original, which depicted a new world of cyberspace and big tech.


MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002kgs7)
Will the Gaza peace plan work?

There have been in celebrations in Israel and Gaza at the announcement of a ceasefire and the beginning of a longer term plan for peace and reconstruction in Gaza.
There have been ceasefires and hostage releases before, but then the death and destruction has resumed, so why is so much more hope being invested in the current plan? And what’s actually in it?

Guests:
Rushdi Abu-a-loaf, BBC Gaza Correspondent
Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London
David Makovsky, Director of the Program on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy
Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Producers: Charlotte McDonald, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming
Studio engineer: Dave O’Neill
Editor: Richard Vadon


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002kgs9)
What can the UK learn from China on renewable energy?

This week, renewables overtake coal as the world’s biggest source of electricity. China is leading the renewable charge despite its global reputation as a coal burning polluter. Zulfiqar Khan, Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University and Tsinghua University in Beijing and Furong Li, Professor in the department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath explain what China is getting right and what UK science can learn.

The 2025 Nobel Prize winners have just been announced. The prize for physics has been awarded “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.” But what does that mean? Science journalist and author Phil Ball explains how the winning quantum engineering experiments in the 1980s laid the groundwork for devise used in today’s quantum computers.

Comedian Josie Long finds escapism in extinct megafauna. She speaks to Marnie Chesterton about her new stand up tour ‘Now is the Time of Monsters’. And Managing Editor for the new Scientist Penny Sarchet brings us her pick of the week’s most important new scientific discoveries.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Clare Salisbury
Content Producer: Ella Hubber
Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002krkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002krl1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002krm0)
Trump declares a ‘historic dawn’ in the Middle East

In a speech to the Knesset the US President hailed a ‘historic dawn’ in the Middle East as Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees return home under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.


We hear from voices on the ground and the BBC’s Tim Franks in Jerusalem to assess what the chances are of a lasting peace.


MON 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002krm2)
A Single, Determined Man

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

Michael takes up his burden and prepares to face Helm as Thomas opens his scientific investigations into the wind.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m0025bzz)
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir

2. The Music Box

Aldrich Kemp and the gang are back with some new faces as the race for the mysterious and elusive Rose of Pamir moves from London to Paris, New York to Amsterdam and the Maldives to Tajikistan.

Chapter Two: The Music Box

Clara Page's investigation of the Linnean Society break-in provided the first clues in the search and now Clara and Aldrich are heading south-west in a bid to beat the other side. Whoever they are...

Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Sebastian Harcourt & Dutch Interviewer – Kyle Soller
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter
Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt
Lionel – Steven Mackintosh
Selina & Miss Evesham – Catherine Kanter
Mister Dalton – Karl Davies

Written and directed by Julian Simpson
Music composed by Tim Elsenburg.

Sound Design: David Thomas
Producer: Sarah Tombling
Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Karen Rose

New episodes available on Fridays. Listen first on BBC Sounds

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002krm4)
Alicia McCarthy reports as the Home Secretary answers MPs' questions about the attack on the Manchester synagogue.

TUESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2025

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002krm6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002krl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002krm8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002krmb)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002krmd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002krmg)
Alicia McCarthy reports as the Home Secretary answers MPs' questions about the attack on the Manchester synagogue.


TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002krmj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002krml)
Cathedrals and Youth Violence

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

The other day I read that some of the most stunning cathedrals took around 300 years to build. The people who first laid stones knew they wouldn’t be alive to see the finished beauty.

Having grown up in inner-city London, I’m aware there are longstanding issues in my community. Youth violence is one of them. A sense of urgency can be helpful, but knee jerk reactions don’t tend to work. Real change takes a lot of dedication, and a lot of time. I’m doing workshops in Prisons this week as part of Prison Week 2025, and one thing I’ve learnt, is how complex life can be for young people. Adverse childhood experiences, undiagnosed trauma, a reduction in youth services, school exclusions, poverty, inequality, and a lack of jobs can all contribute to complications later on in life.

Sometimes I feel dejected, like anything I do is just a drop in the ocean. But remembering those cathedrals, maybe drops in the ocean are okay.

I may not see an end to youth violence in my lifetime, but if I play my part, maybe someone else will. That makes the idea of a collective effort more appealing.

I went to Rome last month and I visited a few incredible cathedrals. It’s clear to see that kind of beauty doesn’t happen overnight. That thought gives me impetus to keep going.

When my son is older, he might ask what I did about the challenges of our time. My prayer is that I’m able to answer proudly, knowing that with God’s help I did what I could, and stood on the right side of history.

Amen


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002krmn)
14/10/25 Microplastics and seafood, council farms, trade tariffs and farm machinery.

A new report says that the presence of microplastics in seafood has been overstated by the media. The paper, by researchers at Heriot-Watt University, says although media reports tended to concentrate on seafood contamination, the levels of microplastics in seafood is no greater than in other foodstuffs. It also says that dust and indoor air contain more microplastic particles than food.

All week, we're taking a closer look at county council tenant farms. These farms have traditionally been a first step on the ladder, often for young aspiring farmers to get a foothold in agriculture. However county council tenancies have become harder to find and in recent years many cash-strapped councils have sold off a significant number of their farms. Not so in Staffordshire, where one young farmer Tom Chapman is building up his herd of sheep after securing a tenancy.

Farm machinery manufacturers who export to the United States say their trade is being made 'almost impossible' after tariffs on steel and aluminium were extended. Originally tariffs on steel and aluminium were just for bulk items, but now, if a UK-made tractor is exported to the US, every steel or aluminium component - down to individual nuts and bolts - has to be taxed on the basis of where it came from, so the correct overall tariff payment is made. We speak to the Agricultural Engineers Association.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 06:00 Today (m002krgq)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002krgs)
Peter Knight on quantum technologies

There are problems and tasks so hard and complicated that it would take today’s most powerful supercomputers millions of years to crack them. But in the next decade, we may well have quantum computers which could solve such problems in seconds.

Professor Sir Peter Knight is a British pioneer in the realms of quantum optics and quantum information science. During his three decades as a researcher at Imperial College London, he has advanced our understanding of the physics which underpins how quantum computers work.

Quantum optics was a new field of physics at the start of Peter Knight’s career in the early 1970s and he tells Jim Al-Khalili about the excitement and opportunities for a young scientist at the birth of a new scientific discipline. He also talks about the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. Since his retirement in 2010, Peter Knight has been the driving force behind this £1 billion government-funded endeavour which has positioned the UK as a world leader in the development and commercialisation of quantum computing and other revolutionary quantum inventions.

Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Production


TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002krgv)
Why do we hoard?

Many of us can empathise with that feeling of keeping stuff for years and years.

We might keep treasured objects with real sentimental value, or we might have items for a long time - and yet we can't really explain why.

For those of us who don’t like getting rid of our belongings, life can feel very full of stuff.

But when does a tendency to hold on to things become more worrying?

It can be difficult to put a figure on just how many people have what's known as hoarding disorder but it was classified as a mental health condition in 2013.

So what causes this complex and little discussed issue – and is it more than just a problem of too much stuff?

Claudia visits a woman who describes how hoarding has taken over her life to the extent that she doesn’t let anyone into her home. We also meet her psychologist to understand what underpins hoarding disorder and how it’s treated.

And joining us in the studio is Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds, who brings an intriguing study about a phenomenon known as “environmental sensitivity”.

He explains what it is and its new-found links with very common mental health conditions.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt
Content editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth
Studio engineer: Tim Heffer

Details of organisations offering help and support with mental health or self-harm are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002krgx)
Bobbi Brown, Domestic abuse & family courts, Black maternal health film

Bobbi Brown is a make-up artist turned entrepreneur who created her now famous eponymous line in 1990. Her fresh-faced approach went against 80s and 90s trends at the time for bright colour and contouring and instead aimed to celebrate and enhance women’s natural beauty. She made millions selling her brand to Estée Lauder and has gone on to create a new multimillion brand. On the release of her memoir, she joins Nuala McGovern to talk about her life and work.

The family courts are failing to take domestic abuse seriously despite it featuring in nine out of 10 cases, according to a new report. The report reviewed hundreds of cases and found that judges sent children to stay with a potentially unsafe parent in more than half of them. It said safeguarding concerns were often downplayed or ignored in court. Nuala speaks to Nicole Jacobs, domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, who instigated this research.

A powerful new short film, 22+1, premieres tonight at the BFI London Film Festival during Baby Loss Awareness Week. Written by Pippa Vosper and directed by Pippa Bennett-Warner, it follows Ruby, played by Bennett-Warner, as she loses her baby 22 weeks plus one day into the pregnancy. Drawing on Vosper’s personal experience of baby loss and Bennett-Warner’s lived experience as a black woman, the film shines a light on the inequalities faced by black women in maternity care. They both join Nuala in the studio.

Last week, we looked at what impact the Women's Summer of Sport could have on grassroots participation. Today we look at the economic impact. Can women's sport call itself big business now? Something that many say will be crucial to its continued growth whilst others say it may risk losing its heart that makes different from men's sport. Joining Nuala to discuss is Dr Christina Philippou, associate professor in accounting and sport finance at the University of Portsmouth, and Sam Agini, sports business correspondent at the Financial Times.


TUE 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002krgz)
The Hippopotamus

In this episode, Katherine Rundell turns her attention to the hippopotamus - a rare and elusive creature with a surprising history. Among the more unusual diplomatic gifts received by the Royal Family was a pair of pygmy hippos, presented to Queen Elizabeth by the President of Liberia. It’s part of a long tradition of impractical animal offerings, and a reminder of how animals have often been treated as curiosities rather than living beings under threat.

Rundell explores the myths and misunderstandings that surround hippos, from West African folklore that claims pygmy hippos carry diamonds in their mouths, to medieval bestiaries that imagined them snorting fire. In reality, they are quieter, stranger, and more graceful than legend suggests. Though they can’t swim, they move underwater by walking along riverbeds, and when they sleep underwater they rise to breathe without waking.

Hippos kill more people than sharks and lions combined; they are the world’s deadliest large land animal. Territorial and protective, they attack not for food but for safety. Yet despite their power, pygmy hippos are endangered. Habitat loss and hunting have pushed them towards extinction, and their shrinking numbers are a stark reminder of how even the most formidable animals can be brought low by human activity.

Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m002kfnl)
Death

Viewers are so used to seeing death and dying on screen, often in dramatic or unrealistic ways. Ellen and Mark explore how films and TV are drawn to personifications of death, why we need more realistic depictions and who is making them. 

Mark speaks to film critic Kim Newman about the way in which personifications of death have been portrayed throughout cinema history, from The Seventh Seal to the Final Destination series. Mark then talks to director Kristen Johnson about her film, Dick Johnson is Dead.

