SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER 2025
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002l3qj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry (m002l3pc)
5. End of an Ordinary Life
"Now I understand there are no ordinary lives – that every death is the end of a single event in time’s history: an event so improbable as to be miraculous, and irreplaceable in every particular."
Booker Prize-longlisted author Sarah Perry's father-in-law, David, died at home nine days after a cancer diagnosis having previously been in good health. The speed of his illness outstripped that of the NHS and social care, so the majority of nursing fell to Sarah and her husband. They witnessed what happens to the body and spirit, hour by hour, as it approaches death.
Death of an Ordinary Man is an unstinting account of death by cancer, a reportage into the experience of caring, an exploration of the structural conditions of dying in the UK, and most importantly a testament to David’s life, that of an ordinary man.
Unflinching and profoundly moving, Sarah Perry confronts the taboo surrounding death and how the saddest thing she has ever seen is also the best thing she's ever done.
Episode Five
David is fast-tracked to end-of-life care at home, surrounded by family and watchful carers.
Reader: Louise Brealey
Abridged and produced by Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002l3ql)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002l3qn)
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 (m002l3qq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002l3qs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002l3qv)
Witnessing
Good morning.
Near to where I live in the centre of Cardiff is an infamous crossroads where five different roads converge: the site is known locally as ‘Death Junction’. However, this isn’t just a recently acquired nickname based on the risk from an increase in road users. It was actually the location of the town gallows, where many brutal executions took place for hundreds of years until the late nineteenth century. Two men come to mind especially today, who died on the same day in 1679: both were Catholic priests, and were gruesomely hung, drawn and quartered at Death Junction. Their offence? Witnessing to their faith at a time when it was a crime to do so. And today is the 55th anniversary on which John Lloyd and Philip Evans were canonised as saints by Pope Paul VI, recognising their courageous martyrdom, and asking their prayers for us who are still on the pilgrim way.
The English word ‘martyr’ comes directly from Greek, not referring to death particularly, but rather more broadly, witnessing. To witness to one’s faith, by allowing it to change us, is the ‘martyrdom’, as it were, that is accessible to every believer, even in small ways. We do this by growing in love for the people around us: maybe by listening better, or maybe by offering a small act of service. These small changes echo the courageous acts of witness that we see through the ages. We aren’t comparing these daily kindnesses to the giving of one’s life. But little acts added to each other grow in us a capacity for greater and greater love.
Lord,
may the witness of the ones who’ve wandered before us
inspire us to seek heaven with them, and with you.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Untaxing (m0029hw8)
5. The £10 Billion Fridge
A fruit and veg supplier installs a fridge. A tax advisor claims it’s a scientific breakthrough, and urges a claim for R&D tax relief.
That fridge is just the tip of a £10 billion scandal. How did HMRC let it happen? And why is no one talking about it?
Producer: Tom Pooley
A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002lfr1)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002l3hm)
Crime and Punishment in the Peak District
Clare joins writer Kate Morgan on a walk from Monsal Head to Tideswell in the Peak District. Along the way, they explore how the use of gallows and gibbets in public punishment has influenced rural place names. Gibbet Rock, a striking limestone outcrop also called Peter’s Stone for its resemblance to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was once used to ‘gibbet’ or display the bodies of executed criminals. Kate tells the story of Anthony Lingard, who was convicted in 1815 of murdering a local woman, Hannah Oliver, and became the last person to be gibbetted at the site.
Kate is currently researching her third book, which will be on this subject. Her previous two books are Murder: The Biography which explores the legal history of the crime of murder in English Law, and The Walnut Tree which looks into the major legal changes affecting women in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (https://amheath.com/authors/kate-morgan)
Map:OS Explorer OL24 The Peak District White Peak Area, Buxton Bakewell, Matlock & Dove Dale
Map Ref: SK185715 for the start of the walk at Monsal Head car park
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002lfr3)
25/10/25: Beer and cider from land to glass
The raw ingredients to make a pint all begin life on British farms whether malting barley, or cider apples and perry pears, or hops. For barley and hop growers 2025 has been a difficult year. It's been a happier one in cider and perry orchards. We meet a cider apple detective hunting for lost varieties in Somerset, and the award winning team preserving Gloucestershire's perry heritage.
A review of environmental governance in Northern Ireland has called for a new independent environmental regulator to be established.
And, the Scottish fishing industry is unhappy about the way the Westminster Government has distributed a fund to modernise the fleet, improve skills, and revitalise communities. Scotland will receive just under 8% of the fund despite accounting for 60% of the UK's fishing capacity.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
SAT 06:57 Weather (m002lfr5)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m002lfr7)
Today (Saturday)
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002lfr9)
David Suchet, Greetings Cards, Artistic Exploration, and Clare Balding's Inheritance Tracks
Sir David Suchet has reignited his little grey cells to traverse the world, following in the footsteps of the great Agatha Christie in a new book and television series "Travels with Agatha Christie".
Tony Foster is also a keen traveller, as an adventure artist he has ventured deep into the world’s wildernesses, painting 17,000ft up Mount Everest and in the very heart of the Grand Canyon.
Stacey McNeil is someone else who finds inspiration from nature and expresses it through her art - after being unable to find a card to send a friend struggling with their mental health...so made one herself and now her Fox Under the Moon business has sold cards and books into over 25 countries.
Also, a couple of dragons fighting it out in the streets of Glastonbury for the pagan Samhain festival.
Plus, the Inheritance Tracks of the broadcaster, author and Faithful...Clare Balding.
Presenter: Adrian Chiles
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producer: Lowri Morgan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SAT 10:00 Curious Cases (m002ldh6)
Series 24
We Didn't Start the Fire
It has been said that you can't start a fire without a spark, but as Hannah and Dara are about to discover, that's not true!
Welcome to the fiery phenomenon of spontaneous combustion, when something can ignite all on its own: no matches, no sparks, no external flame. It happens when certain materials heat themselves up internally through chemical or biological reactions, and if that carried on unchecked and the material gets hot enough, it can eventually ignite itself.
This process can occur in various everyday items such as piles of hay or grass clippings, oily rags and in certain instances lithium batteries; but there are also several useful chemical substances that autoignite when they come into contact with air - as Hannah, Dara and a wary BBC fire officer witness in the studio...
So how can we stop things regularly bursting into flames? How scared should we be about oiling floorboards and our increasingly battery-powered life? And is spontaneous human combustion really a thing? Our investigators are on the case.
To submit your question to the Curious Cases team, please email: curiouscases@bbc.co.uk
Contributors:
- Andrea Sella, Professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London
- Emanuel ‘Big Manny’ Wallace, former science teacher now a science content creator
- Matt Oakley, fire investigations officer at Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
- Roger Byard, Emeritus Professor of pathology at the University of Adelaide and a senior specialist forensic pathologist at Forensic Science SA (FSSA)
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 10:30 Legend (m002ldhb)
The Bruce Springsteen Story
3. Born in the USA
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 continues in rural Holmdel, New Jersey, alone with a four-track tape recorder. He goes back into his childhood, drives the streets of his early years, searching for answers. Looking for meaning. The seminal album, Nebraska, is what comes out.
What happens next is an unravelling. And then a rebuilding. The Bruce who returns is unrecognisable. "He's got muscles now. Does that mean we have to get muscles now?!" - Warren Zanes. The album Born In The USA, with the anthemic album track and hit single Dancing In The Dark, takes Bruce stratospheric.
In October, 1985, after two years and 156 shows, the Born In The USA tour comes to a close at the Coliseum Los Angeles. Four sold out nights of 80,000 people. The final night is one of melancholy and of joy. And a foreboding of change to come.
~~~
“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).
Producer: Eliza Lomas
Series Developer: Mair Bosworth
Production Coordinator: Stuart Laws
Research: Sarah Goodman
Series Editor: Emma Harding
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Commissioning Editors: Daniel Clarke and Matthew Dodd
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002lfrc)
Joe Pike and guests discuss Lucy Powell being elected deputy leader of the Labour Party and the fallout from the Caerphilly by-election. The panel of journalists includes columnist and former Labour adviser, Sonia Sodha; the political editor of the Financial Times and the political editor of GB News Christopher Hope.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002ldcr)
Sudan's children of war
Kate Adie introduces stories from Sudan, France, India, the USA and Mauritius.
Sudan's civil conflict has left millions of people displaced and at risk of hunger and famine. In the capital Khartoum, Nawal Al-maghafi witnesses the toll the violence has taken on families, and meets children whose young lives have been forever shaped by the war.
France has been reeling this week from the fallout of last weekend’s theft of priceless crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris. Andrew Harding has been watching the disbelief and shame that has dented French national pride - but has seen humour too.
India has been making textiles and clothing for the world for centuries – but its goods are now less competitive for American buyers, due to Donald Trump's heavy tariffs. In the run-up to the recent Diwali festivities, Archana Shukla saw how shoppers are feeling the pinch.
Drugs like fentanyl have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in recent years, and in the city of Las Vegas, a particularly vulnerable substance-using population are the homeless people who live in the city’s underground tunnels. Linda Pressly joined a local charity as they ventured underground, with the offer of help.
And finally, we head to Mauritius to tell the story of a daring rescue mission to save some rare resident geckos from the effects of a giant oil spill. Lorraine Mallinder reveals how an international effort involving private jets helped save an endangered species.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002lfrf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002ldcp)
Infected Blood Compensation and Standing Charges
Lawyers acting for victims of the infected blood scandal have written to the Chancellor demanding urgent action to avoid families and loved ones having to pay £100,000s in tax. The government has previously said compensation payments would not be subject to Inheritance Tax. But with around 3,000 victims having already died they say a change in the rules is needed to avoid their loved ones facing huge tax bills. The Treasury says it's "considering" the issue and a decision will be made at the Budget.
Plans to reform standing charges for gas and electricity "will not work" and should be scrapped, the trade body for the energy industry Energy UK has told Money Box. Standing charges are the fixed daily cost that households pay just to be connect to electricity or gas supply. They rose sharply this month to an average £320 a year - more than £6 a week - a cost you must pay before you turn on a light or cook your dinner. Suppliers say they cover the cost of providing and maintaining the supply. However, the energy regulator Ofgem is considering proposals to offer all customers a reduced standing charge, but at the cost of paying more for the electricity and gas they actually use. It says that will increase choice for consumers but Energy UK wants them to rethink the proposal.
How much will benefits rise in April?
And with one month to go, what would you like to know ahead of the Autumn Budget?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast at
12pm on Saturday 25th October 2025)
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002l3q0)
Series 118
Titles, Jewels and 'Chocolate' Bars
Alasdair Beckett-King, Laura Lexx, Ahir Shah and Ava Santina join Andy Zaltzman for this week's quiz.
Brace yourselves for stories about the stripping of both Royal Titles and Royal Crown Jewels as well as the big question of the moment, are things better or worse than they used to be?
Written by Andy Zaltzman
Additional material by: Milo Edwards, Cameron Loxdale, Ruth Husko and Marty Gleeson
Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Exec Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
SAT 12:57 Weather (m002lfrh)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m002lfrk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002l3q6)
Mims Davies MP, Lindsey German, Georgia Gould MP, Isabel Hardman
Alex Forsyth hosts political debate from All Saints Weston Church in Esher, Surrey, with the shadow cabinet minister, Mims Davies MP; convenor of Stop The War Coalition, Lindsey German; the minister for school standards, Georgia Gould MP; and Spectator assistant editor, Isabel Hardman.
Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Chris Weightman
SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002lfrm)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Josie Hardy
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002l3q2)
While Josh is milking the cows at Meadow Farm he tells Ruth he’s spotted another case of mastitis, so they really need Alistair. Later, Ruth confirms Alistair’s coming and Josh offers to wait for him there – he reckons that Esme might need some company. They talk about music for the funeral and Josh helps Esme decide what might be best. Then Esme suggests inviting the Archers to be guests of honour there and wonders whether the song “Bring Me Sunshine” should be played at the end. This inspires the thought that her dad’s computer password might be Eric Morecambe – and it works! Esme quickly finds the Will, acknowledging she’ll have to start making decisions now.
Brian finds unhappy Alice at the Stables. She berates Brian for screwing things up over Home Farm. Brian chastises himself for ruining Alice’s birthday, asking her to celebrate Adam and Ruairi taking over. Brian’s excuse is that no-one had actually committed to running the farm, though Alice reckons Brian should have known it’s what Adam has always wanted, especially after he gave up working at Bridge Farm. Alice then tells him that she’s fine with the idea of Brian and Miranda moving into Home Farm together. Ruairi calls and they both tell him it’s a “no” to the holiday in three weeks’ time. When Ruairi turns up for supper later though he informs them he’s gone ahead and booked the holiday anyway, even though some people won’t be able to go. Brian’s unhappy and Alice explodes at Ruairi for being unbelievably selfish.
SAT 15:00 Spotlight (m001h3rw)
Death and the Penguin
Hattie Naylor’s darkly comic adaptation of Andrey Kurkov’s international classic set in mid-90s Ukraine. Starring Tom Basden and Jason Watkins, all that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a penguin.
A blend of Gogol’s absurdist humour and Kafka’s alienation this tragi-comedy is set in the wild west atmosphere of a newly independent Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the heart of the action, is down-on-his-luck writer, Viktor. His story becomes one about surviving and enduring in perilous times.
Viktor ….. Tom Basden
Lyosha ….. Jason Watkins
Igor ….. David Hounslow
Sonya ….. Blythe Arbery
Nina ….. Chloe Sommer
Misha-non-Penguin ….. Roger Ringrose
Sergey ….. Tom Kiteley
Natasha ….. Fiona Skinner
Dr Pidpaly ….. Joanna Monro
Translated by George Bird
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
SAT 16:30 Woman's Hour (m002lfrp)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Landmark policy change in the Family Court, Essex Witches, Women rowing across the Pacific
The Essex witch trials represent one of the darkest chapters in British history. A new Sky History series, Witches of Essex, revisits the real lives of women accused of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries, drawing on newly examined court records and the latest historical research. Historian Dr Eleanor Janega joins Nuala McGovern to discuss.
A landmark change to the Family Courts has been announced this week - the court will no longer work on the presumption that having contact with both parents is in the best interest of the child. Domestic abuse campaigners have said the move will save children's lives. Nuala talks to Claire Throssel MBE, one of the campaigners who has driven this change. In October 2014, her two sons, Jack, who was 12, and Paul, who was nine, were deliberately killed by their father. He had been awarded five hours weekly access to the boys despite Claire's warnings that he was a danger to them.
After 165 days at sea, two British women have just made history becoming the first pair to row non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean, from South America to Australia. Jess Rowe, 28, and Miriam Payne, 25, set off from Lima in May and arrived in Cairns in Australia on Saturday, completing more than 8,000 miles in their nine-metre boat, Velocity. Along the way they faced storms, broken equipment, and even navigated by the stars when their systems failed - they join Anita Rani to talk about the highs and lows of their Pacific adventure.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson
SAT 17:00 PM (m002lfrr)
Met urges wrongly-freed migrant to hand himself in
The Met appeals directly to Hadush Kebatu, who was freed from prison instead of transferred to immigration services for deportation, to report to a police station. Plus, will Labour's new deputy leader, Lucy Powell, change the party's offer? And community cinema marks it 100th anniversary.
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002lfrt)
Gaza, Trump and me: UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher
Driving through Gaza is like "driving through the ruins of Hiroshima, or Stalingrad, or Dresden"
Tom Fletcher has been the United Nations humanitarian chief for almost a year and speaks to Nick two weeks into his organisation's efforts to get as much aid as possible into the Gaza Strip.
He gives a behind-the-scenes account of how he works with the Trump White House and how the ceasefire deal was struck in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Fletcher also shares his lessons learned from his years as foreign adviser to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Chloe Desave
Editor: Giles Edwards
Sound: Hal Haines and Ged Sudlow
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002lfrw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m002lfry)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002lfs0)
The MP Lucy Powell has been elected as Labour's deputy leader
Lucy Powell has won the election to become Labour's deputy leader, after campaigning for the party to change course. She won 54% of the 161,000 votes that were cast in a ballot of members. Her opponent, the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, polled 46%. Lucy Powell will be free to speak out from the back benches after she was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer in the reshuffle that followed Angela Rayner's resignation.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002lffm)
Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden; Jake Arnott; Kerry Godliman; India Knight; Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Kiri Pritchard-McLean loves a bit of crime - so much so that she hosts a podcast about serial killers. So she's right at home on Loose Ends this week talking cosy crime and laminating machines with actor and comedian Kerry Godliman, who stars as the charming private detective and oyster-shucking restaurateur Pearl Nolan in TV drama Whitstable Pearl. Then things take a dark turn with The Long Firm author Jake Arnott's latest novel Blood Rival - a psychological thriller based on the Oedipus myth but also rooted in true crime journalism - turns out he worries a lot about libel suits but he names no names. India Knight's book Home is a plea to chuck out social media and get in touch with our charm-ometers at home. Nothing nefarious there but she does want us all to steal her design tips. Star folk musicians Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden sing songs from their Wassail album and attempt to solve the mystery of the top motorway service stations in the country as they head out on tour.
Presented by Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Produced in Salford by Olive Clancy
SAT 19:00 Profile (m002ldbp)
Sanae Takaichi
Sanae Takaichi is the first female prime minister of Japan.
Once the drummer in a heavy metal band, she is now a staunch conservative, tough on immigration and against same sex marriage. More Iron Lady than Iron Maiden, the 64-year-old models her strong leadership style on Margaret Thatcher.
She entered politics in 1993, the same year as future prime minister Shinzo Abe. A loyal ally, she quickly rose the ranks in his cabinet. After several unsuccessful leadership attempts, she finally became prime minister on October 21st 2025.
To some this is a victory for women in Japan, but others see her conservative views as evidence there is still a long way to go.
Mark Coles voyages into the world of Japanese politics to find out.
Production
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Ben Crighton, Mhairi MacKenzie and Alex Loftus
Japanese fixer: Ryuzo Tsutsui
Editor: Justine Lang
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Editor: Duncan Hannant
SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002l3h5)
Mark Ronson
Having spent his early years in London, Mark Ronson grew up in Manhattan, began working as a DJ as a teenager and quickly made a name for himself on the New York club scene of the 1990s. He moved into music production and, in 2006, co-wrote and co-produced the Amy Winehouse album Back To Black. The record won five Grammys and Mark Ronson himself scooped the Producer of the Year Award. Since then, he has released five solo albums and worked with some of the most successful names in pop including Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Queens Of The Stone Age and Paul McCartney. The winner of ten Grammys and two Brits, he added an Academy Award to his list of accolades in 2018 as co-writer of the song Shallow from the film A Star Is Born. He was also Oscar nominated for his work as executive producer, composer and songwriter for the soundtrack to the Barbie movie. More recently he has written a book called Night People, a memoir about his time as a DJ in 90s New York.
Mark Ronson tells John Wilson about the influence of his music-loving parents, who often threw parties at their north London home when he was a child. He talks about the influence of his stepfather Mick Jones, songwriter, guitarist and producer of the 80s rock band Foreigner, who allowed Mark to experiment with equipment in his home studio in New York and encouraged his early interest in production. He remembers how hearing the 1992 track They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock and CL Smooth led him to pursue a career as a club DJ and become renowned for the diverse range of music he played in clubs - from soul and hip-hop to classic rock - an eclectic approach which later informed his work as a producer. Mark Ronson also recalls first meeting Amy Winehouse and how they wrote and recorded the songs for her Back To Black album.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002lfs2)
Aleister Crowley - Master of the Dark Arts
Aleister Crowley has been called many things - poet, mountaineer, occultist, fraudster, prophet, pervert, genius, charlatan. He branded himself “The Great Beast” and the tabloids of the 1920s happily obliged, denouncing him as “the wickedest man in the world.” But how did this Edwardian eccentric, once dismissed as a scandalous curiosity, become a lasting countercultural icon - celebrated by rock stars, adopted by metal musicians, and still invoked in popular culture today?
