SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002q36h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 The Trust Shift (m001xn8t)
New AI Frontiers

Across five episodes, Rachel Botsman traces the intriguing history of trust.

Rachel looks back on what she sees as the three major chapters of trust in human history. In the broadest terms, these are Local Trust, Institutional Trust, and Distributed Trust. As we’ve moved from one to the next, we've experienced, what she calls, ‘Trust Shifts’.

These shifts have happened because humans took a risk to try something new. To innovate in ways that have shaped our behaviours, for better or worse. Rachel reflects on how each trust shift has profoundly changed the dynamics of our lives; whether that’s how we bank or buy goods, vote, learn, travel, date, and importantly, find and consume information.

In Episode 5, our final episode, Rachel explores the trust challenge we are currently facing, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence creeping into many areas of our lives. What can we learn from what's come before?

Featuring Dr Jack Stilgoe, Professor in Science and Technology Studies at University College London, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies. Jack is also part of the research programme, Responsible AI.

Rachel Botsman is the author of Who Can You Trust? and What's Mine Is Yours. She was Oxford University’s first Trust Fellow and has worked with world leaders, the Bank of England, CEOs and financial regulators.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio, Bristol.
Editor: Chris Ledgard.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002q36k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002q36m)
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 (m002q36p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002q36r)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002q36t)
Back to School

Good Morning
One of the joys of being a country vicar is going into our tiny local primary schools to be involved in collective acts of worship, or school assemblies as they used to be called in my day. This is a recent addition to the things I do regularly, as my wonderful colleague Sarah used to do all our schools work until she retired last year.

Without an educational background myself, suffice to say it’s been a steep learning curve going back to school.

Fortunately, our new Schoolwork Lead is a former Headteacher who took early retirement when she moved from London to West Dorset.

I often thank God for her and marvel at her mastery with the children. I have learnt so much from just watching her. Like the way she bends down to make eye contact with the children, how she inhabits a confident presence that calms the class and the way she regains control with a phrase that initially surprised me, ‘Let’s see your listening eyes’.

But what’s delighted me the most are the questions the children ask about the Christian faith. So many deep questions about God and the nature of the universe. Questions like ‘Who is God's Father?’ ‘What do you think about the Big Bang?’ ‘How do you know Jesus really is alive?’ and ‘Aren’t angels just dead people?’ Important questions, which I try to answer appropriately and as best I can, recognising that often my answers fall short.

My experience of going back to school has left me full of admiration for all those who teach. So today I thank God for all teachers, may you be truly blessed in your work. Amen.


SAT 05:45 Materials of State (m002mmxd)
The Ballot Box

David Cannadine continues examining the origins, symbolism and contemporary significance of the objects and emblems that underpin the British constitution.

In episode 3, he’s looking at the ballot box as a key ‘material of state' which, unlike ceremonial objects of British governance, is used directly by the public in democratic elections.

Despite other countries adopting electronic voting, the UK still relies on paper ballots, sealed and swiftly transported for hand-counting. David traces the ballot box’s origins to the 1872 Pontefract by-election, the first to use the secret ballot. Secret voting marked a major break with corrupt and coercive public voting, though most adults, especially women, remained disenfranchised for decades. The ballot box became a powerful symbol in the women’s suffrage movement until equal voting rights were achieved in 1928. Humble but essential, David argues that the ballot box underpins British democracy because elections are ultimately decided by the votes placed inside it.

Contributors in order of appearance:
James Pack, Head of Electoral Services and Registrars at Royal Borough of Greenwich
Dave Evans, curator of Pontefract Museum
Dr Mari Takayanagi, Historian and Heritage Professional

Presented by Professor Sir David Cannadine
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Sound Mixing: Tony Churnside

The series has been made in association with the History of Parliament Trust

A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002qggk)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002q396)
Bredon Hill with Steve Boycott

Clare hikes up Bredon Hill with Steve Boycott, founder of the Be You Programme, an outdoor‑based initiative that helps young people build confidence and resilience. Steve explains how his work grew from his own experiences of insecurity, bullying, military service and years spent travelling the world. He reflects on how the outdoors can transform young people, why taking “one more step” can shift a mindset, and his belief that hills can teach us more about ourselves than any classroom. Clare and Steve met at The Queen Elizabeth Pub in Elmley Castle and began their walk from there. Bredon, he says, isn’t the biggest or the most beautiful hill, but it has soul and a healing quality.

Map: OS Explorer Map OL45 – The Cotswolds (North)
Grid Ref: SO982411

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002qggm)
Milk prices, farm profits, winter feed

UK dairy farmers are living through what's been called the sharpest milk price drop in history. We look at the causes with dairy analyst Chris Walkland.

Earlier this week, the author of a Government commissioned review of profitability in farming, former National Farmers Union president Baroness Batters, was questioned by MPs. She told the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee that civil servants needed to spend some time 'in the lambing shed' to understand farming more fully, and that farmers also needed to understand more about Whitehall culture.

England's Farm Business Survey figures for 2024-25 showed that incomes increased by 49% on average across all farm types. Business consultant, James Webster-Rusk, explains that the headline figure conceals difficult times for arable farmers, and that diversification as well as environment scheme payments are the difference between profit and loss for many farms.

And...feeding livestock in winter, a new crop to cut costs on a Welsh dairy farm, the impact of drought in Herefordshire, organic farmers grappling with updated rules, and we jump into the lorry of a hay merchant delivering to the Isle of Lewis.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002qggp)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002qggr)
Today (Saturday)


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002qggt)
Anton du Beke, Winter Olympics, Remembering Smells, and the Inheritance Tracks of Claire Foy

Today's programme features a couple of very nice movers.

There’s Anton de Beke, fresh from the first night of the Strictly Tour to recount a life of dance and showbiz.

Lizzy Yarnold is used to moving at a rather more ferocious speed as our most successful winter Olympian.

Picking up on the sweet smell of success, Michael O’Shaugnassey is an expert in scents and uses them to access prisoners memories.

Also today, a man considered so dull that he’s won an award for it, and the Inheritance Tracks of Claire Foy.

Presenter: Adrian Chiles
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley


SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002qggw)
Lena Horne: racism and resilience in the Golden Age of Hollywood

Greg Jenner is joined in twentieth-century America by Dr Hannah Thuraisingam Robbins and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about singer and Hollywood actress Lena Horne. Born into a middle class Black family in New York, a young Lena Horne soon followed in the footsteps of her actress mother and made her début at the famous Cotton Club aged only 16. After making her name as a singer and performer – and following the end of her tumultuous first marriage – Horne transferred to the west coast and bagged a Hollywood contract with MGM. There, she appeared in a number of classic films, including Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky. Over the next several years, she would also perform for the troops in the Second World War, fall in love with and marry a white composer and arranger, undertake an international tour, and become one of the most popular nightclub performers of the post-war era. But the racism of segregation-era America would also shape and limit the career of the woman known as ‘the first Black pin-up girl’, eventually leading her to the civil rights movement and Black activism in the 1960s. This episode traces Lena’s journey from young dancer to Hollywood star and renowned vocalist, along the way exploring her connections with figures including Billie Holliday and Martin Luther King Jr., and the injustice she spent so much of her career fighting against.

If you’re a fan of the history of cinema, mid-century America, and Black cultural icons, you’ll love our episode on Lena Horne.

If you want more musical icons with Desiree Burch, listen to our episodes on Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, and Broadway Musicals. And for more film history, check out our episodes on the history of Bollywood and Sarah Bernhardt.

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

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Rosalyn Sklar
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m002qggy)
Make You Feel My Love

"When the rain is blowing in your face / And the whole world is on your case / I could offer you a warm embrace / To make you feel my love"

Written by Bob Dylan for his Time Out of Mind album, 'Make You Feel My Love' went on to become a huge hit for Adele and has been covered by Billy Joel, Ane Brun and many more.

With its promise of unfaltering love, we find out what the song means to different people around the world. It has inspired a translation into a 65,000 year old language and a choral version with the comfort of a psalm; it has soundtracked heartbreak and grief; and become a lullaby of parental love.

Featuring music writer Annie Zaleski, musicians Ane Brun and Dyagula, organist and conductor Anna Lapwood, Howard Simons, Aly Halberstadt, and Adele's manager Jonathan Dickins.

Produced by Mair Bosworth
A BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002qgh0)
Following President Trump's pressure on European allies over the future of Greenland, Ben analyses whether there has been a fundamental shift in the Transatlantic alliance with Lord Darroch, former UK Ambassador to the USA, and Sarah Elliott, director of the US-UK Special Relationship Unit at the Prosperity Institute.

As the government approves plans for a new Chinese embassy in London ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to China, Ben brings together Lord Beamish, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, and Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who previously chaired the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

After the House of Lords voted in favour of a ban on social media for children under 16, Ben speaks to Professor Amy Orben of Cambridge University who co-led a government study to understand the impact of social media on young people.

And, is centrism dead? Times columnist Matthew Parris does not think so and argues that Conservative defections to Reform give Kemi Badenoch an opportunity to pivot her party to the centre. He debates that with non-affiliated peer, Claire Fox, a former Brexit Party MEP, a forerunner to Reform UK.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002qgh2)
Ukrainians fear another Chernobyl

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Russia, France, Uganda and Morocco.

As temperatures plummet in Ukraine, Russia is aggressively attacking the country's energy grid. Ukraine is heavily reliant on its nuclear power plants, which are also being targeted. There are concerns that without proper maintenance, it could trigger another nuclear disaster. Wyre Davies spoke to the head of Ukraine's nuclear authority.

President Trump has claimed the threat posed by Russia and China is one of the reasons the US must acquire Greenland - but rather than antagonise the Kremlin, the pro-Kremlin Russian news service has been full of praise for the US president. Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.

From South Korea to Western Europe, there’s deep concern over falling birth rates – and it was one of the reasons behind France’s decision a few years ago to amend its policy regarding egg-freezing for non-medical purposes, bringing it in line with other European countries. Carolyn Lamboley recounts her personal experience.

1986 was the year Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup - and when Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni first came to power. Last week, the 81-year-old won his seventh consecutive term in office, Sammy Awami was in Kampala where he heard from young people about how they voted.

The 2026 Africa Cup of Nations came to a close in Morocco last weekend and aside from missing the chance to lift the trophy for the first time in fifty years, the tournament proved controversial in Morocco due to the vast sums spent on it. Tim Hartley reflects on the discontent over prioritising sporting prestige over public services.

Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002qgh4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002qgh6)
Energy Ombudsman Powers and Cheques

The chair of Parliament’s Energy Select Committee has told Money Box it’s “vital” the Energy Ombudsman is given new, stronger powers as quickly as possible. Bill Esterson says that it is too easy for energy suppliers to simply ignore ombudsman decisions leaving consumers powerless. Energy UK, which represents suppliers, says customers have the right to expect a good service and, in the vast majority of cases, suppliers are able to work with the Energy Ombudsman to resolve cases within 28 days.

As people live longer healthier lives more and more are working longer - often well past the state pension of 66. A new analysis of HMRC data found a 12 percent rise in the number of people working past the state pension age over the past five years. What's driving that increase?

Top tips for filing your self-assessment ahead of the deadline next week.

And as the number of payments made by cheque drops, what does the future look like for their usage?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Haider Saleem
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 24th January 2026)


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002q35z)
Series 119

3. Bored of peace

This week we'll be looking at Trump's Board of Peace and asking whether Trump is bored of peace. We'll be working out how China managed to afford to get on the central London property ladder with their new mega-embassy, and hoping that a clever cow who can use a tool to scratch its back can up its game and sort out global diplomacy before it's too late. Joining Andy to help make sense of all the madness is Lucy Porter, Alasdair Beckett-King, Stephen Bush and Shappi Khorsandi.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale, Ruth Husko and Dee Allum.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002qgh8)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002qghb)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002q365)
John Glen MP, Quentin Letts, Jake Richards MP, Anna Sabine MP

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the Corn Exchange in Blandford Forum in Dorset, with Conservative MP and former minister John Glen , who is now parliamentary private secretary to Kemi Badenoch; the Daily Mail's parliamentary sketchwriter Quentin Letts; Labour MP and justice minister Jake Richards; and Lib Dem culture spokesperson, Anna Sabine MP.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Lowri Morgan
Production co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano and Asha Osborne-Grinter
Lead broadcast engineer: Tim Allen
Editor: Glyn Tansley


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002qghd)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?

Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002q361)
Esme’s got the all-clear on her TB test but shows David an email from her landlord with a generous offer to buy her out. Over a cup of tea, Esme admits she’s very tempted, given the struggle to keep going at Meadow Farm - but she’d be devastated to give up now. Esme’s head says accept the offer and go, but her heart says stay. Despite the downsides she’s loved what they’ve been doing on the farm for the last three months. David thinks she should take her time before making a decision, but Esme reckons she’s already decided to stay.
Will and Emma are taking a break from lambing when George and Amber arrive at Grange Farm to announce they’re having a baby. Will’s thrilled, but Emma can’t believe Amber’s pregnant after they’d recently had a conversation where Amber said she wasn’t even thinking about having a baby. Emma calls them idiots, insisting she means it. George thought she’d be pleased while Amber is more uncertain, but Emma doesn’t hold back with her criticism. George reckons Clive was right when he said there was some very toxic behaviour in the family. The mention of Clive riles Emma further, while Will wants everyone to calm down, before Emma suggests talking about it later. It’s not what she wanted for them, though, while George insists it’s up to them, not her. Later, Will tries looking on the bright side, but Emma only sees the downside of getting pregnant that young with their future so uncertain. Plus, the last thing she wants is having to pick up the pieces when everything falls apart.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvgw)
Lights Up: Dedication by Nick Dear

Episode 1

After 60 years of production The Nuffield Theatre in Southampton closed its doors due to Covid 19. We mark the venue’s great contribution to regional theatre with a production of Nick Dear’s Dedication, which he wrote for the Theatre in 2016 – a year dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It was written to commemorate both Nick’s and Shakespeare’s connection with Southampton. Nick Dear grew up in the city.

Shakespeare’s relationship with the Earl of Southampton has been the centre of much debate. Was he perhaps Shakespeare’s lover? Shakespeare dedicated his poems The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis to Southampton and it has been suggested that Southampton is the fair youth of the Sonnets.

Nick plays with three possibilities that may or may not explain an important period of Shakespeare’s life, sometimes referred to as The Lost Years, giving the audience the opportunity to make up their own minds. Much more is known about the Earl of Southampton than about William Shakespeare. It’s entirely possible that they never met, but it is equally possible they were lovers. No-one knows.

Dear puts Shakespeare on trial, where he is questioned about his relationship with the gay, cross dressing Earl of Southampton. It is set in Elizabethan England and it is a play of intrigue, sex, politics and power.

Cast:
William Shakespeare......................Alfred Enoch
Harry, Earl of Southampton.........Tom Glenister
Lord Chief Justice.............................Sam Dale

Other roles played by:
Nick Armfield, Tallulah Bond, Declan Mason and Finlay Paul

Writer: Nick Dear

Producer/Director: Celia de Wolff

Sound Designer: Lucinda Mason Brown

Broadcast Assistant: Anna de wolff Evans

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002qghg)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Social media ban for under 16s, Family estrangement, Denise Gough

Should the UK follow Australia in bringing in a social media ban for under 16s? Nuala McGovern discusses the issue with Hannah Ortel from the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, and Dr Fiona Scott, Senior Lecturer in digital literacies at the University of Sheffield.

Double Olivier award-winning actress Denise Gough joins Anita Rani to talk about her latest role as Amy Fowler in a new play based on the famous western High Noon. She also discusses what it’s been like to find her singing voice for the first time in 30 years.

Women dominate this week's BRIT Award nominations. Best Pop Act is an all women shortlist: RAYE, Lily Allen, Lola Young, Olivia Dean and JADE.
Lola Young and Olivia Dean have the most nominations, both up for Artist of the Year, alongside Lily Allen, JADE, Little Simz and PinkPantheress. Nearly two thirds of the nominations feature women as solo artists or in mixed gender group - the highest representation yet. So why are women riding high in the music industry at the moment? Anita talks to Roisin O'Connor, Music Editor at The Independent.

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of the Beckhams, has said that he is not in touch with his family and does not want to reconcile with them. How do you know when you’ve reached the point when the right thing to do could be to walk away? Writer Eilidh Dorgan and Psychotherapist Dr Sara Young discuss.

Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates, x) is the acclaimed comedy show from Jade Franks. A sharp, funny take on class privilege, it follows Jade’s first term at Cambridge after swapping life in a Merseyside call centre for one of the UK’s most elite universities. After a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the show is now being developed for TV.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor


SAT 17:00 PM (m002qghj)
Burnham applies to stand in by-election

Andy Burnham's bid to return to parliament is widely seen as a precursor to a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer. Should he be nominated? Labour MPs Karl Turner and Graham Stringers discuss. Plus, Donald Trump pays tribute to British soldiers who died in Afghanistan, days after he claimed that NATO troops 'stayed a little off the front lines'.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002qghl)
David Lammy: The old world order isn't coming back

What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy?

The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary knows America better than probably anyone else around the cabinet table. And in this interview he reflects at length on the state of the world and the significance of the US president's Greenland threats.

David Lammy gives an impassioned defence against critics who question his friendship with Vice President J D Vance and reflects on his life's journey from Tottenham to Harvard.

He also discusses the ongoing row over jury trial reforms, potential upcoming by-elections, and Keir Starmer government's storytelling.

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Hal Haines and Chris Murphy
Editor: Giles Edwards


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002qghn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002qghq)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qghs)
Burnam Applies To Stand For Labour In By-Election

In the news: The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has announced that he is seeking permission to stand in the upcoming Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election; President Trump has appeared to try to make amends for his remarks about NATO troops in Afghanistan -- which provoked outrage among the families of soldiers who died there; and a man has died in the US city of Minneapolis after being shot by federal agents -- known as ICE -- who've been deployed by the Trump administration to detain and deport illegal immigrants in Minnesota.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002qghv)
Nigel Havers, Rosalie Minnitt, Mike Wozniak, Dan Gillespie Sells, Stealing Sheep

Joining Stuart for this week's Loose Ends are actor Nigel Havers, who tells us about his remarkable shepherd's pies and the sex appeal of Mrs Thatcher.

Comedy writer and performer Rosalie Minnitt on how dreaming of cows and seeing moonlit owls doesn't bode terribly well.

Comedian Mike Wozniak on how a luxuriant moustache can help balance out an underdeveloped lower face.

And there's music from Dan Gillespie Sells, performing a song by his band The Feeling, and Liverpool's electro-pop trio Stealing Sheep, with their track GLO.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Elizabeth Foster


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002qghx)
Mark Rutte

The Secretary General of NATO has been dubbed the Trump whisperer after talks with Donald Trump at Davos appeared to help trigger a sudden U-turn on Greenland and threatened tariffs.

Mark Rutte was born in The Hague in 1967, began his career in business at Unilever and entered politics in 2002 eventually becoming the Dutch prime minister where he steered the Netherlands through economic turmoil, domestic crises and global shocks. Appointed Secretary General of NATO in October 2024 he has led the organisation through a tumultuous time in global politics.

Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte’s life.