Ellen talks to academic Michele Aaron about how death and dying has been depicted in film and if we need more realistic depictions.

Producer: Hester Cant
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002krh1)
Episode 2

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002krh3)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002krh5)
Call You & Yours: "Have you had work done on your home under government energy schemes?"

It's our weekly phone in today, Call You & Yours, and we're asking: "Have you had work done on your home under government energy schemes?"

The National Audit Office has criticised the government for two of its energy saving improvement schemes that have left thousands of homes needing remedial work after botched insulation was installed.

98% of homes that had external wall insulation installed under the schemes have problems that will lead to damp and mould if left unaddressed.

Nearly a third, or 29%, of the homes that were given internal insulation also need fixing.

For many years on You & Yours we have heard from listeners about botched insulation and other works being done in their homes. Often after being cold called on the phone or at home by firms saying they're acting on behalf of the government or local council.

Our phones lines open at 11am, the number to call is 03700 100 444.

You can email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002krh7)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002krh9)
The challenge of rebuilding Gaza

We hear from a Gazan who's reluctant to return home to her heavily bombed neighbourhood, and an expert on the scale of the destruction. Plus, we profile national Security Adviser Jonathan Powell with former cabinet secretary Lord O'Donnell. And Kate Bush-inspired visual art.


TUE 13:45 Winter Well (m002krhc)
Episode 2 - Let the Light In

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode, we discover the benefits some people have found from using light therapy boxes or SAD lamps during the winter months. At Milngavie Library near Glasgow, we learn of a SAD lamp loaning service, an idea which is growing in popularity. Neina Sheldon of Make Light Matter explains the idea of light nutrition and how workspaces can be adapted to provide the right amount of natural light. And we hear about the concept of the 'window song' and the 'wintering well' space which puts light - be it natural, electric or candle - at the heart of the home during winter.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002krhf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001d58w)
Talking to Chickens

Darkly comic, heart-warming drama by award-winning writer Christine Entwisle.

Toots is an octogenarian living unhappily in a care home. She wants more outdoor days, she wants her allotment back and she wants to see her chickens.

A doctor is sent to assess Toots. But she's menopausal and struggling with a variety of unhelpful symptoms. And when the doctor forces open Toots’ window to relieve a hot flush and then forgets to shut it, Toots makes a break for it.

Cast:

Toots… Susan Jameson
The Doctor… Rosie Cavaliero
The Policeman… Dennis Herdman
Trevor…Danny Hughes

Sound Design by Craig Dormer

Directed by Kirsty Williams


TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m002krhh)
History's Toughest Heroes

Kitty O’Neil: Hollywood's Real Wonder Woman

In the macho stunt world, a deaf woman is determined to push the limits. But as her stunts break records, can she keep cheating death?

In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone tells ten true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors who lived life on the edge.

Kitty O’Neil was the stunt-woman behind wonder-woman - in tiny hotpants and a bustier. But she was also a speed demon, a land speed world record breaker and all-round adrenaline junkie who beat all the boys. She used being deaf to her advantage. For Kitty, her disability was her superpower.

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

Producer: Michael LaPointe
Development Producer: Georgina Leslie
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Written by Imogen Robertson
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts


TUE 15:30 Beyond Belief (m002krhk)
Consciousness

Giles Fraser explores Dr. Iain McGilchrist’s brain hemisphere theory, which argues that the left and right hemispheres of the brain perceive the world in radically different ways—and that modern society has become dangerously dominated by the left hemisphere’s analytical, fragmented, and controlling mode of thought. He describes how the two hemispheres of the brain perceive reality in fundamentally different ways. The left hemisphere, he argues, sees a fragmented, abstract world—focused on control and acquisition—while the right hemisphere perceives a flowing, interconnected reality, rich in context, meaning, and mystery.

We unpack this theory with our panel of experts: Dr. Philip Goff, philosopher and professor at Durham University. Philip is known for his work in panpsychism, a philosophical view which proposes that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the universe—not just something that emerges from complex brains, but something that may be present even at the level of basic matter. His research focuses on the philosophy of mind and the nature of consciousness.

Canon Dr. Joanna Collicutt, psychologist and theologian from the University of Oxford. Joanna brings a unique perspective that bridges psychology, spirituality, and pastoral care—exploring how religious experience shapes and is shaped by the human mind.

And Professor Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist and a leading figure in the emerging field of neurotheology—which explores the relationship between brain function and religious or spiritual experience. Andrew is Professor in the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences and Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in the United States.

Also on the programme, The Sacred podcaster Elizabeth Oldfield, shares a powerful spiritual experience—one that defied easy explanation and left a lasting imprint on her spiritual life.

Beyond Belief is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4.

Presenter: Giles Fraser
Producer: Bara'atu Ibrahim
Assistant Producer: Jay Behrouzi & Linda Walker
Editor: Tim Pemberton


TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002krhm)
Who is the Door-to-Door Poet?

Poet Rowan McCabe meets ordinary people and brings poetry into their homes, or rather their doorsteps. Born and raised on a council estate in Hebburn, South Tyneside, Rowan has appointed himself the world's first Door-to-Door Poet.

He has travelled to the UK's most complicated, divided, and isolated places, knocking on strangers' doors and asking them what is important to them. He then writes a poem about their unique stories, their unexpected passions, and their fears, before performing it on their doorstep, free of charge.

It's sort of like the Avon lady, but with rhymes. Hear a brand new adventure which takes him to Donegal, Ireland in a bid to reconnect with his heritage and his poetry.

Presenter: Rowan McCabe
Producer: Olivia Swift
Executive Producer: Geoff Bird
Mixing Engineer: Eloise Whitmore
Programme image by picturesbybish
A Reform Radio production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002krhp)
Why do we get embarrassed?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken untangle the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, the Doctors turn their attention to the curious emotion of embarrassment - why do we feel embarrassed? They want to know how it links to blushing, how it differs from shame or guilt, and whether it might actually serve a useful, protective and even healthy role in our lives.

To get some answers, they speak with Dr Tiffany Watt Smith, a writer and cultural historian interested in the histories of emotion and medicine.

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

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Tiffany Watt Smith
Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis and Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Ruth Rainey

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

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m002krhr)
How do you solve a puzzle like the economy?

As the IMF raises its forecasts for both growth and inflation, Rachel Reeves admits the economy feels ‘stuck’. Also today: the government approves what's said to be the UK's largest solar farm. We'll have the latest from the Middle East, where hostage families continue to await the return of dead relatives, and Hamas and rival armed groups fight for influence in Gaza. Plus, the Parthenon in Athens is free of scaffolding for the first time in decades.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002krht)
People coming to the UK to work are to face tougher English language rules

People coming to the UK to work are to face tougher English language rules, requiring them to meet an A-Level standard in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Also: A man is sentenced to five years in jail for threatening to kill the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. And YouTube sets out a new approach to preventing young people viewing misleading content.


TUE 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m002krhw)
Series 14

2. Wrexham

Second stop of the new series is Wrexham in North Wales.

Wrexham has gone from industrial workhorse to global celebrity, thanks to two Hollywood actors who bought the local football club.
It’s a place where five of the Seven Wonders of Wales are apparently within walking distance of a Screwfix, where children learn “risk management” on playgrounds made from drainpipes salvaged at the council tip, and where an underground tunnel network may or may not have been built for priests sneaking to the pub... or for inmates tunnelling into prison for a game of pool.

This is the 14th series of Mark's award-winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience. As well as Wrexham, in this series, Mark be will also be popping to Oakham, Cambridge, Lewisham and, Lerwick and Unst in Shetland.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002krhy)
At Grey Gables Zainab is shadowing Oliver, who thinks it will be good for her to see the frustrating realities of his job. Zainab thanks Oliver for his support over her complaint about Lawrence and the golf club. Zainab gets on with one of Oliver’s more mundane tasks, before spotting on a personnel file he’s shared that his eightieth birthday is coming up. He’d rather forget all about it, but Zainab thinks Oliver should celebrate such a momentous event. Later, Zainab reports an error she’s spotted and how she corrected it. Oliver suggests she’d make a good manager, but Zainab is more interested in organising a party for Oliver’s birthday. Once again Oliver demurs.

Eddie, Clarrie and George arrive for lunch at The Bull, taking a table in the corner. Jolene assures them everything’s fine, but after some ill-advised comments by George the atmosphere becomes awkward. Clarrie apologises and Jolene reassures her there’ll be no trouble, so long as George doesn’t go looking for it. Fallon then tells Jolene she won’t hide and will be completely professional with them, before serving their meal. George makes a point of apologising for what happened to Fallon after the crash, while Fallon thanks him for helping Jolene and Kenton with Markie, then goes. Despite the awkwardness Clarrie and Eddie reassure George that it went well. But after they’ve gone Fallon confesses how hard it was seeing George again and Jolene reckons the Grundys are being optimistic if they think the village is ready to kiss and make up.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002krj0)
Sam Ryder performs live

Sam Ryder talks to Samira about his career, gaining Eurovision success with Space Man and he performs the song Armour live, a track from his forthcoming album Heartland.

With chart topping songs and a global smash hit animated film, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans talk about creating the phenomenon that is KPop Demon Hunters.

The Pulitzer prize winning African American writer Hilton Als and biographer Miranda Seymour discuss author Jean Rhys.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Claire Bartleet


TUE 20:00 Today (m002krj2)
The Today Debate: Has the UK given up on free speech

“The right to freedom of expression, if it is a right worth having, must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb.”

The words of the judge who overturned the conviction of a man for burning the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London last week.

A few days earlier the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called pro-Palestine protests in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester synagogue attack un-British.

Freedom of speech – and its potential limits – has increasingly become a battleground in the “culture wars” shorthand of our age.

Amol Rajan chairs the latest edition of the Today debate on the question: Has the UK given up on freedom of speech?


TUE 20:45 In Touch (m002krj4)
Sir Stephen Timms on Access to Work

Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms provides In Touch with updates on the Access to Work scheme. AtW is the government programme that provides disabled people with support in the workplace; be that funding for support workers or things like specialist equipment. Throughout the course of this year, In Touch has been hearing many rumours about potential cuts to the scheme, which caused fear and anxiety amongst the scheme's recipients. Sir Stephen Timms addresses these concerns and provides updates on his recent consultations which were based on what the future of the scheme may look like.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
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 How to Play (m002ht1f)
Verdi's La Traviata with Opera Holland Park

The singers of Opera Holland Park and the City of London Sinfonia invite us to eavesdrop on rehearsals as they prepare to perform one of Verdi's most popular operas, La Traviata.

Opera is one of the most complex art forms, combining not just music but plot, dialogue and staging. From the initial rehearsals with a piano, through to the first encounter between singers and orchestra, we see how the many complex parts fit together to produce a thrilling theatrical spectacle. La Traviata's story of a "fallen woman", doomed to die, and required to sacrifice herself to protect the reputation of a bourgeois family, presents challenges for a 21st century audience - how does a director keep it fresh?