Writer and broadcaster Paul Morley - somewhat hesitantly - steps into the shadow of this defiant nonconformist who was born in 1875 into a wealthy but fundamentalist Plymouth Brethren family.
Crowley founded his own occult religion with the mantra "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" and, in the decades after his death in 1947, his occult ideas and descriptions of drug-taking travelled through countercultural bookshops into the worlds of psychedelia, hard rock and heavy metal. The Beatles included him on the cover of Sgt Pepper, Jimmy Page collected his books, Ozzy Osbourne sang “Mr Crowley”, Blondie’s Gary Lachman found himself initiated into Crowley’s magickal order in California. And new generations of artists and musicians continue to rediscover his blend of provocation and self-mythology.
Is Crowley best remembered as a pioneering thinker who made esoteric knowledge public, a dangerous manipulator who wrecked lives, or simply as a flamboyant showman who understood the power of scandal? 150 years after his birth, his name still provokes fascination, fear and amusement.
Featuring:
Crowley biographer Gary Lachman, a founding member of Blondie who is now an academic and acclaimed writer on the occult.
Social historian and third generation witch Geraldine Beskin of Atlantis bookshop
Pioneering pop artist Jann Haworth
Musician and composer Dr Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke who is composing a choral work based on Crowley's Book of The Law
Keeper of the Sacred Flame of Rock, Dante Bonutto of Spine Farm records
Musician Edgar Broughton of the psychedelic proto-punk Edgar Broughton Band
Olly Pearson from Helgi's occult metal bar
Thanks to Mogg Morgan for providing a lost Radio 4 archive recording
Writer and Presenter: Paul Morley
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Executive Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 The History Podcast (m002lfs4)
The House at Number 48
The House at Number 48 (Omnibus 1)
First part of an omnibus edition of the House at Number 48.
When Antony Easton’s enigmatic father passes away, he opens his Dad's suitcase, filled with cryptic clues. Neatly stacked German money, a family tree he doesn’t recognise, and books filled with sprawling notes. He also finds his father’s birth certificate, but bearing a different name.
Confronting his dad’s double identity, Antony begins a ten-year quest to uncover the truth.
Piece-by-piece he comes to understand his family’s dark history as he attempts to reclaim his grandfather’s property and art empire, and expose the historic robbery and murder of his relatives.
Antony is determined to find the descendants of those who looted his family’s assets, and continue to live off their wealth today. He wants to meet them face to face.
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
SAT 22:00 News (m002lfs6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002l3p9)
Keeping It Local: A Suffolk Story
It's twenty years since the Aldeburgh Food Festival began. Sheila Dillon examines its impact in this small Suffolk seaside town where food producers work together to forge strong local supply chains. She speaks to the festival's co-founder Lady Caroline Cranbrook who has been a passionate advocate of Suffolk's rich food ecosystem. She goes on a shopping trip with local restaurateur and hotelier George Pell, a self-styled "blow-in" from London. They visit a fishing family, a butcher and a farmer supporting a start-up serving crullers in a town where collaboration is king.
Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin Markwell
SAT 23:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m002l35f)
Series 14
3. Lewisham
Mark Steel visits Lewisham in south London and creates a show for the local audience.
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 Chris Maclean
Producer Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios production for Radio 4
SAT 23:30 The 3rd Degree (m002l233)
Series 15
6. University of Edinburgh
The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
With this episode coming from the University of Edinburgh, the Specialist Subjects are Theology, Jewellery & Silversmithing and Medicine - so naturally we’ll be learning the true meaning of univocity, the proper method of sintering, the correct usage of fluoroisotopes and the best way to eat Dubai Chocolate. Oh, and how to pronounce Kirkcudbrightshire. More or less.
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors. 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, the universities include Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, Kent, Worcester College Oxford, Manchester Metropolitan University and Edinburgh
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER 2025
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002lfs8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002l231)
Philippa Gregory
Celebrated historical novelist Phillipa Gregory speaks to James Crawford about her latest novel Boleyn Traitor and explores its connections to three other works of literature.
Philippa’s intimate portrayals of the machinations of the Tudor court have made her a bestseller and a household name. In her latest dive in to 16th Century England, she returns to the world of King Henry VIII, seen through the eyes of Jane Boleyn, confidante to five of Henry’s six wives – but was she a loyal friend, or a duplicitous spy?
For her three influences Phillipa chose: The Golden Bowl by Henry James (1904), A Room With A View by EM Forster (1908), and The Country and the City by Raymond Williams (1973).
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002lfsb)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002lfsd)
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 (m002lfsg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002lfsj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002ldcy)
St Peter’s Church in Carmarthen, Wales
Bells on Sunday comes from St Peter’s Church in Carmarthen, Wales. Though founded much earlier, the present building dates from at least the 14th century. The landmark west tower contains a ring of eight bells, four of which are the original bells cast by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1722. The tenor bell weighs fifteen and one quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them ringing Stedman Triples performed by a band from the Ancient Society of College Youths.
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002l35p)
Changes at the Macular Society; Prima Implants
Changes at the Macular Society continue to generate a significant proportion of the contact we get from In Touch listeners. With the consultation exercise now at an end, we're joined by the Society's CEO, Ed Holloway. We discuss a range of issues with Ed, including the rationale for making the changes, what the new organisational structures will look like and what it means for those who provide the charity's services and those who use them.
Another development regarding macular disease is the clinical trial of Prima implants. The trial involves inserting a microchip with the thickness of a human hair under the retina with the aim of restoring a degree of vision. The BBC's Medical Editor Fergus Walsh joins us to explain the technology in more detail and with news of encouraging results.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’
SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002ld9v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpg)
Searching for hope as a hostage in Gaza
After two long years President Trump has announced a ceasefire agreement which should see the remaining hostages returned home in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
How have the families of Israeli hostages and their loved ones, held captive in dark tunnels for hundreds of days, managed to hold onto hope? Do people deepen their faith during periods of immense suffering, or turn away from religion?
For this edition of Heart and Soul, Naomi Scherbel-Ball explores how, two years on since the October 7th attacks, hostages and their families see their lives and their faith.
Many of those held hostage in Gaza come from the kibbutzim, largely secular communities that border Gaza, or were taken from the Nova music festival. Some of those released have spoken about reconnecting with their Jewish faith, with one female hostage even translating her prayers into Arabic so she would be allowed to continue to pray by her captors. Others speak of the strength they found in their family, the kibbutzim movement and community.
65-year-old American-Israeli Keith Siegel, who was kidnapped with his wife Aviva, explains how his connection to Judaism deepened during nearly 500 days in captivity. On his release, his daughter asked what he would like for their first family shabbat meal together after nearly 500 days. “What I want most is a kippah and a kiddush cup”, he answered, referring to the head covering worn by observant Jewish men and the symbolic cup that is held during the Friday night blessing in Judaism. Now back with his family in Israel, he says his heart is not whole until the remaining hostages return.
Produced and Presented by Naomi Scherbel-Ball
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002ld9x)
The Cornish Centenarian
As he turns 100, David Lightfoot shares his memories of farming in the Cornish countryside. One of nine children, he started his career with a couple of cows and and a few rented fields. He went on to farm for Prince Charles, before he became King, and rented land from the Duchy of Cornwall. His family are still Duchy tenants. David brought Charolais cattle to Cornwall and still takes delight in inspecting his nephew's cows which came from the breeding stock he introduced.
As a boy he milked cows by hand and learnt to drive one of the first tractors in the area. He worked the land with heavy horses, and when he was called up for World War II he was tasked with teaching officers how to ride horses in the Indian jungle.
We join him as he tours his nephew's farm in the Tamar Valley and reflects on what makes a good beast - and a good farmer.
Produced and presented by Rebecca Rooney
SUN 06:57 Weather (m002ld9z)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002ldb1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002ldb3)
King Charles and Pope Leo made history in the Sistine Chapel by praying side by side - a first for the leaders of the Church of England and Catholic Church.
In this week's edition of our series on the study of religion, theologian Robert Beckford goes back to school to explore the teaching of RE at GCSE and A Level.
Halloween may be on the minds of trick or treaters, however another festival is celebrated at this time of year - we explore Samhain that's observed by followers of Paganism.
PRESENTER: EDWARD STOURTON
PRODUCERS: KATY BOOTH & CATHERINE MURRAY
STUDIO MANAGERS: JOE STICKLER & CHRIS WALKER
EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002ldb5)
SSAFA
Adventurer and former Royal Naval reservist Ben Fogle makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. SSAFA supports veterans and serving personnel in the UK and other countries including Cyprus, Brunei and France offering help with issues like addiction, debt and homelessness.
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 ‘SSAFA’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘SSAFA’.
- 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: 210760. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m002ldb7)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002ldb9)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002ldbc)
One holy, catholic and apostolic church
From CFC (the Christian Fellowship Church) in Belfast with members of different Christian denominations reflecting on and considering the importance of the clause in the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church”
Led by Pastor Andrew Gibson
Preacher: Esther Simpson
King of Kings
This I believe (The Creed)
John
17:20-26
Glorify thy name
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Not by might
Musical Director: Dave Robb
SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct74jk)
Brazil’s biggest bank heist
In August 2005, a gang of theives tunnelled their way into a Brazilian bank vault in a heist straight out of the movies.
Three months before, the thieves had set up a landscaping business, Grama Sintetica - or Synthetic Grass, from a house close to the Banco Central in Fortaleza. But it was a plot to disguise their real activity.
Working in shifts, they dug an 80 metre tunnel from the house, under a neighbouring street and into the vault before escaping with more than 160million reais, then the equivalent of $70m.
Antonio Celso Dos Santos, then a federal police chief, was one of the detectives who tracked down the gang. He spoke to Jane Wilkinson about the investigation.
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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
(Photo: Police and journalists examine the Banco Central tunnel, 2005. Credit: AP Photo/Tuno de Vieira, Diario do Nordeste)
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002ldbf)
Anita Sethi on the Raven
Nature writer Anita Sethi has long been intrigued by ravens. These large, intelligent birds mainly feed on carrion and have glossy, jet black plumage and long wings. They are the biggest member of the crow family and will usually will mate for life, remaining in pairs throughout the year.
However, ravens were historically seen as an ill omen and they have often been connected with death and the supernatural in British folklore and mythology. Ravens are perhaps most famously associated with the Tower of London, where legend holds that if they were to leave the tower, the kingdom of Britain would fall.
But these distinctive birds have also given their name to various places in the British isles, including several locations in the North York Moors. Anita visits one such place - Ravenscar - and sees the ravens nesting on the high cliffs overlooking the North Sea.
Presented by Anita Sethi and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002ldbh)
Streeting: Country in 'despair' over public services
Health secretary Wes Streeting admits the wrongful release of Hadush Kebatu's adds to the sense Britain is "broken". Plus, we celebrate the first snow of the season in the Cairngorms and hear the Prime Minister's 'Private Passions'.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002ldbk)
Lennie James, actor
Lennie James is a British actor and writer. In 2025, he received the BAFTA for Leading Actor for his portrayal of Barrington Walker in the TV adaptation of Bernadine Evaristo’s novel Mr. Loverman.
This award adds to his collection, which also includes accolades for writing. At seventeen, he wrote Trial and Error and won the National Youth Theatre–Texaco Playwriting Competition, earning the title of Most Prominent Playwright Under 21.
For a decade, Lennie played Morgan Jones in The Walking Dead and its spin-off Fear the Walking Dead, gaining such global recognition that he was even recognised by Vatican guards.
He also created and starred in the critically acclaimed Sky Atlantic drama Save Me, which premiered in 2018. Its second season, Save Me Too, won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series in 2021.
Raised by his mother Phyllis, who emigrated from Trinidad to work as a nurse, Lennie faced hardship after her death when he was eleven. He and his brother Kestor were placed in a children’s home, and later Lennie moved into foster care after the home was sold by Wandsworth Council.
Encouraged by a youth theatre group, Lennie pursued acting and later trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
He met his wife, Giselle, at seventeen in the same youth theatre group. They have three daughters and divide their time between the US and the UK.
DISC ONE: Touch The Hem Of His Garment - Gene Martin
DISC TWO: I Found Lovin’ - Fatback Band
DISC THREE: Doesn't Make It Alright - The Specials
DISC FOUR: Living For The City - Stevie Wonder
DISC FIVE: Any Old Time - Artie Shaw and his Orchestra with Billie Holiday
DISC SIX: For me... Formidable - Charles Aznavour
DISC SEVEN: Champagne Supernova - Oasis
DISC EIGHT: Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding
BOOK CHOICE: The Collected Novels of Toni Morrison
LUXURY ITEM: A guitar
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: For me... Formidable - Charles Aznavour
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
Desert Island Discs has cast many actors and writers away including the author of Mr. Loverman, Booker Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo and the creator of Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002ldbm)
Writer: Katie Hims
Director: Andy Partington
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge…. Charles Collingwood
David Archer.... Timothy Bentinck
Josh Archer.... Angus Imrie
Jolene Archer.... Buffy Davies
Ruth Archer.... Felicity Finch
Lilian Bellamy.... Sunny Ormonde
Alice Carter.... Hollie Chapman
Ruairi Donavan.... Arthur Hughes
Amber Gordon.... Charlotte Jordan
George Grundy.... Angus Stobie
Tracy Horrorbin.... Susie Riddell
Adam Macy.... Andrew Wincott
Kate Madikane.... Perdita Avery
Esme Mulligan.... Ellie Pawsey
Oliver Sterling…. Michael Cochrane
Carly…. Louise Brearley
SUN 12:15 Profile (m002ldbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002l37c)
Series 4
Episode IV: A New Pope
Paul Sinha tests his audience in Ayr on their knowledge of universities, Popes and islands. In return, they get to quiz him about notable Scottish footballing achievements and the Scottish Grand National.
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 (m002ldbr)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002ldbt)
How hostile states interfere in the UK
A picture of how and why life inside the UK is being influenced by malign external actors, and the evolving threat that this poses, provided by a former boss of MI5, the minister responsible for the nation's security under the previous government and a man targeted by a Russian-ordered spying operation.
SUN 13:30 Currently (m002ldbw)
Garden of England
Kent is the Garden of England - if you view it from the air, it’s covered in square miles of plastic, where the millions of tonnes of soft fruit are grown that feed the nation. Aidan Tulloch takes us inside the world of the summer fruit pickers recruited to work for a season on a blueberry farm in Kent.
In early summer thousands of people arrive in UK airports, hired on short-term visas to help pick the annual crop of soft fruit. Picking is an international effort, with jobs advertised in Russian, Bulgarian, Polish and many other languages, and pickers are increasingly being recruited from Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. They are joined each day by local pickers, often students or young people working summers between other lives elsewhere. Many pickers live in on-site caravans that become their homes for several months. The farm becomes a fascinating, temporary global community.
From spring showers through a heatwave and a late September chill, this is the story of a summer in a pickers' village, from the early starts to the final goodbyes and the return home, where different people from vastly different backgrounds come together over the course of several months. It's the story of
5am alarms, temperamental weather, unexpected friendships and ad-hoc games of football, families left behind in home countries, new lives made in the UK - human stories behind the punnets of blueberries in your local supermarket.
Translations: Irena Taranyuk and Elizaveta Fokht
Voices: Hannah Bristow and Olivia Railton
Presenter: Aidan Tulloch
Producer: Tim Bano
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002l3pp)
Two Dales
Which seeds would you take to a desert island? How can I improve my success planting bulbs? Which easy-to-grow plants have you managed to kill?
Peter Gibbs and a panel of gardening experts are in Two Dales to share their top horticultural advice. Joining Peter are garden designer Bunny Guinness, RHS curator Marcus Chilton-Jones, and alpine specialist Bethan Collerton.
Later in the programme, Marcus stops to chat to Steve Porter, Head of Gardens and Landscape at Chatsworth House about the history of camellias and how best to grow them.
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Producer: Matt Smith
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4
Plant List:
Q — 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Which easy-to-grow plant have you managed to kill?
Marcus Chilton-Jones
Swiss cheese plant
Mother in law’s tongue
Bethan Collerton—
Gorse
Bunny Guinness—
Bacchia
Pelagonium
Q — 4 minutes, 41 seconds
I've got a prickly pear cactus and the outer surface layer appears to be getting eaten in patches. Why?
QM
I want to re-plant a board backed by a 6ft wooden fence. What would the panel recommend?
Bethan Collerton—
Evergreen ferns
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’
Brunnera macrophylla ’Silver heart’
Bunny Guinness—
Lavender
Yew
Allium ‘Globe master’
Hydrangea seemannii
Marcus Chilton-Jones —
Physocarpus
Camellia
Lobelia
cotinus
Hydrangea seemannii
Q 15 minutes, 30 seconds
Cornus kousa ‘green sleeves’
Cornus kousa ‘milky way’
Bunny Guinness —
Cornus mas ‘Cornelian cherry’
Q -- 25 minutes, 37 seconds
Could the team advise how to improve my success rate of my bull planting?
Q -- 30 minutes, 30 seconds
How should I prune a Victoria plum tree?
QF 37 mins 25
Which two packets of seeds would you take to a desert island?
Bethan Collerton—
Courgette
Rice
Bunny Guinness—
Edamame
Fig
Marcus Chilton-Jones —
Tomatoes
Sunflower
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002ldby)
The Castle of Otranto
When Horace Walpole published The Castle of Otranto in 1764, novels as a form were still in their infancy. Many tended to be long-winded works, instructing readers on how to live a moral life.
With this short and fast-paced rollercoaster of a book, Walpole blew that idea out of the water, introducing his audience to a completely new kind of fiction, featuring supernatural happenings, suspense, and a young woman fleeing an evil villain down a dark corridor with a candle that blows out at the vital moment - all the elements of what we now call Gothic fiction.
Prompting both a moral panic and a rush on sales, The Castle of Otranto would prove inspirational to many future writers, including Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein and Jane Austen who would both parody and celebrate the Gothic in her novel Northanger Abbey.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for R4.
Contributor: Emma Clery, Professor of English Literature at the Uppsala University, Sweden. Editor of The Castle of Otranto (1996), and author of The Rise of Supernatural Fiction, 1762 -1800
Reader: Paul Dodgson
Production Hub Coordinator: Nina Semple
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Sound: Iain Hunter
Producer: Kate McAll
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002ldc0)
The Castle of Otranto
A new adaptation of Horace Walpole’s gothic novel, widely recognised as being the godfather of modern horror.
The adaptation by Katherine Tozer with specially composed music by John Chambers embraces the lurid nature of the original text, evoking a fever dream reality designed to conjure an experience that’s both eerie and disturbing.
Set in Medieval Italy, Manfred is the despotic ruler of Otranto. Defying the curse that foretells his downfall he prepares to use whatever means necessary to hold onto power.
Manfred ….. Sandy Grierson
Hippolyta ….. Emily Bruni
Mathilda ….. Kitty Archer
Isabella ….. Cecilia Appiah
Bianca ….. Bethany Muir
Theodore ….. Jake Kenny-Bryne
Father Jerome ….. Arthur Hughes
Frederic ….. Justin Salinger
Directed by Tracey Neale
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
Production Co-ordinator: Maggie Olgiati
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.