Production Team
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker, Katie Solleveld, Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele & Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang

Archive:
Guardian News, 2024
Sky News
tv47
BBC TV
Bloomberg News


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002q38r)
Katie Mitchell

Theatre and opera director Katie Mitchell talks to John Wilson about her career and formative influences. She is renowned for her experimental storytelling on stage, her feminist perspective, and for contemporary reframing of classic plays, she has directed more than 100 productions over more than 30 years. She has worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre, where - as associate director - she staged bold new versions of work by a wide range of writers including Aeschylus, Virginia Woolf, Chekhov and Sarah Kane. For many theatre goers, she is one of Britain’s most important and innovative living directors.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002qghz)
Forged in Steel

Accompanied by voices recorded as a young oral historian, Alan Dein retraces his journey around the UK in search of the story of steel.

Thirty years ago Alan Dein travelled the length and breadth of Britain recording an oral history of the steel industry for the British Library. He was a Londoner in an industrial world he’d previously never encountered. From Ravenscraig in Scotland, to Workington, Redcar, Scunthorpe, Rotherham, Corby and to Port Talbot, Ebbw Vale and Llanwern in Wales: for two years he explored a new side of our nation and listened to the life stories of those who were intimately bound up with the drama and significance – the sense of community and hard graft – of steel-making in Britain.

The industry was already transforming. There were fewer workers and an ever-growing threat of international competition. The men and women Alan Dein spoke to had no illusions.

Today those steel towns are either utterly shorn of their former major employer, or living with its scaled-down remains.

The UK government recently conducted a consultation on its Steel Strategy. The report states unequivocally: “Steel is critical to the modern economy, and the economy of the future.”

Set against this assertion are on-going news stories about the fate of Port Talbot and Scunthorpe, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the fallout over US trade tariffs.

As Alan Dein retraces his steps around the country, these contemporary issues will be the context -- and the voices he recorded over thirty years ago his accompaniment. And he has questions for the descendants of those interviewees: how do they feel about their working lives, about the intervening time - and how do the younger generation relate to their invisible past? Who are they – and we – today in a land without steel?

Featuring Billy Hayhoe, Professor Louise Miskell, Rob Pendlington, Stephen Pendlington, John Pugh, Mary Thomas and Robin Thomas. And the pupils of Nunthorpe Academy, Middlesbrough.

Extracts from 'Lives in Steel' © The British Library Board and used with permission. The Lives in Steel project (102 in-depth interviews recorded 1991-1992) was run by National Life Stories, the independent charitable trust that supports oral history at the British Library: www.bl.uk/nls

Thanks to Robbie Armstrong for recording assistance.


SAT 21:00 Understand (m002qpdn)
US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines - Omnibus

Justin Webb looks back at five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th century to the post-9/11 strategies of the Bush Doctrine in the early 2000s. He and his guests examine how America’s approach to the world has constantly changed over time. This may help answer a really big question - how radical is the way President Donald Trump deals with the world? Is he really an outlier in US history? Or do his actions reflect the changing patterns of American power?

Presenter: Justin Webb
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross
Editor: Jon Bithrey
Sound engineer: Tom Brignell

Credit: Truman's address courtesy of the Harry S Truman Library and Columbia Broadcasting System.
Credit: Nixon’s Silent Majority Speech/Richard Nixon Foundation
Credit: Reagan’s State of the Union Address courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Credit: Bush’s Graduation Speech at West Point courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library


SAT 22:00 News (m002qgj3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002q353)
The Low-Alcohol Drinks Revolution: Can Wine Keep Up?

One thing that could make us all healthier is drinking less alcohol – and there’s now a huge market for alcohol‑free drinks. But one category that has long struggled to deliver great taste is non‑alcoholic wine. In this episode Jaega Wise looks to find out why it’s so difficult to make a wine without alcohol that still tastes good, and asks what difference these drinks can make to people trying to cut back.

Jaega begins the story of German producer Bernhard Jung, whose family pioneered vacuum distillation more than a century ago. She meets Fiona Graham and Alex Viol of Vino Zero along with wine expert Jane Rakison to taste some of today’s most promising alcohol‑free bottles, and speaks to David Hodgson of Zeno Wines about the challenges behind creating convincing 0% options. At Plumpton College, master’s student George Coles and programme manager James Clapham explain how future winemakers are experimenting with new approaches.

During the programme, Jaega also brings together Professor John Holmes of the University of Sheffield and Richard Piper from Alcohol Change UK to explore how no‑ and low‑alcohol drinks might influence our drinking habits. And with Tom Ward of Wise Bartender, she looks at the growing world of mid‑strength wine - a category some believe could be the next step in helping people drink differently.

Presented by Jaega Wise
Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan


SAT 23:00 Dan Does Dating (m002qgj5)
Series 1

2. Sophie

Think of the worst date you've been on, or heard about. Now imagine having to go through that every week. That's what happens to Dan Dickerson in Dan Does Dating, a new non-audience sitcom by Michael Beck. And his dates feel the same way.

This week, Dan somehow gets a date with a model. Could this be the start of something, or will it just be some bragging rights on Instagram?

Dan … Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
Sophie… Amy Matthews

Chris … Ray Bradshaw
Jack … Stephen Buchanan
Jamila … Nalini Chetty
Diane … Zara Gladman

Woman … Tina Gray
Habiba … Lubna Kerr
Miranda … Layla Kirk
Robber … Sanjeev Kohli
Arabella … Lisa Livingstone
Karen … Eleanor Morton
Sarah … Sophie Wilkinson

Written by Michael Beck

Recorded and edited by Diane Jardine at Sonido Studios, Clydebank

Produced and directed by Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m002q28g)
Heat 3, 2026

Paul Gambaccini hosts radio's most challenging music quiz. Now in its 39th series, contestants from around the country have assembled to be tested on their knowledge of music from across the centuries, and across every genre.

This week, our three contestants pick from topics including ‘Books and 80's Pop', 'Hits of the glam years' and 'Puccini's female characters'.

Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002qgj7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002q28d)
Rob Doyle

The Irish writer Rob Doyle speaks to Take Four Books about his new novel Cameo, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. Cameo is the life story of an invented Irish novelist called Ren Duka who has an unexpected and runaway success with a prolific series of autofictional novels.

Rob's three chosen influences for this episode are: Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges, from 1944; Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano from 1996; and Memoirs of Hadrian, by Margeurite Youcenar, from 1951.

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


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qgj9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qgjc)
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 (m002qgjf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qgjh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002qgjk)
St Michael and All Angels in Great Comberton in Worcestershire

Bells on Sunday comes from St Michael church in Great Comberton in Worcestershire. The Perpendicular style limestone church was originally built in the 14th century with the tower added in the 15th century. It holds six bells, the earliest of which date from 1687. The tenor bell weighs eight and a half hundredweight and is tuned to the note of B flat. We hear them ringing Spliced Doubles.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002q2k3)
NHS Online Hospital, Braille Amplifiers

The NHS Online Hospital will aim to provide patients with the option of a hybrid care pathway, with the option of face-to-face appointments and digital connections with doctors and consultants. In Touch hears about the plans for the service, how it might contribute to bringing down long waiting lists and tacking the so-called postcode lottery of care across England.

Blind Paralympic athlete, content creator and guitarist Anthony Ferraro went viral recently when he posted a video unboxing 'the world's first' braille amplifier. It was provided to him by UK-based company Victory Amps as a surprise, and they now offer customisable braille amps to the wider visually impaired community off the back of this experience. Anthony and Chris George, from Victory Amps, provide In Touch with the details.

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


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002qgl9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpv)
Twin spirits: A lost bond that lives in dreams

Claire grew up in a multi-faith household that often looked beyond traditional beliefs for solutions. At 17, everything changed when her mother discovered that Claire was speaking to “dead people.” Convinced it was ungodly, her mother turned to both a medium and her charismatic Christian sect for guidance, asking priests to intervene so that Waswa, Claire’s twin brother who had died at birth, would no longer appear. Soon after, the dreams that had been Claire’s source of comfort vanished, leaving her lonely and confused.
Searching for help, Claire eventually encountered a spiritual teacher who introduced her to a path blending African spiritualism and Christianity. Through this, she began to find her voice and discovered others with similar experiences. She is now feeling less alone in her new spiritual community.

[Photo Description: ClaireNakato, Photo Credit: Allan Busby]

Producer/ Presenter: Eric Mugaju
Producer: Matt O'Donoghue
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002qglc)
Liquid Gold and a Treasure Trove

The Kane family have been farming on the lowlands that edge Lough Foyle in Co Londonderry for over 100 years. About 20 years ago Richard and Leona started growing oilseed rape for the emerging bio-diesel market. And it was that choice which, by pure accident, led to them producing what has become a multi award winning cold pressed rapeseed oil. They farm with nature in mind in a very beautiful part of Northern Ireland, on land that many centuries ago was covered by the sea.
Their field to plate story has a unique connection to gold…and not just because that’s the colour of the oil but also back in the late 1800’s, before the Kane’s took on the land known as Broighter, two ploughmen out working caught the shears of their plough on what turned out to be a treasure trove of gold! Rinsing the hoard in the farmhouse sink it was to later found that the beautiful ornate pieces dated back to the Iron Age and it’s one of the most significant treasure finds on the island of Ireland. A local history that prompted their brand name Broighter Gold and intrigued their recent Royal visitors.

Presented and produced in Northern Ireland by Helen Mark.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002qglf)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002qglh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002qglk)
People are facing increased financial strain as funeral costs rise, according to the Quaker Social Action charity. One of the unexpected bills that hits people at this vulnerable moment is the high burial charge some local authorities demand if the person who has died lives in another borough, even if they are geographically close by.

As part of our series on young people and religious revivals, we are looking at the increase in new members of the Orthodox Church in the UK and ask whether online influencers or 'Orthobros' are one of the reasons behind the rise.

As Brooklyn Peltz Beckham says he doesn’t want to reconcile with his family, we explore what faith leaders say about forgiveness, reconciliation and familial estrangement. His parents, Sir David and Lady Victoria Beckham, haven't officially responded.

PRESENTER: EMILY BUCHANAN
PRODUCERS: KATY BOOTH & BARA'ATU IBRAHIM
STUDIO MANAGERS: BECKY MARCUS, GEORGE WILLIS, SAM BIDDLE & AMY BRENNAN
EDITOR: CATHERINE MURRAY


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002qglm)
Good Faith Foundation

Broadcaster Jane Garvey makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Good Faith Foundation's 'Warm Welcome' campaign. The charity supports spaces across the UK, set-up in community centres, libraries and cafes, that provide somewhere warm and welcoming for people to drop in to.

The Radio 4 Appeal features a new charity every week.
Each appeal then runs on Radio 4 from Sunday 0755 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 ‘Good Faith Foundation’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Good Faith Foundation’.
- 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: 1188639. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.warmwelcome.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002qglp)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002qglr)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002qglt)
Entwining Celtic roots

From St Mary's Scottish Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow, with Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, Rev Canon Sarah Shaw, and the Cathedral Choir directed by Frikki Walker. Organist: John Gormley.
As Glasgow's annual folk and world music festival, Celtic Connections, brightens the late January days, the service celebrates the faith of Christians in early Celtic tradition and how it continues to enrich widely-shared expressions of faith.
READINGS: Isaiah 2: 1-5 / Romans 8
HYMNS:
Be thou my vision (Slane)
Take this moment, time and space (John L Bell/Graham Maule)
Behold the Mountain of the Lord (Scottish Paraphrase; Tune: Glasgow)
CHORAL:
Let your restless hearts be still (John L Bell) (Tune: The Lark in the Clear Air)
Alleluya Psallat - William Mathias
An Irish Blessing - James E Moore
Music with Prayers: Cronan na Mara (No. 1 from Op. 14, Hebrid Seas (Celtic Suite), Composer: Julian Nesbitt


SUN 08:48 Tweet of the Day (m002qglw)
Juliet Vickery on the Brent Goose

CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology Juliet Vickery is particularly fond of brent geese, having studied them on the Norfolk coast for three winters. They are our smallest goose, which migrate from the Arctic Circle every year. She describes what she learnt about fluctuations in their population, and the fascinating connection with lemmings in the Siberian tundra.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

This programme features recordings from Xeno-Canto by David Darrell-Lambert (XC994302 and XC994306)


SUN 08:50 In Other News (m002qgly)
Welcome to the programme which sidesteps the main news headlines and delves more deeply into what’s going right in the world.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002qgm0)
Back him or block him? Burnham row engulfs Labour

Labour's executive decides today whether to allow Andy Burnham to seek a Westminster seat. Baroness Ayesha Hazarika and Lord Michael Gove discuss Sir Keir Starmer's dilemma. Plus, Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski reflects on a week in which the global order appeared to crumble, and Paddy meets 'The General' a pub cat.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002qgm2)
Kemi Badenoch MP, leader of the opposition

Kemi Badenoch is the Conservative MP for North West Essex and the Leader of the Opposition.

Since winning her seat in 2017, she has held cabinet positions as Minister of State for Equalities under Boris Johnson and Secretary of State for International Trade under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She became leader of the Conservative Party in 2024 after Rishi Sunak’s resignation and is the first black person to lead a political party in Britain.

Her Nigerian parents came to Britain for medical treatment and Kemi was born in a private hospital in Wimbledon in January 1980. Her parents returned with their newborn daughter, and she was brought up in Nigeria in an affluent suburb of Lagos.

After a series of military coups and economic downturns, her family, along with many other middle-class families in Nigeria saw their wealth decline and Kemi was sent to London to study for her A levels.

Instead of following her parents into medicine, she chose to pursue Computer Systems Engineering and went to Sussex University. A well-paid career in IT followed and she joined the Conservative Party aged twenty-five where she also met her husband, Hamish.

Her first attempt at becoming an MP was in 2010 in Dame Tessa Jowell’s former constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in London. She finished third behind the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.

In 2017, she was selected for the Saffron Walden seat and became an MP.

She lives in London with her husband and three children and divides her time between Westminster and her constituency of North West Essex.

DISC ONE: The Story of Tonight - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Okieriete Onaodowan, Daveed Diggs, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
DISC TWO: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
DISC THREE: Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
DISC FOUR: Be Still - Aled Jones and English Session Orchestra
DISC FIVE: Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) - Baz Luhrmann
DISC SIX: Love is All Around - Wet Wet Wet
DISC SEVEN: Carry You Home – Alex Warren
DISC EIGHT: Dear Theodosia - Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda

BOOK CHOICE: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
LUXURY ITEM: The Marvel Movie Collection with a solar-powered DVD player
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor

Desert Island Discs has cast many politicians away to the island over the years including Sir Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, Sir Vince Cable, Theresa May, Ed Miliband, Boris Johnson and Margaret Thatcher.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002qgm4)
Writer: Katie Hims
Director: Kim Greengrass
Editor: Jeremy Howe

David Archer.... Timothy Bentinck
Kenton Archer.... Richard Attlee
Lilian Bellamy.... Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns.... James Cartwright
Susan Carter.... Charlotte Martin
Ruairi Donovan.... Arthur Hughes
Amber Gordon.... Olivia Bernstone
Eddie Grundy.... Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy.... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Will Grundy.... Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin.... Taylor Uttley
Chelsea Horrobin.... Madeleine Leslay
Paul Mack.... Joshua Riley
Jazzer McCreary.... Ryan Kelly 
Esme Mulligan.... Ellie Pawsey
Fallon Rogers.... Joanna Van Kampen


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002qghx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002q2rh)
Series 32

5. Sugar, Saints, Spiders and Heavy Metal

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

Holly Walsh, Henning Wehn, Zoe Lyons and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as sugar, saints, spiders and heavy metal.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002qgm6)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002qgm8)
Burnham blocked from standing to be an MP

Labour says it cannot justify causing a by-election for Greater Manchester mayor by letting Andy Burnham run to be MP for Gorton and Denton. Plus, Sir Keir Starmer head to China. How have fears about America's reliability as an ally, changed China's relations with the West?


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002qgmb)
The Price of Meat

Buy a pack of beef in the supermarket and you’ll find it’s increased in price by 52% in five years. Try and trade down to some chicken and you’ll find it’s nearly doubled in just two years. Make a product unaffordable- whether that’s cigarettes, brandy or steak- and you inevitably open up the door to smugglers. Evidence isn’t hard to find with Dover Port Authority offering up just one snapshot. In September 2025 they seized 20 tonnes of illegal meat, compared with just 1.3 tonnes in September 2022. Extrapolate the numbers with unchecked cargoes and the UK’s other ports and it’s clear that hundreds of tonnes of illegal meat are reaching our shores every month.

This isn’t just a tax issue with cheeky smugglers making a few quid as they sell a roasting joint in a local pub. It’s a major risk to the UK economy. Some of the meat is coming from areas suffering from African Swine Fever or Foot and Mouth disease. There’s no way that this meat could enter Britain legally because of the fear of these diseases reaching the UK. The last major Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in the UK in 2001 led to the slaughter of 6 million cattle and sheep and nauseating pyres of animals burning beside the M6.

Charlotte Smith travels to Romania to trace some of the many routes that meat can take to enter the UK and talks to customs and food standards officials in search of a solution to this significant risk to public health and to the UK's food and farming economy.

Producer: Beatrice Fenton


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002q35n)
Caterham

Is it too late to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs? What are the best ideas for planting under a shaded tree? How to maintain a lawn that is regularly used for football?

This week on Gardeners’ Question Time, Peter Gibbs and a hand‑picked panel of horticultural experts head to Caterham to tackle the green‑fingered queries of a live audience.

Peter is joined by Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage and Anne Swithinbank.

Alongside these questions, we hear from Bethan Collerton  who visited Wrexham to find out more about the RHS 'It's Your Neighbourhood' Scheme and how it has benefited the community and the gardeners involved.

Producer: Matt Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002qgmd)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The headless horseman who haunts Sleepy Hollow in Washington Irving’s ghost story has become an iconic figure in American popular culture, thanks to many film and TV adaptations, ranging from a 1922 silent movie to an episode of Scooby Doo.

John Yorke looks at how this deceptively simple tale made Irving an overnight literary superstar when it was published in an 1820 collection of short stories that also included Rip van Winkle, and why it was so influential on the work of the next generation of American writers including Herman Melville and Mark Twain.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for over 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories 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. He created the BBC Writers Academy and trained a generation of screenwriters - now with thousands of hours of television to their names. His acclaimed books Into the Woods and Trip to the Moon explore the structure and power of narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of storytelling, including many podcasts for R4.

Elizabeth Bradley has edited two Penguin Classic editions of Washington Irving's work and is Vice President of Programs and Engagement at Historic Hudson Valley.

Brian Jay Jones is the author of Washington Irving: An American Original and several other best-selling biographies.

Reader: Riley Neldam
Music: Torquil MacLeod
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams
Sound: Sean Kerwin
Producer: Torquil MacLeod
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002qgmg)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving’s classic ghost story about a headless horseman is part of Story of America, a major collection of dramatisations marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence .

Sami Ibrahim's adaptation gives a new twist to the tale of Ichabod Crane who unleashes malevolent forces when his new-fangled ideas disrupt the traditional way of life in Sleepy Hollow.