We hear from soprano Alison Langer, tenor Matteo Desole, baritone Michel de Souza, conductor Matthew Kofi Waldren and director Rodula Gaitanou.

Produced by Jolyon Jenkins for for BBC Audio Wales and West


TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m002kgrq)
Chaos Management: Do Fewer Rules Make For Better Workplaces?

Can chaos ever be good for business? From Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies to Elon Musk’s disruptive leadership style, some of the world’s most high-profile figures seem to thrive on disorder. But does chaos drive innovation – or just confusion? In a world where start-ups often celebrate mess and speed over tidy management, we ask if “getting things done” sometimes means throwing out the rulebook. Evan Davis and guests discuss whether the best results really come from a bit of chaos.

Guests:
Jesper Brodin, CEO, IKEA (Ingka Group)
Erin Meyer, Professor at INSEAD and co-author of ‘No Rules Rules’
Simon Dixon, CEO, Hatmill, supply chain and logistics consultancy

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Phoebe Keane, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Sound engineers: Kris Hansen and Neva Missirian
Editor: Matt Willis


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002krj6)
More hostage remains arrive in Israel

The families of Israeli hostages killed in Gaza have expressed frustration and anger at the delays in the return of remains to Israel. Hamas agreed to return the bodies of 28 people under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. While all 20 living hostages have been returned, only four bodies have been sent back. Hamas officials have warned that some of the hostages’ bodies remain trapped under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment.

Also on the programme: we speak to a Palestinian man freed yesterday after two decades in an Israeli prison; and the winner of philosophy’s most prestigious prize tells us about his optimism for the future of political discourse.


TUE 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002krj8)
Look Above

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

The tables are turned as Helm is terrorised by aerial threats, and Selima is determined to move out of her comfort zone.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (m0021qb9)
Series 10

Aesop

Aesop is probably the most famous author from antiquity, judging by the ongoing sales of his fables about animals. It should be easy to do a show about him, thinks Natalie. But it turns out that everything we know, or think we know about Aesop, is contradicted somewhere. He may have been Thracian, Phrygian or Ethiopian; mute - or talkative; clever, provoking and possibly blasphemous.

It's a complicated story, and fables aren't even a Greek invention. With guests Edith Hall and Adam Rutherford, Natalie also takes advice from comedian Al Murray.

Rock star mythologist’ and reformed stand-up Natalie Haynes is obsessed with the ancient world. Here she explores key stories from ancient Rome and Greece that still have resonance today. They might be biographical, topographical, mythological or epic, but they are always hilarious, magical and tragic, mystifying and revelatory. And they tell us more about ourselves now than seems possible of stories from a couple of thousand years ago.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002krjb)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Westminster as MPs from across the Commons welcome the ceasefire deal in Gaza.

WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER 2025

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002krjd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002krh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002krjg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002krjj)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


WED 05:00 News Summary (m002krjl)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002krjn)
Alicia McCarthy reports as MPs question the prime minister about the Gaza peace deal and Wales's first minister answers questions in the Senedd.


WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002krjq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002krjs)
Prisons and a 100,000 Photographs

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning

I did a workshop in a prison recently and one of the men asked me, what do you fear most. I thought about it, and the truth is my answer would probably change depending on the day. But that day, my biggest fear was not using the gift God blessed me with.

If you know me, you’ll know I’ve become fascinated by the story of Vivian Maier. She even inspired the title of one of my albums, Everywhere and Nowhere.

You might have heard of her, but for the eighty three years she was alive, hardly anyone had. She took around a hundred thousand photographs of working class American life, but printed very few. After she died, a box of undeveloped negatives was bought at an auction by a historian. He began piecing together her story and today her work is celebrated around the world. But it came too late for her to enjoy it.

What I love is that while she was alive, she used her gift anyway. Life threw its curveballs, but she kept making space for what she loved.

I’m a rapper, and I’ve been out of action for a while. But recently I started recording music again, with no expectations. It feels good. I’m trying to love and use my gift, even if nobody cares, because that’s what it’s there for.

My prayer is that I learn to fall in love with the process again, rather than the results, and that there’s a satisfaction I feel from using the talents God has given me.

Thanks for the inspiration Viv.

Amen


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002krjv)
15/10/25: Milk prices, what it takes to get a Council Farm

Some milk processors have made dramatic cuts to the price they pay farmers, citing a global oversupply. Some of you emailed us to ask why prices for dairy products, like butter, still seem to be going up in the shops? Dairy analyst Chris Walkland explains how global commodity prices influence the price UK farmers receive.

We continue our exploration of the role the County Council Farm system plays in helping new farmers into the industry. Today, what it takes to win a competitive application process for, often oversubscribed, council farm tenancies.

Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling


WED 06:00 Today (m002ks2q)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m002ks2s)
Are millions of people getting Motability cars for anxiety and ADHD?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:

The Conservative party conference has been told that millions of people are getting free cars from the government because they have ADHD and anxiety. Is that right?

The chair of the Labour party says that only 3% of farmers will be affected by proposed changes to inheritance tax. Is that true?

The charity Movember claim that two in five men die too young. What does that really mean?

And Tim’s mid-life crisis has manifested itself in a marathon run. We ask a scientist if data can help him finish faster.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, let us know: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporter: Nathan Gower
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon


WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002ks2v)
The Magnificent O'Connors

3. The Murderer and the Silk

Jimmy is saved from the hangman’s noose with just hours to spare. With his sentenced commuted to life in penal servitude, he sets out to pass the time by learning how to write dramas. After ten years of moving from prison to prison, he’s finally released. But freedom doesn’t cut it for Jimmy. He wants to clear his name. He still maintains that he didn’t kill Donk Ambridge, and he’s determined to show it.

He meets and woos the young Nemone Lethbridge, in a whirlwind romance that will have devastating effects for Nemone and the path she’s carved for herself.

Meanwhile Ragnar enlists an expert in miscarriages of justice, Louise Shorter, to see what she thinks about the case and the potential for a new appeal.

Presenter: Ragnar O’Connor
Producer: Emily Esson, Victoria McArthur
Research: Elizabeth Ann Duffy, Louise Yeoman
Script Assistant and Additional Research: Marisha Currie
Script Writers: Emily Esson, Jack Kibble-White
Original Music: Lomond Campbell
Theme Music: Barry Jackson
Addition mixing and sound effects: Charlie McPhee, Kayleigh Raphel
Story Consultant: Jack Kibble-White
Script Editor: Graham Russell
Executive Editor: Gillian Wheelan
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Archive: The Russell Harty Show, ITV, April 1976

Thanks to Cheryl Field, Richard Field and Kirsty Williams


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002ks2x)
Liz Kendall MP, Women & Tourette Syndrome, Andrew Graham-Dixon, Singing to help postnatal depression

Only about 20% of UK tech workers are women. That's from a study by WeAreTechWomen & management consultants Oliver Wyman, which also found between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave the UK’s tech sector every year, costing the economy an estimated £2 to £3.5 billion annually. Across the UK this week, a series of events is taking place celebrating British women in tech and Nuala McGovern talks to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall, as well as the BBC Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman, to discuss the state of the industry with regards to women.

There is a new film out now in cinemas called I Swear. It is inspired by the life and experiences of John Davidson, and charts his journey from a misunderstood teenager in 1980s Britain to a present-day advocate for greater understanding of Tourette syndrome. John was also featured in a BBC documentary back in 1989 called John's Not Mad. There is more recognition of the syndrome now, singers Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish have both openly talked about living with Tourette's and it's estimated over 300,000 children and adults in the UK have it. The key features are tics which cause people to make sudden, involuntary sounds and movements. To hear more about the condition and how it impacts women and girls Nuala talks to Wilamena Dyer, musician and Tourette syndrome advocate and Dr Tara Murphy, Consultant psychologist in the NHS, and Trustee of the support and research charity Tourettes Action.

It's taken a few hundred years but we may now know the identity of the Girl with the Pearl Earring. It is one of the world's most recognisable paintings and art historian and critic Andrew Graham-Dixon has been on a quest, which we find out about in his new book, Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found. He spent years exploring the archives of Vermeer’s home town in the Netherlands and tells Nuala what he has discovered.

A three-year study has found that specially designed singing classes can help treat mothers with postnatal depression. Scientists at King's College London analysed the effects of a ten-week singing programme in south London on women at risk of the condition, and found they continued to see long-term benefits compared with those attending other play classes. Researchers say the groups could be a cost effective NHS treatment when mental health services are stretched. Nuala is joined by Professor Carmine Pariante from King's College who led the research and Jay Hayson, mum of 8 month old Ezra who finished the 10 week course run by Breathe Melody for Mums in August this year.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Andrea Kidd


WED 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ks2z)
The Glow-worm

In this episode, Katherine Rundell explores the quiet brilliance of the glow-worm - a creature that once lit homes and battlefields, and now struggles to survive in a world flooded with artificial light. In 1590, long before electricity, a book suggested using glow-worms to illuminate the home. Centuries later, soldiers in the First World War used them to read maps and messages in the dark.

Despite its name, the common European glow-worm is not a worm but a bio-luminescent beetle. The female glows brightest, emerging on summer nights to attract a mate. Their larvae live for up to three years, feeding on slugs and snails much larger than themselves. With precision, they inject their prey with toxic proteins that paralyse and dissolve the body - a slow and silent hunt.

But glow-worms are now in decline. Light pollution confuses males during mating season, disrupting reproduction and driving numbers down. Rundell reflects on our ability to conjure light out of darkness - and warns that if we continue on our current path, we risk extinguishing the natural light that once shimmered in our fields and forests.

Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


WED 11:00 Today (m002krj2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002ks31)
Episode 3

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m002ks33)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002ks35)
Vets Inquiry, Floodmobile, Deer Demand

The Competition and Markets Authority has set out its proposals for changes to the veterinary sector after an investigation triggered by complaints from pet owners about rapidly rising prices. We'll hear from the CMA on how their proposals will address big concerns about fairness, transparency and costs.

We're inside the "floodmobile" as we take a look at the ways homes could be better protected against the rising risk of floods in the future. New research reveals millions of homes could be better protected by 'Property Flood Resilience'. We'll take a look at what that means and how much it costs.

Plus deer numbers are up in the UK but demand for wild deer remains relatively low. More sustainable than farmed meat, free range and available as a result of essential deer culls which keep numbers under control - what's holding back the growth of the deer market and might it be on the verge of change?

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM


WED 12:57 Weather (m002ks37)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m002ks39)
Starmer to publish China spy evidence

The opposition say it isn't enough and that the collapsed trial "stinks of a cover-up". The Prime Minister blames the previous government. We're joined by our PMQs panel. Plus, the UN's Tom Fletcher on Gaza aid.