The Castle of Otranto is widely credited with single-handily creating the phenomenon of The Gothic Novel.
The novel was penned over several months in late 1764 by Horace Walpole and published under the pretence that it was a 'found' manuscript from an ancient library speaking of true-life horror.
The book's breathless pace and supernatural opening, packed with unexplainable happenings and sinister portents, anticipate everything from Frankenstein and Dracula, right up to the present-day Twilight Saga.
By turns lurid, sensational and slyly amusing, this literary tour-de-force gripped the Georgian public by the throat and held them riveted. As Walter Scott put it, the novel taps 'that secret and reserved feeling of love for the marvellous and supernatural, which occupies a hidden corner in almost everyone's bosom.'
And coming to Radio 4 later on this year, the gothic theme continues with a new adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, written as a parody in response to Walpole's novel.
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002ldc4)
Chris Kraus
Presenter James Crawford welcomes American writer, filmmaker, and art critic Chris Kraus to Take Four Books to discuss her latest novel 'The Four Spent the Day Together'. This marks Kraus’ fifth semi-autobiographical novel, following the success of 'I Love Dick', which was adapted into a major television series.
The Four Spent the Day Together blends elements of childhood memoir, the experience of being the partner of a relapsing alcoholic, and an investigation into a real-life crime in a Minnesotan town.
Kraus also shares the three literary influences that inspired the novel: 'The Executioner’s Song' by Norman Mailer (1979), 'Main Street' by Sinclair Lewis (1920), and 'Hinterland' by Phil A. Neel (2018).
Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 16:30 Punt & Dennis: Route Masters (m0023dqj)
Series 1: From Beer to Eternity
1 - From Beer to Jurassic Park
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are on a mission from Beer to Eternity, in this warm and witty new podcast that celebrates new and half remembered trivia as they try to find entertaining links between random places, people and things.
Could you make your way from The Starship Enterprise to the Air Fryer, armed only with A Level Economics and a Geography degree? Hugh Dennis is going to have to. While Steve Punt will have to pick his way across Africa, to find what links Machiavelli and Madagascar. Across the series, they’ll be joined by guests including Ken Cheng, Kiri Pritchard McLean, Isy Suttie and Marcus Brigstocke, on a scenic route which takes in Shampoo, The Gruffalo, Watford Gap Services and Yoghurt.
Written and hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis
With Jessica Fostekew
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
Recorded at Maple St Creative
Mixed by Jonathan Last
A Listen Production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct743z)
Dancing in the Street: David Bowie and Mick Jagger
In July 1985, music legends Mick Jagger and David Bowie were asked to perform a duet with a twist at Live Aid, the biggest concert in pop history.
Utilising the latest satellite technology, Mick would perform on the US stage in Philadelphia, while David would perform on the UK stage at Wembley Stadium.
As the technical issues were being discussed, it soon became obvious that a half-second delay in the link between cities would prevent the live performance from happening, so a recording was planned instead.
A short list of songs was discussed before the duo finally settled on the Motown classic Dancing in the Street.
Live Aid press officer Bernard Doherty tells Des Shaw how the duet and video were recorded in just 18 hours and became a highlight of the benefit concert on 13 July 1985. A Zinc Media production.
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: Mick Jagger and David Bowie performing Dancing In The Street. Credit: Getty Images)
SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002ldc9)
Shaun Usher, Katrina Naomi, Amani Saeed, Fran Edwards and Jennifer Jones
Shaun Usher's Letters of Note project became a cultural empire spanning multiple books, stage shows, and an online archive. He's now produced Diaries of Note - a collection of diary entries that span centuries from the great and the good . He discusses the relationship between a diary entry and a poem.
Katrina Naomi on her latest pamphlet of poems, Dance As If, in which she reconnects with her body, as a woman of a certain age, through the medium of dance.
Amani Saeed on the culmination of the Language Is A Queer Thing project which for the last three years has brought poets from India and England together to create new work.
Mother and daughter, Fran Edwards and Jennifer Jones, on Rebirth - a collection of poems which began as a private conversation reflecting on their relationship, during the pandemic.
Presenter Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002ldcc)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m002ldcf)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ldch)
Migrant Sex Offender Caught After Wrongful Jail Release
A migrant sex offender who was wrongly released from prison and spent two days at large in Essex and London is now back behind bars. Hadush Kebatu - who was jailed for 12 months in September - was freed instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. In other news, the health secretary Wes Streeting has accused the Reform UK MP, Sarah Pochin, of using "racist" language after she complained that adverts were "full of black and Asian people". And two people have been arrested in connection with the theft of France's crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last weekend.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002ldck)
Babita Sharma
This week, we revisit an interview between two acting legends: Emma Thompson and the late Broadway star Angela Lansbury. Just a few blocks away stands the Rockefeller Center - and Witness History looks at the famous lunchtime photo taken during its construction, as well as the lives captured sat atop a beam. Capybaras are joining the Carnival of Animals on Radio 4, plus we hear the moving story of how a chance encounter with a dog walker changed an army veteran’s life.
Presenter: Babita Sharma
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 (m002ldcm)
With George in bed most of the day, Emma worries to Will about his state of mind. They agree he needs a purpose – low mood is common after leaving prison. Will remarks that Amber perks him up, though George is unhappy she’s paying for everything. Emma thinks being barred from the Bull hasn’t helped. She heads off to appeal to Lilian as one mother to another, but finds little sympathy there. Lilian maintains that George has been rude and unpleasant. Emma accuses her of being a hypocrite, taking pleasure in making George an outcast. Lilian insists the Bull isn’t responsible for George’s rehabilitation. Tracy tries to soothe upset Emma, stating Lilian’s only trying to protect Alice. But Emma remains worried about George’s future. She begs Tracy to try and persuade Lilian to think again, but Tracy insists she can’t. Emma snaps that she thought family meant as much to Tracy as it does to her. Emma reports back to Will. Will reckons if George’s support worker can’t be of more help, they need to do it themselves. He suggests George might help with the tree surgery, and broaches it with him. George reluctantly agrees; what choice does he have?
Lilian and Tracy enjoy the ceremony as they collect their award for South Borsetshire Best Local Pub. Lilian’s impressed with Tracy’s speech, and in return gives her a masterclass in schmoozing. They return home worse for wear, and accidentally damage the trophy. Struggling to repair it, Lilian thinks their only option is to confess they broke the Bull’s prize prize!
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002ld6d)
Problems with Julia Masli
There are so many problems in the world. For the past three years, Estonian clown Julia Masli - armed with a microphone taped to a mannequin leg - has been trying to solve them.
So far, during the performances of her live show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, where Julia asks audience members their problem, she has recorded 1574 problems. A few people feel homesick, some worry about the collapse of society, and many lament their retreating hairlines. But we are not alone with our problems: Janet is not the only one with a broken fridge. Simon shares his back pain. Alexandra might feel lonely, but Aisha does too.
This clown might not be able to solve all of our problems, but she’s going to try.
Photo: Cameron Whitman
Original music composed by Alessio Festuccia
Produced by Talia Augustidis and Julia Masli
Dramaturgy by Kim Noble (director of ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)
Executive producers Alan Hall and Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m0018gqq)
An Apple a Day
In this episode, Michael delves into the surprising research on the humble apple, revealing how it can help your heart, gut, and brain. He speaks to Dr Catherine Bondonno from Edith Cowan University in Australia to find out how and why simply eating more apples could reduce risk of dying early by up to 35%! They discuss what apples can do to our gut bacteria and blood vessels to keep them healthy. Meanwhile, our volunteer Lee overcomes sensory challenges, finding different ways of adding apples to his diet.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002l3hp)
Saturday Live. BBC Sounds website. Jonathan Anderson on This Cultural Life.
Saturday Live is a staple of BBC Radio 4's weekend schedule, and for years it was presented by Reverend Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi. Andrea interviewed Richard as he departed in 2023 when the programme moved to Cardiff. The lead presenter post was covered in the interim by Nikki Bedi with different co-hosts. Now, Adrian Chiles has entered the chat, as the new presenter of Saturday Live. Feedback listeners have been telling us what they think of this change. Andrea Catherwood puts your comments to Colin Paterson, Head of Audio for BBC Wales and the West of England.
There's also been tweaks to how some listeners access BBC Sounds when using a browser, leading to widespread confusion. We've got an answer about the changes from the BBC Sounds team.
Last week Andrea spoke to BBC Political Editor Chris Mason about how the BBC has been covering Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage. We'll hear what you thought of the discussion.
And finally, one listener has nominated John Wilson's interview with Northern Ireland fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, who has recently been appointed Creative Director at French fashion house Christian Dior, for Interview of the Year. As we learned in the interview, it's a far cry from Mid Ulster, where he grew up.
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 (m002l3pt)
Raila Odinga, Bill Colley, Baroness Rosalind Howells, Sister Marion Irvine
Matthew Bannister on
The influential Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, who was detained for his pro-democracy campaigns, but went on to be the country’s Prime Minister.
Bill Colley, who designed and built traditional wooden racing boats.
Baroness Rosalind Howells of St Davids, who campaigned for racial equality and supported the family of Stephen Lawrence after his murder.
And Sister Marion Irvine, the American nun who took up marathon running in middle age and went on to break many records.
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
ARCHIVE USED:
Raila Odinga interview about his struggles in Kamiti, NTV Kenya YouTube channel uploaded 26/01/2020; Raila Odinga state funeral, BBC World Service, 17/10/2025; Raila Odinga profile, Reuters, BBC News Channel, 19/10/2025; Raila Odinga on anti-government protests in Kenya, BBC Africa, 27/03/23; The interview: Leader of the National Super Alliance, Kenya - Raila Odinga, BBC World Service, 07/02/2018; Bill Colley: The Last wooden racing boat builder, Real Time series, BBC News, 05/12/2013; The Boys in the Boat, Official Trailer, Warners Bros. UK and Ireland, Director George Clooney, Warner Bros YouTube Channel, uploaded 18/10/2023; The Boys in the Boat | Bill Colley Featurette, Amazon MGM Studio, YouTube channel, 23/11/2023; Rasalind Howells interview from the New Cross Fire report, Newsnight, BBC News, 15/01/2001; The Powerlist Interviews - Rosalind Howells, Powerful Media, YouTube Upload, 23/05/2018; BBC News report, New Cross Fire, 18/01/1981; BBC Newsroom South East, 1993; BBC Newsroom South East, 08/10/1997; National Theatre War Horse Trailer, Music Comp Adrian Sutton, Production National Theatre, YouTube uploaded 14/01/2016; Sister Marion Irvine interview, Silver Into Gold, Writer and Dir: Lynn Mueller, Publisher: Barr Films, Irwindale, CA, 1986;
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002ldcp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002ldb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002ldcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002ldct)
Topical political discussion hosted by Helen Catt
Helen Catt is joined by the Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti, Conservative MP Gareth Davies and Lib Dem Anna Sabine. They discuss the problems in the prison system and Labour's deputy leadership contest. Journalist Geri Scott from The Times brings additional insight and analysis. Helen also interview Professor Tim Bale about who joins political parties and the demographic changes affecting voting patterns.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (b07vs3v1)
Zeno's Paradoxes
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 third of his choices, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Greek philosophy.
Their topic is Zeno of Elea, a pre-Socratic philosopher from c490-430 BC whose paradoxes were described by Bertrand Russell as "immeasurably subtle and profound." The best known argue against motion, such as that of an arrow in flight which is at a series of different points but moving at none of them, or that of Achilles who, despite being the faster runner, will never catch up with a tortoise with a head start. Aristotle and Aquinas engaged with these, as did Russell, yet it is still debatable whether Zeno's Paradoxes have been resolved.
With
Marcus du Sautoy
Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford
Barbara Sattler
Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews
and
James Warren
Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Production
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 (m002l3pr)
Harry Swithenback's Private Visit by Alan Warner
The award-winning Scottish writer Alan Warner’s new and specially-commissioned story sees an antiques expert off the telly – Harry Swithenback – arrive in an unnamed harbour town for what he hopes is a few days of rest and relaxation, however, the townspeople have other ideas. Stuart McQuarrie reads.
Alan Warner was born in Oban on the west coast of Scotland in 1964 and is the author of several novels including: Morvern Callar (1995), which won the Somerset Maugham Prize and was adapted for the cinema by director Lynne Ramsay in 2002. It is published as a Vintage Classic. He also wrote These Demented Lands (1997), which won the Encore Award and The Sopranos/Our Ladies (1998), which won the Saltire Book of the Year Award. His novel The Stars in the Bright Sky (2010) was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Stuart McQuarrie is a television, film and theatre actor who has appeared in shows such as Taggart, Rab C Nesbitt, London’s Burning and Silent Witness. In film, he's also had notable roles in 28 Days Later, Terminator: Dark Fate and White Bird.
The producer is Dominic Howell.
MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2025
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002ldcw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 00:15 Soul Music (m002b6j2)
May You Never
"May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold / May you never make your bed out in the cold."
A perfect folk song of brotherly affection, with simply voice and guitar, John's Martyn's May You Never has captured listeners' hearts since 1971.
John Martyn was born in Surrey in 1948 and grew up in Glasgow. Part of the potent London folk scene in the late 60s early 70s, John's style evolved from these folk roots. Written in his early 20s, the enduring version of May You Never was recorded in one take in the early hours of recording his beloved 1973 album, Solid Air. The lyrics encapsulate something of the essence of John Martyn: sweet, joyful and affectionate, yet with a hint of danger ("And may you never lose your temper / If you get in a bar room fight"). John's life was beset by substance abuse and addiction and he died in 2009, age 60.
May You Never, perhaps his most famous song, is remembered by those whose lives became entwined with the song, and by others who knew John or have covered it.
Featuring:
Michael Volpe, Executive Director of If Opera;
Lauren Bensted, a writer based in London;
Graeme Thomson, author of Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn;
Spencer Cozens, keyboard player and Musical Director in John Martyn's band from 1990-2009;
Blythe Pepino, Kit Hawes, Pete Josef and Sam Brookes from The John Martyn Project.
With thanks to Kit Hawes and Spencer Cozens for the instrumental recordings.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002ldcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002ldd0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002ldd2)
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 (m002ldd4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002ldd6)
Alicia McCarthy reports on moves to tackle ticketless fans getting into football matches and MPs hold their first debate on hoarding disorder. Also, the rules on debating royal affairs in the Commons and th 75th anniversary of the chamber re-opening after bomb damage during World War II.
MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002ldd8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002lddb)
A good belly laugh
Good morning.
And it’s a happy birthday to one of the UK’s best-loved comedians: John Cleese turns 86 today. He’s perhaps best known as the co-creator of Fawlty Towers, where he played the wonderfully inept hotel manager, Basil Fawlty. Despite making only 12 episodes, the series has become a cult classic, playing so often on misunderstandings, language barriers and complaining customers. It makes me wonder: how is that watching this kind of farcical chaos and having a good belly laugh, can actually leave us feeling better about things?
Laughter is a universal human response that pops up in so many places, not only in response to the comic timing of people like Cleese. Different things will make different people laugh – and it even seems that laughter has cultural differences. Some people use humour to normalise things, especially in difficult environments. This can appear a bit shocking to those of us not in that environment, who assume it’s inappropriate to laugh about serious things. I suppose humans need medicinal pressure valves – and humour seems to act as a pressure valve like no other.
Maybe some of us listening to this today are experiencing something that feels far from a laughing matter. G.K. Chesterton, nicknamed the ‘Laughing Prophet’ for his understanding of humour as an essential ingredient in navigating all the ups and downs of human life, writes these words to us:
Chattering finch and water-fly
Are not merrier than I;
Here among the flowers I lie
Laughing everlastingly.
No: I may not tell the best;
Surely, friends, I might have guessed
Death was but the good King’s jest,
It was hid so carefully.
Lord, help us to believe you are with us in our darkness, and in our laughter,
joining your unending joy into whatever emotion we experience this day.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002lddd)
27/10/25 Energy costs for salad growers, carrots, invasive species.
Salad growers are warning that price increases for electricity will drive people out of the sector. Growers in the Lea Valley on the edge of London say they have large electricity connections for times of heavy use, but often use much less power. Since 2022 they've been charged based not only on what they use, but also on the size of the connection, and they say that from April next year those standing charges will effectively double. They say they should have government support to help meet the cost, like other sectors which are intensive users of energy.
Carrots are the nation's favourite vegetable, regularly eaten by around three quarters of us and worth nearly £300 million a year in sales . They are in season in the UK nearly all year round thanks to specialised growing techniques, including overwintering them in fields. Right now farmers are working hard to get them covered up before the first frosts. We visit a farm in the Vale of York as a layer of straw is put over the crop to protect it.
Zebra mussels, mink, floating pennywort and the Asian hornet - what they all have in common is that they are all here in the UK, but they shouldn't be. This week we are looking at invasive species. There are 2000 non native species in Great Britain, about 200 of them are classed as invasive and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the government agency which works to tackle them, says14 new ones are identified every year.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
MON 05:57 Weather (m002lddg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m002ldfv)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002ldfy)
Crossing genres with Wayne McGregor
The internationally renowned choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor swaps stage for gallery in a landmark exhibition exploring his multifaceted career at Somerset House (from 30 Oct 2025–22 Feb 2026). ‘Infinite Bodies’ investigates how Wayne McGregor has combined body, movement and cutting-edge digital technologies to redefine perceptions of physical intelligence. Throughout the gallery space he draws together designers, musicians, engineers and dancers to bring the artworks to life.
The Booker prize winning novelist Anne Enright is in the studio to talk about her latest work, ‘Attention, Writing on Life, Art and the World’. Unlike her fiction, in these essays, Enright speaks directly to the reader, elucidating her thoughts on everything from family history to Irish politics and the control of women, to new perspectives on literary legends.
There’s a screen idol at the heart of Tanika Gupta’s new play, Hedda (at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, until 22nd November). Inspired by the life of Anglo-Indian film star Merle Oberon, Gupta sets her play just after India’s independence and transforms Ibsen’s classic into a story about power, identity and representation.
Producer: Katy Hickman
Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002ldg2)
Build and bond
Neil Baker, from the Men's Shed in Camberley, tells Rachel Burden how community workshops reduce loneliness, encouraging men to make new friends whilst completing building projects.
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 (m002ldg6)
Petula Clark, Teenagers and online coercion, Clocks going back
Singer, actor and performer, Petula Clark’s career has spanned over eight decades. She sang to wartime troops in the 40s, was a 1950s child star, became a European musical icon, before conquering America with her No 1 hit Downtown. She starred in Hollywood movies alongside Fred Astaire and performed on stage in musicals including The Sound of Music, Sunset Boulevard and most recently Mary Poppins. Her autobiography - Is That You, Petula? is out now and she joins Nuala McGovern to look back at her long career.
There were two big leadership contests over the weekend, both of which saw two female candidates going head to head. In the UK Lucy Powell beat Bridget Phillipson to become the Deputy leader of the Labour Party, while in Ireland Catherine Connolly won the Presidency over Heather Humphries. So what does this say about political leadership in both countries and what impact will this have on women. Una Mullally, columnist at the Irish Times and Eleanor Langford, political reporter at the I newspaper discuss.