Jonathan/Diedrich…..Gilles Geary
Aletta…..Alix Wilton Regan
Ichabod…..Calam Lynch
Brom Bones…..Victor Alli
Katrina…..Sasha McCabe
Baltus Van Tassel…..Clive Hayward
Van Ripper…..Django Bevan
Bartender…..Jasmine Hyde

Directed by Gemma Jenkins

Production Co-ordinator: Kate Gray
Casting Manager: Alex Curran
Sound Design: Keith Graham and Andy Garratt

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4

Published in 1820, thirty-seven years after the Revolutionary War, Sleepy Hollow is recognised by the Library of Congress as one of the stories that helped shape America. Through this work Irving sets out his vision of those values he feels are important when it comes to forging a new nation in the wake of a violent war. He raises questions about insularity and whether it’s a good thing; he wonders if new world ambition is driven by greed and warns against market forces entering all walks of life.

There’s also a message about the power of storytelling, how truth is set aside if it gets in the way of telling the best story.


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002qgmj)
Ali Smith

Acclaimed author Ali Smith speaks to Take Four Books about her latest book, Glyph. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. Glyph tells a story hidden within Smith’s 2024 novel Gliff. Once again, the plot centres on two siblings and a horse, and delves into the power of storytelling.

Ali’s three chosen influences for this episode are: The Wild Ass’ Skin by Honoré de Balzac (1831); A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear (1846); and Strider: The Story of a Horse by Leo Tolstoy (circa 1886).

Producer: Hayley Jarvis
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.


SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002qgml)
Heat 4, 2026

Paul Gambaccini hosts radio's most challenging music quiz. Now in its 39th series, contestants from around the country have assembled to be tested on their knowledge of music from across the centuries, and across every genre.

This week, our three contestants pick from topics including ‘Teenage Stars’, ‘XTC's English Vision' and ‘All That Acid Jazz’.

Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct7449)
How the Philippines saved Jews during World War Two

In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced in Nazi Germany.

In 1938, seven-year-old Lotte Hershfield and her family left their home in Breslau, which was part of Germany and is now known as Wroclaw in Poland.

Their journey took them across continents by ship, train and on horse and cart.

They eventually arrived in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, one of the few places welcoming Jewish refugees fleeing persecution.

As they rebuilt their lives, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and, soon after, invaded the Philippines.

When United States forces eventually reclaimed the islands, Lotte and her family once again packed up their lives, this time settling in Baltimore, Maryland.

Now aged 94, Lotte shares the memories of her life in Manila with Megan Jones.

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: Lotte Hershfield. Credit: Lotte Hershfield)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002qgmp)
T.S. Eliot Prize Poets

Join Ian McMillan for a celebration of remarkable poets and poetry as he presents highlights of the annual T.S. Eliot Prize readings, recorded in front of an audience at London's Southbank.

Ian was the host for the TS Eliot Prize readings at the Royal Festival Hall - where shortlisted poets read from their shortlisted collections in front of a packed audience.

For this edition of The Verb Ian has selected poems featuring infinity pools, slush, shopping malls, family inheritances, the beaver, and lost keys - and tells us which collection scooped the prize of £25,000, awarded by the T.S.Eliot Foundation.

The poets featured this year are:
Gillian Allnutt, Isabelle Baafi, Catherine-Esther Cowie, Paul Farley, Vona Groarke, Sarah Howe, Nick Makoha, Tom Paulin, Natalie Shapero, and Karen Solie.


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002qgmr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002qgmt)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qgmw)
Burnham Blocked From By-Election Battle

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has been blocked by the party's ruling body, the NEC, from standing as a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary by-election for Gorton and Denton. He says he's "disappointed" and "concerned". In other news: The parents of a nurse who was shot dead by federal border agents in Minneapolis have accused the Trump administration of telling "sickening lies" about what happened; and two people have died of hypothermia in the US state of Louisiana, as the country is gripped by a severe winter storm described by President Trump as "historic".


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002qgmy)
Kathy Clugston

As ever on Pick of the Week, all of human life is here, and some animal life too - from chatty rooks to a pop star’s pigs, and what really happened on set of Blue Peter when Lulu the elephant visited. Plus, there's stories from Putin’s Russia in the 1990s and composer Aaron Copeland’s America, and how a cup of coffee is changing the lives of those dealing with homelessness.

Presenter: Kathy Clugston
Producer: Anthony McKee
Production coordinators: Caroline Peddle and Caoilfhinn McFadden


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002qgn0)
Lilian’s hanging up decorations for Burns Night at The Bull, while the Highland Games are happening on The Green, when Jazzer reveals the shocking news that his bagpipes aren’t working. Later on though, Jazzer’s happy to accept the plaudits and free pints for his playing, which Ben reckons is better than ever. Tracy makes a very rude ‘Toast to the Laddies’, shocking Neil and Susan, before Rex realises Jazzer has been conning everyone. Joy then reveals that Kenton’s been playing bagpipe tracks through the speakers, while Jazzer keeps out of sight.
On The Green Joy sympathises with Ben when his caber toss goes awry. Rex, though, does a great toss and is duly announced the winner by Neil, standing in for Kenton and Jolene, who’ve been mysteriously called away. It later emerges it was to deal with Jazzer’s bagpipe crisis. Rex admits he did his research on tossing techniques and Ben teases him for taking it so seriously.
Meanwhile, George has been watching the competition from a distance before Neil joins him. George feels sorry for himself, being the village outcast, but Neil counsels that the village is George’s home and people will have to accept that and move on. Later, Neil brings round his and Susan’s leftover haggis with all the trimmings for grateful George to enjoy. Neil then suggests George ask Esme if he can do her milking, while she works on some IT contracts she’s been offered. George thinks she won’t want to take him on, but Neil reckons it’s got be worth a try. Neil then invites George and Amber round for tea on Tuesday and George accepts.


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002qgn2)
Dreaming the Third Reich

The story of Charlotte Beradt's extraordinary and subversive dream project with a gripping struggle of ideas - between external and internal freedom, between the control of public and private space and the nightmare when the two are no longer quite distinguishable.

'I awoke bathed in perspiration; my teeth clenched. Once again, as on countless previous nights, I had been hunted from pillar to post in a dream - shot at, tortured, scalped. But on this night the thought occurred to me that I might not be the only one among thousands upon thousands to be condemned to such dreams by the dictatorship...'

This programme takes as its starting point the dream notebooks of Charlotte Beradt, a journalist, banned twice over by the Nazis for being both Jewish and Communist. She risked her life to document her German compatriots' nocturnal experiences even as their waking freedoms were being eroded. It's been said the difference between an authoritarian and a totalitarian state is that the former is happy to control your actions and your speech - whereas the latter aspires also to control your thoughts, your inner life. As the political philosopher Hannah Arendt put it, a regime becomes 'truly total… the moment it closes the iron vice of terror on its subjects' private social lives'.

Charlotte's collation of the dream data reads almost like a thriller, secretly meeting with Jewish and non-Jewish Berliners to record their intimate diaries-of-the-night. She took precautions to prevent the disclosure of her project, smuggling her notes in letters to friends, hiding them inside book bindings in her apartment. As a journalist living in Berlin she was already known to the regime. She was several times imprisoned and let go, arrested and reported on.

The dreams recorded from 1933 by Charlotte illuminate the shocked and conflicted unconscious of ordinary Berliners under the rise of fascism. The Nazis would develop their own antagonistic relationship with the new 'Jewish' science of psychoanalysis and dream interpretation - antisemitic of course, but also a danger to the psyche and therefore the body politic. Freud's work was banned, psychoanalysis demonised. But for Charlotte Beradt these dreams were not about the individual dreamers. They were a way of reading extreme political pressure - how recurrent images and themes (surveillance, co-option, freedom of thought) were shared across the dreams of a whole population, woven into a collective nightmare.

Hearing from Charlotte Beradt's friends, historians, political thinkers and psychoanalysts, this feature tells the story of the Nazis' early, internal domination of the German people - the regime's psychologically invasive power as illustrated in the records of Berliners' unconscious dreaming lives, becoming almost a shared political unconscious.

Contributors include Charlotte's friend and psychiatry professor Regina Casper, psychoanalyst and historian Daniel Pick, essayist Christy Wampole, Roger Berkowitz, founder of the Hannah Arendt Centre for Politics and Humanities in New York, psychoanalyst and writer Josh Cohen, filmmaker Amanda Rubin who republished Charlotte Beradt's 'The Third Reich of Dreams' in English and Lisa Appignanesi, who has written on women, memoir and the history of psychoanalysis.

Charlotte Beradt read by Sam Spiro, with dreamers Jane D'Albiac, Nick Poyntz and Susie Phillips

Producers: Simon Hollis and Amanda Rubin

A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m000vp09)
Intelligent Exercises

In this episode, Michael reveals the best exercises you can do – to help your heart and your brain. He now does press ups every morning – having discovered research that shows being able to do 10 could help you live longer, and doing 40 nearly doubles your protection against heart disease. But strength exercises can do more than just improve your muscle tone and heart. Michael speaks to Professor Damian Bailey at University of South Wales who’s been researching the effects of exercise on your brain. He’s discovered that one of the best exercises you can do to boost your brain power is the simple squat. Michael discovers how many and how long you need to do them for to get the best benefit – and it’s surprisingly little!


SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002q398)
Can AI be our friend?

Michael Rosen talks to digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns about the rise of AI companions- how do we talk to AI, and how does AI talk to us?
They discuss how chatbots work, whether Michael is replaceable, different application for AI, including romantic partners and griefbots, and what happens when an AI companion goes wrong.

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


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002q35s)
Molly Burkett, Sir James Munby, Edith Flanigen, Aldrich Ames

Matthew Bannister on

Molly Burkett, who devoted her life - and her home - to rescuing thousands of injured birds and animals. At times these included a killer whale, a pigmy hippopotamus and a beer drinking crow.

Sir James Munby, the respected judge who was President of the Family Division and was instrumental in opening it up to greater public scrutiny.

Edith Flanigen, the chemist who invented molecular sieves or zeolites which have made a critical impact on the petroleum refining industry.

Aldrich Ames, who was one of the United States’ most damaging double agents. We hear from the CIA officer who unmasked him.

Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley

Archive:
Torrey Canyon: The Toxic Tide, BBC Radio 4, 28/02/2007; Superpets – That’s Life!, BBC One, 24/12/1977; The Saturday Picture Show, BBC One, 17/08/1985; BBC Look North, BBC One, 16/02/1988; BBC Look North, BBC One, 12/06/2001; Match of the Day (Theme Tune), BBC TV; Our Dementia Choir Sings Again with Vicky McClure, BBC One, 10/10/2022; The World at One, BBC Radio 4, 03/08/2017; BBC News at Six, BBC One, 03/08/2017; Panorama: The Million Dollar Spy, BBC One, 20/02/1995; Storyville: Valentino – The Last Emperor, BBC Four, 07/07/2011


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002qgh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002qglm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002qgh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002qgn4)
The UK's relationship with China

Ben Wright is joined by the Labour backbencher Jo White; Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston; and Lib Dem Foreign Affairs spokesman Calum Miller. They discuss the turmoil caused by the decision to block Andy Burnham from seeking re-election to Parliament - with other MPs from across the Labour party giving their views too. The panel also discuss the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to China and whether now is the right time for the UK to seek closer ties. And Ben speaks to the First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, about recent criticism of Whitehall and whether it's up to the job of modern government. Kevin Schofield - political editor of Huffpost UK - brings additional expertise and analysis.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002q38k)
The Mariana Trench

Misha Glenny and guests discuss one of the wonders of the natural world. In 1875 in the western Pacific, the crew of HMS Challenger discovered the Mariana Trench which turned out to be deeper than Everest is high, by two kilometres. Trenches like Mariana form when one tectonic plate slips under another and heads down and there are around fifty of them globally. While at one time some thought it was too dark and deep for life there and others wildly imagined monsters, the truth has turned out to be much more surprising.

With

Heather Stewart,
Director of Kelpie Geoscience and Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia

Jon Copley
Professor of Ocean Exploration and Science Communication at the University of Southampton

And

Alan Jamieson
Director of the Deep Sea Research Centre at the University of Western Australia

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Susan Casey, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean (Doubleday, 2023)

Jon Copley, Deep Sea: 10 Things You Should Know (Orion Books, 2023)

Hali Felt, Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor (Henry Holt & Co, 2012)

M.E. Gerringer, ‘Pseudoliparis swirei: A newly-discovered hadal liparid (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) from the Mariana Trench’ (Zootaxa 4358 (1), 161-177, 2017)

A.J. Jamieson, The Hadal Zone: Life in the Deepest Oceans (Cambridge University Press, 2015)

A.J. Jamieson et al., ‘A global assessment of fishes at lower abyssal and upper hadal depths (5000 to 8000 m)’ (Deep-Sea Research Part 1. 178: 103642, 2021)

A.J. Jamieson et al., ‘Fear and loathing of the deep ocean: Why don’t people care about the deep sea?’ (ICES Journal of Marine Science. 78: 797-809, 2020)

A.J. Jamieson et al., ‘Microplastic and synthetic fibers ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine environments on Earth’ (Royal Society Open Science, 6, 180667, 2019)

A.J. Jamieson et al., ‘Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in the deepest ocean fauna’ (Nature Ecology and Evolution. 1, 0051, 2017)

V.L. Vescovo et al., ‘Safety and conservation at the deepest place on Earth: A call for prohibiting the deliberate discarding of nondegradable umbilicals from deep-sea exploration vehicles’ (Marine Policy. 128, 104463, 2021)

J.N.J. Weston et al., ‘New species of Eurythenes from hadal depths of the Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean (Crustacea: Amphipoda)’ (Zootaxa. 4748(1): 163-181, 2020)

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 Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.


SUN 23:45 Short Works (m002q35q)
A Whole Giant's Daughter Quest Thing by Jo Lloyd

Read by Alexander Vlahos.

Culhwch can love only the giant's daughter Olwen. To win her hand he must first complete a list of 39 impossible tasks. Arthur's champions take up the challenge, but time slips steadily away from them in Jo Lloyd's poignant contemporary take on the oldest Arthurian romance.

Production Co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
Sound: Rhys Morris
Producer: John Norton

A BBC Audio Wales Production

MONDAY 26 JANUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002qgn6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 Crossing Continents (m002q2k5)
Greece: Rescuers on Trial

In a case with profound implications for European migration policy, 24 former volunteer aid workers have been on trial on the Greek island of Lesbos. Seven years ago, they were arrested after rescuing thousands of migrants from the sea. Now, after many delays, the case involving charges of facilitating illegal entry of foreigners, membership of a criminal organisation and money laundering has gone ahead. Among the defendants facing a possible 20 years in jail have been the Syrian refugee and former competitive swimmer Sara Mardini - and Irish human rights activist and lawyer Sean Binder. They've denied the charges - and said the prosecution was an attempt by the Greek authorities to criminalise help to asylum seekers.

Tim Whewell reports on the trial, its outcome - and the consequences for Lesbos. In in 2015, when about 600,000 migrants arrived on the island after crossing the narrow strait from Turkey. In 2015, local people were proud of their efforts to rescue and support refugees. But later, attitudes changed. And NGOs stopped their rescue work - for fear more aid workers might be prosecuted. Now, far fewer migrants attempt the crossing to Greece. But those who do sometimes die in shipwrecks. And there are allegations, denied by Greece, that its police are illegally pushing asylum seekers back - putting them back on boats and abandoning them at sea.

What will the verdicts in this trial mean for Greece, for other European states that have been tightening their immigration policies - and for the defendants whose lives have been on hold for the last seven years?

Producer/presenter: Tim Whewell.
Sound mix: James Beard.
Translation/field production: Hibai Arbide Aza, Sophia Koufopoulou, Anthi Pazianou
Actors: Jason Barnett & Sam Swann
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Penny Murphy


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002qgjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qgn8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qgnb)
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 (m002qgnd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002qgng)
Susan Hulme reports as peers debate what the NHS's role would be if a bill to allow assisted dying under certain circumstances was to become law.


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qgnj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002qgnl)
Pilgrim Past

Good Morning,
Embedded in the wall of one of our churches in Whitchurch Canonicorm is the shrine of Dorset's patron saint, St Wite. It has been a site of pilgrimage for over a thousand years and still is today. As a church we offer a one day guided pilgrimage experience, St Wite’s Way, that tells her story and gives pilgrims the opportunity to reconnect with the deeper things of life as we walk the glorious Dorset countryside.

Very little is known of St Wite, but I have found, the more we speak of her, the more we discover. Like through John, who hailed me from across our local pub, The Five Bells, to tell me that some time ago he had found a ‘pilgrim token’ on his land and he invited me to come and see it.

As I sat in his kitchen with a steaming mug of tea, John’s wife gave me the token to hold. It was nothing like how I’d imagined. It was bigger, about the size of a flattened foil milk bottle top and heavy. You could feel its weight and apart from damage on one side probably caused by some farming equipment, it looked like it was made yesterday.

But it was 800 years old, authenticated by the British Museum. Easily enough, because the Pope’s name at the time, Innocent VI was written on the back…

As I held it, my heart connected with the pilgrim who’d lost such a treasure visiting St Wite all those centuries ago. History came alive, right there, in John’s kitchen.

So today I pray we will know the joy of good things from the past, inspiring the present. Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002qgnn)
26/01/26 Timber security, feoijas, basic income for farmers.

Forestry experts are warning that the UK needs to plant more trees for timber. We import around 80% of the timber we use, but there are fears of a shortage of wood for house building, pallets or fencing if more conifer plantations aren't created. MPs on the all party group on forestry are discussing the issue. We speak to the industry body Confor which says we can grow they type of wood we need.

Feijoas are a popular fruit in New Zealand but a bit of a mystery to most Brits. The fruit isn't really imported and until now it wasn't grown here. Well, that changed when a New Zealander in Sussex had an idea. We meet the couple behind a new growing enterprise.

All week we're focusing on sustainability in farming, whether that's from an environmental point of view, resilience in supply chains or from a financial perspective. Farming is seasonal and unpredictable, which can make it hard to plan financially - veg growers for example find it hard to predict how much they'll earn from one month to the next. Margins are tight and prices don't necessarily reflect the cost of production. We speak to a producer and campaigner who's part of a cooperative which would like to see a basic income for all farmers.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


MON 05:57 Weather (m002qgnq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002qhzw)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002qhzy)
Biology, technology and the future

Adam Rutherford and guests discuss intelligence, genetics and the nature of reality. How are scientific advances in AI, cognitive science and genetics changing our understanding of the material world and what it means to be human?

Adrian Woolfson argues that we must transform biology into programmable engineering material. To do this, we must decode the generative grammar of DNA, the language of life itself, so we might create or change genomes – possibly including our own. In his book, 'On the Future of Species Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence' he imagines a future where - we grow houses rather than build them; smartphones are living; clothing has opinions; all human knowledge fits into a speck of DNA; disease is a thing of the past; and the human lifespan is dramatically extended.

What can we learn by combining cognitive science and artificial intelligence? In The Emergent Mind, a new book co-authored by Gaurav Suri, looks at how a data-driven neural network can create thoughts, emotions, and ideas – a mind – in both humans and machines alike. He argues that if we want to understand intelligence then we should look at the concept of neural network, the framework inspired by the human brain that lies behind Artificial Intelligence. He explains a new idea 'emergence' - and what it may mean.

Joanna Kavenna's latest novel, Seven is a satire about a game without rules. It encompasses encounters with philosophy, artificial intelligence and dreams, poetry and the natural world. The plot travels through time and space, in a world without boundaries and where nothing can be pinned down and everything is in flux. It raises questions about how much we can truly know about reality.