WED 13:45 Winter Well (m002ks3c)
Episode 3 - Get Out and Notice

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode, we focus on then benefits of getting outside in Winter, and the importance of being exposed to natural light. Hayden joins a Wintering Well walk to the Mugdock Reservoir near Glasgow where the group practice using a 'sky frame'. Noticing the detail of the colour of the sky within the frame can help to dispel the myth that it is monotone. Lulah Ellender describes the concept of 72 micro seasons - borrowed from the Japanese - and how this can promote a greater sense of close observation of the ever changing world around us. Health Psychologist, Kari Leibowitz, extols the virtues of dressing for the weather and how a positive mindset can transform Winter from the dreary to the enjoyable. And Ruth shares her 'Letter to Winter' in which she celebrates those glorious crisp days that sometimes come with the season.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4


WED 14:00 The Archers (m002krhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002ks3f)
Murder in Aland

Episode 3

In Episode 3, when a second murder strikes Åland, Pekka becomes the prime suspect. As he faces interrogation, suspicion, and his own unravelling grief, the line between investigator and accused blurs.

Meanwhile, new secrets surface - pointing toward hidden lives, clandestine meetings, and a dangerous game with no clear rules.

Cast:
Pekka ..... Pelle Heikkilä
Astrid ..... Laura Malmivaara
Andrei ..... Pääru Oja
Linn ..... Satu-Tuuli Karhu
Birthe ..... Anna Victoria Erikkson
Fagerudd ..... Jaana Saarinen

Other parts played by Anna Airola, Thomas Dellinger, Asta Sveholm, Akseli Kouki, Riitta Havukainen, Mikko Kouki, Kari-Pekka Toivonen, Sanna Stellan, Pihla Penttinen

Created by: Suomen Podcastmedia and Hannu-Pekka Komonen
Written by Satu Rasila, Akseli Kouki and Mikko Kouki

Sound Design - Samuli Welin and Steve Bond
Producers - Alex Hollands and Jenni Kaunisto
Director - Mikko Kouki

Recorded in Helsinki, in Finnish and English
A Goldhawk production for YLE Finland and BBC Radio 4


WED 15:00 Money Box (m002ks3h)
Money Box Live: Apprenticeships

The government wants more young people to be offered "gold standard apprenticeships". The plan was unveiled at the Labour party conference as the Prime Minister ditched the ambition for half of young people to go to university.

So we're looking at the financial side of apprenticeships, from how much they pay to what they can mean for a family's finances.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Ben Rowland, the author of Understanding Apprenticeships and also the chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, a trade body for organisations that train apprentices. And also Rachel Kayes, community manager for the Association of Apprentices, an apprentice support body with around 50,000 members.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: James Graham
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 15th of October 2025).


WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002ks3k)
Is AI dividing us politically?

A report by the National Centre for Social research show that political orientation shapes attitudes toward AI technologies and their regulation. With people on the right more open to Ai while those on left are more sceptical. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore why that might be the case and whether it has implications for how quickly people adopt Ai tools.

They speak to Helen Margetts from the Oxford Internet Institute about the research and what it tells us, before exploring with Thomas Ferretti from Greenwich university what it is about is about these political ideologies that might lead people to feel that way. Finally, we hear from Jillian Fisher at University of Washington about why creating a politically neutral Ai is impossible.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Sound: Tim Heffer and Murray Collier


WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002kq45)
What Victoria Beckham's revelation reveals about PR

Victoria Beckham is no stranger to headlines. And now she's revealed that intense media scrutiny led to her developing an eating disorder. Cue more headlines. One particular article stood out, which asked why those around Victoria - including her PR team - didn't seem to address the problem at the time.

This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at what this tells us, not just about Victoria Beckham’s story, but the delicate line that people in the world of PR must tread when they are dealing with a client facing a highly sensitive and personal issue. How do you discuss the elephant in the room?

On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, we're on the comeback trail. Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin has begun a very low-key return to her sport after serving a ban for 'excessively' whipping a horse. So far, she's not given any interviews. But is that sustainable - and what are the PR options for trying to return to the spotlight after a scandal?

Also, it's never a good idea to wind up a bear. Especially one from Darkest Peru with a serious marmalade habit. But that's what the makers of Spitting Image have done.

The Michael Bond estate and Studio Canal - who make the Paddington films - are taking legal action after the much-loved bear was depicted as a drug-taking, foul-mouthed beast in a YouTube series. Time for David and Simon to sit down with Paddington and offer some reputational repair work.

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 (m002kq47)
Reporting the Gaza ceasefire, Bari Weiss profile, Today in Parliament

Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy and The Independent’s Bel Trew join us to discuss their reporting on the Gaza ceasefire. Professor Lee Edwards from the LSE analyses how the media has been framing recent events. Also on the programme, who is the new editor-in-chief of CBS News? Semafor’s Max Tani profiles Bari Weiss. Plus, the BBC’s Susan Hulme reflects on the future of Today in Parliament as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.


WED 17:00 PM (m002ks3m)
Funeral director admits giving mothers wrong ashes

Former funeral director Robert Bush, 47, pleaded guilty to 35 charges of fraud, relating to human remains - including those of four unborn babies. He will be tried on a further 30 counts. Plus, the latest on the Chinese "spy" controversy and the 10-year-old star of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ks3p)
The blame game over the collapse of the China spying trial boils over in the Commons

Sir Keir Starmer has said the government will publish key evidence at the centre of a row about the collapse of a case involving two men accused of spying for China. Also: A former funeral director in Hull admits 35 counts of fraud linked to his running of the business. And vets insist they're ready to help pet owners struggling with bills after the industry is criticised for over-charging.


WED 18:30 Carbon Lifeforms (m002ks3r)
The Carbon Cost of Tech, The Internet and AI

Jon Long and Dr Tara Shine join forces for more of the hybrid comedy-magazine show that emits jokes and facts that (carbon) capture all things climate to demystify the issues and offer advice on how to make positive choices in our everyday lives.

This week - The Carbon Cost of Tech, The Internet and AI with special guests Chris McCausland and Mike Berners-Lee.

In previous episodes, we’ve covered Food, Travel and Christmas, so what’s next? Well, it turns out that our previous episodes did not solve the climate crisis on their own. So, for this series, we will be looking at the topics of Tech and AI, Waste Management and Recycling, and The Fashion Footprint.

Expect new in-studio guests and on-location experts, more games, more practical advice, more cold hard stats, and the return of Greenwash of the Week to shout out the heroes and villains of the climate crisis.

Presenters: Jon Long and Dr Tara Shine
Guests: Chris McCausland and Mike Berners-Lee
Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes
Live Sound: Jerry Peal
Post-production Sound: Tony Churnside

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 19:00 The Archers (m002kq3f)
Akram continues helping David with the milking at Meadow Farm. David admits the whole farm is a shambles and they still haven’t managed to get in touch with Mulligan’s daughter. He wishes he’d checked in on Mulligan more often, instead of assuming everything was okay. Akram asks about Brookfield and David admits how big a challenge it is keeping the farm going. Then Mulligan’s daughter, Esme, arrives, expecting to see her dad. Awkward David and Akram tell her that he’s died. Over a cup of tea Esme explains that she missed her last couple of regular visits and is shocked by the state everything’s in. Not being a farmer herself she’s incredibly grateful for everything that’s been done just to keep the farm going. David assures her they’re happy to help out in any way they can.

Having just found out about George’s visit yesterday Lilian takes Jolene to task for not telling her. Lilian then conducts the draw for the second ticket to the Awards do and Fallon’s the winner, although Lilian is suspiciously quick in disposing of the pieces of paper. Later, Tracy tells Lilian she knows she was cheating and shows her Fallon’s name on all the pieces of paper that were used in the draw. Unrepentant Lilian tries justifying her actions, but Jolene insists on another draw, only this time they’ll use a random generator app on her phone. When the draw is made excited Tracy is declared the winner. Lilian congratulates her grudgingly.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m002ks3t)
Richard Ashcroft on his new album

Singer songwriter Richard Ashcroft - former frontman of The Verve - talks about the material on his new album Lovin You, and about supporting Oasis on their reunion tour this summer.

A play without a script which questions the impact of AI on our lives and celebrates the ingenuity of human actors: Writer Nathan Ellis and actor Roisin Gallagher join us live to talk about Instructions, which is being performed next week at the Belfast International Arts Festival.

As an exhibition of work by the daredevil pilot and photographer Alfred Buckham goes on show at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, we hear about his incredible career from curator Louise Pearson and the presenter of Take Four Books and Scotland from the Sky, James Crawford.

And Scotland's National Librarian Amina Shah joins us to reflect on a report into a controversy around the Library's centenary exhibition, which has been concluded this week.

Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002kfmn)
Angry middle-aged white men

Football pundit and former Manchester United star Gary Neville posted a video that he pitched as a call to national unity. But was greeted by a wave of online vitriol for one line in which he blamed “angry middle-aged white men” for creating political division.
Many middle-aged white men took to social media – to deny they are angry, to describe their anger as justified, or to call Neville’s comments the out-of-touch ramblings of a “champagne socialist”.
But the footballer has his supporters too, with some saying he put his finger on a specific group that has been pulling at the fault lines of British politics by hoisting flags and protesting against immigration.
What do polling and history tell us about the political divides within our society – and when it comes to our political divisions, who’s really to blame?
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Production team: Emma Close, Natasha Fernandes, Mike Wendling
Studio manager: Andy Mills
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Richard Vadon


WED 20:45 Superhead (m00237pw)
Episode 2 - Lots of Untapped Potential

John Dickens has been investigating Trevor Averre-Beeson for the best part of a decade. Averre-Beeson was once one of the most prominent examples of the generation of “Superheads” that Tony Blair and Michael Gove backed in turn to help transform failing schools in Britain. He built an education empire around a large academy trust, Lilac Sky.

But in 2016, that empire suddenly and rapidly collapsed, sparking a scandal that sent shockwaves through the world of education.

John Dickens explores the inside story behind the rise and fall of one of Britain’s most charismatic educators, and investigates whether the rapid growth - and precipitous collapse - of Lilac Sky exposes weaknesses in regulation that the government has failed to fully reckon with.

In Episode 2, John hears from an insider who describes Trevor's ill fated spell at the helm of an education experiment, when an American firm became one of the first private companies to run a British school, and appointed him as Headteacher.

Producers: Robert Nicholson and Charlie Towler
Sound Design: Tom Brignell
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002krgs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002krgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002ks3x)
Key evidence in China spying case released

As the government publishes key witness statements at the centre of a collapsed case involving two men accused of spying for China, we hear reaction from the former head of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, Dominic Grieve.