A new BBC podcast tells the story of a shadowy online community known as 764. It's triggered alarm among several international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, who are actively investigating its activities as representing a danger to all children. 764 recruits teenagers online through mainstream chatrooms, where they are coerced into live-streaming rituals, engaging in self-harm, and participating in conversations that promote suicide and acts of violence. Nuala speaks to BBC journalist, Jo Palmer, host of the podcast, and Megan Hinton, Victim and Survivor Advocate at the Marie Collins Foundation, which works to tackle technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
How did you feel when your alarm went off this morning? Dazed, confused or refreshed? As the clocks go back and we return to Greenwich Mean Time, there is a suggestion that women’s wellbeing may be impacted more negatively than men’s according to new research that surveyed 10,000 people this time last year. Ruth Ogden, Professor of the Psychology of Time at Liverpool John Moores University shares her findings.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
MON 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ktsy)
The Wombat
In this episode writer Katherine Rundell brings us the wombat - a creature adored by Victorian poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who described them as “a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” and kept two as pets. The wombat also has surprising physical prowess: it can sprint at 40 kilometres per hour and has a unique defensive tactic, using its reinforced rump to crush predators against the walls of its burrow.
To early settlers in Australia wombats were seen as pests and were hunted in huge numbers, with bounties introduced in the 1920s. Habitat destruction followed, and today, the common wombat is no longer common. The northern hairy-nosed wombat is now one of the rarest land mammals on Earth, with only around 400 individuals surviving.
Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
MON 11:00 The Tax Conundrum (m002ldgb)
Episode 2: The Possibilities
The debate about tax in the UK is generally parochial, even self-obsessed. But what if we lift our gaze? In the second episode of the Tax Conundrum Ben Chu asks what we could all learn from other countries. Ben travels to Estonia, which has pioneered a land value tax, something most tax experts regard as the most rational way to tax property and encourage building. He speaks to a Tallinn property developer to learn how it works in practice - and to ask how practical it would be to do something similar in Britain. He also takes a trip to Sweden, where, unlike the UK, Value Added Tax is charged on food and children’s clothes and asks shoppers in Stockholm why they’re not in uproar, as they undoubtedly would be in the UK if a politician dared to propose doing the same. The top income tax rate in Sweden is also above 50%. Ben talks to high earning Swedes about whether or not such rates discourage them from working - or whether the benefits in the form of more comprehensive public services like childcare make it worthwhile. Ben has the same conversation with workers in Estonia, which has a flat 22% income tax rate for everyone, regardless of their income. So is it wrong to assume that all the answers to the tax conundrum are to be found here in Britain?
Presenter: Ben Chu
Producer: Ivana Davidovic
Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Richard Vadon
MON 11:45 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002ldgf)
1. Life Underwater
Take a deep dive with the intrepid journalist Rose George as she explores the slippery world of fish, and the industry that puts the species on our plates. Dorothy Atkinson reads.
Rose George reminds us that Samuel Coleridge thought of fish as nothing more than ‘slimy things’ in the water. In her new book she observes that today, we see fish mostly as food, and she invites us to reconsider, to think beyond our dinner plates and to go out and wonder at this glorious species and the oceans they inhabit. As our appetites for fish grow and the health benefits of these watery dwellers are widely disseminated, George asks where our lunches, pet food, supplements and garden fertilizers in the shape of fishmeal are going to come through. As fish stocks continue to diminish and artisanal fishing practices are dwindling George asks hard questions. We'll hear about the impact of over fishing; the plight of the Senegalese fishing industry; the question of fish farms, and also a celebration of fishwives, along with stories of the heroic fisherman who saved lives during the world wars and continue do so on our most perilous seas.
Dorothy Atkinson is the reader. She is acclaimed for her work in theatre, film and television. She has appeared in several films by Mike Leigh most notably Mr Turner. She is well known for playing Pauline in the sitcom Mum. Recent work includes Ludwig, Joan, Saltburn, Without Sin, Pennyworth, Harlots and Call the Midwife.
Rose George is the author of A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World (long-listed for the Ulysses Reportage Prize), The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste (Portobello, 2008; shortlisted for the BMA Book Prize) and Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything (Portobello, 2013; winner of a Mountbatten Maritime Award), and Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood (Portobello, 2018).
Rose writes frequently for the Guardian, New Statesman and many other publications, and her two TED talks, on sanitation and seafaring, have had 3 million views.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
MON 12:00 News Summary (m002ldgk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002ldgp)
Rogue Traders, Lone Ravers, Podcast Scams
It is rare that consumers manage to take rogue traders to court. However, last week, a prolific rogue trader called Mark Killick was found guilty in a £
1.25m of fraud after failing to complete building work at numerous properties across the south west of England. We discuss how consumers can protect themselves from rogue traders and whether registration and regulation within the industry should be mandatory.
Advice charities are struggling to secure long term funding, according to Advice UK. The number of people needing these services has increased significantly in recent years, reaching almost three million in 2024. We hear from someone whose life was changed by a debt advice charity and hear about what can be done for these organisations to remain viable.
According to the European Travel Commission, 81% of Europeans say they have tweaked their holiday plans because of climate change. Its even given rise to a new word: Coolcation. As you can probably imagine, this is a vacation in cooler climes. Our reporter Bob Walker heads to Norway to find out more.
The cost of seeing your favourite band, singer or DJ has increased dramatically. In fact, a study by the Yorkshire Post found that the average cost of a concert ticket in 2025 now stands around £100. It’s leading more people to go to these events on their own. According to Ticketmaster, the proportion of what the music industry calls "lone ravers" at events this summer has grown from fewer than one in ten in 2019 to almost one in three now.
Our reporter Shari Vahl reveals how criminals are using podcasts to find victims. The scam involves luring businesses in with the opportunity of a fake podcast appearance and using it to steal their login details to social media and other online accounts.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT
MON 12:57 Weather (m002ldgt)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m002ldgy)
Pressure on Rachel Reeves from all sides
Rachel Reeves faces pressure from sectors including council leaders ahead of the Budget: what will be cut? Also, the Comedy Store Players celebrate forty years of improvisation.
MON 13:45 The History Podcast (m002l6j3)
The House at Number 48
6. Spa Town
In July 1939, industrialist Rudolph Eisner, his wife Hildegard and their two young children arrive in the small port city of Harwich in England. Life as Germans in the Uk was tough. But what of Antony's relatives who stayed on in Germany, what became of them?
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
MON 14:00 The Archers (m002ldcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Disordered (m001t2zg)
Series 1
Episode 1 - Free-Fall. Free Food
A comedy drama, written by Magnus Mackintosh, and starring Jamie Sives as Hector, an optimistic but struggling 42-year-old single father, with long-term mental health issues, who lives in Edinburgh with his unusually bright 10-year-old son William. He is aided by kindly friend and neighbour Susan and hindered by acerbic ex-partner Amanda.
In episode one, Free-Fall, Free Food, Hector has trouble with an unsympathetic job advisor and his callous landlady, and ends up having to resort to using the food bank, where a fiery encounter with an aggressive customer leaves Hector battered and bruised, literally and metaphorically. When acid tongued ex-partner Amanda pours oil on the flames by threatening to take custody of William, Hector is left in a fragile state. Thankfully caring, thoughtful neighbour Susan is there to help keep Hector’s head above water.
The writer, Magnus Mackintosh, has personally struggled with mental health issues over 27 years. He openly discusses his own mental health issues on social media in the hope he can help others and raise awareness.
Created and Written by Magnus Mackintosh
Cast
Hector- Jamie Sives
Susan- Rosalind Sydney
Amanda- Gail Watson
William- Raffi Phillips
Thresher- Steven McNicoll
Cleaver- Anita Vettesse
Man- Gordon Kennedy
Studio Engineer and Editor- Lee McPhail
Production Manager- Tayler Norris
Title Music- Just Breathe by Police Dog Hogan
Produced and Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Recorded at Castlesound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:45 Scenes from a Childhood by Jon Fosse (m001vkx2)
Episode One: Scenes from a Childhood (Part One)
A selection of connected short stories by the celebrated Norwegian author Jon Fosse, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature - “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”. Minimalist and compelling, these pared-back vignettes take us from infancy to awkward adolescence, skirting the line between fiction and autobiography. Episodes one to three draw stories from the titular story sequence 'Scenes from a Childhood'; episodes four and five are taken from the story 'Little Sister'.
'the Beckett of the twenty-first century' - Le Monde
‘Fosse has been compared to Ibsen and to Beckett, and it is easy to see his work as Ibsen stripped down to its emotional essentials. But it is much more. For one thing, it has a fierce poetic simplicity.’ - New York Times
Translated from the Norwegian by Damion Searls
Read by John Mackay
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery and Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002ldh2)
Tom Cox and Sophie Scott
THE STONE DIARIES by Carol Shields, chosen by Tom Cox
HOW TO WRITE A THESIS by Umberto Eco, chosen by Sophie Scott
PARADISE by Abdulrazak Gurnah, chosen by Harriett Gilbert
Writer Tom Cox joins neuroscientist Sophie Scott to discuss favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Tom's choice is the 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner, The Stone Diaries. Following the story of one woman’s life from birth to death, the novel also charts the unsettled decades of the twentieth century. Sophie puts forward a very different book, a non-fiction by Italian writer and academic, How to Write a Thesis. It first appeared on Italian bookshelves back in 1977, but still rings true for many. And finally, Harriett's choice is a historical novel called Paradise by the Nobel Prize-winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah, which is both a coming-of-age story, and a tale of the corruption against the backdrop of European colonialism in East Africa.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley
Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc
MON 15:30 Curious Cases (m002ldh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Saturday]
MON 16:00 Currently (m002ldbw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 Legend (m002ldhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m002ldhg)
Fallout from accidental prisoner release
David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, tells the Commons the public should expect better after a prisoner is released in error. Also this evening, the Government signs a multi-billion pound deal with Turkey for 20 UK Typhoon fighter jets.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ldhl)
Nigel Farage rejects accusation that Reform MP is "racist"
The Reform leader, Nigel Farage, has rejected an accusation from the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, that the MP Sarah Pochin was racist, after she apologised for saying adverts were full of black and Asian people. Also: A protester heckles the King about Prince Andrew. And an academic gets substantial damages for his portrayal in a Steve Coogan film.
MON 18:30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m002ldhq)
Series 4
Yapping about Leicester
Paul Sinha tests a Leicester audience's knowledge about new words, the people of 2024, and a surprising connection between two modern pop stars. In return they ask him about shipyards, RoboCop, and politicians called James.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Recording engineer: Jerry Peal
Mixed by: Rich Evans
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m002ld5n)
Pip’s downhearted to learn she’s on her own with the milking again, with Ruth at Meadow Farm. Pip’s trying to juggle this busier working pattern with Rosie’s half term. With Josh doing what he can with his own business to run, and suddenly finding themselves managing two farms, it’s a tricky ask. Pip wants Rosie to feel like she’s the most important thing in her life. Josh promises to talk to their parents. Pip’s grateful; Esme has to realise this can’t go on.
There’s an awkward moment for Tracy at the Bull as Kenton’s eager to see their award trophy. She offers to display it on a high shelf out of harm’s way. Kenton would like a better look at it, but Tracy’s adamant it’s in the perfect place.
Eddie’s on a mission to sell his turkeys. He persuades Joy to order one before approaching the Bull with his flyers. Tracy wonders if people will want to buy from a Grundy. Kenton points out that George’s imprisonment didn’t affect sales last year, but Tracy reckons it could be different now George is out and visible again.
Eddie’s festive enthusiasm has got Joy wondering about Christmas, and what special village event there might be in the absence of a Lynda Snell production this year. Josh is inspired when she says it needs to be something simple, that she can organise herself. He offers to share an idea he’s heard about via Young Farmers.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m002ldhv)
Reese Witherspoon on her novel and Colin Farrell on his new film
Actor Reese Witherspoon on why she's teamed up with thriller writer Harlan Coben to write a novel called Gone Before Goodbye, about a struck-off army surgeon who uncovers a global conspiracy.
Colin Farrell discusses his new film Ballad of a Small Player, about a gambler on the verge of losing everything, which is directed by Oscar winner Edward Berger.
What is the best amount of time to look at a work of art? Professor Jennifer Roberts from Harvard University has the answer.
Today University Academic Richard Taylor was awarded "substantial damages" after a court ruled the portrayal of him in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of a Richard III's remains did have a defamatory meaning. We talk to Richard about his win.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Harry Graham
MON 20:00 The Briefing Room (m002l3hr)
Is there a crash coming?
Some of the biggest figures in finance, from the CEO of JPMorganChase to the Governor of the Bank of England, have been warning of potential shocks to the global economy.
As excitement continues to build about the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence, the US stock market has boomed, potentially forming a fragile bubble. Meanwhile, recent bankruptcies in America have raised worries that a rapid growth in lending by private companies (so-called shadow banks) might be built on shaky ground - and have invoked memories of the subprime mortgage debacle that kicked off the Great Financial Crisis in 2007. And if that wasn’t enough, the threat that Donald Trump might reignite his tariff-driven trade war still looms over the global economy.
So how worried should we be? David Aaronovitch speaks to the top experts to find out.
Guests:
Katie Martin, markets columnist at the Financial Times
Duncan Weldon, economist and author of Blood and Treasure
Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research at investment company Panmure Liberum
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Duncan Hannant
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002l3ht)
Have scientists created a bionic eye?
The 'bionic eye' may make you think of Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge. Now, scientists have restored the ability to read in a group of blind patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). And they’ve done it by implanting a computer chip in the back of their eyes. Professor Francesca Cordeiro, Chair of Ophthalmology at Imperial College London explains how bionic technology might provide future solutions for more people with sight loss.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have come up with a way of extracting hormones from human remains dating as far back as the 1st century AD. Marnie Chesterton speaks to Brenna Hassett, bioarchaeologist at the University of Lancashire to find out how pregnancy testing skeletons could cast new information on human evolution.
In a world of automation and AI, its easy to forget that every day, people around the UK record weather observations which contribute to our understanding of climate science. Marnie meets Met Office volunteer Stephen Burt and climate scientist at the University of Reading, Professor Ed Hawkins to find out more. And science broadcaster Caroline Steel brings us brand new discoveries changing the way we understand the world around us.
If you want to find out more about volunteering to collect rain data, you can email: nationalhydrology@environment-agency.gov.uk. If you’re in Scotland, visit the SEPA website: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/rainfall/GetInvolved
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(s): Clare Salisbury, Ella Hubber, Jonathan Blackwell, Tim Dodd
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Coordinator: Jana Holesworth
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002ldfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002ldg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002ldj0)
Key figures at odds over collapse of China spy case
Some of the key figures behind the collapse of the Chinese spy case have been telling their side of the story to a parliamentary committee. We find out what we've learned from one of the committee's members.
How worried should we be about a new Russian missile described as a "tiny flying Chernobyl"?
And as the King unveils a monument to LGBT+ veterans, we hear what it means to a Royal Navy veteran sacked for being gay.
MON 22:45 North Woods by Daniel Mason (m002ldj4)
Episode 6
Daniel Mason's North Woods is a time-spanning novel chronicling four centuries of human and natural history centred on a yellow house and its surrounding woods in Massachusetts, New England.
Through varied narrative styles, the book follows a diverse cast of fascinating inhabitants, from Puritan lovers to a lovelorn painter, a fraudulent mystic, a farmer, a slave hunter, a detectorist, twin sisters, a crime reporter. It even includes the stories of panthers and beetles, whilst exploring themes of memory, fate, and the interconnectedness of life with the environment.
The novel also incorporates historical documents and diverse literary formats to create a genre-defying tapestry of stories and music within the same location.
Read by
Hannah Traylen &
Daniel Weyman
Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:00 Limelight (m0025dvy)
Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir
4. The Missing Child
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 Four: The Missing Child
Family challenges are coming from all directions as Clara races to a Manhattan rooftop and Mrs Bartholomew visits Themis House.
Clara Page - Phoebe Fox
Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley
Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker
Nakesha – Karla Crome
Sebastian Harcourt & the Dutch waiter – Kyle Soller
Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson
The Underwood Sisters & Forsaken McTeague – Jana Carpenter
Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt
Lionel – Steven Mackintosh
Selina – Catherine Kanter
Hazlitt - Ben Crowe
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 (m002ldj8)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as MPs demand answers about how a failed migrant and convicted sex offender was accidentally released from prison last week.
TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2025
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002ldjd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002ldgf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002ldjk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002ldjq)
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 (m002ldjv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002ldjx)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs express dismay over the mistaken release of sex offender Hadush Kebatu. And anger over Sarah Pochin's remarks about black and Asian actors in adverts.
TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002ldjz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002ldk1)
The pattern of peace
Good morning.
On this day in 1962, the world breathed a sigh of relief: nearly two weeks of extreme tension came to an end as Nikita Khruschev agreed to remove nuclear-armed missiles from Cuba, and John F. Kennedy promised never to invade Fidel Castro’s country. What could have become a catastrophic war was avoided. The Cuban Missile Crisis is now viewed as a high-stakes game of brinkmanship – but fortunately nothing worse.
This came shortly after the Second World War: with that devastation so fresh in the memory, surely neither of these parties really wanted to descend into more bloodshed. Diplomatic humble pie was always a more attractive option. Decades later, however, and it might feel as though nations are unlearning those painful lessons as we see countries at war across our globe. Men, women and children, who happen to live in a country that’s hated by another, losing their homes, their livelihoods, and too often their lives.
I remember receiving a family of Ukrainian refugees into the community of my last parish: at first everyone was so aware of their presence and consciously reached out to them. And then as the months went by, it seemed more and more normal that this family was resident in mid Wales, and we related to them as fellow parishioners. It was beautiful to see how welcome they became, but it also reflects how normalised we can become to the effects of war.
Pope John Paul II spoke these words at the turn of the millennium in January 2000: “Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In God’s name, may all religions bring upon earth justice and peace, forgiveness, life and love!”
Jesus, Prince of Peace,
give us grace to work to such high ideals,
in a world where violence seems to thrive.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002ldk3)
Multiple failures from the Environment Agency, a lack interest from police and a ‘woeful lack of successful convictions’. That’s what a House of Lords committee has found in its inquiry into ‘waste crime’. The inquiry from the cross party Environment and Climate Change Committee, says more than 38 million tonnes of illegal waste is being dumped each year often by organised crime groups involved in drugs, firearms, money laundering and modern slavery, and posing a serious environmental risk.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK around 400 years ago. But since 2009 they have have been slowly reappearing in UK, re-introduced by wildlife and conservation charities. In Scotland, Forestry and Land Scotland and the charity Trees for Life, have just relocated seven beavers into the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve.
All week we're looking at invasive species. Zebra mussels grow to about the size of a fingernail and love to attach themselves to surfaces below the waterline, where they can do significant damage to things such as our water networks. We hear how South West Water is trying to stop them spreading through the waterways in Cornwall.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
TUE 06:00 Today (m002ld51)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002ld53)
Caroline Smith on meteorites and potential ancient life on Mars
Caroline Smith is passionate about space rocks, whether they’re samples collected from the surface of asteroids and the Moon and hopefully Mars one day soon, or meteorites, those alien rock fragments that have survived their fiery descents through our atmosphere to land here on Earth.
She is Head of Collections and Principal Curator of Meteorites at the Natural History Museum, home to one of the finest meteorite collections in the world. Her interest in rocks began while wandering the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, as a child, picking up the ones that caught her eye and bashing them with a hammer, hoping to find treasure inside, whether it’s gold, diamonds or dinosaur fossils.
Her work today, studying rocks that have landed here on Earth or those still out there in space, is no less ambitious. She analyses their chemical composition looking for tantalising clues that might reveal how our Solar System formed, and potentially the presence of the chemical building blocks necessary for life itself.
Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Beth Eastwood
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
BBC Studios Production
TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002ld55)
Should we be using trigger warnings?