Producer: Ruth Watts


MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002qj00)
Pigeon protection

Hannah Hall from Penny's Pigeon Aid tells Rachel Burden about their work to rescue and rehabilitate pigeons. The welfare charity doesn't encourage people to domesticate pigeons or increase their population, but they do want to educate people on these birds and promote kindness towards them.

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 easier. And the key here is in the trying. 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
Editor: Clare Fordham


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002qj02)
Yanis Varoufakis, Bonnie Langford, 'Catastrophic' waits for NHS community care, Killer in the House documentary

Tens of thousands of children in England have spent more than a year waiting for NHS community care, such as hearing services, speech and language therapy and disability support, the BBC has found. Nick Triggle, BBC News Health Correspondent and Harriet Edwards, Strategy Lead at the national disability charity, Sense, join Nuala McGovern to discuss the findings.

Author, economist and politician Yanis Varoufakis joins Nuala to discuss being, as he describes it, raised a misogynist. He also talks about the women in his life that helped change that and what he believes lies behind the growth in misogynist attitudes.

A new ITV crime documentary, Killer in the House, traces the story of one of the most notorious double murder stories in recent UK history, where a respected Northern Irish dentist, Colin Howell, murdered his wife and his lover’s husband, staged it as a double suicide, and evaded justice for nearly twenty years. Howell was never suspected for the murder of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan, until his confession in 2007, implicating his former lover, Hazel Stewart. Lauren Bradford-Clarke, daughter of Lesley and Colin, talks to us about the impact this crime had on her family.

Bonnie Langford has been a British household name for more than 50 years, singing and dancing across many stages in countless musicals, as well as memorable TV roles in EastEnders and Dr Who. Now she's playing Mrs Bird in the much-acclaimed Paddington The Musical in London's West End. She joins Nuala to discuss the joys of treading the boards with that much-loved, life-sized bear.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Simon Richardson


MON 11:00 Understand (m002qj04)
An American Journey

2. A More Perfect Union

James Naughtie continues his look at the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States, as he looks at what it means to be an American.

In Chicago, he joins the Columbus Day parade - an exuberant celebration of Italian-American identity - and hears about the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to northern cities like Chicago. In Wisconsin, he visits the birthplace of the Republican Party, and in Ohio the Governor shows him the spot where Abraham Lincoln heard he had been formally confirmed as President-Elect. James considers how the social movements of the 1960s moved the centre of gravity of American politics from economic to social issues, with all that meant for political polarisation.

Producer: Giles Edwards


MON 11:45 Craftland (m002qj06)
Episode 1

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It's all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever.

Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.

James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning nominated broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.

Written and Read by James Fox
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002qj08)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002qj0b)
Botched Insulation, Co-Living and Fibremaxxing

Thousands of people - living in damp and mouldy homes - are left waiting for a fix, following a 'catastrophic' government insulation scheme. What chance do they have of getting it put right?

With high rents and home ownership out of reach for many young people, co‑living developments are becoming more popular - shared flats but with gyms, co‑working spaces and sometimes even spas. What's the appeal?

'Fibremaxxing' is emerging as the latest nutrition trend - what is it and should you get onboard?

And January is usually the quietest month for eating out - but restaurants are fighting back with big discounts. And it’s happening at every price point, with some offering as much as 50% off. Are you taking advantage of these deals and spending money on meals out this month?

PRESENTER - WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER - HELEN LEDWICK


MON 12:57 Weather (m002qj0d)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002qj0g)
Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman joins Reform UK

We hear from Reform and the Conservatives, as Nigel Farage unveils another defection. We speak to the author Lionel Shriver, on the killing of another US citizen by immigration officials. Also, the thoughts of a hotelier at the centre of a crowdfunding effort after two rescued hikers fled without paying.


MON 13:45 The Fibre Factor (m002qj0j)
Munching Plants to Manufacturing

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learns all about fibre, and why we need to eat more of it.

In this first episode, he goes back to the very beginning, to explore how our intake of fibre has changed over human history. From the fibre-rich diets of our plant-gathering ancestors to the low-fibre processed foods we eat today.

Featuring:
Dr Brenna Hassett, biological anthropologist and archaeologist from the University of Lancashire
Dr Polly Russell, food historian and curator at the British Library

Presenter: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Sarah Goodman
Exec Producer: Becky Ripley


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002qgn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Relativity (m001bl39)
Series 4

Episode 1

Drawing on his own family, the fourth series of Richard Herring’s popular comedy drama has warm, lively characters and sharply observed family dynamics of inter generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind.

Amid the comedy, Richard broaches some more serious highs and lows of family life. In this series, set during the first year of lockdown. he draws on his own experience of testicular cancer at that time, as well as the comedic escapades of the four generations of the Snell family. Love, laughter and malapropisms abound.

Richard Herring is a comedian, writer, blogger and podcaster and the world's premier semi-professional self-playing snooker player.

Episode 1
Newly single Jane is dipping her toe into the world of online dating, not always entirely successfully. Pete, despairing at the failure of his marriage, has turned to drink. Margaret is enforcing the two metres social distancing rule with absolutely rigidity, while Ian tries to self diagnose his enlarged testicle.

Cast:
Margaret ..... Alison Steadman
Ken ..... Phil Davis
Jane ..... Fenella Woolgar
Simon ..... Danny Kirrane
Ian ..... Richard Herring
Chloe ..... Emily Berrington
Pete ..... Gordon Kennedy
Holly ..... Tia Bannon
Mark ..... Fred Haig
Nick ..... Harrison Knights
Donny ..... Rafael Solomon

Writer Richard Herring
Director Polly Thomas
Sound Design Eloise Whitmore
Producer Daisy Knight
Executive Producers Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner

An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Opening Lines (m002qgmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Sunday]


MON 15:00 Great Lives (m002qj0l)
Dr Sian Williams nominates Anna Freud

Matthew Parris invites a fellow Radio 4 presenter into the studio to nominate a Great Life. Dr Sian Williams, who as well as a broadcaster is a counselling psychologist chooses Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund and considered by many to be the founder of psychoanalytic child psychology.

Anna Freud was born in Vienna in 1895, the youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays. She was brought up in a city alive with pioneering culture and with a father at the forefront of new work in psychoanalysis. Although the youngest of the family, Anna had a close relationship with her father, sitting in on his psychoanalysis meetings from a young age before the conservative limitations of the time lead her into teaching. After the trauma of the 1st World War she started a nursery in VIenna that sought to help the young children of the poorest members of society. With the Anschluss of Austria in 1938 she was arrested by the Gestapo but freed. It was enough to persuade her father, who was dying of cancer, to take the family out of the country. They settled in London but Sigmund died soon after.

With the onset of war, and in a completely new environment, Anna rekindled her work with the launch of the Hampstead Nurseries. Again the aim was to provide support and help for very young children who's parents had either been killed or were away in the armed forces. The nurseries pioneered a supportive, observational system, giving children the space to express themselves in play and without the threat of punishment.
Her reputation survives her in the form of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

Matthew and Sian are joined by Nick Midgley, Professor of Psychological Therapies for Children and Young People in the Research Department of Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology at University College London as well as working at Anna Freud.

Producer; Tom Alban


MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002qggw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002qgmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:30 on Sunday]


MON 16:30 Soul Music (m002qggy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002qj0n)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qj0q)
Suella Braverman joins Reform UK

The former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has become the latest senior Conservative to leave the party and join Reform UK. Also: Israel has received the body of the last hostage in Gaza, paving the way for the next phase of President Trump's peace plan to begin. And an inquest finds that heading a football was a factor in the death of the former Scotland defender, Gordon McQueen.


MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m002qj0s)
Series 32

6. Men, Statues, Theft and Martial Arts

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

Miles Jupp, Celya AB, Michelle Wolf and Frankie Boyle are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as men, statues, theft and martial arts.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002qj0v)
Justin waits impatiently for the delivery of Peggy’s artwork to the Rewilding site. Like Kirsty, he hopes it’ll have a big impact. Kirsty’s worried the dimensions of the plans they were sent by the artist are wrong, while Justin admits he did change direction several times on the design. When the delivery arrives, with David there too, they agree the small artwork is exquisite, but Kirsty wonders where the rest of it is. Later, Justin admits there’s been a miscommunication between him and the artist over the work’s dimensions: what’s been delivered is all there is. Justin used up most of the budget on multiple design changes. Kirsty is deeply unimpressed – this is nothing like the large-scale artwork everybody will be expecting to see at Thursday’s unveiling. Desperate Justin promises to fix it by then.

Susan’s irked to find Akram has been moving things around while waiting for her at the Dairy. She explains he’ll be observing today before receiving training another time. Akram starts taking notes, but worries he’s got off on the wrong foot. Susan softens a little, but makes it clear she’s in charge. On their break Akram and Susan discuss Clarrie being laid off, with Susan admitting she wanted Clarrie back when Adam left. Susan’s worried about tomorrow’s tea with George and Amber, hoping to get things back on track after Clive’s recent intervention. Akram mentions the “meal to heal” concept, later explaining this in detail while Susan takes notes. She thinks it sounds perfect, reckoning they’ve both learnt something today.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002qj0x)
Richard Linklater on Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater speaks to Samira Ahmed about his new film Nouvelle Vague.

Robbie Williams has beaten the Beatles' record for the most UK album chart number ones - we ask former Spotify exec Will Page how he's done it.

Daughters of Donbas is a musical project, created by Ukrainian musicians to bring the world’s attention to the kidnapping by Russian authorities of Ukrainian children. Samira speaks with two of its members - Marichka and Liza – about what they hope it could achieve

Why is there a wave of children’s authors turning to writing fiction for adults? We talk to Francesca Simon MBE - bestselling author of the Horrid Henry Books and now the Welsh-myth inspired Salka - as well as Liz Flanagan who has written her first historical novel for older readers, When We Were Divided.

Presenter Samira Ahmed
Producer Harry Graham


MON 20:00 Rethink (m002pqp6)
Rethink... regeneration

The government has launched the Pride in Place scheme but is it possible to regenerate urban areas without leaving local people out?

Most buildings have a certain shelf life before they need renovating. Social norms change and the ways people interact develop as society transforms with time. And local economies can change dramatically with once prosperous industrial areas falling silent, or tourist hot spots left behind by low-cost air travel.

But is it possible to do this without being accused of gentrification? Swanky new buildings are introduced attracting people with money, house prices go up, expensive shops and cafes open up and before you know it, local people are priced out of the area.

So are there ways to improve urban areas without leaving local residents behind? How much should any regeneration project acknowledge and honour local history? Isn’t attracting new people, with new ideas and new businesses a vital part of any regeneration project?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Tom Gillett
Editor: Lisa Baxter

Contributors:
Dr Eilis Lawlor, Director of the research institute Just Economics.
Patrick Murray, Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs, the Northern Housing Consortium.
Wayne Hemingway, designer.
Martha Grekos, Barrister who specialises in planning and environmental law.
Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds.

Rethink is a BBC co-production with the Open University.


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txw)
How is air travel returning to supersonic speeds?

It’s exactly half a century since two Concorde jets took off from Paris and London respectively. The supersonic jet would come to define top end luxury travel. But Concorde has also been retired for nearly half that time, famously making its final flight to Bristol, UK where it was built, in 2003.

What is Concorde’s engineering legacy? And will supersonic speeds ever be a reality for air travellers again?

Tom Whipple is at Aerospace Bristol, back on-board Concorde which these days is stowed safely in its hangar. He meets Concorde’s former Chief Engineer John Britton. He also hears what it will take to overcome the engineering challenges of supersonic flight from Dr Kshitij Sabnis, lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at Queen Mary University of London. And speaks to founder and CEO of US start up Boom Supersonic Blake Scholl who wants to make supersonic air travel accessible to all.

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: Tom Whipple
Producer: Tim Dodd, Kate White, Clare Salisbury
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002qhzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002qj00)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002qj0z)
Trump sends border czar to Minnesota

After another US citizen is killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis - will a change of tone from the White House alter the public mood?

We'll speak to the former head of US Customs and Border Protection. Also on the programme: a turbulent 36-hours in British politics as Suella Braverman defects and Andy Burnham is blocked.

So is it a double win for Reform UK?


MON 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002qj11)
Episode 6

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 6
The writer and R celebrate the old man’s birthday in the secret room until there is an unwelcome interruption.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001fwdj)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall

Episode 2

Based on the novel by James Swallow
Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Episode 2

A thrilling landmark adaptation set in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell universe. Veteran Fourth Echelon agent Sam Fisher has a new mission recruiting and training the next generation of Splinter Cell operatives for the National Security Agency's covert action division- including his daughter, Sarah. And now, former Fourth Echelon agent, Charlie Cole needs their help.

Recorded in 3D binaural audio; please listen on headphones for a more immersive experience.

Sam Fisher ..... Andonis Anthony
Sarah Fisher ..... Daisy Head
Anna Grímsdóttir ..... Rosalie Craig
Charlie Cole ..... Sacha Dhawan
Brody Teague ..... Will Poulter
Samir Patel ..... Nikesh Patel
Stone ..... Mihai Arsene
Eighteen ..... Olga Fedori
Jan Freling/Kathy ..... Rina Mahoney
Train Guard/Operator/Policeman ..... Joe Belham

Sound design by Sharon Hughes
Directed by Jessica Mitic
Series Co-Produced by Nadia Molinari, Lorna Newman, Jessica Mitic

A BBC Audio Drama North Production


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002qj13)
Mandy Baker reports as the home secretary announces a policing revolution and - is it time to rethink how to educate people about antisemitism?

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY 2026

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002qj15)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 Craftland (m002qj06)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qj17)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qj19)
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 (m002qj1c)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002qj1f)
Sean Curran reports on the continuing row about the future of the Chagos Islands.


TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qj1h)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002qj1k)
Holocaust Memorial Day

Good Morning
Today the 27th of January is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day of solemn remembrance as together we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions more murdered under Nazi persecution. The day also commemorates and learns from where prejudice and persecution led to genocide more recently, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

As a sign of our respect and solidarity with all the victims and survivors of these horrendous acts of terror we are encouraged today to light a candle to place in a window as night falls; to symbolise our prayer and fragile hope for a better, kinder world even in the face of such darkness.

This year’s theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is Bridging the Generations, which recognises how the passage of time can sometimes dull our collective memory of such atrocities. Especially as the years pass and eye witness survivors are no longer with us, whose personal stories of trauma, once told, have such power to convince all who hear them to strive for peace.

I know the power of such stories myself, having visited Cambodia in 2009, whilst working for an international development charity. Meeting people who have experienced such trauma is harrowing and deeply affecting. Their quiet witness as they spoke of family and friends murdered in the Khmer Rouge regime, broke my heart. Their words and faces still haunt me today.

So the spirit of Holocaust Memorial Day is right to remind us to never forget and I, for one, pray, we never do. Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002qj1m)
The Government's new Warm Homes plan has been set up to help people switch to eco-friendly heating systems for their homes, such as air source heat pumps and solar panels. The scheme will provide £15 billion in grants. The five year plan has been welcomed by the energy industry, but some see it as a missed opportunity. We ask the Rural Services Network what's in it for rural communities.

Vertical farming has been hailed as one of the ways to feed the world's growing population, expected to increase to nearly ten billion by 2050. Crops are grown indoors, under artificial light. This method of farming can use less water and fewer chemicals than outdoor crops but does use a lot of energy. We find out why Scotland’s Rural College has just opened its own full-scale vertical farm in Edinburgh.

Making sure that a farm is sustainable and productive over the long-term - without ruining the environment or damaging wildlife - can be expensive. A young food activist and a farmer explore how this can be done with environmentalists and campaigners for better food networks.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


TUE 06:00 Today (m002qjbb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Intrigue (m002q876)
Ransom Man

2. Whoopsie :D

After a shocking data breach at the Finnish psychotherapy service Vastaamo, a nation’s secrets are being held to ransom by a faceless hacker. Jenny Kleeman traces the story.

After negotiations with Vastaamo fail, ransom_man begins publishing 100 patient records a day on the dark web. He posts a link to the records on popular sites like Reddit and Ylilauta, Finland’s version of 4chan.

He ends the post with one word. “Enjoy!” .

Finland is a nation in panic.

One victim, Meri-Tuuli, heads to the dark web to find out if her notes are among those published, and is appalled by what she sees.

But after a few days, the hacker does something that no one could have foreseen.

Written and presented by Jenny Kleeman.
Producer: Sam Peach.
Executive Producer: Georgia Catt.
Sound Design: Sam Peach
Original music composed, performed and produced by Echo Collective.
A BBC Studios Production
Commissioning Executive is Tracy Williams
Commissioner: Dan Clarke


TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m002qj6w)
Should all babies have their genome sequenced at birth?

This week we’re looking at government plans to start sequencing the DNA of every newborn baby in England within the next decade.

Each newborn would undergo whole genome sequencing to assess their risk of hundreds of diseases, under NHS plans.

It promises a revolution in spotting disease early - but are there also risks?

And use of nicotine pouches is rising, especially among young men.

But these little sachets that fit under the top lip aren’t yet regulated – so what do we know about the potential harms?

Finally, as the cold weather continues, James gets a lesson in walking like a penguin to see if it helps avoid trips, slips and falls…

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producers: Tom Bonnett, Alice-Lipscombe-Southwell and Thomas Hunt
Production coordinator: Stuart Laws
Content editor: Ilan Goodman


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002qjbd)
New menopause research, Singing for wellbeing, Greenland women, Office romance

A large UK study of nearly 125,000 women has found that the menopause can cause a loss of grey matter in women's brains affecting memory and emotions, similar to that seen in Alzheimer's. Published in the journal Psychological Medicine, the researchers say it may help explain why we see almost twice as many cases of dementia in women than in men. Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology Barbara Sahakian, from the University of Cambridge and the senior researcher on the study and Dr Paula Briggs, Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health at Liverpool Woman’s NHS Foundation Trust, discuss the findings with Nuala McGovern.

There’s been much discussion about the benefits of singing, but with less singing happening in schools - over half of state secondary school teachers have said that their pupils never sang together in assembly - how do you encourage children and young people to sing and what are the benefits? As the BBC launches Get Singing, a Nationwide music education initiative, we talk to Julia Fraser, the head of Luton Music Service, and Baz Chapman from the Sing Up Foundation.

Laura Dickerman’s first novel Hot Desk is set against the backdrop of the publishing industry over two generations. A couple of editors share a desk in a new office – and eventually fall in love. Laura talks about bookish characters, the romance of women’s friendships and getting published for the first time, aged 62.

Global attention has been focused on Greenland since President Donald Trump repeatedly said the United States should take control of the self-governing region within the Kingdom of Denmark. Despite being around nine times the size of the UK, Greenland has a population of just 57,000 people, with the majority being indigenous Inuits. But beyond the heated geopolitical debates, we want to find out what is life like for women in Greenland today? Tillie Martinussen, a former MP in Greenland, tells us about women's position historically and the issues they face now.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Melanie Abbott


TUE 11:00 Screenshot (m002q363)
The Older Woman

From Norma Desmond to Mrs Robinson, the older woman has long been a provocative icon of cinema. And older woman-younger man relationships are still raising eyebrows and garnering headlines, thanks to recent films like Babygirl, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and Marty Supreme.

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look at what happens when the woman is older in an age gap relationship, and ask - why is the older woman still such a provocative proposition?