Also on the programme: former Downing Street Adviser Dominic Cummings claims that there was a serious breach of data with the highest security classification in 2020. The Cabinet Office has denied his claim.

And we visit the five-day festival of Japanese sumo wrestling that's taken over the Royal Albert Hall in London.


WED 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002ks3z)
Into Helm's Lair

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

Nathaniel’s thirst for destruction reaches its height, and violence looms at Grange House.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 Tom & Lauren Are Going OOT (m0021xqg)
Series 1

1. Pre-Wedding Banter

New comedy from writers and performers Tom Machell (Radio 4's Our Friends in the North, Channel 4's Hullraisers, and ITV2's The Emily Atack Show) and Lauren Pattison (Edinburgh Best Newcomer 2017, Best Comedy Show Nominee 2022, and BBC Three's Jerk).

In this first episode, Tom finds the pressure of being a groomsman at his cousin’s wedding almost too much to handle. Meanwhile Lauren exacerbates the situation by taking an age to perfect her eye makeup and making some unconventional wardrobe choices.

With Julian Clary.

Cast:
TOM MACHELL as Tom
LAUREN PATTISON as Lauren
JULIAN CLARY as Neil

Writers: Tom Machell & Lauren Pattison
Director: Katharine Armitage
Recording Engineer: Tom Glenwright
Sound Design: Philip Quinton
Theme Music: Scrannabis
Producers: Maria Caruana Galizia & Zahra Zomorrodian

A Candle & Bell Production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 Humanwatch (m002ks41)
1. Swimming, Students and Shetland

Join enthusiastic presenters Marjolein Robertson and Gareth Waugh as they explore the fascinating world of Humans.
In this episode, roving reporter Phil gets acquainted with the Jones family nest in swanky Swindon, while the gang contemplate the confusing human phenomena of wild swimming, freshers and accents.

Written and presented by Marjolein Robertson and Gareth Waugh
With Phil Ellis and Katia Kvinge
Additional voices from Dean Coughlin & Kate Hammer
Produced by Lauren Mackay
Sound by Fraser Jackson
Photographer: Chris Quilietti

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002ks44)
Alicia McCarthy reports as Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch clash over the collapse of the case against two men accused of spying for China.

THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER 2025

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002ks46)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002ks31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002ks48)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002ks4b)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


THU 05:00 News Summary (m002ks4d)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002ks4g)
Alicia McCarthy reports on Prime Minister's Questions - and a row over who was to blame for the collapse of the China spy case.


THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002ks4j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002ks4l)
Coffee and Feelings

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning

I’ve been doing some work on my relationship with feeling pain. In my experience, it’s inevitable in life, and I always thought I handled it quite well. I grew up in the East End of London where the mentality was stiff upper lip, get through it by any means necessary.

What I’ve realised is that instead of facing pain head on, going through the tunnel and coming out the other side with a scar of victory, I often avoided the tunnel altogether. I became numb.

Dr Gabor Maté says when we’re under threat there are three natural responses. First is to ask for help. If there’s no help, the second is to fight. If you can’t fight, the third is to run away. But what if there’s no help, you’re can’t fight back, and you can’t run? Well, then you go numb. That’s your body’s way of protecting you from the pain.

I lived my whole life numbing and I sometimes feel like I have a heart of stone. Like there’s not much that really moves me. But deep down I’d love to feel things again.

I’ve started trying different ways of approaching that, and while I’m still figuring it out, it’s making a difference. The other day I was having a coffee in a coffee shop and after a couple of sips, I thought, I can actually taste this coffee. My numbness made things like that part of my routine, rather than something to enjoy. Maybe next time I’ll have more answers, but for now my prayer is that I simply learn that being numb isn’t the same thing as being strong. Real strength comes when you’re able to feel in a healthy way.

Amen


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002ks4n)
16/10/25 Environmental scheme extension 'too late', The Windsor Framework 'overwhelmingly complex', county council farm incomes

"Too little too late", that’s what we’re hearing from some farmers who’ve already ploughed up and planted fields that were being farmed for nature. They say this is because the government took too long to come up with an extension to their environmental funding.

A House of Lords Committee says the Windsor Framework, the post-Brexit agreement between the UK and EU that’s meant to simplify trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is "overwhelmingly complex".

Powys Council has just closed a consultation on plans for a new farm policy, which includes the possibility of selling some of its council owned farms. The Council says incomes are too low and maintenance costs too high on some of its farms, but local council farm tenants hope farming will remain a key part of council plans.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


THU 06:00 Today (m002kq26)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m00139nw)
Thomas Hardy's Poetry

After 27 years, Melvyn Bragg has decided to step down from the In Our Time presenter’s chair. With over a thousand episodes to choose from, he has selected just six that capture the huge range and depth of the subjects he and his experts have tackled. In this second of his choices, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss one of his favourite poets.

Their topic is Thomas Hardy (1840 -1928) and his commitment to poetry, which he prized far above his novels. In the 1890s, once he had earned enough from his fiction, Hardy stopped writing novels altogether and returned to the poetry he had largely put aside since his twenties. He hoped that he might be ranked one day alongside Shelley and Byron, worthy of inclusion in a collection such as Palgrave's Golden Treasury which had inspired him. Hardy kept writing poems for the rest of his life, in different styles and metres, and he explored genres from nature, to war, to epic. Among his best known are what he called his Poems of 1912 to 13, responding to his grief at the death of his first wife, Emma (1840 -1912), who he credited as the one who had made it possible for him to leave his work as an architect's clerk and to write the novels that made him famous.

With

Mark Ford
Poet, and Professor of English and American Literature, University College London.

Jane Thomas
Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Hull and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds

And

Tim Armstrong
Professor of Modern English and American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002kq2h)
The End of the Age of Terror and Death (with Stewart Lee)

One one hand, the world is going to hell, on the other, the age of terror and death has ended, so which is it? Stewart Lee joins Armando to take a look at this maximal approach to political language.

How do you do moderate politics with caps lock on? What's the smart way to diffuse complex arguments about politics? And given the details still to be worked out in the Isreal Gaza peace process, is this week's Peace Summit Trump's 'Mission Accomplished' moment?

Have a message for Armando? Drop us a line on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Listen to Strong Message Here at 09:45 on Thursday mornings on Radio 4, or the extended version on BBC Sounds.

Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Sound Editing: Chris MacLean
Recorded at The Sound Company

Strong Message Here is produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, and is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002kq2n)
Global surrogacy, Karen Carney, Low-income & SEND, Talc trial

A major UK group litigation has been launched against Johnson & Johnson, involving approximately 3,000 claimants who allege they developed cancers due to asbestos-contaminated talc products. The company is accused of negligence and deceit. Johnson & Johnson deny the allegations. The BBC Health reporter, Chloe Hayward, joins Anita Rani to talk about what is known so far.

Surrogacy and its impact is the subject of a new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem. In 2023, the global surrogacy market was valued at nearly $15 billion and is projected to reach almost $100 billion in the next eight years. Here in the UK commercial surrogacy is illegal - surrogacy has to be altruistic, meaning only expenses are paid for and the motivation behind it is typically helping someone else. It is legal, however, to have a child in another country where the rules may differ. To discuss the ethics of the practice, Anita is joined by Reem Alsalem and Sarah Jones, CEO of Surrogacy UK.

Karen Carney is one of the most capped female footballers for England. The former Lioness joins Anita to talk about how she is using Strictly to help her 'rebuild confidence' after being 'crushed' by the sexist abuse she faced as a football pundit and her vision to improve women’s sport.

Children with special educational needs from low-income families are facing major inequalities in access to support, according to a new report out today from the Sutton Trust. Anita is joined by Charlotte O’Regan, Senior Schools Engagement Manager at the Sutton Trust, lead author of the report Double Disadvantage, to talk about its findings.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt


THU 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002kq2s)
The Giraffe

In this episode Katherine Rundell turns her gaze skyward to the giraffe - a creature so improbable, it has long unhinged human imagination. From ancient Rome, where Caesar’s giraffe was paraded as a marvel and called the “cameleopard,” to medieval cosmographers who theorised its origins as a hybrid of hyena, camel, and cow, the giraffe has inspired centuries of enthusiastic, if wildly inaccurate, storytelling, its elegance and strangeness sparking delight across cultures and eras.

But beyond the myth lies the miracle of biology. Giraffes gestate for fifteen months before their calves drop five feet to the earth - and they stand within minutes. Despite their height and grandeur, they are gentle hosts to the small: oxpeckers have been seen nestled in their armpits during rainstorms. Sadly, despite their quiet dignity and resilience, their numbers have been dwindling. Giraffe parts remain legal to trade in some countries, including the United States, which has yet to classify them as endangered.

Yet the giraffe’s power lies not in rarity, but in wonder. Rundell recounts the story of La Belle Girafe, who arrived in Paris in 1827 - a moment that sent the city into a frenzy of giraffe-mania. Though Paris eventually tired of its miracle, the giraffe remains a symbol of the earth’s glorious improbability.

Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002kq2v)
Rose Tremain

Dame Rose Tremain is one of Britain’s most prolific and popular writers, having written 17 novels and five collections of short stories over the last 50 years. She was one of only six women on Granta magazine's inaugural 1982 list of the best young British novelists, alongside Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie and others. Her fifth novel Restoration was nominated for the Booker Prize in 1989, she won the Whitbread Prize for Music And Silence in 1999, and was awarded the 2008 Orange Prize - the precursor to the Women’s Prize for Fiction - for her novel The Road Home. Having already been made a CBE in 2007, she became Dame Rose Tremain in 2020 for services to writing. Her most recent work is a short story called The Toy Car.

Rose Tremain tells John Wilson how her father, a largely unsuccessful playwright called Keith Thomson, inspired her childhood interest in storytelling, although he never encouraged her to write. She recalls how she first started writing fiction to help her cope with loneliness in a household where there was little parental affection.
Rose recalls how it was a teacher at her boarding school who first recognised her ability and encouraged her to apply for an Oxbridge university place, only to be dissuaded by her mother, who sent her to a finishing school in France instead. She credits the novelist Angus Wilson, one of her English Literature tutors at the University Of East Anglia, for giving her the confidence to write her first novel. She also chooses The Diary Of Samuel Pepys as a major inspiration on her 1989 Booker-shortlisted novel Restoration, which was later turned into a Hollywood film starring Robert Downey Jnr. and Meg Ryan.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


THU 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002kq2x)
Episode 4

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m002kq30)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m002kq32)
Human Resources: Is HR Out of Control?