This programme may contain information that you might find to be evidence-based and informative...
Trigger warnings are everywhere.
They’re used in the news, on social media and in academia to flag potentially distressing material so we can emotionally prepare ourselves or avoid it.
But what if they actually make things worse?
We interrogate a growing body of evidence that suggests they aren’t working in the way they are intended. So should we still be using trigger warnings?
Also this week, we’ll hear from psychotherapist and author Stephen Grosz who'll share what he has learnt about love and gift-giving from four decades of conversations with his patients.
And Daryl O’Connor, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds, joins us in the studio and brings news of a study on links between discrimination and inflammation in the body, and why carrying out acts of kindness for others comes with benefits for you...
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt
Content editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth
Studio engineer: Bob Nettles
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002ld57)
Brigitte Macron cyberbullying case, Comedian Laura Smyth, Autism de-diagnosis
Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, has accused ten people of posting malicious comments about her, claiming she was a born a man, something Macron says is completely untrue. Her case is in court in France today and, if found guilty, the eight men and two women standing trial could face up to two years in prison. Sophie Pedder, Paris Bureau Chief at The Economist and Sarah Ditum, columnist at The Times, explain the significance of the trial.
A study in Sweden has found that some adults who have had a diagnosis of autism or ADHD as children would like to be considered for a de-diagnosis due to stigma and sometimes restrictions associated with the condition. Nuala McGovern talks to Dame Uta Frith, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development at University College London, and psychologist Sebastian Lundström, from the University of Gothenberg, who is one of the study’s researchers.
What if all your dreams come true and you still find yourself a bit grumpy? That’s the brilliantly blunt question at the heart of Laura Smyth's stand-up tour, Born Aggy. Laura’s journey into comedy wasn’t exactly textbook. She left behind a career in teaching, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer that same year and - just two weeks after finishing treatment - was on stage in Live at the Apollo. She joins Nuala in the studio.
The safety of some manicures has been called into question after the EU banned the use of TPO, a key ingredient in many gel polishes, due to fertility risks in animal trials. Melissa Wright tells us about producing her own line of gel nail products that don't contain TPOs and Dr Naila Dinani, Consultant Dermatologist at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, explains the risks.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Simon Richardson
TUE 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ktt1)
The Ostrich
In this episode best-selling author Katherine Rundell tells us about the ostrich, the world’s largest living bird. Contrary to the myth - first recorded by Pliny the Elder - ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand. Instead, they lie low with their heads flat to the ground, camouflaging themselves as rocks. Pliny also claimed they could digest iron; while not true, ostriches do swallow stones to help break down food, and in captivity, have been found with nails and metal in their stomachs.
Ostriches are built for speed and power. Chicks can run at 35 miles per hour within a month of hatching, and adults can take strides up to sixteen feet. Their powerful legs can deliver a fatal kick to predators, including lions.
But there has been a decline in ostrich species. The Arabian ostrich is now extinct, and the Somali ostrich is under threat from hunting and habitat loss. Despite their size and strength, ostriches remain vulnerable to human activity.
Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m002l3q4)
The Naked Civil Servant
Mark and Ellen celebrate 50 years of the ground breaking TV drama, The Naked Civil Servant.
Mark speaks to Rob Halford of Judas Priest about how The Naked Civil Servant changed his life. Mark then talks to filmmaker and drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi about how forward thinking the show was and its influence on their own work.
Ellen talks to historian Stephen Bourne about the impact of The Naked Civil Servant on British television.
Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:45 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002ld59)
2. A Coarse and Vulgar Woman
Journalist Rose George explores women's vital work in the fishing industry and we meet courageous Lil Bilocca who campaigned for better safety on the high seas. Dorothy Atkinson reads.
Rose George reminds us that Samuel Coleridge thought of fish as nothing more than ‘slimy things’ in the water. In her new book she observes that today, we see fish mostly as food, and she invites us to reconsider, to think beyond our dinner plates and to go out and wonder at this glorious species and the oceans they inhabit. As our appetites for fish grow and the health benefits of these watery dwellers are widely disseminated, George asks where our lunches, pet food, supplements and garden fertilizers in the shape of fishmeal are going to come through. As fish stocks continue to diminish and artisanal fishing practices are dwindling George asks hard questions. We'll hear about the impact of over fishing; the plight of the Senegalese fishing industry; the question of fish farms, and also a celebration of fishwives, along with stories of the heroic fisherman who saved lives during the world wars and continue do so on our most perilous seas.
Dorothy Atkinson is the reader. She is acclaimed for her work in theatre, film and television. She has appeared in several films by Mike Leigh most notably Mr Turner. She is well known for playing Pauline in the sitcom Mum. Recent work includes Ludwig, Joan, Saltburn, Without Sin, Pennyworth, Harlots and Call the Midwife.
Rose George is the author of A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World (long-listed for the Ulysses Reportage Prize), The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste (Portobello, 2008; shortlisted for the BMA Book Prize) and Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything (Portobello, 2013; winner of a Mountbatten Maritime Award), and Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood (Portobello, 2018).
Rose writes frequently for the Guardian, New Statesman and many other publications, and her two TED talks, on sanitation and seafaring, have had 3 million views.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002ld5d)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002ld5g)
Call You and Yours - What has it been like having work done on your home?
Having work done on your home is stressful enough - but the builders you employ to do the work will either make it, or literally break it.
Anyone can set themselves up as a builder, and it's a largely unregulated industry, and there are calls for more legislation to prevent home renovations from going wrong.
So, what's it been like when you've had work done on your home?
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: KATE HOLDSWORTH
TUE 12:57 Weather (m002ld5j)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m002ld5l)
News, analysis and comment from BBC Radio 4
TUE 13:45 The History Podcast (m002l6j5)
The House at Number 48
7. Finding The Money
Antony tries to find out what became of his family's business empire and properties. To help him he hires a brilliant young researcher, Yana Slovona. Within weeks, she has made some startling discoveries.
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002ld5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001fckt)
Whipped
Written by Becky Prestwich
This drama looks at the very rarely seen or heard detail of the life of a newly elected young, female MP, with fascinating detail of what it’s really like at Westminster. Meg’s party is in opposition but it’s on the way up, and so is she. But it's an uphill battle. She begins her working life in Westminster: the seat of democracy - with an office, perched between a sink and a clothes rail, in the ladies cloakroom. Newbies have to beg, borrow or steal an office. She has a love/hate relationship with the Chief Whip when her credibility is threatened.
Meg . . . . . Molly Windsor
Amina . . . . . Nina Wadia
Davey . . . . . Reuben Johnson
Noah . . . . . Jake Ferretti
Naomi . . . . . Verity Henry
Dad . . . . . Russell Richardson
Rory . . . . . Stanley Jude Kinsey
Production Co-ordinator: Pippa Day
Sound: Simon Highfield
Political advisor: Dr. Louise Thompson, Senior Lecturer in Politics at University of Manchester.
Producer: Pauline Harris
TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m002ld5q)
History's Toughest Heroes
Constance Bulwer-Lytton: Suffragette Rebel
Constance Lytton was raised an aristocrat. But when she wakes up to women's suffrage, she goes undercover in solidarity, joining her working-class comrades in prison and staging a series of dangerous hunger strikes.
In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone tells ten true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors who lived life on the edge.
As a lady, and part of the English upper-crust, when Constance Lytton was arrested for her involvement in the women's suffrage movement, she was given special treatment in prison. Desperate to be treated like everyone else, she disguised herself as the working-class ‘Jane Warton’. But when the time came to endure the horror of force feedings, it took everything she had to hold on to the mantra ‘no surrender’.
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 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vph)
Mamdani New York
Zohran Mamdani catapulted on to New York’s political scene this summer when he captured the Democratic nomination to run for Mayor this fall. A young politician, Mamdani campaigned on issues that mattered to New Yorkers including lowering the cost of living, but unlike other candidates, was not shy about making his Muslim faith a central talking point on the campaign trail. We explore how a single decision galvanized voters of different faiths across America’s biggest city, and delve into the social issues that divided those casting ballots – including the war in Gaza, Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and the divisiveness of the phrase, “globalize the intifada,” which Mamdani refused on multiple occasions to denounce. What was it about Mamdani that led Muslim voters to feel like they had a voice who will represent them as Mayor of New York City? Do Jewish voters feel let down? Will religion be the driving force behind voter mobilization come November, or will the high cost of living be the motivating factor for many across the Big Apple? We sit down with voters of varying views to find out.
[Photo Description: Zohran Mamdani campaign rally for mayor of New York City, Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein]
Presenter: Victoria Craig
TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002ld5t)
Queen Victoria's Nightmares
A new discovery about the inner life and mental health of one of Britain’s most researched monarchs, Queen Victoria - from the unpublished diaries of her doctor. When Matthew Sweet first read these diaries, he couldn’t quite believe it. He was seeing a genuinely new, unpublished and unresearched document that revealed the closely guarded mental health struggles of Queen Victoria - a factual account in the personal diaries of Doctor Robert Ferguson, never intended for publication. Once kept locked and in private hands, these volumes are now available in the Royal College of Physicians.
Nowadays we hardly ever discover something new about a well known figure like Queen Victoria. So much has been written about her, so much has been researched – but this is not only a first which changes the way we’ll think about Victoria, it is also a factual account from her doctor, kept in his personal diaries – not court gossip, not speculation, not malicious rumour – but factual notes kept for posterity.
Dr Ferguson was Victoria’s ‘accoucheur’, her obstetrician, and he was called to see her in 1841, as a 22 year old mother of two, just after the birth of her heir. A “pale and haggard” Albert told him, “the Queen has heard you have paid much attention to mental disease, and she is afraid she is about to lose her mind! She sees visions and hears sounds… She thinks of worms eating her, and is weeping and wretched”.
Years before modern day psychoanalysis and the couch, Victoria’s mental landscape sounds like something from Freud. Though the diaries are now in the public domain, this story has never been explored before.
In his journey to understand the experiences of the Queen, Matthew Sweet is also joined by leading Psychoanalyst Susie Orbach (therapist to Princess Diana and author of classic Fat is a Feminist Issue), Mariusz Misztal (Professor of history at of Krakow University) who is transcribing these diaries, historian Fern Riddell (author of Victoria's Secret), and Dream Scientist Caroline Horton (Professor of Sleep and Cognition at Lincoln Bishop University). With readings from Dr Ferguson's diaries by Jason Barnett.
With thanks to Bethlem Museum of the Mind and the Royal College of Physicians Archive.
Presenter: Matthew Sweet
Producer: Allegra McIlroy
TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002ld5w)
What should we do about false memories?
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 Docs are returning to the topic of memory, delving into the concept of false memories. Chris and Xand are curious about how and why false memories form, whether there’s anything we can do to guard against them, and why they aren’t necessarily something we should worry about.
They are joined once again by Dr Linda Henkel, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Fairfield University.
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 Linda Henkel
Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis and Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Researcher: William Hornbrook
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 (m002ld5y)
Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
Power cuts across 1/3 of the country as the world's most powerful storm of 2025 hits. Plus, plans to abolish Surrey County Council. And we debate the government’s employment rights bill.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002ld60)
Israel carries out "powerful strikes" on Gaza
Israel says it has carried out intense strikes on Gaza, after claiming a coffin handed over by Hamas did not contain the body of another deceased hostage, but further remains of a captive who'd already been returned and buried. Also: the government in Jamaica warns people not to take chances as Hurricane Melissa hits the island. And one of Britain's most popular comedy actresses, Prunella Scales, has died at the age of 93.
TUE 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m002ld62)
Series 14
4. Cambridge
Mark Steel visits Cambridge and creates a show for the local audience.
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 (m002ld64)
George is helping with a tree surgery job at the rewilding. Emma’s enjoying the chance for a chat with her son. She suggests she’d like to expose Lilian’s bad attitude to the press. George points out that won’t help his cause, which Emma accepts. Will arrives with refreshments, buoying up George with praise for his efforts. George reckons until he can drive again and get proper work he’s not going to feel great – though he does admit he feels much better being outdoors. However Justin takes a dim view – he wants George off the job. Emma’s irate but George agrees to leave. Will tries to reassure him. People will forgive in time. George is starting to hate the expression ‘give it time’. He’s struggling to re-establish himself and feels Amber must be sick of having a useless fiancé that no-one likes.
Miranda wants to clarify things with Lilian regarding her offer on the house at Home Farm. Justin speculates on her motives. He observes wryly she’s probably using the proceeds from their divorce. Lilian reminds him that if anyone has a right to be upset about Miranda’s potential purchase, it’s her. Over lunch Miranda assures Lilian the house will be a good investment and a beautiful home – no ulterior motive. She understands the complicated feelings it’s thrown up however. Lilian appreciates Miranda talking to her about it. She reports Miranda’s warmth back to Justin, who sneers. Brian needs to be on his guard. Irritated Lilian retorts she wishes Justin would show her a fraction of the compassion Miranda’s displayed today.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002ld66)
Prunella Scales, Palestine 36 film, Making Documentaries with World Leaders
In tribute to Prunella Scales, whose death was announced today, Front Row rebroadcasts an interview with the Fawlty Towers star from 2012, recorded on the eve of her 80th birthday.
Samira talks to two documentary makers who gained extraordinary access to world leaders for their films. Tommy Gulliksen followed Nato Chief Jens Stoltenberg for his film Facing War, and Petra Costa followed several Brazilian Presidents for her films Apocalypse in the Tropics and The Edge of Democracy.
Annemarie Jacir talks about her historical epic feature film, Palestine 36.
And we hear from the two joint winners of this year's Forward Prize for Poetry, Best Collection: Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen Solie
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May
TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002ld68)
High Stakes: Gambling in the armed forces
File on 4 Investigates examines the scale of problem gambling in the armed forces and the devastating impact on those serving, veterans and their families.
A new study seen exclusively by the team reveals nearly half of naval trainees who gambled were at risk of harm. This latest research builds on a growing body of evidence that points to a hidden problem across the forces that’s on the rise.
We ask if the MOD is aware of the challenge and if it’s doing enough to help those in need.
Reporter: Alastair Fee
Producers: Jim Booth
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Tara McDermott
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002ld6b)
The RNIB's Braille Transcription Service
The RNIB's long term strategy involves making substantial financial savings. One of the services proposed for cuts was the transcription on request of braille books and other documents. Following a high level of complaints about this, a year's extension of the service has been agreed whilst a consultation exercise takes place.
However, concerns remain, including from visually impaired people who use the service to obtain braille music scores. We examine the issue in more detail with the help of Connor Scott-Gardner, James Risdon and Stefan Andrusyschyn.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Kim Agostino
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to
the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’
TUE 21:00 Illuminated (m002ld6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Sunday]
TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m002l3hc)
Introverts: Can Quiet Voices Conquer The Corporate World?
Do you ever feel the world is stacked in favour of the extrovert people – the most gregarious, the most outwardly confident, the perhaps sometimes sharp-elbowed, the loudest? What can natural introverts do to try and level the playing field and create a positive impression? Evan Davis asks Richard Etienne from the Introvert Space, Clare Farthing from South Somerset meet ups and Heather Vernon, co-founder of Woburn Partners.
Produced by Bob Howard.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002ld6g)
A major development in Sudan's brutal civil war
There's been a major development in a brutal civil war - that's already created the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe. As the Sudanese government loses control of the key city of el-Fasher, survivors have spoken of executions and massacres. We speak to Annelise Dodds who was - until February - the minister responsible for aid, and is now calling for the government to take action.
Also on the programme:
Hurricane Melissa has slammed into Jamaica with winds of more than 185 miles an hour - the most powerful storm anywhere in the world this year.
And the actor Simon Callow on Prunella Scales, who's died at the age of 93.
TUE 22:45 North Woods by Daniel Mason (m002ld6j)
Episode 7
Daniel Mason's North Woods is a time-spanning novel chronicling four centuries of human and natural history centred on a yellow house and its surrounding woods in Massachusetts, New England.
Through varied narrative styles, the book follows a diverse cast of fascinating inhabitants, from Puritan lovers to a lovelorn painter, a fraudulent mystic, a farmer, a slave hunter, a detectorist, twin sisters, a crime reporter. It even includes the stories of panthers and beetles, whilst exploring themes of memory, fate, and the interconnectedness of life with the environment.
The novel also incorporates historical documents and diverse literary formats to create a genre-defying tapestry of stories and music within the same location.
Read by
Hannah Traylen &
Daniel Weyman
Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:00 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b0bfxxm4)
Series 4
Livy
Join Natalie Haynes and guests for half an hour of comedy and the Classics from the BBC Radio Theatre in London.
Natalie is a recovering comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome. Each week she takes a different figure from the Ancient World and tells their story through a mix of stand-up comedy and conversation.
Today she stands up in the name of Roman historian Livy, who gave us Hannibal crossing the Alps and the inspiration for Shakespeare's Coriolanus. Meticulously researched facts or a damn fine story? History or myth? Mostly the latter, but priceless nonetheless.
Elephants, early science and a lot of essential information from a thousand years ago.
With special guests comedian - and history buff - Al Murray and classicist Professor Llewelyn Morgan.
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002ld6l)
Susan Hulme reports as the Government is defeated again in the House of Lords over workers' rights.
WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2025
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002ld6n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002ld59)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002ld6q)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002ld6s)
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 (m002ld6v)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002ld6x)
Sean Curran reports as ministers are defeated over employment rights, the Conservatives call for stamp duty to be scrapped and MPs discuss gambling taxes.
WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002ld6z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002ld71)
Walking barefoot
Good morning.
After a back injury last year, a doctor suggested to me I should try wearing barefoot shoes. For those, like me, who’d never heard of them, barefoot shoes are a super-simple footwear that some suggest could have significant health benefits for the back, the feet, the knees and hips, and by extension the whole body. Others disagree – it’s an experimental science that is still developing its data. But the philosophy behind these shoes is that by stripping away the modern technology that has been added to footwear over the years for added comfort and support, we return to walking as were designed to. They might not work for everyone, and of course, individuals need to be guided appropriately, but for me, they’ve been really beneficial.
What I’ve really noticed is the ‘groundedness’ I now feel. I can feel the different textures of the ground, so that grass feels different to stones, which feels different to sand. I’m finding that being more ‘rooted’ to the earth is an exciting experience for the senses. But barefoot shoes or not, it’s not just physically that we can become more aware of our environment. We speak of this as a spiritual quality too, using the word ‘humble’ to describe someone who is well ‘grounded’, richly ‘connected’ to the world and to others, someone who is not above their station. As you may know, the word ‘humble’ comes from the Latin word ‘humus’, meaning the earth. The humble person is literally the earthed person. The one who is sensitive to the context around them, aware of the needs of the other – aware too of their own needs: the need to slow down, to ask for help, to listen to their heart.
Heavenly Father,
thank you for the earth you made, on which we walk.
Thank you for the spiritual earth that sometimes we rebel against,
wanting to be more than we are.
Help us to discover that we are already enough,
described as such by you.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002ld73)
29/10/25 Scottish Land Reform Bill, bird flu housing order, Himalayan Basalm, historic farming landscapes.
The Land Reform Bill is being debated at Holyrood and members of the Scottish Parliament will be voting on what’s been described as landmark legislation. If passed, the bill could allow the government to intervene in private land sales and require large estates to be broken up. The proposals are controversial with landowners and some opposition politicians.
Defra has announced that an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone will come into effect in the north, central and east of England. Poultry keepers with flocks of more than 50 birds will be required to keep their birds housed. The Chief Vet says prompt action is needed to prevent further spread of the disease.