Ellen speaks to critic and cosmopolitan older woman Anne Billson about the evolution of the older woman through film history, from Sunset Boulevard to Something's Gotta Give.

Mark talks to actor Anne Reid about her controversial first lead film role, in 2003's The Mother - about a sexagenarian grandmother who starts a relationship with her daughter's boyfriend, played by Daniel Craig.

And Mark also talks to Matt Greenhalgh, the screenwriter behind Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool, which told the story of Hollywood star Gloria Grahame's real late-in-life romance with the 28-year-old Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner.

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


TUE 11:45 Craftland (m002qjbg)
Episode 2

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It's all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever.

Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.

James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning nominated broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.

Written and Read by James Fox
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002qjbj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002qjbl)
How Important Is Your Local Pub to You?

The government is about to tell us how it's going to support struggling pubs. So we want to know - how important is your local pub to you?

Pubs are finding it harder to make money. Costs and bills are going up, we go out less at night and we don't drink as much as we used to.

Lots of pubs are diversifying - trying different ways to make money and serve local communities. Is that the case where you are? How often do you visit a local pub? If you don't go, what's stopping you?

Get in touch on youandyours@bbc.co.uk, and please include a number so we can give you a call back. And after 11am on Tuesday 27 January, you can call our phone lines on 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002qjbn)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002qjbq)
Chancellor confirms support package for pubs

The Government confirms it will announce a package of support to help pubs affected by a rise in business rates. We get reaction from the chef Tom Kerridge, the owner of four pubs and a restaurant - and from Hospitality UK, who say the wider sector also needs help. We get an update from Devon - badly affected by heavy rain caused by Storm Chandra. Plus, Trevor Nelson pays tribute to Sly Dunbar, one half of the legendary reggae production duo Sly and Robbie, who's died aged 73.


TUE 13:45 The Fibre Factor (m002qjbs)
Fibremaxxing

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learns all about fibre, and why we need to eat more of it.

In this episode, he investigates the science of fibre, and how it can hugely help with our current UK crisis in obesity and other diet-related illnesses. Whilst most of us are nowhere near getting our recommended daily allowance of 30g, the online diet trend of "fibremaxxing" is trying to change this. Is fibremaxxing flash in the pan, or is it here to stay?

Featuring:
Prof Chris Van Tulleken from University College London, author of Ultra Processed People
Dr Emily Leeming, dietician and microbiome scientist at King's College London
Dr Karan Rajan, NHS surgeon and online science content creator

Presenter: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Sarah Goodman
Exec Producer: Becky Ripley


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002qj0v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m000tvlt)
Lights Up: Dedication by Nick Dear

Episode 2

After 60 years of production The Nuffield Theatre in Southampton closed its doors due to Covid 19. We mark the venue’s great contribution to regional theatre with a production of Nick Dear’s Dedication, which he wrote for the Theatre in 2016 – a year dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It was written to commemorate both Nick’s and Shakespeare’s connection with Southampton. Nick Dear grew up in the city.

Shakespeare’s relationship with the Earl of Southampton has been the centre of much debate. Was he perhaps Shakespeare’s lover? Shakespeare dedicated his poems The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis to Southampton and it has been suggested that Southampton is the fair youth of the Sonnets.

Nick plays with three possibilities that may or may not explain an important period of Shakespeare’s life, sometimes referred to as The Lost Years, giving the audience the opportunity to make up their own minds. Much more is known about the Earl of Southampton than about William Shakespeare. It’s entirely possible that they never met, but it is equally possible they were lovers. No-one knows.

Dear puts Shakespeare on trial, where he is questioned about his relationship with the gay, cross dressing Earl of Southampton. It is set in Elizabethan England and it is a play of intrigue, sex, politics and power.

Cast:
William Shakespeare......................Alfred Enoch
Harry, Earl of Southampton.........Tom Glenister
Lord Chief Justice.............................Sam Dale

Other roles played by:
Nick Armfield, Tallulah Bond, Declan Mason and Finlay Paul

Writer: Nick Dear

Producer/Director: Celia de Wolff

Sound Designer: Lucinda Mason Brown

Broadcast Assistant: Anna de wolff Evans

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m002pqrj)
Series 4

57. Jessie McLachlan - Silenced Servant

Lucy Worsley meets Jessie McLachlan, a woman accused of murdering one of her friends in Glasgow in 1862. There’s no obvious motive, but if she didn’t do it, who did?

To investigate this infamous case, Lucy is joined by stellar barrister Jennifer Robinson, co-author of Silenced Women: Why the Law Fails Women and How to Fight Back, who has represented actor Amber Heard and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, working on cases that span media, public and international law.

The victim in this distressing story is a live-in domestic servant, who works for three generations of men in a respectable Glaswegian home. When her mutilated body is found in a locked room, the police are quick to arrest her elderly employer, the most obvious suspect. However, blame soon shifts to Jessie McLachlan, once a servant in the same house, who maintains her innocence throughout. Who will the jury believe? Will Jessie ever get to tell her side of the story? Even if she does, will anyone bother to listen?

Together, Lucy and Jennifer discuss the difficulties women still face in speaking out about their experiences of gender-based violence and how the law is often weaponised against them. They are joined by in-house historian Professor Rosalind Crone from The Open University to look at the role of the media in this case. They discover that today, media coverage continues to have a powerful impact, either in entrenching negative stereotypes or, more hopefully, shining a light on women’s stories and bringing perpetrators to justice.

With thanks to Glasgow Police Museum for assistance with research.

Producer: Sarah Goodman
Readers: Clare Corbett, Bill Hope, Jonathan Keeble and Ruth Sillers
Sound design: Chris Maclean
Executive producer: Kirsty Hunter

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m002qjbw)
Colour in Film

How did the arrival of colour and film technology transform cinema and its cultural politics? Laurie Taylor explores the intertwined histories of technology, aesthetics, and identity.

Swarnavel Eswaran, filmmaker and scholar at Michigan State University, introduces us to the remarkable story of Kodak Krishnan – Eastman Kodak’s “man from the East.” Krishnan played a pivotal role in bringing American film technology to India during the mid-20th century, a period when cinema was becoming a powerful medium for shaping ideas of modernity and national pride.

Kirsty Sinclair Dootson, Associate Professor in the History of Art department at University College London, is one of the organisers of the Bombay Colour Research Network. Her book The Rainbow’s Gravity asked how new colour media transformed the way Britain saw itself and its empire between 1856 and 1968. Her research also examines how colour technologies – from early tinting processes to the vibrant palettes of Bollywood musicals became part of debates over race, class, and cultural representation.
Kirsty Sinclair Dootson is one of the academics who has been a New Generation Thinker, on the scheme run by the BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share research on radio.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez


TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002qjby)
A People's History of Punk

Love Bites

Five decades after the anarchy and attitude of punk exploded onto the UK's music scene, Chris Packham meets the people who, like him, were touched by its energy and ideas.

As punk spread across the country, Chris hears how it changed, adapted, and became a way to fight back for different people. For Mark Jordan, punk allowed him to experiment and discover his sexuality, even though it meant being beaten or attacked almost daily in Liverpool.

For others, like Pauline Murray from County Durham, punk offered an escape from the bleak North East of the 1970s. She went on to form the band Penetration. Anything could kick off at a Penetration show - and it often did. The violence, spitting and chaos were part of the thrill, the danger and excitement that made punk feel so alive for Chris and fellow punks.

In Nottinghamshire, Dr Alastair Gordon found his voice through anarchic, anti-establishment punk. It was a culture that took on racism, sexism, and homophobia head-on.

In South London, British Pakistani Ausaf Abbas found punk to be a powerful political vehicle too, opposing racism and fascism on the streets of Britain. He and his friends formed Alien Kulture, Britain’s first Asian punk band, in 1979 and performed at many Rock Against Racism events.

For journalist and writer Garry Bushell, who coined the term “Oi!” punk, the movement was about true working-class identity though he admits it also attracted football hooligans.

As punk splintered and spread, it meant different things to different people. But it also took a darker turn. Right-wing skinheads and fascist groups latched on, and the violence that once felt chaotic and thrilling began to turn uglier, harder and more dangerous.

In episode 2 of A People’s History of Punk – Love Bites, Chris Packham discovers that it wasn’t just the violence that was tearing punk apart, it was something much deeper.

Produced by Perminder Khatkar
Sound Design and Story Edit by Melvin Rickarby
Music by John Cranmer
Executive Producer: Helen Lennard

A True Thought Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002qjc0)
How can we sustain a healthy diet?

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

In this episode, Chris and Xand turn their attention to food. It’s January, and many of us have resolved to “eat better” but why does it so often feel like an uphill battle? Why do we crave certain foods and not others? And what does a genuinely healthy relationship with food look like?

They explore the science behind how our brains and bodies respond to food, and why willpower alone is rarely enough when it comes to eating well. From ultra-processed foods that trigger addictive-like responses to the influence of marketing, availability and convenience, they unpack why eating well is about much more than individual choice, and what actually helps us eat well in the long term.

Joining them is Ashley Gearhardt PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, whose research focuses on how certain foods can trigger addictive processes and how food advertising activates reward systems in the brain. She also developed the Yale Food Addiction Scale, a widely used tool to assess signs of addictive-like eating behaviour.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Ashley Gearhardt
Researcher: Samara Linton
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Social Media Producer: Leon Gower
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

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

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m002qjc2)
TikTok settles landmark social media addiction lawsuit

TikTok settles in a lawsuit in which big tech bosses were expected to testify, we have the latest. Also: housing minister Matthew Pennycook on the government's big shakeup in the leasehold system. A former envoy to Iran under President Trump tells us what he is aiming to achieve in Iran. And the bizarre increase in thefts of parcel shelves, the covers over your car boot.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qjc4)
The government climbs down on business rates for pubs

Pubs and music venues in England are to receive a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April, after a campaign which saw some premises ban their local Labour MPs. Also: Storm Chandra has brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK, causing flooding, travel disruption and hundreds of school closures. And Leonardo DiCaprio’s politically charged thriller, One Battle After Another, leads the field at this year’s Bafta Film Awards.


TUE 18:30 You Heard It Here First (m002qjc6)
Series 3

3. 'The Irish Comedian Throws His Chair Across the Room'

Chris McCausland asks Ed Byrne and Rachel Fairburn to take on Josh Jones and Janine Harouni. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what opening scenes of famous films are being audio described and make some very strange noises themselves.

Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production.


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002qj66)
Esme tells Ruth on the phone that she thinks she’s finally caught up with getting the farm as it should be. She knows it won’t get any easier, but at least she can look forward now as she goes for the tenancy. George then turns up and gives Esme his CV, offering his services as cowman and farm labourer, while she does her computer work. George also mentions his work with drones, before impressed Esme tells him she’ll be in touch. Later, Ruth drops round and Esme innocently shows her George’s CV. Ruth then tells Esme all about the risk she’d be taking, but Esme wants to think about it before making a decision.

While preparing the meal for George and Amber, Susan tells Neil about the “meal to heal” rituals Akram explained to her. Neil’s not convinced it’s necessary, but Susan thinks they need to give it a go, especially after hearing about Amber’s pregnancy and the bust-up with Emma, both of which they’ll have to pretend they know nothing about. Anxious Amber chivvies George along, not wanting to be too late. She’s worried about her difficult history with Susan and her tastebuds going haywire with the pregnancy. But it all goes smoothly, despite Susan speaking out of character as she follows Akram’s healing precepts, which she explains later, over pudding. Amber then becomes emotional, telling them she’s pregnant. George susses they already knew, despite their best efforts at feigning surprise. He details the negative responses from everyone else, but Neil and Susan are genuinely pleased for them.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002qjc8)
Michael Sheen, Laurel & Hardy, writer Patrick Charnley

Michael Sheen on the first production of his newly-formed Welsh National Theatre, Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play Our Town seen through a Welsh lens.

Film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reacts to the Bafta nominations announced today and how they compare with last week's Oscar's list.

100 years since Laurel and Hardy united for their first film, Neil Brand discusses the comedy duo with film historian Pamela Hutchinson.

And writer Patrick Charnley discusses his Cornwall-set novel This My Second Life, which came out of his experience being clinically dead for forty minutes, and his subsequent recovery from a life changing brain injury.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Lucy Collingwood


TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002r6h8)
I accused a policeman of rape but I ended up on trial

When a woman reported an allegation of rape against a serving police officer, she found herself in the dock, charged with perverting the course of justice. File on 4 Investigates hears how she went from being a potential victim to a suspect accused of lying.

Over the past decade, hundreds of rape complainants in England and Wales have been investigated for making false allegations. The programme examines when and why the justice system turns on those who come forward, and asks whether the safeguards meant to protect potential victims are being properly applied.

Producer: Hayley Mortimer
Presenter: Rebecca Woods
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Tara McDermott

Details of organisations offering help and support for the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002qjcb)
Disability Confident Scheme, Blind Sailing

The Disability Confident Scheme is a government programme that aims to help employers recruit and retain disabled people. Organisations can volunteer to sign up and move through three tiers that have varying levels of commitments. As part of a series of measures to try to help with the recruitment of disabled people, the government are planning to overhaul the scheme and make certain criteria more robust. Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms tells In Touch about their plans.

GBR Blind Sailing recently achieved great success at the World Sailing Inclusion Visually Impaired Championships in Oman. Lucy Hodges MBE is commodore of GBR Blind Sailing and nine-time World Champion and she, along with long-term sailor Vicki Sheen, tell In Touch about their success in Oman and about their aims to get more visually impaired people involved in the sport and to get blind sailing into the Paralympics in its own class.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees

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


TUE 21:00 Crossing Continents (m002qjcd)
Nigeria: Killings, Land and Cattle

On Christmas Day 2025, the US carried out missile strikes on suspected Islamist militants in Nigeria. They came after President Trump said he would intervene to protect Christians amid controversial claims of a “Christian genocide” in the country. The Nigerian government rejects such claims, saying both Muslim and Christian communities have been affected by insecurity in the country. Alex Last visits Plateau state in central Nigeria one area where ethnic and sectarian violence that has been the focus of US concern, to hear from both sides and meet those trying to bring peace.

Produced and presented by Alex Last


TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m002q38w)
Airport Lounges: For the Many or the Few?

In the years after the COVID pandemic we are travelling more and expecting more from our journeys. Travel is increasingly viewed as an end-to-end experience that begins before you even set foot on board your flight. As people look to inject luxury into their travel, airport lounge usage has boomed.

But lounges’ rise in popularity has created a unique problem for their operators: how do you grow your customer base whilst maintaining a degree of exclusivity?

Evan Davis speaks to industry operators and experts about balancing the scales.

Guests:
Mignon Buckingham, CEO of Airport Dimensions
Claude Roussel, VP of Sky Clubs and Lounge Experience at Delta Airlines
Nicky Kelvin, Senior Director of Content at The Points Guy

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and Tim Heffer
Editor: Matt Willis

The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002qjcg)
Keir Starmer insists UK can't ignore China as he begins visit to Beijing

As Keir Starmer prepares to fly to Beijing, can he sell his trip as an economic win - without selling out on human rights?

We hear from a Labour MP - and we visit London's Elephant and Castle neighbourhood, where the links between UK and China are visible - and appear to be growing.


Also on the programme: on Holocaust Memorial Day, we speak to Maurice Blik, the man who became a famous sculptor on the origins of his craft - in a concentration camp.


And.. as MENSA turns eighty - can it stay relevant?


TUE 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002qjcj)
Episode 7

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 7
The writer’s relationship with R has some new challenges. And when novels are disappeared, the islanders must burn all their books.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Cloning Jack (m002q2mg)
Broadcaster and biologist, Professor Ben Garrod first met Jack in Africa. From that moment on, they've been inseparable.

They travelled back to the UK and, for more than a decade, have shared their lives: living together, working, travelling, and growing older side by side.

Jack has been Ben’s constant companion: his friend, and the perfect dog.

But Jack is getting old.

As Ben begins to confront the reality of Jack’s ageing, he finds himself considering an extraordinary possibility.

The UK’s first commercial pet cloning service offers a procedure that promises a genetic duplicate of Jack. In theory, a clone would look the same and behave in similar ways, but would it really be Jack?

Ben explores what pet cloning truly involves. He meets scientists and ethicists, examines the limits of genetics, and reflects on grief, attachment, and what it means to love an animal.

Can science ever replicate the bond we share with our pets?

And when the time comes, will Ben clone Jack?

Featuring: Author of The Year of the Puppy and Adjunct Associate Professor of Dog Cognition at Barnard College, Alexandra Horowitz; Author of Designing Babies: How Technology Is Changing the Way We Create Children and Professor of Bioethics at the University of Columbia, Robert Klitzman; and wildlife veterinary surgeon, Dr Elliott Simpson Brown.

Presenter: Professor Ben Garrod from the University of East Anglia
Producer: Harrison Lewis
Editor: Martin Smith


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002qjcl)
Sean Curran reports as the chancellor announces a concession for pub owners on their business rates.

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY 2026

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002qjcn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 Craftland (m002qjbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qjcq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qjcs)
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 (m002qjcv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002qjcx)
Alicia McCarthy reports from Westminster as there is a government concession over plans to change business rates for pubs in England.


WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qjcz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002qjd1)
Kitchen Capers

Good Morning,
One of the great joys of a country vicar is being involved in the care of some of our nation’s most iconic and much loved buildings; our country churches. Of which we have twelve, all listed, Grade l or Grade ll.

Each building is irreplaceable. Not purely because of the architecture, although often remarkable, but because over the centuries these churches have become full of village memory as all of life has been marked within their walls. Sometimes, the church is the only community building in the village.

None more so than in Fishpond, a small rural community with just forty five houses nestling on the slopes of the Marshwood Vale. Their much loved church, St John’s, is the centre of village life, even though the building has no facilities or running water.

Every time they gather, particularly for large events, all the village helps by carrying jerry cans of water, crockery, glasses and all manner of refreshments from home. Over the years, it’s been just about doable, until Open Gardens in 2021, which had over a thousand visitors!

Afterwards, the villagers agreed Enough was Enough.

Since then they’ve been working hard securing permissions and raising the funds to install facilities in their beloved church. Many times people have been tempted to give up, especially as the costs have more than doubled in the last five years, but knowing the huge difference the work will make has kept the village going, even in the toughest times. Finally in 2026 the work starts!

So today I pray for all communities facing the seemingly impossible, that you will know God’s strength in your difficulties and the joy of your hopes fulfilled. Amen


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002qjd3)
28/01/26 Octopus, gene-edited oilseed rape, sheep dog training

Warmer waters have brought large number of octopus to coastal waters around the South West over the past year. Now, the University of Plymouth has published a report bringing together evidence from scientists, the fishing industry and citizen scientists to reveal more about what's known as the 'octopus bloom'. What can it tell us about the changing marine environment, the consequences for sea life, and the impact on fishing?

The on-farm science group BOFIN is starting a three-year £2.5 million project funded through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme. It'll be growing the first commercial trial of precision-bred oilseed rape, which will be resistant to light leaf spot.

Sheepdog training and competitions have captivated TV audiences for decades, and watching sheepdogs in action in the field is one of the privileges of farming. We speak to sheepdog trainer Nij Vyas as he puts one of his students through her paces.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


WED 06:00 Today (m002qj5k)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m002qh2d)
Can you get £71,000 on benefits?

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

Is it true that someone needs to earn £71,000 before they receive more money than a family on benefits?