Once known as “personnel”, Human Resources seems to have become a real centre of power in modern business. No longer just handing out payslips or organising the Christmas party, HR now shapes company culture, influences major decisions and – some say – acts as a kind of corporate police force and judiciary. The profession has doubled in size over the past two decades and grown in authority. How did it rise so fast and what does its growing influence mean for the workplace? Evan Davis and guests discuss how HR seemingly took control of the corporate agenda and ask whether company bosses have delegated too much power to a profession that comes with its own code of values and priorities.

Guests:
Neil Morrison, HR Director, Severn Trent
Nicole Whittaker, Associate Director of HR Consultancy, Peninsula
Pamela Dow, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Civic Future

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Sound: Pat Sissons and Duncan Hannant
Editor: Matt Willis


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002kq34)
Toenail Fungus Treatments

Can anything stop toenail fungus in its tracks?

It's one of the most-requested but least-talked-about topics, so listener Julia speaks for many as she joins us to ask about treatments for toenail fungus. She's keen to know if the laser-light devices shes's seen on social media really do work, as well as over-the-counter lacquers and prescription drugs.

To get the answers Greg and Julia are joined in the Salford studio by Dr Ivan Bristow, who's on the British Association of Dermatologists' Foot Fungus Task Force.

Each episode Greg investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread' and should you spend your money on them?

At Sliced Bread, we're hungry for your suggestions so we can keep making fresh batches! If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT


THU 12:57 Weather (m002kq36)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002kq38)
Inquiry into China spy case announced

The Crown Prosecution Service and the Government will be questioned by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy over the collapse of a case involving alleged spying on behalf of China in the UK.


THU 13:45 Winter Well (m002kq3b)
Episode 4 - Embrace the Darkness

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode, we follow the pattern of the natural world and embrace the darkness of winter. According to health psychologist Kari Leibowitz, every other creature on the planet changes their behaviour during the dark months. So why shouldn't we? She draws on her experience living and researching in Norway where, despite a lack of light, they seem to see Winter as an opportunity rather than something to be endured. Plant Researcher Dr Em May Armstrong explains how trees, plants and seeds undertake an active dormancy as part of their natural cycle, and how she goes about trying to imitate their rhythms. And Hayden celebrates the Scottish idea of 'coorying in' which effectively means getting cosy and settling in.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4


THU 14:00 The Archers (m002kq3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001lqmx)
Leaving (Part 1)

by Tessa Gibbs

A darkly funny family drama about love, loss and legacy - and why doing the right thing can seem like the wrong thing to do.

Part One.

Catriona ..... Georgie Glen
Isla ..... Anita Vettesse
Drew ..... Robin Laing
Esme ..... Anneika Rose
DS Wallace ..... Kyle Gardiner

Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m002kq3h)
Walk for Wendy - Chater Valley

Clare explores a six-mile loop of the Chater Valley in this week’s Ramblings. Her companion is Will Hetherington who wrote to the programme inviting Clare to join him. He wanted to share his story of sudden bereavement, and the positivity that ultimately emerged from it.

Tragically, in 2017, Will’s first wife, Wendy, took her own life. It was an enormous shock, bringing with it what Will describes as “complicated grief.” However, a remark at her funeral about a long walk Will and Wendy had once done together led to the suggestion that he organise a group walk in her name. Sixty people turned up for that first hike, and it’s now grown into a regular event known as Walk for Wendy.

Will says walking has been a wonderful way for him to process his emotions, and for others to step away from the daily grind and open up about the things that affect them. His passion for the outdoors has even led him to publish a series of books about walking in the local area.

Clare and Will met in North Luffenham, continued onto Pilton, Wing, Lyndon and then completed their circuit by returning to North Luffenham. This is Clare's second consecutive walk in Rutland... check out last week's episode where she ambled around the Hambleton Peninsula with the comedian, Mark Steel.

Map: OS Explorer 234 - Rutland Water (approaching the southern edge of the map)
Map Ref: SK 935 033 for Church Street where they started - and ended - the walk

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: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002kq3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Feedback (m002kq3m)
Politics Editor Chris Mason. Interview of the Year. Desert Island Discs with Ronnie Wood

With a summer of political turmoil over, and party conference season near an end, Andrea Catherwood talks to Chris Mason about how BBC audio coverage has reflected the key political players. The Feedback inbox has been receiving messages that question the amount of coverage given to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Chris responds to your questions and weighs in on what he says is a change in UK politics we haven't seen in decades.

And our search for BBC audio's best interview of 2025 continues. One listener has nominated an interview conducted by presenter Evan Davies in a recent episode of PM. He spoke to an unnamed asylum seeker from Somalia, currently waiting on an asylum application in the Bell Hotel in Epping. What they discussed revealed a different side of a story that has seized the attention of the nation this year.

Finally, we've heard from a listener who has thoughts about a recent episode of Desert Island Discs - in which Rolling Stone's guitarist Ronnie Wood seemed to request an endless array of luxury items for his island getaway.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002kq3q)
Is the UK in a data crisis?

As Rachel Reeves approaches a tricky budget, her job has got that much harder. Some of our most fundamental economic data, statistics that policymakers are used to accepting at face value, suddenly have major question marks over their accuracy.

The UK’s top stats agency, the Office for National Statistics, finds itself under considerable pressure as falling response rates to its surveys leave politicians flying blind.
David Aaronovitch asks what this means for government decisions and how the ONS can rebuild confidence in its most vital statistics.

Guests:
Georgina Sturge, research affiliate at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford
Professor Denise Lievesley, former Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford
Chris Giles, economics commentator at the Financial Times.
Peter Lynn, Professor of Survey Methodology at the University of Essex

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Producers: Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming
Studio engineer: Duncan Hannant
Editor: Richard Vadon


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002kq3t)
Why do we love to play games?

Inside Science explores the science and maths of games: why we play them, how to win them and the rise of gamification in our lives - with a particular focus on The Traitors - in a special programme with a live audience at Green Man Festival in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

Presenter Victoria Gill looks into whether humans are innately programmed to play games with Gilly Forrester, professor of evolutionary and developmental psychology at the University of Sussex, and investigates how maths can help us strategise and win games with mathematician and maths communicator Dr Katie Steckles.

We encounter the Prisoner’s Dilemma with broadcaster Jaz Singh of The Traitors series 2 fame – will he share or steal? Jaz also dives into the immersive world of The Traitors discussing his gameplay, the stakes and what makes an effective Faithful!

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

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


THU 17:00 PM (m002kq3w)
Chancellor hints at 'targeted action' on bills

Rachel Reeves tells the BBC she will act on "cost of living challenges". Plus, Cardiff votes to charge drivers of heavier cars more to park. And Europe considers scrapping seasonal clock changes.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002kq3y)
Frustration from the head of MI5 over the collapse of the China spying case

The head of MI5 has said Chinese state operatives present a daily national security threat to the UK and expressed frustration about the collapse of a case into alleged spying on behalf of Beijing in Britain. Also: The Chancellor says she's planning targeted action in her Budget next month to tackle cost of living challenges. And a lucky thirteen for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, as it celebrates its biggest litter of pups for three years.


THU 18:30 Call Jonathan Pie (p0fsyhj3)
5. Online

Pie’s agent advises him to get on social media to help him garner a younger fan base. Out of his comfort zone, Pie soon gains a troll... the mysterious Mr 'O'. Who could that be? Meanwhile, Roger asks Sam to help him clean up his work laptop because it’s full of evidence of Roger’s 'extracurricular activities'. The revelations about Roger are matched by what the team finds out about Jules. Probably too much information all round.

Jonathan Pie ..... Tom Walker

Jules ..... Lucy Pearman

Sam ..... Aqib Khan

Roger ..... Nick Revell

Agent ..... Daniel Abelson

Special guest... James O'Brien
Voiceovers ..... Bob Sinfield and Rob Curling


Callers ... Cole Anderson-James, Sarah Gabriel, Ed Kear, Thanyia Moore,
Writer ..... Tom Walker

Additional material ..... Sarah Gabriel
Script Editor ..... Nick Revell

Producers ..... Alison Vernon-Smith
 and Julian Mayers
Production Coordinator ..... Ellie Dobing


Original music composed by Jason Read.
Additional music Leighton James House.




A Yada-Yada Audio Production.


THU 19:00 The Archers (m002kq41)
George tells Jolene he’s trying to get his life back together, but knows he has to earn people’s trust. He offers to help out at The Bull while Kenton’s away. George then plays the sympathy card, mentioning how he put himself in danger helping them locate Markie. Jolene can’t promise anything but says she’ll think about it.

Leonard’s concerned about Ruth taking on extra duties while David helps at Meadow Farm. Ruth knows David feels really shaken by Mulligan’s death. But she agrees they can’t stand by and watch cows being neglected. So, for now they’ll keep going like this. When Esme turns up at Brookfield she apologises for putting David and Ruth out. She still hasn’t found her Dad’s will or accessed his accounts, but gives Ruth a bottle of whisky for David. Esme then becomes emotional and Ruth invites her in. Over tea and biscuits Esme confesses to Ruth and Leonard that her passions are website design and marketing, not farming. Her Dad turned increasingly inward in the last year, refusing to get help and hardly talking when she visited. She stopped coming so often, but now wishes she’d made more effort, blaming herself for not being on top of things. Ruth offers help with the feed supply, while David and Akram can carry on milking and Leonard will keep making tea. After Esme’s gone Ruth admits she likes her, despite Ruth’s misgivings about being stretched too thin. Besides, Esme’s need is greater than theirs - at least for now.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m002kq43)
Guillermo Del Toro discusses his new Frankenstein film

Guillermo Del Toro talks about his new Frankenstein film and our critics deliver their verdict.
Julia Roberts plays a college professor whose career becomes entangled in campus sexual politics, in Luca Guadanino's After The Hunt.
Hollie McNish's poetry collection "Virgin" unpicks the meaning of the word and the man-made concept beneath it.

Presenter Samira Ahmed
Reviewers: Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and Lindsay Johns


THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002kq45)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002kq47)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:15 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002kpxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002kq2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002kq49)
Trump to meet Putin in Hungary

How will the agreement to meet affect President Zelensky's prospects of getting American Tomahawk missiles to strengthen Ukraine's arsenal?

Also on the programme: the Prime Minister has condemned a decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match in Birmingham next month; and Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of Edmund Hillary’s 1953 Everest expedition, has died aged 92. We hear a tribute from the first British woman to reach the summit.


THU 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002kq4c)
Where the Energy Recirculates

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

Thomas takes delivery of his materials but before the meteorologist can begin construction of the Revelation Machine, he has a funeral to attend.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002kq4f)
A Fatal Punch: Why I Met the Parents of the Man I Killed (Jacob Dunne)

Whilst on a night out in the summer of 2011, Jacob Dunne made a split second decision to throw a punch that killed James Hodgkinson.