Himalayan balsam is an invasive species which proliferates along riverbanks. Its spread has been very hard to control. Could a fungus hold the key to controlling it?
Historic man made features that lie on farmland from ancient walls to Roman forts help form the character of our countryside. For farmers however, historic features on their land can often seem like a headache rather than something to celebrate because they need conservation standard maintenance and restoration which is expensive and requires specialist skills. Historic England’s ‘Countryside Stewardship Heritage Service’ wadvises farmers on how to get funding for this. We visit a farm in Cumbria where a 19th century bridge and an 18th century lime kiln are in need of some tender loving care.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
WED 06:00 Today (m002lfvy)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Life Changing (m002lfjf)
Lost at sea
In 1975, Richard Dailey was the victim of a freak wave that swept him overboard from the vessel he was working on in the North Sea. His daughter Angie was just five years old - and the news of his death was one of her first memories. Although they were compensated financially, the impact of that loss was difficult to understand and over the years it caused tension between Angie and her mother. Angie inherited a treasured box of old letters and photographs from her father, but felt unable to open it.
Angie wrote in to Life Changing to tell Dr Sian Williams how a decision to mark his life, on the 50th anniversary of his death, helped her finally know her father and understand her part in his life.
Producer: Tom Alban
WED 09:30 The History Podcast (m002kt8c)
The Magnificent O'Connors
5. Shame the Devil
In 1995, a mysterious man phones the O’Connors. He wants to get something off his chest. Sensing something potentially huge, Nemone secretly records their meeting. What happened next could have change everything. The secret the mysterious man wants to share? He knows who killed Donk Ambridge.
Meanwhile Ragnar is forced to confront everything he thought he knew about this case and his father. Hidden in the family archive is an account of the night Donk Ambridge was murdered that could turn everything upside down.
Presenter: Ragnar O’Connor
Producer: Emily Esson, Victoria McArthur
Research: Elizabeth Ann Duffy, Louise Yeoman
Script Assistant and Additional Research: Marisha Currie
Actors: Cameron Jack, Irene Macdougall
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
Thanks to Cheryl Field, Richard Field and Kirsty Williams
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002lfw0)
Clare's law, PIP breast implant scandal, Queen Victoria's mental health
The BBC has discovered widespread delays in a scheme designed to tell people whether their partners have a history of being abusive. Known as Clare's Law, people can ask police if their partner has a history of abuse. Home Office guidelines say officers should provide relevant information within 28 days. But Police responses to a BBC News Freedom of Information request suggest some in England and Wales have waited more than two years for responses. Isabella Lowenthal-Isaacs, from Women’s Aid, tells Krupa Padhy about her disappointment in the figures.
There's a call to compensate women caught up in the scandal of faulty breast implants manufactured by a French company. The PIP scandal happened in 2012 when it emerged that the implants were filled with industrial silicone instead of medical grade silicone. The implants are far more likely to rupture than others. MPs on the Women’s and Equalities Committee have been hearing calls for compensation during their inquiry into the health impacts of breast implants and other cosmetic procedures. Jan Spivey from PIP Action Campaign and Professor Carl Heneghan from The Centre for Evidence Based Medicine join us to discuss this.
In some areas of the UK more women than men are going to ice hockey matches. Teams like Coventry Blaze say 60% of their new season ticket holders this year are female. So what’s behind the surge in female fandom? Some say it’s down to an unexpected influence; romance novels featuring ice hockey players. Titles like Icebreaker and Behind the Net, while niche, are proving popular. Sports presenter Katie Shanahan and ice hockey fan Emily Laycock tell us why they think more women are discovering the sport.
Historian and presenter Matthew Sweet discusses his new discovery - unpublished personal diaries of Queen Victoria’s obstetrician that throw light on the inner life and mental health of one of Britain’s most researched monarchs. These mental health struggles come just after the birth of her second child – Bertie - Albert Edward, Prince of Wales – in 1841. Do the descriptions in the diaries indicate Victoria could have been experiencing postpartum psychosis? Sarah Taha, consultant perinatal psychiatrist, gives us her views.
Presenter: Krupa Padhy
Producer: Melanie Abbott
WED 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ktt2)
The Dragonfly
In this episode writer Katherine Rundell looks at the dragonfly - an insect with a prehistoric past. Around 300 million years ago, dragonfly-like creatures called meganeura had wingspans up to two feet and preyed on amphibians and insects. Today’s dragonflies are much smaller, but no less remarkable.
There are over 3,000 species, ranging from Britain’s golden-ringed dragonfly to the bright pink roseate skimmer. The globe skimmer dragonfly is known for its extraordinary migration across the Indian Ocean, travelling thousands of miles without stopping.
But climate change is having an influence on them. Males in cooler regions have darker wings to absorb heat, and as global temperatures rise, scientists are observing a shift toward lighter, even colourless wings.
Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002ld68)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002lfjx)
October 27th to November 2nd
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 27th October to 2nd November
31st October 1984 - Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi is assassinated
28th October 1726 - "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift is published.
30th October 1974 - Muhammad Ali defeats George Foreman in 'The Rumble In The Jungle'
Presented by Viji Alles and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Stuart Ross and Amanda Litherland
WED 11:45 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002lfw2)
3. Fishing Work and Saving Lives
The journalist Rose George explores the moral code that has made fearless and skilful rescuers of Britain's fishermen past and present. Dorothy Atkinson reads.
Rose George reminds us that Samuel Coleridge thought of fish as nothing more than ‘slimy things’ in the water. In her new book she observes that today, we see fish mostly as food, and she invites us to reconsider, to think beyond our dinner plates and to go out and wonder at this glorious species and the oceans they inhabit. As our appetites for fish grow and the health benefits of these watery dwellers are widely disseminated, George asks where our lunches, pet food, supplements and garden fertilizers in the shape of fishmeal are going to come through. As fish stocks continue to diminish and artisanal fishing practices are dwindling George asks hard questions. We'll hear about the impact of over fishing; the plight of the Senegalese fishing industry; the question of fish farms, and also a celebration of fishwives, along with stories of the heroic fisherman who saved lives during the world wars and continue do so on our most perilous seas.
Dorothy Atkinson is the reader. She is acclaimed for her work in theatre, film and television. She has appeared in several films by Mike Leigh most notably Mr Turner. She is well known for playing Pauline in the sitcom Mum. Recent work includes Ludwig, Joan, Saltburn, Without Sin, Pennyworth, Harlots and Call the Midwife.
Rose George is the author of A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World (long-listed for the Ulysses Reportage Prize), The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste (Portobello, 2008; shortlisted for the BMA Book Prize) and Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything (Portobello, 2013; winner of a Mountbatten Maritime Award), and Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood (Portobello, 2018).
Rose writes frequently for the Guardian, New Statesman and many other publications, and her two TED talks, on sanitation and seafaring, have had 3 million views.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
WED 12:00 News Summary (m002lfw4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002lfw6)
News and discussion of consumer affairs
WED 12:57 Weather (m002lfw8)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m002lfwb)
Mass killings reported in Sudan
RSF militant group accused of atrocities after taking city of El-Fasher. Plus, the latest from Jamaica as the country wakes up to the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. And, Prime Minister Keir Starmer fails to rule out tax rises in next month's budget.
WED 13:45 The History Podcast (m002l6j7)
The House at Number 48
8. The Gift
After 80 years since losing a huge and grand property in Germany which used to belonged to his family, Antony sets off to confront the people who now own The House at Number 48.
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
WED 14:00 The Archers (m002ld64)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001hfbv)
Back Home
By May Sumbwanyambe. Noreen returns to her native Zambia after 20 years in the UK. As the head of a wildlife charity she’s come back to give a speech about animal conservation in Africa but her family - who haven’t seen her since she left as a young student - want to talk about difficult issues closer to home.
Noreen ..... Rakie Ayola
Mwemba ..... Adam Courting
Moses ..... Ben Onwukwe
Producer/director: Bruce Young
May Sumbwanyambe researched and wrote the play while he was a Leverhulme Trust artist-in-residence at the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, University of York, and research assistance was provided by Molly Brown.
WED 15:00 Money Box (m002lfwd)
Money Box Live: Beating the squeeze?
Inflation may not be in double digits anymore, but it is still almost double the Bank of England's target. That means prices are rising twice as fast as they should be.
So we might have come through the cost of living crisis - but many people are still feeling its impact.
Today we're asking: how are you beating the squeeze? And, in this week of trick or treating, how are you making sure you can still afford the treats?
Presenter FELICITY HANNAH is joined by expert guests NEIL BELLAMY, consumer insights director at the market research firm NIQ, LISA WEBB, senior lawyer at the consumer champion Which? and the consumer journalist, HARRY WALLOP.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Catherine Lund, James Graham
Editors: Jess Quayle, Craig Henderson
Senior News Editor; Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast at
3pm on Radio 4 on Wednesday 29th October).
WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002lfwg)
Can AI do my Christmas shopping?
Aleks and Kevin explore the world of Ai agents, artificial intelligence that can go out and act in the world on your behalf. And with festive season only weeks away, what they really want to know is could it do your Christmas shopping for you?
They hear from Peter Cross, ex-customer experience director at John Lewis and Waitrose, and author of Start with the Consumer, about whether an Ai could ever be your personal shopper before finding out from human-computer interaction researcher Professor Tamilla Triantoro about how far off these technologies are and will they ready before we have to brave the high street in that last minute Christmas dash.
Presenters: Aleks Krotoski & Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Researchers: Rachael O'Neill & Jac Phillimore
Sound: Tim Heffer
WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002lffh)
The Strictly Bombshell
As PR moves go, it would surely have earned a '10 from Len'.
But what about the BBC's own communications team, who were seemingly as surprised as everyone else when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were leaving Strictly Come Dancing?
This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at what happens when a PR team is left blindsided by events. And while not strictly a double act, Tess and Claud are a Strictly double act - so it's a chance to discuss the challenges of how to bow out when your reputation is, at least in part, tied up with someone else.
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the Prince Andrew scandal still looms large. The clamour for some kind of decision on his living arrangements is only growing. As yet, there's nothing official. But there does seem to be an awful lot of briefing behind-the-scenes. David and Simon look at how this lack of formal information is playing out for both the King and Prince William.
And how many times have we heard there's a problem at head office? That seems to be the case at Waitrose. The supermarket chain has reversed its decision not to offer paid work to an autistic man after initially saying he had to stop stacking shelves at the store where he had volunteered for four years.
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 (m002lffk)
Play for Today relaunch, diversity in advertising, streaming consolidation, Bettany Hughes and Treasures of the World
Katie Razzall and guests discuss some of this week's media stories including:
The relaunch of the drama series Play for Today by Channel 5 with actors Anita Dobson and Nigel Havers who star in one of the new productions and Graham Kibble-White Head of TV & Radio at The Telegraph.
After Reform MP Sarah Pochin complained about adverts being "full" of black and Asian people we look at representation in UK advertising with Dino Myers-Lamptey, Founder, The Barber Shop and Sara Denby, Director, Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, Oxford University.
We discuss consolidation in the streaming industry and ask what it could mean for producers and views with the CEO of Curve Media Camilla Lewis and historian Professor Bettany Hughes tells us about founding her production company Sandstone Global and her new TV series Treasures of the World.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Content Producer: Lucy Wai
WED 17:00 PM (m002lfwj)
Migrant sex offender paid £500 to not disrupt deportation
The government defends the decision to pay Hadush Kebatu to cooperate with his deportation. We speak to Home Office minister Mike Tapp about the government's migration record. Plus: Presidents Trump and Xi prepare to meet in South Korea to discuss a potential thawing of trade hostilities.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002lfwl)
Allegations of killings and abductions in western Sudan
The World Health Organization has said it is "appalled" at reports that more than 460 civilians have been killed at a hospital in El-Fasher in western Sudan, after the city was seized by paramilitary fighters on Sunday. Also: more than twenty people, including at least ten children, have been killed in Haiti in flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa. And Westminster's youngest ever MP is to become TV's newest detective.
WED 18:30 Carbon Lifeforms (m002lfwn)
Waste Management and Recycling
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 - Waste Management and Recycling with special guests Athena Kugblenu and Joe Iles from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
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 The Carbon Cost of Tech, The Internet 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: Athena Kugblenu and Joe Iles
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 (m002lfdt)
Freddie chats to a disgruntled Pip, whose plans have again been disrupted due to the ongoing needs of Meadow Farm. She hasn’t yet met Esme but admits she’s certainly making her life difficult. Freddie suggests a night at the Lower Loxley Halloween witch hat hunt might be just the break Pip needs. Pip assures him she already has her tickets. Josh reports a cow with mastitis at Meadow Farm, and Pip reckons Esme’s going to have to face the fact the cows need to be sold. Josh offers to take Rosie to choose a Halloween outfit to ease the pressure on stressed Pip. However he has to cut the trip short when Pip alerts him there’s a rogue heifer in with their cows. As they try to wrangle the heifer, Esme arrives and offers to help. Between them they soon have the heifer sorted and Josh returns her to her rightful farm. Pip thanks Esme, who had been coming in peace with wine by way of apology for her demands on Brookfield. Pip acknowledges it’s nice to finally meet her.
Freddie calls in on George suggesting they go for a drink, outside the village. George accepts, and Will quietly thanks Freddie before announcing it will be his treat. Slightly embarrassed George thanks his dad. Freddie and George exchange views on prison life. Freddie offers George encouragement; his crime won’t always define him. Later Freddie calls with an offer to try and get George work at the abattoir. Amber’s delighted for George, and together they race happily down Lakey Hill.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m002lfwq)
Live from Derry: two of the stars of police drama Blue Lights
Live from Derry.
As the climax of the current series approaches, actors Dearbháile McKinney and Martin McCann, two of the cast of hit police series Blue Lights, talk about their roles.
Writer John Morton talks to us about his play Denouement, a darkly comic tale set in the run-up to apocalyptic events in 2048 and which is receiving its world premiere at the Belfast International Arts Festival.
And as Europe's largest Halloween Festival opens in Derry, writer Jan Carson and Kate Byrne, who teaches literature at Ulster University, discuss why writing about the supernatural is proving so popular with readers today and give their recommendations for the best horror writing past and present.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002l3ph)
Racism and reparations
Sir Lenny Henry has called for the UK government to pay £18tn in slavery reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and argued that every black Briton also deserves compensation. The comedian, co-author of a new book titled The Big Payback, says the payments would help repair damage caused in parts of the Americas, especially the Caribbean, and argues slavery has contributed to modern day racism and poorer outcomes for black people in the UK. Opponents have argued it's unfair to hold modern Britons responsible for past wrongs and called the £18tn figure absurd and divisive - we find out where that figure came from, and what calculations went into it. Many in this debate point out that, although Britain profited from slavery, it also abolished it - we look at the reasons behind that shift and what it meant for slaves and slave owners. Plus, reparations used to be all about wars - how else have they been applied throughout history?
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Simon Tulett, Mike Wendling, Natasha Fernandes
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Studio engineer: Andrew Mills
WED 20:45 Superhead (m00237zd)
Episode 4 - Disruptive in Class
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 4, the trust becomes suddenly mired in scandal.
Producers: Robert Nicholson and Charlie Towler
Sound Design: Simon Jarvis
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002ld53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002ld55)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002lfwt)
Trump and Xi to meet for trade talks
US President Trump will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time since returning to the White House in the coming hours. President Trump has said he expects to agree a deal to ease trade tensions between the two economic rivals. We hear from a Chinese economist and US congressman.
Also on the programme: a report from Rio where police raids on drugs gangs have killed more than 130 people. And we have the latest as the Chancellor Rachel Reeves admits breaking housing rules by unlawfully renting out her family home without a licence.
WED 22:45 North Woods by Daniel Mason (m002lfww)
Episode 8
Daniel Mason's North Woods is a time-spanning novel chronicling four centuries of human and natural history centred on a yellow house and its surrounding woods in Massachusetts, New England.
Through varied narrative styles, the book follows a diverse cast of fascinating inhabitants, from Puritan lovers to a lovelorn painter, a fraudulent mystic, a farmer, a slave hunter, a detectorist, twin sisters, a crime reporter. It even includes the stories of panthers and beetles, whilst exploring themes of memory, fate, and the interconnectedness of life with the environment.
The novel also incorporates historical documents and diverse literary formats to create a genre-defying tapestry of stories and music within the same location.
Read by
Hannah Traylen &
Daniel Weyman
Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:00 Tom & Lauren Are Going OOT (m0022cgb)
Series 1
3. Golf for Orphans
Lauren forgets about an important charity fundraiser for work and hurriedly tries to get ready. Tom returns home from work covered in face paint, after his class craft day gets a bit out of hand. Their efforts to make the fundraiser are further hampered by a coy Neil, who appears to have intercepted a parcel intended for Lauren.
Special guest appearance by Julian Clary as Neil.
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 (m002lfwy)
3. Pubs, Pretending and Pizza Delivery
The team delve into the confusing world of acting and wonder if it is purely for fun or a little more sinister?
Researcher Alison is sent to the pub on a mission to find out why humans are so obsessed with alcohol, while caller Doris sparks an interesting discussion on delivery drivers.
Written and presented by Marjolein Robertson and Gareth Waugh
With Phil Ellis, Katia Kvinge and Alison Spittle
Produced by Lauren Mackay
Sound by Fraser Jackson
Photographer: Chris Quilietti
A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002lfx0)
Sean Curran reports on the latest round of Prime Minister's Questions.
THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER 2025
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002lfx2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002lfw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002lfx4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002lfx6)
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 (m002lfx8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002lfxb)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition clash over tax rises at this week's PMQs.
THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002lfxd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002lfxg)
(Not) going swimming
Good morning.
I recently decided to take up swimming – I’m not a great swimmer, but I hear that it’s good for the whole body. I found my local pool online, and got up early one morning to go there. I don’t know about you, but new things like this – as small as they seem – can make me more anxious than familiar things, even if those ones are more complex. It can feel easier to stay within what we know: veering from this demands new internal ‘muscles’. I arrived at the leisure centre, ready to be congratulated for my dawning bravery: only to find that there were no people behind the desk, but only screens, on which to scan in. I didn’t know I needed to book ahead using an app! With the morning slots already filled up, I could only turn around and go home.
This stung. I’m a relatively young man, and as a priest my current role involves working with young people each day – so I like to think I’m fairly literate in the world of tech. But to be thwarted by a computer in this way felt frustrating, and silencing.
Ultimately, this is no big deal – I’ve now learned for next time how to book a slot at the pool. But it gave me thought to people, young and old, who for whatever reason can be isolated in a world that has become mediated by screens. Pope John Paul II once said, “the body… and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine.” When we remove each other from a situation, we remove the soul of that other, and we’re prevented from a moment of encounter, which we so need – even just to say, ‘please can I go swimming’. In a world of ultra-connectivity, we each need to make an effort to seek real and deep connection with the people around us – let’s resolve to begin with those around us today.
Lord,
you have made us in your image.
Help us to know what a gift our humanity is,
and allow it to be seen by others.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002lfxj)
30/10/25: An uncomfortable transition? The buzz about Asian hornets. Cosmic ray neutrons and soil moisture
A Government commissioned review of the problems with farm profitability, carried out by Baroness Batters, is due to be delivered to DEFRA soon. It comes at a difficult moment for the arable sector in particular. One of the UK's biggest farming companies, Velcourt, has recently given notice to a fifth of the landowners it works with, that it will either leave or restructure contracts following negotiations. Velcourt's Group Chief Executive, Nick Shorter, tells Charlotte Smith that a painful period of adjustment will lie ahead as arable producers adapt to the harsh economic reality of life without subsidies. He says continuing to grow wheat and other crops at a loss will be unsustainable for individual farmers and for the wider industry, and there could be new business opportunities on unprofitable land.