Did Canadian prime minister Mark Carney get the GDP of Canada and the Nordic countries wrong?

Are 1990s pop icons Right Said Fred right about what they said about church attacks?

Is a sauna really ten times as hot as Wales in the winter?

And Tim hits the science lab treadmill to find out if he can run a four-hour marathon.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:
Gareth Morgan, benefits expert and author of the Benefits in the Future blog
Joe Shalam, policy director of the Centre for Social Justice
Professor Kelly Morrison, head of physics at Loughborough University
Dr Danny Muniz, a senior lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Hertfordshire

Credits:
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower, Lizzy McNeill and Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: Gareth Jones and James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon


WED 09:30 The History Bureau (m002qj5m)
Putin and the Apartment Bombs

2. Sugar

Three sacks of white powder discovered in a basement – and a ticking timer set for dawn.

As fear grips the country and families sleep on the streets, a strange discovery in the city of Ryazan sparks a chain of events that challenges everything people thought they knew about the bombings. In Episode 2, Helena speaks to David Satter, a journalist who has spent years trying to make sense of two pivotal weeks in Russia’s history.

In Season 1 of The History Bureau, presenter Helena Merriman returns to one of the most contested - and consequential - stories in modern Russia. In September 1999, just weeks after Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister, four bombs blew up four apartment buildings across Russia. The bombs exploded in the middle of the night, killing hundreds of people while they slept. Merriman returns to the story with the reporters who were there on the ground. What did they get right first time around? And, in the chaos and confusion of unfolding events, what did they miss?

Presenter: Helena Merriman
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Executive Editor: Annie Brown


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002qj5p)
Pornhub restrictions, Home birth suspensions, Jessica Curry, Winter Olympics

Pornhub has announced it will restrict access to its website in the UK from next week, blaming the tougher age checks which have been introduced for explicit sites. Back in October, their parent company Aylo said the law change, which was made under the UK's Online Safety Act, had caused traffic to their website to fall by 77%. As of next week, only people who have previously made a Pornhub account will be able to access its content. Nuala McGovern discusses the implications of these changes with Dr Fiona Vera-Gray, the author of Women On Porn and Professor of Sexual Violence and the Co-Director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University.

The decision by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to suspend home birth services is to be challenged in the High Court. The suspension was announced back in November after the trust cited safety concerns raised by their staff and dealing with more complex births. Now a coalition including the charity Birthrights is taking the trust's leaders to judicial review asking them to reconsider the suspension. Nuala is joined by Birthrights' legal lead Laura Mullarkey and Matthew Hill, Health Correspondent for the BBC in the South West.

This weekend gamers and music fans alike will be headed to 'BAFTA Games in Concert' which is starting its tour in London. It's celebrating two decades of BAFTA-nominated and award-winning games music and the composers behind these hugely popular gaming soundtracks. One of those composers is Jessica Curry. Ten years ago her score for the videogame 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture' won a BAFTA Games music award, the first for a solo woman. Jessica tells Nuala why her music channels grief, love, and loss and the impact music can have on gamers.

It's a week to go until the Winter Olympics gets underway in Italy. With a record 47% of female athletes competing, the games will be the most gender-balanced in Winter Olympic history. Two women who are gearing up to cover every twist and turn of these Games are former two-time Winter Olympic snowboarder and broadcaster Aimee Fuller and Jeanette Kwayke, who'll be fronting the BBC's coverage as part of an all-female line up alongside Clare Balding and Hazel Irvine.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Andrea Kidd


WED 11:00 Newscast (m002r6bm)
Bonus: Review of the Year 2026, So Far...

We’re only four weeks into the new year, but it feels like a year’s worth of news has happened already. So Radio 4 asked us to do a (very early) review of 2026 so far, and we thought we’d put it in your feed as a bonus episode.

Adam and Henry are in the studio. Chris joins from home as he prepares in all sorts of ways for a trip to China with the Prime Minister.

They chat through the fights of the left and right that have set the tone in the early part of year before chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet pops in to discuss Trump, Greenland, Venezuala, Iran, and how the world’s reacted to it all.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

The presenters were Adam Fleming and Chris Mason. It was made by Chris Flynn with Chloe Scannapieco. The technical producer was Phil Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.


WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002qh2v)
26th January - 1st February

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

This week: 26th January to 1st February

27th Jan 1945 - The liberation of Auschwitz.

1st Feb 1884 - The first fascicle of The Oxford English Dictionary 'A-Ant' is published

30th Jan 1972 - Bloody Sunday

Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown


WED 11:45 Craftland (m002qj5t)
Episode 3

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It's all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever.

Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.

James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning nominated broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.

Written and Read by James Fox
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 News Summary (m002qj5w)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002qj5y)
Vet Bills, Coastal Homes, Insulation Schemes

For the next eight weeks, the government is consulting on new rules to force greater price transparency at veterinary surgeries. The CMA recently found that big chains, which own 60% of practices, charge on average 16% more than independent practices. Vet practices will also have to be officially licenced in the same way as GPs surgeries and care homes.

In the last six weeks, houses have been demolished on the east coast of England in coastal towns like Hemsby in Norfolk and Thorpeness in Suffolk, because of coastal erosion. So far this year, storms have battered the east coast, causing the loss of up to 20 metres of land in just a few days in some places. We’ll hear from someone whose house is at risk and find out what is being done to help.

On Friday, a report by MPs found that 30,000 homes have defects caused by government-backed insulation schemes. The Public Accounts Committee said the insulation schemes - ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme - were so badly designed they were almost 'bound to fail'. Martin McCluskey, Labour MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, joins us on the programme to discuss what help is on offer to those impacted.

Eighty per cent of the seafood we eat in the UK is imported and mostly consists of the same five species: cod, prawns, haddock, tuna and salmon. However, experts say that eating less popular and more local fish would be positive for both our health and food security. Are you ready to swap your tuna for sprats and sardines?


WED 12:57 Weather (m002qj60)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m002qj62)
Starmer promises 'mature' relationship with China

The Prime Minister declares ties with China are essential to the UK's national interest as he brushes off criticism of his trip to Beijing. One of the business delegation travelling with him, Octopus's Greg Jackson, outlines his 'zero risk' approach to trade. Plus, Sarah Mullally is sworn in as Archbishop of Canterbury; why Moltbot has the tech world abuzz, and the two teens who rescued walkers off Helvellyn.


WED 13:45 The Fibre Factor (m002qj64)
White to Brown

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learns all about fibre, and why we need to eat more of it.
 
In this episode, he looks at how we could improve the everyday staple foods that dominate our dinner plates. Can we fortify white bread, pasta and rice with extra fibre? Can ultra processed foods ever become fibre-rich? Is there an even simpler solution staring us in the face?
 
Featuring:
Prof Chris van Tulleken from University College London
Dr Cathrina Edwards from the Quadram Institute
 
Presenter: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Sarah Goodman
Exec Producer: Becky Ripley


WED 14:00 The Archers (m002qj66)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001k7rt)
7 Ghosts

A contemporary ghost story that uses the supernatural to explore human relationships and connections, with a love story and historic injustice at its heart.

The drama explores the way the past shapes the present, and how someone’s present happiness might literally be built on someone else’s despair. The haunting of one London townhouse becomes a powerful metaphor for the varied legacies of slavery.

The seven ghosts in the drama are all different kinds, from different eras. Some are funny, some are sad. Some intervene in the world of the living. Some are unable to make contact and simply watch. Some we hear as they become a ghost. We even hear a ghost telling ghost stories.

The drama starts with a man going to bed on his own. Suddenly a woman is there. It’s his wife, but how did she get in? It’s impossible. It’s scary and emotional - they haven’t seen each other since the terrible car accident and the funeral. He can’t believe he can see her again. He wept for months because he missed her so much. He tries to touch her but of course his hand passes through her. As the drama unfolds, we delve into the complexities and unexpected twists of the ghost world and how it connects with the living.

The writer, Dan Rebellato, is a leading dramatist and professor of contemporary theatre at Royal Holloway University. He has written over 20 dramas for BBC Radio 4, and has been shortlisted multiple times for Sony, BBC Audio and WGGB Awards. His drama You & Me won Silver at the ARIAS 2022 and Restless Dreams won a Speakies Award in 2025 for Best Original Drama. He has had stage commissions for Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Plymouth Drum, Suspect Culture and Graeae, Soho Theatre and National Theatre.

Cast:
David ..... Kobna Holdbrook Smith
Sarah ..... Ani Nelson
Sir William ..... David Annen
Lord Havers and Ejikeme ..... Don Gilet
Charlotte and Caroline Tobin ..... Sarah Berger
Robert and Elliot ..... Max Runham
Florence and Isabelle ..... Fanta Barrie

Producer: Polly Thomas
Trainee Producer: Jelena Budimir
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore
Original music: Jeremy Walmsley
Illustration: Tessie Orange-Turner
Production Manager: Darren Spruce
Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore

Written by Dan Rebellato

A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


WED 15:00 Money Box (m002qj68)
Money Box Life: Working for Longer

The number of people working past retirement age is growing. New analysis of tax data found a 12% rise over the past five years. It was carried out by the specialist employment law firm, Littler, which says official estimates for the last financial year show 2.1 million workers and self-employed people are over state pension age.

For some people carrying on working is a positive choice. They enjoy the routine, like the social side, and of course the money but for others it’s much more about necessity, when pensions alone not stretching far enough.

But, how flexible are employers when it comes to older workers and what are the tax implications of collecting your state or private pension while still working?

To talk it all through Felicity Hannah is joined by Zoe Alexander, Director of Policy at Pensions UK, Morgan Vine, Director of Policy at charity Independent Age and Julie Dennis, Head of Inclusive Workplace Strategy at ACAS.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior Editor: Sara Wadeson

(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 28th of January 2026)


WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002qj6b)
AI's Bubble Trouble?

1. Is the AI bubble about to burst?

Aleks and Kevin explore the biggest story in the Ai business. Markets are growing sceptical that the eye-watering sums being invested in Ai will show a return and comparisons with the dot-com crash are being widely made - so is the Ai bubble about to burst?

Over the next three episodes we'll explore the Ai business landscape, look at the evidence for a bubble and consider the consequences of a 'major correction' to the valuation of the big players.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Research by Elizabeth Ann Duffy


WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002qj6d)
Is the Beckham Brand in Jeopardy?

It started with a bombshell but the aftershocks are only just getting started.

This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether David and Victoria Beckham's seemingly bulletproof brand is under threat. The cause is of course the incredibly emotional social media outburst from their son, Brooklyn.

Theirs is a brand built on family - so what are the PR challenges when threads start to unravel? And crucially, what say will the money men have about how the Beckham's handle the fallout?

On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, where best to see where the worlds of PR, power and business collide than Davos? Simon spent the week there and reveals what's really going on behind-the-scenes. It's certainly not as glamorous as you might think.

Plus, how to take on Elon Musk and win. Ryanair's Michael O'Leary delivered a PR masterclass as the two men had a very public spat - using a killer blend of humour and facts. It seems to have done wonders for the airline's business - and given us a timely reminder of how to use your opponent's strength against them.

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 (m002qj6g)
Viral videos shaping reporting in Minnesota, Radio 1’s Christmas Presenter Takeover, Algorithm Transparency and Skyscraper Live

On The Media Show with Ros Atkins. Meg Anderson, NPR correspondent in Minneapolis, explains how newsrooms are managing a surge of online footage and what it means for journalism.
Aled Haydn Jones, Radio 1 Controller; DJ Sian Eleri and Chelsea Little on the Radio 1 Christmas Presenter Takeover.
James Ball Tech journalist and author of “The System: Who Owns The Internet And How It Owns Us” unpacks what algorithms are, and whether the move towards increased transparency by platforms will actually give users more control.
And Vicky Jessop, commissioning editor and culture writer at the Evening Standard, joins us to discuss Netflix’s Skyscraper Live and whether extreme risk is becoming a new form of entertainment.

Presenter: Ros Atkins
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Laura Cain


WED 17:00 PM (m002qj6j)
President Trump gives Iran another ultimatum

President Trump warns Iran his 'Armada' is prepared to use violence if a nuclear deal is not reached. The US's ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to PM.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qj6l)
President Trump says 'time is running out' for Iran to make a deal

President Trump warns Iran that time is running out to make a deal over its nuclear ambitions as a "massive Armada" arrives in the region. Also: Sir Keir Starmer lands in Beijing for a three day visit – he's joined by a sixty-strong trade delegation, but some criticise his plan to reset relations with China. And a film premiere will be held at Windsor Castle for a documentary on King Charles.


WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002qj6n)
Why in the Name of Pierre Novellie

4. Why Am I So Unfashionable?

In this episode, all about why he’s so unfashionable, Pierre discusses his sinister alter ego, the emoji versus the quill, the most stylish way to visit the off-licence and his uncanny ability to make trousers wet.

As Pierre says -

“I’m delighted to be given the chance to perform my own comedy on the BBC, the original source of my obsession with comedy as a child. It’s a chance to bring my stand up to a hypothetically grateful nation.”

Written and performed by Pierre Novellie and produced & directed by David Tyler (“Cabin Pressure”, “One Person Found This Helpful”, “Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive” etc)

A Pozzitive production for the BBC

www.pozzitive.co.uk


WED 19:00 The Archers (m002qj6q)
At Rewilding Ambridge Mick asks if Joy can come to the unveiling tomorrow. Rex and Kirsty explain why it may not happen - they’re still waiting for Justin to let them know whether he’s fixed the problem of the undersized artwork. And when Mick sees it he agrees it should be much bigger. Kirsty still hasn’t got hold of Justin, but they can’t cancel until they know for sure what’s happening. By the end of the day Rex and Kirsty agree it’s too late to cancel now. But then comes the really bad news: Borsetshire Life are sending their Assistant Editor and he hopes the artwork will grace their next front cover, just when they don’t want the publicity.

Susan reports to Azra on how well their meal with George and Amber went, with Akram’s help. Susan’s impressed by Akram’s work at Bridge Farm, too. George comes into the shop and has a dizzy turn, before Azra insists he goes to A&E. She drives him, with Susan in the back and George feeling mortified by all the fuss, but Azra impresses on George the need for an all-clear on his head injury before he can start work. Later, Susan tells Azra that Amber’s with George at the hospital now and he’s had a scan. She gives Azra a bouquet of flowers to thank her, before Amber messages to say the scan was clear and they’re coming home. Susan and Azra compare notes on the virtues of constructive criticism, before Susan leaves Azra to enjoy the rest of her afternoon off.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m002qj6s)
John Carter Cash on his musical production The Ballad of Johnny & June

John Carter Cash on how the lives of his famous parents - Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - have inspired a stage musical which tells the story of the couple's long love story but also tackles addiction head on.

As a long-lost portrait of poet Robert Burns by the acclaimed artist Henry Raeburn goes on display, art historian Bendor Grosvenor and art journalist Melanie Gerlis discuss how experts go about attributing a painting to a great artist. While technology can show us detail far beyond the paint on the canvas, will human expertise and discernment always be necessary in cases such as this?

And author Benjamin Wood talks about his atmospheric novel Seascraper, which centres the story of a young shrimper in a coastal town in the north of England who dreams of becoming a folk singer, and which has won the Nero prize for fiction.

Presenter: Kate Molleson
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002q357)
The Traitors and unconscious bias

The UK's most popular TV show, The Traitors, has come under the spotlight not just because of its popularity but because it has been accused of reflecting prejudice in British society. The charge is that contestants from ethnic minorities are more likely to be expelled early on in the game because of unconscious bias, particularly unconscious racial bias. Others shows too, like Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island and Big Brother have faced similar accusations.
Adam Fleming unpicks the debate.

Presenter: Adam Fleming
Production team: Charlotte McDonald, Natasha Fernandes and John Murphy
Studio manager: Andrew Mills
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy


WED 20:45 Magic Consultants (m001kx8j)
Shaping the World

Adam Shaw peeks behind the curtain of the consultancy industry.

Worth hundreds of billions of pounds, consultants stretch across almost every industry, government department and international border.

Since the pandemic there’s been an unprecedented demand for their services and many believe our future is determined by what they think and do. Yet little is known about these largely hidden influencers. They are magnetic and mesmerizing yet, to many of us, shrouded in mystery.

Adam asks who are these wizards, what do they do and how much do they influence our lives.

On the one hand, they're talked of as genius solvers of the world’s greatest problems and masters of the machinery of management. On other, some think of them in more shadowy terms, whispering their guidance into the ears of the rich and powerful. Adam sets off with missionary zeal to detangle two very different stereotypes.

Across the series he hunts for the first ever consultant, finds out how they shape our language and politics and discovers how they bounce back from appalling scandals. He joins a consultancy fair to meet aspirant consultants, hears stories from the glass towers of late nights and rewards, explores FOMO and addition, turnarounds and triumphs.

In this episode Adam takes a close look at how the industry has shaped the world around us. He sees how consultants have been involved in most key stages in the development of capitalism and how the phraseology of 'Corporate Culture' has found its way into everyday language.

Producer Neil McCarthy


WED 21:00 Intrigue (m002q876)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 Inside Health (m002qj6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002qj6y)
Trump threatens Iran with ‘massive armada’

President Trump has warned Iran that time is running out to negotiate a nuclear deal, threatening Tehran with a ‘massive armada’ headed to the Middle East. We assess the US military build up in the region and hear what protestors inside Iran think.

Also on the programme: As Keir Starmer prepares to meet the Chinese President, we hear from the son of jailed British pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai.

And the two-year-old snooker prodigy who has broken two world records with his trick shots.


WED 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002qj70)
Episode 8

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 8
Following an earthquake and tsunami on the island, the writer and the old man make a discovery.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 Doctors On Hold (m002qj72)
Series 1

3. Acid Casualty

When the local MP has his drink spiked with LSD, it's a moral dilemma for Mike and Peter.

Former doctors Phil Hammond and Tony Gardner write and star in this new series for Radio 4.

Set in a typical GP surgery, struggling to cope with cuts, new NHS policy directives and an increasingly impatient set of patients, two disillusioned doctors battle with the stresses of their jobs and chaotic personal lives.

Doctors On Hold features a topical series of phone conversations between patients and various members of a GP team that reflects how much medicine is now dispensed over the phone in an overloaded and fragmented NHS, how frustrating it can sometimes be for patients and staff, and how funny and familiar it is for listeners.

Tony Gardner and Phil Hammond started their comedy careers on Radio 4 in the 90s, as junior doctors, with three series of Struck Off and Die. They won a Writers Guild Award for best radio comedy. They have since had very successful solo careers - Phil Hammond co-wrote five series of Radio 4's Polyoaks. He is Private Eye's medical correspondent 'MD'. Tony Gardner is an actor on stage and screen, whose recent credits include the hit show Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Mina Anwar is well known to Radio 4 listeners from Fags, Mags and Bags.

Cast:
Tony Gardner as Dr Peter
Phil Hammond as Dr Mike
Mina Anwar as Malika Begum
Anna Crilly as Nelly and Sarah

Other parts are played by members of the cast

Written by Phil Hammond and Tony Gardner

Producer: David Morley
Sound Design and Music: Chris O'Shaughnessy

A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m002qj74)
Series 15

4. The Jaws of Andy Burnham

Rylan takes Keir Starmer dating naked, Trump is an Agent of Chaos, Putin has a job interview, and we open the jaws of Andy Burnham.