After being convicted of manslaughter, Jacob spent 14 months in prison during which time James’ parents contacted him to get answers about their son’s death. A dialogue began between them and when Jacob was released, Joan and David asked a question that he says saved him: “What are you going do with your life?”

That led to him doing his GCSE’s and getting a degree, and with James’ parents he now campaigns for criminal justice reform to improve the experience of victims and reduce reoffending.

Amol and Jacob go into extraordinary detail about his tough upbringing in Nottingham, what happened on that fateful night in 2011, and how – through his relationship with Joan and David - Jacob turned his life around.

They also discuss knife crime and why he thinks building stronger relationships is the solution to ending the cycle of violence in some of the most deprived areas of the UK.

His story is the subject of a West End play called Punch by James Graham and an award-winning BBC Radio 4 Series, which you can listen to here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l0jr

(00:04:00) What is restorative justice?

(00:14:00) Growing up in Nottingham

(00:26:44) The punch

(00:47:00) Time in prison

(00:56:20) Life after prison

(01:05:00) Meeting James' parents

(01:22:40) The future

(01:31:00) Amol’s reflections

(01:36:14) Listener messages

GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002kq4h)
The latest on the Chinese spying collapsed trial.

FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER 2025

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002kq4k)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002kq2x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002kq4m)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002kq4p)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002kq4r)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002kq4t)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster, as the government faces accusations that it is playing politics with the fallout from the collapse of the China spy case.


FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002kq4w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002kq4y)
Convenience v Connection

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning

I was listening to a seminar on attachment recently and the speaker told a story. About ten years ago he read an article about someone opening a shop in West Africa selling baby prams. I think it was in Nairobi. The shop didn’t last long and closed down within a year. When the owner was asked why, he said, 'our people don’t understand why you’d put a child in a machine and push them. We prefer to carry'.

I live in London, and like most parents, I don’t go anywhere without my two year old’s pram. It makes getting around easier and means I can multitask and check emails or most importantly, football scores. But just because it’s normal here doesn’t mean it’s the best way.

My daughter often doesn’t want to go in the pram anyway. And the child being carried in Nairobi is getting a very different sense of the world than my child who is being pushed.

I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong way, but for the last week I’ve tried going out without her pram. Apart from needing a massage and realising my back muscles aren’t as strong as I thought, it’s been a good experiment.

We laughed more, spoke more, and her speech seemed clearer. It could just be her natural development, but the quality of time we spent together definitely improved.
It made me wonder what else we do in the West that seems convenient but actually costs us in terms of connection.

My prayer is that until my back completely gives out, I’ll keep enjoying the closeness that comes from carrying my little girl and that she continues to grow in a healthy way.

Amen


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002kq50)
17/10/25 Farming minister on sustainable farming scheme and inheritance tax. Council farms in Cornwall.

There will be no U-turn on the government’s plans for inheritance tax for farmers, according to the Farming Minister. Dame Angela Eagle says planned changes will go ahead in next month’s budget, in spite of press reports to the contrary. We also ask her about the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Some farmers are furious because they say the latest scheme, which has only just opened, comes far too late for those farmers who were looking for a replacement for agreements under a previous agri-environment scheme, the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which ends on 31st December.

Several councils in England and Wales are carrying out reviews of their farm estates at the moment, including Powys, Dorset and Cornwall and all week we've been reporting on the issues affecting farms owned by councils. According to the CPRE, the countryside charity, there were 6,700 individual council holdings back in the 1980s, but that number has shrunk by almost two thirds, down to fewer than 2,300 now. Today we hear from a livestock farmer in Cornwall who's concerned about what could happen once Cornwall Council’s consultation comes to an end.

Nearly a quarter of a million trees have been planted across the Outer Hebrides as part of the ‘Western Isles Croft Woodland Project’. It aims to create a mosaic of small woodlands on under-used crofts.


FRI 06:00 Today (m002ks4x)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002krbk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002ks4z)
Tilda Swinton, Homelessness, Gwenda's Garage Musical, Romance Scams

Tilda Swinton is one of the UK’s most singular and celebrated performers. Over four decades she has delivered unforgettable and varied screen performances, notably Orlando, The Chronicles of Narnia, Michael Clayton and Asteroid City and collaborated with artists and filmmakers. She joins Anita Rani to talk about a new exhibition in Amsterdam celebrating her work and the enduring relationships that have inspired her.

According to the latest data, homelessness is rising. Over 130,000 households were in temporary accommodation in June, up 7.6% from last year. Charities warn that women are underrepresented in the data, as they often face different challenges to men. The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, now in its fourth year, aims to address this. Rebecca Goshawk, Director of Business Development at Solace Women's Aid, joins Anita to discuss it.

Named after pioneering racing driver Gwenda Stewart, Gwenda’s Garage was a real place: where three female mechanics defied the odds by setting up their own garage in Sheffield in the 1980s. Their inspiring story is now a musical on stage in Sheffield which is based on these true events, of women fighting everyday sexism, homophobia and Section 28. Anita is joined by Roz Wollen, one of the co-founders of the original Gwenda’s Garage and Val Regan, the production’s composer and musical director.

The FCA has called on banks and payment firms to bring in stricter controls protecting customers from romance fraud after a study showed a number of missed “red flags” that led to people losing huge sums of money to people creating fake online profiles. They found that women tended to sustain these relationships for longer which could mean a bigger scam. Anita speaks to Beth Harris, Head of Financial Crime at the Financial Conduct Authority to ask how we can be aware of these scams and avoid them, and what banks should be doing to assist.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones


FRI 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ks51)
The Mouse

In this episode of A Carnival of Animals, Katherine Rundell explores the mouse - a creature often overlooked, but surprisingly powerful. From a seventeenth-century Frenchman who could swallow metal but struggled with two live mice in his stomach, to their ability to survive in extreme environments like the sub-Antarctic and the London Underground, mice are built for endurance. They mature quickly, reproduce rapidly, and can live almost anywhere, though not inside a human digestive system!

Mice have played many roles in human life. In sixteenth-century England, mouse dung was used in dentistry, while today, mice are recognised for their intelligence - they can solve mazes, remember names, and even show emotion through facial expressions. Though they can carry disease, their genetic similarity to humans has also made them essential to medical research. Over the past century, they’ve helped scientists develop vaccines and treatments for serious illnesses, saving countless lives.

But wild mice are disappearing. Rundell lists species that have already gone extinct — from the pallid beach mouse to the big-eared hopping mouse — and warns that many more are at risk as their habitats are destroyed.

Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002ks53)
Feeding Britain: Can Our Best Food Producers Deliver?

Sheila Dillon and this year’s head judge of the BBC Food and Farming Awards, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, hit the road to meet the finalists in the Best Food Producer category. From sourdough pioneers Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor at Lovingly Artisan in Kendal, and regenerative grower Calixta Killander at Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire, to cheese champions Andy and Kathy Swinscoe at The Courtyard Dairy in North Yorkshire — they explore how these exceptional producers might hold clues to a more resilient food future. Inspired by Professor Tim Lang’s recent report, Just in Case: narrowing the UK civil food resilience gap, the episode asks: could these small but significant businesses be part of the solution to Britain’s food security crisis?

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


FRI 11:45 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (m002ks57)
Episode 5

In October 1929, the world watched in shock as the US stock market went into freefall, wiping out major fortunes and small-town savings, and igniting a depression that would re-shape a generation.

Best-selling author and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin charts the inside story of the greatest financial crash in history, as the rollercoaster that gripped Wall Street in that year of chaos accelerated. Through dizzying highs and brutal lows, he follows the players at the heart of America’s financial markets - the bankers, investors, traders and speculators who disregarded increasingly loud alarm bells as they risked everything to save themselves and the institutions that had brought them wealth, fame and power.

This is a story about money, but it’s also about power, influence and illusion. In this account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time, Sorkin offers an electrifying insight into the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheavals and the warning signs that precede them. The lessons are as urgent as ever.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is the author of Too Big to Fail, about the 2008 financial crisis. He is a long-time journalist at The New York Times and the co-creator of the television drama Billions.

Reader: Demetri Goritsas
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Sound engineer: Matt Bainbridge
Programme Co-ordinators: Nina Semple, Henry Tydeman, Dawn Williams
Producer: Sara Davies
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002ks5c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002ks5h)
Graffiti, church, and Western civilisation

An art exhibition in Canterbury Cathedral has enraged traditionalists who believe that it doesn’t fit with the holy site’s beauty or the church’s mission. The works consist of a set of temporary vinyl stickers with questions like “Why did you create hate when love is by far more powerful?” and “Does our struggle mean anything?” The questions for God were devised after artist Alex Vellis and curator Jacquiline Creswell consulted a series of marginalised groups.
The organisers say the stickers were tested to make sure they did not damage the cathedral’s ancient walls. But they have faced criticism on artistic grounds and questions about the appropriateness of the art and the values behind it.
Among the outraged were Vice President JD Vance, who called the stickers “ugly”, and Elon Musk, who called it an affront to western civilisation
They in turn were faced with supporters of the exhibition who argued it reflected the church’s mission and spread a message of inclusiveness and tolerance.
Art has always been intrinsically tied to religion and the Anglican Church, so how far back does this culture war battle really go – and why did political leaders in America jump into the controversy?
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Production team: Natasha Fernandes, Ellie House, Mike Wendling
Studio manager: Andy Mills
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Richard Vadon


FRI 12:57 Weather (m002ks5k)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002ks5m)
Anger at football fan ban

The decision to ban fans of Israeli team Maccabi from a game at Aston Villa game draws widespread condemnation. Plus, Romance scams cost victims more than £100m last year- we speak to someone affected. And, as accommodation for the over 65s wins a prestigious architecture prize... we'll discuss the key to the perfect downsizing destination.


FRI 13:45 Winter Well (m002ks5p)
Episode 5 - Winters of the Future

It's not known exactly what percentage of the population experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD in the UK. But there is no doubt that many people find themselves struggling with their mental health during the winter months as the days are shorter and natural light is at a premium. In this series, Professor Hayden Lorimer draws on the experience of people living with SAD to learn how they navigate their way through winter, as a way of helping us all to embrace the season and beat off the winter blues.

In this episode we hear how the experiences of people living with SAD could positively contribute to our wider culture and environment in the future, particularly within the context of climate change. Professor Hester Parr - who undertook the 'Living with SAD' project - shares design insights for cities and public spaces which would optimise access to natural light in a potentially cloudier and wetter world. Poet Alec Finlay discusses how we should take wisdom from the vulnerable in our society in order to understand limit. And Dr Em May Armstrong believes that systemic societal change is required to support our natural rhythms and accept that in the winter months, we cannot be so productive.

Presented by Hayden Lorimer
Produced by Helen Needham
Mixed by Ron McCaskill
Original Music by Rob St John

A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002kq41)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002ks5r)
The Betrayed

Episode 2. The Deal

A five-part drama about a family - and a society - divided by far-right populist extremism.

When Louise a senior officer in the Garda Síochána sees her brother Frank on the news, taking part in an aggressive far-right protest she is shocked. Not least because she is and she had no idea Frank had been influenced by the populist extremists who hurl accusations of being 'traitors' at police and politicians alike.

In the aftermath, Frank's face doesn't show up on CCTV. But when she threatens to have him arrested, he accepts the deal she reluctantly offers - she will cover for him if he promises to stay away from demos and protests.

But then Louise learns that Frank is connected to a much wider network. He's in touch with organised extremists throughout Europe, Louise realises that Frank is on a path that could bring Ireland, and other countries, to the brink of chaos. The time has come to break up his network, whatever the family consequences.

LOUISE KENNY … Niamh Algar

FRANK KENNY … Jonathan Forbes

KEVIN … Stephen Hogan

TONY … Aidan O'Callaghan

DERVLA … Karen Ardiff

MICHAEL GRIFFITHS … Jonathan Harden

BASTIAN … Nicholas Murchie

SORCHA … Amy McAllister

MARYAM … Lara Sawalha

Directed by Eoin O’Callaghan
A Big Fish/BBC Northern Ireland Production for Limelight


FRI 14:45 Untaxing (m0029jjz)
4. The Porn Star Tax Lawyer

A football club in ruins. Thousands of people facing financial devastation. And one man at the centre of it all - a tax lawyer turned porn mogul.

But how did he get away with it? And why did HMRC struggle to stop him?

Producer: Tom Pooley
A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002ks5t)
Postbag Edition: RHS Wisley Greening Skills Garden

Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners Question Time panel visit the RHS Wisley Greening Skills Garden in Woking, an exciting new project designed to inspire and equip the next generation of horticulturists. No postbag edition is complete without your questions, so the panel dip into the GQT inbox to answer your gardening conundrums.

Joining Peter are head gardeners and garden designers Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage and Matthew Biggs.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002ks5w)
The Cottage

A new short work from award-winning writer Callum McSorley.

Labouring for your dad in the summer holidays is grim enough without factoring in a ruined cottage where normal rules don't apply.
Read by Scott Miller
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Callum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow.
His short stories have appeared in Gutter Magazine, New Writing Scotland, Typehouse Literary Magazine, The Glasgow Review of Books, Monstrous Regiment, and many more. His debut novel, SQUEAKY CLEAN, featuring DCI Alison McCoist, won The McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2023. Its sequel, PAPERBOY, was published this year and is shortlisted for the same award.

"The Cottage" is a BBC Scotland Audio Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002ks5y)
Peter Gurney, Diane Keaton, Peter Hall, Angela Bond

Matthew Bannister on

Peter Gurney, the George Medal winning bomb disposal expert who regularly risked his life to defuse explosive devices, including the mortars that were fired at 10 Downing Street by the IRA in 1991.

Diane Keaton, the actor best known for her collaboration with Woody Allen in Annie Hall and Manhattan.

Peter Hall, the pioneering English winemaker from Sussex who turned his Breaky Bottom grapes into acclaimed sparkling wines.

Angela Bond, who saved the much-loved Bush Theatre in West London from closure. The director Josie Rourke and the writer Jack Thorne pay tribute.

Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive used:
BBC News, BBC, 07/02/1991; Newsnight, BBC, 26/10/1981; It’s My Story: The Long Walk, BBC Radio 4, 26/03/2012; The Food Programme: A Vintage Year for Homegrown Wine, BBC Radio 4, 22/11/2018; Food and Drink, BBC, 10/08/1982; Annie Hall, MGM, 1977; Cast: Diane Keaton; Director: Woody Allen; Producers: Fred T. Gallo, Robert Greenhut, Jack Rollins, Charles H. Joffe; Screenwriters: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman; Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 15/11/2011; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 19/06/2017; Diane Keaton – Seems Like Old Times, Columbia Pictures, 1980


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m002ks2s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002ks60)
Government working to resolve football fan ban

No 10 says discussions happening "at pace" on Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban. Also this evening, President Zelensky is in Washington for talks with Donald Trump. And, is the UK getting more angry?


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ks62)
Political pressure about the banning of Israeli football fans from a match against Aston Villa

Ministers have spent the day in discussions about how to reverse a decision to ban supporters of the Israeli football team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, from attending a match in Birmingham next month. Also: The Government fails in its efforts to stop a challenge to its decision to ban Palestine Action as a terror organisation. And King Charles is to become the first British monarch to pray with a Pope since the Reformation 500 years ago.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002ks64)
Series 118

7. Forecast for Inflation and Flooding

In a week of budget talks, IMF forecasts of Inflation on the British horizon, flood risk reports and approval of solar farms, Andy Zaltzman is joined by Adam Kay, Zoe Lyons, Ria Lina and Stephen Bush to break down this week's news.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Daman Bamrah, Ruth Husko, Christina Riggs and Peter Tellouche.
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002ks66)
Zainab tells Brad that shadowing Oliver was unbelievably boring. Brad admits that shadowing Mick went a bit wrong after he was accused of stalking Paul. When Zainab then talks about organising something for Oliver’s birthday Brad’s keen to hear more. Back at Number 6 The Green they’re joined by Tracy, as Zainab explains her idea of contacting Oliver and Caroline’s foster children to organise a reunion. Tracy suggests starting with Carly, who was one of them; she knows they stayed close. She’ll ask Susan if she knows how to get in touch with Carly.

Joy and Tracy are mystified at being called in for a staff meeting. Tracy’s more bothered than Tracy about Lilian’s subterfuge over the Awards ceremony, before Lilian admits her guilt. After Fallon joins them Jolene tells everyone she’s consulted Kenton about getting in a temporary replacement: George Grundy. Lilian walks straight out and it quickly becomes clear that no-one else wants George there either. Jolene agrees to tell him it’s a no, but first finds Lilian, who’s incensed the idea was even considered in the first place, given what he did to Fallon and put Alice through. Jolene feels they have to look forward and find a way of living together with George, in the village. Lilian then accuses George of blackmail, after helping them find Markie. Jolene still thinks he deserves a chance, but Lilian’s defiant and wants Jolene to bar George from The Bull. And if Jolene doesn’t agree then Lilian will take her money out of the pub, leaving Jolene on her own.


FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002ks68)
Translation

This week, Ellen and Mark read between the lines, and find out what can get lost in translation.

Mark speaks to the film critic, Manuela Lazic, who discusses the impossibility of translation, and her experiences of watching films and television across languages. Next, the translator and film critic, Irina Margareta Nistor details her role in overdubbing bootlegged VHS tapes during the Ceaușescu dictatorship in Romania. During the 1980s, her work allowed local audiences an escape from the regime through the medium of foreign cinema.

Meanwhile, Ellen discusses the poetry of translation with Darcy Paquet. The translator has produced subtitles with collaborators including the South Korean film director, Bong Joon Ho, on the Oscar award winning film, Parasite. Darcy shares the challenges found in a set character count, and some of the cultural specificities he's noted along the way.

Producer: Mae-Li Evans
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002ks6b)
Ann Davies MP, Tom Giffard MS, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Gawain Towler

Ben Wright presents political debate from the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Aberystwyth, with Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies; Conservative Senedd member Tom Giffard; the deputy first minister of Wales, Labour's Huw Irranca-Davies; and Reform UK board member Gawain Towler.

Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Owain Williams


FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002ks6d)
October 13th - October 19th

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

This week: The 13th to the 19th of October.

- 19th October 1987 Shares plunge after Wall Street crash - aka Black Monday
- 13th October 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington establishes Greenwich as the Universal Prime Meridian of longitude
- 14th October 1926 A.A. Milne’s book Winnie-The-Pooh released


Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Jane Steel.
Producers: Chris Pearson and Sofie Vilcins.


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002ks6g)
Traditions, roots and local pride

From military ceremonies to folk customs - can traditions really provide an answer to nationalism and boost local pride? Former MP Penny Mordaunt is publishing a book called Pomp and Circumstance: Why Britain's Traditions Matter written with Chris Lewis. She's one of Matthew Sweet's guests in the Free Thinking studio alongside Sunder Katwala, author of How to be a patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war. He is the director of British Future which conducted the biggest-ever public consultation on immigration.
Muriel Zagha is a journalist and co-host of the podcast Garlic & Pearls which compares French and British culture and attitudes.
Ceri Houlbrook is one of the academics involved in a National Folklore Survey for England and the co-author with Owen Davies of Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present.
Dr Uran Ferizi has a background in scientific and financial research and since January 2024 he has been the Albanian Ambassador to the UK and to Ireland.

Producer: Robyn Read


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002ks6j)
Prince Andrew gives up royal titles

Prince Andrew has given up his royal titles, including as the Duke of York - saying accusations about him were a distraction from the work of the King. We ask what the announcement means for the monarchy.

Also on the programme:

Ukraine's President Zelensky has been back at the White House - seeking a commitment from Donald Trump to supply Tomahawk missiles which could strike deep inside Russia. Our North America Editor Sarah Smith is live at the White House.

And two leading writers from either side of the Irish border on how to have a fresh debate about unification.


FRI 22:45 Helm by Sarah Hall (m002ks6l)
Make the Most of Every Day Remaining

Shortlisted for the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize, this elemental novel is from the twice-nominated Booker author of BURNTCOAT and THE WOLF BORDER.
Helm, the only named wind in the UK, has scoured the Eden Valley since the dawn of time. When people arrive, Helm becomes the subject of their myth and folklore but, as the Anthropocene takes us all past the point of no return, Helm’s very existence is threatened.

After years of study, Selima encounters Helm for the first time. And if Helm’s gut feeling is right, it’s not a moment too soon.

Read by Hattie Morahan
Written by Sarah Hall
Abridged by Siân Preece
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct7t62)
Can Trump silence the press?

A major row has erupted between the US defense department and the journalists that cover its work after a memo was issued last month requiring journalists to accept a new set of reporting restrictions or face being barred from America’s military headquarters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new policy would require journalists to sign an agreement stating they will only publish information “explicitly authorised” by the defense department. News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting the restrictions, prompting a major walkout from the Pentagon as journalists from all but one news organisation handed in their press passes.

The move reignites the Trump administration’s long-running feud with the press and its freedom to report on the White House. In today’s episode, we look at why the memo has been issued, and implications for freedom of the press and future reporting.

And, we speak to Newsmax’s James Rosen about why his news organisation refused to sign up to the new rules and the impact on wider reporting of the Trump administration.

HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
• Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations correspondent

GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
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• Or use #Americast

This episode was made by Purvee Pattni with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002ks6p)
In a special edition of the programme, Susan Hulme looks back on 80 years of Today in Parliament.