As the land is gradually being replenished by autumn rain we meet the scientists measuring soil moisture using cosmic ray neutron technology.
And, continuing our look at tackling invasive species, how the distinctive buzz of the Asian Hornet could be key in tracking down its nests.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
THU 06:00 Today (m002lfd4)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b08wmk5j)
Bird Migration
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 fourth of his choices, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss bird migration.
Their topic includes why some birds migrate and others do not, how they select their destinations and how they navigate the great distances, often over oceans. For millennia, humans set their calendars to birds' annual arrivals, and speculated about what happened when they departed, perhaps moving deep under water, or turning into fish or shellfish, or hibernating while clinging to trees upside down. Ideas about migration developed in C19th when, in Germany, a stork was noticed with an African spear in its neck, indicating where it had been over the winter and how far it had flown. Today there are many ideas about how birds use their senses of sight and smell, and magnetic fields, to find their way, and about why and how birds choose their destinations and many questions. Why do some scatter and some flock together, how much is instinctive and how much is learned, and how far do the benefits the migrating birds gain outweigh the risks they face?
With
Barbara Helm
Reader at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow
Tim Guilford
Professor of Animal Behaviour and Tutorial Fellow of Zoology at Merton College, Oxford
and
Richard Holland
Senior Lecturer in Animal Cognition at Bangor University
Producer: Simon Tillotson
In Our Time is a BBC Studios Production
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 (m002lfd7)
Deep Disillusionment in This Country (with Stewart Lee)
This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language.
Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says there is a “growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country round". Why is that? And does politicians speaking in that way confound our misery? We look at Sarah Pochin's comments about black and asian people in adverts, and the responses across parliament to that. We also look at how much news is just speculation, and how politicians use speculation to further their arguments.
We also look at how we get our news - is it exhausting to have to keep fact checking things ourselves? Is it preferable to the alternative?
Armando shares his confusion at Immersive experiences, and Stewart invents a new word, and we hear about Starmer's charm offensive.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Listen to Strong Message Here at 0945 on Radio 4, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coodinator: Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Recorded at The Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002lfd9)
France rape law change, Women and alcohol dependency, Amina Khayyam
The French parliament has just ratified an amendment to add consent to the legal definition of rape and sexual assault. The issue gained national attention following the Pelicot rape trial. Gisèle Pelicot had been drugged unconscious by her former husband, Dominique. He and 46 other men were found guilty of aggravated rape, two were convicted of attempted rape, and two were found guilty of sexual assault. The change to include consent still needs to be signed off by France's President, but it will bring French legislation in line with other European countries. Anita Rani talks to the BBC's Laura Gozzi and Blandine Deverelanges, founder of the radical feminist group Les Amazons D'Avignon, about the significance of this amendment.
Irish novelist Chloe Michelle Howarth discusses her latest book Heap Earth Upon it, set in the dark winter months of mid 1960s rural Ireland. It follows the O’Leary family, siblings Tom, Jack, Anna and their much younger sister Peggy, as they arrive in a new village, hoping to leave behind the secrets that are haunting them.
There has been a project by the University of Bournemouth called Nourish the New You, which has been helping women who are recovering from alcohol dependency. It includes cookery lessons in order to reconnect them with healthy foods and help their bodies repair after the damage done by alcohol, followed by art workshops. Anita talks to Dr Chloe Casey who has set up the scheme and Katherine, one of the women who took part.
Choreographer and artist Amina Khayyam tells Anita about her new dance-theatre work, Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter, which opens soon in London after a national tour. It explores how patriarchy is enforced not only by men, but across generations of women, within family structures.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Andrea Kidd
THU 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ktt4)
The Elk
In this episode best-selling author Katherine Rundell focuses on the elk - known in North America as the moose. It’s the largest species of deer, standing up to seven feet tall at the shoulder. Only males grow antlers, which can expand at a rate of an inch a day. Historical accounts include Tycho Brahe keeping an elk as a companion, and Olaus Magnus claiming they were once banned as riding animals in Sweden due to their speed.
The elk has been extinct in Britain for thousands of years, but its population has fluctuated elsewhere. The Caucasian moose disappeared in the 20th century, but other populations have recovered. In Poland, numbers rose from just 2,000 in the 1990s to around 30,000 after hunting was halted.
Elk have also returned to parts of the United States where they hadn’t been seen since the 19th century, including Massachusetts and Colorado. The episode highlights the elk as a symbol of how conservation efforts, when sustained and focused, can reverse the decline of even the largest and most vulnerable species.
Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002lfdc)
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright is a singer-songwriter and composer renowned for his distinctive voice and the theatricality of his performances. Born into a family of folk musicians, his mother was Kate McGarrigle and his father is the songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Since his debut in 1998, his 11 studio albums have been characterised by their candid autobiographical themes, with songs about addiction, sexuality and fraught family dynamics. He has also worked as a classical composer, with his operas Prima Donna and Hadrian, and a choral piece called Dream Requiem. As a performer he has created musical tributes to Judy Garland, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, the songs of Kurt Weill, and most recently has staged symphonic versions of his much-loved Want albums.
Rufus Wainwright tells John Wilson about his earliest musical experiences, singing with his mother and aunties in Montreal, Canada where he spent his early years. He chooses The Wizard Of Oz as one of his formative creative influences and explains why the film’s star, Judy Garland, became such an important musical role model for him. Rufus reveals how hearing Verdi’s Requiem at the age of 13 led to a lifelong love of opera and an aspiration to write classical compositions. He also recalls the impact that seeing La Dolce Vita, director Federico Fellini’s masterpiece about wealth and decadence in 1960s Rome, had on him as a teenager.
Producer: Edwina Pitman
THU 11:45 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002lfdf)
4. Before, There Were Fish
Journalist Rose George travels to Senegal and at the fish market the problem of overfishing becomes apparent. For local fish workers, too many days pass by with nothing to do. Dorothy Atkinson reads.
Rose George reminds us that Samuel Coleridge thought of fish as nothing more than ‘slimy things’ in the water. In her new book she observes that today, we see fish mostly as food, and she invites us to reconsider, to think beyond our dinner plates and to go out and wonder at this glorious species and the oceans they inhabit. As our appetites for fish grow and the health benefits of these watery dwellers are widely disseminated, George asks where our lunches, pet food, supplements and garden fertilizers in the shape of fishmeal are going to come through. As fish stocks continue to diminish and artisanal fishing practices are dwindling George asks hard questions. We'll hear about the impact of over fishing; the plight of the Senegalese fishing industry; the question of fish farms, and also a celebration of fishwives, along with stories of the heroic fisherman who saved lives during the world wars and continue do so on our most perilous seas.
Dorothy Atkinson is the reader. She is acclaimed for her work in theatre, film and television. She has appeared in several films by Mike Leigh most notably Mr Turner. She is well known for playing Pauline in the sitcom Mum. Recent work includes Ludwig, Joan, Saltburn, Without Sin, Pennyworth, Harlots and Call the Midwife.
Rose George is the author of A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World (long-listed for the Ulysses Reportage Prize), The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste (Portobello, 2008; shortlisted for the BMA Book Prize) and Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything (Portobello, 2013; winner of a Mountbatten Maritime Award), and Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood (Portobello, 2018).
Rose writes frequently for the Guardian, New Statesman and many other publications, and her two TED talks, on sanitation and seafaring, have had 3 million views.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
THU 12:00 News Summary (m002lfdh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m002lfdk)
Productivity: How Can British Business Work Smarter?
Productivity drives prosperity, yet the UK continues to lag behind countries like the US, France and Germany. We work harder, yet produce less than our peers. In this episode, Evan Davis and guests discuss what productivity really looks like in practice – from offices and factories to call centres and operating theatres. And ask whether AI could be the boost Britain's economy needs.
Guests:
Katy Davies, Managing Director, Cap Air Systems
Louise Stead, Group Chief Executive, Royal Surrey and Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trusts
Sameer Vuyyuru, Chief AI and Product Officer, Capita
Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineers: Dafydd Evans and Duncan Hannant
Editor: Justine Lang
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002lfdm)
Car Shampoos and Coatings
Are special shampoos and coatings any good at cleaning and protecting your car?
They're all over Instagram: washes, foams, and ceramic coatings in a rainbow of coloured bottles that promise to give your car that showroom shine. For listener James - a driving instructor - the question is whether they're worth the money, or if an ordinary bottle of washing up liquid will do the job.
To find out Greg is joined in the Salford studio by materials scientist and vehicle coatings researcher at the University of Manchester, Dr Beatriz Mingo, as well car expert and TV presenter Tim Shaw.
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: PHIL SANSOM AND GREG FOOT
THU 12:57 Weather (m002lfdp)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m002lfdr)
President Trump: US to resume nuclear weapons testing
The US has not tested nuclear weapons since 1992. Will we see a new nuclear arms race? Plus, Rachel Reeves admits breaking rules by renting out her house without a licence.
THU 13:45 The History Podcast (m002l6jb)
The House at Number 48
9. The Inheritance
We meet the descendants of Martin Hartig who are still living in the House at Number 48 today. How much of their family's past did they know about? And what has its legacy meant for them and the younger generation?
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
THU 14:00 The Archers (m002lfdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002lfdw)
Samhain
By Ben Lewis.
Soulful drama infused with storytelling and song, inspired by the myths and rituals surrounding the Pagan festival of Samhain.
Claire and her husband David are staying in a isolated old house on the remote Scottish island of Jura.
It’s the end of October. Of all the nights of the year, this is the one when the veil between this world and the next is said to be at its thinnest. Claire’s past is about to reach out into her present...
Cast in Order of Appearance :
Chloe Pirrie
Emun Elliot
Bryan Dick
Music performed by Anna Massie
Sound Design by Kris McConnachie
Production Co-ordinator: Rosalind Gibson
Studio Production: Keith Graham
Directed by Kirsty Williams
THU 15:00 Ramblings (m002lfdy)
Nick Wilson - the Disabled Adventurer
Clare joins Nick Wilson for a circuit around Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire. A former soldier, Nick now uses a powerchair after a spinal injury and years of chronic pain made walking impossible. He has experienced homelessness and battled depression, yet has found the strength to launch his ‘Disabled Adventurer’ project.
Through this initiative, Nick creates social media videos about the accessibility of natural spaces, leads wheelchair skills workshops, and collaborates with national organisations to make the outdoors more inclusive.
Nick and his support worker, Matthew, brought along a spare powerchair for Clare. With their guidance, she navigated a stretch of the reservoir’s wide, accessible paths. As Nick explained, having access to outdoor spaces and continuing to pursue his love of adventure - albeit in a different way - has helped him rediscover a sense of enjoyment, achievement, and purpose.
Map: OS Explorer 223 Northampton and Market Harborough Map Ref: (car park) SP 752 694
Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002ldb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m002lff0)
Call Jonathan Pie, and Life Changing
A series of Call Jonathan Pie is being repeated on BBC Radio 4, and it's been scheduled for the primetime
6.30pm comedy slot on Thursdays, albeit with edits to the version available on BBC Sounds. However, some listeners have contacted Feedback to complain that the content of some episodes wasn't appropriate for tea-time listening. Andrea Catherwood sits down with Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Comedy and Entertainment Julia McKenzie, to discuss the comments and asks why it was broadcast in this slot.
And there's another nomination for the annual interview round up, Feedback's Interview of the Year. This time listener Laura puts forward a recent episode of Life Changing, in which Dr Sian Williams talked to an ex British Army medic with an compelling story about complex PTSD, and whose life was changed when he met Charlie - his medical assistance dog.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002lff2)
How should we handle historic public inquiries?
When a disaster or serious event happens, such as the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena terrorist attack or the Covid pandemic, you can be pretty sure that a public inquiry will follow. They’re popular with the public as a means of investigating serious state failure. And for Governments they can be a good way of kicking a difficult issue into the long grass, as usually by the time the inquiry is finished a different set of politicians will have to deal with the report.
There are currently 25 public inquiries in progress in the UK today - the most ever, with six announced so far this year. They range from one into Scottish child abuse, which is the longest current inquiry, to another into a police restraint death which has just lost its chair and the lawyers working for the inquiry, to Covid 19 - the largest currently underway. And which by the end of June this year had cost 177 million pounds. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how these public inquiries work, what they achieve and who, if anyone, benefits from them?
Guests:
Judith Moritz: BBC Special Correspondent
Deborah Coles, Executive Director, INQUEST
Emma Norris, Director of Policy and Politics at IPPR think tank,
Professor Lucy Easthope, emergency planner and responder and visiting Professor at the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming.
Sound engineer: Duncan Hannant
Editor: Richard Vadon.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m002lff4)
Is climate change to blame for Hurricane Melissa?
What’s been called the storm of the century - Hurricane Melissa – has barrelled through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas over the past two days. Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading, explains whether Melissa was caused – or made worse - by human-made climate change.
As the H5N1 bird flu season picks up across British farms, virologist Ian Brown from the Pirbright Institute assesses its threat and turns our attention to a largely ignored strain of bird flu – H9N2 – which a recent study suggests is becoming adapted to human cells.
The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas has inspired some bizarre theories about alien life coming into our solar system. BBC science journalist Roland Pease, who has been watching these cosmic events and the pseudoscientific myths that follow in their wake for decades, gives us his take.
And mathematician Katie Steckles brings us her favourite finds from the world of science.
If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University to take the quiz.
Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producers: Ella Hubber, Jonathan Blackwell, Tim Dodd
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
THU 17:00 PM (m002lff6)
Sudan killings: UN expresses 'grave concern'
As the world reacts to the violence in el-Fasher, Unicef's man in Sudan joins us live. And the history of how we got here, with Alex de Waal. Plus, can BYOB save nightclubs? And Virgin could soon be running trains in the Channel Tunnel.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002lff8)
Letting agent apologises for not applying for rental licence on behalf of Rachel Reeves
Rachel Reeves's letting agent has apologised for not applying for a special licence on her behalf, when renting out her home in south London. Also: The UN says there must be accountability for the atrocities being carried out by the RSF militia in Sudan. And scientists make extraordinary discoveries in some of the coldest, deepest and most remote waters on the planet.
THU 18:30 Call Jonathan Pie (p0fsyrdt)
7. Comedy
When Pie says a very bad word in a meeting he is asked to apologise. Instead of doing just that however, he decides that it was “just a joke” and that he is a victim of cancel culture. He then hijacks the entire show to discuss the state of free speech in comedy. When Jules and Roger both implore him to apologise he is enraged even further. Can Jules persuade him to stop being a tit in time for him to save his job?
Jonathan Pie ..... Tom Walker
Jules ..... Lucy Pearman
Sam ..... Aqib Khan
Roger ..... Nick Revell
Agent ..... Daniel Abelson
Voiceovers ..... Bob Sinfield and Rob Curling
Callers ... .Daniel Abelson, Adam Byron, Jonathan Tafler, and Emma Thornett
Writer ..... Tom Walker
Script Editor ..... Nick Revell
Producers ..... Alison Vernon-Smith andJulian 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 (m002lffc)
Having seen the size of the Brookfield herd yesterday, it’s dawned on Esme that she’s asking too much of the family. It’s clear Ruth can’t be at Meadow Farm every day. Esme promises that after her dad’s funeral she’ll sort it out. She admits to feeling hopelessly underskilled to deal with the urgent problem of the livestock. Pip counters that the way Esme pitched in to help with the errant heifer was impressive. Clocking Pip’s predicament over a lack of a witch costume for Rosie, Esme offers to lend her one. She has all her old dressing up stuff in the attic at Meadow Farm. There’s a poignant moment as Esme reflects on her childhood with her dad. Later she furnishes Pip with the perfect outfit for Rosie. Pip asks Esme if she’s considered staying on and continuing the farm. Esme’s not sure she loves it enough. Pip invites her along to the Lower Loxley Halloween event.
Freddie updates Vince on the costume he’ll be wearing for the event. He agrees to help solve a problem with the chocolate cauldron for Elizabeth. He broaches the subject of George with Vince, but Vince is reluctant to give George any hours at the abattoir. Since Rochelle’s involvement in the siege he’s felt less trusting of those needing a second chance. Freddie breaks the news to downcast George, while Amber and Will do their best to raise his spirits. George overhears Will thanking Freddie for helping him, and declares he’s not a charity case. Freddie needn’t bother putting himself out again.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m002lfff)
Review Show: Bugonia, Salman Rushdie stories, The Line of Beauty
Tahmima Anam and Tristram Fane Saunders join Tom Sutcliffe to review The Eleventh Hour, a collection of five short stories from Salman Rushdie in his first return to fiction since he was attacked in 2022. Director of Poor Things and The Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos brings more strangeness to cinema screens with Bugonia, a thriller with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. And Alan Hollinghurst's Booker Prize-winning novel The Line of Beauty is adapted for the stage by Jack Holden. Plus they discuss censorship in Eastern Europe as the board of the Belgrade International Festival of Theatre blocks director Milo Rau from bringing his work about the Gisele Pelicot trial to the festival.
Producer: Tim Bano
THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002lffh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002lffk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:15 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002lffm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002lfd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002lffp)
The fall of a prince
Buckingham Palace says Prince Andrew will lose his 'prince' title and from now on be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He will also move out of Royal Lodge. In a statement, the Palace said, "these censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him." We hear from a royal biographer and a lawyer who represents many of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
Also on the programme: RSF forces in Sudan are accused of committing mass killings in a hospital in the city of El-Fashir. And what's it like to live in the neighbourhood deemed "most deprived" for a fourth consecutive year?
THU 22:45 North Woods by Daniel Mason (m002lffr)
Episode 9
Daniel Mason's North Woods is a time-spanning novel chronicling four centuries of human and natural history centred on a yellow house and its surrounding woods in Massachusetts, New England.
Through varied narrative styles, the book follows a diverse cast of fascinating inhabitants, from Puritan lovers to a lovelorn painter, a fraudulent mystic, a farmer, a slave hunter, a detectorist, twin sisters, a crime reporter. It even includes the stories of panthers and beetles, whilst exploring themes of memory, fate, and the interconnectedness of life with the environment.
The novel also incorporates historical documents and diverse literary formats to create a genre-defying tapestry of stories and music within the same location.
Read by
Hannah Traylen &
Daniel Weyman
Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002lfft)
A New Generational Divide: Living with(out) the Bank of Mum and Dad (Dr Eliza Filby)
How can Millennials, Gen Zs and Gen As thrive in a world where so much success depends on having access to the Bank of Mum and Dad?
Historian Dr Eliza Filby – an expert in generational identity – tells Amol that society needs to shift in three major ways to mitigate the “rupture” between young and old: in values, education and wealth.
Amol speaks with her about her book ‘Inheritocracy’ which calls for a radical redefining of meritocracy. They also discuss the shifts in parenthood and the evolving household roles of men and women, and ‘kidulthood’ - where young people move into adulthood in their early thirties instead of their late teens or early twenties.
(
00:02:30) What is ‘Inheritocracy?’
(
00:04:13) The values rupture – Baby Boomers are the exceptional generation
(
00:10:07) The education rupture - the declining graduate premium
(
00:16:00) The wealth rupture – unattainable ‘big ticket’ items
(
00:28:00) Why is the social contract broken between generations?
(
00:38:27) Shifts in assortative mating
(
00:45:30) Is meritocracy a good idea in principle?
(
00:54:17) How to reconfigure the tax system for a new generation
(
00:57:07) Dr Eliza Filby's radical idea
(
01:01:11) Amol’s reflections
(
01:04:25) 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 Gareth Jones. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002lffw)
A minister tells the Commons he's horrified by developments in Sudan, MPs look ahead to the Chancellor's Budget and question progress in delivering compensation to victims of the infected blood scandal. Also, a peer asks a Transport minister to buy his ex-wife's home near Heathrow Airport. Susan Hulme reports.
FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2025
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002lffy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002lfdf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002lfg0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002lfg2)
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 (m002lfg4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002lfg6)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as MPs warn that paramilitaries in Sudan could be getting access to British-made weapons.
FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002lfg8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002lfgb)
All Hallows' Eve
Good morning.
Tonight, many children around the country will be dressing up as ghosts, goblins and ghouls, and asking for sweets from their neighbours. This practice, although it feels like an ancient tradition, is actually a long way from the origins of ‘Hallows' Eve’: if shop windows are anything to go by, this day has become more of an obsession with ‘spooky things’, rather than with the holy. Traditionally, tonight’s eve of tomorrow’s Hallows, was a preparation for a great feast day in the Christian calendar: to celebrate tomorrow the ‘hallowed ones’, the saints who have lived this pilgrim walk that we are currently treading, and to be inspired by their witness in our own struggle of faith.
Faith or no faith, all of us agree that our days here come to an end at some point. For the Christian, consideration of death generally, and one’s own death specifically, is not a morbid, ‘scary’ thing to do. Rather, it is to look ahead to the very destination to which our life on earth has been leading.
This calendar year of 2025 is in the Catholic Church a ‘Jubilee Year’, a particular year of grace that is celebrated every twenty-five years. Before his death, Pope Francis gave it the theme, ‘pilgrims of hope’. Pilgrims because we have a destination in mind; hope, because that destination is the fulfilment of all that we’ve ever desired – to be in union forever with the God who made us. Where Halloween has become synonymous just with scaring people and emphasising the darkness, the saints are those who call us to live a life orientated towards the light, working on our faults, apologising where necessary, and seeking to grow in love for God and our neighbour.
Lord,
may we spend our time here being fascinated by your love,
and not by anything that would distract us from that.
May we each become to each other a glimpse of your abundant love.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002lfgd)
31/10/25: Pumpkin growers' nightmare. Drought to continue into 2026? UK Carbon budget. Invasive species
Pumpkin growers have had a nightmare year. The crop needs plenty of water and the hot summer made them ripen too early for Halloween. Cost of living pressures have also affected some farms running visitor attractions like Pumpkin patches.
Drought could continue into 2026 for some parts of England. The National Drought Group met yesterday and warned that England would need 100% of its average rainfall to ease the situation, but only 2 months so far this year had seen that much rain.
After 2 legal challenges the Government has published a new version of its Carbon Budget, which lays out how climate targets will be met towards the eventual goal of net zero in 2050. Green energy is the Government's headline, but what's in the plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farming?
We visit North Harris to find out what it takes to keep an island free of invasive species.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
FRI 06:00 Today (m002lfh4)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002ldbk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002lfh8)
Malala Yousafzai, Briana Corrigan, Exclamation marks
NB: The music in this broadcast has been removed from this podcast for rights reasons.
Thrust onto the public stage at 15 years old after the Taliban’s brutal attack on her life, Malala Yousafzai became an international icon for resilience and bravery. Described as a reflection on a life of a woman finally taking charge of her destiny, her memoir Finding My Way has just been published. She joins Anita Rani in the Woman’s Hour studio.
Anita talks to sport correspondent FFion Wynne about the Indian women's cricket team win against Australia in the Women's Cricket World Cup, and up and coming player Jemimah Rodriques. She set a women's one day international record - a remarkable achievement.
Briana Corrigan shot to fame in the 1990s with the BRIT award-winning band, The Beautiful South. After leaving the band, she’s had several successful albums of her own and now, after 10 years away from the music industry, she’s back with an upcoming album and tour. She performs her single Sweet Songbird live in the studio.
A new study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in which researchers looking at how the use of explanation marks relates to gender. Their findings suggest that the use of explanation marks is associated more with women than men. But is this true and if so in what ways are women affected more than men and what are the implications? Anita is joined by the linguist, Professor Deborah Cameron and the author and journalist Melanie McDonough to discuss.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones
FRI 10:55 A Carnival of Animals (m002ktt6)
The Human
In the final episode of A Carnival of Animals, best-selling author Katherine Rundell turns her attention to the most complex and contradictory creature of all: the human.
She begins with a stark truth - the idea that the Earth is ours to use as we please is a dangerous lie, one that has driven a 70% decline in global wildlife populations over the past fifty years. More than a million species now face extinction, and the consequences of human action are accelerating.
But this is not just a story of loss. It’s also a call to action. Humans are capable of astonishing ingenuity and compassion, and the tools for change are already in our hands. From divesting from fossil fuels to reimagining how we live and consume, the episode urges us to begin today.
To end, Katherine Rundell tells the ancient story of the Sibylline books - a tale of warnings ignored until it was almost too late, based on the version told by the late Douglas Adams. It’s a parable for our time, and a reminder that while no one can save everything, everyone can save something.
Written and presented by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002lfhd)
Eels and Elvers
Dan Saladino looks at why eels numbers are plummeting and asks if the species can be saved. On the River Severn he meets the last of the glass eel fishermen and conservationists.
Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.
FRI 11:45 Every Last Fish by Rose George (m002lfhj)
5. Farming Salmon
The journalist Rose George visits a salmon farm in Norway, encounters 'cleaner' fish, and ponders the future of aquaculture more generally as the world's appetite for fish dinners remains. Dorothy Atkinson reads.
Rose George reminds us that Samuel Coleridge thought of fish as nothing more than ‘slimy things’ in the water. In her new book she observes that today, we see fish mostly as food, and she invites us to reconsider, to think beyond our dinner plates and to go out and wonder at this glorious species and the oceans they inhabit. As our appetites for fish grow and the health benefits of these watery dwellers are widely disseminated, George asks where our lunches, pet food, supplements and garden fertilizers in the shape of fishmeal are going to come through. As fish stocks continue to diminish and artisanal fishing practices are dwindling George asks hard questions. We'll hear about the impact of over fishing; the plight of the Senegalese fishing industry; the question of fish farms, and also a celebration of fishwives, along with stories of the heroic fisherman who saved lives during the world wars and continue do so on our most perilous seas.
Dorothy Atkinson is the reader. She is acclaimed for her work in theatre, film and television. She has appeared in several films by Mike Leigh most notably Mr Turner. She is well known for playing Pauline in the sitcom Mum. Recent work includes Ludwig, Joan, Saltburn, Without Sin, Pennyworth, Harlots and Call the Midwife.
Rose George is the author of A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World (long-listed for the Ulysses Reportage Prize), The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste (Portobello, 2008; shortlisted for the BMA Book Prize) and Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything (Portobello, 2013; winner of a Mountbatten Maritime Award), and Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood (Portobello, 2018).
Rose writes frequently for the Guardian, New Statesman and many other publications, and her two TED talks, on sanitation and seafaring, have had 3 million views.
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002lfhp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002lfhs)
Women’s safety and public transport
A petition calling for women-only tube carriages has surpassed 12,000 signatures. It comes amid increased reports of sexual offences on public transport, both in London and beyond.
Supporters claim that giving women the option to travel separately from men will make them safer, and send a message that harassment is unacceptable. Critics argue that this is a backwards step, amounting to segregation. Some say it unfairly stigmatises men.
We hear from the woman leading the campaign, and explore the history of single-sex train carriages in the UK. Does the data show that sexual harassment on trains is on the rise, or are the figures a symptom of increased reporting? What do we know about other public safety campaigns attempting to tackle sexual harassment and violence over the years - and do they point us towards better solutions?
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Production team: Ellie House, Natasha Fernandes, Tom Gillett, and Bob Howard
Studio manager: Andrew Mills
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Penny Murphy
FRI 12:57 Weather (m002lfhx)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m002lfj2)
Andrew: prince no more
Buckingham Palace strips Andrew of his titles. Is it enough to quell public anger? Plus: England's chief nursing officer on the early flu season.
FRI 13:45 The History Podcast (m002l6jc)
The House at Number 48
10. The Last Eisner
The Eisners prized art work, Eisenwalzwerk, depicting a huge steel factory, was stolen under the Nazis.
"Eisenwalzwerk," Antony says, "is the ultimate representation of the Eisners. And its story was the story of my family."
Can Antony get it back and bring it home? And in this final episode, he gathers his family to tell them what he's discovered about their past.
The House at Number 48 is presented by Charlie Northcott.
The series producer is Jim Frank.
Sound design and mixing by Tom Brignell.
The Editor is Matt Willis.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002lffc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002ktsg)
The Betrayed
Episode 4. Badboy
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
JOE … James Downie
SORCHA … Amy McAllister
MARYAM … Lara Sawalha
Directed by Eoin O’Callaghan
A Big Fish/BBC N Ireland Production for Limelight
FRI 14:45 In the Loop (m001nghz)
1. Stone Circle
…a circle has no beginning and no end. It represents rebirth and regeneration, continuity and infinity. From wedding rings to stone circles, in poetry, music and the trajectories of the planets themselves, circles and loops are embedded in our imaginations.
In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy’ locations. He visits a traffic roundabout, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.
The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we’d all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards – and rebel against - the ‘strange loops’ of Bach, Gödel and Escher.
As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that’s because a circle has no beginning and no end…
.
The first episode brings Paul around to the 5000 year-old stone circle at Castlerigg in Cumbria – a ring of stones within a ring of hills. With archaeologists Gill Hey and Richard Bradley he considers what circles represented to our Neolithic forebears and how sites like Castlerigg informed their view of the Universe. And, with Eugenia Cheng, he discovers what a circle actually means to a mathematician .
Producer: Jeremy Grange
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002lfj6)
Phyllis Court: White Fly, River Thames and Favourite Gardens
Might our otherwise polluted River Thames have a positive impact on my garden? Why has there been so much whitefly this year? Do the panel have a favourite garden they’ve visited?
Peter Gibbs and a panel of green-fingered gurus head to the Phyllis Court Club in Henley-on-Thames, where a lively audience of passionate gardeners awaits answers to their most pressing plant problems.
Joining Peter are pest and disease specialist Pippa Greenwood, head gardener Matthew Pottage, and the ever-enthusiastic plantswoman Christine Walkden.
Later, Johnny ‘Hot Stuff’ Mayard discusses how he grows chillies in his polytunnel that are used for his hot sauce.
Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: William Norton
Assistant Producer: Suki Glockling
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002lfj9)
Salt River by Alys Conran
Original Short Fiction by Alys Conran.
Little Angharad is caught between opposing tides - her depressed mother and Anti Mari - to escape she wanders the muddy edges of the Menai Strait, collecting sea snails.
Reader: Lisa Jên Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
Sound: Nigel Lewis
Producer: John Norton
A BBC Audio Wales Production
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002lfjc)
Prunella Scales CBE, Gillian Tindall, Roger Smith, Anthony Grey
Matthew Bannister on
The actor Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers. Her son Samuel West reflects on her long career and happy marriage to fellow actor Timothy West.
Gillian Tindall, the writer who pioneered the technique of exploring history through the portal of a particular house or area.
Roger Smith, who co-founded and ran the Great Outdoors Challenge, encouraging thousands to walk across Scotland.
Anthony Grey, the novelist and journalist who was held in solitary confinement for over two years by Red Guards during China’s Cultural Revolution.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
ARCHIVE USED:
Great Canal Journeys Series 1 Episode 1, Channel 4, 10/03/2014; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 05/06/1992; Suppose I Lose It, BBC Radio 4, 16/05/2016; A Question of Attribution, BBC Two, 20/10/1991; Fawlty Towers: Series 1: The Hotel Inspectors, BBC Two, 10/10/1975; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: The Psychiatrist, BBC Two, 26/02/1979; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: Basil the Rat, BBC Two, 25/10/1979; Fawlty Towers: Series 1: The Builders, BBC Two, 26/09/1975; Fawlty Towers: Series 2: Communication Problems, BBC Two, 19/02/1979; BBC News, BBC Radio 4, 26/11/1968; Anthony Grey To Be Released: Mother Waits, BBC News, 03/10/1963; Anthony Grey Released: Mother Hears News, News, 04/10/1963; Radio Newsreel, BBC World Service, 12/10/1969; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 01/11/1969; Anthony Grey: One Man’s Freedom, One Pair of Eyes, BBC Two, 26/06/1971; Return to Peking, BBC Two, 12/12/1988; Voices from a French Village, BBC Radio 4, 29/05/1996; Robert Elms, BBC Radio London, 05/09/2016; Bricks and Mortals, BBC Radio 4, 18/05/2005; The Adventure Show, BBC Two Scotland, 03/08/2008; Scotland Outdoors - A Coast to Coast Backpack Challenge, Beekeeping in Kinross and the Capercaillie of Speyside, BBC Radio Scotland, 24/05/2025;
FRI 16:30 Life Changing (m002lfjf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m002lfjh)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002lfjk)
Downing Street says there are no plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from the line of succession
The government has said it has no plans to introduce a law to change the line of succession, after the King stripped his brother of all his titles and honours. Also: A former Sergeant-Major is jailed for sexually assaulting a teenaged recruit, who later killed herself. And a charity proposes restorative justice for sub postmasters wronged by the Horizon IT scandal, so they can meet the people responsible.
FRI 18:30 The Naked Week (m002lfjm)
Series 3
1. Royal lodges, asylum hotels and witches.
This week we provide recourse for a randy royal, organise an on-air riot and, for Halloween, get confused over which witch is which.
From host Andrew Hunter Murray and The Skewer's Jon Holmes, Radio 4’s newest Friday night comedy The Naked Week returns with a blend of the silly and serious. From satirical stunts to studio set pieces via guest correspondents and investigative journalism, it's a bold, audacious take not only on the week’s news, but also the way it’s packaged and presented.
Host: Andrew Hunter Murray
Guests: Bella Hull, Lisa Webb
Investigations Team: Cat Neilan, Cormac Kehoe, Freya Shaw
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
Jason Hazeley
James Kettle
Additional Material:
Karl Minns
Vivienne Hopley-Jones
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Helen Brooks
Ali Panting
Kevin Smith
Joe Topping
Sophie Dickson
Live Sound: Jerry Peal
Post Production: Tony Churnside
Clip Assistant: David Riffkin
Production Assistant: Molly Punshon
Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer
Producer: Jon Holmes
Executive Producer: Phil Abrams.
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002lfjq)
At Lower Loxley, Chelsea’s wrestling with the right formula for her chocolate cauldron. Vince isn’t happy when people seem to be cutting corners by finding nine hats instead of the requisite ten. Chelsea asserts it’s not important – the point is to make happy memories for the kids so the parents will come back again. Vince persists with his argument, sending families back for the last hat. Freddie lets them know one hat’s gone missing, and agrees with Chelsea that it’s all just a bit of fun. He heads off to sort out disgruntled children. Vince reckons all this makes managing the abattoir seem like a walk in the park. It’s been mayhem. He’s impressed with the smart way Chelsea’s handled her side of it.
Esme’s been looking forward to the Lower Loxley Halloween event; it’s a break from poring over her dad’s finances. They linger in the nursery as Rosie falls prey to the missing witch hat issue. As Pip and Esme chat Freddie informs them Rosie’s donated her hat, so they’re back on track with the trail. Pip points out it wasn’t Rosie’s to give away, but Esme’s delighted for her hat to have such an important role in Lower Loxley’s proceedings. However Freddie has a foot in mouth moment when he gives away that Pip’s been complaining about a needy woman at Meadow Farm. There’s embarrassment all round as Esme reveals herself as the ‘needy woman’. Pip tries to explain, but Esme concedes she needs to face reality. She can’t keep Meadow Farm going like this forever.
FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002lfjs)
Frankenstein
Ellen and Mark explore the enduring appeal of Frankenstein.
Mark speaks to director Guillermo Del Toro on his new adaptation of the classic novel and why the Frankenstein story has had such an influence on his career.
Ellen then talks to critic Anne Billson about the history of Frankenstein throughout cinema history as well as speaking to director Bomani J. Story on his interpretation in his film, The Angry Black Girl and her Monster.
Producer: Queenie Qureshi-Wales
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002lfjv)
Kieran Mullan MP, James Murray MP, Al Pinkerton MP, Ella Whelan
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Oakwood Park Grammar School in Maidstone, Kent, with the shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan MP; the chief secretary to the Treasury, James Murray MP; Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson, Al Pinkerton MP; and the writer and broadcast Ella Whelan, a columnist at Spiked and the Telegraph.
Producer: Paul Martin
Lead broadcast engineer: Chris Hardman
FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002lfjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:40 on Wednesday]
FRI 21:00 Uncanny (m002lfjz)
Series 5
Case 1. The Haunted Street – Halloween Special
A special hour-long live investigation recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre for Halloween. Virginia moves to a quiet street in the city of Bath with her young family. A series of strange events cause her to doubt her own sanity, until an exchange with a neighbour reveals that she's not the only one experiencing scary occurrences...
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake
Commissioning executive: Paula McDonnell
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002lfk2)
US lawmakers call for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to give Epstein evidence
The government says it has no plans to change the law in order to remove Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, from the line of succession. Meanwhile, US lawmakers have seized on Andrew's loss of his royal title to renew their calls for him to give evidence in their investigations into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We hear from one of them.
Also on the programme: survivors of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica scramble for food and supplies. And, as a new study shows the importance of churches in bat conservation, a parish vicar explains how she accommodates her long-term guests.
FRI 22:45 North Woods by Daniel Mason (m002lfk4)
Episode 10
Daniel Mason's North Woods is a time-spanning novel chronicling four centuries of human and natural history centred on a yellow house and its surrounding woods in Massachusetts, New England.
Through varied narrative styles, the book follows a diverse cast of fascinating inhabitants, from Puritan lovers to a lovelorn painter, a fraudulent mystic, a farmer, a slave hunter, a detectorist, twin sisters, a crime reporter. It even includes the stories of panthers and beetles, whilst exploring themes of memory, fate, and the interconnectedness of life with the environment.
The novel also incorporates historical documents and diverse literary formats to create a genre-defying tapestry of stories and music within the same location.
Read by
Hannah Traylen &
Daniel Weyman
Abridged by Lucy Ellis
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct8byn)
Is Donald Trump building a ballroom or a bunker at the White House?
Donald Trump’s decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House in favour of a new and much larger ballroom has sparked controversy - and conspiracy theories - across the U.S. The president has wanted to build the ballroom since his first term in office, but he told reporters over the summer that the plans would not "interfere” with any other parts of the White House.
The president says the project will be funded by private donations, backed by some of America’s largest tech companies, sparking questions over what they may want in return. It’s also triggered a number of conspiracy theories online about the presidential bunker that sits underneath the East Wing of the White House.
And, Sarah and Marianna speak to White House historian and First Lady specialist Katherine Sibley about the historic significance of the East Wing, what’s being lost in its demolishment, and what Melania Trump might think about losing her office in the complex.
HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent
GUEST
• Katherine Sibley, White House historian
GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
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• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast
This episode was made by George Dabby with Grace Reeve, Alix Pickles, Kris Jalowiecki and Rufus Gray. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The series producer is George Dabby. 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 (m002lfk7)
Alicia McCarthy looks ahead to a new Hillsborough law, peers debate Ukraine, and we remember the Flying Nightingales - nurses who risked their own lives to save countless servicemen during the Second World War.