The four-time Gold Comedy winner at the Radio Academy Awards returns as Jon Holmes mashes up news with pop-culture into a current affairs comedy concept album.

Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002qj76)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY 2026

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002qj78)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 Craftland (m002qj5t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qj7b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qj7d)
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 (m002qj7g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002qj7j)
Sean Curran reports on (Deputy) Prime Minister's Questions, and more.


THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qj7l)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002qj7n)
Help from Above

Good morning.
In one of my churches deep in the Marshwood Vale surrounded by farmland, the majority of the congregation are local farmers and their families have lived there for generations. As their vicar I have had the great privilege of getting to this community and to pray with them in their troubles.

Especially, last summer when one among them, a well respected and much loved member of their congregation had an farming accident.

He was crushed against a gate by a tractor, breaking multiple bones in the lower half of his body. As most farmers are loneworkers, he too was on his own. Somehow he was able to pull his mobile phone from his pocket and dial 999, and then call his family to come and help him.

Where we live, it can be difficult to get around, even if you are very familiar with the country lanes, so the air ambulance was the only way to get help fast and they came, fully equipped with everything the farmer needed.

He was airlifted in their care to a specialist unit in Bristol as we prayed and prayed for his recovery, which was… miraculous. Within a couple of months he was walking unaided and then back on the farm in time for the Harvest. Thank God; and thanks to our emergency services and the NHS.

So today, I pray for the safety of all farmers as they go about their often dangerous work and I thank God for medical teams who attend in emergencies, especially our air ambulances. May the Lord sustain you in your life saving work. Amen.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002qj7q)
29/01/26 Sustainable food and what that means for farming

Sustainable Foods 2026 - a conference in London which brings together big food companies, supermarkets, producers and scientists in a drive to transform our food systems - but what does it mean for agriculture?

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


THU 06:00 Today (m002qj83)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002qj85)
The Roman Arena

Misha Glenny and guests discuss the countless venues across the Roman Empire which for over five hundred years drew the biggest crowds both in the Republic and under the Emperors. The shows there delighted the masses who knew, no matter how low their place in society, they were much better off than the gladiators about to fight or the beasts to be slaughtered. Some of the Roman elites were disgusted, seeing this popular entertainment as morally corrupting and un-Roman. Moral degradation was a less immediate concern though than the overspill of violence. There was a constant threat of gladiators being used as a private army and while those of the elite wealthy enough to stage the shows hoped to win great prestige, they risked disappointing a crowd which could quickly become a mob and turn on them.

With

Kathleen Coleman
James Loeb Professor of the Classics at Harvard University

John Pearce
Reader in Archaeology at King’s College London

And

Matthew Nicholls
Fellow and Senior Tutor at St John’s College, Oxford

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

C. A. Barton, The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: The Gladiator and the Monster (Princeton University Press, 1993)

Roger Dunkle, Gladiators: Violence and Spectacle in Ancient Rome (Pearson, 2008)

Garrett G. Fagan, The Lure of the Arena: Social Psychology and the Crowd at the Roman Games (Cambridge University Press, 2011)

A. Futrell, Blood in the Arena: The Spectacle of Roman Power (University of Texas Press, 1997)

A. Futrell, The Roman Games: A Sourcebook (Blackwell Publishing, 2006)

Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard, The Colosseum (Profile, 2005)

Luciana Jacobelli, Gladiators at Pompeii (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003)

Eckart Köhne and Cornelia Ewigleben (eds.), Gladiators and Caesars: The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome (University of California Press, 2000)

Donald Kyle, Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome (Routledge, 1998)

F. Meijer, The Gladiators: History’s Most Deadly Sport (Souvenir, 2004)

Jerry Toner, The Day Commodus killed a Rhino: Understanding the Roman Games (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014)

K. Welch, The Roman Amphitheatre from its Origins to the Colosseum (Cambridge University Press, 2007)

T. Wiedemann, Emperors and Gladiators (Routledge, 1992)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Production


THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002qj87)
Are You a Stupid Person? (with Natalie Haynes)

Was Andy Burnham blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election because Labour need to save resources for elections they ‘must have’? Was the Tory briefing that referenced the defecting Suella Braverman’s mental health really a ‘first draft?’

Armando and Natalie examine this and more, to find out if politicians in the UK are echoing Donald Trump’s words as they ask us to take these at face value - “Are you a stupid person?”. Are we not expected to read this 'subtext in block caps'?

We also discuss how Trump's speeches are held together, and why Carney quoting Thucydides warmed Natalie's heart.

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Asha Osborne-Grinter
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Recorded at The Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002qj89)
Pensions gender gap, Rape investigations complaint, Women and AI

There's been a stark warning to MPs about the number of women pensioners living in poverty. The house of commons work and pensions committee has been hearing the pension system is dysfunctional, and contributing to more gender disparity, that's according to the feminist economic think tank the Women's Budget Group, which gave evidence yesterday. Anita Rani is joined by their incoming director Dr Daniella Jenkins and Sarah Pennells, consumer specialist at Royal London finance company.

New figures revealed in a super-complaint suggest tens of thousands of sexual offence investigations are taking years to complete with some stretching beyond seven years to complete. Campaigners say excessive police delays are causing serious harm to survivors leaving them in limbo and may even be breaching their human rights. The complaint has been submitted by a coalition of legal and support organisations including Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre. Anita is joined by one of the co-authors, Ellie Ball, an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Manager, who’s helped survivors of sexual violence navigate the criminal justice system for over a decade.

Madeleine Gray’s first book Green Dot was a big hit and she's just published her second novel – Chosen Family. She joins Anita to discuss her fairy tale debut novel story, how then writing a second was daunting and why your ‘chosen family’ is so important.

Is there a gender gap when it comes to using AI? Journalist Olivia Petter says the men she meets are obsessed with using it but believes that women are far more cautious. Studies show women are less likely to use AI in the workplace. As the government rolls out free AI training for every UK adult, the question is: what happens if women don’t feel equally confident or equally protected in this new AI driven world? Olivia and Prof Gina Neff from the  Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge join Anita to discuss.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002qj8c)
Jonathan Pryce

Award-winning actor Sir Jonathan Pryce talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences and career. He made his name with the 1975 Trevor Griffiths play Comedians, his role as a stand-up comic winning him a Tony Award after it moved to Broadway. He won an Olivier Award for a landmark production of Hamlet in 1980, and another Tony for his role as The Engineer in Miss Saigon. His huge and diverse list of film credits include Terry Gilliam’s 1985 dystopian drama Brazil, the musical Evita alongside Madonna and, an Oscar nominated performance as Pope Francis in The Two Popes. And he’s been increasingly prolific in the age of television streaming with acclaim for his roles in Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Taboo, Slow Horses and Wolf Hall. He was knighted for services to drama in 2021.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Archive used:
Listen With Mother, BBC Home Service, 7 February, 1950
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?, Whitehall Theatre, BBC1, 1940s
Protests on Broadway, 6 April 1991
Comedians by Trevor Griffiths, 2nd House, BBC2, 15 March 1975
Jonathan Pryce in Hamlet, The Southbank Show, ITV, 1988
Brazil, Terry Gilliam, 1985


THU 11:45 Craftland (m002qj8f)
Episode 4

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It's all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever.

Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.

James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning nominated broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.

Written and Read by James Fox
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m002qj8h)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m002qj8k)
What Happens When Brands Change Hands?

From headline deals like Vodafone-Three or home builder, Barratt buying rival, Redrow, corporate mergers and takeovers are on the rise. Evan Davis and guests take a fresh look at what happens when companies combine. They discuss why deal-making is growing, why execs turn to M&A, what can go wrong and whether mergers deliver growth or simply disguise deeper problems.

Guests:
Vittorio Colao, CEO at Vodafone Group 2008-2018, and now Vice Chairman, EMEA, General Atlantic
Pip Hulbert, CCO for International Markets at VML
Farshid Azadegan, Director of BEC Distribution

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineers: Russell Newlove and Andy Garratt
Editor: Matt Willis

The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002qj8m)
Kefir

Listener Amanda was Kefir curious, and got in touch with Sliced Bread to ask if the Kefir she was consuming for breakfast every day – was really having an impact on her health, cognitive function, and her gut?

She wasn’t the only person to get in touch about kefir either, with others saying they keep seeing the benefits of fermented foods crowed about on social media. Greg Foot talks to head of the Food Biosciences department at the Irish National Research Body Teagasc, to get to the bottom of it.

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?

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: KATE HOLDSWORTH & GREG FOOT


THU 12:57 Weather (m002qj8p)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002qj8r)
Relations between Britain and China thaw

Relations between Britain and China thaw in Beijing. We'll hear from inside the British delegation and unpack what new deals, including visa-free travel to China, mean for business and tourism. We'll have reaction from a campaigner as ministers reject compensation for WASPI women for a second time. And in our weekly chat, Evan Davis and Sarah Montague ask - is President Trump good for the US economy?


THU 13:45 The Fibre Factor (m002qj8t)
Full of Beans

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learns all about fibre, and why we need to eat more of it.

In this episode, he investigates the remarkable properties of beans – full of fibre, sustainable and delicious – and how they're used around the world. Hugh learns to make a traditional Nigerian bean-rich dish and discovers why beans and pulses, except the hearty baked bean, have largely fallen out of favour in the UK. He finds out about a new campaign that aims to bring beans back in a big way.

Featuring:

Khadijat Mustapha and Joey Callender-Wood from Coexist Community Kitchen, Bristol
Prof Chris van Tulleken from University College London
Dev from Bite Back

Presenter: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Sarah Goodman
Exec Producer: Becky Ripley

With thanks to the Food Foundation and Veg Power.


THU 14:00 The Archers (m002qj6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002njw2)
Silent Tide

On the windswept shore of a remote Scottish island, the body of young backpacker and gifted surfer, Santiago, is found washed up by the tide. The local police are quick to rule it an accident.

But his sister, Mariana – a detective in Buenos Aires – can’t let it rest. Haunted by guilt and unanswered questions, she journeys to Scotland to piece together her brother’s final days. As she digs deeper, she discovers a community full of secrets – and realises that someone is determined to keep the truth buried.

A haunting new murder mystery from acclaimed crime writer, Lucia Haynes, who has written for Vera, The Marlow Murder Club and Annika, and co-created Radio 4’s This Thing of Darkness.

Fay ..... Dawn Steele
Mariana ..... Zannie Benfield
Tom ..... Sam James Smith
Alice ..... Eubha Akilade
Davey / DS Gillies ..... Jack Stewart

Written by Lucia Haynes
Directed by Luke Fresle
Executive Producers: Jessica Dromgoole and Arabella Page Croft
Script Executive: Katie Dow

Sound Design by Adam Wood at Serious Facilities

A Black Camel Pictures production for BBC Radio 4


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m002qj8w)
Ghosts of the Farm with Nicola Chester

Clare joins writer Nicola Chester for a circular walk from her home in the village of Inkpen in West Berkshire. Despite recently breaking her leg in an unfortunate tangle of dog zoomies, Nicola is back on her feet and eager to share the landscapes that have shaped both her life and her books. Their route takes them through Manor Farm, the setting for her latest work, and up towards Inkpen Beacon, a hill familiar to Clare from childhood climbs.

As they walk, Nicola reflects on her lifelong desire to farm, the barriers faced by women in agriculture, and the remarkable story of Miss Julia White, a pioneering farmer whose life she explores in her new book Ghosts of the Farm: Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land and Community.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002qglm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Word of Mouth (m002qj8y)
Aphorisms: Sayings to Live By

Michael Rosen talks to James Geary about his lifetime obsession, aphorisms. These short, witty philosophical sayings have been coined by everyone from Emily Dickinson and James Baldwin to Hallmark, and even Michael's mum.

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


THU 16:00 Rethink (m002q39b)
Rethink... the promise of AI

In 2023, ChatGPT took Artificial Intelligence into the mainstream. Now there's a bewildering choice of human-like chatbots to choose from. Generative AIs can produce pictures and video from a text prompt, and many websites and apps are now labelled "Powered by AI".

This new technology can do lots of things and tech companies have raised vast amounts of money from investors based on its potential.

But what is AI actually for?

Certain specialised AIs have a clear purpose. AlphaFold2 can predict how proteins fold-up and won its creators the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Google Translate is an AI with a purpose that’s clear from its name.

But so far there is no must-have or "killer" application for the Large Language Models and Generative AIs.

The future of AI is equally hazy. Will AI somehow lead to all-purpose "Artificial General Intelligence", autonomous robots or even machine consciousness? Or is this all just the stuff of fantasy and nightmares?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Lisa Baxter

Contributors:
Mike Wooldridge, the Ashall Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford.
Rosalind Picard, Grover M. Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.
Ethan Mollick, Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and AI researcher.
Pip Finkemeyer, author of "One Story" and software designer and researcher.
Tracy Dennis Tiwary, Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology and Developmental Psychology at the City University of New York.

Rethink is a BBC co-production with the Open University.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txx)
Should we rethink navigating by GPS?

This week 14 European countries warned that “maritime safety and security” was being put in jeopardy by Russian interference. The Royal Institute of Navigation says GPS is so vulnerable to so called ‘spoofing’ and ‘jamming’ that we need to rethink the navigation systems on which shipping relies. Tom Whipple speaks to Ramsey Faragher, CEO of the Institute.

Something else with the potential to affect navigation systems are solar storms. Tom visits Professor Tim Horbury and Helen O’Brien at Imperial College London whose instrument strapped to the Solar Orbiter probe, and speeding through space, is giving us more warning about solar activity which could affect us here on earth.

And science journalist Caroline Steel brings you the latest scientific research.

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


THU 17:00 PM (m002qj92)
News and current affairs, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qj94)
Nearly 100 children harmed by Great Ormond Street surgeon

A review has found that 94 children were harmed as a result of botched operations and treatment carried out by a limb reconstruction surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Also: Sir Keir Starmer says he's secured "concrete outcomes" that will benefit the UK after holding talks with President Xi as part of his trip to China. And scientists say polar bears living in the Norwegian Arctic are getting fatter, despite warnings that the decline in sea ice has made it harder for them to hunt for food.


THU 18:30 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m002qj96)
Series 3

4. The Truth Is, She Never Left You

The story of Ashley’s tumultuous past year concludes and with the help of all the characters she’s created inside her brain to help her get through it, she tells the funny tale of her mum Janey Godley‘s unconventional multi-part send-off which, in her eyes, evoked Evita and saw the wrong people getting the punchlines.

From her pew, at her mum’s funeral, she has to decode bizarre missives from her dyslexic dad, who has fled the country to avoid the whole affair. Never in a million years will you guess where he’s ended up.

She also finds herself in the papers, as she’s papped at the worst possible time, in the worst possible outfit - although on reflection, even she can see the funny side.

Thanks to the therapist she created inside her mind to avoid having to speak to a real person (perfectly healthy, thank you), Ashley finally finds some kind of acceptance, and has some other revelations along the way - like why acting suits her autistic brain and the potato responsible for the chip on her shoulder…

Produced by Julia Sutherland
Sound Design by Sean Kerwin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m002qh22)
Rex asks Joy about New Year’s Eve and Mick’s story about taking Joy to a real-ale pub after midnight. Joy tells him she met Rochelle instead, and they talked about her new partner. It’s bittersweet for Rex, who says it’s great that she’s met someone.

Lilian tells Joy that Justin was bordering on triumphant when he came home last night. This is news to Rex, but he really hopes it means Justin has sorted everything for Peggy’s artwork unveiling at Rewilding Ambridge. When David tells Kirsty about the family members who are coming, he picks up that the artwork hasn’t been sorted yet. But when Justin arrives he tells Kirsty he thinks he’s solved their problem, but they need all the muscle power they can muster to make it happen before two-thirty.
Rex, Kirsty, David and Justin, plus mini-digger, then work like crazy digging holes to anchor the new, improved artwork. Joy arrives with news that a truck’s waiting down the lane, before Justin co-opts Joy into helping unwrap several packages. Each piece will go into holes on either side of the path, Justin explains. They’ve all been sourced from Julie the artist’s upcoming exhibition. Justin had to expend a lot of persuasive energy as well as hard cash to get her to agree, but so long as Lilian’s happy with Peggy’s Art Installation it’s all been worthwhile.

Later, Lilian gives a speech before the stained-glass installation is unveiled to appreciative gasps and applause. Lilian then tells Justin the artwork is awesome and Peggy would have loved it. She can hardly thank Justin enough.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m002qj98)
Reviewing Is This Thing On? Guess How Much I Love You? and George Saunders

Tom Sutcliffe and guests Viv Groskop and Dorian Lynskey, review Bradley Cooper's film Is This Thing On? - about a marriage in crisis and a comedian on the rise.
Guess How Much I Love You? is the new play by Luke Norris at London's Royal Court Theatre, which deals with starting a family, enduring love and impossible choices
And George Saunders' new book, Vigil, set in the living world and the world of the dead and the in-between.
Also how successful is British soft power in China?

Presenter Tom Sutcliffe


THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002qj6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002qj6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:15 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002qghv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002qj87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002qj9b)
The UK and China sign deals during PM’s visit to Beijing

The agreements include allowing Britons to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Downing Street has said. The government is seeking closer trade ties with Beijing to help boost economic growth. But Conservative MP Harriet Cross tells us she’s concerned about the potential security implications of Chinese involvement in infrastructure projects.

Also on the programme: We hear what life is like in Tehran after the government crackdown on protesters in Iran. And the organist and broadcaster Nigel Ogden has died at the age of 71 – we hear from his friend and fellow organist Phil Kelsall.


THU 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002qj9d)
Episode 9

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 9
In search of more of her mother’s sculptures, the writer and the old man set off for the ruined cabin out of town.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002qj9g)
Inside the Music Business: The Grammys President on the Fight to Protect Artists (Panos A. Panay)

As president of The Recording Academy, which organises the Grammy Awards, Panos A. Panay is grappling with how artificial intelligence and streaming is transforming the music industry, often at the expense of artists.

A former agent who worked with the likes of Leonard Cohen and Nina Simone, Panos tells Amol about his love of music and how that led to him becoming one of the most influential figures in the industry.

And against the backdrop of record-breaking tours from Beyonce and Taylor Swift, he reflects on why the next generation of artists like Sabrina Carpenter are forging real connections with audiences through live performances.

(00:04:16) What is the Recording Academy?

(00:05:17) How did he want to change the Academy as president?

(00:07:10) Finding his love for music growing up in Cyprus

(00:10:39) Panos’ career in the music industry

(00:17:01) What does an agent look for in an artist in 2000 vs 2026?

(00:22:19) Are artists being unfairly paid by music streaming companies?

(00:25:55) How do you get a better deal for artists?

(00:27:45) The threat of AI to the music industry

(00:33:11) Panos’ RADICAL ideas

(00:37:32) The rise of live music

(00:39:20) The popularity of music in different languages

(00:45:51) Amol’s Reflections

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 Dave O’Neill. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002qj9j)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the government again decides not to pay compensation to women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the state pension age.

FRIDAY 30 JANUARY 2026

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002qj9l)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 Craftland (m002qj8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002qj9n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002qj9q)
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 (m002qj9s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002qj9v)
Alicia McCarthy reports on the reaction to the Government's confirmation that there'll be no compensation for the WASPI women.


FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002qj9x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002qj9z)
Weather Watching

Good morning. I am proud to be part of the team that produces our local magazine, which publishes news and stories from the fifty square miles covered by our twelve churches in West Dorset.

It has some popular regular features, like Hedgehog Corner, which journals the life and times of a couple of these much loved creatures living in the contributor’s back garden. However, unsurprisingly, the most talked about regular feature is Weather Watch. Which every month produces a table of readings gathered from a mini weather station in one of our villages, that compares this year’s weather with readings from the previous two years. It’s highly localised and it’s fascinating.

Having lived through the various weather events laid out in the table it helps us as readers to make sense of what sometimes feels very unpredictable and changeable weather day to day. Mostly because of the micro climate of the Marshwood Vale and the prevailing South Westerlies blowing across the Channel.

Understanding the weather is essential as we live in a rural coastal community where farming, hospitality and fishing are the main industries all of which are highly dependent on the right type of weather at the right time.

So oftentimes, I find myself praying for the weather. But today I want to pray for all those who work in weather watching, meteorologists, scientists and weather presenters, satellite engineers and technicians and especially for all those amateur weather watchers, recording the weather in their own local communities, come rain or shine. May you know God in the heavens as you study the skies and be blessed in your work. Amen


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002qjb1)
30/01/26 Extreme weather and rural resilience, biochar, rare breed cattle

The weather has dominated life for many this month, from storms and flooding in South West England to snow and rain in parts of Scotland, flooding in Northern Ireland and strong winds and rain across Wales. Rural communities and the leader of Devon County Council have called on the government for urgent financial support because of the impact of this month's storms, particularly on roads and railways saying more frequent rough weather highlights the need for more investment.

All this week we are talking sustainable systems - whether that's how we farm or how we make farming a more economically sustainable and resilient business. The University of Lincoln has been working with a Nottinghamshire farmer on an innovative project called ‘Reverse Coal’, which has just won a national sustainability award. We visit Pollybell Farms to find out more about biochar.

A tale of legacy, love and rare breeds: Clifford Freeman farms in Gloucestershire where he has the world's biggest herd of Gloucester cattle. He is also the custodian of his father's collections of rare breed sheep and pigs and vintage farm wagons. Eric Freeman was a farmer, broadcaster and rare breeds pioneer.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


FRI 06:00 Today (m002qh1f)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002qgm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002qh1h)
Paris Paloma, Repair Cafes, French conjugal rights, Gynae care in Wales

Last week a report from the Welsh Health and Social Care Committee revealed that women in Wales felt that they were being failed by gynaecological cancer services, with many facing long waiting lists to see a specialist or start treatment. Anita speaks to Jess Mason who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2022, Lowri Griffiths, Director of Policy, Research and Insight at Tenovus Cancer Care and Aarti Sharma, Consultant Gynaecology Oncology Surgeon, University Hospital of Wales.

Politicians in France have moved to abolish so called "conjugal rights," the concept of a marital duty to have sex with your partner. A bill approved on Wednesday in the French National Assembly adds a clause to the country's civil code, which currently defines the duties of marriage as "respect, fidelity, support and assistance," and says couples commit themselves to a "community of living." The proposed law makes clear that "community of living" does not create an "obligation for sexual relations." Anita is joined by the French journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet.

Across Wales more than 700 women volunteers regularly bring faulty toasters, ripped jeans, wobbly chairs and other broken stuff back to life for free. They are part of Repair Café Wales, a charity that spans 134 locations. They are launching 'Fix It February', a month-long campaign to inspire people to repair one broken item instead of replacing it. Anita is joined by Repair Cafe Wales director Phoebe Brown and Lucy Harris, one of the volunteers.

The writer and performer Paris Paloma has a new single out today about women’s bodies called Good Girl. Paloma joins Anita to sing and talk about her music, including her 2023 track Labour about women’s unpaid work which started a social media trend as women around the world related the song to their own experiences with sexism.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002qh1k)
The Honey Trap

After concerns that honey from overseas is being watered down with cheap rice and corn syrups, Sheila Dillon investigates the scale of global honey fraud. It's a story of complex international supply chains with the world's food security at its heart.

In 2023, the European Commission found that 46 per cent of the honey it sampled was suspected to be fraudulent. Just last year at the World Beekeeping Awards the prize for Best Honey had to be cancelled after fears that adulterated honey might be entered. The fake version can be very difficult to detect and beekeepers warn that it is forcing down the price of honey, potentially driving them out of business.

So how serious an issue has international honey fraud become and how concerned should consumers in the UK be? Sheila visits Bermondsey Street bees in Essex in search of answers and speaks to the UK's two biggest honey producers - Rowse and Hilltop Honey. Food fraud expert Professor Chris Elliott from Queen's University Belfast analyses the situation and Robin Markwell reports from Copenhagen where the world's largest convention of beekeepers was recently held.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Robin Markwell


FRI 11:45 Craftland (m002qh1m)
Episode 5

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It's all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever.

Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.

James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning nominated broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.

Written and Read by James Fox
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002qh1q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m002qh1s)
Child-free spaces

Should we have more child-free spaces?
The French state railway company has introduced child-free carriages on some of its high-speed trains. This has caused a row online.
Adam Fleming gets to the bottom of the story and asks if there is a growing demand for more child-free spaces. But is the debate simply a measure of growing intolerance - particularly of children - in society.

Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Tom Gillett, John Murphy
Studio manager: Andrew Mills
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy


FRI 12:57 Weather (m002qh1v)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002qh1x)
Iran's foreign minister warns US against military intervention

Could the US be about to strike? We'll assess what military action could look like. Plus, China lifts sanctions for British Parliamentarians. We speak to one of those sanctioned, Tom Tugendhat. And, amid fears the Bayeux Tapestry could be damaged by potholes as it is transported to the UK - we look at the high tech operation that will try and keep it safe.


FRI 13:45 The Fibre Factor (m002qh1z)
The Future Is Fibre

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learns all about fibre, and why we need to eat more of it.

In this final episode, he looks to the future to ask how we can all get more fibre into our diets. He speaks to youth activists who are challenging the food status quo, and he puts his home-cooked fibre-rich recipes to the test with the kids at the local primary school.

Featuring:
Carrera and Dev from Bite Back
Pupils from Honiton Primary School with headteacher Christopher Tribble

Presenter: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Sarah Goodman
Exec Producer: Becky Ripley


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002qh22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002qh24)
Wolf Valley

Episode 2

The body of a young woman, Rose Smith, lies in the icy waters of the fjord. Who put her there?

Forensics suggest a brutal killing. When it emerges the victim is a British citizen, Lena is teamed up with hotheaded Oslo detective Aksel Karlin to investigate Rose’s death. Clues from Rose’s online life reveal she was onto something, and a startling new video suggests a connection with Lars Vikstad - son of powerful landowner Henrik Vikstad. Lena must confront troubled relationships new and old as the secrets of Wolf Valley begin to stir, revealing just how dark its shadows truly are.

The second episode of a compulsive Nordic noir in which old legacies and dark purposes are drawn together in an isolated valley town.


LENA - Amrita Acharia
MAGNUS - Eirik Knutsvik
HENRIK - Øystein Lode
INGRID - Eva Eklöf
AKSEL - David Menkin
ANNETTE - Sarah Whitehouse
EVA - Ingvild Lakou
DINESH - Raj Ghatak
PIA - Charlotte Melén
VIDAR - Sigurd Myhre
SARA - Ronja Haugholt
ROSE - Stephanie MacGaraidh
BENGT - Christopher Dane
JAMES ADDINGTON - Peter F Gardiner
LENA’S MUM - Ingvild Lakou
YOUNG LENA - Mackensie Sutherland

All other parts played by the cast

Written by Charlotte Melén
Composer - Marcus Aurelius Hjelmborg
Singer - Johanne Baadsgaard Lange
Sound Design - Louis Blatherwick, Steve Bond
Director - Charlotte Melén
Producer - Eleanor Mein
Assistant Producer - Chloe Sackur
Script Consultant - Lauren Shippen
Development Producer - Saskia Black
Executive Producers - Charlotte Melén, Celia de Wolff

An Almost Tangible production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Materials of State (m002mp9t)
Black Rod

David Cannadine continues examining the origins, symbolism and contemporary significance of the objects and emblems that underpin the British constitution.

In episode 4, he’s looking at Black Rod, which is unusual among our ‘materials of state’ for being both a person and an object.

Black Rod refers to both a senior parliamentary officer and the physical ebony staff carried by that officer. The role dates back nearly 600 years to King Edward III and the founding of the Order of the Garter. By the 16th century, the role became a fixture at the Palace of Westminster, responsible for access, order and discipline, functions that continue today. David meets the newly appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, Ed Davis, and a former Black Rod, David Leakey, to discuss what the role entails.

The most public and iconic part of Black Rod's duties is during the State Opening of Parliament. Dressed in ceremonial costume, Black Rod is sent to summon MPs from the House of Commons to listen to the Monarch’s speech in the House of Lords, but the door is traditionally slammed in their face to symbolise the Commons' independence from the Crown. The officer then knocks three times with the base of the rod before being admitted. Despite objections to this pomp and ceremony from people like Dennis Skinner MP, David concludes the role and tradition of both the person, and the object, remains secure for now.

Contributors in order of appearance:
Ed Davis, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod
David Leakey, former Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod
Eloise Donnelly, Curator of Historic Furniture and Decorative Art at the Houses of Parliament

Presented by Professor Sir David Cannadine
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Sound Mixing: Tony Churnside

The series has been made in association with the History of Parliament Trust

A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002qh26)
Postbag Edition: Seaton Delaval Hall

Kathy Clugston and the GQT team visit the Seaton Delaval Hall in Newcastle, to answer questions from the GQT postbag.

Today, the panel helps choose roses for a shaded memorial bed, investigates the sudden collapse of a once‑glorious wisteria, and unpicks the mystery of a white flag iris that decided to flower again in autumn, but this time in blue.

Kathy is joined by Matthew Wilson, Bethan Collerton and Dr Chris Thorogood.

Alongside these questions, Sarah Peilow, Head Gardener at Seaton Delaval Hall takes us on a tour of the Parterre and the South East Garden.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002qh28)
Lahinch by Rachel Gough

An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the writer Rachel Gough. Read by Jessica Regan.

The Author
Rachel Gough is a writer from County Cork. Her work includes short fiction published in The Waxed Lemon, Outpost, Bealtaine, The National Flash Fiction Anthology, and Best Small Fictions and poetry published in Quarryman. In 2021 her short story ‘December 25th 2022’ was shortlisted for Best Short Story at the Wild Atlantic Words Festival. In 2022 she received the Editor’s Choice Award from the National Flash Fiction Day Anthology. In the same year she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. In 2025, she was awarded first place in the flash fiction category at the Write by the Sea Literary Festival.

Writer: Rachel Gough
Reader: Jessica Regan
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002qh2b)
Sir Mark Tully, Dame Gillian Wagner, Dr Gladys West, Richard Larn OBE

Matthew Bannister on

Sir Mark Tully who reported on India for the BBC for decades, covering some of the most significant events in the country’s recent history.

Dame Gillian Wagner who campaigned to raise the standards of residential care in the UK.

Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work paved the way for the development of GPS.

Richard Larn OBE, the diver who was one of the UK’s leading experts on shipwrecks.

Interviewee: Sarah Tully
Interviewee: Qurban Ali
Interviewee: Lucy McCarraher
Interviewee: Carolyn West Oglesby
Interviewee: Steve Roue

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Colin Paterson

Archive used:
Mark Tully interview with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Outlook, BBC World Service, 1975; Mark Tully interview, Desert Islands Discs, BBC Radio 4, 15/06/2003; Mark Tully news analysis, BBC World Report, 12/07/1971; Mark Tully report from Bhopal, BBC News, 04/12/1984; Mark Tully report from Ayodhya, BBC News, 06/12/1992; Mark Tully presenting, Something Understood, BBC Radio 4, 30/07/2000; Gillian Wagner, The Barnardo Family, BBC Radio 4, 23/04/1979; Gillian Wagner interview, Scene on Six, BBC News NI, 15/10/1981; Gillian Wagner, The Flower of the Flock, BBC Radio 4, 31/07/1981; Dr Gladys West interview, Today, BBC Radio 4, 31/12/2022; Gladys West interview, PBS News Hour, PBS, 20/01/2026; Hannah Fry: The Secret Genius of Everyday Life, BBC Two, 17/11/2022; Richard Larn interview, BBC News at One, 19/08/2010; Richard Larn , Richard Larn, Shipwrecks, Countryfile, BBC One, 25/02/2007; Richard Larn interview, The Mullion Pin Wreck, BBC, 07/08/1975; The Raising of the Mary Rose, BBC Radio 4, 10/10/1982; Richard Larn, Divers Midweek, 29/08/1974;


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m002qh2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002qh2g)
President Trump suggests Iran ready to strike a deal

We hear from the man who used to oversee the US military in the Middle East in President Trump's first administration. We speak to the astronomer who discovered a new planet as a child and chart the history of pop star Harry Styles who is about to break records at Wembley.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002qh2j)
The US justice department releases three million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein

The US Department of Justice has released more than three million new documents relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Also: President Trump has nominated a conservative Wall Street veteran to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. And in tennis, Novak Djokovic has become the oldest men’s finalist at the Australian Open in the professional era.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002qh2l)
Series 119

4. By-elections, hello defections

On the agenda this week is Starmer vs Burnham in Labour's latest civil war, Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform, and working out how to save The Great British pub. To get to the bottom of all this, Andy is joined by Daliso Chaponda, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind and Holly Walsh.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale and Sarah Mills
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002qh2n)
After working a night shift Ben’s late getting up for his graduation ceremony and has to be chivvied along by David and Ruth. Before the ceremony starts David spots that Ben has fallen asleep. For alphabetical reasons Ben will be first up to collect his degree, so Ruth calls his phone, assuming the vibration will wake Ben. It rings loudly instead, immediately waking Ben, who apologises before going on stage to be greeted by the amused Chancellor. Afterwards Ben and David tease Ruth about the phone call and having a cry, but they are all very proud of what Ben’s achieved.

Amber encourages George to stay positive about getting a job, before Esme calls, asking him over to Meadow Farm at lunchtime. George assumes it’s a “maybe”, which Amber tells him he needs to turn into a “yes”. He’d be perfect for the job and Esme would be lucky to have him. When George gets there, he advises Esme on replacing some rotting fence posts. Esme knows about his criminal past, spelling out that she’s looking for someone trustworthy and reliable. George assures her he won’t let her down, emphasising how much he cares for livestock and how he needs to step up for Amber, now she’s pregnant. Esme reveals she has worked previously with ex-offenders, before offering George a two months’ trial of part-time work milking, looking after cows and doing general farm work, starting on Monday. George is dead chuffed, going to meet Amber after work. She’s thrilled and they both vow to work hard for their future as a family.


FRI 19:15 Screenshot (m002qh2q)
New Iranian Cinema

For more than six decades, in the face of censorship and even imprisonment, Iranian filmmakers have produced some of the world’s best-loved cinema. And now, with the legendary Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s latest film It Was Just An Accident up for Oscar and BAFTA Awards, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode review this extraordinarily rich and unique cinema history.

Mark speaks to the British-Iranian director Babak Anvari about his supernatural-thriller film Under the Shadow, inspired by his experiences growing up during the Iran-Iraq War, and how and why Iranian cinema has had such a huge impact on film culture.

Ellen talks to Sepideh Farsi, who was forced to leave Iran for Paris as a teenager, about her 2009 documentary, Tehran Without Permission, which she made entirely independently on a Nokia cameraphone.

And Ellen also meets Hassan Nazer, an Aberdeen-based Iranian director who came to the UK as a refugee and whose 2022 film Winners is a love-letter to his country’s film-making tradition.

Producer: Artemis Irvine
A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002qh2s)
Stuart Andrew MP, Annabel Denham, Lilian Greenwood MP, Ash Sarkar

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St Paul's Church in Fazeley, near Tamworth in Staffordshire with the shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew MP; senior political commentator at The Telegraph, Annabel Denham; transport minister Lilian Greenwood MP; and the contributing editor of Novara Media, Ash Sarkar.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Jo Dwyer
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Zentner
Editor: Robin Markwell


FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002qh2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:40 on Wednesday]


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002qh2x)
Labour, work and productivity

What do we mean when we talk about productivity?

Anne McElvoy and guests discuss labour in the context of both work and motherhood: what the language of childbirth tells us about how mothers and their bodies are viewed today; how the language of production and reproduction is used in the public and private contexts of the workplace, in macroeconomics, in the labour ward and at home; and the current public debates about parental and domestic labour, the maternal pay gap and the 'productivity puzzle'.

With:
John Callanan, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London
Beth Malory, Lecturer in English Linguistics at University College London
Patrick Foulis, author and journalist
Corinne Low, Associate Professor of Economics at the Wharton School and author of Femonomics
Helen Charman, Fellow in English at Clare College, Cambridge and author of Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood

Producer: Eliane Glaser


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002qh2z)
More than three million pages from Jeffrey Epstein files released

The US Justice Department has released more than three million pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. BBC North America Editor Sarah Smith explains what some of the documents say.

Also on the programme: Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy KC reacts to the news that China has lifted sanctions on her after PM Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing this week. And the late Fela Kuti will become the first African to be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys – we hear from his son, fellow musician Seun Kuti.


FRI 22:45 The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (m002qh31)
Episode 10

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

First published in 1994, and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020: a mysterious tale about the power of the state, loss and endurance.

On the island, things go on disappearing.

Each disappearance begins with a strange intimation of absence followed by the realisation that something has gone. Some disappearances seem to happen by themselves; others require action from the whole community to consolidate them.

The first duty of the Memory Police is to enforce the disappearances. But it is not enough for things to disappear: they must be forgotten, too. For most islanders - like the narrator, a young novelist - memories disappear ‘on schedule’.

But some people are unable to forget, and this a matter of great concern to the Memory Police. On the island, to remember is to be in danger.

Episode 10
As the islanders begin to lose parts of their bodies, the disappearances on the island take on a new dimension.

Award-winning novelist Yoko Ogawa lives in Ashiya, Japan. Her work translated into English includes The Diving Pool; Mina’s Matchbox and The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

Writer: Yoko Ogawa
Reader: Yuriri Naka
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct8bz2)
Can Trump really save the midterms for the Republicans?

Can Republicans win the midterm elections and keep control of both houses of Congress? It’s the biggest political event of the year, and this week Donald Trump kicked off the Republican’s campaign in Iowa, telling voters the odds are against him, but Republicans “need to win”. The president’s chief of staff says this is just the start, and Trump will be campaigning for the midterms as if it were a presidential race because he’s good at driving voter turnout.
In this episode, Sarah and Anthony discuss why the midterm elections matter, what the stakes are, and Republican chances of winning. They’re joined by a former campaign adviser to Donald Trump, Bryan Lanza, who sets out why ICE immigration protests and worries over the economy shouldn’t stop a Republican victory.
We also hear from Mary in Kentucky as we build our own “United States of Americast”, finding Americasters in every US state. Listen out for what you might not already know about Kentucky…

HOSTS:
• Sarah Smith, North America Editor
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUESTS:
• Bryan Lanza, Former senior advisor to Donald Trump

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 Purvee Pattni, Grace Reeve and Kris Jalowiecki. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002qh34)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament